Smackdown
Date: October 22, 2021
Location: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with Crown Jewel and that means it is time to start getting ready for Survivor Series. The big story coming out of the show is Roman Reigns retaining the Universal Title as Paul Heyman managed to stay in the middle while still interfering in the match. That could mean more than a few things going forward so let’s get to it.

Here is Crown Jewel if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Roman Reigns retaining the Universal Title over Brock Lesnar, albeit with an assist from the Usos and a title belt shot.

Here are Reigns and Paul Heyman for a chat to get things going. Reigns isn’t happy with Heyman, as he doesn’t get why the title was thrown into the middle of the ring last night. Reigns: “Shall we work on this?” He demonstrates how to put the title in his hand and says that Heyman isn’t good as his job. We hear Reigns’ various monikers, including the greatest Universal Champion of all time (that has been a long five years). Reigns lists off all of the people he has smashed while champion, including Brock Lesnar.

Speaking of Lesnar, wasn’t he supposed to be here tonight? Reigns has Heyman pull out his phone to read Lesnar’s promise to beat up Reigns as soon as he arrives tonight. Reigns: “He’s tweeting now!” That makes Reigns laugh and he wants Lesnar out here for his second beating in a row. He faces the Titantron but no one shows up, so Reigns thinks Lesnar must be scared. Reigns makes it clear: he isn’t leaving the ring until Lesnar gets here.

We take a break and come back with Reigns and Heyman still in the ring, with the former talking about how great he is. The fans want Lesnar but Reigns says Lesnar is scared of him, just like everyone else. Reigns is ready to leave but here is Lesnar to cut him off. The fight is on with Lesnar knocking him to the floor but stopping to look at Heyman. One heck of a steps shot knocks Reigns silly and it’s time to load up the announcers’ table.

Cue the Usos for the save so Lesnar beats them up, allowing Reigns to get back up. Lesnar drives Reigns into the post and then steals a camera, which he throws at the post to break it into pieces. Someone gets sent over the announcers’ table so Adam Pearce sends out various wrestlers to calm Lesnar down but they’re beaten down as well. Cesaro, Jeff Hardy and the Viking Raiders finally calm things down, leaving Lesnar to hold up the Universal Title. Now that was a hot angle and it felt like Reigns was running scared for the first time.

Post break, and post a bunch of replays, Adam Pearce gets in the ring to say Lesnar’s actions were unacceptable. Therefore, Lesnar is suspended indefinitely. Cue Lesnar again and Pearce knows he messed up. Lesnar grabs him by the shirt and wants Pearce to say it again. Pearce, while struggling to breathe, repeats the suspension. Lesnar: “Is that right?” Lesnar hits an F5, hears his music start, and hits another F5, with Pearce’s pants being ripped in the process. That’s not enough for Lesnar, who grabs the mic and tells Pearce to say it again. Since Pearce can’t move, Lesnar hits him in the face with the microphone to some rather strong praise from the crowd.

The locker room is worried about what happened and here is Naomi to get in Sonya Deville’s face. Sonya yells at her and since Naomi is a face on the WWE roster, she calmly walks away without any rebuttal. Drew McIntyre pops in to say he’s here to make a difference so it’s open challenge time.

Here is Drew McIntyre in the ring and it is still open challenge time.

Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn

Sami has a new theme and says he’s used to being forgotten around here. He is actually the longest tenured member of the Smackdown roster and he is kind of a locker room leader. McIntyre may be a former WWE Champion, but he’s a newbie around here. Sami will accept the challenge and drops to the floor at the opening bell. McIntyre follows him outside and sends Zayn into the barricade for a big crash.

We take a break and come back with Zayn hammering away in the corner but McIntyre snaps off an overhead belly to belly. Sami snaps Drew’s throat across the top rope but the Glasgow Kiss gets McIntyre out of trouble. A charge hits post to put him back in trouble though and Sami sends him into said post again. The Helluva Kick, complete with the countdown, is cut off with the Claymore to finish Zayn at 6:50.

Rating: C-. It wasn’t a great match or anything but they kept it short as they should have. I was expecting this to be bell, Claymore, bell and it was only just a little bit more than that. It was a good way to debut McIntyre on his new show and it worked out well enough. Zayn can lose over and over and talk his way right back into being fine so this worked out in a short span.

It’s time for the official coronation of King Xavier Woods, with Kofi Kingston making the presentation. Woods comes to the ring and Kofi puts the cloak onto him, allowing the fans to hit a YOU DESERVE IT chant. Woods: “ME???” The scepter is presented, and that just leaves the crown. Kingston gives Woods a huge over the top introduction and puts the crown on his head to a rather positive reception. Woods promises it will be a fair and fun reign, with Kofi reading a proclamation and waving the robe behind him. Goofy fun here and it’s great to see Woods getting the chance to do something on his own.

Becky Lynch isn’t interested in trading titles with Charlotte, so maybe she should be Becky Two Belts again.

Xia Li is coming soon.

Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali

Rematch from Crown Jewel where Mansoor won. Ali misses a charge in the corner and walks into a backdrop. There’s a clothesline to the floor and Mansoor backdrops him from the apron to the floor. Back in and a high crossbody gives Mansoor two but Ali is back in with a Batista Bomb for two. A tiger suplex of all things drops Ali but he is back up with a sunset flip. That’s fine with Mansoor, who sits down on it for the pin at 2:37. Mansoor was certainly energetic here.

Ridge Holland isn’t surprise he made it here.

Aliyah is ready to give Smackdown a makeover.

Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo say that winning is easy when you look this good.

Sheamus delivers nothing but bangers. These were short and to the point and a lot better than what I would have expected from introductions.

Here is Hit Row to rhyme about how great they are and now they need a big bag for all of their nice things.

Hit Row vs. Dustin Lawyer/Daniel Williams

Swerve takes Lawyer down in a hurry and hits a running elbow to the back. The backsplash gives Dolla two and it’s a Wasteland/World’s Strongest Slam to Williams and Lawyer at the same time. A side slam/running kick to the head finishes Lawyer at 1:12. Simple, to the point, get the idea over, wrap it up before you overstay your welcome. Not a thing wrong with that.

We recap Lesnar’s destruction earlier, including that of Adam Pearce.

Sonya Deville says Pearce is going to be ok eventually and she told him what would happen. For now though, we have to keep going and she’ll take care of things on her own.

Happy Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title Champions Contenders match and Corbin thanks Nakamura for sending him into the downward spiral that eventually made him happy. Madcap Moss and Rick Boogs are here too as Corbin powers Nakamura into trouble to start. Nakamura is back up with some shots in the face to take over and Good Vibrations (with Boogs accompanying on guitar) makes it worse. Back up and Corbin shoves Nakamura to the apron before dropping him face first…well close enough to the apron as we take a break.

Back with Corbin hammering away on the mat until Nakamura fights up and hits a running knee. Nakamura strikes away and hits the running knee in the corner for two. End of Days is broken up but the Deep Six gives Corbin two of his own. Boogs guitars Nakamura back to life and he knees Corbin down. Kinshasa is loaded up but Moss goes after the guitar, drawing Nakamura out for the save. Corbin sends Nakamura into the steps though and End of Days finishes Nakamura at 9:38.

Rating: C. Sweet goodness I can’t stand that finish and it’s the kind of thing that WWE loves to do. Not only did they not hide how the match was going to end, but a champ takes a fall to set up a title match which could have been set up any of about a dozen other ways. That’s not how WWE likes to do things though, because why put in the work when you can be lazy instead?

Charlotte says Becky Lynch can hand over the title really easily. Just pretend it’s Charlotte’s suitcase that Becky carried for years. We aren’t even done with the first “THE ROSTERS ARE FINALIZED” show and we already have a guest star from Raw.

Here are Becky Lynch and Charlotte, in their gear, to exchange titles. Sonya Deville tells them to hand it over but Becky drops hers. They trade the titles but Charlotte issues the challenge for winner take all. Cue Sasha Banks to call Charlotte a b**** so Becky leaves, saying she’ll see one of them at Survivor Series. Sasha and Charlotte insult each other and Banks wins a quick brawl to end the show. Just like it was last year, this was hardly anything that helped the titles, but that is long past the point of mattering.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt like a new era and that appears to be what they were going for here. There were new people introduced doing new things and it made for a good way to set things off. I liked how they introduced a lot of new people and set things in motion, with a hot opening segment making it that much better. This might not have been a classic, but it was a good way to make things interesting for the future.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Mansoor b. Mustafa Ali – Cradle
Hit Row b. Dustin Lawler/Daniel Williams – Side slam/running kick to the head combination to Lawyer
Happy Corbin b. Shinsuke Nakamura – End of Days

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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Crown Jewel 2021
Date: October 21, 2021
Location: Mohammed Abdu Arena On The Boulevard, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Michael Cole

After a year and a half away, WWE is returning to Saudi Arabia and the show is actually looking huge. For the first time in a very long while, we are seeing what looks to be a massive show with a lot going on. The main event is Roman Reigns defending the Universal Title against Brock Lesnar and that should be enough to carry just about anything. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Usos vs. Shelton Benjamin/Cedric Alexander

Non-title and the fans are WAY behind the Usos to start. Jey and Alexander start things off with Jey grabbing a belly to back suplex for two. It’s off to Shelton, who powers Jey into the corner and then hands it straight back to Alexander for a knee to the face. The arm work begins, including a shoulder breaker on Jey, setting up an armbar. A superplex sends Jey crashing down for two and it’s back to Alexander for a Tequila Sunrise.

With that broken up, the cross armbreaker goes back to the arm but Jey slips out. Jey gets in a shot of his own and gets over to Jimmy for the hot tag to clean house. What looked to be a mistimed Samoan drop gets two on Alexander, who is right back with a neckbreaker for the same. Benjamin is back in with a running knee in the corner as everything breaks down. The Angle Slam gives Benjamin two and Paydirt connects for the same. Jey is back up though and it’s a series of superkicks to send Benjamin outside. More superkicks set up the Superfly Splash to finish Alexander at 10:40.

Rating: C. Totally fine tag match here, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who was involved. The Usos are one of the best tag teams the company has ever seen and Benjamin/Alexander work well together. The fans were WAY into the Usos too, making this a nice mixture. Good start to the night here, with the match being exactly what it needed to be.

The opening video talks about how huge this show is and goes into the standard look at the major matches.

There are camels by the stage.

We recap Edge vs. Seth Rollins inside the Cell. Rollins attacked Edge, who referred to Rollins as Edge-Lite. This set up a series of back and forth mental games between the two until Edge beat him at Summerslam. Then Rollins broke into Edge’s house (which was unlocked, so it wasn’t hard) and beat him in the rematch, attacking Edge’s neck in the process. Now it’s time for the big finale, inside the Cell, as Edge wants a lot of revenge.

The Cell is lowered.

Edge vs. Seth Rollins

Inside the Cell to start big. Edge slugs away in the corner to start as the fans declare this awesome in a hurry. Rollins gets kicked in the face to send him outside but comes back in with the springboard knee to the face to take over. A suicide dive only hits Cell though and Edge sends him hard into the steps. Edge throws in the steps and hits the Edgecution for two but already seems to be limping a bit. It’s already time to go for the chair bar but Rollins is back up with the Sling Blade.

They head outside again with Edge sending him into the Cell to regain control. Edge tries the Crossface but Rollins grabs the chair bar to hit him in the eye and escape. Rollins knocks the chair into Edge’s face and hits a frog splash for two. It’s already time for the table at ringside but first Rollins has to plant Edge with the Unprettier (which is suddenly Edge’s move) for two more.

Rollins takes his sweet time going up top, allowing Edge to shove him into the Cell and through the table for the big crash to the floor. The steps are thrown in, with Edge busting on the Edge-O-Matic to plant Rollins again. Edge leaves Rollins on the steps and goes up top to drive a chair into him for the big crash and a delayed near fall. Rollins is back up with a superkick into the Pedigree for two of his own and they’re both down. The Stomp is loaded up but Edge counters into a Buckle Bomb to set up the spear for the VERY near fall.

With nothing else working, it’s time for a ladder, which knocks Rollins right back down. Rollins is able to whip Edge into the ladder in the corner and let’s get another table for a bonus. The ladder is set up as well but Edge fights up to meet him on top. That’s not the best idea though as Rollins busts out a sunset bomb through the table for another near fall. Some superkicks drop Edge to his knees and a basement superkick puts him down.

Since that isn’t enough, Rollins wraps a chain around his boot for another low superkick. The Stomp onto the chair is countered with a crotching using the chair, allowing Edge to kick him down for a change. There’s a low superkick to Rollins and Edge grabs a Crossface, complete with a wrench in Rollins’ mouth. That’s not enough either though as Edge puts Rollins’ head onto the chair, setting up the Stomp for the pin at 27:40.

Rating: B. It was a heck of a fight and they beat each other up rather well, but this is what modern Cell matches have become: TLC matches with a big cage on top, which can leave things feeling a little cramped. There’s so much stuff around and inside of the ring that it almost feels messy, which isn’t what I would like to see in a Cell match. Going back and forth with the moves and spots that brought them here (including what is apparently now Edge’s Unprettier) worked, though it never hit that next level. In other words, most modern Cell matches.

Video on Bianca Belair.

We recap Mustafa Ali vs. Mansoor. Ali mentored Mansoor but then turned on him when the team didn’t work. It’s time for revenge.

Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali is in his hometown and gets a huge reaction. They fight over wrist control to start with Mansoor grabbing a quickly broken armbar. Back up and a dropkick puts Ali on the floor as Cole mocks Ali for setting up a hashtag about himself. Mansoor dropkicks him to the floor but Ali sweeps the leg to drop him back first onto the apron. Back in and Ali grabs a camel clutch, followed by a tornado DDT for two.

Some trash talk lets Mansoor fight back up and an atomic drop has Ali begging off. Ali is sent outside but comes back with a kick to the face. The 450 misses though and Mansoor suplexes him into the corner. A moonsault gives Mansoor a delayed near fall (with the camera on a young girl in the crowd) due to a banged up neck, allowing Ali to grab a Koji Clutch. The rope gets Mansoor out of trouble and he avoids another 450 attempt. Mansoor hits the slingshot neckbreaker for the pin at 10:00.

Rating: C. This was exactly what you would have expected and that means it worked out just fine. They had a simple feud and Mansoor gets his revenge in front of his hometown/country fans. It was a good example of a match where they didn’t make things too complicated and it was a success as a result.

Post match Ali jumps Mansoor but here is a man with a his face and head covered to slowly walk down the ramp. The covering comes off to reveal….a silver medalist in karate from Saudi Arabia (“a karate player” according to Cole, making me want to bust out some Karate Fighters). Ali gets kicked in the head and posing with Mansoor ensues. Nice moment for the live crowd there.

Some women who have beaten breast cancer are given WWE Title belts with Natalya and Titus O’Neil talking about how great they are. Nothing wrong with that.

Raw Tag Team Titles: RKBro vs. AJ Styles/Omos

RKBro is defending, but hang on as Riddle goes backstage during the entrance. As you might have guessed, Riddle comes out on a camel to head to the ring (Orton’s stunned look is great). Styles and Riddle start things off and the fans are rather into this. Riddle scores with an early kick to the chest and it’s off to Orton, to a heck of an RKO chant. Orton sends Styles into the corner and it’s right back to Riddle for the gutwrench spin into the suplex.

The problem is Riddle suplexes Styles into the corner so Omos can come in. Riddle tags Orton in almost immediately and the beating is on in a hurry, with Omos dragging Orton over to the corner. Styles comes in to stomp away and hit the dropkick, but Styles wants Omos to finish him off. That means a nerve hold (which looks like Omos is just putting his hand on Orton’s shoulder) but Orton is up in a hurry, allowing the tag back to Riddle.

Styles scores with the Phenomenal Blitz, only to get caught with a Pele. Orton comes in again and hits a powerslam but Omos’ distraction breaks up the hanging DDT. Orton snaps Omos’ throat across the top and then counters the Phenomenal Forearm into the RKO. The Floating Bro retains the titles at 8:43.

Rating: C. Total Raw level match here with a cool looking spot with the RKO. I get why the feud continued here but it feels like they have just run out of things to do in the ring or to build towards a match. RKBro needs some new competition because we have been doing this for several months now and it isn’t interesting anymore.

Becky Lynch isn’t happy with Kevin Patrick asking her about momentum (Becky: “We go all the way back to the old country!”). She isn’t worried about being in a triple threat match, which she explains in a hurry.

Video on Charlotte, who isn’t on this show.

Queen’s Crown: Doudrop vs. Zelina Vega

Vega gets powered around to start but a neck snap across the top gets her out of trouble. For some reason Vega tries a sunset flip and is quickly pulled up. Doudrop hits some ax handles to the chest and drops an elbow but gets pulled off the ropes. A tornado DDT gives Vega two and she sends Doudrop into the corner for a running shot to the face. Doudrop is back to her feet for a swinging side slam for two, setting up a running backsplash for the same. Back up and Vega avoids a splash, setting up a Code Red to give Vega the crown at 5:50.

Rating: C-. The match was about as good as you were going to get given the size difference and by comparison, this actually got time. The fact that a match which wasn’t even six minutes long was nearly double the second longest match in the tournament is not a good sign, but at least they went with someone who could use the push. All in all, the tournament felt thrown together, but I’ll take Vega finally winning something.

We recap Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg. Lashley beat him via referee stoppage at Summerslam but then accidentally (perhaps) beat up Goldberg’s son after the match. Goldberg wants revenge and it’s falls count anywhere and no holds barred.

Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley

No holds barred and falls count anywhere. Lashley wraps a chain around his fist and hammers Goldberg down to start before sending him shoulder first into the post. Since Lashley can’t find a table, he beats Goldberg up with a chair and sends him into the corner again. Now the table is slid inside and Lashley stomps him down in the corner. The table is set up in the corner and Lashley takes out the leg (which caused the stoppage at Summerslam).

A chair is wrapped around the leg and a bottom rope Pillmanizing has Goldberg….well just kind of laying there. The leg is fine enough for Goldberg to get up and avoid the spear, sending Lashley through the table in the corner. Goldberg hits a spear into the Jackhammer but doesn’t cover. Instead, Goldberg takes his gloves off and throws Lashley outside for the spear into the timekeeper’s area.

Goldberg loads up the steps and then sends Lashley into various objects at ringside. Lashley is put on the steps but avoids being crushed by the rest of the steps. They go up the ramp and here are Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander, armed with kendo sticks. Goldberg beats the two of them up in a hurry and takes away Lashley’s kendo stick. Said stick is broken over Goldberg’s knee and a spear off the ramp through some tables finishes Lashley at 11:27.

Rating: C+. That could have been a lot worse. I still have absolutely no interest in seeing Goldberg and I do not care about his bored kid, but that could have been a lot worse. They used all of the smoke and mirrors here and that is the best idea. Goldberg was never exactly versatile to start and now he’s twenty years past his prime, so this is about as good as it was going to be.

King of the Ring: Finn Balor vs. Xavier Woods

Of note: there was a Survivor Series ad before the match, hyping it up as the only night of the year where Raw and Smackdown go head to head. This is the seventh match of the night and the third Raw vs. Smackdown match. They go with the technical stuff to start with Woods rolling his way out of a headlock. An armbar has Balor in some trouble for all of about five seconds before he takes Woods down. The basement dropkick gives Balor two and we’re off to the chinlock.

Woods tries to fight up but gets taken down for the double stomp. A Nightmare on Helm Street gives Balor two but he charges into a superkick to give Woods the same. They strike it out for a bit until Woods grabs a small package for two. Balor goes up but gets superplexed back down, allowing Woods to load up the Limit Breaker. That only hits knees though and Balor hits the shotgun dropkick in the corner. The Coup de Grace misses though and Woods la majistrals him for two. Woods hits a gordbuster into double knees to the chest and now the Limit Breaker is enough to give Woods the pin and the crown at 9:37.

Rating: C+. What matters the most here is that it was a nice moment. WWE set up a story here and then paid it off, with Woods talking about always wanting to be king and the fans getting behind him. It’s an underdog story and WWE actually went the right way with the whole thing, which is not something you ever see around here. Nice job for once.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. Big E. for the WWE Title. Big E. cashed in Money in the Bank to win the title last month and that means McIntyre is allowed to challenge for the title again. They don’t seem to get along and are both hyped up for this match.

WWE Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Big E.

McIntyre is challenging and is told to hit the ropes to start. Big E. isn’t going anywhere off the shoulder but McIntyre jumps over him in the corner and drops Big E. with another shoulder. They head outside with McIntyre hitting the overhead belly to belly, followed by a Russian legsweep for two back inside. McIntyre hits a spinebuster for two and there’s another overhead belly to belly to cut off Big E.’s comeback.

The Futureshock is countered and Big E. runs him over, setting up the Warrior Splash for two. The Michinoku Driver drops Big E. for two more but he’s back with the Rock Bottom out of the corner for another near fall of his own. Now McIntyre can hit Futureshock for two more but the Claymore is countered into a powerbomb. That means a Stretch Muffler can work on McIntyre’s knee until McIntyre rolls out.

Big E. doesn’t seem to mind as he comes back with the Big Ending for a very close two. With that not working, Big E. loads up a super Big Ending but gets reversed into a super bulldog for the next near fall. The Claymore is countered and Big E. loads up the spear through the ropes but McIntyre runs back in for the Claymore and a VERY close two. To mix things up a bit, McIntyre loads up his own Big Ending, which is reversed into the real thing to retain the title at 13:22.

Rating: B. Take two big, heavy hitters and let them beat each other up for a little while. That’s all we had here and it was a good one as a result. What matters here is giving Big E. another big win, as he hasn’t been champion that long and needs to establish himself as a top guy a little bit more. This worked out rather well and was one of the best things on the card, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

There was a Be A Star event earlier today.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair

Lynch is defending. No recap for this, but Lynch returned to beat Belair for the title at Summerslam, where she replaced Banks, who returned and attacked both of them. Belair picks Lynch up for an early suplex before gorilla pressing Banks (with one hand, because of course she can do that). Lynch is back in to send Belair outside and roll Banks up for two. The Backstabber is blocked so Banks settle for Stratusfaction (while kicking Belair off the apron at the same time).

Belair is right back in to beat on Banks in the corner but Lynch elbows her into the face. Lynch monkey flips Banks at Belair, who gets taken down with a hurricanrana. Belair pulls Banks up into a torture rack but Lynch hits a missile dropkick, sending Belair flying on the impact. With Banks on the floor, Lynch picks Belair’s leg and gets two off a bulldog. Banks comes back in so Lynch Bexploders both of them for a double two.

Lynch goes up top but gets pulled out of the air and double planted down. That leaves Banks and Belair to fight over a backslide until Belair blasts her with a clothesline. Banks is back up with a knockdown of her own and goes up, only to have to bail out of the frog splash. After Belair sends Banks outside, a powerbomb gets two on Lynch. Everyone gets back in, with Belair grabbing a delayed vertical suplex on Lynch. While Lynch is still in the air, Banks tries a sunset flip but Belair kicks her away and THEN suplexes Lynch (that’s scary).

Belair misses a moonsault though and it’s a Bank Statement/Disarm-Her at the same time. That’s let go because Belair should be mostly done so banks puts Lynch in the Bank Statement. Rather than just kicking her for the break, Belair hits a handspring moonsault, which does not exactly seem that wise. Back up and Banks sends Lynch outside, allowing her to grab Belair by the braid. Belair breaks that up and grabs a European Clutch for two, with Lynch breaking it up (sans handspring moonsault).

The Manhandle Slam gets two on Banks with Belair making another save. Belair slips out of another Manhandle Slam but gets sent out to the apron. Banks tries to powerbomb her off the apron but Belair backflips her way to freedom. Lynch is right back up with a double clothesline off the barricade and it’s the Disarm-Her on Belair back inside.

Banks tries to make the save so she Disarm-Hers both of them at the same time. That’s broken up with Belair trying a double KOD but Lynch falls off. Belair is knocked down again but Banks reverses the Manhandle Slam. That just leave Belair to come back in with the KOD on Lynch. Banks tries to steal the pin but Lynch rolls her up and grabs the ropes to retain at 19:33.

Rating: B+. This was the action packed match that I was hoping it would be and there were times where I believed all three of them could win. It felt like the big time match that it needed to be and one of the biggest things on the card. I liked this a good bit and while I could go for them figuring out the title situation on each show, this was what the match needed to be. Pretty awesome stuff here and the match of the night.

We recap Edge beating Seth Rollins inside the Cell.

Long recap of Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title. Reigns has been champion since last August with Paul Heyman at his side. Now Lesnar is back though and suggesting that Heyman is really in his corner. It has become a question of whose side Heyman is on, which has become much bigger than the match itself.

Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Reigns, with Paul Heyman, is defending. They go with the grappling to start and no one gets anywhere. Lesnar hammers away in the corner but it’s too early for a suplex. Instead Reigns hammers away, only to have to block another German suplex attempt. Lesnar powers him into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. The German suplex finally connects and it’s more shoulders into the ribs in the corner. They head to the floor with Lesnar getting posted.

Reigns gets thrown back in but manages a Superman Punch, setting up the HUGE dive over the top to take him out (good grief). Back in and the spear gets two, setting up another Superman Punch. Lesnar leapfrogs another spear to send Reigns into the corner (ala Goldberg at Wrestlemania XXXIII) and it’s time for Suplex City, complete with Lesnar mocking Reigns’ roar. The F5 gets two (on a great near fall) but another one is countered into the guillotine.

Lesnar breaks it up with a spinebuster and hits another F5, which in this case means throwing Reigns at the referee. The referee gets thrown outside and Reigns is back up with a spear for no cover. Heyman is conflicted and throws in the title….right between the two of them. Heyman: “YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT!” They fight over the title with Brock pulling it away but the Usos come in for a double superkick. Reigns hits him in the face with the title and another referee comes in to count the pin at 12:22.

Rating: B. Good match here, mainly because it felt like a match. This wasn’t about a bunch of finishers spammed together as they actually built something up for a change. That makes the match so much better and a lot more fun to watch, which is more than I would have bet on otherwise. The ending leaves the door open for more later on and doesn’t give us a definitive answer to the Heyman deal. It’s the best story in wrestling today and it would be a shame if they just cut it of.

The Bloodline celebrates as Lesnar wakes up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was actually a heck of a show with the big matches delivering and nothing bad throughout. The crowd was way into it as well and that is always going to boost things up. Above all else, there were some nice feel good moments here and the show felt like it was designed to make the fans happy rather than screwing them over time after time. Easily the best Saudi Arabia show to date and one of the best WWE shows of the year.

Results
Edge b. Seth Rollins – Stomp onto a chair
Mansoor b. Mustafa Ali – Slingshot neckbreaker
RKBro b. AJ Styles/Omos – Floating Bro to Styles
Zelina Vega b. Doudrop – Code Red
Goldberg b. Bobby Lashley – Spear off the ramp
Xavier Woods b. Finn Balor – Limit Breaker
Big E. b. Drew McIntyre – Big Ending
Becky Lynch b. Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks – Rollup while grabbing the ropes to Banks
Roman Reigns b. Brock Lesnar – Belt shot

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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We are on the way to Crown Jewel and this time around that means we are going to be seeing quite the stacked card. There are some rather big matches set for the show and this time around, something might actually happen. For once it feels like a major show that just happens to be taking place in Saudi Arabia, which has certainly not been the case for most of the shows over there. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Usos vs. Cedric Alexander/Shelton Benjamin

Are they still the Hurt Business? Anyway, this was added the day before the show as a way to give us something to get the crowd going. That should be enough to warm up the crowd, though you never know what this kind of crowd is going to be at these things. If nothing else, this is a way to have the Usos around for the main event, as Roman Reigns might need some bodies to throw at Brock Lesnar.

I’ll go with the Usos winning here, as they are one of the best WWE teams in a long time now. Alexander and Benjamin are back together, but it isn’t like they would have been a serious threat to the Usos on their best day. The action should be good, but this is all about the Usos, because they are a mixture of good and more important, making them the easy winners here.

King of the Ring: Finn Balor vs. Xavier Woods

We’ll get one of the more important matches out of the way here, along with one where I’m not sure who is winning. You have the much bigger star in Balor, who already has the Prince name and would be an easy step up to the King deal, but on the other hand you have Woods, who seems to be obsessed with winning the thing. That’s a nice story to throw in and WWE has actually done it well for a change.

As great as it would be to see Woods finally win something, I think it’ll be Balor winning, as he could us something to boost him back up. Balor is a much bigger star and it makes sense to give him the rub, even if Woods could do a lot more with the idea. This is a case where there isn’t a bad option for the win, and as long as they get to actually do something here, we should be in for a good one.

Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley

Let’s get this one out of the way so I don’t have to think about it again. This is the rematch from Summerslam, where fans were not exactly interested in seeing it in the first place. Then Goldberg, known for his sensitive emotions, got all serious because Bobby Lashley attacked Goldberg’s son Gage, meaning it’s time to get old man serious. That’s totally what this match needed, right?

As stupid as it is, I’m going with Goldberg winning here, because it seems like the kind of thing that WWE would do for the sake of some kind of feel good moment. Since Gage will be at the show (!!!), you can picture the big deal at the end, which is going to be one of those things that isn’t as interesting as WWE thinks it is but will run with it anyway, all at Lashley’s expense. Yay.

Raw Tag Team Titles: RKBro(c) vs. AJ Styles/Omos

I know they haven’t been feuding for very long but this feud has worn out its welcome in a hurry. There are a few other teams on Monday Night Raw but these two have been the exclusive title feud since before Summerslam, meaning I really never need to see them fight again. Both are still good pairings but at some point, you just need to see them fight someone else.

It seems way too early to have RKBro drop the titles just yet so I’ll go with the champs retaining their titles. Styles and Omos seem like a team who could be split up to go their separate ways a bit more easily, so maybe that is being set up by another loss. Omos is going to be given a chance on his own, even if he isn’t ready for the it yet. For now though, it should be RKBro retaining, which I think it will be.

Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali

This is the easiest pick on the show and I don’t think that is any kind of a secret. WWE understands what they have in Mansoor and there is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with giving a lower midcard wrestler a win in a match that is going to mean a lot to the live fans, no matter what WWE seems to think at any other point in the year for whatever reason.

Of course Mansoor wins here, because even WWE isn’t crazy enough to think there is any reason to do something else. Mansoor is likely going to be the most over star on the show and now he gets another win in his home country. Ali is a very talented guy in his own right and I could go for seeing him on such a big stage. I know it isn’t the best place for him, but it’s not like he was doing anything else beforehand (or likely after). Mansoor wins here, in as sure of a pick as you can have.

Queen’s Crown: Zelina Vega vs. Doudrop

I can’t help but sigh when I think about this match. The tournament has had six matches so far and those matches have totaled less than fourteen minutes of action. WWE has not exactly treated this tournament like anything that matters and what says honor than a match between someone who hadn’t won a match Vega, who hadn’t won a thing until the tournament started and Doudrop, who is turning into little more than a comedy character?

There seems to be more upside in Vega than Doudrop at the moment, so I’ll take her to win here. Vega is someone who feels ready to become a star as soon as she is given a chance, though it would not shock me whatsoever to see Vega lose something else. At least she is getting on the show this time, which is more than she can say most of the time. Vega wins here, though it really could go either way. Now can they at least get five minutes? Please?

WWE Title: Big E.(c) vs. Drew McIntyre

Now this one actually gets my interest up a bit, as these two could have a solid match against each other. Big E. has shown that he can hang with the bigger stars and McIntyre had a very nice main event level run as champion. Above all else, this feels like a title match these days, though comparing it to Reigns vs. Lesnar hardly does the WWE Title any favors.

I’ll go with Big E. retaining here, as McIntyre is on his way to SmackDown and there is no need to have him be like Charlotte and take the title over to the other show. Big E. can get a nice win, McIntyre doesn’t really get hurt by the loss and everyone gets to move on to whatever they are doing next. In other words, WWE has actually done something well for a change. I’m as shocked as you are.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks

I’m not even going to try and keep track of what is going on with the title and who is on which show as of Crown Jewel and then as of Friday, because WWE is probably going to have some wacky idea to get them out of this. What matters here is we have three women who all could be a legitimate threat to leave with the title, which is always a nice situation to be in.

As for a winner, I think I’ll go with Lynch retaining, as she is fresh off of a loss to Banks and could use the pickup again. That would leave the door open for Lynch and Charlotte to swap titles ala Street Profits and New Day (because that’s such a great idea that doesn’t devalue the titles in any way), meaning we can have the Horsewomen back on top again at Survivor Series! Lynch retains here, leaving us with more room for the same stuff we’ve seen before.

Edge vs. Seth Rollins

The build for this match has been up and down to put it mildly, but what matters here is the fact that they set up the Cell in a way that actually fits. These two have been incredibly angry and violent with each other and it makes sense to do something like this as a result. It was also great to not have something as annoying as the calendar deciding that the match would take place, so again, WWE has actually done this right.

Give me Rollins to win though, as he is likely to be sticking around full time rather than having Edge pop in and out every few months. I wasn’t thrilled with having Edge win the first match, but at least Rollins tied it up a few weeks back. Rollins wins here and could easily be slotted in as Big E.’s next challenger, but don’t bet against WWE going the other way for the old guy getting his moment (to go along with winning the Royal Rumble and headlining WrestleMania of course).

Universal Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Brock Lesnar

Now this feels like a main event and that is not something you get to say very often these days. Reigns has taken everything to a different level, but Lesnar is the kind of monster that you do not get to see very often. You also don’t get to see Lesnar as the good guy (or at close as he can get to being one) so they have something special here. By that I mean Paul Heyman being caught in the middle, because WOW he has been an amazing force in this whole thing.

I’m completely lost here, but for the life of me I can’t picture Reigns dropping the title yet, nor should he. Above all else, Lesnar being the absentee champion again does not interest me in the slightest and I’m almost scared to think of WWE doing it again. Reigns should retain here, though I’m not completely sure he is getting the win. You know you’re going to see this match again, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see it at a big stadium in Texas next year.

Overall Thoughts

Above all else, this show is lacking that one dumb or less than great sounding match that so many of the Saudi Arabia shows have had. There is no gauntlet match or multi person tag match, so we’re left with what feels like a pretty straightforward major pay per view level card. That should work out well, so for once I’m actually optimistic about this show. Still not great on the location, but at least the content should work.

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 18, 2021
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show for Crown Jewel, though the audience is going to be decimated by a mixture of the MLB Playoffs and Monday Night Football. The card does include Charlotte defending the Raw Women’s Title against Bianca Belair, along with a rematch between Drew McIntyre/Big E. vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Charlotte to get things going but she isn’t sure why there are no champagne and balloons for her final night on Raw. There is a conspiracy against her because Bianca Belair isn’t even on the roster yet but has two title shots this week! Charlotte: “AND YOU PEOPLE THINK I’M ENTITLED???” After dealing with the crown and various chants, Charlotte says Belair needs to get over it already because Charlotte is the mountain that she can’t climb. Belair can deal with Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks…or she can interrupt right now.

Belair doesn’t think there is a conspiracy against Charlotte because this is just desserts. Belair has done everything she said she would and has earned this shot. She had Charlotte beaten until Becky Lynch had to save things. Now Charlotte is throwing a fit because she can’t get a celebration before she leaves? Belair promises to win the title and take it to Crown Jewel, where she can leave with both titles. Charlotte goes after her but has to avoid the KOD, allowing Belair to kick her off the apron.

We recap the Raw half of the King of the Ring.

Xavier Woods is ready to join the likes of King Shamrock, King Mabel and King Bookah. Kofi Kingston says Martin Luther King had a dream but Woods’ dream is to be king. Woods is ready to sit on that throne at Crown Jewel as King Woods I. Points on a King Shamrock reference as I wouldn’t have bet on that one.

Video on Seth Rollins.

King of the Ring Semifinals: Xavier Woods vs. Jinder Mahal

Veer and Shanky are here with Mahal while Woods has Kofi Kingston. Saxton actually brings up these two facing off in the semifinals of the US Title tournament for some history. Woods starts fast by knocking him into the ropes for a running crotch attack, setting up some right hands in the corner. Mahal runs him over with a shoulder though and it’s time to crank on a headlock. That’s broken up with a Russian legsweep and a running basement dropkick. Mahal isn’t having that and plants Woods with a side slam, setting up a shot to the face. Woods gets tossed outside and into the steps for a crash and we take a break.

Back with Mahal hitting a gutbuster for two and telling Woods to COME ON. The Khallas is blocked so Mahal settles for a side slam instead. Woods fights back up and knocks Shanky off the apron, setting up a top rope ax handle….only to dive into the Khallas. Somehow Woods grabs the rope for the break Mahal puts him on top but gets knocked down, setting up the rope walk elbow to send Woods to Crown Jewel at 9:57.

Rating: C. The action wasn’t great, but my goodness that was a relief to see Woods win. WWE has shown a tendency to be so obsessed with Mahal that it isn’t hard to imagine him getting the win here (or even the crown). Woods might not win the whole tournament, but they have done the right thing to set up the finals.

Post match Kofi gives Woods the cape and scepter for the big pose on the stage.

We look back at Austin Theory beating Jeff Hardy last week.

Earlier today, Theory said he did look up to Hardy, but last week he was looking down at him. Then the 24/7 goons run by, with Theory saving Reggie from R-Truth. Theory: “DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM???” Truth: “I have a theory!” The challenge is thrown out for later, but Truth wants Theory to make sure his mom says he can stay up that late.

Video on Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg.

Austin Theory vs. R-Truth

After Theory makes his entrance and the Lashley vs. Goldberg video, Truth comes out in street clothes. There was a misunderstanding: Truth didn’t answer the challenge for himself, but for his friend.

Austin Theory vs. Jeff Hardy

Theory runs him over to start and mocks Hardy’s dance, only to get small packaged for two. They head outside with Hardy being neckbreakered off the apron as we take a break. Back with Hardy getting in a few shots of his own and sending Theory outside for a dropkick through the ropes. Poetry in Motion off the steps sends Theory up against the barricade but the Swanton Bomb is countered. Theory TKO’s him onto the knee for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C. Another middle of the road match but Theory is looking like a star every step of the way. Giving him another win over a legend like Hardy is a great thing and it is so nice to see him do this without losing a fall so fast. Totally watchable match too, which is more than you usually get on Raw.

Post match Theory takes another selfie but Hardy pops up and gives him the Twist of Fate. Hardy takes his own selfie because he’s a sore loser.

We look back at Drew McIntyre and Big E. getting in a fight last week, causing them to lose their tag match.

Drew McIntyre and Big E. say they’ll work together tonight but then the best man will win on Thursday. Drew: “Don’t worry, I will.” Big E. does his full intro in McIntyre’s face, so McIntyre throws in some posing for a funny response.

Charlotte interrupts Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce and yells about how horribly she was treated earlier tonight. She thinks it’s a conspiracy, which is a word I’d love to see banned from wrestling. Deville says it isn’t, but Charlotte promises to win anyway.

Drew McIntyre/Big E. vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler

Big E. powers Ziggler around to start but Roode comes in for a cheap shot. The referee misses a shot to the eye but Big E. gets in a leapfrog. A shot to the face puts Roode down and another takes Ziggler off the apron. There are the forearms to the chest on the apron, setting up the apron splash, with Ziggler breaking it up at the last minute. That’s fine with Big E., who counters the Fameasser by sending Ziggler into the timekeeper’s area. Roode sends Big E. into the steps though and we take a break.

Back with Ziggler stomping Big E. in the corner and getting two off a dropkick. The sleeper goes on but Big E. is up in a hurry, only to get raked in the eyes. Roode grabs a chinlock for a bit but Big E. runs Ziggler over and finally brings in McIntyre to clean house. The belly to belly puts Roode down and Ziggler gets Alabama Slammed onto him for a crash.

Roode fights out of a fireman’s carry but Ziggler pulls Big E. off the apron (and he grabs his knee on the landing), leaving Roode to grab a spinebuster for two. An assisted Fameasser drops McIntyre for two more but he gets in a shot for a breather. Big E. is back up for the reluctant tag and the Big Ending plants Roode for the pin at 12:48.

Rating: C+. There was a nice story in here as McIntyre and Big E. know they have to work together and wan to win, but then want to take the other’s head off on Thursday. I was glad they didn’t have McIntyre walk out or something instead of taking the big tag, but at least they went with something a little more original. Good enough stuff here, even if it was similar to what they did two weeks ago.

Post match McIntyre and Big E. yell at each other but it doesn’t get physical.

The Street Profits are hyped up for Crown Jewel, including the Raw Tag Team Title match. They think AJ Styles is the kid in school who doesn’t do any work in the group project but still gets an A. Ford: “I was that kid.” They want the smoke, but here are AJ Styles and Omos to say they’re winning the titles at Crown Jewel. That’s enough to make the Profits laugh because they want the smoke. Styles thinks Street Profits is a dumb name.

Video on Kevin Owens.

Mansoor vs. Cedric Alexander

Shelton Benjamin is here with Alexander, who goes right after Mansoor to start. Some right hands in the corner set up some right hands on the mat for two and we hit the waistlock. Back up and Mansoor manages to kick him down and spins into a reverse DDT to stagger Alexander. The slingshot neckbreaker finishes Alexander at 3:46.

Rating: C-. This would have been fine as the main event of any Main Event and that’s all it needed to be. Mansoor gets a win to heat him up a bit on the way to Crown Jewel, where he is likely to be the most popular star on the show. Mustafa Ali will make him look good, just like Cedric did here.

Post match, here is Mustafa Ali in a suit to promise to take the smile from Mansoor and everyone else at Crown Jewel. Mansoor tells him to shut up and promises to take him out on Thursday.

We get a sitdown interview between Goldberg and Bobby Lashley, with Goldberg saying that his threats are promises. Lashley says that’s criminal but he isn’t going to get the authorities involved. Goldberg doesn’t look interested as Lashley says it’s going to be like Summerslam. Lashley brings up Goldberg’s son, which is enough to get Goldberg’s attention.

Lashley talks about how he is going to have Goldberg begging for mercy at Crown Jewel. Goldberg: “Are you finished yet?” That’s enough for Lashley to walk out, with Goldberg threatening to kill him on Thursday. This was more of what we have had the whole time: old man Goldberg talking a lot and looking bored until he says his next line.

We look back at Omos taking out Riddle before Randy Orton took out AJ Styles.

Riddle thinks Randy deserves a Kids Choice Award for his acting last week. He knows it was a great plan, but Orton insists there was never a plan. As Orton seems like he’s trying not to break up, Riddle wants to know the plan for the Street Profits tonight. The plan tonight is the same as it is at Crown Jewel: win. Now let’s go get some smoke.

Video on Keith Lee.

RKBro vs. Street Profits

Non-title. Riddle starts with Ford and takes him straight down into a cross armbreaker. Ford manages to slip out in a hurry and grabs a headlock, followed by a dropkick to take Riddle down again. A double dropkick does it again and Dawkins backflips Ford onto Riddle for two. Everything breaks down and the Profits are sent outside, where Orton helps take Dawkins down. Riddle adds a penalty kick and springboard Floating Bro, only to have Ford flip dive onto both of them for the big crash.

We take a break and come back with Riddle gutwrenching Ford and swinging him around (that’s a new one) before hitting the gutwrench suplex. Ford is trying to count his fingers until Riddle covers him for two. The chinlock goes on but Ford fights up and kicks Riddle in the head for the breather. The diving tag brings in Dawkins for the house cleaning, including a t-bone slam to Riddle.

Dawkins hits the Silencer for two but Riddle gets in a shot of his own, allowing the hot tag to Orton. That means Ford gets powerslammed into the hanging DDT (with Ford staying still on his head on the landing for a cool visual)…and we have Omos. That’s enough for AJ Styles to come in with the Phenomenal Forearm to Orton for the DQ at 10:20.

Rating: C+. This was getting better near the end but they weren’t exactly hiding how this was going to wrap up. It’s kind of early to burn through a match like this, even if it didn’t have a clean finish. At least they didn’t have one of the teams lose, but egads RKBro vs. Omos/Styles needs to wrap up already, as the title picture really needs some fresh blood at the moment.

Post mach Orton and Omos beat RKBro down, including a chokeslam to Riddle and a kick to Orton’s side (as Omos couldn’t quite hit the head).

Video on Becky Lynch.

Queen’s Crown Tournament Semifinals: Shayna Baszler vs. Doudrop

Before the bell, here is Zelina Vega to watch, albeit with the crown and cape on. Baszler kicks away at the leg but gets caught with a quick Saito suplex. There’s the Cannonball in the corner and Doudrop loads up an over the shoulder piledriver, only to get reversed into the Kirifuda Clutch. That earns Baszler a ram into the corner and a toss gets Doudrop out of trouble. The basement crossbody misses though and the Kirifuda Clutch goes on for a good while….until Doudrop leans back and pins Baszler at 2:39. Somehow, one of the longer matches of the tournament so far.

Nikki Ash and Rhea Ripley welcome Bianca Belair to Raw, complete with a hat. They do know she was here last year right?

Finn Balor vs. Mace

Xavier Woods is here and Balor doesn’t look impressed. Mace starts fast and hammers away, including knocking Balor down in the corner. Balor avoids a charge in the corner but walks into a swinging Boss Man Slam for two. We hit the nerve hold but Balor is up in a hurry. Mace’s powerbomb is countered and Balor hits a quick double stomp for a breather. There’s the Sling Blade to drop Mace and the Coup de Grace finishes for Balor at 2:44.

Post match Balor goes up to Woods and shoves him away. Kofi Kingston comes out to hold them apart, with Woods saying Balor is going to remain a prince.

John Morrison is meditating to find his chi but the Viking Raiders don’t get it. Why search for chi if you can’t use it to raid?

Crown Jewel rundown.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte

Charlotte is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Feeling out process to start until they both try running dropkicks for an early standoff. Belair jumps over her in the corner and tells Charlotte what to kiss. They head outside with Belair being thrown over the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Charlotte kicking Belair to break up a handspring and nipping up to try a handspring moonsault of her own. That only hits knees though, allowing Belair to show her how to do it right. A baseball slide dropkick hits Charlotte, who is right back up with a powerbomb. Charlotte hits the double jump moonsault for two and comes up to show off a bloody mouth. Belair is back with a spinebuster so Charlotte bails straight to the floor in a smart move.

That’s fine with Belair, who follows her out and tosses Charlotte onto the announcers’ table as we take another break. Back again with Belair getting two off a cradle but Charlotte kicks the air in front of Belair’s face to put her down again. Belair gets sent outside for the moonsault, with Charlotte again not quite making full contact. Back in and Belair counters Natural Selection and hits a release Glam Slam (that didn’t look quite right) for two of her own.

The KOD is countered and Charlotte is right back with she spear for two and the big shocked face kickout. Charlotte pulls her around by the braid and goes up top but misses the moonsault. Belair suplexes her over for two and goes up, where Charlotte kicks her in the leg. A sunset bomb off the top gives Belair two though and they’re both down. Then Charlotte hits her with a chair for the DQ at 22:42.

Rating: B-. They were having a good (albeit kind of sloppy at times) match here until the really weak ending. I’m not sure what happened with the finish but I’m almost sure they ran out of time and had to find something to wrap it up. Odds are we’ll see this one again, as both of them are going to be major players going forward. Also of note: Charlotte looked like something happened to her mouth, as it was banged up and the referee was checking on her quite a bit.

Post match Belair takes the chair and hits Charlotte with it to end the show. That absolutely felt like they were out of time and had to go home immediately.

Overall Rating: C. There were certainly parts that didn’t work, but above all else, this show benefited from having a focus. They were trying to set up Crown Jewel tonight and that worked out about as well as could be expected. Now that being said, the show they were building towards isn’t exactly interesting, but they did have something to shoot for here and it helped. Nothing was terrible and they got some stuff done, so we’ll call this one in the middle, as it still wasn’t good but it was better than normal for Raw as of late.

Results
Xavier Woods b. Jinder Mahal – Rope walk elbow
Austin Theory b. Jeff Hardy – TKO onto the knee
Big E./Drew McIntyre b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler – Big Ending to Roode
Mansoor b. Cedric Alexander – Slingshot neckbreaker
RKBro b. Street Profits via DQ when AJ Styles interfered
Doudrop b. Shayna Baszler – Rollup
Finn Balor b. Mace – Coup de Grace
Bianca Belair b. Charlotte via DQ when Charlotte used a chair

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 11, 2021
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re less than two weeks away from Crown Jewel and last week, Smackdown added a Hell in the Cell match to the card. That could mean Raw needs to add a huge match of its own, but you never can tell with these things. Hopefully this show can add a nice feeling to the Queen’s Crown Tournament, as the Smackdown matches were nearly insulting last week. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Drew McIntyre, with his sword, to get things going. He thinks it’s a fun idea that the Scottish Warrior is kicking it off in the home of the Warriors and welcomes us to the show. Drew runs down the Crown Jewel card and says he’ll be winning the WWE Title in the match everyone is going to be talking about. McIntyre has a story from earlier today but here is Big E. to interrupt.

Big E. talks about the sweet nectar of being champion dripping down his chin and between his nipples. While Drew may be a specimen, he is not going to take the title from him. Drew can get to moving, or stay on the tracks and get run over. That makes Drew chuckle and he talks about how Big E. remembers what it means to win the title because it wasn’t that long ago. Drew is a two time champion who held the title for over 300 days, but he is still looking for his moment. That moment is coming at Crown Jewel and there is nothing Big E. can do about it.

Cue the Usos to say they’re hyped up for the match and that the Bloodline is in their city. They know that Roman Reigns is going to beat Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel, but who is he facing at Survivor Series? Either way, they think that Reigns is going to take the WWE Title and add it to his trophy case. The Usos go to leave but Big E. calls them back, with the challenge being set for tonight. A double superkick drops McIntyre and Big E.

Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston are in the back and have no comment about the idea of facing each other in the King of the Ring. Good thing they were there for that non-answer and not out there to help chase off their longtime rivals the Usos, who have titles they might want and just attacked their best friend.

King of the Ring First Round: Xavier Woods vs. Ricochet

Kofi Kingston is here with Woods and all three of them admire the crown. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far. Woods knocks him to the apron and breaks up a springboard to bring Ricochet right back down. That means Woods can go up top, with Ricochet walking over for a top rope superplex and a heck of a crash to leave both guys in trouble as we take a break.

Back with Ricochet dropping Woods again and getting two off a backsplash. Woods manages to send Ricochet ribs first into the ropes though, setting up a stomp to the back and a middle rope legdrop for two. Back up and Ricochet grabs a fireman’s carry for a rolling Death Valley Driver and a kick to the face. Woods is smart enough to roll outside, only to have Ricochet hit a huge flip dive over the post to take Woods down again. Back in and Ricochet nails a suicide shoulder. Make it an attempt at a pair but this time Woods sends him into the barricade two. Back in and the rope walk elbow finishes Ricochet at 10:45.

Rating: B-. As much as I don’t like seeing Ricochet lose, I do like seeing Woods getting a chance to do his own thing. Woods has been obsessed with winning the tournament over the last few months and it makes sense to go with that. If nothing else, Woods has never gotten any singles glory so even a nice run in the tournament would be more than he usually gets.

We recap RKBro fighting with AJ Styles/Omos last week.

Riddle comes up to Randy Orton and says he has challenged Omos to a match tonight. Riddle says he was following Orton’s example from last week because he thinks of Orton as a mentor. Orton says there is no plan because fighting Omos one on one isn’t a good idea. Tonight, Riddle is on his own. Riddle thinks “no plan” is the plan and knows he’ll see Orton out there later. With Riddle gone, Orton sighs a bit.

Cedric Alexander/Shelton Benjamin vs. Mustafa Ali/Mansoor

Ali slips a bit while backflipping out of an atomic drop so it’s off to Mansoor, who kicks Alexander in the face. Everything breaks down and Alexander Michinoku Drivers Ali for the pin at 1:22.

Post match Mansoor goes to help Ali up but gets shoved back down.

We recap Shayna Baszler’s recent path of destruction, with Doudrop saving Dana Brooke’s arm last week.

Queen’s Crown Tournament First Round: Dana Brooke vs. Shayna Baszler

In case last week’s squash wasn’t enough. Brooke gets powered into the corner to start but fights back with some right hands in another corner. The Kirifuda Clutch is countered into some rollups for two on Baszler but she is back with a knee to the face for the pin at 1:25. So yeah, somehow after the complaints over the Smackdown matches not getting time, they managed to make this one even shorter.

Charlotte doesn’t care about the tournament because she only cares about herself. Tonight she is in a match with a bunch of women who can’t walk the walk, because Charlotte is the greatest ever. This was also longer than the tournament match.

Riddle vs. Omos

Before the match, Riddle talks about how he has been thinking lately, which is something he does a lot. He was the one with the idea of Brogurt, but it is clear Omos has been on the brotein. Riddle forgets what he is talking about, which probably happens to everyone at some point. Riddle: “OK RANDY NOW!” Singing Orton’s song doesn’t work either so AJ Styles says Riddle is just stalling, as everyone can see. Riddle: “RANDY! RANDY! RANDY!”

The bell rings so Riddle drops to the floor to kick away at AJ, leaving Omos to pull him back inside. A corner splash sets up the chokeslam to cover Riddle, but AJ says not so fast. AJ wants to see some of the martial arts Omos learned in second grade, so we see Omos kicking him in the head. AJ calls for two replays and then the chokebomb finishes Riddle at 2:29.

Post match Orton’s music hits but there is no Orton. AJ even turns around to see if Orton is running in and then sends Omos outside to watch. Somehow Orton gets inside anyway and hits the RKO on Styles.

We recap the opening segment.

Drew McIntyre comes up to Big E. to yell about what happened. Big E. thinks they need to get on the same page. For one night only, they’ll let bygones be bygones. Drew agrees, thinking that Roman Reigns is scared of them. Big E. talks about his nipples before we get a mock Mega Powers handshake. I have no idea why Drew waited 45 minutes to find Big E. and have this chat.

Here’s Bobby Lashley to look at a recap of his feud with Goldberg. Back in the arena, Lashley asks if fans saw Goldberg talking about ending Lashley’s life. Lashley talks about how that is a horrible thing to a father and how he is a man who defended the WWE Title for half a year. Or would you rather cheer for a guy in cutoff sleeves screaming about MURDER? Lashley talks about how the match at Crown Jewel has to be No Holds Barred because Goldberg is a bit crazy. Goldberg can’t beat him, and he certainly can’t kill the Almighty.

Bianca Belair doesn’t want to hear about Bianca Belair because she is the blueprint of greatness. Tonight she’s beating Charlotte and then winning the Smackdown Women’s Title at Crown Jewel.

Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Theory

Hardy sends him into the corner to start and scores with a middle rope ax handle. The Twisting Stunner is blocked early on and Theory hits a rolling dropkick. The armbar goes on….and it’s time for the 24/7 Title chase, because presenting a potential future star in Theory isn’t as important as a comedy title. With that waste of time out of the way, Hardy does his usual but misses the Swanton, allowing Theory to roll him up (with pants) for the pin at 2:06. That’s a huge relief after where it felt like they were going.

We recap the non-contract signing from Smackdown.

Bianca Belair remembers beating Sasha Banks at Wrestlemania and she is never forgetting what Becky Lynch did to her at Summerslam.

King of the Ring First Round: Jinder Mahal vs. Kofi Kingston

Before the match, Xavier Woods and Kofi still can’t talk about a potential match between the two of them. Veer, Shanky and Woods are here too. Mahal takes him down to start and stomps away in the corner but Kofi hurricanranas him to the floor. The middle rope trust fall drops Mahal again and we take a break.

Back with Kofi hitting the SOS but landing on the back of his own head for a scary landing. Kofi is good to continue so Mahal hits a gutbuster for two before taking Kofi up top. That’s broken up and Kofi’s top rope splash to the back gets two. Kofi loads up Trouble in Paradise but has to deal with everyone brawling outside. The top rope ax handle misses though, allowing Mahal to hit the Khallas for the pin at 9:00.

Rating: C. I can see both sides of this, as while it is annoying to have Mahal win anything, a battle between the New Day members should be something that matters. Throwing them out there on a week’s notice in a semifinal match would be a big waste so Mahal winning here was the right call. Assuming they don’t do something crazy like having Mahal advance to the finals, this was their best move.

Becky Lynch promises to leave Crown Jewel with the title.

Becky Lynch/Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks/Charlotte

Becky’s entrance now has a huge 3D image of herself looking over her sunglasses to send terror into your dreams. It’s a huge brawl before the bell and a bunch of referees come down to yell at everyone. Charlotte loads up the moonsault but gets broken up, with Belair tossing Banks onto the other two. Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville come out to yell as well and say the match is happening.

Back from a break and the bell rings so Charlotte and Banks can trade some standing switches. A wheelbarrow drops Banks but she kicks Charlotte in the face. Belair and Becky come in with Bianca working on the arm, but Banks doesn’t seem happy to be coming back in. Becky avoids Belair’s middle rope ax handle but Belair is right back with a suplex. Banks knocks Belair down but Charlotte tags herself in as Becky tries the Disarm-Her. Charlotte yells at Becky to get out so Banks gives Charlotte the Backstabber. Belair comes back in to clean house, including on her own partner, so the referee throws it out at 3:39.

Rating: C-. This existed for the sake of being able to say it existed, which isn’t quite what I had in mind when I saw it announced. That being said, it was looking like Charlotte was going to win a match over the three people fighting for a title next week so this could have been a lot more annoying. I’m over the partners who are about to fight each other trope, but we have another version of it for later tonight so I can’t get that annoyed yet.

Post match Belair can’t hit the KOD on Becky so Banks takes Belair down. The Manhandle Slam and Backstabber are both countered until Becky kicks Banks in the face and gets the Slam to leave her laying.

We recap the opening sequence.

The Usos are on the phone with Roman Reigns and tell him not to worry. Tonight, their job is to complete the mission.

Queen’s Crown Tournament First Round: Doudrop vs. Natalya

Natalya slaps her in the face to start but a headlock doesn’t get Natalya very far. Doudrop misses a backsplash though and gets caught in the abdominal stretch. That’s broken up as well and Doudrop misses the Cannonball. Natalya’s discus lariat gets two so she tries the Sharpshooter, which is countered into a small package to give Doudrop the pin at 3:04.

Rating: D+. It shouldn’t be a celebration when they break three minutes but that is where we are with this thing. Doudrop beating Natalya to set up the match with Shayna Baszler isn’t a bad idea, but it’s kind of sad seeing Doudrop as the dancing woman already. You knew it was coming, but it doesn’t make things that much better.

John Morrison is meditating when Nikki Ash and Rhea Ripley come up. He’s trying to get ready to expand his mind because there is a lot in there. They think that’s cool but once they leave, they admit they have no idea what he’s talking about. This is something WWE decided was worthy of time on this show.

Austin Theory photo bombs a warming up Big E.

Mustafa Ali yells at Mansoor, saying Mansoor only wants to dance and make friends. Ali has had his back but he should have told him the truth from day one: he is a loser and NOTHING. With Ali gone, Mansoor says he’ll talk to him later but Ali comes back in and jumps him from behind.

Big E./Drew McIntyre vs. Usos

Non-title. Big E. powers Jimmy into the corner without much effort to start and we get the non-New Day version of the Unicorn Stampede. Drew suplexes Jimmy for two but Big E. gets caught in the wrong corner so the Usos can make a wish. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Big E. makes the comeback. That’s broken up as well and Big E. is sent into the steps as we take a break.

Back with Big E. still in trouble but suplexing his way out of the corner. That’s enough for the hot tag to McIntyre for the house cleaning, including a spinebuster for two on Jimmy. The double superkick gets two on McIntyre but he’s right back up with the jumping neckbreaker.

The Claymore is loaded up but Big E. tags himself in (as McIntyre did last week), only to get superkicked down for two. Jey misses the Superfly Splash but counters the Big Ending as well. Drew gets knocked off the apron though and now the Big Ending connects, only to have Drew break up the pin. The fight is on and Big E. is counted out at 15:12 as the brawl continues.

Rating: C+. Better match than the tag match with a similar story and the Reigns factor looming over everything helps, but I’m so sick of this tag team deal. It’s one of WWE’s favorites and they run it so frequently, as the idea of diminishing returns continues to be lost on this company. That being said, there was good action and they went with the smart finish so it could have been much worse.

Post match the Usos jump Big E. and McIntyre and load up the announcers’ table. McIntyre (busted open) and Big E. fight back and get inside, where McIntyre hits the Claymore to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. There was some good stuff on here, but egads the bad things dragged it back down. I’m rarely a fan of setting up two shows at once, but they have already started on the main event of Survivor Series (which must be champion vs. champion, due to reasons of “well, that’s what we do”) without getting Crown Jewel out of the way first. They didn’t officially add anything to the card tonight, though I think you can pencil in Ali vs. Mansoor, as you have been able to do for a few months now.

The biggest problem here though is the Queen’s Crown. The four first round matches combined to be just over eight minutes combined, or less than any one of the men’s first round matches. There is no hiding the fact that WWE does not care about the tournament and it makes me wonder why I’m supposed to care about it either. Even if the semifinals and finals are better, and they almost have to be, WWE has sunk the thing before it can get started. It’s a shame that we waited this long for the thing and now have to see it take place under a regime that has such little interest.

There were some bright spots on the show (Ricochet vs. Woods was good, the Drew vs. Big E. build has gone as well as could be expected under the circumstances, and Theory looked like a star), but this was a rough sit as we move into one of the weaker times of the year. The show is trying to do a lot of things at once and since WWE can barely single task most of the time, multitasking is completely lost on them. Not the worst show, but a rather frustrating one in a trend that is likely to continue.

Results
Xavier Woods b. Ricochet – Rope walk elbow
Cedric Alexander/Shelton Benjamin b. Mustafa Ali/Mansoor – Michinoku Driver to Ali
Shayna Baszler b. Dana Brooke – Knee to the face
Omos b. Riddle – Chokebomb
Austin Theory b. Jeff Hardy – Rollup with jeans
Jinder Mahal b. Kofi Kingston – Khallas
Charlotte/Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks/Bianca Belair went to a no contest
Doudrop b. Natalya – Small package
Usos b. Big E./Drew McIntyre via countout

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 30, 2021
Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

We are on the way to Extreme Rules and that means we need some things to set up for the show. That could take some time, as Raw has a tendency to not exactly rush things. There isn’t much going on with this show though, as we need something other than RKBro and waiting around for Goldberg to show up for the Bobby Lashley rematch. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Damian Priest to get things going. He welcomes us to the show and talks about how he is going to show the title the respect it deserves. We hear about some famous US Champions, including Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy and John Cena, because the title’s history is about six years old. That’s unlike WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, who ran away from a challenge last week. Therefore, let’s have an open challenge.

US Title: Damian Priest vs. Sheamus

Sheamus is challenging but hang on because he needs to say he agrees with “Damo”. He promises to kick Priest in the face and take back his title but here is Drew McIntyre to interrupt. McIntyre thinks it’s time for something fresh and new because he has never been US Champion. Priest sounds game but Sheamus gets into it with McIntyre….and here are Bobby Lashley and MVP to interrupt.

The GOLDBERG chants cut MVP off as he tries to talk about Lashley wanted to issue his own open challenge. What’s good for business is Lashley becomes the new US Champion. Now Randy Orton and Riddle interrupt, with Orton saying he thought everything MVP said sucked. Riddle: “But not like a Rumba, because that’s what it’s supposed to do.” Orton thinks Lashley is a greedy son of a b**** and Riddle asks how you would even hold a second title.

Lashley says he could use a second title, but maybe it should be the Tag Team Titles. Riddle says the word of the day tonight is Open Challenge, they can have an open challenge one on one against Bobby Lashley and MVP. Orton tries to explain the concept of an open challenge but MVP says they accept. McIntyre, Sheamus and Priest are ready to fight so here are Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville to interrupt. We’ll have a triple threat match for the title, plus the Tag Team Title match. We’re STILL not done though as Rhea Ripley comes out…for her scheduled match. Well that’s less exciting.

Rhea Ripley vs. Shayna Baszler

Nikki Ash (uninvited it seems) and Nia Jax are here too. Hold on though as Nia promises to crush both Rhea and Nikki, just like she’ll do to Charlotte tonight. Shayna takes Rhea to the mat to start and cranks on an armbar. Some kicks to the head rock Ripley but she grabs a small package for two. Ripley tires the hand in the ring skirt and stomps away to send us to a break.

Back with Baszler kicking at the arm some more but Rhea tells her to bring it on. Some clotheslines and a headbutt rock Baszler and a basement dropkick connects. Baszler is fine enough to try a cross armbreaker but can’t get it on before a rope is reached. The Kirifuda Clutch is broken up as well but Jax crushes Ash on the floor. The distraction lets Baszler grab a pretty awesome torture rack into a rollup, which Ripley counters into a small package for the pin at 10:30.

Rating: C. The frustrations continue around here as they were having a pretty good match and the rollup Baszler used was cool. That’s where the good ends though, as this was still about Nikki being around and Jax getting to beat both of them up rather than letting Ripley have a moment to shine. Why is that so much to ask?

Post match Jax Samoan drops Ripley, just to make sure you remember who the star is.

The Viking Raiders are ready for you to join the raid.

Viking Raiders vs. Jinder Mahal/Veer

Shanky is here with Mahal and Veer. Ivar and Veer start things off with Veer hitting a heck of a Thesz press to take Ivar down in a hurry. Mahal comes in to stomp away, setting up the chinlock, because that’s what you expect from a former World Champion. Ivar fights up and brings in Erik to clean house. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Ivar Cannonballs off the apron to take everyone out. That leaves Mahal to get caught in the Viking Experience for the surprise pin at 4:48.

Rating: C-. The match didn’t have much time to go anywhere, but it gives me some hope that Mahal took a clean loss in a pretty nothing tag match. Maybe WWE is finally realizing that Mahal just isn’t that interesting and there is no point in wasting him in a higher level on the card. As has been the case since he returned: there is a place for him in WWE, but it isn’t that high up on the card despite what WWE thinks.

US Title: Sheamus vs. Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre

Priest is defending and it’s Sheamus getting stomped down in the corner to start. Sheamus is sent outside for a step up flip dive from Priest, with McIntyre joining in for some chops. A backdrop sends Sheamus over the barricade and into the timekeeper’s area, leaving us with McIntyre vs. Priest as we take a break. Back with Sheamus hitting a top rope clothesline for two on Priest but the Irish Curse is countered into something like a triangle choke.

That’s broken up and the Irish Curse sets up some shots to the face, even with Priest going for the mask. The forearms to the chest keep Priest in trouble and he crashes out to the floor. McIntyre gets back in though and some clotheslines put Sheamus down. The Futureshock is countered though and McIntyre is sent shoulder first into the post. It’s Priest getting back in for a spinwheel kick to drop Sheamus but McIntyre clotheslines Priest to the floor.

That leaves McIntyre to hit the big flip dive onto the two of them for a bit of a breather. Back in and McIntyre plants Priest with a Michinoku Driver for two. Priest is sat on top but Sheamus knocks McIntyre into the Tree of Woe. The big situp German superplex (nearly a Tower of Doom this time) sends everyone flying though and we take another break. Back again with McIntyre and Sheamus slugging it out until Sheamus gets two off the Alabama Slam.

Priest comes back in to break up the Texas Cloverleaf on McIntyre, setting up South of Heaven for two on Sheamus. McIntyre and Priest slug it out again until Priest loads up the Reckoning. Sheamus breaks it up with a Brogue Kick though and McIntyre rolls Sheamus up for two. Futureshock drops Sheamus but he cuts off the Claymore with a knee to the face for a heck of a near fall.

The fans deem this awesome as Sheamus hits a super White Noise for two more with Priest making the save (which you couldn’t really see until the camera changed to a wide shot). Priest drops Sheamus onto the turnbuckle and ducks a Claymore so McIntyre kicks Sheamus’ head off. The Glasgow Kiss rocks Priest but he counters a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into the Reckoning to retain at 21:30.

Rating: B+. I can always go with three big bruisers beating each other up for over twenty minutes and this was a heck of a match. They had me believing that you might see a surprise title change and that’s the idea of something like this. Priest pinning McIntyre means a lot for him and they all looked quite awesome. Sometimes the solution to a lot of your problems is to have a good, long match and that’s what they did here.

Post match, Priest and McIntyre shake hands in a show of respect.

We look back at Goldberg losing to Bobby Lashley at Summerslam, because that’s how you keep the momentum going.

Goldberg says he needs knee surgery but he’s coming for Lashley’s soul.

Reggie is in the park when he sees R-Truth in a wig and Akira Tozawa in a dog costume. The chase is on but Reggie uses a Frisbee to escape. Reggie Parkours away but they corner him on a bridge. Tozawa crawls after him like a dog but Reggie flips away again. Tozawa thinks the dog is a bad idea and leaves.

Video on Eva Marie vs. Doudrop, with Eva bringing her in but Doudrop not liking her and rebelling.

Eva Marie vs. Doudrop

Doudrop runs her over, sits on Marie’s chest and hits the basement crossbody for her own count. No match.

Doudrop announces herself as the winner as Marie isn’t sure what happened.

Charlotte laughs off the idea of Nia Jax squashing her.

Karrion Kross vs. Humberto Carrillo

Carrillo starts fast with a crossbody but Kross clotheslines his head off to take over (he hit him so hard that Smith thought Kross was fighting Ricochet). Kross runs him over again and sends Carrillo flying with a northern lights suplex. The chinlock goes on but Carrillo makes the comeback, only to get forearmed out of the air. The Doomsday Saito into the Krossjacket finishes Carrillo at 4:18.

Rating: D+. Near total squash here and that makes it so much more frustrating. WWE clearly knows how to push someone like Kross (in-ring gear aside) but they let him waste a few weeks with those early losses. It continues to make WWE look like they have no idea what they’re doing week to week and that is going to cause a problem in a hurry.

Nia Jax promises to do something painful with Charlotte’s invisible crown.

Riddle thinks a win over Bobby Lashley/MVP would make for a good win on RKBro’s resume….but how do you make a resume? Randy Orton says just be a good tag partner and let him do his thing. That’s cool with Riddle, who lists off some more of his own skills. Talking and scootering are included.

Charlotte vs. Nia Jax

Non-title and Charlotte bails from a charging Jax to start. Back in and Charlotte dodges again before slapping her in the face. Jax sends her into the corner but misses a running hip attack. Charlotte grabs a headlock to get as far as she can before switching to a dragon sleeper over the ropes. Jax is right back with a spinebuster (THUD) and Charlotte needs a breather on the floor. They change places and Charlotte takes her down with a dive as we take a break.

Back with Nia dropping Charlotte hard in a belly to back drop (not suplex, but just a drop), only to miss a charge in the corner. The moonsault hits knees and Nia hits a Samoa drop. The running legdrop misses and Charlotte kicks her in the face. Charlotte gets on her back for a delayed reverse DDT for two more. With nothing else working, Charlotte starts in on the knee, including the DDT to take it down. Charlotte mocks Jax’s hip based material and gets kicked into the corner. Back up and Jax hits one of the hardest powerbombs I’ve seen in a long time to win at 13:46.

Rating: F. This was horrible in every sense of the word and I’m not sure how much they were working together at various points. Charlotte looked completely bored, Jax could barely move, and Charlotte got dropped hard more than once. Simply put, Jax cannot go this long at this size and it showed bad here. She is nearly immobile and can only do so much. Throw in Charlotte looking like she would rather be having gum surgery and this was a total disaster. Have fun with the Extreme Rules rematch!

We recap RKBro’s celebration last week.

John Morrison’s match vs. Miz has been canceled for no apparent reason, but he wants to prove he can act anyway. Therefore, he’ll face Omos tonight. Omos: “Sucks to be you.”

John Morrison vs. Omos

Morrison’s Drip Stick is smacked away and he can’t quite strike away at the giant. Omos shoves him outside so it’s time to bust out the Parkour. A bit of a slip lets Omos hit a clothesline, setting up the double chokeslam for the pin at 2:03. This was really not good while it lasted.

Xavier Woods vs. AJ Styles

Woods starts fast with a Russian legsweep and AJ needs to head outside. That means a big dive from Woods but AJ gets in a shot to the face back inside. The threat of the Phenomenal Forearm sends Woods outside so AJ hits a hard dropkick through the ropes. Back in and AJ starts in on the leg, including something like a Stunner out of the corner.

Woods grabs a rollup for two, followed by a northern lights suplex for the same. AJ can’t get the Styles Clash as Woods flips out and ties him in the Tree of Woe. The dropkick in the corner gives Woods an awkward looking two (it’s like they couldn’t get the cover right) but Styles is right back with the Calf Crusher for the tap at 7:13.

Rating: C-. This was another awkward one and I’m not sure if it had to do with the crowd not being thrilled after Charlotte vs. Jax. Styles beating Woods is fine as it isn’t like losing to a multiple time World Champion is some kind of a career killer. Not a bad match, but it seemed more like a way to get Styles onto the show than anything else.

Tag Team Titles: RKBro vs. MVP/Bobby Lashley

RKBro is defending and AJ Styles, with Omos behind him, is on commentary. MVP drives Riddle into the corner to start but Riddle is right back with some shots to the face. That’s enough to put MVP on the floor, setting up the big springboard Floating Bro as we take a fast break.

We come back with Lashley working Riddle over until a hot tag brings in Orton. The hanging DDT hits Lashley but MVP is still legal and gets in a cheap shot. It’s back to Riddle for a knee to Lashley, setting up the Floating Bro for two. Everything breaks down and AJ decks Lashley, only to have to deal with Omos. The distraction lets Riddle hit a jumping knee to MVP, setting up the Floating Bro to retain at 10:49.

Rating: B-. Now this was more like it with much more of an action packed match. They had a bunch of stuff happening throughout and the ending was the right call. There wasn’t much doubt about a possible title change, but at least they got in and did their thing with some time. Not a great match, but it was good enough to get the show out of a bit of trouble.

Post match Lashley goes after Riddle but walks into an RKO to end the show. Orton vs. Lashley could be interesting.

Overall Rating: D+. I don’t remember the last time I saw a Raw this up and down. The triple threat match was one of the best matches Raw has had in months (if not longer) but the Jax vs. Charlotte match might be the worst WWE match I’ve seen in ten years (ignoring matches with people who have no business being in a ring). The rest of the show wasn’t exactly good either, and the result was another week where I was wondering how bad things could get. Raw continues to be a miss, as they seem happy with running off in whatever direction they want and not caring how bad things get.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Shayna Baszler – Rollup
Viking Raiders b. Jinder Mahal/Veer – Viking Experience to Veer
Damian Priest b. Sheamus and Drew McIntyre – Reckoning to McIntyre
Karrion Kross b. Humberto Carrillo – Krossjacket
Nia Jax b. Charlotte – Powerbomb
Omos b. John Morrison – Chokeslam
AJ Styles b. Xavier Woods – Calf Crusher
RKBro b. Bobby Lashley/MVP – Floating Bro to MVP

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 23, 2021
Location: Pechanga Arena, San Diego, California
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

It’s the night after Summerslam and we are going to be dealing with a lot of the fallout. We have a long road to Extreme Rules and there were a lot of things at Summerslam worth talking about. The problem is that most of them had to do with Smackdown so we might not be in for much going on. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Summerslam.

Here are MVP and Bobby Lashley (in a snappy orange jacket) to get things going. After another recap of Goldberg vs. Lashley, because Raw needs more montages than a Rocky movie, MVP says he’d like to explain what happened on Sunday at Summerslam. We all know about Goldberg’s extraordinary history but not so much about his recently unextraordinary history.

What we didn’t know was that his son would be at Summerslam. Maybe he needed a good luck charm or something but Goldberg did score a couple of two counts. Either way, Lashley beat up Goldberg and won by referee stoppage. Goldberg quit like a coward and Lashley would have done that to anyone, including everyone here in San Diego. Lashley doesn’t owe Goldberg or his son an apology but here is Damian Priest to interrupt.

Priest doesn’t care about Lashley and MVP calling people a coward. Well Priest isn’t jumping him from behind and the challenge is on for tonight. Lashley seems interested but MVP tries to talk him out of it. Priest suggests that Lashley is the coward for not saying yes and the fight is on. A big boot sends Lashley outside so MVP says the match is on.

Damian Priest vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title and Lashley starts fast with the shoulders in the corner. A running shot to the face in the corner rocks Priest again but he makes the comeback….and here is Sheamus to jump Priest for the DQ at 1:28.

Post match the beatdown is on but Drew McIntyre runs in for the big brawl. A suplex puts Lashley onto the announcers’ table and I think we have a Teddy Long special.

Damian Priest/Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley/Sheamus

Joined in progress with McIntyre hammering on Sheamus until he gets taken into the wrong corner. Lashley comes in for a hard whip into the corner but McIntyre comes out with a clothesline. A shot to the throat cuts McIntyre off but he gets over for the tag to Priest anyway. Lashley takes him outside in a hurry and it’s a hard ram into the post. Back from a break with Priest fighting out of Sheamus’ chinlock but Lashley comes in for a head and arm choke.

That’s enough to drag Priest back into the corner for the tag back to Sheamus as the beating continues. Priest elbows his way to freedom though and the hot tag brings in McIntyre to clean house. The numbers game lets Lashley knock McIntyre down but the missed charge in the post puts Lashley in more trouble. Sheamus comes back in and catches McIntyre on top for a super White Noise and a near fall. Priest comes back in to clean house with the variety of kicks but Priest knees him in the face as Lashley walks out. McIntyre comes back in and Claymores Sheamus for the pin at 14:00.

Rating: C+. Nice power tag match here but I’m more curious about where this is heading for Lashley. They aren’t going to do another match with Goldberg at Extreme Rules, but a four way hoss fight between these four could be an interesting way to go. At least Priest didn’t lose in his first match as champion either.

We look at Doudrop turning on Eva Marie at Summerslam.

Doudrop says she made a mistake associating with Eva Marie but she likes the name Doudrop and that is who she is. Marie rolls in an anvil case to hit her in the ribs and the beatdown is on. Marie puts a boot on her and says this is Evaloution.

Karrion Kross vs. Ricochet

Kross now has what looks like a bedazzled hockey mask during his entrance. Once the bell rings, he has a big studded X over his chest, looking like the back of a pair of suspenders on either side. Ricochet gets knocked into the corner to start and a clothesline cuts off his comeback bid. A powerbomb into the Doomsday Saito sets up the Krossjacket choke for the fast win at 1:18. Dominant win, but the entrance gear was too laughable to make it matter.

Backstage at Summerslam, Big E. and Logan Paul interrupted a Baron Corbin interview. Paul suggested that Corbin was an a******.

Sheamus and Bobby Lashley argue in the back and have to be separated.

It’s time for MoistTV because THEY REALLY ARE RUNNING WITH THIS. John Morrison brings out Logan Paul, who tries to keep the crowd from killing him. Morrison asks what is next for the Paul Brothers but here is Miz to cut them off. Miz says he knows he’s Paul’s favorite star but Paul says he is more of a New Day fan. Paul talks about getting to put Floyd Mayweather on his highlight reel and this weekend, his brother is boxing former UFC fighter Tyron Woodley.

Miz isn’t impressed and asks what round Paul’s brother is getting knocked out in. Miz: “Bettors want to know.” Paul says his brother is doing the knocking out and threatens to knock Miz out. Morrison has to separate them and says that Miz always makes everything about himself. Miz goes on a rant about how this is a spinoff of MizTV and Paul leaves while the two of them argue. The argument is on, with Morrison accusing Miz of faking his knee injury. Cue Xavier Woods, who high fives Paul on the stage and it’s match time. I love Miz and Morrison, but they need to go away for a long, long time.

Miz vs. Xavier Woods

John Morrison is here with Miz. Feeling out process to start until Woods, in NWO Wolfpac gear (as the Scott Hall tributes continue) headlock takeovers him over. Back up and Woods starts going after the knee, including some shots in the corner. Hold on though as Miz has to be checked on by the referee, allowing Miz to pop up and knee Woods in the ribs. They head outside with Woods being sent hard into the barricade, allowing Morrison to spray a bunch of water on the floor. As expected, Miz is sent sliding into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Miz firing off the YES Kicks but the big one is countered into a rollup for two. A neckbreaker out of the corner gives Woods a breather and he fights up with the variety of strikes. Miz is knocked outside for the big running flip dive. Back in and a high crossbody gives Woods two but Miz loads up the Skull Crushing Finale. Morrison gets on the apron for no logical reason with the Drip Stick. That misses everyone and the distraction means the referee doesn’t see Miz’s rollup. Instead, Woods grabs a small package for the pin at 11:41.

Rating: C-. The match itself was good as Woods and Miz could probably have a passable match in their sleep, but then they had to do the stupid gags to put the focus on anything else. It wasn’t a great match by any means, but this was a good example of how Miz and Morrison’s shtick has gotten really old because of how long it has been going on.

Post match Miz and Morrison argue but finally seem to get on the same page. The Drip Sticks are loaded up but Miz jumps Morrison to finally split things up. The Skull Crushing Finale leaves Morrison laying.

We look at Charlotte regaining the Raw Women’s Title at Summerslam.

Nikki Ash came up to Rhea Ripley to ask if they could be partners tonight. Ripley is in. This might be more dramatic if the match had not already been announced.

Earlier today Reggie tried to go get some ice cream but Akira Tozawa and R-Truth attacked. Reggie jumped into a tree, jumped out, and landed on top of an ice cream truck. Reggie jumped into the truck and they got away.

We look at RKBro winning the Tag Team Titles at Summerslam.

Riddle comes up to Randy Orton and says he understands Orton not being a hugger. He knows Orton is going to love their celebration tonight, but Orton says he isn’t quite into it. Just do him one favor: don’t do anything stupid. Riddle: “Would I do something stupid?”

Earlier today, Mansoor asked Mustafa Ali to not interfere no matter what. Ali seemed cool with it but didn’t seem to think Mansoor was making the right move.

Jinder Mahal vs. Mansoor

Veer, Shanky and Mustafa Ali are all here too. Mahal hammers away to start but Mansoor snaps his neck across the top. A high crossbody gives Mansoor two but Mahal forearms him down again. The chinlock goes on as Ali doesn’t seem pleased. A superkick rocks Mansoor and Ali stays unpleased. Mahal is so annoyed that he unloads in the corner for the DQ at 2:17. This was mostly a squash and that isn’t exactly making Mansoor look like a star.

Post match the beatdown is on and Ali only gets in after the villains leave.

Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest seem to get along and are off for some drinks. Er, pints. Yeah pints.

Here is Charlotte for her championship speech. She told us it would happen and now she has her twelfth title. There is no one as talented as she is and she is going to hold this title as long as she wants. She doesn’t need friends, family or the WWE Universe because she only needs the title.

That’s enough for some pyro to go off and Charlotte talks about how great she looked in the mirror this morning. She knows how amazing she is and she is here because she is starting the new Women’s Evolution (there’s a Stephanie McMahon joke in there somewhere). Long live the Queen….but here are Alexa Bliss and Lillie, who are just here to say hi.

Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler argue again, this time over Nia Jax teaming with Charlotte last week.

Elias walks away from his grave. This time he’s wearing a hat.

Nikki Ash/Rhea Ripley vs. Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax

Baszler takes Ripley to the mat to start but the big stomp on the arm is broken up. Nikki comes in for a rollup on Baszler and a headscissors sends Baszler into the corner. Now Baszler can stomp her down though and it’s off to Jax for a fireman’s carry drop. Baszler drops Ripley and knees Nikki in the head as we take a break.

Back with Ash fighting out of Jax’s chinlock but getting caught in a side slam/running knee combination. Jax hits a running hip attack into a Stink Face but the Banzai Drop is broken up. The hot tag brings Ripley back in and house is cleaned, including the missile dropkick. Everything breaks down and Nikki flips down onto Nia, leaving Riptide to finish Baszler at 10:36.

Rating: C-. The wrestling was competent, but this was a good example of the lack of character work in WWE. There is no logical reason for Jax and Baszler to keep being a team. They haven’t won anything of note in a good while, they have literally argued since they started teaming, and Baszler loses over and over. Why are these two still a team? The answer would be because the script says they are, and that has been obvious for a long time now.

Oh and how cool is it that Ripley got her token three month title reign, never pinned Charlotte, and has now been dropped into a tag team while Lillie and Bliss go after the title? That is a story that could have been taking place without the title while Ripley got to be the star for a bit, but that would mean Charlotte isn’t the star so the last few months have basically been erased.

We look back at the Miz/John Morrison switch.

Morrison says that’s it for all of the shows and music videos, because he wants Miz next week.

Here is Riddle for the RKBro title celebration, complete with balloons and a red mat. Randy Orton comes out, looking rather annoyed. After a bunch of pyro and a special introduction as champions, Riddle has a present for Orton: his own scooter, complete with his name and tassels! Cue AJ Styles and Omos, with AJ calling this stupid and promising to beat Riddle right here, right now. Riddle admits that he lost last week but that was before he had Orton in his corner. Riddle promises to win with the three most dangerous letters in wrestling: RKBRO! Orton looks like he has a headache.

Post break, we have a few recaps, including announcements of Bobby Lashley vs. Sheamus, Doudrop vs. Eva Marie and John Morrison vs. Miz for next week.

Riddle vs. AJ Styles

Omos and Randy Orton are here too. Styles charges straight at him and they go to the mat for the technical off. That’s broken up and Riddle looks just fine with the whole thing. Riddle kicks him to the apron and then out to the floor but the springboard is broken up. AJ still can’t get anything going as Riddle rolls some gutwrench suplexes for two. A sunset flip can’t set up the Styles Clash so Riddle hurricanranas him over the top for the big crash to the floor instead.

We take a break and come back with Riddle kicking him in the head, setting up the Broton for two. The bridging German suplex gets the same but Riddle is favoring his hamstring. AJ is back with the middle rope moonsault into the reverse DDT for two of his own. The Phenomenal Forearm is broken up but AJ gets him into the Calk Crusher on the bad leg. That’s reversed into the BroMission but AJ flips back for another near fall.

Riddle goes up but another Omos distraction breaks it up (just like last week). This time Orton goes after Omos, earning himself a toss into the barricade. A Burning Hammer gives AJ two as Orton unloads on Omos with the scooter. The distraction lets Riddle hit a jumping knee and the Bro Derek for the pin at 14:22.

Rating: C+. The talent lone in this one is going to make it work but Orton getting in there and helping Riddle out made things that much better (especially with the scooter). Riddle gaining energy from Orton makes for such a great story and I’ve liked the whole thing. It was a good main event and probably the best match on the show, which shouldn’t be that surprising.

Post match RKBro poses and AJ gets the RKO to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Well there was nothing big and new and the only major change seems to be in the Tag Team Title scene. What interests me is that you really can see a dividing line on Raw with the good and the bad. In essence, it’s almost anything involving the women’s division and Miz/John Morrison on the bad side, and just about everything else is on the good side (with Jinder Mahal in the middle depending on how high he is on the card).

The problem is the stuff that is bad is REALLY bad and it drags everything else down. If you had the opening matches, Kross’ squash, the women’s tag (maybe) and the main event, you have a pretty watchable show. There is a path to making Raw a watchable show. The problem is that it involves getting rid of a lot of bad things and I don’t think WWE sees them as negatives. Until that changes, Raw isn’t getting any better in any significant way.

Results
Damian Priest b. Bobby Lashley via DQ when Sheamus interfered
Drew McIntyre/Damian Priest b. Bobby Lashley/Sheamus – Claymore to Sheamus
Karrion Kross b. Ricochet – Krossjacket choke
Xavier Woods b. Miz – Small package
Mansoor b. Jinder Mahal via DQ when Mahal attacked in the corner
Rhea Ripley/Nikki Ash b. Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler – Riptide to Baszler
Riddle b. AJ Styles – Bro Derek

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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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 12, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves

We are finally, and I do mean finally, coming to the end of the Thunderdome and that means a taped go home show for Money in the Bank. The card is mostly set, at least on the Raw side, but it is time to build some serious momentum for the show’s namesake matches. Maybe Nikki Cross can even take another pin. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Paul Orndorff. That one hurts.

We open with a long recap of Big E. vs. Kofi Kingston, including last week with the New Day beating Lashley and MVP.

MVP gives Bobby Lashley a pep talk.

Xavier Woods vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title with Kofi Kingston/MVP at ringside. I’m really not sure what it means to have a Cell match two weeks ago, then a tag match, and now a regular match. It’s almost like they might want to come up with some fresh ideas to set up these programs. Lashley throws him into the corner to start but Woods takes the leg out. A step up backsplash gets two but seems to just annoy Lashley. They head outside with Lashley sending him hard into the steps as we take a break.

Back with Woods still in trouble but managing a superkick. A tornado DDT sends Lashley outside and there’s the big flip dive to take him out again. Back in and a missile dropkick puts Lashley down, followed by the Crossface to make it worse. That’s broken up so Lashley hits the huge spinebuster into the spinning Big Ending for no cover. Instead Lashley takes him outside for a hard ram into the post and the spear connects back inside. Lashley still doesn’t cover though….and gets small packaged for the pin at 10:19.

Rating: C. They did a nice job with the surprise as they kept teasing the idea of Lashley costing himself but I didn’t think they would actually have Woods pin him. It’s certainly an upset and while I’m not wild on a champion losing, I can live with the idea of one of the most decorated tag team wrestlers ever scoring a fluke pin when Lashley got too cocky. Just have Lashley smash Kingston and things should be fine.

Lashley stormed off during the break.

Post break, MVP says it’s not a big deal and Lashley had to blow off some steam. Lashley will be in the VIP Lounge later tonight.

We look back at Jinder Mahal and company stealing Drew McIntyre’s sword.

Mahal arrives on his motorcycle and is handed the sword.

It’s time for Alexa’s Playground, with Bliss talking about how much fun she could have with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Eva Marie and Doudrop interrupt her, with Eva wanting to know when she’ll be asked a question. Alexa suggest Doudrop could win the briefcase and Eva storms off. Bliss doesn’t think much of them.

Here are Jinder Mahal and company with something, allegedly the sword, under a blanket. Mahal tells Drew McIntyre to come out here like a man and he can have his sword back. McIntyre pops up on screen instead, so Mahal pulls the blanket back to reveal the broken sword. That’s funny to McIntyre, because that’s a replica. The real thing is right here, just like Mahal’s real motorcycle is right here. McIntyre rips/smashes the motorcycle apart and Mahal panics.

Riddle runs into Nikki Ash, who he thinks should just fly up to grab the briefcase. This turns into a discussion of Riddle thinking he could fly into space but he was just at the mall.

Nikki Ash vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka vs. Naomi

Naomi sends Bliss into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Bliss is right back with a quick crossbody as Ash and Asuka come back in. Naomi and Asuka trade kicks to the face for a double knockdown and Bliss crawls back in to face Nikki. A double shot to the chest staggers Bliss but here are Eva Marie and Doudrop to watch. Bliss uses the distraction to DDT Asuka for two but it’s time to channel Doudrop. A scream scares Eva but Doudrop is back up to toss Bliss over the barricade. Eva goes over to look at her….and Bliss has disappeared as we take a break.

Back with Naomi stacking up Asuka and Ash for two. Asuka is sent outside and Naomi grabs her reverse Rings of Saturn. That’s broken up by Asuka’s kick to the back but Nikki breaks up Asuka’s cross armbreaker to Naomi. More rollups get two each until Naomi is sent outside, leaving Asuka to Asuka Lock Ash. This time it’s a reversal into a cradle to give Ash the pin at 13:02.

Rating: D+. This was your standard final week build to Money in the Bank match, meaning there was nothing of interest to see, including Bliss disappearing. I’m sure that will play into something later, but I can’t wait for the fans to be back so that hopefully they can cut it out with this stuff. Another messy match, as Asuka gets to take another fall.

The Viking Raiders don’t like being called smelly barbarians and are ready for AJ Styles and Omos tonight.

AJ Styles vs. Ivar

Before the match, AJ, with Omos, apologizes for calling the Vikings smelly. He should have called them hairy and various other mean things. Tonight Ivar is tapping to the Calf Crusher and then Omos is beating Erik in his first singles match. Ivar spins around to start and runs AJ over, but an early Omos distraction lets AJ get in a kick to the head. The moonsault into the reverse DDT gets two on Ivar but Ivar fights up with a tilt-a-whirl powerslam. The low crossbody crushes AJ again and a big elbow to the face gives Ivar two. AJ scores with the Pele to send him into the corner but Ivar hits a seated senton for the quick pin at 3:43.

Rating: C-. Quite the upset here and Ivar winning actually is building momentum for a change. Pinning the one champion you might have a shot at beating is a good thing, though I don’t quite buy the Raiders as having any kind of a chance on Sunday at the moment. At least they threw us a bit of a curve for once.

Erik vs. Omos

Erik tries a waistlock to start and is thrown down in a hurry. Omos runs him over again but Erick slips off the shoulders and kicks at the leg. A bearhug has Erik in more trouble and Omos throws him into the corner without much trouble. Erik is right back with some running shots to the face to stagger the giant. That earns him a hard clothesline and Omos gets to shout a lot. The two handed chokeslam finishes Erik at 3:24.

Rating: C-. Two matches. One team’s representative won a match each. They combined to last a little over seven minutes. Oh and AJ Styles called them smelly. That is your build for a Tag Team Title match on pay per view. Again: maybe they need to come up with a better playbook for some of these programs. Omos did his usual giant stuff and it worked out rather well, as has tended to be his case.

We recap Humberto Carrillo injuring Sheamus’ nose, putting him out of action for six weeks.

Sheamus, in a protective mask, yells at Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce for making him defend the title tonight. They don’t seem to mind.

Lucha House Party and New Day share some nice compliments in the back. With the luchadors gone, Kofi Kingston is not surprised that Bobby Lashley will be back tonight for the VIP Lounge. Xavier Woods is a bit surprised, as Lashley already lost to the video game guy. Winning the WWE Title is not about the champagne and fame, but being a representative. After Sunday, Kofi gets to do that again.

Video on what Money in the Bank means for the winners. It’s like Rumble By The Numbers, but without the Rumble or Numbers.

Sheamus jumps Humberto Carrillo and leaves him laying.

Post break, Carrillo says he can go, even with Damian Priest asking if he is ok. Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce say they can postpone the match but Carrillo insists.

US Title: Sheamus vs. Humberto Carrillo

Sheamus is defending and wins with the Brogue Kick in 17 seconds. Carrillo is no Daniel Bryan.

Post match Sheamus comes back in to go after Carrillo again. Sheamus loads up a stomp to the face but Damian Priest runs in for the save.

We recap Ricochet vs. John Morrison over the last two weeks.

Riddle scooters up to Ricochet in the back and talks about how he is excited to go out west this weekend. He’s going to make spaghetti burritos and watch his favorite western movie: Toy Story 2. Riddle likes it when the cowboy finds a snake in his boot, not that Randy Orton is a snake in his boot. Ricochet was talking about the briefcase but Riddle thinks he and Orton can cash it in on the Tag Team Titles. John Morrison and Miz show up with Drip Sticks before running over Riddle’s foot.

John Morrison vs. Ricochet

Falls Count Anywhere and Miz is here with Morrison. Ricochet gets sent into the ropes to start and a neckbreaker over the ropes gives Morrison two outside. Miz uses his wheelchair to give Morrison two more and they head back inside. Morrison starts to go up but gets caught in a bridging German suplex for two. They head outside again with Morrison planting him for two, followed by a trip over the barricade.

Ricochet rams Morrison into the video fans and they climb onto the barricade. A slip sends Morrison down and Ricochet busts out a 450 off of said barricade for two. Back in and Morrison rolls away from the threat of a springboard, allowing Ricochet to hit a shooting star forearm to the head in a big crash.

We take a break and come back with a ladder now bridged between the ring and the announcers’ table. Ricochet jumps over it to hit a forearm to drop Morrison for two. Morrison bails over to the other side, where he hides behind Miz’s wheelchair. That’s fine with Ricochet, who hits a big flip dive to take Morrison down for two more. They fight up to the stage where Ricochet gets two more and they head backstage. Morrison scores with a superkick and a running knee to the face for two and it’s back to the stage.

This time Ricochet knocks Morrison down the ramp but then stops to shove Miz’s wheelchair down the ramp. The distraction lets Ricochet run Morrison over for two, followed by a kick to the face back inside. The Drip Stick distracts Ricochet again though and Morrison grabs a rollup with his feet on the ropes for two. Morrison’s Moonlight Drive gets two but here is Riddle to turn Miz over in his wheelchair, leaving Miz on his back. Morrison springboards into the Recoil but Ricochet can’t cover. Instead he puts Morrison on the bridged ladder for a huge splash and the pin at 16:01.

Rating: B-. This was rather eventful and Riddle making his third appearance of the night was a bit much. The good thing is that Ricochet got a win, even if it means nothing going into Sunday. Ricochet is someone who can thrive in a match like this and Morrison, despite being a bit up there in years compared to his heyday, can hang with him almost every step. Fun match, even if Riddle didn’t need to be out there.

Tamina and Natalya are ready for Money in the Bank as Natalya wants to hold the title and the briefcase at the same time. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke come up to call Natalya a fool. Threats are made and Dana has to be held back.

We recap Drew McIntyre breaking Jinder Mahal’s motorcycle.

Drew McIntyre’s history lesson of the week is about Icarus, who is going to fly towards the sun, which is the Money in the Bank briefcase. His wings are going to be made of Grade A Scottish beef and nothing is stopping him from becoming Mr. Money In The Bank.

Money in the Bank rundown.

We recap Rhea Ripley and Charlotte’s battle of the crutches last week.

Rhea Ripley is ready for Charlotte on Sunday.

Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya

Non-title and Tamina is here too. They go with the grappling to start and Natalya grabs some rollups for two each. Rhea takes her outside and hits a quick dropkick to Tamina as we take an early break. Back with Natalya being knocked off the top, allowing Rhea to hit a good looking missile dropkick.

A bridging northern lights suplex gets two but Shea gets sent into the corner with her head hitting the post. Natalya powerbombs her out of the corner for two but the Sharpshooter is blocked. Natalya tries it again and is reversed into the Prism Trap. With that broken up, Natalya finally gets the Sharpshooter, only to be rolled into the corner for the break. Riptide gives Ripley the pin at 9:28.

Rating: C. This is where Natalya keeps her job: she can have a fine match with just about anyone on the roster and is completely dependable. As long as you keep her away from any microphone, character stuff or storyline, she is a rather valuable member of the roster. Good stuff here, as Ripley broke a sweat but won in the end.

Post match, Charlotte comes in to chop block Rhea and the Figure Four over the apron makes Ripley scream.

MVP preps the ladies for the VIP Lounge.

Charlotte promises to win the title.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with a bouncing MVP saying this should be the Lashley Dome. Next week we are back on the road (which the fake fans appreciate) so here is Lashley….or at least MVP introducing him. Eventually cue a slightly disheveled Lashley to ask the women to leave. He doesn’t like what happened earlier and from now on, it is time to be serious again.

Lashley destroys the entire set, including throwing the love seat out with no trouble. Sunday is the end of Kofi Kingston, as Lashley is going to take care of him like he should have done a long time ago. Lashley leaves and MVP looks scared to end the show. This was straight fire from Lashley and one of his best promos ever.

Overall Rating: C-. This was more what I was worried about for the Money in the Bank build. It wasn’t a very interesting show and almost nothing on here was worth seeing. Instead, you got a bunch of people “building momentum”, whatever that is worth and talking, some of which was a bit better than the rest. It’s a show you really did not need to watch, though some highlights (Ricochet vs. Morrison, Lashley’s promo and maybe some Riddle shenanigans) could be a good option.

So that’s it for the Thunderdome. It was nice while it lasted but it did overstay its welcome. That being said, it was such a huge upgrade over the Performance Center that it was absolutely worth looking at all of these fake seats. Above all else, it felt like you were watching an episode of Raw without fans rather than watching a show from a closet, which made all the difference.

Results
Xavier Woods b. Bobby Lashley – Small package
Nikki Ash b. Asuka, Naomi and Alexa Bliss – Rollup to Asuka
Ivar b. AJ Styles – Seated senton
Omos b. Erik – Two handed chokeslam
Sheamus b. Humberto Carrillo – Brogue Kick
Ricochet b. John Morrison – 450 onto a ladder
Rhea Ripley b. Natalya – Riptide

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.

Main Event
Date: July 1, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Byron Saxton

This show was turned upside down last week as it was all about NXT, which is not something you see happen around here. I’m curious to see what they have this week, but it would not surprise me to see quite the downgrade this time around. Then again, the surprises have been coming a lot faster around here and it might be the case again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Veer vs. Drew Gulak

Shanky and Jinder Mahal are here with Veer. Gulak gets powered into the corner to start and seems a bit worried here. An armbar doesn’t get very far on Veer, who shrugs off a kick to the leg and punches him down. The sidewalk slam does it again but Veer misses a running boot in the corner. The nerve hold doesn’t last long so Veer goes with a neck crank instead. Back up and Gulak starts kicking at the leg, setting up a leglock to keep Veer down. That’s broken up as well so Veer slams him down, setting up a jumping elbow for two. Three straight corner splashes set up a baseball style clothesline to finish Gulak at 5:02.

Rating: C-. The match was a David vs. Goliath style but you are only going to get so far under these circumstances. Veer isn’t ready to carry a match on his own and Gulak isn’t going to win anything big. That makes Gulak’s control feel a bit like filler, though at least the match stayed short enough.

Quick look back at Roman Reigns destroying Rey Mysterio inside the Cell.

From Smackdown.

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman for the State Of The Universal Title Address. We see a video on Reigns beating Rey Mysterio in the Cell, plus Reigns beating up Dominik for a bonus. Heyman talks about all of the people that Reigns has beaten up, including the Fiend, Cesaro, Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman, Edge, Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio. Reigns has cleaned out the division, so now he needs to make an announcement.

Before he can speak, cue the returning Edge to jump Reigns and the fight is on, with Edge knocking Reigns outside. A clothesline off the apron lets Edge send Reigns face first into the announcers’ table over and over. Back in and Reigns hits a Superman Punch to cut Edge off. Reigns goes for a chair but walks into a spear.

Edge loads up the Conchairto but here is Jimmy Uso to cut him off. That earns Jimmy a spear through the barricade as Reigns and Heyman escape. Edge: “WHERE YOU AT ROMAN???” On the stage dude. Just turn to the right. Posing ends the show. This works well as Edge didn’t get his big singles match, so he’ll do fine for the Money in the Bank challenger. Like Heyman said, who else is there?

Video on Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston, including Lashley wrecking Xavier Woods inside the Cell.

From Raw.

Here is Kofi Kingston for a chat. Last week, his best friend Xavier Woods was locked in the Cell with Bobby Lashley and put in everything he had, like he always does. Woods showed he can hang at that level and he should get the respect he deserves. Kofi was forced to watch Woods in the Hurt Lock from outside the Cell and now it is time for some revenge.

Cue MVP, with Lashley’s women, to laugh off the idea that Kingston is going to be able to beat Lashley. Kingston thinks Lashley is going soft though, and that is coming from a unicorn wearing, pancake tossing hip swiveler. MVP had to save Lashley from losing the title a few weeks back and Kingston knows he can win. Every week, a layer is stripped away from Lashley and by the time we get to Money in the Bank, Lashley might look like MVP.

Kingston talks about never taking time off as WWE Champion, including taking the title to his hometown in Ghana to show that anything is possible. MVP has Lashley on vacation and taking days off and someone is going to take the title from him. That is going to be Kingston at Money in the Bank. MVP thinks Kingston did all that stuff to feed his own ego and is sounding as confident as Woods did last week.

Kingston says Woods is going to be back next week and thinks MVP has been milking his knee injury for the better part of six months. MVP says he isn’t cleared for combat or else he would take Kingston down. That’s enough for Kingston to go to the floor and, after ducking a cane shot, hit Trouble In Paradise. That’s a bit aggressive over someone not medically cleared.

Lucha House Party vs. Mace/T-Bar

Gran Metalik starts against T-Bar, including being sent to the apron so he can kick T-Bar in the head. The high crossbody is pulled out of the air so Metalik settles for the running hurricanrana instead. The reverse Sling Blade allows Lince Dorado to come in for a headscissors but T-Bar takes him into the corner for the tag to Mace. That’s fine with Dorado, who knocks him away and hits a top rope clothesline. The House Party clears the ring and poses as we take a break.

Back with Mace ramming Dorado’s head into the mat So T-Bar can slaps on the front facelock. Dorado gets rammed face first into the mat, allowing Mace to drop a middle rope elbow. A quick shot to the face staggers Mace though and a middle rope crossbody puts him down. It’s off to Metalik to pick up the pace and Mace is taken down again. A moonsault misses though and Mace grabs a Boss Man Slam for two, with Metalik making the save. Everything breaks down with T-Bar and being sent outside, leaving Mace to catch Metalik with a sitout chokebomb for the pin at 8:56.

Rating: C. Much like the opener, this was about a normal sized team against a pair of monsters. This time around though, you had some more talented small guys who could make Mace and T-Bar look a bit better. T-Bar shouldn’t need that as much, but the monsters just aren’t that good. I’m not sure why, but they should be a layup and instead are barely scraping by here.

We recap Riddle winning the battle royal to earn a shot at a Money in the Bank spot for Randy Orton.

From Raw.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Riddle vs. AJ Styles

Omos is here with Styles and if Riddle wins, Randy Orton gets the spot. McIntyre starts fast with the overhead belly to belly suplexes, followed by the crazy high backdrop to Styles. It’s too early for the Claymore so they go outside, where McIntyre loads up a powerbomb onto the announcers’ table. Riddle dives out of the air to break that up but Styles posts both of them to take over. Styles and Riddle fight to suplex the other through the announcers’ table until Riddle settles for one on the floor.

Back up and an enziguri drops McIntyre, allowing Riddle and Styles to slam him through the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Styles working on Riddle’s leg but wisely going outside to stomp on the still down McIntyre. Back in and a half crab has Riddle in trouble, with Styles being smart enough to keep it on when Riddle makes the rope. A brainbuster gives AJ two but Riddle is back up with a hanging DDT. The RKO is loaded up but AJ is back with something close to a Burning Hammer for two.

McIntyre is back in though and gets rid of AJ, setting up the reverse Alabama Slam to Riddle. The Claymore misses though and Riddle dumps McIntyre out to the floor. Riddle is back up with a penalty kick to each of them and the springboard Floating Bro hits both of them for a big crash. Some kicks to the chest have Styles and McIntyre down again but Styles sends a kick into the steps.

Riddle thinks his (bare) foot is broken so it’s time for some medics to take him out. We come back from another break with Riddle gone and McIntyre possibly tweaking his knee. A neckbreaker takes Styles down but he slips out of a superplex attempt. The fireman’s carry neckbreaker gets two, as does a Michinoku Driver to Styles.

A quick Calf Crusher has McIntyre in trouble but here is Riddle with a taped up ankle for the Bromission to break things up. AJ goes for the ankle for the save but McIntyre is back up. An enziguri, with the bad foot, drops McIntyre to the floor and Riddle jumping knees AJ out of the air. The RKO hits Styles but Omos pulls him out at two. The Claymore gives McIntyre the pin on Riddle at 26:41.

Rating: B-. This was really long and the ending was a bit disappointing, but at least they had some solid action to fill in a large chunk of the show. Riddle fighting for his best friend is a good story and I could go for more of that in the future, though I don’t think Orton is going to be overly happy with his partner taking the fall. Good main event overall, but they could have chopped it down a bit.

Overall Rating: C. You had some decent original wrestling but this was all about the big main event. This week’s show was certainly a return to form as there was nothing to suggest that the match had such a different episode last week. Money in the Bank needs to come and go already, if nothing else so we can have fans back. They need to add in what they can, but WWE needs to give them something to cheer about and I don’t think this was it.

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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Main Event
Date: June 24, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Byron Saxton

It’s back to the land of random as this show continues to be all over the place. You never know what you’re going to see around here and I can’t believe I’m saying this after watching this show for so many years. I’m not sure what to expect this week and I like that feeling. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bronson Reed vs. Drew Gulak

Non-title and it must be time to get ready for the Draft. Gulak can’t do much with the huge Reed to start as he gets thrown down a few times. Reed lifts him up for a piledriver and then throws him down instead. There’s a rather heavy headlock to set up a knockdown into a backsplash as it’s all Reed so far.

Gulak’s trip to the floor lets him snap Reed’s arm across the top but an Irish whip doesn’t work. Another shot to the arm works a bit better but Reed calmly gorilla presses him. Gulak jawbreaks his way to freedom and starts in on the arm again, only to have Reed crush him. A suplex into a Death Valley Driver sets up the Tsunami (needs more Wade Barrett) to finish Gulak at 4:15.

Rating: C. This was the kind of a match that you need to have to make Reed look good. He felt like a monster with the Tsunami looking like the great finisher that it needs to be. It wasn’t a great match, but this felt a lot more like it was there to give the bosses something to see, which isn’t going to be the biggest problem on a show like Main Event.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Rey/Dominik Mysterio.

From Smackdown.

Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Rey Mysterio

Reigns is defending inside the Cell. Rey grabs a chair to start and knocks Reigns down, setting up a fire extinguisher blast to the face. A toolbox off the head knocks Reigns silly again and we take a break. Back with Rey wrapping a chair around Reigns’ throat and sending it into the Cell wall. That isn’t enough as Rey sends the chair into the post as well, leaving Reigns reeling even more.

Rey sets up a table and avoids a spear to send Reigns through it, but a hurricanrana is countered into a swing into the Cell. Reigns tosses him face first into the Cell and we take another break. Back with Reigns firing off knees in the corner and nailing the Superman Punch (Heyman: “HE’S GOING TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU!!!”).

The spear is cut off with a dropkick though and a 619 connects in the corner. Some chair shots to the back and arm have Reigns down again and the frog splash onto the chair onto Reigns connects….but Rey can’t cover. Rey adds another splash just onto Reigns for two but a top rope hurricanrana is countered into a toss powerbomb over the top and into the Cell (well that was awesome). Back in and Reigns grabs a choke to make Rey tap at 16:02.

Rating: B. It was hard hitting and violent with the frog splash being a nice near fall and that toss powerbomb looking awesome. Reigns wasn’t going to lose here but it was a little more dramatic than I was expecting. It’s not like Mysterio is going to be hurt in something like this either, though I’m still not sure if it needed to be inside the Cell. Heck of a TV main event though, and it would have been fine on pay per view as well.

Post match Jimmy Uso comes out to acknowledge Reigns. That’s not enough for Reigns, who chokes Mysterio out again. Reigns: “HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!”

From Raw.

Here are Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville to deal with the Rhea Ripley/Charlotte fallout. Ripley comes out and wants to know why that was a DQ, but here is Charlotte to promise to destroy Ripley soon. Deville gets to the point and makes the rematch for Money in the Bank. They kept this really short here and there wasn’t much of a reason not to.

Video on Karrion Kross.

Karrion Kross vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title and Kross’ entrance is completely stripped down to just a fire background and music with no Scarlett. They go with an aggressive fight over a lockup to start with neither being able to get very far. Benjamin takes him down with a waistlock but Kross fights up to pummel him into the corner. An elbow to the back lets Kross talk trash but Benjamin is right back up. That doesn’t last long as Kross sends him into the corner, only to come back with a neckbreaker.

A Cactus Clothesline puts them both on the floor and we take a break. Back with Kross hitting a running clothesline for two and choking on the rope. We hit the armbar but Benjamin grabs an armdrag to escape. That just seems to annoy Kross but Shelton hits a quick Stinger Splash. Kross is ticked though and snaps off a suplex, only to get caught in the Dragon Whip for two. That’s too far for Kross, who pulls him into the Krossjacket Choke for the win at 8:03.

Rating: C. I’m not as sure on this one as Kross was going 50/50, albeit against a firmly established name like Benjamin. Kross popping up after everything Benjamin did worked out well enough. It wasn’t a great showcase, but I can live without Kross squashing Benjamin. This was another way to get Kross some time in front of the bosses and it could have been a lot worse.

From Raw.

Here are Bobby Lashley and MVP, flanked by his latest group of women, for the VIP Lounge. MVP brags about Lashley retaining and hands him the floor. Lashley says he was pushed to his limit last night but proved that he is still the Almighty. They brag about their win and load up a toast but here is the New Day to interrupt, complete with a plate of toast. Said toast is thrown into the ring, prompting MVP to talk about how this is more proof of what goofs these two are.

MVP accuses Kofi Kingston of not taking things seriously and hanging out with his video game obsessed friend. Kofi says not so fast but Lashley talks about being on a higher level than the two of them. That makes Kofi laugh as he talks about becoming WWE Champion at Wrestlemania XXXV and then beating Lashley last week. We see a clip of said loss and Lashley isn’t cool with that. The challenge is on Lashley accepts for Money in the Bank, but he wants to make sure it’s one on one. Therefore, he can beat up Xavier Woods tonight.

That’s cool with Woods, who cuts off MVP from talking down to him. Woods runs down his own accolades, which mainly include being on YouTube and G4. Oh and let’s make tonight’s match inside the Cell. I’m surprised they didn’t put a USA NETWORK APPROVED sticker on the screen, as that could not be more of WWE appeasing them over FOX getting a Cell match if they tried.

We take a rapid fire look at the Money in the Bank qualifiers.

From Raw.

Bobby Lashley vs. Xavier Woods

Non-title with MVP and Kofi Kingston here as well. Woods tries to start fast but gets powered out to the floor. That means it’s time for a chair, which Lashley punches into Woods’ face. The running charge hits the post though and Woods is able to dropkick Lashley into the Cell twice in a row. A running chair shot drops Lashley again and we take a break.

Back with Lashley hammering away until Woods misses a charge and falls out to the floor. Woods’ charge lets Lashley tie him in the ring skirt though and the beating is on again. Lashley stops to yell at Kofi though and Woods gets back inside. A forearm to the leg cuts Lashley down for a second and Woods gets in a hard kendo stick shot. Woods gets in more shots with the stick on the floor and a victory roll faceplant is good for two back inside.

A tornado DDT gives Woods two more so he sets up a table. Lashley’s quick powerbomb attempt is broken up and a superkick puts him on said table. The rope walk elbow sends Lashley through the table for two (with Woods almost overshooting him) but Lashley sends him face first into a chair in the corner. The spear sets up the Hurt Lock to finish Woods at 13:37.

Rating: C+. This was another match that didn’t need to be in the Cell as it was little more than a street fight for the most part. The fact that it was the fourth match in the Cell in four days didn’t help either, but I would bet on this being a way to appease USA more than anything else. There was never any doubt here and that’s ok, as Woods got to look good for a bit.

Post match the beating stays on with MVP getting inside the Cell and locking it back. Lashley puts Woods up against the Cell as Kofi can’t do anything to end the show. That was an effective use of the Cell for a change, though I’m not sure why Kofi didn’t get the referee to unlock the door again.

Overall Rating: C. I’m trying to get my head around two of the biggest names in NXT being on this show but that does keep things looking better for Main Event going forward. The matches were nothing to see, but that wasn’t the point around here. For once it was about the original wrestling, which says a lot when you had two matches inside the Cell on here.

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.