IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: June 17, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Beth Phoenix, Mauro Ranallo

After everything that happened last week, we could be in for a big night. Well actually we could be in for some big nights on July 1 and 8, as AEW’s Fyter Fest probably need some competition. That could be set up tonight, but we also have some guest stars with Bayley and Sasha Banks. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Imperium vs. Breezango

Breezango is challenging and do their own version of the Imperium (or Emporium, under the names of Marsupial and Fabio). As you might guess, Imperium doesn’t like this and Aichner takes Breeze down with an armbar to start. Breeze is sent outside and into the Plexiglas as a WE WANT FABIO chant starts up. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Breeze fights up and sends Barthel to the floor. The hot tag brings in Fandango and the big dive to the floor takes out the champs as we go to a break.

Back with Fandango hitting a slingshot elbow onto Barthel onto Breeze’s knees, with Aichner making the save. The Last Dance gets two more but Breeze is backdropped to the floor. Barthel is sent outside with him and it’s Indus Sher coming out, only to have Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch Cutting them off. The distraction lets Aichner hit a DDT on Fandango to retain at 12:24.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure how much drama there was here and that became an issue. The interference wasn’t exactly interesting either, though that might just be to the general existence of Indus Sher. They didn’t look great in their previous appearances and “we’re foreign monsters” isn’t quite interesting. Other than that though, Breezango aren’t about to take the titles and I don’t know how many people bought it. The action was pretty good though and that’s enough to easily carry this one.

Post match Malcolm Bivens yells at Indus Sher.

Velveteen Dream sees one of Dexter Lumis’ drawings of the two of them as Tag Team Champions. That is a dream though, because Dream is a solo act.

Damien Priest vs. Killian Dain

They run the ropes for a standoff to start but Priest may have hurt his back on a leapfrog attempt. Dain dropkicks him into the corner and hammers on the back. Priest is sent to the apron and bangs his back up even more, allowing Dain to clubber some more. A middle rope legdrop to the back makes it even worse and rolling belly to back suplexes cut off Priest’s comeback.

Dain hits a belly to back faceplant for two but misses a charge into the corner. Priest strikes away and a big clothesline finally puts Dain down. A running crossbody gives Dain two but Priest is back with a rollup for two of his own. Priest kicks him in the head and the Reckoning finishes Dain at 5:41.

Rating: C. Are they turning Priest face? That’s one of the weirder ideas I’ve heard in a good while but I’m oddly intrigued by it. If nothing else it is something new for him, unlike having him fight another monster. Priest might need to change some things up about his character, but at least they are trying something with him, which NXT is often willing to do when necessary.

Video on Santos Escobar, along with his designated goons.

Xia Li vs. Aliyah

Robert Stone, holding a bottle in a brown paper bag, is down near the entrance but Aliyah pulls him up to ringside to put him in her corner. Aliyah takes over with a Thesz press and right hands but Li drives her into the corner for the kicks to the ribs. A northern lights suplex gets two on Li so she scores with a jumping kick. More kicks put Aliyah in the corner and a running kick has her down. Stone gets on the apron and vomits at Li, allowing Aliyah to grab a fairly sloppy rollup for the pin at 1:51. Is anyone surprised that this kind of thing has made it to NXT? Stone continues to be amusing though so well done in a way.

Post match Stone falls off the apron and crashes to the floor.

Timothy Thatcher has his students in the ring and demonstrates a Fujiwara armbar. The students are not shown, other than the one tapping a lot. A double wristlock makes him tap even more. It’s all Thatch As Thatch Can wrestling you see.

Earlier today, Adam Cole and Bobby Fish gave Roderick Strong Undisputed Therapy to deal with Strong’s fear of Dexter Lumis. They have Strong lie down and the doctor lowers his Justin Timberlake book to reveal…..Kyle O’Reilly in glasses and a hat. Strong talks about his history of incidents with Lumis, who he can’t get out of his head.

O’Reilly, using his thick accent, suggests a Rorschach Test, with Strong seeing muscles, Lumis, and the trunk that he was locked inside. O’Reilly says that’s a breakthrough because the trunk is what’s causing everything. Strong needs to face the trunk and Cole and Fish talk him into it. They go outside and go towards the trunk…but Strong sprints away. Cole: “Aside from him running away and stuff, I think that went pretty good.” I think this is all the evidence you need that they are rapidly running out of ideas for the team. Or that O’Reilly wasn’t in the same room.

Back in the arena, Adam Cole has the hourglass from last week and says it doesn’t matter who comes for the title. Keith Lee comes in to say he’s taking the title from Cole, and then smashes the hourglass. Lee: “Tick tock.”

Here’s Cole in the ring (he’s busy tonight) to talk about how great his NXT Title reign, now at 381 days, has been. After everything he has done, he can’t believe that people think they can just throw their name out there and get a title shot. Look at Killian (yes Killian) Kross, who beat Tommaso Ciampa (Cole: “Been there, done that.”) and thinks he should be #1 contender. Then there’s Lee, who has his eyes on the NXT Title but Cole has his eyes on the North American Title. Remember that he was the first champion and of course the best. Maybe he’ll come after Lee and become Champ Champ Bay Bay.

Cue Lee but before he could say anything, it’s Johnny Gargano interrupting to say Johnny Gargano (speaking in the third person) doesn’t care about moments anymore. Now it’s all about results, which is why he wants the North American Title back. But why stop there? Why not win the NXT Title too so he and Candice LeRae can be the co-champions that they should be. Lee finds it interesting that he was more concerned about LeRae last week and LeRae said thank you.

Cue Finn Balor to say they can stop being marks for themselves and start being a mark for him. Balor is coming for both titles because Cole is a great little transitional champion. Balor points at Cole’s chest and that’s where he’s going to punch him. Cue William Regal on the screen to make Lee vs. Gargano vs. Balor next week for the North American Title match. The winner of that will move on to face Cole at July 8 in a winner takes all match. And yes, that is the second night of Fyter Fest if you were suddenly curious.

Post break, Candice LeRae interrupts a Keith Lee interview but Mia Yim shows up for the brawl.

Kayden Carter vs. Dakota Kai

Kacy Catanzaro is here with Carter and Raquel Gonzalez is here with Kai as is customary. Carter knocks her to the floor to start and the chase is on but Gonzalez’s distraction lets Kai get in the scorpion kick for two. The comeback is on in a hurry with Carter hitting some right hands and rolling her up into a low superkick for two. Gonzalez gets on the apron for a distraction so Catanzaro goes after her, allowing Kai to grab a rollup for two. With that not working, it’s a reverse Rings of Saturn to make Carter tap at 2:43.

Scarlett finds the broken hourglass and looks at the sand. A foot steps on the glass.

Mercedes Martinez is coming. Cool.

Bronson Reed vs. Leon Ruff

Standing splash, backsplash, frog splash for the pin on Ruff at 24 seconds.

Post match Reed says he wants Karrion Kross for next week. Reed even helps Ruff up and carries him to the back in a nice (I think?) moment.

We cut to the parking lot where someone has flattened all of Damien Priest’s tires. Cameron Grimes pulls up, asks if Priest wants an Uber, and drives off.

Here are Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde for a chat. Escobar talks about how El Hijo del Fantasma was known as the best cruiserweight artist in the world, but no one knew who he was because of the mask. Then he came to NXT and knew that the time of El Hijo del Fantasma would come to an end. He is a leader and knew that he would lead the two of them…but here’s Drake Maverick for the brawl. Maverick gets in a few shots but the trio gets the better of him and it’s a Phantom Driver through a table.

During the break, Maverick was taken out on a stretcher.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Shotzi Blackheart/Tegan Nox vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Bayley and Banks, who are serious legends around here, are defending. Banks takes Nox down to start and sends her into the corner for some trash talk. A rollup gives Banks two but Nox pulls her to the ropes so Blackheart can come in for two of her own. Bayley comes in and gets rolled up as well. That doesn’t work for Bayley, who knees Blackheart in the head as we take a break.

Back with Bayley driving shoulders into Nox’s shoulders in the corner but Nox gets over to Blackheart for the tag. Everything breaks down as Blackheart cleans house and suplexes Banks for two. Banks sends her outside for the Meteora off the apron for two back inside. The Meteora in the corner missed (that looked painful) and the stereo reverse Cannonballs crush the champs.

Bayley and Banks are sent outside so Blackheart runs the corner for a big crossbody to the floor. Back in and the assisted Sliced Bread plants Bayley for two but Banks slips out of what looked to be a Doomsday Device. Blackheart’s missile dropkick gets two but Banks pulls her into the Bank Statement. Blackheart grabs Cattle Mutilation of all things so Bayley grabs a chair, with the distraction letting Bayley flip the hold over. Now the Bank Statement makes Blackheart tap at 11:39.

Rating: B-. The action was good but there wasn’t exactly a ton of drama about who was leaving with the titles. Given that they are already advertising the IIconics getting a shot on Raw, the doubt wasn’t strong here. Nox and Blackheart were fine as challengers of the week but that’s about as far as they were going to go int his situation.

Post match the celebration is on but here’s Io Shirai to take out both Banks and Bayley, who bail so Shirai can moonsault into a pose. A long staredown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show here with the big announcement of the title matches being the focal point throughout. The main event felt like a big deal because of the star power, but it’s not like Nox and Blackheart were some red hot team. Other than that they set some stuff up for the future, which is a rather important role that needs to be filled at some point. This wasn’t the big show, but rather the show getting to the big show and that’s not a bad thing.

Results

Imperium b. Breezango – DDT to Fandango

Damien Priest b. Killian Dain – Reckoning

Aliyah b. Xia Li – Rollup

Bronson Reed b. Leon Ruff – Frog splash

Bayley/Sasha Banks b. Tegan Nox/Shotzi Blackheart – Bank Statement to Blackheart

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

It really is this easy.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-gold-silver-secret/

IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: June 17, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re rapidly approaching Fyter Fest and the card is starting to come together. With so much taking place over the course of the two weeks, we should be in for some rapid fire building and that could make for some entertaining shows. Tonight includes almost a mini tournament to set up the Tag Team Title match at Fyter Fest and that could be good stuff. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Natural Nightmares vs. Kenny Omega/Hangman Page

Omega and Page are defending. Dustin starts with Omega and has to escape an early One Winged Angel attempt. Omega sends him into the corner and tried to jump over but knees Dustin in the head by mistake. It’s off to Marshall for a dropkick on Page but he gets taken into the corner. Omega comes back in with a springboard ax handle to the ribs, only to have Marshall muscle him up with a suplex.

That’s enough for the tag to Dustin and the pace picks up, only to have Omega hit the Kitaro Crusher for two. Omega brings Page back in for a basement clothesline to Marshall, setting up the middle rope moonsault to give Page two. Marshall knocks him back though and the hot tag brings in Dustin to start cleaning house again. Everything breaks down and the champs are sent outside.

Dustin hits a flip dive off the apron and Marshall adds a flip dive of his own to Omega. Back in and Omega blocks the cutter and hits the snapdragon on Marshall. Dustin hits the Canadian Destroyer on Omega but Page is there with the non-Buckshot lariat. Marshall grabs the cutter on Page to put everyone down. Cue Allie to cheer Marshall on but it’s Omega forearming Marshall and throwing him into a German suplex from Page. Dustin is sent to the floor for a dive from Page and the V Trigger gives Omega two on Marshall. The Last Call drops Marshall and the Last Call retains the titles at 12:48.

Rating: B. They did a good job of making a hot match out of a defense without much doubt as to the winners. The Nightmares are a fine midcard team but they aren’t going to take the titles when there is a chance of Omega/Page vs. Jericho/Guevara at a major show. Allie coming out to cheer didn’t change much, but they could make something out of her not being there from the start.

The announcers run down the card.

Video on Anna Jay, the Star of the show.

Anny Jay vs. Abadon

Abadon crawls to the ring (note from Britt Baker: “This girl needs to find Jesus.”) and knees away in the corner before choking on the ropes. A hurricanrana driver finishes Jay at 1:14. Well ok then. This company is going to get some evil, dark woman over and YOU WILL LIKE IT.

Post match here’s the Dark Order with Brodie Lee pointing some members to the ring and having Evil Uno hand Colt Cabana, at ringside, an envelope with a document inside. The rest of the team helps Jay out of the ring and she leaves with them as Cabana reads the papers.

Billy vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Austin Gunn and Wardlow are the seconds (and Billy towers over Wardlow). MJF bails to the floor to start so Billy hammers away as he comes back inside. A big boot misses so Billy tries again and connects this time for two. That’s enough to send MJF bailing up the ramp but Billy brings him back. A throat snap across the top rope doesn’t work for some reason and MJF busts out a Fargo Strut. Billy gets in a few more shots but MJF takes him down as we hit the break.

Back with MJF working on the leg but walking into a tilt-a-whirl slam. MJF goes right back to the leg and puts on a reverse Figure Four. Aubrey Edwards catches him grabbing the ropes and physically breaks it up so MJF yells at her to no avail. MJF kicks him in the leg and tries a Fameasser, only to get backflipped off. Billy’s Fameasser connects but also draws Wardlow to the apron. The distraction lets Wardlow slip MJF the ring and that’s enough for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: C-. The wrestling wasn’t all that great but what matters here is keeping MJF going hard. He knows how to cheat to win very well and beating Billy is a fine use of both of them. I’m not sure when the Fameasser became some big legendary finisher, but it really isn’t, especially from Billy Gunn.

Post match MJF goes after Jungle Boy at ringside and the wrestlers stream over the barricade for the big brawl.

Le Sex Gods are ready to become #1 contenders because they’re closer than best friends. They’re brothers, and blood is thicker than water. Or orange juice, and they beat Orange Cassidy to a bloody pulp.

Tony Schiavone interviews Britt Baker and mentions that Hikaru Shida will defend the Women’s Title at Fyter Fest. Baker doesn’t like being interviewed for this so she and Tony are ON A FRIENDSHIP TIMEOUT! She orders Rebel to drive but Big Swole is driving the golf cart and kidnaps Baker.

TNT Title: Cody vs. ???

Cody, with Arn Anderson, is defending against someone from outside of AEW and it’s….a promo from Cody first. He’s out here looking for a challenger and wants the best competition. Someone pops up on screen and it’s……former NWA TV Champion Ricky Starks, who says he has the same grit and work ethic as Cody. After the Big Match Intros, Cody shoulders him down to start but Starks nips up.

Starks slugs away but walks into a dropkick. A shot that looks pretty close to a low blow sends Starks outside and a suicide dive takes him down again. Starks drops him ribs first over the ropes though as Jake Hager is watching from backstage. Anderson offers a quick distraction and it’s time to strike it out. Starks takes him down but can’t hit a tornado DDT. Instead, Cody hits a boot to the face and the scoop powerslam.

Cross Rhodes is countered so Cody hits a gordbuster for two instead. Cody heads up top but Starks catches him with a top rope superplex. Back up and Starks’ running crossbody puts both of them on the floor for another breather. They head back inside for a slugout until Starks hits a spear for two. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence until Cody ducks a clothesline and grabs Cross Rhodes to retain at 8:32.

Rating: B. I’d be surprised if Starks didn’t get a job out of this as he looked great in the NWA and then did it again on a bigger stage here. Starks is someone who could be a star in the future and that’s what AEW (or anyone) can always use. Cody having matches against other free agents is nice for the same dynamic of the John Cena Open Challenges and that’s a really good idea.

Respect is shown post match.

Young Bucks vs. Superbad Squad

The Death part of the Squad’s name was removed in what is probably a good idea. The referee finds some pliers on Jimmy Havoc but leaves the in the corner, which can’t be a good idea. Matt starts for the Bucks so Havoc goes straight for his taped up ribs. The Bucks fight back in a hurry as is their custom, setting up stereo slingshot dives to the floor. After a glare from Butcher and the Blade (all in white for a change), the Bucks sucker Sabian into the corner and knock him into the corner.

Havoc comes in and gets caught in a running flip neckbreaker into a backbreaker but Butcher and Blade jump the barricade. The distraction lets Havoc get in a shot to Matt’s ribs and the villains take over. Back from a break with Matt getting beaten up in the corner as FTR comes out to watch. Sabian adds a penalty kick to the ribs (which he declares wide) but Matt counters a super hurricanrana into a super sitout powerbomb.

The hot tag brings in Nick to clean house and the Sharpshooter has Sabian in trouble. Havoc tries to bring in a mallet (must be a Fiend fan) allowing Penelope Ford to hit Nick with a wet floor sign. Havoc’s Sing the Sorrow gets two with Matt making the save so Sabian hits a springboard DDT for two of his own. Everything breaks down and Risky Business (springboard 450/standing moonsault combination) gets two on Havoc.

The Butcher and Blade offer a distraction but get stared down by FTR. Sabian’s top rope double stomp hits Matt with Nick making the save, allowing Matt (with the bad ribs, which have been worked on all match) to northern lights suplex both of them at once. The Bucks put Havoc upside down in Sabian’s arms and then superkick Sabian’s knees to make him Tombstone his partner (egads man). Double knees to the face finish Sabian at 15:22.

Rating: B-. The action is entertaining but Bucks matches can be incredibly exhausting with one diving save after another, plus one big move after another. They’re very exciting matches but there are times where I see some of the spots and wonder how in the world I’m supposed to believe this is a real competition. That was turned up higher than usual here and it was hurting things.

Post match the Butcher and Blade come in but FTR takes them out. Butcher and Blade are wiped out by stereo spike piledrivers.

Taz and Brian Cage are outside with Taz ranting about how Jon Moxley was ranting and raving about being miserable. That was Taz’s gimmick twenty years ago and now Cage doesn’t know if he wants to drop Moxley on his head or take the title.

Jon Moxley is in this business because he has demons and fighting holds them back. So Cage, beat him if you can, and survive if you can hang in the deep water.

We run down next week/Fyter Fest.

Rebel is searching for Baker, and finds her in a dumpster. Baker yells about it being five hours and ignores Rebel saying it was just one. Baker wants to know where Schiavone is and says he should be here, timeout or no timeout. Rebel sends out an Instagram because fans will want to see Baker being saved. Baker: “So I’m a damsel in distress???” She swears that Swole will pay for this, meaning fines and lawsuits. Now get her out of here! Baker might be the best thing in AEW right now and that’s some serious competition.

Le Sex Gods vs. Best Friends

The winners face Omega and Page at Fyter Fest for the titles and there’s no Orange Cassidy after last week. Matt Hardy is on commentary as Sammy sings Judas during the entrance. It’s a brawl to start with Chuck taking Jericho to the floor for some early choking. A water bottle to the eye makes it worse for Jericho as Trent spears Sammy down. Back in and Chuck stomps on Jericho in the corner but Sammy comes in for a fast dropkick.

The chinlock doesn’t last long so it’s back to Jericho for a hard clothesline. The Lionsault misses though and Jericho tweaks his knee, meaning the tag to Sammy goes through in a hurry. Trent comes in to chop away but Jericho gets in a bat shot to the ribs. Back from a break with Jericho flipping Trent over the top to crash on the mat, meaning it’s time for the pose from Le Sex Gods.

The delay allows the hot tag to Chuck, who hits a powerbomb with Jericho making a fast save. That earns Jericho a trip to the floor, followed by Soul Food into a half and half suplex. The hug is loaded up but Jericho decks Trent (thank goodness) and Sammy takes Chuck to the floor. Jericho grabs the Walls on Trent, who crawls over to the rope for the break. Back up and Trent crotches Sammy on top (Sammy: “Oh my Spanish god.”) and it’s Chuck coming over for the assisted superplex.

Jericho makes his own save and throws Chuck over the barricade. The distraction lets Sammy hit Trent with the bat, setting up the shooting star press for two. As ridiculous of a kickout as that was, commentary does cover it by saying Sammy pulled back too far. The cameraman trips Sammy though (aha) and Strong Zero finishes Sammy at 16:02.

Rating: B-. They actually surprised me with the ending and that’s a good thing. The Cassidy as a cameraman deal is a deal that has worked before and it worked well here. I would have bet on the switch but they managed to do something logical with a pretty good match at the same time. Well done, especially for a Best Friends match.

Post match the cameraman is in fact Orange Cassidy to wreck Jericho. House is cleaned and Tony announces Cassidy vs. Jericho for Fyter Fest.

Overall Rating: B+. I had a really good time with this one and they made it into a solid show overall. It definitely had a focus on tag wrestling but it also helped set up Fyter Fest rather well. The Jay loss surprised the heck out of me, as did Starks’ debut. One of those things is better than the other, but you can’t have a hit every time. Overall, rather good show and one of their better ones in a good while.

Results

Kenny Omega/Hangman Page b. Natural Nightmares – Last Call to Marshall

Abadon b. Anna Jay – Hurricanrana driver

Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Billy – Ring punch

Cody b. Ricky Starks – Cross Rhodes

Young Bucks b. Superbad Squad – Double knees to Sabian

Best Friends b. Le Sex Gods – Strong Zero to Guevara

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 16, 2006
Location: RBC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Attendance: 7,500
Commentators: Joey Styles, Jerry Lawler, Jonathan Coachman

We are getting closer and closer to the Royal Rumble but the big story coming out of last week’s show is Ric Flair interrupting Edge and Lita’s special celebration. Edge has something else to worry about with John Cena though and he might have to deal with both of them here. Oh and we get Shawn Michaels vs. new Smackdown World Champion Kurt Angle in case you need a likely instant classic. Let’s get to it.

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Day video. They never miss those.

Opening sequence.

Tonight: Edge defends against Ric Flair in a TLC match. That sounds like something you might want to promote a little more than an hour and a half in advance.

Here are Edge and Lita for a chat. Edge talks about how people have been calling him a cheap champion and that he stole the title. The truth is he won the title fair and square (indeed) and as champion, he calls the shots. Some people were offended by last week’s celebration but get over it, because it was the highest rated ending to Raw in over two years.

The day after he won the title, over twenty five million people checked WWE.com, making him the most watched WWE Champion of all time. That brings him to Flair, meaning we see a clip of the Conchairto from last week. For now, Edge wants to finish what he started with Lita last week so he grabs a chair….and here’s Kurt Angle, flanked by Daivari, to interrupt. He thinks the YOU SUCK chants refer to Lita and doesn’t like Edge using a briefcase to win the title.

Angle doesn’t take the easy way to the World Title, but Edge thinks Angle ran to Smackdown because he can’t beat John Cena. Angle wants to unify the titles tonight but Edge insults him even more. The suplexes are on but here’s Vince McMahon to interrupt. There isn’t going to be any unification match because Edge is defending against Flair in a TLC match. Edge and Lita leave, with Vince telling Lita to cover up. That’s as out of character as you’re going to get all night. As for Angle, he’s facing Shawn Michaels in a non-title match, but if Shawn loses, his contract is terminated.

Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle

Non-title and the match is joined in progress after the break with Shawn chasing Daivari before heading inside to chop Angle. A headlock puts Angle down and Shawn chops away in the corner again. Shawn goes up though and dives into the belly to belly, which is never a good thing. Angle’s German suplex sets up a bodyscissors to work on the ribs but the Angle Slam is countered into a DDT.

That means a very delayed two but Daivari low bridges Shawn to the floor to cut him off again. A superkick drops Daivari but the Angle Slam drops Shawn on the floor. Back from a break with Shawn’s back in trouble and Angle whipping him hard into the corner. Angle can’t hit a belly to belly superplex twice in a row so he runs the corner for a super Angle Slam and a delayed two.

The ankle lock is countered into a victory roll for two and Shawn starts slugging away. That just earns him another ankle lock but Shawn is out in a hurry and clotheslining away. The top rope elbow misses though so there go the straps. The ankle lock isn’t broken so quickly this time, though Shawn does manage to slap Daivari. That’s enough to bring Daivari in with a chair but Angle breaks it up, only to have Daivari accidentally hit him with said chair. Shawn is right there with a rollup for the fluke pin.

Rating: B. These two have gotten into a formula with Angle overwhelming Shawn, leaving him to have to get in his shots here and there. It’s a formula that works and it did here, as they have spaced the matches out well enough that they don’t feel repetitive. Angle losing a few days after winning the title isn’t the best thing, but the whole situation is a mess and it wasn’t remotely clean so it could have been a lot worse.

Post match Daivari stomps away on Shawn but Angle pulls him off and wants some answers. Daivari slaps him in the face and gets Angle Slammed to the floor. Moron deserves it.

During the break, Angle said Daivari’s services are no longer needed.

We look at Edge’s huge spear at Wrestlemania X7.

Maria interviews Chris Masters and shows him how he lost in the Elimination Chamber. Masters blames Carlito but he’ll take care of him at the Royal Rumble. Tonight though, John Cena loses the Masterlock Challenge.

Ashley vents to Trish Stratus about Mickie James being all psycho. Mickie comes in and doesn’t like being talked about. Yes she is obsessed, about what she did to Ashley last week. For tonight though, they’re a team, with Mickie offering some well placed slaps.

It’s Masterlock Challenge time, with Masters saying he’s doing this to prove that he had the Elimination Chamber won if not for Carlito. Cena comes out to take the challenge, listens to Masters’ trash talk, and then flails around in the hold. He Hulks Up but here’s Edge to blast Cena with the title, busting him open. Edge’s evil smiles are always great.

Vince comes into the training room to see Shawn and throws him out for the evening. Ric Flair is next to him so Vince says Flair could become the 17 time World Champion (Flair looks straight at the camera as Vince says 17, likely wanting to go on a promo with a lot of numbers). Candice Michelle comes in to flirt with Vince and do the Go Daddy dance.

Trish Stratus/Mickie James/Ashley vs. Torrie Wilson/Victoria/Candice Michelle

During the entrances, we see a clip of Candice’s Go Daddy Super Bowl commercial, involving various parts of her washing a window. Victoria works on Trish’s arm to start and is quickly pulled down into a rollup for two. It’s off to Ashley, but Mickie spears her down and goes nuts as Victoria watches on like a smart villain. Trish argues with Mickie and it’s the Widow’s Peak to finish Ashley in a hurry. Trish vs. Mickie continues to be one of the more interesting stories on the show.

Classic Edge TLC Moment: TLC I.

Rob Van Dam is back at the Royal Rumble.

Carlito doesn’t understand why Rob Van Dam coming back is a big deal and we see a clip of Carlito attacking him in June. The reality is that Carlito is on a roll and was THIS CLOSE to winning the title at New Year’s Revolution. Don’t worry though, because he’s winning the Royal Rumble and heading to Wrestlemania. No one on Raw or Smackdown can stop him so here’s Kane to put an apple in Carlito’s mouth and throw him over the top.

Someone wants to see Vince and he seems to think it going to be Candice.

Post break, Vince starts stripping for Candice but it’s Mama Benjamin and Shelton. Well at least it wasn’t Moolah and Mae. Anyway she wants Shelton to have a match tonight and sends Shelton away. Mama offers Vince chocolate thunder and brown sugar. Even Vince seems disturbed by that one.

We look at Chris Benoit’s Swan Dive only hitting a table in TLC III.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Big Show

Mama Benjamin is here and looks close to passing out when Show’s music hits. Shelton hides behind Mama but Show is kind enough to hold the ropes open for her. Mama: “Shelton, you’re on your own.” Shelton slugs away to no avail and has to go after the broken hand to escape a chokeslam attempt. A fall away slam works better for Show as Shelton is sent outside. Show throws him back in but here’s HHH for the brawl to cause the countout, giving Shelton the win.

Rob Van Dam hit the Van Terminator in TLC IV.

Raw World Title: Edge vs. Ric Flair

Only Edge (with Lita) is defending in a Tables Ladders and Chairs match (the first ever singles edition). Before the match, Flair hugs his daughter Ashley, better known as Charlotte (so yes, she was getting TV time before she even debuted). The title is raised and we’re ready to go. Edge hammers away to start and drops some elbows before throwing in the toys. A ladder to the face has Flair down and Edge crushes him in between. They head outside with Flair knocking him up against the barricade.

That means Edge gets knocked into the crowd but Flair follows and is quickly backdropped to ringside. Edge suplexes him on the floor and loads up another Conchairto on a table, but Flair fights up this time. Lita goes after Flair so Edge chairs him down like a true villain. As you might expect, Flair is busted open (I’m surprised it took him this long) and Edge puts him on the table. A splash off the ladder in the ring destroys Flair and we take a break with both of them down.

Back with Edge getting crushed in a ladder for a change and Flair chairing the ladder to make it worse. A nasty chair shot to the head lets Flair climb a ladder (gulp) so Edge superplexes him right back down for the double knockdown. Edge’s missile dropkick misses though and they’re both down again. It’s Edge up first to chair him to the floor but Flair turns over the ladder, sending Edge crashing through a table on the floor (there’s your crazy crash of the match). Lita makes the save this time and gets Figure Foured so Flair goes up again. This time Edge knocks him off though and retains in a hurry.

Rating: B. There is something so wrong yet so fascinating watching Flair in a match like this. One thing I have to give him is that he threw himself into it and almost looked comfortable out there. The lack of drama didn’t help things, but the constant shots of Ashley made me believe that there was a chance. It was a fun match, though building it up more than an hour and a half could have been advised.

Post match Edge loads up another Conchairto, drawing out Cena for the save. Cena swings the chair but can’t hit anyone to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. It’s hard to screw up a show with a big main event and Shawn vs. Angle and they were a strong enough combination to work here. What mattered here was getting the Flair vs. Edge feud out of the way and now we are moving full steam ahead to the Rumble. Cena vs. Edge is feeling like a big deal and then the Rumble itself can carry the rest of the card. Very good show here, but how could it not be given how stacked the card was?

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

The guys are back again with a look at one of the more interesting modern stables: the Nexus.

Check out the show, as it’s entertaining as always:

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: June 16, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

We are coming up on Fyter Fest and that is going to have very little to do with this show. As usual, this show is probably going to be rather lengthy and feature several not so competitive matches between mid and lower card names. Somehow this show keeps getting longer and I’m not sure why. Let’s get to it.

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

This week’s run time: an hour and thirty six minutes. Egads man.

Taz and Excalibur offer a very quick preview.

Capital Vices/Jon Cruz vs. Jurassic Express

The Vices (Sin and Money) are dressed as Freddie Kruger, but one of their students is a colleague of mine so I’ll be nice. Money takes Boy into the corner to start but gets taken to the mat amateur style. It’s off to Stunt vs. Cruz with Stunt dropkicking him into the corner. Money comes back in and gets beaten up in a hurry.

Luchasaurus wrecks everyone in front of him and it’s Stunt’s splash into Boy’s Swanton for two. Sin gets in a Flatliner on Boy though and Money adds a springboard legdrop for one. The comeback doesn’t take long though and it’s Luchasaurus coming in to clean house again. The Tail Whip to Cruz sets up a tiger suplex to give Boy two and Stunt dives onto the Vices. Extinction Level Event finishes Cruz at 6:21.

Rating: D+. Acceptable enough six man tag here and that’s even including Stunt getting to beat people up. Boy and Luchasaurus are a rather nice team on their own, but why do what works when you can add something else to it for the sake of adding him? I keep waiting on that Luchasaurus push and it never seems to come. Kind of a shame, but it’s not like they’re in a big rush with him.

SCU vs. Peter Avalon/Brandon Cutler

Christopher Daniels/Kazarian for SCU here and Leva Bates is with Avalon/Cutler. Avalon and Kazarian start things off with the latter shoving Avalon down for an armbar. Back up and Kazarian avoids an armdrag attempt, setting up another armbar. Taz on Avalon and Cutler’s losses: “They’re basically sucking thus far.”

Daniels comes in for a wristlock on Cutler, who gets away and hits a springboard forearm (probably giving Daniels some flashbacks). It’s back to Kazarian for a gutwrench suplex but Avalon gets in a cheap shot on Daniels from the apron to take over for the first time. Cutler mixes things up with a bottom rope springboard to knock Daniels outside where Avalon runs him over again.

Back in and Daniels gets over for the tag without much trouble so Kazarian comes in to clean house. Avalon cuts him off with a flapjack and Cutler adds a springboard elbow for two. Kazarian kicks Cutler down though and Daniels comes in with a middle rope stomp to the chest. The slingshot into a cutter only gets two with Cutler making the save. Cutler is knocked to the floor and Celebrity Rehab finishes Avalon at 8:04.

Rating: C-. This was a good example of a match that shows the appeal and problem with Dark. Avalon and Cutler have yet to win a match together and they aren’t beating SCU to get their first one. The match was longer and more competitive, but there are long stretches of time where I find myself just waiting for SCU to get the win. It’s the problem with matches like this getting time, especially when they’re not that thrilling in the first place. Not a bad match or anything, but not something that keeps the interest up.

Dani Jordan vs. Big Swole

Swole is rather fired up here and plays to the crowd well. Before the match, Swole grabs Jordan’s Burn Book and doesn’t like what she sees inside. That’s enough to start a fight so Swole dropkicks her down. Jordan kicks at the knee though and pounds away on the floor. We hit the chinlock but Swole is up in a hurry with a headbutt. A cutter into a fireman’s carry knee to the face sets up Dirty Dancing to finish Jordan at 2:24. Decent for that amount of time.

Leva Bates has a plan for Cutler and Avalon but they come in to argue about who is worse. The team splits and Bates is stressed.

David Ali vs. Lance Archer

Ali is making his debut and seems to like seeing his name on the video screen (you can’t blame him). Archer runs over the video production guy to continue his trend. Jake Roberts looks annoyed as he goes to ringside and Archer runs Ali over to start. The rapid fire forearms to the chest keep Ali down and there’s a hard shot in the corner.

The running elbow drops Ali again and he is trying to pull himself up on the ropes. Something like a Rock Bottom out of the corner puts Ali down yet again and some kicks to the ribs knock him to the middle. The Blackout connects but Archer pulls him up at two. Instead the EBD Claw finishes Ali at 4:24.

Rating: D+. That’s the kind of match Archer should be having and while it was a little longer, it wasn’t a bad use of either of them. Archer beat the heck out of Ali, who sold rather well at times. Sometimes you need someone who can just wreck people though and that is what they have with Archer.

Musa/Shawn Dean vs. Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela

Joey and Sonny hug before the match and it’s Sonny knocking Musa around to start. A handspring kick to the head sets up a Boston crab with Janela adding a legdrop to the back of the head. There’s a running spinwheel kick in the corner and stereo missile dropkicks drop Dean again.

Dean comes in and here is Archer, with Roberts having to hold him back. The distraction lets Dean get two off a dropkick to take over on Sonny. A dive through the legs allows the hot tag to Joey though and house is cleaned. Another handspring kick to the ribs in the corner has Musa in more trouble and Sonny dives onto Dean. Joey’s super hurricanrana sets up Sonny’s splits splash to finish Musa at 4:49.

Rating: C-. Another perfectly watchable match though there isn’t much to be seen from Dean and Musa. They come and go every week with loss after loss and it’s not like they do much while they’re out there. It’s cool to see AEW doing something with people, but if the wins/losses matter, why are people with 0-whatever records still appearing? Same with Avalon and Cutler for that matter actually.

Red Velvet/Kenzie Page vs. Brandi Rhodes/Allie

The Natural Nightmares are here with Brandi and Allie. Velvet is “straight out of your mama’s kitchen”. Isn’t Brandi the one with a cooking show? Allie jumps Page before the bell and since the referee doesn’t pay attention, we start in a hurry. A running knee drops Page again but she forearms Allie into the corner. It’s off to Velvet, who gets caught in a swinging neckbreaker from Allie for two.

Brandi comes in for a low superkick for two of her own and adds in Dustin Rhodes’ kneeling uppercut. Allie gets knocked to the floor though and it’s QT Marshall rushing over to check on her in a hurry. Page gets in a cheap shot but her chinlock is broken up in a hurry. Brandi starts the comeback with a Sling Blade but Allie tags herself in after Brandi hits a spear. That lets Allie, who seems fine, get the easy pin at 5:08.

Rating: D+. That’s quite the bit of storytelling for this show and I’ll take what I can get. Allie as the evil woman wrapping Marshall around her finger is a good way to go for her, though I’m not sure what her goal is. I’m hoping it isn’t some big Butcher and the Blade plan, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where they’re going.

Lee Johnson vs. Shawn Spears

Tully Blanchard is here with Spears. Johnson goes for a hammerlock but gets driven into the corner for an elbow to the face. The running knee in the corner lets Spears throw him outside but Johnson switches places. A suicide dive is blocked with a shot to the face though and Spears drives him back first into the apron. Back in and Johnson strikes away, including a running basement dropkick. The C4 doesn’t work for Spears but he grabs a Sharpshooter to make Johnson tap at 4:21.

Rating: C-. It must be time to reheat Spears again, though the big glove deal didn’t seem to offer much here. Having Blanchard try to do something with Spears is one thing, but if this is the best that he can do with Blanchard behind him, it might be time to give up on him already. That won’t happen, but maybe it should.

Brady Pierce/John Skyler vs. Dark Order

That would be Evil Uno and Stu Grayson, who are back in the country. The rest of the Dark Order, minus Brodie Lee, watches from the stage as Grayson drives Skyler into the corner. Uno stomps him down and a running shoulder to the ribs makes it even worse. Skyler fights back so Uno pokes him in the eye to cut that off in a hurry.

More stomping in the corner has Skyler down but he fights out and rolls over for the hot tag to Pierce. A few shots to Uno set up a neckbreaker/middle rope stomp combination for two but Grayson is back in. That means a powerslam into a Swanton for two with Pierce making the save. With Skyler down, the Fatality finishes Pierce at 4:02.

Rating: C. The story here was Skyler, who did most of the work for his team. While he was the story, it doesn’t have a happy ending though as he wrecked his knee near the end, with a torn ACL, MCL and PCL. I’m not sure how it happened either as he was running the ropes and then was holding his knee after the Swanton. Either you couldn’t see the injury or he fought through a crazy amount of pain.

Post match, Brodie Lee comes out to approve of the win.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Griff Garrison

Garrison has wrestled in Ring of Honor as part of the Master and the Machine. Havoc headlocks him to start and then takes him down by the wrist for a stomp to the arm. Garrison grabs one of his own but charges into a boot in the corner. They head outside where Havoc chops the post by mistake (though he is the kind of guy who would chop one on purpose). It doesn’t seem to matter much as Havoc Japanese armdrags him into the corner and chops away for a bonus. The Acid Rainmaker is blocked so Havoc kicks him in the head and connects on the second attempt. The fisherman’s DDT finishes Garrison at 5:58.

Rating: D+. Garrison is someone who works better as part of a tag team but he certainly has some talents in there somewhere. Havoc can still do some nice stuff without the hardcore aspect so this could have been a lot worse. At least he is doing something different and that could help keep him around a little longer. I’m assuming that’s a good thing in this case.

Penelope Ford vs. Skyler Moore

Kip Sabian (and his dog Oscar) is here with Ford. Moore drives her out of the corner to start and Ford shakes her shoulder a bit. Back up and Ford sends Moore face first into the buckle before choking on the rope (including a kiss to Sabian). Ford’s handspring shoulder in the corner is countered into a sunset flip for two and a gutwrench suplex is good for the same. That just earns Skyler a Lethal Injection and the fisherman’s suplex gives Ford the pin at 4:12.

Rating: D+. Ford seems to be the next challenger to Hikaru Shida so giving her a win here makes sense. The stuff with Sabian is a good way to get heat on Ford, who is going to get her own heat because of how she carries herself. Moore is someone whose look will get some quick attention, but she hasn’t had much of a chance to show much beyond that.

Robert Anthony vs. Scorpio Sky

Sky goes for the arm to start so Anthony wrestles him down. The chinlock is reversed into a quickly broken armbar into a standoff. Anthony pulls him into a hammerlock and Sky can’t get out so fast this time. Back up and Sky shoulders him down, setting up an armbar as the arms race continues. Sky’s jumping elbow to the face gets two but Anthony is right back with a tilt-a-whirl faceplant.

An elbow to the face sets up a chinlock, then a boot rake to the face, then another chinlock. Sky fights up and hits some clotheslines, plus the jumping double stomp to the back. Anthony’s TKO is blocked so he grabs a Death Valley Driver for two instead. Sky doesn’t like the near gimmick infringement and kicks him in the face, setting up the TKO for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C. Match of the night here with the extra time making a fairly competitive match better. It was also a good example of a match where they didn’t do much but still made it work well. It’s ok to tone it down and let your storytelling work, though I don’t think the top level of this company quite grasps that.

Dynamite preview wraps us up.

Overall Rating: D+. Remember all those times where I’ve said the same things about Dark being too long? It’s exactly the same here, though even longer than usual. There are multiple matches that you could cut out and have the same result but they’re all here to stretch the show out even further. If you like the show with ten or eleven matches, you’re going to like it with six or seven.

Having the show offer more content than Dynamite is a weird way to go and I’m almost scared to know how much more they are willing to put on here. The wrestling isn’t even that good (though it could be worse) and that makes for a long, long night every single week. The good thing is that it isn’t required viewing, which keeps it from being anything resembling a problem for the company. Just tweak things a bit and maybe it can boost things a bit instead of being a long show that makes you feel every minute.

Results

Jurassic Express b. Capital Vices/Jon Cruz – Extinction Level Event to Cruz

SCU b. Peter Avalon/Brandon Cutler – Celebrity Rehab to Avalon

Big Swole b. Dani Jordan – Dirty Dancing

Lance Archer b. David Ali – EBD Claw

Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela b. Musa/Shawn Dean – Top rope splits splash to Musa

Allie/Brandi b. Red Velvet/Kenzie Page – Spear to Page

Shawn Spears b. Lee Johnson – Sharpshooter

Dark Order b. Brady Pierce/John Skyler – Fatality to Pierce

Jimmy Havoc b. Griff Garrison – Fisherman’s DDT

Penelope Ford b. Skyler Moore – Fisherman’s suplex

Scorpio Sky b. Robert Anthony – TKO

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

NWA Texoma Wrestling
Date: October 20, 2017
Location: Sherman Elks Lodge, Sherman, Texas
Commentators: Joe Exotic, Richard Pendleton

So odds are by now you have heard of Joe Exotic and Tiger King. If you know anything about the show, you know that Exotic is seen as one of the most insane and over the top people in pop culture these days and you could feel the wrestling levels of insanity in his show. Well as it turns out, he promoted some events as part of a small NWA territory, which is where we’re looking today. I’m almost terrified of where this is going so let’s get to it.

After a Joe Exotic music video (about long time rival Carole Baskin feeding her dead husband to tigers, because of course), we’re ready to go.

Exotic is on commentary and my goodness that voice is going to get old in a hurry. He says our first match is called a dark match, meaning it features younger wrestlers just getting into the sport.

Gray vs. Blue

There are no introductions or graphics and the announcers don’t know their names either so I’m going to have to figure out what is going on. For now, we’ll go with the color of their shirts because it’s about all there is out there. Given that Pendleton doesn’t seem to have done commentary before, we’re relying on Exotic the entire time. Since he calls an armdrag an armbar in the first minute and a half, it’s going to be a long, long night.

The one in gray grabs a rollup (and perhaps tights) for two and then throws on the armbar again. As the one in blue is knocked into the corner, Exotic goes on about how he is having a political event in Oklahoma in December. A shoulder to the ribs is called an elbow to the ribs as you can add anatomy to things Exotic doesn’t understand. Blue headscissors Gray outside, with Exotic saying it’s a ten count to get back in or it’s DQ.

A slingshot dive takes Gray down as Joe is talking about all the people watching, including several in Saudi Arabia. Gray drops him back first onto the apron for two and it’s a knee into Blue’s back with a pull of the leg. The rope is grabbed so Gray hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker (Exotic: “Oh s***! God d***!”). Blue is whipped hard into the corner and it’s another backbreaker into a chinlock. Back up and Blue rolls away (Exotic: “What was that called?”) before hitting double knees to the arm.

A cross armbreaker sends Gray to the rope as commentary goes out. It’s right back and Blue grabs the Rings of Saturn, which is rolled into the ropes again. Blue misses a top rope backsplash and sits on the mat. That lets Gray look like he is loading up a Code Red but he leans backwards to bend Blue over and lift up both arms (that’s a new one and either looks awesome or very stupid) to make Blue tap at 10:59.

Rating: C-. The match was perfectly watchable with a crazy unique finisher that looked all kinds of painful. The problem here is that the show feels like total amateur hour with commentary swearing every few seconds and not knowing the difference between a countout and a DQ. Also, you can’t get a piece of paper saying WHO THESE PEOPLE ARE??? Come on already people. At least try.

Commentary complains about the sound issues again as Nigel Rabbit (Maybe? You try understanding Exotic.), a heel manager, comes out. Nigel has a big paddle and two guys with him and asks some wrestlers to come to ringside. Apparently this is a tribute to Bobby Heenan, so after the ten bell salute, Exotic is annoyed at not knowing he was supposed to go to the ring.

One of the guys who came to the ring with Nigel says what I think is something about the Las Vegas mass shooting and asks for a moment of silence. With that out of the way, it’s time to present an award to Exotic for everything he has done for NWA Texoma. Thankfully he doesn’t say anything.

Thankfully we now have a ring announcer who seems to know what she is talking about.

Exotic wants to know where the National Anthem is.

NAWA Heavyweight Title: Bryson Scott vs. Jerome Daniels

Daniels is defending (the North American Wrestling Allegiance, which he won earlier in the month) and has a lot of charisma. At the same time, we don’t have a lot of sound but that is just something to get used to here. Daniels has a few guys with him and Exotic says Daniels was in WWE for a long time. If that’s true, I can’t find any evidence of it anywhere and Daniels looks to be a rather young guy.

Before the match, Daniels gets the mic and hypes up the crowd, though Exotic talks to production over his speech. Apparently the NWA Texoma Champion isn’t defending his title so Scott is getting a shot instead. Daniels gets a rather lengthy introduction and, again, Exotic won’t shut up while anyone else is talking. Daniels’ guys are sent to the back and we’re ready to go.

A kick to the leg sends Scott to the apron and they go to the mat for some rapid fire near falls. Back up and Scott flips out of a backdrop and hits a headscissors. Daniels is right there with a dropkick and it’s Scott bailing out to the floor. Daniels follows and gets dropped back first onto the apron. Back in and a swinging neckbreaker gives Scott two but Daniels is back with a hard clothesline.

We look at the commentators for a good while before coming back to the ring with Scott stomping away. We hit the chinlock until Daniels fights up, only to get leg lariated in the face. Scott’s middle rope moonsault hits knees and he goes to the middle rope to dive into Daniels’ powerslam.

With Exotic dropping an F bomb over the near fall, it’s time to slug it out from their knees. Daniels kicks him in the head for two and they both have to pull themselves to their feet. Daniels’ powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana for two but Daniels rolls into a sunset flip for the same. Scott charges at him again but this t me Daniels pulls him into a triangle choke for the tap at 12:36.

Rating: C. Daniels shows some potential and looks like someone who could get a job after a few more years on the indies. Scott was just a heel but it was a fine enough match from both sides. Just find a way to mute commentary entirely and we could have been seeing the match of the night here.

The ring announcer says that the company is going to be part of the Unified Wrestling Alliance. She hands the mic off to a man, who might be from that organization but it’s not clear.

Tim Storm vs. Aaron Size

Storm’s NWA World Title isn’t on the line. Storm takes his time getting to the ring and presents his manager (an unnamed woman who commentary can only describe as “not his wife”). I think that’s what Aaron’s last name is and commentary is as helpful as usual. We do at least get his manager’s name as Miss Tiffany. They take their time with the staredown until the much bigger Storm launches him into the corner.

Size’s rollup gets one and we get a quick handshake. Storm drops him with a shoulder and a boot to the face into a backbreaker gets two on Size. There’s a gorilla press drop (Exotic: “Oh s*** fire!”) into a claw to send Size bailing into the corner. Size kicks away and hits an enziguri, followed by a tornado DDT (which Pendleton calls a neckbreaker). The moonsault misses though and the Perfect Storm (swinging Boss Man Slam) gives Storm the pin at 5:57.

Rating: D+. Storm is someone who has grown on me tremendously over the last year or so and a lot of that is due to how solid he is in the ring. He isn’t going to do anything flashy or anything you haven’t seen before, but he does things well enough that you can buy what you’re seeing. This was just a step ahead of a squash and it made Storm look like the biggest star on the show so far. Not too bad actually, at least from a presentation standpoint.

Post match Size hits on Tiffany and gets slapped. Size leaves and the ring announcer gets in the ring to talk about how great Storm is. A kid presents Storm with a portrait of Storm with the NWA World Title in a nice moment. Storm thanks the fans for coming out and says this is his home. They go to leave but here’s some unnamed heel to break the picture over Storm’s head. Classic angle that will always work, but SAYING THE GUY’S NAME might be a nice addition.

Simply Luscious vs. Brynne

I’m not sure if it’s Brynne or Brie, as the amateur hour continues. Commentary makes jokes about Luscious “taking male pills”, her claiming to be straight, and needing to shave under her arms. Luscious jumps her from behind for some face first rams into the buckle. Brynne comes back as Pendleton talks about how scary “the girl in the purple” (Luscious) is.

A double clothesline puts both of them down and they slug it out from their knees. Brynne hits some running splashes in the corner (Pendleton: “That was a sandwich. That was so big I’m going to call it a Subway.”) but a missed charge lets Luscious get a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 3:15. Pendleton: “The nasty woman won. Please go shave your armpits.”

Rating: D. I feel sorry for the women here as they seem to have been put on there more for the sake of having a women’s match on the card. Fair enough for them to get a payday and it’s FAR better than some disasters you’ll see on a show of this level, but my goodness commentary is actually getting worse. This was the kind of stuff that felt like warmed over Jerry Lawler material and I mean that in the worst possible way. This is getting worse and worse all night and I didn’t think that was possible.

Post match Luscious jumps her again and yells at commentary as Brynne takes off her boot. She leaves one in the ring and bows to the crowd, as this was apparently her last match.

It’s a ten minute intermission, but since this is on Joe Exotic TV, that means a Joe Exotic music video. In other words, music over video of him playing with tigers at his zoo.

After that video (which somehow required five camera operators and two directors), it’s the same video that opened the show.

And now, a third music video featuring Exotic and company feeding birds at the zoo. This goes so far beyond a vanity project that it’s hard to believe. In a nice moment, it is billed as a tribute to his father, who has Alzheimer’s. Also of note: the audio on these videos are terrible, as I haven’t changed it a bit and can barely make out the lyrics. Audio on the commentary is fine, but this might as well be whispered.

Back in the arena and the original ring announcer is back to introduce a Hall of Famer of some sort. He seems to be the referee.

Gino vs. Lance Hoyt

Well there’s your future star power, as Hoyt is AEW’s Lance Archer and Gino would go on to minor fame in MLW as Gino Medina. Believe it or not, Exotic’s format is off as he thinks this is a tag match featuring Charlie Haas. Hoyt bails to the floor as commentary talks about how horrible the bell is. They take turns rolling around to start and Gino grabs a waistlock to little avail. Some right hands and chops in the corner have Hoyt staggered and Gino knocks him to the floor.

Gino posts him (with Exotic not knowing what to call the post) and more chops have Hoyt in trouble. Back in and Gino’s springboard is broken up and Hoyt sends him face first into the announcers’ table. Now it’s Gino being posted but he slugs right back as commentary is freaking out about how close they’re getting to their table. Back in again and Hoyt runs him over with a shoulder as Pendleton keeps referring to Gino as Zorro.

Gino’s comeback is cut off by a running elbow to the face and we hit the neck crank. Hoyt gets two off a splash and the running splash in the corner keeps Gino in trouble. The yet to be named Blackout is escaped and Gino strikes away again, setting up a seated clothesline (Exotic: “I don’t know what that was called.”). A chokeslam gives Hoyt two and he catches Gino on top with the Blackout for the pin at 13:13.

Rating: C-. Watchable enough power vs. speed match here, even though Gino is a little bigger than most speed guys. You can see that Hoyt has come a long way in a few years here as he doesn’t quite have the same spark and fire here. Gino is someone who seems to have a lot of the tools but I’ve yet to see him put them all together. He’s far from bad, but I don’t know if I see the whole package.

Exotic: “You want a Coke?” He then goes on about trying to get a Coke, which is the most normal thing he’s said in at least an hour.

Charlie Haas/Randy White vs. Ty Wilson/Dante Smiley

Haas has a wooden paddle and Nigel as his manager. He also takes the mic from the ring announcer and shouts at everyone around, showing more charisma and energy than anyone else on the show so far. Jerome Daniels, a friend/stablemate of Wilson and Smiley sits in on commentary and is roughly 3857201749572475057x better than the two we’ve had so far. Like, he knows the wrestlers’ names!

Haas and Dante start as Davis talks about a successful trip the team made to Colorado recently. Haas stalls over and over, with nothing significant taking place in the first three minutes. Well granted something might be taking place in the ring but the camera is on commentary. Wayne comes in and immediately heads outside to yell at a fan. No, they aren’t doing anything physical, but it makes sense in this situation as the fans want to see them fight. It’s an art you don’t see enough of these days.

Back in and they lock up with Haas getting in a cheap shot, leaving White to start slapping. He accidentally slaps the referee so Haas comes over and gets yelled at as well. Smiley sends him into the corner for a dropkick but Wilson misses a charge. Haas comes in and stomps Smiley down in the corner, followed by some kicks to put him on the floor. The video feed starts glitching and Wayne works on the leg a bit more. Charlie hits a shinbreaker (Exotic: “Aw s***!”) and the rotating stomps continue.

Smiley slips out and makes the hot tag to Wilson, who is quickly low bridged to the floor (Exotic: “OH S***!”) to put them in trouble again. Back in and Haas hits a right hand to the jaw, followed by an overhead belly to belly for the flying crash. Dante gets knocked off the apron and White hits a t-bone suplex for two more. The reverse chinlock doesn’t last long so Haas goes with choking in the corner instead.

White’s chinlock keeps Wilson down but he fights up for a running knee to the face. That’s enough to bring Smiley back in and a Pele drops White. Everything breaks down and Dante’s leg gives out. Ty dives onto Haas….and I’m not sure if it connected or not due to the camera angle. Nigel offers a distraction though and Haas hits Smiley with a belt shot for the cheap pin at 22:45.

Rating: B-. Easily the best match of the night and a lot of that is due to having the commentary being competent for a change. The wrestling was good enough though as they set up a story and built it up over the match. You don’t see that on a show like this very often and Haas’ star power was shining strong here. Good match, partially because things were feeling a little more serious for a change.

Post match Daniels glares at Rabbit.

NWA Texoma Pro Heavyweight Title: Adam Asher vs. Ryan Davis

Davis is challenging and Daniels is still on commentary. Asher bails to the floor to start and then hides in the ropes as well. Davis sends him into some buckles, adds an uppercut, and then sends him into another buckle. They fight to the floor with Davis winning a slugout and sending Asher inside. Asher gets in a kick to the leg though and it’s time to work over said leg in the corner. The leg is wrenched down and a whip into the ropes sees Davis collapse in pain.

Davis holds up well enough to his a neckbreaker so Asher pulls out a chain to knock his way out of a belly to back suplex for two. The comeback is on with clotheslines and right hands in the corner as the fans are starting to get into this. The ref gets bumped and Asher goes low for a delayed near fall. Back up and the ref gets bumped a second time, allowing Asher to throw powder in Davis’ face to retain at 12:58. Exotic: S***!”

Rating: C-. This could have been worse as we had two big guys who were hitting each other fairly hard, but the tag match was better and they were going to have trouble following that. Also the ending got a little too messy and they could have gone with one of the three finishes instead of the whole trilogy. Not bad or anything, but just kind of there.

Post match Asher leaves but comes back out to Pillmanize Davis’ leg. Exotic and Pendleton (who hasn’t been heard in the last two matches) tell Daniels to get in there for the save and, after a test pattern, we see Daniels and a few other wrestlers helping Davis.

Overall Rating: D+. I’m really not sure what to think on this one, but it wasn’t exactly thrilling. We’ll get to the big part at the end but there’s nothing on this show that you need to see. It’s a pretty standard indy show with a few names you might recognize and little more. Jerome Daniels stood out both in the ring and on commentary and I wouldn’t mind seeing more of him.

But then there’s the commentary and e pluribus gads it might beat Heroes of Wrestling for the worst I have ever heard. Exotic being on there….fine. Yes he has one of the most annoying voices in recent memory and he swears far too much for what looks to be a family wrestling show, but is it too much to ask to KNOW THE NAMES OF THE WRESTLERS??? He seems to be the promoter and there are times where he doesn’t know who is wrestling in front of him. How is that something that slipped by you? Just…..write them down or something. It’s not that hard.

Then there was Pendleton, who really did seem like he had never been to a wrestling show before and was just there to fill in a seat. Get one of the wrestlers (maybe the NWA WORLD CHAMPION perhaps) to do it as they could at least know the names of moves. It was as much of an amateur hour clown show as I’ve ever heard and I was wondering if they swapped Daniels in for Pendleton just for how useless the latter was. Anyway, the show itself is fine enough, but save yourself an aspirin addiction and watch it with the sound off.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: June 12, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

Things have picked up in the slightest sense over the last few weeks as a minor feud has broken out. I wouldn’t expect it to go much further than that but I’ll take what I can get at this point. We now have a full on heel Cruiserweight Champion with lackeys and he’ll need a challenger after Drake Maverick. Maybe someone on here can be built up in that way. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ever Rise vs. Leon Ruff/Adrian Alanis

Martel armdrags Ruff down to start so it’s off to Parker vs. Alanis. The armdrags into the armbar put Parker down and it’s right back to the other two. This time Ruff gets in his own armbar but it’s right back to Martel for a running elbow in the corner. The top wristlock keeps Ruff down for a few seconds until he’s over to Alanis for the hot tag. That doesn’t go well either and it’s Martel holding Alanis up for a running Codebreaker from Parker for the pin at 4:25.

Rating: D+. Ever Rise were a nice team in the indies but they’re not clicking whatsoever around here. They’re just two guys in tights who have passable matches. In other words, they’re TM61 without as much talent or Pokemon jokes. You can see the effort, but sounding like a knockoff battery brand isn’t helping them.

We recap Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch’s mixed results against Tehuti Miles.

We look at Isaiah Scott beating Jack Gallagher but getting beaten down after.

We look at Hijo del Fantasma turning heel by attacking Jack Gallagher, joining forces with Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde and unmasking as Santos Escobar.

Tehuti Miles/Tony Nese/Jack Gallagher vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch/Isaiah Scott

Makes sense. Miles tags himself in to start, much to Gallagher’s annoyance, so Burch elbows him in the face. It’s off to Lorcan and then Scott in the span of a second as the arm cranking continues. Nese comes in and gets headlocked down by Scott, followed by a headscissors from Lorcan. Back up and Gallagher comes in, allowing Nese to snap Lorcan’s throat across the top. The villains take over, including a suplex/middle rope dropkick combination for two.

Miles’ hard clothesline gets two and we hit the chinlock. That doesn’t last long so Miles goes with a flapjack, but hang on as he needs to check his hair. The delay allows the tag off to Scott so the pace can pick up. The rolling Downward Spiral gets two on Miles with Gallagher making the save. Burch throws Scott into the corner to dropkick Miles as everything breaks down. Nese’s spinning kick to the face gets two on Burch but Miles checks his hair again. That’s too much for Gallagher, who walks out because he’s not babysitting kids. Nese goes to talk him out of it as Burch headbutts Miles. The Confidence Boost finishes at 7:43.

Rating: C. Just a six man here and that’s all well and good. What matters most here though is Scott continues to get the push to the next level. He has all the tools needed to be a major challenger and now he seems to be moving in that direction. That being said, he has been here before and WWE has pulled the plug so it’s cautious optimism at best.

Overall Rating: C-. It wasn’t a great show but they’re doing SOMETHING around here. No it isn’t much, but at the same time it’s better than sitting around watching the same stuff over and over again with no story or interest whatsoever. The show still offers a grand total of nothing significant, but at least they’re not just sitting around wasting time every single week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: June 11, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: MVP, Tom Phillips

It’s time for a go home edition of the show and that should mean that at least part of this should be more interesting than usual. However, that isn’t exactly the most likely situation with the rest of the show, because Main Event doesn’t work that way. If nothing else it just makes you realize that WWE has a lot of people on its roster and they are in quite the tiered structure. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Natalya vs. Liv Morgan

Feeling out process to start with Liv nipping up out of a headscissors. She counters a wristlock into one of her own but Natalya takes her down with a waistlock. Liv spins out of that and smiles at Natalya, who is getting annoyed at Liv’s lack of seriousness. A kick to the back of the trunks sets up the basement dropkick, followed by the sitout powerbomb out of the corner.

The surfboard lets Natalya kick Liv face first into the mat but Liv pops back up with the clotheslines. There’s the Shining Wizard and a double stomp to the back gives Liv two. Oblivion is countered though and they go into a rollup exchange for a bunch of near falls. The Sharpshooter is loaded up but Natalya reverses into a small package for the pin at 5:32.

Rating: C-. Morgan is a great case of someone who might not have all the tools but she seems to be working hard to improve. That is going to get her somewhere at some point and giving her a win over someone like Natalya (not the biggest star but better than others) is going to mean something. Not a terrible match, though to be fair it’s the opener on Main Event.

Post match Natalya has another fit.

From Smackdown.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross vs. Sasha Banks/Bayley

Bayley and Banks are challenging and it’s Cross running Bayley over to start. Bliss slaps Bayley and Cross comes back in for a running shot in the corner. Bliss is driven into the corner and Banks gets in her own slap. That just annoys Bliss again and she gets over to Cross to clean house. Bayley gets crushed on the floor but a Banks distraction lets Bayley hit a running knee. The Meteora from the apron takes Cross down and we take a break.

A quick Code Red gives Bliss two as Cross hits a tornado DDT on Bayley on the floor. It’s back to Cross for a high crossbody but Banks pulls her into the Bank Statement. Bayley breaks up her own partner’s hold because Banks isn’t legal and the DQ was coming, sending commentary into an argument over whether or not that makes sense. Banks tags herself in and Bank Statements Cross, only to be reversed into a rollup. That rollup is countered into another rollup to give Banks the pin and the titles at 12:32.

Rating: C-. The ending was kind of messy but I can go with the title change. The titles don’t exactly mean much at the moment but some title changes might spice things up a bit. If nothing else it can get some interest on the titles because you can only get so far on the champions posing with the titles. Maybe they can use this to further Bayley vs. Banks, as it’s only been built for the better part of a year now.

From Raw.

Here’s Christian for the Peep Show with Edge. After Edge sits down, Christian says Edge is running on fumes and couldn’t pull off the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever in his prime. They’re best friends so they have to be honest with each other. Edge talks about how difficult it is to have this kind of a burden put on him. This is a different Edge though and isn’t the same guy who had to calm Christian down before all of their tag matches. It’s an Edge firing on every cylinder, even though he doesn’t know how many cylinders he has left.

Christian says he’s hearing excuses and he wants to know what Edge was expecting when he came back? Flash a smile and hit some spears before he goes home? Edge’s biggest fan was his mom, who is going to be there for this one too. Christian calls him Adam as Edge’s lip is quivering and that’s what Christian was looking for.

Edge put Orton down at Wrestlemania because he has the anti-venom and we believe in him. We think you can have the greatest match ever, and here’s Orton on the screen to interrupt. Orton is tired of hearing about this and is ready to take away every ounce of GRIT that Edge has. This Sunday, in the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever, the redemption of Edge is over. Edge: “No it’s not.” And he leaves.

That was one of the dumbest segments I can remember in a good while and sums up the problem with this entire setup. In the entire Edge and Christian segment, there was not one mention or reference to Edge winning the match. The whole point was having a great match and if Edge won, that was just a bonus. As a fan, why should I care if Edge can have a great match? I should be caring about who wins and loses, not how many stars a match is going to get. It’s one thing for a wrestling fan to think that way but for a wrestling company to be presenting that as the story? That’s a really bad sign.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Shane Thorne

The lockup sends Thorne to the apron and Shelton takes him to the mat without much effort. MVP doesn’t think the wrestling stuff is going to work here for Thorne because MVP has some intelligence. Back up and Shelton grabs the ankle lock, sending Thorne straight back to the apron. Thorne finally sends him to the corner for a cannonball and we take a break.

Back with Thorne working on the arm with some knees and tying it around the bottom rope. The Dragon Whip gets Shelton out of trouble though and he whips Thorne hard into the corner. Shane can’t get a crossface chickenwing so Shelton knees him in the face. Paydirt finishes Thorne at 10:57.

Rating: C-. Shelton is another case of someone who isn’t going to go anywhere but at least he’s getting to do something in the ring most weeks. Thorne’s push has stopped cold and I can’t say I’m surprised. He’s just kind of there for the most part and that isn’t enough to warrant a ton of television time.

We recap Miz and Morrison “pranking” Braun Strowman. They deserved to have their van wrecked.

From Raw.

Viking Raiders vs. MVP/Bobby Lashley

Drew and the Profits are at ringside. Lashley hits a quick Downward Spiral to Ivar but some knees to the ribs get him out of trouble. It’s off to Erik for a knee to MVP as Lana is watching in the back. Ivar slams Erick onto MVP so Lashley comes in to run Erik over. MVP adds a chinlock but quickly hands it back to Lashley to hammer away.

Erik punches his way to freedom though and it’s back to Ivar to clean house. Everything breaks down with MVP and Lashley yelling at the Profits, leaving Ivar to dive onto both of them as we take a break. Back with the Vikings beating Lashley up some more, including an armbar from Ivar.

We cut to an interview with Lana, who talks about how she needs to work on her marriage. Back to full screen with MVP working over Ivar, who flips over MVP’s back to make the hot tag to Erik. Lashley gets sent outside, where he stares at McIntyre and then spears Ivar. Back in and the full nelson makes Erik tap at 15:10.

Rating: C. The action was good and it makes Lashley look like a monster to make someone like Erik tap. That being said, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, I hope they wait a bit before doing the Raiders vs. the Profits again. Lashley came off great here as the Raiders are big but he’s better. Good booking, assuming they don’t have the Raiders shrug it off and go for the titles immediately.

Post match Ivar punches MVP and gets full nelsoned as well. The Street Profits can’t break it up, but the Claymore certainly can.

Overall Rating: D+. Totally run of the mill Main Event here and that’s not the best thing in the world. There is only so much that you can get out of a show like this and this week was good evidence of that. You could feel the lack of importance in the matches, but at least they had some focus on the Backlash build. Not a great focus mind you, but a focus.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: June 10, 2020

We have an interesting subject this week with Brody King, who is more of a supporting character than a top star. King has been around the company for a little while now as part of Marty Scurll’s Villain Enterprises, but I’m wondering if he has enough to get a full show. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick look at King, including his family life. King is teaching his son to spend more time outside and teaching himself how to smoke meat. He’s also a gamer, but gets annoyed at them in a hurry. After a look at King doing yoga, we see his debut as part of Villain Enterprises in December 2018.

We’re going to start with King’s first match back from a knee injury on ROH TV, January 29, 2020.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Villain Enterprises vs. Flamita/Bandido/Rey Horus

Marty, Flip and Brody King are defending. Brody and Flamita start things off with the masked one being launched into the corner. A shoulder drops Flamita again and his chop just annoys King. Back up and Flamita manages a running hurricanrana, only to get knocked down again. Marty and Bandido come in with Bandido hitting a running dropkick. A running hurricanrana is blocked and it’s a quick standoff, with the fans being behind the luchadors.

Horus and Flip come in to continue the very formalized series of tags. A running kick to the back of the head gives Horus an early two so Flip is back with a kick to the mask. Flip sends him outside so Marty can get in a running shot and we settle down a bit. King comes in to take over on Horus with a splash giving Marty two. Back from a break with Gordon clotheslining Marty by mistake, allowing the hot tag off to Bandido.

The top rope spinning crossbody takes King down again, followed by a moonsault to the floor from Bandido with the other two hitting running flip dives at the same time (awesome spot). Back in and Flip gets beaten down, including Bandido suplexing Flamita into a moonsault for two. Gordon is right back with a springboard spear and it’s King coming back in to start wrecking people. Everything breaks down again and the sunset flip into a German suplex gets two on Flamita.

King kicks Scurll off the apron by mistake though and Horus is back in with his springboard tornado DDT for two. Bandido’s crucifix bomb plants King again and a Spanish Fly does the same to Flip. Horus DDTs the heck out of King again and everyone is down to a VERY warm reception from the fans. Bandido and Scurll are up for the slugout with the X Knee hitting Scurll.

Back up and Scurll tries to fight off all three challengers at once, earning himself a superkick into a moonsault slam for two. Flip and King are back in for the exchange of chops, followed by the Motor City Machine Guns’ Made In Detroit for two on Bandido. Flip and King dive onto Horus and Flamita so a triple kick to the head can get two on Bandido. Marty takes way too long loading up the chickenwing though (some things never change) and it’s a victory roll to get Bandido the pin and the titles at 16:47.

Rating: B+. As usual, Ring of Honor is at its best when they let it all hang out and go nuts, which is what they did here. Villain Enterprises are awesome in matches like this one and you can’t go wrong with Bandido and company. This was a heck of an entertaining match with everyone getting to show off. It’s also good to keep the World Champion out of this as he shouldn’t be taking a loss, even if someone else gets pinned.

Next up is Cobb’s singles debut from Death Before Dishonor 2019.

Pre-Show: Jeff Cobb vs. Brody King

They trade the power shoves to start but Cobb can’t get his hand all the way up for a test of strength. Brody is nice enough to lower his hands and they roll around without breaking the grip. An exchange of shoulders goes nowhere so Cobb counters a charge with an overhead belly to belly.

King wins a strike off though and kicks Cobb down for a running backsplash before he just stomps away in the corner. Cobb pops back up for a clothesline though and it’s a double clothesline for a double knockdown. They slug it out from their knees and trade some running shots against the ropes. A Boss Man Slam gives King two but Cobb catches him on top with a dropkick.

That means a stalling superplex for one, followed by a standing moonsault for two. King’s hurricanrana puts Cobb on the floor for the suicide dive, setting up the piledriver for a VERY close two as the announcers aren’t sure about the kickout. They trade snap German suplexes but Cobb is right back with the Tour of the Islands for the pin at 12:59.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t a match that required a lot of thinking and that’s a good idea sometimes. The point of this was to have two monsters in there beating each other up and that is exactly what we got. Cobb is someone who could carry the World Title based on matches like this and King gets to show that he is more than just a tag guy. Good match, but it would have been even better on the main show in front of a warmed up crowd and without with more time. Still though, rather entertaining as Cobb tends to be.

From Road To Supercard of Honor Night 3, January 26, 2019.

Tag Wars Finals: Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises

It’s David Finlay/Juice Robinson vs. PCO/Brody King with the winners winning a tournament and a future Tag Team Title shot. King headlocks Finlay to start and then runs him over with a shoulder. Finlay gets in an uppercut though and Robinson comes in for a double suplex. Back from a break with PCO shouting at Robinson, whose running shoulders just hurt himself. The snap jabs get the same result but PCO kicks him in the chest to take over.

There’s a backsplash to crush Robinson again and a running dropkick to the back of the head puts him down. A belly to back suplex doesn’t quite work and it’s a double dropkick to put PCO down. There’s a double flapjack for the same but PCO sends them into each other. King comes back in to send PCO into Finlay in the corner, followed by the running backsplash.

We cut to a shot of commentary and come back with King chinlocking Finlay and driving an elbow into his face. PCO’s chokebreaker sets up a heck of a clothesline from King as Finlay is in trouble. King lays Finlay throat first across the middle rope and hits a cannonball but Finlay slips out of a powerbomb. The hot tag brings in Robinson to pick up the pace, including his own cannonball, which he insists is better.

Back from another break with PCO hitting a running clothesline in the corner into a DDT. The top rope splash misses though and Finlay gets the tag. The double teaming doesn’t work whatsoever though and PCO sends them both outside for a dive. Back in and a sitout powerbomb gets two on Finlay with Robinson making a save. Juice punches away at both monsters and drops King with a big left.

The same big left just makes PCO freak out and it’s a discus forearm to drop Robinson. PCO misses the Swanton to the apron though and Robinson sends PCO into the barricade. Back in and Finlay spears King down, setting up a clothesline to the back of the head for two. King isn’t having any of that though and gets in a shot to the face, setting up the Ganso Bomb to finish Finlay at 15:27.

Rating: C+. Pretty good stuff here with the Villains being some solid monsters against the young, plucky faces. Robinson’s left hand not working on PCO gave us a great visual and made him look like a monster all over again. The Villains winning made more sense here though, as just having them together with Marty Scurll makes them seem all the more important.

We finish up with some quick clips of Villain Enterprises winning the Tag Team Titles.

King wraps it up and promises that the company will be back.

Overall Rating: B-. This wasn’t so much a Best Of Brody King show but rather more a Best Of Villain Enterprises show with Cobb vs. King included as a bonus feature. That’s about what I was expecting though as there is only so much you can get out of a feature on someone who is primarily a tag guy. The action was good, but you can tell these shows getting a little weaker as time goes by.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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