I wish more people were able to miss it.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-heritage-spoilers-nice-wrestling-show/

Smackdown
Date: August 19, 2022
Location: Bell Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re north of the border for the 1,200th episode and odds are that is not going to be the biggest deal. We are only a few weeks away from Clash At The Castle and now we should be in for some build to the show. There is a lot that needs to be done for the card and maybe we can get some of that done tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Commentary talks about the 1,200th show, with McAfee name dropping Jim Cornette doing commentary on the first show (or at least the pilot).

Ronda Rousey walks in front of commentary and gets in the ring where she says her fine is paid so Adam Pearce needs to get out here and lift her suspension. Cue Pearce, with security to say that’s above his pay grade, so he asks her to leave peacefully. Pearce says that’s what she did last week and now it’s time to get violent. Security gets in the ring and gets beaten up. That’s too far for Pearce, who has the police come out and arrest Rousey. As she is taken to the back, she asks if this is on Pearce’s pay grade as she is put in the car.

The police car pulls away and Roman Reigns arrives.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Natalya/Sonya Deville vs. Toxic Attraction

Zoey Stark is hurt so Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin/Jacy Jayne) from NXT is taking her and Nikkita Lyons’ place. As a bonus, Bayley/Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai sit in the front row to yell at commentary. Natalya rolls Dolin up to start and it’s off to Deville for a spear of all things and a near fall. Jayne comes in and misses a charge into the post, allowing Jayne to hit a running flip dive to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Jayne loading up a Sharpshooter but getting knocked away by Deville. It’s back to Natalya, whose Sharpshooter is broken up as well. Deville is sent into the barricade in front of Bayley and company for some yelling as Jayne tags herself in. Natalya doesn’t notice and puts Dolin in the Sharpshooter, allowing Jayne to grab a rollup (clever) for the pin at 9:59.

Rating: C-. That’s how the match should have gone as there is no reason for one of the most successful NXT tag teams ever to lose to a makeshift team like Natalya and Deville. Not much of a match, but they did the right thing with Toxic Attraction moving forward. At the same time, it does make me wonder why they weren’t in the tournament in the first place.

Sami Zayn (hometown boy) goes in to see Roman Reigns, who asks how things have been going. Zayn talks about his recent issues with the Usos, especially Jey, who has been telling him to LEVEL UP. We hear about how Zayn took a Claymore for him last week and calls Jey ungrateful. Sami knows he went too far….until Reigns agrees with him. Reigns gets up and his phone rings, with Jey on the other end.

Reigns tells Sami to answer it, which doesn’t seem to go well with Jey. Sami says he’ll take care of it before hanging up. Apparently Jey was yelling about trouble at the border so the Usos won’t be here tonight. That has Reigns looking nervous, but Sami offers his services. He does have a #1 contenders match for the Intercontinental Title tonight and Reigns thinks that title would look good in the Bloodline.

Sami goes to warm up but Reigns asks about Kevin Owens. Sami says they’re still tight so Reigns says to tell Owens that Reigns doesn’t owe anyone anything. As Sami leaves, Reigns glares a bit. This was interesting and some good character stuff, which you don’t get enough of around here.

We look back at Gunther retaining the Intercontinental Title over Shinsuke Nakamura last week. Max doesn’t like the interruption so Hit Row clears the ring quickly. Rapping ensues and goes on for a while. The good thing here is that Max is basically LA Knight instead of that not so great stuff he was doing for a few weeks.

Karrion Kross and Scarlett talk about what Drew McIntyre said about him on Raw. He still has his eye on Roman Reigns too. McIntyre and Reigns are his chosen ones.

Ricochet vs. Sheamus vs. Madcap Moss vs. Happy Corbin vs. Sami Zayn

For the Intercontinental Title shot at Clash At The Castle. The fans are WAY behind Sami with the OLE chants. The ring is cleared out to start, leaving Ricochet to hurricanrana Zayn. Corbin (in a t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes, likely for reasons of a lost bag) cuts off a dive with a chokeslam to Ricochet and we take a break. Back with everyone brawling on the floor until Corbin takes Ricochet back inside.

Corbin hits the slide under the ropes clothesline on Moss and then knocks Zayn off the apron (Cole: “Sami looked like El Generico there.” McAfee: “Oui.”). Ricochet is back up with a springboard crossbody to Corbin and a springboard dropkick to knock Zayn off the apron as well. A running shooting star press gets two on Corbin as we see a NASTY bruise/cut on Sheamus’ thigh. Sheamus’ leg is good enough to hit Irish Curses on Moss and Zayn, though he does come up limping.

The ten forearms to the chest have Moss and Corbin in more trouble, followed by seventeen forearms to Ricochet’s chest. Zayn jawbreaks his way to freedom though and low bridges Corbin out to the floor. The big flip dive drops Sheamus and Corbin on the floor as we get some old school Sami for a change. Back in and a Michinoku Driver drops Ricochet and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Moss.

Sheamus is back up to take out Ricochet though and a super White Noise sends Zayn outside, holding his arm. Moss gets in his own run but Ricochet cuts him off as Sami is helped to the back. Corbin Deep Sixes Sheamus and Ricochet clotheslines Moss, leaving everyone down as we take a break.

Back with Corbin pounding on Ricochet and dropping him with a torture rack neckbreaker. Corbin and Sheamus slug it out until Corbin gets clotheslined to the floor. A jumping knee gives Sheamus two on Moss but the Brogue Kick is countered into something like a Boss Man Slam. Ricochet Recoils Moss to the floor and hits a shooting star press for two on Sheamus, with Corbin making the save. Cue Sami for quite the reaction and a t-bone suplex on Ricochet. The Helluva Kick hits Ricochet but Corbin pulls Zayn out. Sheamus is back in with the Brogue Kick to finish Corbin out of nowhere at 22:22.

Rating: B-. The time helped here as it allowed the match to be built up instead of rushed. That allowed everyone a chance to show what they could do instead of flying through everything and trying to get a bunch of stuff in. The Zayn injury gives him a bit of an out instead of jobbing in his hometown so it was nice to see them cover that side. At the same time, it’s good to see Sheamus winning, as he and Gunther could have a heck of a hoss fight. I could even see Sheamus getting the title so we might even have some drama.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns.

Video on the Viking Raiders. They have torches and face paint because a great battle awaits. Then they burn a bunch of New Day stuff.

We recap Liv Morgan and Shayna Baszler signing the contract last week.

Morgan’s arm is out of the brace and into just tape but she isn’t worried about Baszler. She can’t start playing it safe now because she needs to get in the ring.

Liv Morgan vs. Shotzi

Non-title. Before the match, Shotzi talks about how Morgan is getting too emotional and calls this match a bad decision. Liv slugs away to start and staggers Shotzi a bit, only to get knocked back with a shot to the face. Shotzi knocks her outside and we take a break. Back with Liv fighting out of trouble, setting up a brawl from their knees. Morgan hits a quick Codebreaker and Oblivion for the pin at 6:02. Not enough shown to rate but Morgan fighting through the pain and winning is the right way to go for her.

Post match Shayna Baszler comes in and knees her down before teasing the stomp on the arm but stomping and kicking Morgan down instead.

Ronda Rousey has been released on her own recognizance and Adam Pearce won’t be pressing charges.

Drew McIntyre finds Karrion Kross’ hourglass in his locker room and rolls his eyes.

Here is Roman Reigns (alone), who takes his sweet time getting into the ring. After being handed the microphone, Reigns talks about how he isn’t here every week, meaning every once in awhile, people are going to come out here and say something stupid. If anyone ever comes out here and says they’re the face of this company or the main event and it isn’t him, they’re LYING. The same thing is true if someone says they carry this company, including Drew McIntyre, who is beneath him.

Cue McIntyre to interrupt, saying that since Reigns isn’t here very often, he doesn’t represent the titles and doesn’t deserve to be champion. Reigns is aghast but McIntyre says it’s easy when Reigns has Paul Heyman and the Usos. Right now though, McIntyre sees fear in Reigns’ eyes because Reigns is just a man and a man who McIntyre can tear apart.

The fight is on and Reigns gets suplexed but the Claymore hits…..Sami Zayn, who runs in to take the shot. Reigns hits the Superman Punch but the Claymore cuts off the spear (despite the camera angle showing that McIntyre COMPLETELY missed by a good four inches) to end the show. McIntyre vs. Reigns feels like a main event, but I’m not sure I can see McIntyre taking the title off of him, even in the UK.

Overall Rating: B. There were only three matches but one of them was about ten minutes long and the other was over twenty so there was a nice amount of action on the show. Other than that, you had some good talking and character development, plus some stuff being added to or boosted for the pay per view. They did well here, with nothing dragging the show down and enough to make me want to see what happens next. Rather good show, and it’s nice to be able to say that more and more often.

Results
Toxic Attraction b. Natalya/Sonya Deville – Rollup to Natalya
Sheamus b. Happy Corbin, Ricochet, Madcap Moss and Sami Zayn – Brogue Kick to Corbin
Liv Morgan b. Shotzi – Oblivion

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: August 15, 2022
Location: Capital One Arena Washington DC
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

The resurgence of the United States Title continues as we have Bobby Lashley defending against AJ Styles in a match that somehow has not happened before. Other than that, we might be getting more from the odd adventures of Dexter Lumis, who returned last week, seemingly unannounced, and was arrested to end the show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Judgment Day to get things going. Rhea Ripley is rather pleased by taking out Dominik Mysterio last week and Finn Balor says the Mysterios will not be here tonight. That’s enough about this week and last week though, because Damian Priest is ready to destroy Edge next week. As for tonight though, does anyone want to see Edge confront this team right now? Well too bad because he isn’t here.

Priest is ready to send Edge back into retirement and that means no more movies or TV shows, but rather more of him being wheeled around. Cue Rey Mysterio to jump the team, but he can’t bring himself to hit Rhea Ripley. Instead Rey goes after Finn Balor with a chair, only to have Riple get in the way. The numbers get the better of Rey and Rhea DDTs him onto a chair. The Coup de Grace onto a chair onto Rey leaves him laying. Anytime this feud wants to be over, I’d be glad to assist in any way I can.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Asuka/Alexa Bliss vs. Doudrop/Nikki Ash

Bianca Belair comes out to offer some support to Asuka and Bliss. The villains are knocked outside early on and we take a break just over thirty seconds in. Back with Bliss getting away from Doudrop and handing it off to Asuka to clean house. Some strikes to Ash set up a bridging German suplex for two but Doudrop is back up to run Bliss over to put everyone down. Ash is sent outside and Doudrop’s Michinoku Driver gets two on Asuka. Bliss comes back in to break that up and it’s the cross armbreaker to make Doudrop tap at 8:48.

Rating: C. The doubt was lacking but Bliss and Asuka work well enough together to make a match passable. Doudrop and Ash are just sad at this point though, as the team continues to lose while Ash looks ridiculous as a villain with a name involving being (ALMOST) a superhero). Let her be herself again and it should be fine, but that could take some time given how long this has been going.

Post match Belair, Asuka and Ash go to leave but run into Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky. Yelling ensues.

Theory is ready to cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase and become the World Heavyweight Champion. Cue Dolph Ziggler to mock Theory for losing over and over, but Theory calls him a has been. The brawl is on and we take a break.

The brawl continued during the break.

We recap last week’s rather awesome Bobby Lashley vs. Ciampa’s United States Title match.

Ciampa says he worked hard last week but we don’t have participation trophies around here. Next time, he’ll be champion. Miz blames AJ Styles for interfering last week and smells collusion about Styles getting a title shot this week. As for Ciampa, Miz gives him a necklace with a picture of the two of them inside (Miz has a matching one because).

Miz/Ciampa vs. Cedric Alexander/Mustafa Ali

Ciampa drives Alexander up against the ropes but gets taken down into a hammerlock. Back up and Alexander hits a dropkick before handing it off to Ali for a slingshot hilo, followed by Alexander hitting a slingshot hilo for two. Ciampa runs Alexander over though and applauds with Miz as we take a break.

Back with Alexander fighting out of a chinlock and bringing Ali in to chop Miz. Ali hits a running boot to Ciampa in the corner, setting up the rolling…well kind of Sling Blade as Miz wasn’t facing the right way for the neckbreaker. Alexander comes back in with a Michinoku Driver for two on Miz, with Ciampa putting the foot on the rope. Ali hits a heck of a dive to take Ciampa out and dropkicks Miz into a sunset flip to give Alexander two. Back up and Ali kicks Miz in the face but Ciampa knees/kicks a 450 out of the air (pretty sweet). The Fairy Tale Ending finishes Ali at 9:49.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that can happen in almost any given week as there is so much talent around that all they need is a chance. Ali and Alexander are capable of having a good match at any time and they did it here against Miz and Ciampa. If nothing else though, it is nice to see Ciampa actually getting another pin, which hasn’t happened enough around here.

We look back at Kevin Owens taking out Ezekiel.

Ezekiel’s family (including Elias and others, likely including Elrod) is standing around his bedside, with his father, Ernie Jr., saying his son will be back. That’s quite the visual.

Drew McIntyre is on his way to the ring and passes someone putting out a fire in a trashcan, with Adam Pearce and others standing by.

Video on the Wrestlemania on sale launch party.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. Drew is tired of hearing about the Island of Relevancy and is ready to win the titles and defend them everywhere they should be. Now there have been reports that he is suffering from a bit of a back injury. That’s true, mainly because he has been carrying the load of twenty men for three years in and out of the ring. This isn’t a job for him because he is living a dream. He’s here to scout future opponents, so what do you think of him vs. Ciampa? Or AJ Styles? Seth Rollins? Maybe Karrion Kross?

Cue Kevin Owens to interrupt and Drew likes that idea too. Owens doesn’t like his name being left out and thinks Drew believes he is in Medieval Times. If Drew thinks he has been carrying anyone around here, he is a real dumb***. Owens knows who he is though because he is Kevin Owens and he is as real as it gets in this business. For the last few years, he has been having a good time coming to work, but then something dawned on him earlier today as he got to the arena.

This is the same arena where he and Sami Zayn had the fight of their lives and left it all in that ring six years ago. There is a side of him that is missing and he misses the old Kevin Owens. It might be time to bring back the prizefighter and now he wants a title again. Every champion is a target and he doesn’t care if it’s McIntyre or Roman Reigns because he is coming for the biggest prize of them all.

McIntyre is tired of people making stuff up to get a cheap reaction and goes on a rant about how he has done everything around here. They called him to come back after he was the Chosen One fifteen years ago. Now he’s a two time World Champion and he’s ready to go. Drew: “We’re wrestlers in a freaking wrestling ring so let’s wrestle!” For the first time in years, that probably won’t get him fined so Owens is in.

Drew McIntyre vs. Kevin Owens

Feeling out process to start with Owens’ shoulder not having much of an effect. Owens grabs a headlock and sends him into the corner for the Cannonball into a backsplash. A middle rope moonsault gets two but McIntyre is up with a toss, sending Owens outside. Back in and Owens sends McIntyre outside, setting up….nothing as McIntyre cuts him off with a forearm. Owens posts him and hits a frog splash off the apron as we take a break.

Back with McIntyre fighting out of a chinlock but the Futureshock is countered into a DDT from Owens. The Swanton only hits knees though and McIntyre gets a breather. Owens catches him on top but McIntyre does the situp….with Owens blocking the choke throw. Another Cannonball in the Tree of Woe sets up the bullfrog splash for two, followed by a Swanton for two more.

McIntyre catches him on top with the super White Noise for two before hitting a Glasgow Kiss. Owens is back with a superkick but McIntyre clotheslines him down for another double breather. Back up and the slugout goes to McIntyre, who hits the Futureshock. The Claymore is loaded up but the Usos come in to jump McIntyre for the DQ at 14:52.

Rating: B. That was a rare occasion where the DQ ending was the right call, as you don’t want either of these two taking a fall right now. McIntyre is going on to the World Title match at one of the biggest shows of the year and this was Owens’ return to form. The good thing is that Owens looked like his own self out there and it made for a hard hitting fight between two guys who could bring it. Pretty awesome match here and I could go for a rematch.

Post match McIntyre fights the Usos off and backdrops Jey onto Jimmy on the floor (OUCH) but walks into a Stunner from Owens. The 1D is broken up though and McIntyre drops the Usos again. If this is what the Usos are doing, get the titles off of them already.

Here is Seth Rollins to watch a special interview with Riddle. Rollins mocks Riddle for needing to retire from his mother’s basement but maybe he can go finish seventh grade or start a farm (that’s very lucrative). Riddle pops up on screen to say he’s medically cleared and it’s on. Rollins mocks every other time it has been on and promises to wreck Riddle again. He wishes Riddle was here right now so he could stomp the final brain cells out of his head.

That’s cool with Riddle, who is in fact here right now, meaning he’s coming to the ring RIGHT NOW. Riddle storms the ring and head fakes Rollins to avoid the Stomp. Rollins drops him onto the apron anyway and they go over the announcers’ table with Rollins unloading on him. The Stomp through the table misses though and Riddle knees him over the barricade. The chase is on through the crowd.

Video on Bobby Lashley vs. AJ Styles later tonight for Lashley’s US Title.

Riddle wants to fight Seth Rollins and issues the challenge for Clash At The Castle.

Veer Mahaan vs. Beaux Keller

Keller bails to the floor and Veer isn’t happy with having to get in a chase. Back in and Keller hits a dropkick, earning himself a big toss out to the floor. Mahaan hits something like a Thesz press minus the press, setting up the Million Dollar Arm. The Cervical Clutch puts out Keller’s torch at 1:46.

Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky are ready to win the Tag Team Titles, plus the six woman tag at Clash At The Castle. They go over to see Dana Brooke, who is ready 24/7. Kai tells her to be scared.

United States Title: Bobby Lashley vs. AJ Styles

Lashley is defending and powers him down to start but Styles is back up with the drop down into the dropkick. They head outside with Lashley blocking a posting but getting caught with a Phenomenal Forearm off the apron. We take a break and come back with Styles being sent hard into the barricade. Styles is back with a few shots of his own but gets whipped hard into the corner.

Cue Miz and Ciampa to watch as Styles is dropped onto the top rope. Miz goes outside to go after Styles….and someone (Dexter Lumis) dives out of the crowd and onto Corey Graves. Security breaks it up and we take an abrupt break. Back with commentary confirming that it was in fact Lumis and Lashley missing a spear to the floor. Styles hits a slingshot forearm to take Lashley down again but Lashley is back with a running powerslam.

They go up top with Styles slipping out of a superplex and hitting a spinning torture rack bomb for two. Lashley is fine enough to hit the spinning Big Ending for two and takes him outside for the posting. Back in and Styles grabs the Calf Crusher but Lashley powers out again. A forearm sets up a missed Phenomenal Forearm, allowing Lashley to hit the spear for the retaining pin at 21:40.

Rating: B. Another awesome match here as you had two guys beating the figure out of each other. The Miz/Ciampa stuff was appropriate and tied into the things that they had been doing before so there was even some logic there. On top of that, you have the Lumis stuff, which continues to be intriguing as we wait for an explanation. Great stuff here, with the US Title growing every week right before our eyes.

Dakota Kai vs. Dana Brooke

Non-title. Kai starts fast and knocks her down, setting up some rather cocky kicks to the head. Brooke fights up but gets knocked into the corner without much trouble. The running boot to the face gives Kai the pin at 2:19.

Video on Edge vs. Judgment Day.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Theory

Ziggler takes him down to start but Theory is back with a heck of a forearm. Ziggler’s arm is sent into the post twice in a row, allowing Theory to talk some trash. Ziggler is fine enough to catch him on top with a super Fameasser. We take a break and come back with Theory hitting his rolling dropkick, setting up another ram into the post.

Ziggler fights up and hits some right hands in the corner, setting up the jumping elbow for two. Theory catches him on the middle rope but another slingshot dropkick is countered with a Fameasser to give Ziggler two of his own. They slug it out from their knees until the Zig Zag is blocked.

Theory hits a running shot to the face and loads up A Town Down, which is countered into a sunset flip for two more. The Zig Zag gives Ziggler another near fall so Theory rolls him up for two, despite his feet being on the ropes. Ziggler is back up and walks into A Town Down for the clean pin at 16:07.

Rating: B-. Theory winning clean is weird to see but it is the kind of win that he needed to make a comeback after his not so great last few weeks. What matters here is that they had another good wrestling match without many shenanigans. That is the kind of thing that audience needs to be reeducated towards and if it helps build Theory up in the process, so be it.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show with three rather good matches, some storyline advancement and reason to believe that Kevin Owens might be going somewhere sooner than later. The wrestling carried this show and, again, there was nothing terrible to drag the show down. Heck of a show and one of the best Raw’s in longer than I can remember. Maybe it is due to so many years of awful, but the last few weeks have been great and this is the best one of the new run by a fairly wide margin.

Results
Asuka/Alexa Bliss b. Doudrop/Nikki Ash – Cross armbreaker to Doudrop
The Miz/Ciampa b. Mustafa Ali/Cedric Alexander – Fairy Tale Ending to Ali
Drew McIntyre b. Kevin Owens via DQ when the Usos interfered
Veer Mahaan b. Beaux Keller – Cervical Clutch
Bobby Lashley b. AJ Styles – Spear
Dakota Kai b. Dana Brooke – running boot in the corner
Theory b. Dolph Ziggler – A Town Down

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.

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: January 1, 2008
Location: Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’ll start a new year right here and that means things are not going so well for ECW World Champion CM Punk. In addition to dealing with the monsters in Mark Henry and Big Daddy V, he has to deal with the heel that will never go away in Chavo Guerrero. That’s where we are after a week off to close out the previous year so let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of two weeks ago, with CM Punk escaping against MVP but getting laid out by Chavo Guerrero after the match.

Opening sequence.

Here is Armando Estrada to introduce Chavo Guerrero. People have been asking how he could do that but he has been stuck at home doing nothing but watching TV. During that time, he has seen the emergence of CM Punk, the future of WWE. Cue Punk, who doesn’t quite buy that. Chavo says he sees Punk as a stepping stone and promises to be a champion again in 2008. Punk says if Chavo wants a title shot, he’s right here. Estrada says Chavo can earn a title shot if he beats Punk tonight.

Miz/John Morrison/Layla vs. Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore/Kelly Kelly

Kelly and company have matching cowboy hats. The women start things off with Layla getting in a cheap shot to knock Kelly down, allowing Morrison to come in. Men can face women here so Kelly slaps Morrison and brings in Moore for a bit fairer fight. Miz’s clothesline from the apron puts Moore down though and the villains take over. A chinlock doesn’t last long for Morrison as Moore fights up and gets in a shot of his own for a double knockdown. Yang comes in off the hot tag and a missile dropkick hits Miz as everything breaks down. The top rope moonsault press gives Yang the fast pin.

Rating: C+. These guys work well together and the women didn’t bring it down that far. If nothing else, I like the idea of adding in the women to mix things up a bit, which is always appreciated when you have a bunch of non-title matches. Now just get to the actual title match and see where things go from there.

Post match, square dancing ensues.

Tazz is in the ring with Colin Delaney and we see him getting wrecked by Shelton Benjamin in his debut match. Delaney says he has been training even more and he wants to be a WWE superstar. Tazz wishes him luck.

Big Daddy V vs. Colin Delaney

Gorilla press drop, Samoan drop and elbow drop finish Delaney in short order.

Shelton Benjamin vs. James Curtis

Benjamin gets an inset promo promising to show how great he is this year. Curtis gets driven into the corner to start and a slightly delayed suplex gets two. Benjamin bends his back over a knee before switching to the chinlock. Some shots to the face set up a buckle bomb to rock Curtis again and the jumping Downward Spiral finishes for Benjamin.

Rating: C. Another total squash for Benjamin, who is turning into one of the better stars around here. Benjamin has always had the talent and abilities but he hasn’t had a chance in a rather long time. It was a good beating, and once Benjamin actually gets something to do, he should do well around here.

Raw Rebound.

CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title but Chavo gets a future title shot if he wins here. Punk armdrags him down to start before Chavo rolls out of a waistlock. Back up and Punk has to flip out of a belly to back suplex but bangs up his knee on the landing. The knee is fine enough to hit a middle rope crossbody as we take a break. We come back with Chavo working on the knee in the corner and snapping it down ala Curt Hennig with a neck. The knee crank goes on before a dropkick takes the leg out again.

For some reason Chavo switches to an armbar so Punk fights out, earning himself a chop block to cut him off again. More leg cranking ensues but Punk is back up with a running knee in the corner and the bulldog for two. Chavo isn’t having that and rolls him into a half crab, sending Punk straight over to the ropes. Three Amigos are broken up so Chavo hits a running crossbody to put them both on the floor. Punk kicks him down though beats the count back in for the win.

Rating: C+. So are we just dropping everything with MVP, Big Daddy V and Mark Henry? And for the sake of Chavo Guerrero? That might be an upgrade in some cases but Chavo is still Chavo, and that means there is a pretty firm limit on what they are going to be able to do here. Punk winning early is a bit weird, but you can probably expect it to continue for at least a little while to come.

Chavo is frustrated to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was one of the better shows they have had in awhile and that is because they mixed things up rather well. There were good enough matches while also boosting up a few stars. Hopefully they can keep that going, but what matters the most here is that they had a nice show here. Now just keep something like that going and we should be in for a nice future as the new year begins.

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.

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 31, 2007
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re wrapping up the year with this one as Raw is back to a regular show after last week’s Tribute To The Troops. There is a big main event set up for this week as Ric Flair is defending his career against HHH in one of his most famous locations. That’s quite the way to finish off the year so let’s get to it.

We open with a video on Randy Orton, who is officially the Greatest Raw Superstar Of 2007.

Here is Orton in the ring to get things going. Orton says the letters RKO define this year and promises to be even more ruthless next year. Either way, he will be WWE champion, but here is Jeff Hardy to interrupt. Hardy says Orton had a great year but right now, he doesn’t have momentum. We see a clip of Hardy pinning Orton last week, which Hardy says he can do it. Orton says ask Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels and John Cena about momentum and threatens Hardy. An RKO attempt is countered into a Twist of Fate and Hardy gets to pose as the build continues to grow.

Video on Ric Flair’s dilemma, as he has to retire the next time he wins a match, as per Vince McMahon’s orders. For a bonus, Vince is making Flair face his friend HHH tonight.

Matt Hardy is here to see Jeff Hardy and thinks the Royal Rumble could be Jeff’s night. In addition, Matt might be back at the Rumble and if Jeff wins that night, how about Matt gets the first title shot? Jeff could go for that, but Matt shouldn’t expect to win.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Shawn Michaels

They start fast with Kennedy taking him to the mat but Shawn is back up for a standoff. Some armdrags set up an armbar on Kennedy before Shawn drives him knee first into the mat. The half crab goes on for a bit until Kennedy gets up and spears him through the ropes. Shawn barely beats the count back in and we take a break.

Back with Kennedy working on the leg for a change and kicking him in the face for two. Shawn gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some boot choking, followed by a superplex for two more. The seated abdominal stretch doesn’t last long as Shawn fights up and hits the flying forearm. Shawn misses the top rope elbow though and Kennedy grabs a rollup for two. The pinfall reversal sequence gets a bunch of near falls but the superkick misses, allowing Kennedy to grab the Mic Check for the clean pin.

Rating: C+. Pretty good here with Kennedy working over the back for most of the back and avoiding the elbow to hurt it even further. Shawn was desperate and Kennedy capitalized on the missed superkick to get the win. I don’t buy Kennedy being anything important anytime in the near future, but he did well enough here.

HHH isn’t happy with having to fight Ric Flair tonight but he’ll give it his all. Vince McMahon, with William Regal, comes in to gloat. Regal throws in a bonus: if HHH loses, he’s not in the Royal Rumble. Well that makes things more interesting.

Big Dick Johnson and Jillian Hall dance/sing in the New Year, setting up a Ron Simmons cameo.

William Regal is in Vince McMahon’s office when Vince gets a phone call from someone from USA. With that seemingly meaningless, Vince wants Regal to prove himself tonight in a match with Hornswoggle. Regal would be happy to show him some tough love. Oh and don’t worry about Finlay because he’s in Northern Ireland. Regal was looking a bit rough here.

We look at Jim Duggan winning the first Royal Rumble.

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Jim Duggan vs. Umaga

Duggan fires off right hands to start and gets knocked down with a single shot. The running hip attack connects in the corner, which draws blood from Duggan’s mouth. Umaga Samoan Spikes him for the easy win.

Ric Flair is talking to Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes when Vince McMahon comes in. Vince gets straight to the point: it’s over for Flair tonight, and there is no more limousine riding or kiss stealing.

Here is JBL for his Raw debut, so yes we do get balloons falling from the ceiling. We also get A LOT of pyro before JBL talks about how great it is that he is here, even if he doesn’t need to be here. He is here because he likes power and crushing people under his thumb. If he can’t buy it then he will take it, but here is Chris Jericho for the brawl. Referees and agents break it up (with commentary laying out for added effect).

In the back, JBL, with a bloody nose, yells at the agents and makes various threats.

Women’s Title: Melina vs. Mickie James vs. Beth Phoenix

Beth is defending and gets kicked in the face by Mickie, setting up an early Thesz press. Melina comes in for a cheap shot and gets two on Mickie, which doesn’t set well with Beth. A double enziguri drops Beth but Mickie neckbreakers Melina for two. Back up and Melina breaks up a hurricanrana to Beth but gets dropkicked in the face for her efforts. A rollup gives the challengers a near fall each and a double dropkick sends Beth outside. The MickieDT plants Melina but Beth throws Mickie outside and fisherman’s busters Melina to retain.

Rating: C. They were getting in as much as they could here but you can only get so far in four minutes with three people involved. It was about trying to get a pin as fast as you can and that was only going to work for so long. These three could have a good match, but they were handcuffed by the time here in a big way.

William Regal vs. Hornswoggle

Vince McMahon is here with Regal and gives Hornswoggle a pre-match hug. Regal is in street clothes and backs Hornswoggle into the corner with as much trouble as you would expect. The big left hand is loaded up….but Regal can’t do it. Vince gets on the apron for some glaring and orders Regal to do it, allowing Hornswoggle to get in a cheap shot. Regal again loads up the left hand but won’t do it. Vince even throws in the brass knuckles but Regal still doesn’t hit him. That’s enough for Vince who comes in to slap him in the face and say Regal failed the test. We’ll call it a no contest somewhere around here.

Post match Vince tells Regal to get out of here and asks what happened to him. Regal leaves and looks disgusted (as only he can).

We look back at Jeff Hardy taking out Randy Orton earlier tonight.

Jeff Hardy vs. Santino Marella

Non-title and Santino has Maria and Carlito with him. Santino starts fast and gets in a few shots in the corner but Jeff is right back with a sling shot dropkick. Cue Randy Orton on the screen though, where he kicks Matt Hardy where his missing appendix used to be. And in the head too (as Roddy Piper once said to Gorilla Monsoon).

HHH wishes Ric Flair luck, but implies that the match is a foregone conclusion. Flair doesn’t like that, but says they’ll always be friends because HHH is what Flair was 20 years ago. HHH isn’t the man until he finishes Flair, even if they’ll always be friends. For one night though, Flair is going to be the man again. HHH: “You be the man and I’ll beat the man.” Good line.

HHH vs. Ric Flair

HHH’s Royal Rumble spot vs. Flair’s career. Flair WOO’s to start and the fans seem to like him here. A early takedown lets Flair strut and HHH is starting to look a bit more serious. The right hands vs. chops battle goes to Flair so HHH knees him down. Flair fights out of the corner though so it’s a facebuster to take him down for two.

There’s a neckbreaker for two and a spinebuster makes it even worse for Flair. The Pedigree is countered into a backslide for two so HHH is right back up with the sleeper. A suplex gets Flair out of trouble and a butterfly suplex drops HHH again. Flair goes up and actually manages to hit a high crossbody (in a Starrcade callback) before starting in on HHH’s knees.

The Figure Four is broken up though as HHH kicks him into the corner but the knees are still banged up. Now the Figure Four goes on and Flair even drags it back to the middle. The second attempt at the rope works a bit better and HHH hits the Pedigree, only to bang up his knees again. Cue William Regal to hit Flair with the brass knuckles for the DQ.

Rating: C+. This could only be so good as they didn’t hate each other and Flair can’t get to that level anymore. The match was more about giving Flair one last hurrah in Greensboro and that was just fine, as it is one of those important towns for him. It was even a pretty good match, but they had some heavy limitations.

Overall Rating: C+. You can feel the build to the Royal Rumble starting up and that is a great thing to see. It makes things feel that much more important as it means Wrestlemania is on the (very distant) horizon and everything gets cranked up. This includes Jeff Hardy, who has a rocket on his back right now and I’m looking forward to seeing him every week. Good show here, and the road to the Royal Rumble is on, meaning things should keep going up

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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Smackdown
Date: August 12, 2022
Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

It’s time for a title match as Gunther is defending the Intercontinental Title against Shinsuke Nakamura. What matters here is that they are treating the title like it matters and that is more than you could say about most WWE shows for a long time. Other than that, we are probably going to get more about the returning Karrion Kross so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Women’s Tag Team Titles First Round: Raquel Gonzalez/Aliyah vs. Xia Li/Shotzi

Gonzalez sends Shotzi to the apron to start but gets rolled up for a fast two. A front facelock is shrugged off without much trouble as Natalya and Sonya Deville pop up to scout from ringside. Aliyah comes in with a high crossbody and we take a break. Back with Aliyah getting dropped on her head for two and Shotzi adding a bulldog.

Aliyah finally breaks away and brings Rodriguez back in to clean house. Shoulders and fall away slams abound and the spinning Vader Bomb hits Li. Shotzi manages a hurricanrana into the corner and Sliced Bread gets two. A double Russian legsweep is broken up by Aliyah’s spear and the Tejana Bomb finishes Li at 9:31.

Rating: C. This was a nice workout for Gonzalez and Aliyah, which more or less meant Gonzalez cleaned house and Aliyah did one thing at the end. Odds are they lose in the second round but at least they had a chance to get in a win here. Li and Shotzi were little more than cannon fodder here but the match could have been a lot worse.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns, with Karrion Kross debuting last week to interrupt the proceedings.

Karrion Kross and Scarlett call that the rebirth of a darkened soul. Kross waited for the perfect time to strike the chosen ones. Now you are going to see the new timeline, because everybody pays the toll. We hear Drew McIntyre’s music and it turns out this speech was taking place near him.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. He is looking forward to Clash At The Castle but first of all, there is Karrion Kross. Last week, Kross returned after a year away and took out the #1 contender and stared down Roman Reigns. That’s a problem because that #1 contender is Drew McIntyre. Kross’ options are knockout, hospital or graveyard, so he needs to watch what’s coming at Clash At The Castle.

As for tonight, shock and awe, Reigns isn’t here tonight. McIntyre was watching at Summerslam and saw Reigns need his family, weapons and tables to beat Brock Lesnar. Well McIntyre beat Lesnar with his bare hands, so what is he going to do with Reigns? Cue Scarlett to interrupt (meaning black and white lights) and the Usos come in from behind to jump McIntyre. The 1D leaves McIntyre laying.

Video on the Intercontinental Title, similar to the video on the US Title that has been airing on Raw. This is a great idea, especially given how badly the title has been treated for most of the last few…..decades?

Shinsuke Nakamura is ready for Gunther.

Ivar (of the Viking Raiders, who are no longer new or vicious) comes to the ring for a singles match but Kofi Kingston jumps them from behind. That doesn’t last long as the Vikings beat him down and leave him laying. Well what did you expect man?

Sami Zayn knocks on Roman Reigns’ door (Why does he have a dressing room when he isn’t here?) but gets the Usos. Before he can get too far into his apology, Drew McIntyre jumps them from behind and promises to do this every week they get in his business. McIntyre goes looking for Sami, who escaped.

Brandon Scott/Trevor Irvin vs. Hit Row

The team (Ashante Thee Adonis/Top Dolla with B Fab) is back with Cole saying there was “controversy” when they left. Top Dolla runs Scott over to start and sends him into the corner, where Adonis hits a slingshot dropkick. Irvin tries to come after Dolla so it’s a World’s Strongest Slam to Scott and a Wasteland to Irvin at the same time. A dropkick/belly to back suplex combination (the Heavy Hitter) finishes Scott at 1:35. Total dominance and the team still seems cool.

Post match Hit Row reintroduces themselves.

Video on Gene LeBell, who passed away recently. There’s a legendary name you don’t hear much about on WWE TV.

We look at Shayna Baszler becoming #1 contender to Liv Morgan’s Smackdown Women’s Title.

Gunther promises to make Shinsuke Nakamura suffer.

We’re ready for the contract signing between Shayna Baszler and Liv Morgan….and here is Ronda Rousey coming over the barricade, with a bag. Rousey says she was suspended and fined, so she pours out the money from the bag. That’s double the fine, because she’s going to get fined again since being the baddest is expensive. Cue security, so Rousey beats them up and then leaves, where Baszler is waiting on her. Baszler says you can’t do that and Rousey says Baszler used to be a killer before leaving.

With that out of the way, Baszler gets in the ring and promises Liv is next on the list. Baszler signs and tells Morgan to get out here right now. Cue Liv, who says Baszler is a bootleg Rousey, which Liv would know because she beat the real thing twice. Liv signs and the fans remind her that she tapped out. The beating is on, but Morgan manages a springboard bulldog through a table and escapes. The YOU TAPPED OUT chants at Liv show you where she is at the moment.

The Usos come up to Sami Zayn and yell at him for leaving, but Sami says he was going to get security. That doesn’t work for the Usos, who are going to call out Drew McIntyre.

Here are the Usos to call out Drew McIntyre and any partner he wants.

Drew McIntyre/??? vs. Usos

Non-title and non-partner for Drew to start but he beats up both Usos anyway. The numbers game starts getting the better of McIntyre but here is Madcap Moss for the save and McIntyre has a partner. This seems to work for Drew and house is cleaned as we take an early break.

Back with Moss exploding out of the corner to drop Jey and the double tag brings in McIntyre and Jimmy. Cue Sami Zayn for a distraction so a superkick into the Superfly Splash can get two on McIntyre. Moss pulls Jey outside and they fall into the timekeeper’s area. The Glasgow Kiss into the Claymore finishes Jimmy at 9:05.

Rating: C+. The Usos almost have to be close to losing the titles if they are losing a nothing non-title match like this to a makeshift team. By “almost have to” I mean “probably won’t but should”, because this reign just keeps going. Maybe Hit Row can give them a challenge, but that might not be for a bit. Moss is moving up the ladder nicely, and I certainly didn’t have that coming a few months ago so well done on the improvement.

Post match Jey goes after Drew but gets Futureshocked but Sami takes the Claymore for him.

Maximum Male Models are in a photo shoot when Los Lotharios interrupt. They should be the models and hit on Maxxine, which has Max annoyed as Los Lotharios leave.

Video on Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Gunther.

Ricochet laughs about beating Happy Corbin last week and gets jumped by…Corbin, believe it or not.

We meet Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark, who like to fight. And dance, at least in Lyons’ case.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Gunther, with Ludwig Kaiser, is defending. They go with the grappling to start and Nakamura goes with a headlock. Uppercuts and chops drop Nakamura though and the Boston crab has Nakamura in trouble. That’s switched into an STF as Cole talks about Gunther wanting to face people like John Cena and other elite stars. A cross armbreaker doesn’t work very well for Nakamura so he starts kicking away at the arm. The arm is good enough for a huge chop to put Nakamura down and we take a break.

Back with Gunther favoring his arm so he kicks Nakamura in the face. Gunther’s top rope splash is countered into a triangle choke but he muscles Nakamura up. Nakamura switches into an armbar, which is reversed into a butterfly suplex for a breather. A hard knee to the face rocks Gunther and Good Vibrations makes it worse.

There’s the sliding German suplex, with Nakamura landing in front of Kaiser for some yelling. Back up and Gunther hits the shotgun dropkick in the corner but Nakamura escapes the powerbomb. Kinshasa is loaded up….and knocked away by a hard clothesline. Nakamura goes after the arm again so Gunther dropkicks him in the back. The powerbomb retains the title at 13:06.

Rating: B. They did have a hard hitting match here and that’s what you would expect from something like this. Gunther seems primed to hold the title for a long time and now he has beaten someone with a bit stronger resume than most of his previous victims. Nakamura didn’t seem likely to win the title here, but he can beat people up well and he made Gunther sweat here, which was entirely the point.

Overall Rating: B-. The important thing to say about this show was that it had energy. It didn’t come off like a show that was all about one match and they had stuff going on throughout the card. The show felt like it was building towards something in the future and I’m wanting to see what happens next week. Much like on Raw, it didn’t need a bunch of surprises popping up, but rather people feeling like they were trying. That is what we got here and it was a good show as a result.

Results
Raquel Gonzalez/Aliyah b. Xia Li/Shotzi – Tejana Bomb to Li
Hit Row b. Brandon Scott/Trevor Irvin – Heavy Hitter to Scott
Drew McIntyre/Madcap Moss b. Usos – Claymore to Jimmy
Gunther b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Powerbomb

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

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Smackdown
Date: December 28, 2007
Host: Michael Cole

It’s the end of the year and that means we get another Best Of show, as should be the case for this time of the year. There was a lot going on this year and that means we could get a nice selection here. Odds are there will be some pay per view matches included as well to boost up the TV stuff a bit. Let’s get to it.

As usual, I’ll be posting the full versions of matches rather than the clipped ones shown on the broadcast.

Michael Cole (not shown) welcomes us to the show, which will feature the Top 5 Matches Of The Year, as voted on by the fans.

#5. From Wrestlemania XXVIII.

Edge vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy vs. CM Punk vs. King Booker vs. Finlay vs. Randy Orton vs. Mr. Kennedy

Money in the Bank as they’re starting big this year. Everyone looks up at the briefcase to start and then it’s already time to head outside for the fight. It’s a brawl to start and Finlay dives off the top onto almost everyone else. Matt has to cut off Edge’s climb, leaving Orton and Finlay to climb the ladder to no avail. Booker goes to pull out another ladder but finds Hornswoggle’s stepladder instead, allowing Punk to knock him down.

Edge bridges a ladder between the apron and the barricade but Booker starts cleaning house. There’s the Spanarooni, only to have the Hardys run Booker over with ladders. For some reason Finlay saves Edge from the see saw ladder treatment and Edge suplexes Matt onto the ladder. Kennedy’s Kenton Bomb onto hits ladder (with Kennedy landing HARD on the back of his head) and it’s a Hardy slugout on top of the ladder.

Finlay breaks that up but gets speared down by Edge. More spears drop just about everyone else but Punk wraps the ladder around his head to knock out various people. Edge slides in the big ladder and climbs, at least until Orton shoves him over the top and out to the floor. Matt lays Edge over the bridged ladder and Jeff dives onto him, breaking the ladder to get rid of both of them. Both guys are taken out on stretchers and we’re down to a six way.

Now it’s time for the parade of RKOs and Orton climbs, despite not being underneath the briefcase. Punk breaks that up and climbs as well, only to get taken down with a super RKO for the huge spot. Booker grabs the Book End and goes up but Matt is there to catch him. Cue Queen Sharmell to grab Matt’s leg but Booker gets distracted by Matt and walks into the Twist of Fate.

Finlay gives Matt a Celtic Cross onto the ladder, busting himself open in the process. Now it’s Hornswoggle going up the ladder until Kennedy catches him for a super Regal Roll off the ladder. Punk dropkicks the ladder down to cut Finlay off and it’s Punk vs. Kennedy on top of the ladder. Kennedy gets knocked down but comes back up and kicks Punk down, allowing him to grab the briefcase for the win.

Rating: B. I never know how to rate these things but it was another blast with everyone flying around and having one crash after another. This was a lot of fun and one of the right people won, which is what matters the most in a match like Money in the Bank. Everyone got a chance to shine here, even in a complete car crash match like this one. Rather fun opener.

Great Moment: Beth Phoenix. No specific moment, but just her time this year.

Great Moment: HHH returns at Summerslam.

#4. From No Mercy.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Randy Orton

HHH, with bad ribs, is defending in a Last Man Standing match. They stare at each other to start until Orton gets smart by going after the bad (and untaped) ribs. More shots to the ribs sent HHH outside, where his quick Pedigree attempt is countered with a legsweep to send the ribs into the ramp.

Back in and more shots to the ribs set up a belly to back drop onto the barricade for a six count. A whip into the steps gets six more so they head back inside. HHH manages a much needed facebuster for a breather but Orton’s backbreaker puts him down for eight more. That just has Orton frustrated so he grabs a TV cord and chokes HHH into some nasty spitting.

HHH gets up at nine so the annoyed Orton sends him outside. The ECW announcers’ table (with Joey and Tazz still there after their minute and thirty seven second match earlier) is loaded up and a monitor to the head rocks HHH. The RKO through the table is shoved off though and Orton crashes through the table hard. Orton is up at nine as well so HHH hits a spinebuster on the floor for another nine.

Some steps to the head get another nine count and they roll back inside. Orton manages a DDT onto a chair to stun HHH though and the RKO onto the open chair leave a bloody HHH down. The ropes get HHH back up and he throws in the crotch chop before falling to the mat again. Orton’s Punt is blocked though and HHH makes the fired up comeback by taking Orton outside and sending him into various objects.

Orton cuts him off though and a catapult sends HHH head first into the post for another near fall. The steps are picked up but HHH cuts him off with a low blow. That leaves Orton’s heads in the steps and it’s a chair shot to crush him again. Orton gets up again and the Pedigree is loaded up, only to have him counter into the RKO onto the table for the ten count and the title.

Rating: B. They picked it up in the end but this was a lot of standing around waiting after someone does something big. In other words, it’s a Last Man Standing match but it’s a Last Man Standing match without a reason for these two to hate each other. I do like that they gave us the kind of match they advertised, but it was a weird position to be in after the Cena vs. Orton feud got so personal and HHH was just a last minute substitute.

Video on Vince McMahon putting HHH in a career threatening match against Ric Flair next week on Raw.

#3. From Raw, April 23.

John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels

Non-title and we even get an old school weapons check. Shawn takes him down by the arm to start but gets reversed into a headscissors for the early break. Back up and Shawn goes after the arm again so Cena tries an STF to send Shawn bailing again. Another STF attempt has Cena running into the corner so they go technical for a change. Cena doesn’t care for that and powers him down to the mat, sending Shawn to the ropes again. They trade shots to the face and we take an early break.

Back with Cena grabbing a headlock takeover to grind Shawn down for a change. It works so well that Cena does it again and Shawn can’t get out of it in his first few attempts. Shawn fights up again and tries a hiptoss, only to get blasts with a clothesline to set up the chinlock again. The next escape attempt actually works and Shawn hammers away to take over for the first time. Cena gets a boot up in the corner though and a heck of a clothesline gets two.

A Sweet Chin Music attempt is countered into an AA attempt but Shawn bails out to the floor as we take another break. Back with Shawn elbowing away in the corner until Cena catches him with a World’s Strongest Slam. The release fisherman’s suplex gets two and the Throwback is good for the same. Shawn comes back with a quick swinging neckbreaker and they’re both down for a breather. Back up and the flying forearm drops Cena so Shawn can nip up.

The top rope elbow connects but Cena is ready for Sweet Chin Music. The big flying shoulder misses and Cena falls to the floor….where he is fine enough to pull Shawn’s dive out of the air. A posting is countered into a ram into the steps to leave Cena down as we take another break. Back again with Cena down on the floor, seemingly with a bad shoulder, so Shawn takes him back inside to crank on the arm. Cena fights up and initiates the finishing sequence, including the Shuffle. The FU gets two and that brings the fans back into things as we take a fourth break.

We come back again with Cena throwing him hard to the floor to bang up Shawn’s back even more. A posting gives Cena two back inside and the kickout has him a little stunned. Cena scores with a suplex (with Shawn still holding his back for a nice touch) for two and it’s off to the rather wise bearhug.

Shawn fights out so Cena dumps him over the top for the crash to the floor, setting up the top rope legdrop for two back inside. The super FU is countered into a powerbomb but Shawn can’t follow up. Another STF attempt earns another block and Shawn knocks him off the apron, into the announcers’ table. A piledriver onto the steps, ala Wrestlemania, is blocked and we take another break.

We come back again with Cena unloading on Shawn on the announcers’ table and NOW the STF can go on inside. The long form crawl gets Shawn to the rope for the break but he has to slip out of the FU….and hit Sweet Chin Music for a very delayed two. Shawn is whipped hard into the corner so Cena tries the FU again, only to have Shawn get out and hit the superkick, this time falling on top for the pin (after about 55 minutes, a Raw record for a one fall match).

Rating: A-. What else is there to say about this? It’s one of the best TV matches of all time as it is both very long and also high quality throughout. You almost never get to see that and they made it work very well here. It’s an excellent match and felt like a Wrestlemania worthy main event. You could go back and forth on which was better, but this is going to be very hard to top for a long time to come.

Shawn says something to Cena and holds up the title to end the show. Edge vs. Orton didn’t happen, which I’m assuming has something to do with Orton being sent home from the tour. Good chance that’s why this match had to go so long.

Video on Tribute To The Troops, featuring Hilary Clinton.

Here’s a highlight reel of some of the best moments of the year.

#2. From Survivor Series.

Team Umaga vs. Team HHH

Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Finlay, Big Daddy V, MVP
HHH, Jeff Hardy, Kane, Rey Mysterio

Matt Striker is here with Big Daddy V. Rey and Kennedy get things going and it’s an early exchange of arm cranking. A running headscissors takes Kennedy down and a Code Red gives Rey two (so based on the previous match, Trevor Murdoch is better at Code Redding than Rey Mysterio). Hardy comes in and gets blasted by Kennedy so MVP comes in for a front facelock.

It’s off to V and the big beatdown ensues, only to have Hardy dive over for the tag to Kane. V belly to belly suplexes him down but Kane is right back up with a top rope clothesline. That doesn’t seem to bother V though as he hits a pair of drops (Samoan and elbow) for the elimination. HHH comes in to slug away on V but a clothesline puts him straight down. Umaga comes in with a belly to belly of his own but misses the middle rope headbutt.

That means Rey can come back in and the basement dropkick gets a quick two. The 619 into the springboard seated senton for two more but the springboard crossbody is countered into a wicked release Rock Bottom. The Samoan Spike gets rid of Rey and it’s 5-2. Kennedy tags himself in for some reason and misses a charge into the corner. Hardy misses the slingshot dropkick in the corner though and it’s MVP coming in with a chinlock. MVP misses a running kick though and the Twist of Fate gives Hardy a fast elimination.

HHH comes back in for a clothesline on Kennedy and the spinebuster follows. V comes in for the save but elbows Kennedy by mistake, allowing HHH to steal the pin. That doesn’t work for V, who pulls HHH outside and posts Hardy for a bonus. Back in and a double DDT plants V and HHH evens it up at 2-2.

Finlay starts dropping elbows on HHH before dropping some elbows on HHH. Back up and HHH makes it over for the tag without much effort and Hardy comes in with the slingshot dropkick in the corner. The Whisper in the Wind hit Finlay and the mule kick hits Umaga, allowing HHH to come back in. There’s the spinebuster to Finlay and the Pedigree leaves us with HHH/Hardy vs. Umaga. HHH avoids the running hip attack in the corner and it’s the Pedigree into the Swanton for the final pin.

Rating: B-. Not one of the all time classic Survivor Series matches but they set up HHH and Hardy as a pair of buzzsaws to run through the rest of the team. The HHH vs. Umaga feud has been pretty much decided multiple times now so the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt. This was more or less the Raw main event and it could have been worse, but I could have gone for a lot better for the one elimination match on the show.

#1. From Wrestlemania XXIII.

Smackdown World Title: Batista vs. Undertaker

Undertaker is challenging and Teddy Long handles the introductions for a bit of a weird moment. We get the full druid entrance for Undertaker, which will never stop being awesome. Batista spears him down at the bell and it’s time to trade right hands in the corner. It’s actually Batista getting the better of things and the fans are not too thrilled with that. Undertaker pulls him outside for a ram into the apron but Batista is right back for a hard whip into the steps.

Back in and Batista nails a top rope shoulder (dang) for two and a heck of a clothesline cuts Undertaker off again. Undertaker slugs back from his knees and punches Batista into the corner for the running clotheslines. Snake Eyes into the big boot sets up the legdrop for two as we’re back to mostly even. Old School looks to set up the chokeslam but Batista powers out and knocks Undertaker down.

Undertaker doesn’t seem to mind as he sends Batista to the apron for the legdrop. There’s the Taker Dive and they’re both down on the floor. Back up and Batista drives him HARD through the barricade and hammers away as things have cranked up in a hurry. The announcers’ table is loaded up and a running powerslam drives Undertaker through it for the big crash. That’s only good for two back inside so Batista punches away even more.

The Batista Bomb is broken up with a drive into the corner but Batista is right back….with right hands from the middle rope. I guess HHH didn’t teach him that one and it’s the Last Ride for two. The frustrated Undertaker gets caught in a spinebuster but pops back up with a chokeslam for two. Batista slips out of the chokeslam and hits the spear into the Batista Bomb for two as the fans are WAY into these near falls. Undertaker backdrops his way out of another Batista Bomb and sends Batista into the corner. The Tombstone is enough to give Undertaker the pin and the title.

Rating: A-. This felt like a Wrestlemania level title match between two monsters. These two beat the fire out of each other and didn’t bother with anything other than the big power moves. They were trading bombs throughout the whole match and it was a question of who would survive, which made the whole thing world. It helps when Undertaker was motivated by being put in the middle of the card and cranked it up a notch, as both guys felt like they were on another level here.

We look at Edge returning and winning the World Title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. There was a lot here and it was an entertaining show, mainly because they shows almost the full matches instead of trying to cram in as much stuff as they could. It felt like a Best Of show instead of a timeline of the year and that is a good thing. Pretty awesome night and I liked what we got here, especially when it was more about filling in the TV requirement and taking a week off than doing anything else.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: December 25, 2007
Hosts: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s Christmas night and even WWE isn’t crazy enough to try to run a third brand show under those circumstances. Therefore it is a Best Of show, which is all it should be. There have been some good enough moments to fill in such a show and I’m curious to see what is picked. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Joey Styles and Tazz are in the studio and welcome us to the show, which will be a bunch of clips. As usual, I’ll be posting the full versions of matches and segments instead of the clipped versions.

We get a long recap of Vince McMahon and pals vs. Bobby Lashley, which dominated a good chunk of the first half of the year around here. Vince with the title and the doorag is an all time look for him. The big blowoff came at One Night Stand, where Lashley got the title back from Vince (even if he was stripped of it soon after as he went to Raw in the Draft, but at least he won it back).

Kofi Kingston is having a good day in paradise, though he has to deal with a thief. Security is terrible around here.

Quick look at the ECW eight man tag at Wrestlemania.

From ECW On Sci Fi, April 3.

New Breed vs. ECW Originals

Extreme Rules, which was going to happen sooner or later. We’re joined in progress with Sabu dropping Striker to set up the one armed camel clutch and everything breaks down in a hurry. The weapons are brought in to clear out the New Breed, meaning it’s time for some dives. Dreamer whips Striker into a trashcan in the corner but Cor Von gets in a cheap shot so the New Breed can take over.

The rest of the Originals are held outside but Dreamer manages a DDT/neckbreaker combination to get a breather. Now the rest of the Originals can come back in to clean house with Sabu getting two on Striker. Burke knocks a swinging Sandman down without much effort but Dreamer hits the baseball slide into the chair into Striker’s face in the Tree of Woe. Sandman cleans house with the kendo stick but Cor Von is back up to suplex Dreamer onto an open chair.

There’s the Pounce to send Dreamer outside so Sabu comes back in to throw a chair at Cor Von’s head. Van Dam slips out of a Razor’s Edge through a table and rolls Thorn up for two. Ariel crotches Van Dam on top but Sabu makes another save. Van Dam and Sabu drive Thorn through the table at the same time but the Van Dam is sent outside. The Elijah Express sends Sabu through a table in the corner though and Burke gets the pin.

Rating: B. This was actually a heck of a sprint and that is what this should have been. Once they came back from the break, this was a pretty awesome match with all eight guys working hard and beating each other up. Odds are this sets up a tables match at Extreme Rules for the big blowoff, though the Punk factor is going to be interesting as well.

Video on Elijah Burke.

Video on John Morrison.

Taz and Joey look at the Best Of 2007 WWE Magazine (complete with a SHAMELESS PLUG graphic).

We take a very quick look at Morrison beating CM Punk to become the ECW World Champion at Vengeance.

Video on the Morrison vs. Punk rivalry, with Punk FINALLY winning the title.

Video on CM Punk.

From Survivor Series.

ECW World Title: Miz vs. John Morrison vs. CM Punk

Punk is defending and for the sake of sanity, I’ll only refer to him as champion. It’s a brawl to start with Punk getting double teamed down into the corner. Morrison catapults Punk into the corner but he comes out with a middle rope crossbody. Punk knocks Miz to the floor but the springboard clothesline is broken up to put Punk down again. Miz breaks up Punk’s springboard with a shot to the floor though and it’s a camel clutch to Punk.

That means Morrison comes in for the save, setting up a backbreaker into a neckbreaker to drop Punk again. A suplex from the apron gets two on Miz but he is right back with a running corner clothesline. Punk is back in with a hurricanrana to send Morrison into Miz for a powerbomb and a near fall. The running knee in the corner sets up the corner bulldog to give Punk two on Miz and a double underhook backbreaker onto the knee gets the same. Morrison is back up to go after Miz, only to be sent outside. That leaves Punk to GTS Miz and retain.

Rating: C+. Miz and Morrison’s rise continues as the two of them have become rather dependable on ECW, and now elsewhere. It makes sense to give them the Tag Team Titles and now we should be seeing even more of them. This was a good way to get the show going as Punk has to work to retain and Miz and Morrison have come far enough that they didn’t seem like cannon fodder.

Video on Big Daddy V.

Joey and Tazz talk about the Smackdown/ECW talent exchange.

Quick clip of Miz and Morrison winning the Smackdown Tag Team Titles.

Video on Kane.

Quick look at Big Daddy V/Mark Henry beating CM Punk and Kane at Armageddon.

From ECW On Sci Fi, December 18.

MVP vs. CM Punk

Non-title. Before the match, MVP brags about himself and wants MVP out here now. We’re joined in progress with Punk fighting out of a headlock but getting taken back down into an armbar. That’s reversed into a headscissors but they stay on the mat with MVP going back to the armbar. Punk grabs a headscissors before dropkicking him in the back of the head for two as things pick up a bit. MVP is right back with a running boot to the head and the armbar goes on.

We’ll make that a cravate, with MVP firing off some knees to the face for a nasty bonus. There’s a kick to the face to put Punk down again and we hit ANOTHER armbar. MVP switches to a reverse chinlock until Punk drops him down onto his back for a break. Punk hits a running knee lift and the springboard clothesline gets two. Back up and MVP avoids a charge in the corner, where Punk gets tied in the Tree of Woe. A bunch of stomps in the corner are enough to get MVP disqualified.

Rating: C-. Oh yeah this was about what I would have expected from a holiday week show, as they didn’t bother trying to do anything here. You don’t want either champion losing but this was a match designed to get by on name only. Neither was interested in trying here and then they have an ending to save face. Not much to this one, but it could work on a bigger stage.

Post match MVP hits the running boot in the corner and leaves. Cue Chavo Guerrero Jr. in a surprise return to brainbuster Punk. The frog splash crushes Punk to end the show. I’m not sure why they have a new villain in here, especially when Big Daddy V and possibly MVP are right there now, but why do that when you can have Chavo Guerrero?

Tazz apologizes for wrecking the Christmas tree last year and has a gift for Joey. Styles goes to pick it up…and gets kicked into the tree because he’s a schnook.

One more ECW video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. You can only get so annoyed at a show like this as they moved through the year and didn’t exactly miss many of the big things. That shows you were ECW has been this year though, as it hasn’t been the most thrilling show. Things are moving in the right direction though as there are multiple stories going on, which was missing earlier in the year. Easy watch here, but that’s how Best Of shows are supposed to be.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: December 24, 2007
Location: Camp Speicher, Tikrit, Iraq
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

It’s the annual Tribute To The Troops show and this time around it happens to air on Christmas Eve. I can’t imagine that is going to go well for the audience numbers but this is a special show that gets some special treatment. The match quality isn’t going to be the point here either but let’s get to it.

We open with a look at the United States Army helping the Iraqi people and a voiceover about how important this whole thing is.

Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho

Non-title. Jericho goes with an armdrag to start and Orton is a bit frustrated early on. Some choking in the corner annoys Jericho, who comes back out with an armdrag into an armbar. A dropkick to the leg takes Orton down again and Jericho elbows him in the head. They head outside with Jericho chopping away, then borrowing a soldier’s camera for a quick photo (that was cool). The distraction lets Orton get in a quick shot to the ribs though and there’s the hanging DDT as we take a break.

Back with Jericho fighting out of a chinlock but getting kneed in the ribs to put him right back down. The knee drop misses so Orton grabs a sleeper, which he switches straight into another chinlock. Jericho finally belly to back suplexes his way to freedom, followed by the missile dropkick for two. The enziguri into the bulldog sets up the Lionsault for a slightly delayed near fall but Orton goes to the eye. There’s the backbreaker to drop Jericho but he’s fine enough to counter the RKO into the Walls….and JBL’s music rings, with the bell making Jericho think he won. Then JBL gets in the ring for the DQ.

Rating: C+. They had a fun match (with the camera spot being worth a smile), though the DQ finish is a bit of an odd choice in a non-title match on a show like this one. Maybe WWE didn’t want to dampen the soldiers’ spirits by saying “yeah but he doesn’t win the title”, but it was kind of a strange feeling. At least Jericho vs. JBL should be fine going forward and a good way for JBL to get back in the ring.

Post match Orton hits Jericho with the RKO and heads off, leaving Jericho to eat the Clothesline From JBL.

Long video on the WWE people meeting the troops, including Vince McMahon asking two women which is grabbing, uh, him, during a photo.

Jeff Hardy vs. Carlito

Non-title. Again. Carlito backs into the corner to start, with Hardy getting smart by hitting a dropkick to the back to stagger him anyway. Hardy’s headlock doesn’t last long so Carlito tries a leapfrog, which is countered into something like a spinebuster (that might have been some miscommunication).

Back up and Carlito sends him into the ropes, where Hardy slides outside and high fives the front row (that could have easily been a regular spot). They switch places and Hardy hits a baseball slide, only to get caught with the Backstabber back inside. A quick Sling Blade gives Hardy two but the Twist of Fate is countered into a swinging neckbreaker for two. Carlito loads up the apple (as he is known to do) but walks into the Twist of Fate. The Swanton finishes for Hardy.

Rating: C. Totally simple match between the two here and that’s all this should have been. What matters is giving the fans a nice moment, though I’m even more confused why this wasn’t a title match. If Hardy is going over clean, why not have it be a title defense?

The troops talk about what they miss about America but they love putting up military art to spice things up a bit and make it a bit more their own. Cool.

We hear a story about a suicide bomber killing 19 soldiers in a mess hall. Not so cool.

Quick video on the progress that has been made so far.

Here is Vince McMahon for a chat. He gets straight to the point and thanks the troops for everything they do. With that simple message out of the way, let’s bring out the Divas.

Kelly Kelly/Layla vs. Maria/Mickie James

Yeah they’re over with this crowd. Joined in progress with Layla working on Maria’s wrist before we’re off to the catfight. Kelly comes in and gets kicked in the ribs as Lawler is having all of the fun you would expect here. Mickie comes in to avoid Kelly’s handspring elbow in the corner and gets in the required spanking. Everything breaks down and Maria and Mickie hit stereo Bronco Busters….but Vince stops the match.

Vince says the soldiers have gotten enough of this and Santa Claus IS NOT COMING TO IRAQ! Cue Santa, with his arm in a sling, to call Santa naughty. Vince didn’t want Santa coming here but he didn’t realize that Santa’s sleigh was built Army strong. Santa remembers that Vince stole a magazine from a convenience store as a kid.

Vince doesn’t buy it but Santa has a letter from Vince as a child (Santa: “It’s over 100 years old!”). See, Vince wanted a rooster as a child, plus a Red Rider BB gun! Vince pulls the beard off and it’s John Cena (shocking I know), who hits a one armed FU. With that out of the way, Santa has the Divas throw out gifts from his sack for the feel good moment.

Video on the progress the military has made in recent months.

There was a re-enlistment ceremony in the arena.

More wrestlers meet more troops.

The military has taken over a soccer stadium where the Iraqi national team was killed for losing a game. That stadium is where this show is taking place.

Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry

Henry shoves him down to start but Mysterio is dumb enough to hammer away. Some headbutts put Rey in the corner but he comes back again with a few dropkicks. A gorilla press drop gives Henry two and we hit the bearhug. Rey bites his way to freedom and gets clotheslined for another two. The splash misses though and a springboard seated senton gives Rey two of his own. Henry misses a charge in the corner and gets hit with the 619. Another springboard seated senton and a rollup are enough to give Rey the pin.

Rating: C. It’s as much of a David vs. Goliath match as you can get and Mysterio has known how to wrestle those for the better part of ever. All he had to do was keep moving and make Henry miss and he would be fine, which is exactly how the match went. Nothing wrong with this one as it’s pretty much Mysterio’s bread and butter most of the time.

Soldiers tell stories about improvised explosive devices injuring them at various times.

John Cena explains various military vehicles and a soldier gets to say hello to his family.

Raw Rebound.

Chris Jericho talks about his trip, ranging from the 16 hour flight to meeting troops.

D-Generation X vs. Mr. Kennedy/Umaga

We’re joined in progress with Shawn atomic dropping Kennedy and dropping him (less atomically) him again with some right hands. Umaga breaks up an early superkick attempt to give Kennedy two before coming in to headbutt Shawn. There’s a knee drop for two as the fans get behind Shawn rather quickly. It’s back to Kennedy for the front facelock before Umaga puts on the nerve hold.

An uppercut stops Shawn’s comeback attempt and Kennedy’s Regal Roll gets two. The middle rope splash misses for Umaga though and it is time to clean house. HHH goes through his usual array of offense before getting run over by Umaga to cut that off fast. The Samoan Spike is broken up by the superkick through and it’s another superkick to send Kennedy into the Pedigree for the pin.

Rating: C+. This is another match that could have headlined dozens of house shows and it did well enough here. What matters is the good guys going over to send the troops out happy and they did that just fine. It wasn’t exactly a complicated match but they made things work with the basic match they were trying to have.

Some troops get to pose with DX.

One more music video of WWE meeting the troops wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B-. This is one of those shows where the ratings don’t matter whatsoever and that was definitely the case this year. The matches were all basic and the highlights were the videos of WWE interacting with the troops. It’s not supposed to be a regular show but they got the point across and had some fine enough matches along the way, so we’ll call it good.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 8, 2022
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

This could be a very interesting show, as we are coming off last week’s pretty awesome episode, but now the question is how they follow it up. They certainly don’t need to have some big moment or debut/return, but keep up the energy and put on a good show and they should be fine. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Bayley/Iyo Shirai/Dakota Kai coming together at Summerslam and running some roughshod last week.

We get the brackets for the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament:

Tamina/Dana Brooke
Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai

Alexa Bliss/Asuka
Nikki Ash/Doudrop

Raquel Rodriguez/Aliyah
Xia Li/Shotzi

Nikkita Lyons/Zoey Stark
Natalya/Sonya Deville

That’s a heck of a lot better than I would have bet on.

Here are Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai for a chat. Bayley: “DING DONG!” Bayley can’t believe that she’s getting this kind of a reception when the fans need her. They are here to save this women’s division and the role model needed to do something. Bayley says they are here to bring back the hunger and get rid of Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair. She mentions Iyo Sky and Dakota Sky (Bayley: “YEAH I KNOW I SAID IT WRONG!”) and talks about how bad things have gotten, but here are Alexa Bliss and Asuka to interrupt.

Bianca Belair joins them, with Asuka dancing to Belair’s music (and ducking a pony tail whip). Bliss threatens Sky and Kai because she and Asuka will be waiting on them in the next round. On top of that, Belair isn’t worried about Bayley, and they can have that six woman tag right now. Bayley laughs that off and the match is on for Clash At The Castle instead. That’s good for Belair and the fight is on right now. Everyone brawls into the crowd and Bliss gets in a dive off the barricade to take everyone down. Energetic opening segment if nothing else.

Angelo Dawkins vs. Seth Rollins

Montez Ford is here too. Rollins knows him into the corner to start but Dawkins jumps over him and hits a nice dropkick. Back up and Dawkins scores with the jumping back elbow, which sends Rollins outside (where Ford….I’m not sure what he does, but he shakes a lot and yells at Rollins). There’s a Pounce to send Rollins over the announcers’ table and we take a break.

Back with Rollins drawing Ford into the ring with a chair, which is enough to earn Ford an ejection. Dawkins uses the distraction to jump Rollins and send him outside for the big running flip dive. Back inside and the Silencer drops Rollins for two but he’s right back up with a forearm to the back of the neck. The Stomp misses though and Dawkins hits a Sky High for a close two. Another Sky High is loaded up but Dawkins reversed into a Pedigree for the pin at 8:34.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match that suits people like Dawkins and Rollins well. They’re both athletic and can work a fast paced match, making this one of the better ways they could have gone. The Profits losing to Rollins is hardly some horrible fate but it seems that there might be bigger things afoot for at least one of them in the future.

Post match Rollins goes after Dawkins again but Ford runs in for the save. I could see this setting up a Ford vs. Rollins rematch on the bigger stage.

Recap of Edge returning last week and promising to take out Judgment Day, followed by the team going after the Mysterios. Rhea Ripley accidentally caused Dominik Mysterio to get speared by Edge to add in some conflict.

Edge comes up to the Mysterios and says he has their backs against Judgment Day tonight. Rey can go with that, but Dominik doesn’t buy it. Rey says he’s known Edge for 20 years and he’s family, but Dominik says he’s known Rey for 25 and walks off.

Ciampa is asked about his United States Title match but Miz cuts him off and doesn’t like the word phenomenal being used. Miz rants about AJ Styles for a bit before Ciampa says believe in him, just like Harley Race, his trainer, did. Race passed away about three years ago almost to this day and he is dedicating his win to Race, whose Starrcade 1983 robe is behind him. Tonight Bobby Lashley will feel his sacrifice and he has already lost.

Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens

Owens rushes him to the floor to start and hits the apron powerbomb. The referee calls for medics and we’ll call this a no contest at about 1:00 (the ending bell never rang).

Ezekiel is taken out on a stretcher.

Finn Balor vs. Rey Mysterio

Only Damian Priest is at ringside. Before the match, Finn Balor declares himself to be danger and promises to show that to Rey tonight. Priest isn’t worried about Edge and says he’ll take care of him in two weeks in Edge’s hometown of Toronto. We cut to the back, where Rey tells Edge that Dominik will come around.

After a break, we actually start the match and Rey takes over early on by taking Balor down with straight speed. The top rope seated senton sets up the hurricanrana into the corner. A crossbody misses for Mysterio though and Balor kicks him in the ribs for two. Balor mocks Eddie Guerrero’s Three Amigos as I try to remember the last Mysterio match without an Eddie reference. Rey reverses the third suplex into one of his own, followed by the sitout bulldog for two. The 619 hits Priest by mistake though and Balor posts Rey as we take a break.

Back with Rey going after Priest and getting dropped as a result. Cue Edge to take out Priest, leaving Rey to grab a Code Red for two. The 619 is blocked with a clothesline and it’s the shotgun dropkick but the Coup de Grace misses. Rey loads up the 619 again but here is Rhea Ripley carrying a destroyed Dominik Mysterio. The distraction lets Balor hit 1916 into the Coup de Grace for the pin at 13:52.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Balor win a match but I’m still trying to figure out why I’m supposed to care about Dominik. He has never done anything significant without his dad being involved and he isn’t exactly likable in the first place. Seeing Ripley beat him up is a funny moment and I don’t see myself feeling sympathetic for him anytime soon. That being said, it was nice to see Balor actually get a win for a change, as it feels like it has been awhile.

Dana Brooke/Tamina are ready for the first round of the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament. Bayley and company come up to laugh at them, while promising not to take the 24/7 Title. Tamina gets in Bayley’s face and…no.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Dakota Kai/Iyo Sky vs. Dana Brooke/Tamina

Bayley is here too. Kai and Brooke start things off but Tamina comes in rather quickly to clean house. Sky and Shirai are sent outside for a big dive from Brooke as we take an early break. Back with Kai cranking on Brooke’s arms before Sky and Kai hit back to back kicks for two.

Brooke fights out of a chinlock and dives over for the tag off to Tamina to start the house cleaning. Sky and Tamina slug it out until Tamina hits a superkick into the Samoan drop for two. Bayley has to pull Sky out of Kai’s way of Brooke’s dive against the barricade, leaving Tamina to load up the Superfly Splash. Sky gets her knees up but Tamina puts the brakes on, only to get kicked in the face by Kai. The moonsault gives Sky the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough and Sky’s moonsault is always impressive, but it’s a little much to buy Kai and Sky needing ten minutes to beat Tamina and Brooke. No they haven’t been above NXT, but the top of NXT is a heck of a lot better than….whatever level Brooke and Tamina are on. It never got too ridiculous, but this should have been more of a dominant win.

Kevin Owens is leaving and doesn’t like being asked for a comment. Unlike Ezekiel, he knows who he is, and since there are a lot of eyes on this show, he is here to remind people who he is. This is still the Kevin Owens Show. During the segment, there were a bunch of people (including Doudrop and Nikki Ash) looking at a car that had crashed in the background. Neither the people nor the car were ever referenced.

Video on the United States Title, I believe the same one from last week.

United States Title: Ciampa vs. Bobby Lashley

Ciampa, with Miz, and wearing the Harley Race robe, is challenging. After the Big Match Intros, Lashley runs him over to start and hits the delayed vertical suplex. A spinning back elbow to the face looks to set up the spear but Ciampa bails outside. Miz’s distraction fails as Lashley knocks Ciampa off the apron and then rams him into Miz as we take a break.

Back with Ciampa holding a chinlock until Lashley fights up and hits the spinning Big Ending for two. The spear connects but Miz puts Ciampa’s foot on the ropes. Cue AJ Styles to chase Miz out of the arena and Ciampa gets two off a small package. Lashley loads up the Hurt Lock but Styles and Miz run back in for a distraction.

Ciampa uses said distraction to send Lashley into an exposed buckle and the post for a VERY close two (I bought that one). The Hurt Lock is loaded up but reversed into the Gargano Escape (Graves: “Sometimes you gotta do it yourself!”). That’s reversed into what looked to be a powerslam, only to have Ciampa send him outside. Back in and Willow’s Bell connects for two more but another running knee is countered into the spinebuster. The Hurt Lock retains the title at 12:52.

Rating: B. Dang I was buying those near falls and they pulled me way into this. Lashley retaining the title is a fine way to go and it was nice to see something like the old Ciampa here instead of the same loser we have seen for so long. Great match here and one of the better WWE TV matches in a good while.

Miz and Styles brawled backstage during the break and had to be separated. They’ll face off later tonight, No DQ.

Omos vs. Andrea Guercio/Spencer Slade

General destruction sets up the chokebomb to finish Guercio at 1:39. The best part here was Graves talking about how the jobbers were going to be destroyed from the opening bell and throughout the match.

Seth Rollins isn’t worried about Riddle being back for an interview next week. He mocks Riddle’s catchphrases and dubs himself the gatekeeper of this industry. If you want to know what is so bad about him, just ask Dana White. He’s still Seth Freaking Rollins.

Chad Gable vs. Dolph Ziggler

Otis is here with Gable. They go technical to start with neither being able to get very far. Ziggler can’t quite get a backslide and gets caught with the American Automatic. A dragon screw legwhip takes Ziggler down and Gable start going after the leg. The moonsault misses though and Ziggler is back with the DDT for a delayed two. Gable grabs the ankle lock and Ziggler can’t roll out of it, instead having to kick Gable in the face. The superkick doesn’t work as the leg gives out though and Gable powerbombs him back into the ankle lock. Ziggler breaks it up this time and manages to hit the superkick for the pin at 6:34.

Rating: C+. It might not have been the most well received match but this was logical and fairly well done. Ziggler tried to wrestle with him but was in over his head against a former Olympian. That left Ziggler to have to escape and wait for an opening, which he used to pull off the come from behind victory. I liked this, and it worked out well.

Nikki Ash and Doudrop are ready for Asuka and Alexa Bliss next week.

Asuka and Alexa Bliss are ready for Nikki Ash and Doudrop next week. Bayley and company come up to mock them as the wrecked car from earlier is loaded up on a truck. Then some cops come running from the car and by the women.

Miz vs. AJ Styles

No DQ. Styles starts fast and knocks him outside to take over. A kendo stick and a chair don’t work for him though, so it’s time to grab a table. Miz hits a dropkick through the ropes (with the camera oddly cutting away before contact) and puts the table back under the ring. The kendo stick works for Miz and he hammers on AJ, who manages to fight back and take it outside. Styles loads up something on the announcers’ table but gets backdropped onto the floor for a crash as we take a break.

Back with Styles pulling out the table but taking too long and getting kendo sticked down. Styles manages to take it away and unloads on Miz, including a low blow. Miz gets in another shot and loads up the Skull Crushing Finale but Styles slips out and hits the Phenomenal Forearm….for two as Ciampa comes in for the save.

That doesn’t go well for Ciampa, who gets knocked off the apron and through the table at ringside. That’s enough of a distraction for Miz to get two but Styles hits him in the face. Another Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but Miz throws the chair at Styles’ head. The Skull Crushing Finale gets two so Styles hits him with the chair, setting up the Styles Clash for the pin at 12:34.

Rating: B-. They were starting to cook near the end here and I was liking a lot of what was going on. What mattered here was having Styles overcome the odds and get a win instead of losing over and over. Styles is someone who could be a big enough deal around here and a lot of that comes from winning a few matches every so often.

As Styles is celebrating, cops are seen arresting someone in the front row. Styles looks over at them….and that appeared to be Dexter Lumis they were arresting. Commentary says Lumis’ name as Styles celebrates to end the show. When is the last time when Raw ended without things being all wrapped up?

Overall Rating: B. It might not have been as good as last week’s show, but the main thing here was the energy. There was nothing really close to bad and that Lumis deal at the end has me interested. That Lumis/car story has me intrigued and that is a nice feeling. It’s the kind of a story that has me wondering where things are going and I haven’t felt that on Raw in a long, long time. Pretty awesome show here and that’s two in a row, which hasn’t happened since I don’t know when. Good stuff.

Results
Seth Rollins b. Angelo Dawkins – Pedigree
Kevin Owens vs. Ezekiel went to a no contest when Ezekiel couldn’t continue
Finn Balor b. Rey Mysterio – Coup de Grace
Dakota Kai/Iyo Sky b. Tamina/Dana Brooke – Moonsault to Tamina
Bobby Lashley b. Ciampa – Hurt Lock
Omos b. Andrea Guercio/Spencer Slade – Chokebomb to Guercio
Dolph Ziggler b. Chad Gable – Superkick
AJ Styles b. The Miz – Styles Clash

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