Smackdown
Date: September 20, 2024
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We are getting closer to Bad Blood and that means it is time to get ready for a big tag match. Bad Blood will see Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns teaming up against the Bloodline, which should make for an important Smackdown main event. As for tonight, LA Knight is defending the US Title against Andrade. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Cody Rhodes defeating Solo Sikoa last week to retain the Smackdown World Title. Roman Reigns then made the save from the post-match beatdown, eventually setting up the Bad Blood tag match.

Earlier today, the Bloodline arrived and didn’t like being checked in the metal detector. Jacob Fatu beat up security because that’s just what he does.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Andrade

Knight is defending and starts fast with a BFT attempt to send Andrade outside. We take an early break and come back with Andrade hitting a high crossbody for two, setting up the chinlock. Knight fights up and elbows him in the face before they go outside with Knight sending him face first into the announcers’ table over and over.

The slingshot shoulder gets two on Andrade back inside but he manages a quick posting for a breather. Andrade hits a top rope moonsault to the floor and we take another break. Back again with a double knockdown giving them a double breather. Andrade is up first but misses the running knees in the corner, allowing Knight to grab a DDT for two.

A neckbreaker gives Knight two but Andrade scores with the running knees in the corner for the same. Knight comes back with a powerbomb and the top rope spelling elbow but the BFT is blocked. The spinning elbow gives Andrade two more but he misses a missile dropkick. The BFT retains the title at 17:28.

Rating: B. Rather strong match here, which is what you want to see from Knight as he continues to build up his title reign. Beating one star after another is a good way to go and Knight looked strong in his third title defense. Andrade was hot coming off of his series with Carmelo Hayes but for now, Knight getting boosted up is the right way to go.

Respect is shown post match.

We recap the setup of tonight’s women’s tag match, with Bayley and Naomi fighting for a Women’s Title shot while Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton are trying to get rid of them both.

Stratton isn’t overly focused on the match so Jax says Stratton should lose if she doesn’t win tonight.

Carmelo Hayes mocks Andrade over the loss and the fight is on again.

Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns met on the field at Georgia Tech’s football stadium (Cody’s hometown and Reigns’ alma mater). Reigns talks about what he has given on this field, which is his stadium and his city. Rhodes talks about what his family has done in this city because while it is Reigns’ field, it is Rhodes’ home. Reigns says the Bloodline has taken everything away from him and now there is nothing for him to lose.

Rhodes warned him that this would happen before Wrestlemania and now we have both a Tribal Chief and a WWE Champion, but it isn’t Reigns. If Reigns can’t beat the Bloodline, who is he? Rhodes wants Reigns’ word that he’ll have his back at Bad Blood. Reigns agrees, but he’s coming back for what is his, meaning the title, after the match. Rhodes says it isn’t Reigns’ to take, but Reigns says he’s in his way. That was a heck of a setting for a staredown, which worked well, though it felt a bit too big for a match at Bad Blood rather than…well any of the big shows.

Kevin Owens isn’t sure what he just saw.

Apollo Crews vs. Giovanni Vinci

Vinci isn’t happy with his previous loss and hammers away to start, setting up a clothesline out of the corner. Vinci’s fireman’s carry is loaded up but Crews reverses into a rollup for the pin at 1:36. I’m kind of chuckling at this.

Post match Vinci beats him down.

Kevin Owens will talk about Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes in the arena.

Here is Owens for a chat. Owens is about to talk about what he just saw with Reigns and Rhodes but here is the Bloodline (minus Solo Sikoa) to interrupt. Tama Tonga threatens violence but Owens wants to fight. The beatdown is on so here is DIY to clear things out, with Nick Aldis coming to the ring to make the six man tag main event.

Bayley and Naomi are cool with each other before their title match and they both want to win.

Bayley/Naomi vs. Nia Jax/Tiffany Stratton

Texas Tornado. If Bayley or Naomi win, they get a title shot, but if one of them is pinned, they leave Smackdown. It’s a brawl to start (as it should be) with Bayley and Naomi getting in some double teaming to stagger both villains. A double sliding lariat gets two on Jax, who is back up with a toss to Naomi. Something like a middle rope version of Cryme Tyme’s old G9 getting two on Bayley as we take a break.

Back with Jax on the floor and being sent into Naomi’s kick to the head. Bayley and Naomi hit some dives on Jax and a springboard kick to the face/German suplex combination hits Stratton. Naomi won’t let Bayley get the pin but she does take a shot from Stratton for her. Jax is back in to clean house but Bayley saves Naomi from the Annihilator.

Bayley and Jax get stereo covers for near falls (commentary isn’t sure how that would have worked either) but Naomi X Factors Jax out of the corner. Stratton’s Swanton hits Jax by mistake and a 1D puts Stratton down again. Jax Samoan drops Bayley but Naomi grabs a rollup, with Bayley helping, for the double pin at 11:06.

Rating: B-. The tornado rules were a way to set up the ending, which is either setting up Bayley vs. Naomi or the triple threat title match at Bad Blood (or both). For now though, it was a good way to make Jax look vulnerable and it’s a lot more acceptable to have her take a fall in a tag match. Good enough match here, with the result being what it needed to be.

It’s not clear who gets the title shot.

We look at some fan signs.

Chelsea Green goes to take out some trash but gets sick of the smell. She’s training to face Michin in a dumpster match, which would be on Michin’s home turf. As usual, Green is hilarious in stuff like this.

Michael Cole is VERY enthusiastic about the dumpster match and even gets up to demonstrate throwing someone into a dumpster.

Nick Aldis makes Naomi vs. Bayley next week for the title shot.

Kevin Owens/DIY vs. Bloodline

Hold on though as we cut to the back where the Bloodline has taken out DIY. Owens goes to the stage and fights all three of the Bloodline on his own, which goes as well as you would expect. Cue the Street Profits for the save though and Owens hits a flip dive as we have some replacement partners.

Kevin Owens/Street Profits vs. Bloodline

Owens hammers on Tama to start and it’s off to Dawkins to do the same. Ford gets to stomp Loa in the corner but a clothesline gets him out of trouble. Fatu comes in and the fans approve as he kicks Ford down in the corner. A suplex into Tama’s slingshot hilo has Ford in more trouble and a sliding lariat makes it worse. Ford finally fights out of trouble and hands it back to Dawkins to fight off Fatu.

Back up and Fatu hits a superkick out of the corner into a gorgeous moonsault as we take a break. We come back with Dawkins getting double teamed down but managing to kick Tama away. Fatu cuts off the tag attempt though, only to miss a charge into the post. That’s enough for the tag off to Ford to fight back, including a standing moonsault for two on Tama.

Owens comes back in and picks the pace up even more, with a splash off the apron to Loa and a cannonball to Tama. The Swanton connects but Fatu makes the save, leaving Tama and Owens to go to the top. After some very obvious spot calling, Owens reverses into the swinging superplex for two. The Stunner connects and Loa sends Owens into the steps, which is actually a DQ at 14:48.

Rating: B-. This got some time and the ending was a big of a surprise, though I’ll take the doing something a bit different than the same old stuff. The Profits didn’t need to take another loss here so the result was a nice thing to see. Owens was fighting as hard as he could again, which has been his thing for a long time now now.

Post match the brawl stays on with the Bloodline getting the better of things but here is DIY for the failed save attempt. Cody Rhodes makes the real save with a chair and hits Fatu with a Cody Cutter. Owens picks up the chair and stares at Rhodes, with Cody offering him a handshake. Owens drops the chair and we get a hug to end the show. They were teasing something there and we never heard what Owens actually thought of the video with Roman Reigns.

Overall Rating: B. Pretty nice show this week with the Reigns/Rhodes video being quite well done and seemingly setting up some issues with Kevin Owens down the line. The Smackdown side of Bad Blood is coming together nicely, but again it’s feeling kind of small compared to a Cell match and likely World Title match on Raw. This did a nice job of getting things ready for the show though and that’s what matters with about two weeks to go before Bad Blood.

Results
LA Knight b. Andrade – BFT
Apollo Crews b. Giovanni Vinci – Rollup
Bayley/Naomi b. Nia Jax/Tiffany Stratton – Double pin to Jax
Kevin Owens/Street Profits b. Bloodline via DQ when Loa sent Owens into the steps

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 16, 2024
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re closing in on Bad Blood with the big story being the announcement of Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk inside the Cell. Other than that we have Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio this week, plus Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed II and the Tag Team Titles are on the line. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

A bunch of people arrive, including CM Punk, who leaves his car door open and doesn’t take the key with him. Even if he has no contact starting and has the key in his pocket, that’s rather risky.

We follow Punk from the back to the ring (where he takes off his Bret Hart shirt in the process) for a chat. Punk, with what sounds like a rather weak voice, talks about people wondering how much he has left in those old bones. No matter what you think, the answer will disappoint you, because it’s more than you think. Punk recaps how we got here and of course it wasn’t going to be over because he touched a bunch of turnbuckles.

The question is how many Cell matches he has left, and the correct answer is zero. His sister, his wife and the angel on his shoulder have asked him not to do this, but let him tell you why he is going to do this. The last time they were in Portland, he told McIntyre that if he kept pushing, things would get bad.

It has to end inside the Cell and while Punk can’t promise he’ll kill McIntyre, he promises to make McIntyre bleed (the fans like that) and he’ll have to kill Punk because he is prepared to die. If McIntyre is prepared to do the same, Punk will see him in H***. This was a deadly serious Punk with no sarcasm or humor and it makes the Cell feel that much bigger.

Sheamus is sick of Pete Dunne and brings up how much Dunne hates being called Butch, while saying Butch multiple times.

Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne

They slug it out to start with Sheamus getting the better of things. The fight goes out to the floor with Dunne being dropped onto the announcers’ table as we take an early break. Back with Dunne countering a super White Noise into a sitout powerbomb for two. Dunne fires off elbows to the head but Sheamus is back up with a powerslam.

A middle rope knee to the head gives Sheamus two so he takes Dunne up and hits a super powerslam for the same. Dunne reaches over for the shillelagh but Sheamus knocks it out of his owns. Dunne knows he’s in trouble but the referee takes it away. The distraction is enough for Dunne to whip out a cricket bat and knock Sheamus silly. A pump kick (rather Brogueish) finishes Sheamus at 11:07.

Rating: C+. Sheamus is a very valuable thing to have for WWE as you can put him out there in any kind of a spot and he winds up giving you a good match while making everyone else look good. That was the case here, with Dunne getting one of the biggest wins of his career and certainly his most recent. If nothing else, the cricket bat was a nice touch and we’ll probably see it again later.

We look back at Judgment Day taking out the Terror Twins last week until Jey Uso makes the save.

The Twins run into Uso, who says he’ll be watching Damian Priest against Dominik Mysterio. Xavier Woods comes in and is told to get the Tag Team Titles away from Judgment Day.

Miz hypes Braun Strowman up for his rematch with Bronson Reed but doesn’t like Strowman suggesting that Miz is no match for Reed. Strowman tells him that’s not what it meant, though Miz isn’t overly convinced. That was definitely teasing a Miz heel turn.

Natalya vs. Zoey Stark

All of their friends are here too. Natalya takes her down to start but Stark is right back with a springboard missile dropkick (and a nice one at that) as we take a break. We come back with Natalya blocking another springboard missile dropkick but Stark snapmares her down. The basement superkick gets two and frustration is setting in. A quick Sharpshooter attempt is countered into a pinfall reversal sequence, with Natalya rolling her up for the pin at 7:01.

Rating: C. Natalya is back and while I’m not sure if last week’s return was some big, epic moment like commentary was talking, it’s nice to have her back as she’s still quality in the ring. I’m not sure where this is going, but the Pure Fusion Collective is starting to look weak. That’s not a far fall in the first place as they weren’t looking strong coming in, but another loss isn’t helping them.

Finn Balor interrupts Rhea Ripley and says she is just as bad as Damian Priest. Balor is sick of her blaming him for everything that happened. Ripley says she isn’t going to be lied to because the team was supposed to be a family. Ripley put u with everything because she loved her family. At Bad Blood we’ll see how bad the Terror Twins can be.

That’s fine with Balor, who was the devil on Dominik Mysterio’s shoulder who told him to leave Rhea for Morgan. Jey Uso comes in to ask if they have a problem, but Balor says focus on the Intercontinental Title because Ripley is out of his league. Balor leaves and Ripley says Balor has a point. Jey: “What, that you’re out of my league?” Ripley: “No, about the title.” Uso seems happy and is off to the ring. I’m not sure I can see it happening, but the roof is going to come off if Uso and Ripley get together on screen.

Here is Uso in the ring. He talks about what he has been doing lately and now it is time to get his first singles title so he can really be Main Event Jey Uso. Cue Bron Breakker, who says that he has done some homework on Jey. While Jey has been around for fourteen years and is looking for his first singles title, Breakker has done more than he has in just six months.

Breakker didn’t need his family or their name to get here, while Uso is nothing without his family. Uso is ready to fight next week, saying he can make this as short as Breakker’s NFL career. That has Breakker ready to go but Uso spears him down. Good enough here, but my goodness it’s hard to imagine Uso’s spear keeping Breakker down.

Iyo Sky yells at Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill, with Belair saying that she was booked to face Kairi Sane, but Belair agrees to face Sky instead. That’s a weird change but the match should be better.

Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Judgment Day

New Day is challenging. Kofi hurricanranas McDonagh down to start and hits the slingshot splash, setting up Woods’ jumping elbow for two. Everything breaks down and a double bulldog puts Balor down. The champs are sent outside and we take an early break. Back with Kofi and Balor knocking each other down, allowing Woods to come in and take over on McDonagh.

Kofi comes in and hits a big running flip dive onto Balor, leaving Woods to sitout powerbomb McDonagh for two. Cue Judgment Day for a distraction but the LWO comes out to cut them off, leaving Woods very confused. Kofi dives onto everyone at ringside and Woods hits the Limit Break but there is no referee. Balor comes in off a blind tag and hits the Coup de Grace to retain the titles at 8:29.

Rating: B-. This is a weird story but I’m still not sure I can actually imagine them pulling the trigger on the New Day splitting. Big E. showing up again is about the only thing that can save the team and that’s a very reasonable option. I’m not sure if I’m liking that we’re seeing here, but dang they have me interested.

We get a weird Wyatt Sicks video, ending with a graphic saying “You speak, we follow” and another QR cope.

Post break Xavier Woods is yelling at the LWO when Kofi Kingston comes up to thank them for having his back as requested. Woods asks when they ever needed help again but Kofi says they had Big E. before. That sets Woods off, because it means he isn’t good enough, but more importantly, WHY DID THE LWO KNOW THE PLAN WHEN HE DIDN’T? That’s a totally fair question.

Bronson Reed talks about everyone he has smashed.

Bronson Reed vs. Braun Strowman

Hold on though as Strowman sends him into the corner, where Reed breaks the top rope. A chokeslam sends Reed rolling out to the floor, where Strowman loads up the freight train. That’s fine with Reed, who grabs a person from the crowd and throws him at Strowman. Back up and Strowman tackles him through the barricade as Reed leaves through the crowd. Strowman isn’t done and chases after him with a tackle into an anvil case. They go to the back where Reed puts him through some tables, only for Strowman to get up and tackle him through a wall. No match.

Ludwig Kaiser comes in to see Adam Pearce, who wants to talk about Gunther’s next challenger. Adam Pearce thinks Sami Zayn is making a good case for the shot, but Kaiser wanted a quality opponent. As they are talking, Zayn comes into the arena, with Pearce telling Gunther to deal with Zayn in person.

In the arena, Zayn comes to the ring to talk about how he was in the ring last week, hearing Bret Hart talk about what it means to be champion. That is what Zayn needs and he needs it more than anyone can believe. Unfortunately, Gunther has declined the challenges and it’s because Zayn isn’t on his level.

Instead, Zayn thinks he’s in Gunther’s head because Gunther knows Zayn can beat him again, just like he did at Wrestlemania. Cue Ludwig Kaiser, who says this is not going to happen because Zayn is not good enough. Zayn doesn’t think Gunther needs Kaiser, but also that Kaiser does not need Gunther. Kaiser is so talented but maybe he just doesn’t have the guts to do it.

Cue Gunther to interrupt, saying he’ll get to Zayn in a minute. First though, is there anything Kaiser needs to tell him? Kaiser says there is something he has wanted to get off his chest for a long time…and he decks Zayn to hammer away. With Kaiser holding Zayn back, Gunther turns down the challenge again and hugs Kaiser. Gunther leaves but Zayn is back up with a German suplex and the Helluva Kick to Kaiser. The title match taking place is all but guaranteed, but I’m not sure what Zayn can do to push Gunther over the edge.

Liv Morgan interrupts Damian Priest and feels sorry that the Terror Twins are still so obsessed with the one time in their careers when they were actually on top. Priest is amazed that someone in Judgment Day has a set, but promises to hurt Dominik Mysterio when he gets his hands on him.

Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky

Jade Cargill and Kairi Sane are both here too. Belair powers her around to start before they trade waistlocks. Sky flips away with some cartwheels but Belair gets in a flip of her own. Sky’s hurricanrana is countered into a sunset flip for two, followed by a rather delayed vertical suplex. Back up and Sky grabs a springboard armdrag but Belair sticks the landing as we take a break.

We come back with Belair hitting a shoulder in the corner, setting up some right hands. A palm strike drops Belair, who comes back up with a gutbuster. Sky’s missile dropkick gets two and Belair wins a slugout. A quick rollup gives Sky two but Belair launches her face first into the buckle.

Belair’s spinebuster sets up a handspring moonsault for two but Sky slips out of a gorilla press. A German suplex gives Sky two and she sends Belair outside for a big suicide dive. Belair is back up and grabs a vertical suplex, which she walks up the steps to throw Sky back inside. The 450 hits raised knees but Over The Moonsault takes too long, allowing Belair to load up the KOD. That’s reversed into a small package to give Sky the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B+. This was REALLY good and I was watching every second at the end to see just where they were going to go. Belair is a major star in the women’s division and a bigger deal than Sky, but it doesn’t feel like a completely ridiculous result. They were having a pretty outstanding match and I was pulled all the way into it. Best match I’ve seen on Raw in a good while.

American Made is happy to be done with the Wyatt Sicks. They’re ready to bring honor back to the ring and make history. This was more corny than anything else.

Ludwig Kaiser doesn’t care what Sami Zayn was saying, because they’re going one on one next week. Sami Zayn wants to talk about loyalty but how many times have he and Kevin Owens turned on each other? Next week, Zayn is getting exposed.

Ilja Dragunov wishes Jey Uso luck against Bron Breakker and even says Yeet. With Uso gone, the Judgment Day comes in to say Dragunov is making some bad choices for friends. Dragunov respects the Terror Twins and Jey, which is more than he can say for the team. Finn Balor says this was just a friendly warning, but next time won’t be so nice.

We actually look at some fan signs, which is usually done off air.

Bad Blood rundown.

Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio

Rhea Ripley (off crutches but still limping) and the rest o Judgment Day are here too. Priest throws Dominik into the corner to start and hits him in the face. Arm cranking has Dominik in more trouble but Dominik flips out of a belly to back suplex and dropkicks the knee. Priest flapjacks him down (Ripley laughs a lot) and Dominik’s comeback attempt is cut off with a single shot.

Finn Balor offers a distraction to break up the Razor’s Edge though and Priest goes outside. This time Carlito offers a distraction, allowing Dominik to send Priest into the post. We take a break and come back with Priest in more trouble but Ripley’s taunting starts to get into Dominik’s head. A slap to the face wakes Priest up and he slugs away, including some big right hands to put Dominik down.

Balor offers another distraction and Dominik gets two off a rollup, only for Priest to kick him in the head. The Broken Arrow gets two, with Liv Morgan putting the foot on the ropes. Ripley spears Morgan over the announcers’ table (wiping out Wade Barrett in the process) and Priest drops Carlito and glares at Balor before throwing Dominik at him as well. Back in and Dominik hits a 619 (not a great one) but the frog splash misses. Priest blasts Dominik with a clothesline and the South Of Heaven finishes at 12:11.

Rating: B-. The big thing I saw coming out of this was that Priest looks like a monster. He’s big, he’s strong, he has good facials and the fans respond to him. That is something that can go a long way and it worked here. There is no reason for Dominik to be able to hang with him in a straight up match and that was on display. It went as it should have and Priest looked great, which I’ll certainly take.

Post match Judgment Day jumps Priest, with Morgan sending Ripley into the steps. Cue Jey Uso…taking his sweet time, and then stopping outside, where Bron Breakker cuts him off with a spear. Morgan gives Ripley Oblivion and Balor hits multiple Coup de Graces on Priest. The villains pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The best thing I can say about a show is that it left me wanting more and that is what we had here. I want to see where things are going for Bad Blood and next week’s show has potential as well. WWE is feeling some things lately and there is still a bunch of big things to come. Another solid show here, with the important show on the way.

Results
Pete Dunne b. Sheamus – Brogue Kick
Natalya b. Zoey Stark – Rollup
Judgment Day b. New Day – Coup de Grace to Woods
Iyo Sky b. Bianca Belair – Small package
Damian Priest b. Dominik Mysterio – South Of Heaven

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: September 13, 2024
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s back to USA as the FOX run has ended after five years. The new era is starting with a bang too as Cody Rhodes is defending the Smackdown World Title against Solo Sikoa in a cage. That should be more than big enough but now we get to see where things are going for Bad Blood as well. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence, complete with new theme song and logo.

Here is HHH to say it felt like yesterday when he was main eventing the first episode of this show against the Rock. Now it’s 25 years later and we’re starting big.

The cage is lowered.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa. Rhodes retained the title at Summerslam with an assist from the returning Roman Reigns. Now Sikoa wants a rematch and it’s inside a cage to keep things interesting.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Rhodes is defending inside a cage. Sikoa knocks him into the corner to start and hits an elbow early on. A bulldog doesn’t do much to Sikoa but ramming him into the cage a few times does. Sikoa is right back with a backdrop into the cage and a splash against it makes things worse. There’s the running hip attack to drive the back of Rhodes’ head into the cage and the front of his head is busted open.

Sikoa misses the running headbutt in the Tree of Woe but he’s fine enough to send Rhodes into the cage again. A toss powerbomb sends Rhodes into the cage as this is mostly dominance so far. Rhodes manages a quick Cody Cutter and they fight to the top, with Rhodes slamming him into the cage. They both go up to the top of the cage, with Sikoa getting a rather scary looking superplex to bring Rhodes back down.

A pair of Spinning Solos gives Sikoa two but the Samoan Spike is blocked. Rhodes hits a quick Cody Cutter for two and they’re both down again. Sikoa is back up to send him into the corner for the running Umaga Attack and a Samoan drop. Sikoa actually goes up and a Superfly Splash gets two.

Another Umaga Attack connects but Rhodes flips over him and Cross Rhodes gives Rhodes two of his own. With Sikoa down, Rhodes goes up and hits a high crossbody for a rather near fall. Rhodes goes for the door but gets is slammed onto his head to give Sikoa an opening. The Samoan Spike is blocked though and another Cross Rhodes retains the title at 16:20.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match and probably Sikoa’s best match ever. The title didn’t exactly feel like it was in jeopardy for the most part but what mattered was Rhodes had to work for the win. It felt like a big fight for Rhodes and could have been a pay per view title match on one of the lower level shows. That’s a great way to start the new run on USA and it was a rather solid performance from both guys.

Post match the Bloodline runs in and the big beatdown is on, with Jacob Fatu hitting the triple moonsault. Fatu goes up top….and Roman Reigns is back. Reigns locks himself in the cage and cleans house, even shrugging off Sikoa’s comeback. Reigns has the big staredown with Fatu, who is ready to fight, but Sikoa pulls him out. The Tonga’s come back up and beat on Reigns but Rhodes makes the save. Reigns slowly turns to look at Rhodes, seemingly thanking him without actually saying or doing anything.

Post break Nick Aldis says everyone has been sequestered in their dressing rooms but Solo Sikoa has an offer for a match, which Aldis doesn’t know just yet.

Michin vs. Piper Niven

Chelsea Green is here with Niven. Michin slugs away to start and sends Niven outside, where a big dive can connect. With Niven down, Michin kendo sticks Green and, after shrugging off Niven’s shot back inside, hits a belly to back superplex. Eat Defeat ends Niven at 2:02.

Post match Green and Niven lay Michin out, including the Unpretty-Her onto a trashcan.

We look at some classic Smackdown moments over the years.

Rob Van Dam, Vickie Guerrero and Gunther/Ludwig Kaiser are here.

Kevin Owens/??? vs. A-Town Down Under

Owens’ partner is…..a bald guy that no one recognizes. Owens admits that the guy isn’t his first choice but his original partner had travel issues, so this is (after a whisper from the partner) Ricky! Hold on though as a production member comes over to say Owens’ partner is here. That means a Stunner to Ricky and we have a substitute.

Kevin Owens/Randy Orton vs. A-Town Down Under

It was going to be him or Sami Zayn. Owens hammers on Waller to start but they quickly head outside, where Owens is dropped onto the announcers’ table. Waller mocks Orton’s pose, which Cole says is not a good move for his career. We take a break and come back with Owens hitting a clothesline but Waller breaks up the tag attempt. Waller loads up a superplex and Graves points out that THIS NEVER WORKS.

Owens knocks Waller down and then does the same to Theory, setting up the Swanton. Waller pulls Orton down though and the tag is delayed again. Owens fights out of the corner though and rolls outside, then runs around the ring and slides back in right in front of Orton (that was brilliant) for the tag. Everything breaks down and the villains are dropped onto the announcers’ table. Stereo hanging DDTs set up an RKO and Stunner to give Orton the pin on Waller at 9:20.

Rating: C+. There wasn’t much in the way of drama about who was winning here and that is not a bad thing. It’s ok to have a match where you can just see the bigger stars beat up the goofy villains and that is what happened here. Owens rolling over to the corner was a smart spot and I liked this well enough, though it’s time for Owens to move on to something new.

Post match, Orton says “Sorry Ricky!”.

Nick Aldis has a contract in hand for a tag match at Bad Blood: Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu vs. Cody Rhodes/Roman Reigns. Sikoa and Fatu have already signed the contract (which Aldis points out they haven’t read) but Rhodes comes in to say he’s done with the Bloodline, making it Reigns’ problem alone. He won’t be signing the contract and walks away. Aldis has to talk to Reigns.

More classic moments, set to a different Smackdown theme.

Booker T., Queen Sharmell, Sheamus and Michael Hayes are here.

Here is Nia Jax for a chat. She talks about her dominant year since her return and now it’s time for her do annihilate someone else at Bad Blood. While she doesn’t know her opponent, she’s ready to beat anyone. Cue Bayley to say Jax has had a better year than her return, but it wasn’t like she had a hard bar to clear. Bayley wants her rematch but Jax says she doesn’t need a posse like Damage CTRL. Bayley asks why Tiffany Stratton is always around and wonders who owes whom what.

Cue Stratton, who doesn’t like what Bayley is saying. Bayley points out that she beat Stratton last week, with Stratton saying it was Jax’s fault. That doesn’t work for Jax, but Naomi comes out to even the odds a bit. Naomi wants the title shot too, so Jax suggests a tag match next week for the title shot. But if Jax and Stratton win, whoever takes the loss is gone from Smackdown permanently. That’s a big stipulation and enough of a twist to keep things from feeling stale.

Roman Reigns has an answer about the tag match and will address things after the next match.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade

They’re 2-2 in their first four matches and Hayes jumps him before the bell. The beatdown is on as we officially start but Andrade takes it to the floor for a moonsault. A big boot drops Hayes and they fight onto the barricade, where Andrade hits a jumping reverse Spanish Fly for the big crash. Thankfully they both seem ok as we take a break. Back with Hayes hitting the First 48 but Andrade hits the spinning back elbow for two and they’re both down again.

The double jump moonsault only hits knees but Nothing But Net misses. Instead Andrade is back with a Canadian Destroyer to send Hayes into the corner. The running knees in the corner connect but Hayes avoids a split legged moonsault. Hayes puts him on top for a kick to the head but gets reversed into the super swinging double underhook neckbreaker for the pin at 9:52.

Rating: B. Good stuff here, as has been the case with the entire series. Odds are this sets up Andrade as the news challenger to the US Title and that’s what it should be. They have had a competition now and one of them has won the series, at least in theory. It was a positive for both of them here and that is always nice to see.

Post match LA Knight comes out and says Nick Aldis has names Andrade the next challenger to the US Title, with the title match coming next week.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill are ready for all comers. Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton come in to say that Naomi needs to keep her nose out of things, with Jax reminding the champs that she beat both of them on the way to becoming Queen Of The Ring. Belair and Cargill are not impressed.

Here is Roman Reigns to respond to the challenge. With Nick Aldis joining him, Reigns takes the mic and says he doesn’t change. Aldis doesn’t need Aldis or a contract, because this is family business. He doesn’t need a partner, and especially not Cody Rhodes. No matter what he has, he is still the Tribal Chief and the ONLY Tribal Chief and this is still his show and WWE.

Cue a rather serious Cody Rhodes (he doesn’t even do the WHOA) to say it WAS Reigns’ WWE. It hasn’t been since Wrestlemania, which is enough to make the both drop their mic’s. Cue Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu for a distraction, allowing the Tonga’s to jumps them from behind. Reigns and Rhodes fight them off and Reigns signs the contract, with Rhodes doing so as well. That’s certainly a Smackdown main event for the show and I like it a lot better than another middle of the road title defense.

We actually get some credits (ok two of them) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Very good opener, good main event, solid main event segment and stuff being set up for next weeks. That’s a heck of a starting point for Smackdown as this was a hot show that gave ans a reason to want to come back. I had a great time with this one and it flew by, with Reigns making things feel that much more important. Keep doing this and Smackdown is going to be the A show again in a hurry.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. Solo Sikoa – Cross Rhodes
Michin b. Piper Niven – Eat Defeat
Randy Orton/Kevin Owens b. A-Town Down Under – RKO to Waller
Andrade b. Carmelo Hayes – Super swinging double underhook neckbreaker

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 9, 2024
Location: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Albert, Canada
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the season premiere of the show and since we’re in Calgary, Bret Hart is here for a special appearance. We’ve also got the Women’s Tag Team Titles on the line and a four way for the #1 contendership to the Intercontinental Title. Throw in the start of the build to Bad Blood in less than a month and we should be in for a big one. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The announcers welcome us to the show and throw us to a video recapping American Made vs. the Wyatt Sicks.

American Made vs. Wyatt Sicks

Street fight. It’s a big brawl to start (as it should be) with Nikki Cross bringing out the weapons. The Creeds try some double teaming but Rowan suplexes both of them down on the floor and runs Gable over. Uncle Howdy (not in the match) sits in the rocking chair as Rowan brings out the first table.

Cross sprays Rowan with the fire extinguisher and the Creeds put him through a table before burying him with a bunch of stuff. Lumis gets chaired down but pops up and hits a belly to back suplex into a jumping legdrop on Gable. Gacy hits the Upside Down to drop the Creeds but Julius kendo sticks him in the back. The women fight over the announcers’ table as the Creeds load up another table.

Rowan comes back from the burial and wrecks the Creeds with a piece of the barricade but Gable takes him down with a shot to the back. Gable German suplexes Rowan into the barricade and the Brutus Ball into a steps shot puts him down again. Gacy dives onto Gable and Lumis flip dives onto the Creeds, followed by a clothesline to drop Gable inside.

Gable is back up with a super Angle Slam to put Gacy through the table for two. Gable grabs the ankle lock and Nile is in with kendo stick shots to Gacy but Cross makes the save. Rowan claw slams Gable onto the steps, with Howdy coming in with a Sister Abigail to Julius. Lumis’ frog splash pins Gable at 16:53.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a fight and a good bit better than I was expecting. I’m still not sure what the Wyatts do next as this should wrap up the feud, but at least they got a big win. That being said, can we please stop seeing Gable lose? It wouldn’t have been the same for one of the Creeds to take the fall, but dang seeing Gable get pinned again was sad.

Tessitore lets us know that from October 7 – the end of the year, the show will only be two hours. Oh that’s a big change.

We look back at Liv Morgan injuring Rhea Ripley’s leg last week and the Terror Twins going after the Judgment Day. Morgan defending the Women’s Title against Ripley is set for Bad Blood.

Here is Finn Balor for a chat. He wants to talk about Damian Priest holding him down while Balor was trying to hold him up. Balor should have been the World Heavyweight Champion a long time ago but Priest was always there with that briefcase. He calls Priest out here right now so here is Priest to say he’s dropping Balor right now. Balor says he wants a match at Bad Blood, one on one, which works for Priest.

Cue Judgment Day to swarm Priest, with Rhea Ripley, on a crutch, limping down the aisle, but cutting Liv Morgan off with a crutch shot. Dominik Mysterio comes after Ripley and gets crutched down instead. Morgan takes out the bad knee and they get inside. Priest covers Ripley and takes the crutch shots from Morgan, only for Dominik to pull him off and unload with crutch shots to the ribs, setting up Balor’s Coup de Grace. Cue Jey Uso for the save with a chair though and the fans approve. The Judgment Day had to get some heat on the Terror Twins and this worked well.

Braun Strowman talks about how he’s ready to win the four way tonight and become #1 contender to get the Intercontinental Title back. Bron Breakker comes in and says he’s ready to prove that you don’t have to be that big to be a monster. Breakker’s confidence is great and it feels earned.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Unholy Union vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill

Belair and Cargill are defending. Fyre gets taken down by Belair to start and it’s off to Cargill for the double shoulder. Dawn comes in and manages to take Cargill into the corner, where Fyre gets in a shot to the knee. Cargill kicks her away though and it’s back to Belair to clean house.

A double high crossbody takes the challengers out and there’s the handspring moonsault for two on Dawn. Belair’s superplex is blocked and a double powerbomb brings her back down for two. Cargill comes in for the save but Jaded is broken up with a superkick. The Gory Bomb/Downward Spiral hits Belair but Cargill dives in for a save. Belair gets over for the tag and the assisted German suplex to Fyre retains the titles at 6:35.

Rating: C+. That should pretty much do it for this feud as there is no reason for them to fight again. Belair and Cargill beat them cleanly here and that makes it two in a row. I’m not sure what is next for the Union, as there are only so many teams for them to face. That’s been a problem for the division since it started and it’s still the case now.

Dragon Lee and the LWO is ready for Dominik Mysterio. Judgment Day comes in to sneer and the Mysterios get into the usual argument. Rey challenges Finn Balor for tonight and the match is on.

Barrett and Tessitore are here to introduce Bret Hart to a hero’s welcome. After the announcement that Survivor Series is returning to Canada this November, Bret talks about what it meant to be a Canadian champion. It meant that he would fight anyone anywhere anytime for twenty years….and here is Gunther to interrupt (complete with what looked like a bit of a Bret pose on the way in).

Gunther is rather pleased to be here with one of his childhood heroes, but this is kind of a passing the torch moment. While Bret is the best there ever was, Gunther is the best there is and the best there ever will be. With that out of the way, Gunther talks about how everyone here watched Bret growing up and he will always be a close second to his all time favorite: Bill Goldberg. Oh that was HILARIOUS.

Cue Sami Zayn (in a Johnny Gaudreau jersey, paying tribute to an NHL player who was killed last month in an accident) to say that he can’t believe Gunther would make fun o a Canadian hero whose matches are still being studied to this day. Zayn issues the challenge to Gunther again but gets turned down again. As Gunther leaves, Hart calls him a coward so Gunther starts coming back, with Zayn brawling with him before posing with Hart. This was a nice moment and a great use of someone like Hart, but nothing was topping that Goldberg line.

Bron Breakker runs into Pete Dunne and, after teasing the Butch name, he mocks Dunne’s weird look and promises to beat him up if he wins. Breakker leaves and Sheamus runs in to jump Dunne with a knee to the face.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee

The rest of the Judgment Day and the LWO are both here too. Lee takes him down to start and goes up, only to get dropkicked out of the air in a nice spot. We take a break and come back with Dominik stomping away but Lee scores with a slingshot dropkick. A Michinoku Driver gives Dominik two but Lee muscles him up with a powerbomb for the same. Lee plants him for two again but Judgment Day interferes, meaning it’s a big brawl to the back. Liv Morgan uses the distraction to get in a chop block on Lee, setting up the 619. The frog splash finishes Lee at 8:15.

Rating: C+. What in the world happened to Dragon Lee? It felt like he was ready to be the next big thing and now he couldn’t be much more of an afterthought. Maybe it was too much too fast, but dang he has fallen through the floor. For now though, Morgan continues to help Dominik win as they are still a success, but Ripley is on the way and it’s going to be painful.

Damage CTRL come up to Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair, saying not to get used to holding the titles. That’s as good of a set of challenges as they have.

Commentary pays tribute to Johnny Gaudreau, with Jackie Redmond (who works in the NHL so she already has ties to this) looking at the memorial to him outside of the arena. You rarely see this kind of thing from WWE and it was very nice.

Pure Fusion Collective vs. Lyra Valkyria/Zelina Vega/???

It’s a mystery partner and…hang on as Sonya Deville cuts off Valkyria’s music to call out whomever the partner is going to be. It’s Calgary so here is the returning Natalya to even things up. Vega gets sent outside to start and the villains get to pose as we take an early break. Back with Natalya coming in to clean house before trading rollups with Stark for some near falls. Everything breaks down and a triple Sharpshooter ends the Collective at 6:57.

Rating: C. This was nothing more than a way to pop the live crowd and it went well enough. Natalya is only going to be so interesting no matter what she does but she’s been gone long enough that it was nice to see her again. The ending was a great thing to see in Calgary as well so this was a perfectly pleasant match.

Bret Hart congratulates Natalya, Zelina Vega and Lyra Valkyria on the win, saying it was a Nattie moment instead of a Bret moment.

Here is Drew McIntyre to mock the fans’ CM PUNK chants. Last week Punk was bragging about beating him by slapping some corners and saying that was it. McIntyre isn’t done with Punk though because he made Punk a bigger star. Things are going well for McIntyre right now, as he has his first movie coming out later this week, but he has some bad news. It has to do with Wade Barrett, who seems confused.

McIntyre talks about their history together, which involves living together, training together and being arrested together. Barrett has been one of only people to plead his case while Michael Cole lied, but last week Barrett tried to stop McIntyre from hurting Punk. McIntyre isn’t happy but if Barrett does it again, it won’t go well.

Barrett stands up and stares at McIntyre but Adam Pearce interrupts, saying he has something McIntyre will want to hear. Pearce has talked to Punk and he’s going to face McIntyre one more time. At Bad Blood. Inside Hell In A Cell. And this works because it’s a feud that has earned the spot in that kind of match.

Karrion Kross is talking to Miz when Xavier Woods (in Bret Hart cosplay) Comes in to ask what Kross is doing. Kross leaves and Woods asks Miz what’s going on. Miz says he invented that move but Woods wouldn’t understand. With Miz gone, Kofi Kingston comes in and says he’s got them a Tag Team Title shot next week. Woods is pleased and Bret posing ensues.

Finn Balor vs. Rey Mysterio

Balor kicks him down and stomps away to start but Rey is back up rather quickly. Rey manages to send him outside and hits a dive as we take a break. Back with Rey hitting a springboard crossbody and a 619 to the ribs. The regular 619 is cut off and Balor grabs a half crab in the ropes…which he doesn’t break and that’s a DQ at 8:00.

Rating: C+. This picked up a bit after the break but it’s much more of an angle than a match. With Balor getting ready for his big showdown with Priest, he needs to be reheated a bit and this was a fine way to do it. At the same time, Rey continues to be able to look good in the ring, which should not be happening for someone with a mixture of his age and knees.

Post match Balor stays on him and wrecks the knee even more.

Ilja Dragunov is ready to prove himself for another shot at Bron Breakker. Cue Breakker to say he’s beaten Dragunov before but if Dragunov wants, he can do it again. Jey Uso comes in and goes to the ring for his entrance.

Judgment Day says tonight was a message and it’ll be even worse at Bad Blood.

Braun Strowman vs. Jey Uso vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. Pete Dunne

For the next shot against Bron Breakker. Strowman cleans house to start but gets knocked to the floor so Dragunov can hit some running knees on Dunne. Uso is back up to take out Dragunov, leaving Dunne to go after Strowman’s finger. Strowman throws him onto the other two and we take a break.

Back with Strowman shoving all of them away but getting knocked outside again. Strowman grabs for Dunne but Dragunov takes him down down a dive. Everyone gets together and shoves Strowman into the steps, leaving Dunne to X Plex Dragunov. They trade kicks to the head until Dragunov goes up, only to be superkicked out of the air by Uso for two.

We take another break and come back again with Dunne snapping more fingers and going up but Strowman cuts him off. Strowman does the freight train and loads up the announcers’ table but Bronson Reed returns and splashes Strowman through the table instead. Uso and Dragunov stare each other down with Uso hitting a spear but Dunne comes in to steal the near fall. Dragunov kicks Dunne in the face and gives him a powerbomb, setting up the H Bomb for two with Uso making the save with a superkick. The Superfly Splash gives Uso the pin at 13:39.

Rating: B. This was set up well as Uso felt like the most likely winner but Strowman was just enough of a threat to add some drama. Dunne and Dragunov would have felt like a big stretch no matter what they were doing but they both added enough. Reed’s interference made for a great moment and odds are they’ll have another match at Bad Blood. Good stuff here, with the right person winning.

Bron Breakker comes out for the staredown with Jey Uso to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This show covered a lot of ground with good action, matches being set up for both next week and Bad Blood, and an absolutely amazing moment with Gunther cracking me up. They set up three major matches for Bad Blood (with the IC Title likely coming there too) in the span of three hours, which is a rather efficient way to go. I liked this one a good bit and it flew by, but dang that shift to two hours in a few weeks sounds glorious.

Results
Wyatt Sicks b. American Made – Top rope splash to Gable
Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Unholy Union – Assisted German suplex to Fyre
Dominik Mysterio b. Dragon Lee
Natalya/Lyra Valkyria/Zelina Vega b. Pure Fusion Collective – Triple Sharpshooters
Rey Mysterio b. Finn Balor via DQ when Balor would not release a half crab
Jey Uso b. Braun Strowman, Ilja Dragunov and Pete Dunne – Superfly Splash to Dunne

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: September 6, 2024
Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re done with Bash In Berlin and that means it is time to get ready for Bad Blood, which is about a month away. Cody Rhodes is going to need a new challenger after beating Kevin Owens, which could open up a variety of options. Other than that, Bayley is back and wants the Women’s Title again so let’s get to it.

Here is Bash In Berlin if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Cody Rhodes retaining the Smackdown World Title over Kevin Owens at Bash In Berlin.

Here is Rhodes to get things going. After saying hello to the fans in the upper deck, Rhodes welcomes Michael Cole back to Smackdown. He knows he’s going to be interrupted any second so he just invites the Bloodline out here right now. Solo Sikoa says he had Rhodes beat at Summerslam but Roman Reigns interfered.

Rhodes thinks there should be a title defense on the season premiere of Smackdown and it should be the person who stepped out of Reigns’ shadow. Sikoa likes that idea…but Rhodes is talking about Jacob Fatu. That seems to work for Fatu, but Sikoa stares at him and Fatu bows. Rhodes says it was worth a shot and Sikoa is wearing the red lei meaning the Bloodline revolves around him.

The difference is Rhodes is wearing the WWE Title, meaning everything revolves around him. The title match seems to be on for next week but Sikoa wants to fight now. DIY and the Street Profits run in, with Nick Aldis popping in to say we’ll do this in the main event. Aldis says the title match is indeed on for next week….and we’ll do that in a steel cage. While there is a good chance Roman Reigns returns next week, this was both a way to set up a major title match and also further Sikoa controlling Fatu, which is not likely to end well.

Tiffany Stratton and Pretty Deadly are getting ready for next week when Nia Jax comes in to ask if Stratton was going to cash in on her last week. Stratton says of course not and blames Chelsea Green, with Jax offering to be in her corner tonight.

Bayley vs. Tiffany Stratton

Bayley goes after the arm to start and wraps it around the rope for a bit before a middle rope armdrag gets two on Stratton. They go to the apron with Bayley trying a sunset flip, earning herself a kick to the face as we take a break. Back with Stratton hitting a rather handspringy elbow in the corner for two, followed by a dropkick into the ropes.

They go outside where Bayley reverses her into the post, setting up a running knee to the head for two back inside. The top rope elbow gets two and now Nia Jax comes out. Stratton uses the distraction to hit the Alabama Slam for two, only to walk into a Bayley To Belly. Bayley dives onto Jax, which draws her up to the apron for a distraction, meaning the referee doesn’t see Stratton’s backslide for a good while. Not that it matters as Bayley gets up and hits the Rose Plant to finish Stratton at 10:13.

Rating: C+. Bayley needed a win after her loss at Summerslam and what would Stratton be if she didn’t lose a few matches while holding the briefcase? They’ve been teasing the cash in already and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them burn the thing off next week on the season premiere. I’m not sure if Stratton will get the title, but if she does, Bayley is right there as another challenger after getting the win here.

A-Town Down Under pesters Kevin Owens about his loss so he says they should have a triple threat tonight. And he steals their Edmonton Oilers belt because it’s too nice for them.

Legado del Fantasma wants more success.

Giovanni Vinci vs. Apollo Crews

Vinci is described as a High Performance Human….and Crews rolls him up for the pin at 7 seconds. I will absolutely take this after seeing Vinci doing pretty much the same character in NXT and being about as uninteresting as imaginable.

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven rant to Nick Aldis when Michin interrupts. Aldis makes Michin vs. Green for later.

Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory vs. Grayson Waller

Owens knocks them to the floor to start and hits a cannonball off the apron. The villains get together and load up a table, only for Owens to powerbomb Waller through it as we take a break. Back with Owens hammering on Theory, who drops him with a running forearm to the face. The rolling Stunner is cut off with a DDT though and everyone is down. Owens drops the backsplash on Theory and hits the Cannonball in the corner.

The Swanton connects for two as Waller makes the save, allowing Theory to hit a rolling Blockbuster. Waller steals the near fall and that doesn’t sit well with Theory so the argument is on. Owens knocks the villains off the ropes and hits a super Regal Roll for two on Theory. The swinging superplex gets two on Waller, setting up the Stunner to give Owens the pin on Theory at 9:46.

Rating: C+. This was little more than target practice for Owens, who needed a win after his loss over the weekend. Waller and Theory are little more than jokes at the moment, which is amazing given how hard Theory was pushed for a bit. There is still more than enough time to see things turn around, but dang it’s going to take a big moment to make it happen.

Post match Waller and Theory lay Owens out.

Video on Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade, which is now 2-2.

Commentary thanks FOX for five years and we look back at the show’s run on the network. That’s a nice thing to see.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. Knight is about thirty days into his title reign and he already has two successful title defenses. He knows everyone is coming for the title and here is Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Hayes talks about stealing the show week after week while Knight is just running his mouth. He’s beaten Andrade twice in a row and that puts him in line for a US Title shot.

Knight points out that the two title defenses in a month are the same as the previous champion (oddly not named) had in ten months, which sounds like him getting in a point he forgot or didn’t get to say earlier. He’s not worried about having the match of the night because he cares about winning, which brings out Andrade, who brings up his two wins over Hayes. Knight cuts off the argument but Andrade speaks Spanish. That all goes over Knight’s head but he doesn’t like Andrade’s tone. The fight is on and Knight hits the BFT on both of them.

They didn’t say that the next Hayes vs. Andrade match would be for a title shot, but assuming that is the case, I would hope that they give it one winner rather than a draw to set up a triple threat. At the same time, that’s exactly what the series needed: a prize to fight over that both of them would want.

A-Town Down Under wants a tag match with Kevin Owens and anyone he can find next week.

Chelsea Green vs. Michin

Piper Niven is here with Green and Michin is banged up after last week. Michin snaps off some armdrags to start but gets kicked down as we hear about Green’s time in TNA. A hurricanrana out of the corner puts Green down but Michin comes up holding her ribs. Niven’s distraction lets Green get two off a rollup, only to have the I’m Prettier broken up. Another distraction lets Niven kick Michin in the face, followed by a backsplash. Back in and I’m Prettier finishes for Green at 3:58.

Rating: C. Michin was fighting through the injury here but Green is on the rise and needed a win here. At some point Green is going to be turned to the good side because the fans won’t be able to ignore her awesome charisma. If she can back it up in the ring, she could be a rather big star pretty quickly. This might not have been the big turning point, but it was a nice win.

DIY and the Street Profits want to take out the Bloodline.

Bloodline vs. DIY/Street Profits

It’s a brawl to start until a triple teaming knocks Fatu outside. We settle down to Dawkins hammering on Loa and suplexing Ford into a moonsault onto him for two. Loa is back up with a clothesline and Tama comes in, only to get caught with Gargano’s slingshot spear. Ciampa comes in as well but gets dropped over the top rope by Fatu. Sikoa sends Ciampa over the announcers’ table and we take a break.

Back with Fatu missing a charge into the post and Ciampa kicks Tama away before tagging…Dawkins and Gargano at the same time. Commentary and the referee are both confused, even as Dawkins neckbreakers Sikoa for two. It’s back to Ciampa as things get back to normal, including a Spinning Solo for two. Ciampa goes up top and superplexes Loa onto the pile at ringside. Back in and Ford hits a 450 on Loa but Fatu makes the save. Fatu cleans house, including the impaler DDT to Ford, setting up a pair of Samoa Spikes to give Sikoa the pin at 11:58.

Rating: B. Fun main event here with the Bloodline, and Sikoa in particular, getting to look strong on the way to next week’s title match. That’s a good way to go and the Profits/DIY are teams with enough value that beating them still means something. I’m not sure how much drama there was about the result, but at least the action was good on the way there.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in a tough spot as it was the fallout show from Bash In Berlin, which didn’t have much from Smackdown, and serving as a preview to next week’s big premiere. There was enough to keep me interested throughout, but next week is where things happen and that didn’t leave much for this week to cover.

Results
Bayley b. Tiffany Stratton – Rose Plant
Apollo Crews b. Giovanni Vinci – Rollup
Kevin Owens b. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller – Stunner to Theory
Chelsea Green b. Michin – I’m Prettier
Bloodline b. DIY/Street Profits – Samoan Spike to Ford

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: August 22, 2008
Location: iWireless Arena, Moline, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

Summerslam has come and gone and the big story is that Undertaker destroyed Edge inside the Cell, which should get rid of him for a good while. Other than that, HHH dispatched the Great Khali in a match that was better than expected, meaning he’s going to need a new challenger. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a look at the Smackdown matches from Summerslam.

Opening sequence.

Vickie Guerrero welcomes us to the show and says we haven’t been seeing the real her in recent weeks. Everything she has done has been because of Edge, because she corrupted who she was as a person. Now she is free to be her real self with Edge stuck in the same h*** he put her in. She has made some changes, and one of the things she feels the best about is reinstating the Undertaker. Another thing is the Championship Scramble at Unforgiven, which will see five people wrestling for twenty minutes with unlimited falls. Whoever gets the last fall will be WWE Champion. Tonight, we find out the competitors.

Maria vs. Natalya

Natalya fireman’s carries her down without much trouble to start but Maria reverses into a headlock. Back up and they fight over wrist control until Maria snaps off a snappy armdrag. Some kicks to the leg don’t work very well though as Natalya is back with a dragon screw legwhip. Natalya cranks on the leg until Maria fights up and hits some clotheslines. A Bronco Buster gets the fans a bit more interested…and here is Maryse to go after Maria for the DQ.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a few moves going on until the ending, which just kind of happened. Maria feels more and more like the Smackdown version of Kelly Kelly, who is the young, up and coming star who needs a lot more experience. The potential is there, but Maria is going to need some more time before it happens.

Post match the beatdown is on but Michelle McCool comes in for the save.

La Familia runs into the Big Show, who talks to Vickie Guerrero like a child. He’s happy for the Championship Scramble and he’s ready to face anyone in a qualifying match….but Vickie forgot to put him in one.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Battle Royal

Scotty Goldman, Super Crazy, Armando Estrada, Funaki, Brian Kendrick, Curt Hawkins, Brian Kendrick, Jimmy Wang Yang, Vladimir Kozlov, Ryan Braddock

Big Show is sitting at ringside and this is one of the lamest battle royals I’ve ever seen. A bunch of people get together and toss Kozlov before Goldman is sent out as well. Then Show comes in and tosses most of the people, with Ezekiel Jackson saving Brian Kendrick…which is enough for Kendrick to win, as Show threw everyone else out and then stepped over the top (as apparently he was in).

Rating: D+. The match was barely a thing but points for a clever ending. I guess I’ll take this over another one off match with little in the way of drama, but this was more of a joke than anything else. That being said, they got through it quickly and Kendrick being in the title match is more interesting than most options.

Post match Kendrick does a victory dance for a nice touch.

R-Truth talks about how the truth is what you do when people aren’t watching. It’s about respecting who you are and getting better every day to build a better future. He’s been on the bottom but now he’s heading for the top.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: MVP vs. Festus

Jesse is here with Festus. Before the match, we hear from MVP at Summerslam, where he promises to win the WWE Title. Festus freaks out at the bell but MVP knocks him into the corner anyway. A suplex sends MVP down for two and a clothesline is good for the same. Festus fall away slams him into the corner, only for MVP to pull him into the post. The logical armbar goes on and MVP cranks away, with Festus finally fighting up.

Some fight hands connect while the left arm is left hanging but the bad arm is sent into the corner again. MVP cranks on the arm again….as we see a sign saying “I Love My Mommy And Grandma.” Well that’s just sweet. Festus fights up again and hits a running elbow, setting up something like a running seated senton. A big boot sends MVP outside, where he kicks Jesse in the face. That’s enough of a distraction for Festus to get counted out. Oddly there’s a delay between the ten count and MVP being declared the winner, with MVP’s music starting before the bell rings, making for a bit of a weird situation.

Rating: C-. It’s kind of odd to go with two fairly screwy endings in a row, especially when it’s a star like MVP against Festus, who is almost a novelty. Obviously it’s the right result, but you would think there would be a better way to go than a bunch of sitting around pulling on Festus’ arm. Pretty dull match here, with MVP being capable of better.

Post match the bell turns Festus off again so MVP boots him out to the floor.

Classic On Demand: Trish Stratus b. Stacy Keibler in a swimsuit contest. Same exact clip from Raw.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Finlay

Non-title and Hornswoggle is here with Finlay. Before the match, Benjamin talks about how being a champion is about being obsessed with gold. He doesn’t like Olympic phenom Michael Phelps being called the new Gold Standard, because there is only one of them. Finlay wastes no time in taking Benjamin down for some face ripping before driving him into the corner.

A headlock grinds Benjamin down a bit so he bails into the corner for a needed breather. Back up and Benjamin tries to go low on Finlay, who takes him out to the floor where a lot of seething can ensue. They go back inside where Finlay can crank on the leg a bit, with Benjamin going to the ropes. A missed charge sends Finlay shoulder first into the post, giving Benjamin a rather nice target. The chinlock with a bodyscissors goes on, followed by one heck of a kick to the back of the head to have Finlay curled up in the corner.

Finlay bails to the floor for a second, where he ties a sliding Benjamin up in the ring skirt for some clubberin. Benjamin knocks him back into the apron though and we take a break. Back with Benjamin working on a neck crank Finlay jawbreaks his way to freedom for two but Benjamin grabs the neck again. Back up again and Benjamin hits a dragon whip, followed by the t-bone to cut Finlay down again for a delayed two. Finlay fights up but here is Mike Knox to go after Hornswoggle, allowing Benjamin to grab Paydirt for the fast pin.

Rating: C. They went pretty long here until the ending, which was more about setting up Knox vs. Finlay in an ECW feud. They could have done the same match in less time and things would have been that much better. Benjamin getting the nod is fine as it isn’t like he’s doing anything important with the US Title.

Post match Knox beats up Finlay a bit more.

We look back at Chris Jericho punching Shawn Michaels’ wife at Summerslam.

La Familia isn’t sure why Undertaker hasn’t arrived yet. Chavo Guerrero thinks he might even be holding a grudge. Maybe Vickie Guerrero should apologize?

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Great Khali

HHH is on commentary. Hardy slugs away to start but is quickly knocked outside for his efforts. Back in and Khali stomps away before the nerve hold goes on. With Hardy ground down, the tree slam is loaded up (HHH looks nervous) but Hardy goes up to slip out. That earns him a chop out to the floor but Hardy is back in with a Twist of Fate. The Swanton is loaded up but Runjin Singh offers a distraction (Khali was about 80% of the way across the ring so that thing wasn’t coming close anyway). HHH isn’t having this and pulls him down before chairing Khali in the head. The Whisper in the Wind into the Swanton finishes for Hardy.

Rating: C. I’m hoping HHH has to deal with Khali again, as that was quite the heelish move for someone who was just trying to protect his title. Hardy is one of the hottest things in WWE at the moment so he almost had to be in the title match. It also wouldn’t have been the best idea to ask Khali to go for twenty minutes, so there wasn’t much of a choice to be made here.

Post break HHH is in the ring to talk about the challengers coming for the title in the Championship Scramble. The fifth person in that match is a 12 time World Champion and someone who has won everything in every kind of match. Cue Kenny Dkysktra to interrupt because he should be in the match too. The Pedigree lays him out in a hurry, with HHH saying it was good to see him.

Here is La Familia to offer an apology to Undertaker, complete with a standing ovation. Cue Undertaker, with Vickie (eventually) saying she gave Undertaker a chance for revenge on Edge at Summerslam and now she wants a chance to be forgiven. If Undertaker needs more time, they can do this next week and she even gets on her knees to beg him. Undertaker says “look at me woman” because he isn’t here for an apology, but rather Vickie’s soul. The fight is on with Undertaker getting beaten down for a bit, only to fight up and clean house. Undertaker does the throat slit to Vickie to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I do appreciate a show with a central theme running throughout, but this wasn’t their best effort. The qualifying matches set up a nice field for Unforgiven, but it would have been nice to have them be a bit less dull. The ending with Undertaker hunting Vickie isn’t the most thrilling thing either and feels like something rather simple and not that interesting. This show set up the one match at Unforgiven but it didn’t have me wanting to see anything until then.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 2, 2024
Location: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We are officially done with Bash In Berlin and that means we have a bit of time before Bad Blood. Gunther retained the Raw World Title over Randy Orton in the show’s main event, but the more interesting match saw the Terror Twins beat Judgment Day, with Rhea Ripley getting her hands on Dominik Mysterio for just a bit. Odds are that gets some fallout this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Bash In Berlin if you need a recap.

Wade Barrett is in the ring and welcomes Joe Tessitore to the broadcast team. Tessitore, who has called a bunch of different sports, is happy to be here.

Bash In Berlin recap.

Here is a rather happy Rhea Ripley (to a ROAR) to get things going. She’s rather happy with her win at Bash In Berlin and since she pinned the Women’s Champion, it’s time she gets her title back. Cue Dominik Mysterio (sporting a heck of a black eye, thanks to Rhea) to interrupt, eventually (after some interruptions from a rather angry crowd) saying Liv isn’t here tonight.

The reality is he and Liv were jet lagged due to the lack of sleep (Dominik: “For a variety of reasons.”) but she’ll accept the challenge. Ripley tells him to callate (Spanish for “shut up”) but here is Liv to get in a cheap shot. Ripley’s leg gets tied up in the ropes so Liv stomps away until Damian Priest makes the save.

Chad Gable fires up American Made.

Rhea Ripley’s leg is messed up but she refuses medical care. Damian Priest tries to calm her down and is going to get a match with someone in Judgment Day for some pain.

Alpha Academy vs. American Made

It’s a brawl to start with Tozawa getting double teamed as we settle down. Tozawa gets over for the tag off to Otis, who goes to the floor where Julius hits a running knee. Nile comes in and gets in Otis’ face but Maxxine is in to take her down. Otis fireman’s carries Tozawa for an airplane spin to send the villains outside, where Maxxine hits a dive as we take a break.

Back with Brutus hitting a Shell Shock on Tozawa, followed by a springboard moonsault for two. Tozawa manages to avoid a charge and brings in Otis to clean house, including the Caterpillar. A few dives have Tozawa rolling until Julius cuts him off with a suplex. Maxxine comes in for her own version of the Caterpillar (it goes backwards) but a Chad Gable distraction lets Nile grab the Diamond Chain Lock (dragon sleeper) for the tap at 11:03.

Rating: C+. These teams have fought a few times now and it’s fine to see the villains win, if nothing else to boost them back up after their losses to the Wyatts. I’m not sure how much steam this feud has though, as it feels like they’ve been going around in circles for a bit. Maxxine looked a bit more comfortable in there, but it’s clear that she’s still just doing spots rather than having a mind for this. Granted given her experience, that’s about all that can be expected.

Post match Chad Gable goes on a rant about the Wyatt Sicks getting involved last week and he wants an eight man street fight next week. The lights go out and cue Uncle Howdy to talk about how the silence is deafening. His life is no longer his and if this is the path that Gable has chosen, the Wyatts will collect a debt.

Zelina Vega vs. Shayna Baszler

The rest of Pure Fusion Collective is here too. Baszler goes after Vega’s recently injured arm to start but a 619 to the legs sends Baszler outside. We take an early break and come back with Vega hitting a moonsault for two but she goes after the Collective. The distraction lets Baszler hit a knee for the pin at 6:38.

Rating: C. The fans were into Vega but she was overcome by the numbers game here. That being said, as usual, I have no idea why a match that doesn’t even run seven minutes included a break. The match wasn’t exactly a big one in the first place and then we don’t even see half of it. Multiple promotions do this and I do not get why.

Post match the beatdown is on but Lyra Valkyria runs in for the save, only to be beaten down as well. Sonya Deville brags about the team, saying there is not a man anywhere who can take them home and not a woman in the locker room that can take them out.

Rhea Ripley is now on a crutch as a precaution. Finn Balor is willing to face Damian Priest in a tag match but since Ripley is hurt, it means no match. Ripley has something in mind and Priest says let him know what he (whoever that may be) says.

Zelina Vega and Lyra Valkyria want the Pure Fusion Collective.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. Punk brags about his win and says how great it is to be in Denver. Now that the personal stuff is done though, it’s time to get down to business. He went through a fight at Bash In Berlin but there is someone else who did it there too: the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther.

Punk wants to be the champion and is coming for the title, because the people are going to take it from him. The music pays and he goes to celebrate but here is Drew McIntyre to jump him. Wade Barrett tries to hold McIntyre back but he slips by and hits a Claymore to drop Punk. McIntyre sends him inside and BREAKS PUNK’S BRACELET before hitting another Claymore. Oh I think you know where this is going at Bad Blood and it should be a big one.

Post break Punk is taken out on a stretcher…where McIntyre attacks him again.

Intercontinental Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Dominik Mysterio vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. Dragon Lee

Lee knocks both of them to the floor to start but Dominik breaks up a dive. That leaves Dragunov to glare at Dominik for daring to chop him before Dragunov suplexes both of them and we take a break. Back with Dragunov hitting an H Bomb on Lee but Dominik frog splashes both of them for two. Dragunov Death Valley Drivers Dominik onto the apron so Lee gets in a shot of his own…but cue Carlito to take Lee out.

Damian Priest runs in to go after Carlito and chase Dominik out of the arena, leaving Dragunov to strike away on Lee. The 619 is countered into a sitout powerbomb (they got a bit lost in there but saved it pretty nicely) to give Lee two but Dragunov Death Valley Drivers him into the corner. Lee manages to tie him in the Tree of Woe for a top rope stomp, only for Dragunov to come back with the Torpedo Moscow for the pin at 10:37.

Rating: C+. This was almost split in half as Dominik was chased off part of the way through the match, leaving it as a singles instead. In that case Dragunov is the best option as Lee hasn’t done much in the last few weeks. Dragunov hasn’t done much better, but he’s far closer to a title level than Lee at the moment.

We look at Bronson Reed crushing Braun Strowman last week.

Strowman, with very banged up ribs, wants Reed’s spot in the triple threat match. Adam Pearce says sure, as I try to figure out who in the world thought it was a good idea to have Strowman back a week after that big of a spot. Yes he’s a monster, but he’s not a monster who should b back that soon.

Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Damage CTRL

For a shot at the Women’s Tag Team Titles, with new champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill at ringside. Sane has to fight out of the wrong corner to start and anklescissors Fyre out to the floor. Damage CTRL gets in a glare off with the champs and we take an early break. Back with Sane hitting a DDT, allowing Sky to come in and clean house. Everything breaks down and Belair gets knocked over, with Cargill not being happy. The distraction lets Dawn and Fyre hit the Downward Spiral/Gory Bomb combination to finish Sky at 8:06.

Rating: C. This was another match where it didn’t have much time to go anywhere and it gets us pretty much back to the same place where we were before Saturday but with the titles reversed. I can go with the idea of a feud though, as the titles could use the effort. It’s better than one random team after another getting a shot so I’ll take what I can get.

Kofi Kingston is trying to get a Tag Team Title shot from Adam Pearce when Gunther walks by and glares.

Damian Priest talks to Rhea Ripley, who says Priest’s partner said…..yeet. I was expecting Rey Mysterio.

Here is Gunther for a chat. He brags about the success of Bash In Berlin and talks about how he beat the best version of Randy Orton. With that out of the way, cue Sami Zayn, as in the last man to beat Gunther, to interrupt. Zayn talks about wrestlers using the Intercontinental Title as a stepping stone to the World Title. Gunther did just that and now Zayn wants to do it as well because it is the one title he has never won. Gunther liked the list of legends Zayn gave, but Zayn wasn’t on there, so no shot. With Gunther going to leave, Zayn brings up the loss at Wrestlemania and that gets his attention.

Jey Uso is ready for the main event but Bron Breakker comes in to say Jey has one chance to drop out of the #1 contenders tournament. Uso doesn’t seem scared, despite Breakker being rather serious.

Intercontinental Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Braun Strowman vs. Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Sheamus and Kaiser brawl on the floor to start but the banged up Strowman runs them both over. Strowman is sent through the barricade and we take an early break. Back with Kaiser kicking Sheamus out to the floor but Strowman throws a chair to drop Kaiser cold. Strowman chokeslams Sheamus for two but Sheamus knocks him out to the floor. The Kaiser Roll gives Kaiser two, only for Sheamus to come back with a Brogue Kick. Cue Pete Dunne to take Sheamus out though, leaving Strowman to powerslam Kaiser for the pin at 7:36.

Rating: C+. I’m still not sure I can get behind the idea of Strowman being able to move here, let alone win, but here we are with Strowman on his way to a possible title shot. He didn’t have to do much here, with the chair throw looking great, but this was a bunch of stuff going on at once. Strowman winning would be fine most of the time, though having him around despite selling such a huge attack just a week later felt off.

Damian Priest and Jey Uso are ready.

Pete Dunne says that was a message to Sheamus from an old friend, but DO NOT CALL HIM BUTCH.

Judgment Day vs. Damian Priest/Jey Uso

Non-title and Balor immediately hands it off to McDonagh to face Priest. It’s quickly off to Uso, who gets stomped down in the corner as the villains take over. That doesn’t last long as Uso sends them outside and hits a big dive as we take a break. Back with Balor driving shoulders into Uso’s ribs in the corner and handing it back to McDonagh for two off a springboard moonsault. McDonagh works on the arm until Uso fights up and kicks him down, allowing the tag off to Priest.

Everything breaks down and Balor rolls Priest up for a fast two. South Of Heaven is broken up so Priest hits a double clothesline, setting up Uso’s double high crossbody. Cue Liv Morgan to break up the Superfly Splash though and Balor hits the shotgun dropkick into the Coup de Grace into McDonagh’s moonsault. Priest makes the save and here is Rhea Ripley to, slowly, chase Morgan off with the crutch. Balor is sent outside and it’s the Razor’s Edge into the Superfly Splash to finish McDonagh at 14:20.

Rating: B-. That should set up a title match either next week or at Bad Blood (hopefully the former) and it’s nice to see Priest getting his hands on the Judgment Day. The match was nothing we haven’t seen done before, but it fits the story that they’re telling. I’m not sure how good it is for Uso to be involved with the Terror Twins, who I still want to take the titles from Judgment Day, but it makes enough sense.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling wasn’t great here but it was a show where things were set up, either for Bad Blood or likely beyond. You have Zayn vs. Gunther, more Punk vs. McIntyre, the Tag Team Title stuff and the tournament final next week. That’s a lot to set up (plus more) in three hours and they made it work. That’s certainly an eventful show and we have more than a month before the pay per view so things can breathe a bit for a change.

As for Tessitore, he did pretty well for his first night. You could tell he’s studied what he’s watching and was speaking with confidence. I’m not expecting him to know every move (he referred to Ilja Dragunov’s Torpedo Moscow as a shoulder for instance) as the details will come. You can tell he’s an experienced commentator who is going into a new field, but for a start, he did well.

Results
American Made b. Alpha Academy – Diamond Chain Lock to Dupri
Shayna Baszler b. Zelina Vega – Knee to the face
Ilja Dragunov b. Dragon Lee and Dominik Mysterio – Torpedo Moscow to Lee
Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre b. Damage CTRL – Downward Spiral/Gory Bomb combination to Sky
Braun Strowman b. Ludwig Kaiser and Sheamus – Powerslam to Kaiser
Jey Uso/Damian Priest b. Judgment Day – Superfly Splash to McDonagh

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Bash In Berlin 2024
Date: August 31, 2024
Location: Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re over in Germany for this one as WWE continues to do all kinds of international shows. In this case it’s not exactly a deep card with only five matches, but those matches should all be quite the spectacles. Odds are the main event will see Gunther defending the Raw World Title against Randy Orton so let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about how WWE is in the what’s next business and what’s next is Berlin. We get a look at how the show is set up and how the matches came together. It’s a nice concept and not something they have really done before.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens

Rhodes is defending and may have a bad knee coming in. They stare at each other for a good while to start before finally locking up. Owens knocks him down and sends Rhodes into the ropes, where the Cody Cutter is blocked (the knee looked fine there). A kick to the face staggers Rhodes and they glare at each other as things are getting a bit more intense. Owens misses a charge and gets sent outside, where he cuts off a dive to send Rhodes into the apron.

Rhodes knocks him away though and now the suicide dive can connect. Back in and Rhodes starts in on the arm with a short armscissors before switching over to a Figure Four. The rope is reached so Owens sends him to the apron and then into the barricade. Owens hits a frog splash off the apron to crush the ribs again, setting up a waistlock back inside. Rhodes fights out again and snaps off the powerslam for two before they both need a breather.

A German suplex sends Rhodes flying but he’s right back with the Cody Cutter for two. They go up top with Owens hitting a super Regal Roll (good impact on the landing) for two more and they get another breather. A Disaster Kick is countered into a Stunner attempt which is countered into Cross Rhodes for two as the fans approve again. They go to the corner again and Owens hits the swinging superplex for a rather delayed two.

Back up and they strike it out with Rhodes getting the better of things but the Cody Cutter fails as the knee gives out. Owens can’t bring himself to attack the bad knee (Barrett: “FORGET THAT! JUST GET THE VICTORY!”) so they go outside…where Owens begrudgingly kicks the knee out. He can’t bring himself to use the apron powerbomb though, instead hitting the Stunner for two back inside. Another Stunner gets another two but the Swanton hits raised knees. Cross Rhodes retains the title at 23:14.

Rating: B-. This had its moments but it never got to that next level. It didn’t help that the big question was whether Owens would go evil, which only gets you so far when it was almost impossible to believe that he was going to win. That was the problem from the start of the setup to the match and it held them back a good bit.

Post match Rhodes tries to talk to Owens, who is rather upset. Owens does hug him though and things seem ok, even with Owens shoving the camera away.

We recap Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre defending the Women’s Tag Team Titles against Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair. Dawn and Fyre won the titles in a surprise earlier this year and are defending them against the monster challengers while being huge underdogs.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair vs. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre

Dawn and Fyre are defending. Belair starts against…well both champions actually, but Cargill comes in to start with a double brawl. We settle down to Belair stomping Fyre into the corner and raining down some right hands, only for Dawn to offer a quick distraction. Dawn sends Belair shoulder first into the post and the beating continues on the floor, with Cargill having to be held back.

Back in and a knee to the head gets two on Belair and we hit the chinlock. A sunset flip doesn’t work for Belair as a blind tag lets Fyre hit a Meteora to take her back down. Fyre grabs a tornado and even manages to dropkick Cargill in the process. Belair avoids a charge into the corner and grabs a suplex, setting up the big tag to Cargill. A Jackhammer gets two on Dawn, who is slapping her knee off the landing.

Everything breaks down again and the Gory Bomb/Downward Spiral combination gets two on Belair with Cargill making the save. Something like a double gorilla press plants Fyre, allowing Cargill to Dominator Belair onto her for two. The Swanton/backbreaker combination doesn’t work (Dawn is holding her knee again) and Cargill throws Cargill into the barricade. That leaves Fyre to get spinebustered into the assisted German suplex for the pin and the titles at 11:57.

Rating: B-. That was a surprise as I wouldn’t have bet on the match getting that good. At the same time, it’s another case of a pretty short lived title reign where the belts bounce around again. Belair and Cargill can be the super dominant team, but that isn’t going to matter if they’re only holding the things for a few months at a time.

We recap CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre in a strap match. These two have hated each other for months, mainly with Punk being on the shelf due to an injury. Despite that, McIntyre attacked Punk and stole a bracelet that symbolizes Punk’s family. McIntyre beat Punk at Summerslam with the help of an overzealous special referee, leaving Punk to want a strap match so he can punish McIntyre without letting him get away.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

Strap match where you touch all four corners in a row to win (and thankfully we have the lights over the corners to help keep score), though if your momentum is broken, the lights reset. McIntyre jumps him before the bell and the beating is on outside, with Punk being sent into the steps and onto the announcers’ table. They get inside, where McIntyre ties the strap to Punk’s wrist as the beating is on.

Punk is sent outside again, with McIntyre pulling him into the apron before whipping away back inside. McIntyre poses quite a bit though and the delay lets Punk hit a quick GTS. Rather than go for the buckles though, Punk whips away and hits a neckbreaker, with McIntyre bailing out to the floor. That lets Punk pull him into the apron just like McIntyre did earlier, setting up a stomp to the hand.

They go onto the announcers’ table, where the Futureshock is countered into a backdrop. Punk fires off some chops but McIntyre slams him on a chair to cut things off. Punk has a cut over his eye so McIntyre hammers away but Punk comes back with the running knee into the corner bulldog. The table is set up, which takes the better part of ever, allowing McIntyre to come back with the Claymore.

McIntyre hits three buckles, only for Punk to go straight to the floor and pull him face first into a chair in the corner. Back up and McIntyre throws him through a table at ringside for the huge crash. Punk gets back in so McIntyre carries him around, with Punk hitting the same three buckles. The fight over the fourth buckle is enough for the referee to reset both counts so they slug it out again.

Punk grabs a Sharpshooter and McIntyre taps to no avail, eventually blacking out from the pain. That’s good for two buckles but McIntyre cuts him off again and hits a neckbreaker for the reset. McIntyre nips up and NOW we get serious as he whips out the bracelet. A Claymore drops Punk but he comes back up with the GTS to get us back to even. Punk touches a buckle, hits a GTS, touches a buckle, hits a GTS, touches a buckle, hits a GTS, steals the bracelet back, and touches the fourth buckle to win at 19:10.

Rating: B+. This was the kind of brutal, violent match that it needed to be and there is nothing wrong with that. What matters here is getting Punk a win to show that he can still do this and while he didn’t have to pin McIntyre or make him tap, he beat him within an inch of his life and made him tap in the Sharpshooter. That’s a heck of a way to put Punk over and odds are we’re heading for a rubber match, perhaps inside the Cell. Awesome fight here, with the right result.

German announcer Sebastian Hackl is in the ring to announce that this is the highest grossing arena show in WWE history. I believe that was set earlier this year at Backlash in France so they’re doing pretty well with these things.

We recap the Terror Twins vs. Judgment Day. Dominik Mysterio turned on Rhea Ripley for Liv Morgan, meaning Damian Priest (also betrayed by the team) and Ripley are out for revenge.

Terror Twins vs. Judgment Day

Priest goes off on Dominik in the corner to start and the fans rather approve. Mysterio gets kicked in the face and the fans want Mami. That’s exactly what they get so it’s off to Morgan, who gets planed with an easy suplex. It’s back to Priest but a quick distraction lets Dominik send him into the steps to take over. Another Morgan distraction lets Dominik grab a chinlock, with Cole absolutely losing his mind over the officiating.

A suplex is countered into the Broken Arrow though and it’s back to Ripley to clean house. The basement dropkick hits Morgan and Ripley gets to face Dominik. After a failed reconciliation attempt, Ripley fires off some clotheslines and grabs a figure four necklock (how the whole thing started with them) but has to take out Morgan. Riptide is loaded up but Morgan makes the save and unloads in the corner.

Something like a la majistral bomb gets two on Ripley but she kicks Morgan in the face. Priest comes back in and we get stereo Razor’s Edges to the villains. Cue Carlito and JD McDonagh, with the distraction letting Morgan hit a sunset powerbomb to send Ripley into the barricade.

Cue Finn Balor to drop Priest, allowing Dominik to hit a 619. The frog splash gets two but it’s back to Morgan, who can’t hit Oblivion. Something like a springboard Codebreaker drops Ripley but Priest wrecks the a bunch of people on the floor. Dominik has to save Balor from South Of Heaven but gets dropped with a clothesline. That leaves Ripley to Riptide Morgan for the pin at 14:17.

Rating: B. The Terror Twins are about as easy of a concept as you can get today in wrestling: they’re big, they look cool, they beat people up, they pose and soak in the cheers. On even footing, there is no reason for Dominik and Morgan to have a chance here and that’s exactly what happened once the odds got evened up. This evened things up a bit after Summerslam and there is a good chance we’re going to some rubber matches at Bad Blood. Really fun stuff here, with the Terror Twins being a hit.

We recap Gunther vs. Randy Orton for the former’s Raw World Title. Gunther beat Orton in the King Of The Ring finals earlier this year but Orton’s shoulder wasn’t down, meaning it’s time for a rematch. Orton wants to win the title, but he wants Gunther to see the RKO coming.

Raw World Title: Randy Orton vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and Ludwig Kaiser handles his introduction. We pause for the fans to chant for Gunther before they go with some grappling on the mat. Back up and Gunther soaks in some more cheers before going for a chickenwing. With that broken up, Gunther tries a chinlock as the fans are already deeming this awesome. That doesn’t last long either and the fans are it again, this time with Orton going along with them to play a little mental chess.

Orton takes him into the corner and stomps him down before starting in on the arm again. Gunther knocks him outside but this time Orton sends Gunther into the steps to take over. That lets Orton work on the arm, including sending it into the steps again. Orton drops him onto the announcers’ table and then slams the arm onto it for a bonus. Back in and Gunther tries a sleeper but Orton goes right back to the arm to cut him off again. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a fall away slam to send Gunther flying.

Gunther fights up and slugs away but Orton cuts him off with a clothesline. There’s the snap powerslam for two and Orton puts him up top and the superplex brings him back down. They strike it out in the corner, with Orton going to the eye to cut off a comeback attempt. The hanging DDT plants Gunther and now we get an RKO chant. The RKO is countered into the German suplex though and Gunther hits a dropkick into the frog splash for two.

Gunther tries the powerbomb but the bar arm gives out again. Some more attempts have the same results but the fifth attempt connects for two. Back up and Orton hits an RKO out of nowhere for two and we get a bit of a breather. They go outside again with Orton dropping him onto the steps and then piling said steps up in front of the announcers’ table. Orton eventually drops him through the table and heads back inside but the RKO is blocked.

The sleeper goes on so Orton drives him into the corner, eventually breaking it up. That’s fine with Gunther, who chops him in the back and grabs the sleeper again, including some elbows to the neck. Orton breaks it up again so Gunther elbows away again and grabs the sleeper (also again) and Orton is finally out to retain the title at 34:25.

Rating: B+. This was a rather good back and forth match, though it was starting to draw near the end as things just kept going. What matters though is that Gunther gets the big decisive win over Orton, which had been missing since their first match. Gunther is likely to hold the title for a long time and getting a clean win over Orton is a good way to go for a first title defense. The crowd was the focus again as usual, but their hero won in the end, as he should have. Strong main event here, but it probably went about ten minutes too long.

They shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Somehow a show that had nothing close to bad and a red hot crowd felt a bit weak. The Women’s Tag Team Titles aside, there was only so much to be seen here. That’s part of the problem when the new philosophy is a bunch of long title reigns, as it leaves you realizing there will not be much in the way of title changes most of the time. What we got here was rather good though, and for the show after the big one with Summerslam, it went very well.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. Kevin Owens – Cross Rhodes
Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre – Assisted German suplex to Fyre
CM Punk b. Drew McIntyre – Punk touched all four buckles
Terror Twins b. Judgment Day – Riptide to Morgan
Gunther b. Randy Orton – Sleeper

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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It’s time to go international again and in this case we’re in Germany for another European pay per view. The show is likely to be headlined by an Austrian defending the World Heavyweight Title but it’s close enough to be the big featured attraction. Granted it is one of the five matches on the card so hopefully it lives up to the hype. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre(c) vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill

Now on paper, this should seem to be a pretty one sided idea, but that’s a trap I’ve fallen into far too many times before. The more I think about this, the more I think it’s a case of how WWE wants to present the titles going forward. If they want the belts to actually matter, they need some more regular teams holding the belts rather than the latest dream team, which seems to be what would happen if Belair and Cargill get the belts back.

In a prediction I’m sure will go wrong, I’ll actually say the champions retain here, either through Belair and Cargill turning on one another (unlikely) or through some kind of shenanigans (more likely). Dawn and Fyre have held the titles for a bit now and it would do the belts a lot of good to keep them on the champs for a bit. The longest reign with this version of the titles is about six months. Taking them off the current champions in about two and a half isn’t going to do them any good, so the champions retaining is the right move. It might not be what happens, but it makes the most sense.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. Kevin Owens

It’s weird to have this title listed so early on but is anyone buying this as a big time main event? The return of Roman Reigns has changed a lot on SmackDown and while Rhodes vs. Owens should be good, it isn’t exactly the kind of match that feels must see. Odds are we’ll see something more important next time, possibly with Solo Sikoa also involved, but for now, it should get them through.

Naturally Rhodes retains here, though the question is whether or not the match ends clean. I’m not sure I can imagine Owens turning heel after all of this, though they are certainly teasing the idea. This week’s Smackdown also saw Owens mentioning that Rhodes has a knee injury, which is some great storytelling with the will he/won’t he deal. But yeah, there is a grand total of no way Owens gets the title here so go with what makes sense as Rhodes retains, possibly with some more things taking place at the same time.

Terror Twins vs. Judgment Day

This might not be the main event, but it is certainly one of the matches with the most heat. The fans are going to go nuts at the idea of Rhea Ripley getting to hurt Dominik Mysterio, which is the entire point of the whole thing. It is going to be an absolutely insane moment when it finally happens, but I’m not sure if we are going to see the big Riptide take place here or later.

I can’t see a way the Twins lose here as they are the fresh new team with the fans being into pretty much anything they do. This should be the match where Ripley gets a pin on Morgan to set up another title match between the two, even if that is little more than an appetizer. This is still all about Ripley vs. Mysterio and we’ll get to that in due time, but the Twins go over here, as they get to continue their dominant start.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

They already had their big showdown earlier this month at Summerslam and now it’s time for the rematch where things can get a bit more violent. In this case that means a strap match of the four corners variety, which opens up a few more options. Punk is still coming for revenge and odds are he’ll get it here, but it depends on just how far he is going to be able to go with it.

I’ll take Punk winning here, as the stipulation is the perfect way for him to get some revenge and set up a rubber match between the two where McIntyre can defeat him for good (at least in theory). These two are going to beat the fire out of each other and there are going to be some awesome moments so I’ll take what I can get here. This could be rather good, with Punk winning to get some of his momentum back.

Raw World Title: Gunther(c) vs. Randy Orton

Like this could be anything else. This is the big featured match of the card as Gunther gets the closest thing he’ll have to a homecoming as World Heavyweight Champion. It helps that some fans are already cheering him due to how good he is, so hopefully he receives a nice moment for his first title defense. The story here is that Orton’s shoulder was up during King Of The Ring, but now things are a bit more about Gunther than Orton.

While there is always the chance that WWE will go with Orton, there is no way that Gunther, whose whole deal is long title reigns, is going to drop the title four weeks later. The good thing is that Orton is enough of a legend with the big weapon available that it feels like there is a chance, but this is absolutely more about Gunther than Orton. Gunther gets his clean win over Orton to retain, despite at least one RKO in the process.

Overall Thoughts

This is pretty much in line with some of the other international events: it’s much more about WWE getting to say that they have been to another country and giving the fans a chance to go nuts for people they don’t get to see very often. The show should be fine, but it’s hard to believe that anything major is going to happen. That’s not a bad thing though, even if a five match card still feels wrong.

Smackdown
Date: August 30, 2024
Location: Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s the last show before Bash In Berlin and we happen to be in Berlin. In this case we have an open challenge for LA Knight’s US Title, which could go in almost any way. At the same time, we have the push towards the pay per view, which includes one more showdown between WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Earlier today, wrestlers came to work.

Here is LA Knight to get things going. Knight says it has been 27 years since WWE has had a major televised event in Berlin. Last week, he had his first title defense in the United States’ capital of Washington DC, so he might as well defend it in the capital of Germany as well. It’s the day before Bash In Berlin so get someone out here to get bashed right now. Cue Germany’s own Ludwig Kaiser to quite the reaction, promising to take the title back to America as the European Title. Knight calls the reactions quite impressive but he isn’t letting this title go.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Knight is defending. They fight over a lockup to start with Knight taking him into the corner. Kaiser grabs a wristlock but Knight reverses into one of his own and cranks away. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Kaiser as we actually talk about Alex Wright (including the Berlyn days). They go outside with Kaiser sending him into the steps, setting up a hard ram to crush Knight against the steps again.

We take a break and come back with Kaiser hammering away as commentary points out how weird it is to hear him cheered. Knight fights up and drives him into the corner before it’s time to go outside for the rams into the announcers’ table. Back in and a neckbreaker into a middle rope elbow gives Knight two but Kaiser kicks him down for the same. A running knee to the face connects for Kaiser and a Death Valley Driver (Barrett: “Kaiser Roll!”) gets two. Not that it matters as Knight is right back up with the BFT for the pin to retain at 12:00.

Rating: C+. This was a strange choice for such a match as Knight is the rather popular star and he was put in there against one of the few people the fans would prefer to him. I get the idea of putting Kaiser in there to get cheered, but having him in there against Knight was a bit of a surprising choice. The match itself was fine enough, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there, but I was more than a bit surprised that they went in that direction.

Video on Gunther vs. Randy Orton.

Video on Nia Jax, this one a full on music video for a change.

Apollo Crews/Baron Corbin vs. Legado del Fantasma

Crews dropkicks Berto (now in trunks rather than tights) down to start and it’s off to Corbin, who kicks both villains down without much effort. Berto offers a distraction though, allowing Garza to get in a kick from behind to take over. Back up and Corbin throws Crews over the top and onto both of them as we take a break.

We come back with Crews getting beaten up on top but avoiding a charge into the post. Corbin comes back in to pick up the pace, including a fireman’s carry backbreaker on Garza. A suplex cutter gets two on Berto as everything breaks down. Berto hits a springboard spinning kick to Crews and everyone is down, with the fans giving a standing ovation. Corbin gets sent into the steps, leaving Crews to kick Berto down. Not that it matters as Garza comes back in to toss Crews into a knee (the MTY, short for Monterrey) for the pin at 9:07.

Rating: B-. This got going near the end and I could have gone with seeing more from them. It helps when you have no expectations coming in and then get to see some people going out there to tear the house down in one of their only chances to do so. At the same time, it’s kind of a shame to see Corbin go from being in a featured spot in NXT earlier this year to a low level tag team like this, as it was feeling like he could have been something once he got back up here. Maybe that happens, but it feels like it is going to take time to get there.

The Bloodline promises to take out DIY and the Street Profits tonight, with Solo Sikoa promising violence. After that match next week, he’s coming for the WWE Title.

We get another of those quick looks at the city, which is a nice touch for these international shows.

General Manager Nick Aldis is here to show us a package on the European tour. With that out of the way, he brings out Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes for their big showdown before tomorrow. Owens asks Cody what he wants to talk about, though he is at least nice enough to explain the joke. Believe it or not, Cody would like to talk about the title, but Owens would rather talk about what happened to Cody’s knee.

Cody insists that his knee is fine and tries to shift over to last week, when they beat A-Town Down Under. What interests Cody is the time when it looked like Owens was thinking about hitting him with a chair. Owens says he wasn’t going to do it, even though everyone he’s ever turned on deserved it (again, save for Kofi Kingston). Cody brings up their past together, and how Owens was in a lot of the same rooms Cody was in when he traveled the world after leaving WWE.

Owens deserves more credit but brings things back to Cody’s knee. He’s been hearing about the knee not being so great, and if it’s fine, why didn’t Cody take a knee during his entrance? Maybe we shouldn’t have this match if Cody isn’t 100%. Yesterday was eight years to the day of Owens winning the Universal Title but all anyone talked about was HHH. He doesn’t want another tainted victory, which Cody doesn’t want to hear.

Cody says he’s going to win tomorrow, but are they still going to be friends? Owens throws the mic down and says something we can’t hear before walking off, leaving Cody looking upset. That’s a fine way to go, as Owens not wanting to hurt his friend by going after the knee will make for a solid story during the match.

A-Town Down Under laugh at Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews, with Corbin not having it. With the good guys gone, Waller apologizes to Theory for causing trouble lately and they’re ok.

Giovanni Vinci is back next week.

Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

They start fast with Andrade sending him outside for a springboard spinning dive. Back in and Andrade knocks him into the corner for a top rope double stomp to the apron. We take a break and come back with Hayes being kicked into the corner, allowing Andrade to hit a running forearm. The double jump moonsault gives Andrade two but the First 48 cuts off the running knees. Andrade rolls him out of the corner into a powerbomb, with the turnbuckle being ripped off in the process.

The running knees are cut off with another superkick but Andrade is back with a springboard reverse Spanish Fly for two as we take another break. Back again with Andrade hitting a super fall away slam splash for two more as the fans are rather appreciative. The spinning back elbow gives Andrade another near fall so he takes Hayes up, only to be dropped face first onto the exposed buckle. Nothing But Net gives Hayes the pin at 13:13.

Rating: B. Normal good match between these two and you can all but guarantee a fifth match, especially with a graphic saying that Andrade was 2-1 against Hayes during the match. It’s a fine way to boost both of them up, as there is something to be said about having good wrestlers have impressive matches with each other. They even had something new with the buckle pad here, which helped things stay fresh.

We recap Michin vs. Nia Jax.

Video on Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill.

Bash In Berlin rundown.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Michin

Jax is defending in a street fight. In the back, Michin promises you’ll remember her as she brings out a shopping cart full of weapons. Michin slugs away with a kendo stick to start and grabs a hurricanrana driver for an early two. The table is loaded up but Jax cuts her off with a kendo stick shots to the ribs. Michin gets in a shot of her own and loads up the table as we take a break.

Back with Jax dropping Michin with a shot to the face and setting up a table in the corner. Michin uses the delay to hit a missile dropkick but Jax shoves a tornado DDT onto a trashcan. Some trashcan lid shots to the head rock Jax for two so Michin takes forever to find another trashcan. Jax puts her on the table but gets powerbombed through it….and here is Tiffany Stratton, but Jax scares her out of cashing in. Cue the returning Bayley to take out Stratton, leaving Michin to kick away at Jax. A Samoan drop sends Michin through the table though and an Annihilator onto the trashcan finishes for Jax at 10:53.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure that they were even trying to hide the fact that Michin wasn’t much of a serious challenger. That’s not something you need to do every time but adding in the weapons made it a bit better. This was more about Jax getting to look dominant, but the tease of a cash in and Bayley returning were enough to put it over the top.

Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case lately with similar shows, this was more for the live crowd than anything else. Bash In Berlin is all but ready to go and there wasn’t much added here. The two title matches were fine for stand alone matches, but the only thing that felt like it was going to tie into the pay per view was the Cody/Owens showdown. I’d rather they take it easy like this than push too hard, but this wasn’t one o the better go home Smackdown’s, at least not compared to the really hot ones.

Results
LA Knight b. Ludwig Kaiser – BFT
Legado del Fantasma b. Apollo Crews/Baron Corbin – MTY to Crews
Carmelo Hayes b. Andrade – Nothing But Net
Nia Jax b. Michin – Annihilator

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.