IMG Credit: WWE

Dynamite
Date: April 8, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re still in wherever the heck we are for the second week of what seems to be a marathon taping session. That’s probably the only way to get through the current situation so this is how things are going to be for a good while. The big story tonight is the start of the TNT Title tournament so let’s get to it.

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

Jake Roberts asks if you would prefer to be staring down a train coming at you or face Lance Archer. Last week, Archer destroyed Marko Stunt, which made Roberts wonder how insane Stunt is. Then there’s Cody, who might be better off losing to Shawn Spears to avoid facing Archer in the second round.

Lance Archer vs. Alan Eagles

Archer shoves Eagles down, choke suplexes him across the ring and finishes with the Blackout at 2:09.

Preview of the rest of the show.

Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida

They shove each other to start until Shida forearms her in the face a few times. Baker avoids a dropkick and bails out to the floor for a breather. Back in and they grab each other by the hair with Baker being taken down in the corner. A Fameasser gives Baker two and she punches away at the face, with Jericho talking about how she’s making her own patients. Britt sends her into the ropes and talks a lot of trash, even going to the floor to talk straight into the camera.

That’s enough for Shida to get up and stalk Baker, only to get sent into the barricade. Shida comes back and puts her over the barricade, where some of the jobbers posing as fans hold Baker in place. A running knee hits Baker and we take a break. Back with Shida hitting a suplex and pulling Baker into a triangle choke until a rope is grabbed. Baker comes back with a Sling Blade into a butterfly suplex for two on Shida.

Shida gets to the rope before Lockjaw can go on and a shot tot he face busts Baker’s nose. A Michinoku Driver gets two on Shida but baker pulls her down into Lockjaw, only to stop to put on a glove. That’s enough for Shida to escape and knee her in the face but Baker hits a low superkick as the blood is all over Baker’s face. Shida gets choked on the rope but they fight to the top with Baker getting dropped hard onto the buckle. Shida’s running knee finally finishes Baker at 17:04.

Rating: B+. Well that came out of nowhere. This might not have been a great match but it was a great fight with the two of them beating the heck out of each other and making me wonder which of them was going to survive. I got sucked up into this one and it was an awesome match which far exceeded expectations.

Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa try to figure out a team name for tonight. Nakazawa suggests Best Friends and Omega has to explain things. The real Best Friends and Orange Cassidy come in and complain about the name so they’ll be having a match for the rights to call themselves the real best friends. That made me sigh rather heavily.

Here are the Top Five tag teams:

5. Best Friends

4. Lucha Bros

3. SCU

2. Young Bucks

1. Dark Order

Women’s Top Five

5. Riho

4. Britt Baker

3. Yuka Sakazaki

2. Kris Stadtlander

1. Hikaru Shida

Men’s Top Five

5. Darby Allin

4. Kenny Omega

3. Cody

2. Chris Jericho

1. Jake Hager

Video on Jake Hager vs. Jon Moxley for the World Title next week in a No Holds Barred match. Moxley fights for the love of the sport while Hager fights for prizes and money. Hager’s wife says he has to win or don’t come home. Moxley has come a long way but Hager is a different kind of opponent. Hager’s training partners think he’s ready to destroy Moxley. They’re both ready though and it could go three minutes or thirty minutes. Good video, even if they don’t have a long history together.

Video on Cody vs. Shawn Spears, who have a long history before they face off in the tournament.

Best Friends vs. Kenny Omega/Michael Nakazawa

Nakazawa has his baby oil ready, sending Jericho into a rant about the things you would find on him before a match. That would include a fork and a pencil, with Tony sounding bewildered. Taylor armdrags Omega to start, much to Jericho’s approval. It’s off to Nakazawa to chop Trent against the ropes, earning himself an even harder chop. Therefore, it’s baby oil time so Trent’s chops have no effect. Meaning Nakazawa and Omega can stomp away.

Trent gets crotched against the post with Nakazawa pulling on his legs and marching forward as we take a break. Back with Nakazawa crotching Trent on top and sliding him down the rope as Shawn Spears, in the crowd, can’t understand the oil. Omega comes in for the chinlock but Trent fights up and gets the hot tag to Taylor for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and the Best Friends hit suicide dives but hang on because Orange Cassidy has to come in for the triple hug.

That’s broken up though, meaning Omega and Nakazawa try their own hug. That one doesn’t work either so Nakazawa can miss a double clothesline on the Best Friends, leaving Jericho almost cracking up on commentary. Cassidy gets back in and Nakazawa takes the sunglasses. Don’t worry though as Cassidy as another pair so he can dive on Omega. Trent’s tornado DDT gets two on Nakazawa but he misses a charge in the corner. Omega misses a charge into the corner though and Trent hits a running knee.

A pop up sitout powerbomb gives Chuck two on Omega and everyone is down. Hold on though as Nakazawa pulls off his underwear for a Claw on Trent, which Jericho says is enough to make him submit. Nakazawa does it to Omega by mistake though and it’s Eat Defeat into a half and half suplex to drop Nakazawa for two more. Omega gets sent into the barricade and it’s Strong Zero for the pin on Nakazawa at 16:32.

Rating: C-. I think you know my thoughts on this kind of comedy by now and watching a sixteen minute version of the whole thing wasn’t exactly my thing. That being said, I can live with it a lot more when it’s all comedy and lighthearted instead of stopping a serious match for the jokes, so this was nowhere near as bad/annoying as some of the others.

Post match, all five of them hug.

Brodie Lee yells at some Creepers for not being in their best looking gear. He’s here to make things better so get it together. They go inside the building because Lee has an idea for them.

Britt Baker isn’t cool with what Hikaru Shida did to her but don’t worry because she can fix it. She’s a dentist.

Video on Hager being dominant in two sports. Moxley talks about how violent it’s going to be next week. Hager keeps talking about how he’s a winner and winners win championships. Moxley doesn’t know if Hager can dig down deep enough for this, but Hager doesn’t care what Moxley has done on the way to the match. All that matters is Hager knows he can win, but Moxley promises to f*** him up.

Matt Hardy talks about the Inner Circle, including Chris Jericho brainwashing Jake Hager. Then Jericho tried to recruit Vanguard1, which isn’t cool with Hardy. He requests Vanguard1 bring him the shirt from last week, but Vanguard1 has lit it on fire. Hardy wants Jericho to come to the Hardy compound for the Elite Deletion.

Brodie Lee vs. Lee Johnson

Lee kicks him in the face twice in a row and hits a slingshot hilo for a bonus. A suplex makes it worse and a discus lariat to the back of the head finishes Johnson at 1:29. As it should be.

Post match, Lee stares down Marko Stunt for reasons I don’t want to understand.

Video on Cody vs. Shawn Spears.

TNT Title First Round: Cody vs. Shawn Spears

Brandi is here with Cody. Spears gets sent to the apron early on as Jericho rants about Aubrey Edwards hassling him all the time. Tony: “Isn’t she just doing her job?” You can guess Jericho’s reaction to that one. Spears’ knees to the ribs don’t do much good so he bails to the floor off the threat of a Figure Four. Cody rolls him up a few times as Jericho tries to figure out what is left for Cody if he loses here.

A pump kick drops Spears again but the moonsault misses, allowing Spears to grab a piledriver for two. We take a break and come back with Jericho talking about how great Canadians are. Jericho: “There’s a guy in Guatemala who is pretty good though.” Spears suplexes him onto a piece of the barricade at ringside and Cody seems to have banged up his heel.

A springboard frog splash hits Cody’s knees though and the comeback is on. The snap powerslam gets two but the Disaster kick misses, allowing Spears to spinebuster him for two. Back from another break with Spears pulling out a table but getting knocked down, allowing Cody to finish putting the table up. They get back in and Cody gets caught on top with a release belly to belly superplex for the double knockdown.

Brandi gets on the apron and her distraction almost gets her knocked through the table. Instead Spears AA’s Cody from the ring through the table for the huge crash. That’s good for a very slow nine count so Cody gets back in for a pair of Cross Rhodes for a near fall. Cody puts on the Figure Four….for the pin at 21:32. That’s a weird one as Spears wasn’t out or anything and was still fighting.

Rating: B. Good enough here and that ending was rather surprising. The AA through the table looked great and I liked the match more than their All Out version. Spears is still little more than a good hand, but this was better than his usual outings. Cody winning was the only logical call and I’m glad to see where they’re going with the whole tournament.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show with two rather good matches and a tag match which only kind of got on my nerves. They’re going to be in a different mode for a long time to come and it was nice to see that they know how to make things work in this situation. Solid show here and if this is a preview of things to come, I’ll be rather pleased.

Results

Lance Archer b. Alan Eagles – Blackout

Hikaru Shida b. Britt Baker – Running knee

Best Friends b. Michael Nakazawa/Kenny Omega – Strong Zero to Nakazawa

Cody b. Shawn Spears – Pin in a Figure Four

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: AEW

Dark
Date: April 7, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Cody, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz, Jimmy Havoc

So in a world where AEW had to do a marathon taping because they don’t know when they will be able to tape again, this show still exists. Why that is the case, instead of saving these matches for as long as they can in the case of a rainy day isn’t clear, but I’m sure I’m just missing the importance of making sure that an unnecessary supplemental show keeps running. Let’s get to it.

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

QT Marshall vs. Lee Johnson

Marshall takes him into the corner to start and they run the ropes a bit. A hiptoss takes Marshall down and we hit the quickly broken armbar. There’s a legdrop for two and it’s off to an abdominal stretch. Marshall charges into some boots in the corner but it’s a Lethal Combination to put Johnson down. The Swanton gives Marshall (who is cut underneath the eye) the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C-. What is there to say about something like this? It was just a quick squash featuring a low level guy who is only there in a tag team that doesn’t have the biggest future. That being said, Marshall is a great hand and someone who can do a fine enough match with just about anyone.

Wardlow vs. Ryan Pyles

MJF is here with Wardlow, who slowly takes off his black suit. The release F5 and a delayed cover finishes Pyles at 29 seconds.

Kip Sabian vs. Tony Donati

Penelope Ford is here too. Sabian snapmares him down to start but Tony grabs a headlock to slow things down. That earns him an armdrag takeover but a shot to the check sends Sabian into the corner. The ruse allows Ford to choke on the ropes and a penalty kick gives Sabian two. As the announcers discuss the different kinds of football, Tony grabs a hammerlock brainbuster for two. A quick edit takes us to Sabian striking away and pulling Tony down into kind of an Octopus Hold/Koji Clutch on the mat for the tap at 6:03.

Rating: C-. This was slightly more competitive than I would have expected, though it is nice to see Sabian getting in a win for a change. He rarely does anything significant but it’s better than seeing him lose over and over again. Sabian and Ford could be a rather nice midcard pairing so hopefully they get put in the right place.

Overall Rating: D. Well that happened. This was a nothing show with three matches that were either squashes or close to being one and that isn’t exactly a show that needed to exist. I really don’t see the point in having this show take place but at less than nineteen minutes, it’s rather hard to get too annoyed. Nothing to see here, and that’s just a step above being literal.

Results

QT Marshall b. Lee Johnson – Swanton

Wardlow b. Ryan Pyles – Release F5

Kip Sabian b. Tony Donati – Reverse Koji Clutch

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: World Wrestling Network

Evolve 125
Date: April 4, 2019
Location: La Boom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Lenny Leonard, Rob Niemi

This is another one of the shows that I was hoping to see last year but for one reason or another it never happened. That’s where a free month of Club WWN (plus the company putting the show up for free on YouTube) can be handy and that’s why I’m here today. This show seemed to be pretty well received so hopefully it holds up. Let’s get to it.

As usual, I have no idea what is coming or what is going on here so bare with me if I miss a plot point.

The commentators/hosts are in the ring to welcome us to the show. They run down the card, just in case someone wandered in here off the street thinking it was a store that sold farmer’s almanacs. Cue Adrian Jaoude (also of NXT) to interrupt, saying he’s here to fight.

Harlem Bravado vs. Adrian Jaoude

Jaoude takes him down with ease to start and Bravado bails to the rope in a hurry. Bravado stomps away instead and hits a leg trap suplex for two. The chinlock keeps Jaoude down and it’s a Death Valley Driver to give Bravado two more. Bravado starts talking trash though and gets his fingers snapped back. The hand gets slammed down onto the mat and a hard German suplex drops Bravado. A spinning kick to the face makes it even worse, followed by a quick kneebar to make Bravado tap at 5:00.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match to get things going and Jaoude looked good as the monster who can take you apart with the martial arts skills. I’ve liked his stuff in NXT and while Bravado looked fine, they made a big deal out of his start and stop success. That seems to be part of a long running story for him and if so, this would seem to play into it well enough.

Kazusada Higuchi vs. Curt Stallion

Higuchi seems to be a big time guest star. They take turns stretching to start and the much smaller Stallion makes himself scream a bit. Higuchi powers him into the corner for a friendly pat to the chest and it’s time to work on Stallion’s arm. The wristlock into the hammerlock has Stallion screaming even more, so he fails at a shoulder block instead. Higuchi’s shoulder sends Stallion bailing to the floor for a breather.

That means Higuchi gets to follow and chop away, followed by a shot to block Stallion’s suicide dive. It’s been one sided so far as Stallion can’t get around the size and power. Back in and more chops keep Stallion down but he pops back up with an abdominal stretch to to slow Highcuhi for the first time. Actually make it an Octopus Hold but Higuchi is in the ropes in a hurry.

A German suplex takes care of Stallion again (Fan: “STAY DOWN!”) but he’s right back up with his own bridging German suplex for two. Stallion hits a running dropkick in the corner and a DDT gets two more. For some reason Stallion is willing to chop it out again, which goes as well as you might have expected. He even asks Higuchi to chop him and that’s actually makes things worse.

This time though Stallion comes back with a knee to the chest, only to get chopped down again. A running powerslam gives Higuchi two more but Stallion grabs White Noise onto the knee for his own near fall. Stallion’s headbutt connects for another two but he misses a top rope splash. Higuchi grabs a Doctor Bomb for the pin at 11:21.

Rating: C. The fact that Higuchi had a WWN Title match the next day should have told you everything you needed to know about this one. It’s not a great match or anything but it was kind of entertaining to see Higuchi destroy the much smaller Stallion. Higuchi wasn’t flashy but he was intimidating and looked powerful so there was something to him. He would have a better match the next day too.

Post match Stallion gets an ovation. It wasn’t that good of a match.

We look at Josh Briggs beating AR Fox but hurting himself in the process. He was taken out on a stretcher and wound up with a dislocated hip.

Here’s Briggs, on crutches, for a chat. A few weeks ago, he wasn’t sure if he was going to walk again, let alone wrestle, but the fans made him believe that the doctor’s words didn’t matter. They weren’t sure how they were going to get out of the building but then the fans parted like the Red Sea and let him get out for medical treatment. Briggs appreciates the fans more than they will ever know but he promises to win the Evolve Title when (yes when) he comes back.

John Silver/Alex Reynolds vs. AR Fox/Leon Ruff

Silver and Reynolds are now in the Dark Order in AEW so this company probably had a lot to do with getting them jobs there. Hold on though as Fox and Ruff have to dance with the entourage before we’re ready to go. Reynolds works on Fox’s arm to start but Fox flips over and dances some more. Back up and they both miss a bunch of clotheslines but Fox gets one off a backslide.

Fox blocks an RKO attempt and grabs a Codebreaker, allowing Ruff to slingshot in for an elbow to the back. Silver comes in and flips into a choke on Ruff, who slips out for a screaming headlock. A one armed gorilla press has Ruff in trouble but he armdrags his way out without much trouble. Ruff’s multiple springboards armdrag sends Silver outside for a top rope flip dive, with Ruff sticking the landing of course.

Reynolds breaks up a suicide dive though and it’s Ruff in trouble for a change, including a snap suplex to give Reynolds two. A double flipping faceplant gets two on Ruff and it’s back to Silver for some crossface shots to the face into the reverse chinlock. Ruff fights up and manages a hurricanrana to send Silver into Reynolds, meaning it’s off to Fox to clean house.

A Thesz press lets Fox hammer away on Silver and there’s a rolling cutter to drop him again. Fox hits a big no hands dive onto Reynolds and Coast to Coast….well it grazes Silver for two at least. Reynolds gets a blind tag though and superkicks Fox for two. Silver and Reynolds hit a powerbomb/Rough Ryder combination for two with Ruff having to make the save.

Fox grabs a double cutter on Silver and Reynolds but they’re right back with a series of kicks to the head. Everyone winds up in the same corner and it’s Fox superplexing Silver, followed by Lo Mein Pain (springboard Spanish Fly). Ruff’s Swanton sets up For’s 450 to finish Reynolds at 15:48.

Rating: B-. Solid back and forth match here with everyone getting a chance to show off a bit. Fox looks like the established star and comes off like one of the legends around here (appropriate, as that is the case) and Ruff isn’t bad either. Silver and Reynolds got to showcase themselves as well and I can understand how AEW saw something in them, even in limited rolls.

Post match, Fox, Ruff and company dance some more.

Darby Allin vs. Anthony Henry

Priscilla Kelly is with Allin and there must be a winner. Henry’s face is half painted ala Darby’s (albeit the other side for a change of pace), making me think they had mixed up the graphics for a bit. The fans are WAY behind Allin here and Henry bails straight to the floor to start. You don’t do that to Allin, who hits a suicide dive into the barricade. Back in and the Coffin Drop is blocked but Allin flips out of a German suplex and armdrags Henry to the floor. Now the suicide dive can connect so it’s time to fight into the crowd.

Henry drops him ribs first onto the barricade and adds a running double stomp to the back. They get back in with Allin grabbing a brainbuster for a quick double down. Back up and they slug it out with Henry hitting a TKO across the top rope. Allin is back in for a pinfall reversal sequence but he can’t get the Last Supper. A TKO Stunner plants Allin so a Jackknife cover can get two. Henry talks a lot of trash though and gets caught with the flipping Stunner. That’s fine with Henry, who kicks him in the head and stomps away at the head for the referee stoppage at 7:22.

Rating: B-. You really can see the star power in Allin, though the fans kind of died on the finish there. Allin comes off as a star and I’m not sure why you would have him lose here. This felt like the ending to a big feud and with Allin being advertised for a match tomorrow, it’s a rather confusing ending. At least they beat each other up rather well and it felt like a violent match, which is what it should have been given the story they built up.

Post match Henry leaves but here’s Brandi Lauren to jump Kelly to set up their mixed tag match tomorrow.

Referees help Allin stagger to the back.

Angelo Dawkins vs. Colby Corino

Corino is part of the Unwanted and the Street Profits get a huge reaction (NXT and Evolve have a working relationship in case you’re REALLY confused right now). Montez Ford cracks up at the idea that he’s fighting someone as small as Corino and promises to take care of the rest of the Unwanted if they show up.

Corino’s slap is swatted away so Dawkins hits a release gutwrench suplex. Dawkins isn’t done and picks him up for a big swing before the second toss. A kick to the head out of the corner staggers Dawkins and a Meteora puts him down. Some running forearms in the corner don’t do Corino much good though as he gets suplexed again for his efforts. A toss spinebuster finishes Corino at 2:26, as it should have.

Post match Dawkins asks if that’s all there is. If anyone from the Unwanted wants a shot, come get him. Cue WWN Champion JD Drake (not part of the Unwanted) to say the Unwanted isn’t coming out when someone is waiting on them. Drake is here to fight though so let’s have a title match right now.

WWN Title: Angelo Dawkins vs. JD Drake

Drake is defending. They shake hands to start but Drake hits a chop, with Dawkins being glad to reciprocate. Dawkins hits a dropkick and some running elbows in the corner put Drake on the floor early on. Another chop off goes to Drake and he runs Dawkins over to impress the fans. More chops have Dawkins in more trouble, including even more to knock him down. A headbutt gives Drake two and a sliding lariat is good for the same as the pace has slowed a bit.

Dawkins fights back up with some hard shoulders, setting up the spinning splash in the corner. A bulldog gets two and a spear is good for the same but Dawkins can’t follow up. Back up and Drake manages a German suplex but Dawkins pops up and shouts. That earns him a Drill Bit for two, so Drake asks why Dawkins won’t die. Drake puts him on top but gets pulled down with a super spinebuster for two more. Dawkins’ chops just annoy Drake and he cuts Dawkins off with a knee. A Stunner sets up a Cannonball and Drake’s moonsault retains the title at 10:30.

Rating: B-. Not too bad here for an impromptu face vs. face match. They beat each other up well enough here and it’s not like a tag wrestler losing in a singles match is going to do any real damage to him. Drake gets an impressive looking win and you can tell that he means a lot to the fans here. The Street Profits had a nice run in Evolve and it helped turn them into a better team. Now imagine that: getting out and learning from someone else can help young talent get better.

Respect is shown post match.

Video on the Ten Year Anniversary show, which was pretty good.

Cue Stokely Hathaway (legendary manager, now known as Malcolm Bivens in NXT) to say he hasn’t been released. No he isn’t back tonight because the only way he could have come back was to be put into the main event tonight. That was shot down so instead he’s here to say goodbye. Last year he went to Axxess and now he has been signed by NXT and it would not have happened if not for Evolve. Since he’ll be gone soon, he wanted to say goodbye and thank you. Nice moment here and you can tell Hathaway has a deep history around here.

Montez Ford vs. Shane Strickland

Strickland is also Unwanted and is now known as Isaiah Scott. Ford is more serious here and charges at Strickland in the corner to knock him outside. That means choking and forearms against the barricade but Strickland gets in a few chops. That’s not cool with Ford who blocks a big chop and pounds Strickland down again. A sip of the red cup fires Ford up enough to hit the big flip dive and the fans are pleased.

Cue Colby Corino for a distraction though and Strickland pulls him into a modified Rings of Saturn. He even ties Ford’s arms back with his legs and the fans chant GOLDBERG. Even commentary has to explain that by mentioning some pyro going off by mistake. Lenny: “If we’re being honest, it probably would have been Gillberg.” Back up and Strickland hits a running dropkick to the knee in the corner and it’s off to more double arm cranking.

That’s broken up as well so Strickland chops away but Ford gets in a few kicks and a standing moonsault is good for two. Strickland is fine enough to hit a 619 around the post and a hard powerbomb drops Ford again. Ford pops back up and blasts Strickland with a clothesline but snaps off a dropkick before the double knockdown. It’s Strickland up first and slugging away, including taping up his fist.

Ford falls down though and the referee makes Strickland remove the tape. Strickland’s hands are fine enough for a hard German suplex and the Swerve Stomp gets two. The comeback is on but Ford gets knocked hard off the top and down onto the apron. Back up and Ford hits a top rope Fameasser with Strickland in the ropes. That and the huge frog splash is enough to give Ford the pin at 12:44.

Rating: C+. I like both of these guys (Strickland a lot) and again, it shows how much value there is to have these guys in a different promotion to learn something different. That isn’t something that happens very often and I’m really not sure why. How many wrestling promotions would love to feature some NXT talent? Anyway, this was a hard hitting match but it never hit that next gear, leaving it as just pretty good instead of very good.

Tag Team Titles: Unwanted vs. Konosuke Takeshita/Mao Inoue

The Unwanted (Eddie Kingston/Joe Gacy) is defending and the challengers are from DDT. Takeshita (the DDT Champion) starts with Kingston and they go to the mat early on. That means an early standoff so Takeshita hits a forearm to send Kingston outside. Back in and a leg lariat sends Kingston into the corner so it’s off to Mao vs. Gacy. An exchange of shoulders goes to the much bigger Gacy, who blocks a drop toehold without much effort.

Mao sends him outside and it’s back in for both challengers to hammer away. That brings Kingston back in though and Mao gets double teamed for a change, including a big clothesline for two. The chinlock goes on for a bit and it’s time to stomp away but Mao is back up with a running dropkick. A running leg lariat gets Mao out of trouble and it’s the hot(tish) tag off to Takeshita. Kingston comes in as well and is quickly DDTed to the floor, where he pulls Takeshita with him.

Mao dives onto all three and frog splashes Kingston for two back inside. A split legged moonsault gets two more and there’s a German suplex for the same with Gacy throwing Takeshita into the cover for the save. Kingston suplexes Takeshita but it’s a pair of boots in the corner to take Kingston down. Mao adds the 450 for two but walks into a heck of a spinning kick from Gacy.

That just earns him a Blue Thunder Bomb to give Mao two but Gacy blasts Mao with a clothesline for the same. Mao Stuns Gacy, who is right back up with a discus forearm for two more. A nasty looking powerbomb/neckbreaker combination gets two as everything stays broken down. Mao slugs away at both champions at once but it’s a backdrop driver to give Gacy the retaining pin at 13:57.

Rating: B. I liked this one way more than I expected to as the DDT guys looked awesome at times. They played well against the hard hitting champions and I liked the whole thing rather well. The Unwanted has impressed me in the limited amount of time I’ve seen them and this was no exception. Good stuff here and probably the best match of the night so far.

Evolve Title: Austin Theory vs. Kyle O’Reilly

O’Reilly is challenging and yes he does play the air guitar on a belt without actually having a belt. Hold on though as both guys make sure to tell the ring announcer their various nicknames for the Big Match Intros. This includes Kyle dubbing himself the Sleazy Air Guitar Superstar, which of course gets a chant. Feeling out process to start with O’Reilly taking him down but Theory runs away from the threat of a big kick to the head.

Back up and O’Reilly grabs the leg again but can’t get very far with it. A headlock takeover works better for O’Reilly and he does it again because he’s from NXT and likes Takeovers. Theory can’t suplex his way out of the headlock so he powers up, only to get taken down all over again. O’Reilly’s mind games of just outmaneuvering Theory at every step is good stuff. The cross armbreaker sends Theory outside and that’s good for a SLEAZY KYLE chant.

Back in and O’Reilly strikes him down without much trouble as Theory just can’t get anything going so far. A kneebar sends Theory to the rope but he finally scores with a clothesline to get a breather. Theory’s standing moonsault gets two and it’s off to an arm trap chinlock. That doesn’t last long though and Theory chops the heck out of him in the corner. A suplex gets two on O’Reilly and it’s off to a different armbar.

O’Reilly fights up and rolls some butterfly DDTs to put them both down for a bit. The ankle lock doesn’t last long so O’Reilly suplexes him for two more. Theory is back with a buckle bomb but they trade kicks to the face. A kneebar slows Theory down and O’Reilly kicks him in the chest so hard that he sends himself outside. They slug it out again and, after staggering a bit, Theory rocks him enough for Three Seconds Around The World (spinning torture rack bomb).

2K1 (leg trap brainbuster) gets two more on O’Reilly but he takes the knee again. Theory dives for the rope and needs a little walk around the ring. This includes picking up the title and walking away but O’Reilly pulls him back inside. The brainbuster gives O’Reilly two and we hit the ankle lock. Theory gets out again and hits a DDT onto the belt for two, followed Attaksia for the pin to retain at 20:15.

Rating: B. I had a good time with this one and there were times where you believed that the title could change hands. That’s not something you get in showdown matches like this so well done with both guys. What matters here though is giving Theory another line on his resume. It means something to have beaten a big name from NXT so it’s a positive deal for everyone here, as O’Reilly gets a good match and can go right back to NXT’s tag division while pointing to the DDT on the belt. Good main event here and it felt like a bit deal.

Post match Theory jumps O’Reilly but Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong run in for the save. Fish talks about how he and O’Reilly started Evolve (in the first main event) and they will step in when needed. O’Reilly liked that Theory (which he pronounces as Tuh-hear-e) used the title and promises that the Undisputed Era will be back.

Overall Rating: B. This was a fun and entertaining show which never dragged in the slightest. The more I watch of Evolve the more I think I could get into it. You can tell that there are intricate stories throughout the company and a lot of history between the people. It wasn’t exactly on display here, but they did enough to make me interested in seeing more. Well done here and a show worth checking out if you get the time (it’s available for free on their YouTube page).

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: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #104
Date: April 4, 2020
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

This is the last show on American soil for the time being and I’m not sure what that is going to mean going forward. They have a few shows taped from Mexico but you never know how much they can draw from that one event. Hopefully this one works but this company can be all over the place. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Douglas James vs. Septimo Dragon

Feeling out process to start with Dragon flipping out of a toss attempt. That’s fine with James, who knees him in the face to send things outside. The suicide dive drops Dragon again but he’s back up with a kick to the face. A moonsault sets up a suicide dive to drop James this time around and they head back inside. Dragon hits some LOUD shots to the face and a springboard hurricanrana keeps James in trouble. James catches him in the corner though and a Codebreaker gets two. A suplex gets the same and James faceplants him into the Crossface.

Dragon slips out so it’s a hard clothesline to drop him again. Back up and they slug it out, with Dragon shouting “COME ON F*****!”. A superkick battle goes to Dragon but they kick each other in the head at the same time for a double knockdown. The fans are rather appreciative, even as the double count begins. Back up and Dragon kicks him in the face for two, followed by the Septimo Driver (almost a Dominator into a piledriver) for two. James pops back up with a Death Valley Driver into the corner and the guillotine choke finishes Dragon at 7:29.

Rating: C+. There was no reason for them to work this hard in a match and yet they pulled it off pretty well here. I wouldn’t have bet on something like this but it was nice to see two people putting in the effort and having a good match as a result. James is kind of plain but Dragon could be fine for the local luchador, which will always have a place in wrestling.

Richard Holliday is going to interfere in the empty arena match between Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Mance Warner but gets a phone call from Gino Medina. Logan Creed has done something and attention is needed.

Pagano is still coming.

In case he has to leave, here’s Mance Warner’s debut. I still like him a lot.

Warner is ready to fight and might have some friends of his own. It might be better that some people might not be there because he doesn’t want them seeing that violence. When asked his plans for dealing with the Dynasty: “F*** em.”

We look at Injustice beating down Brian Pillman Jr. last week, including the Stomp onto a cinder block.

Injustice have been fined and suspended.

The AAA/MLW Super Series is coming next week.

LA Park and his sons want Psycho Clown to find two partners for a six man tag.

The Dynasty doesn’t like an interview taking place outside of their dressing room. They get rid of the interviewer before they lose the rarefied air.

Here’s MJF’s MLW debut.

Here’s MJF winning the Middleweight Title.

Savio Vega thinks the empty arena match is dangerous but he’s picking Mance.

Here’s the Top 10:

10. Low Ki

9. King Mo

8. Mance Warner

7. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

6. Richard Holliday

5. Brian Pillman Jr.

4. Tom Lawlor

3. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

2. Myron Reed

1. Alexander Hammerstone

Switch these things to once a month as they barely ever change and a lot of these people aren’t even featured every week.

We look at Team Filthy and American Top Team cheating to beat Low Ki last week.

The Dynasty goes after Mance Warner but Savio Vega comes in to even the numbers and the fight is on.

Here’s Mance beating Jimmy Havoc in the barbed wire match.

Post break, Mance and Savio stand tall.

The Von Erichs talk about turning adversity into positives. Like with the Coronavirus, or Team Filthy cheating last week. That’s quite the jump in levels of severity no?

MJF talks about Warner not knowing much about him. When MJF was a kid, a bunch of people threw quarters at him. That was in third grade, so he went to the gym every day and on the last day of high school, he knocked the main guy out. MJF starts shouting about how he can f*** someone up so he can get nuts too. This went from zero to sixty in no time.

Killer Kross is hurt and out of action for six months. He wanted to fight in MLW again but his “Stamford employer” will not allow it.

Brian Pillman Jr. has a broken jaw and might sue Injustice.

Mance Warner vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

In an empty arena and loser leaves town. MJF spits gum in Warner’s face so they’re on the floor in a hurry. It’s actually MJF getting the better of it and choking with a rope. Warner has to knock the bolt cutters out of his hands and a headbutt sends MJF staggering away. MJF sends him flying through some chairs for one and they fight up the empty bleachers. Some right hands have MJF in trouble and he can’t throw Warner over the balcony. Instead, Warner throws him down the bleachers (Referee: “Max are you ok?”) for two.

MJF finds a broom to choke him up against the wall but stops to punch out a cameraman. A stolen cigarette is burned on Warner’s head but hold on as MJF steals a phone to….call a taxi? Warner is back up with a chair shot for two before bending the wrist around part of the metal structure. They get back in the ring with MJF slugging away, capped off by the Bionic Elbow. A headbutt sets up the lariat to get rid of MJF at 7:47.

Rating: B. I liked this more than I expected to even though I like both guys quite a bit. Warner beat the heck out of him but MJF was showing a lot of fire. It says a lot that he was willing to put in this kind of effort in a match that was really for his secondary job rather than something in AEW. He really is that good and I’m glad to see him move up that far so fast. Warner is going to get there someday too but for now he can be a star in MLW.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was quite good but there were a few too many recaps and filler segments. At the same time, the show was even shorter than usual so maybe they edited it differently or something here. We got a good show though and a big time main event. I have no idea how the Mexico shows will go, but at least they had a solid effort this time around.

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: April 3, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Jon Quasto, Aiden English

It’s the very final show before Wrestlemania and that means a grand total of nothing this time around as 205 Live has no presence on the show. All that matters here is having a few decent matches between people who aren’t going to be getting any time on any of the major shows. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kushida vs. Danny Burch

They go technical to start with several switches out of some armbar attempts. Kushida takes it to the mat but Burch grabs the leg to get out. The fight over arm control sets up another standoff as things reset a bit. Kushida takes him down by the leg and cranks on the arm a bit, implying that it wasn’t very hard. Burch’s headlock works a bit better for him until Kushida reverses into a front facelock to continue the frustration.

Burch manages to send him to the apron but Kushida switches places and kicks him outside. Back in and Burch punches him out of the air for two and it’s time to stomp Kushida down. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Kushida knocks him outside for a running knee from the apron. The springboard DDT is broken up though and Kushida pulls him into a Crossface. Believe it or not, Kushida escapes that as well and dropkicks the knee out. The Sakuraba Lock finishes Burch at 10:06.

Rating: C. This was almost a long form cat and mouse game as Kushida never felt like he was in any real danger and kept pulling Burch back in every chance. It wasn’t a terrible match or anything and Burch was working hard, but he was overmatched here and it was a matter of time until Kushida finally caught him. Good story though.

Tyler Breeze vs. Jack Gallagher

Gallagher runs him over to start but walks into a dropkick for his efforts. Breeze’s headlock doesn’t work very well so he clotheslines Gallagher for two instead. Now the headlock on the mat works a bit better but Gallagher reverses into one of his own. Some right hands keep Breeze down and a few uppercuts put him in the corner. We hit the armbar for a bit but Breeze is back up with a sunset flip attempt.

Gallagher sits down on him for two (how he beat Breeze in the elimination match) but the Supermodel kick gets the same. Breeze heads up top but gets his arm pulled down onto the top rope. A few cranks on the arm make it worse and the Fujiwara armbar has Breeze crawling over to the rope. Back up and they slug it out until Breeze knees him to the floor. Back in and Gallagher hits a discus elbow for the fast pin at 10:00.

Rating: C-. Not as good as the first match but still decent enough. They’ve nailed the look to make Gallagher remind you of Conor McGregor and it’s one of the best transformations I can remember in a long time. That being said, he isn’t exactly in a place to move that far up the ladder. At least he has something that makes him stand out though and that’s more than a lot of the cruiserweights can say.

Overall Rating: C. I really don’t know what to say about these shows anymore. What we had was decent enough but there is no story in sight and the wrestling is only decent enough. It’s the first show that the company should be dropping but there is no indication that they are going to. The show has been stripped down to the bare basics and it’s just really not all that interesting. Not bad, but nothing I’ll remember by next 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: April 2, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

We’re back in time a bit here as it’s the last Main Event before Wrestlemania. I have no idea what that is going to mean this time around but that’s something I say every week on this show. Things have at least been a little different lately and maybe we can get a better show here again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Good Brothers vs. Ever Rise

That would be Chase Parker/Matt Martel (better known as 3.0) and yes they still sound like a battery. Parker slugs away at Gallows to start with as much success as you would expect. Anderson comes in and gets his wrist cranked a bit and it’s off to Martel for a slingshot elbow to the back.

Gallows offers a distraction though and Anderson hammers away to take over on Parker. A fall away slam sends Parker flying and we hit the chinlock. Gallows misses the big boot in the corner though and it’s back to Parker to pick up the pace. That goes as well as you would expect so it’s a big boot to Martel and the Magic Killer to finish Parker at 5:09.

Rating: D+. Ever Rise continues to be a team who just kind of exists but for the sake of something like this, they’re a pretty acceptable choice. It wasn’t a competitive match or anything but it’s good to see the Brothers getting to beat someone up for a change. They had a bit more energy than most of the empty arena matches too so well done.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House but the lantern seems to get in Bray’s head. Bray says that it already failed against John Cena but He won’t. See, Bray has a way to win so let’s go to the blender. Take some self loathing, rage, disappointment, hot sauce (for flavor) and a carrot (so he can see John Cena)…..plus Ramblin Rabbit (for some completely unnecessary opinions) and throw them all in a blender and mix them together. Bray says He wants Cena to join Cena in the world of insanity in a Firefly Fun House match at Wrestlemania. No word on that means, but Bray wants to be let in.

From Raw.

Here’s Becky for a chat. She beat two champions last year at Wrestlemania and walked out with two titles. Ever since then she has walked a razor blade lifestyle and now who she is if she loses the title. She knows she’s getting in Shayna’s head too though. Shayna has always wanted to be out of Ronda’s shadow and if she wins at Wrestlemania, she can get out of that shadow forever. If she loses though, she’s right back in there for good. Cue Shayna to choke Becky out and then swing her hard into the announcers’ table.

Video on Edge vs. Randy Orton.

Wrestlemania rundown.

Cedric Alexander vs. Fabian Aichner

The unique Main Event main events continue with Aichner headlocking him to start. Alexander slips out and strikes away but a springboard is broken up. We take a break and come back with Aichner kicking away in the corner and putting on the chinlock. Back up and Aichner misses a running knee in the corner.

A dragon screw legwhip has Aichner in trouble but the Lumbar Check is blocked. Instead Aichner catches him coming off the top and counters into a suplex for two. That doesn’t matter much though as Alexander is right back up with the Neuralizer to finish Aichner off at 10:16.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t great but again, it’s so nice to have a fresh match for a change. They didn’t have a great match or anything but I’ll take this over a boring match that I’ve seen a dozen times any day. Hopefully Alexander can bounce back though as he stopped meaning anything in the fall and never got better. Main Event isn’t much, but it’s better than nothing.

Video on Undertaker vs. AJ Styles.

From Raw.

Undertaker says that Allen Jones’ (AJ Styles’ real name) mouth is writing checks he can’t cash. AJ has been a big fish in a small pond for most of his career and now he’s saying that fifteen years ago, he wouldn’t have done this. Undertaker lists off a lot of legends from around that time and thinks it was smart of Allen to wait for them to be gone, except for him.

He gets what AJ is doing, but mentioning Michelle McCool is crossing the line. Is it because the Faithbreaker is better than the Styles Clash? Undertaker: “She got it over.” They’ll be in the bone yard and AJ should try him because Undertaker will make him famous. Anderson and Gallows can come too because they can all get hurt and rest in peace. The camera pans back to show an AJ tombstone. Good promo, with Undertaker showing some fire.

From Raw.

Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar are in the ring for a chat. Heyman talks about how this is the go home segment on the go home Raw for Wrestlemania. For the better part of twenty years, it has been Brock Lesnar int his spot and that is because he is the beast to slay. This year, Drew McIntyre has stepped up and compared to most people, he is special. Compared to most wrestlers in that locker room, Drew McIntyre is special. So were the Rock, Hulk Hogan, Shane Carwin, Randy Couture and the Undertaker and they all went from special to Brock’s b****.

The Claymore Kick is good but so were the Rock Bottom, the legdrop, the Tombstone and the Attitude Adjustment, because none of them mattered against Brock when it mattered. At Wrestlemania, Brock will survive the Claymore Kick and then next year, Brock will be standing here with the title again because Drew is the latest great story to tell. This year, Drew walks in special and then walks out just like everyone else.

Overall Rating: C. Just a show here which did a decent enough job of making me want to see Wrestlemania. The show isn’t going to be like any version before and it needed a strong build to make people care. That only worked to an extent here, but it could have been a lot worse. Now just keep things going well after Wrestlemania and we might be somewhere.

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

Ring of Honor
Date: April 1, 2020

Things have changed up all over again as Ring of Honor is out of new material to show for weekly television. However, being around for over eighteen years means you have a long video library to draw from and that’s what they’re doing here. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to have some special biography episodes on various stars, starting with the Briscoes tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We start in Delaware with Jay and Mark Briscoes showing us where they ran their trampoline wrestling federation in their backyard. Jay talks about a variety of memories wrestling back here, most of which involve a variety of injuries. Mark pulls out some barbed wire from underneath the porch. It used to be tied to a board but the board is rather rotten.

Jay’s barbed wire bat is still in the garage though and he talks about getting it at a minor league baseball game. The matches took place all over the property and you can tell this means a lot to them. Now it’s off to the chicken house, where they had to go around and pick up all of the dead birds every day. It was a two person job and they did it together.

From Driven on June 23, 2007 in Chicago.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. Kevin Steen/El Generico

The Briscoes are defending and that would of course be Kevin Owens and NOT Sami Zayn (Completely different people entirely. Not even close you see.). Jay drives Generico into the corner to start and it’s almost scary to see how young the Briscoes look here. A headscissors keeps Generico down and seems to rough up the mask a little bit (you never rough up the mask). We take a break and come back with a double tag to Jay and Steen (who looks crazy young as well).

A springboard elbow drops Steen but he gets in some chops to slow things down. Steen runs him over with an elbow but Mark pops back up for some (yet to be named) Red Neck Kung Fu. Jay comes back in and everything breaks down with Steen taking some running kicks to the face in the corner. Steen gets in a knee to Jay’s ribs and it’s back to Generico as the double teaming begins. There’s a drop toehold to set up a flipping legdrop to the back of Jay’s neck for two as the champs are in trouble for a change.

Steen chokes Jay on the rope but stops to knock Mark off the apron in a smart move. Jay gets in an atomic drop though and Mark comes in with a big boot for two. A knee drop gets two on Generico and we take another break. Back again with Jay hitting a middle rope Fameasser for two on Generico and we hit a chinlock. Mark’s Samoan drop gets two more and he knocks Steen off the apron as a receipt from earlier. You don’t do that to Steen, who comes back in sans tag and hits a big flip dive onto Jay.

Mark gets sent to the apron so he flip dives onto Steen. Jay gets back in for a Cactus Clothesline on Generico to put everyone outside. A moonsault off the apron hits Steen and Generico gets LAUNCHED over the barricade onto a bunch of chairs in a scary looking bump. Steen powerbombs Mark over the barricade as well and everyone is down. Jay gets back inside and walks into a Pop Up sitout Powerbomb for two.

Generico takes Mark outside and hits a springboard moonsault, setting up the yet to be named Helluva Kick on Jay. Steen’s Swanton gets two in a rather hot near fall. Generico hits his corner walk tornado DDT to plant Mark but he’s right back up for a slingshot double stomp over the top to put Steen through a table. That leaves Jay to hit a gorilla press Death Valley Driver (dang) for a very close two on Generico. A spike Jay Driller ends Generico at 19:38.

Rating: A-. This was awesome and I can see why the tag team division had the reputation that it built up over the years. Steenerico was an awesome team but the Briscoes were the best team in the world for a long time. This was great stuff and I got way into the whole thing as it was a heck of a match.

The Briscoes talk about fighting as kids. Jay: “I’m a year older and a year more handsome.” Mark: “That means he’s gonna be dead a year earlier than me.” They’ve been wrestling for years but have been fighting even longer. Jay was in the first ROH match ever and lost, with Mark saying he let the family down.

Mark couldn’t wrestle in Pennsylvania but he could in Boston, and Mark beat him for the only time in his career. Then Jay won the rematch but they went to a draw in their third. Mark won in Philadelphia, making me wonder if he knows what it means by “the only time ever”. They’ve won a lot of titles and Jay rubs it in that Mark has never won a singles title.

From Best in the World 2013.

ROH World Title: Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe

Jay is defending. The fans are WAY into this as they fight over a lockup to start. Jay gets taken down off of the lockup and we take an early break. Back with the camera bouncing back and forth between the MARK/JAY chants for a cool shot. Mark gets backed into the corner as they’re waiting to really get going here. Jay isn’t about to be taken down and they stare at each other again.

They go to the mat for a split second before Mark scores with a spinwheel kick as commentary talks about the family not being sure what to do. Another handshake and the pace picks up a bit with Mark rolling underneath a kick and….I think dancing like a chicken? This time Mark won’t shake hands as it’s getting a little more serious. Mark knocks him to the floor for a chop off around (the very spacious) ringside. Jay gets dropped on the floor and we take another break as they get back inside.

Back with the fans chanting about chickens (oddly appropriate here) and Mark kicking him in the face. Jay scores with a superkick and a discus forearm, followed by a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle. Mark gets in an enziguri and Jay is knocked outside for a breather. For some reason Mark goes outside and sets up a table, followed by a Too Sweet and a slugout. Neither can get a superplex through the table so Jay throws Mark off the top to the floor for a big crash instead.

Back in and Jay hits a neckbreaker as we take another break. We come back again with Mark hitting an exploder and dropkicking Jay into the corner. An Iconoclasm gets two more and Mark sends him to the floor for a slingshot dive. Jay is laid on the table and the Froggy Bow drives him through for the huge crash.

Another Froggy Bow gets two back inside and something close to a Burning Hammer connects for the same. Jay fights back up and hits the Jay Driller, followed by a heck of a clothesline. Another Jay Driller only gets one and the fans are back into it. For some reason we look at the fans while Jay throws superkicks, setting up another Jay Driller to retain at 24:44.

Rating: A. There’s something interesting about watching two people who care about each other slugging it out and beating the heck out of each other like this. These two of course have great chemistry together and the story is set up just because of who they are. The fact that they beat the heck out of each other made it even better and they had an awesome match that lived up to the pay per view main event level.

Overall Rating: A+. I’m almost scared to imagine how long of a DVD you could make showcasing the best of the Briscoes. These two work together so well as you can’t recreate these characters no matter what. The Briscoes are as genuine of a team as you can get and it turns out that they’re both awesome at what they do. Awesome show here and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do with more of them in the future.

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: Impact Wrestling

TNA Special
Date: March 31, 2020
Location: Coca Cola Roxy, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: David Penzer, Scott D’Amore

Now this is interesting as the idea is to help get things ready for the There’s No Place Like Home special. However, the show, which was scheduled to air over Wrestlemania weekend, has been canceled. Therefore we have this as a stand alone show, which could go a bunch of ways. Let’s get to it.

We get the old TNA Cross The Line opening.

Here’s a video of TNA highlights, featuring the awesome voiceover guy they always had. There was a ton of talent around here and they had some good moments, which show you just how sad it is that they wound up being such a disappointment.

We get a quick welcome from commentary and the old TNA World Title is in front of them. I’ve picked that thing up before and it took me two hands to hold it.

Hernandez vs. Chase Stevens

Hernandez runs him over to start but it’s too early for the Boarder Toss. Instead Stevens snaps off a German suplex as commentary hypes up Friday’s pay per view. Stevens manages a hurricanrana for two, only to get caught in the Boarder Toss for the fast pin at 2:06.

Pay per view hype/show rundown.

Video on the Knockouts. They really were treated as a big deal way before any other major women’s division so well done there.

Gail Kim is excited about the show.

Video Ultimate X, which was going to return at the pay per view. Unlike King of the Mountain, this one didn’t seem far more complicated than it needed to be and felt like a great signature match.

Ace Austin is ready to defend the X-Division Title in an Ultimate X match. Austin risked it all in Ultimate X before but it was before he hit his stride. Now there’s nothing he won’t do to retain his title. He knows a thing or two about nonstop action you see.

Johnny Swinger/Kid Kash vs. Suicide/Manik

Kash and Swinger hammer away to start but it’s a double dropkick from Manik (who is clearly TJP) taking over. Poetry In Motion hits Swinger and we take an early break. Back with Manik snapping Swinger’s arm but it’s off to Kash to take over in the corner. Swinger’s elbow to the face gets two and a double shoulder drops Manik again.

Kash forearms him in the face over and over for two more but Manik finally rolls over for the hot tag to Suicide. That means superkicks can abound and an enziguri gets two on Swinger. Everything breaks down and it’s Manik and Suicide doing the stereo Andrade posing in the ropes. A pair of dives take out Kash and Swinger again, setting up a high crossbody to Kash. Suicide’s Swanton finishes at 10:24.

Rating: C-. This went a bit longer than it needed to but it was fine as a callback to some of the previous generations. That being said, of all the people they could do something with, they picked Manik? It’s not like he was anything significant in the company but it wasn’t a bad match or anything.

A bunch of wrestlers are asked about the King of the Mountain match and no one knows the rules. Willie Mack got it but Tessa Blanchard thought it was a giant rib (fair enough). Eh kind of funny, mainly because it’s true.

Raven talks about the Clockwork Orange House of Fun match and how it is only funny when someone gets hurt. Wouldn’t Monster’s Ball make a lot more sense here?

Rhino vs. Mad Man Fulton

This is a regular match before they have the Clockwork Orange match at the pay per view. They fight to the floor early on with Fulton getting the better of things. Back in and Fulton chokes a bit, followed by the chinlock, allowing commentary to plug Impact Plus. Fulton misses a top rope headbutt and the comeback is on, including the belly to belly. The Gore is loaded up but OVE runs in for the DQ at 3:52.

Rating: D+. Just a match here and it’s kind of weird to build up a hardcore match with a regular match, even if Sabu was going to be involved on Friday. The match wasn’t terrible, but these two not having weapons as a crutch hurt things a lot. Not the worst, but I’ve seen something similar far too many times now.

Post match the beatdown is on but Tommy Dreamer runs in for the save. Yes, Dreamer, who was mainly part of TNA as part of a nostalgia run for ECW, is now part of the entire company’s nostalgia run. Does this surprise anyone? Anyway the lights go out and it’s Raven making the save. At least that’s someone who was a big success in TNA. Raven takes Dreamer out for old times’ sake. Raven leaves so here is almost everyone else on the show so far with Kash hitting a big flip dive. Hernandez hits an even bigger dive to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. What a weird little show. The idea here was to hype up Friday and they did that to a degree, but it was also kind of a look back at everything great that TNA did. While you can argue over how smart it is to have a nostalgia show for something that was such a mess at times, there is definitely a history there. This show didn’t really make me care about Friday’s show, but it did make me miss TNA a little so….well done? Maybe?

Results

Hernandez b. Chase Stevens – Boarder Toss

Manik/Suicide b. Kid Kash/Johnny Swinger – Swanton to Kash

Rhino b. Mad Man Fulton via DQ when OVE interfered

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: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 31, 2020
Location: Coca Cola Roxy, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

The company is running out of tapings but what makes this more interesting at this point is having to get ready for the TNA There’s No Place Like Home show. That’s kind of a problem as the show is not taking place, but we still need to get ready for it. I’m not sure what we are going to be seeing, but they don’t have many weeks left. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, focusing on last week’s battle in the Undead Realm.

Opening sequence.

Josh Alexander vs. Eddie Edwards

Ethan Page is here with Alexander. They strike it out to start with Alexander getting the better of things and choking on the rope. That earns him an overhead belly to belly from Eddie but Alexander forearms him in the face a few more times. It’s time to head outside with Eddie nailing a clothesline but a Page distraction lets Alexander score with a big boot. Back in and the Eddie chants start up as Madison keeps talking about her past successes.

A clothesline gets Eddie out of trouble and he sends Alexander to the floor for the suicide dive. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two back inside but the Backpack Stunner is countered into a spinning torture rack slam. Both guys tear their shirts open to chop it out with Eddie getting the better of things. A tiger bomb gets two on Alexander but a Page distraction lets him roll Eddie up for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: C+. Alexander continues to be one of the best people involved in the company right now and that makes him getting to do something like this a fun sight. Both of these guys are talented and they’re capable of doing a lot of things in the ring. Good little match here and the ending sets up a rematch, possibly with Eddie getting a partner to go after the titles.

Post match the North beats Eddie down but Tessa Blanchard runs in for the save.

Video on tonight’s TNA special. I still can’t get my head around this one.

The North doesn’t like Tessa getting involved and Page wants her tonight.

Kylie Rae vs. Cassandra Golden

This is Rae’s singles debut. Golden jumps her from behind to start and the stomping is on in the corner. A missed charge lets Rae hammer away though and a small package gets two. Rae’s low superkick gets the same so she Russian legsweeps her into an STF for the tap at 3:24.

Rating: C-. They were moving well enough out there but what matters most here is getting some fresh blood into the Knockouts division. With so many women leaving, bringing in people like Rae (or Golden) is a good idea. That’s the kind of thing that can do a lot of good for the future and hopefully they bring in a few more to help things out.

Post break, Rae is very happy to be here in her new home. She has officially signed a contract with Impact.

Classic TNA Moment: the full Steiner Math promo. I remember hearing Samoa Joe talking about watching this live and doing everything he had not to break out laughing because he knew this could never be recreated.

Here’s Moose to brag about how awesome he is but Kid Kash of all people interrupts to say Moose wouldn’t make it in the original TNA.

Moose vs. Kid Kash

Kash sends him outside early on but it’s No Jackhammer Needed back inside for the win at 1:03.

XXXL (Larry David and Acey Romero) are ready to crush people. TJP and Fallah Bahh come in with some Filipino food as a welcome gift. A match is teased.

We get a satellite interview with Rich Swann. He injured himself a few months ago and recovery has been very hard. As for Willie Mack, Swann is excited for his chances at Rebellion but here’s X-Division Champion Ace Austin to interrupt. Ace says it was Mack’s fault that the team never took off. If the tables were turned, Swann would be there by Mack’s side, but where is Mack? Swann blows it off because Mack is coming for the X-Division Title. There’s a knock at Swann’s door and it’s Reno Scum, apparently for a beatdown.

Post break, Mack has to be held back from killing Austin.

Here’s Sami Callihan for a chat and he sees everything. He’s done some soul searching after losing the World Title to Tessa Blanchard, but now people have a question for him: why did he throw a fireball at Ken Shamrock? See, his issues are with the entire wrestling world. In, ahem, OTHER, wrestling companies, legends come in and get pushed down your throats. If Shamrock wants a push, he can go through Sami first. Shamrock can break ankles but Sami hits them with baseball bats and sets them on fire.

Cue Tommy Dreamer and I think you know where this is going. Sami: “Whoopdedoo, Tommy Dreamer is offended again.” Sami says it’s no surprise that Dreamer is here because he always shows up when anyone gets something going. He offers to pose with Dreamer for a picture so people can tag it with “Hardcore Legend” so Dreamer can feel important again. Dreamer rants about all of the legends that Sami is disrespecting and the fight is on. Let’s just make it Old School Rules too.

Sami Callihan vs. Tommy Dreamer

Anything goes. Dreamer posts him to start and it’s already time to throw some chairs inside. Sami picks one of them up and unloads on him with the chair, followed by a plunger to the face because Sami is out there. A cookie sheet to the head slows Sami down so he low blows Dreamer in a hurry. The Bionic Elbow lets Dreamer go to the back to find a garbage can for a running shot to the head. Sami busts out the staple gun so Dreamer grabs an INDUSTRIAL staple gun as we take a break.

Back with the two of them sitting in chairs and stapling each other. Josh: “Madison has anyone ever stapled you?” Madison: “No. I’m a human being.” Dreamer gets the better of it until a drop toehold sends him into a chair. A cutter gives Dreamer two but neither can send the other through two open chairs. Sami sends him into the corner though and now the Death Valley Driver through the chairs knocks Dreamer silly. The Cactus Special gives Sami the pin at 13:14.

Rating: D+. I had a good laugh out of Sami mocking Dreamer for showing up anytime someone gets something going because it’s completely true. But hey, he was around in ECW and has been everywhere since so he’s a legend or something. Anyway, heating Sami up for Shamrock is good, but I have a bad feeling nothing is getting this kind of time all night.

Post match the beatdown stays on so here’s Rhino for the save. OVE comes in to go after him but the lights go out and Sami is gone.

Rosemary is still at the bar and offers drinks all around, last mortal standing gets to keep their soul. Rosemary talks to someone about how loving Allie made her weak and now it’s time to make things better. The man turns around and he’s….no one. She’ll take his soul anyway.

Video on Susie/Su Yung.

Susie is in the back and runs into the Deaners. She liked being Susie, but Su is who she is.

Joey Ryan vs. Cody Deaner

Kind of a weird cameo for Cody with Susie when he’s in this unrelated match. Ryan takes him into the corner to start as Madison is confused by the concept of toxic masculinity. A right hand in the corner doesn’t do much to Cody, who hammers away instead. Hold on though as Cody needs a beer, allowing Joey to rake the eyes. A knee drop gets two and Joey hits Cody with Cody’s hat. That brings Cody back to life and we get the hillbilly Hulk Up. The Deaner DDT is escaped but Jake makes Joey drink beer, setting up the DDT for the pin at 4:00.

Rating: D. What was the point here? They set up Cancel Culture as something important and then one of the Deaners beats Joey? I’m really not sure I get that and it probably isn’t the first time that is going to be the case. The match was nothing but some comedy spots strung together, though that might be better than watching Joey try to have a good match.

Eddie Edwards offers to have Tessa’s back tonight but she’s got this on her own.

Michael Elgin is ready to win the World Title at Rebellion.

Here’s what we get next week.

Ethan Page vs. Tessa Blanchard

Non-title and Josh Alexander is here with Page. Tessa doesn’t like being patted on the head to start and Page makes it worse by pulling her off the top. Page takes her down into the corner but Tessa slugs away, only to charge into a boot. Some knees to the back and a stomp to the stomach keep Tessa down and a delayed suplex does the same.

Tessa can’t fight out of a backbreaker but she can hit a standing Sliced Bread #2. The suicide dives to the floor hit Page and a tornado DDT gets two. Page kicks her in the face for two more but Tessa gets up top. Alexander tries to offer a distraction but here’s Eddie to cut him off. Magnum finishes Page at 9:19.

Rating: C. I was getting into this one by the end and you can pencil Eddie and Tessa in for a Tag Team Title shot next week. They’re doing a good job of making me want to see the three way for the World Title at Rebellion and I’m sure we’ll get to see it at some point in the future. It’s a shame that it might take some time, but at least it had a good build.

Post match here’s Michael Elgin to go after Tessa and Eddie but the knock him to the floor. A triple staredown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a situation where they were doing a good job of building the big stuff for Rebellion but at the same time I’m not sure how much good the rest of the show did. The main event should be a heck of a fight though and Mack vs. Austin sounds interesting. I’m not sure about the rest of the show, but maybe the big stuff would have been enough to carry it. The lack of Rebellion is going to hurt, but maybe we can get to something better down the road.

Results

Josh Alexander b. Eddie Edwards – Rollup

Kylie Rae b. Cassandra Golden – STF

Moose b. Kid Kash – No Jackhammer Needed

Sami Callihan b. Tommy Dreamer – Cactus Special

Cody Deaner b. Joey Ryan – Deaner DDT

Tessa Blanchard b. Ethan Page – Magnum

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: April 6, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

We’re finally past Wrestlemania XXXVI and that means it’s time to start getting ready for presumably Money in the Bank, assuming they actually get to run the show. I’m not sure what they’re going to be able to do long term but they got through Wrestlemania and that’s what matters. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Wrestlemania if you need a recap (Part Two)

We open with a look at Drew McIntyre defeating Brock Lesnar to win the Raw World Title.

Opening sequence.

Asuka vs. Liv Morgan

Asuka kicks her in the ribs to start and scores with the hip attack for a bonus. Liv manages to knock her to the floor and snaps off a hurricanrana as we take a break. Back with Asuka stomping away and hitting a running knee for two. Liv gets in some clotheslines and a faceplant to stagger Asuka, with a double stomp out of the corner getting two. Asuka is right back with the cross armbreaker but Liv backflips into a cradle for two. That’s fine with Asuka, who pulls her into the Asuka Lock for the tap at 10:06.

Rating: C-. And that seems to end or at least downgrade the Morgan experiment for the time being. I’m sure she’ll come back in the near future but at least she got the Wrestlemania moment. By beating Natalya. On the Kickoff Show. That counts for something, right?

We look at Becky Lynch retaining over Shayna Baszler.

Becky is proud of her year long reign and thinks Shayna underestimated her. She’s ready for anyone.

Baszler talks about the agony of defeat and isn’t done with Becky.

Tag Team Titles: Austin Theory/Angel Garza vs. Street Profits

The Profits are defending and Zelina Vega is here with the challengers. Garza bails from Dawkins to start so it’s off to Theory, who gets dropkicked down. A double flapjack puts Garza onto Theory and we take a break. Back with Theory hitting his rolling dropkick on Dawkins and cranking on the arm. Some stomping keeps Dawkins down and the armbar goes on. It’s off to Garza to work on the legs to mix things up a bit but Dawkins manages to suplex Theory. The hot tag brings in Ford and everything breaks down, with Vega getting involved for the DQ at 10:04.

Rating: C-. If that’s where they’re going, I’m not sure if they needed the first Wrestlemania title match. The match felt tacked on in the first place and now there’s this, which felt like your usual Raw match with the angle at the end to set up something else. The tag division is nothing right now and I’m not sure who the Profits are supposed to face going forward.

Post match the brawl continues with Bianca Belair running in and going after Vega. The ring is cleared so Belair challenges Vega for right now.

Zelina Vega vs. Bianca Belair

Belair powers her down to start and flips forward, only to have Vega get in a slap to the face. That’s too far for Belair, who throws her down by the head. A missed charge goes into the post though and Vega ties her up in the ropes with something like a crucifix chinlock. Belair powers out of a dragon sleeper and Ford grabs the camera in celebration. Theory blocks a moonsault attempt though and the guys get in a fight. Everyone gets inside and the match is thrown out at 4:26.

Rating: D+. They’re going all the way with this trio of matches tonight aren’t they? Belair being out there was a good way to introduce her, though you might think she would just get a clean pin here instead of being used to set up something else. You can do that, but do you really need to let the match be thrown out?

Post match, six person challenge.

Street Profits/Bianca Belair vs. Zelina Vega/Austin Theory/Angel Garza

Dawkins throws Theory around to start and it’s Ford coming in, only to spend too much time trash talking. That earns him a forearm to the back to send Ford outside and it’s a cheap shot from Garza for a bonus. The chinlock into a front facelock keep Ford in trouble and Theory sends him outside. Back in and Ford powers out of a sleeper so Theory knocks Dawkins off the apron. Ford enziguris Theory down though and it’s off to Belair to ragdoll Zelina with a backbreaker. The handspring moonsault connects as everyone else fights on the floor. The KOD ends Vega at 5:26.

Rating: C-. Well at least they got to the right ending. The Profits are long established so having the focus on Belair here makes sense. She’s come a long way in NXT and it would be nice to see her getting a push around here. The women’s division certainly needs the boost and maybe she can do it.

We look at Lana costing Bobby Lashley the match against Aleister Black.

Lashley isn’t happy with Lana and walks away from her.

Aleister Black vs. Apollo Crews

Crews has been signed over from Smackdown. Black front facelocks him to start but Crews powers out into a headlock. Crews shoulders him down but Black flips over him and has a seat, sending Crews bailing to the floor. Back from a break with Black grabbing an armbar but Crews knocks him outside. A belly to back suplex keeps Black in trouble on the floor but he’s right back in with a kick to the chest for two. Crews backdrops him to the floor and scores with a moonsault as we take another break (In this match?).

Back again with Crews hitting a clothesline for two and the chinlock goes on. Black fights up and kicks away until a powerslam gives Crews two. A shot to the leg doesn’t do much to Crews, who hits an enziguri into the toss powerbomb for two more. Crews clotheslines him down and goes up top, only to miss the splash.

A kneebar has Crews in more trouble but he makes the rope. They trade kicks and Black is sent outside as we take a third break. Back again with Black kicking him in the face for two more but Crews hits a dropkick. Crews catches him on top and hits a superplex for a delayed two.

The knee gives out on a gorilla press attempt so Crews gets in a sitout powerbomb for two more. Now the gorilla press sets up the standing moonsault. The standing shooting star press gets the same and they’re both down again. Crews dives into the jumping knee to the face though and Black Mass finishes at 27:26.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when I saw these two being paired together but surprises can be fun too. Crews continues to have all of the athletic abilities in the world but not much in terms of success. Black got in some good stuff here but Black Mass is something that can make him a star for as long as he wants.

Video on Edge beating Randy Orton in the Last Man Standing match.

Cedric Alexander/Ricochet vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

Lorcan takes Alexander down into a front facelock and it’s quickly off to Burch for a chinlock. Alexander fights up and brings in Ricochet but has to fight off Burch and Lorcan at the same time. A triangle dropkick puts Burch on the floor and it’s back to Cedric for an enziguri into a front suplex. Ricochet’s standing shooting star and it’s the Neuralizer into the Benadryller for the pin on Lorcan at 3:37.

Rating: C. They packed some action into this one and that’s a good thing to see. Alexander and Ricochet are two guys with nothing else to do and the tag division certainly could use a boost. Then again I don’t know how much of a future they have as the tag division never goes anywhere for very long, but the nod is better than nothing.

Video on Kevin Owens beating Seth Rollins.

Owens has spent several months asking himself if it is worth it to spend this much time facing Rollins. Then he dove off the sign at Wrestlemania and pinned Rollins, which made it all worth it. Now he needs to find something new to do, so maybe we need to find out who needs the next Stunner.

Seth Rollins vs. Denzel Dejournette

Denzel is from NXT and gets sent outside early on. A whip into the barricade sets up the Stomp to give Rollins the pin at 1:23.

Nia Jax vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Jax says fight her and blasts Purrazzo with a clothesline. She does it again for a bonus and it’s the Samoan drop into a fisherman’s DDT to finish Purrazzo at 1:36.

Video on the Boneyard match.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Brendan Vink

Carrillo starts fast with the springboard armdrag to put Vink on the floor but he forearms his way out of a suicide dive. Back in and Vink hiptosses Carrillo down so we can hit the chinlock. Carrillo fights up with a dropkick into a moonsault though, setting up a missile dropkick. A kick to the face into the top rope moonsault finishes Vink at 3:23.

Rating: D+. Just a match here and not much of an entertaining one. I get why WWE wants to push Carrillo but he just isn’t clicking. He can do all of the in-ring stuff just fine but there is a connection issue that needs to be fixed. That isn’t something you can just turn off and on though and I think WWE might be realizing it with him. Maybe this gets better, but it hasn’t shown any signs of doing so yet.

Video on Charlotte winning the NXT Women’s Title.

Charlotte talks about everything she has accomplished and how she has done everything. Rhea Ripley is great and now she has bowed down to the Queen.

Video on Drew McIntyre winning the WWE Championship.

We get some post Wrestlemania footage of McIntyre coming back into the arena wearing the title for an interview. Drew talks about how he can’t believe that he got here and it hasn’t sunk in yet. He thanks everyone who has gotten him here, including Paul Heyman. During the match with Brock Lesnar, Heyman said keep giving Drew the F5 because he can’t keep getting back up.

That made Drew think about all the times he has had to get back up so the F5’s just angered him over and over again. Now he’s WWE Champion….and here’s the Big Show with a referee. Show congratulates him and wants a match right now, not even for the title. Drew says he just beat Brock Lesnar so that’s not happening right now. Show thinks that’s fear but Drew knows what’s going on. That earns him a slap so Drew is ready to go.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Big Show

McIntyre is defending. Show starts fast and slams him down to bang up the ribs a bit. A headbutt cuts the champ off and a Vader Bomb gets two. There’s another slam to work on the ribs even more and Show chokes on the ropes while asking what Drew is made of. The big chop misses and Drew swings away, setting up a slam for two in a good looking spot. Drew goes up top and dives into a chokeslam for two. The KO Punch misses though and it’s the Claymore to retain at 6:57.

Rating: D+. A competitive match here is fine but my goodness they had me worried that they would actually do something this bad. The match was the usual slow and plodding Big Show deal but at least they didn’t pull the trigger for the sake of promoting Big Show’s Netflix series. Points for the drama, but negative points for making me think about the possibility.

Overall Rating: C. Well they did something different and that’s what mattered here. This show didn’t feel boring and was as good of a post Wrestlemania show as they could have had in this situation. They kept the show moving and we had a good enough night as a result. I don’t know if we should expect it going forward, but this was a step up from the recent Performance Center TV shows. I’ll take what I can get at this point so well enough done.

Results

Asuka b. Liv Morgan – Asuka Lock

Street Profits b. Austin Theory/Angel Garza via DQ when Zelina Vega interfered

Bianca Belair vs. Zelina Vega went to a no contest

Street Profits/Bianca Belair b. Zelina Vega/Austin Theory/Angel Garza – KOD to Vega

Aleister Black b. Apollo Crews – Black Mass

Cedric Alexander/Ricochet b. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch – Benadryller to Lorcan

Seth Rollins b. Denzel Dejournette – Stomp

Nia Jax b. Deonna Purrazzo – Fisherman’s DDT

Humberto Carrillo b. Brendan Vink – Moonsault

Drew McIntyre b. Big Show – Claymore

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