Saturday, January 29th, 2022
The Dome At America's Center
St. Louis, Missouri
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Universal Championship Match
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins is coming out to the Shield music through the crowd in the gear. I love that. Undertaker would be proud of both of how long these entrances are. They are selling Reigns being in the head of Rollins and as a result, Rollins gets off to the hot start. He goes for a springboard leap, but eats a fist from Roman. Roman follows that up with the Drive By. He goes for a Superman Punch off the steps, but Rollins blocks it and hits a Shield Bomb through the announce table. Rollins rolls him quickly back in the ring and hits a Frog Splash for a 2 count. Rollins goes up top again, but rolls through because Roman moved and then hits Roman with a boot. He hits a Buckle Bomb and hits the Stomp, but Roman kicks out. I actually thought that was it there. Rollins goes again for the Stomp, but Roman hits a clothesline and both men are down. Rollins is able to put on a triangle choke, but Roman lifts him up and hits a powerbomb. He throws Rollins into the ring post and then over the barricade. He throws him back in the ring and hits the Superman Punch for a nearfall. Roman hits a Spear outside the ring and throws him back in. Roman goes for another, but Rollins counters it into a Pedigree. He rolls him over, but again Roman kicks out. Rollins goes for the Stomp, but again it's countered. Rollins is able to hit some kicks to the head, but Roman fights back and hits a Spear. Rollins is down, but is laughing at Roman. Rollins wants a fist bump, but Roman puts him in the Guillotine in the center of the ring. Rollins is so close to the bottom rope and gets it when the ref checks his arm. Roman won't break the hold and Charles Robinson calls for the bell. Roman sells the moment for a long time with no official announcement yet. Roman slowly walks out and grabs a chair. Rollins is turned around and he recreates the Shield breakup moment with a series of chair shots on Rollins. Roman is getting heavy boos here. The match was awesome until the finish, but at the same time the finish made sense. It's just not what we wanted to see after such a good match.
Match Rating: ****
Women's Royal Rumble
#1 and #2 are Sasha Banks and Melina. Melina is 42 years old here and honestly, I'm not really sure what she's been up to. I'm not sure she even lasts 42 seconds, as Sasha quickly gets rid of her. #3 is Tamina. Sasha attacks her before she gets to the ring and hits a Meteora. Out next at 4 is Kelly Kelly, another clear cut favorite. She kind of botches her headscissor spot and then does the cartwheel elbow. Kelly does a handstand submission over the top, which is real smart. She quickly gets eliminated from that by Sasha. #5 is Aliyah and she doesn't get much going at first. These feel a lot quicker than 90 second. Liv Morgan is in at #6 and should be the winner. She goes right after Sasha and is almost able to dump her out. Queen Zelina is #7 and she eliminates Sasha with a kick off the apron in a pretty big surprise. Last year's winner, Bianca Belair, is in at #8. Dana Brooke is in at #9 and I'm still shocked she somehow has survived all of the roster cuts. #10 is the returning Michelle McCool. Dana Brooke almost gets eliminated, but is caught by Reginald. Dana quickly gets eliminated right after. We're a third of the way through the entrants and nothing really of note has happened yet. #11 is Sonya Deville and she goes to the announce table. She sticks around there and out comes Natalya at 12. Bianca has Tamina on her shoulders and from behind Natalya tips them both over. Bianca is able to hang on, but Tamina is finally eliminated. Cameron returns at the lucky 13 spot. Sonya takes off her jacket and goes in the ring to attack Cameron. They are playing up the feud with Naomi and she quickly eliminates her. #14 is out and it's Naomi. She checks on Cameron and then goes right after Sonya. She hits a springboard kick and hits a kick on the apron to eliminate Sonya. #15 is out and it's Carmella, who takes her time getting into the ring. Rhea Ripley is in at #16 and she goes after Carmella and throws her into the ring. Ripley then lifts up both Carmella and Zelina and they land on the apron. She knocks off both tag team champions as we count down to #17. Charlotte Flair is in next and she quickly eliminates Aliyah. She knocks Naomi out, but she holds on with her hand. She teases a Kofi spot, but Sonya grabs her hands and pulls her to the floor. #18 is none other than Ivory out to the RTC "music". She walks down to the ring and she says that nothing has changed and that she sees a bunch of lost little girls. Ripley picks her up while she still talks on the mic and pushes her off the apron. That was at least fun. #19 is Brie Bella making her return and doing the "Yes" chants. Out next at #20 is Mickie James. Michelle McCool kicks her off the apron on her way in. Mickie fights her off and uses a hurricanrana to eliminate her. Alicia Fox is in at 21 and hits a few kicks before Ripley goes after her. 22 is Nikki A.S.H. and she sneaks from behind and tries to eliminate Rhea. It doesn't work, so Nikki rolls under the bottom rope. #23 is Summer Rae making her return and she gets into a slap fight with Natalya. She gets the better of her but Charlotte steamrolls her. Natalya dumps her out shortly after. Nikki Bella is in at #24. Her and Bree get rid of Alicia Fox. Sarah Logan is making her return at #25. Her and Liv have a moment, but then the Bellas take them out and dump Sarah. They go for Liv next and succeed after a struggle. #26 is Lita and she goes after Mickie and eliminates her. Lita and Charlotte begin to battle and out comes Molly Holly at 27. Nikki blindsides her before she gets to the ring and throws her into the steps. She throws her in the ring and dumps poor Molly out. #28 is out and it's Ronda Rousey to a HUGE pop. Nikki A.S.H. is eliminated and then Brie eliminates her sister. #29 is Shotzi Blackheart. Rousey eliminates Brie. Out comes Shayna Baszler at 30 and she quickly has the attention of Rousey. Charlotte interrupts it before it begins. Shayna eliminates Shotzi and Natalya also is gone. Natalya goes back in, so Rousey tosses her out again. Lita hits a Twist Of Fate on Charlotte. Lita goes up top, but Ripley throws her off and then Charlotte knocks her off. Ripley and Rousey are on the apron, but Charlotte kicks of Ripley after Rousey gets thrown into the ring post. Bianca and Baszler both get eliminated, leaving us with Rousey and Charlotte. They have a quick exchange and Rousey gets the easy victory. This was the right call here and I hope they have her go up against Becky. The match itself was pretty standard overall, but got fun down the stretch.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Raw Women's Championship Match
Doudrop vs. Becky Lynch
This at least feels like a fresh match, even if they've done everything in their power to make no one care about Doudrop. The crowd is distracted by something going on while Becky puts on a sleeper hold. I'll be honest, this is longer than I expected. I figured this would be the 3 minute match. Becky hits a missile dropkick off the second rope. Doudrop hits a splash that looked like it couldn't have felt good. She hits a somersault into the corner and gets a 2 count. Doudrop goes for the Vader Bomb, but Becky gets the knees up. She climbs up top and hits a somersault dive of her own for a nearfall. Becky drapes Doudrop over the top rope and hits a leg drop, but Doudrop kicks out again. They really didn't do this match any favors by putting this here. Becky hits the Manhandle Slam from the second rope and that is all. At 10:03 EST, we still have 3 matches, one of which is a Royal Rumble. This match was a TV match in front of a dead crowd that apparently just saw the WrestleMania sign on fire. This just wasn't the time or place for Doudrop to get her chance.
Match Rating: **
WWE Championship Match
Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar
There is almost 90 years between the two and you would never know it. Both men are just freaks. Lashley hits a big German suplex, which Brock seems to enjoy. Brock follows up with one, but holds on and gets a second one in. Brock goes for a F5, but Lashley slips out and hits a Spear. He hits a second Spear and Brock rolls out of the ring. Lashley goes for a Spear outside, but Brock moves out of the way and they once again do the barricade spot. Lashley is able to push Lesnar into the ring post and then back into the ring. Lesnar avoids a charging Lashley in the corner and hits another German. He hits a few more and I have to say that I am surprised at the pace they are working here. I was expecting a sprint. Lashley locks in the Hurt Lock in the middle of the ring. Lesnar is able to push Lashley into the corner, but he hits the referee. Lesnar hits the F5 and Lashley's legs hit the ref and he is out of the ring. In comes Roman Reigns and he Spears Lesnar. He stares down Heyman and then Heyman hands him the WWE Championship. He drills Lesnar with the belt, another referee comes down and we have a new WWE Champion. This match was a disappointment, as I thought they'd go with the Goldberg/Lesnar match here. Again, the booking here makes sense, it just wasn't satisfying as a match finish.
Match Rating: **1/4
Mixed Tag Team Match
Miz & Maryse vs. Edge & Beth Phoenix
The ladies start off and Maryse runs away, leading to Maryse falling on Miz. Maryse tags in Miz and in runs Edge. Maryse grabs Edge's hair when he goes off the ropes and that gives Edge the opening. Miz gets in the Miz Kicks, but misses the last one and gets rolled up for 2. He hits the backbreaker/neckbreaker combo. Maryse gets a slap in there and Beth is chasing her once again. She grabs a chair this time, but thinks better of it and heads back to her corner. Edge is able to hit Edgecution and both men are down now. The women are back in and Beth slams Maryse's head to the mat multiple times. Miz pulls Maryse into her corner, so Beth wants a piece of Miz. Beth picks him up and drives him into the corner. Maryse comes from behind and hits her with the purse, but Beth kicks out at 2. We get a series of counters that lead to both women being down now. The men are in and Edge goes after Miz again. Edge goes up top, but Miz meets him there. Beth comes from behind and powerbombs Miz and Edge follows up with an elbow drop, but Miz kicks out at 2. Maryse sneaks from behind and pulls her onto the apron and into the steps. Edge misses a Spear in the corner. Maryse goes up top and hits a top rope hurricanrana on Edge. Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale, but Edge kicks out. They go for a double Skull Crushing Finale, but Beth and Edge hit a double Spear. They then hit a double Glamazon Slam for the victory. A lot of people probably liked Lashley/Lesnar more than I did and I can guarantee that I liked this a lot more than most people did. Miz and Maryse are just such great characters, they make me care about things a little bit more than just about everyone on the roster.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Men's Royal Rumble
#1 and #2 are AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, which just feels like a feud that was from forever ago. At 11:05 EST, the bell finally rings for the Royal Rumble. They have a pretty standard opening and in comes Austin Theory at #3. He comes in and shows off his athleticism, but the crowd isn't really popping for it. #4 is Robert Roode and he gets no reaction at all. He hits a couple of spinebusters and then turns his attention to TNA pal, AJ Styles. It doesn't last long, as Styles knocks him off the apron with a forearm. Remember when Roode was NXT Champion for what felt like forever? At #5, it's heavy favorite, Ridge Holland. Styles eliminates Shinsuke, which is kind of surprising that he's gone before Rick Boogs comes in. Up next at 6, it's Montez Ford and he wakes up the crowd a little bit. Damian Priest is the 7th entrant. The crowd just seems tired. My man Sami Zayn is in at #8. I'm not timing it, but it feels like the time between entrants is less than 90 seconds. A little bit too obviously, it's Johnny Knoxville at #9. He takes Zayn down and throws down before pointing to the WrestleMania sign. Styles steps in and Knoxville slaps him. Styles destroys him and then Montez hits a Frog Splash on him. Ridge sets him on the apron, but Sami runs in and hits the Helluva Kick to knock him out. Styles runs from behind and now Zayn is gone. #10 is next and it's Angelo Dawkins and then Omos at 11. Omos quickly gets rid of Dawkins. Ford goes up top, but Omos catches him by the throat and throws him out as well. In at 12 is Ricochet, but he quickly gets thrown up in the air and to the mat by Omos. Chad Gable is lucky 13 and he rallies everyone together to tell them his plan to get rid of Omos. His plan is for Priest to go after him because he's the biggest and it surprisingly gets rid of Priest. I figured he'd get a long run. The rest of the guys attempt to take out Omos and #14 Dominik Mysterio helps out. Styles runs in and Omos is now eliminated. Happy Corbin gets us to the halfway point here. Ricochet gest eliminated by Corbin after trying to hit a springboard move. Dolph Ziggler is #16 and it's his 15th Royal Rumble match. Styles is able to knock Theory off the apron just before the countdown to 17 hits. It's none other than Sheamus and they eliminate Ridge Holland right in front of him. Out comes Rick Boogs as the 18th competitor. Boogs picks up Gable and throws him all the way to the floor. Out at #18 is Madcap Moss. There is a real star issue here in NXT. Corbin hits a combo on Styles and then Moss gets rid of Styles. Riddle is out at 20 and we are 2/3rds of the way through here. There have not been any surprises so far and a definite lack of star power. 21 is Drew McIntyre and he gets a good reaction. McIntyre clotheslines Moss out and throws Corbin out as well. McIntyre goes out of the ring and continues the beating on them. As that keeps going, out comes Kevin Owens at 22 and he starts brawling with McIntyre. In the ring, Owens hits a pop up powerbomb on McIntyre. Owens is in there stomping on Riddle's feet and out comes Rey Mysterio at 23. Owens hits a Stunner on Mysterio an then Sheamus and McIntyre go after Owens. #24 it's Kofi Kingston and now he goes after Owens. Kofi goes for a springboard and Owens pushes him right off. He grabs the barricade, but his feet clearly touched. That was...weird. Otis comes out at 25 and he no longer really seems to do much for the crowd. 26 is Big E and it sounds like there were supposed to be some spots with him and Kofi, so this should be interesting to see how it plays out. #27 is Bad Bunny and he goes off the top rope onto Sheamus. Owens goes for a Stunner, but he hits a headscissors instead. Bunny hits a Canadian Destroyer, but then gets pounced by Sheamus. He eliminates Sheamus and then Dolph Ziggler with an assist from Mysterio. He high fives Mysterio and then tries to eliminate him. Otis then runs into Mysterio and sends him out as Shane McMahon comes out at #28. Owens tries to throw Shane right out, but Shane reverses and Owens is gone. At #29, it's the hometown Randy Orton. Orton hits a RKO on Big E and he and Riddle dump him out. Man, did they just stop caring about Big E or what? Riddle leaps off the back of Otis and hits a leaping RKO on McIntyre. They then team up to dump out Otis. Out comes the obvious #30 in Brock Lesnar. He gives suplexes to just about everybody in there and tosses Orton out. Lesnar picks up Bunny and hits the F5 before tossing him out. Brock catches Riddle and chucks him out. Lesnar clotheslines Shane out and we are down to Brock and McIntyre. Lesnar goes for a F5, but McIntyre hits a Glasgow Kiss. Lesnar gets him up again and F5's him out of the ring. Wow, was this underwhelming. Neither Rumble killed it tonight, but this one just felt incredibly unimportant.
Match Rating: **1/4
This show was all over the place. The opener was a fantastic match with a flat finish and it was a roller coaster the rest of the way. Neither Rumble was great and the men's was a bit of a train wreck that lacked star power. I didn't hate the show or anything, it just felt like it should have been so much more.
Overall Rating: 68%
No comments:
Post a Comment