Impact Wrestling – May 26, 2022: The Step Forward

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 26, 2022
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are well on the way to Slammiversary and that means it is time to build towards the matches that are already set for the show. This includes the World Title match of Josh Alexander defending against Eric Young, which will probably be built up a bit more this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s main event, with the Briscoes retaining the Tag Team Titles over Violent By Design. This set up a post match staredown also involving Josh Alexander, likely setting up a six man tag this week.

Opening sequence.

Ultimate X Qualifying Match: Alex Shelley vs. Trey Miguel

We get a respectful handshake to start until Shelley grabs a hammerlock. Miguel spins out of that in a hurry though and we’re at a standoff. A whip into the ropes doesn’t work for Shelley, as Miguel is right there with a few kicks to the arm. Shelley sends him outside though and there’s the baseball slide to stagger Miguel. The chop hits the post though and Miguel grabs a middle rope moonsault as Shelley grabs his hand.

Back in and Shelley is fine enough to knock him out of the air and start cranking Miguel’s leg around the rope. A dragon screw legwhip makes Miguel scream and the Motor City Stretch makes it even worse. That means Miguel needs a rope for the break and a dropkick has Shelley in trouble for a change. Miguel grabs his leg before firing off the kicks to the chest anyway and grabbing a dragon sleeper.

Shelley slips out so Miguel dropkicks him in the back of the head for two. A Downward Spiral into the middle buckle drops Miguel as well though and they grab hands for the slugout. Miguel gets the better of a strike off but misses the top rope Meteora. Shelley grabs a scoop brainbuster for two before Miguel counters Shell Shock into a crucifix for the pin at 12:26.

Rating: B. This was the technical exchange that was bound to be great because the two people in the match were that good. Miguel can look excellent when he has the right opponent and that is where Shelley comes in. Shelley is one of the smoothest and most talented wrestlers in the world so this was destined to work very well.

The Briscoes and Josh Alexander are ready for Violent By Design. The Good Brothers come in and want a Tag Team Title shot, which is cool with the Briscoes.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Masha Slamovich vs. Havok

Rosemary is here with Havok. They slug it out to start with Havok sending her into the corner, only to miss a charge. Slamovich hits a heck of a spinwheel kick in the corner, followed by a hard kick to the head. Something that is supposed to be the Snow Plow (closer to a suplex slam) finishes Havok at 1:28.

Rosemary isn’t sure what to do.

Trey Miguel is fired up about his win but Kenny King comes in to say the title is coming his way at Slammiversary. Black Christian doesn’t think much of King and challenges him for the Ultimate X spot. Deal.

Rich Swann thinks Matt Cardona is ducking him so Swann is coming for him. As for Matthew Rehwoldt, if he wants to throw Swann out of Gauntlet For The Gold, come see him face to face.

Chelsea Green vs. Jordynne Grace

Green gets her to give chase to start and then pulls her down by the hair back inside. Commentary explains the idea of the Queen Of The Mountain match, which even they admit is pretty complicated. Grace fights back up and hits a backbreaker but Green knocks her to the floor for a flip dive off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Grace being sent face first into the middle buckle for two and then gets four more for a bonus. The hard spinebuster gets Grace out of trouble and she grabs a sleeper in the corner. With that broken up, Grace hits some shots tot he face and a torture rack spun into a powerbomb gets two. The MuscleBuster is broken up so Green hits a facebuster, with Grace bridging up for the kickout. Grace’s electric chair is broken up but she’s fine enough to hit the Grace Driver for the pin at 11:26.

Rating: C. Just a match here, with the ending surprising me a bit. Green doesn’t exactly win much around here and it would be nice to have her get a bit of a boost. Granted at the same time, Grace winning is always a good thing and the Queen of the Mountain match is…well it might have pinfalls involved but that might only be in stages 3, 19 and G.

Honor No More complains to Scott D’Amore about the unsafe working environment that caused Maria Kanellis to get hurt. They want the Good Brothers at Slammiversary but they’re taken with the Briscoes instead. Eddie Edwards issues threats.

Deonna Purrazzo doesn’t want Mia Yim coming in and making a name off of her but Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans come in. Steelz offers to let Purrazzo at ringside for Evans vs. Yim next week.

Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian

Kazarian runs him over with a shoulder to start and grabs a headlock on the mat. Back up and a headlock takeover puts us in about the same spot so Sabin goes after the arm as we hear about Kazarian’s history in the company. The headlock takes Sabin back down but he fights up in a hurry and tosses Kazarian outside in a big crash. Back in and a high crossbody hits King, setting up a hard clothesline for two.

The crossarm choke goes on for a bit, followed by a quick German suplex. Kazarian is right back with a shot to the face, setting up a springboard spinning legdrop. The slingshot DDT gets two more on Sabin but he’s right back with a running boot to the face. Kazarian tries to go up but gets belly to back superplexed back down. Back up and stereo crossbodies put both of them down but Honor No More runs in and decks Kazarian for the DQ at 10:25.

Rating: B-. This is a match that was going to work because of the talent involved but the ending didn’t help things. It was nice to have Kazarian back for a one off as he looks as good in the ring as he ever has been. Odds are the ensuing tag match should be good as well, while also giving Honor No More something better to do.

Post match the big beatdown is on so Honor No More poses.

Post break Honor No More rants about how Impact has no respect. Heath and Rhino come in for the yelling and likely match setup.

Shera/Raj Singh vs. Bhupinder Gujjar/W. Morrissey

Singh and Gujjar start things off with Gujjar hitting a dropkick followed by a Sling Blade. It’s already off to Morrissey for a shot to the face before it’s right back to Gujjar for the slingshot elbow. Shera gets in a shot from behind though and Gujjar is in trouble for the first time. Gujjar belly to belly suplexes his way to freedom though and the hot tag brings in Morrissey to clean house. The powerbomb is broken up by Shera as everything breaks down. Morrissey chokeslams Raj and the middle rope spear gives Gujjar the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C. I can see the potential in Gujjar, but at some point he needs to do something other than feuding with Shera and Singh. The story is pretty much little more than Singh wanting Gujjar to be on his team but Gujjar keeps saying no, repeat for several weeks. There is something to Gujjar, but he needs to get out of this story already.

Moose is ready for his tag match next week, whether or not Sami Callihan is out to get him. He knows what Sami is doing but here is Steve Maclin, Moose’s partner next week, to tell him to be ready. The lights flicker but no one is here.

Here is what’s coming next week.

Briscoes/Josh Alexander vs. Violent By Design

Alexander and Deaner start things off with an exchange of arm control until Deaner grabs a headlock. That’s reversed into an armdrag into an armbar before Jay comes in to stomp away in the corner. Mark comes in and gets taken into the corner though, allowing Young to choke away. That earns him a backdrop and everything breaks down, with Jay hitting a big flip dive to the floor. Mark adds the Bang Bang Elbow and we take a break.

Back with Young elbowing Jay in the back but Jay gets over for the tag to Alexander without much trouble. That lets Alexander hammer away on Young in the corner but a Deaner cheap shot puts Alexander down again. Alexander’s neck gets caught in the corner for a dropkick to the back, leaving his nose busted.

A backbreaker/neckbreaker combination gets two on Alexander but he fights out of trouble without much effort. The hot tag brings in Mark to clean house and the Froggy Bow gets two on Young. Jay gets to clean house and there’s Redneck Boogey for two on Deaner. Young gets in a flag pole shot to Mark so the Deaner DDT can get two. Everything breaks down and Deaner gets in a hockey mask shot to Mark, setting up Young’s piledriver for the pin 17:09.

Rating: B. I can go for having Violent By Design in a six man tag like this as they should know how to cheat to win. While I don’t need to see them get another title shot, they can be used to boost things up a bit on the way to the Slammiversary main event. Other than that, the Briscoes are gearing up for the big title match against the Good Brothers, while Alexander wasn’t really a factor here, making it kind of a pointless, yet still good, match.

Overall Rating: C+. There are some good parts to the show and I like the Honor No More stuff getting a little more attention. We also had some Slammiversary matches moved forward and I could go for seeing where some of the stories go. Some of the matches need some more work, but this was a solid enough step towards the pay per view and had enough good action to go with it.

Results
Trey Miguel b. Alex Shelley – Crucifix
Masha Slamovich b. Havok – Snow Plow
Jordynne Grace b. Chelsea Green – Grace Driver
Frankie Kazarian b. Chris Sabin via DQ when Honor No More interfered
Bhupinder Gujjar/W. Morrissey b. Raj Singh/Shera – Middle rope spear to Singh
Violent By Design b. Briscoes/Josh Alexander – Piledriver to Mark

 

 

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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New Column: Joe Gacy > Roman Reigns

I mean….kind of.

 

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-joe-gacy-roman-reigns/




NXT LVL Up – May 20, 2022: Why Are They Here?

NXT LVL Up
Date: May 20, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shaw, Nigel McGuinness

We’re off a pretty hot ending on Smackdown and hopefully at least a little bit of that can carry over here. Other than that though, there is always the chance to run down Sasha Banks and Naomi again, because doing it on national TV wasn’t enough. And there might even be some wrestling thrown in. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Javier Bernal vs. Bryson Montana

Montana was the last man standing in Ivy Nile’s challenge a few weeks back. They fight over arm control to start with Montana flipping out and staring at Bernal a bit. A side slam plants Bernal but he fights out of an over the shoulder backbreaker. Some kicks to the leg put Montana down and a Codebreaker finishes Montana at 4:11.

Rating: C. This was all about Montana, which makes the loss a bit more annoying. Montana is certainly a physical beast and it is a bit questionable to have him lose here. At the end of the day, Bernal isn’t someone who has done anything of note in NXT but he can beat Montana in a short match. Maybe they see something in Bernal, but it hasn’t exactly been showcased so far.

Ivy Nile vs. Yulisa Leon

Valentina Feroz is here with Leon. Feeling out process to start with Nile winning a test of strength without much effort. Nile takes her down into a headscissors and drags Leon away from the ropes in a smart move. Leon slips out and fires off some forearms against the ropes, which seem to stagger Nile for a change. A neck crank is reversed into a neckbreaker though and Nile hits a running forearm in the corner. Leon comes back with a slam but Nile rolls through and grabs the dragon sleeper for the tap at 5:19.

Rating: C. They were trying something here with Leon but it is pretty clear that Nile is on her way to the top of the division so she isn’t losing here. Leon getting in a few shots to the face to rock Nile was a little surprising though they were only going to get her so far. Now just get to the point with Nile, who shouldn’t be on a show like this one.

Josh Briggs vs. Quincy Elliott

Brooks Jensen is here with Briggs. Elliott takes him into the corner for some hip gyrating but Briggs manages to get Elliott on the middle rope. The running right hand rocks Elliott but Briggs makes the mistake of high fiving Jensen and hurts his hand on the cast. Back in and Elliott runs over and a quickly broken neck crank goes on.

The splash to the back sets up a waistlock but Briggs is up again. One heck of an elbow to the face rocks Briggs, setting up an abdominal stretch. With that broken up, Briggs avoids a Banzai Drop and hits a big boot into a side slam. Back up and Briggs hits a lariat for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C-. I still don’t get nearly as much out of Elliott as NXT seems to but maybe there is something to him that I’m not getting. He is big and can move, but the dancing and gyrating is only going to get him so far. I’m still not sure Briggs and Jensen haven’t gotten much further, though it isn’t surprising to see them sticking around as they’re good at what they do.

Overall Rating: C. Another week that just comes and goes, which shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. The wrestling is completely adequate without being something that is going to make me interested most weeks. We see a lot of these people on NXT every week and they aren’t that great in the first place. It is still hard to get that annoyed at a 29 minute show, but it’s also one of those shows that has no impact whatsoever.

 

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ECW On Sci Fi – November 20, 2007: They Couldn’t Go To The Holiday Early?

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: November 20, 2007
Location: St. Pete’s Times Forum, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s Thanksgiving week and CM Punk is still ECW World Champion, having retained the title at Survivor Series over Miz and John Morrison. That means he needs a fresh challenger, and Miz getting a singles shot might be about as good as they can do. It might not be fresh, but I’ll take that over Big Daddy V. Let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

There is a big Thanksgiving spread around ringside so things can be a bit more festive.

CM Punk vs. Kenny Dykstra

Non-title. Punk goes after the arm to start and takes him down for a running legdrop. The tiger bomb backbreaker gives Punk two but it’s too early for the GTS. Instead, Dykstra takes his head off with a clothesline and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Punk’s back. Punk jawbreaks his way to freedom but Dykstra knocks him right back down. Punk fights up again and knocks Dykstra off the top, setting up a high crossbody for two. The springboard clothesline gets the same but Dykstra manages to send him into the post to cut him off again. That’s too much for Punk, who kicks him in the leg and hits the GTS for the pin.

Rating: C. Just a quick match here as Punk picks up a win over someone who shouldn’t be giving him that much of a challenge. Bringing in more and more names is one of the best things that ECW can do, if nothing else to see who might stick. Punk is still kind of floating around without a major opponent at the moment, so sending him out there for a one off match is fine.

We recap Kane beating up Matt Striker last week.

Here is Elijah Burke in the ring for a chat and he has the newest debuting ECW star.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Tommy Dreamer

That’s a surprise, though the gold hair is still awful. Benjamin takes him down and hammers away, setting up the catapult to send Dreamer throat first into the bottom rope. Dreamer fights out of a cravate but gets knocked down into the corner. The cravate goes on again and it’s a backbreaker for two on Dreamer. Back up and a bulldog plants Benjamin, who is fine enough to pull him off the middle rope. The jumping Downward Spiral finishes for Benjamin.

Rating: D+. Benjamin getting a renewed singles push is a good thing but that gold hair is going to be the end of any value he has. There are things that just do not work and that is what seems likely with suddenly having a big yellow blob on his head. Benjamin is an athletic marvel and that should be enough without the hair being the focus.

Jesse/Festus vs. Deuce N Domino

Miz and John Morrison are on commentary and Cherry is here with Deuce N Domino. The bell rings and Festus snaps as Jesse takes Deuce down. Domino comes in and gets armdragged so it’s right back to Deuce for a double arm crank. Commentary seems to approve of Cherry as Jesse punches Domino out of the air. The hot tag brings in Festus as Miz and Morrison desperately look for a weakness. House is cleaned and it’s a rocket launcher clothesline to finish Deuce.

Rating: C. I could go for more of the tag division starting to pick up and if ECW and Smackdown are sharing one set of titles, it could work out well. ECW might be able to put together a team here and there and if you can put some Smackdown teams on ECW for the sake of some flavor, good for them.

Miz and Morrison aren’t worried.

Matt Striker and Big Daddy V are ready to eat Kane.

Kevin Thorn vs. Nunzio

Thorn has new gear and short, slightly spiked hair for a rather bad look. Nunzio gets taken down and pummeled in the head to start, only to get caught in an over the shoulder backbreaker. Thorn dropping down to his knees makes Nunzio bounce hard, setting up the Original Sin for the fast pin. Total squash.

Kelly Kelly and Layla got in an argument after last week’s ECW. It turned into a food fight.

Here is Layla for a chat. She is thankful for a few things, like being so much better than Kelly Kelly. Cue Kelly to pie Layla and a bigger food fight, courtesy of the Thanksgiving table, ensues.

Raw Rebound.

Kane vs. Matt Striker/Big Daddy V

The double clubbering is on to start because there are no tags. V belly to belly slams him down and there’s the mounting so Striker can talk trash. Striker drops an elbow but Kane pops up with the uppercuts. With that not working, a double clothesline staggers V and the top rope clothesline really staggers him. A big boot puts V on the floor and the chokeslam finishes Striker.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here again, as it wasn’t a long match and they didn’t do much other than have Kane beat up Big Daddy V and then pin the lame manager. That makes Kane look good and he would be fine for a future title shot against Punk, though I don’t think they go that route at the moment. At least the Big Daddy V push seems to be over, at least for the time being.

Post match V comes in to beat Kane down again to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Totally skippable show this week and nothing that you need to see. ECW isn’t terrible these days, but it is often kind of an uninteresting show where you would be better off just reading the results. Other than Kane and Punk, there isn’t anyone who feels like a star around here and you absolutely know what you’re getting with Kane almost every week. ECW feels like the third rate show and WWE isn’t doing anything to make that feeling go away. They certainly didn’t this week, as this was 45 minutes of very little.

 

 

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Hoodslam FTF X: Oh Boy

FTF X
Date: October 4, 2019
Location: Oakland Metro Operahouse, Oakland, California
Commentator: Joe Brody

This is from Hoodslam, and to give you an idea of what is going on here, one of the company’s mottos is “don’t bring your f****** kids”. In this case, the FTF stands for F*** THE FANS and this card features Drugz Bunny and the Stoner Brothers (Rick and Scott). I have no idea what I’m getting myself into here so let’s get to it.

Note that I have never seen anything from this promotion before so I have no idea on storylines or characters.

A masked man in black and white tells us about an upcoming show in Sacramento.

The opening video talks about reality and features people smoking, uh, something illegal in various states, and lifting weights. This however, I believe meaning the show, is real.

The house band wants us to be censored excited. Music is played.

Here is our host, Broseph Joe Brody, who loves Axe body spray and Nickelback. You might remember him as AJ Kirsch from one of the last seasons of Tough Enough but he’s a bit better suited here. Middle fingers and F*** YOU BROs ensue as the fans either love the guy or want to kill him. He welcomes us to F*** THE FANS, which is what the fans start chanting. After running down the main event, he introduces the band (Squad Stewart), which has to be cut off from singing Rod Stewart. This is the accidental phenomenon, because this is HOODSLAM!

Broseph gives the fans some booze as the band plays some more, this time about how you shouldn’t bring your f****** kids.

Our first match is a drowning match so here is Otto Von Clutch as our special lifeguard.

Stoner Brothers vs. The Caution

That would be Rick Scott/Scott Rick (I said that right) Stoner (I think you get the idea) vs. Anton Vorhees/Dark Sheik. The Brothers come out to a song called Stonerized and are both smoking in and out of the ring. Since the referee is a lifeguard, we’ll start with a whistle instead of a bell. The Caution is knocked down to start and Vorhees is tossed into a powerbomb. They head outside to keep up the beating but it’s too early for the drowning (in one of the water filled buckets).

Anton gets some water in his mouth to spit in the Brothers’ eyes (Brody: “Do you know how badly water in the eyes burns? Shut up.”) and uses Scott as a launchpad for a hurricanrana to Rick. The drowning attempt is blocked but so is Rick’s double chokeslam attempt. Scott gets his brother’s head out of the water, allowing Rick to toss Sheik back into the ring but she sticks the landing and kicks Rick in the head.

Sheik gets powerbombed over the top into a German suplex as Brody insists on safety third. Back up and Sheik hits a top rope stomp onto Scott, setting up a Codebreaker to Rick. Multiple elbow drops keep the Brothers down but Scott is up with a double clothesline to the back of the head. Anton fights out of the water bucket and the Brothers hit each other by mistake.

Hold on though as he has an idea: a trip to the back lets him come back with a blue tunic and Link hat, which lets him breathe underwater (if you’re not a Zelda fan, ignore this). After the Zora splash, Anton has to save Sheik from being drowned, allowing her to hit a low blow. Scott is drowned for the win at 11:12.

Rating: C+. The stoner stuff isn’t for me, but the Zelda references had me cracking up more than once. If nothing else, this gives me an idea of what to expect from the show and I’m looking forward to it a lot more, so well done on the opener. The blue tunic was the icing on the cake and I had a great time with this, as ridiculous as it was.

Post match, Rick gives Scott the Heimlich to bring him back to life, with even Brody not being sure about that.

Brody gives the fans the code word in case the cops show up.

Best Athlete In The East Bay Title: Sweet Boone vs. Matt Carlos

Boone is defending (the golden fanny pack) and this is an I Quit match. Brody doesn’t seem to get Carlos, who waves his arms and head around a lot. On the other hand, he does get Boone dog Little BJ, who happens to be invisible. Boone is also the sheriff so he deputizes some fans. Carlos drives him into the ropes to start but gets hit in the face for his efforts.

Thankfully the referee remembers that grabbing the rope means nothing, with Brody talking about how there are no pinfalls or countouts, before realizing that they never have countouts around here. Boone pulls him down into a pretty bad looking ankle lock, which is countered into a headlock with some right hands to the face. A crucifix doesn’t get Boone anywhere so he switches to something like a reverse Koji Clutch. Boone switches to a half nelson, which is pretty easily reversed into a Crossface.

Boone says Booners Never Quit so he slips out and grabs the bad (I think we might have an intentional pattern here) ankle lock again. Back up and they go to the apron, with the fans shoving Boone back up from falling into the crowd. Boone switches places with him and dropkicks Carlos tot he floor, where there is no catch. A flip dive from the apron (complete with finger guns) drops Carlos again (Brody: “And f*** the fans, not of them can’t see.”). Carlos is back up with a DDT onto the apron and steps on Boone’s head for another NO.

Brody laughs at a fan for trying a CARLOS chant as Carlos goes to get something. This time it’s lighter fluid but Boone takes it away….and pours it on himself. Carlos is a bit freaked out but gets more annoyed when the referee gets knocked down. With Boone knocked down again, Carlos heads backstage and comes back with….a knife. They fight over said knife, but it eventually gets knocked to the floor.

The referee is FINALLY helped up and here is a former champion (Richard Schhhary. Get it?), whose arm is bandaged (after Little BJ bit him). Therefore, Schhhary steals Little BJ and puts him in a bag, which he then covers in lighter fluid. Brody: “YOU CAN’T! YOU WON’T! YOU WOULDN’T!” Boone begs him not to do it but since he can’t go through the ropes for the save, Carlos grabs a Crossface and Boone quits at 18:48 so he can save the dog.

Rating: C. This went WAY too long and it killed what momentum they had. You knew the dog was going to be involved in the finish in some way and they telegraphed the heck out of it. Granted on a show like this, teasing the invisible dog being lit on fire is something that fits perfectly. Boone and Carlos didn’t do much for me and the match needed to be shorter, but it could have been worse.

Schhhary steals the dog anyway and Carlos celebrates for a LONG time. Boone isn’t done though, and wants Schhhary in a beard vs. mustache match in two weeks.

Golden Gig Title: El Chupacabra vs. Joey Nuggs

Chupacabra is defending (with the title represented by a golden razor blade necklace), I believe the top title in the promotion. The referee, named Wiggles, gets a special entrance as well. Nuggs is a rather large karate guy, who doesn’t look like he does much karate. Chupacabra has a long entrance but hold on as here is Da Squaaad (that’s how it’s spelled).

They want to make this a bit bigger, so let’s make it a Dog Collar match. After a long time spent setting up the collar, Chupacabra chops away to start but gets powered into the corner without much effort. A knee to the ribs cuts Chupacabra down and it’s already time to choke on the ropes. Chupacabra slugs away but gets dropped with an elbow (or COMBO BREAKER according to Brody) as a fight breaks out in the crowd.

Nuggs takes him outside for a slam on the floor but Chupacabra is right back in to slug away. Some Cannonballs in the corner crush Nuggs and Chupacabra goes up, only to get pulled down by the collar. Chupacabra is able to send him back out to the apron but gets knocked down hard.

Nuggs goes up (with Brody telling the fans not to touch him) and misses a splash 9with the camera cutting away on the lack of impact for some reason. The referee starts the count, with Brody telling fans to shout random number to confuse him. Chupacabra is back up with Sliced Bread for two so he chokes Nuggs with the collar for the pin at 12:12.

Rating: C-. Much like the previous match, this one went on too long and it overstayed its welcome. The collar stuff was used, but they could have had a similar match without the gimmick in place. I’m not sure if this feels like a top level title match, but then again I don’t think this is your normal promotion. Neither guy looked particularly impressive though, and that hurt things a good bit.

Post match Nuggs, with his throat all messed up, yells at Brody and the fans for daring to try to talk to him after he got choked out. A lot of swearing ensues, with even Brody thinking it’s a bit much.

The referee comes out for the next match and apparently has to dance whenever Brody sings James Brown.

Intergalactic Tag Team Titles: Drugz Bunny/Cereal Man vs. Da Squaaad

Bunny/Man are defending (the titles have skulls in the middle) and the Squaaad is Hip Hop Harry/D-Rogue/Kenny K/Shakira Spears. Cereal is about five cereal mascots mixed together, and comes out to a song about holding out for a hero with several cereal properties. Bunny on the other hand is The Rabbit With A Habit and pours out some white powder before the match.

Hold on though, as the Squaaad says that since this is their show (I guess?), we’re doing this 4-2. The champs start fast and hit Harry with a double flapjack, followed by a DDT from Cereal. A legdrop hits Harry so the rest of the Squaaad comes in for the save. Brody: “All these f****** gimmicks.” Kenny comes in with a backbreaker to Bunny and it’s D-Rogue coming in to run him over again. Harry adds a springboard back elbow and Shakira comes in for some stomping.

A backdrop finally gets Bunny out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Cereal to clean house. Cereal hits a sidewalk slam on Harry and bulldogs Kenny onto him as everything breaks down. Bunny bicycle kicks Kenny down and Cereal Stuns Harry for…..not the pin as the Squaaad says not so fast. See, D-Rogue forgot: it’s elimination rules (for Da Squaaad, not for the champs). Kenny stands on Cereal’s back and then drops down on him with a splash for two. A running knee in the corner sets up a Cannonball for two more on Cereal as frustration is setting in.

Cereal gets up a boot in the corner though and it’s a butterfly suplex to give him a breather. The double tag brings in Bunny and Spears, the latter of whom gets kicked down. D-Rogue comes in for the save and slams Bunny, setting up a moonsault from Kenny (which lands on Bunny’s head) for two, with Cereal making the save. A Hart Attack gets rid of Spears though and we’re down to 2-2. We get the big staredown and Bunny gives Kenny an RKO. Cereal is taken down though and the Big Rig hits Bunny for the pin and the titles at 14:05.

Rating: B-. This is the same idea you have seen time after time and that is not a bad idea. It has been done for years because it is something that works so well. This is a case of screwing the fans over and it worked well, because it is a classic concept. Fans are not going to like cheaters and that is what happened here, especially after they lost in the first place. Good stuff here, even with the joke from the champs losing its spark pretty fast.

Oh and one more thing: Hip Hop Harry only has one leg. Not too shabby.

Post match Brody is a big scared of the Squaaad but does give a bit of serious analysis to what we just saw.

With Da Squaaad gone, Brody thanks the ban and gets a big barrel and beach ball for some beer pong with the fans. Some fans shoot from the crowd and get a beer if they hit. Nice way to fill in some time as the band plays. Brody has some beer of his own and suggests that he’ll have more later.

Since the main event is big, he brings out Wonder Dave as his guest commentator.

Rumble Of Rankings Ramifications

This is a Royal Rumble with 30(ish, Brody’s term) entities involved and the winner getting a Golden Gig shot next month. Glorious Banana a man in a banana suit who comes out to Robert Roode’s old theme, is in at #1 and Funnybone, a guy in skeleton paint, is in at #2 and we have 90 second intervals. They forearm it out and trade shoulders with Funnybone getting the better of things. Otto Von Clutch is in at #3 and gets in a staredown with Funnybone. That’s fine with Funnybone, who knocks him down but Banana is back up for some double teaming in the corner.

Batmanuel (I think you get the idea) is in at #4 and gets in a staredown with Von Clutch, whose offer of an alliance isn’t accepted. A running shoulder in the corner has Von Clutch in trouble and it’s Marcelo Montoya in at #5 (with the fans providing the buzzer sounds) for a springboard knee to Batmanuel. The fans chant SAFETY THIRD as everyone brawls until D-Rogue is in at #6.

Batmanuel was put out somewhere in there and Joey Smoak is in at #7. Brody: “I just heard a fan say don’t bruise the banana. That joke was a lot of things but one thing it wasn’t was appealing.” Smoak is sent to the apron but not out and it’s James C (thankfully not a Jim Cornette parody) in at #8. The smoking James comes in and offers fans his cigarette until it’s Johnny Drinko Butabi is in at #9 as the ring is getting way too full.

Smoak is on the floor, though it isn’t clear if he is out, even as Funnybone chops at a bunch of people. Batmanuel is back in and it’s Juice Lee at in #10 as Banana is out. Von Clutch is out as well as the ring is a bit less full. Brittany Wonder (no word on if she is any relation to Wonder Dave, or Wonder Boy, the latter of whom has nothing to do with wrestling) is in at #11 and gets to clean house, including a spinning DDT to James C.

Big B is in at #12 and Batmanuel is kicked out for an elimination. The fans are VERY happy with that, though not so enthusiastic when they find out Montoya was eliminated off camera. Neil “The Thrill” Harper is in at #13 and everything settles back down. Otis The Gimp is in at #14 as this match is starting to die a bit. After another batch of nothing, Christopher Torres is in at #15.

HBKen (and yes he has his own version of Shawn Michaels’ theme) is in at #16 and yes, he is based on the Ken from Street Fighter. Commentary thinks someone might have been eliminated but isn’t sure who so we’ll move on to Brutal Bob Hands in at #17. Hands, who is rather small, hits a chokeslam and then tosses Torres. Brittany is left laying on the mat and it’s Master Eriks (a ringmaster) in at #18.

Harper is tossed as there must have been some eliminations off camera as the ring is nowhere near full enough. Hands and James are tossed and it’s Matt Carlos in at #19. Funnybone is still in and hits a bid give onto a bunch of people. Then he does it again for a bonus but makes sure to go through the ropes. Then he grabs Banana, who is still at ringside with a bunch of other people, as Lee is knocked off the top and into a moonsault onto the pile on the floor. That’s not an elimination as he went through the ropes, even as it’s Hip Hop Harry in at #20.

Eriks is out and it’s Kenny K in at #21 to keep Da Squaaad strong. Bison Braddock is in at #22 and commentary makes a correction by saying that Lee WAS eliminated earlier. Brody says Braddock is #21 and I can’t imagine it matters that much. Shakira Spears is in at #23 to complete Da Squaaad as you can tell the people in the ring are getting a bit tired. Richard Schhhary is in at #24 and starts in with some paper cuts to be a real….never mind.

Drugs Bunny is in at #25 and maybe he can get things hopping. Big B is out and commentary ignores it as Bart-Man is in at #26. Simpsons jokes about as Bart-Man chokes Carlos and it’s Sweet Boone in at #27. He goes straight after Schhhary and gets rid of him, only to give chance and eliminate himself. Steven Tresario is in at #28 and Otis likes Shakira chopping him. Things slow down again….and it’s Team Rocket (Jesse and James, complete with Pokemon speech and costumes) in at #29/30.

As the Pokemon jokes abound, Thicc Martel, the Plus Sized Model (I laughed) is in at #31 to complete the field (I think?). Tersario is out and it’s….Broseph Joe Brody in at #32. He jumps over the top rope and is thrown out by James, sending him into a great rant. Team Rocket tossed out Martel and there’s a 3D to Carlos. Spears eliminates Drinko but and there goes Carlos with him.

There goes Bart-Man but Spears spears Team Rocket down. Bunny tosses Spears though and we’re down to Bunny, Jesse, James and Funnybone. A low blow isn’t enough to get rid of Bunny as he skins the cat back in, only to have James stomp him in the face. James actually tosses Bunny but it’s Funnybone up with a double noggin knocker. A double clothesline finally gets rid of Funnybone though and Team Rocket shares the win at 53:03.

Rating: D. I love a good Royal Rumble but that was not the case here. This went on WAY too long and the lack of acknowledging a bunch of the eliminations didn’t help. There were a few jokes that worked (Thicc Martel was hilarious) and Brody’s rant after being eliminated was great, but this went far too long and the jokes weren’t frequent enough to keep my interest. Cut the intervals down to a minute (at most) and it’s better, but for a show that is supposed to be a lot of fun, I was badly tuning out by the end out of pure boredom.

Brody thanks us for coming out and hits the catchphrase one more time to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a weird one, as the concept is a lot of fun and there were some genuine laugh/cheer out loud moments on this show. The Zelda stuff and Thicc Martel were good gags and the Steinerized parody was downright inspired. It is a feeling that works really well, though then you get to the problem: this show is three hours and twenty minutes long.

Now I can get that this would be very different as it’s a party atmosphere (and the booze/various substances probably helped) and way more fun in person, but my goodness this show needed to be about 30 (or more) minutes shorter. That main event was pretty close to horrible and I was begging for the thing to end. At some point the thing needs to wrap up and this show didn’t seem to get that at times. There is a lot of fun to be had, but this needed to be about two and a half hours max, not pushing three and a half.

One more thing: if this is something that you might want to check out (and it is REALLY fun at times), note that it is absolutely an adult show with a lot of language and crude jokes. It’s definitely something you need to be in the right company for, as hearing/seeing some of this out of context/by someone you might not want seeing it could be quite the problem.

 

 

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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AND

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Daily News Update – May 26, 2022

Make sure you check out some recent reviews.

NXT – May 24, 2022

Monday Night Raw – November 19, 2007

New York Wrestling Connection Private Party 17

Dynamite – May 25, 2022


Ouch: NXT Star Out Of Action With Injury, Tournament Changed As A Result.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/ouch-nxt-star-action-injury-tournament-changed-result/

Note On The Details Of AEW Star’s Contract With The Company.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/note-details-aew-stars-contract-company/

Important Update On The Future Of WWE’s Brand Split.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/important-update-future-wwes-brand-split/

Bid Him Adieu: Former WWE Star Announces Upcoming Retirement Match.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/bid-adieu-former-wwe-star-announces-upcoming-retirement-match/

VIDEO: WWE Hall Of Famer Undergoes Major Double Surgery.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/video-wwe-hall-famer-undergoes-major-double-surgery/

VIDEO: NXT Announces Possible Debut/Return Of Star.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/video-nxt-announces-possible-debut-return-star/

Double Shot? WWE And AEW May Share A Major Day Later This Year.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-aew-may-share-major-day-later-year/

Interesting Update On Stephanie McMahon’s WWE Future.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/interesting-update-stephanie-mcmahons-wwe-future/

Crown Him: New Match Set For AEW Double Or Nothing.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/crown-new-match-set-aew-double-nothing/

International Team Makes Surprise Debut On AEW Dynamite, Lays Out Champions.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/international-team-makes-surprise-debut-aew-dynamite-lays-champions/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Update On Identity Of Soon To Debut Star.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-update-identity-soon-debut-star/

AEW Announces Star To Miss Time Due To Injury, Off Weekend Appearances.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/aew-announces-star-miss-time-due-injury-off-weekend-appearances/

Alexa Bliss Reveals Death Threat From Fan.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/alexa-bliss-reveals-death-threat-fan/

It’s A Big Difference: WWE Makes A Strange Name Change For A SmackDown Star.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/big-difference-wwe-makes-pretty-strange-name-change-smackdown-star/

WATCH: NXT Star Announces She Has Multiple Knee Injuries, To Miss Time.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/double-ouch-nxt-star-announces-torn-mcl-knee-injury/

WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE May Move Money In The Bank Over Poor Ticket Sales.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-wwe-may-move-money-bank-poor-ticket-sales/

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




Dynamite – May 25, 2022: That’s More Like It

Dynamite
Date: May 25, 2022
Location: Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

It’s Double Or Nothing weekend and that means it is time to get in the last Dynamite before the pay per view. Therefore, we nee to find out who will be in the finals of the Men’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament, which should make for some interesting action both tonight and on Sunday. It’s also the third anniversary of the first AEW show so this should be good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Wardlow vs. Shawn Spears

In a cage with MJF as the referee and Wardlow has to win here to get MJF on Sunday. Wardlow is still handcuffed to start so Spears gets in a few shots, allowing MJF to stomp away in the corner. The double teaming is on, including sending Wardlow into the steps. MJF stops to talk too much trash though and gets hit in the face, which means Wardlow can drop Spears.

The Swanton connects but MJF won’t count, allowing Spears to get up. One heck of a chair shot hits MJF by mistake and Spears knows what he’s done. Wardlow pops up and it’s a four movement Powerbomb Symphony with another referee coming in to count the pin on the done Spears at 6:58.

Rating: C. This was more of an angle than a match and they did it very well. The last few weeks have done a great job of having Wardlow slowly reel MJF in and the big massacre can take place on Sunday. At this point, they can have MJF get in some cheap shots and cheat to take over, but then it is time for the Powerbomb Symphony that everyone has been waiting on.

Post match Wardlow goes for MJF but security runs in so MJF can escape.

JR and commentary offers condolences on the Texas shooters and say this has to stop.

The Jericho Appreciation Society attack a backstage worker with a fireball for wearing a Jon Moxley shirt.

Tony Schiavone brings CM Punk and Hangman Page for a face to face meeting. Tony goes over the stealing finishers and Punk says he’s ready to take the title. Page says there is nothing Punk can do to take the title from him. That makes Punk think Page is taking this personally. There are a lot of people backstage who want their shot and for Punk, this is just business.

Page wants to light a pipe bomb and roll it right up to Punk’s feet, where the Pipe Bomb promo was dropped in the first place. After pausing for the CM PUNK chants, Page says he can’t do it because he respects Page. The thing is Page doesn’t think Punk knows what it means to be a champion, because it is about more than being in this ring.

It’s also about what you do when no one else is watching, which isn’t what Punk has been about since he got here. On Sunday, Page is defending AEW from Punk, which gets a big reaction. Punk says Page is going to have to do something about it, because Punk paved the road here. Page built the house with trees that Punk chopped down and he gave Punk the blueprint. Page will shake his hand on Sunday, and he’ll do it right now too. It’s a right hand instead and that looked like it made some nice contact.

Video on Anna Jay vs. Jade Cargill for the TBS Title.

Eddie Kingston/Jon Moxley vs. Private Party

William Regal and Chris Jericho are on commentary, with Jericho demanding that the crowd be quiet because they don’t have the rights to sing his song. It’s a brawl to start with Quen hitting a moonsault press for two on Moxley. Kingston comes in and beats on Quen but does stop to yell at Moxley. Said Moxley comes back in to plant Kassidy and we take a break

Back with Private Party taking over and knocking Moxley and Kingston to the floor. Quen’s shooting star press gets two on Moxley, who pops up and starts hammering away. The hammer and anvil elbows crush Quen as Kingston makes Kassidy tap to the eastern stretch. The Paradigm Shift finishes Quen at 7:25.

Rating: C. I’m not sure why Private Party, who has done nothing in weeks, was getting in this much offense on Kingston and Moxley but at least the ending had the two stars look dominant. Not quite as squashish as it should have been but they got the finish right. Kingston needs to switch back to his regular gear though, as the basketball shorts look wasn’t working so well.

Post match the Jericho Appreciation Society rushes the ring but referees break it up.

Video on Owen Hart, with wrestlers talking about what the tournaments would have meant to him. The people still involved in the tournament are ready to win.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Title Roppongi Vice vs. FTR

FTR is defending and Caprice Coleman is on commentary. Romero shoulders Wheeler down a few times to start and the threat of a cross armbreaker sends Wheeler over to the ropes. Back in and Dax gets chopped by Trent, only to reverse him to show the proper technique. Wheeler comes back in and gets half and half suplexes for two as we take a break.

We come back with Wheeler diving over for the tag off to Harwood to punch away. Some rolling German suplexes get two on Trent with Romero making the save. Double knees drop Harwood again but Strong Zero is broken up. A small package and victory roll give Trent two each but Vice is right back with Strong Zero for two with Wheeler finally making the save…..and New Japan’s Jeff Cobb and Great O’Khan running in for the double DQ at 10:21.

Rating: C+. This was turning into a heck of a match until the Forbidden Door ending took it away. Vice isn’t one of my favorite teams but they were hanging in there with the best team in the world. I do like that FTR survived Strong Zero before the interference, which keeps the champs looking a bit stronger. Run this back in the future perhaps.

House is cleaned, though O’Khan’s running cutter doesn’t exactly connect clean. Both teams are laid out and Trent/Wheeler are sent through tables. Cobb and O’Khan hold up the titles.

The Hardys talk about how they have a lot of similarities to the Young Bucks. They came from religious families and didn’t drink of smoke. That’s what the stories end though because the Hardys fought up to become one of the most revolutionary tag teams ever. The Bucks are talented, but they are seen as Hardy cosplayers. Now they’re approaching GOAT status, with Jeff making goat noises. They’re beyond their prime but they’ll still never be better than the Hardys. The Bucks weren’t even better babies than them! The saying is never meet your heroes, but in this case, the Bucks will never beat their heroes.

Ricky Starks vs. Swerve Strickland vs. Jungle Boy

Non-title. Starks bails to the floor to start but runs back in for the early exchange of rollups. With Starks being sent outside, Jungle Boy gets tripped to the floor with Swerve joining them. Starks takes them both down and we go to a break. Back with Jungle Boy hitting a running hurricanrana off the apron for two back inside, with Starks making the save. Swerve clears Starks out and sends Jungle Boy into the corner.

They go up top with Swerve being poisonranaed off….and landing on his feet, much to Jungle Boy’s shock. Starks kicks Swerve in the face and takes Jungle Boy down for two, with the kickout leaving him shocked. Roshambo to Swerve is blocked so Starks goes to the eyes and hits the Roshambo, only to get Snare Trapped. A long crawl gets Starks to the ropes so Jungle Boy pulls him back to the middle and puts it on again. Swerve breaks that up and hits the Swerve Stomp to finish Starks at 9:38.

Rating: B. This was the kind of action packed match that you should have expected from these three and I can always go with Swerve winning. What matters here is they gave you a reason to believe that we might see new champions while also giving us a good match this time. The triple threat match on Sunday should be good and the preview has me more invested in it than I was coming in.

Post match Powerhouse Hobbs comes in for the beatdown on Swerve but here is Luchasaurus, who can’t overpower Hobbs. This brings out Keith Lee so the brawl can be on, with Lee clearing the ring and hitting a slingshot corkscrew dive, which he can just do.

Dan Lambert laughs off Tay Conti and Sammy Guevara breaking up the TNT Title. Since American Top Team has won every belt there is, he has the belt makers on standby, so the new title will be unveiled on Friday. Lambert is relieved because it means Conti and Guevara can’t do anything with it.

Here is Thunder Rosa for a chat and for once she doesn’t have face paint on. This is the real her and she wanted people to see what a champion looked like. That’s what Serena Deeb will never look like, even though Rosa used to look up to her. On Sunday, the war paint is coming on and Rosa will make Deeb pay for the disrespect. Then theme music plays her off, even after a pretty good speech with the serious stuff working well.

Red Velvet mentions Ruby Soho, who happens to be walking by. Velvet hands her a notebook to know how to take out Kris Statlander, who might be banged up but Soho is ready without it.

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Semifinals: Britt Baker vs. Toni Storm

The fans are split as it’s an exchange of wristlocks to start. Storm gets a headscissors on the mat but Baker switches into a neck crank, sending Storm to the ropes. A basement dropkick sends Storm outside, where she posts Baker hard. They head outside with Storm posting Baker, who sends her into the steps as we take a break. Back with Storm hitting a middle ropes DDT and a running hip attack.

Storm Zero is countered into an Air Raid Crash for two, which draws out Jamie Hater. Baker doesn’t want that so Storm grabs a rollup into a release German suplex to send Baker outside. A tornado DDT off the apron plants Baker on the floor as Storm’s nose might be broken. Hayter is knocked off the apron, leaving Baker to have to break up Storm Zero again. This time it’s a rollup with Baker…kind of grazing the rope as there is no Hayter to grab her hands, for the pin at 9:22.

Rating: C+. The ending hurt this one a bit, though the likely match of Soho vs. Baker should be a good final. Baker is still one of the bigger names in the division and a win over her still means something, so go with what works and set up something big. At the same time, dang I could go for Storm winning something, just for the sake of giving her a small something more important to do.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Semifinals: Samoa Joe vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Non-title and Joe pounds away against the ropes to start. Joe chops him down and then beats on O’Reilly again for daring to try a comeback. O’Reilly manages to knock him down and starts in on the arm, which was banged up by Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh. The cross armbreaker can’t quite go on as we take a break.

Back with Joe slugging O’Reilly down and hitting a backsplash, setting up some kicks to the face. A hard clothesline gives Joe two but the MuscleBuster is countered into a Fujiwara armbar. Joe makes the rope and strikes away to rock O’Reilly but the Rock Bottom out of the corner is broken up. That doesn’t matter for Joe, who pulls him into the Koquina Clutch to knock O’Reilly out at 12:38.

Rating: B. This is what you were probably expecting when you heard Samoa Joe vs. Kyle O’Reilly being added to the card. Joe knows how to do this submission/striking match as well as anyone and O’Reilly is either right there with him or slightly better at the moment. Joe might not be what he used to be, but he can do this match with anyone.

Adam Cole comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this show a good bit as it made me more interested in Double Or Nothing. There wasn’t anything on here that was great, but it worked well as a show that made me want to see their followup on Sunday. That is a hard trick to pull off but more importantly, it gave us the best AEW show in a few weeks, meaning some issues went away. This is the show they needed and they delivered.

Results
Wardlow b. Shawn Spears – Powerbomb Symphony
Eddie Kingston/Jon Moxley b. Private Party – Paradigm Shift to Quen
FTR vs. Roppongi Vice went to a double DQ when Great O’Khan and Jeff Cobb interfered
Swerve Strickland b. Jungle Boy and Ricky Starks – Swerve Stomp to Starks
Britt Baker b. Toni Storm – Rollup with a grab of the ropes
Samoa Joe b. Kyle O’Reilly – Koquina Clutch

 

 

 

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.

 




New York Wrestling Connection Psycho Circus 17: Before They Were Stars

Psycho Circus 17
Date: February 23, 2019
Location: NYWC Sportatorium, Deer Park, New York
Commentators: Christopher Andrews, Matt Striker

This is from the New York Wrestling Connection, a promotion out of New York (shocking I know) that has been around for almost twenty years. As is usually the case, I know nothing about the show coming in and that can make things fun. Granted I’m not sure how much fun a show called Psycho Circus is going to be but let’s get to it.

Keep in mind that I know nothing about this place coming in so I’m not going to have any idea about characters or storylines.

The unnamed hosts welcome us to the show and we’ve got a concept to start: a SAFE SPACE match.

Beer Belly Bandits vs. Shook Crew

That would be Bo Prichard/JT Kasin/Spyder vs. Bobby Orlando/Bryce Donovan/Max Caster (there’s a surprise, along with his rather awesome mustache) and….egads Matt freaking Striker is doing commentary for this nearly three hour show. Freaking joy. There is a table in the ring with a bunch of red Solo cups, plus some trashcans. Hold on though as Caster has a mic and seems to be a hype man for Orlando.

Coach Mammone is here to read the rules, which says there will be NO violence in the ring, but rather only fun, safe games. If you break the rules, you get a strike, and three strikes means you’re out. The coach gets punched down and the Bandits head outside as Striker realizes he screwed up by calling this a battle royal. Seriously, why does this guy keep getting hired?

The Bandits get back inside and we start with a game of throwing a Frisbee into a trashcan. Hold on though as the Frisbee winds up in the crowd, meaning the brawl can head to the floor. Everyone gets back inside and now let’s play some beer pong. This results in the Bandits having to drink a lot….until one of them throws a bowling ball through the table. This turns into a tug of war over Caster, who backdrops the referee into an accidental powerbomb.

The brawling is on with the Crew getting the better of things, including with a pillow shot to the face. Spyder gets Orlando to the ramp as Striker wonders how this is a safe space. Hold on though as the Crew goes under the ring, but Swoggle (not Hornswoggle, Striker) comes out to chase them back inside. It’s time to bust out the bubble wrap, with Orlando being powerbombed….well next to a goat (of some kind).

That’s good for a cover but Caster comes from the back with Officer Warren Barksdale. The Bandits are in violent of the safe space, meaning Prichard is handcuffed. This allows Striker to make jokes about the Mueller Report as the Crew wraps Kasin in bubble wrap for the pin at 10:09.

Rating: D+. I guess that counts as a match? Maybe? I’m not sure what to make of something like this because it was mainly a joke that went on for a long time without much of a payoff. This is something that probably shouldn’t have opened the show, though there is a good chance that they did this first so they didn’t have to worry about setting everything up later. That doesn’t mean it’s worth seeing or even having, though Caster as a low level guy on a low level show is cool to see.

The ring has to be cleared.

Joker’s Wild Battle Royal

There are several entrants here and since the audio isn’t great, their names aren’t exactly easy to understand. A few highlights: Officer Warren Barksdale, an unnamed woman, and Swoggle, among about fifteen other entrants. Swoggle is left in the middle of the ring as everyone starts fighting around him as we’re told the winner gets….uh, something that we don’t hear, as Swoggle punches the whistling Coach Mammette in the face.

That makes Mammone take off his pants but it’s time for everyone to go after the huge Apollyon and dump him out. Commentary finally gets to reveal that it’s a title shot on the line as everyone brawls on the ropes without much of a threat of an elimination. People are being tossed out with commentary not mentioning them as Swoggle has a drink. We’re down to eight after about four minutes and some more guys are tossed, leaving us with four.

J Rad (Maybe?) is eliminated via a bite from Swoggle, leaving us with Swoggle, Irish, and someone not important enough to name. Swoggle is back up with some German suplexes tot he guy who isn’t named Irish. The toss takes too long though, allowing the guy not named Irish to stomp away on the very banged up Irish in the corner. Apparently it’s Tinder Tom (what a name), who takes Swoggle down but gets sat on the apron. Irish eventually forearms Tom out, leaving Irish vs. Swoggle (I wonder if that counts as a civil war). Hold on though as Swoggle eliminates himself, telling Irish to win the title at 9:40.

Rating: D. I know the idea of a battle royal is to be wild and follows the idea of the one standing, but it doesn’t help much when you aren’t told who most of the people are or what they are fighting for until a few minutes in. Most of the wrestlers were not named here and it made things more than a little uninteresting. Swoggle not winning was a bit of a surprise, but I have no idea who these people are or why I should care about them winning.

We see some clips of Matt Striker in a NYWC ring over the years. Of note: they’re airing this on the video screen and pointing the camera at it for the budget version. Apparently he and someone named Mike Mistretta don’t like each other and get to fight here.

Matt Striker vs. Mike Mistretta

Mistretta has a manager and a tag team (they were in the battle royal) with him and seems to be the villain. If they think I’m going to cheer for Striker, this place is crazier than I thought. Feeling out process to start as Striker is indeed the favorite here, which is still bizarre to see. Striker takes him to the mat and neither can get very far. Instead they interlock their legs and stand on their heads for a slap off, which doesn’t last long. As commentary talks about Striker having a 90s Aaron Carter hair cut, Striker rolls him up and grabs a slam out of the corner.

The manager offers a distraction to break up a Fujiwara armbar and that’s good for an ejection. The tag team is out as well, leaving it one on one. Mistretta jumps over him in the corner but gets pulled into a rear naked choke. As Striker looks over his shoulder, the manager and the tag team come back with a chair but get held back by the referee. The distraction lets a rather big man come in and chokeslam Striker so Mistretta can get the pin at 5:32.

Rating: C-. It was ok while it lasted but a good chink of the match was spent on the interference and shenanigans. That being said, seeing Striker get beaten up is a nice thing. At the same time though, this company REALLY needs to work on its commentary, as they were too busy cracking jokes to explain anything going on here. It seems like there is a story, but when we don’t even hear the names of the people involved, there are some gaps left to fill.

The villains pose over Striker in a nice touch. Striker stays down for a LONG time, which has been a theme after the matches so far.

Papadon/Talon vs. New York Wrecking Crew

The Crew (second one of the night) is Chris Seaton/Smoothie Blackmon. It’s a brawl to start with the Crew clearing the ring, though Papadon and Talon bail from the threat of dives. Seaton hits a suicide dive of his own and we head back inside for the opening bell (I thought I missed it). Talon shoves Seaton down to take over and a Falcon Arrow gives Talon two. It’s off to Papadon, who holds off a sunset flip long enough to bring Talon back in to cut Seaton off.

A snap suplex gives Papadon two, causing commentary to say “shades of someone we can’t talk about but no one did it better.” Talon comes back in with a slingshot elbow and the chinlock goes on to keep Seaton in trouble. With that broken up, it’s a quick tag to the bigger Blackmon to clean house. A spinebuster gets two on Papadon, who gets caught between some alternating right hands. Papadon bites his way to freedom and Seaton is sent outside, leaving Blackmon to get spike piledriver for the pin at 7:36.

Rating: C. Rather odd to hear reference aside, this was a rather formula based tag match and that didn’t make for the most interesting stuff. I’ve seen Blackmon elsewhere and he got to showcase some of his talents rather well here, though he was really just the hot tag guy. Papadon and Talon worked pretty well together, even if the match wasn’t exactly on fire.

We look at the screen for another video, this time from someone we can’t hear about something we can’t understand. It seems like we have some former partners fighting after one turned on the other. Fair enough.

Blake Morrison vs. Bam Sullivan

Before the match, Morrison tells Sullivan to get out here and shake his hand so this is over. Sullivan starts fast and hammers away in the corner before dumping Morrison out to the floor. Morrison is sent outside, where a slingshot dive drops him again. They slug it out on the ramp until Sullivan hits a backdrop over the top. The referee has to take away a chair so Sullivan throws in the steps and poses a bit.

That takes longer than it should, allowing Morrison to boot him out to the floor. Back in and we hit the chinlock but Sullivan is right back up with a suplex slam. Morrison is able to pull him off the top for a big crash but Sullivan gets back up for a missile dropkick. The discus lariat drops Morrison again and a Razor’s Edge gives Sullivan two.

Sullivan hits a spear on the referee by mistake, but since he underestimates his own abilities, he knocks Morrison down and still expects a count. Cue some of Sullivan’s friends with a chair but Morrison grabs a mic and offers Sullivan peace one more time. Then Sullivan’s friends turn on him with the chair, allowing Morrison to grab a Tombstone for the pin at 10:09.

Rating: C. It was nice to have a bigger angle like this on the show as it hasn’t been the easiest thing to get into so far. This felt like a betrayal and that is something that almost anyone is going to be able to understand. The match came off like two guys who wanted to hurt each other two and that is going to boost things up. Neither exactly stood out, though Morrison was a nice squirrely heels.

Big O vs. Randy Summers

You might remember Big O (a huge musclehead) as Zack Ryder’s friends on his internet series. Summers has a rather energetic entrance and spins around a lot once he gets in the ring. They stare at each other to start and it’s Summers bailing to the floor. Back in and O powers his way out of a headlock without much trouble and a sleeper gives Summers the same amount of success.

Some shoulders and a running clothesline in the corner have Summers in more trouble, until he goes after O’s recently injured ankle. The leg is wrapped around the post and Summers gets to pose a lot. O uses the good leg to kick him away, only to have Summers go after the leg again. A springboard cutter (nice one too) gets two on O and the ankle lock goes on. What appears to be a tap (pretty clearly too) is apparently O reaching for the ropes so Summers goes up and misses a top rope stomp.

O’s leg gives out on a powerslam though and a running knee gives Summers two. The leg is fine enough to pull Summers out of the air for the powerslam but the pain means it’s a delayed two instead. Summers is right back with the ankle lock, complete with a grapevine, but O makes the rope again. Back up and Summers charges into a spinebuster for the pin (with O picking up the arm for some reason) at 9:56.

Rating: C+. When you have someone who looks like O, you don’t really expect much in the way of quality, but it worked out nicely here. They told a story with Summers taking out the leg to slow O down but not being able to do enough to keep him down. This was a nice surprise and O has actually developed into something of a wrestler rather than just a bodybuilder with a chokeslam.

Post match Summers suggests that he has a concussion off the spinebuster. Summers calls O a good guy who is nice to everyone backstage. O doesn’t look pleased and it gets worse as Summers talks about his brother getting hurt in a car wreck. After the wreck, O came to see him and made him feel great again, because that’s the kind of man he is. They go for a hug and Summers kicks him low for a heck of a heel turn. That one got me so well done.

John Silver vs. Mike Verna vs. Aidan Baal vs. Jaden Valo vs. Corey Cooper vs. Joey Conway

One fall to a finish and the winner gets an Independent Wrestling TV Title shot. Thankfully everyone gets an entrance and we have tags here as commentary tries to figure out why this is called a SUICIDAL SIX WAY. Valo gets jumped by Baal from behind but it’s off to Verna to knock Baal to the floor. It seems that we’re having lucha rules here so Conway comes in with a clothesline and a moonsault.

Verna kicks away at Conway until Silver comes in and literally tosses people around to clean house. A big dive drops a bunch of people but Conway’s version takes out even more. That leaves Verna to go up top for a big flip dive, with Valo following with a top rope moonsault onto the pile. Back in and Valo goes Delaware with a froggy bow for two on Verna but Cooper makes the save. Verna fireman’s carries both of them, but Silver German suplexes all three at once (geez), earning the right to pose.

Standing Sliced Bread drops Conway and one heck of a frog splash gives Silver two on Baal (the fans aren’t thrilled with that kickout). Commentary points out that Baal has split his pants as Conway hits a backpack Stunner for two on Silver. Verna hits a powerbomb/World’s Strongest Slam combination for two as Cooper is back in with a 450 to Verna, with Baal making the save. Valo gets to clean some house but Conway picks him up. That just lets Silver toss the two of them, causing Valo to Canadian Destroyer Conway. One heck of a running knee gives Silver the pin and the title shot at 8:23.

Rating: C+. Silver would go on to become the biggest star out of this group and that isn’t a surprise. He has the charisma that you can’t teach and that power game is enough to get him really far. Throw in the unique look and it’s easy to understand why he has been so successful. Verna was the only other one that stood out here and I could go for a bit more of him too.

Independent Wrestling TV Title: John Silver vs. Orange Cassidy

Silver is challenging and has to dodge the lazy kicks to start. Cassidy ducks some slow motion lefts and rights as commentary asks why Silver isn’t going for the legs. With the hands still in the pockets, Cassidy flips over him and nails a dropkick into a nipup (which commentary says “makes Shawn Michaels jealous”.).

Silver takes him down and forces the hands out of the pockets, setting up a hard clothesline. They head outside with Silver being sent into the barricade, setting up a top rope DDT for two. A fisherman’s suplex gets the same and it’s time to start on Silver’s leg. The leg is fine enough for a brainbuster and they’re both down.

Back up and Cassidy goes slow again, allowing Silver to strike away. Another brainbuster is countered into a Stunner, setting up a Canadian Destroyer to give Cassidy two. With nothing else working, Cassidy goes over to get some orange juice but Silver knocks it away. Silver goes to pick him up but the knee gives out, allowing Cassidy to grab la majistral for the pin at 10:02.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t bad, as Cassidy only did his shtick at the beginning and then got things back to seriousness. He’s still fun to watch as a novelty act like this, which is probably why I got tired of him in a hurry in AEW. Silver continues to be a blast to watch as he is such a ball of charisma. If he was six inches taller, he would be a star.

Respect is shown post match.

We’re cut to a bit later, as a….something has been set up. There is one wall of a cage, one wall of barbed wire, and one chain above the top rope with weapons hanging above. This is the Psycho Circus, so there’s your namesake match.

NYWC World Title/Starlet Title/Fusion Title/Tag Team Titles: Team Bull James vs. The Culture

Ok, this is a BIG one.

The Culture (King Mega – World Title, Brandon Watts – Rush Title, Dave McCall/Nate Carter – Tag Team Champions, Willow Nightingale – Starlet Title and Kris Bishop, who isn’t a champion) is defending (as in ALL titles are on the line) against Bull James/Bran Benson/CJ Benson/Kris Statlander/Mouse/Rex Lawless. Whenever anyone pins anyone, the two of them are eliminated and that title has been decided.

The match is basically WarGames with timed entrances, with James starting with Watts and heading to the floor to hide. Watts gets back in and gets annoyed at the idea of being sent into something, meaning it’s time for more stalling. Back in and Watts goes for a kendo stick but gets knocked to the floor as James glares down at him again. James finally gets his hands on Watts for a running splash in the corner but time expires. Kris Bishop is in to give the Culture an advantage for two minutes, but James clotheslines both of them down.

A slingshot Codebreaker drops James though and it’s Rex Lawless (he’s a big guy) to clean house as things are evened up. The Culture gets Samoan dropped/fall away slammed at the same time but it’s Nate Carter in to uneven the odds again. Carter also brings in a baseball bat to start hammering on people until Kris Statlander comes in to clean house as well. James hits Carter low with the bat but it’s Dave McCall in to make it 4-3.

McCall uses the cookie sheet to take over and a Coast to Coast makes it worse. CJ Benson comes in and makes the save but McCall/Carter hit Cryme Tyme’s G9. Willow Nightingale is in and gets in the face of Lawless, who towers over her. Then she kisses him, as the two seem to be an tiem. Then Nightingale hits him low and pours tacks in his mouth, because you have to have tacks. A superkick to the mouth makes it worse and there’s a Death Valley Driver into the ladder in the corner to keep Lawless down.

Brad Benson is in to even things up and hits a big dive off the cage to take off most of the people at the same time. Cue King Mega to complete the Culture and, after taking over a minute to get to the ring (with a grocery bag of something), it’s time for a bunch of chokeslams. Statlander gets a drink of something and spits it in Mega’s face, earning herself a powerbomb. Now it’s Mouse (with a stick) coming in to really clean house as everyone is in.

Bishop and Mouse fight over the stick until Bishop puts him on the top. Mouse kicks him away and gets the stick back. Mega doesn’t mind as it’s a huge chokeslam, allowing Bishop to pin Mouse for the elimination. Statlander is back with the Legos and a dropkick knocks Mega onto them for the painful looking landing. Watts and Nightingale launch Statlander into the cage but the Bensons make a save with various metal objects. CJ loads up a ladder and goes up….because the Tag Team Titles are up there? Sure why not.

Lawless goes up but gets shoved down onto nothing, seemingly crashing out to the floor. The Bensons hit an assisted moonsault onto Carter but McCall is back up with a shot to Brad’s head. The big ladder is brought in, with Brad driving it into McCall’s ribs against the cage. McCall and Carter make a save though and it’s a powerbomb to drive CJ through Brad to put the Bensons down. That’s enough for Carter and McCall to go up and pull down the titles to get rid of the two of them, plus the Bensons (thankfully clearing things WAY out).

Statlander comes back with the skewers to Nightingale’s head (because of course), setting up an ax kick to get rid of Nightingale and win the Starlets Title. That leaves us with Mega/Watts vs. Lawless/James, with the latter loading up the table in the corner. James punches Mega and Watts down but Mega is back up with a hiptoss through the table for two. Watts adds a frog splash for two so James goes after Mega, only to get rolled up by Watts for the pin.

That leaves us with Mega vs. Lawless for the World Title, which has James rather annoyed. Mega slugs away and hits a chokeslam onto the apron for two, with Lawless shouting a lot after the kickout. Another chokeslam is countered and Mega is shoved into the barbed wire. A chokebomb gives Lawless two but here is the Culture for some cheap shots.

Lawless and Mega fight up to the stage, where Mega knocks him onto a barbed wire board. Back in and Mega loads up a bunch of weapons, only to get hit in the head with a chair. Cue the Culture AGAIN but Lawless fights them off and shoves Mega onto the pile of chairs for the pin and the title at 38:22.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure where to start with this one but I do like the concept. This was quite the insane match and the idea let everyone get in there and do something at some point. Lawless stood out a bit due to his size, though Mega didn’t exactly seem to be able to do much outside of power. The name Circus really fits here as it was a lot of insanity, but having it be elimination let things settle back down as you wondered who would be able to go after which title. Good concept, though some of the weapons got a bit too silly.

Post match the winners come out to celebrate, setting up a staredown with the Culture. Mega and James hug and Mega raises Lawless’ hand to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was kind of a weird one, but the action was good enough to make the whole show work out. I like the concept of the main event and I’ll take that over some showdown that doesn’t exactly feel all that important. One thing the show could work on is telling us more about what is going on, but I can overlook some of that for the sake of an entertaining show. Tighten some things up a bit and you have something better, but for now, it’s a good enough event.

 

 

 

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Monday Night Raw – November 19, 2007: He Saved Us

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 19, 2007
Location: Bank Atlantic Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Attendance: 7,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re done with Survivor Series and the big Raw story is that Randy Orton retained the Raw World Title over Shawn Michaels. That means Orton is going to need a new challenger and as luck would have it, the SAVE US deal is going to be revealed tonight. That could mean….ok even the fans are already chanting the name so this isn’t much of a surprise. Let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

A running man is carrying a torch through the streets.

Opening sequence.

Here is Shawn Michaels for a chat. There is no reason to wait on it, so Shawn invites Randy Orton out here to shake his hand. Orton pops up on screen to say he isn’t coming out there and getting superkicked again. Shawn: “All right, all right, you got me. If you came out here, I was going to kick you again.” Shawn also wants a rematch, but Orton says no because he has already proven that he is the better man. That is why the torch bearer is on his way from Miami to Fort Lauderdale, as we are going to be seeing the torch passed.

Cue Mr. Kennedy to charge the ring and go after Shawn so the fight is on. Shawn wants a match but Kennedy says Shawn is best known for losing over and over in big matches. Or just losing his smile. Cue William Regal to say ring the bell and here’s a referee as we take a break. Back with the bell not ringing and the fight continuing on the floor. They fight into the crowd with Kennedy getting the better of things. Kennedy grabs the chair but it gets superkicked into his face to wrap things up. Just a brawl and not a match.

Jerry Lawler vs. Santino Marella

Hold on, as Marella wants the referee to watch Lawler’s punches. Instead, Lawler hits a dropkick and Marella isn’t sure what to do. Santino is right back with a whip into the corner but Lawler reverses and hammers away at the ribs. A missed charge puts Lawler in trouble again though and Marella heads outside to put on Lawler’s crown. Marella promises to beat Lawler like a government dog and makes jokes about puppies. The jokes finally go on too long and Lawler hits him in the face, setting up a hiptoss. A backslide of all things gives Lawler the pin.

Rating: C-. Yeah what were you expecting here? Lawler is the definition of a feel good match that has almost no impact on anything, but he can still make his stuff look passable enough. Marella is someone who can get back to whatever he needs to be doing with a few words so Lawler pinning him is hardly some career death. Let the fans have a bit of a smile and no one gets hurt.

Post match Randy Orton runs in and takes Lawler out with an RKO. Orton has an update on his torch runner, who is now at the arena where he beat Shawn Michaels at last night. Orton: “It feels like yesterday. Wait a minute. It was yesterday.”

Mr. Kennedy says he was out there to show Shawn Michaels some respect but he got superkicked for his efforts. Kennedy looks rather disturbed by the whole thing but thinks it is because Shawn knows his career is evaporating. Shawn sees talent in Kennedy that he wished he himself had so now he is trying to hold Kennedy down. That won’t happen though because Father Time is going to catch up with him. Next time, Shawn doesn’t have to worry about Father Time, because he has to worry about Mr. Kennedy.

We recap Great Khali vs. Hornswoggle, with Finlay coming in for the save.

Vince McMahon asks William Regal and Coach about how great Survivor Series was. They talk about how scared Hornswoggle was but the mention of Finlay doesn’t sit well with Vince. Cue Carlito, who liked the tough love Vince showed Hornswoggle last night. Vince gives Carlito Hornswoggle tonight. That sounds cool.

Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga

Non-title. Hardy slugs away to start to limited success, as Umaga headbutts him out of the corner. A pair of dropkicks work a bit better for Hardy but Umaga shoulders him out of the air without much effort. The nerve hold goes on…and it stays on….and on, until Hardy gets taken into the corner. A missed charge lets Jeff have a breather but Umaga shoves him off the top and into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with the nerve hold on again, followed by another nerve hold as this continues to be lame. Some chest kicks and a spinwheel kick give Umaga two and the spinning release Rock Bottom gets the same. The fourth nerve hold sets up the missed middle rope headbutt and the missed running hip attack in the corner gives Jeff a breather. There’s the Whisper in the Wind for two but the Swanton misses for a crash. The Samoan Spike is countered into a Twist of Fate to send Umaga outside, setting up the big dive. Cue Snitsky of all people to jump Hardy for the DQ.

Rating: D+. It was a long match, but come on already with that many nerve holds. Crank on the arm, pull on the leg or just hit Jeff for a bit but find out something other than the same hold four times in a match. Then after all that, we get something for the sake of Snitsky being in there again. How happy I am to see this schnook get reheated. Again. For the 14th or so time.

Post match the double beatdown is on until HHH makes the save and clears the ring.

SAVE US! Tonight.

Jeff Hardy thanks HHH, who calls himself the Good Samaritan of WWE. He’s always there to help someone in need and of course no one buys this. In reality, he doesn’t like Umaga and Snitsky trying to be the bada**** of WWE. He and Jeff Hardy have nothing in common, much like himself and Tod Grisham, who seems to like transvestites. JR: “That’ll be on WWE.com.”

Cody Rhodes vs. Hardcore Holly

Rhodes takes Holly into the corner to start and gets chopped for his efforts. Some slams have Rhodes in trouble and it’s time to kick away at him on the ropes. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Cody fights up with right hands and a Russian legsweep. The Alabama Slam is loaded up but Cody reverses into a DDT for the pin.

Post match Randy Orton comes out for an RKO to both of them. We get another update on the torch runner: now he’s in Fort Lauderdale!

JR reluctantly introduces us to a Randy Orton tribute video, at least on his last few months.

Finlay comes in to see Vince McMahon and seems a bit serious. Threats seem to be made about Hornswoggle’s safety but Vince doesn’t like surprises. Vince says he’s just as Irish as Finlay but won’t say where he was born. They’ll go have a drink after the show, with Finlay saying someone Vince’s age needs hot milk. Finlay is joking, but Vince doesn’t seem pleased.

Ric Flair is back next week. Yay.

Mickie James/Maria vs. Jillian Hall/Melina

Before the match, Jillian mocks a singer who did a duet with Lilian Garcia, even though no one likes that “Mexican talk.” Then Jillian sings what she seems to think is Spanish and it doesn’t go well. Maria flips out of a wristlock to start and hits Melina with a Bronco Buster. Melina knocks her down and hands it off to Jillian for a 450. That’s fine with Maria, who pulls Melina into the way instead. It’s off to Mickie for a neckbreaker and the Long Kiss Goodnight for the fast pin.

Carlito vs. Hornswoggle

No DQ. Carlito is nice enough to drop to his knees before the test of strength but does shove Hornswoggle down. The chase is on outside, with Hornswoggle stealing JR’s cowboy hat and handing it off to Lilian Garcia. Carlito chases him under the ring but Hornswoggle comes out the other side with a bucket of water. That earns Hornswoggle a shot to the face but here is Finlay to take Carlito out. Hornswoggle is dropped onto Carlito for the pin.

Rating: D+. Yeah you can only get so much out of something like this as they didn’t have time and it wasn’t supposed to be anything serious. Finlay getting a face turn out of Hornswoggle is already more interesting than most of what we saw with Vince and Hornswoggle so I’ll take what I can get. Now just get somewhere with it and it could be worthwhile.

Post match Hornswoggle spits apple on Carlito.

The torch runner arrives.

Here is Randy Orton for his big moment. Orton talks about how there is no one left to face him because he has beaten everyone there is to beat. Now it is time for the torch to be passed to him and here is the torch runner in the arena. Said runner is clotheslined down by someone who appears to be a short haired Chris Jericho doing a Chris Jericho pose.

The SAVE US video plays, and yes, it is in fact Chris Jericho. He confirms that he is back and is happy the people remembered him. Jericho invites us to tilt the seats back and go into overdrive because it is time for pure entertainment. Orton brings up taking Jericho out and wants to know what he is saving us from. Jericho: “Your boring personality for one.” Jericho gets to the point: he is coming for the title and nothing will ever be the same a-gain. Orton isn’t happy to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show is built around the Jericho/Orton stuff and Jericho is a good way to go for the next challenger. Other than that though, this wasn’t the best show, other than setting up HHH and Hardy doing whatever going forward. There are a few intriguing things coming up, but it might take a bit to make them work. Not a great show here, but they did plant some important seeds.

 

 

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NXT – May 24, 2022: Out Of The House

NXT
Date: May 24, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We are less than two weeks away from In Your House and the show has already started to come together. There are still a few matches to be set up for the card but at least we already have the main event set. Unfortunately that match is another Joe Gacy title shot against Bron Breakker. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony D’Angelo and company want to get their hands on Legado del Fantasma again.

Stacks/Two Dimes vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

Stacks elbows Enofe down to start but a dropkick gets him out of trouble. That’s not enough for a real comeback though as Stacks takes Enofe down again and grabs a seated abdominal stretch. We cut to Legado watching in the back, but now they’re heading to the ring. Enofe fights up and knocks Two Dimes over enough to make the tag to Blade, meaning house can be cleared. A high crossbody gives Blade two but the goons take him down in a hurry. Cue Legado as Stacks and Two Dimes hit stereo right hands for the pin at 6:08.

Rating: C. Pretty meh opener here and that’s not like NXT. Then again it might have something to do with D’Angelo’s boys not exactly being interesting as they are little more than muscle guys (who aren’t that muscular). Blade and Enofe losing again is annoying too, as they seem like a team who could work well as the new pretty boy team.

Post match Legado comes to the ring and the fight is on.

Wes Lee, with his ribs taped up, isn’t regretting challenging Sanga and he’ll prove himself tonight.

Sanga vs. Wes Lee

The much bigger Sanga headbutts him down and hits a splash to the back. The slow beating begins with Sanga staying on the ribs. Lee manages to kick him to the floor though and a slingshot stomp….doesn’t actually put Sanga down. Instead Lee tries a running dropkick into the steps, only to have Sanga chop him down again. Back in and Lee comes off the top but gets knocked away, allowing Sanga to hit a chokeslam for the pin at 3:09.

Rating: C. Quick match here as Lee loses again, though I guess it’s better than sitting in catering. Sanga is the latest monster, but in this case he wasn’t exactly a mean one. This was more about Sanga beating up Lee to get rid of him, which isn’t quite the same thing as mauling various people like a giant eats villagers.

Post match Xyon Quinn goes after Lee, but Sanga makes the save. Great. Another big/little man team, though Sanga is better than he was as Grayson Waller’s bodyguard.

Cora Jade gives Roxanne Perez a pep talk about her match with Lash Legend tonight. They also don’t like Elektra Lopez and Jade implies interference. Of all the segments NXT has had, this might have sounded the most fake.

Bron Breakker is told Joe Gacy is looking for him. He goes in the locker room and finds a picture of….I think Rick Steiner and his kids (including Breakker). Breakker says it is from twenty years ago.

Alba Fyre vs. Elektra Lopez

Cora Jade is here. Fyre takes her into the corner to start and hits a running clothesline for two. Back up and Fyre misses an elbow in the corner, allowing Fyre to hit a superkick. Lopez takes her down by the arm though and gets a breather. That’s not enough for Fyre though as she kicks Lopez in the face and hits a Swanton for the pin at 2:53.

Post match Jade laughs at Lopez so she knocks the popcorn out of Jade’s hand.

Damon Kemp tells the Creeds that their match is off because Roderick Strong her hurt his ankle. The Creeds aren’t cool with that but Kemp says he’s just following orders and relaying information.

Due to an injury to Nikkita Lyons, Fallon Henley is in the finals of the Breakout Tournament. Tiffany Stratton pops in and mocks Henley for getting the bye. That’s too far, and the new semifinals match is on.

Women’s Breakout Tournament Semifinals: Roxanne Perez vs. Lash Legend

No entrance for Legend. Perez goes for a waistlock to start but Legend powers her up without much trouble. That means it’s time for Perez to be thrown around but she manages to take Legend down and hammer away. Some running elbows in the corner look to set up a Russian legsweep but Legend sweeps the leg to take her down. A powerbomb is countered into Pop Rox to give Perez the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C+. I’m very happy to have been wrong about this one as I would have bet on Legend vs. Lyons in the finals. This is a nice surprise, as Perez has all kinds of potential and can hang with a lot of people in the ring from here. Legend is a very long term project and while there are pieces there, she isn’t ready for that kind of success just yet.

Toxic Attraction doesn’t like Indi Hartwell but Katana Chance and Kayden Carter jump them, with Mandy Rose escaping.

Mandy Rose vs. Indi Hartwell

Non-title. Rose takes her down to start and gets an early two, meaning the trash talk can be on. That takes a bit too long though and Hartwell knocks her to the floor as we take a break. Back with Hartwell slugging away but her back gives out on a fireman’s carry attempt. Something like a spinebuster gives Hartwell two but here are Katrina Chance/Kayden Carder/Toxic Attraction for the fight. They get in the ring and the distraction lets Rose hit the running knee for the pin at 9:15.

Rating: C-. Hartwell has fallen a long way and it wouldn’t shock me to see her out of the company sooner rather than later. She wasn’t all that interesting as part of the Way but at least she had some charm with Dexter Lumis. Now she’s just another person on the roster and that isn’t a great place to be.

Post match Wendy Choo runs out to jump Rose with a bag full of various types of balls. BECAUSE IT’S FUNNY YOU SEE!

Bron Breakker is shown a clip of one of his high school football games. His dad was supposed to be there, but he was in Japan instead.

Pretty Deadly is ready for the Creeds.

Women’s Breakout Tournament Semifinals: Fallon Henley vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton takes her down to start and hits a few elbows. A slingshot Swanton gives Stratton two and it’s time to start cranking on the leg, complete with Stratton bridging back and blowing a kiss. With that broken up, Henley headbutts her into the corner but Henley’s knee gives out. A slingshot dropkick in the corner connects and a slingshot corkscrew Vader Bomb finishes for Stratton at 4:56.

Rating: C. Stratton really does feel like a potential star and I can see pushing her forward here. Henley is fitting in perfectly well as the charming country girl and she’ll be fine if she can have even a passable match on her personality alone. This worked for a quick one off match and I could see both of them being something better in the future.

Katana Chance and Kayden Carter want the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Wendy Choo comes in and wants the Women’s Title.

Video on Von Wagner.

Thea Hail is graduating from high school tomorrow and she’s glad to be living her dream in NXT. Next week, she decides between college and NXT.

Duke Hudson comes up to Bron Breakker and insists he didn’t do any of the things to him tonight. Hudson says he has nothing to lose, but Breakker grabs him by the throat. Hudson says someone was right about Breakker being predictable.

Von Wagner vs. Ikemen Jiro

Jiro charges in and strikes away before the opening bell. The match actually happens and Wagner knocks him out of the air to slow things down. Jiro uses the jacket punches and scores with an enziguri to the floor, setting up a middle rope DDT for two. That’s enough for Wagner, who hits his Death Valley Driver neckbreaker for the pin at 4:16.

Rating: D. Well at least Jiro grabbed his jacket despite being so angry and thirsty for revenge. The match was just a squash but I still don’t see it with either of these two. Wagner is a big guy who can do basic big guy stuff while Jiro can be funny at times (and certainly has charisma). That’s not quite enough to make me all that interested though.

Post match Wagner goes after Jiro again but Josh Briggs makes the save. Sophia Cromwell won’t let Wagner go after Briggs.

Tony D’Angelo and company want Legado del Fantasma at In Your House.

Von Wagner is ready to erupt but Sophia Cromwell says he’ll get his revenge when he has the chance.

Toxic Attraction is down for the title matches at In Your House.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are at the barbershop and are ready for In Your House. He needs his title back so here is Cameron Grimes to mock him. Hayes says Grimes is a title holder instead of a champion like him. There is someone from NXT UK (meaning Nathan Frazer) who people are saying is faster and better than Hayes (which has Hayes’ eyes shifting). That’s why Grimes is facing Frazer next week.

In Your House rundown.

We get a promo from an unseen woman talking about the high life and how status is only bad thing to those who can’t achieve it. She is from Italy and her name is Giovanni Vici.

Bron Breakker vs. Duke Hudson

Non-title and Joe Gacy, with the minions, is on the balcony. A quick Frankensteiner puts Hudson in early trouble but he chokes on the ropes to slow Breakker down. They go to the floor where Hudson hits a clothesline, followed by an overhead suplex back inside. Hudson even throws in some barking, which is enough for Breakker to take him down as we go to a break.

Back with Hudson sending him into the steps, setting up a failed Steiner Recliner attempt. Instead Breakker slips out but can’t get his own version. With Joe Gacy and the minions watching at ringside, Breakker fights up but the minions get on the apron. The minions try to get in as Hudson picks up a chair. Breakker takes that away and swings at Gacy but turns around and hits Hudson for the DQ at 10:59.

Rating: C. Gacy vs. Breakker is a fine example of a feud that makes all the sense in the world on paper but isn’t interesting. I have no desire to see Breakker beat Gacy up again and I have even less desire to see Gacy win the title. It’s a feud that should have been wrapped up weeks ago but here we go again, because much like WWE, NXT can’t help itself with these rematches.

Post match Gacy mocks Breakker for the DQ, because it’s in his nature.

Overall Rating: C-. I couldn’t get myself into this show and it wasn’t their best work. I do like the tournament final being Perez vs. Stratton as I would have bet on Legend and/or Lyons being in there, so at least they’re throwing in a surprise. As for the rest of the show, they are making In Your House look ok, though that Gacy vs. Breakker match is dragging it way down, much like NXT cranking up the Wendy Choo “comedy” again. Not their best this week, though it did have some nice moments.

Results
Stacks/Two Dimes b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Double punch to Blade
Sanga b. Wes Lee – Chokeslam
Alba Fyre b. Elektra Lopez – Swanton
Roxanne Perez b. Lash Legend – Pop Rox
Mandy Rose b. Indi Hartwell – Running knee
Tiffany Stratton b. Fallon Henley – Corkscrew Vader Bomb
Von Wagner b. Ikemen Jiro – Fireman’s carry neckbreaker
Duke Hudson b. Bron Breakker via DQ when Breakker used a chair

 

 

 

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