Northeast Wrestling Prison Break: Run Moxley Run

IMG Credit: Northeast Wrestling

Prison Break
Date: August 16, 2019
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Gerry Strauss, Paul Crockett

This is from Northeast Wrestling, which is an independent company that I’ve always wanted to look at. As it turns out they had a big event a few months ago (it was last weekend when I started this) featuring a bunch of names you’ve probably heard of so I might as well go with something recent for a change. I’m not sure what to expect here but that makes it more fun. Let’s get to it.

As usual with a show like this, I have no idea what to expect as I don’t follow the stories so bear with me if I don’t know something.

The opening video looks at the history of the promotion, with names such as Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan appearing. Dang when did this place get so big? The hype package does show a rather impressive lists of names over the years, with Bret Hart, Hogan, Roddy Piper, Kurt Angle and Mick Foley among many others being shown. They’ve already got my attention and that’s the best way to start. The video switches to more modern wrestlers, again with several you’re probably familiar with.

We run down the card.

The announcers welcome us to the show.

Private Party vs. A Boy And His Dinosaur vs. Inzanely Rude

The last team would be Zane Bernardo/RJ Rude. Luchasaurus throws Rude into the corner to start so it’s Quen tagging himself in to face Rude instead. That means a dropkick from Quen, who doesn’t even lose his sunglasses. Kassidy comes in with a slingshot hilo but this time it’s Jungle Boy tagging him to Backstab Bernardo. Inzanely Rude bails to the floor so we’ll try Kassidy vs. Boy for a bit.

They take turns flipping each other around until it’s a standoff in the middle. Bernardo comes back in with a springboard missile dropkick to Kassidy and the double teaming is on in a hurry. Quen breaks that up and gets dropkicked as well, finally knocking the sunglasses off (there has to be an Orange Cassidy joke in there somewhere). Rude chops Kassidy, who gives off a high pitched scream.

It’s Rude getting stomped in the corner and Quen flip diving onto Bernardo. Rude gets in a double Sliced Bread to Private Party and it’s Luchasaurus coming in for general carnage. Just because he can, he flips forward and kicks Rude and Bernardo in the head. Boy comes back in to start cleaning house, including Luchasaurus flipping Rude over his back into a sitout spinebuster from Boy for no cover.

Kassidy throws Boy outside and flips over Quen on the apron and then back inside (always cool) for a tornado DDT on Luchasaurus. Boy comes back in for more chops (and more screaming from Kassidy) but Kassidy takes Luchasaurus out with a running corkscrew dive. Quen’s gorgeous shooting star gets two on Boy as Rude makes a save and everyone is down. A Blockbuster connects on Kassidy and it’s a Death Valley Driver to send Quen onto Rude’s knees.

Boy winds up over Bernardo’s back for an over the back piledriver but Luchasaurus comes back in with chokeslams for Rude and Bernardo, the latter of whom gets Canadian Destroyed by Boy in a cool spot. Bernardo and Boy hit the dives to the floor with Rude moonsaulting off the top for the big crash. Back in and Gin And Juice finishes Rude in a hurry to give Kassidy the pin.

Rating: B-. This got a little bit more time than it needed but they did exactly what they needed to do to wake the crowd up to start things off. Private Party is a great act for something like this, though Boy/Luchasaurus might have better potential. The ending was a little weird though as Inzanely Rude would win the Tag Team Titles just over a week later.

Post match Boy/Luchasaurus dance with Private Party for a moment that is a little odder than you might have guessed.

Here’s a flashback to Ultimate Warrior making an appearance with the promotion. He addresses the fans and puts over the promotion for being old school without something like a creative staff. And then we cut it off there.

Tasha Steelz vs. Penelope Ford

Steelz wrestles for Ring of Honor at times. Ford’s offer of a handshake earns her a kick to the ribs as Steelz shows some intellect. A pump kick sends Steelz into the corner for a double backflip elbow as the announcers talk about AEW without talking about AEW. Some right hands knock Ford into the corner and some running shot to the face keep Ford in trouble.

The crowd is so interested that we can hear every word Steelz is saying, which is always a great sign. Ford fights out of a chinlock in a hurry so Steelz grabs Three Amigos for two. A kick to the head and a crucifix bomb give Ford two but Steelz is right back with a high crossbody for her own near fall. Ford starts flipping around and hits a Stunner, setting up a Lethal Injection for the pin at 6:19.

Rating: D+. Ford has all the charisma she needs and I’m pretty sure AEW (or anyone) can figure out a way to use someone who looks like her. The match wasn’t anything great but you can feel some star power from Ford. On the other hand, Steelz feels like most of the Women of Honor: she exists, she can do moves competently, and that’s the end of the positives about her because I still know nothing about her or anything she does.

Private Party celebrates in the back and hits on the backstage interviewer. She doesn’t seem to mind and leaves with them.

Wrecking Ball Legursky vs. Mike Verna

Verna is a strong guy named the Man of Steel and I don’t think I need to explain someone named Wrecking Ball. Apparently Legursky has lost 100lbs, which is quite impressive no matter who you are. Legursky throws him down with ease but Verna gets in an elbow and a missile dropkick, which seems to be a surprising move for him. Verna hits a suicide dive but gets taken down by a dive off the apron.

Back in and Verna forearms him in the face, followed by another for good measure. A pop up powerbomb into a splash gives Legursky two but Verna is right back with another forearm into a Death Valley Driver. That means a trip to the middle rope but Legursky catches him in a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 5:25.

Rating: C. This was the first time I’ve seen both guys and I instantly got the concept. That’s a nice feeling and a good sign for this company as the two of them are unique enough that I remember them but they also had a nice little match. Legursky could be someone elsewhere (say as a bodyguard) and Verna is in good enough shape to be worth a look down the road.

The Trust Fund (they’re rich and you’re not) is ready to destroy Caz XL.

Caz XL vs. Thrillride

The Trust Fund (manager and a bodyguard) is at ringside and Thrillride is a…..I guess flamboyant cowboy? Caz XL is of course Big Cass and that’s what I’ll be referring to him as for the sake of my sanity. Cass (who is jacked) elbows him in the face to start and hits a one armed slam. Bodyguard Rob Zombie grabs Cass’ leg so Thrillride can hammer away but some dropkicks just stagger Cass.

The lackeys choke from the floor and the distraction lets Zombie get in a running neckbreaker and a Samoan drop gives Thrillride two. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Cass muscles him up for a side slam. Zombie cheats again though and the both of them are down again. Some running chops just wake Cass up and he unloads in the corner, setting up the running splash. There’s the chokeslam but Cass has to beat up the manager and Zombie, followed by a powerbomb to put Thrillride away at 6:54.

Rating: C-. Have giant beat up villains and win after a pretty short match. What else can you ask for out of something like this? I mean, other than Cass snapping and attempting to beat up one of his coworkers or something like that of course. The fans seemed pleased and Cass looked great, though he isn’t getting anywhere near a major company again for a long time.

We recap the Tag Team Title match by talking about….Jerry Lawler vs. David Arquette? Lawler dropped Arquette on his head with the piledriver so tonight Brian Anthony (thinks he’s a king) is teaming up with Arquette to challenge Lawler and Keith Youngblood. It’s a little hard to follow.

Lawler laughs at the idea of an actor coming after him and promises to piledrive Arquette, just like he did to Andy Kaufman. Oh and Anthony looks ridiculous in a crown.

Tag Team Titles: Jerry Lawler/Keith Youngblood vs. Hollywood Royalty

Lawler and Youngblood are defending and Baron Von Vito, Hollywood Royalty’s way over the top manager, handles the introductions. We hear about their resumes, which include two Blockbuster Entertainment Awards and a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award. If nothing else, the idea of Arquette in trunks is such a strange visual. The champs slug away to start and Hollywood Royalty bail to the floor for an early breather.

Back in and it’s Youngblood hammering on Anthony, followed by an atomic drop with Youngblood posing a bit for a nice visual. A one knee Codebreaker takes Youngblood down though and it’s Arquette coming in for stomping and choking. It’s already back to Anthony and some taunting brings Lawler in like a rookie. Youngblood gets stomped down some more but Anthony spends too much time posing and gets superkicked. Arquette draws Lawler in again though and there’s no hot tag yet.

Anthony hammers away and drops a top rope elbow for two. We hit the nerve hold but Youngblood fights up with the clotheslines as Lawler is busy beating up the Baron. The referee gets splashed in the corner by mistake and the Duke of Danger (another of Royalty’s buddies) comes out to beat on Lawler. That means a triple teaming on Youngblood but Manscout Jake Manning runs in for the save. Arquette tries to piledrive Lawler and gets backdropped, setting up a quick fist drop to give Lawler the pin to retain at 9:59.

Rating: D+. Aside from seeing Arquette vs. Lawler, there wasn’t very much of note here. Lawler is still perfectly capable of doing everything he could before and there is nothing wrong with doing something like this. Youngblood looked fine and you can see the star power in Anthony. The champs would lose their titles to Anthony/Duke the next day.

Post match Lawler lays out Arquette but Lawler makes the save and gives him a piledriver, setting up a Diamond Cutter from Arquette. Lawler and Arquette shake hands and Arquette thanks everyone for having him.

Brian Pillman Jr. vs. nZo

Pillman takes him into the corner to start and slaps him on the chest so Enzo grabs a headlock takeover. Back up and Pillman sends him outside with ease, followed by a headlock so Pillman can very blatantly call spots. The headlocking continues until it’s the Hollywood Blondes camera pose.

Enzo starts favoring his knee in the corner, allowing Enzo to grab, you know it, another headlock. That’s broken up and this time Enzo takes him to the apron for a reverse DDT to the floor. A running Razor’s Edge into the post puts Pillman down again and thankfully doesn’t hurt his neck.

Rating: D+. So that happened. Yeah Enzo is still just a person who exists and nowhere near the star that he thinks he is. He came back and had one not very good match against Pillman and then….hasn’t actually wrestled again in the three months since this show. I haven’t cared for him in a long time and this version of him isn’t changing that anytime soon.

Enzo heads straight to the back after the bell.

We recap the NEW Heavyweight Title match. Hale Collins is the hometown boy and he’ll do anything to win the title from Darby Allin.

Northeast Wrestling Heavyweight Title: Darby Allin vs. Hale Collins

No DQ and Hale is challenging. Allin wastes no time in hitting a suicide dive and the fight is on outside in a hurry. A chair to the ribs has Hale down again and a shot to the back makes it worse. Let’s bring in a ladder and a table as well but Allin misses a charge and hits the barricade. Some chair shots to the back get Allin out of trouble again but a dive only hits table

They head inside for the opening bell and Collins superkicks him for two. It’s already back to the floor with Collins putting Allin on the table but missing an elbow off the ladder for a huge crash. Back in and the Coffin Drop finishes Collins at 2:21. That’s some rather fast paced booking but given how they were going out there, including the stuff before the bell, it was easy to understand. Collins exploded through that table too and it would have been nuts to see him keep going after that.

Ring of Honor World Title: JT Dunn vs. Matt Taven

Taven is defending and is a legend around here. Dunn stomps him down in the corner and chops away but Taven pops right back up with a dropkick. Some rollups give Taven two but the Supernova is countered. Instead it’s a TKO over the top rope, setting up a running dropkick through the ropes. A chop against the barricade keeps Dunn in trouble as Taven seems rather pleased to be home.

Dunn’s chop hits the post but his foot is fine enough to hit a big boot. They slug it out on the apron but the referee takes a shot to the face. Dunn gets in a cheap shot for a breather before choking on the ropes by laying on Taven’s back. Something close to a spear gives Dunn two but Taven chops his way out of the corner. Taven’s middle rope moonsault is kicked out of the air but he’s right back with a quick DDT for a double knockdown.

Some running elbows and an enziguri have Dunn in trouble and a rolling neckbreaker gets two. Dunn sends him into the corner for a breather so they head up top, with Taven scoring a heck of a superplex. Taven is right back with a running knee and the Supernova….for two in a good near fall. Dunn’s sliding forearm gives him two of his own but he spends a little too much time talking and gets superkicked. A frog splash retains Taven’s title at 17:59.

Rating: C+. I’ve never been a Taven fan but the difference here was the fire that Taven was showing. He looked like a star but more importantly he felt like a star, which has never been the case with his time in Ring of Honor. I don’t think that is ever going to change without some huge switch for Taven, though that doesn’t matter here. What matters is that Taven had a good appearance and made Dunn look good at the same time. Nice match but the star power was on display with Taven, even if it was due to being a big fish in a small pond.

Post match Taven thanks the company as well as ROH for letting him show up here, even if it is a one night only event. Taven won the North East Title nine years ago and now he’s back as Ring of Honor World Champion. It has been a long road and he loves the fans very much. Again: totally different than his ROH stuff.

We see the Jon Moxley prison break video.

Moxley says he is alive and he is breathing fresh air for the first time. Pentagon Jr. is ready to hurt him. Sounds like a main event to me.

Jon Moxley vs. Pentagon Jr.

They get in each others faces and shout a lot, including various levels of swearing. An early headscissors puts Moxley on the floor so he grabs a chair. The suicide dive is countered with a chair to the mask and it’s time to send Pentagon into the crowd. They brawl through the fans and we can’t see anything for a few moments.

The lights go on again and we see Moxley knocking him through a pretty big crowd, including knocking him through a merch table. Back in and Moxley goes for the mask because of course before bridging a table against the barricade. That takes too long though and Pentagon hits a big running flip dive to send him through said table. A big sweeping broom goes over Moxley’s back and Pentagon chairs him in the ankle.

It’s back into the crowd with Pentagon dragging him into the cheap seats. A drink to the face sets up some choking before Pentagon finds a bonus mask and puts it on Moxley. They go back to ringside with Pentagon finding what might have been an umbrella for a shot to the back. Pentagon gets two off a top rope double stomp but walks into a release Rock Bottom for two.

That’s fine with Pentagon, who kicks the knee out and hits a top rope Alberto double stomp. Moxley sweeps the leg though and puts on a quickly broken Texas Cloverleaf. An STF makes it even worse for Pentagon but a rope is grabbed in a hurry. Pentagon hits a Backstabber and loads up another table in the corner.

They slug it out from their knees until Pentagon hits a superkick, though Moxley drives him through the table in the corner. That’s good for a delayed two and Paradigm Shift gets the same. Pentagon is right back with the arm snap and Fear Factor but Moxley pulls the mask off and hits the Paradigm Shift for the pin at 23:41.

Rating: C+. I wasn’t wild on the big brawling but it fit the two of them rather well. That’s the kind of match that they should be having and the lack of regular wrestling was a lot more understandable here. It makes sense to play to your strengths and on a show like this, it wasn’t exactly something out of nowhere. Let them have fun and get the crowd to come back later, which is the point of bringing in a star like Moxley.

Post match Pentagon thanks him for the match and wants to do it again. Moxley doesn’t like what Pentagon said about his madre but the rematch sounds good. Moxley praises the fans and we get the NEDUB chants. A handshake wraps things up.

Overall Rating: C. This worked out well enough and you can tell the promotion has a history and knows what it’s doing. There was a nice balance of big names and more in-house wrestlers to make things work and it felt like a promotion that delivers a consistent product. The wrestling wasn’t anything that will blow you away but it stayed in a pretty middle of the road area, with nothing great but nothing close to terrible. Completely watchable show and better than a lot of indies you’ll see, at least somewhat due to the overall presentation.

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

Survivor Series Count-Up – 2009 (2012 Redo): You Know I’ll Love This One

IMG Credit: WWE

Survivor Series 2009
Date: November 22, 2009
Location: Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 12,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker

We get clips from every Survivor Series for the opening video. The extended clips stop at 1990 though.

Team Miz vs. Team Morrison

The Miz, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger

John Morrison, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, Finlay

On the other side you have four World Champions and Drew McIntyre (later known as Drew Galloway in TNA). Miz is US Champion here. McIntyre (a Scottish wrestler with a lot of potential) has only been around for about three months and Sheamus (an Irish brawler) has only been on Raw less than a month.

Bourne and Swagger get things going with Evan grabbing a quick rollup for two. Ziggler comes in for the Hennig neck snap and a modified belly to belly suplex for two. Back to Swagger who pounds on the back of Bourne and brings Dolph back in again, hooking a half crab on Evan. Bourne escapes and comes back with a hurricanrana out of the corner and a jumping knee to the face.

Off to Matt vs. Drew as things slow down a bit. They send each other into opposite corners with Matt taking over via a neckbreaker and the yelling legdrop for two. Another neckbreaker puts McIntyre down but Matt goes up and misses a moonsault press. A second Future Shock (called a Kobashi DDT by Striker) gets a second elimination for Drew, leaving us with Morrison vs. Sheamus/Miz/McIntyre.

Rey Mysterio vs. Batista

Rey takes the leg out quickly and tries the 619 but Batista bails. Rey follows and is immediately slammed against the apron and Big Dave takes over. Mysterio tries to fire off some kicks but Batista clotheslines his head off to stop Rey cold. The Batista Bomb is escaped as is a powerslam and Rey goes after the knee.

We recap Team Kofi vs. Team Orton. Orton was all evil and psycho so Kofi stood up to him. This resulted in what looked to be one of the best face pushes in a long time, as Kofi showed some AWESOME emotion and looking like a serious threat to take Orton down. He destroyed an Orton racecar and then got in a BIG brawl with Orton all over Madison Square Garden, capped off by a Boom Drop through a table.

Team Randy Orton vs. Team Kofi Kingston

Kofi Kingston, MVP, Mark Henry, R-Truth, Christian

Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, CM Punk, William Regal

Smackdown World Title: Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho vs. Big Show

Jericho misses a charge and Undertaker pounds away on Show before clotheslining him down. Show heads to the floor and Jericho gets beaten up for awhile but the big bald guy pulls the champ to the floor. Undertaker is all cool with that though and posts Show before getting crotched when attempting Old School on Jericho. Chris superplexes him down but Undertaker gets the knees up to block the Lionsault. Jericho counters the counter and puts on the Walls, but Show breaks it up with a chokeslam.

The survivors of Team Miz (Miz, McIntyre and Sheamus) brag a bit and claim to be the future. Eh kind of.

Team Mickie James vs. Team Michelle McCool

Michelle McCool, Layla, Beth Phoenix, Jillian Hall, Alicia Fox

Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Melina, Gail Kim, Eve Torres

Batista liked hurting Rey.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena

Cena signs some autographs for National Guard members to end the show.

Ratings Comparison

Team Miz vs. Team Morrison

Original: B

Redo: C+

Batista vs. Rey Mysterio

Original: C+

Redo: C+

Team Kingston vs. Team Orton

Original: B+

Redo: B

Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho vs. Big Show

Original: C+

Redo: C+

Team Mickie James vs. Team Michelle McCool

Original: D

Redo: D-

John Cena vs. HHH vs. Shawn Michaels

Original: C+

Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: B-

Redo: B-

That’s probably about as close as this is going to get.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/11/18/history-of-survivor-series-count-up-2009-the-pg-powers-explode/

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

Survivor Series Count-Up – 2009 (Original): Night Of The Triple Threats

IMG Credit: WWE

Survivor Series 2009
Date: November 22, 2009
Location; Verizon Center, Washington D.C.
Attendance: 12,500
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker, Michael Cole

Well here we are. After a month of build up, we’re at the Survivor Series. Since most of you have been watching the buildup, I’ll spare you the details of it. The card looks pretty good if nothing else. I’m not wild on the treatment the two triple threats are getting as they seem like the belts are being made silly which simply never works for me. I will say this though: the team matches have been booked and built very well.

That’s the key to these shows I think as you can advance feuds, like Orton vs. Kofi without actually having them fight. That’s invaluable as in today’s market you have so many PPVs dominating the market that saving some of the matches is the best thing possible. Let’s do it as I’m doing this one live so it’s going to be a bit less wordy.

The opening video talks about the history of the show. I’ve been doing that for a month so whatever.

Team Miz vs. Team Morrison

Miz, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Ziggler, Swagger
Morrison, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, Finlay

NOW THIS IS MORE LIKE IT! This is what the Series should be about: promoting the midcard. The most important thing about the midcard here: it exists. For so many years there just hasn’t been one as everyone is just sent to the main event or is a jobber. Here are ten guys that are firmly in the midcard. The heels are quite a team actually and there’s at least four great theme songs in there. Sheamus is a very good monster heel.

I’d bet on Lawler trying to cause Sheamus his match. The description of Miz is perfect: you might like him but you just won’t admit it. How true is that? Apparently Sheamus’ day may come tonight. There’s nothing like that great Lawler analysis. We start with Swagger and Bourne, which is a rather odd but interesting pairing. I guess that’s the point here. Allegedly Miz was at the first Survivor Series. So is he like a poor man’s Foley or something?

The stream isn’t being very nice so this could be a bit spotty here. As for reasons as to why these guys are here, more or less most of these feuds aren’t happening anymore but they were recently enough so I guess that counts for something. Ok the live idea didn’t work as I couldn’t find a good enough stream so this is being written very early Tuesday morning now. DAng it’s weird writing one of these since I haven’t done one in months now.

Seeing Sheamus after the ending of Raw is just a bit odd. Swagger is just made of awesome. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a small package blocked before. Ziggler beats the heck out of Bourne which makes me wonder if he’ll, meaning Ziggler, will ever get a push like so many people want him to. Evan Bourne is freaking scary in the air man. We get the first tag for the faces as Hardy comes in. Less than 20 seconds later he tags Bourne back in and the Shooting Star puts out Ziggler.

In about 10 seconds Bourne is out to a double arm DDT. Did Striker just say Finlay vs. McIntyre has been lighting up Friday nights? That’s very stupid but I like Striker just for his references alone so there we are. Finlay and Sheamus stare each other down and Sheamus just jumps up with a bicycle kick. I LOVE THAT! He was just like screw this standing around nonsense and kicked the tar out of him to pin him.

We’re at 4-3 now if you were a bit confused. We keep hearing about Lawler and Sheamus and no one really cares as Jerry has come off like a jerk during this whole thing. Miz calls spots to Hardy which Striker uses the Billy Graham method of saying Miz is trash talking him to cover it up, which is a good idea if nothing else. Hardy is taking a beating here which is a tradition of Survivor Series. Even on the apron Morrison has such a great presence. You can’t teach something like that.

Does Matt have a single move that doesn’t work on the neck at all? Morrison got a POP. Something in me wants to see Swagger vs. Morrison in a long feud. That would just be awesome in my mind. Yeah I’m a Morrison mark now. The guy is just freaking awesome. The referee went down which apparently is a legit injury. Starship Pain, which is a sweet name if there ever has been one, ties us up. It’s Miz, Sheamus and McIntyre vs. Shelton, Hardy and Morrison.

Miz and Morrison could main event a small PPV someday. Shelton is freaking insane in the ring. Now if only they could get him a personality. Miz pins Shelton with the Breakdown which takes less time to type than the regular name. That right there is what Miz needs more than anything else: pins over more established stars. He’s viewed as a guy with limited credibility and the more wins he gets the faster that goes away and the faster he becomes a more complete wrestler.

Like it or not, he’s the real deal and he’s going to be around for awhile. I’m still undecided on McIntyre. He’s not bad, but I don’t see him as being as great as everyone says he is. If nothing else he uses a DDT so I can’t complain. He gets us down to 3-1 and I’m marking for Morrison here, despite knowing the ending.

Morrison of course gets his head handed to him as we get even more Rockers comparisons, which doesn’t work as both guys have potential to be somewhat big deals. Eventually the Razor’s Edge from Sheamus puts out Morrison, giving us three sole survivors as WWE makes my head shake more and more.

Rating: B. This was easily the best choice for the opener. The midcard gets a very solid push here which is what these matches can do better than anything else. The ending was very good also as it would have been unrealistic for Morrison o fight off all three at once. He should have gone down here and having it 3-1 keeps him credible. This was a solid match as the heels winning is just fine. This was very good and an excellent opener.

The black push continues as Christian is the only white guy on his team. Only this comes to mind:

The segment is funny if nothing else. Kofi without the accent has upped his credibility about 1000%. I still don’t buy everything that is said about Christian. I think that’s his biggest issue: his name. Christian. It just does nothing for me at all. I’d say that’s the main problem.

We recap Rey vs. Batista, which has to be the best heel turn in a good while. The angle sucks badly as they weren’t really best friends or anything or even close so the whole thing didn’t work. Anyway, let’s get to this as the package goes on way too long.

Rey Mysterio vs. Batista

This match has a no harm clause meaning that if Batista hurts him he can’t be sued, which more or less gives away the result. As I said in the LD, only WWE would have Batista’s first major heel match in his hometown where he’s going to get a massive pop. Ok, I’m sick of any and all references to Eddie. He passed away four years ago. Yes it was tragic. Yes he’s missed. STOP FREAKING MAKING ANGLES ABOUT HIM!!!

If you want to remember him fondly, stop using him as a prop. That’s absurd. Ok, so usually I write the reviews as the match goes, but based on what I read in the LD, this was a minute long squash. I have no idea where the whole part about not being able to respect Rey again came from. The way you guys were talking about it, Rey got less offense in than he did against Khali when he was world champion. This was perfectly fine.

In wrestling, you have to have a high level of suspension of disbelief. Rey as a credible main event guy is something that certainly falls under that category. There’s no reason to believe that he should have a chance against someone of Batista’s size. The thing is in this match, he got a TON of offense in. More or less Batista had to get his hands on Rey one time and the rest would be history. Rey got out of a ton of stuff and had Batista in trouble.

I seriously do not get where the squash thing is coming from. Batista is supposed to be an animal and he mauled Rey after he hit the first big move. Was Rey supposed to kick out of the Batista Bomb? He got a beatdown after a big power move. This was perfectly fine and there was nothing wrong with it. Rey has been beaten up before by people like Chavo Guerrero of all people and he came back fine from it. He’ll come back, likely at TLC and cost Batista the title. What was wrong here?

Rating: C+. The match itself was fine. It was short but it did its job very well. Honestly, what do you want from this match? It did everything it was supposed to do which mainly was getting Rey off of TV for awhile. It did that and allowed Batista to get a big boost as a monster heel. What more do you want here?

We jump to the back with Team Orton who might as well be called team losers here given the endings to the first two matches.

Promo for the Raw that aired last night which was quite good.

Team Orton vs. Team Kingston

Orton, Rhodes, DiBiase, Regal, Punk
Kingston, Christian, R-Truth, MVP, Mark Henry

The feuds are about as basic as you could think of here but that works fine here. We’re starting out with Henry vs. Orton. Please, make it quick. Henry is named the Chef of Hell’s Kitchen by Striker. I don’t get it. Striker goes on to point out that Orton is a Royal Rumble winner which could play into strategy here. Cole points out he’s a six time world champion as well. Ok, the Rumble thing makes a little sense I guess as both matches are about survival.

The world champion thing tells me one thing: titles change hands too often. No one mentions that Orton has been the sole survivor three times because that clearly has no effect on anything at all. Either way, an RKO takes Henry out in about a minute so at least he didn’t fill up the screen for too long. On paper this more or less should be Christian and Kofi again Punk and Orton.

Everyone else on those teams are more or less jobbers or midcard guys that aren’t going to do anything here. Thank goodness they didn’t call that move where Punk jumped and did a front flip over MVP a belly to belly suplex. At least they got that right. My boy hits a GTS to put Truth out, but does a very smart thing before doing it: he pulls Truth to his corner before going for the cover.

It’s little things like that which can make a wrestler be a step ahead of everyone else. It’s smart from a kayfabe perspective which so few people do yet. They’re really talking Kofi up here which is the best thing they could do. After a Killswitch misses, a pretty nice spinning sunset flip from the middle rope puts out DiBiase to make it 4-3.

Kofi comes in to a solid pop. If you haven’t seen it, take a look at the MSG fight between Kofi and Orton. It made Kofi’s career. Rhodes is called the Triforce of the Blue Eyed Bandit. I’m not sure if I like that or not. After a blind tag MVP hits what is actually a Mafia Kick on Regal for the pin to tie us up at 3. Striker is just on a higher level than Cole and King behind the mic.

There’s such a flow to him out there and he sounds completely comfortable. Ballin might be the most absurd move in wrestling since the People’s Elbow. IT’S A FREAKING ELBOW DROP!!! Thankfully Rhodes hits Cross Roads to put him out. That’s a major step for Legacy as having their own individual finishers sets them up for an eventual singles push. Think about all of the great teams that have split and all of them had singles moves to end matches with.

A Killswitch puts out Rhodes, and amazingly enough we’re down to a two on two match with the four biggest stars in this thing. Who would have seen that coming? From out of almost nowhere, Christian hits a Killswitch on Orton but Punk makes a save. Orton is up in about 15 seconds and Christian walks into an RKO to make it 2-1 with Punk and Orton against Kofi.

Punk gets him up for the GTS but because he kicks him feet he gets out. That’s all anyone has to do to get out of a move like that. The magical feet kicking knows no bounds. Orton hasn’t been in at all since it’s been one on one. Orton has an awesome silhouette. He just looks awesome standing there. If nothing else we’re getting a good Kofi vs. Punk match. I love what they’ve been doing with Kofi.

Instead of the way they built up Hardy who kept getting closer and closer but didn’t actually win, they’re having Kofi just rise up and start beating everyone he faces. I like that as it’s a different style to the push and it’s working very well. He catches Punk in a rollup and gets him. Orton walks in and almost immediately the Trouble In Paradise ends this. Kofi’s skyrocket push continues.

Rating: B+. Again, this was a very well done match. They knew what they were doing and it showed. They got rid of the six guys that meant nothing and got it down to what mattered. This match was designed to make Kofi look great again and they did just that. He pinned two men that within the last two months had been world champions completely clean. That’s a huge boost to Kofi and puts even more heat on Kofi vs. Orton. I loved this and it came off very well.

Don’t try this at home.

Smackdown World Title: Undertaker vs. Big Show vs. Chris Jericho

I’m really not big at all on the idea of having more or less the same match on both brands for the title, especially triple threats. Granted I don’t like triple threats anyway as it’s all about a gimmick that’s been done so many freaking times that it has lost any and all kinds of credibility it once may have had but again that’s neither here nor there.

Not to mention everything in this match turns into yet another formula match, which is one guy goes down and we have a one on one match, then repeat that with a different order of people. Naturally I could have written double this in the time Taker’s entrance takes. Yeah he’s still coming. I had a nice bowl of soup during his entrance.

It ticked me off that I was out of soup and had to get dressed and go to the store and get some soup and then come home and make it but at least I didn’t miss any of the match since Taker was 90% done with his entrance when I got back. Naturally, the match goes the formula direction for the majority of it. I’m not sold at all on splitting Show and Jericho already. They more or less are the tag division at this point, but granted last night on Raw they were announced to be fighting DX at TLC for the belts.

Again, I don’t like this as it’s two guys that won’t be together in 3 months because THEY ARE NOT A TAG TEAM. They’re singles guys with nothing else to do so let’s just throw them together again. They’re just kind of going through the motions here with near falls being broken up by the third guy every time.

That’s fine as it builds some drama, but at the same time it really doesn’t do much at all. It’s repetitive, which is never a good thing in a match. It’s not a bad match, but it’s not that interesting at all. Finally Jericho takes a shot to the head and Show goes into Hell’s Gate for the tap. Not wild on the ending but whatever.

Rating: C+. This was your run of the mill triple threat. Granted that might be because Show was in it and he just can’t do anything most of the time. What the heck happened to him? In WCW he was the MAN. Anyway, this wasn’t bad, but dang it went as by the book as you could ask for. I don’t think anyone believed Taker was dropping the belt here, but geez could they have been any less boring about it?

Josh Matthews, who should be thankful for having a job given that he’s completely worthless, is with the survivors of Team Miz who say they’re all great.

Face Divas vs. Heel Divas

McCool, Jillian, Beth Phoenix, Alicia Fox, Layla
Mickie James, Gail Kim, Kelly, Eve, Melina

How sad is it that I have no clue what show most of these girls are on? So Melina is champion yet Mickie is the captain. I hate these matches as all of four people care and it’s a T&A match. Yeah the girls look good, but that’s all there is to it. The matches are the same every year and next to nothing ever changes. Why are these girls feuding? No reason, other than some are faces and some are heels.

I am bored out of my mind with this match. Why am I supposed to care about any of these women? Kelly eliminates Layla to absolutely no reaction. McCool apparently disrespects AJ Styles by using his finishing move, despite AJ being known for all his other stuff more than that. That was so overblown it was ridiculous. Eve is just worthless in the ring and it’s pitiful. The thing is, she looks good in shorts and a tight top so she’s told she can wrestle.

She puts out Jillian as still no one really cares. Beth puts Eve out in a few seconds to get us down to 3-3. Kelly goes out despite her face never hitting the mat. Mickie and Beth botch a crucifix but it gets three anyway. We have Mickie and Melina vs. Alicia and McCool.

Alicia goes out due to a high level of suck so we’re down to 2-1 as McCool tries so hard to get people to care about her or accept her as anything but the vagina Taker gets off in. That’s an image I didn’t want. Finally after far too long of a match Melina beats McCool to end this mess.

Rating: D. This was, as usual, a waste of time. The wrestling is ok, but geez what is it going to take to get it through the heads of the writers that NO ONE CARES??? Seriously, when was the last time you saw the crowd into a Divas match for a reason other than what the girls looked like? The division is a joke and always will be a joke because there are no characters, there are no stories, and the champions are flavors of the month, except for a few here and there.

Mickie, the most talented one, is criticized for not being a stick but having some meat on her which makes her more realistic. That’s evil apparently, and again shows everything that’s wrong with the women in wrestling. Scratch that. Everything wrong with the division is better.

We recap Batista vs. Rey, despite the match already happening. It sets up Batista saying he’s not sorry.

Raw World Title: Shawn Michaels vs. HHH vs. John Cena

DX has gotten some heat for coming out together, and I can understand that. It makes it look like they don’t care about being champion, which is the point of the stupid match and being a wrestler in the first place but whatever. In a great moment, Shawn kicks HHH a few seconds into the match. I love that. He just made up for coming out with HHH as he says screw this guy, I want the title. That’s awesome.

This however creates a good thing and a bad thing, as we have the usual greatness that is Cena vs. Shawn, but it also sends us straight into another formula of a match, which is the last thing we need here after what we had earlier. Anyway we hit the floor after some good stuff, and as Cena is going to FU Shawn through a table, HHH is back for the save. He makes up for earlier and hits a spinebuster through the table with Shawn.

And yep, it’s formula time as it’s HHH vs. Cena in the ring while Shawn recovers. And after more good stuff there, we get the DX somewhat decent combustion. It of course ends with Cena and the STF, but Shawn gets a crossface instead. This is another ok match that is just pure formula stuff. It’s just take two guys, have them fight for three minutes then replace one guy.

Shawn kicks both guys, but HHH falls on Cena while Shawn falls outside for no apparent reason. We do get the always fun let’s go Cena, Cena sucks chants. I love those. FU to HHH as we’re in pure finishers/counters only. The problem with having double main events like these is that it keeps one from being the real main event.

It makes this match seem like less of something because we did it just 25 minutes ago. Just to further emphasize my point of only finishers at the end, Shawn kicks HHH for the third time and Cena hits an FU on Shawn to slam him into HHH for the pin.

Rating: C+. This was your run of the mill triple threat. This wasn’t bad, but dang it went as by the book as you could ask for. I don’t think anyone believed Cena was dropping the belt here, but geez could they have been any less boring about it? In case that looks familiar to you, it’s because it’s word for word the same as I put about the Smackdown title match but with Cena instead of Taker and the Big Show part edited out.

That’s because more or less it was the same thing but with different people in it. That’s the problem with these matches and booking like this: it’s repetitive, which makes it very boring, at least to me. The wrestling was fine given who you had in there, but MAN was it predictable.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a good show and that’s primarily because of one thing: the booking MADE SENSE. There is not one thing here where you have to scratch your head and wonder what they heck they were thinking. Everything went as it should have and it worked out well. Feuds were advanced, the right guys went over, no big names lost credibility, and some feuds were ended. What more could you ask for?

The one thing that you could ask for was a more creative way to have the title matches. I hate matches where it’s just the same thing that it’s always been but with different people which is what the world title matches were here. It’s a good show, but it won’t blow you away by any means.

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

Survivor Series Count-Up – 2008 (2012 Redo): They Love This Match

IMG Credit: WWE

Survivor Series 2008
Date: November 23, 2008
Location: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 12,498
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Todd Grisham, Matt Striker, Jim Ross, Tazz

JR and Taz talk about the Hardy issue and say that ABC and TMZ picked up the story. I seem to remember that being a lie.

Team HBK vs. Team JBL

Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Cryme Tyme, Great Khali

John Bradshaw Layfield, The Miz, John Morrison, Kane, MVP

Shawn and JBL are feuding over Shawn being broke and needing money form JBL, Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard and JTG, two thug characters) are feuding with Miz and Morrison, Kane has been hunting Mysterio and Khali and MVP (in the middle of a massive losing streak that would result in a face turn and the US Title) are there to fill out the lineups. MVP and Mysterio get things going as all of the commentators are talking at once.

Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown

Raw: Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Candice Michelle, Jillian Hall

Smackdown: Michelle McCool, Victoria, Maria, Maryse, Natalya

Matt Hardy says that Jeff was hit in the back of the head with a blunt object, ending any drug speculation.

Undertaker vs. Big Show

Team Orton vs. Team Batista

Randy Orton, Mark Henry, William Regal, Cody Rhodes, Shelton Benjamin

Batista, Kofi Kingston, CM Punk, R-Truth, Matt Hardy

Punk immediately charges at Regal and hits the GTS for the elimination in about ten seconds. Shelton gets a very fast two on Punk before pounding away on his back. Off to Kofi who grabs a front facelock. Kofi is even more over here than usual as he went to college in Boston. Kofi tries a monkey flip but Shelton lands on his feet and brings in Henry to pound away slowly.

Batista immediately spears down Henry to make it 3-1 as Shelton comes in. Benjamin gets caught in a spinebuster almost immediately and the Batista Bomb gets is down to 2-1. Cody comes in and peppers Batista with some right hands before charging into a boot. Batista powerslams Rhodes down and says Orton is next. Batista hits the Bomb on Rhodes but Randy made a blind tag while Cody was in the air. The RKO gets the elimination and win for Rhodes and Orton.

Hardy is officially out of the title match tonight.

Smackdown World Title: Vladimir Kozlov vs. HHH

They trade arm holds on the mat and then trade even more arm holds on the same mat. Back up and HHH hits the high knee and a facebuster followed by the DDT for no cover. The fans chant for TNA before HHH hits the spinebuster. Kozlov counters the Pedigree and hits the headbutt to the chest to take HHH down. Vladimir sends HHH into the corner and out to the floor where very little happens.

Hardy – 57%

Triple Threat – 38%

Kozlov – 5%

Raw World Title: Chris Jericho vs. John Cena

Both guys head up to the top with Cena slamming him to the mat, followed up by the top rope Fameasser. Cena is all fired up now but Jericho breaks up the FU and hits a Codebreaker for a delayed two. Jericho takes over and hits a clothesline followed by an EVIL smirk. He smirks a bit too much though and Cena grabs the STFU. Cena has to try to pull the hold back to the middle of the ring and Jericho kicks him away. The champ tries a small package but Cena pulls him up into the FU for the pin and the title.

Cena celebrates to end the show.

Ratings Comparison

Team HBK vs. Team JBL

Original: B+

Redo: C

Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown

Original: D-

Redo: D

Undertaker vs. Big Show

Original: D+

Redo: D

Team Orton vs. Team Batista

Original: C-

Redo: B

Edge vs. HHH vs. Vladimir Kozlov

Original: D+

Redo: D

John Cena vs. Chris Jericho

Original: B

Redo: C+

Overall Rating

Original: C-

Redo: D+

I’ve flipped on the two male Survivor Series matches but other than that it’s about the same.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/11/17/history-of-survivor-series-count-up-2008-let-jericho-beat-cena-once-just-one-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

Survivor Series Count-Up – 2008 (Original): Nice To See You….Or Not See You….Again

IMG Credit: WWE

Survivor Series 2008
Date: November 23, 2008
Location: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 14,500
Commentators: Matt Striker, Tazz, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole

So here we are at the most recent Survivor Series. This show is built around one thing and one thing only: the return of John Cena. He was coming back from being hurt by Batista, so therefore he’s the #1 contender to Chris Jericho’s title. Considering this is in his hometown, the ending is pretty clear. On the Smackdown side we have the triple threat between HHH, Kozlov and allegedly Hardy, but this was the infamous stairwell angle that I’ve never gotten why it had such a huge backlash.

More on that later though. Anyway, Hardy isn’t there so we have a one on one match allegedly. There’s also three Survivor Series matches so that should be good. They’re going with longer matches this year, which I’m fine with. Let’s get to it and end this review series as even I’m fed up with this show at this point.

The intro is all about Cena and survival. No other matches are mentioned at all. Good to know that the company thinks so much of its other wrestlers. The theme song is by AC/DC though so I can’t really complain. We immediately start talking about the Hardy incident where they claim that ABC, CNN and TMZ have all talked about this.

That would surprise me, but I’d be more surprised if they would flat out lie like that on a live PPV. That’s something that’s a bit hard to cover up, so maybe those outlets did. TMZ I could certainly see doing it. Anyway, Ross’ voice sounds a bit off. Maybe he’s sick or something. Let’s get to it.

Team HBK vs. Team JBL

HBK, Cryme Tyme, Great Khali, Rey Mysterio
JBL, Miz, Morrison, MVP, Kane

The feuds here are pretty simple. HBK vs. JBL, the tag teams, Kane vs. Rey and MVP and Great Khali aren’t really feuding but they just didn’t have anything else to do. My goodness Lillian is gorgeous. How can you have multiple sole survivors? The money aspect of JBL vs. HBK hasn’t kicked off yet but they’re fighting a bit. These entrances are taking WAY too long. To say Rey is over is the understatement of the year.

MVP is in the middle of his big losing streak here that would ultimately make him a face. Miz and Morrison are just awesome, plain and simple. We start with MVP vs. Rey which should be a decent little match. If his partner didn’t suck so much, JTG would be a decent wrestler. He’s certainly the more talented member of his team, but dang he’s small. He’s also eliminated by a Drive By from MVP. He literally turns around and is hit by a Khali chop and pinned.

Well that’s a decent way to get rid of two guys I guess. It’s big on big now with Kane vs. Khali. The camera shot they use of looking up at them is really a cool looking thing. With an assist from Khali, Rey takes out Kane with a very high splash. We move on to Rey vs. Morrison here which should definitely be good.

The commentators are getting a lot of little verbal jabs in at each other which are at least being taken well. Good grief Shad is scary strong. Someone finally points out that Shad wears weird boots when he wrestles.

The commentators get into a long and weird debate/joke fest about 80s bands which makes no sense. They’re interrupted by Miz taking out Shad with a Reality Check. It’s 3-3 here as it’s HBK, Rey and Khali against Miz, Morrison and JBL. We get HBK vs. Miz which is a pretty cool match that I’d like to see more of. After JBL and Miz punch the heck out of HBK’s face, his eye is busted open a bit.

I would love to see Shawn vs. Morrison in a 20 minute match once. It would be awesome. Morrison starts using Shawn’s old moves, after having beaten him with a superkick on Raw this past week. That’s a cool angle when you think about it. After a long time of being in trouble, HBK makes the tag and Rey comes in. He goes completely human highlight reel and takes out Miz like he’s a jobber.

The you can’t wrestle chants kick off for JBL, which I’ve always thought was unfair. He’s a big power brawler. It wouldn’t make sense to have him do flips and technical stuff. It’s not in his nature. Rey has been held down his entire career? Really Grisham? He’s a former world champion, the greatest cruiserweight of all time and a surefire hall of fame guy. He’s really been held down. Morrison gets a nice counter to the bulldog move that Rey does.

I like it when people use counters to signature moves. It’s nice to see as it can’t be as hard as it’s implied. I don’t think it’s fair to say that JBL can’t wrestle, but dang his offense was pretty limited. Almost all he’s used are punches, clubbing blows and shoulder blocks. Throw out a powerbomb or a suplex or something buddy. Shawn comes in and after the nip up throws out a crotch chop to Morrison, foreshadowing the inevitable DX reunion number 18,000.

HBK and JBL go to the floor and fight it out resulting in JBL getting counted out but in a way that reminds me of a video game for some reason. Shawn almost walks into what would have been a SICK Sweet Chin Music from Morrison but naturally he ducks and kicks John’s head off for the pin and the victory.

Rating: B+. This was about as good of an opener as we were going to get. All of the eliminations made sense which is a lot more than I can say for some past matches. The feuds were kept alive which is the biggest thing you can ask for also. Everyone but JBL looked on their game out there and the result was solid. This is the epitome of a good Survivor Series match.

We go to the back where Eve, who is about to fall out of her top, is with HHH. HHH says that Jeff will be back, but tonight it’s HHH vs. Kozlov, which is what it should have been all along. HHH says that tonight is Kozlov’s first Survivor Series, his first title match, and his first loss. That’s a very short but good promo that hit exactly what it was supposed to do. There was a real chance that the Russian got the belt tonight, despite everyone on here knowing how much of a disaster that would have been.

Raw Divas vs. Smackdown Divas

Raw: Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Kelly, Candice Michelle, Jillian
Smackdown: Michelle, Victoria, Maria, Maryse, Natalya

This is Survivor Series rules. Santino is with Beth here. The Divas are wearing their respective brands shirts which they all pull off. Yep, this is all about wrestling ability. Oh yeah Michelle and Beth are the respective champions here. Ok so more or less this is how the first few eliminations go: rollup, move, rollup, rollup, move. That’s the issue with the modern Divas.

So many of them win matches with nothing but rollups, which I can’t accept is due to anything other than a lack of knowing how to do anything else. That’s just sad. To be fair they’re not just school boys, but they’re all leverage moves or jackknife pins or something like that. That’s fine once in awhile but it eventually gets really old really fast. The Smackdown Divas keep arguing over who the captain is since Michelle is eliminated.

After that big rant, Jillian is taken out by a rollup. Within seconds a Northern Lights suplex takes out Maria. That’s another thing: the eliminations are coming WAY too fast. Seconds later, Maryse takes out Candice with an inverted figure four which in essence is a Sharpshooter where you sit on the leg instead of pulling on it. The final two are Beth and Maryse. Beth wins it with a big power move. This was just boring. Santino of course celebrates because he needs to validate his existence.

Rating: D-. This was just a waste of time. The eliminations were like 45 seconds apart, the moves were just repetitive, this accomplished nothing, and no one cared. That’s the main problems I can think of right now and I’m sure there were more in there. I don’t get why these matches happen. I guess to keep pests off of Vince’s back for doing swimsuit contests.

Matt Hardy says he doesn’t know what happened to Jeff. He knows that Jeff got hit in the head but that’s it.

We recap Taker vs. Big Show’s 10,387th feud which was exactly the same as it always had been. This time it’s a casket match. Big Show says Taker has no power over him. That more or less seals the ending of this match.

Big Show vs. Undertaker

Taker comes out first here to his mega entrance, which comes off as odd to me. Not the big entrance but that he comes out first. That’s just odd. Oh apparently that was just a group of random druids bringing the casket down. Yeah that’s just odd. I always love thinking about the druids getting lunch or something. It’s just amusing. Naturally the gong gets a bit pop.

This starts in the ring for about 12 seconds with most of that being Taker having the casket raised up. Immediately after that we’re on the floor with Show in control. I really don’t like these kinds of matches as they’re just so basic and simple that they’re not very interesting for the most part. Thankfully the ECW guys were allowed to leave.

I’ve always felt sorry for them having to sit out there all night long for a single match and then do nothing for the other two and a half hours but watch the show. Dang the announcers have nice chairs. A legdrop puts Show through the table because we’ve never seen that before. Hey we’re in the ring for a change! This is the big problem with feuds like this: we know Taker is going to win and that Show is just there to give Taker something to do until he’s back in the title hunt.

It gets old after awhile, but it’s kept Taker very fresh over the years so I can’t really complain. Show gets Taker down and has him in the casket but wants the referees to shut it, allegedly due to fear. Of course Taker pops up and starts his comeback. Ross calls Show a mastodon and before the word is out of his mouth he goes up for a Vader Bomb. It didn’t work but whatever.

Show gets out of the casket as apparently we need to do even more of the same stuff. The crowd is kind of into it but not really. They react to spots and that’s about all. With Taker down in the ring, Show tips the casket over and starts to leave. A wall of fire stops him and heeeeeeeere’s Taker. A bunch of druids bring out another casket as Taker is back up. They’re really making Show look strong here which is a good thing.

In something unique they stand the casket up. That’s new if nothing else. After the next ridiculous comeback from Taker, he beats on Show a bit and then Irish whips him into the standing casket which falls over and closes to end it. That was actually a cool ending but it got ZERO reaction. I mean no one did anything at all when it happened.

Rating: D+. This was a waste of time. No one cared, mainly due to who was in it. There was no reason at all to watch this and it was just boring. These two have fought so many times and had so many boring matches that there’s just no reason to watch it. The ending was cool if nothing else, which is why it passes.

Buy Armageddon! We promise it won’t suck!

The Colons hit on the Bellas, who are indeed hot despite what some would like you to believe. Of all things, the Gobbledygooker comes in. I wish I was making that up. They think it’s Charlie Haas, but he walks up. It’s the Boogeyman.

Team Orton is in the back. Orton says he’d rather be fighting Jericho, leading to him and Cody arguing. Legacy hadn’t started yet but it was coming very soon.

Team Batista vs. Team Orton

Batista, Matt Hardy, CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth
Orton, Rhodes, Shelton Benjamin, Regal, Mark Henry

No recap here, which more or less is the case because there’s very little story. The main thing here is about Orton and Batista. Orton put Batista out with a punt a few months earlier and is ticked off about it, leading to this. Punk and Kofi are tag champions here in the middle of their completely forgotten title reign that would end at the hands of Miz and Morrison soon after this. Matt is the ECW Champion here, in the middle of a pretty good feud with Mark Henry.

As for the other guys, there’s really nothing here. The Draft would change a lot around in 5-6 months, but until then there was just not a lot going on in the midcard. This match really was just kind of thrown together and there wasn’t a lot there for it. Rhodes has Manu with him here. The two of them and DiBiase had been trying to get Orton to join them but that wouldn’t happen for about two more months, forming Legacy.

Oh and Regal is IC Champion here, but he would lose it to Punk very soon. Speaking of Punk, he hits the GTS on Regal inside of 15 seconds to take him out. I’m assuming an injury or something like that there, but whatever. Kofi and Shelton get in there and just tear the place up for a few seconds. Truth really does have a cool look to him. Striker says that he’s making a killing here, which is amusing. The crowd is more or less dead here.

The announcers make sure to let us know that Orton vs. Batista is about Evolution. How can the feuds that came from a stable last longer than the stable itself did? I’ve never gotten that. Oh I think Shelton and R-Truth are having a mini feud here but no one really cared about it.

Like I said the feuds here were more or less thrown together and meant nothing at all. Oh I do remember R-Truth and Shelton. I watched them at a house show for the US Title. It more or less sucked. Shelton is US Champion here in case I forgot to mention that.

Truth is just sloppy. He walks into Paydirt though and it’s tied at 4. Kofi comes in off the top and Striker says the Jamaican is getting high. That’s just amusing. MVP would soon turn face and take the belt from Shelton, although not until just before Mania. Orton comes in and the match just slows down so much it’s insane. The second rope DDT takes out Kofi.

I would have thought the hair would absorb a lot of the impact there. Punk and Orton never got the match or angle that they should have after Orton cost him the world title at Unforgiven. That’s a shame as they would have had a great feud I think, or at least a great match or two. Naturally Punk was given a big thing of nothing like the tag titles. Granted he won the IC Title very soon, breathing some life back into it.

He would also get the MITB and world title again, so maybe I have no idea what I’m talking about. In what can only be called a shocker, Rhodes hits a DDT on Punk for the clean pin which has to be the biggest win of his career. I get the potential in him, but eventually he has to actually do something with it, and the same is true of DiBiase. We’re on to Henry vs. Hardy with the former slamming the heck out of Hardy to take him out.

Less than ten seconds later Henry is speared out by Batista. It’s 3-1 now in case you were wondering. We have Batista against Shelton, Rhodes and Orton. The Batista Bomb on Shelton makes is what would become Legacy vs. Batista. Dave runs through Rhodes but a quick tag from Orton saves him.

Despite Orton gyrating and jumping up and down waiting on Batista to turn around, the Animal doesn’t hear him. The RKO ends this, setting up the complete throw away match between Batista and Orton at Armageddon. Remember that match? I didn’t think so.

Rating: C-. I didn’t really like it. I liked Orton winning the way he did, but the whole thing went too fast. It wasn’t bad for sure, but it certainly wasn’t anything great. The complete lack of feuds hurt things a lot here too. Having so many people that had nothing to do with the main feud or anything like it hurt things. It was ok, but not great.

Kozlov says something that was supposed to be English I think. Never mind it’s Russian.

We recap the three way feud, despite Hardy not being here tonight. I would recap it, but it means nothing since Jeff isn’t wrestling and he’s the focus of the package.

WWE Title: Vladamir Kozlov vs. HHH

We get a bell for the introductions and a bell for the actual match, so technically the match was paused for the majority of the action. That joke has long since passed being funny. Naturally the USA chants start up. Within seconds the fans are chanting boring. More on that later. They’re doing a very mat based technical style here with some submission stuff. The we want Hardy chant is going strong for about 12 seconds.

A TNA chant starts up as they speed up the pace a bit. It’s not bad, but it’s a different style that I don’t think a lot of the people are into at all. It’s really not that bad. HHH is fighting a guy that’s never lost so he’s afraid to use his best stuff. He’s feeling out Kozlov at first to avoid making mistakes. What’s so weird about that? It’s a thinking man style from the Cerebral Assassin.

Why is that bad? I really don’t like the way Scott Armstrong counts. He’s the blonde referee that has that hitch in his count. It’s so annoying. This goes on for awhile, and while it’s kind of boring, it’s certainly not bad. From out of nowhere, HHH gets a Pedigree. He gets ready to cover him, but Vickie appears on the stage, saying that it will be a triple threat and that he’s here!

Naturally it’s not Jeff but rather the returning Edge. He hits a spear on HHH but Jeff runs out and beats up Edge. Ok wait, hang on a second. Jeff was ok to do the run in (this if from kayfabe mind you) but couldn’t wrestle? I thought he was supposed to be extreme or whatever. That makes little sense. Anyway, Jeff hits HHH and Kozlov with a chair but gets speared. Edge covers HHH and wins the freaking title again.

Rating: D+. This is going to be a long rating. Ok, so the match was pretty boring. Was it bad though? Not really. There was indeed a story there though as I outlined earlier on. Kozlov is supposed to be this master fighter and grappler, so what did he do you ask? He used a bunch of grapples and submission holds to wear down HHH. In other words, he did what his gimmick called for him to do.

HHH was wrestling smart, so he did what his gimmick called for him to do. The Edge twist felt cheap, but it’s nothing that he hasn’t done a dozen times or so already. However, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter called this the worst match of the year. That my friends, is nonsense. The Divas match earlier was light years worse than this.

I would say that’s Meltzer simply continuing his quest to make WWE and Vince seem like the scum of the earth because for some reason he hates them both. He also called the Hardy angle the most tasteless of the year. This is one that I just do not get. Ok, let’s see. The reason the angle was considered in poor taste was Jeff’s past drug issues.

Tell me two things: when was it ever mentioned on WWE television that Jeff had drug issues, and when was it ever mentioned that this incident was drug related? Dang on the freaking broadcast they said he was hit on the head and attacked. It was an angle, nothing more. The drug thing was never mentioned once other than by people on the internet, but of course this is just so tasteless.

We’ll have Vickie Guerrero live off of Eddie’s name and make out with every guy under the freaking sun, but an angle that for all of 16 hours came close to hinting that Jeff might have had a relapse without ever saying it and clearing it up later that night was tasteless? Give me a break. It can be implied that Vince has slept with everything on the face of the earth and has a bastard midget son, but that’s not tasteless.

Women are flat out sex objects and nothing more, but that’s not tasteless. So it’s ok to do all that stuff, but having Jeff Hardy be found unconscious without ever saying what might have happened until on the show where they say he was attacked by a person and not an illegal substance is reprehensible? That’s the most hypocritical thing I’ve ever heard. If Jeff had another relapse, they wouldn’t have mentioned him being found out cold. Vince isn’t that stupid.

This reeked of angle the minute it broke at like 2:30 am the night before a PPV, but of course, it was tasteless right? Give me a freaking break. This is what gives the IWC a bad name: people making a huge deal about absolutely nothing at all when it was so clearly an angle. I said that the night it happened. I said it because it was obvious, but apparently Dave “he is risen again” Meltzer thinks otherwise, so it must be true right?

It doesn’t matter though as he’s barely a wrestling reporter anymore. Sorry I really can’t stand that guy. He does what all of us do and makes a fortune off of it. I’m sure someone will yell at me and tell me how brilliant he is, but no, not really. He’s good, but overrated. Ok, rant over for now at least.

Oh and it was revealed that Matt, Jeff’s brother, was behind everything. Jeff would win the title the next month in a freaking shocker anyway.

We jump from that to a recap of Jericho and Cena, which wasn’t really a feud but WWE kept trying to convince us of that anyway. Jericho had stolen the title at Unforgiven but as soon as Cena was announced as returning, the inevitable was clear. Oh and Batista got the world title for a week for no apparent reason in between. That’s about it.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Chris Jericho

The ending here is about as obvious as you could imagine. Cena’s pop is massive here. They try to make it sound like Cena has been out for a year when it’s been about three months or less. Jericho works on the neck, which here at least makes sense. I get it three months after an injury, but when they reference it a year and a half later, it loses its effect quite a bit. This is really formula based stuff but it’s working ok.

Cena has an early flurry and then Jericho takes over for the majority of the match, working the neck as much as he can. There’s nothing wrong with that as it’s the same thing that worked for Hogan for years if not decades. Jericho’s three finishers all hit and of course none of them work. This is the longest match of the night but it’s likely going to have the least amount said about it. There’s little drama here and after that initial pop, the crowd has been ok at best.

This crowd has completely sucked all night long. Naturally, Cena survives everything and hits the massive FU to get the title back despite Jericho hitting everything he could on him. That closes the show, which is exactly what it should have been.

Rating: B. This was good enough. There was zero drama, but they didn’t bury Jericho. Cena certainly should have won as Jericho was just keeping the title warm for him for awhile anyway. There’s nothing wrong with that. Jericho was a horrible champion anyway and always has been, so this wasn’t a big deal at all. Cena was clearly going to win, and sometimes that’s how shows should end.

Overall Rating: C-. This had its moments, but overall it’s just not that great. With six matches you run the risk of messing up on one or two of them and screwing the whole show up which I think is what this show did. Having Hardy be pulled probably wasn’t the smartest thing in the world as I guess they didn’t want to take the spotlight away from Cena. I get that, but it’s still a good bit of a bait and switch which is the most annoying thing that a promoter can do.

It’s not as bad as Randy vs. Jake in 91, but it’s far from good. Anyway, this wasn’t a great show at all and it pales in comparison to 07. Still, it’s not awful, but it’s certainly not worth going out of your way to see. Not really recommended.

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

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Major League Wrestling Fusion – November 9, 2019: The Hot Start

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #83
Date: November 9, 2019
Location: GILT Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, AJ Kirsch

We’re past SuperFight now and that means things are going to be at the start of a new cycle. I’m not sure what to expect this time around but that is kind of a fun feeling for a change. There are a lot of things that can be done from here but we’re going to need some fresh challengers to all of the titles. Let’s get to it.

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

For those of you who keep track, last week’s pre-show has been changed to episode #82 so everything lines up.

We open with a recap of Jacob Fatu defeating LA Park to retain the World Title in a match that surprised me.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Contra for an unscheduled appearance to get things going. Josef Samael demands the fans’ praise and talks about how their soldiers around the world are celebrating the title win. Another castle in the Kingdom of MLW has crumbled with Promociones Dorado being destroyed at SuperFight. Their grip is only going to tighten and now they want the Tag Team Titles. Oh and throw in the Middleweight Title as well, which is a threat to Teddy Hart. Samael is going to rip the sparkly pajamas off of him and do various violent things with them. Cue the Hart Foundation and the fight is on in a hurry with Contra being cleared out.

The announcers reset a bit and plug the Thanksgiving special.

Mance Warner wants one more match with Jimmy Havoc: Falls Count Anywhere. He even turns down a moonshine deal because he’s so serious.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Low Ki

Thatcher has Douglas James in his corner. They stare each other down for a long time to start as the fans aren’t sure who they like best. There is no significant contact in the first minute so Thatcher makes up for it by taking Low Ki down for a quickly broken chinlock. The grappling continues with Thatcher taking him onto the top but getting pulled down into an armbreaker.

With that broken up, Thatcher works on an armbar so Ki heads to the ropes this time. Another armbreaker sends Ki to the mat but he starts kicking at the legs. Back from a break with Thatcher putting on a bow and arrow while pulling at Ki’s face. Thatcher switches to the arm and gets downright furious over getting hit to the face. Hang on though as Contra takes over the feed to say that the castles will continue to fall and there will be a big offer next week.

We come back to Thatcher working on the arm again as commentary points out how he always has a hold on a limb. The short armscissors goes on for a bit until Ki gets his foot on the rope. With the submissions not working, it’s a slam into an elbow drop to keep Ki down. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Thatcher ties him in the ropes for a forearm to the chest.

A snap suplex gets two as Ki has been dominated almost the entire time here. Ki gets away and tries a springboard dive, only to get uppercutted down to the floor. That’s only good for nine and then two inside so Thatcher catapults him into the corner, only to have Ki bounce back for a double stomp to the chest. Thatcher snaps off a belly to belly for two more but Ki pulls him down into the Dragon Clutch. That’s reversed but Ki climbs onto his back and pulls him down into a choke for the knockout at 16:39.

Rating: B. These things can be hit or miss but when they get two people who can do it well, they can be some highly entertaining matches. That’s what happened here and Thatcher continues to look like a star. I can get why you don’t want him beating someone as big as Ki, but Thatcher got a lot out of this. Heck of a fight here and if you like this kind of wrestling, it’s worth seeing.

The Von Erichs are ready for Contra. Tom Lawlor has nothing to say about rumors he might be going to WWE or New Japan and doesn’t like being asked about it.

King Mo is coming to MLW. Does he really have to?

Injustice doesn’t like being referred to as thugs so they’re coming for the Middleweight Title. This isn’t a black or white thing because it’s a justice thing.

King Mo held a press conference earlier, saying he’s coming to be the King of MLW. He’ll fight anyone because he’s a black leprechaun.

Middleweight Title: Teddy Hart vs. Myron Reed

Reed is challenging and has the rest of Injustice with him though the rest of the Foundation isn’t here. During the entrances, Hart says he wants to get his hands on Fatu and the World Title. Feeling out process to start until Hart snaps into another gear and takes him down into a Crossface. Hart has to deal with the rest of Injustice though and Reed hits a running forearm.

A superkick makes it even worse and Hart is sent outside so the goons can get in a few shots. Hart fights them off because it’s just Injustice, only to have Reed hit a suicide dive. Since it has been a full five seconds since we’ve seen a suicide dive, Reed hits a second one to keep Hart down. Back in and the springboard cutter sets up a sitout reverse gordbuster for two. Reed misses a springboard 450 though and Hart snaps off the first Canadian Destroyer.

The Backstabber into the springboard corkscrew moonsault gives Hart two and the very high moonsault gets the same. Project Ciampa gets another near fall as Hart isn’t sure what to do. The elevated hammerlock DDT and a top rope DDT….draw Injustice up to the apron for the distraction. Hart throws Reed onto the two of them, setting up a heck of a moonsault.

Reed gets thrown onto the chairs and Kotto is suplexed onto Oliver’s face. Back in and the super Canadian Destroyer gets two with Brazil pulling the referee. Kotto is taken out so Oliver offers a distraction, allowing Samael to come out and fireball Hart. The 450 gives Reed the pin and the title at 10:35.

Rating: C+. I’m rather surprised at the title change but what matters most here is that they created a new star while also protecting Hart. It took four people and a fireball (plus an imbecile of a referee) plus Hart being banged up from facing Austin Aries last week to get the title off of him. That is quite the set of circumstances and hart vs. Fatu could very well be on the horizon.

The Hart Foundation comes running out WAY after they were needed to end the show. That was the case with the team back in 1997 at One Night Only. Must be a family tradition.

Overall Rating: B. This was a heck of a way to start the new era of MLW, with both matches delivering and a path forward with the focus on Contra. That’s a good thing after seeing them cool off a good bit after War Chamber. I could go for more of them and having Samael as the mouthpiece is a good idea. I’ll take more of this and they seem to be on a roll in a hurry.

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

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NXT – November 13, 2019: The Riddle Of The Little Putz

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: November 13, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix

We’re still on the way to Survivor Series and hopefully things can get back to where they were last week. At the same time though, things are starting to move towards Takeover, so we’re going to be seeing a ladder match for the advantage in the women’s WarGames. The lineups still need to be locked in though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, which also seems to serve as the opening sequence.

Cruiserweight Title: Angel Garza vs. Lio Rush

Rush is defending. They start running the ropes in a hurry with neither being able to hit anything, meaning it’s a pair of flips to land on a knee each. Garza bails to the floor and goes into the crowd, where HE TAKES OFF HIS PANTS right in front of Rush’s family. That means the crazy fast suicide dive but another one is countered into a powerslam so Garza can smile as we take a break.

Back with Garza hitting a hard knee to the face but Rush is fine enough to escape the Wing Clipper. The springboard Stunner is blocked with a dropkick to the back to give Garza two more. Rush grabs a swinging neckbreaker for two of his own but gets caught on top. That means a super moonsault powerslam for a close two and the frustration makes Garza hammer away.

Rush counters a charge into Rush Hour before kicking Garza upside the head. Now the springboard Stunner can connect but Rush tries a second, only to get reversed into the Wing Clipper for two. Garza loads it up again but climbs up, allowing Rush to headbutt his way to freedom. Rush flips him down and hits the Final hour for a slightly delayed two. With nothing else working, Rush waits for Garza to start getting up and hits another Final Hour to retain at 12:55. Garza’s foot looked like it was in the ropes for a bit.

Rating: B. They didn’t bother wasting time with any slow paced stuff here and just went straight to a game of can you top this. Sometimes it’s nice to drop any pretense that you are doing anything but a spotfest and that is what they did here. It seems to be where they are both most comfortable though and the match was really entertaining while feeling half as long as it was.

Tegan Nox and Rhea Ripley have been attacked.

Video on Shayna Baszler invading the main roster.

Xia Li vs. Aliyah

Xia starts with the kicks so Aliyah gets in a neck snap across the top for a breather. A northern lights suplex gives Aliyah two and she kicks Xia in the back, only to get kicked in the chest. Xia hits a superkick and a cartwheel forearm in the corner, followed by a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 2:07.

Aliyah’s face is busted up and the medic comes in to check on her.

Video on Pete Dunne vs. Killian Dain. They meet tonight.

Here’s Finn Balor for a chat. He isn’t sure what happened around here because he was the heart and soul of this place. Now you have a bunch of people crying on social media and looking for sympathy when they get hurt. Since Johnny Gargano is out for Survivor Series weekend, he wants someone to come take Gargano’s place. Cue Matt Riddle to jump Balor and the fight is on until Balor bails. Riddle: “Come back here you little putz!”

Cue the Undisputed Era to surround the ring with Cole saying it’s the wrong place at the wrong time. Now it’s Tommaso Ciampa and Keith Lee coming out for the save. The Era talks about how they dominated Raw and Smackdown but Lee isn’t impressed. The challenge is on with Lee wanting to face Cole right now. Strong says he has this though.

Keith Lee vs. Roderick Strong

Non-title. Joined in progress with everyone else gone and Lee hitting a tossup faceplant for two. Some chops have Strong in even more trouble and he has to elbow his way out of a slam attempt. He can’t elbow enough though and Lee plants him with ease. Strong kicks at the legs for some more success and a running shoulder to a kneeling Lee. This goes badly for Strong, who bounces off of Lee a few times.

Lee gets up and smiles at him, setting up another big chop to cut Strong down. Strong comes back with a knee strike though and we take a break. Back with Lee getting dropkicked outside and a wrecking ball dropkick putting him down on the floor. The Sick Kick gives Strong two back inside and the reverse chinlock goes on. As usual, that just wakes Lee up and he shoves Strong around, followed by some elbows to the back for two.

Lee gets caught on top and, after some strikes, Strong manages a heck of a superplex for….one. The Stronghold isn’t happening so they slug it out until Lee turns him inside out with a clothesline. Cue the Era again though, followed by Ciampa and Riddle to cut them off. Finn Balor shows up with a Sling Blade to Riddle though, followed by a dropkick to send him into the steps. The distraction lets Strong hit an Angle Slam for two but Lee is right back up with the Supernova for the pin at 17:27.

Rating: B. Another solid match and the interference didn’t even cause the fall. I’m not a big fan of a champion losing like this but it isn’t done nearly as often around here, which means that it can be more forgivable. Lee is likely to get a title shot after Takeover and that is what you need to do with people like him.

Post match the beatdown is on but Dominick Dijakovic coming in for the save. With the Era dispatched, Dijakovic offers his services and Ciampa shakes his hand. Dijakovic runs into Lee, but it’s another handshake. Remember that Riddle is likely going to fight Balor so they still need another member.

Marina Shafir, Jessamyn Duke and Candice LeRae have been taken out. The yet to debut Scarlett Bordeaux is checking on LeRae.

Isaiah Scott vs. Bronson Reed

They trade short wristlocks to start until Reed runs him over with the size and power. There’s a headbutt to make it worse and a rather large headlock ensues. Reed goes with the simple style by sitting on Scott’s back and cannonballing down onto it before just throwing him outside. That earns him a posting though and we take a break. Back with Scott hitting a middle rope elbow to the back of the neck and getting two off a Flatliner.

One heck of a clothesline into a backsplash crushes Scott but the top rope splash is broken up. Scott goes up with him but has to fight out of a super Tombstone (geez), allowing him to hit a hanging DDT for two on Reed. Back up and Reed grabs a belly to back sitout piledriver for his own two. Scott gets to the apron and tries a slingshot hurricanrana but has to settle for a triangle choke. That’s broken up as well but Scott knocks him down and hits the House Call (Swerve Kick) for the pin at 11:57.

Rating: C+. Scott is someone I like more and more every time I see him. The good thing is that WWE seems to be getting the idea as well with a nice little winning streak. He can have a good match with anyone and that’s the kind of style that can keep you around for a long time. Reed is good too and makes the size work for him.

Respect is shown post match.

It isn’t clear who is behind the attacks, but we do know one thing for TakeOver: Balor vs. Riddle is confirmed and Dijakovic is taking Riddle’s place in WarGames, meaning Ciampa needs a fourth.

Video on the Forgotten Sons.

Killian Dain vs. Pete Dunne

Hang on though as Damien Priest jumps Dain on the ramp, meaning it’s Dunne running to the floor to get in on the fight. Everyone brawls and security breaks it up, only to have Priest powerbomb a guard over the top. He isn’t done yet as he adds a big running flip dive to take out Dunne and Dain again. Works for me as a triple threat at Takeover. No match here.

Mia Yim says if someone wants to come out them, it can be from any angle. Dakota Kai comes in and says there are no hard feelings after last week’s decision. She has Mia’s back tonight.

Next week: Cole vs. Dijakovic in a ladder match for the men’s WarGames advantage.

Mia Yim vs. Io Shirai

Ladder match for the advantage in the women’s WarGames match. They both want the ladder early but Shirai takes her down with a suicide dive instead. Mia is right back up and knocks her down, allowing the ladder to be thrown in. Shirai gets dropped onto a ladder, which is bridged between the apron and barricade. A superkick to the ladder knocks it into Mia’s face, though she’s fine enough to get in a ladder shot to Shirai’s hand.

Shirai uses the good hand to try a running ladder shot but only hits ring. Yim gets kicked away and they finally get back inside, only to fight over a suplex. It’s Shirai getting dropped back first onto the ladder and we take a break. Back with Shirai forearming away and hitting the 619, followed by a flapjack to keep Mia down. Mia isn’t about to let her climb though and it’s an overhead belly to belly into….well at least close to, the edge of the ladder.

That lets Mia set up the ladder but Shirai sends her into it and the ladder goes down again. Mia gets crushed in the ladder so Shirai pulls out a fresh one. That one has to be dropkicked into Mia so Shirai can climb, or at least she would if she has two good hands. Shirai takes too long going up and gets pulled down, though she’s right back up with a German suplex off the ladder. Shirai’s moonsault is broken up but she headbutts Mia to the floor.

Cue Dakota Kai to check on Mia but Shirai moonsaults onto both of them. Shirai goes up but Kai powerbombs her down, only to have NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray run in and shove the ladder down, sending Mia through the bridged ladder in a GREAT looking crash as I had forgotten about the other ladder. Ray helps Shirai up the ladder for the win at 19:58.

Rating: B+. This was very good stuff with the two of them beating the heck out of each other with some adult sized bumps. Ray as the fourth member of the team is interesting and could be the wild card that the match needs. I’m not a big Yim fan but she looked awesome here and they had a great match.

Post match Shirai, Ray and Bianca Belair pose in the ring as Shayna Baszler comes out, seemingly approving of the new team. It’s Bayley attacking her from behind though, presumably revealing herself as the attacking. Baszler gets planted face first onto the stage, drawing her team up to chase Bayley off to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This is the kind of NXT show that works well: good action up and down the card, a lot of stuff being set up for the future and a card that makes me want to see Takeover. They moved things forward here and helped advance their own card, which has almost been lost in the Survivor Series shuffle. We’re up to three (mostly complete) matches now and you can pretty much guess the fourth, though a card with no title matches is going to be rather weird. Anyway, very strong show this week as we get a good step towards Takeover.

Results

Lio Rush b. Angel Garza – Final Hour

Xia Li b. Aliyah – Spinning kick to the face

Keith Lee b. Roderick Strong – Supernova

Isaiah Scott b. Bronson Reed – House Call

Io Shirai b. Mia Yim – Shirai pulled down the briefcase

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

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Dynamite – November 13, 2019: A Lot Of Good But Stop With The Stupid

IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: November 13, 2019
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s time for the next step around here as we get into the fallout from Full Gear. That could go in a lot of different directions though as they do not have a next major event on the schedule just yet. The big story out of Saturday is MJF turning on Cody and Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley losing their minds. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Full Gear.

The announcers preview the show.

Kenny Omega is banged up.

Jon Moxley vs. Michael Nakazawa

Nakazawa, Omega’s friend, throws the baby oil away to start and hammers away, only to get beaten down. The Paradigm Shift gives Moxley the pin at 1:08.

Post match Moxley asks if that one counts. He did what he promised he would do at Full Gear and Omega will never be the same again. Moxley respects Omega because he doesn’t think anyone else will have the guts to face him. He is on a pilgrimage to scorch AEW and leave himself as the last man standing. If anyone is man enough, come face him, but say goodbye to your loved ones first.

Dark Order vs. Jurassic Express

Marko goes straight at Uno to start but it’s Jungle Boy coming in to headlock Grayson down. That’s escaped so it’s a hurricanrana to take over again. The rapid pace continues with another tag to Stunt and an elevated flip dive to Grayson’s back as well. Stunt gets caught in the corner though and Uno hits a Swanton for two. Grayson hits his own shot to the back and it’s Uno pulling on Stunt’s nose. Back from a break with Stunt hitting a big spinning Downward Spiral to drop Uno.

Grayson pulls Boy off the apron, though he drops Grayson and gets the tag anyway. Everything breaks down and Boy hits a suicide dive, with JR saying it’s the first one of the night. A knee gets two on Uno and everything breaks down. Stunt’s hurricanrana gets two on Grayson with Uno shoving Boy into the cover for the break. Boy’s suicide dive is blocked and it’s some knees to the head to put him down. The Nightfall sets up the Fatality to finish Stunt at 9:30.

Rating: C. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m relieved for the Dark Order. There is no way to have Stunt beat someone and make it be believable. I guess he’s popular enough to keep himself around but at the same time, he makes it impossible to buy anything as being a realistic possibility. The match was fine enough, but you can’t stop looking at Stunt.

Post match the Order praises Stunt and offers him a spot on the team. Boy turns it down for him and gets attacked, with the Order putting the mask on him, only to have Luchasaurus return for the save. A spinning kick to the face takes out three Creepers at once, leaving Grayson and Uno to face him alone. Uno bails so it’s a chokeslam into a standing moonsault to Grayson. Now that is how you make someone look like a star.

Darby Allin vs. Shawn Spears vs. Peter Avalon

Allin’s entrance cuts off Avalon running down country music. Avalon misses a dive at the other two to start and it’s Allin hitting the high angle springboard armdrag to put Spears on the floor. Allin hits a dropkick to put Avalon outside as well but Spears breaks up another dive. A belly to back faceplant gets two on Allin but here’s Joey Janela to get in a fight with Spears. They fight into the crowd, leaving Allin and Avalon on their own. The flipping Stunner into the Coffin Drop finishes Avalon at 3:49.

Rating: D+. No time here but Allin winning was the good way to go as he has turned into a star around here. Even I’ve liked what I’ve seen from him so far and that isn’t what I would have expected when I first saw him. The time hurt things here but in a way, it’s a lot better than having these three fight for ten minutes.

Post match Darby says he accepts Moxley’s challenge.

Nyla Rose vs. Dani Jordan

Rose misses a big boot to start so Jordan hammers away. The chokeslam is escaped and there’s a slap to Rose, which is not going to end well. She runs Jordan over and it’s a Samoan drop into a Beast Bomb for the pin on Jordan at 1:34.

Here’s Allie for a chat but after some sucking up to Nashville, the lights go out. Cue Awesome Kong and Brandi Rhodes so Allie can be destroyed. Allie loses some hair, just like Bea Priestly did last week.

Here’s Chris Jericho for a chat. Jericho brags about retaining the title and proving once again that he is the greatest of all time. Therefore, he deserves a thank you from every member of the roster, the back, front and side offices. Now he’s beaten Cody, who is nothing more than an entitled millennial. There go the lights and here’s….MJF to Cody’s entrance, including pyro, music and mocking of his entrance.

Jericho isn’t sure what to think of this but MJF yells at the fans about how he threw the towel in to save Cody’s career. The fans have been cheering for the real villain every time they see Cody. The real Cody only cares about himself because he saw MJF as a puppet. That’s not enough to convince the fans but Cody was keeping MJF under his thumb. Cody’s thumb isn’t big enough to hold MJF down because he is the new face of AEW and Cody knows it.

As for Jericho, MJF has heard that Jericho wants him in the Inner Circle. Jericho has heard that MJF is interested but they stop to make fun of each others names. MJF thinks Jericho has had a little too much of the bubbly. Jericho talks about how similar they are, to the point where he thinks MJF’s parents got into it watching him beat up Juventud Guerrera twenty five years ago and MJF is the result. MJF: “Who the **** is Juvy???” Jericho: “Google it!”

They tease getting in a fight before agreeing that they don’t like Cody. There’s a hug but here’s Cody to interrupt. He has a nasty patch above his head and can’t hit the powerslam on Jericho, with JR being smart enough to blame it on Cody being banged up from Full Gear. The beatdown is on but Wardlow debuts and lays Cody out with a spinning AA. MJF tells him to do it and Wardlow takes off his tie to hang Cody. I liked a lot of the things in here, but there were a few too many things going on to like in the first place.

Pac vs. Hangman Page

Rematch from Full Gear. Pac wastes no time in kicking him down and Page gets kicked to the floor. The moonsault to the floor keeps Page rocked but he’s fine enough to hit a running dropkick in the corner. That means a suicide dive and a pop up powerbomb for two on Pac. They’re not wasting time here. Page kicks him out of the air for two but Pac hits a pair of missile dropkicks to take over again. They head outside again with Page hitting his own top rope moonsault and we take a break.

Back with Page flipping out of a German suplex and nailing a discus lariat for the double knockdown. Another hard shot puts Pac on the floor but he suckers Page in, only to have Page catch him with a brainbuster on the floor. The Buckshot lariat gets two on Pac because this company has some issues with finishing a match. Pac hits a pair of pump kicks and Page is almost out, because the guy who took a brainbuster on the floor and a finisher is suddenly on the verge of winning by stoppage. The Black Arrow sets up the Brutalizer and Page is out at 12:09.

Rating: B-. The action was good but, as mentioned on Saturday, if you’re not going to finish the match with those big spots, stop doing them. Don’t have Pac get dropped on his head and then take Page’s finisher only to win the match in dominant fashion two minutes later. It doesn’t make me think that one of the guys is tough. It just makes me think that the Buckshot Lariat is a weak finisher that has no effect.

We cut to the back where the Young Bucks are getting in a fight with Santana and Ortiz. Santana dives off of a forklift as Ortiz is knocked into a bathroom door to find….Orange Cassidy. Nothing happens as the door is closed again and Matt superkicks Ortiz. Post break the fight comes into the arena and Santana and Ortiz take over with some slapjack shots to Nick’s knee. They spray paint a target on a table and powerbomb Matt through it for the huge crash. Brandon Cutler comes out for the save and gets beaten down as well. Private Party makes the real save.

Santana and Ortiz vs. Private Party is set for next week. Even JR says that was fast.

Tag Team Titles: SCU vs. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara

Jericho and Guevara are challenging and have Jake Hager in their corner, though Christopher Daniels is here to balance things out. After the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Kazarian and Jericho go with the grappling to start and Kazarian snaps off an armdrag into an armbar. Sky and Guevara come in with the former hitting a backbreaker and we take a break.

Back with Sammy dropkicking Guevara into the corner but stopping to pose with Jericho. The chinlock keeps Kazarian down but he powers up and rolls over for the hot tag off to Sky. Everything breaks down with Jericho having to save Sammy from a dragon sleeper. Hager pulls Kazarian to the floor and takes him down, leaving Sky to kick Jericho in the head. Jericho is right back with the bulldog but the Lionsault hits knees. He’s fine enough to Codebreak Sky out of the air for two but Sky is back with a small package to retain at 10:45.

Rating: C+. That was quite the ending and they didn’t go anywhere other than straight into making Sky look like a big deal. Having him hand his half of the Tag Team Titles Daniels so he can get in a World Title shot wouldn’t shock me and that wouldn’t be the biggest stretch. Sky is a very talented guy and giving him a big chance is a smart move. I’m glad they didn’t change the titles as well, with SCU needing some more wins to put them on the level of the other tag teams.

Jericho is ticked and throws an old school fit to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There were more good things on the show than bad but there were things that got on my nerves as well. You have the aforementioned issues between Page and Pac (in their rematch from four days ago), the completely unnecessary and out of place Cassidy cameo and the continued existence of Marko Stunt, none of which are the best ideas. On the other hand though you have Sky getting a push, Allin getting to move up to face Moxley, Luchasaurus being back early and Santana and Ortiz looking more and more awesome every week. There is more good than bad, but some of the bad is just annoying sometimes.

Results

Jon Moxley b. Michael Nakazawa – Paradigm Shift

Dark Order b. Jurassic Express – Fatality to Stunt

Darby Allin b. Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears – Coffin Drop to Avalon

Nyla Rose b. Dani Jordan – Beast Bomb

Pac b. Hangman Page – Brutalizer

SCU b. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara – Small package to Jericho

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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New Column: The Triangle Angle

It might not be all bad!

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-triangle-angle/

Monday Night Raw – June 13, 2005: Sheriff Austin Rides Again

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 13, 2005
Location: Broome County Arena, Binghamton, New York
Attendance: 3,300
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the night after One Night Stand and that likely means no Eric Bischoff tonight due to ECW giving him an all time beating. We’re less than two weeks away from Vengeance and that means it’s time for the hard push towards HHH vs. Batista inside the Cell. Steve Austin is here as the guest star tonight to deal with Muhammad Hassan and Daivari so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Austin to get things going. Austin thanks the fan for their welcome but gets right to the point. There is a man who feels like he has been failed by the system and has been given the shaft over and over. Therefore, Austin is here for his unbiased opinion so let’s get the defendant out here right now. The USA chants are on in a hurry and Austin calls Hassan and Daivari sand people. Austin doesn’t like the two of them, which Hassan says makes them like everyone else. Hassan is here because he demands justice, though Austin thinks he’s a little too close.

We see a package of Hassan being discriminated against and….the guy kind of has a point on this one. Hassan says that is all the proof he needs so Austin uses Hassan’s head scarf to wipe the spit off his face. Austin: “I think you are a piece of garbage.” However, Hassan has been wronged by the system so tonight, he’s getting an Intercontinental Title shot. Shelton Benjamin is ready in the back and Austin is going to be the enforcer. Hassan is rather pleased with this one.

Intercontinental Title: Shelton Benjamin vs. Muhammad Hassan

Shelton is defending and we’re joined in progress with Hassan driving him into the corner and the fans chanting for Austin. Shelton is right back with right hands in the corner but gets dropped face first onto the buckle. A snap suplex drops Shelton again and Hassan strikes the pose. The chinlock goes on for a few seconds before Hassan takes him outside for a posting.

Rating: C-. The match wasn’t great but the ending made sense. They don’t need to put the title on Hassan yet and he can have his rematch at Vengeance as the complaining continues. Austin breaking up the cheating finish was the kind of thing he should have done and it isn’t something that needs to be continued. Hassan is finally getting somewhere, though it still isn’t exactly great stuff.

Post match Austin announces Hassan as the winner and has some beer with Shelton.

Coach and Eric Bischoff are in the office (WHY IS BISCHOFF HERE AFTER THAT KIND OF A BEATING??? And he’s not even looking hurt!) with Bischoff not wanting to hear about ECW. Coach leaves and Chris Jericho comes in to complain about Christian getting the World Title shot at Vengeance. Tonight, he’ll beat up Christian to prove his point. HHH comes in and has a staredown with Jericho, who doesn’t seem impressed.

With Jericho gone, HHH wants to know who the Draft pick is tonight. Whoever the new pick is, they get to go face to face with Batista tonight. Whatever is going to be said, it better not interfere with the match at Vengeance. HHH yells a lot about how no one is stopping him from getting the title back and that’s about it. Even Bischoff seems sick of the never ending HHH stuff.

Here’s Chris Masters for the Masterlock Challenge. This week it’s $11,000 so here’s Sgt. Slaughter to lose after the traditional, insults, Cobra Clutch and cheating.

Long video video on Batista vs. HHH.

We look back at John Cena debuting and setting up tonight’s tag match.

Tyson Tomko/Christian vs. John Cena/Chris Jericho

The fans are WAY behind Cena here as the Canadians slug it out to start. Jericho gets the better of that without much effort and it’s off to Tomko. That means a kick to the head and it’s off to Cena for the first time to a big reaction. An elbow to the face and a suplex give Cena two and it’s Tomko and Christian being sent outside as we take a break. Back with Christian shouldering Cena down for two but Jericho tags himself in to keep things fresh.

Tomko comes in for a spinwheel kick that misses so badly that even the camera cut can’t save it. Some powerful clubbering puts Jericho down but he sweeps Christian’s legs and hammers away. The reverse DDT gives Christian two but an enziguri gets Jericho out of trouble and over to Cena for the hot tag. Tomko gets hiptossed and Christian gets punched out of the air, followed by the ProtoBomb and FU to put Tomko away.

Rating: C. Just a match really but you can almost guarantee something coming up from Jericho and Cena. Jericho has needed a heel turn for a long time now and that would probably be best for everyone. If nothing else, a triple threat might be a better way to protect Cena in the big match atmosphere, as he hasn’t shown that breakthrough regular singles match just yet.

Post match Jericho jumps Cena and lays him out to officially turn heel, as he should be doing. Cena gets sent into various steel objects and the fans are not happy.

The Diva Search auditions have taken place. Coach and Christy Hemme were there to explain how important this really is. Various shots of various parts of swimsuits are shown. Ashley Massaro pops up in a few cameos. This goes on for a very long time and the finalists are here next week.

Jericho asks Bischoff if that was good enough and the Vengeance title match is….still Christian’s, who pops up to yell. Make it a triple threat instead. Cue Cena to run in and go after Jericho, showing the good fire as he tends to do.

Maven vs. Viscera

A VERY happy Lilian Garcia is here with Viscera. Maven starts fast and manages two off of a missile dropkick but it’s a swinging Boss Man Slam and a splash to crush Maven flat. The newly named Visagara….is something we’re moving on from as fast as possible. The chokebomb finishes Maven quick.

HHH and Ric Flair aren’t worried about the Draft pick.

Kane vs. Sylvain Grenier

Kane hammers away in the corner to start as it’s time to let off some of that Edge/Lita steam. A boot in the corner keeps Grenier in trouble but he pokes Kane in the eye and gets in a dropkick. Kane sits up though and the beating is on, capped off by the chokeslam. Two more chokeslams finish Grenier in the way it should.

Post match Kane loads up the pyro but here’s Lita to interrupt. She says Kane should be used to people not being satisfied in the lack of a bang. Lita brings out Snitsky and says the whole lost baby is forgotten. She even thanks Snitsky for getting rid of the demon spawn and offers a thank you while stroking his beard. Snitsky: “MY PLEASURE!” That’s it for Snitsky so Lita brings out Edge, now her fiance. The wedding is going to be next week and Lita will get to see the real one eyed monster.

Here are HHH and Flair to deal with the Draft pick, with JR not understanding why HHH needs to be here. HHH talks about how he’s going to win the title back at Vengeance because he’s in charge, so get the new pick out here. That would be…..Kurt Angle, and hopefully we can forget the whole Sharmell/Booker T. deal. HHH doesn’t look happy as Angle talks about how what HHH said would apply to anyone coming over from Smackdown.

Well almost anyone that is, because HHH is no longer #1 around here. Angle and Flair get in a WOO off and HHH nearly loses it over “gimmick infringement.” HHH says he calls the shots around here but Angle brings up making Shawn Michaels tap out the same night HHH lost to Batista.

There goes HHH’s jacket (showing off a drenched shirt) so he can say that at least he was a champion at Wrestlemania. While HHH was off flying around the world, Angle was getting beaten up by Booker T.’s wife. Angle: “Let’s just say I have a thing for other people’s wives.” He brings up his affair with Stephanie McMahon, with HHH saying that everyone did something with her so it doesn’t matter.

Overall Rating: D+. The ending segment was pretty good but by the time this show was done, I couldn’t remember what else had happened. I don’t know if the whole thing was rushed because of the ECW show, but Vengeance, which has a decent looking card, isn’t really sparking yet. That’s what happens when HHH vs. Batista was the only thing getting any attention until tonight and that’s not a great way of going about things. Hopefully that gets taken care of next week, but it looks like they have their work cut out for them. Not a very good show overall, but the good moments were strong.

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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