IMG Credit: Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Hidden Gems #5
Date: 1969, 1970, 1971

We’re going very old school here for what will mostly be NWA matches. Part of the beauty of these collections is the range of stuff they cover and that’s what we’re getting here with some nearly fifty year old stuff. I’m having a great time with these things and it’s very cool to get some stuff that I haven’t seen before. Let’s get to it.

We’ll start in Florida with Gordon Solie introducing highlights of Dory Funk Jr. winning the NWA World Title from Gene Kiniski on February 11, 1969 in Tampa.

NWA World Title: Gene Kiniski vs. Dory Funk Jr.
Date: February 11, 1969
Location: Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, Tampa, Florida
Attendance: 6,000
Commentator: Gordon Solie

Funk is challenging and we’re joined in progress with Kiniski on his back and getting forearmed for trying to get up. Serves him right. We’re clipped to both guys getting up and Kiniski snapmaring him down to take over. Dory gets two off a sunset flip but a kick to the face gives Kiniski the same. A belly to back suplex puts both of them down and things slow a bit more. Funk gets a pair of two’s off a pair of slams and Gene can’t hold him up for a backbreaker.

The spinning toehold is broken up and the sequence works so well that they do it again. A fourth slam sets up a third spinning toehold and this time Kiniski taps to make Dory the champion at 3:45 shown. The match ran 27:00 total so I’m not rating this, but it wasn’t the most thrilling stuff. Then again I’ve never been a fan of Kiniski’s work.

Post match Dory is rather calm, until he’s handed the title and it’s time to jump up and down a lot.

Back to Solie, who praises Dory as the new kind of athlete. Dory comes in and is very humble and thanks his father and the promoter for letting him have the chance. Not much to say here, but Dory never was the most charismatic guy.

Bruno Sammartino vs. George Steele
Date: July 29, 1970
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York

Bruno is defending in a cage with escape only rules but I’m not sure on the date here as I can’t find anything that says there was a show on this date. The cage is put together, which takes a good while in its own right. Steele takes his sweet time getting in and I’m really thinking this is the Philadelphia match from July 25 with the wrong label. Bruno unloads on him in the corner to start and Steele tries to go over the top with as much success as you would guess. A big right hand has Steele down and yeah this is the Philadelphia match. Steele makes a save and chokes in the corner but gets punched away again.

This time it’s Steele getting caught in the ropes so Bruno can kick and punch a lot more. Yeah he didn’t have the most versatile offense in the world but he made it work. Steele gets loose and sends him into the cage but gets his face rubbed against the cage for his efforts. You can see the fired up version of Bruno coming out and he pulls Steele off the cage to keep up the beating. Sammartino stomps away until Steele kicks him into the cage for the double knockdown.

It’s the champ up first though and he actually hits Steele low in a rather hard departure from his norm. More kicks and stomps have Steele in trouble and a running kick to the ribs keeps him down. Steele finally rakes the eyes and rips open a buckle so the stuffing can go into Bruno’s face. That was a thing for Steele and it doesn’t work so well as a heel. The fans lose it on Steele for having their hero in trouble and that’s why Sammartino stayed as champion for so long. NO ONE got that kind of a reaction for so long and the company knew that.

Steele chokes him down in the corner as the audio seems to cut out. You can see the trash the fans have thrown in but Bruno making a comeback is enough to calm them down a bit. Bruno unloads on him and sends Steele into the cage a few times before walking out to retain at 14:41.

Rating: C-. Your mileage on Bruno is going to vary a lot and that’s completely understandable. This is nearly fifty years old and it’s almost impossible to compare the two eras. Bruno beat the heck out of Steele and was the definitive winner, which was exactly what the fans wanted to see here. It’s not a great match, but the fan reaction is more than enough to carry everything as far as it needed to go. I mean, it’s not exactly hidden as it’s been on a few home videos before but Bruno is always worth a look for the fan reactions alone.

WWWF World Title: Pedro Morales vs. Blackjack Mulligan
Date: March 15, 1971
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York

Pedro is defending and Mulligan is the father of Barry Windham and the grandfather of Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas. He’s also managed by the Grand Wizard. The referee takes a good while going over the rules and Mulligan isn’t having any of that. On top of that, he’s not happy with the fans booing him before the bell. They circle each other for a good bit to start with the only contact being the boos hitting Mulligan. Morales avoids an early charge so it’s time for Mulligan to mess with his glove. Another missed charge means more stalling as there’s no contact for the first two minutes.

They finally lock up with Pedro snapping off an armdrag. That means more stalling into another lockup and Morales shoves him away without much effort. Mulligan loads up the glove again and a single shot has Morales flailing around on the mat. It’s off to the nerve hold with Pedro being taken down to cut off a comeback attempt. Morales gets in a shot to the face for the break and the comeback is on with the big left hands. There’s no follow up though as Morales goes stupid with a test of strength that takes him down again. Well to be fair he never was the brightest guy in the world.

hat means the power of the glove (which apparently gives you super strength) keeps Morales in trouble until another shot to the head breaks things up. After Mulligan walks around for a bit, Pedro slaps on a headlock (how devastating) and hangs on for a good while. Something like a bulldog (more like a running clothesline to the back of the head) sets up a chinlock on Mulligan but he gloves his way out of it.

That means a wristlock from Mulligan as we’re nearly fourteen minutes in. A good looking backdrop gives Mulligan two but Pedro pops up and makes a very fast comeback, capped off by a top rope seated senton to the back to retain at 14:16, even though Mulligan’s shoulder was up at about 2.4. I guess the referee wanted out too.

Rating: F. I’ve seen some good Pedro matches but this was just a boring slog with one hold after another and Mulligan’s glove (it was a thing, but you need more to have a full match) being the focal point of the match. Really boring and flat out bad stuff here, which is all the more annoying as both of them were more than capable of better.

Mulligan goes after him again post match but Pedro clears him off…..or at leas I think he does as we’re looking at the crowd for some reason. Pedro waves a Puerto Rican flag for a long time.

And now for something very unique. From July 30, 1971, a special episode of Championship Wrestling From Florida with the whole show being dedicated to Jack Brisco. It’s billed as This Is Your Life Jack Brisco, which could be rather interesting if done right.

Gordon Solie is sitting at the desk next to the champ and they go over Jack’s athletic background at Oklahoma State, though it’s rather hard to understand what Jack is saying.

We get some highlights of Brisco vs. a bunch of wrestlers, with Jack giving a rather monotone talk about how he loves putting people in holds. We see him against Pak Song (a big North Korean wrestler), Bobby Shane (who was going to be a big deal but died in a plane crash at 29) and Hiro Matsuda (trained Hulk Hogan and Lex Luger among others). There isn’t much to say here as they’re just short clips of matches with Brisco wrestling them down or slugging it out.

Back to the desk after a commercial with Gordon sending us to a package from two years ago with Jack and Gordon looking at some old photos of Jack’s athletic career. He wrestled and played football in high school and then went to Oklahoma State where he wrestled again. There’s also a picture of him working at a gold mine in Colorado before college. The college career is covered in some newspaper clippings with Jack saying what’s going on. Then it was on to professional wrestling with more clippings and Jack talking about his time in Florida. I know this isn’t exactly great reading but it’s just pictures with narration.

We see some clips of Brisco beating Mr. Saito for the Florida Heavyweight Title. I believe this is the first time Brisco won the title (he beat Saito for the first two of his eight reigns with the title) on February 10, 1970 in Tampa.

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Dick Steinborn

No date given and Dory’s NWA World Title isn’t on the line. Steinborn rolls away from him to start and actually sends Dory into the corner. A hammerlock has Dory in more trouble until he throws Steinborn down with ease. Dory can’t get away though as it’s a headlock takeover to put him right back down. This time it’s reversed into a headscissors and a backdrop sets up Dory’s own headlock. It’s way too early for the spinning toehold though and Steinborn is over to the ropes.

As Steinborn fights up from an armbar, we hear a discussion about Dory’s brother Terry, who is the forgotten man of wrestling and much more emotional than Dory (YOU THINK???). Dory gets him into the corner but it’s a clean break because the 60s were a nicer time. Steinborn has to kick away from a leglock and hits a dropkick, followed by a nipup. A flying headscissors gives us another nipup but Dory catches him in a backslide for the pin at 7:45. For some reason the camera went into slow motion on the pin and rolled back a few times, meaning the backslide lasted the better part of twenty seconds.

Rating: C-. Much better than some of the other old school matches I’ve seen on these things, as Dory was moving and working out there with Steinborn getting in a lot of offense of his own. The last big turned up the pace a lot, showing that this generation is perfectly capable of wrestling a faster match. You don’t have to, but it’s nice to see it happen.

Jack talks about getting special coaching from Pat O’Connor on how to defend against the spinning toehold.

And of course we see Jack and Pat working out together, complete with exercising. They work on the toehold as well, with Pat showing him how to counter the hold into a Figure Four. They even work on ways to keep the Figure Four from being countered. This is treated like actual coaching instead of the kind of segment you would see today. It sounds a bit boring but it’s such a different time and is fascinating in a way.

Jack Brisco vs. Hiro Matsuda

No date given again and wrestling coach Jack Heath is on commentator with Solie. They start fast and go to the mat with some rather early near falls. Brisco can’t keep hold of him as Heath talks about the United States Olympic Wrestling Team doing well at the recent (1968) Olympics. Matsuda grabs an STF of all things but Jack switches into an armbar. Back up and Brisco gets two off a suplex and it’s off to a double armbar….for a pin, somehow, as the camera freezes and we’re just told that there’s a pin. No bell either, so we’ll say it was about 4:15.

Rating: C+. This was really entertaining stuff with both guys looking good and working hard on the mat. I could have gone with seeing the finish instead of just a still like that but it must have been a thing at the time as it’s the second match in a row where we haven’t actually seen the finish. Brisco was great as always and Matsuda is a very underrated guy who was awesome in the ring in addition to his famous training resume.

We see some clips of Jack beating Dory Funk Jr. in a non-title match. It’s a very technical match with Jack talking about how wrestling is a human game of chess and all the counters and planning ahead that have to go into it. There’s a lot of clipping here and Jack uses the counter Pat O’Connor taught him to flip the spinning toehold into the Figure Four. That’s straight out of a Rocky montage. Dory finally quits after only a few minutes shown of what would probably have been a rather long match.

Jack talks about studying Dory in the hopes of getting a shot at the title. He would win the title about a year and a half later, but rather from some kid named Harley Race, who took the title from Funk.

No goodbye or anything, but for a mini biography of someone who hadn’t hit the pinnacle of his career yet, this was rather entertaining, especially given how many different styles we saw in some of those matches. You hear about these people so often that it’s cool to see them in action in their primes like this.

Overall Rating: D+. This one didn’t work very well for me with the WWF stuff ranging from bad to horrible while the NWA stuff was rather entertaining. Bruno is a legitimate legend but Pedro is hit or miss at best. Then you have Funk and Brisco, who are some of the most revered named in the history of wrestling. Check out the NWA stuff, but go find something newer from the WWF.

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

Here’s a thought. Brock Lesnar’s original run Was he given too much too soon? Think about it. By the end of his rookie year he won every major honour in WWE, debuted on Wrestlemania X8 fallout, and was gone after Wrestlemania XX. Subsequent returns have been hit or miss depending on perspective.

You mean there might be something else wrong with Lesnar?

Pretty much, yeah. The thing about Lesnar was that his major characteristics were athleticism and power. That can take you a long way, but Lesnar didn’t have the charisma to back it up. Sure he had Heyman for a little while, but that was gone only three months after he lost the title. The Wrestlemania spot, which should have been his crowning glory, didn’t work either so there wasn’t much left.

The problem with Lesnar was he didn’t really have a character. He’s an athletic freak and a once in a lifetime talent, but that’s not what really matters. Compare him to the other guy with an amazing rookie year in Kurt Angle. Kurt was an athletic freak in his own right but could talk with the best of them, which gave him a lot of staying power. He could work face or heel and make it effective, because the talking could compliment his wrestling skills perfectly well.

That’s where Lesnar fell short. Once you see him do these cool moves, it stops having the same impact. It’s just something you saw him do recently and it’s not as impressive the second time around. Compare that to someone like Ricochet. Sure he has spots, but you know he’s saving the big ones (the double moonsault and the 630) for the moments that matter most. You want to see them do those big moves and they’re built up instead of just seeing them every time.

The same thing is true with the modern Lesnar. His character is a little better because he’s gone Mega Beast, but the very impressive suplexes have lost their impact from him doing the same things over and over again. If you do those suplexes and F5’s again and again, they can be as cool as possible but they’re going to get dull after awhile. Hence the mantra of DO SOMETHING ELSE that you so often hear during Lesnar matches.

So yeah, Lesnar was too much too soon, because he didn’t have the charisma or character depth to handle it. That was always going to happen, because the talking/character stuff is more important than anything you can do in the ring.

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 13, 2018
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

This needs to be a good show as the next two episodes are going to be Best Of 2018 editions, meaning this is the last chance to set up Homecoming until the go home show. They’ve got a big main event with Moose vs. Brian Cage, which should see both guys beating each other up very well. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the big stories. Well and the smaller stories too but that doesn’t sound as good.

Opening sequence.

Ultimate X Qualifying Match: Rich Swann vs. Dave Crist

Jake Crist and Sami Callihan are at ringside with Dave. Crist sits in the corner for a long time to start, which is enough to lure Swann in to a false sense of security and a big boot. Stomping and choking ensue in the corner, followed by Swann being sent to the floor so Jake Crist can drop Swann on the apron. Back in and Swann starts hamming away with right hands (and some dancing of course), followed by a Lethal Injection for two. The Phoenix splash misses but Swann is right back with a rollup for the pin at 3:59.

Rating: D+. Not enough time to do anything but it was perfectly acceptable while it lasted. It also makes sense to have Swann move forward to the title match over a second Crist Brother as there’s little reason to believe that they wouldn’t dominate any two other wrestlers. The wrestling was fine enough here, but the time hurt them a lot.

Post match the Crist Brothers jump Swann….until Sami calls them off. Willie Mack comes in for the save and Stuns Sami, but Swann pulls him off for a change. Sami looks back as he leaves. Interesting indeed.

The announcers preview the rest of the matches.

Moose isn’t worried about Eddie Edwards because he’s busy drinking orange juice or whatever they do in a nut house. As for tonight, he’s got Brian Cage. Machines die, but legends never do.

Mack asks Swann what was up with that. Swann is trying to protect Mack, who is going to get into a war he doesn’t want if he goes after Sami.

Josh is in the ring to talk about the history of the Knockouts Title. After listing off some legends and former champions, he brings out Taya Valkyrie and Tessa Blanchard for a chat. Taya says this isn’t a rivalry because Tessa has had to cheat to save the title both times. That’s not how a champion or a Knockout represents themselves and she’s done it twice.

Tessa asks how Taya would know how a champion acts, because the best she can do is watch her husband. Taya is a loser, just like all these people. It may not be how a champion acts but it’s how she’s kept the title all this time. Josh interrupts because there’s going to be a special referee for their title match: Gail Kim. WELL OF COURSE IT IS!!! I mean, she’s barely been gone a year since retiring as Knockouts Champion so it must be time to bring her back again.

Post break Tessa isn’t happy. Can you blame her? She certainly respects Gail (expect to hear that a lot) but she’ll run through her if necessary.

Ultimate X Qualifying Match: Trevor Lee vs. Trey Miguel

Miguel is the Fresh Prince Of Midair. I rather like that. Lee goes with an armbar to start so Miguel flips out into a hammerlock for a counter. A moonsault out of a German suplex messes with Lee and he snaps off a running hurricanrana to make things even worse. Lee gets dropkicked outside for another hurricanrana but he grabs a belly to back backbreaker to take over.

Another backbreaker legs Lee bend Miguel’s back over his knee as things certainly have slowed down. A nipup into an enziguri staggers Lee though and a jumping neckbreaker gives Lee two. Miguel tucks Lee’s head into a turnbuckle for a 619 and a running West Coast Pop finishes Lee at 6:28.

Rating: C+. The extra time helped here and I’m getting into the Rascalz more every time I see them. Miguel is very fun to watch when he gets to go out there and flip around a lot, which he does as well as almost anyone else at the moment. You can always use someone to go out there and do some fun high flying stuff and a trio makes it even better. Good stuff, as I’m not wild on Lee’s Impact stuff.

The Lucha Bros are ready to fight LAX. Tonight it’s Fenix vs. Santana, which should be good.

Su Yung makes Allie say that it’s the beginning of the end.

Classic Clip of the Week: Ultimate X at Bound For Glory 2009.

Video on LAX vs. the Lucha Bros. As I said as soon as this was hinted at: YES PLEASE!

Konnan yells at LAX for not being ready for the Lucha Bros. He leaves, so LAX says they’ll do this on their own.

Fenix vs. Santana

Everyone shakes hands before the bell and Santana starts with Fenix’s bouncing armdrag, with Fenix landing on his feet because he can. Fenix gets sent to the floor for the running flip dive but he’s right back with a jumping kick to the head. That means a moonsault from the top to take Santana out again but he misses the Swanton back inside. Santana’s running dropkick gets two and a swinging Rock Bottom is good for the same. Fenix is fine enough to hit the rolling cutter (he does that very well) for two of his own.

They trade reverse hurricanranas, with Fenix dropping Santana on his head for a double knockdown. Back up and Santana misses a charge to get himself caught in the ropes, allowing Santana to walk the ropes for a kick to the face. Santana hits his own rolling cutter and a Batista Bomb gets two more. Fenix kicks him in the head, but can’t hit the Black Fire Driver. With Santana fighting out, Fenix blasts him again and the second attempt is good for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: B. Well of course this was fun, with both guys beating the heck out of each other with one big spot after another. It’s a very fun match with both guys doing whatever they could come up with, which is how a match like this should have gone. If they give these teams twenty minutes (or more) at Homecoming and tear the house down, we could be in for an instant classic.

Killer Kross isn’t sorry about what he’s been doing lately with Johnny Impact. This brings Johnny in to stay stay away from him and his wife. Johnny grabs him by the throat, which is what Kross wanted all along. Impact again says to stay away from the two of them. Just don’t have Johnny turn heel to retain.

Kiera Hogan is still shaken after what Allie did to her last week. She’ll do whatever it takes to save her friend in the end.

We go back to the mental hospital, where Raven is explaining aliens to Eddie Edwards over a game of chess. Eli Drake of all people comes in to tell Raven that the hardcore style is dead at homecoming. Raven: “You staying for lunch?” Drake wants Raven to make sure he watches but Raven says they don’t get pay per view there. Orderlies take Drake away.

Homecoming rundown.

For the next two weeks: the Best of 2018.

Ruby Raze vs. Jordynne Grace

Raze has Katarina in her corner. Grace sends her into the corner to start and Raze isn’t getting anywhere off an Irish whip attempt. A running hip attack in the corner has Raze in trouble so Katarina gets on the apron for a distraction. That’s enough for Raze to snap off a German suplex and a hanging swinging suplex gives her two. Grace powers out of a chokeslam attempt and they start trading the big forearms. A missed charge in the corner lets Grace electric chair Raze up for a powerbomb. Katarina comes in and gets MuscleBusted onto Raze, setting up the Vader Bomb for the pin on Raze at 4:10.

Rating: D+. Again, not enough time to go anywhere but at least it didn’t go on longer than it needed to and the right person won. Callis is right in comparing Grace to Rhyno and that’s not a bad thing at all. Grace is different than all of the other Knockouts and that’s the kind of thing the division needs.

Gama Singh and the Desi Hit Squad argue about Scarlet Bordeaux when he shows up. She says they’re in the running with KM and Fallah Bahh so they can fight over her. Fair enough.

Moose vs. Brian Cage

This could be fun. The exchange of shoulders doesn’t get either of them anywhere so Cage hits a dropkick and hurricanranas Moose outside. Moose chops the post by mistake though and then chops Cage as well, hurting his hand even more. Cage catches a charge and powerbombs him against the apron but Moose is right back with a delayed running dropkick to the head.

Some hard whips into the corner keep Cage in trouble and another dropkick knocks him off the top. Cage is fine enough to get in a shot to the face, setting up a big running flip dive over the top. Back in and Cage gets two off a spinebuster but gets pulled off the middle rope with the chokebomb.

Cage is right back with the apron superplex and the kickout gives us some confusion. Moose takes his glove off to chop a little harder but an exchange of discus lariats puts both guys down. Cage’s powerbomb barely gets Moose up and he’s right back to his feet for a spear to drop Cage again. They head to the floor and here’s Eddie, still in a hospital gown and without shoes, to jump Moose for the DQ at 11:18.

Rating: B-. Take two bulls and have them hit each other a lot for about ten minutes. It’s worked for years in wrestling and it’s always going to, especially when they’re two guys as scary as these two. I’m fine with the DQ ending as you don’t want either of them losing before a big show. Good match, and something I could go for more of at a later date.

The fight is on and Eddie hits a suicide dive to send Moose into the barricade. Some kendo stick shots have Moose in trouble and he runs away to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a few steps away from being a great go home show (Impact interacting with Cage would have helped) as it had good angle advancement and some rather good wrestling up and down the card. If they can get the main event working better, they’ve got a great pay per view waiting on them in January. Hopefully they can get the momentum back with one show in January before Homecoming though, as the next two weeks are going to throw them off a lot. Still though, strong show here.

Results

Rich Swann b. Dave Crist – Rollup

Trey Miguel b. Trevor Lee – Running West Coast Pop

Fenix b. Santana – Black Fire Driver

Jordynne Grace b. Ruby Raze – Vader Bomb

Moose b. Brian Cage via DQ when Eddie Edwards interfered

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: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: December 12, 2018
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the go home show for Final Battle and most of the card is actually set for the only time of the year. I could go for more of that but ROH would rather have the ridiculous scheduling for whatever reason. On top of that this is likely the last time we’ll be seeing the major stories this year as we tend to get Best Of shows to close out December. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of SCU’s contract situation and Christopher Daniels agreeing to have his last match against Marty Scurll at Final Battle with a World Title shot on the line. Makes enough sense and Daniels is a big enough legend around here to make it important.

Opening sequence.

Silas Young vs. Flip Gordon

Fallout from a few weeks back in that still bad Sandman match. Hang on though as Flip asks if Silas is really the Last Real Man. If he’s that serious, let’s make this an I Quit match as a Final Battle preview. Silas kicks him down and says it’s on. Gordon is in trouble early and a suplex makes things even worse. Flip starts the flipping into the kicks and a springboard spear has Silas on the floor. I’ll let you figure out what Gordon does from there, just as a little exercise.

Some hard forearms against the barricade have Silas in more trouble and a snap suplex on the floor makes things even worse. Back in and Flip misses the 450, setting up the backbreaker into a clothesline. A springboard clothesline is ducked (with a nipup instead of a flip) and Flip sends him outside for a middle rope moonsault. We take a break and come back with Flip putting a table up in the corner but Silas throws a chair at his head. Some chair shots to the ribs keep Flip down and Silas stands on the ribs while screaming for him to quit.

That’s a big negative so Silas knees him in the face and hits a swinging hanging neckbreaker. A seated full nelson from the side (cool) has Flip in more trouble but he pops up, only to miss a dive to the floor in a bad looking crash. It’s kendo stick time so Gordon grabs the chair and beats him to the strike. Gordon loads up the stick but here’s Bully Ray to choke him with a chain. Silas adds a spear through the table….and apparently it’s a no contest at about 11:00.

Rating: C-. Well they were getting somewhere until the really stupid ending. Why even book an I Quit match when the ending is a no contest? Is it really asking too much to have Young, who might have been leaving when this was filmed, give up in a match to a fired up Gordon? The good thing here is this feud has made Flip grow a bit, which was really necessary to get him away from the place he seemed destined to stay. I haven’t liked how the feud has gone, but I like the eventual result.

Heart monitor vignette again.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Jeff Cobb. Page has NOT been impressed.

Here are Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky for a chat but the Briscoe Brothers jump them from behind. The Young Bucks run in to get rid of the Briscoes and shake the champs’ hands. In a smart move, the Briscoes shove SCU into the Bucks and it’s time for superkicks. The Bucks bring in a ladder but Kazarian dropkicks it into them, leaving Sky to dive onto the Briscoes. SCU climbs the ladders and pose to end a rather good segment.

Video on the Women’s Title match between Sumie and the other three women who don’t stand out enough to remember.

Christopher Daniels, with some clips of his career, talks about how he’s accomplished everything around here and there’s nothing left for him to do. Would anyone blame him for just retiring? Well he’s not cool with just leaving and having the chance to fight again tomorrow. What’s what matters to him more than anything else. He wants to be able to keep fighting but he’s put himself in this position. He’s made Joe Koff put him out of the company and Koff knows that if Daniels gets a new contract, the evil could be right back the next day.

The sands of time are starting to run out and it’s leading to Final Battle. He had Scurll beaten at Survival of the Fittest and it’s going to be his one last shot at a fresh start. Daniels knows what Scurll is thinking because he’s been there before. This means so much more to Daniels though and he’s going to bring it like never before. Outstanding stuff here from Daniels, which has been the case for a long time now.

Kingdom vs. Cody/Jay Lethal/Dalton Castle

What does it say that I forgot Cody was getting the World Title shot on Friday? I kind of dig Castle’s ugly Christmas sweater. Lethal and O’Ryan start things off but Cody tags himself in before anything can happen. And now Castle does the same so he can go after O’Ryan, drawing everyone else in for the big brawl. Cody Disaster Kicks Marseglia to the floor and suicide dives onto Taven and Lethal at the same time. That leaves Castle to suplex O’Ryan and it’s legally back to Cody as things get back to normal. Actually regular tagging isn’t normal around here but I think you get the idea.

A delayed vertical suplex drops O’Ryan again and Lethal comes back in for an elbow to the jaw. Castle comes back in and we take a break. Back with O’Ryan still in trouble, meaning we must have a ton of time for this thing. Taven comes in to get a cheap shot on Castle and it’s Cody getting caught in the Kingdom corner. That means a lot of chopping because wrestlers don’t throw enough right hands anymore. On the other end of the spectrum, wrestlers do use way too many chinlocks, like O’Ryan here at the moment.

Cody fights out in a hurry and snaps off a powerslam so Castle can come back in to clean house. Taven breaks up a run down the apron and it’s the almost entirely banged up Castle being sent into the barricade. Somehow the referee sees NONE of this and it’s Marseglia coming in legally to keep up the stomping. A running knee to the face lets Taven yell at the crowd and get a rather delayed one with Lethal coming in to stare at him for the break.

Back from another break with Castle hitting a DDT to get himself out of trouble and handing it back over to Lethal. A powerslam puts Marseglia down and the announcers point out that it’s the same move Cody used earlier. Taven is right back up and tries a Conchairto so Castle BEATS HIM WITH THE SWEATER. They fight into the crowd and run into the back so we’re down to two on two.

Cody tags himself in but Lethal isn’t going with that and hits a cutter on O’Ryan. Marseglia hits a Sliced Bread as everything breaks down. The Lethal Injection to O’Ryan is broken up with a rollup from Cody as the announcers aren’t sure what’s going on. Lethal takes Marseglia to the floor and Cross Rhodes finishes O’Ryan at 15:34.

Rating: C+. This was exactly what the last match before the biggest show of the year should have been and they did a good job with what they were shooting for here. They even managed to have the right person take the fall instead of one of the people who matter at Final Battle. Every story was advanced here and that’s all this was supposed to do and I was impressed by how well they pulled it off.

Post match Cody says there’s nothing left to say and he’ll see Lethal at Final Battle.

Castle says he’s going to be dishing out a baker’s dozen of suplexes. Wait isn’t a baker’s dozen twenty? We’ll go with twenty instead.

Taven says he’ll win because of who he is.

Page says Cobb is in trouble because he has the guts to jump off the roof. The title should have been his a long time ago.

Cobb is ready.

Jonathan Gresham is ready to show he can out wrestle Zack Sabre Jr.

Madison Rayne has wrestled her entire career for this moment.

Kelly Klein says she hasn’t gotten a fair shot in eight months. Klein: “At Final Battle, you will lose to me.” That’s as bad a line as it sounds, but the other two women don’t even get to talk.

Cody is ready to lead ROH into the future.

Lethal says Final Battle is in his backyard and Cody isn’t using a shortcut to get to the title.

Overall Rating: B. This is for the overall presentation rather than the wrestling itself. They did a very good job of setting up the pay per view and I want to see it a lot more than I did coming in. The show will be good if they don’t have things go on forever and get to the point, which tends to be their weakness. At least we got a very good go home show though and that’s not something they do very often.

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

I wrote this one before this week’s Monday Night Raw and I thought the opening segment might have made it invalid.  As expected though, it still applies.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-pandoras-raw/

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 12, 2004
Location: Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the night after Vengeance and while Chris Benoit is still World Champion, the big story is HHH (yeah yeah of course it is) and Eugene, who cost HHH the title with an accidental chair shot. I’m sure we now get to see the REAL HHH as he wants to get his revenge for his plan screwing up, which will in no way shape or form dominate the show for the next few weeks. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Evolution in the back with HHH saying hands off Eugene tonight because he gets him first. Batista wants him first because he had to take Eugene to Chuck E. Cheese. Everyone protests and HHH says he had it worst out of all of them because he’s HHH and it’s always about him. A very sad looking Eugene comes in but HHH smiles at him. Everyone makes mistakes and friends are friends. HHH isn’t mad at him but Eric Bischoff probably is.

Eugene has to go see him now and leaves, so Orton asks the obvious question: when do we get to go to Chuck E. Cheese? Or maybe that’s what I’d ask. Orton asks WHY ARE THEY NOT DESTROYING EUGENE (I’d like to know myself) but HHH says that once they see what Bischoff has in mind for Eugene, it’ll make sense. So if HHH knows, why is he not telling them? You mean this hasn’t been mentioned all day? I know HHH likes to have these huge schemes but at this point, it’s getting so stupid that it’s out of character for him.

Opening sequence.

Edge vs. Batista

Non-title. JR and King are already putting over Orton vs. Edge as an all time classic and I still don’t get it. Yeah it was long, but that doesn’t mean it was some masterpiece, especially with that much chinlocking. Batista shoves him down a few times to start so Edge tries a headlock for the slightest bit more of success. By that I mean it lasts all of ten seconds before Batista shoves him away again. This time it’s some right hands to the head for little effect as Batista gets in his own shot to the head to take over.

Choking both in the corner and on the ropes fire Edge up for some reason and it’s a middle rope ax handle to stagger Batista. A hard whip into the corner slows Edge down but he drop toeholds Batista face first into the middle buckle. Edge dropkicks him out to the floor and here’s Orton as we take a break. Back with Batista cranking on both arms and Orton already having been ejected. Geez Earl give him some time.

Edge fights up and King starts plugging the upcoming Divas Search segment. A side slam plants the champ again and we hit the camel clutch (which shows off Batista’s wedding ring). Batista lets go so he can shout at Edge and crash down onto his back again, because he’s learning how to be a villain just that fast. The Edge O Matic gets Edge out of trouble again and the Edgecution connects for two.

Batista sidesteps the spear though and it’s a spinebuster for two more. A Stunner over the ropes drops Batista one more time and a missile dropkick gives Edge yet another near fall. Edge tries the spear again but gets caught in a spinebuster, only to climb over Batista and roll him up with a grab of the rope for the pin.

Rating: B. Total heel move here for Edge, as he and Batista were even again after Orton’s quick ejection. I know it’s not a heel turn but that was about as clear cheating as you can get. That issue aside, this was a heck of a match here with Batista looking WAY ahead of where he should be at this stage of his career. He’s picked it up in a very fast hurry and he’s becoming a lot of fun to watch every time he’s out there. Edge needing to cheat to win is a great sign for Batista and a sign that WWE understands that Edge’s face run isn’t exactly working.

Eugene comes in to see Bischoff….who is very proud of him. He was proud of Eugene for doing a great job last week so tonight, Eugene can have a title shot against Benoit. So HHH’s plan is to have Eugene win the title, likely through help from Evolution, and then take the title himself. In other words, exactly what Vengeance should have been but with Evolution destroying Benoit instead of Eugene? Am I missing something here?

Lawler is on the stage and gets to introduce three of the finalists in the Diva Search before the casting special on Thursday. First up is Candice Michelle, who was in Dodgeball and will be in the Lingerie Bowl. That gets a reaction, even though it’s about seven months away. Oh and she can touch her tongue to her nose. I guess we get to waste time with the others later.

Flair isn’t happy about Eugene getting a title shot but he’s happy about his autobiography being a success. He’s still not done ranting about Eugene though because last week he played Ring Around the Rosey. Again, it was a bunch of chairs in a ring and Rosey was nowhere to be seen. Hurricane comes in to say that while he shouldn’t be seen conversing with Flair, he’d like an autograph in his copy of Flair’s book.

Flair says not so fast because Hurricane is a joke in a stupid costume. Hurricane isn’t even upset because it’s not as good as Rock’s book. Or Hogan’s book. Or even CHYNA’S book. Dang when is the last time you heard her name on Raw? Flair drops him with one punch and the match is made for tonight. Ric punching out a comedy guy seems like the most Flair thing he could do.

Rhyno vs. Robert Conway

Tajiri is here to counter Sylvan Grenier. Rhyno gets caught in a headlock to start and a hair pull takes him down to the mat. Conway sends him outside for some assisted stomping and it’s already off to the chinlock. Rhyno’s comeback doesn’t take long and it’s a backdrop into a belly to belly for two. The spinebuster makes things worse but Grenier grabs Rhyno’s foot. Tajiri SMASHES him in the back of the head with a kick (that looked great) and now the Gore connects to give Rhyno the pin.

Rating: D. No time for this to go anywhere but it did what it needed to do and an awesome kick to the head. It’s not like there are any other teams to fight for the titles at the moment and Tajiri and Rhyno don’t have anything else going on. There’s nothing wrong with throwing two people together into a team, even if it’s for a one off title match.

Tyson Tomko vs. Maven

Trish Stratus and Nidia are here as well. Tomko throws him around to start and gets two off a fall away slam. Nidia grabs the foot though and it’s time for some stalking, allowing Maven to knock him off the apron. Back in and Tomko drops him throat first across the top but gets dropkicked for two. A Trish distraction doesn’t work and Tomko kicks Maven in the head for the pin. Way messier than it should have been but as bad as I was expecting.

William Regal comes in to see Benoit and says that while he knows Benoit doesn’t like him, Eugene is a different story. HHH and Evolution are inside Eugene’s head and Regal just wants him to be ok. Benoit cares about Eugene but tonight it’s about the World Heavyweight Title and he’ll do whatever it takes to retain. Regal looks nervous.

It’s time for the Highlight Reel. Jericho lists off some of his career accomplishments but last week he topped it all by winning MUSICAL CHAIRS BABY! As fun as that was, we have some serious issues to deal with tonight. That’s why we’re dealing with things right here, so here’s Kane as the first guest. Kane, with the mic not working very well, says he doesn’t like Jericho making fun of him. Other than that though, he’s not happy with Lita for costing him the match at Vengeance against Matt Hardy.

Kane demands she come out here right now so here’s Lita. She’s made him angry and bad things happen when he gets angry. Lita doesn’t want to hear about this because Kane isn’t going to do a thing. If Kane wants to talk about suffering, it’s possibly being impregnated by a man you despise. Or having the one man you love not speaking to you. Or waking up not knowing who the father of your baby is. Kane smiles and says he’ll just take this out on Matt because he has the power to create and end life. Lita still isn’t scared because Kane couldn’t be the baby’s father since he’s not man enough to be.

She leaves so Kane starts breaking things, with Jericho going over to save the Jeritron 5000. Kane throws him out and leaves but Jericho wants to fight. Jericho accuses Kane of leaving prematurely, just like everything else he does prematurely. Jericho: “You just got punked out by a chick! Lawler, you can cancel this Diva Search because we just found a winner!” The insults keep coming until a question about Kane’s manhood bring him back.

Kane vs. Chris Jericho

Joined in progress with Kane holding a chinlock until Jericho fights up and dropkicks him into the corner. A high crossbody gives Jericho two but Kane drops him throat first across the top. Jericho’s ribs are bent around the post and a side slam sets up a weird looking cover for two. Some knees to the back keep Jericho in trouble and the bearhug makes it even worse.

Jericho fights up and hits a running crotch attack to the back, only to get kicked in the face for his efforts. The top rope clothesline is dropkicked out of the air and they’re both down. Back up and Jericho avoids a running big boot in the corner so the Walls can go on. That lasts all of five seconds as Kane is too close to the rope. And with nothing else working, Kane punches him low for the DQ.

Rating: C-. Not too bad here until the ending. It’s a good idea to have Kane switch over to fighting someone else instead of facing Hardy again the night after losing to him at Vengeance. That’s something that WWE almost refuses to do today. Let them have a one off match like this to keep the feud a little more fresh. Why can’t that be the case more often?

Post match Kane chokeslams Jericho and the referee at the same time.

Lawler brings out the second Diva Search contestant: Nina Harden, who plays to the crowd and smiles a lot. She also makes her own clothes because she’s passionate about them. Lawler has her dance a bit and that’s it, thank goodness. It takes something extra stupid to make a good looking woman dancing boring and they’ve made it work.

Smackdown Rebound.

Ric Flair vs. Hurricane

Hurricane hammers him down to start and that means a Flair Flop. Back up and Flair sends him shoulder first into the post to take over. Chops set up the knee drop and it’s right back to the arm in a smart move. Hurricane fights back and sends him over the corner for the Flair Flip to the floor and Flair’s ear is bleeding.

A low blow gets Flair out of trouble but Hurricane kicks him in the face. The Blockbuster gets two so Hurricane goes up again, allowing Flair to crotch him back down. The standard leg work begins but this time Flair takes him outside for a right hand to the knee to add a little flavor. A knee drop sets up the Figure Four and Hurricane taps completely clean.

Rating: D. Nothing to this one with Flair just doing his old stuff and winning clean. The problem is that it’s Flair in there with a guy like Hurricane, who should be more than a guy tapping out to Flair in 2004. This was pretty lame stuff and felt like filler, which isn’t a good sign for someone who is part of the top heel faction.

Clip from a Smackdown Your Vote rally.

It’s time for the third Diva Search hopeful: Carmella DeCesare, who talks about her puppies. They would be a chocolate lab and a poodle. Lawler: “That’s great. Whatever.” She really wants to work for Vince McMahon and her special talent is being the 2004 Playmate of the Year. A quick hello to Hugh Hefner wraps this up, thank goodness.

Benoit interrupts Eugene’s chat with a stuffed animal and says he wants a clean wrestling match tonight. Eugene seems hesitant but agrees.

Raw World Title: Eugene vs. Chris Benoit

Benoit is defending. JR says Benoit went 38 minutes last night against HHH. The match wasn’t even half an hour so I don’t know where they got that one, though HHH matches do have a history of feeling like they’re going on forever. Eugene tries to chop with Benoit to start and actually claps after getting the skin ripped off his chest. A belly to back suplex gives Benoit two and it’s time to roll the German suplexes.

It’s way too early for the Swan Dive though and Eugene gets two of his own off the crash. Eugene’s Pedigree attempt is backdropped so he gives Benoit a spinebuster but the People’s Elbow is pulled down into a Sharpshooter. A rope is grabbed in a hurry and Eugene snaps, nailing some right hands for two more.

Eugene rolls some German suplexes and puts on a Crossface (his finishing moves in OVW, where he was basically a Benoit clone) in the middle of the ring. Benoit gets a foot on the ropes so Eugene sends him shoulder first into the post. Lawler: “That was brilliant! I didn’t just say that did I?” The Rock Bottom gives Eugene three, though Benoit’s foot was on the rope. Eugene celebrates with the title….and here’s Evolution to beat both of them down for the no contest.

Rating: D+. And Eugene is done as far as anything entertaining. The problem is that Eugene had a firm ceiling and a very short shelf life. They’ve completely ignored both of those things and put Eugene in so far over his head (the character, not Nick Dinsmore, who could possibly hang in there with a regular gimmick) that there’s no getting out. It was fine when Eugene was having goofy comedy matches with Rob Conway or the Coach, but now he’s going move for move with Chris Benoit.

There’s no logical way that this can work and the charm is gone. Eugene should have maxed out as a comedy guy who occasionally beats a midcard heel. Now he’s the key to the whole World Title picture, even though HHH can’t quite explain why he’s using Eugene instead of, you know, the army that he has at his disposal. The story does make sense if you squint enough, but it’s WAY more complicated than it needs to be. Anyway, the match wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t make sense and I couldn’t get around that.

The big beatdown is on, with Benoit, Eugene (busted open) and an invading William Regal getting destroyed.

Overall Rating: C-. Not the best show in the world, and it’s very clear that Vengeance was the annual pit stop show on the way to Summerslam. They need to drop the Eugene stuff in a hurry and then find someone fresh to challenge Benoit for the title. The HHH stuff is completely played out (shocking I know) and it’s time for something fresh.

The rest of the show ranged from good with Edge vs. Batista to bleh with Flair vs. Hurricane. Raw is up and down right now and the stuff that used to work isn’t as effective as it once was. It’s not a horrible show or anything but it’s trending in the wrong direction. The good thing is some fresh stories for Summerslam could perk it up, but I’m worried about what happens if they keep hammering these current ones in.

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

NXT
Date: December 12, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

Last week’s show saw the main event scene get a shot in the arm as Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black agreed to keep things going inside a steel cage, much to Tommaso Ciampa’s delight. Ciampa continues to be a great devil on the shoulder and someone who could be on top of the company for a long time to come. As for tonight though, Ricochet is in action against a mystery opponent, which could mean a lot of things. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a preview of tonight’s show, including EC3 vs. Bobby Fish.

Opening sequence.

EC3 vs. Bobby Fish

Fallout from the Undisputed Era damaging EC3’s knee a few weeks back. The rest of the Undisputed Era is out here with Fish. Before the match, Adam Cole talks about how EC3 should have been a top star around here but that was stopped with the help of a steel chair. 2018 wasn’t just a career year for the team, because it was also the start of a decade of dominance. Next year they will all be covered in gold, and that is undisputed.

Fish bails to the floor to start and leaves Kyle O’Reilly hanging on a fist bump. Back in and Fish dives at EC3’s legs but gets powerbombed in half instead. A shaken up Fish needs a breather on the floor so EC3 throws him back inside for a nerve hold of all things. The Era offers a quick distraction so Fish can take out the knee and it’s time to start the stomping.

Fish takes him down with a dragon screw legwhip before putting on a simple leglock. That’s kicked away and EC3 gets in a suplex. An EC3 elbow (his People’s Elbow) connects but he stops to go after the Era, allowing Fish to take out the knee again. Not that it matters though as EC3 gets a quick small package for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C. The leg work made sense, but Fish wasn’t showing the same explosiveness that he had before the injury (understandable). EC3 and friends vs. the Era could be interesting and it’s not like he has anything else going on. If nothing else it might help bring him up the ladder quite a bit, which is necessary at this point.

Post match the beatdown is on until Heavy Machinery makes the save. Strong takes the big beating with everyone else bailing on their buddy.

Dakota Kai and Io Shirai want to take out Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke in a tag match next week.

Clip of the Mighty attacking Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch after losing to them a few weeks back.

The Mighty vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

It’s a brawl to start with Lorcan hitting a running flip dive to the floor to take them both out. Back in and Thorn and Lorcan trade running uppercuts until Lorcan takes him down into the half crab. That’s broken up and Thorn hits a belly to back suplex as we’re now done with the opening minute. Burch comes in and hits a Thesz press on Miller, (Burch: “YOU AND YOUR MUM!”) followed by some kicks to Thorn in and out of the corner.

Thorn slips out of a Doomsday Device attempt and a superplex/sitout powerbomb (with Miller powerbombing Thorn) gets two on Lorcan as Danny shoves Thorn onto the cover for the break. Danny saves Lorcan from Thunder Valley so Miller hits a step up Cannonball to crush him in the corner. Lorcan scores with a double DDT and the assisted spike DDT finishes Thorn at 5:03.

Rating: B-. Good night they packed a lot of stuff in there. These four did not stop throughout the entire match and that made for some entertaining action. Burch and Lorcan are likely to get another shot at the titles at some point, which they’ve certainly earned after some of their performances over the last few months.

We look back at the end of last week’s show, featuring Aleister Black announcing his rematch against Tommaso Ciampa for Takeover: Phoenix and being set up for a cage match against Johnny Gargano in the near future. Ciampa’s puppet master manipulation here is outstanding.

The cage match is next week.

Gargano is outside again and talks about Black thinking that he absolved Johnny of his sins. The end goal of this is Ciampa losing the NXT Title and Black was just in the wrong place in the wrong time. That’s the same thing here, as Black is getting the title that that Gargano should have had and Gargano will do anything to stop him. Gargano stands behind some metal bars and promises to close the book on Black next week.

Dijakovic is here next week.

Shayna Baszler, Shafir and Duke aren’t worried about the four way #1 contenders match because she’ll take home the title and the challenger will take home a hospital bill. Duke and Shafir laugh at the challenge and Shayna accepts for them.

Lacey Evans is officially in the four way #1 contenders match, joining Bianca Belair.

NXT Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Mia Yim vs. Reina Gonzalez

Gonzalez has a bullrope and cowbell with her. Yim has a guillotine choke on in the early going but Reina throws her off. That’s fine with Yim, who slaps the same thing on again. This time Gonzalez lifts Mia up and drops her ribs first across the top rope for the break. Reina slams her down for two and shouts in Spanish. An over the shoulder backbreaker has Yim in more trouble until she slips out and armdrags Reina throat first into the ropes. Some knees to the face set up Eat Defeat for the pin at 3:26.

Rating: D+. Gonzalez was looking fine as a monster here and it’s very cool to have the other women from the Mae Young Classic in there for roles like this. They’re talented workers and it makes sense to have them come in and work a match or two. It keeps things fresh and offers some entertaining work that you wouldn’t get otherwise. Smart booking, as tends to be the case.

Black doesn’t feel anything about his match with Gargano. He just has to do this to Gargano though, because Gargano is beyond absolution. Instead, he has to be eradicated inside the cage, and there will be no escape. Inside the cage, Gargano will fade to black.

North American Title: Ricochet vs. ???

Ricochet is defending against….Tyler Breeze, making his first televised NXT appearance in years. The fans certainly seem to appreciate having him back, including the full entrance. The chants are split but the TYLER’S GORGEOUS ones are much louder. Breeze gets an early breather on the top rope so Ricochet starts in with the flips, capped off by the headscissors into the dropkick. Back up and Breeze slaps on a half crab (must be a Canadian thing) but Ricochet makes the rope.

They head outside with Breeze dropkicking an apron dive out of the air as the fans deem the entire match gorgeous. That’s quite the upgrade for Ricochet. Breeze stomps away in the corner and you can see him soaking in a lot of the cheers because he matters for the first time in way too long. Some elbows to the face have Breeze in trouble (NOT IN THE FACE!) and a standing shooting star press gets two.

The Phoenix Splash misses and Breeze’s hair is down to make things serious. Stereo crossbodies put them both down and the fans continue to appreciate this. They trade forearms to the back but neither can hit a suplex. Ricochet moonsaults over him but walks into the Supermodel Kick. A reverse hurricanrana gives Breeze a VERY close two and Ricochet says this is his house (Paige has really changed her look since retiring). The Beauty Shot is countered into a Cradle Shock at 9:52.

Rating: B. I love it when they do something like this. There’s little reason to not send the former NXT stars down there for a one off appearance (if not more) if they have nothing going on up on the main roster. Breeze is going 50/50 on Main Event so having him show up on NXT is as good of a use for him as anything else. He’s a legend down here and can have a great match, so let him have a nice moment for a change instead of facing Mojo Rawley in a glorified dark match.

Ricochet shakes his hand to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Good wrestling, a nice surprise at the end a bunch of stuff being set up for next week. I liked this one a lot, even though next week is the important show. They had an entertaining night this week though and considering how little this show should have meant, that’s really impressive.

Results

EC3 b. Bobby Fish – Small package

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch b. The Mighty – Assisted spike DDT to Thorn

Mia Yim b. Reina Gonzalez – Eat Defeat

Ricochet b. Tyler Breeze – Cradle Shock

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

Mixed Match Challenge
Date: December 11, 2018
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Renee Young, Vic Joseph, Michael Cole

We’re finally at the finals as the winners of tonight’s two matches are heading to TLC this Sunday. Unfortunately you can pretty clearly see who is winning based on what is already booked for the pay per view so there isn’t much mystery, but at least we’re finally done with this thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Raw Division Finals: Bayley/Apollo Crews vs. Jinder Mahal/Alicia Fox

Crews is the replacement for the ill Finn Balor, because we can’t go a week on this show without a replacement. Mahal headlocks Crews to start until Crews comes out of it with a backslide for two. It’s off to the women with Bayley rolling her up a few times for two each, sending Fox outside for some quality shouting. Back in and Fox’s suplex is countered into a small package for two more and it’s already back to the men. Well to be fair it’s not like Bayley was pinning her. Crews jumps over Mahal in the corner and flips forward a bit until Mahal knees him in the face.

More knees keep Crews down and we hit the required chinlock. Apollo comes up with the jumping enziguri and it’s back to the women to pick up the pace again. Everything breaks down and Bayley hits the Stunner over the middle rope for two with the Singh Brothers making the save. Fox and the Brothers take Bayley to Bellies but Mahal superkicks Crews. After the melee, Bayley goes outside to get Fox but walks into a big boot to give Fox the unlikely pin at 9:35.

Rating: D+. Well you knew that was coming and there was no way around it. As soon as Bayley and Balor made the Raw finals, there was no way Mahal and Fox were losing. It’s the usual WWE idea: have a team that only they want to go on to win something win it, just because….whatever they see in Mahal. Anyway at least it’s not exactly in an important match.

Mahal and Fox take credit for the win in their own unique ways. Asuka comes in and laughs at them a lot.

Smackdown Division: R-Truth/Carmella vs. The Miz/Asuka

Miz and Asuka argue over who should start until Asuka finally gets the nod. Now why couldn’t Carmella or Truth start and make the decision for them? Miz demands to be tagged in so Asuka chops him for the tag. Truth shoulders him down and hops around in a circle, followed by the hip thrusting. With Miz on the floor, DANCE BREAK! Asuka even joins in on a second edition and since Miz is annoyed, Truth hammers away in the corner. That’s finally enough for Miz, who kicks Truth down and slaps on a chinlock.

The announcers are so bored that they talk about Mike Chioda refereeing. Miz’s short DDT gets two and a heck of a clothesline takes Truth down again. Truth gets in a shot of his own though and the hot tag brings in Carmella. That means a lot of screaming as Asuka loads up a German suplex.

Some knees to the chest have Carmella in trouble but Truth comes in with a Lie Detector to Miz. Carmella loads up the superkick on Miz but he pulls Asuka in the way like a true jerk. The Little Jimmy gets two on Miz, who pops up and throws the good ones to the floor. Asuka isn’t happy though and FINALLY snaps on the cheating Miz, kicking him in the head and walking away. An Unprettier gives Truth the pin at 11:38.

Rating: D+. Yeah this was obvious last week and there wasn’t much doubt a few weeks back either. As soon as Asuka was announced for the TLC match, there was no way she was making it to the finals. I’m not a fan of the things but points to Truth and Carmella for getting some crazy mileage out of the dance breaks. It’s gotten them a pay per view match, which is about 10,000x more than it should have done.

Overall Rating: D. And thank goodness it’s over. The Mixed Match Challenge is something that can work, but PLEASE take it back to the format from the first season. This was a nightmare with a bunch of matches that didn’t go anywhere because they had nothing to fight over and the two teams who only got into the playoffs on the last week making the finals. Just have things go the way that actually worked and things can be better, unlike this season.

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

NXT UK
Date: December 12, 2018
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re on the second day of the third taping cycle now and that means we should have a fresh crowd. You know, because these crowds have so many issues with getting and staying hyped. There are several stories going around at the moment, but something has to really stick to make the show get better. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ashton Smith/Ligero vs. Mark Coffey/Wolfgang

Wolfgang and Ligero start things off with the fans being way behind Ligero. Probably because he’s not Wolfgang. Smith sneaks in for a dropkick and it’s right back to Ligero, whose tornado DDT is blocked. The villains take over and grab a waistlock on Ligero with Coffey slamming him down to the mat.

That’s followed by a bearhug as you can’t fault the basic psychology. Ligero breaks free and brings Smith back in for some speedier offense. With Wolfgang knocked to the floor, a jumping clothesline staggers Coffey. There’s a springboard back elbow to the jaw for two, followed by a superkick for the same with Wolfgang having to make a save. Ligero hits a dive onto Wolfgang but Coffey hits a kick to Smith’s face for the pin at 5:37.

We look back at Isla Dawn challenging Rhea Ripley for the Women’s Title.

Johnny Saint is with the two women and makes the match official.

Gallus knows that was an impressive enough performance to impress Saint. They’re tired of hearing about the other teams around here and they want the titles. The only person they’re concerned with is Pete Dunne, because Joe wants the title. First up though is Travis Banks, who is going to be squashed like a bug.

Jack Starz vs. Joseph Conners

Conners wastes no time in beating him down with Starz’s ribs being wrapped around the post. A dropkick to the back makes things even worse but Starz fires off some uppercuts for a breather. That just earns him a double stomp out of the corner and a running sunset powerbomb into the corner. Don’t Look Down gives Conners the pin at 2:16. Total squash.

Xia Brookside is ready for Jinny, who comes in to sneer.

Tyson T-Bone has found someone as sinister as himself: Saxon Huxley. Keeping two uninteresting guys together is usually a good idea.

Xia Brookside vs. Jinny

Brookside grabs a headlock takeover to start and she headstands her way out of a headscissors to some rather appreciative applause. Jinny takes her down by the arm but Xia gets a boot up in the corner. A hurricanrana and middle rope crossbody give Xia two until the Fashion Disaster (a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle) cuts her off. Jinny puts a knee in the back and cranks on both arms until a jawbreaker gets Xia out of trouble. Running knees to the back give Xia two but Jinny sends her throat first into the middle rope. The Touch of Couture (a rolling kick to the head) finishes Xia at 5:14.

Rating: C. This was fine as Xia has potential but is nowhere near ready for the big push yet. Jinny isn’t quite ready yet either, but she’s further along than Xia. This fashionista thing isn’t helping Jinny though and she would be better off by being more like she is in Progress, where the fashion thing is more of an amplified detail than the focus of her character.

Video on Dave Mastiff.

Video on Eddie Dennis.

Rhea Ripley vs. Isla Dawn for the Women’s Title next week.

Eddie Dennis vs. Dave Mastiff

Mastiff takes him into the corner to start but they’re both tentative early on. Dennis’ shoulder has no effect and a second does even less. Instead it’s Mastiff hitting a heavy forearm to take over and some elbows to the head keep Dennis in trouble. The running dropkick looks to set up the backsplash but Dennis avoids the bad case of pain. A boot sends Mastiff outside and two more keep him in trouble.

Back in and Mastiff misses a charge in the corner, setting up….the cravate. Well it’s better than another armbar. Mastiff gets up and scores with a headbutt, followed by a big superplex to put them both down. A Regal Roll into a backsplash gives Mastiff two, followed by a bridging German suplex for the same.

Dennis is right back with a swinging sitout powerslam (and he held Mastiff up) for his own near fall. The Severn Bridge is blocked twice (even with Dennis holding him up in the Razor’s Edge position) so Dennis nails a clothesline for two instead. Mastiff has had it and throws him into the corner for the Cannonball and the pin at 11:47.

Rating: C. This was the hoss battle that it should have been and the more I think about it, the more I can go with Mastiff winning here. I’ve been saying for months that they have to do something around here to make more stars and Mastiff seems to be one of them at the moment. It’s a fun match, even if Dennis lost to my annoyance.

Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one with most of the show being the lower level guys, though they managed to come up with some stuff that worked well enough. They were trying to make some new names here and that’s been needed for a long time, though it’s not going to be something that goes over so smoothly. Not a bad show here, but you can feel the quality going down compared to the show earlier today.

Results

Mark Coffey/Wolfgang b. Ashton Smith/Ligero – Kick to Smith’s face

Joseph Conners b. Jack Starz – Don’t Look Down

Jinny b. Xia Brookside – Touch of Couture

Dave Mastiff b. Eddie Dennis – Cannonball

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

NXT UK
Date: December 12, 2018
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

Last week’s show saw the in-ring return of Travis Banks, who offers some fresh talent around the top of the card. Banks might not be the biggest star around, but he’s someone who can add a lot to the show. Other than that, Rhea Ripley is still looking for competition and she might find some of that tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the announcement of the Tag Team Titles. Wait when was that announced in the first place? I know we were promised an update this week but this is being treated like previous information.

Opening sequence.

Flash Morgan Webster vs. Fabian Aichner

Earlier today, Mark Andrews warned Webster to be careful with Aichner. There’s no handshake to start so Webster tries forearming away to little effect. An armdrag works somewhat better but Aichner sends him outside for a whip into the steps. Cue Andrews to check on Webster and he gets back in just in time. Aichner forearms away at the chest and hits an uppercut to the back of the head to keep Webster in trouble. Back up and Aichner gets in a hard slam for two and it’s off to a nerve hold.

Webster fights up and avoids a running knee in the corner to send Aichner outside in a crash. The Modern Knee gets two but Aichner is right back with a hard running clothesline for two of his own. Webster drops him again but this time Aichner rolls away before Webster can come off the top. Aichner pulls him outside for the knee against the steps, only to have Andrews stop him just in time. Back in and Aichner’s powerbomb is countered into a jackknife rollup for the pin at 9:36.

Rating: C-. Well it was nice while it lasted for Aichner. This promotion needs stars and that doesn’t mean a small guy like Webster who has a funny costume. Aichner has a great look and some power, along with the Evolve Championship, so of course he’s losing here to a guy like Webster. Rather annoying but it could be a lot worse.

Amir Jordan tries to get the interviewer to dance but Kenny Williams comes in and says it’s time to go after the Tag Team Titles.

Gallus is ready to take care of Moustache Mountain and Travis Banks. Apparently Mark Coffey and Wolfgang are going after the Tag Team Titles instead of, you know, the Coffey Brothers.

Isla Dawn vs. Killer Kelly

Some kicks to the legs don’t get either of them anywhere so Dawn takes her down by the leg. The leg is slammed into the mat but Kelly suplexes her into the corner. Vic calls that the hardest part of the ring, after YEARS of telling us that it’s the apron. Stop lying to me Joseph!!! Kelly’s cravate doesn’t go very far as Dawn is right back with a backdrop driver. A running knee rocks Kelly and the snap suplex Jackhammer gives Dawn the pin at 3:15.

Rating: C. This was the best match I’ve seen from either of them, though I’m having some issues with someone called the White Witch as a face. Kelly is someone who has gotten some good reviews and this was the first time I saw the potential in her. Nice match, especially with the little amount of time they had.

Post match Dawn says she wants the Women’s Title and Rhea Ripley. This brings out Ripley to say bring it. Dawn promises that it will be brought.

Dave Mastiff is ready for a title shot when Eddie Dennis comes in to offer a challenge of his own. Mastiff isn’t the only undefeated monster around here.

Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan vs. James Drake/Zack Gibson

Drake and Jordan get things going with Jordan hitting a quick running crossbody. The fans are already all over Gibson as Williams comes in to work on the arm. That means the armbar before it’s back to Jordan for a hiptoss. Stereo suicide dives put the villains down and Jordan hits a high crossbody for two on Drake. Gibson comes in and you can hear the energy go out of the crowd. He drops Jordan back first onto the barricade and it’s off to the chinlock as the fans have taken their shoes off in hatred of Gibson.

Jordan jawbreaks his way to freedom and scores with a neckbreaker but Drake blocks the hot tag….which goes through a few seconds later. I’m really getting tired of that trope. Williams comes in with a springboard back elbow to the jaw and it’s already back to Jordan for a Downward Spiral. Everything breaks down and Jordan gets sent to the floor, leaving Williams to take the reverse powerbomb into the Codebreaker (Ticket to Mayhem) for the pin at 6:55.

Rating: C+. This was the best performance from Jordan so far but that’s not exactly setting a high mark. Gibson and Drake are an awesome team and anytime you can have the fans going nuts on Gibson like they do, it’s always a great moment. He’s one of the only over heels on the roster and the more he’s out there, the better.

Moustache Mountain wants the Tag Team Titles.

Next week: Mastiff vs. Dennis.

Joe Coffey vs. Trent Seven

Tyler Bate and the rest of Gallus are here. They lock up to start with Coffey taking over on the arm as the fans chant for Trent. Some chops don’t get Trent very far so he slips out of a suplex, only to bang up his knee. Coffey ducks his head and gets caught in a DDT with the knee not letting Trent follow up. They head outside for the showdown between everyone at ringside and Joe uses the distraction to get in a jumping stomp from the apron. Back in and Trent sends him right back outside, meaning it’s time for another big staredown.

Bate and Seven dropkick the three of them off the apron and Bate hits a suicide dive on Wolfgang. The three not involved fight to the back, leaving Trent to hit his own dive onto Joe. Back in and Joe goes after the knee with some kicks in the corner. A running shoulder to the knee makes things even worse but a second running shoulder hits post. Trent’s knee is fine enough for a top rope superplex and they’re both slow to get up. Trent snaps off a German suplex for two and slaps on a quickly broken Figure Four.

They head to the apron with Coffey hitting a belly to belly suplex to the floor. That’s only good for a very close nine (with the referee slowing down so Trent could make it) so Coffey stomps and trash talks some more. A double powerbomb gives Coffey two and it’s off to a half crab. Trent finally grabs the rope and it’s time for a slugout with Seven snapping off a dragon suplex. The knee gives out again though and Coffey hits his own German suplex. One heck of a discus lariat finishes Seven at 15:02.

Rating: B. Coffey is starting to turn into a pretty good villain but I’m still not sure what the point is in having him wrestle as a singles guy while his brother is in a tag team. Then again, it’s certainly better than having Wolfgang as a singles guy. They’re building up a new star though and that’s what they need to do so well done on that front. Good match too, but that’s to be expected with Trent.

Overall Rating: B-. Well, it’s a step in the right direction. They’re starting to get some stories going around here but the positives of this show might be more about the lack of the weaker talent. This show had more of the big names and that’s going to do the show a lot of good. Unfortunately they can’t do that every week, which is where things start to slip. It’s similar to Ring of Honor in that way: good when it’s at its best, but the weaker shows are a rough sit.

Results

Flash Morgan Webster b. Fabian Aichner – Jackknife rollup

Isla Dawn b. Killer Kelly – Snap suplex Jackhammer

Zack Gibson/James Drake b. Amir Jordan/Kenny Williams – Ticket to Mayhem to Williams

Joe Coffey b. Trent Seven – Discus lariat

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