IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: October 11, 2019
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

So since we’re starting things new around here, it’s time to reset the roster with the annual Draft. Now that could be interesting this time around as well, with a bunch of non-wrestling celebrities and a big question of who is going to be brought over from Raw. This is only going to be the first half though as things keep going on Raw. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence. Dang that thing looks cool.

Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins

Non-title and Smackdown vs. Raw with the winner’s brand getting the #1 pick. Feeling out process to start with Seth’s headlock being blocked so he goes with a headlock takeover instead. That’s broken up so they head outside with neither being able to hit a big running strike, meaning it’s time to get back inside for the staredown. They start the shoving with Reigns knocking him down and we take a break.

Back with Reigns blocking the Stomp (oh dang that could have been like 1/10th devastating) and hitting a sitout powerbomb for two. Rollins fights back up and sends Reigns outside for back to back suicide dives (the most common move in wrestling these days). The springboard knee to the head sets up the frog splash for two but the Stomp misses again.

Rollins hits the Buckle Bomb but Reigns bounces out of the corner with the Superman Punch. The spear is countered into a Pedigree (same sequence from Money in the Bank 2016) for two….and we’ve got a Fiend. He pulls Rollins down into a hole in the ring with the Mandible Claw but Seth crawls back out as the lights come back on. Fiend pokes his head out and the lights go out again, with Fiend appearing on the stage. I guess that’s a no contest at 14:43 as Reigns must have stepped out for a hot pretzel.

Rating: C. This was just a match but the important thing here is the Fiend. They’re actually keeping the thing going after Rollins beat the Fiend clean via stoppage? Why? There shouldn’t be any rematches in a match after a disaster like that, but picking it up again so soon is a little surprising.

So officially Rollins won via DQ, even though the bell never rang. They really need to work on that stuff.

Here’s Stephanie to announce the first picks from each show. After asking why no one is booing, we get the following picks:

Raw – Becky Lynch

Smackdown – Roman Reigns

Raw – OC

Smackdown – Bray Wyatt

Raw – Drew McIntyre

The expert panel (Samoa Joe, Renee Young, Booker T. and Beth Phoenix) don’t have much to say.

FOX’s Troy Aikman and Joe Buck talk about the importance of being a #1 draft pick, with Aikman saying his finisher would be a piledriver because it has served him sell over the years. Buck: “I’m Joe Buck, and like all of you, I’ve just learned a lot about Troy Aikman.”

King Corbin vs. Shorty Gable

The real sports show has a guy named Shorty. Before the match, Corbin talks about wanting to sit in his castle because the peasants disturb him. They go outside in a hurry with Corbin sending him into the barricade, only to have Gable start back in on the leg. It heads straight back to the floor with Corbin chokeslamming him onto the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Deep Six being countered into a bulldog and the rolling Liger kick sending Corbin outside again. They head back in with Corbin avoiding the moonsault but getting German suplexes for two. Some rolling German suplexes set up the ankle lock to put Corbin in more trouble but he rolls out without much trouble. The End of Days is good for the pin at 9:17.

Rating: D+. I know it’s old news at this point but EGADS WHY ARE THEY CALLING AN OLYMPIAN SHORTY??? This is just infuriating at this point as you have someone who could be a solid midcard (if not more) talent and you give him a name that belongs in a 1930s gangster movie.

The panel from the NFL on FOX pre-game show talk about the importance of building through a draft. They talk about some of their old favorites, including Dusty Rhodes and Bruno Sammartino.

More picks:

Raw – Randy Orton

Smackdown – Sasha Banks

Raw – Ricochet

Smackdown – Braun Strowman

Raw – Bobby Lashley

Unless I missed it, there is no reason given for the male World Champions not being drafted yet.

The panel talks again.

We look at Braun Strowman and Tyson Fury’s issues. They fight at Crown Jewel.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman for a chat. Heyman talks about how WWE is trying to make Brock Lesnar repeat October 23, 2010, when Cain Velasquez conquered Lesnar. Brock has never made an excuse for that because he has no excuse. That brings Heyman to last week, when Lesnar won the WWE Championship and then had to face the ghost of his past. Lesnar embraces his fears because he conquers them, which he will do at Crown Jewel on October 31.

You can roll this clip back in a few weeks and find out that this is a….moment that is being interrupted by Rey Mysterio and Velasquez. Rey shows us some stills of Velasquez massacring Lesnar in their UFC fight and busting him open, leaving a scar on Lesnar’s face. Cain promises to give him a matching scar on the other cheek at Crown Jewel.

New Day brings out two sisters, one of whom survived breast cancer. They get pink title belts for a nice moment.

New Day vs. OC

Gallows knocks Woods down to start and it’s a double teaming on the floor to make it even worse. We take a break fifteen seconds in and come back with Kofi coming in off the hot tag to clean house, including the Boom Drop to Styles. The high crossbody gives Kofi two and everything breaks down. Woods hits the big flip dive onto Anderson and Gallows and Kofi dropkicks AJ. The Calf Crusher is broken up but AJ rolls Kofi up for two. The fireman’s carry backbreaker is countered as well and it’s Trouble in Paradise to pin Styles at 6:20.

Rating: C-. That was barely enough to rate but egads man. The entire point of having Anderson and Gallows out there is to take a fall here and let Kofi get some momentum back. I could go for Kofi vs. AJ, but there is a real chance that isn’t going to be the case given the Draft.

More picks:

Raw – Alexa Bliss

Smackdown – Lacey Evans

Raw – Kevin Owens

Smackdown – Revival

Raw – Natalya

Raw – Viking Raiders

Smackdown – Lucha House Party

Raw – Nikki Cross

Smackdown – Heavy Machinery

Raw – Street Profits

The panel gets in one more chat.

NFL analyst Jay Glazer lets us know that trades are possible.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Charlotte

Charlotte is defending. Bayley has cut her hair and doesn’t have it in a ponytail anymore, plus has a new theme. She also doesn’t dance on the way to the ring….but she does pull out an ax and DESTROYS THE BAYLEY BUDDIES! Bayley starts fast and gets knocked right back down. They head outside instead with Charlotte being sent into the steps and we take an early break.

Back with Bayley grabbing a headlock to keep Charlotte in trouble. That’s broken up with Bayley being sent outside for a slingshot dive and it’s time to start in on the knee. Some kicks to the leg put Bayley on the floor and Charlotte hits a moonsault off the barricade. Back in and Bayley grabs a quick Bayley to Belly for two, followed by the top rope elbow for the same. Bayley freaks out and gets caught with Natural Selection, but the Figure Eight is countered into a small package to give Bayley the pin and the title at 11:25.

Rating: C-. The match was nothing but thank goodness they got Charlotte another title reign of five days so she can be a ten time champion. Bayley’s heel turn was a very hard one and that’s a good thing in her case. It didn’t make a ton of sense for her to be upset and then come dancing out there so making her a harder heel is the right move. Not as right as giving her the title back, but a right one nonetheless.

Post match, Bayley grabs the mic and says “B******. Screw all of you!” Well that’s a hard shift.

Overall Rating: C-. It didn’t have the energy that last week’s did but it also felt like they had a point, which is a good sign. It’s still not a very good show but you can tell that it’s a big deal and thankfully the FOX celebrities didn’t sound like buffoons who were miserable to be there. Things can settle down next week, though hopefully that makes the show more interesting as it just seems like a regular show on a bigger budget.

Oh and as a bonus: WWE managed to spoil the Draft order on their own website yesterday. Check this out:

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wow-wwe-spoiled-almost-entire-smackdown-side-draft-maybe-monday-night-raw-well/

Results

Seth Rollins b. Roman Reigns via DQ when the Fiend interfered

King Corbin b. Shorty Gable – End of Days

New Day b. OC – Trouble in Paradise to Styles

Bayley b. Charlotte – Small package

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 #78
Date: October 5, 2019
Location: Nytex Sports Center, North Richland Hills, Texas
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

It’s time to go back to the middleweight division as Brian Pillman Jr. is out for revenge after Austin Aries took out Teddy Hart last month. We seem to be gearing up for Aries vs. Hart at SuperFight in just under a month, which should be a heck of a match. Other than that, we could be in for a variety of things on this one. Let’s get to it.

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

Magnus/Septimo Dragon vs. LA Park/El Hijo de LA Park

Even Rich seems impressed with Salina and….well yeah. We get some respect shown before the match but the Parks turn on them in a hurry to start the beatdown. Septimo gets chaired in the back and Magnus is crotched on the barricade. Back in and Septimo gets whipped with the weightlifting belt, followed by some running splashes in the corner.

Magnus gets in a headscissors to put the Parks on the floor for the slingshot corkscrew dive. Septimo’s corkscrew springboard moonsault drops them again as Rich is trying to figure out who is who. Back in and a Swanton gives Septimo two and Salina is nervous. The Parks are whipped into each other but LA knocks both of them down with shots to the face. Hijo hits a super Spanish Fly for two on Septimo as everything breaks down again.

Park hits a heck of a dive off the top to crush Magnus, who somehow isn’t dead. A cutter gives Magnus two as we settle down into a regular tag match for a change. Hijo and Septimo come back in to strike it out and the latter hitting a GTS. A kick to the head drops Hijo but he’s right back up with a very fast Canadian Destroyer for his own two.

Park comes back in and goes shoulder first into the post, with Salina having to pull the referee out to break up a count. That leaves Hijo to hit a Backstabber on Septimo, who is right back up with a suicide dive onto Hijo. Back in and Magnus hammers on Park, who splashes the referee by mistake. Salina gets in a heck of a low blow on Magnus and the referee pops up to count the pin at 13:56.

Rating: C. There were some good looking dives and spots but it is almost impossible to take Park seriously with that huge gut. It also doesn’t help when Park is never going to lose and it gets a little hard to get into his matches. I know he’s a legend and all that but he wouldn’t be the one I would expect to be the star of the promotion.

Contra takes over the feed and airs a video on how Jacob Fatu is going to crush Salina and Park because Contra is a cause.

We look back at Austin Aries taking out Teddy Hart two weeks ago. Teddy has gotten his own doctor to clear him and he’s here tonight.

The Von Erichs are coming for the Tag Team Titles next week.

The Dynasty isn’t happy with the contract they have been offered.

It’s time for the SuperFight Control Center with Tom Lawlor vs. Timothy Thatcher and Alexander Hammerstone vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. for the Openweight Title added.

Dominic Garrini vs. Ariel Dominguez

This is Garrini’s debut and he is in a fighting gi. Garrini drives him into the corner so Dominguez goes to the let, meaning he has to fight out of a quick armbar attempt. A gutwrench suplex sends Dominguez down again and this is looking one sided. Something like a Bubba Bomb sets up a cross armbreaker to make Dominguez tap at 1:49. Exactly what it should have been.

Post match Garrini says that was a start so send him all of the grapplers, including Tom Lawlor and Timothy Thatcher.

Lawlor has blown off a media event this week but has no problem with Thatcher calling him out. He’ll knock Thatcher out.

Jimmy Havoc will be producing the Halloween special. Makes sense. It’s going to be called Slaughterhouse and we get a trailer.

MLW is raising money for Samu, who underwent a liver transplant.

Gino Medina is coming.

We look back at Injustice being cheated out of a win last week and attacking everyone as a result.

Injustice complains about everything that happened and promises to continue the fight. Jordan Oliver should never, ever be allowed to speak.

Austin Aries vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

The fans are behind Pillman here. Pillman tells Aries to slap him in the face so Aries spits in his hand but gets kicked in the ribs, allowing Pillman to put Aries’ spit in his own face. A clothesline puts Aries on the floor and Pillman hits an ax handle from the apron for a bonus. Aries sends him into the barricade though and the missile dropkick (good looking one too) gets one back inside.

Things slow down a bit with Aries picking his spots and striking away, including the hard shots in the corner. The brainbuster is broken up but Aries manages a neckbreaker across the middle rope for two. The chinlock goes on until Pillman fights up and snaps off a powerslam to get a breather. Aries is right back up with a suplex into the Last Chancery, sending Pillman into the ropes in a hurry. A superkick puts Aries on the floor but the suicide dive is broken up with an uppercut. The running corner dropkick sets up the brainbuster to finish Pillman at 8:10.

Rating: C+. The ending wasn’t shocking at all as Aries is just flat out better than Pillman at this point. Aries has been a very good in-ring performer for a long time now and Pillman is just a few steps removed from being a rookie. The good sign though is he hung with Aries here and put in a solid showing, even if he had no chance of winning.

Post match Aries says he’s been calling out Teddy Hart because he wants the Middleweight Title. Unless Teddy is planning on sending out his army of cats, get out here and answer the challenge. Cue a ticked off Teddy for the brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Just a show here, but what matters is the set up for SuperFight. They’re making that seem like their biggest show ever and that’s exactly what it should be. The show is going to be on pay per view and they would be crazy to not put their biggest effort ever into it. The card is looking good too and that’s a good sign for the show, which needs to be a big hit.

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: Pacific Coast Wrestling

The Shining
Date: March 26, 2016
Location: Oak Street Gym, Torrance, California
Commentators: Todd Keneley, Christian Cole

Since I can’t stop myself, this is the second event from Pacific Coast Wrestling. I got the first, third and fourth events in various DVD boxes I bought over the last few months so let’s knock this one out just for the sake of completion. Unfortunately we’re taking a step back towards the first show, which wasn’t very good and away from the third and fourth, which were rather solid. Hopefully there is at least some middle ground. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at the wild brawl between MVP and the Almighty Sheik from the first show. Tonight: a Syrian Death Match.

The announcers preview the show.

Opening sequence.

The ring announcer is far easier to hear this time than at the fourth event. How odd.

Ryan Taylor vs. Douglas James

Taylor looks like a cross between Pac and Finn Balor. James gets taken down early on and they hit the grappling. Back up and James knocks him in the corner but gets kicked in the arm to cut him off. A twist of the arm takes him down again as Taylor starts in using a villainous sneer. As we hear about James’ athletic background in combat sports, Taylor kicks him in the arm again before winning a slugout.

James finally hits a springboard spinning uppercut to get a breather but gets crotched on top for his efforts. Taylor gets knocked off the top though and James’ top rope elbow gets two. That doesn’t seem to matter though as Taylor small packages and brainbusters him for two each, followed by an ax kick for an even nearer fall. James grabs an O’Connor Roll but Taylor flips him forward and grabs the leg for a rollup of his own for the pin at 7:48.

Rating: C. Taylor looked rather indyish but his work was good enough to make up for the not exactly thrilling look. These two had a nice back and forth match here though with enough action and both guys hitting some good looking stuff. It’s no masterpiece or even anything memorable, but for what it was, it worked well.

The announcers explain the concept of the Syrian Death Match main event. Well ok it’s really just promising violence.

Here is Almighty Sheik’s manager MK for a chat. MK demands SILENCE before he explains the main event, though the fans let him know that they don’t know who he is. Therefore he’ll speak slowly in case people can’t understand him. That earns him an MVP chant but MK says MVP is in trouble as he has no experience in a Syrian Death Match. Apparently it’s a body bag match, and I have no idea why that needed so much of an explanation.

Joe Graves vs. Timothy Thatcher

Rematch from last time when Thatcher won. The fans are behind Thatcher to start and it’s a fight over a lockup to start before heading to the mat. Thatcher grabs the leg so Graves grabs the head, meaning it’s an early standoff. The delay lets the fans cheer for Thatcher again so a takeover into a near cross armbreaker has them rather pleased. Thatcher punches him in the ribs a few times before switching back to a failed cross armbreaker attempt.

The rocking surfboard hold goes on and Graves screams a lot, only to reverse into a Billy Goat’s Curse. We go to the grappling on the mat again with Graves getting something close to a triangle. That’s reversed into a bow and arrow hold and then a Fujiwara armbar as Thatcher keeps picking him apart. Graves powers up with a suplex for a breather but Thatcher sends him shoulder first into the buckle. Another Fujiwara attempt is countered into a rear naked choke to make Thatcher, whose nose seems broken, tap at 7:28.

Rating: C. The ending came out of nowhere but these two are capable of having a good technical match against each other with what seems to be ease so it’s not like this was bad. Thatcher is someone who should be getting a chance on a big stage, though it’s still cool to see him have a match on this stage.

Post match Graves says last time Thatcher was better but tonight it was the opposite. Graves is the best in the world though and that isn’t changing.

Keepers of the Faith vs. Classic Connection

Rematch from last time and the Connection (Levi Shapiro/Buddy Royal) still has the masked Fat Dick Johnson in their corner. He mocks the crowd a lot and brags about his sexual prowess. Hold on though as the Keepers have to chase the Connection over the barricade as the announcers talk about Ultimate Pro Wrestling, where wrestlers such as Christopher Daniels, Kazarian and John Cena got their start.

Gabriel Gallo steals the Connection’s towel and throws it around so we can get to the weapons check. We STILL can’t get to the bell though as Gallo, who seems to think he’s a dog, charges at the Connection again. The bell rings and Shapiro starts cringing at the threat of a chop from Dom Vitalli. Shapiro gets chopped so it’s off to the corner where Royal can blow on the chest a bit.

It’s off to Royal, who gets chopped in the corner as well as it’s one sided so far. Royal crawls over to Shapiro and it’s time for a three way villainous meeting on the floor. Back in and Royal is laid across the top turnbuckle for some kicks to the ribs. Gallo comes in for a double backdrop so Shapiro is back in to get chopped some more. Johnson FINALLY does something about it by low bridging Vitalli to the floor and getting in a cane shot.

The neck crank goes on with Royal leaning down to shout in his ear. This would be a great place to imitate Superstar Billy Graham and say that he’s telling Vitalli that he’s going down but commentary just keeps going instead. Shapiro drops a middle rope headbutt for two but Vitalli is able to jawbreak his way to freedom out of a sleeper.

There’s still no hot tag though as Shapiro whips him into the corner, only to set up a double clothesline. Now the hot tag can bring Gallo back in so house can be cleaned. A spinebuster plants Shapiro so Vitalli can come back in with a top rope elbow. Gallo and Royal fight to the floor so Johnson can get in a cane shot, but Gallo turns the cover over so Vitalli can get the pin at 11:55.

Rating: C. I’ve seen the Keepers of the Faith on three of the four shows so far and they’re a pretty impressive team. They look good together, they wrestle well together and while I’m not big on their name, I’m surprised that they haven’t gotten at least a shot on a bigger show. They’re not some can’t miss prospect but they’re one of the best parts of the show, if nothing else due to their consistency.

Scorpio Sky vs. Kenny King

They dance at each other to start, including a Michael Jackson move from King that knocks Sky down. An exchange of headlocks doesn’t get anyone anywhere so we’ll reset again. They both try dropkicks to another standoff so Sky runs him over with a shoulder. King is right back up with a Russian legsweep into another headlock as they stay in first gear.

Sky has to bail to the floor for a breather so King hits the slingshot corkscrew dive. Back in and an atomic drop has King in trouble so Sky can hammer away at the head. Sky’s bodyscissors keeps King down and a leg lariat gets two. King kicks him down as well though and it’s time to pull himself up in the corner.

A handstand kick to the head sets up a spinebuster for two on Sky and we hit the half crab, with a great closeup camera shot of Sky’s face reaching for the rope. The rope is reached and Sky snaps off a Side Effect for two and another double knockdown. They slug it out until Sky’s jumping knee is countered into a capture suplex for two. King misses the Blockbuster though and it’s a running knee into the Ace of Spades (TKO) for the pin at 12:43.

Rating: C+. Every time I see Sky on one of these shows, I get why he is getting the chance he is getting today. He really is smooth in the ring and can have a good match against anyone. Sky is still young enough to do a lot of good things in wrestling and it’s cool to see him in a major company today.

Earlier today, JR Kratos sat down for an interview. He’s here to face the top talent in wrestling and will always give his hardest. He has trained with some great people and wants to make them proud. The Kratos Era is beginning and he wants to be like one of his heroes: Mike Tyson, who was the scariest person in a boxing ring. For someone named after the god of war, this was a pretty tame interview.

JR Kratos vs. Jeff Cobb

They shake hands and go into the feeling out process to start without much major contact in the first minute. Kratos has a seat in the corner as Cole can’t remember the details he was told about Cobb’s Olympic career about a minute and a half ago. They go to the mat with Kratos going to the mat and managing to get a Kimura but Cobb takes him down with a waistlock.

Kratos switches into one of his own and Cobb looks rather surprised. An armdrag sends Cobb into the corner and it’s time for the big chop off. Kratos gets the better of that as well and throws Cobb into the corner again, followed by a headlock takeover. That’s enough for Cobb, who muscles him up into a pumphandle suplex. It’s not enough to keep Kratos in trouble though as he kicks Cobb in the face for two.

A piledriver gets the same and one person tries a THAT WAS THREE chant. There’s always something hilarious about that, even if it’s also kind of sad. They chop it out again until an exchange of boots to the face puts both guys down. Another suplex drops Kratos, who pops right back up with a jumping knee to the face. The Game Changer (sitout spinebuster) finishes Cobb at 10:43.

Rating: B-. I can always go for two big, athletic guys beating each other up and that’s what they did here. Cobb would grow up a lot in the coming years and that’s the kind of thing you can never get tired of seeing. Kratos has a lot of potential as well and I’m not sure why he hasn’t gone anywhere on the bigger stage. Fun hoss battle here.

We get the post match handshake.

Kevin Martenson vs. Willie Mack

Martenson is rather odd, including standing on his hands and clapping his feet together during his entrance. Mack gets quite the positive reaction, which tends to be the case everywhere he goes. The smaller Martenson slams him to start and goes up, with Mack looking at him and wondering what he’s doing. He comes back down so Mack can hit his swinging slam and a shoulder sends Martenson outside.

A delayed suplex brings him back in for two and a Codebreaker over the ropes puts Martenson on the floor again. Back in and a hard shot to the chest gets two as the announcers brag about selling the building out for their first two shows (fair enough). Martenson knocks him to the floor for a change and hits a double stomp off the apron, followed by a missile dropkick.

The fans are behind Willie as Martenson stomps away in the corner so Mack headbutts the heck out of him for a breather. Martenson is fine enough to hit a slingshot elbow for two before just hammering away with right hands. Some kicks to the leg don’t work very well though as Mack kicks him in the head, which makes the announcers talk about Moons Over My Hammy, which makes me want to go to Denny’s.

Mack hits a slingshot dropkick in the corner to set up the Cannonball for two. A Samoan drop into a standing moonsault has Martenson in more trouble. Mack’s Doomsday Saito suplex sends Martenson to the floor and that means the big flip dive. Back in and Martenson hits a bicycle kick into a brainbuster for two of his own. Mack doesn’t seem to mind as it’s a Stunner into a Chocolate Thunder Driver for the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B-. This was one of those matches where they just went out there and did a lot of stuff, which is exactly what a show like this needed to do. Sometimes you need to have something that showcases talent and gives the fans a reason to come back and for a second show ever, that makes a lot of sense. So does pushing Mack, though Martenson looked good here too.

Almighty Sheik vs. MVP

Sheik has MK with him and this is a Syrian Death Match, which means a body bag match. Hang on though as Sheik needs to pray first, but MVP’s music cuts him off, as you had to expect. MVP slugs away to start and tries a big boot but Sheik bails to the floor. That’s fine with MVP who hits a dive and the slugout starts on the outside. A clothesline puts Sheik over the barricade and that means it’s time for a chair shot and walking around through the crowd.

Now the big boot connects to put them back at ringside and MVP DDTs him onto the apron. Cole: “Outside of that post, the hardest part of that ring.” WHY DO SO FEW COMMENTATORS GET THAT??? It’s table time but MVP has to block the spike to the head. A neckbreaker drops Sheik as we hear about the current political climate against people like Sheik. Another big boot knocks the busted open Sheik off the buckle and out to the floor.

They head outside again with Sheik being put on the table but MK offers a distraction (it’s about time), allowing Sheik to get in a bell shot. Back in and Sheik drops an elbow, setting up a one armed camel clutch. The full version goes on as the announcers turn it into a discussion of building a wall. MVP breaks it up with a drop onto his back and some clotheslines, into high collar suplex….which the camera misses by not panning down.

The Ballin Elbow connects and it’s time for the body bag. Well at least it’s time to unfold it as MVP loads up a suplex off the apron through the table. MK makes the save and Sheik has to save him from a Death Valley Driver by throwing a fireball, sending MVP through the table. That’s enough to close the body bag and give Sheik the win at 12:27.

Rating: D+. I don’t know what it is about these two but it doesn’t work. Maybe it’s the Sheik being the most generic foreign heel in the world or MVP not being the most traditional face, but the whole thing just came and went. It was a brawl around the arena until we got to the finish and then it was over. What else am I supposed to get out of this?

Post match MVP is let out of the bag and beats up MK, including Ballin. MK gets bagged to end the show and send the fans home happy.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird hybrid between the first and third shows, which means you have some good and some bad. The problem is the matches are just coming and going, which has to be the case on a second show. They had a rematch to their big main event the first time around so at least they did something. You won’t be bored watching it but there are better things like can watch. Like their future shows.

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

NXT UK
Date: October 10, 2019
Location: Brentwood Centre, Essex, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

We’re finally on a fresh taping cycle and that might be best for everyone involved. Hopefully we can get to something a little more interesting now and in this case we have Piper Niven vs. Jazzy Gabert, which has some hossette battle potential. Other than that, it’s hard to say where we could be going so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Next week: Gallus vs. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews for the Tag Team Titles.

The Hunt vs. Pretty Deadly

Nigel is rather intrigued by Howley and Stoker (Pretty Deadly) as Boar works on Howley’s arm to start. A clothesline seems to be more Boar’s speed and the running shoulder to the ribs in the corner keeps him down. Howley gets over to the corner for the tag off to Stoker, who actually cleans house for a bit. It’s already back to Howley, who spends a bit too much time talking trash, allowing Boar to get in a German suplex. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Primate for his own suplex. A spear sets up the double top rope headbutts for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C-. This was a good way to get the Hunt back on track. They have gone from a pretty basic team to a fun enough act that they can go out there and lose a few times without being taken down in any major way. The match wasn’t even a squash so it’s not that bad, even it if didn’t have a lot of time.

Post match Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel come out to talk trash so the Hunt goes after them. The beating is on until Alexander Wolfe comes out to take care of the Hunt. I smell a six man.

Video on Ilja Dragunov.

Jack Starz vs. Jordan Devlin

They fight over arm control to start with Starz managing a backdrop to offer some early frustration. Starz is fired up for a change but misses a charge into the post to cut him right back down. A gorilla press plants Devlin though but he’s smart enough to grab a shoulder breaker and work on the injured arm.

Devlin gets in a release Rock Bottom into a standing moonsault for two as the natural order is restored. A belly to back kneeling backbreaker sets up an armbar to mix things up a bit (not the best thing in this case) but Starz fights back again. The missed charge lets Devlin hit a slingshot cutter and it’s the pulled up Saito suplex for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. Who in the world would have guessed that Starz was able to get something out of this one? Starz isn’t someone who has any reason to be a big deal and while I wasn’t buying him as a serious threat, he managed to make me think that we could have gotten a big surprise upset. That takes talent to pull off and they did it here. Nice little surprise.

Post match Devlin rants about how he is sick of having to beat up all these people and not being treated as a big star. Cue Dave Mastiff to chase Devlin off and offer to get a match set up between the two of them. Devlin doesn’t seem sure on that one.

Kenny Williams vs. Dave Mastiff

Mastiff tells him to lock up and then launches Williams into the corner. A whip isn’t even a possibility here so Williams tries running the ropes and manages a crucifix for two. An elbow to the face staggers Mastiff so he backdrops Williams over the corner to the floor. That means a limp from Williams and the springboard isn’t happening at the moment.

Mastiff runs him over and hits Williams in the back as the slow torment continues. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Mastiff misses the backsplash. The ankle gives out on what looked like a springboard Stunner attempt so Williams grabs a Sling Blade for two instead. Mastiff launches him off what looked like a bulldog and it’s Into The Void to finish Williams at 5:16.

Rating: C. This was similar to the previous match as it was hard to imagine the upset taking place but they were trying to do something with Williams. The guy clearly has talent and can sever them well as a jobber to the stars. Mastiff is getting WAY more mileage than I would have bet on so nicely done on the surprise success.

Post match Mastiff offers some respect.

Xia Brookside is back with an update but Nina Samuels comes in to mock her. A match is teased for the future. This is the kind of thing that feels so forced and scripted and didn’t need to be there to set up a match. It was about fifteen seconds long and just felt fake.

Here are Webster and Andrews for a chat. They need the energy from the fans to defend their titles next week and they wouldn’t have the titles in the first place without them. Webster wants any challengers so here are Gallus to interrupt at the announcers’ table. They would be impressed with the champs if the champs weren’t such an embarrassment. Violence is promised next week.

Noam Dar and Trent Seven have to be held apart in the back so Sid Scala makes a match between them in two weeks.

We look back at Jazzy Gabert attacking Piper Niven, thanks to a Jinny distraction.

The Grizzled Young Veterans interrupt Webster and Andrews, promising to take the titles from whoever has them after last week.

Piper Niven vs. Jazzy Gabert

Jinny is here with Jazzy. Piper is invited to come to the center of the ring to start so it’s time for the power lockup. Niven powers her out to the floor and it’s time for a pep talk from Jinny. The distraction lets Jazzy drive Piper into the corner for some punches to the ribs and Jazzy slams her for two. A boot in the back with a double arm pull has Piper in more trouble but she eventually gets to the corner. Piper headbutts and crossbodies Jazzy to the floor so Jinny comes in. That earns her a headbutt of her own, allowing Rhea Ripley to come out and deck Jazzy, setting up Piper’s backsplash for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: D+. That was a lot of stuff outside the ring for a four minute match and that didn’t leave a lot of time for the match itself. It felt like they didn’t want to do anything of note here and that made for a pretty dull match. Not the worst, but I was hoping for a lot more fun than what we got here.

Piper isn’t sure what happened to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Oh what was that? I don’t know if it was the show being the first of a taping cycle but this felt more like an episode of AEW Dark than the important weekly show around here. What were they going for here? It set some stuff up for the future but you have to have something interesting now instead of waiting for later and I don’t think they got that here. Completely skippable show with nothing worth your time.

Results

The Hunt b. Pretty Deadly – Double top rope headbutts to Howley

Jordan Devlin b. Jack Starz – Pulling Saito suplex

Dave Mastiff b. Kenny Williams – Into The Void

Piper Niven b. Jazzy Gabert – Backsplash

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

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

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

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

The ending to the Cell show was bad.  Here’s why.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-three-strikes-one/

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: October 9, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

We’re into the second week of head to head and that could mean some interesting developments. Above all else, it should be interesting to see how the show adjusts after getting flattened in the ratings last week. Maybe it was a one off surprise due to the debut, but it could be the start of a trend and that could mean some changes. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s show, which had a lot going on.

Cruiserweight Title: Drew Gulak vs. Lio Rush

Gulak is defending and it is officially the NXT Cruiserweight Title, albeit with the same design and color. Rush dropkicks him into the corner to start and hits a Spanish Fly for two as Gulak bails to the floor. That means a suicide dive and a bottom rope moonsault to the floor. Back in and Rush’s tornado DDT is countered with a toss to the mat, setting up a running clothesline in the corner to give Gulak two.

Gulak works on something like an abdominal stretch on the mat before switching over to an armbar. Rush fights up and goes to the top, only to get kicked to the floor as we take a break. Back with Rush kicking at the chest but the springboard Stunner is countered into the Gulock in the middle of the ring.

Rush teases the tap but unhooks the legs and gets out, including a backflip into a cradle for two. Rush’s dragon sleeper is broken up in a hurry and Gulak’s Cyclone Crash gets two, with Rush getting a foot on the rope. Rush breaks up a superplex and hits the springboard Stunner this time around. The Final Hour (Low Down) gives Rush the pin and the title at 11:41.

Rating: C+. Rush as a face is something that seems like a waste of his natural talking skills but I like his work better as a face than a heel so it’s a weird mixture. This was a pretty obvious title change though and there’s nothing wrong with that, as you want to get the title’s new era started off with a big deal.

Post match William Regal comes out to wrap the title around Rush’s waist but Gulak breaks it up and hands the title over himself in a nice moment.

Video on Finn Balor.

We get another video on Tegan Nox’s return, with her first match next week.

Rhea Ripley vs. Aliyah

Aliyah tries to hit Rhea in the face for some reason and gets blasted for her efforts. The standing Cloverleaf has Aliyah in trouble and Rhea swings her around for a bonus. A forward powerbomb makes it worse and Rhea cranks on it for the tap at 1:22. Total squash and that Cloverleaf looked great.

Post match Rhea says Shayna Baszler didn’t beat her and she’s coming for the title.

There will be a press conference in Las Vegas on Friday, featuring major announcements involving Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar, HHH and Braun Strowman. Sounds Crown Jewelish.

Breezango vs. Ever Rise

Breezango are dressed as construction workers this week, complete with rather fetching women in hard hats. Breeze has to get Fandango away from them as Beth seems VERY pleased with the new look. Mauro: “Adam on line one.” Hang on though as the Forgotten Sons drag Ever Rise out and we have some replacements.

Breezango vs. Forgotten Sons

Cutler beats up Breeze to start and it’s a running hiptoss from Blake to send Cutler into Breeze’s back. Breeze is back up without much trouble and brings Fandango in for the Falcon Arrow, followed by Breeze coming back in pretty quickly. The illegal Fandango hits a sunset bomb on Cutler but Jaxson Ryker pulls Breeze outside for the posting. Fandango dives onto him, only to have Blake do the same to take Fandango out. Back in and a toss powerbomb into the knees sets up the Memory Remains for the pin on Fandango at 3:37.

Rating: C-. I was surprised by how short the match was and that’s a good thing. They didn’t overstay their welcome, though neither of these teams feel like a top pairing. Breezango are the kind of team who can lose and bounce back with no trouble and that’s a valuable thing to have. The Sons….they may be better off being forgotten.

Keith Lee is ready to beat Dominik Dijakovic next week. They need to blow that off already.

Boa vs. Cameron Grimes

They really love Grimes around here, though it might be due to his hat. Cue Killian Dain to distract Boa, allowing Grimes to finish with the standing double stomp at 9 seconds.

Post match Dain beats Boa up, including Vader Bombs and throwing him onto the announcers’ table.

Video on Damien Priest, who wants to use Pete Dunne to make himself famous.

Roderick Strong vs. Isaiah Scott

Non-title and Strong gets some encouragement from the Undisputed Era before coming to the ring. Strong headlocks him down to start and lets him know that this is HIS house. That just brings Scott to his feet for some chops and a cartwheel moonsault for two in a creative spot.

After a quick trip to the floor, Strong comes back in for a strike off, with Mauro getting in a Lucha Underground reference by saying they’re both looking for the kill shot. The first backbreaker cuts Scott off though and it’s time for more loud chopping. Another backbreaker gives Strong another two and we take a break. Back with Scott kicking away from the mat and then kicking at the chest, which draws out the rest of the Era.

Scott crotches Strong on the middle rope and gets two off a hanging DDT. A Downward Spiral into the running kick to the back of Strong’s head connects for two more and Strong is in big trouble. Strong gets caught hanging by his feet from the bottom rope so Scott destroys him with a slingshot double stomp. The Era offers a distraction though and it’s a running knee into the End of Heartache. The Stronghold finishes Scott at 10:25.

Rating: B-. Scott gets better every time he’s out there and the fans are WAY into him, which should be a clear path to something that matters around here. He looked good against Strong here and the champ needed some help to escape, so maybe they have some bigger plans for Scott. He’s impressed me everywhere he has gone so I would certainly be pleased.

Post match, the Era gets in the ring with Cole praising Scott. Everyone wants to be the best and fulfill this dream of being the best, which is why Finn Balor and Tommaso Ciampa. Cue the Velveteen Dream to ask if someone said Dream. He pops up above the entrance and says that while some of the Era is great, allow Dream to show him his reality.

We see Strong imitating Shawn Michaels’ Playgirl pose with the North American Title in a certain place. Dream gets his rematch in two weeks, but first he snaps his fingers and the title disappears from the picture, being replaced by a rather small censored logo. Cue Tommaso Ciampa with a chair and a crutch to chase the Era off and have a seat. Ciampa: “Goldie? Daddy’s home.” I could go for Undisputed Era vs. NXT Legends/All Stars.

Quick video on Walter and Imperium.

During the break, Angel Garza tried to hit on the interviewer and steal Ciampa’s interview time. Ciampa showed up and laid out Garza after some Spanish ranting. Interviewer: “What did he say?” Ciampa: “I have no idea.”

Dakota Kai vs. Bianca Belair

Kai starts fast by kicking Belair to the floor for an early two. A charge gets Kai launched face first into the buckle and the hard shoulders to the ribs in the corner make it even worse. Belair squats her to show off but has to kick out of a small package. A tilt-a-whirl faceplant gets two and we take a break.

Back with hitting some clotheslines and a running dropkick, followed by the pump kick to the side of the head. Some kicks to the head in the corner give Kai two, including the running kick to the face in the corner. Kai rolls her up out of the corner but gets pulled into the double chickenwing facebuster. Belair’s running shooting star press gets two and frustration is setting in. Back up and Kai tries one more kick but gets caught in the KOD for the pin at 10:12.

Rating: C+. This started slowly but got a lot better in the end, with Kai kicking her heart out but coming up short. I like Kai more and more every time I see her and hopefully this is a sign that she has her old skill back. She looked a bit better here with the more serious looking gear and the kick working more than usual. Push her and you might have an underdog star on your hands. I’m not sure about having her lose here, but NXT loves it some Belair so her getting a win like this isn’t surprising.

Post match Belair says that she wants Baszler and Rhea can go through her to get the title shot. It’s amazing how much better her promos are without the un-de-fea-ted nonsense.

Dominik Dijakovic is ready to bring out the best in Keith Lee again. He knows Keith’s limits though and is ready to take him there.

We look back at Finn Balor being drafted to Raw and becoming the first Universal Champion.

Video on Pete Dunne wanting to make a name for himself in WWE. That’s what he’s done ever since, and now Damien Priest is trying to do the same thing. That won’t be happening off of Dunne’s back.

The NXT roster congratulates Rush for winning the title.

Kushida vs. Walter

Non-title. Feeling out process to start until Walter powers him onto the apron and pats him on the head. They take turns riding each other on the mat until Kushida gets in a dropkick to send us to a break. Back with Kushida slipping off a springboard and getting kicked in the face for his efforts. The one legged Liontamer has Kushida in more trouble as Walter cranks away.

That’s broken up so Walter chops away but the powerbomb is countered into a DDT for the breather. Kushida gets sent to the apron and manages to snap the arm across the rope. A sunset bomb is blocked though and Walter stomps on the face to put Kushida on the floor. He’s right back up with a rolling DDT to the floor though and they both have to beat the count.

Back in and a kick to the arm sets up the Hoverboard Lock but Walter reverses into the sleeper. Kushida flips out of that and Walter has to grab the hands to block a cross armbreaker. Walter powers out again and it’s a half nelson pumphandle suplex into a bridge for two.

The frog splash is broken up and Kushida grabs the Hoverboard lock on top before superplexing him down by the arm. A foot on the rope gets Walter out of trouble so Kushida dropkicks the arm again. Walter dropkicks the heck out of him and the powerbomb gets two in a great near fall. With nothing else working, Walter hits a ripcord lariat to FINALLY put Kushida away at 16:48.

Rating: B. Much like Kai vs. Belair, this one took its time getting going but once they hit that other gear, it was some awesome stuff with both guys hitting each other very hard and setting up a big finish. It didn’t hit the level that some of Walter’s matches have but it was the match Kushida has been looking for around here. Walter still feels like a treat and a big, special performer, which is why you put him in a spot like this. Very good main event.

Next week: Ciampa vs. Garza and in two weeks, Strong defends against Dream.

Overall Rating: B-. This was another good show, this time focusing on the wrestling instead of the surprises and the angles. I like where most of the stuff is going, though I still have some issues getting behind the Undisputed Era holding everything. The challengers are starting to line up though and that could make for some quality television going forward. Some of the stuff at the beginning didn’t click, but the bigger matches made up for them enough and that’s what matters here.

Overall, I think it’s a tie between the shows this week as I might have rated Dynamite a bit low. They had the better match with Private Party vs. the Bucks and their stuff being set up for the future was better, though I liked the wrestling better overall on NXT. What matters is that neither show dropped in quality by any major amount and both were rather good shows that you could watch back to back with no issue. Another good week, as the wrestling renaissance continues.

Results

Lio Rush b. Drew Gulak – Final Hour

Rhea Ripley b. Aliyah – Seated Cloverleaf

Forgotten Sons b. Breezango – Memory Remains to Fandango

Cameron Grimes b. Boa – Standing double stomp

Roderick Strong b. Isaiah Scott – Stronghold

Bianca Belair b. Dakota Kai – KOD

Walter b. Kushida – Ripcord lariat

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

Dynamite
Date: October 9, 2019
Location: Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur

It’s the second week and that means we are in for something that might be more important than the debut episode. You can have as good of an opener as you want, but if you don’t get the fans to stick around, it isn’t going to matter all that much. The ratings and audience are going to be interesting after this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The announcers welcome us to the show.

Video on Private Party vs. the Young Bucks, the first match in the Tag Team Title tournament.

Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Young Bucks vs. Private Party

Private Party weigh 27 ounces of vodka cranberry and come from a place you need an invitation to. Isaiah Kassidy and Nick Jackson start things off with neither being able to hit a superkick. Nick spits his gum in Kassidy’s face so Kassidy flips out of an atomic drop attempt. Kassidy gets caught in a backbreaker/flipping neckbreaker combination to put the Bucks in control. A dive misses though and Kassidy hits a Lionsault to take him down.

Marc Quen comes in and starts busting out his own dives to a BIG reaction (as he deserves). A 450 gets a VERY close two on Matt but Nick is back in to start the Superkick Party. Nick sunset bombs Kassidy, with the powerbomb onto the ramp for a nasty landing. Back in and a powerbomb/Sliced Bread #2 combination gets two on Marc, setting up the Sharpshooter to work on the back even more.

With Kassidy down, it’s a top rope double stomp/backbreaker combination for two more on Quen. A spear gets two more on Quen as Kassidy gets pulled back off the apron. Quen gets over for the tag a few seconds later though and Kassidy comes in with a missile dropkick. He comes up holding his back but is fine enough to hit a double hurricanrana. Matt rolls the northern lights suplexes to bang up the back quite a bit before suplexing Quen at the same time for two.

The buckle bomb/kick to the head in the corner sets up another Sharpshooter, with Nick adding a facebuster. The tap seems near but Kassidy rapid fire crawls over for the tag. Quen makes a blind tag though and it’s the hurricanrana into the cutter (Gin and Juice) to rock Matt. The perfect shooting star press gets two on Nick and that should have been the finish. The Meltzer Driver is loaded up but Kassidy breaks up the springboard, allowing Quen to roll Matt up for the pin at 13:47.

Rating: B. They had one too many false finishes in the end though I’m happy with Private Party winning. That could have gone either way though, as you can either give Private Party the rub now or give the rub to whoever beats the Bucks in the finals. As long as the Bucks didn’t win though, as there was no need for that to happen. Good match too, with Private Party looking like an incredibly polished team right out of the box.

Post match Private Party celebrates in the crowd all through the commercial.

Here are Chris Jericho and his whole group of friends for a chat. Jericho takes credit for all of Dynamite’s success last week and gets a thank you chant. That’s not what he wants though and he says that we are now. Yes they’re still together and yes they have a name. Jericho introduces the team, starting with the sexy Spanish god Sammy Guevara. Now Sammy is on his list. Then you have Santana and Ortiz, who are going to be nastier than ever before, which Jericho likes. Jericho: “Viva la raza.” Nice touch on Eddie’s birthday.

Then we have Jake Hager (which Jericho pronounces as Hagar) so we get a WE THE PEOPLE. Jericho: “We the people sucks and it’s dead and buried. It was a bad idea from bad creative and all that’s dead and gone.” Jericho brags about Hager’s undefeated MMA record and he’ll fight any boxer, fighter, wrestler, bare knuckle fighter or whatever. The team is dubbed the Inner Circle and they are taking over.

Jericho goes on to Cody, who is part of a family Jericho never liked. Dusty was a jerk, he’ll beat up Dustin and he’ll beat the s*** out of Cody at Full Gear. That promo is going to get people talking and it’s a good thing to have a big story going on like this. Good stuff here, though they better be able to back up the shots at WWE.

Darby Allin vs. Jimmy Havoc

The winner gets a shot at Jericho for the title next week. During the entrance, Havoc says he likes the pain and the violence. Darby grabs a quick cradle for two and dropkicks Havoc into the corner. A bottom rope suplex doesn’t work as Havoc bites the fingers and Falcon Arrows Allin out to the floor in a big crash.

Havoc starts working on the fingers before choking in the corner to cut off a comeback attempt. A suplex puts Allin on the floor and we take a break. Back with Allin being Death Valley Driven into the corner and stomped in the head to keep him down. The Acid Rainmaker is broken up with a bite to Havoc’s fingers and it’s a knockdown into the Coffin Drop for the pin at 10:02.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as Allin didn’t do much for most of the match, came back and hit his finisher for the win. What bothers me a bit more than that though is AEW talking about how they want to incorporate win/loss records and that puts Allin at 2-2-1. It’s not a big deal, but they might want to work on that if they want records to matter that much.

Bea Priestly/Sakura vs. Britt Baker/Riho

Riho starts with Sakura and charges into a powerslam, only to pop back up with a dropkick. Her back is banged up and Sakura blocks a slam without much effort. A very screaming surfboard works on the back even more and it’s off to Priestly, who gets in a fight with Baker on the floor.

Riho is down in the corner so Sakura goes outside to help with a double suplex. A Riho dive takes them down though and we take a break. Back with Baker in trouble until Riho sneaks in for a double stomp to Sakura. Baker’s swinging neckbreaker gets two on Sakura and it’s off to the Rings of Saturn. Baker adds the Mandible Claw at the same time for the tap at 8:45.

Rating: C. I’m trying to care about the women’s division but Baker is the kind of star who can be a big deal based on every aspect you could want. Priestly feels like a good villain and Sakura is fine enough. Riho….it’s not a complete miss but there are just better options to pick from other than her. Maybe I’m just not enough of a wrestling fan to get it, but it’s not working just yet.

We see a video of the Best Friends hugging.

The Best Friends are in the front row and asked about how they’re doing. They defer to Orange Cassidy, who gives them a thumbs up.

Jon Moxley vs. Shawn Spears

Tully Blanchard is with Spears and Pac is on commentary. Moxley gets right in his face and chops away before dropping Spears with a clothesline. Spears bails to the floor so Moxley knees him in the back and chokes away, with Tully’s interference not working whatsoever. As JR wonders how that isn’t a DQ, Moxley jumps off the apron with a forearm to the face but gets sent into the steps. The fight on the floor continues (they’ve been out there a long time now) with Spears Death Valley Drivering him into the barricade for a double knockdown.

Back from a break with Spears putting on a half crab but Moxley breaks it up in a hurry. Moxley sends him outside again for back to back suicide dives and scores with a running knee for two. The slugout it on but the Paradigm Shift is countered into the fireman’s carry backbreaker. Another fireman’s carry is countered into the Paradigm Shift to give Moxley the pin at 12:44.

Rating: C. I still don’t get it with Spears, though he is better than he was in WWE. He’s just a guy at this point and the chair stuff feels out of place after the Cody feud wrapped up. Tully is a cool addition, but it doesn’t matter if the guy keeps losing. It’s far from too late for him, but he didn’t shot me much here.

Post match here’s Kenny Omega, carrying a barbed wire bat and a barbed wire broom. He throws Moxley the bat but Pac runs down with a chair shot to the back of Omega’s head. Moxley looks at Omega but drops the bat and walks away.

Dustin Rhodes/Hangman Page vs. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara

Hager is here with Jericho and Guevara. One good sign: I can already recognize Jericho’s music after the first few notes. Impact took years to make that happen and still have a lot of trouble making it work. Dustin goes after Jericho on the floor to start and gets in a posting with a thud. We settle down to Page fall away slamming Sammy and handing it back to Dustin for a hard whip into the corner.

A belly to back toss sets up Page’s running shooting star press with Jericho having to make a save. Guevara gets in a knee though and fireman’s carry drops Page onto the top turnbuckle for two. Back from a break with Jericho posing until Page gets in a hard shot to the face. Sammy is right there to block a tag though and Jericho slaps Page in the face. The Lionsault hits knees though and Page scores with the big lariat, allowing the hot tag to Dustin.

Everything breaks down and Dustin dives onto Jericho and Sammy with Page adding a moonsault to the floor. Hager runs Page over though, leaving Dustin to hit a Code Red for two on Jericho. The powerslam takes Sammy down but the referee checks on him, allowing Hager to save Jericho from Shattered Dreams. Jericho hits the Judas Effect for the pin at 13:57.

Rating: C+. The extra time helped a bit here and they did a good job of making Hager look like the monster. That’s the key here as everyone (save for Sammy) is pretty established and they need to make Hager stand out as a monster. This was the standard idea of taking parts of a stable and letting them fight, which is always going to work just fine.

Post match Hager goes after Page, who pelts a chair at Hager’s head. They fight to the back and the lights go out. It’s Cody laying out Sammy with Cross Rhodes but here are Santana and Ortiz to take Cody out. Maxwell Jacob Friedman runs out as well and teases turning on Cody, only to chair the Inner Circle down. Cue the Young Bucks for the real save and the fans are rather pleased. Jericho escapes but Allin skateboards down and beats Jericho up to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was another good outing, though a step down from last week. That has to be expected though after last week’s big debut, which isn’t going to be the norm. It’s a good idea to slow things down for a week while still making things seem like a big deal. I’m curious to see where things go with some of these stories and that’s a nice feeling. The wrestling itself wasn’t bad at all here and the atmosphere is still what matters most around here. It felt big and if they can do that when it’s not even a big show, they’re in a solid spot two weeks in.

Results

Private Party b. Young Bucks – Victory roll to Matt

Darby Allin b. Jimmy Havoc – Coffin Drop

Britt Baker/Riho b. Bea Priestly/Sakura – Rings of Saturn/Mandible Claw combination to Sakura

Jon Moxley b. Shawn Spears – Paradigm Shift

Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara b. Dustin Rhodes/Hangman Page – Judas Effect to Rhodes

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: May 9, 2005
Location: Wachovia Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 3,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

Tournament time continues this week as we move on to the semifinals in the Gold Rush Tournament. That should mean some good matches as the four left are more than good enough, though the whole point of this is to be Batista’s next victim. I have no idea how we’ll wind up with another HHH title shot, but you can all but bet on that being the endgame. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the tournament starting last week, including the four first round matches.

Here’s HHH for the opening chat, because we need to hear from someone out of the tournament. Before he says anything this time though, HHH goes outside to yell at fans for reminding him that he tapped out. He eventually gets back inside to call the tournament bogus because he Pedigreed Batista and had him beat. The rematch should go to him but Eric Bischoff wants to control Batista and the World Title. If HHH gets one more shot, he’ll beat Batista just like that.

Cue Batista to mockingly apologize for the interruption, because he’s so afraid of HHH. Actually, what exactly is he afraid of? He’s already beaten HHH both times he’s faced him and then there was last week’s loss in the tournament. Maybe….HHH just isn’t good enough for another title shot. There goes HHH’s tie and he eventually says Batista’s title means nothing until he goes through HHH.

That doesn’t mean some Wrestlemania fluke but rather going through HHH. He is what matters in this business and he defines what Batista is and what he will become. If Batista is going to disrespect him, he’ll walk out right now and watch Batista fail from his big mansion. HHH walks out so Batista says he doesn’t need HHH because he’s already beaten him.

Post break, HHH storms out as Ric Flair tells him to stay. HHH tells Flair to come with him but Flair is going to stay and deal with this.

Here are Muhammad Hassan and Daivari with the latter still employed after being beaten down last week. Daivari sucks up to Hassan and issues the open challenge to make up for things.

Khosrow Daivari vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho chops away in the corner but misses a charge and goes shoulder first into the post. The logical armbar goes on for a bit but Daivari goes to the middle rope and gets punched out of the air. A flapjack into the enziguri looks to set up the Walls but Daivari makes the rope. Not that it matters as Jericho gets them on a few seconds later and Daivari taps in a hurry.

Post match Hassan lays out Jericho with the Downward Spiral and the camel clutch. Shelton Benjamin makes the save.

Christy Hemme asks Bischoff about the Draft and is told that the Divas are eligible to be drafted as well. See there’s a new Diva Search coming up and Bischoff hopes to find a more successful Diva. With that insult out of the way, La Resistance comes in to demand another title shot. This leads to an argument between Conway and Grenier so Bischoff puts them in a singles match each. That’s not a good selling point.

Flair leaves HHH a message about how awesome he is but here are Christian and Tyson Tomko to mock Flair for being so worried. It’s a shame that HHH isn’t going to be here tonight because no one can spit water on themselves. Flair: “I don’t like you.” A match is set up for later between Flair and Captain Courageous.

Classic Moment: Jerry Lawler wins the AWA World Title. If nothing else, it’s smart to remind fans that Lawler was a big time wrestler back in the day. How many younger fans wouldn’t know that?

Sylvain Grenier vs. Viscera

Twenty minute HHH segments, a squash and now this. Grenier’s face when he sees Viscera is a nice touch though. Conway leaves and Grenier tries a shoulder, which goes as well as you would have expected. The swinging Boss Man Slam lets Viscera mount him for the pelvic thrusts. A missed splash lets Grenier hit a missile dropkick for two but the spinwheel kick drops him again. The chokebomb ends Grenier in a hurry.

Post match Viscera takes a fan’s nachos and goes to hit on Lilian, saying they taste as good as she does. He has her announce him as the winner again, because that really turns him on. Viscera: “You want some of my nachos?” We get the Lady and the Tramp sharing of the nacho, with Viscera promising that she’ll love the main course. JR: “Why do I want to hear some Barry White all of a sudden?”

A rather pleased Lita comes in to see Kane, who is thinking about them. He hugs her rather forcefully (she doesn’t seem pleased, after weeks of being into him) and reminisces about the nine months they have been married. She likes the idea of him becoming World Champion with hints at fornication if he wins. Kane: “That’s what makes us such a cute couple.”

Gold Rush Tournament Semifinals: Kane vs. Chris Benoit

Lita is here with Kane. Benoit goes with the chops to start before going for the ankle. The Sharpshooter and Crossface attempts are blocked so we’ll try the chops again. Kane’s side slam gets two and we hit the neck crank. A clothesline takes Benoit down again for two and the chinlock goes on.

The big boot connects (and has Lita pleased) but the top rope clothesline is dropkicked out of the air. That sets up the rolling German suplexes and the Swan Dive for two and Lita is panicking. An enziguri into a baseball slide to the floor knocks Lita down and the knee is clutched. Benoit checks on Lita and gets decked from behind, setting up the chokeslam for the pin back inside.

Rating: C+. These two work well together but you can tell a lot of Benoit’s time has passed. Kane is fine for the monster who you push at various times and that’s what they’re doing here, though you can tell something is up with Lita. That could be interesting and I’ll take that above the same run of the mill stuff that often happens on this show.

Christian vs. Ric Flair

Actually hang on as Christian views Flair as a problem, and you know what that means.

Tyson Tomko vs. Ric Flair

Tomko clotheslines him down and gets an early two off a powerslam. Flair gets smart by going after the knee and the Figure Four is on in no time. Christian sneaks in to rake the eyes though and that’s an ejection, allowing Flair to hit Tomko low. The rollup (with trunks of course) is enough for the pin. There’s something so sweet about seeing Flair cheat to win.

Here are some of the people who might make the finals of the Diva Search.

We look back at HHH leaving.

Here’s Stacy Keibler for a completely necessary chat. She’s in Stuff Magazine and we get some clips from her shoot with Todd Grisham doing his best Lawler impression. She offers us a sneak peak in person but here are Simon Dean and Maven to interrupt. They seem to think that Maven is the better looking human and Maven critiques her physique while Simon puts together a shake. Stacy is ordered to drink the shake but she “accidentally” drops it. Cue Hurricane and Rosey for the save as this is really the best they can do for the Tag Team Titles.

Coach comes in to see Bischoff and talks about the upcoming ECW One Night Stand. Bischoff hates the idea because it’s all blood and thumbtacks and barbed wire and violence (the fans seem to approve). As the ECW chants start up, Bischoff promises to squash ECW again.

Rob Conway vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title. Conway jumps him during the entrance and says the title should be his. The stomping is on for an early one and a snap suplex is good for the same, meaning it’s already time for the chinlock. Shelton fights up without much trouble and backdrops him for two of his own. The exploder is blocked and Conway scores with a running knee lift. That’s fine with Shelton, who kicks him in the head and hits the springboard bulldog for the fast pin. I’d think that’s about it for La Resistance as an important team now, yes?

Post match Muhammad and Daivari lay out Shelton on the stage. That’s a logical next feud for Hassan and it’s not like Benjamin has anyone else to fight right now.

Here’s John Cena’s Bad Bad Man video.

Maria asks Shawn Michaels about his match with The Edge. After making fun of the mistake, Shawn praises Shelton Benjamin for last week and says if “The Edge” likes to whine, tonight he’ll be throwing the biggest hissy fit ever because Shawn is Money in the Bank.

Next week: Jericho/Benjamin vs. Hassan/Daivari, Christian vs. Flair and the tournament final. That’s a pretty good show.

Gold Rush Tournament Semifinals: Edge vs. Shawn Michaels

Joined in progress with Shawn sending Edge outside for the springboard spinning crossbody. Edge snaps him throat first across the rope to take over and it’s Shawn in trouble in a hurry. Back in and we hit the chinlock, followed by a neckbreaker and the chinlock again. Edge lets that go and heads up, only to get kicked out of the air. A knee lift gives us a double knockdown but it’s Shawn up first and hammering Edge down.

The top rope elbow connects (long one too) but Sweet Chin Music is countered into an electric chair which is countered into a victory roll to give Shawn two. Edge is right back with the Edge-O-Matic but the ref gets bumped, meaning there is no count off the Edgecution. Sweet Chin Music gets the same non-count so Edge gets up and clocks Shawn with the briefcase (putting a dent in the thing) for the pin.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as it felt like they skipped the entire intro and went straight to the big stuff at the end. Edge winning made the most sense as he has a more interesting story and giving him a pin over Shawn, even this kind of pin, sets up better possibilities. Besides, it’s not like Shawn losing is going to hurt him whatsoever.

Overall Rating: D+. The tournament matches were good and next week is looking great, but at the same time there were a lot of short matches here which didn’t mean anything and didn’t exactly go anywhere. That’s acceptable if next week’s show is worth the setup, but I’m not sure how much confidence I have in them to pull something like that off.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

AEW Dark
Date: October 8, 2019
Location: Capitol One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross

So this is something new (the second new show of the day) as AEW is releasing its dark matches (as “dark matches” enters a new definition) as a stand alone show on YouTube. Normally this is something that wouldn’t make a lot of sense but in this case, AEW needs to get their talent out there in front of an audience and that is what they’re doing here. There shouldn’t be any storylines here and it’s a pure wrestling show, which is nice for a change. Let’s get to it.

Tony Schiavone welcomes us to the show and explains the concept. He really is great at something like this and the voice is exactly the same as it was back in the 90s.

Darby Allin vs. Cima

Darby takes a bit too long looking into the crowd and gets caught with some double knees in the corner. That’s fine with Darby, who is right back with a springboard armdrag to the floor, followed by three straight suicide dives. Back in and the Coffin Drop completely misses, allowing Darby to dropkick him into the corner. Something like a Brock Lock on the mat keeps Darby down but he’s fine enough to crotch Cima on top.

That means a Tree of Woe with headbutts to the knee for a pretty unique set of offense. More shots to the knee have Cima in trouble but he’s right back with a tornado DDT for two. Back up and Cima offers him a chance for some chops, demanding Darby’s best shots. Instead Darby hits him in the face and flips over his back into a Stunner for two.

The Coffin Drop onto the knee bangs them both up a bit more so Cima is right back with the Perfect Driver for two of his own. A top top rope Meteora to the back of Darby’s head gets two more, only to have him get the same off a Code Red. That’s enough to set up the Coffin Drop, which finally connects as it’s supposed to, for the pin at 6:57.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure what to make of Allin, who is such a different kind of performer that it takes some time to get the idea of him down. The Coffin Drop comes off as rather stupid, though it fits into the kind of person Allin seems to be. Cima is someone who can have a fine match with anyone, though I’m not overly wild on either guy.

Tony explains the Tag Team Title tournament.

Lucha Bros/Hybrid Two vs. Private Party/Best Friends

Hybrid Two is Angelico/Jack Evans. Orange Cassidy is here with Private Party and Best Friends to a ROAR. Hang on though as Evans needs to yell about how he and Angelico are the A half of their team but a bunch of superkicks break that up in a hurry. Fenix dives onto the Best Friends and Quen gets sent over the top onto Evans and Angelico as I have a bad feeling about trying to keep track of all this stuff. Evans is already ranting about having to make saves until we settle down to Isaiah punching Angelico in the face and screaming.

A cheap shot from Evans takes Isaiah down so the Lucha Bros come in and try some double teaming, only to have Isaiah score with some enziguris for a breather. Evans and Angelico come in to beat on Isaiah instead as tagging is more of a suggestion here. Isaiah is fine enough to hurricanrana Angelico into Evans in the corner, which allows the tag off to Taylor as extra audio is bleeding through commentary.

Isaiah hits a heck of a flip dive to the floor but the Bros are back in to kick Quen in the head. With Fenix on the floor, Taylor finds his own sunglasses but stops to hug Barretta. That sets up the stereo suicide dives, leaving Cassidy to go up for the hands in pockets dive to the floor. Isn’t that a bit much energy for him? Back in and Fenix saves Pentagon from Strong Zero and a kick to the head sends Taylor into a Backstabber. Fenix hits a big corkscrew dive, leaving Pentagon to finish Taylor at 8:46.

Rating: B. That’s about as high as any of these matches can get and they did exactly what they were suppose do. This was designed to be complete and utter chaos with everyone involved looking rather good in the process. As a bonus, Excalibur was perfect for commentary here as he can rattle off all of those names. JR on the other hand…..well he tried, but he lost the battle of the generations here.

Post match the winners argue over who gets to pose.

Quick look at the women’s division.

Britt Baker/Allie vs. Penelope Ford/Bea Priestly

Priestly shoves Baker on the apron to start so Allie snaps off an armdrag. Hold on though as Priestly wants Baker, which is exactly what she gets. That sends Priestly over to Ford, as you probably expected. Baker gets two off her own armdrag but Ford sends her into the corner for a Great Muta handspring elbow (that’s more JR’s speed). A northern lights suplex gives Ford two but she gets sent into the corner as well, this time allowing the tag to Allie.

The sliding forearm in the corner gives Allie two and it’s time to strike away at Ford. Priestly gets in a cheap shot on the floor though and the villains take over. A stomp onto Allie’s arm keeps her down but Ford misses a second handspring elbow. Baker comes back in to trade forearms with Priestly, followed by the fisherman’s neckbreaker for two. Priestly’s belly to back suplex gets two but Baker kicks her down and hands it back to Allie for a rollup. Everything breaks down and Priestly kicks Baker in the head.

Allie Death Valley Drives Priestly for two before heading to the floor, leaving Allie to DDT Ford for two more with Priestly diving back inside for the save. They head outside again though, leaving Baker to Paige Turn Ford into the Rings of Saturn. With that still on, Baker grabs something like a Mandible Claw (makes sense) at the same time for the tap at 11:11.

Rating: C-. If they want Riho and Nyla Rose to be the stars of the division, they might not want to showcase these four like this. The match was more interesting, easier to get into and just all around more fun. Riho vs. Rose did tell a good story and was better from a technical standpoint, but they’re hardly head and shoulders above these four and that was very apparent here.

We look at Chris Jericho and company taking over at the end of Dynamite.

Here’s a look at the Tag Team Title tournament with Twitter users picking their winners.

Preview for this week’s Dynamite.

Full Gear ad.

Jurassic Express vs. SCU

Jurassic Express now has a rather awesome entrance, complete with steps making a glass of water shake. Daniels has a mic on a stand with him so he can shout SCU. Daniels and Stunt start things off and Stunt can’t do much outside of spinning around into a small package. A stomp onto the back sets up the Floss Dance (ERG), with Daniels countering with his own. Jungle Boy and Kazarian come in to trade near falls off some rollups and cradles until Kazarian knocks him down for the springboard spinning legdrop.

It’s off to Sky to get in a boot to the head but Boy gets over to Luchasaurus and you can feel the fans getting more into things. That’s a bit too good though and it’s back to Stunt, who gets flipped onto Daniels into a splash for two. Boy comes back in for a chinlock but Daniels is right back up with a tilt-a-whirl side slam for two of his own. Stunt’s crossbody bounces off of Sky so Luchasaurus comes back in. Some strikes have no effect for Sky but a DDT puts Luchasaurus down….and he nips right back up.

Stunt and Boy dive onto Daniels and Sky, leaving Kazarian to get chokeslammed and moonsaulted for another near fall. A headscissors faceplant of all things (because Luchasaurus can just do that) sets up Stunt’s running shooting star press as everything stays broken down. Luchasaurus gets sent outside though and it’s Celebrity Rehab on Boy and a powerbomb/Backstabber combination finishes Stunt at 9:17.

Rating: C. They weren’t going for anything more than a fun match here, though they did get in enough stuff to make it feel different than the eight man tag. Stunt taking the pin was the right call if SCU has to win, though it is beyond ridiculous to see him out there with no muscle definition or anything close to being a realistic threat to any of SCU. Even Jungle Boy, who is small, is more believable than Stunt. Let him be a mascot or something, but having him wrestle is a step too far.

Tony wraps us up in a hurry.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a situation where you need to consider the point of this show. It isn’t meant to be anything more than a supplement to Dynamite in a way to get the wrestlers in an AEW ring. You don’t need to see anything here and as long as they keep it that way, this is the most inoffensive thing you could ask for. It doesn’t need to be around permanently as you don’t need so many people featured every week, but for a few months, this is a fine idea.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

NWA Powerrr
Date: October 8, 2019
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Jim Cornette

So this is something different as the NWA is back with a fresh TV series, though it is taking place in a studio in front of probably about 100 people instead of an arena. It might seem a little ridiculous, but at some point you have to just put the wrestlers in the ring and run shows, which is where the NWA is now. It’s better than nothing so hopefully it works out well here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence, featuring a lot of shots on the NWA World Title and champion Nick Aldis. One very smart thing here though: name graphics for the wrestlers, which might be only the wrestlers appearing on the show.

And yes there are three r’s in the name.

The announcers welcome us to the show with Cornette being in his element rattling off the history of televised wrestling in Atlanta.

We get the old interview area (I miss that thing) with Aldis, and his bodyguard Kamille, who talks about holding the World Title for nearly a year. It’s hard to stay hungry but look at how far they’ve come. They were a punchline and now they have some great champions representing the NWA name.

We hear about the Tag Team Champions (the Wildcards), the National Champion (James Storm) and the Women’s Champion (Allysin Kay) and all of the people fighting for respect. That brings him to Tim Storm, who he respects more than any man he’s ever met. But everything Aldis has, from the Jaguar parked outside to every meal that he’s put on his son’s table, is because of professional wrestling. Let’s do it serious tonight so Storm can find out why he’s the National Treasure.

This felt VERY similar to an old school studio promo as it was no gimmick or special feature. It was Aldis, who was rocking the suit like an NWA World Champion would, looking straight at the camera and telling us why we should care about what we’re seeing and who is coming for the title. More of this stuff and we’re in a good place.

Dawsons vs. Billy Buck/Sal Rinauro

The Dawsons (Zane and Dave) are a couple of big guys who knock Sal around to start. Buck comes in and gets caught with a running elbow/side slam combination. A standing splash to the back into a powerslam finishes Rinauro at 1:20.

Post match the Dawsons say that is just a little taste of what is to come because they own the world now. They’ll fight everyone and they don’t care how they win. They’re the guys who bullied you for your lunch money so be ready for them.

Promotional consideration paid for by…..THE AUSTIN IDOL UNIVERSAL WRESTLING COLLEGE??? They’re making it really hard to not want to keep watching this.

Here’s Eli Drake for a chat and that’s a very good thing. Drake asks if this is NWA country and he thinks they said YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH. There’s something different about this place but it doesn’t take a scientist to see that it’s a special kind of place. You look around and see men ready to fight so everyone with a belt better be ready because he’s coming for you. I’ve always liked Drake and his talking is some of the best around.

Eli Drake vs. Caleb Konley

Drake shoulders him down but gets rolled up for a few near falls. A monkey flip sends Drake into the corner but he blocks another one back out of it, setting up a jumping neckbreaker to drop Konley. A swinging neckbreaker gives Drake two and the fans are behind him. Drake knees him in the head for two more but Konley is right back with a kick to the chest. Konley gets two off a slingshot splash and a double stomp out of the corner makes it worse. The springboard splash hits raised boots though and the Gravy Train finishes Konley at 4:26.

Rating: C. They were trying hard here and Drake looked good while selling quite a bit. Konley was someone who showed potential in Impact but at the same time, Drake looked like a star who belonged on a bigger stage. Drake could be a big deal around here and I hope that is the case, because you can see the fire in his eyes every time he talks.

We recap Aldis vs. Storm, which is Storm’s last shot at the title. Storm accepted the challenge because he knows he can beat Aldis, as he has before.

Jocephus, a seemingly mad man, runs up to commentary and demands Storm come out here right now.

Back from a break and Jocephus is still shouting for Storm. Cornette: “Are you a meteorologist?” Cue National Champion James Storm, who says he is the only Storm that Jocephus needs to worry about. Storm calls Jocephus the kind of fake wrestler who could never walk a mile in his shoes. Go back to your desk job and leave the job of being a star to the real stars. The fight is on but referees break it up.

Wild Cards vs. Danny White/Mims

The Wild Cards (Tom Latimer/Royce Isaacs) are the Tag Team Champions but this is non-title. Isaacs runs White over to start and gets beaten up by Latimer (formerly known as Bram in Impact) and stomped by Isaacs. A powerbomb into a German suplex finishes White at 2:08.

The Wild Cards say this is what they were made for but here’s Eddie Kingston to mockingly applaud them. He calls Latimer Bram but then switches to Tommy Boy, who he is not here to disrespect. Royce complains but is threatened with a slap if he isn’t quiet. They may be a great team, but they do not speak for the outlaws. Cue Homicide to back up Kingston as Jocephus and Storm brawl through the curtain as well.

Back from a break with Storm breaking through security and chasing Jocephus around some more. Referees break it up again….for all of three seconds before it’s up into the crowd for a bit. Storm gets in the ring and calls Jocephus in, but he has to turn his back first. Hey let’s make it a match.

James Storm vs. Jocephus

Storm puts Jocephus’ thumb in his mouth for a little bonus humiliation. For a bonus, Storm goes to commentary and says the NWA is in the eye of the storm.

Video on Tim Storm, who is a wrestler, a teacher and a grandfather. He wants to do this when he’s 70 because he never wants to come off of the mountain. Aldis took the title from him in 2017 and, other than a quick run by Cody last year, has held it ever since. He needs one more shot at the title because he knows he can do it.

Storm (Tim this time) talks about how 6:05 on Saturdays defined him (when he was a young man of about 35 more than likely) but now it is his family, including his 94 year old mother, who only cares if he gets hurt. He is Mama Storm’s baby boy, which sets off a MAMA chant. The title defined him as a wrestler and he held it for over 400 days. Now it’s all he wants back and he kind of quotes Lose Yourself in regards to seizing the opportunity. Tonight is his night.

NWA World Title: Nick Aldis vs. Tim Storm

Aldis, with Kamille, is defending. We get the Big Match Intros and they are VERY to the point with just the names being announced, meaning no weights or hometowns, which makes for a weird intro. Aldis loses an early chop off to the bigger Storm, who wins a slugout in the corner as well. They head outside with Aldis sending him face first into the post and back first into the apron.

Back in and an elbow gets two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Storm sends him face first into the buckle for a double knockdown. Storm grabs a Figure Four (required) but a rope is eventually grabbed. With the holds not working, Storm gets two off a superplex and can’t believe the kickout. A high crossbody (with Storm slipping a bit) connects for two but we do get a PERFECT STORM chant. Storm misses a middle rope Swanton of all things and the fans are split this time.

Aldis’ top rope elbow hits the back and it’s the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf to stay on the spine. That’s broken up and we almost get a ref bump, allowing Storm to hit a low blow. The Perfect Storm (swinging Boss Man Slam) gets two so they go up top. That means a double headbutt to put both guys on the floor again. Aldis clotheslines Kamille by mistake and Storm posts him for a good staggering. Back in and Aldis grabs a small package out of nowhere to retain at 12:08.

Rating: B-. Not a great match or anything but you can tell Aldis is a polished wrestler. I don’t remember seeing much (if anything) from Storm before but he was perfectly fine. That being said, Aldis looked like a star and Storm looks like someone whose heyday was twenty plus years ago. It’s fine for a short form story, but changing the title here would have been insane and I’m glad it didn’t really come close to that.

Post match Aldis praises Storm as a real man and Kamille won’t speak about the missed clothesline. Storm takes the mic back and says it was a great win. Kamille doesn’t seem thrilled with that but leaves with Aldis anyway.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this WAY better than I would have expected as the hour flew by, mainly due to the squash matches. What mattered here was they kept it short and to the point. The production is bare bones (there aren’t even entrance themes) and what you get here is a show build on the legacy, the wrestlers and their personalities. This show was designed to get you into the wrestlers and make you want to see more. The NWA has miles to go but this felt different in a good way, and that’s better than anyone would have expected from them a few years ago. Great start, and check this out if you have a chance.

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