Smackdown
Date: March 10, 2023
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are just over three weeks away from Wrestlemania and the biggest development coming into this show was Jey Uso rejoining the Bloodline by taking out Sami Zayn. That seems to be the step that we have been waiting for on the way to whatever the Usos and Zayn are going to be doing at Wrestlemania so we might see something big tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Jey rejoining his brother Jimmy on Smackdown in a great turn. Cody Rhodes made the save to tie it into the World Title situation.

The Usos arrive and are greeted by Paul Heyman. Jey asks where Roman Reigns is but Heyman hugs him. Jey says let Reigns know he’s here so Heyman goes to find him. When asked why he turned on Sami Zayn, Jey says he’ll make it clear tonight. Jimmy says Cody Rhodes needs to stay out of the Bloodline’s business.

Opening sequence.

Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus vs. LA Knight vs. Xavier Woods vs. Karrion Kross

The winner gets Gunther for the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania and only Scarlett is here as a second. Sheamus and McIntyre clear the ring to start and bicker at each other, only to get jumped from behind. We take a break and come back with the brawl on the floor and Kross/Knight double teaming McIntyre down. Sheamus is back up with a top rope clothesline. Knight neckbreakers Sheamus down, with Kross letting go of his half crab on McIntyre for the save.

Woods is back up and takes out Knight with a fireman’s carry gutbuster. The Limit Breaker gets two with everyone else breaking it up. Cue Imperium to watch as we take a break. Back with McIntyre doing his situp in the corner to superplex Kross and McIntyre down for the big crash. McIntyre gets to clean house but Knight takes him down.

Sheamus is back up with the forearms to Kross and Knight but McIntyre breaks up the Brogue Kick. McIntyre and Sheamus have the staredown but Sheamus has to Brogue Kick Woods out of the air. The Claymore hits Knight and Sheamus and McIntyre get a double pin at 17:32.

Rating: B-. The match got some time and the ending probably sets up a triple threat, which is more interesting than Sheamus vs. Gunther again. I could go for McIntyre vs. Gunther in a singles match, but this should make for a heck of a fight. Gunther is on a record setting title reign and having him face two former World Champions at Wrestlemania sounds like a worthy challenge.

Paul Heyman, looking distracted, talks about how Roman Reigns has been champion for almost 1000 days and the two of them have managed to outsmart everyone. They have done it by getting inside everyone’s heads but now there is Cody Rhodes as a stylistic nightmare for them. Should they go after him like gangsters like they have done before? The smart thing is to go after him with the truth and weigh his mind down. He’s going to walk into Wrestlemania as a defeated man and that is why Reigns will retain.

The first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame (it took long enough): Rey Mysterio. I didn’t have that one coming but yeah that’s a headliner.

Here is Rey Mysterio to talk about his induction but Dominik Mysterio and the Judgment Day interrupts. Dominik talks about how much time Rey sacrificed with him for the sake of his career. Cue Legado del Fantasma, with Santos Escobar saying they have a match scheduled for later but let’s do it right now.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Judgment Day

Joined in progress with Balor hitting a basement dropkick on Del Toro. Priest comes in to stomp away in the corner, followed by the jumping elbow to the face. Del Toro manages a quick hurricanrana so Escobar can come in for some running knees to Balor in the corner. Legado takes turns with some running corner clotheslines but Priest runs Del Toro over. The toss suplex sets up Dominik’s slingshot hilo and we take a break with Legado in trouble.

Back with Escobar making a comeback and handing it off to Del Toro for the springboard crossbody. A standing C4 gets two on Dominik and a rope walk dropkick sends Priest outside. Everything breaks down and the double dives take out Judgment Day. Vega’s hurricanrana off the steps is pulled out of the air and Rhea Ripley throws her into Legado. Dominik takes out Rey and Priest hits a basement superkick to give Dominik the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C+. This got going and turned into a fast paced six man tag, with judgment Day beating the team that has barely been a team for the last month or so. Escobar has mainly been a solo act but having his friends with him is not a bad thing. Good, fun match here and I can always go for a nice six man.

Post match Dominik asks to talk to Rey man to man, even asking Judgment Day to leave him alone. Dominik says the only Hall of Fame Rey belong in is the one for deadbeat dads. He should have been Eddie’s son and knocks Rey down, but Rey ducks a charge to send Dominik outside. Dominik screams at Rey to fight him but Rey still says no. Legado comes in to calm Rey down. This match is actually going to feel big when we get there.

Adam Pearce runs into Charlotte in the back and wants a match, any match, tonight. He’ll see what he can do.

Ricochet/Braun Strowman vs. Viking Raiders

Ricochet takes Erik down to start but Ivar comes in to hit him in the face. It’s off to Strowman, who LAUNCHES Ricochet over the top onto both Vikings as we take a break. Back with Ricochet getting his neck cranked and getting punched down for daring a comeback. Ivar distracts Strowman so Erik can drive him off the apron as the dominance is on.

Ricochet fights back and rolls Erik up for two, only to get caught in a good looking sitout powerbomb for two more. A springboard moonsault press drops Erik as Strowman is getting back up to the apron to take the tag. Strowman gets to clean house and Ricochet kicks Ivar down. Valhalla offers a distraction though and the 450 misses. Ivar kicks Ricochet in the face and hits a top rope splash for the pin at 10:55.

Rating: C. The ending had me a bit scared as I was wondering if Valhalla was going to do some weird supernatural stuff but thankfully they didn’t go that way. The Vikings are a team who keeps getting started and stopped and right now seems to be the former. Maybe they can put something together, as there is value in having a pair of monsters like this in any tag division.

Gunther asks Adam Pearce about the Intercontinental Title match and is told there will be potential challengers. That’s not cool with Gunther, but Pearce makes Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre next week for the title shot at Wrestlemania.

Charlotte vs. Shotzi

Non-title and Charlotte runs her over to start. Shotzi grabs a rollup for two but gets waistlocked down. Cue Rhea Ripley for a distraction but Charlotte grabs a suplex anyway. We take a break and come back with Charlotte booting her off the apron. Charlotte gets driven into the apron but is fine enough to cut off a dive attempt. A fall away slam sends Shotzi flying and the spear sets up the Figure Eight to finish Shotzi at 8:22.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a workout for Charlotte, who ran over Shotzi without much trouble, even with Ripley there for the distraction. Charlotte needs a few wins of her own to keep up with Ripley, who is on a roll at the moment. This helped make Charlotte look like a killer, which she hasn’t been in recent weeks.

Post match Ripley gets in the ring and says that she can see why she chose to face Charlotte at Wrestlemania. She can see all of those insecurities and now she is going to take Charlotte’s title. Charlotte says that she has improved every day and can outwork anyone, male or female. Ripley can rip apart anyone, except for her.

Here are the Usos for their big speech. Jimmy talks about the team being back together and Jey says let’s flip roles for a bit. If your family is in trouble, you’re going to take their side and help them out. If they need a ride to work or their power is about to be shut off, you’re going to help them.

Jimmy is his twin and his blood and of course he helped his brother out. The only person Jey blames is Sami Zayn because the reality is, Sami is selfish. All Zayn had to do was fall in line but he isn’t blood and never will be. The only problem left is Cody Rhodes….and here he is to interrupt.

Cody says if you’re going to say his name, say it straight to him. He doesn’t answer to Reigns but rather the people….and here is Sami Zayn to jump the Usos. The big brawl is on and they head into the crowd until it’s back to ringside. Sami and Cody clear the ring to end the show. That was a hot segment but I’m not sure I can imagine Cody/Sami vs. the Usos, as that feels pay per view worthy rather than TV.

Overall Rating: B-. This was another show where they were mainly building up things already set, or all but set, for Wrestlemania. The Usos’ reunion didn’t mean much but at least they were on the show and confirmed Jey’s status. Next week’s #1 contenders match should be good and we took a big step towards the battle of the Mysterios. It was another show that felt like it had a big to do list and checked off one item at a time. Good show here, as Wrestlemania is getting a proper build instead of the rush jobs that we have seemed to get in recent years.

Results
Sheamus and Drew McIntyre b. Xavier Woods, Karrion Kross and LA Knight – Double pin
Judgment Day b. Legado del Fantasma – Superkick to Del Toro
Viking Raiders b. Ricochet/Braun Strowman – Top rope splash to Ricochet
Charlotte b. Shotzi – Figure Eight

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: October 14, 2022
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re on the road to Crown Jewel but this is going to be the Bray Wyatt Show. After not appearing on Monday Night Raw Wyatt is advertised for this week’s show, meaning we might get an idea of what the new version will be like. Other than that, we find out the new #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title so let’s get to it.

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

We open with Scarlett and Karrion Kross having been in a car wreck outside the arena and barely able to walk. Drew McIntyre runs up and jumps Kross, ramming him into the side of a truck over and over, with the trunk being dented. The door is slammed on Kross and referees break it up, with McIntyre shouting that this is just the beginning. Major points for starting with something different for a change.

Opening sequence.

Kofi Kingston vs. Sami Zayn

Before the match, New Day talks about the Usos challenging their Tag Team Title reign. We cut to the back where Jey Uso isn’t happy with Sami Zayn. The phone rings and it’s Roman Reigns, who seems happy with Sami but not happy with Jey. Rather than fighting though, Jey goes along with whatever Reigns (who we can’t hear) is saying. As for the match, Kofi sends him outside to start and we take a break less than a minute in.

Back with Sami hitting a suplex and adding a running Umaga attack in the corner. Sami goes up top, only to be dropkicked out of the air for a big crash. Kofi seems to try a hurricanrana out of the corner but they mistime something, with Sami managing to turn it into a rollup (that was a sweet save and it could have been WAY worse). Sami knocks him off the top and out tot he floor as we take a break.

Back with Sami being sent outside for a change so Kofi can hit a dive. Jimmy Uso drops Woods with a heck of a superkick on the floor, allowing Sami to hit the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Kofi flips out of a suplex and rolls him up, only to have Jey make the reversal and Sami gets the pin at 14:50.

Rating: B. These two are both better known for their out of the ring antics (or at least well known for them) and I think people forget just how good they are once the bell rings. Kofi vs. Sami is a match that could work well under almost any circumstances because they’re both so talented at what they do. Jey biting the bullet and helping Sami win should calm things down for the time being, but that explosion is coming one day.

HHH is here when Rey Mysterio comes up to him. Rey talks about how bad things are going with Dominik on Monday Night Raw. He doesn’t see a way forward….so he quits. HHH says hang on a second and asks to talk about this in his office.

NXT’s Roxanne Perez is here with Shotzi to pick Cora Jade’s opponent for next week’s NXT. She picks Raquel Rodriguez, but Damage Ctrl comes in. Bayley says she should be the pick, but instead, we’ll have a six woman tag tonight.

Braun Strowman vs. James Maverick/Brian Thomas

The destruction is on but Omos and MVP come through the crowd for a distraction. Strowman doesn’t mind and it’s the powerslam into a powerbomb for the double stack pin at 1:57.

Post match MVP mocks the idea of Strowman being the monster among monsters. Next to Omos, Strowman looks normal. Strowman calls Omos to the ring but MVP seems to think we’ll do this later.

Jey Uso wants Sami Zayn to thank him for that out there but neither Sami nor Solo Sikoa saw it. Sami is happy that Solo is following in his footsteps.

Mansoor vs. LA Knight

Mace and Maxxine Dupri are here too. Knight backdrops him to start and hits a running clothesline to the floor. Mace offers a distraction though, allowing Mansoor to get in a cheap shot. A DDT drops Knight but he’s right back with a jumping neckbreaker. The slingshot shoulder drops Mansoor and BFT (Blunt Force Trauma) gives Knight the pin at 2:52. Knight looked just fine here as usual, making me wonder why they bothered with the Dupri stuff in the first place. I mean ok so the answer is “Vince” but it’s still an odd choice.

Post match Knight mocks the fans for cheering him and puts the locker room on notice. It’s his game so everyone can line up to get their ticket punched.

We look back at Bray Wyatt’s Extreme Rules return.

Damage Ctrl vs. Raquel Rodriguez/Roxanne Perez/Shotzi

Perez and Kai start things off with Perez managing to hit a headscissors. Sky comes in and takes Perez into the corner. That’s broken up and Perez sends her outside for a suicide dive. Back in and it’s off to Shotzi to knock Sky to the floor. Back in and Shotzi gets caught in the wrong corner, only to come back out to send Kai face first into the apron.

The hot tag brings in Rodriguez to clean house, including loading up a powerbomb to Kai on the floor. Sky breaks that up with an Asai moonsault, leaving Shotzi to hit a big dive. Back in and the Bayley to Belly gets two on Perez, leaving Bayley stunned. Bayley goes up top but gets super hurricanranaed right back down. The Rose Plant is countered into a rollup which is countered into a crucifix to give Bayley the pin at 6:42.

Rating: C+. This was all about showcasing Perez and she nailed her part out there. That sequence at the end with Bayley saw her going move for move with an established veteran and I think WWE knows they have something special with her. The other four more or less vanished near the end and let Bayley vs. Perez go, which wound up being great.

We look back at Ronda Rousey taking the Smackdown Women’s Title from Liv Morgan.

The Viking Raiders are coming back.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Hit Row

Santos Escobar/Zelina Vega/B Fab are here too. Hit Row starts the fight in the aisle until Top Dolla throws Cruz del Toro inside for a dancing jumping elbow. Santos Escobar pulls Ashonte Adonis off the apron for a crash into the steps though, albeit by being smart enough to go down as well so the referee doesn’t know what happened. The distraction lets Legado hit Sacrificio to finish Dolla at 1:22.

Sonya Deville trash talks Liv Morgan, who runs in and beats Deville down. Morgan puts her on a table, climbs up a scaffolding and drives through Deville to leave her laying.

Sheamus vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Ricochet vs. Rey Mysterio

The winner gets a future Intercontinental Title shot and Mysterio is replacing an injured Karrion Kross. House is cleaned rather quickly and Rey hits his big dive as we take an early break. Back with Sheamus powerbombing Ricochet as we’re told that Rey is officially part of Smackdown. We get a Sheamus vs. Sikoa showdown and slugout until they fight to the floor.

Sikoa hits a Samoan drop so Rey dives onto him, setting up a showdown with Ricochet back inside. Ricochet flips out of a running hurricanrana but Sikoa is back in to run them over. A running spinwheel kick drops Sheamus and we take another break. Back again with Sikoa still in control until Sheamus knocks him down.

Rey and Ricochet catch Sheamus on top but Sikoa powerbombs the two of them down. Sheamus breaks up Sikoa’s cover with a top rope knee to the back and grabs the Cloverleaf on Sikoa. Cue Jey Uso and Sami Zayn for the save and a beatdown on Sheamus, though they get in a fight over who should get to beat him up. The Brawling Brutes come out to help Sheamus and they all brawl to the back. That leaves Rey to 619 and frog splash Ricochet for the pin at 16:19.

Rating: B. Another match built around action and near carnage and that isn’t a bad thing. Once Mysterio was introduced, it felt like a pretty safe bet that he might be winning but Sheamus being there for a potential trilogy match with Gunther added just enough intrigue. It was fun insanity and that is what you tend to get out of these things.

And now, Bray Wyatt. The lights go out and the door near the entrance opens, with Bray coming out for the full lantern entrance. Bray gets on the mic and says he never thought he would get to be here. This is just him being himself for the first time and he seems rather choked up about this whole thing.

Over the last year, he lost a lot of things, like his grandmother, his career, his self confidence and two people who were very close to him. He thought nothing he ever did mattered and he was wrong. Once he was done feeling sorry for himself, people started asking him to come back. There were people he met who said he helped get them through some tough times and those people would say thank you Bray. Fans: THANK YOU BRAY!

The thing is, he could sit right here and say they were there when he was weak and vulnerable so thank you for saving his life. He talks about the reason things got better….and then the (limited) lights go out. The mask pops up on screen and says to forget the future and follow him. The new Wyatt logo appears and that’s the show. That was definitely different and that’s a good thing, though I’m curious about where it goes. This feels like the kind of story where we’re going to get a little bit each week and that’s not a bad thing.

Overall Rating: B-. Well it wasn’t boring. This was one of those shows where it felt like a lot of stuff was happening but it might take awhile before we see where some of it goes. The opener and main event were both rather good and the Bray promo….well that’s going to get some very polarizing responses. What matters is they moved things forward and added some intrigue throughout the show, so now we wait and see what is going on. As you’re supposed to want to do when a wrestling show ends.

Results
Sami Zayn b. Kofi Kingston – Rollup
Braun Strowman b. James Maverick/Brian Thomas – Double pin
LA Knight b. Mansoor – BFT
Damage Ctrl b. Shotzi/Roxanne Perez/Raquel Rodriguez – Crucifix to Perez
Legado del Fantasma b. Hit Row – Sacrifico to Dolla
Rey Mysterio b. Ricochet, Sheamus and Solo Sikoa – Frog splash to Ricochet

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 13, 2022
Location: Albany Armory, Albany, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the Bound For Glory fallout show, as the biggest pay per view of the year ended with Bully Ray as the next challenger to Josh Alexander. Since there was no way to have him show up on Impact and make a challenge, Ray won a twenty man match by pinning Steve Maclin to get the shot. I’m sure nothing but good will come from this. Let’s get to it.

Here is Bound For Glory if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Bound For Glory.

Here is Josh Alexander to get things going. The fans are rather glad to see Alexander, who talks about how Eddie Edwards said their match was going to be a war. That is what it was, but now the war is over because here he stands, still the World Champion. He is the champion but he has made mistakes. Now he knows that the next challenger is waiting so Bully Ray, get out here right now.

Cue Bully, who Alexander welcomes back to the company, but wants to know why Ray helped him at Bound For Glory. Bully talks about how he could have stabbed Alexander in the back but didn’t. He has been here longer than he has any other company he has ever worked for, just like he did to Sting, Hulk Hogan, Brooke and his own brother. Ray says he has done it all, but now he needs to do it right. He knows that no one has a good thing to say about him and he wants to change that. Ray isn’t cashing in his title shot like Moose did last year, so Alexander is going to see him coming.

Cue Steve Maclin to interrupt because he doesn’t trust Ray. How exactly did Ray get into Call Your Shot anyway? Maclin talks about how he has done things the right way but now he wants to know what it takes for him to get his title shot. Cue Moose to say Maclin is in the presence of World Champions so step aside. As for Ray, he is a scumbag, but that’s ok, because Moose likes scumbags. Moose learned his bad ways from Ray, just like how he won the title last year.

He would go after Alexander again….but here is Bobby Fish to interrupt as well. Fish agrees that Moose has turned into quite the scumbag himself and Maclin is becoming quite the locker room politician. Sure Ray is a scumbag, but he didn’t scumbag Alexander at Bound For Glory. For tonight though, Fish wants his own match against the champ, with Alexander saying it’s on. This was a good bit longer than it needed to be and hopefully it isn’t the start of a new style.

The Motor City Machine Guns are happy with their win on Before The Impact and they want another Tag Team Title shot. They walk off and run into Heath and Rhino, who are getting a title shot next week. Rhino wants revenge on Honor No More so they’ll get it next week. Don’t worry though, as the Guns can have a title match when they win the belts.

Killer Kelly vs. Tasha Steelz

No DQ and Savannah Evans is here with Steelz. Evans doesn’t waste time by jumping Kelly before the bell to start fast. Kelly gets dropped face first onto the apron but sits up to glare at Steelz for a cool visual. A basement dropkick drops Kelly and it’s time for a chain. With that taking too long, Steelz has to counter an attempt at the Killer Klutch. Kelly gets two off an Alabama Slam and grabs a chair but settles for two off a Death Valley Driver. Evans comes in to grab Kelly but she fights both of them off. Steelz gets in a superkick and grabs the chain, only to get choked into the Killer Klutch for the tap at 6:52.

Rating: C. Kelly winning in what should be the last match of the feud is a good thing but I was expecting a bit more out of a No DQ match. I did like Evans not bothering to just stand around as she got involved from the beginning, but Steelz and Evans are pretty clearly on the downside of their run. Kelly has a charisma that makes me want to watch her and that is a major step towards being a star.

Zicky Dice and Johnny Swinger are bragging when Dirty Dango comes in to say he should cuff them for being stupid. Swinger invites him to Swinger’s Dungeon.

Sami Callihan jumps two guys in yellow because they part of Violent By Design. Good. Get rid of all of them.

Scott D’Amore praises Josh Alexander for his recent efforts but tells him to keep an eye out for Bully Ray.

Black Taurus vs. Trey Miguel vs. Kenny King vs. Alex Zayne vs. Yuya Uemura vs. Laredo Kid

It’s a brawl to start with no one actually getting an entrance. Taurus is sent outside into a pile of people, leaving Zayne to work on King’s wrist. Zayne’s dive is broken up and it’s a series of dives to send us to a break. Back with a bunch of reverse DDTs into King’s Blockbuster, setting up a spinebuster for two on Miguel. Uemura comes in with a high crossbody to King and a super hurricanrana brings Taurus off the top. Back in and Miguel grabs something like a reverse Angle Slam for the pin on Zayne at 5:20.

Rating: B-. The match was the usual insanity that comes with this kind of a scramble match, meaning that it was only going to be so good. You can’t put together any kind of a serious story in something like this as it’s all about flying around and getting in whatever you can. Miguel winning is nice, but it only means so much in a match with this format.

Mike Bailey gives Frankie Kazarian a very respectful congratulation. Trey Miguel comes in to say he’s coming for the title but Kazarian says we’ll see what happens. Bailey continues to be quite less than interesting.

VXT/Gisele Shaw vs. Death Dollz

Jessicka slugs away at Shaw to start and takes her into the wrong corner for the running knees from Taya. Purrazzo comes in and gets caught in Rosemary’s Upside Down, sending Rehwoldt into a frenzy. A Green distraction lets Purrazzo hit a Backstabber on Taya though and the villains take over with the stomping in the corner.

Taya and Green go down off a double clothesline though and it’s back to Rosemary for the house cleaning. Green catches Rosemary with a Bully Bomb into a faceplant but Rosemary is right back up with a spear for two. Everything breaks down and Rosemary hits a spear on Purrazzo, only to get kneed in the head to give Shaw the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C. Another match that didn’t have much time to do anything and it hut things a lot. What mattered was giving Shaw and VXT a win to give them some momentum back. The Dollz having success without Rosemary continues as well and that should make for an interesting story down the road.

Tommy Dreamer begs Bully Ray to not lie to everyone about his intentions. Ray says he’s telling the truth and they’ll team together.

Maria Kanellis gives Honor No More a pep talk but they think the company is trying to kill them off again. They’re not sure where Eddie Edwards is but next week, they’ll retain the Tag Team Titles.

Matt Cardona vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

Cardona’s headlock doesn’t get him very far as Gujjar hits a dropkick into a slingshot elbow for an early two. They head to the floor with Cardona knocking him down for a change, setting up a hangman’s neckbreaker for two back inside. The middle rope missile dropkick misses though and Gujjar strikes away but here is Brian Myers for a distraction. Radio silence finishes Gujjar at 4:22.

Rating: C. Not much to see here but Cardona and Myers being back together is a good thing. Cardona being back in general is nice to see as he really is good at his heel stuff, though Myers does add a nice bonus to the mix. Gujjar continues to seem like he has potential and he’s starting to feel more like one of the regular guys around here, but please give him something else to make him interesting.

Video on Jordynne Grace vs. Masha Slamovich.

Mickie James would love to face Grace if she gets to the top of the mountain. VXT and Gisele Shaw interrupt, saying Mickie should respect them instead of losers like Mia Yim. Chelsea Green mocks James for beating her but James challenges Deonna Purrazzo instead.

Bullet Club would love to face Tommy Dreamer/Bully Ray next week.

Here’s what’s coming up next week.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Bobby Fish vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is defending. Feeling out process to start as they grapple up against the ropes. Some headlock takeovers work well for Alexander but Fish is back up with some knees to the ribs. Alexander is right back with an overhead belly to belly but the crossbody to the back doesn’t get to launch.

Fish is fine enough to drop him with a dragon screw legwhip on the ramp and we take a break. Back with Fish hitting a slingshot elbow and kicking away in the corner. Neither of them can hit a suplex so Alexander goes with a clothesline and then drops Fish with a hard right hand.

The C4 Spike is blocked and Fish kicks him in the head, setting up a Saito suplex for two. The ankle lock is broken up as well though and Fish catches him on top. Alexander knocks him down and hits a moonsault, only to have the ankle lock pulled into a triangle choke. That’s countered into a backbreaker and now the C4 Spike can retain at 16:18.

Rating: B-. This was another match that had no story and was a showdown between two technicians, meaning it was only going to be so good. They had no reason to be mad at each other and it was hard to imagine that Fish was going to be a real threat to the title. The action carried it to pretty good, but they had a firm ceiling above them.

Post match Frankie Kazarian comes out to congratulate Alexander for being a great champion. For now though, he is cashing in his X-Division Title, using Option C, to get a World Title shot.

Overall Rating: C+. I don’t know if it’s the focus being on Bully Ray or the X-Division Title being vacated but there was a lack of interesting stuff going on this week. Hopefully things pick up again as we get back to normal next week, but this show didn’t feel like it was coming off the biggest night of the year. Granted any show with an announcement of Ray and Tommy Dreamer getting a featured match the next week isn’t going to do me much good, but the rest wasn’t exactly great.

Results
Killer Kelly b. Tasha Steelz – Killer Klutch
Trey Miguel b. Black Taurus, Kenny King, Alex Zayne, Yuya Uemura and Laredo Kid – Snap neckbreaker to Zayne
VXT/Gisele Shaw b. Death Dollz – Running knee to Rosemary
Matt Cardona b. Bhupinder Gujjar – Radio Silence
Josh Alexander b. Bobby Fish – C4 Spike

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: May 20, 2022
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We are about two weeks away from Hell In A Cell and I think that means you know what you’re getting. The big story tonight is the Tag Team Title unification match between RKBro and the Usos, which will probably get quite a bit of hype. Other than that, we have a lot more to cover before the pay per view so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is the Bloodline to get things going, with Michael Cole saying that if the Usos unify the titles, it will establish the Bloodline as the greatest faction in WWE history. This has been the latest “NO ONE TALKS LIKE THIS” moment. Roman Reigns tells the fans to acknowledge him and then has Paul Heyman tell the people why this night is so important.

Heyman talks about how the Bloodline is amazing, including Roman Reigns, who is better than Hogan, Austin, Sammartino and Cena. Tonight though, the Usos are unifying the Tag Team Titles and beating the best team on Raw to become the greatest tag team of all time (with all due respect to the Wild Samoans). And that is a SPOILER! Roman tells the Usos to deliver what he wants.

Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Feeling out process to start with Zayn getting the better of things and punching away in the corner. A clothesline lets Zayn choke away on the ropes but Nakamura knocks him off the top. Kinshasa misses though and Sami shoves him off the top and out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Nakamura fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a kick to the head. Zayn sends him outside though and it’s a Falcon Arrow onto the floor. Nakamura beats the count back in, pulls Zayn outside and posts him, but Zayn beats the count. Back in and Kinshasa finishes Zayn at 10:34.

Rating: C. It’s kind of a far cry from the Dallas masterpiece, but at least these two are getting on television with something to do. Nakamura is being built up again in the singles ranks after the Rick Boogs team was derailed so he very well could be set up for some kind of bigger role. Whatever that might actually be.

Video on the Usos.

It’s time for Happy Talk, with Happy Corbin standing next to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy. Corbin has never been happier and we see a clip of him using the trophy to Pillmanize Madcap Moss’ neck. Corbin talks about being sick of Moss and asks who is laughing now. Then Corbin smashes the trophy.

We look at Gunther chopping the heck out of Drew Gulak last week.

Gunther vs. Drew Gulak

We’re joined in progress with Gulak hitting his own chop, earning himself a kick to the face. A series of chops takes Gulak down and the powerbomb finishes at 1:04.

Post match Gunther puts on the Boston crab but Ricochet runs in for the save. Now this has me interested.

Max Dupri, the head of the hottest male modeling agency, introduces himself to Adam Pearce. Adam had no idea Dupri was coming, but apparently he was signed by Sonya Deville. This is awkward, but Pearce can’t quite pronounce Max Du-PRE! That would be LA Knight, because WWE needed to change THE NAME THAT THEY INVENTED LAST YEAR!

RKBro is ready to beat the Usos.

Shotzi and Aliyah argue about not being able to make it out to the ring to face Ronda Rousey last week. Raquel Rodriguez comes in so Shotzi yells at her, even calling Gonzalez an absurd Amazon.

Shotzi vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Rodriguez powers her into the corner to start and then does it again for a bonus. Shotzi tries a choke on Rodriguez’s back but gets thrown down again. A fall away slam sets up the twisting Vader Bomb and the Chingona Bomb gives Rodriguez the pin at 2:55. Mostly a squash.

Xavier Woods isn’t happy with Butch beating Kofi Kingston last week. Kofi is on New Day business this week, so Butch can come see him alone.

Sheamus tells Butch to go take care of Xavier Woods.

Butch vs. Xavier Woods

Butch and company (with the company not here tonight) are now dubbed the Brawling Brutes. They start fast with Woods sending him outside but bringing it back inside, where Butch takes him down by the arm. Woods is right back with the Honor Roll for two but Butch kicks him in the head. That’s broken up and Woods grabs Backwoods for the pin at 3:41.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what WWE’s deal is with Butch not being able to beat Woods, but this is the third time that Butch has lost to him via the same move in less than two months. In theory the feud is going to be wrapped up sooner than later, because both teams need to move way on. This is especially true of Butch and Woods, as I don’t know if I get the thinking here.

Post match the Brutes beat Woods down.

Video on RKBro.

Xavier Woods says this ends next week, because he has a partner to face the Brutes.

And now, the big story, as Michael Cole talks about Sasha Banks and Naomi “letting us all down”. Cole explains the walk out and now the titles are vacant, with a tournament coming soon. Banks and Naomi are suspended indefinitely. So yeah, you know those titles that were barely defendable because there were no teams? Well now it’s TOURNAMENT TIME! Also, WWE acting like changing the card at the last minute is the ultimate sin is pretty freaking funny. WWE would NEVER do something like that.

Oh look: the Tag Team Title unification match is next. Sure how WWE doesn’t advertise that and then turn it into a six man tag.

Raw Tag Team Titles/Smackdown Tag Team Titles: RKBro vs. Usos

Winner takes all and Paul Heyman is on commentary. Orton takes Jimmy down to start but Riddle gets taken down into a chinlock. This lets Cole say the Usos are trying to do what the Wild Samoans never did: unify the Tag Team Titles. That would be really impressive for the Samoans to do as THERE WAS ONLY ONE SET OF TITLES TO WIN BACK THEN! Riddle is whipped HARD into the buckle and we take a break.

Back with Riddle having suffered a bruised hip off that whip but he’s fine enough to keep going. A hard belly to back suplex cuts off the hot tag attempt but Riddle strikes his way over to the ropes for the tag. Orton comes in and starts cleaning house, with the RKO hitting Jimmy. Jey makes the save and pulls Jimmy over for the tag. Orton gets kicked into the corner for the tag back to Riddle, who suplexes various Usos. The super RKO is loaded up but Roman Reigns comes out to grab Riddle. Jey shoves him off the top and it’s a Superfly Splash for the pin and the titles at 11:35.

Rating: B-. RKBro is the only team that could hang with the Usos at this point but there was little reason to believe that the Usos weren’t going to have both sets of titles sooner or later. WWE doesn’t need to have two sets of titles so the Usos having the one remaining set is the right choice. Now just find some teams who could give them a run for their money, which is easier said than done.

Post match the big beatdown is on, with Riddle being choked out. The Superfly Splash through the announcers’ table crushes Riddle and we cut to a fan crying in a great visual. Reigns chokes Orton out too. The Bloodline poses with all six belts to end the show. Cool shot, but three people having six titles doesn’t make me impressed. It makes me think there are too many belts. Also, Riddle vs. Reigns at the pay per view should be good.

Overall Rating: C+. Not too bad of a show here with the Tag Team Title match being the biggest deal. I fully expect a rematch to take place at the pay per view but for now, the Usos having the titles is the way to go. Other than that, I want to see Gunther vs. Ricochet, which is someone stepping up to a bigger level. That’s not a bad show, with some other good things sprinkled in.

Then you have the Banks/Naomi reaction and…that is up there on the all time list of hypocritical WWE responses. Banks and Naomi did indeed walk out, but WWE acting like making some last minute change to an advertised match is this unpardonable offense had me laughing quite hard. It’s weird for WWE to actually do what they say they are going to do from one week to the next, but now it’s horrible for Banks and Naomi to do the same thing? That’s a very WWE reaction and I don’t mean that in a good way.

Results
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Sami Zayn – Kinshasa
Gunther b. Drew Gulak – Powerbomb
Raquel Rodriguez b. Shotzi – Chingona Bomb
Xavier Woods b. Butch – Backwoods
Usos b. RKBro – Superfly Splash to Riddle

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Smackdown
Date: May 13, 2022
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re fresh off of Wrestlemania Backlash and the biggest story coming out of the show is Ronda Rousey breaking Charlotte’s arm to become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion. Other than that, Roman Reigns continued to dominate and has pretty much no one left in front of him. That isn’t good with the Cell in less than a month. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlemania Backlash if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the six man main event at Wrestlemania Backlash, with Roman Reigns spearing Riddle for the pin.

Here is RKBro to get things going. Riddle takes the blame for the loss on Sunday but they want Roman Reigns out here right now to let the Usos make the Tag Team Title unification match. Instead, here is Sami Zayn, in a Bloodline shirt, to answer. As the locker room fleader and representing the Bloodline, no one wants this unification match.

Zayn thinks the Raw Tag Team Champions need to go back to Raw, but Riddle dubs Sami as Rusty, because his hair is the color of rust. That’s not his name, but Orton says Sami is calling shots for the Bloodline. That gives Randy an idea: Riddle vs. Sami, and if Riddle wins, RKBro gets their unification match. Orton: “RUSTY! RUSTY!” Sami isn’t sure, but Adam Pearce shows up and he sure is…but it won’t be for the title match, because Zayn doesn’t have that authority.

Sami Zayn vs. Riddle

Riddle goes for a quickly broken triangle choke and Sami gets in a few shots. The chinlock is broken up so Riddle kicks him in the head for a knockdown. A suplex gets Sami out of trouble but Riddle blocks the Helluva Kick. Riddle goes up and gets shoved down onto the barricade (ala Rob Van Dam) as we take a break.

Back with Riddle kneeing Sami out of the air for two but Sami knocks him to the apron. Sami’s hanging DDT is broken up and Riddle sends him outside for a Floating Bro. Back in and the snap powerslam but Sami bails to the floor before the RKO can launch. With Riddle going after him, Sami gets in a ram into the timekeeper’s area, only to have riddle dive back in at nine. The Bro Derek gives Riddle the pin at 10:17.

Rating: C+. This is one of those matches where they were allowed to do their thing and they made it work. Riddle and Zayn could have a decent match in their sleep and they had ten minutes to make that happen here. Riddle bringing back the Bro Derek was nice, especially after Orton mentioned him using the RKO a bit too much this week on Raw Talk.

In the back, Roman Reigns isn’t happy about RKBro being here. The Usos have this though and they’re going to do something about it.

Post break, Sami Zayn runs into Shinsuke Nakamura and calls him the table’s a** (I think). Laughter ensues and Sami looks crushed.

Here is Ronda Rousey to brag about her title win. See, Charlotte was a 13 time Women’s Champ (uh, she still is Ronda) but look who has the title now. Rousey says Charlotte was tough but she would die before quitting. She’s going to be a fighting champion though so it’s open challenge time.

Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Rousey is defending and gets powered into the corner to start. An early Piper’s Pit attempt is countered with a knee, setting up a clothesline for two. Back to back fall away slams send Rousey flying and an over the shoulder backbreaker makes it even worse. A side slam cuts Rousey off again but Rodriguez misses something off the middle rope.

Rousey strikes away and tries a tornado DDT, only to switch it into a guillotine. That’s powered into a suplex for two on Rousey and a swinging torture rack slam gets the same. The Chingona Bomb is countered though and Rousey gets the ankle lock. Rodriguez breaks that up though and a big boot gets two. A powerbomb is loaded up but Rousey reverses into a hurricanrana to retain at 5:54.

Rating: B. Where the heck did that come? This was a star making performance from Rodriguez, who beat Rousey up for the better part of five minutes and got caught instead of getting beat. I liked this a lot more than I would have expected and Rousey was in all kinds of trouble before escaping with the win. Good stuff here and quite the surprise.

Respect is shown post match.

In the back, Aliyah and Shotzi argue over how that should have been their title shot but Adam Pearce doesn’t really know what to say. End of segment.

Here is Madcap Moss for a chat. He is proud of his win over Happy Corbin, even if Corbin could have won by making him tap out with one more story about his watch. Now Moss wants to do everything, from forming a team with Sasha Banks called Madcap Boss, win Money in the Bank, replace title belts with title suspenders….and here is Happy Corbin to chair him down, because this feud must continue. Then Corbin slides in the Andre the Giant trophy and uses it to Pillmanize a chair around Moss’ neck.

Post break, Moss is being loaded into the ambulance and here is Corbin to say it’s off to the Mosspital.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Natalya/Shayna Baszler vs. Sasha Banks/Naomi

Naomi and Banks are defending and it’s Naomi ducking under Baszler’s shot to start. Banks comes in and takes Natalya down, setting up an exchange of rollups for two each. Baszler saves Natalya from the Bank Statement and we take a break. Back with Banks getting caught in a Hart Attack with Naomi having to make the save.

Naomi avoids the stomp to the arm on the apron and gets the tag, allowing her to clean house. The springboard spinning kick to the face gets two on Natalya but Natalya takes Banks down. The Sharpshooter attempt on Naomi is countered into a small package to retain the titles at 8:33.

Rating: C. This match was the culmination of a feud that started and then came to an end. I’m really not sure what else to say about it, as they had singles matches after the tag match was all but set, then they had the title match where the champions retained. These titles continue to be the opposite of interesting, which I believe is called the Natalya.

Ricochet comes up to Drew Gulak, who asks for advice. Ricochet says if he had quit, he wouldn’t have the Intercontinental Title. He tells Gulak to be his best self, so Gulak is ready for Gunther. Then Gulak runs into Gunther, who slams him into a door and breaks his chest with a chop.

Kofi Kingston vs. Butch

Xavier Woods, Ridge Holland and Sheamus are at ringside. Butch jumps him to start and hammers on the mat but Kofi sends him to the floor, allowing Woods to play some trombone. Butch gets dropped again and Kofi winds up on Woods’ shoulders (more tromboning ensues) as we take a break.

Back with Kofi fighting out of a neck crank and hammering away. The SOS gets two on Butch but he’s back with an enziguri for a breather. Kofi gets in a kick of his own and the standing double stomp gets two more. Trouble in Paradise is loaded up but everyone gets in a fight on the floor, allowing Butch to grab the Bitter End for the pin at 8:33.

Rating: C+. If WWE just has to have Dunne as….whatever Butch is supposed to be, at least they have gotten past the point of having him lose to small packages over and over. The match wasn’t a classic but it was god enough to fill in some TV time, while also letting Butch have a win for a change.

Post match Butch runs through the crowd but comes back to join his friends on the stage.

Sami Zayn wants Paul Heyman to tell Roman Reigns what he did earlier to stand up for the Bloodline. He and Reigns need to be on the same page so Heyman assures him that Reigns is appreciative. Sami is pleased.

Here is the Bloodline to address RKBro. Reigns tells Pennsylvania to acknowledge him and they’ve been doing this for a little while. They smash them on Sunday and then tell you what’s next on Friday. Well they beat Drew McIntyre and RKBro on Sunday, but what is RKBro going to do about it?

Cue RKBro, with Randy Orton saying John Cena is ten times the star that Reigns will ever be. Riddle talks about how he likes to set the mood with his laptop at night and reaches to his nightstand…..Orton: “Let me stop you right there.” Riddle: “I meant I reached for headphones.” Orton: “To be fair, I didn’t know where you were going with that.”

Riddle was watching their Wrestlemania Backlash match and now he wants the Usos even more. Orton talks about how they are going to unify the titles…and he just realized he’s a lot taller than Reigns. The Usos accept the challenge but Reigns isn’t sure about this. We’ll do it next Friday instead, with the Usos bragging about how they’re going to win. Riddle knees Reigns in the face and RKBro bails to end the show. They set up the match, but RKBro’s comedy continues to be great as it feels like they’re coming up with this stuff off of the top of their heads, which you don’t get elsewhere in WWE.

Overall Rating: B-. For a show without much to build from after the pay per view, this show was a pretty good use of two hours. RKBro vs. the Usos is finally set (though I can’t imagine a clean winner) and Rousey vs. Rodriguez was a heck of a nice surprise. I had a good time with this show and it flew by, which is always a nice feeling. They still need to come up with something for the Cell, but at least we have some time before we get that far.

Results
Riddle b. Sami Zayn – Bro Derek
Ronda Rousey b. Raquel Rodriguez – Hurricanrana
Sasha Banks/Naomi b. Natalya/Shayna Baszler – Small package to Natalya
Butch b. Kofi Kingston – Bitter End

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Smackdown
Date: April 29, 2022
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We have a rare taped show from Smackdown this week as the roster is currently over in Europe. WrestleMania Backlash is in just over two weeks and the card could use some spicing up, which we might get this week. If nothing else, things should be interesting as we have our second contract signing in two shows (third if you count this week’s NXT UK). Let’s get to it.

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

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Inside a cage after Zayn has run away from McIntyre twice in a row. Drew Gulak, auditioning to be timekeeper, rings the bell so Sami goes for the early escape. That goes as well as expected and McIntyre sends him straight into the cage. It works well enough that McIntyre does it again but Zayn grabs a sunset bomb to send us to a break.

Back with Zayn rubbing McIntyre’s face against the cage and then kicking said face into said cage. McIntyre gets in a ram into the cage of his own but Sami whips him right back in for a knockdown. The Helluva Kick against the cage rocks McIntyre but he’s fine enough to pull Zayn back down.

An overhead belly to belly sets up a neckbreaker so McIntyre loads up the Claymore. It takes a bit too long though, allowing Zayn to go up and crotch McIntyre for the attempted save. That takes too long too though and it’s a superplex back down, setting up the Claymore to give McIntyre the pin at 10:20.

Rating: C+. This felt like a dark match main event as they didn’t do anything special other than that superplex. There wasn’t much doubt about the winner here as this version of Zayn isn’t going to be winning any major match. McIntyre gets a nice win in what feels like a big match and can move on to something bigger.

We look back at last week’s contract signing between Ronda Rousey and Charlotte.

Charlotte doesn’t get embarrassed, but Ronda certainly will at Wrestlemania Backlash. Tonight it’s a Beat The Clock Challenge and Rousey might quit before we even get to the pay per view.

Here is Happy Corbin for Happy Talk, which is now new and improved because Madcap Moss isn’t here anymore. Moss failed at his one job of being funny so now Corbin has to beat him at WrestleMania Backlash. That means Moss will get to show that the only joke is suggesting that he could ever beat Corbin.

Until then, Corbin needs to destroy Moss’ Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy, which is his special guest this week. The trophy gets an entrance as we look at Moss’ recent roll. Back in the arena, Corbin wants to wreck the trophy and calls for the sledgehammer….but it’s Moss holding said hammer. The beating is on and Corbin is left laying.

We look back at Ricochet defeating Jinder Mahal and getting a match with Shanky set up for this week.

Intercontinental Title: Ricochet vs. Shanky

Shanky, with Jinder Mahal, is challenging and powers Ricochet into the corner to start. The neck crank goes on in less than a minute but Ricochet fights back up. That doesn’t last long as Shanky takes him back down for another neck crank, only to miss an elbow. Ricochet fights up and hits a springboard crossbody. Mahal’s distraction lets Shanky grab him again, only to have Ricochet roll him up for the pin to retain at 3:22.

Rating: D+. Yeah what were you expecting here? Shanky might as well have had a sign above his head saying “PIN ME/PAY ME” as there was no chance that Ricochet was dropping the title here. Hopefully this wraps things up, but it looks like we might be seeing more of Ricochet vs. Mahal, as WWE continues to think that’s a good idea. I’m sure it’ll work this time though.

Post match Mahal yells at Shanky, who walks off.

Raquel Rodriguez says you aren’t nervous when you look like her. Seriously though, of course she’s nervous but she’s going to put on a show. The show was acting like anyone would speak this way.

Raquel Rodriguez vs. Cat Cardoza

Cardoza jumps her before the bell and is easily thrown around by the arm. Some fall away slams set up a spinning Vader Bomb but Cardoza is back with a running knee in the corner. Choking on the ropes doesn’t go well for Cardoza as Rodriguez is back with the Chingona Bomb for the pin at 2:00. Cardoza got in a bit too much offense here but Rodriguez looked dominant enough.

Ludwig Kaiser and Gunther brag about the latter’s dominance. Gunther promises to take respect.

A Make A Wish kid is here. That’s always awesome.

It’s time for the contract signing for the Tag Team Title unification match at Wrestlemania Backlash between the Usos and RKBro. Everyone throws out their chairs and Adam Pearce says let’s just get this done with no problems. The Usos say they don’t have to prove anything to anyone and the only thing they need is bigger luggage when they win the other titles. Riddle says he can’t tell the Usos apart, which isn’t a problem for RKBro.

Randy Orton can’t believe that because he has never had a problem telling them apart. See, you have Jey Uso, who is the right hand man and Jimmy Uso is nothing but a little b****. The fight is on with RKBro getting the better of things but here is Roman Reigns to uneven things a bit.

Now the beatdown is on, with Reigns ripping up the contract and shoving it in Riddle’s mouth….but here is Drew McIntyre to slowly walk down the aisle for the save. With the teams out of the way, McIntyre gets in the ring and sends Reigns flying with a suplex as we seem to have a next challenger. I would have bet on it being at a bigger show, but maybe that’s all they could think of at the moment.

Post break Paul Heyman comes in to see Adam Pearce and suggests that the Tag Team Title match at Wrestlemania Backlash be turned into a six man tag. Pearce says not so fast, but Heyman says the Board Of Directors might see things differently.

Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler

Yes it’s a singles ma….oh forget it. Their respective partners are here too. Baszler takes her down to start but gets pulled into the corner so Naomi can have her fun (as Cole likes to describe it). That doesn’t work for Baszler, who suplexes her down and starts twisting the arm. The Kirifuda Clutch is countered into a Bubba Bomb attempt but Baszler is out again. Naomi fights up and sends her face first into the corner for the pin at 2:23.

Post match the brawl is on with Sasha Banks clearing the ring but Natalya pulls her into the Sharpshooter in the ropes. Baszler stomps on Naomi’s arm for a bonus.

We look back at Butch running away from Ridge Holland and Sheamus, with Michael Cole saying he ran off like a “spoiled, petulant child.” There are missing person posters, plus FAKE PHOTOS of him possibly being in various places.

Sheamus and Ridge Holland have been putting up the posters….but they put them in the same places, seemingly not noticing the same posters in the same places.

The six man is official for Wrestlemania Backlash, with no titles on the line. Riveting.

Xavier Woods vs. Ridge Holland

Before the match, New Day mocks Sheamus and Ridge Holland for losing Butch. Woods dubs Sheamus “Shake It Sheamus” for all of the partners he has had over the years, which does not sit well with Sheamus. Feeling out process to start with Holland using the power to take over. That’s fine with Woods, who sends him outside and hits the flip dive off the apron to drop Holland as we take a break.

Back with Holland running him over and dropping some elbows. Woods’ comeback is cut off without much trouble and the chinlock goes on, allowing fans to keep up the Sheamus chants. Another comeback attempt is countered into a spinebuster but Woods grabs Backwoods for the fast pin at 8:25.

Rating: C. Is Backwoods supposed to be a joke finisher? If it is, they need to work on their joke finishers, though I don’t think it’s meant to be one. That doesn’t exactly make things better, but maybe Woods’ singles run continues. Granted I don’t think that is where they are going, but it is a bit hard to get fired up about someone turning a small package into a thing.

Post match Sheamus wants to show Ridge how it’s done so Kofi Kingston can get in here right now.

Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus

Joined in progress with Kofi fighting out of the ten forearms to the chest and hitting a spinning top rope forearm to the head. The Irish Curse hurts Kofi so Sheamus does it two more times before grabbing a reverse chinlock. A powerslam gives Sheamus two but the Brogue Kick is countered into the SOS for two. Sheamus knees him out of the air though and the Brogue Kick finishes Kingston at 2:57.

Post match Holland sends Woods into the barricade and Sheamus loads up the table. The powerbomb through the table leaves Woods laying.

We get Chapter Four of the Lacey Evans Story, focusing on her time in the Marines. She graduated from boot amp but her father didn’t show up to the ceremony because she was never good enough for her family. Evans starts crying as she talks about not having any support growing up and she doesn’t need it. Now she is coming for everyone in the WWE locker room.

I Quit Beat The Clock Challenge: Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi

I Quit match with Charlotte at ringside. Shotzi bails to the floor to start so the chase is on with Shotzi getting in a few shots on the way back in. Rousey isn’t having that and grabs a suplex, setting up the ankle lock with a grapevine to make Shotzi give up at 1:41.

Charlotte talks some trash to Rousey and now it’s Charlotte’s turn.

I Quit Beat The Clock Challenge: Charlotte vs. Aliyah

Non-title I Quit match with a 1:41 time limit. Aliyah starts moving around early and even hits a bulldog. A high crossbody misses though and Charlotte kicks her in the face. The Figure Eight is kicked away though (with Rousey getting in a smirk), meaning Charlotte has to take Aliyah down again. The Figure Eight goes on but time expires at 1:41, meaning Rousey wins.

Post match the staredown is on and Charlotte slowly walks outside….to go after Drew Gulak. The beating is on, including a bell shot to Gulak’s back, to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This didn’t work all that well and the ending felt pretty flat. Granted some of that is due to this being a taped show, but there wasn’t anything on here worth seeing. Throw in the lack of the big Tag Team Title match at the pay per view and the future isn’t looking bright on this show at the moment. I was rather disappointed here, and the six man being announced really didn’t make it better.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Ricochet b. Shanky – Rollup
Raquel Rodriguez b. Cat Cardoza – Chingona Bomb
Naomi b. Shayna Baszler – Drop toehold into the corner
Xavier Woods b. Ridge Holland – Backwoods
Sheamus b. Kofi Kingston – Brogue Kick
Ronda Rousey b. Shotzi – Ankle lock
Charlotte vs. Aliyah went to a time limit draw

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: April 22, 2022
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are less than two weeks away from Wrestlemania Backlash and it is time to start adding some things to the card. Roman Reigns still doesn’t have anything to do, though there is still the chance that they pick up whatever they stared with Shinsuke Nakamura two weeks ago. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the contract signing between Charlotte and Ronda Rousey with Adam Pearce in charge. After a recap video of their issues together….there is no contract. Drew Gulak brings it out and has even made a special PowerPoint presentation (it was his thing when he was on 205 Live) about the rules of an I Quit match but Charlotte tells him to shut up. She has been looking forward to this match for a long time and lists off some of the ways she can make Rousey submit.

Charlotte signs and says she beat Rousey at Wrestlemania. Rousey explains the idea, allowing Charlotte to say she won at Wrestlemania. After a few more times saying the same thing, Charlotte turns the table over and pulls out a kendo stick to beat on Rousey (because putting a lead pipe under there would be too simple). That doesn’t work for Rousey, who takes it away and knocks Charlotte to the floor. Rousey grabs Gulak’s arm for the armbar before demanding the contract and a pen. The contract is signed with the armbar still on before Rousey cranks on it a bit more.

We look back at Sheamus/Ridge Holland losing the slightly unhinged Butch, allowing him to beat up New Day.

Xavier Woods vs. Butch

Kofi Kingston, Sheamus and Ridge Holland are at ringside too. Butch knocks him down to start and drops a knee on the arm before twisting away at the wrist. Back up and Butch rips at his face before being knocked outside. A dropkick through the ropes nearly has everyone else getting in a brawl as we take a break. Back with Butch working on the arm again but Woods fights up again. That earns him a kick to the head and the X Plex gives Butch two. Not that it matters as Woods grabs a DDT and Backwoods gives him the pin at 8:54.

Rating: C. Yep, they really are jobbing Butch in back to back matches to get a small package over for the least important singles wrestler in New Day. Somehow that’s their priority when Butch is in the ring rather than getting lost outside of the ring every week. Every time I think they can’t overthink thinks and miss what should be obvious even more, they do something like this.

Post match Butch beats up a security guard and walks off through the crowd.

Aliyah recaps Ricochet’s wins as champion and asks him what’s next. Jinder Mahal and Shanky come up and Shanky gets a title shot, which didn’t seem to be Mahal’s plan.

Teddy Goodz vs. Gunther

Gunther takes him down by the arm to start and avoids a dropkick. The big boot drops Goodz again as Ludwig Kaiser seems very pleased at ringside. Some chops in the corner rock Goodz and it’s the sleeper into the powerbomb to finish for Gunther at 2:10. That’s the kind of dominance it should continue to be.

We recap RKBro vs. the Usos.

Riddle is ready for Jey Uso tonight when Drew McIntyre comes in to say he’s happy with Randy Orton standing up to the Bloodline. Orton says he and McIntyre are good. Everyone leaves but Sami Zayn pops up behind them and seems rather pleased.

Video on Xia Li, as they remember she exists.

Riddle vs. Jey Uso

Their partners are here too. They strike it out to start with Uso getting the better of things with a kick to the face to put him down. Jey stomps on the ribs as commentary recaps the history between Riddle and Orton. They head outside with Riddle being dropped onto the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Jey hitting an enziguri but Riddle fights up anyway and strikes away. The jumping knee sets up the Floating Bro for two, followed by the hanging DDT. Orton beats up Jimmy on the floor and drops him onto the announcers’ table. Jey grabs a pop up neckbreaker for two, with Riddle kicking out in a weird way. Back up and Riddle hits a jumping knee but Jey superkicks him down. The Superfly Splash hits raised knees though and a small package gives Riddle the pin (second small package win in three matches) at 12:21.

Rating: C+. Pretty good match here, with Riddle getting to shine on his own a bit. As annoying as it is to have these singles matches to set up the Tag Team Title match, it isn’t like there are any other teams to beat. That makes the unification that much better, though it still seems like there should be ANY other way to set up the showdown.

Here are Naomi and Sasha Banks to brag about how great and close they are. They have no competition so here are Shayna Baszler and Natalya to interrupt. Banks and Naomi didn’t beat them at Wrestlemania, but Naomi calls Natalya a crazy cat lady. The match seems all but official.

Happy Corbin comes up to Madcap Moss and is willing to forgive him, but Moss being his sidekick again has the same odds as Corbin growing a full head of hair.

Video on Raquel Rodriguez.

Madcap Moss vs. Angel

Moss hammers away to start and knocks Angel off of the apron and onto Humberto. On the way back in, Humberto grabs the leg though and Angel gets in a kick to the head. That doesn’t last long as Moss fights up for a quick comeback and grabs the Punchline for the pin at 2:18. Could have been worse.

Post match Happy Corbin comes in and lays Moss out before stealing the Andre the Giant Battle Royal trophy.

Sami Zayn knocks on Roman Reigns’ door.

Post break, Reigns is yelling at the Usos when Zayn comes in. Zayn overheard what Drew McIntyre was saying about the Bloodline and thinks he could be a valuable ally to the team. He acknowledges Reigns but needs Reigns to recognize him. Reigns doesn’t say anything until Zayn leaves, when he tells the Usos to take his name out of McIntyre’s mouth. Leave it to WWE to wait almost a month

It’s time for chapter three of the Lacey Evans story, as she talks about how much worse things got for her drug addicted father. She had to get ready for the prom herself while also being a good amateur wrestler. Then she walked home in the rain and found her dad asleep on the couch with a lit cigarette falling out of his mouth. It made her want something better and drove her to become something better, which she is today.

Here’s the problem with this idea: these stories are sad and it does make you feel for Evans. She went through a nightmare growing up and worked hard to get where she is. Then you realize that she’s a very good looking blonde with an amazing backstory and a military career to go with an athletic background. WWE would break down the door to her house to sign her up as fast as they could. It was a very hard road to get there, but it’s also a bit difficult to but that she had to put in that much effort to get her name on a WWE deal once she started in wrestling. Telling the story is a good idea, but they needed to get the ending right.

Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn

Lumberjack match, with the Usos getting their own entrance. Sami tries to run outside at the bell but gets thrown back inside so Drew can unload in the corner. McIntyre is sent outside for a beating from the lumberjacks, setting up the big staredown. We take a break and come back with the Glasgow Kiss dropping Sami. McIntyre fights up and beats on Zayn as the lumberjacks get in a brawl. Zayn tries to escape but gets thrown back in as everyone else brawls on the floor. McIntyre finally hits the big running flip dive onto the pile but Zayn uses the distraction to run into the crowd for the countout at 8:10.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as it was more about setting up another rematch, which will hopefully be the conclusive match for a change. Zayn continuing to be a weasel works, though as usual, a lumberjack match is kind of hard to get into as they almost all follow the same formula. Just get to the blowoff next week and let both guys move on.

Post match Adam Pearce comes out to say Zayn isn’t getting away with this and makes McIntyre vs. Zayn IV in a cage match next week. Jinder Mahal and Shanky jump McIntyre but he fights up and Claymore Mahal. McIntyre poses on the announcers’ table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. As it has been for the last couple of weeks, Smackdown continues to feel like it has no direction. The show comes and goes without much happening, as it always feels like “wait until next week” but next week never gets here. This show featured Butch losing again, the same ending we’ve seen to McIntyre vs. Zayn twice before, Moss beating the other half of the same team and a contract signing. It’s like they’re playing the hits if the best they could do was reach the top 2000. Another show that didn’t feel important in the slightest this week, which is far too long of a trend these days.

Results
Xavier Woods b. Butch – Backwoods
Gunther b. Teddy Goodz – Powerbomb
Riddle b. Jey Uso – Small package
Madcap Moss b. Angel – Punchline
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn via countout

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: April 8, 2022
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the first Smackdown after Wrestlemania and maybe something can go a bit better than this week’s Raw. If nothing else, there is always the chance to see who might show up from NXT or elsewhere and that can make for some exciting times. If nothing else, the fans have now had a chance to rest a bit and aren’t likely to get burned out an hour into the show. Let’s get to it.

Here are Wrestlemania Night One and Night Two if you need a recap.

We open with the long recap of Wrestlemania.

Kayla Braxton brings out Ronda Rousey for a chat. We look at Charlotte tapping out at Wrestlemania but winning anyway thanks to a downed referee. Rousey says that her mom taught her that things won’t always work out, but she had Charlotte beaten. Now Rousey wants a rematch, but with no way out. Instead, she wants it in an I Quit match. Charlotte pops up on screen to laugh and say Charlie Sheen’s WINNING. She thinks the Baddest Woman On The Planet deal is a myth so the match….isn’t on. Rousey says the match is taking place and Charlotte is going to scream. That is the logical next step for the feud.

We recap New Day losing to Ridge Holland and Sheamus at Wrestlemania in a minute and forty seconds (on an eight hour, two night event).

Sheamus and Holland tells Butch to take Xavier Woods apart like a chew toy.

Butch vs. Xavier Woods

Ridge Holland, Sheamus and Kofi Kingston are here too. Before the match, Kofi mocks the trio in the ring and says that since Wrestlemania is over, all records reset, so their feud is even again. Woods says that he hit the weights this morning and then called Butch’s mom, who wants him to give her rabies infused nephew.

Woods charges in and gets pounded down but comes back with some chops. Butch starts going after the arm and they head outside, where Woods gets X Plexed onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Woods fighting off the mat and hammering away on the apron. Butch cuts him off with a forearm but Woods grabs a small package for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C-. So he debuts as a new gimmick, then becomes something of a feral man child, then he loses his debut. Are we sure that moving up to the main roster is a good thing at this point? This is the latest time that WWE has what should be a can’t miss prospect and not only do they manage to start badly, but then they run in the other direction with the thing. Well done, as always.

We recap Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville N Pals at Wrestlemania.

Sami Zayn goes on a rant to Adam Pearce about being treated like a loser after his match with Knoxville. He has even been sent cheese because of the mousetrap. Zayn wants a match with the next person to walk out of the men’s locker room, so here’s Drew McIntyre. Sami: “Ok the NEXT person to walk out of that locker room!” Pearce makes the match with McIntyre for tonight. Zayn needs some time to think about this and leaves. A stagehand comes in to hand Pearce a note, with Pearce saying to tell the sender that he can’t meet with her right now.

Ludvig Kaiser (Marcel Barthel) introduces the debuting Gunther.

Gunther vs. Joe Alonzo

Gunther chops him into the corner and then stands on his throat. The big boot sets up the chops and the powerbomb finishes for Gunther at 2:03. That’s a good way to debut a new monster.

Raquel Rodriguez (Gonzalez, also from NXT) says you haven’t seen anyone like her. Los Lotharios come up to hit on her but she says not a chance. Kayla Braxton agrees that the two of them are always annoying. There was no reason to keep her in NXT any longer so the move makes sense.

It’s time for Happy Talk with Happy Corbin and Madcap Poss but Corbin isn’t happy. The fact that some of the balloons are messed up and they appear to say CO RATS makes it even worse. Corbin had an honest conversation with himself on his yacht this week and he has come to a realization: it’s all Moss’ fault.

Moss is really sorry but Corbin doesn’t want to hear about Moss’ feelings. Somehow Moss made Wrestlemania Weekend all about himself with the battle royal win. Corbin thinks Moss has forgotten his place, which is tell him a joke. Moss asks what you call him when he costs Corbin a match? Madcap LOSS! Corbin: “That’s terrible. Tell me another one.” The second one bombs too, which doesn’t have Moss looking very happy.

Corbin gives him one more chance to tell a joke like Moss’ job depends on it. Moss asks what you call a guy who treats his friend like garbage and dressed like he’s going to a funeral for Tommy Bahama? You call him Happy Corbin! That’s enough to start the fight, with Moss getting the better of things and knocking Corbin to the floor. Moss even stomps on the hat!

Jinder Mahal rants to Adam Pearce about wanting a title shot when Ronda Rousey comes in to ask about her I Quit match. She’ll get an answer by tomorrow.

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Sami stalls a lot to start but Drew finally grabs him for a ram into the barricade. Back in and McIntyre sends him flying with a suplex, followed by some drops onto the announcers’ table. Zayn teases walking out but gets taken down from behind. The Claymore is loaded up but Sami runs outside again and takes the countout at 3:32.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what to say about something like this, but Sami continuing to be a weasel is still entertaining. The good thing also here is it gave McIntyre a night off, as he was just doing his big moves and standing around while Sami bumped a bit. Odds are we’ll see this again next week and that could be interesting too.

We look back at Pat McAfee/Austin Theory/Vince McMahon/Steve Austin at Wrestlemania.

We get the first chapter of the Lacey Evans Story, talking about how her dad was abusive and ran her mom and her off. Then they lived in campgrounds all their life and worked to get here. She’s a mom, a sister and a United States Marine. It doesn’t make her better than anyone, but they’re not better than her either.

Sasha Banks vs. Liv Morgan

Naomi is on commentary but Morgan explains that she’s on her own. Morgan grabs a rollup for a fast two and then kicks Banks face first into the corner. A middle rope missile dropkick sets up a missed Oblivion, allowing Banks to kick her to the floor. We take a break and come back with Sasha hitting a top rope splash for two but the Codebreaker is blocked.

They go into the pinfall reversal sequence until Banks knees her in the face. Liv is right back with the Codebreaker for the double knockdown. Banks catches her with a knee on top and hits a superplex but throws her legs up so Morgan can grab the small package for the pin at 7:08.

Rating: D+. Most of that is for the ending, as Banks hit the superplex, laid there for a second, and then threw her legs up so Morgan could get the pin. That looked as scripted as you could get and it drives me nuts to see them make it look that bad. Throw in CHALLENGER PINS TAG CHAMPION TO SET UP THE TITLE MATCH and it’s even worse.

We look at Roman Reigns unifying the World Titles at Wrestlemania.

Here is the Bloodline for a chat. Reigns talks about winning the WWE Title from Raw and that doesn’t leave him much to do. There is a lot for the Bloodline to do though, which is why he wants the Usos to go to Raw and bring him the Raw Tag Team Titles so they can be unified too. Cue Shinsuke Nakamura to interrupt but Reigns puts his hand on the microphone. Reigns gets that Nakamura needs something after losing his partner so he’ll show some Bloodline love. That means a hug to Nakamura….and a double superkick from the Usos to end the show. Nakamura vs. Reigns for Backlash works.

Overall Rating: C+. Much like Raw, this show had stuff going on, but it didn’t feel like anything that needed to be seen. This one is a bit higher though, as they announced/at least implied some things going forward. Unifying the Tag Team Titles is a LONG overdue idea and Nakamura vs. Reigns should work out just fine. I like some of the callups too (Gonzalez/Gunther work well) and there is a bit more interest around here. Throw in this being an hour shorter and it was a lot more fun than Raw. Not exactly a classic, but I’m intrigued enough.

Results
Xavier Woods b. Butch – Small package
Gunther b. Joe Alonzo – Powerbomb
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn via countout
Liv Morgan b. Sasha Banks – Small package

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

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AND

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

Smackdown
Date: November 19, 2021
Location: XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the go home show for Survivor Series and that means it is time to hype up the Battle Of Brand Supremacy. We don’t have anything else to talk about on the show because there are no title matches or really anything personal to build towards, but maybe Big E. can show up to avenge his friends. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s main event, with the Usos getting Roman Reigns DQ’ed against Xavier Woods. Reigns got the crown anyway.

Here are the Usos to promise to win on Sunday and gives a passionate introduction to Roman Reigns. The throne is set up and Paul Heyman talks about how much he deserves to be crowned king more than anyone else. Heyman says Xavier Woods should never be king, nor should Big E., who will be smashed this weekend by the Tribal King. Reigns asks for the mic and wants to know whose idea this was. He has no idea why anyone would want this because he has already put in the work. Reigns: “HARTFORD, ACKNOWLEDGE ME!”

Cue Xavier Woods to say he challenges Reigns for tonight, with the Usos (referred to as the goons) staying in the back, but the stuff in the ring doesn’t matter. Reigns likes that and tells the Usos to destroy the throne and everything else. Only the crown is left, so Reigns gives him one more change to save it. Woods charges in and gets beaten down. Reigns has him dragged to the middle and says he doesn’t need props. The crown is destroyed and Woods is sent into the pieces. This is one of the best feuds going in WWE today and I’m looking forward to Woods challenging Reigns at Day One in Atlanta.

Post break Woods can’t walk through the back but he’ll be in the ring to face Reigns tonight. Everyone knows the Roman Empire wasn’t built in a day but it will fall tonight.

Cesaro vs. Sheamus vs. Ricochet vs. Jinder Mahal

The winner gets the final spot on the Survivor Series team. Cesaro and Sheamus knock the other two down to start so Sheamus can clothesline him. Sheamus does the Bar pose and then beats Ricochet up, only to get sunset flipped for two. Mahal is back up with a knee to Ricochet’s head and they pair off again. Ricochet is tied in the ropes so Sheamus can hit the forearms but Mahal rolls Sheamus up for two. That sets up the forearms to Mahal’s chest but Ricochet is back in to clear out Sheamus and Cesaro. A crazy high springboard flip dive takes out everyone and we take a break.

Back (with a graphic showing everyone’s name and face, which is a REALLY nice thing to have and something that should have been around a long time ago) with Sheamus superplexing Mahal, followed by Ricochet’s super hurricanrana to Cesaro. We hit a parade of taking each other down, leaving Cesaro to Swing Mahal.

The parade of secondary finishers is on but Mahal can’t Khallas Ricochet. Instead it’s Ricochet up with the 630 to Mahal but Sheamus Brogue Kicks him down. Sheamus gets two on Mahal with Cesaro making the save before uppercutting Sheamus out of the air. The Neutralizer is loaded up but here’s Ridge Holland for a distraction, allowing Sheamus to Brogue Kick Cesaro for the pin at 11:01.

Rating: B-. There were some awesome spots in here and Ricochet looked like a star. You could go with a few different choices for the win here and Sheamus works well enough. You can always use a big brawler on a team and while it would be nice to see Ricochet getting the spot, at least it isn’t trying to shine Mahal up again.

Jeff Hardy is excited to team with some very talented people this year, but Happy Corbin is in his own world. Cue Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss, with the latter calling Hardy a redneck. Adam Pearce comes in to say he wants Smackdown to win on Sunday (Since when?) but for tonight, it’s Moss vs. Hardy. That makes Hardy point and laugh in a nice moment.

Sheamus is happy to have Ridge Holland in his corner and can’t believe he was Holland’s inspiration. To the bar they go.

Commentary introduces a long video on Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch, with an acknowledgment of their feud that the media has been talking about. This is a really weird feud as the most of the thing is about something that didn’t officially happen on WWE TV but everyone has heard about it and WWE is running with the thing. I could go with some kind of a direct acknowledgment, but this is feeling more like the AEW model where “yeah but everyone knows what we mean.” You can’t do it all the time, but it’s working here.

Anyway, we see the awkward title exchange and get a talk about how their careers will always be intertwined, including the first women’s match to main event Wrestlemania. Then we move into their on-screen stuff as of late, which is more of a traditional feud between two titans of the division.

Natalya/Shayna Baszler vs. Aliyah/Naomi

Aliyah starts fast with a hurricanrana to Natalya and everything breaks down in a hurry. Shayna grabs the Kirifuda Clutch on Naomi but Natalya tags herself in. That’s broken up and Natalya grabs a rollup for a fast count pin at 1:03 (with the referee bolting to the back). I don’t know if you’re picking up on this, but we might have a corrupt authority figure around here.

Sami Zayn tells Sonya Deville that everything is wrong with his documentary but Sonya has an idea: let’s have a 25 man battle royal at Survivor Series in honor of 25 years since the Rock’s debut. Hold on though as the referee pops in to ask if she did a good job in the women’s tag. Sonya has no idea who she is because she doesn’t associate with crooked referees so get out of here.

Madcap Moss vs. Jeff Hardy

Happy Corbin is here with Moss, so Hardy brings out Drew McIntyre to be in his corner. Hardy starts fast and takes Moss down, setting up the Swanton in a hurry. Corbin goes for a distraction so McIntyre throws him over the announcers’ table. Moss catches Hardy on top and tries a suplex but gets reversed into into a small package to give Hardy the pin at 1:45.

Post match McIntyre kicks Corbin in the face and Hardy adds the Swanton to Moss.

We recap the opening sequence.

Kayla Braxton scares Paul Heyman again and yes he has heard Xavier Woods’ challenge. He is tired of this idea that Roman Reigns needs the Usos. Reigns loves the challenge like Kayla loves Heyman, so tonight Reigns will face Woods later tonight.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Angel

Non-title and Angel TAKES OFF HIS PANTS before the bell. Nakamura starts fast and kicks Angel down, only to dive into a dropkick. We see Los Lotharios photoshopped onto People Magazine as the Sexiest Men Alive as Nakamura hits a knee off the apron. Rick Boogs beats up Humberto and the distraction lets Nakamura hit Kinshasa for the pin at 1:43. This was really messy with too much going on at once despite how short it was.

Post match, Humberto jumps Nakamura and runs off.

We look back at Shotzi turning on Sasha Banks a few weeks ago.

Shotzi and Banks glare at each other in the back with Sonya Deville cutting them off. Shotzi goes on a rant about how payback is a….and she’s cut off. Banks says everyone tries to make a name off of her and yeah, payback is a b****, and so is she. Sonya wants them to shake hands after their match.

Sasha Banks vs. Shotzi

Shotzi drives her into the corner to start but Banks cools things down with a headlock. Banks grabs Three Amigos but has to bail out of the frog splash attempt. Shotzi misses a charge to the floor, where she avoids Banks’ dive off the apron. The arm gets caught in the steps so Shotzi can kick away, allowing her to dive back in and break the count. Back to the floor and Banks gets sent inside for one before sending Shotzi back outside.

The Meteora off the apron drops Shotzi and we take a break. Back with Shotzi working on the arm but Banks kicks her away and hits a really good looking top rope Meteora for two of her own. Shotzi is right back with another arm snap over the top and a ram into the post. Back in and the Ball Pit connects, only to have Sasha roll outside. Banks is fine enough to grab the Bank Statement, but uses her leg to pull Shotzi’s head back for the tap at 11:09.

Rating: B-. This felt like a fight and that’s how they should have been going at each other. Banks nailed some of those Meteoras and the Bank Statement at the end was a cool finish. It would be nice to not have Shotzi lose all the time, but beating Banks is a career win that she isn’t quite reach for yet. Good match though as Shotzi continues to be treated like a somebody.

Post match Sonya Deville comes out to watch the handshake. They do shake hands, but Banks pulls Shotzi into a Backstabber.

Roman Reigns asks Paul Heyman if it is time, with Heyman confirming that it is. The Usos are told to stay in the back for this one.

We get a vignette from Xia Li in the form of a comic book. She talks about her dad protecting her as a kid and then dying for some reason. It made her feel vulnerable and their landlord was all over them. He threw their stuff out of their house and into the street, which made her hate vultures. Now she is the protector and she is coming to Smackdown. Cool.

Toni Storm is fired up for Survivor Series, but also after challenging Charlotte last week. We see Charlotte turning her down last week and Toni thinks that makes Charlotte vulnerable. After Survivor Series, she still won’t be scared of Charlotte. Cue Charlotte to say Toni can be next on the list after Becky Lynch. Charlotte makes threats of destruction and walks away, which Toni interprets as fear. Of note: Toni’s 80’s deal was nowhere to be seen here and she was just a normal person.

Here is Xavier Woods to call out Roman Reigns. Last week the Usos interfered when Woods has Reigns beat, because Reigns can’t beat him. Cue Reigns and Heyman, with the latter calling for the Usos. They don’t come out but do get tossed through the entrance….because Big E. is here. The fight is on in the aisle and Reigns is sent into the barricade. Big E. sends Reigns inside and the beating is on.

The Usos come in and get beaten up as well, setting up Woods’ big dive. Reigns is back up with the Superman Punch to Big E. but the spear is countered into a Big Ending attempt. Reigns bails away (while seeming to favor his left arm a lot) to end the show. This was a hot segment and what they have been waiting to do for a long time now.

Overall Rating: B. This was a heck of a show with the Woods vs. Reigns stuff being flat out great. It’s a story that anyone can identify with as they would want to see Woods get some revenge on Reigns. Other than that, they did a nice job of setting up the pay per view, plus whatever is coming next. They were focused this week and that has been lacking over the last few weeks.

Results
Sheamus b. Cesaro, Ricochet and Jinder Mahal – Brogue Kick to Cesaro
Natalya/Shayna Baszler b. Naomi/Aliyah – Rollup with a fast count to Naomi
Jeff Hardy b. Madcap Moss – Small package
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Angel – Kinshasa
Sasha Banks b. Shotzi – Bank Statement

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: November 5, 2021
Location: Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re just over two weeks away from Survivor Series and it might be time to start talking about the show. Since it absolutely has to be Raw vs. Smackdown, it shouldn’t be that hard to get things going. The show almost has to be better than last week’s so at least they have a clear bar to clear. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is the Bloodline to get things going. Roman Reigns talks about taking last week off after smashing Brock Lesnar, but now he’s back so this tiny little no name town can acknowledge him. He was on a private island running around sans clothes last week (his wife loved it), but not everyone had a good time. Brock Lesnar got fined a million bucks, but there was one more thing.

Reigns asks Paul Heyman what happened to the Usos, with Heyman talking about how it was a non-title match. When flat out asked though, Heyman has to admit that the New Day won the match. Reigns likes the New Day, even though the Bloodline is better. He wants to know what happened, with both Usos blaming the other for taking the pin. Eventually it’s Jimmy who admits he lost, so Reigns wants to know how he’s going to fix it.

Jimmy promises to make everyone acknowledge the head of the title and the Universal Champion, but here is New Day to interrupt. Woods thinks the King is supposed to be at the head of the table, but Reigns hasn’t stopped talking about sitting there for a long time now. Kofi thinks the table has been forgotten on Reigns’ island of relevancy. As for tonight, Woods has an idea: Woods vs. Jimmy, and when Jey loses, he has to bend the knee to the King. Jimmy says the Bloodline bows to no one but Reigns accepts for him, with Woods having to bend the knee if he loses.

We look at Sonya Deville cheating Naomi out of a match with Shayna Baszler last week.

Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler

In the back, Sonya Deville insists that it has been tough love on Naomi. They start fast with Naomi hitting a Thesz press and then kicking Baszler in the face. Baszler snaps off a German suplex though and they fight outside, with Naomi sending her into the apron. Back in and a good high crossbody gets two on Baszler but she drops Naomi onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Naomi hitting a Heatseeker onto the apron. A sunset flip gets two but Baszler switches into the Kirifuda Clutch. That’s broken up with a rope break so Naomi grabs a rollup for the pin at 6:33. Hold on though because here’s Sonya Deville to say that should have been a rope break, so restart the match. Cole: “WHERE’S JACK TUNNEY???” The Kirifuda Clutch finishes Naomi at 7:30.

Rating: C-. Yeah we know. It’s the kind of story that we have seen over and over again: a corrupt authority figure does something to mess with a wrestler. The good thing here though is that it could bring Sonya back into the ring and that is certainly a positive. It has been a while since we’ve seen this so it’s far from the worst thing, but they might as well have had a big NOPE sign as soon as Naomi got the pin.

Roman Reigns is ranting to the Usos about what happened last week, saying he took a week off and this place is almost as bad as Raw. Jimmy laughs so Reigns gets in his face, saying they don’t lose.

Remember how Xia Li was coming? She still is.

Ridge Holland is here to meet his idol, Sheamus, because he would fight right in back home. He and his friends were all big fans and everything he knows he learned from watching Sheamus. That is bad news for everyone around here. Quite the interesting backstory.

We look back at Shotzi attacking Sasha Banks.

Shotzi talks about how she has lost everything, from matches to the support of the WWE Universe. That was her breaking point and she is going to run over everyone, even without the tank. This was a good example of someone writing a promo for a wrestler, even if it is not something that fits with their personality. Someone like Shotzi would never say “the support of the WWE Universe” but that’s how WWE people talk so here we are.

Los Lotharios vs. Mansoor/Cesaro

Mansoor takes Garza down by the arm to start but gets caught in a spinebuster as we get an inset interview from some bragging Lotharios. Carrillo comes in to punch Mansoor into the corner and a backdrop allows Garza to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS. The half crab goes on but Mansoor escapes and brings in Cesaro to start cleaning house. The springboard corkscrew elbow sets up the Swing but Carrillo makes the save. Mansoor breaks up the near fall and Cesaro gets knocked into Mansoor. Something like a Muta Lock from Carrillo sets up a basement dropkick from Garza (The Cero de la Silla?) for the pin at 4:59.

Rating: C. You can always use a team like Los Lotharios and they were doing their thing well enough here. The tag divisions have been dying for new talent so this is a perfectly fine addition. Now just let them win some matches and go somewhere with it and they might be on to something.

Aliyah hits on Jeff Hardy but leaves so Jeff can have his interview. Hold on though as Jeff goes over to Aliyah, who runs into Sami Zayn. Sami wants to help her out, so he has one suggestion: pants suit.

Here’s Drew McIntyre for this week’s open challenge.

Drew McIntyre vs. Ricochet

Ricochet says Drew needs to watch his mouth or someone is going to come out here and slap him in the face. That’s what Ricochet does so Drew starts fast, including a heck of an overhead belly to belly. Drew is knocked outside but he catches a running hurricanrana and drops Ricochet onto the apron. Back in and another belly to belly has Ricochet sprawling into the corner.

We cut to Mustafa Ali, who seems interested because he and Ricochet have a lot in common. Back to full screen with Ricochet dropkicking McIntyre out of the air. A standing shooting star press is blocked though and a brainbuster gives Drew two. Ricochet hits some superkicks but a middle rope moonsault press is Claymored out of the air (DANG) for the pin at 3:41.

Rating: B-. WWE is getting the hang of these awesome short matches as of late, as they packed in so much stuff that I thought they had gone twice as long. I’m glad to see Ricochet on the show again and that finish looked great. Then there’s the Ali stuff and while I’m still nervous, they might have shifted away from what it seemed to be in the first place.

New Day is ready for the main event and dancing ensues.

Mustafa Ali comes up tor Ricochet and proposes a team. Ricochet turns him down though, because Ali complains all the time, was mean to his last partner, and is just a jerk. Ali isn’t pleased.

It’s time for Happy Talk, with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss laughing about how they have no competition. That brings them to their guests this week, the Viking Raiders, who seem to impress McAfee. The Raiders say they aren’t here to be guests but to raid this corny show. Corbin laughs at the idea of two guys in their Halloween costumes. Moss tells them a joke about how bad vikings smell so the set is wrecked.

Viking Raiders vs. Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss

Erik powers Corbin around to start so it’s off to Ivar to work on Moss’ arm. A Corbin distraction lets Moss come back with a spinebuster to Erik though and it’s time to stomp away in the corner. Ivar has to make a save of his own but Moss shoves him through the ropes for something you don’t see very often.

Deep Six gets two on Erik but he knocks Corbin away and brings in Ivar to start breaking people. A crossbody hits Moss for two and there’s the seated senton in the corner. Ivar cartwheels away from Corbin (McAfee: “A VIKING DID A CARTWHEEL!”) and drives Erik into the corner. Corbin is sent outside and Erik powerbombs Moss (after almost dropping him at first) but Corbin pulls Moss to the floor. The threat of an Ivar dive sends Moss and Corbin away for the countout at 5:41.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have much time to go anywhere but they followed the formula so it wasn’t that bad. The Raiders getting pushed again is a good idea and I could go for seeing them face the Usos for the titles. Corbin and Moss are more likely to get the push though, which isn’t surprising and also not the most exciting. Odds are the rematch is next week and a Nakamura/Boogs cameo wouldn’t surprise me.

Raw Rebound.

Hit Row runs into Sami Zayn, who is giving them some advice as the locker room leader. Zayn thought their entrance a few weeks ago sucked, but with some work, they could be stars. Top Dolla asks him to demonstrate a big entrance and the team is rather excited to see this.

Here is Sami Zayn, who is rather fired up during his entrance. With that out of the way, here is Hit Row, who seems to get a bit of a more positive reaction, to send Sami away in some shame.

The Usos ask if Roman Reigns is coming to the ring with them. Reigns asks how many of their mistakes does he have to fix.

King Woods vs. Jimmy Uso

Kofi Kingston and Jey Uso are here too and the loser has to bend the knee. Woods starts fast by knocking Jimmy outside to start. Back in and Woods dropkicks him out of the air for two but Jimmy drops him on the top. We take a break and come back with Jimmy stomping away in the corner before grabbing the chinlock.

Woods fights back up and knocks Jimmy down for a change, setting up a heck of a top rope legdrop for two. Jey offers a distraction though and it’s a super Samoan drop to give Jimmy his own near fall. The Superfly Splash hits raised boots so Jey offers a hand but the referee catches the cheating. Woods grabs a rollup (and pants) for the pin at 9:21.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one by the end and they had me on a few of the near falls. Woods winning is the right call as he is getting some energy out of the crown, so you don’t want him losing so soon. The match was good action with solid drama and that’s not bad for a total midcard main event.

Post match Jimmy reluctantly starts to bend the knee but here is Roman Reigns to jump Woods and set up the beatdown. Woods’ leg gets taken out and Reigns promises violence next week. New Day is going to need some backup, perhaps in the form of the WWE Champion, who is probably going to be facing Reigns at Survivor Series later this month anyway. That’s some amazing timing.

Overall Rating: C+. Yeah last week was a one off as this was definitely a return to course after last week’s near train wreck. This week had better matches and some good story advancement, so well done on getting things closer to Survivor Series. I want to see what happens when a serious Big E. comes after Reigns and Naomi get to beat up Sonya, plus wherever they are going with Drew McIntyre’s open challenges. Good show here, and that’s nice to see again.

Results
Shayna Baszler b. Naomi – Kirifuda Clutch
Los Lotharios b. Cesaro/Mansoor – Assisted basement dropkick to Cesaro
Drew McIntyre b. Ricochet – Claymore
Viking Raiders b. Madcap Moss/Happy Corbin via countout
Xavier Woods b. Jimmy Uso – Rollup with a handful of pants

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