Halloween Havoc Results and Recap

            I absolutely HATE Halloween. So, watching NXT's Halloween Havoc hosted by Chucky was a little disturbing for me. Praise God that I am a streamer and had the ability to fast forward watching it next day.

            The first match of the evening featured female athletes in a stairway to hell ladder match for the tag titles. It will be Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta v Toxic Attraction v Io Shirai and Zoey Stark. Io, the only one with ladder match experience, is the first one to bring a ladder into the ring.  These women give just as any man in this type of savage contest. I can't believe it but Toxic Attraction are the new tag champs. I have a bad feeling that WWE is going to push them and Mandy Rose.

            Speaking of Mandy, she is up next against Raquel Gonzalez for the title. I have always wanted Raquel to be stripped of the gold but to Mandy Rose? NXT has no one more worthy? Gonzalez spins the wheel and it land's on Chucky's Choice. The evil doll picks a Trick or Street Fight. Sadly, after all the kendo sticks, fire extinguishers, chairs, tables, and an interference by Dakota Kai dressed in black and armed with a shovel, Many Rose is the new NXT champion.

            MSK is up next against Imperium. A young fan spins the wheel concluding in the athletes having to compete in a lumber jack-o-lantern match for the gold. Sadly, MSK lose their titles to Imperium.

            Now for the title match that I have been waiting for. Tomasso Ciampa will be facing Bron Breakker. First of all, how awesome did Ciampa look? He entered the ring like a warrior. The young dog gave the veteran a run for his money. Bron has the potential to be a champ someday. Until then, he earns the respect of the retaining champ, Tomasso Ciampa.

            This was an ok mini pay-per-view with three title changes. Looking forward to Survivor Series on November 21, 2021.  

#BringBackBraun

Raw after Crown Jewel

            It's a BIG opening on the season premiere of Raw, WWE champion, Big E is in the ring but is soon interrupted by Seth Rollins. He wants the title that currently adorns the waist of Ettore. Before a decision can be made, here comes Rey Mysterio. Rey wants to win the championship one more time. But the ring just keeps getting crowded with the appearance of Finn Balor. Balor wants the gold that he has never held. But wait, there is more. Here comes Kevin Owens. Shortly after chaos erupts, Sonya DeVille announces a fatal four way ladder match to determine the number one contender for a chance at the title. 

            The first match of the evening will see the Street Profits squaring up against the Dirty Dawgz and the Alpha Academy. The tag team who wins this contest will have a title match tonight against RK-Bro. So many close calls in this march, as well as, an appearance by Omos. His presence allowed for Roode and Zigler to pick up the win. 

            Next, it is the official coronation of the first ever Queen's Crown. I am still highly disappointed that Zelina "Red Rooster" Vega was given the title. It is interesting to note that no one officiated the ceremony the way Kofi did for King Xavier. Instead, she is out there bragging on herself until Piper Niven skips her way to the ring. Now, we will see Piper "crown" Zelina in a special kind of way. However, Vega cheats and hits Niven with her scepter to steal a win.

                Before we get to the second match of the evening, we will have a few words from the Raw champion Becky Lynch. Predictably, Bianca Belair joins the conversation. She wants a re-match against Becky. Lynch tells Belair to get to the back of the line which instigates a brawl between these two athletes. At some point, these women will face each other again, just not tonight. It will be happening next week. Tonight, however, there is a championship match on deck and it's for the tag belts.

            RK-Bro are defending their gold against the Dirty Dawgz. Simply put, RK-Bro retain. 

            Now it is time for the fatal four way ladder match. I am totally on board for this bout. I can easily see any of these 4 superstars facing Big E. My concern is that the suits in the back are going to choose the "company guy" Seth Rollins to win. This was such a brutally beautiful match with Rollins emerging as the winner. The company guy now has a title opportunity and a new storyline.  

#BringBackBraun

SmackDown after Crown Jewel

            The night after a pay-per-view is always exciting. Let's see if the SmackDown after Crown Jewel is no exception.

            Universal Champion, Roman Reigns is accompanied to the ring by his cautiously looking advocate Paul Heyman. Reigns lists his accolades to the point that he beat Brock Lesner so bad that now he is tweeting about beating up the champ. The champ stands in the middle of the ring waiting for Lesner to show up. And show up he did. The Beast is back and so are Heyman's acting skills. Keep your eyes on Paul throughout the entire assault. Brock is a man of his words, few as they are. The Usos come out to the unsuccessful aid of their cousin. Others get involved only to get demolished by Brock. You know what I often think about during segments like this? If refs, camera operators, etc get hazard pay or is it just the nature of the business. 

            After the commercial break, Adam Pearce is in the center of the ring, announcing that Brock is indefinitely suspended due to his actions. Brock comes back to the ring with nothing to lose. He sends Adam on a trip via a F-5, twice. Poor Pearce is lying in the ring mangled with a ripped pair of dress pants. I hope this is not the last we see of Lesner.

            The first official match of the evening is between the newly drafted Drew McIntyre and the longest tenured member of SmackDown, Sami Zayn. Drew is not in the mood for any of Sami's games. Zayn gets in a couple of good shots but that only enraged McIntyre straight into a victory via a Claymore.

            Now it is time for the official crowning of Xavier Woods. Kofi Kingston is in the ring to officiate the coronation ceremony. I am so happy for King Xavier. WWE fans, we have come a long way since the days of Harley Race and Jerry Lawler.

            The second match of the evening has Mansoor squaring up against Mustafa Ali. The newcomer gave the veteran a run for his money. Mansoor wins and Ali picks up another loss.

            Hit Row has moved up to the main roster from NXT. I have been saying since May of this year that I was over this group the moment they debuted. I am only interested in seeing AJ Francis in one on one competition. Re-read my posts from May 11, 2021 and Aug 3, 2021. Sadly, my wish of seeing Francis and Bronson Reed in a match will not happen. Maybe AJ can face Big E, Apollo Crews, Commander Azeez, etc. Until then, he and his posse pick up the W tonight on their SmackDown debut. 

            Shinsuke Nakamura is back in action against Happy Corbin. Their storyline is continuing as is their character evolution. Shin is no longer a king and Corbin is no longer down on his luck. I have a feeling that their rivalry is the springboard for Rick Boogs and Madcap Moss. Sure enough, the action outside of the ring was just as inviting as the action inside of the ring. This distraction would cost Nakamura the win.

            Two champs are in the ring to exchange titles since being drafted. Supervised by Sonya DeVille, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair are suppose to just simply switch titles. The exchange happens but not as smoothly as it should have been. And to add to the drama, Sasha invites herself into the ring. Becky relocates herself to the locker room so Charlotte and Sasha can establish a new storyline between the two of them. Becky doesn't need to get involved until Survivor Series.

#BringBackBraun  

Crown Jewel Recap and Results

            Crown Jewel wasted no time getting right into the action. The first match of the evening had Edge meeting Seth Rollins in Hell in a Cell match. Five tons of steel is the third opponent in this storyline ending contest. Edge wastes no times and pummels Seth into the corner. Shortly thereafter, chairs, tools, chains and other instruments were utilized by both athletes unforgivingly. Poetic justice would end the match as Edge delivers a final stomp to pick up the win. Now that this storyline appears to over, I am eager to see what's next for the Rated-R Superstar.

            Just like Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks made history at WrestleMania 37, Mustafa Ali and Mansoor are about to do the same. These two superstars are the first two Muslims squaring up at a pay-per-view. Mansoor has never lost at a pay-per-view that has been hosted in his home country of Saudi Arabia. I am going into this contest fully expecting to see his hand raised. And win he did. Despite camel clutches, tornado DDTs and verbal berating by Ali, Mansoor once again picks up a win in front of his countrymen. But hold on folks, there's more. After the bell, Ali attacks Mansoor and then music hits. WWE has just introduced us to Olympian silver medal winner Tareg Hamedi as he comes to the aid of Mansoor. 

            Next, we have the first championship match of the evening. AJ Styles and Omos will be facing RK-Bro in a standard match for the Raw Tag Team Championships. AJ and Omos are on a mission of vengeance to reclaim the gold from the odd coupling of Randy Orton and Matt Riddle. Before we get to the action, let's talk about the entrance. Matt comes to the ring on a camel while Randy walks alongside. I can't help but remember Bobby Heenan making his entrance at WrestleMania IX.

Oh, the memories. Now back to the action.

            This was a great match. The crowd was cheering all the way for the champs. Orton and Riddle retain the gold with the assist of a RKO and a Floating Bro off the top rope. 

            In addition to 4 championship matches tonight, we also have the final round of both Queen's Crown and King of the Ring. First up are the women. The first finalist is Zelina "Red Rooster" Vega. Her opponent is Piper Niven. The size difference between these two is hard not to notice. Tiny Vega tried repeatedly to pin the bigger Niven. It was her third attempt using her signature move, Code Red, that secured the crown for Zelina.  I'm not happy and I hope that it doesn't take a year before she is dethroned.

            I am really looking forward to this next match between Bobby Lashley and Bill Goldberg. It is a falls count anywhere, no holds barred match. Even though Goldberg is not known for having long matches, I am praying he gives us a little bit more tonight. And I'm thankful this is his third match in 2021 despite reports that Bill was only contracted for two. 

            As the match begins, Lashley pulls a chain out of his tights, wraps it around his fist and immediately assaults Goldberg. Then he retrieves a steel chair to continue his dominance. Next comes a table into the ring. It was meant for Bill, but Bobby's own momentum sends him through the table. Goldberg catches a second wind and spears the Almighty followed by a jackhammer. Instead of going for the win, he literally takes his gloves off and continues his quest to destroy Lashley. The Hall of Famer sends Bobby through the barricade on the outside. Viciousness continues as Goldberg repeatedly slammed Lashley into everything and anything. A trip up the ramp reveals the presence of Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander armed with kendo sticks. With Lashley's cohorts quickly dispatched, Goldberg spears Lashley off the ramp and through a table to pick up the win.

            Now it is time for the King of the Ring tournament final. Finn Balor or Xavier Woods would be a great king. But in the end, it would be Xavier Woods crowned King of the Ring.

            From one New Day member to another, it is now time for Big E's match against Drew McIntyre. These two bulls always give a great performance. As much I love both athletes, I must confess that I was rooting for Drew all the way. But not all prayers are meant to be answered in the affirmative. Congrats to Ettore for retaining his gold. And to Drew, don't quit before the miracle. You will have gold around your waist again. 

            Women are up again with a triple threat match between Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair. I truly do not know who this match favors. This trio of alpha female athletes gave a fist flying and trash talking exceptional match. When all was said and done, Becky Lynch would retain her title. 

            The final match of the evening has to be the most anticipated match of the evening. The Beast Brock Lesner is facing the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns for the Universal title. I was all set for Brock to capture gold, as well as, a plot twist. While Paul Heyman came to the ring with Reigns, the question is: will he leave with Reigns? The other question that will be answered tonight is whether or not, Roman will wake up tomorrow morning as the Universal Champ for the 504th straight day. 

            As the bell rings, Brock goes right after the champ and executes a suplex within the first 5 minutes of the match. Roman catches his breath and takes the action outside the ring with a superman punch and a high flying takedown over the top rope to the arena floor. Back in the ring, Reigns hits his first spear against Lesner. The Beast is down but not for long. Roman goes for a third superman punch but instead kisses the ring post. This allows for Brock to hit two more suplexes and an F-5 leading into an unsuccessful pin attempt. Then comes the plot twist. Lesner goes for a F-5 and "inadvertently" sends Roman into referee Charles Robinson. Second plot twist comes when Paul Heyman throws the championship belt into the ring evenly between both superstars. Lesner get a hold of the belt only to have it knocked out of hi hand when he is super kicked by the Usos. This is followed by a strike to the skull of Brock by Roman while holding the championship belt. Then another ref runs down the ramp to count 1-2-3 resulting in Roman retaining his title. 

            Including the kick off show, it was a great 5 hours of entertainment. With Crown Jewel in the rear view, tomorrow night is the first night when all the draft picks go into effective. Bring on the new feuds and returning superstars. Prayers to all of WWE for a safe flight home. See you Friday night.

#BringBackBraun

SmackDown Oct 1, 2021

            The wait is over! It is the first night of the WWE Draft. Adam Pearce and Sonya DeVille are at the podium and they get right to it. The first pick has Roman Reigns remaining on SmackDown. The second pick has Big E staying on Raw. The third pick for SmackDown has them taking the queen Charlotte Flair, and her belt, off of Raw. The fourth and final pick of the first round has Bianca Belair going over to Raw.

             Not only is this the first night of the draft, but it is also the first Friday Night SmackDown since Extreme Rules. With Roman Reigns in the ring, I am very interested in seeing how the champ explains the controversial ending to his pay-per-view bout against Finn Balor. Well, the champ didn't explain. Paul Heyman did the majority of the talking. I still do not know how he is still by Roman's side since the return of Brock Lesner. Speaking of Brock, here comes the Beast! Good God! The man is fine! Brock is back and he sent the champ to Suplex City twice before taking care of the Usos.

            From one fighting machine to another, Kevin Owens is next. He will be squaring off against Happy Corbin. Corbin comes to the ring with Madcap Moss. Moss is already annoying. Now Corbin doesn't need Moss, but it is a decent storyline to re-introduce us to Moss since his ACL injury. By the end of the match, Corbin is the winner with Moss standing by his side.

            Adam and Sonya are back at the podium for round 2 of the draft. SmackDown is taking Drew McIntyre from Raw. Ohhh....this could be very good. I still have to find out where Jinder Mahal ends up, but my first thought was McIntyre V. Lesner. For the second pick of round two, RK-Bro will be staying on Raw. Next SmackDown selects Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, taking them off of Raw. The final pick in the second round has the Rated R Superstar going from Friday nights to Monday nights.

            Speaking of the Rated R Superstar, here comes Edge to confront Seth Rollins. He calls out Rollins. However, Seth is on the jumbo-tron and he is apparently at Edge's home. As he is touring the Copeland's home, Edge is on the phone with his wife instructing her to go to her brother's house with the kids. I do not like storylines involving family where young children are concerned.

            Moving on, Carmella is in the ring wearing wedding night attire. She is set for a re-match against Live Morgan. Not invested in either athlete at all. I think Carmella won. It was just weird.

            Back to the draft. In the third round, SmackDown keeps Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss. Raw chooses to keep Rhea Ripley and Nikki Cross. SmackDown shakes things up when they pick NXT's Hit Row. I like that all four superstars have moved up to the main roster. What I really want to see is AJ Francis go solo. For the final pick of the third round, Raw selects Keith "Bearcat" Lee. I am happy to still see Keith is still with the company. I am not sure about the "Bearcat" part but I am already envisioning Lee v. Francis.

            There is action in the ring with the Street Profits teaming with New Day as they face the Alpha Academy and the Dirty Dawgs. Eight man tag matches are like mini royal rumbles. Too much going on to truly appreciate until you are down to the last two athletes in the center of the ring. Xavier Woods of the New Day pinned Robert Roode picking up the win for his team.

            Before we get to the long awaited SummerSlam re-match between Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks, Adam and Sonya will tell us about the superstars in the fourth round of draft picks. First up is SmackDown and they select Naomi. Raw steals away Rey and Dominik Mysterio from Friday nights. Back to SmackDown who chooses to bring back Jeff Hardy. The final pick of night one of the draft has Raw bringing back NXT's Austin Theory to the main roster.

            Now for the main event of the evening. Bianca v. Sasha. First, props to whoever designed the ring gear for Sasha. Such a long overdue upgrade. UGHHH!! Before any action can take place, Becky Lynch makes her way down to the commentator's table to enjoy the match. Predictably, Becky gets involved and costs Belair the win. However, the night would end with Charlotte Flair standing in the center of the ring with her Raw Championship belt high in the air as Becky Lynch holds high her SmackDown Championship belt. This is an old rivalry. Maybe, if Lynch isn't drafted to Raw, we could see Becky "Two Belts" Lynch again. 

#BringBackBraun

NXT 9-28-21

            The theme of tonight's show is Ladies Night. Hit Row is in the ring hyping up the crowd in the newly revamped NXT 2.0. B-Fab's opponent, Elektra Lopez, interrupts it all. The first match of the evening between these two women is a no disqualification match. A decent match with Lopez picking up the victory. 

            Toxic Attraction is up next and they square up against tag champs Io Shirai and Zoey Stark. Before I get to the match, I just need to say that Toxic Attraction reminds me of an updated version of the Riot Squad. Ok, now that I got that out of the way, let's get back to the match. There was a notable amount of high flying by the defending champs. The other notable thing came from the commentator's table. Beth Phoenix made the observation that people are watching Jayne and Dolin because of Mandy rose. Glad someone stated the obvious. And tonight, I watched Io and Zoey retain their gold.

            The third match of the evening is between two male athletes. Rodderick Strong is set to face Grayson Waller in a championship match for the cruiserweight title. This was an excellent match. Both men took risks and gave everything. While I could have seen either athlete winning, it would be Rodderick's hand being held high in the end.  

            A fourth and final match of the evening is between Raquel Gonzalez and Franky Monet. I am not a fan of the champ. I have said before that Raquel comes across to me as more of a brute than a wrestler. Monet, on the other hand, reminds me of a thicker, glammed up version of Luna Vachon. Am I wrong?

Anyway, Gonzalez retains her title with one bra strap still in tact. After the match, Toxic Attraction makes an appearance. They not only go after Franky, but they also decimate the champ in the ring. 

            By the end of the evening, I felt that this particular episode of NXT 2.0 was more about championships and less about the ladies. Yes, I know that three of the four matches featured female athletes. But 75% of the matches had titles on the line. My other thought focused on NXT 2.0 itself. Since the re-branding two weeks ago, the show is definitely brighter. However, it is still what I have always said it was - an updated version of WWE's Tough Enough. Now with the removal of the colors black and gold, it is a more vivid experience.

#BringBackBraun  

Monday Night RAW after Extreme Rules

            A BIG beginning to kick off RAW. Big E defends his title against an irate Bobby Lashley. An intense bull verses bull match up, however, a winner would not be declared. During the match, Benjamin Shelton and Cedric Alexander made their presence known. Chaos would erupt when Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods run down the ramp to even the odds. Referee had no choice but to call for the bell. According to Adam Pearce, the match would continue later on in the show in a steel cage match for the gold. 

            From one champ to another, Damien Priest is up next for a bout against the former United States champion, Sheamus. Both superstars took full advantage of the no holds barred rules. Priest introduced a table and with White Noise from the Celtic Warrior, both men obliterate the table with their bodies. After the commercial break, both athletes are taking turns slamming each other into the barricade. Back in the ring, Sheamus slams Damien's face into a steel chair. With his ring awareness regained, Priest retains his title. 

            Matt Riddle is up next in a singles match against AJ Styles. Randy Orton is apparently missing again. As good as he is, I am just not a fan of Riddle. Praise God, Styles won.

            The queen Charlotte Flair is set to square up against Piper Niven. Yep, I'm still not using the "D" word. This is a championship match. As much as I would like to see Piper become champ, I don't think it will happen until a pay-per-view event. And just like that, with the interference of Eva Marie, Charlotte picks up the win and her title all the way back to the locker room. Eva then gets on the mic to brag only to have Shayna Baszler come down the ramp to shut her up. 

            Monday Night RAW continues with a message from Bill Goldberg to Bobby Lashley. I must admit that I am a little surprised that he is still present in WWE. It is well known that his contract requires him to compete in 2 matches a year. Goldberg has completed the terms of his 2021 contract. He went against Drew McIntyre in the ThunderDome and against Lashley at a PPV. The Dude of Devastation is vowing to hurt the former RAW champion. I'm semi interested in seeing where this goes. 

             Now, we end the show the way that it began. Bobby Lashley will be going up against the champ, Big E, for the gold. Bobby didn't even wait for Ettore to get into the cage when he starts attacking him. What a cheap way to try to get an advantage. But as the old adage goes, cheaters never win. With a big ending off the top rope, Ettore retains his title. But wait, it's not over. Drew McIntyre's music hits. McIntyre has his intentions set on removing the belt from around the waist of Big E. I am so happy that Ettore is the champ. Now I anxiously wait for the day that Roman is dethroned. 

#BringBackBraun