Smackdown
Date: July 30, 2021
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re less than a month away from Summerslam and things have been getting interesting around here again. Last week, John Cena challenged Roman Reigns for Summerslam. That was a no, but Finn Balor issued his own challenge and got a yes. There is no word on when that takes place, but it should be pretty soon. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is John Cena to get things going. We look at a recap of last week with Reigns, Cena and Balor, complete with Reigns’ missionary position line. Cena: “If you can find someone who can keep missionary position interesting for two decades, keep them in your life. It’s going to be worth it, I promise.” Cena talks about how he isn’t going to change anything and it wouldn’t make sense. Steve Austin wouldn’t come back as Sasquatch Steve Houston, or the Rock wouldn’t come back as Too Small Johnson.

Cena: “Roman Reigns has to change every two years because if he doesn’t, people stop caring about him.” Reigns is a guy named Joe, who gets by on every gimmick and is too scared to fail. He refused to fight Cena because of how Cena looks, but it’s really because of how Cena makes him look.

Cue Baron Corbin, but Cena doesn’t even recognize him. Cena: “DUDE! YOU LOOK….” Corbin: “Horrible, I know.” Corbin talks about everything that has gone wrong with him, and now he has had his identity stolen. On top of that, he has suffered an injury to a personal area and can’t perform. His wife took the kids and left, but maybe Cena can help him.

Cena asks the fans if he should help him, and Cena hands him some cash. Corbin: “THAT’S IT???” Corbin asks for a part in the Suicide Squad, but Cena says it’s already wrapped. Cena: “It come out next Friday. Make sure you go see it!” Corbin begs some more so Cena gives him the AA. Cena was feeling it here with the mixture of comedy and bombs on Reigns. The Corbin stuff is still great too, though how much more can happen to him?

We look at the Usos taking the Tag Team Titles from the Mysterios.

Dominik Mysterio tells Rey Mysterio he’ll have his back tonight. Rey says keep an eye on him and another eye on the Usos. They have to step it up to get the titles back.

Rey Mysterio vs. Jimmy Uso

Dominik and Jey Uso are here too. Rey sends him into the corner to start and hammers away, setting up the bulldog for two. Jimmy is sent outside but avoids the dive, setting up the superkick to drop Rey. We take a break and come back with Rey kicking Jimmy in the head for a breather. Rey gets sent to the apron and an enziguri drops him again. Back up and Jimmy is sent outside, setting up the slingshot corkscrew dive to take out both Usos. Rey tries the 619 but Jimmy catches him in the fireman’s carry. That’s reversed into a crucifix, with Dominik adding the assist for the pin at 7:58.

Rating: C-. Quick match here to get the Mysterios some momentum to get them ready for their next title match. It makes sense to have Dominik do something like that at the end too, as you can only have him doing the same stuff for so long. It wasn’t a great match or even close to one, but it did what it was supposed to do.

We look back at Bianca Belair retaining the Women’s Title over Carmella at the Rolling Loud festival last week. Even McAfee has to acknowledge how the fans didn’t care.

Here is Bianca Belair for a chat. She is so proud of her 111 day Women’s Title reign and now she is happy to be back in front of these people. Belair can’t wait to see what the next 100 days have….and here is Carmella to cut her off. Carmella thinks she should get another shot because the lighting at Rolling Loud was messing her up.

Cue Zelina Vega to say Carmella is too pretty to be a three time loser. Vega gets in Belair’s face to say the people want to see a rising star get a chance. Belair accepts the challenge but Carmella jumps her from behind. Cue the returning Sasha Banks (not for the first time since Wrestlemania McAfee) for the save and a big hug to Belair. That’s probably Summerslam.

Video on Reginald winning the 24/7 Title.

Reginald talks about doing whatever he needs to do to retain the title. He has been looking everywhere for someone coming after him, even getting a camera on his shopping cart. The title is on the line tonight and while he doesn’t know who is challenging him, they should expect the unexpected.

24/7 Title: Reginald vs. Chad Gable

Gable, with Otis, is challenging and Otis jumps Reginald before the bell. A bridging northern lights suplex gets two on Reginald but he bounces around to avoid the chops. Instead, Gable tiger suplexes him for two but Reginald flips out of a German superplex. Gable is set into the corner to set up the running flipping seated senton, drawing Otis in for the DQ at 1:38.

Post match Reginald is thrown outside but sticks the landing to escape.

Sonya Deville announces Carmella/Zelina Vega vs. Sasha Banks/Bianca Belair for tonight.

It’s time for the contract signing between Roman Reigns and Finn Balor for Summerslam. Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce are in charge, with Pearce saying he knows the fighting is coming. Balor and Reigns, with Heyman, come out, with Reigns insisting on sitting at the head of the table. Pearce asks Reigns to sign, but Reign gets cut off by the CENA chants. Reigns: “We’ve already seen Mr. Missionary tonight.” Reigns asks if Balor heard Cena’s opening promo tonight, because Reigns thought it was Cena saying he was better than Balor. Cena has to use old material while Balor is fresh and new.

Reigns signs, but promises to send Balor back to NXT. Balor says he can’t wait to go back to NXT as Universal Champion again. Balor goes to sign but here is Baron Corbin to jump him from behind. The beating is on and Balor is left laying. Corbin grabs the contract but here is Cena to take Corbin out before he can sign. Cena signs the contract with a blue Sharpie (McAfee: “THAT SIGNATURE IS AWESOME!”). Cole and McAfee question the legality of signing a contract like this as Reigns seethes.

Post break, Paul Heyman asks what Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville are going to do about Summerslam because that contract situation doesn’t work. They look at the contract, which says Summerslam and has Reigns and Cena’s signatures. That’s good enough for them, so the match is on.

Big E./Shinsuke Nakamura/Cesaro vs. Apollo Crews/Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode

Commander Azeez is here with the villains. Rick Boogs handles the intro and McAfee dances as usual. Crews sends Big E. outside in a hurry and it’s a spinebuster/Zig Zag combination to send us to an early break. Back with Big E. getting over for the hot tag to Cesaro, who Swings Ziggler in a hurry. The Sharpshooter is broken up so Nakamura comes in to kick Ziggler down for two.

Kinshasa is countered with a Sling Blade but Ziggler can’t cover. He can however bring in Crews for a standing moonsault to Nakamura. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of secondary finishers. Azeez tries to interfere but Boogs distracts him with the guitar. The distraction is enough for Nakamura to Kinshasa Crwes for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C. This was a bunch of people not getting a ton of time, but it probably sets up (at least one of) Crews’ next challenger for the title. A big multiman match of some sort wouldn’t surprise me, and at least in this case they have set part of it up. At least they got to the point here without wasting a lot of time, so this could have been a lot worse.

We look at Edge brawling with Seth Rollins last week.

Here is Edge for a chat….but it’s Rollins in the ring when we come back from a break. Rollins attacked Edge during the break, including a camera shot to the face. Rollins rants about how he had to do that and throws us to a video on his history with Edge. He should be the Universal Champion, but if he can’t be, neither can Edge.

We recap the contract signing.

Next week: Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin.

Sasha Banks/Bianca Belair vs. Carmella/Zelina Vega

Belair and Carmella start fast by running Carmella over. Carmella gets in a few shots on Banks in the corner as everything breaks down. They all head outside with Belair gorilla pressing Banks, climbing onto the steps, and then throwing her onto the other two. We take a break and come back with Belair fighting out of a full nelson but getting slammed down anyway.

Carmella stomps away in the corner and Vega cuts off another hot tag attempt. Vega’s Black Widow is broken up in a hurry and the hot tag brings in Banks. House is cleaned, including Three Amigos to Vega. The frog splash gets two with Carmella making the save. Carmella’s X Factor is countered into the Bank Statement for the tap at 8:42.

Rating: C. Just a quick match to get Banks back in the ring with a win. I’m not sure I buy the idea that Banks is going to be Belair’s new best friend, but that is one of the two default stories for women in WWE these days. Hopefully this gets rid of Carmella from the title picture for the time being, as that has been done for a while now.

Belair and Banks celebrate after the match….until Banks jumps her. The beating is on and the Bank Statement makes Belair tap. Banks picks up the title and then puts the Bank Statement on again to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was ok for the most part but the angles were what mattered here. You have Cena vs. Reigns made official, Edge vs. Rollins all but official, and Banks returning to set up her rematch. This was the heavy lifting show that Summerslam has been needing and now we should have most of the Smackdown half set. The matches look good too, so hopefully they can live up to the hype.

Results
Rey Mysterio b. Jimmy Uso – Crucifix with assist from Dominik Mysterio
Reginald b. Chad Gable via DQ when Otis interfered
Big E./Shinsuke Nakamura/Cesaro b. Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode/Apollo Crews – Kinshasa to Crews
Sasha Banks/Bianca Belair b. Carmella/Zelina Vega – Bank Statement to Carmella

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

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Smackdown
Date: July 23, 2021
Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio/Rolling Loud Festival, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re into the second week of having fans back and this time the big story is John Cena returning to Smackdown to see Roman Reigns. You can see Summerslam from here but we still need to make it official. Other than that, Carmella is getting another shot at Bianca Belair for no particular reason. Let’s get to it.

Here is Money in the Bank if you need a recap.

We start fast this week with John Cena starting us off in a hurry. He talks about how hyped up the fans are here and knows that Roman Reigns is coming. There is some sports news coming out of Cleveland today, which is why he has changed his middle name to Guardians (as did Cleveland’s baseball team). He has to protect the little respect that WWE has left because Roman Reigns is terrible as Universal Champion. We’re back live and that means we are on the way to Summerslam, which is a place for the fans to show what they believe in. Whose team are you on?

That gives us a loud CENA chant, so he asks if you’re on Team Jorts or Team Cargo Pants? Team Hustle, Loyalty and Respect or on a team no one respects? Cena wants to know where Reigns is, because at Summerslam, Reigns can’t see him. Let’s get Reigns out here, but here is Paul Heyman (McAfee: “Legend.”) instead. Heyman says Reigns isn’t coming out here, but Cena will get an answer tonight. Then, Cena will know that the Tribal Chief is here. Heyman then does You Can’t See Me and sings (I guess?) the tune of Cena’s song in something you have to see to appreciate/believe. Both guys were amazing here.

Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn

Commentary makes a special point of going over the titles and accomplishments of these two, which is a good idea that could happen more often. Sami takes him down with an armbar and then rakes Balor’s eyes over the ropes. Balor gets sent outside and Sami hammers away, only to have Balor do the same back inside. This time it’s Sami being sent outside for the big running flip dive from Balor.

We take a break and come back with Sami grabbing a chinlock. Sami cuts off a comeback attempt with a DDT but Balor is right back up with a Sling Blade. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two more on Balor, who pulls Sami right back down for a double stomp. The shotgun dropkick sets up the Coup de Grace to give Balor the pin at 8:51.

Rating: C. This was about getting Balor back in the ring to show that he can still win around here. Sami is the perfect choice for that as he can lose and lose while still bouncing right back. I’m not sure what Balor is going to be doing around here but going after Apollo Crews and dealing with Commander Azeez could be interesting.

Baron Corbin managed to lose money with his Corbin Fund Me because the guy who set up the website stole his identity. He has no credit now and had to ride the bus here. Corbin: “What’s happened to me?”

Here is Mr. Money In The Bank Big E. for a chat. After some YOU DESERVE IT chants, Big E. talks about how he did some crazy things on Sunday (Big E.: “I don’t have any business jumping off ladders!”) but here is Apollo Crews to interrupts. Crews mocks him for only having a contract but here are Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode to interrupt as well.

Ziggler says you better be talking about the two of them if you’re talking about the Intercontinental Title (which we weren’t) but here is Rick Boogs to interrupt. Before he can say anything, it’s Cesaro interrupting as well. The brawl is on and Crews gets a quick Swing. There were a lot of people here and they were talking about the same thing, but the briefcase was completely moved to the side.

We go down to the Rolling Loud Festival where Wale leads the fans in a WE WANT THE SMOKE chant and introduces the Street Profits.

Angelo Dawkins vs. Chad Gable

The set is really weird here as the ring is on the stage, with a really long ramp extending out from the ring. There are a TON of people here too, as in several thousands at minimum. Montez Ford and Otis are here too as commentary talks about the other acts performing at the festival.

Gable pulls Dawkins into the triangle choke over the ropes to damage the shoulder again and a top rope clothesline gets two. A suplex gives Gable two more and a German suplex is good for the same. Dawkins avoids a moonsault though and sends Gable outside, only to get caught with a Liger Kick back inside. Gable grabs a backslide for two but Dawkins hits the Anointment for the pin at 3:55.

Rating: C. They were smart to keep this short and sweet as you do not want the people to lose interest. The Profits were here for the big entrance and that worked out well enough, as the feud continues towards a pretty big tag match. Not exactly a great match, but that wasn’t the point of something like this.

Women’s Title: Carmella vs. Bianca Belair

Carmella is challenging for the second week in a row. Belair rolls her up for an early two but Carmella is back with a flying headscissors. The fans want something else as Belair fights up and snaps off a fall away slam. The handspring moonsault gets two as the fans are saying they want….something. A jawbreaker staggers Belair and an X Factor gets two more. Back up and Belair misses a big boot, which means nothing as she grabs the KOD to retain at 4:47.

Rating: C-. Just like the previous match, this was about getting in and out before anyone overstayed their welcome. Carmella was absolutely not a threat to the title here and while the second title match was a little much, it was over and done with in a hurry. Now just find someone new for Belair to face (maybe a debuting Toni Storm) and we should be in for some good stuff.

Back in Cleveland, Shotzi and Nox are having trouble with their tank. Kevin Owens suggests hitting it with a hammer, which is all he can think of doing. Owens runs into Baron Corbin, who apologizes for treating him badly last week. That is how Corbin has been for years now and he asks Owens for forgiveness. Corbin is even wearing the same shirt as last week (complete with stain) so Owens actually gives him $20. Owens leaves and NOW the tank works, hitting Corbin rather low. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode come in to steal the money so Owens chases them off with a chair.

Here is Edge for a chat. Those reactions do something for him and he is so happy to be back. If you saw Money in the Bank, you know he should be Universal Champion but Seth Rollins kept that from happening. Edge thought he had all of his bases covered with the Mysterios, but this was bigger than that. This goes back to when they met in 2014 and Rollins thought Edge would never be back. Well not only is he back, but he is in Rollins’ way. Edge talks about being in the Brood and in the Ministry of Darkness but here is Rollins to interrupt.

Rollins greets Grandpa Edge, who keeps talking about the man he used to be. Edge: “Shut up.” Edge invites him to the ring for a man to man talk but Rollins says Edge knows what can happen to him. As Edge sighs, Rollins comes to the ring and talks about how John Cena and Edge are jumping the line, but the more he thinks about it, the more thrilled he is. Rollins wants the people to give it up for Grandpa Edge because he loves how much Edge wants to talk about him.

If Edge keeps talking about him, the only thing people will say about Edge is how Rollins ended him. Rollins isn’t going to hesitate to pull the trigger the next time he has his boot on Edge’s neck. Edge says he lied about not putting his hands on Rollins so the beatdown is on, including the Impaler. Rollins bails from the threat of the spear, though he does leave his jacket in the ring. This was fine as a way to keep the build going for a match you know is coming.

Toni Storm vs. Zelina Vega

This is Storm’s full time debut. Vega is knocked outside to start but Vega sends her into the announcers’ table. Back in and a headbutt rocks Storm as commentary explains that she is stuck in the 80s. A sunset flip gives Vega two and she rips off Storm’s belt. That is too far as Storm grabs Storm One (starts off like Randy Orton’s backbreaker but flipped over into a cutter) for the pin at 2:34. Vega get in a lot here but Storm felt like a star, which is all that matters.

Jimmy Uso vs. Dominik Mysterio

Jey Uso and Rey Mysterio are here too. Jimmy decks him to start and a hard whip into the corner has Dominik in more trouble. An enziguri cuts off Dominik’s comeback and Jimmy does not seem impressed. Dominik gets in a quick drop toehold to load up the 619 but Jimmy bails to the floor. Rey deals with Jey and Dominik hits a dive as we take a break. Back with Jimmy kicking him down again as Rey gets knocked down. Dominik tries a springboard rollup but they get into completely different pages and seem rather lost. Jimmy finally stacks Dominik up with Jey giving an assist for the pin at 7:45.

Rating: D+. The ending really hurt things as it looked terrible and they couldn’t figure out what to do. Thankfully the seemed to improvise enough to get to the finish but it isn’t likely to help Dominik’s already limited reputation. I’m sure we’ll get a title rematch out of this somehow, if nothing else due to the lack of other challengers for the Usos.

Here is Roman Reigns to answer John Cena’s challenge. The fans don’t seem thrilled to see him but he demands to be acknowledged. Cena acknowledged him at Money in the Bank but Reigns did not expect to see it. Reigns was expecting a new Cena but it was the same music, the same run to the ring, the same catchphrases and the same everything, just like it was 2005. Reigns: “It’s like missionary position. The same thing every day!”

That’s not how we do it at the head of the table and that’s not what we’re doing at Summerslam. The answer is no (makes sense, as Bobby Lashley said the same thing to Goldberg this week), but here is Finn Balor of all people to interrupt. Reigns wants Balor to acknowledge him, but that’s not why Balor is here. If Reigns says no to Cena’s challenge, how about Balor instead? Fans: “ROMAN’S SCARED!” Reigns: “Challenge accepted.”

Overall Rating: C+. This was a fine wrestling show, which is some pretty high praise after Raw. There were some good parts and there were some weaker parts, but above all else, there was nothing stupid on here and that made so much of a difference. It wasn’t about doing things that made little sense or seemingly sending some kind of message, but rather about setting things up and getting them done. I liked this show, and while it had some issues, that is a nice feeling to have again.

Results
Finn Balor b. Sami Zayn – Coup de Grace
Angelo Dawkins b. Chad Gable – Anointment
Bianca Belair b. Carmella – KOD
Toni Storm b. Zelina Vega – Storm One
Jimmy Uso b. Dominik Mysterio – Rollup with a push from Jey Uso

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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Money in the Bank 2021
Date: July 18, 2021
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

After Friday’s dress rehearsal, it’s time for the first show of any serious value in front of fans. The briefcases get pulled down tonight and it would not surprise me to see one of them get cashed in, as WWE is going to want to have a big splash going into the Summerslam build. A last minute replacement would not be shocking either. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio

The Mysterios are defending and walk through a portal near an Aztec pyramid to come into the arena. There’s your budget I guess. Dominik wristdrags Jimmy out of the corner to start and grabs an armbar. Rey comes in to a nice reaction and Dominik powerbombs him onto Jimmy for two. A cheap shot takes Rey down so the double teaming can begin in the corner. Rey wastes no time in getting over to Dominik for the tag as the pace picks back up.

The Usos get him outside though and a hard swing sends Dominik into the barricade to put him in trouble. The double wishbone has Dominik down again, with McAfee saying it’s a way to tear him apart…..by the hips. Cole: “Way to catch yourself.” McAfee: “We’re on the Peacock.” Dominik gets in a shot to the ribs and makes it over for the tag to Rey. A top rope seated senton hits Jey for two but Jimmy comes in off a blind tag. That means a superkick into the pop up Samoan drop for two.

Dominik pulls Jimmy outside and Jey gets caught in 619 position, only to hit Jimmy by mistake. A shot from behind puts Rey down so Jey can hit the Superfly Splash for a heck of a near fall. Rey is back up but charges into a hot shot into the buckle. A rollup, with Jey pushing Jimmy gets the pin and the titles at 11:27.

Rating: B-. Pretty hot opener here with the absolute right ending. There was no reason to keep the titles on the Mysterios while the Usos are in the main event scene. Let them have the titles so they can run over some teams (like the Mysterios in a rematch to start) and help bask in Roman Reigns’ glory.

The opening video looks at the history of pulling down the briefcase and what it can mean for your career. The rest of the card gets a look as well.

We get another quick opening video for a bit of a double shot.

Naomi vs. Asuka vs. Natalya vs. Tamina vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Nikki Ash vs. Zelina Vega vs. Liv Morgan

Money in the Bank ladder match. After all of the entrances, it’s time to go after the ladders as Bliss just stands on the top, where she was as everyone else came out. Bliss steps down and skips around a bit but as she reaches for the briefcase (from the mat), Asuka comes in to suplex her down. A parade of knockdowns leaves Tamina standing but it’s too early for her to climb up.

Tamina crushes Vega and Morgan in the corner again but Asuka kicks her down. The ladder has Tamina down as Asuka climbs, so Tamina starts pushing it up anyway. Morgan jumps onto the ladder to push it back down until Natalya makes the save. A tug of war with the ladder breaks out, so said ladder is rammed into various ribs. Vega gets an ugly hurricanrana on Tamina on the floor and Natalya drives the ladder into Morgan in the corner. Bliss breaks that up and then crawls up the ladder for the fear factor.

Natalya pulls Bliss off and gets laughed at, followed by a drop toehold into the ladder. Vega meets Bliss on top of the ladder, where Bliss scares her with the smile. Bliss goes with the channeling and makes Vega climb down, only to climb back up herself. That brings Natalya back in to pull Bliss down and powerbomb her into the ladder. Nikki tries to come back in but gets knocked down as well, allowing Natalya to go up, despite Vega being on her back. A choke cuts Natalya off and Vega grabs the case but Morgan makes the save.

With everyone else standing in the middle of the ring brawling, Nikki climbs a ladder on the floor, poses, and then dives onto the pile (cool dive, but they stood there for fifteen seconds waiting on her). Bliss punches Cross in the face for teasing the climb and the wind up DDT plants her again.

Natalya and Tamina cut off Bliss and send her outside into the barricade. They take their time in burying Bliss underneath the ladders so Morgan goes up but Tamina makes the save. Morgan hurricanranas her into the corner but two more ladders are set up in the ring. The big climb is on with six people up at once…but Ash runs up and steals the briefcase in the middle of the fray at 15:43.

Rating: B-. They kept this moving and that’s the right idea, though I’m a little surprised by the winner. Nikki is far from the worst decision, but I’m worried that they are going to let Morgan just fall off again because her being popular doesn’t fit into her plans. I’ll take Cross winning over Bliss, but a showdown between the two of them for the briefcase would not surprise me.

We recap the Usos winning the titles.

Roman Reigns is happy and says hold onto the titles for him. Winning the titles was the easy part though because Reigns already did the easy part. Now that they all have gold (not quite), it’s time to give Reigns what he wants. The Usos both acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief and Reigns is proud of them. Hugging abounds, but Jey doesn’t look happy.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Viking Raiders vs. AJ Styles/Omos

Omos/Styles are defending and AJ gets a crazy pop. Styles and Erik start but it’s off to Omos immediately. That means some double teaming from the Vikings, which only gets them so far. It’s already back to AJ, who gets hammered down in a hurry. Erik gets sent outside though, and after decking Ivar off the apron, AJ gets launched up and over the top into a hurricanrana to take Erik down again.

Back in and Erik hits a heck of a hurricanrana on Styles, allowing the tag to Ivar to blast Styles with a clothesline. AJ manages to get over to Omos for the tag though and it’s a big slam to Ivar. That’s broken up and Erik comes back in, only to get caught with the Phenomenal Blitz. Some shotgun knees in the corner stagger Styles though and there’s a German suplex. The springboard clothesline/German suplex combination connects but AJ escapes another suplex and brings in Omos.

That means a gorilla press off the top for a big crash and Omos’ one foot cover gets two. Ivar is back up with the seated senton out of the corner so it’s back to Erik. Some running forearms stagger Omos and get him down to one knee, with the running clothesline puts Omos on the floor. Back in and AJ enziguris Ivar into the corner but the Phenomenal Forearm misses. The Viking Experience connects but Omos shoves Erik into the cover for the break. Things settle down and Omos comes back in for the chokebomb to Erik for the pin at 12:43.

Rating: B-. That might be a bit high but I had a rather good time with this one. They worked a story of trying to get rid of the monster and then picking off Styles, but the monster ultimately got the better of things. I liked the story and Omos wrestles a good monster style. Rather good match here and I had fun.

Drew McIntyre promises to win the briefcase.

We recap Kofi Kingston vs. Bobby Lashley for the Raw World Title. Kingston wants to get the title back and thinks Lashley is going soft. That led to Xavier Woods beating Lashley on Raw, sending Lashley completely over the edge. Lashley promises to be more serious and that could go very badly for Kingston.

Raw World Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston

Lashley, with MVP, is defending but Kofi jumps him for an early two. The standing double stomp gets two more and it’s time to head outside. That’s fine with Lashley, who drives him HARD into the post to take over. Back in and Lashley plants him again, leaving Kingston to grab Lashley’s leg to pull himself up. The Hurt Lock goes on but Kingston manages to escape, earning himself a hard suplex. Lashley hits a Dominator, followed by posing and a Dominator, followed by posing and a Dominator. The Hurt Lock makes Kingston tap at 7:34.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what to say here as Lashley completely squashed him. This was pure dominance and that is exactly the way they should have gone after the end of Raw. Lashley as the ticked off and serious destroyer could have quite the shelf life and I’m curious to see where he goes next. I mean, I have a feeling I know who’s next, but it isn’t exactly appealing.

We recap Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte for the Raw Women’s Title. Ripley snapped on Charlotte last month and lost via DQ, meaning it’s time for a recap. They have traded knee injuries so both have a target on them coming in here.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte

Ripley is defending. The fans get on Charlotte’s nerves to start before switching to the WE WANT BECKY chants. Ripley sends her to the apron and kicks her down, setting up a running dropkick to put Charlotte on the floor. Charlotte avoids a charge though and another running dropkick puts Ripley into the barricade. Back in and Charlotte slams her down by the head, setting up a boot to the chest.

The fans get on Charlotte’s nerves again though and Ripley sends her outside again. Back in and Rhea grabs a northern lights suplex for two, followed by a heck of a German suplex for the same. Ripley misses a missile dropkick though and it’s the Boston crab to put her in trouble. That’s escaped so the Figure Four is loaded up, only to be reversed into a cradle to give Rhea two. The big boot gives Charlotte two and it’s time to look all confused. Charlotte goes up but Ripley pulls her into an electric chair.

That doesn’t work either so Ripley muscles her up into a heck of a suplex for two more. Back up and Rhea’s chops just fire Charlotte up so she sends Rhea into the corner and over the top. The huge moonsault plants Ripley again but Charlotte takes too long taking her back inside. Most of the Prism Trap is on but Charlotte breaks that up as well. The Riptide is countered into a DDT for a heck of a near fall and Charlotte is stunned again. They slug it out again until Charlotte elbows her in the face for two, with the referee seeing the feet on the ropes.

Charlotte heads up top where she blocks a superplex, setting up a super Natural Selection….for two in a heck of a near fall (and drawing some Charlotte swearing). The Figure Four is countered into a German suplex into the corner but Charlotte sends her head first into the post. Charlotte ties the leg into the steps and kicks away to crush the knee. Back in and the Figure Eight goes on….and Rhea taps at 16:55.

Rating: B+. This is a two part match. First of all, you had two grown women beating the figure out of each other here with one big shot after another until one of them couldn’t hang on any longer. That was great and the super Natural Selection absolutely got me with the false finish, mainly because I didn’t think Charlotte would actually win the title.

Then there is the other part: Charlotte wins the title, beating Ripley again with the Figure Eight. Yes Ripley did win the title at Wrestlemania, but now it’s Charlotte’s time again because it’s time to give her another title reign. Not that this one is going to do anything for her, but at least she gets to cut off a new potential star before she gets the big moment. That is WWE’s Charlotte problem in one match, though it was pretty awesome on the way there. Also, major points for taking the crowd from hating this to losing their minds by the end.

Riddle runs into Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs, who get to hear about how much he misses Randy Orton. Boogs plays Orton’s theme music as Kevin Owens looks confused.

Kevin Owens vs. King Nakamura vs. Riddle vs. Big E. vs. Seth Rollins vs. Ricochet vs. John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre

Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match….at least in theory as the Peacock feed falls apart during the entrances. The audio and video are only holding up for about a second and a half at a time before cutting out, which is going to make this even harder to follow than usual. Thankfully it clears up before the bell and we can see Rollins dealing with a big gang beatdown to start. Ricochet hits a big dive to the floor and it’s off to a Big E. vs. McIntyre showdown.

After disposing of Ricochet again, McIntyre gets to slug it out with Big E. and throws him down. Big E. is back up with a toss to the apron and the spear through the ropes, with Big E. landing hard. The first ladder is brought in but Owens gets sent outside. Morrison goes up and springboards over the ladder with a corkscrew dive onto Rollins. Nakamura is back up and climbs the ladder, where he catches Morrison in a triangle choke over the top. That’s broken up by a Rollins springboard knee and the double stomping has Nakamura in trouble.

The alliance takes out McIntyre and Riddle with ladder shots, setting up a reverse Regal roll to send Riddle into the ladder. Ricochet comes back in to strike away until he gets dropped onto the ladder for the big crash. Now it’s Owens’ turn to get double teamed but it takes too long to set up the announcers’ table. Back in and a limping Owens manages a moonsault, only to get backdropped onto the side of a ladder on the mat.

McIntyre gets back in but gets dropped onto the ladder, setting up the moonsault elbow from Morrison. That’s enough of him for Rollins, who hits Morrison in the face with the ladder to break up the alliance. Ricochet clears the ring but a reverse hurricanrana to McIntyre is countered with the reverse Alabama Slam into the ladder in the corner. McIntyre hits the big no hands flip dive onto a bunch of people at ringside but has to headbutt Rollins back inside.

There’s the Claymore to Rollins and McIntyre goes up but Veer and Shanky come in for the save because JINDER MAHAL IS A THING AND YOU WILL CARE ABOUT HIS MAIN EVENT GLORY!!! AGAIN!!! McIntyre is taken out and Riddle goes up, only to have Ricochet springboard up onto it as well. The ladder is shoved over with Ricochet…landing on the top rope and hitting a springboard flip dive onto the pile, just because he can. Riddle is stunned, as he should be.

Back in and Riddle slugs it out with Ricochet on top of the ladder as Rollins set up one of his own. Big E. takes out Rollins so Riddle hits an RKO on Big E. and Ricochet. That lets Rollins Stomp Riddle but Nakamura remembers that he’s in the match and takes Rollins down. He gets his hand on the briefcase but the Drip Stick cuts him down too.

Owens is back in to pull Morrison down and give him the Stunner, followed by one for Nakamura. The Pop Up Powerbomb gets rid of Ricochet but this time it’s Rollins powerbombing Owens through the ladder at ringside for the huge crash. Big E. is back up with the Big Ending off the ladder though and he wins the briefcase at 18:13. I would not have bet on that one.

Rating: B. Well ok then. Big E. has seemed ready to be pushed to the top of the company for a long time now and if this is the way to get there, I think I’m down with it. The man has more charisma than he knows what to do with and it would be great to see him finally do something with it. The match itself was the usual car crash and that’s exactly what it was supposed to be, so well done on the match with the great ending.

Big E. gets in a rather long celebration and you can feel the energy.

Seth Rollins is furious over the loss and says that wasn’t good enough. He needs a new plan and change and isn’t waiting to be the next Universal Champion.

We recap Edge vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal Title. Edge was supposed to win the title at Wrestlemania but then just didn’t, as Reigns wrecked both he and Daniel Bryan. Now Edge is back for his one on one title match and knows he can make Reigns tap, even if it takes a piece of a chair.

Smackdown World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Edge

Reigns, with Paul Heyman, is defending. They stare each other down to start and soak in the dueling chants. The lockup takes a bit but it’s Edge driving him into the corner for a slap. They actually go technical with Edge getting the better of things to get on Reigns’ nerves. Back up and Reigns runs him over with a shoulder, meaning it’s time to yell at the crowd a bit. Edge takes some time getting up but starts working on the arm.

That earns him a punch to the face and the big clotheslines in the corner make it even worse. Reigns seems to bang up the arm though and Edge wraps it around the post. That means we need a breather on the floor until Edge follows him out, only to charge into a Samoan drop. Reigns breaks the count and posts Edge for a big knockdown as the pace slows. Back in and Reigns stomps away in the corner before throwing him outside again. Reigns takes him back inside and unloads with forearms to the face, followed by the chinlock.

To keep things fresh, Reigns shouts at the fans a bit. McAfee says Edge’s eyes are fluttering like Peacock and Edge is draped over the bottom rope. That means the running apron dropkick for two and it’s time for the Superman Punch. That’s countered into a backslide, followed by stereo big boots for a double knockdown. Back up and the slugout goes to Reigns, who gets pulled into the Edge-O-Matic for two.

Edge hits some clotheslines into the Edgecution for two and the kickout staggers Edge a bit. Reigns catches him on top but gets sent into the post to tie him in the Tree of Woe. Edge unloads on him to set up the STF (or Crossface according to Cole), which he switches into the Crossface at the last second. The rope is grabbed for the save though and they’re both down again. Back up and Reigns slaps on the guillotine until Edge drives them through the ropes and out to the floor in a crash.

It’s Reigns up first but his spear only hits barricade. Edge breaks up the count and hits a spear of his own through the other barricade. That’s good for two back inside but Reigns is back with a Superman Punch. The ref is bumped on the crash though and winds up holding his knee, which gets Reigns’ attention. That means Reigns can go outside and break up a chair, but Edge cuts it off and fires off headbutts.

The Crossface with the bar goes on as the referee is taken out but here are the Usos….to be cut off by the Mysterios. Reigns is out in the hold as we STILL don’t have another referee. Cue Seth Rollins to lay Edge out and the spear is loaded up, only to have Edge hit his own spear for a VERY delayed two from another referee. Cue Rollins again so Edge kicks him down, earning himself a spear from Reigns to retain the title at 33:16.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but it never quite got over the hump. The time didn’t help them and they probably had one too many moments at the end before just getting to the point. What matters is that Edge can still have a good match on this level and that’s nice to see. Just find a way to trim some of this down a bit and it would be that much better, but it was still good as it was.

Post match Rollins says that Edge would be champion if not for him so Reigns owes him. Edge gets up and jumps Rollins to fight him into the crowd. Reigns grabs the mic and says everyone can acknowledge him….and JOHN CENA Is back to some thunderous roaring. Cena is all fired up to be home and steps towards Reigns, who can’t see him to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Money in the Bank is one of those shows that just works most years, mainly because WWE knows how to do the ladder matches rather well. I’m still not big on the build to them, but the shows themselves are almost always great. Throw in the big angle at the end to set up the Summerslam dream main event and there wasn’t much here to be annoyed about. Nothing was bad, a lot of Summerslam is ready, and they are trying some new people with the briefcases. Awesome show, with the crowd bringing it up a whole bunch of notches.

Results
Nikki Ash won Money in the Bank
AJ Styles/Omos b. Viking Raiders – Chokebomb to Erik
Bobby Lashley b. Kofi Kingston – Hurt Lock
Charlotte b. Rhea Ripley – Figure Eight
Big E. won Money in the Bank
Roman Reigns b. Edge – Spear

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It’s time for one of WWE’s biggest pay per views as the briefcases will be hung above the ring for some ladder matches. This time though there are going to be fans in attendance, which means that one of the biggest spectacles on the WWE calendar is going to have a live audience. Money in the Bank is always one of the harder to predict shows of the year so it’s guessing time. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: SmackDown Tag Team Titles: Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio(c) vs. The Usos

The Mysterios have defended the titles against the Usos twice now so a third title defense makes all the sense in the world right? That is how Tag Team Title stories go in WWE and I’m not sure what other idea they could have here. Hopefully they have something good here, as the teams should work well together, though putting them in this spot is a little bit weird.

The Usos are getting those titles sooner rather than later so I’ll say they get them here. The big point of the Mysterios getting the titles was the novelty of having a father and son hold them together and that has come and gone. There is not much of a reason for the Mysterios to hold the titles any longer and the Usos are locked into the main event scene at the moment. Let them be the champions as they should be, while trying not to think about how Jimmy Uso is going to get pushed harder despite his legal issues.

Raw World Title: Bobby Lashley(c) vs. Kofi Kingston

This is an interesting one as we have a former WWE Champion in Kingston, who has overcome the odds to win the title before, getting a shot against a heck of a monster. As has been the case when he is given the chance, Kingston has been nailing it on the microphone as of late, though I’m not sure how much good that is going to do for him when it comes to the match itself.

I’ll go with Lashley winning here without much trouble, though Kingston will likely get more than one near fall. Lashley has been champion since the beginning of March and there is nothing to suggest that he is dropping it anytime soon. That’s because he doesn’t need to, as he could be champion for quite a long time given the roll he has been on as of late. Barring a surprise cash-in, I can’t imagine anyone but Lashley leaving as champion.

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

Much like the SmackDown counterparts, the Raw Tag Team Titles are not exactly the most thrilling parts of any given show. The division barely exists and there is nothing to suggest that it is going to get any better in the near, immediate or even distant future, at least not that you would know from watching the show in recent years. Styles and Omos are a fine team to hold the titles until the next big thing comes along, but I’m not sure when that is going to be the case.

I’ll take Styles and Omos retaining here, though I’m really not sure if that is the right choice. The Raiders are a good team who can have some good power matches, but they don’t have anyone to face at the moment. Tag team wrestling is just such a weak spot in WWE these days (or almost any days for that matter) and while it would make sense to change the belts (assuming it doesn’t split up Styles and Omos), I don’t think that is going to happen.

Universal Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Edge

I know the story isn’t the most interesting, I know Edge is old and I know this isn’t going to be what it could have been from Edge’s glory years, but DANG that pop on SmackDown made me want to see this a lot more. I was an Edgehead a long time ago and the energy that he brings is a big reason why. There is something so cool about hearing that song with everything he does that makes it work and it should again on Sunday.

Now of course that is fairly limited in impact, as there is no way Edge is winning the title here. Reigns is coming up on a year as champion and he could be in for his huge showdown for the title at Summerslam, so Edge isn’t getting the title here. Besides, Edge is going to be getting ready for his feud with Seth Rollins, leaving this as a fairly clear ending to what should be a good match.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley(c) vs. Charlotte

How are these two still feuding? It feels like this has been going on even longer than it already has and that is not a good feeling. Ripley has been put on ice for several months now as she waits on her big win over Charlotte, because Heaven forbid Charlotte put her over to make up for last year’s WrestleMania. Charlotte even got the win last month at Hell In A Cell, because of course she did.

I’ll go with what should have happened months ago and assume that Ripley FINALLY gets her win here, even if Charlotte is going to have some kind of way to look good in defeat. I’m trying to resist the thoughts that Charlotte might even get the title back here, but that is always a possibility. For the sake of my sanity though, I’ll take Ripley to retain here, as she should do with a decisive win.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Oh boy. This is the kind of thing that is almost impossible to predict and that is where the confusion begins. There are eight women involved (because the SmackDown women’s division apparently has the depth to put four women in) and I could see more than one of them winning here. That makes for some interesting outcomes, but it really could go in a bunch of different ways.

I’ll take Bliss, as much as I’d like to see Liv Morgan win, just for the sake of FINALLY giving her something. You can write off Asuka, Naomi, Natalya and Tamina, leaving you with Zelina Vega (a very real possibility), Nikki Ash (maybe, but I doubt it), Morgan (not going to happen) and Bliss, with the latter being the most likely to pull it off. The idea of this Bliss winning the title scares me, but it is likely where they are going.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

As unsure as I am about the women’s version, I’m even less sure about this one. Again, there are eight entrants here and a lot of them could win, though I’m not sure if any of them really stands that high above the rest. There are still some names that you can write off here, but even with them out of the way, it could go in a few different directions, which is a good thing.

You know what? Let’s take a completely ridiculous gamble (which I do not think will really happen) and say Ricochet just for some fun. You can write off John Morrison (PLEASE write him off as we just did the Miz version for eight months), Drew McIntyre (probably thanks to Jinder Mahal because reasons), Kevin Owens (already had a long feud with Reigns) and maybe Shinsuke Nakamura (though maybe not). That leaves you with Ricochet, Riddle, Big E. and Seth Rollins. Since the other three are the most likely candidates, I’ll go with Ricochet just because I like him a lot. It’s going to be wrong, but let’s have some fun.

Overall Thoughts

This is a show that always gives me mixed feelings. I can’t stand the build (though this year’s has been nowhere near as bad) but the show itself tends to be quite good. I don’t know if there is any drama to the non-ladder matches but at least we could be in for some entertaining stuff. This is the first pay per view with fans back and it will lead into the much bigger Summerslam, so maybe we are in for a good, or at least over the top, show for a change.

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Smackdown
Date: July 2, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are two weeks away from the return of fans and that means things might be picking up around here. The big story coming out last week’s show saw the return of Edge as he attacked Roman Reigns. The Money in the Bank title match has since been set so it is time for some heavy talking. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Roman Reigns having no one left to challenge him, leading to the return of Edge.

Here is Edge to get things going. Edge talks about how Wrestlemania was supposed to be the big culmination to his story. Winning the Universal Title ten years to the day of vacating the World Title would have been a heck of a story, but then it didn’t happen. That rocked him so he took some time away. Edge has thought about the match since and even watched it back, which he never does. He could complain about a lot of things from that match, just like 2006 Edge would.

Now it’s 2021 and he has learned there are always going to be obstacles. He has spent his entire career breaking down obstacles or he wouldn’t be here right now. The difference is he knows he can beat Reigns, just like Reigns knows it too. Edge has proof, and we look at Edge having Reigns in the Crossface at Wrestlemania, with Reigns’ eyes bugging out. Now look at Edge’s eyes, because he is living in Reigns’ head. He saw it again last week when he surprised Reigns and he’ll do it again at Money in the Bank when he takes the Universal Title. Good but not great stuff here from Edge.

Paul Heyman is looking on nervously when Jimmy Uso comes in. Jimmy isn’t worried because he has Roman Reigns’ back. When Reigns gets here tonight, they’re going to take Edge out.

Big E./Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin/Apollo Crews

Rick Boogs plays Nakamura, now in black and white, to the ring and Commander Azeez is here with Crews. Before he comes out, we see a video of Corbin talking about how he has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in investments. Corbin comes to the ring needing a shave and looking like he does not care whatsoever. He’s even growing in some extra hair. Nakamura takes Crews into the corner to start and we get a double Good Vibrations, with Big E. having quite a bit of fun. Crews slips over to the corner where Corbin doesn’t seem to notice.

Corbin gets knocked off the apron though and that fires him up, earning Big E. a toss over the barricade. We take a break and come back with Corbin driving in elbows to Big E.’s head. Crews comes in with a dropkick to put Big E. down again and an enziguri puts him in the corner. Corbin comes back in for a powerslam as Nakamura and Crews knock each other down on the floor. The chinlock goes on but hold on as Boogs makes the announcement that Corbin’s car is being towed. We see said Mercedes being towed, allowing Big E. to hit the Big Ending for the pin at 8:58.

Rating: C-. The match was a big backdrop for the angle but I can go for Corbin in this role for a change. It’s something fresh for him and that’s a good idea. I know Corbin gets a lot of flack but he can do some good things as long as he isn’t pushed too hard. Giving him a story like this is something fresh and that is a good thing.

We look back at Bayley and Seth Rollins beating Bianca Belair and Cesaro last week.

Here’s Bayley for a chat. She is feeling a lot better since she pinned Bianca Belair last week as it is taking her back to her record setting reign as Smackdown Women’s Champion. They are getting ready to go back on the road in front of fans and Belair has never meant anything to her.

Cue Belair to say that Bayley has gotten in her head. That means it needs to end once and for all, so Belair is going to take everything from her. That’s why at Money in the Bank, she will put her title on the line against Bayley in an I Quit match. Bayley likes this idea because she has never quit anything. If Belair can make her quit, she might quit Smackdown, WWE or competing altogether. Since Belair can’t win, Bayley accepts, with Belair saying she is excited to hear Bayley say she quits. They have some drama there, but I’m not sure if we need to see another match between these two.

Jimmy Uso thinks Roman Reigns is waiting on him, so he’s going to set some time aside to call out Edge to end the show.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

Last Man Standing and Owens goes right after him in a hurry. The Cannonball connects for five and they head outside, with Sami being whipped into the barricade. Sami comes back with some shots to the face but gets sent over the barricade this time. Back to ringside and Owens hits a Swanton off the barricade for an eight. That means it’s time for Sami to be put onto the announcers’ table, only to pop up and slam Owens onto (not through) it for eight of his own.

We take a break and come back with Owens firing off shoulders in the corner. They go back to the floor with Sami being sent hard into the post and now it’s table time on the floor. Make that two tables as Owens stacks another on top. The superplex through them is broken up to prevent some rather extreme pain though and Sami suplexes him into the corner instead. That’s good for a six and Sami is pulling his hair out in frustration. Sami’s superplex is countered into the spinning superplex to put both of them down again.

They both make it up so Owens takes him into the corner to punch away. Sami gets taken up top but it’s a heck of a backdrop to put Owens through the tables instead. That’s only a nine and Sami is stunned all over again. We take another break and come back again with Sami throwing a table at Owens. They fight to the apron with Sami hitting a suplex to drop him hard. Owens beats the count so it’s a Helluva Kick to make Owens have to beat it again. Sami hits a second Helluva Kick but holds Owens up, saying that this is for everything Owens has done to him.

A third Helluva Kick connects but Owens rolls outside to break the count again. Sami’s diving DDT through the ropes is cut off with a superkick and Owens manages the Pop Up Powerbomb. Since Sami is getting up, it’s a Stunner to plant Sami again, but Owens isn’t done. Owens powerbombs him through the announcers’ table, a regular table and onto the apron to FINALLY put Sami away (and hopefully away for a bit) at 23:31.

Rating: B. The match took some time to get going but I’ve always liked the ending where someone just unloads with everything they have in a last ditch effort. There was no way Zayn was getting up at the end and it looked like he had been defeated rather than just surviving. That’s the way to do something like this and it worked well as a result. Now keep Zayn off TV a bit to let him sell the injuries and it’s even better.

Edge knows he’s walking into a trap tonight with Jimmy Uso but he doesn’t care because he’s tired of all this.

Rick Boogs offers Baron Corbin a spot on King Nakamura’s team because they could use a chicken ala king. Or maybe Corbin just needs a good night’s sleep in his king size bed. Corbin asks if Boogs thinks this is funny and says screw him before walking away.

Here’s Sonya Deville to name the next woman in the Money in the Bank ladder match: the returning Zelina Vega. She promises to win but here is Liv Morgan to interrupt. Liv says she should be here instead of Vega, who pops up after not wrestling all year and gets a Money in the Bank spot. Vega talks about her experience and promises to win, so Morgan slaps her in the face. The challenge is on and Deville makes the match.

Zelina Vega vs. Liv Morgan

Joined in progress with Vega holding Morgan in a Black Widow and adding a running knee for two. Morgan fights back with a rollup but gets reversed into another one, with Vega grabbing the trunks. The referee catches her so Morgan grabs her own rollup with trunks for the pin at 1:44.

Seth Rollins isn’t happy with Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce giving Edge a Universal Title shot. They point out that Edge is a Hall of Famer with some great credentials, but Rollins can have his own shot. That is if he wins the Money in the Bank ladder match, which he can enter if he beats Cesaro in a qualifying match next week. Rollins laughs a lot before leaving.

Video on Otis’ path of destruction.

Otis vs. Angelo Dawkins

Chad Gable is here with Otis and offers a quick distraction. Otis runs him over and sends Dawkins’ banged up shoulder into the buckle. A hammerlock slam plants the arm again and the middle rope splash into the Vader Bomb finishes Dawkins at 1:59. Exactly what it should have been.

Paul Heyman gives Jimmy Uso a pep talk on the way to the ring.

Here is Jimmy Uso to call Edge out. Cue Edge, who asks Jimmy if he gets what is going on. Jimmy is doing everything Roman Reigns wants, because he is Reigns’ b****. Yeah this is a trap, but it’s a trap for Jimmy. Edge goes to the ring and the fight is on, with Edge sending him shoulder first into the post twice in a row. Jimmy is back with a superkick and a ram into the steps, followed by a bunch of right hands. A big boot cuts Jimmy off and it’s a crossface (with a sleeper for a change) to make him tap. Edge grabs a piece of chair for the regular Crossface to mimic the Wrestlemania photo from earlier to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The important thing here is they did this without Reigns. It’s true that he is the best thing going about WWE today but he can’t do everything every week. This was a good show without Reigns involved, even if the main story revolved around him. Granted you can’t have a surprise return and a major gimmick match like that every week, but for a one off like this, it worked out well.

Results
Big E./Shinsuke Nakamura b. Apollo Crews/Baron Corbin – Big Ending to Corbin
Kevin Owens b. Sami Zayn when Zayn could not answer the ten count
Liv Morgan b. Zelina Vega – Rollup with trunks
Otis b. Angelo Dawkins – Vader Bomb

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https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-wwe-releases-zelina-vega/

Are you really surprised?

Vega is one of the more prominent Twitch streamers in WWE and on Friday, she sent out a tweet saying she supported unionization. The release came less than an hour later and I’m surprised it took that long.

At the end of the day, this could be the tip of a nasty iceberg, but at the same time it also shows why forming a union is going to be really difficult: WWE can drop someone at the drop of a hat. How many wrestlers do you think would be right there waiting to take Vega’s spot and become a star on WWE’s back? I’m not saying it can’t happen, but it’s an uphill climb starting in loose rocks. WWE is being rather extreme in the Twitch battle, but at the same time, until something changes, they’re going to be able to do almost whatever they want.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: November 6, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

Survivor Series is coming up and since that is all about brand vs. brand, this show and its major stories are almost going to exist in a vacuum for the time being. We do however have a big title match as Sasha Banks is getting to defend her Women’s Title against Bayley in a match that could be interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long and rather nice package on Bayley vs. Sasha Banks, chronicling their team, split and the title change. Nice job on making this feel pretty big.

Bayley hopes Sasha got her photo shoots in because she’s losing her title tonight, like she always does. Tonight, this ends like it began, with Banks crippled in the ring.

Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

Banks is defending and drives Bayley into the corner to start. A forearm to the face sets up the rope walk wristdrag to take Bayley down but it’s too early for the Bank Statement. Back from a break with Banks hitting the running knees in the corner and Bayley heading to the apron. Banks gets a running charge so Bayley tries to use her legs to send Banks into the post…but leaves her over a foot short, meaning Banks falls onto Bayley/the apron instead in a nasty fall. Thankfully Banks is able to get back in for two and we hit the chinlock.

Banks gets back up and uses her legs to pull Bayley into the corner for a breather. The middle rope Meteora (almost more of a Thesz press this time) puts Bayley down but Banks can’t follow up. Instead Bayley rolls to the floor and it’s a crossbody off the apron to take her down again. We come back from another break with Bayley catching her on top but Banks takes it to the floor. Bayley counters a powerbomb with a hurricanrana into the announcers’ table but Banks breaks up the top rope elbow.

A running elbow on the apron sets up Banks’ frog splash for two but the Bank Statement is blocked. Bayley kicks her from the apron into the barricade…and it’s kendo stick time. The referee stops that so Bayley brings in a chair, but Banks throws it away. The distraction lets Bayley hit a Backstabber into the Bayley to Belly for a rather hot near fall.

Bayley’s top rope elbow gets two, mainly because it didn’t come close to making serious contact. A belly to back suplex gives Bayley two so she grabs the Bank Statement on Banks. That’s reversed into a cradle for the break and they head to the apron again. Bayley’s charge hits the post and now it’s the Bank Statement to retain Banks’ title at 18:24.

Rating: B-. Some of those moves either not connecting or just not working well hurt this a good bit though they never felt like they were going long and that’s a great thing. Above all else though, they made it feel like Banks FINALLY defending a title was a big deal and that’s what mattered the most. Good match, though it needed to be a little sharper to really work.

Post match Banks celebrates but Carmella pops up on stage with a superkick into an X Factor. Well to be fair Banks needed a fresh challenger and Carmella is far from the worst choice.

Kevin Owens comes up to Jey Uso at the coffee table and asks why Jey is getting Roman Reigns’ coffee. Jey doesn’t like that but it was just a joke. Owens talks about the Survivor Series team instead because they’re partners. It seems that Jey has a lot on his mind though so Owens leaves him alone. Jey’s emotional stuff has been very sharp this whole time and it’s making the story.

Survivor Series will be the Undertaker’s Final Farewell. Cool idea, if you believe it’s his final anything.

Jey Uso looks at a long video on his aggression against Daniel Bryan last week, which did come with a win. He doesn’t like the suggestion that he has to do everything Roman says but here’s Paul Heyman to ask if Reigns authorized this interview. Roman needs to talk to Jey and he shouldn’t be kept waiting.

Rey Mysterio can’t find Aalyah or get her on the phone when Dominick comes in to say his match is now. Rey tells him to go find his gear but here’s King Corbin, Mysterio’s opponent, to jump him from behind.

Heyman says he respects Jey but he has to run things like this by Roman. Jey: “I have to run an interview on TV by my cousin???” Heyman: “I’m glad you understand.” Jey has to stay outside while Heyman goes to get Reigns, who isn’t happy with the interview. Reigns doesn’t like what Kevin Owens was saying because if Owens disrespects one of them, he disrespects the entire bloodline. Is that what Jey is going to allow? Jey says he’s going to handle it and leaves.

Reigns asks Heyman if he knew about this and Heyman seems nervous. Reigns says Heyman is supposed to handle things so Reigns doesn’t have to. He tells Heyman to go find Adam Pearce so we can solve this Owens problem tonight. Heyman looking terrified of angering Reigns is great and can build up to a lot more things later.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Rey Mysterio vs. King Corbin

Rey is banged up but has Dominick in his corner. Corbin snaps off a spinebuster for an early two as Rey isn’t even in his gear. A few more shots keep Rey down and Corbin stands on his head for a bonus. They head outside with Corbin missing a charge into the steps but he’s right back with an elbow to the face back inside. Rey starts fighting back again but here’s Seth Rollins for a distraction.

We take a break and come back with Rey hitting a springboard splash but getting launched into the corner. An over the shoulder spinning faceplant drops Rey again and Corbin hammers away at the back. Rey knocks him off the top and tries a dive but gets caught in a series of backbreakers. The World’s Strongest Slam gives Corbin two so Mysterio rolls out to the floor. Corbin is right out there with him for some rams into the apron and the bearhug goes on.

Rey fights out of that because it’s a bearhug and some kicks put Corbin down. The springboard seated senton gets two but Corbin ducks to the floor to avoid the 619. Corbin decks Dominick from behind, which earns him a slingshot dive from Rey. Now the 619 connects but Rollins jumps Dominick this time around. Rey breaks that up but now it’s Murphy and Aalyah (who is having some issues keeping her dress up) coming down as well. Rey yells at them and walks into End of Days for the pin at 14:03.

Rating: C-. It didn’t feel overly long but at the same time there were a few too many things going on in there near the end. I can live with Corbin going to Survivor Series (you knew it was coming) but at the same time, how much longer can they actually drag out Mysterio vs. Rollins? We’ll be at six months next week and it actually seems to be extending out even longer. Lucky us.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Natalya vs. Zelina Vega vs. Ruby Riott

Ruby has gotten a heck of a haircut and her remaining hair is dyed green. Vega is knocked outside early on and it’s Natalya slamming Riott down for two. They had to the corner but Vega is back in to knock Natalya outside and hit a hurricanrana driver for two on Riott. Natalya comes back in and gets Vega into the Sharpshooter. Riott adds in an armbar but Natalya lets go, leaving Vega to tap to Riott at 3:08. That was unique.

Rating: C-. The match didn’t have time to go anywhere but that was a creative finish and I can go for more of Riott in a bigger spot. She comes off as more of a natural around here and is certainly unique looking, so at least they have something a little different with her. It’s better than Natalya at least.

Big E. is in the back hustling people at Trivial Pursuit when the Street Profits come in to offer him a spot in the champions’ lounge. He appreciated the offer but thinks they’re just trying to get some information on New Day. Big E. has a tip for them: lay down in the ring and New Day won’t beat them up so badly. Maniacal laughter ensues and Big E. leaves, with Billie Kay coming in to replace him. She offers them her head shot/resume and says she has some inside information on the red brand. Dawkins: “Billie, we were on Raw at the same time as you.” Billie is stunned as they leave.

We get another video on the recent Murphy vs. Rollins vs. Mysterios drama.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Seth Rollins vs. Otis

Rollins knocks him down to start but has some issues with the power of giggling. Cue Murphy for a distraction as we see the Mysterios watching in the back. So much for those issues I guess. A backdrop puts Rollins in front of Murphy and the distraction lets Otis run him over. Otis looks at Murphy but walks into a Sling Blade on the way back inside.

For some reason Rollins tries a shoulder to the stomach, which works as well as you would expect. Shaking and gyrating ensue and Otis runs him over a few times. Rollins gets a boot up in the corner but he dives into a fall away slam. There’s the running splash in the corner but Murphy gets on the apron to distract Murphy. The superkick into the Stomp sends Rollins to Survivor Series at 4:34.

Rating: D+. You’re only going to get so far with Otis in a singles match and thankfully they didn’t go with a rather ridiculous move by having him beat Rollins. I’m not all that interested in seeing more from Rollins/Murphy but we’re way past the point where that is going to matter. Otis’ push seems to be done though and while I can’t say I’m complaining, I do feel sorry that he had everything pulled out from under his feet thanks to the pandemic.

Murphy leaves almost immediately as Rollins seems both pleased and confused.

Post break Rollins catches up to Murphy (he must be a slow walker) and thinks he knows what he saw out there tonight. Rollins nearly begs Murphy to tell him that he’s right. Murphy points to Rollins and calls him messiah, then points to himself and says disciple. That’s what Rollins wanted to hear and he’s rather pleased as he walks off. Aalyah comes in and yells at Murphy, who tells her to calm down because he knows what he is doing. This is for the greater good.

Earlier today, Michael Cole sat down with Lars Sullivan, who reiterated his hatred of bullies because he has been bullied his entire life. People have gotten on him for the way he looks, dresses and talks. Those bullies would shoves him down, steal his lunch and call him freak. When he was thirteen years old, he started lifting weights and gained 50lbs of muscle in eighteen months.

That stopped the bullying and he became the bully. He would bully the kids who laughed at him because they deserved it and he could bully whomever he wanted. Sullivan could make them say or eat whatever he wanted, like bugs. Or he could do this, and he screams. That’s intimidation and bullying and he loves it. These interviews are oddly working for me.

Kevin Owens is ready for his match and says he is going to have to fight his Survivor Series partner. Sometimes he has a bad habit of speaking his mind and it can get him in trouble. If what he said earlier got him in trouble, then so be it. Last week, Jey got out of hand with Daniel Bryan but Owens can’t talk much as he has done some questionable things. The difference is that he did them himself because he is his own man, unlike Jey. The beating Jey has coming is 100% from Owens.

Kevin Owens vs. Jey Uso

Owens grabs a headlock as Reigns and Heyman are watching in the back. Jey sends him to the apron though and snaps the throat across the top. The suicide dive is left a bit short, so Owens catches him for a toss into the barricade. The frog splash off the apron crushes Jey and sends us to a break. Back with Owens hitting a DDT and going up top but here’s Heyman for a distraction. Uso is not one to look a gift Heyman in the mouth and superkicks Owens to the floor for a ram into the steps.

Jey’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Owens is right back up with a superkick. Another superkick sets up the Cannonball and the Swanton gets two. Uso is back with a neckbreaker for two of his own but Owens is right back with the Pop Up Powerbomb for two as Uso gets his foot on the rope. Reigns’ music comes on though and Jey hits a low blow into a low superkick. The Superfly (not frog Cole) Splash gives Jey the pin at 11:27.

Rating: C. This was another storyline development win and it’s not like Owens lost clean. That being said, even though he is just Reigns’ minion at this point, Jey has now beaten AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens in a little over a month. That’s a good run for anyone and the match was pretty watchable. Well done on making a new star and having a great story to boot. See? It can be done.

Post match Jey poses with Reigns and Heyman to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They had three distinct parts to this show with the title match taking up the first fourth, then a bunch of Survivor Series qualifying matches (with the Rollins/Mysterios stuff tied into the men’s) and then the Uso/Reigns/Owens stuff. That makes for a packed but also entertaining show, which flew by as it tends to do. I’m liking this show a lot more than I used to and so much of that goes to Reigns and company, because they are having one of the most interesting stories of the year. Good show here, even though it isn’t like to get much attention given the election coverage.

Results

Sasha Banks b. Bayley – Bank Statement

King Corbin b. Rey Mysterio – End of Days

Ruby Riott b. Zelina Vega and Natalya – Armbar to Vega

Seth Rollins b. Otis – Stomp

Jey Uso b. Kevin Owens – Superfly Splash

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: October 23, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Hell in a Cell and maybe that means WWE can remember to build the show a bit. Granted I wouldn’t bet on it as last year’s show only had three matches announced going into the weekend and this year’s already has four. I don’t know what the deal is with that, but at least they’re mostly consistent. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the Kevin Owens Show, with Owens being rather happy to be in his new home. To make it even better, we are starting the new show with a special guest, who is one of the most technically sound wrestlers of all time: Daniel Bryan. After praising the set, Bryan talks about being really excited to be on Smackdown with all of these great, young wrestlers. He thinks it would be even better if the Intercontinental Title was defended every single week.

Owens likes the idea of titles, but wants to talk about the Tag Team Titles. Bryan is confused, but Owens says it is the one thing he hasn’t won around here. Bryan: “You’ve betrayed a lot of people.” Owens thinks they would be a great team and even has a great name for them: Team Hell KO.

Bryan points out that would be Owens and Kane, which seems to surprise Owens. Anyway, here are Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode (Owens: “Why?”) with Ziggler speaking in Van Halen song titles. They’re a great team, so here are the Street Profits to say they want the smoke. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura come out as well and the big brawl is on.

Kevin Owens/Daniel Bryan/Street Profits vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler/Shinsuke Nakamura/Cesaro

Joined in progress with Owens dropping a backsplash on Nakamura and handing it off to Dawkins. Roode comes in to drop Dawkins but misses the elbow drop, meaning it’s Dawkins belly to back suplexing Ford into a moonsault on Roode for the early two. Ziggler comes in to dropkick Ford and the villains start taking turns with the beating. Ford finally hits a dropkick for a breather, allowing the hot tag to Bryan. That means the pace picks up and Cesaro is low bridged to the floor for the suicide dive.

Back in and Bryan hits a running corner dropkick on Cesaro but may have injured his knee. Cesaro uppercuts him back out to the floor and we take a break. Back with Ziggler wrapping Bryan’s knee around the bottom rope and grabbing a half crab. Cesaro comes in for half a second before it’s back to Ziggler, who gets catapulted into the corner.

Roode cuts off the crawl to the corner and puts Bryan on the top, only to get shoved back down. A missile dropkick allows the hot tag off to Dawkins so house can be cleaned. Everything breaks down and Cesaro rolls Dawkins up with feet on the ropes…but gets caught. The referee breaks that up so it’s the Cash Out into the frog splash to give Ford the pin on Cesaro at 13:53.

Rating: C. This was very similar to the four way women’s tag match on Raw, though the action was better and it didn’t have the annoying team winning so I can go with it a bit more. You would think we would be coming up on someone beating the Street Profits here to set up a title shot at the pay per view, but that’s not the Cell’s way.

And now, egads, it’s Law And Otis as Miz and John Morrison take Otis to court over the Money in the Bank briefcase. Ron Simmons is the bailiff and JBL is the judge as Miz talks about how horrible Otis has been for the briefcase. He is here to end this nightmare and put the briefcase in his own better hands (it worked the first time around). Otis says it should be his because he won the match. Miz’s attorney: “That’s a good argument.” Miz fires her in the only funny part of the segment.

Video on Bianca Belair.

Daniel Bryan is all fired up with the Street Profits and Kevin Owens but here’s Sami Zayn to say he doesn’t share Bryan’s vision for the Intercontinental Title. The title is Sami’s and he is going to defend it his way.

Bianca Belair vs. Zelina Vega

Belair puts her on top to start but Vega slaps her in the face. That earns Vega a toss off the top and Belair slams her again. Vega’s headscissors is countered with a front flip and there’s a standing moonsault into a nip up from Belair. Vega kicks her away and gets in a kick to the head, followed by a middle rope hurricanrana. Belair isn’t having that and punches her out of the air before dead lifting Vega into a gorilla press drop onto the turnbuckle. The KOD finishes Vega at 2:38. So much for Vega’s push but that worked well for Belair.

Video on Lars Sullivan.

Shorty G. is fed up with not being drafted anywhere and it’s time to right the ship. That’s why he’s calling out Lars Sullivan to prove that he belongs.

Shorty G. vs. Lars Sullivan

Sullivan wastes no time in hitting a fall away slam and faceplants Gable for a bonus. Gable rakes the eyes to escape a powerslam though and hits a rolling kick in the corner. A missed charge annoys Sullivan though and he sends Gable flying, followed by a hard clothesline. The Freak Accident finishes Gable at 1:57.

Post match, Gable quits. Good. Get out while you still can. Go work in a corrugated box factory or test discount parachutes or something else with a better future.

Seth Rollins talks about how he requested his match with Murphy tonight. In the Greater Good, everyone has a role, with Rollins being a leader. Tonight, Murphy’s role will be defined and that sounds like fun to Rollins.

Post break, Shorty G. says he’s done being a character who accepts who he is because he doesn’t accept it. He’s done being a punching bag who shows up in a public service announcement. There’s only one man who can achieve anything he wants: an Olympian, a state and national champion, and his name is Chad Gable. Well it freaking took long enough, though I have no reason to believe that this is going to go anywhere whatsoever.

Here’s Bayley with her chair for a chat. She did four interviews this morning and every time it was the same question: why is she hesitant to face Sasha Banks in the Cell? Not about her title reign or anything that she has done, but all about Sasha. Not that it matters, because she hasn’t and won’t sign the contract for Sunday.

Cue Sasha with the contract but Bayley swings the chair at her. That lets Sasha grab the title to set up a tug of war. A knee to the face drops Bayley and Sasha wraps the chair around her neck. Bayley kicks her in the head but Banks chokes her with the chair, demanding that Bayley sign. A lot of choking makes Bayley sign, because WWE still doesn’t know how contracts work.

It’s back to the court room where Morrison is the current witness. Otis has assaulted a lot of people and the biggest scars are in his heart.

Rey Mysterio says Otis should get the contract because he won the match.

Asuka rants in Japanese, prompting JBL to ask the court reporter if he got any of that. Teddy Long: “Every single word.”

Tucker says Miz went too far by having Mandy Rose sent to Raw so he deserves everything that happens to him. Miz asks for permission to treat the witness as hostile, with JBL saying it’s about time. Miz asks if Otis neglected the contract so Tucker is ready to fight. Violence is teased but JBL says we’ll take a recess and be back with the verdict. Long has to go to the bathroom anyway.

Back from a break with JBL saying you have to be violent around here but Otis not cashing in yet isn’t negligent. Therefore, JBL is ready to rule in favor of….and Miz cuts him off because he has a key piece of evidence. Miz provides a briefcase, which makes JBL hear a cash register sound. Therefore, JBL rules in Miz’s favor, meaning it’s Miz vs. Otis for the briefcase on Sunday. Simmons ends it with the catchphrase. So we needed THREE segments to set up a match that they have teased for two months. And we got maybe two funny lines? How WWE of them.

Video on Seth Rollins vs. Murphy.

Seth Rollins vs. Murphy

Aalyah is watching in the back. Murphy drives him into the corner to start so Rollins makes it clear that he’s the messiah. That earns him an armbar with Murphy taking it to the mat until Rollins cranks the arm back. A headlock lets Rollins talk about how Murphy is against him but Murphy hits a hard slap to the face. Murphy’s hurricanrana puts Rollins on the floor and a backdrop onto the announcers’ table takes us to a break.

We come back with Rollins knocking him off the top and out to the floor as we see Rey Mysterio and Dominick telling Aalyah to stop watching this. She can do what she wants though, which includes watching Rollins hit a gutbuster for two. Rollins’ waistlock is broken up so he puts Murphy on top, earning himself a missile dropkick.

Rollins is sent outside for a big flip dive (with Murphy almost clearing him), setting up a top rope Meteora for two. Murphy is favoring his arm after the landing though and has to go outside instead of following up. The injury sends Murphy outside to try and pop his shoulder back in, meaning Rollins can hit a suicide dive. Back in and the springboard knee to the head gives Rollins two. Rollins drives the bad shoulder into the apron and we take a break.

We come back with Rollins hitting the buckle bomb but Murphy is back with a knee to the face for two more. Murphy can’t follow up so Rollins yells some more and they slug it out until Rollins hits a step up enziguri. The Falcon Arrow gets two but the Stomp misses. Rollins goes up top but gets kicked in the face, only to slip out of a fireman’s carry. Another twist of the arm sets up the Stomp to finish Murphy at 17:31.

Rating: B. This got some time and that was a good thing as it felt like a much bigger match than it would have otherwise. I really don’t need more of the Mysterio story but at least it was something that didn’t involve the same people over and over. Murphy hung with Rollins and while a win would have meant more, he looks like he has gotten a lot out of this story.

Post match Rollins grabs the kendo stick so Aalyah asks her dad and brother to help him. They aren’t doing it so she goes down herself as Rollins beats on Murphy with the stick. Aalyah gets in the ring and tries to cover Murphy so here’s Dominick to keep things safe. Rollins teases running but comes back in to jump Dominick, drawing in Rey for the save with a chair. That’s enough to send Rollins off for good, as the Mysterios tell Aalyah to forget this. She helps Murphy up instead as the drama WILL continue.

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman to discuss the consequences for Sunday. Jey pops up on screen in Reigns’ dressing room where he eats some of his fruit. The whole family is disappointed in Roman but it’s nice to be part of the family with food and water like this. Hold on though as that’s Jimmy, who says Jey is right behind him. Jey jumps Reigns in the ring and the fight is on, with Jey grabbing a chair.

Reigns hits a big boot and takes the chair but Jey hits a superkick into the Superfly Splash to leave Reigns laying. The Usos celebrate on the ramp but Reigns grabs the mic to talk about what happens if he loses on Sunday. If Reigns loses, he stops being the Tribal Chief and the provider for the family.

Reigns can live with that, but if Jey quits, and he will, he will take orders from Reigns and respect him for what he is in the WWE and for what he does for the family. If Jey can’t, the brothers, their wives and their children are out of the family. They will all turn their backs on them, and those are the consequences. The Cell is lowered so Jey climbs up the wall to stare down at Reigns to end the show. This feud continues to deserve the greatest praise for making me want to see Jey Uso in a major singles match on pay per view. That’s a heck of a trick and they’ve made it work.

Overall Rating: C. Well, they did add something, though we had to sit through another HILARIOUS pop culture parody of a show that peaked….I don’t know, fifteen to twenty years ago? The wrestling was fine enough and the go home segment was good, but they are really not doing themselves any favors by making this show feel like the most slapped together pay per view of the year. The Cell matches are looking good, but it would be nice to have something underneath those to support things a bit.

Results

Street Profits/Kevin Owens/Daniel Bryan b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler/Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura – Frog splash to Cesaro

Bianca Belair b. Zelina Vega – KOD

Lars Sullivan b. Shorty G. – Freak Accident

Seth Rollins b. Murphy – Stomp

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: October 1, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

It’s the first show after Clash Of Champions, meaning we are probably not going to be seeing a single thing from Raw. That can make for some interesting shows, but what can be even more interesting is having some bigger names around here. That has been the case in the last few weeks so maybe it can continue here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Erik vs. Riddick Moss

Moss’ headlock doesn’t last long as Erik shoves him off and knees him in the ribs. Moss is back with a spinebuster and we hit the front facelock. A suplex gives Moss two and we hit the chinlock. Erik is right back up with a suplex and the shotgun knees to the chest. A cross between a spinebuster and a Boss Man Slam gets two on Moss but he gets to the apron for a snap over the top. Moss’ neckbreaker is good for the pin at 4:53.

Rating: D+ They were starting to get somewhere before things wrapped up. Someone is going to have to explain Moss to me. He’s pushed on Raw Underground, he’s winning matches here, he’s been on Raw before, and yet for some reason he isn’t on the regular Raw’s these days. Is he that much worse than some of the people on the show?

We look at Asuka beating Zelina Vega at Clash Of Champions.

We recap the Smackdown side of Clash Of Champions.

From Raw.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Zelina Vega

Asuka is defending and mouths the Big Match Intros for a nice touch. Vega fights out of an armbar to start and grabs an Octopus on the mat. They head outside with Asuka knocking her down as we take a break. Back with Vega grabbing an armbar and making Asuka hold her up at the same time. Asuka muscles her over with a suplex for the break and tries the Asuka Lock, sending Vega straight to the ropes. A Backstabber gives Vega a quick two but her moonsault only hits knees. Asuka is right back with the Asuka Lock to retain at 8:38.

Rating: C. Nothing close to their match last night but that is usually the case with the post pay per view rematches. They really didn’t need to do a rematch in the first place as Vega got a lot out of last night’s match. This was a downgrade, though it wasn’t terrible by any means. It just didn’t need to happen, but why go with what makes sense when you can just do the same thing?

From Raw.

Seth Rollins comes up to Murphy in the back and mentions that the Mysterios will be on the King’s Court tonight. Murphy is in his gear though and Rollins doesn’t like it. Rollins had a suit ready for him and says go put it on, which Murphy begrudgingly does. With Murphy gone, Rollins steals Murphy’s phone and pockets it.

It’s time for the King’s Court with Jerry Lawler bringing out the Mysterio Family. Rey and Dominik want to finish things with Rollins and Murphy but Lawler asks about Murphy talking to Aaliyah last week. She says she’s 19 years old and Murphy talked to her. What she does know is that someone who associates with Rollins needs to evaluate things because he is evil.

Rollins pops up on screen to say he needs to tell them the truth. The truth is that one of them isn’t being 100% honest with the rest of the family. The truth is that Aaliyah might not be telling the truth about Murphy. Rollins shows us a screenshot from Murphy’s phone of Murphy and Aaliyah texting each other.

Murphy apologizes again and Aaliyah seems interested in his offer to spend some time together, even wishing him a happy birthday. Back in the arena, Aaliyah says Murphy isn’t like Rollins and leaves, with Rey and Angie following her. Murphy comes up to Rollins in the back and grabs him by the shirt as Rollins laughs. Dominik runs up and jumps Murphy until agents break it up. The soap opera drama isn’t making up for the fact that this story has been going on for almost five months.

From Raw again.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Murphy

Dominik starts fast and hammers away in the corner before they go outside. Murphy sends him over the announcers’ table for a nine count but Dominik is back in with a high crossbody. Some shots to the face have Murphy in trouble until he scores with a pump knee to the face. Dominick is back with a tornado DDT and some stomps in the corner send Murphy outside. It’s kendo stick time but here’s Aaliyah to say don’t do it. The distraction lets Murphy roll Dominik up for the pin with tights at 7:13.

Rating: C-. This is a situation where the wrestling doesn’t matter. The problem here is how this story has dragged on for months and they just keep finding ways to extend it. Dominik and the rest of the family aren’t interesting but we’ve had so much between Rey and Rollins that it can’t be done any more. The match was fine, but I can’t bring myself to care about anything involved.

Post match Dominik unloads with the kendo stick but Aaliyah tells him to stop. Dominik says this is for the family but Aaliyah says Murphy isn’t like Rollins. Dominik says she really is naive and she slaps him in the face.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Dolph Ziggler

Speaking of names you wouldn’t expect on the show. Ziggler grabs a headlock to start but Carrillo is back up with a wristlock to get out. An elbow to the face staggers Ziggler but he’s right back with his own elbow. There’s a neckbreaker for two on Carrillo and it’s time to grind a forearm into the face. Carrillo is back up with the springboard armdrag and we take a break. Back with Ziggler working on a Kimura but Carrillo fights up with some shots to the face. The missile dropkick drops Ziggler for two and there’s a springboard spinning kick to the face for the same. Ziggler is back with the Fameasser for two but he misses the superkick. Carrillo’s moonsault misses though and now the superkick can finish Carrillo at 9:15.

Rating: C. The match was better than usual for around here because there were more talented people involved. This isn’t that big of a surprise but it’s great to see someone like Ziggler around here. Well maybe not great but it’s at least something different and allows them to use their crazy deep talent pool.

We look back at Drew McIntyre retaining over Randy Orton in the ambulance match.

From Raw.

Here are Ric Flair, Big Show, Christian and Shawn Michaels to get things going. Shawn welcomes us to the show and introduces Drew McIntyre for the big congratulations. Drew talks about knowing all of these people for years, including how they all guided him as far as he has gotten. Drew tells a story of Flair being on the active roster when he first arrived in American (Drew: “Before somebody retired you.”). He couldn’t believe he was on the main roster as Ric Flair and it was one of the coolest things he had ever seen.

Then last night he defeated Randy Orton and is he is still WWE Champion. Shawn talks about how they’re all here to congratulate him and he hopes that Drew isn’t mad about that. If he is mad, it was all Ric’s fault. Drew is cool with them….and here’s Orton on the Titantron. Orton says this is over when he says it is, so Drew knows he is going to beg for another match.

Orton says he won’t have to beg because he is Randy Orton and will get another title shot. He’s here today to say there is a price to pay when you cross the Legend Killer. Orton walks over to….get his bag and leaves. Drew wants to be a fighting champion so tonight, anyone who has never gotten a shot against him can get a title match. Somebody please step up.

From Raw.

Here’s Drew McIntyre for the Open Challenge for a title shot. No one comes out at first so McIntyre asks how Charles Robinson’s day is going. Cue Dolph Ziggler though and we have an opponent.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Robert Roode

Roode is challenging and rakes Drew’s damaged back to put the champ in early trouble. They’re out on the floor in a hurry though, with Drew hitting the reverse Alabama Slam onto the apron as we take an early break. Back with Roode knocking McIntyre into the Tree of Woe, only to have McIntyre sit up for the choke throw off the top. Ziggler offers a distraction though and Roode goes after the leg to take over.

The leg is wrapped around the post and then dropped onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Roode hits a top rope clothesline for two, followed by the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. McIntyre turns it over to send Roode bailing to the ropes for the break and they both need a breather.

It’s McIntyre back up first with the Glasgow Kiss into the overhead belly to belly suplexes. There’s the nip up but McIntyre’s knee gives out. Roode’s spinebuster gets two and McIntyre’s Futureshock gets the same. McIntyre takes Roode out but walks into the Glorious DDT for two more. That’s enough for McIntyre as he hits the Claymore to retain at 12:38.

Rating: B-. Perfectly nice main event here with a bit of drama before McIntyre retained. Roode is someone who may not have the most varied offense but he does everything rather well, which is a style that is going to make anyone look good. I liked the match well enough, even though the challenger was pretty obvious.

We cut to the back where Randy Orton, dressed as a janitor, goes into to the Legends’ Lounge (yes it has its own sign), whips out some night vision goggles, turns out the lights, and apparently nearly massacres everyone with a chair. Orton leaves, throws his hood up, and points referees and trainers to the room to end the show. So….it’s pretty much the same way they set up Summerslam but now it’s the third match in the trilogy and it’s going to be in the Cell?

Overall Rating: C+. This was a better than usual Main Event with the surprise of Dolph Ziggler and some good recaps from Clash Of Champions and the bigger parts of Raw. I don’t like having Smackdown basically wiped out, but it makes sense given how much things change with a pay per view. Pretty good show here though, and that’s always nice to see.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 5, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

The road to the Cell continues as we are now less than three weeks away from the next pay per view. There is little secret to the fact that we are coming up on Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre III inside the Cell for McIntyre’s title, though the match has not been announced just yet. Let’s get to it.

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

Randy Orton is in the back where he talks about how he could have left Clash Of Champions as WWE Champion. Instead, he left in an ambulance. He remembers a little bit about the match, which included Big Show, Christian and Shawn Michaels all interfering and Ric Flair driving the ambulance away. All Orton felt was excruciating pain and then the next night, Drew McIntyre stood in front of the four of them and celebrated.

That sight made him sick and then the four of them played poker all night. It was too much for Orton, so he turned out the lights, grabbed some night vision goggles, and beat all of them down. Orton talks about how all four of them looked lost and how he attacked them, including chair shots and a Punt to Shawn Michaels. He wishes he could have seen Drew’s face when he heard what happened. McIntyre still has to deal with Orton, so let’s do it in the Cell. McIntyre bursts in and beats Orton down until agents and referees break it up. Kind of a long way to get to the obvious but it was a little bit of a different presentation.

Zelina Vega/Natalya/Lana vs. Asuka/Mandy Rose/Dana Brooke

Natalya rolls Dana up for two to start but Dana is back up and Natalya grabs Dana’s legs while Dana spins around, eventually flipping Natalya over. Now usually this would be called a headscissors, but given that Dana’s legs were in no way putting pressure on Natalya and Dana was literally being held in the air to spin around, there was nothing involving a headscissors whatsoever. That was so bad that I actually had to rewind to make sure I saw it right and I still don’t quite believe it.

Mandy comes in and this has to be better. Tom: “It’s officially Mandy Night Raw.” Ok maybe it is just going to get….ok it can’t be worse than that headscissors but it isn’t any better. Mandy hits a basement dropkick for two on Natalya but Zelina runs over to pull Asuka off the apron.

Mandy pulls Zelina in and Natalya throws her down by the hair for two. It’s off to Zelina in a legal way this time for a seated Octopus but Mandy counters into a quick rollup. Natalya comes in and immediately hands it off to Lana for a sliding kick to the face. The Sharpshooter is broken up though and the hot tag brings in Asuka to clean house. Mandy tags herself in and knees Lana in the face for the pin at 4:49.

Rating: D. That headscissors alone kept this from being a good match. As much as I like Dana, that was completely inexcusable and they should have just bailed on the move instead of making it look that horrible. I can go with them pushing Mandy as she is the definition of all the elements being there, provided she can make it work with the parts that matter.

Post match the winners leave so here are Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler to beat up Lana and Natalya, with Lana being driven through the announcers’ table. HEY! DID YOU KNOW THAT LANA’S HUSBAND WORKS FOR AEW NOW???? I DIDN’T KNOW IF WWE HAD VOICED THEIR DISPLEASURE WITH THAT LOUDLY ENOUGH YET!!!

R-Truth, mock draft, Drew Gulak is a fake custodian, Truth trips in a mock bucket, the chase continues.

We look back at Apollo Crews/Mustafa Ali/Ricochet beating the Hurt Business last week.

MVP comes up to see the trio and brings up the Draft. Their careers could change in a snap, just like Apollo Crews. He went from doing nothing on Smackdown to being the US Champion. For tonight though, there is an opening in the Hurt Business and being drafted to the black and gold means business is booming. They’re on the clock. MVP leaves and Ricochet seems intrigued.

We look back at Seth Rollins revealing Murphy’s texting with Aaliyah Mysterio. I’m still not sure why people were up in arms about this when they made it clear she was 19 but maybe I’m too old to get why it’s an issue.

Rollins and Murphy come out for their tag match and Murphy won’t hand him the mic because he has to get something off of his chest. For months, he has been Rollins’ perfect disciple but that can’t happen unless Rollins apologizes….to Aaliyah. Rollins slaps the mic out of his hand and screams that he is the messiah and Murphy is the disciple. He went easy on them last week by revealing all of the DM’s they shared, like the ones where she talks about how she thinks her family ignores her. Rollins yells some more but here are their opponents to cut them off.

Seth Rollins/Murphy vs. Humberto Carrillo/Dominik Mysterio

Carrillo and Mysterio charge the ring and clear the villains out with stereo dives as we take an early break. We’re joined in progress with Mysterio getting stomped down in the corner in a hurry. Rollins hits a gutbuster into a waistlock and then the abdominal stretch as he stays on target. Murphy and Rollins get in an argument though, allowing the hot tag off to Carrillo. House is cleaned again with Dominik hitting a dive to take both of them out on the floor. Back in and Carrillo goes up top for a dive with the sole purpose of having Murphy knee him out of the air for the pin at 4:19.

Rating: C-. They had a point to this one at least, though you might not want to have back to back matches end with such similar moves. Either way though, this feud is going to continue because it has to, even as it is going to clear five months next week. I’m sure that is going to keep going, and that has been the problem for a long time now.

Murphy storms off on his own.

Braun Strowman demands a match but Adam Pearce says no. Pearce can’t make it an official match but he can give Braun an exhibition. That’s fine with Braun so he leaves, with Keith Lee coming up behind him. Lee: “Sign me up.”

Rollins yells at Murphy in the back and demands an apology. Murphy has until 10PM or there will be h*** to pay.

It’s time for the Kevin Owens Show and he doesn’t want to waste time. He met the Fiend for the first time on Smackdown and he can still feel the evil and the dread. Tonight isn’t about a nice chat though, so he throws the set out to the floor. Tonight it’s about this, and we see a clip from Smackdown with the Fiend attacking him and taking Alexa Bliss’ hand. What’s next from the Fiend? The Brood? The Ministry of Darkness maybe? All he cares about right now is having Bray come out here for a nice face to face chat.

Instead it’s time for the Firefly Fun House, with Bray welcoming him in French. Bray says Kevin is his new friend and he’s so happy that he has a song about it. The rest of the Funhouse gang gets in on it, though Mercy eats Ramblin Rabbit. Owens cuts them off and says they could have been friends.

For not though, Bray needs to come down here and take a beating because he isn’t going to brainwash Owens like he did to Bliss. Bray doesn’t like that, and neither does HE. This Friday, Owens will know what that means. Consider this a warning, because that’s what friends are for. Bray leaves and Owens knows what that means. He’s coming for Bray tonight but here’s Aleister Black to lay him out with Black Mass. Nice segment, though I do wonder if they have already forgotten about Wobbly Walrus.

Drew says he’s ready to fight Orton at any time and yes, he’ll face him in the Cell.

Video on Braun Strowman.

Keith Lee vs. Braun Strowman

They make it clear that it’s an exhibition, because this can’t be part of the Brand To Brand Invitational deal due to reasons of oh my goodness look at the size of that meerkat. Strowman dropkicks him to the floor but Lee stops a charge with straight power. Lee gets sent into the steps though and it’s a double countout at 1:15.

Post match Strowman tackles him through the barricade. Strowman goes to leave but Lee rises up and the fight is on, with Strowman going into an LED board on the stage. Lee drives him off the stage and through a bunch of tables for the crash.

Bianca Belair wins a trivia game because she’s the smartest.

R-Truth jumps out of a dumpster to jump Drew Gulak and knocks him into a trashcan…which contains Akira Tozawa. They all fight into the dumpster and Truth somehow gets the pin and the title back. Joe: “Duke the Dumpster Droese would be proud.”

Here’s the Hurt Business for a chat before their match. MVP talks about how they didn’t lose last week, even if the Hurt Business got pinned. They might lose a match, but they never lose the fight. It was all because of Retribution, so MVP is officially putting them on notice. If Retribution wants to play tough, they need to learn: when you see the black and gold, be prepared to fold. They are what nightmares are made of but here are Mustafa Ali and company to interrupt. Ricochet says he’s going to pass on joining the team, which Crews and Ali find funny. Ali isn’t running, so MVP tells the team to focus on Ricochet.

Ricochet/Apollo Crews vs. Hurt Business

Benjamin starts fast with an upside down cross armbreaker on Ricochet, who goes straight to the ropes for the break. The Hurt Business is knocked to the floor in a hurry though and we take a break. Back with Lashley suplexing Ricochet for two and choking on the ropes. Ricochet is fine enough to slap a yapping MVP in the face, only to get caught with a Downward Spiral for two.

Back up and Ricochet slips over for the hot tag to Crews so house can be cleaned. Everything breaks down and Ricochet scores with some superkicks until Lashley scores with the spinning Dominator. A German suplex drops Crews but he hits an enziguri on Lashley. The big spinebuster drops Crews again though and the Hurt Locker is good for the tap at 9:45.

Rating: C-. I think we’ve gotten the point here as it’s the same kind of a match with the same people that we’ve seen for months now. The good thing though is the feud only seems to have continued for the sake of Retribution being gone. They didn’t have much else to do here, but that’s mainly because we’ve done this so many times now and there isn’t much else to do here.

Murphy comes up to Aaliyah, who says this is all Seth’s fault. Murphy isn’t going to apologize.

Ali comes up to the Hurt Business in the back because he wants to face MVP one on one.

Here is Seth Rollins to receive Murphy’s apology. Cue Murphy, who isn’t exactly looking happy. Rollins wants Murphy to get on with it already and gets all the more frustrated when Murphy says nothing. He even grabs Murphy by the beard, shouting that he made Murphy what he is. Murphy charges at him and the fight is on with the two of them heading outside.

Rollins whips out the kendo stick but Murphy drives him into the barricade and gets in some swings of his own. They get inside with Rollins begging off and getting beaten up even more. Rollins calls for Aaliyah to come out here and then apologizes after another stick to the head. Murphy begs off so Rollins goes for the eye and gets in his own stick shots. It’s chair time but here’s Aaliyah to cover Murphy. The Mysterios run out to chase Rollins off and we see Rollins watching from the back. Dominik tries to talk Aaliyah out of this because of everything he has done.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler vs. Riott Squad

The Squad is challenging and starts by double teaming Jax down. Jax has to lay down so Riott can drop Morgan onto her for the early near fall, but Jax knocks Liv out of the air. Riott gets tied in the Tree of Woe and Baszler goes outside to glare at her a bit. Back in and Baszler stomps on Riott’s arm and then snaps it back for a bonus. Riott gets sent outside and Jax whips her hard into the apron a few times as we take a break.

Riott forearming her way to freedom and making the hot tag off to Morgan. A hurricanrana sends Jax into the middle turnbuckle and the rolling elbows in the corner hit both champs. Jax runs her over with a clothesline though and the screaming ensues. Baszler comes back in but her knee hits the turnbuckle. The hot tag brings in the one armed Riott to clean house but gets pulled into the Kirifuda Clutch for the tap to retain the titles at 9:43.

Rating: C. This was kind of messy but they did a nice job of making the Squad look like a team who could give the champs a challenge. That being said, there wasn’t much drama here and that’s most acceptable. It’s better than having Jax destroy Lana week after week, or at least doing something other than that for a change.

The Street Profits aren’t cool with Orton attacking the legends last week. Tonight, they want the smoke. Drew McIntyre is here too and seems pleased with the whole thing.

MVP vs. Mustafa Ali

The rest of the Hurt Business is here and MVP takes Ali down for an early knee drop. A clothesline out of the corner gives MVP two but Ali is back with a running dropkick to the floor. The rest of the Hurt Business gets in the ring but here’s Retribution. MVP tells Ali to fight with them but Ali rolls to the floor to get in the team’s face….and then stands with Retribution instead. Ali: “GET EM!” The match is thrown out at about 2:30 or so.

Retribution destroys the Hurt Business in short order and Ali seems pleased. Ali gets in the ring and the rest of the team (seven members this week) join him as Ali holds up his hand. Now this could be very interesting, especially if they find a way to tie it into the hacker deal (not a requirement, but it would be a nice way to tie up a loose end).

Video on the Draft.

Drew McIntyre/Street Profits vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler/Randy Orton

The good guys waste no time in cleaning house and we take a break. Back with Dawkins diving over for the hot tag to Ford so the pace can pick up in a hurry. Ford’s standing moonsault gets and it’s off to Roode, who scores with the spinebuster for two. Orton pulls Ford outside and drops him hard onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Orton slowly hammers away but stops to mock McIntyre, allowing Ford to score with a DDT. The double tag brings in McIntyre and Ziggler, with Drew launching him into the corner.

That’s enough for Ziggler though as McIntyre pulls Orton in to start the brawl. Roode and Ziggler make the save and everything breaks down. Dawkins’ Anointment is countered into a DDT though and he winds up right in front of Orton. The hanging DDT plants Dawkins but he’s right back with the Anointment into the Cash Out with Roode and Ziggler diving in for the save. McIntyre tags himself in as Ziggler hits the Fameasser on Ford. The Claymore puts Ziggler on the floor and there’s another to Roode. Orton is back up though and the RKO finishes McIntyre at 10:14.

Rating: C+. They kept the pace up here and I can go for putting off the announcement of Roode and Ziggler getting a title shot for as long as I can. Pinning the champ to build up towards a title match is a good idea and something that has worked for the better part of ever. Go with something that works and keep Ziggler away from any title at the same time. That’s certainly a nice way to end the show, even if we’ve seen it before.

Overall Rating: C-. This was an up and down show with some points being a lot better than others. They set up the obvious main event with Orton vs. McIntyre and the Ali to Retribution stuff is rather interesting. Other than that though….yeah it’s kind of downhill from there. The Rollins/Mysterios stuff is as old hat as you can get and Strowman vs. Lee didn’t need to be a match. At the same time though, you have whatever Brooke did to Natalya and that is going to drop any show. Raw’s half of the pay per view is really feeling like the most warmed over of leftovers, but maybe the Draft can fix things. It kind of needs to.

Results

Asuka/Dana Brooke/Mandy Rose b. Zelina Vega/Lana/Natalya – Jumping knee to Lana

Murphy/Seth Rollins b. Dominik Mysterio/Humberto Carrillo – Jumping knee to Carrillo

Keith Lee vs. Braun Strowman went to a double countout

Hurt Business b. Apollo Crews/Ricochet – Hurt Lock to Crews

Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler b. Riott Squad – Kirifuda Clutch to Riott

MVP vs. Mustafa Ali went to a no contest when Retribution interfered

Randy Orton/Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode b. Drew McIntyre/Street Profits – RKO to McIntyre

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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