Dynamite – May 6, 2020: Use What You Have

IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: May 6, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re back live and that means we could be in for something a little more interesting. I’m curious to see if there are going to be any fans in the building this time. It seems that they can put about 25% of the fans inside and that could go a long way. I’m not sure what else to expect but we could be in for a fun one. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s TNT Title tournament semifinals.

Opening sequence.

The crowd is made of wrestlers plus staff, though there do seem to be some more than usual.

Cody vs. Joey Janela

Pyro is back if nothing else. They shake hands to start and we start in a hurry. Some shoulders put Janela down but he’s back up for a quick pinfall reversal sequence. Back up and Cody kicks the chop away, setting up a slap between Joey’s shoulders. Cody’s suplex keeps Janela in trouble but he’s back with a spinwheel kick. Janela sends him throat first into the middle rope and we hit the bodyscissors.

They head outside with Cody being whipped into the barricade but Janela gets sent into the ramp. Janela fights back but takes WAY too long to take a running start and Cody sends him crashing into the ropes. A moonsault off the stage takes Janela down and they head inside again. Joey hits a superkick into a top rope elbow for two as we look at a guy named Leroy who dances in the crowd.

Cody catches him on top with a reverse superplex but Janela hits a Judas Effect of all things. The powerslam plants Janela for two but he’s back up with a German suplex to drop Cody. Janela’s moonsault misses and it’s the Cody Cutter for two. They slowly slug it out with Cody getting the better of it. Cross Rhodes finishes Janela at 13:29.

Rating: C. This went on longer than it needed to and wasn’t all that entertaining. Janela still feels like someone who just does moves with no particular rhyme or reason and isn’t someone I want to see. I know he has a big following, but it isn’t something that is translating well to a big company. Cody shouldn’t have had this much trouble with him either, but that’s been a problem for AEW since its inception.

Video on the changes to the women’s division in Nyla Rose’s absence.

Nyla Rose shouts about how dominant she is.

Nyla Rose vs. Kenzie Paige

Non-title. Rose throws her around with ease to start and blocks a sunset flip with ease. A forearm just annoys Rose and it’s a top rope Swanton for two, with Rose pulling her up. Rose hits a powerbomb, followed by the Beast Bomb to complete the squash at 2:19.

MJF has been noticing a lot of people saying they’re the next big thing, even though they’re nearly thirty. That’s cool though, because he’s the real next big thing and he’s been on national TV for six months. People say he’s great but he’s no Flair, Rock or Piper. That’s called insecurity and now the 24 year old kid is a prodigy with more it in his pinkie than others have in their whole bodies. He’s not the Rock, Piper or Flair because he’s something no one has ever seen before. He is better than you and next week, he’s back on his throne.

Shawn Spears talks about Dustin Rhodes being destroyed last week and the only person who deserves the blame is Cody. Dustin’s career is over and as a brother, Spears can’t live with what Cody let happen. Cody seems fine with it though. Don’t tell me we’re doing Cody vs. Spears again.

The gambling is back on at ringside, with MJF looking at Spears and calling him brave. It takes bravery to call Cody out for everything. Spears says MJF’s comeback story is the greatest of all time. Tony is glad MJF is back, because he’s facing Jungle Boy at Double or Nothing. The spit takes wraps up the segment.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Jon Moxley

Non-title with a feeling out process to start. Moxley drops down so Moxley grabs a headlock, only to have it broken up for a chop in the corner. Kazarian goes right back to the headlock, which is broken up again. The third headlock goes on but this time Moxley reverses into a reverse chinlock with a knee in the back.

A backbreaker gives Moxley two and he’s out of the fourth headlock much faster this time. With that not working, Kazarian hits a spinwheel kick but gets sent over the top for a big crash onto the ramp. Back from a break with Moxley hitting a running knee to send him outside but the dive off the middle rope is kicked out of the air. Kazarian’s slingshot DDT gets two but Moxley is back with a release German suplex. A Backstabber cuts Moxley off and the Unprettier gets two.

They slug it out until Kazarian hits a dropkick and ties him up with….I’m not sure what to call it but Kazarian has the leg tied and is pulling on the arm. Moxley uses the free leg to kick his way out so Kazarian snaps off a German suplex. A heck of a clothesline gives Moxley two and they go to an exchange of near falls for two each. Kazarian suplexes him into the corner for a big crash but Moxley pulls him off the top. The quick Paradigm Shift finishes Kazarian at 16:29.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but they did a good job of setting up the idea that Moxley respected Kazarian. They set things up well here and Kazarian can hang with anyone so it was a good enough match too. It was a good use of some time and got Moxley on TV where he had to break a sweat to win, but did win in the end. Nice enough stuff.

Post match the Dark Order runs in to beat down Kazarian and Moxley, plus Scorpio Sky and Christopher Daniels for trying to make a save. Brodie Lee comes in and hits the discus lariat on Moxley. Lee talks about how there is no crowd here to give Moxley energy. The Dark Order is Lee’s energy and he is a different man than the one who fought Moxley in the past.

Now he wants the World Title, so Moxley can answer the challenge or they’ll make him do it. Lee lays the microphone next to him and Moxley says all Lee had to do was ask. A big boot to the face drops Moxley again and the beatdown is on for a second time. Lee leaves with the title.

Brandi Rhodes doesn’t like Jake Roberts and Lance Archer and knows what they’re going to do to her. It’s going to lead to a showdown in the ring with the two of them trying to intimidate her until Cody makes the save. That would make sense in 1991 but if Jake slaps her in the face like he did back then, she’ll slap him back. As her mom said, “Don’t f*** with people you don’t know.” She is Brandi Rhodes, so keep her name out of your mouth. This was your weekly “Brandi is a thing too” segment.

QT Marshall vs. Lance Archer

Brandi and Jake Roberts (in a mask) are here too. Archer runs over a wrestler at ringside as usual and then decks Marshall before the bell too. Some running shoulders in the corner have Marshall in more trouble and Archer drops him onto the apron. Back from a break with Marshall getting splashed and choked out to the floor.

After avoiding the threat of Britt Baker’s show, Marshall gets back in with a handspring enziguri. Marshall lifts him up for a suplex as Jake isn’t looking pleased. Archer pulls him off the top and hits the Blackout for two, with Archer not wanting the pin yet. Instead he claw slams Marshall a few times for the pin at 7:38.

Rating: C-. Marshall is a good hand but there is only so much you can get out of a somewhat extended squash. Marshall continues to look intimidating and has some good power stuff, but we’ve seen it a few times now and some of the shine is starting to wear off a little bit.

Post match Britt Baker jumps the barricade and DDTs Brandi onto the floor. Jake busts out the snake and lays it on the unconscious Brandi. Commentary points out how far the locker rooms are from the arena, because we’re supposed to believe that Cody wasn’t watching intently when his wife was out there with Jake and Archer.

Taz offers Darby Allin some assistance but Allin walks away.

Double Or Nothing rundown, with a #1 contenders ladder match and Lee challenging Moxley for the World Title.

Preview of next week’s show.

Le Sex Gods vs. Kenny Omega/Matt Hardy

Street fight with Jake Hager here as well. Hardy bites Guevara’s hand to start and it’s a big brawl early on. Tony: “We have found out that Jericho’s match next week will be against Pineapple Pete.” JR: “GET THE H*** OUT OF HERE!” Jericho is left laying on the floor and we get some Poetry in Motion on Sammy. Jericho gets back up and fights to the back with Matt but runs straight back in to double team Omega in the corner.

A double suplex drops Omega and we hit the pose for a bonus. Hardy, now in his regular gear instead of the Broken gear, comes in to clean house. Jericho and Hardy head outside again, leaving Sammy to kick Omega in the head. That lets Jericho come back in with the (Inner Circle branded) baseball bat for some shots from behind. Omega makes the save and knocks Jericho outside, meaning it’s time to break out the ladder and table.

A splash off the ladder sends Sammy through the table but Hager pulls the referee out at two. Omega’s slingshot dive is pulled out of the air so Hager can drop him onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Hardy and Jericho fighting backstage, with Hardy being put inside a Jacksonville Jaguars ice locker. Omega makes the save with some trashcan shots but Sammy sends him into an ATM (with Sammy even getting some money out).

Omega sends Sammy into a metal wall and Hager is sent through some barricades. Jericho runs Omega over and puts a cone on his own head like a hat. Omega comes back with a slippery when wet sign and shatters it over his back. Matt comes out of the ice bucket and he’s back in the Broken gear. He steals a golf cart, orders the cameraman to document these events (JR: “That’s what we’re doing mat. You’re on television.”), and almost runs Jericho over.

Omega is pulled into the cart with him and they chase Sammy down, eventually running him over hard. Jericho is still down so Hardy lays him onto a table, with Omega climbing a scissor lift. That’s raised into the air (JR: “What are we watching here?”) but Hager comes in for the save. Omega moonsaults onto everyone but Santana and Ortiz run in to save Jericho from the One Winged Angel. A triple bomb puts Hardy through a table and Omega is powerbombed onto the golf cart. The Judas Effect finishes Omega at 18:29.

Rating: B. This went longer than it needed to and there was a little too much laying around, but it was a memorable and entertaining match. The Hardy transformation would have worked better if they had done it once instead of twice, but it’s a clever enough idea for later on. The Inner Circle being back to full strength is a good thing too and it was a hard hitting brawl throughout. What matters the most though is it was better than sitting around in an empty arena hitting each other with chairs. You have a lot of resources available in the venue. Use them and see what kind of fun you can have, like they did here.

The Inner Circle poses in front of the Jaguars’ stadium with INNER CIRCLE on the scoreboard to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked the main event and Moxley vs. Kazarian, but I’m having a difficult time getting involved in all the Rhodes stuff. Last week’s beating to Dustin was brutal, but it’s still Dustin Rhodes. I’m very impressed with what he’s done lately, though that doesn’t change the fact that he hasn’t been some top level player for decades. It’s cool to see him in an angle, but it’s not an angle that needs to be such a focal point of the show. I get why people like it and care about Dustin. It’s just not something I’m going to get overly invested in most of the time. Good show though, with the main event shining.

Results

Cody b. Joey Janela – Cross Rhodes

Nyla Rose b. Kenzie Paige – Beast Bomb

Jon Moxley b. Frankie Kazarian – Paradigm Shift

Lance Archer b. QT Marshall – Claw slam

Le Sex Gods b. Kenny Omega/Matt Hardy – Judas Effect to Omega

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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Dark – May 5, 2020: Goldilocks Approves

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: May 5, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Cody

The show continues and I’m not sure what that is going to mean. AEW has made an interesting choice with this show as it means nothing but can often give you a few good moments of wrestling a week. Maybe that’s what they’re trying for and if so, well done. Let’s get to it.

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

Quick card rundown.

10 vs. Ryan Pyles

That would be 10 from the Dark Order, meaning Brodie Lee is with him. 10 runs him over with a clothesline and sends Pyles flying out of the corner. Pyles gets sent outside so 10 follows him outside, looks at Lee, and hits a hard chop. Back in and Pyles hurts his own hand on a chop as I try to figure out why the video screen says Dynamite instead of Dark. Lee is livid that Pyles got in that much so it’s a spinebuster to give 10 the win at 2:22.

Shawn Dean vs. Sammy Guevara

Cody calls Sammy the Starscream to Chris Jericho’s Megatron. I never watched Transformers so I’ll assume that’s a good comparison. Sammy pulls out his phone before the match and spends so much time talking to it that he gets rolled up for two. That means the beating is on so Sammy grabs the fireman’s carry and does some squats. Dean muscles him up for a suplex though and a rolling knee gets one. The count earns him some kicks to the head for two and we hit the chinlock. Shawn fights up with some shots to the face and a DDT but he walks into the Burning GTS for the pin at 6:20.

Rating: C-. Dean is someone who could be turned into something with some more time and experience and that’s not a bad thing. I’m not sure if AEW is going to bring him in full time or anything but for someone who is there to make others look good for the time being, he has done well enough. Sammy on the other hand comes off as a star every time he’s out there and AEW knows what they have.

Kip Sabian vs. Colt Cabana

Sabian has Penelope Ford with him and this is fallout from about six weeks ago on Dynamite. Sabian slaps him in the face to start and grabs a quickly broken headlock. They run the ropes for a bit until Cabana hits a bigger slap to send Sabian outside. Back in and Sabian misses a springboard kick to the face so Cabana starts in on the arm. It’s off to the leg next, followed by the arm and the leg at the same time.

With that broken up, Colt runs the ropes so Sabian holds up his hand and says stop. Cabana runs him over anyway, suggesting that he isn’t great at following orders. A Ford distraction lets Sabian take him off the apron…but Ford won’t kiss Sabian for some reason. Sabian kicks Cabana in the chest for two and a springboard missile dropkick connects for the same.

A stomp to the face blinds Cabana a bit but he can get the boots up to block a springboard splash. Cabana strikes away and hits the Bionic elbow for two. The Flying Apple drops Sabian but Ford gets in to block something off the middle rope. That’s enough for Sabian to get in a low blow for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: C. This felt like the biggest Dark main event in a long time and you could have seen it taking place on a slow episode of Dynamite. That’s all you can ask for in a show like this as it’s not like there is anything to be expected around here. It was nice to see a story tied together from Dynamite though and for what it was, this worked out perfectly fine.

A quick Dynamite preview ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. Of course this isn’t a show worth going out of your way to see but the thirty minute run time made for a pretty sweet spot compared to the very short or very long shows. You don’t need a show built around dark matches to go very long but you also don’t want it to have no value at the same time. This worked well enough and it’s not like you can get overly annoyed at a show this short.

Results

10 b. Ryan Pyles – Spinebuster

Sammy Guevara b. Shawn Dean – Burning GTS

Kip Sabian b. Colt Cabana – Low blow

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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Dynamite – April 29, 2020: Almost As Advertised

IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: April 29, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

It’s still tournament time as the taped shows continues. This time around we have the semifinals for the TNT Title tournament and that means we have some big matches to get ready. In addition to that, we have Brodie Lee vs. Marko Stunt, in a match that should last about thirty seconds but I’ll put the over/under at five minutes because AEW has to let everyone shine. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Darby Allin vs. Cody, with Cody only going 1-0-1 with him. Allin says he lost to Arn Anderson and how he represents being relentless. Cody eats and breathes wrestling and wants to be champion no matter what. Allin wants to know which part of the story matters most: the beginning, the middle or the end.

Tony runs down the card, with Jericho thinking most of it will be stupid.

TNT Title Tournament Semifinals: Darby Allin vs. Cody

Cody shoulders him down to start but Allin sends Cody into the corner. They head to the floor with Cody avoiding a charge, meaning Brandi gets knocked down by mistake. Cody takes him inside and stomps away as we take a break. Back with Cody rather angry and tying Allin up in a bow and arrow. Cody drops him ribs first across the top rope for two and a half crab sends Darby bailing to the ropes.

Darby is back up with a quick Code Red into a kneebar, followed by tying the leg in the corner. They head outside where Britt Baker gets in a shoe shot from over the barricade (Jericho: “God bless you Britt!”). Back from another break with a double clothesline putting them both down. It’s Cody up first with the Beautiful Disaster but the referee takes the weightlifting belt away. Cross Rhodes gives Darby two and we get a fifteen person THIS IS AWESOME chant.

The Figure Four puts Cody in trouble and here’s Brandi from the back, holding her stomach like she has broken ribs. Brandi gives Cody some water so Darby takes it away and hits Cody in the head with it. That earns him a ripcord clothesline and they’re both down again. Jericho: “There’s no water in hockey! Well actually there is. There’s no water in football!” Cross Rhodes gives Cody two so he tries the Coffin Drop, only to hit raised knees. Darby’s Coffin Drop connects but he leans back too far and Cody gets the rollup pin at 20:23. Jericho: “What was in that water Schiavone??? THAT WAS SPIKED WATER!”

Rating: B. It was good but I was rolling my eyes at the stolen finishers. That gets old in a hurry and they did it multiple times here. It seemed to be building towards Allin vs. Archer in a big David vs. Goliath match but why do that when you can go with Cody? It’s a good match, but it could have been a lot better.

We get the second part of the Scorpio Sky bio, this time focusing on him joining SCU. He didn’t want to just be their third wheel but then he found the THIS IS THE WORST TOWN shtick and it took off. Sky doesn’t want to be good or even great, because he wants to be f****** legend.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman understands that we all feel like we’re in an Uber with a foreign driver who won’t use the GPS: lost. He has been to his nail doctor, who happens to be the most advanced doctor in his field. Now, he has healed so well that he has OVER healed and has the strongest nail ever.

MJF wants to be back on Dynamite and he was so excited that he NICKED HIS NECK WHILE HE WAS SHAVING! The scarf comes off to reveal a neck brace and now he can’t get on a germ infested plane and wrestle in front of six or seven people. He cares oh so much for you people during your time of need and wanted to be back. He is the storm on the horizon and the candle in a dark room. Just remember that he is better than us, which was very apparent after everything he said here.

Musa vs. Wardlow

Musa bounces off of him to start as we hear about how handsome Wardlow really is. For some reason Musa slaps him in the face and manages a handspring knee to the chest. That drops Wardlow to one knee so Musa gets driven straight into the corner. The release F5 finishes Musa at 2:24.

It’s time for round three of the Bubbly Bunch, with Sammy Guevara saying that if anyone thinks he lost the Flim Flam last week, they can suck his bottle of hand sanitizer. Jericho says they can agree to disagree, meaning they can have a Manitoba Melee. That would mean fighting each other over the phone, as they kick the screen, which somehow hits a variety of people, including Peter Avalon, Sonny Kiss, Jungle Boy, Chris Jericho’s Dad, Lou Ferrigno, Kevin Smith (yes that Kevin Smith), Gabriel Iglesias, maybe Hornswoggle, Virgil, and Vickie Guerrero. Jericho: “STOP! THAT WAS AWESOME!” I’d say that’s accurate.

Jimmy Havoc/Kip Sabian vs. Best Friends

Anything goes with Penelope Ford and Orange Cassidy as the seconds. It’s a brawl to start and Chuck hits a big flip dive onto both of them on the floor. A big chair toss to the head drops Cassidy (Jericho: “YES!”) and Havoc suplexes Chuck onto some steps. Trent hits his own big flip dive over the top onto Sabian, who is right back in to stomp away. Havoc pelts the chair at Chuck and it’s time for a ladder.

Havoc does make sure to tag his way in so Sabian can kick Trent into a double eye poke. The ladder is laid over the middle ropes, followed by Trent diving into a Backstabber for two. Chuck makes the save but gets sent outside again, followed by more chair shots to take him down again. Havoc takes a pair of chair throws and the Big Hug crushes him. Sabian gets caught in Soul Food into the dragon suplex for two but Sabian sends Chuck into the corner. A tornado DDT plants Sabian and a running knee into a chair to the head gets two with Havoc making the save.

Havoc and Sabian go onto the ladder in the corner with Sabian getting dropped down hard. Havoc lays two open chairs on their side and puts Trent on top for a double stomp from Sabian. Chuck makes the save and plants Havoc on the open chairs. A piledriver onto a chair gets two on Sabian with Ford making the save. The Friends are sent outside and it’s Cassidy getting back up to dive onto Sabian and Ford on the floor. Chuck comes back in with a running Awful Waffle (over the shoulder piledriver) to Havoc onto the chairs for the pin at 13:20.

Rating: C-. I didn’t get anything out of this as it was a bunch of mindless brawling with one weapons spot after another. You can tell stories and build to stuff in a match like this but they didn’t do anything close in this case. They were doing violence for the sake of violence and that gets old in a hurry.

We go to Britt Baker’s office (heavily decorated with pictures of her and Schiavone, plus a video loop of their interviews) where she is getting ready for a Role Model segment. She has a makeup lady named Rebel (formerly of Impact Wrestling) and can’t remember her name no matter. Baker takes her to another room and insists that Rebel (or Riba) say it right. We get the next tip, with her Twitter handle popping up by mistake of course, which is how it’s not ok to wear glasses, be fat, or have snaggle teeth. She just happens to use a photo of Tony Schiavone to prove her point every time. This was great as usual.

Shawn Spears vs. Baron Black

Spears takes him down to start and then hits a hard clothesline in the corner. The shot was so good that Spears stops to dance before catching Baron with a spinebuster. With a look to Jericho, it’s the arrogant cover for two, sending Jericho into pleased hysterics. The C4 into the Sharpshooter makes Baron tap at 3:42.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here but it continues to prove that Spears is nothing but a decent hand in the ring. There was nothing here that made me want to see him again, though the tributes to various Canadians were kind of fun. I’m not sure what else he can do, though after they wasted Tully Blanchard on him, his hopes don’t seem high.

Video on Lance Archer.

We recap Marko Stunt vs. Brodie Lee. Stunt got crushed by Lance Archer once and now it’s time to do it again against another monster.

Brodie Lee vs. Marko Stunt

Lee throws him down a few times to start and a big boot makes it worse. Some chops in the corner make it worse as Jericho accuses JR of being part of the Dark Order. Stunt is knocked to the apron so Lee goes outside and walks towards him, but makes sure to catch a suicide dive with ease. Lee throws him down but Stunt dives back in at nine. Back in and Stunt gets up a boot in the corner, only to dive into a swinging Boss Man Slam. A pop up sitout powerbomb finishes Stunt at 3:11.

Rating: C. I was scared when Stunt got in those boots but that was as incidental as you can get. This was a complete and total squash, exactly as it should have been. There was no need to do anything more than have Stunt get crushed here and they did it the right way in this case.

Jon Moxley is in the desert and talks about how much things have changed in the last eight weeks. One day, we will be back together and he’ll be bleeding and swearing. Right now though, it’s time to be thankful for things, like his wife for putting up with him and steel chairs, because a DDT on a chair is better than a DDT not on a chair. He’ll be live next week and it’s time to find out who he’s going to be facing at Double Or Nothing. Until then, support your local businesses by ordering takeout and BE SURE TO CALL YOUR GRANDMOTHER!

Next week: MJF returns, Jon Moxley vs. Frankie Kazarian and Le Sex Gods (you can figure them out) vs. Matt Hardy/Kenny Omega.

TNT Title Tournament Semifinals: Lance Archer vs. Dustin Rhodes

Dustin has Brandi in his corner. Dustin hits him in the face a few times to start so Archer gets in a shot of his own, sending Dustin outside. Back in and Archer gets low bridged to the floor, followed by more right hands as he gets inside again. The scoop powerslam is blocked though and Archer knocks him outside hard. Brandi has to back away from Archer, who bounces a chair off of Dustin’s head.

Dustin is busted open and we take a break. Back with Archer running him over again and winning a slugout on the floor. Archer looks at the blood on his hand, shrugs off a hope shot from Dustin, and snaps off a suplex. The blood is pooling up on the mat so Archer grabs him by the head. Dustin gets up and slugs away in the corner, even managing to hit Shattered Dreams.

Archer is ticked so he rips a turnbuckle pad off and Dustin goes face first into the exposed steel. That’s not a DQ so Archer does it again, which draws out Cody with a towel. Dustin says no and pulls the towel in with him. That just earns him a bunch of claw slams onto the mat and the pin from Archer at 22:42.

Rating: B. It was good drama and Archer looked like a killer, but at some point it might be nice to explain that there are no DQ’s around here. Or if there are, explain that Aubrey Edwards has been fired for everything she let go on here. Anyway, I liked the action, but I’ve never quite gotten why I’m supposed to care so much about Dustin Rhodes. Yeah it’s cool that he’s still around but at the end of the day, it’s a new monster beating the heck out of career midcarder Dustin Rhodes. It’s certainly not bad or anything close to it, though it’s not enough to have some big dramatic impact.

Cody looks at Archer in his best Rocky vs. Drago glare to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Tony Khan had promised that this would be one of the best nights they’ve ever had and…..well it was really good. I can’t say it’s even close to their best night ever but it had two solid matches and that’s a great start. There were some holes here though, like the Best Friends match (which I know has its audience and that’s fine) and the squashes, which do serve a purpose but aren’t all that entertaining most of the time. It’s a very entertaining show though and that’s quite an accomplishment in this environment.

Results

Cody b. Darby Allin – Rollup

Wardlow b. Musa – Release F5

Best Friends b. Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc – Running Awful Waffle onto a pile of chairs to Havoc

Shawn Spears b. Baron Black – Sharpshooter

Brodie Lee b. Marko Stunt – Pop up sitout powerbomb

Lance Archer b. Dustin Rhodes – Archer slammed his head into the mat

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

AEW Dark – April 28, 2020: Lunchtime Viewing

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: April 28, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Cody

I’m running out of ways to describe this show as there’s only so much that can be done in a show that isn’t even breaking twenty minutes some weeks. Thankfully they haven’t been doing many angles or anything important, because it’s a show all about getting people in and out of the ring as fast as they can. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony runs down the card.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Shawn Dean

Havoc takes him into the corner with a lockup to start and then works on a wristlock. That’s reversed with a quick flip and it’s a salute from Dean into a handshake. Havoc doesn’t take kindly to that and hammers away in the corner so Dean armdrags him a few times. That earns him a suplex into the corner so Havok can bend Dean’s fingers back. A rope break gets Dean out of trouble so it’s the Acid Rainmaker into a fisherman’s DDT for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C-. Not quite a squash here and Dean continues to be someone who shows some promise. Havoc is a lot more tolerable when he tones it down and has a basic match, because he’s actually decent enough at the simple wrestling stuff. This could have been a lot worse and that’s a nice surprise on a show like this.

Musa/Lee Johnson vs. Best Friends

Chuck and Musa start things off with Chuck faceplanting him into a basement dropkick. Trent comes in to face Johnson and gives him a clean break out of the corner. Johnson forearms him so Chuck takes him down with a northern lights suplex. A double dropkick puts Johnson down again but he takes Chuck into the corner. Chuck fights out without much trouble but Johnson is right back with an Isaiah Scott House Call. Johnson charges into a suplex into the corner to take Musa down though and everything breaks down. Soul Food into a suplex drops Musa and it’s Strong Zero for the pin at 5:48.

Rating: C. This got some more time than I was expecting and it was a good bit more competitive than I would have bet on. The Best Friends still aren’t my thing but they were playing it straight here and that’s a good sign. Not too bad here in a match that let everyone look good.

Overall Rating: C. I guess Tony was a bit off when he said we had three matches tonight. This was about as good as a sixteen minute show was going to be and that’s all you need it to be. It gets people in the ring and doesn’t waste any time with storyline development. Nothing would be any different if it wasn’t here, but as always: how annoyed can I get when it takes longer to eat lunch than watch a show?

Results

Jimmy Havoc b. Shawn Dean – Fisherman’s DDT

Best Friends b. Musa/Lee Johnson – Strong Zero to Musa

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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Dynamite – April 22, 2020: The Low Key Edition

IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: April 22, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Tony Schiavone

We’re still on the road to what was supposed to be Double Or Nothing from Las Vegas but it could be interesting to see what they might have to do instead. I’m not sure how things are going to go around here but I liked last week’s show well enough. That doesn’t always mean something going forward though and now we’ll have to see where this goes from here. Let’s get to it.

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

Cody, looking at a bunch of monitors, talks about everyone else in the tournament. He needs to see if he can rise above the midcard and show everything he can do. But can he get by everyone else?

Tony and Chris run down the card.

Sammy Guevara talks about how he has it all and tonight he’s taking a step closer to bringing a title back to the Inner Circle. Why should he be scared of Darby Allin when Darby won’t even show his face?

Darby Allin talks about how Sammy is more of a sinner than he knows and Darby stands on his own two feet. Tonight, he’s killing Sammy’s dream.

TNT Title Tournament First Round: Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin

Sammy jumps him on the floor before the bell before bridging a ladder between the barricade and the apron. Darby is laid over the ladder and a top rope splash crushes him to leave both guys on the floor. Back from a break with Sammy throwing him inside and demanding that the bell ring. Sammy loads up a superplex but Darby breaks it up and unhooks Sammy’s boot of all things. An ankle lock from the top sends Sammy bailing so he used the booed foot for an enziguri.

A springboard cutter gives Sammy two but Allin pulls him back into an ankle lock. That’s broken up with right hands to the face and a big shot to the already busted nose drops Allin again. We take another break and come back with Sammy avoiding a suicide dive to send Allin hard into the barricade. A 630 gives Sammy two but Allin is right back with the flipping Stunner. Darby’s springboard is countered into the Burning GTS but Allin flips out and grabs the Last Supper for the pin at 9:50.

Rating: C+. They were flying around the ring rather nicely and Allin making another comeback win is a good idea for him. I’m not sure what the point was in having Sammy wrestling with a handicap but it was certainly unique enough. Allin advancing is a good sign though and I could go for him vs. Lance Archer at some point in this tournament.

Broken Matt Hardy talks about how the Inner Circle needs to come face him at the Hardy Compound. We hear from the Matt Hardy vessel, who has been friends with or respects the heck out the Elite for years. Jericho is scared to see the pillars of AEW knocked out because they allow him to profit off of everything. Matt is ready to beat up everyone in the Inner Circle until he gets to Jericho.

Taz breaks down some of Kenny Omega’s offense. This is the kind of thing you don’t get very often in wrestling and it’s one of the things that can make AEW feel like a more realistic sports presentation. If nothing else, having someone like Taz, who can talk and knows wrestling quite well, makes it even better. Good idea here and do it again.

Kenny Omega vs. Alan Angels

Jericho cheering for Omega being from Winnipeg and then calling him a pumpkin head is something that only he could get away with. We actually hear about Deep South Wrestling as Angels gets out of the Snapdragon so Kenny chops him instead. Omega stops a splash with raised knees and hits a backbreaker as Jericho brags about being undefeated against Omega in his career.

Angels gets caught in the ring skirt but uses it to knock Omega backwards, setting up a springboard dropkick for two. A spinning kick to the head drops Omega as Jericho tries to figure out what Angels’ tights says, thinking it might be ankles or Engalls. The Snapdragon into the V Trigger gets two, followed by another V Trigger to finish Angels at 6:19.

Rating: C. Angels got a lot in here and that’s something you wouldn’t have expected. Jericho continues to be hilarious with a never ending run of references and jokes, all of which work because it’s Chris Jericho saying them. This was a fine use of time and Omega let him have some shine in there.

We get a video on Scorpio Sky, talking about how much he has always wanted to be a wrestler. He has always wanted to do this more than breathing but back in 2008 he hurt his back. The options were either to have surgery or live with the pain and never wrestle again. Then one day he was fine out of nowhere and he doesn’t know what happened. Then he got back in the ring and gave wrestling one more shot, without knowing if it could work. In 2017, SCU was formed and we’ll pick it up there next time. Good stuff here as Sky is a likable guy.

Dustin Rhodes has announced that he will retire if he doesn’t beat Kip Sabian in the tournament.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy, from wherever, weighing whatever and with the Best Friends, is too laissez faire for Le Champion. Havoc jumps him from behind to start and chokes Cassidy with his own jacket. Said jacket is thrown over the barricade and Penelope Ford stomps on it. Cassidy loses his shirt too and Havoc sends him into the barricade. Jericho gets in the easiest joke ever, saying that Orange Cassidy is being beaten to a pulp. A chop against the post makes it worse and there’s a poke to the eye, allowing Jericho to make Three Stooges noises.

Back in and Havoc puts Cassidy’s hands in his pockets, which seems to power him up. Cassidy picks up the pace with a dropkick to the floor and a suicide dive, followed by a tornado DDT. The lazy splash gets two more and a Superman punch puts Havoc down again. Ford gets on the apron for a distraction, so Chuck Taylor pulls her down….into the splits of course. Kip Sabian dives onto the Best Friends but Ford misses her hurricanrana to Cassidy. A crucifix pins Havoc at 9:06.

Rating: C. Remember when Cassidy did this same thing against Pac? Well here it is against Jimmy Havoc. I know it might be hard to believe that Cassidy could do the same things over and over without changing anything, but that was the case here. Other than that, the match was fine enough and probably sets up a tag match for later.

We go to MJF’s house where he talks about how horrible it has been for him to not be in the ring. The truth is that he has suffered a horrible injury in the form of a hangnail. However, he promises to his loyal MJFF’s (MJF Fans) that he will be back and become the World Champion, because he’s better than you.

Wardlow vs. Lee Johnson

Wardlow starts fast with a gorilla press powerslam and a release overhead suplex. Johnson slips out of another suplex and forearms away to as much success as you can imagine. A release F5 finishes Johnson at 2:39.

A man sits in the dark as a woman calls to say this isn’t working out. As this goes on, he looks at a website talking about a Heisman Trophy hopeful hurting his knee. With the call over, he goes to the Dark Order’s website and joins, because he needs a new start.

We go to Brodie Lee, who is talking to presumably the person who sent the message. Lee says Uno has told him a lot about the guy. The unseen guy says he is 6’2 and 240lbs and Lee wants to offer him success. The Dark Order are the lions of AEW and they feed on the prey. The man is now part of the team.

Justin Law vs. Brodie Lee

Lee starts fast with the release suplex and this a running elbow in the corner. The discus lariat finishes 1:57. Total and complete squash.

The Best Friends don’t like Sabian and Havoc so the tag match is set.

It’s time for more of the Bubbly Bunch with Sammy saying he’s sad and Jake Hager promising to end Jon Moxley the next change he gets. Jericho doesn’t want to hear about people being sad because they can dance. They can do the Flim Flam! Jericho says whoever does the best Flim Flam gets a bottle of hand sanitizer. Sammy: “Hand sanitizer???? That’s all you had to say Chris!” And then they all dance. Sammy adds a bunch of flips and an annoyed Jericho hangs upon him because Sammy had to show off. Jericho: “ENJOY YOUR HAND SANITIZER!” I’m far too old to have any idea what this means.

Video on Jon Moxley.

Kip Sabian is ready to win because he has an ace in the hole with Ford.

TNT Title Tournament First Round: Kip Sabian vs. Dustin Rhodes

Rhodes will retire if he loses and Penelope Ford/Brandi Rhodes are the seconds. Feeling out process to start with Dustin working on a wristlock but getting taken down for a kick to the head. Sabian takes him into the corner and we go to a break. Back with Sabian avoiding a charge in the corner to band up Dustin’s knee and we hit the leglock.

Some stomps to the leg stay on the knee and then it’s off to an armbar. Back up and Dustin grabs a spinebuster for the double knockdown. An atomic drop sets up the snap powerslam for two but Sabian grabs a tornado DDT. The women get in a fight on the floor though and Brandi comes in to spear Ford. The distraction lets Dustin hit a Canadian Destroyer for the pin at 13:12.

Rating: C. The drama wasn’t exactly high here as there was only so much of a reason to believe that Sabian was going to beat Rhodes in the first round. That would have been a better story for next week against Archer next week, but at least they tried to do something here. A mixed tag would make sense, but at the moment it’s the Best Friends getting Sabian’s attention because they have to do something.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was ok at best without much to get interested in. They focused on the tournament more than anything else, but you can only get so much out of the early rounds when the matches aren’t exactly great. The lack of a crowd is really starting to become an issue here as AEW crowds offering all that energy is a major calling card around here. It was a watchable show, but the lack of energy was notable.

Results

Darby Allin b. Sammy Guevara – Last Supper

Kenny Omega b. Alan Angels – V Trigger

Orange Cassidy b. Jimmy Havoc – Crucifix

Wardlow b. Lee Johnson – Release F5

Brodie Lee b. Justin Law – Discus lariat

Dustin Rhodes b. Kip Sabian – Canadian Destroyer

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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Dark – April 21, 2020: It’s Hard To Screw It Up

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: April 21, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

This show continues, though it isn’t like it’s something that you can really get annoyed about. Given that the show barely breaks twenty minutes anymore, it’s really just a blip that comes and goes with no consequences. That’s not the worst thing in the world, but it also makes it less important than Main Event. Let’s get to it.

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

Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford

Kip Sabian is here with Ford. Jay’s tights say Jayy but everything else says Jay so we’ll go with the majority. Something seems to be amiss here as this is announced as Jay’s AEW debut, and that isn’t exactly accurate as you can see another match of hers on this same YouTube channel. Cody even references Jay’s first match so I’m not sure what’s going on.

Feeling out process to start with Jay taking her down into a headscissors and a headlock. Back up and Ford runs her over with some shoulders but a hiptoss sends Ford into the corner. Sabian offers a distraction though and Ford hits the handspring elbow for two. Choking with a kiss ensues but another handspring elbow misses. Jay hits a dropkick and a running seated Blockbuster for two but Ford is back with a Stunner. A fisherman’s suplex finishes Jay at 5:17.

Rating: D+. I don’t think there is any secret to the fact that part of the point of this match was the positive visuals, but at the same time, neither of the two of them embarrassed themselves. Ford is getting better and Jay was quite good given that she hasn’t even had ten matches (though it might be a lot higher given AEW’s questionable counting), the match was acceptable enough. The women’s division still needs work, but it is getting better as time goes on.

Joe Alonzo vs. Cody

Brandi is here with Cody. Alonzo does everything for the views and Tony is handling commentary alone here. Cody’s takedown attempt is cut off so he works on a wristlock into a hammerlock instead. A release gordbuster lets Cody do some pushups so Alonzo goes outside to hit on Brandi. Back in and Cody no sells a cutter and kicks Alonzo in the face. The Gale Lock (another finisher) makes Alonzo tap at 4:13.

Rating: C-. Not bad here as Alonzo got to show off a little bit. It was little more than a squash but when you’re getting to face one of the bigger stars in the company, you have to make the most of it. Alonzo didn’t look like a star or anything, but he had a fine enough match and that’s all you can ask for. Well that and Cody to have a few less finishers, though that’s false hope at this point.

Overall Rating: C-. I know I say this every week but I’m not sure what the point is in having this show. It’s not like there is anything to gain from it as fans who are going to be watching this are probably watching Dynamite. At sixteen minutes, how much can you get out of it, even as a big fan? The show is too short to be offensive but not long enough to mean much. It’s a strange show, but I can’t get mad at it with what we were given here.

Results

Penelope Ford b. Anna Jay – Fisherman’s suplex

Cody b. Joe Alonzo – Gale Lock

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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Dynamite – April 15, 2020: In Your House Style

IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: April 15, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re taped again and this time around we have a major match with the World Title on the line as Jake Hager challenges Jon Moxley. Other than that it’s time to continue the TNT Title tournament as we continue towards what is likely going to be an empty arena Double Or Nothing at some location to be determined. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Jake Roberts talking about how Lance Archer is ready to be the TNT Champion because the tournament was made for him. Colt Cabana may have some skills, but it’s not enough to get through Archer.

Tony and Chris run down the card.

Colt Cabana talks about how he is coming in as an underdog but he has been surviving for fifteen years. Archer has dominated Japan but Cabana has wrestled all over the world. Tonight, he’s proving what he can do.

TNT Title Tournament First Round: Lance Archer vs. Colt Cabana

Archer takes out an unidentified person on the way to the ring and then decks Cabana before the bell. Some chops and forearms don’t do much to Archer so he runs Cabana over with a shoulder. Cabana makes Archer chase him a bit and tries a wristlock to little effect. The Flying Apple is countered into a full nelson slam for two and it’s time to rip at Cabana’s face.

A hard clothesline takes Cabana down again but the wrestlers at ringside are behind him anyway. Back from a break with Cabana getting knocked down again but avoiding a middle rope splash. Now the Flying Apple connects and a middle rope splash gives Cabana two. Some right hands stagger Archer, but they also make him laugh. Archer nails a Pounce and there’s a chokeslam to make it worse. The Blackout finishes Cabana at 11:24.

Rating: C. Archer’s power stuff was impressive enough and Cabana was wrestling mostly serious tonight so it wasn’t a bad performance whatsoever. It was a little longer than it needed to be though and that is the kind of thing that can make Archer seem a little less dominant. Good enough though and Archer should have had a little more trouble with someone like Cabana.

Britt Baker is in her office and has a presentation about how to be a role model. Step #1 is always fight fair, which wasn’t the case last week when Hikaru Shida injured her. Britt kept fighting though because it is her mission to always be the face of the division. So who is the true winner here? Baker has gotten awesome at this stuff in a hurry.

ESPN’s Ariel Helwani picks Hager to win the World Title tonight.

Taz picks Moxley.

Post break, Taz walks us through how Hager chokes people out, including Moxley a few weeks back.

Britt Baker vs. Cassandra Golden

Baker kicks her in the leg and then nails a superkick, followed by a bunch of choking on the ropes. Golden’s mouth is place on the rope and a kick to the back of the head is good for the pin at 1:09.

Ron Funches picks Moxley.

Mike Goldberg (MMA commentators) picks Hager.

Double Or Nothing is coming.

And now, the Bubbly Bunch, which features the Inner Circle talking over the phone about how they aren’t sure which of the Young Bucks is Carlos. Sammy Guevara jumps in and says he isn’t sure why someone would call him a fake Latino. He’s ready to punch someone cinco times. Jake Hager would beat up Kenny Omega and choke out the Elite.

Tonight though, he’s beating the s*** (his kids, poolside with him, cover their ears at that one) out of Moxley. Jericho, making eggs, agrees and thinks Hangman Page is an idiot. Page has been cone for so long now though that he thinks Cody Exotico fed Page’s remains to Pharaoh. Jericho has another call though and, as he spills orange juice and with the dogs looking on, complains to his assistant about a lack of toilet paper. This started slowly but got into that good Inner Circle humor by the end.

Sammy Guevara vs. Suge D.

Sammy, who is not Brandi Rhodes’ favorite, gets a nice reaction from Jericho. Guevara takes him into the corner to start as Jericho and Tony try to pronounce Suge. That’s cut off with a jumping knee to Suge’s face to knock him outside. Back in and a delayed suplex gives Sammy two, followed by some squats with Suge on his shoulders. A clothesline drops Suge again but he comes back with a chop. Suge strikes away but gets kneed down again, setting up the Burning GTS for the pin at 5:57.

Rating: C. Sammy was good but Jericho’s man crush on Sammy is one of the funniest things going in wrestling today. They fight together so well and Jericho was on fire with commentary the whole time here. It was an entertaining squash and I like that finisher rather well.

Post match Sammy promises to win the title, including taking care of Darby Allin. The beatdown continues but Allin makes the quick save.

Big John McCarthy (Bellator referee) picks Hager.

Chuck Taylor vs. Kip Sabian

Orange Cassidy and Penelope Ford are on commentary. Jericho isn’t happy with Cassidy because Cassidy wears a shirt of himself and WHO DOES THAT??? Jericho: “I was going to wear a Tony Schiavone shirt but I couldn’t find one!” Taylor takes him down to start and grabs a quick half crab, only to have Sabian escape in a hurry.

Some stomping in the corner keeps Chuck down as Jericho rants about Vanguard 1 and leather pants. Taylor gets in a knee to the face and drops an elbow for two, only to get knocked outside. That goes badly for Sabian, who gets suplexed onto the apron, which has Jericho declaring Taylor as the biggest heel in the match. Sabian dropkicks Taylor down and a kick to the chest gets two.

Taylor is right back with a Samoan driver as Jericho mocks wrestlers cheering from ringside. A pop up sitout powerbomb gets two on Sabian, who is right back with some right hands. Hold on though as Sabian has to kiss Penelope, which draws Cassidy up to the apron for a distraction. Jimmy Havoc pulls him off the apron though, allowing Ford to hit a top rope hurricanrana on Taylor to give Sabian the rollup pin at 10:08.

Rating: D+. This felt a lot longer than it was but that’s probably because Taylor was involved and I still don’t get it. They were just trading moves for a bit here until Taylor got pinned after something from Ford. It never got my attention and it got worse as it continued so this wasn’t exactly my favorite thing.

Dan Soder picks Moxley.

Ortiz picks Hager.

We look at Cody defeating Shawn Spears last week, plus Spears defeating Billy last night on Dark.

Shawn Spears vs. Justin Law

Spears doesn’t seem to think much of Law and slowly chops away. Some trash talking lets Law roll him up for two, sending Spears into a rage. The beating is on in the corner, including a heck of a clothesline. The running C4 gives Spears the pin at 2:23.

Josh Thomson (Bellator fighter) picks Hager.

Santana picks Hager.

AEW World Title: Jake Hager vs. Jon Moxley

Hager is challenging, no holds barred, and Jim Ross is on commentary. They go for the grappling to start and Moxley takes it to the mat to go after the arm. That doesn’t work so Moxley pulls him back down by the leg as the grappling continues. Moxley elbows away in the corner and starts cranking on the arm. Hager fights his way out of that without much trouble but gets sent outside.

That earns him a dive from Moxley and the cross armbreaker goes on again. Hager breaks that up with some shots to the head though and we take a break. Back with the two of them fighting into the empty stands and Hager knocking him around. They stagger in front of more empty seats and Moxley is sent into a barricade. He is also dropped onto a barricade, just to make sure he knows it a little better. Hager chokes with a knee and throws him back to ringside.

Moxley’s running knee takes Hager down back inside and it’s time for the big slugout. A gutwrench powerbomb gives Hager two more and we take a break. Back again with Hager hitting a running clothesline in the corner and pausing for a breather. Moxley hits another clothesline though and they both struggle to get back up. Hager gets to the middle rope but dives into the Paradigm Shift.

The cover takes a good while though and the head and arm triangle choke goes on, sending Moxley to the rope. That shouldn’t be a break but that has never stopped them before. Hager wedges a chair in the corner and Moxley misses a charge into it, giving Hager two. We take another break and come back again with Moxley getting caught in the ankle lock. That’s reversed with a roll through the ropes and Moxley grabs a guillotine choke. Hager escapes that as well and they slug it out until Hager kicks him low. Moxley is right back with the chair to the face though and the Paradigm Shift onto the chair finishes Hager at 30:53.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a fight and I got into the chance that they might actually change the title in the end. You can tell that Moxley has a great time with this kind of match and that it’s much better suited to what he wants to do in wrestling. This could have easily been a pay per view match on a show with a major main event to come on after and that’s what it should have been. Moxley is going to hold the title for a good while and it’s going to be a big deal when he loses it, which is a nice feeling to have.

Overall Rating: A-. It’s quite a show when you have one match eat up about a fourth of the show and have it be rather good. The rest of the show was hit and miss but they made the main event feel like something must see and gave us a heck of a match. I liked the show rather well and it felt like In Your House as a TV show. That’s a formula that can work and it did so here.

Results

Lance Archer b. Colt Cabana – Blackout

Britt Baker b. Cassandra Golden – Kick to the back of the head

Sammy Guevara b. Suge D. – Burning GTS

Kip Sabian b. Chuck Taylor – Rollup

Shawn Spears b. Justin Law – C4

Jon Moxley b. Jake Hager – Paradigm Shift onto a chair

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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Dark – April 14, 2020: Conspiracy Theory

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: April 14, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Cody, Tony Schiavone

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

Tony gives us a quick intro and we’re ready to go.

Billy vs. Shawn Spears

That would be Billy Gunn of course, with his son Austin in his corner. Spears goes straight to the ramp at the bell and they shout at each other about the lack of fans. This time Spears bails into the corner as Austin leads the non-existent fans in a LET’S GO BILLY/SHAWN SPEARS SUCKS chant. They finally lock up after about a minute and a half of stalling/chanting and Spears grabs a snapmare, allowing him to dance a bit (the fact that it emphasizes Billy’s most famous gimmick is just a coincidence).

Billy goes with a wristlock before just punching Spears to the floor. That sends Cody into a conspiracy theory, suggesting that Britt Baker is NOT a real dentist but just a dentist’s ASSISTANT! Back in and Billy knocks him to the floor again, this time with Austin stalking Spears around the ring. It worked so well the first two times that Billy punches him outside a third time, followed by a toss over the timekeeper’s table for a bonus.

Spears posts him though and sends him into the barricade for a six count and it’s time to stomp away back inside. Hang on though as we need some water, allowing Spears to do the Tommaso Ciampa self applause from the apron. A DDT plants Billy again and Spears tells him to suck it, earning himself a hard clothesline.

Billy hammers away in the corner but gets caught with a low superkick into a low Codebreaker for two more. Spears gets pulled out of the air with a Downward Spiral and the Fameasser puts Spears on the floor. Back in and the Stinger Splash misses in the corner and Spears hits the C4 for the pin at 15:31.

Rating: C. Nice enough match here, though again I’m not sure why they didn’t hold this back just in case they needed something for Dynamite later. It got TV time and since commentary wasn’t even in the arena, it could have been done anytime. Spears is slowly getting back on the right track, but I think we’ve seen his limits already.

A Dynamite rundown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. I’m not sure what else I can say here as it is literally a one match show. I can get the idea a little more when there are three matches included, but why even bother with this show? It was one match between some lower level talent, so why not turn this into a recap show? There is enough going on in AEW to make it work, though again I can’t complain that much about a 21 minute show with a perfectly acceptable match.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Dynamite – April 8, 2020: Marathon Mode

IMG Credit: WWE

Dynamite
Date: April 8, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re still in wherever the heck we are for the second week of what seems to be a marathon taping session. That’s probably the only way to get through the current situation so this is how things are going to be for a good while. The big story tonight is the start of the TNT Title tournament so let’s get to it.

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

Jake Roberts asks if you would prefer to be staring down a train coming at you or face Lance Archer. Last week, Archer destroyed Marko Stunt, which made Roberts wonder how insane Stunt is. Then there’s Cody, who might be better off losing to Shawn Spears to avoid facing Archer in the second round.

Lance Archer vs. Alan Eagles

Archer shoves Eagles down, choke suplexes him across the ring and finishes with the Blackout at 2:09.

Preview of the rest of the show.

Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida

They shove each other to start until Shida forearms her in the face a few times. Baker avoids a dropkick and bails out to the floor for a breather. Back in and they grab each other by the hair with Baker being taken down in the corner. A Fameasser gives Baker two and she punches away at the face, with Jericho talking about how she’s making her own patients. Britt sends her into the ropes and talks a lot of trash, even going to the floor to talk straight into the camera.

That’s enough for Shida to get up and stalk Baker, only to get sent into the barricade. Shida comes back and puts her over the barricade, where some of the jobbers posing as fans hold Baker in place. A running knee hits Baker and we take a break. Back with Shida hitting a suplex and pulling Baker into a triangle choke until a rope is grabbed. Baker comes back with a Sling Blade into a butterfly suplex for two on Shida.

Shida gets to the rope before Lockjaw can go on and a shot tot he face busts Baker’s nose. A Michinoku Driver gets two on Shida but baker pulls her down into Lockjaw, only to stop to put on a glove. That’s enough for Shida to escape and knee her in the face but Baker hits a low superkick as the blood is all over Baker’s face. Shida gets choked on the rope but they fight to the top with Baker getting dropped hard onto the buckle. Shida’s running knee finally finishes Baker at 17:04.

Rating: B+. Well that came out of nowhere. This might not have been a great match but it was a great fight with the two of them beating the heck out of each other and making me wonder which of them was going to survive. I got sucked up into this one and it was an awesome match which far exceeded expectations.

Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa try to figure out a team name for tonight. Nakazawa suggests Best Friends and Omega has to explain things. The real Best Friends and Orange Cassidy come in and complain about the name so they’ll be having a match for the rights to call themselves the real best friends. That made me sigh rather heavily.

Here are the Top Five tag teams:

5. Best Friends

4. Lucha Bros

3. SCU

2. Young Bucks

1. Dark Order

Women’s Top Five

5. Riho

4. Britt Baker

3. Yuka Sakazaki

2. Kris Stadtlander

1. Hikaru Shida

Men’s Top Five

5. Darby Allin

4. Kenny Omega

3. Cody

2. Chris Jericho

1. Jake Hager

Video on Jake Hager vs. Jon Moxley for the World Title next week in a No Holds Barred match. Moxley fights for the love of the sport while Hager fights for prizes and money. Hager’s wife says he has to win or don’t come home. Moxley has come a long way but Hager is a different kind of opponent. Hager’s training partners think he’s ready to destroy Moxley. They’re both ready though and it could go three minutes or thirty minutes. Good video, even if they don’t have a long history together.

Video on Cody vs. Shawn Spears, who have a long history before they face off in the tournament.

Best Friends vs. Kenny Omega/Michael Nakazawa

Nakazawa has his baby oil ready, sending Jericho into a rant about the things you would find on him before a match. That would include a fork and a pencil, with Tony sounding bewildered. Taylor armdrags Omega to start, much to Jericho’s approval. It’s off to Nakazawa to chop Trent against the ropes, earning himself an even harder chop. Therefore, it’s baby oil time so Trent’s chops have no effect. Meaning Nakazawa and Omega can stomp away.

Trent gets crotched against the post with Nakazawa pulling on his legs and marching forward as we take a break. Back with Nakazawa crotching Trent on top and sliding him down the rope as Shawn Spears, in the crowd, can’t understand the oil. Omega comes in for the chinlock but Trent fights up and gets the hot tag to Taylor for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and the Best Friends hit suicide dives but hang on because Orange Cassidy has to come in for the triple hug.

That’s broken up though, meaning Omega and Nakazawa try their own hug. That one doesn’t work either so Nakazawa can miss a double clothesline on the Best Friends, leaving Jericho almost cracking up on commentary. Cassidy gets back in and Nakazawa takes the sunglasses. Don’t worry though as Cassidy as another pair so he can dive on Omega. Trent’s tornado DDT gets two on Nakazawa but he misses a charge in the corner. Omega misses a charge into the corner though and Trent hits a running knee.

A pop up sitout powerbomb gives Chuck two on Omega and everyone is down. Hold on though as Nakazawa pulls off his underwear for a Claw on Trent, which Jericho says is enough to make him submit. Nakazawa does it to Omega by mistake though and it’s Eat Defeat into a half and half suplex to drop Nakazawa for two more. Omega gets sent into the barricade and it’s Strong Zero for the pin on Nakazawa at 16:32.

Rating: C-. I think you know my thoughts on this kind of comedy by now and watching a sixteen minute version of the whole thing wasn’t exactly my thing. That being said, I can live with it a lot more when it’s all comedy and lighthearted instead of stopping a serious match for the jokes, so this was nowhere near as bad/annoying as some of the others.

Post match, all five of them hug.

Brodie Lee yells at some Creepers for not being in their best looking gear. He’s here to make things better so get it together. They go inside the building because Lee has an idea for them.

Britt Baker isn’t cool with what Hikaru Shida did to her but don’t worry because she can fix it. She’s a dentist.

Video on Hager being dominant in two sports. Moxley talks about how violent it’s going to be next week. Hager keeps talking about how he’s a winner and winners win championships. Moxley doesn’t know if Hager can dig down deep enough for this, but Hager doesn’t care what Moxley has done on the way to the match. All that matters is Hager knows he can win, but Moxley promises to f*** him up.

Matt Hardy talks about the Inner Circle, including Chris Jericho brainwashing Jake Hager. Then Jericho tried to recruit Vanguard1, which isn’t cool with Hardy. He requests Vanguard1 bring him the shirt from last week, but Vanguard1 has lit it on fire. Hardy wants Jericho to come to the Hardy compound for the Elite Deletion.

Brodie Lee vs. Lee Johnson

Lee kicks him in the face twice in a row and hits a slingshot hilo for a bonus. A suplex makes it worse and a discus lariat to the back of the head finishes Johnson at 1:29. As it should be.

Post match, Lee stares down Marko Stunt for reasons I don’t want to understand.

Video on Cody vs. Shawn Spears.

TNT Title First Round: Cody vs. Shawn Spears

Brandi is here with Cody. Spears gets sent to the apron early on as Jericho rants about Aubrey Edwards hassling him all the time. Tony: “Isn’t she just doing her job?” You can guess Jericho’s reaction to that one. Spears’ knees to the ribs don’t do much good so he bails to the floor off the threat of a Figure Four. Cody rolls him up a few times as Jericho tries to figure out what is left for Cody if he loses here.

A pump kick drops Spears again but the moonsault misses, allowing Spears to grab a piledriver for two. We take a break and come back with Jericho talking about how great Canadians are. Jericho: “There’s a guy in Guatemala who is pretty good though.” Spears suplexes him onto a piece of the barricade at ringside and Cody seems to have banged up his heel.

A springboard frog splash hits Cody’s knees though and the comeback is on. The snap powerslam gets two but the Disaster kick misses, allowing Spears to spinebuster him for two. Back from another break with Spears pulling out a table but getting knocked down, allowing Cody to finish putting the table up. They get back in and Cody gets caught on top with a release belly to belly superplex for the double knockdown.

Brandi gets on the apron and her distraction almost gets her knocked through the table. Instead Spears AA’s Cody from the ring through the table for the huge crash. That’s good for a very slow nine count so Cody gets back in for a pair of Cross Rhodes for a near fall. Cody puts on the Figure Four….for the pin at 21:32. That’s a weird one as Spears wasn’t out or anything and was still fighting.

Rating: B. Good enough here and that ending was rather surprising. The AA through the table looked great and I liked the match more than their All Out version. Spears is still little more than a good hand, but this was better than his usual outings. Cody winning was the only logical call and I’m glad to see where they’re going with the whole tournament.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show with two rather good matches and a tag match which only kind of got on my nerves. They’re going to be in a different mode for a long time to come and it was nice to see that they know how to make things work in this situation. Solid show here and if this is a preview of things to come, I’ll be rather pleased.

Results

Lance Archer b. Alan Eagles – Blackout

Hikaru Shida b. Britt Baker – Running knee

Best Friends b. Michael Nakazawa/Kenny Omega – Strong Zero to Nakazawa

Cody b. Shawn Spears – Pin in a Figure Four

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Dark – April 7, 2020: I Don’t Think I Get It

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: April 7, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Cody, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz, Jimmy Havoc

So in a world where AEW had to do a marathon taping because they don’t know when they will be able to tape again, this show still exists. Why that is the case, instead of saving these matches for as long as they can in the case of a rainy day isn’t clear, but I’m sure I’m just missing the importance of making sure that an unnecessary supplemental show keeps running. Let’s get to it.

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

QT Marshall vs. Lee Johnson

Marshall takes him into the corner to start and they run the ropes a bit. A hiptoss takes Marshall down and we hit the quickly broken armbar. There’s a legdrop for two and it’s off to an abdominal stretch. Marshall charges into some boots in the corner but it’s a Lethal Combination to put Johnson down. The Swanton gives Marshall (who is cut underneath the eye) the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C-. What is there to say about something like this? It was just a quick squash featuring a low level guy who is only there in a tag team that doesn’t have the biggest future. That being said, Marshall is a great hand and someone who can do a fine enough match with just about anyone.

Wardlow vs. Ryan Pyles

MJF is here with Wardlow, who slowly takes off his black suit. The release F5 and a delayed cover finishes Pyles at 29 seconds.

Kip Sabian vs. Tony Donati

Penelope Ford is here too. Sabian snapmares him down to start but Tony grabs a headlock to slow things down. That earns him an armdrag takeover but a shot to the check sends Sabian into the corner. The ruse allows Ford to choke on the ropes and a penalty kick gives Sabian two. As the announcers discuss the different kinds of football, Tony grabs a hammerlock brainbuster for two. A quick edit takes us to Sabian striking away and pulling Tony down into kind of an Octopus Hold/Koji Clutch on the mat for the tap at 6:03.

Rating: C-. This was slightly more competitive than I would have expected, though it is nice to see Sabian getting in a win for a change. He rarely does anything significant but it’s better than seeing him lose over and over again. Sabian and Ford could be a rather nice midcard pairing so hopefully they get put in the right place.

Overall Rating: D. Well that happened. This was a nothing show with three matches that were either squashes or close to being one and that isn’t exactly a show that needed to exist. I really don’t see the point in having this show take place but at less than nineteen minutes, it’s rather hard to get too annoyed. Nothing to see here, and that’s just a step above being literal.

Results

QT Marshall b. Lee Johnson – Swanton

Wardlow b. Ryan Pyles – Release F5

Kip Sabian b. Tony Donati – Reverse Koji Clutch

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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