IMG Credit: AEW

Fyter Fest
Date: June 29, 2019
Location: Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Alex Marvez

We’re back for round two and things are already being shaken up a bit. This isn’t going to be anything like Double Or Nothing as this is taking place at a gaming festival. That’s going to mean a change in the way the audience reacts but at the moment, getting AEW wrestlers in the ring and in front of people is what matters most. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Best Friends vs. So Cal Uncensored vs. Private Party

The winners get into a match for a bye in the Tag Team Title tournament and it’s Kazarian/Sky for SCU. Trent shoulders Isaiah down to start and Chuck does the same. It’s off to Sky vs. Quen with the former hitting a rather spinning backbreaker. Trent comes in again and gets double teamed by SCU but Quen springboards in with a crossbody to Trent and Sky. That means some house cleaning and dancing, followed by a heck of a tornado DDT onto Chuck.

A big flip dive has the ring cleared as Private Party gets quite the showcase moment. SCU pulls Isaiah to the floor to take over and it’s the Best Friends taking over, including the hug (with the fans going nuts again). Trent’s northern lights suplex gets two on Cassidy and Chuck adds Soul Food. A spinning kick to the face drops Trent but since Quen is down, Cassidy has to dive over and bring in Kazarian instead.

Everything breaks down and Trent gets run over, setting up a gorgeous shooting star press to give Quen two. Chuck is back up with the short piledriver to Quen, setting up Trent’s sliding knee for two more. Quen gets put on top for a belly to back superplex but manages to land on his feet, setting up a super hurricanrana to send Trent into a cutter from Cassidy. Quen hits a big dive over the top onto Sky, leaving Trent to hit a knee to Cassidy’s face. Strong Zero gives the Friends the pin at 15:57.

Rating: B-. The sloppiness was high with this one but that has to be expected in a match built around spot after spot. They needed to trim things down a little bit here and the winners get a chance to get a bye in a tournament? Isn’t that overthinking things a bit? Finally, still no explanation on who these people are, who I’m supposed to cheer for or anything about them really. I know who they are, but what about the people trying this out for the first time? This shouldn’t be this hard. The action was very entertaining, but slow down and get some of the details right first.

Post match the Dark Order (the former Super Smash Bros) appear on screen to say the Best Friends will be their first. A snap of their fingers makes the lights go out. Back up and the minions are around three sides of the ring. Excalibur: “They are completely surrounded!” After establishing that we are apparently in a sitcom, the lights go out again and the minions disappear.

Leva Bates vs. Allie

Bates (formerly known as Blue Pants) is one of the Librarians and gets into a long shush-off with Peter Avalon (the other Librarian). She also rips on the fans for not reading enough but the fans shout that they can’t read. Is there some joke here from the webseries that is sailing over my head here?

Allie takes over to start and knocks Leva outside but Avalon trips Allie up. Back in and a fisherman’s buster gives Bates two, followed by a northern lights one for the same. The fans actually start a HOOKED ON PHONICS chant as Bates grabs the Rings of Saturn, complete with a shush as Allie is in trouble. That’s broken up but Allie gets dropkicked into the corner, setting up some slingshot knees to the chest.

Now it’s a READING RAINBOW chant as Allie makes her comeback with a neckbreaker and a sliding forearm in the corner. Bates gets in a Backstabber out of the corner and a Pedigree (with the camera missing the impact) gets two. Avalon tries to throw Bates a book but Allie intercepts it and hits the BSE for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: D+. This was every indy match you could imagine and the librarian deal got annoying in a hurry. Maybe I just don’t get the joke but it isn’t funny and I need a little better reason to boo someone because they don’t read. It was just a match and not exactly a great way to showcase the women’s division.

Alex Jebailey vs. Michael Nakazawa

Jebailey is the CEO of the gaming convention and not a wrestler. Therefore, this is a hardcore match. Before we get going, Nakazawa talks about an unspecified issue the two of them had last year and tricks Jebailey into telling him about a previous leg injury. Jebailey manages a hiptoss and grabs a waistlock so Nakazawa busts out the baby oil to escape. That makes Jebailey and the referee slip before they head outside, with Jebailey whipping Nakazawa into the barricade.

Back in and a gaming console to the back gives Jebailey two and it’s time to go up to the set. Nakazawa gets choked in a kiddie pool (part of the jokes about Fyre Fest and the “luxurious” accommodations being bad) but comes back with a pool float to the head. They go back to ringside where Nakazawa chokes with a GameCube controller and spears him off the apron through a table. Nakazawa lets him up at two and pulls out a thong, but Jebailey ties his arm into it.

Jebailey comes back with a SCARY German suplex that drops Nakazawa on top of his head. And now, a bag of…..some kind of button toys that I’m not familiar with is poured out on the mat. Nakazawa’s powerbomb is countered into a backdrop onto them but Nakazawa shoves the thong into the referee’s face. There’s no count for Jebailey’s Majistral cradle so it’s another thong shot to the face to give Nakazawa the rollup pin at 8:50.

Rating: F. Look back at what happened here, pick two things, and count those as the reasons for the rating.

Jon Moxley tells us to stay tuned because he’s going to show us who he is.

The opening video looks at how Double or Nothing started an empire and tonight it’s time to raise the game. Tonight it’s time to show us why AEW is here to stay.

The announcers run down part of the card.

Christopher Daniels vs. Cima

The announcers give us a bio on Daniels, because of all the people on this show, they think Daniels needs an explanation. Feeling out process to start until Daniels is sent outside for a baseball slide. Back in and a reverse Rings of Saturn has Daniels in trouble until a foot reaches the rope (with JR explaining why that is a break). A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker is broken up and Cima is sent outside with his back going into the barricade.

Back in and a running STO gets two and the Arabian moonsault sets up a Crossface. Daniels gets driven into the corner though and Cima hits a rolling palm strike. The Iconoclasm gets two but Daniels is right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Angel’s Wings gets two but Cima kicks him in the head. A Liger Bomb sets up something like a fisherman’s driver for two more and Cima can’t believe the kickout. White Noise sets up a top rope Meteora to finish Daniels at 9:43.

Rating: C+. This was the highest quality match on the show so far and that isn’t surprising whatsoever. You had two veterans who know what they’re doing and were able to have a solid match with a story included. Cima winning makes sense as we heard about his upcoming match against Kenny Omega, making this a perfectly fine opener.

Yuka Sakazaki vs. Riho vs. Nyla Rose

Rose offers to shake hands to start but then jumps both of them, turning it into a handicap match early on. A double cover is escaped by a double bridge but Rose slams them both to set up a double camel clutch. That’s broken up and Sakazaki knocks them to the floor for a big dive (nearly losing her balance on the way up).

Back in and Sakazaki and Riho strike it out with Riho getting the better of things. Rose is back up so Riho knocks her into the ropes for a 619. Riho’s top rope double stomp keeps Rose down and a jumping version has Sakazaki down. Rose breaks up the cover and chokeslams Sakazaki for two. A suplex sends Sakazaki to the floor and Riho gets draped over the top.

Rose jumps to the top for a jumping knee to the head but misses a Swanton. Back up and Rose catches Riho’s high crossbody….and then catches Sakazaki at the same time for a VERY cool visual. Riho tries a top rope splash but hits knees, allowing Rose to fold her up with a German suplex. With Sakazaki down, Rose hits a Death Valley Driver for a delayed two on Riho. Rose loads up a powerbomb but gets rolled up to give Riho the surprise pin at 13:05.

Rating: B. They do realize that they have a pretty unique monster in Rose right? The match was a good bit better than I was expecting and once they got into their rhythm, it was a good showcase for all three. That’s a good thing too because they still did very little to tell us about the women or who they were. I get that they’re talented, but a few details wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Jungle Boy vs. Adam Page vs. Jimmy Havoc

Kip Sabian is on commentary and gets the winner of this, presumably at Fight For The Fallen. Before the match, Friedman grabs the mic to make fun of the crowd for being nerds who got shoved into lockers a lot. Friedman: “That mother of yours, whose basement you live in? She swallows.” Friedman used to love video games….and then he lost his virginity. Jungle Boy is carried to the ring on Luchasaurus’ shoulders, with the announcers dubbing them A Boy and His Dinosaur and the Jurassic Friends. Friedman and Page feel like they’re on a different planet here and that’s both a good and bad sign.

Havoc and Friedman head outside, leaving Page to kick Jungle Boy in the face. Jungle Boy snaps off a running hurricanrana but gets caught in Havoc’s Michinoku Driver. Friedman comes in to steal a rollup two but bails when Page is back up. A slingshot dive takes Friedman down, followed by Havoc’s running flip dive from the apron. Friedman teases a dive of his own but stops to make a rather rude gesture to the fans.

With everyone on the floor, Jungle Boy hits a very quick moonsault to take all three out. Back in and Jungle Boy powerbombs Friedman for two as everyone gets in again. The Tower of Doom sends Jungle Boy flying into Friedman Havoc’s Acid Rainmaker is broken up so Page hits a pop up powerbomb on Jungle Boy. Friedman and Page slug it out with Friedman taking out Page’s bad knee. A Sharpshooter (with a Bret Hart pose) is broken up and Page puts on his own version.

That’s broken up as well and Friedman hits a hanging piledriver for two. Jungle Boy makes the save but Havoc throws him onto Luchasaurus. Another hanging piledriver is broken up and Havoc gets two off a double stomp. The Acid Rainmaker is blocked with a poke to the eye and Page adds the Buckshot lariat to drop Havoc. Deadeye finishes Havoc at 9:52.

Rating: C. Page feels like the chosen one and while I’d bet on Jericho winning the title at All Out, they have something special with him going forward. Friedman’s promo before the match made him feel like the guy you want to see get destroyed and that’s a very valuable name to have. Jungle Boy and Havoc feel like pure gimmicks and while that’s not terrible, they don’t feel anywhere near as important.

We look at Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes from Double Or Nothing and the great post match promo that set up their tag match against the Young Bucks. Darby Allin respects Cody but promises to give him his first loss.

Cody vs. Darby Allin

Allin is a tortured soul who lost faith in humanity after his uncle was killed in a car wreck when he was five with Allin in the car. He even brings in a body bag with Cody 1-1 painted on it. Allin works on a hammerlock to start and backflips up off the escape. Cody grabs a headlock so Allin walks the ropes for a high angle armdrag to send Cody outside. Back in and Cody sends Allin hard into the corner for a nasty crash to the floor, leaving Cody to do the slow motion pushups.

Back in and Cody starts stomping away before sending Allin outside again. Allin grabs the arm to send it into the post but Cody is right back in control as Allin comes in again. Cody goes with a double underhook to keep Allin down before a release suplex drops Allin again. Another suplex is loaded up but Allin grabs the bad arm as he’s upside down for the escape.

A Fujiwara armbar stays on Cody’s arm so Cody gets outside, meaning it’s a fast suicide dive from Allin. Cody slams him onto the steps and adds his own suicide dive for good measure. Back in and Allin gets two off a Code Red before heading up, only to get pulled down with a reverse superplex. They head to the apron with Allin biting the hand to take Cody down.

Allin heads up top and tries the Coffin Drop (jumping straight backwards), landing square on the apron as Cody moves away. Back in and Cody puts him in the body bag and hits the Disaster Kick for two. The bag comes off and we have a minute left. Cody whips him with the weightlifting belt but Cross Rhodes is broken up. The second attempt connects for two but time runs out at 20:00.

Rating: B. I’m not sure on having Allin survive that long as taking a close loss here wouldn’t have hurt him, but this was the breakout performance that they were shooting for. Allin looked smart and completely capable of holding his own against a top name like Cody. Cut out the body bag part and this is even better. Well done match with the arm playing a major role for a good story. I’m impressed.

Post match Cody and Brandi want five more minutes but here’s Shawn Spears with a gruesome, no hands chair shot to Cody, who is busted open badly. Wrestlers, including Friedman, come out to chase Spears off. Cody very slowly walks to the back with some help. It’s a good moment, but I do not want to ever see a chair shot like that again. Period.

Lucha Bros/Laredo Kid vs. Young Bucks/Kenny Omega

The Bucks are in Street Fighter (I think?) gear and Omega lays out a man who runs up onto the stage for their entrance. I’m not a fighting game guy so I’m missing this one. Ring announcer Justin Roberts gets in a ROUND ONE FIGHT and it’s Nick working on a wristlock to Kid to start. The flips begin and both miss dropkicks to give us a standoff. Kid hits a springboard high crossbody for no cover as Nick gets up and spits in his face.

All six get in for a big standoff and it’s a trio of superkicks to send Kenny and the Bucks to the floor. An Asai moonsault and stereo running flip dives take them out again and the non-luchadors are in trouble. Back in and stereo superkicks to Nick set up a reverse hurricanrana from Kid. We settle down to Matt rolling northern lights suplexes on all three of them, including both Pentagon and Fenix at the same time.

Omega comes in to a big reaction and hits a backbreaker on Kid. The Terminator dive is loaded up but Pentagon cuts it off with CERO MIEDO. They slug it out with Omega hitting (or coming close to it) a sliding dropkick into the leg, followed by the running Fameasser. Matt comes back in for a German suplex on Kid and the series of top rope dives crush him for two. A spear accidentally hits Nick though and it’s off to Pentagon to pick up the pace.

That means a Backstabber to Omega to send him outside, followed by a running hurricanrana. Another spear allows the tag to Omega and it’s the snapdragon on Pentagon. Matt gets sent outside so Pentagon backdrops Fenix over the top and onto him for a huge crash. A super Spanish Fly plants Omega but Nick makes the save, only to take a running Canadian Destroyer from Pentagon. The Superkick Party is on but the luchadors hit superkicks of their own.

Not to be outdone, Omega and the Bucks hit Hadoukens, followed by a triple Liger Bomb for two each. The Bucks start their usual series but Pentagon hits a Sling Blade to take Nick down on the floor. Omega nails Kid with the V Trigger but Fenix cuts him off with a cutter. Matt gives Fenix a cutter of his own and that means a Meltzer Driver on the floor. Since that would kill him though, Fenix dives in to make a save, leaving Omega to hit the Tiger Driver 98 for two on Kid. Another running knee sets up the One Winged Angel to finish Kid at 20:30.

Rating: B. Yeah it was good and athletic, albeit with most of the usual issues from the Bucks and Omega (though only two V Triggers, which is acceptable for once). You knew the Bucks weren’t going to lose because they almost never do, though at least the match was rather entertaining.

Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela

Anything goes and unsanctioned. They’re on the floor in a hurry and brawl into the crowd for a bit. Back to ringside and Janela posts him before going for the first table. Moxley comes back and grabs a chair, with Janela being slammed onto it. Since long term selling isn’t going to be a thing in this match, Janela is right back up and puts Moxley (with a bloody eyebrow) in the chair for a high crossbody. Moxley gets sent outside and finds a chair wrapped in barbed wire.

The chair is driven into Janela’s chest so the fans dub Moxley “YOU SICK F***!” Moxley takes a bow, which takes a little too long as Janela hurricanranas him onto the barbed wire. A chair shot to the back gets two on Moxley and another table is brought in. Janela doesn’t like that one though so it’s a Russian legsweep off the apron through the table at ringside. Back in and Moxley drives him through a table in the corner for no cover. Instead he loads up two more tables on the floor but Janela flips him off.

Moxley beats him up some more and it’s time for a barbed wire board. Janela is back with a running AA through the barbed wire though the table and let’s get a ladder. With Moxley on the table on the floor, Janela climbs the ladder in the ring and drops the big elbow. And now, it’s another barbed wire board (Goldenboy: “He’s got one too?”), with this one being bridged between the ring and the barricade.

That takes too long though and Moxley grabs a DDT, followed by an AA through the barbed wire board. It’s time for the thumbtacks but Moxley takes off Janela’s boots and socks. Janela saves himself so Moxley hits a release suplex onto the tacks instead. That’s not enough though and Moxley sends him feet first into the tacks to draw some screaming. Janela flips him off again so Moxley pulls out more tacks for the Paradigm Shift (Dirty Deeds) onto said tacks for the pin at 20:00.

Rating: D. Your individual tastes may vary but I’ve never been a fan of this kind of match. It’s violence for the sake of violence and that isn’t the most entertaining thing in the world. Moxley is capable of having a good match without this stuff but I guess he needed to prove something or other. It’s nowhere near as bad as some of the nonsense death match garbage, but it’s still nothing I needed to see.

Post match Omega runs out with a V Trigger to Moxley, who is laid on the pieces of table. A springboard double stomp crushes Moxley and Omega takes him up to the set. Omega uses some of the equipment for the band that never showed up, including a guitar shot to the back. Moxley isn’t going to be helped out so Omega runs back out with a trashcan to take Moxley out again. A Paradigm Shift to the trashcan leaves Moxley laying, but he smiles at Omega to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. There are a few factors here (the kind of show and the price among others) but this was another heck of a show. The action was good up and down the card and they were in and out in less than three hours. I could have gone without the chair shot to Cody (which is just dumb, dangerous and unnecessary) and some more character stuff early on, but I had a good time with this and never got bored. It’s a smart move to not have every event be the big time show as this won’t have near the expectations, making it feel that much better. Very good followup, if you ignore the awful preshow.

Results

Cima b. Christopher Daniels – Top rope Meteora

Riho b. Yuka Sakazaki and Nyla Rose – Rollup to Rose

Adam Page b. Jungle Boy, Jimmy Havoc and Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Deadeye to Havoc

Cody vs. Darby Allin went to a time limit draw

Kenny Omega/Young Bucks b. Laredo Kid/Lucha Bros – One Winged Angel to Laredo Kid

Jon Moxley b. Joey Janela – Paradigm Shift

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: United Wrestling Network

Championship Wrestling From Arizona TV
Date: March 20, 2018
Location: Nile Theater, Mesa, Arizona
Commentator: Joe Galli

I saw this promotion on Fite TV over Wrestlemania weekend and since I don’t do enough smaller shows like this, we’ll take a shot at it here. This sounds like the most regional show I can remember in a long time but that could make it rather fun. As you might have guessed, I have no idea what to expect here and this is the first episode that came up when I searched for the show. Let’s get to it.

The opening video (for the United Wrestling Network, the governing body) looks like it’s from a 1993 episode of American Gladiators. Well I’m sold.

Alex Salyers and Miracle Mike James are in the back (in front of a brick wall) and don’t like being called a team. Salyers has beaten the Agents of Chaos on his own twice in a row now but James didn’t like the cheating. Alex doesn’t want to hear it because he’s here to fight and get paid, either with or without Jones.

Regular opening sequence, featuring various shots of….wrestling and Arizona. You can’t say they’re misleading.

The logo looks almost identical to that of Championship Wrestling From Hollywood so I’m assuming there’s a connection of some sort.

Miracle Mike James vs. R-Three

R-Three is a big man and part of the Agents of Chaos. Salyers and Evan Daniels are the respective seconds here and it’s a four way staredown before the bell. We get going with James charging straight at Three and drives a shoulder in the corner. Three shoves him out of the air though and a hard slam sets up a splash. James gets tossed across the ring but a middle rope stomp misses.

Two flying shoulders stagger Three but a third is countered into a backbreaker. James’ springboard Downward Spiral is blocked as well and we take a break. Back with Three walking over James’ chest, followed by an Irish Curse for two. Something called the Fatality is broken up and James dropkicks him to the floor. That’s fine with Three, who knocks Salyers down with a single shot.

Back in and Three runs into a superkick for two as Salyers hits Daniels in the face. Three knocks Salyers off the apron but James starts in with the kicks. A big spinebuster drops James but Three can’t follow up. They take their time getting up so Salyers brings in a chair, which James takes away. The two of them fight over the chair so Three crushes them together with a running splash. Fatality (a running Death Valley Driver) finishes James at 13:19.

Rating: C+. I’m actually pretty impressed to start off here as they told a fine story and wove in the bigger story at the same time. That’s a lot more than you get in some mainstream wrestling and it worked well here. It’s nothing great but I got what they were going for and the match was completely watchable. Well done.

Post match Salyers walks out, leaving James to get beaten down again.

Galli tries to tell us about a match from Championship Wrestling From Hollywood (I knew it.) when a guy named Robert Baines (whose voice sounds like a bad Macho Man impression, which oddly works quite well) interrupts him. Baines says their conversations are always cut off but Galli says he’s being rather rude.

From Championship Wrestling From Hollywood from about a week earlier.

Andy Brown vs. Willie Mack

This is Mack’s return to the promotion, where he was quite the star before. They fight over a wristlock to start with Mack dancing his way….well he had the hold on so I’m not sure what he was getting out of there. Brown gets in some hip swiveling of his own and an armdrag puts Mack down.

Mack hits one of his own and stereo dropkicks give us a standoff. They tap fists for some sportsmanship until Mack walks into a dropkick. Mack is fine enough to hit a pump kick in the corner and the reverse Cannonball crushes Brown for two. Back from a break with Brown hitting a superkick on the floor but getting caught with a running kick to the face. A rolling kick to the head gives Mack two and it’s time to twist the nipples.

The Samoan drop looks to set up the standing moonsault but Brown rolls away and hits a forearm for two. Mack is right back with a Codebreaker for two and it’s time to run the ropes. Brown hits a heck of a spinebuster into a superkick for two of his own and frustration is setting in. A rolling cutter is countered into a Samoan drop and the standing moonsault but Mack doesn’t cover. Instead it’s the Stunner into a frog splash to finish Brown at 13:48.

Rating: C+. Oh yeah Mack comes off like a star around here and you can feel the charisma coming off of him. It shows up very clearly everywhere you see him and it’s no surprise that he’s become a bigger deal in whatever promotion. I can’t imagine he doesn’t wind up in WWE one day, as they certainly wanted to see him in the first place.

Back in Arizona, Baines is asking who pays Galli’s bills and does not stop talking the entire time Galli tells us to stay tuned.

Here’s Suede Thompson for a match. Suede has a trophy with him but a guy in face paint named Oliver Grimsley comes out and hits him in the knee with a crowbar. Security breaks it up and boss Peter Avalon wants to know what is going on. Grimsley says that Peter knows what he wants so Peter makes a match right now.

Oliver Grimsley vs. Chris Bae

Grimsley forearms him in the back of the head and says that this isn’t Bae’s fight. Bae comes back with shots to the head but Grimsley sends him into the corner and presses him into the corner. Apparently Grimsley wants a TV Title shot, which isn’t as cryptic as they made it out to be in the promo.

Bae comes back with some kicks but walks into a one knee Codebreaker for two. The announcer recaps Grimsley’s various assaults on people (including a previous one on Suede), getting us up to date on him in the span of thirty seconds. In other words, doing EXACTLY what he should do and doing it rather well. Some shoulders in the corner don’t do much to Bae as he’s right back with an enziguri.

Back from a break with Grimsley hammering away on the floor and dropping a knee on the chest back inside. Grimsley’s belly to back suplex gets two but Bae breaks up a superplex. A top rope European uppercut drops Grimsley and a quick cutter gets two. Bae’s spinebuster gets the same but Grimsley is right back with some running knees in the corner for two. A superkick completely misses Grimsley’s face but gets two anyway. Grimsley shoves him into the corner though and the Bed of Nails (arm trap Backstabber) finishes Bae at 17:40.

Rating: B-. Another good match which flew by here. The more important part though was the commentary, which summed up the Grimsley story in a quick and simple way. That’s SO much better than you get in WWE or in most promotions these days. The fact that the story is simple enough to be explained that quickly helps a lot too. Good match here too, with both guys working hard and having a nice showcase between the two of them.

Grimsley gets in a few more shots to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this a lot. They went on for about forty five minutes and covered a variety of stories with each one getting some solid attention. This was one of the better territory promotions I’ve seen in a long time and I could go for seeing more from them. I was actually impressed by this one and that’s not something I would have ever expected from this one.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #63
Date: June 22, 2019
Location: Waukesha County Expo Center, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Commentators: Jim Cornette, Rich Bocchini

It’s time for a big match with Contra getting in a rare six man tag against Tom Lawlor and the Von Erichs. You would think that this would make more sense in Dallas but Lawlor vs. Contra has been built up for months now and hopefully things go well. Other than that, we’re building to Kings of Colosseum later in the summer. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Jimmy Havoc narrating a funeral for Sami Callihan, who even has a tombstone. Salina de la Renta says rest in peace you warthog.

Opening sequence.

Teddy Hart vs. Richard Holliday

Non-title. Maxwell Jacob Friedman is on commentary and gets in some rather nice jabs at Wisconsin and Hart, occasionally at the same time. Teddy hands Rich his big necklace and stares Friedman down, sending him behind Cornette in the process. Cue Holliday to jump Hart from behind and the beatdown is on. A belt shot leaves Teddy laying and Friedman steals one of the Tag Team Title belts. No match.

We recap Salina de la Renta setting up Sami Callihan vs. Mance Warner in last week’s Loser Leaves MLW match where Warner got rid of Callihan.

Earlier today, Warner was by the river and drinking some beers. He promises to come for every member of Promociones Dorado with lariats, including taking off LA Park’s ten pound head. As usual, Warner has the very wordy version of everything he says.

Jordan Oliver vs. Isaiah Velasquez

Standby match after the previous one didn’t happen. See how easy it is to make it seem like the show isn’t that scripted? Oliver has a bandanna tied at the side and seems rather annoying. Oh and he has been told to watch out for crooked referees and calls himself the Sauce God. Do I need to explain this guy much more? Isaiah ducks a charge to start and grabs an early rollup for two. Oliver misses a big boot and gets headscissored down. Isaiah sends him outside for a running kick from the apron but tosses Oliver right back in.

Something close to a crotching sets up a springboard DDT (which didn’t come close to connecting, to the point where Rich said it was a cutter (close enough)). Some forearms in the corner have Isaiah in more trouble but he comes back with a few of his own. They trade kicks to the face as we see Myron Reed in the back with a JUSTICE sign. Velasquez hits a middle rope spinning crossbody for two but has to roll out of a top rope double stomp. Oliver is right back with a Stunner and middle rope cutter for the pin at 4:33.

Rating: D. This one really didn’t work and a lot of that was due to Oliver not being all that great. His wrestling wasn’t the strongest (rather sloppy would be a good way of putting it) and his gimmick/look felt like they belonged on the indy circuit about fifteen years ago. Not a very good match, but it could have been a lot worse.

Video on the Von Erichs, who are a pretty cool signing for the company.

Some big shows are coming up.

We look at Flamita beating Rey Horus last week. Salina may be interested in him.

We recap the opening match not taking place and the ensuing beatdown of Teddy Hart. The Hart Dynasty have decided that they want revenge in the ring.

A video shows Alexander Hammerstone’s car leaving the arena.

Low Ki vs. Tom Coffey

Running forearm knocks Coffey out in nine seconds.

Post match, Low Ki wants Contra. The Pandora’s Box that they opened is coming their way.

Contra talks about all the violence they’ve spread over MLW and all the people they’ve hurt. Tonight, it’s a massacre in Milwaukee.

Dr. Wagner Jr. is coming.

We look at the Teddy Hart attack again.

Kings of Colosseum Control Center, focusing entirely on Lawlor vs. Fatu for the World Title.

We recap Lawlor vs. Contra, with Lawlor bringing in the Von Erichs to even things up.

Contra vs. Tom Lawlor/Marshall Von Erich/Ross Von Erich

Tornado tag rules (meaning No DQ) and this is the brothers’ in-ring debut. Hold on though as Simon Gotch needs to go nose to nose with a fan before we’re ready to go. Lawlor comes through the crowd to jump Fatu before the bell with Marshall and Ross joining in a few seconds later. House is cleaned early on and it’s stereo claws to Gotch and Samael. Fatu shrugs off a chair shot from Lawlor though and breaks up Ross’ claw.

Marshall, the bigger Von Erich, takes Fatu down with a clothesline and the brawl is on. Contra takes over and gets Marshall alone in the ring with Fatu hitting a superkick. Lawlor is in with a rear naked choke on Fatu as the Von Erichs are already back up. The crowd cringes at something we can’t see as Marshall suplexes Samael. Ross dropkicks a chair into Fatu’s head and a double dropkick has Fatu on the floor. Lawlor unloads on Fatu with kicks to the chest as Samael takes over on Ross.

Fatu is back with a belly to back suplex onto the apron but Samael gets smart by taping Lawler to the post. That leaves the Brothers to get beaten down with a chair but the referee finds a knife to cut Lawlor free. Hold on though as Lawlor runs up the aisle, leaving Fatu to crush both of them with the moonsault. Lawlor comes back with a board, which he breaks over Fatu’s head to no avail. A low blow works a bit better as the Brothers are back up to help clean house. The Brothers hit a double claw slam for the pin on Gotch at 7:18.

Rating: B-. That was a lot of fun and I had a good time with it. The Von Erichs looked rather good in there and that’s all they needed to do. Lawlor vs. Fatu can be the hoss fight title match and that’s rather appealing. Fatu looked like a monster here and Gotch is the weak link of the team in the ring anyway so this was exactly what it should have been.

Post match the brawl continues with everyone using the broken wood. Eventually referees and agents break it up but some of them are taken out in the process. As he’s helped up, Contra comes back down to beat him up even more. The Von Erichs make the save as Fatu knocks out the ring announcer. Lawlor runs back out with another piece of wood as the fans are rather into this whole thing.

We’re still not done though as a referee gets powerbombed through a table and hit with a chair. They even come up to the commentary booth to mess with stuff as Lawlor and the Brothers pose in the ring to end the show. The brawl was a bit too long but rather entertaining, which is all that matters.

Overall Rating: C. The main event and post match brawl helped a lot but there was only so much that could be done to save the earlier part of the show. It wasn’t the best show in the world but the ending helped a lot and now we should be ready for the big showdown at the Chicago show. The energy was here, though they could have done something a lot better than that first match. As usual, the majority was good but it still needs some tweaking.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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IMG Credit: AAW Wrestling

Take No Prisoners
Date: May 11, 2019
Location: Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tyler Volz, Marty DeRosa

This time for sure! This is from AAW and I’ve been trying to do a show from this promotion for months now. Due to one reason or another (show being taken down, time, etc.), I’ve never actually been able to pull it off but this time I’m getting this thing done. It’s another promotion I don’t know much about other than some of the roster so I’m coming in blind again. Let’s get to it.

The announcers welcome us to the show but here’s Jimmy Jacobs to interrupt and remind us that he’s a genius. He doesn’t like the idea of a scramble match to open the show because he’s too awesome for that. Jacobs wants what he deserves but here’s Mance Warner to interrupt. The fight is on with Jacobs bailing to the floor before a lariat can connect, which is a lot better than taking an eye poke.

Opening sequence, which looks like a regular TV intro.

Jake Something vs. Air Wolf vs. Trey Miguel

Trey, in an eye patch, has the referee hold the ropes open and then jumps over the top in a rather nice jerk move. Miguel is told to take the patch off and yells about it but uses the distraction to chop both of them in the chest. Those have no effect and Miguel seems to know that he’s screwed up. A handshake to Jake gets him taken to the mat and Trey has to avoid a charge. Jake charges Wolf into the corner so Trey and Wolf start some double teaming to send him outside.

Wolf flips Miguel down and hits a chop, followed by a dropsault to Miguel and onto Jake on the floor. Back in and Wolf gets caught in a hanging DDT out of the corner from Jake, who gets dropped by a top rope Meteora from Trey. Jake gets caught in a Cheeky Nandos kick from Wolf, who is superkicked down, allowing Trey to hit his own superkick. A top rope seated senton hits Jake….who no sells it and grabs a Batista Bomb for two on Miguel. That leaves Wolf against the monster and it’s a sitout Boss Man Slam to give Jake the pin at 6:55.

Rating: C. I’ve only seen a little from Jake before so this was quite the impression making match for him. He looked like a powerhouse out there and beat up both guys without much effort, which is exactly what they were going for. Miguel seemed to be quite the jerk but didn’t get the chance to do much. Wolf was his usual pretty good self, though aside from one match against Fenix, I haven’t seen the big breakout match from him yet.

TJP is ready to tour the indies and is ready to debut against Myron Reed.

Clayton Gainz vs. Kris Statlander

Gainz, with Ace Austin, is rather muscular and Statlander is an alien who I can’t get away from these days. The much bigger Gainz shoves her down and laughs when Kris tries a German suplex. A big boot gives Gainz two and some choking on the ropes is good for the same. Gainz loads up the bicep pose and gets rolled up for two before shoving Kris down again.

Kris comes back up with forearms and a Matrish, followed by some running forearms in the corner. Austin gets knocked down and a release German suplex gets two on Gainz. Back up and Kris catches him on top for an electric chair faceplant, only to walk into a sitout slam. Hold on though as Gainz needs some water, allowing Kris to roll him up for the surprise pin at 5:54.

Rating: D. They telegraphed the heck out of that ending and the match wasn’t much to see before then. It was a simple story of Gainz beating her up for four minutes, Kris getting in a little offense, and then the fluke pin. You could feel that coming at the start of the match and it felt like something that has been done several times before.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman, the Heritage Champion, says he’s been talking to Cody and the backstage interviewer is NOT a good fit for AEW. He’ll be debuting a new title tonight.

Adam Brooks vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is part of the North in Impact. Brooks flips out of a test of strength and grabs a headlock before standing on Alexander’s hands. That earns him a trip into the corner and an enziguri, followed by a nice backbreaker for two. A half nelson backbreaker into a reverse suplex gets the same as the fans are rather pleased with Alexander so far. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Alexander takes him back down into another one.

A Downward Spiral into the middle buckle slows Alexander down and a tornado DDT gives Brooks two. Alexander backdrops him down and slaps on the ankle lock, with Brooks not being able to kick him off. Instead Alexander hits a powerbomb for two more but a tiger driver is broken up. Brooks hits a reverse hurricanrana and it’s a springboard Canadian Destroyer onto the apron, because something on the apron is required these days.

The Fosbury Flop over the barricade drops Alexander again and the Meteora (of course) gets two. Brooks’ Swanton hits Alexander’s knees though and it’s a backbreaker onto the apron to make things even worse. Back in and a Jay Driller gives Alexander two, followed by the spinning Tombstone to put Brooks away at 8:01.

Rating: B-. Nice stuff here with both guys beating the heck out of each other and trading one big move after another. The problem with that though is the lack of psychology or flow to the match, though at least the moves did build to some bigger ones at the end. The Jay Driller not getting the pin was a bit much though, but that happens in most indy matches.

Statlander picks through a nutrition bar and hands it to the interviewer without saying anything. She hides under a chair and looks at the camera, saying that humans are weak and aliens deserve gold.

Rascalz vs. Besties In The World

It’s Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz for the Rascalz here. The Besties are Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett and they’re very, very close friends (and in answer to your next question….it’s not clear). Either way, they’re very popular, though it might just be due to having Truly Madly Deeply as their theme song. The Rascalz, heels here, break up the entrance and STOP THE SONG and it’s already time to beat up Fitchett.

The shoved standing moonsault gets two with Vega having to make the save. That earns Vega a series of superkicks but he’s fine enough to send both Rascalz outside. The suicide dive sends both of them over the barricade so Fitchett dives onto both of them again. A bell shot to the head slows Fitchett down though and Wentz rings it on Fitchett’s ankle for a bonus. The ankle is fine enough for the Besties to double team Wentz against the barricade, followed by a running boot to Xavier’s face back inside.

A double Flatliner gets two but a Wentz distraction lets Xavier fight back. The Rascalz’ hit a backbreaker/double stomp combination for two on Fitchett and Dezmond adds a moonsault kick to the head. Vega catches Dezmond on top but he’s fine enough to hit the Final Flash to break up a cover on Wentz. All four slowly get up and slug it out with the Rascalz getting the better of it. The shove moonsault hits knees and Vega small packages Wentz, only to have Trey Miguel run in and shove it over to give Wentz the pin at 10:34.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure how well that ending should hold up but at least they had a fun match on the way there. I could have gone for more of the tagging part of the tag team wrestling but that’s the kind of thing you just get used to these days. The Rascalz are rather fun though and the Besties are better when they crank it up, but at least we had a good match. It’s strange seeing the Rascalz as heels, though I could get used to it.

Post match the beatdown is on with Wentz calling out LAX for their Tag Team Titles.

Josh Alexander says he’s back for the AAW Title and he’ll be here every time until he gets it back.

Myron Reed vs. TJ Perkins

Reed regularly works in MLW and while he’s quite good despite being a bit small. They go to the mat to start for an exchange of near falls until Reed slips up for a standoff. Perkins offers a handshake so Reed dabs at him in a callback to Perkins’ time in WWE. A headscissors works better for Perkins but Reed reverses into one of his own. That’s broken up with the handstand into the bouncing escape and Perkins gets to pose a bit.

Perkins spins around the ropes and gets some near falls off a rollup. With that not working, Perkins grabs the hand and slaps on a Sharpshooter, which is switched into a Muta Lock for a sweet transition. Reed escapes a pair of backslide attempts and waves a finger at Perkins, which isn’t likely to be a good idea. For some reason the referee catches Reed’s kick, allowing Perkins to get that backslide for two.

Reed is fine enough to send Perkins outside for a dive and a slingshot Codebreaker gets two more. Perkins is right back with a springboard crossbody to send Reed to the floor, setting up the slingshot dropkick. Back in and a curb stomp gets two on Reed, who comes back with a springboard cutter. A springboard 450 hits raised knees though and Perkins gets in the kneebar. That’s switched into an STF but Reed gets over to the rope. Stundog Millionaire drops Perkins but Reed can’t follow up, meaning Perkins is up first. Perkins snaps off a hurricanrana, which Reed reverses into a sunset flip for the pin at 12:23.

Rating: B. I liked this one quite a bit as both of them were moving around very well with some very fast paced offense. Perkins is someone who can have a good match with just about anyone and Reed got a great rub here. I could go for more of both of these two and Reed has impressed me so far in MLW.

Post match, Perkins raises Reed’s hand for a nice moment.

The Rascalz are willing to give the Besties a rematch, but the Tag Team Titles are theirs because they carry the company. Wentz drops a lot of F bombs.

Heritage Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Mance Warner

Warner, who comes out to Simple Man, is challenging for the midcard title. For those who haven’t seen him, Warner, is a very southern wrestler with some great charisma and an affinity for light beers and eye pokes. The fans throw toilet paper at Friedman, which seems to get on his nerves. Friedman pulls out his own version of the Heritage Title, which looks like a pretty standard title.

However, Friedman doesn’t think a wrestler like him should have to wrestle a man like Warner, so he has an offer. If Warner will lay down right now, he can have a job with AEW. Warner could be the next Ice Train, Roadblock, or MIKE ENOS of AEW! Warner thinks about it and then headbutts Friedman in the face to start things off.

The beating is on and Warner STEALS THE SCARF before biting Friedman’s fingers. The champ bails to the floor so Warner loads up a dive, which turns into an eye poke instead. They’re quickly on the floor and then in the balcony for some teased attempted murder. That doesn’t last so they head back to the ring where Warner’s chair shot gets two. Friedman sends him face first into the chair though and it’s time to get down to some more basic wrestling.

That earns him some face first rams into the buckle and it’s time to punch Friedman in the face. An elbow to the head gets two but the running knee is countered into a Boston crab to put Warner in trouble. That’s broken up so Warner hits a DDT and a running knee to the head gets two. With Friedman down, Warner takes about a minute to find a door underneath the ring. The ref gets bumped as Warner hits the lariat, because that happens in the indies as well. Cue Jimmy Jacobs to wrap a chair around Warner’s head and hit it with a kendo stick so Friedman can retain at 11:55.

Rating: C+. I like both guys so this was a fun one with a story that made sense and worked quite well. Warner has all kinds of charisma and Friedman is one of the best heels (and promos) in wrestling today. This was good stuff and I can go with Friedman having to survive to retain the title. I could go for more of this and that’s because they’re both very good at what they do.

Heritage Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Jake Something

Friedman is defending again and immediately starts backtracking because of their history together. Jake calls him an f****** coward and we’re off in a hurry. The spear finishes Friedman to give Jake the title at 34 seconds.

The Besties in the World are mad because one of them has a bruise on his face before he and his wife (ah there we go) go to Mexico. They want their rematch in Austin, Texas.

Thunder Rosa is back from Japan and wants her Women’s Title back.

Here’s Armando Alejandro Estrada (his name here as well) to talk about being a family man. His daughters are just like everyone: they live at home with their family. He’s here to represent the man going straight to the top: Jacob Fatu (Umaga’s nephew).

Jacob Fatu vs. Ace Romero

Romero is a huge guy who weighs just shy of 400lbs and is a crowd favorite. Fatu jumps him before the bell (I think) and sends Ace into the post. Romero is busted open and it’s time for some chair shots to the back. The referee calls it off because of the cut so we need a replacement.

Jacob Fatu vs. Paco

Paco is rather small and slugs away to start to limited effect. A high crossbody is a bad idea as well as Fatu catches him in a Samoan drop for the pin at 40 seconds. Are they running out of time and need to fill in everything they can?

Hang on though as Romero is back and the original match is on.

Ace Romero vs. Jacob Fatu

Romero sends him into the barricade and hits a running charge, which RAISES THE BARRICADE a good six feet in the air, which I’ve never seen before. They get inside so Romero can pelt a chair at Fatu’s head, sending him back outside. That means the big old suicide dive and the fans are way into Romero again. Back in and Fatu hits a superkick, followed by the running Umaga attack in the corner. Romero is too big to be Samoan dropped so it’s a spinning Rock Bottom for two instead.

Fatu loads up some chairs in some corners and another blasts Romero in the head. The Samoan drop doesn’t work again as Fatu falls face first onto the chair. Romero makes his comeback with a running dropkick and a sitout powerbomb gets two. A missed charge sends Romero head first into one of the chairs, setting up the Samoan drop. Fatu drops a Swanton for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: C-. Romero moves well for a star but it’s clear that he can only do so much without various shortcuts. Fatu on the other hand is one of the best prospects I’ve seen in a long time. He’s a guy with the size of Umaga and a level of athleticism that you would never expect from someone who looks like him. The facials and charisma are great bonuses and it’s a matter of time before he gets signed by one of the major companies.

Mance Warner wants Jimmy Jacobs in any match Jacobs wants.

Sami Callihan is sick but he’s ready to take out David Starr and keep the World Title.

Women’s Title: Jessika Havok vs. Thunder Rosa

Rosa is challenging and Havok….is a face? That’s certainly a new one. Some dancing disrobing means Rosa is ready to go so Havok sits her on top. That means a hip swivel into a failed sunset flip attempt as Rosa is trying to use the speed here. A missed charge in the corner doesn’t slow Havok down that much as Rosa dives into a chokeslam. Havok lifts her up into a full nelson before dropping her down, where Rosa taps for no meaning. The big leg misses so Rosa hits a running Downward Spiral for two.

It’s off to the bearhug though with Havok dropping down into something like a reverse Bubba Bomb for two of her own. Rosa fires off kicks to the leg and a dropkick to the leg cuts the champ down. Havok drives her into the corner again but a top rope hurricanrana sends Havok into the other corner. A running dropkick gives Rosa two and a missile dropkick is good for the same. The Black Widow is countered into a Tombstone though and Rosa is done at 9:57.

Rating: C+. Rosa was tiny next to the monster champ but they made it work well enough here. More time would have helped though as Havok just caught her without much effort in the end. What we had was good though and the announcers made the women’s division seem like a big deal.

Estrada and Fatu want better competition and if that means the World Title, so be it.

David Starr does not like Sami Callihan, who is the worst thing about wrestling today. Tonight, he’s showing that AAW is truly independent.

Lucha Bros vs. Team Tremendous

Team Tremendous, Dan Barry and Bill Carr, are a pair of detectives. I’ve seen them before and haven’t been overly impressed so hopefully they change things up here. They spend a lot of time yelling at each other before finally getting ready to go. Pentagon and Dan start things off and it’s more yelling with Dan trying some Spanish. A superkick finally drops Dan so Bill comes in for a hurricanrana as everything breaks down in a hurry.

We settle down to the big Carr slamming Fenix and dropping a big leg, with Barry making sure to hold the legs. Something that looked like a Magic Killer is broken up with a headscissors and the way too early hot tag brings in Pentagon for the rapid fire double teaming. Barry escapes the spike Fear Factor so it’s a reverse Razor’s Edge/running cutter combination for two on Pentagon instead.

The Bros are back up with a double superkick so Carr clotheslines them both down for a breather. Fenix is back up with the top rope double stomp to drive Carr into the apron. The Pentagon Driver gets two on Barry and the electric chair/Sliced Bread combination for the same on Pentagon. Since Pentagon doesn’t sell for very long, he’s back up with a Canadian Destroyer to Carr. That means the Black Fire Driver to finish Barry at 9:50.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted, which seems to be the subtitle of most of the matches on this show. What mattered most here though was having the Lucha Bros around, as they’re some of the best talents in the world right now. Is there any surprise that AEW wanted them as one of the focal points of the division? Team Tremendous….yeah still not feeling it.

Post match Fenix puts over AAW and Chicago, saying you can do whatever you want. Pentagon thanks AAW as well because they’re out of here (not mentioned of course).

Jimmy Jacobs tells Mance Warner to bring it.

AAW Title: David Starr vs. Sami Callihan

Starr is challenging and has Jake Something in his corner. Sami on the other hand has a suited hype man who looks like Joey Mercury. They lock up against the ropes to start as the fans are all over Callihan’s home state of Ohio. Starr wants to fight and lays down on the mat so Sami will come to him. That goes well for Starr, who has quite the amateur background. They take turns going after the arm before Callihan drives him up against the ropes again.

Hang on though as Sami needs to head to the floor and walk into the crowd for a bit. Back in and Starr gets a series of near falls off a series of rollups and Callihan is looking frustrated. A quick belly to back suplex gets Sami out of trouble and it’s off to w neck crank. Back up and a rolling kick to the ribs drops Callihan and it’s time to start in on the champ’s legs.

Starr sends him to the apron for a springboard clothesline but Callihan is ready for the dive. That means a chair to Starr’s head and some hard chops to the chest. The run around the ring takes too long though (because Sami is running around the ring) and Starr catches him with a superkick. Back in and Sami gets two off a top rope superplex before it’s off to the chinlock. The comeback is on with Starr unloading in the corner, followed by a low superkick.

The Downward Spiral gets two on the champ and Sami falls out to the floor. You don’t do that in an indy match so Starr nails the suicide dive. You also don’t come back in as Sami grabs a hanging swinging neckbreaker (or something close to it) for two of his own. Some clotheslines send Starr outside but he’s right back in with a running clothesline of his own. This one misses completely though and Starr slams his head into the bottom rope to knock himself silly.

A running knee to the head sets up a powerbomb into an STF but Starr makes the rope. Starr can barely stand but manages a heck of a shot to the face. Sami spits at him so Starr is right back with a brainbuster onto the knee for a hot two. The old Edgecator has Sami tapping, but the lackey has the referee. Starr lets him go….and Jake turns on Starr to knock him cold. Sami adds the Cactus Special and wins WITH A CHINLOCK at 26:00.

Rating: B. This was entertaining for the most part but it never really hit a high level that they were probably looking for. Jake turning on him felt like a big deal and will probably set up a big Jake vs. Starr match down the road. Sami feels like a major heel champion so whoever eventually gets to beat him should be an important moment. Fine main event, but nothing that you need to see.

Post match Sami says he is AAW and professional wrestling.

Overall Rating: B-. It wasn’t great and it’s not some must see show but I’ve seen far worse shows than this. The show felt like a bigger indy company with a lot of action, though trimming a match or two off and letting some others have more time would have made for a better night. What we got was rather good though with only one match I wouldn’t call at least pretty good. At the same time though, nothing was great and none of the matches stood out. I liked the show well enough though and given how bad some of the Wrestlemania weekend shows were, I can take a good up and down indy card.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #62
Date: June 15 2019
Location: Waukesha County Expo Center, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Commentators: Jim Cornette, Rich Bocchini

It’s a special show as Salina de la Renta is in charge again. That means things should be a little bit more interesting than usual, as Salina is awesome in a variety of ways. She’s one of the best villains in wrestling today and I could go for a show centered around her. Just give us some more storyline advancements on the good side, including either Mance Warner or Sami Callihan leaving the company. Let’s get to it.

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

Salina’s leg welcomes us to the show and runs down the card. She’s very happy about getting rid of either Warner or Callihan.

Opening sequence, featuring Salina and her goons.

Callihan and Warner can’t get in the building due to Salina’s orders. Jimmy Havoc, now apparently Salina’s newest lackey, won’t let them in and the two of them aren’t happy. Of note: Sami kicks a door here, which apparently got him in hot water with the company because he did serious damage.

Rey Horus vs. Flamita

They go with the wristdrags and flips to start with neither being able to get in much of note. Both guys flip to their feet and the fans are rather appreciative. A running headscissors puts Horus down on the floor. That means the big moonsault from the top and now we stop for the required floss dancing. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by even more dancing that Cornette thankfully ignores.

Horus is back up with an AJ Styles drop down into a dropkick and a hurricanrana of his own. The big flip dive to the floor drops Flamita again and the fans are right back into this. Back in and Horus kicks him in the head for one but Flamita grabs a Muscle Buster into two knees to the chest for two of his own. An overhead belly to belly into the corner gets two on Flamita and it’s time for the slow chop off.

Horus’ sunset flip is rolled through into a basement dropkick but he’s right back up for another dropkick of his own. A spear into the very twisting tornado DDT sets up another DDT for two on Flamita and they’re both down as Cornette tries to figure out how they come up with this stuff. They talk trash and forearm it out until Horus gets two off a spike hurricanrana. Flamita is right back with a tiger driver into a frog splash for two of his own, followed by a 450 for the pin at 13:20.

Rating: B. This was a very entertaining lucha match and that’s exactly why they were on the show. These matches don’t need to mean anything long term because they’re designed to be a bunch of flashy moves. That’s what we got here and the match was a lot of fun, which was exactly what they were shooting for.

Video on Contra’s destruction and chaos.

Tom Lawlor has the Von Erichs backing him up against Contra. They’re actually here this week, with Lawlor saying Contra talks about the world burning at their hands. Next week: Contra goes to sleep at Lawlor’s hands. Good line.

Savio Vega is coming. Ok then.

Low Ki vs. Ricky Martinez

Salina de la Renta takes credit for tonight but mocks the fans for liking cheese. Low Ki charges straight at him to start so Martinez bails to the floor, meaning it’s time for a chase. Martinez gets thrown back inside but a Salina distraction lets Martinez get in a shot to the ribs. A running dropkick to the head gets two and we hit something like a camel clutch.

That’s broken up in a hurry and Low Ki hits the double stomp for a needed breather. The bodyscissors goes on as Cornette tries to figure out how Salina’s dress stays on (fair enough). Back up and Martinez pulls the referee in front of a Low Ki charge and a kick to the face gets two. Low Ki is back up and one heck of a clothesline….actually knocks Martinez out for the KO win at 5:53.

Rating: C. Low Ki as the anti-hero is something that could have some interesting legs and it worked well enough here. Put him together with Lawlor or someone like that to go after Contra and we could be in for something rather appealing. Martinez is still fine in this role and he’ll be back without much effort.

Post match Low Ki and Salina say something we can’t hear.

Sami Callihan and Mance Warner argue over who gets promo time and over who is going to be riding a horse out of MLW.

Video on LA Park. That gut makes him a lot harder to take.

Dr. Wagner Jr. is coming.

Salina yells at Martinez and the F bombs are flying.

The Dynasty is getting ready for Richard Holliday’s match with Teddy Hart next week so Richard makes fun of Hart’s gear. They have to explain the joke to Holliday and then make cat jokes. Hammerstone seems to brag about being the only champion but backs down in a hurry.

Mance Warner vs. Sami Callihan

Hardcore rules and the loser leaves MLW. Sami spits water on Cornette and Bocchini, which was pretty much it for him in MLW in case you need a spoiler. Cornette throws a chair at him and the swearing is on in a hurry, with some rather real insults thrown in there. They slug it out on the floor and Cornette is going full blast, though he does make sure to say that he wants Mance to win to get rid of Sami (because he knows how to make this sound strong in kayfabe).

It’s already time to go into the crowd and over to the merchandise stand with Sami throwing various things at him. They ram each other into a fence around the stands and Sami suplexes him onto a bleacher for two. A trashcan goes over Warner’s head and they trade headbutts with Warner, the one whose head was covered in plastic, getting the better of it. Sami pelts a chair at him and takes a bow as Cornette rants about all the diseases Sami has in his mouth.

It’s time to fight by the concession stand (Cornette: “Is this Tupelo?”) and there’s a spork to Sami’s head. Warner puts the Tabasco sauce in Sami’s mouth as Teddy Hart is watching the fight. They actually get in the ring and of course it’s time for the staple gun. A sunset flip is broken up with a staple to Mance’s head and Sami puts a trashcan around him for a bonus.

Warner is busted open and Sami staples a dollar to his arm. Another one is stapled to his head as Cornette accurately says that this has nothing to do with wrestling. Warner fights back and finds a piece of wood from underneath the ring. The wood is sets up between two chairs but Sami catches him on top with a super piledriver for two. Since a jumping middle rope piledriver through a table is only good for two here, Warner hits a weak spear through more wood in the corner for two of his own.

With nothing else working, they sit down in a pair of chairs and slug it out until they spit at each other for a change. Sami tombstones him near a chair for two and STAPLES HIS TONGUE TO THE WOOD. Warner rips it back off and knees Sami in the head for one. Another running knee drives the wood into Sami’s head for the pin at 18:12.

Rating: D+. Your individual tastes on this one are going to vary but that’s the case with any wrestling (or whatever you want to call it) like this. Getting rid of Callihan is a good thing as he and Warner are similar enough that it doesn’t make sense to have both of them around. Couple that with his issues with Cornette and it’s a good idea to get rid of him. If nothing else maybe we can cut down on the amount of hardcore matches around here, which would be a welcome change. As for the match, it was long, disturbing at times and as Cornette said, had little to do with wrestling. That’s kind of the point, but it doesn’t help much.

Overall Rating: C+. Featuring some of these shows around Salina is a good idea as she’s the best character in the promotion and some of her bigger issues is with the second best in Warner. They did a very good job of mixing up the styles here and it fit the Fusion idea as well as they could have. There is still some fine tuning to do but for what they’ve been doing lately, it’s been fairly successful.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #61
Date: June 8, 2019
Location: Waukesha County Expo Center, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Commentators: Jim Cornette, Rich Bocchini

It’s back to the regular show after last week’s Fury Road special. That makes for something a little less important but possibly better as they don’t have to feel like they’re under so much pressure. The big stories out of last week are the continuation of the Dynasty vs. the Hart Foundation and Tom Lawlor vs. Contra. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Alexander Hammerstone winning the inaugural National Openweight Title over Brian Pillman Jr. last week.

Hammerstone was at his training facility earlier while an unnamed blonde held the title. He talks about where all of Pillman’s hard work got him but says Richard Holliday and Maxwell Jacob Friedman chose to follow around him. Hammerstone picks up Rich Bocchini to show off his strength and draw some screaming.

Opening sequence.

We look back at Contra attacking Lawlor, who wants revenge instead of an arrest.

Kotto Brazil vs. Richard Holliday

Holliday has the rest of the Dynasty with him, including Aria Blake, who I forgot was a thing around here. Friedman and Hammerstone head to the back though and it’s only two on one. Note that we’re just over eight minutes into the show at the opening bell and we’ve already had a recap and a segment. Why is that so hard for other companies to pull off? The cocky Holliday shoves Kotto down to start and then hammers him into the corner for a bonus.

Kotto’s bad eye is still all messed up for a rather disturbing visual. Holliday cuts off a comeback with a right hand to the ribs but Brazil springboards over him. A guillotine choke is countered into a suplex though as Holliday is getting to show off a lot more than usual here. Kotto finally gets in a Stunner as Cornette wants to know if Kotto is related to Bobo. A top rope kick to the chest has Holliday in more trouble but a heck of a clothesline cuts him off again. Holliday hits a gutwrench powerbomb for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C-. This was a rather nice squash from Holliday, who doesn’t get to show what he can do all that often. He looked rather good in the ring here though and that’s a bright spot for his future. At some point you need to be able to do more than just stand around in a suit so letting him have a showcase match like this is a smart move. At the same time you have Kotto, who the fans still love because he’s easy to get behind. That’s a valuable person to have and Kotto plays the role well.

We look at last week’s title match and what we just saw.

Air Wolf vs. Ace Austin

They trade headlocks to start, followed by Austin’s quickly reversed armbar. Wolf hits a hurricanrana and it’s a standoff as we hear about Salina de la Renta possibly recruiting him, which could be interesting. A dropkick puts Austin on the floor but Austin is ready for the obvious dive. Wolf gets shoved off the top and out to the floor, allowing Austin to hit a dive of his own. After some fans call Wolf a fake luchador, he’s fine enough to smack Austin in the head on the way back in.

Austin goes right back to the arm though and Wolf can’t keep anything going. A dropkick sends him into the corner and Wolf has to check his teeth underneath the mask. Wolf gets tied in the Tree of Woe but he’s able to avoid a top rope splash. A snap German suplex and a swinging butterfly suplex give Wolf two and it’s time to start kicking at the chest.

Austin is back with a kick to the head though and a spinning suplex gets two on Wolf. Back up and a hard clothesline turns Wolf inside out but Austin is down as well. Wolf spins up for a kick to the head but gets crotched on top. That’s not the biggest problem in the world though as Wolf shoves Austin down and hits….I think a top rope Downward Spiral for the pin at 10:38.

Rating: C+. I’m not huge on the guy but they’re trying something with Wolf and that’s a good idea. He’s got a long way to go, but pushing someone by giving them wins is the way to go and wins over names like Fenix are going to make the fans buy into him. This was a nice match with some extra time and that made it feel a lot more important. Not bad at all here.

Myron Reed protested outside the arena earlier today.

Salina de la Renta is in charge of next week’s show and already has a main event set: Mance Warner vs. Sami Callihan in a falls count anywhere loser leaves MLW match.

The next live special is Kings of Colosseum with a main event of Tom Lawlor defending the World Title against Jacob Fatu. Now that could be very interesting.

An intense Lawlor says he’s been beaten up before and now Contra has cut him as well. He signed up for a beating but not to be stabbed in his back. Now he wants to take care of Contra and he’s found some guys to help deal with him. That would be the Von Erichs and it’s time to clean this place up. That…..could go a few different ways.

Callihan and Warner dub themselves the Midwest Mega Powers but they like to fight each other. Next week, they’re going to make Cornette want to quit because it’s going to get that violent. They don’t seem to agree on who is going to win though and THEY TURN THEIR HATS AROUND. Sami pulls out a staple gun, though Mance is more worried about it being sanitary.

Low Ki is ready for Ricky Martinez, who is officially on his list.

Contra talks about being ready for Lawlor and the Von Erichs. Violence is promised.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

The rest of the Dynasty is here but Smith is on his own. Friedman bails to the floor at the bell and we hit the stall button for over a minute until Smith pulls him inside. The beating is on as the announcers talk about drugging people. Smith skins the cat and hits a big boot for two but has to stop and yell at Hammerstone. That’s enough of a distraction to let Friedman wrap the leg around the post to take over.

Friedman is smart enough to talk to the referee, allowing Holliday and Hammerstone to stay on the leg. We settle down to Friedman cannonballing onto the leg but Smith pulls him down into a leglock due to some rather high level grappling skills. A cross armbreaker is broken up as well and Friedman uses a Holliday distraction to choke with the scarf. Holliday tries it again so Friedman gets a shirt but Smith takes it away and chokes this time.

Unfortunately this time the referee catches him so Smith has to go with an enziguri for a Flair Flop. The Contra logo pops up on the screen and we come back with Smith hitting a top rope superplex for two. The powerslam gets the same and a jumping Tombstone knocks Friedman silly. Instead of covering though he hits a Swan Dive for two, with Holliday putting the foot on the rope.

Cue Brian Pillman Jr. to finally take care of Holliday but Friedman gets in a chop block. The Sharpshooter is broken up but Smith has to go after Hammerstone. Friedman’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets caught as Teddy Hart comes out to take care of Hammerstone. Friedman yells at the referee and gets shoved into the running powerslam to finally finish Friedman at 11:30.

Rating: B-. The story worked well though there was a little too much going on here. Smith’s knee was fine enough at the end, though I can buy him powering through and being able to muscle someone as small as Friedman up for the win. It also makes sense that Smith was fine when the Harts came out to even the odds so while it makes sense, it was a little too messy.

We cut to the back where Contra has attacked Lawlor again, plus Lawlor’s training partner Ariel Dominguez. Josef Samael throws fire at the camera to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This felt like a show where they covered everything to be covered in a good way. Above that though, I want to see where the stories are going so now I have a reason to keep watching. MLW has been on a nice little role at the moment and I’m liking then more every week. That’s a good place to be in and if they can keep it up, they should be fine.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

WCCW TV
Date: May 13, 1986
Location: Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas
Commentator: Bill Mercer

We’re back at the regular show this time and that means it’s time for more of the Von Erichs dominating the Texas world. I’m never quite sure what to expect from these shows other than a white hot crowd, though the wrestling is often a mixed bag. Hopefully going back in time a year should help the overall feel though, which really didn’t work last time. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Bill Mercer runs down the card.

Jerry Allen vs. Steve Simpson

Simpson, billed from Africa, looks like Matt Riddle crossed with Kerry Von Erich. In keeping with this series, we hear about the third annual Memorial Parade of Champions because I can’t avoid those shows. Allen works on the hammerlock to start but Simpson slips out of it to give us a standoff. Mercer completely ignores the match to talk about the Parade of Champions matches, including the Freebirds vs. the Von Erichs (including LANCE). They go the mat for some fast reversals until Allen makes the rope.

Back up and Simpson sends him flying with a hiptoss, followed by an atomic drop to put Allen outside. That doesn’t last long and it’s a delayed vertical suplex as Mercer’s Parade commercial continues. Allen grabs the abdominal stretch for some cranking, followed by a good clothesline. The chinlock goes on and triggers the comeback, including a high crossbody to finish Allen at 7:12.

Rating: D+. This solely existed for the purpose of letting Mercer talk about the Parade of Champions, which got really annoying in a hurry. The match wasn’t very good, though it worked well for an opener. Simpson had a good look and would be easy to cheer, which Allen seemed like a fine lower card heel.

Rick Rude vs. Brian Adias

Neither Rude’s World Title or Adias’ Texas Title are on the line and Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer) is in Rude’s corner. Feeling out process to start with Rude trying a slam but getting reversed into a quick O’Connor Roll for two. After some yelling from Pringle, Rude gets in a suplex to shake Adias up a bit. The fans get behind Brian though and Rude is shaken up again as the action slows down again.

Rude takes him down into an armbar, followed by the stomping to keep Adias down. Adias’ shoulder is sent into the bottom buckle and it’s off to the chinlock. Back up and Adias gets in an elbow for no count so Rude throws him outside. Adias gets back in and tries a flying headscissors but gets sent throat first onto the top rope. A hard clothesline finishes Adias at 6:59.

Rating: D. This wasn’t very good as Rude still looked pretty green and not worthy of being World Champion. That being said, he wasn’t exactly supposed to be World Champion as the company pulled out of the NWA and turned its top title into the World Title while Rude was holding it, so it’s not as illogical as it seems. Still though, this was pretty rough as there’s no story to the match with little more than one move happening after another.

We look at the history between Sunshine and Missy Hyatt, the two blondes who had some awesome catfights. It’s stuff like Missy cheating Sunshine’s wrestler out of a win so Sunshine sprays her (and her white dress) with ketchup. Missy of course came back by hitting her with a pie. This was never meant to be about wrestling and they made no secret about it, which made the feud that much better. Yeah it’s trash, but it’s fun trash.

Steve Regal vs. Kerry Von Erich

As I always have to say, no not that Regal. You can hear the girls freak out when Kerry’s jacket comes off and even the announcer has to acknowledge it. Regal drives him up against the ropes to start and gets sent outside for his efforts. Back in and Kerry forearms him into a headlock takeover as they’re not exactly going at full speed so far. Another shot to the face sends Regal bailing to the floor, followed by a hard whip into the corner back inside.

Kerry runs into a boot though and Regal hits a middle rope elbow to the head. The required chinlock goes on but Kerry easily fights out and grabs the stomach claw (exactly what it sounds like). Kerry even lifts him up and then takes him back down with the claw still on, which is actually enough for the pin at 5:32.

Rating: D+. Just a step above a squash here and that’s perfectly fine as Kerry was over like free beer in a frat house. Seeing the popularity that the Von Erichs had is really hard sometimes as they were the most insanely popular guys in the world and then the whole thing got screwed up. There was a world’s worth of potential there and it never came to full power because of a bunch of dumb decisions. It’s so sad and there’s a reason they’re one of the biggest cautionary tales in all of wrestling history.

Bruiser Brody/Missing Link vs. Terry Gordy/Great Kabuki

Hayes is in Kabuki/Gordy’s corner and Sunshine is in the other. I’m not sure if this is joined in progress or not but the brawl is on as soon as we come back with Bruiser and Gordy fighting to the back, leaving Link and Kabuki to fight in the ring. We do get an opening bell and the eternally serious Marc Lowrence gives us all the information, even as the brawling continues.

Link fights out of a nerve hold and stomps on Kabuki’s foot for the break. After another nerve hold is broken, Link headbutts him in the corner, which Mercer thinks he learned from a brontosaurus. We slow down a lot as Link yells at Hayes and knocks Kabuki out of the air. Kabuki rakes the eyes and we’re told that Gordy and Brody will NOT be returning to the ring. How nice of them to be on camera for thirty seconds like that. We hit the nerve hold again but Kabuki misses a charge into the corner. That’s enough for him as he brings in the nunchucks and knocks Link silly for the DQ at 6:42.

Rating: D+. This could have been a lot better, but given that it was pretty much just a singles match after a quick opening, there was only so much that could get out of this. Link was certainly unique though and that energy carried a lot of the match. Brody vs. Gordy would have helped a lot, but if you want to see that, go to the Parade of Champions.

Post match Kabuki chokes Link down some more so Sunshine throws in a chair.

A quick preview of next week ends the show.

Overall Rating: D. For a quick TV show, this wasn’t very good. As an ad for the Parade of Champions, it was rather annoying. It felt like almost everything was about the big show with the announcer ignoring large portions of the matches for the sake of talking about the show. That gets annoying in a hurry as they already have me watching this show. Stop trying to make me watch another one.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

WCCW TV
Date: May 16, 1987
Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Attendance: 5,900
Commentator: Bill Mercer

So about a year ago, someone asked me to look at some WCCW shows. I decided to look at ten random episodes and somehow, two of the first three have been from the Parade of Champions. This is the 1987 edition, which didn’t quite have the same impact as the famous one in 1984. Mike Von Erich had recently passed away but the lack of 40,000 fans would suggest that fans weren’t quite as interested. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Steve Doll vs. Tim Brooks

Brooks is a rather scary looking man and Doll is probably best known for being in the ring when Scott Hall jumped the barricade on Nitro. Brooks jumps him at the bell (how villainous) and then lets him get back to his feet. How….nice I guess? Or stupid might make more sense. The amount of empty seats in the stadium is just embarrassing and there’s no way to hide it.

Brooks tries a sunset flip but Doll lands on him so Brooks works a waistlock in a smart move. It’s off to a test of strength as you can see several sections with literally no one in them. Doll goes to an armbar as they’re certainly in first gear so far. A headlock takeover has Brooks down again but he finally breaks it up with a knee crusher. Brooks stays on the leg by twisting the knee around and we get a rather extreme closeup.

With the knee getting a little boring, it’s off to a bearhug to change things up a bit. Doll slips out in a hurry and sends him into the corner (and nearly into the camera) but Brooks goes for the throat. An armbar puts Brooks down as the targets keep moving. Some shots to the back get Brooks out of trouble so Doll small packages him right back into it. Doll gets in a powerslam but oh yeah his knee is hurting so he collapses. A small package gives Doll the pin at 7:36.

Rating: D. This was a mixture of all over the place as well as messy, which made for a rather bad match. It’s like they could decide which body part to work on and the ending came out of nowhere. Both guys are capable of doing better than this so in theory this was just a bad night for both of them.

Al Madril vs. Mil Mascaras

Let the no selling begin. Mascaras wastes no time in taking him down for a double arm pull, which seems to hurt Madril a bit. The arm pulling continues until Madril makes the rope, allowing him to offer a handshake. Mascaras slaps the hand, which I guess is good enough. An anklescissors takes Madril down again and is keeps him on the mat in a hold you don’t see very often.

Madril’s hammerlock works as well as you would expect it to as Mascaras gets in some right hands to drop him again. There’s an abdominal stretch (and YES Mascaras hooks the toe) with Mascaras even pulling him down into a cradle for two. Madril finally gets in some shots of his own, including one to the throat to put Mascaras outside for a minute. That’s enough selling for Mascaras though as he’s right back with a flying shoulder, followed by the high crossbody for the pin at 7:04 (I have no idea how they got 10:27 for the official time).

Rating: D+. Mascaras is always an interesting one to watch as he’s a genuine legend but his reputation for not being interested in selling anything for anyone brings him down a bit. Still though, this was designed to be a Mascaras showcase and giving him a win here is hardly the worst idea in the world.

Red River Jack/Spike Huber vs. Abdullah the Butcher/Eli the Eliminator

Jack is pretty clearly Bruiser Brody under a mask. If his team loses, he has to unmask but if he and Spike win, he gets five minutes alone with Butcher/Eli’s (Eli was a territory guy who never got very big) manager Gary Hart. Huber is a smaller guy in good shape and seems to be part of a construction union. Eliminator drops Spike with a clothesline and drops a big leg to start but misses a second attempt. Jack comes in for some kicks to the head and everything breaks down early on.

Butcher chairs Jack in the back but he’s right back in to go after Butcher and Eliminator at the same time. A distraction lets Butcher’s other manager Jim Holliday post Huber as Butcher stabs Jack in the mask. That actually draws blood, which you don’t see through a mask very often. We settle down (kind of) to the villains taking turns on Jack until he kicks Eliminator in the face, setting up the hot tag to Huber. A slam and two legdrops get two on Eliminator as everything breaks down again. We lose commentary as Holliday comes in to save Huber, who reverses a Tombstone and pin Eliminator at 6:27.

Rating: C. This was a lot more sloppy than the previous two matches but also WAY more entertaining with the fans being into Jack and wanting to see Hart get what was coming to him. Huber felt pretty out of place here but he did his job well and was working hard so it’s hard to complain much about a short match like this.

Post match Hart and company unload on Jack and bust him open even further.

Red River Jack vs. Gary Hart

Hart goes after the banged up Jack but since it’s a wrestler vs. a manager and WCCW knows how to do this stuff, Jack fights back with ease and manages to take Hart’s shirt off. They fight to the floor and brawl up the aisle with Jack getting in a chair shot before heading back inside to win via countout (though there was no bell) at about 1:50.

We see some clips of Bruiser Brody defeating Jeep Swenson from last week (or later in the Parade of Champions).

WCWA World Title: Kevin Von Erich vs. Nord The Barbarian

Kevin is defending and Nord is better known as the Berzerker. Oh and David is wearing his brother Mike’s ring jacket with yellow roses for David in case you REALLY don’t know what to expect here. Nord goes straight at him and hits a flying shoulder to put the champ in early trouble.

A sleeper is broken up so it’s a powerslam for two on Kevin instead. Nord goes up top but misses a guillotine legdrop, allowing Kevin to hit his own slow motion powerslam. There’s a missile dropkick but Kevin’s splash hits a raised boot. A legdrop over the back sets up an over the shoulder backbreaker but Kevin gets smart and grabs the Claw. That’s enough to make them fall over the top and it’s a double countout at 5:33.

Rating: D+. What they had here wasn’t too bad but what in the world was that ending? They really couldn’t do anything other than a double countout in the main event of one of their biggest shows of the year for the World Title? After the previous match they aired had a countout as well? I don’t get the booking here, but then again this isn’t exactly the height of their creative powers.

Overall Rating: D. Egads this wasn’t much to see and it’s easy to see why the promotion is starting to fall apart. What was the appeal here? A tag match about unmasking someone who would be working later on in the show? This was a rather boring show and the best thing about it was the fact that I only had to watch part of the event. Rather bad night here and the empty seats told you almost everything you needed to know.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fury Road
Date: June 1, 2019
Location: Waukesha County Expo Center, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Commentators: Jim Cornette, Rich Bocchini

We’re FINALLY done with the Wrestlemania weekend tapings and tonight it’s a live special with the finals of the National Openweight Title tournament to crown an inaugural champion. Throw in a Middleweight Title match and we have a nice little show here. Hopefully it can turn into a good big show, but I’m not getting my hopes up. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s show with Contra dominating a lot of the roster.

Opening sequence.

World Champion Tom Lawlor is not here yet, either due to weather or traffic issues.

Myron Reed vs. Gringo Loco

Reed has his mouth taped and is holding up the JUSTICE sign again. Rich rants about Reed being checked for weapons despite never having one….and then the referee doesn’t check him anyway, making it a moot point. Loco goes outside early on and it’s a big flip dive to take him down. Back in and Loco starts the flips before dropkicking Reed’s legs out for a nice looking counter.

Reed’s hurricanrana is countered with a cartwheel and Reed is rather stunned. A jumping enziguri hits Reed’s raised arm but puts him down on the apron anyway, only to have him knock Loco down with a forearm. The slingshot legdrop gets two on Loco and it’s time for Reed to get cocky. We hit the chinlock to slow things down but Loco is right back up. Then he’s right back down after missing a moonsault, leaving Reed to charge….right into a running Liger Bomb for two.

A super Falcon Arrow (or a “super Falcon Arrow slam thing” according to Cornette) gets two more but since Reed somehow survived that, it’s a springboard cutter for two on Loco. The springboard 450 is good for the same but the referee accuses Reed of pulling out a foreign object. Since there’s nothing there, Reed has to hit a Stundog Millionaire to block a suplex. Another accusation from the referee has Reed annoyed so Loco grabs a spinning Tombstone for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C+. Reed is an uninteresting character in an interesting story if that makes sense. It might be something that has been done before but it’s a story that can work well. Loco is becoming a cult favorite but he’s a cult favorite who can have some entertaining matches. This worked well and kept the story going so well done.

Post match Reed pulls out some brass knuckles to knock Loco silly.

Salina de la Renta will be executive producing another episode of Fusion on June 15.

We take a quick look at the Crusher, the Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous. Next week, he gets a statue in Milwaukee.

Tom Lawlor still isn’t here so he can’t be interviewed.

National Openweight Title: Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Alexander Hammerstone

For the inaugural title. Pillman’s hair is now bleached blond, which doesn’t work that well for him. Before the match, Maxwell Jacob Friedman says Brian Pillman Sr. would be sick at the sound of his own son. With the seconds gone, Pillman dodges early on and ducks a right hand, setting up a few chops. Forearms in the corner have Hammerstone in trouble and a running dropkick makes it worse. Hammerstone responds by kicking him in the face as the fans try to get behind Pillman again.

Pillman avoids a suplex though and dropkicks him out to the floor for a mostly missed dive. A running start around the ring gets Pillman swung into the barricade and a powerbomb onto the apron stays on Pillman’s back. Hammerstone runs him over back inside and there’s a hard whip into the corner. A little trash talking lets Pillman hits a superkick for two, followed by a spinning high crossbody for the same. The Swanton misses though and the Nightmare Pendulum makes Hammerstone the champion at 8:07.

Rating: C+. They did what they could do here as Pillman isn’t ready for the big epic match. The ending was the right call though as Hammerstone winning gives the Dynasty vs. Hart Foundation feud a little more life. That and Hammerstone is a monster and they would be nuts to have him lose so early. Just give us Smith Jr. vs. Hammerstone and I’ll be happy.

Post match Hammerstone says he was putting in the work while Pillman was riding his dad’s coattails. Now this title is Dynasty.

Austin Aries is still coming. Maybe in his hometown of Milwaukee?

The announcers are cut off by a video with the Contra feed. Contra seems to have taken over the production truck and we see a video of the team attacking Tom Lawlor.

Lawlor is bound and gagged but they take the tape off and choke him with it instead. They want him to learn that they can take anything at any time, including Lawlor’s hair, which is quickly cut.

The announcers apologize for making us see that, including the levels of violence shown. That’s not even the most violent thing Contra has done.

We recap the main event with Jimmy Havoc wanting to end Teddy Hart’s career resurgence.

Middleweight Title: Teddy Hart vs. Jimmy Havoc

Hart is defending and both guys bring chairs, though this isn’t billed as No DQ. We get some Big Match Intros to stretch things out a little bit longer. Hart wastes no time in moonsaulting for no reason other than to show off a bit, which draws a charging Havoc into the corner. Some chair shots to the ribs are perfectly fine with Cornette saying we have relaxed rules due to Hart being involved.

Hart forearms him down for two and it’s time to work on the arm as the announcers talk about all the weather and technical issues that have taken place today. We take a break and come back with Hart hitting a Backstabber, followed by a powerbomb Backstabber. The moonsault gets two more as we hear about Tom Lawlor staggering up to the ticket window and asking for help, though we won’t be seeing it. They head to the apron with Havoc trying an RKO onto a chair, with Hart’s face not getting anywhere near the thing.

Somehow Hart is busted anyway and Havoc goes with the paper cuts between the fingers and on the mouth. A suplex onto a piece of barricade makes it even worse for Hart and it’s time to head back inside. The chair is set up in the corner but, of course, Hart manages to reverse a whip to send Havoc into it instead.

Havoc reverses a super hurricanrana and gets the Sharpshooter (IT’S BECAUSE TEDDY IS RELATED TO BRET HART AND THIS HAS TO BE INCLUDED IN EVERY HART MATCH IN THE HISTORY OF EVER!!!), sending Hart over to the rope. As Cornette tries to figure out why that works in a match with weapons, Havoc hits a Canadian Destroyer but misses the Acid Rainmaker. Hart grabs a Canadian Destroyer of his own and it’s the lifting hammerlock DDT onto the chair to retain the title at 11:33.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as the weapons didn’t add anything and they really didn’t add anything to the match. Hart isn’t exactly a hardcore guy and it was just Havoc doing the short form version of his greatest hits. It’s not terrible and Hart’s weird charisma makes things work, but I could have gone for something rather different.

Post match the Dynasty comes in to beat down Hart, drawing out the Hart Foundation for the big brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. For a live special, this worked quite well and would make me want to see what happens next. That’s exactly the point of something like this and I liked what I was seeing for the most part. There was no blow away match but I don’t think there really needed to be. What we got was good, though I’m more interested in where this is going than where it is here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

NWA Polynesian Championship Wrestling
Date: August 9, 1986
Location: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii
Commentators: Ripper Collins, Dunbar Wakayama

How in the world could I not do a show like this? We’re back in the territory days and way out in Hawaii, where you don’t get a lot of wrestling. I have no idea what to expect here and that’s one of the fun things about watching a show like this. From what I can tell this is part of a big show, as Aloha Stadium holds 50,000 people. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence with the announcers welcoming us to the show in narration.

National Anthem, so you know it’s a major show.

A sign says this is A Hot Summer Night II. Good enough.

House show ad.

Robert Toronto vs. Joe Solo

Someone named Mighty Hilo was announced to face Solo here so Toronto is a replacement. Not a good sign less than three minutes after the previous match was announced. Having maybe 50 fans on camera isn’t a good sign either. Feeling out process to start with a few clean breaks, which commentary insists that the fans enjoy.

They botch….I think a backdrop with Solo taking a headbutt to the ribs instead of being backdropped. It’s off to a headlock to slow things down instead and avoid any more mistakes. Back up and Solo tries his own backdrop but falls down onto Toronto as they’re not exactly working smoothly. Toronto goes with a suplex instead and gets the pin at 2:36. That’s one of the worst short matches I can remember in a long time.

Kini Popo #1/Kini Popo #2 vs. Keith Hart/Smith Hart

The Harts are billed from Los Angeles because….I have no idea really. The commentators then say they’re from a Canadian family just to make sure the confusion reigns. The Popos jump them from behind to start and get sent into each other so the Canadian Californians can clear the ring. Back in and the announcers talk about the Popos being billed from all around the world without seeing the irony.

#2 starts with Keith as the announcers ignore the match to talk about a wrestling journalist coming to Hawaii for a celebration. The Popos take Keith into the corner for their first advantage. Keith gets in a shoulder and armdrag as the camera is WAY too zoomed in, to the point where they lose the action when anyone runs. Thankfully they zoom out as #1 takes over with some knees in the corner.

We get an inset interview from a woman named Spicy, who has been training for a match against a woman named Killer Tomato. With that out of the way, we come back to Smith cranking on #1’s arm before it’s back to #2. A chinlock on Smith takes us to a break and stops the announcers from talking about wrestling in Atlanta even more. Back with everyone brawling on the floor and the Popos getting the better of it as the announcers call Smith Owen.

We settle down to Keith dropping a knee on #2 as the announcers say that’s Owen again. Is it really that hard to say the right name? Keith gets caught in the corner but comes back with a knee to #2’s ribs. It’s starting to rain as Smith comes in and gets caught in a leglock. Everything breaks down again and the referee throws it out at 12:13.

Rating: D+. This was a hard one to get into and I can’t say I’m all that surprised. Some of the Hart Brothers are a bit of an acquired taste and that was certainly the case with Keith. It didn’t help that they had a run of the mill set of opponents and there was nothing that made me care about the match in the slightest. Much like the entire show so far.

Post match, the brawling continues with the Harts clearing the ring.

Killer Tomato, the California Women’s Champion, has faced Spicy before and she’ll be ready tonight.

Super Sakalia vs. Richie Magnet

Magnet is said to be the 1984 Rookie of the Year and he’s not happy because his original opponent has been replaced. Magnet shoulders him down and grabs a headlock takeover but Sakalia fights up without much effort. A clothesline sets up Sakalia’s own chinlock for a few moments as this isn’t exactly thrilling.

Magnet fights up and starts kicking at the leg because it’s the 80s so he uses a Figure Four. Some forearms put Magnet down again and it’s back to the chinlock. That’s broken up as well and Magnet kicks at the leg again, this time taking Sakalia down for the Figure Four. Cue another Samoan named Superfly Tui to attack Richie for the DQ at 7:00.

Rating: D-. Can we please just end this show already? I know it’s the mid 80s but this would be considered boring by any generation. This was one chinlock after another until the ending and I need a lot more than that. It would be nice if it felt like someone was either trying or had the slightest bit of energy in one of these matches but I haven’t seen it yet.

Post match the beatdown is on until someone whose name sounded like Jeff Magruder makes the save.

A guy whose name sounds like Al Harrington (seems to be a comedian) tells people from the east coast to come to Hawaii in what seems like filler between matches.

Uncle Elmer vs. Hans Schroder

Yes it’s the same Uncle Elmer from Wrestlemania II. Elmer comes in and dances a bit before talking about how many pigs he owns. Oh and he’s from Mississippi not Arkansas. They get in an argument over which state he’s from as I’m pretty sure the bell has already rung. We finally get going with Elmer grabbing a headlock and then letting it go for a standoff.

Schroder’s top wristlock doesn’t work at all and Elmer shoves him down again. Hang on though as we go to an inset interview with Magnet and Magruder swearing revenge. As Magruder talks about how much he can lift, Elmer wins a test of strength….and we take a break. IN AN UNCLE ELMER MATCH??? Back with Schroder on the floor and getting counted out at 3:47. The stuff after the break was less than ten seconds.

Rating: F. Oh come on with this nonsense already man. They really went to a break so they could come back for seven more seconds? In a comedy match? This show is one of the worst things I’ve seen in a long time and this somehow might have been the worst part of the whole thing.

Post match Schroder yells about how unfair that was because Elmer sent him over the top. Not that we saw it or anything.

Superfly Tui wants Magruder and doesn’t care how much he can lift. They’ll beat up a cockroach or an elephant if they have to.

The Lieutenant Governor is here.

And now, A CLIPPED VERSION OF ELMER VS. SCHRODER! The announcers want to see Elmer vs. Andre the Giant because it would be good and clean wrestling. Then they just stop showing the clips and talk about how awesome Elmer is.

The announcers sign off.

House show ad.

The announcers sign off again.

Overall Rating: F. This was one of weakest shows I’ve seen in a long time and somehow it was part of their big show. The wrestling was bad, the stories (Can I even make that plural?) were as low rent as you could get and there was no one in the big stadium. I’m not sure what to think of a show like this but I really hope this was just an off night for them because it was a completely terrible show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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