NXT – July 30, 2024 (Great American Bash Week One): They Saved The Show

NXT
Date: July 30, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the first night of the Great American Bash and oddly enough the card isn’t exactly stacked. There are some title matches, but only one of them feels like a big time showdown. Other than that, we have a contract signing for next week’s NXT Title match and the Women’s Tag Team Champions are here for a guest spot. Oh and Joe Hendry is giving a concert. Let’s get to it.

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

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger break into the Performance Center to host the show. This involves hacking a security system, dodging lasers and crawling through a dark room.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Meta Four vs. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre

Meta Four is challenging. It’s a brawl before the bell to start fast and Jackson is sent into the wrong corner. Fyre sends her into the buckle for two and a double suplex connects as well. Legend is back up to clean house and we take an early break. Back with Jackson hitting an enziguri, allowing the diving tag off to Legend.

A chokeslam gets two on Dawn but Fyre gets in a cheap shot from the apron to cut her off. That doesn’t last long though as it’s a wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter combination for to on Dawn with Fyre making the save. Back up and the Evil Touch to Jackson retains the titles at 7:52.

Rating: C+. The problem here is Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair are getting a title match on Smackdown, which was talked about extensively throughout this match. If I already know they’re getting the shot, it make it kind of difficult to buy a title change here. That being said, Legend’s pretty incredible transformation continues, as she is turning into a more impressive star every time she is out there.

Post match here is Ethan Page to mock Oro Mensah and promise he won’t win the NXT Title next week. Mensah pins him again.

Cedric Alexander is teaching some young wrestlers when Shawn Spears interrupts to talk about Brooks Jensen. Cue Jensen to argue but Spears holds him out.

Tavion Heights is ready for Tony D’Angelo.

Tony D’Angelo is ready for Tavion Heights.

Pete Dunne talks about Sheamus walking away from the Brawling Brutes so now he’s going to create havoc. He’ll start next week with Trick Williams.

Heritage Cup: Tavion Heights vs. Tony D’Angelo

D’Angelo is defending and their respective associates are here too. Round One begins with some grappling with Heights, the former Olympic wrestler taking over with a fireman’s carry. D’Angelo is back up with a headlock before switching to a leglock as the round ends. Here is Wren Sinclair to watch and we take a break. Back with D’Angelo hitting a superplex but time expires.

Round Three begins with D’Angelo hitting Forget About It for the pin at 28 seconds of the round and 8:13 overall. Round Four begins with Sinclair yelling at Heights, which is enough for Heights to grab the belly to belly and tie it up at 23 seconds of the round and 9:04 overall. Round Five begins with Heights getting two off a gutwrench suplex. Heights misses a charge into the ropes though and D’Angelo hits back to back spinebusters to retain at 1:39 of the round and 11:09 overall.

Rating: C+. You kind of know what you’re getting with these things and that was the case again here. Heights was a fine choice for a one off challenger but D’Angelo is going to be on to bigger and better opponents. They didn’t spend too long on this and what we got was good enough for a title defense.

Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx don’t like the new generation so the tag match is set for tonight.

Brooks Jensen vs. Cedric Alexander

Joined in progress Jensen charging into a boot in the corner and being knocked outside. Alexander hits a big dive but Jensen kicks him in the face to take over. A running shoulder in the Tree Of Woe gives Jensen two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Alexander snaps off a suplex into a Michinoku river for two. Jensen knocks him off the top and a guillotine legdrop gets two. They head outside with Jensen dropping him onto the announcers’ table. The dive misses though and Alexander grabs the Lumbar Check to win at 4:47 shown.

Rating: C. As has been the case, the problem with Jensen boils down to him only being so interesting in the first place. It’s one thing if he starts winning matches like he did against Josh Briggs, but seeing him lose more often than not is taking away what little status he has. The match wasn’t anything noteworthy either, which isn’t helping Jensen’s case in the slightest.

Je’Von Evans talks about growing up watching wrestling and knowing he needed to do this.

Joe Hendry flirts with some women before his concert but then has to leave. Ashante Thee Adonis comes in to take care of the women.

The Rascalz re confused by being on a Tuesday but want the Tag Team Titles back.

Here is Joe Hendry for his concert, with the fans singing his theme song. Hendry’s song is about how he makes things better, how Booker T is a big fan, and how Gallus has bad facial hair. Hendry is ready for an encore but here is Gallus to interrupt. They didn’t like the song and Hendry is quickly beaten down. It continues to amuse me that Hendry is more or less a full on character around here despite still being a part of TNA (which was barely mentioned here, if at all).

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger annoy Roxanne Perez.

Ava is overseeing the contract signing between Ethan Page and Oro Mensah for next week. They bicker and both sign, with Mensah promising to win the title. Very short and to the point here.

Kendal Grey vs. Jaida Parker

OTM is here with Parker. Grey takes her down by the arm to start and is back up with a middle rope crossbody for two. Parker sends her into the corner though and drops her ribs first across the top rope. The seated abdominal stretch doesn’t last long as Grey fights up…and here are Miles Borne and Wren Sinclair. Grey takes Borne down and grabs an Angle Slam for two on Parker. Back up and another distraction lets Parker get in a gordbuster into a running hip attack for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C+. Grey was trying here and they’re giving her something with the Borne stuff, but she still needs something more than “here’s another pretty rookie with an athletic background.” There are a lot of them on the roster and Grey isn’t standing out just yet. Parker on the other hand still feels like a star in the making and I could go for seeing her get a chance to show what she can do.

Chase U fires up Thea Hail.

Axiom is talking to the LWO about Speed when Ava comes in with a contract for a title match with the Rascalz. Axiom signs but Nathan Frazier isn’t happy with not being asked about it. Oh well.

Jacy Jayne/Jazmyn Nyx/Fallon Henley vs. Sol Ruca/Karmen Petrovic/Lola Vice

Henley takes Ruca down to start and surfs on her back, only for Ruca to come back with an X Factor and surfing of her own. Petrovic comes in to knock Nyx down, setting up a running basement Blockbuster. Vice comes in and gets rolled up to give Jayne two, only to come back with a spinebuster for two.

It’s back To Petrovic for a double shoulder and the villains are knocked to the floor. The series of dives take them down again and we take a break. Back with Vice getting the tag to clean house and Ruca hitting a springboard flipping double clothesline. Henley is left alone with Ruca, who hits a fireman’s carry into a powerbomb for two.

Jayne is back in with a cutter out of the corner and Nyx’s PerfectPlex gets two to leave everyone down. Nyx kicks away at Ruca but it’s back to Petrovic for the clothesline comeback. A Pele kick gets Nyx out of trouble though and Henley comes in with something like a belly to back suplex flipped into a cutter for the pin on Petrovic at 12:55.

Rating: B. Where the heck did that come from? This felt like it was going to be just another six person tag and they gave it everything they had and put on a pretty rocking match. This was FAR better than I would have expected with hard work from everyone and some great action. Good stuff here and the feud is likely going to continue for a bit.

Kelani Jordan doesn’t want to play with Tatum Paxley and her dolls. And she doesn’t know why Wendy Choo is behind them.

Joe Hendry is sick of Gallus’ jealousy so he’s going to take out Joe Coffey next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Women’s Title: Roxanne Perez vs. Thea Hail

Hail, with Chase U, is challenging and goes for some early rollups to start. The threat of the Kimura sends Perez to the ropes before she has to flip out of an anklescissors. Perez bails to the floor and Hail hits a middle rope moonsault as we take a break. Back with Hail hitting a DDT to leave both of them down.

The World’s Smallest Slam sets up a missed backsplash so Perez grabs the crossface. Hail bails out to the floor but Perez argues with Chase U, allowing Hail to get in a dive. A Michinoku Driver gives Hail two but Perez goes after the arm. Pop Rox is countered into a backslide for two and the Kimura goes on, with Perez reversing into the crossface. That’s powered into a Samoan drop and the springboard backsplash gets two for an awesome sequence.

Perez goes for the eye but gets sent shoulder first into the post. The Kimura goes on again, with Perez getting to the ropes and out to the floor. Hail gets rammed into the steps and the crossface goes on again, only to be reversed back into the Kimura. That’s reversed into the crossface again so Hail goes for the ropes, leaving Perez to switch to Pop Rox to retain at 11:21.

Rating: B+. When an awesome sequence takes up almost half of the match, it stops being a sequence and turns into a good portion of what you’re seeing. This was the best thing on the show as they were showing some great chemistry together and had me wondering if Hail was going to get the miracle upset. Perez was more than carrying her side here too and it made for a great main event. Giulia and/or Stephanie Vaquer are probably waiting on Perez, but this made her feel more ready for either of them.

Overall Rating: B. This started slowly and felt like it was an only slightly bigger than normal show before the last two matches blew away all of my expectations. Those matches carried the show and the concert was a funny enough moment as well. I’m not sure this needed to be a two week special, but I wasn’t overly excited about this one and they really surprised me with how good it wound up being. Solid show this week, with the women carrying things.

Results
Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre b. Meta Four – Evil Touch to Jackson
Tony D’Angelo b. Tavion Heights 2-1
Cedric Alexander b. Brooke Jensen – Lumbar Check
Jaida Parker b. Kendal Grey – Running hip attack
Fallon Henley/Jazmyn Nyx/Jacy Jayne b. Sol Ruca/Karmen Petrovic/Lola Vice – Flipping cutter to Petrovic
Roxanne Perez b. Thea Hail – Pop Rox

 

 

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Summerslam Count-Up – Summerslam 2012 (2013 Redo): Yeah Brock’s Back

Summerslam 2012
Date: August 19, 2013
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 14,205
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

The main story here is Brock Lesnar is back, having returned the night after Wrestlemania to start a feud with John Cena. That feud lasted for a month before Lesnar started going after HHH. It wasn’t until three months later, as in tonight, that they’re having their showdown. Other than that we have Punk defending the title against Big Show and Cena and Sheamus defending against Del Rio. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: US Title: Antonio Cesaro vs. Santino Marella

This is one of those ideas that was brought back after far too many years off. Santino is defending and Cesaro has his HORRID dance music here. He also has Aksana who isn’t horrid at all, other than in the ring of course. Cesaro’s word of the day in five languages: greatness. Santino does the power walk to the ring and is as goofy as ever. Cesaro takes it to the mat but Santino actually spins out for two.

A judo throw puts Cesaro down before Santino power walks out of an Irish whip. Must resist country jokes. Santino avoids a charge in the corner and loads up the Cobra but Cesaro takes his head off from behind. The Cobra goes to the floor and Aksana throws it away. Off to a reverse chinlock with Cesaro pulling on Marella’s ears to keep him away from the Cobra. IT’S A FREAKING SOCK! I know Foley used one too but it didn’t seem to have magical powers.

Santino kicks Cesaro away but still can’t get the sock. The gutwrench suplex gets no cover from the challenger, as he would rather rip the Cobra to shreds. Santino pounds away but misses the headbutt. He counters the Neutralizer and pulls out another Cobra, proving THAT IT’S JUST A FREAKING SOCK! Aksana gets on the apron and the Cobra wants her, allowing Cesaro to hit the Neutralizer for the pin and the title.

Rating: D+. IT’S A FREAKING SOCK! Match was ok but the majority of the five minutes were spent on Santino trying to put a sock on his hand so he can use a neck attack taught to him by John Lovitz. I know he’s a comedy character but there’s a point where it’s stupid rather than funny. Santino half crossed that line years ago.

The opening video talks about the twenty five years of Summerslam, meaning we’ll have to hear about how this is the 25th anniversary. The video is interrupted by talk of a storm called Brock Lesnar, which to be fair is the main draw of the show.

Jerry and Cole’s intro is cut off by Vickie’s screeching intro of Ziggler.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Chris Jericho

Dolph is Mr. MITB here and Jericho is freshly face after Ziggler accused him of going soft. Jericho has taped up ribs from an attack at Ziggler’s hands. The fans LOVE Chris and things start fast with the Canadian hitting the jumping back elbow to the jaw. Jericho slips out of the corner on a spinning clothesline but Ziggler escapes a suplex and kicks him in the ribs to take over. Dolph stays on the ribs for a quick two but gets backdropped out to the floor.

Chris’ springboard dive misses as Ziggler casually ducks, sending Jericho crashing to the floor. Ziggler hooks on a chinlock with a bodyscissors to stay on the ribs. A knee to the head gets two for Dolph and a neckbreaker, complete with hip swivel and ARROGANT COVER, gets two more.

Jericho gets a quick cradle for two but Ziggler takes him right back down with a clothesline. Dolph misses a Stinger Splash and Chris goes after him, only to be easily taken down by another shot to the ribs. Not that it matters as he pops up top for the ax handle but Ziggler kicks him in the ribs again. The Fameasser gets two but an enziguri puts Dolph down for two as well. Back and forth match so far here.

Dolph jumps over Chris in the corner and puts on the sleeper which looks horrid here. Jericho rams him into the corner to escape and rains down some right hands before snapping off a top rope hurricanrana. The ribs are damaged even more though, delaying the count by several seconds. A jumping DDT gets two on the Canadian and Ziggler is getting frustrated.

They slug it out with Jericho taking him down via the bulldog but the Lionsault hits knees. The Zig Zag gets two but Dolph can’t follow up. Instead he walks into the Codebreaker to send him to the floor. Jericho throws him in but gets tripped up by Vickie, allowing Ziggler to roll him up for two. Dolph misses a charge into the post and the Walls go on for the submission.

Rating: C+. The idea here was that Jericho couldn’t win the big one anymore. The problem here though is they would have a rematch tomorrow night with Jericho’s contract and Dolph’s case on the line. Why they didn’t have that match here is anyone’s guess but at least it was a good opener and the fans popped for the ending. They had some Shelton vs. HBK from 2005 in there with Jericho fighting a younger version of himself but using his maturity and experience to get the win.

Vickie freaks out over the loss.

We recap Brock breaking Shawn Michaels’ arm on Raw.

Heyman and Brock say Lesnar wins tonight.

Daniel Bryan vs. Kane

It’s amazing that this team started less than a year ago. The fans are already chanting YES and Bryan says NO. It’s amazing how a chant this simple carried Bryan so far. This was set up by GM AJ as revenge against Bryan for jilting her or something. Bryan fires off kicks to start but walks into an uppercut to knock him back. Daniel moonsaults over Kane in the corner but gets kicked in the face to put him down. The low dropkick gets two for Kane but the fans are all behind Daniel.

Another big boot gets two but Bryan comes back with the kicks to the legs, only to be thrown over the top and out to the floor. Bryan slides back in and hits the FLYING GOAT to put Kane down. The missile dropkick drops Kane again and there are more kicks, only to have Kane clothesline his way out of trouble. The side slam gets two and the top rope clothesline looks to set up the chokeslam but Bryan bails to the floor.

Bryan slaps him in the face like a knucklehead, sending Kane through the roof. Bryan is tossed into the corner and stomped down by a furious Kane. The referee drags him away, allowing Bryan to try the NO Lock. Kane powers out so Bryan kicks him in the head. Why overcomplicate things? The flying headbutt is caught in the chokeslam but Kane wants the tombstone, allowing Bryan to counter into a small package for the pin.

Rating: C+. Good match here and you could see the anger management stuff coming. Kane had Bryan beat but wanted revenge and let Bryan catch him off guard. These two obviously had chemistry together and the story would be a big boost to Kane’s career. Also the original idea here was Bryan vs. Charlie Sheen somehow. Thankfully that was never mentioned again.

Kane is going nuts in the back. Josh Matthews comes up to him like the schnook he is and is LAUNCHED off camera in a funny bit.

Intercontinental Title: Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz

Miz is defending and Mysterio is dressed like Batman. Rey grabs a quick rollup for two and the champion bails to the floor for a bit. AJ has promised to deal with Kane for attacking Matthews tomorrow on Raw. Miz throws Mysterio through the ropes to the floor but Rey rolls through to avoid pain. The champion sends him ribs first into the barricade to take over as this isn’t doing much for me so far.

Miz pulls on Rey’s face and puts on a chinlock before hitting something resembling Abyss’ Shock Treatment (torture rack backbreaker) for two. A boot to Rey’s head gets two and it’s off to a cravate for a bit. Miz hits the corner clothesline but spends too much time laughing at the crowd, allowing Rey to crotch him on the top.

Rey’s seated senton is rolled through into a slingshot sitout powerbomb for two from Miz. Rey comes back with a tornado DDT for the same result and a top rope hurricanrana sends Miz into the 619 position. The kick to the face connects but Rey misses the top rope splash. The Skull Crushing Finale is countered into a cradle for a hot two count. A second attempt at the Finale works though to retain Miz’s title.

Rating: C-. This took a long time to get going but it had a few nice moments at the end. Both of these guys fell so far in just a year as both guys were fighting for the world title just a year ago. The match wasn’t bad but it didn’t do much for me. It was one of those matches that came and went and I won’t think about it again an hour from now.

Teddy Long and Eve, the bosses of Smackdown, leave AJ’s office and seem to approve of what she’s doing. They leave and Punk goes in to find a smiling AJ. Punk doesn’t like the idea of being in a triple threat for the title tonight and thinks it’s happening as revenge for him rejecting AJ’s proposal. AJ just stares off into space and Punk accuses her of disrespecting him but she doesn’t move an inch.

We recap Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus. These two feuded FOREVER and Del Rio never did much of anything. He complained about Sheamus not being high class so Sheamus stole Del Rio’s car. Fake cops beat up Sheamus and that’s about it. It’s as boring of a feud as it sounds.

Smackdown World Title: Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio

Feeling out process to start with both guys tumbling out to the floor. Back in and Sheamus hits a quick neckbreaker and the rolling senton for two each. Sheamus puts him on the top rope for a belly to back superplex but Alberto gets onto Sheamus’ shoulder to escape. The buckle pad is pulled off in the process. Del Rio can’t hook the armbreaker so he kicks Sheamus out to the floor instead. Sheamus is sent knee first into the steps as the crowd is DEAD.

Back in and Del Rio hits a flying shoulder block for two before hooking the chinlock. A kick to the head gets two on the champion and we hit the chinlock. That goes nowhere so Del Rio mocks Sheamus’ chest pounding before the Brogue Kick, only to have Sheamus ax handle him in the head. Sheamus goes up but a kick to the let puts him down again. A kick to the arm gets two for Alberto and the armbreaker goes on, FINALLY waking the fans up.

Sheamus of course is barely phased by it and rolls onto Del Rio to break the pressure. He picks Alberto up into a kind of powerbomb to break the hold, earning himself a chant from the crowd. White Noise gets two and Sheamus avoids a charge in the corner, setting up the forearms in the ropes. Sheamus pounds down right hands in the corner but gets dropped face first onto the exposed buckle. The enziguri in the corner is good for two so Del Rio yells at Ricardo. Rodriguez throws in a shoe but Sheamus intercepts it to knock Ricardo out cold. The Irish Curse hits for the pin, ignoring Del Rio’s foot being on the rope. REMATCH!

Rating: D+. The match was decent but it never felt like Sheamus was in any real danger. The drop onto the exposed buckle and the enziguri got a near fall, but it didn’t feel like a close near fall; It felt like it was there because this is where we’re supposed to have a dramatic kick out if that makes sense. It’s not bad but this feud didn’t need to continue at all.

We hear about Mike Tyson and Piers Morgan having a Twitter war over the main event. I’ve got nothing.

We get a clip from the pre show where HHH tells the referee that the match isn’t ending on a countout or a DQ.

Tag Titles: Prime Time Players vs. Kofi Kingston/R-Truth

I don’t remember Kofi and Truth being champions AT ALL. Truth and Young get us going as the fans chant Kobe Bryant, referencing the joke that got AW fires. Young is taken down by an armdrag and a legdrop gets two for Truth. Truth has to fight out of the corner but gets caught in the face by a big boot for two. Back up and Truth hits a great side kick to take Titus’ head off and get himself a breather. Off to Kofi to speed things up as the crowd still isn’t all that interested.

Kofi chops O’Neil down but a Young distraction lets the challengers take over. Titus clotheslines Kofi down for two before suplexing Young onto Kofi’s back for two. A snap powerslam gets the same for Darren and it’s back to Titus for an abdominal stretch. That goes nowhere so Titus loads up a spinout Rock Bottom, only to be pulled dowin into a DDT. Hot tag brings in Truth to clean house and everything breaks down. Titus is sent to the floor and caught by a Kofi dive, allowing Truth to hit Little Jimmy on Darren to retain the titles.

Rating: D+. This could have been on any given Raw. The Players are a decent team but Titus is clearly the star with Young just being there. Kofi and Truth are just transitional champions before HELL NO would take the championships a few weeks later. Nothing to see here other than a filler before we get to the main events.

Video on Summerslam Axxess.

We recap the Raw World Title match. Punk won the title at Survivor Series but got angry over Rock vs. Cena being announced as the main event of Wrestlemania 29 a year in advance. Cena cashed in the MITB case at Raw 1000 but Big Show cost Cena the match. AJ made it a three way for the sake of tormenting Punk (now a heel demanding respect) for turning down her proposal.

Punk’s complaints about how the title should be the focus and how he wasn’t getting respect are why his heel turn didn’t go well: those are logical points and heels aren’t supposed to be logical. WWE failing to get this is the source of a lot of their problems. Heels are supposed to be bullies or maniacal in their delusions, not making thought out rational points.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Big Show

Show knocks down both smaller guys as Cole talks about Punk not main eventing a show since December despite holding the title the entire time. Good point actually. The LOUD chop hits both Cena and Punk’s chests twice each with Big Show in total control. They finally work together but Show easily suplexes them both down. Cena is crushed in the corner, knocking him out to the floor so it’s Punk vs. Show one on one.

Punk wisely takes out the knee and fires off kicks to the chest as the fans are entirely behind him. The smart moves are canceled out though as Punk tries a GTS with the obvious result. Cena tries an AA but the powers of gravity take him down to the mat, crushing Cena’s head against the mat. Show chops Punk down in the corner and knocks Cena out to the floor. Punk avoids a splash but tries a springboard cross body like a schnook, earning that powerslam he gets.

The Final Cut puts Punk down but Cena breaks up the WMD, earning himself a spear from the giant for two. Show loads up a double Vader Bomb but only hits Cena, allowing Punk to springboard onto Show for the save. Everyone heads to the floor with Big Show chokeslamming Punk against the ropes, sending him back to the floor. Show drops Cena with a side slam but stares at the crowd instead of covering. Maybe someone was holding up a Twinkie?

Cena actually hits a belly to back suplex on Show and loads up the Shuffle, only to have Punk charge in for the save. The champion drops the Macho Elbow for two on Show but gets launched away. Since covering hasn’t worked, Punk puts on a modified Koji Clutch but Show easily powers out. The crowd has DIED for some reason. Cena comes back in and shoulders Show down, bringing them right back to life.

There’s the STF on Show but the big man stands up to break the hold. Punk comes in with a springboard clothesline to take Show down again, followed by three straight knees to the head in the corner. The bulldog is easily countered (of course) but Cena hits the top rope Fameasser to put the giant down.

We get a Koji Clutch/STF combo and Show taps, but we have no clear winner. This brings out AJ (Punk: “DO THE RIGHT THING LIKE SPIKE LEE! LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE! THEY CAN TWEET ABOUT IT!”) who eventually says restart the match, allowing Show to hit a double chokeslam for two on each guy. Cena ducks the WMD and hits the AA, but Punk throws him to the floor and steals the pin to retain.

Rating: C. The match was ok with the logical story but it was nothing we hadn’t seen before. The restart was pretty dumb as well as Big Show shouldn’t have had a chance to win the title after tapping out. Cena vs. Punk would continue for months which would make for some great matches, but this wasn’t anything special. Not bad at all though.

Various B level celebrities are here. Maria Menunos in a Bob Backlund shirt works very well.

Trailer for whatever WWE’s latest movie is at the point. The Day. Ok then.

We recap the pre-show match to fill in time.

Kevin Rudolf sings the theme song.

We recap the main event. Basically Lesnar tried to hold the company hostage by renaming Raw to Monday Night Raw Starring Brock Lesnar. HHH stood up to him and got a broken arm as a result. Lesnar F5’d Vince and injured him, making HHH come back as The Cerebral Assassin to face Lesnar. Brock responded by breaking Shawn Michaels’ arm as well. This was one of those feuds that people weren’t all that thrilled to see but it could have been worse. More on that later.

Brock Lesnar vs. HHH

Every time I watch a Brock Lesnar match I remember how scary of a human being he is. We get spotlights for the big match intros in a cool idea. Remember that HHH told the referee to allow a lot of fighting tonight. Lesnar powers HHH into the corner to start and goes for a standing kimura (arm lock that he used to break the arm) with a jumping body scissors. HHH though is a MAN and powers out of it before clotheslining Brock to the floor. Back in and Brock pounds away, only to be clotheslined to the floor again. You know, because Cena can be in a war with Brock at Extreme Rules but HHH can easily stop him.

Brock comes back in and takes the MMA gloves off before taking HHH down to the mat with an amateur move. They head outside with HHH shrugging off Brock’s attacks and pounding away, only to be dropped arm first onto the announce table. Lesnar eventually drags HHH back in for a hammerlock slam. Back to the standing kimura with Brock wrapping the arm around the ropes and ramming it into the corner.

A release German suplex puts HHH down again but he comes back with a neck snap across the ropes. Brock is taken down by a DDT but he goes right back to the kimura and another hammerlock slam. They head to the floor with the arm going into the steps and the rest of HHH going into the announce table. Brock jumps off the table onto the Game before taking him back inside. Of all things, Lesnar busts out a small package for a one count. A hard clothesline puts HHH down but he blocks a suplex into one of his own to get a breather.

Brock misses a charge into the corner but blocks a Pedigree and throws HHH out to the floor. HHH sends him into the announce table stomach first, which is a weak spot due to some real life past illnesses which ended his UFC career for all intents and purposes. More shots to the stomach have Brock in trouble and a knee to the ribs puts him down. Heyman is losing his mind and Brock is in trouble.

The spinebuster puts Brock down and there’s the Pedigree for two. A low blow puts HHH down and Heyman screams that this was HHH’s idea. The F5 is good for two and Brock is stunned. I have no idea why, as you know you can’t get a win off one finisher in WWE. Now the kimura goes on again with a bodyscissors but a rope break means nothing. Instead HHH pretty easily punches his way out of it and hits another Pedigree. Thankfully Brock no sells it and puts on the kimura, breaking the arm again and drawing the submission.

Rating: C+. The match is ok but it has one major flaw: it’s BORING. You don’t bring in Brock Lesnar to have him go toe to toe with HHH. You bring him in to have him destroy small cities and eat villagers. That’s the issue here. We went from Cena surviving against an insane Brock Lesnar to HHH having Brock in trouble in a dull match. Lesnar didn’t seem insane here at all and it made for a much less interesting match. Also, Cena won with a Hail Mary shot, where as HHH can slug it out with Lesnar? That just doesn’t hold up at all. Somehow this would be the high point, as this feud went on another TEN MONTHS.

Naturally HHH gets the big heroic stand up in the ring, but instead of people giving him a standing ovation they tell him that he tapped out. HHH stands there until people finally applaud him. He apologizes to the fans and slowly walks out. I guess this is supposed to be like Austin at Wrestlemania 13 but it’s just failing. The speculation is that HHH is leaving for good. If you bought that, raise your hand to show how gullible you are.

Overall Rating: C-. This is an interesting show as most of the matches are ok but nothing goes beyond that level. Most of this show would be classified as ok at best and uninteresting at worst. It’s just kind of there with nothing memorable other than HHH DEMANDING to give us his moment at the end. Nothing to see here and not worth checking out.

Ratings Comparison

Antonio Cesaro vs. Santino Marella

Original: D+

Redo: D+

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler

Original: B-

Redo: C+

Daniel Bryan vs. Kane

Original: C-

Redo: C+

Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz

Original: C

Redo: C-

Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus

Original: D

Redo: D+

R-Truth/Kofi Kingston vs. Prime Time Players

Original: C

Redo: D+

John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Big Show

Original: C-

Redo: C

Brock Lesnar vs. HHH

Original: B

Redo: C+

Overall Rating

Original: D+

Redo: C-

It’s still boring.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2012/08/19/summerslam-2012-lesnar-is-a-wrestler-again-just-like-everyone-else/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.




Comprehensive Review of 888starz Bangladesh: Casino, Mobile App, and Customer Support

Discover all you need to know about 888starz Bangladesh, including its extensive casino games, user-friendly mobile app, and exceptional customer support services. Learn how 888starz promotes responsible gaming for a safe and enjoyable experience.

A Comprehensive Review of 888starz Bangladesh

888starz bet has quickly emerged as a prominent player in the online gaming and betting industry. With a wide range of sports betting options, casino games, and enticing promotional offers, the platform aims to cater to both novice and experienced gamblers. This review will delve into various aspects of 888starz Bangladesh, providing an in-depth analysis of its features, user experience, customer support, and overall reliability. Whether one is considering joining the platform or is merely curious about its offerings, this comprehensive review is designed to provide all the necessary information to make an informed decision.

User-Friendly Interface

The 888starz BD prides itself on its user-friendly interface, ensuring a seamless experience for all users. The site’s design is intuitive, allowing even first-time visitors to navigate effortlessly. The main sections, such as Sports, Casino, Live Betting, Promotions, and Customer Support, are prominently displayed at the top of the homepage, forming a well-organized menu bar.

Key buttons like “Register” and “Log In” are strategically located in the upper right corner, enabling easy access for both new and returning users. Additionally, the responsive design ensures that the website is equally accessible on various devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones. This attention to detail and commitment to accessibility makes it convenient for users to explore and enjoy the plethora of gaming options available on 888 starz.

Step-by-step Guide On How To Create An Account At 888starz?

Creating an account at 888starz is a straightforward and simple process. Follow the steps below to get started with your online gaming experience:

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Once these steps are completed, your account will be ready, and you can start exploring the wide range of gaming and betting options available on 888starz betting site.

888starz Sportsbook Review

The sportsbook on the 888starz website offers a diverse and extensive range of betting options, accommodating the preferences of a wide array of sports enthusiasts. Popular sports on the platform include football, cricket, tennis, basketball, and horse racing, each featuring numerous leagues and tournaments. Once users perform the 888starz bet login, they can place bets on both local and international events, reflecting the sportsbook’s global reach and appeal.

In addition to traditional sports, 888starz also excels in the realm of virtual sports and cybersports. Virtual sports provide a unique experience, simulating real-life sporting events with computer-generated graphics. Popular choices in this category include virtual football, horse racing, and basketball. Cybersports, or esports, have rapidly gained popularity, and 888starz offers betting options on major esports tournaments and games such as Dota 2, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike 2.

The platform’s prematch and live betting lines are comprehensive, enabling users to place wagers before the commencement of an event as well as during live play. This flexibility allows bettors to strategize and react in real-time to the unfolding action. Additionally, 888starz offers live broadcasts for numerous events, enhancing the overall betting experience by allowing users to watch the matches they have wagered on directly on the site.

High odds are a notable feature of 888starz’s sportsbook, providing users with competitive rates that can significantly boost potential winnings. The site’s handy bet slip functionality further enhances the user experience by allowing bettors to manage their bets with ease, whether placing single bets, accumulators, or system bets. The bet slip updates in real-time, ensuring users have the most up-to-date information on their potential returns.

888starz Casino Section Review

The 888straz casino section is a haven for gaming enthusiasts, boasting an extensive variety of games that cater to different preferences and skill levels. Whether a player enjoys classic table games or exciting slot machines, the casino section promises a rich and diverse gaming experience. The available games include traditional offerings such as blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and poker, alongside an impressive collection of slot games.

One of the standout features of the 888starz online casino is its high average return to player (RTP) rate, which ensures that players have favorable odds and a fair chance of winning. The casino collaborates with some of the most esteemed game providers in the industry, including Microgaming, NetEnt, Evolution Gaming, Play’n GO, and Pragmatic Play. These partnerships guarantee not only the highest quality graphics and sound effects but also a smooth and immersive gaming experience.

Popular among players from Bangladesh are games developed by NetEnt and Evolution Gaming, particularly their live dealer games which offer an authentic casino atmosphere. Titles like “Starburst” and “Gonzo’s Quest” from NetEnt, as well as Evolution Gaming’s live dealer versions of blackjack and roulette, attract a significant number of players due to their engaging gameplay and substantial winning potential. Once you perform the 888starz casino login, all this variety of gambling options becomes available to you any time!

888starz’s Mobile Application

The 888starz bet mobile application is a robust and user-friendly platform designed specifically for the convenience of Bangladeshi users. Available for both Android and iOS devices, the app ensures that players can enjoy their favorite sports betting and casino games on the go, providing an unparalleled level of flexibility and accessibility.

One of the most notable features of the 888starz mobile app is its intuitive and sleek interface, which facilitates smooth navigation across various sections. The app is optimized for performance, ensuring that users experience minimal lag or downtime. Whether placing bets on live sports matches or indulging in a round of online poker, users can expect a seamless experience. The app also supports multiple languages, making it accessible to a broader audience.

In terms of functionality, the 888staz app offers the same extensive range of betting options as the desktop version. Users can access a wide array of sports markets, including football, cricket, tennis, and more. The casino section is equally impressive, with a plethora of slot games, table games, and live dealer options available at the fingertips. Moreover, the app provides live streaming capabilities, allowing users to watch and bet on live sports events directly through their mobile devices.

Downloading the 888starz mobile app is straightforward. For Android users, the app can be downloaded directly from the 888 staz website by following the provided instructions. iOS users can find the app on the Apple App Store, ready for download and installation. By offering a comprehensive and convenient mobile platform, 888starz ensures that Bangladeshi users can enjoy a premium gaming experience anytime, anywhere.

Customer Support Service

888starz site provides a robust customer support service to ensure that users have assistance whenever needed. The support team is well-trained and equipped to handle a broad range of queries and issues, from account management to technical difficulties. Users can reach out to the customer support team through several convenient methods, each designed to offer prompt and efficient service.

  • Live Chat: This is the quickest way to get help, with an average response time of less than 5 minutes.
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Responsible Gaming Policy

The responsible gaming policy of 888starz is designed to promote a safe and enjoyable gambling environment for its users in Bangladesh. The platform offers several features aimed at encouraging responsible gambling practices. One key feature is the implementation of self-exclusion options, allowing users to take breaks from gambling when needed. Additionally, 888starz provides deposit limit settings, enabling gamblers to control their spending by setting daily, weekly, or monthly limits.

Another significant aspect is the availability of time-out periods, which allow users to temporarily suspend their accounts to avoid impulsive betting. The 888starz site also offers access to various support resources and links to professional organizations that specialize in gambling addiction. Utilizing these responsible gambling features helps clients maintain control over their gambling habits, ensuring that the activity remains a form of entertainment rather than a source of stress or financial strain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 888starz legal in Bangladesh?

While online gambling operates in a grey legal area in Bangladesh, 888starz ensures that it complies with international gaming standards and has licenses from reputable gaming authorities. Users should check local regulations to ensure they adhere to local laws.

How can I deposit funds into my 888starz account?

You can deposit funds into your 888starz account through various payment methods, including credit/debit cards, bank transfers, and e-wallets. The platform supports several local and international payment options to facilitate easier transactions for Bangladeshi users.

What types of games are available on 888starz?

888starz offers a diverse selection of games, including classic table games like blackjack, roulette, and baccarat, an impressive array of slot games, and engaging live dealer games from top providers like NetEnt and Evolution Gaming.




Monday Night Raw – July 29, 2024: They Had To Get Through This One

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 29, 2024
Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last Raw before Summerslam and that means it is probably time to firm everything up before the show. While there is a chance that we could see another match or two added, this week is probably going to be focused on things already set up. In particular, Seth Rollins will give the official referee instructions to CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Seth Rollins in his referee gear (even his boots have stripes) for the official instructions to CM Punk and Drew McIntyre (“these two morons”). Punk and McIntyre come out and, according to Adam Pearce, any physical contact means the match is off. That makes Punk head to the floor, because he doesn’t trust himself. Rollins tells him to get back in the ring so Punk says enjoy being able to lord his authority over him while he can. McIntyre likes this but Rollins says he hates both of them.

The only rule is that he runs everything. Countouts will go as long as he wants and DQ’s are at his discretion. Punk hopes Rollins referees better than he dressed, but he doesn’t want Rollins’ help at all. McIntyre says he hates everything about Punk and Rollins is going to have to stop it because McIntyre will never want to stop hurting Punk. And it’s in a stadium so he’ll get paid a fortune to do something he would do for free!

Punk talks about how the fans chanted his name while he was gone for ten years. The best thing McIntyre did was hurt Punk but the worst thing he ever did was hurt Punk because he keeps dumbing himself out of position. Punk isn’t as big or strong as McIntyre but he has heart, which will be on display at Summerslam. They to face to face and McIntyre even has the bracelet to keep it personal. This was the big final push to the match, but I do like the explanation for why it is going to be more physical without officially making it a street fight or something.

Liv Morgan has wrecked the Judgment Day clubhouse. Rhea Ripley wants them to focus…but why is Carlito still here? Post break, the team regroups and Carlito is going to take care of Sami Zayn.

Creed Brothers vs. Akira Tozawa/Otis

Chad Gable and Maxxine Dupri are here too and we actually hear about the Creeds appearing in Bloodsport over the weekend. Otis fights out of the corner to start and it’s off to Tozawa for a kick to Brutus’ head. A suicide dive drops Brutus but he gets in his own clothesline as we take a break. Back with Otis sending Julius into the corner and hitting a World’s Strongest Slam. The Caterpillar connects but Gable’s distraction lets the Creeds hit a double belly to back suplex for the win at 7:45.

Rating: C. So Otis is getting more and more popular after splitting from Gable and he is getting a strong reaction here but takes the fall anyway. I’m not sure why you would do that when you have Tozawa right there, but he was basically gone for the second half of the match anyway. Granted it doesn’t really matter when the Wyatts are going to be the bigger story, but Otis didn’t need to take the loss.

Post match the beatdown is on but Maxxine Dupri slaps Gable. Dupri hides in the corner but we’ve got Wyatts. The team shows up and, after taking off the masks, clear out the Creeds. Gable runs as well but has to avoid Uncle Howdy in the entrance.

Carlito has dealt with Sami Zayn…by getting him a match with Dominik Mysterio. Rhea Ripley says that means Carlito can deal with Jey Uso, on his own.

Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed

They slug it out to start with Sheamus knocking him to the floor and hitting a top rope clothesline. Reed knocks him over the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Sheamus hitting a bunch of standing clotheslines until a running knee gets two. Reed’s Death Valley Driver gets the same so he goes up, only to get pulled down with a super White Noise. Sheamus hits the 16 forearms to the chest but cue Pete Dunne with a shillelagh to knock Sheamus silly. The Tsunami gives Reed the pin at 9:57.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to go with Reed finally getting a nice win. That has been missing from his resume for the last few weeks and even though it came with an assist, it’s better than taking another loss. As for the match itself, they had the kind of hoss fight that you would expect them to have and that always works. Good match here.

Damian Priest talks about having to earn everything he has while Gunther was given everything he wanted. Priest fought for everything he got and now he’s willing to fight for everything he has. This was a much more traditional “talk to the camera” promo and it worked well for Priest as they’ve turned this into a match I want to see.

Bron Breakker respects Sami Zayn but now he’s seeing Zayn as a stand up comic. Zayn is already preparing for a life after WWE and after losing to Breakker. That’s why the joke is on Zayn and the Intercontinental Title is on Breakker.

Jey Uso vs. Carlito

Uso wastes no time in knocking him down for an early two and Carlito is sent outside for an early dive. A missed charge goes into the post though and Carlito grabs a neckbreaker as we take a break. Back with Carlito missing a charge into the corner, allowing Uso to hit the jumping enziguri. Uso knocks him down again and hits the spear for the pin at 7:47.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as Carlito is only going to be so much of a threat to any bigger names. It gave Uso a win to keep up his battle against Judgment Day, though I’m not sure how that is supposed to go anywhere. It’s also almost nice to see the match end without any shenanigans, as sometimes you just need a clean win.

Zelina Vega is glad Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark and Sonya Deville attacked her as it served as a wakeup call. Then the three of them jump her again.

Miz announces that he will be the host of Summerslam, which is in his hometown of Cleveland. R-Truth comes in to think that Miz is hosting the show at his own house. An hors d’oeuvre discussion ensues.

We look at the recent Japan tour.

Xavier Woods vs. Karrion Kross

Woods is on his own while Kross has the rest of the Final Testament. Hold on though as Kross says that it’s interesting that Kofi Kingston “re-injured his shoulder” during the Japan tour when the spotlight is on Woods for the first time. He wants Woods to join the team right now and admit that the Power Of Positivity was a lie. Woods hits him in the face to start fast instead and we take an early break.

Back with Woods fighting out of a chinlock but getting knocked back down for two. Woods fights up but gets punched in the face by Rezar. The Final Prayer is broken up and Woods hits a superkick, only to go after the AOP. The Limit Breaker misses as a result and Kross hits the Final Prayer for the win at 6:23. Not enough shown to rate but they got a good deal in.

Jesse Ventura was backstage earlier today and met with HHH. That’s just great to see.

Sami Zayn did a comedy show the night before Money In The Bank and he beat Bron Breakker anyway. He’ll just do it again at Summerslam, but this time it’s about taking Breakker out rather than teaching a lesson.

Liv Morgan burns a bunch of Dominik Mysterio stuff and promises to complete the revenge tour at Summerslam.

Sami Zayn vs. Dominik Mysterio

Non-title. Dominik hammers away to start but Zayn punches his way out of the corner. They head outside where Zayn hits the Arabian moonsault as we take an early break. Back with Zayn fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a clothesline. Dominik’s Three Amigos connect but the frog splash misses. Zayn exploders him into the corner but cue JD McDonagh and Carlito for a distraction and then the DQ at 8:15.

Rating: C+. The DQ was the right way to go here as you can’t have the champion take a fall before he’s coming up on an unrelated title match. At the same time, you don’t want to have Dominik look weak before he’s going to be a centerpiece of a title match of his own on Saturday. The match was just a bit better than ok, but they didn’t have the time to really go anywhere.

Post match the beatdown is on when Jey Uso makes the save. Cue Bron Breakker to go after Zayn, who suplexes him into the corner. Breakker bails before the Helluva Kick can connect.

We get another Wyatt Sicks interview, this time focusing on Dexter Lumis, who says people should run when the buzzards stop circling.

Chad Gable and the Creeds get a match against the Wyatt Sicks next week.

Lyra Valkyria/Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Sonya Deville

Valkyria and Deville start things off with Valkyria slipping between the legs and hammering away. Stark comes in and gets taken down into a wristlock. The villains are sent outside and we take a break. Back with Valkyria getting stomped down in the corner but managing to get over for the tag off to Carter. Everything breaks down and Valkyria hits a gutwrench powerbomb, only to have the After Party broken up. Stark gives Carter the Z360 for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C. This went as it should have, with Valkyria not taking the fall as the villains get a nice boost. The team is starting to get a little somewhere and hopefully they get the chance to change the division up a bit. I’m not sure where that’s going since none of them are going to go after Liv Morgan or Rhea Ripley, but at least Valkyria didn’t take the fall.

Post match Damage CTRL comes in to beat up the villains. Oh yeah. That’s who they could fight.

Gunther talks about how Damian Priest is a weird man who is using his childhood trauma as an excuse. Tonight, Gunther is facing Finn Balor and wants to see if there is any of the great wrestler left in there.

Damage CTRL says they’re back, with Dakota Kai wanting Shayna Baszler next week.

Judgment Day gives Finn Balor a pep talk.

Gunther vs. Finn Balor

Somehow this is their first singles match. Balor tries to chop away but Gunther shows him how it’s done. The powerbomb is blocked so Balor stomps away, only to get booted in the face. We take a break and come back with Gunther’s belly to back suplex getting two. The Boston crab goes on, with Balor reaching over to make the rope.

Gunther chops him again and tries a belly to back superplex, only to be reversed into a crossbody. Balor’s Sling Blade is countered into a choke but he reverses the powerbomb into a DDT. They chop it out and now the Sling Blade can connect for Balor. The Coup de Grace misses though and Gunther is back with the sleeper. Now the powerbomb can connect for two and the sleeper goes on again…and Balor is out at 12:06.

Rating: B-. This felt like a big time match but the ending was a bit of a surprise. You don’t often see someone win a match with a sleeper, but it does continue Gunther’s trend of finishing with whatever is appropriate at the time. Balor put up a fight before falling here, which makes Gunther look strong on the way to Cleveland.

Post match Gunther goes after Balor again but Damian Priest runs in for the brawl. Gunther gets knocked to the floor and over the barricade to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a tricky show as they didn’t add much of anything new to Summerslam and the wrestling here was only so good. The Priest/Gunther stuff was good and the midcard feuds got some attention, but this was another show that you could have skipped without missing much. Summerslam is what matters, but there was only so much of interest here.

Results
Creed Brothers b. Akira Tozawa/Otis – Double belly to back suplex
Bronson Reed b. Sheamus – Tsunami
Jey Uso b. Carlito – Spear
Karrion Kross b. Xavier Woods – Final Testament
Sami Zayn b. Dominik Mysterio via DQ when Carlito and JD McDonagh interfered
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Sonya Deville b. Lyra Valkyria/Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Z360 to Chance
Gunther b. Finn Balor – Sleeper

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

 




Daily News Update – July 29, 2024

Make sure you check out a recent review:

AEW Battle Of The Belts XI

Ring Of Honor – July 25, 2024

Smackdown – August 15, 2008


 

Welcome Back? Major Detail On The Rock’s Possible WWE Future.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/welcome-back-major-detail-on-the-rocks-possible-wwe-future/

The Announcement: WWE Star Confirms He Is Leaving Company, Teases Future Action.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/the-announcement-wwe-star-confirms-he-is-leaving-company-teases-future-action/

On The Way Out: Details On Wrestling Legend’s Impending Retirement.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/on-the-way-out-details-on-wrestling-legends-impending-retirement/

He’s In? Undertaker Addresses Bizarre Rumor About His Legal Status In A Specific Place.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hes-in-undertaker-addresses-bizarre-rumor-about-his-legal-status-in-a-specific-place/

Two Fold: Bryan Danielson Reveals Neck And Contract Issues On The Way To AEW All In.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/two-fold-bryan-danielson-reveals-neck-and-contract-issues-on-the-way-to-aew-all-in/

 

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (featuring news stories written by ME).




Smackdown – August 15, 2008: The One Good Thing

Smackdown
Date: August 15, 2008
Location: Scope, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

It’s the final show before Summerslam and the big story around here is Edge finally snapping on Vickie Guerrero. That should make for the main focus around here, but it would be nice to have Undertaker acknowledged a bit more. HHH vs. Great Khali needs the attention more, but that might not go so smoothly. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Edge attacking La Familia last week.

Opening sequence.

US Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Benjamin is defending. Feeling out process to start until Benjamin’s headlock is countered into an early rollup attempt. The Twist Of Fate attempt is blocked, with JR mocking himself for getting the name wrong. Benjamin stomps away in the corner and we hit the early chinlock. Hardy fights up and knocks him into the corner for the slingshot dropkick and a near fall.

We take a break and come back with Hardy holding a headscissors on the mat of all things. Benjamin slips out and hits a knee to the face for two, followed by a nasty buckle bomb to knock Hardy silly for two more. We hit the half crab with a foot in Hardy’s back, meaning some groaning ensues. That’s broken up as well so Benjamin knees him in the back of the head and hits an Angle Slam for another two.

Back up and the Dragon Whip (that looked great) connects for another near fall, meaning frustration is setting in. Hardy fights up again and hits his jawbreaker to start the comeback. A middle rope Whisper In The Wind (you don’t see that version very often) gives Hardy two but the Twist Of Fate is countered into a backbreaker to give Benjamin a breather. Benjamin sends him to the apron and tries a sunset bomb but Hardy reverses into a hurricanrana. Back in and the Swanton is loaded up…and here is MVP to shove Hardy off for the DQ.

Rating: B-. This was getting going after a slow start, which had me worried as there have been some dull matches around here lately. You could see MVP coming, which was kind of the point, but dang there is something to be said about seeing Hardy make a comeback like that. He’s always been great at making you believe something is going to happen and that is what he was doing again here.

Post match MVP goes after Hardy again but kicks Benjamin by mistake. That lets Hardy get the Twist Of Fate into a Swanton, followed by a Swanton to Benjamin as well.

Victoria of all people comes in to see Vickie Guerrero, who is worried about Edge and Undertaker. Both of them are here and Vickie doesn’t want to be left alone.

Natalya/Maryse vs. Michelle McCool/Maria

Maria and Maryse start things off, meaning a lot of staring until Maryse trips her down. Natalya comes in and gets headlocked out of the corner without much effort. A side slam out of the corner plants Maria but she fights over for the tag to McCool. House is cleaned in a hurry, including a running flipping neckbreaker for two on Natalya. A Maryse distraction doesn’t work so she tries it again, allowing Natalya to get a quick rollup for the pin.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here but the ending should set up a title match down the line. That’s better than what you are going to see on occasion so this could have been worse. Natalya is a natural for the first big challenge to McCool and is a better choice than Maryse right now. It wasn’t a good match, but it did accomplish something.

The Brian Kendrick vs. Scotty Goldman

Before the match Kendrick, with Ezekiel Jackson, says that yeah he has Big Zeke with him, but who brings more to the table than him? Zeke: “No one.” Kendrick wrestles for himself and you’re looking at the future. Goldman is making his debut and gets an insert interview….where he is confused about being in a box while coming to the ring at the same time. Kendrick cranks on the arm to start as JR can’t remember to put in a “The” before Kendrick’s name.

Goldman manages a quick takedown but gets kicked in the face twice in a row for his efforts. A camel clutch of all things has Goldman in trouble but he fights out and gets some boots up in the corner. Back up and a flying hip attack gives Goldman two but Kendrick sends him into the corner. Kendrick scores with the Kendrick for the pin. Goldman got a nice reaction here, which might have something to do with being better known as Colt Cabana.

Post match Jackson runs Goldman over.

HHH is asked about the violence that happened last week at the hands of the Great Khali. Kenny Dykstra of all people interrupts and says he doesn’t think HHH still has it. HHH says Dykstra is picking the wrong time and a match seems implied.

Here is Great Khali, with Runjin Singh, for a chat. Khali apparently says HHH is great but he is greater. HHH needs to get out while he can because devastation is coming.

HHH vs. Kenny Dykstra

Non-title and Runjin Singh is on commentary. Dykstra starts fast and hammers away but gets taken down by a clothesline. The spinebuster connects as JR is far more fired up than he probably should be for a match like this. The Pedigree finishes Dykstra fast.

Post match HHH and Khali stare at each other until HHH grabs Singh. Violence is threatened until Khali gets in the ring for the brawl. HHH can’t Pedigree him but he can clothesline him out to the floor to stand almost as tall.

Big Show vs. Ryan Braddock

This is Braddock’s entrance and he gets his own entrance. Show wastes no time in throwing him outside as commentary puts over Show’s size. Back in and the chop in the corner sets up a cobra clutch throw as Braddock is in trouble. The KO Punch finishes for Show rather quickly.

MVP is livid at Jeff Hardy for attacking him earlier tonight and promises to make him feel worse at Summerslam.

Vickie Guerrero rants to Victoria about Edge and asks her for help to her limo.

We get another R-Truth video, where he talks about sitting in jail and realizing he needed to change his life.

Victoria wheels Vickie Guerrero to her limo…where Edge is in the backseat. Edge scares Victoria off and puts Vickie in her wheelchair for a ride…to h***. And off they go.

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Festus

Jesse is here with Festus, who freaks out at the bell as usual. Festus wastes no time in knocking Kozlov to the floor, which is the first time he’s ever been in anything resembling trouble. Kozlov gets in a shot to the ribs though and sends Festus into the steps. A headbutt gets two and Kozlov grabs a bearhug. Festus gets suplexed down and Kozlov puts on a waistlock. That’s broken up and Festus hits a clothesline, followed by a kick to the face. Not that it matters as Kozlov cuts him off with the big headbutt for the win.

Rating: C+. They were getting into a hoss fight here before the fast ending. Beating Festus means something for Kozlov as he actually had to work for it for a change, but he’s still only so interesting. Kozlov isn’t exactly an in-depth character and that doesn’t give me much promise about his long term prospects.

Video on John Cena vs. Batista.

Summerslam rundown.

Edge wheels a screaming Vickie Guerrero through the back and seems to tease hurting her. The ride doesn’t end until they get to the ring. The graphic says next, but how do they know that’s where Edge is going? It ends at the ring. How do they know he’s not going to take her out for a hearty lobster dinner first?

Here are Edge and Vickie (after a video on Shawn Michaels, which was “next”, not these two, again showing that WWE needs to pay better attention to their own shows) for the end of the ride. Edge dumps her on the floor and sits next to her, saying this is a rough patch like any other marriage. It wasn’t that long ago that they exchanged vows and said for better or for worse.

We see a video on the last few weeks, with Edge cheating on Vickie and getting put in the Cell match with Undertaker as a result. Mick Foley tried to awaken the old Edge, earning himself one heck of a beating. Back in the arena, Edge orders Vickie to apologize to undertaker, which she does, causing Edge to call her pathetic. She caused all of this and Edge feels like he is burning in h***.

This Sunday, Edge is going to make Undertaker burn with him, but why wait? Edge says that just like their marriage, the match with Undertaker is til death do them part. He kneels on Vickie’s chest to end the show after a heck of a promo that made it feel like the Edge of old. It’s hard to believe he has a chance on Sunday, but they’re making it a lot better.

Overall Rating: C+. As has been the case on Raw, it’s pretty clear that Smackdown is a one match show for Summerslam. The Undertaker vs. Edge match is the only noteworthy thing, which says a lot when it’s more about Edge vs. Vickie. HHH vs. Great Khali doesn’t feel overly important and that leaves MVP vs. Jeff Hardy in third place. This show had its good parts with pretty much everything Edge related, but that and a pretty good Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin match isn’t enough to make this show great.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

 




Ring Of Honor – July 25, 2024: Time To “Care”

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 25, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re a day away from Death Before Dishonor and a few more matches have been announced since last week’s show. Normally I would suggest that some more might be announced during this show, but that’s not how Ring Of Honor tends to go. Hopefully we at least get a nice preview for tomorrow so let’s get to it.

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

We run down the card.

We look at Mark Briscoe’s recent efforts, including in Blood & Guts.

Last night after Blood & Guts, a bloody Briscoe was jumped by Roderick Strong.

The Kingdom hasn’t heard from Tony Khan so they must have Death Before Dishonor off. Paul Wight of all people comes in to say he has been named to the ROH Board Of Directors so they will be defending against Tomohiro Ishii and Kyle O’Reilly. This would stem from Rampage when the two of them and Orange Cassidy beat the Undisputed Kingdom (Cassidy got the pin). Ishii has not wrestled in Ring Of Honor since 2019 and O’Reilly has not wrestled in Ring Of Honor since 2016.

They have teamed together once as a two man tea, losing a four way match at this year’s Forbidden Door, meaning they have never won a two on two tag match. Now with that out of the way, let’s make sure to watch any tag matches tonight, because they will obviously be VERY important to the title picture.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Blackpool Combat Club

Moriarty and Yuta start things off in a preview of tomorrow’s Pure Rules Title match. They go with the grappling to tart with Yuta working on the arm. Moriarty fights up and is promptly armdragged back into another armbar. It’s off to Castagnoli vs. Ogogo for the power lockup with Ogogo hitting him in the ribs. That doesn’t work for Castagnoli, who knocks Ogogo down and hands it back to Yuta. A big boot drops Yuta in a hurry but he’s back with a dropkick for a breather.

Moriarty comes in and gets armbarred right over to the ropes for the break. Back up and Yuta dives over for the tag to Castagnoli, who gets to clean house. Castagnoli knocks Moriarty for a running uppercut against the barricade and a double stomp gets two back inside. Ogogo comes back in for a running clothesline in the corner but Castagnoli is back with Swiss Death. Yuta sends Moriarty outside for a suicide dive, leaving Castagnoli to Swing Ogogo into a heck of a lariat for the pin at 11:24.

Rating: B-. This was a good, back and forth match which was longer than most matches get around here. That’s a nice thing to see and the star power helped, though I’m not sure how much it did to boost up Moriarty vs. Yuta at the pay per view. Given that the title hasn’t been defended in almost seven months, one might thing it could get more of the focus here.

Post match Yuta and Moriarty have to be separated and Shane Taylor drops Yuta with the big right hand.

Here are Queen Aminata and Red Velvet for a chat. Lexi Nair won’t let Velvet talk and, after asking Aminata about attacking the one legged Athena, won’t let her talk either. Aminata takes the mic and says the b**** got what she deserved. Cue Athena, who hitches a ride on the back of a security guard, before leaning on Nair to say the other two are too uncultured for an interview.

They have even called her and Billie Starkz names, including THE B WORD a second ago. Athena calls them “raggedy a** lot lizards” and here is Starkz (in matching gear to Athena), who starts walking around just fine. The beatdown is on and Athena swears to retain the title. One of them has to lose right?

Spanish Announce Project vs. Gates Of Agony

Serpentico gets pulled into the wrong corner to start but manages to dodge out to the apron. Angelico comes in and pulls Kaun down into a choke, sending Kaun over to the ropes. The Project takes turns working on Kaun’s arm until Kaun just blasts Angelico down to take over. Liona’s backsplash gets two and he steps on Angelico’s head.

Angelico gets stomped down in the corner and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Kaun trips him down, setting up a quick splash to the back to give Liona two. Angelico manages to kick them together though and it’s back to Serpentico as the pace picks up. Not that it matters as Open The Gates finishes Serpentico at 7:04.

Rating: C. This was exactly what you would expect from these four as the Gates continue to be right in the same place they feel like they have been in for the better part of ever. There is no reason to get excited about them and the same is true for the Project. Granted I’ll take this over another match with Cole Karter and Griff Garrison.

EJ Nduka vs. Jon Cruz

Nduka, who is in great shape, powers Cruz into the corner to start and walks him around the ring for a delayed toss suplex. It works so well that he does it again, setting up one heck of a running shoulder. The most casual big boot you’ll ever see sets up a belly to back slam for the pin on Cruz at 2:55. Short match but Nduka looked impressive with the power stuff.

The MxM Collection is ready to debut at Death Before Dishonor.

Johnny TV/Shane Taylor vs. Lio Rush/Atlantis Jr.

TV Title match preview and Taya Valkyrie is here with the villains. TV and Rush start things off but TV drops to the floor for some personal time with Valkyrie. The distraction lets Rush take TV down but Taylor drops Rush as well. Back in and Rush tries to dodge away from Taylor, who pulls a middle rope crossbody out of the air. That’s escaped as well and Atlantis comes in for a headscissors to TV. Rush and Atlantis take turns striking away on Taylor until Valkyrie trips Rush up.

Taylor hits a heck of a spinebuster to take over and it’s TV getting to stomp him down into the corner. TV knocks Rush outside before handing it back to Taylor to stay on the ribs. Rush finally gets in a shot on TV and it’s a double knockdown for a needed breather. The tag brings Atlantis back in for a missile dropkick but Taylor pulls his high crossbody out of the air as well. Rush high crossbodies into both of them for the double knockdown but Atlantis superkicks Rush by mistake. The Marcus Garvey Driver pins Atlantis at 9:53.

Rating: C+. Completely run of the mill tag match here which did little to change the fact that was know almost nothing about Atlantis. He had that one match with Chris Jericho a few months ago, worked in some tag matches, and then hey he’s the TV Champion. It isn’t about a lack of talent, but he’s the definition of a guy who is just thrown out there with nothing to make him stand out, which isn’t going to work most of the time.

Abadon vs. Dulce Tormenta

Abadon wastes no time in stomping away in the corner but gets hit in the face for a quick two. Back up and a cutter drops Tormenta, setting up the Black Dahlia for the pin at 1:58. Close enough to a squash.

Action Andretti/Fuego del Sol/Komander/Top Flight vs. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson/Nick Comoroto/Anthony Henry

Andretti and Jameson start things off with Andretti busting out some clap pushups. Henry comes in and gets taken into the corner, only to kick Dante in the ribs to take over. Komander comes in and has to kick his way out of Boulder’s powerbomb, setting up a springboard missile dropkick to Bronson. It’s off to Fuego for a springboard hurricanrana but Henry takes over without much trouble. Comoroto’s running elbow gets two as commentary asks about the whereabouts of Jacoby Watts.

Bronson sits on Fuego’s chest for two and the villains take turns doing the same. Boulder’s Vader Bomb misses though and an enziguri allows the tag to Dante. A springboard Downward Spiral gets two on Comoroto as everything breaks down. Comoroto misses a charge into the corner and we get the triple dives from Top Flight and Komander. Fuego hits a tornado DDT and a series of top rope splashes sets up Dante’s frog splash to pin Comoroto (because the IRON SAVAGES must be protected) at 9:24.

Rating: B-. This was the “get a bunch of people on the show” match and they did well enough with all of the dives and flips near the end. I’m not sure if Fuego being back for the first time in about a year and a half is as big of a deal as commentary made it out to be but I’ve seen worse ideas. Fun match here, as you knew it would be.

Red Velvet and Queen Aminata are ready to win the titles tomorrow.

Death Before Dishonor rundown.

Dark Order vs. Von Erichs

Oh yeah we’re near Dallas and yes Kevin is here too. Ross and Silver start things off but it’s quickly off to Marshall for a dropkick. Silver’s running dropkick takes Marshall down though and it’s already time for some stomping in the corner. That’s broken up and it’s back to Ross for some big boots, plus a suplex for two. A grab of the leg from the floor slows Ross down though and Silver powerbombs him onto Reynolds’ raised knees.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as it’s back to Reynolds for a cheap shot to Marshall. Choking seems to fire Ross up but he gets pulled down into a front facelock. Ross fights up and hands it off to Marshall for the hot tag. The Claw is broken up but Reynolds stops to yell at Kevin, allowing Marshall to hit a lariat for the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C. They’re still the Von Erichs and they’re still not that interesting. They’re just such a generic, basic tag team and it shows every time they’re out there. I’m sure we’ll see more of them so their dad can make his special appearances and all that, but I was glad this was as short as it was. The team just isn’t very fun to watch and this match didn’t change that feeling.

Post match the Dark Order goes for the beatdown but Dustin Rhodes makes the save in a preview for their Death Before Dishonor match. That would be the match to decide who faces the Undisputed Kingdom at Battle Of The Belts for the ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles. That’s because A, the title match is happening on an AEW show because of course it is, and B, THE SIX MAN TAG TEAM TITLES ARE BACK BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY ARE! Anyway Iron Clawing sends the Order running to end the show. Yeah that’s it. No hype package, no one last promo, nothing else. Just the Von Erichs and Rhodes celebrating.

Overall Rating: C+. As completely good (at worst) that Death Before Dishonor will be, the more astounded I am at how little effort there is going into it. The World Champion can’t even appear on the show to hype it up? The Tag Team Title match is announced backstage with a new team getting the shot? Some matches getting no build whatsoever? But not that it matters anyway, as in a week or two we’ll be back to the same lack of attention that it always gets, because that’s how Ring Of Honor works.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Lariat to Ogogo
Gates Of Agony b. Spanish Announce Project – Open The Gates to Serpentico
EJ Nduka b. Jon Cruz – Belly to back slam
Shane Taylor/Johnny TV b. Atlantis Jr./Lio Rush – Marcus Garvey Driver to Atlantis Jr.
Abadon b. Dulce Tormenta – Black Dahlia
Action Andretti/Fuego del Sol/Komander/Top Flight b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson/Nick Comoroto/Anthony Henry – Frog splash to Comoroto
Von Erichs b. Dark Order – Lariat to Reynolds

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

 




Battle Of The Belts XI: They’ve Lost The Point

Battle Of The Belts XI
Date: July 27, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Ian Riccaboni

It’s another of these shows and in this case most of the card isn’t for a title. We have two Eliminator matches, plus a match for the recently revived Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles. That doesn’t make for much of a show but then again this has never been much of a series. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at various titles, including some title matches being set up at All In.

Toni Storm vs. Taya Valkyrie

Non-title. Storm is looking a bit more serious here so Taya throws her some sunglasses. Said glasses go on and Storm hammers away to take over fast. A hair toss sends Taya flying and a running hip attack knocks her out to the floor. Taya is fine enough to hit a Meteora to against the steps to take over but Storm fights back without much trouble. That earns her an electric chair drop onto the apron and we take a break.

Back with Taya holding a half crab with Storm crawling over to the ropes. Storm grabs a Backstabber out of the corner and suplexes her down for two. The running hip attack sets up a DDT for two on Taya but she’s right back with the sliding German suplex. A spear gives Taya two more and Shania Pain is good for the same, with Storm having to grab the rope. Not that it matters as Storm Zero out of nowhere gives Storm the pin at 9:08.

Rating: C+. The important thing here is that Storm was playing it more seriously, which is what should happen after such a violent attack. Storm is someone who can make either story work and it seems that we are in for a fresh version of her. I’m not sure I can imagine her retaining the title at All In, but at least she is going into it as she should.

Post match Storm says this tramp is still the champ before saying Mariah May was perfect. She was all of Storm’s dreams come to life and occasionally a better Storm than Storm. Then May made a mistake by not cutting her head off when she had the chance. This is already a better version of Storm for this story and that is great to see.

Kip Sabian wants to do his family proud and that means going after the Patriarchy and Nick Wayne.

Willow Nightingale vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Non-title. Nightingale shoves her way out of a headlock to start so Purrazzo goes for a test of strength. Back up and Nightingale slams her down, setting up a faceplant and crossbody for two. Purrazzo knocks her outside for a breather though and we take a break. We come back with Nightingale clotheslining her way out of trouble and grabbing a spinebuster for two.

Nightingale goes up but gets pulled down in a heap, only to come back with a Death Valley Driver for two on Purrazzo. Back up and Purrazzo hits a superkick but Nightingale runs him over with a clothesline. Cue Taya Valkyrie with something made of metal, only to have Thunder Rosa run in for the save. The Pounce into the Babe With The Powerbomb finishes for Nightingale at 11:36.

Rating: C+. The interference at the end became the focus and we should be in for a tag match down the line. Nightingale gets a win shortly after winning the CMLL Women’s Title, and odds are this couldn’t be a title match due to some issue from CMLL itself. That makes me wonder why they would put this on, but at least Nightingale gets the win.

Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles: Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs vs. Undisputed Kingdom

For the vacant titles and Kevin Von Erich is here as well. Paul Wight is on commentary as well to make this feel a bit more special. Ross and Strong start things off before it’s quickly off to Marshall for a dropkick. Some hiptosses put Bennett down so Taven comes in, meaning it’s off to Dustin for some arm cranking. Everything breaks down and the villains are kicked to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Taven suplexing Ross for two and grabbing the chinlock. That’s broken up and Ross hits a Sling Blade as Dustin gets back up after being piledriven on the ramp during the break. The Canadian Destroyer hits Taven and Cross Rhodes gets two on Bennett. Shattered Dreams is broken up and the Kingdom strikes away for two on Dustin. Bennett gets in a cowbell shot for two so here is Katsuyori Shibata with the Claw. Kevin adds his own, leaving the Von Erichs to clean house. Dustin gets the Final Reckoning to pin Bennett at 13:27.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough, but this was about Dustin getting a title and the Von Erichs getting to do something to pop the Dallas area crowd. That being said, it feels like the titles were brought back for the sole reason of this kind of moment and as a result, it doesn’t have the same impact. You had one thrown together team beating a team who rarely teams together and now they’re champions. That’s a stretch, but it could have been worse.

The locker room comes out to celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. And yes, I did say all of the matches were better than the overall rating. That’s not the point here. This show is supposed to be about titles and title matches, but instead we got a show with two matches that weren’t for titles and one for a vacant title. No champions actually defended their titles here and most of the show didn’t even have belts on the line. Not only is the show thrown together at the last minute, but now they’re barely even focusing on the point of the show. This wasn’t a special but rather a lame version of Rampage with a “feel good” ending. AEW can and should do better than this.

Results
Toni Storm b. Taya Valkyrie – Storm Zero
Willow Nightingale b. Deonna Purrazzo – Babe With The Powerbomb
Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs b. Undisputed Kingdom – Final Reckoning to Bennett

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

 




Daily News Update – July 28, 2024

Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

Monday Night Raw – August 11, 2008

ECW On Sci Fi – August 12, 2008

Dynamite – July 24, 2024

NXT LVL Up – July 12, 2024

Death Before Dishonor 2024

Smackdown – July 26, 2024

Rampage – July 26, 2024

Collision – July 27, 2024


 

WATCH: Former Champion Makes Surprise Debut On AEW Dynamite, Aligns With Mercedes Mone.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-former-champion-makes-surprise-debut-on-aew-dynamite-aligns-with-mercedes-mone/

It’s Over: Ten Year Old Streak Snapped This Week On Monday Night Raw.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/its-over-ten-year-old-streak-snapped-this-week-on-monday-night-raw/

Swap? Pat McAfee Makes Major Announcement, May Have Big Impact On WWE Role.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/swap-pat-mcafee-makes-major-announcement-may-have-big-impact-on-wwe-role/

WATCH: AEW Title Changes On Dynamite But Without A New Champion.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-aew-title-changes-on-dynamite-but-without-a-new-champion/

WATCH: Tommaso Ciampa Tries Another Way To Get Randy Orton (And Learns A Valuable Lesson).

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-tommaso-ciampa-tries-another-way-to-get-randy-orton-and-learns-a-valuable-lesson/

Homecoming? Missing WWE Superstar Discussed For Return In The Near Future.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/homecoming-missing-wwe-superstar-discussed-for-return-in-the-near-future/

That’s Good: Injury Update On Monday Night Raw Star Following Brutal Spot.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/thats-good-injury-update-on-monday-night-raw-star-following-brutal-spot/

And Done? Wrestling Legend Reportedly Planning Retirement After Thirty Year Career.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/and-done-wrestling-legend-reportedly-planning-retirement-after-thirty-year-career/

Ouch: Chris Jericho Reveals Injury Suffered During This Week’s AEW Dynamite.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/ouch-chris-jericho-reveals-injury-suffered-during-this-weeks-aew-dynamite/

Double Shot: Former WWE Superstar Announces She Is Expecting Second Child.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/double-shot-former-wwe-superstar-announces-she-is-expecting-second-child/

Beast Mode? Triple H Weighs In On A Potential Brock Lesnar WWE Return.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/beast-mode-triple-h-weighs-in-on-a-potential-brock-lesnar-wwe-return/

LOOK: Injured WWE Superstar Makes Surprise Appearance At Live Event.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/look-injured-wwe-superstar-makes-surprise-appearance-at-live-event/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Backstage Update On CM Punk’s Status And Reputation.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-backstage-update-on-cm-punks-status-and-reputation/

LOOK: Drew McIntyre Poses With AEW Star In Amazing Troll Of CM Punk.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/look-drew-mcintyre-poses-with-aew-star-in-amazing-troll-of-cm-punk/

Farewell: WWE Hall Of Famer Departs Company.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/farewell-wwe-hall-of-famer-departs-company/

Working On It: Details On Jon Moxley’s AEW Status Following Forbidden Door.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/working-on-it-details-on-jon-moxleys-aew-status-following-forbidden-door/

LOOK: Two WWE Superstars Get Married.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/look-two-wwe-superstars-get-married/

Try It Again? Update On Bobby Lashley And MVP’s WWE Statuses, Possible Future Plans.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/try-it-again-update-on-bobby-lashley-and-mvps-wwe-statuses-possible-future-plans/

Stick Around: AEW Star Reportedly Attempted To Return To WWE, Received “Lucrative” New Contract To Stay.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/stick-around-aew-star-reportedly-attempted-to-return-to-wwe-received-lucrative-new-contract-to-stay/

Next Man Up: Bloodline Member Injured, Replacement Wins Important Match.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/next-man-up-bloodline-member-injured-replacement-wins-important-match/

As Not Advertised: Joe Hendry Makes Surprise NXT Appearance, Participates In Match.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/as-not-advertised-joe-hendry-makes-surprise-nxt-appearance-participates-in-match/

He’s In: CM Punk Makes Impressive Statement About Current WWE Locker Room And Backstage Atmosphere.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hes-in-cm-punk-makes-impressive-statement-about-current-wwe-locker-room-and-backstage-atmosphere/

Come On? Important Update On Giulia’s WWE Debut Status.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/come-on-important-update-on-giulias-wwe-debut-status/

DANG: Nia Jax Takes Huge Shot At Bayley Before Their Summerslam Match.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/dang-nia-jax-takes-huge-shot-at-bayley-before-their-summerslam-match/

LOOK: Two WWE Superstars Reveal They Are Dating In Funny Photos.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/look-two-wwe-superstars-reveal-they-are-dating-in-funny-photos/

Objection: Here Is How WWE Looks At A Potential Brock Lesnar Return.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/objection-here-is-how-wwe-looks-at-a-potential-brock-lesnar-return/

 

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (featuring news stories written by ME).




Collision – July 27, 2024: Dang That’s A Good Show

Collision
Date: July 27, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re continuing the rather long Tony Khan weekend as the road to All In has another Saturday stop. This is also the first half of a double header with the latest Battle Of The Belts, meaning some people might not be available. We also have the fallout from Blood & Guts to deal with so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy vs. Johnny TV

Taya Valkyrie is here with TV and this is fallout from an event at Comic Con. Cassidy works on the arm to start so TV chills in the corner (upside down, just because he can). They take turns putting on the sunglasses until Cassidy sends him out to the floor. There’s the suicide dive (with hands in pockets and glasses on) but TV is back in with the Russian legsweep and a knee to the face. The standing moonsault misses but Cassidy is sent outside anyway, with TV pulling off the barricade cover.

Taya and TV stop for some kissing, with the delay allowing Cassidy to send him into the buckle. TV is back up with a Flying Chuck to knock him off the apron though and it’s time to work on the arm. The Stundog Millionaire gets Cassidy out of trouble and the tornado DDT gets two. TV counters the Orange Punch into the flipping neckbreaker, only to miss Starship Pain. The second neckbreaker sets up the connecting Starship Pain but Cassidy is right back with the Beach Break. The Orange Punch finishes TV at 10:32.

Rating: C+. This is one of those matches that was going to work because of who was involved. Cassidy is going to get a strong reaction no matter what he is doing while TV is a veteran who can make someone else look good. That’s what we had here and it made for a perfectly nice opener.

Post match Taya jumps Cassidy but Willow Nightingale (Cassidy’s partner in the Comic Con event) makes the save.

We look at the Patriarchy winning the AEW Trios Titles last week. This is different than the Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles, because that is a thing that needs to exist.

The Bang Bang Gang swears vengeance on the Patriarchy, including Mother Wayne.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Brian Cage/Lee Moriarty vs. Top Flight

Cage is replacing an injured Shane Taylor. Moriarty and Yuta start things off with the latter armdragging him into a dropkick. Darius comes in to avoid Yuta’s charge, setting up Dante’s springboard high crossbody for two. Castagnoli comes in as well but is quickly knocked outside as well. Back in and Cage tags himself in to full nelson slam Dante as we take a break.

We come back with Cage hitting a wheelbarrow neckbreaker for two on Dante but Yuta makes the save. Castagnoli comes back in to clean house with the running uppercuts in the corner. The Swing has Moriarty in trouble but Darius makes a blind tag to break up the big lariat. Cage is back in to powerbomb the heck out of Darius but gets in the staredown with Castagnoli. They slug it out until Top Flight superkick them to the floor, setting up the dives. Cage blasts Darius with the discus lariat but Yuta tags himself in, dropkicks Moriarty, and hits something like an Angle Slam into the Seatbelt to pin Darius at 10:41.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match that AEW knows how to do rather well and they did it again here. In theory Yuta needed to get his win back after losing to Moriarty, but it would have been nice to not have Top Flight taking another loss. The team feels like they could be something but it isn’t going to happen if they keep losing over and over.

The Conglomeration is interrupted by Willow Nightingale, who is ready to fight on Battle Of The Belts. Mark Briscoe is ready too, and even has Kyle O’Reilly hold his title (which is thrown into the air multiple times) so he can introduce the newest member: his newborn son. Well that’s just awesome. Orange Cassidy is tired.

Beast Mortos vs. Hologram

Hologram spins around to start and armdrags Mortos down. The sunset flip is broken up though and we’re off to an early standoff. Mortos snaps off a powerslam for two and hits a heck of a Pounce to send us to a break. Back with Hologram snapping off a rather spinning headscissors but getting caught on top in a super Wing Clipper for one. They wind up on the apron with Hologram kicking him the face and hitting something like a running Canadian Destroyer.

A big rope walk flip dive hits Mortos on the floor, setting up a heck of a suicide dive. Back in and a step up poisonrana plants Mortos for two but he runs Hologram over for the same. They go up top with the super gorilla press being reversed into a headscissors to bring Mortos back down. A rope walk crucifix bomb into a crucifix gives Hologram the pin at 12:04.

Rating: B. Yeah this was a much better showcase for Hologram, who got to showcase some awesome stuff and wasn’t the second great high flier on the show this week. I’m still not sure if the gimmick (assuming he really has one) is working yet but at least the high flying aspects are working. Just do more of this and it should work better.

Thunder Rosa vs. Maya World

They circle each other a bit to start until Rosa grabs a quick armdrag. World gets in a shot of her own and Rosa is not happy, meaning it’s a Thesz press into some hammering. A running corner dropkick sets up a double stomp and a seated cobra clutch finishes World at 3:36.

Rating: C. Just a squash here to get Rosa boosted back up a bit after her repeated losses to Deonna Purrazzo. Rosa being moved back up the card is not a bad thing at all as it allows another established name to be around. I’m not sure where she would fit in, but the talent is there to make it work.

Lance Archer has attacked a bunch of people in the back. He wants Will Ospreay on Dynamite.

Conglomeration vs. Premiere Athletes

The Athletes insult the crowd on the way to the ring and it’s O’Reilly starting with Woods. The technical off goes to Woods who drives him into the corner for some right hands from Nese. O’Reilly brings in Briscoe for a clothesline, followed by the chops from Ishii. For some reason Nese tries to chop Ishii and it goes as well as you would expect. Briscoe grabs a suplex and it’s already back to O’Reilly as the rapid fire tags continue. Briscoe hits a big dive and we take an early break.

Back with O’Reilly suplexing Daivari down and handing it back to Ishii to clean house. Everything breaks down and Briscoe suplexes Nese for two. The Jay Driller is broken up and something like a reverse 3D into a frog splash gives Daivari two. Woods’ backbreaker into a lariat drops Briscoe and it’s time for the parade of strikes to the face. Nese’s big flip dive hits Daivari by mistake but Woods snaps off a series of suplexes. Not that it matters as O’Reilly cross armbreakers Daivari for the win at 1020.

Rating: B. This was a good example of a match where the people involved were allowed to go nuts. It says a lot about the Conglomeration that they were able to make the Athletes, who might be the least interesting villains in AEW today, work this well. Very entertaining match here and they pulled me into it.

Chris Jericho says Minoru Suzuki has broke his finger during his match, making it very hard to say HI GUYS. Revenge is sworn against both Suzuki and Katsuyori Shibata.

Lance Archer vs. ???

Two chokeslams and the Blackout finish for Archer at 1:00. Trash talk to Will Ospreay was included.

FTR vs. MxM Collection

That would be Mason and Mansoor, formerly known as the Maximum Male Models in WWE. Harwood grabs a wristlock to start but Mansoor flips out and strikes an early pose. Mansoor flips over him and dances a bit, earning a hard chop and a slingshot shoulder from Wheeler. Mason comes in and hits a hip attack, setting up a bit of a dance of his own. A double legdrop combination gets two on Wheeler but Harwood punches Mansoor in the face. It’s too early for the Shatter Machine though and we take a break.

Back with Harwood fighting his way out of the corner but Mason’s distraction means a small package gets a delayed one. Another hip attack takes Harwood down for two and the bearhug goes on. That’s broken up with a quick bite to the head but something like a Hart Attack gets two on Harwood. Back up and Harwood makes the tag off to Wheeler to pick up the pace. A Gory Bomb gets two on Mansoor and a sunset flip is good for the same. The spike piledriver is broken up but Mason is sent to the floor, setting up the Shatter Machine to pin Mansoor at 11:26.

Rating: B. This was a change of pace from the Collection’s debut as they were doing a more straight match, which shouldn’t be a surprise when they’re in there against FTR. They still got in enough of their comedy to make it work though and it made for an entertaining match. At the same time, I wouldn’t have the Collection lose so early, but they were far from buried or even heavily damaged.

Respect is shown post match.

The Acclaimed is fired up over winning at Blood & Guts and want their Tag Team Titles back.

Pac vs. Lio Rush

They go technical to start with Rush armdragging him into the corner and striking a bit of a pose. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Rush down for a change but he rolls Pac up for a fast two. Back up and Pac strikes away as we take an early break. We come back with Rush fighting out of the corner but his hurricanrana is countered into a sitout powerbomb. The snap German suplex is blocked though and Rush knocks him down again. Pac is sent outside but a bottom rope Asai moonsault is cut off.

Instead Rush settles for a heck of a suicide dive into the barricade, followed by a Falcon Arrow for two. Rush hits a headbutt but has a springboard reversed into a heck of a German suplex. It’s too early for the Black Arrow though as Rush rolls away and kicks him in the head. The springboard cutter gives Rush two but Pac gets his knees up to block the Final Hour. Back up and Rush strikes away until Pac clotheslines him into the Brutalizer for the pin at 13:12.

Rating: B. I’m not normally a fan of Rush but he was doing his high flying and fast moving rather well here. It made for another entertaining match, especially with Pac there to beat him up. Pac finally caught him in the end for the win which is how it should have gone, though Rush did put up a good fight on the way there.

Overall Rating: A-. You don’t get that kind of a collection of matches on a free show very often and this was a heck of a way to spend two hours. It was one entertaining match after another and as usual, just letting the wrestlers do their thing and showcase their talent worked exceptionally. This was one of the better AEW shows in a bit and that is nice to see after some hit and miss results.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Johnny TV – Orange Punch
Blackpool Combat Club b. Brian Cage/Lee Moriarty and Top Flight – Seatbelt to Darius
Hologram b. Beast Mortos – Crucifix
Thunder Rosa b. Maya World – Seated cobra clutch
Conglomeration b. Premiere Athletes – Cross armbreaker to Daivari
Lance Archer b. ??? – Blackout
FTR b. MxM Collection – Shatter Machine to Mansoor
Pac b. Lio Rush – Brutalizer

 

 

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