Impact Wrestling
Date: September 4, 2025
Location: The Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re coming up on victory Road and the show is not likely to include Trick Williams defending the World Title. Williams is instead doing one of those things about this not being a safe working environment, which went about as well as you could expect. The show is in just over three weeks and Mike Santana is going to need something to do there. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a nice moment as some of the bigger names on the roster are on the stage, with a moment of silence for the victims of a recent shooting in Minneapolis. TNA is releasing a special shirt with 100% of the proceeds going to the school where the shooting took place. That’s very cool to see.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Santino Marella to get things going. He calls Trick Williams a liar and gets to finish last week’s announcement: Mike Santana is challenging Williams for the World Title at Bound For Glory. This brings out a rather happy Santana, who promises to bring the title back to TNA. Williams can hide behind his fancy words and contracts, but Santana can just come see him in NXT.

Mara Sade and the Hardys aren’t happy with Order 4 and are ready to take them out tonight.

Moose says Mike Santana is the man to bring the World Title back to TNA. Santana appreciates it but AJ Francis shows up, mocks Moose, and gets challenged to a match next week. Francis mocks Santana about Trick Williams’ lawyers and leaves.

Here is Ryan Nemeth for a chat. HIS BIG BROTHER is back tonight but here is Matt Cardona to interrupt. No one cares about Nemeth’s big brother, because he sucks. That’s enough for Ryan to get annoyed and then run off.

Matt Cardona vs. Frankie Kazarian

Cardona starts fast with the flapjack to send Kazarian outside, which sets up the dropkick through the ropes. Ryan Nemeth gets in a cheap shot from the floor and we take a break. We come back with Kazarian grabbing a chinlock but Cardona pops up for some running clotheslines.

Cardona knocks him into the corner but Kazarian gets outside before the Reboot. Nemeth offers a distraction though and Kazarian grabs the slingshot cutter for two. Cardona’s spinebuster gets two more but he has to hit Radio Silence on Nemeth. That’s enough for Kazarian to grab Fade To Black for the pin at 10:56.

Rating: C+. This was more about Nemeth getting on Cardona’s nerves and costing him the match, which is a fine way to go. Nemeth is at his best when he’s out there annoying people, as he’s only good for so many things. Kazarian continues to get built up for Bound For Glory season and it might be time for him to win the International Title.

Post match Kazarian talks about how he wants the World Title and on the way there, he might try to win the International Title. That kind of a title shouldn’t be held by a jarhead like Steve Maclin, but rather someone like him.

The IInspiration are very interested in tonight’s Knockouts Tag Team Title match.

Here is the Elegance Brand to welcome Ash By Elegance, the new Knockouts Champion. The rest of the team has some gifts for them: a commissioned portrait, bottles of champagne with her face on them and…well that’s it apparently. Ash says she is the Knockouts savior and doesn’t think Masha Slamovich could do this. Cue Slamovich, who really doesn’t seem to agree. Slamovich comes in for the brawl but gets beaten down, with Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside running in for the failed save attempt. The IInspiration makes the real save. Slamovich gets to wreck the portrait. Fine way to advance two stories.

Mustafa Ali promises to go after anyone who tries to stop Order 4, including the System.

Dani Luna vs. Indi Hartwell vs. Jody Threat

Luna is knocked to the floor to start, leaving Threat to clothesline Hartwell. Back in and Luna is sent outside again but comes back in to knock Hartwell off the top. Luna plants Threat and drops Hartwell again, only to get in a slugout with Threat. Hartwell is back up for the clothesline comeback and drops an elbow for two on Luna. Threat is back up with a driver for two on Luna before going to the apron for a slugout with Hartwell. Luna is kicked out to the floor and Threat trades rollups with Hartwell, only for Hartwell to get the pin at 7:13.

Rating: C+. The Hartwell push is upon us and that’s going to get her to Bound For Glory. Other than that, you have the continuing issues between the former Spitfire and…yeah it’s still hard to get interested in them. The team was only so interesting in the first place and it’s not getting much better to see them feuding. Luna going evil is at least something though.

Post match Luna lays both of them out.

We look back at Eric Young laying out Joe Hendry last week.

Here is Hendry for a chat. Hendry says he can be here anywhere in the world but he’s right here in Minneapolis and seems to pay a bit of tribute to the school shooting victims. After that, he moves on to Eric Young, who he needs to deal with right now. Cue Young and the Northern Armory, with Young saying there is a state of emergency in wrestling. Hendry needs to be cleansed so he challenges Young to a match right now. Young says we’ll do it next week, which is where the cleanse begins. Yeah sure. Just don’t let Young talk. Or be around here.

Leon Slater hears about the Rascalz being cleared. He wants to remind people what the X-Division Title is all about and Santino Marella seems to approve.

Here’s what’s coming at Victory Road and Bound For Glory.

Trick Williams says he doesn’t owe TNA anything and isn’t showing up anytime soon.

Order 4 vs. Mara Sade/The Hardys

Matt takes Hotch down into the corner for a legdrop from Jeff (in all….kind of pink). Everything breaks down and Matt and Sade hit a double DDT to the three villains. Sade stays in to beat up Steelz before Jeff elbows Hotch. A distraction lets Agent Zero grab Jeff for a distraction but gets ejected. That’s enough for Hotch to get in a cheap shot though and some elbows have Jeff in trouble as we take a break.

We come back with Jeff coming in to clean house, with Matt grabbing the Side Effect on Skyler. A Whisper In The Wind takes out the Hands but a slingshot spear drops Matt. Sade gives Steelz Finish Her and hits a moonsault (with Lita pose, which is at least a bit awkward with Matt there) to Skyler. Jeff adds the Swanton for the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C+. The Hardys aren’t going to have trouble against the Great Hands, but Sade has gone from pretty much nothing to a nice hand in the span of a few weeks. That’s not bad at all and I could go for seeing what she can do. The match was nothing out of the ordinary, though the Litasault was a nice little tribute, even if Sade isn’t quite that kind of a star.

Post match the Nemeths are back to take out the Hardys and Nic superkicks Sade. Well that’s a heel move.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice enough show here, with the tribute at the beginning being a very sweet moment. What mattered the most was starting the push towards the two upcoming big shows. I’m curious to see where things go for both of them, and now at least the cards are coming together. There wasn’t much in the way of wrestling here, but what we got was certainly passable. Maybe it was a bit odd for them as a live edition, but things should be back to normal next week.

Results
Frankie Kazarian b. Matt Cardona – Fade To Black
Indi Hartwell b. Jody Threat and Dani Luna – Rollup to Threat
Mara Sade/The Hardys b. Order 4 – Swanton Bomb to Skyler

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 4, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Death Before Dishonor and the big story is we have a pair of new champions, with Sammy Guevara and Rush as the new Tag Team Champions and Shane Taylor Promotions winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles. Bandido and Athena retained their titles and we have a little over three months before Final Battle. Let’s get to it.

Here is Death Before Dishonor if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We run down this week’s card.

Athena vs. Dayami

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Dayami wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Neither gets an entrance for some reason. Dayami jumps her to start and knocks her into the corner, only for Athena to fight right back. They go outside with Athena sending her into the barricade. Back in and a Koji Clutch finishes for Athena at 2:09.

Long recap on Death Before Dishonor.

Bandido says his win is for everyone who has been down, because it proves they can come back as champions.

Swirl vs. Thomas Heim/Joe Alonzo

Johnson takes Alonzo down without much trouble to start but Alonzo is back up with a running dropkick in the corner. Everything breaks down for a bit though and a running dropkick into a belly to back suplex gets two on Alonzo. Christian misses a charge in the corner though and it’s off to Heim, who gets caught in the wrong corner as well. The double stomp/Death Valley Driver finishes Heim at 2:35.

Wheeler Yuta vs. John Silver

Yuta takes him down without much trouble to start but Silver cuts him off with a powerbomb. Back up and Yuta sends him outside for a suicide dive, with Marina Shafir getting in a slam on the floor. Cue Evil Uno to glare at Shafir and then slap the mat as Yuta grabs a chinlock.

Silver fights up with a hard clothesline and forearms but cue Jon Moxley to back Yuta. A half crab has Silver in trouble but he reverses into something like a crossface. Shafir offers a distraction but gets pulled down, leaving Uno to go after Moxley. That means Moxley goes after Uno’s mask so Silver makes the save, only to walk into the running knee to give Yuta the pin at 8:17.

Rating: C. I guess Moxley is just bored and popping up on these shows, which does at least make them feel more important. That being said, there is a firm limit to how much I can bring myself to care about Yuta and Silver having a match. While Silver has charisma, he’s only able to do so much in these spots, especially with someone as dull as Yuta in there with him.

Trish Adora accuses Deonna Purrazzo of overlooking her, with Purrazzo saying she’s overlooking everyone because she’s better than everyone. Sweet goodness this tournament could not feel less important.

Lance Archer vs. Marcus/Adam

Blackout and double pin at 1:05 in the same thing Archer has done for years now.

We look at Sammy Guevara dropping the Von Erichs and teaming up with Rush instead.

The Von Erichs can’t accept what Guevara did and he is officially in their crosshairs. Oh goodness no, anything but that. Get these guys off the show, please. They’re as boring as a sidewalk on a summer day and OH NO! SAMMY GUEVARA DOESN’T RESPECT TEXAS! Get out of here and go do anything else because you’re the least interesting wrestlers I’ve ever seen. And I just watched a Wheeler Yuta match.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Philly Collins/Marino Tenaglia

Angelico and Collins start things off with an exchange of wristlocks. It’s off to Serpentico to stomp on the arm and a splash gets two. Tenaglia comes in for a running knee in the corner and a side slam/slingshot elbow gets two. Serpentico fights out of a chinlock and grabs a double running Downward Spiral for two, allowing the tag off to Angelico. Some strikes have Collins in trouble and La Majistral gets two. Angelico pulls him into a kind of reverse Figure Four with an ankle lock for the tap at 6:36.

Rating: C. Hey did you know that the Spanish Announce Project can have a decent tag match if they’re given about six minutes? That’s what they did here and, again, it was perfectly fine. It’s the same match they’ve had for years around here and as usual, there is pretty much nothing else to say about it because it never changes.

Jordan Oliver vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata easily wins a wrestling exchange to start and takes him down by the arm. A hammerlock keeps the arm in trouble but Oliver is back with a running clothesline into the corner. The bulldog back out of the corner has Shibata down but he pulls Oliver into an ankle lock to cut that off. Shibata kicks him in the corner and gets two off a suplex, followed by the PK for the win at 4:49.

Rating: C+. Shibata was fine here and it was a good showcase for him, even if that’s about all you ever get from him. It’s easy to forget that he’s part of the AEW Trios Champions as he does his own thing over here and it’s so disconnected from everything else. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s a weird way to go. Oliver is a nice addition around here as he has some size and experience, though right now he’s just kind of floating around. That’s fine for now, but if (and it’s a big if) he’s sticking around, he’ll need to be used a bit better.

Hologram/Tomohiro Ishii vs. Premiere Athletes

Nese takes Hologram over with a headlock to start and then chops away in the corner. Ishii comes in to shoulder Daivari down and hammer on Nese, allowing the tag back to Hologram. Nese takes Hologram down for the chinlock, only for Hologram to fight out and bring Ishii back in.

Everything breaks down and Ishii hits a double clothesline but Sterling offers a distraction, leaving Hologram to get crotched on top. The Flying Carpet splash gets two but Nese is back up to knock Daivari down. Sterling gets knocked off the apron and it’s a 450 to give Hologram the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C. It’s hard to get excited about a Hologram match as there is a grand total of no chance he’s losing his undefeated streak to the Premiere Athletes on Ring Of Honor. This in no way felt like a main event and while Hologram can be exciting in the ring, it’s just another match that took place. Like so many other things on here.

In case you didn’t get enough here, tomorrow there is a bonus episode of the show, featuring eleven matches.

The Premiere Athletes are mad that Mark Sterling has a torn bicep and can’t pick up his daughter. The team needs a contingency plan.

Overall Rating: C-. A colleague of mine recently pointed out something about the Ring Of Honor show and he’s absolute right: for the most part, it’s just matches. You’ll get singles matches, Proving Ground matches, Pure Rules matches and the occasional tag match, but for the most part, that’s it.

The shows don’t build towards anything, there is very little in the way of variety, and a lot of it is the same stuff week after week. How many times has Lance Archer squashed someone? Or the Athletes or the Project or Athena had a similar match? It isn’t that what we’re getting is terrible, but rather it’s the same dry stuff far too often. Last week’s PPV had 13 matches, this week’s show had 7 and tomorrow’s special will have 11.

That’s a heck of a lot in eight days and for the most part, it doesn’t stand out as different in any way. This week’s show was really hard to sit through because it was just so uninteresting, with even more of it to come tomorrow. I know nothing is going to change, but it would be nice if we got something else. Oh and far less Von Erichs because this “aw shucks, we’re just two good old boys from Texas but we’re perturbed” is horrible.

Results
Athena b. Dayami – Koji Clutch
Swirl b. Thomas Heim/Joe Alonzo – Double stomp/Death Valley Driver to Heim
Wheeler Yuta b. John Silver – Running knee
Lance Archer b. Marcus/Adam – Double pin
Spanish Announce Project b. Philly Collins/Marino Tenaglia – Ankle lock to Collins
Katsuyori Shibata b. Jordan Oliver – PK
Hologram/Tomohiro Ishii b. Premiere Athletes – 450 to Daivari

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Evolve
Date: September 3, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

Last week saw Kali Armstrong retain the Women’s Title in a four way match, meaning it’s time for her to have a fresh challenger. On the other hand, Keanu Carver is getting closer to the Evolve Title and Jackson Drake. That might not go well for the champion and we might see something new here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Sean Legacy vs. Ice Williams

Williams takes him down by the arm to start but Legacy is back up with a hammerlock. With Williams down, Legacy pulls him into a surfboard, which doesn’t last long. A dropkick legs Williams hammer away but Legacy sends him outside, followed by a dive. We take a break and come back with Williams posting him for two but Legacy hits a dropkick. Shambles is blocked and Williams plants him down for two more.

Legacy pulls him into a quickly broken STF but misses a springboard 450. The Ice Breaker gives Williams two and Legacy catches him on top with a super Spanish Fly. Now the springboard 450 connects for two so Legacy tries another springboard, which is broken up instead. Another Ice Breaker connects but Legacy kicks him into the corner and hits Shambles for the pin at 11:32.

Rating: B. They were rolling near the end there and that’s a good thing, as Legacy has needed a win after a few months of pretty much just sitting in one place. I’m sure he’s going to be fine in the long run, but the last little bit hasn’t been kind to him. Granted it helps that Williams is leaving, which is a shame as he has some potential, but it’s not going to be showcased here.

Post match Legacy says he’s working on getting ready to come after the Evolve Title. Cue Edris Enofe to interrupt, saying he doesn’t think Legacy is ready to carry Evolve. That’s why Stevie Turner needs to make Enofe #1 contender. Shoving ensues.

Kylie Rae talks about how different she is than Chantel Monroe. She is impressed by Masyn Holiday though.

The Vanity Project is still not in the best of moods as Jackson Drake isn’t happy with finding out his next challenger when everyone else finds out. They consider who the challenger might be and mock the options. Kali Armstrong comes in to mock Drake’s nerves. Zayda Steel suggests Armstrong is going to lose her title first but Armstrong brushes her off.

Kylie Rae vs. Masyn Holiday

Layla Diggs is here with Holiday for a dancing entrance. We get a handshake to start and they fight over arm control, with Holiday pulling her into an armbar. Rae reverses into one of her own but Holiday stomps her down and dances a bit. Back up and Rae knocks her into the corner for a Cannonball but Holiday catches Rae on top.

Holiday’s half crab doesn’t last long and Rae gives her a basement superkick for two. The middle rope moonsault gives Rae another near fall and Holiday is in a lot of trouble. Rae slips out of a fireman’s carry and pulls on the crossface for the tap at 7:21. Diggs is far from pleased.

Rating: C. The match was ok enough, with Holiday showing some potential. She’s still a long way from being ready for a bigger spot, but there is something to her that is worth at least a chance. On the other hand you have Rae, who isn’t the biggest star in the world, but she’s a lot better now that she’s away from Wendy Choo.

Post match respect is shown.

Jax Presley and Harley Riggins are ready to debut against Adrenaline Drip.

Tate Wilder is ready to face Ridge Holland because he’s tired of being treated this way. Drako Knox isn’t sure but supports Wilder anyway.

Adrenaline Drip vs. Jax Presley/Harley Riggins

The villains are making their in-ring debuts. The rather large Presley powers Jones around to start and gives him a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, allowing Riggins to send him into the post. Back in and a facebuster into a Backstabber gets two as It’s Gal and Jamar Hampton are watching backstage.

Jones gets up and manages a pop up dropkick to put Riggins down, meaning it’s off to Cartwheel vs. Presley. Cartwheel springboards in with a forearm into a Sling Blade but Flip and Sip is broken up. Riggins and Presley are sent outside, where they pull a diving Jones out of the air. Jones is sent at Cartwheel, who gets tossed into the air for a spear and the pin at 5:41.

Rating: C+. A guy I know was training for independent wrestling and was given a biker gimmick. The promoter said he wanted him to feel like he hadn’t been to wrestling school, but he had been to a** kicking school. That’s what I got from Presley and Riggins, who were as smash mouth as you can get here and felt like two big raw brawlers in the right way. That stands out and they looked like a couple of monsters out there. Fun stuff.

Video on the ID Program.

Here is Stevie Turner to talk about the #1 contender to the Evolve Title. Cue the Vanity Project, who say this isn’t the right way to go. They want Drake to have an easy opponent but cue Keanu Carver to say just make him #1 contender already. This brings out Brooks Jensen to say he can get the job done, so here is Ridge Holland to…get in a fight with Tate Wilder. They brawl to the back, leaving Drake to say he can beat Carver and Jensen. The result? A triple threat next week. The brawl is on with Vanity Project beating the challengers down but Jensen and Carver fight back and take them out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Kind of an all over the place show this week but not in the worst way. The ending segment was every “and then this person wants in and this person wants in” segment, but at least it set up the match. What stood out to me the most was that tag match, as Presley and Riggins felt different. That’s a hard thing to do but they pulled it off here. I’m not saying they’re the next Demolition, but they made a good first impression and that’s very important. Nice show here, with some moments standing out.

Results
Sean Legacy b. Ice Williams – Shambles
Kylie Rae b. Masyn Holiday – Crossface
Jax Presley/Harley Riggins b. Adrenaline Drip – Pop up spear to Cartwheel

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: September 16, 2008
Location: Sommet Center, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Todd Grisham, Matt Striker

Matt Hardy’s reign continues around here and that means he still has to deal with Mark Henry. That’s quite an issue in its own right but tonight Henry has his hands full with Finlay. Other than that, last week saw the debut of a newcomer named Jack Swagger, who made quite the impact in his first match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry is confirmed for No Mercy.

Matt Hardy vs. Mike Knox

Non-title. For some reason Striker talks about the lyrics to Hardy’s theme song as Hardy and Knox fight over a headlock. Knox goes with the power by slamming him down and dropping a knee to the ribs for two. The chinlock goes on so Hardy fights up to make the comeback. One heck of a clothesline drops Hardy, who pops right back up with the middle rope elbow to the head.

The Twist Of Fate is blocked so Hardy switches to a DDT for two instead. They head outside for a double clothesline and we take a break. We come back with Hardy fighting out of another chinlock but Knox hits a not so great dropkick. Knox takes him to the corner but Hardy elbows out and….I think misses a moonsault, though he still grazes Knox anyway. Either way, Knox covers him for two and we’re back to the chinlock. Back up and Hardy’s Side Effect gets two, followed by a tornado DDT. The Twist Of Fate finishes Knox off.

Rating: B-. This turned into a pretty decent match, though they would have been better off with less time, as Knox went to the chinlock too many times. There is always a place for a hero coming back from behind against a monster and that’s what you got here. Hardy has bigger problems coming soon enough, but at least he did well against a lower level villain.

Tony Atlas thinks Matt Hardy is looking good but Mark Henry says it’s only because Hardy isn’t in there against him. Henry blames Finlay for the title loss.

Miz vs. Evan Bourne

John Morrison and Ricky Ortiz are here too. Miz takes him into the corner to start but Bourne ducks a left hand and kicks away. Bourne is sent outside, meaning the seconds can yell at each other a bit. Back in and Miz forearms away in the ropes as commentary discusses the stock market.

An arm and leg crank have Bourne in more trouble but he fights out, only to get dropped with a heck of a clothesline. Bourne is back up with a kick to the head and a running hurricanrana. Miz goes up and gets thrown back down, only for Morrison to trip Bourne. Ortiz cuts that off and Bourne gets a rollup pin.

Rating: C+. Miz was clearly getting better in the ring at this point and was turning from a joke to a joke who could do some things between the ropes for a change. That’s the kind of development you do not see very often and it’s nice to see it happening here. At the same time, Bourne is already looking like someone worth watching and Ortiz…well have you seen Miz and Bourne?

Raw Rebound.

Jack Swagger vs. Chase Stevens

Swagger wrestles him down to start but Stevens manages to get in a shot of his own. That earns him a drive into the corner, followed by a running knee. The belly to belly drops Stevens again and the Blue Thunder Bomb finishes Stevens fast.

Finlay vs. Mark Henry

Hornswoggle and Tony Atlas are here too and this is fallout from Finlay hitting him with the shillelagh last week. Finlay circles him a bit to start before getting knocked down with an elbow to the head. Henry goes with the power but Finlay is back up to forearm away. That earns him a standing body block as Henry isn’t having any of this. Finlay gets knocked into the announcers’ table and we take a break.

We come back with Henry sending Finlay into the apron as Striker talks about people crying at the ocean. Henry slams him down again as Striker moves on to Undertaker beating Hogan in this town six years ago. Finlay fights back and hits some forearms to the chest but Atlas shoves Hornswoggle. That lets Henry go after Hornswoggle so Finlay gets in a Shillelagh shot to the arm.

Finlay works on the arm back inside and gets two off a rollup. It’s so close that the fans pop for the count but the referee has to wave it off. Finlay sits on the chest and goes after the arm again but Henry powers him into the corner. The splash sets up the World’s Strongest Slam to give Henry the pin.

Rating: B-. Finlay is one of those unique stars who can make almost anything work and he pulled it off here. There is only so much that you can do with someone the size of Henry, though he’s rapidly figuring out how to be a monster. Keep that up and he can play his role well, especially with a veteran like Finlay.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice enough show here, as there are some fresh stars around here to spice things up a bit. Swagger has done well to start so far and Miz and Morrison are getting that much better rather quickly. Throw in Hardy as the big star of the show and fighting the monster that is Henry and I had a good time with this one.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Dynamite
Date: September 3, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re less than a month away from All Out and the card is rather slow out of the gate. There is only one match announced so far so there is a good chance that some of the matches might come together this week. AEW is still in the old WCW Arena and that means we should be in for a rowdy crowd. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Gabe Kidd to interrupt the show’s opening but Darby Allin jumps him from behind. Allin sends him neck first into the turnbuckle rod but Kidd fights back with a clothesline. Allin fights up with the skateboard and some tacks, even taking out an intervening Wheeler Yuta. The rest of the Death Riders come out but here are Hook, Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs and Willow Nightingale for the big brawl. Kidd and Allin fight to the back, where Kidd tries to crush Allin’s head with a hammer. Allin chokes him out though and puts him in a body bag, which is tied to a truck and driven away. And that’s the first eight minutes of the show.

We recap Alex Windsor vs. Mercedes Mone for the latter’s TBS Title.

TBS Title: Alex Windsor vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is defending and forearms away to start but gets caught in an early Sharpshooter attempt. With that broken up, Windsor settles for some armdrags but has to use the ropes to get out of a quick Statement Maker. Windsor sends her outside for a flip dive off the apron and slams Mone’s knee into the apron. Another Sharpshooter in the ropes is broken up and Mone drops her onto the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Windsor hitting some clotheslines and a flying shoulder. A Blue Thunder Bomb sets up the Sharpshooter, which is reversed into the Statement Maker, which Windsor reverses into a crucifix bomb for two. The Sharpshooter attempt sends them outside, where the Sharpshooter goes on again outside but has to be released due to the count.

Back in and Mone grabs the Statement Maker but Windsor is back up with a running clothesline. They forearm it out and a Grace Driver gives Windsor two more. The Statement Maker goes back on, with Windsor using the ropes to escape but Mone rolls her up to retain at 15:03.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match that I was hoping to see, even with the spamming of the dueling submission holds (Natalya does it all the time in WWE so maybe it’s a Sharpshooter thing). Other than that it’s the two of them going after each other after a story was set up for a few weeks. Windsor got a lot out of the build and match, but Mone losing the title is going to be a major deal and it wasn’t likely to happen here.

Post match Mone puts the Statement Maker on again….and Riho returns to make the save. Riho kicks Mone to the floor and picks up the title, as I guess it’s time to treat Riho like the biggest star ever before she leaves for months again. Lucky us.

Hook comes up to Samoa Joe and Powerhouse Hobbs, saying he can fight his own battles. He’s not happy with the Opps replacing him so fast but Joe says the Opps are about opportunities. Joe made the call and the team will still have Hook’s back when he needs it, whether he wants it or not. Hook doesn’t look pleased as he leaves.

Ricochet, with the Gates Of Agony, talks about how his legacy with the Hurt Syndicate, which started a long time ago. The Gates are a bit more assertive and issue the challenge for a six man at All Out.

Here is Mark Briscoe for a chat. Briscoe talks about how he and his brother fell in love with wrestling in this very building. Now his focus is on Kyle Fletcher and the TNT Title so he has to talk to a man named Don Callis. He has to beat a member of the team to get the title shot so here are Callis and some of his Family. Callis emphasizes the name MARK and says that he’ll be facing Konosuke Takeshita on Collision. Takeshita comes out for the staredown but Briscoe wants to fight right now.

Mark Briscoe vs. Lance Archer

They slug it out to start and Briscoe knocks him to the floor, only for Archer to cut off the dive. Archer chokeslams him onto the steps and we take a break. We come back with Briscoe still in trouble but knocking Archer outside. The running flip dive connects but Archer is right back with a buckle bomb. The chokeslam gives Archer two and Briscoe goes up, where he bites Archer’s head on top. A sunset bomb sets up the Froggy Bow to finish Archer at 7:59.

Rating: B-. This is where Archer can be well used, as the idea is to make Briscoe feel like a threat to the TNT Title. Therefore, he beat a monster and looks like he could pull off the upset against Takeshita and then Fletcher. It’s a simple way to go and one of the perks of a huge stable like the Family, as you can throw one member after another like this.

Toni Storm knows the history of this building and is ready to be the baddest b**** it has ever seen. Now it is time for someone new to step up and come after the title.

Kris Statlander takes off Harley Cameron’s mask and reveals…what looks to be pink paint. They’re ready to win more but Wheeler Yuta comes in to say the Death Riders have their back. Marina Shafir comes in for the staredown, with Statlander saying tell their friend she got his message. Yuta: “Ok I’m going to go wrestle now.”

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King vs. Death Riders

Bandido and King are defending. Yuta works on Bandido’s arm to start but Bandido is right back up with a headscissors. Castagnoli and King come in to slug it out, with King getting the better of things. Bandido comes back in and manages to muscle Castagnoli over with a suplex. Castagnoli sends him outside though and Yuta hammers away as we take a break.

We come back with Bandido managing a springboard hurricanrana to Castagnoli, allowing King to come back in. Bandido hurricanranas King into Castagnoli in the corner and King superplexes Castagnoli as everything breaks down. Cue Jon Moxley to post King and the Fastball Special gets two on Bandido. The Swing into the dropkick gets two so Moxley tries to get involved again, only to get taken out by Darby Allin. King decks Yuta from the floor and the 21 Plex gives Bandido the pin at 12:45.

Rating: B. Good match here as Bandido is turning into a bigger star almost every time he’s out there. That’s a rather positive sign for his future and now we are going to see how far he and King can go. I’m not exactly picturing them as long term champions, but they’re a hot team right now and that’s what they need to be.

Kazuchika Okada is happy with his win with Konosuke Takeshita last week but Takeshita needs to realize that Okada is the crown jewel of the Don Callis Family.

The Hurt Syndicate isn’t sure what happened to Ricochet and don’t want the Gates Of Agony to be turned into punchlines. Yes they accept the challenge and they’re ready to give Ricochet and the Gates a beating.

Here is Adam Copeland for a chat…and FTR run in to jump him. Christian Cage runs in for the save and the brawl is on. Harwood is busted open as security gets the four of them apart. Some other wrestlers come out and FTR hits a jobber with a spike piledriver. Adam Priest isn’t happy and goes after FTR.

Video on Daniel Garcia vs. Jon Moxley.

Stokely Hathaway and FTR are ready to take out Christian Cage and Adam Copeland. Adam Priest comes in and gets yelled at as well.

Here’s what’s coming on Collision.

Young Bucks/Don Callis Family vs. Jet Speed/Kenny Omega/Hangman Page

Apparently the Bucks had issues at a meet and greet because they need the money. Page takes Alexander down by the wrist to start and everything breaks down. The villains are sent outside for a quadruple slingshot dive. Alexander gets double chopped down and we take a break. We come back with Bailey coming in to pick up the pace, including a middle rope dropkick to Matt. Knight takes Matt down as well but the spinning splash hits raised knees.

A tornado DDT gets Knight out of trouble and it’s back to Page to pick up the pace. Alexander saves Fletcher from the Buckshot Lariat but Fletcher gets caught with a sitout powerbomb. Bailey comes back in to kick away at Alexander, who rolls some German suplexes. The Bucks are back in with a pair of TK Drivers to Jet Speed and we take another break. We come back with the Bucks hitting a top rope double stomp to Bailey’s back with a bunch of people making a save. Bailey is back up with a poisonrana to Alexander and Omega comes in to clean house.

Some snapdragons and we get the big Page/Omega vs. Bucks showdown and it’s a big four way strike off with Page having to pull up from hitting Omega. Everyone is down until it’s Fletcher coming in to slug it out with Page. Fletcher’s jumping Tombstone plants Page but Jet Speed is back in to clean house. Knight DDTs Fletcher but the top rope splash misses. Fletcher kicks Knight in the face and another team Tombstone plants him again for the pin at 22:11.

Rating: B+. It was a wild match, with the Bucks getting to look awesome again but it’s different because they’re being mocked this time. Other than that, it was the bad guys getting to dominate again, though at least Knight took the loss rather than the bigger stars. Fletcher seems to be coming for the World Title, even if Mark Briscoe is after him as well. That could go either way, but for now the villains stand tall.

Post match the villains keep up the beating and the rest of the Don Callis Family comes in to help. Fletcher brainbusters Page through an open chair and a table is set up at ringside. Omega gets chaired down again and a brainbuster sends him through the table. Omega is put in a neck brace to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling itself was pretty nice, though I wasn’t wild on some of the developments. Seeing the heels standing tall in the end, even if it’s a different group of heels, is a bit much after watching the Death Riders do it for so long. Throw in Riho being back and it didn’t leave me overly interested in the future. Hopefully it’s not just more heel dominance for weeks on end, though we still need a good deal of work on the All Out card.

Results
Mercedes Mone b. Alex Windsor – Rollup
Mark Briscoe b. Lance Archer – Froggy Bow
Bandido/Brody King b. Death Riders – 21 Plex to Yuta
Young Bucks/Don Callis Family b. Jet Speed/Kenny Omega/Hangman Page – TK Driver to Knight

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

NXT
Date: September 2, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re inching closer to No Mercy and that means it’s time to have a bunch of people get together to go after Darkstate. That could go in a few different ways, but the bigger issue seems to be Ricky Saints coming after Oba Femi and the NXT Title. Hopefully the rest of the card starts to come together so let’s get to it.

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

Lash Legend vs. Jaida Parker

Parker drives her into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs to start. Legend is back up with a slam and splash for two before rattling Parker’s head between the ropes. A rollup into an armbar gets Parker out of trouble and we go split screen to see Je’Von Evans arriving. The Tear Drop is broken up and we take an early break.

We come back with Legend missing another splash and Parker dropping her with a running shoulder. A running Blockbuster gives Parker two and now the Tear Drop can connect. Legend tries to bail to the floor, where she kicks Parker down. Parker gets dropped onto the announcers’ table with the Lash Extension and another one finishes Parker back inside at 11:35.

Rating: C+. This was about two rather strong women beating on each other until the finish, with Legend getting to move forward towards the title picture. Either of them would have made sense, but Legend has been doing some rather great work recently and deserves the chance. Parker needs to get there at some point too though, as she’s rather entertaining as well.

Post match Parker jumps Legend and Hipnotiques her through the barricade. So this isn’t done.

Arianna Grace meets Blake Monroe and believe it or not, they hit it off. Jordynne Grace storms in and Monroe runs, with Kali Armstrong not being pleased with Grace’s intrusion.

Here is Je’Von Evans for a chat. He knows everyone is expecting him to be all positive but he believed he was going to win the NXT Title at Heatwave. Evans feels like he let himself down because he felt like he had it in the bag…but a motorcycle arrives in the back. The gong sounds….and it’s Josh Briggs.

Was Evans expecting someone else? Undertaker wasn’t going to show up with some words of wisdom to save him. Evans is everything that Briggs hates about NXT because Evans should have demanded a rematch from Oba Femi but here he is instead. Evans doesn’t want to hear this but Briggs isn’t done. Briggs says Evans is good, though he’s never beating Femi. A big boot drops Evans and Briggs chokeslams him through an open chair.

Video on TNA’s Xia Brookside, who is here for the Speed Title tournament. Candice LeRae isn’t impressed.

Hank & Tank try to fire up Ricky Saints and Oba Femi for the eight man tag tonight but Saints and Femi aren’t overly interested. Saints tells Femi to be locked in tonight but Femi tells him to worry about himself.

Women’s Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Xia Brookside vs. Candice LeRae

Three minute time limit. Brookside snaps off a headscissors to start and hits a running dropkick. The running knees in the corner set up a Russian legsweep for two as we’re already a third of the way done. LeRae knocks her over the top and out to the floor, only to miss a Lionsault back inside. We’ve got a minute left as LeRae hits a tornado DDT into the Lionsault for the pin at 2:37. I really didn’t need to see this as a regular feature on TV, as it makes me wonder why people take their time in regular matches if they can get wins this quickly. See also most gauntlet matches.

Josh Briggs bullies the locker room but Chase U stands up to him. They’re ready to teach him a lesson, with Andre Chase getting to do it, even if he didn’t seem thrilled.

Fatal Influence comes in to see Ava, with a few women’s tag teams already there. Ava makes a triple threat match for next week with the winners getting a Women’s Tag Team Title shot.

Darkstate isn’t happy with how they have been treated, including how it went on LFG and NXT. They’re not waiting when they have the talent. Good, fired up promo here and it explained the team a lot better.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He’s the greatest TNA star of all time and the hottest NXT superstar to ever live. The fans don’t care about him though and he can’t blame them, because when he moves up to Raw and Smackdown, he’s never coming back here. The people the fans love don’t care about them…and here is DIY to quite the reception.

They heard that Homecoming is in two weeks but they wanted to show up early, because it is the ten year anniversary of their NXT debuts. So Williams is supposed to be the best NXT star ever? Well he is a two time NXT Champion….but so is Tommaso Ciampa. They talk about their own success in NXT, though Gargano says his partner got a bit grumpy at the end of shows.

Gargano talks about the people who have walked that aisle, like a demon, a hugger, the undisputed and the glorious, who were pretty great in their own right. Ciampa says two guys bled black and gold and defined an era but Williams says they were great. The problem is Williams is just that much better. The fans chant for Carmelo Hayes and Williams shoves Ciampa, earning himself Meet In The Middle. This was a cool moment and DIY felt like returning legends.

Ava says if Je’Von Evans doesn’t interfere tonight, he can face Josh Briggs next week.

Video on Evolve Women’s Champion Kali Armstrong.

Tavion Heights gives Ethan Page the Canadian flag back and says he’s cool with Canada, but not one specific Canadian. The result is a flag match next week.

Kali Armstrong vs. Jordynne Grace

Non-title. Armstrong stomps away in the corner to start and hits a running shoulder to the ribs. Grace strikes away to come back before grabbing the camel clutch. That’s shrugged off and Armstrong sends her into the corner as we take an early break. We come back with Grace sending her into the corner again (they really like that move). The Grace Driver is blocked and Armstrong hits a powerslam for two. The Kali Connection (running shoulder) is blocked as well and the Grace Driver finishes at 7:50.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure how smart it is to put Armstrong out there for a loss, but also against another powerhouse. The idea is that Armstrong is incredibly strong, but that only works so well when she’s in there against someone like Grace. The match wasn’t bad and it’s far from a stretch to have Grace win, though I’m still not wild on a champion losing clean.

Post match Blake Monroe comes out for the brawl and security has to break it up. Monroe is busted open and seems shaken up by the whole thing.

Video on Lola Vice, who is back at her childhood home in Miami. Family means a lot to her and she’s glad to be back for a rare visit. Her family is rather proud of her. To be continued. These vignettes always work.

Andre Chase vs. Josh Briggs

Briggs runs him over to start but Chase is back with a kick to the floor. That earns Chase a drop onto the apron though and we take a break. We come back with Chase getting two but having to fight out of a superplex attempt. A Boss Man Slam sets up a suplex but Chase is back with a Stundog Millionaire. The high crossbody gives Chase two but Briggs chokeslams and hits a big boot for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C+. I get the idea of pushing the new monster, but dang it’s sad to see Chase fall this far. He was the hottest thing in NXT for awhile and they just stopped everything they had with him. Now he’s doing nothing but jobbing and trying to relieve the past. Hopefully they find something else for him, because this is rather sad.

Post match Briggs beats up Chase U.

Trick Williams will see DIY next week.

Ricky Saints/Oba Femi/Hank & Tank vs. Darkstate

Shugars hammers on Hank in the corner to start and it’s off to Lennox for a running clothesline. Tank comes in and elbows James in the corner before handing it off to Saints for the arm cranking. Old School seems to annoy Femi, who comes in to stay on James’ arm. Femi teases tagging Saints but then does Saints’ pose to a rather big reaction. Everything breaks down and James is left alone, meaning it’s a four way crushing as we take a break.

We come back with Hank getting beaten down and Griffin grabs the chinlock. Back up and Tank saves Hank from a whip into the corner, allowing Tank to get the needed tag. Saints adds a springboard tornado DDT as everything breaks down. Femi tosses Shugars to Saints for a powerbomb but Saints and Femi get in a fight of their own. They fight to the back, leaving Darkstate to load up the triple bomb. Tank makes the save but James grabs Hank by the throat. Hank summons Joe Hendry, whose distraction lets Hank & Tank hit the powerslam/running shoulder combination to pin James at 11:52.

Rating: B-. The ending was a bit dumb with Darkstate looking pretty weak, as they couldn’t win despite having a 4-2 and then 4-3 advantage. I guess they had to get to Hank & Tank’s rematch though, because we just haven’t seen enough of the team. Femi and Saints brawling off is fine, as their match should be quite the showcase when we get there.

Saints and Femi have to be separated in the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show started setting up No Mercy in a bigger way and I’m curious to see what else we’re getting. You can probably guess most of what is going to happen but this was a nice step forward towards the show. DIY’s special appearance was a great bonus and it has me wondering who else is going to show up for Homecoming. Good show here, with some stuff being set up for the next big night.

Results
Lash Legend b. Jaida Parker – Lash Extension
Candice LeRae b. Xia Brookside – Lionsault
Jordynne Grace b. Kali Armstrong – Grace Driver
Josh Briggs b. Andre Chase – Big boot
Hank & Tanks/Oba Femi/Ricky Saints b. Darkstate – Powerslam/running shoulder combination to James

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

WWE Vault Grab Bag
Commentators: Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes

So since the WWE Vault has a tendency to throw out all kinds of random matches, it can be fun to see what comes out and mix them together. That’s what I’m doing here, with a collection of seven matches that have been posted recently(ish). There’s no connection to them other than that (at least that I’ll get into) so let’s get to it.

From Mexico City, July 13, 2024.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Isla Dawn

Vaquer had been signed in a big surprise a few days before. Dawn jumps her before the match but Vaquer knocks her down and hits a legdrop. A springboard high crossbody gives Vaquer two, only for Dawn to get in a cheap shot to take over. Dawn’s hip attack in the corner gets two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Vaquer makes the comeback, including what would become known as the Devil’s Kiss for two. Dawn fights back to no avail as it’s the SVB to give Vaquer the pin at 4:23.

Rating: C. This wasn’t quite a squash, but Vaquer was never in anything resembling real trouble. That’s the point in having her debut like this, as she got to come in, make a good impression, and leave with the fans wanting to see more. Nice debut here, as Vaquer clearly had the skills right from the start.

From Savannah, Georgia, January 29, 1991.

Jake Roberts vs. Rick Martel

This is a Blindfold Match after a Wrestling Challenge taping and a test run for their infamous match at Wrestlemania VII. Martel misses a (blind) charge to start and Roberts immediately gets the idea of pointing, with the fans telling him if he’s going in the right direction while Martel stumbles around. This goes on for a bit until Roberts finally gets him down and hammers away. Martel is back with some choking but misses a backdrop attempt as Roberts steps to the side. How he would know to do that is anyone’s guess.

Martel winds up on the floor and stumbles around for a bit, ultimately finding the snake bag and panicking. The staggering continues as Martel finds a chair and I wonder how there hasn’t been a 94 count by now. Martel’s chair shot hits the post and he slowly gets back inside (after almost four minutes on the floor).

They back into each other and Martel hammers away but misses an elbow drop. Martel finally gets frustrated and takes the hood off to hammer away. Roberts gets tied in the ropes so Martel grabs the Arrogance. The fight with the referee is enough for Roberts to hear them and hit the DDT for the VERY delayed pin at 8:46.

Rating: D+. This didn’t work again, partially as I’m not sure how Martel wasn’t counted out or disqualified at either point. That being said, the idea of a blindfold match works, but this was very little action or even teases with the crowd helping. Then again, it’s just a tryout for the big match later, even if a lot of the sequences were the same.

From Springfield, Massachusetts, November 12, 1991.

WWF Title: Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan

Hogan is defending in a Wrestling Challenge dark match and Mr Perfect is here with Flair. We hit the stall button to start with no contact for more than the first two minutes. Flair gets in a shove and a WOO before ducking a lockup attempt. He ducks again and we’re now three and a half minutes in with that one shove being the only contact. Hogan draws a line on the mat and says bring it so we finally get a lockup, with Flair grabbing a headlock.

Flair grinds away but Hogan powers out and hits a running shoulder, allowing him to strut a bit as the fans are going nuts for all of this. A clothesline puts Flair on the floor and it’s time for a test of strength, but Flair is smart enough to pike him in the eye instead. Flair’s big chop just fires Hogan up and he hammers away in the corner. Hogan knocks him to the floor and Flair goes to leave, only to get dragged back for his efforts.

This time Flair manages to knock him down and drops the knee but the chops just wake Hogan up again. That’s one thing I love about Flair: whether it’s Sting or Hogan, he would keep doing the same things that never worked because he has the confidence to believe THIS TIME FOR SURE! Just like going to the top rope, even if it almost NEVER worked, Flair was delusional enough to believe that he could pull it off.

Anyway, Hogan fights back but stops to yell at Perfect, allowing Flair to start in on the leg. Flair crotches him against the post and starts in with his usual leg variety pack. The Figure Four attempt is blocked though and Flair goes up, only to be slammed down (there it is). Perfect puts the foot on the ropes at two and it’s time for the foreign object. The big right hand connects and yeah you know what’s coming. The Hulk Up is on and Flair bails to the floor for the chase, with Hogan beating the count back in for the win at 14:45.

Rating: C. Well it was fine and that’s about all I can give the thing. Flair just never felt like a threat to Hogan, as outside of a fluke rollup, was anyone buying that Hogan was losing to the Figure Four? It’s one of those matches that felt like it should have been massive but it just didn’t click for the most part, which was certainly the situation here.

Hogan poses to mix it up a bit.

From Cape Girardeau, Missouri, March 24, 1985.

Randy Savage vs. Jerry Lawler

This is officially from the ICW promotion, which officially done but Angelo Poffo (Randy’s father) might have been promoting a Memphis show and as a result, it was part of the ICW video library. Savage bails to the floor to start and says something I can’t understand before getting back inside for the lockup. They run the ropes with Lawler letting him jump over him about five times before grabbing a hiptoss.

Back up and Savage keeps moving around while Lawler waits on him, including another knockdown. The stalling continues as there is barely anything going on, but the fans keep screaming at just about everything. In other words, these two are crazy over and the fans want to see it happen. Lawler goes to the floor and grabs the mic to complain about…something (not the best audio as you can imagine).

They switch places and Savage’s manager and says if Lawler has any guts he’ll…something. Lawler drops to the floor again and seems to threaten said manager as we’re nearly ten minutes in with about a minute of contact. Lawler chases Savage outside again and Savage grabs the mic to yell some more. Back in and Lawler punches him into the ropes and, of course, Savage bails outside. This time he grabs the chair so Lawler runs for a change. Savage grabs the mic again and I have no idea what he’s saying. Granted this is for the live crowd and not us so it’s hard to get that annoyed.

Back in again and Savage knocks him into the corner before dropping to his knees for some mocking, followed by another yell into the mic. Lawler chases him back to the floor before dropping outside himself, where Lawler steals the bell for some reason. Savage chases him with a chair, so Lawler grabs the mic and seems to tell Savage to drop the chair. That brings Savage back in for roughly the 47th time, with Lawler punching him down again.

We stall again, as there are minutes long stretches between any kind of offense. Lawler catches a kick to the stomach and sweeps out the other leg, setting up the fist drop as we might be about to get going. That means Savage needs a breather in the corner, which allows him to catch Lawler’s kick to the ribs for a change. Lawler ENZIGURIS HIM into the corner, followed (eventually) by a right hand. Savage ducks a clothesline though and Lawler is sent to the apron, allowing the manager to slip in the cane for a shot to the ribs.

The slow beating knocks Lawler around ringside, followed by the top rope elbow….to the head. Well that’s just weird, and Lawler sending him outside on the kickout is even weirder. Back in and Savage sends him outside again, this time beating Lawler into the crowd, where we can’t see very much. Back in again and Lawler punches him out of the air, meaning it’s time to start the comeback. As is the case int his match, it doesn’t last long as Savage goes to the eyes and sends him into the buckle a few times. The strap comes down and Lawler hammers away, goes after the manager, and drops the middle rope fist for the pin at 31:57.

Rating: B-. Ok so here’s the thing: this is not going to be for everyone. If you like action packed matches, you will be bored out of your mind with this one. The vast majority of offense is punching, with Lawler’s enziguri and Savage’s stuff from the top being about the only variety. What you had here was a great lesson in milking a crowd, as these guys barely did anything for about twenty minutes and had the crowd going nuts. That’s how you do something like this and it worked, while also showing how brilliant both of them were with getting the most out of their actions.

Post match someone runs in after Lawler (likely Lanny Poffo) but Lawler clears him out, only to get jumped by two more guys….who he beats up as well.

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, January 31, 1997.

WWF Title: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Sid

Michaels is defending in a dark match after Raw. Canadian boxer George Chuvalo is guest ringside referee. Michaels does not seem to be quite with it and Hart isn’t looking pleased, though that’s often his default look. Hart and Michaels slug it out to start until Michaels is sent outside so Sid can beat on Hart instead.

Back in and Michaels tries the superkick on Sid, who reverses into a chokeslam. Hart drops Sid and goes after Michaels in the corner, with Michaels reversing and superkicking Sid to the floor. A dropkick and some right hands have Hart in trouble and Michaels isn’t sure why the (Canadian) crowd doesn’t like him. Another dropkick is countered into the Sharpshooter but Sid is back in for the save.

The powerbomb drops Hart again so Michaels makes a save. This time Sid is sent outside, leaving Hart to beat on Michaels some more. A backdrop sends Michaels to the floor in a nasty looking bump, leaving the other two to clothesline each other. The Sharpshooter has Sid in trouble but Steve Austin runs in…and gets knocked silly by Chuvalo. Well that didn’t work. Back up and Sid tries the powerbomb but Michaels comes back in with a high crossbody to pin Hart and retain at 12:13.

Rating: B-. Good enough match here, with the fans being completely behind Bret (of course) and Austin’s selling of the punch being rather impressive. Other than that, the match was rather basic with the two in, one out format that would wind up dominating the matches over the years. In other words, it’s been this way since the beginning (well, the modern beginning that is, as there were three person matches all the way back back to at least the 60s). Anyway, nice stuff here.

From Binghamton, New York, June 30, 1992.

Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog

From after a Wrestling Challenge taping, Hart’s Intercontinental Title isn’t on the line and I believe this was on one of the Unreleased DVDs from a few years ago. Bulldog runs him over with a shoulder to the floor to start and the fans are impressed. Back in and Hart’s headlock doesn’t last long so he gets two off a small package instead. A headlock takeover slows Bulldog back down, which he reverses into a hammerlock. That’s reversed but Bulldog rolls around and grabs an armbar.

Hart gets up again and hits a knee to the ribs, followed by the chinlock. Bulldog fights up and tries the crucifix but gets dropped down hard to cut that off. A piledriver (snappy one too) gets two and some elbows, including the middle rope version, get the same. Back up and Hart is sent chest first into the corner but he’s right back with a sleeper. That’s broken up and they crash out to the floor with Hart getting the worst of of it. Bulldog tries a suplex back in but Hart reverses into a sweet German suplex to retain at 13:55.

Rating: B. Well of course the match was good as you have two rather talented people in the ring for a decent amount of time. It was different enough from the Summerslam match and that made for a nice viewing. If nothing else, the German suplex looked rather good with Hart’s bridge making for a nice looking finish.

We get a post match hug.

From Mobile, Alabama, March 9, 1992.

Hulk Hogan/Roddy Piper vs. Sid Justice/Ric Flair

Dark match from a Superstars taping but it was released on the 1992 Battle Of The WWF Superstars so we actually have commentary. Harvey Wippleman handles Sid’s entrance and the fans do not seem pleased. Piper and Flair start things off with Piper getting the better of things and knocking him around, with Hogan getting a shot of his own. The running knee has Flair flying again and Piper is right there waiting with two fingers to the eyes (you know Flair is willing to bump all over the place for something like this).

The right hands in the corner set up the Flair Flip to the apron, where Hogan is waiting with the big boot. Sid comes in and chokes Hogan in the corner before beating Piper up in a similar manner. Piper manages to punch him out of the air but Sid takes it right back into the corner. Flair’s atomic drop gives us a fairly funny sell from Piper, who is sent outside. Hogan goes out for the save but gets held back, allowing Sid to get in a chair to the back.

They head back inside and Piper slams Flair off the top but crawls to the wrong corner (giving us a good “NOPE” face from Piper). Flair and Piper get in a weird rolling sequence on the mat until Piper makes it over to Hogan for the tag. Hogan boots Flair down (the camera cuts half a second too late and it’s clear that there’s no contact) for the legdrop but Sid comes in and gently taps Hogan with a chair. Flair gets two but it’s Hulk Up time as everything breaks down. With Sid and Piper on the floor, Hogan clotheslines Flair for the pin at 12:49.

Rating: C+. You know exactly what you’re getting with something like this and while the WWF Champion just got pinned by a clothesline, the fans were going nuts and Piper was clearly having a great time. Piper vs. Flair was a heck of a feud at this point and Hogan vs. Sid was about to headline Wrestlemania. Good way to wrap things up here and the fans approved so it could have been a lot worse.

Hogan and Piper pose together, which will always be sick and wrong.

Overall Rating: B-. An overall rating for this is kind of a weird thing to put together as it’s not meant to be anything more than a homemade playlist. That’s the kind of fun thing that you get from the Vault and I had a good time with the whole thing. It’s a lot of stuff that I’ve either never seen before or haven’t seen in a long time. I had fun with this and hopefully I can do something like it again sooner than later.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Superstars
Date: February 6, 1993
Location: Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, Jerry Lawler

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and that means it’s time to get on the Yokozuna train as there is nothing between here and Wrestlemania. Bret Hart is the WWF Champion and it’s pretty clear that he’s in big trouble and the countdown is on. Other than that…well there isn’t much but Superstars isn’t the most in-depth show a lot of the time. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Vince describes the show as THE UNITED STATES VS. JAPAN. Oh yeah we have a theme. Savage talks about…trade deficits and the Japanese economy going through the roof. Dang what I would give for a Savage economics lesson. Lawler thinks Yokozuna is winning the WWF Title at Wrestlemania.

Here’s what’s on the show.

Nasty Boys vs. Dave Silguero/Robert Taylor

The Boys don’t waste time here as it’s an early Pit Stop to Taylor. Silguero (“Mr. Pink Tights” according to Vince) comes in and gets faceplanted, followed by a corner splash. A powerslam into the top rope elbow gives Sags the pin at 2:18.

UPDATE!

We look back at the Royal Rumble, with Giant Gonzalez showing up and attacking the Undertaker.

Harvey Wippleman, with Giant Gonzalez, says this is revenge for Undertaker ruining Kamala.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Rudi Flores

Bigelow splashes him in the corner as commentary talks about Yokozuna some more. The top rope headbutt finishes at 49 seconds.

Off to the Event Center, with Big Boss Man talking about having a dream. His dream has always been to be a law enforcement officer. So he isn’t living his dream?

Damien Demento says he knows the future and it shows him being victorious forever. I’m just trying to figure out what kind of accent he has.

We look at Lex Luger’s debut at the Royal Rumble, with Bobby Heenan’s insane over the top praise.

Doink The Clown vs. Reno Riggins

Doink takes him down by the leg and avoids a rolling charge in the corner. Doink grabs a double leg stump puller and then just sits down for a rollup and the pin at 46 seconds.

Mr. Perfect isn’t impressed by Lex Luger being described as “better than perfect” and even challenging Perfect to a match. Perfect pulls the curtain back and reveals a rather skinny man in underwear, saying that this is what Luger will look like when Perfect stands next to him. Then he adds a skin ripping chop for a bonus.

Jim Duggan is ready to try to knock Yokozuna down, just like the troops did in Desert Storm. Uh, if you think Desert Storm was against the Japanese…..

Here is Duggan to face Yokozuna in a knockdown challenge so I guess it isn’t a match. They take their time and get into crouches, with Yokozuna easily winning an exchange of shoulders. They do it again and the result is the same, with Duggan realizing this isn’t working. Duggan loads it up a third time (allowing commentary to talk about the trade deficit with Japan for about the fifth time tonight) and this time Yokozuna is staggered.

The fourth time sees Yokozuna miss a clothesline and the shoulder puts him down. Duggan celebrates and gets salt thrown in his eyes. Yokozuna suplexes him down and hits a pair of belly to belly suplexes, leaving Duggan to bleed from his mouth. Duggan is taken out on a stretcher, leaving the American flag on the mat. To set up Yokozuna’s match against Bret Hart: Proud American.

Beverly Brothers vs. Pete Christie/Bob East

Blake punches east in the face to start as commentary ignored the match to talk about Duggan vs. Yokozuna. The Shaker Heights Spike (and a SCARY one at that) finishes Christie at 1:25. Commentary didn’t notice the match until the finish. Lawler: “I LIKE THAT!” Vince: “I suppose you liked what you saw with Yokozuna!”

Tatanka wants you to help feed the hungry. Eh ok.

We get another Event Center, with High Energy being tired of being told they’re not tough enough. Man you’re in a pink checkered jacket. Who is thinking you’re tough?

Repo Man might repossess the WWF Title….but Bret Hart is really good.

The Nasty Boys want the Tag Team Titles back.

Brutus Beefcake is returning to the ring! And yes, this is their big announcement to end the show.

A preview of next week wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C-. This wasn’t their greatest effort, as the focus was ENTIRELY on Yokozuna and the USA vs. Japan deal, which is a rather one note story for a title match that isn’t coming for two months (and involves a Canadian champion). There was pretty much nothing else on the show and I was sick of hearing about Yokozuna pretty soon. Other than that, it was just the usual squashes and that wasn’t overly interesting. Not great here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 15, 2008
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

We’re on the way to No Mercy and that means it’s time to start putting the card together. In this case that means figuring out what is coming, though the Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels feud should give you a pretty good idea. First though, Jericho has to get through CM Punk in a steel cage. Let’s get to it.

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

The cage is lowered.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending in a cage with pinfall, submission or escape to win. Punk hammers away to start fast and whips Jericho into the corner, allowing Jericho to try a quick escape. That’s immediately cut off so Punk goes up, with Jericho pulling him back down. The running knee and bulldog look to set up the GTS but Jericho makes the rope. Punk is fine enough to send him into the cage and we take a break.

We come back with Jericho holding an ankle lock of all things before switching to the Walls. Punk’s crawl gets his hands and a leg out of the cage but Jericho pulls him back in and slams the door on Punk’s head. The Lionsault hits a raised knee though and Punk kicks him down, only to miss a running knee in the corner.

They fight onto the top of the cage and then crash back down to give Punk two. Jericho sends him into the cage and goes up, with Punk grabbing an electric chair for the big crash back down. Punk goes for the door but Jericho dives at him and winds up on the apron. A headbutt staggers Jericho…and he falls out to retain the title in a bit of a call back to Muraco vs. Snuka.

Rating: B. Good, hard hitting fight here as Jericho escapes again, with Punk basically beating himself. It’s a clever way to keep both of them going, as Punk got his rematch and didn’t so much get beaten as much as Jericho got lucky. At the same time, Jericho gets to move on, likely to his next showdown with Shawn Michaels.

Batista is watching.

Mike Adamle is talking to Kelly Kelly in the back when some annoying guy comes in to introduce himself. Dolph Ziggler or something. With that out of the way, Chris Jericho comes in and Adamle says it’s time to focus on No Mercy. Jericho doesn’t like that and says Adamle needs to take care of him better, even offering to explain it in his office.

Kane is in a mask but explains that he had to remove it. That was for all of the people but it got him nothing. Now people ridicule him and he doesn’t like that. He wants to hurt Rey Mysterio, who doesn’t have the courage to unmask. Everyone wears a mask because they don’t like themselves. When he attacked Mysterio, he was attacking everyone. Evan Bourne comes in and says he wants to see Mysterio beat Kane. That doesn’t seem to bother Kane, who laughs a lot.

Candice Michelle vs. Jillian Hall

Hall sings some Elvis on her way to the ring and after the break, cranking up the shrieking extra high this week. Beth Phoenix is here to watch as well. Michelle grabs a quickly broken headlock to start and is promptly planted hard. Hall pulls on the hair to keep Michelle down and we hit the full nelson. Michelle fights up and jumps over her in the corner, hitting a kind of Edge-O-Matic (nice) for two. The Candywrapper finishes Hall off.

Rating: C-. The Edge-O-Matic was nice and you can see that Michelle is trying, but it’s still only getting her so far. I’ll certainly take someone at least trying to get better though and Michelle is doing just that, which is partially why she’s getting the attention. WWE is trying to find someone new for the women’s division so they might as well try it with Michelle.

Post match Phoenix comes after Michelle and gets dropkicked.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Tommy Dreamer

JBL slams him down and drops an elbow, followed by a big boot. Dreamer gets a boot of his own up in the corner and grabs a neckbreaker, only to walk into the Clothesline From JBL for the fast pin.

Post match JBL says he isn’t leaving the ring until he talks to Mike Adamle. Post break JBL is still waiting and explaining that he should be #1 contender but gets Randy Orton instead. Orton talks about his recent champions evaluation, which is why he cost CM Punk the World Title. JBL isn’t much of an upgrade, though Orton’s shoulder is almost better and he’s coming for the title. Then there will be a champion on Raw with some credibility…so cue Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix.

Marella mocks Orton for being hurt all the time, just like his dad. On the other hand, Marella’s father is always healthy! Except for having herpes. Orton: “You expect me to respond to that?” JBL wants an apology from Orton because JBL knocked Batista out cold with one shot last week. Cue Batista to interrupt, quoting Barack Obama to suggest that Phoenix is a pig. Marella says Phoenix squeals but Batista promises to beat all of them up. Marella: “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

Batista apologizes and offers Phoenix a title shot when he gets the belt back too. Mike Adamle pops up on screen to say he’ll make his official decision on a #1 contender later tonight. Batista takes out JBL and Marella but Phoenix slaps him in the face. That earns her a spinebuster onto Marella

In the back, Orton passes Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase and Manu, with some glares being exchanged.

Kofi Kingston/Jerry Lawler/Charlie Haas vs. Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase/Manu

Haas is Jim Ross this week so naturally he’s fat, talks about football, and pitches barbecue sauce. And yes, the fans are quiet for the dumb joke. Kingston headlocks Manu to start before slipping out of a slam and hitting a dropkick. Rhodes comes in and gets dragged into the corner for the tag to Lawler (the fans still like him), who fires off some dropkicks.

Rhodes knocks him down though and grabs the chinlock, only for Lawler to fight up and bring Haas in for some snap jabs. Everything breaks down and Haas hits a splash as everything breaks down. DiBiase avoids a charge into the corner and the cobra clutch Russian legsweep finishes fast.

Rating: C-. Hey did you know that WWE likes to make fun of Jim Ross every single chance they get? It’s the most one note joke imaginable in this situation and that’s not something you want to see. Well unless you’re Vince McMahon of course, which is why this kept happening. The match was just a way to get Lawler on the show, which was fine, though the fans’ lack of a response to Haas as Ross told you all you needed to know.

Smackdown Rebound.

JBL comes in to see Chris Jericho, who cuts him off and brings up JBL costing him the World Title last year. Jericho brings up the impending stock market crash and brags about being the champion. No, he won’t put a good word in for JBL to get the title shot.

Jamie Noble vs. Paul Burchill

Katie Lea is here with Burchill. Noble stomps him down to start fast but gets uppercutted into the corner. Back up and Noble slingshots into a cross armbreaker for the fast tap.

Post match Layla comes out to apologize for last week. She’s so sorry for taking that long to get away from Noble, because now she has found a man worthy of her. This brings out William Regal, who says Layla wanted nobility rather than Noble.

Lance Cade is meeting with Mike Adamle when Batista comes in, wanting to be #1 contender. Cade says Batista isn’t #1 contender and gets slammed into a wall.

Kane vs. Rey Mysterio

Kane throws him into the corner for a right hand to start before pulling a springboard hurricanrana out of the air. Mysterio slips out but is quickly choked on the rope to stop that just as fast. We take an early break and come back with Mysterio fighting out of a chinlock The elbow misses for Kane and Mysterio hammers away in the corner, only to be sent back first into the post.

Kane stomps him down in the corner but misses a charge, allowing Mysterio to hit the sitout bulldog. Mysterio sends him into the corner and hits the enziguri to set up the 619. That’s cut off with a hard clothesline and Kane stomps away in the corner….for the DQ, as Mysterio manages to survive.

Rating: C. This wasn’t some big epic showdown but it wasn’t supposed to be. What matters is having Mysterio back in the ring so he can fight back against Kane, though he’s probably going to need some help. For now though, it’s the start of what will likely be a bigger story, as WWE would never pull the plug on Kane being a monster or anything.

Post match Kane stays on Mysterio until Evan Bourne runs in for the save.

Dolph Ziggler introduces himself to Chris Jericho and Lance Cade but only gets a handshake from the latter.

Here are Jericho and Cade in the arena for the announcement of the next #1 contender. Jericho talks about how neither JBL nor Batista are worthy of a title shot, so they should face off at No Mercy and he gets the winner immediately thereafter. That’s two matches for one of them but that’s how he won the title at Unforgiven. Cue Mike Adamle to say he thinks that’s fair and they will have a #1 contenders match and will face the champion in the future.

Jericho asks what he means by “the champion” because he’ll be the champion. Actually hang on though, as there is someone else who has pitched a title shot, which he will receive at No Mercy. Cue Shawn Michaels, who says they have fought in a variety of matches, so what else can they do to each other? There is one more that he can do and it will allow him to hurt Jericho and win the title. He asks some people to help him out so they bring in a ladder, with Michaels climbing up to make the match official to end the show. Yeah I’d say that works.

Overall Rating: C+. The whole point of this show was setting up a title match at No Mercy and while Michaels was the fairly obvious pick, they did a nice job of setting him up as something of a surprise at the end. Throwing in the ladder matkes it even better and it should be a heck of a match. The rest of the show was the hit and miss stuff you expect from Raw, but the cage match and closing segments made it work well enough.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 1, 2025
Location: La Defense Arena, Paris, France
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re still in Paris after yesterday’s Clash and that means it’s time to start the build towards Wrestlepalooza. While you can pretty much pencil in the John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar showdown, they’re going to need something else to fill in the gaps. With less than three weeks before the show, those gaps can be filled starting this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Clash In Paris if you need a recap.

We still have the awesome Eiffel Tower set.

Long Clash In Paris recap.

CM Punk is waiting for Seth Rollins to arrive after getting screwed out of the title. Adam Pearce is fine with it.

Here is Jey Uso to get things going. Uso isn’t happy and says he isn’t going to run it back tonight. He has some medical tape around his waist but he is running last night back. The Vision attacked both he and Roman Reigns and you never put your hands on his family. Uso wants the Vision out here right now but gets LA Knight instead. Knight says he should be the World Heavyweight Champion but instead he stands here a loser, just like Uso.

Some people claim that Uso lives in his cousin’s shadow. Knight doesn’t know anything about that, but Seth Rollins lives in his wife’s shadow. They could have taken Rollins out last night and the three challengers could have fought it out, but Uso screwed that up because he doesn’t understand. Knight is sick and tired of being left laying and not being World Heavyweight Champion. If Uso doesn’t get that, Knight can get him up to speed real quick.

Cue Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker to interrupt with Knight being ready to go. Breakker says that the only thing we should be concerned about is Paul Heyman’s health after Roman Reigns choked him out. The fans chant for Reigns but Breakker says it means that Heyman isn’t here to tell them what to do. Reed brags about the beating they gave Reigns because the vision didn’t include him. It doesn’t include Knight and Uso either, so they’re next. Knight says he and Uso can do this later so the tag match seems set for tonight.

We recap the issues between Iyo Sky and the Kabuki Warriors.

Sky tries to make peace with the Warriors and….it seems to work.

Judgment Day vs. Kabuki Warriors

Asuka and Perez start things off with Asuka knocking her to the floor. It’s already off to Rodriguez, who gets pulled into a quick choke. The Octopus hold is quickly escaped so it’s off to Sane for some double kicks. The choke over the ropes has Rodriguez in more trouble and it’s back to Perez, who gets taken down with a headscissors. That’s broken up though and Perez takes Sane outside for a whip into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Perez splashing Sane in the corner. That’s broken up and it’s back to Asuka to strike away until Rodriguez hits a clothesline. Perez adds a spinning knee to the back of the head before Sane and Rodriguez fight to the floor. The Asuka Lock is countered into a rollup for two before Asuka hip attacks Rodriguez back outside. Perez can’t hit Pop Rox and they seem to get a bit lost, with Asuka’s spinwheel kick barely making contact. The Asuka Lock finishes Perez at 10:40.

Rating: B-. I’m wondering if something went wrong in the end there because the match was sharp for the first ten minutes and then absolutely fell apart at the end. It wouldn’t surprise me if Perez was hurt as she was stumbling a bit before the weird spinwheel kick. Either way, good match otherwise and if someone was hurt at the end, the last few moments are more than excusable.

Adam Pearce announces that it’s Stephanie Vaquer vs. Iyo Sky for the title in three weeks at Wrestlepalooza.

Finn Balor vs. Dragon Lee

JD McDonagh is here with Balor. The fans are rather into this as Balor takes him down by the arm to start. Balor drops him with an elbow to the face but Lee is back with a springboard wristdrag out of the corner. The slingshot dropkick gets two and Balor is sent to the floor for the running flip dive as we take a break. We come back with Lee fighting out of a headlock and kicking Balor in the face. The sitout powerbomb gives Lee two but Balor pulls him off the top. The Coup de Grace finishes Lee at 9:48.

Rating: B-. Pretty simple and to the point here with Balor getting a nice reception. I’m not sure what he is going to be doing anytime soon, save for maybe feuding with Dominik Mysterio, but at least he’s still that smooth in the ring. On the other hand you have Lee, who has sunk incredibly far at a remarkable rate. I’m not sure if it was the unrealistic expectations or the pressure on him, but it hasn’t worked to say the least.

Nikki Bella meets Iyo Sky but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. Bella isn’t pleased and leaves, with the Warriors saying they helped Sky win at Summerslam so they’ll see her at Wrestlepalooza. Sky doesn’t seem happy.

Dominik Mysterio wants Judgment Day to help him against AJ Styles but Adam Pearce bans them from ringside.

New Day/Grayson Waller vs. War Raiders/Penta

Penta sends Waller and Kingston to the apron to start but it’s too early to Canadian Destroy Woods. The Raiders take the villains down on the floor and Penta adds a dive as we take a break. We come back with Erik in trouble and Woods getting to strut a bit. Erik fights his way out of trouble and brings Ivar in to fire off the seated splashes in the corner. Waller avoids one of said splashes though and everything breaks down. Waller tries his rolling Stunner and gets knocked silly. A belly to back suplex/splash combination crushes Woods and the Canadian Destroyer finishes at 8:48.

Rating: C+. New Day and the Raiders just feel like they’re nothing at this point, even with New Day’s rather funny heel antics. There is no heat for either team and they come and go (when the Raiders are actually around that is) without much changing. It’s nice to see Penta win, but this was a pretty cold match for some prominent names.

Rhea Ripley wants the Women’s Title back but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. They don’t want her around Iyo Sky but Ripley doesn’t get what’s so bad about it. Asuka says stay away from Sky and repeats her name before pushing Ripley. That doesn’t work for Ripley but Asuka leaves, even as Kairi Sane isn’t sure what to do.

Roxanne Perez asks Adam Pearce why she’s not in the Wrestlepalooza title match. Pearce points out that she and Raquel Rodriguez just lost but he’ll think about it after Wrestlepalooza. Lyra Valkyria comes in and gets into an argument with Rodriguez and Perez. Judgment Day leaves and Pearce tells Valkyria that Bayley will be back soon. Valkyria: “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got?” She wants a match with Judgment Day so Pearce makes it for next week. Uncertain hand gestures ensue.

Intercontinental Title: AJ Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio

Styles is challenging and gets a crazy strong reception. Strong enough that it’s STILL GOING after a break, with Styles just soaking it in. Mysterio jumps him to start and the bell rings, with Styles fighting back to send Mysterio outside. The big dive connects and we take an early break.

We come back with Styles striking away, including the sliding forearm to set up the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two. A headscissors out of the corner sends Styles to the floor and Mysterio drops him with a baseball slide. Mysterio’s hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb onto the announcers’ table though and we take another break. We come back again with an exchange of forearms until Styles grabs a neckbreaker for two.

The Styles Clash is countered into the Mullet O Matic (oh that’s amazing) for two and Styles is sent into the post. The Michinoku Driver gives Mysterio two more and the Three Amigos into the frog splash gets the same. Back up and a quick Styles Clash connects but Mysterio gets a boot on the rope. The Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but cue El Grande Americano with the loaded headbutt to the ribs. Mysterio drops the frog splash to retain at 16:05.

Rating: B. Odds are this moves us into Styles vs. Americano, which is an interesting change of pace. At the same time, Mysterio is going to need a fresh challenger and there are more than a few names available. For now though, Mysterio outsmarts the veteran again, which is a pretty nice accomplishment. Not as nice as that ovation Styles received, but still good.

We look back at Roman Reigns beating Bronson Reed last night but getting laid out by the Vision after the match.

LA Knight is ready to do whatever it takes to get the World Heavyweight Title. If that means going through Jey Uso, so be it. Cue Uso, who says they’ll make this work and loads up the catchphrase, but Knight says the four letters, one word is YEAH.

Rhea Ripley is with CM Punk in the back but Adam Pearce comes in to say Seth Rollins is in the building. Pearce doesn’t know how, but Punk is going to go handle him. Pearce: “And what does that mean?”

Video on Rusev, who is happy with his win with his win over Sheamus.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. He wants Seth Rollins out here right now and gets Rollins…….’ wife. Becky Lynch says she might not be the man Punk was looking for but she’s the man he’s dealing with her. Punk says he’s not doing this and wants Rollins out here but Lynch isn’t going to let him leave. Lynch has heard Punk berate Rollins, who is the greatest man she has ever known.

Punk calls Rollins a coward, but Lynch says that Rollins is everything Punk isn’t. Lynch: “He’s hot, he’s jacked.” Punk: “You’re delusional.” Lynch: “He doesn’t interrupt me.” Punk isn’t the voice of the voiceless but the poster child of apathy. These people didn’t get her to the main event of Wrestlemania because she did it herself. She goes on about how she and her husband are in the middle of a revolution.

Rollins is a visionary, a revolutionary (Punk covers his ears) and she’s the greatest ever so Punk needs to get out of the ring. The fans chant for AJ Lee and Lynch has to remind them that AJ doesn’t work here. Punk doesn’t think much of that but reminds her that 30,000 people think he’s the best in the world. They chant his name no matter where he is or what he does but he didn’t see Lynch and Rollins on all of the recent live events. Rollins hides behind everyone, including his wife, who may be the Man but she married a bum.

Cue Rollins on the stage so Punk goes around Lynch, with Rollins leaving. Lynch gets in a heck of a slap and then slaps him in the shoulders a bunch before calling Punk pathetic. Punk promises to make her regret that and leaves, with Lynch says she already does because of all the grease on her hands. Lynch mocks Punk as he leaves but Punk can’t bring himself to do anything about it and storms off. This was very good as Lynch can hang with Punk on the mic, but dang they better deliver AJ Lee after all this, as no one, even Rhea Ripley, would feel as important.

Post break Punk is leaving but gets cut off by Adam Pearce. Rollins has left but Punk asks where Smackdown is this week. That would be….Chicago, and Punk is very pleased. Pearce, not so much.

Jey Uso/LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker

It’s a brawl to start with Reed dropping Knight with a headbutt. Breakker works on Uso’s bad ribs and we take an early break. We come back with the ribs still in trouble but Uso gets over for the tag to Knight. House is cleaned until Breakker offers a distraction, with Knight being sent outside for a whip into the steps. The fans chant for Reigns as Knight is taken back inside for an overhead belly to belly.

Knight fights up but Breakker pulls him down into the chinlock. Back up and Reed charges into an elbow in the corner, allowing Knight to knock him down. Uso comes back in to clean house, including the running Umaga Attack to Breakker. The spear drops Breakker again but the Superfly Splash is broken up. Reed takes Knight down on the floor and Uso comes back in, where Breakker gives him the Super Spear for the pin at 14:01.

Rating: B-. There is something fun about watching monsters like Breakker and Reed run through people like Uso and Knight. Breakker and Uso have put together a nice rivalry and it fits to see Breakker pin him again. The vision is getting to be more dominant and I’m not sure who is next to come after them, though Roman Reigns will be back in a few months, likely for WarGames.

Post match the beatdown is on again, with Knight’s save being cut off by a Super Spear. Another one drops Uso and the Tsunami connects but Jimmy Uso runs in with a chair for the save. Usos vs. Breakker/Reed works for me.

Overall Rating: B. The crowd helped carry this one and the talking segments were just as good to back up some solid enough wrestling. There are different directions possible for the bigger stories, but Punk vs. Rollins (hopefully only one more time) and Usos vs. Reed/Breakker should be great. Throw in the possibility of AJ Lee coming back to a massive reaction to face Lynch and it’s all the more interesting. Good show here, with the crowd being their usual awesome selves.

Results
Kabuki Warriors b. Judgment Day – Asuka Lock to Perez
Finn Balor b. Dragon Lee – Coup de Grace
Penta/War Raiders b. New Day/Grayson Waller – Canadian Destroyer to Woods
Dominik Mysterio b. AJ Styles – Frog splash
Bron Breakker/Bronson Reed b. Jey Uso/LA Knight – Super Spear to Uso

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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