IMG Credit: WWE

Tribute to the Troops 2018
Date: December 20, 2018
Location: Fort Hood, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton

This is one of the most unique shows that the company does every year as we’re at a military base this time around. As you can probably guess, the idea here is all about the troops and that changes some things. This isn’t going to be a storyline driven show whatsoever and it’s all about a fun night with a lot of celebrity cameos. Let’s get to it.

As you might expect, we open with the National Anthem.

The show is in a hanger, which is at least looking like they’re trying instead of a few years ago when they just did a house show and called it Tribute to the Troops.

Video on how important this show is.

Here’s New Day, with Big E. as Santa, Kofi as an elf and Woods as a reindeer with R-Truth and Carmella throwing out gifts. New Day talks about how important the troops are and mention some traditions, like watching your favorite New Day match on a loop until your wife says “KOFI GET OUT HERE SO THE KIDS CAN OPEN THE PRESENTS!” As for the troops away from home, send them a letter or a present but keep them away from the milk and cookies. The USA chants wrap us up.

Ronda Rousey/Natalya vs. Riott Squad vs. Tamina/Nia Jax

The troops are rather pleased with Rousey here as she starts with Logan. It’s quickly off to Morgan, who gets thrown down just as fast. Natalya comes in and shrugs off a slingshot bulldog attempt, setting up the discus lariat for two. The threat of a Sharpshooter is enough to bring Tamina in to take over, followed by Nia coming in for the big elbow on Natalya. Tamina gets in a few more shots before it’s back to Logan for a chinlock. Natalya fights up and makes the hot tag off to Ronda to clean house. The first armbar attempt is broken up so Ronda flips Logan and Morgan over for a double armbar and the double tap at 6:56.

Rating: C-. As usual, the ratings are going to be on a sliding scale tonight because the wrestling isn’t the point whatsoever. This is all about letting the fans have some fun and that’s what they got with Rousey. The fans got to have a good time and Rousey won with a cool looking finisher. That’s perfectly fine and all it needed to be.

Post match Rousey thanks the troops for everything they do and for giving us our freedom as the greatest gift of all.

Video on Jon Stewart getting to meet the troops.

Morgan Wallen performs Whiskey Glasses.

Elias/Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre

Lashley cleans house to start with a shot to knock Balor off the apron and a drive to send Elias into the corner. McIntyre and Lashley take turns beating on Elias and we take an early break. Back with McIntyre getting two off a suplex to Balor and it’s back to Lashley for a chinlock. Lashley drops Elias off the apron with a right hand and it’s Balor caught in the corner again.

As usual, the hot tag goes through almost immediately thereafter so Elias can clean house. Lio Rush offers a distraction so the chase is on, allowing Lashley to plant Elias with a spinebuster. Balor breaks up the near fall with a Coupe de Grace and there’s the big flip dive onto McIntyre. A sunset flip finishes Lashley at 8:45.

Rating: C. Just a formula tag match here and that’s fine. Balor’s flip dive is always going to get a reaction and Elias, who probably sang something like, is worth a look for something like this. As you can probably guess, there’s no reason to believe the heels are going to win anything big, and there’s nothing wrong with that in this case.

Some wrestlers thank the troops.

It’s time for MizTV, with Miz thanking the troops, who are the really awesome ones. His guests this time are Charlotte and Becky Lynch and Miz gets straight to the point: they used to be best friends and then it all fell apart. Maybe it’s because Charlotte isn’t used to standing in Becky’s shadow after being the top dog for so long. Charlotte says queens cast shadows instead of standing in them.

Miz apologizes for overshadowing Becky in the latest Marine movie, which Becky says is big of him. Becky: “That’s probably the first time anyone has ever said that of you.” Becky says she’s the man and here are Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville to cut them off. Mandy should be the face of the division (Mandy: “I mean, look at me.”) and Sonya hits harder than Nia Jax. A match seems imminent.

Charlotte/Becky Lynch vs. Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville

Sonya and Charlotte start things off with Charlotte sending her outside for a slingshot dive. Mandy comes in to a not exactly surprising big pop and gets two off a rollup. It’s back to Sonya for some right hands as JBL sounds rather into the Charlotte vs. Becky rivalry. Mandy gets in a few more shots to slow Charlotte down before it’s back to Sonya for the heavy lifting. Charlotte gets close to the corner so Mandy comes in for a distraction, meaning the hot tag isn’t seen. Of course Charlotte chops her way to freedom and brings Becky in for the Disarm-Her and the tap at 5:55.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here without any drama about the winners. Becky is the biggest thing in the company right now so getting her on the show was about as much of a requirement as you could have had. Mandy was there as eye candy and there’s nothing wrong with that in a show like this.

Earlier today, New Day had breakfast at Denny’s with some troops.

Here’s Jon Stewart for some jokes. Stewart talks about a rather uncomfortable trip to Afghanistan. Apparently flying in military helicopters and planes is rather rough.

Clips of some wrestlers meeting troops.

Morgan Wallen performs Up Down.

Daniel Bryan/Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins/AJ Styles

The villains jump Seth to start but AJ makes a save, allowing Seth to hit a suicide dive on Dean to get us to the opening bell. Seth and Dean start us off with a Sling Blade putting Ambrose down early on. Bryan trips Seth from the floor though and Dean slams him onto the mat to send us to a break. Back with Dean holding Seth in a Fujiwara armbar and setting him on top.

That goes badly as Seth slips out and hits a buckle bomb, allowing the hot tag off to AJ, who hits the drop down into the dropkick on Bryan. An enziguri cuts AJ off but he’s right back with the Calf Crusher. Dean makes the save but gets driven into the corner by Seth as everything breaks down. Bryan runs into Dean in the corner and Seth hits another suicide dive. AJ gets sent to the apron but comes back in with the Phenomenal Forearm to finish Bryan at 10:17.

Rating: C+. Match of the night here and that’s not surprising. As usual, this isn’t going to change anything from a storyline perspective so Bryan losing clean is perfectly acceptable. They didn’t even have the titles out here so it’s not like anything is affected. The action was good here and they sent the troops home happy, so it’s hard to complain that much.

Seth and AJ thank the troops and the locker room comes out for one more thank you.

One last video on the whole event wraps things up.

Overall Rating: C. Like I said, the wrestling wasn’t the point here and everything was watchable enough. It was nice to have some celebrities in there for some extra fun and it’s not like there was any reason to expect anything else. The atmosphere and venue help a lot as well as it actually feels like something different, which is supposed to be the case. Perfectly watchable show and that’s all it’s supposed to be.

Results

Ronda Rousey/Natalya b. Tamina/Nia Jax and Riott Squad – Double armbar to Morgan and Logan

Finn Balor/Elias b. Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre – Sunset flip to Lashley

Charlotte/Becky Lynch b. Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville – Disarm-Her to Deville

Seth Rollins/AJ Styles b. Dean Ambrose/Daniel Bryan – Phenomenal Forearm to Bryan

Somehow it’s already time to start up the Royal Rumble Countup again and that means I need to redo some shows.  As usual I’ll be redoing the 2018 edition but I need another one to do as well.  You all can pick it by voting in the comments.  All the shows are eligible, save for the following (ones I’ve done recently):

1997

2001

2003

2004

2017

Do you all like it when I post happenings in wrestling (stuff like Vince’s announcement, Owens and Zayn returning and the result from Smackdown’s tapings) with the quick thoughts on them?  I stopped doing them for a long time but they’re easy to do and I can get them up faster than a bigger piece.

KB

I’d think everything that happened on Monday deserves a closer look.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-solution-problem-needs-solution/

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 19, 2004
Location: MCI Center, Washington DC
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re still on the road to Summerslam and the big story coming out of last week saw Evolution beat down pretty much everyone in sight, including Eugene. I’m not sure how this is going to go anywhere other than more HHH time, but why mess with what has worked so well? For HHH that is of course. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Chris Benoit successfully defending the World Title against Eugene last week, leading to Evolution destroying the two of them plus William Regal. At least they finally got to the logical part of this rather over complicated story.

Say it with me: here’s HHH to open things up. HHH says he’s not too proud of what he did last week and it was probably even below him. It made him feel rotten but once he thought about it, of course he felt better because it’s just Eugene. He knows Eugene isn’t here tonight so get close to the TV and understand this: HHH hates him and so does Evolution. Everyone here hates Eugene and is embarrassed by him, even his mom.

Eugene has no business being here because he isn’t normal. Just in case Eugene still doesn’t get it, here’s a clip from after Raw with Regal and Benoit checking on Eugene and crying as he was taken out on a stretcher. HHH: “There’s no crying in wrestling!” This brings out Eric Bischoff, who is so proud of HHH that he’s giving him another World Title shot next week. As I sigh heavily, Bischoff makes it even worse by making it a sixty minute Iron Man match.

HHH has a busy night next week so he can have tonight off while Benoit faces Batista. After HHH promises some violence, here’s Regal to interrupt. He doesn’t like what HHH and Bischoff have done so the fight is on with Regal beating the heck out of HHH and sending him into the steps. Security takes him away and Regal’s bugging out eyes are a great visual, as tends to be the case for him.

Sylvan Grenier vs. Tajiri

A slam sets up the chinlock, which of course brings Tajiri right back to life. The handspring elbow sets up a superkick for two on Grenier and the Tarantula makes things even worse. The referee goes after Rhyno for some reason, allowing Conway to get in a flag shot. Grenier hits a faceplant and grabs the tights for the pin.

Rating: C. This was shockingly watchable and the best Grenier match I’ve ever seen (ok so there have been like two) with a decent little story and some nice action. That’s about as good as you can ask for from these two and the eventual title match should be fine. For an opening match, this was a rather nice little surprise.

Video on the weekend’s house shows. Attendance must be down again.

It’s time for the Highlight Reel and the guests are the ten finalists in the Diva Search. Jericho plugs the voting opening tonight where you can pick your favorite but the one with the fewest votes is gone. The women get to introduce themselves and we have Michelle (McCool), Christy (Hemme), Julie (from Kentucky, as people should be), Camille, Maria (Kanellis), Tracie, Carmella (DeCesare), Chandra (the twin of the other one from Kentucky), Amy (Weber) and Joy (Giovanni), all of whom are booed out of the building.

Jericho gets to the point of tonight: there’s an immunity envelope in Eric Bischoff’s office and they’re all going to destroy the place to find it. Jericho marches them through the building to the office (Jericho: “I’m the Pied Piper but they’re not rats!”) and they eventually wreck the whole place, including going through Bischoff’s briefcase. This goes on way too long of course and I’m sure the fans who paid for tickets to the show are thrilled to watch a bad reality show segment on a video screen. King has a good question: “What does the immunity envelope look like?”

That’s not actually answered, but here’s Bischoff to yell at all of them for wrecking the office. As it turns out, there is no envelope because Bischoff is in charge of the whole contest and came up with the whole idea. They admit that Jericho put them up to it while doing their model stances and smirking through the entire thing. This is up there on the list of all time worst ideas in Raw history and it’s only going to get worse.

Tyson Tomko vs. Hurricane

Tomko has Trish with him so Hurricane debuts Stacy Keibler as his new manager. Stacy offers an early distraction but Tomko is fine enough to slam Hurricane off the top. The Blockbuster gets Hurricane out of trouble for a bit and a running dropkick sends Tomko into the corner. Trish goes after Hurricane so he grabs her hair, allowing Tomko to kick Hurricane in the face for the pin. Why debut the new manager if he’s going to lose in less than two minutes?

Post match Trish hits Stacy with the cast but here’s Rosey, now with an actual superhero costume, for the save. You could have done the same thing without Hurricane losing that way.

HHH talks to Batista about his upcoming match.

King reads some excerpts from Ric Flair’s book where he buries Bret Hart and Mick Foley. Probably just jealous that their books are better.

Chris Benoit vs. Batista

Non-title. The early chops just annoy Batista so Benoit goes with the rolling German suplexes instead. Batista is up too fast for the Swan Dive so Benoit goes with a basement dropkick. That doesn’t work either so Batista grabs a backbreaker to take him down. Benoit takes him down and tries a Sharpshooter but gets kicked away. The big German suplex sends Batista outside so Benoit tries the Crossface out there.

Since that would be a big waste of time, Batista shrugs him off and into the post to really take over. Back in and Batista chokes away before raining down right hands to the head. The fans get behind Benoit so Batista crushes his head with a knee. With Benoit’s comebacks getting on his nerves, Batista ties his foot on the rope and kicks Benoit in the head….for a DQ.

Rating: C+. That’s how you make Batista look like a monster as Benoit, even at his best, couldn’t do anything to stop him. Batista looked awesome here with some of the best stuff he’s done so far. His improvements over the last year, or even six months, have been nothing short of remarkable as he’s turned into one of the better monsters I’ve seen in a long time. Very entertaining match here, with Batista getting a lot out of it.

Post match Batista beats on Benoit even more, drawing some cheers (hometown boy might have something to do with it). JR points out that Batista never tried to pin him, because that wasn’t the point of the match.

During the break, Benoit could barely stand.

Lita talks to Matt Hardy in the back but he doesn’t have time for this whole thing. He doesn’t know how to handle the situation, which Lita can understand. One way or another, with or without him though, she’s having the baby. Has no one gotten a blood test yet?

Randy Orton isn’t happy with hearing about his loss because Edge is a fluke. Edge’s first Intercontinental Title reign lasted one day and Orton’s lasted seven months. Edge comes in and talks about Orton having self esteem issues. Edge: “I’d have self esteem issues too if my dad made his career being Roddy Piper’s personal b****.” The rematch is set for tonight.

How to vote in the Diva Search. This is edited out of the Network version.

Chris Jericho vs. Kane

Jericho goes straight at him to start and Kane charges into a raised boot in the corner. That just annoys Kane, who drops some elbows for two. Kane misses a charge in the corner though and Jericho nails a top rope back elbow for two of his own. The Lionsault hurts Jericho’s knee though and they head outside where Jericho posts him a few times. An enziguri is enough to get Kane counted out in a bit of a surprising finish.

It’s so surprising that Bischoff says we’ll redo it as a falls count anywhere match with no countouts or DQ. Back from a break with Kane in control but getting low bridged to the floor. That means a big dive off the top for two on the floor so Kane drops him face first onto the barricade for the same. They fight into the crowd with Kane sending him into a barricade for two. A drop toehold sends Kane face first into a hockey board and a camera crane to the face makes it a lot worse. Cue Batista to blast Jericho with the clothesline and Kane gets the pin.

Rating: D+. Not too bad here with Batista again getting a nice rub. Jericho could go toe to toe with Kane for a good while but Batista takes him out with a single clothesline? Speaking of which, it’s a clothesline, but they’re getting it over by having it be devastating. That’s the case with any move: let it win matches and the move will be over because wins and losses still matter to fans.

We go to some highlights from the Diva Search Casting Special, where all ten were chosen. In other words, it’s an excuse to have them all in swimsuits. That’s all well and good for one of these specials but keep it far off Raw, especially with the long segments.

Here they are again, this time in bikinis. In case you haven’t established that they look great yet.

Smackdown Rebound.

Intercontinental Title: Randy Orton vs. Edge

Edge is defending after winning the title last week. Orton takes him down in very short order and it’s already a staredown. This time it’s Edge wrestling him down and it’s an exchange of waistlocks. They both try dropkicks for another stalemate until Orton sends Edge to the apron where he snaps Randy’s arm over the rope. Orton takes him to the floor and drops Edge back first onto the barricade to send Edge into the crowd. That allows Orton to pose a bit (a specialty) before we take a break.

Back with Orton twisting Edge’s neck and dropping a knee for two. The chinlock goes on so Orton can rip at Edge’s face until the comeback is on. They hit stereo crossbodies for a double knockdown but Edge scores with a big boot. An Oklahoma roll gives Edge two and he spears Orton out to the floor for a crash into the barricade. Back in and Edge scores with the missile dropkick for two more.

The regular spear misses so Edge settles for a neckbreaker for another near fall. The referee gets bumped and that means it’s time to grab a chair. Edge cuts him down with the spear but there’s still no referee. Orton’s low blow into an RKO gets the very slow two and Edge is right back with another spear for another near fall. Another RKO is countered into a backslide and Edge throws his feet onto the ropes for the pin (cheating again).

Rating: B. I liked it better than the Vengeance match because it cut out the long and boring sequence at the start to get us straight to the awesome stuff that these two can do against each other. Edge cheating is still weird to see in his current run, but hopefully it’s leading somewhere. Good, solid, back and forth match here as both guys continue to look great.

Edge points to his head and the announcers plug the Iron Man match to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The Diva Search stuff killed the show but Batista got a nice push and the main event was very good. Other than that though, it’s a pretty forgettable show without much of interest going on. HHH going after the World Title again was expected but it was nice to have Eugene gone for a week. He’s already overstayed his welcome (at least this version of him has) so cutting down on him for a week or two is a good idea. Not a very good show, but it had good parts when you ignore all the bad ideas.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: December 19, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

We’ve got a pair of big matches this week, starting with Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke making their in-ring debuts against Io Shirai and Dakota Kai. Other than that though we have Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black inside of a steel cage. You don’t get these things very often in NXT and that alone makes it feel more special. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at Gargano vs. Black, which has certainly been built up well over the last few weeks

Opening sequence.

Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke vs. Io Shirai/Dakota Kai

Kai takes Duke down to start and gets in a quick double stomp to the chest. It’s off to Shafir for something close to an Eye of the Hurricane for two and it’s back to Duke for the neck crank. Kai finally scores with a scorpion kick to the head for a breather and that’s enough for the hot tag to Shirai. A 619 hits Shafir and a springboard dropkick keeps her in trouble. The running knees in the corner make it even worse and with Kai taking Duke off the apron, Shirai drops the moonsault for the pin at 4:27.

Rating: C-. Duke and Shafir didn’t get to show off that much but they weren’t in there long enough to embarrass themselves either. They’re not ready to beat a team like Shirai and Kai anyway so the ending is perfectly fine. This was perfectly fine and keeping it short was the absolutely right idea.

Dominik Dijakovic is coming tonight.

We look at Matt Riddle beating Punishment Martinez two weeks ago but getting jumped by Kassius Ohno.

Riddle can’t blame Ohno for jumping him from behind after Riddle knocked him out in seven seconds last time.

Aaron Mackey vs. Dominik Dijakovic

Dominik starts striking away with ease early on and a standing throw over his shoulder makes things even worse. Feast Your Eyes (a reverse AA into a knee to the face) finishes Mackey at 1:18. Total squash and rather intimidating performance from Dijakovic. I’m still not sure why they needed to change the name though.

Video on Heavy Machinery. They get a Tag Team Title shot next week in what sounds like a farewell match.

Shirai is now in the #1 contenders match.

Heavy Machinery vs. Danny Dacarto/Mike Howell

Rating: D+. Literal squash here with the Compactor being a good finishing move. This worked perfectly well but I’m not sure how many teams Heavy Machinery is going to be able to do this to or with on the main roster. They seem almost destined to become cannon fodder in short order, which is about as much of a death sentence as you can get. As usual, enjoy them in NXT while you can.

Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black

Inside a cage with pinfall, submission or escape rules. Gargano runs out and jumps Black before he can get inside and they fight on the floor before the bell. Some kicks to the chest rock Gargano and Black throws him inside so we can officially get going. A dropkick to the knee takes Johnny down but Gargano sidesteps the standing Lionsault. Black kicks the cage by mistake but Gargano is smart enough to climb back down because he knows Black isn’t done yet.

Some left hands have Black in more trouble and even more rock him in the corner. Black comes back with more kicks and goes up top but, realizing that it’s too early to leave, moonsaults down onto Johnny in a good looking jump. Some whips into the cage have Gargano in more trouble and it’s time for the rapid fire kicks. Black goes all the way up and gets a leg over the top but comes back in instead, which sounds destined to cause him trouble later.

Gargano can’t get out either as Black pulls him back down so they’re both on the top. You don’t do that to Gargano, who jumps up for a heck of a sunset bomb (that looked sweet) and a near fall as the fans are impressed. Gargano actually wins a strike off until Black takes his head off with a jumping knee to the face. That’s almost enough to knock Gargano out of the cage but Black pulls him right back in. Black gets caught in the Gargano Escape though and the break only earns him a whip into the cage.

Johnny slaps it on again before going up, with Black charging up the ropes for the save. They’re on top again and Black shoves off what looked like a super cutter, setting up a Meteora instead. A German suplex gives Black two but Johnny sends him into the cage. Gargano says he absolves Black of his sins and loads up the superkick, only to charge into Black Mass.

After taking their time getting up, Black goes for the door and Johnny goes over the top but here’s Tommaso Ciampa to slam the door on Black’s head. Johnny climbs back in and, with chants of DIY, Gargano and Ciampa hit Meet in the Middle. Even though the fans cheered for it, they seem shocked when it actually happened. A smiling Ciampa leaves a confused Gargano to get the pin at 18:00.

Rating: A-. Heck of a match here but the ending is all that is going to matter. There are several ways to go with that finish as Gargano looked unsure of what he was doing but he certainly didn’t mind embracing the evil to take care of Black. Ciampa’s smile suggested that this was what he wanted all along and that leaves some very interesting options on the table. Black might even want to get some help against the possibly reunited team….and I have no idea who he might pick.

The match itself was a blast with both guys hitting some huge spots and trying to win but coming back for more violence. This was great all around, but the ending stole the show and leaves you wondering what we have next. Gargano being added to the title match in Phoenix wouldn’t shock me either and would make sense at this point.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event is more than enough to carry this but the rest left a bit to be desired. Dijakovic had a good debut and the Heavy Machinery squash was fun, but the tag match was pretty uneventful and felt like something they needed to get out of the way rather than anything that mattered. Still though, the twist ending is great and came after an awesome match and that’s more than enough to make things work for another week.

Results

Io Shirai/Dakota Kai b. Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke – Moonsault to Shafir

Dominik Dijakovic b. Aaron Mackey – Feast Your Eyes

Heavy Machinery b. Danny Dacarto/Mike Howell – Double Compactor

Johnny Gargano b. Aleister Black – Meet in the Middle

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 19, 2018
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the last show of the third taping cycle and that means we’re getting close to being caught up from these tapings. It’s time to focus on the main event guys again with Joe Coffey back in the main event. I’m not wild on Gallus, but it’s a good idea to have something like them as the top villains, just as a placeholder if nothing else. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Toni Storm vs. Charlie Morgan

We get the handshake and now they’re ready to go. An early slap to the face wakes Toni up and she’s right back with some slaps of her own. A dropkick gives Toni one and it’s off to an STF with Storm laying back to back instead of the usual method. After the rope grab, Morgan scores with an enziguri to take Storm down for the first time. The camel clutch goes on with the fans wanting Toni to fight back. Toni does just that with a release German suplex and there’s the running hip attack in the corner. Storm Zero finishes Morgan at 3:56.

Rating: D+. Pretty basic match here as Storm gets a win to get her back on the right track after the loss to Rhea Ripley. She’s the kind of person who is going to be a star for a long time around here with the natural charisma and skills alone so this isn’t surprising. Morgan seems fine but I haven’t really seen enough of her yet.

Video on Gallus.

Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews vs. Zack Gibson/James Drake

As the fans who hate Gibson stand up because they hate Gibson, Gibson gets taken down with a double hiptoss into a shooting star/moonsault combination. It’s off to Webster for the Rude Boy Block on Drake as Gibson is taking his wrist tape off. Said tape is thrown at Webster, letting Drake send him outside for a backbreaker onto the apron. The crowd takes their shoes off as Gibson gets two off a clothesline. Drake forearms the heck out of Webster for two and we hit a chinlock. A slide between the ropes and a kick off are enough for the hot tag to Andrews and it’s time to clean house.

Everything breaks down and Andrews gets two on Drake off a spinning DDT. Ticket To Ride gets the same on Andrews so it’s back to Webster for a reverse hurricanrana on Drake. Webster gets enziguried and thrown outside so Andrews has to hit a double Stundog Millionaire. Fall To Pieces is loaded up but Fabian Aichner comes in for a distraction. The second Fall To Pieces hits the illegal Drake, allowing Gibson to lock in Shankley Gates for the tap at 8:50.

Rating: C+. This worked better than I was expecting as Gibson and Drake continue to be one of the best acts on the show. They work well together and Gibson is by far the most over heel around here. Just put them in the title match against Moustache Mountain already and everything should be fine.

Post match Aichner goes after Andrews until Webster helps him clear the ring.

Killer Kelly vs. Nina Samuels

Nina flips away from Kelly to start but gets shouldered down for her efforts. Back up and Nina grabs a full nelson to take Kelly to the mat again. Since a full nelson isn’t ending a match, Nina ties her in the ropes for a dropkick to the back. Kelly makes her comeback with some forearms and a suplex into the corner, which doesn’t really change anything as Nina didn’t hit anything out of the ordinary. A basement dropkick gives Kelly two but Nina grabs her by the hair (wrapping it around her fist) and sends her hard into the corner. That and a fireman’s carry backbreaker are enough to finish Kelly at 4:29.

Rating: D+. I’m kind of surprised by Kelly losing so much as she seems like the kind of person that WWE would be more interested in pushing, if nothing else towards a midcard role. Samuels doesn’t exactly stand out, but that’s been the case with most of the roster so it’s not really fair to single her out.

Aichner says he’s not allowing Webster and Andrews to become Tag Team Champions. He’ll even find his own partner to make sure it doesn’t happen.

Joe Coffey vs. Travis Banks

Neither has backup here, at least to start. Banks is fired up to start and slugs away with forearms as the fans are behind Banks to start. Coffey gets sent outside for an apron kick to the chest. The suicide dive through the ropes….I guess was punched out of the air though the camera didn’t catch it.

Back in and Coffey stomps away before starting in on the injured shoulder. A full nelson (doesn’t seem to be locked in) takes Banks down and Coffey drops an elbow on the bad arm. Coffey shrugs off a missed elbow and pulls on the arm again. Banks finally gets in a jumping knee which knocks Coffey’s mouthpiece out for a good visual.

The running dropkick to the back of the head gives Banks two but he runs into a powerslam out of the corner for two more. A swing into a belly to belly gives Coffey two more so Banks shoves him off the top and hits a middle rope dropkick. The fisherman’s buster has Coffey rolling outside and this time the suicide dive connects as designed. Back in and Coffey sends him hard into the corner, setting up the discus lariat. The first is blocked but hurts Banks’ arm, meaning the second attempt is good for the pin at 12:13.

Rating: C. Bringing Banks back is a good sign and pushing him as a face is almost a necessity because so many people are so similar. Banks can wrestle a good, aggressive style and then cut a nice promo to go with it, but at the moment you have to build up Coffey to go after Dunne so a win over an injured Banks is the right way to go.

Overall Rating: C. Another perfectly fine show here and you got to see some of the more talented people around. Gibson is becoming a gem and Coffey is the next challenger for Dunne. They’ve become a lot more entertaining to watch over the last few weeks and the longer that’s true, the better things are going to be around here. Good enough show here, but the back to back shows aren’t doing them any favors.

Results

Toni Storm b. Charlie Morgan – Storm Zero

Zack Gibson/James Drake b. Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster – Shankley Gates to Andrews

Nina Samuels b. Killer Kelly – Fireman’s carry backbreaker

Joe Coffey b. Travis Banks – Discus lariat

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 19, 2018
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re getting into some interesting times now with the announcement of the NXT UK Tag Team Titles. That instantly gives a lot of people something to do and that’s a good thing around here. Other than that we have some people coming after the United Kingdom Title, which needs to change hands sooner rather than later so Pete Dunne isn’t miles ahead of everyone else. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video previews Rhea Ripley defending the Women’s Title against Isla Dawn tonight. This might work better if Dawn’s witch thing actually developed whatsoever.

Opening sequence.

Jordan Devlin vs. Mike Hitchman

An early fireman’s carry takeover puts Devlin down but he hits some forearms to the back to put Boar in trouble. The chinlock goes on for a bit before an Irish whip into the corner messes with Boar’s back again. The release Rock Bottom looks to set up the standing moonsault but Boar is out of the way. Boar hits a backsplash but can’t hit a package piledriver. Instead Devlin kicks him in the head, only to miss a moonsault. The pop up powerbomb gives Boar two, only to have Devlin snap off the Ireland’s Call for the pin at 4:57.

Rating: C-. Devlin is someone they want to push and his work has gotten better but he doesn’t exactly offer anything special. He has a good look and can wrestle a match, but the “I’m the best and will be the champion” thing has been done to death and puts him in the middle of a large group of people doing and saying almost the exact same thing.

Post match Devlin says betting on him isn’t a gamble because the Ace trumps all.

Moustache Mountain likes NXT UK so far and now it’s time to win the titles. First though, they need to take care of Gallus.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews want the Tag Team Titles as well because they’re exciting.

Fabian Aichner vs. Eddie Ryan

Ryan wears a lion mask to the ring because he’s the English Lion. He certainly has a good look to him. Aichner won’t shake hands to start and the threat of a headbutt makes Eddie back off. A dropkick staggers Aichner though and a clothesline takes him outside. Back in and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker plants Eddie, followed by a belly to back suplex for two. Ryan knocks him into the corner, setting up the middle rope European uppercut. Aichner has had it with him though and sends Eddie outside for the running knee into the steps. The helicopter bomb gives Aichner the pin at 5:07.

Rating: C. I liked both guys here as they offer something a little different than the same people that populate this show so often. These are two big guys who hit each other hard, setting them apart from the aforementioned “I’m from the UK and I’m tough”, which gets a little difficult to take time after time.

Video on Travis Banks.

Tyson T-Bone/Saxon Huxley vs. Moustache Mountain

T-Bone hammers on Bate to start and drives him into the corner for the tag off to Huxley so the beating can begin. The middle rope elbow to the jaw takes Huxley down though and Seven comes in to scare him to the floor. Back in and T-Bone pops Seven in the jaw with a right hand to take over with the villains getting the better of things in the corner. They take turns hitting Seven in the face and a crossbody against the ropes gets two.

The front facelock slows Seven down even more until T-Bone hammers away with forearms to the back. T-Bone’s big right hand is countered with a snapdragon suplex, followed by an enziguri for the tag to Bate. A German suplex takes Huxley down and the running shooting star gets two. Bate’s suicide dive takes T-Bone down and the clothesline/dragon suplex combination finishes Huxley at 7:03.

Rating: C. It’s pretty clear that Moustache Mountain is going to be in the title match whenever the titles are decided and that’s just fine. Now if this place is smart, they’ll have them lose in the title match and make a new team so they can set up a big rematch down the line. Hopefully that’s where we go, because it’s what makes the most sense and has the most potential.

After beating Eddie Dennis last week, Dave Mastiff wants the UK Title. Dennis runs in and beats him down.

Video on Pete Dunne.

Next week: Toni Storm is back, Webster/Andrews vs. James Drake/Zack Gibson and Joe Coffey vs. Travis Banks.

Women’s Title: Isla Dawn vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending for the first time. Dawn’s headlock doesn’t get her very far so she takes Ripley down for one instead. The headlock on the mat works a bit better but Ripley is right back up with a running dropkick to take over. Ripley slams her down for two more and puts a boot on the back for some posing. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a hard clothesline for two on Dawn.

A victory roll is countered into Ripley’s standing cloverleaf until Dawn rolls her way out. Ripley misses a big boot and goes shoulder first into the post (that’s an epidemic anymore). Dawn knees her in the ribs and the snap suplex Jackhammer gets two. Nigel: “Dawn has put away everybody with that bridging suplex.” Has she won three matches with it yet? Riptide retains the title a few seconds later at 9:00.

Rating: C. This was similar to any first title defense with little drama and nothing more than a way to get Ripley a title defense under her belt. The wrestling was fine though I can’t say I’m surprised at the lack of a reaction at Dawn’s big near fall. That’s all this needed to be as Ripley is likely to hold the title for a pretty long time to come.

Replays and posing take us out.

Overall Rating: C+. Perfectly fine show this week as you can see the first Takeover card from here. That doesn’t mean it’s anything thrilling, but I’ll take acceptable over “let’s get this over with” any day. They still have a long way to go for their midcard character development but things could be far worse considering how long the show has been around. Not a bad show at all here, though the same problems still exist.

Results

Jordan Devlin b. Wild Boar – Ireland’s Call

Fabian Aichner b. Eddie Ryan – Helicopter bomb

Moustache Mountain b. Saxon Huxley/Tyson T-Bone – Clothesline/dragon suplex combination to Huxley

Rhea Ripley b. Isla Dawn – Riptide

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Since they keep putting out more and more stuff almost every single day.

First up was the newest Chronicle, with a shorter form version on Becky Lynch. This could have been any mini documentary as it only runs about twenty five minutes and covers a three week period. It made a lot of sense to do something like this as Becky is the hottest thing in wrestling at the moment and is going to be a big deal going forward. The special serves as a way to talk about Becky’s backstory and her transformation into the Man, including how many things she’s gotten to do since. You don’t need to see something like this but for a quick watch, it’s not bad.

Then you have the real treat with the second season of the Edge and Christian Show. I’ve praised this show a lot over the first season and this is no exception. It’s basically a wrestling geek’s dream show with all kinds of inside references (like Edge rapping about being ready to survive on the mean streets of Greenwich (after being coached by Pete Gas of course) with the line of “I’ve got more sweater vests than Sunny has court dates.”) and cameos.

The best part of every show is the Chumpstain Challenge, the season long trivia competition with Edge and Christian competing where you can play against them (I smoked them on Survivor Series teams) in a heck of a competitive series. There’s too much good stuff on this show to talk about and it’s more than worth seeing. Just watch this and enjoy being a wrestling geek, because it’s as good as it gets for something like this.

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #35
Date: December 14, 2018
Location: Scottish Rite Temple, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

This is a special edition of Fusion as they are LIVE from Miami, marking the first time that they’re not taped. Tonight’s show is part of a larger series of tapings but the live aspect is something special that really does feel like a big deal. With some luck they can hit it out of the park, though that’s never a guarantee. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with Promociones Dorado laying out Team Filthy in the back. Salina de la Renta reminds us that we are live and warns Tom Lawlor that they’re coming.

Opening sequence.

Lawlor is on his way here due to getting his injured hand looked at elsewhere.

Middleweight Title: Gringo Loco vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. Hijo de LA Park vs. Kotto Brazil

This is a ladder match and the title is vacant coming in due to Maxwell Jacob Friedman injuring his elbow. The lineup for the match has changed about half a dozen times coming in so it’s nice to have an actual group of competitors for a change. Actually hang on as Teddy Hart is here and decks Dezmond on the way in, setting up an Arabian Press to take him out again. I guess it’s a five way now.

Middleweight Title: Gringo Loco vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. Hijo de LA Park vs. Kotto Brazil vs. Teddy Hart

Teddy goes for a ladder but Kotto takes him down with a slingshot forearm. Park follows them out and Pillmanizes Brazil’s ankle as the fans chant for Gringo. Brazil’s troubles aren’t done though as Park wraps the ladder around his leg and crushes it with the chair. Park heads back inside and gets in a chair duel with Gringo but they let it go to kick Dezmond in the face. A headscissors sends Gringo to the floor and there’s another superkick to put Hart outside as well.

Dezmond gets sent to the apron so Park hits a sunset bomb to the floor. That gives us the Park vs. Hart showdown as we hear about Salina wrecking havoc in the back. The kind of havoc isn’t specified but it is indeed being wrecked. Hart misses a moonsault but hits his walk onto the back into a sunset bomb, which has nothing to do with this match. With havoc managed, Salina comes out to support Park as Gringo and Dezmond come in. Loco hits a Spanish Fly on Xavier and we take a very abrupt break.

Back with everyone on the floor until Hart hits a big moonsault onto the three who don’t have severely damaged legs (sticking the landing of course). We finally get the first ladder thrown in but Hart and Park have to fight on the floor before anyone can climb. It’s Hart getting the better of the climb but having to slug it out with Loco on top.

Hart knocks him off so Loco lands on the top rope and springboards back into a cutter on Xavier in an awesome spot. Hart gets a DDT on Park and goes up again but this time Park shoves him down. Dezmond knocks Park off the top of the ladder and gets a hand on the title but Park needs to bridge a ladder onto the ropes instead of making the save because that’s the spot they had planned.

Instead, Dezmond gets knocked onto the bridged ladder but here’s Kotto back in as Hart moonsaults onto Xavier. Kotto unloads with a chair to various people but Hart chairs him off the ladder, with Kotto falling before the contact was ever actually made. Project Ciampa drops Brazil again and Hart wins the title at 13:57.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t an all time classic or anything but they took their time and Hart winning is the right call. He’s crazy over with the fans and can still have entertaining matches so give him the title and let him elevate it a good bit. That’s all you could go with here and he should be an improvement over Friedman.

Lawlor says it’s the time for fighting, not talking.

Rush will face LA Park at the Wrestlemania weekend show. Trash was talked at the press conference in New York.

Dragon Lee vs. DJZ

I believe both guys are debuting here. They hit the mat to start with neither being able to get anywhere. A dropkick puts DJZ on the floor but he comes back in for a double cartwheel into stereo tranquilo poses. Lee gets sent to the floor and that means the big flip dive. Back in and DJZ hits a slingshot splash, followed by a Lionsault for two. Lee is right back with a running dropkick in the corner and a shoulder breaker puts DJZ down again.

They trade some strikes to the face and a rolling DDT from Lee gives us a double knockdown. Since you don’t stay down in a match like this, they both head up until Lee hits the top rope double stomp ala Alberto Del Rio. That’s good for two back inside but Lee’s powerbomb is countered into a fast Canadian Destroyer for the same. A Dragon Driver (suplex into a sitout powerbomb for a cool move) gets two more and another one finishes DJZ at 7:00.

Rating: C+. This was the spot fest match of the show, which says a lot when there was a long ladder match beforehand. Both guys looked good here and there’s a reason to believe that the two of them are going to stick around for the middleweight division. Lee looked great in ROH and the same was true here. As a bonus, DJZ is that much better than he was in TNA, where he was just annoying as opposed to someone talented like he apparently is.

An annoyed Salina tries to leave with Promociones Dorado and has to dive into the limo to get away from Lawlor.

Video on Superfight, featuring Lawlor vs. Low Ki for the World Title.

We get an H2 video n the Hart Foundation as Brian Pillman messes around at the hotel. He winds up getting the Rookie of the Year award.

Lawlor and Park are still fighting. We can’t see this, but apparently it’s true.

Simon Gotch is ready to face Lawlor in the no ropes, no holds barred fight next week. Next week, Lawlor’s nightmares are just beginning.

Rush vs. Rich Swann

Swann wants to dance to start so Rush hits him in the face. Maybe that’ll teach him to pay attention. Rush takes it to the floor and tosses a metal trashcan at Swann’s head to really take over in a violent way. They head over to the announcers’ table and Tony sounds half scared and half annoyed. Back in and Rush hits a running clothesline in the corner, followed by a kick to the face. Swann’s chops have no effect but a single one from Rush takes him down to his knees.

After taking his time getting up, Swann springboards into a cutter to get himself a much needed breather. It’s time to slug away with some rather loud strikes and Rush is down this time. A running flip dive off the apron puts Rush down on the floor and there’s the running flip dive off the top to make it even worse. Back in and Swann gets two off a frog splash but charges into a belly to belly in the corner.

Swann’s spinning kick to the head and the rolling DDT get two more but Rush is right back with a superplex. They’re certainly trading the big spots here and that’s a good thing. An enziguri staggers Rush so he comes right back with a headbutt for the double knockdown. The running dropkick misses Swann but his 450 hits knees. Rush is done with this though and the Rush Driver (double underhook piledriver) is good for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: B-. I had a good time with this one as they were hitting each other really hard and trading one big spot after another. That’s the kind of match that Rush needs to win as Swann has credibility and a hard hitting win over him is a good start. Rush comes off as a star and that’s a great thing to have around here. Nice match here, with Swann looking very solid as well.

Post match LA Park comes out and the fight is on with referees breaking it up in a hurry. Rush leaves and here’s Low Ki to promise to beat Lawlor. Cue Lawlor for the big brawl to end the show. That’s a strong ending as they had a hot fight that was built up throughout the show.

Overall Rating: B+. For their first live special, this was quite the hit with all three matches being entertaining. They did exactly what they needed to with some good matches and angles that I want to see move forward. It’s a good introduction for new fans that gave you a reason to come back. Well done on all accounts and that’s a good sign.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6