205 Live
Date: April 4, 2017
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

One more Orlando show to wrap up the week. We’re in an interesting place with the cruiserweights as Neville retained the title over Austin Aries, leaving us with no #1 contender and no one not named Aries is even in his league. Tonight we have a four way for the #1 contendership, which could see Aries get another shot or someone new get in there. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show with the hard cameras on my left and the Titantron almost straight in front of me.

Long package on Aries vs. Neville.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat for a bit.

Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick

Rematch from last week. Kendrick comes out to talk about lesson #10. Fans: “TEN! TEN! TEN!” The chants change Brian’s mind about the crowd, who he had pegged as a bunch of goofballs. The lesson is all about psychological supremacy, though I’m distracted by the most obnoxious sign ever in the front row: “The person behind me can’t see.”

That’s one you see at a lot of shows and it makes my head shake harder every time. I mean….you’re going to a big show, you spend a lot of money on tickets, and you actually take the time to make a sign for the sole purpose of ruining someone else’s night? You paid your money so now you need to make sure that other people wasted theirs? That’s completely pathetic and something that can’t be defended. Grow up man.

Kendrick bails to the floor at the bell but Tozawa still beats him to the punch to take over. The backsplash gets two but Kendrick is ready for the fake out punch and grabs a rollup for two. Not that it matters as Tozawa kicks him in the face to take over again. A bad old fashioned thumb to the eye sets up a leg lariat for two on Tozawa. Kendrick can’t get the Captain’s Hook so he settles for a reverse chinlock instead.

Back up and Tozawa grabs a hurricanrana before knocking Kendrick to the floor. Kendrick claims a poke to the eye but the referee says it was a forearm. Naturally he’s goldbricking so Tozawa dives at him instead, only to tweak his knee. This time it’s Tozawa goldbricking though and Brian gets rolled up for the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C+. This was a good way to extend the feud (some might even call it fine) but I’m really not sure how much longer they can carry this out without a big change of pace. Kendrick has grown on me a good bit in this story and it’s making Tozawa look better as well, especially since he finally won a match.

Tozawa says that was lesson #1.

Oney Lorcan vs. Rich Swann

Lorcan is an NXT callup but he’s billed as a replacement for an injured Noam Dar, meaning this might be a one off appearance. Oney charges at Swann at the bell and scores with a series of running uppercuts. It’s off to an abdominal stretch as Swann looks overwhelmed to start. A bodyscissors keeps Swann in trouble for a bit until he escapes for a kick to the head.

Lorcan catches him up top but can’t hit a half and half superplex as Swann backflips out. A running Alabama Slam into the corner gives Oney two but Swann scores with some clotheslines for a breather. Swann kicks him down a few more times and adds the Phoenix splash for the win at 6:42.

Rating: C+. If Lorcan didn’t have a full callup coming in, there’s a good chance he earned a spot with this performance. He beat the heck out of Swann here and that’s one of the best things that he could possibly have done. Sometimes you just need to showcase yourself and Lorcan did so very well here.

Post match Swann says he’s been the one sending the gifts to Alicia Fox. That’s how you move a story forward in a hurry. Phillips brings up the possibility that Swann is lying.

Drew Gulak stops Mustafa Ali in the back and suggests competing a bit more conservatively in the four way. Ali doesn’t want to hear this but Gulak says change is coming so be on the right side of history.

Some of the WWE UK Title tournament are here, including Trent Seven, Mark Andrews, Wolfgang, Pete Dunne (big pop) and of course Tyler Bate, who gets his own entrance. There’s going to be a weekly UK show on the Network in the near future.

Here’s Neville for a chat before the main event. No one is on the Neville Level and it feels nice to be proven right. Neville can’t believe people think he ripped at Aries’ repaired orbital socket out of desperation. That’s nonsense. He did it because Aries deserved it. Neville thanks us for never believing in him because it’s made him royalty. He’ll be at ringside for the four way, or as he calls it, four more lambs to the slaughter.

Mustafa Ali vs. Jack Gallagher vs. TJ Perkins vs. Austin Aries

Ali and Gallagher are knocked to the floor to start, leaving Aries and Nese to work on an arm each. Perkins’ corkscrew dive takes Ali down again but it’s already time for the Mary Poppins spot. Thankfully Aries breaks it up and dropkicks Jack to the floor. All four take turns coming back in and get a few shots here and there until Gallagher does his headstand in the corner to stop a charging Mustafa.

Perkins comes back in with the kneebar on Jack but Aries makes the save with a Last Chancery. Ali goes after the eye though, leaving Gallagher to grab a reverse DDT on Perkins. Aries grabs one at the same time on Gallagher, leaving Ali to roll in with the neckbreaker to take all three down at the same time. Back up and Ali gets crotched on top, setting up Gallagher and Aries for a double superplex. Aries isn’t done though as he dives onto Ali and Perkins, allowing Gallagher to get in the Mary Poppins spot.

Back in and Perkins takes a wicked tornado DDT from Mustafa with Aries making the save. Aries loads Ali up for what looked to be a superplex but stepped aside so Gallagher can nail his running corner dropkick, sending Ali crashing outside. Perkins and Gallagher slug it out until Perkins takes the headbutt. Gallagher falls to the floor though, leaving Aries to hit the Fivearm to put Perkins away at 11:24.

Rating: B. It was fun, albeit a bit messy. These guys beat each other up though and Ali’s bump near the end was a good looking crash. Aries is the only logical move here as he’s the only person near Neville’s level. We’ve seen the other three already and none of them were anything of note. There’s a good reason to believe Aries can pull it off in a second match and it should be fun to see.

One quick live note: you could tell the fans were burned out by the time the main event started. One fan in the section next to me went on a HILARIOUS string of insults against Perkins, shouting every few seconds about how terrible he was and how he needed to stay out of the ring. I don’t know if it was just due to being tired from the week or something similar but the sections around him were in stitches. Then he went a bit too far and knew it.

Fan: “ROMAN REIGNS IS A BETTER WRESTLER THAN TJ PERKINS!”

Everyone else: “NO! DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!”

Fan: “I APOLOGIZE! I PROMISE TO FADE AWAY AND CLASSIFY MYSELF AS OBSOLETE!”

Anyway, trash talk ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was one of the best episodes of the show to date but you could tell the crowd was just done by the end. After Wrestlemania, Raw and anything else you did in the previous days, there was no way anyone was going to give this show their full attention. Some of the fans did leave before the show but other than a few seats in front of me, you really couldn’t see any major pockets of suddenly empty seats. Good show, but a bad spot on the schedule.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

Main Event
Date: April 6, 2017
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

Can the Wrestlemania edition of this show be an upgrade? Am I asking too much for something like that? Yeah probably, as this is almost bound to be the same people having the same dark matches because that’s how this show works. At least Raw was fun this week so the highlights should be good. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak has been trying to move 205 Live and the cruiserweights closer to a mat based style in recent weeks. They do go to the mat to start but it involves a kick to Drew’s chest and a backsplash for two. Drew bails for a breather and hides on the ramp to avoid a big dive, which just earns him a series of chops and a right hand to the face. A baseball slide drops Tozawa and a backbreaker sets up a chinlock. Tozawa shouts a lot, fights up, and grabs the snap German suplex for the pin at 4:34.

Rating: C+. This was better than I was expecting as Tozawa continues to look like a machine out there almost every time. There’s a good chance he’ll get a title match in the near future, especially if Neville retains over Aries again. Gulak has something with this anti-205 Live stuff if he can get a few people to side with him.

From Raw for the first time.

Here’s Vince for the start of the second hour. Naturally the fans sing his song, drawing a big grin from the boss. A ROMAN SUCKS chant starts up but Vince talks over it (and it goes away), thanking the fans for being so passionate. Wrestlemania may be over but next week we’re having a Superstar Shake Up because it’s time to shake things up. We have some very sad footage from last night, which shows Stephanie going through a table.

That’s going to put Stephanie out for awhile and since we have no General Manager, it’s time to hire someone new. The new GM was inducted into the Hall of Fame over the weekend….and here’s Teddy Long. Teddy starts dancing until Vince shouts that it’s not him. Vince: “TEDDY STOP DANCING!” It’s not you!” Teddy: “It’s not me?” Vince: “It’s not you!” Teddy: “Well….my bad! Holla holla holla!” It’s Kurt Angle of course and that’s as good of an option as they really had. Angle hits the catchphrase and is already out.

Raw Part Two!

Here are Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar for a chat. Brock is a little happier than normal tonight and has allowed Heyman to tell us a bedtime story that both of their children hear. There once was a superhero named Goldberg who stood for honor and valor and all that good stuff. Then he took the Universal Title but went on a little side trip through south central Suplex City where the Beast beat him up and took his title. The happy ending: there’s no more Goldberg around here ever again. Fans: “THANK YOU BROCK!”

That means Brock needs new challengers. Fans: “FINN! FINN! FINN!” Heyman suggests Seth Rollins, either Hardys or even both Hardys but let’s talk about the 2 in 23-2. Yes he means Roman Reigns and history says that these two must meet. If Reigns is the big dog then Lesnar is animal cruelty. Heyman wants to do it tonight but here’s Braun Strowman instead to not much of a reaction (not that surprising). Strowman wants Lesnar’s attention because Brock already has his. Lesnar lays the title down in front of Strowman and says bring it but Strowman leaves instead.

Titus O’Neil vs. Curtis Axel

Of all the people you can add to the Main Event regulars, freaking TITUS??? O’Neil runs him over to start but won’t do the dog bark here in Florida. A clothesline puts Titus on the floor and we take an early break. Back with Axel’s comeback being stopped via a hard whip into the corner. That means it’s bearhug time, followed by a suplex for two. Axel fights back with right hands and a running knee for two of his own. The PerfectPlex is easily countered though and the Clash of the Titus is good for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: C-. That’s one of Axel’s better matches ever, which is really depressing. You would think that someone would get better just by being around wrestling for so many years but it’s not the case here. Axel is trying as hard as he can but it’s rather hard to run with an anchor tied around your legs.

We wrap it up with a very shortened version of Finn Balor/Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe/Kevin Owens.

Overall Rating: C. Like I said, thank goodness Raw was there to bail this one out. There’s only so much you can do when your main event features Titus O’Neil and this show didn’t know the way around that problem. There’s only so much you’re going to get out of this show and this week’s episode was all the proof you need.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

205 Live
Date: March 28, 2017
Location: Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

It’s the last show before Wrestlemania XXXIII and while I know I’m a bit behind schedule, it’s always worth looking at everything setting up a major title match. I was really looking forward to Austin Aries vs. Neville for the Cruiserweight Title and it’s time for the final push to the match. Let’s get to it.

Neville doesn’t think much of Aries dancing with New Day on Raw because it’s everyone wanting to see what 205 Live would be like without him. Tonight, he’ll make that happen.

Opening sequence.

Rich Swann vs. Ariya Daivari

The announcers start suggesting that Swann has been sending Alicia Fox the presents, an allegation which Swann certainly hasn’t shied away from. Daivari runs him over a few times but gets knocked to the floor. Swann gets dropped face first onto the announcers’ table and Farsi is shouted.

Back in and Ariya stays on the neck before sending him hard into the corner. The frog splash misses though and Swann grabs a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. Daivari’s running neckbreaker and frog splash get two, only to have Swann kick him in the head. A Phoenix splash (which seems to be the most popular move in the world anymore) ends Daivari at 7:27.

Rating: C. This was fine with Daivari being a bit more watchable than usual. His in-ring work is fine enough but being a black hole of charisma has crippled any long term potential he has. Good enough match here though as Swann is just fun to watch almost no matter what he’s doing.

Fox is talking about Noam Dar’s injury when Swann comes up to ask about why Dar hates him. Another gift is delivered with Fox getting perfume this time. She eats it.

Drew Gulak tries to recruit Mustafa Ali to become a more mat based wrestler instead of doing all the flips. So he’s Drew Gulak For a Better NXT? Ali leaves while he’s talking.

Mustafa Ali vs. Brandon Scott

Ali flips around to start and grabs a hurricanrana before kicking him in the head. Scott gets in a few kicks to the chest and gets two off a hard clothesline. A high crossbody drops Scott again and a kick to the head sets up the inverted 450 for the pin on Scott at 3:24.

Rating: C-. This was fine given how little time it had but the idea of Ali vs. Gulak in a technical vs. high flying feud could be fun, especially if it gives Gulak any kind of a character. Good enough match here with Ali continuing to get to show off as he’s still one of the best surprises of the show so far.

Video on Aries vs. Neville.

Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick

This is the result of a long feud as Kendrick keeps attacking Tozawa to teach him a variety of lessons. Kendrick gets kicked in the face to send him outside in a hurry, followed by a top rope backsplash for two inside. A quick Captain’s Hook has Tozawa in trouble but he’s out in a hurry. Kendrick bails to the floor and suckers Tozawa into a drop toehold onto the ramp. A suplex gives Brian two and we hit a half nelson of all things.

Kendrick switches up to a reverse chinlock with a few shots to the face like a villain should do. Tozawa fights up and kicks him in the face, only to get caught in Sliced Bread #2 for a near fall. Now the Captain’s Hook goes on full but Tozawa gets out again. They go to the corner where a turnbuckle pad comes off. As you might expect, Tozawa charges straight into the steel a few seconds later, giving Kendrick the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C+. I liked this one again but why in the world do you have Tozawa lose here? It wasn’t clean but you would think he’s going to be the next challenger for the Cruiserweight Title assuming Neville retains. Kendrick is a gatekeeper instead of someone who should be winning a match, making this a rather confusing ending to a solid match.

Kendrick says that was Lesson #9: Anything can be used as a weapon.

Here’s Neville for the second time on a show he wasn’t going to be part of. Neville says he’s at a crossroads after facing many trials over his career. He’s picked himself up every time though, including after his broken ankle last year. Then he became the face of 205 Live and carried the division. Yet the people boo him, even though he’s the reason there’s a Cruiserweight Title match at Wrestlemania. The fans want to cheer for a commentary guy like Aries, even though there is no 205 Live without him. Want to see what it’s like without him? Here’s a black screen.

Cue Aries to say 205 Live is twice as good with him on it but Neville looks miserable all the time. They’ve both had to prove people wrong all their lives. When they both step in this ring, all they want to do is prove that they’re the best in the world and steal the show. Neville punches him in the face and stomps away but takes a microphone to the ear. A quick Last Chancery sends the champ bailing to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was fine enough for the go home show as the lone 205 Live contribution to Wrestlemania weekend is Neville vs. Aries. It wasn’t the most thrilling show in the world or anything like that but it did its job, which is far too often the case for a lot of shows around here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

Main Event
Date: March 30, 2017
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

It’s Wrestlemania week and there’s a good chance that you’ll never know it based on watching this show. If I had to guess, we’ll be seeing some nothing matches and a bunch of build towards the pay per view. In other words, it’s going to be Monday Night Raw all over again. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Alicia Fox vs. Dana Brooke

Dana is freshly face. Feeling out process to start with Fox running her over, only to get slammed for two. For some reason this makes the announcers suggest that Dana is cheating, even though she certainly didn’t. Fox’s northern lights suplex gets two and we’re off to the chinlock. That goes nowhere so Fox misses a boot in the corner and gets caught in a Samoan Driver for the pin at 4:09.

Rating: D+. Yeah fine. Dana is pretty much the same character as a heel or a face, which isn’t the best sign in the world. This was really just having Brooke shrug off Fox’s offense and hit her finish, though she has a good smile and the entrance works well enough. It’s clear that neither of these two are going near the title anytime soon and this didn’t seem to do much to help them.

From Raw.

Here are Rollins and HHH for the contract signing. HHH doesn’t get in yet because he has to tell Seth that the match is off if there’s violence before the match. Seth has to sit down and listen to what he has to give up or there’s no match. HHH explains the idea all over again and then blames the fans for putting Seth in jeopardy.

The boss doesn’t understand why people hate success so much. How dare HHH drive a nice car and live in a nice house? You have one life to live and there’s no point in holding back. HHH finally gets to a logical point by saying Seth doesn’t want to miss Wrestlemania twice in a row but if he walks in to Wrestlemania, he’s not walking out.

Seth says that’s the same nonsense he bought into three years ago but he’s not doing it now. He didn’t mind wrestling in front of 100 people for a hot dog and a handshake in the Philadelphia National Guard Armory because he loves this business. Seth loves this and it’s more than just a match at Wrestlemania. Rollins signs and the beating is on with HHH going after the knee. HHH loads up the crutch but gets caught by an enziguri and backdropped over the top.

Also from Raw.

Here’s Reigns for his big talk about Undertaker. He was in this building two years ago when he won the Royal Rumble and then went on to main event two straight Wrestlemanias. Roman, sounding rather heelish, doesn’t care what the people say and doesn’t care what Undertaker thinks: this is his building and this is his yard. The gong strikes and Undertaker is on screen in the graveyard.

We see him digging the grave, which is in a special part of the cemetery. At Wrestlemania, the Roman Empire will crumble and the ultimate thrill ride will be Reigns’ Last Ride. Reigns should live each day like its his last because at Wrestlemania, he will…….and there go the lights because Undertaker is in the ring. As he was saying, Reigns will rest in peace. The lights go dim again and Reigns isn’t phased.

Lince Dorado/Gran Metalik/Mustafa Ali vs. Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese/Drew Gulak

Nese runs Metalik over to start but Metalik starts using the ropes, including walking across them into a springboard armdrag. Ali comes in and gets sent hard to the floor as we take a break. Back with Gulak getting two off a hard clothesline before grabbing a one arm camel clutch. Ali pops back up with the rolling neckbreaker and there’s the hot tag to Dorado. A shooting star gets two on Nese and everything breaks down with Metalik getting in a big dive. Nese adds the inverted 450 for the pin on Gulak at 9:05.

Rating: C-. This was every run of the mill cruiserweight six man you’ve ever seen. Metalik had some good dives in there but there was nothing else of note in the whole thing. They really do just throw these people on TV and hope for the best. The match isn’t bad by any stretch but it’s completely uninteresting.

We’ll wrap it with this.

Here are Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar for the big closing segment. Lesnar is the extremist who is going to derail Goldberg’s ultimate thrill ride. The Universal Title is what matters most around here because it’s the one (Heyman: “There’s a number you’re familiar with at Wrestlemania.”) thing that matters more than anything else. Lesnar craves and lusts after that title but more than that he wants to destroy Goldberg.

While Goldberg may be the man, Lesnar is the Beast that will chew him up and spit him out at Wrestlemania. Now we need a reason to get people to buy the show (“Or buy a ticket off a secondary market because Wrestlemania is sold out. Thanks for the house Brock!”) so here it is: Goldberg is going to Suplex City! Lesnar doesn’t fear the spear because Goldberg can’t survive the F5. Here’s Goldberg to say the people are here to see us fight, meaning it’s a spear to Lesnar in the aisle. Lesnar is down on the floor as Goldberg poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Complete waste of forty five minutes here with recaps of segments that weren’t great in the first place and two nothing matches. Main Event is a show that has to put in some strong effort to get above being a nothing show and they certainly didn’t accomplish that here. Bad show and one of the weakest since I’ve been watching.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

This was my fourth Axxess and my first on Thursday night, which is the opening session. The layout is roughly the same every year and there’s really no difference in the way the rooms look in any given year save for where stages are. I only did General Admission this year after a VIP session last year and honestly, it’s not that big of a difference unless there’s someone you REALLY want to meet.

For the sake of simplicity, I’ll put all the pictures up at the end.

As is always the case, getting in was a nightmare as the doors were supposed to open at 6pm and the line didn’t start moving until around 6:15. From what I’ve heard, General Admissions were allowed in BEFORE VIP this year, which defeats a big purpose of buying VIP in the first place.

As usual, almost no one knew who was going to be where so you either pick a line and hope for the best or find one of the booths with a sign. The first line I saw had Eve Torres but since I’m meeting her at WrestleCon, I went with Eric Bischoff instead. The line took about 30 minutes, which is a near record for Axxess. Bischoff was a nice guy with a big smile on his face. I told him I wanted to punch him in the face every week he was on WCW and he said that was the whole point. The more I hear/read from Bischoff since he left the business, the more I like him. He really does seem to have mellowed since leaving and that’s great.

Now this was when things got a bit tricky. Word on the street was that HHH, Sting, Shawn Michaels and a host of others would be at this Axxess session unveiling a statue for Ric Flair (there’s one made every year with Bruno Sammartino, Andre the Giant and Dusty Rhodes as the previous names) in a special ceremony. However, no one had any idea about this and since I didn’t want to get in any other line, I kind of walked around and took in some of the other sights.

Aside from Bischoff and Torres, there were booths for Apollo Crews, Curtis Axel (I think)/Mojo Rawley, Ron Simmons/Teddy Long, Jacqueline (her line was almost non-existent), Booker T. (inside the Elimination Chamber), Miz/Maryse (possibly the longest line all night), Bobby Roode/Austin Aries (a close second in length), the Usos and Michael Hayes/Jimmy Garvin (FAR shorter than it should have been).

During the show there were also in-ring matches over at the mini NXT arena. These were mostly cruiserweight matches, though I could see some of Ruby Riot vs. Kimber Lee while waiting in the Bischoff line. Alundra Blayze also appeared and I believe did a Q&A though I couldn’t hear anything asked.

I took in the museum and MY GOODNESS I could spend hours in there. It’s basically a bunch of old photos and gear from wrestlers, mainly focusing on this year’s Hall of Fame inductees and a handful of others. Of course there’s also a section about Wrestlemania with a huge (as in over 6′ tall) poster of each event (these wrap around one wall and most of another).

One of the coolest parts was a collection of memorabilia from Wrestlemania III, including Harley Race’s robe, Andre’s singlet and chairs from the Silverdome. There was also an amazing collection of Ric Flair robes, as well as Charlotte’s from last year and Harley Race’s from Starrcade 1983. This is always one of my favorite parts of Axxess and it didn’t disappoint.

To wrap up the first half of the session, I took in Superstore. That thing is HUGE with probably 30-40 different t-shirt designs for Wrestlemania alone, almost any Funko Pop figure you could ask for and a ton of other stuff (JR’s BBQ products had their own table) for rather ridiculous prices (Wrestlemania shot glass: TEN DOLLARS). If I had the extra cash, I’d have to rent a small car to carry everything out of there.

After getting frisked by the security (I had buttons in my pocket from various tables so CLEARLY I was some kind of a criminal), I kept asking about the Flair statue…..and then I heard the music. The statue unveiling was taking place at 7:50 for some reason and was over in the NXT arena.

Sting, Shawn Michaels, Charlotte, HHH, Ricky Steamboat, Arn Anderson and the Rock N Roll Express plus a few others with their backs to the camera were there. HHH actually cried while introducing Ric, which was amusing as apparently he and Shawn had a bet on whether or not HHH could make Flair cry (HHH: “It’s not really that big of a challenge!”). I managed to get into the stands and shot a video of it and it was actually an emotional moment.

I apologize for the video quality.  I was shooting from an iPod and there were WAY too many people crammed into the space.  People kept having to get by me and I bent my glasses so it was really hard to see.

After that (with Flair talking about how much he loved Orlando and thanking Shawn for wrestling himself in their match here nine years ago), I ran over to the Elimination Chamber as there were at least 100 people watching the segment in the ring. The new people inside this time: Hillbilly Jim (who I met last year) and Jimmy Hart (who I met yesterday). They’re both cool but WHAT THE HECK DO THEY HAVE TO DO WITH THE ELIMINATION CHAMBER???? Last year it was Ted DiBiase and now these two? Who thinks this stuff up?

Anyway, while I was in line, the Usos, Teddy Long, Bischoff, Luke Harper and Kalisto all walked by for the change to the next session. Randy Orton, flanked by event staffers, came out for his VIP session as well. After they all went, Curtis Axel came and I got a quick high five. I got back in line and Mojo Rawley came by as well.

This was noteworthy as he stopped and talked to, shook hands with, took pictures with or signed autographs for EVERY SINGLE PERSON on the railing (plus more who came up)for a stand he wasn’t even involved with. He even knelt down and talked to a kid for at least a minute. I don’t ever remember seeing someone taking that much time to just see the fans as it took the better part of five minutes for him to walk twenty feet. That gave me a new found respect for him as he really seemed to have a good time doing this and that’s so rare these days. Well done Mojo.

Then I got inside the Chamber and……yeah the wrestlers are right when they say it’s intimidating. You really do feel something change when you walk in and I didn’t even have the door slammed behind me. Hillbilly Jim said he remembered me from last year, which is a really cool thing to hear. I also got to go inside a pod and then touch a WWE rope and turnbuckle (always wanted to do that). Also, the new floor outside the ring is VERY padded, to the point where I stumbled out of surprise the first time I stepped on it.

Also of note, while I was in line, the Rock N Roll Express were doing a Q&A in the NXT ring. They were asked which current team they wanted to face and Ricky eventually said something about wanting to face Jeff Hardy. The DELETE chants immediately started up but more than that, I was surprised that he was allowed to be mentioned. Maybe Ricky didn’t get the memo, or maybe he knows something about a signing and impending debut.

The event was winding up so I walked around to see what other booths were around. That gave me Kalisto (short line), Nia Jax (Nee-Uh Jakes according to the attendant. Nia’s line was INCREDIBLY long, to the point where I thought it was Nikki Bella at first. That was quite the surprise.), Jim Cornette (not a bad line), Anderson and Gallows (long line), Mick Foley (REALLY long line, pretty easily the longest of the second session), Luke Harper, Heath Slater and Rhyno (longer than you would expect) and Ascension (short line, maybe the shortest all night).

That left one option for my final line of the night: the Revival. After nearly an hour in a rather short line, I got to meet both guys and was rather surprised at Wilder’s charisma. I told them that they had really grown on me (true) as I didn’t think much of them at first and then they turned into one of my favorite acts in NXT. Wilder’s response when I said I didn’t like them at first: “And then you realized you were crazy because WE’RE AWESOME!” I threw in that it was like watching the Andersons (Revival calls them huge inspirations, which is really easy to see) and Wilder said they were, but better. I’m not sure about that but they’re very good.

Overall, the event was a good deal of fun, mainly because of the MUCH smaller than usual crowd. Last year the event was so packed that it was almost impossible to really move around and enjoy the place. Save for the insane food prices (cheese steak and Gatorade: $15.50), I don’t have a ton of complaints. You’re never going to find a way around the long lines and issues over the entrances. I’d easily go again and likely will next year.

Big Austin. There’s a big Undertaker just around the corner of the entrance and…..nothing other than those two.

I think this means I’m the new WCW TV Champion with options to be powerbombed by Kevin Nash on an upcoming Nitro.

From left to right: Sting, Ricky Morton, Shawn Michaels (HHH behind Shawn), Ricky Steamboat (Arn Anderson behind Steamboat), Stephanie McMahon (you knew she would be there), Robert Gibson, Ric Flair with his back to the camera on the right of the statue. Charlotte was to Flair’s right.

The guy who was looking at my iPod while I took the picture told me this looked fine.

Old school. Like the Muppets.

So three Jim’s walk into a Chamber….

205 Live
Date: March 21, 2017
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

This is still an interesting show as they have an hour to only build to only one Wrestlemania match. In addition to that though, there is the Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick feud. I’m not sure when that’s going to be blown off but odds are it’s going to be on regular TV instead of any major show. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at the fatal five way with Austin Aries becoming the new #1 contender.

Neville isn’t happy with Mustafa Ali interrupting him last week and will teach him a lesson tonight. Aries better be paying attention.

Opening sequence.

TJ Perkins vs. Tony Nese

Nese won’t shake hands but does shove TJ away for the sake of posing. A few waistlocks don’t do much to Perkins so he armdrags Nese into an armbar. Tony is sent outside for a corkscrew dive but the fans don’t care. Then again can you blame them after a long show and then an extra hour on the side? Back in and Nese escapes some rollups and grabs a gutbuster for two, followed by the bodyscissors.

Perkins gets up so Nese kicks him in the ribs but TJ grabs a neckbreaker. The pace quickens with a spinning crossbody staggering Nese. Tony can’t get the German suplex into the corner as TJ pulls him down into a cross armbreaker. Perkins’ gutbuster gets two but Nese suplexes him into the corner. That means the running knee to the head is enough to put TJ away at 10:29.

Rating: C+. This was all it needed to be and they’re setting Nese up again. That would hint at the idea of Aries winning the title (he’ll need a challenger) but given how all over the place the pushes can be around here, I’m probably over thinking this one. It’s a good match though and that’s about all you can expect from this show.

Drew Gulak says 205 Live needs to change and blames the WWE Universe. The fans are cheering for these glorified stuntmen but worry not because he has a solution.

Akira Tozawa vs. ???

The snap German suplex gives Tozawa the win at 6 seconds, which doesn’t even give me time to ask how he left or got into the country without his passport. At least Phillips acknowledges that it was a crime for Kendrick to just steal the thing.

Tozawa calls out Brian Kendrick but Tozawa goes to the back to get him…..only to be beaten up by a security guard, of course played by Kendrick. Lesson #8: appearances can be deceiving.

Someone has sent Alicia Fox a neglige and Noam Dar wants to know if it was Rich Swann, Jack Gallagher or Ariya Daivari. Their relationship is beyond gifts and Dar faces Swann next week.

Here’s Austin Aries who gives a fan his……banana peel. Well that’s a new one. He saw Neville’s interview go badly last night so tonight let’s try it with Aries asking and answering his own questions. Aries thinks Neville keeps calling himself the King of the Cruiserweights to make up for some shortcomings. He’s above Neville’s level at the A-Double Level. Cue Neville to call Aries a punk so Aries calls him a downer. No violence ensues but Aries will be on commentary for the main event.

Mustafa Ali vs. Neville

Non-title. Feeling out process to start, which makes sense given how much time they have here. Neville’s headlock takes him down and a wheelbarrow slam makes Ali’s night even worse. The champ stops to yell at Aries though and gets hurricanranaed down. That’s fine with Neville, who launches Ali into the air for a big crash.

Neville stays on the ribs with a few hard shots before putting on a chinlock while sitting on the back. A spinwheel kick puts Neville on the floor though and Ali follows him out with a middle rope moonsault. Aries doesn’t really have much to say because he’s focusing on analyzing Neville, which makes the most sense. Back in and that rolling neckbreaker gets two, only to have Neville catch a charge and crotch him on the top rope. They head up top with Neville loading something up but he takes too much time, allowing Ali to grab a springboard Spanish Fly.

That wakes the fans up and Neville tossing him into the air but getting caught in a tornado DDT for two does as well. Ali goes up top for the inverted 450 but gets kicked onto the ropes, setting up a GERMAN SUPERPLEX (that’s a new one) to send him crashing down again. Mustafa is done so Neville swings him into the post. A glare at Aries sets up the Rings of Saturn to give Neville the tap at 15:18.

Rating: B. This needed to have a few minutes cut out but the stuff they had worked rather well. The time brings it back down though and that’s a shame given how solid Ali looked here. If nothing else that superplex looked great. Neville was his usual awesome self here and I want to see the Aries match.

A staredown wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty good show here as you have a bunch of stories going on, though the wrestling could be a bit better outside of the main event. I’m kind of curious to see who is sending Fox the gifts but I’m losing some interest in Tozawa vs. Kendrick. I don’t see how that can end any way other than a snap German suplex and they’re taking their sweet time getting there. Still though, nice show this week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

Main Event
Date: March 16, 2017
Location: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

I’m hoping that things pick up a bit as we get closer to Wrestlemania but there’s a good chance that it’s just not going to happen. Main Event continues to be one of the most difficult to predict shows around as it seems to be the same thing, only to have a curve thrown in every so often. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Bo Dallas vs. Curtis Axel

Do you think these people get tired of facing each other in these nothing matches? Axel takes him into the corner to start but is quickly put over the top rope for the swinging neckbreaker. It’s off to a cravate until Dallas forearms him in the face for two. We go to a wide shot for some reason as Bo gets two off a clothesline. That earns him a clothesline from Curtis but the PerfectPlex is countered into a small package for two. Not that it matters as the PerfectPlex gives Curtis the pin at 4:23.

Rating: D+. Standard match between these two and that’s not the best thing in the world. You’re only going to get so much out of these guys with the same matches over and over, which is kind of the point of this show: keep them doing something to validate their employment without actually having them do anything important. I like both guys so that’s a bit frustrating but at least they’re around.

To Raw!

Here are Paul Heyman and Lesnar to open things up. Heyman can’t believe that something happened last week because Goldberg was supposed to be unstoppable. In twenty nights at Wrestlemania, Lesnar is going to prove the world wrong and destroy Goldberg in short order. Heyman teases Goldberg being here but says the champ isn’t in the arena. Every time Lesnar has run into Goldberg it’s been spear, Jackhammer, Goldberg. Last week though it was F5, Lesnar. At Wrestlemania, it’s an F5 to end the great comeback because the F5 means Goldberg goes down.

To Raw again!

Roman Reigns calls Undertaker out and we take a break. Back from a break with Reigns still in the ring and Shawn Michaels coming out. Reigns says it’s nice to see him but he wanted to see the Undertaker. Shawn says he saw Reigns get distracted by the gong and that can’t happen going into Wrestlemania. We’re twenty days from Wrestlemania and Undertaker is already in Reigns’ head. At Wrestlemania, Undertaker is going to eat Roman alive.

Reigns says that’s not happening because Undertaker needs to be wondering what it’s going to be like to be in the ring with him. Shawn says he’s in Reigns’ yard but Roman needs to get his head on straight. That’s not enough for Roman, because he remembers Undertaker retired Shawn at Wrestlemania. Come Orlando, Reigns is retiring Undertaker. Reigns goes to leave and gets run over by Braun Strowman, who earns himself a THANK YOU STROWMAN chant.

Jack Gallagher vs. Noam Dar

Gallagher quickly takes him to the mat for a leglock before they fight over arm control. The headstand in the corner confused Dar until a kick to the chest puts him on the floor. Back from a break with Dar still working on the arm until Jack easily pulls him down to the mat by the leg. The headbutt into the corner dropkick is good for the pin on Dar at 7:08.

Rating: C-. Not much here other than Gallagher being amused by Alicia Fox’s level of craziness. I’m glad that Gallagher is back to being his normal self but they need to do something with Dar. The guy is talented but the whole Fox story hasn’t done much for him. Maybe it’ll be interesting when we find out who is sending her stuff (Gallagher would be an amazing choice) but until then, there’s not much to go on.

Here’s Stephanie to introduce Foley for the firing announcement. Foley hadn’t been able to think of anyone all night but in the last ten minutes, someone’s name came to him and he knows what to do. After thanking Stephanie, he announces……Stephanie should be fired. Stephanie isn’t pleased (of course) and rips into Foley, who talks about how Stephanie lied to him six months ago when she said she had nothing to do with HHH interfering.

Foley goes on about how HHH makes an army for himself but Stephanie cuts him off mid-insult. Cue HHH to say Foley can say this to his face. Foley says that’s fine but he didn’t think HHH really existed. HHH laughs him off and they go back and forth about how Foley doesn’t need this job and HHH uses his position to abuse his power. HHH says Foley needs to leave and go around the world again telling his sad story, but if he does, his kids can forget about working for WWE.

What Foley needs to do is go backstage and have an epiphany about how much he loves his job before doing whatever Stephanie tells him to do. Foley turns to leave but stops as Stephanie rants against the people for not respecting their bosses enough. HHH goes after Foley and gets Mr. Socko for his efforts. Stephanie makes the save with a low blow and HHH unbuttons his sleeves. Cue Seth Rollins on a crutch but it’s quickly thrown to the side. Rollins comes in and hammers away but HHH grabs the crutch and hits him in the bad knee. HHH even busts out a reverse Figure Four to make Rollins scream to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was your usual skippable show but as is almost always the case around here, Main Event is the easiest thing in the world to sit through. There’s no time spent on the original matches (most of which we’ve seen multiple times) so you can get the big Raw segments in a hurry, which makes for an easier time than three hours with commercials.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

Main Event
Date: March 23, 2017
Location: Barclays Center, New York Center, New York
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

You would think this show might pick up a little bit with Wrestlemania just around the corner but odds are we’re looking at some combination of Jinder Mahal, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel in the first match, followed by a cruiserweight tag. At least the Raw highlights are quick but I’m not sure how long the already limited interest is going to last. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Jinder Mahal vs. Curtis Axel

Of course. Axel calls himself the Ax-Man and elbows Mahal in the back of the neck to start. A quick trip to the floor clears Mahal’s head and he comes back with a hot shot for two of his own. We hit the chinlock for a bit before the SHAH right hands in the corner have Mahal reeling. The Hennig necksnap and a clothesline get two but Mahal grabs his cobra clutch slam for the pin at 3:46.

Rating: D. I’ve seen these guys so many times that I can almost figure out the matches before they happen. That’s really not good and makes the show feel pretty worthless. WWE has a huge roster and these two (plus Dallas) are on here almost every week. Get R-Truth or Goldust or someone from NXT up here. Just freshen things up a little bit and it’ll be easier to watch.

Quick look at two weeks ago when Mick Foley suggested Stephanie McMahon be fired, setting up a brawl between HHH and Seth Rollins.

From Raw!

Here’s Mick Foley to get things going but he has to read a speech off some cards, thanking HHH and Stephanie for giving him his job. He talks about the end of last week’s show and how stupid it was. Foley says he’s taking a leave of absence but goes on a rant about how he was given these stupid cards ten minutes before the show started. He’s been in this business for thirty one years and this is how he’s treated. Foley: “I’M MICK FREAKING FOLEY!” The mic gets cut off and here’s Stephanie to a rousing chorus of boos. Stephanie rips on Foley for not being able to do anything right and finally fires him.

Also from Raw!

Here’s an in-ring sitdown interview with HHH. The boss talks over the CM Punk chants and explains how people like Mick Foley started listening to the fans, just like Seth Rollins. HHH talks about the end of last week’s show and we see it again (third time tonight). HHH: “That’s on you!” He finds it funny that the crutch had to use a crutch to come to the ring last week and it was the crutch that cost him in the end. He’s done with Rollins because Seth won’t be able to fight at Wrestlemania.

HHH has pulled some tickets for Rollins and hands them to Cole before going to leave. Not so fast though as HHH thinks we might need to get this over with once and for all. Everyone wants to see this fight so he’ll draw up a release saying Seth can’t sue HHH for ending his career. If Rollins is the man he thinks he is, he’ll show up next week and sign the paperwork so they can have the match.

Jack Gallagher/Gran Metalik vs. Ariya Daivari/Noam Dar

Dar and Gallagher start things off and it’s an early exchange of headlocks. A trip gives Gallagher two but he’s driven into the corner for the tag off to Daivari. That’s fine as Gallagher gets over to Metalik for the springboard wristdrag. Metalik moonsaults onto the villains and we take a break.

Back with Metalik in control but getting tripped off the ropes to change control. Dar gets in a few forearms to the back and it’s time to start in on the ribs. That goes nowhere so let’s try variety of chinlocks. Metalik is sent into the corner but counters by walking from one middle rope to another, setting up a missile dropkick. It’s off to Gallagher as everything breaks down, allowing Metalik to dive onto Ariya. The headbutt into the corner dropkick ends Dar at 9:48.

Rating: D+. I like everyone here but Daivari so this was entertaining enough. There’s something so easy about just having people go out there and fly around a bit, which is almost exactly what Metalik is around for. The other guys were more than fine and the match was watchable, though nothing we haven’t seen time after time.

We’ll wrap it up here.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

Reigns starts fast and knocks Strowman to the floor but the apron dropkick is broken up with one heck of a clothesline. Back in and a hard whip sends Reigns into the buckle before we hit a very big chinlock. Reigns fights up with some clotheslines before avoiding a charge in the corner.

That means more clotheslines but he has to escape a chokeslam. The Samoan drop (with some effort) gets two and the apron dropkick makes things even worse for Braun. Not that it matters as Reigns is whipped hard into the steps, which are then thrown into the ring. Roman Superman Punches them out of his hand though and escapes the powerslam. Another Superman Punch drops Braun and Reigns loads the spear, only to have Undertaker appear in the ring. Undertaker actually chokeslams Strowman, winces a lot and turns around for the spear. We’ll say the match is a no contest at about 9:00.

Rating: C-. These two work well together and I’m glad there’s no finish as Reigns pinning Strowman didn’t need to happen again (nor did it really need to happen in the first place but that’s a different story). Reigns vs. Undertaker will be fine, assuming Undertaker can keep going physically.

Reigns leaves and Undertaker sits up about thirty seconds later, which Graves says should shake Reigns’ confidence.

Overall Rating: D. Standard Main Event here, but how much of the focus is on Stephanie vs. Foley, when they’re not even announced for Wrestlemania? It’s like there’s a major Raw angle but it’s a TV exclusive, which is a really weird way to go about doing things at this time of the year. The exclusives here were really repetitive, but it’s not like they’re the important parts of the show anyway.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

Promotion of the year?  Just making sure.  This is AMAZING and proof that WWE knows how to be funny.  The best sign that it’s well done: I really couldn’t tell who was who at first.  That’s impressive when you watch these guys so often.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLqIVmFaHA8BqBNnIRqhl0E2pDEqF0CNgo&v=P4RFCRpp9P0

205 Live
Date: March 14, 2017
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

Tonight is all about the title again as we’re going to have a fatal fiveway for the #1 contendership to Neville’s Cruiserweight Title with the match coming at Wrestlemania XXXIII. While the winner isn’t exactly a secret at this point, I do appreciate having a match for the title shot instead of just announcing the match. Let’s get to it.

We get a quick word from all five participants in the fiveway on how much they want to win.

Opening sequence.

Tom Phillips and Corey Graves are on commentary as Mauro Ranallo has travel issues due to a blizzard.

Here’s Neville to discuss the division. Neville says one year and one day ago, he broke his ankle in this very building, keeping him away from his first Wrestlemania moment. No one cared about him though and now he’s the King of the Cruiserweights. Tonight we’ll be having the biggest match in the history of 205 Live as five people try to earn the chance to be fed to them. On the grandest stage of them all, he’ll showcase himself as the true King of the Cruiserweights.

Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak

An early rollup gives Ali two before he springboards up onto the top rope for a hurricanrana to send Gulak to the floor. A guillotine is broken up with a rather hard slam and Gulak starts with his variety of stompings. Ali gets in a few chops though and that rolling neckbreaker gets two. In a clever move, Gulak rolls forward and underneath a leapfrog but stops beneath him to pull Ali into a sunset flip for a near fall of his own. Not that it matters though as a tornado DDT sets up Ali’s inverted 450 for the pin at 4:53.

Rating: C. The more I see of Ali the more I like him and it’s a good sign that WWE seems interested in pushing him, at least to a certain degree. It’s amazing what happens when you actually go with a fresh character instead of doing the same thing that has been done so many times over the years. Ali could be a player, especially with that sweet of a finisher.

Post match Gulak is ticked off at his loss and says this place needs to change.

Noam Dar has been granted a rematch when he teams with Ariya Daivari vs. Jack Gallagher/Rich Swann. Ariya doesn’t want to hear the pep talk so Dar starts talking about Alicia Fox. Daivari doesn’t want to hear about her either and leaves.

Jack Gallagher/Rich Swann b. Noam Dar/Ariya Daivari

Gallagher actually does Swann’s dance and it’s shockingly awesome. Dar gets headlocked to the mat to start and the headstand in the corner stops any charging he could do. Some heel double teaming takes Jack down though and Daivari drops a top rope elbow for two. We hit the chinlock with Dar’s knee in Jack’s spine which of course sets up the comeback and the hot tag to Swann. Rich cleans house but Dar makes a blind tag and knees Swann’s head off for the pin at 4:07.

Rating: C. Not bad here and giving Dar a win is a good idea. The Fox storyline stopped being interesting a long time ago and Daivari never was interesting in the first place so they were kind of fighting an uphill battle on this one. One of the big problems on 205 Live is focusing on one or two stories and having a bunch of random matches otherwise. That’s what happened here and it’s hard to overcome.

Post match Dar says his gift for Fox is this victory but here’s a deliveryman with a large bear. Of course Dar takes credit for that too despite being surprised.

Tony Nese vs. Austin Aries vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Akira Tozawa vs. TJ Perkins

Elimination rules and the winner gets Neville at Wrestlemania. The fans are behind Aries because they’re smart enough to know the obvious winner. Kendrick heads outside and Aries chills on the top rope (makes sense from the veterans) before Aries’ running corner dropkick gets two on Nese. That leaves us with Perkins vs. Austin for a bit and that means it’s time to dab.

Kendrick comes back in but falls for Tozawa’s head fake and gets one heck of a right hand to the face. Aries dives through the ropes to take Nese out before Kendrick proposes an alliance with Austin. It doesn’t matter for long though as Aries heads outside, leaving Perkins to work over Kendrick. Nese comes in for the save as they’re certainly keeping this fast paced.

Tony grabs the bodyscissors, which seems to be a questionable call in an elimination match. Tozawa comes back in and gets the snap German suplex for two on Nese with Kendrick wanting the pin for himself. Even Graves thinks that was a bad strategy and Tozawa takes Kendrick down with a dive. This of course turns into the parade of dives but Kendrick shoves Aries off the top for a huge crash.

Nese adds a BIG running knee to break the barricade wall and perhaps Aries’ head in the process. You don’t expect that kind of a spot in a cruiserweight match. Back in and Perkins grabs a cross armbreaker to make Nese tap at 9:11. Nese doesn’t leave yet and uses the good arm for a hard clothesline on Perkins. Tozawa gets rid of Nese but gets taken down by Kendrick’s Sliced Bread #2 for the elimination at 9:58.

Perkins breaks out of another Sliced Bread and loads up a reverse superplex, only to have Aries turn it into a Tower of Doom to drop all three of the remaining participants. Everyone slowly gets back up and Kendrick is knocked to the floor. Aries gets two off a rollup but Brian breaks up the Detonation Kick, setting up a double pin on Perkins at 12:56. Kendrick flips over into the Captain’s Hook on Aries but Perkins makes a quick save. Sliced Bread #2 gets two and now the Captain’s Hook goes on. Aries climbs the ropes to get out again and the roaring elbow sends Aries to Wrestlemania at 14:25.

Rating: B-. Good match but the first half seemed to meander a bit. The important thing here though is having Aries go through the entire division instead of just being handed the title match based on his reputation. Aries vs. Neville has the potential to steal the show at Wrestlemania and that’s something the show has been lacking so far.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was all about setting up one thing and they accomplished that goal. With two episodes to go before Wrestlemania, they really needed to get to the title match already and that was set up tonight. The other stories were nothing special but those weren’t the point of this show. I liked the main event well enough and I want to see the title match so well done.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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