John Cena On Velocity
Commentators: Marc Lloyd, Michael Cole, Tazz, Ernest Miller, Josh Matthews

This is firmly in the “oh well why not” category as the WWE Vault comes through with another totally random collection. Velocity was the low level Saturday night show for a good while and since Cena wasn’t exactly a star yet, he was around for a good while. That should make for an interesting collection so let’s get to it.

From September 7, 2002.

John Cena vs. Chavo Guerrero

They fight over a lockup to start as commentary talks about the recent international tours. Guerrero takes him down into an armbar, which doesn’t last very long. Guerrero begs off and lures Cena in for some working on the leg. The leg is wrapped around the rope and a dropkick gives Guerrero two.

Cena fights up and gets elbowed right back down, with Guerrero cranking on the leg again. A Muta Lock has Cena in more trouble and the dropkick to the knee cuts him down again. Back up and Cena gets a boot up in the corner, allowing him to small package Guerrero for the win at 6:30.

Rating: C. This was a totally basic match and that’s what Cena needed at this point. He had only been around for a few months so putting him out there with someone like Guerrero for an easy to follow match was the right idea. Guerrero was a great choice for making others look good and he did it again here, which is why he has been around for so long.

From September 28, 2002.

John Cena vs. Reverend D-Von

Cena takes him down by the arm to start and cranks away with a rollup getting two. Back up and D-Von knocks him outside to take over. They get back inside with one heck of a clothesline getting two on Cena, who manages to avoid a middle rope elbow. Back up and Cena hits a dropkick into a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker for two of his own. The right hands in the corner are cut off with a diving neckbreaker for two but Cena grabs a quick sunset flip for the pin at 5:13.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t as interesting as the Guerrero match as Dudley wasn’t exactly making Cena look great. The finish coming out of nowhere again isn’t the best sign for Cena either, as both of his wins have felt like he’s just stealing pins rather than definitively beating anyone. He’s winning, but that’s only getting him so much.

Post match D-Von lays him out, much to Tazz’s approval.

From October 5, 2002.

John Cena vs. Albert

Albert powers him around to start but Cena is back up with the right hands in the corner. That earns Albert a SHAVE YOUR BACK chant so he slugs Cena down without much trouble. A running shot in the corner gets two and Albert rakes Cena’s eyes on the mat. The running splash in the corner connects for two more as I try to figure out why Albert’s torso is so much more tanned than his legs.

Albert lays him on the top for some forearms to the chest but Cena gets in a belly to back suplex for two of his own. The pump kick gives Albert two more and I was surprised by that kickout. Back up and Cena grabs a ProtoBomb out of nowhere (that’s some nice power) for the pin at 5:21.

Rating: C+. Now this is where you’re getting more into Cena’s wheelhouse, as he was getting to do more of a power brawl here. Cena knew how to make a comeback (well at least one at his level here) and make it believable, which worked out well enough. Throw in the impressive power display at the end and you could see what would work for Cena in the future.

From November 30, 2002.

John Cena vs. Danny DeNucci

NOW we get interesting as Cena not only has Bull Buchanan (B Squared) as his muscle but he’s also a rapper who tells the Columbia, South Carolina fans to go sleep with their sisters. DeNucci actually hits a clothesline to start as commentary wonders why DeNucci has blue hair. Cena fights back and chokes on the rope, setting up a hard elbow to the jaw for two. The ProtoBomb (or close to one) gets two on DeNucci, who is right back with a middle rope clothesline. A running bulldog gives DeNucci two of his own but Cena is back with a heck of a clothesline. The ProtoBomb finishes for Cena at 4:02.

Rating: C. This was more about DeNucci looking surprisingly good than anything else as Cena was still figuring out what to do in the ring with the rapping stuff. It’s still a work in progress but the new character is such an improvement. The generic Cena wasn’t going to last so this was a huge and necessary upgrade.

From December 7, 2002.

John Cena vs. Paul London

Bull Buchanan is with Cena, who wrestles London down without much trouble to start. Back up and Cena misses a charge into the corner, allowing London to snap off a spinwheel kick. A crossbody misses though and Cena gives him that big clothesline that he usually gives for his last possible option. Buchanan’s cheap shot gives Cena two more and he grabs the seated full nelson. With that broken up, Cena spends too much time jawing with a fan and gets enziguried. A springboard spinning crossbody puts Cena down again and a springboard moonsault gets two. Cena is right back up with the ProtoBomb for the pin at 4:24.

Rating: C+. Believe it or not, London looked good in defeat here but you can see Cena still doing a lot of the same things. There wasn’t much here that made him stand out, as he only had so much in the ring. The good thing though is he has the fans getting mad at him and that is going going to open up a lot of doors for him going forward.

From December 28, 2002.

John Cena vs. Chuck Palumbo

Buchanan is still here and Cena raps about how terrible it is to be in Oklahoma. Palumbo charges in to clear the ring and hits Cena with a right hand on the floor to start fast. They get inside with Palumbo knocking him down for two but a Buchanan distraction lets Cena get in a running clothesline.

A suplex gives Cena two and he grabs the seated full nelson. That’s broken up so Cena elbows him (in the arm) for two more, setting up another full nelson. Palumbo fights out again and hits a running clothesline, followed by a spinning belly to belly for two. An overhead belly to belly sends Cena flying and a spinning right hand drops him again. Buchanan comes in and gets Jungle Kicked (not well either), allowing Cena to hit a low blow for the pin at 5:08.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as it was really just showing that Cena was still trying to figure out a bunch of the little things. He’s doing well with playing to the crowd, but a lot of these matches finish out of nowhere. The stuff before that is ok enough, but it’s still not really flowing well from start to finish.

From February 8, 2003 and you might have seen this one before.

John Cena vs. Bryan Danielson

For whatever reason, this is listed as Cena vs. Brock Lesnar on the YouTube chapter descriptions. Danielson goes after the arm to start and Cena (in long pants instead of trunks here) actually takes him down. A crank of the arm lets Danielson get in a drop toehold and it’s off to a quickly broken Kimura.

Cena takes him down again with a test of strength but can’t break Danielson’s bridge. He can however kick Danielson in the ribs and elbow him in the face for two, meaning it’s time for some frustration. Back up and Cena grabs a bearhug of all things, which is broken up rather quickly. Danielson strikes away but walks into the ProtoBomb to give Cena the pin at 3:42.

Rating: C+. Believe it or not, Danielson is someone who can help Cena do a better job of stringing a match together. This was Cena working on the ribs and Danielson fighting to stay in there until Cena hit a big move to win. Danielson was of course a nobody at this point, but they would headline Summerslam about ten years later. Wrestling is a weird, weird place.

From June 21, 2003.

John Cena vs. Funaki

The jorts are here! Funaki strikes away to start fast and snaps off a headscissors. Cena knocks him down but misses an elbow as commentary is surprised at how fast Funaki is starting. Back up and Cena sends him into the corner and hits the big clothesline to start the trash talk. Matthews wonders what You Can’t See Me means but the discussion is cut off as Cena ducks a crossbody. The delayed vertical suplex puts Funaki down for two and we’re off to the chinlock. Funaki fights out again and grabs a tornado DDT for two of his own. The crucifix is loaded up but Cena reverses into the FU for the pin at 3:43.

Rating: C. Oh yeah now Cena has come a long way in about four months. This was FAR closer to the version of Cena you would have expected, down to the look and finisher. He was also getting ready to turning good and that worked about as well as possible. You can see the things coming together, and that’s only going to make things better for him.

From May 1, 2004.

US Title: John Cena vs. Akio

Cena, now a full on good guy, is defending and Akio charges at him to start fast. The fans go nuts as Cena fights back, only to have Akio’s associate Sakoda cut off the Throwback. Akio kicks away in the corner but Cena gives him the running clothesline out of the corner. A side slam sets up the Five Knuckle Shuffle and Cena pumps up the shoes. The FU is loaded up and, after swinging Akio at Sakoda, Cena retains at 1:59. The fans went NUTS on the pin and my goodness Cena is a star.  This might as well have been a different person from the rest of the matches in this collection.

Overall Rating: C. So as you can tell, there wasn’t much to a lot of these matches and most of them were just ways to get Cena in the ring to build up some more experience. Things would get better near the end as Cena absolutely exploded near the end, with the last match having Cena feel like a mega star. To say that Cena had bigger moments would be an understatement, but it is fun to see a quick look like this at the very formative months.

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

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Fan Favorites
Commentators: Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes, Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan
Host: Sean Mooney

This is another random Coliseum Video but a good bit shorter than most of them. I’m not sure what that is going to mean and now I’m wondering what this is going to wind up being. Hopefully these aren’t the kind of lunkheaded fans who don’t like exactly the same things I do so let’s get to it.

This appears to be from around 1992.

The opening video seems to preview the card.

Sean Mooney welcomes us to the tape and says the card has all been chosen from fan requests.

From February 19, 1991 in Fort Myers, Florida.

Earthquake vs. Ultimate Warrior

Jimmy Hart is here with Earthquake…and this is from WrestleFest 91, even down to the same commentary. Earthquake jumps him to start and gets taken down with some running shoulders. That’s enough to send Earthquake outside while Warrior goes after Hart. The cheap shot lets Earthquake take over and power Warrior into the corner back inside. Earthquake crushes him in the corner and slowly hammers away. Stomping and an elbow set up the Earthquake, which of course triggers the comeback. Warrior hits the running clotheslines and a slam sets up the Warrior Splash for the pin at 5:41.

Rating: C-. Ok so they can’t all be winners. There was pretty much nothing here, but it just makes me wonder how things would have gone if Earthquake was the first real challenger for Warrior when he won the WWF Title. He would have been a perfect foil for Warrior and certainly fresh, but that doesn’t leave much for Hogan and that’s a problem. Unfortunately it wound up being Warrior’s problem, though the match was nothing remotely special anyway.

Post match Warrior throws Hart at Earthquake.

From February 18, 1992 in West Palm Beach, Florida (and from Battle Of The WWF Superstars 1992).

Randy Savage vs. Berzerker

Savage ducks some clotheslines to start but Berzerker hammers away. They go outside to keep up the pounding before going back inside so Berzerker can throw him over the top again. Back in again and Berzerker hits a piledriver before throwing him back outside for a slam on the exposed concrete.

They head inside again with Savage fighting back and commentary talking about how this is an EXCLUSIVE for Battle Of The WWF Superstars 1992, because that’s how cheap this tape is. The referee is ducked and Mr. Fuji throws salt in Berzerer’s eyes by mistake. A top rope cane shot sets up the top rope elbow to give Savage the pin at 4:08.

Rating: D. There are some outstanding Savage matches throughout history but there are also a lot that are basically him doing nothing but the basics before doing something to set up the elbow. This was the latter and the match was what you would expect. Thankfully Savage would get into a feud with Ric Flair soon after this and re-energize everything

From May 19, 1992 in Lexington, Kentucky (featuring Papa/Mama KB and I in the front row)

The Mountie/Beverly Brothers vs. Undertaker/Legion Of Doom

The Genius/Jimmy Hart/Paul Bearer/Paul Ellering are here too. For some reason the Genius mocks the other team before the match, which feels REALLY STUPID. Animal shoves Blake into the corner to start but Blake actually comes out with a powerslam of all things. That earns Blake a powerslam from Animal (I’ll let you guess which was better) and the villains all bail out to the floor.

Beau comes in and gets scared away by Hawk, meaning it’s time for another meeting on the floor. Back in and Hawk elbows him to the floor and the chase lets Beau get in some ax handles. Those work as well as Beau Beverly ax handling Hawk is going to and it’s a gorilla press to send Beau flying. Mountie comes in and gets to face Undertaker, who is having none of this I AM THE MOUNTIE jazz. A choke on the ropes has Mountie in more trouble so it’s back to Hawk vs. Blake.

For some reason Blake wants Hawk to try a running shoulder, which sends Blake flying. Hawk misses a charge into the post though and the bad guys actually get to take over for a bit. Beau adds a middle rope Hennig necksnap but Blake misses a middle rope headbutt. Animal comes back in to clean house, including a heck of a flying shoulder. A double DDT drops the Brothers and everything breaks down. Beau gets caught in the Dooms…actually a top rope Hart Attack (the old version) for the pin at 13:32.

Rating: C-. And that might be the match of the tape thus far. This was basically just a nothing house show match with the massive appeal being the Undertaker and LOD teaming up (though there was a heck of a potentially interesting….something with the managers on the floor). The Beverlys and Mountie were a weak team no matter what, but it was nice to see such an awesome team getting to slaughter people. Oh and one more thing: I’m supposed to believe that someone wrote a letter asking to see this specific six man? Really?

From This Tuesday In Texas (my goodness this is a lazy tape).

Intercontinental Title: Bret Hart vs. Skinner

Hart is defending and works on the arm to start, followed by some atomic drops. A running clothesline puts Skinner on the floor before it’s right back to the arm. Some cranking on the mat has Skinner in more trouble so he grabs the hair, only for Hart to twist the arm some more. Oh yeah this isn’t interested Hart and it’s showing.

Back up and Hart is sent hard into the post and Skinner gets in some choking on the floor. An abdominal stretch goes on, with Monsoon complaining about the form (there’s your free Bingo square), followed by a shoulder breaker to give Skinner two. The alligator claw to the throat has Hart in more trouble, though he does insist that it was a forearm. The chest first whip into the buckle lets Skinner go…for the leg? Even Heenan realizes that’s a bad idea and it’s the reverse DDT for two on Hart.

Skinner goes up and dives into a raised boot, which lets Hart start the comeback. The Russian legsweep and middle rope elbow give Hart two and he kicks Skinner outside to break up a rollup. Skinner goes up and gets slammed down, setting up the Sharpshooter to retain the title at 13:46.

Rating: C-. What were you expecting here? This is a match that I’ve seen a bunch of times as it’s on both the pay per view and Supertape 92. Hart clearly wasn’t interested and can you blame him? The match is against Skinner six days after he and Shawn Michaels headlined Survivor Series in a pretty great match. How hyped was he supposed to be here?

From March 10, 1992 in Biloxi, Mississippi (and from WrestleFest 1992).

Natural Disasters vs. Nasty Boys

The Boys have Jimmy Hart with them. Sags elbows away at Typhoon to start and tries a slam for some reason (the team never was that bright). Typhoon slams him instead and hits a splash in the corner so it’s off to Knobbs vs. Earthquake. Knobbs is dropped a few times to start and a slam makes it even worse.

An elbow to the back (after what looked like some missed timing) has Knobbs in more trouble but Sags gets in a cheap shot from the apron (I wonder if that was supposed to happen the first time) to take over. The Boys take turns beating on Earthquake, who just sits on Sags’ chest for two as Knobbs makes the save. Everything breaks down and Hart brings in the helmet. That’s cut off by Typhoon and Earthquake drops an elbow to pin Sags at 6:28.

Rating: D. This was a fittingly bad ending to an awful tape. There was nothing going on here with the Boys not being able to do much against the monsters. The Disasters winning off a basic elbow tells you just about everything you need to know here, as this was somehow less interesting than it sounds.

Mooney gets more letters and wraps it up.

Overall Rating: D-. I mean….dang man. What is there to say about something like this? There was nothing going on with this whole thing and nothing resembling a match you might want to see. It isn’t even a lack of star power as you have the Ultimate Warriors, Savage, Hart, the LOD and Undertaker but they couldn’t work miracles. This felt like something thrown together in about five minutes with the Mooney bookending segments probably filmed in even less time. Just nothing to see here and incredibly disappointing as they could have easily found anything better than most of this stuff.

Results
Ultimate Warrior b. Earthquake – Warrior Splash
Randy Savage b. Berzerker – Flying elbow
Undertaker/Legion Of Doom b. The Mountie/Beverly Brothers – Top rope Hart Attack to Beau
Bret Hart b. Skinner – Sharpshooter
Natural Disasters b. Nasty Boys – Elbow to Sags

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @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 I would know first hand.

https://www.smarkdownsblog.com/danhausen-wwe-success

AAA On FOX
Date: June 20, 2026
Location: Foro GNP Seguros, Merida, Mexico
Commentators: Rey Mysterio, John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves

After last week’s rather down show, we’re up for something a bit bigger here as both Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio and El Grande Americano are here. That should be enough to carry the show as we are on the long road to TripleMania. It should be interesting to see what is next for Americano after his star making performance last month so let’s get to it.

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

As usual various people arrive and I’m not sure why El Grande Americano is carrying a duck.

El Ojo vs. Mini Vikingo/El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

Dorian Roldan is here with El Ojo and for the sake of simplicity, we’ll go with “Vikingo” for El Hijo del Vikingo” and “Mini” for Mini Vikingo. Wagner books Vikingo down to start and a dropkick to the back of the head gets two. Vikingo goes to the eyes though and gets two off a rollup with his feet on the ropes. A rip at the Wagner’s mask just wakes Wagner up as he grabs a powerslam and hands it off to Mini.

The flipping and spinning abound but Vikingo gets in a knockdown to cut off the momentum. Omos comes in to choke Mini on the top rope and Roldan even gets in a cheap shot. Some surprisingly fast elbow drops crush Mini and it’s back to Vikingo, who gets taken down with a super hurricanrana. Wagner comes back in to clean house but Vikingo hits a running Meteora in the corner. Mini is back up with a springboard crucifix bomb for the fluke pin on Vikingo at 6:36.

Rating: C+. The shocked face from Mini is a great look and it was rather fascinating to see him be the kryptonite to a star like Vikingo. Odds are this sets him up for the big underdog title shot where Vikingo smashes him but that’s still a great boost for him. The match was also an impressive showing from Omos, who was moving out there in a way you don’t often see from him.

Post match El Ojo comes back in to clear the winners out and the beating is on. Omos grabs the steps but Galeno runs in for the failed save attempt.

Dominik Mysterio says that a lot of things have changed around here but he is still the Mega Champion. He is still the king of the luchadors and he is going to TripleMania.

Psycho Clown is walking in the back…and that’s it. I’m not sure if that was supposed to air at that point.

Video on Rey Fenix winning the Cruiserweight Title.

Cruiserweight Title: Lince Dorado vs. Laredo Kid vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix is defending. Kid snaps off some hurricanranas to take over early on and a Michinoku Driver gets two on Dorado. With Kid knocked down, Fenix rolls Dorado up for two but Kid is back up to pull Fenix outside. Kid’s big dive to the floor takes the other two down, followed by a corkscrew splash for two on Dorado. Back up and Dorado scratches Kid’s back into a Backstabber for two but Fenix is back in with a springboard armdrag.

Fenix is hits his running top rope kick to the head and a huge dive to the floor hits Dorado. Everyone gets back inside and Dorado rolls Fenix up for two. Kid hits a double running Blockbuster for a double two but Dorado is back up with a super hurricanrana to Fenix. Kid knocks Dorado into the announcers’ table but his frog splash hits Fenix’s raised knees. The Mexican MuscleBuster retains the title at 11:11.

Rating: B. This was a rather traditional three way cruiserweight match with everyone flying around and doing their thing to a rather entertaining degree. I’ll take that pretty much every time and it was fun to see them flying all over the place. Fenix gets his first defense in AAA down and it should make for the start of a long reign.

Rey Mysterio is backstage and congratulates Fenix on his win before saying that he is in talks for Fenix to defend his title in WWE. That’s not all though as next week, the NXT Women’s Title is on the line here as Lola Vice defends against La Hiedra. There has also been talks of bringing in a former WWE World Champion who has never wrestled here before but the deal is not official just yet. More on that next week.

Video on the mask vs. mask match between Los Grande Americanos which somehow exceeded expectations.

Here is El Grande Americano to a hero’s welcome and he takes a good while to get inside, as he has quite a few fans to greet. He is happy with his win as he showed everyone what AAA is all about but he didn’t do it alone. Americano thanks the fans and the people who helped him in the match. The people here lifted him up when he was down and this win was for them and all of the people in Mexico.

But what’s next? He has won Rey de Reyes and the mask, so now he wants the Mega Title. That brings him to Dominik Mysterio but here is NXT’s Karmen Petrovic of all people. Americano invites her in but here are a bunch of guys (including Daga, Los Garza and NXT’s Bronco Nima) to lay Americano out.

They all unzip their jackets to reveal Los Perros del Mal (a former heel stable who haven’t been around in eight or nine years) shirts to end the show. Americano’s welcome was great, though I’m not sure how big of a surprise it was that he wants the title that he earned a shot at by winning Rey de Reyes. Still though, this should tied him over until his big title win at TripleMania.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the ending, but this was kind of a disappointing show overall. The big selling points here were the returns of Americano and Dominik Mysterio. While the former went fine, the latter was absolutely nothing and could have been done on any show. The matches were good but the Dominik thing felt like a bait and switch, as I kept waiting on him to actually show up and it was just nothing. It’s a good show for the most part but that one thing left a bad taste in my mouth.

Results
Mini Vikingo/El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. b. El Ojo – Springboard crucifix bomb to Vikingo
Rey Fenix b. Laredo Kid and Lince Dorado – Mexican MuscleBuster to Kid

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

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

Collision
Date: June 20, 2026
Location: Smart Financial Center, Sugar Land, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Excalibur

We’re eight days away from Forbidden Door and this week we get another match officially set for the show. In this case it’s the semifinals of the Women’s Owen Hart Cup with Athena facing Maya World. Other than than we should have the usual big Collision attraction, meaning the announcements of stuff for Dynamite. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Young Bucks/Jack Perry vs. Lethal Twists

Christian jumps Nick to start fast and everything breaks down in a hurry. Perry hits a suicide dive onto Johnson but misses a moonsault and gets superkicked by Christian. The Bucks make the save and it’s Christian getting kneed in the corner. Perry gets tied up in the Tree Of Woe though and Christian adds a moonsault as we take a break.

We come back with the Twists going after Perry’s knee but the leg is fine enough to snap off a hurricanrana to the floor. Matt gets the tag to clean house and the Bucks do their top rope double stomp on the rope into the sitout powerbomb. Stereo powerbombs out of the corner set up stereo Scorpion Deathlocks with Perry getting Lethal in the Snare Trap.

Everyone makes the ropes and it’s Perry slugging it out with Lethal. Johnson and Lethal are back with cutters as commentary points out that the referee is just watching and enjoying the match. The Death Valley Driver into Hail To The King gets two on Perry and we hit the parade of everyone kicking everyone. Perry gets in a double poisonrana and the Meltzer Driver finishes Johnson (McGuinness: “Five stars.”) at 14:20.

Rating: B. As usual, starting with the Bucks is a good way to get the crowd going as the AEW fans absolutely love these guys. It makes a lot of sense to go this way and the Lethal Twists are a good choice for their victims. Yes it feels like a match we’ve seen about a million times, but that’s kind of a feature with the Bucks.

Kris Statlander and Mina Shirakawa seem to respect each other but they’re ready to fight tonight. Harley Cameron will be on commentary and tells them to shake, though they shake hands while she shakes her….yeah you get the idea.

Hikaru Shida doesn’t care who she’s going to be facing in Survival Of The Fittest because TBS will stand for THE BEST IS SHIDA!

Survival Of The Fittest: Mina Shirakawa vs. Kris Statlander

Harley Cameron is on commentary. Shirakawa’s headlock has Statlander down early on until she sends Shirakawa hard into the corner. A Stunner over the top rope drops Statlander but she catches Shirakawa with something like a Big Ending onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Shirakawa hitting La Mistica before knocking Statlander outside. Back in and a missile dropkick gives Shirakawa two but Statlander is back with the Falcon Arrow for two of her own. Shirakawa comes back with another La Mistica but Statlander rolls her up for the fast pin at 9:09.

Rating: C+. Statlander winning clean is good to see as she’s kind of been all over the place lately. I’m not sure if she’s going to win the title, but at least she has something to do at the moment. On the other hand you have Shirakawa, who has felt like she’s in the middle of nowhere for months and that doesn’t seem to be changing.

Post match match respect is shown, with Harley Cameron joining in.

We get a commercial for the Bang Bang Gang’s spay and neuter center.

Jack Perry talks about Zack Sabre Jr. welcoming him to Japan in an act of kindness. He would love another act of kindness in the form of a match on Dynamite. After they can hit the bar again, with Perry picking up the tab, because the winner should always pay.

Hurt Syndicate vs. Warren Johnson/Zack Mason

Lashley gets annoyed at a chop and it’s off to Mason, with Lashley shoving both of them down. It’s off to Benjamin for a nasty German suplex, followed by a running knee. Lashley hits the spear on Johnson and Benjamin gets the pin at 1:52.

Post match MVP says that the Hurt Syndicate doesn’t want titles, but they are more than willing to hurt people for money. If anyone is interested, come find them.

Skyflight is ready for Dante Martin to face Mistico. In addition, Matt Sydal is back and Skyflight has his back. I’m really not sure if this team needs another warm body.

Nigel McGuinness introduces Tommaso Ciampa and Chris Jericho for a face to face chat. Jericho praises Ciampa and knows that he’s wanted to face him for a reason. The question is which version of Jericho Ciampa will face, but it won’t matter because all of them will take him out. Ciampa likes the sound of that and he wants to face Jericho on July 8 in Clearwater, Florida at Beach Break.

Jericho is in for some wrestling that night, but tonight they’re fighting. The brawl is on but Ciampa quickly cuts him down with a low blow. Ciampa beats him down and busts him open, with the running knee leaving Jericho laying. This was simple and to the point but I definitely like setting it up for a show other than Forbidden Door. That show is going to have enough and I want to see this match get some focus, which it wouldn’t receive at the pay per view.

Pac vs. Shota Umino for the latter’s IWGP Global Title is set for Forbidden Door.

Dante Martin vs. Mistico

Christopher Daniels is here with Martin. Mistico flips away from a headlock to start but gets elbowed in the chin. Martin sends him outside for a suicide dive but Mistico fights back and hits a suicide dive of his own. Back in and Martin runs the corner for a superplex and two, leaving Mistico’s knee banged up as we take a break.

We come back with Mistico’s knee being fine enough to hit a springboard high crossbody to send Martin outside. There’s the slingshot dive and they go back inside to trade groggy right hands. They kick each other down and we get a double breather. Mistico is up first and his moonsault hits a raised boot, allowing Martin to get two off a rollup. Mistico’s powerslam gets two, as does Martin’s package powerbomb. Martin heads up top, only for Mistico to plant him with a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 11:34.

Rating: B-. Yeah this was fine, as they weren’t pretending that this was anything more than “here’s Mistico in a match”. They weren’t hiding that or trying to make it anything else and that’s a fine way to go. Mistico has such a following and is such a big deal that getting him on the show makes sense, especially on a show so close to Mexico.

Ricochet wants Konosuke Takeshita and the International Title but first he wants to beat up the returning Matt Sydal.

The Dogs don’t think much of Adam Copeland and Christian Cage being around for thirty years. They want the Tag Team Titles at Forbidden Door and they’ll put those b****** down.

Pac vs. Jay Alexander

Jon Moxley is on commentary and doesn’t think this is going to take long. Pac backs the rather muscular Alexander into the corner and then drops him with a running clothesline. Marina Shafir gets in a cheap shot and Pac adds a missile dropkick. The Brutalizer finishes Alexander at 3:11.

Rating: C. This was quick and to the point as Pac gets to run through someone with quite the size and power. Pac has an intensity to him that could make him look good against anyone and that’s a nice asset to have. At the same time, Moxley put him over rather strong on commentary, saying Pac could win any title in the world on any given night, including Moxley’s. There are a lot of things to criticize about Moxley, but he knows how to make people sound strong on commentary.

Thunder Rosa wants to team with someone from CMLL and challenge for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Adam Priest

Schiavone: “We haven’t seen Zack Sabre Jr. in an AEW ring since a year ago at Forbidden Door!” Forbidden Door was in late August last year, so no, it hasn’t been a year ago. Sabre works on the arm to start, including a nasty snap with his legs. Priest is right back with a snap suplex but Sabre is right back to the arm.

The arm is bent over the top rope and Priest is in trouble as we take a break. We come back with a double clothesline leaving both of them down before Priest knocks him down again. Priest starts in on Sabre’s leg but Sabre pulls the bad arm back in and twists it around. A double arm crank makes Priest give up at 10:36.

Rating: C+. This was the “here is Sabre’s warm-up match for his warm up match for Omega at the pay per view match”. As usual, it went on longer than it needed to and did more for Priest than Sabre. While Sabre was more or less toying with him the whole time, Priest looked tough in his comebacks, which doesn’t really do much for Sabre, as is often the case in matches like this.

Megan Bayne and Lena Kross are in for whatever Thunder Rosa wants to do.

A bloody Chris Jericho thanks Tommaso Ciampa, but Ciampa won’t thank him later. Serious Jericho is a nice thing to see.

Owen Hart Cup Semifinals: Maya World vs. Athena

Athena’s ROH Women’s Title isn’t on the line. Athena takes her down in the corner for a pat on the head to start but gets dropped with a running shoulder. A rather rolling crucifix gives World two as we’re told that Thunder Rosa will team with Olimpia to challenge for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. If that’s how they’re going to announce it, why bother with the mystery in the promos earlier? Just tell us then so that it’s not an afterthought in the main event.

Anyway they both try dropkicks at the same time and flip up for a staredown. World cartwheels into a basement dropkick and they go to the apron to slug it out. Athena catches a roll and flips her into a faceplant on the floor as we take a break. We come back with World hitting a superplex and stomping Athena in the ribs. World’s moonsault gets two, as does Athena’s sitout powerbomb. Athena stomps her down and gets two more off a rollup, which has Athena frustrated.

The O Face misses and World gets two off a tabletop suplex. They fight outside, with Athena hitting a Rock Bottom onto the barricade. World is mostly done but Athena breaks the count to bring her back in. Athena yells a lot, which just wakes World up. The big comeback doesn’t last long though as Athena hits the O Face for….two, giving us a well deserved stunned kickout face. Some superkicks put World down and Athena loads up the big right hand, only to get rolled up for the out of nowhere pin at 14:10.

Rating: B. Well World pretty much has to win the tournament now or this is a heck of a way to use Athena. As usual, Athena comes up to the AEW roster and loses but I’m sure she’ll get to continue her nearly four year reign as ROH Women’s Champion. As for World…well, it’s certainly a way to make someone look bigger, but it doesn’t mean nearly as much if she just loses to Mone. I like making a bigger star, though good grief just let Athena be a regular in AEW already.

Post match respect is shown but here is Mercedes Mone to interrupt and hug World, who is then jumped by Athena. The Statement Maker goes on and Athena mocks World to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the “let’s get a lot of stuff together for Forbidden Door as fast as we can show” and….yeah it mostly worked. The action was good enough and the PPV card feels a lot more complete. At the same time, it was a show that felt rather packed and didn’t leave much time for anything to have an impact. That’s something AEW has had issues with for a long time and while it would be nice to see that change, it isn’t likely to happen. Either way, good show here, and it did a lot of the work that AEW needed.

Results
Young Bucks/Jack Perry b. Lethal Twists – Meltzer Driver to Johnson
Kris Statlander b. Mina Shirakawa – Rollup
Hurt Syndicate b. Warren Johnson/Zack Mason – Spear to Johnson
Mistico b. Dante Martin – Super Spanish Fly
Pac b. Jay Alexander – Brutalizer
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Adam Priest – Double arm crank
Maya World b. Athena – Rollup

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

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Smackdown
Date: June 19, 2026
Location: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s a big fight feel here as we have the World Title on the line, with Cody Rhodes defending against Gunther. That’s not all though as Sami Zayn, who isn’t happy with Rhodes, is the guest referee. That should make for a heck of a main event as we’re also closing in on Night Of Champions next Saturday. Let’s get to it.

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

We recap Gunther challenging Cody Rhodes for the World Title. Rhodes beat him at Clash In Italy but Gunther’s foot was underneath the rope. Gunther demanded a rematch and got to pick the stipulation, which is having Sami Zayn as guest referee, mainly because Zayn and Rhodes aren’t getting along either.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

Rhodes is defending and Sami Zayn is guest referee. Gunther knocks Rhodes down to start and works on the arm but Zayn breaks up Rhodes trying to throw a right hand in the corner. Zayn cuts Rhodes off again and this time Gunther boots Rhodes in the face. Gunther elbows him in the face and commentary isn’t pleased with Zayn not getting on Gunther as much.

A Cody Cutter connects out of nowhere and Rhodes follows up with a powerslam. Gunther is right back with a knockdown into the Figure Four but Zayn catches him grabbing the ropes. Rhodes’ rollup gets a fairly counted two and he follows it up with Cross Rhodes but Zayn sees Gunther’s boot underneath the rope. For some reason Rhodes complains and Zayn shoves him, right into a sleeper from Gunther.

Rhodes gets the rope as well and Zayn has to drag Gunther off the hold, which isn’t going well for Gunther either. Gunther shoves him so Zayn comes back with a slap, earning himself a powerbomb. Rhodes makes the big comeback and hits Cross Rhodes for two from a second referee. Gunther’s shotgun dropkick and powerbomb get two, with Zayn pulling the referee out. Back in and Rhodes tries a sunset flip, with Gunther grabbing the rope. Zayn kicks his hands away though and the fast count retains Rhodes’ title at 11:19.

Rating: B-. Much like their previous match, I was expecting something a bit bigger than this, which was pretty much just good enough. That ending all but guarantees a third match, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Zayn added to make it a triple threat. That’s a good way to make it more interesting, and hopefully they go a bit bigger with the whole thing, as it deserves.

Post match Gunther yells at Nick Aldis and Zayn as Rhodes says get a proper referee out here and restart the match. Gunther decks Zayn and sprints to the ring with a regular referee and we’re back at it.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

Rhodes is defending again and they slug it out before trading sleepers. Gunther’s works a bit better until Rhodes escapes, only to get caught in it again. Cue Zayn to Helluva Kick Gunther for the DQ at 1:09 (Rhodes and Gunther were both in the corner so it wasn’t clear who Zayn was aiming for but he screams at Gunther after to make things obvious).

Post match Zayn grabs the title and decks the regular referee before hitting Rhodes with the belt by mistake (though I’m not sure who else it was supposed to be). An upset Zayn leaves, ripping up a fan’s sign in the process.

We look at the recent issues between Jade Cargill/her minions and Charlotte/Alexa Bliss.

Cargill isn’t worried about what is going on and wants the Women’s Title.

We recap the whole World Title situation.

Gunther blames Aldis for what happened and wants another title match at Night Of Champions.

Jacob Fatu comes in to see Solo Sikoa about Roman Reigns wanting him in the Bloodline. Sikoa turns him down again but Fatu says that’s a bad idea. Sikoa is running out of time, which leaves him confused. Fatu leaves and the MFT’s come in to say Sikoa’s family business is starting to mess with their family business. Sikoa says he has this.

You know how Blake Monroe has been teasing her…well return actually? She still is.

Tag Team Titles: Damian Priest/R-Truth vs. MFT’s

Priest/R-Truth are defending. Talla shoves Priest into the corner, where Priest gives him a crotch chop. Priest gets sent into the corner for some stomping as the War Raiders are watching backstage. Tama comes in and gets knocked into the champs’ corner, with R-Truth coming in for the flying shoulders. The John Cena sequence is cut off as R-Truth is sent to the floor for a big boot and apron chokeslam from Talla.

We take a break and come back with R-Truth kicking Tama down and making the diving tag to Priest. Talla gets knocked to the floor but Tama is back with a swinging neckbreaker. Cue Solo Sikoa to yell at Talla and then get taken down by Priest. R-Truth grabs a rollup on Tama to retain the titles at 10:10.

Rating: C+. This was another match where it felt like Priest and R-Truth should have lost the titles, though the Raiders might be the ones to take the belts off of them. At the same time the Bloodline Lite issues continue and that has to clash with the main version of the team sooner or later. I’m just not sure if that is a good thing or not.

Post match the MFT’s walk away from Sikoa.

Sami Zayn does his weekly rant to Johnny Gargano when Nick Aldis comes in to ask what that was about. Zayn says he’s the one who keeps getting cheated and he’s not going anywhere.

Jey Uso and Je’Von Evans jaw at each other before their King Of The Ring semifinals.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints

For a future US Title shot. Hayes starts fast with a clothesline but Saints is back up with the strutting Old School. Well most of it at least as he dives into an atomic drop but at least he looked good in the process. Hayes hits a slingshot DDT to the apron and we take a break. We come back with Hayes fighting out of a chinlock. Saints’ bulldog out of the corner is countered into a belly to back suplex and Hayes’ springboard DDT gets two.

They clothesline each other down but Hayes is back up with Dirty Diana. The suplex cutter gets two but Hayes misses Nothing But Net. Saints’ tornado DDT is blocked as well so Hayes throws him off the top, only to get crotched on an exposed buckle. The Roshambo is countered into the First 48 but Saints kicks him into an exposed buckle for the pin at 14:25.

Rating: B. I can go for Saints getting the title shot as Hayes vs. Trick Williams is likely going to be a big deal when it finally happens. For now though, Saints is still getting established around here so a win over a former champion, even one that came through less than fair means, is a good idea. It helps that they can both work this style rather well and they have some chemistry despite not having a ton of experience against each other.

Cody Rhodes wants and receives a triple threat against Gunther and Sami Zayn at Night Of Champions.

Charlotte wants her fifteenth World Title.

We look at Danhausen being discussed in the fallout from the New York Knicks winning the NBA Championship. Danhausen going from nothing more than a comedy goof to being discussed on the Tonight Show and being interviewed on ESPN is insane, but also evidence of what can happen when you stick with something and get to showcase your talent.

Danhausen is doing experiments on the still messed up Miz and Kit Wilson when Los Garza come in. They lost a lot of money on the NBA Finals because of the curse but Matt Cardona comes in to clear the out (he’s happy because his team finally won). Danhausen thanks “Zack”, who corrects him and then touches Miz, which gives him a shock. Cardona: “Woo woo woo!” Danhausen asks if Cardona is ok. Cardona: “You know it.” Danhausen is all giddy.

Finn Balor comes in to see R-Truth, who talks about dragons, Rikishi and the Wild Samoans. He’ll help Balor when he needs it because when you’re Judgment Day, you’re Judgment Day for life. Damian Priest comes in (with R-Truth thinking they need to play water polo) and says he’s out of any celebration for Balor, because he doesn’t celebrate with people he doesn’t trust. R-Truth doesn’t get why Priest doesn’t trust him when they’re partners.

We recap the World Title situation again.

King Of The Ring Semifinals: Jey Uso vs. Je’Von Evans

Evans rolls him up to start and hits an early dropkick out to the floor. We take an early break and come back with Uso still in trouble but hitting a pop up Samoan drop. Evans loses his shirt and reveals tape around his ribs so Uso has a target. A backbreaker stays on the ribs and Uso shoves him off the apron and into the barricade.

We take another break and come back with Evans still in trouble but catching Uso on the top. A super Spanish Fly plants Uso and they’re both down for a breather. Evans fights up and they knock each other down, where at least they can see the Fireflies for some reason. Back up and the spear gives Uso two but he charges into a superkick. The spinning kick to the head drops Uso again but he’s right back up with another spear. The Superfly Splash pins Evans at 17:57.

Rating: B. I’m not sure how much the result was in doubt here but it was nice to see Evans getting to hang in there against a former World Champion. Evans is pretty clearly becoming an established name around here and it’s working, which is a good sign. Uso is the bigger deal here though and him facing Oba Femi could be rather interesting.

Post match Uso shows respect. That’s a bit of a surprise.

Jacob Fatu goes to see Solo Sikoa, who thinks Roman Reigns sent Fatu here to mess with their business. If Reigns keeps messing with things, Sikoa will be coming to Raw to mess with him.

Giulia wants to face Kiana James next week in London.

Tiffany Stratton is ready to defend the Women’s US Title at Night Of Champions when Chelsea Green comes up to offer her help. Stratton appreciates it but she’s got this on her own.

NXT Origins video on Alexa Bliss.

Liv Morgan talks about how Charlotte is always talking about her success because she lives in the past. Morgan is the present.

Paige and Brie Bella are ready for Bayley/Lyra Valkyria.

Fatal Influence blame their loss last week on the referee so they want another chance.

Jey Uso runs into Cody Rhodes and warns him about Summerslam, which is fine with Rhodes. Sami Zayn comes in to praise Uso but thinks he’ll be the champion at Summerslam. Uso says he’ll do what he has to do, so Zayn says say hi to the family for him.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Charlotte runs into Jade Cargill/Michin/B-Fab but doesn’t seem worried. That doesn’t seem to be a good idea as the three of them jump her and damage her knee.

Post break, Charlotte is getting looked at when Liv Morgan comes in to say she’ll see you out there.

Queen Of The Ring Semifinals: Charlotte vs. Alexa Bliss

Non-title and Charlotte limps to the ring, earning her an early chop block from Morgan. The medics and Nick Aldis come out to check on Charlotte but she insists she can go. That just means Morgan can go after the knee again, including ramming it into the ring skirt board. We take an early break and come back with Bliss wrapping the leg around the post. A dropkick puts it into the post and a suplex sends it into the rope.

Charlotte reverses another suplex though and uses the good leg for a big boot. For some reason Charlotte goes up top for a high crossbody before winning a slugout. Morgan fights back but gets booted out of the air but Charlotte’s knee gives out as she tries a moonsault. We take another break and come back with Morgan kicking her into the corner and going after the knee again. Charlotte’s backbreaker out of the corner doesn’t get her very far as Morgan ties her in the Tree Of Woe.

Somehow Charlotte fights out and hits a super Natural Selection. The Figure Four has Morgan in trouble for a change so she rolls out to the rope. A half crab puts Charlotte in trouble again so she makes the rope, which has the medics checking on her. Charlotte wants to keep going and Oblivion out of nowhere gets two. Morgan grabs a rather hard half crab and Charlotte gives up at 18:57.

Rating: B. So we have the Raw Women’s Champion vs. another Raw star for a shot at either the Raw or Smackdown Women’s Title in the finals? Anyway, this was a classic story with Charlotte fighting through the injury but not being able to make it in the end. It’s good enough that I barely remembered Je’Von Evans and Jey Uso doing the same thing in the previous match.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a rather busy show with a bunch of stuff happening, including the rather fun World Title situation. The story jumped forward a long way in one night and they made it work, which isn’t something I was expecting. Other than that you had good action up and down the card, with only the Sikoa/Bloodline stuff being less than interesting. Rather good show here, with Night Of Champions looking better as a result.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. Gunther – Sunset flip with a fast count
Gunther b. Cody Rhodes via DQ when Sami Zayn interfered
Damian Priest/R-Truth b. MFT’s – Rollup to Tama
Ricky Saints b. Carmelo Hayes – Kick into an exposed turnbuckle
Jey Uso b. Je’Von Evans – Superfly Splash
Liv Morgan b. Charlotte – Half crab

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

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

My favorite match ever and my big step forward.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-wwe-raw-review-5-2-05/

Best Of Tajiri
Commentators: Joey Styles, Cyrus, Joel Gertner, Michael Cole, Tazz, Mauro Ranallo, Daniel Bryan, Corey Graves, Tom Phillips

This is where this series gets somewhere interesting, as you have another talented star who never got a ton of attention. Tajiri might have been my favorite ECW star as he was the definition of “you know what you’re getting” but he did it really well. There are going to be a lot of kicks around here so let’s get to it.

Opening video.

From Anarchy Rulz 1999.

Tajiri vs. Little Guido vs. Super Crazy

Elimination rules, Big Sal is here with Guido and ECW ran this match roughly 839 times. Tajiri gets taken into the corner to start but kicks his way out, allowing him to send Guido out to the ramp. A headscissors puts Crazy out on the floor but a big dive is cut off. Crazy hits a springboard missile dropkick but Guido is back in with a springboard high crossbody for two. The camel clutch to Crazy lets Tajiri add a basement dropkick so Guido loads it up again, only for Tajiri to dropkick Guido in a smart move.

They head outside where Tajiri hits a great Asai moonsault but goes back inside where Sal gets to wreck people. Back in and Guido stomps away until Tajiri suplexes him for two. Tajiri sends Guido over the barricade but Crazy is right there for the huge springboard moonsault to take them both down. Back in and Sal gets dropkicked off the apron and through a table, leaving Tajiri to grab a Tarantula.

That’s broken up with a hard dropkick and we reset a bit. Crazy surfboards Tajiri and even rolls him around the ring a bit before adding in a dragon sleeper. We go to the double submission on Tajiri with a camel clutch from Crazy and a Boston crab from Guido, which somehow isn’t a submission.

Instead Guido chops away at Crazy and gets two off an Unprettier. Guido gets tied in the Tree Of Woe for a rather nasty dropkick, followed by Crazy’s moonsault for the pin on Guido at 9:20. Tajiri immediately kicks Crazy down but Crazy is right back with kicks of his own. That gives us a standoff until Crazy puts him down for a springboard moonsault.

Tajiri is back up with the handspring elbow for two but Crazy is right back with a sitout powerbomb for two. A tornado DDT drops Crazy, who is right back up with an inverted tornado DDT for a VERY delayed near fall. The first moonsault connects but Tajiri blocks the second and hits a heck of a running dropkick. The brainbuster gives Tajiri the win at 14:41.

Rating: B. These guys could do this match in their sleep and that’s not a bad thing. There is something fun about watching the three of them do their stuff and look awesome doing it, which is what you would always get out of this. Tajiri’s kicks are always painful to see and he stuck with them for the simple reason of they worked. Throw in a nice brainbuster and what else did he really need? Well other than mist but that should be standard equipment for a wrestler.

From ECW On TNN, January 21, 2000.

Tajiri vs. Super Crazy

This is a Mexican Death Match (anything goes) and we’re joined in progress for some reason. Tajiri kicks him into a headlock and we take a break. We come back with Tajiri hitting a baseball slide in the Tree Of Woe, meaning it’s time for the chairs. Three of those chairs are put into Crazy’s face for the baseball slide, which is enough to bust him open.

The table is loaded up inside and Tajiri slides the chairs down said table like a glass on a bar, with Crazy having to duck. The top rope double stomp hits Crazy but the table doesn’t break, so Tajiri does it again with some force for the snap. One heck of a kick to the head rocks Crazy again and he can’t stand up, with Tajiri mocking him in a rather hilarious bit. Crazy is back up with a backbreaker into a top rope moonsault and they head out into the crowd.

Tajiri is laid on a table and of course there’s a moonsault to drive him through. They get back inside so Crazy can hammer away in the corners, naturally with the fans counting in Spanish for a nice touch. The also bleeding Tajiri hits a quick handspring elbow but Crazy gets up first anyway. A spinwheel kick to the back of the head gives Crazy two but Tajiri kicks him low.

That means a bridging German suplex can give Tajiri two and he baseball slides Crazy out into the crowd. The Asai moonsault connects as well, with Tajiri looking rather insane. Back in and another table is set up but Crazy hits a heck of a springboard missile dropkick. Crazy gets his own table and tries a powerbomb, only to get misted. That’s fine with Crazy, who powerbombs Tajiri through a table for the pin at 12:53 shown.

Rating: B. This was in the Death Match family (thankfully the ECW version) as they beat the fire out of each other. They beat the fire out of each other and Crazy surviving the mist in the end was a good visual. These two, along with Guido, were the ones who could be put together in any combination to fill in a good deal of TV time in a rather successful way.

From Judgment Day 2003.

Chavo Guerrero is injured and Eddie Guerrero needs a new partner, so he picks….well I think you know here.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Tajiri/Eddie Guerrero vs. Team Angle

Team Angle is defending in a ladder match. It’s a brawl to start with Guerrero being sent into a ladder and Tajiri kicking Haas down. Benjamin makes the save and a double elbow puts Tajiri down. Guerrero can’t get very far as Benjamin gorilla presses him onto Haas’ knee. The ladder is loaded up and Guerrero tries to backdrop Tajiri onto the champs…but it really doesn’t work as Tajiri gets caught in the ropes.

Guerrero hits a quick dive to try and save things a bit but Haas and Benjamin are back up for a climb. Tajiri gets smart with a handspring elbow to take the ladder down and it’s a double basement dropkick into the ladder to double crotch Haas in the corner. Haas is sandwiched between some ladders for a slingshot hilo from Guerrero but Benjamin is back in for the save.

Guerrero gets powerslammed into a ladder in the corner and Tajiri is laid on a ladder on the ropes. Benjamin’s big dive off the ladder crushes Tajiri and Haas goes up, only for Guerrero to dropkick it out. Guerrero gets whipped hard into a ladder in the corner, with Tajiri dropkicking the same ladder into Benjamin’s face. Tajiri is back up with some rather hard kicks and some less hard ladder shots.

The Tarantula has Haas in more trouble, with Benjamin making the save with a ladder of his own. Back in and Guerrero gets beaten down in the corner but manages a monkey flip to send Benjamin into another ladder. It’s still too early to get too far up the ladder though as the champs cut Guerrero off again.

Guerrero knocks Benjamin down for a big crash into a frog splash and we need another breather. Haas and Guerrero go up the ladder, with Guerrero snapping off a heck of a sunset bomb. Benjamin tries to make a save but gets misted by Tajiri, allowing Guerrero to pull down the titles for the win at 14:16.

Rating: B+. They weren’t exactly reinventing the match here but what they did was get rather physical rather quickly. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it was cool to see the chemistry between Guerrero and Tajiri coming together pretty much out of nowhere. This is a bit of a hidden gem and it’s nice to see a talented guy finally getting a chance to show what he can do, even if it’s due to an injury.

From Smackdown, May 22, 2003.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Tajiri/Eddie Guerrero vs. Team Angle

Tajiri/Guerrero are defending without ladders involved this time. Tajiri and Benjamin start things off with the former kicking away at both Teams. Angles? Team Angles? Anyway Guerrero has to save Tajiri from a double suplex before coming in anyway. Some shoulders in the corner don’t do much to Guerrero, who snaps off a middle rope armdrag to take over. It’s back to Tajiri for the big kicks and Guerrero takes them down again. Tajiri hits a big dive to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Benjamin neckbreakering Guerrero into a sunset flip, with Tajiri making a save. Another neckbreaker sets up some cravates, followed by a rather nice suplex from Benjamin. The Haas Of Pain has Guerrero in more trouble but Tajiri is in with the dropkick to the head for the save. Benjamin and Haas take turns putting on abdominal stretches but Guerrero is back up with a top rope wristdrag/headscissors to get out of trouble.

It’s back to Tajiri to fire off the kicks, setting up the handspring elbow. A tornado DDT gets two on Benjamin as everything breaks down. Haas breaks up the Tarantula and Benjamin catches Tajiri with a Dragon Whip. Guerrero grabs a chair and hits the referee before throwing it to Haas. Since Guerrero is smart enough to not blast the referee with the chair (so he can get back up quickly), Haas gets disqualified to retain the titles at 15:54.

Rating: B-. This was a very different kind of match than the one with the title change (obviously) and it wound up being a completely fine enough showdown. I’m not sure about going with the cute finish over having Guerrero and Tajiri get a pin in their first title defense but Guerrero can make anything work. Good TV match here, but the ending was a bit of a stretch.

From Smackdown, July 31, 2003.

New US Champion Eddie Guerrero comes out in his low rider but the hydraulics aren’t working. He goes to check some things…and Tajiri is in the trunk with the mist to blind him. Guerrero insists that he can’t wrestle, but the referee says compete or forfeit the title (geez that’s kind of ridiculous when Tajiri jumped him).

US Title: Tajiri vs. Eddie Guerrero

Tajiri is challenging and we’re joined in progress with Tajiri kicking away. This lets commentary recap their feud, as Guerrero turned on Tajiri after they lost the titles and put him through a windshield. Tajiri strikes away and they go outside, where Guerrero gets in a quick shot of his own to take over. Back in and Tajiri kicks away, only to get elbowed in the face.

The slingshot hilo gets two and the fans approve as the villain takes over. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Guerrero goes up. That earns him a big kick and a superplex back down for the nasty crash. One heck of a monkey flip sends Guerrero flying again and he rolls outside, with Tajiri sending him into the steps. Tajiri sends him into the announcers’ table and fires off a rather hard kick to take him back inside.

The handspring elbow and a tornado DDT drop Guerrero again but Tajiri can’t follow up. The rather delayed cover gets two so Tajiri is back to the kicks. Guerrero grabs the yet to be named Three Amigos with the third being reversed into the Tarantula. With that broken up, Guerrero distracts the referee and gets in a low blow. Back up and the mist hits the referee by mistake, meaning the Buzzsaw Kick doesn’t even get a cover. That means Guerrero can get in a belt shot and then steal Tazz’s water to wash the referee’s eyes. The frog splash retains the title at 12:17.

Rating: B. Again, you could kind of guess how well this one was going to go as they’re too talented to have it be bad. Tajiri was getting a rare chance to show what he could do on his own and he hung in there with Guerrero. At the end though, Guerrero’s cheating was too much for even the mist to overcome and Guerrero gets to retain. Solid match.

From Smackdown, September 25, 2003.

Cruiserweight Title: Tajiri vs. Rey Mysterio

Tajiri is challenging. They fight over wrist control to start until Mysterio snaps off a middle rope hurricanrana. La majistral gives Tajiri two and he sends Mysterio hard into the corner. The Tarantula has Mysterio in more trouble but he gets in a kick to break up the mist (which is running down Tajiri’s mouth). Mysterio sends him outside for a heck of a springboard dive and we take a break.

We come back with Tajiri kicking him out of the air and going after the ribs. Tajiri kicks him down for two more and it’s off to a bodyscissors to work on the ribs some more. Back up and a gutbuster gives Tajiri two and the bodyscissors go on again. This one doesn’t last long and it’s Tajiri kicking away at the ribs even more. Mysterio finally comes back with a sitout bulldog for two, plus a top rope moonsault press for the same. A wheelbarrow suplex gives Tajiri two of his own and he nails a running dropkick in the corner.

The Michinoku Driver gets two more as Mysterio is in big trouble. Back up and the referee almost gets bumped, with Tajiri’s kick to the head knocking said referee silly. Mysterio comes back with the 619 but Tajiri is back with a nasty superkick. Another referee comes in to count two before going to check on the first referee. That’s enough for Tajiri to get in the mist and a Buzzsaw Kick for the title at 15:06.

Rating: B. This was more about Tajiri getting to take Mysterio apart and eventually win the title through some shenanigans. There is something rather fun about watching Tajiri getting to rip someone apart piece by piece, which slowed Mysterio up enough. Then it was thrown out the window for the sake of mist to the face and a kick to the head, which fits in well after Tajiri’s recent heel turn. Good stuff here, again.

From the Cruiserweight Classic.

Second Round: Tajiri vs. Gran Metalik

Metalik grabs a headlock to start but has to flip out of a headscissors for a standoff. They trade armdrags and sweep the leg for two each and that’s another stalemate. Another headscissors has Tajiri down but he bridges up into a leglock and Bryan is rather impressed on commentary. That’s reversed into an ankle lock on Tajiri, which is reversed into a rollup for two more.

Metalik sends him outside and hits a heck of a superkick, only for Tajiri to get in an even harder kick. A neckbreaker gives Tajiri two and he grabs the chinlock. Metalik fights up but gets kicked into the corner. That’s reversed into a springboard missile dropkick to send Tajiri outside, setting up a heck of a rope walk dive (Bryan approves again).

Back up and another Tajiri kick is countered into a dragon screw legwhip over the rope. Metalik works on the leg but Tajiri is back up with a heck of a kick to the head. The baseball slide in the corner gives Tajiri two and he counters a middle rope hurricanrana into a powerbomb for two more. The reverse Rings Of Saturn has Metalik in more trouble but he escapes again. This time he’s back up with the Metalik Driver for the pin at 10:43.

Rating: B. This is why you bring Tajiri back in, as he puts over a star like Metalik on his way out of the tournament. He’s an established name and the kind of person who can make someone else look good. The fans might not know much about Metalik, but they know he can beat Tajiri so he has some status to him. That’s the point, and it came after a hard fought match.

From NXT, December 28, 2016.

Tag Team Titles: Tajiri/Akira Tozawa vs. DIY

DIY is defending and we’re in Japan. Gargano and Tozawa start things off and head to the mat, with Tozawa easily slipping out of a headscissors. They trade armdrags until Tozawa ducks a low superkick for a standoff. That means it’s off to Tajiri vs. Ciampa to fight over wrist control, with Tajiri slipping away for a clean break. Tajiri takes him down for an armbar and a technical off goes to another stalemate.

Tozawa comes back in and tries a slam but gets driven into the corner for a running knee. Ciampa is back on the arm but gives him a clean break of his own. Tozawa manages to get over for a tag and Tajiri grabs some rapid rollups for a bunch of near falls as we take a break. We come back with Tozawa kicking at Ciampa, who reverses one of them into a backbreaker out of the corner for two. It’s back to Gargano for the seated abdominal stretch but he dives into a gutbuster.

That’s not enough for Tajiri to come back in though as Ciampa cuts it off like a good champion should do. Tozawa kicks his way to freedom though and now it’s back to Tajiri to clean house. Everything breaks down and the champs are kicked to the floor for Tozawa’s big dive. It works so well that he does it again, followed by a suplex for two on Ciampa back inside. Gargano comes back in with the slingshot spear for two of his own but gets caught in the Tarantula.

Back up and Gargano’s rolling kick to the head gets two more and it’s back to Tozawa for the trading of forearms. Ciampa gets toll the German suplexes and everything breaks down, meaning it’s a string of German suplexes to leave everyone down. A discus lariat puts Tozawa down and Project Ciampa gets two with Tajiri making the save. Meet In The Middle finishes Tozawa to retain at 20:56.

Rating: B+. Here you had a fine example of a match where the result wasn’t in doubt, as DIY wasn’t about to lose the titles to a makeshift team, but the fans had a good time. The match wound up working well and Tajiri and Tozawa worked nicely together. If nothing else, it was nice to see the serious version of Tozawa, who is a lot better than the comedy version that he would wind up being for such a long time.

Overall Rating: B. There’s a reason I’ve always liked stars such as Tajiri. He was never going to be the top star in a major promotion, or even a top star almost anywhere outside of maybe a smaller place. What he was going to be was a dependable hand who could be slotted into just about any midcard spot. He’s a hard hitting, technically sound star who could hang with talented stars. I love seeing unheralded stars getting this kind of a spotlight and it showed just how good Tajiri could be (even with zero mention of William Regal and Torrie Wilson).

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

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

It’s that good.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-wcw-great-american-bash-1989-review/

Global Wars: Cincinnati
Date: June 18, 2026
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

This is one of those big shows with a bunch of guest stars as Ring Of Honor basically does its own version of Forbidden Door. The big match is Athena defending the Women’s Title against Syuri and the rest…well it’s hard to say as a lot of these matches aren’t advertised. In other words, how Ring Of Honor of the show. Let’s get to it.

Here are Tuesday’s results if you need a recap.

I was in attendance for part of this show, sitting in the ninth row on the floor with the entrance on my right.

Opening sequence.

The opening video looks at Lio Rush and Action Andretti challenging AR Fox for the TV Title. Rush and Andretti were partners but then split up, with Rush being all insane.

TV Title: Action Andretti vs. Lio Rush vs. AR Fox

Fox is defending. Andretti is outside to start and Fox isn’t sure what to do with Rush. This means Rush whispering something into Fox’s ear and it’s time for both of them to go after Andretti. Rush starts running the ropes and Andretti gets kicked out to the floor as the fans seem to like Rush over the champion. Andretti is back up but Fox moonsaults onto both of them on the floor.

Fox goes after Andretti on the ramp and avoids a 450 but gets planted with a DDT. Andretti goes after Rush but winds up breaking an umbrella and sending Rush into the barricade instead. Fox is back up to dive onto both of them but gets small packaged to give Andretti two. Andretti’s springboard clothesline hits Rush and a springboard twisting splash gets the same on Fox.

Back up and Fox dropkicks Andretti in the corner, followed by a cutter to Rush. Fox’s tornado DDT and anarchist suplex drop Rush for two but Andretti sends Fox outside. A springboard Stunner gives Rush two on Andretti and Andretti’s falcon arrow gets the same. The pumphandle Side Effect gets two on Fox so Andretti goes up, with the two of them catching him at once.

With everyone back down, a triple knockdown leaves all of them needing a breather. Fox slugs away at both of them to take over but Andretti cuts him off with a low blow. Rush Stunners him though and grabs a choke, with Fox diving in for the save. Fox is sent outside though and Black Thunder gives Rush the pin and the title at 14:53.

Rating: B. I get it. I’m not wild on Rush’s whole deal, but he is clearly popular with the crowd and being presented as a big deal. Giving him something, even as low as the ROH TV Title, is a smart thing to do. My bigger issue is Fox losing the title so soon, as I became a much bigger fan after some of his recent promos. As for Andretti….well Fox is rather awesome.

Lacey Lane/Viva Van vs. Red Velvet/Thunder Rosa

Van runs Velvet over to start and they trade bridging escapes. Lane and Van hit stereo dropkicks but it’s quickly off to Rosa for some chops and armdrags. Back up and Lane takes over on Rosa, allowing Van to come back in for a rolling kick to the head. Rosa neckbreakers her way out of trouble though and Lane is sent into the corner so Velvet can hammer away. Rosa gets caught in a fireman’s carry but Velvet tags herself back in, with Lane taking over again. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of knockdowns before Van and Velvet trade rollups for two each. Rosa’s package powerbomb finishes Van at 7:40.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as it’s a cold match between a pair of teams who don’t really work together all that often. Maybe this leads to Rosa showing up here to take a run at Velvet (it’s not like either of them have anything else to do). Other than that though, this felt like a match that was just thrown out there to burn up some time.

We look at Syuri beating Athena in February.

Diamante vs. Maika

Diamante wrestles her to the mat in a hurry and gets in the slaps to the back of Maika’s head. Back up and Diamante pulls her down by the hair, meaning it’s time to hammer away on the mat. Some Kawada kicks have Maika in more trouble and Diamante grabs a headlock. Maika fights up and hits a dropkick in the ropes, followed by a delayed suplex for two. A big clothesline connects but Diamante reverses into a German suplex. Diamante misses a clothesline though and the Michinoku driver finishes for Maika at 6:25.

Rating: C+. This is where Global Wars/Forbidden Door runs into a problem. Maika is a talented star from Stardom but she was debuting here. Odds are she’s not staying for any significant amount of time so this was little more than a pit stop. The match was fine and that’s about all, but it’s kind of hard to get interested in people who haven’t been around here before in a match with no story.

We look at LFI winning the Tag Team Titles in December.

And now, to Arena Mexico for LFI’s first title defense in three and a half months.

Tag Team Titles: La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Los Villanos

Los Villains (El Hijo de Villano Tres (“Tres”) and Villano Tres Jr. (“Jr.”) are challenging. Guevara flips over Tres to start and sticks the landing on a hurricanrana. They trade nipups so Mortos comes in to run Tres over. Jr. comes in with a springboard knockdown but the champs are right back up for some posing. Guevara teases something off the top but drops down for a stomp instead.

The champs go after Jr.’s mask to no avail and it’s Tres back up to start the comeback. A spinning springboard dive hits Mortos and it’s a Codebreaker into a double stomp back inside. Guevara gets thrown from the ramp onto Mortos but Mortos clotheslines both of them down without much trouble. Guevara adds a dive of his own, followed by a corkscrew version from Mortos.

Back in and a rolling cutter drops Tres before Mortos wrecks Jr with a backbreaker and discus lariat. Tres is back in with a tornado DDT to Mortos, who is back up with a super gorilla press for two on Jr. A Doomsday Device doesn’t work though and it’s a poisonrana to Mortos. Guevara takes out Jr. on the floor though and a moonsault gives Mortos the pin on Tres at 14:39.

Rating: B-. Remember what I said about how it’s hard to care about people who aren’t around here and don’t do much in a promotion? That’s the case for both of the teams, as LFI haven’t been in a match in three and a half months but their title reign has to continue for whatever reason. It’s an entertaining match, but this might as well have been a bunch of guest stars doing high spots for about fifteen minutes.

We look at Athena beating Hyan.

AEW TV Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Lee Johnson

Takeshita is defending and Blake Christian/Jay Lethal are here with Johnson. I can’t even bother getting annoyed at commentary saying that Johnson is on a roll when his last singles win around here was in December. Johnson’s headlock doesn’t last long so he goes with a dropkick out to the floor. The suicide dive connects and Johnson hammers away back inside.

A hard whip into the corner has Takeshita in more trouble and Johnson grabs the chinlock. Takeshita fights up but his ankle is banged up, meaning he can’t get up top. Instead they knock each other down again, with Takeshita getting up to take over again. A big clothesline gives Takeshita two but the running knee is blocked. Johnson superkicks him down and ducks a clothesline, setting up a cradle for two. Takeshita is right back with the Blue Thunder Bomb into the running knee to retain at 9:30.

Rating: B-. Well at least we know these people. Takeshita is a great star and doesn’t have much to do with Ring Of Honor but I’ll take someone who is around on these shows one way or another. I have no idea why Johnson was the one getting a title shot here, but logic in title shots is not exactly Tony Khan’s strong suit.

The Opps want to fight Beef and the Premiere Athletes. Anthony Bowens wants violence and Hook thinks he’s starting to get it.

Takumi Iroha vs. Hyan

Iroha is Syuri’s partner. We get a hug to start but Iroha wants to get going so they fight over a lockup. Iroha’s big kick to the head misses though and Hyan realizes this isn’t going to be easy. Hyan misses a dropkick and she gets caught with a quick DDT for two. A sliding knee drops Hyan again but she slips out of a Razor’s Edge. That earns her a kick to the chest and Iroha grabs a quickly broken Scorpion Deathlock.

Hyan muscles her up with a suplex and a belly to back version gets two. Iroha is right back with a running knee to the face and they strike it out. Hyan is knocked down but avoids a Swanton, allowing them to go out to the apron. Iroha gets planted down and a spear gives Hyan two back inside. A big kick knocks Iroha silly but Hyan picks her up instead of covering, allowing Iroha to kick right back. The running Razor’s Edge out of the corner finishes Hyan at 9:49.

Rating: B-. Well, for someone who has never been around here before and likely won’t be again, Iroha looked good enough in beating a midcarder. That’s about all there is to this one, as it’s not like either of them are a big deal around here. The match was fine, but much like a lot of this show, it’s just there.

Lethal Twists/RPG Vice vs. Outrunners/Mike Bailey/Mistico

Mistico gets the big singalong entrance and while the fans wave their hands, I’m not sure if they knew the words (Bailey on the other hand sang every word to the thing multiple times, looking like he was having a great time). Vice teases walking off but comes back for the opening bell as Mistico and Romero start things off. A flying mare takes Romero down and a running hurricanrana does it again.

Everything breaks down though and Mistico gets beaten down, followed by the running clotheslines in the corner. The Outrunners and Bailey are back in for the save though and hammer away with ten right hands each in various corners. We settle down to the Outrunners taking over on Romero but Christian spears Magnum on the apron to cut him off. Lethal stomps him down in the corner and the Figure Four goes on. Christian adds a slingshot hilo but Magnum slams his way out of trouble.

Floyd comes in to clean house, including a swinging suplex to Lethal. The Mega Powers Elbow is broken up though and it’s Bailey coming in to clean house. The running shooting star press gets two on Beretta but Romero is back in with a Shining Wizard for two of his own. Mistico dives onto Romero, leaving Bailey to get cuttered. The Outrunners break up the Lethal Twist’s Mega Powers Elbow and the four of them brawl off to the back. That leaves Mistico to La Mistica Romero for the tap at 11:46.

Rating: B-. This was a wild match and that’s what it should have been, with the fans clearly understanding that it’s a big deal to have Mistico around. At the same time, RPG Vice are a good choice for foils as it’s not like they mean anything in AEW/ROH anyway. Throw in the Outrunners (though oddly not Dalton Castle) and this was fun. Granted so was getting a photo with Mistico to end the night but maybe that’s just me.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Syuri

Only Athena is defending. They go with the grappling to start and it’s an early standoff. An exchange of wristlocks gives us an exchange of flipping escapes so Syuri knees her in the ropes. Somehow Athena manages to go from leaning on the ropes to powerslam her onto the apron.

Back in and Athena knees her down so a backsplash can connect for two. Syuri rolls her up for two more and a facebuster sends Athena out to the ramp. The slugout goes to Athena and she hits a Wasteland to drop Syuri again. Back in and Syuri gets sent hard into the corner for two but she grabs a sitout bulldog. A running knee and right hand give Athena two more but Syuri pulls her off the top into a hammerlock.

The double arm crank sends Athena over to the rope and she’s back up with a superkick. The Black Widow has Athena in more trouble so she faceplants her way to freedom. Syuri gets her cross armbreaker and even crashing over the top doesn’t break it up. A tornado DDT off the barricade plants Athena again and they both have to beat the count back in at nine.

Back in and they slug it out until Syuri grabs a German suplex. Athena snaps off one of her own but Syuri is back with a powerslam. A big knee and kick to the head put Athena down again but she pulls Syuri into a pumphandle Tombstone. The O Face retains the title at 16:18.

Rating: B+. This lived up to the hype of a main event and it felt like Athena’s title was in jeopardy more than once. That’s a good sign that the match is going well, as there was no reason to believe that Syuri was going to win here. This felt like a big time match and I got into what I was watching so rather well done.

Athena shows respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This is one of the weirder shows that Ring Of Honor has, as there are parts of it that were good to even better than that (the opener, the eight man, and especially the main event), but there is a big chunk in the middle that is just there to stretch out the run time. I’m not at all saying these wrestlers are bad or untalented or anything close, but they’re just names on a list of people wrestling on this show and that is only so interesting. I’m not a fan of this concept but we’re nowhere near done, with seven more matches to go from the tapings.

Results
Lio Rush b. Action Andretti and AR Fox – Black Thunder to Andretti
Red Velvet/Thunder Rosa b. Lacey Lane/Viva Van – Package powerbomb to Van
Maika b. Diamante – Michinoku driver
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Los Villanos – Moonsault to Tres
Takumi Iroha b. Hyan – Running Razor’s Edge
Mike Bailey/Mistico/Outrunners b. Lethal Twist/RPG Vice – La Mistica to Romero
Athena b. Syuri – O Face

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

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