Crown Jewel 2022
Date: November 5, 2022
Location: Mrsool Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re back in Saudi Arabia and in this case that means we are going to be seeing Logan Paul getting a shot at Roman Reigns. It’s a straight up celebrity match and the question is how well Paul can do in the situation. This show feels like a regular pay per view which happens to be taking place in Saudi Arabia so hopefully they can make that work. Let’s get to it.

The opening video features Titus O’Neil talking about how this is the countdown to impossible. The idea is tied into Logan Paul needing to hit that one lucky shot to beat Roman Reigns, which is the entirety of the main event build.

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley

Lesnar came back a few weeks ago and randomly attacked Lashley to cost him the US Title, setting up the big showdown. Lashley goes after him on the floor before the bell and takes out the leg. They go inside for the opening bell, then another spear drops Lesnar inside. The spear sends Lesnar through the barricade on the floor and a fourth spear gives Lashley two back inside as we’re a minute in. The Hurt Lock is countered into a German suplex and the F5 gets two.

Lashley knocks him outside again as the knee is still bothering Lesnar. The posting rocks Lesnar and the spinebuster plants him back inside. The fans are not pleased with Lashley before and after he grabs the Hurt Lock, with Lesnar having to power back up (Referee: “Do you give up?” Lesnar: “Shut up!”). Lesnar kicks off the buckle to take it to the mat…and pins Lashley at 5:59 without breaking the hold.

Rating: C+. I’m never sure how to rate something like this as it was a hard hitting fight, but they kept doing the same stuff over and over until one of them lost. Lashley getting pinned is certainly a choice, though I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have him lose when Lesnar isn’t even a full time guy. The ending almost has to set up a rematch, likely at Survivor Series, but dang it’s weird to see Lashley losing again.

Post match Lashley Hurt Locks him again and Lesnar is out.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Damage Ctrl vs. Asuka/Alexa Bliss

Damage Ctrl (minus Bayley) is challenging after losing the titles this week on Raw. Before the match, Alexa and Asuka talk about how they know they’ll win, but the Bray Wyatt symbol pops up to scare Bliss a bit. Bliss and Kai lock up to start with Kai working on the arm. A quick trip puts Kai down so she tries the same thing on Bliss, only to have Bliss stand on her back.

Sky comes in and gets shouldered down by Asuka, only to slip out of a double suplex. Stereo hip attacks put Damage Ctrl on the floor but they come back in to take out Asuka’s knee. Some shots to said knee keep Asuka in trouble but she’s fine enough to hit a bulldog/clothesline combination. The hot tag brings in Bliss to clean house, including a tornado DDT and Code Red for two on Sky.

Asuka breaks up a double superplex and missile dropkicks Kai for two. Kai kicks Bliss down for two more and seems to go a bit bonkers, allowing Bliss to drop her as well. Twisted Bliss hits knees though and Sky’s Asai moonsault misses Asuka. Back in and the DDT plants Kai so Bliss can go up. The referee is with Asuka and Sky though, meaning Nikki Cross can run in and take out Bliss. The confused Kai gets the pin and the titles at 12:49.

Rating: C+. So Cross gets to cause more chaos by putting us right back to the norm that we had been in before this week’s Raw. Damage Ctrl getting the titles back is a bit weird, but hopefully they are moving on to Bliss vs. Cross instead of Damage Ctrl vs. Bliss/Belair/Asuka. The match got some time but wasn’t as fun as the Raw main event, which is a bit of a strange path.

Logan and Jake Paul arrive.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross. McIntyre is tired of Scarlett costing him matches, including their Extreme Rules strap match, so now they’re in a cage to keep her out.

Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross

In a cage with Scarlett at ringside. Kross goes to the throat to start so they both go to the top rope, with McIntyre getting crotched. Some rams into the cage knock McIntyre silly and it’s time to yell at him in the corner. That’s enough for McIntyre to come back with a clothesline into the overhead belly to belly. Now it’s Kross going into the cage, followed by a Michinoku Driver for two.

They go up top with McIntyre getting crotched but being fine enough to lift himself up for the head grab superplex. The Claymore is loaded up but Kross cuts it off with a running knee to the face. Kross grabs the Krossjacket and the Doomsday Saito, only to miss the Krosshammer. McIntyre hits a quick Futureshock, which is enough to draw up Scarlett for a distraction.

Now the Krosshammer can connect so Kross goes up, only to be superplexed back down in the big crash. McIntyre goes for the door and Scarlett maces him, but Kross still can’t get out. Kross gets ankle locked back inside and hit with a headbutt but Scarlett locks the cage and takes the key. McIntyre starts climbing and gets to the floor for the win at 13:01 as Kross goes through the door a second later.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure why this feud gets the bad reputation they’ve had so far as I’ve liked it well enough. McIntyre gets a win to give him some momentum back and it wouldn’t surprise me to see this run back in a rubber match of some kind. Scarlett’s interference only played into this so much and that’s nice to see for a change. Kross lost but didn’t get pinned too so this was a good way to save his face while giving McIntyre a big win.

The Bloodline arrives and Roman Reigns won’t talk about the idea of one lucky punch. Paul Heyman mocks the idea too, even with Shawn Michaels coaching Logan Paul about looking for the opening.

Judgment Day vs. OC

Balor sends Anderson into the corner to start but gets kicked in the ribs for his efforts. Priest comes in and gets to face Gallows, who unloads on him with shots to the face in the corner. It’s off to Styles, who gets stomped down by Priest, meaning Dominik is now willing to come in. That’s fine with Styles, who plants him with a backbreaker so the OC can take over again. Balor gets dragged in as everything breaks down, with Priest superkicking Anderson on the floor.

Back in and Anderson gets beaten down, including a backbreaker/legdrop combo for two. Anderson fights out of a double arm crank but can’t quite get over for the tag. The jumping neckbreaker gets Anderson out of trouble but Balor pulls Styles to the floor in a smart move. As you might expect, Anderson is able to bring in gallows a few seconds later so house can be cleaned again. A pumphandle slam drops Dominik but Priest breaks up the Magic Killer. Styles and Balor come in to slug it out until Styles has to stop for a faceplant on Priest.

The Calf Crusher is countered into a Figure Four but Anderson makes the save this time. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of secondary finishers until Balor Nightmare On Helms Streets Styles for two. Everyone goes up and Styles superplexes Balor as Gallows and Priest hit stereo electric chairs to leave all six down. It’s Styles up first but Rhea Ripley breaks up the Phenomenal Forearm (Cole: “Somebody’s gotta kick her a**!”). The Coup de Grace gives Balor the pin at 13:56.

Rating: C+. Remember the other matches these teams have had where Ripley cost the OC the match? This was the latest one in the series as the OC still needs to get someone to deal with her. The match was good enough because of the talent involved, but it was more of what we have seen for a few weeks now.

We recap Braun Strowman vs. Omos. They’re both monsters and now those monsters are clashing.

Omos vs. Braun Strowman

No MVP here with Omos. They do the big staredown to start and then the test of strength, with Omos powering him down. A running boot to the face sends Strowman outside but he comes back in with some right hands. Omos slams him down without much trouble and then does it again for an arrogant two. Strowman fights back and knocks him outside, only to have the Express cut off. Back in and the chokebomb is blocked, setting up the running powerslam to give Strowman the pin at 7:23.

Rating: C. This is in the category of “it was what it was”. You knew what you were going to get here and Omos got to look good before falling to the bigger star. Strowman is freshly back after his long hiatus so he needed the win more than Omos did here. Some of the power stuff looked good but there is only so much you can get out of this kind of a match.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Brawling Brutes

The Usos are defending and Jey might have a broke wrist. Butch rolls Jimmy up for two so the champs try to leave, only to have Butch dive off the apron onto both of them. Jimmy gets in a shot on Butch though and the champs take over. The running Umaga attack misses though and Butch is right back with a tornado DDT to drop Jimmy. It’s off to Holland to clean house with the running corner clotheslines and the ten forearms to Jey’s chest.

The Brutes stomp Jimmy’s arm onto the steps like the Bloodline did to Sheamus, leaving Jey to get caught with a swinging Side Effect for two. Butch goes up, head fakes Jey to avoid a superkick, and drops Jey again. Everything breaks down and a superkick to Dunne looks to set up the Superfly Splash. That’s pulled into the triangle choke with Dunne bending the fingers back.

Jimmy makes the blind tag to Jey though and it’s a superkick into the double Superfly Splash for two, with Butch making the save. Jey’s bad hand is bent around and it’s Holland with White Noise for a very near fall. The Brutes send Jimmy over the barricade and a kick to the head into Northern Grit gets two more as Jimmy dives back in for the save. Holland is sent outside and it’s a super 1D to retain the titles at 10:35.

Rating: B-. They had some good action here but announcing the New Day title match for next week’s Smackdown killed off any interest that they might have had here. I’m curious about Jey’s wrist, which could be a problem in the future, but for now it added some drama to a match that didn’t have much coming in. The Brutes did well, but they had no chance to win here and it was pretty clear from the start.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley

Belair is defending in a Last Woman Standing match. Some slams have Bayley in trouble early so she grabs a kendo stick. The running swing misses and the stick falls to the floor, where it lands on the barricade. Now it’s a chair being brought in, which is dropkicked into Bayley’s face. Now it’s a ladder being slid inside but Belair knocks her outside again. Belair moves the steps around to the side of the ring but gets pulled down by the hair.

Bayley sits her in a chair and hits a clothesline off the barricade for nowhere near ten. The table is pulled out but Belair fights out and suplexes her on the ramp instead. Bayley seems to tweak her ankle, only to be goldbricking to hit Belair in the face. Back in and Bayley gets in a chair shot, only to have the chair thrown at her for a nasty crash. Bayley goes with the steps and pins Belair behind them, only to have Belair lift them up and knock Bayley down for eight.

They fight up the ramp with Belair nearly breaking the kendo stick over her, only to get Bayley to Bellied for nine. With that not working, Bayley gets creative by throwing Belair inside an anvil case. Belair fights out, gets her hair caught in the case by mistake (OUCH) and then rolls the case at Bayley. The KOD is countered into a Crossface to put Belair in trouble. Bayley goes off and finds a golf cart, which she drives at Belair, albeit nicely enough to stop before actually making contact.

Belair kicks her in the face and puts Bayley on top of the cart before driving it down to ringside. Bayley gets tossed off the top of the cart and ONTO (not through) the table for a scary landing. A powerbomb through the table gets nine so Belair slams her on some chairs. The 450 only hits chairs though and Bayley hammers away. Belair is right back with a KOD onto an open chair (with Bayley’s knee landing badly). It’s time to get creative though as Belair puts her in the ladder and slides it under the buckle so Bayley can’t make it to her feet at 20:44.

Rating: B. The violence was good, but there were some spots here that were probably a lot better on paper than in execution. At the same time, I’m not big on the “intelligent” endings that you see here, as they go from violent to someone being more clever when they can’t put the other one away. On top of that, Belair needs a new opponent now and I’m not entirely sure who that is, unless Ripley gets her title shot out of nowhere.

Here is Bray Wyatt for a chat. Wyatt talks about how he made a monster of himself and wore his mask with pride. Bray found himself on an island of loneliness as the monster destroyed him. There he sat alone, with no one to love him and nowhere to run. Fans: “WE LOVE YOU!” Bray says no one loves him but now he needs to write the ending to his story.

Then Uncle Howdy pops up on screen, with Bray’s voice talking about why someone would wear a mask. Howdy asks if the people would still love Bray if they knew the real one. Bray will go too far and it will feel so good, so don’t take the mask off. Tell him he’s wrong. This was in fact a Wyatt appearance and it did in fact advance pretty much nothing.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul. Reigns is a monster who hasn’t lost in years, but Paul didn’t get knocked out in a fight in another sport and has a lot of Youtube followers so that makes it interesting.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul

Reigns, with Paul Heyman (for the sake of clarity, any mentions of “Paul” will mean Logan), is defending and powers Paul into the corner to start. Paul wrestles him down a few times and Reigns actually needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Paul tells him to stop running so Reigns hits an elbow to the face. Some rights and lefts to the ribs set up a hiptoss to Reigns, followed by a running clothesline to the floor. A diving clothesline off the barricade takes Reigns down again and it’s a Buckshot Lariat for two back inside.

Paul’s springboard is knocked out of the air and Heyman is right there with the big rah rah speech. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by the corner clotheslines. The jumping clothesline gives Reigns two and he grabs a one armed camel clutch. Paul fights up and hits a gutwrench suplex for a much needed double knockdown. A Blockbuster gives Paul two and he hits his own Superman Punch (which looked a lot more like a Shawn Michaels flying forearm) into a high crossbody.

The standing moonsault gets two and Heyman is stunned. Sweet Chin Music (complete with Tuning Up The Band) is countered into a release Rock Bottom for two. The Superman Punch is countered with a shot to the ribs and the big right hand, followed by the Superman Punch to give Paul two. They head outside with Logan putting him on the announcers’ table. Paul talks to his friends in the front row, with one of them giving him a camera as Paul goes up top.

The splash through the table (with camera in hand) connects but here are the Usos to beat up Paul’s friends. Cue Logan’s brother Jake (also Paul) to take the Usos out with a right hand each. Logan hits a frog splash for two and here is Solo Sikoa to go after Jake. Logan dives onto the Usos and goes back inside, where Reigns hits the Superman Punch. The spear retains the title at 24:45.

Rating: B+. They went too far with the run-ins and interferences, but this was GREAT for a celebrity match and I was having a very good time. I didn’t think for a second that they were going to change the title, but that isn’t the point of something like this. The match was all about Paul getting to blow people’s minds and it worked well. Very fun stuff here, as Logan absolutely has the talent to be a special attraction around here. This was highly entertaining (Jake Paul easily dispatching the Tag Team Champions aside) and far better than I would have expected.

The Bloodline celebrates for a long time, with Reigns saying he doesn’t want to see Logan again.

Overall Rating: B. This was a bit of a weird show as it is a total pit stop, with everything pretty much being how it was before this week’s Raw. The main event was a blast and there was some other good stuff, but it isn’t the place to look for anything actually happening. Survivor Series is coming and the card needs to be set, but for now we had an entertaining show with some good action, which is more than I would have bet on.

Results
Brock Lesnar b. Bobby Lashley – Rollup
Damage Ctrl b. Asuka/Alexa Bliss – Swinging neckbreaker from Nikki Cross
Drew McIntyre b. Karrion Kross – McIntyre escaped the cage
Judgment Day b. OC – Coup de Grace to Styles
Braun Strowman b. Omos – Running powerslam
Usos b. Brawling Brutes – Super 1D to Holland
Bianca Belair b. Bayley when Bayley could not answer the ten count
Roman Reigns b. Logan Paul – Spear

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: November 4, 2022
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

It’s time for a taped show as everyone else is already in Saudi Arabia. The main event this week is Gunther defending the Intercontinental Title against Rey Mysterio in a match that has some potential. Other than that, we probably get the final push towards Logan Paul challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Title, because celebrity. Let’s get to it.

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

Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville

No DQ. It’s a brawl to start with Deville grabbing some kendo sticks and driving Morgan into the apron. Back in and Deville unloads with the stick but Morgan is smiling. Morgan fights up and sticks her down, meaning it’s table time. That’s broken up and Deville puts the table back under the ring. Back up and Morgan hits a suicide dive to drop Deville and then she does it again. Now we can get the table set up with Liv driving her through it as we take a break.

We come back with a bunch of chairs in the ring and Deville hitting a running knee, followed by a middle rope knee for two. Liv fights back and hits a springboard Codebreaker for two but Deville powerbombs her onto the chairs for her own near fall. Another Codebreaker staggers Deville and Oblivion onto the chairs finishes for Morgan at 13:48.

Rating: C+. Good brawl, though I still can’t get into Hardcore Liv. It’s better than what they were doing with her as champion but it still doesn’t feel like the right way to go. Granted she is still getting reactions and the matches are good enough, so there might be something here if they keep developing the idea. The match was a pretty good brawl, but nothing that hasn’t been done a dozen times this year alone.

We look back at Emma’s return last week as she lost to Ronda Rousey.

Emma is excited to be back but Xia Li interrupts. Li calls her weak and is promptly shoved down.

Logan Paul’s brother Jake Paul will be in his corner at Crown Jewel.

Video on Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul, including a clip of Jake Paul showing up at the press conference.

The Viking Raiders are still coming back.

Ricochet vs. LA Knight

Before the match, Knight mocks the ring announcer’s intro, allowing Ricochet to take him down. Ricochet throws him in and we get the opening bell, with a kick to the back rocking Knight. A few shots take Ricochet down though and Knight loads up a top rope Lionsault, only to crash hard. Ricochet knocks him to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Knight stomping away in the corner and hitting the jumping neckbreaker for two. Knight goes up but spends too much time talking, allowing Ricochet to jump up for a super hurricanrana. The running shooting star press gets two but Knight rolls him up with tights/the rope for the pin at 9:56.

Rating: C-. Hey look Ricochet loses again. That’s just one of those things you have to get used to these days, though I can appreciate Knight getting a boost. Having him cheat in two ways is a good way to go and I like the ending, but the match wasn’t exactly thrilling on the way there.

Sami Zayn hypes the Usos being ready to set the all time Tag Team Title reign but Jey Uso doesn’t like his advice. Jey says they were champions before Sami and they’ll be champions after him. Jimmy: “He’s got a point Sami.” The Usos leave and Sami asks “my dogs” to come back.

Bray Wyatt says he isn’t used to sharing his feelings. It’s new to him and he doesn’t like people playing with him like that. We pause for an interruption from someone with a box and, after the camera gets hacked, Bray talks about getting annoyed at a driver who cut him off. The camera keeps cutting to the Wyatt logo as he rants about how he wants to break things because he can’t handle himself.

Bray wants the guy to reach down into his soul and apologize to him for interrupting. The camera interruption gets a bit longer and the man apologizes, with Bray seemingly accepting and asking him to leave. We see a graphic saying Wyatt will be at Crown Jewel, which was announced on Raw. So are the camera cuts and weird graphics Bray’s inner evil trying to escape as he tries to hold it back?

Here are the Usos for a chat. They are ready to become the longest reigning Tag Team Champions and, after an UCEY chant, we hear about how the next step is getting by the Brawling Brutes. Cue the New Day to say they’re cheering for the Brutes tomorrow but if the Usos retain, the New Day has next. Cue the Brawling Brutes for the beatdown so Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn come in for the save. Butch comes back up with some shillelagh shots but Sikoa takes him down and the Bloodline stands tall.

Rey Mysterio loves wrestling and is ready to fight back to win the Intercontinental Title.

Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya

Ronda Rousey is here with Baszler. Natalya gets taken down to start but manages to reverse the arm stomp into a rollup for two. Baszler goes right after the arm again though and takes Natalya down, where Natalya is made to scratch her own head. That’s broken up and Natalya hits the discus clothesline, only to get pulled into the Kirifuda Clutch for the tap at 4:09.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash for Baszler as she is heated up again. It would not surprise me to see her as the eventual challenger for Rousey, especially with Rousey as her inspiration. It’s a different direction for Rousey and that is something she has desperately been needing. Now just give Baszler some women to crush and we should be fine.

Post match Natalya gets up and is blasted right back down.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross.

Here is MVP to introduce five unnamed opponents for Braun Strowman. Cue Strowman to run all five over and then chase MVP off. MVP’s cane shot is shrugged off and Strowman breaks it in half. The running powerslam plants MVP as a way to keep him from being at Crown Jewel. No match.

Gunther is ready to beat Rey Mysterio and nothing will change because he will retain his title.

Legado del Fantasma isn’t impressed by Shinsuke Nakamura helping Hit Row last week so it’s time for some revenge.

Intercontinental Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Gunther

Gunther, with Imperium, is defending. The champ starts fast by going with the power and knocking Mysterio outside for an early break. Back with Rey being sent stomach first to the floor but coming back in for a crucifix bomb. Mysterio grabs a sleeper and Gunther is in trouble, so he climbs to the middle rope and crashes backwards to free himself and send us to another break.

We come back again with Rey managing a knockdown and hitting the top rope seated senton. A Lionsault gives Rey two and he counters a powerbomb into a hurricanrana for two. Another powerbomb attempt is countered into a Code Red for two more and Gunther has had enough.

The running dropkick in the corner finally lets Gunther hit the powerbomb….for two, and Gunther is livid. Another powerbomb attempt is countered into a 619 attempt but Gunther kicks him away with a heck of a big boot. The big clothesline knocks Rey silly and retains the title at 18:17.

Rating: B+. These two know how to do the big man vs. little man stuff very well and they made it work here. Mysterio started off as an annoyance to Gunther and then became a threat near the end until Gunther went into beast mode to take him apart. That’s a well told story with talented people doing their thing. What more could you ask for in a TV main event?

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helped this show a lot but there was only so much that could be done with a taped show before a pay per view that is all but set and not that great in the first place. Crown Jewel needs to come and go so we can move on to something else, which should be the case after Saturday. This show wasn’t all that great, though Gunther vs. Rey was a rather strong main event.

Results
Liv Morgan b. Sonya Deville – Oblivion onto chairs
LA Knight b. Ricochet – Rollup while holding tights and the rope
Shayna Baszler b. Natalya – Kirifuda Clutch
Gunther b. Rey Mysterio – Clothesline

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.

Cyber Sunday 2008
Date: October 26, 2008
Location: US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 7,981
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jim Ross, Tazz, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker, Todd Grisham

The major match is another step in the rise of Jeff Hardy, who has been chasing the World Title since back in January. This time he’s chasing HHH for the Smackdown World Title and has two out of three chances to get another shot as the options are Hardy, Vladimir Kozlov (a Russian monster) or both at the same time. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: US Title: Shelton Benjamin vs. ???

R-Truth – 59%
Festus – 25%
MVP – 15%

This is a special match that aired before the show on WWE.com. Shelton is defending and is now known as the Gold Standard, meaning he has gold hair and is really arrogant. Shelton goes after the arm to start but Truth flips over him in the corner and gets two off a leg lariat. The champ comes right back with a hot shot and running kick to the face before we hit the chinlock.

Truth fights up with right hands and clotheslines but takes too long going up, allowing Shelton to jump to the top because he’s an athletic freak. Benjamin gets shoved down so Truth can hit a missile dropkick for two. A quick Paydirt (jumping Downward Spiral) retains Shelton’s title at 3:23.

Rating: D+. This match existed so Truth could do his entrance and fire up the crowd so everything worked fine on that front. To be fair this was just a quick bonus match to get things going and WWE happened to air it on their website. Shelton was pretty much done as anything interesting as soon as he took on this Gold Standard deal because it was so one note and allowed him to keep being lazy and do nothing for the next year and a half before he left the company. Truth on the other hand is still in about the same spot eight years later. Not that there’s anything wrong with that as he’s still popular and employed.

The opening video is a bunch of wrestlers saying our votes don’t matter and no one cares. Then the wrestlers realize that these votes decide their future so tonight it’s all about the fans. Apparently it’s our pay per view. Then why did we have to pay for it?

Rey Mysterio vs. Kane

No Holds Barred – 39%
Falls Count Anywhere – 35%
Two Out Of Three Falls – 26%

Kane was back to being an evil monster and wanted to take Rey’s mask for reasons that weren’t exactly clear. Rey tries some fast offense early on but quickly resorts to weapons. This goes just as badly because someone nearly two feet shorter than Kane can’t do much with a stop sign, allowing Kane to kick him in the face. Well mask but you get the idea.

Kane lifts him up with one arm and rams him back first into the post for two back inside. We hit the trash talk as Kane berates Rey for hiding behind the mask. A legdrop gets two for Kane and he bends Rey’s back across his knee. It’s off to a nerve hold for a bit before we hit the backbreaker again. Rey rakes the eyes and scores with the sitout bulldog, followed by a quick enziguri.

That just earns him another boot to the face and now it’s time for a chair. Mysterio is fast enough to dropkick it back into Kane’s face, which Cole describes as “swashbuckling style.” The monster comes right back to knock Rey down, allowing him to go grab the steps. As expected, that just means Kane goes face first into the steps, setting up the springboard seated senton for two. A few chair shots set up the 619 and the springboard splash to give Rey the pin at 10:20.

Rating: D+. It was decent enough but the stipulation was barely used for the most part. This really just made Kane look more inept than monstrous, basically defeating the point of the feud. It’s also kind of an odd choice for an opener but the match wasn’t horrible and had some decent stuff from Rey. Overall though it feels flat and that’s not how you start a show.

There’s another Divas Halloween costume this year and we’ll be seeing the choices throughout the night, including Michelle McCool as a soldier, Katie Lea as a vampire (basically just her normal look with fangs), Lena Yada as a ninja and Candice Michelle as Marilyn Monroe.

Chris Jericho comes up to Legacy (Ted DiBiase Jr., Cody Rhodes and Manu (son of Afa), a group of second generation wrestlers) and says he loved the way they took out CM Punk. Jericho thinks they’re on the verge of greatness and suggests they take out Batista tonight. Cody tells him to do his dirty work himself.

ECW Title: Matt Hardy vs. ???

Evan Bourne – 69%
Finlay – 25%
Mark Henry – 6%

Bourne is a high flier with a great looking shooting star press. Matt, in a rare position as the bigger man, runs Evan over a few times until Evan gets a good looking dropkick. Evan spins out of a test of strength to get two off a victory roll before reversing the Side Effect for the same result. Matt gets tired of this fast paced offense so he forearms Evan out to the floor to take over.

Back in and Bourne starts in on the arm for a change of pace. A standing shooting star press gets two on the champ and it’s right back to the arm. Hardy rolls outside for a breather and pretty easily breaks up an Asai Moonsault. Back in and Matt drops a middle rope elbow to the back for two, followed by a quickly broken abdominal stretch. Splash Mountain (Razor’s Edge into a powerbomb) is countered with a hurricanrana as the fans seem to be more behind Evan than Matt.

A pair of Side Effects gets two for Hardy but somehow Matt’s middle rope legdrop is countered by a spinwheel kick. Shouldn’t Matt have known that Evan was already up? Bourne gets two off a really fast moonsault press out of the corner as Todd says this has been going a hundred miles an hour since the opening bell. Someone needs to teach him the concept of speed. Matt grabs a rollup (and maybe some tights) for two but has to avoid the shooting star. The Twist of Fate retains Matt’s title at 11:04.

Rating: C. This picked up a lot after the halfway point but the first half with the arm work from Evan and Matt using power wasn’t the most exciting stuff. Matt never has been the best power guy/brawler so the match got better once he went back to his normal style. Bourne looked good here and would seem ready for a strong push but two days later he would dislocate his ankle and miss over four months.

Beth Phoenix is a gladiator, Jillian Hall is Batgirl, Maria is a bunny and Kelly Kelly is a sailor.

Here are the choices for the next tag match:

John Morrison/The Miz vs. Cryme Tyme – 38%
Legacy vs. Kofi Kingston/CM Punk – 35%
William Regal/Layla vs. Jamie Noble/Mickie James – 27%

John Morrison/The Miz vs. Cryme Tyme

This is a feud over who has the better internet show. The choice is a bit odd as Legacy vs. Punk/Kingston would have been for the Raw Tag Team Titles. Morrison and JTG get things going and take turns driving each other into the corner. Not exactly a thrilling start. JTG gets in a back elbow to the jaw for the first real offense before it’s off to Miz vs. Shad with the big man giving JTG something like a reverse Alabama Slam onto Miz for two.

It’s back to Morrison as the announcers talk about underwear. Miz and Morrison are both sent out to the floor before Shad throws JTG onto both of them for a cool power display. Back in and John drives Shad into the corner to take over on the knee. We hit a leg lock from Miz followed by a half crab from Morrison. Shad pretty easily kicks Miz away and makes the tag off to JTG.

Everything breaks down and JTG gets beaten down for a change as Miz questions the fans thinking he can’t wrestle. Miz hits a running corner clothesline for two and we hit the chinlock. JTG gets up and drops Miz long enough for the hot tag to Shad. Everything breaks down and Shad gets two off a spinebuster to Morrison. Miz kicks Shad in the knee though, setting up Morrison’s Midnight Drive (flip neckbreaker) for the pin at 10:22.

Rating: D+. This felt more like the opener with the match never really going anywhere after the first few minutes. Just like Mysterio vs. Kane, this started fast but never got off the ground. Maybe there wasn’t enough heat from two internet shows that most people didn’t watch to warrant a pay per view match. If only there was an option for some titles.

Tiffany is something like a nun, Brie Bella is Cleopatra, Natalya is a cop and Eve Torres is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

Jericho can’t get Great Khali’s help in the main event either.

Intercontinental Title: Santino Marella vs. ???

Marella is a goofy Italian who somehow landed Beth Phoenix, a good looking blonde in great shape. He’s also been talking about how he’s going to surpass Honky Tonk Man’s record for the longest Intercontinental Title reign, which included the Honk-A-Meter. Before the opponent is revealed, Santino insults various athletes who come to Phoenix and fade away. The list includes Shaquille O’Neal, who happens to be here. Here are the choices for his opponent:

Honky Tonk Man – 35%
Roddy Piper – 34%
Goldust – 31%

The word duh comes to mind though that’s WAY closer than I was expecting. Before the match, Honky Tonk Man says Santino could hold the title for ten years and it wouldn’t mean as much as his reign. Eh to be fair that’s probably not too far from the truth. A dance off ensues until Honky Tonk hits a few right hands and grabs a headlock, only to have Beth trip Honky Tonk for the DQ at 1:05.

Santino yells at Beth for a bit, followed by the other options coming out for the big beatdown and a lot of cheering.

Maryse is a French maid (of course), Layla is Princess Layla, Victoria is a banana (she has appeal) and Mickie James is Lara Croft.

We recap Undertaker vs. Big Show. Big Show knocked Undertaker out to prove that Undertaker was mortal and unable to take the big right hand. Undertaker came back and said he wasn’t done fighting yet so they’ll have another fight here.

Undertaker vs. Big Show

Last Man Standing – 49%
I Quit – 42%
Knockout Match – 9%

Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero says I Quit won in a fairly inoffensive gaffe. They slug it out to start with Big Show knocking him over the top and out to the floor. Undertaker is thrown into the timekeeper’s area so he comes back with a chair to the head. Back in and Show easily runs Undertaker over before kicking him out to the floor. Show misses a chair shot though, allowing Undertaker to drive it into his throat for an eight count. Undertaker starts hammering away but gets clotheslined for his efforts.

Show just starts pounding on Undertaker’s ribs before trying a chokeslam, which is reversed into a DDT for nine. This of course begs the question of why he didn’t just immediately throw the KO Punch since he was easily pounding on the ribs. Show takes a turnbuckle pad off but gets sent into it himself (because duh) so they can head outside. Undertaker is whipped into the steps over and over before they stop fighting to load up the announcers’ tables.

A superkick (well moderately super) puts Undertaker over the barricade and a chokeslam sends him through the table for nine. Show yells at Undertaker for not quitting but Undertaker comes back with right hands. Another DDT plants Show inside but Old School is countered into a weak chokeslam for nine more. The KO Punch gets the same so Show caves Undertaker’s head in with a chair. Show leans down to talk some trash but gets pulled into the Hell’s Gate choke, knocking him out for the ten count at 19:23.

Rating: B-. This could have been a lot worse and the good ending drags it up a bit higher. You had to expect these two to have a low and plodding match but the idea of two big guys hitting each other a lot worked well enough. This was more of an old school Undertaker match and while he’s not exactly what he used to be, this was still good enough and better than I was expecting to have to sit through.

Raw General Manager Mike Adamle (a hopeless buffoon) won’t give Jericho leniency either. Jericho gets a message on his phone that seems to give him some hope.

It’s time for the Halloween costume results with all of the Divas being brought out. Mickie James wins and they don’t even bother with percentages. A big brawl breaks out with the good ones being left to pose.

We recap the Smackdown World Title match which is really more of a question of how badly will Hardy alone dominate the other options. Hardy and HHH have been feuding for a few months though they’re both still faces. Kozlov is just there despite most people not being interested.

Smackdown World Title: HHH vs. ???

Jeff Hardy – 57%
Jeff Hardy/Vladimir Kozlov – 38%
Vladimir Kozlov – 5%

Yeah that’s not a surprise with the Hardy options totaling 95% and even the triple threat was blown out by Jeff alone. They go with some basic wrestling to start as Jeff works on a hammerlock on the mat. An armdrag sets up an armbar but Jeff can’t hit the Twist of Fate. JR thinks Hardy’s green belt means money tonight. Now you’re just stretching dude. Jeff tries to get to the top but gets sent crashing back down to the floor.

HHH sends him shoulder first into the post and it’s time for an armbar. Jeff sweeps the legs and drops a legdrop between the champ’s legs for two but the slingshot dropkick is nicely countered into a spinebuster. We hit a crossface of all things to stay on Jeff’s shoulder until Hardy rolls backwards into a rollup for the break. They head outside with HHH being sent into the steps and Jeff nailing Poetry in Motion against the barricade.

Back in and a pair of Whispers in the Wind get two on the champ as the fans are getting more into this. The Twist of Fate is countered but Jeff reverses the Pedigree into a rollup for two in a hot sequence. Now the Twist connects for two and there’s a Swanton for no cover. A second one hits knees but Jeff knocks him outside, only to completely miss a plancha. HHH goes down anyway but HHH crotches him back inside, setting up the Pedigree to retain at 15:36.

Rating: B. These two had some strong chemistry together and it was clear that Hardy was getting closer and closer every single time. HHH getting the title again wasn’t the most popular idea but he was having great matches and giving Hardy a great rub in matches like this one. There’s also the idea that Hardy never covered after hitting the Swanton, meaning there was no way of knowing if he had the pin there or not. Good stuff here and another nail in Kozlov’s main event coffin.

We recap Batista vs. Chris Jericho. Batista became #1 contender last month at No Mercy by beating John Bradshaw Layfield and gets his chance to reclaim his title here. Jericho is on a roll with his holier/more intelligent than thou heel character but Batista is just a monster. There isn’t even a gimmick here with the fans getting to vote on a guest referee.

Raw World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Batista

Steve Austin – 74%
Shawn Michaels – 22%
Randy Orton – 4%

Jericho is defending and the fans chant for Austin, much to the champ’s annoyance. For some reason Jericho decides to slap Batista in the face to start, earning himself some shoulders to the ribs in the corner. That means it’s time for a breather on the floor and a walk up the aisle but Austin says if he leaves he loses the title. I would picture Austin going up the aisle and throwing him back in but I guess Steve has mellowed a bit.

Back in and an elbow to the jaw followed by a suplex gives Batista a two count. Jericho tosses him outside for a breather and a baseball slide. Batista’s knee gets caught in the ropes so Jericho can have a target. A leglock sets up a chop block and it’s time to crank on the ankle. That’s switched over to a chinlock before Batista has to kick away a Walls of Jericho attempt.

Jericho charges into a boot to the face and Batista’s leg is fine enough for a powerslam. It bangs up his knee though and Jericho grabs the Walls which is quickly swapped for a half crab, guaranteeing that Batista doesn’t tap. Austin has to pull Jericho off when he Batista grabs the ropes, doing his first noteworthy thing in the last ten minutes. A Boss Man Slam (not a tilt-a-whirl side slam Cole) gets two on the champ but Jericho goes back to the knee to escape the Batista Bomb.

Batista misses a charge and goes shoulder first into the post but he’s still able to break up a superplex attempt. A good looking top rope shoulder gets two on Jericho but it’s time for the ref bump with Batista running Austin over by mistake. The Codebreaker drops Batista so here’s Shawn Michaels (Jericho’s big rival) for a comically slow count (as in nearly fifteen seconds to get to two).

Batista spears Jericho but JBL comes out to beat up Shawn. Here’s Randy Orton to knock Austin down so Jericho can hit Batista in the head with the belt for two. Austin gets back up with a Stunner for Orton, leaving Batista to give Jericho a spinebuster and the Batista Bomb to win the title at 17:06.

Rating: B-. This was fine and even good at times but absolutely nothing worth getting excited over. Batista winning the title sent the fans home happy but it’s really early for Jericho to lose the title less than two months after he won it. To be fair though this was just a quick reign as Batista would drop the belt back to Jericho eight days later at the 800th episode of Monday Night Raw. The referee stuff was nice for a change after last year where Austin was absolutely nothing. It also helps that this stuff made sense instead of just being there as random violence.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was perfectly fine but it was clear that the voting gimmick had outlived its usefulness, hence why this was the final year. The wrestling was a slightly downgraded version of the previous year’s as the final three matches all worked but the stuff earlier in the show wasn’t as strong. I’ll take a decent show over a mess though and that’s about all there is here.

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NXT
Date: November 1, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We are into the final two months of the year and heading towards Deadline in December. It would seem that JD McDonagh is on his way towards the next shot at Bron Breakker, where he is probably a favorite to win the title. Now though the question is who shows up from the main roster this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Bron Breakker to get things going. He talks about how great a night Halloween Havoc was, and not just for him. We hear about Wes Lee winning the North American Title, but here is Pretty Deadly to interrupt. They don’t think much of Breakker retaining his title again but Breakker mocks their accents.

Cue Wes Lee to praise Pretty Deadly’s hair and Breakker is willing to let Pretty Deadly have the spotlight. Pretty Deadly poses for a picture (meaning a lot of hip thrusting) but Breakker says someone is going to interrupt. That would be Breakker and Lee, who want the Tag Team Titles. Prince: “There is no way this night could get any worse.” Cue R-Truth and yeah it’s worse. This was a bit of an out of nowhere title challenge, which makes me think the change in the World Series schedule might have messed up NXT’s plans.

R-Truth vs. Grayson Waller

Waller gets sent into the corner to start but comes out with a shoulder. A mock of You Can’t See Me earns Waller a trip down and Truth grabs a headlock. Back up and an STO drops Truth but he rolls away before Waller can try the elbow. They head outside with Truth hitting a big flip dive and we take a break. We come back with…..the match being stopped due to an injury to R-Truth at 7:13. Truth didn’t quite clear the ropes on that dive and hurt his knee. Oh that’s never good to see.

Rating: C. Oh that doesn’t look good. You never want to see anyone get hurt in any way and a knee is one of the scariest possibilities. It doesn’t help that Truth is in his late 40s and probably doesn’t have much time left in the ring. Hopefully he isn’t severely hurt and only needs some ice, but we could be waiting for a long time before he’s back out there.

Post match Waller brags about his win (which came on his own) over a 20 year vet.

We get a sitdown interview with Schism, with Ava Raine saying no one but Schism ever took the time to get to know her. She got hurt early in training and no one who had “known her for years” checked on her. The rest of the team talks about how much they care and can’t help what people think about them. And no, Raine isn’t brainwashed, but she will help Joe Gacy against Cameron Grimes next week. You mean the lack of a Get Well Soon card means we have to sit through MORE Schism???

Javier Bernal talks to Edris Enofe and Malik Blade outside of Shawn Michaels’ office. He was told to be here to find out about his match tonight, but Odyssey Jones comes out. Jones will face Bernal tonight.

Kiana James gives her assistant an envelope.

Indi Hartwell and Zoey Stark get in one of those “only WWE women argue like this” arguments and a match is set for later.

Andre Chase gives Thea Hail a pep talk before her match but she doesn’t feel right. There is no Bodie Hayward, but Duke Hudson breaks through a wall and offers to carry the flag.

Thea Hail vs. Kiana James

Andre Chase and Duke Hudson are in Hail’s corner. Hail is rather fired up to start but James takes her to the mat for an early armbar. It takes Hail a bit to fight back but she sends James into the corner, setting up the running flip neckbreaker. Back up and James hits her running reverse Sling Blade for two, as Hudson puts the foot on the rope. That’s too much for Chase, who ejects him on principle. Another reverse Sling Blade finishes Hail at 4:18.

Rating: C. The Chase University story was one of the best things in NXT and while Chase can still do some very funny things, you can feel that some of the energy is gone and the idea is starting to fall off. It doesn’t help when you have Duke Hudson, who is good but not the most exciting, guy there to bring it down (which does seem to be the point) and Hail losing, but hopefully they can figure out something to salvage it in some way.

Post match Charlie Dempsey returns and jumps Chase from behind, drawing Duke Hudson out for the save. Hail isn’t sure if she can trust Hudson but seems to enough.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Fallon Henley are ready to watch the main event. Kiana James’ assistant comes up to deliver the envelope from earlier to Henley. The trio reads the papers but don’t say anything about them.

Mr. Stone interrupts Wes Lee and Bron Breakker to ask why Von Wagner hasn’t gotten a title shot. Breakker tells him to get out.

Odyssey Jones vs. Javier Bernal

This is Jones’ first match in several months after a knee injury. Jones runs him over to start and then does it again for a bonus. Bernal gets smart by going after the legs to take the much bigger Jones down, setting up a sleeper. With that broken up, Jones has had enough and grabs a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 4:21.

Rating: C. I’m not quite as all in on Jones as some but he does make for a good big man to crush people like Bernal. Jones is someone who could be a rather nice addition to the roster in some places and that is a good thing to have. Bernal….I know you need jobbers, but was he really the best that they had available?

Here is Toxic Attraction to celebrate Mandy Rose reaching one year as NXT Women’s Champion. Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin both congratulate her, talking about how she has beaten everyone and turned Toxic Attraction into one of the most important factions in the history of NXT. They send us to a video looking at her rather long title reign.

Rose: “Not bad for a piece of eye candy huh?”. She knows no one can stop her and thanks Dolin and Jayne for helping bring Toxic Attraction to the top. The numbers don’t lie and she wants some respect on her name. Anyone in the locker room knows where to find her so here is Alba Fyre. Dolin is put through a table and Fyre says Jayne is next, with Rose to follow.

Apollo Crews thinks NXT wants to see him face Bron Breakker because Crews is a matchup problem for anyone. Crews thinks Breakker is running from him, but Von Wagner comes in to say he’s next for Breakker. Please no.

Scrypts calls the Performance Center again and says being in NXT almost feels like home. We also see security footage of him spray painting his name on the wall.

Indi Hartwell vs. Zoey Stark

Nikkita Lyons is here with Stark, who gets caught by the wrist to start. Back up and Stark hits a springboard spinning crossbody as the lights go out for a bit (seems a bit planned). The lights come back up (after not going all the way out) as Stark works on Hartwell’s arm for a change. Stark gets clotheslined to the floor and the frustration is on as we take a break.

Back with Stark stomping Hartwell down in the corner, even as Lyons tells her to cool it. Stark teases taking her outside for a powerbomb through the announcers’ table but Stark talks her out of it. Back in and Stark kicks her in the face, setting up a clothesline to the back of the head for the pin at 9:48.

Rating: C+. The reheating of Hartwell continues and I’m still not sure how interesting Starks really is. Having her lose her temper isn’t quite an enticing story and having her with Lyons doesn’t exactly help things. Maybe they can get somewhere with her, but it’s not quite clicking yet.

The man who appears to be T-Bar talks about how this is his authority.

Valentina Feroz wants Sanga in his corner but Veer comes in to interrupt them. Sanga says he can’t do it as Wendy Choo watches from behind.

Nikkita Lyons has to calm Zoey Stark from going after the taunting Kayden Carter and Katana Chance.

Valentina Feroz vs. Cora Jade

Feroz looks rather upset on the way to the ring but she’s fine enough to take Jade down. A running knee sends Jade outside and Feroz sends her right back inside. Jade gets in a shot to the face and we hit the choke. Feroz breaks that up but misses a high crossbody, allowing Jade to hit a DDT for the pin at 3:38.

Rating: C. This was quick as it should have been, as Jade is rising up the heel side and Feroz is best known for being part of a tag team that is on the shelf at the moment. The lack of Sanga seemed to shake Feroz up and somehow they have set the story up so that makes a good bit of sense. There was no way Feroz should have won here, but at least the loss was logical.

Post match Jade goes after Feroz with her stick but Wendy Choo makes the save.

Stacks tells Tony D’Angelo that he took care of that thing. D’Angelo sees Stacks like his own son getting started. Elektra Lopez comes in to say she’s her own boss now and will be even more dangerous.

Tag Team Titles: Pretty Deadly vs. Wes Lee/Bron Breakker

Lee and Breakker are challenging. Lee sunset flips Wilson to start and then rolls him up for two more. Wilson gets annoyed when Lee flips away from him so it’s off to Prince. Breakker comes in for a backdrop and running clothesline to drop him hard. Stereo Frankensteiners take the Champs down and we go to a break.

Back with Lee dropkicking Prince through the ropes to the floor but Wilson jumps him from behind. Lee is thrown back in and elbowed down by Wilson so the beating can continue. A quick shot allows the tag off to Breakker though and a Steiner Bulldog puts Prince down. Breakker suplexes both of them and nips up, meaning it’s back to Lee and everything breaks down. Cue Carmelo Hayes for a distraction though and Lee gets rolled up to retain the titles at 12:00.

Rating: C+. This felt like something you would see at a house show and that isn’t a bad thing for a thrown together TV main event. Singles champions vs. team champions is a fine way to go, though I could have gone without Lee taking a pin. At least they had some shenanigans with Hayes interfering, but I also don’t need Hayes going after the North American Title again.

Lee and Hayes fight away and it’s Von Wagner coming in to jump Breakker.

Apollo Crews is watching in the back when JD McDonagh comes up. McDonagh doesn’t see Crews’ vision of being NXT Champion coming true.

Overall Rating: C+. The more I think about this show, the more I think that they pulled back a bit because baseball was moved into the time slot. That’s fine for a one off show as they didn’t know they were going up against the World Series until yesterday. Punt things until next week when you have a bigger audience and make this more of a stand alone show with previews for next week. For what it was, this was perfectly acceptable, but it’s not worth your time.

Results
Grayson Waller b. R-Truth via referee stoppage
Kiana James b. Thea Hail – Reverse Sling Blade
Odyssey Jones b. Javier Bernal – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Indi Hartwell b. Zoey Stark – Running clotheslines to the back of the head
Cora Jade b. Valentina Feroz – DDT
Pretty Deadly b. Wes Lee/Bron Breakker – Rollup to Lee

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: October 31, 2022
Location: America Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We’re on the way to Crown Jewel but first we need a big stop for Halloween. This is going to include the traditional Trick Or Street Fight, this time between Matt Riddle and Otis, but also an appearance from Roman Reigns. Hopefully it involves the Bloodline and not Logan Paul, but we might not be that lucky. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Nikki Cross

Non-title. Belair drives her into the corner to start so Cross sticks her head out and shouts at Belair to hit her. That’s fine with Belair, who hammers away but gets taken outside for a tie up in the ring skirt as we take a break. Back with Belair managing a suplex but favoring her leg.

Said leg is fine enough to hit the handspring moonsault but Cross grabs a choke. They crash out to the floor to break it up but here are Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai to distract the referee, allowing Bayley to sneak in and post Belair. Cross beats up Damage Ctrl but walks into the KOD to give Belair the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C. Kind of a weird match here as Cross is back but has already lost her first match. The good thing about Cross is she is the kind of agent of chaos who can lose matches and still be enough of a force that it doesn’t really matter. You don’t need her to beat Belair of course, but the result was a bit disheartening.

Post match Damage Ctrl comes in for the beatdown but Asuka and Alexa Bliss return for the save.

We look back at Brock Lesnar returning and going after Bobby Lashley.

Asuka and Alexa Bliss have Bianca Belair’s back but also want a Tag Team Title match tonight.

We get a split screen sitdown interview with Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley…..minus Lesnar. Lashley talks about being ready to prove he is more than just a Lesnar knockoff but here is the real Lesnar in the arena. Lesnar gets to the point: he isn’t here for an interview but rather for a fight, so here comes Lashley. The fight is on in the aisle with wrestlers and referees trying to split them up. Even HHH comes out but Lesnar can’t be held back. They’re finally separated after a big man brawl.

Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins

Non-title and the result of Rollins not having the best things to say about Theory on commentary last week. Rollins sweeps the leg down to start and grabs a headlock. It’s too early for a Pedigree though and Theory bails out to the floor. Rollins heads outside and gets rammed into things to put Theory in control as we take a break.

Back with Rollins hitting a suicide dive, followed by the basement superkick for two. Rollins loads up the Pedigree but gets reversed into a brainbuster onto the knee for two more. A standing Blockbuster gives Theory two and the fans think this is awesome. A Town Down is broken up but Theory blasts him with a superkick and a forearm for the double knockdown. With nothing else working, Theory tries his own Pedigree but gets reversed into the Stomp to give Rollins the pin at 14:50.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match and the kind of match that Theory has been needing. No he didn’t win, but he was able to feel like he fit in with one of the biggest stars in WWE today. They were trading one big move after another and it made for a rather good match. I could still go for Theory winning one of these big matches, but I’ll take this over him losing every time.

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman for a chat. The fans chant UCEY but Reigns assures them that Jey Uso will be a much more ucey man soon. That brings Reigns to Crown Jewel, where he is facing someone with two matches under his belt. Reigns laughs off the Logan Paul threat but Heyman sounds a bit more worried. Cue the Miz, who says he knows Logan Paul better than anyone and offers an alliance with Reigns. All Reigns has to do is help Miz against Mustafa Ali and he’ll teach Reigns everything there is to know about Logan Paul. One Superman Punch later and Reigns says he isn’t interested.

Post break, Miz is in the trainer’s room and doesn’t want Johnny Gargano’s video on Miz and Dexter Lumis airing. Mustafa Ali comes in to comment on the rather small size of Miz’s testicles.

Karl Anderson vs. Damian Priest

The rest of the OC and the Judgment Day are here too. It’s a brawl to start and they head outside, where a Judgment Day distraction lets Priest get in a cheap shot. We come back with Anderson fighting up but a Rhea Ripley distraction lets Priest take him down again. The Reckoning is loaded up but Anderson reverses into a cradle for the pin at 7:15.

Rating: C. A lot of this match was during the break but it was nice to have the OC get a win before what is likely going to be a bad loss at Crown Jewel. A member of Judgment Day losing to a fluke rollup isn’t going to hurt him that much, even if it is to someone other than AJ Styles. Still though, not much of a match here but the result was the right call.

Post match the brawl is on with Ripley being left alone for the Judgment Day but AJ Styles and Anderson can’t do anything. The rest of Judgment Day gets back up and the big beatdown is on.

MVP laughs off the idea of Braun Strowman beating Omos at Crown Jewel. MVP will be at Smackdown with a surprise for Strowman.

Here is JBL to suck up to the Texas fans by listing off various Texas sports teams and legends. Then he insults kids who go door to door begging for food on Halloween, which is what this safe space generation doesn’t need. No one here in this arena deserves to be called a Texan. As for everyone here, get on your feet for Baron Corbin!

Cue Corbin, to thank everyone for spending their last dollar to come spend every last dollar they have and the truth is…..and cue R-Truth. This would be cowboy R-Truth, complete with a horse between his legs. JBL calls Truth a buffoon but Truth wants to know what is up with the costumes. The fight is on and JBL throws his hat at Truth, allowing Corbin to hit the End of Days. At least it wasn’t a match.

Nikki Cross is with Damage Ctrl.

Matt Riddle vs. Otis

This is a Trick Or Street Fight (meaning a bunch of pumpkins and various Halloween things are around the ring) and Riddle, with Elias, is dressed as Ezekiel. Chad Gable is here with Otis and….they’re Chippendale Dancers, ala Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley from Saturday Night Live.

They fight to the floor early and take a rather quick break. Back with Otis working on a neck crank but Riddle is back with a knee. Otis runs him over and hits a Worm but Riddle is back up with a candy corn kendo stick. A World’s Strongest Slam plants Riddle but Elias sends Gable through a table. The distraction lets Elias put a pumpkin on Otis’ head, setting up the RKO to give Riddle the pin at 7:38.

Rating: C. This was another quick match that didn’t do much but the weird thing was the Halloween theme after an otherwise mostly serious show. I get the idea of having the Halloween match and that’s cool, but it’s still something that feels like it belongs on another show. For now though, Riddle getting a nice win is good for him and it isn’t like Otis has anything to lose. Even with a pumpkin on his head.

Bayley gives the rest of Damage Ctrl a pep talk.

Miz vs. Mustafa Ali

Miz is a big banged up after Reigns hit him in the face earlier but he’s fine enough to sucker Ali in to stomp away. Ali threatens a shot to the face and rolls Miz up for two. The rolling neckbreaker gives Ali two but he has to bail out of the 450. Miz rakes the eyes and sends him face first into the buckle as we take a break.

Back with Ali shrugging off the YES Kicks so Miz plants him with a DDT for two. Ali sends him outside and hits a dive before they fight over the announcers’ table. Cue Dexter Lumis to go after Miz before security chases him off. That lets Ali knock Miz down and hit the 450 for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C. So Ali wins but it doesn’t really feel like it means anything for him. Instead, it comes off as the next chapter in the Miz vs. Dexter Lumis deal, which isn’t the best way to go. I’ll take it over Ali coming up this short again though, which has happened far too often over the last few months. Make these wins feel like they matter and we could actually get somewhere with him.

And now, WWE Investigates, looking at Dexter Lumis and the Miz. Byron Saxton talks to Johnny Gargano, who claims to have bombshell news. Gargano talks about knowing Lumis for years, including various clips of The Way’s wacky antics. Then Lumis lost his job and fell on hard times. We get a re-enactment of Lumis as an artist on the street, with Miz offering him $10,000 to fake the whole stalking ordeal for….some purpose.

Gargano even produces a recording of Miz talking to Lumis (who doesn’t talk) about the whole plan. Gargano shows clips, suggesting that Miz is just doing this for attention. Then somewhere, at least Gargano thinks, Miz stopped paying Lumis and the whole thing fell apart, with Lumis wanting his money. This was certainly a way to go and it’s actually a way out of explaining the whole nutty deal so I’ll take it. I’m not sure if it’s the most logical or even a good way to go, but this should be better than some of their other ideas. I think.

Crown Jewel rundown, with Bray Wyatt announced for an appearance.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Damage Ctrl vs. Alexa Bliss/Asuka

Bliss/Asuka, with Bianca Belair, are challenging and Bayley is here with the champs. Bliss stomps Sky into the corner to start and the fight is on fast but Sky is back up with a dropkick to the ribs. Kai comes in to stay on the ribs but Bliss fights up and brings Asuka in to clean house. A quick suplex drops Kai and a clothesline cuts her off again.

The champs are knocked outside but Kai is able to dropkick Bliss down as well. Asuka kicks away at Sky but gets taken down with a dragon screw legwhip as we take a break. Back with Asuka rolling Sky up for two and the hot tag brings in Bliss to clean house. Bliss Code Reds Kai out of the corner for two and it’s back to Asuka. Sky crushes her in the corner, setting up the springboard missile dropkick for two.

Asuka Codebreakers her out of the air and grabs the Asuka Lock, but the distracted referee doesn’t notice the tap. Bayley and Belair fight onto a box near the timekeeper’s area, where a Bayley to Belly sends Belair through a table. Back in the ring and Kai kicks Asuka in the face, only to get sent into the steps by Bliss. Asuka kicks Sky in the head and Bliss goes up top for Twisted Bliss and the titles at 16:21.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly nice match which got some time and ended with a surprise title change. At the end of the day, it isn’t like Damage Ctrl needed to have the titles and the change is a good thing. Bliss and Asuka get to come back and get their revenge plus the titles, making this a rather logical way to go.

Pyro goes off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t a great Raw and other than one or two spots, the Halloween aspect was barely a factor. That being said, I’ll take what we got over a bunch of lame Halloween jokes (ala a Halloween party). They do really need to get past the Logan Paul stuff though, as it comes off as such a lame detour from what could be a lot of good options otherwise. Outside from that, Crown Jewel is set and we should be in for a nice show. That was mostly the case here, but other than the Rollins vs. Theory match, you’re probably better off just looking at a recap.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Nikki Cross – KOD
Seth Rollins b. Austin Theory – Stomp
Karl Anderson b. Damian Priest – Rollup
Matt Riddle b. Otis – RKO
Mustafa Ali b. The Miz – 450
Asuka/Alexa Bliss b. Damage Ctrl – Twisted Bliss to Sky

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: February 12, 2008
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 14,307
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

The now seemingly never ending feud between Chavo Guerrero and CM Punk continues after Punk knocked Guerrero into the Gulf of Mexico last week. We are still on the way to their next match at No Way Out and odds are Guerrero is going to do something to get back at Punk this week. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s Gulf Of Mexico match.

Opening sequence.

Here is Chavo Guerrero to get things going. He stands before you, lucky to be alive, as CM Punk threw him into the Gulf Of Mexico and he can’t even swim! Now he has a HORRIBLE sinus infection, plus some pink spots on his throat. He’s had migraines too and these TV lights are making it worse. When he was in the water, he was stung by a jellyfish!

But he is a Mexican warrior so he’ll defend the ECW Title against Punk TONIGHT. Cue Armando Alejandro Estrada to say that while he is proud of Chavo, he can’t let that match happen. Chavo is still sick, but Punk can have a warmup match tonight….against Mark Henry. Works for Chavo!

We look at Stevie Richards’ sitdown interview last week where he talks about wanting to come back from his latest surgery. This was a great way to build sympathy for him and it worked well.

Stevie Richards vs. Rory Fox

Richards grabs a headlock to start before taking Fox down for a kick to the chest/back each. A big boot and a double underhook DDT finishes Fox in a hurry, leaving Richards looking very pleased.

Video on Mark Henry.

Kelly Kelly vs. Layla

Lena Yada is here with Layla, who takes Kelly down with a headscissors to start. Kelly fights up but gets knocked into the corner as Tazz tries to talk about their looks without sounding creepy and not quite making it work. Layla starts in on the arm, including legdrops and an armbar to mix things up a bit. Kelly breaks it up and manages a high crossbody for two, followed by a Fameasser for the pin.

Rating: C-. I don’t think it’s anys ecret that this crop of women weren’t exactly great in the ring but they did seem to be trying. Having a match that was just under four minutes and could have been far worse isn’t the worst result and they do seem to be getting more comfortable in the ring. Keep working on that and see just how far they can take things.

Kofi Kingston vs. Mike Knox

Kofi picks up the pace to start but can’t quite take the much bigger Knox down. He can however monkey flip Knox, who comes back with a shot to the face. Knox stomps him down in the corner as we do get a KOFI chant, though I’m not sure if enough people seem to be cheering it to reach that volume level. Kofi fights up and hits a kick to the face and the double legdrop. The spinning kick to the head finishes Knox off.

Rating: C. Another basic but effective match here as Kofi is starting to establish more of a style. He has a long way to go, but beating some slightly more difficult competition like Knox is a good thing. Knox hasn’t been a big deal in awhile, but beating someone who used to be a bigger deal is better than beating someone who has never been anything.

No Way Out rundown.

John Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer

Miz and Colin Delaney are the seconds and the villains handle Dreamer and Delaney’s entrances in a rather negative way. Dreamer takes him down to start and sends things outside to keep up the beating. Miz grabs the foot though and Dreamer gets to crash out to the floor.

Back in and Morrison grabs a seated abdominal stretch before switching to the classic idea of punching him in the face. Dreamer avoids a charge though and Morrison crotches himself on the rope. After knocking Miz off the apron, Dreamer walks into Morrison’s springboard spinning kick to the face. The flipping neckbreaker is broken up though and Dreamer’s DDT finishes Morrison off.

Rating: C. It’s still low level stuff, but Delaney having any kind of a friend is a good thing and gives his story a better future. Sometimes that’s all you need and is has given the story a new life. Delaney takes a good beating and that can get him pretty far, with the obvious tag match being the big endgame from here.

Post match Miz and Morrison beat down Delaney and Dreamer.

Mark Henry says this is going to be a funeral.

CM Punk vs. Mark Henry

Chavo Guerrero comes out to watch. Punk slugs away and is promptly run over with a hard shoulder. The big elbow drop misses but Henry throws him down without any trouble. Henry posts him hard and then chokes inside for the DQ.

Post match Punk kicks Henry to the floor and gives Chavo the GTS to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. You can see the stories that they are putting together around here and while that is a good thing, it would be nice if the stories were a bit more interesting. The nothing women’s feud and a Tommy Dreamer mentor story are only going to get so far. At the same time it’s still CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero as the top feud. How far is that supposed to get you? Watchable enough show, but they still need something interesting.

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Smackdown
Date: October 28, 2022
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We are less than eight days away from Crown Jewel and Roman Reigns is actually here this time. Odds are he’s going to be talking about Logan Paul, but there is always the chance that he will be giving us some hints about what he is going to be doing at Survivor Series. Other than that, I’m sure Bray Wyatt will be running around. Let’s get to it.

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

Brawling Brutes vs. Solo Sikoa/Sami Zayn

In the back, Sami asks Jey Uso to keep things calm, as Roman Reigns isn’t here yet and the first thing he needs to see is the team being successful. Butch and Zayn start things off with the former hitting a rather hard clothesline. Holland comes in to help Butch out with some forearms to the chest but they don’t exactly look great.

Jimmy gets in a cheap shot to Butch from the floor but he’s fine enough to send Sami outside. A running knee off the apron drops Zayn but Sikoa runs Butch over as we take a break. Back with Sikoa Samoan dropping Holland for two but getting caught with the Al Snow trapping headbutts (Best offense strong A, U+B can buy. At least out of Create A Wrestler.).

Butch tries the Cloverleaf on Sami but has to glare at Jimmy. An enziguri rocks Sami in the corner, leaving him to argue with Jey on the floor. Sikoa comes over and reminds them of a match, allowing Holland to run all three over. Back in and Holland small packages Sami for the pin at 11:44.

Rating: B-. Good start to the show as the Brutes get built back up at the expense of the top stable in the company. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Brutes getting a big title shot soon, perhaps even at Crown Jewel. The Bloodline continuing to have issues is a great thing and we could be in for some even more interesting stuff going forward.

Post match arguing ensues….and here’s Roman Reigns to interrupt (Sami’s scared face is great). Post break Reigns has the fans acknowledge him but he’s tired of the team messing up. Reigns says if the team wants to act like children, he’ll treat them like children. He wants them to put everything on the line, so Sami apologizes for everything and asks if he and Jey can bury the hatchet once and for all.

Sami extends his hand and Jey thinks about it before saying Sami needs to get that hand out of his face. Jey talks about everything he doesn’t like about Jey, including pretending to be part of the Bloodline when he isn’t blood. Jey is willing to bleed for his family but Sami will never be part of it. Sami: “The Tribal Chief wants peace!” Jey: “I DON’T GIVE A D*** WHAT THE TRIBAL CHIEF SAYS!”

As Reigns slowly turns around, everyone knows that Jey is pretty much dead. Sami again tries to play peacekeeper and says Jey (who can’t look at Reigns) is going through a lot and hasn’t been very Ucey lately. Reigns smiles and asks if that is what is going on around here. Reigns: “Jey is that the problem? It’s that you’re not feeling……..UCEY?”

Jey tries to leave but a smiling Reigns puts his arm around him and says stay right there. Reigns says if Jey can’t find his honorary Ucey, he’s going to do something Jey doesn’t like. If Jey can’t figure this out, Sami goes from being an honorary Uce to a full one, with a new name of Sami Uso. Sami looks like a three year old on Christmas morning as Paul Heyman says that’s about it and plugs Reigns vs. Logan Paul at Crown Jewel.

This is still the most interesting character stuff in wrestling, with multiple paths this could take. The reaction when Jey went too far was amazing because that was getting in way over his head and he knew it. Great segment here as it continues to be the highlight of the WWE week.

New Day vs. Maximum Male Models

In an inset interview, New Day isn’t sure if the New Day is more Rick Martel/Tyler Breeze or Billy and Chuck. Kofi starts in on Mansoor’s and hands it off to Woods to work on the arm. Mace takes Woods down from the apron though and the villains take over. That doesn’t last long and the hot tag brings in Kofi to clean house. The Midnight Hour finishes Mansoor at 3:40.

Rating: C. Just a quick match to get New Day back on track as they are probably heading for a showdown with the Usos over the Tag Team Titles, probably with the record on the line. The Models were never going to be big stars in the division so this is hardly some devastating loss. New Day can still work well with anyone and this was fine enough.

Sonya Deville doesn’t think much of Liv Morgan, who runs up and attacks her.

Braun Strowman loves the idea of Omos as a challenge.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. ???

Rousey is defending in an open challenge against….Emma. Yes that Emma, though this time it’s very much in the Tenille Dashwood mold. We start after a break with Rousey kicking her to the floor but missing a charge into the steps. Back in and Emma grabs the Tarantula, followed by a high crossbody for two.

Rousey pulls her down to the mat but Emma fights up and hits a running clothesline. A Russian legsweep drops Rousey for two but she’s right back with the ankle lock. That’s countered into a wheelbarrow suplex so Rousey uses a distracted referee to rake the eyes. Piper’s Pit sets up the armbar to make Emma tap at 6:51.

Rating: C+. It was nice to see Emma being back and I’m curious to see what she can do as the serious version on the main roster, assuming she is sticking around. Thankfully there is nothing in the way of Emmalina to be seen, as that was a career killer. Also, having Rousey beat a surprise challenger makes her look good, which is a good way to get her back on track.

Newly announced for Crown Jewel: Bayley vs. Bianca Belair, Last Woman Standing for the Raw Women’s Title and Usos defending the Tag Team Titles against the Brawling Brutes.

Jey Uso tries to talk to Roman Reigns but Heyman says he’ll take care of it. Jey is pleased but Heyman seems to know Jey is in trouble.

Shayna Baszler congratulates Ronda Rousey on her victory when Natalya pops in. Natalya says she would have won if she had answered the challenge and is immediately choked out by Baszler. Well that makes Baszler look a lot better.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Hit Row/Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura is a mystery partner and Zelina Vega/B Fab are the fourths. The brawl is on with Hit Row cleaning house, leaving the four of them to hit a Nakamura COME ON as we take a break. Back with the bell having run during the bell and Adonis in trouble. Del Toro adds a top rope splash for two but a tag bring sin Nakamura to clean house, including the sliding German suplex to Escobar. Top Dolla comes in for the World’s Strongest Wasteland (thanks Barrett) and a rope running chop to the head (cool) knocks Wilde silly. Kinshasa finishes at 4:19.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure how much I can get behind either of these teams at the moment, as Hit Row is nowhere near as good without Swerve and Legado is already getting beaten up. Nakamura is kind of thrown in there out of nowhere and I’m not sure how much Hit Row gets out of the win with Nakamura doing the main work.

Paul Heyman shows Roman Reigns some of Logan Paul’s boxing, which Reigns sees as a waste of time. Heyman knows that Paul has metal pins in his hand to knock people out, but Reigns says IT’S HIS THIRD MATCH! Heyman: “Brock Lesnar won the UFC Heavyweight Title in his third match!” That’s a bit too far for Reigns so Heyman runs off to do something else.

LA Knight doesn’t think much of SmackDown so Ricochet comes in to offer him some advice. Knight isn’t impressed and a match is likely.

Karrion Kross vs. Madcap Moss

Scarlett is here with Kross. They fight over a lockup to start and Moss knocks him down for a bit. Back up and Kross knocks him into the corner, only to charge into an elbow. A middle rope shoulder and a clothesline put Kross on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Kross stomping away in the corner and hitting a clothesline for two.

A suplex gets another two but Moss makes the rope to avoid a cross armbreaker. Moss fights up and hits a spinebuster but Scarlett gets up on the apron for a distraction and Kross kicks him in the face. There’s the Doomsday Saito and the running forearm to the back of the head finishes for Kross at 11:39.

Rating: C+. They had a good brawl but it’s weird to see Moss getting beaten up like this. He was on a rather nice run and had cooled off a bit, but I didn’t think he was ready to get beaten up by Kross this decisively. Kross vs. Drew McIntyre at Crown Jewel will be good, though I’m not sure how much of a chance McIntyre has.

Post match Kross chokes out Moss and grabs the mic, saying Drew McIntyre is a much weaker fighter. Kross will always stand for the new beginning and McIntyre is done at Crown Jewel.

Crown Jewel rundown.

Rey Mysterio is ready for Gunther when Imperium jumps him. Gunther hits the big chop to leave Rey laying.

Here is Bray Wyatt for a chat. He could get used to those reactions because it is like pure adrenaline. Bray says this isn’t him behind a mask or with any smoke and mirrors because this is Bray, the real man. He is here today and plans on doing some spectacular things. For the majority of his life, he has had no control and he has done some horrible things. There is a part of him that likes to do horrible things and there will be a time when he is asked to do that again….and then the video feed is taken over.

We see the same man who said Howdy last week (looks like Bray with a lot of makeup) but this time he says he is the ghost of the man who sold the word. There is a reason why you (presumably Bray) is a shell of who he once was and while he claims to not wear a mask, that is not true. Bray will never be able to hide from him, his Uncle Howdy. End of show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was pretty much in the middle and I wasn’t wild on the ending, but that Bloodline segment was more than enough to carry this to a sold week. The Bloodline is on an absolute roll right now and delivering the best story in wrestling. Crown Jewel and Logan Paul feel like little more than a pit stop because that’s more or less what it is, but you can feel something big coming at Survivor Series and that should be great.

Results
New Day b. Maximum Male Models – Midnight Hour to Mansoor
Ronda Rousey b. Emma – Armbar
Hit Row/Shinsuke Nakamura b. Legado del Fantasma – Kinshasa to Wilde
Karrion Kross b. Madcap Moss – Running forearm to the back of the head

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: October 24, 2022
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

We are less than two weeks away from Crown Jewel and that means the card is going to need a little more build up. Two more matches were added last week and now we are probably going to get either some build towards those matches and/or even more matches added. That is what the show needs so 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 says that last week, AJ Styles found out that Judgment Day runs Monday Night Raw and that Dominik Mysterio is all man. Damian Priest wants the people to rise for the greatest luchador of all time. Dominik says these are the only people who ever believed in him and says last week was proof that Eddie Guerrero was his generation’s Dominik Mysterio. Cue the OC to say Dominik is stupid because he’s more like the James Ellsworth of this generation. Karl Anderson is ready to face Finn Balor right now so let’s do this.

Karl Anderson vs. Finn Balor

Everyone else is at ringside and Anderson knocks him outside as we take an early break. Back with Anderson fighting out of the corner and dropkicking Balor in the knee. A kick to the leg sends Balor to the apron and Anderson twists the leg around the middle rope. Balor knocks him down and hits some forearms to the back of the neck to set up the chinlock.

Back up and Anderson hits an uppercut to the face and adds the spinebuster for two. We take another break and come back with Anderson powerbombing him out of the corner but Balor reverses a fireman’s carry into a Nightmare on Helm Street. Balor’s kick in the corner is countered and Anderson’s middle rope neckbreaker gets two.

Balor is back up with a Sling Blade into the dropkick in the corner but Anderson catches him on top. A superplex drops Balor so Judgment Day offers a distraction, meaning the fight is on outside. Ripley posts Gallows and slams him on the floor (dang) as Dominik distracts the referee. Anderson fireman’s carries Balor but gets low blowed by Ripley to give Balor the pin at 17:09.

Rating: B. This was a long, back and forth match with the ending being what it should have been. Anderson is better on his own than he is as part of a team and he got to showcase himself well here. The good thing is that Anderson was protected in a loss and both teams are ready to go on the way to Crown Jewel. Heck of a match here and it didn’t feel nearly as long as it was.

We recap Miz attacking Dexter Lumis last week and Johnny Gargano saying he knows what’s going on.

Johnny Gargano mocks Miz, saying he knows what’s going on between Miz and Dexter Lumis. Miz says there’s nothing going on and he’s going to go tell the truth.

Here is Miz for a chat/explanation. Miz admits that Johnny Gargano is right and he has been keeping a secret, but first let’s recap. We hear about some of the things that Dexter Lumis has been doing to him before Miz says that this is all because of Tommaso Ciampa. Miz chose to mentor Ciampa instead of Lumis and now Lumis is out for revenge. Also, if anyone has seen Ciampa, send him back!

Cue Johnny Gargano to say Ciampa isn’t missing but rather injured, so Miz is just a huge liar. If Miz wants Lumis and Gargano out of his life, all he has to do is tell the truth. Gargano loads up the whistle….and it’s R-Truth interrupting (Gargano is very confused). Truth wants to talk about the truth but Miz isn’t going to talk down about Truth’s hometown comfort food. Truth: “You aren’t talking down about my North Carolina mac and cheese!” The challenge is on and Truth/Gargano say Miz can’t handle the truth.

R-Truth vs. The Miz

Miz jumps him to start but Truth takes him down ala John Cena. You Can’t See Me takes too long though and Miz is back up with a running knee. Then Dexter Lumis, or someone who looks like him, pops up near ringside to distract Miz so Truth grabs a rollup pin at 2:54. Nice to see a hometown win.

It’s Johnny Gargano instead of Lumis.

We get a sitdown interview with Candice LeRae who is thrilled to be back in WWE. She can’t believe she made it to Raw but here is Damage Ctrl to interrupt. Bayley talks about the people they’ve put on the shelf but Candice thinks all Bayley is missing is the Raw Women’s Title. The beatdown is quickly on.

Elias runs into Matt Riddle and his bongos, who still wants the two of them to jam together. Elias is willing to let last week slide but Riddle says he has been hitting the bongs all week. Cue the Alpha Academy to tell them to SHUSH so the argument sets up the challenge for later.

Austin Theory vs. Mustafa Ali

Hold on though as Seth Rollins comes out to join commentary. Theory knocks him into the corner to start but Ali is back up with a spinning headscissors into another corner. An elbow to the face sets up an elbow on the apron though and Ali is in trouble as we take a break. Back with Ali being sent outside, leaving Theory to pick up his phone.

Some picture taking allows Ali to hit a dropkick to the floor, setting up the top rope flip dive. Ali strikes away back inside and hits the rolling neckbreaker for two. A tornado DDT gets two but Theory pulls him into a brainbuster onto the knee for two more. Ali takes him down and goes up but Rollins’ distraction sets up A Town Down to give Theory the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Theory get a win for a change, even if it’s over Ali, who probably needs the win even more. Again though it wasn’t a clean fall so it could have been worse, and you can probably pencil in Ali for the title shot at Crown Jewel, or at least on a big Raw. Now just let Ali beat someone on the way to the title shot.

Post match Rollins beats up Ali a bit before walking away….where Ali manages to jump him near the stage. The brawl is on with Rollins being sent into the video screen.

Miz comes up to Johnny Gargano in the back and wants to know what’s up with that. Miz leaves and it’s JBL and Baron Corbin taking his place. JBL wants Gargano to stop messing with Miz and show him some respect. Gargano shakes JBL’s hand and calls him MC Hammer Pants. He isn’t sure what Corbin is calling himself now either and that seems to set up a match later.

Video on Bianca Belair vs. Bayley before their match later tonight.

Omos vs. ???/???/???/???

MVP is here with Omos and talks about Omos’ recent showdown with Braun Strowman. The four victims are called over, with MVP telling them to look at Omos’ hands. Threats are made but let’s ring the bell. The beating is on and all four going after Omos at once completely fails. Big boots and elbows have the four down and a chokebomb gives Omos the double pin at 1:42. That’s how you make a monster look dominant.

Elias vs. Chad Gable

Otis is here with Gable, who wrestles Elias down without much trouble to start. Elias can’t get a backslide but can hit a suplex for two. Back up and Otis low bridges Elias to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Gable hitting a Swan Dive but Elias fights up with elbows to the face. A splash in the corner but Gable pulls him into an ankle lock. With that broken up, Gable pulls him into a Razor’s Edge, which is flipped forward into a DDT for two. Gable goes up top but gets kneed out of the air for a rather near fall. Elias’ swinging suplex finishes at 8:32.

Rating: C+. That knee probably should have finished it but Elias getting the win is the right choice. Elias is freshly back after being gone for a long time so he needs the win, even if it is over someone who loses a lot more often than he wins. I’m not sure how far Elias is going to go in his latest run, but at least it is off to a decent starts.

Post match the beatdown is on but Riddle runs in to save Elias.

We look back at the OC/Judgment Day sequence.

The OC is in the trainer’s room and AJ Styles says they have a Rhea problem. Worry not though as Luke Gallows says he has a way with women and can solve this. Styles: “He’s terrible with women!”

Post break, Gallows is back, apparently having suffered a low blow from….I’m guessing Rhea Ripley. More planning is needed.

Johnny Gargano vs. Baron Corbin

Before the match, JBL mocks millennials who want safe spaces and makes fun of Charlotte’s professional sports teams. JBL sits in on commentary as Gargano is sent into the corner but comes out with a rollup for two. A running hurricanrana sets up a dropkick to send Corbin outside for the suicide dive. One Final beat is blocked with a right hand to the floor though and Corbin takes over while slowing things down.

Gargano manages a discus forearm and a dropkick sends Corbin back to the floor. The apron superkick sets up a dive, which is pulled out of the air and Gargano is planted on the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Corbin hitting his torture rack neckbreaker for two. Corbin misses a charge in the corner and Gargano hits a bulldog for a breather.

The slingshot spear gives Gargano two but Corbin is right back with Deep Six for two of his own. The slid under the ropes clothesline is countered with a superkick to give Gargano two more. They head outside with Gargano sending him into the steps, then stealing JBL’s hat for some dancing. A tornado DDT off the announcers’ table drops Corbin again but JBL breaks up One Final Beat. End of Days finishes Gargano at 14:09.

Rating: C+. For those of you keeping track, we have now had six matches tonight and four of them have ended in some kind of distraction/interference finish to set up the pin. Corbin seems to be the bigger priority right now and the question was more about would it be JBL or Miz costing Gargano. I don’t like Gargano losing, but at least he’s on Raw.

Post break, Miz comes up to Johnny Gargano with a get well card for Candice LeRae. Miz is willing to tell the truth next week, but Gargano will do it if Miz doesn’t. And Miz didn’t even sign the card!

We get a long video on Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley, looking at how similar they are and how dominant both of them have been, setting up their match at Crown Jewel.

Bayley vs. Bianca Belair

Non-title and Bayley has Damage Ctrl with her. Feeling out process to start until Belair powers her to the mat. A slam drops Bayley and we slow down a bit until Belair runs her over again. Belair can’t roll some suplexes though as Bayley pulls her into a crossface. That’s countered into a backbreaker for a breather and Bayley gets dropped on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Belair fighting out of a chinlock but getting taken down by a clothesline to the back of the head. A suplex from the apron to the floor puts Belair down again and Bayley starts in on the arm. Belair’s arm is wrapped around the rope and then twisted a bit, followed by more around the rope cranking. A suplex drops Bayley to give Belair a breather and the right hands in the corner put her in more trouble.

Bayley gets smart by pulling the braid but the Bayley to Belly is blocked. Belair’s handspring moonsault only hits knees but so does Bayley’s middle rope elbow. Now the handspring moonsault can connect for two and they head back outside, where Bayley cranks her down by the arm again.

We take another break and come back again with Bayley snapping the arm over the top but not being able to hit her own KOD. Instead Belair hits her own Bayley to Belly for two. A spinebuster gives Belair two more but a Sky distraction lets Bayley hit a super Bayley to Belly for a rather close two. Damage Ctrl loads up the announcers’ table but Belair powerbombs Bayley onto (not through) the table.

Another powerbomb against the post sets up a face first drop onto the apron. Sky gets in a distraction though and Kai kicks Belair in the face. Back in and…the referee ejects both of them as Nikki Ash dives off the top onto Damage Ctrl and the referee. Back in and the Rose Plant is countered into the KOD for no count as the referee is still down. Nikki (Cross, not Ash, and with no mask) comes back in and DDTs Belair so Bayley can steal the pin at 23:10.

Rating: B. This had the time and the ending, while the fifth instance of interference/some kind of a distraction tonight, has me interested in where things are going. Bayley had to win here as she had come back as a big deal but it doesn’t matter much if she keeps losing to Belair. At the same time, Belair was being booked a bit too strong when she survived against all three members of Damage Ctrl at Extreme Rules. This is the right way to go and there is a good chance that you can see the women’s WarGames match from here.

Post match Nikki comes back in and beats on Bayley as well with those nutty eyes being back for a change.

Overall Rating: B-. While the finish choices could certainly use some work, this was a rather good show with a pair of solid matches. They also gave us something important with the main event return and advanced a few stories along the way. It might not have been a classic show, but it was an efficient use of three hours and that is not a bad way to spend a Monday night.

Results
Finn Balor b. Karl Anderson – Low blow from Rhea Ripley
R-Truth b. Miz – Rollup
Austin Theory b. Mustafa Ali – A Town Down
Omos b. ???/???/???/??? – Double pin
Elias b. Chad Gable – Swinging suplex
Baron Corbin b. Johnny Gargano – End of Days
Bayley b. Bianca Belair – DDT from Nikki Cross

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Smackdown
Date: October 21, 2022
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are just over two weeks away from Crown Jewel and that means Logan Paul is back tonight. That means we might be in for another kind of weird segment, but hopefully Paul Heyman will be there to walk him through it. The feud feels rather cold going into the match and I don’t know how to fix that. Let’s get to it.

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

Sheamus vs. Solo Sikoa

The rest of the Brawling Brutes, Sami Zayn and the Usos are here too. During the Brutes’ entrance, Bray Wyatt hacks the feed but commentary doesn’t acknowledge it this time. They hit each other hard to start and Sikoa is already needing a breather on the floor. Back in and Sheamus knocks him down again, setting up an armbar. Sikoa fights up and hits a spinwheel kick before sending Sheamus outside and we take a break.

Back with Sikoa hitting a running Umaga attack in the corner but another attempt is cut off by a clotheslines. Sheamus, favoring his arm, grabs an Irish Curse for a breather and uses his good arm for a powerslam. The ten forearms connect and it’s time for everyone to brawl on the floor. The Usos turn the announcers’ table on the Brutes so Sheamus dives off the top onto the two of them. A Sami distraction lets Sikoa kick him in the bad arm and it’s the Swinging Solo for the pin at 13:05.

Rating: C+. WWE is already doing a good job with Sikoa by just having him win. It’s really not that hard and this is the biggest win of his main roster career. While he might not be a game changer, he already feels like he belongs on the main roster and could be a safe bet on his own whenever the Bloodline wraps up. Sheamus will be back for revenge and a WarGames showdown with the Bloodline isn’t the worst idea.

Post match the beatdown stays on Sheamus and Jey uses a chair to crush it on the steps over and over, with Sami having to break it up because it’s over.

We recap Rey Mysterio becoming the new #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title last week.

Earlier today, Imperium didn’t think much of Mysterio so he challenged Ludwig Kaiser to a match later.

We go backstage to find Bray Wyatt, who talks about how confessing some things to the fans might help them. He has always had problems with anger and sometimes it can take him to places he doesn’t want to go. For some reason, he gets chances that most people won’t get but this time, he was happy and content. All he wanted to be was to be left alone but he confesses that he is glad he came back. He needed everyone to pull him up and he is thankful for that.

Now he can see and he knows who you are and what you are trying to do. He confesses that on this journey, he is going to do horrible things that he will never feel sorry over. Bray knows where the circle takes him. No word on who the “you” he was talking about is. This still feels like something we’ll get a piece at a time and still not have the whole picture, which is pretty standard for Wyatt.

The Bloodline celebrates Solo Sikoa’s win and Jey Uso is ready to take Logan Paul apart. Sami Zayn says hang on though, as Roman Reigns has told the Bloodline to keep their hands off Paul. It wouldn’t be very Ucey to let Paul in their heads, which Jey agrees with, but he doesn’t like being called a hothead.

Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville

This is fallout from Deville ranting about Morgan getting one opportunity handed to her after another last week. Morgan takes her into the corner to start and grabs a backslide for less than one. Back up and Deville hits a knee to the face for two and Morgan gets kicked off the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Deville charging into an elbow to the face and an enziguri puts her down. Deville gets in a shot to the face of her own for two and yells at Morgan, who completely snaps and sends her outside. A face plant onto the announcers’ table and some rams into the steps have Deville rocked but it’s a double countout at 8:45.

Rating: C-. So apparently we’re still doing the Morgan being all aggressive and insane stuff which didn’t quite work going into Extreme Rules and I don’t know how well it will work after. If WWE wants Morgan to be a big deal, let her win big matches without shenanigans and see what happens. Until then, I don’t know how well this is going to work but it seems to be what we are getting.

Post match Morgan snaps and throws in a bunch of chairs, setting up a superplex to send Deville into said chairs. So yeah, Morgan is still all insane and violence hungry.

Video on LA Knight.

The Viking Raiders are still coming back.

Here is Braun Strowman for a chat and he wastes no time in calling out Omos and MVP. Cue only MVP, who says Strowman needs to stay away from a real giant like Omos before he gets exposed. Strowman is tired of the talk and issues the challenge for Crown Jewel, with MVP accepting. Cue Omos for the big staredown and a shove sends Strowman outside. That match was pretty clearly coming and it was just a matter of announcing it.

Sheamus has been taken to the hospital.

We look at Drew McIntyre attacking Karrion Kross last week.

Drew has been told to stay away from Kross and he will…..until they meet in a cage match at Crown Jewel.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Shotzi/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Damage Ctrl

Damage Ctrl, with Bayley, is defending and it’s Rodriguez starting with Sky (with commentary thankfully bringing up their NXT history). Rodriguez goes straight to the power to start and sends her outside for the Shotzi dive. Back in and Shotzi hits a running elbow in the corner but Sky comes in for a shot of her own as we take a break.

We come back with Shotzi kneeing her way to freedom and handing it back to Rodriguez to clean house. A superplex is broken up though and Sky hits a great looking top rope tornado DDT for two. Everything breaks down and Shotzi has to deck Bayley, allowing Sky to hit an Air Raid Crash. The moonsault retains the titles at 10:12.

Rating: C+. This got better as it went on and it’s still amazing how much better of a partner Shotzi is than Aliyah. Shotzi and Rodriguez don’t have the best chemistry but they are capable of having a better match together by a wide margin. Damage Ctrl is a good choice for champions, though Bayley needs to win a title of her own sooner than later.

Ronda Rousey is asked about an open challenge tonight but she doesn’t want to do it. We’ll do it next week instead. And she’s rather mad.

The Bray Wyatt mask hacks the screen and we see some scrambled images, including another QR code. Then we see what looks to be an old cowboy who says “howdy”, though we don’t see his face.

Santos Escobar is given a drink and talks about how businesses grow into an empire. Legado del Fantasma latest acquisition is Zelina Vega, who talks about how they’re going to take over everything, starting with Hit Row.

Hit Row is watching and wants to know how Legado is standing head and shoulders over them when the tallest member of the team only comes up to Top Dolla’s shoulder. That was a great line.

Ludwig Kaiser vs. Rey Mysterio

The rest Imperium is here too as Rey starts with an enziguri and some right hands. Giovanni Vinci breaks up the 619 attempt though and Rey has to stop to shout at Gunther. There’s a baseball slide to Kaiser but he’s right back up with an uppercut as we take a break. Back with Rey blocking a top rope superplex and hitting the top rope seated senton. A Lionsault gives Rey two and he rains down some right hands in the corner.

There’s a hurricanrana to send Kaiser outside, where Kaiser ducks a dive to send Rey crashing into the barricade. Imperium goes after Rey, who feigns being attacked (cue Eddie Guerrero reference) so the other two are ejected. Rey goes up for a top rope splash but only hits raised knees. Not that it matters as Rey is right back with the 619 into the springboard splash for the pin at 11:20.

Rating: B-. This is where Mysterio continues to shine. He has been one of the best for the last few decades and somehow can still do stuff like this in his late 40s. At the same time you have Kaiser, who is quite the fit as the henchman who could be dangerous enough to beat someone on the right night. Good stuff here and Mysterio looked more like his old self (ten years older, not twenty five of course).

Here is Logan Paul for his big moment. Paul knows he is supposed to address the hard cams but first he needs to say it is nice to be back in Ohio. As for the Bloodline, Paul doesn’t have anyone in his corner, like two guys who look alike, a guy named Solo who is never alone or someone like Sami Zayn…..whatever he is. Of course he’s the underdog in this whole fight, but what happens if he wins? What happens then?

Cue Jey Uso to jump Paul from behind and the beatdown is on. Sami Zayn comes in to try to cool Jey down but Paul is back up to knock Jey silly with a single right hand (Sami is stunned). Paul escapes as Sami knows they’re in trouble (remember Reigns told him not to go after Paul to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Kind of an up and down show and while the Paul stuff was better, it wasn’t quite good enough to make me care about the title match. The lack of Reigns didn’t help things but the Jey Uso stuff is good enough to drag things forward next week. Other than that, the Mysterio vs. Kaiser match was good and the Wyatt segment still has me wondering where it’s going. Just get through Crown Jewel so we can move away from the Paul title shot and get on to WarGames.

Results
Solo Sikoa b. Sheamus – Swinging Solo
Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville went to a double countout
Damage Ctrl b. Raquel Rodriguez/Shotzi – Moonsault to Shotzi
Rey Mysterio b. Ludwig Kaiser – Springboard splash

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: February 11, 2008
Location: Frank Irwin Center, Austin, Texas
Attendance: 13,552
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the go home show for No Way Out and the second show in a double taping as the roster is are on an Asian tour. The pay per view card is all but set and I’m not sure what else we are going to see on this show that is going to make it that much better. HHH still won’t be here again this week though and that should drag things down a bit, though it could be interesting to see who picks up the slack. Let’s get to it.

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

Of note: a graphic says that the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will be airing on CNBC. As someone who was devastated when that took Raw’s place near my birthday every year, I can’t help but smile.

Vince McMahon vs. Hornswoggle

No DQ and Finlay is banned from ringside. Vince, who does look a bit intimidating in his fighting gear, shoves him down without much trouble to start. Even Vince is willing to have a heart though and he lets Hornswoggle get in a free slap. After a delay, Hornswoggle manages to do it, which is enough for Vince to pull out his belt. Cue Finlay to get in Vince’s way so Vince threatens to fire him. That’s a major threat to Finlay, who has a wife and kids of his own. Finlay goes to leave but then knocks Vince cold with the shillelagh. Hornswoggle goes to leave but drops a Tadpole Splash for the pin in a nice moment.

Rating: C. This was more or less an angle instead of a match as the only moves were a slap and a splash. The story has long since lost its luster and could use an endgame of some kind, but I’m not sure what that could be. I can’t picture Vince vs. Finlay being interesting so unless they want to pull a surprise trigger, this could be in search of a finish for a good while.

Post break Vince gets his head looked at until William Regal comes in to check on him. Tonight, Vince is going to fire Finlay.

Chris Jericho vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

Royal Rumble rematch. They fight over a lockup to start until JBL misses a big boot, allowing Jericho to slug away with forearms. Jericho kicks him in the ribs and rips at the face but it’s too early for the Walls. There’s a baseball slide to send JBL outside but he goes evil with a thumb to the eye. For some reason that doesn’t work on Jericho, who is back with a spinwheel kick for a breather.

We take a break and come back with JBL hitting a rather hard clothesline, setting up the sleeper. Jericho fights up and knocks him down, including a top rope clothesline for two. The middle dropkick gets the same and Jericho counters the fall away slam into a DDT for another near fall. Back up and Jericho charges into a boot in the corner, only to duck a clothesline and grab the Codebreaker for the pin.

Rating: C+. They kept this short enough that it didn’t overexpose JBL as being fairly boring in the ring. Jericho got the pin to probably wrap up the feud that was only so good in the first place. Other than that, it gives Jericho a boost going into the Elimination Chamber, where he is probably the third favorite for the match.

Post match, Umaga comes in and Samoan Spikes both of them.

Mike Adamle throws us to a video on John Cena vs. Randy Orton.

William Regal has a group of men ready to beat Finlay up and drag him to Vince for his firing. Vince has a better idea: a cage match with Hornswoggle next week!

Paul Burchill vs. Brian Kendrick

This is Burchill’s return after about two years away and his sister Katie Lea is with him. Before the match, the Burchill’s seem rather….fond of one another. Paul works on the arm to start as JR again plugs the dog show. Kendrick armdrags him into an armbar but a Katie distraction lets Paul take over. One heck of a stomp sets up a rolling cutter to finish Kendrick. Just a step above a squash, but Katie was more impressive than Paul.

John Cena vs. Mark Henry

Randy Orton is on commentary. Cena charges into the World’s Strongest Slam fifteen seconds in and Henry knocks him into the corner. Some rights and lefts don’t do much for Cena as Henry is right back with a full nelson. That’s broken up and Henry misses a charge into the corner, setting up a middle rope shoulder into the STFU to give Cena the fast tap.

Post match Cena tells Orton that he is 100% heading into No Way Out so Orton better be ready. Cena would never lie about an injury status.

Wrestlemania is coming, complete with Red Hot Chili Peppers theme.

Here is Mr. Kennedy to see if Ric Flair wants to forfeit their No Way Out match. Cue Flair, to tell Kennedy a story. Flair: “Before you were born….” Kennedy: “Oh here we go.” Flair talks about how he and his generation paved the road for people like Kennedy so he isn’t forfeiting. Sure Kennedy has a great future, but he wants to do once what Flair has done sixteen times. Flair is coming to No Way Out and goes to leave, but Kennedy kicks him in the bad leg and mocks the strut. This match is getting a far better build than I would have expected.

Melina vs. Maria

Jillian Hall and Santino Marella are here too, with the latte joining commentary. Maria starts fast with a scorpion kick but Melina knocks her right back down. Back up and Maria screams a lot before hitting a clothesline. Melina gets dropped throat first on the top and a bulldog makes it worse, but Jillian kisses Santino. That’s enough for Melina to grab a rollup for the cheap pin.

Post match, Santino begs forgiveness and talks about what happens to WWE women who do Playboy. Therefore, she has one week to decide between Playboy and him. Santino kisses her and leaves.

No Way Out rundown.

Video on HHH.

Candice Michelle is coming back.

Jeff Hardy vs. Shawn Michaels

Non-title and this should be good. Hardy starts fast with a backslide for two before sending him outside. The dive misses so Shawn slaps him in the face before they go back inside. A headlock takeover puts Shawn down and a belly to back suplex gives Hardy two as the fast start continues. Shawn fights up and elbows him into the corner for the chops, only to get headlock takeovered again.

Back up and Hardy gets sent over the top for some cat skinning, so Shawn hits a slightly harder than expected clothesline. Hardy is fine enough to mule kick Shawn to the floor for the baseball slide but Shawn powerslams him out of the air. We take a break and come back with Hardy favoring his back, as you might have expected. There’s a hard whip into the corner and Michaels drives some knees into the back to make it worse. The bow and arrow goes on Hardy until he elbows his way to freedom.

Back up and they slug it out until Shawn grabs a swinging neckbreaker for two. The half crab goes on to stay on Hardy’s back, sending Hardy to the rope. Hardy avoids a charge to send Shawn shoulder first into the post but Shawn is fine enough to knock him off the top. The elbow misses though and the Whisper in the Wind gives Hardy two as JR is getting WAY into this.

Shawn is back up with the forearm into the nipup and now the top rope elbow can connect. The superkick misses so Shawn goes for his weird reverse figure four, sending Hardy to the rope again. Another superkick misses and it’s the Twist of Fate into the Swanton to give Hardy the big win.

Rating: B+. That was a pay per view quality match that got the time and gave Hardy one of the biggest wins of his career. On top of that it was a completely clean finish, which you don’t see very often in a spot like this. Hardy is on a roll going into the Chamber, though he was on a roll going into the Royal Rumble match with Orton and that didn’t turn out so well for him. For now though, great match.

Overall Rating: B. This was another weird show, but the double taping thing probably explains a lot of the setup. We had a heck of a main event and another pretty good one in JBL vs. Jericho, plus the Vince stuff was short. No Way Out needs to get out of the way already so we can move on to Wrestlemania, but the go home show was an improvement over recent weeks.

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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