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

Fierce Friday Edition of SmackDown 7-2-21

             On this day...Edge opened the show with a promo of visions and predictions. Declaring that obstacles don't stop him, he shows photographic evidence of him successfully putting Roman in a cross face submission at WrestleMania 37. Living rent free in the head of the current Universal Champion, the Rated R Superstar vows to claim the gold. I can't wait to see Roman humbled. 

            The first match of the evening was a tag match of King Shinsuke Nakamura and Big E verses Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin.  It was interesting to note that the graphics during Baron's entrance still say "King Corbin". Reminds me of when they introduced Drew McIntyre in his early days but the graphics still read Drew Galloway. Oops...

            Tom is so great at portraying Baron Corbin. He was sporting a pouty face like a pro. The former king is now a pauper. He was sullen and reluctant to start. Then Apollo tagged Corbin in and the juices started flowing until....Rick Boogs. The hype man of Nakamura interrupts like an emcee at a wedding to announce that a White Mercedes SUV with the license plate KING-CR-BN, is being towed. This distraction allowed Big E to utilize the Big Ending on Corbin and win the match. But that was not the best part of the match. Nope...it was when Pat McAfee sat on Michael Cole during the Nakamura's entrance.

These two gentlemen work well together but my brain is always playing the "What If" game. "What If" one day Michael Cole gets a little cold that prevents him from working that night and Corey Graves was the only one available to sub. Can you just image McAfee and Graves doing play by play color commentary! I wouldn't be able to stop laughing and my brain would short circuiting the entire time. 

            I'm going to save the ladies for last so let's move on to the Last Man Standing match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. This is also a qualifying match for the Money in the Bank pay-per-view later this month. KO was on fire right from the start. At one point, he throws Sami over the barricade and slams his face into the LED audience. The fans play along by putting up their hands to "protect" themselves from getting hit with Zayn's face. Gotta love the WWE Universe. We're passionate!

            Punishment continues to the climax of stereo tables being stacked up on one another outside the ring. Owens planned to throw Zayn threw the tables but it backfires on him. Kevin gets pushed into the tables that he introduced. But that isn't enough to keep Owens down. Back to a vertical base, he power bombs Zayn threw the announce table, then again threw a table and finally on the ring apron. With the ref's count of 10, KO now has the opportunity to get his hands on the briefcase on July 18th.

            Another current punisher is Otis. He is definitely rocking a Vader vibe. He goes up against Angelo Dawkins. With brute power, he repeatedly flattens Dawkins. The clean shaven mammoth of an athlete, sans the ponytail, flies off the top rope to crush Angelo and pick up the win.  

            The last segment of the evening has the recently arrested Jimmy Uso in the ring calling out Edge.

Edge comes down the ramp unhinged and sends Jimmy into the ring post. Jimmy gets in a couple of good licks after hitting the super kick on Edge. Tables turn and now the Rated R superstar pounds all of his aggression into Uso and makes him tap. With still no sign of Roman Reigns, Edge connects with his signature spear. He leaves the ring, finds a chair and breaks off a rod to use as a weapon in the mouth of Uso. All I can say is: Fear The Beard.

            That's it for the men, now for the ladies. I remember the segment earlier this year when Adam Pearce spoke so rudely to Sonya DeVille that I immediately thought this was the storyline opening for her to get back in the ring. Still hasn't happened yet, but DeVille's actions lately regarding Liv Morgan might have the WWE Universe seeing her back in action soon.

            SmackDown has been announcing their female participants for MITB instead of having them qualify. The first named entrant was Carmella. Now, the second entrant is Zelina Vega? WTF??? WWE released Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Buddy Murphy and Killian Dain in exchange for Vega?! No bueno. The company has just let a fox back in the hen house and it will backfire on them. And what's with the Red Rooster look? 

            Liv goes up against Zelina to prove that she is worthy of being in MITB. She beat Carmella last week and beat Vega this week. I think that Liv will get so frustrated with Sonya DeVille to the point of issuing a one on one challenge. 

            Lastly, let's look at the beef with Bayley and Bianca Belair. Their match at MITB will be an "I Quit" match. This will be the third pay-per-view in a row that these ladies are squaring up. My gut says that because WWE has a couple of superstars currently on the sides of milk cartons, Bayley will lose again to Bianca. This opens the door for either Sasha Banks or Becky Lynch to return. Enjoy your time off Bayley.

#BringBackBraun