19 Results and Review

Smackdown Live took place on Tuesday night at the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. Let’s look at how the two-hour program went down.

Opening Segment

Smackdown Live started this week with Roman Reigns walking backstage. He was stopped by an interviewer who asked him about Daniel Bryan demanding an apology. Reigns said he will say what he wants to say to Bryan “in the ring.” After that, we went to a live shot of the crowd which looked simply sad, as there were many empty seats. Not sure why they shot such a close up shot of a poor crowd. While Kofi Kingston made his way to the ring, we were shown a video package about the ongoing rivalry between Kingston and Randy Orton. Kingston did a good promo, and Orton was polite enough to only start his titantron promo as Kingston finished his. Orton said he will save fighting him for Clash of the Champions. He told a story about a letter that was slid under his hotel room door earlier. It was a note from Kingston’s son, telling him to leave Kingston alone. Orton said he’s staying in the same hotel as Kingston’s family. Orton said he can pay a visit to Kingston’s family “right now.” This obviously disturbed Kingston, who came running backstage and started brawling with Orton. The brawl concluded with Orton giving Kingston a draping DDT off of a table.

In major storylines it seems like WWE can’t not mention family. Though I don’t mind this one in comparison to Sasha Banks mocking Natalya’s dead father. To be honest I sort of forgot that Kingston’s family was part of the storyline since I think Summerslam was the last time this was even mentioned. In their defence, it was mentioned in the video packages. This opening segment was fine I guess.

Match 1. Ali vs. Buddy Murphy (King of the Ring First Round Match)

After a commercial break, we saw Big E leaving the doctor’s office. Big E assured us that Kofi Kingston will be ready to fight for Clash of the Champions. He also said that Randy Orton might not make it to Clash of the Champions after he faces him later.

The first match on the show was a first-round King of the Ring match, with Ali facing Buddy Murphy. Murphy’s been on a roll lately, fighting Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan in recent weeks. As expected, this match was fast-paced. Ali did a hurricanrana early on, then tried for a dive outside the ring, but was hit with a knee in the ring when going off the ropes. Are failed dives the biggest trend in WWE nowadays? We went to a break after that spot. Coming back from commercials, Ali reversed a move, landing a dropkick. Murphy tried getting back in the ring but ate a kick to the head. Ali did a tope suicida. We were then shown a camera-shot of Elias backstage watching this bout since he will face the winner. Ali tried for his rolling-neckbreaker, but was caught and tossed out of the ring. Murphy did a dive over all three ropes onto Ali. Murphy went to the top turnbuckle but Ali avoided it and landed a superkick. Ali hit a reverse hurricanrana for a two count. Ali tried going to the top rope, but Murphy stopped him, doing a cheeky nandos kick and then a powerbomb. Murphy hit a knee and a brainbuster for a kickout. Ali did an insane DDT to Murphy who was draped on the ropes. He then went to the top for a 450 Splash to win the match. These guys didn’t have a ton of time but did a great job.

The Miz Calls Out Shinsuke Nakamura

Backstage, we saw Ember Moon and Bayley. Moon told Bayley that she is the face of the division. Lacey Evans then came into the shot, telling Bayley that she brings the division down. The Miz was in the ring to address last week, where Sami Zayn announced his partnership with Shinsuke Nakamura, who helped him tear apart Miz. The Miz cut a long promo, challenging Nakamura for his Intercontinental Championship at Clash of the Champions. Right, he has the belt. Sami Zayn came out after this. After Zayn refused to fight, The Miz charged towards him. Nakamura came from behind The Miz and attacked him. The brawl outside the ring ended with Nakamura hitting a Kinshasa, knocking the head of The Miz against the LED ring panel as well. Cool spot. That might make The Miz rethink challenging Nakamura. It’ll likely still happen though.

Backstage, Elias was in Shane McMahon’s office. Kevin Owens came in, which made Elias all uptight. Owens was told that McMahon wasn’t present. Maybe it was implied that Elias was defensive because he’s the 24/7 Champion? Or maybe I’m missing something. Either way, it wasn’t really explained why Elias was so short-tempered. Although when he asked why he was in Shane’s office, he said: “I’m three matches away from winning the King of the Ring, I do what I want.”

Match 2. Bayley vs. Lacey Evans

The next match was Bayley versus Lacey Evans. At the start of the bout, Evans tried to distract Bayley but throwing her gloves in the air. That didn’t work for her, putting Bayley on the offence immediately. Bayley landed a clothesline outside the ring. After that, Charlotte Flair appeared on the ramp. We then went to commercials. Returning, Evans had Bayley in a headlock in the ring. Bayley did a suplex outside the ring onto the floor. They both beat a near count out after that. I don’t mean to fixate on things like this too much, but Evans was really getting some offense against the champ. Bayley landed a Bayley-to-belly, but Evans put her hand on the rope to break the count. Evans landed a neckbreaker, but the next move was reversed by Bayley. Bayley landed another Bayley-to-belly, then went to the top rope for an elbow drop to give her the win.

Match 3. Randy Orton vs. Big E

In an attempt to retaliate from Randy Orton’s hostilities, Big E faced him in a match. Early on outside the ring, Big E threw Orton into a steel chair and over the commentary table. He then threw Orton over a barricade. Back in the ring, Big E said “I’m here to collect. Call me hell.” Later on, Big E tried for a splash on the apron but Orton avoided it. Orton sidewalk slammed Big E onto the commentary table as we went to commercials. He tried for the same spot when they returned for the break, but it was Big E who landed the slam. Big E did three belly-to-belly german suplexes in the ring. When going off the ropes, The Revival appeared and were knocked off the apron. Big E was pushed into the ropes, which was out of the line of sight of the referee, giving The Revival a chance to hit Big E in the face. Orton then hit an RKO to win the match.

Backstage we saw an interview with Chad Gable. Shelton Benjamin interrupted it, making a short joke which looked like it destroyed Gable’s morale.

Elias sat on the King of the Ring throne on the stage with a crown and a staff. While talking, Kevin Owens approached him from behind and attacked him. He threw him in the ring and gave him a stunner. Owens stared down Elias, but didn’t care to get the 24/7 Championship! But, R-Truth came in the ring after the segment and tried for a pin. Drake Maverick pulled R-Truth out of the ring and went for his own pinfall and won the Championship to no reaction.

Match 4: Shelton Benjamin vs. Chad Gable (King of the Ring First Round Match)

Concluding the King of the Ring First round, former tag team members Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable fought each other. This match came after Benjamin was making fun of Gable for some time. Benjamin landed a spinebuster early in the bout. Gable got a spinning neckbreaker later. Gable tried for a moonsault but ate a knee to the head instead. Gable reversed a powerbomb into a sunset flip powerbomb to get a pinfall victory. Surprise surprise. He’ll face and likely lose to Andrade in the next round. While this match was a hard one to sell, they certainly didn’t make it any easier by not even talking about their past as partners.

Roman Reigns Addresses Daniel Bryan & Rowan

Finishing off the show this week was Roman Reigns coming to the ring to address Daniel Bryan and Rowan. Before he could say anything, Bryan showed up on the big screen, obstructing him to say he’s sorry. Reigns showed footage before deciding if he should apologize. The footage showed Rowan was clearly the person who tried to make a backstage set fall on Reigns. Bryan flipped out backstage, slapping Rowan many times hard. He then went down to the ring, claiming Rowan has lied to him. When he got in the ring he ate a spear from Reigns. That ended the show. This felt like a lame ending to the show. Also, I want to point out that Bryan was giving Rowan some real hard slaps. This show felt sort of lame. Almost everything just felt sort of uneventful. The highlight of the show was easily Ali versus Buddy Murphy. That was a fun one to watch.

WWE Smackdown Live 8/27/19 Preview

On Smackdown this week, the confusion behind Roman Reigns’ attacker continues, as does the returning King of the Ring tournament and other events. Live from the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, let’s preview tonight’s episode of Smackdown Live. The official preview for the show can be found on WWE.com.

The final two first-round King of the Ring tournament matches will take place tonight. In two matchups – those being Ali versus Buddy Murphy and Chad Gable versus Shelton Benjamin will give the wrestler’s the final spots in the round of eight, which also includes Elias and Andrade on the Smackdown side. The RAW side of the bracket is completed, with Samoa Joe versus Richochet and Cedric Alexander versus Baron Corbin set for the round.

Smackdown ended last week with another plot twist in the Roman Reigns conflict. For weeks now, Reigns has been searching for a mysterious attacker who tried to throw a backstage set on him and hit him with a car. Daniel Bryan and Rowan revealed the attacked last week, with the supposed perpetrator being a Rowan lookalike. This week we will hopefully get some answers to the questions which were made as the show went off air last week.

Last week, Bayley crashed Charlotte Flair’s guest appearance on “A Moment of Bliss,” hosted by Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. The segment ended with Bayley pushing Flair out of her chair. Flair’s reaction to the situation has yet to be seen, but the preview hints at the storyline continuing on this show.

In the men’s title picture, WWE Champion Kofi Kingston attacked Randy Orton last week, giving him a Trouble in Paradise out of nowhere. The next step in the rivalry will likely be seen on TV tonight. Practical logic says they will face each other at Clash of the Champions.

Also promoted for the show is Drew McIntyre, Samoa Joe, Xavier Woods and Big E.

WWE RAW 8/26/19 Preview

On this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW, we will see the in-ring return of Sasha Banks, the continuation of The King of the Ring tournament and much more. Set to take place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, let’s preview RAW for this week. The official preview written by WWE.com can be found here.

Last week, Samoa Joe and Cedric Alexander moved on to the second round of the King of the Ring tournament. Completing the first round of the RAW side on the bracket, this week we’ll have Ricochet versus Drew McIntyre and The Miz versus Baron Corbin. On the Smackdown side of the bracket, Andrade and Elias have already moved on, with the final two first-round matches taking place tomorrow. In a preview matchup last week, Ricochet and The Miz prevailed over their opponents this week.

We have seen Sasha Banks on TV twice since her return, both times targeting Natalya. Tonight, Banks will make her in-ring return by facing Natalya. The news of the match was originally broken on Monday morning by Tony Maglio at The Wrap. Worth noting that Banks also brawled with Becky Lynch in her return appearance.

Last week on Smackdown, Bayley interrupted “A Moment of Bliss,” pushing Charlotte Flair off of her chair during the segment. This week, the tag partner of Bliss, Nikki Cross will face Bayley one on one.

In the main event of RAW last week, Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman were crowned the new RAW Tag Team Champions, dethroning Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. While nothing, in particular, is announced for them, they are booked for the show. Also scheduled to appear is AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.

Smackdown Live 8/20/19 Results and Review

Last week, Smackdown Live ended with Daniel Bryan saying he will reveal the culprit in the attack against Roman Reigns next week. From Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA, a very suspenseful Smackdown Live show started with Randy Orton.

Kofi Kingston Confronts Randy Orton

The evening began with Randy Orton coming to the ring. On the previous night at RAW, Orton interfered in a New Day tag match, taking out the trio with the help of The Revival. We were told by the commentary team that Xavier Woods is not present at tonight’s show. Speaking of the commentary, David Otunga was replacing Corey Graves this week. He talked about how Kingston dodged their championship match at Summerslam. He then bragged about his attack on Monday, continuing with the “Kofi is stupid” tagline he’s been running with for a while. New Day music hit as his promo was wrapping up. In very Orton-like fashion, Kingston came from the crowd and gave Orton a Trouble In Paradise out of nowhere. When you thought Kingston was leaving, he took a steel chair and wedged an ankle of Orton between it. He went to the second rope but got distracted by The Revival, who came down to the ring. He teed off on Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson with a chair while Orton got away. The commentary described this segment like we’ve never seen Kingston like this, although isn’t that what we got at Summerslam when he snapped? It was an okay segment though.

Before the break, we saw a video package the recent situation between Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan and Rowan. We were reminded that Bryan said he would come forward with the attacker this week. Honestly, this has been an interesting storyline so far. It’s had a legitimate cliffhanger for a week that I’ve been interested to find out about

Andrade w/ Zelina Vega vs. Apollo Crews (King of the Ring Tournament First Round Match)

In the first of two King of the Ring matches on this episode, Andrade faced Apollo Crews. Before the match, we were given the first televised announcement that NXT is moving to the USA Network on Wednesdays soon. The idea from people within the business was that it would be announced on Monday, and really that seems like the logical way to announce it, but whatever. Before the match, we saw Kevin Owens talking with Shane McMahon backstage. Owens was still torn apart about the 100k dollar fine he was given last week. Owens asked him to reconsider, to which McMahon said he will think about.

Starting off the match quickly, Crews gave Andrade a clothesline for a kickout. Isn’t that how a King of the Ring match started on Monday? Just like Monday, we got a replay of it seconds later as well. Andrade did double knees in the corner for a two count. Crews went for a rollup pin for a two count. Andrade did a hold while on the ropes. He went to the top rope but was hit with a dropkick on the way down. Crews caught Andrade outside the ring, but Andrade turned it into a huricanrana into a steel staircase as we went to break. I really liked that spot. Back from the break, Crews caught a crossbody. Crews hit a double knees for a two count. They traded strikes when they got back up. Crews did a jumping-clotheslines. Crews hit an Olympic Slam for another kickout. Andrade landed a boot after countering a move. He went to the second rope but was hit with a dropkick. Crews picked up Andrade but dropped him due to a hurt hand. Crews was thrown into a corner. Andrade tried for another double knees but Crews avoided it. Crews did a standing shooting star press after a few moves by both fighters. Crews tried picking up Andrade, but Zelina Vega held onto him from outside the ring. When they separated, Andrade hit a spinning back elbow. Andrade hit his Hammerlock DDT for the win. It’s weird how the commentators tout how good Andrade is (referencing how he made Rey Mysterio contemplate retirement), but don’t call out how he cheats to win. Even after the match they praised him.

Backstage, we saw Daniel Bryan and Rowan carry someone into a room with a towel over their head. After that, we saw Elias spot an undercover referee backstage. The referee told him that Drake Maverick was in a container. He made Maverick read a statement from Shane McMahon that suspended the 24/7 Championship for the night so that Elias could focus on his match.

A Moment of Bliss w/ Charlotte Flair

Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross hosted A Moment of Bliss with their special guest this week being Charlotte Flair. Bliss said that Flair asked to be on the show. Flair said she is the “Queen of all eras” and the “face of the Smackdown women’s brand.” Bliss claimed that “some would say” Bayley is the current face. After Flair explained why she thinks she’s better, Bayley came out to confront her. Bayley said Flair is angry that she isn’t the champ. Flair said she will restore the belt’s value when she beats her at Clash of Champions. Bayley accepts the challenge to face her at the PPV. She pushed Flair off of her chair and then left. Wow, easy night for Bliss and Cross. I don’t like Bayley being this very cocky character. It just doesn’t feel right on her, especially because of her track record as not being a super cocky character.

Daniel Bryan w/ Rowan vs. Buddy Murphy

Backstage we saw Roman Reigns confront Buddy Murphy. Murphy said he thought it was Rowan who attacked him. Reigns said he will beat him up if he lies again. A week after he faced Reigns, Buddy Murphy faced Daniel Bryan this week. Before the match, Bryan called him a liar. Similar to Bryan’s Wrestlemania 28 match, he was distracted when the bell rang, and was hit right of the bat. Murphy hit a flying knee for a two count. He gave Bryan landed tons of kicks in the corner. Later, Murphy sent Bryan outside the ring with a clothesline then landed a dive over the top rope as we went to commercials. Back from the break, Murphy landed a dropkick off the second rope. He went to the top rope again, landing a double knees this time. Bryan put in a Lebell Lock and then transitioned into a Rings of Saturn. Going back to the Lebell Lock, Murphy put a foot on the ropes to save himself. Bryan started doing Yes Kicks. Murphy avoided a kick and landed one of this own. Murphy was hung upside down in the ropes and was given a dropkick to the head. Bryan put Murphy on the top rope and did a belly-to-back superplex for a two count. He did kicks to Murphy in the corner while screaming “Liar! Liar!” Murphy reversed a move, doing a superkick in the corner and a running powerbomb for a close kickout. They got up and traded punches. Bryan tried for a move but was reversed into a rollup. Murphy did a brainbuster after a few strikes, but Bryan put his foot on the rope to kick out. Rowan got on the apron. Murphy got distracted by Rowan. Bryan tried for a rollup but was thrown off and into Rowan. Murphy tried for a superkick but hit Rowan. Bryan tried for a roll-up but couldn’t get it. Murphy landed a knee and then a Murphy’s Law to win the match.

This was a very good match. I have no real issues with it. Maybe a few too many pin attempts, but the match was great overall. It wasn’t really clear why Rowan stayed on the apron for so long, or got on it in the first place. Maybe he just wanted a better view.

After the break, Buddy Murphy was going to get interviewed backstage. He was jumped before the interview got off the ground, with Rowan beating him up. Bryan screamed at him about being a liar the whole time.

Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder (The Revival) vs. Otis & Tucker (Heavy Machinery)

The Revival came out and challenged The New Day to a Championship match. Their promo was cut off by their opponents for this week, Heavy Machinery. Both Revival members had wrapping around their mid-section due to the steel chair attack earlier. Tucker and Wilder started the bout. Tucker put Wilder in a bear hug. He tagged in Otis, and passed Wilder to him, where he continued the bear hug. Tucker got tagged back in. They did dual vertical suplexes, holding their opponents high for a long time. We went to break after that spot. After the break, Wilder and Tucker were back in the ring. Wilder did a bulldog off a corner for a two count. Dawson got tagged in and tried for a senton but Tucker avoided it. Otis got the hot tag against Dawson. He spun around Wilder before doing a slam. He did a splash in a corner, and then did his famous caterpillar elbow drop. Otis tried for a compactor but got it broken up. Tucker took down Dawson but Wilder went for a rollup to get the win because of the predicament. It was a decent match but the finish made it fall flat.

Chad Gable cut a promo backstage about being called an underdog in the King of the Ring tournament. Behind him, his opponent Shelton Benjamin put a sign on a door. The sign said “You must be at least this tall to participate in the King of the Ring Tournament.” He didn’t find that too funny.

MizTV w/ Sami Zayn

We were given another reminder that NXT is moving to Wednesdays. In the next segment, The Miz hosted another episode of MizTV with Sami Zayn. In a two-hour show, two of these talk show segments feels like too much. Zayn admits early that he only wanted to be on this show so he could get TV time. He said there is people on Smackdown who needs his help. He brought Shinsuke Nakamura out. Nakamura said Zayn speaks for him. Nakamura kicked Miz in the groin, then did tons of knees. He did a kick in the corner and a Kinshasa to end the brawl. So I guess Nakamura is a follower of Zayn now, which is weird since Nakamura has a belt and Zayn is on a losing streak.

Elias vs. Kevin Owens (King of the Ring Tournament First Round Match)

We saw Daniel Bryan and Rowan backstage again. They went into the room where the disguised attacker was. They said Roman Reigns was on the way. Shane McMahon brought Kevin Owens back into the room. McMahon asked for an apology for laying his hands on him last week. Without hesitation, he apologized. McMahon said if Owens ever touches another WWE official he will be fired. McMahon refused a handshake before Owens walked off.

In the final match of the night, Kevin Owens faced Elias in the first round of the King of the Ring. Elias landed a shoulder tackle early on. Owens send Elias over the ropes, but avoided doing a dive as Elias ran out of the way. Elias threw Owens into a barricade before throwing him back in the ring. Owens did a cannonball in the corner of the ring for a two count. After this, Shane McMahon’s music hit and he sat at ringside. Owens did a frogsplash onto the floor during the commercial break. Later on, Owens did a dropkick off the second rope and then a senton. He tried for a pop-up powerbomb but Elias reversed it. Owens went to the second rope, but Elias put him on his shoulders and landed a powerbomb for a kickout. Both on the top rope, Elias was knocked onto the canvas. Owens tried for a Shooting Star Press but Elias put his knees up. Owens sent Elias outside the ring and then did a cannonball off the apron. Outside the ring, McMahon interfered. He took off his shirt and revealed his referee shirt. Owens was back in the ring and distracted, getting attacked by Elias. Owens tried for a stunner but was almost thrown into Shane. Elias went for a roll-up, with McMahon giving him a fast count to end it. Well, I guess that’s better than being fired.

The Attacker Is Revealed

Backstage, we saw Roman Reigns arrive in the room backstage. They unmasked the person, who looked like a Rowan lookalike. Apart from balding grey hair, he had a similar face and the long ginger beard. All three of them stared at a confused Reigns as the show ended. So, quite a way to end it. Um, I guess Reigns’ emotion at the ended conveys mine as well: pure confusion. Going into next week it’s not as intriguing, but I’ll still be interested to see where they go from here.

This show had some pretty good matches. The best was easily Daniel Bryan versus Buddy Murphy and Andrade versus Apollo Crews. While this show had it’s flaws, it flew by pretty quickly.

Smackdown Live 8/20/19 Preview

Smackdown Live heads to the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for this week’s episode. Along with some first-round matches in the King of the Ring tournament, a big reveal will come on the show when Daniel Bryan and Rowan will supposedly reveal the mystery attacker of Roman Reigns. Let’s look at what’s planned for this week’s episode of Smackdown.

As already mentioned, Daniel Bryan and Rowan will have a big reveal on the episode tonight. In recent episodes, Roman Reigns was attacked. In the first encounter, he was nearly squished by backstage equipment. In the second situation, Reigns was hit by a car in the parking lot of a venue. Upon interrogating Buddy Murphy, he was told that Rowan was the mystery attacker. Last week we found out that Murphy lied, and Rowan is actually innocent. The show ended on a cliffhanger last week, with Bryan and Rowan saying they did an investigation and said they will reveal who did it on this week’s episode.

The King of the Ring tournament will have it’s next series of matches tonight, with the first two of four Smackdown matches happening. On Monday, Cedric Alexander defeated Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe beat Cesaro to advance in the second round of the bracket. On this episode of Smackdown, it will be Kevin Owens versus Elias and Apollo Crews versus Andrade in first-round matches. Next week, Ali will face Buddy Murphy and Chad Gable will fight former tag team partner Shelton Benjamin on the Smackdown side of the bracket. Ricochet versus Drew McIntyre and The Miz versus Baron Corbin will also take place on RAW next week.

A faction started to form last night, with The Revival and Randy Orton beating up The New Day. Kingston and company are billed for the show, as well is Orton. This isn’t the first time that Orton has formed a trio with henchmen, as faction “Legacy” with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. forming in 2008. We’ll have to wait and see what happens on this episode as two trios are expected to continue their feud.

Also billed for the show is Bayley, Drew McIntyre and Samoa Joe. Their appearances aren’t guaranteed to be on TV. Also, as usual, 205 Live will be airing right after Smackdown on the WWE Network.

WWE Smackdown Live 8/13/19 Preview

This week’s episode of Smackdown Live will feature the fallout from Summerslam on Sunday. WWE.com published a preview for tonight’s show earlier today. Smackdown will take place at 8PM EST, live from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The event will be the fourth and final appearance from the promotion in Toronto this week.

On Monday afternoon, Buddy Murphy challenged Roman Reigns to a match on Smackdown via Twitter. Later that day, Roman responded and of course accepted the challenge. The match is scheduled to be the in-ring debut for Murphy, who has limited himself to the Cruiserweight brand 205 Live before. Murphy was attacked by Erick Rowan on the Summerslam pre-show on Sunday. This attack happened because Murphy told Reigns that Rowan was the mystery identity who attacked him recently. After his Summerslam match was interrupted, Murphy claims the match tonight will be an opportunity to “show what I can do.”

In the highest profile Smackdown match on Sunday, Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton ended their WWE Championship bout with a double count-out. What happened after the bell became the most discussed, as Kingston teed off on Orton with a kendo stick after Orton stared down his family, who were sitting at ringside.

Kevin Owens got on Sunday in a grudge match against Shane McMahon, defeating him with the help of a low-blow when the ref was distracted and a stunner. It may be seen on TV this week whether Owens will continue to feud with Shane or if he will move onto another conflict.

Ember Moon will face Charlotte Flair on the show, which is ironic since Flair was a winner on Sunday while Moon wasn’t. Moon took a loss to Bayley in the Smackdown Women’s Championship at Summerslam, while Flair defeated WWE alumni Trish Stratus. Bayley is also expected to show up at the event.

Also promoted for the show is Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, Drew McIntyre, Xavier Woods, Big E and Rowan. Whether the appearances will occur on or off TV is not known.

WWE RAW 2/25/19 Results and Review

Let’s look at this week’s RAW, which included an unannounced return, an announcement from Roman Reigns and much more.

Opening Segment

Monday Night RAW started with a video package about when Roman Reigns came out in October to announce that the was battling leukemia. After that, Roman Reigns’ music hit. The crowd was very loud and supportive of him. Reigns looked like he was on the brink of tears when he first saw the crowd. He went around the border of all of the front row high fiving fans. At first he said thank you to everyone. He said that he was scared before his announcement in October. He was overwhelmed by all of the support he got after the announcement and that he will use his platform to raise awareness and help others who were in his situation. Reigns eventually said he will give us his long awaited update. The update was that he is in remission for his leukemia. The crowd started cheering and chanting because of this. He said thank you one more time and then left. This was genuinely great news and a great way to start the show. Roman Reigns is truly inspiring because of this. You could tell that the support from others had him in high spirits through his battle and even moreso afterwards. I can’t wait to see him return.

The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) vs. Aleister Black & Ricochet

In another one of these NXT versus main roster matches we had Aleister Black and Ricochet face The Revival. Before the first break both Black and Ricochet were diving all over the place. Black ended the match with Black Mass. Like I’ve said before, these matches are good but I don’t like that they take up so much TV time since they have nothing to do with any storylines. Like I understand squash matches but it took up so much of the show last week. Also, they should focus on the dudes they called up earlier in the year before they focus on a new pack.

After a break we saw backstage a red carpet for Ric Flair’s Birthday Celebration. We also saw a video from Snoop Dogg wishing Ric Flair a happy birthday.

Elias Can’t Get A Song Going

Elias was in the ring to play on his guitar but then was cut off by Lacey Evans and Dean Ambrose. When Dean came out he issued a challenge to Drew McIntyre in a No DQ match. Poor Elias can’t get his own part of the show. Elias tried playing his guitar but Ambrose asked what he was doing. Elias tried surprising Ambrose with a guitar shot but he dodged it and was hit with the Dirty Deeds.

Sarah Logan & Ruby Riott w/ Liv Morgan vs. Natalya & Ronda Rousey

The next match on this show was two members of the Riott Squad versus Natalya and Rousey. Rousey and Natalya did a double team on Morgan on the outside. Natalya got beat up for a long time and then Rousey got a hot tag. As Ronda was on a roll the match got called off because Becky Lynch came from the crowd and hit Natalya. Ronda and Lynch tried fighting but got separated. Lynch was handcuffed and brought away. After the break Ronda got on a mic and called out Vince McMahon. Vince didn’t come out, but Stephanie McMahon came out. Ronda begged for Becky to being reinstated but Stephanie refused to do so. After more arguing and a semi-good promo from Ronda (at points it seemed like she stumbled but a lot of it was good), she left Stephanie with the decision.

Jinder Mahal vs. Kurt Angle

After commercials, we saw a video from Stone Cold Steve Austin wishing Ric Flair a happy birthday. In the ring we saw Jinder Mahal issue an open challenge to anyone who was invited to Flair’s party. Kurt Angle took the challenge. Kurt Angle won after hitting a ton of spots and whatever. Cool, but why?

A Moment of Bliss w/ Finn Balor

Alexa Bliss started her talk show by talking about how she is available for the Wrestlemania main event. I think she was under the assumption that Ronda was out of the Wrestlemania main event or something? Anyways, Finn Balor is her guest this week. He was dressed in in-ring attire, so I assumed his match was next. Bliss was about to make a deal that if Balor showed his abs she would show something but she got interrupted while talking. Why cut a deal when he’s going to fight? His abs are gonna be visible in like seconds. The thing that cut off Bliss was Lio Rush coming out. Rush said something about Balor’s IC title. Balor interpreted this as Lio wanted a title shot, so he gave it to him.

Finn Balor vs. Lio Rush (Intercontinental Championship Match)

Early in this match Rush was getting tons of moves in. He did a Moonsault off the apron and then two Tope Suicidas. In fact the match felt like it was meant to make Rush look really good. Like, nearly on Balor’s level type of good. Balor eventually ended the match after reversing a move and then landing a Coup de Grace. After the break Lashley was behind the curtain scolding Lio Rush. He said that he was supposed to get a title shot for him, not Rush. He then forced a beaten up Lio Rush to come out with him.

Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush vs. Braun Stroman

Stroman fought Lashley next. Well, he was going to, but their match never started. Lashley tried jumping Stroman but ended up losing the brawl. I could easily be wrong, but I get the feeling that Rush is turning babyface soon and Lashley will turn against him.

Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre (No Disqualification Match)

Dean Ambrose called out Drew McIntyre earlier in the night. Later in the show he got his wish. During this match Elias came down and attacked Ambrose. This was of course because Elias was interupted by Ambrose earlier. After that, McIntyre gave him a Claymore Kick to end the match. After the match it was Elias, McIntyre, Lashley and Corbin all beating up Ambrose. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns came out to save Dean. Reigns landed Superman Punches, and Seth landed a Curbstomp. Reigns did a Spear to McIntyre.

Bayley w/ Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax w/ Tamina

To preview what is most likely the first rivalry for the women’s tag belts, Bayley fought Nia Jax. The finish of the match was Nia Jax being distracted by pulling Banks’ hair, giving Bayley the chance to kick her and land an elbow drop for the win.

Ric Flair’s Birthday Celebration.

The finale of the show was the Ric Flair Birthday Celebration of course. This has been promoted for weeks. Now. The ring had a cake, balloons and a table with something covered. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon came out while the rest of the roster stood on the ramp. They brought out Shawn Michaels, Ricky Steamboat, Kurt Angle and Sting. After seeing a video package about Ric Flair, they unveiled a custom World Heavyweight Championship belt. When he was finally introduced, he didn’t come out. Backstage we saw Batista storming into Flair’s dressing room, most likely beating him up, and then dragging him out. He said “Hey Hunter, do I have your attention now?” HHH then ran backstage to attend to Flair. The show ended with HHH shouting for a doctor. Not going to lie, this was a big surprise to me and I’m kind of hyped because of it. It’s been a long time since Batista last wrestled, and I’m so ready to see it again.

While the ending of the show was good, the whole show wasn’t amazing. There was lots of just plain boring segments. My favourite match this week is easily Rush versus Balor.

WWE RAW 2/18/19 Results and Review

Let’s look at the RAW that happened the night after the 2019 Elimination Chamber PPV.

Opening Segment

Before RAW started, we saw a photo remembering Pedro Morales. Monday Night RAW started with Triple H in the ring. He talked about the Elimination Chamber, which was last night. HHH mentioned how the first members of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019 is D-Generation X. He then dropped an even bigger announcement, saying that NXT wrestlers will be debuting tonight. The wrestlers that debuted were Ricochet, Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Gargano and Ciampa are both champions in NXT currently.

Braun Stroman vs. Baron Corbin (Tables Match)

Braun Stroman faced Baron Corbin in the first match, with the stipulation being a tables match. This comes after Stroman was Triple Powerbombed through two tables on the night before. At the start of the match, both guys fought extensively outside of the ring. They made their way to the announce table but were back in the ring when we came back from commercials. Corbin went off the apron at one point and was met with steel stairs from Stroman. Corbin did a move where he went outside the ring, around a ringpost and back in, but when he went back in he was caught for a Running Powerslam through a table to end the match. I love when we get stipulation matches on TV, but this wasn’t the best match. It felt like 90% of it was outside the ring, which was a little too much for me. As Stroman was leaving, Paul Heyman was on the ramp. Stroman grabbed onto Heyman but didn’t do anything to him.

Paul Heyman Talking

Heyman had a microphone but struggled to speak. After a break, he was more able to speak. He talked about Brock Lesnar, and then a video package played that featured him. It included footage of his college wrestling and his earlier years of wrestling, and MMA photos.

Finn Balor & Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush

Finn Balor came into the ring in the next segment and talked. He was giving a generic story about representing the title or whatever until Lio Rush came out. Rush said that Bobby Lashley deserves to be the champion. Lashley came from behind and jumped Balor. Both guys picked on Balor until Ricochet came out. Ricochet saved Balor, and then after a break, we got a match. After Balor was in the ring for a long time, he started to tease tagging in Ricochet. Ricochet eventually got tagged in and went wild on everyone. Ricochet did a back 450 Splash to end the match. Ricochet didn’t get a ton of time in the ring, but showed off his skills in the time he had.

Lucha House Party (Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik) w/ Kalisto vs. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder

The next match was Lucha House Party versus Hawkins and Ryder. A week or so ago there was a segment where Ryder told Hawkins that he will get him out of his losing streak. Hawkins seemed to be somewhat in control of this match but then lost it all after Metalik on the apron distracting him, making him get put into a roll-up to end the match. Curt’s losing streak continues, but he seems to be improving.

Heavy Machinery & Lacey Evans Segment

Heavy Machinery was brought out to be interviewed. They talked about how they get the job done. During the interview, Lacey Evans walked up and down the ramp and then left, similarly to what she did the night before. Heavy Machinery walked down the ramp after, doing a chest bump at one point. They did a Bushwacker march around Evans.

The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) vs. #DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano)

The Revival fought Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano in the next match. Fun fact, all members of this match currently hold championship belts. #DIY won the match with a double team move onto Scott Dawson where Gargano did a Superkick while Ciampa did a running knee. This felt like a tough match because no matter who wins you’re making someone who should be treated important lose. We saw another promo with Kevin Owens this week. He nearly dropped his phone but picked it up. These videos feel so weird. Like, what are they getting at with this goofier Owens.

Sasha Banks and Bayley Celebrate Their Win

Sasha Banks and Bayley, who are the first women’s tag team champions, made an appearance. They both talked about their win. As they finished their segment, Nia Jax and Tamina came out. They tried to storm Banks and Bayley but were unsuccessful. The crowd went mild. Before the next segment, we saw a video package promoting DX being inducted into the Hall of Fame. We were told that the tickets for the Hall of Fame Ceremony go on-sale on Friday.

Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre

The next match was Dean Ambrose versus Drew McIntyre. Ambrose got McIntyre outside the ring an then did a dive. Back in the ring Ambrose landed a Neckbreaker. McIntyre dodged a move and then hit a Claymore Kick. Korakuen Hall crowd right now. He landed another to end the match. It’s like they’re playing a game of which WWE writer can bury Ambrose the most. We saw another video package about Brock Lesnar.

Elias vs. Aleister Black

Elias came out for a performance. Before he got to start his song, Aleister Black came out. They had their scheduled match after. Black won the match with a Black Mass Kick. This match was short but made Aleister look good. We were reminded that next week will be the Birthday Celebration for Ric Flair, live from Atlanta, GA.

Ruby Riott w/ Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan vs. Ronda Rousey (WWE RAW Women’s Championship Match)

The main event of RAW was a rematch from last night. I’m sorry, why? Riott got beat pretty decisively the night before. Riott turned a Triangle Choke into a pin attempt which made Ronda let go of it. This match went way longer than their PPV match, with Riott actually getting quite a bit of moves in. Riott tried for a move off the top rope but Rousey tried turning it into an Armbar. Riott’s buddies dragged her out but ate a Crossbody off the top rope to the outside because of it. Riott tried for a Reverse Huricanrana but got thrown into a corner instead. Rousey put in the Armbar to win the match and retain her Championship.

This was an interesting RAW. No storylines moved forward, but it wasn’t a bad episode either.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2019 Results and Review

Tonight we look at Elimination Chamber, a PPV on WWE’s Road to Wrestlemania. The show had two matches that took place in the Elimination Chamber itself. The first one crowned the inaugural WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, and in the main event, a match that had the WWE Championship on the line. Let’s take a look at the show.

Akira Tozawa vs. Buddy Murphy (WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match)

The Youtube pre-show match was Akira Tozawa versus Buddy Murphy. It feels sort of odd that the one feud that took place exclusively on the Network is having it’s match on the pre-show. Some people who don’t watch 205 Live just wouldn’t care, right? Anyways, Tozawa did a dive to the outside early on, but was caught an given a suplex. Tozawa landed a Shining Wizard for a two count. Shortly after, Tozawa reversed a Powerbomb off the second rope into a Huricanrana for another two count. He did an Inverted Huricanarana off the corner, and then two dives to the outside head first. Murphy was dragged back into the ring but got up to avoid being landed on. Murphy got hurt on the ropes, and was given a Back Senton from Tozawa which looked painful. Coming off the ropes, Tozawa was hit with a running knee. Murphy escaped a submission move and landed Murphy’s Law to retain his belt. This was a spectacular match. I don’t know much about 205 Live currently, but when I see their matches on PPV’s then tend to deliver.

Carmella & Naomi vs. Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan vs. The Iiconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay) vs. Tamina & Nia Jax vs. Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley (Women’s Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber Match)

The first match on the PPV was the Women’s Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber Match. The two tag teams that started this match were Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose and Sasha Banks & Bayley. Mandy Rose was given a good neckbreaker outside the ring from Bayley because she got her boot stuck on the cage. The first group to enter from a pod was Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan from the Riott Squad. The second team that entered was The Iiconics. They immediately tried pinning everyone in the ring since everyone was on the ground tired. After the Iiconics came Naomi and Carmella. Sidenote, but their names together work well as a team name since they’re both one-word names. Also they’re pretty good at mocking each other’s movements. Carmella was picked up by Billie Kay and almost Powerbombed off the cage and to the floor, but she reversed it into a Huricanrana. Naomi fought Mandy during this match because of their rivalry. Naomi was surprised by a roll-up pin from The Iiconics, who both pinned her. Naomi and Carmella became the first eliminations of the match. Right after, The Iiconics were surrounded by all of their opponents. Of course the final entrants were Nia Jax and Tamina.

Out of fear of the chaos, The Iiconics went back into their pod. Once Tamina and Jax realized this, they focused on The Iiconics. They were given duel Samoan Drops to be eliminated. They’re a seriously good comedy tag team. Morgan and Logan did duel Crossbodys off the top of a pod. Morgan was given a Samoan Drop off the second rope by Jax, and then Tamina did a Frogsplash onto both Riott Squad members to eliminate the team. Nia tried spearing Bayley but missed her and went through a pod. While Jax was out, Tamina was given an Elbow Drop off the top rope from Bayley. Everyone pinned and eliminated her. The final two teams were Deville & Rose, and Bayley and Banks. Banks did a Backstabber, and then Bayley did a Bayley-to-Belly onto Deville for a pin attempt. Rose came in to break up the pin. All four wrestlers went to the top of a pod. Deville was kicked off the pod, so was Bayley right after. Deville speared Bayley into a pod, but a metal bar in it, so it didn’t break. Rose drove Banks into a pod, and then did a move in the ring for a two count. Rose tried Spearing Banks, who was being held by Rose, but Sasha escaped, making Deville attack her own teammate. Banks put Deville in a Boss Statement to become the inaugural tag team champions with Bayley.

This match was pretty good. Up until the first pinfall it did feel a little slow, with a few minutes where it felt like nothing was happening at all. Also I don’t completely understand the gimmick of Banks doing nothing in tag matches on RAW the weeks before. Banks did a lot of the work in this match, so it didn’t make much sense to me. Banks and Bayley had an emotional speech afterwards.

The Miz & Shane McMahon vs. The Usos (WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match)

Before the first match, The Miz came out. He brought out Maryse, who announced that they’re having another baby. To be honest this surprised me because I was expecting him to announce another episode of their reality TV show. Pretty sure this was the sole reason why the champions entered first. Like true best friends, The Miz and Shane wore matching shirts for this match. Early on in the match Shane was hit with a Superkick while trying for a Coast-to-Coast, and then a Frogsplash for a pin that The Miz broke up. He landed a Coast-to-Coast before his second one was countered. Shane did an elbow drop off the top rope and through a commentary table later. Miz did a Skull Crush Finale but it was reversed into a roll-up to end the match. The crowd loved this but it felt weird. The finish felt a little rushed. I was surprised that they were able to get the crowd back by the end of the match since they seemed tired from the match before. The Miz helped Shane McMahon to the back.

Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush vs. Finn Balor (WWE Intercontinental Championship Match)

This next match was an interesting one was Bobby Lashley’s belt was put on the line but defended by him and Lio Rush. Balor did a dive over the top rope to both Rush and Lashley. Balor gave Rush a Coup de Grace to win the match and become the new IC Champion. Out of pure anger, Lashley gave Rush a Chokeslam afterwards.

Ruby Riott vs. Ronda Rousey (WWE RAW Women’s Championship Match)

We were shown a clip from a house show last night where Becky Lynch came from the audience to attack Charlotte Flair. Flair then came out and was interviewed by Charly Caruso. She cut a promo and then took a seat at ringside for the next match. Ronda Rousey won her championship match in short time with an Armbar. Becky Lynch came from the crowd in crutches afterwards, coming to the ring with no security stopping her. After a long time of pretending she was hurt, she took her crutches and beat Charlotte with them. After a long build she beat Rousey with her crutches too. It didn’t feel believable how long Becky had until security arrived.

Baron Corbin vs. Braun Stroman (No DQ Match)

Baron Corbin and Braun Stroman fought each other in a No DQ match next. Corbin did a Running Powerslam through a table during this match. Right after, Drew McIntyre’s music hit and he came out with a chair. When he was focused on Corbin, Lashley came from behind and attacked with a chair. McIntyre and Lashley both picked on Stroman. The three guys gave Stroman a Triple Powerbomb through two tables to win the match.

Kofi Kingston vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match)

The main event of the evening was the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship. Samoa Joe and Daniel Bryan started the match. During Bryan’s pre-match promo he got mad at the fact that Erick Rowan wasn’t allowed at ringside. Early on in this match, Bryan was cautious about Joe. He was waiting for another person to come into the match. Bryan fought with Joe until Kofi Kingston came in. Bryan climbed to the top of a pod and just sat down. Kofi hopped onto the pod and then chased Bryan onto the cage. Joe threw off Bryan, but Kofi avoided being taken down. Kofi jumped off the cage, landing back first onto Bryan and Joe. AJ Styles was the next person to enter the match. Joe was eliminated when AJ gave him a Phenomenal Forearm. Jeff Hardy came in next. Hardy did a unique Swanton Bomb off a pod and onto Styles, who was on the top turnbuckle. Bryan then gave Hardy a running knee strike to eliminate him. Randy Orton was the final person to enter. Orton landed an RKO on Styles to eliminate him. Kofi gave Orton a Trouble in Paradise to eliminate him.

The final two were Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan. Bryan and Kingston exchanged kicks. Kofi landed an SOS for a two count. The crowd was completely behind Kofi. Later on Bryan landed a running knee strike, but Kofi kicked out. Bryan tried for another but was hit with a Trouble in Paradise. Bryan turned a pin attempt into one of his own which Kofi escaped. Bryan put in the Labell Lock but Kofi made it to the ropes. They went onto a pod, where after exchanging blows, Bryan got knocked down. Kingston tried for a Frogsplash but Bryan dodged it. Bryan landed a his running knee strike to end the match. The crowd fell silent. I think this is a good example of how when you play up a fanbases dream but have no intention of actually fulfilling it, you make people feel unsatisifed. The crowd did a “thank you Kofi” chant after the match.

WWE RAW 2/11/19 Results and Review

Let’s look at the go-home show for Monday Night RAW before the Elimination Chamber PPV.

Last Week’s RAW Review

Last Week’s Smackdown Live Review

2019 Royal Rumble PPV Review

Monday Night RAW started this week with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in the ring. They hyped Sunday’s PPV. They reminded us that Becky Lynch was suspended last week after refusing to see a doctor. They tell us that Lynch saw a doctor recently, and before they finished speaking, she was coming down the ramp. HHH issued an apology to Lynch, and lifted her suspension. They shook hands, but then there was a catch. Becky could get her Wrestlemania match if Becky apologized to Stephanie. Becky was on board with this at all, saying she would fight anyone but wouldn’t apologize. As Becky tried leaving the ring Stephanie got in her face. HHH and Stephanie left the ring after telling her that she needs to apologize to get her match.

Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan w/ Ruby Riott vs. Nia Jax & Tamina

To preview the Women’s Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber Match, the three RAW teams faced each other in a tag team triple threat match. Before the commercial break there was a spot outside where Ruby Riott, who wasn’t in the match, ran Sasha Banks into a ringside barricade. Banks walked to the back after the break. This is to continue their story that Bayley has been doing all the work for their tag team. Tamina is seemingly in a position in her team where she took all the bumps. She was attacked by the Riott Squad for minutes on end, while Nia Jax might have not been slammed once in this match. When Nia was run into a ringpost, Tamina tagged herself in. She tried for a Frogsplash off the top, but Sarah Logan put her knees up to counter it. Liv Morgan and Bayley tagged in. After a big combo of moves, Bayley gave Morgan an Elbow Drop off the top for a pin that Logan broke up. She landed a Bayley-to-Belly, and then Tamina came in and kicked Bayley in the head. Jax was tagged in and hit a Samoan Drop to win the match. I would guess that Banks will do another antics thing during the Elimination Chamber match. Because of a stipulation of this match, Bayley and Sasha Banks will start first in their match on Sunday. So, not the most fan-friendly start to the show so far as a heel team won clean and a segment with Becky Lynch sort of ended boring

Elias Performs

Elias was in the ring. Before he began performing we saw on the big screen Becky Lynch and Finn Balor backstage. Balor implied that Lynch should apologize. We got re-introduced to Elias after. Did they mean to introduce him the first time? We saw a Seth Rollins video package, which cut off Elias this time. After the video package, Elias was introduced a third time. This time he was cut off by the Lucha House Party. Oh, I was duped. This was a comedy bit. Well, I guess you know it’s a good joke when it catches you like that. At this point, I realized that there were two guitars in the ring, so I’m going to predict that one or maybe two would be used as a weapon. Elias mentioned how his album wasn’t nominated for the Grammys. Kalisto says that the Lucha House Party wants to “walk with Elias.” He then performed a song about how he hates Grand Rapids. The Lucha House Party all gave his performance a thumbs down. Kalisto offered to perform. He was given the guitar, played something simple which made people cheer him on. Elias offered to do a duet, and then, of course, grabbed his second guitar and smashed it on Kalisto’s back.

Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre

Before Finn Balor’s title match this weekend, he faced Drew McIntyre on this show. His opponents on Sunday, Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush, were at ringside. When Balor went to the top rope during the match, Lashley pushed Balor off the top, making the match end via DQ. Lashley and McIntyre teamed up on Balor until Kurt Angle made the save. Angle cleaned house, putting Lio Rush in an Angle Lock. Baron Corbin came from the back to take down Angle. Braun Stroman came out to join the chaos. The heels stood on the ramp while we went to commercials.

Finn Balor, Braun Stroman & Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre & Baron Corbin

Hmm, I wonder what they are going to do with this even number of guys all in ring gear. Of course an impromptu tag match was made. Lashley gave Balor a move to end the match (or so we thought) after Lio Rush played as a distraction. Balor put his leg up to end a pinfall, but the referee did not see it. Another ref came out to correct this, making the match restart. At some point Stroman was thrown over the barricade and stayed there for a long time. He eventually got up and went on a roll against all of his opponents. Angle gave Corbin a German Suplex on the floor. Lashley and Stroman were the legal competitors, with Stroman landing a Running Powerslam and then tagging in Finn Balor for a Coup de Grace that ended the match. It was fun to see how much the crowd loved this ending. But other than that, this felt boring. I’m so over the Kurt Angle thing.

Nikki Cross vs. Ruby Riott

After the next match we saw a promo from Kevin Owens. He was in a bowling alley. He talked about how he doesn’t know what brand he will be on, but will be back in a month. During the match we saw Ronda Rousey tell Becky Lynch to apologize. Riott won the match with a kick of some sort. I don’t understand why Riott had to face Cross. Like, I get that she should win a match since she’s facing Rousey on Sunday, but why against Cross, who just debuted?

Seth Rollins Reflects and Looks Forward

Seth Rollins came out to talk about his recent success and his upcoming match with Brock Lesnar. He was cut off by Paul Heyman, who introduced Brock Lesnar. Well, Lesnar actually didn’t show up despite being called out by his mouthpiece. Heyman cut a promo, and then Seth told him that he will do anything to win. After Heyman left, Dean Ambrose came to the ring and gave Rollins words of encouragement. Ambrose part was weird, but the rest was fine.

Dean Ambrose vs. EC3

EC3 faced Dean Ambrose in the next match. This match was presumably set up because of EC3 being roasted by Ambrose on Alexa’s talk show last week. Ambrose won via roll-up, to no reaction from the audience. Alexa Bliss played the devil on Becky Lynch’s shoulder backstage, telling her to not say sorry. Lynch didn’t buy Bliss’ advice, thinking that only encouraged her to not apologize so that her Wrestlemania spot would be available.

Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) (WWE RAW Tag Team Championship Match)

The next match was Bobby Roode and Chad Gable versus The Revival. Gable and Roode are the champions but it doesn’t feel like anyone knows them. It was sad to hear Roode’s music hit but seemingly not have a single person in the audience singing it. Before we went to a break, Gable did a Moonsault off the ropes to the outside onto The Revival. Much later into the match, Roode hit a Spinebuster on Scott Dawson for a two count. Gable went off the ropes but was hit with a Shatter Machine to end the match. The finish was great, and the match was great, but why are The Revival champs? It felt like this was just done so people don’t think that this go-home show was pointless.

Becky Apolgizes

The final segment of the show was Becky Lynch meeting with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Just like before, they wanted Lynch to apologize. Lynch eventually apologized, solving the issue between her and the duo. But this didn’t solve her apparent issue with Vince McMahon, who came out and said he wasn’t satisfied by the apology. He suspended her for 60 days, which takes her off the Wrestlemania show. Vince announced Charlotte Flair as her replacement. Okay, I understand that they want to build to a triple threat match, but I don’t get the story behind this. It’s like they started the script for this show today and said “Okay, we need Charlotte in the picture immediately.”