IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #25
Date: October 5, 2018
Location: War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

Fury Road has come and gone but it’s going to be a few weeks before we get there. Why a show that has been around about six months can figure out the scheduling better than Ring of Honor is beyond me, but who am I to complain? The main event here is LA Park vs. Pentagon in a Mexican Massacre match. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Low Ki narrating a video about being Fenix last week, which shows how he and Salina de la Renta will triumph over Konnan. Tonight LA Park will take care of Konnan.

Opening sequence.

Earlier today, Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Aria Blake came to see Salina to ask for help with Joey Janela. Low Ki seems intrigued.

Ricky Martinez vs. Jake St. Patrick

Martinez pauses for a conference with Salina before taking him down for some headscissors faceplants on the mat. St. Patrick gets thrown into the corner for some chops and a hard running lariat. A top rope Codebreaker finishes St. Patrick at 2:12. Total squash.

Tom Lawlor is training in Las Vegas and promises to beat Shane Strickland to prove that he’s the best in the world.

Simon Gotch vs. ???

This is another Prize Fight Challenge for $2000 and the challenger is….Gangrel??? Well sure. Gangrel, who loses a bit without the music and awesome entrance, goes straight at him to start and hammers away in the corner, followed by the running elbow. Gotch sleepers him so Gangrel uses the fangs to escape….and that’s a DQ at 1:03. They can’t have Gangrel take a pin from Gotch? What a bizarre segment.

ACH doesn’t know why Davey Boy Smith Jr. is getting booked after what the Hart Foundation did to Kevin Sullivan. He’s ready to bite like a bulldog.

We look back at Jimmy Havoc vs. Sami Callihan from last week. Spin the Wheel Make the Deal airs on October 26’s Halloween special.

Callihan loves the idea of spinning the wheel and lists off some options, including Coal Miner’s Glove.

We get the first Fightland (November 8 show in Chicago) Control Center with Shane Strickland getting his World Title rematch against Low Ki.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. ACH

ACH dropkicks him at the bell and starts in with the flipping. That just annoys Bulldog so he puts ACH on top for a forearm to the jaw. A superplex is countered into a rollup for two on Smith and a deadlift German suplex is good for the same. ACH takes way too much time going up and tries jumping from the other ring’s top rope for a frog splash, allowing Smith to get away pretty easily. The running powerslam finishes ACH at 2:29, in a loss you wouldn’t expect to be that emphatic.

Konnan is ready for the big main event when Salina (in a different outfit) interrupts. She thanks him for making Pentagon a sacrifice for LA Park. They switch to Spanish and don’t seem to like each other.

Rush, a big name luchador, is coming.

Tale of the tape for Park vs. Pentagon.

LA Park vs. Pentagon

Mexican Massacre, which seems to mean street fight. Salina, in a third outfit, and Konnan are here as well. They go nose to nose to start until Parka pelts a trashcan at him to take over early on. It’s already time to go for Pentagon’s mask, which is torn in half in quite the sign of disrespect. Of course it’s table time with Park going near the production area to clear one off and bring it to the ring, because he needs to wreck as much stuff as possible.

A dustpan to the back keeps Pentagon in trouble and Salina is very pleased. Park hits him in the shoulder with a studded belt and it’s time for some good old fashioned choking. A hurricanrana sends Park to the floor and there’s the big flip dive. One heck of a chair shot to the head has Park’s mask messed up as well and they head back inside. Pentagon hits a top rope double stomp for two and throws some Spanish insults at Salina.

Park clotheslines him down for two of his own but Pentagon kicks him in the knee in the corner to set up the Alberto double stomp. A snap powerslam near a trashcan sets up a backsplash for two on Pentagon, followed by the suicide dive on the floor. Back in and Park hits something like a Lethal Combination for two more but Pentagon is right back with the Sling Blades. Park trashcans him down for another near fall and it’s time for another table. That takes too long though, allowing Pentagon to hit a Backstabber.

Some trashcan shots to the head have Park in trouble but he’s fine enough to come off the top with a spear through the table for a rather close two. Pentagon kicks him low for two more and takes his frustrations out on the referee with a trashcan to the back. Park kicks him low and grabs a cover, with the referee counting a fast pin at 15:56.

Rating: B. The ending was a bit of a relief as I was worried that they were going to put Park over clean here, which would have been a bit of a headscratcher. What we got here, along with an acceptable ending, was a heck of a fight that felt like the violent spectacle they were hoping to have. I liked what I saw here, which tends to be the case with Pentagon no matter where he is.

Post match Park rants in Spanish, which Salina translates to a challenge for the Tag Team Titles. Pentagon seems to accept to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a weird show with a bunch of squashes and then a long match to wrap things up. That makes things rather unbalanced as the squashes weren’t exactly important, but it did give us multiple Salina appearances and that’s a very good thing. This needed some more star power, but at least the main event was strong.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Lucha Underground Twitter

Lucha Underground
Date: October 3, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s definitely Ultima Lucha time as we’re starting to see the card coming together. As of last week we have the Lucha Underground Title match, though there’s always the chance that things are going to change before we get there. Other than that, Mil Muertes is going to be facing the Mack in what should be destruction but might be something a little more interesting given the stage. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap looks at the variety of stories going on around here.

Melissa Santos and Aerostar are on top of the Temple, talking about Fenix changing. Aerostar says Fenix is evil now because Catarina’s spirit possessed him, but Melissa thinks she can save him. That’s a no from Aerostar because he’s seen the end…of everything. Well that’s creepy.

The announcers talk about Marty the Moth Martinez winning the Lucha Underground Title two weeks ago, much to Matt’s shock.

Joey Ryan/XO Lishus/Ivelisse vs. Rabbit Tribe

It’s a brawl to start with Ivelisse armdragging London down, though he seems to like it. El Bunny (I love this team) comes in instead and springboard crossbodies Lishus to take over. The slingshot Bronco Buster connects as the White Rabbit isn’t exactly pleased. London drops Lishus on his head as the White Rabbit shakes his head no.

Ivelisse comes in and starts cleaning house with Joey getting the tag to throw London into Lishus’, uh, hips. The Rabbits send everyone outside though and White Rabbit tags himself in for the menacing stare at Joey. Back to back superkicks have no effect so White Rabbit Saito suplexes Joey down. Ryan is done so the White Rabbit pulls out a white glove and puts on a Mandible Claw for the knockout at 5:20.

Rating: D+. Just a way to introduce the White Rabbit here and that was rather successful. That being said, wouldn’t it make a little more sense to do that earlier in the season instead of doing it with a month to go? He has a great look (it’s awesome in TNA as well) and can wrestle a monster style quite well, but I’m not sure how much time they have to get anywhere with him at this point.

The glove is bloody as it comes out of Joey’s mouth.

Ultima Lucha is two weeks this year and starts on Halloween night. Freshly announced: Fenix vs. Dragon Azteca Jr. in a 2/3 falls match.

Killshot vs. Son of Havoc

Havoc slugs away in the corner to start and a dropkick puts Killshot on the floor. The suicide dive is countered into an F5 into the barricade and Killshot steps on the hand while going after the mask. They go face to face for some yelling until Killshot gets low bridged to the floor. He lands on his feet so Havoc is right there with a dive to take him out.

Back in and Killshot goes for the mask again, only to get get taken down with a cutter for two. Killshot puts him in the corner though and a knee to the back sets up a running Killstomp for two more. An exchange of loud shots to the face goes to Killshot but he can’t get in a cross armbreaker, allowing Havoc to reverse it into a cradle for the pin at 6:36.

Rating: C. They beat each other up well enough here and you can pencil them in for a mask vs. mask match at Ultima Lucha. This has been a good feud where the matches have made up for a not that interesting (though not bad by any means) story and that’s perfectly fine. These two hitting each other really hard for twelve minutes will be more than fine, even with Striker ranting like a moron.

Post match Killshot jumps him from behind and unloads with brass knuckles shots to the head. The mask comes off with Havoc covering his face on the mat. Cue Antonio to make the mask vs. mask match.

Here are Marty Martinez and his still unnamed female friend for a chat. Martinez talks about this journey beginning when Sexy Star embarrassed his family. That’s why he sent Reclusa (the woman) after her and now she has Star’s mask. So there’s your explanation for where she went. The only person to humiliate Martinez more than her was Pentagon Dark and now Martinez has his championship. The only person left is his sister Mariposa, to whom Martinez owes a huge thank you. For that thank you, come have a title shot.

Lucha Underground Title: Mariposa vs. Marty Martinez

Martinez is defending and this is No DQ. A headbutt doesn’t bother Marty as he kicks Mariposa low and hammers away in the corner. Striker: “This is like making love in a hammock.” They head outside with Mariposa being sent into a variety of things and getting busted open in the process. Marty: “BLEED SISTER! BLEED!”

That’s only good for two back inside and Marty smiles as only he can. They’re back outside in short order with Mariposa sending him into the barricade a few times, only to get posted for her efforts. Reclusa sends in a chair which of course goes across Marty’s back as the fans are behind Mariposa.

The chair is pelted at Marty’s head and since that works so well, Mariposa buries him under about eight chair, throwing each one at him about four times each. Somehow Marty isn’t dead so Mariposa drop toeholds him into a chair inside for a rather near fall. A Samoan drop through the chair gets two but Reclusa breaks up the Butterfly Effect. The package piledriver retains the title at 9:14.

Rating: B. Now that was a lot of fun as they managed to make what should have been a dull match into something very entertaining. Mariposa throwing the chairs at Martinez went on so long that it went from silly to awesome, which is a hard trick to pull off. Marty winning was obvious, but it was a good time to get there.

Post match Marty cradles Mariposa and thanks her for his new focus. As for Pentagon, he wants Ultima Lucha to be a Cero Miedo match, which he’ll dedicate to Mariposa. Speaking of Mariposa, Martinez breaks her arm ala Pentagon. Cue Pentagon to chase Marty off and accept the challenge to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Now we’re getting ready for Ultima Lucha and while I’m still not blown away by a lot of the things they have going on, I like it a lot more than I did just a few weeks ago. The main event should be fun but given how this place works, you know they have something planned for a surprise. Good show here, and that’s what the series needed at the moment.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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 #24
Date: September 28, 2018
Location: War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re getting closer to Fury Road and that means things are starting to pick up. It also means that we’ll be getting something entertaining tonight with MLW World Champion Low Ki defending against Fenix. In other words, taking two talented guys and letting them have a long match should work fine. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Sami Callihan and Jimmy Havoc have started fighting in the back before their scheduled match tonight. Both guys go for the eyes and seem to be heading towards the arena.

Opening sequence.

Jason Cade vs. Myron Reed

Cade has Rhett Giddins in his corner. Reed is nice enough to let the referee check him for weapons and Cade dropkicks him in the corner for his efforts. A sunset flip gets Reed out of trouble and a dropkick puts Cade on the floor. Giddins offers a distraction so Cade can take over again as the beating continues. We hit the chinlock and go split screen to see Havoc and Callihan still fighting.

Back to full screen and Reed hurricanranas his way out of a powerbomb attempt, followed by a nip up into an enziguri. Reed scores with a running forearm in the corner and another enziguri, followed by the top rope seated senton for two. Cade knees him in the face for the same, only to be kicked in the face for his efforts. A superkick rocks Cade again but he’s fine enough to elbow Reed in the face.

Reed gets buckle bombed so he pops right back up with a reverse hurricanrana to plant Cade again. Cade scores with another superkick but Reed springboards into a cutter for two. Something like a Cradle Shock (which Tony calls a sitout powerbomb) gives Cade two more so he takes Reed over to the other ring, only to have Reed reverse a suplex into a Stunner.

Just to show off, Reed gets a running start and dives over both ropes for a cutter to wreck Cade. Another diving cutter over the top rope drops Cade onto Giddins but Giddins is fine enough to crotch Reed on top. A backslide driver (that’s a new one) of all things finishes Reed at 9:54.

Rating: C+. Reed looked like a star here, even if he used that cutter once or twice too often. That running cutter looked awesome and I was hoping to see Reed win here, which I didn’t expect coming in. Cade is fine for a midcard heel and having the bigger Giddins as an enforcer is a classic story that will work fine here. This was a very nice surprise.

Post match Cade grabs the mic but Jimmy Yuta runs in and dropkicks him down.

Post break, Yuta promises to play dirty along with Cade.

Fury Road rundown, including Maxwell Jacob Friedman defending the Middleweight Title against Cade and Yuta. Makes sense.

Brody King is ready to face Tommy Dreamer and show him some real violence at Fury Road.

Callihan and Havoc are still fighting with Havoc being choked down until a wet floor sign to the head gets him out of trouble. They fight into the men’s room with Callihan getting a face full of soap. After a break, Havoc can’t find Callihan.

Shane Strickland is ready to prove that he’s still the ace when he faces Tom Lawlor.

Friedman and Aria Blake try to get in to see Salina de la Renta but get shut down.

Cade isn’t happy with Yuta for interfering in his match and swears vengeance.

Court Bauer makes Callihan vs. Havoc: Spin the Wheel Make the Deal for Fury Road. I’m down.

Lawlor is ready to beat up Strickland and prove that he’s the present and the future. He wants to prove that this is a filthy world, not Shane’s house.

Video on Salina de la Renta vs. Konnan in a battle over talent and power.

MLW World Title: Low Ki vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix is challenging and we get the Big Match Intros. They stare each other down to start without much happening in the first minute. Fenix starts speeding things up and hits his springboard armdrag to send Low Ki outside, meaning the big flip suicide dive to drive him into the barricade. The loud superkick has Low Ki in even more trouble and a standing moonsault gets two back inside.

Low Ki dropkicks him down though and Fenix invites the champ to kick him in the chest. One heck of a chop on the floor sends Fenix over the barricade and the pace stays slow. Back inside and we hit the neck crank with Low Ki going after the mask. A double stomp gets two and they head outside again, this time with Fenix being catapulted face first into the post (DING!) to draw some blood.

Fenix gets chopped even more and can barely stand as the referee starts checking on him to make sure this can keep going. Of course Fenix gets up and screams before losing a chop off. Fenix does an Undertaker situp but can’t do much more after that, despite the fans loudly cheering for him. So he really is like Undertaker. One heck of a chop slows Low Ki down so he kicks Fenix into the corner again.

Low Ki grabs him by the hands and goes up top, only to have Fenix grab a double springboard into a hurricanrana. A rolling cutter gets a delayed two on the champ and the Ki Crusher is blocked. Instead Ki kicks him out of the corner for two and the top rope double stomp gets the same.

The big kick is countered into a rollup for two more and they both head up top. Fenix gets the better of it with a springboard Spanish Fly and the kickout shocks them both. A reverse hurricanrana drops Ki on his head but Salina takes Fenix’s mask off, setting up a great looking top double stomp to the back to retain the title at 14:28.

Rating: B. These two beat the heck out of each other and they got somewhere with the idea of Fenix fighting from behind. Those near falls were awesome and Fenix is someone easy to cheer for, making this quite the match. They can save Pentagon vs. Ki for later on or whenever Ki gets a partner for the big tag war. Very fun brawl here and they beat each other up as you would have wanted to see them do.

Salina yells in Spanish and poses with Low Ki.

In the back, Havoc and Callihan are still fighting as they go outside. Callihan gets knocked down some steps and calls Havoc crazy. Havoc: “I know it!” Callihan runs away from Havoc’s kendo stick to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. It’s a good sign when you have two matches on a show and both of them are either good or quite good. Throw in the whole Havoc vs. Callihan thing that set up a big gimmick match for the special show and this was a heck of a night. I want to see Fury Road and that’s a good sign going forward. Really strong show this week and one of the better Fusions to date.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: World Of Sport

World of Sport
Date: September 29, 2018
Location: Epic Studios, Norwich, England
Commentators: So Cal Val, Stu Bennett, Alex Shane

It’s finally the last show of the season as there’s no reason to keep this thing going any longer. In what shouldn’t surprise anyone, the two matches for the last show are the biggest faces in the promotion getting title shots. They’re not exactly hiding what they’re doing here and that’s ok…I think. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the season, mainly focusing on the titles.

Bennett is in the ring to start and introduces the first of two title matches.

Tag Team Titles: Kip Sabian/Iestyn Rees vs. British Bulldog Jr./Grado

Bulldog and Grado are challenging. The champs try to jump them to start but get punched in the face for their cheating efforts. Bulldog slams Grado onto Sabian but Rees offers a grab of the leg to let Sabian take over. A slingshot legdrop gets two on Grado and it’s off to Rees for a chinlock. Grado fights up without too much trouble and brings in Bulldog for the real house cleaning, mainly off a bunch of suplexes. Rees tags himself in though and saves Sabian from the running powerslam, followed by a leglock on Bulldog.

That just earns him an enziguri for the second hot tag to Grado as house is cleaned again. Shane: “Grado has been kept on the outside this entire match.” We’re barely six minutes in and this is his second time in the ring. The Cannonball crushes Sabian for two but he’s right back up to take both challengers down again. The powerbomb/neckbreaker combination only gets two, leaving Bulldog to pull Rees to the floor. Sabina gets Grado up but walks into a cutter for the pin and the titles at 7:55.

Rating: C-. Given the main event we have coming up, this was only the second most obvious ending of the week. The only question coming into this match was which of the two top stars would get the pin and that doesn’t leave much in the way of drama. Not the worst match, but more a matter of waiting on the inevitable.

Post match Bennett applauds Grado to end their….I guess it was a feud. That being said, Grado came into this season as WOS Champion and leaves as a Tag Team Champion. That’s kind of a downgrade no? Did he ever even mention going after the World Title again?

We recap Rampage vs. Justin Sysum. Rampage and his cronies cheated Sysum out of the title so Sysum (already #1 contender at the time) won a match involving nearly the entire roster to earn the shot tonight.

WOS Title: Justin Sysum vs. Rampage

Rampage is defending and has CJ Banks and Sha Samuels in his corner. A goon distraction at the bell doesn’t work as Sysum hits Rampage in the jaw and starts speeding things up. Sysum dropkicks him down as the fans seem to be behind him at least. Rampage is right back with a shot to the ribs and a powerslam as the fans go quiet off the champ taking over. Sysum counters a powerbomb with a backdrop over the top…which makes the referee eject the goons for some reason.

The distraction lets Rampage trip Sysum down on the apron and a hard clothesline gives Rampage two. A belly to back suplex gets the same and an elbow to the face cuts off a comeback attempt. The required heel spinebuster gets two more and we hit the even more required chinlock. Back from a break with Sysum making a comeback off with exactly the kind of offense you would expect from him.

A t-bone suplex sends Rampage flying, only to have him clothesline Sysum’s head off. Rampage’s superplex gets the same and another suplex on the floor keeps Sysum in trouble. Like any villain, Rampage tries to cheat but spends too much time setting up the steps, allowing Sysum to hit a clothesline. The 450 is loaded up but cue Banks for a distraction, mainly showing how toothless the referees are around here.

Sysum hits his own running clothesline for two as Banks pulls the referee out. That means a suicide dive for Banks but since that’s another distraction, Rampage catches Sysum with a Samoan drop. We haven’t had a cheap booking tactic though so the referee gets bumped, meaning there’s no one to count the pin on a fisherman’s suplex to the champ. Now it’s Samuels coming back in to slam Sysum and take the turnbuckle pad off.

Rampage’s implant DDT gets two and the referee gets crushed again on the kickout. Rampage grabs the belt but another referee comes out to take it away, allowing Rampage to grab a small package for two. Sysum sends him head first into the exposed buckle though and the 450 gives him the pin and the title at 25:04.

Rating: C+. It’s good, but WAY too long for what they were capable of doing. This felt like they were trying to fill in as much time as they could with one booking trick after another, which isn’t what you want on a main event. The match should have come off as a big moment and while the title change was the only way to end the show, it needed to have come about ten minutes earlier.

Post match Rampage is livid and shoves Barrett so it’s a Bull Hammer to leave him laying. Sysum celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. And that’s probably it for the series. The final show was exactly what you would have expected it to be and there’s nothing wrong with that. You wouldn’t want to leave the fans sad and having the popular guys win the titles was the right way to close things out. I’m not wild on a lot of the roster but that’s the way you go with things, at least in a classical booking style.

Overall though, the show just wasn’t very good. At the same time though, it wasn’t very bad. That’s the problem as a whole: the show is so average and so mundane that there’s just nothing to talk about. Most of the roster is forgettable and the promos/stories are almost nowhere to be seen. None of the stories stuck with me more than the end of each episode and that’s not enough to make a full time series. Having ten episodes hurt things, but they didn’t leave me with anything that made me want to see more.

I still have almost no idea what the differences are in a lot of the members of the roster. So many of them have no distinguishing features and since there are almost no characters around, it’s not exactly the best roster to make you remember who is who. There were a few stories here and there but most of them began and wrapped up so fast that they didn’t have time to go anywhere.

Every week, the thing that sticks out to be is how much better stuff there is out there. The British wrestling scene is hot right now and this doesn’t cater to any large group of fans. Older fans aren’t going to be interested in such a lame show and younger fans aren’t going to be entertained by something that comes and goes so fast. With all the other wrestling available out there, this isn’t something worth your time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground
Date: September 26, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Things have definitely changed around here as Marty Martinez of all people is the new Lucha Underground Champion. Last week Martinez won the Gift of the Gods Title and cashed it in to become the new Lucha Underground Champion in quite the surprise. Thankfully though that means a ticked off Pentagon, which could make for some interesting results. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video covers almost every major story taking place at the moment.

Matt Striker reads a letter from Antonio Cueto recapping last week’s title situation and announcing a four way tonight for the #1 contendership at Ultima Lucha IV.

Jack Evans is in the ring for a match but doesn’t want to work for a promotion that allows someone like XO Lishus to get away with so much violence. If Evans had been around at Johnny Mundo’s wedding, he would have taken care of Matanza for his buddy. Anyway, no match tonight because he quits. Cue Antonio to say Evans can have a match right now anyway. If he wins, he can walk out a free man. If he loses, he’ll be sacrificed to the gods. Evans: “I’M SO SORRY! OLD MAN WHO LOOKS AND SOUNDS LIKE SATAN, CAN I MAKE YOU A…..”

Jack Evans vs. Matanza

Evans goes after him at the entrance but Matanza pulls him out of the ring (with the Shawn Michaels face from the Undertaker casket match) and throws him right back in for the opening bell. Evans misses a kick to the face and pulls the turnbuckle off the corner. A springboard spinning kick to the head staggers Matanza and Jack hits a 630 but Matanza picks him up for the Wrath of the Gods and the pin at 1:20.

Ivelisse/XO Lishus/Joey Ryan vs. Reptile Tribe

Non-title and the Rabbit Tribe comes out to watch, with the White Rabbit making his temple debut. Joey offers Sami a lollipop…and Sami actually eats the thing. Kobra comes in and the champs are sent into the corner with Daga dropkicking his partners by mistake. Lishus comes in to a big reaction but gets stomped down in the corner for his efforts. Ivelisse gets the tag and chops away at Daga before it’s off to Snake for the not very interesting showdown.

Everything breaks down and Lishus shakes his hips in Daga’s face over and over. Kobra gets thrown onto everyone else and Ivelisse catapults off the apron onto Daga. Back in and Joey puts a fresh lollipop into Snake’s mouth for the superkick. Daga comes back in though and grabs a rollup into a cross armbreaker to make Ryan tap at 5:22.

Rating: D+. I’m still not liking most of these matches as the Trios Titles aren’t the most interesting things in the world. At least it’s starting to feel like a division, but when your roster has gone plummeting, maybe a match that requires six people isn’t the best thing in the world anymore.

Post match the Rabbit Tribe comes in to beat down Ryan and company. The White Rabbit shouts TICK TOCK in their faces as Striker thinks they might be the hare apparent to the Trios Titles.

Jake Strong vs. Aerostar/Drago

Nunchucks match, meaning a pair are waiting by the entrances. The double teaming has Strong in trouble to start, including some alternating kicks to the chest. Strong fights them off without much effort and goes up the steps but Drago gets to the nunchucks first. Aerostar dives onto Jake but gets caught, only to have Strong throw them both into the walls. Drago gets on Aerostar’s shoulders for some mist. Some nunchuck shots to the back have Strong in trouble and the fans think this is awesome for some reason.

Aerostar goes up to the top of the temple and finds some more nunchucks, only to get thrown off the top for a big crash. Strong gets the nunchucks away but Aerostar dives off the balcony to take him down. Back in and the masked men double team Strong with nunchuck shots to the back, followed by a top rope springboard splash for two. Drago gets sent outside and the gutwrench powerbomb into the ankle lock makes Aerostar tap at 8:29.

Rating: D-. That’s one of the worst matches they’ve done around here in a long time as Strong didn’t look interested in doing anything here and only hit his big stuff at the end to win. You really should do some more selling when you’re being beaten up with nunchucks by two people who used to be champions together. There’s a fine line between being pushed hard and being treated as invincible and this was more the latter, which isn’t good.

Post match Drago tries a save and gets his ankle snapped.

King Cuerno vs. Mil Muertes vs. El Dragon Azteca Jr. vs. Penatagon Dark

The winner gets a title shot at Ultima Lucha IV. Muertes cleans house to start and puts everyone down without much effort. Cuerno finally hits him with a dropkick before going after Azteca with the slow offense. It’s Pentagon coming back in for the save, only to get caught in a tornado DDT from Azteca.

Cue Fenix to go after Melissa Santos, who runs away so Azteca can dive onto Fenix. Azteca and Fenix fight to the back, leaving Cuerno to hit the suicide dive onto both of them. Cue the Mack to Stun Muertes, allowing Pentagon to take Muertes out with a Canadian Destroyer. A superkick puts Cuerno on the floor, leaving Pentagon to pin Muertes at 5:19.

Rating: D+. Well…duh. I mean, who else was going to get the title shot at the biggest show of the year? It’s not like this was in any kind of doubt or anything so going with Pentagon in the fast match, especially one that sets up Fenix vs. Azteca at the same time, is a good idea. That being said, it’s also not much of a match as they didn’t have time to get violent or do the hard hitting stuff that has served them so well.

Post match Mack says he’s fighting Muertes at Ultima Lucha IV in a Death Match. Mack: “Rest in peace mother******”, which isn’t censored on the show.

Overall Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this week’s show as they’re not exactly on a hot streak heading into Ultima Lucha in a few weeks. The problem with this season is the lack of a big story. I guess the biggest story at the moment is Fenix being evil and that’s not exactly the big one they need to keep people interested. Maybe things pick up at Ultima Lucha but there’s just nothing going on that makes me care about the show the way I did before and that’s not a good thing at all.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: World of Sport

World of Sport
Date: September 22, 2018
Location: Epic Studios, Norwich, England
Commentators: So Cal Val, Stu Bennett, Alex Shane

It’s the next to last show and since Justin Sysum won a #1 contenders match a few weeks back, it’s time to crown a #1 contender. Yeah that hasn’t made sense in recent weeks and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. With just a week to go before the final episode, you can also almost guarantee Grado getting something going, likely in the form of a Tag Team Title shot. Let’s get to it.

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

There’s an opening. It recaps stuff.

Women’s Title: Kay Lee Ray vs. Viper

Viper is challenging because she hasn’t gotten to do that recently enough. Kay speeds things up to start and kicks Viper in the leg, followed by a running Downward Spiral for two. One heck of a crossbody gives Viper two of her own and she shrugs off…whatever the camera cut didn’t let us see.

A backsplash crushes Ray for two more but she trips Viper down for hey look at the fans again. They head outside with Viper slamming her onto the ramp and getting two off the Michinoku Driver. Ray gets the same off a superkick and counters a superplex attempt into a sitout powerbomb for two more. The Gory Bomb retains the title at 6:17.

Rating: D+. So you remember all those other times when Viper was a monster and Ray managed to beat her anyway? This was the least interesting of those as the “division” is still all of three people most of the time and Viper is the only one presented as a challenger to the title. Totally nothing match as the same thing has been done multiple times.

As usual, neither woman gets to say anything. You think that might be why the women’s division is the weakest part of the show?

Bennett gets to announce the big unique match, which is called the Buzzer Battle. It will start as an elimination tag match and every time he rings the buzzer, two more will be added. Once we get down to eight people, the match turns into an over the top rope battle royal. The winner of that is #1 contender, like Justin Sysum is at the moment.

Buzzer Battle

There will be sixteen people in all and we start off with Robbie X vs. Kip Sabian, which isn’t a tag team elimination match, meaning I don’t think the promotion gets the idea either. The feeling out process goes to Sabian who sends Robbie into the corner, only to get dropkicked down for his efforts. Sabian grabs a cravate and the buzzer brings in Stevie Boy and BT Gunn, giving us Robbie/Stevie vs. Sabian/Gunn as I try to figure out how these teams are determined.

An ax handle to the arm sends Sabian over to the corner for a tag and it’s Boy vs. Gunn. They’re hesitant to start until Gunn throws a dropkick, only to have Iestyn Rees join Gunn/Sabian and Liam Slater join Stevie/Robbie. Gunn and Boy stay in the ring with Gunn hiptossing him down until Rees tags himself in. Sabian comes in as well for some kicks to the back as the fans want Robbie. Stevie can’t get a hurricanrana on Rees so it’s the powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to plant him instead.

Sabian makes Gunn get the pin but he won’t do it, meaning Sabian has to come back in for the pin instead. Gunn punches Sabian in the face and gets decked by Rees, allowing Slater to come in and get the elimination. The buzzer brings in Grado and Sha Samuels, giving us Grado/Slater/Robbie vs. Rees/Sabian/Samuels. Grado and Samuels come in, which the announcers call a “historic” rivalry. I mean, they’ve had one match so I guess that’s historic now.

The jabs into the Bionic elbow but Rees and Sabian pull Grado’s partners to the floor, allowing Samuels to clothesline Grado down. Back from a break (the first ever during a match on this show) with nothing having changed (always appreciated) as Robbie and Slater try to get back on the apron. Bennett is enjoying Grado taking a beating so Val rings the buzzer, bringing out British Bulldog Jr. to join Grado/Slater/Robbie and CJ Banks to join Samuels/Sabian/Rees.

A quick cutter takes Samuels down and it’s off to Bulldog vs. Sabian. Bulldog cleans house in a hurry but an atomic drop/shoulder combination takes him down. Grado comes back in and everything breaks down….so it’s a quadruple DQ to get rid of Grado, Bulldog, Rees and Sabian. As annoying as I tend to find though, that’s a good idea in this match. There’s the buzzer so here’s Adam Maxted but Nathan Cruz, who doesn’t have a contract, jumps him from behind and gets in to beat on Slater, which is perfectly legal.

Even Barrett says he had another wrestler in that spot as Slater dives over for a tag to Maxted so house can be cleaned. Another buzzer brings in Crater on Cruz’s team and Sysum on Maxted’s team but Barrett is getting bored so another buzzer brings in Gabriel Kidd and….MOOSE??? Wait you had MOOSE available for any length of time and you don’t mention it until there’s an hour and fifteen minutes left in the season??? Val: “There is a Moose loose about this WOS hoose!” That almost makes up for what a mind boggling decision it is to wait this long for Moose to debut.

So we’re down to Robbie/Slater/Maxted/Sysum/Moose vs. Banks/Samuels/Cruz/Crater/Kidd. The double tag brings in Moose to face Banks for the MOOSE jabs and the fans are way into him, because he’s the most charismatic guy on the roster (save for maybe Grado). Everything breaks down and Slater dives onto a bunch of people, followed by Kidd doing the same. Cruz hits a hanging Codebreaker to get rid of Robbie and tags Crater in for a reverse Razor’s Edge flipping slam on Slater.

A splash finishes Slater and we take a second break as we’re down to eight, meaning the battle royal is on with a final grouping of Slater, Maxted, Sysum, Moose, Samuels, Banks, Cruz, Crater and Gabriel. Back again with nothing changed for a second time (sweet) with everyone sliding in and a bunch of shots of the crowd. Cruz and Maxted are tossed out and fight up the ramp as Kidd is eliminated as well. Actually Cruz and Maxted went out through the ropes so it’s only seven left.

Banks and Samuels hold Sysum so Crater can drop a splash until Moose makes a save. We can’t have Moose vs. Crater yet though as Banks jumps Moose from behind. Maxted and Cruz get back in with the former eliminating the latter, only to have Cruz come back in and toss Maxted as well. This of course is perfectly within the rules because….well why wouldn’t it be? Security gets rid of Cruz as Moose clotheslines Banks and Samuels down at the same time.

The running basement dropkicks in the corner rock the two of them and they’re both tossed a few seconds later. The Crater vs. Moose battle begins…and ends in a hurry with Crater tossing him out, to get us down to Crater and Sysum. Justin slugs away and manages to pick Crater up, only to have the big man fall on him. Crater charges into a boot though and Sysum does slam him, followed by the toss for the win at 31:45.

Rating: D+. To say this was different than anything else all season is an understatement but that doesn’t make it a good idea. This match, while very unique, was more complicated than it needed to be. I certainly do like the idea of having something other than just a big battle royal, but the elimination stuff here was all over the place and I kept having to check my notes to see who was in the match on which side. That makes me remember how badly built up this roster has been and that’s not something we need to be reminded of again.

Once we got to the battle royal though, it got a lot better as you could keep track of what was going on and who was still in, even though Cruz’s participation was rather annoying if you’re treating the show with continuity. Sysum winning was about as obvious as you could get, especially when you factor in HE WAS ALREADY #1 CONTENDER IN THE FIRST PLACE. In other words, the wrestling itself was fine, but it was messier than it needed to be and a big end around that gets us right back where we were in the first place.

Sysum can’t believe he won.

Next week: Sysum vs. Rampage and Grado/Bulldog Jr. vs. Rees/Sabian. Well duh.

Overall Rating: C. The big match was a nice change of pace, though the opener was only going to be so good given what the story was with the time allotted. I do appreciate the fact that they’ve changed things up as it was VERY needed around here, but how excited can I get over it with an hour to go in the entire series? It’s too late in the process, but at least they did make for a better episode this time around. If nothing else, just for the sake of changing things up and having what felt like a big match instead of another seven to eight minute match.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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 #23
Date: September 21, 2018
Location: War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re still down in Florida and that’s not the worst thing in the world. The arena looked rather good last week for WarGames and had a very close knit vibe to it, making the show feel more intimate than most. Well as intimate as two teams inside a double cage is going to get. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Konnan with Fenix and Pentagon Jr. for an opening chat. Konnan is fired up to be back home and the CERO MIEDO chants start up. He wants to talk about Salina de la Renta and while he doesn’t have a problem with ambition, he has an issue with her methods. Those contracts for Pentagon and Fenix were so one sided and a good example of why wrestling contracts get bad names.

Cue Salina with Ricky Martinez, the latter of whom is carrying a contract. Salina makes it clear that Pentagon and Fenix were granted early release and didn’t walk away. She offers them new contracts, which were negotiated with “Hunter”, who is offering them English classes and a little rebranding. Ricky holds out a pen and the fans are already starting the NO chants. If they sign, they can get out of having to face LA Park and Low Ki. That’s a big no though, as Spanish is shouted and the contracts are ripped up. MLW has these two signed up for a long time and teasing the WWE signing is an interesting idea.

Opening sequence.

Stud Stable vs. Hart Foundation

Dirty Blonds/Parrow for the Stable here and this is under hurricane (tornado) rules. Pillman wearing a smoking jacket to the ring is a perfect touch and he’s looking more like his dad every day. Smith starts the beating early as Pillman slips to the floor to trip Parrow. The Foundation cleans house but Pillman charges into a boot in the corner. That’s not cool with Smith, who fires off kicks to Parrow’s chest.

Hart hits the big moonsault to the floor and the fans are way into him all over again. Back in and Smith suplexes Brien, leaving Hart to hit a slow motion sunset bomb out of the corner. Pillman takes forever coming off the top with a high crossbody but Parrow is right there to throw him into the corner. The Blonds are back up and beat Hart down, much to the fans’ annoyance. Not that it matters as Pillman knocks Brien to the floor, leaving Parrow to take the running powerslam for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C-. I don’t disagree with the idea of the Harts winning here, as they are almost destined to be a major force around here. However, the Stable hasn’t won anything of note in what feels like months and you can’t do that much longer without the wins not meaning anything anymore. Pillman was clearly being protected in one of his first matches back from injury and there’s nothing wrong with that. Good win for the Harts.

Post match the Harts leave as Colonel Parker yells at Parrow. The Blonds beat Parrow down to kick him out of the Stable.

Video on WarGames, including Sami Callihan blaming Jimmy Havoc for the loss.

Havoc isn’t pleased with what Sami did and thinks the anger is misdirected. One of Sami’s kids tapped out but that’s not the point. They’re going to fight and Havoc likes that Sami is angry.

Aria Blake and Maxwell Jacob Friedman are in the back with MJF not getting the women’s wrestling thing. Or women’s voting for that matter, but that’s a different story. Blake wants to snatch Taya Valkyrie bald but Friedman would rather talk about his abs.

Aria Blake/Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Taya Valkyrie/Joey Ryan

This is Taya’s debut. Hang on though as Ryan needs a lollipop and some oil. The bell rings and Friedman WILL NOT touch Ryan’s….yeah. Ryan: “If you’re not going to touch it, maybe SHE’LL touch it!” Bocchini on what we’re seeing: “I don’t know how to explain this on national television. Google it.” That’s as good as you can do in that situation. Blake rips at Ryan’s chest hair instead and actually gets a near fall as it’s back to MJF for a failed atomic drop attempt.

Taya comes in for a drop toehold onto Joey’s crotch, which MJF sells like death for two. Back up and MJF refuses to hit a woman so Taya slaps him instead. A shake of the chest and a shot to the face gets two before it’s back to Ryan. Blake offers a cheap shot from the apron and it’s MJF taking over by ripping at Ryan’s face. With Ryan in trouble, Blake comes back in for some spanks and a spinning neckbreaker for two.

It’s back to MJF for a chinlock until Ryan suplexes his way to freedom. That’s enough for a double tag to the women with Taya easily getting the better of it, including some running knees in the corner. A surfboard stomp gives Taya two and she seems….mildly annoyed at best. Aria gets in a kick to the head though and it’s back to the men. Ryan slugs away and puts the lollipop in MJF’s mouth, freaking him out as you might have expected. The superkick hits Taya by mistake though, allowing Aria to hit Ryan low. As she tends to her likely broken arm, MJF gets a rollup with trunks to pin Ryan at 8:37.

Rating: D+. That really needs to be it for this feud as MJF has beaten Ryan every time. There’s enough of a roster around to allow Friedman to have multiple opponents and it’s time to switch things up a bit. Ryan wasn’t as over the top here outside of signature stuff and mostly wrestled the match straight, which is the right call in something like this.

Post match Aria has her elbow out of socket ala Alexa Bliss for a great touch. MJF brags about getting rid of Ryan and Joey Janela, so here’s Janela to jump him from behind. A low blow gets MJF out of trouble.

Fury Road Control Center. Announced for the show: Tom Lawlor vs. Shane Strickland. I’m good with that.

Callihan accepts Havoc’s challenge and blames the WarGames loss on his former friend.

Brody King vs. PCO

King wastes no time in stomping PCO down in the corner and dropping a backsplash for an early two. PCO is fine enough to knock King to the floor and hit a suicide dive, which is rather impressive given how huge he is. They slug it out with PCO’s shouting adding a lot to the impacts.

A pop up powerbomb drops King back inside and PCO gets annoyed at the referee for not counting fast enough. King gets two of his own off a running clothesline and a suplex is good for the same. PCO is right back with a DDT but King backdrops him into the corner for a scary looking crash. We get the required slugout until they go for each others eyes. The referee gets shoved down and it’s a double DQ at 5:19.

Rating: C. There is something so much fun about having two big guys hit each other really hard for a few minutes. The ending here is fine as they can have a street fight or something to really get violent and that’s where the story needs to go anyway. PCO has grown a lot on me in a short while and I’m getting into the idea of the character.

Post match King piledrives PCO and hammers away at his unconscious body. Referees get Brody out and PCO MOONSAULTS ONTO EVERYONE (Freaking sweet!) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a show where the matches don’t add up to the overall total. They’re packing in a lot of good stuff onto the show and I’m liking the characters and motivations more every week. Above all else though, they’re giving you a reason to tune in next week and that’s not something that even WWE knows how to do a lot of the time. It’s a good sign for the future and something a lot of companies take years to understand.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground
Date: September 19, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s another big match tonight with Lucha Underground Champion El Dragon Azteca Jr. defending against Marty the Moth Martinez, who bought his shot at the title last week. Martinez also asked Antonio Cueto for something else, which wasn’t specified but sounded Matanza related. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Fenix going evil and the Gift of the Gods Title match.

Fenix vs. Aerostar

Melissa Santos is understandably upset to have to introduce Fenix. Aerostar doesn’t want to fight so Fenix kicks him in the face and takes him into the corner for another one. The fans are split (because they’re odd around here) as Aerostar gets two off a sunset flip. Fenix bails to the floor so Aerostar hits a big springboard dive to take him down. That’s about it for Aerostar’s offense as Fenix sends him into the post, stares at Melissa, and sends Aerostar back inside for two off a springboard splash.

A LOUD kick to the back gets two and the fans are actually cringing. Aerostar is right back with a Canadian Destroyer and a slingshot DDT for two of his own but Fenix shrugs off some kicks to the face. Fenix puts him on top and hits a quick dropkick, followed by the Muscle Buster driver for the pin at 6:23.

Rating: C-. This was a fine way to establish Fenix as the monster and that’s the right idea. Having him shove Melissa last week was a great way to start things off and having him win a competitive match is fine. You know this is going somewhere big for Ultima Lucha and I’m curious to see where that exactly is.

Post match Fenix stays on Aerostar and Melissa says this isn’t him. Dragon Azteca Jr. comes out to get between Fenix and Melissa so Fenix gives him the Muscle Buster driver on the floor. That’s some pretty bad timing as Antonio comes out to say the title match is next, but Dragon will have to forfeit. Dragon wants to fight so let’s have the match.

Gift of the Gods Title: Dragon Azteca Jr. vs. Marty Martinez

Dragon is defending and Marty runs him over without much effort. The beating is on in the corner and Dragon can barely do anything. Some kicks to the head stagger Marty for a few moments but he avoids a charge and Dragon gets caught in the corner. Dragon shoves him off the top and hits a slingshot hurricanrana though, followed by the DDTJ for two. Not that it matters as the implant double arm DDT gives Marty the pin and the title at 4:44.

Rating: D+. There wasn’t much of a way that you could have Dragon keep the title here. He wasn’t the most thrilling champion in the world and someone taking his title, especially by cheating, was the right way to go. Throw in the Fenix attack before the match and there was little reason to buy the idea that Dragon was retaining here.

Paul London finally gets to see the White Rabbit and says that having the failures of the tribe being sacrificed were to prove his loyalty. The White Rabbit wants to go to the surface along with El Bunny (a masked mini), telling London to lead the cage.

Lucha Underground Title: Pentagon Dark vs. Mil Muertes vs. King Cuerno

Dark is defending. Muertes wastes no time in clotheslining both of them in the corner before throwing Cuerno into a different corner. A double dropkick puts Muertes on the floor, only to have Pentagon chop the post by mistake. Muertes is right back with a running clothesline to Pentagon as the mask is half ripped off. That’s not enough for Muertes, who throws Pentagon into the crowd before going back inside to get kicked by Cuerno.

Pentagon runs back in to break up a cover off a powerslam and kicks Muertes in the face a few times. The Sling Blade sets up a top rope double stomp for two as Cuerno is back in. A chokeslam puts him down so pentagon kicks Muertes to the floor, setting up the Fear Factor to pin Cuerno at 6:03.

Rating: C+. I could have gone for more of this as the three of them get to beat the heck out of each other, which they can do as well as anyone else on the roster. That makes for an entertaining match, which really could have gone on longer. Pentagon continues to survive as champion in one of the more entertaining stories of the season.

Post match Marty runs in to beat Pentagon down…and Antonio says let’s wave that one week rule and have the title match RIGHT NOW.

Lucha Underground Title: Pentagon Dark vs. Marty Martinez

Marty is challenging and Pentagon is dead. An early cover is only good for two and the beating is on. Marty even ties the mask to the ropes and hammers away but Pentagon gets out and hits a quick Destroyer. With Marty on the floor, cue the debuting (and unnamed) Chelsea Green for a Destroyer of her own to Pentagon. Marty comes back in and hits a Fear Factor of his own for the pin and the title at 3:36.

Rating: D. Angle instead of a match here and the right way this needed to end. You can only have Pentagon survive as champion against so many odds and this would have been too much for him to overcome in one night. I’m sure he’ll get a rematch where he likely gets the title back and if that means more of Green, so be it.

Overall Rating: B. This was one of those shows where they hit everything in stride and the stories flowed from one match to the next. That’s the kind of booking that you don’t get very often but they pulled it off incredibly well here. It was a tight episode that didn’t miss anything and the wrestling was taking a well deserved backseat to the booking. Very fun show here and one of the strongest in a long time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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 #22
Date: September 14, 2018
Location: War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rich Bocchini

And then, WarGames. I’ll give MLW a lot of points for not wasting time in getting to something like this. They’ve built up some characters and a feud so they’re hitting the ground running with what they have. That’s better than wasting time on matches that people don’t want to see when you can do something big like this to make an impact. Or it’s wasting a huge match early on. Let’s get to it.

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

The ten people involved tonight all talk about being ready for war. Sami Callihan says his team is going to hurt Shane Strickland and his team because this isn’t about wrestling anymore.

Shane says his team is ready to be the angels to Sami’s demons. John Hennigan says they seem like douchebags instead of demons. The rest of the team is better too, with Tommy Dreamer citing Martin Luther King of all people. I really don’t think he’s like WarGames Tommy.

Opening sequence.

The double cage is being constructed. That never gets old.

Salina de la Renta and Low Ki yell at reporters in Spanish and don’t seem impressed when they run into Dreamer.

We look at the Hart Foundation attacking Kevin Sullivan two weeks back.

The Hart Foundation knows they won’t be suspended because that’s MLW is a bunch of cowards. You can’t stop them and the fans are already talking. The family has taken a lot over the years and they’re not going to take it anymore. They’ve been fined lately, but they’re ready to make more money to pay it off. Brian Pillman Jr. talks about the media lying to you because the Hart Foundation is now the cash cow. Pillman’s smile is perfect.

Fury Road rundown.

The construction continues and there are weapons included inside. You really don’t need those in WarGames. There is also no roof, which isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Team Callihan vs. Team Strickland

Shane Strickland, Tommy Dreamer, John Hennigan, Barrington Hughes, Kotto Brazil

Sami Callihan, Sawyer Fulton, Leon Scott, Abyss, Jimmy Havoc

WarGames, featuring the classic rules. One wrestler from each team will fight for five minutes. After that there is a coin toss with the winning team getting to send in its second man for two minutes. When those two minutes are up, the team that lost even things up. Two more minutes go by and the team that won the toss goes up 3-2. You alternate every two minutes until all ten are in and then it’s first submission wins.

Brazil and Fulton start as apparently Team Strickland won the coin toss. Um, what? The heels are always supposed to win that thing. They better have a good idea of how to get out of this. Brazil is tired of waiting and dropkicks Fulton through the door and through a table to get things going but Fulton catches him coming off the top once they get inside. Some running elbows in the corner have Fulton in some trouble until he throws Kotto into the cage.

Kotto gets LAUNCHED from one ring to the other and there’s a missile dropkick to rock him again. With the pain increasing, Brazil spits in his face and gets tossed into the cage wall for his efforts. Kotto gets his face rubbed against the cage with Fulton talking trash about how no one is going to save him. They manage to get the timing right (almost no one can pull that off) and it’s Hennigan in to make it 2-1.

A standoff lets Hennigan forearm Fulton in the face and Brazil gets up to really start the double teaming. Brazil gets thrown into the corner but Hennigan dives onto Fulton to take over again. Jimmy Havoc (with Hawk face paint0 is in fourth to tie things up and he goes straight to the paper cut on both of Hennigan’s hands. Brazil’s face gets cut and this is actually far main painful than it might sound. Havoc holds up a sign so Fulton can throw him face first into it and there’s a stop sign to Hennigan’s back.

Strickland is in next but Callihan attacks him from behind and tosses him onto (not through) a table. Callihan slams the cage door on Hennigan’s head and gets in the cage to make it 3-2, giving us the way around the coin toss. Kind of an unnecessary detail but not the worst idea. Hennigan gets sent through a table and Fulton drops Callihan onto him for bad measure. A running Razor’s Edge into the cage makes things even worse for Brazil and it’s Dreamer in next, of course complete with a trashcan full of weapons.

Dreamer cleans house and the TOMMY DREAMER chants start up, which make sense in a town ECW ran back in the day. Hennigan is back up to slug away at Fulton and Havoc is busted open (well duh). Now it’s Scott coming in to “even” things up and the weapons have Team Strickland in even more trouble. Hennigan gets caught in a trashcan and pummeled with sticks but Brazil suplexes Havoc as Hughes is in for Team Strickland. He can barely make it through the ropes before getting into a fight with Scott.

Havoc hits Hughes in the head with a wet floor sign and gets glared at for his efforts. Callihan’s stop sign to the head works a lot better as we’re told that Strickland is done for the night. The other good guys get up and take over with Brazil even having time to enjoy some water. Abyss finishes Team Callihan and the Match Beyond begins, meaning submissions are now legal. The monster cleans house until Dreamer hammers away with the Flip Flop and Fly, earning himself a Black Hole Slam.

Hughes and Abyss have the big staredown until everyone gets up for the big brawl. Brazil gets up top for the BIG corkscrew dive, though the camera cuts to a wide shot for some reason. They show a regular version on the replay so I’m not sure I get that one. Havoc takes a Canadian Destroyer and Brazil cranks on a reverse Rings of Saturn, leading to a double Human Centipede of submissions.

That’s broken up as well and it’s Hughes splashing Abyss in the corner. Abyss is right back with a clothesline to knock Hughes down for the first time ever. Scott sends himself through a table (CRUNCH) but Hennigan gets dropped by a Rainmaker. Callihan tells Abyss to get the tacks but Brazil bites his hand to escape a chokeslam.

An Asai DDT (a running Salida Del Sol) sends Abyss into the tacks instead, leaving Callihan to accidentally take a Rainmaker. Dreamer adds a cutter and it’s barbed wire time. Brazil and Dreamer wrap barbed wire around Hughes and I don’t see this ending well. The splash “hits” Fulton’s back and a regular splash makes things worse. Hughes and Brazil wrap the wire around Fulton’s face for the tap at 30:45.

Rating: B. This was about all you could ask for in a WarGames match and I’m assuming Strickland was actually injured or it’s a good angle to keep things going for a future match. They came up with a good way to use Hughes here as there’s not much someone his size can do. The rest of the guys did fine and the right person took the fall, so there isn’t much to complain about here. They had a good level of violence and nothing really dragged, though having the captain out did lower the stakes a good deal.

The winners leave and Callihan and company blame Havoc for the loss. A big beatdown ends the show.

Overall Rating: B+. The angle at the end and the recaps from earlier in the night helped this a bit and the show was a lot of fun overall. There’s something about WarGames that makes it feel that much more special and that’s exactly what we got here. Good show with the one match being all that mattered, which is pretty hard to pull off actually.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: World of Sport

World of Sport
Date: September 15, 2018
Location: Epic Studios, Norwich, England
Commentators: Stu Bennett, So Cal Val, Alex Shane

I’m not sure what to say about this show anymore as we have three episodes left and a grand total of nothing to be excited about. There’s very little life in this place and that hasn’t changed since the first show. It’s settled down to the point where you can tell who everyone is, but I still have no reason to care about these people. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap/preview.

Ayesha vs. Viper

#1 contenders match. They start with the required power lockup with Viper getting the better of things. Stereo shoulders don’t get anyone anywhere so Viper sends her face first into the buckle over and over. A cobra clutch has Ayesha in trouble and a backsplash gets two. The clutch goes back on (just to mix things up a bit) but Ayesha breaks free and runs her over. A fisherman’s suplex gets two on Viper but seems to tick her off, earning Ayesha a trip into the corner for the Cannonball (becoming way too common these days). The sitout powerslam is good for the pin on Ayesha at 6:49.

Rating: D. I’m not much of a fan of these power vs. power matches and when I still know NOTHING about either of them, it’s a little hard to really care. We’ve seen Kay Lee Ray beat Viper twice now and I have no idea why I should care about seeing it happen a third time. But hey, that’s never stopped them before and it’s not going to in the final few shows.

Post break, Viper promises to win the title.

Will Ospreay/Bea Priestly vs. Stevie Boy/Kay Lee Ray

The entire deal here: they’re couples in real life. Ignore continuity, heel/face alignments and the fact that, again, neither of the couples have actually interacted on TV up to this point. REAL LIFE you see. The men start with Ospreay running the ropes for a hurricanrana but Stevie pops back up for a standoff. The women come in with Ray getting two off a middle rope dropkick and grabbing the choke.

Priestly hits a running knee to the head….in theory at least as they cut away to the crowd before the impact. Wait. So we can have LADDER MATCHES but a knee to the head from one woman to another isn’t allowed? Then why would you book the women on the show in the first place? Anyway Ray is back with another dropkick (allowed to be seen) and it’s back to the men. Ospreay scores with an enziguri but a Falcon Arrow gives Stevie two. A slugout goes to Stevie and everything breaks down.

Stereo Cheeky Nandos kicks have Stevie and Ray in trouble but Stevie hits a top rope hurricanrana. I mean, Ospreay flips forward and lands on his feet but Stevie did his part fine. The guys are sent to the floor for stereo suicide dives from the women, who then go back inside for the big staredown. That…goes nowhere as they head outside, go halfway around the ring and then fighting on the floor instead. Back in and Ray gives Ospreay a reverse hurricanrana so Stevie can get two off a Canadian Destroyer. Ospreay is fine enough for the running C4 and Stormbreaker for the pin at 8:04.

Rating: C. Well that was a thing that happened. The wrestling was fine but I need a lot more than “they’re dating” to make me want to watch a match. Ospreay is Ospreay but I couldn’t tell you a single thing about any of the other three, aside from Ray being Women’s Champion which means nothing here. This felt like the definition of filler and that’s always annoying.

Iestyn Rees vs. British Bulldog Jr.

Thankfully there’s no Grado with Smith so hopefully that team is already gone. They shove each other to start with Bulldog taking him down without much effort. The test of strength goes to Rees thanks to a kick to the ribs but he can’t get Bulldog all the way down. Back up and they hit some hard running shots to the chest until it’s a double knockdown. The non-delayed suplex gives Bulldog two but Rees sends him shoulder first into the post.

Rees starts working on the arm back inside and we hit an armbar as the fans are entirely behind Bulldog (well duh). A stomp to the arm warrants another cut so Bulldog rolls him over into a cross armbreaker. The armbar goes right back on and a neck snap across the top rope cuts off Bulldog’s comeback.

Rees gets caught on top though and a superplex gives Bulldog two. Some rolling German suplexes give Bulldog the same and a powerbomb with a jackknife cover gets the third straight near fall. Rees spears him for two of his own and can’t believe the kickout. Bulldog hits a quick powerslam for the pin at 11:04, by far the longest match of the series so far.

Rating: C+. Bulldog is better than most people on the roster in the first place so the match being better isn’t the biggest surprise. Iestyn is a decent talent but he needs a slightly better (and easier to pronounce) name to make things work a little better. You can almost pencil in Bulldog and someone else (please not Grado) winning the Tag Team Titles to end the series.

Crater vs. Robbie X

You win by taking off the opponent’s mask. Robbie kicks away to start but a handspring elbow is countered into a release Rock Bottom. A bearhug goes on so Robbie goes for the mask to escape. Crater manages a dropkick (not bad all things considered) and Robbie sells it like death, as he should. Robbie is fine enough to kick him to the floor for a moonsault but Crater runs him over again. A big splash misses though and Robbie hits a springboard cutter, allowing him to pull the mask off for the win at 5:11.

Rating: D. Robbie was fine but what is the point in building up Crater to have him lose in a handicap match and then a mask vs. mask match which is more humiliating than anything else? It still feels like whoever is booking these shows learned wrestling by reading a book instead of hands on experience and that’s not the best idea in the world. Nothing to see here, especially since Crater covered his face.

Post match Crater takes the mask back and puts it on again before leaving in shame.

Bennett has some….breaking news for us. Next week there will be a unique match involving the entire male roster with the winner getting a title shot the following week. Three things here.

1. Justin Sysum still won the #1 contenders match a few weeks back and still hasn’t received his title shot.

2. Bennett said that it’s a match involving the entire male roster for a show at Rampage. Shouldn’t that have been the entire male roster save for Rampage? I know that’s a little picky but with as much of a mess as this place has been, they don’t have much in the way of the benefit of the doubt.

3. The preview for next week shows that it’s pretty much a Royal Rumble. That’s not unique.

Overall Rating: C-. I know I’m not the target audience for this show but I’m really not sure what that audience is supposed to be. Are kids or adults supposed to care about who Ospreay is dating or about Viper getting a Women’s Title match? This show really feels like a rough draft where they threw whatever they thought of first into a series and hoped for the best. It’s certainly not terrible and I’ve seen FAR worse, but it’s a show that needs some more people working on it and a lot of kinks ironed out.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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