AAA On FOX
Date: September 19, 2026
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves

So we’re officially done with TripleMania and the big story coming out of the show is El Grande Americano defeating Dominik Mysterio to become the Mega Champion. That’s not the biggest surprise as Americano is the most popular star in the promotion and needed to secure his spot. Other than that, Rey Mysterio was taken out by the reinstated Omos and that’s going to be an issue. Let’s get to it.

Here is TripleMania if you need a recap.

Long TripleMania recap.

El Fiscal vs. Dinamico

This was filmed before the first night of TripleMania. Dinamico’s running shoulder has no effect and Fiscal knocks him outside with ease. A suicide elbow is cut off with a kick to the head though and Dinamico is back in to stomp him down in the corner. Fiscal fights up and grabs a powerslam, followed by a spinning high crossbody for two. Dinamico’s top rope cutter is blocked and Fiscal hits a frog splash for the pin at 4:31.

Rating: C+. This was short and to the point, which makes sense as it was a warmup match for the biggest show of the year. That’s all it needed to be and Fiscal looked like a monster. Odds are he’ll be facing Abismo Negro Jr. in a big showdown in the near future so letting him warm up here is a good idea.

We look at Los Perros del Mal winning the Trios Titles and getting their old theme music back, which was a big deal.

Los Perros say they’re just getting started and ask who is next.

Marisela Pena is going into the Hall Of Fame in October.

Video on the Latin America tour.

Dorian Roldan isn’t that upset about TripleMania but El Ojo is wanting an investigation into the Mega Title match with Rey Mysterio getting involved. There will also be an announcement on October 3.

We look at some recent charity stuff.

WWE now has a Spanish podcast.

La Parka is happy with his win and wants more challengers for the Latin American Title.

Mr. Iguana isn’t happy with his loss but he’s not done coming for the Latin American Title, whether he’s best friends with the champion or not.

Nino Hamburguesa is happy to be back and….that’s about it.

We look at Psycho Clown vs. El Carnicero, with Pagano turning on Clown to cost him the match.

We look at Omos beating Rey Mysterio in the main event of Night One and then putting him through the announcers’ table for an injury. The next night, Omos won La Copa Bardahl.

CM Punk is going to be at Worlds Collide, with hints of him wearing a mask. There is still no word on where that show is airing, which has me curious.

Rey Mysterio talks about how banged up he is after his loss to Omos but doesn’t really give an update. He’s also fine with how the Mega Title match went down as he felt it was fair. We also get the card for Worlds Collide, which will feature a bunch of Raw/Smackdown/NXT stars. The main event will see Mysterio/CM Punk/El Grande Americano vs. Omos/JD McDonagh/Dominik Mysterio, with Oba Femi making an appearance as well.

We look back at the big celebration for El Grande Americano after his Mega Title win. The locker room filled the ring and even threw him into the air for quite the visual.

Americano was off to celebrate.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We look at La Catalina defeating Flammer to win the Reina de Reinas Title.

Catalina is very excited and ready to be a fighting champion. She can’t believe she won but here is Roxanne Perez to say the moment ends at Worlds Collide. Catalina’s energy was great here.

La Hiedra vs. Faby Apache

Apache takes her to the mat for a quick wrestling lesson and we go to a standoff. The surfboard goes on to put Hiedra in more trouble, with the hold not lasting long. Instead Hiedra takes over on the floor but Apache is back with a running boot. A high crossbody gives Apache two, as doesn’t Hiedra’s Downward Spiral. Apache’s rolling armbar sends Hiedra to the rope again and she snaps off a Michinoku Driver to pin Apache at 4:13.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have time to do much here but Hiedra seems to be on her way to a big showdown with Flammer. It’s another short match where they didn’t waste time, with the rather sudden ending making Hiedra feel more dangerous. Apache continues to like she’s just kind of there anymore, but you need veterans like that around for stuff like this.

Overall Rating: C. This was basically the old post-Takeover formula, with a bunch of recaps, interviews that don’t add much and the two matches taped before the bigger shows. In other words, they took a week off from taping and had to fill in some time. They were hardly hiding what they were doing here so it’s hard to get too mad about this one.

Results
El Fiscal b. Dinamico – Frog splash
La Hiedra b. Faby Apache – Michinoku Driver

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

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

Kurt RussellMania
Date: January 30, 2010
Location: LAX Hilton, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 1,100
Commentators: Excalibur, Colt Cabana, Chris Hero

It’s time to head back to PWG and this one happens to be part of the Wrestle Reunion convention. Other than that it seems to be a pretty standard PWG show, meaning long matches on a card that may or may not have much in the way of backstory. These things can be a blast so let’s get to it.

Excalibur is in the ring and calls the show Jamarcus Russell Mania (referencing a major NFL bust) before being corrected to a better reception.

The ring announcer goes over the code of conduct, saying “YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELVES YOU DRUNKS!”. Well that got more serious in a hurry.

Excalibur tells us to get some merchandise but here are the Young Bucks and Brian Kendrick to interrupt. Matt says he’s tired of the Bucks being referred to as “Matt and Nick Jackson” because they are Max and Jeremy, Generation Me (their TNA names). They’ve become bigger than PWG which is why they left Los Angeles and went to the beautiful city of Orlando and get to work with people like Vince Russo, Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan.

The Nasty Boys have taken them under their wings and they love Dixie Carter. This generation belongs to them, which doesn’t sit well with Kendrick. The brawl is on and Paul London runs in for the save. London says Kendrick doesn’t seem as motivated as he has before but the offer for the tag match is made anyway. Kendrick is in, saying this guy with the mask calls the shots around here. London: “Is that Octagon?” The match seems to be on. Funny stuff here, with the Bucks knowing how to pester the fans.

Malachi Jackson/Candice LeRae/Johnny Goodtime/Jerome Robinson vs. Cutler Brothers/Ryan Taylor/Christina Von Eerie

LeRae and Goodtime dance (with an NES Power Pad because of course) a bit before the match and we’re ready to go. Goodtime chills on the Pad again and gets jumped and the villains (the ones without the Pad) jump the other team to start fast. Well kind of fast as the bell takes its sweet time ringing. The Cutlers crash out to the floor and Eerie is sent outside as well. That leaves LeRae to hurricanrana Taylor onto the Cutlers for quite the big crash. Goodtime and Robinson hit running flip dives Jackson is right there with a flip dive.

Back in and Eerie suplexes LeRae for two and we settle down to a regular match. Taylor comes in and gets caught with a Black Widow, only for Brandon to come in with a boot to the face. Brandon’s choking pushups have LeRae in more trouble but she hurricanranas Taylor, allowing Robinson to come in and fight back. An O’Connor roll is blocked so Robinson just sits on Brandon for two in a funny bit. Dustin gets in a shot to the back on the apron though, followed by an apron powerbomb for two.

The choking in the corner keeps Robinson in trouble but he manages a Falcon Arrow. Taylor cuts him off so Goodtime comes in without a tag, meaning it’s time to beat Robinson up in the corner even more. Robinson gets out of a chinlock and steps up out of the corner on Brandon, with a Pele hitting Dustin in a sweet counter.

Goodtime is back in to clean house and a Falcon Arrow gets two on Dustin but Taylor comes in to kick Goodtime in the head. Taylor tries to kiss LeRae but kisses Eerie by mistake so LeRae gives him a ballplex (figure it out). Eerie recovers quickly enough to Pedigree LeRae so Jackson grabs a sitout powerbomb.

A flipping Stunner sends Taylor into a sunset flip to give Robinson two and we get a double stack electric chair for a really big crash. Goodtime drops Dustin for two with Brandon making the save, earning himself an assisted Codebreaker. LeRae missile dropkicks Dustin into a low blow on Brandon but they’re right back up to give her a spike Tombstone for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: B-. It might not have been a classic but this was the kind of fun match that serves as a good opener. You had a bunch of people running around doing one spot after another and that’s all you’re looking for with something like this. The ending felt like a big moment with LeRae getting knocked silly, so points for the Cutlers to get something out of this one.

Brandon Bonham vs. Brandon Gatson

Naturally the fans chant LET’S GO BRANDON and you can make your own out of date jokes. They trade waistlocks and Gatson takes him down with an armdrag into an armbar. Gatson grabs a headlock as commentary compares the trunks and hair. Bonham is back up with a front facelock and then a jumping enziguri for two.

Cabana guarantees that a Brandon will win this match, ignoring the option of a draw. What a professional. Gatson is sent outside for a big running flip dive from Bonham and they head back inside. Bonham sends him into the ropes but gets pulled into a Tarantula (well, an upside down one in this case), followed by a Hennig necksnap for two.

A kick to the head knocks Gatson back down for two more but he’s right back up with a slingshot cutter. Bonham is stomps him in the ribs but gets kicked to the floor for a Space Flying Tiger Drop (with commentary making Fergie references for some reason). They both get back in at the same time, with Bonham kicking him in the head for two. Back up and Gatson grabs a side slam and flips him forward into a faceplant for the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C+. Yeah this was fine. It’s a match between a couple of guys who aren’t exactly well known and they got to go back and forth for a little while in front of a pretty big crowd. That’s the kind of a match you need to have on a show like this and it went well enough. Gatson has been around on a few of these and while there’s nothing that makes him stand out, I’ve seen far worse.

Excalibur is back in the ring and says Chuck Taylor isn’t here due to a bad storm. Fan: “WE WANT CHUCK!” Excalibur: “Do you own a snow removal company a******? Shut the f*** up. I’m trying to cut a promo here.” Taylor and Human Tornado were scheduled to challenge for the Tag Team Titles but that won’t happen, so Tornado will be facing Super Crazy.

Davey Richards was set to face Crazy, so he’ll be facing Kevin Steen. And yes, Paul London and Brian Kendrick will face the Young Bucks in a non-title match. Excalibur to that fan: “Don’t say I never did anything for you a******. F****** p****.” I’m going to hope that the fan said something I didn’t hear because DANG that’s an over the top reaction otherwise. Or maybe he’s a heel here.

Super Crazy vs. Human Tornado

Tornado stomps him down in the corner to start fast and a photographer gets taken out. Back in and Crazy takes over with some kicks of his own and the surfboard goes on. Crazy gets in the ten punches in the corner (Excalibur: “Cinco is Mexican for seven.”) but Tornado sends him outside for the big running flip dive.

They’re both a bit nuts so they brawl around the ring with Crazy getting the better of things but getting dropkicked back inside. A swinging DDT gets two more and we pause for some yelling at the referee, who might have messed up the count. Crazy grabs a sitout powerbomb for two and now the fans aren’t sure who they like more. Tornado is back up with a belly to back faceplant into the Cancun Tornado (twisting Swanton) for the pin at 6:20.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time to do anything here, which isn’t exactly normal for PWG. I’m guessing that’s due to the match being changed due to the Chuck Taylor absence, though it felt like they were just getting going when Tornado won. It’s not a bad match but more short and not given a chance to really get anywhere.

Kevin Steen vs. Davey Richards

Before the bell, Steen yells at a fan with a hat and threatens to knock him out and then “have my way with your body.” Steen goes over to the fan and, after offering a free shot, kisses him on the head. We get the Big Match Intros and Richards grabs a wristlock, earning himself a kiss to the cheek. That means a smiling Richards bails out to the floor and we pause for a bit, with Steen clearly having a good time with this.

Back in and Steen says he knows (I think) Richards is hiding behind a sign (I’m not sure I get it) so Richards kisses him right back and poses. This leads to an odd discussion on commentary, including: Excalibur: “If you yourself were drugged and raped, would you enjoy it?” We settle back down into Richards grabbing a headlock so Steen blows his nose on him. Cabana: “Technically that’s not against the rules!” Excalibur: “Kurt Russell would have it no other way.”

Steen sends him to the floor for another blow of the nose, this time earning himself a dropkick. They go outside and into the crowd, with the brawl heading near the commentary area. Richards finds a drum set and does a solo, with Steen calling him horrible. They come back to ringside where Steen hits an apron powerbomb and Excalibur pouts (his word) over Cabana beating him to a joke. A slam gives Steen one back inside and he tries a pushup to limited success.

Richards misses a dropkick but Steen misses a charge and crashes into the post. That sends Steen outside for the running flip dive from Richards, who lands in about the fourth row. A missile dropkick connects with Steen back inside and we’re off to the cross armbreaker, with Steen going right to the rope.

Back up and a suplex into the corner sets up Steen’s Cannonball for two (with commentary actually avoiding the Otto Wanz reference) and it’s time to slug it out. Steen’s brainbuster onto the knee gets two but the Swanton hits raised knees. Some running shots in the corner set up the bridging German suplex to give Richards two. Richards misses a shooting star press but settles for a cross armbreaker to make Steen tap at 15:45.

Rating: B. This was more like the PWG matches you would expect with the two of them trading big moves until one of them gave out. The stuff with the kisses at the beginning was funny and felt right at home for Steen, who can be rather amusing. Richards wasn’t doing the no selling stuff here either and that’s always appreciated.

Great Muta/Kai vs. The Dynasty

That would be Joey Ryan/Scott Lost. Muta and Lost start things off and we pause early for the green mist. Muta’s leglock takes Lost down so he gets up to his feet and realizes what he’s up against for a change. A running shoulder drops Lost, who is back up with a dropkick. That’s enough to send Muta outside and he claims a mask pull and…well are you going to argue with him?

Kai and Ryan come in with Kai cartwheeling over him but getting caught with a swinging neckbreaker. Lost says you’re about to see the best suplex in the world, which is senough for Kai to easily reverse into one of his own. It’s back to Muta for the Power Drive elbow and we’re off to the STF. The threat of a mist has Ryan scared off so commentary talks about The Mist by Stephen King. Kai comes back in for a Boston crab to Lost before it’s already back to Muta for a leglock.

Some running knees in the corner connect for Kai and he drops a middle rope double stomp for two. Lost gets in a shot of his own and Ryan comes in for some hurricanranas to take over. It’s already back to Lost for a spinning kick to the head, only for Kai to one up him with a springboard spinning kick to the head. Everything breaks down and Kai uses a caution sigh to cut Ryan off. The referee takes the same sign from Lost and that means a misting. The Shining Wizard gives Muta the pin at 12:09.

Rating: B-. Well you don’t bring Muta in to lose. He’s an all time legend and the fans were probably thrilled to have him there, which is exactly the point of something like this. The Dynasty is a pretty big deal in PWG but Muta and Kai are a bit out of their league. Granted Kai was someone who only became so big of a star, but he was in good company here.

El Generico vs. Jushin Thunder Liger

Well this works. Liger wrestles him down to start but the headlock is quickly escaped, giving us a standoff. The surfboard goes on, with Generico managing to stack him up for two. Back up and Generico spins around into an armdrag to the floor, meaning it’s the springboard into Generico’s pose. Generico even offers to help Liger back inside, where Liger snaps off a headscissors.

Liger hits a heck of a dropkick to the floor and the rolling Liger Kick connects back inside. Another surfboard goes on, with commentary listing off every Romero they can think of as a possible name. With that broken up, Liger grabs a camel clutch, followed by a seated abdominal stretch. Generico gets out and sends Liger outside for the springboard moonsault.

A high crossbody gives Generico two back inside and the Blue Thunder Bomb connects for the same. Liger’s tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets him out of trouble but he splashes Generico’s raised knees. The Helluva Kick connects for Generico, whose brainbuster attempt is countered into a suplex. Back up and they strike it out until Generico snaps off a German suplex of his own.

Liger hits a big shotei palm strike for two as the fans are rather pleased here. They go to the corner where Liger gets tied in the Tree Of Woe, allowing Generico to go up for a top rope flipping kick (that’s way more athletic than I would have expected from him). The brainbuster gets two so Generico takes him to the corner, where Liger reverses into the Liger Bomb for two more. Liger is a bit frustrated so he grabs his own brainbuster for the pin at 12:33.

Rating: B. Liger gets a lot of praise for being flashy but dang the guy can go in the ring. He can work well with anyone and that was the case again here, as Generico was a great choice for an opponent. It’s probably the match of the night thus far and you could tell the fans knew they had something special with Liger in the ring. Good match, which shouldn’t be a surprise at all.

Brian Kendrick/Paul London vs. Generation Me

Non-title. It’s a brawl before the bell with the Bucks clearing the ring and getting to pose a bit. Kendrick is back in to fire off some kicks until we settle down to Max (Nick, partner of Jeremy, who is better known as Matt) running away from Kendrick to keep things slow. London comes in and gets backed into the corner as commentary talks about his bad case of space madness. A running dropkick puts Max down for two so it’s off to Jeremy, who is quickly taken into the corner by the arm.

Kendrick’s top rope double stomp hits the arm and we’re off to the double arm crank. Max comes back in to work on London’s arm, including wrapping it around his own leg. London suplexes his way out of trouble and it’s back to Kendrick for a kick to Max’s back. That earns Kendrick a trip right back into the wrong corner and it’s a running Blockbuster into a backbreaker for two. Jeremy’s weird right hands in the corner connect and Max flips around into a back rake to Kendrick.

The double basement dropkick has the fans saying the Bucks are doing the SAME OLD S***! Excalibur points out that the chant has been done before, so it’s the SAME OLD S*** from the fans too. Since the Bucks are Nasty Boys fans, we get a Pit Stop, though Jeremy is sent into Max instead for the sake of comedy. Kendrick kicks his way out of the corner and hands it back to London so house can be cleaned.

A springboard double stomp to the back has Jeremy in more trouble and a running flip dive doesn’t exactly work with London not getting any kind of distance. Back in and Jeremy gets facebustered into an enziguri but Max is back with a tornado DDT for two on London. It’s back to Kendrick for more kicks and running forearms but some superkicks put him down. A wheelbarrow facebuster gets two on Kendrick so Max hits the big running flip dive onto London.

That leaves Jeremy to give Kendrick a flipping middle rope Stunner, followed by Risky Business for the same, with London diving in for the save. London fights up and takes them both down for/with the dropsault, setting up a top rope knee for two. More Bang For Your Bucks is blocked and Kendrick grabs Sliced Bread out of the corner. London adds the shooting star press (and he barely got it) for the pin at 19:02.

Rating: B+. Well of course this was good and I don’t think that was ever in any serious doubt. London and Kendrick were an exceptional team in their day and it was cool to see their grown up versions working together here. The fans seemed to enjoy seeing the Bucks get beaten up and it was probably a surprise to see the champions lose. Good stuff here, with London and Kendrick clearly still having it.

Chris Hero vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Roderick Strong

They circle each other to start and Van Dam goes to the floor to let the other two do their thing. Hero takes him down by the leg and they’re already off to the grappling. Strong twists the ankle a bit, with Hero rolling away for a standoff. Hero gets knocked out to the floor and now Van Dam is willing to get involved. They fight over wrist control and trade flipping escapes before missing some strikes.

That’s broken up so Van Dam poses a bit, wit Excalibur thinking he’s involved due to the fan chants. Hero is back in to send Strong outside so we get a fresh showdown. They take turns sweeping the legs and it’s another standoff. Van Dam kicks him out to the floor and hits a quick moonsault to Hero before posting Strong as well. Van Dam hits the spinning kick to Strong’s back but Hero is right there to drop Van Dam just as fast.

A nice running dropkick to the side of the head gives Hero two more but he gets caught with a spinning kick in the corner. Strong is back up and finally gets in a backbreaker, followed by a rather nice dropkick. The seated abdominal stretch goes on but Van Dam powers out and hits a heck of a monkey flip. Hero comes back in to strike away at Van Dam with some Tracy Smothers style chops.

Van Dam makes the mistake of going up and gets shoved down into the barricade, leaving Strong to backbreaker Hero for two more. Back up and Hero gives Strong a neckbreaker for two, followed by a suplex for another near fall. Van Dam is back in with a chair to throw at Hero’s head and follows it up with a double Rolling Thunder. The chair gets skateboarded into Strong’s face and the split legged moonsault gets two on Hero.

Strong is back up to cut off the Five Star but Hero is right there to turn it into a Tower Of Doom for two each. Van Dam is back up with some kicks for both of them so Strong gives him a gutbuster. Hero kicks Strong in the face and faceplants him for two more. The Sick Kick gets two on Hero so Van Dam throws a chair at Strong, with Hero forearming it into his head. Van Dam takes Hero out and the Five Star finishes Strong at 18:31.

Rating: B. Van Dam is kind of perfect for a guests tar around here as he can wrestle a similar style, has indy credibility for his work in ECW and is a former WWE Champion. That’s a rare kind of talent that PWG was smart to bring in, even though he would be on his way to being a big star in TNA before too long. It might not have been a great main event but it was good enough and showcased a big name so it all made sense. Somehow though, this was Van Dam’s only PWG match ever, which is rather surprising.

Post match Hero asks for some applause for Van Dam, with the fans wanting him to come back. Hero says he didn’t win but technically he didn’t lose so he should be the #1 contender to the PWG World Title. He’s been in Japan and missed the Battle Of Los Angeles, where Kenny Omega beat Roderick Strong to win the vacant World Title. Once he gets it back, Strong can try to get it back. Hero thanks the rather large crowd and wishes they could fit this many in Reseda to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B. It might not be a great show, but it was more than entertaining enough. The big thing here might have been the crowd, which was just ok, as the show missed something by not being in their home base. Still though, it had a nice mixture of the regular PWG stars and some big names who weren’t around as regulars. There’s nothing close to bad on here and the second half of the show is all good so call this another successful event.

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

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

TripleMania XXXIV Night Two
Date: September 13, 2026
Location: Arena CDMX, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves

We’re back after taking Saturday off and the show is down in Mexico City and hopefully things pick up a bit here. The card is certainly stacked enough four title matches, including Dominik Mysterio defending the Mega Title against El Grande Americano. AAA has the potential to do something good here so let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at how everything came together on the first night, with the two countries coming together. But now they’re back home and we get to see what happens next. Tonight, they take over Mexico City and show the world where lucha libre comes from.

La Copa Bardahl

This is basically a Royal Rumble (intervals unclear) with pins, submissions or over the top for eliminations. Mr. Iguana is in at #1 and Abismo Negro Jr. is in at #2 with Iguana escaping a gorilla press and spinning around into a hurricanrana. The cross armbar has Abismo in trouble and Histeria (Abismo’s stablemate) is in at #3 (meaning intervals are at about 1:10, at least to start). Iguana gets beaten down and can only crawl so far away until Mascarita Sagrada is in at #4.

Sagrada hits a quick faceplant on Abismo and Iguana is up to whip people with Yesica. That doesn’t last long though as Taurus (also part of Los Vipers, along with Abismo and Histeria) is in at #5. The double teaming is on and a double powerbomb plants Iguana, with Abismo adding a top rope double stomp, which looked a bit low. Sagrada tries to go after all of Los Vipers and it goes as well as expected until El Fiscal is in at #6. Fiscal clotheslines Abismo out for the first elimination but Abismo comes back in to toss him out as well. The two of them brawl off and Laredo Kid is in at #7.

Kid gets to quickly clean house, including drivering Sagrada. Iguana slugs it out with Kid until Mecha Wolf is in at #8. That means Wolf gets to clean house, including planting Sagrada onto Iguana for two as the ring is getting full. La Parka is in at #9 and Bone Breakers Hysteria out before staring at Iguana. El Mesias is in at #10 and you can tell things are getting serious. Mesias gets to throw people around, including Sagrada (which JBL finds hilarious) before getting into a staredown with Wolf.

Dinamico is in at #11 and mostly misses a running knee to Parka before not being able to get the cover either. A springboard cutter hits Wolf, who sprays Dinamico with the mist so Mesias can hit a spear for the pin. Texano Jr. is in at #12 and powers people around before slugging it out with his old rival Mesias. They go towards the ropes but Omos is in at #13, with JBL suggesting that a bunch of people eliminate themselves like Mil Mascaras did at the 1996 Royal Rumble. I’d recommend that JBL brush up on his Royal Rumble history as it was 1997 but instead we get Sagrada going after Omos.

With that not working, Omos throws out Kid, Texano and Mesias before chokeslamming Wolf for a pin. Parka is thrown out as well and Omos does Parka’s dance as he waits on anyone to come after him. Chris Carter is in at #14 and, after taking forever to get inside, is quickly eliminated by Omos. Nino Hamburguesa is in at #15 and gets in a few splashes before being knocked down. Iguana is tossed but Sagrada actually jumps onto Omos’ back to send him to the apron. That’s it though as Omos gets up, tosses Sagrada and then Hamburguesa for the win (Omos’ second in a row of this match) at 22:40.

Rating: C. This was pretty mediocre stuff and really nothing more than a way to get people on the card. That’s perfectly fine, but they would have been better off by just having this as a regular battle royal and cutting off some of the time. Omos winning as a monster is the right choice, as he can get some mileage out of winning the main event of Night One and the opener of Night Two. Everyone else was fine, but this was all about Omos.

We recap La Catalina challenging Flammer for the Reina de Reinas title. Catalina is a newcomer and has been a success elsewhere, but Flammer has been champion for years, making it rather difficult to take the title from her.

Reina de Reinas Title: Flammer vs. La Catalina

Flammer is defending and they shove each other a bit to start. Catalina runs her over with a shoulder but it’s Flammer coming back to take over rather quickly. A double arm crank has Catalina in trouble but she powers out of a front facelock. Catalina…mostly misses a running hip attack to knock Flammer outside, where a spear has better effect. Back in and Catalina knocks Flammer down for two more as frustration is already setting in.

Flammer fights back up with a spinning Angel’s Wings for two of her own, meaning the frustration is mutual. A big boot and sitout powerbomb out of the corner give Flammer two but she misses a Swanton. Catalina hits a top rope splash for two, even with Flammer only partially getting her knees up. Back up and Flammer sends her into the ropes for a running dropkick, sending Catalina crashing to the floor. They get back inside and Flammer looks back for La Hiedra, allowing Catalina to knock her off the top. The running hip attack and running knee give Catalina the pin and the title at 10:23.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t very good, with a bunch of stuff missing and Catalina just coming back to win in the end. Flammer looking for La Hiedra but getting no one is an interesting way to go, but the match to get there wasn’t the best. The women’s division has been a weak spot for AAA since WWE took things over and that doesn’t seem to be getting much better. They just seem to need more polish, which isn’t going to happen without more reps.

We recap El Carnicero vs. Psycho Clown. Carnicero has been attacking the Psycho Circus (at least we think) for several months and finally revealed himself. Now Clown is fighting for his team’s honor in a street fight.

El Carnicero vs. Psycho Clown

Street fight but as Clown makes his entrance, Carnicero beats up some of the production team. Clown goes after him for the save but gets booted in the face for his effort. They get inside with Carnicero busting out some weapons, only to get booted out to the floor. Clown’s dive is cut off with a trashcan to the head, meaning Carnicero can chair Clown down. Clown is right back up with some chair shots of his own and of course it’s time for a table.

That earns Clown a right hand to knock the chair out of his hand but Carnicero misses a charge into the chair in the corner. A top rope splash puts Carnicero through the table for a rather delayed two so they slug it out from their knees. Clown rips his face off and gets a trashcan booted into his jaw for his efforts. Carnicero knocks him into the ropes with Clown’s arms getting tied up so it’s time for a toolbox. Cue the returning Pagano, who turns on Clown, which isn’t overly surprising from someone named The Proud Sinner. Anyway Carnicero hits Clown in the head with the toolbox for the pin at 8:16.

Rating: B-. It was a fun brawl and having Pagano being the one seemingly behind the whole thing makes sense. If nothing else, the Circus can fight against these two for months. Carnicero is a freaky looking guy and felt like some kind of a swamp monster so he’s a great choice for the one who might take the team apart. It was a nice enough brawl, but the big ending reveal was the important part.

El Ojo is ready for the main event and Dominik Mysterio doesn’t care where his father is. Dorian Roldan is ready to induct his mother into the Hall Of Fame and is glad that things are going to go so badly for El Grande Americano.

We recap Rey Fenix defending the Cruiserweight Title against three challengers. They all impressed Fenix so they’re all getting a shot.

Octagon Jr. is here, thankfully walking after his horrible neck injury.

Cruiserweight Title: Jack Cartwheel vs. Mini Vikingo vs. Nathan Frazer vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix is defending. They trade the rapid fire rollups for two each to start and Cartwheel grabs a flipping neckbreaker. The spinning hilo gives Cartwheel two on Frazer and the two of them fight to the floor. Vikingo flips over Fenix into a sunset bomb for two, followed by the corkscrew dive to the floor. Back in and Fenix hits a double cutter on Cartwheel and Frazer before kicking the fire out of Vikingo.

A top rope moonsault press gets two on Frazer, who runs the corner for a super Spanish Fly to Fenix. Frazer goes up again and gets German superplexed down by Fenix, who charges into a superkick for two more. Cartwheel is back up to tie Frazer up for two and pulls Fenix off the top. Vikingo is back up with a super crucifix driver to Fenix and Cartwheel’s top rope corkscrew moonsault gets two on Frazer to leave everyone down. They all get up, strike each other a bit, and then all get knocked down again.

Fenix is up with a Mexican MuscleBuster to Cartwheel but Vikingo shooting stars in for the save. Fenix loads up a super Mexican MuscleBuster on Vikingo, which is turned into a Tower Of Doom. Frazer drops the phoenix splash for two on Fenix and everyone is down. Cartwheel is back up with a Sasuke Special to Vikingo and Jack’s Arrow hits Frazer for two. Fenix takes Cartwheel out and Vikingo sends Fenix to the floor before diving onto Cartwheel. Back in and Fenix hits a quick Mexican MuscleBuster to pin Vikingo and retain at 14:14.

Rating: A-. This was the crazy spot fest that you knew it would be and it worked as well as you probably expected. The idea here is to just go nuts with all of the flips and dives and great timing imaginable and it worked like a charm. These guys know what they’re doing and it’s pure adrenaline and energy all match. Just have one or so of these a show and it’s going to keep working.

Post match here are Los Perros del Mal (with their original music) to take out all four of them. The fans are VERY happy with this and cheer them on rather enthusiastically.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. ???

Open challenge with the Raiders defending against….the Wagner Brothers. Wagner jumps over Erik to start and knocks him down before enziguring Ivar. Back up and Wagner is sent outside and knocked down by Ivar, followed by a heck of a knee for two back inside. A throw gets Wagner out of trouble and it’s off to Galeno for the clotheslines in the corner. Ivar knocks him right back down for the Doomsault and a near fall but Galeno is up with more clotheslines. Wagner is back in as everything breaks down, with Galeno hitting a dive. The Wagner Driver and a top rope splash from Galeno gives us new champions at 5:51.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here but this felt like a “the home team wins something on the big night” match. That’s perfectly fine as the Raiders never felt like much more than monsters to be vanquished anyway. The Brothers are a big enough deal in AAA so let them see what they can do as champions.

Stephanie Vaquer won the Raw Women’s Title at a house show in Chile over the weekend.

We recap Dominik Mysterio defending the Mega Title against El Grande Americano. Mysterio has been champion for over a year and Americano has taken the promotion by storm, especially with his mask vs. mask match against the Original El Grande Americano. They teamed together for a bit and Mysterio turned on him to make it even more personal. Now it’s time for Americano to take everything as the top star in the promotion, or at least try.

AAA Mega Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano

Mysterio, with El Ojo, is defending and it’s No DQ, while Americano is coming in with bad ribs. Americano dropkicks him in the corner to start before knocking Mysterio outside. The dive connects but Mysterio rakes the eyes and they go into the crowd. Americano gets sent into something made of metal and they go back to ringside with Mysterio starting in on the ribs. Some chair shots to the back have Americano in more trouble and Dorian Roldan hands in a belt for some whipping.

Americano grabs the belt though and gets in a hard whip of his own for two to take over. La Cabernaria goes on but Roldan offers a distraction, allowing JD McDonagh to sneak in for a headbutt. Mysterio only gets two and already getting more complicated. Cue Los Americanos to go after McDonagh, with Bravo diving off the stage onto security. Americano’s Air Raid Crash gets two so Los Americanos come back to ringside…and here is Omos.

All three Americanos are taken out but Americano goes to the eye to escape a chokeslam. A low blow slows Omos down and Americano fires off some chair shots, leaving Omos to charge through the barricade. Back in and the running headbutt gets two on Mysterio, who catches Americano going up top. Americano knocks him down but here is Liv Morgan to crotch Americano on top.

The frog splash gets two (with JBL thinking that would have been a new champion) and Americano is back up, with a running headbutt taking him down. Mysterio hits a belt shot but misses the frog splash, allowing Americano to hit the running headbutt. Cue Rey Mysterio, in a neck brace, to count the pin at 17:38.

Rating: B+. It was rather good and they got the big moment at the end, but it wasn’t quite up there with the mask vs. mask match. Americano kind of had to win here, just for the sake of avoiding a riot. Dominik had gotten his big run as champion and is ready to move on anyway so having Rey cost him the title made it even better. Very solid main event with the right result and that’s all you could ask for here.

Americano gets a musical tribute to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show started slowly but it did get better with the four way and the main event both hitting hard. Carnicero vs. Clown was good enough and the Tag Team Title match wasn’t that bad. I wasn’t thrilled with the show overall and that’s probably due to having so much AAA this weekend. The appeal of the weekly show is how quick it is and that makes for a bit more of a test with this much. Overall good, but merging the two shows into one and cutting some stuff would have done wonders.

Results
Omos won La Copa Bardahl last eliminating Nino Hamburguesa
La Catalina b. Flammer – Running knee
El Carnicero b. Psycho Clown – Toolbox to the head
Rey Fenix b. Jack Cartwheel, Mini Vikingo and Nathan Frazer – Mexican MuscleBuster to Vikingo
Wagner Brothers b. War Raiders – Top rope splash to Ivar

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

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TripleMania XXXIV Night One
Date: September 11, 2026
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Corey Graves, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s the first TripleMania under the WWE banner and the card is big enough that it’s split up into two parts. There are multiple title matches tonight, though there is a good chance that Rey Mysterio vs. Omos for the latter’s future in AAA will be headlining. We also have the chance that someone could be coming in as a surprise so let’s get go it.

The opening video, as narrated by Rey Mysterio, talks about the risks you have to take in Las Vegas and how it is time for AAA to deal their first hand. The deck of cards theme has me rather intrigued, as they would look great on the wrestling shelf of my card collection (Owning nearly 2,700 decks of playing cards is perfectly normal right?).

Adelicious/Mascarita Sagrada/Mini Vikingo vs. Lady Shani/Mini Abismo Negro/Jack Cartwheel

Shani and Adelicious trade rollups to start and Adelicions cartwheels away…and we pause as Shani falls down without being touched (she might have taken a shot off the cartwheel but if she did, it looked to be a quick grazing). The camera stays on Adelicious as the medics are down to check on Shani (who appears to be conscious) and Adelicious tags in Sagrada for a springboard armdrag to Abismo.

A slingshot hilo gives Sagrada two and it’s off to Cartwheel to face Vikingo. The trade flips of their own for a staredown, with JBL being rather pleased. Cartwheel takes over and Abismo takes over with a slam as JBL rants about Abismo not being mini at all. Vikingo gets in a pop up hurricanrana for a breather but Abismo bites Vikingo’s foot.

The tag brings in Sagrada for a middle rope crossbody and Cartwheel’s saving splash hits Abismo by mistake. Cartwheel monkey flips Sagrada into a hurricanrana to Abismo, allowing Sagrada to actually suplex Cartwheel. Adelicious comes in and dives onto Cartwheel and Abismo, leaving Vikingo to add his own running flip dive. Back in and Vikingo’s shooting star press finishes Abismo at 9:07.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of fun match you would have expected and they were flying all over the place. Vikingo is still one of the smoothest fliers around and it’s cool to see getting a chance to shine as a bigger deal. More importantly though, hopefully Shani just got shaken up and is ok, as that was a scary moment.

LWO vs. Tokyo Bad Boys vs. Fraxiom vs. Los Americanos

Elimination rules. Bravo cleans house to start, including a pop up knee to Wilde. Everything breaks down and we get a Fraxiom vs. Los Americanos staredown. Bravo knocks del Toro outside again and it’s time for the rapid fire suicide dives. Back in and del Toro takes over on Frazer but Wilde is busy applying hairspray. A knee to the face drops Frazer and he gets caught in the Tree Of Woe, with del Toro hitting a heck of a Coast To Coast. The Bad Boys pull Axiom to the floor and pound him down but Wilde hairsprays del Toro by mistake. That lets Fraxiom double kick del Toro down for the elimination at 5:55.

Frazer dropkicks Bravo but Takuma tags himself in to take over. Back up and Takuma hits a heck of a springboard flip dive to hit Axiom and Rayo on the floor but a moonsault lands on raised knees back inside. It’s back to Bravo for an airplane spin and giant swing to both Bad Boys at once, with Takuma being dropped onto Kento. Takuma rakes Bravo’s eyes to escape and it’s a pair of stereo top rope high/lows to get rid of the Boys at 9:51.

So we’re down to Los Americanos vs. Fraxiom, with Rayo splashing Frazer for a fast two. Frazer is fine enough to run the corner for a superplex into a Falcon Arrow and they’re both down again. Bravo comes back in to powerbomb Axiom, with Frazer having to make a save. Back up and Axiom grabs a springboard moonsault DDT for two, with Graves pointing out that it was the same move from the Rey Mysterio/Eddie Guerrero Halloween Havoc match in the same building.

Axiom missile dropkicks Fraxiom by mistake and Rayo gives Axiom the Bitter End. A super hurricanrana into a top rope splash gets two on Frazer in a heck of a false finish. Axiom is back up with a super Spanish Fly into the Phoenix splash from Frazer for a rather near fall, with Bravo making the save again. Frazer grabs both Americanos but gets his fingers snapped to put him in trouble again. A Russian legsweep/springboard headbutt combination finishes Frazer to give Los Americanos the win at 17:42.

Rating: B. This was the insane collection of flying spots and everyone going nuts and that’s all it should have been. It’s a showcase that works every time and it more than worked here. They did drag it out a bit too long in the end, but those false finishes when it was down to two teams boosted it back up. Rather entertaining match.

Marisela Pena is going into the Hall Of Fame at Heroes Immortales.

Video on the four way for the Reina de Reinas title shot at Worlds Collide.

Nattie vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Faby Apache vs. La Hiedra

For a shot at Flammer at Worlds Collide, with Flammer on commentary. It’s a brawl to start with Perez sending Apache into the steps but getting cut off by Hiedra. Nattie is back in to slug it out with Hiedra and hurricanrana her into the corner. Apache comes back too and it’s a pair of stereo surfboards to Perez and Hiedra. With that broken up, Nattie hammers Apache but gets knocked back into the corner.

La Mistica gives Perez two on Apache but Nattie’s Sharpshooter is broken up. Apache’s reverse Figure Four is broken up and Perez gets in the crossface, with Hiedra making the save. Nattie is back in with the Sharpshooter to Perez until Apache makes the save. Hiedra is back up with a Michinoku Driver for two on Perez, which brings in Flammer with the belt. The big swing misses Perez and almost hits Hiedra by mistake. Perez sends Hiedra into Flammer for a crash to the floor before Pop Rox gives Perez the pin at 9:04.

Rating: B-. So it seems like we’re coming up on Hiedra and Flammer splitting, which could certainly be a way to finally end Flammer’s title reign. Perez getting the win was one of two ways to go here, as Apache and Nattie winning just wasn’t that interesting. At the very least, it’s some fresh blood in the title picture and that’s a good idea.

Post match Flammer and Hiedra do not seem pleased with each other.

Some men give Rey Mysterio luck for the night when El Grande Americano comes in. Americano is grateful for everything Mysterio has done for everyone and hopes that Mysterio wins tonight. That would mean Americano can win the Mega Title, but he’ll always be by Mysterio’s side. Mysterio says he was at the first TripleMania but he’s up against a giant. He has the heart that Omos doesn’t have and he’s faced giants before so he’ll end this tonight.

We recap the Latin American Title match. La Parka won the title a few weeks ago and now Mr. Iguana wants a shot, even if he and Parka are friends. Laredo Kid is involved too.

Latin American Title: La Parka vs. Laredo Kid vs. Mr. Iguana

Parka is defending. They trade superkicks to start and Kid takes over before knocking Iguana outside. Kid slaps Parka for a middle rope Vader Bomb, followed by a middle rope moonsault for two. Iguana is back up and gets armdragged down onto Kid for quite the odd landing. Parka moonsaults off the ropes onto the two of them and a rolling cutter gets two on Kid back inside.

A crucifix driver gives Iguana two so Kid pounds him on the mat. Iguana’s Shining Wizard gets two but Kid sends him outside for a suicide dive. Parka gets sent into the barricade, leaving Kid to bust out the big flip dive. Back in and Kid’s 450 gets two on Iguana, with Parka’s great dropkick getting the same on Kid. Parka dives onto Kid, and then goes back up top and super Spanish Flys both of them for the triple down.

Kid’s poisonrana gets two on Parka and Iguana is back in with a top rope headbutt to put Kid down. A spinning bulldog gets two with Parka pulling Iguana to the floor. That and a Doomsday Device have Iguana down again, with the friendship not seeming to matter at the moment. Back in and Parka Bone Breakers Kid for the pin at 12:52.

Rating: B-. Maybe it’s having so many multi-person matches on the show but I couldn’t quite get into this one. It felt more like just a bunch of moves until Parka hit his finisher to win. That’s not the most interesting concept in the world and while I guess we’re coming up on Iguana vs. Parka, this was only so much of a good way to get there.

Trios Titles: Psycho Circus vs. Los Perros del Mal

The Clowns are defending (for the first time in over a year, with Psycho replacing Panic) and Karmen Petrovic is here with Los Perros. Berto gets taken into the ropes to start with the Clowns triple teaming him, including a running splash from Psycho. Daga trips Dave down though and it’s time for a beating on the floor. Dave’s leg is wrapped around the post and Daga hammers away. Dave finally fights out and brings in Murder for a double Samoan drop to Daga and Angel.

Murder goes up for a big dive to the floor but cue El Carnicero to attack Dave, with Psycho giving him a heck of a running right hand. Psycho and Carnicero brawl into the crowd and it’s down to 3-2. Daga suplexes Murder for two and a huge superplex leaves them both down. Petrovic gets up for a distraction though and Berto crashes into Dave over the barricade. That leaves Murder to get caught with a top rope double stomp to give Gaga the pin at 10:36.

Rating: B. This was a better match than most of the show and it might just be due to there being a more coherent story. Carnicero is there to go after the Clowns for whatever reason and they couldn’t overcome the numbers advantage from another good team. It’s not like the titles mean anything but Los Perros desperately needed a win after the last few weeks.

We recap Omos vs. Rey Mysterio. Omos attacked Mysterio (General Manager) and got suspended. Omos came back anyway and the match was set up, with the suspension being lifted if he wins but his AAA career being over if he loses.

Rey Mysterio vs. Omos

El Grande Americano, Dorian Roldan and Dominik Mysterio are here too. Rey is in gear inspired by his Halloween Havoc 1997 attire, which makes perfect sense. We get the bizarre looking staredown before Rey tries to frustrate Omos with the speed. Some kicks to the leg don’t do much to Omos, who sends Rey into the corner (and not exactly gracefully). Back up and Rey tries rolling to the floor, with Omos catching him but then getting dropped onto the barricade.

Omos, in front of Rey’s wife, gorilla presses him back inside as Rey is in big trouble. Some right hands don’t do Rey any good as Omos grabs the bearhug. That’s broken up and it’s right back to the bearhug, with Americano looking more and more desperate on the floor. Rey finally crawls out and knocks him into the ropes, with Omos’ arms getting tied up. Dominik pulls Rey to the floor but here is Americano making a diving save (like a superhero) and knocking Dominik over the announcers’ table.

Rey gets in a chair shot and hurricanranas Omos into the buckle. There’s a pair of 619s and JBL freaks out, as you would expect him to when Rey has success. Another 619 to the knee sets up a regular one to the face and a top rope splash gets two. Dominik is back up to chair Americano, including ramming it into his throat. Back up and Omos hits a big boot into a chokeslam for the pin at 12:36.

Rating: B. This was a perfectly nice story, with Rey trying everything he could to chop the giant down but not being able to get there. That should be the case with a giant like Omos, who is best used as a special attraction like this. Don’t have him out there every week and ruin his special appeal. It worked well here and I had a good time with the whole thing, even if it dragged a bit at the beginning.

Post match Omos drops a bunch of elbows on Rey, who is taken out on a stretcher. Well almost as he’s attached to the stretcher but Omos comes back to take Rey’s neck brace off. The announcers’ table is loaded up and Omos chokeslams Rey (still attached to the back board) through the table to end the show. That’s a heck of a bump and JBL not worrying about Rey at all is always funny.

Overall Rating: B-. The last two matches helped this a lot but this did have some weak points, with the multi-person matches getting tiresome after a bit. Things did get better with the main event and the Trios Titles match, but they really needed to mix things up a bit at first. Overall, good enough show though and the second half should work well, hopefully with a hotter crowd in Mexico.

Results
Adelicious/Mini Vikingo/Mascarita Sagrada b. Mini Abismo Negro/Jack Cartwheel/Lady Shani – Shooting star press to Abismo
Los Americanos b. LWO, Tokyo Bad Boys and Fraxiom last eliminating Fraxiom
Roxanne Perez b. Faby Apache, Nattie and La Hiedra – Pop Rox to Hiedra
La Parka b. Laredo Kid and Mr. Iguana – Bone Breaker to Kid
Los Perros del Mal b. Psycho Circus – Top rope double stomp to Murder
Omos b. Rey Mysterio – Chokeslam

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

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Wrestling Gold #5: Beat Me If You Can
Commentators: Dave Meltzer, Jim Cornette

It’s the last volume of this set and I think you get the concept at this point. If for some reason you’re reading this out of order, it’s a bunch of territory matches with Jim Cornette and Dave Meltzer doing commentary to provide history and stories. The match quality isn’t exactly the point but some of it has been effective before. Let’s get to it.

As usual, I’m giving my best guess to some of the locations and dates.

From San Antonio, Texas, 1981/1982.

Terry Allen vs. Nick Bockwinkel

Bockwinkel’s AWA World Title isn’t on the line….at least I don’t think. Allen is of course better known as Magnum TA and is very new here. They go to the mat to start and Allen keeps escaping, which has Bockwinkel somewhere between surprised and frustrated. Bockwinkel sends him into the corner though and grabs a short armscissors to keep Allen down. Back up and Allen slams him down a few times before grabbing a headlock as Cornette explains the story of Allen’s car crash. Allen grinds away before missing a dropkick in the corner. Bockwinkel is right back up with a knee and the piledriver finishes Allen at 5:24.

Rating: C+. This was a case of trying to get Allen in the ring with a veteran who could teach him on the job and there were few better for that role than Bockwinkel. Of course the result was never in doubt but that’s not the point of a match like this. It went fairly well as Allen did what he could, but Bockwinkel being there to walk him through it probably helped a lot.

From San Antonio, Texas at some date not listed and I only know the location because of the referee’s shirt.

Ivan Putski vs. Eddie Mansfield

Oh boy Eddie Mansfield. Basically he wasn’t very good and blamed everyone else for his lack of success and then exposed the business, which made him as popular as you would expect. Putski jumps him to start and is quickly knocked to the floor without much effort. Mansfield gets in a few ax handles and a middle rope elbow to the back. The choking doesn’t work very well for Mansfield, who is knocked out to the floor. This lets Cornette bury Mansfield for about the fourth time in a few minutes. Putski pounds him down but shoves the referee out of the way for the DQ at 4:16.

Rating: D+. I can see why Mansfield wasn’t exactly a household name until his 20/20 interview, as he was an incredibly generic wrestler who had nothing that made him stand out. Putski was a good enough power guy and his physique was more than enough to get him by. The size issue eventually got to him but he was quite the star for awhile. Unlike Mansfield you see.

From San Antonio, Texas, likely in the very early 1980s.

Tito Santana vs. Kelly Kiniski

Santana takes him down by the arm to start and works on the armbar. That’s enough to send Kiniski over to the rope so Santana is right back to the arm. A dropkick lets Santana grab a third armbar before a quick headknocker gets two. Back up and Kiniski powers him into the corner but Santana hits a flying forearm for two. The running crossbody finishes for Santana at 4:51.

Rating: C. Yeah you can kind of see why Kiniski was never a big star. He’s someone who was technically sound and that’s about it, as there just wasn’t much else to make him stand out. Santana was far from what he would become, but you could see the fire in there and that is always a good starting point.

From…..well it could be Detroit, Toronto, or Cincinnati, which is the only place I can find these two facing each other. If it’s Cincinnati, it’s January 28, 1967, but that could be totally off.

The Sheik vs. Tom Jones

Sheik has the referee check Jones for a foreign object and then jumps him anyway (customary for the Sheik) but hold on as we have to pause for his prayer. We actually get going and Jones jumps him in the corner, only for Sheik to grab quite the nasty flipping hammerlock. It’s nasty enough to make Jones give up at 1:40.

Post match Whipper Billy Watson comes in to make the save and is quickly beaten down. The fans go NUTS and throw trash into the ring (at Sheikh’s manager Abdullah Farouk, as Sheik is already gone) but unfortunately we cut away.

From Detroit, Michigan, probably in the mid 70s.

Bobo Brazil vs. Michael Angelo

I would have laughed so hard if it was a wrestling turtle. Anyway Angelo jumps him to start fast and sends Brazil into the buckle, which just makes him mad. Brazil (who is towering over Angelo) works on the wristlock but gets knocked into the corner. A running elbow wakes Brazil up again and he raises his leg to kick Angelo on top of the head. The Coco Butt (jumping headbutt) finishes Angelo off at 3:53.

Rating: C. The match had a comeback and Angelo tried but there was no way around Brazil when he was rolling like this. Brazil was an absolute star and one of the most important wrestlers ever when it came to race issues so it’s nice to see him doing something here. Granted this wasn’t exactly some classic, but that’s not the point of this thing.

From San Antonio, Texas, probably in 1980.

Tully Blanchard vs. Wahoo McDaniel

Blanchard jumps him to start and McDaniel chops him into a frenzy. A quick shot lets Blanchard knock him down, earning even more chops in the corner. McDaniel flips him out of the corner and the chinlock goes on. Blanchard has to flip out of an abdominal stretch and is quickly suplexed back down.

Back up and Blanchard knocks him down, which means it’s time for McDaniel to go back to the chops. The chops have Blanchard looking mostly dead, with a butterfly suplex giving McDaniel two. Blanchard is chopped out to the floor so he pulls McDaniel out with him, because getting into a brawl with WAHOO MCDANIEL is a good idea. Anyway McDaniel throws the referee down and we’re cut off with presumably a DQ at about 6:15.

Rating: C+. It was fun to see McDaniel just beat the fire out of Blanchard, who was selling them like he was dying out there. McDaniel is another person who was incredibly underrated, as he was one of the most athletically gifted stars ever in wrestling. You don’t hear much but praise of him, and yet he still seems better than advertised whenever I see him. Not bad.

From Memphis, Tennessee, likely in the early 1980s (I’m sure Cornette will know).

Jerry Lawler vs. Eddie Gilbert

Gilbert slams him to start but Lawler is right back up with a slam of his own, sending Gilbert bailing to the floor. And yes Cornette confirms that this is from 1984 because of course he knows that stuff. The stalling begins until Gilbert backs him into the corner for a shot to the face and Lawler is a bit surprised.

We even hit the crisscross but Gilbert bails out to the floor, where he gets to signal his intelligence (he might be faking). Back in and Lawler drops him with a single right hand, sending Gilbert bailing to the floor again. Gilbert gets inside again and hammers away to take over but Lawler pulls the strap down and unloads with even more right hands. Cue Rick Rude and Jimmy Hart to go after Lawler for the DQ at 6:43.

Rating: C+. Yep this was certainly Memphis, with Gilbert doing all kinds of over the top selling for his idol and likely loving getting punched in the face. This was a studio match as well so the shorter run time is hardly a surprise. Gilbert is someone who had all kinds of talent and love for wrestling but it never quite clicked, though wrestling so much like Lawler in Memphis probably didn’t help that much.

Post match Lawler grabs a chair to clear the ring.

From Toronto, Canada, likely around 1978.

Tiger Jeet Singh vs. The Sheik

This is a Mud Match and it’s exactly what you would expect. The ring is full of mud and Singh knocks him down and chokes a lot before throwing Sheikh’s manager down as well. Singh chokes but the referee gets knocked down and covered in mud as well. The claw goes on but Singh lets go to beat up the manager again, all while Cornette talks about the various ridiculous gimmicks that promoters used in the Great Depression and World War II to draw crowds (ice cream matches are discussed).

Singh grabs the claw again and then knocks Sheik outside, where he throws a chair inside. That’s fine as Singh beats on him with the chair and hammers away before driving Sheikh’s face into the mud. The manager offers another distraction and this time Sheik chokes Singh down with….something for the pin at 7:15.

Rating: C. This was barely a match as there is only so much you can do with that much slippery mud around. That was the problem here but it was certainly different and I’ll take that over doing the same stuff so many times. The idea was the fans wanted to see the Sheik lose but since he pretty much never did….well there’s a reason Detroit went out of business.

Post match Hank James (Bobo Brazil’s brother) comes in to go after the Sheik and chokes him down in the back with mud everywhere.

From Memphis, Tennessee, June 16, 1984.

AWA International Title: Masao Ito vs. Austin Idol

Idol is defending and gets pounded down to start. The slow forearms have Idol in trouble so he comes back with some slams. The Las Vegas Leglock is loaded up but Ito’s manager goes for a distraction, allowing Ito to kick him to the floor. Said manager knocks Idol cold with some nunchucks and that’s a countout at 2:56. It’s also apparently a title change.

Post match Dutch Mantel and Jerry Lawler come out to check on the out cold Idol.

From San Antonio, Texas, some time in the early 80s.

Scott Casey/Terry Allen vs. Tully Blanchard/Gino Hernandez

Casey headlocks Hernandez down to start so it’s off to Allen to work on Blanchard’s arm. Blanchard gets in a cheap shot so it’s back to Casey to hit him in the face. Everything breaks down and we get a collision so Allen drags Blanchard into the corner. Casey gets in a few right hands before it’s back to Allen for a bearhug, which is quite the visual given Allen’s rather small trunks at this point. Hernandez makes the save and drops a backwards top rope elbow on Allen for the pin at 4:42.

Rating: C+. This was just a little taste of Blanchard and Hernandez, who were rather one of the more underrated teams of their era. They worked well together and it was fun to see them getting together and doing their thing by being sneaky and underhanded. Casey continues to be a nice hand in the ring and I’ve gotten more into him during this series, as he was good at what he did.

Blanchard and Hernandez have a big celebration in a funny bit.

From Memphis, Tennessee in late 1981/early 1982.

Terry Taylor vs. Sabu

Not that Sabu, as this one is better known as Coco Samoa. Sabu flips around to start and sends him into the corner as we get an early standoff. A hammerlock with a pull of the hair brings Taylor down and Sabu rakes the bare foot over Taylor’s face. The right hands don’t work for Taylor as Sabu knocks him right back down, meaning we can hit the chinlock.

Sabu’s legdrop misses though and Taylor gets two off a backbreaker. Another backbreaker gets another two but Sabu knocks him back down. Some choking on the apron sends Taylor outside so he comes back inside to slug away. With nothing else working, Sabu throws him over the top for the DQ at 10:06.

Rating: C+. Sabu felt like someone who could have been a thing if he was a bit bigger (he was barely 5’2 and that wasn’t going to be enough), as he had the look and enough in-ring abilities. Taylor was as white meat of a wrestler as you could have wanted and he made a nice fired up comeback here. The match went a bit long and the ending came out of nowhere, but the pieces were there.

From somewhere in the Central States territory (possible Decatur, Illinois on August 10, 1984).

Wahoo McDaniel/Tommy Rogers/Marty Jannetty vs. Ted Oates/The Grapplers

This isn’t the Fantastics’ Tommy Rogers and the Grapplers are Len Denton/Tony Anthony. Jannetty dropkicks Oates (his trainer) down to start and it’s off to Denton, who gets armdragged into an armbar. The good guys take turns on Denton’s arm but Denton slams him back down. The middle rope elbow misses though and it’s off to Anthony, who gets taken down by the arm as well.

Jannetty’s dropkick means it’s time to work on the arm, only for Anthony to grab a powerslam. A double back elbow drops Rogers and Oates hits a knee, followed by a suplex for two. Jannetty’s attempted save doesn’t work so we hit the chinlock before Rogers is sent into Denton’s boot in the corner. Everything breaks down and Denton misses a flying clothesline, allowing Jannetty to hit a Thesz press for the pin at 10:17.

Rating: B-. This was a fast enough paced match with Jannetty feeling like a young star who could have become a much bigger deal if hew as given the chance. That is more or less what happened and it was fun to see what he would become. I could have gone for more McDaniel here, but that is the case pretty much all the time, whether he is in the match or not.

Post match Oates jumps Jannetty and piledrives him on the chair. That’s a big angle for back then.

Overall Rating: C+. You could tell they were running out of material by this point as there’s nothing on this disc that I must see and it’s also a bit shorter than the previous two. The concept remains exactly the same and you could easily swap most of the matches around without losing anything. It’s still fun, though I wouldn’t recommend doing a bunch of them in a row as some of the charm goes away upon all of the viewings. Still though, not bad and for an hour and a half, it could have been a lot worse.

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

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Wrestling Gold #4: No More Mr. Nice Guy
Commentators: Dave Meltzer, Jim Cornette

We’re over halfway done with these things and I had a good time with the third disc so we might as well look at another. I’m not sure what to expect from these things, but again the matches are kind of secondary to the audio, with the two historians on the call. It worked before and it should again so let’s get to it.

As usual, I’m giving my best guess to some of the locations and dates.

From Memphis, Tennessee, September 3, 1984.

Rick Rude vs. Randy Savage

This isn’t something you saw very often and Jimmy Hart and Angelo Poffo are here too. Savage wastes no time in sprinting after Hart to chase him into the crowd and Rude is already hitting the stall button. Rude finally gets back inside and they fight over a top wristlock before Savage grabs an airplane spin. They’re already on the floor again with Savage grabbing the mic and throwing what looks like confetti at Rude. Back in and a Hart distraction lets Rude throw him over the top for a crash to the floor.

They get inside again with Rude hammering away in the corner and dropping Savage with a suplex. A clothesline lets Rude strut and pat the referee on the head, which is quite the odd personality from him. Back up and Savage sends him outside for the top rope ax handle, followed by a high crossbody but there’s no referee. Instead here is a massive King Kong Bundy (with HAIR) to deck Savage and give Rude the pin at 10:25.

Rating: B-. I don’t think there’s much of a surprise that these two had a good match, even though Rude was just getting his first major time in the ring. He certainly had charisma to go with the look and the match worked, with Savage clearly looking like he was ready to move on to the biggest stage in the world. It wouldn’t be much longer before he did, debuting in the WWF less than a year later.

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, I believe February 17, 1974.

The Sheik vs. Andre The Giant

I believe this is a Texas Deathmatch (basically Last Man Standing in this case). Sheik, with Abdullah Farouk (the Grand Wizard Of Wrestling), goes right at him to start, which goes as well as you’re going to get by going after Andre. Some big right hands give Andre about eight each but Sheik comes back with the fire ball…and Andre is down for ten at 2:32. The whole match is listed elsewhere at 3:32 so I’m wondering if some stalling was edited out. Anyway, this was a REALLY bad idea, as Sheik hadn’t lost in Toronto in seven years and this showed the fans that he just wasn’t going to lose, so why buy tickets?

Post match Andre is tended to and gets quite the reaction.

From I have no idea.

Pampero Firpo vs. Jeff Doney

The much shorter (and much more famous) Firpo takes him down with a headscissors to start. The claw finishes Doney at 1:35. Well that’s a shame, as I wanted to see more Firpo, who has quite the wild reputation.

Post match Firpo helps Doney up.

From San Antonio, Texas, likely in the early 1980s.

Bruiser Brody/Scott Casey vs. Kelly Kiniski/The Spoiler

Brody and the Spoiler lock up to start and takes him down by the leg, allowing Casey to take over. Kiniski comes in and gets taken down by the leg as well, with Casey dropping some knees. The escape doesn’t work either but Spoiler comes in to work on Casey’s leg for a change.

That doesn’t last long either as Casey reverses into something of an STF, with Spoiler crawling over for the tag back to Kiniski. Casey grabs an ankle lock and it’s back to Brody to wrap the leg around the post. Back in and Spoiler takes over with the claw, which Brody breaks up rather quickly. Everything breaks down and Brody hits a dropkick, followed by the big knee for the pin at 6:48.

Rating: C+. The leglocks were a fine enough story for the match and it was fun to see Brody snap at the end and take over. As usual it feels like a shame that his career was cut short because dang he was great at his style. Casey is someone who wasn’t around very long and felt like he was rather good when he was out there, even if you didn’t see him outside of Texas very often.

From Memphis, Tennessee, September 17, 1984, likely fallout from the first match on the disc.

King Kong Bundy/Rick Rude vs. Jerry Lawler/Randy Savage

No DQ. Lawler and Rude start things off with Lawler sending him into Savage’s elbow to the head. Bundy (sans hair this time) comes in and powers Lawler into the corner without much trouble so Savage sneaks in for an elbow to the head. Bundy’s missed charge knocks Rude off the apron, earning some applause from Lawler, with the crowd eating it up of course. A missed charge in the corner has Bundy in more trouble as commentary compares loud reactions from the fans.

We settle back down to Savage beating on Rude and dropping the top rope ax handle to the floor. Back in and Rude goes to the eye but Savage breaks up a piledriver attempt. Lawler gets taken into the wrong corner but quickly gets out of trouble with the double noggin knocker, because it’s the 80s and that was still cool. Savage comes in for an airplane spin to send Rude staggering into the corner, followed by an atomic drop but unfortunately before the classic Rude sell.

It’s back to Bundy, who sends Lawler into a raised boot in the corner and the big elbow gets two. Things slow down and Rude draws Savage (who is shockingly on a thin edge) in so Bundy can get in some cheap shots. Bundy comes in behind the referee’s back to drop a knee but the splash misses…and it’s time to stagger up. Lawler slugs away and everything breaks down, with the referee getting bumped. Lawler has a foreign object of some kind to clean house and the referee calls the DQ for….well it could be a few reasons at 15:36.

Rating: B. This again felt like a big time match and that’s what you would want out of such a showdown. If nothing else, the idea of Lawler and Savage teaming together is rather unique, as they had been such heated rivals for so long. Once again Lawler is in his element against a monster and you could see the Ravishing side of things starting to come together.

Post match they brawl all the way to the back.

From some place in history at some point in time.

Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Don Kent

So this is a Shark Cage match, meaning two people inside one of those cages used to raise a manager above the ring. As you might expect, there is only so much you can do when the cage is about three feet wide. They ram each other into the cage and punch a lot as they try to get out of the cage to win.

Both are pulled back inside and Strongbow lifts him up for a ram into the roof. Kent rams him into the cage and chokes him down as this continues to die. Strongbow fights to his feet and manages to Hulk Up to hammer away. We’re actually clipped to Mark Lewin running in to choke Kent, allowing Strongbow to escape at 6:43 shown.

Rating: F. Imagine a match where the wrestlers’ feet were stapled to the floor. That’s about what you had here and it got as far as it was going to get. Commentary rightfully buried the thing because, again, they were fighting in a shark cage. This was firmly in the “this is dumb” category and thankfully it wasn’t something you saw very often. Just dumb.

Post match Lewin turns the cage over because he just wasted time on that thing.

From Memphis, Tennessee, May 14, 1984.

AWA International Title: Randy Savage vs. Austin Idol

Savage is defending and jumps him from behind to start and sends Idol outside for the top rope ax handle. Back in and Savage hammers away even more so Idol tries to grab a crutch from…well from the guy at ringside with a crutch. That earns Idol a neck snap across the top and Savage slugs away with the left jabs.

Idol Hulks Up and slugs away, including the right hands in the corner. More right hands set up the Las Vegas (Figure Four) Leglock and the crutch man (apparently Angelo Poffo) yells a lot….as Savage gives up at 7:01??? Either way it’s a new champion and I’m trying to remember Savage quitting more than a handful of times in his career.

Rating: C+. I could still go for more of Idol, as he certainly had a charisma to him and his promos were more than good enough. This was a match between two guys who felt like stars and while they didn’t have much of a high quality match, it did what it was supposed to, with the crowd going nuts and being into the whole thing. Good match here and both guys looked solid.

From Buffalo, New York, possibly on February 24, 1967.

Terrible Ted vs. Gene DuBois

Ted takes him down to start and gets on DuBois’ back, followed by a snapmare to put DuBois down again. They go to the mat, with the referee getting chased off by Ted, which doesn’t seem right. Back up and DuBois’ rollup attempt is shrugged off and the rather irritated Ted goes after the referee in the corner. For some reason Ted covers the referee in the corner and DuBois counts the pin…which of course doesn’t count. DuBois wrestles him down again but gets snapmared for a quick pin at 5:05.

Rating: D+. This was almost more of a comedy match than anything else, with Ted going after the referee over and over, which lost its charm rather quickly. You would think he could do something better than that and it only got him so far here. DuBois was doing most of the work and it went about as well as it could have all things considered.

Oh and one more thing: Ted is a bear.

From Memphis, Tennessee, July 16, 1984.

Tommy Rich vs. Rick Rude

We’re joined in progress with Rude grinding away on a headlock to start as Cornette explains the Memphis backstory, as only he can. Rich fights up and hits a quick atomic drop over the top. Back in and Rude goes low to escape a full nelson before knocking him into the corner.

Rude goes up and slips off the rope for a nasty crash, with Rich slapping on the sleeper. That’s broken up and the referee gets bumped, allowing Rude’s girlfriend Angel to come in. Cue Jerry Lawler to ram them together and steal a chain from Angel, allowing him to knock Rude cold. Rich gets the easy pin at 5:57.

Rating: C+. You could see Rude getting bigger and better around this point and it was cool to see what would become a great star. He wasn’t quite all the way there yet but the skill was coming together. Rich was someone who could get over anywhere in the south and it helps to have Lawler helping you in Memphis. Short but fun here.

From Memphis, Tennessee, early 1983.

AWA World Title: Nick Bockwinkel vs. Jerry Lawler

Lawler is challenging and Bockwinkel wrestles him down to start without much trouble. Bockwinkel works on the arm, including a top wristlock. Lawler gets sick of the arm cranking and fights up but we’re clipped to Bockwinkel sending him into the corner. Back up and Lawler hits a quick crossbody but Bockwinkel sends him crashing to the floor. Lawler fires up out of the corner and the comeback is on, with the right hands letting Lawler knock him into the corner.

Bockwinkel sends Lawler into the referee though and that’s….not a DQ actually as Bockwinkel hits a top rope ax handle for two and they head outside, with Lawler sending him into the announcers’ table. Back in and Lawler and just unloads with rights and lefts but shoves the referee. Bockwinkel hits the referee (intention unclear) and it’s finally thrown out at 12:13 shown, with Lawler winning by DQ. The roof comes off and then the referee hands the belt back to Bockwinkel to kill the energy immediately.

Rating: B. There are very few things that will always work in Texas and the Lawler comeback in Memphis was one of them. It worked again here, as the fans were buying the idea of Lawler being able to win the title. Unfortunately that was something that they did for so long that it stopped working so well. Granted Lawler did finally win the title, albeit in 1988, but he did get there. Bockwinkel deserves so much more credit than he gets, as you do not see many people as skilled in the ring as he is. My goodness that man could make anything look smooth and it was fun to see him take someone apart.

From Memphis, Tennessee, 1984.

Randy Savage vs. Austin Idol

Angelo Poffo is here with Savage, who bails out to the floor to start and the chase is on. Back in and Savage hammers away in the corner with the big elbow connecting for two, which isn’t treated as a big deal here and man that’s bizarre. Savage sends him outside and Idol chops away to take over, meaning it’s time to slug away back inside.

Idol tosses him right back outside but Savage takes over again, with Idol being busted open. Savage slams him down a few times for two each and some elbows set up another slam for two more as Savage isn’t exactly mixing it up here. Another slam is countered into a small package to give Idol two so Savage jumps to the top for an elbow to the head. Savage bites the head and pulls at the cut, which means it’s time to Hulk Up.

The comeback is on and Idol drops a middle rope elbow and starts hammering away as well. A running elbow misses but so does Savage’s jumping knee, meaning it’s time to go after the leg. The Las Vegas Leglock is loaded up so Poffo gets on the apron to throw in the knuckles. The loaded right hand finishes Idol at 11:41 shown.

Rating: B-. Other than that weird string of slams, this worked well again with Idol having so many of the characteristics that Hogan stole from him over the years. Shockingly enough, Savage and someone like Hogan worked together for a good match. I liked this again, but dang it could have been fun to hear them talk to each other even more, as that was Idol’s best work.

From Indianapolis, Indiana, early 70s.

Bob Ellis vs. Bobby Heenan

So this is the classic story of Heenan being the evil manager who sends his wrestlers after Ellis, who beats them all and now it’s time for Ellis to get his hands on Heenan. Well in theory at least as Heenan comes to the ring on crutches and claims a knee injury. Cornette is of course aghast at the suggestion that a wrestling manager would fake an injury to avoid a beating.

Heenan wants to postpone the match for five to six months so he can heal properly but the referee isn’t having it and we’re ready to go. Heenan swings with the crutch but only hits the buckle, meaning it’s time for Heenan to send in the Blackjacks. That just means a pair of bulldogs from Ellis so Heenan dives over the top in that trademark spot of his and it’s a countout at 1:06. Just a funny angle rather than anything important but Heenan could sell this as well as anyone ever.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s another case of having a good time watching old wrestling and just getting a sample of what is available out there. The interesting part about a lot of these things is how much they do with so little. These are bare bones sets but the fans are into these people and it still works to this day. You can get into the stories they’re telling and it makes these matches entertaining. Throw in Cornette and Meltzer on commentary and it’s quite the interesting look at things.

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

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Wrestling Gold #3: We Like To Hurt People
Commentators: Dave Meltzer, Jim Cornette

So for those of you who have forgotten, this is a DVD set released back in 2001, featuring a bunch of territory matches from around the country. The big draw though is special commentary by Jim Cornette and Dave Meltzer, which is often a lot more interesting than the matches themselves. Let’s get to it.

As usual, I’m hoping for the best on the dates/promotions for these matches.

From Memphis, Tennessee, June 25, 1984.

Phil Hickerson/The Spoiler vs. Tommy Rich/Eddie Gilbert

Street fight so naturally it’s a big brawl to start as commentary buries the idea of Rich and Gilbert as the new Fabulous Ones. Spoiler chokes Gilbert on the floor and then goes back inside as Rich is kicked down. Gilbert comes back in to clean house with a boot and they split off again as commentary talks about Gilbert skipping high school graduation because he was in a match. Cornette: “Who’s going to go to your high school graduation when you’re booked?”

Gilbert unloads on Spoiler inside as Hickerson is sent into the post and atomic dropped on the floor. A backdrop gets Gilbert out of a piledriver attempt and Gilbert gets to hammer away as the rather bloody Rich comes back inside. Spoiler gets in a boot shot to Rich but Gilbert backdrops him to the floor. Commentary realizes they’re sounding “like a WCW announce crew” as Rich has stolen Spoiler’s (loaded) mask. A middle rope headbutt knocks Hickerson cold for the pin at 6:35.

Rating: B-. This was indeed a bloody, violent match and that’s exactly what you would have expected in the Mid-South Coliseum when a street fight was advertised. Memphis could get violent with the best of them and it helps that Hickerson, one of the more underrated stars of the territory era, was there to help make it work. The ending was a unique one as well and I could have gone for a lot more of this.

From Memphis, Tennessee, sometime in the summer of 1984.

Lanny Poffo/Randy Savage vs. Rock N Roll Express

Yeah this should work and Angelo Poffo is with the non Rock N Roll. Savage and Morton lock up to start with Morton knocking him down without much trouble. Savage slams him down and goes up but gets punched out of the air, allowing Gibson to come in for a change. It’s off to Lanny, who is knocked outside and we’re clipped to Savage sending Morton outside for a top rope ax handle.

Morton is sent into the apron and Lanny knees him in the back as commentary basically ignores the match to talk about the greatness of Randy Savage (fair enough). Gibson gets drawn in, allowing Morton to get kneed right back down. An elbow to the face isn’t enough for Morton to get over to Gibson and we’re firmly in Ricky Morton Selling period, with the fans getting all the more into it.

Gibson is distracted to the floor so Morton has no one to tag, leaving Angelo to send Morton onto the announcers’ table. Morton backdrops Savage onto the table and it’s back to Gibson to clean house (with Cornette giving a great explanation behind the psychology of the hot tag and how Morton set up that turn of the story). Angelo comes in with a boot though and that’s a DQ at 8:30 (13:06 according to commentary, which could make this July 16, 1984) shown.

Rating: B. Believe it or not, this was rather good stuff with both teams knowing how to work together so well. Morton getting the hot tag to Gibson is one of the classic spots in wrestling and it works so well because Morton could sell like no one else. Savage and Poffo didn’t team much (if at all) on the big stage and it’s a shame as they’re rather good together.

Post match the brawl stays on and the fans go absolutely nuts.

From San Antonio, Texas, possibly in September 1981.

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Dick Slater

Slater slams him down to start as commentary talks about how similar Slater was to Terry Funk, which would be an understatement. Funk takes him down and grabs a headlock as you can see just how smooth Funk can be out there. An atomic drop gets Slater out of trouble, only for Funk to grab the headlock again.

Back up and Funk’s atomic drop sends Slater to the apron, with commentary pointing out how much Slater looks like Terry again. Back in and Slater takes him down for a knee drop as commentary explains how the Funk Brothers had to get out of their father’s shadow, which worked everywhere but Amarillo. Funk snapmares him down into an elbow drop and it’s time for the forearms. A collision sends Slater outside though and Tully Blanchard runs in to jump Funk for the DQ at 6:17.

Rating: B-. This felt more like a preview of something even bigger but I’ll take that for an old TV show. The more I see of Funk, the more impressive he is and it was fascinating to see Dory against someone so close to Terry. The Funks only wrestled once so you don’t get to see it very often, making this all the more interesting. It could have been more, but this worked well enough.

Post match the beatdown stays on with Scott Casey running in for the save.

From….I have no idea actually. Toronto seems to be the most likely place but there’s no official listing.  Likely the late 70s.

US Title: The Sheik vs. Tiger Jeet Singh

Sheik is defending in a cage and Singh jumps him to start for a ram into the cage. Commentary immediately buries Singh as being terrible in the ring but he wound up being rich anyway because he’s a good businessman. Sheik sends him into the cage and gets in some pencil shots, only for Singh to take it away and stab him in the head.

Singh is rammed into the cage again but keeps Sheik from escaping with a pull of the trunks. More choking and brawling in the corner doesn’t go anywhere as Cornette places this match in the early 80s. Singh can’t get out of the cage either so he knocks Sheik down…and right through the door to retain the title at 7:46.

Rating: C-. This was all about the brawling and violence and, well, what else were you expecting? The match was just kind of dull and neither of them were going to be able to do much here but the fans were into it. That’s about as good as it gets for these two and thankfully they kept it short, which is often a positive move.

From San Antonio, Texas, April 9, 1984.

Southwest Championship Wrestling Tag Team Titles: Fabulous Blonds vs. Manny Fernandez/Al Perez

The Blonds (Eric Embry/Ken Timbs) are defending with Fernandez taking Timbs down with a headscissors to start as Cornette talks about how Embry could have been a star if he was taller, stronger or more tanned. Timbs takes over with an armbar and a backdrop into another armbar as commentary talks about how Perez could have been a star if he developed the muscles between his ears a bit more.

Fernandez is back up with a dropkick into an armdrag and of course commentary praises him a bit more, mainly because Fernandez was that much better. Perez comes in for a middle rope shot to the arm and the armbar goes on again. Some big knees to the arm keep Timbs in trouble as commentary goes into quite the discussion of cosmetic appeal in wrestling. Back up and Timbs misses an elbow and it’s right back to an armdrag into an armbar.

It works so well that he does it again but Timbs gets up and brings in Embry for the running forearm. There’s the double backdrop to put Perez down again and Timbs’ elbow gets two. An atomic and knee drop combine for two on Perez but he gets in a shot of his own. The tag is cut off though and Fernandez is drawn in, meaning the referee has to send him back.

Perez backdrops out of Embry’s piledriver attempt and Fernandez comes back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and the champions are sent into each other. Back up and Embry tries another piledriver but Fernandez drops him with a clothesline to give Perez the pin and the titles at 10:58.

Rating: C+. Things got better at the end and you could see the match building along the way, with Fernandez waiting to come in and run through everyone. Perez was indeed someone who could have been a star if he could put it all together but that never really happened. Fernandez was a star who could have been a lot bigger but almost always did well when he was given the chance, especially in a smaller place like this one. Good enough stuff here, with the ending boosting it up.

Post match the Blondes jump them again and the Sheepherders run in to beat on Perez and Fernandez. Bobby Jaggers and more run in for the save.

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 6, 1977.

NWA World Title: Terry Funk vs. Harley Race

Funk is defending and we’re joined in progress with Funk getting two off a backbreaker. A piledriver gets the same and Funk drops a knee as it is so strange to see Funk wrestling such a basic style. Race is back up with a snapmare for two and a good backbreaker gets the same.

Funk gets in a flying headscissors of all thing to take Race down, only to be sent outside. Back in and Race goes up top but gets slammed down, setting up the spinning toehold. That’s broken up so Race tries a suplex, with Funk falling down on top of him for another near fall. Funk goes back to the spinning toehold but Race escapes again and hits a shinbreaker (on Funk’s bad knee). An Indian Deathlock, eventually, makes Funk give up at 7:14.

Rating: B-. You didn’t get to see much from the two of them, but of course it was technically sound and logical, because you shouldn’t expect anything else from these two. Race was about 33 here and a staggering 17 year veteran already as he wins his second title. That man was an incredibly rare case and it was always a treat to watch him in the ring. Funk on the other hand is a legend is in his own right and it’s still bizarre to see him doing something like this, as he was so good at this style in addition to the stuff that made him famous to more modern audiences.

Post match Race jumps up and down in celebration, which makes sense but dang it feels weird to see from him.

From Indianapolis, Indiana, probably around 1977.

Pepper Gomez vs. The Bounty Hunter

Gomez knocks him into the corner to start and grabs an armdrag for another knockdown. A right hand drops Hunter again as commentary talks about Gomez having a very strong stomach. Gomez works on an armbar and the referee kicks Hunter’s feet off the ropes, which doesn’t seem overly fair. Hunter fights back but gets taken down for a seated senton, setting up a jackknife rollup to give Gomez the pin at 4:21.

Rating: C. Not much to this one but Gomez was a massive name from his time so having him in here was a cool moment. That’s all you can ask for in a situation like this as a lot of his stuff has been lost to time. Hunter was nothing to see but he was basically just there to be a warm body anyway.

From Memphis, Tennessee, May/June 1984.

Austin Idol vs. Jim Neidhart

Neidhart runs him over with a shoulder to start but Idol’s manager Jimmy Hart trips Neidhart down. That means a lot of yelling ensues and Neidhart gets back inside, where we’re clipped to Idol grabbing a backdrop. Neidhart chokes him down into a chinlock and the comeback is cut off.

None of that matters though as Cornette is talking about Memphis history, reaching a level where even Meltzer is just left sitting there listening to him. Neidhart’s bearhug goes on and he even gets a near fall until we’re clipped again to Idol hammering away. Idol grabs a sleeper and here is the Spoiler to jump Idol with a cane. Neidhart covers so Hart comes in for the DQ at 4:53.

Rating: C. This seemed to be a much better match if you could see the whole thing, which is often the case with matches like these. Idol is someone who always felt like he could have been a bigger deal if he was ever on a bigger stage but that wasn’t going to be the case for him, as he just wasn’t going to do something he didn’t want. The draw here was Cornette getting to talk Memphis though, as he excels at it like nothing else.

Post match Neidhart and Spoiler beat Hart down but Idol makes the save. Hart even gets in a few shots of his own and rips off his jacket in a visual you don’t see very often.

From Memphis, Tennessee, May 21, 1984.

Butch Reed vs. Junkyard Dog

Dog knocks him down to start and drops a right hand, with Reed bailing out to the floor. Reed is pulled back in and the all fours headbutts send Dog outside, with commentary pointing out that Dog stole the move from Terry Funk. Back in again and Reed is choked down in the corner but gets in a cheap shot as Cornette gets to sing Bill Watts’ praises. A double clothesline leaves both of them down, allowing Cornette to tell more stories about Dog’s incredible popularity.

Reed grabs a chinlock into a front facelock, which goes on for a good while so it’s more Cornette Storytime (which granted is the big appeal of this whole set). Dog fights up with an atomic drop and a clothesline as you can feel the energy picking up. Said energy is capped off when Dog hits the Thump for the pin at 7:42.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t so much a good match as much as it was a match where you could see how great they could have been if Dog was at his best. The problem with Dog is he got out of shape fast and there wasn’t much that could be done to stop it. When he was at this peak though, it was something special and this wasn’t quite that, but it was still good enough stuff.

From Memphis, Tennessee, sometime in 1984ish.

Rick Rude/Jim Neidhart/Ox Baker/Japanese Assassin vs. Robert Reed/Tiger Mask/Keith Eric/Mad Dog

The Assassin kicks away at Eric and Rude, in a dress because of a Memphis stipulation, and it’s off to Neidhart to throw him around. Dog comes in and gets taken into the wrong corner for a beating from Baker. Mask (no not that one, as this is Ken Wayne) comes in and gets pummeled just as quickly and Reed gets beaten up as well. I guess Baker didn’t care for The Brady Bunch In The White House. Anyway Neidhart powerslams Eric and Rude adds a swinging neckbreaker for the pin at 3:17.

Rating: C. This wasn’t so much of a squash as much as it was a total and complete destruction, which was normal for a match on Memphis TV. Rude was ticked off because of the dress and Baker was ticked off because of who he was in general. It was fun to see this kind of a beating as it always looked good to see someone get decimated like that.

From Memphis, Tennessee, 1984.

Jerry Lawler vs. King Kong Bundy

Bundy, with Jimmy Hart, splashes Lawler in the corner to start and stomps the crown, with Cornette saying that’s going to come out of Bundy’s paycheck. Lawler gets elbowed down again and the ecstatic Hart is already cheering on the apron. Bundy sends him into the corner for a right hand and Lawler, tired of being squashed, rolls out to the floor. That just earns him a posting and an elbow drop for two back inside. The chinlock goes on and Bundy switches it to a bearhug, with Lawler finally breaking out. Lawler goes outside again and the chase is on, with Bundy getting tired rather quickly.

More stalling ensues, with the story of the match being that Hart is paying Bundy by the minute and Lawler wants to cost Hart money. As commentary points out, that means they can they can just run around and keep the story going without getting physical. Lawler finally gets caught by Hart though and Bundy takes over with some big right hands. Bundy drops an elbow but misses a splash and the strap comes down so it’s time for the comeback. Cue Rick Rude to distract Lawler though and Bundy gets in a chain shot, followed by the splash for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: C+. This was a great illustration of doing something with nothing, because people wanted to see Lawler cost Hart money and it worked like a charm. In other words, the company got creative with an idea and ran with it, which was what you had to do when you were running so often. It worked here and Bundy’s limitations were hidden at the same time. Not too bad.

From Detroit, Michigan, October 8, 1978.

Terry Funk vs. Mark Lewin

Lewin actually takes him to the mat by the arm to start and shrugs off some headbutts, with Funk hurting himself by mistake. An armdrag into another armbar has Funk in trouble and the fans rather pleased. The wristlock goes on as they head outside and then back inside as commentary talks about Paradise Alley.

Lewin switches off to a hammerlock but gets sent crashing out to the floor. Funk stomps away and grabs a chair, with Lewin bashing Funk in the head. Somehow that’s not a DQ so Lewin grabs a sleeper….and a rather large football player named Walter Johnson (of the Cleveland Browns) comes in to jump Lewin for the DQ at 5:55.

Rating: C+. The armbar was a bit repetitive but you could tell that the two of them had the energy and the crowd were way behind Lewin. The end was a big moment with the interference from an NFL player and the match certainly felt important. I was expecting more violence, but they did at least use a piece of a chair so we got something.

Post match Funk (bleeding) and Johnson beat on Lewin with a piece of the chair. That’s more like it.

From Memphis, Tennessee, July 9, 1984.

AWA International Title: Tommy Rich vs. Masao Ito

Ito is defending. The match listing gets Ito’s name wrong (“Massao”) but I doubt it was printed very often. We’re joined in progress with Rich grabbing a headlock takeover and a snapmare takes Ito down again. Ito shrugs that off and chops away before blocking an O’Connor roll. Rich knocks him down but gets chopped into the required nerve hold but Rich is up again to strike away.

That earns him another nerve hold but Rich gets up to lose a slugout. Ito’s middle rope splash misses so Rich hits an ax handle and the Thesz press (his finisher) but Ito’s goons make the save. Some powder to the eyes gives Ito two but Tojo Yamamoto gives Rich some salt to blind Ito right back. A crossbody gives Rich the pin and the title at 8:04.

Rating: B. This really got going and it was one of the best matches on the set thus far. Rich could do a fired up comeback like few others and the title change felt like a big deal. The fans were into Rich and it was cool to see this kind of thing happen, as it was quite the ordeal, showing you what can happen with a well told story.

From Memphis, Tennessee, June 4, 1984.

AWA Southern Title: Jerry Lawler vs. Kamala

Lawler is defending and Kamala rushes him into the corner for a fast start. Kamala chokes him down and sends him outside before Lawler’s right hand has no effect. More right hands just make Kamala jump into the air and grab the always lame pectoral claw. That’s only good for two so Kamala chops him on the mat and gets two off the splash. Lawler isn’t having this and fights up, with the strap coming down and the big right hand rocking Kamala for a change.

Kamala goes for the throat though and Lawler is right back down, which isn’t something you saw too often around here. The beating continues, with Lawler being knocked onto the announcers’ table as Jimmy Hart is thrilled at ringside. Lawler almost gets back inside so Kamala beats him down again, then does the same thing again. Hart gets the referee’s attention though and Lawler blasts Kamala with a chair. That leaves Kamala convulsing on the floor as Lawler wins by countout at 10:28.

Rating: B-. Kamala was a heck of a monster and it was easy to get behind anything Lawler was doing, especially in Memphis. The fans loved him no matter what and that was even more true when he was fighting a monster. That was a perfect spot for someone like Kamala and it worked rather well here. Good stuff, with Lawler looking like a hero by taking him out in the end.

From Indianapolis, Indiana, early 1970s.

Blackjack Mulligan/Ray Stevens/Baron Von Raschke vs. The Crusher/Dick The Bruiser/Sailor Art Thomas

Crusher and Stevens start things off with Stevens hammering away, earning himself a lifting choke. Raschke comes in and gets chased away as we’re clipped to Crusher taking over on Mulligan. Stevens goes up top and everything breaks down but we’re clipped again to Crusher working on Mulligan’s arm.

Mulligan powers him into the corner for some triple teaming and everything breaks down again. Stevens rakes Bruiser’s eyes so Bruiser goes nuts on him, even sending him outside. A young Bobby Heenan helps Stevens back in and everything breaks down again, with Raschke being rammed into Mulligan. Raschke gets double backdropped for the pin at 7:00.

Rating: B-. This was a big star studded match to wrap up the set and it was cool to see something from such a bygone era. The Bruiser and the Crusher were incredibly popular stars of their day and Stevens is one of the best in-ring performers of all time. It worked well and it felt like a big deal when everyone was in the ring. Fun match.

Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case with the previous two discs, and as will be the case with the other two discs, there wasn’t much to be said for a lot of the wrestling. Most of it was ok (and some of it was rather good) but the real draw here was all of the history lessons. You might not be into it if you’re not a fan of wrestling history, but there is some incredibly interesting stuff in there, with some of Cornette’s stories being a mixture of fascinating and hilarious. More good stuff here, and I’m sure I’ll have a good time with the other two.

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

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

AAA On FOX
Date: September 5, 2026
Location: Coliseo Centenario, Torreon, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re back to the regular show after last week was kind of preempted due to Ola de Calor. That was a big enough show as you do not often see AAA go that long, but more importantly we’re on the way to TripleMania in less than a week. The show will likely get some more matches announced this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Ola de Calor if you need a recap.

Ola de Calor recap.

Opening sequence.

We look at La Parka winning the Latin American Title.

Dinamico/Los Vipers vs. El Fiscal/La Parka/Mr. Iguana

Granted Parka doesn’t have the belt due to the taping schedule but oh well. Parka headlocks Hysteria to start and it’s off to Iguana for a rolling X Factor. Fiscal comes in for a running start to clothesline Dinamico and gorilla presses Hysteria, with Dinamico breaking it up. Taurus’ front facelock is broken up just as quickly and Iguana comes in to take over. Parka comes in to powerbomb Dinamico and everything breaks down. Iguana’s dive to the floor takes out the other team and Fiscal’s running flip dive takes out a bigger pile. Parka dives onto everyone, setting up the Bone Breaker to pin Hysteria at 6:45.

Rating: C+. This was a rather basic six man tag, which makes it rather perfect for a show like this one. Parka and Iguana are both incredibly popular and Fiscal was there to make things a bit more serious. It’s not the most important match, but the fans were into it and it was pretty quick, which I’ll take.

We look at La Catalina winning a gauntlet match last week to become the new #1 contender to the Reina de Reinas Title.

Despite her banged up arm, Catalina is ready to beat Flammer for the title.

Video on Penta beating Rey Fenix to earn a title shot at Roman Reigns in Mexico City.

Rey Mysterio announces that the Psycho Circus will defending the Trios Titles (those are a thing) against Los Perros del Mal. This will be the first title defense this year, and yes that’s fine as titles are very different in AAA.

El Grande Americano is in the ring and joined in progress, as he brings out Torreon’s Pimpinela Escarlata for a chat. Escarlata is rather well received and thanks the fans while apologizing for crying. Americano praises Escarlata and that’s about it. This felt like it would have been better served as a segment for the live crowd but it’s fine enough for a segment on a go home show.

Americano talks about what a crazy year this has been but not he wants more. That means winning the Mega Title, but there is more to it than that, as this is about our culture. As usual, Americano can sell this perfectly.

Mr. Iguana comes in to see Rey Mysterio and after some praise, asks for a title shot. Mysterio agrees to give him a title shot at TripleMania, where he and Laredo Kid can challenge La Parka for the Latin American Title. Iguana is happy as Mysterio goes to take a call, with Parka coming in. Parka doesn’t know about the title match and Iguana says the two of them need to talk.

TripleMania rundown.

The War Raiders issue an open challenge for a title match for TripleMania.

Adelicious vs. La Catalina

Flammer is at ringside. Catalina starts with an armdrag and forearms away but Adelicious is back up with a Sling Blade. That isn’t working for Catalina, who sends her into the buckle and hits a missile dropkick, followed by a spinning faceplant for the pin at 3:35.

Rating: C. This was just a squash and that’s all it should have been, as the title match is in about a week. Catalina is primed to be a real threat to take the title and it’s not like Flammer isn’t ready to lose the title. They needed to have something to fill in the show and as weak as the women’s division may be, this was as good as anything else.

Post match Catalina calls Flammer in but doesn’t get what she wants. Instead Catalina dances to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Oh man this was a weird one, as it was basically a big pre-show for TripleMania with the matches meaning almost nothing. Ola de Calor changed everything as you had that as the big last show and this as the leftovers. That’s not the best way to go, but again, AAA is not WWE and it shouldn’t be compared with the same norms. Not a great show, but TripleMania is all that matters anyway.

Results
El Fiscal/La Parka/Mr. Iguana b. Dinamico/Los Vipers – Bone Breaker to Hysteria
La Catalina b. Adelicious – Spinning faceplant

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

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Georgia Championship Wrestling House Show
Date: July 3, 1983
Location: Omni, Atlanta, Georgia

This seems to be the big finale of the WWE Vault presenting shows from GCW in this era, as we get a full house show. That should be more than enough to blow off everything going on and I could go with seeing these matches go for more than a few minutes each, at least most of the time. Let’s get to it.

No opening of course, which makes sense.

Brett Wayne vs. Bill Irwin

Irwin is new around here and not interested in a handshake. Wayne slips away on the mat to start and Irwin is already looking frustrated. Irwin takes him down by the wrist and gets kicked away to give us another standoff. This time Wayne takes him down in a headlock but misses the elbow, meaning they get to stare at each other some more. A slam puts Wayne down but he kicks off again and that’s enough before we need to reset again.

Wayne takes him down by the arm to some more success and we keep the slow pace. Back up and Irwin powers him away again, setting up a big backbreaker to actually do some damage. Some choking on the ropes has Wayne in more trouble and a suplex gives Irwin two, with the fans liking that kickout.

A gutwrench suplex gives Irwin two more and the running knee connects but Wayne’s foot is on the rope. That just ticks Irwin off so he knees Wayne in the head and throws him outside. A running boot knocks Wayne off the apron and Irwin gets the chance to strut a bit, as all evil cowboys are known to do. Wayne can’t beat the count at 8:59.

Rating: C. The crowd was way into Wayne here and it’s easy to understand as he had quite the smaller good guy look. Irwin on the other hand was a big bully looking monster (who happened to strut) so the basic dynamic was there. I’m not sure about the countout but at least Irwin got a win over an opponent who was fighting back.

Post match Irwin is ticked off and Buzz Sawyer has to come out and calm him down. When BUZZ SAWYER is the voice of reason, you must be nuts.

Tim Brooks vs. Bob Sweetan

The bigger Sweetan backs him into the corner to start before working on the arm. That’s broken up so Sweetan does it again, with Brooks going to the ropes for a cheap shot. Sweetan knows all about cheap shots (and various other horrible things) so he grabs a headlock, with Brooks grabbing the hair. That just lets Sweetan get in a cheap shot of his own as we’re firmly in “get the crowd to cheer while the good guy does bad things 201”.

A big right hand sends Brooks flying and Sweetan grabs another headlock, this time on the mat. Back up and Sweetan hiptosses him into the corner, with the referee having to jump out of the way. Sweetan grabs the headlock again and we do the hair pull/cheap shot sequence again. A slam gives Sweetan two and, you guessed it, it’s another headlock. Sweetan finally gets accused of pulling the hair (despite Brooks being limited in that area) and they’re stood up.

This time Brooks grabs a headlock, which I guess counts for variety. Brooks hammers away but Sweetan is back with right hands of his own. Back up and Brooks gets in some more effective shots in the corner but Sweetan gets fired up. The big whip into the corner has Brooks in trouble and they slug it out until it’s a time limit draw at 10:15 (close enough).

Rating: C-. This got going a bit near the end but they never got out of first gear. They were mainly just doing basic punches without much to stand out, along with the variety of headlocks. It did help that they weren’t just standing/laying around with the headlocks, but there is only so much to get out of a match where they only got going in the last few minutes.

Tully Blanchard vs. Pez Whatley

I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Whatley around here. Blanchard is introduced as the Southwest Heavyweight Champion but this is non-title. We get the handshake, with Blanchard getting in the slap and then bailing out to the floor. Back in and Whatley wins a battle of the wristlocks, which has Blanchard bailing back outside. Whatley pulls him down by the arm again and Blanchard claims a hair pull, which he thinks should make him the winner. Instead Whatley spits at him, which the fans seem to like.

Blanchard gets in a cheap shot to take over in the corner and we go into the slower beatdown. Naturally this includes the chinlock until Whatley fights up for a slam and a rare forward dropkick. Blanchard knocks him right back down and drops an elbow for two before sending Whatley crashing out to the floor. Whatley eventually gets back in and Blanchard jumps him in the ropes, with a bunch of knees drawing the DQ at 6:03.

Rating: C+. This was better, as Blanchard had such a smug arrogance to him that it’s easy to dislike him. He was still getting experience at this point but you could see the talent in there. On the other hand you have Whatley, who could make a nice fired up comeback and had the underdog nature that made him great for this kind of a spot. Nice match here.

Post match the brawl stays on and we’re likely going to do this again.

TV Title: Ron Garvin vs. Iron Sheik

Sheik, with Paul Ellering, is defending in Garvin’s final shot at the title and, as usual, the title can only change hands in the first ten minutes. Before the match, Garvin promises to give America a 4th of July present by taking the title from Sheik. The brawl is on before the bell with Garvin hitting him with the flag pole. Ellering tries to come in and gets knocked down, allowing Garvin to use the flag to tie Sheik to the ropes.

We pause for Garvin to chase Ellering as the referee unties Sheik, who gets slammed and choked with the flag some more. The match seems to have started somewhere in there as they slug it out and Garvin punches him down. Garvin chokes away but Ellering comes in for the DQ at…call it 2:00 I guess? This was barely a match anyway but the crowd was on fire for the whole thing. Garvin would win the title two weeks later.

Post match the brawl stays on and Sheik tries to bail, only for Garvin to atomic drop Ellering into him. Ellering has to hold Sheik back from getting inside again and they finally leave but Sheik comes back and throws a chair at Garvin.

We get an intermission, which is cut out as you might have guessed.

Road Warriors/Paul Ellering vs. Ole Anderson/Tommy Rich/Stan Hansen

Well that’s a good guy team. Hansen takes over on Animal to start and Rich comes in with a knee, meaning it’s quickly off to Hawk. The good guys start working on Hawk’s arm, with Anderson coming in for a wristlock. Animal comes back in and gets dropped with a double elbow, followed by Anderson dropping the elbow for two. Hawk is quickly cut off as well but manages to take over on Anderson, with Animal grinding away on a headlock.

Rich gets headlocked as well, followed by the general assortment of forearming. That’s eventually escaped so Anderson can come back in, only to get beaten down in the corner as well. Unfortunately that means another chinlock, as Animal keeps him in trouble for a good while. Anderson finally slips away and brings in Hansen as everything breaks down. Hawk throws Rich over the top and that’s enough for the referee to call the DQ at 15:30.

Rating: C. This got some time and that’s nice to see, as the Warriors could use some experience at this point. If nothing else, it might let them figure out how to do something other than chinlocks. That being said, they’re certainly going out of their way with some less than satisfactory finishes this week. You would think that one of them could take a quick rollup, but then again it was a very different style and time here so it’s hardly out of the ordinary.

Post match the brawl is on with someone (perhaps Man Mountain Darsow) running in to help the good guys clear the ring.

Scott Casey vs. Buzz Sawyer

Casey armdrags him down to start and they circle for a bit, with Sawyer taking it into the corner. That’s broken up and Sawyer takes a heck of a bump off a backdrop, followed by a nice dropkick to give Casey two. Back up and they trade leapfrogs until Casey hits a heck of a forearm to put him on the floor (with another good bump from Sawyer). Back in and Casey grabs a headlock takeover and grinds away before grabbing a keylock.

Sawyer slips out of that and hammers away, setting up a front facelock to slow Casey down. A suplex drops Casey again but Sawyer misses his really good looking top rope splash. Casey tries an O’Connor roll but Sawyer grabs the rope and the trunks for the pin at 9:28. Hang on though as Tommy Rich and referee Scrappy McGowan come in to say what happened and that’s a reversed decision.

Rating: C+. The more I see from Sawyer, the more impressed I am with him. The guy was just weird and out there but a crazy good athlete and bumper. It’s a shame that he was such a nutjob/bully behind the scenes because otherwise he could have been a bigger deal. Casey was a fine good guy, but it was hard to take your eyes off of Sawyer here.

Post match Sawyer jumps Rich and they brawl into the crowd, with Rich (shockingly) being busted open. They get back in the ring with Rich getting the better of things but they go back into the crowd, with Rich’s big running ax handle looking like he’s in a movie fight scene. The cops finally break them apart.

National Title: Mr. Wrestling II vs. Larry Zbyszko

Zbyszko is defending and Mr. Wrestling I and Killer Tim Brooks are the guest referees. The guest referees both get in their arguing before the match, with I rubbing the top of II’s mask for a weapons check. Or luck maybe? The bell rings and Zbyszko says he wants to keep this scientific, which is of course fine with a man named MR. WRESTLING. The bell rings a second time as Zbyszko’s stalling has managed to shift the space time continuum.

II backs him into the corner to start and seems to dance a bit as Zbyszko is already getting frustrated. An armdrag makes it even worse for Zbyszko and they keep things slow with a test of strength. II grabs a headlock takeover and it’s so strange to see both referees checking on it. Well Brooks is doing it more from a distance but it still counts. Zbyszko fights up but gets taken right back down as II keeps grinding away.

This time Zbyszko makes the rope and takes him down by the arm, which is broken up by a headscissors. That has Zbyszko bailing to the apron and even Brooks counts him for a bit. Back in and Zbyszko’s headlock doesn’t get him very far as II knocks him out to the apron again. This time Zbyszko comes back in to work on the leg and of course we spend some time laying on the mat. II kicks him in the head to break it up and chases Zbyszko out to the floor again without much trouble. A rather fast eight count brings Zbyszko back inside and we go into the test of strength.

That’s broken up and Zbyszko backs off again, with II grabbing the mic and telling him to wrestle. A slap to the mask seems to make II angry so he takes Zbyszko down by the leg and cranks away. Zbyszko ties up II’s arm while II works on his leg, as they’re certainly not just laying there. They roll over to the ropes and it’s broken up, with the fans applauding as they have to get up again.

Zbyszko backs him up against the ropes for a forearm and both referees seem displeased. II easily takes him down and hits a knee lift out to the floor and yes, yes we are stalling some more. Back in and Zbyszko gets two off a sunset flip but has to bail outside at the threat of another running knee. Zbyszko actually takes him into the corner this time and gets one off of a slam.

II slams him right back and they go into the corner, with Brooks ordering a break (the referees haven’t been anything close to a major factor yet). That earns II a snapmare into a chinlock as we somehow slow down again. That’s broken up so Zbyszko changes the pace with a full nelson. II powers out with a backbreaker and grabs a front facelock. Zbyszko knocks him outside though and Brooks gives him a much more regular count than I gave earlier.

Back in and Zbyszko grabs another headlock and snaps down on it, which has II rather shaken up. Some big right hands have II staggered even worse and he gets snapmared into a chinlock. That works so well that they do it again, with II getting up one more time. II starts dodging some right hands, almost dancing in the process. II’s snapmare gets two and we’re clipped to Zbyszko getting punched out of the air.

A belly to back suplex drops Zbyszko again and the knee gets two, with Zbyszko in the ropes. The referees get into it over the rope, with Brooks throwing I over the top. Cue Rick Rood to chase Brooks off as II hits another running knee, with I counting a kind of slow two. Back up and Zbyszko misses a kick to the face but manages a suplex to leave them both down again.

II gets two more off a piledriver and the running knee sends Zbyszko right back into the ropes. We’re clipped again to both of them down until II gets two off a double leg. II grabs a sleeper and Zbyszko is in trouble as time expires at 45:18 shown. The official time is sixty minutes, making me wonder if A, I missed more cuts, B, how much was cut and C, how much they faked the time because that’s a heck of a lot to miss.

Rating: B-. This is a weird one as the match is very long, but it didn’t really feel like it was stretching. It felt like a contest between two men fighting for a championship until one of them couldn’t get up any longer. You could see the two of them getting worn down and they kept me interested, but dang that clipping was rough as I wonder just how much I missed. Good match though, even if it never got to some all time level.

Post match I officially names II as the winner, but that doesn’t mean a title change. The referees were barely a factor for the most part and I kept forgetting that was a thing until the brawl at the end, which wasn’t even that much.

Overall Rating: C+. The action was kind of a mess here with some rather awful finishes, but you could feel the energy throughout the show. What matters the most here is that the fans were into everything and you could see how easy it was to get into the whole thing. It was interesting to see the build to these shows as you can see how the fans would be brought along for the card. I’d absolutely go for more of this, as it’s an easy watch with some good stuff going on up and down the show. Not a great event, but rather fun.

Results
Wild Bill Irwin b. Brett Wayne via countout
Killer Tim Brooks vs. Bob Sweetan went to a time limit draw
Pez Whatley b. Tully Blanchard via DQ when Blanchard attacked in the ropes
Ronnie Garvin b. Iron Sheik via DQ when Paul Ellering interfered
Stan Hansen/Tommy Rich/Ole Anderson b. Road Warriors/Paul Ellering via DQ when Hawk threw Rich over the top rope
Scott Casey b. Buzz Sawyer via reversed decision
Larry Zbyszko vs. Mr. Wrestling II went to a time limit draw

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

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

Ola de Calor
Date: August 30, 2026
Location: Bert Ogden Arena, Edinburg, Texas
Commentators: Rey Mysterio, John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves

This is a rare special event for AAA as we have a much bigger than usual card. It seems to be a way to mess with AEW’s All In event taking place at the same time but that’s hardly a new idea. The big draw here will be the crowning of a new Latin American Champion in a four way so let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at how things are heating up around here and that means AAA is changing. There are all kinds of things going on and now it is time to shake things up around.

Various wrestlers arrive including Dominik Mysterio, who gets on the phone and says “let’s go with Plan B.”.

LWO/Lince Dorado/Mini Abismo Negro vs. Mr. Iguana/Axiom/Noisy Boy/Mascarita Sagrada

Axiom and Wilde start things off with Wilde getting two off a rollup but walking into a dropkick. Back up and Wilde kicks him inside out, only for Boy to come in with a slingshot crucifix. A superkick and anklescissors let Boy flip into a pose, only to get caught with a dropkick from behind.

Del Toro takes over in the corner and it’s Dorado coming back in but a roll across the ring allows the tag to Sagrada. That means del Toro is taken down and Iguana comes in to take over as everything breaks down. Dorada busts out an awesome corkscrew moonsault to the floor and Iguana gets caught in the wrong corner. Abismo’s tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Iguana down but Dorado misses a shooting star press.

That and an enziguri allow Iguana to bring in Sagrada to clean house. A rather spinning crucifix gets…nothing on Abismo as he isn’t legal. Everything breaks down and Boy busts out a top rope springboard corkscrew dive. That leaves Sagrada to get in quite the spinning headscissors to Abismo and Iguana throws Yesica at Wilde. That sets up an electric chair spun into a DDT to give Iguana the pin at 9:47.

Rating: B-. This was all it needed to be with a bunch of people getting a chance to do a bunch of dives. Boy continues to look good in spots like this and it was nice to see him doing something like this. Iguana continues to be someone who can get over with the sheer oddness that he presents and it was on full display here. In other words, putting him out there was a layup and they got it right.

Gauntlet Match

We have an unknown number of unknown entrants for a Reina de Reinas Title shot against Flammer at TripleMania. Adelicious is in at #1 d Lady Shani is in at #2 with Shani taking her down a few times to start fast. Adelicious is back with a Matrix into a headscissors and they trade some rollups. Back up and Adelicious’s rather flipping shoulder to the ribs sets up a missed 450. Instead Shani grabs a Texas Tumbleweed for the pin at 2:57.

Thea Hail is in at #3 and goes after Shani’s arm for an early near fall. Shani knocks her right back down and starts on the leg, followed by a quick cross armbreaker. That’s broken up so it’s another Texas Tumbleweed, which is countered into a rollup to give Hail the pin at 7:11 total. La Catalina is in at #4 and starts fast with a suplex. The running hip attack in the ropes misses though and Hail is on the arm. Hail sends said arm into the corner but gets crossbodied for her efforts.

Catalina gets in a running knee in the corner and lifts her into an electric chair, with the arm going on. Hail grabs the Kimura, with Catalina flipping over for the pin at 11:40. La Hiedra (Flammer’s stablemate) is in at #5 and Flammer is NOT happy as Hiedra starts in on Catalina’s arm as well.

Hiedra wraps the arm around the rope but gets her neck snapped across the top. Catalina goes up and gets Iconoclasmed back but is still able to grab a rollup for two. Flammer gets sick of the near falls and grabs her belt, only to hit Hiedra by mistake. With Flammer sent to the floor, Catalina hits a pump knee for the win at 17:35.

Rating: B-. Catalina felt like the strong favorite even though she wasn’t actually announced for the match in advance. The women’s division continues to feel like something of a mess and it’s nice to have one definitive woman seem ready to challenge for the title. Flammer and Hiedra not getting along could be interesting too but we can get there when it’s t he right time.

Tag Team Titles: Los Americanos vs. War Raiders

The Raiders are defending. Erik shoulders Rayo to start but gets sent into the corner. A double elbow gives Bravo two but he’s powered into the corner so the champions can start the beating. Bravo manages to send Erik into the corner but he shrugs that off just as fast. Bravo comes in and gets dropped by Ivar’s clothesline. A flipping escape into the diving tag brings Bravo back in for a rather impressive spinning slam.

The super hurricanrana hits Ivar and Rayo’s Swanton gets two on Ivar. That earns Bravo a heck of a spinning kick to the face but he slips out of a double spinebuster. A snap of the finger slows Erik down and a springboard headbutt connects, with Erik having to make a save. Ivar’s Bronco Buster misses in the corner so Bravo gives him the rather impressive airplane spin. Bravo goes up for the Swan Dive but Erik throws in a belt, with Bravo crashing onto it to give Erik the pin at 10:20.

Rating: B. This was a basic power vs. speed match and the speed team had them in trouble until the cheating came into play. That’s a classic, simple story and these teams made it work perfectly well. The Raiders are a good choice for the titles right now and they very well may hold onto them for quite a while, which isn’t a bad idea as it’s working.

El Carnicero vs. Chris Carter

We get a vignette showing Carnicero being let out of a truck and walking to the arena, looking like something out of a horror movie. The beating is on quickly, with Carter clearly being in trouble. A gorilla press sends Carter crashing out to the floor and Carnicero chokes him down back inside. The beating continues until the referee calls for the bell at 2:24, giving Carnicero the win.

Post match Dave and Murder Clown run in for the save but get beaten down as well. Psycho Clown comes in with a kendo stick to clear the ring. Psycho wants a street fight at TripleMania. This went fine, as Carnicero felt like a monster and gets his big match set up.

Jack Cartwheel vs. Mini Vikingo vs. Nathan Frazer

For a Cruiserweight Title shot and we get a three way handshake to start. Vikingo avoids an armdrag so Cartwheel rolls both of them up for a double near fall. Frazer is sent outside, leaving the other two to trade flips and misses. Back in and Frazer dropkick both of them down before running Vikingo over. Cartwheel and Frazer fight over a suplex until Cartwheel settles for a headscissors.

Cartwheel knocks both of them down for two but Vikingo is back up to send Cartwheel outside. Vikingo hits a big corkscrew dive to knock Frazer again but he gets up to Spanish Fly Cartwheel off the steps. Back in and Frazer wins a kickoff to Vikingo, setting up a reverse springboard Spanish Fly for two more. Cartwheel cuts Frazer off and gives him a crucifix bomb for two before dropkicking Vikingo in the corner.

Frazer cuts Cartwheel off though and Vikingo’s top rope crucifix bomb gets a rather near fall. With the other two knocked outside, Cartwheel moonsaults onto Vikingo but gets dropkicked hard into the steps. Frazer’s big running flip dive hits both of them and he frog splashes Cartwheel for two. Cartwheel muscles Frazer up for a German suplex and a near fall and grabs a fireman’s carry, with Vikingo coming in with a top rope double stomp into the Death Valley Driver.

Everyone needs a breather until it’s time for the circle of forearms. Cartwheel is back up with a space flying tiger drop onto the other two but Frazer superplexes him into a swinging suplex for a rather near fall. Vikingo catches Frazer with a super Spanish Fly but doesn’t cover, allowing Cartwheel to catch him on top. Cartwheel splashes Vikingo for two, with Frazer making the save. Frazer misses the Phoenix splash and gets caught with Vikingo’s Phoenix 630. Cartwheel dives onto the cover for the save and time expires at 20:20 (eh close enough). JBL: “NO! NO!”

Rating: A-. Yes it was a bunch of flips and dives, but it was 20 minutes of flips and dives. It’s an incredibly athletic spectacle and they didn’t stop for almost the entire thing. This was a good example of knowing what you’re getting into with the match and it’s really a lot of junk food, but DANG this was fun to watch.

Post match Rey Fenix comes out to praise all three of them and announce a four way for the title at TripleMania.

Latin American Title: El Fiscal vs. La Parka vs. Damian Priest vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

For the vacant title. Priest and Fiscal go straight to the floor, leaving Parka to backbreaker Wagner for two. Priest is back in to wreck everyone, with Wagner being kicked outside. The Broken Arrow gets two on Parka and a lifting Downward Spiral plants him for the same. Wagner is back up to superkick Priest into a brainbuster but Fiscal is back in with a moonsault.

Parka is up with a moonsault of his own and then runs Wagner over for two more. Fiscal kicks Priest in the head, which just makes Priest mad. Wagner superkicks Fiscal and a Spanish Fly takes Parka down. Priest punches Fiscal out of the air and gives Fiscal and Wagner a Razor’s Edge each. South Of Heaven hits Fiscal but Parka makes the save and gives Fiscal a Bone Breaker for the pin and the title at 9:23.

Rating: B. Well, the fans love Parka so there are worse ideas. I wasn’t expecting this one but Fiscal can move on to a big blowoff with Abismo Negro Jr., Wagner can do whatever and Priest can head back to the main roster. This was another action packed match and the ending was quite the surprise so we’ll call it another success.

Here is General Manager Rey Mysterio for a contract signing. It’s his job to put together the biggest TripleMania card possible and that includes the Mega Title being defended. It’s time to make the match official but here is Dominik Mysterio, with Dorian Roldan, to interrupt. Roldan gets to a different point, as he wants Omos’ suspension lifted. Omos wants to apologize but Rey doesn’t seem sure.

Dominik says Roldan is wasting his time here but Rey brings out El Grande Americano to sign the contract. Americano brings up Dominik calling himself the King Of The Luchadors but Americano doesn’t buy it. At TripleMania, Americano will prove him wrong and signs the contract. Dominik says that he’s not signing until Omos’ suspension is lifted. Rey threatens to strip the title and give it to Americano but that’s not how Americano wants to win.

Cue Omos through the crowd and of course he has a ticket. Omos pats the top of Rey’s mask and Rey goes after him, with Americano breaking it up. Dominik jumps Americano and sends him into the steps, followed by the beating with a chair. Rey saves Americano and says if Omos wants to come back to AAA, he has to beat Rey at TripleMania. If Rey wins though, Omos is gone forever. Now Dominik signs. There was a lot here but having Rey on the card is a good idea.

Los Perros del Mal vs. Penta/Dragon Lee/Rey Fenix

Fenix and Berto start things off with Fenix missing some running flips and grabbing a sunset flip for two. Fenix gets sent into the wrong corner though and it’s Garza coming in for a suplex and a six count (three near falls). A running boot in the ropes gets two and it’s back to Berto for some choking in the ropes. We pause for Berto to mock the Penta strut but Fenix gets in a pop up hurricanrana. That’s enough for the tag off to Penta to clean house and it’s off to Lee, who gets sent into the wrong corner.

That doesn’t last long either as Lee flips out and brings in Penta to chop it out with Daga. They kick each other down for a double tag off to Berto vs. Fenix, with Berto getting two off a kick to the head. A rolling cutter drops Berto so it’s back to Garza to take over on Lee. Everything breaks down and Berto powerbombs Fenix for two. Penta and Lee hit stereo running flip dives and Berto’s moonsault is kicked out of the air. The Mexican MuscleBuster gives Fenix the pin on Berto at 11:55.

Rating: B. I get that you can’t have the good guys lose with the tournament final coming up on Monday, but Los Perros feel more and more like the Nexus every single week. They don’t really win anything and while they might be intimidating, it stops mattering as much when they just lost in the main event. It was another fast paced match, but Los Perros don’t feel like they matter whatsoever.

Post match Los Perros run back in for the beatdown to end the show. You really couldn’t have had them do that after pinning Lee?

Overall Rating: B+. The last three matches more than carried the show, with only the women’s match feeling a bit less than important (which isn’t due to the action we saw here). Overall, this felt like an extended version of the weekly TV show and that’s a good situation to have, as it’s regularly one of the most entertaining things throughout the week. I wouldn’t want this to be something that is regularly done, but I’ll absolutely take it for a special like this.

Results
Mr. Iguana/Mr. Iguana/Noisy Boy/Mascarita Sagrada b. LWO/Lince Dorado/Mini Abismo Negro – Spinning electric chair DDT to Wilde
La Catalina won a gauntlet match last eliminating La Hiedra
War Raiders b. Los Americanos – Swan Dive onto a belt to Bravo
Mini Vikingo vs. Nathan Frazer vs. Jack Cartwheel went to a time limit draw
La Parka b. El Fiscal, Damian Priest and El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. – Bone Breaker to Fiscal
Penta/Rey Fenix/Dragon Lee b. Los Perros del Mal – Mexican MuscleBuster to Berto

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