IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #4
Date: May 11, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

Things are starting to get interesting around here as we’re starting to see some names that we’ve seen before. They have a big enough roster to keep things fresh every week and that’s a good sign, though we are coming up on our third ACH match in four weeks. We’re also getting Jimmy Havoc vs. Joey Janela in an anything goes match, which should be fun if they can get violent. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Havoc and Janela’s issues, which includes a lot of brawling in various places.

Opening sequence.

We recap Team Filthy attacking ACH last night, setting up the following match.

Tom Lawlor vs. ACH

Before the match, ACH says this is wrestling and not mixed martial arts. Lawlor wastes no time with a takedown and kicks him in the back. In a change of pace, Lawlor offers ACH a free shot to retaliate but it hurts ACH’s own foot. ACH starts the flipping so Lawlor lays on his back and says bring it. This goes badly for ACH as well and a crucifix doesn’t get him very far either. Another rollup has Lawlor on the floor and we take a break. Back with Lawlor in control and working on the arm as so many MMA style wrestlers like to do.

With that going nowhere it’s a front chancery suplex for two instead. The Rings of Saturn continue the clinic on ACH and it’s off to a seated top wristlock. ACH finally gets up and hits a basement dropkick, followed by a middle rope cutter for two. We’ll try some wrestling now with a German suplex getting two on Lawlor. That just earns ACH more suplexes and a choke gets two arm drops. Cue Team Filthy for the distraction though, allowing Lawlor to hit him in the head with the steel forearm. A choke finishes the out cold ACH at 10:12.

Rating: C-. This was a glorified squash from Lawlor as he picked apart ACH and cut him off at every single turn. That’s the kind of match you need from someone like Lawlor who isn’t the most well known wrestler in the world. He plays a good heel though and taking apart someone that gave Austin Aries trouble was the right way to go. Nice performance here and Lawlor looks like a star.

Shane Strickland isn’t happy with the shrine he found in his dressing room last week and gets in Salina de la Renta’s face about it. Pentagon shows up and mists Strickland in the face. Salina looking cold and calm during the whole thing is a good idea.

Strickland gets his eyes washed out to little avail.

Maxwell J. Friedman vs. Fred Yehi

Yehi, a guy I don’t think I’ve actually seen before, is from Evolve but has recently wrapped up his time there. A headlock takeover annoys Friedman to start and Yehi stomps on his hand. The second attempt has Friedman thinking twice so Yehi gets in a running shoulder, which seems to hurt his own arm. A very hard German suplex (almost a German suplex driver) plants Friedman again and a request for time out is ignored.

Friedman is smart enough to hit a Codebreaker onto the arm and then just punches it for good measure. We hit a Fujiwara armbar but Yehi is back up with a running dropkick. Some knees to the head rock Friedman and rapid fire kicks to the chest make it even worse. A quick poke to the eye cuts Yehi off though and Friedman stomps on the arm again, setting up a rollup with trunks to pin Yehi at 8:24.

Rating: D+. This was a weird match with two very different styles not really meshing. Yehi is an athletic freak who was moving at a very fast pace and does all kinds of awesome looking things. Then you have Friedman, who isn’t the most thrilling performer in the world but knows how to play a heel with the limited set of actions. That makes for a hard match to pull off with Yehi moving fast and Friedman moving very slowly. Yehi could tear the house down under the right circumstances, but Friedman is a more interesting character.

Post match Friedman has a seat on the stage and talks about how sad it is that the loser’s purse isn’t enough for Yehi to go to Golden Corral the next three times. Friedman is jealous of the people because they don’t know how hard it is to go home to a perfect ten woman. Or how bad it is to have a sub par limo driver. He’s just better than us though and we know it.

We look back at MVP vs. Sami Callihan from last week.

Callihan says he talks when he wants to and he keeps going like “a machine gun of an enigma.” He’s creating an army of like minded individuals and here’s the big bald guy from last week to stand behind him, still without a name.

As a result of misting Strickland, Pentagon has to put his title shot on the line against Rey Fenix next week.

Joey Janela vs. Jimmy Havoc

This is a Bogus Adventure match, meaning anything goes and there must be a winner. Janela has a good looking woman named Aria Blake with him. Back to back stereo bicycle kicks go nowhere so it’s Joey kicking him to the floor for a suicide dive. Janela pelts a chair at Havoc’s head and then suplexes him onto said chair on the floor to really knock him silly. Back in and they chop it out with the rather plain physiqued Janela getting the better of it but missing a moonsault.

With Janela sitting in a chair, Havoc tries a running monkey flip but slips and falls down in a heap instead. It’s time for more chairs and the required table but Janela’s chair shot to Havoc just wakes him up and he chairs Janela in the head. A package piledriver onto a pile of chairs gives Janela two and it’s table time. The top rope backsplash only hits table though and Havoc dropkicks him through the door. There’s a Death Valley Driver onto the chairs and the Acid Rainmaker gives Havoc the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C+. This one depends on your taste in violent matches, meaning it was good for what it was but not the best thing in the world otherwise. The problem here was the lack of selling to make the violence mean much as they kept popping back up like it was nothing. Just let them stay down a little bit instead and it will be that much better.

Post match Havoc leaves into the parking lot and literally bumps into Team Filthy, earning himself a beatdown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. That ending was an interesting way to go and a sign that things are getting better. They’ve set up some characters with Havoc and Lawlor and now those characters are interacting. That’s how basic booking works and I’m curious to see where that story goes from here. The rest of the show introduced a few more people and the fact that they’re moving forward with some of them is a good sign. Now just keep that up and give us some better matches in the process and things will be even better.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Invasion of the Bodyslammers
Hosts: Lord Alfred Hayes, Slick
Commentators: Bobby Heenan, Jim Ross, Randy Savage

Oh how I love the WWE Network. Back in the day, I had this on tape and watched it so many times that I can probably tell you the commentary from memory. I’ve always wanted to review it but it’s kind of hard to find. Well either that or I’m too lazy to actually look it up. This is from early 1993 so don’t expect the best action in the world. Let’s get to it.

Hayes and Slick are in a bowling alley where Slick is teaching Kamala how to bowl (As part of teaching Kamala how to be a man. I never said these things were the most interesting in the world.). First up: Slick has bowling shoes for him but Kamala is scared to put them on so let’s go to a match.

From January 25, 1993 in San Jose, California. Note that Jim Ross is doing commentary on all matches, despite most of them taking place before he debuted at Wrestlemania IX.

Yokozuna vs. Earthquake

Yokozuna goes to the sumo pose and we get some Thigh Master jokes. There’s no contact until over a minute and a half in, which is probably the best idea given the cardio issues here. Earthquake gets in some jumping kicks to the ribs but a shoulder exchange goes nowhere. Some clotheslines put Yokozuna down to a knee but he elbows Earthquake down just as easily. The big fat leg crushes Earthquake again and a running splash in the corner sets up the Banzai Drop for the pin at 3:45.

Rating: D. They were right to keep this short and when you take out the staring at each other early on, there’s not much else to do. Yokozuna won the Royal Rumble the day before this was taped so he was well on his way to the top of the company. A win over a former top heel like Earthquake, especially one this big, was the right way to go. The length helped and while they didn’t do much, they did it right.

From December 14, 1992 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Nasty Boys vs. Beverly Brothers

Egads what was wrong with me as a kid? Sags shoves Beau into the corner to start and gets punched in the face. The announcers talk about how this is going to be a fight, just after talking about how the Beverlies are such great wrestlers. JR: “Now Brain which one is Beau and which one is Blake?” Brain: “Well now the guy with the long hair and the tooth missing, that’s one of the Nasties so forget him. Now the one with the long pants and the bowtie is the referee. This guy coming into the ring right now with blond hair is another one of the Nasties. The one in the blue is one of the Beverlies.”

Beau, the one with the mustache for you non-Beverly Brothers experts, gets beaten up by both Nasties for a bit until Knobbs misses a charge in the corner. The World’s Greatest Tag Team jump over your partner onto the opponent’s back (first popularized by the Beverlies) keeps Knobbs in trouble but Beau misses a middle rope headbutt. That’s not enough for the tag though as Blake comes in for a low blow with the announcers wondering how that could be allowed. I’m guessing it’s not the finish to the match. An elbow to the face allows the hot tag to Sags and everything breaks down for the double DQ at 6:48.

Rating: D. Heenan’s commentary helped this one along but it was only going to get so far. The Nasties didn’t fit as faces but they were going to get cheered at this point so it was the only choice the company had. The Beverlies were perfectly fine for a low level heel tag team and they put on some good performances when they were given the chance. Just a bad ending to a bad match here though.

Kamala doesn’t have shoes on yet but Hayes has got him a bowling ball with the same paintings that are on Kamala’s stomach. This works a bit better, but Kamala is still a little scared. Let’s go to a match instead.

From November 24, 1992 in Dayton, Ohio.

Razor Ramon vs. Undertaker

JR makes bowling references and Heenan loses it when he says they bowl in Oklahoma every Saturday night. If that’s not enough, Heenan tells a story about trying to get an Undertaker autograph but signing it himself and selling it to a kid. Ramon bails to the floor to start and the slow chase/walk is on. Back in and Razor hammers away but Undertaker just stares at him. The uppercuts set up New School (with JR selling the heck out of how awesome that is) so Razor clotheslines him to the floor.

That means a Stunner over the rope, which Undertaker has done far longer than I thought he had. Heenan: “What do you call him: an athlete or a monster?” Savage: “An athletic monster.” Heenan: “Thank you very much!” Back in and a side slam drops Undertaker, followed by five elbow drops. That’s not enough though as Razor steals the Urn and knocks Undertaker out. That’s only good for two and Undertaker makes the comeback, including a chokeslam to send Razor bailing for the countout at 5:03.

Rating: C-. I can go for two bigger guys hitting each other hard, even if the ending was lame. Undertaker was rapidly becoming a featured player at this point with the unstoppable monster thing working very well for him. Razor was still a newcomer here so it made sense to not have him lose the match clean here. I liked this more than I should have and that’s all you can ask for here.

From January 5, 1993 in San Antonio, Texas.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Typhoon

We hit the front facelock and some ax handles to the back put Typhoon down again. Bigelow scores with a suplex to even things out from earlier and it’s off to a chinlock. A headbutt gives Bigelow two but he can’t hold Typhoon up for a slam. Typhoon loads up the splash but picks him up for no apparent reason instead of even hitting said splash. Now the top rope headbutt is enough to put Typhoon away at 7:28.

Rating: D. The slams were impressive but Typhoon got less and less useful every single day. He’s a big fat guy who can’t do anything other than big fat guy offense, which doesn’t help him much when he pulls Bigelow up instead of even trying his finisher. Bigelow wasn’t much around this time either but at least he had some charisma and could do something a little more interesting.

Slick demonstrates a strike but Kamala is fascinated by his new ball. Therefore, let’s go to the Repo Cam.

We start with Repo Man harassing a family who has bought a new camper but is late on the payment for his camera.

Instead, Repo Man allows him to film the day’s activities to let him keep the camera. First up: a guy behind on the payments for his Cadillac. Repo Man sneaks up on him (in broad daylight and outside the Selland Arena in Fresno, with a WWF production truck in the parking lot) and takes the car, revealing the driver to be Bill Alfonso (not named but that voice is easy to recognize). Thankfully Repo Man is smart enough to remember his cameraman.

Next up: Repo Man steals a kid’s bike for because his dad is late picking him up from school. It’s quite a sight to see Smash riding down the street on a child’s bike, shouting over his shoulder that the kid’s dad owes him big money and for the cameraman to hurry up.

It’s time to move on to something bigger now as Repo Man goes into a video store (full of Coliseum Videos of course) and promises to take it soon. The cashier says she can get out of trouble if she plays the Repo Man’s Greatest Hits.

So now we’re on a tape in a segment, this time with Repo Man kicking a car window in and stealing it too.

Repo Man steals another car. We get the idea!

Back in the video store, he takes the guy’s camera to wrap things up. It went on too long but Repo Man talking to the camera was funny.

From April 29, 1992 in Syracuse, New York.

Intercontinental Title: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels

Bret is defending. Feeling out process to start with Shawn’s armdrag annoying Bret a bit. Savage: “Michaels can wrestle.” Just not against Savage on the big stage after a long rivalry. Shawn takes him down by the hair into an armbar but Bret sends him outside, frustrating Shawn to no end. Back in and Bret tries his own armbar as these two have a long history of mirroring each other.

In what might not be the brightest move in the world, Bret tries to run the ropes and gets cut off by a knee to the ribs, as Shawn is just better when things speed up. Sherri even gets in a forearm from the floor, as is her custom. An elbow sets up the chinlock on Bret as you can hear the fans getting behind Bret.

It works for a few seconds but Bret charges into the superkick (not yet the finisher) for no cover and only a reaction from Savage. A clothesline out of the corner gets Bret out of trouble again and the middle rope elbow gets two. Shawn bails to the floor in a smart move and they slug it out but Shawn knocks him off the apron into the barricade for the countout at 8:52.

Rating: C+. This was a slow motion version of what these two are capable of doing and while it might not be the brightest idea in the world to have Bret defending a title that he hadn’t held in a good eight months by the time this came out, at least they got these two big names in there. These two might get together again a few times in the future.

Post match Shawn takes the title from the referee and shoves him down, only to get hit by the belt from a returning Bret.

Slick bowls another strike but Kamala doesn’t stop looking at the ball. The solution is to give him another ball but it’s easier said than done.

From February 16, 1993 in Dayton, Ohio.

Doink the Clown vs. Kamala

This is still evil Doink with a gift box. Hang on a second as Doink wants to give Kamala the present, which Heenan thinks is a bowling ball. Heenan doesn’t think that’s necessary though: “What you could do is just shave Kamala’s beard, cut off his head, stick a finger in each ear and roll him down the alley. Same thing!” Kamala gets distracted by the box and gets taken down by a double leg. Another takedown has Kamala in trouble as Heenan sings Doink’s praises. A superkick and some chops have Doink out on the floor but he offers Kamala the present. That’s enough for a countout to end Kamala at 3:20.

Rating: D. I suddenly feel like I’m watching a bad episode of Raw. The box thing was an idea where you could probably guess what was coming as soon as Doink brought it to the ring but what else were they supposed to do here? There’s not much you’re going to get out of a three minute match with these two, but it does make me realize how awesome heel Doink could have been with some more time.

And of course there’s nothing in the box. Kamala beats him down to blow off some steam.

From December 14, 1992 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Undertaker vs. Papa Shango

They stare each other down (which Savage LOVES) and Shango grabs him by the throat for a drive into the corner. An uppercut sets up Old School and a slam but since a slam isn’t exactly devastating, Shango knocks him to the floor with a clothesline. For some reason Paul Bearer distracts the referee and Shango uses his voodoo stick to spray sparks in Undertaker’s face. Savage: “We may be about to see the Undertaker’s first defeat!” Savage does remember that Undertaker is a former WWF World Champion right? A chair to the back keeps Undertaker in trouble but three straight slams mean three straight situps. With Shango running out of ideas, he copies Ramon from earlier in the tape with a series of elbows and that’s just not right. Undertaker pops up and hits the chokeslam for a fast pin at 6:30.

Rating: D. Other than the blast of sparks, there wasn’t much else to talk about here. Then again, this isn’t the kind of a tape where you’re supposed to get some big match with big storyline advancement or a major showdown. At the same time, Undertaker vs. Shango is the kind of match that writes itself. I know Undertaker would go on to have a fine career but he was in there with a Hall of Famer. You would expect a slightly better performance, no?

Slick has finally explained the concept of the game to Kamala and even gotten him another ball. Kamala then runs down the alley to knock the pins down, meaning we need another explanation. How bad is it that these are kind of amusing?

From February 1, 1993 in New York City New York.

Battle Royal

Owen Hart, Koko B. Ware, Kamala, Kim Chee, Shawn Michaels, Iron Mike Sharpe, Bob Backlund, Typhoon, Razor Ramon, Damien Demento, Berzerker, Terry Taylor, Skinner, Tito Santana, Tatanka,

From a Raw taping in the Manhattan Center. It’s the usual fighting to start as I’m trying to figure out who the final entrant is. Sharpe is out in short order with Kim Chee running around on the floor. Shawn gets rid of Koko with a heck of a backdrop and it’s back to the brawling as the announcers discuss pillow fluffing. Various people are bent around the corners and Typhoon gets rid of Skinner.

Savage picks Typhoon and JR goes with Kamala while Heenan picks Razor and a few others. Demento is gone with Owen following him a few seconds later. Shawn snaps off some left hands on Santana in the corner and Berzerker is out as well, earning a loud HUSS chant in the process. In a rather dumb move, Chee gets rid of Kamala (his former boss/whatever else you would call Kamala to Kim Chee), who gets back in and beats the heck out of Chee, eliminating him in the process.

Chee runs away into the crowd and the chase is on, eventually heading into the balcony after some more brawling in the ring. Taylor and Backlund were eliminated off camera and Shawn backdrops Typhoon over the corner to get us down to Santana, Michaels, Ramon and Tatanka. Shawn and Tatanka trade lefts and rights in the corner as Santana and Ramon can’t eliminate each other.

The pairs switch off until Michaels gets double teamed to keep him in trouble. A double kick to the ribs gets rid of Michaels so we’re down to three (four if you remember how to count to sixteen) and here’s the Giant Gonzalez, who seems to be the sixteenth entrant. Razor goes underneath the bottom rope and Tatanka and Santana are tossed by the monster. Gonzalez leaves over the top so Ramon can crawl back in to win at 13:18. Heenan: “I WIN AGAIN! I WIN AGAIN!” Savage: “You gotta be ribbin!”

Rating: D-. Aside from Kamala running around the balcony for a funny visual, there’s only so much you can get out of a match like this, especially with such a screwy finish. Ramon was still a relative newcomer at this point so it was a good idea to let him win a match like this. If nothing else, the announcers were hilarious with Heenan changing picks and then claiming the win like only he could do.

From October 26, 1992 in Springfield, Illinois.

Tatanka vs. Repo Man

They start fast with some rope running with Tatanka taking over, even sending him out to the floor. Back in and a top wristlock puts Repo Man down as Heenan explains why it’s a big deal to give Tatanka his first loss. That’s the kind of simple thing that is completely lost on most commentary today and I’d love to see it come back.

Repo Man screams HE’S BREAKING IT during an armbar, with Heenan again explaining that Repo Man might be trying to just get a breather if the referee yells at Tatanka. A legdrop on the arm keeps Repo Man in trouble but he ducks a middle rope crossbody. So he’s repossessing control. Tatanka fights out of a weaker armbar and goes on the war path with the chops. A top rope chop sets up the Papoose To Go for the pin at 7:42.

Rating: D+. Nothing match of course but Heenan’s commentary was actually interesting. Maybe he got bored with the jokes and went with some actual analysis for a change. That stuff was worth listening to and that’s more than you get on most shows. Tatanka was going to become a bigger deal in the upcoming months so this wasn’t really in doubt, but Repo Man’s rantings were amusing.

Back in the alley, Kamala is standing in front of the lane and rocking the ball back and forth….but the ball goes backwards. We’ll go on to the main event for the sake of sanity.

From January 4, 1993 in Beaumont, Texas.

Mr. Perfect vs. Ric Flair

You know Heenan is going to go nuts over this one. They’re a bit slower to start and hopefully they have the time to do something here. Perfect busts out a strut of his own and slaps Flair in the face and there are far too many empty seats in the better seats. A drop toehold sets up another slap and Heenan is losing it. Flair is back up with a ram into the buckle for one of those great Perfect twisting bumps. He’s fine enough to clothesline Flair to the floor as Heenan is trying to convince himself that it’s still early.

Back in and a poke to the eye cuts Perfect off as Savage and Heenan debate Flair vs. Savage from Wrestlemania VIII. As expected though, Flair takes too long to go up top and gets slammed down for two (the classics never die). A shinbreaker sets up the Figure Four (the classics still never die) and Flair grabs the ropes as you would expect him to. The hold is turned over and a rope is grabbed so it’s time for Perfect to slug away on one leg. Right hands in the corner set up the Flair Flip and Flair bails to the floor. Back in and Flair ducks his head for some reason, setting up the PerfectPlex for the pin at 10:50.

Rating: B-. At least the last match on the show is the best, making it a good way to go out. These two always had great chemistry together and their Loser Leaves the WWF match a few days later would be even better. Flair was on his way out of the company at this point but he was still having good matches, which is a lot better than the people who just put it in neutral in their last few matches.

Slick is disappointed by failing with Kamala’s lack of bowling skills, only to have Kamala bowl a strike behind his back. Celebrating wraps us up.

Overall Rating: D+. So yeah nostalgia ruled the day with this one as it’s really not that good. Now at the same time, it’s really not that bad with mainly a bunch of matches that could have served as dark matches most of the time. Some of them were perfectly fine though and the bowling things were so goofy that they were fun. There are far worse Coliseum Videos out there so I’ll take what I can get in something like this.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: June 7, 2018
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Vic Joseph

I’m actually more interested than usual in this show based on how different this week’s television shows went. Monday Night Raw was such a disaster while Smackdown was a perfectly watchable wrestling show. I’m not sure how they’re going to pull off a highlight show when almost nothing interesting was going on Monday but they’ve pulled off something similar before. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

No Way Jose vs. Mike Kanellis

Kanellis is still alive. Who knew? They fight over a lockup to start and Jose scores with a hiptoss. Some forearms in the corner have Jose in trouble and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Kanellis takes way too much time yelling at the conga line and Jose is back up with a clothesline. A superkick gives Kanellis too (with a blown kiss as he’s dedicated to this ridiculous gimmick) but Jose’s pop up right hand is good for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: D. There’s only so much you can do here and while Kanellis isn’t anything special, it’s nice to see some fresh blood on the show. As long as Maria gets back in the next few months (or whenever she’s ready to be back), Kanellis might have a fighting chance. Jose’s presence here makes more sense as he’s almost destined to be a house show opener at best, even if he has some potential to do more than that.

Now we’re often told what’s coming up next, but in this case we’re being told that two different matches are up next. A mystery is afoot and we have some actual drama! I mean, it’s as low level drama as you can possibly have and it’s likely going to be done by the time I’m done typing this but what else am I supposed to talk about on this thing?

From Raw.

Natalya vs. Nia Jax

Non-title with Ronda Rousey on commentary. Nia runs her over and knocks Natalya to the floor as we take a break. Back with Natalya fighting out of a chinlock and scoring with a jawbreaker. A discus clothesline puts Nia down for two but Natalya hurts her knee on the step over into the dropkick. The Samoan drop ends Natalya in short order at 7:22.

Rating: D. I’m still not sure why I’m supposed to be interested in seeing if Ronda can armbar Nia when she’s already armbarred HHH but you can’t expect them to keep continuity for a full two months. Nia’s rather abrupt heel turn and Rousey suddenly being friends with Natalya are both stretches but I’ve seen worse from this company before. Just keep the match at Money in the Bank short and they should survive.

Post match Nia checks on the downed Natalya and Rousey comes in to keep things safe. Natalya is all frustrated as Rousey helps her out. Nia didn’t get physical after the match and looked concerned.

And from Smackdown.

Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch

The threat of a Disarm-Her sends Charlotte outside so Becky settles for a headlock back inside. That’s escaped as well and it’s a standoff until they both catch kicks to the ribs. A double knockdown sends us to a break. Back with Becky going for the arm again but getting caught in a backbreaker for two instead. Lynch drops her one more time and gets two off a top rope legdrop but gets sent into the corner. The moonsault hits raised knees and the Figure Eight is countered twice in a row. The second counter is pulled into the Disarm-Her for the tap at 8:11.

Rating: C+. I’d love to believe that this is going to lead towards Becky getting into the title picture again as I have no idea why she hasn’t been a long reigning champion already. She has the look, the talking ability, the skill and whatever else might be needed to make a long reign work. Unfortunately since it’s Money in the Bank season, this win isn’t going to move her up the rankings but rather just be a momentum builder, whatever that is supposed to mean.

Lynch helps her up and everything is cool.

From Raw again.

Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens

Owens easily takes him down to start and asks if that was too sweet. A headlock has Balor slowed down and we switch to a chinlock to really mix things up. Balor fights up into an armbar but Owens whips him hard into the corner to cut him off again. Back from a break with Owens holding another chinlock and Balor fighting up in short order. The kick to the head looks to set up the Coup de Grace but Owens rolls outside.

A snap of the arm over the rope puts Balor in more trouble and it’s off to an armbar. Balor fights up with an elbow to the face but gets superkicked back down. The shotgun dropkick knocks Owens into the corner, only to have him pop back up to crotch Balor. Owens stomps away and that’s a DQ at 18:34.

Rating: D-. So yes, after this horrible show, we’re really supposed to be interested in a DQ finish to a long and really boring match. These two are capable of so much more but since it’s Money in the Bank season, it’s time to sit around and do the boring matches for the sake of building momentum or whatever nonsense we’re supposed to care about this week.

Post match Owens hits the frog splash and climbs the really big ladder. He takes forever teasing the big splash off the ladder but Balor gets up and pulls him down. A Coup de Grace off the ladder crushes Owens and Balor pulls down a briefcase to end the show.

Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak

Feeling out process to start before Tozawa hits him in the face a few times. We take an abrupt break and come back with Gulak hitting a backbreaker and cranking on the arm. Gulak mixes it up with a second chinlock before just stomping away. That doesn’t sound like submission based wrestling, meaning I doubt it’s going to go anywhere.

Tozawa fights back so let’s cut to the crowd, then back to the ring, then back to the crowd in about ten seconds. A missile dropkick gives Tozawa two and he grabs something like AJ’s Black Widow. That doesn’t last long (of course) and Tozawa misses a charge into the corner, setting up the Gulock for the tap at 10:13.

Rating: C-. They need to do something with Gulak sooner rather than later as he’s getting this submission stuff over and could be a great foil for a variety of people, mainly the Cruiserweight Champion. I mean, we’ve established that he couldn’t go onto the other shows and do his submission stuff there because he’s just a cruiserweight and that would never work.

We’ll wrap it up on Smackdown.

New Day vs. Miz/Rusev/Samoa Joe

Woods wastes no time in forearming Miz down for an early two and it’s New Day alternating with elbows and splashes for two more. Joe tags himself in to face Big E. and this is already feeling bigger. Big E. suplexes him down and it’s off to Woods to try his luck. That would be bad luck as an enziguri puts him down and we take a break. Back with Woods fighting out of Miz’s chinlock but getting pulled down by the hair.

Joe comes in and gets kneed in the head, allowing the double tags to Miz and Kofi. Everyone else fights to the floor and the Boom Drop has Miz in trouble. Joe breaks up Trouble in Paradise and the DDT gives Miz two. Big E. comes back in and gets whipped into the Rock Bottom out of the corner. Rusev gets low bridged to the floor and Woods hits a big flip dive over the top.

Joe gets sent outside as well and Kofi hits a springboard trust fall to drop him again. Big E. spears Miz to the floor (that’s going to be a bad injury one day) and the Midnight Hour is broken up as Joe pulls Woods into the Koquina Clutch on the floor. Kofi dives into the Machka Kick and Miz posts Big E. The villains come back in….and Miz grabs the pancakes, which he throws at Joe and Rusev by mistake. One Machka Kick and a backsplash later and Miz is left down and alone. Kofi comes back in and the Midnight Hour is good for the pin at 13:19.

Rating: C+. I liked this one though it wasn’t as good as the New Day’s match from a week or so ago. They’ve certainly lost some steam but they’re still one of the best trios around. That Trust Fall alone, which looked like a springboard to Miz, was enough of a cool visual to make this work. The pancakes….not so much but that’s their thing and it’s not going away at the moment.

Overall Rating: D+. Yeah this show didn’t do much good after what we had this week. It’s not interesting TV and that’s been the case for a long time now. If they want to make people more interested, give us something more worthwhile to watch. Mike Kanellis was one of the highlights of this week’s show and that should tell you everything you need to know about what’s going on in WWE right now.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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 Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: June 6, 2018
Location: Odeum Expo Theater, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

With less than a month to go before Best in the World, it’s time to start cranking up the card. We don’t know much about it at the moment other than the triple threat main event, which should be little more than Cody’s coronation. Other than that, there isn’t anything major announced but maybe that can change tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Cody and Bernard the Business Bear to open things up. Cody talks about how ironic it is that he’s called the American Nightmare when the last six months have been a dream. He’s going to be the next Ring of Honor and NWA World Champion but he’s not thrilled with Marty Scurll being in the Best in the World match with him.

Cue Scurll to a big reaction to say the fans know how great he is, which Cody knows too. Cody is threatened and intimidated by him and at Best in the World, Cody will see how good he is. Scurll has no problem going through him to win the title but Cody thinks he has more to say. They shake hands and Marty teases breaking the fingers but leaves without getting violent.

Silas Young wants no excuses when he beats Austin Aries tonight.

Karen Q vs. Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood cranks on the arm to start and takes her down, allowing a little trash talking for fun. A headscissors is botched a legsweep gives Dashwood two instead. Karen trips her right back and we take a break. Back with Karen slowly pounding away and shouting a lot, which the announcers call a change of attitude. That would be interesting if we knew a bit more about Karen but that might mean personalities for these women.

Dashwood gets slammed face first into the mat but comes right back with a Tarantula to slow Karen down. A loud boot to the face keeps Karen in trouble and the Taste of Tenille gets two. Karen pulls her down into a Liontamer but a rope is grabbed to avoid any longer damage. Dashwood doesn’t get up so she sunset flips Karen from the mat for the pin at 10:36.

Rating: D. Dashwood is a star with great charisma (I really don’t get what WWE didn’t see in her) and Karen is one of the better Ring of Honor women but, as I say every week, PLEASE give us some characters. Dashwood’s identity is that she has something to prove and wants to be the best but Karen….well her middle/last initial is Q. That’s about all I’ve got on her and that’s not enough.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Punishment Martinez. That could be a heck of a match and I’m hoping to see it at Best in the World.

Page vs. Martinez is confirmed for Best in the World. Also set for the show: the Briscoes vs. the Young Bucks for the Tag Team Titles. That could be great.

TV Title: Austin Aries vs. Silas Young

Young is defending and in a coincidence, they’re both from Milwaukee. Aries hasn’t has a title match in Ring of Honor in over eight years. Aries gets driven into the corner to start and Young throws a shirt at him to a big reaction. A takedown gives Aries a rollup for two but it’s way too early for the Last Chancery. That’s enough for Young to give him a round of applause and a shot to the face makes things a little more serious.

Some nice armdrags can’t set up an armbar as Young keeps rolling out so Aries dropkicks him in the face instead to cap off a fast sequence. The middle rope elbow to the seated back gives Aries two and Young bails to the apron. That goes badly as well with Aries ramming him into both buckles over and over as we take a second break. Back with Aries being whipped into the barricade as things slow down a bit, partially due to the pace they’ve been keeping.

Young grabs a quickly broken chinlock back inside before going with the backbreaker into a clothesline for two more. A full nelson of all things has to be broken with Young being sent to the floor and there’s the suicide elbow. Young is right back with a series of shoulders in the corner but neither guy can hit their finisher. Instead it’s a Death Valley Driver on the apron to knock Young silly as we take a break.

Back again with Young getting caught in the Last Chancery but a foot is quickly on the ropes. A frustrated Aries grabs a belt (come on you’re smarter than that) but we’ve got a ref bump. Cue the Beer City Bruiser, though Kenny King is out just a second later to cut him off. With the referee still down, Young tries to grab a title, which Kenny steals right back to knock him cold, allowing Aries to score the pin and the title at….whatever time the fall went down because we have a Dusty Finish. Another referee comes out to tell the downed one what happened and that’s a DQ win for Young at 16:48.

Rating: B-. Is it just me or does Ring of Honor REALLY love their ref bumps in recent months? It’s almost to the point where you expect it every single big match and that’s not the best way of doing things. If the fans are expecting it, the shock and awe that come with it go away. The match itself was fine and it makes sense to keep the title on Young, who needs the boost far more than a major star like Aries.

Post match Aries shoves the referee with King pulling him off. That doesn’t work for Aries, who lays King out with a brainbuster and the Last Chancery to end the show.

There was supposed to be a Jay Lethal announcement but nothing ever happened.

Overall Rating: C. Well one was good and long and the other was slightly less long and much worse. I’m not sure where a lot of Best in the World is going but the fact that we have anything with three weeks left is quite the accomplishment for Ring of Honor. The top of the card is looking very strong and that’s really what matters the most. Give us a solid lower half and maybe we can forget how underwhelming Supercard of Honor was.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #3
Date: May 4, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

This show is doing a good job of making me want to come back. They’re still introducing talent and that makes me curious about who else they have. Now unfortunately tonight has two people that I’ve never gotten the appeal of in MVP and Sami Callihan. MVP has had some moments that were fine but Callihan is just rather annoying most of the time. Hopefully things are a bit better tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Jimmy Havoc, who got in a fight with Joey Janela at this year’s Walemania. Havoc calls out Janela for a fight and Joey, a “bad boy” who seems to be obsessed with the 80s, is here in short order. They fight to the back and here’s Low Ki (ERG, and still in the Hitman gear), who was recently suspended for attacking management and arguing with MVP.

Apparently he’s represented by Black Friday Management and MLW is trying to revoke their promoter’s license. He calls out MVP and gets answered but Callihan sneaks up from behind and chokes MVP with a baseball bat. I’m not wild on most of the people in this but getting in two storyline building segments like this in about five minutes is tight show booking.

Opening sequence.

Tom Lawlor vs. ACH

Lawlor has Team Filthy with him, including Simon Gotch, who you may remember as Simon Gotch. Hang on though as Lawlor has a broken forearm so ACH can face Gotch instead.

Simon Gotch vs. ACH

Feeling out process to start as the announcers question Gotch’s sanity. ACH starts in on the arm with an armbar and a shoulder to put him down with some power. Of course that’s followed by the flips because wrestlers need flips. A cross armbreaker is broken up with ACH getting his foot on the rope so Gotch chops the heck out of him instead.

Gotch slaps on a headscissor choke to keep ACH in trouble before switching to an armbar of his own. Back from a break (nothing changed because MLW is sweet that way) with a chestwrench suplex getting two on ACH. A legsweep and double stomp to the back has Gotch in some trouble but he’s back up with a suplex attempt. That’s quickly reversed as well and a rollup gives ACH the pin at 7:20.

Rating: D+. ACH is hit and miss for me as sometimes he’s fine but other times he leaves me wondering what in the world anyone sees in him. This really wasn’t the most thrilling stuff in the world and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. His match with Austin Aries from two weeks ago was good, but how bad could an Aries match actually be? Not the worst match, but nothing great at all.

Post match Lawlor and his unnamed associate join in a beatdown and looks just fine. Lawlor mocks ACH’s “GO GO ACH” chant and says he’s going to the ICU. Lawlor can talk.

The MLW Top Ten:

10. Barrington Hughes

9. Joey Janela

8. Jeff Cobb

7. Rey Fenix

6. Sami Callihan

5. Tom Lawlor

4. Low Ki

3. MVP

2. Jimmy Havoc

1. Pentagon Jr.

Of course the World Champion is on the top, which is the case with most wrestling top ten lists.

Video on Shane Strickland.

Video on Maxwell J. Friedman, who is very rich and has a punchable face. Don’t hate him because of his family’s history at Dartmouth or his big house.

Mike Parrow vs. Vandal Ortagun

Parrow is a big guy who looks like a monster while Ortagun is a striker from Turkey. Ortagun gets pulled out of the air for trying a crossbody and gets sent into the corner with a fall away slam. There’s a gorilla press but Ortagun slips out of a powerslam and takes out the knee. Cue Colonel Robert Parker to watch as Parrow grabs a chokeslam to plant Ortagun. A pop up sitout powerbomb ends Vandal at 2:11. Total squash and Parrow looked good.

Parrow leaves with Parker.

Salina de la Renta is being asked about Pentagon Jr.’s chances against Shane Strickland when she sees Strickland. She tells him not to get used to the title because this isn’t his house. Again: feels like Zelina Vega minus the fire.

Havoc promises blood when he meets Janela again and wants to lick it off of him. They meet next week.

Lawlor confirms that he is medically cleared and will take out ACH next week. ACH is getting way more ring time than anyone else on this show.

We look at Callihan attacking MVP earlier tonight.

Callihan likes the idea of climbing the ranking system because it would tick people off. He’s using MVP as a stepping stone so MVP’s son will see him as a failure. Callihan is here to be the World Champion and that’s all that matters.

Sami Callihan vs. MVP

MVP is out before his entrance and hammers away, which is how a match like this should start. A clothesline has almost no effect on MVP so they head outside where MVP chops the post by mistake. Callihan hits some hard shots of his own and puts him in a chair, only to take WAY too long on a charge, allowing MVP to send him into the chair instead. With the wrestling (as little of it as there has been) not working, Callihan goes for the eyes and throws him into the crowd.

Back with MVP in the ring (with something having changed this time) and Callihan ripping off the breathing strip from the nose. He takes too long AGAIN though and gets caught in a delayed vertical suplex for a double knockdown. MVP heads outside and this time catches Callihan in a Rock Bottom on the apron. They get back in at an eighteen count and that means a slugout, including kicks to the face (as it should be in a violent match like this).

A Helluva Kick and a t-bone suplex drop Callihan, setting up the Ballin Elbow (to very little reaction). Callihan, who is hard to keep down, hits a Samoan Driver and grabs the bat but the referee gets decked. There’s the Playmaker but a good sized bald guy comes in to Rock Bottom MVP. That’s only good for two so MVP grabs a TKO but has to deal with the big guy. Callihan’s Cradle Killer (double underhook shoulder breaker) is good for the pin at 12:55.

Rating: B-. I’m not big on either guy but this was a completely watchable brawl. Callihan is becoming a bigger deal with his despicable heel act and there’s a good chance he’s going to become a top player outside WWE in the near future. MVP is definitely past his chance to be a major force in the future but at least he can still put on a good match, which was the case here.

Post match Callihan spits at the referee and the big guy carries him out.

Another look at Havoc and Janela fighting at Walemania.

We look at next week’s matches.

Strickland is more confident than ever and the title isn’t going anywhere. He goes into his dressing room and is surprised to see what looks like a Day of the Dead shrine to him. Shane looks into the mirror with a skull on it, with the skull covering his face (cool shot) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. While there wasn’t a big blow away match or angle on here, they’ve done a good job of setting up some stories and angles. Strickland comes off as the star and he has a nice rogues gallery waiting to get their shot at the title. It’s far from perfect but I’m liking it well enough to keep watching, which is hard to do in modern wrestling.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 7, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

So tonight is all about attempted murder. Over the last few weeks, Eddie Edwards has vowed revenge against Sami Callihan and tonight they’re meeting in an unsanctioned street fight. Since Eddie is a little nuts, he’s promised to, and I quote, murder Callihan in the woods. This could be fascinating so let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap covers most of last week.

Tag Team Titles: Drago/Aerostar vs. Z and E

Z and E (DJZ/Andrew Everett) are defending. Drago takes DJZ down by the leg to start but has to fight out of an armbar. Aerostar springboards in and flips forward around the ring about six times in a row. Back up and a whip into the corner lets Aerostar walk around the ropes as Callis wants to know how Aerostar’s mask stays lit up. Also, why doesn’t Everett throw water on him for an electrocution? There’s way too much attempted murder around here.

Some flips allow the tag off to Drago for a double elbow to the face as the champs stay in trouble. DJZ comes back in and hits an armdrag and headscissors but his double flip attempt is thrown down in a heap to put the champs in trouble again. We hit the chinlock on DJZ before a backdrop puts him on the floor for a break. Back with Everett coming in for a double handspring elbow and a dropkick for two on Aerostar.

The champs miss a double Lionsault (cool) and get double springboard dropkicked down for their efforts. DJZ suicide dives onto Drago and Everett adds an Asai Moonsault for another big crash. Of course Aerostar is right after them with a double springboard dive, followed by a rope walk hurricanrana for two on Everett. The moonsault hits raised feet though and the ZDT sets up a 630 from Everett to end Aerostar at

Rating: C+. If Z and E are an indication of how things are going to go around here with the new regime, I’m all for it. They’re a pair of talented guys who didn’t get to do anything before so let’s throw them together and give them something to do. Not everyone needs to win a title but when you have these talented guys in the X Division, why shouldn’t they get a title run? It’s not like the division is full of teams so make one and let them see what they can do. I mean, if this run winds up being a failure (and there’s no sign that it will be), is that much worse than Scott Steiner as a champion in 2018?

The announcers recap/preview.

Sonjay Dutt and Petey Williams argue over the X attacker and Williams leaves.

Video on Su Yung winning the Knockouts Title last week.

This week’s classic clip: Rob Van Dam vs. Tommy Dreamer from Turning Point 2010.

The returning Diamante comes to the LAX clubhouse and wants to know what’s going on. So they’re really bad at communications? King comes in and things get a little more serious. Homicide comes in as well and leaves with a briefcase as tensions rise.

Cult of Lee vs LAX

LAX has King with them. The Cult gets beaten down in short order and Santana’s dropkick gets two on Lee. Some double teaming puts Santana in trouble and the announcers talk about the idea behind the Cult, which still doesn’t quite work. I mean, they’re just not really cultish and Lee doesn’t seem to be ahead of Konley in superiority.

Santana rolls out of a rollup attempt and backflips into a cutter, allowing the double tag to bring in Ortiz and Konley. Everything breaks down and Lee German suplexes Santana so Konley can get a quick rollup for two. Ortiz is back in though and it’s a wheelbarrow faceplant into a cutter to give Santana the pin on Konley at 7:24.

Rating: C-. LAX getting back on the winning track is the right move and that should mean good things for both them and the division. There’s a story to be told there with Konnan missing and the team falling apart but getting back together when King is around. If Konnan comes back later on, it could get very interesting very fast.

Here’s Eli Drake with the returning Fact of Life. Since it’s been a long time, he’s going to name the Top Five Dummies in Impact Wrestling. First up at number five, the entire crowd, who is just jealous of Eli. Number four, the man who eats bananas, Austin Aries. More on that later. Number three is Impact management. Number two….it’s the Impact fans again, YEAH! That leaves us with number one and it’s Moose. Eli wants to face Moose next week in a #1 contenders match so here’s Moose to respond. The fight is on and Drake hits a low blow and a Gravy Train before turning the podium onto Moose. The match is on for next week.

Brian Cage vs. Rohit Raju

Raju gets all fired up and kicks Cage in the face, only to eat Weapon X for the pin at 1:16.

Post match here’s X-Division Champion Matt Sydal to say his third eye shows him weakness in Cage. An F5 leaves Sydal laying.

Preview for next week’s card, including Moose vs. Drake and Sydal vs. Cage.

Edwards is in the woods and tells the cameraman to film everything, including death.

Austin Aries joins Josh via Skype and won’t say where he is on vacation. Aries doesn’t care who he faces at Slammiversary and says it doesn’t matter how he won the World Title because all that matters is he won. While Aries doesn’t care who he faces at Slammiversary, he expects Drake to win because of his experience.

Last week was the Slammiversary press conference. Johnny Impact is back after getting married and, of course, GAIL KIM WAS THERE! Yeah she’s from Toronto where the show will be held but what’s the excuse the rest of the time?

Madison Rayne talks about what a big deal it was to beat Tessa Blanchard last week. She wants to get the title for the sixth time.

Tessa Blanchard says she didn’t lose last week because she’s not a loser. Kiera Hogan comes in to laugh a bit and gets thrown down. Hogan shoves an anvil case into her legs and gets stomped down next to a garbage can.

Moose is all fired up to win the title shot next week.

Eddie is hunting through the woods and demands that Sami, who can be heard shouting, come out and face him. Sami appears but Jake Crist jumps Eddie instead, earning him a choking with a branch. Eddie pulls a big piece of wood out of his car but Dave Crist pops out of the trunk to jump him. That earns him a hood slam onto his back and now it’s Sami for the big showdown. Eddie strikes first but Sami uses the bat to block the stick. Sami goes for the eyes and tries to stab him with a bull skull but gets rammed into a tree and monkey flipped.

A branch to Sami’s head draws blood (with the camera cutting in good time to show the branch touching the head, then Eddie screaming, then Sami gushing blood) but before Eddie can kill him, cue Alisha and Tommy Dreamer (in a Lucha Underground shirt) in a car (How did they know where this was happening? And how did Eddie and Sami know where to be? “In the woods” is a pretty generic location. How formal was the agreement for the attempted murder?) but the distraction lets Sami get away. Eddie hits Tommy with the bat in frustration and screams that it’s never over to end the show as Alisha tends to Tommy.

This felt like something similar to the Final Deletion matches but nowhere near as over the top. Eddie continuing to snap and get further and further into his obsession with Callihan is a good story but I’m not sure how far it can go. There has to be a blowoff at some point and that’s likely to take place at Slammiversary, though I’m not sure how it’s going to end.

Overall Rating: C-. This definitely wasn’t a wrestling heavy show (at least in the second half) and focused more on storylines and getting things ready for Slammiversary. Therefore it’s not a great show on its own but it’s a show that will do them something good for the future. This company has a good history of succeeding on the bigger shows and if they build it up well, Slammiversary could be no different.

Results

Z and E b. Drago/Aerostar – 630 to Aerostar

LAX b. Cult of Lee – Wheelbarrow Cutter to Konley

Brian Cage b. Rohit Raju – Weapon X

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #2
Date: April 27, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

They aren’t even up to ten episodes left so let’s see where this goes. Well that and it was a really good opener and I’ve already agreed to review it weekly so I’m kind of out of choices. Tonight is about the World Title as Jimmy Havoc gets a shot at Shane Strickland, who you might know as Killshot from Lucha Underground. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the same history package from last week. Not the worst way to get things going, but it needs to change after a few months, hopefully focusing on the newer stuff.

Here’s the same Strickland vs. Havoc package that ended last week’s show. That’s fine, as it’s a good video.

Opening sequence.

Quick welcome from the announcers.

Dirty Blonds vs. Jason Cade/Wheeler Yuta

The Blonds (Michael Patrick/Leo Brien) are managed by Colonel Robert Parker, who looks the same as he did in WCW, albeit about twenty years older. Cade is a good flier and I’ve never seen Yuta before. There’s actually history here as the Blonds put Cade out last week (Huh? These guys haven’t been seen as of yet but there’s a clip labeled “last week”. I’d assume that was from one of their stand alone events but they really need to clarify that.).

Cade wastes no time in dropkicking the much bigger Brien and it’s Yuta with a running knee in the corner. It’s off to Patrick who gets armbarred in short order, followed by Yuta suplexing Cade onto him. Cade’s handspring is countered though and Brien clotheslines him from behind to take over. The old school southern beatdown begins and that’s a style that’s always going to work.

Cade gets sent into a raised boot in the corner as Tony talks about the Blonds’ history before they got Parker as a manager. Tony brings up a Tag Team Title tournament as Brien cranks on Cade’s neck. A neckbreaker gets Cade out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Yuta to clean house. Brien breaks up a cover as everything breaks down. Parker trips Yuta up though and it’s a big elbow to give Patrick the pin at 6:21.

Rating: C. I could see the Blonds going somewhere, even if Parker isn’t the most thrilling manager in the world. The fact that he was always old even back in WCW helps him a bit though as he brings a little credibility to a promotion like this. Cade and Yuta were just kind of there but they’re fine for a smaller team to lose something like this. I’m sure we’ll see a rematch somewhere too.

MLW is coming to New York.

Ultimo Ninja vs. Garza Jr.

I wonder if Garza is going to take off his pants, which might be a little more difficult with his bad shoulder. He does however have Salina de la Renta with him. They run the ropes to start and flip around a lot with a pair of near falls going to a standoff. Ninja goes with the loud chop in the corner and that’s enough for a pose on the rope. Back up and Garza TAKES OF HIS PANTS! Tony: “….oh.” How dare he not be impressed!

A superkick takes Ninja down for two and Garza loses the brace on his shoulder, revealing a disturbing amount of those suction cup marks on his back from some medical treatment for the shoulder. Those always look so creepy. Garza gets knocked to the floor though and that means a heck of a suicide dive for a nine count (doesn’t mean much as they have a twenty count around here).

Rating: C+. I liked it, but this felt like a match where they were told to go do a good lucha match and it was really just ok for the most part. Garza is fine and Ninja is someone who could become one of the resident luchador stars, but when you have Fenix and Pentagon Jr. around here, it’s kind of hard to get fired up for something like this. On the other hand, Salina comes off as someone who is supposed to be a big deal but really just stands around looking serious ala Catrina or Zelina Vega without the charisma.

MLW is coming to New York.

Clips of Pentagon Jr. vs. Fenix from last week.

Video on Filthy Tom Lawlor, an MMA fighter who has no problem cheating.

Colonel Parker talks about managing Steve Austin, Sid Vicious and Harlem Heat. He’ll put money in the Blonds’ pockets just like he did for them.

MVP is ready to face Sami Callihan to climb the rankings and keep the promise. Once he became a father, he promised himself to be the best role model he could for his son. Being the MLW World Champion is a good way to go about that.

Video on Strickland vs. Havoc, who have fought before with Havoc getting the better of it, at least once in a hardcore match.

MLW World Title: Shane Strickland vs. Jimmy Havoc

Strickland is defending and comes out to chants of SWERVE, his nickname. Apparently that means confidence and his dancing entrance seems to suggest that’s accurate. Havoc on the other hand looks like a much smaller Bane. They trade big shots to the face to start and a discus lariat gives Havoc two. Shane gets up a boot in the corner and hits a top rope Meteora for two of his own as the hot start continues.

A modified Rings of Saturn keeps Havoc down with Strickland using his leg to crank on the other arm. Back up and Shane gets crotched in the corner for a middle rope Codebreaker. A 619 to the ribs gets Shane out of trouble and we take a break. We come back with Shane rolling into a cutter for two and chopping away. Havoc pops up with a Canadian Destroyer (neither commentator knows the name) and it’s off to a rear naked choke.

That’s powered out of as well and the ref gets kicked in the head. I really could go for that concept not happening again for like, years. Shane hits the Acid Rainmaker (Gory Stretch spun into a knee strike to the face) for no count so a low blow gives Havoc two, even with a handful of trunks. The referee gets up as Havoc gets knocked to the apron, where he hangs upside down by his feet. That means a stomp from the apron, followed by a top rope stomp back inside for the pin on Havoc at 13:41.

Rating: B-. Strickland might not be the long term star of the promotion but for a first champion, you couldn’t do much better. He has a good look, he’s very athletic and he’s very smooth in the ring. Havoc wasn’t much here, but then again why would he be when you take away the hardcore stuff that made his career in the first place? I could go for more of Strickland though and that’s the point of a first impression.

Post break Strickland says this is Swerve’s house to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s not as good as the first show but it’s still a perfectly acceptable show and a good way to kill off an hour. Strickland came off as a star and the wrestling was mostly fine. They’re still adding in characters here and that makes for some shows that don’t really tie together, but that’s not the worst thing in the world. Good effort this week and I want to keep watching.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

These guys really are awesome, but who deserves something special?

https://wrestlingrumors.net/kbs-review-e-pluribus-new-day/

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 5, 2004
Location: Pyramid, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s a new year and my goodness it couldn’t come soon enough. While the last match of 2003 was an instant classic, it was a very rare sight to see on the red show. With two shows left to go before the Royal Rumble, it’s time to hit the gas but I’m worried about how much we’ll be hearing about Shawn Michaels vs. HHH. Let’s get to it.

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

Eric Bischoff complains to Coach about Steve Austin being the new Sheriff. This would be the recap for the fans who weren’t watching last week. Teddy Long and Mark Henry come in with Mark saying he has his Survivor Series favor picked (Hasn’t he cashed that in twice already?): Teddy Long gets to be GM for tonight only. Teddy isn’t worried about Austin because he has Johnny Cochran on speed dial.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Teddy to say fans are uncomfortable with a black man in charge. He goes into a rant about the Mayor of Memphis being black but the city still being racist. As expected, Jerry Lawler gets offended and grabs the mic, only to take the RKO from Randy Orton right before he gets his hands on Teddy.

In the back, Orton brags to Long about what he just did but Henry comes in and says he wants the Intercontinental Title tonight. Teddy makes the match but they run into Austin, who says not so fast. It should be Rob Van Dam getting his rematch, though Teddy says he’s already made the match. Instead, Austin makes it Henry vs. Van Dam for a title shot next week. As you might have guessed, it’s Austin vs. Bischoff all over again, but with less hair.

Coach comes out to replace Lawler, complete with an LSU (who defeated Oklahoma in a bowl game over the weekend) chair.

Spike Dudley vs. Rene Dupree

This is Spike’s return after La Resistance dropped him head first onto the edge of a table a few months back. Rene throws him around to start and drops him with a delayed suplex for a delayed two. We hit the neck crank as this is one sided so far, meaning Spike is likely to win the thing. As expected, Spike fights to his feet and gets a rollup pin out of nowhere.

Rating: D-. The whole match was spent talking about college football, which isn’t the most thrilling thing in the world on a wrestling show. That being said, it’s a lot better than talking about Spike vs. Dupree, which is one of the worst things they could have put on the show here. You’re on the first show of the year and your opening match is Spike Dudley? It’s not a good sign for the year.

Post match the Dudley Boyz come out to celebrate but Evolution, who is defending against the Dudleys later tonight, lay them out on the stage and ramp.

Trish Stratus sings on the WWE Originals album.

Christian comes in to make amends with Chris Jericho over the Trish ordeal and wants to be friends again. Jericho actually accepts and Christian actually has a tag match set up for them next. That sounds swervish.

Video on HHH vs. Shawn from last week.

Lawler wants his spot back but Long comes out and makes it a three man booth to prevent the unfair removal of another black man.

Chris Jericho/Christian vs. Hurricane/Rosey

Rosey clotheslines Christian to start as Coach suggests that JR become a Superhero In Training. Hurricane comes in and gets to speed things up on Jericho but some kicks in the corner cut him off. A low bridge sends Hurricane outside and he throws himself into the steps (it looked horrible) to really put the Canadians in trouble.

Back in and we hit the choking until a double DDT gets Hurricane out of trouble. It’s off to Rosey for a Samoan drop on Christian and a double clothesline to both Canadians, even as he loses his mask. Hurricane dives onto Jericho and a swinging belly to belly gives Rosey two. Christian sends him into the post though and Jericho posts Rosey’s head, setting up the reverse DDT to give Christian the pin.

Rating: D+. Just a quick way to establish that the Canadians are on the same page again. It’s not like Hurricane and Rosey are the most important team in the world and given that there’s no way Evolution is going to lower themselves to face the two of them, it’s not like this means anything.

We look back at the Dudley Boyz beatdown earlier.

Steven Richards vs. Test

Richards has beaten Test a few times on Heat. Test wastes no time in hitting on Victoria before sending Richards shoulder first into the post. We hit the armbar and Victoria turns into a cheerleader, which has Coach and King agreeing to the fact that she’s good looking. Victoria breaks up the pumphandle slam but a hard full nelson slam drops Richards. Test tries the running big boot on Victoria but crotches himself, allowing Richards to roll him up for the pin. Not bad while it lasted actually.

Post match Test boots Victoria in the face and gets beaten down by a livid Richards.

Here’s Sheriff Austin for a chat. Austin wants to talk about the Royal Rumble but here’s HHH to interrupt. HHH thinks Austin has lost his mind (fair) and mocks the whole Sheriff concept. We get some references to old TV sheriffs and deputies in the required southern yokel accent. HHH sees Austin’s badge and that’s just too much for him. Where are the little cap guns and the big hat?

Austin cuts him off with the threat of a Stunner or stripping him of the title or even mocking his clothes. The Stone Cold law will be upheld and that means it’s time for Shawn Michaels to get a rematch after having HHH pinned last week. HHH wants to know what it’s going to take to get it through his head but here’s Shawn to interrupt. The fans are VERY pro Shawn as he wants HHH to prove it one more time. Austin makes the rematch at the Royal Rumble and let’s make that Last Man Standing, just for fun. A quick Pedigree lays Shawn out.

Molly Holly vs. Trish Stratus

Victoria was scheduled to challenge Molly here but the big boot meant we needed a replacement (with Teddy saying we need two white girls fighting) and now it’s non-title. Molly knocks her off the apron to start and hits a low dropkick for two back inside. It’s already off to the chinlock for a bit until Trish fights up with some forearms. The Stratusphere sets up a rollup for two and Trish goes up, only to have Jazz come out and shove her off for the DQ.

Jazz beats Molly up too but Jericho runs in for the save. Trish isn’t happy and leaves alone because she’s not falling for this again.

And now, a paid announcement from Friends and Supporters of Randy Orton, who think Mick Foley is a coward. It’s almost a political ad and that’s kind of funny.

Wrestlemania moment: Kane and Pete Rose.

Rob Van Dam vs. Mark Henry

The winner gets Orton for the Intercontinental Title next week. Henry shoves them around to start so it’s time to start in on the knee. A sliding dropkick to the head stuns Henry but he’s right back up with a powerslam. Henry gets kicked to the floor and that means the moonsault from the apron. That’s enough for Long, who hands Henry a chair for the knockout shot and the DQ.

Long says it’s a No DQ match so we restart things. Cue Austin on an ATV (with Long doing a hilarious face as if to say “I can’t be seeing this. Playa.”) to chase Long around the ring and up the ramp. Then the image is ruined as they go to the back with Austin driving through the entrance and Long being seen standing there.

Back from a break with Rob getting choked on the ropes and Henry hitting a running crotch attack. Henry puts Rob on top but gets caught in something like a triangle choke to really cut him down. Rolling Thunder sets up another Rolling Thunder for two and Rob skateboards the chair into Henry’s face. That just ticks Henry off so Rob goes with the Van Daminator into a Five Star for the pin.

Rating: D. Not counting the commercial, this might have been five and a half minutes long with the break in the middle. Van Dam winning was the obvious ending and the Austin vs. Long stuff wasn’t really necessary. The break in the middle really hurt what could have been a decent high flier vs. power match as Henry is starting to settle into his role, even if he almost never wins anything.

Post match Austin chases Long back to the ring and gives him a Stunner. That’s a little excessive but beer is consumed anyway.

Jericho tries to talk to Trish, but she’s in the shower. He talks about how much he really cares about her and yeah it started as a bet, but he fell for her along the lines. Jericho has real feelings for her….and it’s actually Mae Young, who of course is in a towel, which is opened. I believe they know where they want to go with this story, but they’re taking some very questionable roads to get there.

Here’s Kane for a chat. He talks about the Royal Rumble (oh yeah that’s a thing) which he has never won. Over the years he should have won them all but he was always worried about being cheered by the insects. Then last year he trusted someone, which gives us a clip of Undertaker throwing him out last year. That will never happen again because Undertaker is gone. Last week he attacked Booker T. because Booker got Kane’s World Title shot at Wrestlemania. This year he’ll win the Rumble but here’s Booker for the fight to clear Kane out. Booker enters the Rumble as well and promises to get rid of Kane in the process.

Tag Team Titles: Batista/Ric Flair vs. Dudley Boyz

Evolution is defending and the Dudleys are coming in banged up. D-Von slugs away at Batista to start but gets powered into the corner. Bubba comes in for a running corner splash and a middle rope crossbody of all things gets two. Some right hands drop Flair and that means a WOO and a strut, just to rub some salt in the always possibly soon to open wounds. There’s another corner splash into the side slam for two but it’s quickly off to Batista to take over.

It’s time to start in on the knee and the Figure Four goes on. Batista cranks on the leg with Bubba crawling to the corner for the tag….which isn’t seen thanks to a Flair distraction. A single kick to the ribs allows the real tag to D-Von, who wastes no time in powerslamming Flair to take over. Everything breaks down with Batista being sent the floor, leaving Bubba to punch Flair several times. What’s Up and the 3D connect but here’s HHH for a distraction, allowing Batista to powerbomb D-Von. The unconscious Flair get the pin.

Rating: C+. Not a great match or anything but it did its job well enough. They made Batista look like a bigger deal and Flair can do the wrestling while the Dudleys are always good for at least a solid performance. If nothing else we might get some fresh challengers now, even if there aren’t any major teams ready to go after the titles.

Post match Shawn comes back in to superkick HHH to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. While not as boring as the shows from last year, this wasn’t exactly thrilling stuff. With almost no focus on the Rumble with less than three weeks to go, we got a lot of Austin vs. Long stuff which is just filler until we’re back to Austin vs. Bischoff, which was the longest running story of 2003. They need to find something fresh and Shawn vs. HHH, which good enough, doesn’t fit that description.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: June 6, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

It’s rubber match night as we have the unlikely third match between Lacey Evans and Kairi Sane. Evans has come out of almost nowhere with a gimmick that makes you want to see someone take her head off while Sane has gone from what looked like a very fun woman full of potential to just another name on the roster. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Shayna Baszler, who has her belt back. With the fans chanting QUEEN OF SPADES, Baszler talks about forcing Dakota Kai to face reality. It doesn’t matter who stands up to her because she’s tougher, she’s stronger and she’s better. The strong will always beat the weak, but there’s always one. There’s always someone who thinks the rules don’t apply to them and in this case it’s Nikki Cross.

Cue Nikki, who is almost shaking at ringside. She gets in so Shayna calls what Nikki did last week a joke. The only place where Nikki is better is in her whacked out little brain and Shayna can put her to sleep in a heartbeat. She throws the mic and Nikki, who lets it hit the ground, only to pick it up and shout DO IT over and over. Nikki growls at her to make Shayna drop the belt and the fight is on.

Shayna covers up in the corner but gets in a right hand when Nikki goes for the belt. Nikki is right back up and knocks Shayna to the floor, drawing some blood from the mouth. This was a heck of a segment as Shayna is a great cocky heel and Nikki is as crazy as I’ve seen in a long time. I want to see them fight now and that’s exactly the point of this. Well done indeed.

TM61 vs. Mike Hughley/Robbie Grand

Miller chops Hughley to start and it’s off to Thorn with a boot on the back of the head. An awesome looking dropkick takes Grand’s head off as the fans are split between the jobbers and the Aussies. Back up and Miller throws Grand into a HARD forearm to the back of the head for the pin at 2:16.

Post match TM61 lists off the teams they’ve defeated (all two of them) and says they can beat any team around here.

We look back at Lars Sullivan beating up Aleister Black last week.

Earlier this week, Sullivan was training at the Performance Center by beating up some rookies. TM61 can be seen walking in, seeing what Sullivan is doing, shaking their heads and leaving.

Roderick Strong vs. Danny Burch

They hit the mat to start with Burch spinning out of some hammerlocks and tossing a frustrated Strong into the ropes. Strong knees him in the face a few times and scores with some backbreakers but misses a running knee in the corner. It turns into a slugout and you just don’t do that against a British wrestler. Burch takes over so here’s the Undisputed Era for a distraction. That’s quickly cut off by Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan so Burch can slap on a Crossface. Adam Cole adds another distraction though and Strong hits another backbreaker for the pin at 5:47.

Rating: C. I’m kind of surprised that the challenger lost so close to a title match but at least it wasn’t a clean pin. Burch and Lorcan aren’t likely to win the titles but they’re fine for some one off challengers. It’s very impressive that NXT can keep building these teams up in short order like this and they’ve done it again with Lorcan and Burch.

Post match Strong poses but gets punched down by Dunne until Kyle O’Reilly hits Dunne in the knee with a title.

Kassius Ohno is at a photo shoot when EC3 comes in. Insults are thrown and Ohno promises to knock him 99% unconscious next week. The challenge is accepted.

Video on Aleister Black, who is ready for Sullivan.

Ricochet talks about being known only for his flips for fifteen years and now it’s time to be more than that. He’s risen to the top of every place he’s been and he’ll do it here too. Velveteen Dream says sure Ricochet can flip all over the place but he can’t make people feel it like the Dream can.

Ricochet wants to see Dream prove it, because the only setback he’s had is being eliminated from a reality show (Dream: “The Dream has no memory of that.”) and getting a contract anyway. Dream talks about Ricochet being the king because he’d rather be the prince. The king may have been good once, but the prince knows that a greatest crown awaits. Again, this should be a lot of fun.

Kairi Sane vs. Lacey Evans

Lacey’s hand actually has Sane’s name on it. Sane ducks some early swings and headscissors Lacey down before stomping on the hand. Smart move indeed. Instead it’s a knee to the face and a slingshot elbow for two on Sane, followed by just driving the hand into Kairi’s face. It’s off to a cobra clutch with Lacey swinging her around in a circle for good measure.

Lacey even does pushups during a cover but Sane avoids a moonsault. Three straight spears and a top rope forearm set up a cross armbreaker but Lacey stacks her up for the break. Not that it matters as an Alabama Slam (Mauro: “From Japan!”) and the Insane Elbow end Evans at 6:27.

Rating: C+. Fine match to blow off the feud and Evans has already gotten a lot as out of this. Sane winning is the right idea as she could be a good next challenger for Baszler, especially given their history. If nothing else it’s nice to see Sane get some fire inside her again as it’s been lacking in recent months, if not since all the way back at the Mae Young Classic finals.

Here’s Tommaso Ciampa to be booed out of the building all over again. A few PSYCHO KILLER chants are drowned out by the YOU TAPPED OUT chants until Ciampa says the fans gave up on him way before he gave up on them. Ciampa tells the fans that he’s going to talk no matter what they chant. Fans: “YOU STILL SUCK!” Ciampa: “That’s awesome.” They switch to JOHNNY WRESTLING so Ciampa tells them to save the Psycho Killer chants before going on about how Johnny always makes it about himself.

Last week Johnny just had to make a big presentation about how he signed a contract because a week before that, he nearly killed his wife. On June 16 in Chicago, it would be better if Gargano didn’t show up. The fairy tale is coming to an end and it won’t be a happy ending because Ciampa is winning.

Cue Gargano and the fight is on with a suicide dive knocking Ciampa into the crowd. Ciampa knees him in the ribs with the brace but Johnny dives off the bleachers to stay on him with more left hands. They get back in the ring and Ciampa gets in a few shots, setting up the Gargano Escape. Referees break it up and Gargano beats him up on the stage, setting up the real Gargano Escape to make Ciampa tap to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. Some good action and all five Takeover matches getting attention, including some outstanding showdown segments. This was a great hype show for the big event next week and I want to see more than one match a lot more than I did coming into this week’s TV. That’s an awesome usage of an hour and that’s what NXT does best. There’s no “building momentum” or whatever WWE loves to say. This was a bunch of people getting ready to have their big matches and making the fans want to see those matches. That’s using wrestling TV properly and NXT does it to near perfection.

Results

TM61 b. Mike Hughley/Robbie Grand – Forearm to the back of Grand’s head

Roderick Strong b. Danny Burch – Backbreaker

Kairi Sane b. Lacey Evans – Insane Elbow

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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