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

The Draft is done and now it is time to wrap up Spring Breakkin. Last week’s card was absolutely stacked while this week’s show isn’t quite as big. The main even seems to be Natalya vs. Lola Vice in NXT Underground. Other than that, we might find out what is next for new NXT Champion Trick Williams. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Trick Williams winning the NXT Title last week.

Here is Williams for his big celebration as champion. He likes the sound of hearing his name as champion but he wants to thank Ilja Dragunov. Raw is getting a good one, but this is officially the Whoop That Era. Cue Lash Legend to praise Williams, who thinks something is going on.

The last time they were in the same ring, she hit him in the face, but now he has some gold and now she wants him to be her Reese’s Cup: take the gold off and get to the chocolate inside. Legend is more into Kit Kats but she has an envelope, which means the end of his title reign. We don’t see what is in said envelope and Legend leaves. These two are funny together.

Gigi Dolin and Arianna Grace are at a fancy dinner so Dolin can learn dining etiquette. This turns into a preview for the show.

North American Title: Oba Femi vs. Ivar

Ivar is challenging. They slug it out to start with Ivar getting the better of things by clotheslining him to the floor for a dive off the apron. Back in and the spinning powerslam gives Ivar one but Femi is back with an Irish Curse. They’re already back on the floor, where Femi is sent into the steps, setting up a big crash against the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Ivar knocking him off the top again and hitting a big flip dive to the floor. Back in and Femi runs him over with a hard forearm for two but Ivar knocks him back down for the same. It’s too early for the Doomsault though and Femi pulls Ivar into a torture rack drop for two. Ivar is back up with another knockdown and now the Doomsault connects but Femi makes the ropes. Another Doomsault is loaded up but Femi cuts it off with an electric chair drop. The pop up powerbomb retains the title at 11:04.

Rating: B. I do appreciate a match that is exactly as advertised. This was always going to be two big, strong guys beating the fire out of each other and that’s exactly what it was. Ivar wasn’t likely to win the title here but he makes a nice addition to Femi’s resume. Good stuff here, with Femi’s star continuing to rise at an amazing rate.

Post match Wes Lee returns after several months away and the fans approve.

Thea Hail talks Fallon Henley into coming with her to ringside.

Thea Hail vs. Jacy Jayne

The rest of Chase U, Fallon Henley and Jazmyn Nyx are all here too. They slap each other in the face to start and go to the floor with Jayne taking over. We take an early break and come back with Hail springboarding into a neckbreaker for two. Jayne misses a Cannonball though and they’re both down. Hail is back up with a Michinoku Driver for two but Jayne kicks her outside. Henley shoves Hail out of the way from a kick from Nyx, allowing Hail to Kimura Jayne for the tap at 7:59.

Rating: C. This was the grudge match win that Hail needed to, at least in theory, wrap up the feud. There isn’t much left for them to do or say to each other, though Henley taking the bullet for Hail is interesting. Not a great match, but it did what it needed to do and wrapped up the feud with Hail getting the win.

Post match Henley decks Hail to turn on her and leaves on her own.

Tyson DuPont and Tyriek Igwe are coming to NXT tonight. They’re strong and smart.

Natalya and Karmen Petrovic are warming up.

OC vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont

Igwe powers Anderson into the corner to start, setting up the hard shoulders to the ribs. The bigger DuPont hits a splash for two but Anderson drives Igwe into the corner for the tag to Gallows. Some forearms to the chest set up the chinlock, with Igwe having to power up into a fireman’s carry. DuPont comes back in with a side slam to Anderson and everything breaks down. Anderson grabs a spinebuster and the Magic Killer finishes Igwe at 4:17.

Rating: C+. They had me thinking we might see a big upset here as the OC was getting beaten up for a good chunk of the match. At the same time, I do get the idea of not wanting to put a rocket on a team just yet, as they certainly started well enough. Hopefully they get a win next time though, as you don’t want them being branded as losers right out of the gate.

We look at NXT stars being Drafted. A bunch of the coaches talk about what it means to them too, which is a rather nice touch.

Here is Ava for a big announcement. We are indeed going to have a Women’s North American Champion, as crowned in….a ladder match at Battleground, with twelve wrestlers competing in qualifying matches. Oh joy. Cue Jaida Parker, Sol Ruca, Arianna Grace, Michin and a bunch of other women to say they should be champion. A huge brawl breaks out.

The Street Profits wish Axiom and Nathan Frazer luck against the AOP tonight. Never slow down.

Lola Vice and Shayna Baszler train for NXT Underground.

Shawn Spears vs. Ridge Holland

Spears sticks and moves to start before bailing to the floor for an early break. Back with Spears getting two off a neckbreaker and putting on a reverse chinlock. A front facelock is broken up with pure power and Holland drives some shoulders to the ribs in the corner. The mysterious QR code pops up on the screen as Holland hits a Death Valley Driver into the corner. A lifting DDT (Paige’s old Rampaige) finishes Spears at 7:35.

Rating: C. This wasn’t great but it gave Holland a win after a rather weird period. Odds are that isn’t over, but you can’t have him lose a bunch and then try to do something with him. Spears is interesting in an agent of chaos way and there is a good chance we’ll see him do more of the same going forward.

Roxanne Perez yells at Ava about not getting Drafted, even though champions were protected.

Josh Briggs mocks Ivar for losing to Oba Femi. Wes Lee comes in to say he’s coming for the title, but Briggs seems to be standing in his way.

The Final Testament is ominous. At least Paul Ellering gets to talk for a bit here.

The D’Angelo Family wants the Heritage Cup and it’s going to be a group effort.

Tag Team Titles: AOP vs. Axiom/Nathan Frazer

The AOP, with the Final Testament, are challenging. The fight is on before the bell with the champs superkicking AOP outside. Some dives connect as well and we ring the bell, with Akam throwing Frazer down. Frazer gets caught in the wrong corner and AOP fires off the hard knees to the ribs. Rezar’s neck crank doesn’t last long and it’s back to Akam for a hard German suplex.

We take a break and come back with Rezar missing a running boot but Akam comes in and gets Frazer into the corner. Frazer DDTs his way to freedom but Rezar sends Frazer into a knee to the face for two. The Last Chapter is broken up and Akam is taken up top, only to have Scarlett grab Axiom’s foot. Massive ejections ensue but here is the New Catch Republic for a distraction, allowing Frazer to superkick Akam into a rollup for the pin to retain at 9:34.

Rating: B-. Another match with a simple formula which worked out rather well. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel with teams like these two and they did rather well. The Republic interfering ties things into what they have been doing on the main roster so everything makes sense without making the champs look weak.

Ridge Holland of all people checks on Thea Hail, who is crushed by Fallon Henley’s betrayal.

Meta Four will reveal Lash Legend’s envelope next week.

Fallon Henley tells Kelani Jordan that she’s going to start putting herself first.

Edris Enofe and Malik Blade are worried about breaking a mirror last week but Brinley Reece has the solution: black cats!

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Natalya vs. Lola Vice

NXT Underground, meaning the ropes are gone and the ring is surrounded by wrestlers, with knockout/TKO/submission to win and Karmen Petrovic and Shayna Baszler are the respective seconds. Vice strikes away to start and they fight out to the floor before going with the grappling back inside. Natalya grabs a kneebar but Vice kicks her way out. A hip attack sends Natalya outside and we take a break.

Back with the fight heading to the floor again with Natalya sending her into the apron. A snap suplex on the floor has Vice in trouble but she trips Natalya on the announcers’ table. Back in and Vice grabs a triangle choke with some elbows to the head but Natalya slips out anyway. Natalya can’t power out of a guillotine so she drops it to the floor for the break in a smart move.

The Hartbreaker around the post has Vice in more trouble but Petrovic has to jump an invading Baszler. Back in and Baszler breaks up a Sharpshooter attempt, only to have the second attempt go on. Baszler Kirifuda Clutches Petrovic so Natalya breaks the hold like a moron, allowing Vice to get up and hit a spinning backfist for the knockout at 11:53.

Rating: B-. This is something that is only going to work with the right people and these two did rather well with it. Vice gets a pretty big time win to boost herself up and now we get to see where she can go from here. Natalya is at her best when she is helping make someone look better and that is exactly what she did here.

Ava announces that Roxanne Perez is defending the Women’s Title against Chelsea Green. Perez is livid but Green thinks she’ll like it here.

Overall Rating: B. For a show that didn’t seem like much on paper, this went rather well, with a bunch of stuff happening and some surprise cameos for a special touch. What matters here is they made me want to see where these stories are coming, which is a very important part of any show. Surprisingly awesome show here as NXT is already back up after the Draft gutted a lot of its bigger names.

Results
Obi Femi b. Ivar – Pop up powerbomb
Thea Hail b. Jacy Jayne – Kimura
OC b. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont – Magic Killer to Igwe
Ridge Holland b. Shawn Spears – Lifting DDT
Axiom/Nathan Frazer b. AOP – Rollup to Akam
Lola Vice b. Natalya – Spinning backfist

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

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Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: April 29, 2024
Location: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the second night of the Draft and the first night did not exactly leave them much to top. There were only so many interesting Draft picks as most of them saw people staying on the same show. This week could use some actual shake ups, or at least a nice run of NXT stars. Let’s get to it.

Here is the first night of the Draft if you need a recap.

Logan Paul arrives and is greeted by the Judgment Day and….NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes. Everyone likes each other, including Damian Priest and Logan Paul liking each others’ titles. Well that’s certainly a big time cameo.

Commentary hypes up the Draft.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. Lynch is proud to be the Women’s World Champion and ready to face a new #1 contender. Cue Liv Morgan to say she can do that, as she did what Lynch couldn’t at Wrestlemania, when she took out Rhea Ripley. This was always the endgame…and here is Nia Jax to interrupt because she needs to be on both shows. Jax finds her reception incredibly rude and should be champion right now.

Jax is going to the other show but she is taking one of them with her. Morgan knocks her off the apron and the match seems likely for later tonight. This was every Jax segment rolled into one. The problem with her comes down to nothing phases her. She’ll take a loss or whatever and then bounce back like nothing ever happened. If the losses don’t matter, why should I be upset when she loses?

Here is Stephanie McMahon for the first picks.

Monday Night Raw

1. Imperium
2. Damage CTRL

Smackdown

1. Jade Cargill
2. Kevin Owens

Of note: Imperium is announced as Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser, with no Giovanni Vinci included.

Xavier Woods vs. Gunther

Kofi Kingston and Ludwig Kaiser are here too. Gunther starts fast and chops away as they head outside. Woods gets dropped onto the apron and we take an early break. Back with Gunther slamming Woods down as we get what appears to be an Uncle Howdy distortion. Woods dares to fire off a chop and gets the soul chopped out of his body (McAfee: “NEW! DAY’S CHOPPED”).

A clothesline sets up more chops but Woods slips out of a powerbomb attempt. Woods is sat up top but knocks Gunther back for a missile dropkick and a near fall. Gunther knocks him into the ropes with Woods’ leg getting tied up (and the audio messing up again, which again appears to be intentional) as we take a break.

Back with Gunther working on the leg, including tying him up in the Tree of Woe to strike away. Gunther goes up and tries the splash but only hits raised knees. Woods can barely stand so his superkick is countered into a half crab. Kofi grabs the towel and teases throwing it in but Woods says he can do it. The towel is thrown into the crowd instead so Gunther turns it into an STF for the tap at 16:30.

Rating: B-. This was more or less a squash as Gunther picked Woods (the reigning King of the Ring on Gunther’s way to the tournament) apart and then made him give up in the end. It was a rather good story as Gunther beats someone with some credibility and looks like a monster doing it. Nice stuff here.

Jey Uso is ready for the pressure of being the #1 overall draft pick. As for Logan Paul being here, he wishes it was the Paul brother with a winning record.

A Kansas City Chiefs fans who survived a shooting at the Super Bowl parade is here in a nice moment.

Here are Logan Paul and IShowSpeed to announce the next picks, but first they introduce Patrick Mahomes at ringside.

Monday Night Raw

3. CM Punk
4. Braun Strowman

Smackdown

3. The Pride
4. Tiffany Stratton

With the picks over, Logan Paul comes to the ring to shout about how Damian Priest will beat Jey Uso, who can’t win anything on his own. Cue Uso, to threaten Paul with some yeeting. Paul says he has been yeeting since 2017 and here is the Judgment Day, with Uso getting beaten down. Patrick Mahomes gives Paul his Super Bowl rings but Paul hits JD McDonagh by mistake. Braun Strowman comes in for the save…and has to be held back from Mahomes in an odd bit.

R-Truth has made a deal with Chad Gable, which is for a title shot tonight in exchange for two things later. Miz comes in and says this is the Draft, with R-Truth thinking they might be drafted to the NFL. With R-Truth gone, Gable mocks Miz and gets jumped by Sami Zayn.

Booker T. is happy with Jade Cargill coming to Smackdown because that’s a game changer (what is changed by having her stay on the same show she was on before isn’t clear). He’s interested in CM Punk being drafted as well so here is Drew McIntyre to point out Booker didn’t like Punk back in the day. Booker has changed.

Intercontinental Title: Bronson Reed vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn is defending and gets chopped/headbutted up against the ropes to start. Reed is sent outside though and an Arabian moonsault drops him again. Back in and Reed knocks him down without much trouble as we take a break. We come back with Zayn getting pulled out of the air and release Rock Bottomed for two. Reed’s sitout powerbomb gets two but Zayn is back up with the Helluva Kick….and Chad Gable runs in for the DQ at 7:51.

Rating: C+. Zayn can do the underdog vs. monster match as well as anyone and that’s what he had going here, but you knew Gable was going to run in after the attack earlier in the night. That’s a fine way to go, though Gable needs to win the title already or this is all a big waste of time. Reed will likely be involved as well though, meaning we’re probably looking at another triple threat match

Post match Gable gets the ankle lock until Reed adds a Tsunami. Reed and Gable then get into it with Reed holding up the title.

We look at Kiana James being drafted from NXT to Raw.

Here are Ron Simmons and John Bradshaw Layfield for the next picks.

Monday Night Raw
5. LWO
6. Drew McIntyre

Smackdown
5. Legado del Fantasma
6. Shinsuke Nakamura

Of note: Carlito is still listed as part of the LWO.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. He might be the only sane person around here because how is he a third round draft pick? Has the APA had everyone around here drinking since Friday? The fans chant for CM PUNK, who McIntyre called part of the establishment. Punk fractured McIntyre’s elbow at Wrestlemania…and here is Punk in a sky box. Punk says he’s here and McIntyre is livid.

Chad Gable is mad at the rest of the Alpha Academy for being hyped up despite not winning. They better go win him a championship.

Bron Breakker is interrupted by Sheamus, who says he’s a big fan. A livid Drew McIntyre storms by.

Candice LeRae vs. Maxxine Dupri

Indi Hartwell and Ivy Nile are here too. Dupri starts fast and kicks her down, setting up a reverse Caterpillar. The ankle lock goes on but Hartwell posts Nile for a distraction. LeRae gets out and grabs the Wicked Stepmother for the pin at 1:47.

We look at Carlito being revealed as Dragon Lee’s attacker and turning on the LWO as a result.

The LWO has unfinished business with Carlito but Dominik Mysterio interrupts. Rey Mysterio mocks his mustache.

Drew McIntyre storms the sky box to find CM Punk but only finds an autographed photo. Instead, here is Punk to the ring for a chat. Punk loves the people here so he won’t waste time, so he sits down and asks for 5:46 to talk about McIntyre. He has had McIntyre’s attention for quite some time, with McIntyre being like the ex-girlfriend that won’t go away.

Punk is happy McIntyre got injured and thought it might have happened when McIntyre was on Twitter because it’s all he is good at. The reality is Punk was drafted ahead of McIntyre because he is better at anything in wrestling. Losers pray for things to happen but winners make it happen themselves. When Punk is healthy, he’s going to ruin McIntyre’s life. Good, fired up promo from the angry Punk here.

Here are Alundra Blayze and Teddy Long for some more picks.

Monday Night Raw

7. Judgment Day
8. Ilja Dragunov (From NXT)

Smackdown

7. Naomi
8. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven

Of note: Rhea Ripley was not mentioned in Judgment Day.

Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax

Jax powers her into the corner to start but Morgan kicks her way out of trouble. Some dropkicks have Jax in more trouble but she knocks Morgan away without much trouble. The Annihilator is broken up and Jax heads outside, where she powers Morgan down again. Tiffany Stratton comes in to watch from the front row as we take a break. Back with Morgan fighting out of a chinlock but getting planted with a Samoan drop for two. The Annihilator is loaded up but Morgan powerbombs her down for two instead. Cue Naomi to brawl with Stratton, allowing Morgan to hit a Codebreaker and Oblivion for the pin at 10:26.

Rating: C-. And then Nia Jax will act like nothing bad happened to her and talk down to all the fans because she’s the stuck up monster who acts better than everyone and then loses over and over while being one of the worst things in WWE but HAHAHA her cousin runs the company so GET OVER IT. Morgan was her usual self here: made a good enough comeback with the sloppy moments included. Naomi and Stratton being out there as a distraction helped a bit but this didn’t work, as most things with Jax don’t.

Booker T. is excited about some of the picks. Adam Pearce’s favorite pick: Chelsea Green to Smackdown! He’s almost dancing in happiness as he goes to make more picks. That was hilarious.

We look at Logan Paul accidentally hitting JD McDonagh with Patrick Mahomes’ Super Bowl rings.

Here are the Dudley Boyz for the next picks.

Monday Night Raw

9. New Day
10. Lyra Valkyria (From NXT)

Smackdown

9. Pretty Deadly
10. Candice LeRae/Indi Hartwell

Raw Tag Team Titles: Awesome Truth vs. Alpha Academy

Awesome Truth is defending and we’re joined in progress with Miz getting the tag and cleaning house. Otis runs him over and hits the Caterpillar but Tozawa’s top rope backsplash hits raised knees. The Truth Crushing Finale retains the titles at 1:50 shown.

Damian Priest isn’t surprised that Judgment Day fell to the fourth round. JD McDonagh reveals a HORRIBLE looking bruise from the rings shot.

Becky Lynch congratulates Liv Morgan on her win. With Morgan gone, Damage CTRL comes in to threaten Lynch a bit. They even touch the title.

Here are Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis for the final picks.

Monday Night Raw

11. Final Testament
12. Bronson Reed

Smackdown

11. DIY
12. Blair Davenport (From NXT)

Jey Uso/Ricochet/Andrade vs. Judgment Day

Balor headlocks Andrade to start and everything breaks down, with the villains being knocked to the floor, including Priest being knocked over the announcers’ table, as we take a break. Back with Priest cranking on Ricochet’s arms as McAfee talks about how Priest going over the table set off a life alert on Cole’s Apple Watch.

Balor adds a backbreaker with Priest dropping a leg for two but Ricochet Recoils his way out of trouble. The tag brings in Jey for some right hands (and yeets), setting up a high crossbody for two on Balor. Uso drops Priest and goes up but Priest grabs him by the throat. McDonagh makes the save attempt but accidentally lets Uso get away. That means a superkick to Priest, followed by a spear and Superfly Splash to pin Balor at 10:33.

Rating: C+. Good enough here as Uso gets some momentum for Backlash and McDonagh manages to screw up again. While I can’t imagine Priest loses the title so soon, at least they’re giving us a bit of intrigue. For now though, this didn’t exactly feel like a main event, but it did serve a purpose.

A quick Backlash rundown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a rather bleh show with nothing exactly standing out. The picks were slightly more interesting than Smackdown, which is quite the low bar to clear. The biggest problem of all is nothing felt overly important, as it was mainly about keeping wrestlers who were already around.

There were a few good moves (Valkyria and Dragunov coming up and Strowman being back, but overall it just felt like much ado about not much. Other than that, Backlash is feeling like nothing more than a house show and that is not making me overly interested in seeing it. Not much of a Raw this week, but maybe they pick up again next week with the new normal.

Results
Gunther b. Xavier Woods – STF
Sami Zayn b. Bronson Reed via DQ when Chad Gable interfered
Candice LeRae b. Maxxine Dupri – Wicked Stepmother
Liv Morgan b. Nia Jax – Oblivion
Awesome Truth b. Alpha Academy – Truth Crushing Finale to Tozawa
Jey Uso/Ricochet/Andrade b. Judgment Day – Superfly Splash to Balor

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 25, 2024
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Rebellion and now it is time to start the fallout. The big story was the return of Broken Matt Hardy, who seems to want the World Title back. I’m not sure how well that is going to go but it seems like we have at least a general direction for Under Siege next month. Let’s get to it.

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

Long Rebellion recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Nic Nemeth to get things going. He appreciates the welcome but thought he would be here as World Champion. There are no excuses because he left it out there in the ring and he failed. His family was right there in the front row and he let them down. Right now he doesn’t know what to do next and he feels broken inside…which brings out Broken Matt Hardy to interrupt.

Matt had a pre-mo-neetion that he would be in the ring with the World Champion at the end of Rebellion, which he was hoping would be Nemeth. We look at the end of the match, where Nemeth’s shoulder was clearly up. Hardy wants the World Title and says Nemeth can have a shot down the line, but here is the System, including World Champion Moose, to interrupt.

Moose says Hardy thinks he is the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, which is why the team is so bad. You can’t challenge a play in wrestling but Nemeth says come say this to their faces. Eddie Edwards says Nemeth is here to be the next Kurt Angle but he might not even be Eric Angle. Nemeth challenges Edwards for tonight. This was shorter than I thought and set up a main event, plus pointed us in the direction for some other stuff. That’s not too bad, unlike Hardy, who is rather bad.

Santino Marella oversees the ballot box for crowning a new #1 contender to the X-Division Title. Jordynne Grace comes in for some glaring.

We look at some of the insanity in the Knockouts Title match at Rebellion, with PCO interfering and Sami Callihan returning before Jordynne Grace retained over Steph de Lander.

Grace is glad she had PCO on standby but didn’t know Callihan was coming. Next week, the title is on the line again Miyu Yamashita, who comes in to say she’s winning the title.

Mike Santana vs. Myron Reed

The Rascalz are here with Reed and offer an early distraction so Reed can jump him to start. A slingshot Codebreaker gives Reed two but Santana is back up with some chops. Santana is knocked to the ramp but manages to block the jumping cutter. The Buck Fifty drops Reed and a running Blockbuster takes out the Rascalz for a bonus. Back in and Spin The Block finishes for Santana at 2:57. They packed a lot in there and Santana continues to look good.

Post match here is Steve Maclin (who Santana beat in his return at Rebellion) to ask the Rascalz to go after Santana. That’s a negative, so Maclin tries it alone and has to run from a Spin The Block attempt.

Steph de Lander and Kon issue the challenge to Jordynne Grace and PCO for Under Siege.

Here is Josh Alexander for a chat. He declares it a good day because he is in a TNA ring. At Rebellion, he showed what this place meant to him and you can call him the gatekeeper around here. The one thing he hasn’t been called around here in far too long is World Champion, but here is Frankie Kazarian to interrupt.

Kazarian won at Rebellion too so he should be getting that World Title shot. Alexander is down for a #1 contenders match but Kazarian says he’s too banged up after Rebellion. That’s fine with Alexander, who is cool with being #1 contender without a match. That doesn’t work for Kazarian (yes he says brother) so the match is on…right now.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Josh Alexander

For a future World Title shot, with Kazarian in street clothes and Alexander in a track suit. Kazarian throws a jacket at him to start and chokes in the corner but Alexander makes the clothesline comeback. We take a break and come back with commentary saying this is NOT a #1 contenders match, despite it being kind of perfect to be one.

Alexander misses the running crossbody on the apron and Kazarian hits a slingshot legdrop for two. A running Russian legsweep gives Kazarian two more and a fisherman’s suplex is good for the same. Alexander fights back and hits a Regal Roll for two of his own but Kazarian pulls him into the chickenwing. That’s reversed into the ankle lock but Kazarian slips out and hits the apron Fameasser.

Fade To Black and the C4 Spike are both blocked so Alexander goes with the ankle lock again. With that broken up, Alexander snaps off a German suplex for two more. Frustration is setting in so Kazarian sends him to the apron for a slingshot cutter. Kazarian brings in a chair and a chain, with the former being taken away so he grabs the latter. Cue Eric Young to take the chain away, allowing Alexander to grab the ankle lock for the tap at 12:52.

Rating: B-. This was the weekly “let two good wrestlers have a wrestling match” match and as usual, it went pretty well. Alexander getting back into the title hunt is a good thing, but egads Young vs. Kazarian needs to either be over or take a long break. They just had a big bloody match over the weekend and they’re already back at it? That’s a bit much.

Santino Marella says Jake Something can’t have another X-Division Title shot. Hammerstone comes in and wants to talk about Rebellion, but gets in Something’s face instead. Santino makes the match at Under Siege.

Here is First Class, with hip hop legend Bun B, for a chat. AJ Francis tells the fans to make some noise for B before telling them to shut up. B praises the first class accommodations with First Class before Rich Swann brags about beating Joe Hendry. Cue Hendry, to say he suffered an injury after the match but he knows he owes Francis an apology. That comes next week.

Ash By Elegance vs. Xia Brookside

They glare at each other to start before slugging it out, with Ash getting the better of things. Ash stomps away in the corner and gets two off a suplex. They go to the ramp where Ash drops her again, setting up a chinlock back inside. Brookside fights up and sends her into the corner for some running knees to the back. A high crossbody gives Brookside two but Ash sends her crashing out to the floor. Back in and Ash loads up a foreign object, which is quickly taken away, allowing Brookside to roll her up for the pin at 6:59.

Rating: C. That one surprised me as I wouldn’t have bet on Ash losing anytime soon. The good thing here is it was presented like Brookside catching her rather than flat out beating her which leaves Ash looking a bit stronger. You can pretty much guarantee a rematch, maybe as soon as Under Siege, but for now, it was an intriguing enough twist.

Trey Miguel has won the election for an X-Division Title shot but there are allegations of BALLOT BOX STUFFING! Mustafa Ali says he shouldn’t defend the title at all, but Santino Marella says we can have a run off, in the form of a #1 contenders match next week.

Here are the Good Hands to complain about Sami Callihan attacking them at Rebellion. They wanted a match with Callihan, who wants to fight both of them.

Sami Callihan vs. Good Hands

Sami jumps them to start and uses a picture of PCO to paper cut their fingers. Skyler manages a quick spear off the apron and Hotch adds a moonsault off the apron. Back in and Callihan knocks Hotch out of the air, setting up the Cactus Driver 97 for the pin at 2:40.

Steve Maclin offers an alliance with Frankie Kazarian so they can deal with Eric Young and Mike Santana. Kazarian seems to be pondering.

Here’s what’s coming at Under Siege.

Eddie Edwards vs. Nic Nemeth

Alisha Edwards and Brian Myers are here with Eddie while Nic’s brother Ryan is in the front row. They go to the mat to start with Nic getting a headscissors into a headlock. Eddie reverses into a headlock of his own but Nic slips out. The superkick is cut off by an Alisha distraction though and Eddie hammers away on the ropes.

Eddie whips him chest first into the chest for two, followed by a snap suplex into a knee drop for the same. Nic fights up and hammers away but Myers offers a distraction so Eddie can knock him out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Eddie kneeing him in the ribs for two, setting up the chinlock. Nic fights up and hits a neckbreaker out of the corner, setting up the rapid fire elbows.

The running DDT gives Nic two but Eddie rolls outside to avoid the superkick. Back in and Nic gets crotched on top, setting up a superplex into a tiger driver for two. Eddie takes too long setting up his own superkick, allowing Nic to superkick him into an Angle Slam. They slug it out until a double clothesline leaves both of them down. The referee has to yell at Ryan and Myers for fighting on the floor, allowing Moose to run in with a belt shot. The Boston Knee Party finishes for Eddie at 16:30.

Rating: B-. Much like the other long match, you know you’re going to get at least pretty good stuff out of these two because they’re both polished veterans. They had a good match here and the ending should set up something at Under Siege. It’s not a classic, but it worked well for a first time TV main event.

Post match Moose wraps a chair around Nic’s neck and smashes it with another chair. Speedball Mountain runs in to chase the System off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the kind of show that the company needed with only eight days to go before Under Siege. They set up a bunch of the show’s matches in a hurry while giving us a pair of rather good one off matches here. As usual, TNA knows how to get things done when they need to and they did just that right here.

Results
Mike Santana b. Myron Reed – Spin The Block
Josh Alexander b. Frankie Kazarian – Ankle lock
Ash By Elegance b. Xia Brookside – Rollup
Sami Callihan b. Good Hands – Cactus Driver 97 to Hotch
Eddie Edwards b. Nic Nemeth – Boston Knee Party

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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Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

GCW For The Culture 2024

Smackdown – April 26, 2024 (Draft Night One)

Collision – April 27, 2024

Rampage – April 27, 2024 (Saturday Show)

NXT LVL Up – April 19, 2024

WATCH: Surprise Turn Takes Place On SmackDown As Mystery Attacker Is Revealed.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-surprise-turn-takes-place-on-smackdown-as-mystery-attacker-is-revealed/

He Would Know: Dominik Mysterio Shoots Down Injury Report.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/he-would-know-dominik-mysterio-shoots-down-injury-report/

He Did It: New Champion Crowned Following This Week’s SmackDown (Contains SPOILERS).

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/he-did-it-new-champion-crowned-following-this-weeks-smackdown-contains-spoilers/

It’s Growing: WWE Adds Three New Matches To Backlash Card.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/its-growing-wwe-adds-three-new-matches-to-backlash-card/

Delay: Paul Heyman Offers Big Update On Roman Reigns’ WWE Return, His Draft Status.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/delay-paul-heyman-offers-big-update-on-roman-reigns-wwe-return-his-draft-status/

Change Over? WWE’s PG Era May Be Coming To An End.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/change-over-wwes-pg-era-may-be-coming-to-an-end/

On The Clock: Full Night One WWE Draft Results, 11 More Wrestlers Drafted After SmackDown.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/on-the-clock-full-night-one-wwe-draft-results-11-more-wrestlers-drafted-after-smackdown/

VIDEO: CM Punk Appears After SmackDown, Three More Matches Take Place Following Show.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/video-cm-punk-appears-after-smackdown-three-more-matches-take-place-following-show/

He Would Know: Update On Cody Rhodes Following SmackDown Injury Scare.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/he-would-know-update-on-cody-rhodes-following-smackdown-injury-scare/

Stay Awhile: The Rock Announces New Contract For Top WWE Superstar, Presents Him With A Special Gift.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/stay-awhile-the-rock-announces-new-contract-for-top-wwe-superstar-presents-him-with-a-special-gift/

WATCH: Two AEW Stars Return After Lengthy Injuries.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-two-aew-stars-return-after-lengthy-injuries/

Halftime: Details On WWE Draft, What To Expect On Monday Night Raw.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/halftime-details-on-wwe-draft-what-to-expect-on-monday-night-raw/

Down For A Bit: Top WWE Superstar To Miss Time Due To Injury.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/down-for-a-bit-top-wwe-superstar-to-miss-time-due-to-injury/

WATCH: The Dudley Boyz Return To The Ring Over The Weekend.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-the-dudley-boyz-return-to-the-ring-over-the-weekend/

Maybe Later: AEW Attempted To Bring In 48 Year Old Former WWE Superstar.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/maybe-later-aew-attempted-to-bring-in-48-year-old-former-wwe-superstar/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Bad News On MJF’s Recovery From Injury.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-bad-news-on-mjfs-recovery-from-injury/

Not So Bad: Update On Dominik Mysterio’s Injury Status.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/not-so-bad-update-on-dominik-mysterios-injury-status/

Head over to my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com with thousands of reviews from around the world and throughout wrestling history.

Ring Of Honor
Date: April 25, 2024
Location: Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things have been getting longer around here again and that has not often been the best thing for Ring Of Honor. It often results in matches that are just there to make the show longer and I’m still not sure how that makes for better weekly events. Odds are we’ll get more on Queen Aminata coming after the Women’s Title this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Isiah Kassidy vs. Komander

Kassidy takes him down to start and fires off some dancing as commentary talks about Shaquille O’Neal. Komander grabs an armbar into a rollup but gets dropped throat first onto the top. Stomping in the corner keeps Komander in trouble until he comes out with a kick to the face. Kassidy cutters him across the top to send Komander outside but he comes back in with a running hurricanrana.

An Asai moonsault takes out Kassidy on the floor and a springboard Swanton connects for two. A poisonrana plants Kassidy again but he’s right back with a Spanish Fly for two of his own. Back up and Komander grabs a waistlock, only to have Kassidy kick him low. A reverse Twist of Fate finishes for Kassidy at 7:42.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a high flying match between a perennial jobber and one half of a tag team. They both have athletic abilities and I certainly wasn’t bored with what I was seeing. At the same time though, it’s a little hard to get invested in seeing something between people that AEW has made feel so unimportant. That’s a big problem with ROH and I don’t see it being cured anytime soon.

We look at Bullet Club Gold unifying the two sets of Six Man Tag Team titles.

The Club brags about their win but they don’t have room for all of the gold.

Dark Order vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

Silver and Darius start things off with Darius slipping out of a wristlock and grabbing a cravate. Andretti comes in to work on the arm before everything breaks down, meaning a triple superkick to send the Order outside. Back in and the Order takes over on Dante, who flips over to hand it right back to Andretti.

Everything breaks down again and an assisted tornado DDT puts Reynolds down. Andretti’s running shooting star gets two with the Order having to make the save. The Order isolates Darius and strike away at him until Dante makes a save of his own. Darius and Andretti grab a double spinebuster to finish Reynolds at 6:58.

Rating: C+. This was the match designed to warm up Andretti and Top Flight before their shot at Bullet Club Gold this weekend. Andretti and Top Flight work well enough together but it feels like they are up and down all the time around here. Giving them a win is nice, but it doesn’t feel like anything more than getting them ready for their latest loss against better competition. It makes sense, but it’s not the most engaging stuff.

Anna Jay vs. Allysin Kay

Kay powers her into the corner to start but Jay knocks her into the corner to cut that off. A spinning kick is countered into a suplex, only to have Jay stomp her down in the corner without much trouble. Kay grabs a hotshot into a chokebomb for two but Jay is right back with a middle rope Blockbuster for the same. The Queenslayer finishes for Jay at 3:44.

Rating: C. Believe it or not, Jay goes from losing on Dynamite to winning on Ring Of Honor. That’s the story of her career, as she is so all over the place with her wins and losses that it is not wonder she can never get any kind of traction. Yes she’s on a winning streak around here, but it only means so much when she loses any big match she has.

We recap Queen Aminata seemingly coming after Athena for the Women’s Title.

Athena has an emergency Minions meeting and offers a beating to Aminata and Red Velvet.

Johnny TV vs. Will Austin

Taya Valkyrie is here with Johnny, who takes Austin down without much effort. A springboard hurricanrana into a dropkick works well for Austin, with Ian saying “Make your name Austin!” I’m thinking that might not be the best idea as it’s already taken. Taya offers a distraction so Johnny can get in a shot from behind and work on the arm. A spinning knee to the face sets up the Flying Chuck into Starship Pain for the pin at 3:16 (….hey).

Rating: C. As usual, there’s only so much you can get out of what was just a step ahead of a squash. TV is back after his loss at Supercard Of Honor and now he can find something else to do. I’m not sure what that is, but it’s better than having him sitting around waiting for something to happen.

Mogul Embassy vs. 1 Called Manders/Beef/Calvin Tankman

No Prince Nana with the Embassy as they’re getting it right. Beef gets taken into the corner to start the beating in a hurry, with Toa hammering away. Kaun backbreakers him onto the turnbuckle and Cage hits the apron superplex for two. Beef finally gets in a shot of his own and hands it off to Tankman, who gets to clean some house. The numbers catch up with him though and it’s a triplebomb to give Cage the pin at 4:06.

Rating: C+. This was more than I was expecting with Tankman getting to show what he could do if given the chance. The guy can be a wrecking ball when he is in there and that worked for a little while. At the same time, not having Nana out there with the Embassy is a good sign, as the face turn continues.

Video on the Premiere Athletes, focusing on Ariya Daivari.

Mark Sterling is impressed with how many people it took to stand up to the Premiere Athletes.

Leila Grey vs. Yuka Sakazaki

Sakazaki takes her over with a headlock to start before hitting a spinning kick to the chest. A running dropkick misses though and Grey drops a backsplash for two. Grey gets two off a bulldog and there’s a Hennig necksnap to drop Sakazaki again. They go up top, where Grey grabs a sunset bomb for two more before it’s time to trade forearms. We go to a random replay of the sunset bomb, which has me wondering if they needed to edit something out. Sakazaki grabs a spinning hammerlock slam and hits the Magical Girl Splash for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: C-. This was a weird one with that replay/seemingly an edit feeling really out of nowhere. I’m not sure what was going on here but the ending felt like they were told to go home in a hurry. Grey has done well enough in some limited roles and was working here, but the chemistry was pretty far off with this one.

Griff Garrison and Cole Karter are upset at their recent losses. Maria Kanellis comes in to say she is disappointed too but says it’ll work in the end. This team’s existence continues to confuse me.

Kingdom vs. Outrunners

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if the Outrunners win or last the ten minute time limit, they get a future title shot. Floyd works on Bennett’s arm to start but it’s quickly off to Taven for a cheap shot to take over. Back up and Magnum fights back and manages to clear the ring but Bennett drops him again. Taven chokes away and Bennett gets two off a suplex.

The chinlock keeps Magnum down but he atomic drops his way to freedom and hands it back to Floyd to pick up the pace. A spinning suplex drops Taven and Magnum hits a top rope forearm. Boot Camp is loaded up but Bennett reverses into a rollup with tights for the pin at 7:18.

Rating: C+. The extra time helped this one, along with the fact that we saw the champs go to a time limit in a Proving Ground match a few weeks back. It adds just enough drama to make this work better than that is great to see. It wasn’t a great match, but the Outrunners are always fun and the champs get a win, meaning they are at least here for a change.

Queen Aminata and Red Velvet are ready for Billie Starkz and Athena.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Laynie Luck

Taya goes with the power to start and chokes away on the ropes but Luck strikes away. That earns her the running knees in the corner, followed a double underhook drop for two. The STF makes Luck tap at 3:26.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash for Taya, though Luck got in a few shots of her own. That isn’t the biggest surprise as Luck is something of an indy mainstay around this area and is a step above some of the jobbers you’ll see. Taya is still someone who could be used in a bigger spot but she seems pretty stuck in the midcard gatekeeper heel spot at the moment.

The Infantry wants more but the Outrunners interrupt and brag about their own success. The challenge is on for next week, with the Outrunners repeating what the Infantry says.

Lance Archer/Righteous vs. GPA/Ren Jones/Jon Cruz

Vincent punches GPA down to start as Ian talks to students. Dutch comes in for some clotheslines before running Jones over for a bonus. It’s off to Archer, who gets annoyed at Jones’ dropkick. A full nelson slam plants Jones, who kicks Vincent away and hands it off to Cruz. It’s back to Jones all of ten seconds later but the villains are tired of this and wreck everyone. The Blackout sends GPA onto Jones to give Dutch the double pin at 3:43.

Rating: C. Archer and the Righteous are doing well with these squashes but it’s hard to believe that they’re going to get a title shot. I base this on the idea that we have seen them do something similar to this for a good while now and they have never been near the titles. That’s how Ring Of Honor works with a lot of this stuff and it can be rather frustrating.

Abadon vs. Nova

Nova takes things into the corner to start for a running shoulder to the ribs but Abadon is right back with some clotheslines. The Meteora in the corner sets up a running knee and Black Dahlia finishes Nova at 1:35.

Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie (the latter of whom got a shower and changed in record time) are happy about their reality series when Aaron Solo interrupts. Taya isn’t impressed and Johnny mocks his win/loss record so Solo promises to win next week. Now we’re getting an Aaron Solo story?

Blake Christian vs. AR Fox vs. Beast Mortos

Mortos runs them both over to start but gets sent to the corner as commentary talks about the things Christian has been doing with Missy Hyatt in GCW. Mortos is back inside and takes out Christian before powerslamming Fox for two. A shinbreaker puts Fox down again and we hit a leglock. Christian comes in off the top for the save and Sling Blades Mortos, who is back with a Samoan drop for two.

The pace picks up and Christian takes Mortos down for a quick splash. Fox is back in to double team Mortos to limited avail but they manage to knock Mortos down into the corner. With the other two up top, Mortos pulls them back down for a big crash but Fox kicks him out to the apron. Christian’s spear puts Mortos on the floor and a springboard 450 into a Swanton connects back inside. Christian goes after Fox but Mortos is back up with a spinning piledriver to finish Fox at 6:52.

Rating: B-. Best match of the show as it was more competitive but it’s not like this was anything great. There were no stakes to this and Mortos already beat Christian at Supercard Of Honor. That didn’t leave much in the way of drama here, though it was nice to see a match that had a bit more time and all three were putting in some energy.

Overall Rating: C. That was Ring Of Honor all right, with a bunch of people doing a bunch of stuff and very little of it standing out. The last few weeks have gotten away from the focused version and have been back to being little more than getting as much content out there as possible. As usual, that’s great for the wrestlers who get more work, but it doesn’t make for an entertaining show. It’s almost impossible to have this much content while also having the wins and losses matter for the sake of title shots, especially when those shots are few and far between. Ring Of Honor is proving that and it’s not working well.

Results
Isiah Kassidy b. Komander – Reverse Twist of Fate
Top Flight/Action Andretti b. Dark Order – Double spinebuster to Reynolds
Anna Jay b. Allysin Kay – Queenslayer
Johnny TV b. Will Austin – Starship Pain
Mogul Embassy b. 1 Called Manders/Beef/Calvin Tankman – Triplebomb to Tankman
Yuka Sakazaki b. Leila Grey – Magical Girl Splash
Kingdom b. Outrunners – Rollup with tights to Floyd
Taya Valkyrie b. Laynie Luck – STF
Lance Archer/Righteous b. GPA/Ren Jones/Jon Cruz – Double pin
Abadon b. Nova – Black Dahlia
Beast Mortos b. Blake Christian and AR Fox – Spinning piledriver to Fox

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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NXT LVL Up
Date: April 26, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re back to the show and I have no idea what that is going to mean. Well other than the usual matches from the same people with almost nothing changing from week to week. For the life of me I still do not get why we are not seeing more in the way of building up some kind of story, but that just isn’t the LVL Up way. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jakara Jackson vs. Arianna Grace

The rest of the Meta Four are here with Jackson and this is already way more star power than you usually get around here. Jackson takes her down with an armbar to start but Grace reverses into something like a cross armbreaker. With that broken up, Lash Legend offers a distraction, allowing Jackson to send Grace into the buckle. Jackson grabs the cravate but Grace fights up and hits a running knee for two. Another Legend distraction works rather well though and it’s a jumping Fameasser to finish Grace at 5:48.

Rating: C. The match was nothing out of the ordinary, but again, it’s amazing how much more important the show feels when there are some bigger names around here. It was also a bit weird to have a mostly heel vs. heel match here, with Meta Four being popular but still cheating enough to win.

Dion Lennox and Dante Chen are ready for Malik Blade and Edris Enofe. They’re off to a film study.

Carlee Bright vs. Jaida Parker

Bright grabs a headlock to start but Parker fights up. That earns her a dropkick but Parker powers Bright into the corner and sits on her ribs for two. Parker works on the arm for a change but Bright makes the comeback and snaps off a running headscissors. That’s shrugged off for a running neckbreaker, setting up a hip attack to finish Bright at 4:53.

Rating: C. Parker continues to feel like she could be something if she is given the chance and that chance seems to be starting. There is only so much that she can do on LVL Up, but getting in the ring should do her some good. At the same time, Bright continues to feel like the same, run of the mill athletic woman who hasn’t figured herself out yet. That’s not a bad thing as she hasn’t been around long, but so far there is nothing that makes her stand out.

Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Dion Lennox/Dante Chen

Brinley Reece is here with Enofe and Blade. Lennox shoulders Blade down a few times to start so it’s off to Enofe for a slam. Back up and Lennox powers him into the corner, allowing Chen to come in. Since it’s Chen, he’s quickly taken into the wrong corner for the tag back to Blade. Chen is able to get back over for the tag to Lennox, who runs Enofe over with a clothesline. Chen’s chinlock goes on but Enofe fights up as everything breaks down. Lennox is sent to the apron but Chen comes back with the double chop…to knock Enofe into Lennox for a crash. A TKO finishes Chen at 5:22.

Rating: C+. My goodness Chen continues to find new ways to not be very good, though they are almost leaning into it at this point. Having him knock his partner out at the end was oddly on point for him and it led to the regular team winning. Lennox could go somewhere down the line, but there is still quite a bit of developing that needs to take place first.

Overall Rating: C+. While the show might not have been better than the regular show around here, it was far more engaging. It’s a lot easier to care about the bigger names and the stars featured here were that much more interesting. While not a great show or anything you need to watch, I’ll definitely take a show featuring some unused NXT lower card stars than what we usually get around here.

Results
Jakara Jackson b. Arianna Grace – Jumping Fameasser
Jaida Parker b. Carlee Bright – Hip attack
Edris Enofe/Malik Blade b. Dion Lennox/Dante Chen – TKO to Chen

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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NXT LVL Up
Date: April 19, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

It’s time to finally get caught up on this show as I’ve been a few weeks behind. Things have not been their sharpest around here lately as it has certainly felt like the way the show has been going for a very long time. Hopefully that changes this week, as a dull LVL Up is among the least interesting things in all of wrestling. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kale Dixon vs. Riley Osborne

Dixon shrugs off an early wristlock and sends Osborne outside, meaning we get a bit of respect on the way back in. Osborne hits a quick dropkick out to the floor and this time he lets Dixon come back in. Dixon isn’t having that and decks Osborne, who knocks him right back down. Some kicks to the chest keep Osborne down and Dixon chops him in the back. The chinlock goes on but Osborne fights up and hits a jumping elbow. A knee to the face sets up a shooting star press to give Osborne the pin at 6:17.

Rating: C. Osborne gets a win here, though there is only so much that he is going to get from beating Dixon. While Dixon has a good look and enough ability, he is running with the anchor that is his first name. WWE can’t expect him to go far with that kind of a name, yet here we are anyway, with Dixon continuing to be stuck in limbo, at least partially due to being named after a vegetable.

Karmen Petrovic is ready for Wren Sinclair.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Wren Sinclair

Petrovic grabs a headlock to start and grinds away but Sinclair kicks away for a standoff. Another headlock goes on to keep Petrovic in control and she grabs a running basement Blockbuster for two. Sinclair pulls her down into a chinlock and even gets the knees into Petrovic’s back to make it worse. Petrovic fights out and makes the clothesline comeback, setting up a spinning kick to the back of the head for the pin at 4:59.

Rating: C. I don’t know if they’re building up Sinclair’s first win as a big deal or something else, but it’s almost weird to see her lose so often despite being good enough to do something. On the other hand you have Petrovic, who has a cool gimmick but is going to need something more besides being able to kick people.

Respect is shown post match.

Drake Morreaux/Javier Bernal vs. Hank Walker/Tank Ledger

Ledger powers Bernal into the corner to start and it’s quickly off to Morreaux, who runs Ledger down. Bernal comes back in and is promptly slammed by Walker, setting up Ledger’s slingshot splash for two. With Morreaux down, a double slam puts Bernal onto him for a rather nasty crash. Morreaux takes Walker down though and Bernal gets to stomp away.

The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s Ledger coming back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Morreaux knocks Walker outside, allowing Bernal’s top rope splash to connect for two. Back up and Walker and Ledger knock Morreaux to the floor, setting up a running powerslam/forearm to the back of the head combination to finish Bernal at 6:29.

Rating: C+. Match of the night here though that’s not saying much. At least Morreaux, who has some promise, didn’t take the loss here, as Bernal is the definition of expendable. Ledger and Walker are becoming LVL Up guys and that isn’t the best thing, as they’re only so interesting in the first place.

Overall Rating: C. Pretty nothing show this week and unfortunately you just have to be used to that around here. The main event was the best match if that means much, as this was just another thirty minutes that came and went without much happening. Completely average edition here, and that means nothing about what is to come around here.

Results
Riley Osborne b. Kale Dixon – Shooting star press
Karmen Petrovic b. Wren Sinclair – Spinning kick to the back of the head
Hank Walker/Tank Ledger b. Drake Morreaux/Javier Bernal – Running powerslam/forearm combination to Bernal

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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Rampage
Date: April 27, 2024
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re still in Jacksonville for the second half of tonight’s double shot. In this case, that means we have a live parking lot brawl between Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta as their friendship is over. Other than that, it’s Rampage, and that could go in all kinds of directions. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Chuck Taylor vs. Trent Beretta

They’re in the parking lot for the brawl inside a circle of cars, with Trent starting fast by sending Taylor into a car. Taylor is busted open but is more than capable of sending Trent onto a hood. They climb onto a truck, with Beretta knocking him through a piece of plywood. We take an early break and come back with a TV being thrown and Taylor suplexing him though a door.

Some shovel shots to the back have Trent in trouble but he manages to slam Taylor onto a table of light tubes. Taylor is right back with a toss powerbomb through a windshield for two more. They’re both gushing blood as they climb onto the top of a car for another slugout. A low blow gets Beretta out of trouble and he piledrives Taylor onto the top of the car. That sets up a triangle choke and Taylor is out at 10:08.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of bloody, violent brawl that you do not get to see very often. It’s also something that you will either like or not like and as a result, your mileage may vary in a big way. The good thing is Beretta gets the win over someone who matters in his career and can move on to what is likely a showdown with Orange Cassidy at Double Or Nothing.

Post match Beretta grabs a wrench as Orange Cassidy and Kris Statlander come in. Beretta says this is Cassidy’s fault and crushes Taylor’s ankle with the wrench.

Don Callis watches approvingly.

Kyle O’Reilly is happy to come to his hometown and do what he does best: wrestle.

Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Rosa talks trash to start and they fight over a lockup with neither being able to get very far. A chinlock doesn’t last long for Rosa as Purrazzo fights up and goes after the leg. Rosa ties the limbs up in the ropes for a running dropkick, followed by a Liontamer to amp up the pain. Rosa is right next to the ropes for the break and sends Purrazzo outside for the dive.

Purrazzo kicks her in the face for a knockdown of her own and we take a break. Back with Rosa hitting a running kick to the face, followed by a running dropkick against the ropes. Purrazzo comes back but can’t get the Fujiwara armbar, instead settling for a kick to the face. Rosa fights back and goes up, only to dive into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up with a rollup, which is reversed back into the Fujiwara armbar, which is reversed into another rollup to finally give Rosa the pin at 11:05.

Rating: C+. Rosa gets a nice win to boost herself back up after losing at Dynasty. She could be sticking around the title picture for a good while now and that makes sense as she is still one of the bigger names in the division. At the same time you have Purrazzo, who might be a talented star but you only get so far with her when she keeps losing.

Post match Rosa goes to leave but Purrazzo jumps her for a ram into the barricade. The brawl is on and referees have to break it up.

We look at Will Ospreay earning an International Title shot.

The Undisputed Kingdom want Tony Khan to stay neck strong but then move on to Will Ospreay, who will finally fall before the messiah of the Backbreaker.

Big Bill vs. Trevor Blackwell

Bill kicks him in the face to start and shouts about how he’s doing this to show Chris Jericho. More kicks to the face set up a rather delayed chokeslam to give Bill the win at 1:39.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Katsuyori Shibata/Daniel Garcia

Anthony Ogogo is on commentary. It’s a brawl to start and everyone fights to the floor with the Promotions taking over. Taylor sends Shibata inside and it’s off to Moriarty to stomp away in the corner. Shibata is able to get away for the tag to Garcia, meaning suplexes abound. A quick distraction lets Moriarty pull Garcia down with a hanging apron DDT to the floor as the villains take over. Garcia tries to fight out but gets hit in the face, setting up a splash for two.

We take a break and come back with Taylor missing a middle rope splash but Moriarty cuts off the tag. Garcia finally gets smart and sends them together, allowing the tag back to Shibata. Everything breaks down and the Promotions are sent int the corner for stereo right hands to the head.

Running dropkicks have the villains in even more trouble and Garcia dances as Shibata pounds Taylor down. Moriarty is back in to strike away at Shibata in the corner and yeah that’s not the best idea. Shibata kicks Taylor away so Garcia can grab a sleeper, with Shibata doing the same to Moriarty. Garcia suplexes Taylor and Shibata PK’s Moriarty for the pin at 14:55.

Rating: C+. This felt like a way to get Shibata featured on the show, which might have a bit of a bigger impact if he wasn’t around so often all the time. Putting Garcia out there with him should mean a nice rub, even if beating the Promotions again might not mean as much. For now though, it’s a nice enough main event on a rather weak looking show. Just get them to do something like this on Dynamite and their stock could rise nicely

Overall Rating: B-. The opener being a bigger deal helped, but there was only so much that could be done to hide how little this show meant. While it’s better than some of the recent Rampages, it still comes off as a show that has to be done rather than one AEW wants to do. Not every single important thing has to be on Dynamite and as usual, it leaves Rampage feeling kind of weak. Good, but weak.

Results
Trent Beretta b. Chuck Taylor – Triangle choke
Thunder Rosa b. Deonna Purrazzo – Rollup
Big Billy Trevor Blackwell – Chokeslam
Katsuyori Shibata/Daniel Garcia b. Shane Taylor Promotions

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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Collision
Date: April 27, 2024
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re doing another double shot this week with Collision and Rampage going back to back. That makes for a rather interesting night, as last week’s Collision was great while the following Rampage definitely took its foot off the gas. Odds are we’ll be getting an update on what happened to Tony Khan on Dynamite, which is suddenly the top story in AEW. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Swerve Strickland winning the World Title at Dynasty.

Here is Swerve Strickland, with Prince Nana, for a chat. Nana introduces Swerve as the boss of bosses, one h*** of a wrestler and the new World Champion. Swerve runs down what we have been seeing around here over the last week, including Jack Perry and the Young Bucks attacking Tony Khan. Swerve has done a lot of things in wrestling, but that sounds like a b**** move.

The biggest thing in wrestling though is him winning the World Title and he got here while making some sacrifices. Swerve’s oldest daughter said she doesn’t really know him and he can’t make up for lost time, but he can make sure that this is all worth it. He beat Kyle Fletcher on Dynamite so let’s do the open challenge tonight. Cue Claudio Castagnoli in a suit and I think we have a main event. Swerve says he’ll see him tonight in whose house? Castagnoli takes the mic and says it’s going to be his.

We look at the attack on Tony Khan.

Tony Schiavone says Tony Khan has suffered multiple head and neck injuries. Khan cannot travel but he can run AEW remotely from Jacksonville. Nigel McGuinness asks what happens if Khan something happens and Khan isn’t there. Are we really to believe that Khan can’t be expected to call/text in orders? That isn’t what was said, but I would hope they have a better explanation than “he’s not here in person”.

Trios Titles: Bullet Club Gold vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

The Club is defending. White and Dante start things off with Dante striking away until White chops him into the corner. The Gunns come in for a clothesline into a knee lift as the villains start taking turns on Dante. A quick dive cuts Austin off though and it’s Darius coming in to clean house. Darius’ Downward Spiral gets two on Austin but White plants him face first onto the apron as we take a break.

Back with Dante and Andretti being pulled off the apron but Colten avoids a splash. Darius rolls over and brings Andretti in to pick up the pace. A split legged moonsault into a Spanish Fly gets two on Colten as everything breaks down. White crotches Andretti on top and the swinging Rock Bottom plants Dante. 3:10 To Yuma plants Darius but Andretti dropkicks White into the corner. Not that it matters as Andretti handsprings into the Blade Runner to retain the titles at 11:13.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly good first title defense for the champs as Andretti and Top Flight were fine challengers. The division is hardly deep in the first place so it is nice to see a regular team getting a title shot. They don’t need to defend the titles every week but they did need to defend them at least once to get the unified reign off to a nice start.

We look at the Young Bucks winning the Tag Team Titles over FTR in a ladder match at Dynasty, albeit with help from Jack Perry.

The House Of Black is happy with beating Adam Copeland again at Dynasty. One of them will be accepting the Cope Open on Dynamite.

Rey Fenix vs. Beast Mortos

This is Fenix’s first match since October. Fenix fires off kicks to start and bounces off the ropes, right into a powerslam from Mortos. With Fenix sent outside, Mortos takes him down with a corkscrew dive. Back in and Mortos hits a crucifix bomb, followed by a heck of a clothesline for two.

Mortos starts in on the leg and gets in something like a reverse Figure Four, with Fenix having to roll to the ropes. It’s time to go after Fenix’s mask, because that is something we have to see quite often around here. We take a break and come back with Fenix striking away and snapping off a hurricanrana out of the corner. Fenix fires off some more kicks before running and…stepping up onto Mortos’ head, because that’s something someone can do.

Mortos doesn’t like having his head stepped on and knocks Fenix out of the air for a double knockdown. Back up and Fenix knocks him to the floor for the required dive but Mortos grabs a nasty gutbuster for two back inside. Fenix kicks him away again and hits a superkick into a frog splash for two. A rollup gives Fenix the pin at 15:11.

Rating: B-. Well they certainly got some time. This was a long match that let Fenix showcase his athleticism while letting Mortos get in his own power stuff. It made for a good match and a nice return, though there were some points when it felt like it was going long for the sake of going long.

Video on Trent Beretta turning on Orange Cassidy, with Chuck Taylor standing up to Beretta.

Cassidy is scared of what Taylor and Beretta are going to do to each other in the parking lot. Kris Statlander comes in to say Beretta needs them.

Rush vs. Martin Stone

Rush, in his first match since December, snaps off a German suplex to start and knocks Stone outside to choke against the barricade. Some whips with the TV cables make things worse and they head back inside. Rush suplexes him into the corner and the Bull’s Horns completes the squash at 2:15.

Post match Rush hits another Bull’s Horns for a bonus.

We look at Serena Deeb saying she’s coming after the Women’s Title.

Deeb says she is the obvious #1 contender and it is now or never. After all these years of being told she’s great, she needs to be Women’s Champion.

Toni Storm vs. Anna Jay

Non-title and Mariah May (in black for a change) is here with Storm. They lock up to start until Storm grabs a headlock and grinds away. Jay sends her into the corner for a running kick to the face, setting up a hip attack. That just wakes Storm up and she is back with a Thesz press, followed by some hips to the face. Another hip attack knocks May down, allowing Jay to grab a neckbreaker and Nigel to panic as we take a break.

Back with Storm hitting a Backstabber into a DDT into a fisherman’s suplex for two. A Gory Special gives Jay two and we hit the Queenslayer. Nigel: “THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME! THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!” Storm fights up and knocks her into the corner, setting up the big hip attack and Storm Zero finishes Jay at 9:22.

Rating: C+. Something has clicked for Storm in the ring lately and it has been going much better. She has the character stuff to be incredibly entertaining, but the in-ring part has been going way up lately. That helps a lot and has made things that much better, which is quite good given the amount of challengers coming for the title.

Chuck Taylor, with his dog, tells Orange Cassidy that he has to do this on his own. Works for Cassidy.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Acclaimed

This is the Veterans’ (James Drake/Zack Gibson) debut and Billy Gunn is here with the Acclaimed. Gibson and Caster start things off with the former working on the arm and handing it off to Drake for the same. Bowens comes in and grabs a neckbreaker, setting up a slugout. Gibson isn’t having that and comes in for some double teaming, setting up something close to a Poetry In Motion to knock Caster off the apron as we take a break.

Back with Drake hitting a dive on Caster as Tony manages to figure out what Nigel means by “don’t GAF.” Gibson’s chinlock doesn’t last long and Caster ducks a spinwheel kick allowing the tag off to Bowens. House is quickly cleaned and Caster tags himself back in (rather quickly) for Scissor Me Timbers to Drake.

Gibson gets back in to distract Caster, allowing Drake to hit a running boot to the face. Bowens gets Codebreakered out of the corner, with Drake adding a missile dropkick for two. With nothing else working, Gunn offers a distraction so Bowens can come back with the Arrival, setting up the Mic Drop for the pin on Gibson at 12:10.

Rating: B-. If the Veterans want to stick around, they probably earned themselves a job with this match. They looked like a polished, experienced team and were running circles around the Acclaimed here. I’m not sure what has happened to the Acclaimed, but they seem to have just stopped evolving or advancing in the ring whatsoever. They feel like a colder version of the same act from a year ago and that is a really bad sign. The team needs something to change them up and it needs to happen soon.

Katsuyori Shibata is ready to beat up Shane Taylor Promotions himself tonight and then he’ll beat up Chris Jericho. Daniel Garcia comes in to offer some help and Shibata accepts, saying “save the last dance for me.”

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Strickland is defending. Feeling out process to start until Castagnoli wrestles him to the mat without much trouble. They fight over a test of strength on the mat with neither being able to get very far. Swerve twists up to his feet but Castagnoli is right there with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Castagnoli knocks him to the apron but Swerve comes back with a hurricanrana on the ramp for a nasty crash.

Back in and a high crossbody knocks Castagnoli down again, setting up some rolling neckbreakers for a new idea. Castagnoli isn’t having this and knocks him outside, where a hard running uppercut against the barricade takes us to a break. Back with Swerve hitting a basement superkick to send Castagnoli outside, where another kick to the chest makes it worse. The rolling Downward Spiral gives Swerve two and a forearm puts Castagnoli on the floor again.

Swerve gets sat up on the stage and a running flip dive brings him back off, while dropping Castagnoli at the same time. Back in and a 450 gives Swerve two but Castagnoli hits a running stomp of his own. That just fires Swerve up and he strikes away, at least until Castagnoli runs him over for a double knockdown. Swerve muscles him over with a suplex and there’s the Swerve Stomp for a rather near fall.

The House Call is loaded up but Castagnoli reverses into the Swing, setting up the Sharpshooter to put Swerve in a lot more trouble. The crossface goes on but Swerve gets out, earning himself a heck of a running clothesline for two. Swerve grabs a DDT and goes up for the Stomp…but Castagnoli just blocks him in the air and slams him down. A running stomp drops Castagnoli though and it’s the House Call to retain the title at 21:04.

Rating: B+. Now this was more like it, as Swerve had to work to get through a rather tough opponent. It takes someone special to be able to hang with Castagnoli and Swerve not only did it but even looked better at times. Castagnoli is one of those guys you call if you want to make an opponent look good and he did it in spades here, with a rather excellent match.

Respect is shown post match.

Overall Rating: B+. This had some pretty quality wrestling matches and I had a good time with the show. That’s two weeks in a row with high level Collisions and I could certainly go for more of this. While Dynamite needs to spread the important parts around to the other shows, it’s nice to Have a show that isn’t packed with storylines and lets the wrestlers do their thing. Rather strong stuff here as Collision is getting into a heck of a groove.

Results
Bullet Club Gold b. Top Flight/Action Andretti – Blade Runner to Andretti
Rey Fenix b. Beast Mortos – Rollup
Rush b. Martin Stone – Bull’s Horns
Acclaimed b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Mic Drop to Gibson
Swerve Strickland b. Claudio Castagnoli – House Call

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.