ECW on Sci Fi
Date: July 24, 2007
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Commentators: Tazz, Joey Styles

We’re done with the Great American Bash and John Morrison is still the ECW World Champion, having beaten CM Punk again. That means he needs a new challenger and I have no idea who that is supposed to be. The roster isn’t exactly deep at the top and that could become a problem. Let’s get to it.

Here is the Great American Bash if you need a recap

Here is ECW World Champion John Morrison, billed as the reason you are here, the man who beat CM Punk in the middle of the ring, and the new face of extreme. Morrison says he is here to make us believe, which is because he is destined to do great things. That was the case at the Great American Bash, where he retained his championship. Some are born to sweet delight and some are born to endless night.

Punk does not have the glow of the ECW World Title to brighten his existence and will never get another shot. A real champion doesn’t face the same person over and over so it is time for someone to claim their Fifteen Minutes of Fame. If anyone can last fifteen minutes with him or somehow even beat him, they will get an ECW World Title shot. Morrison already has someone in mind, and they are from right here in Fresno!

John Morrison vs. ???

Non-title Fifteen Minutes Of Fame match and Morrison hits the flipping neckbreaker for the pin in about thirty seconds. Useful enough gimmick for Morrison going forward and a good way to start.

HHH is back at Summerslam.

Kevin Thorn vs. Stevie Richards

Thorn knocks him down with a clothesline to start but Richards hits a kick to the face. That’s enough to send Thorn outside, where he sweeps the leg to knock Richards off the apron. Back in and Thorn grabs an over the shoulder backbreaker to set up a series of slams. Richards kicks his way out of the corner but gets taken right back down. The Razor’s Edge out of the corner is countered though and Richards grabs a backslide for the huge upset.

Rating: C. I certainly didn’t see that one coming so well done on the surprise. Richards has been working hard as of late and he doesn’t feel like an easy win these days, so giving him a win isn’t the craziest idea. He isn’t going to be anything more than a meal for a bigger star later, but points for laying the ground work.

We look back at Extreme Expose dancing on Miz last week.

Miz vs. Nunzio

Before the match, Miz says he feels like the women of Fresno are undressing him with his eyes. He can’t help it that he’s a chick magnet, so he invites Extreme Expose to come watch at ringside. Miz’s headlock doesn’t get him very far to start so he shoulders Nunzio down instead.

Nunzio manages to send him face first into the corner though and a top rope shoulder gets two. The running corner clothesline gives Miz two of his own and we hit the chinlock, with Extreme Expose approving. Back up and Nunzio strikes away, including some running forearms. The Sicilian Slice gets two but Miz is right back with the Reality Check for the win.

Rating: D+. The match wasn’t exactly great, but the point is to get Miz in the ring and have him annoy people by winning matches. Throw in Extreme Expose having a thing for him and it’s easy to see why this is starting to work. It always helps to have someone with Miz’s punchable face, and I’m digging the whole thing a good bit more than I probably should.

Post match, Miz invites the ladies in for more dancing.

Big Daddy V vs. Jimmy Cruz/Victor Calvio

Matt Striker is on commentary. Calvio is taken over with a headlock, followed by a gorilla press toss to Cruz. A Samoan drop and something like a spinebuster set up a double splash in the corner. Cruz gets Boss Man Slammed onto Calvio for the fast pin. As squashish as it should have been.

CM Punk/Tommy Dreamer vs. Elijah Burke/John Morrison

Burke starts with Punk, who wants Morrison instead. That’s exactly what Punk gets, plus a headlock from Morrison for a bonus. Punk gets taken into the corner for some alternating stomping but he kicks Morrison to the floor. A backdrop sends Burke outside as well and we take a break.

Back with Dreamer suplexing Burke for two and handing it back to Punk for a hilo. Dreamer and Morrison come back in, with the latter being tossed away without much trouble. A catapult sends Morrison into the buckle for two and there’s the bulldog out of the corner for the same. The Texas Cloverleaf sends Morrison over to the rope, allowing him to get up for an enziguri.

Burke comes in to kick Dreamer in the head as well and we hit the chinlock. A heck of a running kick to the back of the head rocks Dreamer again and Burke hits the Vader Bomb elbow. Morrison’s figure four necklock is countered with an electric chair but Burke comes in to slam Dreamer’s face into the mat over and over.

Morrison comes back in for a slingshot dropkick to the floor and we hit the chinlock back inside. Dreamer fights up and catches him on top though, setting up a hanging neckbreaker. That’s finally enough for the hot tag to Punk so house can be cleaned in a hurry. There’s a Shining Wizard to put Morrison on the floor and the GTS puts Burke away.

Rating: C. This was your main event style tag match, ECW edition, meaning that it served its purpose perfectly well. It seems that we’ll be getting Punk vs. Morrison again, which answers the question of “how are they getting around having no one else but Punk”. Dreamer and Burke were fine seconds here, but the match never got above just ok.

Overall Rating: C-. Not the most thrilling show here, but it does seem that they are building things up for the future. The Fifteen Minutes Of Fame deal should work well and I could see Richards giving Morrison a run for his money. Other than that, there is nothing major going on, but at least they are trying to do something with someone else. It’s not a great show, but at least they are trying to do a few things.

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205 Live
Date: December 24, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

Just in case there are people watching the supplemental show for the minor league brand on Christmas Eve. Last week’s show was one of the rougher watches I’ve had around here and I can only hope that this one is a bit better. Having more people ready for a slightly bigger stage than the Performance Center would help. Let’s get to it.

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

Ivy Nile vs. Fallon Henley

Two weeks in a row for Henley and she gets a rather high energy entrance. Nile throws her down without much trouble to start but gets caught in an armbar. That’s broken up as well so some forearms annoy Nile a bit. A bulldog takes Nile down but she’s fine enough to power her way out of trouble.

There’s a belly to back suplex and a running kick in the corner rocks Henley again. We hit the bearhug on Henley before Nile throws her down. The freedom is enough for Henley to grab a rollup for two and some kicks are good for the same. Nile isn’t having that though and takes her down, setting up the dragon sleeper for the win at 3:14.

Rating: C. Henley got in a good bit before falling here, so they certainly see a little something in her. It is nice to see someone fresh in the division, but this was going to be about Nile getting a nice win. Nile is someone who could become a star in the division in a hurry, and this is the kind of step that she needs to take.

Andre Chase vs. Damon Kemp

The good sized Kemp is making his debut. Chase gets sent into the corner to start before Kemp rides him to the mat without much trouble. Back up and Chase sends him throat first into the ropes to take over, followed by some right hands on the mat. The letter shouting stomps get two and a Russian legsweep is good for the same. We hit the armbar so Kemp can fight up to make the clothesline comeback. Rolling Chaos Theory gives Kemp two but Chase goes for the shoe, setting up the Downward Spiral to finish Kemp at 5:32.

Rating: C-. I wouldn’t have believed it but Chase has managed to turn into something pretty fun with this university stuff. It isn’t something you would expect to pull off but well done for making it something that actually seems to fit. Granted it isn’t going to get much higher, but he’s doing a little something with it. Kemp looks like someone with a good bit of potential based on the amateur stuff alone, though that’s a long term prospect to put it mildly.

Solo Sikoa vs. Ru Feng

They trade shoulders to start and neither can hit a strike to the face. Feng takes him down by the arm for a kick to the back but Sikoa blocks one to the chest. Back up and a running crossbody takes Feng down for two but he’s back up with some more kicks. We hit the chinlock for a bit before they strike it out, with Sikoa getting the better of things. Three straight backsplashes give Sikoa two and it’s a spinning backfist into the Superfly Splash to finish Feng at 4:50.

Rating: C. This was the best, or at least most impressive looking, showing from Feng to date. His kicks were looking like they could do damage and he made Sikoa work for a win. That being said, Sikoa is another guy that seems like he could be a breakout star pretty soon and he is looking a bit further along than some of the other newcomers. Putting him in a match like this gives him some exposure, but I’m not sure how much he is getting out of it.

Overall Rating: C. It was a big upgrade over last week, though part of that is just due to not having a horrible match included. Giving these wrestlers a chance to get in the ring is a good thing, but at some point they need to have more than a four minute match. For now though, this show is a nice addition and something that lets some of these newer wrestlers actually get in front of people. You have to do that somehow, and since house shows are out, this is about as good as we’re getting.

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205 Live
Date: December 17, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s almost the holiday season and the show continues to seem done with the cruiserweight theme. That doesn’t seem to mean much around here, but it means we’re stuck with some less than interesting matches from the NXT undercard. At least the main events tend to go well. Let’s get to it.

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

Lash Legend vs. Sarray

Legend runs her over to start but Sarray bridges out of a cover in a hurry. Back up and Sarry fires off some running forearms until a faceplant cuts her off. An awkward looking elbow gives Lash two and a powerslam is good for the same. Legend misses another elbow though and Sarray fires off more forearms.

They get back up and Sarray charges into….I think it was supposed to be a front facelock but Legend spun her over into what wound up being a bad powerslam instead. Sarray hits a middle rope dropkick for two of her own but misses a running clothesline. They trade rollups with Legend not being able to hook the trunks, allowing Sarray to get the pin at 3:45.

Rating: D-. So word on the street is that this was the worst televised match of the year and had to be heavily edited. That means we were left seeing some bad spots, but egads just how bad could Legend have been otherwise? Legend looked lost out there and probably shouldn’t be on TV, but since NXT doesn’t have live events anymore, this is about as good as it could have been.

Post match, Legend kicks her in the face and hits a faceplant, because the Legend experiment MUST CONTINUE! Legend blames Sarray for what happened to her for lashing out and getting lashed in.

Valentina Feroz/Yulisa Leon vs. Erica Yan/Fallon Henley

Yan headlocks Feroz to start but gets taken over into the same thing. They go into a standoff so Henley comes in for her debut. Leon tags herself in for an assisted hurricanrana and an early near fall, followed by a northern lights suplex for the same. Henley comes back with a clothesline so Yan can come back in. A backbreaker and double shoulder get two and it’s back to Henley for a backsplash. Feroz belly to back suplexes her way to freedom and the double tag brings in Leon to beat up Yan. Everything breaks down and an assisted crossbody finishes Yan at 6:09.

Rating: C-. Nothing much to see here but they made a bit of a deal out of Fallon Henley, who has some potential, but has the issue of being named Fallon Henley. Feroz and Leon are turning into a nice enough midcard team, though I’m not sure how far they are going to go when there isn’t exactly a women’s tag team division in the first place. That being said, this match was far easier to watch than the first so call it an upgrade.

The winners dance and respect is shown.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Ru Feng/Malik Blade

Elektra Lopez is here with Legado. Wilde shoves Blade into the ropes and dances a bit before taking him down by the arm. A hiptoss gets Blade out of trouble though and it’s Feng coming in for an armbar. The wristlock puts Wilde in more trouble but he pulls Feng over for the tag to Mendoza. Feng slams him down for one but gets his throat snapped across the rope.

Legado picks up the pace with the running clotheslines in the corner before a double suplex drops Feng again. The neck crank doesn’t last long so it’s a double basement dropkick to give Mendoza two. We hit the chinlock as the fans are rather behind Legado. Feng fights out of a cobra clutch and backdrops his way over to Blade. House is cleaned for what must be a good four seconds until Blade is rammed into Feng. The Russian legsweep/running big boot combination finishes Blade at 6:13.

Rating: C-. Completely watchable but also skippable tag match here with Legado never once feeling like they were in any jeopardy. That’s how the match should have gone, though Blade is turning into a rather nice hand to have around. Feng continues to just kind of be there, but it isn’t like he has had a chance to do much.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a pretty lame show and it got off to a terrible start with that Legend vs. Sarray match. Other than that, you had two ok at best tag matches and that isn’t much of a use of thirty minutes. The good thing is that this show means so little that it doesn’t exactly matter if the show is bad, but dang this was a pretty dull sit.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: December 27, 2021
Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the final show of the year and that means it’s also the go home show for Day One. There are a few big stories this week, including the renewal of Miz and Maryse’s wedding vows, but we also get to find out how the Coronavirus outbreak has impacted the roster. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is RKBro for a chat. Riddle, in a party hat, talks about how the team had a good year but Randy Orton won’t read a Christmas card. Orton wants to beat Otis right now to make sure he has a good new year, but Riddle wants to look forward to the future. Next year could see them patent Brogurt! Last week Riddle was thinking about the future and thought he turned into a viper but Orton doesn’t want to hear about it.

Instead he asks to see a clip from last week, which has Riddle wondering what Orton means by “production truck”. Anyway, Otis might be non-RKOable, so here is the Alpha Academy for a chat. Chad Gable again brags about his recent Masters degree and doesn’t like that being booed. Riddle tells him to be quiet because Riddle considers himself a man of higher education. That has Orton pleased, as does Riddle wanting to face Gable right now.

Chad Gable vs. Riddle

Gable wrestles him down to start and gets an early near fall as Riddle can’t do much with him. Riddle fights up so Gable takes out the leg by wrapping it around the ropes. Some shots to the leg keep Riddle in trouble, setting up a tiger suplex for two. The ankle lock goes on but Riddle is out in a hurry with a jumping knee to the face. The Floating Bro finishes Gable at 4:09.

Rating: C. This was a showcase for Gable until Riddle hit a few shots for the pin at the end. That’s rather typical of Gable in WWE: he looks good for a bit and then comes up short in the end, despite feeling like a star in the making. I could go for him getting a big win and while that wouldn’t have been the case here, it would have been a nice start.

Otis vs. Randy Orton

We’re joined in progress with Orton not being able to hit the RKO but Otis being able to hit a big splash. A knee drop has Orton in more trouble and another RKO attempt is shoved away. Orton heads outside, where Otis misses a charge into the steps. Back in and the hanging DDT plants Otis but a third RKO attempt is countered into a World’s Strongest Slam. The Vader Bomb misses though and now the RKO can connect to finish Otis at 3:21.

Rating: C. This was starting to go somewhere but they had to go home before it could really go anywhere. The RKO not working on Otis seemed like something that could have lasted for a bit but then Orton just hit the thing to finish him off. Why have an interesting and longer story when you can just not?

Post match Riddle wants to give Orton his present….and we get the big hug. Riddle is thrilled and celebrates as Orton leaves.

We look back at Bobby Lashley wrecking everyone in last week’s tag team main event, only to be laid out by Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens.

Kevin Owens is ready to talk about what happened but we get a message from Big E., who promises to retain the title after getting back to himself. He knows he is worth more and didn’t come this far to just come this far and you have to feel that. Owens says Big E. is wrong and says this is his own story. Everything is coming together and he’ll win the title at Day One. Oh and interviewer Kevin Patrick is now named Bert.

Veer Mahaan is coming. Still.

Dana Brooke/Reggie vs. Tamina/R-Truth

Corey: “R-Truth couldn’t have picked a better partner.” Truth headlocks Reggie to start as Graves rants about Reggie’s red and yellow gear. Tamina comes in and knocks Reggie into the corner, meaning Brooke can come in to strike away. Everything breaks down and Reggie grabs a victory roll on Truth (who gets spiked down hard) for the pin at 2:46.

Post match Tamina goes after Truth but Brooke makes the save.

Nikki Ash is feeling confident and issues the challenge for herself and Rhea Ripley against Queen Zelina and Carmella for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Video on the Paul Heyman/Roman Reigns/Brock Lesnar saga.

RKBronament Finals: Mysterios vs. Street Profits

The winners get the Day One title shot. Ford takes Dominik down with a headscissors but they both nip up in a hurry. Dawkins comes in to run Rey over but everything breaks down. The Profits are sent outside, with the Mysterios hitting a sliding splash/sunset bomb into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Ford missing a splash in the corner so Dominik can hit a flip cutter to put them both down.

The hot tag brings Rey back into beat up Dawkins, including the springboard crossbody. Dawkins elbows him down to break up the 619 so Rey is right back with a tornado DDT for two. The Silencer drops Rey so Ford can hit the Cash Out for two, with Dominik having to make a save. Dominik dives out onto Dawkins and the 619 hits Ford, setting up a frog splash for two. The double 619 only half hits but Rey is sent hard to the floor. That leaves Dominik to get caught in a Doomsday Blockbuster for the pin at 12:58.

Rating: B. These guys got rolling here and it was a pretty awesome match as a result. Dominik still might not be the most interesting character but he can have a fast paced match that gets the crowd going. That’s enough to add to Rey’s legendary status and the Profits’ general awesomeness to make a really solid showing here. One note: Ford has changed his hair and it makes him look a good bit older, which is not a positive.

Video on AJ Styles and Omos.

Miz is NOT happy with the flowers ready for his wedding vow renewal with Maryse. He is however happy with the guest officiant: Eric Bischoff, who promises to make this must see TV.

Here is AJ Styles for a chat and he wants to know where Omos is. He has been around for twenty years and has seen them come and go…but NXT’s Grayson Waller is in the front row, with a sign mocking Styles. AJ has him get in the ring, where Waller says Mondays feel right. Maybe he can take AJ’s spot when Omos is done with him! AJ says let’s get this over with because Waller isn’t a star, but here are Commander Azeez and Apollo Crews. Since Omos isn’t here tonight, AJ can fight Crews’ giant instead.

Carmella accepts the Women’s Tag Team Title shot from Rhea Ripley and Nikki Ash, because that means Ash will have to be involved at some point. Nikki is ALMOST second best or almost a good tag partner, but Carmella and Zelina aren’t ALMOST going to retain their titles. Not a bad promo here.

AJ Styles vs. Apollo Crews

Apparently Crews changed his mind during the break and took Azeez’s place. Sure. Crews snaps him throat first across the top and hits a big backdrop to take over. Styles is sent hard into the corner and Crews pulls him outside for a knee to the ribs. There’s a face first drop onto the apron and we take a break with Styles in big trouble.

Back with Styles fighting out of a chinlock and hitting the Pele kick. Styles charges into a boot in the corner but comes back with a fireman’s carry backbreaker anyway. The Styles Clash is countered into a sitout powerbomb to give Crews two but Styles is back with the moonsault reverse DDT. They head to the apron, where Crews hits a Death Valley Driver to knock Styles silly for two. A superplex is broken up and they go into a pinfall reversal sequence until the Styles Clash finishes Crews at 10:42.

Rating: C+. This was a good performance from Crews and Styles was his usual self, but it doesn’t say much about how the show is set up. They actually changed their minds during a commercial about a match that probably doesn’t mean anything in the long term. Styles as a face again is not a bad thing either, and now I’m curious about what is next for him after Omos.

Post match, Commander Azeez goes after Styles as well but gets taken down.

Seth Rollins, at his home and still in a purple suit, says Kevin Owens can take credit for last week, but Rollins will take the title.

Here is Kevin Owens for a chat. Owens talks about what a great time he has been having lately, from an amazing Christmas with his family to beating Edge in Madison Square Garden this week (don’t bother looking that up and take his word for it). He is the only member of the four way match here tonight and that gives him a huge advantage. Owens loves watching Big E. and Bobby Lashley fight while he and Seth Rollins are like this. He’ll win the title on Saturday, but here is MVP to interrupt.

MVP is looking forward to Bobby Lashley shutting Owens up at Day One, because Lashley has a message for Owens. MVP reads from his phone, but Owens doesn’t think Lashley actually wrote it. Owens tells him to text Lashley that he’s going to win but MVP insults Owens’ mother. Owens: “My mother says I’m special.” Cue the former Hurt Business but MVP doesn’t know why they’re here. They know Lashley can’t win on his own so they’re here to help take Owens out. Owens says let’s get this over with so they can text Lashley about reforming the Hurt Business.

Kevin Owens vs. Cedric Alexander

MVP is on commentary. Owens runs him over to start and hits the fisherman’s buster onto the knee for an early two. They head outside with Owens being sent into the barricade, setting up a springboard Downward Spiral for two back inside. Owens shrugs that off and hits the Pop Up powerbomb, setting up the Stunner to finish Alexander at 3:19.

Rating: C-. Short and to the point here with Owens getting a fine win to give him some momentum going into the title match. Alexander continues to be one of the best hands that doesn’t get a lot of time so it was nice to have him actually get in the ring for a change. That being said, this didn’t need to be a competitive match and it certainly wasn’t, so they did put it together well.

Post match Shelton Benjamin wants to go after Owens but gets Stunned as well.

We recap Damian Priest snapping last week, setting up his US Title defense against Dolph Ziggler.

Damian Priest likes having his violence take over, even if he is facing Dolph Ziggler.

US Title: Damian Priest vs. Dolph Ziggler

Priest is defending after the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Ziggler goes straight for him and gets kicked in the face for his efforts. A few shots stagger Priest but he knocks Ziggler outside. Priest sends him flying into the timekeeper’s area and we take a break. Back with Ziggler hammering away in the corner but Priest fights back and hits a heck of a flapjack. The Broken Arrow gets two but Ziggler is back with a quick DDT. That’s not enough to finish Priest either so Ziggler slaps him in the face. You don’t do that to Priest, who snaps and beats the tar out of Ziggler in the corner for the DQ at 10:25.

Rating: C. The ending hurt this one a good bit and I don’t know how much of a surprise it really was. WWE loves to find a way to extend these feuds that don’t really need to be extended and that was the case again here. The match was fine enough and the ending made sense with Priest’s inner anger coming out, but oh joy, another Ziggler title match.

We recap Edge vs. Miz.

It’s time for Miz and Maryse to renew their wedding vows, with Eric Bischoff (to a VERY strong reaction) officiating. Miz comes to the ring and trips on his way into the ring. Maryse comes out in the wedding dress and they are both rather happy. Well as happy as Miz can be in a place like Detroit. Maryse praises Miz for being a great father and husband before asking if he will continue being her husband. Miz: “Should I?”

Of course he will, and then recites his vows in French. Or at least he tries, because he needs help from Maryse and slips into Spanish. Maryse tells him to just do it in English so he praises her again, including their fireworks inducing lovemaking. She’ll continue to be his wife too, so Bischoff goes to wrap it up. We know how this is going to end though (his words) so here is Edge to interrupt.

Edge talks about how he was getting sick listening to those vows and can’t wait to crush Miz at Day One. Miz calls it true love with Maryse and kisses her, so Edge tells them to get a room. Edge promises to embarrass Miz on Saturday but then starts looking around. Miz isn’t sure what is going on but Edge is just messing with him. Hold on though: they did want this to be a white wedding right? We get the Brood music and there’s the blood (now gray/black) bath to end the show. At least Edge finally got one up on them.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where they had to make do with the resources that they had and it came off fairly well. There is only so much that you can do with a limited roster as you try to build towards the pay per view, but in a way it worked even better than usual. It felt like a show building to something else rather than blowing a lot of stuff off, so nicely done on keeping things open going forward. Not a classic or anything, but it was much better than the recent usual Raws.

Results
Riddle b. Chad Gable – Floating Bro
Randy Orton b. Otis – RKO
Dana Brooke/Reggie b. Tamina/R-Truth – Victory roll to R-Truth
Street Profits b. Mysterios – Doomsday Blockbuster to Dominik
AJ Styles b. Apollo Crews – Styles Clash
Kevin Owens b. Cedric Alexander – Stunner
Dolph Ziggler b. Damian Priest via DQ when Priest attacked in the corner

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

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Smackdown
Date: December 24, 2021
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s Christmas Eve and thankfully we are taped instead of running a live show. We have a stacked card this week too, with a 12 man gauntlet match for to crown a new #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title, along with a showdown for the SmackDown Women’s Title as Charlotte defends against Toni Storm. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last year’s show, with Roman Reigns hugging Paul Heyman, then firing him and laying him out with the Superman Punch. Then it was Brock Lesnar coming out and attacking Reigns to wrap things up.

Earlier today, Kayla Braxton sat down with a disheveled Paul Heyman (he needs to shave) so he can tell his side of the story. What happened was he was publicly fired, publicly attacked and publicly shamed. He told Roman Reigns the truth and he paid the price for it, publicly. Heyman doesn’t regret telling the truth because he was doing his job as special counsel.

Last week, his things had been thrown out of the locker room, but he had done his job. Reigns is the greatest Universal Champion of all time, but he needs to be protected from Brock Lesnar. Maybe now he needs to go to NXT and cherry pick a top talent and start over. But no, not at this stage. He put everything into Roman Reigns, but without him, maybe it’s time to acknowledge that his career is most likely over. Sweet goodness this man is talented.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Toni Storm

Charlotte is defending. They fight over a lockup to start with Storm not being able to get very far. Charlotte kicks her in the ribs but gets crossbodied down for an early one. The champ needs a breather on the floor before coming back in to stomp/chop away in the corner. We hit the figure four necklock for a bit until Charlotte flips her over, setting up the nipup. Back up and Storm scores with a headbutt, only to get kicked out to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Charlotte slapping her in the face and shouting about how much better she is than Storm. That’s enough to get Storm back up, so Charlotte blasts her with a clothesline. Storm finally hits a snap suplex but Charlotte forearms her in the corner. The Downward Spiral into the middle buckle cuts Storm off yet again, setting up the double moonsault for a double two.

Natural Selection is blocked though and Storm hits a quick German suplex. Not that it matters as Charlotte pulls her into the Figure Four (it takes a bit but she gets there), forcing Toni to roll into the ropes for the break. Back up and a big boot sends Storm out to the floor to keep up the near dominance. Some rollups give Storm two but Charlotte reverses into a small package of her own to retain at 14:35.

Rating: B-. Charlotte dominated the majority of the match until it felt like she caught Storm in the end. This was a feud that saw Charlotte get the better of things far more often than not and then beat Storm up in the title match. I’m not sure how this helped Storm in almost any way, but it wasn’t exactly a great look for her. I’m almost scared to see what is next for Charlotte, as she is running out of people to beat.

We look back at Drew McIntyre pulling Angela out of the desk after Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss couldn’t make it work.

Drew McIntyre and New Day are ready for the Usos and Madcap Moss tonight. It might even be time for some SEASONS BEATINGS!

Xia Li doesn’t like women like Natalya, who crush other women’s spirits. Violence/vengeance is promised.

Gauntlet Match

It’s a 12 Days Of Christmas Gauntlet Match with the winner getting an Intercontinental Title shot against Shinsuke Nakamura (ringside with Rick Boogs). Angel is in at #1 and Mansoor is in at #2 with the latter being pulled off the top for an early and nasty crash. An enziguri doesn’t get Mansoor very far as Angel hits the Wing Clipper for the pin at 1:36.

Erik is in at #3 and gets kicked off the apron before the bell. Angel tries a moonsault to the floor but gets pulled out of the air. Erik slams him hard on the floor and we take a break. Back with Erik kneeing him in the face for two but missing the running knees in the corner. Another Wing Clipper ends Erik at 6:59 and it’s Shanky in at #4.

A dropkick has no effect on Shanky, who knocks Angel hard into the corner. Wade Barrett’s old Wasteland ends Angel at 8:31 and it’s Ivar in at #5. A big boot drops Ivar but he’s right back up with some corner clotheslines to put Shanky down for a change. The Viking Splash ends Shanky at 9:51 so here is Sheamus in at #6. Sheamus hammers away but gets punched out to the floor as we take another break. Back again with Sheamus grabbing the chinlock to keep Ivar in trouble. That’s broken up with viking power but Sheamus Brogue Kicks him for the pin at 15:50.

Drew Gulak is in at #7 and gets Brogue Kicked for the pin at 16:31. Cesaro is in at #8 with bad ribs but hits a high crossbody for two anyway. That’s a Regal roll onto the ribs and we hit an armbar of all things to keep Cesaro down. Cesaro fights up but it’s a Ridge Holland distraction so Sheamus can hit another Brogue Kick for the pin at 21:18. Ricochet is in at #9 and kicks Sheamus outside for a heck of a top rope Asai moonsault to send us to another break.

Back again with Sheamus hitting the Irish Curse and grabbing a chinlock. Sheamus powerslams him to cut off a comeback attempt, setting up the ten forearms to the chest. A top rope clothesline misses though and Ricochet grabs a tornado DDT for two more. Ricochet’s Lionsault hits knees so Sheamus grabs a small package for a very near fall. Sheamus gets knocked off the top to set up a standing moonsault for two more. Holland offers another distraction though, allowing Sheamus to knee Ricochet off the apron. Cue Cesaro to take out Holland to distract Sheamus, with Ricochet getting the rollup pin at 30:52.

Humberto is in at #10 but first, Sheamus gets to knock Ricochet silly again. Humberto’s moonsault hits raised knees though and it’s the Recoil for the pin at 32.21. Jinder Mahal is in at #11 and drops Ricochet onto the apron toput him in trouble. The Khallas is countered into a cradle to give rid of Mahal at 33:01 though and it’s Sami Zayn in at #12. We take another break and come back with Sami pounding him in the corner and hitting a clothesline for two.

Sami goes up and talks trash, with the delay being enough for Ricochet to snap off a super hurricanrana for two of his own. Ricochet blocks the Blue Thunder Bomb and hits a crossbody for two more. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Sami a rather near fall but he can’t hit an exploder into the corner. Another attempt does connect but the Helluva Kick is cut off with a superkick. The Benedriller gives Ricochet a very close two so Ricochet heads up top. The shooting star press only hits knees though and it’s a second exploder into the corner. Now Sami can hit the Helluva Kick for the pin and the win at 42:16.

Rating: B-. This was rather long and that’s a good idea on a show like this one. Sami winning wasn’t quite a huge surprise, as he has been quite the focal point of Smackdown for the last few weeks. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him getting the title in the end. Nakamura has done well as champion, but Sami has more of a story going and it would make sense to see him win. The rest of the match had its moments, especially from Ricochet and Sheamus, but a lot of people were in and out without much going on. You have to do something like that in this kind of a match, though it does mean things go rather fast.

We look back at Roman Reigns firing Paul Heyman again.

We get a long, detailed look at Paul Heyman’s career, including a good bit of WCW and ECW footage. After a look at everything that happened to him with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, we wrap it up with the ending of the show’s opening segment, with Heyman saying his career is probably over. This was pretty cool and showed you just how far Heyman has come in his career.

Madcap Moss/Usos vs. Drew McIntyre/New Day

Miracle on 34th Street Fight with Happy Corbin in Moss/Usos’ corner. Woods headlocks Jey to start and then decks him with a forearm. It’s off to Kofi for the slingshot Vader Bomb but he gets taken into the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long though as McIntyre gets the tag so he can hammer on Moss for a bit. Everything breaks down and it’s Corbin coming in with a candy cane kendo stick to drop McIntyre. The other four fight on the stage, with New Day being thrown through boxes and trees.

We take a break and come back with everyone at ringside, including the Usos still using the boxes on New Day. Kofi gets crushed between two trees (Cole: “The old Christmas tree sandwich!”) as Moss stops McIntyre with some raised boots in the corner. McIntyre is back with a suplex as Woods finds a chair in one of the boxes. We go ECW with a Van Daminator to Jimmy but some egg nog seems to slow him down.

That leaves Kofi to Boom Drop Jimmy, followed by a top rope spinning hurricanrana (cool). It’s time to bring in the cookies, which Kofi slams onto the Usos’ heads, because it’s a theme thing. Moss yells at McIntyre so it’s some snap belly to belly suplexes into a neckbreaker for Moss’ troubles. Corbin breaks up the Claymore though so Kofi egg nogs him. McIntyre does the same to Corbin and Moss at the same time, leaving Woods to kick Corbin into the announcers’ table. The Claymore finishes Moss at 12:30.

Rating: C. This is a match where your tolerance for goofy themed comedy will decide everything. Ignoring all that though, this was mainly a not that great six man, with the good guys fighting from underneath to win in the end. That’s not the most thrilling way to wrap it up, but at least McIntyre got to kick Moss in the face. For a fun main event on a less than serious show, not too shabby though.

Post match McIntyre and New Day throw presents into the crowd (McIntyre seems rather proud of one of his throws) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The Heyman stuff was excellent and makes me wonder where the story is going. Throw in a good and rather long gauntlet match, a somewhat depressing Women’s Title match and a fun enough main event and we’ll call this a goodish show. It’s definitely a week that seems like they were taking the night off, but at least they did enough good things to carry us to the last week of the year.

Results
Charlotte b. Toni Storm- Small package
Sami Zayn won a gauntlet match last eliminating Ricochet
New Day/Drew McIntyre b. Madcap Moss/Usos – Claymore to Moss

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 23, 2007
Location: Arco Arena, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the night after the Great American Bash and it wasn’t exactly the most impactful show. John Cena is still the WWE Champion, having retained over Bobby Lashley in a very good match that didn’t quite make it all the way to the next level. Now it is time to get ready for Summerslam and I think you can figure out the main event from here. Let’s get to it.

Here is the Great American Bash if you need a recap.

Jonathan Coachman is in his office and announces that we will be seeing a new #1 contender crowned by the end of the night. Speaking of champions, the main event will be an All Champions match, as John Cena and Candice Michelle face Umaga/Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch. That doesn’t sound fair.

Opening sequence.

We open with a throne and table set up in the ring so here are King Booker and Queen Sharmell. Booker asks Jerome Lawler to get in the ring, where he sits down to a doughnut with a bite taken out of it. Lawler’s mic doesn’t work so Booker mocks the Sacramento Kings for being royalty without winning anything. He has spoken to NBA Commissioner David Stern to rename the team the Sacramento Peasants! Should the players be kings? But more importantly, should HHH be king?

Lawler tries to talk but gets cut off by ALL HAIL KING BOOKER! Lawler says a king is only as good as a kingdom and these people don’t seem to think much of him. Booker: “SILENCE!” Booker is ready to fight so Lawler punches him down and throws the bowl of fruit at him for a bonus. Points for not doing this match in one night as they’re actually setting it up to become something important.

Mickie James/Maria vs. Melina/Beth Phoenix

Santino Marella is on commentary as Beth and Mickie get things going. Beth powers her into the corner to start and it’s off to Melina, who gets hit in the face a few times. Maria comes in and gets taken down into a fast hammerlock. That doesn’t last long either as she forearms her way to freedom and brings Mickie back in to clean house. Mickie’s monkey flip sets up Maria’s high crossbody for two with Phoenix making a save. Santino gets up and trips the villains down, leaving Maria to bulldog Melina for the pin.

Rating: C-. This was more about Maria and Santino getting closer than anything else, which is not the most thrilling story but it’s better than nothing. I can go for a women’s match that has nothing to do with the title for a change and it is nice to see a group of women who can wrestle a nice enough match. Not great, but it did its job well enough.

Post match Santino celebrates with the winners.

Video on John Cena retaining over Bobby Lashley last night.

Gerald Brisco tells Cody Rhodes to be aggressive with Randy Orton tonight. Cue Orton, who says Dusty Rhodes didn’t teach Cody very well. Cody doesn’t like that and says Dusty wasn’t afraid of Orton, who says Cody should be afraid. He’ll let Cody back out tonight but Cody will see him out there.

Snitsky likes to hurt people and doesn’t feel any remorse.

John Cena talks to Todd Grisham about tonight’s main event by telling him to picture Candice Michelle. Cena lists off some impressive things about him and how Michelle would suggest they can, ahem, wrestle together. Then they’re interrupted by a 400lb Samoan and the cast of Brokeback Mountain. Cena: “That’s where I’m living right now.” Grisham: “Why would you do that to me?” On top of that, Cena isn’t worried about who he is defending the title against because he is ready for anyone.

Sandman/Jim Duggan vs. Carlito/William Regal

This feels like a tag match pulled out of a fish bowl and I kind of love it. Regal takes Sandman into the corner to start the beating and hands it off to Carlito for more of the same. That doesn’t last long as Sandman gets over to Duggan to pound on Carlito’s head. Regal offers a distraction though and it’s a quick Backstabber to give Carlito the pin.

Post break Carlito and William Regal brag about their win. Carlito can’t find a trashcan to spit the apple in so he spits it out….and right onto Bobby Lashley. Who I guess he just couldn’t see. Anyway, Carlito runs into the arena and says that wasn’t his fault. Cue Lashley for some violence and destruction.

Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes

Orton headlocks him down but Cody is back up with a dropkick and a slap. A crossbody gives Cody two so Orton kicks him into the corner, only to get sunset flipped for two. That’s a bit too much for Orton, who grabs the backbreaker to take over. Cody fights back again but walks into a dropkick for his efforts. A rollup gives Cody two so Orton clotheslines him hard for daring to try something. Back up and Cody misses something off the top, setting up the RKO to give Orton the pin.

Rating: C. Not too bad for the story they were telling, as Orton knew he wasn’t in danger and toyed with Cody before finishing him off. That’s how this should have gone, as it would have been ridiculous for a rookie to give Orton a serious threat. This should wrap up Orton vs. the Rhodes Family and now he can move on to something bigger.

Post match Orton loads up the Punt so Dusty Rhodes comes out for the save. Orton teases leaving and then Punts Dusty instead, drawing out the annoyed referees.

Post break, Dusty goes out on a stretcher.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Jeff Hardy

Before the match, Kennedy promises to become #1 contender. They lock up to start with Hardy driving him into the corner without much trouble. An armdrag into an armbar keeps Kennedy in early trouble and he misses a dropkick to make it worse. The legdrop between the legs connects and it’s time to trade hammerlocks. Kennedy is sent outside with Hardy hitting a big dive as we take a break. Back with Kennedy hitting an Alabama Slam for two as Hardy seems rocked.

The neckbreaker gives Kennedy two and we hit a cravate to stay on the neck. Jeff fights up and tries the Whisper in the Wind but slips and falls backwards onto his head in a scary landing. Not that it matters as Hardy fights back up and slugs away, setting up the slingshot dropkick in the corner. The Swanton is loaded up so Kennedy rolls outside, allowing Hardy to hit the running clothesline off the barricade. Hardy sends him up to the stage and then sprints back to the ring for the win. It works in Wrestlemania 2000 and No Mercy so it works here too.

Rating: C. This was a good way to get Hardy back on track after his pretty awesome fight against Umaga last night. That’s exactly what he needs to bring him back up a bit, as he could be in for a pretty solid push in the near future. Kennedy doesn’t take a fall either, making this a rather nice way to present both of them.

Commentary gets serious when talking about Randy Orton attacking Dusty Rhodes.

HHH is coming back at Summerslam, complete with the Six Million Dollar Man theme.

Charlie Haas/Shelton Benjamin vs. Paul London/Brian Kendrick

Haas takes London into the corner to start and it’s off to Benjamin for a chinlock. That’s broken up so it’s off to Kendrick, who gets kicked in the head. Now it’s Haas grabbing a chinlock of his own, which is broken up just as fast. London comes back in as everything breaks down but Kendrick misses a dive to the floor. That leaves Benjamin to jump onto London’s back, setting up a German suplex for the pin.

Rating: C+. Believe it or not, two very talented tag teams were able to deliver a good tag match. I could have gone for a good bit more of this as the technical abilities vs. the high flying should have made for a heck of a match. Instead, we got a fun but rushed match as Haas and Benjamin get reheated.

We look at Randy Orton taking out Dusty Rhodes again.

Here are King Booker and Queen Sharmell again. Sharmell talks about how Jerry Lawler took things too far earlier and wouldn’t take Booker’s offer. The challenge is on for next week and Booker promises to end the reign of blasphemy.

Candice Michelle cries to Coach about the main event but Coach doesn’t care.

John Cena/Candice Michelle vs. Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch/Umaga

Non-title and No DQ. Cena goes after the three of them to start until Umaga takes him down and hammers away. Murdoch takes Cena down from behind and hammers away with crossfaces. Umaga powers Cena into the corner but Candice gets chased into the ring. Cade and Murdoch hold her for the running hip attack but here is Jeff Hardy with a chair (including some scary shots to Umaga’s head) so Candice can escape. Cade is sent outside and Murdoch walks into the FU for the pin.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t much more than a way to have Cena out there so we could find out the #1 contender. That being said, it’s also pretty lame to have him go over the three champions, even with Hardy helping. Nothing to the match of course, though Candice did at least look terrified.

Post match Cena celebrates and walks into the RKO as Randy Orton is the next challenger.

Overall Rating: C-. Kind of a weird show as they were so focused on the World Title challenger that nothing else felt important. The Booker vs. Lawler stuff should be good, though that is only going to get you so far. It didn’t help that Orton was the only logical choice for a challenger, leaving really only Lashley as a (distant) secondary option. Not the worst show, but it was a long time to get to a fairly obvious ending.

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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Great American Bash 2007
Date: July 22, 2007
Location: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California
Attendance: 13,034
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s a bit of a weird show as we have the big fight between John Cena and Bobby Lashley for the Raw World Title, but the Smackdown World Title is a little screwy. Edge was forced to vacate the title due to an injury, with Great Khali becoming the new champion via a battle royal. Therefore, it’s Khali defending against Kane and Batista in the big hoss fight. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about how the fireworks will begin before running down the big matches.

US Title: MVP vs. Matt Hardy

MVP is defending and gets driven into the corner for a clean break to start. Hardy already has him bailing out to the floor before it’s time to fight over wrist control back inside. MVP’s wristlock is countered with a roll to the floor, meaning Hardy can score with an over the top dive. Back in and MVP knocks him down again though, setting up a crossarm choke. Hardy fights up again and hits a suplex for two, with MVP bailing to the floor again.

They head back inside, where Matt gets pulled off the ropes for a nasty crash. A fireman’s carry faceplant drops Hardy again but he hits a desperation knockdown. Hardy gets caught on top though and a superplex gives MVP a delayed near fall. A belly to back superplex is countered into a crossbody (or bulldog according to Cole) and Hardy starts slugging away.

Now a middle rope elbow to the back of a standing MVP (again, a bulldog according to Cole, which is close enough this time) gets two and the Side Effect gets the same, with the fans WAY into this. Another Side Effect is countered into a cradle to give MVP two of his own but he misses the running boot in the corner. The Twist of Fate is countered as well though and now the running boot drops Hardy. The Playmaker retains MVP’s title.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but then they were rolling by the end. I’m a bit surprised by the ending as Hardy had been on a roll and they were hyping up his first major singles title win, but maybe they’re saving it for later. Still though, good choice for an opener here and the fans were way into Hardy’s near falls.

Dusty Rhodes is ready for Randy Orton and doesn’t know why everyone is so somber around here. He isn’t laying down for Orton because he isn’t done around here, so it’s time for Orton’s back to crack and liver to quiver. Respect is promised, which sends Dusty into a story about a bull looking down the hill at some cows. Then the bull said moo. As much as I want to mock this for being insane….it’s Dusty.

Cruiserweight Title: Cruiserweight Open

Chavo Guerrero, Jimmy Wang Yang, Shannon Moore, Funaki, Jamie Noble,

Chavo Guerrero is defending in a bonus match and it’s one fall to a finish. Hold on though as here is Hornswoggle to dive across the ring and then hide underneath. Chavo gets jumped to start and sent outside, leaving everyone else to go after each other. Yang and Noble are left alone in the ring until Chavo is back in to rock Yang with a belly to back suplex. Noble powerslams Yang for two but gets sent outside, heaving Chavo to half crab Yang.

Funaki breaks that up with an enziguri as everyone is back in to keep up the brawling. Noble counters Funaki’s tornado DDT into an armbar but Chavo breaks it up again. The Gory Bomb hits Funaki and there are Two Amigos to Yang, with Noble making a save. A big dive takes out Funaki so Moore hits Yang in the head. Yang goes up but gets taken down with the Tower of Doom. With Noble down, Hornswoggle comes back in with a Tadpole Splash for the pin and the title.

Rating: C+. Normally I would get annoyed at a comedy act winning the title, but the thing has been so worthless for such a long time now that this is almost an upgrade. WWE does not care about the title so just let them move along to something else. The action was rather fast paced as it should be in this case, but the ending is all that matters here. Somehow it might be an upgrade, which should tell you everything you need to know about the cruiserweight division at the moment.

Hornswoggle goes back underneath the ring and then runs up the ramp to escape the angry mob.

Video on Bobby Lashley’s rise to the top of the company.

Sandman vs. Carlito

Singapore cane on a pole. Carlito spits at Sandman to get the chase going before the match, because ticking off Sandman is a good idea. After a lockup, they both go after the cane because that’s kind of the point. A hammerlock of all things has Carlito down so Sandman goes for the cane but has to backdrop Carlito outside.

Back in and Carlito hammers away a bit, setting up a dropkick to put Sandman down for a change. It’s too early for Carlito to get the cane so he tries again, with Sandman pulling him down this time. Carlito’s springboard back elbow is blocked so Sandman gets the cane, only to get caught in the Backstabber to give Carlito the pin.

Rating: D. So not only did they have a bad match, but then the whole point of the thing wound up being a big waste of time. This was one of the weaker things on a WWE pay per view in a long time now and it isn’t even like it was there to let fans come down from something else. Bad stuff here, and not the best sign for Sandman’s future.

Randy Orton isn’t happy that he has to face Dusty Rhodes, who is going to get hurt like Shawn Michaels.

Women’s Title: Melina vs. Candice Michelle

Michelle is defending and gets taken down by an armbar to start. That’s broken up so Michelle goes with a headlock takeover, setting up a bridge into a backslide to give Melina two. A running Blockbuster drops Melina as they’re going with more wrestling this time. Melina catches her in the corner with the middle rope knees to the ribs, setting up the screaming. JR: “Melina with the guttural passion!” Lawler: “WHAT???”

The double arm crank doesn’t last long for Melina as Candice fights up to start the comeback. A high crossbody gets two but Melina grabs a neckbreaker (into the splits) for the same. Candice is right back with a jawbreaker into a standing bulldog (the Candy Wrapper) to retain.

Rating: C. It wasn’t the best match, but Candice is getting better and better in the ring every week. You can see the change in quality over the last few months and that is a great thing to see. The matches still aren’t great, but I can always go for people trying to get better and actually making it happen.

Wrestlemania is in Orlando.

Matt Hardy gives Jeff Hardy a pep talk before his Intercontinental Title match. Then Candice Michelle shows up and pours water over herself as special music plays. The Hardys are impressed, setting up the Ron Simmons cameo.

Intercontinental Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga

Umaga is defending and wastes no time in knocking Hardy outside. Hardy gets sent into the apron but comes back with the jawbreaker inside. Not that it matters as Umaga plants him with a Samoan drop, setting up a rather large legdrop. Some hard whips into the corner bang up Hardy’s back so we hit the logical nerve hold. Hardy fights up but gets pulled down by the head, meaning the hold can go on again.

Another escape goes a bit faster so Umaga takes him down again, setting up some springboard seated sentons to the chest. The swinging Rock Bottom gets two and dang the crowd reacts to the kickout. Umaga misses a middle rope headbutt though and Hardy knocks him outside. There’s the first dive, setting up the basement dropkick for two back inside. The Twist of Fate into the Swanton gets a delayed two but Umaga superkicks him into the corner. The running hip attack sets up the Samoan Spike to retain the title.

Rating: B-. This was right in Hardy’s wheelhouse: fighting a match where he gets beaten into oblivion for a long time and then comes back to nearly win in the end. There are very few people who can make the fans believe in him like Hardy can and it was on full display here. Heck of a performance and I could see this one getting a rematch.

Video on John Cena’s rise to the top of WWE to become WWE Champion.

ECW World Title: John Morrison vs. CM Punk

Morrison is defending after switching from Johnny Nitro to Morrison earlier this week. They go to the mat to start with Punk working on a hammerlock. That’s switched into a headlock to keep Morrison in trouble before Punk hits a slingshot suplex for two. A monkey flip sends Morrison onto his face and then out to the floor for a breather. Punk follows, only to be dropped face first onto the steps.

Back in and Punk is fine enough to try the GTS but Morrison slips out and kicks him in the face. A belly to back faceplant gives Morrison two and it’s time to stomp away. Punk is back with his own strikes though, including a discus lariat into a flapjack for two. An exchange of rollups get two each before Punk opts to kick him in the head instead. The corner knee looks to set up the bulldog but Morrison bails to the floor. Punk throws him back in and loads up the springboard clothesline but gets kneed/kicked out of the air to retain Morrison’s title.

Rating: C. This was a quick one and the ending was rather sudden. It wouldn’t surprise me if this was clipped a bit as they seemed to be getting started when they wrapped up. Punk losing another match to Morrison is a little weird, but they’re making Morrison seem like a bigger deal as champion. The problem is he doesn’t have many serious challengers so odds are we’ll be seeing a rematch between these two soon.

We recap Dusty Rhodes vs. Randy Orton in a Texas Bullrope match. Orton doesn’t like Dusty’s son Cody and slapped both of them. Throw in Dusty being a legend and the violence is out of Orton’s hands. The classic clips and promos here are good enough to make this worth a look.

Randy Orton vs. Dusty Rhodes

Texas Bullrope match, but with pin/submission rules. Orton stalls before being tied to the rope (as expected) and then does it again for a bonus. The third attempt finally works and it’s Orton missing an early swing. Instead, Dusty crotches Orton with the rope and then uses it to pull him hard into the post. Orton’s attempt to get out is cut off with another hard pull on the rope but he comes back with some bell shots to the knee.

We hit the chinlock, with the rope being wrapped around Dusty’s face to make it worse. Dusty starts reaching out to the fans to power him up though and Orton gets driven into the corner. That doesn’t seem to matter as Orton pounds away, only to get elbowed in the head. The big elbow misses though and Orton hits him in the head with the bell for the win.

Rating: C-. This was as good as it was going to get, as Dusty was retired from wrestling at this level and there was no way he was going to beat the biggest heel on Raw. It was nice to see Dusty get that one last entrance for his signature match and he even got to do some of his stuff, making this more of a tribute than anything else. This would be Dusty’s last match, at least on any kind of a big stage.

Post match Orton loads up the Punt but Cody Rhodes runs in for the save.

We recap the triple threat for the Smackdown World Title. Great Khali won the vacant title on Smackdown (as Edge was injured, again) and then interrupted a #1 contenders match between Kane and Batista setting up the triple threat.

Smackdown World Title: Batista vs. Great Khali vs. Kane

Khali is defending and holds the title upside down again. Batista and Khali get knocked down at the same time to start and some individual clotheslines do it again. Something like a spinwheel kick drops Batista again and we’re already in the nerve hold. Kane makes the save so Khali nerve holds him instead. Batista’s save earns him a chokeslam, followed by a second to Kane.

They head outside with some double teaming working a bit better, including a posting to rock Khali. A double chokeslam/spinebuster puts Khali through the announcers’ table and it’s down to the two normal sized monsters. Back in and Batista hits a powerslam for two but Kane drops him again. Khali comes back in and gets chokeslammed (work with me here) but Batista clotheslines Kane to the floor. With Khali on the floor, the Batista Bomb plants Kane, with Khali making a fast(ish) save. Batista is sent into the steps and it’s the chokebomb to Kane to retain the title.

Rating: C. Another match where they were smart to keep it short, but what mattered here was managing to have Khali outside or at least limited for most of the time. Kane and Batista did their power match stuff and Khali came in when he needed to, making this about as good as it could have been. Khali isn’t very good, but there are ways to hide that to a certain extent.

Khali manages to hold the title the right way up!

HHH is coming back at Summerslam.

Here are King Booker and Queen Sharmell for a chat. Booker isn’t pleased with this HHH nonsense because he is the one king around here. That brings him to Jerome Lawler, who Booker wants in the ring to surrender his crown. Lawler tells him to come take it, which Booker calls an act of treason. I guess we’ll deal with that later though.

We recap John Cena vs. Bobby Lashley for the Raw World Title. Various stars and legends give their picks because this is presented as a dream match. Cena has been champion for a long time but Lashley is the young up and comer who seems ready to win the title. Showdown abounds.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Bobby Lashley

Cena is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. They go with the big power lockup to start and Cena is driven into the corner for a rare visual. The test of strength has Cena down but he fights back up as they’re channeling a bit of Warrior vs. Hogan here. Lashley wrestles him down a few times so Cena tries a headlock. With that not working, the threat of the STF sends Lashley bailing to the floor for a breather.

Back in and Cena scores with the bulldog, setting up an elbow drop for two. The fisherman’s suplex gives Cena the same but Lashley is back with a t-bone suplex. Back up and Lashley hits a side slam for two and we hit the somewhat delayed suplex for the same. A quick Throwback gets Cena out of trouble and the top rope Fameasser rocks Lashley again. Back up and Lashley lifts him up for something like a gutbuster onto the shoulder, setting up a bodyscissors to stay on the ribs.

Commentary can’t remember Cena ever wrestling a challenger with this kind of amateur abilities as Cena fights up and hits the ProtoBomb. The Shuffle connects but Lashley grabs a powerslam for another near fall. The torture rack dropped into a backbreaker looks to set up the running powerslam but Cena slips out and hits an FU. That’s good for a very delayed two and Cena charges into an elbow in the corner.

The spear is countered into the STFU in the middle of the ring (JR is having a blast calling this) but Lashley powers over to the ropes. Lashley pops up with a spear for two so he loads Cena up top, only to get reversed into a super FU (with Cena staying on top instead of going down with him) to retain the title.

Rating: B. It was a big match and a heck of a showdown, though it didn’t quite make it to the next level. What mattered here is they felt like it was a dream match, though Cena just winning again in the end was kind of a letdown. They didn’t need to change the title here, but it never became epic. Instead, we just have a rather good match and a B level pay per view main event.

Replays and respect are shown to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: B-. The show delivered and possibly even over delivered, but this did feel like a middle of the road level pay per view. There were some good (but not great) matches and that’s enough for a show like the Great American Bash. That being said, this is more about a stepping stone on the way to Summerslam for the huge show, but we got something solid enough here too.

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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NXT
Date: December 21, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We’re coming up on the end of the year and that means New Year’s Evil is on the way soon. That means we will be seeing Bron Breakker vs. Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Title. The match seemed to be set up last week and now we should be ready for the showdown pretty soon. Oh and AJ Styles is here too so let’s get to it.

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

Here is NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa to get things going. He knows that the title means that people are coming for you and that includes Bron Breakker. Last week he laid Breakker out and now it is time for Breakker to come out here and do something about it. Cue Breakker, but Ciampa cuts him off, saying Breakker is getting another shot when most people never get one.

At Halloween Havoc, Ciampa showed the flaws in Breakker, who is not ready to be a champion around here. He won’t be like Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor or Tommaso Ciampa. All it took was one mistake for Breakker to lose, so now he knows what is coming at New Year’s Evil. Then he’ll win the title and take it home to his family, where everyone can bark about how happy they are. Ciampa slaps him in the face and gets lifted in the air, only to be sat back down. Breakker says the blood is in the water and the shark is coming for him.

Grayson Waller says he has no respect towards AJ Styles, but he’s hanging on like Johnny Gargano. Styles has been around for years and has money, so get a hair cut! His hair looks the same as Waller’s mom’s!

Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai start their street fight backstage. Gonzalez doesn’t like Kai trying to jump her from behind so they throw each other into various things. Kai’s ribs are crushed with a big piece of metal grating and Gonzalez hits her with a bunch of things. An anvil case doesn’t work though and Kai gets in some trashcan shots. With Gonzalez down, Kai sets up a table but takes too much time and gets taken down by a metal cart. They fight out into the parking lot and we take a break. Back with the fight at ringside and the bell has officially rung.

Raquel Gonzalez vs. Dakota Kai

Street fight and we start with Kai taking the top of the announcers’ table to the face. Kai gets in a shot of her own though and it’s time for a table, because we can’t go through a fight without one. They get inside, where Kai is dropped onto a chair. A charge is reversed into a powerbomb, which is reversed into a hurricanrana to the floor. Kai puts Gonzalez in a trashcan and double stomps her from the apron for the big crash. Gonzalez is fine enough to hit a powerbomb onto the steps, with the fans wanting one more. Instead they head back inside with Gonzalez powerbombing her onto the trashcan for the pin at 5:44 shown.

Rating: B-. This is a tricky one as the match itself wasn’t much, but the whole thing went for the better part of fifteen minutes. They beat each other up rather well, though I’m a good bit burned out on these fights and brawls. The story calls for it well enough, but we just had a No Holds Barred match last week. Space these things out a bit.

Post match, Gonzalez calls out Mandy Rose for her title match right now.

After a break, Tony D’Angelo talks about taking Pete Dunne’s mouthpiece at WarGames. He’ll see Dunne tonight.

Back in the ring, Gonzalez is still calling out Rose but gets Cora Jade instead. Jade wants to face Rose too but that isn’t going to happen with the title on the line. Gonzalez is ready to take Jade out for the title match if she has to, but Rose pops up on screen. She’ll put the title on the line in a triple threat at New Year’s Evil, but for now, enjoy your beating. Cue Toxic Attraction to lay out Gonzalez and Jade, with Gonzalez being sent through the table in the corner.

Joe Gacy and Harland want to apologize for nearly killing Brian Kendrick last week. They can’t apologize though, because Kendrick triggered Harland by calling him a freak.

The Grizzled Young Veterans aren’t scared of the Creed Brothers, no matter how many awesome training videos they post.

Persia Pirotta tells Indi Hartwell that their match has been canceled. Grayson Waller comes in to mock them and say he isn’t worried about AJ Styles being here tonight. He already got rid of Johnny Gargano.

Creed Brothers vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Gibson jumps over Julius to start and gets dropped into an armdrag. It’s off to Brutus, who gets slammed onto Gibson to keep him in trouble. Back up and Gibson is sent into the corner, where Drake breaks off the impact. That means Brutus can get caught in the wrong corner so the Veterans can take turns getting in some cheap shots to take over. Brutus gets kicked in the back and knocked outside, setting up the backbreaker/elbow to the chest combination.

Hold on though as here is Jacket Time with their own announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Jacket offering Japanese commentary as Drake chinlocks Brutus. That’s broken up and Brutus gets over to Julius for the hot tag. House is cleaned in a hurry and everyone heads outside. They try to put each other through Jacket Time’s table but a big brawl breaks out for the no contest at 10:41.

Rating: C-. They were having a match but there was too much stuff going on and it all seems to be setting up a big multi team match soon. Maybe they can even make it a ladder match, as we haven’t had one in a few weeks. Anyway, you can only do so much with a match focusing on extra commentary and then a big messy finish, which was certainly the problem here.

Post match the brawl continues, with Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs joining in.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes are ready for Dexter Lumis, who pops up on a screen to scare them.

Io Shirai and Zoey Stark are working on rehabbing Stark’s knee. Legado del Fantasma comes in but the women aren’t scared.

Trick Williams vs. Dexter Lumis

Carmelo Hayes is here and Roderick Strong is watching from the balcony too. Lumis isn’t playing this time and takes Williams down to hammer away at the head. The neck crank goes on but Williams fights up, only to get caught in the ring skirt. Lumis hits a superkick as Strong brawls Hayes to the back. The distraction lets Hayes get in a few slams and a chinlock to keep Lumis down. Lumis fights up and hits a Russian legsweep, setting up the jumping legdrop. Williams grabs his shoe but gets taken into the Silence to give Lumis the win at 5:37.

Rating: C-. This is a feud that just keeps going with Lumis continuing to not be the most inspiring guy in the world. Hayes and Williams haven’t been able to do much to him but Hayes is more worried about Strong anyway. Another match that wasn’t too bad, but the story isn’t interesting enough to make up for the just ok action.

Post match here is Grayson Waller to chair Lumis down but we cut to AJ Styles arriving.

Video on Pete Dunne.

Back in the ring, Grayson Waller promises to say you’re welcome when he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame. Cue AJ Styles, who isn’t all that impressed. Styles has heard about the things Waller has been doing but doesn’t think much of him. Waller thinks AJ is here because he lost his meal ticket and needs something to make up for it.

AJ laughs it off and talks about how much Waller rips him off, even down to the gloves. There is talent in NXT, but the jury is still out on Waller, who would rather look good than be a star. Waller says he has gotten a Hall of Famer down here so AJ is ready to fight. Waller has had a good few weeks, but try having a good twenty years. Waller teases fighting but walks away instead, saying Omos can beat up Styles first.

Diamond Mine issues the challenge: Carmelo Hayes vs. Roderick Strong, title for title.

We recap Riddle as MSK’s shaman.

Riddle gives MSK Randy Orton hats and wants them to challenge Imperium next week, with him in their corner. They they all get hit by cars. MSK wakes up and it was all a dream, but they still have their hats. Then Riddle gets off a bus and they’re still calling out Imperium next week.

Von Wagner vs. Edris Enofe

Robert Stone comes out to watch as Wagner cleans house to start. Enofe gets punched down but comes back with a sunset flip for the upset pin at 57 seconds.

Post match Wagner destroys Enofe.

Imperium is ready for MSK.

Xyon Quin is still following Legado del Fantasma.

NXT has been doing stuff with children’s charities.

Io Shirai vs. Elektra Lopez

Lopez powers her into the corner to start and gets a takedown, followed by a hard spinebuster. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Shirai fights up and kicks Lopez down. There’s a missile dropkick to send Lopez into the corner for the running knees. The moonsault is broken up to put them both down but here is Xyon Quin to go after Legado del Fantasma. He pulls out some mistletoe and gets on the apron, which gets Lopez’s attention. Santos Escobar breaks that up though, allowing Shirai to knock Lopez down and hit the moonsault for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C. The Quin/Lopez deal continues and I’m not sure where it is going. That’s a good feeling to have and it is one of the few occasions where it applies around here. Shirai didn’t quite struggle here, but she isn’t quite the ace that she used to be. At least she won here though and we have something for Lopez going forward.

Carmelo Hayes is in for the title vs. title match.

Brian Kendrick says he’s coming back to the ring to face Harland next week.

Pete Dunne vs. Tony D’Angelo

Dunne takes him down early but misses the stomp to the arm. Back up and they run the ropes until D’Angelo grabs something like a release t-bone suplex, with Dunne landing HARD on his head. Another suplex drops Dunne again but he escapes a third one to knock D’Angelo outside.

We take a break and come back with D’Angelo stomping away even more. Dunne grabs the hand to set up a triangle but gets suplexes down again. Dunne is suplexed into the corner but manages to avoid a charge. Some running shots to the face give Dunne two and it’s time to slug it out.

A big kick to the head gives Dunne two but the X Plex is countered into a Falcon Arrow. With that not working, D’Angelo grabs his crowbar but gets pulled down into an armbar. Dunne is sent into the corner for the counter and loads up the fisherman’s neckbreaker, only to have Dunne go for the fingers. The Bitter End finishes D’Angelo at 12:47.

Rating: C+. Those suplexes are going to be the memorable part here as D’Angelo needs to work on not dropping people on their heads. They were terrifying and there is no need to have Dunne bouncing onto his head like that, and certainly not multiple times. I’m also glad that Dunne won, as the youth movement can only get you so far and D’Angelo beating Dunne would have been too much to take.

Post match D’Angelo jumps Dunne again and breaks his hand with the crowbar to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling was a bit better this week and Grayson Waller wasn’t quite as all over the show as he was before. They also beefed up the New Year’s Evil card and the show is looking good. It helps a lot to have a show to build towards and New Year’s Evil fills the role. There are still a lot of bad or just dumb things around here but at least the top of the card is starting to come together. Just fix some of those problems and this show jumps up in a hurry, but I wouldn’t bet on those happening anytime soon.

Results
Raquel Gonzalez b. Dakota Kai – Powerbomb onto a trashcan
Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Creed Brothers went to a no contest when both teams brawled with Jacket Time
Dexter Lumis b. Trick Williams – Silence
Edris Enofe b. Von Wagner – Sunset flip
Io Shirai b. Elektra Lopez – Moonsault
Pete Dunne b. Tony D’Angelo – Bitter End

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.