SmackDown 7-23-21

            There is a new episode of SmackDown tonight. But I am still catching up on wrestling, so this post will be talking about last week's episode.

            First, we are in Ohio and once again, I find myself exhaling at the site of a live audience. However, Cena opens the show and I find myself wanting a commercial. I understand what the company is doing now that the days of the ThunderDome are over, but his time is over, it is not now.

            Apparently, he has come back to challenge Roman Reigns at SummerSlam for the gold. If that happens, I'm rooting for Roman. Praise God, Paul Heyman interrupts Cena's monologue. The advocate assures Cena that he will get an answer, when and only when, the Tribal Chief decides. He then goes on to musically mimic John's entrance music. Heyman is a true master of his craft.

            First match of the evening is Finn Balor verses Sami Zayn. I never thought Balor would be back on the main roster. Now that he is back, I prefer not to see him as the Demon. Just show us fans why you're The Prince.

            Sami has the upper hand to begin with a wrist lock take down into an arm bar. Then a series of vicious lefts and rights only to have Finn return the favor. Sami turned things around again by slamming Balor's head into the ring post and then goes for the pin. Finn fights back with a sling blade. After some back and forth between these former NXT champions, Balor heads to the top rope for the Coup de Grace and the win.

            Now for Mr. Money in the Back. I love saying that! And I love hearing a live crowd chanting "You deserve it!" What I didn't like was the interruption from Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez. Then things turn around with another interruption from the tag team champions, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. The interruptions continue with Rick Boogs and King Nakamura. One more for good measure, here comes Cesaro. I thought I could smell where this is going. I was hoping for an eight man tag match. Instead, it was just momentary chaos in the ring.

            Next, we head over to the world's largest hip hop festival - Rolling Loud at Miami Gardens hosted by Wale. With over 200,000 fans chanting "We want the smoke!", here come the Street Profits. It's so good to see Montez Ford back after his recent surgery. But this is not a tag team match up. Instead this is a singles competition between Angelo Dawkins and Chad Gable. Gable's strategy was to target the left arm that Otis recently injured. With encouragement from Wale and Ford on the outside, Dawkins gets the win. 

            Next is a championship re-match between Bianca Belair and Carmella. Why? Am I the only one who feels like this is a place marker feud until some of the M.I.A. superstars come back. Carmella will never be the one who takes the gold from Bianca. With a K.O.D., Belair retains. Duh....

            Back to Ohio for the Rated R Superstar. From the center of the ring, Edge laments about how he should be the new Universal Champion. Calling out Seth Rollins, he proclaims vengeance on the one who cost him the win. Rollins answers the verbal assault and fires back. He declares his intention to end the fairy tale come back story with a boot to the back of the hall of famer's surgically repaired neck. Edge has had enough and puts hands on Seth. He tries to execute his signature spear but Rollins flees.

            Toni Storm is next and makes her debut on SmackDown in a bout against Zelina Vega. I just want to see Vega get her ass kicked. And sure enough she did. Storm gets the win via a Storm One. The red rooster wannabe still has not won a match since her return.

            The new tag team title holders, The Usos, make their way to the ring for a singles competition. Jimmy Uso will be facing Dominik Mysterio. 

            Dom goes right after Jimmy. The veteran Uso is able to turn things around when he causes the young Mysterio to fall awkwardly on the top rope. After the commercial break, Dom regains momentary control with a neck breaker followed by a 619. It would be counter for counter until Jimmy picks up the win with yet another assist from his twin.

            As the Usos are making their way back up the ramp, Roman Reigns' music hits. Here comes Roman making his way down to the ring to answer John Cena's challenge. The Universal Champion's rant had one of the best lines that I have ever heard. He said that listening to John upon his return to WWE was  "a nostalgic 2005 John Cena....... like missionary position every night". He says no to Cena's SummerSlam challenge, so The Prince, Finn Balor, serves up a challenge of his own. The crowd is chanting "Roman's scared!". Reigns answers with a simple "Challenge accepted." I'm going to love this. The first ever Universal Champion feuding with the current Universal Champion at SummerSlam.

#BringBackBraun

NXT 7-20-21

            Summer continues to be in full swing here in New England. Repainting the inside of my home and steam cleaning the rugs has me behind on my wrestling. Just finished watching last week's "provoking" NXT, so let's get to it.

            "Tick tock. Tick tock. Guess who's come to smash your clock!" An irate Samoa Joe has words with GM William Regal regarding Karrion Kross. With Kross on his way to the arena, Joe prophesizes that someone will be going to sleep.

            The first match of the evening was a tag team bout featuring Tyler Rust and Roderick Strong of the Diamond Mine. They get ambushed by their opponents Kushida and Bobby Fish on the way to the ring. Diamond Mine members have control of Bobby Fish to start the match. After absorbing much punishment, Fish is able to tag in Kushida with the help of a spine buster. This was a fast moving match-up. With former team member Bobby and Roderick on the outside, Rust taps out to Kushida in the center of the ring.

            Kyle O'Reily is up next and he squares up against Austin Theory. I loved that Theory came to the ring solo. His skill set is improving and I hope that leads him back to the main roster. Austin had an answer for most of Kyle's moves. I was happily surprised to see Theory in command for the majority of the match but it would not be enough. The Muay Thai experience of O'Reily gave him the win via a submission. I found myself wanting that upset win for Austin watching this feud. And I do hope that this is a feud that continues without the voices of The Way. 

            The Breakout Tournament continues with Andre Chase verses Odyssey Jones. Sometimes you can tell just by the way an athlete comes to the ring, who is going to win. I immediately got a Mark Henry vibe from Jones and truthfully predicted his win. Chase showcased an impressive in ring intelligence and took advantage of his environment. He slams Jones into a steel pillar. He then perfectly executes a moonsault. The way he landed on his opponent was like two puzzles pieces fitting together. Absolutely textbook. But in the end, it would be Mr. Jones that advances. He now joins fellow qualifier Duke Hudson. I wonder how long this tournament is going to run. 

            Yawwwwn......I mean Raquel Gonzalez is up next and she battles Xia Li for the gold. I don't know what it is about the NXT Women's Champion, but I find no enjoyment watching her in the ring. I think I find Raquel to be more of a brute than a wrestler. I am rooting for Xia all the way.

            Li focused heavily on the left leg of the champ. Smart strategy to take a tower off its base. However, Gonzalez comes off the second rope and crashes down on the challenger right across the mid section. There is a pause in the match so that medical staff can assess the situation and deems her fit to continue. Like a shark in bloody waters, the champ slams Li into the mat and picks up the win. 

            Now for my favorite part of the evening. LA Knight accompanied by his "butler" Cameron Grimes goes up against Drake Maverick. I am so happy to see Drake in action. It seems like forever since he's been in the squared circle. Grimes' only task during the match is to hold high the million dollar belt high on the outside. Multiple times, LA takes his eyes off his opponent to remind Cameron of his one and only task. It was this behavior that would cost Knight the match. While reprimanding Cameron, Knight's face is pushed into the diamond crusted belt by Maverick who then picks up the win.   

            Ever the sore loser, LA blames his butler and attacks Drake. Cameron comes to the aid of Maverick and tries to get Knight to leave the ring. Battling with his conscience, Grimes reluctantly follows the directive of his employer and punches Drake in the face. The CWC audience was not happy. Please don't turn on my Trevor Lee. The arch of this storyline will soon come and then we all will be going TO THE MOON!

            The evening ends the way it began. With an angry Samoa Joe in the center of the ring, Karrion answers the enforcer's call on the Jumbo Tron. Declaring that he can go anywhere and do anything he wants, we see Regal unconscious on the asphalt as Kross speeds off into the night. 

#BringBackBraun 

            

    

              

Raw after Money in the Bank

             I have always found the Raw episode after a pay-per-view exciting so let's dive in.

            John Cena has returned and he opened the show. I personally do not enjoy watching him but, love him or hate him, the man knows how to hype up a crowd. He called Roman Reigns an A-hole! Censors may have bleeped Cena but they couldn't silence the live audience. It will be curious what he has to say to the Universal champ this Friday at SmackDown. 

            The first match of the evening is the team of Matt Riddle and The Viking Raiders verses AJ Styles, Omos and John Morrison. Styles and Riddle start the contest. Great action but my favorite part was watching Morrison get sandwiched by the Vikings on the outside. Back inside the ring, AJ and Erik go at it with a phenomenal blitz of strikes. I can hear, and subliminally feel, just how powerful those leg kicks are. Incredibly impressive but after much energy spent, they each catch a reprieve from one of their respective partners. John and Ivar are now trading moves. Ivar is so powerful and agile for a man of his size. John tries to execute Starship Pain off the top rope but misses. Before a winner can be declared in this contest, a predictable event takes place. Morrison's sidekick, The Miz, "kind of "gets involved with his "drip stick".

            Riddle, comes around the ring, steals a water filled drip stick from Miz and squirts the giant Omos. When Omos turns around, Riddle is gone and Miz is left holding his stick. The big guy leaves the apron and slowly makes his way to Miz. Morrison gets in-between them only to get thrown back into the ring by an angry giant. AJ then tries to slow his irate partner down which leaves John alone in the ring with the Vikings who pick up the win.. 

            The queen is up next wearing her newly earned championship gold. Yada, yada, yada, "I can beat Rhea Ripley any night of the week..."... here comes Rhea. She issues a challenge for tonight which Charlotte quickly declines. However, Adam Pearce and Sonya DeVille come out and makes a title rematch official.

            But before that can happen, it's time for my favorite fella. The United States Champion Sheamus squares up against Humberto Carrillo. It was 2 months ago that Humberto broke the nose of the champ. Carrillo is showing a lot of fiery guts going after Sheamus. The Celtic Warrior turns things around after his opponent tries to take off his protective mask. Sheamus is so powerful. His strikes are just echoing throughout the arena. He goes for a second Dublin smile but his opponent is smart enough to bite the champ's fingers to change the momentum in his favor. It's an illegal but effective move. Carrillo then flies through the ropes to launch Sheamus over the announce table. This would all be short lived because the champ demonstrates why he is the champ. It takes a moment but the fella finds his way back. With one Brogue kick, he scores another victory over Carrillo.

            Succeeding this match is a promo by Bobby Lashley and MVP. I tuned out until Bobby asks "Who is it going to be to accept the open challenge?" Keith Lee is back!!!!!!!!! This powerhouse has been out of action since January 2021. And now he is going up against Lashley in a championship contenders match. 

            Keith is all power and glory and he is a fitting opponent for Bobby. Lashley had trouble muscling up Lee. He does, however, try to go for the Hurt Lock. There was no way he was going to hook it on a man of Lee's frame. It would be with a spear that the champ picks up the win. I'm not mad that Lee lost on his first night back. I'm just happy he is back. 

              The surprises didn't end there, While the champ is celebrating his win, Goldberg's music hits. The Hall of Famer has returned and he makes a bee line for Bobby Lashley. I am a huge fan of Goldberg. He gets directly in the face of  Lashley and delivers a simple and effective message: "I'm next!" This fan is so ready to see these gladiators go at it. 

            For those of you who follow me regularly, I mentioned in my May 7th post that I would share my disappointment regarding a promoted match between Mahal and Lesner that never happened. 

            It was 2017 and for the first time ever, I was dating a fellow wrestling fan. As we were driving to dinner, I mentioned that I was excited to see the feud between Jinder and Brock. His response: "It's never going to happen." Shocked, I asked "Why not?" and he just kept saying that is was never going to happen. And sure enough he was right. I don't know how, because he wouldn't explain, but he was right.   

            Speaking of The Monday Night Maharaja, as I like to call him, he is in the ring flanked by Veer and Shanky. Shanky is singing Happy Birthday to Jinder when Drew McIntyre comes up from behind and attacks Mahal with a steel chair. He then goes after Veer and then Shanky. Poor Shanky, he gets absolutely brutalized with the steel chair across the back while Jinder and Veer have made it up the ramp. This is where the genius of Corey Graves comes into play. 

            Graves: "Where's Tito and Jermaine?"

The chair is completely mangled. So the Scottish Warrior grabs a fresh chair from the outside and continues the slaughter.  Twenty times across the back of Shanky and there is instant bruising. 

            Now it is time for the Harbinger of Sorrow to make his debut on Raw sans Scarlett. His opponent is Jeff Hardy. The future Hall of Famer comes to the ring rejuvenated with the return of his "No More Words" entrance theme music. Karrion thinks he is going to dominate the veteran in this match but Hardy changes his plans. He sends Kross shoulder first into the ring post. That is enough for him to hit the Twist of Fate and then a power bomb to secure the win. It is inevitable that Karrion is moving up to the main roster. Did the NXT champ pick up a "L" at his Raw debut as a way to set up a losing streak storyline that has him parting with the gold?

             To cap off the evening, Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley have their championship title re-match. From the bell, both athletes unleash fury on each other. Ripley wants the match over quickly but Flair is a chess player. The champ targets the knee of her opponent. Rhea fights through the agony and the pain. She even gets a the figure four on the champ and hits the Riptide and goes for the pin. The ring awareness of Charlotte allows her to get her foot on the rope to break the count. Flair would retain her title for a few minutes longer after she gets disqualified for hitting Rhea with the belt. After the bell, Nikki Cross runs to the ring to cash in her MITB contract. From the top rope, she flies with a cross body onto Charlotte Flair and just like that, we have a new champion. That was a fun and unexpected way to end Monday Night Raw.

#BringBackBraun 

NXT 07-13-2021

            It's summertime and I'm a week behind on my NXT. Just finished watching last week's episode via Hulu and here are my thoughts.

            The evening started off with a grudge match between Ember Moon and Dakota Kai. Back and forth side headlocks to begin the match. Kai tries to end the match earlier with 4 unsuccessful pin attempts. Ember soars through the ropes to slam Dakota into the barricade. Back in the ring the action continues with Gonzalez on the outside yelling "You're nothing without Shotzi!" One more kick to the face by Kai to Moon and she picks up the win. I appreciate both women's athletic abilities.

            The action didn't stop there. Xia Li comes out after the match and gets in the face of Raquel Gonzalez. Li issued the challenge for Raquel's gold. Let's see if Mr. Regal gives his blessing. 

            Next, a million dollar promo skit. Cameron Grimes debuts as LA Knight's butler. He gets a mini make-over before his duties start. I love Trevor Lee. He is so good at, not only his wrestling abilities, but also embracing the necessary qualities to get his character over. Even as domestic help, the man has style. He is still wearing his cowboy boots in a tux. Next we learn that the millionaire butler has delegated his chores to a young kid while he lounges poolside in his Calvin Klein skivvies, cowboy boots and white gloves. I didn't realize that was a fantasy I needed. Thank you WWE. 

            

          

            Following the fantasy is the match between Santos Escobar (accompanied by Wilde and Mendoza) and Dexter Lumis. I'm rooting for the unflinching Lumis. A man of action and no words. He is an athlete in the vein of The Fiend and Alexa Bliss but Dexter is the one that I can tolerate. 

            Early in the match, Santos goes to the outside to regroup, Dexter goes under the ring and travels to the other side to pull Escobar under by his feet. His efforts are fruitless thanks to Santo's entourage. Back in the ring, Escobar has control of the action. Lumis catches his breath and hits his opponent with punches and a clothesline followed by a running bulldog. With interference from the outside, Santos Escobar is able to regain control and win the match with the help of the phantom driver. 

              Next, Duke Hudson squares up against Ikemen Jiro in the first round of the Breakout Tournament. At the announce table, Wade Barrett comments that Duke looks like a younger version of himself and I have to agree. 

            Interesting to watch Jiro compete in one of his signature blazers. Hudson, on the other hand, is focused on getting the job done. Boss Man Slam wins the first round for Duke Hudson. 

            The main event of the evening is for the NXT Championship. Johnny Gargano challenges Karrion Kross with Samoa Joe as the special referee. Karrion has to drop the belt to someone before he moves up to the main roster. I'm okay with it being Johnny. Kross is such a beast of an athlete and I love that he has kept the gladiator attire that he debuted back at NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver. 

            Johnny lays into the champ before the bell. The challenger throws caution to the wind but the champ comes back with full power. He picks up Johnny like a ragdoll and slams his back into the announce table. Here's where my brain plays the "What If" game. What if one day Karrion Kross faces Bobby Lashley in the ring? That would be epic. 

            Back in the squared circle, Johnny executes a slingshot spear on the champ and sends him outside the ring into the barricade. Gargano's plan is all high risk and, hopefully, high reward. 

            The champion is able to get the Kross Jacket submission on his opponent who immediately counters with a submission of his own. Kross beasts out and gets the Jacket back on Gargano. Johnny gets to the ropes before passing out and the ref calls for the break but Karrion refuses to break. Samoa Joe pulls Kross off of Gargano. They lock eyes for a moment but the champ keeps his cool. 

            Action moves to the outside where Karrion repeatedly slams Johnny head into the plexiglass barrier. He then gives Joe a disrespectful gesture before picking up the steel steps to use on his nearly lifeless opponent. Samoa Joe blocks his efforts and now their nose to nose again. This opens up an opportunity for Johnny to attempt a pin. Champ counters with insane power bombs and one final European forearm to the back of the head of Johnny to retain his title. 

            The feud continues with Joe and Karrion after the bell. Joe tries to be the better man and leave the ring. Kross is determined to settle their issues with a Kross Jacket from behind. Samoa Joe is out. Until next week....

#BringBackBraun

Money in the Bank Results and Reactions

            I want today's post to end on a positive note, so let's start with the worst that WWE fed us last night.  

            PEACOCK SUCKS! PEACOCK SUCKS! PEACOCK SUCKS! Ever since WWE "leased" exclusive streaming rights to NBC Universal, there have been consistent hosting issues. NBC is still going through thousands of hours of WWE content and literally editing out wrestling history. Anytime there is a live pay-per-view, their stream always pixelates and then they go to black whenever something they deem "offensive" in real time happens. It was especially horrible last night right before the Men's Money in the Bank ladder match and Twitter was angry. The "glitch" lasted for at least 20 minutes. I suggested that WWE get a refund on their deal and then send someone over to NBC to choke slam a suit on behalf of the fans. Even Mark Henry was willing to kick someone's ass for the nonsense.

            WWE needs to have their lawyers go through their agreement with NBC with a fine tooth comb and find the loop hole that lets them out of this deal. 

Re-establish WWE Network in North America and put back all the content that NBC removed for arbitrary reasons and let wrestling history stand in its original state - warts and all. We are grown folks who can make decisions about what we want to view with our money on a paid streaming service. It pains me that I give money to such an inferior product and I want a credit on my account for the foreseeable future. This is unacceptable Peacock and I Stone Cold salute you. 

            The main event of the night was Edge v. Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. It was a slow burn of a match to start then the intensity began. A slugfest of blows from both athletes eventually led to Edge getting the cross face on Roman. Edge also gets in the first spear and sends the champ exploding through the barricade. The Rated R Superstar then carries Roman back into the ring for an unsuccessful cover. A Super Man punch sends the challenger into the ref. It was a weak sell but I understood the set-up. Sans a ref, the Usos try to interfere in the match but their efforts are thwarted by Dominik and Rey Mysterio. Then comes Seth Rollins out of nowhere and kicks Edge in the head which costs him a win over Roman. I am happy to see that this means Edge will be around for a little while longer in a feud with Rollins. What I am not happy with is what happened next.

            It was highly speculated that Goldberg would appear last night. Although he didn't, he will in the future per his contract. Instead, John Cena came out at the end of the final match and locked eyes with Roman. 

            WWE fans don't need Cena. We need Braun Strowman, Keith Lee, Randy Orton, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Brock Lesner, CM Punk, The Rock, Bray Wyatt, etc. I'd even take Doink at this point.

            Another championship match was between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair. Before any action begins, Charlotte gives the middle finger to the crowd as they chant "We want Becky". Peacock fades to black for a few seconds because of this. If you can't shield the live crowd from such a moment, don't do it to us paying customers at home. PEACOCK SUCKS!

            Great action and counters in this bout. Charlotte focused on the left knee of the champ. At one point she wedges it between the ring post and steel steps before attacking it. How is this not a disqualification? Rhea Ripley is right when she says she is held to a different set of rules. The Queen is able to get the figure 8 leg lock on Ripley to win the gold via a tap out. Where are you going with this WWE?

            There was one other title change last night and it happened during the kick-off show. Rey and Dominik Mysterio defended their tag titles against The Usos. Jimmy and Dominik start the match with a collar and elbow lock up. Dom does a great job for his first pay per view in front of a live audience. At one point, he goes for a cross body off the top rope but gets caught by the twins who proceed to slam him into the barricade. Dom catches his breath and tags in his father. Super kicks, 619s and high flying action has the crowd chanting "This is awesome". My heart so wanted the Mysterios to retain but I said in a previous post that the the Usos were going to win the gold. Jimmy and Jey are known for dancing the line of disqualification and that is how they stole the gold last night. 

            Jimmy pins Rey in the corner and is able to keep him pinned with leverage of his brother's feet to his back out of sight of the ref. 

            Just two more feuds before I get to the ladder matches. The first has The Viking Raiders squaring up against AJ Styles and Omos for the Raw Tag Team Championship belts. 

            Omos executes pain on both Vikings to start. Both teams are equally matched and the WWE Universe showed equal appreciation. In the end, the champs would retain.

            The next match was between Kofi Kingston and Bobby Lashley. This was a very uncomfortable match to match. Lashley just absolutely discards and dominates Kingston like a rag doll. Despite the mauling from the champ, I kept waiting for that magical moment when Kofi would catch his second wind. Sadly, it never came. Bobby ruthlessly retains his title via a submission. Will Kofi-Mania 2.0 ever happen?

            Now for the two namesake battles. First up are the ladies. It is Asuka, Liv Morgan, Zelina Vega, Nikki Cross, Nattie, Taminia, Alexa Bliss and Naomi. Eight women vying for the briefcase that can change the course of your career. Before I get to the action, I want to visit the entrances and ring gear. 

            I heard crickets for the introductions of Nikki, Zelina and Tamina. Naomi had the biggest positive reaction of all the competitors. She also had the best outfit. The worst in ring gear goes to Liv Morgan. Those nipple chains ruined what could have been a decent look. 

            All women immediately go for a ladder except Alexa. She stays in the ring and tries to use "mystical powers" to bring the briefcase down to her. Is this getting over with anyone? She can hypnotize people to do what she wants them to do but can't get herself out from under a pile of ladders. 

            With Bliss out if the picture, 6 of the 7 other competitors climb the three side by side ladders in the ring. Six women are duking it out when Nikki scurries up the center ladder to claim the contract in the briefcase. Within my June 30, 2021 post, I said that I hoped that the metamorphosis Nikki was going through would all be worth it. Time will tell. I personally don't agree with the outcome of the match. Asuka should have won in order to set up a full circle moment with Becky Lynch. Oh well, not all wishes come true.

            The men's ladder match was my favorite of the night. I said yesterday that my heart wanted either Drew McIntyre or Big E to win but I was worried WWE would give the opportunity to Rollins. I should have gone with my heart on Draft Kings because then I would have gotten 7 of my 8 picks correct. 

            I re-watched this match today because I missed so much of the beginning due to Peacock's seizure last night. I loved seeing Ettore and Drew throw down something fierce. I love watching two bulls go at it especially when I love both individuals. I never know who to root for but I am very much glued to my screen. 

                                            

            The other moment that I appreciated was Jinder Mahal, Veer and Shanky getting involved and literally dragging McIntyre out of the arena. I am going to love this feud. 

            But the highlight of the evening was definitely Big E successfully getting his hands on the briefcase. With a Big Ending on Rollins from the top of the ladder, Ettore gets his long overdue push and recognition.

Maybe Goldberg comes back to fight E for one night? That would be enjoyable.

            Great job WWE!     

#BringBackBraun

               

SmackDown before Money in the Bank

            We're back!!! After 70 weeks of isolation, 14,496 members of the WWE Universe are ringside at a sold out Toyota Center in Houston, TX. Thank you Vince for strutting out like only you can to greet us.

            What a difference to hear a live reaction for the opening 6 man tag match. WWE SmackDown Champion Roman Reigns and the Usos square up against Rey, Dominik and Edge. This is Dominik Mysterio's first match ever in front of a live audience. 

            Jey Uso starts the match with an ambush against Edge. Quick tags by the challengers has the beginning of the match in their favor. Then Roman gets into the action and goes to work on Dominik. The champ power bombs his younger opponent into the announce table. After a commercial break, Edge gets in a spear on Roman on the outside. The competition comes to an end when Jey Uso gets the win over Rey with the help of a handful of tights. But that is not the end of the action. The Usos continue their assault on the Mysterios until Edge brings in the equalizing effects of a steel chair. Then a Super Man punch from the champ to Edge. But a second spear from Edge puts the big down into position for a cross face submission that causes Roman to tap. My heart wants Edge to win tonight at MITB but my gut says Roman will retain.

.    

            Sami Zayn is up next and his rant works so much better in front of a crowd. Thankfully we are put out of his misery by the interruption of the Prince Finn Balor. What a genuine surprise! But is The Balor Club back on SmackDown or is this just a stopover? I have always said that he fits better in NXT. With a brief beatdown on Sami, that's all she wrote folks.

            Now it is time to TANK care of business. Teagan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart come down the ramp and cannon a tee shirt into audience. They have a rematch between the SmackDown tag champs Nattie and Tamina. Zelina "Red Rooster" Vega and Liv Morgan flank Pat and Michael as they watch this match from the announce table. 

            Tamina and Shotzi start this tag championship contender match. The tag champs dominate the majority of the match. Nox gets tagged in and turns the momentum in her favor. However that is not the only fight happening. Morgan and Vega get into it on the outside. Morgan dominates the "yet to win a match since her return" Vega. Inside the ring, Nox rolls up Nattie for their second win in a row. The champs are not happy with the loss due to outside distraction and they go after Liv and Zelina. I appreciate the build up to MITB but Asuka is going to win the briefcase tonight. 

            The other women in action tonight are Carmella and Bianca Belair. This is a championship match that makes no sense to me. Bianca was originally scheduled to defend her title against Bayley until a knee injury took the challenger out for at least the next nine months. Taking it off of Sunday's card and seemingly picking an opponent at random doesn't work for me. Belair should have had to defend at MITB with a surprise challenger because a champ should be able to defend their title anywhere, anytime and against anyone. Instead, we have Carmella and Belair on Friday night. 

            The outcome seems obvious from the onset. The champ will retain and she does. There was nothing spectacular about this match. It just happened and now it's in the rearview.  

            Next we have Otis v. Cesaro. I still do not like Nikola's new look or attitude but he is successful in getting his Otis character over. My heart is rooting for Cesaro all the way. The match ends in a DQ in favor of Cesaro due to an interference by Chad Gable. Gable pays for his infraction by going for a swing compliments of The Swiss Cyborg. Otis comes to the aid of Chad and slams 330 pounds into Cesaro. Is this a new feud now that Seth seems to be going after Edge?

            Of all the promos tonight, my favorite had to be by Baron Corbin. He comes to the ring to make a special announcement. Since losing the crown to Nakamura, Corbin has faced many financial troubles. Introducing the Corbin Fund Me page. The WWE Universe can help Baron reach his $100,000 goal via online donation. He gets interrupted by the music of Kevin Owens. In true KO fashion, he plants a stunner on the former king. KO has business to take care of in the fatal 4 way ladder match next. 

            It's Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura, Big E and Seth Rollins. It was absolutely great to see the fans signing and dancing along with Nakamura during his entrance. It was equally nice to see Seth's new entrance. It's a refreshing update that I didn't realize was needed until I saw it.

            Right from the bell, Seth tells the other 3 competitors to have at each other because he's leaving. "Oh no you don't," says Big E. Rollins heeds Ettore's "encouragement" and joins a very chaotic fight. Action from bell to bell. The best part was the high flying action with the help of the 5th competitor - the ladder. From the top of a ladder, KO executes a flying elbow onto Nakamura through the announce table and takes out a camera man. Back in the ring, Seth pins Big E for the win. I hope this is not an omen for tonight. My heart wants Big E or McIntyre to win but my gut says the company is going to give the opportunity to Rollins. 

            I promised awhile ago that I would share my moment with Big E in the ThunderDome. So here it is....During the early days of a LED audience, superstars would "hype up" the fans backstage during commercial breaks. I was curious to know if they could really see us. So I blew a kiss to Ettore. He immediately acknowledged my actions and blew a kiss back. Wow....Made my night.

            I am so ready for tonight. Here are my predictions:

            1) Bobby Lashley v. Kofi Kingston - Bobby retains

            2) Roman Reigns v. Edge - Roman retains

            3) Men's Ladder Match - Praying for Big E or McIntyre but gut says Seth Rollins wins 

            4) Women's Ladder Match - Asuka wins

            5) AJ Styles & Omos v. The Viking Raiders - Vikings win

            6) Rhea Ripley v. Charlotte Flair - Rhea retains

            7) Mysterios v. Usos (Kick off match) - My heart wants Mysterios to win. 

#BringBackBraun

            

Raw before Money in the Bank

            Raw wasted no time getting right into the action. The opening match was between Bobby Lashley and Xavier Woods.  Woods gets to work and tries to get Lashley off his base. However, the power of Bobby has Xavier being handled and thrown effortlessly both inside and outside of the ring. The underdog was repeatedly brutalized. Woods does counter at one point with a Tornado DDT into a cross-face submission. The power of the champ allowed him to beast out. Just when you think all is said and done after a full speed spear, Xavier surprises Bobby with an inside cradle for the win. The writing is on the wall. The champ's days are numbered.

            The rest of the evening felt like an evening of filler matches and/or a period on ThunderDome exclusive elements. 

            The women's fatal 4-way was one of those filler matches. I didn't understand the necessity of Asuka, Nikki Cross, Naomi and Alexa Bliss going up against each other. Maybe it was meant to be a preview of this Sunday's MITB. Eva and Piper Niven come down the ramp half way through the competition. Alexa leaves the ring and goes after Eva. Piper comes to her rescue and dumps Creepy Miss Bliss over the barricade. As the camera pans to the other side of the barricade, it shows no evidence of Alexa. That was it for the interruption. Back in the ring, chaos continues with the three remaining athletes. Asuka is on fire trying to clear the field. However, Nikki would be the one to pin Asuka. Despite her loss tonight, I am predicting Asuka to win MITB. 

            It was a year ago that she won the briefcase. When the women's champ at the time, Becky Lynch, called Asuka to the ring, she instructed her to open the case. Asuka did not win a MITB contract last year, she was made the women's champ because Becky was going on maternity leave. Two big surprises in one moment.

Now that WWE is back on the road, I can see big, jaw dropping scenarios ahead. Scenarios that can only be appreciated in front of a live crowd. I see Asuka winning the ladder match and, fingers crossed, Becky Lynch making an appearance. I can fully imagine Becky locking eyes with Asuka and indicting her intention to reclaim the gold she had no choice to give up. A true full circle moment. 

            Rhea Ripley and Nattie are up next. Why? I enjoyed the match. I love both women. I just didn't understand how this match came to be. Nonetheless, both competitors are equal in their skill set despite the young gun vs the veteran theme of the match. In the end, it would be a Riptide that secured the win for Rhea. Kudos to Natalya for being the ever professional. Not only does she earn gold on her own but she is always willing to help get others over. She is also willing to be a ground breaker. Remember her match against Lacey Evans at Crown Jewel in 2019 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia? It was the first ever women's match to take place in Saudi Arabia. 

            Riptide may have been the end of the match, but Rhea's fight wasn't over. The champ is attacked from behind by Charlotte Flair. Flair took out the knee of Ripley. She then successfully applied the figure four leg lock while hanging out of the ring. Final tease before Sunday. I predict Rhea will retain.

            Before I get to Mahal and McIntyre, let's visit the ongoing story between Ricochet and John Morrison. I love this feud. I just wish The Miz wasn't apart of it. I was wasn't a fan of him on The Real World and he's still not doing it for me in WWE.

            John is 41 years old and Ricochet is 32 years. Yet, both move seamlessly like a pair of 20 year olds. The athletic Cirque du Soleil is breathtaking to watch. This is a falls count anywhere match. A clinic routine to start until John hits a neck breaker on Ricochet across the apron. John has control and goes for the first 3 pin attempts. Ricochet turns things around with a German suplex. The fight makes its way over the barricade wall. Ricochet slams Morrison's face into the LED audience before executing his signature 450 off the edge of the barricade. 

            After a commercial break, there is a ladder balanced between the apron and the announce table. Hmmmm.....Before anything can be done with the ladder, Riddle comes down the ring and tips the Miz on his back while still in his wheelchair. I love it! Ricochet is able to fly off the top rope sending John through the ladder and secure the win.

            Now for Mahal and McIntyre. I love this storyline much better than when Drew fought Sheamus. Jinder attempts to call his friend out to the ring to apologize and give back the family heirloom sword. Drew opts to appear on the big screen where he shows that he is in possession of the true sword while Jinder has a replica. The Scotsman then proceeds to destroy Mahal's custom made motorcycle. 

            I have been saying for months that Lashley should drop the belt to either Damien Priest or Jinder Mahal. Looks like this build up between Drew and Jinder has Priest out of the running. 

            Speaking of Lashley, he ends the last night in the ThunderDome as aggressively as he began it. MVP and Lashley's Ladies are already in the ring. When the champ finally decides to make an appearance, he send the women out of the ring and lays into MVP. Bobby declares that everything Kofi Kingston has said about him is true. The days of being pacified with women and champagne are over. And apparently so is the VIP Lounge. Lashley obliterates the lounge. It is no more and I couldn't be happier. I never like the pimp persona associated with the champ. I also was never a fan of MVP thinking he was a modern day Don King.

            This Sunday at MITB, I predict the champ will retain, even if Goldberg gets involved. Yes, I said Goldberg. A spoiler has been revealed by more that one reputable source and it's that Bill Goldberg is coming back. Goldberg is 54 years old and his contract requires him to compete in 2 matches a year. Bill has already competed against McIntyre in 2021. He won't be competing this Sunday but the course is set for him to go up against Lashley at SummerSlam next month. 

            While I am soooooo happy that the days of the ThunderDome are over, I am going to miss seeing every match. For example, this past Monday, Sheamus fought Humerto Carillo, Omos fought Erik and Ivar fought AJ Styles and these matches didn't replay on Hulu. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to catch the match highlights on the internet. 

#BringBackBraun

Field Day Friday on SmackDown 7-9-21

             I was so happy to see Jimmy Uso on this past Friday's edition of SmackDown following his recent arrest for DUI in Florida. He joins his family member, cousin Roman Reigns in the ring. Then comes his twin Jey Uso. The speech from Reigns about doing things "his way" had quite the Sinatra feel to it. I predict that Roman will screw over his cousins and lose the championship while Jimmy and Jey win the tag belts. Turnaround is fair play.

            The first match of the evening was a MITB qualifying match between Baron Corbin and King Nakamura. I was rooting for Corbin while being fully prepared for the obvious. What I was not prepared for was Big E coming down the ramp to do commentary with Pat McAfee on a couch while they soaked their feet. I can totally see Ettore doing color commentary when he decides his wrestling days are over. 

            Baron attacks Nakamura as he makes his way down to the ring. Rick Boogs comes to the aid of the King. I would love to see Baron and Rick in a match one day.

            The opening of the match goes to Baron. Then a foot to the face turns the momentum in Nakamura's favor. Corbin would eventually find himself on the outside of the ring. He takes a shot at Boogs before executing a brain buster on Shin into the announce table. Back in the ring, Baron is once again in control which included his signature Deep Six. He then issues a clothesline to the King that turns him inside out. Could it be? Baron will win? Nope. With one Kinshasa, Nakamura qualifies for Money in the Bank.

            The next match had quite the surprise. The Women's Tag Champs Nattie and Tamina have unknown opponents. Anyone is going to be better than Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose. 

Get ready people because it's time to TANK care of business!

Shotzi Blackheart and Teagan Nox have been called up to the main roster and they know exactly what they want. 

            Nox has a well known history of knee injury and participates in the match with a knee brace. It has been in the air for some time that Teagan would be coming back. What was not apparent is her teaming with Shotzi. I guess Blackheart's days as Ember Moon's tag partner are over. What is also over is the champs feud with the yawn inducing duo of Rose and Brooke. Thank you WWE.

            Nox and Blackheart pick up the win against the champs. 

            In other news regarding female competitors, Bailey is no longer chasing the Women's Championship against Bianca Belair due to legit injury. She will now be out for at least nine months. Sonya DeVille comes to the ring to announce Belair's replacement. It will be Carmella but not at MITB. It will be this Friday on SmackDown. OK...did WWE just pull a name out of a hat? You all are back on the road with a live audience. I would have pitched that the match for the gold still go ahead at Money in the Bank and that Bianca's opponent be a surprise. A champ should be able to defend the title anywhere, anytime and against anyone. Isn't it time to take Becky and Sasha off of the milk carton?

            Well, this announcement causes Liv Morgan to come to the ring and she is LIVid!

             Sonya cuts her off quick and tells her that she will be taking Carmella's place at MITB. About time!

            The last spot for the Men's MITB is about to be decided in the match up between Seth Rollins and Cesaro. I was really praying that Cesaro would secure the spot. This man always seems to be a centimeter away from the mountain top. And what does he get for his hard work tonight in the ring...a busted open skull.

Cesaro is now dazed outside the ring. Seth takes advantage by hitting a DDT on the diamond plate ramp. Back in the ring, he stomps Cesaro's bloody face into the mat for the win. The card is now complete for the men's MITB.

            The show ends the same way it began but with a twist. Edge is now in the ring and calling Roman to the ring. "Where you at? Where you at Roman?" Champ makes his way down the ramp to answer the call but is soon interrupted by his cousins. Roman does get in the ring by himself while his cousins occupy the floor. 

            The punches immediately fly between Edge and Roman. Then the music for Rey and Dominik Mysterio hits and Jimmy and Jey are on guard only to get ambushed from behind with chairs,. Action both inside and outside of the ring is insane. Roman does eventually escapes to the top of the ramp. From that vantage point, he watches as both Jimmy and Jey Uso get a bar across the opening of their mouths compliments of Edge. The Rated R Superstar is now responsible for a complete Anoa'i family portrait with all three family members in a cross face submission with the aid of a black steel bar from a folding chair.

#BringBackBraun

NXT Great American Bash Results and Recap

             Tonight's NXT will see the next chapter of current feuds because of the results of last week's Great American Bash.

            One of the feuds that will come to a head tonight is between Karrion Kross and Johnny Gargano. At the GAB, Johnny and Karrion were called to the ring by Regal with Samoa Joe at his side. I think is is going to be a short lived feud not only because Kross has already made his debut on Main Event but also because of what he told Gargano in the ring. He made it very clear that there are three things that he focuses on everyday.

            1) Never to lose the NXT Championship

            2) Main event WrestleMania

            3) Become WWE Champion

Yeah, Karrion is moving up to the main roster soon and will most likely be dropping the title to Johnny in his wife's jeans.

            Speaking of Johnny's wife, Candace LeRae and her tag partner Indi Hartwell squared off in a championship match against Zoey Stark and Io Shirai. I didn't talk or make a prediction regarding this match in last week's post. I don't think I'm invested. Nonetheless, it was a decent match with a great surprise. Mid-way through the match, the lights go out and a battery symbol appears. When it reaches 100%, lights come back on and there stands Teagan Nox!

            Teagan has been out of action since September 23, 2020 because of LeRae. The distraction of Teagan allowed Zoey to pin Indi Hartwell for the win. And just like that NXT has new Women's Tag Champs. 

            One championship match down, two to go. The night opened with MSK going up against Timothy Thatcher and Tomaso Ciampa for the Men's Tag Championship. I'm still not sold on the team of Ciampa and Thatcher but I like all 4 men. MSK is a team of young dogs who are confident beyond their years. Ciampa and Carter begin the match with a dance of chops and corkscrews. Thatcher executed his signature joint manipulations. But in the end, it would be the impressive offense of MSK that allowed them to retain their titles.

            The second championship match was for the Million Dollar Championship belt. I was rooting for Grimes all the way. Cameron starts the match against LA Knight with aggression. He goes for a high cross body into the first pin attempt but Knight kicks out. There were so many close pinfalls back and forth. Knight tries to use the belt as a weapon but the ref catches him and because of the action inside the ring, the belt falls to the floor. This is significant because later in the match, Knight is able to hit the DDT on Grimes on the outside. Cameron's head hits the diamond encrusted belt. Ref begins the ten count. By a hair, he makes it back into the ring still quite dazed. LA hits the BFT in the center of the ring to retain the title. Cameron now has to become the butler of Knight. I have always said that Grimes should have won the belt to begin with. While I know Cameron will be able to sell his character's current predicament, I hope he gets back into action soon.

            The main event of the evening was Adam Cole v. Kyle O'Reily II. I said last week that this match could have gone so many different ways so no prediction on my part was made. Cole has the advantage to start and focuses on O'Reily's left knee. Kyle gives Adam a run for his money but it was not enough. Cole hits the Panama Sunrise outside the ring then inside the ring followed by a last shot kick to O'Reily's head. Cole wins and the feud is now tied.

#BringBackBraun

Raw 7-5-21 and Main Event

            This Friday July 9, 2021 will my last time in the ThunderDome. I am both happy and sad about this reality. WWE is back on the road as of July 16, 2021. Until then, I am going to drop one more Main Event spoiler.

            Monday's taping of Main Event saw Jeff Hardy squaring up against Veer. This is the second week in a row that Veer is appearing on Main Event. He comes to the ring with Shanky and Jinder Mahal to Mahal's music. There is definitely a size disadvantage here for Jeff Hardy. Veer had his way with Hardy for the majority of the match. Jeff does create a separation at one point but this only angered his opponent. Veer showed his insane power and pinned Hardy for the win. Afterwards, the trident of Jinder, Veer and Shanky stand on the apron and I thought how fun it would be to see them go against The New Day in the future.

            The second Main Event match was between Angel Garza and Sheldon Benjamin. These two athletes are equally matched but then Sheldon showed his experience. He tries to wear down Angel but he powers out. Garza reminds me of Rico Suave with a hint of grit. And with a moonsault off the top rope, Angel pins Benjamin for the win.

            Now onto Monday Night Raw. It opens with Miz TV. The Money in the Bank qualifiers come to the ring one by one. Miz and Morrison and a 20 foot ladder are already in the ring. Matt Riddle makes his way to the top of the ladder with his taped up foot. The man is "high".  AJ Styles comes to the ring with Omos spouting his anger over the results of the last chance qualifying match last week. His argument is that he didn't lose and it should have been a one on one instead of a triple threat. AJ tips Matt off of the ladder and assaults his injured ankle. This leads to a match between AJ and Matt.

            From the bell, I knew that I was going to see the infamous Karate Kid move because of the injured ankle. Sure enough, Styles gets caught with a crane kick.

Both men gave everything they had but the match would go to Riddle because of the appearance from the Viking Raiders. The tag duo appear from behind the barricade and flank Omos. This was enough of a distraction for Riddle to roll up Styles into a pin for the win.

            The next match was between Ricochet and John Morrison. I always wonder if this storyline would ever had happened if Sheamus didn't get his nose broken several weeks ago. However, this is what the fans have and it is a decent feud. Both men are creative high flyers but Ricochet throws hands from jump street in this highly motivated vengeance match. And predictably, Miz and his wheelchair get involved. While both competitors are on the outside, Miz blocks Ricochet from getting back into the ring with his wheelchair and Morrison wins via a countout.

            Graves had me in stitches with his comments on the 8 woman tag match up next. It's Nikki Cross, Alexa Bliss, Naomi and Asuks verses Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Eva Marie and Piper Niven. He colorfully commented on the robes of Naomi and Asuka. 

            Graves: "Looks like someone slaughtered Sesame Street."

I love him at the desk but back to the action. Alexa was creepy as usual while standing on the second rope instead of the apron. Eva tagged herself in and out of the match. She then finds herself all alone in the ring as all the other competitors took the action to the outside...or so she thought. Alexa sneaks up behind her and screams in her face scaring her out of the ring. 

             After order is restored, Piper is going one on one with Asuka. Piper then tags Nia and the two of them "sandwich" Asuka. But it would be a Samoan Drop on Nikki that secures the win. Eva once again claims herself the sole winner of the match. Nia is not having it and it will be interesting to see if a feud develops because of this.

            There was only one other women's segment and that was between Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley. The jaw jacking promo opened with Charlotte in the ring on a single crutch to give an update on her leg "injury" This segment was a bad sell from the get go because you don't wear heels with a leg injury.

Rhea comes to the ring with the other crutch and mocks the queen's injury. It is soon revealed that both are feigning injury and then crutches start swinging. Maybe this Monday's build up to MITB will be more convincing.  

\            That's it for the women. Before I get to the rest of the matches that replayed next day on Hulu, let me tell my fellow streamers about the ones that you will not see. 

            Mustafa Ali vs. Mansoor is the first match. This is a teacher verses student flavor of a feud. Mansoor never asked for a mentor. Ali has inserted himself in the career of Mansoor. Here's some sage advice for Ali - Unsolicited advice is passive aggressive behavior. Each competitor swapped submissions but in the end Ali picks up the win.

            The other match that did not air on replay was a repeat match between T-Bar and Mace verses the Lucha House Party. I'm over their matches. Lucha wins.

            The main event match of the evening saw Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston wrestling MVP and Booby Lashley. The great team work of Woods and Kingston had MVP isolated from "Bob" to start. But then a major miscalculation from MVP and Lashley give The New Day an opening. MVP goes for the Playmaker but Kofi counters with Trouble in Paradise. Kofi pins MVP and it is a clean win.

            Now for my dream match of the evening. It's Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal. I love both these men. It's like when my two favorite NFL teams play each other and I don't know who to root for but I am totally invested. 

            The genesis of this storyline is Drew being too busy and returning texts three days later. Lame but it gets these two bulls in the ring. I still think "Bob" is going to drop the belt to either Damien Priest or Jinder Mahal. Drew will then go after one of those men to reclaim the gold. Anyway, the action tonight was pure aggression and the ref got in-between more than once. Mahal goes for the Khallas but McIntyre counters with a Future Shock DDT. He then sets up for a Claymore Kick but Veer and Shanky interfere and the bell rings. The destruction continues and Jinder executes the Khallas. He then runs out of the ring and up the ramp to take possession of Drew's sword.

            Mahal: "Drew, you took away my opportunity, I take away your family heirloom. I take away your precious sword."

I guess Vince McMahon wants his sword back before the company hits the road again.    

            Safe travels to all of WWE. Thank you for entertaining us through a pandemic. See you soon.

#BringBackBraun