IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 15, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re still in Mexico City and the big story coming out of last week saw the Lucha Bros become the new Tag Team Champions with about 184 piledrivers. The big question now is where things go from here, though tonight being the Uncaged special should help a lot. That means a stacked card, including the World Cup match (meaning a company vs. company tag) and a four way for the World Title. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at tonight’s big matches, mainly focusing on the World Cup and the World Title. Makes sense.

Opening sequence.

Knockouts Title: Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie

Street fight with Tessa challenging while wearing jeans and a shirt that her dad wore back in the 80s. Tessa charges up the ramp with a chair but gets taken down for some right hands. They get inside with a table already set up in the corner as Tessa loads up a chair in the corner. Taya runs her over and sends things outside but takes too long posing, allowing Tessa to blast her in the head. A running dropkick drives a chair into Taya’s head into the barricade but the champ is back with a sign shot.

Tessa takes a beer to the face but she wraps a chair around Taya’s neck and drives it into the post. Since this is modern wrestling, Taya is up without much damage done. Back in and we hit the choke with a cable cord and it’s time to rip off Taya’s shirt. Taya finally manages to send her into the chair in the corner, followed by a chair driving a metal sheet between Tessa’s legs. Tessa is right back up and throws in a bunch of chairs, one of which is pelted at her head.

Taya gets thrown onto a pile of chairs though and we take a break. Back with the two of them sitting in the chairs for a slap off until Taya kicks a chair into Tessa’s face for two. A spear drives Taya into the table in the corner but they bounce off for a good visual. It works so well that they do it again and the thing still doesn’t break. Tessa loads up a regular table but gets shoved outside for a big plancha from the top. Back in and Taya hits a top rope double stomp through the table to retain at 17:56.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up here and it felt like a fight, which is exactly the point. Taya needs a fresh challenger and while Tessa is still the best in the whole division, it’s time for someone to take her place. She can be back later on with no issues as she’s that good, though they had a good match here to wrap up the feud.

The announcers preview the show.

GWN Flashback of the Week: Team Impact vs. Team AAA from Bound For Glory 2017. At least it ties into later tonight.

Team Impact is ready to win tonight but they’re not sure on the team captain. Sami Callihan goes to take care of something so Eli Drake takes charge and gives them a pep talk.

Ethan Page vs. Willie Mack

Mack is now Hot Chocolate. Page slugs away to start but Mack does a dancing handstand in the corner because he can. A double nipple twist has Page in more trouble so he grabs a running DDT to take him down. Mack’s suplex puts Page down but a middle rope enziguri of all things (that’s a new one) gives Page two. Mack hits his running strikes in the corner, including the reverse Cannonball. A standing moonsault gets two so Page kicks him in the head a few times. Those have limited effect on Mack’s hard head and the Stunner finishes Page at 5:03.

Rating: C-. Didn’t have time to go anywhere but Mack is ready to break into the next level. That’s the case with every promotion he’s in and for some reason it just never happens. This might be the place though as Mack is getting pushed well enough around here and stays on TV, even in a quick match like this one.

Killer Kross says tonight is like a 3-1 handicap match for Johnny. Everyone pays the toll.

The Crist Brothers follow Mack and seem to jump him.

Team AAA speaks Spanish.

Here’s Sami Callihan for a chat. Everyone knows he and Rich Swann are brothers and what Swann said last week is fake news. Sami has given him multiple chances to join OVE so tonight is the final offer. A serious Swann comes out and throws the shirt away again so the fight is on. Sami gets the better of it and piledrives Swann on the stage, followed by a toss through a table.

World Cup: Team Impact vs. Team AAA

Impact: Fallah Bahh, Eli Drake, Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan

AAA: Hijo Del Vikingo, Aerostar, Puma King, Psycho Clown

Elimination rules and thankfully we get a mention of Callihan vs. Drake from last year. Clown and Callihan slug it out to start as Callis wonders if Callihan can be traded to Mexico. A middle rope crossbody takes Callihan down and it’s off to Aerostar for a top rope corkscrew crossbody, followed by a Codebreaker in the corner. Drake comes in and hammers away but Aerostar quickly brings in Vikingo.

The pace pics up and the fast tags begin, capped off by King brainbustering Edwards for two. That’s enough to bring Bahh in for the first time with a belly to belly suplex planting King. Everyone comes in for the big staredown but wind up on the floor just as fast. Back in and King snaps off a running hurricanrana to Edwards.

Aerostar hits the first running dive (How did we not get to one of those yet?) and Bahh dives off the apron for a bonus. Vikingo adds a crazy springboard inverted moonsault before going up again, only to get powerslammed down by Drake. It’s time for the kendo stick but Edwards doesn’t like it, allowing King to roll Drake up for the elimination at 9:01.

Back from a break with Callihan chinlocking King until Bahh slams Callihan onto him for a near fall. Since Bahh isn’t very good, a single shot slows him down and it’s off to Vikingo to springboard Codebreak Callihan. Vikingo gets to clean house and kicks Bahh into the corner without much effort. A dive is countered into a powerslam though and Vikingo is out at 15:49. Aerostar comes in for a variety of dropkicks before avoiding a Banzai Drop to pin Bahh at 16:40.

It’s Edwards in now and a rolling cutter takes him down, only to have the Boston Knee Party take care of Aerostar at 17:39. We’re down to King/Clown vs. Callihan/Edwards and King powerbombs Callihan for two. Not to be outdone, Callihan piledrives King for the elimination at 18:39 to continue the rapid fire eliminations. Clown says bring it on and beats both of them up in a hurry until a Boston Knee Party takes him down.

Not so fast though as Sami wants the pin and gets rolled up to make it one on one at 20:06. They slug it out with Eddie being sent outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Clown gets two off Sliced Bread #2 but here’s Drake to hit Edwards with the kendo stick. Clown grabs la majistral for the final pin at 23:12.

Rating: C+. The best thing I can give this one is that it didn’t feel long and the right team won, though it’s not like this means anything long term. To be fair though, it’s not like it was supposed to and the whole World Cup thing is just a nice bit of marketing. All in all, it’s perfectly watchable and that’s not a bad thing to have going for you.

Reno Scumm is coming back. Dang it why?

We look back at the Lucha Bros taking the Tag Team Titles from LAX.

Konnan is going to get LAX one more shot but that’s it.

Allie and Su Yung are panicking about Rosemary, who seems to hack the feed.

Scarlett Bordeaux is in bed in lingerie and promises to make her in-ring debut in Las Vegas.

Next week: Edwards vs. Drake.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Johnny Impact vs. Brian Cage vs. Killer Kross vs. Moose

Impact is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Moose gets low bridged outside early on and it’s time to kick people in the head. Cage sends the champ outside though and it’s the big flip dive onto all three of them. Back in and it’s a double powerbomb to plant Impact but Moose and Kross fight over the pin. I’m as shocked as you are but the alliance actually continues, this time with a double teaming on Cage.

Shockingly enough, Moose rolls Kross up for two and there’s the first suplex to Moose. Impact gets back up and starts cleaning house until Moose kicks him in the head. The chokebomb out of the corner gets two on Impact but Cage German suplexes both other monsters at the same time. Everyone hits everyone in the face until Impact’s springboard spear hits Cage for a four way knockdown.

It’s Impact up first and they all heads to the corner for the required Tower of Doom. Instead of covering, Kross switches gears a bit with a cross armbreaker on Impact but Cage makes the save with a dragon sleeper to Kross. It’s Kross up again with some suplexes all around but Impact kicks him in the face for two more. A pop up powerbomb into a backsplash gives Moose two, only to walk into the Drill Claw from Cage. Impact is right up with Starship Pain for the pin on Moose at 10:37, just as Cage had Kross pinned off the Drill Claw.

Rating: B-. It was entertaining while it lasted and the more I think about it, the more I think it should have been a bit shorter like this. The problem is that it’s still not a great story and Cage has no reason to be annoyed here because he lost the match completely clean. I’m not sure why this is going to keep going, even though it feels like it has been forever already.

Overall Rating: B+. This was one of the action shows and that’s where Impact works best. The worst match was the short Mack vs. Page match and even that was perfectly watchable. What we got here was almost all wrestling and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially when Impact isn’t the best storytelling company in the world. I had a very good time here and it worked quite well with one of their better shows in a long time.

Results

Taya Valkyrie b. Tessa Blanchard – Top rope double stomp through a table

Willie Mack b. Ethan Page – Stunner

Team AAA b. Team Impact – La majistral to Edwards

Johnny Impact b. Moose, Killer Kross and Brian Cage – Starship Pain to Moose

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 20, 2004
Location: Tuscon Convention Center, Tuscon, Arizona
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the season premiere of Raw and that means….I’m not sure really as wrestling doesn’t have seasons. One thing tonight is the end of the Diva Search, meaning the segments that have managed to make great looking women in swimsuits a chore to sit through are over. Other than that, we’re coming up on Taboo Tuesday, which we don’t know much about. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Jim Barnett, a longtime promoter in the NWA and Australia.

Here’s Vince McMahon to open things up. After a quick welcome, he wants to get to the major announcement promised, which concerns everyone, including Eric Bischoff. This brings out a limping Bischoff (thanks to having a sledgehammer dropped on his fott a few weeks back) and Vince gets to the point. A few weeks ago, Chris Jericho suggested that the fans vote on a type of match. That’s a good idea, but what about doing it on a full pay per view?

Indeed, on October 19, we’ll be seeing a new concept called Taboo Tuesday (yes Tuesday) where the fans get to vote on everything from who gets a World Title shot to what the Divas are wearing. Bischoff loves the idea on paper but doesn’t think these people are capable of making such decisions. Vince is a busy man so maybe he should think about this for a week. Next Monday, Bischoff can have another idea that isn’t involving the fans taking control.

That sounds like patronizing to Vince, and there’s a reason that Bischoff is the GM of Raw and Vince isn’t the GM of Nitro (good line). Maybe Bischoff doesn’t like the idea because with the fans picking things, there’s no need for a GM. Actually, Vince thinks Bischoff should be wrestling that night, against this man. Cue the still injured Eugene and Bischoff isn’t sure what to do.

They’ll be facing off at Taboo Tuesday and the fans get to pick what happens to the loser. Vince even has options: the loser is the winner’s servant, the loser has to wear a dress, or the loser’s head is shaved. Bischoff immediately tries to talk Eugene out of the match because he loves his nephew. They could go out and get some ice cream tonight but Eugene knocks him out instead.

The fans didn’t exactly react to the concept, and I can’t say I blame them. As Bischoff said it’s good on paper, but I’m not sure how well it’s going to go in practice. On a related note though, how much better is it to have Eugene back at a level where he belongs? It’s probably way too late, but this was more charming than annoying and that’s a positive sign for him.

We look back at Randy Orton attacking HHH last week, including the cake. Orton got him at the end of the show as well, but HHH still left as champion so it’s not like it mattered all that much. Shelton Benjamin and Chris Benoit ran in for the save to end the show, meaning we’re probably in for a six man tonight.

Hey look there’s a six man tonight.

Stacy Keibler/Victoria vs. Molly Holly/Trish Stratus

In case you didn’t get enough of Stacy wrestling last week. Stacy mocks Molly’s dancing from last week because she frowns on culture. Victoria takes Trish down early to start and the standing moonsault (now minus the dancing) gets two. Molly comes in and walks into a powerslam as Lawler talks about getting to dress the Divas at Taboo Tuesday. A giant swing doesn’t work well for Victoria with the announcers mocking her for it, but thankfully it’s not time for a tag to Stacy just yet. The spinning side slam plants Trish and now it’s off to Stacy for two. Molly comes back in and gets caught in a backslide for the quick pin. Yay indeed.

Orton reads Raw Magazine because that’s what wrestlers do. Vince comes in and says “Sucks doesn’t it?” He’s talking about reality, which is what caused Orton to lose the title. Orton promises to win the title back because it’s his destiny. This interests Vince, who tells Orton to give it his all.

Billy Graham is here.

We look back at Gene Snitsky causing Kane to accidentally injury Lita last week.

Snitsky has been blamed all week but it wasn’t his fault. Last week Snitsky was there to do a job and he did that. To repeat, it wasn’t his fault!

Hurricane vs. Tajiri

This is fallout from a tag match on Heat. They fight over a wristlock to start until Tajiri kicks him in the face. Hurricane gets in a clothesline to set up a seated full nelson but Tajiri fights up without much effort. A tornado DDT is blocked and Tajiri gets in a superkick. Hurricane is right back with something like a neckbreaker but Tajiri reverses the cover into a crucifix for the fast pin.

Post match Hurricane is mad and takes the mask back from a fan. That’s quite the nice heel move.

Kane is at a medical facility (thankfully in street clothes instead of his gear) and says there is a 50/50 chance of saving the baby. Upon hearing Snitsky’s name, Kane gets a lot angrier and vengeance seems to be sworn. So this is the start of Kane’s face turn, though it’s still not the nicest of scenarios.

Intercontinental Title: Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels

Jericho is defending and has hacked his hair off for a pretty bad look. Christian comes out for commentary as a bonus. As expected, they fight over arm control to start until Shawn takes him down with a headlock. Back up and Shawn gets sent over the top so the cat get skinned, allowing him to come off the top with a high crossbody, which gets rolled through for two. A backbreaker keeps Shawn in trouble as Christian dubs himself the Show Stealer, which is much better than the Showstopper.

Jericho’s superplex attempt is broken up without much effort and Shawn hits the early top rope elbow. That’s enough for Christian, who goes to the ring to steal the show. He manages to get in but Shawn knocks him right back out, only to walk into the enziguri from Jericho. Christian gets ejected (wrestling referees have no jurisdiction over commentators) and we take a break. Back with Shawn starting in on the leg and grabbing the Figure Four. That’s broken up in a hurry so Shawn gets smart and stays on the leg.

Jericho grabs a small package for the break and kicks Shawn down, only to jam his knee on a Lionsault attempt. The rapid fire pinfall reversal sequence gives us some good near falls until Jericho takes him down again and scores with the Lionsault this time around. Jericho goes with the straight right hands this time around but Shawn is right back up with the forearm into the nipup. Shawn nips up and gets caught in the Walls, only to have Jericho let go and dropkick the invading Tyson Tomko down. That’s enough for Sweet Chin Music to connect but a very, very slow crawl over for the cover draws Christian in for the DQ.

Rating: B. It was good while it lasted and I can understand why they went with the DQ finish. It’s annoying, but Shawn isn’t going to be Intercontinental Champion and Jericho isn’t ready to lose the thing yet. Christian and Tomko are almost annoying at this point though, as the match was getting really good when the interference started.

Post match Christian shouts at Shawn and beats him up, which is one of the first times I’ve bought him as a bigger time heel.

Smackdown Rebound.

Kane has freaked out at the medical facility with a lot of screaming ensuing.

HHH complains to Evolution about the fans voting because fans are stupid. Flair tells HHH to calm down because he’s the best ever and all that jazz.

Long recap of the Diva Search, with the eliminated women talking about how much they learned about respecting the business. I’m not sure if I want to laugh or glare over a line that stupid.

Rob Conway vs. Maven

What are we doing here? Conway jumps Maven from behind to start as the USA chants start up in a hurry. Maven fights out of a chinlock and stops a charge in the corner before hitting a high crossbody. That’s rolled through to give Conway two (second time we’ve seen that spot in as many matches) before Maven hooks a small package for the pin. Nothing match and it’s still Maven.

Lita’s doctor says she lost the baby, because a doctor is going to do that on national television ten minutes after the fact. Kane comes out of the room and nearly kills the doctor but beats up a wall and screams instead. Hey the wall didn’t hurt your baby dude.

Simon Dean wants to help you lose weight. Seeing the Simon System advertised on VHS is so strange. Simon: “Remember, you can be fat, unattractive and die alone, or you can do the right thing and pick up the phone.”

JR and King do their somber voices about Lita losing the baby.

And now, the Diva Search finals, because WWE doesn’t know what a transition is. Coach mocks both of them and goes to get the envelope but here’s Trish, looking very out of place in a dress, to interrupt. After making fun of all the tasks the women have had to go through, she promises an official victory party for the winner next week. With Trish gone, Christy wins the contest and cheers a lot. She says it’s all about the energy and that she doesn’t need decaf. Carmella gives the lame “oh well it was fun” response doesn’t care about the booing. After some more lame answers, this whole thing is finally done, thank goodness.

Evolution vs. Randy Orton/Chris Benoit/Shelton Benjamin

Shelton knocks HHH down to start and thankfully the announcers bring up Shelton beating him a few times. A shoulder block just lets Shelton nip up so HHH tries the right hands. That goes badly as well as HHH gets backdropped, only to drive Shelton into the corner. So strength seems to work on Shelton, which is why HHH tags Flair instead of Batista. Some cerebral. Benoit tags himself in as well and it’s time for the chop off. Flair gets the worse of it and the Swan Dive connects for two as everything breaks down.

Orton loads up the RKO on the floor but gets posted, allowing Batista to hit the big clothesline. That means Orton needs medics and we take a break. Back with Shelton coming in off the hot tag to clean house and hitting a Stinger Splash on Flair. Batista misses a charge into the corner, though he comes nowhere near the post for a bit of a weird visual. HHH finally gets in a knee and Shelton is in trouble for a change.

Things slow down with Flair hammering away in the corner and HHH coming in without a tag, though Lawler is sure he saw one. I’ll take his word for it. The spinebuster gives HHH two and it’s back to Flair for the Figure Four. That’s broken up as well but Batista remembers that he’s in the match and works on the leg as well. The slow motion holds continue until Shelton kicks Batista in the face, allowing the hot tag to Benoit.

Everything breaks down (of course) and Benoit suplexes both Batista and Flair. HHH comes back in and takes one of his own, leaving Flair to get caught in the Sharpshooter. That’s broken up by HHH but here’s Orton to charge down the ramp and tag himself in. A few right hands send HHH running and the RKO finishes Flair.

Rating: C+. And thus it’s another attempt to get Orton a big moment. That’s all well and good, but having him already win and lose the title makes this feel out of place. The fans aren’t exactly enamored with Orton at the moment and having him taken out so Benoit and Benjamin can wrestle most of the match isn’t going to help things. The only thing that can make it better is him winning the title from HHH and being a hero, but that’s not going to happen because it’s HHH’s title and no one is getting over as a hero while that is the case.

Overall Rating: C-. The wrestling was pretty watchable this week but for the most part I kept wondering if this is what we were really doing. A lot of the show just felt like it was there for the sake of doing something with the time as we sit around and wait on the next big story. Orton, at least in this form, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon and that leaves us back where we were a year ago. Something needs to be shaken up around here very soon, but it might be a long time.

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

It’s been one of those weeks.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-pancake-developmental/

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: February 20, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

I’m not sure what to think about this show as it could go in two very different directions. The major announced match is Johnny Gargano defending the North American Title against Velveteen Dream with two endings having been taped. On the other side though, WWE has promised a major announcement, which doesn’t bode well since the four biggest names from the show have appeared on this week’s Raw and Smackdown. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Gargano vs. Dream, which should be a big match.

Opening sequence.

Aleister Black vs. Roderick Strong

Fallout from last week when the Undisputed Era beat down Black and Ricochet. Strong takes him down with a single leg to start and grabs an armbar, which lasts as long as an armbar is about to go. Black’s German suplex gets two but Strong sends him outside for a dropkick through the ropes. A drop onto the steps sets up a reverse chinlock with a knee in the back as Strong keeps it on the mat, where it’s hard for Black to kick very well.

Back up and Strong puts him on top, only to have Black slip out of a top rope superplex. His powerbomb doesn’t work though as it’s the first backbreaker to put Strong in control again. You would think he’d have gone there earlier. Black knees his way out of a suplex attempt and the strikes are on in a hurry. A running kick to the face sets up the brainbuster for two and Strong is in trouble. Black knees him to the face but Strong is right back with a torture rack backbreaker on the apron. The belly to back faceplant has Black in trouble but he snaps off Black Mass for the pin at 8:28.

Rating: B. I could watch these two trade backbreakers and kicks to the face for a long time and that’s what they did here. Black is someone who can beat anyone with that kick to the face and it’s not like Strong is going to lose much by getting beaten by someone as good as him. Very nice match here, which is going to be the case with any combination of the people involved.

Post match Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish run in for the beatdown, drawing in Ricochet for the save.

We see Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke invading the women’s locker room last week and nearly starting a brawl.

Bianca Belair says 2018 was her year and it was the referee’s fault that she lost at Takeover: Phoenix. Now Io Shirai and Kairi Sane are trying to get in on her title shot and that’s not cool. You know what else isn’t cool? Belair.

We look at the four NXT main roster debuts.

In two weeks: the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is back with the winners getting a title shot at the War Raiders at Takeover: New York. Four teams have been announced so far: the Undisputed Era, Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel, Forgotten Songs and the Street Profits. The other four will be announced next week.

Mia Yim vs. Xia Li

We get a handshake to start and they lock up to the mat with neither getting an advantage. Mia backs up in a hurry from the threat of a bunch of kicks, only to get rolled up for two instead. Now the big kick to the chest connects and even more kicks put Yim down again. Li jumps into a shot to the face though and Protect Your Neck gives Mia the pin at 3:56.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one for the most part, though it could have been worse. The problem here was Yim getting beaten up until the very end and then hitting her pretty lame finisher. Li’s kicks looked good and those are going to get her somewhere. Throw in the cool fan entrance and she’s going to be fine.

Post match Baszler, Shafir and Duke run in for the beatdown until the unnamed rookies run in for the failed save.

Gargano is warming up when Candice LeRae comes in to ask how he’s doing. He’s fine, but Tommaso Ciampa pops in. Gargano says he needs her instead of him, but Ciampa will be watching tonight. Well until the main roster gets involved that is.

We get a sitdown interview with Jeremy Borash talking to Matt Riddle. Matt isn’t going to change who he is with the hat and flip flops because he was told a long time ago to tune himself up instead of down. Riddle wants a title and it doesn’t matter which one.

Next week: Yim vs. Baszler.

North American Title: Velveteen Dream vs. Johnny Gargano

Dream is challenging as he cashes in his Worlds Collide tournament win. They go to the mat to start with Dream getting an armbar. Gargano spins out as we see Ciampa watching from the rafters. One heck of a slap sends Gargano to the floor for a bit as frustration is setting in. The champ comes back inside but Dream slides in front of him for an OOO from the crowd.

Another slap has Gargano rocked and Dream nails a top rope ax handle. Dream takes too much time going up though and gets pulled down so Gargano can take over for the first time. Some knees have Dream in trouble and a neckbreaker gets two. The arm work continues with Gargano bending it around the rope, only to have Dream swing away anyway. Gargano sends him outside though and more shots to the face keep Dream in trouble.

Dream finally gets in a clothesline and of course things are instantly even again. A running clothesline sends Gargano outside and that’s enough for a top rope ax handle. Back in and Dream takes him up top but gets crotched instead, setting up a spinning Downward Spiral for two. They bang heads and go to the apron, with Gargano hitting a superkick. The slingshot DDT is cut off but so is the Dream Valley Driver on the apron. Gargano hits the suicide dive, only to walk into wind up DDT.

Dream misses the Purple Rainmaker though and Gargano goes up. This time it’s Dream catching him though and a super Dream Valley Driver gets a VERY close two. Gargano bails outside and superkicks a diving Dream out of the air for a big crash. The slingshot DDT gets two more, earning a standing ovation. Gargano is up first and hits a superkick but a running tornado DDT is countered into the Dream Valley Driver. A second Driver sets up the Purple Rainmaker to make Dream champion at 20:30.

Rating: A-. Well that worked. These two know how to make anything work well and they did just that here, with an awesome back and forth match as Dream FINALLY wins the big one. It also helps set things up with Gargano choking in his first title defense, which should give him even more issues with Ciampa going forward. Great match with better storytelling, as things are starting to to roll towards New York.

So I guess the Dusty Classic was the big announcement? That’s a relief, but also kind of a letdown.

Overall Rating: A. Yeah I’d say they’re still good, though with all of the main roster stuff looming, I’m more than a little nervous. The best part about NXT has been that they don’t have to deal with everything that goes on from the main roster and I’m worried that WWE is going to need to “fix” things down here, which is the last thing they need right now. At least we had another great show here, and there’s a chance that nothing will change in the near future.

Results

Aleister Black b. Roderick Strong – Black Mass

Mia Yim b. Xia Li – Protect Your Neck

Velveteen Dream b. Johnny Gargano – Purple Rainmaker

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: February 20, 2019
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s the second week in Phoenix and last week got things off to a good start. The different venue and crowd offer a nice change of pace and that can help freshen things up a little bit. We’re still on the way towards Walter vs. Pete Dunne for the UK Title and with the right build, it could be a classic. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Toni Storm beating Rhea Ripley to become Women’s Champion last month and Ripley not handling the loss well. The rematch is tonight.

Opening sequence.

Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster vs. Coffey Brothers

For the sake of sanity, I’ll only refer to Mark Coffey as Mark and Mark Andrews as Andrews. Mark literally throws Flash around to start and it’s off to Joe for some stomps to the ribs. A quick dropkick gets Flash out of trouble and it’s off to Andrews as the pace picks up in a hurry. That’s a good thing for Andrews, though a blind tag lets the Brothers hit a pop up uppercut to take over again. You can’t beat the brotherly thinking. A double chop keeps Andrews in trouble and they take turns on full nelsons.

Joe switches to a double underhook but a buckle bomb attempt is countered and the hot tag brings in Flash. The standing Lionsault sets up a hurricanrana from the apron to the floor to keep Mark down. A jumping knee to the face into an assisted moonsault gets two on Joe. We settle back down with Joe slugging away at Andrews until Flash tags himself in to help on a tornado DDT. Stereo flip dives to the floor drop the Brothers and there’s a Stundog Millionaire to Joe. Mark suplexes Andrews onto the apron though and All The Best For The Bells finishes Flash at 8:29.

Rating: B-. This was a good sign on multiple fronts, starting with the fact that it was a rather nice match. As usual, power vs. speed is something that is always going to work and that was the case here. Other than that, it makes the Coffey Brothers they should have been all along. Joe vs. Pete Dunne was good, but when you have your brother right there, why is he teaming with another guy like Wolfgang? It never made sense, though Joe vs. Dunne was a better idea than Dunne vs. Wolfgang any day.

Video on Nina Samuels, who seems to like the spotlight.

Jordan Devlin is back in Ireland and promises to be the best, as always.

Video on Kay Lee Ray, who is awesomely Scottish and coming to the women’s division.

Trent Seven vs. Shane Thorne

Shane is making the rounds as of late and this makes as much sense as anything else for him. Feeling out process to start with Seven’s wristlock giving Thorne some early problems. Thorne’s shoulder doesn’t get him very far so he snaps Seven’s arm across the top rope. The shoulder gets wrapped around the post and it’s off to an armbar. Seven is right back up with a suplex into a slam for two and it’s off to a rather quick Figure Four.

The hold is turned over and they fall to the floor with both guys banging up their knees. Back in and Thorne gets slammed off the top but manages to block the Figure Four. A hard belly to back suplex puts Seven down for two and a kind of chickenwing hold is right back on the arm. Not that it matters as Seven shoves him away and hits the Seven Star Lariat for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C. I know the Mighty wasn’t the most popular team in the world but Thorne is carving out a very nice place for himself as someone who can have a watchable match with just about anyone. That’s going to keep him around for a long time and we had a nice match here. Seven sells limb injuries well and this was no exception.

Jack Gallagher wants to wrestle in NXT UK and will talk to Johnny Saint about it over a cup of tea.

Here are the Grizzled Young Veterans for a chat. The heat isn’t as strong on Zack Gibson here as he talks about how hard the two of them have worked to get here. He doesn’t like being here instead of back home in Liverpool having a cup of tea, but he’s here to explain why British wrestling is the best in the world. They can’t have the best competition because they are the best competition.

The challengers can be from 205 Live, NXT or NXT UK because it won’t matter. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch can come for their shot whenever. Here are Burch and Lorcan in person with Burch telling Gibson to shut up. Burch is proud to be British but he’s more proud to represent these fans. The match is next week but Burch and Lorcan chase them off now.

Next week: Gallagher vs. Tyler Bate.

Also next week: Walter vs. Kassius Ohno. That’s a stacked show.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Rhea Ripley

Storm is defending and the fight starts before the bell with Ripley throwing her into the corner. The bell rings and Ripley stomps away before forearming the champ against the ropes. Ripley starts in on the back with a backbreaker getting two as the pace slows a bit. The bodyscissors goes on for a bit until Storm is up with some right hands.

Those just earn her a dropkick for two, which is quite the visual from the rather big Ripley. The standing Cloverleaf has Storm in even more trouble but she rolls Ripley outside. That means a suicide dive to start the real comeback and a running hip attack in the corner makes things worse for Ripley. The back is too banged up for Storm Zero so it’s a Backstabber instead, which works well enough.

Storm takes some time following up though and it’s a slugout from their knees. The champ gets the better of it but gets caught on top, allowing Ripley to grab a superplex for two. Ripley misses a charge into the post though and a quick Storm Zero retains the title at 11:00. That was a very fast finish and it felt like they had another minute or two in there.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t anything great but it was high enough quality to work just fine. Storm retaining wasn’t exactly a surprise and that’s ok for a pretty big TV main event. Both of them looked polished and the women’s division is getting some depth, meaning that it doesn’t have to be these two over and over. Ripley can go rebuild for a bit and she’s going to be fine in the long run.

Overall Rating: B-. This show worked well as it felt more like a regular NXT show: one feature match and enough other stuff to keep the whole thing entertaining. They moved around enough from one story to another and all of those things feel fresh. Also, and again just like NXT, they don’t have the same people on every week and it keeps the shows from being repetitive. They’re getting the formula right and that’s a very positive sign.

Results

Coffey Brothers b. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews – All The Best For The Bells to Webster

Trent Seven b. Shane Thorne – Seven Star Lariat

Toni Storm b. Rhea Ripley – Storm Zero

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: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #45
Date: February 15, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matt Striker, Rich Bocchini

We’re still in Philadelphia and it’s time for a title to be on the line. In this case that would be the Middleweight Title, which should be a fun match between Maxwell Jacob Friedman challenging Teddy Hart. This promotion has become a home for the Hart Foundation, which is quite the odd development. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with what looks like a fan created Hart Foundation music video. Not a bad one either.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. explains where he got a custom made Egyptian wool shirt in Japan. He offers a lot of praise for Japan in general and is working on his Japanese. A fan, who I believe was very prominently featured during Sandman’s entrance last week, comes in so some flirting can ensue.

Opening sequence.

Earlier this week, Salina de la Renta posted a video on Instagram making fun of Tom Lawlor and the fans (or marks as she calls them). She’s fine after the loss because Low Ki has a guaranteed rematch, which he’ll be using at Intimidation Games.

Ace Austin vs. Rich Swann

Swann is freshly heel and talks about bringing the party with him wherever he goes. They go basic to start with Austin working on an armbar as a random graphic pops up, saying CONTRA. It’s not acknowledged, which makes things a little more interesting. Some armdrags have Swann down and it’s time to for the rapid fire near falls into stereo dropkicks for a standoff. Swann lays on the top rope for a breather but Austin drop toeholds him down for a kick to the back.

Something off the top is shoved down though with Austin crashing onto the bare floor. A chop off goes to Austin back inside and a springboard spinning kick to the face gets two. Austin goes up and hits a top rope Vader Bomb for….the pin at 5:40? That was weird as the referee didn’t seem ready to count and even stopped at two before the three went down. Odd indeed.

Rating: C. It was fun while it lasted as both guys are talented with Austin being a nice surprise who has come out of nowhere. Swann as a heel has some potential too as you know he can do everything needed in the ring. He wasn’t going to get very far as smiling face though so this is a nice change.

Post match Swann beats up the referee and says that was two. Bocchini gets beaten up for trying an interview and Swann goes after the announcer as well, drawing some hard booing.

Ariel Dominguez vs. Alexander Hammerstone

This is Hammerstone’s debut and Dominguez is still rather small. Hammerstone growls about how he’s anything but normal and the future has arrived. Dominguez gets choked into the corner to start and an armdrag is blocked with raw power. There’s a Brogue kick to knock Dominguez silly and Hammerstone throws him with a German suplex. Hammerstone grabs a pumphandle and walks him around the ring before tossing Dominguez with a suplex.

The fans chant ONE MORE TIME but Hammerstone goes for a delayed vertical instead, allowing Dominguez to slip out. You don’t do that to Hammerstone though as it’s a hard clothesline to drop Dominguez. The Nightmare Pendulum (Hellevator) finishes Dominguez at 2:36. Hammerstone was impressive here and a lot better than when I saw him a few years ago.

Lawlor vs. Low Ki II is a cage match. The Contra thing pops up again as this is being announced. Also announced for the show: Taurus/Laredo Kid vs. the Lucha Bros.

Mance Warner is a very southern guy who has a bunch of nicknames while drinking light beer and talking about the semi truck engine he rented for the weekend. He’s certainly a fast talker.

Here’s MJF for his title shot but first, he needs to call Philadelphia white trash for liking ECW. As for Hart, the fans cheer for him even though MJF never lost the title. Why aren’t they chanting for him instead? Hart can come out here tonight and face him one on one because MJF is ready to prove that he’s the better man.

Middleweight Title: Teddy Hart vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Hart is defending and has his cat Mr. Velvet with him. MJF won’t shake hands so Teddy goes to the corner for some posing instead. They switch places and Hart pulls the trunks down in a funny bit. Friedman sends him outside in a heap and kicks the rope for a low blow on the way back in. Why that isn’t a DQ isn’t made clear but Friedman suplexes him down into a headlock. Yes a headlock not a chinlock. That stays on for a lot longer than you might expect until Hart fights up and walks MJF’s back into the sunset flip for two.

The top rope Lionsault is good for the same and Hart goes with the right hands to the face. Hart spends too much time talking though and gets his arm stomped, followed by the hanging piledriver for two. The Fujiwara armbar goes on and MJF even bites the hand to make it worse.

Hart makes the rope so MJF puts him on top, where Hart pulls his trunks WAY up for some pain. The ref gets bumped and a hammerlock DDT plants MJF for no count. With Hart checking on the referee, MJF grabs a chair but gets kicked low because Hart is a good bit more intelligent. The electric chair Backstabber sets up the corkscrew Lionsault to retain the title at 11:13.

Rating: C. Nice enough match here as Friedman is your classic cruiserweight heel: stays on the ground and works a lot of submission holds, which is an idea that has worked forever. Fans are going to cheer for someone like Hart because of the flips and don’t want to see MJF keeping it on the mat, while also being such a jerk. They kept it simple here but did it well, which is a lot better than doing something complicated and messing it up.

As Teddy comes through the curtain, Richard Holliday jumps him as MJF comes in to say it’s his belt. It seems that we have a payoff as the double beatdown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this show as, just like last week, they didn’t focus on the main event scene and instead pushed their other stories to keep them interesting. It makes for a good show with Hammerstone looking rather impressive. Keep doing what they’re doing and things will be fine.

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: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #44
Date: February 8, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matt Striker, Rich Bocchini

We’re done with SuperFight and now we’re on the way towards Intimidation Games because MLW is actually making some steps forward around here. Tom Lawlor won the World Title in a very short match, which might have been due to time constraints. Fair enough, though you can imagine the rematch coming from here. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at SuperFight, which was a rather snappy little show.

Opening video.

Myron Reed vs. DJZ

They fight over arm control to start with no one getting anywhere. Reed bails into the ropes, followed by a cartwheel to stay away. DJZ gets a bit more serious with a dropkick into a jawbreaker to put Reed in some early trouble. A trip to the floor lets DJZ hit a suicide dive, followed by a nice slingshot splash back inside. Reed is right back up with a dive of his own (no hands) before going with a chinlock to slow things down. Reed: “He’s going to sleep!” Then why are you not using a sleeper? Young whippersnapper.

The comeback doesn’t take very long (I guess DJZ wasn’t very sleepy) as DJZ grabs a jumping neckbreaker. Reed is right back with the springboard cutter and DJZ’s tornado DDT is shoved off. An O’Connor roll is reversed into another one and Reed grabs the tights for the pin at 6:26.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable showcase match for both guys here with DJZ suddenly being a somewhat respected name. Reed is someone who needs a lot more ring time but you can see the potential inside of him. A little more time for both guys is going to do them some good though they’re doing well enough here.

The Hart Foundation answers some questions about Valentine’s Day. Brian pleads the fifth about which girlfriend he’ll spend the holiday with, though he’s known for stacking them up like pizza. Teddy asks about his cats and uses a certain word. The solution to spicing up a twenty five year marriage: leave. Davey is indeed single and fills out his shorts. Finally: no hair, though they do like these beIN Sports sunglasses. This was funnier than it had any right to be.

Gringo Loco vs. Puma King

These guys are both rather popular. They start with the flipping that doesn’t make any actual contact and covers for some far falls. Of course it’s a standoff, which certainly pleases the fans. Puma takes over in the corner but we stop to dance, because dance breaks have made it to MLW. Loco flips forward to get a breather and they trade hurricanranas. One of them sends Loco outside and Puma is right after him with a dive. Back in and King nails a superkick, followed by more dancing.

They run the ropes and for no logical reason, King bails outside, setting up a flip dive from Loco. Back in and a spinning Vader Bomb gets two but King is right back with a top rope Codebreaker. Gringo catches him on top though and a springboard cutter gets two. Puma’s Code Red gets the same and it’s time to fight on the corner at the same time. The required super Spanish Fly finishes King at 7:38.

Rating: C+. Yeah this worked and they did exactly what was advertised here. They flew around, hit big spots and played to the crowd. Really, what else were they supposed to do? The match was entertaining and didn’t overstay its welcome, which is a great result for a TV match like this.

Tonight: the future of the Lucha Bros is revealed.

MJF doesn’t want to hear about Teddy Hart’s redemption because he doesn’t get it. Why are we praising someone who messed up in the first place? Where is the praise for MJF, who never did anything wrong? He’s never been to jail or done drugs, so now it’s time for him to get back the title he never lost.

Tommy Dreamer says Brian Pillman Jr. is coming into his house tonight. He has a mystery partner and because he’s been around for so long, he had about 2000 people to pick from. It’s going to be Sandman and I don’t know why they don’t just say so.

Jimmy Havoc is coming back.

Brian Pillman Jr./??? vs. Tommy Dreamer/???

Street fight for what should be obvious reasons. Before the partners are revealed, Pillman grabs a mic and says the smart marks have been waiting for him to have a microphone in this arena. Without saying much, he announces Davey Boy Smith Jr. as his partner. Well he had two realistic options and he picked one of them. Dreamer’s partner is of course Sandman, who comes through the entrance in a visual that feels completely wrong.

The first spit of a beer lets us start things off in a brawl, as it certainly should be. They actually get inside with Sandman falling down off an elbow drop attempt. We settle down to Dreamer getting kicked in the back to put the Harts in control, allowing Pillman to hit a good looking dropkick. The delayed suplex gets the fans to cheer against the ECW guys for a change, though Sandman’s swearing brings them back.

Smith hurts his head off a headbutt attempt and walks into a DDT, allowing the hot tag to Sandman. Everything breaks down and Dreamer hits his cutter on Smith as Sandman has found a cane. The slow chase is on and Dreamer finds some chairs. Pillman goes underneath the ring and finds….the Blue Meanie. The distraction lets Sandman get in the first cane shots to Pillman but Sandman gets dropped. Back in and Dreamer gets powerbombed through the chairs for a pin at 8:08.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure why I didn’t mind this as much as the Ring of Honor match from Sandman. Maybe it’s how serious that was treated compared to this, but for some reason this was a lot more acceptable. For one thing Sandman wasn’t doing much here and that’s best for everyone. His entrance is still cool and that’s why you bring him in. Not a very good match, but the ending was the right call.

Dreamer and Sandman get the heroes’ farewell.

Next week: MJF vs. Hart for the Middleweight Title.

The Lucha Bros say they’ll be around MLW. They’ll fight anyone anywhere anytime because they’re the best tag team in the world.

Tom Lawlor staggers out of a strip club, seemingly still drunk from last night with the title. That was funny.

Overall Rating: C. This one really did fit the idea of a fusion of a bunch of styles and that’s a good idea. You had three different matches on here and it made for a very breezy show. As usual, MLW is good at being able to go through a bunch of stuff without having any of them seem weak or unimportant. It keeps things fresh and that was the case here.

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

Smackdown
Date: February 19, 2019
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

Kofi Kingston! Rhythmic Clapping! Sunday’s Elimination Chamber match for the Smackdown World Title was one of the most dramatic moments WWE has presented in years. Kingston was on the verge of becoming WWE Champion and while he came up short, the question now is can he actually pull off the upset. With the nothing Fastlane coming up, Bryan is going to need a challenger. Let’s get to it.

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

Shane McMahon comes out but during his entrance, let’s go to the video on the Elimination Chamber match. Back in the arena, Shane brings up the NXT names who made their debuts last night. They impressed him so much last night that they’re going to be here tonight as well. Cue Miz to interrupt, saying that he hasn’t slept in two days because of the guilt he’s feeling over Sunday’s loss. Miz admits to using Shane to make his dad proud (still one of the dumbest stories going today) and then Shane brought his dad out here.

That made his dad say how proud he was of Miz and that he loved him. It was one of the best moments of his life and now he needs something. There are no more automatic rematches but this is Shane McMahon. If anyone can do anything about it, Shane can. This brings out the Usos to say whoa whoa whoa. Jey is willing to give them a chance to admit that Miz is a joke and a loser. Shane doesn’t want to hear his partner insulted like that so the rematch is on for Fastlane in Miz’s hometown.

So to recap: Miz is the weak link of the team and his dad is the worst parent of all time because main eventing Wrestlemania doesn’t mean a thing compared to teaming with Shane McMahon. I’m still not sure how this story is supposed to make sense but WWE is likely riding it all the way through Wrestlemania.

Video on Aleister Black, talking about everything he’s gone through to get here. Now, this show is two hours long and has the time to do this, but the three hour Raw can’t have something like this?

Aleister Black vs. Andrade

Black took the NXT Title from Andrade in this same building back in April, which thankfully is mentioned. They start fast with Black sliding between his legs but getting chopped down as Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano watch from the back. A running knee drops Black again but he sends Andrade outside for the moonsault into the sit as we take a break. Back with Black busting out the strikes but the springboard moonsault gets shoved out to the floor for a crash.

Black is fine enough to hit a Meteora and get two off a German suplex. Almas sends him into the corner for the running knees (with Graves saying Black is seeing shadows for an in-joke) for two of his own but the hammerlock DDT is blocked. Black Mass finishes Almas at 8:41.

Rating: C+. Well it wasn’t quite their Takeover classic but it was an entertaining match with the fans being way more into things than they were before. That’s the kind of thing that gives me some hope here, though it does make me wonder why they didn’t have these debuts in New Orleans, which has been a good town for WWE over the last few years.

Gargano and Ciampa say they’ve made a career out of defying expectations and Ciampa does his best work under the spotlight. Gargano talks about how they went to war here a year ago in this building and now they’re here together as the future. So yeah, NXT storylines are officially non-cannon on Raw and Smackdown. The Bar comes in to say no one knows or cares who they are. Johnny says they’re here to break the bar.

Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles agree to work together tonight. Kofi Kingston comes in and offers a pancake branch for the sake of peace.

The Bar vs. Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa

Sheamus shoves Ciampa around to start before it’s quickly off to Cesaro for a big uppercut to Gargano. Everything breaks down and the Bar gets sent outside for a suicide dive from Gargano. Ciampa’s dive off the apron is countered with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker as we take a break.

Back with Ciampa getting uppercutted out of the air and it’s off to Sheamus to take him up top. The super White Noise is countered into a sunset bomb but Sheamus lands on Ciampa’s knee, which seemed to buckle. The hot tag bring sin Gargano to clean house, including a flip dive off the apron to Sheamus and a slingshot DDT for two on Cesaro.

The spinning faceplant sets up the Gargano Escape but Cesaro powers out as he knows how to do. Some backbreakers set up Sheamus’ top rope knee with Ciampa having to dive in (knee seems ok) for the save. A superkick gets two on Sheamus and Ciampa tags himself back in for a slingshot into a rollup to pin Cesaro at 11:37.

Rating: C+. Thankfully the knee seems ok as he’s walking around without much of a limp. You knew the win was coming here though I’m still not sure what to expect from these NXT names, though at least the crowd was hotter here. Now if only they could acknowledge the NXT storylines, things would be that much better.

Video on Ricochet, showcasing a lot of his flip dives.

D-Generation X is going into the Hall of Fame.

Here’s Asuka to have her resume listed off but right now, does she feel lost in the shuffle? Right now all she wants is a fresh challenge because she wants to know who is ready for Asuka RIGHT NOW. This brings out Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville with Mandy saying that she’s ready.

Asuka vs. Mandy Rose

Asuka beats the count and kicks away, followed by a middle rope dropkick. The spinning strikes to the face get two and a sliding knee gets the same. Another shot seems to hurt Mandy’s eye but she’s goldbricking of course, sending Asuka throat first into the middle rope. That’s enough to set up a rollup pin for the huge upset at 9:49.

Rating: D+. Asuka needs to stay out of New Orleans. I get what they’re going for here but they couldn’t have Mandy win via countout off that knee or something like that? Mandy is only a step up the ladder from Carmella and that’s not enough to have her pin Asuka like this. I’m not a fan of this kind of booking but WWE seems to love it, probably over how easy it is.

Charlotte recaps Becky Lynch attacking her over the weekend and says she’s going to the main event of Wrestlemania. It’s the main event because she’s in it, which is a good line.

Miz’s dad will be in the front row at Fastlane. Shane gives that a bit of a weird look.

Ricochet vs. Eric Young

Joined in progress with Ricochet speeding things up until a Killian Dain/Alexander Wolfe distraction lets Young punch him in the face. A middle rope knee to the back sets up the chinlock for a bit, only to have Ricochet fight up and avoid a charge in the corner. Another running shoulder to the ribs in the corner sets up the springboard uppercut. Ricochet’s running shooting star gets two and a dropkick knocks Wolfe off the apron. The big running flip dive hits Young and Dain, followed by the 630 to finish Young at 6:29.

Rating: C-. That’s the kind of match Ricochet needed to have last night: fighting against the odds and making the comeback with the face paced, high flying offense. It worked well here and I had a good time watching him here. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Sanity getting a spot on the show. There’s no reason to not have them around, at least once in awhile.

New Day says Kofi’s rise hasn’t been over seven days, but over eleven years. That’s longer than Instagram has been around! Xavier and Big E. push for Kofi to get the Wrestlemania title shot, but Kofi says they deserve the thanks for letting him be in the Elimination Chamber in the first place. Tonight, they need to meet his friend Momentum, so Big E. hits the intro.

We see the same Kevin Owens movie theater promo from last night.

Kofi Kingston/AJ Styles/Jeff Hardy vs. Daniel Bryan/Randy Orton/Samoa Joe

During his entrance, Bryan talks about how ignorant everyone here is for not knowing Thomas Beckett. These people put him inside the Elimination Chamber but he survived. Bryan is going to educate us on his opponent for Fastlane but he won’t be saying who it is. The only thing he’ll tell us is that the opponent is NOT in this match. Bryan tags out to Joe at the bell, leaving him to face Kingston. An exchange of shots to the face allow the tag off to Hardy for the legdrop between the legs.

Orton comes in and grabs the chinlock, which is quickly broken up with a jawbreaker. It’s already back to Kofi to pick up the pace as things break down a bit. Orton drops Kofi onto the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Bryan hammering on Kofi until a dive allows the tag to Styles. AJ unloads on Bryan and cleans house, allowing the hot tag off to Kofi. That means the real comeback is on, including a pair of dives. Trouble in Paradise hits Bryan for the clean pin at 12:11.

Rating: C. The wrestling wasn’t the point here, at least not until the very ending. This was all about Kofi getting the pin on Bryan to set up what has to be the title match at Fastlane. There’s no reason for it to be anything else either before or after this match and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially after how things went over the last week.

Post match Shane comes out to make Kingston vs. Bryan for Fastlane to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, it’s almost impossible to believe that Smackdown and Raw come from the same company. Tonight had some vignettes for the new stars, a new challenger for Asuka (method of setting up the challenger aside) and, above all else, the World Title match that the fans want to see. Kingston is on fire right now and deserves the title shot, so that’s what they get. It’s going with what makes sense rather than “here’s what we’re doing, get used to it.” Good, efficient show tonight and I’ll take that every night.

Results

Aleister Black b. Andrade – Black Mass

Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa b. The Bar – Slingshot rollup to Cesaro

Mandy Rose b. Asuka – Rollup

Ricochet b. Eric Young – 630

Kofi Kingston/AJ Styles/Jeff Hardy b. Randy Orton/Samoa Joe/Daniel Bryan – Trouble in Paradise to Bryan

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 18, 2019
Location: Cajundome, Lafayette, Louisiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

We’re done with Elimination Chamber but since March is a work month, we have less than three weeks before Fastlane. I have no idea what they’re supposed to do to headline Fastlane if Becky Lynch is currently suspended and Seth Rollins is being held out of the ring, but there’s a good chance they could drop the suspension so she can face Charlotte. They’ve done faster turnarounds before. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Pedro Morales.

Here’s HHH top open things up. HHH says it’s that time of year and we’re on the Road to Wrestlemania. The last twenty four hours should be proof of how important this time is with stuff like Sasha Banks and Bayley becoming the first ever WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Or Finn Balor winning the Intercontinental Title. Or Kofi Kingston getting that close to winning the WWE Championship. The fans like that more than anything else, with a KOFI chant getting a little time.

That brings HHH to Becky, who showed us that nothing is stopping her from getting to Charlotte or Ronda Rousey. Now professionally, he has to say that if she does that again, she’ll be suspended. On a personal level though, that was pretty cool. Speaking of cool, it was announced on ESPN this morning that D-Generation X is going into the Hall of Fame this year.

HHH also oversees the third global touring brand with NXT, so here are some people making their debut tonight on Raw. That would be Ricochet, Aleister Black, North American Champion Johnny Gargano and NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa. They’re in a tag match tonight, though it’s not clear if this is a permanent callup or just a one off appearance. We’re not done yet though as there are a bunch of tables sitting on the stage for a very good reason.

Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin

Tables match and Strowman has bad ribs coming in. Strowman knocks him around to start but a shot to the ribs cuts him down. Corbin drives him into the barricade but Strowman whips him into it even harder to take over. It’s already time for a table, though Strowman’s ribs slow him down. Some kicks to the ribs keep Strowman in trouble but Corbin can’t suplex him on the ramp.

Strowman can certainly do it to him though and Corbin is screaming a lot. They head up to the stage where some tables are set up, though Strowman prefers the announcers’ table. Corbin knocks him off the stage though and we take a break. Back with Corbin knocking Strowman out of the ring and swinging a kendo stick at the bad ribs. Strowman knocks him out of the air with some steps though and the running powerslam puts Corbin through a table in the corner for the win at 14:35.

Rating: D. Well that’s very nice for Strowman as he gets to beat up the least interesting and intimidating heel in recent memory to get back a win that he didn’t need to give up in the first place. This feud has been going for months now and I’m still waiting for it to get interesting in the first place. I’m not sure what the endgame is supposed to be, but it seems like something we should have reached a long time ago.

As Strowman is leaving, Paul Heyman comes out and tells him to go to the back. Strowman grabs him by the neck before letting him go. Oh please tell me we’re not getting ready for another Strowman vs. Lesnar match. After a break, Heyman introduces us to a video on Lesnar’s path to the top of the company. This includes a mini biography of Lesnar’s career, both in WWE and the UFC. It wraps up with Lesnar breaking the Streak and we’ll be back to this later. Back in the arena, Heyman takes a quick audience poll on how much of a chance Rollins has.

This brings out Finn Balor for some reason and after a break, Heyman is gone (it was pretty clear he wasn’t done). Balor talks about not having a title for a long time and how he grew up watching some of the great Intercontinental Champions. This brings out a subdued Lio Rush, who says Bobby Lashley deserves to be champion. Cue Lashley from behind to lay Balor out. Rush joins Lashley in the ring for the double team as their issues seem to have already been forgotten. Rush hits the Final Hour but here’s Ricochet for the save. Time for a tag match.

Bobby Lashley/Lio Rush vs. Ricochet/Finn Balor

Ricochet and Rush start things off as the commentary make it sound like this is a lot more than a one off appearance. Ricochet flips around to start and snaps off the perfect dropkick to send Rush into the corner. Lashley comes in and gets kicked to the floor, leaving Ricochet to handspring into his signature pose, leaving Lashley and Rush a bit flummoxed. Balor comes in to face Lashley, who takes him into the corner for a knee to the ribs.

The chinlock goes on, followed by a quick Downward Spiral for two. It’s back to Rush, who quickly gets taken down with a basement dropkick. The Sling Blade drops Rush again and a shotgun dropkick looks to set up the Coup de Grace. Lashley offers a distraction though, allowing Rush to chop block the knee. That’s not a commercial for a change as Lashley brings him back inside for a chinlock.

Lashley slams him down and now we take the break. Back with Lashley holding the chinlock (I think my head would explode if it was action when we came back, but that might make you think you need to stick around so you don’t miss anything and that’s not how WWE rolls.) and driving him hard into the corner. Rush comes in and slaps Balor in the face, earning himself an Eye of the Hurricane.

Balor does the worst “sit there six inches from the hot tag instead of moving slightly forward” that I can remember, followed by the hot tag going through a few seconds later. Egads come up with a better structure. Ricochet comes back in and hits the big flip dive to the floor to take out Rush, followed by a moonsault off the barricade over Lashley, who gets dropkicked down by Balor. Back in and the 630 finishes Rush at 18:03.

Rating: C. This is a match that went about twice as long as it needed to with the heat segment on Balor going on far too long. Ricochet’s stuff at the end was exactly what it should have been, but this felt like an attempt at combining two stories and making things drag on too long. Let Ricochet clean house to start, do a short heat segment on Balor, and then do the same finish and this is way better.

Balor gives Ricochet the ring in a nice moment.

HHH is talking to Natalya when Drew McIntyre comes in. Drew wants Seth Rollins tonight because he wants to go to Wrestlemania. Dean Ambrose comes in to say he’ll fight Drew tonight and slaps him in the face. HHH: “You still want Seth or do you want me to change that over?” Drew will take Dean.

Here’s the Lucha House Party and let’s stop to look at Becky Lynch getting suspended last week, the attack at a house show on Saturday, and her attacking Charlotte and Ronda Rousey last night. I have no idea why they’re doing these entrances before going somewhere else but it’s rather annoying.

Lucha House Party vs. Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins

Hawkins and Ryder take over on Metalik to start but it’s off to Dorado for chops and dropkicks. Ryder neckbreakers his way out of a double suplex attempt and it’s back to Hawkins as the announcers talk about the New York Mets roster. A Michinoku Driver gets two on Metalik and Ryder clotheslines him outside. Hawkins goes after Metalik and Dorado snaps off a hurricanrana for the pin at 3:38.

Rating: D. This would be another moment where the story doesn’t exactly advance and nothing changes. Hawkins almost has to win something at some point, though I’m not sure where he goes from there. The losses don’t mean anything anymore and this story has been going on for years now.

Heavy Machinery comes out to the stage for a chat. They’re all about steaks and weights and want to fight anyone around here. Lacey Evans comes out, walks down the ramp, and comes up to stand behind the two of them. They walk down the ramp, do the Bushwhackers walk, and then come back up. Lacey seems pleased.

Gargano and Ciampa are in the back when Bobby Roode and Chad Gable come in. They both want the shot at the Revival, who come in to say they have some history with both teams. Ciampa says they’re here to make an impact but Revival doesn’t need their respect.

Revival vs. Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa

Non-title. Wilder grabs a wristlock on Gargano to start but Johnny takes him down into a front facelock. Ciampa comes in and the old DIY magic is rolling in a hurry. Dawson chops Gargano in the corner but gets sent outside, leaving Gargano to hit the suicide dive. A whip into the steps sends us to a break with DIY in control. Back with Gargano in trouble until the tornado DDT/jumping kick to the chest is enough to put Revival down.

Ciampa comes back in for some rolling German suplexes on Dawson, plus a running knee to the head for two. Wilder gets back up though and it’s a middle rope elbow to Ciampa with Dawson hitting his own German suplex for two more. The Shatter Machine is broken up (I think Gargano missed what was supposed to be a trip) and Gargano hits the slingshot DDT for two on Wilder.

Gargano’s rolling kick to the head sends Dawson outside and a small package to Wilder gets two more. The slingshot spear is blocked and a Steiner Bulldog is good for another near fall as Ciampa dives in for the save. Wilder and Gargano are sent outside and Gargano starts firing off the kicks. The slingshot spear hits Dawson and it’s Meet in the Middle for the pin 11:21.

Rating: B. One. Week. It lasted ONE WEEK. They couldn’t go a single week without jobbing the Revival out. You could do this against Roode/Gable if you’re setting up a title match at Fastlane (remember: no guaranteed title rematches) but instead, the solution is to have them lose clean here. It was a good match and DIY (because they’re back with their NXT feud being mostly ignored) winning their big debut is the right idea, but this made my head hurt all over again.

Balor welcomes Ricochet to Raw and walks away, leaving Ricochet to talk about how he can’t believe he got here. This is better than anything ever imagined and you haven’t seen the last of him.

Kevin Owens is seeing a movie with his son and doesn’t know where the change went from the popcorn and soda. Anyway, he remembers why he started fighting in the first place and can’t wait to do it again. You have one of the best talkers in the company and you make him a typical dad. How uh, inspiring.

Here are Bayley and Sasha Banks for their first time as champions. They’ve been together for years now and it’s finally paid off after everything they’ve done. They were born to do this and they’ll be holding these titles for a long time. Anyone from the past presence or future or from Raw, Smackdown and NXT can come after the titles. As they’re ready to go, here are Nia Jax and Tamina for the interruption you could see coming the second Bayley and Banks won the titles. Nia talks about how Banks always loses in her first defense and it sounds like we have a title match in the future. A quick brawl breaks out and the Samoans leave.

D-Generation X Hall of Fame video. That’s very cool, though an In Memorial video on one of the biggest stars you’ve ever had would be appreciated.

Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre

An early headbutt drops Dean and some chops have him in even more trouble. Dean takes it to the floor for a suicide dive but walks into the Claymore back inside. A second one finishes Dean at 1:56. Basically a squash.

We get more of the Lesnar video, starting with the destruction of John Cena at Summerslam 2014. With that out of the way, we jump forward and out of order to look at everyone else Lesnar has destroyed over the years. Rollins was beaten down over and over but kept getting up so Lesnar is going to put him down at Wrestlemania. That’s neither a prediction nor a spoiler. It’s the end of the story of a man named Seth Rollins.

Rollins says Lesnar has to accept his fate: it’s all over at Wrestlemania. As for Seth’s fate, he can leave on his feet or on a stretcher, but he’s leaving as champion. Ambrose comes in to ask where Seth was out there. Seth: “Have you completely lost your mind?” Dean stares at him, shrugs and says “eh”, and walks away.

Here’s Elias for a song but he’d rather talk about how fed up he is with his treatment around here. He is the most talented and charismatic star to be around here in a long time. He’s also the most hygienic person this town has ever seen. As for tonight, he knows everyone is excited for the NXT stars debuting. The song begins but gets cut off by another one.

Aleister Black vs. Elias

Thankfully we have the candles and riser for Black’s entrance. Before the match, Black offers Elias help in finding silence in deep sleep. Tonight, he will fade to black. Elias tries to whip him in but Black just stops, setting up the moonsault into the sit as we take a break. Back with Black in trouble as Elias pulls him neck first into the top rope. Black fights out of a chinlock and hits a sliding knee, followed by the standing Lionsault for two. Elias gets in a shot to the face but Black has had it and Black Mass is good for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C-. This was an exercise in waiting for Black Mass and they did the right thing by not having us spend too much time before we got to the big finish. Black is a versatile performer but the strikes are what’s going to carry him, meaning Black Mass is what matters most. Good shot too, as he kicked Elias’ head off.

Raw Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Ruby Riott

Rousey is defending and starts fast with the judo throws. Some right hands in the corner have Riott in more trouble but she comes back with something like an STO. A test of strength is countered into a near triangle to send Riott outside and us to a break. Back with Rousey caught in an armbar but suplexing her way to freedom. Riott gets her to offer chase back inside so it’s a heck of a spear for two. The chinlock goes on and we hit the WE WANT BECKY chants.

Back up and Rousey seems to whiff on a right hand but Riott goes down anyway. A big running right hand in the corner has Riott in trouble but she hits a Downward Spiral into the turnbuckle. Riott falls off the middle rope (intentionally) into a backsplash for two more and the Riott Kick connects for a close two, with very little reaction from the crowd (fair enough).

Ronda gets in a gutwrench slam and heads up top, only to have the Riott Squad offer a distraction. Another Riott Kick gives Ruby two more so she heads up, only to jump into the armbar (with a great scared face from Riott). The Squad pulls her to the floor for the break so Rousey dives off the top (slipping off the top and seemingly crashing instead of landing) to take them out. After checking on Logan, it’s the armbar to make Riott tap at 10:32.

Rating: C. This is the match they should have had last night, though it’s not like it was exactly pay per view worthy. I don’t think anyone was buying even the slightest chance of a title match either last night or tonight, but at least we got some good action and even a nice near fall or two. Riott got some heat back, which she really needed after last night. Good enough here, though nothing worth seeing.

Post match Rousey beats up the Squad to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I have no idea what to go with here, as the wrestling was mostly bad and forgettable, though there was a point to the show and it never once felt like it was running long. That’s a lot better than what they usually do around here and I’ll take it over what we’ve been getting. There wasn’t exactly much fallout from last night to deal with other than Bayley and Sasha, but at least what we got was acceptable enough.

At the same time though, you have to wonder why we got nothing about Fastlane tonight. With six TV shows between the pay per views, burning one of them off might not be the best idea in the world. It’s a better show than last week, especially due to the fresh talent. I have little faith in the main roster to not waste them, but for a one off show, it was very nice to see. The main thing is keeping the show from being boring, because until that’s changed, not much else matters. They did that tonight, though it’s not going to work that way every week.

Results

Braun Strowman b. Baron Corbin – Running powerslam through a table

Lucha House Party b. Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins – Hurricanrana to Hawkins

Ricochet/Finn Balor b. Bobby Lashley/Lio Rush – 630 to Rush

Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa b. Revival – Meet in the Middle to Dawson

Drew McIntyre b. Dean Ambrose – Claymore

Aleister Black b. Elias – Black Mass

Ronda Rousey b. Ruby Riott – Armbar

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: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: February 13, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

We’re still down in Atlanta and this time around it’s an old school feeling with the NWA World Title on the line as champion Nick Aldis defending against PJ Black. Neither of them are exactly regulars around here, but that’s never stopped ROH when guest stars are involved. We should be getting ready for a big show around here, though it’s kind of hard to tell which one it is around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

John Skyler, Corey Hollis and Josey Quinn (also not regulars) are in the ring and say they deserve the attention. No six man team can beat them, and I think you know where this is going.

John Skyler/Corey Hollis/Josey Quinn vs. Villain Enterprises

Before the match, Marty Scurll says he used to be like the three of them because they’re not a bit jaded. He’s sure the three of them are going to make a huge impact, but tonight they’re going to feel the wrath of Villain Enterprises. The fight is on in a hurry with Enterprises taking over with a grand total of no effort and standing tall in the ring.

We come back from a break for the opening bell with Quinn making the mistake of chopping someone who attaches himself to car batteries. PCO chops him right back in the corner, which amazingly enough works far better. A swinging slam draws in Skyler and Hollis, who get beaten up just as well. Skyler gets tossed into the corner and then chokeslammed for a bonus as PCO is doing this by himself.

A missed flip dive onto the apron just wakes PCO up even more and Hollis’ dive just earns himself a shove into the barricade. Scurll comes in for a chop of his own but Skyler takes him down with a slingshot spear. The villains (as opposed to the Villains) take over in the corner and Hollis grabs a chinlock. The comeback doesn’t take long as Scurll knocks Hollis away and brings in King for the house cleaning.

Skyler gets put in 619 position for a running cannonball to the back for a change of pace. A running backsplash crushes Skyler so it’s off to Hollis, who gets powerbombed into a Boston Crab. PCO adds a middle rope legdrop but his flip dive through the ropes sees his legs caught in the rope for a somewhat scary botch. King’s Gonzo Bomb (Dominator into a piledriver) sets up the chickenwing to make Hollis tap at 6:33.

Rating: C. The Villains were a lot of fun here and that’s what they were shooting for in a match like this. You set up three guys at the beginning of the show and have these guys destroy them, especially when it contains acts like Marty and company, who are going to be beloved around this place. Fun match here and a lot more entertaining than I was expecting.

Post break the Kingdom doesn’t think much of Villain Enterprises because the Kingdom is in control. He’s Matt Taven and this is his kingdom.

Jay Lethal says it’s getting hard to keep track of everyone in line for a title shot when Taven is running around with a fake title. Taven has his attention now.

Kelly Klein defended the title in a big match….which isn’t important enough to put on TV so you can see it on Honor Club.

NWA World Title: Nick Aldis vs. PJ Black

Aldis, with Kamilla Kaine is defending in the first title defense in Atlanta since 1993. They fight over arm control to start until Aldis gets backed into the ropes. A legsweep takes Aldis down but he pops up with a headlock takeover as they’re certainly sticking with the basics so far. Black bails away from the threat of a right hand and asks for a time out, though Colt doesn’t think that’s an option.

Another takeover puts Aldis down this time and Black gives him a clean break as well. Aldis gets two off a backslide and it’s another standoff. The next legsweep attempt works this time and Black stomps him in the back, only to get dropkicked for his efforts. A headscissors sends Aldis outside for a breather but he slides right back in and Black pokes him in the eye. You can’t be called the DAREWOLF and have your big spot so far be a Three Stooges move. Black loads up the dive but Kaine gets in his way, allowing Aldis to run him over as we take a break.

Back with Black fighting out of a chinlock so it’s off to a front facelock to keep him in trouble. That’s broken up as well so Black hits a spinwheel kick to set up a top rope elbow to the head. A top rope double stomp to a standing Aldis connects for two but he’s right back up with a powerbomb for two. It’s too early for the Kingsland Cloverleaf so Aldis crotches him on top instead. That means a release German superplex for a somewhat delayed two and we take another break.

Back again with Black hitting a super hurricanrana into a moonsault press for a rather weak cover. Black goes with something like a dragon sleeper, which Aldis countered into a Tombstone. A top rope elbow gives Aldis another near fall so he tells Kaine to throw in the title. With Kaine on the apron for a distraction, Black goes Eddie Guerrero by grabbing the title and throwing it to Aldis and dropping to the mat.

It’s enough of a distraction for Black to grab the Billy Goat’s Curse (Colt’s reverse Boston crab) but a rope is reached in a hurry. With Aldis on the floor, Black’s dropkick through the ropes hits Kaine by mistake, which is a huge deal because a wrestler taking a dropkick is something horrible. Back in and Aldis rolls through a high crossbody for two, followed by the Cloverleaf to make Black tap at 20:25.

Rating: B-. Well that was….long. It was a perfectly fine and even good at times match but it’s nothing that I needed to see and it just kind of came and went. Aldis is a nice choice for the title and certainly better than some of the losers that have held the NWA Title over the last few years. This worked well enough, though I really don’t need this title around ROH more than very infrequently. Again good, but it felt like a special attraction that no one was asking to see.

Clip of Bandido vs. Mark Haskins from last week.

Here’s Juice Robinson for a chat. He said you would be seeing more of him around here and he didn’t just mean for a tour here and there. Robinson knows this company stands for honor and he’s had something in the works for awhile now. Tonight the pieces come together right here in Atlanta. This place was founded by people like Samoa Joe and AJ Styles. The lifeblood of Ring of Honor has been due to people like Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black (Seth Rollins) because they cared about honor.

The Code of Honor was in effect and it was all about mutual respect. So what has happened around here over the last few years (An over-reliance on New Japan and WWE taking all the top guys?)? Tonight is a new beginning though and it starts right now. That brings up the heart rate monitor….and here are Bandido, Mark Haskins, Tenille Dashwood, Tracy Williams and David Finlay. They are Lifeblood and they’re bringing honor back to ROH. I have heard far worse ideas than this one.

Overall Rating: B+. When did this company get really good? The main event was a little more than it needed to be but the opener was fun and the ending segment makes me want to see more. Under the right circumstances, they could have a really interesting future and that’s the first time I’ve been able to say that in a LONG time. This worked quite well and for once, I want to see where things are going. Well done indeed, especially after some rather uninteresting months.

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