IMG Credit: WWE

Your tastes may vary here as what you might think is a good finisher could be a little different from everyone elses. My biggest criteria is does it actually finish things. There are some moves that are used time after time to put someone away, and that doesn’t exactly scream finisher to me. These are the better moves and the most devastating, in one way or another.

Phenomenal Forearm – AJ Styles

You don’t hold a title for over a year without a good finisher. This was a middle of the card move for AJ back in TNA and it’s the kind of thing that works very well for someone like him. It looks like someone flying like a superhero and that’s a great way to go with Styles. The move looks awesome, can be hit on anyone, and has piled up a ton of wins. That works for me, which is kind of the point here.

One Winged Angel – Kenny Omega

Sure we can get some Japan in here. Not only does this move has a great name, but it’s the kind of move that actually finishes a match. No one has ever kicked out of it in New Japan and given how many finishers it takes to win a big match over there, that’s quite the record to hold. The great name makes it that much better, which is saying a lot given how devastating it looks.

630 Splash – Ricochet

Ricochet is one of the best high fliers of all time, which you have to expect from a Kentucky boy. This is one of the flippiest flips in a world of flippy flips and Ricochet makes it look effortless. The thing comes off fast and hard, which makes it all the more impactful. Ricochet can fly a lot but this is his big one, as he doesn’t bust out the double moonsault all that often. He wrestles like a superhero (a popular idea) and this looks like a superhero move, making it a great fit.

Claymore – Drew McIntyre

As Bobby Heenan said of the Mafia Kick: “HE KICKED THE MAN IN THE HEAD!” That’s the simple idea of the Claymore, yet it’s one of the best finishers around. Drew McIntyre is a star both in the making and at the moment and that’s one of the best finishers he could have. His size and power makes the move look even better and when he hits it full blast, no one is kicking out of the thing.

Super Collider – AOP

Sure let’s throw in a tag finisher too. The AOP (still can’t believe they changed the name like that) are a couple of monsters who can hit each people really hard. What better finisher to give them than something where they pick people up, ram them together and slam them down? The move is especially devastating on jobbers, which is where the AOP specialize. It’s certainly better than the Last Chapter, which felt like something an old midcard NWA team would have used.

054 – Mustafa Ali

A lot of people can do a 450, but how many people can actually do the thing backwards? I mean, that’s just not normal. Ali has been the heart and soul of 205 Live for a long time now and the fact that he’s already getting to be a big deal on Smackdown makes me very happy. One day he’s going to win a huge match with that thing and it’s going to be a cool moment. The wrestler makes the move most of the time, but in this case it’s a little bit of both.

But then, there’s only way to finish this.

Black Mass – Aleister Black

I really love this move because it’s almost everything put together. Not only is it devastating and can be used on anyone, but it’s the kind of thing that looks tailor made for Black. He has the kickboxing background and strikes all the time, but this is the kind of move that looks like the big finale of everything he does leading up to it. It wouldn’t work for everyone but when Black does it, my goodness it’s something great. I could watch him kick people’s heads off for a long time and it’s earned the top spot here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s the beginning of a new year and that means it’s time for one thing: me to take way too long to put up my Best Of 2018 awards. This year the plan is to put up two a day for the next ten days (or less if I change my mind about some of the categories). Note that the options here are based on what I’ve seen, so if I left off something the likelihood is that I didn’t see it or didn’t see enough of it to have a strong opinion (read as: most New Japan/indy stuff). As usual, I’ll list off the runners up in no particular order and then the winner. Hopefully these are a bit better than my previous efforts so let’s get to it.

Now this is something that is always interesting because they’re the things that make wrestling go round. Without the storylines that make things work, the wrestling is just a bunch of people having matches for the sake of action. A story doesn’t have to be big, but without a good one the shows don’t work all that well. The big stories were kind of lacking in 2018, but there were some awesome options.

She’s The Man

We’ll start with the hottest thing in the company at the moment: the rise of Becky Lynch. This isn’t something that WWE seemed to have planned but it wound up being one of the best things to happen to the company in a very long time. The fans have gotten behind her and all roads seem to lead to a major match, if not the main event, of Wrestlemania 35. If that’s the case, it won’t only be historic, but it could also be a huge deal just as a regular story.

Above all else, Lynch has been nailing the character work. She’s channeled this entire idea that she’s the best to perfection and it comes off like she believes every word. You don’t get that in wrestling often enough and she’s doing it as well as anyone I’ve ever seen. She’s not the next Austin (because there can’t be another Austin) or the next Punk (because there can’t be another Punk). Instead she’s being herself, and it’s working very well.

Full Circle

Anyone who has followed me for any reasonable amount of time knows that I’m a Miz fan. He’s one of the best villains WWE has had in a long time and the fact that they keep coming back to him should tell you all you need to know about how great he really is. His lifelong nemesis is Daniel Bryan, both due to their history and the two of them being polar opposites. It was the dream match we never got due to Bryan’s injuries….but those are long gone.

The two of them picked their feud up again and had a really good match at Summerslam, but it didn’t quite feel complete. The next step, in a story we’ll be revisiting later, saw Bryan turn heel with Miz almost drooling at the idea of Bryan admitting that he was right all along. It was the teacher becoming the teacher all over again and Miz sold it to perfection. Bryan’s heel turn has been awesome, but his stuff with Miz was as good as it got.

The Gall Of That Man

Back in October, Roman Reigns was forced to vacate the Universal Title due to his Leukemia returning. It was as emotional and real of a moment as you’ll see in WWE, but the night wasn’t over yet. Later that same evening, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins won the Raw Tag Team Titles in honor of their Shield mate. We still weren’t done though as Ambrose turned on Rollins to end the Shield and become the biggest heel on the roster.

I loved this, because it’s the kind of thing WWE doesn’t do very often. This was taking a real life story and turning it into something. The turn had been teased for over a month and this was finally the time to pull the trigger. It put incredible heat on Ambrose and it couldn’t have been done much better. The follow up didn’t work, but my goodness it was an amazing moment when they actually went with something like this. It was great, but it should have been incredible.

Whodunit

Aleister Black was injured at a house show and had to go on the shelf. Since NXT knows what they’re doing, they turned it into a several months long whodunit mystery, as the question became who actually attacked Black. Everyone was a suspect and in the end, Johnny Gargano was revealed as the attacker as he gave in to evil to try and stop Tommaso Ciampa.

What made this story so great is that it fell into NXT’s lap and they ran with the thing. Not only did you get the reveal, some great promos and Black vs. Gargano, but you also got the excellent Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream match as Dream accused Ciampa of being behind everything. That’s the kind of storytelling you don’t get every day and NXT made the most of a bad situation.

When I started writing this, Whodunit was the runaway winner. Then I realized it was only part of the real Angle of the Year.

Welcome To The Dark Side

In a name you’re going to hear a lot in these things this year, Johnny Gargano’s heel turn/descent into evil was second to none. What started as an incredible year with Gargano doing everything imaginable other than winning the NXT Title turned into a nightmare as Gargano became obsessed with ending Tommaso Ciampa’s reign of evil. That evil consumed Gargano, who took out his aggression on Aleister Black in a horrible assault, which saw Gargano become everything he hated in the name of stopping Ciampa.

This is the story of the year because it has a beginning, middle and ending. Gargano turning was foreshadowed when he couldn’t tell William Regal he didn’t do it and, as usual in NXT, the fun part was watching everything play out from there. This story isn’t over yet, but the ride they’ve taken us on so far has been magical. Gargano has gone from the light to the darkness, and now the question is whether it destroys him or if he comes out the other side. That’s great storytelling, and it’s the best of the year.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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: January 9, 2019
Location: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

It’s time to find out who gets the final spot in the four way at the Royal Rumble. This week we have Cedric Alexander vs. Hideo Itami with the winner moving on to the title match. That’s about all there is of note this week, which should be about all you need. It’s probably too early to have any of the new faces show up but you never know. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s qualifying matches and a preview of this week’s qualifying match.

Opening sequence.

Noam Dar vs. Tony Nese

Before the match, Nese says he’s tired of Dar’s complaining and will win because he’s the better man. You can’t get much more to the point than that. A headlock takeover puts Nese down until he reverses into a headscissors. Dar starts in on the arm but Nese drives him into the corner. A moonsault goes sailing over Dar, who trips Nese straight down. Back up and Dar loads up a backslide, which gets two after he spins Nese around several times. Nese gets serious with a running elbow to the face and it’s off to the bodyscissors.

Some forearms to the face keep Dar in trouble and we hit the neck crank. Dar finally goes with the speed by ducking a running shoulder A running forearm in the corner sets up a northern lights suplex for two but Dar can’t follow up. With the covers not working, Dar slaps on a guillotine until Nese drives him into the corner for the break.

The double springboard moonsault gives Nese two but Dar blocks a suplex and fires off kicks to the head. Nese misses some kicks of his own and it’s another guillotine choke. That’s reversed with another suplex for two more but Dar just starts slugging away, which isn’t his nature. It’s so unnatural for him that Nese catches him with a pumphandle powerslam. There’s no follow up though as Nese would rather try the running knee, allowing Dar to roll him up for the pin at 12:39.

Rating: C+. Nese was doing his best here and that made for a pretty good match. I’m not wild on either of them but at least we got an energetic and long match with Dar, who has a bigger future, getting the win. If Murphy retains the title at the Rumble, Dar wouldn’t be a bad choice for a next challenger. Giving him a win like this helps that process and maybe WWE thinks the same.

Akira Tozawa isn’t here tonight so Brian Kendrick is reading a letter from him. Tozawa is competing in Japan to get ready for the Rumble and won’t let this opportunity slip by. The HAH’s are included but Kendrick doesn’t read them all. Kendrick isn’t sure why they’re friends, but he’s going to help Tozawa win the title.

Drew Gulak and Jack Gallagher come in to see Drake Maverick and offer him a list of potential people to hire for the show. Maverick promises to read their suggestions and drops them on the floor after they leave. Mike and Maria Kanellis come in, wanting to know why Mike hasn’t wrestled in five weeks. Maria doesn’t like that much time being wasted and thinks they just haven’t been fighting the right way. Why is Maverick bringing in all these new people when he doesn’t have time for who he already has? Fair point actually. Anyway, they better be ready to fight like her.

Lio Rush thinks Kalisto only beat him because of the Lucha House Party. Therefore, the trio is going to feel the Rush. How many people can those three tick off while still being faces?

Cedric Alexander vs. Hideo Itami

The winner is the fourth person in the Rumble four way and Itami has Ariya Daivari in his corner. They’re rather slow to start with no contact until nearly a minute in. Alexander’s takedown attempt doesn’t get him very far so he chops Itami down instead. It’s not the best idea to get into a strike off with Itami, who kicks away at the chest to take over. Alexander takes him down again but comes up holding his chest, which isn’t something you see injured very often.

The way too early Lumbar Check attempt sends Itami bailing to the floor with Cedric going after him, only to have Daivari get in a quick clothesline. Alexander gets sent into the barricade and it’s time for more kicks back inside. Some kicks to the chest keep Alexander in trouble and another set of them cut off his comeback bid. The chinlock goes on for a bit with Alexander fighting up and hitting a few dropkicks. The springboard flatliner gets two but Itami blocks a Neuralizer with a kick of his own.

A top rope clothesline gives Itami two and he’s getting annoyed at Alexander kicking out again. Alexander scores with the Neuralizer for two of his own and now it’s Itami in trouble. He’s fine enough to grab the rope to block the Lumbar Check and head outside, so Cedric dives onto both villains.

Another Daivari distraction lets Itami punch Cedric in the face to break up a springboard and a Falcon Arrow off the apron drops him HARD on the floor. Cool spot with a sick landing. That’s only good for a nine and you can hear the fans being into the near count out. Back in and Cedric gets a very close two off a rollup but it’s that spinning knee to the face to finish Alexander at 17:05.

Rating: B. Itami is still hit or miss in the ring but Cedric being one of the most consistent performers on the show is exactly the kind of thing to keep him straight. He still needs a MUCH better finisher though as I’m not even always sure what it’s supposed to do half the time. Cedric is going to be fine despite the loss as there’s a great value in being the consistent performer on the show.

Buddy Murphy is pleased with the result but wants competition before the Rumble. Therefore, next week is an open challenge for a non-title match. I don’t see that ending well.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show about setting up the Rumble title match and that’s a fine place to go. The opener seemed to be setting things up for the future, which is a perfect way to use the other half of the show. That open challenge could be a great way to bring in some of the fresh talent, which could mean multiple people. Good show here, which is almost always the case anymore.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/get-wallets-ready-looks-like-wwe-network-price-changing/

I’m sure there will be people complaining about it but seriously, this is the first time the prices have gone up in five years.  For what you get for the thing, it’s laughable to say it’s not worth the value and I’m hoping/assuming that almost every fan will still be anyway.  I’m not sure how you couldn’t be if you’re a big fan.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here we are and in record time. Back in the summer of 2012, NXT moved down to Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. This was the start of the new way around developmental, which would be the permanent case going forward. For about a year and a half, the only thing NXT had was regular television, which is still the case today. They finally got a live special called Arrival in February 2014, nearly two years after their first regular show. NXT UK is getting its first live special two and a half months after the TV show debuted. That’s quite the different path but hopefully with the same results. Let’s get to it.

Travis Banks vs. Jordan Devlin

This was added to the card last but could be quite fun. It’s the battle of the midcarders in search of something better to do and in this case you have two guys who could move up the ladder with a win here. Banks hasn’t been back from his injury for that long while Devlin has been built up pretty well over the last few weeks. In other words, it’s Ireland vs. Australia for what is probably a future shot at the (currently) British champion.

I’m going with Devlin here as he’s been built up better so far, even though Banks seems like someone who could be a star with the right push. The only problem is Devlin has already lost to Pete Dunne so there isn’t as much of a reason to see them fight again. Devlin is someone who has a lot of the necessary skills and would seem to be a better option at the moment, even if Banks comes off as the more complete package.

Dave Mastiff vs. Eddie Dennis

Now this is more my speed. These are the resident monsters of the promotion and have been billed as exactly that. They’ve already met on TV twice with a win for Mastiff and a double DQ in the rematch, making me wonder why they didn’t do a pair of draws to set up this big match. I’ve been a big fan of Dennis since he debuted on this show and hopefully he can live up to that on the big stage.

That being said, I’m taking Mastiff here as he seems to be the bigger prospect at the moment. Dennis is the kind of guy who can bounce back from a loss better as he’s a better talker and has a stronger backstory. Mastiff on the other hand is someone who is going to lose a lot the first time he’s beaten, and that doesn’t need to be the case just yet. Mastiff wins in a short and entertaining fight.

Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Toni Storm

This is another one where I’m not sure where to go. Ripley defeated an injured Storm to become the first champion. Storm is healthy now and, in theory at least, is the person that WWE would want to push to the moon and back. She’s young, energetic, looks great and can go in the ring. Where more can you ask for? Well perhaps a younger, taller, arguably more unique looking near prodigy from the same part of the world.

I’ll take…dang I guess Ripley to retain here, as I can’t imagine them putting the title on Ripley, only to take it off of her so fast, even if it’s to Storm. The problem here is they’ve done exactly what they should do here: make a match where I can’t imagine either of them actually losing. That takes talent and they’ve pulled it off here, which makes for a heck of a match. In theory they don’t change the title here, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they did either.

Tag Team Titles: Moustache Mountain vs. James Drake/Zack Gibson

This is the tournament final to crown the first champions and they’ve got a heck of a match. There isn’t much of a division around here but these two teams are the best around the whole promotion. Both are regular teams around the UK and now they’re getting a chance on the big stage. The fans can’t stand Gibson, love Moustache Mountain and….well they notice that Drake is rather good as well. That makes for a hot crowd and hopefully the match lives up to it.

They’ve both been built up very well, but Gibson and Drake makes more sense here. Moustache Mountain are the biggest stars in the promotion and don’t need the win. Having already won the real NXT Tag Team Titles, there’s no need to have them win here and get built up even further. Let the other team win and become stars, so that the big moment of Moustache Mountain finally winning the titles means more than just beating a team that hasn’t been around very long.

NXT Title: Pete Dunne(c) vs. Joe Coffey

Dunne has been champion over 600 days now and, to quote an old WWF poster, somebody has to stop him. The thing is, I’m not sure if Coffey is the guy to do the stopping. He’s a big guy with a good finisher, but Dunne is just on another planet. The win over Dunne is going to be the biggest thing to ever happen to the promotion and I don’t know if they want to waste that on someone like Coffey. He’s good, but I don’t think he’s that good.

I’ll go with Dunne retaining the title, followed by some kind of a big attack to set up the next challenger. There are a lot of options to come after the title and Dunne is going to lose the title….eventually. Coffey is the kind of guy who can be right back in short order and while he’ll have a very good, and likely long, match against Dunne, it’s not going to be enough to end the historic reign.

Overall Thoughts

I know I’m harsh on the TV show (the scheduling, not the wrestlers) but they’ve done a very good job of setting up a show where I don’t know who is going to win a lot of these matches. That’s good booking and with the right kind of execution, this could be awesome. The live shows are usually pretty good and while I haven’t been a fan of the build, the show itself looks strong. Now if only they can live up to the hype.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 11, 2019
Location: The Asylum, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re now on the Pursuit Channel, which seems to be in pursuit of an audience. It’s also the fallout show from Homecoming, which saw Killer Kross attack Johnny Impact and Johnny’s wife Taya Valkyrie to end the show. Other than that it wasn’t exactly an eventful night, though it was a pretty good show. We’re also on Twitch now, which at least lets me watch the show live. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the expected recap of Homecoming, which was quite a good show.

Opening sequence.

Here’s World Champion Johnny Impact to open things up. Johnny says the title is important but what matters a lot more is his wife being hurt. He wants Kross out here right not but gets Brian Cage, who says he’s the rightful champion. It took Johnny’s Survivor buddies to save the title so the rematch needs to happen RIGHT NOW.

Impact gets cut off by more demands but here’s Kross to interrupt. Kross calls Johnny the great impostor and talks about Cage having Johnny pinned for a ten count, or three pins. More threats to Taya are enough to have Johnny superkick Cage and dive on Kross. Cage breaks that up and takes Johnny down until Kross suplexes him. That’s no sold and a freaked out Kross bails.

During the break, Impact and Cage were about to go at it again. Impact agreed to give Cage a shot after he deals with Kross. Cage doesn’t seem convinced but goes with it.

The announcers plug the Twitch channel. Still a good idea.

Rascalz vs. Lucha Bros

This could be good. Pentagon and Dezmond start things off here and proceed to stare at each other for nearly a minute and a half. CERO MIEDO earns Pentagon a grab of the arm so he kicks Dezmond in the ribs and sends him outside. Pentagon’s dive is cut off by a Stunner over the middle rope from Wentz, who gets sent into the corner by Fenix. A 619 out of the corner has Wentz in trouble so it’s back to Dezmond for a dropkick to the floor.

Dezmond hits a slingshot dropkick on Pentagon in the corner and a running Bronco Buster from Wentz. We take a break and come back with Wentz kneeing Fenix in the corner. Some strikes from the Rascalz get two on Fenix but he’s right back with a suicide dive to drive Wentz into the barricade. Back in and double superkicks into the wheelbarrow splash gets two on Dezmond with Wentz making the save.

Pentagon superkick Dezmond down but gets kneed in the face, leaving Fenix to kick Wentz in the face. Some more jumping strikes to the face put Pentagon down but Fenix rolls in with the cutter to Dezmond. Pentagon is back up and that means double superkicks abound, followed by a Fear Factor to Wentz and a Gory Special into a cutter from Fenix to Dezmond at the same time (egads) for the pin at 11:15.

Rating: B. Overly complicated finisher aside, this was a heck of a match and a great choice to open things up on the new network. The Rascalz are a ton of fun and the Lucha Bros are as proven of a commodity as you’re going to get at the moment. This was a blast and an awesome high spot match, which is often the best choice to open things up.

The Lucha Bros shake their hands after the match.

GWN Flashback of the Week: Michael Shane wins the first Ultimate X match to become X-Division Champion in 2003.

After the end of Homecoming, Kross ranted about how Impact was a failure for needing his Survivor friends to save him. That’s why Kross powerbombed Taya: to wake Johnny up.

Kross wants to know if Johnny knows how to hurt him in tonight’s No DQ match. Tonight, he’s breaking Johnny out of his skin.

Here’s Rich Swann for a chat. After a quick YOU DESERVE IT chant, Swann talks about the history of the division and calls himself the No Limit Soldier of the division with no limits. He’s ready for all comers and here’s OVE to test that theory. After some yelling at Don Callis, Sami Callihan talks about the rumors of what’s going on with Swann and OVE. They have a long history but that’s not something you get to learn right now. Since family means a lot to OVE, Swann should accept the offer of a spot on the team and come home. Callihan throws him the shirt but here’s Willie Mack to break up the fight.

Sami Callihan vs. Willie Mack

Rematch from Sunday and they start fast with a double knockdown. An exchange of headbutts goes nowhere so Sami goes to the eyes in a smart move. Sami gets sent outside and catches a sliding Mack in the ring skirt to continue hammering away. Mack comes back with a Rock Bottom onto the apron, earning what sounds like a CHOCOLATE THUNDER chant. A whip into the steps cuts Mack right back off and he gets piledriven on the stage. Mack beats the count in at nine and starts the comeback with some running shots in the corner.

A Samoan drop into the standing moonsault gets two so Sami bites the hand to get a breather. That just earns him a sitout spinebuster for two but Mack takes too long following up. Sami powerbombs him out of the corner and gets two of his own off a knee to the face. Mack shrugs that off and hits a corner Cannonball but the Stunner is blocked. The Cactus piledriver is countered as well and we hit the pinfall reversal sequence. Both finishers are reversed again until Mack gets a rollup for the pin at 10:38.

Rating: C. Nice brawl here with Mack’s natural charisma being more than enough to carry things. OVE and Sami in particular might not be the best option in the world at times but I’m moderately interested in where this story with Swann is going. Now if only the matches can back it up. The Crists vs. Mack/Swann sounds fine to me.

LAX and Konnan celebrate with booze and cigars. Everything seems to be fine after their recent issues.

Post break, LAX gets in an argument with OVE. You knew that was coming.

Here’s Scarlett Bordeaux for the Strip Show. First up though, an announcement: next week she’s ending her talent search and announcing the winner. With that out of the way, it’s time for the robe to come off but here’s the Desi Hit Squad to interrupt. Save that for the winners, which will of course be the three of them. Gama Singh rants about Americans having no values because they want to see her without her clothes on. Raju says Singh wanted to see that as well, so the argument breaks out.

Cue Scott Steiner of all people, who is here to see the debut on the Pursuit Channel. He has a bit of a limp due to hunting some two headed deer at a club in downtown Detroit. Steiner isn’t happy with the stripping being stopped so the beatdown is on. Scarlett offers him a front row seat and the robe comes off so the lap dance can begin. This was a rather unnecessary cameo, though the Impact fans will likely say “WHO CARES??? IT’S SCOTT STEINER!” I’m sure this line of thinking isn’t part of why they’re on Pursuit at all.

We look back at Gail Kim costing Tessa Blanchard the Knockouts Title.

Gail says Tessa got what was coming to her.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Cali Collins

Tessa gets aggressive to start with forearms in the corner and doesn’t seem happy when Cali tries one of her own. An Anderson eye rake across the top rope sets up a running dropkick to Cali’s back. Tessa loads up the Buzzsaw DDT but goes with Eat Defeat for the pin at 2:20 instead.

Eddie Edwards is proud of his win on Sunday and is ready to move on with his life. Eli Drake comes in to ask if Eddie wants to carry the flag of hardcore after people like Tommy Dreamer and Abyss carried it. I could go or Drake vs. Eddie.

Su Yung and Allie are next to a coffin and sound worried about Rosemary. The lights flicker and the words “One more chance to join the shadow” appear on the coffin. Nervousness ensues.

Killer Kross vs. Johnny Impact

Non-title and No DQ. Impact wastes no time in starting the brawl and stomps at the head in the ropes. Kross runs him over though and hammers away in the corner. They head outside where Impact is a bit better suited for the kicks to the chest. Impact takes forever to set up a table and gets a chair to the face for his efforts. Kross wraps the chair around his neck and slams it into the post before crotching Johnny on the barricade.

The steps are dragged around but Johnny avoids having his head crushed with a chair. Instead he knocks Kross back with a chair of his own and then piles the chairs on top of him. A moonsault crushes another chair onto the pile of chairs onto Kross for the big knockdown that didn’t look all that impressive.

Kross pops right up and they stare each other down while throwing chairs into the ring. They both pick one up and then drop them so Johnny can throw punches in the corner instead. A pelted chair to the face knocks Kross silly and Johnny piles up the chairs on him again. It’s time to go up top but Moose runs out to shove Johnny through the table at ringside. The Krossjacket choke finishes Johnny at 12:16.

Rating: C+. This was a good fight with Johnny showing aggression, but I’m not entirely sure why someone who wants to destroy Kross was busy doing flips instead of just unloading on him with the chair. Kross was his usual monster self and I’m glad to see him win, though this feels like leftovers from before Bound For Glory with just Austin Aries missing.

Moose and Kross hug to end the show.

Results

Lucha Bros b. Rascalz – Cutter to Xavier

Willie Mack b. Sami Callihan – Rollup

Tessa Blanchard b. Cali Collins – Eat Defeat

Killer Kross b. Johnny Impact – Krossjacket choke

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: January 10, 2019
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

Now this one should be interesting. Earlier this week it wasn’t clear if this show was going to feature the debut of some of the NXT callups. Their matches took place with Main Event graphics up but it wasn’t clear if the matches were taped for the show or not. If nothing else, another studio show wouldn’t be that bad. Let’s get to it.

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

Yep it’s a studio show.

From Raw.

Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre/Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins/John Cena/Finn Balor

We start fast with Balor working on Lashley’s arm but getting knocked into the corner. Ambrose comes in and gets caught with a basement dropkick, only to drag Balor into the corner for a hard chop from McIntyre. The beatdown continues with Lashley hitting a chinlock but not being able to hit the spinning Dominator. Balor gets up some boots in the corner (it’s always the boots) but Lashley drives him straight back into the corner again.

One more chance gets Balor over to the corner so Cena can clean some house but the Glasgow Kiss cuts him off as we take a break. Back with Cena dropkicking Ambrose, drawing Lashley right back in to break up the tag. Lashley stops to pose and the delay lets Cena hit the AA to put both guys down. Ambrose cuts off the hot tag bid though and we hit the chinlock. They head outside with Ambrose sending him into the steps as we take a second break.

Back again with Balor getting the hot tag to clean house, including a double stomp and shotgun dropkick to Ambrose. The Coup de Grace connects but McIntyre is right there with the Claymore to cut him down. It’s too early to finish things up though as Balor gets over for the tag to Rollins. That means a springboard clothesline to McIntyre and a moonsault to Lashley and Ambrose.

The Falcon Arrow gets two on McIntyre but the Stomp doesn’t connect. The reverse Alabama Slam is broken up by an AA but Lashley spears Cena down. That means a superkick to Lashley and another one to McIntyre. The frog splash (with some crazy height) misses McIntyre though and Ambrose tags himself in. Rollins blocks Dirty Deeds though and hits the Stomp for the pin at 21:15.

Rating: B. Good, hot match to open the show as they try as hard as they can (in vein that is) to fight off the National Championship game. Rollins pinning Ambrose to continue their feud is fine, especially if Rollins vs. Lashley is going to continue. Having Cena in there is a good idea as you might not want to have him in a long singles match when he hasn’t been in the ring much lately. Solid match and a very good start to the show.

We get the Gene Okerlund tribute video. No Hulk Hogan part, though he’s mentioned.

From Raw again.

Here’s Alexa Bliss for the debut of her talk show, A Moment Of Bliss. After demanding and receiving a cup of coffee, we see a video on Ronda Rousey’s rookie year. Rousey is of course the first guest and wants to talk about the future instead of the past. She talks about someone who is more athletic than Charlotte and had a tougher road here than Becky Lynch. Rousey means Sasha Banks, so here’s Nia Jax (Me out loud: “GOOD GRIEF!”) to say that sounds like someone has a girl crush on Sasha.

Nia wants to know when she’s getting her rematch from TLC but here’s Sasha, who says she’s honored by the words. She’d love to face Ronda for the title and teach her how to lose with grace. Nia says the line starts behind her before she’s a 300.5 ounce (not pounds, but ounce) Samoan. Sasha: “B**** what line?” Sasha challenges her to a #1 contenders match right now but Nia has a seat and we take a break.

Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax

The winner gets Rousey, presumably at the Rumble. Nia does indeed get in the ring during the break as Bayley and Tamina are watching at ringside. Sasha kicks her in the face and tries a guillotine but gets thrown into the corner. A kick to the head rocks Nia until she runs Banks over with a knee. Nia drops her face first onto the barricade for a nine count as Bayley and Tamina get in a fight.

Back in and a Batista Bomb gives Nia two as we take a break. We come back with Nia holding her in a torture rack until Sasha slips out and starts in with the knees. The running knees in the corner set up the top rope Meteora for two but Banks can’t hold the Bank Statement. Nia misses the face breaker and it’s a Samoan drop to crush Banks again. There’s a corner splash and Nia loads her up in a fireman’s carry on the middle rope.

Instead of falling back though, Nia jumps down, dropping Sasha onto the corner in a nasty crash. That’s only good for two and Bayley dropkicks Tamina for a bonus. Banks comes back with a dropkick in the corner and tries a hurricanrana off the apron but Banks just falls off to the side in what looked like a botch. Back in and the Bank Statement finishes Nia at 13:23.

From Raw, again.

Intercontinental Title: Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

Ambrose is defending and it’s Falls Count Anywhere. Seth jumps him from behind to start and we’re off in a hurry. The fight heads outside immediately with Rollins clotheslining him over the barricade. They go backstage with Rollins throwing Dean into a ladder but missing a shovel shot. Ambrose sends him head first into a metal case for two and then gets in a ladder shot for the same.

Back from a break with the fight in the crowd and Rollins diving off a barricade with a crossbody for two. Rollins punches him straight in the nose and they head to ringside with Dean being tossed into the barricade. Ambrose is right back with a drop onto the barricade for two and it’s time to peel back the ring mats. After a kiss on the head, Dean’s Dirty Deeds attempt is countered with a backdrop onto the concrete.

They head inside with a superplex into the buckle bomb into a superkick keeping Dean in big trouble. The Stomp connects but here’s Bobby Lashley to pull Rollins out of the ring. Lashley beats the heck out of him on the floor, including an overhead belly to belly. Back in and the beating continues, including the spinning Dominator and a spear. Dean covers the finished Rollins to retain at 15:22.

Rating: B-. It was a good brawl but they telegraphed the ending by about nine miles. There was no hiding Lashley interfering to cost Rollins the match and that brings up the bigger problem: they set Rollins up as being back last week, have him in a great performance earlier tonight, and then oh dang he lost. Well thanks for letting us get reinvested in him for….oh a week or so. I’m sure Lashley vs. Rollins will be fine and Ambrose can find something else to do, but it didn’t make for a strong main event to end a bad show.

Post match Lashley puts Rollins through a table to end the show.

And again from Raw.

Here’s Braun Strowman for the showdown with Brock Lesnar. Paul Heyman and Lesnar show up on the screen with Heyman talking about how Strowman is looking for a confrontation. The words that Strowman needs to understand are Card Subject To Change, because if Lesnar came out there right now, there would be no Royal Rumble title match.

Strowman stays in the ring, saying he’s waiting for Beastie Boy. Heyman tells Brock not to

worry about it and they stay in the back, with Strowman saying Lesnar must be scared. Lesnar finally comes out, walks near the ring, and starts heading to the back. Strowman says Lesnar needs to get back here….because he’s winning the title at the Royal Rumble.

This was AWFUL as they clearly have no way around the fact that Strowman is the challenger of the month and has no chance of winning. That’s what happens when you do this match twice with Lesnar winning both times, the most recent being without breaking a sweat. Side note: the last time Lesnar defended the title (not counting house shows) in a match that didn’t involve Strowman or Roman Reigns was in July 2017. And they wonder why his matches stopped meaning anything years ago?

And from Smackdown because we have some time to fill.

Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Carmella

The winner gets Asuka at the Rumble. The fans are behind Becky, which isn’t the biggest surprise in the world. Charlotte decks Becky to start and a shoulder to the ribs puts her on the floor. That doesn’t last long and it’s Becky coming back in for kicks to both sets of ribs. A clothesline has Charlotte in trouble on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Becky kicking Carmella again but getting her throat snapped across the top rope. Becky is fine enough to slam Charlotte onto Carmella for two but Charlotte is back up to slug it out. Carmella breaks that up and hits a Flatliner on Becky, followed by the Code of Silence to Charlotte. That’s broken up without much effort and Becky missile dropkicks Carmella down. Becky gets suplexed into the corner though and a big boot drops Carmella again.

Charlotte moonsaults onto both of them for a pair of twos and we go to another breaker. Back again with Carmella getting two off a hurricanrana out of the corner and frustration setting in. A suicide dive takes out Becky and Charlotte’s moonsault misses. Becky is back up to suplex Carmella on the floor and they’re all down.

Back in and Charlotte hits a top rope Natural Selection on Becky but has to break up Carmella’s attempt at stealing the pin. The Figure Eight goes on until Becky breaks it up with the top rope legdrop. Carmella has to break up the Disarm-Her to Charlotte and it’s a spear to Becky. A superkick drops Charlotte but Carmella gets pulled into the Disarm-Her for the tap at 19:23.

Rating: B. Carmella was holding up her end well enough here and the ending is the right call. Even if Becky doesn’t win at the Rumble, there’s a very real chance of her jumping into the Rumble itself or winning the title shot at Elimination Chamber. This was what the fans wanted to see and that made for a rather entertaining match, along with good action from all three.

Asuka comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Well let’s see. It was mainly about Raw and Raw was terrible, so how do you think this went? I’m not sure why they felt the need to cram in so much from Raw when a good amount of stuff happened on Smackdown. We couldn’t have seen Daniel Bryan’s great promo or the very good tag match? No the solution must be more Lesnar vs. Strowman, which certainly wasn’t one of the worst segments of the year or anything like that. Bad show here, due to an overload of Raw.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

So this is something kind of interesting. A few weeks ago, someone asked me to rank the current wrestling shows that I watch from most to least enjoyable. I’ve heard of worse ideas so let’s take a look. Keep in mind that these are only the current shows and the only ones that I watch, so you won’t see many surprises in here.

1. NXT

Like it was going to be anything else. This show is the most enjoyable thing that happens to wrestling fans and one of the best weekly TV shows ever. They never get boring, their worst show is still better than almost anything anyone else produces, and it somehow keeps getting better. They’ve figured out exactly how to do the one hour a week wrestling TV show and I look forward to seeing it every time. This was #1 by a few laps and nothing is in its universe.

2. Smackdown

The more I think about Smackdown, the more frustrated I get at Raw. This show is proof of what WWE is capable of doing and how well they can still put together a big show. While it’s certainly not great, it’s a show that is both entertaining and well done, which is a rare sight on the main roster. The wrestling is good, the promos are better, and there’s a fun feeling here that you don’t get on Monday. Smackdown is very good, and evidence that WWE still knows what it’s doing.

3. 205 Live

If Mustafa Ali was still around, this would have been second. What used to be a terrible show that was little more than a chore to watch has turned into one of the best things going in WWE today. The action ranges from solid to great and it has the best non William Regal boss in WWE with Drake Maverick (must be a British thing). They bring in new talent and have a formula that works very well. Plus Maria Kanellis and that’s never a bad thing.

KEEP GOING!

4. Fusion

I know I talk about this show a lot but it’s become a well done wrestling show. It’s nothing that’s going to blow you away but for about fifty minutes a week, you get a nice blend of action in front of an entertained crowd with some talent you might have be overly familiar with. They’ve put something together in just a few months and it’s a perfectly enjoyable show. Check these guys out if you haven’t, as their show goes up on YouTube every Saturday night.

5. NXT UK

This place gets a hard time, but it’s really not that bad. The problem is the way the show is scheduled rather than what they actually do, and that’s not their fault. The other main issue is calling it NXT, which comes with a very heavy burden. It doesn’t offer anything that a show like Progress doesn’t do better, but the WWE production helps a lot. This is far from bad and cutting it back to an hour a week is going to do wonders for them.

6. Impact Wrestling

Yeah seriously. I know the show has the worst reputation in wrestling and a lot of that is justified, but they’ve gotten a lot better in the last year and a half. It’s still not a masterpiece or even a great show most of the time, but it’s watchable and the stories make sense. That’s a fine place for them to be and if they can continue taking the little steps forward, they might be able to rewrite some of their legacy. Just find a way to make the main events feel epic and they’re well on their way.

JUST AROUND THE BEND!

7. Ring of Honor

This show is the definition of feast or famine. When they’re on, they’re very on and can produce some of the best shows around. When they’re off though, it feels like a low rent promotion took a TV station hostage and ran their show. The women’s division is still a disaster and some of their other stuff isn’t that much better, but they know how to do the wild matches and athletic displays quite well. It’s a watchable show, but not something I really look forward to most of the time.

8. Main Event

Yes a recap show is somehow not on the bottom of the list. This show actually offers a nice service by showcasing the shortened version of the WWE week. The original wrestling occasionally will be entertaining but this is all about giving you a quick look at Raw and Smackdown. It’s fine for what it is, and that’s all it’s supposed to be.

9. Monday Night Raw

What is there even to say here? I’ve literally never missed an episode of Raw and I don’t remember a time when it felt this hopeless (not bad, but hopeless). It’s like they’re always content with not trying anything and would rather just coast until Wrestlemania season, do the Shakeup, and then get back to coasting again. Feuds go on forever with few people getting elevated, and that leaves you with a bunch of uninteresting people fighting for nothing, because the Intercontinental Title is the top title on the show. Without getting into another Lesnar rant, his absence is killing the biggest wrestling show in the world. That shouldn’t happen, and we’re almost to year three of it being the case. Fix that already, because it’s Raw and not Main Event.

What could be lower than this?

Yeah there’s nothing else here.  Nine shows a week is enough and nothing is beating Raw.

IMG Credit: WWE

Royal Rumble 2003
Date: January 19, 2003
Location: Fleet Center, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,338
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

The opening video is your standard montage of wrestlers talking about what it means to go to Wrestlemania because the road starts tonight.

Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar

Chris Jericho is ready to win the Rumble and gets his World Title back at Wrestlemania.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Dudley Boyz vs. William Regal/Lance Storm

Nathan Jones vignette.

Dawn Marie vs. Torrie Wilson

Dawn is in regular ring gear and a black veil, which makes her look more like Jimmy Jack Funk (from the neck up) than anything else. Dawn elbows her in the face at the bell but Torrie takes her down as well as these two are going to be able to do. Torrie gets caught in a Fujiwara armbar as the announcers cover the story in detail. Well the recent part at least as basically everything after Armageddon has been forgotten at this point.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Scott Steiner

Back in and Steiner charges into a boot to the face before being sent into the steps for good measure. HHH stomps and chokes in the corner with Flair adding choking of his own. Another neckbreaker gets two for the champ and you can see how winded Steiner already is. Flair chokes on the ropes again to fill in as much time as possible before Steiner reverses the Pedigree.

Smackdown World Title: Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle

Royal Rumble

Ratings Comparison

Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: D

2013 Redo: C+

2017 Redo: D+

Dudley Boyz vs. William Regal/Lance Storm

Original: C

2013 Redo: D

2017 Redo: C-

Dawn Marie vs. Torrie Wilson

Original: DD

2013 Redo: D-

2017 Redo: F

Scott Steiner vs. HHH

Original: G-

2013 Redo: H (For HHH)

Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A+

2017 Redo: A+

Royal Rumble

Original: B

2013 Redo: B-

2017 Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: B-

2013 Redo: C-

2017 Redo: B-

This is a rare instance where the original is much closer to the new ratings than the first redo. Maybe I was in a bad mood that day?

You can read the original review here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/01/22/royal-rumble-count-up-2003-best-match-ever/

And the 2013 redo here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/01/16/royal-rumble-count-up-2013-redo-2003-best-of-both-worlds-and-a-boring-rumble/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

This is old and horrible so I apologize in advance.

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 11, 1993
Location: Manhattan Center, Manhattan, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett, Randy Savage

Well since it’s the anniversary of this, why not do it? Raw more or less ended SNME which I’ll do that last original episode soon enough, as in about an hour from now. This is the show that completely revolutionized wrestling as it was the first show to be aired weekly on prime time cable. The production values were WAY up also as the lighting and the effects were stuff that was unheard of. We’re gearing up for the 93 Rumble which kind of sucked but whatever. Let’s get to it.

Sean Mooney who I didn’t think had a job at this point welcomes us to the show and keeps Heenan from coming in. This would become a running joke on the first few shows until Monsoon threw him out of the company. The arena looks small but cool. Rob Bartlett was a comedian from the Don Imus show and he is easily the worst announcer of all time but to be fair, I’ve read some comments from him since and he completely admits that he was awful, so at least he’s not delusional.

Koko B. Ware vs. Yokozuna

Koko comes out to what would become Owen’s music which makes sense as they were partners around this time. I wonder what’s going to happen here. They say their first swear word on the air which might be a first in company history. The tag line was uncooked, uncut and uncensored. I never got the uncooked part. How is that appealing? Bartlett just makes fat jokes about Yoko which makes sense. Vince is about as excited as humanly possible to be here. Bartlett makes jokes implying that Koko is Gary Coleman which is kind of funny but just out of place here. After Koko gets in no offense for about 4 minutes, the Banzai Drop ends this.

Rating: N/A. It was a glorified squash which is fine. I’m not sure how good this was for the first match in history but that’s fine I guess. This was just to push Yoko so that certainly accomplished its job. A lot of the earlier shows were almost all squashes so get used to it.

Ad for the Rumble.

We get a prerecorded interview from Heenan who talks about Perfect being scared of Narcissus, who was more commonly known as Luger. Heenan is WAY too excited about Luger.

Steiner Brothers vs. Executioners

The Executioners are masked jobbers as if it matters. That goofy clown as Vince calls him is at ringside and gets too much attention. Apparently his name is Doink. As for the match, are you really expecting anything other than total destruction? Apparently Mitch Ferhat, a former Buffalo Bill, is coming to the WWF. He never got there. The Steiner Bulldog ends it.

Rating: N/A. It was more or less the same thing as we got a match earlier, but with two guys instead of one. This is fine as it establishes two dominant forces for new fans which is a good idea.

A woman says that she’s Bartlett’s aunt. Naturally it’s Heenan in drag. This simply does not get old.

Razor Ramon comes out for a “special” interview. He’s fighting Bret for the title at the Rumble in case you didn’t know. It’s exactly what you would expect it to be as it’s just Ramon talking about Bret and how he’ll win the title and we see a clip of him beating up Owen on Superstars, which is why Owen isn’t here tonight.

Ad for Headlock on Hunger, which was a charity thing they were doing at the time to feed hungry people in Somalia.

Tatanka likes the Headlock on Hunger.

Intercontinental Title: Max Moon vs. Shawn Michaels

Max Moon may or may not have been Konnan. Shawn is just getting used to being a midcard deal so don’t expect much here. I don’t think it’s him here as it might be Paul Diamond, who was one of the Orient Express. We get more and more New York jokes from Bartlett that only a handful of people would get. He was great on a morning talk show but WAY off on a wrestling show.

They get the three un line here twice in one match as they try so hard to get that over as a tagline before they realized it sucked. Bartlett, in something that blows my mind, does an impression of Mike Tyson calling into the show from prison. This goes on over two minutes. Make that three. THEY’RE STILL DOING IT.

Seriously they did this for half of the match. Is this supposed to be funny or something? Am I supposed to be amused? After what felt like forever, Shawn hits the kick and that stupid suplex that he was using as his finisher at the time for the pin.

Rating: C+. It was an average match, but it had the DUMBEST commentary in recorded history. The match gets bonus points for being ok with those voices going though so there we are.

Ad for WWF Mania, a Saturday morning show.

Gene does the control center for the Rumble, which more or less is him talking about the major matches and we get promos from some of the guys in said matches, in this case Shawn and Marty. This is short but it was very effective at summarizing the entire show into a 3 minute video. Well done. We run down some people in the Rumble and get comments from Perfect. Ok now this needs to end as it’s about five minutes now. This was the first winner gets a title shot and it’s at 4pm. That’s just odd.

We have an Amish man trying to get inside. Guess who it is. He asks if anyone knows how to get onto the roof. I feel like I’m watching a Trix Cereal commercial. Also, WHERE DOES HE GET THESE COSTUMES???

Kamala exists and that’s about it.

Damien Demento vs. Undertaker

Who else would you get to main event the first show? Bartlett makes fun of Taker and I’m already tired of him. Demento is the guy that freaked out on youtube recently and freaked out about modern wrestling. He’s annoying as all goodness and this is his career highlight. We go over the matches for next week and that’s about all that happens in this match. The Tombstone ends this quickly.

Rating: N/A. It’s like 3 minutes long and it’s more or less a squash. That’s not that interesting.

Doink sprays Crush with water to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This started off ok but it felt like there was no flow to it at all. It just wasn’t that good of a show as far as establishing people like it was supposed to do. This show definitely assumed that most people were long time fans of the show and that’s not a good idea to do on a brand new main show.

Still though, this is one of those shows everyone should see at least once as it truly did completely revolutionize wrestling. Definitely take a look at it if you never have before or just to compare it to modern wrestling and see how much things have changed.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 28 wrestling books. His latest book is the the Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews.

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