NWA Into The Fire Preview

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

I would say this falls into the “never say never” category. The NWA used to be all the rage back in the day but now things have changed quite a bit. While it isn’t exactly what it was before, the NWA is still around and has reached a level they have not achieved in a long time. This includes holding a pay per view event and that means it is time to see what they have in store. Let’s get to it.

Tasha Steelz vs. Thunder Rosa

This is a last minute addition to the card and it certainly feels like one. Rosa is someone that has been pushed rather hard since Powerrr began and she has been treated as a big deal. Steelz is someone you may remember as not doing very much but she is someone who can be put in there for a quick match. I’m not sure how much I would expect from it, but at least the match exists.

I’ll take Rosa here, as she needs to get her feet back a little bit after they did that rather strange series of videos on her losing in mixed martial arts (yeah it was cool, but it was completely different to what she does in her regular appearances). Steelz is someone who could be a nice star down the road, but Rosa is someone who could be a big star right now and that is what the NWA needs at the moment.

Tag Team Titles: Rock N Roll Express(c) vs. Wild Cards

It’s a rematch of the big moment from the first season (Are eight shows a season?) of Powerrr with the Express becoming nine time Tag Team Champions. Now they have to defend the titles that they won in a match which wasn’t all that great in the first place. I’m almost scared of the idea of the Express putting on some big, epic match, but it was cool to see them win the titles one more time at least.

I’ll go with the Wild Cards winning the titles back here, as there isn’t much of a future in having champions who are both in their 60s. It was a nice moment and all, but losing to the Express hurt the Wild Cards quite a bit. A win could help them get back on their feet, but it might be a little too late. You have to try and see though, as the Wild Cards need to get the titles back.

National Title: Colt Cabana(c) vs. Aron Stevens vs. Ricky Starks

How out of place does a triple threat match feel in the NWA? Anyway, this is an interesting one as you have the popular Cabana, the incredibly gimmicky Stevens and Starks, who looks like a nice prospect. This really is a match that could go any way and that makes things a lot more interesting. I’m actually not sure how this is going to go and that’s a feeling I always like.

That being said, I’ll go with Cabana retaining here, as he has the highest profile of all three names. Starks would be able to get something out of winning the title, but I’m not sure if he’s ready to go there yet. Stevens is going to be fine with his promos and funny lines alone and Cabana has already lost the title once. Cabana retains here, but it really could go to any of the three.

Trevor Murdoch vs. The Question Mark

Every now and then you find someone who just catches fire in a way beyond all expectations. That is the case with the Question Mark, who has turned into the cult favorite of all cult favorites in the NWA. I know he isn’t going to go anywhere long term, but it’s very smart to go with something that is working at the moment. The NWA needs something to get on the map and maybe the Question Mark can do so in a way.

So of course I’ll take the Question Mark to win, though probably not through the cleanest means. There is nothing wrong with giving Question Mark a win here, as Murdoch can bounce right back in a hurry due to being one of the better known names around at the moment. Question Mark isn’t going to last forever so the NWA is doing the right thing by capitalizing while they can, which includes a win here.

Allysin Kay/Ashley Vox vs. Melina/Marti Belle

This is another star power match, but above all else, where in the world do those drum beats come from? Can everyone in the ring hear them? Are they in someone’s head? Why do I think about these things so much? Anyway, Melina getting back in the ring is kind of a big deal, though I’m not sure if she has the kind of star power to make that big of a difference around here.

I’ll take Melina and Belle to win, likely with Melina pinning Kay to set up a future title match. There is nothing wrong with that in a situation like this so hopefully they get this one right and go with the logical means. Vox is another someone who could be a nice addition to the roster so putting her in there with the biggest name the women’s division has is smart. She isn’t involved in the finish here though and that makes the most sense.

Eli Drake vs. Ken Anderson

Here’s your second biggest and likely best match on the card as you can throw two experienced people out there and likely have one of them become the next #1 contender to the World Title. Drake has come off like a star in the NWA with those promos and status as the devil on your shoulder working very well for him. Anderson is Anderson and therefore acceptable, but he is pretty long removed from being a big deal.

That being said, I’m still going with Anderson to win with some cheating. Drake is someone with more potential and likely more help long term, but Anderson is someone with a certain charisma to him and his former WWE/Impact Wrestling status should be enough to carry him here. It’s ok to go with the bigger name at times and that is what they seem to be doing here. Anderson wins.

NWA World Title: Nick Aldis(c) vs. James Storm

It’s the main event with a stipulation of course, as this will be 2/3 falls with both of them getting to pick a referee for each fall. Should it go to a third fall (should…..right), a coin toss determines who will referee the third fall. The cuts from the broadcast hurt this one a bit as their reason for fighting isn’t all that clear. The videos are out there, but it would be nice to have a little better explanation.

Even with all of the stipulations, I’m taking Aldis to retain here as the NWA really seems to love him. I’m not sure I get the huge star in Aldis, but he does indeed have something there. The promos and look are enough to keep him in or near the main event and it’s not like there is anyone else who desperately needs to win the title at the moment. Aldis is as good as they have at the moment, so stick with what works.

Overall Thoughts

I still can’t get my head around the idea that the NWA is running a pay per view and it actually looks good. The promotion is not exactly doing great at the moment with the viewership for Powerrr being pretty weak, but the fact of the matter is they got out there and tried to do something, which is a lot more than so many promotions can do. See if this works and maybe there is a path forward. It’s not like this is going to be any worse than having the promotion sitting around, so maybe it can get them somewhere better, even if it is just a little bit.

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:

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Smackdown – December 13, 2019: The Reign Is On

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: December 13, 2019
Location: Firsev Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

It’s the go home show for TLC and I’m going to assume that at least three more matches will be added to the card tonight. We also have the big angle between Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin, though for once I actually liked what they were doing last week. Granted I have no confidence in them to continue such a streak. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Corbin vs. Reigns.

Here is Corbin on his throne, complete with security around the ring and Dolph Ziggler waiting on him. Ziggler says he can’t get away from the stench of dog food and Corbin goes over his accomplishments over the year. Corbin is ready to become the new star of the company and isn’t worried about Reigns being off the leash tonight.

Last week Reigns was put in his place and Ziggler is going to speak for the locker room when he says Reigns got what he deserved. Reigns says a new day is dawning so here is the New Day to interrupt. They don’t like Corbin using the term “new day” but Corbin brings up Kofi losing to Brock Lesnar in six seconds. Kofi: “It was more like eight seconds.”

Kofi brings up Corbin talking about his year so far, so remember when Kofi won the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania and then defended it against Corbin’s court jester Dolph Ziggler? It’s true that Kofi lost but then he came back and became a Tag Team Champion again. Corbin laughs it off so Kofi slaps him in the face. That’s not cool so Corbin promises to humiliate him later tonight. This really didn’t need to be nearly fifteen minutes long to set up either a single or tag match (or maybe both) later.

We recap Bray Wyatt targeting the Miz and his family.

Corbin and Ziggler find two backstage people out cold and their locker room ransacked. Oh dear.

Bliss and Cross give an interview from backstage but Mandy and Sonya run in to jump them from behind and start the fight on the stage. They get the ring for the opening bell and Bliss is sent outside. Cross gets beaten up in the corner and it’s a double suplex being loaded up, only to have Bliss pull Mandy to the floor. The Purge (which the camera misses at first) finishes Deville at 1:37.

Sami Zayn runs into Heavy Machinery and Otis has a Secret Santa present for him. It’s some Milwaukee ham, but Sami is disgusted because he’s a vegan. Sami yells at him for the mistake so Otis gets mad, only to have Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura come up to take care of things. They’ll fight later. Cesaro throws the ham on the ground and Otis shouts. Now I want ham.

Shorty G./Mustafa Ali vs. Revival

Wilder trips and falls down during his entrance. Gable gets sent outside to start as Revival takes over early on. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Gable gets in a few rollups for two. Wilder drives him into the corner but Gable suplexes his way out of the powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination. Ali hurricanranas Wilder to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Gable flipping out of a moonsault and grabbing a belly to back suplex on Dawson, with Ali adding a top rope double stomp for two. Dawson grabs a tiger driver for two on Gable but he’s right back with Rolling Chaos Theory. Wilder dives in with a frog splash for the save but Ali hits a 450 on Wilder to put everyone down again. Ali goes up again and dives straight into the Shatter Machine for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C+. They were starting to roll here with the technical stuff against the flying and it was getting entertaining. Revival wasn’t going to lose two days before a title match but they were still having a good match as a result. It’s ok to know the way a match is going to go if they are making things work and that’s what they did here.

Bayley complains about Lacey Evans not being entertaining and brags about her and Sasha’s high level of awesome. We hear some guitar though and it’s Elias serenading Dana Brooke, which doesn’t sit well with Bayley. She yells at him so Elias sings about Bayley wanting a threesome with him and Banks (seriously) but she looks too manly after the haircut. Anyway, Bayley vs. Brooke later.

Bayley vs. Dana Brooke

Non-title. Bayley slaps her to start so Brooke knocks her outside for a handspring elbow against the barricade. Another one connects back inside but Bayley elbows her in the face for two. Bayley loads up a superplex but gets reversed into a sunset bomb for two. Brooke gets sent into the corner though and that arm trap bulldog driver gives Bayley the pin at 1:52.

We look at Miz/Wyatt from last week again.

Sheamus is still coming.

We get a sitdown interview with Miz at his home in Los Angeles. Miz hasn’t seen Bryan and doesn’t have much to say to him. We see the near legendary promo battle on Talking Smack and Miz says he thinks it’s finally time for him to do the right thing. Last week Bray took a step too far because family is what matters most.

We hear Maryse scream from somewhere else and Miz runs over to hear. Bray has hacked a tablet and the Firefly Fun House puppets are in their daughter’s crib. Miz and Maryse run upstairs to check on her and everything seems ok, though Willow is a bit scared. There’s a Bray doll in her crib and Miz tells the cameras to get out. I know it’s rushed and I know the match isn’t going to work, but they’re trying with these two and the promos have been good.

And now, the Firefly Fun House with the Bray doll sitting on the table. Bray was just trying to be nice and she told him a long time ago that no one likes a snitch. Miz was so busy trying to defend Bryan that he ended up exposing himself. Bryan is with, ahem, him, but Miz is with Bray. See, Bray has taught himself that pain is just a chemical reaction and you can train yourself to not feel pain at all. He bangs his head into the table and smiles, saying you can train yourself not to feel love either. All you have to do is let him in. Oh and Marine 5 was FIRE! See you at TLC!

Corbin and Ziggler find the throne toppled over and more people down.

Heavy Machinery vs. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

Tucker dropkicks Cesaro to start and hits a spinning middle rope crossbody for a bonus. Otis comes in and shoves Nakamura down before sending Cesaro outside as we take a break. Back with Tucker fighting out of a front facelock as the fans want Otis. Tucker rolls him away and brings in Otis for the gyrating but Nakamura breaks up a charge in the corner. Nakamura’s sliding knee gets two but Kinshasa is broken up. So is the Compactor though, leaving Otis to send Nakamura outside. The Caterpillar is broken up but Sami offers a distraction, allowing Nakamura to blast Tucker with Kinshasa for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: C. Just a match here and I continue to be surprised by how long the Caterpillar has stayed over. The fans are just digging it every single time and that’s a cool situation to have. Otis and Tucker shouldn’t have a lot of staying power but Otis’ ridiculous charisma is enough to keep them fine enough. Not a bad match, and again the right team won after breaking a sweat.

Batista and the NWO are going into the Hall of Fame.

Kofi Kingston vs. King Corbin

Kofi kicks at the ribs to start but gets shouldered down in a hurry. Corbin is knocked outside and Kofi drops him again as we take a break. Back with Corbin shoving Kingston off the top and driving him into the barricade a few times. Corbin takes him back inside for more shots to the ribs, followed by a big boot for two. End of Days is countered into the SOS for two but a Ziggler distraction breaks up Trouble in Paradise. That’s good for an ejection but he comes back to the ring for the brawl with Big E….and the double DQ at 10:21.

Rating: C. Yeah yeah just ring the bell for the tag match. They might as well have had a big sign up saying this was coming and there was no way they were going to do anything else. I can appreciate them not doing a clean finish here but it was a bit annoying waiting around for the ending that they telegraphed like no other.

New Day vs. Dolph Ziggler/King Corbin

Joined in progress with Ziggler hitting Big E. with a Fameasser for two and it’s off to Corbin for some choking. The belly to belly gets Big E. out of trouble and it’s off to Kofi for the top rope chop to the head. Ziggler is sent outside but Corbin clotheslines Kofi to cut things off. Ziggler busts out the handcuffs to tie Kofi up and that’s a DQ at 2:39.

Post match Kofi gets tied up ala Reigns last week and here’s the Revival for a Shatter Machine to Big E. Corbin brings out the dog food so here’s Reigns (who was so ENRAGED that he waited until the match was over and Corbin had a huge numbers advantage at the end of the show) to wreck everyone. Reigns gets the scepter but Ziggler superkicks him down. Big E. saves him from a ladder elbow through the table, allowing Reigns to throw him through the table instead. Reigns frees Kofi as Corbin bails to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. They really can’t help themselves with Corbin. He starts getting a little traction in the King role and then he’s all over the show AGAIN, which is what caused so many of his problems in the first place. WWE does this every time and it never works, which is why we’re so likely to see it happen again and again. That’s going to headline on Sunday too and Corbin will keep getting a push as WWE fails to see why it isn’t working. The rest of the show didn’t seem to matter but it was all about Corbin with Reigns thrown in at the end.

Results

Revival b. Shorty G./Mustafa Ali – Shatter Machine to Ali

Bayley b. Dana Brooke – Arm trap bulldog driver

Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura b. Heavy Machinery – Kinshasa to Tucker

Kofi Kingston vs. King Corbin went to a no contest when Big E. and Dolph Ziggler started brawling

New Day b. King Corbin/Dolph Ziggler via DQ when Ziggler used handcuffs

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:

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In Your House #4: And That’s It For Diesel

IMG Credit: WWE

In Your House 4: Great White North
Date: October 22, 1995
Location: Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Attendance: 10,339
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon

We open with a decision made by WWF President Gorilla Monsoon: Shawn Michaels has been stripped of the Intercontinental Title due to a real life attack by anywhere between 2-19 United States Marines (depending on how many Shawn feels like saying there were at the time). Therefore, he has to forfeit the title to Dean Douglas, his challenger for the night, though there will be a title match tonight.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Fatu

We hit the chinlock on Fatu, who looks to be nearly dead as a result. Back up and a clothesline turns Fatu inside out for another two count. A Pedigree is countered with a backdrop and Fatu scores with a superkick. Fatu hits a backbreaker to set up a middle rope headbutt for another two count. Lawler is losing his mind watching Helmsley get beaten up like this. A running Diamond Cutter puts Helmsley down again but Fatu misses the top rope splash, allowing Helmsley to hit the Pedigree for the pin.

Post match Lawler talks to Helmsley when Henry Godwinn comes up with the slop bucket, sending Helmsley running away.

Tag Titles: Smoking Gunns vs. 1-2-3 Kid/Razor Ramon

Razor comes in again but Bart scores with a clothesline as Dean Douglas is watching in the back. Apparently Razor will be the one getting an Intercontinental Title shot against the new champion Douglas later tonight. A double tag brings in Billy and the Kid with Billy cleaning house and getting two off an elbow drop. Back to Bart for some backbreakers but Razor comes in to break up the pin.

Post match the Kid snaps and kicks the Gunns down, only to be calmed down by Razor.

Marty Jannetty vs. Goldust

Marty comes back by flipping Goldust back to the floor and sending him into the steps for some nice retaliation. Goldust will have none of this being in trouble though and sends Marty into the post to put him right back down. A suplex brings Jannetty back in and we hit another chinlock. Marty fights up but misses a cross body in the corner, allowing Goldust to DDT him down for two. Jannetty scores with the Rocker Dropper (modified Fameasser) but his top rope fist hits a top rope boot. A gordbuster (front suplex) is enough to pin Jannetty.

King Mabel vs. Yokozuna

Intercontinental Title: Dean Douglas vs. Razor Ramon

Razor charges to the ring and pounds away before being dropped by a right hand to the jaw. The champion bails to the floor before coming back in for some shoulders from Ramon. Razor cranks on the arm even more and we hit the armbar. Dean is sent to the mat by the arm and Razor slaps him in the back of the head to rub it in a bit. Back up and Razor stays on that arm and hangs on even through an armdrag.

Bret Hart comes out for commentary on the main event since he gets the winner for the title at Survivor Series. Lawler runs away in fear.

WWF World Title: Diesel vs. British Bulldog

Diesel, the champion, has no comment on the way to the ring. They shove each other around to start before Diesel puts him down with a forearm to the head. A cross body is easily caught in a slam from Diesel, sending Bulldog out to the floor. Back in and the Bulldog goes after the leg, only to be sent into the corner for a clothesline. More elbows in the corner have Smith in trouble but he comes back with right hands of his own.

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

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In Your House #3: Everybody, All Together Now!

IMG Credit: WWE

In Your House 3: Triple Header
Date: September 24, 1995
Location: Saginaw Civic Center, Saginaw, Michigan
Attendance: 5,146
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross

Savio Vega vs. Waylon Mercy

Cornette, Fuji, Yokozuna and British Bulldog are panicking in the back because WWF President Gorilla Monsoon is saying the tag titles might have to be forfeited. Gorilla says the title match is happening tonight.

Sycho Sid vs. Henry Godwinn

Post match Kama Mustafa comes out to help Sid and DiBiase try to slop Henry but Bam Bam Bigelow makes the save and pours the slop on DiBiase again.

British Bulldog vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Dean Douglas vs. Razor Ramon

This is a result of Dean insulting Razor for losing the Intercontinental Title match at Summerslam and Ramon has bad ribs coming in. Razor goes right for him to start and clotheslines Douglas out to the floor. Back in and they take each other to the mat a few times with no one being able to get an advantage. Dean fires off some right hands but gets hiptossed over the top and out to the floor. We cut to the split screen again with Mabel looking at Yokozuna and Cornette looking thrilled. Nothing is official though.

Jean Pierre LaFitte vs. Bret Hart

Bret hooks the armbar but gets clotheslined down, sending Lawler into fits of glee. LaFitte stomps away as this is still in first or second gear. Bret gets pounded down in the corner before missing a charge into the post to damage his own shoulder. We get the required Bret chest first into the buckle bump as things speed up a little bit. Bret manages to backdrop Jean over the top to the floor but gets sent into the steps for his troubles.

Bret gets his jacket back post match.

Tag Titles/WWF World Title/Intercontinental Title: Yokozuna/British Bulldog vs. Shawn Michaels/Diesel

All titles are on the line here with the person getting the fall winning the belt of whomever they pin. Smith and Shawn get things going by trading some weak hammerlocks. A backdrop puts Smith down and a clothesline sends him to the floor with Shawn skinning the cat to get back in. Yokozuna comes in sans tag but Diesel punches him out to the floor, leaving the good guys to rule the ring.

Jim Ross points out how ridiculous this is to end the show.

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205 Live – December 6, 2019: It Worked Once

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: December 6, 2019
Location: Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Commentators: Aiden English, Tom Phillips

I’m not sure what to think about this show anymore. NXT has taken away everything that mattered about this show and made it even less important than it was before, assuming that was actually possible. The only thing you can hope for are a few good matches, which are always a possibility around here. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Lio Rush vs. Angel Garza. Tonight they get to pick each other’s opponents.

Opening sequence.

The announcers recap the ending of Smackdown with Bray Wyatt possibly cutting hair without a license.

Angel Garza vs. Raul Mendoza

Mendoza gets aggressive to start and knocks Garza to the floor for an early breather. Back in and Garza gets caught in a front facelock and then a cravate for a change of pace. The announcers talk about women wanting to ride Garza and how much English misses Humberto Carrillo as Garza breaks out and yells at someone in the crowd. That’s broken up so they run the ropes, only to have both of them try an armdrag at the same time.

Garza knees him in the ribs but Mendoza snaps off a springboard armdrag. A middle rope hurricanrana sends Garza outside so Mendoza hurricanranas him there as well. Garza pulls him hard off the apron (that was nasty) though and Mendoza is in trouble in a hurry. Mendoza is so banged up that there is no focus on GARZA TAKING OFF HIS PANTS. A running kick to the chest puts Mendoza down in the corner so we get to see the removal of the pants, with English being VERY pleased.

The slingshot reverse DDT into the low superkick gets two on Mendoza and we hit the half crab (minus the stepover). That’s broken up and Garza misses a charge, going shoulder first into the post. Mendoza makes the comeback with a dropkick and it’s just sad to see the fans having no emotion to any of this. Garza catches him in the corner though and hits a running dropkick to both legs (always looks cool).

The Wing Clipper is blocked though and Mendoza grabs a rollup for two. An exchange of superkicks puts both guys down though and we get a breather. They chop it out until Mendoza snaps off a Spanish Fly for two. Garza slides out to the floor so that’s a big flip dive from Mendoza. Back in and Garza hits a superkick, setting up the Wing Clipper for the sudden ending at 12:11.

Rating: B-. Garza continues to look like a star every time he’s out there, if nothing else due to the smile alone. The fact that he can back it up so well in the ring makes it even better as there is very little he can’t do. Mendoza on the other hand is someone who can have a good match with anyone and is an excellent hand, which is going to keep him around for a long time to come.

We look back at Jack Gallagher snapping last week.

Gallagher has since sent out a tweet saying “I’m done.”

Singh Brothers vs. Trent Newman

Actually hang on as here’s Tony Nese to interrupt. He’s taking this match instead and doesn’t seem interested in the Singhs’ opinion.

Tony Nese vs. Trent Newman

Nese takes him into the corner for some early chopping before nipping up to avoid a chop from Trent. A kick to the ribs lets Nese pose before snapping Trent’s throat across the top rope. The middle rope moonsault gets two back inside as the Singhs are still at ringside. Trent gets in an enziguri but gets caught on top and suplexed into the corner. The running Nese is good for the pin at 3:41.

Rating: D+. I’m almost scared to imagine what this is going to mean for Nese as working with the Singh Brothers does not offer the brightest potential. Then again, it’s not like Nese has anything else going on at the moment. The match was just a squash, but it feels like the start of something for Nese and I guess that’s better than nothing.

Post match Nese leaves and the Singhs hit Trent with the Bollywood Blast.

Video on Isaiah Scott.

Danny Burch vs. Lio Rush

Non-title. Burch grabs a headlock to start with Rush going to the ropes for a rare form of escape. Another headlock puts Rush down for a bit and it works so well that they do it again, though this time Burch goes with a reverse Crossface (cool). Back up and Burch punches Rush to the floor before whipping him into the barricade as this is one sided so far.

Back in and we hit the neck crank, followed by another right hand and yet another chinlock. Rush fights up and hits the clotheslines to set up the handspring elbow. Burch gets sent to the floor for the suicide dive as the silence continues. The spinning kick to the face gives Rush two but Rush headbutts him down without much effort.

The middle rope dropkick hits Rush for two more but he blocks the German suplex. That’s fine with Burch, who powerbombs him first and then gets in the German suplex. A hard clothesline gives Burch two but Rush is right back with the springboard Stunner. That means it’s time for the Final Hour, only to have Garza come out to shove Rush off the top for the DQ at 12:58.

Rating: C+. This took a long time to get going with a bunch of chinlocks and nerve holds before getting into the back and forth action that made it work. The DQ ending was the right way to go as Burch hasn’t been around very long and doesn’t need to be taking a pin. The champ doesn’t either so this is as good as they could have done.

Post match Garza gives Rush the Wing Clipper and holds up the title, with Rush crawling for it, to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It was an entertaining show, which may have been due to the show being a bit shorter than usual. That can help a bit here as it feels like they’re keeping things a bit tighter instead of stretching things out. Throw in the actual story from top to bottom and it makes for a nice enough show. I don’t believe it means anything for the future, but it worked for one week.

Results

Angel Garza b. Raul Mendoza – Wing Clipper

Tony Nese b. Trent Newman – Running Nese

Lio Rush b. Danny Burch via DQ when Angel Garza interfered

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:

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Main Event – December 5, 2019: The Winter Blues (But More Reds)

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: December 5, 2019
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Mickie James

We’re on the way to TLC and things are starting to get tight as far as setting up the actual card. WWE doesn’t exactly seem interested in building up the show or setting matches for the thing, but to be fair it’s not like the show is going to mean anything in the first place. I’m sure this one will be thrilling too. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Natalya vs. Sarah Logan

So Natalya is the new Dana Brooke? Logan takes her down to start and we’re in the chinlock in the first minute. That’s broken up so Natalya claps a lot before they fight over the leg. The grappling on the mat nearly sets up the Sharpshooter so Logan bails to the floor. Back in and Natalya unloads in the corner, setting up a snap suplex to put Logan outside again. Logan gets in a neck snap though and the chinlock goes on again. Natalya’s belly to back faceplant gets two so Logan sends her into the corner. Not that it matters as Natalya grabs a small package for the pin at 4:55.

Rating: D. This was short and not very good but what worries me even more is the idea of them having another long term feud on here. You never can tell what they’re going to do as far as continuing with the same matches over and over but it can get really annoying. Logan isn’t the best in the world but she deserves better than doing the same stuff week after week.

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens with the AOP interfering to attack Owens but not Rollins.

From Raw.

Here’s Seth Rollins to apologize for last week. Rollins talks about how everyone in the back is his family and as the head of the family, it is his job to get the best out of everyone here on Raw. Maybe he went a bit too far with that last week though and he needs to apologize. Lawler does not approve of this and it’s even worse when Rollins asks Owens to come out here and accept his apology man to man.

Owens comes out and says he thinks the only family Rollins has is the AOP. Rollins denies it, but Owens calls (uncensored) BS. Cue the AOP to make the offer of a tag match. Rollins says he’s in but Owens says he sees three scenarios, all of which end in him getting beaten down three on one. Therefore, let’s get it over with now. Rollins walks out and the AOP lets him go, but Owens offers to fight them one at a time. For some reason the AOP leaves so Owens issues an open challenge.

Cue Lana to handle Bobby Lashley’s introductions and shows off her rather revealing outfit as Owens facepalms in the ring. Owens: “NO ONE CARES! I DON’T CARE IF YOU’RE NOT DONE TALKING! I AM VOMITING IN MY MOUTH RIGHT NOW!” Lana isn’t done and makes it clear that Rusev isn’t here tonight because the restraining order is on again. Owens says she is repulsive on the inside so Lana calls him a “basic pizza eater”. She threatens to have Lashley come out here and finish him. Owens: “LET’S GET TO IT!!!” Owens as the voice of the fans here is hilarious because he’s absolutely right, but I doubt WWE gets the point.

Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens

There is security on the floor waiting for Rusev. Lashley knocks him to the floor to start but Owens gets in a shot of his own, setting up the frog splash off the apron. Back from a break with Lashley hammering away until a superkick gets Owens out of trouble. The spinning Big Ending gives Lashley two but the full nelson is blocked. Owens hits the Pop Up Powerbomb but here’s the TOP to beat up Owens for the DQ at 8:49.

Rating: C-. Well they didn’t have Rusev interfere, which is actually a bit of a surprise. I’m still not sure what is going on here with the AOP as they could have Rollins as the boss or go in the other direction with a surprise leader. The AOP still aren’t the kind of people you have as the big bads so the leader is necessary. Getting the right one can make it work, but how much confidence should I have in WWE to pull it off?

Post match AOP beats Owens down and drags him off.

Post break Lana and Lashley talk about how tired they are of dealing with Rusev, which has caused Lana to have to hire security. Cue Rusev through the crowd to superkick Lashley and beat him down as Lana screams for the guards to come in. They take their sweet time getting up onto the apron as Rusev bails. They never even got in the ring so Lashley goes outside to yell at them, but since they’re detectives, Lashley gets arrested for getting physical. Lana slaps one of them and is going to jail too.

From Raw again.

The Kabuki Warriors rant in Japanese before their match. They promise to beat Charlotte tonight.

Charlotte vs. Kabuki Warriors

The Warriors now have their own single theme instead of the pretty bad mashup. They jump Charlotte before the bell and the beatdown is on, with the referee giving Charlotte a breather before starting it off. Sane chokes Charlotte in the corner but she fights back, only to get caught by Asuka to keep her in trouble.

Charlotte knocks both of them outside but gets rammed into the barricade to cut her off again. With Sane being sent into the barricade, Asuka kicks Charlotte down to put her right back down. The hip attack hits Sane though and Charlotte kicks Asuka in the face. Back from a break with Sane pounding away but getting kicked out of the air.

The moonsault hits double knees though as Charlotte can’t keep anything going. Sane gets caught in the Boston crab until Asuka kicks Charlotte in the head for the break. Asuka kicks away and grabs the armbreaker, which is reversed into the sitout powerbomb for two with Sane making the save.

Charlotte takes both of them to the top but a double superplex is broken up because it would probably kill everyone involved. Sane hits some top rope knees to the back to give Asuka two but Charlotte is right back with the double spear. The Figure Eight has Asuka in -big trouble until the Insane Elbow (to Charlotte’s bridged ribs) breaks it up for the pin at 16:00.

Rating: C+. Charlotte got too much in here but at least she lost clean in the end, which is how this should have gone. The fact that it was a possibility to see Charlotte get a win over both champions at once though is a bit disturbing, but at least they got it right in the end. Just find some challengers for the champs instead of Becky and Charlotte.

The champs celebrate in the ring until Asuka tries to leave, only to get pointed back in by a production guy’s hand. Nothing happens after that, but they needed to fill in some time.

We look at Roman Reigns destroying Robert Roode on Smackdown.

Cedric Alexander vs. Mojo Rawley

Rawley chills in the corner to start before sending Alexander into another one. A hard whip has Alexander in more trouble and we take a break. Back with Alexander getting two off a crucifix, followed by the Neuralizer for the same. The springboard is countered into an Alabama Slam though and Alexander is done at 6:14. Not enough shown to rate but it wasn’t anything that hasn’t been done before.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Daniel Bryan to talk about everything going on with Bray Wyatt tonight. Earlier today the Miz talked about how the Fiend will change him. Back at Survivor Series, Bryan felt the change from the people. For the last year, Bryan has talked about how the YES Movement is done, but now something has changed. So does he accept Bray’s challenge? YES he does! Cue the Firefly Fun House and Bray is very excited to get to play again but if Bryan does it again, we will see his true form. Bryan helped Bray change in the first place and the Fiend remembers that.

Oh he almost forgot: Bray promised a new face tonight and he is a man of his word. The lights go out in the arena and it’s the Fiend popping up through the ring. Bryan fights him away but gets Mandible Clawed down into the hole. Fiend pulls his hands out of the hole and has a bunch of hair in his hands. He does it again with a bunch of hair being left on the mat and the laughter ends the show. So he’s a Brutus Beefcake fan now?

We look at the setup for Raw’s six man main event.

From Raw.

OC vs. Humberto Carrillo/Rey Mysterio/Ricochet

Carrillo takes over on Anderson’s arm to start and it’s Ricochet coming in with an ax handle to stay on it. AJ comes in and gets taken down by Humberto’s springboard crossbody. They head outside with Carrillo being sent into the barricade and it’s Gallows coming in for an elbow to the back of the head. Joe drops a Red Neck Kung Fu reference as Gallows takes Carrillo down for elbows to the chest.

Carrillo flips over the back and scores with an enziguri. The hot tag brings in Mysterio to pick up the pace and it’s Anderson and Gallows being sent outside. The 619 to AJ is broken up by Anderson and we take a break. Back with Gallows suplexing Mysterio, which is a lot better than having Mysterio fighting out of another chinlock. Anderson comes in for the trash talk into the chinlock but Mysterio sends him into the corner for the break.

Ricochet gets the hot tag to pick up the pace, meaning it’s a bunch of kicks to a bunch of heads. The springboard clothesline into the standing shooting star press gets two on AJ. Styles is right back with the belly to back faceplant for his own two as everything breaks down. The 619 hits Anderson but Gallows superkicks Mysterio down. Ricochet counters the Styles Clash with a hurricanrana for two so Ricochet loads up a super hurricanrana. AJ isn’t about to let that happen though and it’s reversed into a super Styles Clash for the pin at 14:38.

Rating: C+. Pretty standard main event tag here, which worked well enough but was nothing that is going to be remembered beyond….oh I’m thinking tomorrow morning. AJ vs. Orton could be interesting with McIntyre as a nice bonus. I’m not sure about Carrillo being thrown in, but Ricochet will be fine against the OC with the right partner.

Post match AJ poses and gets caught with the RKO to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. I had forgotten how uninteresting so much of the previous week had been. This was a show that didn’t do much and was little more than a show that filled in its requirements. That is the case with Main Event more often than not and it can become a lot to sit through, despite it not being anything in the first place. Bad show here, as the winter funk is strong at the moment.

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NXT UK – December 12, 2019: I Could Go For More Of That

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 12, 2019
Location: Bonus Arena, Hull, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

The roll towards Blackpool continues as we are getting ready for one of the biggest shows that NXT UK has ever had. The show is going to be built around Gallus vs. Imperium in what should be a rather hard hitting feud. That feud will be continuing this week with Gallus defending the Tag Team Titles against Imperium in a main event set up last week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Isla Dawn vs. Kay Lee Ray

Non-title. The fans seem split but the pro-Dawn chants are a bit louder. Dawn gets in a quick crossbody for two and la majistral is good for the same. It’s way too early for the Gory Bomb from Ray as Dawn reverses into a sunset flip for two instead. Ray blocks a rollup attempt and a faceplant giver her two of her own. Dawn’s leg is wrapped around the middle rope but Ray misses a charge into the corner. A running knee in the corner corner hits Ray but bangs up the knee again. Back in and a Meteora gives Dawn two, only to have the knee go out again. Some superkicks set up the Gory Bomb to finish Dawn at 4:27.

Rating: C. Just a match here as Ray had to sweat a little bit before winning in the end. The fans responded well to Dawn and maybe a face run for her could go somewhere. You don’t exactly expect that out of someone called the White Witch but stranger things have worked. Ray is becoming a bigger deal though and winning like this will get her higher up the all time ranks.

Post match Ray says she doesn’t care who she faces next and mentions both Toni Storm and Piper Niven. Cue Piper with a shake of her head but Storm charges past her to go after Ray. The fight is on but Storm is knocked into Piper, who isn’t happy at being dropped. They argue as Ray leaves, only to have Sid Scala come out and announce a triple threat for the title at Takeover.

Jordan Devlin is here to show some highlights of the rest of the NXT UK roster. We start with the Grizzled Young Veterans defeating Moustache Mountain to become the first Tag Team Champions. Then Tyler Bate got beaten up at the Download Festival. Finally, Bate lost to Walter at Takeover: Cardiff while Devlin was sat on the sidelines. Shame really. Good stuff from Devlin here.

Joe Coffey says Takeover is the biggest night of his career. Last time they were in Blackpool, Walter kicked him in the face so this time it’s time to show that Gallus is the best.

Michael May vs. Trent Seven

Or not as Eddie Dennis comes out and jumps May, telling Seven that it was a gift. No match of course.

Noam Dar wants to fight at Takeover but Johnny Saint gives him a match with Tyler Bate next week instead.

Ridge Holland vs. Jack Starz

Holland throws him around like a toy to start, including a hard head and arms suplex. A knee to the ribs cuts off the comeback cold and there’s a double underhook overhead belly to belly. Starz avoids a charge in the corner and grabs a headlock, which I don’t see going well. Holland pounce the heck out of him though and finishes with Northern Grit at 2:39. Another dominant and impressive performance.

Post match Holland is nice enough to give Starz a tip of the cap.

A healthy Amir Jordan surprises Kenny Williams at the gym. They’re teaming, and dancing, again next week.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Imperium

Gallus is defending against Marcel Barthel/Fabian Aichner. They start fighting before the Big Match Intros are done and it’s Mark forearming Aichner to start. A headlock takeover puts Coffey down so it’s off to Barthel for an armbar. Aichner slaps on one of his own but Coffey pops up with a jumping shoulder. It’s off to Wolfgang, with Phillips trying to compare him to British Strong Style as the fathers of NXT UK. Other than being in the same place, I’m not exactly seeing the resemblance.

Everything breaks down for a bit and Barthel gets flipped into the corner. He rakes the eyes to get out of a fireman’s carry and some stereo dropkicks in the corner have Coffey in trouble. Barthel gets rather cocky and yells in the corner as a trainer comes out to check on Coffey. He’s fine enough to slap Barthel in the face so it’s more stomping in the corner. Aichner hits a hard clothesline but gets backdropped over the top to give Coffey an opening.

Another backdrop allows the tag off to Wolfgang so house can be cleaned. A swinging neckbreaker gets two on Aichner and it’s back to Coffey in a hurry. Now the catapult into the Samoan drop can connect for two and everything breaks down again. With Coffey down on the floor, an assisted spinebuster gets two on Wolfgang.

Coffey is back up to block the European Bomb and it’s time for the slugout. Coffey wins a slugout with Aichner and forearms Barthel out of the air. Aichner drops Coffey but walks into a spear from Wolfgang to put everyone down. Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans to steal the titles but Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster cut them off. They all get in and the match is thrown out at 11:58.

Rating: B. This was getting good by the end but the interference was necessary to get us to the match that really matters. Gallus vs. Imperium could go on for a long time now and if this is the kind of match that we are going to get, we should be just fine for the next several weeks. Or we can just have a big mess of a match at Takeover, which should be fine too.

Post match the big brawl is on until Johnny Saint and Sid Scala come out to announce a four team ladder match for the titles at Takeover. That seems like quite the harsh decision, unfair to the champs and rather overly fair to the Veterans.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty nice show overall with Takeover coming together (albeit in matches that weren’t really surprising, which isn’t a bad thing) and a solid main event. Things are starting to look good around here and with the shadow of Walter lurking, we could be in for a lot of good stuff for the near and even somewhat far future.

Results

Kay Lee Ray b. Isla Dawn – Gory Bomb

Ridge Holland b. Jack Starz – Northern Grit

Gallus vs. Imperium went to a no contest when the Grizzled Young Veterans, Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster interfered

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Final Battle 2019 Preview

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

And yes, this is the big one. I don’t think there is any secret to the fact that Ring Of Honor is not in the best place at the moment. The company has felt beyond ice cold for a long time now and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Maybe their biggest show of the year could make it a little bit better, but they still had a long way to go to make things better. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Joe Hendry/Dalton Castle vs. Josh Woods/Silas Young

So what we have here is a team of wacky partners who didn’t like each other but then did against a team that could be challenging for the Tag Team Titles in the future. In other words, this should go one way to set up a feud between a team, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them switch it up and go with the surprising result.

I’ll take Woods and Young to win as Castle and Hendry can’t get along. It isn’t an interesting feud, but their combined charismas alone should be enough to get them somewhere. That being said, it’s hardly enough to be all that interesting of a feud and this could only make it on the pre-show. Woods and Young could be fine for some short term #1 contenders, but they’re the best of a bad group of competitors and little more.

Pre-Show: Kenny King vs. Rhett Titus

We have a battle of former tag team partners here, albeit from a team that hasn’t been together in years. King has seemed like someone Ring of Honor has wanted to push for years while Titus is….well he used to be in a good team and that’s about all he has going for him. His deal is that he has a great physique and wins some lower card matches, so naturally we need this match on the show.

For the sake of sanity, I’ll take King to win here as there is zero reason to push Titus. King at least has a resume around Ring of Honor and has more charisma than he knows what to do with and that is enough to give him the nod here. This is a match that should have taken place years ago and now it feels more like they’re doing it because it was written down as a note years ago and they found it under a box.

Jeff Cobb vs. Dan Maff

You might not be familiar with Maff as he is someone from way back in the day for the company. He’s back now though and we have a hoss battle on her hands, with the big Cobb facing the even bigger Maff. Sometimes it’s ok to have a match where two big guys hit each other really hard and throw each other around, which is what we’re going to be getting here.

Cobb takes this of course because Ring of Honor hasn’t gone completely insane yet. Maff is there for the limited legendary status he can offer to the company and Cobb is someone who they could consider giving the World Title in the near future. This one should be the biggest layup on the card and it could be a rather entertaining fight if they keep it short enough.

Angelina Love vs. Maria Manic

This is a case where it isn’t clear what to expect because of one major factor. Over the last few weeks, there have been a series of messages and emails released showing just how bad things have gotten backstage. Manic has been the subject of some of those messages, with Ring of Honor management suggesting that they don’t see much value in her and that she is leaving soon. So what does that mean for this?

I’m still going with Manic, as there is no logical reason to go with Love and I doubt those in charge of the company care enough to beat her on the way out. At the same time though, it wouldn’t shock me if they threw the Women of Honor Title on the line here and gave it back to Love, as the division really is bad enough that the Beautiful People is the best idea that they can come up with at this point. I think Manic wins, though I’m not exactly convinced that she will.

Mark Haskins vs. Bully Ray

This is the latest (out of FAR too many) instance of Ray being a jerk to some young, up and coming wrestler while shouting about being a legend and a Hall of Famer. Then the young guy feuds with Ray for months before going on to defeat him in the blowoff match. That’s the situation we’re in again here as Ray is the booker and therefore gets to do what he wants.

Hopefully I’m not insane by going with Ray to get even more comeuppance by losing to Haskins again here. Haskins is someone that Ring of Honor seems to like and given how their roster has been looking as of late, it would make a lot of sense for them to push someone new. I don’t know if Haskins is the right call to get the big push, but they have to go with someone so why not him?

Bandido/Flamita vs. Villain Enterprises

We may be seeing an out with the young and in with the new here as Marty Scurll seems ready to leave the promotion for AEW and Flamita is there to be a star. I’m not sure how this is going to go as a result, but the match should be entertaining due to Scurll’s talents and Flip Gordon being able to fly with just about anyone.

That being said, I don’t think he can fly with Bandido and Flamita, who are two of the best in the world at the moment. This should be their big debut on the grand stage and that means we could be in for one heck of a spectacle. It wouldn’t surprise me if this is it for Scurll and that is one of the worst things that could happen to Ring of Honor at the moment. Flamita is awesome though, and seeing him fly around with Bandido for the time being should be great.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes(c) vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham

Lethal is one of the most successful wrestlers in the history of Ring of Honor but somehow he has never won the Tag Team Titles. He also just turned heel for the first time in years after getting frustrated with losing. Gresham is the one who drew him over to the side of evil so I think you know where this is going.

Of course I’m going with the Briscoes dropping the titles here because there isn’t anything else for them to do at the moment. Gresham and Lethal are at least a fresh pair to hold the titles as there is only so much that can be done when the Briscoes have dominated the Tag Team Titles for so long. It might be time to see what they can do as solo acts again because the lack of star power is really hurting things. Let Lethal and Gresham see what they can do with the titles, because the Briscoes need a break.

Matt Taven vs. Vincent

This is a feud that started a few weeks ago but we only just heard about it on television recently. Vincent is the former Vinny Marseglia, who helped make Taven World Champion. The act was beyond tired though and it was time to try something new, though I’m not sure how interesting Marseglia is going to be on his own. That being said, Taven’s title reign is partially why the company is such a mess so this could go either way.

I’ll take Vincent to win here, likely through some shenanigans, as otherwise the feud is done here. Taven is a much bigger star and a win over him would mean something, but I’m not sure how high of a ceiling Vincent is going to have on his own. Hopefully we get a good, intense brawl here as the card is going to need something like that. But yeah, Vincent wins here for the sake of keeping things moving forward.

TV Title: Shane Taylor(c) vs. Dragon Lee

Taylor is someone who has turned into a dominant champion but having him be the champion for hire isn’t exactly thrilling. He’s been turned into the dragon for someone to slay and…well…he’s facing someone named Dragon so it kinds of balances out. Couple that with Taylor also being rumored to be gone from the company and I think you know how this is going to go.

Give me Lee to become the new champion, which is probably best for everyone. He’s a very fast paced guy and someone who could be a great focal point going forward. The fact that his brother is coming into the show as the World Champion helps quite a bit. There isn’t much of a point to keeping the title on Taylor other than for the sake of a surprise, so go with Lee as the new champion instead.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush(c) vs. PCO

So here we are, with one of their biggest matches of the year and it’s going to be Rush, a total star, against a Cinderella/nostalgia/freak show challenger in the form of PCO. I really don’t know how much they can drag out of PCO but that’s what we’re getting here. His run back to Ring of Honor was quite the accomplishment, but going this far? That’s their best option?

For the sake of sanity, I’ll go with Rush retaining here, though it would shock me if he is around the company all that much longer. Rush is someone who could be a top star in a major company for a long time to come and that means I can’t imagine him being in Ring of Honor that much longer. He’ll retain here, but I have no idea who they’re going to find to put the title on next. PCO getting here is so far beyond what anyone could have predicted for him and he can take a ton of pride in getting this far given everything about him. I’m not expecting much of a match, but Rush retains.

Overall Thoughts

I don’t even know how we got here but things are just such a mess around Ring Of Honor these days. Nothing sounds interesting, the television is a waste of time and there is little reason to believe things will get better. That being said, their big shows do tend to be good bell to bell and really, that’s all you can hope for from this company at the moment. The wrestling could carry things for a night, and that’s as much of a positive as you can realistically expect from them these days.

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Ring Of Honor TV – December 4, 2019: They Seem Happier This Way

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: December 4, 2019
Location: Express Live!, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

It’s time for the final push towards Final Battle but around here it would be nice to have things actually get going on the build towards the show. I’m still not sure why Ring of Honor isn’t interested in promoting their biggest show of the year with any kind of intensity but that is the case aside from one or two matches. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a look back at Jay Lethal turning heel, setting up the Lethal/Jonathan Gresham vs. Briscoes at Final Battle.

Ian and Quinn hype up the show, including an exclusive match.

Josh Woods tells Silas Young to hang on a second as he’s getting ready. Young doesn’t want to hear it.

Silas Young/Josh Woods vs. Soldiers of Savagery vs. Coast to Coast vs. Bouncers

Woods runs LSG over to start and gets two off a crucifix. LSG headlocks him to little avail so it’s Young coming in to work on the arm. That’s fine with LSG, who brings in Ali for some headlock takeovers. Milonas tags himself in though and sends Ali into the corner for a splash from Bruiser. A spinebuster gets two on Ali as commentary points out the lack of the Soldiers being in so far.

Bruiser is falsely accused of biting to NO reaction and we take a break. Back with the Sons working over the Bruiser in the corner but Moses’ Vader Bomb hits knees. Khan comes back in but misses a charge, allowing the hot tag minus the heat to Milonas. House is cleaned in a hurry using the power of weight moving somewhat fast, including a Samoan drop to Khan. The backwards splash gets two but it’s Coast to Coast coming in for the Complete Shot for two on Bruiser.

Woods’ running knee to the face gets two on LSG and it’s Woods having to fight off the Soldiers on his own. MNM’s old Snapshot hits Woods for two more but it’s Milonas diving off the apron to take out a bunch of people on the floor. LSG is back up and offers a head fake so Ali can flip dive onto the Solders and Milonas. A big dive from LSG takes even more people down but Woods superplexes Bruiser onto everyone else.

Back in and Woods hits Rolling Chaos Theory for two on Khan but Ali comes back in with a lifting Downward Spiral. Bruiser’s swinging DDT hits Moses but LSG is back in with a springboard spinning forearm. The Soldiers plant Bruiser with a double spinebuster but it’s Milonas cleaning house. Back up and Coast to Coast wrecks things, only to have LSG get sent into Woods’ jumping knee for the pin at 15:12.

Rating: C. It was fine but much longer than it needed to be. There were too many people involved here and the spots got no reaction. That’s part of the problem with having the Briscoes as such dominant champions: none of these four are going to be a threat to them, making this nothing more than filler. Woods and Young have a match at Final Battle, even if it wasn’t mentioned here. That being said, they needed to get a third of this show because….well what else were they going to do?

Wrestlers say Happy Thanksgiving.

Shane Taylor is ready to continue being the most dominant champion in Ring of Honor history. He’ll beat Dragon Lee at Final Battle so Lee and his brother Rush aren’t going to be champions at the same time.

Buy merch!

Video on Dalton Castle and Joe Hendry, who are doing better. They have a match at Final Battle, though their opponents (Woods and Young) aren’t important enough to mention.

Video on Rush.

Clips of the Allure beating Jenny Rose/Sumie Sakai in a No DQ match at Unauthorized. Post match Angelina Love bragged about winning (in a Hulk Hogan impression for some reason) when Maria Manic came in to say she was going to end Love at Final Battle.

Kenny King vs. Ultimo Guerrero vs. PJ Black vs. Eli Isom

King goes after Isom’s leg to start and it’s time for a wacky four man submission as we take an early break. Back with Guerrero running Isom over as the other two are down on the floor for a breather. King takes Isom’s place for a chop off and you just don’t do that to an older wrestler.

Isom is back in with a springboard missile dropkick to Isom before joining forces with Black on a double backdrop to Guerrero. Black and Isom hit the stereo suicide dives before they both miss kick to each others’ heads. Stereo crossbodies put them both down so King comes back in to stomp away. A spinning enziguri drops Black and it’s a reverse suplex into a Stunner (cool) to give King two on Isom. Guerrero gets his chance to clean some house before it’s Isom doing the same, including a middle rope moonsault to the floor.

We take a break and come back with King hitting a big dive off the stage and over the barricade to take everyone else down. Back in and Amy Rose breaks up Black’s superplex so he sits up to German superplex King and Isom at the same time. Guerrero runs King over but walks into the Air Raid Crash to give Isom two. Black breaks that up as well and hits a middle rope moonsault into a dropkick to the side of the head (cool) to finish Isom at 11:10.

Rating: C. Remember earlier when we had a four way tag match with a bunch of insanity? Well cut it in half here. Black winning is as good as anyone but King winning, as King is the only one with a match on the pay per view. The others could have been any warm bodies and that isn’t exactly inspiring stuff.

A bunch of Final Battle graphics wrap us up. It’s better than nothing.

Overall Rating: D. Another week and another bit of evidence that this company has no idea what they’re doing these days. Final Battle is being treated about the same as some Honor Club event in July and I don’t think they really care. When your highlight is a PJ Black match, it’s almost all the proof you need of how bad things have gotten around here. The show wasn’t horrible, but it was a big, big waste of time.

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

NXT – December 11, 2019: I Don’t Like This Feeling

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: December 11, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix

It’s the next to last show of the year with one more show to go after this in 2019. That show is going to need a main event and we’ll be setting that up tonight with a triple threat match for the #1 contendership to the NXT Title. In other words, it’s Keith Lee vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Finn Balor, which should tell you everything you need to know. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the triple threat but Adam Cole cuts things off to say this is a waste of time. Whoever wins tonight is just cashing a ticket to a beating from the best NXT Champion of all time. That is undisputed.

Cruiserweight Title: Angel Garza vs. Lio Rush

Rush is defending and we get the Big Match Intros, as we certainly should for something like this. Rush jumps him before the bell though and it’s a brawl to start until Garza spears the champ through the ropes. A tackle into the steps has Garza down but he drops Rush face first onto the apron to take over. Garza can’t TAKE OFF HIS PANTS though as Rush tackles him down and starts the rapid movements. He gets caught in the corner though and a superkick gives Garza two more.

Garza sends him outside though and we take a break. Back with Rush getting in a shot to the face to put Garza on the floor as well. That means a moonsault to the floor as the pace slows a bit. A slingshot reverse suplex is reversed into a crossbody for two on Garza but he catches Rush with an enziguri on top. That means the super Spanish Fly for a very close two, followed by an exchange of superkicks for the double knockdown.

It’s Rush up first with a Wing Clipper of his own for a near fall of his own but Garza puts him in an electric chair. For some reason Garza drops him onto the ropes so Rush bounces right back with the Stunner. The Final Hour connects but Garza crawls to the floor…..AND RUSH TAKES OFF GARZA’S PANTS! Another Final Hour to the floor only hits knees though and the Wing Clipper gives Garza….two. In a smart move, Garza grabs the underhook again and pulls back for the tap and the title at 15:17.

Rating: B. This was an intense, back and forth match with Rush trying as hard as he could but ultimately being beaten by the better man. That being said though, it isn’t exactly an interesting feud and while Garza has been impressive, he just feels like the next guy to hold the title. It’s way better than whatever they would do on 205 Live, but the title still doesn’t serve much of a purpose other than filling in time on these now double length shows.

Clip from a special on Shayna Baszler vs. Rhea Ripley to set up their title match next week. That is feeling special.

Finn Balor doesn’t like Tommaso Ciampa because he calls the NXT Title Goldie. He’s coming for the title.

During the break, Garza brought his girlfriend into the ring and proposed to her. She said yes, as you might have expected.

Last night, Cameron Grimes attacked Kushida at the Performance Center.

Cameron Grimes vs. Raul Mendoza

Grimes jumps him in the corner to start and sends him outside for a big flip dive. Cue Kushida for a distraction though and Mendoza snaps off a hurricanrana for the pin at 1:14.

Kushida steals the hat, just to be evil.

Mia Yim is furious at Dakota Kai and promises to put her in an ambulance tonight.

Video on Travis Banks, who is in action tonight.

Travis Banks vs. Jaxson Ryker

When Worlds Collide preview. Banks starts fast by kicking him to the floor and hitting a suicide dive. Back in and Ryker chops away in the corner before throwing Banks down with ease. Banks dropkicks the knee out to send Ryker into the corner though and there’s a Cannonball to the back. The top rope double stomp misses so Ryker ax handles him in the chest. A missile dropkick sets up the Slice of Heaven to pin Ryker at 2:46. Remember when Ryker was an unstoppable monster who survived a bunch of ladder shots earlier this year at Takeover? NXT doesn’t either. Or Banks is just that awesome.

Dakota Kai vs. Mia Yim

Yim dropkicks her into the corner to start but Kai forearms away. That just earns her a toss into the corner and a basement dropkick to the head gives Yim two. Kai is back with some kicks to the back but a missed charge puts Kai on the floor. That means a Cannonball against the steps as we take a break.

Back with Yim working on the leg but getting sent face first into the buckle. The circling kick to the face gets two on Yim but she scores with some kicks to the ribs. A belly to belly sends Kai down for two more, followed by Code Blue for the same. Kai grabs a sitout powerbomb out of the corner for two but a one kneed Codebreaker puts her on the floor. Back in and Yim charges into a boot to the face, allowing Kai to pull off a turnbuckle pad. A bounce off the exposed buckle gives Kai the pin at 10:00.

Rating: B-. Yim is a lot better when she’s motivated like this and we got a good match out of it. I’m also rather surprised by how well Kai has done with the heel run. She seems like the most natural face ever and yet here she is cheating and making me want to see someone stop her. Well done indeed and a good match too.

Post match Yim goes after Kai again and takes her onto the tech platform. The belly to back superplex onto some tables destroys Kai as Yim is up pretty quickly. Kai may be hurt as the referees are checking on her for a good bit.

Keith Lee says all he needed was an opportunity and now it’s going to take a lot to stop him. He’s the only one who can make the other two bask in his glory.

Breezango vs. Singh Brothers

One: Breezango are doctors this week. Two: I ALREADY WATCH 205 LIVE SO WHY DO I HAVE TO WATCH THESE STUPID SCHMUCKS HERE TOO????? A jumping knee to the face rocks Sunil to start and a Backstabber puts him down again. It’s off to Fandango, who avoids a charge in the corner to get two on Samir.

A dropkick lets Sunil get a breather and he sends Breeze outside for a few seconds. Back in and the Bollywood Blast gets two on Breeze and we hit the chinlock. Breeze enziguris his way out of trouble and it’s back to Fandango for a top rope kick to the face. Everything breaks down and Samir gets powerbomb onto the apron. Back in and the Last Dance gives Fandango the pin at 4:17.

Rating: D. Well that certainly existed. I’m not sure what the appeal or even point here was supposed to be but it did fill in some time. Having Fandango in a costume of the week (or month at this rate) is missing the point, but it’s not like it’s going to matter all that much either way. At least they got on TV, but

We get another part of the Baszler vs. Ripley video, this time focusing on Ripley’s rise to the top of NXT UK.

Kayden Carter vs. Bianca Belair

Belair charges at her in the corner to start but Carter is right back with a springboard kick to the face. A backbreaker into a gutbuster puts Carter right back down and it’s off to an Argentine backbreaker. That’s broken up so Belair drops down onto Carter’s back a few times. Carter comes back with a forearm to the ribs but the tornado DDT is blocked. Carter gets knees up to block a moonsault and Belair misses a charge to the floor. Back in and Belair spears her down, setting up the KOD for the pin at 4:55.

Rating: C. Carter is someone who has impressed me multiple times so far and she got in some offense against a much bigger star here. Belair is fine in moments like this but she keeps falling short at the finish line. It wasn’t a squash though and that’s a good sign for Carter’s future.

Adam Cole comes out to watch the main event.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa, who is back to claim what is his.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Keith Lee vs. Finn Balor

During his entrance, Ciampa dedicates this to Goldie. Ciampa starts on Balor to start with Finn being sent outside. That means a stalking from Lee, who drops Balor onto the apron. Lee sends him back inside for a slingshot dive onto both of them for the big knockdown. Back from a break with Lee crushing both of them with corner splashes until Ciampa kicks him in the face. A Cactus Clothesline leaves Balor alone in the ring but it’s Ciampa back inside in a hurry.

Ciampa’s running knees to the face has Balor in trouble and there’s a double hanging DDT to both Lee and Balor. Ciampa pats himself on the back (as he does) and starts slugging away at Lee for a change. Lee runs him over but the splash hits knees in a hurry. The Fairy Tale Ending is broken up though and it’s Balor coming back in for a double stomp to Lee’s chest. With everyone back in, Lee starts crushing the other two in the corner.

That gets the fans going all over again and a double backdrop makes it even worse. Lee goes up but gets double super Russian legsweeped back down. We take another break and come back again Ciampa trying the super Air Raid Crash….so Lee puts them both on his shoulders for a double electric chair. Lee misses a middle rope moonsault but he’s fine enough to hit the Limit Breaker on Ciampa. Balor reverses another attempt into a small package for two but Lee is fine enough to block the Sling Blade.

The Spirit Bomb is countered into a double stomp. Ciampa is sent outside and Balor hits a big flip dive onto Lee. Balor sends Ciampa into the barricade to knock down some fan but it’s time for Lee to start running people over back inside. Ciampa goes after Lee’s knee and somehow hits the Air Raid Crash for two. Back up and Lee plants him with a spinebuster, setting up the middle rope moonsault for two of his own. The Spirit Bomb hits Ciampa but Balor comes in off the top with the Coup de Grace to Lee (that was some great timing) for the pin and the title shot at 18:10.

Rating: B+. The ending alone made this one that much better as Balor came in out of nowhere and got the pin, including after hitting his finisher instead of stealing someone else’s win. This is a match where no one looks bad and the action was awesome throughout so what more can you ask for? Other than Lee winning, but he seems safe for now.

Cole stares Balor down and the Undisputed Era comes out to join him to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I’m not sued to saying this but for the first time in a long time, it felt like this show dragged in parts. There were matches (Belair and Breezango in particular) which felt like they were there for nothing other than filler to get us to the two hour run time. That being said, you had the Cruiserweight Title match, the main event and Grimes vs. Kushida continuing so we should be fine going forward. It just makes me miss the hour long format because this could have been a classic show had they not had to stretch to fill in the time.

Results

Angel Garza b. Lio Rush – Double underhook pull

Raul Mendoza b. Cameron Grimes – Hurricanrana

Travis Banks b. Jaxson Ryker – Slice of Heaven

Dakota Kai b. Mia Yim – Ram into an exposed turnbuckle

Breezango b. Singh Brothers – Last Dance to Sunil

Bianca Belair b. Kayden Carter – KOD

Finn Balor b. Keith Lee and Tommaso Ciampa – Coup de Grace to Lee

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