This week in pro wrestling had build for NXT Wargames and AEW’s Full gear. NXT invades RAW. Baszler confronts The Man Beck Lynch. An added team to AEW’s Tag Team title match? More additions to Wargames.

New SmackDown Tag Team champions. Fantasy SmackDown Tag Team and the Fiend’s latest victim. Find out all you need to know this week, right here!

RAW:

Uniondale, NY was the host of this week’s Monday Night Raw episode from the renowned Nassau Colisseum on 11/4/19.

WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, has been reassigned to Raw, and his “Advocate” Paul Heyman, gave at least a somewhat decent explanation for why that happened. Lesnar is frantic and he is looking for Rey Mysterio and he plans to cut a swath through anyone and everyone until he finds him.

Momentum.

Charlotte and Natalya win a non-title match against the Kabuki Warriors after Natalya forces Asuka to tap out to the Sharpshooter. Natalya has been getting needed momentum once again on Raw as they look to establish talents to challenge Becky Lynch in the coming months.

Brock Lesnar ran roughshod over some talent and employees in the back, which led to him coming out and threatening Jerry Lawler. Dio Madden valiantly stood up for the “King” and ate an F-5 for his troubles. Lesnar was then assaulted with a steel chair in the hands of Rey Mysterio. This leads to a world title match being booked for Survivor Series. I’m glad to see Rey getting a golden opportunity and he’s looked strong defending his son’s honor.

Buddy Murphy pulls out a victory over Cedric Alexander with Murphy’s Law. Both these premiere athletes need character development and fast. The crowd was semi-dead for this and it was a real shame because it was a quality bout.

Family Ties

Triple H and Seth Rollins have a great segment which leads to Triple H trying to get Rollins on board with his NXT Takeover. Rollins declines to answer and the Undisputed Era circle the ring like a pack of the vultures. This leads to the OC coming out and a brawl ensues. Dominic Dijakovic and Damien Priest attack the OC as well. It’s noted that Rollins was never touched in this segment. A follow-up segment puts Rollins in the main event for the NXT Title against Adam Cole! Wow!

Andrade and Zelina Vega defeat Sin Cara and Catalina in a mixed tag match. Vega gets the win for her team with the basement hurricanrana that she uses. Catalina is green, but this was fun. It’s great to see these talents getting TV time.

Rusev challenges “Bob” Lashley and Lashley comes to the ring with Lana, but he can’t fight this evening. He’s got a groin tear from evening activities involving Lana. Drew McIntyre competes in his stead and after a quality bout, the DQ occurs after a miraculous recovery from Lashley. He and Rusev continue their story as McIntyre lets them.

The Man and The Queen

Becky Lynch engages Shayna Bazsler in a backstage interview segment and it’s great. We find out that at Survivor Series, it’ll be Becky Lynch vs. Bayley vs. Shayna Baszler in a triple threat match. That is great news for the fans.

Humberto Carrillo takes another loss at the hands of AJ Styles as Humberto teamed up with the Street Profits in a six man tag against the OC. Styles got the pin by using the ole’ feet on the ropes. The OC continues to roll.

The Viking Raiders defeated the best enhancement team of all time, the “East Hampton Polo Boys”. It’s a squash. They laid out a challenge to Gallows and Anderson for a title match after the OC beat them in the multi-tag match at Crown Jewel.

Chaos Ensues

Seth Rollins comes away with a DQ victory in the main event over Adam Cole as the Undisputed Era attacks. The show ends with a scrum, pun fully intended, as NXT and Raw battle it out. Keith Lee hits a senton bomb over the top rope in a stunning visual. This was a solid, action heavy edition of Raw this week, no complaints.-Joel M.

 

 

AEW Dynamite:

The go home show for AEW’s Full Gear hails from the Bojangles’ Coliseum in North Carolina. An passionate promo from Cody Rhodes. An added tag team to the AEW Tag Team tile match? Did Riho win or lose to her mentor? Can Jericho and The Inner Circle continue their dominance over The Elite? Let’s find out, because this is Dynamite!

The Bastard opens vs Trent from Best Friends. Cody announces a stipulation. Private Party wants in.

Pac vs Trent from Best Friends. Pac wins via Brutalizer submission.

Just like AEW’s modus operandi, they star the show with a banger of a match. Trent is accompanied by Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor. Trent was in control for the beginning, but the Bastard Pac used a guardrail for some separation. The match the duo displayed was textbook clinic. Trent again looked very good in ring against Pac. However, this is Pac. The high flyer can probably make look good in the ring, maybe.

At the end Pac hits the Black Arrow, but the ref botched the pin. From probably at awe from this match, so Pac had to cinch in the Brutalizer for the win. Even with the ref botch, this was a highlight match. AEW did what it set out to accomplish, Pac looking strong while give Trent a push in ring.

Cody speaks from the heart.

Man, what a promo! I am not bashing the other company, but if they had this type of unbridled passion from a worker and didn’t display it, for shame. In the beginning of this promo of the decade, Cody states that if he did not win the AEW Championship at Full Gear. Cody will NEVER challenge for the title ever again. That is some bold stipulations there.

The American Nightmare then proceeded to put on a Promo 101 class to any one who was watching. Rhodes recalled all the insults Jericho hurled at him. Being gifted a following by default of his father’s legacy, the late great Dustin Rhodes. Never really earning respect in the business. This is where Cody systematically tears apart Jericho’s insults. Cody well just see for yourself. This is probably the greatest promo in a decade or if not longer, relish in it.

😲 Wow, strong words from a heated @CodyRhodes on #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/wEByb2zFHX

— All Elite Wrestling on TNT (@AEWonTNT) November 7, 2019

 

I still get shivers watching it.

Private Party vs Dark Order. Private party wins via Gin and Juice pin fall.

So, after that undeniably fantastic promo, we get this. The winner of this match will be inserted to the AEW Tag Team title match at Full Gear, making it a Triple Threat match. The opponents are the the last teams that lost before the final round of the Tag Team tournament. I would be daft to say that you could follow up Cody’s promo. You just can’t, but Private Party and Dark Order did their best.

Dark Order basically took over the Party in the early stages. After the commercial break, the Party just got started. The two tag teams yet again display why they should be in the contention of great tag teams. They just showed what a classic tag team match should be, with today’s twists. Uno continues to make me at awe with his size and athleticism. Grayson is a freaking ring general like no other, helping both teams to look great.

Then there is the charismatic duo of Private Party. Yes, they are funny. They know when to put the hurt on. This Party also knows how to make it look fantastic. After a Silly String on Uno, Private Party hits my newest favorite move that I can’t get enough off. The Gin and Juice, for the win and included in the AWE Tag Team title match at Full Gear. Seriously, if you haven’t seen the Gin and Juice move, internet search it, pro wrestling fans will not be disappointed.

Student vs Teacher. An meh filler. INSANE Tag Team match, but could’ve been better.

Riho/Shanna vs Emi Sakura/Jamie Hayter. Sakura wins via La Magistral Cradle (aka roll up in) for the pin fall.

This was a great match that went on a bit on the long side. What was told by the commentators for the TV audience, may have not translated to the live crowd. In short Emi was one of AWE’s Women’s Champion, Riho trainers. So these two have a backstory, but was never built up.

The action was great between Sakura and Riho, with the classic display of student vs teacher. Shanna and Jamie continue to grow on the crowd but can use some work. If edited down, the stars were Riho and Emi. Deservedly so, the duo combined have more ring experience than the entire women’s locker room combined! After a great showing from Shanna and Hayter, Riho faced off against her teacher Emi. With Sakura giving Riho a rare loss, all leading into their Full Gear match.

Great match marred by poor story building. The crowd seemed confused, I’m sure the TV audience was as well. You would have to be a super duper pro wrestling nerd to find a story line for the AEW’s Women’s title match. However, it will be a great match between these two.

Shawn Spears vs Brandon Culter. Spears wins via Death Valley Driver pin fall.

I really wanted this match to be special, but alas it was a filler match. It was almost a classic AEW  match. Giving a lesser known name a spotlight, only for the more known worker win it out. That’s what happened, Culter was in control of the match, but Spears gain control. Hits the Death Valley Driver for the win. Meh…

Adam Hangman Page/Kenny Omega vs Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevra. Jericho wins via Judas Effect pin fall.

A curious match. In one corner we have much wanted talent in Page/Omega, but the keep losing. In the other corner, we have the indestructible Jericho and new talent Sammy. This went down like an old school match before a PPV.

The action was great, then it all broke down to a brawl between The Elite and The Inner Circle. Before all of that, Jericho lands the Judas Effect on Page for another loss. It’s confusing on why Page is having such a hard time winning in AEW. However, it may seem to be better for Adam to lose than Omega. We have all seen this before, but this ending actually had m excited for Full Gear. Another solid show for Dynamite and streak keeps going.-David G.

NXT

With the inclusion of NXT in this year’s Survivor Series, the stars of the black and gold brand have been making their presence known on both the blue and red brands this week. Would any representatives from those brands return the favor at Full Sail? What about the ongoing plans for NXT’s own Wargames show the night before Survivor Series? All would be addressed on Wednesday night!

Survivors Clash

Raw representatives the OC kicked off the show by beating up the Undisputed Era and taking over the ring. Tomasso Ciampa took the stage and made it know that while he has no problem with what they did to UE, he does have a problem with their attempt at taking over HIS ring. This was an excellent touch as it established a clear difference between brand rivalries and other ongoing rivalries. Too often the biggest problem with the brand rivalries are the way they toss aside standard heel and face dynamics for the sake of “brand pride” that doesn’t exist any other month of the year. When Styles pointed out his numbers advantage, Ciampa was joined by Matt Riddle and Keith Lee to set up a 6 man tag for the main event.

Solid match, but lingering questions

It was a solid main event that really solidified an even playing field for the NXT stars so that they aren’t just seen as the minor league when mixing it up with Raw and SD. However, there was no clear finish after the ref was accidentally knocked out. Finn Balor showed up to help the OC and display some familiar hand gestures towards Styles. The Adam Cole returned from his preshow beating to attack both Styles and Ciampa, keeping both rivalries clearly in play for the coming weeks.

There remain a few questions coming out of all of this. First of all, who will be the 4^th member of Team Ciampa in the Wargames match? Secondly, will the participants in Wargames also find themselves in a traditional Survivor Series match the following night? Thirdly, if so, what kind of shape will they be in for SS just 24 hours removed from Wargames??

Warring Women

It was established early that Shayna Baszler had already selected Bianca Belair and Io Shirai for her Wargames team with one position remaining to be filled. Obviously they’re going for the top stars of the division in this match, but they really should address why Shayna’s most trusted allies Duke and Shafir were not her first choices. Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley has chosen Tegan Nox and Candice LeRae with one open position on her team as well. All of the women’s action on this week’s show was supposed to be about the remaining roster members proving themselves worthy of those final two War Games spots.

The Story

The announcers tried first to sell this story during a match between Taynara and the debuting Santana Garrett. Yes, Garrett made numerous appearances for NXT several years ago, but this was her first night on the show since being officially signed to a contract. This was one of Taynara’s best matches to date, but even though she got the win here her track record of being used primarily in an enhancement role made it difficult to truly take her seriously as a potential Team Baszler member.

Also out to prove herself in the ring was Dakota Kai. Recently returned from injury, she’s been mostly overshadowed by her friends. It almost seemed as though the powers that be simply didn’t see her as having the same potential as other women on the roster, but the events of this show offered a different perspective. Kai displayed a new level of aggression and confidence in her match against Baszler. She even managed to reverse out of a Kirafuda Clutch at one point, but eventually had to tap to a second attempt at that hold.

More questions

When the Horsewomen began to beat Dakota further after the match, Team Ripley was ready to make the save. Alas, Belair and Shirai hit them from behind and put the odds squarely in favor of Team baszler. The equalizer was Mia Yim, who showed up with a kendo stick and cleaned house. This impressed Rhea enough to earn Yim the final spot on the team and send a dejected Kai off on her own. Is it possible that Kai being overshadowed by her friends in recent weeks was actually meant to send her to the dark side as the final member of Team Baszler? I’d say that it’s a strong possibility.

Next week Shirai and Yim fight to determine which team has the entrance order advantage during Wargames.

All the Rest

Pete Dunne and Damian Priest met for their second match in recent weeks. In their first encounter the Archer of Infamy utilized a low blow to gain victory, and tonight the Bruiserweight returned the favor. Don’t let those endings fool you though, because both matches were incredible. The eventual rubber match should be at a whole other level, but that may have to wait until after they deal with Killian Dain. The Beast of Belfast attacked both men after their match and some sort of triple threat encounter is clearly the plan sooner rather than later.

Swerve Scott and Dominik Dijakovic had a pretty solid showing against one another. A little surprised that neither of these fast rising stars is in the mix for Wargames currently, but at least they aren’t allowing them to be forgotten while that build has center stage.

Challenger for Lio Rush.

Finally Tone Nese took on Angel Garza in a #1 Contenders match for the Cruiserweight Title. I’m sure it was a fine match, but I just had no reason to get invested in it. For starters, both men are currently heels. However, the bigger issue is that they’ve already been laying the ground work for Garza vs Lio Rush in previous episodes. Unless they were going to back burner all of that the outcome of this match seemed a foregone conclusion.  Garza did indeed get the victory and he’ll face Rush for the title next week. I’m surprised they aren’t saving that match for the undercard of Takeover, but maybe the plan is for there to be a funky ending next week leading to a follow up match on the larger show. ~Jason M.

NXT UK

Gang Warfare

Much like NXT US, the UK division is taking sides for their own gang warfare currently with Imperium and Gallus both trying to assert their dominance. Joe Coffey of Gallus kicked off the night with his first match since TakeOver Cardiff. He battle Tyson T. Bone in what at times could be called a boxing match with some wrestling bits thrown in. It was actually a fun mix of styles, especially with guys who hit as hard as these two. However there was never any doubt Coffey would emerge victorious in the end.

Later on the remaining members of Gallus made their presence known during the main event. It was actually quite a good match between Grizzled Young Veterans and South Wales Subculture. GYV were fairly dominant for the 1^st half, but once the current tag champs walked out on the stage that slight distraction allowed the Welshmen to mount a small comeback. From there it was something of an even back and forth battle, but unfortunately there would be no definitive winner.

Odds evened.

Members of Imperium joined Gallus on stage, and then both teams rushed the ring. This ended the match as a draw, but also established both former team champions as losers compared to the current champs and their top foes. Eventually all 3 members of Gallus were facing off with all 4 members of Imperium. Then Ilja Dragunov arrived. Alexander Wolfe has been trying to recruit him to Imperium for weeks, and for a moment it looked like he might accept. However, the young Russian shocked everyone by siding with Gallus, and a show closing 4 on 4 brawl ensued.

Where do the Women Stand?

The only Women’s match of the night saw Killer Kelly returning from injury to take on Isla Dawn. In somewhat of a shock, considering the circumstances, it was Dawn who picked up the victory. I’m not sure where this points her in the hierarchy of the division, but I quite enjoy her work and hope that perhaps a push is coming.

Outside of the ring we also got a backstage interview with Xia Brookside who says that she is more than ready to take on kay Lee Ray next week. We also got a video package on Piper Niven. Toni Storm is MIA and Rhea Ripley has her hands full in NXT US so it seems Niven is being positioned as the new “face of the division.”~Jason M.

Friday Night SmackDown:

This week on Friday Night SmackDown, King Corbin goes too far. Surprising tag team events. NXT UK invades! Daniel Bryan has questions. Cross vs The Boss. The latest Fiend victim and the newest and scariest tag team. Find out what all went down right here!

King Boredom. Unpredictable Tag Team finish. NXT UK INVASION! Daniel Bryan watches on.

King Corbin calls out Roman Reigns.

Corbin starts off the show with his promo of Roman not wanting to be a champion, but a charity worker. The Lone Wolf states that Roman is too busy “Making a Wish” that he can’t be a good champion. Then states that Roman has “small testicles” and mocked his his bark. This was an utter waste of King Corbin’s heel character and solidifies that WWE creative have no clue on to generate good heel heat. Pass..

New Day, Big E/Kofi Kingston vs The Revial for the SmackDown Tag Team titles. New Day wins via Trouble in Paradise in fall.

Well now, what a quaint surprise. Before I get to the ending, I have one question. Does the WWE creative really hate The Revival? I really do not know, but this seems like a step in that direction. The two teams pulled off a decent match, filled with their staples. Kofi hits the Trouble in Paradise for the win. Umm, yeah.. don’t get me wrong it was a really good match. However, it begs to question on why the New Day became Tag Team champions for the 7th time. Was it for Survivor Series, was it because Xavier Woods will be out for a long time, is The Revival really on bad terms with WWE? Who knows, what we do know is a great tag team (Revival) became fodder again.

Imperium invades!

Shinsuke Nakamura/Cesaro vs Ali/Shorty G. Nakamura wins via Kinshasa pin fall.

Before the match Heavy Machinery is out in the ring, until NXT UK’s Imperium takes them out. New Day, Ali, Shorty G make the save but it is too late. So Shorty G/Ali will have to fight. Probably one of the best matches of the night. The four men all hit their spots, but after many distraction, Shinsuke hits the Kinshasa for the win. As Daniel Bryan watches on from the ramp.

Cross vs Boss. The Fiend’s latest victim. Scary Tag Team.

Sasha Banks vs Nikki Cross. Sasha wins via Bank Statement submission.

Probably the biggest take away from this match was Bank’s new theme song. It’s a remix with her cousin Snoop Dogg and it was bangin. The match was just as you would expect, Cross firing on all cylinders, but Sasha found a way to win with some help from Bayley. But wait… there’s more! Shayna Baszler returns to put a hurting on Bayley. However, Baszler ran when Banks came in for the save. An alright match, with Sasha new song and Baszler saving the match.

The Fiend arrives.

Daniel Bryan was backstage contemplating about joining Sami Zayn’s stable. Just as Bryan was about to answer. The Fiend arrives and locks in the Mandible Claw on Bryan as Sami cowers away. Loved this spot, it makes The Fiend look like a Reaper collecting souls. No matter who they ar, The Fiend will find them.

Tyson Fury teams with Braun Strowman. B-Team eats it.

Tyson and Braun found mutual respect for each other after their Crown Jewel match. Just as that happened , The B-Team came out to fight them. Big mistake, as Fury laid out Bo Dallas and Strowman Power Slammed Axel. Harmless crowd pop, but kind of intriguing. If Fury has the time and gets the fundamentalsdown, the tag team can wreck shop.

Survivor Series implications. Reigns vs King Corbin.

Carmella/Dana Brooks vs Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville. Dana wins via Senton pin fall.

With the match being for spots on the SmackDown roster for Survivor series, the ladies went at it. However, this match seemed like it was thrown together. As Dana hits a Senton for the win and punching their ticket to Survivor Series. It’s kind of a shame as Rose and Deville have grown exponentially as a tag team. The duo have all the right parts and may just need a slighty push.

Main Event. King Corbin wins via End Of Days.

Yeah, you read that right, Corbin won over superman Reigns. It wasn’t by the King’s own doing, he had help with Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode. While the Big Dog gave it his best, the number game was too much. As King Corbin hit the End Of Days on Roman for the pin fall. It was a soild match, but nothing special. If some way Corbin, Dolph, and Roode can form a stable that wrecks the SmackDown landscape, I will be down for that! Let’s hope that this will not be a few off segments and WWE actually follows through with it. Averageshow, and still needs work again.– David G

 

205 Live

205 Live was presented from Full Sail for the 1st time. With only two matches on the card, the contenders did all they could to entertain. Was it a good show or meh show? Find out right here!

Mansoor vs Brian Kendrick. Mansoor wins via roll up.

I really do not know why Mansoor is not featured more. The guy has the look, his in ring work has really improved, and he brings in what WWE likes.. abroad money. Brian Kendrick displays why he is still a top commodity, as he makes Mansoor look better that he actually is. Great match for the duo and I hope this will have a bigger feud. Mansoor wins rolling up Kendrick after evading the Captian’s Hook and a Power Slam. Great match!

Lio Rush vs Raul Mandoza. Lio wins via

This is a rematch, but not for the NXT Cruiserweight title, just a rematch. Mendoza took full advantage of this match. Displaying a different tactic for Rush and just taking it to him. Utilizing speed and power, Raul had control for most of the match. Yet Lio proves why he is the MOTH, Man Of The Hour. Rush hits the Corkscrew Unprettier for the pin fall. Good but too short of a match. I guess WWE wants Lio to have the belt and compete later on vs Angel Garza. For what it is worth, Raul got to show a different fighting style in this match, but meh. –David G

NEWS

• After having a little fun with social media teases of a change in scenery, Randy Orton has signed a new 5 year contract remain with WWE.
• Though some had been previously rumored, 4 names were officially announced as WWE PC recruits: Scarlett Bordeaux, Shotzi Blackheart, Indi Hartwell and referee Stephon Smith.
• Lance Storm will soon be returning to the WWE as a backstage producer. Considering how successful he’s been training new talent, he should be an excellent fit for such a role.
• Injury Updates: Joaquin Wilde (fka DJZ) is clear to return to NXT, Elias could be clear any day now, Alexa Bliss is being reevaluated weekly, and unfortunately Velveteen Dream will likely be out for the remainder of 2019.

Current PPV Cards:

AEW Full Gear: Saturday November  9

• AEW World Championship: Chris Jericho© vs Cody
• AEW Women’s World Championship: Riho© vs Emi Sakura
• AEW World Tag Team Championship: SCU© vs Lucha Bros vs Private Party
• Unsanctioned Lights Out Match: Jon Moxley vs Kenny Omega
•  Young Bucks vs Santana & Ortiz
• Hangman Adam Page vs PAC
• Joey Janela vs Shawn Spears w/Tully Blanchard

NXT TakeOver Wargames: Saturday November 23

• Men’s Wargames Match: Undisputed Era vs Tomasso Ciampa, Matt Riddle, Keith Lee & ?
• Women’s Wargames Match: Rhea Ripley, Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae & Mia Yim vs Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai, Bianca Belair & ?

Survivor Series: Sunday November 24

• WWE Championship: Brock lesnar© vs Rey Mysterio.
• Raw Woman’s Champion Becky Lynch vs Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley vs NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler.
• Raw Tag Champions Viking raiders vs Smackdown Tag Champions New Day vs NXT Tag Champions Undisputed Era.