Best Of Reality Of Wrestling: I’ve Seen Much Worse

Best Of Reality Of Wrestling
Commentators: Brad Gilmore, Anthony Pratt, Matt Topolski, Shaul Guerrero

The title kind of says it all here as we have a DVD collection of matches from Booker T.’s promotion in Texas. This is from a bunch of different shows so there is nothing in the way of continuity here. I’ve only seen a bit from this promotion before so I’m going in blind, which can often be fun. Let’s get to it.

From Summer Of Champions 2, August 8, 2015.

Diamonds Title: Miranda vs. Robin vs. Athena

The title is vacant coming in and Athena is better known as Ember Moon or…well, Athena actually. Robin, who is listed as Ivory on the DVD and is apparently named Ivory Robin, is double teamed down to start but Athena clears the ring. Athena hits back to back suicide dives and throws Robin back inside.

Robin grabs a reverse chinlock but Miranda is back in with a running dropkick for two. A spear on the apron drops Athena for two, as Athena gets her boot on the rope. Back up and Athena hits a suplex, followed by what would become the O Face (seemingly debuting it) on Miranda. Robin throws Athena outside though and steals the pin and the title at 5:25.

Rating: C+. This was short and to the point, as the Women’s Revolution was just starting to come together in WWE so things hadn’t picked up everywhere else. Athena was getting to showcase herself here and it worked rather well. The O Face is still a great finisher and it’s no surprise that Athena was on her way to WWE, as you could certainly see the talent shining through there.

Lita of all people comes out to present the title in a surprise.

From Christmas Chaos XII, December 9, 2017.

Reality Of Wrestling Title: Ayden Cristiano vs. Gino

Cristiano, with Reina, is defending in Lucha Extrema (anything goes) and this is title vs. career. Cristiano starts fast and hits a pair of Helluva Kicks as commentary explains that Cristiano was a father figure to Gino when Gino’s father died. Gino gets sent outside and is kicked down again but fights back. An apron 619 misses so Gino settles for a kick to the head. A hurricanrana off the apron drops Cristiano again for two on the floor, with Reina breaking up the cover.

Gino grabs a chair to chase Reina off but Cristiano uses the chair to knock a dive out of the air. Back up and the apron 619 sends the chair into Cristiano’s face but here is Cristiano’s La Familia to jump Gino. The steps are carried up to the stage, where Cristiano rips up Gino’s father’s mask for the personal touch. Gino fights out and hits a running dive off the steps to put La Familia through some tables.

Cristiano is back with something metal to the face and they come back to ringside, where Gino sends him through the barricade. A hammerlock lariat gives Gino two and the fans come back down in a hurry. Cristiano can’t hit a piledriver on the exposed concrete but a backdrop onto the concrete connects. Back in and Cristiano hits a top rope elbow for two so he grabs a wrench. The turnbuckle is taken off and a running shot to the face gives Cristiano another near fall. They chop it out until Cristiano is sent into the corner. Eat Defeat gives Gino the pin and the title at 14:14.

Rating: B+. They were pulling me into this one with a good story as I wanted to see Gino pull this off. It felt like a big moment to see Gino beat Cristiano, who has apparently tormented him for a good while. That’s the kind of thing that makes for a solid performance and I was into what they were doing. Nice stuff here, especially for two people I barely know.

Post match Gino celebrates and gets the mask back for a bonus.

From Christmas Chaos XI, December 10, 2016.

Reality Of Wrestling Title: Gino vs. Evan Snow

Snow is defending in a ladder match, having won the title after it was stripped from Gino. Snow dances a lot and is billed from Hip Hop, USA. They fight over a lockup to start until Gino misses Eat Defeat. The lockup goes on again until they fall over the top rope and crash out to the floor. Gino wins a slugout on the floor but Snow is back up with a flip dive off the apron.

It’s time for a ladder, albeit not a tall one. We’re clipped to Snow knocking the ladder into Gino’s face and then bringing in a bigger ladder. Snow climbs, only to dive at Gino, who knocks him out of the air. Back up and Snow bridges a ladder into the big one but Gino flips him face first onto the bridged one, sending the whole thing down. Gino gets smart by crushing Snow’s leg in between and with the ladder. Snow starts getting up so Gino is smart enough to get down and take out the leg again.

Gino suplexes him onto the ladder and we take a break. Back with Snow hitting a superkick and giving Gino a Gory Bomb onto the ladder in the corner. They both climb until Snow grabs a sunset bomb (What leg injury?) for the big crash back down. Snow knocks him off the ladder again and jumps from the top over the ladder for a Hip Hop Drop (guillotine legdrop). Back up and Gino grabs Eat Defeat off the ladder for the big crash. That’s enough for Gino to go up and pull down the title at 12:29 shown.

Rating: B-. It was your normal ladder match with all of the big bumps and crashes, though I was a little confused about who I was supposed to be cheering. Gino was the big face a year later but this felt like Snow was the big babyface here. Either way, another good match as this Gino guy isn’t bad.

Post match Rey Mysterio shows up as a surprise to present Gino with a new title belt. Welp, he’s definitely a good guy.

From Final Heat, February 21, 2025.

We recap Harlem Heat challenging the Heavenly Bodies for the Tag Team Titles. Booker T. said the titles had been hijacked so he was going to take the titles back himself. He needed a partner, but Stevie Ray showed up to say Booker really needed his brother. The Bodies weren’t impressed but the match was on.

Tag Team Titles: Harlem Heat vs. Heavenly Bodies

The Bodies (Desirable Dustin/Gigolo Justin) are defending and this is Harlem Heat’s first match together in almost fifteen years. Booker backs Justin into the corner to start and the fans are rather happy. Ray comes in to chop and elbow away in the corner as commentary runs down the teams that Harlem Heat has defeated over the years. It’s back to Booker, who gets taken into the corner by Dustin for some shots to the face.

Booker gets in a superkick to cut that off in a hurry and Ray comes in again for a shot to the ribs. We’re clipped to Justin getting in a cheap shot to Booker from the apron. Booker gets knocked to the floor so Justin can hammer away. Back in and Dustin hits a corner clothesline for two, followed by a front facelock. It’s too early for the tag back to Ray though as Booker is pulled into the wrong corner for some stomping.

We hit the chinlock but Booker fights out, only to get clotheslined back down. The abdominal stretch goes on instead, with Booker hiptossing his way to freedom. Raw gets drawn in before the tag though and Booker gets stomped down in the corner. A double clothesline gets Booker out of trouble and the big tag brings in Ray to clean house. Ray powerslams Dustin for two and everything breaks down, with Booker clotheslining Justin out to the floor. The Ax kick gives Booker the pin and the titles at 10:50.

Rating: C. The match was a pretty basic formula, with Ray’s time in the ring being rather limited. That’s not a bad thing for the most part, as Ray was more of a special attraction than anything else. He was only so good in the first place so having him back after this much of a layoff was going to have limited results. That being said, the title win was a nice moment, even if Harlem Heat would vacate the titles a few weeks later, with the Bodies holding the title for the better part of a year after. Still though, nice enough moment here.

From Ladies Night Out, February 17, 2018.

Diamonds Title: Hyan vs. Kylie Rae

Rae is defending but doesn’t have the belt for some reason. Feeling out process to start with the fans being behind Rae, who does in fact smile a lot. Rae takes her down into a front facelock and gets two off a rollup, which leaves Hyan a bit frustrated. A headscissors sends Hyan into the ropes and a running knee knocks her back out. With nothing else working, Hyan grabs the referee for a distraction and hits the ropes to crotch Rae on top. Some elbows in the corner keep Rae in trouble and Hyan grabs a chinlock.

That’s broken up so Rae gets up an elbow in the corner to cut off a charge. A basement superkick misses for Rae and Hyan grabs a rollup for two. Back up and the basement superkick connects for Rae and she can’t believe the kickout. Hyan starts in on the arm and cranks away before slamming it into the mat for two. A Disarm-Her has Rae in more trouble but Hyan lets her go, instead option for a running knee and another near fall.

Rae knocks her off the top though and a missile dropkick connects to leave them both down. They both get up at a count of nine and trade the forearms until Rae pulls her into the crossface. The rope is grabbed for the break and Hyan gets her own crossface (ignore that it’s not on the arm she had been working over). That’s countered into a rollup for two but Hyan is back with a heck of a Glam Slam for the pin and the title at 13:43.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, with Hyan getting to show what she can do and win the title in a pretty good showdown. These two have had quite the rivalry and it felt like a showdown. Rae is someone who has done some good things in a variety of places over the year and it’s no surprise that she had another good performance here. That Glam Slam at the end was very good too, as Rae landed hard and it looked like a knockout blow.

Post match Hyan gets the title, which was on the stage for some reason.

From No Limits 2017, May 31, 2017.

JJ Blake interrupts the introduction and says he’s the champion of all televisions.

TV Title: Terrale Tempo vs. JJ Blake

Blake is defending inside a cage and there are some weapons hanging from the top. Tempo grabs a headlock to start and we get some rather blatant spot calling on the mat. Blake is back up with a dropkick, only to get crossbodied for two. A jumping elbow gets the same and things slow down as we take a break. Back with Tempo hitting a backdrop and going up, where he grabs a chair.

With Blake down again, Tempo grabs a trashcan, with commentary pointing out that he could just leave instead of going for the weapons. The delay lets Blake come back with a steel rod to the ribs for two. A belly to back suplex gets two on Tempo but he’s right back up to put the trashcan in the corner. Blake is sent into the cage a few times and a spinebuster puts him down again.

Tempo hits a dropkick into the cage but Blake is able to crotch him on top. Blake puts him in the trashcan in the corner and hits a step up dropkick to crush him again. The kickout has Blake panicking and we take another break. Back again with Tempo superplexing him off the cage for the THIS IS AWESOME chants and a double down. Tempo gets a very delayed two so Blake fights up only to get caught in a swinging Downward Spiral for two.

That’s still not enough for Tempo to get out as Blake pulls him back in so they can slug it out on top of the cage. Tempo grabs Blake’s black hammer and knocks him off the top but here is a rather large man (Blake’s training partner Tiny) to pull Tempo out of the air. Tiny throws Tempo back inside and gives him a chokebomb so Blake can get the retaining pin at 13:43 shown.

Rating: B-. Not the best ending, but they had a good match where they beat each other up pretty well. That’s the point of putting them in a cage for a grudge match and it made Tempo feel like enough of a star. I was half expecting Tempo to win anyway in a St. Valentine’s Day Massacre ending but Blake retaining so Tempo can come after the two of them again later is fine too.

From Christmas Chaos XII, December 9, 2017.

Texas Title: Mysterious Q vs. Rex Andrews vs. Johnny Impact

Q, a masked man, is defending, Andrews is a former TV Champion and I’m guessing you know Impact. Andrews drops Impact to start and grabs a Kimura on Q, with Impact making the save. Q and Impact team up to take out Andrews, leaving Impact to shoulder Q down. Impact can’t send him into the corner as Q sends him to the floor. Back in and Andrews cuts off the Q Cutter with an armbar attempt.

Andrews kicks him down into a Fujiwara armbar but Impact makes the save for a showdown. They circle each other for a bit until Andrews suplexes Impact for two. Back up and Impact kicks Andrews down but Q breaks up Starship Pain. They all wind up in the corner, with Impact German superplexing both of them down. Back up and Impact gets beaten between the two of them, only to send them both into the corner.

The sliding German suplex hits Andrews but he rolls away from Starship Pain. Q’s springboard elbow gets two and he plants Impact with a spinning slam. Andrews is back in with a knockdown to Q and a Paige Turner for two on Impact. Andrews gets the cross armbreaker on Impact but has to let it go to knock Q off the top. Back in and Impact puts Andrews down, setting up the standing shooting star press for two. Q shoves Impact off the top as well though and a 450 finishes 12:49.

Rating: B. This was pretty much your standard three way match but beating Impact, even without pinning him, was a good way to make Q feel like a bigger deal. That’s why you bring someone like Impact in and Q looked good in his win. Andrews felt like he was just there for the strong style/MMA influenced offense and that doesn’t really stand out.

Bit of a weird note to end the set: Q poses as commentary advertises Gino vs. Cristiano later in the same night, which is listed earlier in the DVD.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s not a great promotion or anything that hasn’t been done better, but I’ve definitely seen far worse than what was offered here. You had seven matches which take up about two and a half hours with nothing close to bad. The worst match on the whole thing is a Harlem Heat reunion, which is a big enough deal to warrant a spot. I’ve liked the little I’ve seen of Reality Of Wrestling and you can see that, at least in this era, they had some talent that stood out. Good, fun watch here and I could go for a bit more from these people.

 

 

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