IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 7, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re still in Philadelphia and unfortunately that probably means more ECW guys taking up a huge part of the show. That being said, I’m almost scared to see what they might come up with next. Why they need to come up with anything new is beyond me as they have a lot of talent who can have some awesome matches when they actually put in the effort. Let’s get to it.

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

We recap last week’s show, which was quite the all over the place show.

Opening sequence.

Cousin Jake vs. Ace Austin

Jake’s cousin Cody is in his corner. Austin gets in some pushups before we start but he can’t get in a drop toehold. Some kicks to Jake’s back work a bit better and a hurricanrana takes Jake down. Austin low bridges him to the floor and, after the handstand on the apron, kicks Jake in the face. A running flip dive is blocked though and a running crossbody against the apron gives Jake two. Back in and Austin gets body blocked out of the air but Ace avoids a charge in the corner.

That means a paper cut with the Ace of spades and a top rope Fameasser gets two on Jake. It’s time to start on Jake’s arm with a variety of pulling. Some chops just annoy Jake so Austin kicks him in the head instead. Jake blasts him with a clothesline for a double knockdown as Cody cheers Jake from ringside. A Michinoku Driver gives Jake two and there’s a running shoulder n the corner. Cue the Desi Hit Squad to go after Cody though, allowing Ace to hit the Fold for the pin at 8:54.

Rating: C. Actually a nice little match here but then again I’ve liked Ace since he first showed up. Jake is fine for a powerhouse in the ring when you get rid of the ridiculous gimmick. As usual, Impact does a lot better when it comes to the wrestling parts rather than the talking and character stuff, but that goes for a lot of companies these days.

Taya Valkyrie doesn’t want to hear about Rosemary again and it’s not Taya’s fault that Rosemary is obsessed with her.

The announcers chat about the show.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Rosemary

Non-title and Rosemary still has Su Yung on the chain. Taya takes her down and hammers away to start, followed by some kicks in the corner. The fans certainly seem to like Taya strutting around the ring and hitting a Meteora in the corner. Rosemary is right back with the Upside Down but a missile dropkick misses. Something like a Sling Blade takes Taya right back down and a reverse DDT gets two. It’s off to a Koji Clutch of all things….and here are James Mitchell and Havok (a monster who used to be part of the Knockouts division) with the latter taking out Rosemary for the DQ at 4:28.

Rating: D+. This was a storyline match instead of something worthwhile and that’s ok. What might not be ok is this Mitchell vs. Rosemary story continuing, as it seems to just keep going for months on end. That being said, having Havok in there at least offers a fresh direction and it might actually be able to go somewhere for a change.

Post match Havok lays out Taya and Rosemary as Mitchell certainly approves. Havok lets Yung free.

The Rascalz are ready for their Tag Team Title shot and talk about the Pet Shop Boys. Trey drinks a bit.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Great Muta vs. Mr. Anderson from TNA vs. the World in 2015.

Eddie Edwards comes up to Sandman in the back because he can’t accept the new kendo stick. Eddie: “It wouldn’t be fair to Kenny.” Sandman writes KENNY on the stick and Eddie is happy.

Video on Brian Cage vs. Michael Elgin at Slammiversary.

Elgin has showed that he’s better than Cage and the path he’s clearing leads straight to the World Title. Next week, Elgin will see Cage across the ring from him instead of Willie Mack.

Madman Fulton vs. Fox Vinier/Michael Emineo

Sami Callihan slaps Fulton in the face to start and Fulton starts beating both of them up at once. Vinier is slammed onto Emineo and they’re both run over again. A chokeslam to each sets up a double chokeslam but Sami isn’t happy. He slaps Fulton a few times and says to kill them, setting up a swinging Downward Spiral to send Vinier onto Emineo for the pin at 3:23.

Rating: D. Well that worked. This was the kind of destruction that you have to have with a monster like Fulton and it’s been rather effective. Sami having a bit of a cult thing going on is a good story for him and something that could go somewhere. Just keep him away from doing goofy stuff and see where it can go from here. If nothing else, tie it back into him being the first man to beat Cage and set up a World Title feud.

Post match Sami says he’s sick of the Knockout nonsense and people like Scarlett Bordeaux and Fallah Bahh embarrassing them. Actually get the Crists out here right now because we’re having the tag match right now.

Crist Brothers vs. Fallah Bahh/Scarlett Bordeaux

I certainly don’t mind Scarlett being out here, but what is up with the intergender obsession lately? Bahh suplexes Jake to start but Sami grabs his foot. That’s enough for a double ejection of Callihan and Fulton, leaving Bahh to slam Dave. A missed charge sends Bahh shoulder first into the post though and the Brothers take over. Bahh shouts a lot as the two of them beat him up, including Jake ripping at Bahh’s mouth.

One heck of a crossbody crushes Dave but Jake prevents the hot tag, which might not be the brightest idea in the world. Dave gets sent to the floor but manages to pull Scarlett off the apron before Bahh can get to her. For some reason Jake tries a sunset flip and gets crushed, allowing the tag to Scarlett. Some headscissors have the Brothers in trouble and a double high crossbody sets up Bahh’s double suicide dive.

Scarlett’s top rope flip dive takes both of them down again as the fans deem this awesome. Back in and Jake slams Scarlett, sending Callis through the roof. You mean someone is mad because they got beaten up? Scarlett is right back with a reverse hurricanrana and it’s a Doomsday Device for two on Dave (she’s from Chicago). The double Banzai Drop misses though and Scarlett is rocked, allowing Jake to hit Bahh with a roll of quarters for the pin at 10:24.

Rating: C-. I’m really not sure about this one, but the negatives outweigh the positives. First of all, Scarlett did not embarrass herself in the slightest out there. She’s clearly a well trained and experienced worker so this is far from Sable back in the day. At the same time though, I have a hard time buying that Scarlett and Bahh are a real threat to former Tag Team Champions.

There comes a point where it’s hard to believe what is being presented and while they did not go past that, they walked the line as close as you can. What took me out of it was how fast Scarlett was taken down by basic offense. A slam and a missed Banzai Drop stun her? That doesn’t bode well for the future and suggests a lot of suspension of disbelief in these matches. Intergender matches can work and Scarlett has the talent to make them believable, but they have to be done right.

Post match the Crists go after Scarlett again but Tessa Blanchard makes the save, including Magnum to Jake. So is man vs. woman Tessa’s thing now? I get that she’s better than the rest of the Knockouts, but I’m not sure how well this is going to go.

Willie Mack doesn’t like the idea of Elgin taking food off his plate so it’s time to stop Elgin. Rich Swann says he has his back. Johnny Impact comes in to say that bad times are coming. Rich is about to be on the Johnny Impact diet because after Slammiversary, he’ll be ten pounds lighter.

Callihan yells at the Crists and promises to take care of the Knockouts.

Kiera Hogan vs. Jordynne Grace

Hogan hits her in the face a few times and scores with a dropkick but charges into a boot in the corner. A middle rope backsplash gives Grace two and the one armed delayed Jackhammer gets two. Kiera is smart enough to hide in the corner to sucker Grace in and choke away, followed by a basement dropkick for two of her own.

There’s something like a one knee Codebreaker for two more, but Grace is right back with a spinebuster. Some running knees in the corner have Hogan in more trouble and her attempt at a super sunset bomb goes rather badly. A kick to the head misses Grace and the Grace Driver finishes Hogan at 7:58.

Rating: C-. Hogan’s heel turn isn’t all that interesting yet as the division already has enough top heels, but Grace needed a win to get some more momentum. It’s not a good match or anything, but Grace got to show off the power and it’s not like losing to her is some devastating moment.

Konnan yells at LAX for not taking the Rascalz seriously. Santana: “They’re from Toledo!”

Moose doesn’t like ECW legends being around here twenty years past their prime and wants Rob Van Dam at Slammiversary. And he’s the heel in this?

Tag Team Titles: LAX vs. Rascalz

Zachary Wentz/Dezmond Xavier for the challenging Rascalz here with Konnan and Trey Miguel at ringside. Wentz and Ortiz feel things out to start as Konnan tells commentary to talk nicely about him. Dez comes in and kicks Ortiz to the floor, followed by a running double stomp to Santana’s back. That means the back to back dives to the floor as the champs are in early trouble. Back in and a Swanton into the Final Flash gets two on Santana as we take a break.

We come back with Ortiz hitting a middle rope DDT on Wentz, followed by a German suplex to give Santana two. The champs’ double teaming starts until a missed charge allows the hot tag to Dez. That means the pace picks up with a suicide dive from Dez and a tag back to Wentz. A sunset flip sends Santana across the ring but he rolls into a cutter on Dez, leaving Wentz to get rolled up for two.

Everyone is down for a bit until Dez breaks up the champs’ double belly to back faceplant. Instead Wentz gets powerslammed but Ortiz gets annoyed at Miguel for stealing his flask. The contents of said flask are spat in the referee’s face so Wentz hits a springboard cutter on Santana. Miguel comes in with a top rope Meteora with another referee (one who doesn’t seem to have been paying attention) to count the pin for the titles at 14:25.

Rating: B. The ending seems to be setting up another match but I’m not sure how far they can go with a story of the third member of the team stealing a pin. That being said, I’d like to see these teams again, but that’s partially because the Rascalz have been rather awesome since their debut. A good rematch at Slammiversary could be pretty entertaining. As for the match itself, it was the usual awesome, fast paced match you would expect from these teams.

Or not as the first referee wakes up to say it’s a DQ so LAX retains.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t the best show in the world, but the lack of the ECW stars helped a lot. Throw in a good main event and an effective Fulton squash and the good was just enough to even out the bad. Tweak a few things that aren’t going so well and you could have a fine show here. The stories are interesting and, again, when they ignore the cheap nostalgia stories, they’re quite fun to watch. There was some stuff in here that could have been better, but what they had was enough to keep me interested and not get on my nerves, so they’re heading in the right direction.

Oh and because Impact: Pursuit aired last week’s episode so the only way to see this was if you watched on Twitch. They can’t even go too weeks without some kind of gaffe, but who else is going to take them?

Results

Ace Austin b. Cousin Jake – The Fold

Rosemary b. Taya Valkyrie via DQ when Havok interfered

Madman Fulton b. Fox Vinier/Michael Emineo – Swinging Downward Spiral to Vinier

Crists b. Fallah Bahh/Scarlett Bordeaux – Jake hit Bahh with a roll of quarters

Jordynne Grace b. Kiera Hogan – Grace Driver

LAX b. Rascalz when Trey Miguel interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: June 4, 2019
Location: Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: Aiden English, Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

I don’t even know what to make of this show anymore. It seems like they’re trying to turn Tony Nese into the next big thing around here but I’m not sure that’s going to work. At the same time though, they have the General Manager running around chasing R-Truth and the 24/7 Title on the same show. Hopefully things settle down this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Drake Maverick gives us the opening preview, which is an idea that they didn’t really need to stray from.

Opening sequence.

Akira Tozawa vs. Noam Dar

Hang on though as Drew Gulak jumps Dar from behind and takes out his leg. Dar says that it’s broken and Maverick comes out to say that you can’t start 205 Live like this. Yeah you wait until half an hour into the show to break someone’s leg. Maverick swaps in Gulak and we have a replacement.

Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak

Drew is in basic black trunks this time and his hair looks more slicked back. Tozawa puts Gulak down with chops to start and drops the backsplash for an early two. Gulak comes back with some shots out of the corner and a fall away slam for a bit of a change of pace from Gulak’s usual stuff. The cravate goes on but Tozawa slaps out and tries the Black Widow, which is reversed into a suplex.

It’s off to a chinlock as the match slows down quite a bit. That’s broken up as well so Gulak goes with the jumping elbows for two as the announcers talk about him using a different style. The neck crank goes on (Aiden: “The Drew Gulak of old would be grabbing a hold.”) before switching back to a chinlock, which apparently is no longer a hold.

Now it’s a double arm crank as Gulak is certainly mixing up the holds (or whatever Aiden thinks they are). Tozawa fights up and kicks him to the floor, setting up a running flip dive off the apron. The regular suicide dive connects and Gulak is knocked over the announcers’ table. Back in and Tozawa’s missile dropkick gets two, followed by the Black Widow. The hold breaks down but Gulak manages to get his foot on the rope for the break. Now it’s Gulak’s turn to take him down, this time for a Texas Cloverleaf.

That’s broken up as well so they slug it out with Gulak getting the better of it off a hard clothesline. A gutwrench faceplant gets two and it’s off to the nerve hold. Tozawa fights up with a basement dropkick as we hear a producer in a voice probably not meant for us. Gulak counters the top rope backsplash with a superplex and a torture rack neckbreaker finishes Tozawa at 13:39.

Rating: B-. That one actually surprised me as I would have bet on Tozawa getting the pin. Having Gulak in his new, intense style and then lose would have been incredibly stupid but they threw a curve here. The ending is also a little questionable as Tozawa has been set up as the next challenger for a few weeks now. A triple threat is possible and that’s not something we’ve seen for the title very often, so it could work well.

Mike and Maria Kanellis don’t like the idea that Mike isn’t the best. It’s not because he hasn’t been on TV enough because he’s been the best since he debuted here two years ago. He deserves a chance because he’s not complacent. It’s time for Drake Maverick to pay attention to him instead of chasing the 24/7 Title (amen brother) so send him the best competition.

Tony Nese saw what happened in the first match and while he gets that Drake is busy, he’ll listen to whatever decision Drake comes to.

The Lucha House Party is ready for Lars Sullivan and they’ll be ready for the Singh Brothers too.

Oney Lorcan vs. Ariya Daivari

Lorcan takes him into the corner to start to go after the banged up ear, which Daivari grabs in pain. The test of strength goes to Daivari (that’s a bit surprising) but Lorcan fights up (that’s not a bit surprising) and grabs a double arm crank. Daivari reverses into one of his own and the hold stays on for a good while, almost as if they’re trying to stretch the match out to fill in the show.

Lorcan finally flips out and tries the early half and half, which is blocked without much trouble. A middle rope crossbody gives Lorcan two and it’s so quiet that we can hear fans talking in the background. Lorcan works on the arm and tries a cross armbreaker, sending Daivari feet first into the rope. They take turns on the floor and inviting the other to fight, though Lorcan is smart enough to dodge an elbow drop. Daivari is fine enough to get a neckbreaker out of the corner but the elbow is banged up again.

A hard clothesline gets the same and another one cuts off Lorcan’s chops. An Iconoclasm of all things connects for two but Daivari’s frog splash misses. One heck of a running uppercut drops Daivari and the running Blockbuster gets two. The half and half is countered into a superkick but Lorcan is right back with a DDT on the arm. A missed charge lets Daivari get the Million Dollar Dream and Lorcan is down. Now the frog splash can connect but it hurts the arm again. The delay lets Lorcan grab a crucifix for the pin at 15:38.

Rating: B. Lorcan is quite the battling face and Daivari is a lot better in the ring than he is with any kind of character stuff. The arm even played into the finish for a rare surprise. I had a good time with this and it was one of those matches that you only get on 205 Live: entertaining, long and it might actually mean something in the future.

Post match Daivari misses a charge and gets low bridged to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, 205 Live works best when they focus on wrestling with only minimal storyline advancement. They’re setting up a bunch of people to challenge Nese and that’s the best thing they can do at the moment. None of the challengers are far ahead of the others so let one of them earn it or have Nese fight them at once. Either way, it’s an interesting idea and hopefully they make it work, which might actually happen around here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

There were four wrestlers present: Brian Pillman Jr. (remember that this is about 15 minutes south of Cincinnati), Billy Gunn, Jim Cornette and Jim Ross. Marty Jannetty had to cancel due to a family emergency.

The ballpark is rather small so there wasn’t much to be seen. I was walking around a bit before the game and saw Gunn and Pillman walking towards an office. A kid asked Gunn for his autograph and he said you can get them during the third inning. Then he took a step, turned around and signed the kid’s ball. That was a nice touch, as my previous interaction with Gunn hadn’t been the best in the world.

The line for the autographs was rather long, though they kept things moving fairly well. You could get any item signed so I grabbed a Freedom baseball and mini bat while in the line (smart move to sell them there) so Gunn/Pillman could sign the ball and Cornette could sign the bat (Cornette with an item that can be used to beat people senselessly seemed appropriate).

As you can see, I got JR to sign a bottle of his chipolte ketchup (signature on top, WWE HOF on the bottom), which is rather tasty. The annoying part there though was the Freedom attendant started talking to JR about barbecue sauce while I was just left standing there as he signed. Kind of defeats the purpose no?

All four were rather nice with Gunn being more approachable than I was expecting. Cornette was his usual chatty self and was telling stories in between fans coming up. Pillman was incredibly nice and asked every fan’s name. I mentioned meeting him before at WrestleCon and he looked straight at me and was clearly listening while I talked. You don’t get that a lot of the time.

JR was the big one here as I’ve never gotten to meet him before. He was appreciative that I said I liked his AEW performance and that he was the first voice I remember in wrestling (Clash of the Champions XII when Sting was confronted by the REAL Black Scorpion). That got a smile out of him and he told me to keep listening.

Other highlights included JR explaining the territory system to a young fan, Billy Gunn demonstrating the Rockabilly dance, some funny New Age Outlaw stories, Cornette on why WWE won the war (hint: it has to do with WCW being stupid), Gunn and Cornette (politely) going at it over the Double Or Nothing battle royal and Cornette offering Gunn money to beat up Joey Ryan during their upcoming match.

The best of all though was a question Cornette got about whether he would save Joey Ryan or Vince Russo if they were both drowning and he only had one life preserver.

Cornette: “I’d wear both of them myself, stand on their heads and make sure they drowned. Then I’d give Russo mouth to mouth so he could come back to life and I could do it again.”

All in all, a rather fun night for $70 total. I had a good time and got to meet some stars, one of which I’ve been trying to meet for years.

IMG Credit: WWE

Date: January 9, 2005
Location: Coliseo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Attendance: 15,764
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

The opening video starts by talking about how awesome Puerto Rico is but bleeds into a video on the horrors of the Chamber. It’s a simple idea but what else are they supposed to talk about here?

Tag Team Titles: Christian/Tyson Tomko vs. Eugene/William Regal

Regal and Eugene are defending. Eugene now has a Hulk Hogan inspired bandanna and shirt, making him just a bit more awesome. Regal works on Christian’s arm to start but Christian takes him down with a wristdrag. Some shoulders give Regal two and the basics continue with a hiptoss, allowing the tag off to Eugene. That means Christian’s tights are pulled up rather far and Eugene dances a bit.

Eugene leapfrogs over him and gets on all fours for the headbutts and raising of a leg. Tomko comes in so Eugene bails to the floor to high five some fans. The villains give chase but Eugene sneaks underneath the ring and rams Christian into Tomko for a bit of fun. We settle down to Tomko taking over on Eugene, including some elbows to the face in the corner.

Christian comes in for some shots to the head but it’s time to Hulk Up. The comeback includes a backdrop (not exactly a Hogan specialty) and a tag to Regal, who fires off some dropkicks of all things. Tomko takes him down again though and some elbow drops get two. We hit the chinlock as Regal’s nose is already busted. It’s back to Tomko for some choking as the fans tell him that he sucks. A cheap shot from Christian cuts off Regal’s comeback attempt and it’s off to a front facelock.

Regal starts heading over for the tag but Christian pulls Eugene down, meaning there’s no one to tag. For some reason Eugene doesn’t move two feet forward to tag Regal when he makes the corner and it’s Tomko pulling Regal back into the corner. A missed charge lets Regal make the tag though and the comeback is on. Eugene forearms Tomko down and hits a dropkick….but comes up clutching his knee. It’s clearly bad and the match grinds to a halt as Christian and Tomko are afraid to touch Eugene. Regal takes Christian to the floor and Eugene gets a very messy rollup (fair enough) to retain.

Rating: C-. It was mostly a comedy match in the first place and then the knee injury messed up whatever the ending was supposed to be. That’s certainly not on them though as there isn’t much you can do when one of your wrestlers knees goes out like that. Eugene won’t be back in the ring for about six months.

The doctors come in to check on Eugene and Regal is right there with him.

Here’s a shot of Christy walking around the pool for the most obvious reasons in the world.

Christian and Tomko run into Edge, who has an idea for later in the night. Christian isn’t happy with Edge and sends Tomko after him but Edge says he can make Christian World Champion. Now Christian is intrigued and they’ll be talking some more.

We recap Trish Stratus vs. Lita, which has been going on for months now. Lita took the Women’s Title from Trish in a very good match about a month ago and now it’s time for the rematch.

Women’s Title: Trish Stratus vs. Lita

Lita is defending. Feeling out process to start with Lita tripping her down and Trish bailing to the ropes. Lita knocks her to the floor and tries a Thesz press, wrecking her own knee in the process. Back in and Trish hammers away on the mostly immobile Lita, followed by some kicks to the injured leg. Lita tries some right hands but can’t stand up. She tries the DDT but falls down again, setting up the Chick Kick to make Trish champion again. I’m not going to rate this as Lita couldn’t move for most of the match. She tore her ACL on that Thesz press and wouldn’t wrestle again for over a year.

Maria is by the pool as well for the same reason as Christy.

Edge tries to give Christian his spot in the Elimination Chamber because he can’t get a fair shot tonight. See, Christian can have the spot and whoever wins can face Edge for the title tomorrow night on Raw. Eric Bischoff: “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” It’s not happening so Edge leaves in a huff and runs into Shawn, who says he’ll call it right down the line. Unless he’s provoked of course because then he’d retaliate. He’s looking forward to counting Edge out tonight.

Intercontinental Title: Shelton Benjamin vs. Maven

Maven is challenging and hides in the ropes early on. He does it again for a bonus and the fans insult him in Spanish, sending Maven outside for a breather. The fans tell him that he’s awful so Maven gets back on the apron….and then drops down again. Maven doesn’t want the count started yet because he has something to say. He even gets up on a chair to talk about how he’s not sure how many people here speak English. Therefore, he’ll talk very slow so people can understand him.

Maven yells at a fan that he doesn’t know what he’s saying. See, he can’t concentrate if the fans keep yelling at him like this, meaning he can’t win the Intercontinental Title. Maven goes with some Spanish to tell the fans to shut their mouths. Shelton goes after him but Maven says that’s enough and walks out. He changes his mind at nine and dives back in….where Shelton rolls him up for the pin. The match was about six minutes total and Maven spent four and a half of that on the floor.

Rating: F. I get how this could be a nice way to get the fans going and then give them something to cheer for, but after what else has happened on this show, that couldn’t have come at a worse time. We haven’t had a full match without someone getting severely hurt yet and now they do a promo instead of a match? It could have been a good idea at a house show, but how much did fans pay to watch a promo from MAVEN?

Post match Maven says that didn’t count and wants a rematch. He says Shelton is the second Women’s Champion so let’s do this again.

Intercontinental Title: Shelton Benjamin vs. Maven

Shelton is defending and the exploder retains the title in five seconds.

Candice Michelle rubs suntan lotion on Christy’s back. These things are about fifteen seconds long so at least they’re not wasting too much time with them.

We look at the debate from Raw with Muhammad Hassan and Daivari beating up JR and Lawler.

Hassan and Daivari say that was biased footage that didn’t show Lawler insulting him before the fight. Oh and Puerto Rico isn’t even good enough to be a state. They were detained in the airport last night for three hours and their hotel reservations were “mysteriously” lost. Tonight, he’s going to show that just because you’re treated like a second class citizen doesn’t mean that you are one.

Jerry Lawler vs. Muhammad Hassan

JR is in King’s corner so there’s no commentary for this. Hassan slams him to start but Lawler does it right back to him as the feeling out continues. Three more slams put Lawler down again and it’s time for a breather. Back in and Lawler punches him to the floor, where Hassan gets in an argument with JR. That just means more right hands but Hassan takes over again back inside.

Hassan starts in on the shoulder with JR imploring King to kick out. The camel clutch continues the stereotypical checklist as the fans are dying here. More basic offense, including a kick to the head and a suplex, get two and it’s off to the chinlock. A neckbreaker gets two more and Daivari is losing his mind on these kickouts.

The BORING chants begin (and rightfully so) and Lawler gets fired up, meaning it’s time to take down the strap. The dropkick sets up the middle rope fist drop for two, followed by a DDT for the same. Daivari put the foot on the rope so it’s time for the showdown with JR. That’s enough of a distraction for Hassan to hit a Downward Spiral for the pin.

Rating: F. I’m not sure I can think of a good thing to say about this one. Hassan is supposed to be the big new heel and needs help beating Jerry Lawler in his debut? On top of that, the match wasn’t even remotely good with Hassan using the most standard offense you can imagine. This was horrible and Hassan looks to be in trouble early.

Batista promises to be a wrecking machine in the Chamber when Randy Orton comes in. Orton calls Batista a stooge and says HHH only cares about the two of them as long as they’re helping protect the title. He’s been in there before and helped HHH retain. Look where that got Orton in the end. Batista threatens him but says he’s coming for the title.

Coach takes King’s place on commentary for the time being.

We recap Gene Snitsky vs. Kane. Snitsky caused Lita and Kane to lose their baby and then crushed Kane’s throat. Since then, Snitsky has….well pretty much just existed. Now Kane is back for revenge in a story that wasn’t that great in the first place.

Kane vs. Gene Snitsky

JR busts out the Bowling Shoe Ugly line before the opening bell, because after everything else, this match warrants a warning. Kane runs him over to start and drops the jumping leg, followed by some standard choking. A powerslam gets two but Snitsky gets in a sidewalk slam and a clothesline of his own.

It’s time to head outside and peel back the ring mats, which can never end well. Snitsky’s powerbomb is countered into a backdrop, though he’s fine enough to kick Kane out of the air back inside. Kane’s back is bent around the post and Snitsky slams him….so Kane sits up. He does it a second and third time as Snitsky doesn’t seem to learn.

The head back outside with Snitsky grabbing a chair but getting kicked in the face. Back in and Kane hammers away in the corner, setting up a sidewalk slam. The top rope clothesline connects this time around but a hot shot cuts Kane off. The chokeslam is broken up and Snitsky bites the ear. Kane sits up again and this time it’s the Tombstone for the pin.

Rating: D. This is rapidly approaching an all time terrible show with another with another bad match. These two have fought as many times as you can now and there isn’t anything left for the feud. Kane wins and Snitsky….well he’s probably done in this role, thereby wasting what was a pretty good build. This show has been completely awful so far and seeing these two have a pretty bad power match didn’t help things.

Ad for the Rise and Fall of ECW. I need to watch that again.

Stacy Keibler is now by the pool and let’s look at pretty much everything from earlier again. Then Simon Dean showed up and showed someone into the pool, where the Divas and Val Venis messed around. A chicken fight broke out and Christy untied Maria’s top to win. Oh Christy is so wacky and fun.

We recap the World Title being decided in the Elimination Chamber. So HHH lost the title in a triple threat but since the bosses can’t make their mind up, we’re getting the Chamber to crown HHH as the champion again. Like it’s going to be anyone else, even with Shawn Michaels as the guest referee.

The Chamber is lowered.

HHH is with Batista in the back and they agree to take care of each other. Unless HHH is out before Batista gets in that is. If that’s the case, Batista is coming for the title.

Eric Bischoff comes out and explains the Chamber.

Lilian Garcia explains the Chamber.

Raw World Title: Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton vs. HHH vs. Batista, Chris Benoit

Inside the Chamber, the title is vacant coming in, Batista is coming in last due to winning the Beat The Clock Challenge and Shawn Michaels is guest referee. It’s Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho to start things off. Feeling out process to start and they go to the mat with Jericho getting a headlock. Benoit comes back with the skin ripping chops in the corner but Jericho is right back with some of his own. The first German suplex rocks Jericho so he elbows his way out of the second.

That means he has to elbow out of a Crossface attempt instead and the bulldog gets two on Benoit. A top rope superplex puts Jericho down but Benoit can’t follow up as HHH is in third. HHH starts in with the knees, followed by a clothesline to take Jericho down. It’s time to go outside with the steel floor, but first Benoit needs to go into the Chamber wall. That’s good for some blood so HHH punches away at the cut. Another ram into the cage gets two but Jericho breaks up the Pedigree.

A backdrop sends HHH into the steel and you know JR can call that one with some relish. The bulldog gets two on HHH but Benoit is back up go hit a neckbreaker on Jericho. The fans count us down (in Spanish) until it’s Edge in fourth. That means a series of spears in the corner and the Edgecution for two on HHH. Jericho sends Edge over the top but gets catapulted into the wall. It works so well that HHH gets catapulted as well to put both of them down outside.

Edge’s top rope clothesline hits Benoit, who can’t get the Crossface. Jericho’s, who is busted as well, running enziguri drops Edge for two as the announcers mention Shawn, who has done absolutely nothing so far. HHH, also bleeding, comes in for the spinebuster and Pedigree to Jericho as everyone is down. As luck would have it, Orton is in fifth with a high crossbody on HHH. They head out with HHH going into the wall again, followed by an RKO to Jericho. Orton tries one on Benoit but gets pulled into the Crossface, with Benoit on one knee for some reason.

HHH talks trash while the hold is on so Benoit legs go of Orton and grabs the Sharpshooter. That earns him an RKO from Orton but instead of a cover, we get Edge spearing Shawn by mistake. There’s a spear to Orton but there’s no referee. Edge slaps Shawn so it’s Sweet Chin Music, setting up the Lionsault for the first elimination.

With HHH down, Benoit goes all the way up to the top of the pod for the Swan Dive. There’s still no cover though as Jericho slaps on the Walls with Benoit adding the Crossface on HHH at the same time. Somehow THAT isn’t enough to beat HHH as Batista comes in sixth to complete the field and make the save. The fans are very pleased as Batista wrecks people, leaving HHH (who is somehow alive) alone for the staredown.

The other three break that up so Batista clotheslines Orton and Benoit at the same time. That’s not fair to Jericho, who gets gorilla pressed onto a cameraman for the always fun visual. Benoit chop blocks Batista to save Orton from a choke and it’s time to stomp on Batista in the corner. The mostly dead cameraman is helped out of the Chamber and Jericho bulldogs HHH onto the steel. Batista goes in as well and everyone is down again. It’s Batista up first with a spinebuster on Benoit, followed by a spinebuster on Jericho onto Benoit to get rid of the latter and get us down to four.

A powerslam and Batista Bomb get rid of Jericho and it’s down to three. Everyone winds up outside of the ring with Orton being catapulted into the Chamber wall to make everyone bloody. Batista and HHH start double teaming Orton with Batista not looking all that pleased with the boss.

A powerslam gets two on Orton, followed by the hard clothesline for the same. HHH and Batista yell at Shawn, allowing Orton to come back with right hands and kicks to the ribs. A low blow drops Batista and the RKO gets rid of him with HHH letting the pin go down. The RKO hits HHH but Flair comes in, allowing Batista to blast Orton with the clothesline. HHH hits the Pedigree to get the title back.

Rating: B. It’s long, it’s rather good and while annoying, you knew where they were going with the finish. What matters most here though is Batista, who looks like he’s ready to be unleashed at any time. That’s exactly the point of this match and it worked very well in that regard. It felt like an epic fight to get to the win, though HHH winning again is a necessary evil to get through for the time being.

HHH has Batista put him on his shoulders and we get the thumbs up but no turn to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This is one of the weirder shows I can remember in a long time. The main event is very good and came close to saving the show, the rest of the night was a disaster. The Women’s Title match can be completely written off and the Tag Team Title match was watchable enough until the ending.

Then there’s the middle of the show, which saw everything fall apart. The Intercontinental Title match can really only be written off by an injury (I’d certainly hope so), Hassan’s match was horribly done and Kane vs. Snitsky just wasn’t very good. That leaves you with the main event, but still it’s not enough to make up for the hour and forty five minutes of awful before then. A lot of this wasn’t their fault, but the middle three matches were so bad that there isn’t much of a way around them. Rather bad show, though the main event is worth a glance if you haven’t seen it in awhile.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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IMG Credit: WWE

WCCW TV
Date: May 13, 1986
Location: Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas
Commentator: Bill Mercer

We’re back at the regular show this time and that means it’s time for more of the Von Erichs dominating the Texas world. I’m never quite sure what to expect from these shows other than a white hot crowd, though the wrestling is often a mixed bag. Hopefully going back in time a year should help the overall feel though, which really didn’t work last time. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Bill Mercer runs down the card.

Jerry Allen vs. Steve Simpson

Simpson, billed from Africa, looks like Matt Riddle crossed with Kerry Von Erich. In keeping with this series, we hear about the third annual Memorial Parade of Champions because I can’t avoid those shows. Allen works on the hammerlock to start but Simpson slips out of it to give us a standoff. Mercer completely ignores the match to talk about the Parade of Champions matches, including the Freebirds vs. the Von Erichs (including LANCE). They go the mat for some fast reversals until Allen makes the rope.

Back up and Simpson sends him flying with a hiptoss, followed by an atomic drop to put Allen outside. That doesn’t last long and it’s a delayed vertical suplex as Mercer’s Parade commercial continues. Allen grabs the abdominal stretch for some cranking, followed by a good clothesline. The chinlock goes on and triggers the comeback, including a high crossbody to finish Allen at 7:12.

Rating: D+. This solely existed for the purpose of letting Mercer talk about the Parade of Champions, which got really annoying in a hurry. The match wasn’t very good, though it worked well for an opener. Simpson had a good look and would be easy to cheer, which Allen seemed like a fine lower card heel.

Rick Rude vs. Brian Adias

Neither Rude’s World Title or Adias’ Texas Title are on the line and Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer) is in Rude’s corner. Feeling out process to start with Rude trying a slam but getting reversed into a quick O’Connor Roll for two. After some yelling from Pringle, Rude gets in a suplex to shake Adias up a bit. The fans get behind Brian though and Rude is shaken up again as the action slows down again.

Rude takes him down into an armbar, followed by the stomping to keep Adias down. Adias’ shoulder is sent into the bottom buckle and it’s off to the chinlock. Back up and Adias gets in an elbow for no count so Rude throws him outside. Adias gets back in and tries a flying headscissors but gets sent throat first onto the top rope. A hard clothesline finishes Adias at 6:59.

Rating: D. This wasn’t very good as Rude still looked pretty green and not worthy of being World Champion. That being said, he wasn’t exactly supposed to be World Champion as the company pulled out of the NWA and turned its top title into the World Title while Rude was holding it, so it’s not as illogical as it seems. Still though, this was pretty rough as there’s no story to the match with little more than one move happening after another.

We look at the history between Sunshine and Missy Hyatt, the two blondes who had some awesome catfights. It’s stuff like Missy cheating Sunshine’s wrestler out of a win so Sunshine sprays her (and her white dress) with ketchup. Missy of course came back by hitting her with a pie. This was never meant to be about wrestling and they made no secret about it, which made the feud that much better. Yeah it’s trash, but it’s fun trash.

Steve Regal vs. Kerry Von Erich

As I always have to say, no not that Regal. You can hear the girls freak out when Kerry’s jacket comes off and even the announcer has to acknowledge it. Regal drives him up against the ropes to start and gets sent outside for his efforts. Back in and Kerry forearms him into a headlock takeover as they’re not exactly going at full speed so far. Another shot to the face sends Regal bailing to the floor, followed by a hard whip into the corner back inside.

Kerry runs into a boot though and Regal hits a middle rope elbow to the head. The required chinlock goes on but Kerry easily fights out and grabs the stomach claw (exactly what it sounds like). Kerry even lifts him up and then takes him back down with the claw still on, which is actually enough for the pin at 5:32.

Rating: D+. Just a step above a squash here and that’s perfectly fine as Kerry was over like free beer in a frat house. Seeing the popularity that the Von Erichs had is really hard sometimes as they were the most insanely popular guys in the world and then the whole thing got screwed up. There was a world’s worth of potential there and it never came to full power because of a bunch of dumb decisions. It’s so sad and there’s a reason they’re one of the biggest cautionary tales in all of wrestling history.

Bruiser Brody/Missing Link vs. Terry Gordy/Great Kabuki

Hayes is in Kabuki/Gordy’s corner and Sunshine is in the other. I’m not sure if this is joined in progress or not but the brawl is on as soon as we come back with Bruiser and Gordy fighting to the back, leaving Link and Kabuki to fight in the ring. We do get an opening bell and the eternally serious Marc Lowrence gives us all the information, even as the brawling continues.

Link fights out of a nerve hold and stomps on Kabuki’s foot for the break. After another nerve hold is broken, Link headbutts him in the corner, which Mercer thinks he learned from a brontosaurus. We slow down a lot as Link yells at Hayes and knocks Kabuki out of the air. Kabuki rakes the eyes and we’re told that Gordy and Brody will NOT be returning to the ring. How nice of them to be on camera for thirty seconds like that. We hit the nerve hold again but Kabuki misses a charge into the corner. That’s enough for him as he brings in the nunchucks and knocks Link silly for the DQ at 6:42.

Rating: D+. This could have been a lot better, but given that it was pretty much just a singles match after a quick opening, there was only so much that could get out of this. Link was certainly unique though and that energy carried a lot of the match. Brody vs. Gordy would have helped a lot, but if you want to see that, go to the Parade of Champions.

Post match Kabuki chokes Link down some more so Sunshine throws in a chair.

A quick preview of next week ends the show.

Overall Rating: D. For a quick TV show, this wasn’t very good. As an ad for the Parade of Champions, it was rather annoying. It felt like almost everything was about the big show with the announcer ignoring large portions of the matches for the sake of talking about the show. That gets annoying in a hurry as they already have me watching this show. Stop trying to make me watch another one.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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: January 6, 2005
Location: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re in a new year and it’s time to start building towards the Royal Rumble, featuring another Undertaker vs. Heidenreich match. I’m not sure why anyone would be looking forward to that but hopefully it wraps up their feud once and for all. Other than that, John Cena is looking like the star of stars and I’m thinking that has some potential. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

Fallout from last week’s Tag Team Title match. Rey brings out the 619 Cam but Eddie steals it for some filming of guest timekeeper Joy Giovanni. We get started with Rey snapping off a headscissors but getting caught in a test of strength. That’s broken up with Rey climbing onto Eddie’s back for two off a sunset flip, meaning it’s an early standoff. Back up and it’s another headscissors to rattle Eddie some more.

Rey charges again but this time he gets faceplanted down, setting up an armbar on the right (not left Cole) arm. The hammerlock goes on for a good bit until Rey makes the rope, with Eddie not letting go immediately. Rey tries a moonsault but gets caught in the Tree of Woe for a dropkick to the ribs. Eddie misses a charge though and crotches himself against the post as we take a break.

Back with Rey holding something like an abdominal stretch on the mat before switching to an armbar. An exchange of sleepers goes to Rey, followed by a springboard armdrag. Rey gets two off a Lionsault and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up so Rey dropkicks him into the ropes, only to miss the 619. Eddie chills in the corner so Rey tries a Bronco Buster, which is blocked with a raised boot.

It was NOT a low blow though (Eddie promises) so Rey takes him up top but the hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb. A missed charge bumps the referee though and Eddie has an idea. It’s the old grab the title spot so he throws it to Rey….who throws it right back and drops down as the referee gets up.

Eddie crawls around on his stomach to hide the title and INSISTS that he did not use the belt. He tries to crawl over and throw it away but gets caught, giving us a hilarious look on his face. Rey cracks up and Eddie tries to convince the referee that it means Rey did it. That’s almost a double DQ but Eddie’s begging keeps the match going….and lets Rey small package him for the pin.

Rating: B-. Well of course these two had a fun match, but the ending was hysterical with Eddie going so over the top when he had no idea what to do in the situation. His NO and HE’S LAUGHING got some actual laughter and they did it for the right reason. How often do you get that in wrestling?

Post match Rey shakes an unenthusiastic Eddie’s hand.

Heidenreich thanks Paul Heyman for coming to help him with the casket stipulation. For some reason, Heyman is treated like a big reveal here and isn’t shown until a little bit into Heidenreich’s speech. Heyman promises to fix things.

Cruiserweight Title: Funaki vs. Akio

Funaki is defending and Carlito, with his petition, is on commentary. Hang on actually as Carlito gets a signature from the cameraman and some fans. Funaki starts fast with an armdrag to send Akio outside, followed by some rollups for two each. Carlito isn’t done though and even gets inside, asking the referee and wrestlers for signatures.

With Carlito sent outside (sans signatures), it’s time to get some security guards to sign. Akio’s enziguri gets two and it’s off to a quickly broken armbar. Funaki hits a bulldog for two as Carlito is asking more fans for signatures. Akio misses a corkscrew moonsault and gets DDTed off the middle rope for the pin.

Rating: D. What were you expecting here? This was all about Carlito’s deal and does very little to make me want to see the cruiserweights for the time being. You can’t put a squash match in there instead of a title match? Hopefully they don’t do any more of this stuff, or at least not in a match that should matter.

Post match Joy won’t sign so Carlito spits apple on her. I do not find this to be cool.

Heyman and Heidenreich try to talk Long out of the casket match at the Royal Rumble. Violence seems to be threatened so Long gives Heidenreich an offer: If he can beat Undertaker tonight, he gets to pick a new stipulation. Oh and we’ll make it a handicap match with Heyman involved. Heyman: “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND???”

Kurt Angle meets with Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak but Amy Weber comes in and wants to talk to him in private. She offers him her services, which Angle sees as her hedging her bets. Personal relations are implied and Angle seems rather happy.

Here’s Angle for the Kurt Angle Invitational and he’s feeling like he’s up for a gamble tonight. By that he means doing the same thing he’s done every week.

Kurt Angle vs. Brian Black

Black looks a bit like Chris Nowinski with shorter hair. Angle makes him tap in less than thirty seconds.

Torrie Wilson and Jackie Gayda meet Daniel Puder, who doesn’t seem entirely impressed. Puder brings up Jackie cheating on Charlie Haas and wishes her better luck with men in the future. They can leave now, with Puder saying they’re just after his money.

And now, a battle rap between John Cena and Kenzo Suzuki before their US Title match next week. Kenzo, now clean shaven, is dressed like Uncle Sam. It’s Kenzo going first and talking about how much he loves America with the usual lame jokes. Cena on the other hand goes with a bunch of gay jokes about him and sex jokes about Hiroko. Kenzo says something about Cena sucking so Cena brings out Rochelle, Michelle and Lauren.

They get Kenzo’s attention and he flirts with them a bit. Cena: “I swear, he’s got some game.” The women seem more disturbed than anything else so Hiroko jumps on Michelle’s back. That’s broken up and Cena cleans house. They’re just biding time until Cena goes after the World Title because everyone else feels beneath him.

Next week: the Tag Team Titles are on the line in a four way.

Rob Van Dam vs. Doug Basham

Danny Basham and Orlando Jordan are in Doug’s corner. Rob takes him to the mat without much effort as Mysterio has come out to even the score a bit. The threat of a kick to the face sends Doug outside, where he shoves Rey and gets punched down. That’s an ejection for Rey so Van Dam moonsaults down onto Doug for two back inside. They slug it out on the floor with Van Dam going back first into the apron so Doug can start in on the spine.

The bow and arrow hold doesn’t last long so Doug tries a Vader Bomb, which hits raised feet. Rob hits the middle rope boot to the face and Rolling Thunder keeps Doug in trouble. A distraction lets Orlando give Doug a foreign object but the referee catches him, allowing Danny to change places. Danny’s chokebomb is good for the pin.

Rating: D+. Nothing special to see here though it does give the Bashams a little momentum as we head into next week’s title match. The tag division isn’t exactly strong right now but Van Dam and Mysterio have felt like filler champions since they won the belts. That’s not a bad thing but I’m not sure who is going to work well as champions.

Angle lets himself into Amy’s dressing room but she’s in the shower. The suit comes off and, after Angle rubs his nipples, it’s Joy in the shower and a lot of screaming ensues. Angle pulls her towel off and smiles again as Joy runs off. Angle gets his pants on and chases after her, but finds Big Show holding her, meaning panic sets in as Angle tries to explain things. The chase is on and they wind up in the ring as the announcers try to figure out the locker room situation. Reigns and Jindrak try to help and get destroyed but Angle grabs a chair. This goes badly as well and Angle is dispatched.

Post break, here’s the same thing you just saw.

JBL, Amy and Jordan are very happy about what happened and of course Amy has put a sign up on Joy’s locker room to mess with Angle. Yeah it was telegraphed but it worked fine.

Raw Rebound.

Heidenreich punches a wall to warm up as Heyman tries to calm him down about the casket. He was totally going to volunteer to be on Heidenreich’s team if Long didn’t order him to do it.

Heidenreich/Paul Heyman vs. Undertaker

If Heidenreich/Heyman win, they can pick a different stipulation for the Rumble match. Heyman is in a suit here. Heidenreich starts for the team and shoulders Undertaker down, which is more success than you would usually expect against undertaker. An armdrag of all things takes Heidenreich down but he sends Undertaker into the corner and hammers away.

The chinlock doesn’t do anything so Heidenreich knocks him down for two more. Undertaker is right back with his usual series of strikes and the jumping clothesline puts Heidenreich back down. Snake Eyes into the big boot sends Heidenreich to the floor….and we’ve got druids.

They bring two caskets to the ring (Cole: “Perhaps one casket is for Heidenreich and the other is for Heyman!”) and Heidenreich panics. He tags Heyman and runs out into the crowd as Undertaker’s head snaps to Heyman. A lot of screaming is cut off by the Tombstone and Heyman is sent into the casket for the win. To be fair the casket is outside so I guess it would be a countout. Then again there’s no bell so I guess it’s just assumed.

Rating: D. This was exactly what it should have been as Undertaker vs. Heidenreich in a long match is nothing I ever need to see again. Since WWE seems to think they MUST finish this feud though, keeping it short is the best idea possible. Now just let Undertaker crush him at the Rumble (in another short match) and be done with it.

Overall Rating: D+. The opener carries a lot of the show and the Angle/Joy thing was fine, though the Undertaker vs. Heidenreich stuff just isn’t working. They need to get to the Royal Rumble build already so Cena can become the main event star he’s destined to be. You can feel the energy when he’s on screen and there’s no one even close to that right now.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Super ShowDown 2019
Date: June 7, 2019
Location: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

Yeah we’re back over here and no that’s not the most interesting thing in the world. It’s the third of what is likely to be twenty (geez) shows in the country that shall not be named and it feels even more like a show where they’re doing it because they have to. The Goldberg vs. Undertaker match feels like a big deal though and will likely headline the show. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Usos vs. Revival

Cole: “We are live here in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia!” Well at least they said it. Oh and it’s 94 degrees and feels 102 (34 to 39 for you Celsius fans) in the stadium. As a bonus, they have about ten minutes before the show so this is going to be short. Dawson gets backdropped to start and Wilder gets dropped over the top onto him for a bonus. The Usos hit some chops on the floor but Jimmy is taken down inside, setting up a running elbow to the back of the head.

The fans get behind the Usos, even as Jimmy gets caught in the chinlock. That’s broken up in short order and the hot tag brings in Jey for the house cleaning. The running Umaga attack in the corner rocks Dawson and a high crossbody gets two. Hang on though as Wilder distracts the referee, meaning Jey’s small package gets no count. Dawson hits a spinebuster for two but it’s time for the superkicks a go-go. Double superkicks finish Wilder at 7:11.

Rating: C-. Well it was nice while it lasted, but I guess it was more important to give the fans watching at home more hype videos for HHH vs. Randy Orton and Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon than let us have a longer match here. That isn’t sarcasm as those matches are more important, but this would have felt weak as a Raw match.

The opening video talks about what a grand international stage this is before going into a pretty standard recap of the top matches.

The pyro is back.

Raw World Title: Baron Corbin vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is defending and is very banged up after Brock Lesnar destroyed him on Raw. Speaking of Lesnar, he has promised to cash in, though he hasn’t said on whom. The fans are behind Rollins (with his VERY taped up ribs) so Corbin gets smart with a knee to the gut. Rollins is fine enough to kick him in the head, only to have a springboard broken up with a ribs first drop onto the top rope.

Corbin drops the ropes onto the top again for two and the kickouts earn the referee a stern lecture. We hit the waistlock (I can’t handle Corbin not using a chinlock), followed by a belly to back suplex for two. Rollins manages an enziguri for the double knockdown and it’s a Sling Blade to send Corbin outside. That means back to back suicide dives, followed by a sunset flip for two back inside.

Corbin bails to the floor again but this time the suicide dive is blocked with an uppercut. The near fall off Deep Six makes the frustration even worse so Corbin grabs a chair. Common sense sets in and Corbin drops it to the floor but he yells at the referee again. This time though the referee yells back and the stunned Corbin gets rolled up to retain Rollins’ title at 11:12.

Rating: C-. This felt like a pretty lame Raw main event with the banged up Rollins not being able to do much with Corbin. They followed the blueprint pretty much to the letter but that doesn’t mean it’s something that worked. At least Corbin didn’t win here, but you can practically guarantee that we’ll be seeing this again later this month. The ending was clever though.

Post match Corbin hits the End of Days on Rollins. Cue Lesnar and Paul Heyman with the briefcase but Heyman drops the briefcase on the way in, allowing Rollins to get in a low blow and some chair shots. Lesnar tries to use the briefcase to cover up but Rollins Stomps him onto the case (that looked good) to knock Brock cold. No cash in.

Post commercials, Lesnar is still leaving the ring, earning the Goodbye Song from some of the fans.

Intercontinental Title: Andrade vs. Finn Balor

Balor is defending and of course there’s no Zelina Vega. Balor is the Demon here, with a bunch of people in black surrounding him during his entrance. Andrade starts fast and tries a quick hammerlock DDT but Balor shoves him off. A missile dropkick gives Andrade two and we hit the Three Amigos. Andrade’s reverse tornado DDT gets two more and it’s off to the chinlock. Balor fights back and sends him outside for the big flip dive and it’s 1916 for two back inside.

Back in and Andrade kicks him in the face, which just makes Balor yell a lot. Andrade’s cartwheel kick to the head puts Balor in the corner so the running knees can get two. The double moonsault hits knees (that’s still one of the most contrived moves in WWE) and Balor nails the top rope double stomp to the back for two of his own.

Andrade kicks him in the face and the hammerlock DDT gets two (Andrade: “That’s my finish!”). Balor is right back with a powerbomb and the shotgun dropkick but Andrade breaks up the Coup de Grace. They both wind up on top and Balor hits a DDT to bring Andrade right back down. Now the Coup de Grace can retain the title at 11:28.

Rating: C+. Pretty nice match here, which is about all you can ask for in a spot like this. Above all else though, WWE’s ability to screw up something like the Demon astounds me. They make it sound like it’s two completely different people and call him the Demon over and over again. As usual, it’s a case of WWE acting like the fans need everything simplified for them and it’s getting annoying.

Miz says he’ll win the battle royal.

Jinder Mahal says he’ll win the battle royal and then get the 24/7 Title back.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon. Reigns debuted on the Superstar Shakeup edition of Smackdown and punched Vince McMahon. Shane vowed revenge because you don’t attack people’s fathers (add irony to the list of things they’re bad at these days) and has sent various lackeys after Reigns. Since it’s Shane though, he’s both the final boss and the one that should be easily destroyed at the same time.

Shane McMahon vs. Roman Reigns

Drew McIntyre is here with Shane and his early distraction lets Shane get in some cheap shots in the corner. Reigns misses a charge into the post and Shane sends him in again for a bonus. Some choking has Cole freaking out over everything Shane is allowed to get away with, just like he did last month in a cage. Thankfully Graves is right there to ask how you can get away with stuff in a cage match, with Cole backpedaling in a hurry.

Shane’s back elbow to the face gets two and we hit the chinlock. Reigns fights up but the Superman Punch is countered with a chop block. The triangle goes on until Reigns turns over and powerbombs his way to freedom for two. Reigns sends Shane to the floor and goes to get him, but has to Superman Punch McIntyre first.

Back in and Shane gets two off a spear but the Coast to Coast is broken up with a Superman Punch. I won’t even bother telling you that Shane kicked out, because of course he did. The spear is blocked by a kick to the face and the referee gets bumped. McIntyre hits the Claymore and Shane gets the pin at 9:25.

Rating: D. I burst out laughing and how can you not? It’s clear that they’re just trolling us at this point and flipping off the fans who are complaining about Shane. The thing to remember here is that Shane dominated the match, kicked out of the Superman Punch and blocked the spear. Shane wasn’t dead at the end and got dragged on top for the pin. This was another case of Shane being presented as the greatest thing in WWE and the fans can just deal with it. In his last major singles matches, he’s beaten Reigns, Miz twice and Dolph Ziggler, earning a trophy and the Tag Team Titles in between. How is he not next for Kofi?

Reigns looks….mildly annoyed.

Kofi Kingston talks about all the great things he’s gotten to do as champion. Tonight, he’s giving Dolph Ziggler a new memory: the time where Kingston beats him again. Xavier Woods is here too and still seems a bit forgotten, which seems to be some seeds being planted for he and Big E. turning on Kofi.

Lars Sullivan vs. Lucha House Party

This is Sullivan’s in-ring debut and it’s a handicap match. Kalisto starts for the team and gets swatted away without too much effort. It’s off to Dorado, who has to slip out of an over the shoulder backbreaker, earning himself a clothesline to the floor. Sullivan is bleeding from the mouth as Metalik comes in and hits some kicks but Kalisto gets knocked out of the air again.

A shot to the face knocks Sullivan out to the floor though and it’s time to maul Kalisto. Graves says the fans are in awe of him but they seem to be more in awe of the lines for the restrooms. Sullivan gets knocked off the top….and Kalisto and Dorado beat on him….for a DQ at 5:44.

Rating: F. This is more amazing than Shane beating Reigns. Why in the world was this not LARS SMASH??? I’m going to hope that this is some form of punishment for Sullivan and assume that they’re not THIS stupid, though it wouldn’t shock me if that was the case. It’s another case where I have to laugh, though at least Sullivan didn’t get pinned. Would it really have shocked you if he had?

Post match the Luchas beat him up even more until Sullivan fights up and cleans house to leave them laying.

We recap HHH vs. Randy Orton. They’ve been fighting on and off for about fifteen years and now they’re doing it again because Saudi Arabia.

Randy Orton vs. HHH

HHH gets the motorcycle entrance that we were all waiting to see again. The fans go from an NXT chant to a THIS IS AWESOME chant before they even lock up. Feeling out process to start with HHH taking him into the corner but getting taken down with a headlock takeover. The fight over a top wristlock gives us another standoff as we’re firmly in HHH’s long match formula here. A missed charge sends Orton shoulder first into the post, followed by some rams into various other metal objects.

Orton drops him onto the announcers’ table and sends HHH into the steps. Back in and some stomping sets up the chinlock, with Orton pulling him by the beard to stop a comeback bid. HHH fights up again and hits the jumping knee to the face. Neither finisher can hit and HHH blocks the hanging DDT, only to eat a dropkick to put him on the apron. The superplex is blocked and HHH clotheslines him in the back of the head for a double knockdown.

Orton’s powerslam gets two and there’s the hanging DDT, but the RKO is countered into the spinebuster. HHH covers three times in a row before going to a Crossface of all things. That’s broken up with a rope break and even that takes forever with no energy to it. The Pedigree attempt is countered into a backdrop and the RKO gets two.

Orton loads up the Punt, which Cole says is how he became known as the Legend Killer (no). That’s countered into the Pedigree for two more so Orton rolls to the floor. Orton gets dropped onto the announcers’ table to even the score and HHH does it again to go one up. Make it FOUR in a row and that table still won’t break. Back in and Orton hits the RKO for the pin at 25:39 (it’s as sudden as it sounds).

Rating: D. As usual with a big HHH match, it would have been good if you cut out ten minutes of laying around and stopped watching it in slow motion. It’s not like the match means anything in the long run so Orton winning is the right move, but I need a serious shot of caffeine after this marathon.

We look back at the 24/7 Title changes at the airport and in the air.

Baron Corbin rants about the referee costing him the title. Heads will roll.

Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman

Lashley poses on a platform during his entrance so Strowman throws it off the stage. Lashley’s shoulder has no effect as Strowman just stares at him. The test of strength goes to Lashley off some knees to the ribs, followed by a leapfrog of all things. Strowman runs him over this time but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Lashley to hit a running powerslam for two.

Lashley grabs a chinlock for a bit until Strowman powers him up and sends things outside. That means the running shoulders around the ring and the powerslam (minus the running) for two back inside. It’s back to the floor with Lashley driving him into the barricade and hitting a suplex on the ramp. Back in and Strowman slams him off the top, followed by a pair of powerslams for the win at 8:23.

Rating: D+. It was a decent hoss fight and not much more than that but were you expecting anything else? This is one of those matches that anyone can understand, even if they’re not a wrestling fan. There was a firm ceiling of what they were going to be able to do and they hit it pretty squarely.

Ali says he’s going to win the battle royal so he can inspire people.

Samoa Joe says he’s going to win the battle royal.

We recap Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler, which is the latest instance of Ziggler saying that this time will be different and he’ll be awesome and all that stuff. It’s coming off like a filler feud and that has to be the case every now and then, but Ziggler still isn’t interesting no matter how many times they trot him out there.

Smackdown World Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler

Kingston is defending and has Woods in his corner. Ziggler has an American flag on his tights to make sure he’s a heel around here. Kofi misses an early Stinger Splash attempt and gets dropkicked for two. Some raking of the eyes makes Kofi yell a lot and Ziggler’s yelling gets two. Kofi fights out of a chinlock and whips Ziggler hard into the corner, meaning it’s time for some tromboning. The comeback is on, including the Boom Drop for no cover.

Ziggler goes to the ropes to avoid Trouble in Paradise and heads up top, only to get tossed off. A high crossbody is rolled through to give Ziggler two and it’s off to a pinfall reversal sequence. The SOS gets two and Kofi sends him outside for the big dive (with trombone) off the top. Ziggler sends Kofi into the steps and superkicks Woods before heading back inside. Trouble in Paradise misses but woods kicks Ziggler, setting up Trouble in Paradise to retain the title at 10:09.

Rating: C. Yeah this was every Ziggler match for the last few years and that’s all you could have expected. It was fine and short with the heat likely getting to them. Kofi retaining makes sense as the idea of Ziggler being champion might be too much even for WWE these days. Assuming no cash in, Kofi vs. Shane sounds like Summerslam to me.

In the back, Ziggler rants about how Kofi is a fraud because he had his friend helping him. He wants a rematch with no one interfering, perhaps in a steel cage. WE JUST DID THAT LAST MONTH!

We look back at the opening match with Corbin yelling at the referee and getting pinned, plus the resulting failed cash-in attempt.

Video on the fans being happy that WWE is here.

Battle Royal

Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, The Miz, Otis, Tucker, Tony Nese, Mansoor, Mojo Rawley, Matt Hardy, Jinder Mahal, No Way Jose, Sunil Singh, Sumir Singh, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Elias, Samoa Joe, Buddy Murphy, Shinsuke Nakamura, Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, Ali, Samoa Joe, Oney Lorcan, Cedric Alexander, Humberto Carrillo, Ivar, Erik, Akira Tozawa, Ricochet, Mike Kanellis, Heath Slater, EC3, Akam, Rezar, Xavier Woods, Robert Roode, Shelton Benjamin, Rowan, Brian Kendrick, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder, Cesaro, Titus O’Neil, Eric Young, Drew Gulak, Sin Cara, Chad Gable

I think that’s everyone. Titus gets one of the special entrances and runs down but makes sure to stop for a funny bit. Elias plays himself to the ring and sings about how many losers there are in the match. Miz jumps out of the ring and attacks Elias as EC3 and the Singh Brothers are tossed early on. Anderson is out too, along with Eric Young and Carrillo. There go Gallows and Slater as they’re clearing the ring out early on.

Axel is out, followed by Lorcan, Dallas and Tozawa. Jose, Kendrick, Gulak and Nese are tossed as you can see the mat for the first time. We settle down to a three way staredown between Heavy Machinery, AOP and the Viking Raiders for a cool visual. The Vikings get rid of the AOP and Tucker as we see Titus hiding underneath the ring. He comes back in and starts cleaning house, including eliminating the Vikings by himself. Shelton knees Titus out and Xavier superkicks Murphy to the floor.

Matt gets rid of Shelton and Joe dumps both Hawkins and Ryder. Gable and Crews are out, followed by Ricochet getting rid of Jinder. Things settle down a lot with almost everyone being down at once. Otis runs over Nakamura and Rusev, setting up the Caterpillar to little reaction. Rowan dumps Otis and Woods but gets superkicked out by the Usos. The Revival gets rid of the Usos and Hardy does the same thing to the two of them.

Cesaro eliminates Matt and Swings Alexander, setting up a catapult for the elimination. Sin Cara hits La Mistica on Cesaro but takes Kinshasa from Nakamura. Cara is right back up though and kicks Nakamura out (seriously) but Rusev dumps him as well. Miz gets rid of Roode and hits the YES Kicks on Cesaro and Elias. Cesaro ducks one though and sends Miz to the apron so Elias can knee Miz out.

We’re down to Joe, Ali, Ricochet, Mansoor, Elias and Cesaro. Ricochet and Ali start double teaming Cesaro but Joe runs them both over. The two of them get together and eliminate Joe but Cesaro eliminates both of them. Mansoor gets rid of Cesaro and we’re down to Mansoor (the home country favorite) and Elias. Mansoor hits a superkick and backdrops Elias out for the win at 17:50.

Rating: D. Yeah fine. It’s been proven that these wins mean nothing so Mansoor winning is an acceptable choice. I’ll take it over some lunkhead winning it and going nowhere as a result. Let the fans have something special to cheer for so they can actually have some energy for a change.

Post match Mansoor looks straight ahead in shock before talking about what this means to him. A year ago he was here as a prospect and now he’s won the biggest match of his career. Nice moment actually.

We run down the Stomping Grounds card, with rematches of both World Title matches confirmed.

We recap the main event in a pretty cool video package with clips of Undertaker and Goldberg from over the years. It’s a great way of showcasing how these are two monsters and that’s exactly what they’re setting up here. This has been the best built thing on the show so hopefully it’s able to come close to the hype.

Goldberg vs. Undertaker

Another spear drops Undertaker for two and it’s time for the situp. Goldberg isn’t sure what to think of that one but he’s fine enough to escape the chokeslam. The kneebar goes on until a rope is grabbed and Goldberg misses a charge into the corner, busting himself open BAD. Half of Goldberg’s head is covered in blood in a few seconds and there’s Old School. The chokeslam plants Goldberg again and it’s a Tombstone for two (and not even two and a half).

Goldberg is up first for the double clothesline and they’re both down. Snake Eyes connects but the big boot is cut off with a spear. They botch the Jackhammer with Undertaker getting dropped on his head like a brainbuster for two. Goldberg tries a Tombstone but falls down, setting up a horrible chokeslam to give Undertaker the pin at 8:28.

Rating: D-. I wanted to say it wasn’t that bad but egads some of those botches were terrible. They sucked the life out of what they had here, though the early part of the match more than felt special. That being said, it was hot, Goldberg was bloody, and it was his first match in over two years. Goldberg looked really, really off after getting cut open too and factoring in the heat, this was a lot more understandable. It was very bad at the end, but it could have been WAY worse (like if it had gone 25 minutes or some nonsense like that).

Undertaker does not look happy to end the show.

Overall Rating: D-. This could have been way, WAY worse and it’s miles ahead of the disaster that was Crown Jewel. There were some watchable matches earlier and, aside from the usual head scratch inducing booking choices in the middle, the last third mostly made sense. Now that being said, HHH vs. Orton is the latest edition of the cure for the common insomnia and Goldberg vs. Undertaker went sailing off a cliff after five minutes.

The problem here continues to be how unimportant these shows feel, and that’s before you even get to stuff like Sullivan winning by DQ, Shane beating Reigns, HHH’s marathon and hearing that both World Title matches are happening again in two weeks. This show is over and done with now so we can move on and forget it. It’s the middle of the three shows, but my goodness it was rough at times.

Results

Seth Rollins b. Baron Corbin – Rollup

Finn Balor b. Andrade – Coup de Grace

Shane McMahon b. Roman Reigns – Claymore from Drew McIntyre

Lars Sullivan b. Lucha House Party via DQ when Kalisto and Lince Dorado double teamed Sullivan

Randy Orton b. HHH – RKO

Braun Strowman b. Bobby Lashley – Powerslam

Kofi Kingston b. Dolph Ziggler – Trouble in Paradise

Mansoor won a battle royal last eliminating Elias

Undertaker b. Goldberg – Chokeslam

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

WCCW TV
Date: May 16, 1987
Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Attendance: 5,900
Commentator: Bill Mercer

So about a year ago, someone asked me to look at some WCCW shows. I decided to look at ten random episodes and somehow, two of the first three have been from the Parade of Champions. This is the 1987 edition, which didn’t quite have the same impact as the famous one in 1984. Mike Von Erich had recently passed away but the lack of 40,000 fans would suggest that fans weren’t quite as interested. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Steve Doll vs. Tim Brooks

Brooks is a rather scary looking man and Doll is probably best known for being in the ring when Scott Hall jumped the barricade on Nitro. Brooks jumps him at the bell (how villainous) and then lets him get back to his feet. How….nice I guess? Or stupid might make more sense. The amount of empty seats in the stadium is just embarrassing and there’s no way to hide it.

Brooks tries a sunset flip but Doll lands on him so Brooks works a waistlock in a smart move. It’s off to a test of strength as you can see several sections with literally no one in them. Doll goes to an armbar as they’re certainly in first gear so far. A headlock takeover has Brooks down again but he finally breaks it up with a knee crusher. Brooks stays on the leg by twisting the knee around and we get a rather extreme closeup.

With the knee getting a little boring, it’s off to a bearhug to change things up a bit. Doll slips out in a hurry and sends him into the corner (and nearly into the camera) but Brooks goes for the throat. An armbar puts Brooks down as the targets keep moving. Some shots to the back get Brooks out of trouble so Doll small packages him right back into it. Doll gets in a powerslam but oh yeah his knee is hurting so he collapses. A small package gives Doll the pin at 7:36.

Rating: D. This was a mixture of all over the place as well as messy, which made for a rather bad match. It’s like they could decide which body part to work on and the ending came out of nowhere. Both guys are capable of doing better than this so in theory this was just a bad night for both of them.

Al Madril vs. Mil Mascaras

Let the no selling begin. Mascaras wastes no time in taking him down for a double arm pull, which seems to hurt Madril a bit. The arm pulling continues until Madril makes the rope, allowing him to offer a handshake. Mascaras slaps the hand, which I guess is good enough. An anklescissors takes Madril down again and is keeps him on the mat in a hold you don’t see very often.

Madril’s hammerlock works as well as you would expect it to as Mascaras gets in some right hands to drop him again. There’s an abdominal stretch (and YES Mascaras hooks the toe) with Mascaras even pulling him down into a cradle for two. Madril finally gets in some shots of his own, including one to the throat to put Mascaras outside for a minute. That’s enough selling for Mascaras though as he’s right back with a flying shoulder, followed by the high crossbody for the pin at 7:04 (I have no idea how they got 10:27 for the official time).

Rating: D+. Mascaras is always an interesting one to watch as he’s a genuine legend but his reputation for not being interested in selling anything for anyone brings him down a bit. Still though, this was designed to be a Mascaras showcase and giving him a win here is hardly the worst idea in the world.

Red River Jack/Spike Huber vs. Abdullah the Butcher/Eli the Eliminator

Jack is pretty clearly Bruiser Brody under a mask. If his team loses, he has to unmask but if he and Spike win, he gets five minutes alone with Butcher/Eli’s (Eli was a territory guy who never got very big) manager Gary Hart. Huber is a smaller guy in good shape and seems to be part of a construction union. Eliminator drops Spike with a clothesline and drops a big leg to start but misses a second attempt. Jack comes in for some kicks to the head and everything breaks down early on.

Butcher chairs Jack in the back but he’s right back in to go after Butcher and Eliminator at the same time. A distraction lets Butcher’s other manager Jim Holliday post Huber as Butcher stabs Jack in the mask. That actually draws blood, which you don’t see through a mask very often. We settle down (kind of) to the villains taking turns on Jack until he kicks Eliminator in the face, setting up the hot tag to Huber. A slam and two legdrops get two on Eliminator as everything breaks down again. We lose commentary as Holliday comes in to save Huber, who reverses a Tombstone and pin Eliminator at 6:27.

Rating: C. This was a lot more sloppy than the previous two matches but also WAY more entertaining with the fans being into Jack and wanting to see Hart get what was coming to him. Huber felt pretty out of place here but he did his job well and was working hard so it’s hard to complain much about a short match like this.

Post match Hart and company unload on Jack and bust him open even further.

Red River Jack vs. Gary Hart

Hart goes after the banged up Jack but since it’s a wrestler vs. a manager and WCCW knows how to do this stuff, Jack fights back with ease and manages to take Hart’s shirt off. They fight to the floor and brawl up the aisle with Jack getting in a chair shot before heading back inside to win via countout (though there was no bell) at about 1:50.

We see some clips of Bruiser Brody defeating Jeep Swenson from last week (or later in the Parade of Champions).

WCWA World Title: Kevin Von Erich vs. Nord The Barbarian

Kevin is defending and Nord is better known as the Berzerker. Oh and David is wearing his brother Mike’s ring jacket with yellow roses for David in case you REALLY don’t know what to expect here. Nord goes straight at him and hits a flying shoulder to put the champ in early trouble.

A sleeper is broken up so it’s a powerslam for two on Kevin instead. Nord goes up top but misses a guillotine legdrop, allowing Kevin to hit his own slow motion powerslam. There’s a missile dropkick but Kevin’s splash hits a raised boot. A legdrop over the back sets up an over the shoulder backbreaker but Kevin gets smart and grabs the Claw. That’s enough to make them fall over the top and it’s a double countout at 5:33.

Rating: D+. What they had here wasn’t too bad but what in the world was that ending? They really couldn’t do anything other than a double countout in the main event of one of their biggest shows of the year for the World Title? After the previous match they aired had a countout as well? I don’t get the booking here, but then again this isn’t exactly the height of their creative powers.

Overall Rating: D. Egads this wasn’t much to see and it’s easy to see why the promotion is starting to fall apart. What was the appeal here? A tag match about unmasking someone who would be working later on in the show? This was a rather boring show and the best thing about it was the fact that I only had to watch part of the event. Rather bad night here and the empty seats told you almost everything you needed to know.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

Yeah we have to go back to Saudi Arabia because WWE needs money to keep paying for all these people that they never actually use on TV. The card feels a little tied together and that’s not the best thing in the world. Some of the matches could be entertaining but the previous two shows have been horrendous at best and a disaster at worst. Maybe they can break the trend here but I’m not exactly optimistic. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Revival vs. Usos

You know, because this has no place on the main card. This story had cooled off a bit but suddenly the Revival are Shane McMahon’s lackeys, because that’s….actually I shouldn’t be complaining about that because it’s a major upgrade over the stuff they had been doing with the Usos. They also beat the Usos a few weeks back on Monday Night Raw, but I doubt WWE remembers or cares about something like that.

I’ll take the Usos to win here, likely setting up a rubber match at Stomping Grounds. These guys can put on a clinic if they’re given the time and I’ll certainly take this over some of the other stuff we’re likely to get. I could go for either of them winning, but it makes more sense for the Usos to go over here. That’s fine, as long as we stay from the utter nonsense that they did a few weeks back.

Lars Sullivan vs. Lucha House Party

On paper, this should be the easiest pick of the year but there is one problem. Would you put it past WWE to punish Sullivan by having him lose to three luchadors? I mean, it would be the dumbest thing they could do and it wouldn’t shock me to see it happen. Sullivan is one of the best prospects for a monster they’ve had in a little while and that’s not the kind of thing they need to waste in a match like this.

I’ll hope that sanity prevails here and that we get the Sullivan win that makes all the sense in the world. Sullivan should crush these three with no problem whatsoever but that isn’t always the way WWE likes to play these things. Hopefully Sullivan goes over and gets to move on to something more substantial (like picking a fight with Aleister Black) but for now, I’m just hoping WWE doesn’t get any “brilliant” ideas.

Intercontinental Title: Finn Balor(c) vs. Andrade

Yeah this is a thing in case you had forgotten about it. Andrade beat Balor back around the time of the Superstar Shakeup but thanks to Money in the Bank, we’re just now getting to the big title match. Neither has done anything significant in months so let’s have a title match. I’m not thrilled with this one but it’s a match with some potential.

I’ll take Andrade to win here, as Balor is the kind of guy who can be moved around the card without losing much steam. It’s not a good idea to have either of them lose and the title is the kiss of death at the moment, but it wouldn’t shock me to see a title change. That being said, these shows have a tendency to not do a lot of title changes in the first place, so maybe I’m overthinking things here. It’s not like either of them are going to benefit from having the title either, but I’ll go with Andrade for the sake of some history.

Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman

This sounds good on paper but I’m not sure what kind of chemistry they’ll have together. It’s a power match and Strowman will be able to throw Lashley around like no one ever has, though I’m not sure how dominant Lashley is going to be able to look in return. At least there’s a simple idea here and it’s an actual wrestling match instead of the arm wrestling mess we had on Monday.

There’s no reason to have Lashley win here so I’ll take Strowman to go over and continue his dominance in the country. Given how behind the times Saudi Arabia tends to be, it makes sense to have Strowman get some momentum there since he’s a few months (if not years) removed from being an interesting character and anyone worth pushing.

Triple H vs. Randy Orton

Yeah this is a thing that’s being done because the shows need to have something “special”. In this case it’s a feud that was completely played out ten years ago and that no one has thought of since then. I’m not thrilled with seeing this and based on their segment on Monday, neither are Triple H and Orton.

I’ll go with Triple H to win here in what I’d assume is a feel good moment, though seeing the RKO finish him off wouldn’t be the biggest shock. The problem here is there is no reason to care about either guy winning the match because Triple H isn’t a wrestler anymore and Orton has absolutely nothing going on at the moment. It’s a match that doesn’t matter to either guy so I’ll take Triple H to give himself a win.

Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon

How are we here? I don’t even mean how are we having this match, but more importantly how are we in a place where McMahon winning is not out of the question? I know it isn’t likely to happen, but would McMahon pulling this off really shock you? Reigns winning is what makes the most sense here and yet I can’t get the slightest bit of confidence rolling for the idea.

For the sake of my own sanity, I’ll pick Reigns to win here but you know the feud isn’t going to end anytime soon. For some reason WWE has turned McMahon into the greatest thing since Sliced Bread #1 and it started last November in Saudi Arabia. Hopefully it ends here as well, but do you really think we’re getting away that easily? Reigns wins, and I say that with roughly 51% confidence.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. Baron Corbin

And I thought my nightmares were over with the last match. This is another match that only WWE seems to think is interesting and odds are it’s going to get at least twenty minutes because Corbin needs twenty minutes. Rollins is coming in banged up thanks to Brock Lesnar, who is going to be lurking around with the Money In The Bank briefcase. Lesnar promised to cash in the briefcase here too so you know what that means.

I’ll take Rollins to overcome the odds and retain, likely setting up a rematch at Stomping Grounds with Corbin because WWE doesn’t know how rematches work these days either. Then again the fact that Corbin is already in the match should tell you everything you need to know about their intelligence in the first place. Rollins could use another big win and if you add up the three he’ll probably have to get over Corbin, he’s at least up to a medium.

SmackDown World Title: Kofi Kingston(c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

I’m getting such a headache with a ll these names that are in such big matches. Of all the people that WWE has available for this show, they decide to bring Ziggler out of mothballs for his latest “I’m totally different this time and I’ll win the big one for real!” story? You have the whole Wild Card thing at your disposal and you couldn’t find ANYONE better for this? Like, Andrade or Drew McIntyre or Rusev or Shinsuke Nakamura or the paper plate that Bo Dallas used at catering?

Not that it matters though as I fully expect Lesnar to cash in the briefcase here and become SmackDown World Champion. WWE is going to try as much as they can to boost the SmackDown Live ratings and since the problem can’t be everything else going on with that show, the blame must call directly on Kingston and Kingston alone. That being said, the title reign has already been longer than I would have bet on, but does it have to be Lesnar that takes it? I mean, odds are Reigns takes it back on the first FOX show, but egads I hope they can come up with something more original.

Fifty Man Battle Royal

Who is even in this thing? I know they’ve announced a few names but the biggest name is Miz, and that’s not exactly the top level star that you would pick as a winner. Battle royals can be all over the place as you never know what you might get in something like this. It might be a match where they get rid of everyone in a hurry, but at the same time there is a possibility that this is going to be crazy long with a bunch of waiting around until we get to the big names.

Since I don’t know who is in the thing, I’ll take…..let’s go with Big Show to win. I mean, it’s not like the match means anything at all anyway (as proven by the Greatest Royal Rumble) so go with someone who hasn’t meant anything in WWE in a long time. Hopefully this isn’t some 45 minute epic struggle because that’s about as far from what this show is going to need as you can get. Or it could be McMahon, because why not.

Goldberg vs. Undertaker

Yeah they’re old, yeah this would have been better twenty years ago and yeah it’s going to need to be about five minutes long, but sweet goodness that showdown they had at the end of SmackDown Live was great. This feels epic because it’s an actual dream match that could be really entertaining. What might not be so entertaining is seeing Undertaker’s bones come flying out of his body when Goldberg hits a spear. Then again with the money they’re getting for these things, I’m sure they can afford the medical bills.

I guess I’ll go with Undertaker here, but I can’t imagine either of them actually losing. Undertaker is far more likely to wrestle for the company again though and it would make more sense to have him get the win. Also can you imagine WWE letting a WCW wrestler get that big of a win over someone as important as Undertaker? The match is going to feel a lot better than it is, but I’ll take what little good I can get.

Overall Thoughts

I don’t want to watch this show and I don’t know many people who do. These shows are long, usually terrible and I just feel wrong for watching them. There is a good chance that it’s one of the worst shows of the year and very little on the show gets my attention. Hopefully they exceed my nonexistent expectations, but it’s not like they have any kind of a positive track record.

Oh and I don’t think they’ll have the teased women’s match. I’ll be stunned if they do and there’s a tiny chance they could, I just can’t picture them actually letting it happen.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: June 5, 2019
Location: The Odeum, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Things have been going fairly well for the company as of late and that’s rather nice for a change. The problem is I’m not sure how long that can last, as there are a lot of problems that need to be fixed around here. Hopefully things stay as good as they have been in recent weeks, though this company doesn’t have the best track record. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Allure to talk about how they’ve brought credibility to the Women of Honor. They started a revolution a long time ago and it’s time to believe in then. We hear their resumes and they know how to make an impact. That’s why they debuted at the biggest show of the year in Madison Square Garden. And for all the Twitter trolls hiding in their mom’s basement, Mandy Leon is the foundation of the Women of Honor division.

Cue Jenny Rose and Kelly Klein for the brawl with Velvet Sky bailing to the floor. A hairspray blast blinds Jenny and the Allure gets out. Klein wants to know what the three of them have done lately and the challenge is laid out for anytime and anywhere. This still feels so out of place around here.

Bouncers vs. Kingdom vs. Coast to Coast vs. Young Lions

One fall to a finish. LSG shoves Milonas in the face for some reason and is shoved down with ease. Marseglia comes in instead but the chops don’t do much on the big man. The huge crossbody drops Marseglia so it’s off to Bruiser for some snap jabs. Marseglia gets smart and kicks at the knee before going after Bruiser’s teeth….which don’t exist.

Alex Coughlin takes himself in and gets Clark Conners to help with a double hiptoss on O’Ryan. The Lions start cleaning house and it’s a Cannonball from Bruiser to take out Coast to Coast. Back from a break with Conners taking a double flapjack from the Kingdom and a legdrop/backsplash combination getting two. We settle back down to Ali hitting a slingshot hilo for two on Conners, followed by a double slam for two more.

Conners finally slips out of a suplex attempt and the hot tag brings in Coughlin to clean house. A missed charge in the corner allows Bruiser to tag himself in though and everything breaks down again. Marseglia comes back in to start kicking people in the face but gets sent into a sitout Boss Man Slam.

Coast to Coast hits a Stroke/Downward Spiral combination on Bruiser but the Lions and Kingdom are back in. House of 1000 Horses drops Conners though and Ali gets two, with Bruiser shoving LSG onto the cover for the break. Coughlin tries to clean house but gets crushed in the corner, setting up Closing Time to give Milonas the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C. The Bouncers continue to grow on me as they’re fitting in well for the fun team spot, which isn’t the worst place in the world to be. The Young Lions losing doesn’t hurt them so this was hardly a devastating loss. If nothing else it’s nice to not see the Kingdom win again so this was a nice surprise.

Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams are ready for Bully Ray, even though Lifeblood’s numbers are down. PJ Black comes in to offer his services but they walk away.

We look at Colt Cabana winning the NWA National Title and being challenged by James Storm after the match. The title match is next week in Chicago.

We look back at last week’s show with Silas Young’s exhibition and Kenny King defeating Jay Lethal using Lethal’s own Lethal Injection.

We get a video on Jeff Cobb, who is challenging for the World Title at Best In The World. He was born in Baltimore but moved to Guam, where he managed to make the US Olympic team. He didn’t fare well and now he wants to be the best in the world in Ring of Honor.

Josh Woods vs. Maverick Boone

Woods powerbombs him down and hits the Seismic Toss for the pin at 54 seconds.

Yuji Nagata/Satoshi Kojima vs. Evil/Sanada

The crowd wastes no time in the ALL THESE GUYS chants as Nagata forearms Sanada to start. They go to the mat and it’s an early standoff. They shake hands and Sanada kicks him in the ribs, which you don’t do to an old wrestler. Nagata kicks at the leg and brings in Kojima for some kicks of his own. We pause for some chest bouncing between Sanada and Kojima until Evil trips Kojima to take over.

Sanada ties Kojima up in the Paradise Lock for the running dropkick. Back from a quick break with Kojima kicking and DDTing his way out of trouble. That’s enough for the diving tag off to Nagata so house the hard kicks can continue. The exploder suplex gives Nagata two and it’s time to forearm it out. Nagata’s big kick is countered but he blocks another Paradise Lock attempt. Instead it’s the Nagata Lock but Evil finally comes in for the break. The freed Sanada hits a springboard dropkick to Nagata and hands it off to Evil, who gets dropkicked in the knee.

That’s enough for the tag to Kojima for the rapid fire chops to both of them in the corner. A top rope elbow gets two on Evil but the discus lariat is countered with a rake to the eyes. Evil gets two off a clothesline but Nagata breaks up the Magic Killer. The Koji Cutter gets two on Evil, followed by the brainbuster for the same. Evil and Kojima trade standing switches until Sanada comes back in for a dropkick, setting up the Magic Killer for the pin at 12:16.

Rating: C+. I’ve never been a fan of Nagata’s but this was a fun match with the old guys looking good and Evil/Sanada getting a bit of a statement win over the legends. It was a smart move for a TV main event as these fans are going to cheer this kind of stuff every single time. Sometimes it’s ok to not have a storyline main event and that’s what they did here.

Here’s Dalton Castle to talk about what has been going on with him. He has come to terms with the fact that he lost at Supercard of Honor. It was a spectacular loss though because Rush beat him in sixteen seconds. It’s ok though because Rush is a dirty, filthy cheater. That’s why Castle wants a match with Rush…..’s brother Dragon Lee. Rush is going to pay with his family’s health as Castle breaks every bone in Lee’s body.

Cue the Boys, now in regular gear, to beat Castle down and knock him to the floor. Castle fights back though and sends them into the barricade and various other hard objects. Boy #1 is put on a table and Castle powerbombs #2 onto him but not through the table. Castle yells a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The streak of good shows stumbled here but it’s not quite done yet. This was a show where they threw in some of the less important stuff and I have a feeling that’s going to be the case next week as well. There was nothing bad here though and that’s certainly better than some of the things that happen around here on some occasions. The Castle segment worked well and hopefully they can keep building up the midcard like this.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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