IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: January 27, 2005
Location: Alltel Arena, Little Rock, Arkansas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means more polishing up John Cena for either winning the Royal Rumble or getting the next big title shot after the show. Other than that, we have a rather spiffy three way feud for the World Title, which is a lot better than I was expecting. Maybe they can even continue it as we get through the final show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the three way feud between Kurt Angle, Big Show and WWE Champion JBL, which has mainly been focused on Joy Giovanni and Amy Weber. Last week, Angle and JBL teamed up to take out Big Show’s knee. In quite the surprise, the two of them haven’t dragged the feud down and have played their roles rather well.

JBL, Angle and their respective cronies are happy with what they did last week. Tonight, they’re going to do it again when they take down Booker T., Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio in a six man tag. Well Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak and Orlando Jordan will that is. JBL: “United we stand, divided they fall.”

Orlando Jordan/Mark Jindrak/Luther Reigns vs. Rey Mysterio/Eddie Guerrero/Booker T.

One of these teams is very talented. I’ll let you figure out which is which. Booker and Jindrak get things going but the fans want Eddie. A clothesline takes Jindrak down and it’s Eddie coming in with the slingshot hilo. Rey adds the springboard dropkick for two but Jindrak takes him into the corner. Jordan comes in and gets caught with a springboard crossbody as the pathetic lackeys can’t keep anything going.

A backdrop cuts Jordan off and Booker comes in for the Big Apple Blast (Hart Attack with a side kick instead of a clot). Everything breaks down for a few seconds and it’s Rey being thrown over the top and down onto Eddie as we take a break. Back with Booker hitting the Book End on Jordan and bringing Mysterio back in. A dropkick sends Jordan into the corner but Jindrak saves Jordan from the Bronco Buster. Reigns and Jordan get in an argument over who gets to beat up Mysterio but Jordan is fine enough to get two off a backbreaker.

It’s off to Jindrak for a chinlock until a Booker distraction lets Eddie sneak in with a poke to the eye. That’s not enough for the tag though as Jordan comes back in for a neck crank. Rey breaks out and crawls through some legs before sending the villains into each other. The hot tag brings Eddie in and the fans are rather pleased. Everything breaks down and it’s a 619 to Jindrak. The ax kick into the frog splash is good for the pin.

Rating: C-. The parade of chinlocks was a little much but the last minute and a half picked things up a lot with Mysterio knowing how to get a crowd going. The coalition style team isn’t going to work in the end and it’s even worse when they’re against a team with that much talent. Cut out a few minutes in the middle and this could have been rather good.

Post match Reigns shoves Jordan down and blames him for the loss. The Bashams come out to break things up. Angle and JBL come out as well and we take a break. Back with JBL blaming Angle for everything but Kurt says it was Jordan’s fault for being a bad deputy. JBL needs a cabinet because he’s the champion, which Angle will never be again. Angle says he was winning championships when JBL was getting drunk at frat parties.

JBL is one ankle lock away from being the cowboy in the bar, which sends JBL into a rant about Bill Clinton. Threats are made but here’s Theodore Long (in a salmon jacket) to interrupt. It turns out that Big Show is healthy enough for Sunday, but Long is interested in Angle talking about being the last man standing. That’s why tonight it’s JBL vs. Angle in a Last Man Standing match.

Clip of the Steve Austin press conference.

Video on Heidenreich vs. Undertaker for Sunday’s Casket match.

US Title: John Cena vs. Kenzo Suzuki

Cena is defending and hammers away to start as I don’t see this being the most competitive match. They head outside with Cena sending Suzuki into the post as this is complete dominance so far. Cena drives him back first into the announcers’ table before channeling his inner Rock by doing his own commentary. Back in and Kenzo finally sends him into the corner for a breather….which lasts all of five seconds before Cena is back with some chops. Cena initiates the finishing sequence and ends Kenzo with the FU.

Rating: D+. Cena might as well have been facing the Brooklyn Brawler here, which has been the case with just about anyone he’s been facing as of late. That triple threat feud on top of the card is leaving Cena without anything interesting to do but at least they’re not making these matches longer than they need to. Bring on the Rumble.

Post match Cena says that’s momentum and tonight, Suzuki ran into the Chain Gang. That’s what’s going to happen to twenty nine people on Sunday. Cena wants to know who is in the Rumble and mentions a fan in a certain seat, which happens to be a kid. Cena: “Little man, if you was in the Rumble, we would all whip your a**!” With that threat to a minor out of the way, Cena wraps things up.

Eddie and Rey are celebrating their victory and laughing when Booker comes in. He’s not happy with not being invited but calms down a bit as they praise him for his part earlier tonight. Booker gets on Eddie for costing them the titles last week but Eddie talks about the Rumble, which he could win. The other two don’t see it that way and Rey tells him to sit down. They both think they could win and won’t trust Eddie on Sunday. This was a perfectly nice character building segment and I could go for a lot more of those.

Here’s Heidenreich for a chat because that match needs two segments. He has a poem for us but stops in a hurry because a fan has a mini casket with a picture of Heidenreich inside. After breaking that apart, he gets through his poem, which is about his greatest battle. As he talks, he starts foaming at the mouth and shouts NO CASKET. Can we please get rid of this goon already?

Angle goes to Long’s office but Long comes outside for some reason. The main event tonight is unfair but Long sees it differently. Maybe Angle is just scared of JBL? The match is still on.

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Spike Dudley vs. Paul London vs. Shannon Moore vs. Funaki

Non-title and one fall to a finish. Funaki knocks Spike off the apron at the bell and it’s time for the very early rollups. Shannon gets thrown outside and Spike gets two off a belly to back to Funaki. London knees Spike in the face for the same but Spike is right back with a half Walls of Jericho.

The other two make the save as Tazz talks about Moore’s makeup. Funaki pulls London off the corner and sends him outside for a nasty looking crash. Spike’s running headbutt to Funaki’s ribs gets two with Shannon making the save. Spike knocks Moore outside but gets caught in a reverse tornado DDT. London is back up and shoves Moore and Funaki off the top, setting up a 450 to Spike for the surprise pin.

Rating: C. As usual, what are you supposed to do with four and a half minutes in a four way match? London winning was a nice surprise and it’s not like Funaki is hurt by a loss like this. If nothing else for the sake of letting him have a big bump during his elimination, which he does as well as anyone else.

After blowing off Carlito’s request for a petition signature, JBL goes to ask Long about getting the match canceled. This time Long just slams the door in his face, which is enough to make JBL sign.

ANOTHER video on Heidenreich vs. Undertaker.

Amy Weber comes up to the rest of the women in the locker room. Dawn Marie takes obsession to Amy snapping her fingers but listens to her pitch to sign Carlito’s petition. Joy isn’t there but Amy is NOT scared to ask her. Joy comes up from behind with some yogurt. The obvious happens.

Royal Rumble rundown.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Kurt Angle

Non-title Last Man Standing match. Reigns, Jindrak, Jordan and the Bashams are at ringside. We’re joined in progress with Angle taking JBL down but JBL runs him over and drops an elbow for….well nothing because that’s not how this match works. Kurt goes for the arm so JBL powers out and chops away in the corner. The fall away slam gives JBL a five count and a top rope superplex is good for nine.

The Clothesline From JBL is countered into the ankle lock to make JBL tap but thankfully Angle is smart enough to not let it go. Instead the Bashams break it up and the fight is on outside. Despite them not breaking any rules, the referee ejects everyone and we take a break. Back with Angle going face first into the steps as things have turned into more of a brawl, which makes sense for something like this.

JBL whips him over the announcers’ table but spends too much time clearing it off, allowing Angle to dive off and get a breather. Angle backdrops his way to freedom but can’t get the Angle Slam through the table. Instead JBL posts him for a nine count (took thirty seconds) and gets annoyed when Angle gets up. Back in and Angle rolls the German suplexes, hitting a ridiculous eight in a row before letting go.

JBL gets up again so Angle grabs a rear naked choke. That’s still not enough so Angle tries a front facelock, which is reversed into a spinebuster (makes sense as JBL couldn’t do much more than pick him up and drop him). The powerbomb plants Angle for nine but he’s right back with the Angle Slam.

That’s another nine and JBL blasts him with the Clothesline. They’re both up at nine and the exhausted/near defeated look on JBL’s face is a great visual. With nothing else working, JBL grabs a chair but Angle takes it away. JBL kicks it into his face but Angle blasts him in the head before collapsing, meaning it’s a double ten count for the draw.

Rating: B. I know all of the focus is on the Rumble and Batista/Cena, but this is a really underrated feud, especially with Big Show thrown in. There’s a rather nice chemistry there and the story is actually making me want to see more. I know everything goes away as soon as Sunday is over, but they deserve a good deal of credit for a story that has no reason to be this interesting. The match itself was a good brawl with both guys beating each other up and the logical finish of a draw. As usual, JBL is better off working a power brawling style and Angle can play off of that all day long.

We cut to Long’s office where he thanks Big Show for the idea for the match. Show says he loves it when a plan comes together and promises to win on Sunday.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s good that we’re moving on soon enough because this holding pattern has been going on for a while now. That being said, it’s been a rather nice holding pattern with a shockingly good World Title feud and Cena oozing star power. They’ve set things up very well and Cena can get his title shot either by winning the Rumble or whatever else he has to do at No Way Out. This was an enjoyable show and they’re hitting the right notes at the correct 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: United Wrestling Network

Championship Wrestling From Arizona TV
Date: March 20, 2018
Location: Nile Theater, Mesa, Arizona
Commentator: Joe Galli

I saw this promotion on Fite TV over Wrestlemania weekend and since I don’t do enough smaller shows like this, we’ll take a shot at it here. This sounds like the most regional show I can remember in a long time but that could make it rather fun. As you might have guessed, I have no idea what to expect here and this is the first episode that came up when I searched for the show. Let’s get to it.

The opening video (for the United Wrestling Network, the governing body) looks like it’s from a 1993 episode of American Gladiators. Well I’m sold.

Alex Salyers and Miracle Mike James are in the back (in front of a brick wall) and don’t like being called a team. Salyers has beaten the Agents of Chaos on his own twice in a row now but James didn’t like the cheating. Alex doesn’t want to hear it because he’s here to fight and get paid, either with or without Jones.

Regular opening sequence, featuring various shots of….wrestling and Arizona. You can’t say they’re misleading.

The logo looks almost identical to that of Championship Wrestling From Hollywood so I’m assuming there’s a connection of some sort.

Miracle Mike James vs. R-Three

R-Three is a big man and part of the Agents of Chaos. Salyers and Evan Daniels are the respective seconds here and it’s a four way staredown before the bell. We get going with James charging straight at Three and drives a shoulder in the corner. Three shoves him out of the air though and a hard slam sets up a splash. James gets tossed across the ring but a middle rope stomp misses.

Two flying shoulders stagger Three but a third is countered into a backbreaker. James’ springboard Downward Spiral is blocked as well and we take a break. Back with Three walking over James’ chest, followed by an Irish Curse for two. Something called the Fatality is broken up and James dropkicks him to the floor. That’s fine with Three, who knocks Salyers down with a single shot.

Back in and Three runs into a superkick for two as Salyers hits Daniels in the face. Three knocks Salyers off the apron but James starts in with the kicks. A big spinebuster drops James but Three can’t follow up. They take their time getting up so Salyers brings in a chair, which James takes away. The two of them fight over the chair so Three crushes them together with a running splash. Fatality (a running Death Valley Driver) finishes James at 13:19.

Rating: C+. I’m actually pretty impressed to start off here as they told a fine story and wove in the bigger story at the same time. That’s a lot more than you get in some mainstream wrestling and it worked well here. It’s nothing great but I got what they were going for and the match was completely watchable. Well done.

Post match Salyers walks out, leaving James to get beaten down again.

Galli tries to tell us about a match from Championship Wrestling From Hollywood (I knew it.) when a guy named Robert Baines (whose voice sounds like a bad Macho Man impression, which oddly works quite well) interrupts him. Baines says their conversations are always cut off but Galli says he’s being rather rude.

From Championship Wrestling From Hollywood from about a week earlier.

Andy Brown vs. Willie Mack

This is Mack’s return to the promotion, where he was quite the star before. They fight over a wristlock to start with Mack dancing his way….well he had the hold on so I’m not sure what he was getting out of there. Brown gets in some hip swiveling of his own and an armdrag puts Mack down.

Mack hits one of his own and stereo dropkicks give us a standoff. They tap fists for some sportsmanship until Mack walks into a dropkick. Mack is fine enough to hit a pump kick in the corner and the reverse Cannonball crushes Brown for two. Back from a break with Brown hitting a superkick on the floor but getting caught with a running kick to the face. A rolling kick to the head gives Mack two and it’s time to twist the nipples.

The Samoan drop looks to set up the standing moonsault but Brown rolls away and hits a forearm for two. Mack is right back with a Codebreaker for two and it’s time to run the ropes. Brown hits a heck of a spinebuster into a superkick for two of his own and frustration is setting in. A rolling cutter is countered into a Samoan drop and the standing moonsault but Mack doesn’t cover. Instead it’s the Stunner into a frog splash to finish Brown at 13:48.

Rating: C+. Oh yeah Mack comes off like a star around here and you can feel the charisma coming off of him. It shows up very clearly everywhere you see him and it’s no surprise that he’s become a bigger deal in whatever promotion. I can’t imagine he doesn’t wind up in WWE one day, as they certainly wanted to see him in the first place.

Back in Arizona, Baines is asking who pays Galli’s bills and does not stop talking the entire time Galli tells us to stay tuned.

Here’s Suede Thompson for a match. Suede has a trophy with him but a guy in face paint named Oliver Grimsley comes out and hits him in the knee with a crowbar. Security breaks it up and boss Peter Avalon wants to know what is going on. Grimsley says that Peter knows what he wants so Peter makes a match right now.

Oliver Grimsley vs. Chris Bae

Grimsley forearms him in the back of the head and says that this isn’t Bae’s fight. Bae comes back with shots to the head but Grimsley sends him into the corner and presses him into the corner. Apparently Grimsley wants a TV Title shot, which isn’t as cryptic as they made it out to be in the promo.

Bae comes back with some kicks but walks into a one knee Codebreaker for two. The announcer recaps Grimsley’s various assaults on people (including a previous one on Suede), getting us up to date on him in the span of thirty seconds. In other words, doing EXACTLY what he should do and doing it rather well. Some shoulders in the corner don’t do much to Bae as he’s right back with an enziguri.

Back from a break with Grimsley hammering away on the floor and dropping a knee on the chest back inside. Grimsley’s belly to back suplex gets two but Bae breaks up a superplex. A top rope European uppercut drops Grimsley and a quick cutter gets two. Bae’s spinebuster gets the same but Grimsley is right back with some running knees in the corner for two. A superkick completely misses Grimsley’s face but gets two anyway. Grimsley shoves him into the corner though and the Bed of Nails (arm trap Backstabber) finishes Bae at 17:40.

Rating: B-. Another good match which flew by here. The more important part though was the commentary, which summed up the Grimsley story in a quick and simple way. That’s SO much better than you get in WWE or in most promotions these days. The fact that the story is simple enough to be explained that quickly helps a lot too. Good match here too, with both guys working hard and having a nice showcase between the two of them.

Grimsley gets in a few more shots to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this a lot. They went on for about forty five minutes and covered a variety of stories with each one getting some solid attention. This was one of the better territory promotions I’ve seen in a long time and I could go for seeing more from them. I was actually impressed by this one and that’s not something I would have ever expected from this one.

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

https://wrestlingrumors.net/derekstoughton/breaking-paul-heyman-eric-bischoff-named-wwe-executive-directors/

This is NOT a storyline and wow.I mean….wow.  It was clear that something had to be done to shake things up and this is certainly something.  Heyman has had a lot of success in a creative role before and Bischoff has experience running a major company.  The line you’ll hear about them though is they need a leash and while both will answer to Vince, that might not be the most sane source at the moment.  Either way, SOMETHING needed to change and it should be interesting to see who we get freshly pushed now.  I’m excited, though cautiously so.

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: June 26, 2019
Location: Download Festival, Leicestershire, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Aiden English

We’re still at the Download Festival and that means we’re still in for a cool venue. The big story coming out of last week saw Kay Lee Ray becoming the new #1 contender to the Women’s Title, though you might not be seeing the title match for a little while. What we get tonight though is Walter defending the United Kingdom Title against Travis Banks, which could be rather interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Travis Banks says he’s ready.

Opening sequence.

Mark Andrews vs. Joseph Conners

Andrews rolls out of a wristlock to start and takes him down with an armdrag. The fans are VERY appreciative of an armbar but Conners cuts them off by bending Andrews’ neck around the ropes. A running clothesline gets two and a suplex is good for the same as they’re keeping the offense simple so far. Some choking on the apron and a neck snap across the rope somehow wake Andrews up so he can slug away.

The knee slide into the enziguri sets up a suicide dive to the floor to rock Conners again. He’s right back with a sunset bomb into the corner though and a belly to back faceplant gets two. The fans are all over Conners, showing that the Download Festival has bad taste in heels. Andrews can’t get a backslide but can get a Stundog Millionaire. Fall To Pieces finishes Conners at 6:09.

Rating: C-. Just a match here and nothing that hasn’t been done better before. What makes me feel better though is that it seems Conners is falling down the card, which means we don’t have to listen to him anymore. Andrews is still easy to cheer for and that’s a good piece to have around on any show.

The Hunt is angry but Dave Mastiff comes up to suggest he’s on their side against Gallus.

Here are the Grizzled Young Veterans, with trash bags around their feet, for a chat. They’re not happy about having to defend their Tag Team Titles in front of a bunch of dirty fans out here. The fans clap so Gibson has to tell them that’s not something to cheer about. This is supposed to be a music festival but Gibson hasn’t heard a single instrument. They’ll defend their titles against Moustache Mountain and then they can go anywhere but here. Good stuff as usual, but the fans didn’t hate Gibson as much as they tend to do.

Video on Piper Niven vs. Rhea Ripley, with Niven standing up against Ripley for thinking she is the most dominant female in NXT UK. They meet next week.

In two weeks: Gallus vs. The Hunt/Dave Mastiff.

Killer Kelly vs. Xia Brookside

Xia is aggressive to start and forearms her in the back, but it’s not the best strategy against Kelly. A wheelbarrow suplex gives Kelly two and it’s time and it’s time for a double arm crank. With that going nowhere, Kelly hits a pump kick to put Xia in the ropes for some covering up. She’s fine enough to come back with a headscissors as Jazzy Gabbert and Jinny come out to watch. Kelly gets in a shot from behind as the two of them leave but Xia is fine enough to hit the Codebreaker for the pin at 3:16.

Rating: D+. Just a match here with Xia getting a win to get back some momentum after coming up just short in the battle royal last week. Kelly continues to show a lot of potential, though she almost never (if ever) actually wins a match. They keep her strong enough so that a win wouldn’t come out of nowhere though and that’s a smart way of doing things.

Toni Storm is happy that Kay Lee Ray won the battle royal but would love to know when Ray wants her shot. Toni is ready anytime and she’ll be in action in two weeks.

Noam Dar vs. Ligero

Dar holds his jacket out in an attempt to get Ligero to charge for a funny moment. The bell rings and Dar messes with Ligero’s horns before bailing out to the floor. Back in and Dar avoids an armdrag before knocking Ligero down for some more mocking. Dar can’t get a rollup so he hides in the corner as the stalling continues. A headlock works a bit better as Kenny Williams comes out with a chair to watch at ringside.

Dar is fine enough to work on Ligero’s knee, which is rammed into Dar’s head to break up a suplex. A Widowmaker and kick to the back give Ligero two but Dar kicks the leg out. Dar grabs a fisherman’s buster for two but the Nova Roller is broken up. Ligero’s enziguri puts Dar down for a bit, only to have Dar get back up and get a knockdown of his own. Dar misses a top rope double stomp and injures his knee but really it’s just a ruse to get Williams to give him the chair. Williams hands it to him but doesn’t let go, allowing Ligero to grab a rollup for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C-. I don’t know what it is about Dar. For the life of me I can’t remember the last time that I went back and forth on someone so many times but I go from liking Dar to rolling my eyes about having to see him again. He’s not someone I want gone, but he’s someone who needs to figure out how he should be presented because it hasn’t happened yet.

We look back at Banks coming out to say he’s ready for Walter last week.

United Kingdom Title: Travis Banks vs. Walter

Walter is defending. Banks tries to circle the monster to start but gets taken into the corner. The big chops miss but a crossbody is pulled out of the air so Walter can lay him on the top rope. Walter’s chop puts Banks on the floor and a big boot to the face knocks Banks silly. Walter goes to the test of strength to keep Banks down but he manages to power up and kick at the leg. A big kick knocks Walter down and a Shining Wizard rocks the champ again.

The shotgun dropkick sets up a top rope double stomp for two on Walter and you can feel the energy going out of the crowd. The Slice of Heaven is countered into a Boston crab to crank on Banks’ back. A rope is grabbed so Walter throws him into the corner. Only to get caught with the Slice of Heaven. Walter bails to the apron and gets dropkicked to the floor, setting up a suicide dive. Banks stays outside for too long though and gets powerbombed onto the apron. Back in and a regular powerbomb retains the title at 8:49.

Rating: B. Banks wasn’t going to win here but he was trying as hard as he could. That’s not enough to overcome the situation though and it was pretty clear that the title wasn’t changing hands. Walter is likely to have a very long reign and that means he isn’t going to lose the title in his first defense. Banks was game here and they had something going near the end but it wound up being what was expected, which was fine.

Overall Rating: B-. This is an instance where they have to get through a bunch of stuff before we can get to the build to Takeover. Next week the Tag Team Titles are on the line and then we probably get the Women’s Title match soon after that. With those out of the way, we can move on to the Takeover stuff and that’s where it should get really good. This worked well enough, though you could feel it wasn’t as important.

Results

Mark Andrews b. Joseph Conners – Fall To Pieces

Xia Brookside b. Killer Kelly – Codebreaker

Ligero b. Noam Dar – Rollup

Walter b. Travis Banks – Powerbomb

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

Happy Anniversary.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-wwes-latest-brilliant-disaster/

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: June 26, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

We’re rapidly approaching Takeover: Toronto and that means things need to start coming together in a hurry. One such match that needs to be taken care of is a big main event on this week’s show as Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler defends against Io Shirai in a cage match. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Shirai vs. Baszler, which is a rematch from Takeover: XXV when Shirai snapped and attacked Baszler after losing clean. Now most people would call that….never mind.

Opening sequence.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Joaquin Wylde vs. Angel Garza

That would be DJZ vs. Garza Jr. Garza starts with some mind games but Wylde is right there to shove him back, giving us an early standoff. What looked to be a tilt-a-whirl is countered into a faceplant to give Wylde two but a tilt-a-whirl faceplant gives Garza the same. Hold on though because GARZA TAKES OFF HIS PANTS! A running knee to the ribs in the corner keeps Wylde in trouble and a powerbomb into a release X Factor gets two. The straitjacket chinlock goes on and Garza adds a knee to the back, only to have Wylde backflip out into the same hold.

Rating: C+. These are always hard to rate as they’re people having a match. I don’t know anything about them in NXT and they don’t really have characters so it’s just about who wins. It was a good match though and that made it a lot better. Just letting two guys go out there and fly is going to work most of the time and it did here.

Video on Kushida, who is excited to be here and wants to see what’s waiting for him.

Street Profits vs. Forgotten Sons

Non-title and the Profits come through the crowd for the always high energy entrance. Before the match, the Profits talk about handing out free smoke and offer to make this a title match. Ok then.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Forgotten Sons

The Sons are challenging and it’s Cutler taking Ford into the corner to start. With Ford down on the ropes, Cutler hiptosses Blake onto his back, followed by an Angle Slam/neckbreaker combination for two. Ford is right back up and slides over for the tag off to Dawkins as everything breaks down. The spinebuster into the frog splash looks to finish but Jaxson Ryker pulls Ford out for the DQ at 2:21.

Post match the beatdown is on until Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch come in for the save. The Sons bail with Ryker pulling them back. Lorcan and Burch pick up the titles but hand them back, saying the Profits owe them.

Someone who looked like Killian Dain is watching footage.

Vanessa Borne and Aaliyah don’t get why we’re applauding Mia Yim for being poor. They just can’t understand it because they’re so pretty. They’ll teach Mia a lesson as long as she keeps the bandanna over her face through the whole match.

Nykos Rykos vs. Keith Lee

Nykos tries to go after Lee and gets sent flying with one of the biggest Pounces I’ve ever seen. The Limit Breaker is good for the pin at 1:07. Lee continues to be impressive.

Adam Cole went to the Download Festival in England and defended the title against Dave Mastiff. Once he was back home, he went to Gargano’s Sandwich Shop, which we’ll see more of later.

Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler vs. Io Shirai

Baszler is defending inside a cage and there are no seconds here. We get the Big Match Intros and Baszler is looking extra confident due to being inside the cage. The early punches have Shirai in trouble but it’s too early for the Kirifuda Clutch. A stomp to the head has Shirai in more trouble but she’s up in time to stop an early escape attempt. Shirai can’t get out either though as Baszler pulls her right back down. A whip into the cage starts a SHAYNA chant and it’s off to a neck crank.

Baszler kicks her in the back for two and sends Shirai face first into the cage for a nasty crash. Shirai ducks a charge to send Baszler into the cage though and a pair of dropkicks into the steel have Baszler in actual trouble for the first time. A German suplex gives Shirai two and the running knees in the corner make it even worse. Shirai goes all the way up top but Baszler is right back up to throw her down.

That’s not enough for an escape either as Shirai pops up with a German superplex and a delayed two. That means an escape attempt but Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir hold the door closed. Shirai slips out of a Kirifuda Clutch and hits a double stomp but Shafir locks the door. Instead of covering, Shirai goes up but has to deal with Shafir. Cue Candice LeRae to cut off Shafir but Duke opens the door to pull Baszler.

Candice dives onto Duke and Shirai moonsaults down onto Baszler to put everyone down. They both try for the crawl and Shirai almost makes it until Baszler dives over with the Clutch. Shirai grabs the door to slam it into Baszler’s head for the break….but Baszler falls out of the cage to retain at 13:32.

Rating: B-. It never had the top level urgency but the lack of gimmick matches around here makes this feel so much more important. It’s been a good while since we’ve seen a cage match in NXT and that changes a lot about the atmosphere. I’m not sure what Shirai does from here but she’s lost just about every way you can now so it’s either LeRae or Yim next.

Post match Candice helps Shirai up….and gets laid out as Shirai snaps and beats the heck out of her. Shirai finds a chair and beats on Candice even more, albeit with some pretty weak chair shots. A suplex onto the open chair crushes Candice to end the show. Shirai: “I don’t need friends.”

Overall Rating: B. The card had a little bit of everything here including two title matches, which is a big deal on any card. Couple that with a fun squash and the tournament match and there wasn’t much missing from the whole thing. Shirai as a heel is something different and it gives Candice something to do other than going after the title. That might be what’s next for Candice but there is time to get there before Toronto. Rather good show this week as things are actually getting better.

Results

Angel Garza b. Joaquin Wylde – Butterfly Stunner

Street Profits b. Forgotten Sons via DQ when Jaxson Ryker interfered

Keith Lee b. Nykos Rykos – Limit Breaker

Shayna Baszler b. Io Shirai – Baszler escaped the cage

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 #63
Date: June 22, 2019
Location: Waukesha County Expo Center, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Commentators: Jim Cornette, Rich Bocchini

It’s time for a big match with Contra getting in a rare six man tag against Tom Lawlor and the Von Erichs. You would think that this would make more sense in Dallas but Lawlor vs. Contra has been built up for months now and hopefully things go well. Other than that, we’re building to Kings of Colosseum later in the summer. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Jimmy Havoc narrating a funeral for Sami Callihan, who even has a tombstone. Salina de la Renta says rest in peace you warthog.

Opening sequence.

Teddy Hart vs. Richard Holliday

Non-title. Maxwell Jacob Friedman is on commentary and gets in some rather nice jabs at Wisconsin and Hart, occasionally at the same time. Teddy hands Rich his big necklace and stares Friedman down, sending him behind Cornette in the process. Cue Holliday to jump Hart from behind and the beatdown is on. A belt shot leaves Teddy laying and Friedman steals one of the Tag Team Title belts. No match.

We recap Salina de la Renta setting up Sami Callihan vs. Mance Warner in last week’s Loser Leaves MLW match where Warner got rid of Callihan.

Earlier today, Warner was by the river and drinking some beers. He promises to come for every member of Promociones Dorado with lariats, including taking off LA Park’s ten pound head. As usual, Warner has the very wordy version of everything he says.

Jordan Oliver vs. Isaiah Velasquez

Standby match after the previous one didn’t happen. See how easy it is to make it seem like the show isn’t that scripted? Oliver has a bandanna tied at the side and seems rather annoying. Oh and he has been told to watch out for crooked referees and calls himself the Sauce God. Do I need to explain this guy much more? Isaiah ducks a charge to start and grabs an early rollup for two. Oliver misses a big boot and gets headscissored down. Isaiah sends him outside for a running kick from the apron but tosses Oliver right back in.

Something close to a crotching sets up a springboard DDT (which didn’t come close to connecting, to the point where Rich said it was a cutter (close enough)). Some forearms in the corner have Isaiah in more trouble but he comes back with a few of his own. They trade kicks to the face as we see Myron Reed in the back with a JUSTICE sign. Velasquez hits a middle rope spinning crossbody for two but has to roll out of a top rope double stomp. Oliver is right back with a Stunner and middle rope cutter for the pin at 4:33.

Rating: D. This one really didn’t work and a lot of that was due to Oliver not being all that great. His wrestling wasn’t the strongest (rather sloppy would be a good way of putting it) and his gimmick/look felt like they belonged on the indy circuit about fifteen years ago. Not a very good match, but it could have been a lot worse.

Video on the Von Erichs, who are a pretty cool signing for the company.

Some big shows are coming up.

We look at Flamita beating Rey Horus last week. Salina may be interested in him.

We recap the opening match not taking place and the ensuing beatdown of Teddy Hart. The Hart Dynasty have decided that they want revenge in the ring.

A video shows Alexander Hammerstone’s car leaving the arena.

Low Ki vs. Tom Coffey

Running forearm knocks Coffey out in nine seconds.

Post match, Low Ki wants Contra. The Pandora’s Box that they opened is coming their way.

Contra talks about all the violence they’ve spread over MLW and all the people they’ve hurt. Tonight, it’s a massacre in Milwaukee.

Dr. Wagner Jr. is coming.

We look at the Teddy Hart attack again.

Kings of Colosseum Control Center, focusing entirely on Lawlor vs. Fatu for the World Title.

We recap Lawlor vs. Contra, with Lawlor bringing in the Von Erichs to even things up.

Contra vs. Tom Lawlor/Marshall Von Erich/Ross Von Erich

Tornado tag rules (meaning No DQ) and this is the brothers’ in-ring debut. Hold on though as Simon Gotch needs to go nose to nose with a fan before we’re ready to go. Lawlor comes through the crowd to jump Fatu before the bell with Marshall and Ross joining in a few seconds later. House is cleaned early on and it’s stereo claws to Gotch and Samael. Fatu shrugs off a chair shot from Lawlor though and breaks up Ross’ claw.

Marshall, the bigger Von Erich, takes Fatu down with a clothesline and the brawl is on. Contra takes over and gets Marshall alone in the ring with Fatu hitting a superkick. Lawlor is in with a rear naked choke on Fatu as the Von Erichs are already back up. The crowd cringes at something we can’t see as Marshall suplexes Samael. Ross dropkicks a chair into Fatu’s head and a double dropkick has Fatu on the floor. Lawlor unloads on Fatu with kicks to the chest as Samael takes over on Ross.

Fatu is back with a belly to back suplex onto the apron but Samael gets smart by taping Lawler to the post. That leaves the Brothers to get beaten down with a chair but the referee finds a knife to cut Lawlor free. Hold on though as Lawlor runs up the aisle, leaving Fatu to crush both of them with the moonsault. Lawlor comes back with a board, which he breaks over Fatu’s head to no avail. A low blow works a bit better as the Brothers are back up to help clean house. The Brothers hit a double claw slam for the pin on Gotch at 7:18.

Rating: B-. That was a lot of fun and I had a good time with it. The Von Erichs looked rather good in there and that’s all they needed to do. Lawlor vs. Fatu can be the hoss fight title match and that’s rather appealing. Fatu looked like a monster here and Gotch is the weak link of the team in the ring anyway so this was exactly what it should have been.

Post match the brawl continues with everyone using the broken wood. Eventually referees and agents break it up but some of them are taken out in the process. As he’s helped up, Contra comes back down to beat him up even more. The Von Erichs make the save as Fatu knocks out the ring announcer. Lawlor runs back out with another piece of wood as the fans are rather into this whole thing.

We’re still not done though as a referee gets powerbombed through a table and hit with a chair. They even come up to the commentary booth to mess with stuff as Lawlor and the Brothers pose in the ring to end the show. The brawl was a bit too long but rather entertaining, which is all that matters.

Overall Rating: C. The main event and post match brawl helped a lot but there was only so much that could be done to save the earlier part of the show. It wasn’t the best show in the world but the ending helped a lot and now we should be ready for the big showdown at the Chicago show. The energy was here, though they could have done something a lot better than that first match. As usual, the majority was good but it still needs some tweaking.

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: June 21, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re about two weeks away from Slammiversary and that could go a few different directions. You can see most of the card from here and that means it’s time for the final push. We also have Tessa Blanchard vs. Jake Crist tonight, which will seem to be setting up Tessa vs. Sami Callihan at Slammiversary. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Jake Crist

Sami is here with Jake. Tessa goes right to it with the forearms to send Jake outside for the suicide dives. Back in and Magnum is superkicked out of the air. The fans tell Jake to go back to Ohio as he forearms away in the corner. A Russian legsweep into Naomi’s reverse Rings of Saturn keeps Tessa in trouble for a bit before it’s off to the chinlock.

That’s broken up without much effort and they’re back to their feet. They forearm (again, which is better than exchanging punches in this case) it out until Tessa grabs a tilt-a-whirl DDT for two. A Death Valley Driver gives Jake the same but Tessa kicks him in the face three times in a row. Magnum finishes Jake at 7:32.

Rating: D+. Not awful here with the main positive being Tessa being treated like any male wrestler. A lot of the time in these matches you can see the man taking something off his offense but they didn’t go that way here and it made things a lot more believable. It still wasn’t very good though with a lot of forearms and strikes until more strikes set up the finish. Tessa vs. Callihan could be….something.

Post match Callihan comes out to yell at Jake. Tessa stares Sami down but here’s Eddie Edwards to go after Madman Fulton, who he is scheduled to face tonight.

Eddie Edwards vs. Madman Fulton

Eddie hits a suicide dive and we take an early break. Back with the bell not having rung yet (THANK YOU!) and Eddie slugging away at the monster. A chokeslam onto the apron cuts Eddie down though and they head inside for the opening bell. Fulton throws him around to start and then rams his own head into the buckle. A one hand chokeslam plants Eddie as Sami is rather pleased on the floor. There’s a suplex for two and Fulton’s smile is rather creepy.

The powerbomb to the floor is blocked and Eddie manages a hurricanrana to avoid a bad case of death. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Eddie two but he has to knock Sami off the floor. Instead of following up it’s the suicide dive to send Sami into the barricade. Eddie grabs Kenny but Killer Kross pops up on screen. He has Sandman tied up and under a hood so he can pour water over Sandman’s head. As the torture ensues, Fulton grabs the swinging Downward Spiral for the pin at 5:47.

Rating: C-. They have an idea here but what if you don’t mind seeing Sandman get tortured like this? Fulton is quite the monster and knows how to work like one, which is a big reason why he’s going to stand out around here. They have big guys but they don’t have monsters like him, which is the kind of thing that can help them out a lot.

Eddie goes to help Sandman.

Post break Alisha Edwards cuts Eddie off because, duh, it’s a trap. Eddie storms off after him anyway.

Moose vs. Tommy Dreamer

Moose shrugs off some shots in the corner and chops away but Dreamer’s clothesline takes him down. They head outside with Dreamer backdropping him on the concrete and peeling back the floor mats. Moose drops him onto the apron though and Dreamer thinks that it hurts. Back in and we hit the chinlock but Dreamer is right back up with a cutter.

The snap jabs put Moose right back in control until a DDT gives Dreamer two. A superplex gives Dreamer two, followed by a spear for the same. With the wrestling not working, let’s bring in a chair, sending Moose behind the referee. Moose kicks the chair into Dreamer’s face and it’s No Jackhammer Needed to finish Dreamer at 8:18.

Rating: D. What the heck was that? Moose is a powerhouse and about to have one of the bigger matches at Slammiversary but he has issues beating Tommy Dreamer? After Dreamer got in quite a bit of offense and near falls. Sometimes it’s ok to crush someone and that’s the case with Dreamer here.

Post match Moose loads up a Van Terminator but Rob Van Dam makes the save.

Taya Valkyrie and John E. Bravo go into a stairwell to talk to Rosemary about Su Yung. Rosemary wonders what is going on with Taya but suggests that she’ll help in exchange for a title shot. Taya rolls her eyes and makes the offer. Rosemary promises to have her people call Taya’s people.

Johnny Impact is ready for tonight’s triple threat against Rich Swann and Michael Elgin. He’ll win the X Division Title at Slammiversary.

Knockouts Title: Su Yung vs. Taya Valkyrie

Su is challenging and has James Mitchell and Havok in her corner. They slug it out to start and the early Panic Switch attempt is blocked. Taya misses a charge in the corner and gets forearmed in the face, only to send Su into the buckle. The running hip attack sets up some gyrating into the running Meteora in the corner. More gyrating lets Su get up and Taya misses a charge into the corner.

A headscissors sends her into the buckle again and it’s off to something like a reverse Koji Clutch. Yung gets two more off a hanging Pedigree and it’s time for the bloody glove. That takes a bit too long though and Taya faceplants her for two of her own, followed by a Codebreaker on the arm (makes sense). Taya goes up but Havok hits her with a forearm for the DQ at 6:19.

Rating: D+. This was a setup for a future match rather than anything that mattered on its own. There’s nothing wrong with that and you can feel a big title match coming up at Slammiversary. What matters most here is keeping both of them strong, which was done well here, even if the DQ kind of came out of nowhere.

Post match here’s Rosemary but Mitchell says they’re not here for violence. At Slammiversary, it’s time for some history: the first ever women’s Monster’s Ball match with Taya defending against Rosemary, Taya and Havok.

Here’s Ace Austin for a chat, including a plug for his shirts. He hasn’t been pinned around here and therefore he wants some fresh competition. Someone needs to come out here and stop him from being the future of the X-Division.

Ace Austin vs. TJP

This works. TJP gets a rather weak WELCOME BACK chant and he starts fast with a headscissors. A handspring armdrag sends Austin to the floor and that means a springboard slingshot dropkick. Austin sends him into the apron though and hits a dropkick of his own before diving back in to break the count like a smart man. Back in and TJP gets in a hurricanrana, followed by a high crossbody. The Detonation Kick finishes Austin at 2:17. Hopefully TJP goes somewhere because an undefeated Austin had some potential.

Eddie is still looking for Kross.

The Rascalz don’t want to train again but have a Tag Team Title shot at Slammiversary. Konnan comes in and says they remind him of LAX. It took guts to walk into the LAX clubhouse and try something like that but the Rascalz better be ready for a fight at Slammiversary. These circle segments are good, but how has Rob Van Dam not shown up for one yet? It’s kind of the layup of layups.

This week’s Flashback Moment of the Week: Ethan Carter III beats Bully Ray in a Texas Deathmatch at Slammiversary 2014. Dixie Carter even gets in a cameo.

Eddie finds someone who is not Sandman under the hood. Kross pops up and the fight is on with Alisha coming in to break it up. Eddie says this is who he is and Alisha storms off. We’re still doing this story? Eddie bites Kross’ face and a lot of blood flows. The murder rate spiking around here wasn’t something I would have bet on.

Sami Callihan wants Tessa Blanchard at Slammiversary.

Slammiversary rundown.

Rich Swann vs. Michael Elgin vs. Johnny Impact

Non-title. Elgin and Impact go after Swann to start but once he’s thrown to the floor, it’s time for the villains to slug it out. Swann springboards back in to take them both down before knocking Elgin outside. Impact dives onto both of them but only hits Elgin as Swann is smart enough to move away when a large man is diving at him.

Back in and Elgin German suplexes both of them at the same time. You know, because he can do something like that. Swann is back up with a hurricanrana on Elgin and a kick to Impact’s head gets two. Elgin plants Swann but gets kneed in the head by Impact, who adds a break dancing splash. A swinging sitout Rock Bottom gives Elgin two on Impact as Swann is still down in the corner.

Rating: B. Swann has benefited greatly from these main event matches, mainly because he’s been treated not only as an equal but also a bigger deal in some cases. Having him get a fall here is a big deal and something that makes the X-Division Title feel like that much more important. That’s how you build a star and it’s working well here.

Post match Elgin comes after Swann so Rich drops him as well as Impact again. Cue John E. Bravo with the Ultimate X to deck Swann though….until Brian Cage is back. House is cleaned and Cage powerbombs Elgin to end the show. Cage looked awesome, which is the case when you’re a returning monster.

Overall Rating: C+. Maybe it’s how bad Raw and Smackdown have been as of late but this show did a good job of making me want to see Slammiversary and building up some names at the same time. It’s far from a perfect show but what matters here is that things are looking like they’re moving in the right direction. You don’t see that very often in WWE and this place (plus Ring of Honor) is doing it fairly well. It can be done, if the company actually puts in the effort, which is what happened here. Nice job.

Results

Tessa Blanchard b. Jake Crist – Magnum

Madman Fulton b. Eddie Edwards – Swinging Downward Spiral

Moose b. Tommy Dreamer – No Jackhammer Needed

Taya Valkyrie b. Su Yung via DQ when Havok interfered

TJP b. Ace Austin – Detonation Kick

Rich Swann b. Michael Elgin and Johnny Impact – 450 to Impact

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 24, 2005
Location: Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the last Raw before the Royal Rumble and since it’s Batista’s match to win, he has to qualify tonight. Other than that, we should get more not too bad promos from Randy Orton and HHH before their World Title match on Sunday, which will be a lot worse than the buildup. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at Kane chokeslamming Gene Snitsky off the stage last week. The conversation they had on the ground is omitted.

Opening sequence.

Shawn Michaels/Chris Benoit/Chris Jericho vs. Edge/Christian/Tyson Tomko

Well if you insist. Shawn headlocks Christian to start and an early Edge distraction doesn’t work. Benoit comes in and slides between Christian’s legs but it’s off to Tomko. That’s fine with Benoit, who takes him into the corner for the chops and a tag to Jericho. Tomko keeps shoving him out of the corner so Jericho drop toeholds him and starts a little dance. Must be a Canadian thing.

The threat of the Walls makes everything break down and Christian gets launched over the top and onto his partners as we take a break. Back with Benoit in trouble as tends to be the case when you come back from a commercial. Benoit gets over for the tag to Shawn, who is quickly low bridged out to the floor. Christian’s neckbreaker gets two and Tomko drops a fast elbow.

The chinlock goes on (with Christian’s back to the camera, which changes….well very little actually) but Shawn fights up and hits a Thesz press. It’s still too early for the hot tag though as Edge is more than willing to come in with Shawn down. Christian goes over to yell at Jericho, drawing him in so the referee can’t see a small package.

Shawn gets in a double clothesline and they’re both down. The hot tag brings in Benoit for a barrage of suplexes, including one to Edge onto Christian. The rolling German suplexes drop Christian and it’s the Swan Dive into the Sharpshooter. Edge breaks that up in a hurry but Shawn superkicks Tomko into a rollup to give Benoit the pin.

Rating: C+. Nice match here with the right person taking the fall. We even got a few tastes of Edge vs. Shawn before their big match on Sunday for a nice bonus. The rest of the people don’t exactly matter as they’ll be in the Rumble, so this was almost all bonus stuff and it went quite well.

Smackdown Rebound.

Here’s Stacy Keibler for a chat. Jerry: “Wouldn’t you like to be her thigh master?” Apparently the Governor has declared today Jim Ross Day in Oklahoma and here’s Danny Hodge, who at 72 years old is able to jump over the top, to help celebrate it. We see a clip of the Jim Ross Day event, which really is a cool honor. Back in the arena, Stacy even throws in a kiss on the cheek. JR talks about how much he loves being from Oklahoma and how much he wishes his parents could be here, but he knows they’re watching.

Cue HHH and Ric Flair to interrupt though and I don’t see this ending well. HHH says this would bring a tear to a glass eye because Oklahoma is celebrating JR Day. HHH: “Are you guys that big a losers that you have nothing going on but JIM ROSS?” Flair talks about the Oklahoma Sooners getting crushed against USC earlier in the month and HHH busts out laughing.

HHH sends JR and Hodge packing, thankfully before Hodge can take him down and remove a variety of his limbs. Stacy gets to stay though as HHH grabs her wrist and hits on her. JR actually stands up to HHH because that’s what a man does. This might be a bit better of a John Wayne moment if he didn’t have lipstick on his cheek. HHH says if JR doesn’t leave, he’ll be sooner dead.

Flair hits him low so Hodge decks HHH in the jaw, setting up a double beatdown. Stacy gets dragged back to the middle of the ring because HHH wants a kiss. Actually he has a better idea and loads up a Pedigree, drawing out Randy Orton for the save. Thanks for coming when the announcer and 72 year old man were getting beaten down Randy. I just want to see more Danny Hodge looking awesome.

Post break HHH and Flair are in the back with HHH pulling up Candice Michelle’s skirt. They head into their locker room and find Batista, who didn’t see what just happened. HHH recaps everything but Batista doesn’t exactly seem impressed, mainly because Hodge is seventy years old and Keibler is tiny. Flair: “She loved it.” Batista changes the subject and says he’s getting in on that Royal Rumble qualifying match. HHH isn’t happy but Batista says that maybe HHH loses to Orton on Sunday. Then Batista can take it back at Wrestlemania and keep it in Evolution. Flair’s side eye glare at Batista is rather great here.

Post another break, William Regal comes in to see Eric Bischoff about a Royal Rumble spot. That’s not happening because Regal was a jerk last year about Eugene. Coach can have it instead. La Resistance comes in but so does Batista. For some reason La Resistance challenges Batista for the Rumble spot, apparently not being all that bright. Batista doesn’t think much of them and promises to stick the flag somewhere else.

Coach is in the ring and has a change made to the following Royal Rumble qualifying match. Now it’s an Over the Top Rope Challenge.

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Viscera vs. Tajiri

Viscera shrugs off the mist and some kicks before throwing Tajiri out to win in less than thirty seconds.

We recap Kane chokeslamming Trish Stratus last week and the ensuing chokeslam off the stage to Gene Snitsky.

Tajiri is upset that he didn’t qualify for the Royal Rumble but Regal comes in with an idea about getting back at Bischoff. First though, Regal hits on Maria but gets shot down in a funny bit.

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Batista vs. La Resistance

La Resistance doesn’t have to tag here so Batista breaks up the song. House is cleaned in a hurry but Batista misses a charge into the post. The fans get WAY behind Batista as he gets stomped down but Conway makes the mistake of slapping him in the face. That means a powerslam as HHH and Flair look on in fear. Grenier gets spinebustered onto Conway for the pin in a hurry. And that’s why the Tag Team Titles are worthless.

Post match Batista plant the flag between the two of them. Flair is impressed but HHH isn’t pleased. The official face turn is going to be massive.

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Val Venis vs. Muhammad Hassan

Daivari rants at Venis during his entrance and Hassan gets in a cheap shot to take over from behind. That sets up the variety of kicking and stomping as Daivari continues to rant on the microphone. A backbreaker sets up a chinlock, with Daivari wanting Venis’ neck broken. Hassan gets in a slam to keep Venis down and it’s back to the chinlock with a knee in the back. Venis fights up and hits the Blue Thunder Bomb for two but misses the Money Shot. The Downward Spiral gives Hassan the easy pin.

Rating: D-. Oh yeah Hassan is in trouble and there’s not much of a way around it. This was as lame of a match as you could get with Hassan having no heat and Daivari just being annoying in an attempt to get him some. It didn’t help that Hassan’s offense is as generic as you can get and the fans were falling asleep in less than five minutes.

HHH tells Batista that the final spot in the Royal Rumble is going to Ric Flair, though Flair isn’t sure about this one. HHH talks him into it though, saying Evolution is united.

Maven is in the ring and wants someone to put their Royal Rumble spot on the line.

Kane vs. Maven

Maven: “I DIDN’T MEAN YOU!” Hang on though as Kane is too banged up so Maven won’t do this to him. He issues the challenge again.

Maven vs. Kane vs. Gene Snitsky

The monsters are both heavily bandaged and Maven has to win to get in the Rumble. Maven is smart enough to let the two of them hit each other and then steals two on Snitsky. Kane clotheslines Snitsky down so Maven goes after Kane’s bad arm. That goes as well as you would expect as Kane shoves Maven away and hits the chokeslam to finish Snitsky. This was nothing.

Video on Randy Orton vs. HHH.

Recap of Steve Austin’s press conference, which was about him making movies for WWE Films.

Royal Rumble rundown, featuring both sets of commentators listing off matches.

Edge can’t wait for Sunday because he’s sat out the last two Wrestlemanias with a broken neck. Sunday, it’s time for him to beat Shawn Michaels and then win the Royal Rumble.

Chris Masters is still coming.

Randy Orton vs. Ric Flair

Batista and HHH are here with Flair. It’s an energetic start for Flair as he runs Orton over with a shoulder. A poke to the eye and a chop have Orton in more trouble, meaning it’s time for the chops in the corner. Orton is right back with a backdrop and the fans….don’t really seem to care. Flair gets away and heads up top for exactly what you would expect to happen.

With nothing else working, HHH trips Orton but Batista gets ejected for it instead. Batista glares down at HHH, who can’t look him in the eye. We take a break and come back with Flair still in trouble and being knocked out to the floor. A suplex brings him back inside for two but HHH offers a distraction so Flair can get in a low blow (a common move for him tonight).

Flair hammers away at Orton’s bandaged head to bust him open again. The throat gets catapulted into the bottom rope but Orton gets fired up. The right hands and chops have no effect so Orton knocks him into the corner. HHH offers another distraction though and it’s a chop block to slow Orton down again.

The ref gets bumped though, allowing HHH to come in with a belt shot to the knee. Given how unimportant this match is, what took him so long? The Figure Four goes on and the blood is flowing until Orton turns it over. HHH pulls the referee out and it’s time to really work on the leg. A middle rope belt shot to the knee is blocked with a raised boot and it’s the RKO for the pin. The match hadn’t been thrown out yet?

Rating: D+. Not terrible but Orton couldn’t be more of a lame duck going into Sunday if his life depended on it. The fans have moved on and while that isn’t Orton’s fault (given how bad the last few months have gone for him, it’s completely expected), it’s also not a surprise whatsoever. Why in the world would I care about Orton’s title push when Batista is clearly the next big thing?

Overall Rating: D. Speaking of lame ducks, that’s exactly what this show was due to how well WWE has built up Batista. Aside from John Cena, there is no one with any chance of winning the Royal Rumble and sitting through a bunch of qualifying matches so we can see them have no chance on Sunday wasn’t the most interesting thing in the world. That being said, the build for Batista is one of the most underrated in years as they have hit it to perfection on every point. Getting through Sunday will help, but it wasn’t the easiest show to get through on the way there.

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: June 25, 2019
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

Since the schedule is so packed together these days, this is the fallout for Stomping Grounds, the followup show from last night and one of the setup shows for Extreme Rules all at once. Kofi Kingston retained the WWE Title over Dolph Ziggler on Sunday but now has to deal with Samoa Joe. Other than that, we could be in for some more matches being set up for the next pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Undertaker saving Roman Reigns from Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre last night. The tag match is already set for Extreme Rules.

Shane says Reigns finally gave into fear last night and asked the Dead Man for help against his greatest foes. Therefore, Reigns is a dead man himself at Extreme Rules. Shane is ticked off tonight so don’t get on his bad side. This was the most obviously scripted speech as I’ve seen from WWE in at least a week.

Kingston vs. Samoa Joe is confirmed for Extreme Rules.

Here’s New Day for a chat. Kingston talks about the path he has had to travel to get here and everything he has had to do. This includes an actual leap of faith against Dolph Ziggler on Sunday, but the next night it was Samoa Joe attacking him. Kofi talks about the Koquina Clutch being a devastating hold because Samoa Joe is like a shark. At Extreme Rules, Joe thinks he’s found his prey but that isn’t happening.

Cue Dolph Ziggler to say that he isn’t doing the work while someone else gets the credit. Kofi: “How many times do I have to beat you?” Ziggler talks about how this is his life and career as Big E. stops to have a snack. Dolph should be champion because Kofi took the coward’s way out of the cage on Sunday. They’re facing each other again tonight and if Ziggler wins, he’s added to the title match at Extreme Rules. Tonight, it’s 2/3 falls.

Daniel Bryan and Rowan are walking to the ring. Bray Wyatt’s pig can be seen in the background.

Elias is guarding Shane’s office and tells Miz to not go in. Miz doesn’t listen so Elias stops him and plays some guitar. Miz tells him to stop or it’s going to be sent upside the dark side of his moon. He wants to finish things with Shane because the entire WWE Universe is sick of it. True, but not in the way that he means. Miz leaves and Shane comes out to compliment the music. Tonight, it’s Miz vs. Shane….if Miz can beat Elias, 2/3 falls. How forced can they make this concept?

New Day vs. Daniel Bryan/Rowan

Non-title. Bryan shoulders Woods down to start and Rowan does the same, albeit much harder. Stomping in the corner sets up a top rope knee to the back of the neck and it’s a running crossbody to run Woods over. We take a break but since we can see the match in the split screen, it doesn’t count as wrestling during the break.

Back with Woods making the tag to Big E. so suplexes can abound. The Warrior splash hits knees though and the LeBell Lock goes on. Woods breaks it up before too much damage can be done and then dropkicks Rowan into the barricade for a bonus. The Rock Bottom out of the corner sets up the Midnight Hour for the pin on Bryan at 9:28.

Rating: C. You can probably book the triple threat title match for Extreme Rules and that could be a heck of a match if done right. Therefore, I don’t expect them to do it right because this division is one of the least important in all of WWE. Yet somehow Bryan is stuck in it, which is quite the shame. I get why he seems to be, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

Post match Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn run in for the beatdown but Heavy Machinery makes the save.

New Day/Heavy Machinery vs. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn/Daniel Bryan/Rowan

Just like last night, they have so many people who can’t get on TV and how many people are working twice? Tucker gets triple teamed to start and Rowan hits a good superplex for two with New Day making the save. Everything breaks down and Bryan hits the running knee on Big E. The Iron Claw plants Woods but Tucker finally runs Bryan over and makes the tag to Otis. A spinning slam to Sami sets up a running splash in the corner. The Caterpillar connects as Owens walks out, leaving Sami to take the Compactor for the pin at 4:39.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. I have no idea why we needed to see the bonus part of this match. Yeah there’s the international tour, but this is the best they can do? Instead of putting some fresh talent on the show to just get them a chance? A pair of 2/3 falls match and another match that takes place after the first just because?

We recap Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross having issues. If Nikki can beat Bayley tonight, Bliss gets a rematch at Extreme Rules. Bliss wants Nikki to do whatever it takes to win.

Video on Ali, who wants to be the light for those lost in the night. In other words, an inspiration to those on the streets. If nothing else, these vignettes are unique, which is always the case for Ali’s stuff.

Elias vs. The Miz

2/3 falls with Shane in Elias’ corner. After Elias sings a quick jab against the Portland Trail Blazers, we’re ready to go. Miz clotheslines him to the floor but Shane offers a distraction, allowing Elias to knee Miz out of the air. Drift Away is good for the first fall at 57 seconds. Back from a break with the second fall beginning and Elias unloading in the corner. The chinlock goes on until Miz fights up and makes the comeback, including a DDT for two. Elias’ rollup gets two more but Miz has to go after Shane.

An electric chair doesn’t work for Elias and the Skull Crushing Finale connects, only to have Shane come in for the DQ at 10:25. Before the third fall starts, Shane and Elias destroy Miz even further, even throwing him over the announcers’ table. A whip into the barricade keeps Miz down and they throw him back inside for a spear from Shane. The bell rings and the top rope elbow gives Elias the pin at 11:23.

Rating: D. Thank goodness for that. I was almost starting to forget how awesome Shane was for a few minutes there. Miz’s stock has fallen through the floor since this Shane feud started (back in November) and I have no idea why he needs to be the personal punching bag. Then again if you try to use logic on this stuff at the moment, your head is going to hurt quite a bit so we’ll move on.

Post match Shane hits Coast to Coast because WWE doesn’t know what special moves are anymore.

Finn Balor is proud of his win over Andrade when Shinsuke Nakamura comes up to stare at the Intercontinental Title. Balor smiles.

Miz is still getting out of the ring and….now he’s out of the ring.

Nikki Cross vs. Bayley

Non-title. If Nikki wins, Alexa Bliss gets a rematch against Bayley at Extreme Rules. Nikki goes right after her to start but gets sent into the corner for her efforts. A high crossbody gives Nikki two but Bayley ties her in the Tree of Woe for the springboard elbow. Back from a break with Bayley in trouble, including a missed dive to make it even worse. Nikki gets two off a neckbreaker but Bayley gets the same off a small package. An Oklahoma roll is countered into a cradle to give Nikki the pin at 6:58.

Rating: D. Not only was the match sloppy, but the champ loses again to set up another match with Bliss. Nikki and Bliss’ story is interesting and could go somewhere, but it’s another match we just saw at Stomping Grounds. Why not put Nikki in there for something fresh? Ok to be fair given how bad this match was that’s not a good idea, but it sounds more interesting on paper.

Carmella is looking for R-Truth but runs into Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. That goes nowhere so the two of them leave and Truth crawls out from behind some hockey boards. Drake Maverick comes up but he doesn’t have a referee. He apologizes for stealing the title but Truth has ruined his life. The wedding was supposed to be the best day of his life and he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of his mother in law’s money but Truth came and stole the title.

Truth hugs him, calls him Hornswoggle, and tells him to find a referee. Truth: “Psyche! I love this title more than you love your wife!” Truth says arrivederci and leaves, with the mob chasing after him and running Maverick over. Maverick puts his head in his hands and looks near tears.

Sonya Deville vs. Ember Moon

Fallout from Deville and Rose tormenting Moon over the last few weeks. Deville takes her down to start but Ember is right back with the quick kicks. Mandy offers a distraction though and Sonya rams Ember into the post for the pin at 1:20.

Aleister Black is frustrated that no one will fight him. This is WWE with the highest form of competition in the world and he can’t believe no one is man enough to pick a fight. The lights go out and someone knocks at the door. Black looks stunned but smiles without opening the door.

Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler

Non-title, 2/3 falls and if Ziggler wins he is added to the title match at Extreme Rules. Ziggler starts fast with the dropkick and grabs a chinlock with a bodyscissors. Kofi gets up and hits his own dropkick, followed by a pinfall reversal sequence for some near falls each. A sunset flip gives Kofi the first fall at 3:37 so Ziggler throws him outside. Kofi gets sent into the barricade and a Zig Zag on the floor takes us to a break.

Back with the second fall beginning and Kofi eating a superkick to tie it up at 8:19, which is the first time Kingston has been pinned since winning the title. Ziggler sends him hard into the corner and it’s back to the chinlock. That’s broken up and Ziggler goes charging chest first into the buckle. Kofi can’t follow up though and it’s the Shot to the Heart for two. Kofi’s high crossbody is rolled through for two and a DDT gives Ziggler the same.

Back up and Kofi gets in a shot but Ziggler rolls away from the Boom Drop. Instead it’s the top rope forearm to the head for two and the Fameasser is countered into a sitout powerbomb. Trouble in Paradise misses though and Kofi gets set into the post, setting up the Zig Zag for two more. The superkick misses though and now Trouble in Paradise can finish Ziggler at 17:16.

Rating: C+. Ok, so Ziggler is done now right? That’s four times that Kofi has beaten him, though the first two weren’t enough to get rid of Ziggler in the first place. There was no reason for this match to happen (and even less of a reason for it to be 2/3 falls) but at least Kofi won and the title match that was already set up gets to happen.

Overall Rating: D. I can appreciate the idea of the show being really, really wrestling oriented but the way they’re going about it is a mess. The multiple 2/3 falls matches, the tag match turning into a bigger tag match and restarting last night’s main event have turned the last two shows into some of the most convoluted things I can remember in a long time.

Now, we know why this is taking place. That’s all well and good, but how strange does this show seem to someone who doesn’t know that stuff? All of a sudden this show REALLY likes gimmick matches and is moving everything around like its star got pregnant and we can’t see her stomach. It’s an idea that can work, but get the execution down a lot better.

As for the show itself….no. We spent most of the night either setting up rematches for Extreme Rules or confirming a match that has already been set. The wrestling felt rushed a lot of the time, though some of that was for the sake of getting a match done before the dreaded commercial break. Maybe it’s the roster being split up by the international tour but egads the feel like they’re holding this show together with paper clips and crossed fingers. It’s not as bad as some of the recent Raws but this felt like they were spiraling out of control and hanging on by fingertips.

Results

New Day b. Daniel Bryan/Rowan – Midnight Hour to Bryan

New Day/Heavy Machinery b. Daniel Bryan/Rowan/Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn – Compactor to Zayn

Elias b. The Miz – Top rope elbow

Nikki Cross b. Bayley – Cradle

Sonya Deville b. Ember Moon – Ram into the post

Kofi Kingston b. Dolph Ziggler – Trouble in Paradise

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