Hell In A Cell 2019
Date: October 6, 2019
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin, Jerry Lawler

So what happens if WWE holds a show but forgets to put it together? Until late Friday night, this was a three match card, though they added four more on Sunday afternoon so the show wouldn’t be an hour and fifteen minutes long. The big question tonight is can the Fiend take the Universal Title from Seth Rollins so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Lacey Evans vs. Natalya

So yes, of all things they could add, they picked THIS for the warmup match. Lacey wristlocks her to start so Natalya uses something pretty close to Owen Hart’s spinning escape to take Lacey down instead. A hammerlock keeps Natalya down as Lawler goes into his HILARIOUS material about Lacey’s time in Afghanistan. Lacey takes her down for some choking but has to fight out of a Sharpshooter attempt.

Natalya gets sent outside and we take a break. Back with Lacey’s slingshot elbow getting two and the chinlock going on. Some shots to the face let Lacey start stomping on the knee but the Sharpshooter attempt is kicked away. Back in and Lacey takes her down again but misses the double jump moonsault. Natalya gets the Sharpshooter and Lacey taps at 9:17.

Rating: D. Sure why not. This feud has been one of those nightmares that just won’t end with a fight that no one cares about and matches that aren’t any good either. I don’t know why we needed to see, what was this, the fourth match between the two, but it felt like a warmed over leftover match on a house show.

Post match Natalya punches Lacey out for some revenge.

The opening video talks about how evil the Cell is and how it changes lives, even though it has barely done that in years. The big matches get their usual attention as well.

Raw Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch

Lynch is defending inside the (RED) Cell. Sasha jumps her before the bell though, meaning the Cell isn’t even on the ground yet. That means a beating on the floor as the Cell completely lowers so Sasha goes inside as Becky pulls herself up outside. Becky rams the door into her face before taking it inside for the opening bell. Hang on again though as Becky grabs the chain and hits Sasha with it before raking her face across the Cell.

With Banks down, Becky chains the Cell shut, only to have Banks send her face first into the wall. They bust out a table, a ladder and a chair as it’s already time to tease the December rematch. Banks gets sent face first into a chair back inside but manages to dropkick it into Becky’s face for two. The Bexploder sends Banks outside and a baseball slide sends her into the wall. It works so well that Becky does it twice more but Sasha Meteoras her into the ladder for the big knockdown.

With the shots to the head no longer being enough, Banks puts the arm out of the Cell and slams the door onto it for two back inside. The arm gets sent into the chair and Banks unloads with forearms to the face. Another Meteora puts Becky through the chair for two more and Becky is looking shaken. A quick rollup gets Becky out of trouble and she kicks the chair into Banks’ ribs.

Becky dropkicks her into the Cell again and the Bexploder into the Cell makes it even worse. Back in and a bulldog onto the bottom of an open chair gives Lynch two and she can’t believe the kickout. A missile dropkick sends the chair into Banks’ face for another two and it’s time to bail to the floor. It’s time to get creative with Becky wedging some kendo sticks in the Cell wall and putting a chair on top, with Sasha going on top of that. Becky dropkicks her into the corner to complete the cool yet long to set up crash.

Back in and Becky gets two off the top rope legdrop but it takes too long to set up the table. That means a Backstabber to Becky and the top rope Meteora through the table gives Banks two. The Bank Statement with the kendo stick sends Becky crawling underneath the ropes. Becky gets the stick away and beats the heck out of Banks with it, only to whipped into a chair hanging in the Cell wall. Banks throws in about a dozen chairs and uses one on Becky’s arm. It takes her too long to go up though and a super Bexploder onto the chairs sets up the Disarm-Her for the tap at 21:26.

Rating: B. I liked the spots and they felt like they were hurting each other enough, though I’m scratching my head at Lynch retaining. This almost has to mean the return of Rousey right? If not, who in the world is supposed to take the title from Lynch? She has cleaned out the entire division (or at least all of the realistic challengers), so it’s either Rousey or the long awaited Horsewomen four way right? Or we could just do the same thing because the Cell is no longer a blowoff match.

We recap Erick Rowan/Luke Harper vs. Daniel Bryan/Roman Reigns. Rowan was revealed to be an evil genius who wants to destroy Reigns. He doesn’t like Bryan for thinking they were mental equals and Harper is here for the extra muscle.

Daniel Bryan/Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan/Luke Harper

Tornado Tag so it’s a brawl to start with Reigns and Rowan heading out to the floor, meaning Bryan hits the suicide dive. There’s a Superman Punch to Rowan as Harper is favoring the knee. Ever the nice guy, Bryan starts kicking at the knee, leaving Reigns to Samoan drop Rowan for two inside. Harper’s knee is fine enough to block the spear with a superkick for two.

Bryan comes back in but gets double teamed, as does Reigns in the same corner. A steps shot to the face keeps Roman in trouble on the floor, meaning Bryan gets beaten down again. Reigns pulls Harper to the floor though and Bryan rolls Rowan up for two. That leaves Rowan to yell at Bryan for embarrassing him but Bryan gets the LeBell Lock.

Harper makes a save of his own, allowing Rowan to Jackhammer Bryan for two more. Reigns and Rowan head to the floor, with Roman having to dive back in for a save after Harper’s Michinoku Driver. Another drop to the floor leaves Bryan to kick away at Harper’s arm and then chest in the corner, followed by a dropkick to the knee. Harper is back up to knock Bryan to the floor, setting up the suicide dive to Reigns.

It’s time to load up the announcers’ table so the German announcers jump over the barricade. Instead though, Reigns gets knocked down so Rowan can slam Harper onto him. To mix it up a bit, Rowan starts ripping up the barricade and then moves back to the table. Bryan escapes a double powerbomb by hurricanranaing Harper off the table, leaving Reigns to spear Rowan off said table.

Reigns is holding his knee though, leaving Bryan to hit the running dropkicks on Harper in the corner. The super hurricanrana is countered into a superbomb for two on Bryan and they’re both down. Harper is back up with a suplex but Bryan slips out, allowing Reigns to come back in for the Superman Punch. The running knee into the spear finishes Harper at 16:46.

Rating: B. Back to back good matches to start the show with these guys beating the heck out of each other throughout. This felt like they were hitting the brakes on Harper and Rowan, though I’m not sure if they’ll hit them as hard on Rowan as they do on Harper. At least they had a good match though and that’s something that helps a lot.

Post match Bryan pulls himself up and wants a hug. That’s exactly what he gets too and the fans are rather pleased.

Seth Rollins is ready for the challenge from the Fiend and promises to retain the title.

Randy Orton vs. Ali

Bonus match and Orton points at the Cell during his entrance. Orton works on the armbar to start before taking it outside for a drop onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Orton stomps away back inside before sending Ali hard into the post, leaving a NASTY bruise on the ribs. Something close to an abdominal stretch stays on the ribs back inside, followed by the required chinlock. That’s broken up and they head outside with Ali hitting a dropkick and diving over the announcers’ table onto Orton.

Ali’s rolling X Factor and Orton’s powerslam get two each but Ali is right back with a spinwheel kick. The tornado DDT sets up a missed 450 and Orton hits the handing DDT. The RKO is countered with a handstand into a crucifix for two as Orton is surprised. Another rolling X Factor is loaded up but Orton catches him with the RKO for the pin at 12:13.

Rating: C+. Yeah I don’t think anyone really expected Ali to win here and that’s the problem for him most of the time, just like so many others. It’s pretty clear that WWE isn’t interested in giving him any serious kind of push and that makes his matches a bit harder to watch. He’s trying hard, but it doesn’t seem to be getting him any higher up the card. At least he’s appearing on the show though, which is more than he’s been doing.

Tomorrow night: Lacey Evans vs. Natalya, Last Woman Standing. I’d love to know their rejected ideas.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross vs. Kabuki Warriors

The Warriors are challenging with Asuka hitting a sliding knee to Cross’ face for two. It’s off to Bliss for the running slap in the corner and Cross comes back in for a jawbreaker. Sane comes in and beats up Bliss a bit before handing it back to Asuka for a choke. Bliss blocks what looked to be an ankle lock attempt but gets knocked right back into the corner. Sane pokes Cross in the eye to knock her off the apron but it means the referee doesn’t count off the sliding lariat in the corner.

Bliss escapes another ankle lock and brings Cross in off the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Sane has to break up a quick cover. The Insane Elbow hits raised knees so it’s back to Asuka for the kicks to Cross’ face. Cross blocks a big kick, so Asuka busts out the green mist of all things to blind her rather well. The big kick finishes Cross for the pin and the titles at 10:27.

Rating: D. I was fighting to stay awake during this one as the match just was not interesting no matter what they were doing. Going full on evil Japanese monster with Asuka is kind of interesting, though it’s about a year too late. It could have been worse, but it did a very bad job of keeping me interested and that’s not a good sign with about two hours left.

Here’s a video on Smackdown.

OC vs. Viking Raiders/???

The Raiders need a mystery partner so here’s Braun Strowman to complete their team. Anderson headlocks Ivar to start so Ivar quickly reverses into the Whoopee Cushion out of the corner. Gallows comes in to hammer on Ivar, who goes up top to dive over Gallows and roll over for the tag to Erik. House is cleaned with Gallows being sent to the floor but Styles tags himself in to get in a few shots to the head.

The Pele connects for two but Erik fights out of the corner, only to walk into the spinebuster from Anderson. A backdrop is finally enough to bring Strowman in for the destruction, including the running shoulders on the floor. Back in and Strowman’s shoulder goes into the post, allowing AJ to chop his block. Erik breaks up the Calf Crushes and Ivar clotheslines Gallows. The running powerslam is broken up with another chop block and it’s a triple teaming on Braun for the DQ at 8:15.

Rating: D+. Total TV match, complete with a TV main event because we need to protect Anderson and Gallows from the Strowman and the Raiders. This was a watchable match that didn’t belong on pay per view, which has been the case with more than one match on this show. Strowman isn’t likely to be bothered by the loss as he’s doing something with Tyson Fury soon, but for now, this wasn’t much to see.

Post match the beatdown keeps going until the Vikings send Gallows and Anderson to the floor. Double suicide dives connect and Strowman is back up with a knockout right hand to drop Styles. Anderson and Gallows pick Styles up and have to tell him what day it is after that right hand.

The Street Profits do their thing. Tamina pops in and pins Carmella for the 24/7 Title. Tyler Breeze comes up and gets knocked out, leaving R-Truth and Carmella to split up to look for Tamina. More on this, meaning Carmella or R-Truth will get the title back, later.

We recap Baron Corbin vs. Chad Gable, which started with Corbin beating him for the King of the Ring, so Gable broke his throne.

Chad Gable vs. King Corbin

Hold on though as Corbin has to make some short jokes. Corbin even dubs him Shorty Gable. That’s too far for Gable, who goes straight at him with crossfaces to the jaw and a quickly broken sleeper. Corbin sends him shoulder first into the post and chest first into the buckle for two. The chinlock is broken up so Corbin clotheslines the heck out of him for two more. Gable fights up and gets in a missile dropkick, followed by another kick to the head.

Corbin is down on his knees so Graves can praises Gable for finally being taller than someone. Gable shouts a lot and forearms away, followed by a German suplex for two. The rolling Liger kick in the corner is countered into a powerbomb to give Corbin two more but Gable is right back with a cross armbreaker over the ropes. Gable walks into Deep Six for another near fall but End of Days is countered into a running flip neckbreaker.

The moonsault gets two and sets up the ankle lock but Corbin makes the rope. They head outside with Corbin hitting a chokeslam onto the apron before going to grab the scepter. That’s taken away and Gable rolls him up for the pin at 12:18. Ring announcer: “Here is your winner: SHORTY GABLE”!

Rating: C. I like this company. I really and truly do. I’ve watched it for over thirty years and I care about WWE more than any other wrestling company. Then they do nonsense like this, all for the sake of Vince thinks it’s HILARIOUS to call a guy short over and over again. You get a talented guy, who can talk, has charisma and is an Olympic wrestler. What do you do with him? Name him Shorty, soon to be changed to Shorty G. I love WWE, but they don’t make this easy.

We look at Charlotte making Bayley tap on Smackdown.

We do the international announcers’ row and Tamina runs in to use Funaki as a human shield. She throws him at R-Truth to cut him off but walks into Carmella’s superkick….so Truth can get the pin and the title back, at Carmella’s insistence.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Bayley

Bayley is defending and misses some early chops, allowing Charlotte to show her how it’s done. A crossbody misses and Charlotte goes for the Figure Eight, sending Bayley rolling outside. Bayley pokes her in the eye but Charlotte chops away again. This time Bayley gets smart by taking out the leg and sending her outside for a crash. Charlotte’s leg gets sent into the LED ring skirt and then gets wrapped around the rope/post.

The half crab goes on but Charlotte slips out, meaning it’s time for Bayley to try the Figure Eight. That isn’t going to work either as Charlotte wraps the leg around the post for a change. Natural Selection gives Charlotte two and the knee is fine enough for the moonsault to hit Bayley’s raised knees. A rollup with feet on the ropes gives Bayley two but the referee catches her. The big boot into the Figure Eight gives Charlotte the tenth title at 10:12.

Rating: C-. You had to know this was coming sooner rather than later as it had been more than a month since Charlotte held a title so WWE had the bad itch again. Charlotte winning is fine enough as I’m numb to it after this many times, but hopefully this moves us closer to a Horsewoman four way as it’s not like they have many more interesting/fresh ways to go.

For your eye roll line of the match, Cole: “We may have to start considering Charlotte as one of the all time best.” Bayley sits on the floor and asks why it’s always her.

In the back, Gable accepts the Shorty moniker because all he cares about is winning. Corbin called him a loser but tonight, Gable was the bigger man. Corbin jumps him from behind because this feud must continue.

We recap Seth Rollins vs. the Fiend. Bray Wyatt has come back and become a monster under his new persona, earning himself the shot here. Rollins is terrified of the Fiend but is ready to fight and survive, as he always does.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. The Fiend

Inside the Cell with the Fiend challenging. The creepy entrance with the human head lantern are back too. We get the old Kane red lights as Fiend goes right after him to start. Seth hammers away and gets knocked to the floor for his efforts. Back in and Fiend knocks him down again as they head outside for the second time. A whip sends Rollins into the Cell wall as the slow beating continues.

Fiend goes looking for plunder but Seth gets in a shot with the steps for a breather. A table is sent in but Seth scores with a pair of suicide dives and a whip into the steps. Another suicide dive is countered into Sister Abigail into the Cell and the table is set up inside. Some kicks put Fiend on the table and the frog splash puts Wyatt down again. Seth hits the Stomp and Fiend is right back up with another Sister Abigail for two.

With Seth down on the floor, Fiend busts out the big mallet. Seth knocks him away and hits another Stomp onto the mallet but Fiend is back on his feet inside. A springboard knee to the face and a superkick won’t put Fiend down so it’s a third Stomp into a fourth Stomp. The fans are openly booing Seth as he hits a fifth Stomp but Fiend is still getting up. The Pedigree sets up a sixth Stomp….for one. Stomps #7, #8, #9 and #10 all connect but he’s still getting up.

We get #11 to put Fiend down for a bit but Seth gets a chair instead of covering. A huge chair shot to the head only gets one so let’s bring in a ladder. The chair is placed on the Fiend’s head and crushed with the ladder for two. Fiend stays down as Seth finds a toolbox. The chair and ladder are put on Fiend’s head and Seth crushes it over and over with the toolbox, which he then puts on top of the pile. That’s not enough for a cover as the booing is getting even louder now. Seth pulls out the sledgehammer but the referee won’t let him use it. Seth stops but then crushes Fiend with it…..

AND

THAT

IS

A DQ!!!!!

INSIDE THE CELL!!!

AT 17:22!!!

Rating: F. They killed the Cell. I’d think that’s enough for a failure, wouldn’t you?

The Cell is raised and medics come out but Fiend pops up and puts on the Claw. Sister Abigail connects on the floor as we get a RESTART THE MATCH chant. Another Sister Abigail on the exposed concrete knocks Rollins cold and it’s the Claw again. The lights go out and laughter ends the show.

Overall Rating: D-. Once this show ended, I actually sat at my computer for a bit and just stared. I’ve spent a lot of time watching this company and I’ll defend almost anything they do. Tonight, I felt like they wasted my time and laughed at me for watching their show. It was bad enough that WWE showed how much they cared by announcing over half of the card on the day of the event, but then we get to the two main points.

Then we got to what might have been the most annoyed I’ve gotten at WWE in years: Shorty Gable. That nickname, which seems to be sticking around, is a fine example of WWE ignoring every bit of talent that a wrestler has and going with a stupid joke name designed to do nothing more than amuse their writing staff, or probably Vince himself. There are probably a dozen interesting ways to push Gable (he should have been Angle’s son, he’s a wrestling machine, he’s ticked off at the short jokes and hurts people, you could have made him King of the Ring and the list goes on.

But no. Instead, we get him being called Shorty like he’s in some 1930s gangster movie, because that’s the kind of amusement that we need around here. It’s a one note gimmick that is going to allow Graves to make as many short jokes as he can think of and then Gable will be forgotten because he’s the guy who has a stupid name designed to make people laugh. That’s the kind of thing you expect out of Vince Russo and we’re getting it here in 2019.

Then there’s the…..man this hurts to even say again. My all time favorite wrestler is Mick Foley, who is best known for the insanity he went through in the Cell. That’s what they always bring up every time one of these matches takes place (at the same time of course, because that’s what the match has become: a spot on the calendar instead of the be all end all gimmick match) and now…..it’s a match where you can have a DQ.

WWE decided that they had booked themselves into a corner and instead of coming up with a smart finish or anything good, they decided to just cut through the rules and go against the entire concept of a match that has been a big deal around here for over twenty years. It’s stupid, it’s shortsighted, it’s lazy, it’s kicking the fans between the legs and telling them to keep paying their money next year when they probably run this show again with the same premise.

This was WWE laughing at its fans and saying “yeah whatever, we know you’re going to keep coming back.” The Cell is built around the idea that anything goes and it is the ultimate battle ground. Well now it’s any given match because you can go too far and the match can be stopped. The one thing about the Cell that is supposed to make it special is now gone, because WWE, with its army of writers and creative people, couldn’t think of something else.

I can’t call the show a failure because the first two matches were really good, but then it became a mix of house show rematches, literally turning a wrestler into a joke and then pulling the plug on the company’s top violent match that this show was named for. WWE took your money/time and laughed at you for watching their show tonight, and I’m sure tomorrow everything will be fine because that’s how WWE works. This bothered me, as it’s one of the first times in a long time that I felt like I did something stupid by watching a show. That shouldn’t happen, but it did tonight.

Results

Becky Lynch b. Sasha Banks – Disarm-Her

Roman Reigns/Daniel Bryan b. Luke Harper/Erick Rowan – Spear to Rowan

Randy Orton b. Ali – RKO

Kabuki Warriors b. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross – Kick to Cross’ head

Braun Strowman/Viking Raiders b. OC via DQ when the OC triple teamed Strowman

Chad Gable b. Baron Corbin – Rollup

Charlotte b. Bayley – Figure Eight

The Fiend b. Seth Rollins via DQ when WWE lost its mind

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

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

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

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

No this isn’t incomplete. This is the big finale to the busiest and most important weeks in wrestling history. After all the time that has been spent on the major television premieres and everything else that is going on this week, it is time for a regular pay per view. I don’t know how many people in WWE remember this because, as of pretty late Saturday night, there are a total of four matches announced for this thing. There are enough stories going on to set up a few more, but for some reason that just has not happened yet. It’s as good as I can get here so bear with a pretty short preview. Let’s get to it.

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

This was added after this week’s SmackDown, where Charlotte made Bayley tap in a tag match on the first match on the new network. That’s how you treat champions in WWE, so I can’t say I’m surprised that this happened. The first match took place last month at Clash of Champions where Bayley cheated to retain, meaning you should know what is coming this time around.

I’m going with a new champion here as Charlotte is the kind of person that WWE would love to push on FOX for a variety of reasons. If nothing else, just couple it with the fact that she’s Ric Flair’s daughter and I think they’ll be fine. Bayley has held the title for a few months now and there isn’t much else for her to do at the moment, though it’s hard to say what is going to happen after next week’s Draft.

Daniel Bryan/Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan/Luke Harper

This one is just more confusing than anything else. I know how we got here but at the same time I have no idea where we are supposed to go from here. It seems that we need a big reveal/swerve as the real mastermind as I just can’t imagine Rowan being the big bad in the whole thing. He’s gotten a lot out of it, but Rowan and Harper are such perfect fits as monster lackeys that it doesn’t fit to imagine them as the boss.

Since I think we’re having the mastermind revealed eventually, I’ll take Rowan and Harper to win here, as it wouldn’t make sense to cut them down so soon. Maybe it’s Bryan himself as the mastermind, but I just do not think Rowan and Harper lose here. I mean, it didn’t make a ton of sense to have Rowan lose on Friday but that didn’t stop WWE either. Rowan and Harper win here, though it’s not the end of the story just yet.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Sasha Banks

Here we have your annual “hey their fighting can’t be contained and it happens to be September so we better have a Cell match” match. These two got in a wild fight last month at Clash of Champions until Lynch got disqualified so it’s time to put them in the Cell to settle things. This has been a good enough feud, though it seems that at least Lynch is destined for SmackDown.

I’ll say we have a new champion here as Lynch has held the title for a long time now and doesn’t need to do much more with it. Just let her go over to SmackDown after fighting her heart out here. You could find a way to get Bayley to cheat to help switch the title as it’s not like there isn’t interference in half of the Cell matches. The match should be a good fight, though nothing that hasn’t been done before. Banks wins though.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. The Fiend

At least we have one match where I really don’t know what to pick. This is one of those matches where you could see it going either way, but you can almost bet on the fact that they are going to do something stupid at some point. The Fiend is the new unstoppable monster and putting him in a match like this would seem to be the place where he should be guaranteed to win.

I’ll go with what should be the obvious answer and say that the Fiend gets the title, which should be the case. However, knowing WWE, would something completely stupid surprise you? There has been a no contest inside the Cell so they could manage to find a way to do something else again. Rollins has not done very well as champion so putting the title on the Fiend would at least be something fresh. Just go with what makes sense for once, please.

Overall Thoughts

I’m not even sure what to say about this. It comes at the end of a week with more material than anyone knew what to do with and that didn’t leave much time for this show. There will probably be some form of interference to set up future feuds as well as a Raw Tag Team Title match being added (and probably a midcard title match or two) to flesh out the card, but I’m really not sure about having possibly more than half of the card being added on the day of the show. Yeah there were special circumstances for this one, but come on man.

 

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

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

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: October 2, 2019
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Quinn McCay, Ian Riccaboni, Rhett Titus

It’s Death Before Dishonor weekend, though I’m not sure this is going to mean a thing in the long run. The pay per views have never meant much as far as television goes, though we’re pretty clearly in a different era here. Hopefully some of that changes this time around, as it’s not like it can get much worse. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a clip of Rush and Jeff Cobb winning the All Stars vs. Champions elimination match but Rush kicked away the offer of a handshake.

Clips of Silas Young/Okumura/Felino beating the Shinobi Shadow Squad in Atlanta.

After the match, Silas brought in Josh Woods to say he hoped he had been learning. Woods low blowed Okumura and laid out Felino.

In the back, Silas grabs Woods’ notebook and tells him to take better notes before throwing the book down. Young doesn’t care that Woods’ girlfriend bought him that.

Soldiers of Savagery vs. Sal Rinauro/Michael Stevens

From Atlanta. Promised Land (double chokeslam) finishes both jobbers at 45 seconds.

Jeff Cobb needs another shot at Matt Taven so he’ll beat three guys tonight.

Atlanta again. Master and Machine are Griff Garrison/Marcus Kross while the Twins are the former Boys, now as superheroes, complete with an over the top voiceover introduction. Marcus starts with Brent with the latter jumping around and stopping a charge with the threat of a power ring. Brandon comes in off a blind tag for a springboard crossbody and it’s time to work on the arm.

Back from a break with Brandon enziguring Kross in the corner and monkey flipping him right back out. Caprice: “Would that be a super monkey flip?” Kross dropkicks them both out of the corner and the hot tag brings in Garrison for a bunch of forearms. A good spinebuster and some backbreakers have the Twins down and earn Garrison some nice applause. Brandon gets tossed at Brent and a spear gives Garrison two as Coleman isn’t sure if that would have been an upset or not. It would have been but that sounded good.

Everything breaks down and Kross enziguris Brandon down. Kross flips out of a chokeslam attempt and blasts Brandon in the ribs with a palm strike. A powerbomb/Disaster Kick combination gives Garrison two on Brent with Brandon making the save. Brandon dives onto Garrison and it’s a double belly to back faceplant to finish Kross at 8:20.

Rating: C. It was a little sloppy at times but I was digging both teams. The Twins having something different to do is a good sign though there is something amusing about them being somewhat bumbling superheroes instead of suddenly being awesome now that they have their own gimmick. Kross wasn’t much here but Garrison has some potential, especially with the fire he showed off the hot tag.

Quick discussion of the Top Prospect Tournament.

We look back at Mark Haskins winning the International Cup last year by defeating Adam Page.

Jay Lethal is ready to beat three other guys to get a title shot. It’s a big gamble but the title is that important to him. Tonight is his night and he has this.

Matt Taven vs. Jeff Cobb vs. Kenny King vs. Jay Lethal

Non-title Defy Or Deny, meaning an elimination match. If Taven wins, whoever he beats last can never have a title shot as long as Taven holds the title. If anyone else wins, they get a title shot. King has Amy Rose with him. Taven yells about how he’s beaten all three of them so the triple teaming starts in a hurry. King and Lethal pair off as Taven low bridges Cobb to the floor. That leaves Taven to headlock King down but Lethal comes in to get rid of both of them.

Cobb is back in for a showdown with Lethal with the fans being split on their choice. Lethal’s shoulders work as well as you would expect them to so Cobb shows him how it’s done. Lethal gets in a suplex but Cobb is on his feet first, just to show off a bit. Cobb misses the standing moonsault though, allowing Lethal to nail the basement dropkick for a delayed one. King pulls Lethal to the floor so Taven takes his place, only to get caught in a delayed vertical suplex.

King’s kick to the ribs doesn’t make Cobb drop Taven as he muscles him back up just to show off. That leaves Lethal to hammer away at King on the floor and we take a break. Back with Cobb LAUNCHING Taven into the corner for a good visual but missing a forearm. King and Taven double team Cobb down before kicking Lethal in the face. A hard whip into the corner keeps Lethal down as we’re in something close to a tag match.

King rolls Taven up for two but Taven would rather put Lethal in the Figure Four than get some revenge. Cobb throws King onto the hold for the break and beats up Lethal as we take another break. Back again with King hitting the Blockbuster for two on Cobb as they seem to be wearing down a bit. King loads up the Royal Flush on Cobb but Taven breaks it up, with the announcers bashing him for such a stupid move. Lethal counters the Climax and hits a cutter on Taven for two. Everyone comes back with superkicks and a DDT to Cobb gives us a four way knockdown.

Taven and King slug it out until Lethal hits the Lethal Combination on King. Hail To The King is loaded up but Lethal goes after Rose for grabbing the title. The belt is left in the ring so Taven can blast Cobb with it….for a DQ at 16:51. King hits Lethal with the title as well and grabs the Royal Flush and the elimination at 17:22. It’s King vs. Cobb for the title shot, meaning neither can lose their future title shots. The Royal Flush is escaped and Cobb snaps off a German suplex. Tour of the Islands gives Cobb the pin and the title shot at 19:18.

Rating: B. This took its sweet time to get going and that’s a positive thing in a match like this one. A longer form match is a good call in a longer form match and that’s the case even more when you have four people all fighting for something important. The wrestling was entertaining and the right person won so there isn’t much for me to complain about around here.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helped this one a lot but you can just feel how far down this promotion has gone. There is almost nothing of interest to keep the fans around, though maybe some of the Death before Dishonor results could help make things a bit better. That is, if it isn’t too late already, which very well may be the case. Anyway, good main event and not much else.

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

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

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

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

Smackdown
Date: May 5, 2005
Location: Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, New Jersey
Attendance: 4,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re into the build towards the yet to be named pay per view now, as John Bradshaw Layfield is the new #1 contender to the Smackdown World Title. The more interesting story at the moment though is Eddie Guerrero completely turning on Rey Mysterio last week, which is not likely to go well for either of them. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Eddie promising that he and Rey are fine, only to turn on Rey last week after Rey accidentally knocked him off of the apron during a tag match. Eddie’s emotionless face is great.

Here’s Rey for a chat. Rey has to hand it to Eddie because he’s a heck of a liar. Eddie even had Rey believing that they were family but Rey isn’t going to be his fool anymore. Rey wants to fight right now so here’s Eddie to no music. The fans are all over Eddie, which is all the more impressive given how beloved he was just a few months ago. He has nothing to say to Rey, which isn’t what Mysterio wanted to hear.

Post break Rey demands that Theodore Long give him a match with Eddie. Long says that’s easier said than done so here’s Chavo Guerrero to say Rey will never be a Guerrero. The fight is on and Long screams for security.

Matt Morgan vs. Robbie Eckos

Before the match, Morgan stutters about being unstoppable and promises to make Eckos disappear. A headbutt sends Robbie into the corner and it’s the suplex into the Rock Bottom for the pin in a hurry. Exactly what it should have been after the pre-match promo, which is exactly what it should not have been.

Rey vs. Chavo in a street fight is set for later.

We see the same look at John Cena’s music video that we saw last week.

We look back at JBL becoming #1 contender last week.

Sharmell fires Booker T. up backstage.

Orlando Jordan vs. Booker T.

Non-title. Feeling out process to start with Booker hitting him in the face and chest a few times. A clothesline puts Booker on the floor though and a posting makes it even worse. Back in and Booker breaks out of a chinlock in a hurry but gets rolled up for two with Jordan’s feet on the ropes. Booker hits the running forearm and a missile dropkick sets up the side kick. The ax kick finishes Jordan clean.

Rating: D. Normally I would get annoyed at a champion losing clean but Jordan has been presented as nothing more than a punching bag for weeks so it’s hard to get overly annoyed. I have no reason to believe this will lead to Booker going after the title, but it’s not like it has any value since Jordan won the thing.

Sharmell is happy in the back when Kurt Angle comes up. He says Booker should be arrested for grand larceny after last week. Angle wants Booker at Judgment Day and Sharmell needs to be at ringside to hear Booker’s screams as his ankle is broken.

MNM vs. Scotty 2 Hotty/Shannon Moore

Non-title and Tazz is already reaching near Jerry Lawler levels of creepy about Melina’s entrance. Mercury takes Scotty into the corner to start but it’s a blind tag from Shannon so Scotty can dance a bit. Everything breaks down for a bit and a double clothesline puts Mercury on the floor. That leaves Nitro to knee Shannon in the head so the champ can take over in the corner.

Nitro and Moore both try crossbodies at the same time and it’s a double knockdown. Mercury knocks Shannon into the corner though and it’s off to Scotty to not much of a reaction. House is cleaned for a bit and most of the Worm is loaded up, only to have Melina get on the apron and show off some leg. The elevated DDT (now dubbed the Snapshot) finishes the distracted Scotty.

Rating: D+. They were doing better than you might have expected for what looked to be a squash on paper. Scotty and Shannon weren’t going to be any threat to beat the new champs here but at least we got a surprising little match out of it. There aren’t any major teams to go after the titles at the moment but at least MNM is rather awesome.

Post match Mysterio runs in with a lead pipe to chase everyone off.

Here’s JBL for a chat even though it was John Cena’s scheduled time. JBL talks about how we need him as champ because no one here would have survived what he’s been through since Wrestlemania. The people have a long history of quitting, whether it be from school or your jobs.

JBL had to go through a bunch of people to get back to the title match and he did it like Moses going through the Red Sea. Now only Cena is left and he is a one hit wonder. Cena is the Buster Douglas of wrestling and after Judgment Day, he will be nothing but a footnote.

Cue a serious Cena with JBL telling him to get his fifteen minutes of fame. Cena agrees that JBL isn’t a quitter but he rides around with a lot of oily men called the Cabinet. He and Michael Cole are “just friends” but he’s not a quitter. Cena isn’t a quitter either, which is why they’re having an I Quit match at Judgment Day. Cena explains the match and promises to make JBL quit before Cena beats him into unconsciousness. This was the fired up Cena and it worked as well as ever.

Chavo is talking to MNM.

Here’s a ticked off Kurt Angle for the Invitational but he’s in no mood for this and throws the jobber out of the ring. Actually he changes his mind and beats the kid up anyway. Angle wants Booker to answer his challenge so here are Booker and Sharmell to answer. The match is on so Angle promises to break his ankle and make Booker go home with that “gutter sl**.”

The beating is on in a hurry and Sharmell even gets in a slap. Actually several of them but Angle gets in a low blow and the Slam. It would seem to be ankle lock time but Angle looks at Sharmell instead. She trips running up the aisle so Angle goes into stalker mode. Cue referees to break it up and Booker chases Angle off. I don’t see this one going well.

Video on the European tour.

Chavo comes in to tell Eddie about how much he admires him. Eddie put friendship and loyalty over anger when Rey slapped him so tonight Chavo will get revenge for the whole family. Eddie still doesn’t say anything.

Hardcore Holly vs. Carlito

Carlito hits one heck of a chop in the corner to start but Holly hits some far weaker ones of his own. The hanging kick to the ribs and a clothesline get two but Carlito knocks him back down. The neck crank doesn’t last long and neither does the ensuing sleeper. Holly gets two off a full nelson slam and tries a suplex but Carlito reverses into a backslide with feet on the ropes for the pin.

Rating: D. Carlito continues to be nothing worth seeing in the ring and it’s not like Hardcore Holly is the kind of guy to get a good match out of him. It’s smart to put Carlito in the ring at least a little bit, but he needs the right kind of opponent to make him look good and Holly doesn’t fit that mold.

Post match, Carlito announces the Big Show as his guest on the Cabana next week, where he’ll give Big Show a special offer. Ok then.

Long introduces Cena’s music video for Bad Bad Man, which is very 80s.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

Street fight. Mysterio brings the pipe to the ring so Chavo bails. For some reason Rey puts it down, allowing Chavo to dropkick the knee out and take over to start. Rey kicks him into the corner and hits a baseball slide low blow, setting up a split legged moonsault for two. The basement dropkick gets the same and a springboard hurricanrana sends Chavo tot he floor.

Rey’s slingshot dive completely misses though and it’s time for a chair. Chavo takes a bit too long though and gets his leg kicked out so Rey goes up top. That doesn’t work well either as Chavo dropkicks him out of the air and tosses Rey stomach first to the floor. We haven’t gotten very hardcore yet so here’s a ladder to make up for lost time. Rey avoids being launched into the ladder though as he catches himself in the air and moonsaults down onto Chavo in a cool spot.

Back in and Rey headscissors him shoulder first into the post. The chair is opened up and Chavo is fine enough to send Rey face first into the steel. The Gory Bomb gives Chavo two so here’s MNM to hold up the ladder. Rey dropkicks it into their faces but walks into a faceplant for two more. Back up and Rey knocks him into the chair, setting up the springboard seated senton to knock Chavo right back out of the chair for the pin.

Rating: C+. They only played into the street fight stuff a little bit here, though Rey vs. Chavo is almost always a good match. MNM didn’t really need to be out there but they did make things a bit more interesting and it plays into what happened last week and earlier tonight. It’s a good main event, though it’s just part of the much bigger story going on.

Post match the triple teaming is on but here’s Eddie for the save. With MNM and Chavo gone, Eddie stares at Rey….and beats the heck out of him, including sending him head first into the post. He even rips the mask open to show the busted forehead. A suplex onto the steps leaves Rey laying as the fans are scared to end the show. This was really effective with Eddie looking completely evil and teasing the fans with Eddie making the save before stabbing Rey in the back again.

Overall Rating: B-. The big stories were all on fire here with Eddie vs. Rey being a big standout and Cena vs. JBL having a logical next step. Angle vs. Booker could go a variety of ways but what we got so far seemed that we might be in for some rather uncomfortable moments. Some of the bad stuff on here went by rather quickly and the additional Eddie vs. Rey stuff more than made up for it. Good show, though there are still areas they need to fix.

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

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

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

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

Title Wave
Date: August 20, 2016
Location: Oak Street Gym, Torrence, California
Commentators: Todd Keneley, Christian Cole

This is (likely) the final show I’ll be doing from these guys as I ordered another box of DVDs and after getting annoyed at FIVE duplicates, I had this: the fourth show from Pacific Coast Wrestling. Their debut show was so dreadful that I skipped the second but their third was actually pretty awesome. Now we’ll see what happens when they bring in titles, which could be rather interesting indeed. Let’s get to it.

The announcers welcome us to the show and talk about how important champions can be. That’s very true, and while it’s a little early to have them, you can only go so far with the one off matches over and over again.

Opening sequence.

Jacob Fatu vs. Jorel Nelson

Fatu, with some guy named Cesar Black, would move on to become the MLW World Champion and is part of the Anoa’i family (son of Tonga Kid/Tama, nephew of Umaga and Rikishi). Cesar offers a quick distraction and Fatu forearms away, setting up a Samoan drop to put Nelson on the floor. Just because he can, Fatu hits a big flip dive to the floor, followed by the spinning release Rock Bottom back inside. The springboard standing moonsault has the fans going even nuttier for Fatu (fair enough) and a clothesline turns Nelson inside out.

The Stinger Splash hits post though and Nelson gets in his token offense. Some Rocky Johnson style left hands set up a crossbody to give Nelson two so Fatu superkicks him into the corner. The running Umaga attack sets up the double jump moonsault to finish Nelson at 4:48. We’re told that Fatu advanced in the tournament but also that we’ll be seeing our first tournament match next. From what I can tell, this wasn’t a tournament match, which is a good idea as you don’t want to have Fatu losing here.

Rating: C+. Well that worked. Fatu is an athletic freak and this was an outstanding performance as he completely destroyed Nelson with one cool move after another. You shouldn’t be able to move like that with that kind of size and Fatu made it look easy. If that guy isn’t signed to one of the big companies soon, they’re both completely insane.

Post match, Cesar asks where the competition is.

Scorpio Sky training video as he’s coming for the Light Heavyweight Title.

Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Semifinals: Mr. 450 vs. Kevin Martenson

There are only three people in each tournament as the winner gets Sky for the title. 450 is from Puerto Rico where he held all kinds of titles. An early kick to Martenson’s leg makes him wipe it down with a towel, followed by some circling. Martenson slips out of a headlock takeover but can’t nip up, leaving 450 to lay over the ropes. The offer of a handshake leads to a slap off, followed by Martenson suplexing him down.

A springboard crossbody and a dropkick put Martenson on the floor but a suicide dive is cut off by a dropkick. Martenson knees him in the corner and we hit the chinlock with a knee in the back. That’s broken up so it’s a pump kick from 450, followed by a kick to the back to put him on the floor. Now the suicide dive can connect and a second one is good for a bonus.

Back in and 450 gets two off a middle rope elbow, followed by a springboard tornado DDT for the same. Martenson is right back with a stomp to the back of the head and a brainbuster for two of his own. For some reason Martenson tries going up top, allowing 450 to hit a German superplex. The 450 finishes Martenson at 10:38.

Post match 450 promises to win the title.

World Title Tournament Semifinals: Brian Cage vs. JR Kratos

Hoss battle time with Cage making his debut, despite having a heavily wrapped leg. They bounce off of each other with some shoulders until Kratos’ jumping version puts Cage down. Cage does the same thing but gets sunset flipped for two. They botch a headscissors but Kratos sells it anyway, only to pop back up to block the 619. An overhead belly to belly ends Cage flying and it’s a whip into the barricade to make it worse. Cage is rocked enough to take it back inside, where he nails an enziguri on Kratos.

Rating: B-. There were a good number of botches here but what mattered here was having both guys beat each other up and look cool doing it. Cage would get better but you could see what would make him so entertaining here. I really don’t know how Kratos hasn’t gotten a job in a bigger promotion somewhere as he would be fine as a hoss monster.

Kratos congratulates Cage but he’ll be back. This lackluster promo is probably part of why he hasn’t wrestled on a bigger stage.

Here are the Almighty Sheik and MK for a chat. MK gets in his trademark SHUT UP (the height of creativity) and brags about the Sheik being awesome. The only reason Sheik isn’t in the title match is fear and prejudice (fair enough as he’s undefeated). MK has a bag and Sheik will be holding the key. Sheik rants about being above the law, meaning he can’t break the law. The NWA and PCW have tried to contain him and that will not work because he is WAR. Sheik declares war on PCW to wrap it up.

Willie Mack isn’t particularly worried about anyone in particular in the tournament. He wants to inspire young fans all over the world like wrestlers have done to him before. Tonight is something special because he can be the first champion ever.

World Title Tournament Semifinals: Willie Mack vs. Pentagon Jr.

Both guys are rather over here. During his entrance, Pentagon does the Cero Miedo pose with a young girl and it’s rather adorable. We start with some dueling fan chants until Mack punches him in the face after a minute and a half. The pace picks up and Mack sends him to the floor, only to have a suicide dive broken up. Pentagon chokes with the camera cord and there’s a kick against the barricade.

Mack gets sent head first into an open chair, which slides across the floor in a cool visual. Back in and Mack hits a DDT and a clothesline as Pentagon is knocked right back outside. hat means the big flip dive, much to the fans’ approval. A whip sends Pentagon over the barricade and Mack hits a big flip dive to an even bigger reaction. They fight into the crowd with Mack suplexing him onto the chairs as the camera is having issues keeping up with t em.

A chop off goes to Pentagon and they head back inside, where a Backstabber gets two on Mack. Pentagon’s superkick doesn’t do much good as Mack grabs a Samoan drop into the standing moonsault. Pentagon is right back with a basement dropkick for two as the fans are split on their cheering. Mack grabs a t-bone suplex for his own two and the middle rope Canadian Destroyer gets the same. That’s shrugged off though and the Fear Factor finishes Mack at 11:33.

Rating: C+. I like both guys here but this was a little disappointing. They beat each other up for a good while but the ending came out of nowhere and the ending gives us a World Title match between two people who haven’t wrestled around here before. That’s understandable when you have three shows prior to this one, though it’s still kind of a weird way to go.

Hammerstone arrived earlier and found out that his match with Sami Callihan is now against Yoshi Tatsu. He doesn’t seem to mind.

We see highlights of Douglas James vs. Tyler Bateman in a pre-show match with James winning off a small package. Bateman learned that James hits hard and James is proud of his win.

Hammerstone vs. Yoshi Tatsu

Alas, no WWE music for Tatsu. Hammerstone gets headlocked to start so it’s the headscissors escape into a standoff. A waistlock works a bit better for Hammerstone until Tatsu takes him down into a surfboard. Back up and Hammerstone runs him over with a shoulder, only to get dropkicked out to the floor. That means a slingshot dive as Tatsu is looking quite good here. Hammerstone is fine enough to drive him back first into the apron, followed by some corner clotheslines….for the pin at 5:30? Hammerstone looks stunned and that had to be another botch.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. The ending sucked the life out of anything they were doing (which wasn’t much in the first place) and it was clear that both guys were very confused by what was going on. It wasn’t a terrible match or anything but the ending is the only memorable thing about the whole deal.

And never mind as the match is going to continue with a fresh referee. Thankfully commentary is covering for things by saying Tatsu’s shoulder was up and never slipping out of the story they’re supposed to be telling. Hammerstone starts in on the back before switching over to the chinlock. A suplex is broken up and they slug it out with Tatsu getting fired up off an exchange of forearms.

Tatsu gets two off a spinwheel kick but Hammerstone hits a belly to back swinging faceplant for two of his own. A dragon suplex gives Tatsu a delayed two but Hammerstone is right back up with a bicycle kick. They headbutt it out from their knees with Hammerstone getting the better of it, setting up the Nightmare Pendulum (and a good one at that) for the pin at 14:08.

Rating: C-. That botch in the middle didn’t do it any favors but they had a decent enough match to warrant the extra time. Hammerstone is one of the best looking prospects you’ll see in a long time and having him beat a former WWE star is a good idea. At least he won again with his finisher in the end so at least the botch didn’t hurt things.

Yoshi gets a respectful chant.

Reno Scum is ready to take advantage of the opportunity they have tonight.

Tag Team Titles: Reno Scum vs. Keepers of the Faith

For the inaugural titles and the Keepers are Dom Vitalli/Gabriel Gallo. The audio is really bad for the Big Match Intros, though the belts do look rather shiny. Thornstowe and Vitalli start things off with Thornstowe getting shoved down. That lets him do a cartwheel to show off a bit as they don’t seem to be in any hurry.

We get a standing backflip for a bonus but Vitalli would rather talk some trash instead of trying one of his own. A clothesline drops Thornstowe and a swinging sitout Rock Bottom gives Vitalli two. Gallo comes in to powerslam Luster as Scum can’t get anything going so far. Thornstowe finally gets in a cheap shot in the corner so Luster can send Vitalli outside.

The double teaming in the corner begins and it’s a shoulder into a double stomp to crush Vitalli again. Gallo gets drawn in so the double teaming can continue with Vitalli having been busted open. A running knee to the head in the corner makes it even worse and Luster pounds on the cut.

Vitalli finally hits a clothesline on Thornstowe but Luster breaks up the tag by pulling Gallo to the floor in a great rug sweeping moment. The Tree of Woe makes things even worse but Vitalli slips out and gets over for the hot tag as everything breaks down. Gallo gets sent to the floor so Vitalli has to be beaten up again, only to have Gallo come back in for a spear and the titles at 15:02.

Rating: B-. The ending came out of nowhere but I was getting into the idea here with Vitalli selling well to the point where I wanted to see him make the tag. That’s tag wrestling 201 and they made it work well here. Good match and the Keepers winning the titles is the right move, even if they don’t feel like long term champions.

Post match Scum jumps the champs and hit the Scum Stomp on Gallo. Vitalli chases them off with his chain. The champs take some time getting out after a heck of a beating.

Light Heavyweight Title: Mr. 450 vs. Scorpio Sky

Again for the inaugural title. Sky gets a heck of a hero’s response and 450’s is rather strong as well. Before the match, Sky promises to bring home the gold like Michael Phelps. After a handshake, 450 takes it to the mat to start and floats over into a headlock. We hear about their respective resumes as Sky gets back up and does the Goldust deep breath. An exchange of armdrags and missed dropkicks give us a standoff, which the fans declare to be wrestling.

The staredown gives us another Goldust breath, followed by them both catching a kick at the same time. Sky snapmares him down for a dropkick to the back of the head and then a regular one to the chest. A backbreaker gives Sky two and the top rope elbow is good for the same. They head outside with Sky getting kicked in the face and taken down with an Asai moonsault for the big crash.

Sky is right back with a heck of a backdrop over the barricade and there’s the big flip dive to the floor. They’re both down though and Sky is holding his ankle, meaning both guys have to dive back in at nine. 450 is fine enough to roll some German suplexes, including a release German superplex for the big knockdown.

A Lionsault misses Sky, who is right back with a jumping knee to the face for a rather near fall. 450 is back with the Seth Rollins spin as someone pulls you up from the mat and then hit an enziguri spot. A reverse layout DDT gives 450 two more but Sky is right back with his wacky inverted Figure Four. The rope is grabbed and 450’s leg is fine enough to hit a springboard tornado DDT. The 450 gets two so he does it again to put Sky away at 16:50.

Rating: B. Lack of selling the leg aside at the end, this was the kind of high flying match that you should have had for a Light Heavyweight Title match. 450 doing the same move twice to win makes sense as it wasn’t like Sky was in any condition to get back up after the first one. Why go with something you’re not as adept at when you can hit 450 after 450 to win? It’s a logical way to go and that’s always appreciated.

Post match respect is suggested but Sky rolls away from a handshake offer.

PCW World Title: Brian Cage vs. Pentagon Jr.

For the final inaugural title. Pentagon’s music is either very quiet and I didn’t realize he was coming out at first. The bell seems to be rather quiet as well but they have a pose down anyway, followed by Cage winning an exchange of shoulders. A jumping superkick to the mask makes it even worse, followed by the Roman Reigns clotheslines in the corner. Cage starts stomping on the limbs before hooking a freaky leglock to send Pentagon over to the rope.

They head outside with Cage dropping him onto various things but Pentagon is right back with a superkick. The Canadian Destroyer is blocked and Cage muscles him up for an F5. A powerbomb against the post makes it even worse for Pentagon but it’s only good for two back inside. Pentagon is right back up with a DDT into a double stomp for two more and it’s time to slug it out. The Sling Blade gives Pentagon one and Cage’s pumphandle into a faceplant gets two.

What looked to be a buckle bomb is countered with a hurricanrana and Pentagon hits a Backstabber out of the corner. Another Backstabber into a Codebreaker gives Pentagon two more but the Fear Factor is countered into a sitout Alabama slam. Cage’s apron superplex sets up the apron superplex for the next two as they keep going back and forth. Pentagon is right back up with a trio of superkicks into the Fear Factor for the pin and the title at 11:41.

Rating: B-. This was one spot after another and that’s not a bad thing. Cage is one of those freaks of nature who can look good against anyone because there is very little he can’t do. Pentagon on the other hand is someone who can be a bit more versatile when it comes to character stuff and fans will be able to get behind him. Couple that with this taking place during the time when Lucha Underground was on fire and it’s a logical way to go.

Post match Pentagon puts over the fans and says the title is for everyone. We get a PCW chant and Pentagon promises to be back to defend the title.

Announced for next month: Pentagon defends against Rob Van Dam. The fans are rather pleased with that one.

A seven minute highlight package ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. Another good outing here as that early period seems to be completely forgotten already. This show was longer than the previous offerings and had a theme throughout, which is a nice change of pace from the collection of random matches we had seen so far. The wrestling was good and they have a direction for the future so it’s certainly a success and a step forward, with the Rob Van Dam announcement at the end making it seem even more important. Good stuff here.

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

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

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

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