IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 1, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re still in Mexico and last week, that was a good thing. There’s all kinds of extra talent to throw in there and you never know what kind of surprises you’re going to find. Some of the stuff around here has been rather good as of late and there’s a strong chance they’ll keep that going. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks back at last week’s big stories. As usual, the main event scene doesn’t feel like anything that stands above the rest in the slightest.

Opening sequence.

Lucha Bros/Taurus vs. LAX/Daga

It’s a big staredown to start until Santana and Pentagon actually get things going. There’s no contact in the first minute so Fenix flips in to dropkick Santana down. Everything breaks down (well duh) and Daga hits the big flip dive onto Taurus. It’s back to Santana and Pentagon for a chop off as I’m very glad they’re going with lucha rules here as it’s the only logical move. Santana backflips into a rolling cutter for two on Taurus and Ortiz gets two off a splash.

A little miscommunication lets Fenix come in with a dropkick to Ortiz’s back but he grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb to drop Fenix. The double tags bring Taurus and Daga back in with Daga getting two off a bridging German suplex. Ortiz sends Taurus outside and it’s time for the parade of dives. Fenix hits a CRAZY high one and we take a break. Back with all six inside and a spike Fear Factor finishes Ortiz at 14:53. The post break stuff was less than a minute.

Rating: B-. Exactly what it needed to be here as we continue to move towards the big rematch with the Lucha Bros likely winning the titles in Mexico for a cool moment. These guys are incredibly entertaining and that’s exactly what a match like this was supposed to be. Just let them go nuts and set up the big match down the line while waking the fans up for the start of a show. Exactly what it should have been.

Post match Pentagon lays out the challenge for the rematch next week. It’s on.

The announcers preview the show.

Killer Kross and Moose are fired up for their tag match with Brian Cage and Johnny Impact. A lot of shouting ensues.

Konnan tells Santana and Ortiz to be ready for next week. He wants them to keep it professional and they’re cool with that.

GWN Flashback of the Week: a triple threat tag match for the Tag Team Titles with a date not important enough to mention. LAX retained though.

Su Yung/Allie vs. Kiera Hogan/Jordynne Grace

Grace isn’t about to get jumped from behind and shrugs both of them off without much effort. Allie gets thrown into Yung and it’s Hogan coming in for two off a splash. A dropkick sends Yung into the corner for a running hip attack (Hogan keeps pointing at them so it makes sense that she would attack with them). Grace comes in for a fall away slam and it’s off to Allie, who gets dropped in a hurry as well. Yung tries some mist but Allie uses the distraction to nail a superkick on the floor and take over for the first time.

Back in and Su seems to freak out a bit but it’s just a way to draw Kiera in. See, she’s crazy and smart at the same time. A double leg snap keeps Grace in trouble and we hit the chinlock. Grace starts shrugging off clotheslines and runs Allie over, allowing….well nothing yet as the lights go out. They come back up with Rosemary having taken Yung’s place and reaching out for a tag. Allie panics though and walks into a fisherman’s neckbreaker to give Hogan the pin at 7:33.

Rating: D. I like the idea of the Dark Allie story with Rosemary wanting to go into the world of darkness to save her friend, but it loses a ton of steam with Allie losing so many times. She’s not a threat and she’s not menacing, but for some reason I should want to see her vanquished? Neither Allie nor Yung have been mentioned in the Knockouts Title hunt so they’re not on a reign of terror or anything, so why should I need to see Allie be saved?

Scarlett Bordeaux knocks Bobo into a pool. This has been your eye candy moment.

Rascalz vs. Eddie Edwards/Eli Drake

Xavier and Wentz for the Rascalz here. Eli has to talk Eddie out of swinging the Singapore cane so Eddie goes in alone to start with Wentz. Eddie works on the arm so Drake tags himself in and gets armbarred for his efforts. A springboard spinning crossbody gives Wentz two and it’s time for the double teaming to begin. Xavier gets two off a double stomp to the back and Wentz adds a slingshot hilo for two of his own.

Eddie is back in and Drake pulls Wentz off the top, much to Eddie’s annoyance. Therefore it’s back to Drake for a side slam and we hit the chinlock. Wentz fights up and hits a handspring knee to the face to drop Eddie. Drake breaks up a hot tag attempt though and comes back in, only to allow the hot tag a few seconds later.

The Rascalz load up a double DDT but Drake reverses into a double northern lights suplex….which gives Wentz two as I guess it was reversed into the DDT after all? It didn’t quite look to connect but close enough. Eddie makes the save and dives onto Wentz before grabbing the stick. The referee isn’t letting that happen so Drake takes it away and knocks Xavier silly. The Gravy Train connects for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C. I can live with the Rascalz losing to a pair of former World and Tag Team Champions with cheating involved. Drake and Edwards could lead somewhere interesting and I can always go for more Drake on this show, as he’s one of the best things around. The Rascalz are as well and they’re going to be fine going forward.

Post match Eddie isn’t sure what to think.

We look back at Tessa Blanchard attacking Gail Kim.

Tessa sends in a response via Twitter and promises to come back on February 15 to get her title back.

We look back at Sami Callihan offering Rich Swann a spot in OVE.

Swann talks about having no family when he was 18 when he met Sami. They traveled the roads together and became a family. Then Swann learned more about Sami and who he was, so while Swann will always care for him, they aren’t family anymore.

Taya Valkyrie is ready for Tessa and we might as well just make it a street fight.

Fallah Bahh vs. Psycho Clown

Clown is a pretty big star in Mexico so this isn’t a comedy match. He even has Dr. Wagner Jr.’s mask, which is a serious deal around here. Bahh runs him down with the power of the gut to start so Clown forearms him without much avail. Clown gets knocked outside and splashed as Callis doesn’t seem comfortable with clowns in general.

A tear at the mask just annoys Clown, who ties Bahh in the ropes for a top rope double stomp. Clown hits a suicide dive into a running flip dive but Bahh, apparently not a Del Rio fan (And who is?), shrugs it off and hits a belly to belly. A running splash in the corner crushes Clown but a regular version misses, allowing Clown to grab la majistral for the pin at 5:39.

Rating: D. I’ve never cared for Bahh so someone beating him isn’t exactly going to make me care all that much. Clown is a name in Mexico and is going to be involved in the upcoming World Cup competition, but a win over a comedy guy is hardly the way to make him seem like a big deal.

Cage and Impact agree to work together tonight.

Clown fires up Team AAA for the World Cup match against Team Impact.

Preview of next week’s show.

Killer Kross/Moose vs. Johnny Impact/Brian Cage

This still feels like a midcard feud. Moose shoves Impact down and strikes some poses before shouldering him to the mat and doing it again. Impact snaps off a hurricanrana so Moose nips up. A dropkick works better for Johnny so it’s off to Kross vs. Cage, the latter of whom has to tag himself in. Cage shoulders away and slams Kross down but Impact tags himself in as well.

A Moose cheap shot lets Kross throw Impact with a suplex and the villains take over. Kross and Moose take turns stomping away in the corner, which isn’t the most dastardly offense. Moose sends him into another corner to mix things up a little bit before handing it back to Kross for a dragon sleeper. A belly to back suplex gives Moose two but Johnny finally rolls away and makes the hot tag off to Cage.

Everything breaks down and Moose hits the middle rope chokebomb on Cage as Impact tags himself back in. The running knee to the head gets two on Moose and there’s a 619 for good measure. Cage gets in the way of the Flying Chuck though and the near fight lets Moose hit a spear (Cage saw it coming and did nothing to stop it) for the pin (again, with Cage not moving) on Impact at 11:46.

Rating: C-. Again, it’s still just a fine match with nothing beyond that, especially as far as interest goes. The wrestling was watchable and the story has made sense, but there’s nothing going on that makes me want to see where this is going. There’s no reason this needs to be for the World Title, but where else is it supposed to be right now?

Cage leaves on his own to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show was all over the place but what worked was quite good and the bad stuff was more just not my taste than anything else. The stuff they’ve built up for the future sounds good though and that’s one of the best things that you can get out of a show like this. Just let the big stuff deliver and the show will get a lot better.

Results

Lucha Bros/Taurus b. LAX/Daga – Spike Fear Factor to Ortiz

Kiera Hogan/Jordynne Grace b. Su Yung/Allie – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to Allie

Eli Drake/Eddie Edwards b. Rascalz – Gravy Train to Xavier

Psycho Clown b. Fallah Bahh – La majistal

Moose/Killer Kross b. Johnny Impact/Brian Cage – Spear to Impact

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…..yep.  This was great.

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: February 6, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Juice Robinson

We’re onto a fresh set of TV tapings here with a big match between Eli Isom and Silas Young for a future TV Title shot. This is actually a tournament final, though I thought it would be slightly bigger than four people. Other than that we have the continued rise of Villain Enterprises, which could go somewhere with the right push. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Tracy Williams vs. David Finlay

This is Finlay’s debut. They trade headlocks to start with Williams taking him down and stomping on the arm. A rollup sets up a failed Crossface attempt so Finlay dropkicks him to the floor. Back in and Williams snaps off a suplex for two, setting up a quickly broken chinlock. Some loud chops just fire Finlay up for a jumping elbow to the face.

Back from a break with Williams rolling out of a Rock Bottom and hitting a DDT onto the turnbuckle. A discus lariat gets two on Finlay but he’s right back with an Irish Curse for the same. Finlay kicks him in the face for another near fall and slips out of a Crossface as a bonus. Williams gets two of his own off a Death Valley Driver, followed by a jumping piledriver for the pin at 11:10.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match that ROH built itself on: two younger, lesser known guys getting to trade big moves until one person won. It might not be the most classically structured match in the world but that’s not what they were going for here. Sometimes you need to showcase new talent and that’s what they did here, with the popular Robinson pushing how much fun it was in a very good addition.

Video on Bandido.

The Kingdom tells Villain Enterprises to get their umbrellas.

Mark Haskins vs. Bandido

Feeling out process to start with the aggressive Haskins grabbing a headlock but getting shoved up against the ropes. Bandido starts the flipping and it’s an early standoff. More flipping ensues but Haskins kicks him down and avoids a charge to the floor. That means a suicide dive to drop Bandido and we take a break.

Back with Haskins charging into a boot in the corner, setting up Bandido’s corkscrew crossbody. The big running flip dive takes Haskins down again and, amazingly enough, the fans are way into someone who can fly like this. Bandido gets two off a pop up cutter but gets kicked right back down. That just earns Haskins a superkick but they kick each other in the chest for another double knockdown, which the fans seem to appreciate.

They (the wrestlers, not the fans) slug it out until Haskins charges into a torture rack, with Bandido flipping him forward into something like a GTS for two. Haskins is right back up and spins him into a Sharpshooter (a fast one at that too) but Bandido is right next to the rope. A top rope double stomp gives Haskins two so Haskins goes back to the leg. That’s broken up in a hurry so Bandido knocks him against the ropes (619 position but standing instead of kneeling), flips forward and bounces off the ropes (ala the Tajiri handspring) for a snap German suplex and the pin at 12:12.

Rating: B+. Well that was insane. This was all about showcasing both guys and I had a great time watching it. Bandido really impressed me last year at various times and Haskins looked great as well, which is exactly what the point of this was supposed to be. I want to see these two do this more often and I’d buy a ticket to see it. Well done here, with exactly what they were shooting for.

Nick Aldis is ready to defend the NWA World Title against PJ Black next week. I know the NWA World Title has been around ROH before but it’s nice to have it actually mean something (not much of something, but something) this time around.

We look back at Bully Ray, Silas Young and the Briscoes attacking the Elite (not named) a few weeks back.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Eli Isom vs. Silas Young

Silas takes him down with a hammerlock before going with the strikes instead. A quick rollup gets two on Isom and it’s off to a front facelock. Isom gets in a forearm to knock Young back a bit but misses a springboard missile dropkick. We take an early break and come back with Isom still in trouble and getting stomped down in the corner.

A release gordbuster (appropriate in Atlanta) lets Young talk some trash (as he always does) and we hit the chinlock. Isom fights up and gets two off a rollup before just unloading with right hands. White Noise gets two and we take a second break. Back again with Silas holding a full nelson of all things before dropping Isom again.

Silas’ springboard moonsault COMPLETELY misses (John Morrison would think it looked bad) but he covers for two anyway. Young hits a heck of a top rope superplex (drawing the Barry Windham comparisons) for one as Isom is getting fired up. They chop it out with their chests going very red until Misery plants Isom for the abrupt pin at 13:04.

Rating: C. This was nowhere near as good as the two previous matches, mainly due to there being no doubt as to the winner. Young beat the heck out of Isom for most of the match and I couldn’t imagine them setting up Isom as a major challenger to a monster champion. Silas won in a hurry too, as they didn’t exactly building anything up other than a quick comeback until Misery got the pin. Not bad, but just kind of there.

Post match Young talks trash about TV Champion Jeff Cobb, including insulting his family. This brings out Cobb but Shane Taylor runs in as well, putting Cobb in the middle of the villains. The fight is on with Cobb getting the better of it until a low blow cuts him down. Young and Taylor stand tall to end the show.

ROH is still beginning anew.

Overall Rating: B. That’s one of the better episodes they’ve done in a long time and if the main event had been better, it would have been an all timer. The main thing that Ring of Honor needs to do at the moment is build up new stars and they pulled that off very well here. With all the big names leaving, there’s all kind of space at the top of the card to make new names and if they’re built right, the transition could be rather smooth. Very fun show here and a breeze of an hour.

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: January 30, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

As long as this show doesn’t include sixteen minutes of Beer City Bruiser vs. Silas Young, I think we’ll be fine. The major story at the moment is a tournament to crown a new #1 contender to the TV Title, which could allow for some fresh stars to get a chance to shine. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

PJ Black vs. Juice Robinson

NWA World Champion Nick Aldis (flanked by Kamilla Kaine) is on commentary in preparation for his future title match with Black. They slap away to start with Black sweeping the leg to take over. Juice’s snap jabs have Black in trouble and there’s a slingshot dive to the floor to take him down again. Black gets in a kick to the ribs back inside and we take a break.

Back with Robinson still in trouble and Black putting on a reverse Boston crab before rocking Robinson head first into the bottom buckle a few times (I believe Konnan used to call that the Rocking Horse). Black suplexes him down and bends the arm back, followed by a clothesline and some posing. A top rope right hand gives Black two more but Robinson grabs a suplex.

Black walks into a spinebuster and a fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two more. Pulp Friction is broken up and Black connects with a moonsault press for two more. Some left hands have Black in more trouble and there’s a Cannonball in the corner. Robinson goes up so Black throws the referee into the corner for the DQ at 12:31.

Rating: C+. You knew they weren’t going to job Black before a title match and Robinson is WAY too hot to take a loss so the DQ was pretty obvious. It took some time to get going but everything after the break picked up in a hurry. Robinson does have the charisma that so many wrestlers miss, so it was cool to see someone giving us a nice performance instead of just going from move to move.

Post match Black knocks Robinson down again and goes to glare at Aldis.

During the break, Robinson says he didn’t come here to lose via DQ. You’re going to see him around here a lot more in 2019 and there will be new life breathed into this place.

The Kingdom yells about beating Villain Enterprises later tonight.

Shane Taylor vs. Mike Law

Right hand, Greetings From 216 in 30 seconds.

Post match Shane says everyone has been asking who paid him to take out Christopher Daniels. That would be no one, because he wanted to beat Daniels up himself.

Colt Cabana brings out Flip Gordon for a chat. Cabana praises him for everything he did back at Final Battle, meaning he defeated Bully Ray once and for all. Gordon says he spent eight months fighting a bully and it’s mission accomplished. Now he wants the World Title, but here’s Kenny King to interrupt. Ian: “I’m just glad it’s not Matt Taven.” Amen brother.

King is tired of mediocre guys coming out here and demanding title shots. King was the last man to pin Jay Lethal and we see some rather doctored clips that ignore King putting his feet on the ropes. Gordon doesn’t have him fooled because King knows he’s the better man. If Gordon was a real warrior, he would have done more than join the reserves. Good promo, but Gordon vs. King doesn’t scream big match on any level.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Villain Enterprises vs. The Kingdom

Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll/Brody King/PCO) is challenging. Before the match, Taven says they’re not just handing out a title shot to three guys who haven’t proven themselves. Therefore, we’ve got some replacements.

Villain Enterprises vs. Shinobi Shadow Squad

That would be Cheeseburger/Eli Isom/Ryan Nova, because we’re just lucky enough to get a “fun” main event. They’re undefeated on Future of Honor events so Enterprises jump them in the corner to take over. We take an early break and come back with Isom in trouble as PCO chops the heck out of him. Brody drops a backsplash for two as the slow beating continues.

A running cannonball against the ropes crushes Isom again but he gets in a quick suplex for a breather. Cheeseburger comes in and gets to forearm Scurll a few times, followed by a springboard Swanton. It’s off to PCO though and we hit a nerve hold slam to drop Cheeseburger. Somehow PCO gets sent into the corner and it’s Nova coming in to forearm PCO over and over. That goes completely nowhere as PCO takes his head off with a clothesline.

Double teaming doesn’t do much better to PCO and we take another break. Back again with King cleaning house, including the Villains catching triple dives. That means a Tombstone on the floor to Cheeseburger while the other two get chokeslammed onto the apron. PCO powerbombs Nova twice in a row and King hits a Gonzo Bomb (Dominator into a piledriver). PCO’s moonsault finally finishes Nova at 9:37.

Rating: C. It wasn’t much of a squash as it went on far too long, but at least Cheeseburger didn’t get to show all of the heart that he has and waste a bunch of time. At least Enterprises got to show off some offense and prove themselves as actual threats, but there’s only so much you can do against such nothing competition. At least Isom didn’t take the fall though, which is a nice positive.

Bully Ray pours lighter fluid on a fire as we see clips of him losing the I Quit match at Final Battle. Ray says he never said I Quit. Oh good grief is this STILL GOING? If there’s one thing ROH doesn’t know how to do, it’s wrap up a story.

We see the heart rate monitor again and this time it says “A New Beginning From An Old Foundation. Ring of Honor Begins Anew.”

Overall Rating: C. Better show this week as they kept things moving and advanced a few stories. Villain Enterprises got off to a good (albeit long) start and the Robinson vs. Black match was entertaining. This was a show that looked at stuff other than the main event scene and those shows are very important in their own right. If you only have a good main event, the promotion itself isn’t strong and by having everything else work well, you can make it week to week at a far easier pace. Nice show here, which is perfectly fine.

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

Ring of Honor
Date: January 23, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

Things got interesting to end last week’s show as Brody King and PCO debuted as Marty Scurll’s new enforcers in Villain Enterprises. That could make things interesting going forward as Scurll, and several others, chase Jay Lethal’s World Title. I’m not sure where things are going but they could be interesting if done right. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TV Title #1 Contender Tournament First Round: Facade vs. Eli Isom

Feeling out process to start with the yellow haired Facade taking him down. Isom leapfrogs over him twice in a row and hits Facade in the face but Facade stats nipping up. A kick to the face drops Isom again and we hit the double arm crank. Isom fights up but gets sent outside for a suicide dive, only to get caught and driven into the barricade for a big crash. We come back from a break with Isom getting two off a bridging belly to back suplex.

Facade scores with a Disaster kick to send Isom outside, setting up a double springboard flip dive, because of course he can do that. Back in and Isom nails a discus elbow but walks into the Neon (Burning) Hammer. A rope walk kick to the face (Neon Terminator) gets two on Isom as the announcers are losing it on these near falls. Caprice says Facade would blame that on his mother. As I try to figure that one out, Isom shrugs everything off and finishes with a brainbuster at 8:59.

Rating: C. I’ve seen Facade before and wasn’t that impressed, though his high flying looked good here. The important part here was pushing someone new in Isom, who actually feels like he’s getting somewhere. I don’t know if he wins the tournament, but it’s nice to see someone being given a chance.

Kelly Klein says any singles match she’s in will now be a title match.

We recap the debut of Villain Enterprises.

Jay Lethal knows everyone wants a shot at this title, but his eyes are on Matt Taven for everything he’s done.

To mix things up a bit, we recap the debut of Villain Enterprises.

Next week: the Kingdom defends the Six Man Tag Team Titles against Villain Enterprises.

TK O’Ryan vs. Rush

I’ve seen Rush (pronounced Roosh) in MLW and he certainly has some star power. He’s the leader of Los Ingobernables so there’s definitely something to him. Ian recaps some history between these two in Mexico, which is far more background than we get for most of the lucha guest stars. Feeling out process to start and the fans are split here.

A slap to the face annoys Rush so it’s an exchange of German suplexes to give us a staredown. They talk trash (with censored swearing) until O’Ryan takes over with the chops in the corner. A superkick rocks O’Ryan and it’s a running forearm to send us to a break. Back with a chop off going to Rush, meaning we get a tranquilo pose.

They head outside with Rush being sent into the barricade, setting up a belly to back for two inside. Rush suplexes him into the corner but charges into a spinning spinebuster for another two. Something off the top is countered into a top rope superplex from Rush and it’s a hard running basement dropkick in the corner for the pin on O’Ryan at 11:05.

Rating: B-. This was a back and forth I hit you and you hit me match but it was very entertaining stuff. Rush definitely has a presence and that makes you want to see him do his thing. Even O’Ryan looked good here, and it’s nice to see some of the stuff done down in Mexico tie into things up here. You can only get so far with “this is a huge star from Mexico” over and over so this was a good idea.

Post match the rest of the Kingdom comes in and lays Rush out with a triple Conchairto.

Rhett Titus, with a trophy, replaces Coleman on commentary.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Silas Young vs. Beer City Bruiser

Before the match, Bruiser says he’s finally learned that Silas sucks. Bruiser wants a fight so we’ll make this No DQ. An early Cactus Clothesline puts Silas on the floor and Bruiser sets up a chair. Young jumps over a shot from the apron and hits a springboard clothesline to knock Bruiser down. Some elbows to the head knock Silas into the chair though and Bruiser nails a flip dive off the apron as we take a break.

Back with more chairs in the ring and a table having been set up on the floor. Silas hits a slingshot stomp to the ribs and the hanging swinging suplex gets one. Another table is set up in the corner but Bruiser spears him through it instead. Bruiser misses a charge and goes through a chair in the corner though, allowing Silas to pound away with a chair. A suplex off the barricade has Young in trouble again as this is going way longer than it needs to. Young is laid over two chairs on the floor as Bruiser goes up.

That’s broken up so Bruiser hits a super hiptoss of all things, followed by the Beer City Slam onto a chair for two more. Back from another break with Silas slamming him through two chairs for another near fall, meaning frustration sets in. Silas pulls out some zip ties and attaches Bruiser to the top rope. Cue Brian Milonas to beat Young down and cut the zip tie because Heaven forbid this match just end.

Milonas takes too long setting up something from the middle rope and gets chaired through the table at ringside. Bruiser clotheslines him down and a Vader Bomb elbow onto the chair onto Young gets two. A keg to the head doesn’t even warrant a cover as Bruiser puts him on another table instead. The frog splash misses though and Silas hits Misery for the pin at 16:00.

Rating: D. WAY too long here with whatever value the match had being thrown out the window more than halfway through. The Bruiser isn’t someone I’m going to care about because his entire character is that he’s fat and likes beer. I need a lot more than that to care and I’m completely with Silas: Bruiser held him back for a long time and Young is lucky to be rid of him. Yeah he was a little rude when they split, but I’m not going to cheer for Bruiser because of that. Cut this in half (or more) and it could be entertaining, but this was pay per view length when it needed to be average TV length.

Overall Rating: C-. That main event hurt things a lot and that’s not a good sign when it can bring down the rest of the show. I’m curious to see where some of the stories around here go but this show wasn’t exactly a good showcase for the company. The first two matches were entertaining but they’re not exactly high stakes, which keeps things a bit lower on the pole. Not a bad show, but not exactly interesting.

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

It has been like a week since this was rumored.

Since we can’t go a day or two without something like this blowing up, it’s time to look at even more names who might be leaving WWE, though AEW isn’t the obvious destination for all of them.

Usos

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/go-big-names-might-not-re-sign-wwe/

I’m a big fan of this team and there’s a chance that they’ll be leaving WWE when their contracts expire at some point in April. Really….could you blame them? Since WWE seems obsessed with not allowing anyone to ever switch shows outside of the Superstar Shakeup or Wrestlemania season, they’ve been stuck on Smackdown where they could only fight the Bar and the New Day over and over again.

Move them to Raw (Usos vs. Revival…..anyone?) and give them some fresh opponents. Or let them go to AEW and fight the Young Bucks, which would be an instant classic. Either way, let them do ANYTHING new because they’ve been stuck doing the same things for years now.

Randy Orton

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/rumor-randy-orton-willing-talk-aew/

Now this one has a BIG caveat as the story says that he’s “willing to talk” to AEW. There’s a big difference between he’s signing the contract tomorrow and he’s willing to talk to someone whenever he’s allowed to. I’m not sure when Orton’s contract is expiring but even if it’s tomorrow, it’s not like he’ll be debuting for AEW tomorrow. You know, because they’re not debuting for nearly four months.

That being said…..yeah this isn’t happening. Orton is 38 and can be in WWE until he’s ready to leave so there’s no point in moving somewhere else for the sake of….I’m not sure what the point would be actually. How big of a contract is he going to be able to get there? If he wants a lighter schedule he’s better off in the upper midcard of WWE, as he would become the top star in AEW just due to name recognition and star power. Orton would be somewhat insane to leave WWE and I can’t imagine this happening.

Undertaker

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tomclark/undertaker-removes-wwe-social-media-deadman-done/

So this is something that came up today, with Undertaker removing all WWE references from his social media accounts. Now if you can ignore THE UNDERTAKER HAVING SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, you can imagine people freaking out over the idea of the Undertaker leaving WWE and going….I guess to the wrestling convention circuit like so many others do over the years. Or AEW because that’s the required response anymore.

I don’t think Undertaker is going anywhere as far as wrestling goes, but for some reason people seem to be overlooking one idea: maybe he’s just retiring. He’s 54 years old next month and he’s wrestled ten times in three and a half years (twenty in nearly seven years). Undertaker should have retired YEARS ago and we were all but convinced that he retired after Wrestlemania XXXIII. I have no idea if he’s retiring for good or going somewhere else (Imagine him going to an indy company. Just try to do it.) but there’s every chance that he’s going to be at Wrestlemania or the next Saudi show or Summerslam and this will all be nothing.

Or maybe I’ll go to AEW because everyone else is. I mean, I would if they had a show near me and I could actually get a ticket.

As inspired by this week’s Wrestling Wars Podcast.  And it’s not about Rowan.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-many-faces-rowan/

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: February 6, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

We’re back to the regular shows and it’s just in time too as we’re about two months away from Takeover: New York. That could mean some matches being set up in a hurry, though it’s not clear what some of those could be. The big draw this week is Johnny Gargano appearing as North American Champion for the first time, which could be rather interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Gargano to open things up and he’s very proud of his new title. The fans give him a JOHNNY CHAMPION chant and Johnny says we deserve it. He doesn’t say which we he’s talking about but here’s Tommaso Ciampa to cut him off. Ciampa says they do deserve it and that Johnny showed that he can follow the champ’s lead. Now they’re both champions and WE own NXT. There is nothing that can stop them because this is their home. Johnny: “No.”

There is no “our moment” because he only came out at the end of Takeover: Phoenix to show that he’ll never need Tommaso Ciampa. This brings out Velveteen Dream to say tonight isn’t about any of them. Tonight is about the moment and the man that stole Takeover: Phoenix. He took everything over just by showing up and while they were putting the finishing touches on their fairy tale ending, Dream was winning the Worlds Collide tournament.

That gives him a title shot of his choice so Ciampa stares him down. Dream doesn’t want him to steal the spotlight, because he’s more interested in Gargano. Johnny says he was putting on another Match of the Year and winning the title before representing the NXT Universe in the Royal Rumble. If this is what Dream wants, then go for it because Johnny wins. Dream is cool with that, but wants to know if he’s facing Johnny Champion or Johnny Jack***. The staredown is on and the fans are rather pleased.

This worked very well, as the story continues to go on and on without dropping steam. I know the end goal of all of this is Gargano taking the title from Ciampa once and for all, but that moment isn’t set in stone somewhere. We’re not counting down to some predetermined moment (Such as EVERYTHING HAS TO HAPPEN AT WRESTLEMANIA OR SUMMERSLAM!!!) and the story is getting to grow on its own. That would make a huge difference on the main roster, but for some reason it’s completely against the rules. That’s a very different way of storytelling and it works quite well.

Jaxson Ryker vs. Mansoor

Mansoor is from the Saudi Arabian tryouts. Ryker takes him into the corner and ties Mansoor into the Tree of Woe for some kicks to the ribs. Mansoor gets in a few shots but Ryker spears him out of the air, setting up a sitout chokeslam (almost more of a spinebuster) for the pin at 1:32. Just a squash.

Post match Ryker chokebusters him again.

Adam Cole cuts off an interviewer before Ricochet can be brought in. Cole says he’s championship material unlike the one trick pony Ricochet. This brings in Ricochet to say he must have knocked Cole’s screws loose when he beat him for the North American Title. A match is made for next week.

In two weeks, Gargano defends against Dream.

Drew Gulak vs. Eric Bugenhagen

Eric, with a sweet 1970s mustache, plays the air guitar on the way to the ring to a rather confused reception. He even throws out a guitar pick, which the camera tracks down. I’m sure you can imagine Nigel and Drew’s reactions to this. The fans DEMAND an encore as Bugenhagen stops so the match can begin. A very high pitched scream ensues as Gulak stomps him down, earning a BU-GEN-HA-GEN chant.

Gulak snap suplexes him for two and we hit the chinlock. Eric fights up and slaps on an abdominal stretch, which of course turns into more air guitaring (Eric: “YOU WANNA ROCK???? LET’S ROCK!!!!”). Drew has had it and suplexes him down, setting up the Gulock for the tap at 2:34. We might have the next Blue Pants here.

Post match Gulak isn’t pleased with fighting “Ben Stiller from Dodgeball” because he’s the best submission wrestler in the world. Is this the best NXT has to offer? The open challenge is on and we have a very quick answer.

Drew Gulak vs. Matt Riddle

They grapple against the ropes to start until Riddle takes him straight to the mat in an armbar. A pull of the hair gets Gulak out of trouble so Riddle slams him right back down to take over again. More grappling goes nowhere until Gulak takes him down into a headscissors. One heck of a kick drops Drew though and a backsplash makes things even worse. Back up and Drew stops a charge with a hard boot to the jaw, followed by a dropkick to put Riddle on the floor.

Gulak slaps on a headlock to keep things slow before switching into a double arm crank with Riddle face down on the mat. Riddle finally fights up and hits a fisherman’s buster for the break and a double knockdown. A dragon screw legwhip takes Riddle right back down and it’s off to a Fujiwara armbar. Riddle has had it with Gulak and powerbombs the heck out of him, setting up a knee to the face for a crazy close two. The Bromission makes Gulak tap at 9:25.

Rating: B+. This was a blast with both guys doing everything they could think of to each other, making for a heck of a performance. Gulak showing up is a nice touch as he’s one of the more talented people around and can wrestle with anyone. It gave Riddle a sweat and beating a main roster talent, even a lower level one like Gulak, means something. Very nice match.

Post match they do the Catch Point (stable from Evolve) handshake.

Sky Pirates/Bianca Belair vs. Shayna Baszler/Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke

Baszler works on Belair’s arm to start until Belair does the same. Shafir and Duke take their turns and get slammed down without much effort. Belair presses Sane up for a drop onto Duke but Shafir takes over in the corner to take over. Sane isn’t having that and unloads with strikes to Shafir, including a hard kick to the back. Shafir gets headbutted down as the fans chant PLEASE TAG SHAYNA. Geez that’s harsh.

The fans get their wish a few seconds later as Shayna comes in and takes over on Sane, including a few shots in the corner. It’s back to Shafir for a hard headbutt before Shayna comes back in to kick at Sane. Shayna cranks on the leg to make Sane scream and Duke coming in, earning herself a YOU CAN’T WRESTLE chant. Sane finally sends Duke outside and rolls over for the tag to Sane as the pace picks way up.

Running knees to Duke in the corner set up a 619 and a springboard missile dropkick to Baszler. It’s already back to Sane for the Insane Elbow and another near fall as Shafir makes the save. Belair tags herself in (fair enough as Sane was going to tag Shirai in again) and hits the KOD but Baszler makes the save. Everything breaks down and Sane dives onto Shafir and Duke, leaving Shirai to hit a moonsault for the fast pin on Baszler at 9:28.

Rating: C+. Shafir and Duke are pretty clearly not ready for this level and need more time, but I heartily approve of Shirai going after the title. High flier vs. submission wrestler can make for some great matches and the fans are going to be behind Shirai no matter what she does. I had a lot of fun with this, though the NXT fans ripping on Duke and Shafir isn’t the best sign for their futures.

Belair doesn’t seem happy that she didn’t get the pin to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. What didn’t this show have? You had an awesome match from Riddle and Gulak, a move forward in the women’s division, some major developments at the start of the show, and the Bugenhagen wackiness. As can be the case, NXT knows how to do a lot of things on one show and mix things up like no other show. This was an incredibly entertaining hour with so many different things running around that it’s almost impossible to get tired of any of them. Check this one out, especially Riddle vs. Gulak.

Results

Jaxson Ryker b. Mansoor – Chokebomb

Drew Gulak b. Eric Bugenhagen – Gulock

Matt Riddle b. Drew Gulak – Bromission

Sky Pirates/Bianca Belair b. Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke/Shayna Baszler – Moonsault to Baszler

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: February 6, 2019
Location: Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

Last week saw the rise of Walter, who is clearly going to be a major star around here in short order. The man is a monster who is going to run over everyone in his path, possibly including UK Champion Pete Dunne. Tonight he’s in action again against Mark Coffey, which makes it clear that they know they have something here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Andrews vs. Ligero

They shake hands to start because British people are just more polite. Feeling out process to start with Andrews getting a very limited advantage off a hammerlock. A run of the ropes suits them a bit better until Ligero gets two off a rollup. The pinfall reversal sequence gives us a bunch of one counts, capped off by a nice round of applause (more British politeness). Ligero sends him outside but misses a dive, instead settling for a headscissors. Andrews cartwheels out of it though as we’re still waiting on the first major offense.

A flip dive off the barricade finally puts Andrews down and a Stunner gives Ligero two back inside. Some forearms keep Andrews in trouble but he rolls Ligero down and hits a jumping double stomp to the ribs. The standing corkscrew moonsault gets two and it’s off to an exchange of strikes. Ligero’s suplex is countered into the Stundog Millionaire but can’t follow up. Instead it’s Ligero hitting a pumphandle faceplant for two of his own but the C4L is broken up. Andrews is right back with a reverse hurricanrana for two, only to have Fall to Pieces hit knees. Now C4L connects to give Ligero the pin at 9:05.

Rating: B-. This was a lot of fun and the ending was a bit of a surprise. They’re actually pushing Ligero as something around here and while I don’t know how high he can actually go, it’s cool to see someone getting a push like this. Andrews is still good in the ring, though I would have thought he had a bit more potential than Ligero, at least coming in.

Post match we get another handshake.

We look back at Sid Scala announcing Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan as the first challengers to the Grizzled Young Veterans.

Lorcan and Burch are happy and have little more to say.

Pete Dunne is impressed by Walter but doesn’t fear anyone.

Xia Brookside vs. Candy Floss

Brookside is being treated as a big deal here, which is a good sign for her future. We get another handshake to continue proper British tradition. Brookside jumps out of a headscissors and we hit the pinfall reversal sequence into a standoff. Back up and Candy goes technical with a full nelson until Xia rolls into an armbar. Xia’s offense isn’t exactly inspired so far. Floss reverses into a hammerlock before slamming the arm into the mat. With that not going anywhere, Xia is back up with a running bulldog and the Brooksie Bomb (Iconoclasm into a bridging pin) finishes Floss at 4:32. That’s Brookside’s first win on the show.

Rating: D+. Brookside has a great smile and a unique look, but she’s going to need some more ring time. To be fair though, she’s twenty years old and needs a lot more ring time. She’s going to need some more experience to get the finer points down, but she has a good base to build from so far.

Post match Brookside checks on Floss but here’s Rhea Ripley to beat them both down, including a standing swinging Texas Cloverleaf (awesome) to Brookside. Toni Storm runs in for the save but headbutts Brookside by mistake, allowing Ripley to hit the Riptide on Storm.

Jordan Devlin doesn’t like Noam Dar and wants to beat him up in Phoenix.

Mike Hitchman vs. Joseph Conners

Conners is billing himself as an NXT UK original. The show isn’t even four months old and we have originals? Conners hammers away to start but a headbutt to the elbow (yes to the elbow) takes him down. Hitchman nails the backsplash to the back but Conners snaps Mike’s throat across the top. A belly to back faceplant gets two on Hitchman and we hit the neck crank. Conners shots that Mike isn’t taking it away. What the heck did Conners have in the first place? Hitchman doesn’t like being called a thief so he fights up and sends Conners outside, setting up a frog splash off the apron.

Back in and Conners gets two off the slingshot DDT (stolen from Johnny Gargano, as Conners is a hypocrite). Conners: “YOU ARE A PUSSYCAT! YOU ARE NOTHING!” So cats are nothing? I guess Conners is a dog guy. Hitchman grabs a pop up powerbomb but Conners one ups him off a sunset bomb. Don’t Look Down finishes Hitchman at 5:29.

Rating: D+. The wrestling was ok but Conners is officially that guy on the roster who just shows up, rants about how unfair everything is, and makes no impact whatsoever. It’s a character that shows up every now and then in almost every promotion but it very rarely gets interesting. Conners is someone who doesn’t stand out and with a gimmick that has been done so many times, it’s not exactly going anywhere for him.

Gallus is ready to keep their kingdom.

Video on Jinny.

Jinny tells Ragsy that he’s ugly and says of course she won because she’s amazing. She’s coming for Toni Storm. Makes sense.

Joe Coffey vs. Ashton Smith

Smith grabs a headlock to start in what might be his biggest offense of the match. Coffey isn’t having that and Pounces him down without much trouble. It’s off to the chinlock into a cobra clutch, followed by some hard forearms to the back. We hit the bearhug as you can’t fault Coffey’s psychology here. Coffey suplexes him down and nails a pop up uppercut (ala Cesaro’s Swiss Death) but Smith scores with right hands. A dropkick sets up a nice superkick but Smith jumps into a German suplex. All The Best For The Bells finishes Smith at 6:17.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here though Smith’s very limited offense looked good. There’s nothing wrong with bringing someone like Coffey back up from the loss and he’s still someone who can be a threat going forward. I’m still not sure why the Coffey Brothers haven’t been in the tag division, as you would think that would be as easy of a layup as you could have around here. Joe is good as a singles guy though so what they’re doing is far from bad.

Post match Gallus comes out to celebrate with Joe.

Mark Coffey vs. Walter

Coffey makes the mistake of throwing a chop as Walter shows him how it’s really done. They head outside with Walter being driven into the barricade as the fans stay behind him. Back in and it’s a double arm crank to stretch out Walter’s chest but he reverses into one of his own. Walter shrugs off a clothesline and tells Coffey to bring it before snapping off a big German suplex. The beating continues with Walter taking him outside for more shots to the chest. Coffey gets in a dropkick for a quick near fall but Walter isn’t having that. The powerbomb finishes Coffey at 6:30.

Rating: C+. That’s the Walter I’ve been hearing about as he looked like a monster who could move out there, with the powerbomb looking great to go with the signature chops. They’ve already got me wanting to see Walter vs. Dunne, which should have taken some time to set up. Let it take place at a major show, say over Wrestlemania weekend, and you have a Match of the Year candidate on hype alone.

Overall Rating: C+. This was the no nonsense version of the show and I really liked what we got. The wrestling wasn’t great up and down and nothing was exactly a show stealing classic, but what we had was a well put together show that did everything it needed to. Stories were advanced and Walter looks like the final boss for Dunne’s title reign. I’m in for this stuff now, mainly because I’m not sick of it after two hours a week. Very well put together show, which is what matters here.

Results

Ligero b. Mark Andrews – C4L

Xia Brookside b. Candy Floss – Brooksie Bomb

Joseph Conners b. Mike Hitchman – Don’t Look Down

Joe Coffey b. Ashton Smith – All The Best For The Bells

Walter b. Mark Coffey – Powerbomb

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 know I’m a bit behind on these but some things never change.

We’ll start with the sentimental one in Gene Okerlund. I was saddened by this one as Okerlund was one of the most prominently featured names in my wrestling childhood, but I didn’t realize just how big of a deal he was to so many people. The special includes all kinds of great clips with some incredible history, showcasing just how versatile Okerlund was.

That’s what the documentary focuses on more than anything else: how good Gene was at his job. He was able to take anything and make it work, while never backing down from the person he was interviewing. Okerlund really was the best ever at what he did and if you’re a fan of old school wrestling, it’s more than worth your time to see just how good he really was at something so important to wrestling.

Then we had Nigel McGuinness, which was much more of a new experience for me. I knew of McGuinness from his time in Ring of Honor and TNA but I didn’t know just how good or big of a deal he was. Nigel was one of the best at his time and the matches I’ve seen from him were really good. It’s pretty safe to put him on the list of greatest What If’s in WWE history, as he could have been a top player.

The other interesting thing here though was seeing how good he really was with everything related to broadcasting. It’s clear that he loves this stuff and can do anything in wrestling if he’s given the time. The part with Daniel Bryan sending him a text the day he won the World Title in WWE, meaning the night after Nigel retired, was amazing and some of the real emotion that you can’t manufacture.

Check out both of these are they’re more than worth your time.