IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 17, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re off to Philadelphia now and you can feel the ECW chants starting from here. I’m not sure what we can expect here, but Brian Cage is still banged up and injured, meaning we don’t have a major story at the moment. Rob Van Dam seems to be prominently featured around here though and that isn’t likely to go well for anyone outside of the live audience. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Knockouts Battle Royal

Madison Rayne, Kiera Hogan, Alisha Edwards, Jordynne Grace, Tessa Blanchard, Scarlett Bordeaux, Solo Darling, Tasha Steelz, Karissa Rivera, Ashley Vox

Hold on though as here’s Glenn Gilbertti to insult the Knockouts. He says Scarlett’s victory over him was a one off fluke and this is a great way to get kicked off TV. The only reason this should be happening is if it was a bra and panties battle royal. Glenn comes in, gets pounded down, and bails to the floor to do commentary. Everyone actually in the match brawls and an early Blanchard vs. Grace showdown is broken up.

The fighting continues with Tasha hitting a running hurricanrana to send Tessa into the corner. Gilbertti complains about the lack of scantily clad women, showing that he doesn’t understand the meaning of “scantily clad”. Edwards hits an Edge-O-Matic on Darling, who also takes a piledriver from Grace. A parade of secondary finishers ensues as Glenn moves on to insulting the WNBA. Rivera and Vox go to the apron and get knocked out by Tessa to get us down to eight.

Steelz gets sent to the apron as well and a superkick….doesn’t get rid of her for some reason. Solo takes her back to the apron for a reverse DDT and the elimination but Tessa gets rid of Solo as well. Tessa isn’t done as she gorilla pressed Edwards onto the pile as we’re halfway done. Kiera slips out of Grace’s Muscle Buster and hits a superkick, with Tessa coming over to help get rid of Grace.

Scarlett hits the running hip attack into the Stinkface on Madison as Glenn talks about still being in this match. Oh please tell me that’s not what we’re doing. Taya Valkyrie comes down and gets in a cheap shot on Madison, leading to a quick elimination. Back from a break with Tessa getting double teamed by Kiera and Scarlett….until Kiera turns on Scarlett for the elimination. They fight to the apron and Tessa dumps her, drawing Glenn back in for the running clothesline and elimination for the win at 13:54.

Rating: D. So Tessa has the match of matches with Gail Kim at Rebellion and her followup is doing the same feud with freaking Disco Inferno that Scarlett just did? I know Impact is obsessed with this intergender stuff at the moment but Tessa beating up comedy guys isn’t an interesting way to go or a good usage of her talents. This was your usual battle royal, with the ending that I can’t stand for the sake of setting up what should be a squash win for Tessa. What a great thing for television.

Post match Glenn runs away.

Announcers recap.

We see a clip from after last week’s show when Michael Elgin attacked Willie Mack in the parking lot and left him laying.

Elgin is here because he’s tired of waiting in line. He’s sent a lot of people to the hospital but here’s Rich Swann to get in Elgin’s face. The brawl is broken up in a hurry.

Rosemary vs. Su Yung

Demon Collar match which is a Dog Collar match with pins and submissions. They both spray mist and it’s time to slug it out with Rosemary throwing her down by the neck. The Upside Down sends Yung to the floor and Rosemary hangs her over the corner. Since strangulation doesn’t work on her, Yung is fine enough to pull her throat first into the middle buckle and take over.

Now it’s Rosemary getting choked in a chair, followed by a Cannonball off the apron to knock her off the chair. A double clothesline in the aisle puts both of them down. Back in and Rosemary gets two off a reverse DDT but Yung hits her in the face with the chain for the same. Something close to a hanging Pedigree gets two more and the Mandible Claw goes on. That’s broken up with a chain shot though and Rosemary gets in the mist. A spear into the Red Wedding gives Rosemary the pin at 9:01.

Rating: D+. The collar and chain didn’t offer much here outside of a few quick spots and that’s not exactly what I was hoping for. Then again, that kind of applies to the entire feud, which has been going for months without actually getting very far. Yung has been completely ruined as a heel and it seems that the story is just going to keep going no matter how low she gets. Not the worst, but nothing that felt important.

Madison rants to Melissa Santos about getting the Knockouts Title shot from Taya. The title has to be defended next week and Madison is getting what belongs to her.

Madman Fulton vs. Randy Shawn

Sami Callihan is here with Fulton and instructs him to kill Shawn. A one handed toss sends Shawn across the ring and Shawn’s chops have as much effect as you would expect. Fulton kicks him in the face and hits a pair of chokeslams, followed by a swinging Downward Spiral for the pin at 2:20. Total squash, as it should be.

Rob Van Dam is glad to be back in Philadelphia and glad to still be on top. Next week: RVD vs. Tommy Dreamer. Great.

The Impact Wrestling doctor joins us and uses a bunch of medical lingo to say Cage is hurt. It’s not clear when he’s going to be back. This is done in an interview with the investigative reporter and I’m still not sure what the joke is supposed to be with him. It’s been going on for months and he’s not funny or anything more than just a backstage interview with a job title. What’s the point?

Killer Kross vs. Eddie Edwards

Kross has Kenny so the fight is on in a hurry with Eddie sending him outside for the big dive. The suicide dive connects as well but Kross is right back up with a bunch of stomping in the corner. A knee to the ribs and clothesline give Kross two and it’s time to choke on the rope. Eddie tells him to kick him harder before grabbing a Blue Thunder Bomb for no cover.

A super hurricanrana into a running chop (odd combination) gives Eddie one and Kross is angry. Eddie forearms away anyway and grabs a tiger bomb for two. The Boston Knee Party misses though and Kross grabs his face to send Eddie outside. Eddie finds Kenny but walks into the Doomsday Saito for the pin at 7:01.

Rating: C-. Not bad here but it seems to be part of a bigger story. Eddie is starting to get into this role but the talk of him idolizing Tommy Dreamer doesn’t give me a good feeling when we’re in ECW land. Kross playing Eli Drake is interesting, though quite the downgrade as Drake is a lot better in the ring. This company can jettison talent though as they have Van Dam and Dreamer to fall back on though right?

Post match Kross zip ties Eddie to the ropes and breaks Kenny.

The Rascalz talk about weird food before going to train, in montage form no less. They’re uh, not very good at this stuff.

Flashback Moment of the Week: LAX vs. OGz from Slammiversary 2018.

Josh Alexander yells at Ethan Page for going after Rob Van Dam instead of the Tag Team Titles. Moose comes in and tells them to go after the titles, but after they get rid of Van Dam.

Michael Elgin vs. Rich Swann

Non-title and the very angry Swann still manages to dance to the ring. Swann goes for a headlock to start but a shoulder works as well as you would have expected. Elgin backflips away so Swann dropkicks him in the side of the head as Josh runs down house shows. The handspring elbow is countered and Swann gets sent into the corner. A scary release German suplex sends Swann down on his head and a single chop takes him down again.

Elgin’s slingshot splash gets two but Swann gets in a kick to the face. Swann heads up so Elgin dropkicks him out of the air as the athletic freak stuff continues. A DDT gets Swann out of a powerbomb and Elgin gets knocked outside for some running flip dives. Back in and a top rope elbow gives Swann two as we take a break. We come back with Elgin elbowing him in the face and nailing some running splashes in the corner.

A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Elgin two more and Swann is in big trouble. Some standing clotheslines don’t put Swann down so he nails a superkick. That’s fine with Elgin, who hits a swinging Side Effect for two. Elgin takes him up top but gets countered into a super hurricanrana. The Lethal Injection sets up the middle rope 450 for two on Elgin. The Phoenix splash misses though and Elgin plants him with a sitout Razor’s Edge bomb for a rather near fall.

A buckle bomb looks to set up the Elgin Bomb but Rich counters with a pair of reverse hurricanranas. The spinning kick to the head drops Elgin for a delayed two and Elgin rolls to the floor. Swann makes the mistake of diving at him and gets powerbombed into the post twice in a row. The third in a row, plus a shove of the referee, is enough to get Elgin disqualified at 20:20.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match with Swann fighting as long as he could but not being able to survive the onslaught. One of the keys here though was Elgin going for the kill instead of the pin and Swann not taking the fall. There’s enough of a difference between losing via DQ and getting pinned and it makes sense to protect the champion a little bit more. Elgin looked like a killer though and now we wait for Cage to show up and finally stop him, which should be awesome.

Post match the beatdown is still on until Willie Mack makes the save. Johnny Impact runs in and takes out Mack. A knee to Swann’s head leaves Impact and Elgin staring each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show took some time to get going and the main event helped erase a lot of the problems. As annoying as the Gilbertti stuff and ECW praise were, the storyline advancement helped a lot with Elgin being built up even more helped out a lot. Cage being gone is actually a nice thing at the moment and he’ll be back for the next tapings, meaning things should be moving forward. I liked this show more than I thought I would, but Van Dam vs. Dreamer next week is going to make my head hurt. What we got this week worked though and that’s a nice change of pace after the last few weeks.

Results

Glenn Gilbertti won a battle royal last eliminating Tessa Blanchard

Rosemary b. Su Yung – Red Wedding

Madman Fulton b. Randy Shawn – Swinging Downward Spiral

Killer Kross b. Eddie Edwards – Doomsday Saito

Rich Swann b. Michael Elgin via DQ when Elgin powerbombed Swann against the post

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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: December 16, 2004
Location: Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re done with Armageddon so now it’s time to get to the Royal Rumble, but before that we have the real important thing to get through: the finals of Tough Enough. Normally I would say the competition hasn’t been that bad, but some of the last few weeks have been such a mess that I can’t bring myself to go there. At least it’s wrapping up though and we can get back to something better. Like JBL. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Orlando Jordan to welcome JBL to the ring. It’s a special introduction this week with the limo decked out in bunting and JBL standing on top with Amy Weber, who is helped down by the Bashams. Naturally we get the red, white and blue balloons and confetti falling because that’s the kind of thing JBL would do. JBL talks about some great moments in American history, such as the end of the Great Depression and Ronald Reagan tearing down the Berlin Wall.

Those are the kind of moments that were joined by him defeating three challengers on Sunday, despite a General Manager being so biased and corrupt against him. How many people here bought a ticket to see a new champion here tonight? That’s ok, because he has a Christmas gift for Amy. That would be a tiara, followed by JBL starting a chant of his own name.

This brings out Kurt Angle of all people and it’s a staredown between Angle and company and the Cabinet. JBL hopes this is so Angle can offer congratulations but Angle is confused. He can’t believe that JBL thinks he’s the greatest champion of all time or that his victory was the greatest title win ever. Angle: “Are you out of your freaking mind?”

JBL wants his congratulations and an exit from Angle but instead it’s Kurt saying that HE is the greatest champion of all time. Like when he beat Steve Austin, the Rock, Rikishi, Undertaker and HHH inside the Cell at Armageddon 2000. Angle: “I INVENTED the over the top championship celebrations bucko!” JBL: “You didn’t just call me bucko.” Angle affirms that he did call him bucko, bucko. JBL says the Cell match was four years ago, but this year he lost a 3-1 match to Big Show.

Rob Van Dam/Rey Mysterio vs. Akio/Billy Kidman

Non-title. Rey and Kidman start (good idea) with Mysterio getting taken into the corner and stomped down. That’s fine with Rey, who comes back with some kicks to Akio’s legs but it’s too early for the 619. Instead Rey is sent outside and knocked off the apron so Kidman can get in a great dropkick on the floor.

Rey fights out of a chinlock and grabs a reverse neckbreaker but spins around into a faceplant for a move I haven’t seen before. Rob comes in to start clotheslining away, setting up Rolling Thunder for two. A monkey flip sends Kidman into the middle of the ring for a basement dropkick but Akio takes Rey to the floor. The BK Bomb plants Rob but Rey comes back in to break up the shooting star. The Five Star finishes Kidman.

Rating: C. This is the kind of match that the show could benefit from. Kidman and Akio aren’t going to be a regular team and they’re not the next big thing but it’s cool to see them thrown together in a one off match like this for a fresh option. It’s not a bad little match either, which is always a plus.

Here’s Torrie Wilson in a rather revealing Uncle Sam outfit. She’s proud of having helped entertain the troops last year and she’ll be doing it again next week. This was just an excuse for Torrie to be in the outfit.

The announcers talk about Tribute to the Troops when Heidenreich raids commentary. With Michael Cole running away (makes sense), Heidenreich puts a chair in the ring and reads a poem about wanting to replace Undertaker. Can we please find something better for Undertaker to do already???

Eddie Guerrero say they’re on the same page when another new woman named Lauren comes up. Booker hits on her and Eddie makes fun of him as she leaves. Eddie is ready to have a singles match next week for Tribute to the Troops, nearly triggering a fight. That might have been the most random cameo I’ve seen in years.

Michelle McCool says Theodore Long is meditating and can’t see Orlando Jordan. She slams the door in his face so here’s Luther Reigns to talk about hoe great Kurt Angle is. They go back and forth over how awesome their bosses are, down to Angle is nice to animals and JBL gives to charity. JBL offering medical care gets Reigns’ attention but he gets back to his normal arguments. All this did was show how lame both guys’ lackeys are.

Kenzo Suzuki/Rene Dupree vs. Eddie Guerrero/Booker T.

Booker and Rene start slowly as Tazz can’t remember what kind of warrior Kenzo is. Eddie comes in and gets elbowed in the face as Booker is facing the crowd for some reason. Some stomping in the corner has Rene in trouble with some blood coming from the nose. Booker comes in and kicks Kenzo in the face for two as the announcers talk about anything but the match. The fast tagging continues with Booker sending Kenzo outside as we take a very abrupt break.

Back with Kenzo still in trouble until a tag to Rene lets him get beaten up instead. A cheap shot lets Rene take over on Booker though and it’s Kenzo grabbing the nerve hold. That’s broken up and Booker hits a nice flapjack to drop Rene face first. That’s enough for the hot tag to Eddie so the pace can pick up but Kenzo blocks the third Amigo. Everything breaks down and it’s a Book End to Suzuki. Hiroko’s kendo stick interference is broken up so it’s an ax kick to set up the frog splash for the pin.

Rating: C-. Kind of sloppy at times here but it’s nice to see Kenzo and Dupree going away already. There isn’t anything special to them and getting them out of the title picture is the best thing that can happen for everyone involved. They’re fine as jobbers and little more, but having them as champions for two months was a chore. Eddie and Booker don’t seem like a long term solution, but at least they had a watchable match.

JBL is fine with Jordan not getting the match called off. He’s not happy with getting to go wrestle in the Middle East next week though and backtracks in a hurry. Carlito comes in and suggests they get together to deal with Theodore Long. JBL is interested.

And now, here’s the full John Cena vs. Jesus match from the pay per view, complete with black and white shots when Jesus was bleeding. For the sake of filling in some space:

US Title: John Cena vs. Jesus

Cena is defending and it’s a street fight with falls counting anywhere. Just to rub in the awful of this show, Cena debuts the spinner US Title design which would beget the most annoying title in wrestling history. Jesus, still carrying Cena’s chain, and Carlito mock Cena’s kidney injury because they’re not that bright. Cena starts before the bell and hits one of the longest strings of punches I can remember to knock Jesus silly early on.

Carlito slips Jesus a kendo stick for a shot to the bad kidney but Cena takes it away and beats on Jesus even more. The stick is broken over Jesus’ arm and Cena glares Carlito up the ramp. A busted open Jesus is kicked into the crowd and Cena knocks him around the arena as this is completely one sided. Carlito runs back in for a cheap shot to save Jesus from being thrown off a balcony but Cena doesn’t seem to mind. The beating takes Jesus back to ringside and some metal shots to the head make things even worse. The FU finishes Jesus in a complete squash.

Rating: D. This was a squash that just happened to go about eight minutes. It was smart to have Cena pushed this hard because it’s not like anyone was buying Jesus as a threat to the title at all. After a performance like that, there is no way you can hold him back from the main event much longer and I think WWE knows it. This was it for Jesus too, as there wasn’t much you could do with him at the moment without a big repackaging.

Here’s Al Snow for the Tough Enough finale. Daniel Puder and Mike Mizanin come out and Puder is announced as the winner, which should have been the case given how much charisma he showed. Nearly making Angle tap on TV helped too. Puder talks about how hard he trained to get here and he isn’t done yet. Snow has another surprise: Puder is officially in the Royal Rumble. That comes off as an actual surprise as Puder looks stunned. Mizanin doesn’t get to say anything, but he does congratulate Puder on his win.

Angle rants about the state of American sports today and says America needs him. Reigns hints at Angle giving him healthcare for a back injury but Angle shouts him down instead.

Theodore Long is on commentary for the main event but first he has an announcement: next week it’s Heidenreich vs. Undertaker.

Here’s Joy Giovanni in a rather nice Santa outfit to throw candy canes to the crowd.

Smackdown World Title: John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Kurt Angle

Angle is challenging. JBL accepts a candy cane from Joy and Amy doesn’t like it, meaning the catfight is on with both of them losing their tops. Joy runs when Reigns gets too close and everyone is ejected for the sake of some sanity. We take a break and come back joined in progress with JBL giving us a clean break out of the corner. Angle takes over on the arm until a right hand takes care of that.

A belly to belly works a bit better for Angle but JBL runs him over and drops three straight elbows for two. The chinlock goes on for all of a few seconds before Angle escapes into the ankle lock. That’s enough to send JBL to the ropes and then the floor, with Angle being whipped into the steps. Back from a break with JBL shouldering Angle down again and grabbing an armbar of his own.

That’s broken up so JBL grabs a powerslam, which is countered into a reverse DDT for a double knockdown. JBL gets in the fall away slam but the Clothesline From JBL is countered into the rolling German suplexes. The ankle lock goes on so JBL kicks away, setting up the Angle Slam for two.

JBL pulls Angle down by the bad shoulder but a powerbomb is countered into another ankle lock. Cue the Bashams/Reigns/Jindrak for the brawl on the floor as JBL taps but the referee is distracted. Jordan comes in with the belt shot for a close two and Angle grabs the ankle lock again. This time Jordan comes in for the DQ to save the title.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t a bad match at all with both guys looking pretty good, even with the obvious ending taking place. JBL’s matches continue to be pretty decent most of the time, but that doesn’t make him the most exciting champion in the world. This is likely going to set up the Royal Rumble title match, though it’s going to need a little more.

Post match Big Show runs in to clean house and motion that he wants the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. It was a pretty tame show this week with that Cena vs. Jesus match in the middle being rather weird. Maybe Cena went ahead overseas and wasn’t available for the show? Anyway, the rest of the show wasn’t terrible, but it was also nothing very interesting. At least Tough Enough went by quickly and didn’t take up a lot of time. We’re starting to gear up for the Rumble though and that’s the best thing that can happen to the company at the moment. Not a very good show this week, but they at least have a direction for the time being.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

I don’t know if it’s because of everything else that has been going on with WWE over the last few weeks or trying to learn how to count for the Wild Card Rule, but there is something about this year that has made the Money In The Bank build that much easier. The show feels like a complete afterthought at this point, though I’m not sure what the major thought is. There is a stacked card here (gotta fill those four hours somehow) so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Daniel Bryan/Rowan vs. Usos

This is actually not a title match, because Bryan and Rowan defeating the Usos for the titles on SmackDown is totally different than the Usos challenging for the titles on pay per view. Then again I’m apparently not smart enough to understand that two Usos count as one superstar for the Wild Card Rule, because I’m slow enough to see two people as two people. Anyway, this is non-title because rules suddenly apply around here, which is fine enough.

Since the titles aren’t on the line, I’ll go with the champs winning in another rather good match. The Usos are long past being bullet proof in WWE so another loss here isn’t going to hurt them in the slightest. Bryan and Rowan need a few wins to establish themselves as champions (maybe a title defense would help that) and beating the Usos again is a good idea.

Cruiserweight Title: Tony Nese(c) vs. Ariya Daivari

I figured I’d knock this one out near the start because A, I expect it to be on the Kickoff Show and B, I’ll probably fall asleep if I do it much later. The annoying thing here is that these guys are trying as hard as they can to make the title match interesting and that’s something that I can always appreciate. The problem though is they feel like two midcarders who are headlining a C show instead of something worthwhile, which is more the fault of 205 Live losing all of its talent in the Shakeup (yet Buddy Murphy still can’t get on the show).

I’ll go with Nese retaining here as while he might not be the most interesting person in the world, he’s still better than the most stock villain you could have in Daivari. The division is dying for someone more interesting though and I don’t see that on the horizon at the moment. They’re trying to build something with Nese and he has gotten better in recent weeks, though they still have a long way to go.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Charlotte

Oh yeah this is one of the reasons why those people don’t have time to get on: a double portion of Lynch (that’s not a bad thing). This is either the first or second title defense that Lynch has on the show and since it’s a Lynch match, she has to be facing Charlotte for the title. These two have been joined at the hip for years now and why bother making two new challengers when you can only make one? It’s not clear who Lynch faces first and it kind of makes a difference here.

I’ll take Lynch to retain here, assuming it’s the first match. My guess is that Lynch will be worn down in a successful title defense in the first match and then lose the title, so if this goes on second she can lose to Charlotte. This of course would set up a rematch, because these two have to fight until the end of time. The match is likely to be good, but I could go for something else.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Lacey Evans

Something fresh like this perhaps. Evans is far from a perfect or well rounded character but she’s SOMETHING new and that’s what the division needs. It wouldn’t shock me to see her win the title here, which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. She has a unique character and can work well enough in the ring, but it still does feel a little early for Lynch to be losing either title.

I’ll go with Lynch retaining here, as Charlotte getting one of the titles makes more sense than Evans. This double champion on both shows thing is making for a complicated situation, but above all else it would be nice to have one champion per show for the sake of letting someone else get a chance in there. It’s clear at the moment that some new blood is needed up and down the show, which is why I’d rather have Evans get one of the title, even if I don’t think it’s going to happen.

Roman Reigns vs. Elias

Oh yeah there’s this match too. I’m not sure why anyone is going to buy Elias as a threat to Reigns, but that is the case with just about anyone on the roster at this point. That and the fact that it’s really Shane McMahon feuding with Reigns instead of Elias, which isn’t the most interesting thing in the world. Why anyone would expect anything but the obvious from this match is beyond me, but that’s never stopped WWE before.

Of course I’m going with Reigns here because Elias doesn’t win major matches and Reigns could get hit by a train, pop up and hit a spear for the pin. That’s just how Reigns matches go and while it (and the concert from Elias) is likely to be entertaining, it’s not going to be the most dramatic match. Hopefully they don’t give this one too much time because delaying the inevitable is rarely the most interesting use of time in a match.

Shane McMahon vs. The Miz

We might as well get this one out of the way next. This feud has been going since November 2 and that’s about six months longer than a McMahon feud should be going at the moment. I guess it’s still about Miz’s dad, who hasn’t come off looking good and isn’t exactly an inspiring plot device. This time it’s in a cage to prevent interference, meaning you can almost guarantee interference coming.

I’ll go with Miz winning here as we NEED a trilogy match between these two, probably in Saudi Arabia so the feud can enter a seventh month. This feud has been one of the biggest groan inducers in recent months as it just keeps going, even if the match itself should be entertaining. I still have no idea why McMahon, who is pushing fifty, is a semi-regular wrestler and the top heel in the company, but that’s the world we live in today. Miz wins here, but the feud still isn’t done.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

It’s rather nice to be coming up on one of these things without having watched the same singles and tag matches over and over again to drive me away from things. On the downside though, I also have next to no idea who is actually in the thing as the match has left that little of an impact on me. Odds are it’s going to be someone that hasn’t gotten a ton of hype recently, because the idea of building momentum to these things is a bunch of nonsense.

I’ll take Andrade to win, which is more of a hunch than anything else. I don’t think he’ll win the title (which has been more of a trend lately) but it could be cool to see someone new near the main event scene. The SmackDown World Title scene feels like an upper midcard title at the moment and it’s not like anyone but Reigns feels like a top star on the show. Would Andrade as a World Title contender feel that out of the question at this point? Odds are it’s wrong but I’ll take Andrade here.

United States Title: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Rey Mysterio

For some reason this seems to be more about Mysterio’s son Dominic than the match or the title, but it’s not like the US Title has meant anything in months anyway. Samoa Joe beat Mysterio in less than a minute at WrestleMania so Mysterio beat him in a nothing match on Monday Night Raw to get another title shot. Then Mysterio’s son has been around and annoyed Samoa Joe, setting things up here.

I’ll take Samoa Joe to retain again because his pointless title reign needs to continue. It’s a shame that the US Title has become a near curse to the champions, but that’s where we are with the title these days. Hopefully things get a little bit better, but I’ve been saying that for so many months now that it’s almost impossible to buy that anything else is going to happen. Expect Dominic to get involved and likely become more of a focus in the coming weeks, which isn’t likely to be a good idea.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. AJ Styles

They’ve been trying with this one but it’s still falling a little flat. I know they’re going for a dream match idea here but there’s a fine line between a dream match and an “oh that will be good” match. Rollins is still getting into being the face of the show and while Styles is an incredible talent, he is just coming off a year long reign as champion over on SmackDown, making a title change here not that likely.

I’ll take Rollins to retain here, which makes me all the more sad as it feels like we’re coming up on the dreaded Baron Corbin title push. He’s going to get to the main event scene at some point and it would make sense to go after Rollins rather than Styles. The match should be awesome though and hopefully it happens before the ladder match so we don’t have to worry about a cash-in to take away from the ending.

SmackDown World Title: Kofi Kingston(c) vs. Kevin Owens

This is an interesting one as Kingston won the title six weeks ago and while he still feels like a transitional champion, I’m not convinced that he’s going to be losing anytime soon. As mentioned earlier, the SmackDown main event scene feels like we’re just waiting for Reigns to come after the title and until then, everything is completely wide open. That brings us to here though.

I’ll take Kingston retaining, though a briefcase cash-in wouldn’t shock me. I don’t think that’s going to happen two years in a row, though it would be nice to not have the briefcase running around for another year. The match should be good and they have a story set up with Owens telling Kingston that he can’t do things on his own, though I think it’s a way for Kingston to get his first pay per view title defense.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

And then there’s this to close things out, which is quite the wide open field. Nikki Cross is replacing the (again) concussed Alexa Bliss and that….doesn’t really change anything as Bliss wasn’t the most likely candidate to win in the first place. That leaves a bunch of potential winners, though some of them are a lot less likely than others and can be cut off pretty easily.

I’ll take Mandy Rose to win, as it would set up an instant feud with Sonya Deville and give WWE the push that they’ve been wanting to run with for months now. That’s a fine choice too as Rose has gotten a lot better and could be worth a try in the title scene. I mean, it isn’t going to be Natalya, Brooke (I kind of want to see her get a run though, just for the sake of comedy), Moon, Carmella or Cross, which only leaves a few options. Rose seems to be the best of the remainders so we’ll go with her.

Overall Thoughts

Money In The Bank is looking like the most “oh dang we need to do a show” that happens to be one of the bigger events in recent years. It feels like WWE is trying to do all kinds of things at once and almost nothing is getting a real focus. That being said, I’ve had a far less annoying time with the build this year and that has made me a lot more interested in this show than in previous years. WWE feels like they’re booking day to day at the moment though and that needs to change, either starting with or the night after this show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

The season is done now and the good news is that the show has received the highest audience and ratings in the history of the network. That would make it seem like a second season is likely, which is great as this has been one of the best series of documentaries I can remember seeing.

Bruiser Brody

We’re starting with probably the best episode here. Bruiser Brody was a monster back in his day and one of the true traveling attractions in wrestling. He would wrestle a little bit throughout the territories but never stayed in one place for very long. Eventually he tried to buy into the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico, which didn’t sit well with another wrestler, who stabbed him to death in the shower.

That’s what the episode focuses on because what else could it focus on? The main speaker here is Tony Atlas, who was in the locker room that night and saw the knife. He also helped carry Brody out but there was nothing that could be done to save him. This is a well known story in wrestling but the fallout is the fascinating part though as the show looks at the coverup of the murder, with claims of self defense and subpoenas being delivered after the trial was over.

This one felt like a dive into a very deep story and that’s where this thing got fascinating. The main story is well known but the details themselves make it clear how horrible the entire situation really was. It’s one of those cases where everyone else seems to know what happened but the people involved with the killing yet somehow they’ve gotten away with the whole thing. Check this one out as it’s more than worth your time.

Von Erichs

This one is much more like the Montreal Screwjob episode than anything else. The problem with the Von Erichs is that there is so much to be said about the whole thing that you can’t contain the whole thing in a single hour. The family is one of the greatest tragedies in wrestling history and we get a lot of that here.

Kevin Von Erich, the last of his generation, gets to talk a lot here and you can feel the real emotion coming from him as he talks about his brothers passing away. The line of “I used to have five brothers and now I’m not even a brother anymore” is a really hard one to sit through, though it does seem like he has found peace, which is the best possible ending that he could have.

The other big issue here is talking about how David passed away from stomach issues when it has been pretty well established that it was a massive drug overdose. That being said, I can completely understand the lack of wanting to talk about something like that as maybe Kevin still believes otherwise. Can you blame him for wanting to try to have some peace on that? Either way, this made me want to watch the other two awesome documentaries on World Class, both of which are more than worth seeing. This is a good show for another side, but it could have been twice as long to really cover everything in more detail.

Gino Hernandez

I was looking forward to this one as Hernandez is another interesting case that you don’t hear about very often. Hernandez was a young and talented heel who knew how to work a crowd but also spent a lot of time partying and getting involved with some rather questionable people.

This one takes a different twist though as it’s much more about Hernandez’s family trying to find out what happened to him. Hernandez died under some mysterious circumstances (the autopsy report had some mistakes and he had something like five times the amount of cocaine in his body for an overdose) and for thirty years his mother and daughter weren’t sure what happened to him. The producers found some of the people Hernandez associated with back in the day and smoothed things over a bit, though it does seem that there was some more going on.

This is more in the true crime path like the Brody show and that made it better. Again, it helps to have a story that a lot of people aren’t familiar with and some characters that are easy to get behind. Throw in some stories like Hernandez being paranoid that he was about to be killed and then dying under mysterious circumstances and this was quite an easy watch. Well if you can ignore a story about death, drugs and a destroyed family.

Fabulous Moolah

Series finale time and this one didn’t work as well for me. The idea is that Moolah is someone who is beloved for her success and influence on wrestling but she might have been a rather horrible person behind the scenes, controlling her women wrestlers and throwing them away when she stopped making them money. It sounds like a lot to cover and that’s where this runs into trouble.

The problem here is they run through so many different stories about Moolah that it’s hard to get any kind of flow going. It’s a lot of looking at one person/story then another then another and while it certainly makes Moolah look horrible, it’s not the best way of presenting things. It’s much more a bunch of things being thrown together and used as a presentation of everything wrong with her. The overall message works, but the means of getting there not so much.

Overall, I’m sure there’s something there with Moolah, but her legacy is so strong and influence so incredible that it’s rather easy to overlook. At the same time though there are so many stories of people being treated horribly that it’s impossible to overlook. When you consider the history of wrestling though, especially the era when Moolah was on top, it’s all but guaranteed that Moolah wasn’t the only boss doing things like this. It’s a good amount of stories and evidence against her, but that’s what it feels like: a bunch of stories told one after another instead of one big compelling idea.

So yeah, the series is great and even the worst episode (probably Moolah or the Screwjob) are all worth checking out. The Brody one is great though and they all fly by. Season two should be great as it’s not like there aren’t a ton of stories to tell. Dino Bravo has been rumored for a season premiere and that could work out very well. Check these things out as soon as you can.

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: May 16, 2019
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Renee Young, Vic Joseph

It’s the final show from the two day mini marathon in London and that means a lot of highlights from the week. Thankfully that’s a little better than what we usually get this week, despite the issues with counting in the Wild Card Rule. Hopefully it’s just not that bad this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Titus O’Neil vs. EC3

Titus shoves him down without much effort and the overhand chops just cause pain. EC3 gets an elbow up in the corner though and it’s time to choke on the ropes, which somehow works by pulling Titus’ throat away from the ropes. The chinlock goes on, followed by a middle rope dropkick to give EC3 two. There’s the EC3 Elbow but Titus isn’t about to be suplexed. The running splash in the corner sets up the Clash of the Titus to finish EC3 at 5:35.

Rating: D+. What else is there even to say here? The match was inconsequential to the fact that EC3, the guy who looks carved out of stone, has a ton of charisma and success elsewhere was called up to the main roster to job to Titus O’Freaking Neil. Send him back to NXT or something at this point as whatever he’s doing here isn’t worth it either in the long or short run.

We get the long video from Raw, comparing Seth Rollins and AJ Styles’ paths to the main event. It’s a good video with some cool highlights, but I’m still not feeling the title match.

From Raw.

And now for the show’s centerpiece: a double contract signing! Lacey Evans, Charlotte (that’s five) and Becky Lynch all come out for the signings with the fans being behind the champ. Becky talks about how great it is to be back in London before promising that Lacey will crumble under the pressure of the Man being on her neck.

Charlotte talks about Becky’s big mouth getting her in trouble again and how it’s always been her issues. Lacey complains about Becky not wearing the proper clothing to such a formal occasions. This isn’t a fight in a barn. Who wears a camisole and leather pants to a barn fight? Becky laughs it off and signs, leaving Charlotte to talk over the BECKY TWO BELTS chants. She finds this hilarious and Becky’s confidence can’t hide her jealousy. On Sunday, Becky will bow down to the Queen.

Charlotte signs and Lacey says the WWE needs a lady to show them the way. Lacey says Becky can “continue to pretend to swing around something that she doesn’t have” and it’s not going to be enough to take out two real ladies. Becky offers her a free shot as Becky signs. The table is shoved aside and the fight is on with Lacey getting caught in the Disarm-Her. Charlotte breaks it up with a big boot and a double powerbomb puts Becky through the table. Both titles are held up for a pretty good visual.

That’s the second contract signing in three weeks. Is that really the best thing that they can come up with? It’s not like it’s some brilliant trope that you never see anywhere else. They’re just sitting there trading shots at each other. Do they really have nothing better to do than the contract signing? Just have them yell at each other on stage or something for the save of a little change of pace.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House but Bray is nowhere to be seen but pops up from behind a table. Rabbity is seen in a chair with a bandage over his eye as Bray talks about having a secret. It’s almost time to show the world what he has been working on, but he’s going to need the help of all his Fireflies.

The cheering warms his soul, but there is still a lot of darkness in his noggin. This time though, he has learned how to control it. Bray gets a lot more sinister and asks if we want to see his secret. He turns to the door and we cut to some rather creepy images of what looks like a bunch of toys, and Bray morphs into something like an evil clown with his hair down. Bray, in a dark voice: “Yeowy wowwy.” Well that worked. I’m not sure how well it’s going to work in an arena, but the vignettes are the highlight of the show.

Revival vs. Lucha House Party

It’s certainly better than the humiliation stuff and Gran Metalik is the odd Lucha out here. Kalisto rolls away from Wilder to start and kicks him in the head before snapping off a headscissors to Dawson. Dorado adds the splash for two and a standing Lionsault drops Dawson and Dash, sending them outside. Back from a break with Wilder suplexing the heck out of Kalisto to take over as the announcers talk about the Usos being rather rude as of late.

Wilder slaps on a Gory Stretch but Kalisto slips out without much trouble and it’s back to Dorado for a double high crossbody. A triple moonsault gets two on Dawson with Wilder making the save and dragging Dawson back to the corner. Everything breaks down and Kalisto’s suicide dive doesn’t work so Dorado hits a big dive onto Revival. Back in and the Shatter Machine takes care of Dorado at 10:40.

Rating: C+. Matches like this just make me cringe even more about what Revival has been doing on Raw. They can have a good match, yet we can’t get the titles off of Hawkins/Ryder and the big feud on Raw at the moment is over Usy Hot and back shaving. And WWE doesn’t understand why the fans are leaving.

Money in the Bank rundown.

We see the end of Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman from Raw, with Sami winning Braun’s Money in the Bank spot. So yeah, no Smackdown this week.

Overall Rating: D+. A nice Revival match isn’t bad, but what in the world are we supposed to get when Smackdown doesn’t exist? I get that they were focusing a bit more on Money in the Bank this week but I could go for a little more than a DOUBLE CONTRACT SIGNING to get my interest up. It’s not a terrible show, but not one single thing from Smackdown? How is that even possible?

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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: May 14, 2019
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Aiden English, Byron Saxton, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for Money in the Bank, meaning it’s time for the final push towards Tony Nese defending against Ariya Daivari. Tonight is a special show though as we have NXT vs. the UK with some guest stars from NXT UK filling in some of the spots. That could be interesting, but you never know around here. Let’s get to it.

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

General Manager Drake Maverick introduces the show and runs down the two matches.

Opening sequence.

Jack Gallagher vs. Humberto Carrillo vs. James Drake vs. Mark Andrews

Drake bails straight to the floor so it’s a triple headlock from the other three, even though there are only two headlocks included. A standoff sets up a series of dropkicks for some near falls with Drake’s attempt to steal one not going well. Drake gets caught back inside with Andrews chopping away and doing the slide on his knees to send Drake right back to the floor. That leaves Carrillo to hit his really high springboard spinning crossbody on Gallagher.

Drake pulls Andrews to the floor for a reverse powerbomb onto the apron as the pace picks up. Back in and Drake kicks Carrillo in the face to put him down in the corner. With the other two on the floor, a snap suplex gets two on Carrillo and Drake even has the time for a chinlock. Gallagher gets back on the apron for an exchange of forearms with Drake but a hard one puts him on the floor again. Carrillo sends Drake outside as well for the big flip dive to leave the ring empty.

Andrews grabs a running hurricanrana off the apron to Carrillo, followed by a spinning DDT to plant Drake on the floor. With everyone else down, Gallagher busts out William the umbrella for the Mary Poppins dive off the top. Just to show off some more, Gallagher grabs a very delayed vertical suplex on Andrews to the delight of his home country crowd. Drake catches Gallagher on top but takes too long going up, allowing Andrews to snap off a top rope hurricanrana.

Gallagher gets in a headbutt, followed by Carrillo hitting Twisted Bliss for two with Gallagher and Andrews making a save. Stundog Millionaire hits Carrillo and the moonsault kick to the head takes both Carrillo and Gallagher down. Gallagher is back up with a headbutt to Andrews, but knocks himself silly, allowing Carrillo to grab a rollup pin at 9:48.

Rating: B. It was cool to see Gallagher this fired up and inspired again. I know his character would suggest that he is fairly one note but there is some charisma inside there and it can come out at times. Carrillo getting a big win is nice, though Drake or Andrews winning wouldn’t have made a bit of sense.

Post match Carrillo and Gallagher shake hands.

Ariya Daivari, in a tanning bed, thinks Tony Nese is intimidated by him. Now Nese is flying eight hours for a match he doesn’t need to be in. Daivari will be fresh and massaged for Money in the Bank and have no problem beating a tired champion.

Nese is wrestling tonight because it’s right rather than smart. Yeah he could be in a tanning bed or training, but he’s a champion and got there by working hard.

Video on Ligero. It’s rather strange hearing him talk.

Lucha House Party accepts the Singh Brothers’ challenge to a rematch for next week.

Tony Nese vs. Ligero

Non-title. They battle over arm control to start with Ligero flipping around quite a bit, earning a drive into the corner from Nese. Ligero ties himself up in a ball on the mat and rolls Nese up as he comes near, setting up a long pinfall reversal sequence. That’s good for a handshake, plus one for the referee for keeping up with them. You don’t see that one every day.

Nese gets two off a rollup, followed by Ligero snapping off a hurricanrana for the same. Back up and Nese moonsaults over him before ducking a clothesline with a nipup. A kick to the ribs sends Ligero to the floor but he catches Nese with a pump kick. The running dive is cut off by an elbow to the face to give Nese two more though and it’s off to the waistlock.

Ligero uses a rollup to block the running knee in the corner so Nese goes back to the bodyscissors. This time Ligero fights up with a tilt-a-whirl into a crossbody but it bangs up the ribs again. With the wrestling not working so well, Nese goes with the shots to the face, including a spinwheel kick for two. The springboard moonsault misses so Ligero nails a springboard splash, which only hurts his ribs again.

Nese bails to the floor and you just don’t do that against a luchador, meaning it’s a big flip dive to take him down again. Back in and a super hurricanrana drops Ligero again, followed by the 450….for two. Nese’s stunned face gets superkicked but C4L is countered into a powerbomb into the corner. The running knee finishes Ligero at 14:20.

Rating: B. The lack of drama didn’t help things here as you can only do so much to convince people that the champ is going to lose five days before the title match. Ligero looked good here though and could easily hang on a show like this full time. Nese is rapidly settling in but he needs a far more interesting challenger than Daivari to make the title reign feel more important.

Post match Nese raises Ligero’s hand but Daivari runs in to beat both of them down. They’re trying so hard to make this work but there’s a limit to what can be done given the circumstances.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a one off show with two rather good matches and that made for one of the best shows they’ve had in a long time. The title angle still isn’t working but it certainly isn’t for a lack of trying, which I can always respect. It’s one of the best shows they’ve had, even if it means nothing in the long term.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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: May 15, 2019
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s not a good sign when I have to look back at my notes to see what is going on with today’s show. Since the MSG show, nothing has really stuck with me, aside from Dalton Castle’s nice heel confirming segment last week. The shows haven’t been terrible, but I need something a little better than not very memorable. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Shinobi Shadow Squad vs. Coast To Coast vs. Bouncers

That would be Cheeseburger/Ryan Nova for the Squad. Ali headlocks Nova to start but can’t get an O’Connor roll. A rolling neckbreaker takes Ali down and it’s off to Cheeseburger as the match quality seems likely to go down. Everything breaks down and the Bouncers squash both teams in the corner with some running splashes. Bruiser bites various people but insists that he can’t do it because he has no teeth.

With that paradox confounding some people, Coast to Coast kick the Bouncers out to the floor, leaving the Squad to dropkick Ali and LSG into the corner. Ali is right back up with the big flip dive onto the floor onto various people, sending us to a break. Back with Cheeseburger in trouble, including a slingshot hilo into a chinlock from LSG.

Nova gets knocked off the apron so Cheeseburger settles for a tag off to Milonas, who kicks the heck out of Ali to take over. The swinging Boss Man Slam gives Milonas two as everything breaks down. Nova tries some forearms on Milonas and Cheeseburger has to save him from certain doom. Double superkicks stagger Milonas but Bruiser clotheslines Nova. That leaves Cheeseburger to dive onto Coast to Coast and it’s Closing Time to finish Nova at 9:56.

Rating: C-. Heaven help me but I think I’m starting to like the Bouncers. They don’t do anything revolutionary and they’re rather limited in the ring, but they do what they do quite well. It also helps a lot when so many members of the roster are smaller guys and you have these two monsters. That makes them stand out so much more and it helped a lot here. Not a bad triple threat either.

We recap Flip Gordon challenging Matt Taven for the World Title.

We look at the end of last week’s show with Lifeblood calling out Bully ray for revenge over what he did to Tenille Dashwood.

We look back at the Allure attacking Jenny Rose and Kelly Klein.

We look back at Dalton Castle attacking the Boys. Why are we recapping the last two weeks?

We recap (erg) the Honor Rumble from MSG where Great Muta and Jushin Thunder Liger gave us an awesome moment but we needed to push Kenny King because that has worked so well over the years.

Here’s Kenny King….who is now blind because of being misted in the Rumble. King should be happy right now but since he’s blind, all of his happiness is gone. Since he started at #1 though, he should be called Kenny “Shawn Michaels” King. He brags about throwing out Muta and Liger to win but then Muta misted him and took away his vision. What matters most though is that he and Matt Taven are boys, but King is coming for the title. Before that though, he’s coming for Jay Lethal, albeit after he has his eye surgery. Lethal will bent the knee.

Flip Gordon talks about his knee injury and how hard he worked to beat the timetable for his return. Now he’s ready for his World Title shot next week on the 400^th episode.

Flex Simmons vs. Josh Woods

Simmons is a guy with a rather limited physique who poses a lot. Woods spears him, faceplants him and finishes with the Seismic Toss (reverse fireman’s carry slam) at 38 seconds. Are they allergic to wrestling on this show?

Post break Woods says he’s down to fight. His shirt saying “down to fight” implied that.

Shane Taylor vs. Bandido

Bandido tries some early grappling before just superkicking the much bigger Shane in the face. Taylor’s jumping sitdown splash misses and a basement dropkick puts him on the floor. That means the suicide dive, followed by the Fosbury Flop dive to send us to a break. Back with Taylor not liking being hit in the chest, meaning it’s a single chop to bring Bandido to his knees.

Another chop puts Bandido on his back but he’s right back up and trying a fireman’s carry for some reason. That just earns him a heck of a chokeslam, followed by an even harder right hand. Taylor talks trash before tossing Bandido across the ring as the beating slows down. A running corner clothesline crushes Bandido again and a running clothesline in the middle gets two. Elbows to the face and shoulder give Shane two more and he punches a diving Bandido out of the air for a great visual.

Back from another break with Bandido slugging away again and no selling a shot to the face. He sells a chokeslam though, with Shane going down as well from near exhaustion. Bandido tries a discus forearm but gets headbutted away, allowing Shane to hit a swinging Downward Spiral for two. Another right hand breaks up another springboard and a hanging Stunner gives Shane two more. Ok these kickouts are getting ridiculous. Somehow Bandido is back with a springboard crossbody and a GTS of all things. The 21 Plex finishes Taylor at 13:56.

Rating: B. They lost me near the end there as Shane has been knocking people silly for a long time now and Bandido survived all of it before winning in the end. That’s a lot to take and I didn’t buy it near the ending there. Bandido is a star in the making (if not one already) but this was a bit of a stretch. I’m sure Shane is going to be fine, but that was a little too far with the kickouts.

Post match here’s Bully Ray because OF COURSE IT’S BULLY RAY in the big closing. Ray goes after Bandido but Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams run in. The yelling is on but the newly signed Soldiers of Savagery come in and beat down Lifeblood. Bully Ray and Shane Taylor are confused and ask each other who brought in the Soldiers. The Soldiers leave on their own to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The wrestling was better than usual here but egads what was that big stretch of recaps in the middle? It felt like they had to edit something out and that was all they had to fill in time. I’ve said it for the last few weeks but they continue to squander the momentum they had from the biggest show they’ve ever had. That’s rather disappointing but honestly, I’m not really surprised.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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 #57
Date: May 11, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Jim Cornette

Things are starting to wrap up in this taping cycle and we’re coming up on a few big matches. Last week saw Salina de la Renta running things and a tease of a big fight with Sami Callihan but it wound up being Mance Warner instead. Therefore, there is a good chance we’ll be seeing Callihan going after Salina again soon. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Barrington Hughes/Ace Romero vs. Contra, which sounds like a sacrifice in the making.

Opening sequence.

Air Wolf vs. Rey Fenix

Wolf looks rather terrified and the announcers pick up on it. They shake hands to start with Fenix taking him to the mat for a hold that isn’t going to go anywhere. That’s reversed into a double arm crank from Wolf so Fenix flips up to his feet without much trouble. Fenix does a series of flips to get out of a wristlock and Wolf isn’t sure what to do here. They chop it out until Wolf gets in his first big(ish) offense with a springboard wristdrag.

Fenix is right back with his own armdrag to put Wolf on the floor but he’s right back in with a hurricanrana of his own. The big dive to the floor takes Fenix down again as he can’t figure out what to do with Wolf. Back in and Fenix’s rolling cutter is countered into a German suplex. Another German suplex gives Wolf two and a springboard Downward Spiral gets the same.

Fenix finally rolls through for a hard dropkick and they’re both down. Wolf gets tied in the ropes for a rope walk kick to the face as I want to throttle the fan with the air horn. That’s fine with Wolf, who is right back with a butterfly suplex into a DDT for two. Fenix catches him on top with a kick to the head but the Black Fire Driver is countered into a cradle to give Wolf the big upset at 9:48.

Rating: B-. That’s not the biggest surprise as the idea here was to give Wolf a rub before Fenix goes to MLW full time. Wolf hasn’t impressed me all that much yet but giving him some wins like this is a good idea, even if they don’t happen very often. Fenix brought him up a lot and that’s why they were put together.

Austin Aries is coming soon. Does he have to?

We look at Salina de la Renta’s problems with Sami Callihan and Mance Warner last week.

Salina isn’t happy with Mance, who she thinks does things to chickens. Next week, she wants Promociones Dorado vs. Callihan/Warner.

Barrington Hughes vs. Jacob Fatu

If there is any justice in the world, this should be about a minute long. Hughes knocks him into the corner for a splash but gets superkicked in the face. Something like a Whisper in the Wind (remember that Fatu is pushing 300lbs) finishes Fatu in 33 seconds. EXACTLY what it should have been.

The Hart Foundation is in a nice car and thank the Lucha Bros for dropping the titles. They don’t think much of MJF for a variety of reasons. As for Brian Pillman, he’ll gain a lot from competition, like a match against Rich Swann in the National Title tournament.

Alexander Hammerstone is looking forward to facing Gringo Loco in the tournament but he’s thinking about the celebration when he wins the title. MJF has even rented an elephant so Grandpappy Hammer and Weird Uncle Gary Hammer can come celebrate. He promises to win but leaves to take a call about the elephant.

We get the first Fury Road Control Center. We’ll see the tournament final to crown the first National Champion as well as the debuts of Ross and Marshall Von Erich.

Tom Lawlor is ready for Avalanche, because Tom is the only abominable snowman anyone needs to worry about.

Ariel Dominguez vs. Bryan Idol

Idol has some muscle on a somewhat small frame. Ariel gets sent into the corner for a running knee and a butterfly suplex into the same corner makes it even worse. A swinging layout Rock Bottom gets two as the not huge Idol is throwing around the tiny Dominguez. Idol gets two more off a shoulder breaker but misses a moonsault. That’s enough for Dominguez to hit a dropkick and tornado DDT, setting up a kick to the chest for two. A springboard tornado DDT into a small package (eventually as it was several covers before Dominguez tied the legs up) finishes Idol at 4:09.

Rating: D+. They lost me here as Dominguez is just too small and doesn’t do enough crazy athletic stuff to make up for it. The level of suspension of believe necessary for wrestling is very high at times and I can live with a lot, but this was just a bit too far. It’s not a bad match but I didn’t believe it and that’s a problem.

We look at Salina’s challenge again.

Warner and Callihan are in for the match. Warner’s eyes bugging out the whole time makes it that much better. Oh and it’s going to be a tag team fight instead of a match. I think that was already understood. They get in a bit of an argument over thumbs and kneepads going up and down.

Salina talks to Low Ki about his contract but Low Ki doesn’t like the promoter becoming the feature attraction. She even calls him Mr. Silvestri (his real name) to show you how serious it is.

National Title Tournament Semifinals: Gringo Loco vs. Alexander Hammerstone

The rest of the Dynasty lets Hammerstone do this one himself as the fans are way into Loco. Hammerstone powers him down to start as Loco is a little tentative to start. Loco gets thrown away again but manages to flip away for a standoff. The fans let Hammerstone know that he can’t do that and a running hurricanrana to the floor frustrates him even more.

Rating: C-. The botch was a one off miss as the rest of the match was perfectly fine. Hammerstone winning is the only call they had and a match against Pillman (or Swann) for the title could be rather entertaining. It’s clear that Hammerstone is a star in the making and pushing him like this is the only thing that can be done with him at the moment.

Post match Hammerstone says he’s a win away from the title because he’s no longer a prospect. Now, he’s the future champion.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t bad as they build towards the tournament and some stuff in the coming weeks, though the idea of another title when some of them don’t even make it onto the show doesn’t do much for me. I’m not sure how it’s going to go, but having so much stuff going on is going to become a problem. The show was good enough, but I’m worried about what’s coming in the future. Just stop doing so much stuff and let the stuff you have work well.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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: December 13, 2004
Location: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Attendance: 4,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

The year is starting to come to a close and Eric Bischoff is back to run things again. This time around that means we need a solution to the World Title being vacated, which should mean some kind of big gimmick match for the January’s pay per view. That would be the regular January show and not the Royal Rumble, because January suddenly needs to pay per views. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Eric Bischoff with the World Title to get things going. Bischoff recaps all the changes since he went on vacation and then gets into the meat of things. Two weeks ago, both Chris Benoit and Edge got a fall at the same time, but traditionally a tie goes to the champion. That would be HHH, so all three are standing in the back watching intently. HHH says no one beat him, clearly not understanding how triple threats work.

That starts an argument with Benoit so Edge says this is how it always goes. Edge has had it with waiting and the fight is on. Bischoff has had it and makes HHH/Batista vs. Chris Jericho/Chris Benoit. As for Edge, he can fight Randy Orton RIGHT NOW. The decision on the title can come later tonight. I think you can guess what it is based on the people put in those two matches, but let’s wait a little longer.

Edge vs. Randy Orton

The fans remind Edge that he tapped out and he’s so shaken up that Orton can shove him into the corner. They go with some amateur stuff in a bit of a surprise, followed by an exchange of missed dropkicks for a standoff. Orton goes with the hard clothesline to put Edge on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Orton grabbing a chinlock (he does love his chinlocks) for a bit until Edge gets a foot on the rope. You don’t see that as a counter to a chinlock very often but you don’t often see a heel in one for that long either. Edge gets up and baseball slides him to the floor, followed by a spear off the apron. Back in and the chinlock with a bodyscissors goes on with Orton taking his sweet time getting up.

A crossbody gives Orton two and they’re both down again (that’s happened a lot in this one). It’s Edge up first but Orton dropkicks him out of the air, followed by the backbreaker for two. The Edge-O-Matic gives Edge two of his own and it’s time to yell at the referee. Orton snaps off the powerslam but misses the high crossbody. The spear misses as well and it’s the RKO to finish Edge.

Rating: C+. Good match, but you could cut off the first ten minutes and not miss anything. These two like to go for the big epic match and it really doesn’t work all that well. Edge losing again doesn’t exactly help his case for the World Title, but we have to keep Orton hot for his title push….whenever that actually happens again.

Ric Flair lists off HHH’s accomplishments so HHH can convince Bischoff to make him champion again. Violence is threatened but here’s Batista to say that’s a bad idea. Batista wants HHH to play the game properly and show Bischoff instead of telling him. When they win tonight, Bischoff will know who the real champion is.

Christy, Melina and Maria are here with a t-shirt gun. After the announcers recap the opening sequence, here’s Gene Snitsky to interrupt, with Melina taking a few extra moments to notice him. Since no one will give him a match around here, he’d rather come out here and play with the t-shirt gun….and dance? Thankfully he reverts to monster form by grabbing Christy by the throat, because he has fun when someone is suffering.

This brings out Lita, who says Snitsky must feel like a big man right now. Despite everything Snitsky did to her, Lita is the Women’s Champion. Uh, he did like one thing to you. Anyway, Kane is coming back to deal with Snitsky. The complete non-reaction to that announcement is rather telling. Snitsky goes after Lita, who escaped behind a wall of fire.

Christian rants about Chris Jericho making him dress like a superhero last week while Candice Michelle does his makeup. Eugene comes up and gets on Christian’s nerves by saying Captain Charisma isn’t as good as Aquaman. He even asks for an autograph but gets broken up by a cameo.

Mick Foley of all people pops up and Eugene freaks out because Foley is tied for his four favorite wrestlers. It’s Foley, the Rock (Foley: “That’s a good choice.”), Papa Shango (Foley: “Ok that’s a weird one.”) and Beautiful Bobby Eaton, because he’s from right here in Huntsville, Alabama. Has Eaton ever been mentioned on Raw before? Foley leaves with Eugene, even though he stole his cheap pop. Eugene tells Christian and Tomko to have a nice day, Bang Bang.

Simon Dean is in Eric Bischoff’s office to sign his official Raw contract when Chris Benoit comes in. Dean leaves and Benoit says he worked so hard to get the title. He wants a rematch of the triple threat match for the title but Bischoff says Benoit is already in a tag match. Benoit isn’t happy and says if Bischoff gives the title back to HHH, he’ll just be showing how spineless he really is.

Chris Benoit/Chris Jericho vs. HHH/Batista

Ric Flair is here with Evolution. Benoit slugs away at HHH to start and the loud chops in the corner follow. HHH gets smart by going with the power to drive Benoit into the corner for the boot choke from Batista. It’s off to Jericho who can’t do anything with Batista either so it’s back to HHH for some more first gear grappling. A shoulder and the jumping knee to the face move things up a bit and take Jericho down, followed by a heck of a whip into the corner from Batista.

The chinlock keeps Jericho in trouble and it’s back to HHH for some choking in the corner. A delayed vertical suplex into the knee drop gives HHH one with Benoit making the save. Flair goes after the referee and gets decked by Jericho, sending him into the trademark rage. HHH calms him down though and we take a break.

Back with Benoit hitting a German suplex on HHH but missing the Swan Dive, even with Batista not being able to grab Benoit’s foot in time. HHH whips Benoit back first into the corner for two and it’s off to the abdominal stretch to cause some screaming. The assist from Batista gets HHH caught so he throws some right hands in the corner while calling spots.

HHH’s jump off the middle rope that is designed to land on a raised boot lands on a raised boot, meaning Jericho can come in. Jericho rolls Batista up for two and slips out of the Batista Bomb, setting up an enziguri. The Lionsault connects and HHH is sent to the floor, leaving Benoit to hit the Swan Dive. The Sharpshooter goes on and the saving HHH is pulled into the Crossface. That’s enough of a distraction for Batista to hit the spinebuster for the pin on Benoit.

Rating: B. This was working the formula rather well and Batista is getting better and better every week. His star power is rising as well as he gets sick of HHH, which is only going to mean great things for him. Giving him the pin like that makes things look even better, as HHH isn’t going to be happy.

Here’s Mick Foley for a chat. After all, what would Christmastime be without a Mick Foley book plug? He’s not telling you to buy it or that it’s a great Christmas gift idea though. Actually he’s here to mention that he’s going to be on Smackdown next week, because he’s going to Iraq for the Tribute to the Troops. We get a look at last week’s show and Foley mentions that he still has some John Kerry bumper stickers in his garage. The fans boo and Foley remembers that this is a red state.

Supporting the troops goes beyond political affiliation though and he’s honored to be going over there and entertain the troops. This brings out Muhammad Hassan and Daivari for something that is going to go very badly in a hurry. Hassan talks about blindly supporting the troops and the country, but then 9/11 happened.

People like the two of them are the real victims of the war and none of the people here are real patriots. Why would they support a war that causes the unfair treatment of Arab Americans? Hassan feels the “patriotism” around every airport and right now, though Foley disagrees with almost every word. Foley puts over America as the place where you can say any stupid views you want so Hassan calls Americans infidels. That’s too far for Foley, who lists off various people who were hurt or killed defending his rights. Hassan: “YOU SUPPORT AN EVIL AND UNJUST WAR!” Foley: “I SUPPORT AMERICA!”

Those rights don’t apply in the ring (Foley Island) though and if Hassan comes inside, he’ll get a fist in his mouth. Hassan and Daivari walk away again. I know it was a different time, but this stuff is as heavy handed as it gets these days, with the Love It Or Leave It stuff being a lot to take. I get where these debates have an audience, but it’s not the most interesting thing on a wrestling show.

We look back at Lita winning the Women’s Title last week.

Trish Stratus doesn’t care what the interviewer’s name is because she isn’t happy with what happened. She’ll get her title back.

Rochelle (egads another random woman on the roster) is in Bischoff’s office when Edge comes in to say he deserves the title. We hear his usual list of times where he got cheated and is told that the decision is coming tonight.

Christian/Tyson Tomko/Maven vs. Eugene/William Regal/Shelton Benjamin

Eugene backdrops Christian to start and pulls out his own version of Mr. Socko as Lawler insists that Christian could beat Aquaman. Maven and Christian both take airplane spins but Tomko takes Eugene’s head off with a clothesline. The chinlock keeps Eugene in trouble (Regal: “Come on Eug!”) and it’s back to Maven for an elbow to the head. Regal’s overly loud shouting continues as JR sucks up to the troops all over again. Eugene gets two each off a backslide and small package so Christian rips at his face.

Shelton and Regal are knocked off the apron as the announcers talk about Simon Dean. Come on the match isn’t THAT bad. Maven puts on a chinlock of his own with a knee in Eugene’s back until a Stunner breaks things up. Shelton finally comes in to start taking over and an exploder getting two on Maven as Christian makes the save. Christian gets Socko from Eugene but Maven rolls Shelton up and grabs the rope for the upset.

Rating: D. This felt a lot longer than the seven minutes it lasted. Maven’s continued push isn’t helping anything, but at least having it be in the midcard instead of the main event is a little more believable. The match wasn’t even very good as it was Eugene getting beaten until the last minute when Shelton got pinned.

HHH glares at Bischoff and then nearly begs him to return the title. He seems near tears as he talks about how important the title is to him as this is getting WAY too deep into HHH’s psyche than I’m comfortable with being. See, HHH needs to be champion so people can recognize him. Oh and it’s good for business.

Next week: the Best of 2004. Pick your favorite “that’s going to be a short show” joke.

Bischoff comes to the ring and calls for HHH, Edge and Benoit to join him. The three of them do, with Flair and Batista joining HHH. All the team does is win and the World Heavyweight Champion should be a winner. Bischoff liked the idea of another triple threat match but that’s not what he wants to do. Or maybe he could hand the belt to Edge, but that’s not a good move since Edge has never been champion before.

With that WCW philosophical line out of the way, Bischoff gets to his idea: the Elimination Chamber at New Year’s Revolution, which was the pretty clear pick the entire time. In addition to the three of them, Jericho, Batista and Orton will be involved as well. Only Batista seems to be happy as Bischoff leaves. Benoit gets beaten down so here are Jericho and Orton for the big six way brawl. Orton RKO’s Batista to stand tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The longer wrestling was nice for a change, but the bigger problem here was how we spent weeks waiting to find out what is going on with the title and the answer is we wait another month. That’s going to make for some very long shows before we get to the title change, but it means they can do very little until we get to the Royal Rumble where things can actually happen. Not a terrible show, but another case of filling time until we get to what really matters.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: May 15, 2019
Location: Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re coming up on the big rematch between UK Champion Walter and Pete Dunne but we also need to look to the future with more qualifying matches for the #1 contenders fatal four way match. That alone should be enough for a good show but I’ve started to like the prospects of what we might be getting around here week to week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Piper Niven vs. Jamie Hayter

Jamie, making her debut here, grabs the arm to start but gets pulled into a standing chinlock. After slipping out, Jamie tries some trash talk and gets headbutted down for her efforts. There’s a Cannonball in the corner and the Michinoku Driver finishes Jamie at 1:48. Total squash.

Toni Storm warns Nina Samuels to stop talking about her career. An out of control Storm is not a good thing and she’ll even put the title on the line.

Sid Scala is excited for both the title match and the qualifying matches when Kassius Ohno comes up with a complaint. He’s here to showcase pure British wrestling but he’s not in a qualifying match. Scala promises an answer next week.

Fatal Four Way Qualifying Match: Ligero vs. Jordan Devlin

Feeling out process to start with Ligero sending him into the corner to start, meaning Jordan wants an early breather. Devlin takes him down in a test of strength but Ligero is right back with a scary looking Canadian Destroyer (or a very sloppy Code Red). Thankfully Devlin isn’t knocked silly as Ligero dropkicks him to the floor, setting up the slingshot dive.

Back in and Devlin trips Ligero right back to the floor for a ram into the barricade. A backbreaker sets up the release Rock Bottom into the standing moonsault for two as Ligero’s ribs are banged up. Something like a seated abdominal stretch stays on the ribs, meaning Ligero fighting up for a crossbody isn’t the best idea.

Ligero gets two off a middle rope dropkick but makes the big mistake of trying a top rope splash. That means raised knees so Devlin can get two, but his moonsault hits raised knees. A powerbomb into the top rope splash gives Ligero two, with the ribs being a casualty again. Devlin breaks up C4L though and it’s the Saito suplex off the middle rope to put Ligero away at 10:33.

Rating: B-. Ligero has really surprised me as you wouldn’t think of him as someone who could hang in a bigger match like this. What we’ve been getting instead is a guy who can wrestle a pretty good match against different styles of opponents, which I never would have expected from a guy in a mask with big horns like that. Good stuff here.

Post match Devlin says this match shouldn’t have happened because he should be #1 contender without a qualifying match. Every card in the deck falls short against the Ace.

Walter says there is normally pressure on the new champion but he isn’t normal. Being in the ring with Pete Dunne was difficult but enjoyable because Dunne brought the real competition. It’s good that Dunne is training so hard because Walter wants him at his best.

Moustache Mountain is ready to see Dunne win the title back. Then they want another rematch for the NXT UK Tag Team Titles.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Jack Starz

Nigel is VERY excited about Dragunov, possibly due to his entrance, which features a song of people singing in Russian and closeups of Ilja’s red eyes. Dragunov takes him straight into the corner for an elbow to the face and Starz’s uppercuts just make him smile. Some running clotheslines, followed by a standing clothesline, knock Starz’s head off and an even harder one does it again. Starz gets in a dropkick and a choke, which is easily broken up by Dragunov. A jumping backsplash sets up Torpedo Moscow (running headbutt to the chest) to finish Starz at 3:07.

Rating: C-. Oh yeah they’ve got something here with Dragunov. I’ve seen him before and there are very few people with that kind of intensity. The finisher of a running headbutt to the chest will work just fine, but Dragunov’s mannerisms and look will get him a long way. You can’t stop looking at him when he’s in the ring and that’s a great thing to have.

Noam Dar and Mark Andrews are ready for their rematch next week. Noam is sorry for what he’s done before and wants the competition.

Killer Kelly vs. Xia Brookside

Xia rolls out of a wristlock to start but gets pulled down with a top wristlock. A headlock doesn’t get Xia very far as she gets reversed into a headscissors. That’s reversed into another headscissors as the feeling out continues. Back up and they shake hands….and here’s Jinny to interrupt. Jinny brings out the debuting Jazzy Gabbert and the match is thrown out somewhere around 2:45.

Gabbert comes to the ring so Kelly runs, leaving Xia to take a Dominator. So Jinny has some muscle, which is an improvement for her future.

Fatal Four Way Qualifying Match: Dave Mastiff vs. Wolfgang

Mastiff wastes no time in running Wolfgang over for an early two so Wolfgang gets a little smarter with some clotheslines in the corner. An armbar works a bit better on Mastiff and Wolfgang even mixes things up with a full nelson. Mastiff fights up again so it’s an ax handle to the head into a fireman’s carry slam, which is good enough for some polite applause from the fans. The Howling misses though and Mastiff hits a running crossbody. A German suplex sends Wolfgang into the corner and Into the Void sends Mastiff to the four way at 4:35.

Rating: D+. It was short but those holds in the middle took away some of the energy the match had. Mastiff’s push continues to surprise me as you would have expected him to lose at some point already but that actually hasn’t been the case yet. That’s a positive sign for his future as the longer he goes before the loss, the better his chances are after that.

Post match the Coffey Brothers run in and beat Mastiff down, allowing Wolfgang to hit the Howling. That means the only WE LOVE GALLUS chant in history.

One more video on Walter vs. Dunne wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. This show came and went, which isn’t the worst thing in the world. It didn’t feel long and when you consider that it was little more than a way to set up a future match for a future title shot, that’s not too bad of a result. The wrestling wasn’t too bad and while some of it was better than the rest, nothing is horrible and I want to see next week’s title match. I don’t remember the last time this show was bad and that’s a good place to be.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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