IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 8, 2019
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

We’re in the second week of the Paul Heyman era around here and so far, things have been rather successful. What matters most coming out of last week was how different things felt in the area of the show just feeling more energized. It’s the go home show for Extreme Rules, and hopefully we get something that can overcome the Baron Corbin Effect. Let’s get to it.

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

Andrade/Zelina Vega vs. Becky Lynch/Seth Rollins

Elimination rules for the sake of the commercials. Becky takes Vega down without much trouble to start but gets caught in a DDT. Another toss sends Vega into the corner so it’s off to the men for a change. Andrade works on a wristlock but gets armdragged down as the announcers talk about the personal and professional damage that could take place should Becky and Seth lose on Sunday. Rollins sends him outside for the suicide dive, leaving Becky to Dis-Arm Vega for the tap at 4:57. Hang on though as Becky goes into the crowd to fight Lacey Evans and we take a break.

Back with Andrade stomping away as Becky isn’t allowed in the match anymore. So….the elimination rules are pretty much worthless no? Andrade goes up top and knocks away a superplex attempt, setting up the top rope double stomp for two. Seth is fine enough to hit the springboard knee to the head for two but Vega, still at ringside, gets in a headscissors.

Becky dives onto her until Andrade breaks it up. Seth freaks out but Andrade runs Becky over by mistake. The distraction lets Andrade hit the running knees in the corner for two but Becky goes after Vega again. That distraction is enough for the Stomp to finish Andrade at 14:13.

Rating: D+. I don’t remember the last story and feud that I can remember that was this much death for everyone involved. I don’t know who benefits from this or who thinks this is a great idea, but egads it isn’t working. Both Rollins and Lynch feel like they’ve lost a bunch of energy and Corbin brings down any segment where he appears. Find something fresh after Sunday, because my goodness this is a disaster.

Post match Baron Corbin jumps Rollins so Lynch goes after Corbin, allowing Evans to pop back in with the Woman’s Right. Paul Heyman comes out and we take a break.

Post break Corbin and Lacey say that was easy and wonder how Rollins and Lynch are going to be when they lose their titles. Their relationship is purely professional because caring about each other would be a liability.

Back in the ring, Heyman talks about how there is going to be an event on Sunday which is all about being extreme. And it’s in Philadelphia, where he knows what it means to be extreme. This Sunday, Brock Lesnar will cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and that is a spoiler. Now Heyman has never lied about a spoiler, which makes it all the easier for him to lie about it now. Only he and Lesnar know the truth. Good grief we’re going to have to put up with this until Wrestlemania aren’t we?

We look back at the exploding set from last week and Bobby Lashley’s promo about sending Braun Strowman to the morgue next time. They’re in a Last Man Standing match on Sunday.

Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre ask a trash man to be Roman Reigns’ partner tonight.

Usos/Miz vs. Revival/Elias

Say it with me: 2/3 falls. Dawson takes Jimmy into the corner to start and Elias plants him with a slam. Wilder comes in and everything breaks down with Miz sending Elias into the barricade. The chase leaves Jimmy to take the Shatter Machine for the first fall at 3:02. Back from a break with Jimmy ducking a charge from Dawson as Elias has left the Revival down 3-2.

Jimmy fights out of the villainous beatdown and brings Jey back in for an enziguri to Wilder. Dawson comes back in with a brainbuster but it’s back to Miz for the Skull Crushing Finale and the second fall at 10:58. A double superkick to both Revivals sets up the Superfly Splash for the pin at 11:38.

Rating: D. How in the world is this supposed to be better than missing four minutes in a commercial and coming back with a chinlock? This is far more annoying than the Wildcard Rule, but I still wonder what the fans who don’t know about the rule are thinking. Is there a reason Miz has had four 2/3 falls matches in about two weeks?

We recap Renee Michelle and Drake Maverick’s honeymoon, which took place in the same city they live in. Drake kept taking pictures of himself with the title, mostly holding it in front of her face.

In the arena, Drake promises to give her a great honeymoon after the title stuff is done. That’s fine with Michelle, who says once it’s over, they can consummate the marriage. Drake is very happy and then runs away from the mob.

Here’s Rey Mysterio for his return to the show after six weeks off for a shoulder injury. He’ll get straight to the point: it’s an open challenge to anyone in the back.

Rey Mysterio vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley goes with the power to start but Rey gets in a tornado DDT. A dropkick to the back sets up a 619 but Rey dives into a lifting Downward Spiral. The spear finishes Rey at 1:53. Ok then.

Post match Lashley drags Rey to the top of the stage and teases gorilla pressing him through the set. Instead he throws Rey onto some referees and promises to be the last man standing on Sunday.

AJ Styles says he doesn’t owe anyone an explanation for the Club getting back together last week. The Good Brothers follow suit.

Cesaro vs. No Way Jose

Cesaro takes him to the floor before the bell so Jose manages a whip into the barricade. We start the match proper with Jose hitting a backdrop but getting run over again. The Sharpshooter finishes Jose at 1:13.

The Street Profits are here again to say that you should never cross Cesaro. They plug Extreme Rules and promote a few individual matches before making their predictions on McMahon/McIntyre vs. Undertaker/Roman Reigns. Dawkins thinks Undertaker and Reigns but they’re not sure about what will happen to Reigns tonight. Ford: “We’re out of time. KERWIN! IN THE TRUCK! TRANSITION!”

We look back at Maria Kanellis revealing that she is pregnant last week.

Mike Kanellis brings Maria some flowers and they say they love each other. Maria says she loves ice cream and it takes Mike a few seconds to get the hint. He finally offers to go get her some (with pickles). Mike: “Non fat ice cream it is.” Maria: “SO NOW YOU’RE SAYING I’m FAT???” That man is in so over his head.

We get a split screen interview with Bayley and Nikki Cross. Nikki is so thankful to Alexa Bliss but Bayley calls Bliss out for lying. Cross doesn’t want to hear this but Cole interrupts and explains tonight’s Beat the Clock Challenge. Bayley is facing Sarah Logan and isn’t afraid of the chaos Logan brings. Nikki, facing Dana Brooke, knows that she is overpowered and outsized but she’ll beat Dana for Alexa.

R-Truth and Carmella are hunting for Drake Maverick. Truth is worried that Drake is going to show his baby some scary movies. This turns into a chorus of With My Baby Tonight as Drake and the mob run past them. The chase is on….with Truth and Carmella running the wrong way.

Viking Raiders vs. Colin Justin/Devin Justin

Powerbomb into a big splash gets two with Ivar pulling Devin up. It’s a powerbomb/World’s Strongest Slam combination into the Viking Experience for the pin at 1:21. Total and complete squash.

Post match it’s Drake and the Mob running into the ring with Heath Slater being destroyed. Truth thinks better of it and runs away with Carmella on his back again.

Roman Reigns isn’t worried about tonight’s tag match.

Ricochet vs. Luke Gallows

Non-title. Before the match, Ricochet talks about AJ Styles turning on him and the beatdown from last week. He knows that’s going to happen this week as well so all three of them can get out here. That’s exactly what happens too but AJ grabs a mic of his own. AJ tells Ricochet to appreciate the moment because Gallows is about to give him another beating. Speaking of appreciating the moment, here’s a clip from last week’s beatdown.

Back in the arena, Gallows wastes no time in hitting a big chokeslam. The chinlock goes on and Gallows turns him inside out on a clothesline. AJ is very, very pleased with this beating. Gallows loads up a fall away slam but Ricochet slips out and reverses into a sunset flip for the pin at 2:59.

Hang on though as AJ says Ricochet can leave or fight Karl Anderson RIGHT NOW.

Ricochet vs. Karl Anderson

Non-title again. Anderson runs Ricochet over this time and gets two off a clothesline. The chinlock goes on again as AJ is rather pleased again this time around. This time the comeback is cut off with the spinebuster and Gallows adds a right hand. Ricochet nails him with a flip dive, followed by the middle rope moonsault to Styles. Back in and Anderson hits the post, leaving Ricochet to hit the 630 for the pin at 4:30.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have the time to go anywhere and while I like the idea of Ricochet getting some momentum, I could have gone without having him beat both Good Brothers in a row. That being said, they didn’t have many other options and at least the first one looked more like a fluke. Anderson and Gallows will be fine as big lackeys anyway.

Post match AJ hits a brainbuster on Ricochet, followed by the Magic Killer. AJ says he’s a good guy and leaves, but Ricochet gets up so it’s a Phenomenal Forearm for his efforts.

Ad for Saturday’s Evolve ten year anniversary show.

Drake comes up to Michelle and says he survived the night. Truth and Carmella pop up out of a case and the chase is on again.

Shane and Drew offer a janitor $5000 to be Reigns’ partner. They’ll even give him a mask. That’s fine with him as long as he gets the $5000.

Bayley vs. Sarah Logan

Beat the Clock Challenge with whoever gets the fastest time getting to choose the stipulation for Bayley vs. Bliss. Bayley hits a quick high crossbody for two but Logan hits a pop up headbutt. A baseball slide puts Bayley on the floor and it’s back inside for Logan to crank on the leg. The CM PUNK chants begin as Bayley escapes but the comeback is cut off by a clothesline for one. Bayley fights up again and this a sunset bomb into the corner for the win at 4:32.

Rating: D. Can you blame the fans for being bored? This was the match that gets to be set against the other match with the winner of that getting to pick a stipulation for a title match with someone involved who isn’t in either of these matches. Just name a stipulation and stop coming up with excuses for short matches. It’s ok to have them, but one excuse after another comes off as dumb and the fans are going to get sick of it, especially under these circumstances.

Dana Brooke vs. Nikki Cross

The time is set at 4:32. Dana bails to the floor to start and hugs Bayley, who is fine with the collusion. Back in and a slingshot dropkick gives Nikki two but Brooke grabs a rollup for the same (and for some blatant spot calling). Dana slams her down but misses the Swanton, only to small package Cross for two. Not that it matters as the Purge finishes Brooks at 2:42.

Post match Cross wants Bayley in the ring to say something to her face. For weeks, Bayley has been trying to tell Nikki that Bliss is out to stab her in the back so Nikki is going to show her what friendship is. It’s going to be a 2-1 handicap match on Sunday with Nikki helping Bliss win the title back. Nikki suggests that Bayley find a friend to slap some sense into her, so Bayley slaps Nikki and hits the Bayley to Belly. Bayley even drops the top rope elbow. They’re teasing the heck out of Sasha Banks here and please….no.

We recap Corbin and Evans beating down Rollins and Becky earlier tonight.

Rollins and Lynch don’t like being asked about their personal lives about Sunday. They’re walking out as champions, just like they’re walking in. Rollins: “Uh, yeah. What she said.”

We look back at Kofi Kingston and Samoa Joe’s brawl on Smackdown.

The Street Profits predict some more matches but Dawkins has to tell Ford not to imitate the Rock. Dawkins picks Corbin and Evans to win and Ford stares blankly at the camera. Dawkins: “GOT HIM!” He really picks Becky and it’s time to sing about wanting the smoke.

Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns/Gary Garbutt

Before the match, Shane promises to destroy Reigns on Sunday. Drew says Reigns has no respect for anyone but he’ll beat some into Roman on Sunday. Shane introduces Gary with a list of accomplishments and we’re ready to go. Gary, in a mask and full body suit, is limping to the ring and holding his stomach so things aren’t going to go well here. Drew starts fast with a headbutt to Reigns but gets knocked into Gary for the tag.

Gary manages an enziguri but botches a springboard clothesline. The Neutralizer has Cole wondering who he is as Gary, the guy of Cedric Alexander’s size does Cedric Alexander’s offense (Is this some kind of a rib on Rhyno appearing at Slammiversary last night?). A big running flip dive takes Drew down and Gary hits a springboard crossbody on Shane. Drew comes back in with a Claymore though and Shane gets the pin at 2:13.

Post match Reigns unmasks Gary and of course it’s Cedric. That’s quite the non surprise to end the show. Sidebar: is Reigns hurt or something? Since Stomping Grounds he’s barely been in the ring and his appearances feel like they’re being kept short every time.

Overall Rating: D+. This was some weird hybrid of Heyman and Vince’s Raws and the end result was not pretty. There were ten matches on this show (including a 2/3 falls match) and more than half of them were too short to rate. I prefer a bunch of short matches, but don’t make it so obvious that you’re trying to have short matches and need a bunch of ways to get there. The no wrestling during commercial thing continues to be more annoying than useful but you know how Vince can be when he gets stuck on an idea.

The bigger problem continues to be the lack of a good top story. They have got to get past this mixed tag/Seth vs. Corbin thing in a hurry because it’s killing what could be an otherwise entertaining show. Throw in Shane and Drew hunting for a bad partner (Again, an acceptable enough idea, but where it the benefit in having Cedric under the mask if he’s going to lose just as fast as anyone else would have?) and it was hard to get behind the big stuff tonight. There were a lot of nice little things going on, but it felt like throwing as much as possible against the wall and seeing what stuck.

I can’t blame Heyman for how things are going yet because he still has to deal with the two top stories that just don’t work. Corbin and Shane are still the same problems they’ve been for months and Eddie Graham in his prime would have trouble making people care about them. Until they’re gone, it doesn’t make much of a difference what Heyman does. This show was better than a few weeks ago, but the same problems have have been around for weeks were around here again and there aren’t many ways around that.

Results

Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch b. Zelina Vega/Andrade – Stomp to Andrade

Miz/Usos b. Revival/Elias – Superfly splash to Dawson

Bobby Lashley b. Rey Mysterio – Spear

Cesaro b. No Way Jose – Sharpshooter

Viking Raiders b. Colin Justin/Devin Justin – Viking Experience to Colin

Ricochet b. Luke Gallows – Sunset flip

Ricochet b. Karl Anderson – 630

Bayley b. Sarah Logan – Sunset bomb into the corner

Nikki Cross b. Dana Brooke – Purge

Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre b. Roman Reigns/Gary Garbutt – Claymore to Garbutt

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Slammiversary XVII
Date: July 7, 2019
Location: Gilley’s Dallas, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

The company is back on pay per view and for the first time in a long time, I’m excited for the show. The card has been very well built and under the right circumstances, we could be in for a heck of a show. Tonight it’s Brian Cage defending the World Title against Michael Elgin but the match that has received the best build is Rich Swann’s X-Division Title defense against Johnny Impact. Let’s get to it.

The opening video, featuring that incredible voiceover guy from years ago, shows us a look back at the history of the company, which might not be the best idea in the world. It switches over to the modern stuff and things are looking a bit better.

We hear part of the announcer hyping up the crowd because we need to get in one minor production gaffe.

TJP vs. Willie Mack vs. Trey Miguel vs. Jake Crist

This is one fall to a finish and billed as an “X-Division style” match. Mack gets a heck of a reaction and it’s a double superkick to put Jake down. TJP kicks Mack in the face and snaps off a headscissors. Mack and Crist are sent outside so Jake hits a bouncing wristdrag to send TJP flying. It’s Mack coming back in for the standing moonsault but Jake sends him outside and takes over on TJP in the corner.

TJP grabs an Indian deathlock on Crist and loads up a DDT on Mack but Miguel runs in with a neckbreaker on Crist to put everyone down. Miguel grabs a hold on TJP and Crist at the same time but Mack breaks it up due to the annoyingness of such a spot. A slingshot dropkick staggers Mack but TJP gets knocked to the floor, allowing Mack to hit a slingshot dive. Crist joins them but gets caught with a 619 to the ribs. Back in and TJP breaks up the Tower of Doom (What a twist!), going with a surfboard on Miguel instead.

Crist dives on top of TJP for two but Mack comes in with a top rope double stomp to Miguel to break everything up. Miguel kicks Mack in the back of the head, leaving Crist to kick Miguel in the front of the head. Jake’s Death Valley Driver gets two on Mack but TJP is right back with the kneebar to Crist. Miguel breaks that up with a top rope Meteora but gets caught with Crist’s super cutter. Mack drops the frog splash though and Crist is done at 10:02.

Rating: B-. This was always going to be either Mack or TJP getting the win and Mack pinning Crist is as good of an ending as you could have had. The fans love Mack and he can go in the ring so hopefully he gets a push somewhere out of this. TJP didn’t take the fall and while he needed the win more, he was kept looking strong here, as were the other three as well.

The announcers run down the card. They know we’ve already paid for the show right?

We look at the North winning the Tag Team Titles on Friday night at Bash at the Brewery.

The North says no one should be surprised that they won. Ethan page is rather fired up here.

Tag Team Titles: The North vs. LAX vs. Rascalz

The North is defending, it’s Dezmond Xavier/Zachary Wentz for the Rascalz here and this is one fall to a finish. LAX jumps the North to start and the Rascalz add stereo suicide dives. Back in and LAX take over on the Rascalz with Santana hitting a rolling cutter on Xavier. The North is back with an ankle lock to Wentz with Page running interference to cut off save attempt.

Wentz rolls Alexander into Page for the break and it’s LAX coming in for the save off a double facebuster. Page slams Wentz off the top to save Alexander in a cool spot and everyone but Page is down. Dezmond goes up top to get Page but Alexander is back up with a tabletop superplex. A Swanton from Page gets two and it’s LAX taking over on the champs.

Alexander breaks up the Street Sweeper by sending Santana off the top and medics are IMMEDIATELY down to check on Santana’s knee. The North’s double Neutralizer gets two on Ortiz but Xavier makes the save. The shoving moonsault hits Ortiz but Page powerbombs Wentz onto the cover for the save, allowing the North to steal the pin and retain at 7:18.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure how smart it was to have back to back wild matches like this but it was another entertaining one. Santana’s knee was the big part of the match though as Josh was demanding that someone get out here and check on Santana just a few seconds after he crashed so you know it’s bad. The North aren’t likely to hold the titles for very long but it’s a smart move to have some fresh blood in the division.

Santana has to be helped to the back and this is likely a bad one.

Sami Callihan promises to treat Tessa Blanchard like an equal tonight and everyone is going to talk about it. They’re headlining tonight because…..I’m really not sure why.

We recap Killer Kross vs. Eddie Edwards. Kross broke Eddie’s kendo stick (Kenny) and pushed him over the edge even further. Sandman gave Eddie a new stick and Eddie attacked Kross, drawing blood. Tonight it’s first blood as Eddie embraces his inner violence.

Killer Kross vs. Eddie Edwards

First blood and Kross has gray face paint on for a change. Eddie hits him with the stick on the ramp and they start in a hurry. The chops and headbutts have Kross in more trouble and it’s already time for a chair. Kross knocks it away in a hurry and hits a chokebomb onto the apron. They get back in with Eddie hitting some suplexes and knocking Kross right back to the floor.

The suicide dive is cut off by a chair to the head and Eddie is down again. A gutwrench suplex off the apron onto a chair has Eddie screaming in pain (fair enough) but he avoids some big chair shots. Eddie pelts the other chair at Kross’ head and they head back inside again with Eddie not being able to hit the Blue Thunder Bomb. Kross sends him hard into the corner and asks Eddie where his stick is (that’s getting a bit personal).

A belly to back superplex tot he ramp is broken up for obvious reasons and Eddie hits the Boston Knee Party off the top. Eddie grabs Kenny but gets caught in the Krossjacket Choke as they fall to the floor. That means a tiger driver to plant Kross and they’re both down. Back in and Eddie hits some running knees to the head but stops to break Kenny in half. The jagged edges are stabbed into Kross’ mouth to draw blood for the win at 11:32.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one coming in and the match didn’t do much to change that. Some of the spots were cool but it was nothing that either of them hasn’t done better before. Eddie breaking Kenny was different, but it’s not exactly the most thrilling thing in the world. Kross felt like a dragon to be slayed and he’s been slayed before, so this didn’t have the impact that it could have.

Tessa Blanchard arrives and shoves the interviewer against the wall instead of answering a question.

Rob Van Dam says Moose is smart for wanting to fight him but tonight, there are consequences to his actions. Rob doesn’t like bullies and it’s time to show that he’s still Mr. Pay Per View.

We recap Moose vs. Rob Van Dam. Moose has promised to destroy the era of ECW so he beat up the ECW guys without breaking much of a sweat. Those guys added next to nothing to this and they would have been better off just setting up this match weeks ago instead.

Moose vs. Rob Van Dam

Moose, in his bright pink trunks and blue boots, takes Rob into the corner to start but gets kicked in the face to send him outside. That’s fine with Moose who tries the apron bomb but Rob reverses into a hurricanrana. The spinning kick to the back takes Moose down and it’s time to head back inside. This one works better for Moose as he chokes on the ropes and in the corner to slow things down a lot.

Rob gets sent hard into the corner twice in a row and it’s off to the chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry and Rob backdrops him onto the ramp. Back in and the split legged moonsault gives Rob two and the fans declare that he still has it. He does, but it’s not quite as fast or explosive as it once was. Moose’s chokebomb gets two and it’s a DDT into a nipup.

Moose tries his own Five Star but Rob rolls away and grabs his own DDT. A quick referee distraction lets Moose hit a low blow but the referee takes a chair away. Moose takes it back and eats the Van Daminator for two as the referee is rather lenient about the chair. The Five Star lands on the chair though and it’s No Jackhammer Needed to give Moose the pin at 13:53.

Rating: D+. Moose was trying here but there is no hiding the fact that Rob is closing in on being a shell of his former self. The natural athleticism is still there but he’s 48 years old and has been wrestling for a VERY long time. He still has name value….and that’s about it. Moose winning was exactly the right call but Rob is getting harder and harder to watch out there.

Taya Valkyrie yells at Melissa Santos and handles the interview herself. She is above a Monster’s Ball match but she’ll retain the title anyway.

We recap the Monster’s Ball match. James Mitchell has brought in Havok to help deal with Rosemary and wants the title while he’s here. Rosemary has agreed to help Taya in exchange for a title shot and now it’s a four way title match.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Jessicka Havok vs. Rosemary vs. Su Yung

Anything goes, Taya is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. It’s a brawl to start (as it should be) with Rosemary grabbing the Upside Down on Yung. Everyone but Havok heads outside and it’s already time to bring in the weapons. A trashcan shot sends Havok outside and it’s Taya stapling Yung in the back. That’s followed by a poster being stapled to Yung’s face and a knee to the face.

Taya is tied in the Tree of Woe and Havok neckbreakers her over an open chair for a nasty crash. Rosemary busts out the collar and gets tied to Yung, who sends her into the corner. It’s time for the bloody glove but Taya breaks it up with a ladder shot. Havok is sent face first into the ladder and the fans want tables.

Something close to a Tower of Doom sends Yung and Rosemary onto the ladder but Rosemary is up with a spear to Taya. It’s time for the thumbtacks and Taya faceplants Rosemary into them for a scary landing. Mitchell gets misted and it’s a Side Effect to send Rosemary through a table at ringside. Back in and Havok hits a super Tombstone ONTO THE TACKS to Yung but Taya steals the pin to retain at 11:43.

Rating: C+. The violence was good here and thankfully the super Tombstone was the finish as that’s not the kind of thing you’re going to top. Taya retaining was a bit of a surprise as there was so much carnage and she managed to sneak in and retain. It was fun while it lasted and they were smart to keep things moving instead of letting the show die after taking so much time.

We recap the X-Division Title, with Rich Swann winning the title and holding onto it for the last few months. Johnny Impact won the #1 contendership by winning Ultimate X over Wrestlemania weekend and is finally getting his title shot. Swann has grown a lot in recent weeks and this could be great.

Swann is ready but Impact comes in to mock him a bit and promise to win the title. Impact and John E. Bravo leave so Swann can promise to knock them back to Slam Town.

X-Division Title: Rich Swann vs. Johnny Impact

Swann is defending and Impact has Bravo with him. The champ headlocks Johnny to the mat to start, sending Impact bailing out to the floor. Back in and an exchange of flips send Impact right back to the floor, where Bravo grabs some of the thumbtacks from the previous match. With those tossed onto the mat, Impact gets in a cheap shot to take over. It’s out to the floor for the third time, though they’re back inside in a hurry so Impact can kick him in the head.

The chinlock goes on for a bit before Swann is back up with a kick of his own. A rolling DDT plants Impact and two more kicks to the head set up a running Phoenix splash (yes a standing one) for two on the champ. Impact gets sent outside for a big flip dive, followed by a top rope elbow for another near fall back inside. Back up and Impact slides between his legs but a springboard forearm is knocked out of the air.

They both go up top and fight over a superplex until an exchange of right hands knock them both off. Back in and Impact hits a standing Spanish Fly for two and frustration is setting in. Bravo’s attempt at interference earns him a big flip dive and a YOU DESERVE IT chant. Swann comes back in and gets caught with Moonlight Drive into Starship Pain for two more. A series of strikes stun Impact and a Lethal Injection takes him down. The Phoenix splash retains the title at 15:03.

Rating: B+. I’m rather surprised to see Swann win here but I’m also rather happy as it’s the kind of win that could launch him up the card. More importantly, this feud and win made the X-Division Title feel that much more important because A, Impact, a main event star, wanted the title and B, Swann successfully fought him off. The company has talked about wanting to make the X-Division feel more important for years now and for once they’re FINALLY doing something about it. Very good match too.

Michael Elgin is sick of waiting and sees a machine that keeps breaking down. Elgin has sent Brian Cage to the hospital three times. That three is appropriate, because tonight it will be 1-2-3 and a new World Champion.

We recap Elgin vs. Cage. Elgin debuted at Rebellion and attacked Cage right after he won the World Title. Cage has been on the shelf but has come back for the big old hoss fight with revenge on the line along with the title.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Michael Elgin vs. Brian Cage

Cage is defending. They waste no time in trading shots to the face with Cage getting the better of it. Some shoulders in the corner have Elgin in more trouble and a German suplex out of the corner makes it even worse. Elgin heads to the floor so it’s a running flip dive with Cage landing on his feet. Back in and Elgin hits his own dragon suplex to set up a heck of a superplex for two.

Cage gets driven into the corner as well and they head outside again for a ram into the barricade. Back in and Elgin misses a moonsault, as the camera cuts from a very wide shot to a regular shot right in the middle of the impact. Cage nails a superkick into the 619 to rock Elgin. A pumphandle faceplant gets two and it’s a Cheeky Nandos kick into an electric chair faceplant. Elgin is right back with a powerbomb and the crucifix bomb (two of the three powerbombs) for his own near falls.

The buckle bomb connects but Cage comes out with a discus lariat. Elgin wins an exchange of strikes to the face and scores with a Canadian Destroyer of all things for two. Cage is right back up (of course) with a knee to the face into a powerbomb into the F5 for two of his own. The Drill Claw doesn’t work as Cage’s back gives out so Elgin buckle bombs him again. The Elgin Bomb is loaded up but Cage reverses into a cradle for the pin to retain at 15:11.

Rating: B. I’ve always liked the hoss battles that end with a sudden wrestling move like this one. These two beat the fire out of each other until Cage won with a rollup of all things, which is some psychology to end a big match. I liked this as much as I was expecting to and it was exactly what it needed to be.

Post match Elgin lays him out and poses with the title. Elgin goes after Don Callis, which still isn’t as important as they think it is. Cue a masked man to spear Elgin down for the save. Now, the masked man looked like Rhyno, was built like Rhyno, hit a spear like Rhyno and did Rhyno’s signature pose after, but I’m not sure if it was Rhyno or not.

Bound For Glory is in Chicago on October 20.

We recap Callihan vs. Blanchard. Callihan is a horrible person and Blanchard is standing up to him, mainly because there are no women who are a real threat to her. I’m not sure why this is the main event as it’s only kind of unique and the match has certainly not received the biggest build.

Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard

They both have their own baseball bats. They stare each other down for over a minute before Tessa fires off the forearms to the face. A headscissors puts Sami on the apron and a dropkick sends him to the floor. The suicide dive is countered into a powerbomb though and Sami swings her into the barricade for a thud that made me cringe. A Death Valley Driver on the floor should knock Tessa cold but Sami slams her down instead.

That’s good for an eight count with Sami not even looking at the ring. Back in and Tessa hits a running neckbreaker but Sami runs her over. Tessa rolls up the ramp but she escapes a powerbomb into the crowd. The jumping cutter drops Sami on the ramp and a tornado DDT gives Tessa two back inside.

Sami scores with Get Outta Here and a knee to the face, setting up an STF. Tessa grabs the rope for the break and escapes a super powerbomb, meaning it’s a running Codebreaker out of the corner. The referee gets shoved away though and Sami hits her in the face with the bat for two.

The replacement referee gets knocked down as well and Tessa gets in her own bat shot. Magnum gets two so Tessa switches into a Crossface in the middle of the ring (Callis: “BREAK HIS NECK!”). That’s reversed into a kneeling Tombstone to give Sami two, allowing Tessa to give him thumbs up, thumbs down. The Cactus Special finishes Tessa at 15:01.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to think of this one. Tessa didn’t look overwhelmed and her offense was believable against Sami, which was the most important thing. That being said, this wasn’t exactly as epic as the build would have had you believe and it felt weird seeing this in the main event. Tessa fighting men going forward is fine, though they’re going to have to do this carefully to make sure it doesn’t go too far into the unbelievable.

Post match Sami bangs both bats together and hands Tessa hers before leaving to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Yeah it was quite good and that’s what matters most. This felt like an important show and it came off like a show that they don’t get to do very often. I would have gone with the X-Division Title match headlining the show, but what they did went fine enough. Impact feels like it’s on a roll right now, but their history suggests that they can’t maintain it. I’ll take some good shows while I can though and this was one of the best they’ve done in a very long time.

Results

Willie Mack b. TJP, Trey Miguel and Jake Crist – Frog splash to Crist

The North b. LAX and Rascalz – Push moonsault to Ortiz

Eddie Edwards b. Killer Kross – Broken kendo stick to the mouth

Moose b. Rob Van Dam – No Jackhammer Needed

Taya Valkyrie b. Rosemary, Su Yung and Jessicka Havok – Super Tombstone to Yung

Rich Swann b. Johnny Impact – Phoenix splash

Brian Cage b. Michael Elgin – Rollup

Sami Callihan b. Tessa Blanchard – Cactus Special

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

I don’t remember the last time I was actually looking forward to an Impact pay per view this much. They’ve done a rather nice job of setting this show up and Slammiversary tends to be their best pay per view of the year. The card is rather strong up and down and there are a few matches that could steal the show given the chance. Hopefully they can live up to the hype so let’s get to it.

Moose vs. Rob Van Dam

I’ve made my near disdain for bringing in Van Dam’s fellow ECW names rather well known at this point so I’ll leave them out in hopes that Impact does the same. This match could be a nice moment for Moose, who has always been flirting with the top of the card but never broken through to the next level. Beating Van Dam wouldn’t get him over the finish line permanently, but it would be a solid win for him.

I’ll take Moose to win as Van Dam should only be there to put people over at this point. Van Dam’s best days are behind him but he’s still a popular name and someone who can give someone like Moose a nice rub. It’s also rather nice that Impact seems to be beyond the point where I have to worry about them putting the old guy over, which was a plague upon them for so long. Moose wins here, as he should.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie(c) vs. Rosemary vs. Su Yung vs. Havok

This is under Monster’s Ball rules, which certainly fits given the insanity that this feud has been so far. There are all kinds of stories going on, but the major story stems from Rosemary looking to avenge Allie’s death, which is mainly due to Yung and James Mitchell. What matters here though is that the match is WIDE open and could go almost any given way.

I’ll go with Yung to win here, though it really could go multiple ways. She seems likely to sneak in and steal a pin, though I have very little confidence in it. That’s the sign of a well told story, as any of the four could win and it would make sense in any direction. This feud is going to continue and I’m ok with that, which isn’t something I would have believed just a few weeks ago. Not bad at all here and the match should be fun.

Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard

I’m not sure what to make of this one. Blanchard has shown that she is more or less completely dominant over the Knockouts division so it’s understandable that she is facing men. At the same time, Callihan is as scummy of a heel as you can get….but his random sexism feels out of place and not like the kind of villain that he is likely to be. It’s not ridiculous, but it doesn’t feel quite right.

I really see no reason for Callihan to win here, as Blanchard is the kind of person who could be a top star in the company. With her look, talent and pedigree, she already has all the tools and there is no real reason to have her lose her first big non-Knockouts match. I’m not sure where things are going to go with Blanchard, but if they play their cards right, she could be a big deal.

Eddie Edwards vs. Killer Kross

This is a First Blood match and a match that I haven’t been that interested in seeing. It’s fairly clear that Kross is taking Eli Drake’s spot in the feud and that’s as good of a move as they could have had. At least we’re likely to get a more violent match out of these two than Drake vs. Edwards would have been, which makes the First Blood stipulation make that much more sense.

I’ll go with Edwards winning here as it makes far more sense. Edwards has been built up for a little while now and needs a big win like this. With Kross already having contract issues with the company, I can’t imagine seeing the company giving him a win in such a major spot. Edwards wins, likely with the aide of Kenny II. Just let them go nuts and things will be as good as they could possibly be.

Tag Team Titles: The North(c) vs. LAX vs. Rascalz

The titles actually changed hands at one of the online shows and we’re now in a three way for the titles. That makes me wonder if something is up with LAX, who might be leaving for more AEW style pastures. There is nothing left for them to do in Impact so moving on might be the best call. That leaves you with two options to leave for the titles and one has something going for them.

I’m thinking the North retains here because they’re Canadian and Don Callis really likes wrestlers from that country. I’ve been a Rascalz fan since they debuted and would love to see them get the titles here, but something tells me that we need the North (what a great name) keep them for a little while longer. They’re not the worst idea in the world, but they’re far from the most interesting team around.

X-Division Title: Rich Swann(c) vs. Johnny Impact

This is the match I want to see more than any other and it could be an instant classic. Swann has gone from just another X-Division Champion to looking like a borderline main event talent in the span of a few weeks. Impact is a main event talent though and I’m not sure if Swann is ready to make the leap all the way up to the top level in the company just yet.

That’s why I’m going with Impact winning the title here, which is more than an acceptable choice to take. Swann can either come back and win the title again or move up to the World Title scene. After the last few weeks, he’s shown he’s capable of having up there so the move is the right call. Swann is talented and has potential, but Impact has already shown what he can do and is a fine choice to take the title from Swann in a great match.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Brian Cage(c) vs. Michael Elgin

Now this could be all kinds of fun. This is going to be two monsters hitting each other really hard until one of them can’t get up. Cage has been out of action for months now with his back injury but he looked great in his brawl with Elgin a few weeks back. I’m not entirely sure which way this is going to go but it’s going to be a heck of a match until we get to the ending.

With Cage winning the title at the last pay per view and not wrestling since, I’ll take him winning. That brings up the issue of who he is supposed to face next, but I can’t imagine them taking the title off of him in just his first defense. Elgin is a special kind of monster, but he’s going to be taking a loss to the new champ here, as he should be.

Overall Thoughts

I’m really liking the sound of this show and given Impact’s track record with its pay per views, it might actually be a reasonable level of excitement for a change. Almost nothing on the card looks bad and we could be in for a heck of a show. The company has gotten a lot better in its buildup and with the right kind of performance on the show, it could be one of the best pay per views they’ve had in a long time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 5, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

It’s the go home show for Slammiversary and things have been going fairly well around here. They’ve done a good job of setting up a lot of the pay per view matches while also giving us some good stuff on the regular shows. With some luck, that can continue this week as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

TJP vs. Ace Austin

Rematch from two weeks ago when TJP returned and handed Austin his first loss. Ace takes him down with a headlock to start but TJP rolls out without too much trouble. TJP is right back with a headlock on the mat but gets reversed into a headscissors. That means the always cool bouncing handstand escape as this is a match of counters so far.

A Sharpshooter with a pull of the arm is switched into a Muta Lock as TJP gets to show off even more. That’s broken up so TJP dropkicks him to the floor, only to miss a slingshot dropkick to the floor. Austin nails a Space Flying Tiger Drop (still love that name) and busts out a playing card for a paper cut between the fingers.

It’s time to crank on the arms but TJP flips out with a dropkick to the chest for a snazzy counter. Now the slingshot dropkick works but the Detonation Kick is countered. A running Trouble in Paradise drops TJP again and a rollup with a grab of the rope gets two. They trade kicks to the legs with TJP getting the better of it until he catches Austin in the kneebar for the tap at 12:06.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit disappointed in this one as Austin has been pretty cool but TJP is the kind of guy they can push the heck out of in the near future. The idea of him vs. either Rich Swann or Johnny Mundo at Bound For Glory in a 20 minute X-Division Title match more than works, and they’re certainly interested in pushing TJP.

Video on Michael Elgin vs. Brian Cage, which is going to be an eruption.

Johnny Impact isn’t worry about having John E. Bravo as his partner tonight against Rich Swann and Willie Mack. They’re Team Johnny and we get some Mega Powers impressions.

Announcers preview.

Kiera Hogan vs. Madison Rayne

Jordynne Grace is on commentary and Kiera has a rather similar walk to the ring/entrance as Tessa Blanchard. Madison starts fast with a pair of rollups for two each, sending Kiera outside for a breather. That means an argument with Grace, who gets shoved back into her seat. Back in and Kiera hits some running shots in the corner for two. Madison scores with an enziguri and a ripcord cutter for two of her own. Kiera grabs a rollup with her feet on the ropes but Grace breaks it up, leaving Kiera to grab a fisherman’s neckbreaker for the pin at 4:23.

Rating: D+. I’m still not feeling this feud as Kiera and Jordynne’s friendship lasted all of a month or so before the big heel turn. It’s nice that they have a feud outside of the title though, which is the problem for so many divisions in so many promotions these days. I doubt their match makes either pay per view, but it’s fine enough for a low level story.

Gama Singh gives Rohit Raju some special tea from a special tea set but the Deaners sneak in and replace it with whiskey. All three: “DEANERS!!!” Rohit: “It’s not bad.”

James Mitchell tries to keep Havok and Su Yung calm before Slammiversary.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Rosemary vs. Jade in Monster’s Ball at Genesis 2017.

Video on Monster’s Ball, which could make for an interesting twist in the already long story.

Video on Tessa Blanchard vs. Sami Callihan. Sami’s rampant sexism still feels out of nowhere.

Rohit Raju vs. Laredo Kid

Kid dives over hit to start but gets taken into the corner for some right hands to the face. A quick slam in the corner looks to set up a moonsault….and the bottom rope breaks. Thankfully they’re both fine and Raju grabs a fisherman’s neckbreaker into a Falcon’s Arrow. A snap suplex gives Raju two and Kid hits a headscissors to put him on the floor. That means a suicide dive but Kid misses a corkscrew moonsault. A jumping knee to the face sets up a top rope double stomp to the back to finish Kid at 4:33.

Rating: D+. It wasn’t much to see and that would have been the case with or without the broken rope. There is only so much you can do with these two as Raju has a firm ceiling over his head and didn’t seem to know how to do much with the very high flying Kid. At least the Deaners weren’t involved again though.

Video on Moose vs. Rob Van Dam.

Here’s Moose for a chat. Moose talks about being a big fan of Van Dam’s when he was a kid and he had a great time watching some of Van Dam’s matches. Now though, the fans are chanting for Moose because he’s been around the world and made millions of dollars too (I miss that dance). Van Dam calls himself the Whole F’N Show but Moose is Mr. Impact Wrestling. It’s been a few years since Van Dam has been on pay per view so now he can have a chance to prove himself.

Since Van Dam is probably a little fuzzy, we see a video of Moose having attacked Sabu. Cue Van Dam for the brawl but security breaks it up in a hurry. I still have no idea why the ECW names needed to be involved in this story. Until the visual with Sabu, the promo was a fine way to set up Moose vs. Van Dam on their own, and the visual just made Van Dam a bit angrier.

Trey Miguel vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. Zachary Wentz

Whoever takes the fall doesn’t get to wrestle in the Tag Team Title match on Sunday. I’ve heard worse ideas. They go for some early rollups to start and it’s time to start kicking away as they don’t mind fighting among themselves. Dezmond gets knocked down and Wentz hits a springboard corkscrew crossbody for two on Miguel. Trey sends Wentz outside for a hurricanrana through the ropes but a Dezmond distraction lets Wentz hit his own dive.

Back in and the Final Flash gets two on Wentz with Trey making the save (not the most logical move in the world). They go with the circle of strikes to the face until Trey gets knocked to the floor. Wentz’s running shooting star gets two and Trey runs back in with a running flip dive to both. Double low cutters give Trey two each but Wentz is back up in a hurry. Back to back superkicks to Miguel sets up the shoving moonsault for a double pin on Miguel at 7:03.

Rating: C+. The more I see from these two, the more I like them. They have a great chemistry together and they’re all awesome athletes, which makes for some outstanding matches. It’s not like Wentz is hurt from the loss as odds are they would use the Freebird Rule if they win the titles. I could go for this again, but I’ll take anything from these guys at the moment.

Everyone hugs post match.

Tessa Blanchard is here and she has her own baseball bat.

Video on Killer Kross vs. Eddie Edwards, which is over the broken Kenny the kendo stick.

Killer Kross is in a church and talks about the man who lost everything. That story has not been finished yet but that man is searching for his ultimate salvation. At Slammiversary, he will have the chance to die for his sins. You may now kneel before the Kross. He drinks from a chalice and seems to have blood flow out of his mouth.

Quick video on Rich Swann vs. Johnny Impact for the X-Division Title.

Slammiversary rundown. The card doesn’t look that bad.

John E. Bravo/Johnny Impact vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

Swann and Impact kick at each other to start until Swann scores with a dropkick. Mack comes in for an exchange of flips, capped off by Mack armdragging him down. A flapjack/bulldog combination plants Impact again but Bravo offers a distraction so Johnny can get a breather. Impact and Swann head outside with the Moonlight Drive planting Swann again. Bravo comes in for some stomping and posing before it’s right back to Impact for the chinlock.

It’s already back to Bravo for some right hands and a chinlock of his own. He even loads up his own Moonlight Drive, allowing Impact to come in with a running knee to the head. Swann drops Impact though and tags Mack for the big house cleaning. Bravo isn’t interested in tagging back in and it’s the Cannonball into a moonsault to give Mack two. The Flying Chuck drops Mack but he breaks through a double clothesline and brings Swann back in. A Stunner into the Phoenix splash gives Swann the pin on Bravo at 8:55.

Rating: C. This was a case where they only did what they should have done and the glorified handicap match worked perfectly fine. Swann continues to look like a star and the look on his face after the pin made him feel as big as he ever has. I want to see that match on Sunday more than anything else and Swann has gotten a ton out of this feud.

Sami Callihan and Jake Crist are celebrating Sami’s win over Tessa on Sunday. Callihan is annoyed that Dave Crist is taking too long to set up the Little Mermaid to calm down Madman Fulton when Tessa shows up with the bat to wreck their table. The fight is on and Jake grabs Tessa for the save. Sami loads up a bat shot but Tessa escapes and hits her own bat shot on Callihan to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This is a show where the point was to make you want to see the pay per view on Sunday. That was accomplished as well as they have done it in a long time with a very strong go home show. I’m looking forward to Slammiversary and I can’t remember the last time I’ve said that about a show from this company. This was a great go home show and served as an outstanding commercial for the show. I’m impressed, and that doesn’t happen very often around here.

Results

TJP b. Ace Austin – Kneebar

Kiera Hogan b. Madison Rayne – Fisherman’s neckbreaker

Rohit Raju b. Laredo Kid – Top rope double stomp to the back

Dezmond Xavier/Zachary Wentz b. Trey Miguel – Shoving moonsault

Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. John E. Bravo/Johnny Impact – Phoenix splash to Bravo

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: July 3, 2019
Location: ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington
Commentator: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re past Best in the World and other than commentary saying “we’re past Best in the World and it was awesome”, you probably won’t be hearing anything about the show because this was taped in advance. It’s another stand alone show and odds are the NWA will be getting a focus, though that’s not the worst thing in the world. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a very quick video on tonight’s main event of Mark Haskins vs. Jeff Cobb.

Opening sequence.

Jay Briscoe vs. PCO

They go with the exchange of shoulders and uppercuts to start until Jay kicks him in the face. A backdrop sends PCO outside, which just seems to get on his nerves so he chops away even more. Another backdrop sends PCO back first onto the apron though and we take an early break. Back with Jay swearing as he’s cut in something close to White Noise. Some running shots to the face and a forearm to the back put Jay down.

The Cannonball gets two and Jay gets in even more trouble with a Cactus Clothesline to send both of them outside. A running flip dive through the ropes drops Jay again but he’s right back with a hot shot onto the barricade. Jay puts him in a chair for a running crossbody but gets yelled at for bringing the chair inside. The slugout goes to PCO, who hits a pop up powerbomb and goes up for the PCOsault. Jay is right back up with a chair shot though and that’s the DQ at 10:50.

Rating: C-. Not a bad power match here with Jay being the kind of guy who can put over a million people and still be one of the biggest stars the company has ever seen. PCO on the other hand could still be in the World Title scene and there is no reason to have him lose clean. Throw in the Briscoes vs. NWA story and this was a well booked match, although not the most thrilling.

Post match Mark Briscoe comes out and it’s a Froggy Bow to put PCO through a table.

Mark Haskins says he and his family need him to beat Jeff Cobb.

Cobb promises to suplex Haskins back to England.

Brian Johnson promises Josh Woods that he’ll bring honor to the Top Prospect Tournament and not be a failure like Woods. A glare sends Johnson running.

Coast 2 Coast vs. Shane Taylor/Bully Ray

Ray tells Bobby Cruise to get out of the ring because he’ll do his own entrance. Hold on though as Ray needs to go to the floor to yell at a kid. Taylor and Ali start things off nearly two minutes into the match with Ali slapping him in the face. Some strikes work a bit better but Taylor easily catches a crossbody. LSG comes in for some forearms to the back and we take a break.

Back with Ray crotching Ali against the post and Taylor adding a headbutt as the slow offense can continue. Ray takes way too long winding up the Bionic elbow and gets superkicked in the chest. He’s fine enough to hit the powerbomb but misses a splash, allowing the tag to LSG. House is cleaned, including a high crossbody for two on Taylor and a double superkick to send Bully outside. Back to back frog splashes get two more on Taylor but Ray breaks up Coast to Coast (the second move that Ian said gave the team their name). Greetings From 216 finishes Ali at 10:27.

Rating: C. Better than the opener but Taylor and Ray as some of the top heels in the company isn’t interesting. Ray feels like someone who is there because he has to be whether you want him there or not. Taylor feels like a monster, but he’s coming off like Ray’s far too talented enforcer. I get why Ray is here, but there’s a firm limit to how far things are going with him as the big heel.

We look at Tracy Williams winning a four way match to earn a World Title shot next week.

Mark Haskins vs. Jeff Cobb

Cobb wrestles him down to the mat without much effort but Haskins pulls him into an ankle lock, which leaves Cobb impressed. Another technical exchange gives us a standoff and we take a break. Back with a chop off going to Cobb but his standing moonsault is blocked. Haskins reverses a powerbomb attempt into a triangle choke but he sends Haskins fast first into the buckle in a rather strong counter.

Haskins fights out of a bearhug and leapfrogs over a charging Cobb to send him outside. The suicide dive connects and a top rope double stomp is good for two. Cobb forearms him in the back though and nails a spinning piledriver for two of his own. Back from another break with Haskins starting in on the arm with a stomp and a cross armbreaker. Cobb bails to the floor for the escape so Haskins kicks the arm from the apron. That’s fine with Cobb, who grabs the spinning belly to back onto the floor.

They both dive in at nineteen and Cobb catches him with a snap German suplex. The standing moonsault crushes Haskins’ back but the Tour of the Islands is blocked again. Haskins can’t get the Sharpshooter so he settles for a Samoan driver for two instead. Cobb catches him on top but Haskins blocks the superplex attempt. A Kimura is blocked so Haskins settles for knocking him off the top. The double stomp misses again though and it’s the Tour of the Islands to finish Haskins at 16:05.

Rating: B. Rather good match here with the two of them playing off of each other well. It takes a lot to make Cobb sweat so Haskins looked strong in defeat. They played well with the back vs. the arm and both guys trying to hit their finisher until Cobb got his was all you needed it to be.

Overall Rating: C+. This was an easy show to watch with three matches that showcased different people. It gets annoying having to wait forever to get to the big storyline stuff, but it means less Matt Taven and that’s just good news these days. It’s pretty clear that the top storylines aren’t working at the moment (the attendance for this show was a disaster, as was the case at Best in the World) so going with the wrestling is the best idea they have.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: February 3, 2005
Location: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California
Attendance: 9,200
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s always nice to see a birthday show. This was taped after Raw on Monday so the fans are going to be a little more worn out than usual. We’re coming off of the Royal Rumble where JBL retained the World Title, but now he has a barbed wire cage match with Big Show. Oh and John Cena, who was the runner up in the Rumble and clearly the next top challenger. Let’s get to it.

Here are Sunday’s results if you need a recap.

We’re not wasting time this week as here’s Cena, with a censored hat, to open things up. Cena talks about this being a chain gang town before talking about being controversial. He references the hat (looked like the Ruck Fules hat) being controversial and throws it into the crowd. Since he’s always involved in controversy, it makes sense that he was in the end of a controversial Royal Rumble. That’s in the past though because Batista was the winner. Cena wants him to come to Smackdown because the champ is here.

Instead, here’s Theodore Long for a chat. There is a chance that Batista is coming to Smackdown but just in case he doesn’t, the WWE Champion will need a #1 contender. Therefore, tonight we’re starting an eight man #1 contenders tournament. If Batista comes over anyway, the title match will be a triple threat. Cue a ticked off JBL to say that the champ is here now. JBL yells at Long about the cage match and takes credit for all of Smackdown’s success. AND DON’T CALL HIM DAWG.

Long says the tournament is still on and next week it’s Orlando Jordan vs. John Cena in at first round match. JBL: “You didn’t tell me Orlando was in it!” Long: “You wouldn’t shut up!” As for Cena, it’s too bad that he doesn’t make it beyond the first round but he doesn’t deserve it anyway. The fans tell JBL to shut up but he goes on about how Cena will never get a WWE Title shot because he isn’t in JBL’s league. Jordan charges at Cena and gets thrown to the floor, followed by an FU to JBL. Just in case you needed to wonder who was winning the tournament.

Here’s Kurt Angle for the Invitational, but first he talks about how much fun it was to beat up Shawn Michaels at the Royal Rumble. He stopped the Showstopper and made Shawn suffer so it was a good night. Next week his Road to Wrestlemania begins with a first round match in the tournament. As for tonight though, here’s the hometown challenger.

Kurt Angle vs. Nunzio

Nunzio says he told the other kid to stay in the back because he wants revenge for Angle taking his spot. Angle is so intimidated that he pulls his straps back up before taking Nunzio down by the arm. Another takedown is reversed into a rollup to give Nunzio two and now Angle is annoyed. The first suplex sets up the ankle lock and the grapevine makes Nunzio tap in a hurry.

Video on WWE coming to Japan.

Angle is pleased with his win and is ready to face Mysterio next week. Then he finds out that his second round opponent could be the Undertaker, meaning it’s time to talk strategy with Luther Reigns.

Carlito tells Long that he has sent in the petition, meaning Long will be in Connecticut next week, explaining his actions to the Board of Directors.

Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Jindrak

Mysterio crawls between the legs a few times to start and makes Jindrak charge into some boots in the corner. Possibly inspired by Rey, Jindrak hits a boot of his own (the left leg for a weird sight) but has to block the 619. A hard whip into the corner has Rey down again and we hit the chinlock.

One heck of a left hand gives Jindrak two and we hit the hip swivel. That means a takedown and basement dropkick into the springboard seated senton for two. Jindrak grabs a pop up backbreaker for two but Mysterio starts kicking at the leg. Another dropkick sets up the 619 but the West Coast Pop misses. That’s fine with Rey as it’s a headscissors into the corner, setting up a rollup to finish Jindrak.

Rating: C. Better than I was expecting here as Jindrak’s athleticism was on at least half display here. Mysterio was looking rather crisp here as well with someone different to work against. Having Mysterio beat one of Angle’s lackeys makes sense as a way to set up next week’s tournament match too.

Amy Weber gives Joy Giovanni a $200 dry cleaning bill for ruining her dress last week. If Joy doesn’t pay, the Bashams will make Big Show pay instead.

Wrestlemania Eugene/Forrest Gump ad.

Basham Brothers vs. Big Show

Show chops and tosses Danny to start so Doug tries his luck instead. Show throws him around too but charges into some boots in the corner. A high crossbody gives Danny two and Doug hammers away in the corner to some avail. Danny tries to bring in a chair but it gets punched into his head. The chokeslam finishes Doug.

Rating: D. This wasn’t as bad as Batista squashing the stuffing out of La Resistance but it wasn’t much better. Big Show was never in any danger here and he beat up the champs in short order. It’s not like the titles are strong in the first place so why have them lose like this? Get jobbers, get another team, have Show fight them one at a time. Just don’t have him beat them up this badly.

We get the announcement of some of the Hall of Fame Class of 2005:

Paul Orndorff

Iron Sheik

Nikolai Volkoff

Bob Orton

Jimmy Hart

Not a bad class, but it needs the big name.

Here are the tournament brackets:

Rey Mysterio

Kurt Angle

Undertaker

Rene Dupree

Orlando Jordan

John Cena

Booker T.

Eddie Guerrero

#1 Contenders Tournament Quarterfinals: Rene Dupree vs. Undertaker

Undertaker headlocks him to start as the announcers talk about writing on trunks. As Tazz decides that Cole’s trunks would say Pony Pants, here are Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak to watch from ringside. We take a break and come back with Undertaker working on the arm, setting up Old School. Dupree manages to send him outside though and a bit of dancing distracts the referee long enough for Jindrak and Reigns to stomp away. An ax handle off the apron is countered into a ram into the post though and the apron legdrop connects.

The running big boot in the corner misses though and Dupree starts in on the leg. A scoop powerslam sets up the French Tickler but Undertaker sits up. Undertaker’s running DDT sets up the triangle choke but he has to go after Jindrak and Reigns instead. Dupree falls outside as Undertaker beats the other two up. Reigns grabs Undertaker’s leg to keep him from getting back inside though and it’s a double countout.

Rating: D+. You know, this felt like a match that should have been boring but Dupree gave it everything he had and got as much out of it as possible. There is only so much you can do to make Undertaker vs. Dupree believable and they came as close as they could to making it work. The downside though: Undertaker vs. Jindrak/Reigns.

Big Show is looking forward to destroying JBL at No Way Out because JBL is right where he wants him. He’d love to face Batista at Wrestlemania.

Booker T. isn’t happy with Eddie Guerrero for eliminating him from the Royal Rumble. He can make up for it by advancing in the tournament though.

New Wrestlemania ad with HHH as Braveheart. Ric Flair pops up at the end to pull a donkey.

#1 Contenders Tournament Quarterfinals: Eddie Guerrero vs. Booker T.

Cole: “Who will be brave of heart in this next match?” They take their time to start with Booker being kicked away from the leg. Eddie suplexes his way out of a headlock and grabs one of his own as they seem to have a lot of time here. A suplex gets Booker out of trouble as well and we hit the chinlock. Booker gets two off an elbow to the jaw but walks into a flapjack. It’s way too early for the frog splash though and we take a break with Booker rolling to the floor.

Back with Eddie hitting the slingshot hilo but getting caught on top with a superplex. A top wristlock is broken up with Booker being sent head first into the buckle so it’s a sleeper to keep Eddie in trouble instead. Eddie fights up but misses a charge to send him crashing outside in a heap. Booker sends him into the steps and grabs the Book End back inside but Eddie gets a foot on the rope.

The comeback is on with some dropkicks and Three Amigos but the frog splash misses. The referee gets kicked down and Booker’s ax kick gets a very delayed two. Eddie shoves Booker into the referee for a second bump before dropping to the mat, clutching his knee. Booker yells at the referee but smiles because he knows what Eddie is doing. Eddie’s suplex is countered into a rollup with tights to give Booker the pin.

Rating: C+. This one took some time to get going and they were going slowly, but it was the kind of slowly that helped a lot when they got to the more intense parts at the end. The ending was rather nice too as I love when a wrestler thinks during a match. Booker was smart here and that’s not something you get enough of in wrestling. He was smart enough to know exactly what Eddie was doing and caught him using his own game.

Overall Rating: D+. They’re not hiding the fact that Cena is the next guy but it’s going to take some time to get there. No Way Out is kind of a necessary evil at this point as the show isn’t going to mean anything but it would be far too much waiting around to build Cena vs. JBL. That’s where we’re going, but it’s going to take some time to get there, which isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #64
Date: June 29, 2019
Location: Waukesha County Expo Center, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Commentators: Jim Cornette, Rich Bocchini

It’s another Contra show here and that means things could get interesting again. This time around it’s Josef Samael vs. World Champion Tom Lawlor as Lawlor gets ready for his showdown with Jacob Fatu for the World Title next week. Samael is the designated fall guy so you can probably guess what is coming tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video from Contra, threatening to destroy Lawlor tonight.

Opening sequence.

Marshall and Ross Von Erich come to commentary to say they’ll have Lawlor’s back.

Adam Brooks vs. Austin Aries

The hometown boy Aries now has a thicker beard and is in the long tights this time. Aries catches a kick to the leg to start and takes Brooks to the mat as we go with some amateur stuff. Brooks gets a hammerlock but Aries reverses into a front facelock. A hard armdrag puts Brooks back down and it’s a basement dropkick to send him outside. Brooks sends him into the corner and hits a sliding dropkick of his own.

A springboard Stunner gives Brooks two and a low superkick keeps Aries down on the floor. Back in and Aries gets in a shinbreaker into a belly to back suplex to put Brooks in trouble. Some knees to the head keep Brooks down and Aries hits the middle rope elbow to Brooks’ seated back. The neckbreaker over the ropes sends Brooks to the floor but the suicide dive is blocked with a forearm.

Brooks gets in a slingshot DDT but can’t follow up. Aries is right back with the Horns of Aries (Last Chancery) until Brooks makes the rope. Brooks sends him to the apron but dives into a Death Valley Driver onto the apron, with Cornette going into a rant about how dangerous that is. He’s right you know. The 450 hits Brooks’ knees though but his Swanton hits Aries’ knees. A discus forearm sets up the brainbuster to give Aries the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C+. Aries may not have the best backstage attitude but he is one of the best in-ring performers around today. You’re all but guaranteed to get a watchable (at worst) match and he’s a good hand to have around here. He can do just about anything from carry the World Title to feud for the midcard or Middleweight Title. That’s a very valuable asset to have and Aries is someone who can do it.

Post match Aries is interviewed by says don’t interrupt the fans, who continue their AUSTIN ARIES chants. Aries talks about how he doesn’t put his life on social media but that doesn’t mean he’s been sitting at home. This is professional wrestling instead of sports entertainment or cosplay wrestling. He is the last real magician of professional wrestling because he can make everyone believe.

That’s why he’s here in MLW, which is the only place that follows the weight limits. He’s been the World Heavyweight Champion several times but he hasn’t been a heavyweight a day in his life. Aries is a middleweight, and that’s bad news for Teddy Hart. I’m more than down for that.

We look back at the Dynasty attacking Teddy Hart and stealing his Tag Team Title last week.

The Dynasty was in Martha’s Vineyard at a house Richard Holliday’s dad bought after he shut down an orphanage. Alex Hammerstone is going for a Hogan tan. Holliday: “87 or 91?” Oh and they’re the Tag Team Champions because possessions is nine tenths of the law. MJF and Aria Blake leave to go, ahem, fix her nails.

Samael is out for Lawlor’s blood before Jacob Fatu takes the title.

Savio Vega is coming.

We look back at last week’s wild six man tag and the wilder post match brawl.

Jacob Fatu vs. Ariel Dominguez/Sam Black

Fatu jumps them both while the music is still playing. An overhead belly to belly sends Dominguez flying and a superkick drops Black. A crazy high pop up Samoan drop plants Dominguez and it’s the double springboard moonsault (perfect) for the pin at 1:20. Fatu looked outstanding here.

Post match the beatdown is still on with the rest of Contra running in to take both jobbers out.

Salina de la Renta doesn’t want to talk about a goat f***** (uncensored) like Mance Warner. With her voice changing, she talks about how she knows how hard it is for men to see a 22 year old woman in control.

Kings of Colosseum rundown, with an open challenge from Hammerstone, Myron Reed vs. Rey Horus and a live Jim Cornette Experience with Salina.

Mance Warner is looking forward to the 4^th of July and promises to take care of Salina and Promociones Dorado. It’s time to start headhunting and the fireworks are starting when he comes after the team. The beer goes down and the hat goes around as Mance promises to have blood running down his hands. After he mows his lawn that is. Rather good promo from Mance here, who sounds like he is speaking as himself every time.

Tom Lawlor vs. Josef Samael

Non-title and Salina (in a completely different outfit and with her hair done differently) is watching in the back with Ricky Martinez. The fight starts fast with Lawlor knocking him down but getting chopped in the corner. That’s fine with Tom, who comes back with shots of his own with one big one knocking Samael outside. Lawlor sends him into the barricade and post and is even smart enough to block the low blow on the way back inside.

Samael manages to get in a whip to send Lawlor throat first into the ropes and the champ is in trouble. One heck of a clothesline blasts Lawlor and we hit the camel clutch. With that not going far enough, Samael pulls Lawlor’s head against the post. Lawlor comes back with a suplex and we cut to the back to see the Von Erichs fighting the rest of Contra. Back in the arena, Samael’s spike gets caught in the turnbuckle so Lawlor spinwheel kicks him down. Lawlor grabs the spike and shoves the referee down for the DQ at 7:50.

Rating: C. This was all it needed to be. They didn’t need to do anything more here other than keep Lawlor fighting and have Contra cause more chaos. It’s clear that Fatu is the real star of the team and that’s the reason why he’s getting the big title shot against Lawlor. I can’t imagine that match goes to a finish, but the ending could be interesting.

Post match the brawls are still on in the back and in the arena to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. It says a lot when a minute long squash pushed the show that much further up the line but Fatu looked that impressive. What mattered here was getting things ready for the big title match at Kings of Colosseum. Couple that with the first steps towards Aries vs. Hart and things are looking up around here. This place has gotten rather good in a hurry and they’re getting ready to move up on the list of best promotions around at the moment. Not bad for a company that really relaunched fifteen months ago.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: July 2, 2019
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Aiden English

We have a new #1 contender with Tony Nese earning the right to face Drew Gulak for the title at Extreme Rules. That could make for an entertaining match, but what isn’t around here? 205 Live has turned into one of the best shows WWE puts out every week and it’s a shame that fewer people don’t see it. Let’s get to it.

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

We open in the back where Nese is giving Jack Gallagher and Oney Lorcan a pep talk before tonight’s six man tag. Gallagher is ready to team with Nese and the serious Lorcan wants to give Ariya Daivari some stitches.

Opening sequence.

Lucha House Party vs. Singh Brothers

Tornado tag with Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado for the House Party. It’s a dance/pose off to start before the House Party punch them out to the floor. The Singhs get chopped a lot until it’s Metalik kicking away at Sunil back inside. Dorado comes back in and throws Metalik onto Sunil for two as Sumir comes back in for a save. That’s fine with Dorado, who hits a springboard moonsault for two of his own.

Something like a reverse hart Attack gets two on Sumir but Sunil crotches Dorado to break up the rope walk elbow. A double suplex gets two and a spinwheel kick sets up some hip swiveling. Some kicks keep Metalik down and, of course, that means it’s time for dancing, because that’s what the Singh Brothers do. A top rope Demolition Decapitator (Nigel: “BUENOS NOCHES!!!”) gets two as Dorado seems to have fallen into a hole somewhere.

As Metalik gets sent outside, Dorado FINALLY comes back in to break up some more hip swiveling. A high crossbody gets two with Sunil making a save of his own. The Golden Rewind puts Sumir down but the luchadors get double superkicked out of the air. Sunil brings in the Boscar trophy, which is taken away by Kalisto. The Metalik Driver sets up the rope walk DDT/a shooting star press for the stereo pins at 10:52.

Rating: C-. It wasn’t bad but this did a lot to expose the Singh Brothers as little more than a one note act. They did very little other than their dancing and that’s not enough to carry a ten minute match. The Bollywood Boys deal is fine, but come up with a better way to present that during the matches.

Video on Humberto Carrillo.

Mike Kanellis doesn’t want to talk about his loss on Raw. He and Maria aren’t speaking at the moment because last night should have been the greatest moment of his life but she called him a disappointment. Mike is disappointed, but in Drake Maverick. It’s all his fault and Drake is sitting on a beach with his wife when Mike should be celebrating great news with the Cruiserweight Title. Maverick is going to pay.

Jack Gallagher/Oney Lorcan/Tony Nese vs. Ariya Daivari/Drew Gulak/Mike Kanellis

Nese and Gulak start things off but Mike is brought in with no contact. Gallagher comes in as well and they finally lock up over a minute in. Mike works on the arm and shoulders Gallagher down, only to have Gallagher tie himself in a ball on the mat. With that perplexing Mike, it’s off to Lorcan for some hard chops in the corner. Mike wants more chops and hits a clothesline, allowing the tag to Daivari. Some right hands set up a double suplex to give Gulak two as the villains start taking their turns.

Lorcan finally gets away and makes the tag to Nese so the pace can pick up. Nese’s springboard moonsault is broken up with a shove onto Lorcan, Gallagher and Daivari so the villains can take over again. Back in and Gulak grabs an armbar on Nese and it’s off to Daivari to pummel Nese some more. Nese small packages Kanellis for two, earning himself a hard clothesline to take him right back down.

A running corner clothesline sets up a superkick into an assisted Iconoclasm for two on Nese, which FINALLY draws in Gallagher to break up the triple team. With Gallagher on the apron again, Nese gets in a sitout powerslam and the hot tag brings in Lorcan. The running Blockbuster gets two on Daivari and Gallagher’s falling headbutt gets the same. Lorcan hits the big flip dive onto everyone but Daivari dives onto Lorcan plus everyone.

Nese follows suit and of course it’s Gallagher busting out the umbrella for the Mary Poppins Drop. Back in and a top rope headbutt gives Gallagher two on Daivari. Lorcan and Daivari fight to the back, leaving Gallagher to headbutt Gulak. Nese misses the 450 and Kanellis comes in for the two count (Nigel: “FOR THE LOVE OF MARIA!!!”). Nese is right back up with the sunset driver for the pin at 18:11.

Rating: C+. There was a lot of action in here and it was nice to see a match get this kind of time. Kanellis failing again is going to wind up being an interesting story, if nothing else just because Maria can yell at him in a very entertaining way. Now just get to some hot matches down the line and everything will go well.

Post match Gulak lays out Nese as Lorcan and Daivari are fighting on the ramp. The three fights go over the announcers’ table and Kanellis is sent into the steps to end the show with the violence rolling.

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t a great show and the main event was only pretty good instead of awesome but I’ll take a pair of watchable matches any day. 205 Live has some weird stretches where the shows aren’t as interesting when the title match is set because it takes over a lot of the show. What we got here covered a lot of that with the six man tag, but Nese vs. Gulak isn’t the most thrilling title match in the world. Skippable show this week, albeit with a good ending. Oh and where is Chad Gable? Is he coming back?

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

A few ideas for the new bosses.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-can/

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 31, 2005
Location: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California
Attendance: 9,200
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

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

Opening sequence.

Here are HHH and Ric Flair to open things up. Flair talks about how HHH knows he’s the greatest no matter what anyone thinks. Shawn Michaels came around and people started saying that HHH was “arguably” the greatest that ever lived. After last night though, there is no doubt about who the greatest of all time really is. HHH says Orton wasn’t quite destined to be the greatest because HHH is destiny. He could talk about how great he is but everyone knows it already.

That wasn’t all that happened last night though because something special happened. It’s the kind of thing that people are going to talk about decades from now. Therefore, here is Batista, the winner of the Royal Rumble, rocking a suit. HHH brags about Batista winning the Rumble, throwing John Cena out three times just to make the point clear. He’s proud of Batista because this is what they talked about from the beginning.

At first Batista was a guy with muscles in a t-shirt but now he has Armani suits, a Rolex watch, a Mercedes-Benz and women. Greatness gravitates to greatness and he’s a product of HHH after all. At Wrestlemania, it will be HHH’s honor to defend the title against Batista. After a smile, Batista says he’s glad to hear what HHH thinks of him. Now, let’s hear what Batista thinks of HHH.

We cut to a JBL promo from last night with JBL saying Batista can come to Wrestlemania and take a beating from the champ. As good as Batista is, he is not in JBL’s league. HHH doesn’t like what JBL said and tells Foghorn Leghorn that all Batista would have to do to be WWE Champion is come face JBL. However, he is NOT going to Smackdown because they’re having their big match at Wrestlemania. Batista never got to say anything after JBL’s promo. The pieces continue to fall into place.

Intercontinental Title: Shelton Benjamin vs. Simon Dean

Benjamin is defending. Dean hammers away to start as JR talks about him being a sponsor of the show. How you quickly transition from sponsor to title contender isn’t clear. Shelton fights back but Simon gets caught pulling something out of his bag. With the referee taking that away, Dean gets the bag up to block a Stinger Splash for two. Not that it matters as the Dragon Whip retains the title in a hurry.

Post match Simon says the only reason that happened was Shelton uses the Simon System. That earns him an exploder suplex to send him down to the lowest of the lower card for good.

HHH yells at Eric Bischoff about who put up that JBL clip. It turns into a threat, which Bischoff doesn’t like.

Wrestlemania Recall: Butterbean kills Bart Gunn’s career dead and knocks the Brawl For All into the vault for good.

Christy Hemme shoots off a t-shirt gun but here’s Edge to cut her off. Edge doesn’t like Christy playing dumb like this but it can’t be that hard for her. He wants to see what kind of shirts they are so Christy shows him that it’s a Wrestlemania XXI shirt. Edge rants about how he dominated the Royal Rumble by eliminating the most people and coming down to the final three, all after beating Shawn Michaels. Christy is panicking as Edge yells so violence is threatened.

Cue Shawn to make the save but he also wants to talk about Edge being embarrassed. What is embarrassing is saying that Edge beat him last night. Then Kurt Angle threw him out and busted him open, so yeah, Shawn has some pent up frustration. Therefore, he needs to let some of that out tonight in San Jose. Shawn already has a tag match tonight but he’s willing to work twice in one night twice in a row. Edge says no so Shawn superkicks him. That’s one way to shut someone up.

Maven vs. Hurricane

Hurricane shrugs off some kicks to the ribs and takes him down with a shoulder. A headscissors is countered into a side slam (not bad) and Maven stays on the back with a running forearm. Hurricane fights out of a chinlock but misses the Blockbuster. Maven finishes with the yet to be named Backstabber. Not very good, but it’s clear they’re done with Maven anyway.

Maria and Candice find Gene Snitsky in the women’s locker room….and he likes their shoes.

We look at Kane and Snitsky interfering in the Heidenreich vs. Undertaker casket match from last night.

Bischoff demands that Coach find out who played the JBL video. Theodore Long comes in and Bischoff accuses him of playing the tape to steal Batista from Raw. That’s exactly right but he had nothing to do with the tape. Long has already made a lucrative offer to Batista to face either JBL or Big Show. It sounds to him like Batista is Smackdown bound. Holla holla holla.

Randy Orton and Stacy Keibler have a forced flirty conversation about Orton’s tag match. Orton has to do it because this is what he does. From a kayfabe perspective, why is Stacy there? She hasn’t wrestled a regular match since October, she isn’t managing anyone and she just kind of hangs around the show. At least Christy comes out and does some official stuff occasionally.

Tag Team Titles: Chris Jericho/Chris Benoit vs. La Resistance

La Resistance is defending. Jericho elbows Conway in the face to start but it’s too early for the Walls attempt. Benoit comes in for a nice reaction and gets elbowed down, allowing Grenier to come in and stomp away. A Crossface attempt is broken up with a cheap shot and Grenier cranks on Benoit’s neck. That’s broken up and Benoit hits an enziguri, allowing the tag off to Jericho.

Grenier comes in as well and Jericho orders him to “COME ON FRENCHIE!” A bulldog takes Martin down but the Lionsault misses. Everything breaks down and Jericho tries the Walls on Grenier but has to switch to Conway to cut off a belt shot. Benoit and Conway fight to the floor as Jericho gets the Walls but Conway comes back in for the save. That’s enough for the double DQ and the fans are rather annoyed.

Rating: D. The Tag Team Titles are dying a horrible death here as the champs are lame ducks but don’t really have anyone else to drop the titles to. That left Jericho and Benoit fighting at half speed (at most) so they didn’t blow the champs away and that doesn’t help anyone. They need to find someone fresh for the titles soon because this is just sad.

Chris Master is coming. Maybe he can make a new vignette during this long delay.

Here are Muhammad Hassan and Daivari for their usual complaining, though this time Hassan can complain about last night. That is proof of the discrimination so tonight he wants to fight any American.

Muhammad Hassan vs. Sgt. Slaughter

Slaughter shoves a ranting Daivari down before the bell and gets the cobra clutch in a hurry. A Daivari distraction breaks that up and Slaughter gets sent chest first into the buckle. Hassan fires off some knees to the ribs but Slaughter is back with the right hands. That’s about it though as the Downward Spiral into the camel clutch finishes Slaughter. Sounds like a Slaughter tribute from Hassan. That might be all he has at the moment too, as Hassan is floundering. What do you expect though when you have him beating Lawler, Val Venis, Hurricane and Slaughter?

Jericho and Benoit fire each other up with Jericho saying he wants the best from Benoit.

We get a Wrestlemania XXI promo, featuring Eugene as Forrest Gump. This was edited off of the Royal Rumble on the Network for some reason.

HHH seems worried when Ric Flair comes in. Maybe HHH wants to face Batista at Wrestlemania too much. Long has offered Batista a lot of money so why should HHH hold him back? If Batista won the WWE Title, they would run the entire industry.

Here’s Bischoff to announce that Raw is coming from Japan next week. Therefore, he has three special matches to announce: Benoit vs. Jericho in a submission match, William Regal/Tajiri vs. La Resistance for the Tag Team Titles and HHH vs. Edge for the World Title.

Randy Orton/Shawn Michaels vs. HHH/Ric Flair

Batista is here with Evolution. Orton slaps Flair in the face to start so Flair comes back with chops in the corner. It’s quickly off to Shawn vs. HHH with Flair’s distraction not working very well as Shawn hammers away in the corner. That means an atomic drop but Shawn is fine enough to shove HHH off the top. An elbow (into the “controversial” heart of HHH) connects and everything breaks down with Batista grabbing a chair and beating on the steps with it. That’s enough for an ejection but the Batista sneakily smiles as we go to a break.

Back with Flair and Shawn trading chops in the corner until the Flair Flop gives Shawn two. A cheap shot from HHH puts Shawn back in trouble and the spinebuster gets two. Flair’s choking in the corner gives HHH the same and the abdominal stretch goes on. Shawn gets out and slams Flair off the top though and the hot tag brings Orton in to clean house.

Flair dives at Orton to save HHH and the referee gets bumped. That means an RKO to Flair but Orton seems to be concussed again, just as he was last night. HHH loads up the Pedigree but eats the superkick, only to have Edge come in for a spear….which hits HHH by mistake. Orton slowly crawls over and pins HHH.

Rating: C. There’s something amazing about how HHH is willing to let Orton have a pin after cutting his title run off at the knees a few months ago. Orton shouldn’t have won last night of course, but my goodness this comes off as funny in a way. They even set up next week’s title match a little bit more in the process. Not bad here and at least it didn’t feel like filler.

We look back at Kane and Snitsky flying off the stage earlier this month.

Kane vs. Gene Snitsky

In a cage and Snitsky gets a jobber entrance. They’re both still taped up from the aforementioned fall and both block a trip into the cage. A double shoulder gives us a double knockdown but it’s Snitsky up first to ram Kane back first into the cage. It’s way too early to get out though so Snitsky punches Kane down again. Cue Trish Stratus in a neck brace as Kane pulls Snitsky off the ropes.

Kane gets halfway out of the door but gets pulled back in as well. This time it’s a gordbuster to plant Snitsky with Kane going down as well. Snitsky goes face first into the cage and there’s the top rope clothesline to drop him again. Trish tries to slam the door on Kane’s head but Kane is smart enough (duh) to see it coming and drags Trish inside.

Snitsky grazes him with a big boot for the save and a two count though, allowing Trish to get out. That’s not enough though as Snitsky goes out to the steps but stops and rips the door off the cage. Kane kicks it into his face though and wedges it into the corner. A good crotching sets up the chokeslam to finish Snitsky, thank goodness.

Rating: D-. Normally I would say “and that has to be it for this feud” but why should I believe that’s the case? They should have been done at New Year’s Revolution if not before and yet here we are. The match was terrible with both guys having chances to win and Trish adding nothing at all. This felt like a bad house show main event and I could go for more from the main event on the Raw after Royal Rumble.

Overall Rating: C-. This is one of those weird periods where everyone knows what is coming to the letter but we have to wait until we actually get there. That being said, aside from the Batista stuff, there wasn’t much to brag about on this show other than the matches mostly not overstaying their welcome. Things will get better when we reach the big moment but until then, it’s not the most thrilling time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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