Major Monday Night

             I am so happy be an active part of WWE's ThunderDome. Never so more than last night. 

            Monday night is when WWE tapes Friday night's Main Event. If you weren't part of the ThunderDome, then you missed two epic surprise matches.

            By the end of this week, fans will see the Main Event debut of NXT champs Bronson Reed and Karrion Kross!

            Bronson Reed goes up against Drew Gulak. The 330 pound colossal North American champion gave the technical terminator a run for his money. At one point, Reed swats Gulak out of the air like an annoying fly. Drew is nothing to sneeze out. The man is an excellent wrestler. However, Bronson Reed proved resistant to all of Drew Gulak's skills. A Samoan drop and then a tsunami off the top rope was the winning combination for the champ.

            Just when I thought Bronson was the stellar surprise of the evening, here comes the opponent for Shelton Benjamin...Karrion Kross! My jaw hit the floor. What the greatness is going on? Two NXT champs debuting on Main Event! This was an awesome match that I would never have dreamed up. I have said on more than one occasion that we will see Kross on the main roster by, if not, at the WWE draft later this year. Amuse-bouche action for fans everywhere. Signature Kross jacket secured on Shelton and it was over. One glaring note about the match was the absence of Scarlett.

            Scarlett is the real life girlfriend of Karrion. She usually accompanies him to the ring in dramatic fashion but not last night. I have always wondered about Scarlett. Despite having a professional wrestling background, she currently serves as Kross' valet. Other than being lead-in eye candy who sometimes speaks in promos, what purpose does she really serve? I have no memory of her ever getting involved in her boyfriend's matches. Maybe WWE is setting up to have her join the main roster as a competitor. Now onto Monday Night Raw.

            What an evening of mind-blowin' and head-scratching moments. Raw opens with the VIP Lounge. MVP, Lashley and his ladies enter the ring to toast Bobby's previous night's win at Hell in a Cell. I am over the ladies but I understand why they are part of the champ's storyline. As long as they keep appearing on tv, I'm keeping an eye on Mia Lantz. According to her Twitter account, she is a professional fitness life coach. Let's see if the company does anything with her besides using her as a hand model for Bobby's shoulder.

            Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods interrupt the celebration by coming down the ramp with a catering cart of dry toast. They frisbeed the "toast" into the ring as their way of celebrating Lashley. I love their playful sense of humor. After all the jaw-jacking, it is so declared that Woods will have a Hell in a Cell match later in the evening against Lashley. Kofi, on the other hand will face "Bob" at Money in the Bank next month. 

            More than having a Hell in the Cell match on prime time tv, it was also an evening of Money in the Bank qualifying matches. 

            First qualifying match was AJ Styles v Ricochet. Both men thrive on an up tempo style. The first half goes to AJ. Every time Ricochet picked up some momentum, AJ countered. Things changed in the second half when the Viking Raiders made their way down to the ring and immediately go after AJ's tag partner, Omos. Ivar and Erik send Omos through the barricade. This was enough of a distraction for Ricochet to pick up the win and become the first qualifier for next month's pay-per-view.

            Second men's qualifier match was between John Morrison and Randy Orton, sans the goatee. The viper is molting. The goatee was a welcomed facial feature in his storyline with Riddle but I have a suspicion that going back to his classic look will soon result in Randy giving his tag partner a RKO. As much as I enjoy the odd couple team of RK-Bro, I miss Orton on his own. 

            Morrison's strategy was to exploit the well documented shoulder injuries of Orton. Yet, Randy is still able to repeatedly slam John's head into the announce table. Clotheslines and slaps across the chest reminds John he is in the ring with the viper. Just when Orton is about to hit the RKO, the Miz and his "drip stick" get involved prompting Matt Riddle to come down to the ring. It was a hysterical low speed chase around the ring with Riddle on his scooter and Miz in his wheelchair.

            Back in the ring, Morrison executes his signature Starship Pain to get the upset win over Orton. John Morrison is the second superstar to qualify for Money in the Bank. 

            Matt Riddle would make another appearance later in the evening when he faced Drew McIntyre in the third men's qualifying match. Although I would have booked Riddle v Morrison and Orton v McIntyre, I was pleasantly surprised with the matches. 

            Drew in a qualifying match 24 hours after surviving a brutal Hell in a Cell match assured him the title: Lion of Scotland. Riddle's obvious strategy was to target Drew's battered back. I felt the pain in his face every time he arched in agony. Despite feeling uncomfortable watching one of my favorite superstars suffer for his craft, I knew he would get in a few good licks. Belly to bellies, powerbombs and good old fashion slaps were released from the reserve of McIntyre onto Riddle. Valiant effort by Drew but he loses in an upset. Matt Riddle earns a spot in next month's Money in the Bank. 

            The mind-blowin' events continued with the ladies. However, I want to touch on some thought provoking mic drop moments.

            First, the "D" word was dropped. Piper Niven of NXT UK fame was dubbed Doudrop by Eva Marie. The look on Piper's face was priceless. I don't see it lasting long because Niven tried to say her name when Eva interrupted her. What an epic day it will be when she truly walks away from Eva and screams "My name is Piper Niven!"

            Their MITB qualifying match against the colorful duo of Asuka and Naomi, was over quickly. Eva starts in the ring but quickly tags in her partner before any action begins. Piper does what she does best and just when she is about to fly off the ropes, Eva tags herself in. Thinking Naomi was out for the count, she attempts to reap a win from the hard work of her partner. Not having it, Nivens jumps off the apron, leaving Eva with a check mark in the loss column. Naomi and Asuka are heading to Money in the Bank. 

            Second, Nikki Cross is now a superhero. She debuted her new look fully loaded with cape and mask. Initially, I thought it was a step down but then she got in the ring and she was still Nikki. Her chaotic and positive energy is all she needs to be forever entertaining to watch. Nikki inexplicably teams up with the villain herself Alexa Bliss. Their opponents are Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. 

            My brain was short circuiting during this MITB qualifying match. Nikki has a new look. Alexa has new entrance music. And in the end, they pick up the win against the former tag champs. 

            Final moment with the women touched on the disqualification of Rhea Ripley at her Hell in a Cell match with Charlotte Flair. Rhea was DQ'ed because she used the apron of the announce table as a weapon against Charlotte. Since when is that a disqualification? Randy repeatedly slammed John Morrison's head into that same announce desk tonight and the ref didn't call for the bell. Rhea is right when she says that she is being held to a different set of rules. As a result, a rematch has been granted for next month's pay-per-view.

            The main event of the evening was a Hell in the Cell match between Xavier Woods and Bobby Lashley. Bobby is 24 hours removed from his Hell in a Cell match against Drew McIntyre. What a specimen of an athlete to have two cage matches two nights in a row. This man has boulders where us mere mortals have muscles. 

            Lashley was the aggressor right out of the gate. Be that as it may, Woods brought the fight to the champ. Compliments of Xavier, "Bob" found himself dancing with chairs, tables, kendo sticks and ring posts. So happy this wasn't a one sided match but it did have a predictable ending. A chair to the head, a spear and a Hurt Lock submission gives Lashley the win. All around an epic night.

            I cannot wait for WWE to get back on the road in front of live audiences. Just 24 more days to go. The energy of the fans instead of piped in audio. A tangible WWE Universe instead of LED screens.  And the anticipation of big storylines, momentous surprises and eagerly awaited returns. 

#BringBackBraun