Impact Wrestling
Date: September 1, 2022
Location: The Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

The road to Victory Road and then Bound For Glory continues and we’re going big this week. Honor No More is finally getting its shot against the Good Brothers for the Tag Team Titles. This is a long time coming and now the question is how far Impact is willing to go with Honor No More. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Honor No More vs. Good Brothers

They’re starting fast and the Good Brothers are defending. The fans seem behind Honor No More as it’s a slugout to start. Taven and Bennett take Anderson into the corner for a running kick to the head before we settle down to Gallows beating on Bennett in the corner. It’s off to Taven for a kick to the face in the corner and a neckbreaker gets two on Anderson. Back up and Anderson fights out of a double team, only to get kicked back down for two.

Taven’s Lionsault hits knees but Bennett is right there to cut Gallows off before the hot tag. That doesn’t really matter as Anderson gets in another shot and hands it off to Gallows a few seconds later. House is cleaned, including a pumphandle spinning…something for two on Taven. Bennett breaks up the Magic Killer so Anderson gives Taven the spinebuster instead. Back up and Bennett sends Gallows to the floor and crotches Anderson on top, setting up the Proto Pack for the pin and the titles at 8:17.

Rating: C. This didn’t have much time to get anywhere and it didn’t really get out of second gear. The Good Brothers wrapping up with the company made this a pretty obvious conclusion but at least it was a clean win to give us new champions. On top of that, Honor No More HAD to win something before the team stopped meaning anything so this was long overdue.

Maria comes in to celebrate.

Video on Killer Kelly, who is feeling like a star since her debut.

Honor No More celebrates their win but Eddie Edwards is STILL on PCO. Vincent intervenes again.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and at Victory Road.

X-Division Title: Kenny King vs. Mike Bailey

King, with Maria, is challenging and elbows Bailey in the head to start. A clothesline out of the corner puts Bailey down again and there’s a snap powerslam for two. Back up and Bailey knocks him outside but a dive is broken up, allowing King to hit him with a headbutt. A t-bone suplex sends Bailey hard into the apron and we take a break. We come back with Bailey hitting a middle rope dropkick but Bailey kicks him down again. The running corkscrew shooting star press gets two on King but he’s back up and accidentally kicks the referee down.

Bailey’s Ultimate Weapon is broken up with a low blow and another referee comes in for the delayed two. Back up and Bailey tries a sunset flip but Maria grabs King’s hands so he can get the pin at 12:11. And no of course not because the original referee saw Maria cheating so we’re restarting and Honor No More is barred from ringside. King loads up the Royal Flush but Bailey reverses into a cradle to retain at 13:31.

Rating: C+. That was a big tease of a finish and it wouldn’t shock me to see a rematch between these two at Victory Road. I’m not big on Bailey but they have been pushing him hard and making his reign feel like a big deal as he keeps racking up wins. Good match here, and the ending probably builds to something else so well done.

Brian Myers tells Scott D’Amore to get the Digital Media Title back but D’Amore says do it yourself. Then Bhupinder Gujjar drops Myers and leaves the title.

Rosemary, Jessicka and Taya Valkyrie have a drink together but Taya still isn’t sure about Jessicka.

Flashback Moment Of The Week: Sami Callihan wins the World Title on the October 29, 2019 Impact.

Aussie Open is ready to win the Tag Team Titles and they’ll start by beating the Bullet Club.

Moose and Steve Maclin argue again.

Eric Young rants at Violent By Design and Joe Doering walks off. Young does as well, but Deaner can decide who to follow. Get well soon Joe.

Here is the returning Mickie James for a chat. She seems rather pleased with the warm reception before talking about November being 24 years since she first set foot in a ring. The last few years have been a journey, from her sister’s deathbed to being released to being thrown out like the trash to being told she was too old and fat.

That’s good for a MICKIE chant before she talks about everything that has happened in her latest run for the company. She even headlined a pay per view but then she lost her Knockouts Title and was betrayed by Chelsea Green. It had her thinking that she couldn’t do it anymore so she broke up with wrestling.

All she wanted to do when she first got into wrestling was to make it a better place for women and she thinks she has done just that. At one point though, she also promised herself that she was done if she didn’t think she could do it at a high level anymore. Mickie isn’t sure if she can do it anymore, but she isn’t retiring right now.

Instead, she wants to earn it with dirt in her eyes and grit in her teeth, so the open challenge is on for everyone and she is going from the bottom of the roster to the top. But if she loses (Fan: “YOU’RE NOT GONNA LOSE!”), she’s done and it ends one of two ways: as Knockouts World Champion, or her being gone for good. This was an emotional promo and Mickie’s last rodeo (her words) should be a heck of a ride.

Josh Alexander talks about how great Mickie James is but he’s ready for Eddie Edwards at Bound For Glory. And no, he doesn’t buy Honor No More’s sales pitch, because no one is more Impact than him. Edwards comes in to say everyone knows Alexander is disrespected. He brings up Heath….who runs in and beats up Heath.

Post break (and after Tommy Dreamer and Lance Storm finish calming Heath down, because DREAMER WILL NOT JUST GO AWAY), Scott D’Amore gives Heath Eddie Edwards next week. That’s cool with Heath, who goes to apologize to Josh Alexander. That’s a problem though, as Alexander didn’t like Heath cutting him off last week and walks away.

Mascara Dorada vs. Alex Zayne

Dorada is better known as Gran Metalik and the winner is the #1 contender to the X-Division Title. They trade running flips to start before stereo missed dropkicks give us a standoff. Back up and Dorada runs the ropes, setting up the middle rope hurricanrana to the floor. That works for Zayne, who sends him into the barricade and starts chopping away. Zayne drops an elbow on the apron and we take a break with Dorada in trouble.

Back with Dorada fighting up and hitting a rope walk flip dive (with Hannifan saying Dorada is turning this place into a house party). They get back in with Zayne cutting off a charge with an elbow in the corner, followed by a running knee for two. A 450 misses though and Dorada’s tornado DDT sets up a Dorada Driver for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: C+. Another week, another good X-Division match as they throw two more guys out there and let them do their thing. On top of that, there was even something on the line here to make it feel more worthwhile. Dorada is someone people will recognize and that puts him ahead of most of the division. Good stuff here and another nice use of TV time, as tends to be the case with these guys.

Jordynne Grace wishes Mickie James luck and would love to give her a title shot at the end of the line.

Yuya Uemura is here next week.

Masha Slamovich vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Chelsea Green is here with Purrazzo and the winner gets Jordynne Grace for the Knockouts Title at Bound For Glory. They start a bit slowly until Slamovich gets her into the corner for some chops. That’s fine with Purrazzo, who ducks a chop and hits a shot to the face of her own. A running hurricanrana drops Slamovich but she takes Purrazzo down by the hair and kicks her in the chest. It’s too early for the Snowplow so Slamovich has to throw her back inside. Green’s distraction lets Purrazzo get in a cheap shot though and we take a break.

Back with Slamovich getting out of a chinlock and hitting a dropkick through the ropes. One heck of a running spinwheel kick gives Slamovich two and she wins a slugout from their knees. Purrazzo is right back with a Russian legsweep into the Fujiwara armbar, sending Slamovich straight over to the rope. Back up and Purrazzo sends her shoulder first into the post, setting up the rolling German suplexes.

The Queen’s Gambit is countered into an Air Raid Crash into the corner for two more. A Green distraction sets up the Queen’s Gambit for two. Slamovich has had it with this and hits the spinning backfist, kicks Green to the floor, and hits the Snowplow for the pin at 13:59.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match that Slamovich has been needing, as you can only go so far with having her squash people in a minute and a half. Beating Purrazzo, who has been the star of the division for most of this year, and taking out Green at the same time, makes her look like a killer and Jordynne Grace could be in trouble at Bound For Glory.

Post match Jordynne Grace comes out and gives Slamovich a death warrant of her own to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was focused on the X-Division until the big ending with the Knockouts. I liked how they didn’t spend the entire night on the World Title situation, as the match is set and there is other stuff that needs the focus. Impact is getting the idea that they need a balanced card and what they are doing so far is working. Good show here, as Impact continues to produce quality TV.

Results
Honor No More b. Good Brothers – Proton Pack to Anderson
Mike Bailey b. Kenny King – Rollup
Mascara Dorada b. Alex Zayne – Dorada Driver
Masha Slamovich b. Deonna Purrazzo – Snowplow

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.

I’ve been on a bit of a reading kick lately and that means trying to knock out some of my wrestling bookshelf. This time around that means Pure Dynamite, the autobiography of the Dynamite Kid Tom Billington from 2001. Kid is one of the most influential stars of all time and was more or less Chris Benoit before Chris Benoit (minus a few important details). Unfortunately he is also a cautionary tale of the horrors of steroid abuse in wrestling, as Kid was notorious for his usage.

If there was one word to sum up Kid, it would seem to be tough. That could mean a few things in his case, as he was certainly tough in the ring and had a reputation of standing up to anyone in the back, but also tough to deal with, tough to please and tough to tolerate. There are times where Kid comes off as just mean for the sake of being mean, with some of his “ribs” feeling like outright abuse of other wrestlers.

Kid also has no problem with flat out saying he thinks someone has no talent and will go on for a good while about how bad someone is. While he will praise some people, it is clear that he had a very specific view of what wrestling was supposed to be and if you didn’t fit his description, he was not interested whatsoever. It got more than a bit tiring of hearing how bad he thought so many people were and how much he couldn’t stand them (he all but HATED the British Bulldog), but it keeps going throughout.

Kid would wind up in a wheelchair after a back injury got far worse than expected. While there is a lot of sympathy to be had for anyone in his state, it isn’t any kind of a surprise given the style and physical abuse (both in the ring and from a needle) that he put himself through. It was going to catch up to him one day and it certainly did, which is probably a big reason why he passed away on his 60^th birthday.

All in all, Kid was an amazing talent in the ring and deserves a lot of praise, but he was also a time bomb who went off more than once, often due to not being treated how he wanted. There is a difference between standing up for yourself and just arguing for the sake of arguing and I don’t think he ever quite got that. The book, while short at 201 pages, packs in a ton about him, but it doesn’t exactly make me sympathetic to him. Instead, it makes me wonder how he lasted as long as he did, because all that skill in the ring doesn’t make up for the way he did pretty much everything else.

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NXT UK
Date: September 1, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s always weird to see a final show in a series but that is where we have arrived this week. WWE has finally pulled the plug on NXT UK and now we are going to get to see the finals of a tournament for the United Kingdom Title tournament. Ignore the fact that this has been spoiled for weeks now. One last time, let’s get to it.

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

The opening video recaps the history of Tyler Bate and Trent Seven in Moustache Mountain before the split, which still needs a blowoff and happens to take place during this week’s title match.

Opening sequence.

Commentary acknowledges that this is the final show, which certainly is the original commentary and not something that was put in later.

Blair Davenport vs. Amale vs. Isla Dawn vs. Eliza Alexander

Elimination rules and the winner is the new #1 contender to Meiko Satomura and the Women’s Title. Dawn gets pummeled to start with everyone else knocking her out to the floor. Amale slugs away at the two of them but Alexander kicks her in the face. That leaves Davenport to forearm Alexander into the corner but she comes back with some shots of her own. Amale is back up to sent Davenport onto the other two on the floor, setting up the big dive off the top to the floor.

The four of them pair off with Alexander ramming Amale into various things, only to get taken down with a running neckbreaker. Dawn whips Davenport face first into the post before taking her back inside for a faceplant. The other two get back in with Dawn hitting a running knee to drop Alexander for two.

Dawn gets caught on top though and the required Tower Of Doom follows. Amale is the only one up so she hits the running kicks in the corner to Alexander and Davenport. Dawn does the creepy rise up and grabs Amale, earning herself some kicks to the head. The Hopebreaker and a pile on pin finishes Dawn at 7:02 to get us down to three.

Some rollups get two each and everyone winds up looking at each other for a bit. Davenport catches Alexander’s charge but Amale dropkicks them both down. Amale gets dropped and Davenport’s missile dropkick makes it even worse. Davenport gets posted and Alexander knees Amale down for the elimination at 10:08, leaving us with an odd finale.

They trade big shots for two each with Davenport favoring her shoulder. Davenport manages to send her into the buckle and a middle rope double stomp gets two. Some clotheslines put Alexander in more trouble but she charges into an elbow in the corner. Alexander gets pulled off the middle rope for a crash back down and a scary Falcon Arrow finishes for Davenport at 15:09.

Rating: C+. Again, the winner wasn’t exactly in doubt so there is only so much that you can do as far as building up drama. Davenport has already been set up for the title match at Worlds Collide so seeing her run through two people there to fill in spots and Amale. I do like having a long women’s match on the final show though, as the women’s division has done pretty well in NXT UK’s history. Not a classic, but getting four women in there is a good idea.

Saxon Huxley vs. Kenny Williams

Feeling out process to start until Huxley sends him into the corner for some whips around the ring. Williams manages to get in some kicks to the leg, only to get whipped hard into the buckle. Huxley’s leg is bent around the rope though and a dropkick into said leg gets two. Cue Chase U to distract Williams though, allowing Huxley to go back in time with an atomic drop.

A running big boot sets up a running clothesline to the back of the head, followed by a running elbow for two on Williams. Huxley knocks him off the apron and into the arms of Chase U, where they drop him hard onto the floor. Back in and a chokebomb gives Huxley the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C. I’m glad to see Huxley get a win like this as he really found his niche over the years around here. At the same time though, this felt a bit more about Chase U than Huxley, which isn’t exactly surprising but it isn’t something that needed to happen. It’s the final episode, so let the focus be on the NXT UK stars. Oh and we’re never going to find out who Tiger Turan was are we?

We get a long video on the history of Trent Seven vs. Tyler Bate. Seven saw him at a training school in England and helped bring him up. Then Bate went on to become a huge star and they wound up becoming Tag Team Champions. Seven went too evil to make sure that they retained the titles though and that was too far for Bate. The team split, and now it is their big showdown, which happens to be for the title.

NXT United Kingdom Title: Trent Seven vs. Tyler Bate

For the vacant title so Sid Scala and Johnny Saint are in the ring with the belt. After the Big Match Intros, Bate takes him down into a headscissors, which actually requires a rope break. Back up and Seven pulls him into an armbar but Seven uses his feet to take the arm out as I don’t quite get the hatred that they seemed to have since their split.

With that broken up, a chop off goes to bate but Seven gets smart by going after the leg. The fans chant at Seven as he works on the leg but Bate pops back up and strikes away in the corner again. Seven sends the leg into the ropes to take it down again before slapping Bate in the back. Bate’s comeback is cut off with a DDT for two and it’s back to the leg as this is starting to get slow.

Some kicks to the face fire Bate up and he snaps off the uppercuts, setting up a t-bone suplex. The leg is fine enough to nip up and hit a running shooting star press for two before Bate muscles him over with a suplex. The slow motion airplane spin works but the Seven Star Lariat gives Seven two. Seven grabs the reverse Figure Four he used last week but Bate manages to turn it over, sending them both to the rope break.

They slug it out from the mat with Bate getting up to walk through some chops. A few bit shots to the face drop Seven but Bate can’t follow up. Bate’s rebound lariat into the Tyler Driver 97 gets two and they’re both down (with some fans/commentators stunned). Bate catches him on top though but the super Emerald Flosion gets two.

Seven hits his own Tyler Driver 97 for two and they’re both down again. Back up and it looks like Seven tries a Bitter End but Bate slips out and hits a Seven Star Lariat for a very near fall. The Spiral Tap gives Bate another near fall, followed by the Bang into another Tyler Driver 97 for the pin and the title at 20:29.

Rating: B. The first half took a long time to get going and the leg stuff didn’t go anywhere after the leglock was broken up. After that, it turned into the modern slugout with one big move after another. Much like the opener, there wasn’t a ton of drama here, but I would put that more on it being Tyler Bate vs. Trent Seven. While Seven’s heel turn was good, he just isn’t a top guy and giving Bate the title back was the best way to go and makes far more sense in this, or any spot really.

Post match Seven is devastated in the corner as Bate gets to pose with the title.

Commentary thanks everyone for being a part of this and we get a great video looking at the history of the show. There have been some absolute classics in there, especially around the United Kingdom Title.

A big group photograph wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener and main event were both good matches and the match in between was solid enough. That being said, only the last few minutes felt like a big finale and that made it a little sad to see. NXT UK is a show that has its own history and identity and while seeing Bate win was good to see, there was only so much covered here. Then again it doesn’t seem like they knew this was the big finale, so this was as good as it could have been. Another rather nice show, as it should have been on the way out.

So that’s it for NXT UK and I’m going to miss it. I don’t think there is any hiding the fact that it was never anything more than a way to produce more weekly content, but it wound up being a fun, dependable show which is going to give you a completely watchable show almost every time. It took a long time to get there but it was possible the most consistent WWE show for the last year. I’ll miss NXT UK, but it was never destined to be anything significant, which is quite sad in its own way.

Results
Blair Davenport b. Isla Dawn, Eliza Alexander and Amale last eliminating Alexander
Saxon Huxley b. Kenny Williams – Chokebomb
Tyler Bate b. Trent Seven – Tyler Driver 97

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.

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 30, 1995
Location: Keystone Center, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Attendance: 2,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We’re coming up on Survivor Series and the build to the show has already gotten started fast with two matches announced. Diesel will defend the WWF Title against Bret Hart and the Wild Card match sounds interesting. This week though, it’s Owen Hart challenging Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Title so let’s get to it.

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

It’s the night before Halloween so Todd Pettingill is doing a spooky voice on the intro. We’ve got a themed show people.

Opening sequence.

Commentary is in costumes, as Vince is dressed as a prisoner and Lawler is a doctor. Lawler says he heard Vince got that costume a year ago and is just getting to use it. There’s your inside joke and it would probably get people fired in later years.

Savio Vega vs. Goldust

This is Goldust’s Raw debut and Lawler is right there with every movie joke he can find. Goldust rips the wig off and starts hammering away in the corner, setting up a hard kick to the ribs. Vega fights up but misses the dropkick as Lawler wants Goldust to be more like a horror movie character. A hard posting bangs up Vega’s shoulder and Goldust grabs the logical armbar. Lawler: “He’s dominating Savio Vega!” Vince: “Which match are you looking at?” The match where Goldust is dominating Vega? Goldust cranks on the arm in the corner and we take a break.

Back with the armbar continuing as Vince admits that this is dominance. A running knee in the corner keeps Vega down as Vince calls Goldust a “masculine RuPaul.” Vega fights up but misses the spinwheel kick, allowing Goldust to go back to the arm. An arm trap rollup finishes Vega off.

Rating: C-. The arm stuff was a fine way to go and it was nice to see it play into the finish. There was obviously something with Goldust, but Lawler laying off the movie puns would help a lot. They needed to mold Goldust a lot more though, even if you could see something in him that would draw in attention.

It’s time for the Slam Jam, featuring the announcement that the Diesel vs. Bret Hart WWF Title match at Survivor Series will be no countout, no DQ and no time limit. Doc Hendrix, either as a pumpkin or a bad Legion of Doom cosplay, doesn’t know where the fans’ loyalties will lie.

Hakushi and Barry Horowitz play Karate Fighters. Horowitz Wins!

Marty Jannetty vs. Joe Dorgan

Lawler talks about the horse that won the Breeders Cup looking too much like Alundra Blayze. Marty starts with a wristlock and cuts off a charge with a raised elbow in the corner. The chinlock goes on, followed by a chinlock to keep up the theme. Marty drops him again and hits the top rope fist drop to complete the squash.

Video on Bret Hart and Hakushi vs. Jerry Lawler and Isaac Yankem, which makes sense given how things have gone for Bret this summer.

Here is British Bulldog, with Jim Cornette and someone new for a chat. Cornette isn’t happy with what happened at In Your House, but Gorilla Monsoon has made it even worse. British Bulldog beat Diesel (by DQ) and should be facing Bret Hart. The fact that Bret isn’t champion would make this an odd choice but oh well. Anyway, Bulldog wants another match with Diesel and to face Bret at the next In Your House in December.

Cornette introduces his new lawyer, Clarence Mason (Lawler: “Best litigator since Jerry McDevitt!”), who doesn’t like anything Monsoon has done. Cornette isn’t done either, as he rants about the Wild Card match at Survivor Series. As for next week, Bulldog promises to drop Marty Jannetty. Cue Jannetty to dropkick Bulldog and punch Cornette but won’t slap Mason. This went on for a long time and didn’t really say much other than Bulldog wants Hart in December.

Smoking Gunns vs. Phil Apollo/Joe Rashner

Non-title. During the entrances, we see a clip of the 1-2-3 Kid attacking the Gunns after losing their Tag Team Title shot at In Your House. Billy avoids Apollo’s (or Otis as Vince calls him for some reason) leapfrog to start and hits him in the face. Rashner comes in and we go split screen where the Kid apologizes and asks for one more title shot. It’s off to Bart for a double clothesline and the Sidewinder finishes fast.

Bret Hart doesn’t care what rules he has to deal with at Survivor Series because he’s winning the WWF Title.

Paul Bearer promises that Undertaker is coming back, even if his face is currently too gruesome to be seen.

Intercontinental Title: Owen Hart vs. Razor Ramon

Hart, with Jim Cornette, is challenging. Razor charges in and knocks him to the floor to start before grabbing the wristlock. Owen can’t monkey flip his way to freedom and the cranking continues. Back up and Ramon takes him down by the arm again but has to punch Cornette off the apron. Cue Yokozuna (Lawler: “Here comes the wide load!”) with Mr. Fuji and we take a break.

Back with Hart dropping Razor on the top rope and knocking him outside for the dropkick through the ropes. The missile dropkick gets two and there’s the running crotch attack on the ropes. Hart cuts off a comeback attempt and grabs a chinlock, setting up a top rope elbow for two. We take an abrupt break and come back with both of them down off a suplex while we were away. Razor is back up with some right hands and a clothesline as we take another abrupt break. Back again with Yokozuna coming in for the DQ maybe five seconds after we were back to the action.

Rating: B-. The breaks here were weird as they had three of them in a match that had about ten minutes aired. Razor vs. Owen is something that would work just fine on its own and I don’t know why they needed to cut it up so much. That being said, it was only so good with the screwy ending but you don’t want either of them jobbing at the moment.

Post match the beatdown is on but the 1-2-3 Kid comes in. That has as much effect on Yokozuna as you would expect, as the big legdrop crushes the Kid. Ahmed Jonson comes in and slams Yokozuna (better than Luger) to end the show. Johnson looked amazing but that was about it aside from the power displays.

Overall Rating: C. The ending with Johnson was the big moment that the show was needing as there was only so much going on here otherwise. Johnson felt like a hot new star and now we could be in for some interesting ways to go. Survivor Series needs to get here, but the two matches they already have announced should be enough to carry it pretty far.

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.

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Dynamite
Date: August 31, 2022
Location: Now Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Taz

We’re four days away from All Out and it would be nice to have a main event announced. I would certainly hope we know who that is this week, but the question now is which way they go. There is a good chance that it is a rematch with CM Punk, but other than that, is there another option outside of maybe Hangman Page? Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Jon Moxley to get things going. Moxley says let’s talk about it: he had 57 minutes left in him last week but CM Punk didn’t. Last week, we found out what Punk was made of and it turned out that Moxley didn’t care. Champions never fold and it just didn’t work out for him. Moxley knows this is Punk’s town but he has no sympathy. That’s last week though and now he has a signed open contract for All Out, which he will leave in the ring. He’s not sure who he’s going to face and he really doesn’t care. Cue Ace Steel, Punk’s mentor, who grabs the contract and takes it to the back.

Chris Jericho is ready for Bryan Danielson on Sunday. Daniel Garcia comes in to say that he is loyal to the Jericho Appreciation Society and wants to see Jericho crush Danielson at All Out. Works for Jericho.

Jake Hager vs. Bryan Danielson

Chris Jericho and William Regal are on commentary. Hager hits him in the face to start but charges into a boot in the corner. The guillotine goes on but Hager powers out without much trouble. They head outside with Danielson’s suicide dive being cut off and Hager hitting a running spinebuster through a table. Back in and Danielson can’t grab a kneebar as Hager elbows him in the face.

We take a break and come back with Danielson firing off the kicks to the chest but getting hammered with more heavy forearms. That’s pulled into the guillotine, which is countered into something like a powerbomb to drop Danielson again. Danielson is fine enough to pull him into the LeBell Lock, which sends Hager over to the rope. Back up and Danielson hits the running knee for the pin at 10:45.

Rating: B-. That’s what Danielson does best, as he got the most out of Hager by playing to his strength and making the match that much better. Hager does not exactly have the best track record in AEW but Danielson made it work. Nice match, as Danielson continues to show what a master he is every week.

Post match the Jericho Appreciation Society runs in for the beatdown but the Blackpool Combat Club makes the save. Jericho tries to come in with a chair but Daniel Garcia takes it away. The distraction lets Danielson hit another running knee.

Here are the Wingmen to complain about not being around much lately. From now on, Dynamite is their show, but here is W. Morrissey (better known as Big Cass) to wreck things. Stokely Hathaway comes out and seems to have a new client. Tony Schiavone stops them in the aisle and asks Hathaway what’s up with all of the business cards. Hathaway says none of his business and grabs Tony for daring to say it is AEW business. Morrissey had a Sid like energy in Impact Wrestling but I don’t know if that is going to work in AEW.

Will Ospreay and Aussie Open are in the back when Don Callis comes in to praise him a lot, saying he knows it’ll be different than the last time Kenny Omega gave him the One Winged Angel.

Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida/Toni Storm

Rebel is here with Baker/Hayter. Shida hammers on Hayter to start so it’s off to Storm, who gets taken down with a jawbreaker. Baker comes in and we take an early break. Back with Shida getting the hot tag to start cleaning house but Baker takes her down with a neckbreaker for two. A basement superkick nails Shida but the Stomp misses. Shida gets in a shot of her own though and goes outside to distract Hayter. Storm comes in with a running hip attack and takes out Hayter again. Shida’s spinning kick to the head finishes Baker at 7:34.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have time to do much as a good chunk of it was in the commercial. Shida getting the pin boosts her up a bit for the title match but I don’t exactly see her having much of a chance on Sunday. Having her win in a tag match is a good way to go, even if there wasn’t much to see here.

Kip Sabian talks about how brilliant his box on the head plan was and how he took it out on Pac. Now they are meeting on Sunday for the title.

Miro/Sting/Darby Allin are ready for the House Of Black.

Here is CM Punk, looking rather emotional. Punk talks about breaking his foot on June 1 and wrestling a match on it anyway. His doctor said he “pulverized” the bones so he had a bunch of plates and screws put in his foot during a June 8 surgery. After saying the number of screws he had put in his foot is more times than this fat guy in the front row has been screwed in his life, he talks about his loss last week. His foot was completely cleared last week but it’s a new 100%. What he doesn’t know is if that 100% is good enough and he doesn’t want to let his fans down.

Maybe that love just isn’t enough anymore, but here is Ace Steel to interrupt. Steel explains who he is (thank you) and doesn’t know what Punk is doing here. The two of them are family and Punk didn’t let his family down last week. Punk filled an arena up on a rumor last year and now he is going to get up and fight on Sunday.

Steel pulls out the contract for Sunday and says sign it (possibly dropping an F bomb in there). Punk takes off his jacket and says people have been trying to kill him since he was born with a cord around his neck. Moxley isn’t a man who can do it because THIS IS CHICAGO and, as Punk goes into the crowd, he declares WE ARE CHICAGO and signs. So yeah, this whole story has been about the live crowd instead of the people watching at home, which is one of those AEW tropes that needs to go away.

Earlier today, Jim Ross sat down between Christian Cage and Jungle Boy with the rule of no physicality. Christian says he is here to make money instead of being Jungle Boy’s father. Jungle Boy isn’t looking for a father, and on Sunday, Christian is going to fight Jack Perry. Good closing line there and the name change would not be a bad idea.

Wardlow/FTR vs. Silas Young/Ren Jones/Victor Capri

Wardlow and Jones start things off and we don’t waste much time getting to the dominance. After Harwood takes over on Capri, a two movement Powerbomb Symphony finishes him off at 1:59.

Here is Moxley to say that if that is what Punk wants, that’s what he can have.

10 is injured and out of the Trios Title match so here is Andrade to offer to buy him if he’ll take the mask off. Evil Uno says no, so Andrade hits him with a crutch. Then Jose the Assistant….either tazes 10, who doesn’t move, or just threatens to do it. I think it’s the latter, which would be a lot better.

Rush vs. Rey Fenix vs. Dante Martin vs. Wheeler Yuta

William Regal is on commentary. Rush powerslams Fenix to start and Martin snaps off a Code Red for two. The big series of dives is on, with Rush wiping out Fenix on the landing. We take a break and come back with Fenix spinning Martin into a knee to the face, followed by a spinning powerbomb for two. Rush makes the save but gets sent outside, leaving Martin to drop Fenix with a poisonrana. Fenix pops up to catch Yuta on top, only to get sent outside. Yuta misses a top rope stomp to Martin but pulls him into the Seat Belt for the pin at 7:57.

Rating: B-. I know I say this a lot for a match like this but you know exactly what you’re getting with this style. Everyone not named Rush can wrestle that style just fine and he was there for the power to offer a different way to go. I was thinking Martin would get the pin here but at least they didn’t talk about the idea of building momentum for ten minutes.

The Dark Order needs a partner and Hangman Page is willing. You knew that was coming.

Trios Titles Tournament Semifinals: United Empire vs. Elite

That would be Will Ospreay/Aussie Open vs. Kenny Omega/Young Bucks. Omega and Osprey slug it out to start and everything breaks down. The Bucks’ dives onto Aussie Open on the floor are pulled out of the air, leaving Ospreay to hit a VERY twisting dive to take them out.

We take a break and come back with Aussie Open beating on Matt, who hurricanranas his way to freedom. The hot tag brings in Omega to start cleaning house but the V Trigger is blocked. The Oscutter is blocked as well and Ospreay snaps off a hurricanrana to send Omega outside. Ospreay misses the Space Flying Tiger Drop and gets kicked down, leaving Aussie Open to hit a double delayed vertical superplex for two on Omega.

We take another break and come back with Nick cleaning house but having his 450 hit Ospreay’s raised knees. The snapdragon drops Nick and it’s Omega vs. Ospreay with the forearm slugout. A sitout powerbomb plants Omega HARD, leaving Aussie Open to load up the assisted Oscutter but Matt countered into a cutter of his own. Omega is back up for the triple knees to the head but Ospreay makes a save. A shooting star Meltzer Driver (just go with it) gets two on Matt but Omega’s V Trigger is broken up. The spike Indytaker gets two more and there’s the V Trigger into the One Winged Angel to finish Davis at 18:53.

Rating: A-. This is a great example of a match that isn’t for me but I get why it is taking place. This was tailor made for the AEW audience and the fans are going to eat it up. The flips and dives worked very well and it was incredibly high energy, which is the kind of match you had to expect take place here. I don’t think there was much in the way of question about the winner, but Omega vs. Ospreay is going to be a big match down the line and it should be a blast.

Overall Rating: B+. They got this one right and built up All Out rather well. I’m not wild on how they got to Punk vs. Moxley II and AEW still has issues with rushing through things as fast as they can, but it is certainly not boring and that is a great thing to see. Very fun show this week and it got some stuff done, so it’s quite the success.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Jake Hager – Running knee
Hikaru Shida/Toni Storm b. Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter – Spinning kick to Baker
Wardlow/FTR b. Victor Capri/Silas Young/Ren Jones – Powerbomb Symphony to Capri
Wheeler Yuta b. Rush, Rey Fenix and Dante Martin – Seat Belt to Martin
Elite b. United Empire – One Winged Angel to Davis

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 23, 1995
Location: Keystone Center, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Attendance: 2,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We are fresh off of In Your House: Great White North, which featured one of the worst main events in company history as Diesel retained the WWF Title over the British Bulldog. Thankfully we are back to a live show this week after last week’s AWFUL show, meaning things can’t get any worse. Well in theory at least. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a quick pay per view recap and a quicker preview of this week’s show. This includes Diesel retaining the WWF Title and brawling with Bret Hart, plus Shawn Michaels having to forfeit the Intercontinental Title to Dean Douglas due to his injuries. Then about 14 minutes later, Razor Ramon beat Douglas to win the title.

Opening sequence.

Battle Royal

Marty Jannetty, Bob Holly, Fatu, 1-2-3 Kid, Savio Vega, King Kong Bundy, Henry Godwinn, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Owen Hart, Jean Pierre LaFitte, Duke Droese, Bam Bam Bigelow, Skip, Rad Radford, Aldo Montoya, Barry Horowitz, Hakushi, Sid, Isaac Yankem, Kama Mustafa

The winner gets an Intercontinental Title shot against Razor Ramon next week. It’s a….well it’s a battle royal to start and Bundy, who hasn’t been around in months, is out fast. Aldo is tossed as Sid and Fatu keep fighting on and off. We are firmly in the brawling against the ropes with no one being eliminated phase until Holly is out, meaning we get race car jokes from commentary.

Sid kicks Droese out and Skip tosses Hakushi as we hear about the United Nations. Kama punches out Fatu as the ring is starting to clear out a bit. There goes Skip at Horowitz’s hands and we take a break. Back with some eliminations having taken place during the break, meaning we’re down to Jannetty, Yankem, Sid, Bigelow, LaFitte, Vega and Hart. There goes Yankem to get us down to six and Owen has to save himself. Bigelow knocks Sid out and we take another break.

Back again with Bigelow gone, meaning we’re down to four. Jannetty hits a clothesline on Owen and hammers away in the corner as Vince tries to tell us how interesting some of these people would be against Razor. Vega manages to save himself and avoids a spinwheel kick from Owen. Marty tosses Vega and LaFitte but Owen manages to hang on. A clothesline puts Owen on the apron but he (barely) holds on to various ropes to survive some right hands.

Back in and an enziguri rocks Marty, who manages to hang on as well. Owen sends him through the ropes, meaning Marty has to grab Jim Cornette’s tennis racket and chase him off, allowing British Bulldog to pop up and jump Jannetty. Back in and Marty makes ANOTHER comeback but Owen finally sends him out for the win and the title shot.

Rating: D. This was WAY too long and probably could have been done in about half the time, especially with how long it took to get rid of a lot of people. Owen vs. Razor will be fine for a title match but I would hope they could come up with a better way to set up the match than dragging King Kong Bundy out of mothballs. Bad match and even worse, it felt long.

Post break, Owen promises to win the Intercontinental Title.

We look back at Bret Hart getting involved with last night’s main event and brawling with Diesel after the match. They’re already set for the Survivor Series title match.

It’s time for the Survivor Series Slam Jam (Control Center) with the announcement of the Wild Card match. This is an idea that I could go for again, as they are having a Survivor Series match with friends and enemies being randomly paired together. That’s a nice twist and it could work again.

Bob Backlund is campaigning for Congress. In the wrong country.

Ahmed Johnson is ready for Survivor Series.

Avatar vs. Brian Walsh

Avatar is a masked ninja who comes to the ring unmasked before putting it on for the bell. Uh yeah. Avatar legdrags him down and cranks on the arm before hitting a superkick to the back of the head. A top rope dive has to be canceled so Avatar hits a slingshot dive instead as the crowd somehow goes even more quiet. Back in and Walsh hits some clotheslines but gets caught with a backbreaker. A standing moonsault and then a weird jumping splash finishes for Avatar. This gimmick was horrible of course, but Avatar would get a bit better when he would lose the mask and wrestle under the better name of Al Snow.

Next week: Goldust’s Raw debut.

Women’s Title: Alundra Blayze vs. Bertha Faye

Faye (a rather odd looking woman whose large size was emphasized) is defending and has her boyfriend Harvey Wippleman with her. Blayze gets run over to start and Faye drops some legs for two. Some chest bumps in the corner crush Blayze, whose sunset flip doesn’t get her very far. Faye sits on her chest as Lawler comments on Faye’s weight, because that’s the entire point of her being here. Blayze is knocked around again to continue the dominance as we take a break.

Back with Blayze being sent to the apron but managing to ram her face first into the buckle. A middle rope dropkick gets two on Faye (Big Bertha Faye according to Vince for the fifth or so time) and some running clotheslines connect for the same. Blayze takes her time loading up the powerbomb so Faye counters with a backdrop. Faye takes her own time going up though and a super hurricanrana pulls her back down. Harvey’s distraction fails and Blayze grabs the bridging German suplex for the pin and the title.

Rating: D+. Commentary alone was hard to sit through and I was feeling sorry for Faye more than anything else. Blayze getting the title back was a fine story but come on with the treating Faye like some kind of disgusting slob. It’s one of those things that was bad at the time and then aged even worse, which is the case with too many things in this company’s history. Blayze wouldn’t lose the title, but she would indeed drop it a few months later.

We get a sitdown interview with Shawn Michaels, who has two banged up eyes after being wrecked by an unclear number of Marines (or Marine). Shawn worked hard to earn the Intercontinental Title and then he had to hand it over to someone he finds very overrated. Jim Ross brings up the Survivor Series Wild Card match but Shawn has to have more brain tests next week.

Lawler is near very real tears after the interview.

Overall Rating: D+. It was a two match show and neither of those matches were exactly good. That being said, you can indeed feel the difference between last week’s taped garbage and this week’s live show, which just wasn’t very good. There is a different energy there and it made a lot of difference. Now if they can actually have a good show next week, that might help the Survivor Series build, but we have a few weeks before we get there.

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

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Make sure you check out some recent reviews.

Monday Night Raw – October 16, 1995

Monday Night Raw – January 14, 2008

NXT – August 31, 2022

The Slow Process: Injured WWE Star Gives Update On Her Health.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/slow-process-injured-wwe-star-gives-update-health/

Next Up: WWE Plans Major Push For Up And Coming Star.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/next-wwe-plans-major-push-coming-star/

Please Get Better: Impact Wrestling Star Announces Second Brain Cancer Diagnosis.

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WATCH: Huge Group Of WWE Guest Stars Hype NXT Worlds Collide.

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They’re Doing It Right: USA/NBC Universal Impressed With Monday Night Raw Changes.

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WATCH: WWE Security Confiscates Disparaging Sign On Monday Night Raw.

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Talking Heads: Here’s Why AEWMade Broadcast Team Changes.

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Triple Times: NXT Worlds Collide Card Triples In Size With Four New Matches.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/triple-times-nxt-worlds-collide-card-triples-size-four-new-matches/

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.

NXT
Date: August 30, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s the go home show for Worlds Collide and that means we should be in for the hard push towards the show. Since we currently have a two match card, I’m expecting quite a few matches to be added to the show this week. I’m not sure what that is going to be, but it almost has to happen. Let’s get to it.

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

Grayson Waller vs. Apollo Crews

Crews’ intro cuts off Waller’s pre-match speech, much to Barrett’s annoyance. Crews grabs a headlock to start as commentary talks about his random visions, which just aren’t going to be explained. Waller fights out but gets dropkicked down, allowing Crews to dribble an invisible basketball and dance a bit. The very delayed vertical suplex slam puts Waller back down but he seems to go to the eye to get a breather. A medic comes out to check on Crews and we take a break.

Back with Crews fighting out of a chinlock but his slingshot hilo is countered into a sleeper. Crews breaks out of that too and kicks him in the head but Waller gets in a shot of his own to slow him down. The rolling Stunner is almost countered into a spinebuster, only to have the second attempt connect to give Waller the pin at 11:13.

Rating: C. Waller’s push continues, even if it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. At the same time, Crews seems to be in NXT to put others over and that might be the best use for him. You could put him into a title hunt almost immediately or even bring him back t the main roster, but for now, this seems to be about it for him.

The Diamond Mine is ready to fight but Roderick Strong wants to talk about the security footage from a few weeks ago. Julius Creed doesn’t care, but here are Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley are ready for their tag match against Katana Chance and Kayden Carter.

Bron Breakker is in the locker room when Finn Balor pops up to say he made the NXT Title the standard. He’s also beaten people twice his size so don’t underestimate Tyler Bate.

Tatum Paxley/Ivy Nile vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Non-title. Nile takes Carter down for an early two and sunset flips her for the same. Chance comes in to roll Paxley up for two more, followed by a double clothesline for a double knockdown. As they’re both down, we see that Toxic Attraction has left the Toxic Lounge. Cue Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne for a distraction, which draws Nile away. The 450/neckbreaker combination finishes Paxley at 4:16.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, but it does say something that NXT seems to have some teams that can be thrown out there every now and then. It wasn’t exactly a great match and was there for the sake of the Toxic Attraction run-in, but at least the champs got a win. Now just find some better challengers for the champs and start making them seem better.

Post match Chance and Carter grab the mic but Doudrop and Nikki Ash interrupt. They like the idea of a party, but they also want a title shot on Sunday. Sure.

Kiana James is in her office where she is ready for Zoey Stark tonight.

The Schism is ready for some ceremony involving Cameron Grimes.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams arrive but don’t want to talk about anything but Hayes’ opponent at Worlds Collide.

Here is Schism, with Joe Gacy being proud of the Dyad’s efforts. He’s so happy that they get smiley face pins to show how great they are. They are moving up the Schism’s tree, and yes there is a graphic. The Dyad is rather pleased with what they’re doing, but for now, Joe Gacy wants to talk about Cameron Grimes. He can never be happy without the Schism so here is Grimes to answer.

Cue Grimes, who says the team has been after him for a few weeks but he has realized he doesn’t need them. Gacy talks about how Grimes keeps failing and has not titles, but Grimes still isn’t interested. That makes Gacy bring up Grimes’ dead father, and that’s enough for the fight. Grimes cleans house, but walks into Gacy’s handspring…..hug? Grimes leaves and is rather confused. I’m rather confused as to why Gacy, who might be the worst thing in wrestling, is still around.

Roxanne Perez can’t believe Cora Jade turned on her and goes nuclear by blocking Jade’s number.

Tyler Bate is in the back when Finlay comes in to say there’s a call for him. Pete Dunne is on a tablet and says go unify those titles for NXT UK. Yes Dunne, not Butch.

Lash Legend/Pretty Deadly vs. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Fallon Henley

Henley goes after Legend to start but gets choked on the ropes for her efforts. Wilson comes in and gets slapped by Henley, allowing Briggs to come in for the big shoulder. It’s off to Prince, who comes off the top and lands in an atomic drop. Henley kicks Legend down and gets LAUNCHED over the top onto all three villains as we take a break.

Back with Briggs getting knocked down and pounded by Wilson, setting up some choking from the floor. The chinlock goes on but Briggs powers over and brings in Jensen to start cleaning house. Jensen and Prince knock each other down so Jensen goes for the tag, only to have Gallus come out. The women get in a fight, leaving Joe Coffey to kick Jensen into a rollup to give Prince the pin at 11:31.

Rating: C. this was all about getting Gallus out there and probably helping to set up the four way for both sets of Tag Team Titles at the pay per view. The distraction helps keep the champs looking ok and Henley vs. Legend was at least energetic. It’s still the weakest title match at the moment, but at least they seem to have a direction.

Shayna Baszler comes in to see Mandy Rose, who says she’ll be passing Baszler soon. Baszler tells her to unify the titles or nothing from the last year matters.

JD McDonagh twists the mic cube around and says people find him creepy, including Wes Lee. He doesn’t care about what people think or about things like feelings. Did you know McDonagh is weird? I don’t know if they made that clear enough.

Andre Chase vs. Charlie Dempsey

Chase U is here with Chase, as you might have guessed. They go with the grappling to start with neither being able to get very far. A test of strength results in them flipping down to the mat, with no one getting an advantage. Chase starts working on the arm to take over but Dempsey isn’t having any of that. Instead, Dempsey pulls him down into a string of holds, from a Fujiwara armbar into an STF into something like a Regal Stretch. Bodie Hayward annoys Dempsey though, causing him to let go and suplex Hayward on the floor. That’s enough of a distraction to let Chase grab a rollup pin at 5:11.

Rating: C. Not much of a match but it deserves some credit for the surprise ending. Dempsey was pushed as a killer in NXT UK but I like Chase actually getting a win. The whole Chase U act has figured out its ceiling and giving them a win like this isn’t the worst idea. There is always going to be room for someone like Dempsey and he’ll be fine, but Chase has a more unique talent and that deserves some attention.

Meiko Satomura runs into Alba Fyre (who Satomura beat to win the NXT UK Women’s Title) and they exchange respect.

Tyler Bate runs into Gunther, who tells him to bring the Bate that fought him in Cardiff to face Bron Breakker.

Kiana James vs. Zoey Stark

Stark starts fast and knocks her down, setting up a springboard corkscrew dive for two. A quick trip to the floor goes badly for James but she’s right back with an armbar inside. Stark fights up and hits a running knee for two of her own, setting up the flipping knee for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C-. Another short match that didn’t have the time to go very far, but Stark winning gives her a nice boost back up. James is someone with charisma and a different kind of character but she hasn’t actually done much yet. She shouldn’t have started doing so here either, so this was the right way to go.

Post match Nikkita Lyons runs in to chase James off.

Blair Davenport is ready to unify the women’s titles on Sunday. Rhea Ripley pops up to say she has held both titles so do the same thing she did.

Nathan Frazer and someone else are reading WWE comic books. Frazer misses NXT UK and says the guy next to him wouldn’t know what that’s like. It’s Axiom, who agrees to face Frazer in a British rounds match under Heritage Cup rules at Worlds Collide. Then they trade comic books.

Gallus vs. Diamond Mine

Brutus has to fight out of early trouble and gutwrench suplexes Mark, allowing the tag off to Kemp for a waistlock. Everything breaks down and Diamond Mine tries stereo submissions to send us to a break. Back with Julius powering Joe up for a release slam, setting up the ankle lock. Mark trips Julius on the apron though and some shots to the back keep him in trouble.

Julius fights out of Joe’s chinlock and Wolfgang’s front facelock but still can’t make the tag. A missed charge allows the tag off to Kemp to clean house, but here is Roderick Strong with his phone. Kemp throws it on the floor for a stomping but the distraction lets Joe hit All The Best For The Bells for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C+. Much like the other six man, this was a bunch of waiting around until we got to the important stuff with the interference. You knew there was going to be someone getting involved somehow and in this case, it was Strong messing things up for his own team. Gallus are fine as the bullies and the Creeds are growing on me, so this was at least decent until the obvious ending.

Post match Pretty Deadly runs in for the brawl but the locker room clears out, with a bunch of referees getting in on it.

Bron Breakker is in the back watching when Ciampa sits down next to him. Ciampa holds the title and talks about what he helped make it mean. It’s Breakker’s world now and he has to defend the brand.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams interrupt a chat about Sunday’s show because Hayes wants an opponent.

Quincy Elliott is still coming.

Worlds Collide rundown, now with Pretty Deadly, Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen, Gallus and the Creed Brothers in a unification match.

Here are Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams to demand to know who Hayes is facing at Worlds Collide. Hayes has already unified titles so this is nothing new for him. He isn’t a secondary champion and the lack of competition means he is not going to Worlds Collide. There is no one on his level or on a level beneath him. Then the lights go out and it’s…..Ricochet. Hayes: “Look he got a microphone. I don’t know if he knows how to use it though.”

Ricochet thinks Smackdown needs to be part of Worlds Collide. While he respect Hayes and all his title defenses, he can’t actually remember any of them. That’s why Ricochet is ready to give Hayes one to remember, which has Hayes ready to fight. Williams gets kicked down and Hayes springboards into a Recoil, leaving Ricochet to pose to end the show. Ricochet is a good choice as he means something around here and he probably wasn’t on a lot of radar. Just don’t let him talk that much.

Overall Rating: C+. The guest stars gave this a lot of energy and it made the show feel more important, at least for a week. They have taken Worlds Collide from a pretty one note show and turned it into something that could be quite the interesting mess. I’m more interested in where it goes now than I was coming into this week though and that means they did something right.

Results
Grayson Waller b. Apollo Crews – Rolling Stunner
Katana Chance/Kayden Carter b. Ivy Nile/Tatum Paxley – 450/neckbreaker combination to Paxley
Pretty Deadly/Lash Legend b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Fallon Henley – Rollup to Briggs
Andre Chase b. Charlie Dempsey – Rollup
Zoey Stark b. Kiana James – Flipping knee to the face
Gallus b. Diamond Mine – All The Best For The Bells to Julius

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

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