205 Live
Date: January 28, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

We’re coming up on the Royal Rumble and that means absolutely nothing around here, as none of these people are going to be anywhere near a match that big for a long time. At this point, all that matters is having a show without any kind of a disaster, which may or may not be the case here. Let’s get to it.

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

Josh Briggs vs. Damon Kemp

Brooks Jensen is here with Briggs. Kemp drives Briggs up against the ropes to no avail to start so he does it again for about the same result. Back up and Briggs’ running shoulder has no effect so he kicks Kemp down instead. The fans want to see it again but have to settle for a running elbow in the corner.

Kemp uppercuts his way out of trouble as commentary talks about the Royal Rumble. A Big Boss Man sliding underneath the ropes uppercut gives Briggs two and we hit the chinlock. That doesn’t last long as Kemp fights up and hits some shoulders. A Regal Roll gets two but Briggs blasts him with a lariat for the pin at 5:07.

Rating: C. Kemp was showing some fire here but Briggs is the bigger star and actually needed the win at this point. The country boys are a good midcard team, but it isn’t like they are going to go very far at the moment. Not bad for a 205 Live match though and I could go for more of Kemp.

Valentina Feroz/Yulisa Leon vs. Amari Miller/Lash Legend

Legend doesn’t seem to think much of Miller’s perkiness. Feroz gets tossed into the corner to start and Legend mocks the team’s dancing. With the direct attack not working, Feroz tries to pick up the speed a bit and strikes away before handing it off to Leon. Legend runs her over too and brings in Miller, who gets armdragged down.

Leon flips Feroz onto Miller for two but Legend tags herself in for a slam. There’s a big toss to send Feroz into the corner and it’s a kick from Miller into an elbow from Leon for two. Miller’s chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s back to Leon for her own elbow. Legend comes back in and gets caught with a dropkick so Miller tags herself in. The argument is on and Feroz grabs a small package for the pin at 6:28.

Rating: C-. This was a weird one as it was more about Miller/Legend than the team that was already put together. It’s good to see Feroz and Leon win as they’re one of the few teams who might actually be worthy of a spot in the Dusty Classic, assuming the thing can get enough teams together in the first place. Legend and Miller seem more likely to feud than team together though, and that could make for a bad future.

Joe Gacy vs. Draco Anthony

Harland is here with Gacy. A headlock doesn’t do anything for Gacy but neither does Anthony’s shoulder. Anthony grabs a headlock of his own but a Harland distraction lets Gacy hit a belly to back suplex. We’re off to the chinlock and it’s time to talk about the Rumble again. Back up and Anthony makes the clothesline comeback, setting up an overhead suplex. That’s enough for Gacy, who shoves him away and this the handspring clothesline for the pin at 5:19.

Rating: C. Pretty fine match here, even if Anthony wasn’t going to beat a midcard star like Gacy. This is more like the main event that this show has been needing for a bit and that is nice to see after a long time. Gacy winning wasn’t in doubt, but at least they gave it a bit of time on the way there.

Overall Rating: C. It was nice to have this show see some star power (or as close as you’re going to get to it around here) and that made the show fly by. Granted it’s hard not to have it fly by when it’s just over thirty minutes, but this was a bit of an improvement. At least they had a slightly better show this time around and that’s always nice to see.

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: August 21, 2007
Location: Colonial Center, Columbia, South Carolina
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s the go home show for Summerslam and the one ECW match is set. Granted you might not have known that based on last week’s show, as you might think that we’re coming up on Boogeyman vs. Big Daddy V as the show’s big match. The build has been a bit weird in recent weeks, but that is mainly due to the match being set up so far in advance. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence, featuring a slower version of Don’t Question My Heart.

Armando Estrada is in the ring with a bunch of weapons around him. He declares himself the Hardcore Dictator and introduces our first match.

Big Daddy V vs. Tommy Dreamer

Extreme Rules and Matt Striker is here with V. Dreamer slugs away to start and tries a slam for reasons of general stupidity. V chairs him in the back and shows Dreamer how to do a slam. There’s a whip into a shopping card in the corner but Dreamer avoids a charge. The table is loaded up but a Striker distraction lets V run Dreamer over again. Back in and Dreamer’s trashcan shots to the head have no effect, as V Samoan drops him through a table for the fast pin. Pretty much the squash it needed to be.

Video on CM Punk.

Vince McMahon and Jonathan Coachman are here as Vince continues to search for his son. Coach thinks that the son might be the result of an encounter Vince had in a bathroom stall (Vince: “HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THAT???”) so here is Balls Mahoney. Vince wants this….thing out of his sight. Arguing ensues with the punchline of Vince shouting that he has no balls. Coach: “I know you have grapefruits….” Vince: “SHUT UP!”

Elijah Burke vs. Balls Mahoney

Burke grabs a headlock to start as commentary talks about Mahoney’s interactions with Vince and Kelly Kelly because he’s quite the man about town as of late. Mahoney is back with a shoulder and chop, leaving Tazz thinking Burke needs some sanitizer. They actually go technical with some arm work as Joey talks about Mahoney being barred from amateur wrestling in New Jersey (because that is the only Balls Mahoney story ever). Tazz: “Yeah I’ve heard that one before.”

Some kicks slow Mahoney down and a few uppercuts make it even worse. Burke sends him shoulder first into the post and the leg is wrapped around it too. There’s the handstand elbow in the corner (that always looks cool) and Burke grabs an armbar. The frustration starts setting in so Burke bites the arm, which can’t be very sanitary. More arm pulling sets up a slam before they both miss an elbow. An STO works a bit better for Burke but Mahoney is back up with the right hands. The sitout spinebuster gets two and Burke misses a splash in the corner, allowing Mahoney to get a sloppy rollup for the upset pin.

Rating: C-. This went on longer than it needed to as the pretty surprising mini Mahoney push continues. Burke has long since stopped being a thing around here so this isn’t some soul crushing loss, but you would think there would be a little something better for him to do. The fans like Mahoney though so this isn’t the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.

Video on John Morrison, including a lot of his weird sayings.

HHH is back at Summerslam.

Post break Balls Mahoney runs into Miz and Extreme Expose. Miz mocks Mahoney and leaves with the women, though Kelly Kelly does not seem pleased. Some winking ensues between Kelly and Mahoney.

We look back at Kevin Thorn beating Stevie Richards last week but beating him up after the bell for the reversed decision.

Thorn is in the back when Richards jumps him. Referees break it up.

Summerslam rundown.

Vince McMahon and Coach don’t think tonight has been a success, though Coach thinks he might have an idea. CM Punk comes in, and while Vince thinks he is talented, he can’t get behind the straightedge stuff. Punk says he doesn’t have dirty unprotected sex with some skank who files a paternity suit against him, making him a living breathing, national disgrace. Vince is not impressed.

CM Punk/Boogeyman vs. Miz/John Morrison

This is Miz and Morrison’s first traditional tag match together (at least on TV). Extreme Expose is here with Miz to uneven things up a bit. Punk kicks away at Miz to start and hands it off to Boogeyman, who scares the girls a lot. We take a break and come back with Morrison flipping over Punk and getting kicked in the face for his efforts. Boogeyman comes in to show Punk how to properly gyrate before pulling him out of the corner, making Morrison flip backwards.

Punk adds a kick to the head but Morrison gets in a cheap shot to knock him off the corner. Back in and Miz hammers away with the left hands, setting up Morrison’s neck crank. A backbreaker/neckbreaker combination gets two on Punk and Miz grabs the chinlock. Morrison gets two off a slingshot elbow and he rains down some right hands.

Another neckbreaker gets another two and the second chinlock doesn’t last very long. Morrison loads up a superplex but gets sunset bombed back down, allowing Punk to strike away. Punk hits a big dive to take Morrison down on the floor as Boogeyman is sent into the steps. Back in and a catapult sends Miz into the corner. There’s the GTS to Miz but Morrison makes a blind tag and hits the flipping neckbreaker for the pin.

Rating: C. I wonder if something happened to Boogeyman there as he just kind of vanished near the end and never even got a tag back in. Morrison getting the pin on Punk is a little surprising but it adds a bit of drama to Sunday’s match. Miz and Morrison do work well together though, which is the kind of thing that can go a long (or really long) way. Not a great match, but it kept Punk vs. Morrison warm for Summerslam.

Overall Rating: C. They can’t get to Summerslam fast enough as this show was out of gas by the end. It doesn’t help when one story is worthy of the pay per view and they have already fought three or four times. The show wasn’t bad, but it’s another skippable week. That has been the case more than once as of late and they really need to do something to make it better soon.

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205 Live
Date: January 21, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

We are almost up to the Royal Rumble and that is not likely to mean much around here. Aside from the fact that NXT does not tend to get a ton of representation in the Royal Rumble matches, it is hard to imagine anyone on this show getting s chance in the match. Maybe this week can be more of a full show, as last week’s was cut a little short. Let’s get to it.

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

Lash Legend vs. Fallon Henley

Henley is back and now she likes to dance. Legend powers her way out of an early waistlock to start so Henley goes after the arm. That earns her a hard shot to the face and something like a claw sends Henley into the corner. A belly to belly sets up a posing cover, followed by the chinlock to keep Henley in trouble. Legend sends her flying with a standing fall away slam but Henley is back up with a crossbody. That’s enough for Legend, who grabs her over the back torture rack to finish Henley at 4:27.

Rating: D+. I don’t know if Legend is supposed to be NXT’s answer to Jade Cargill, but she is making Jade look better by comparison. She is one of those wrestlers who can barely do anything, though this was a bit of an improvement over her previous effort. Legend still isn’t very good and I don’t know what the point is in bragging about her WNBA experience while changing her name, but at least it wasn’t that Sarray match. Henley has some charisma to her and once she gets the chance, she could become a bit of a thing around here.

Draco Anthony vs. Javier Bernal

This is Bernal’s debut and he grabs a headlock to start. That works so well that he does it again and then takes Anthony over. Anthony breaks it up with a belly to back suplex and we hit a seated armbar/chinlock. Bernal fights up again and hits some uppercuts, only to walk into a Rough Ryder to give Anthony the pin at 4:13..

Rating: C-. Another basic match here between some very inexperienced (at least around here) wrestlers. This is what I was picturing when I thought about a developmental show and that isn’t exactly a good thing. It’s far from a terrible match, but you can tell that these guys have a very limited playbook.

Here are Andre Chase and Bodhi Hayward for a chat. It’s time to add some hardware to their trophy case, because they’re going to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They’ll start against the Grizzled Young Veterans and tonight’s preview is a TEACHABLE MOMENT! Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans to say Chase can’t teach them anything.

Bodhi Hayward vs. James Drake

Andre Chase and Zack Gibson are here too. Drake grabs a headlock to start but Hayward is back with a slam. Three straight splashes (ala the up downs exercise in football warmups) get two on Drake, who reverses a suplex into a chinlock. That’s broken up and Hayward hits some running shoulders to the knee but a Gibson distraction lets Drake kick him in the face for the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C. Best match of the show, as the crowd being into it helped carry things. Sometimes that’s better than having higher quality action and that was the case here. Hayward has some potential and Drake is an established (and grizzled/young) veteran so this worked out pretty ok. Chase has gotten the fans to care about this stupid deal and that is a lot more than most people can say in NXT at the moment.

Overall Rating: C-. The main event helped a tiny bit but this was the same bunch of problems this show always has: short, unappealing matches between people just trying to get in the ring. That isn’t how you develop a wrestler in the normal world but WWE is in the assembly line business more than the developmental business. Get these wrestlers in, give them something that distinguishes them in the slightest way possible and move them along. No wonder this show is so dull.

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205 Live
Date: January 14, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

Much like the case was before this show shifted towards an NXT focus, I have run out of ways to talk about this show. It’s going to be something similar every week and that isn’t exactly an inspiring idea. All you can hope for is that the matches aren’t the worst, which can be a hit or miss prospect. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Andre Chase and Bodhi Hayward to get things going. Chase talks about how Hayward was about to be tossed off the roof of the Performance Center but Von Wagner backed off. Now we have a TEACHABLE MOMENT, because Andre Chase University is ready to fight back in Hayward’s first match!

Bodhi Hayward vs. Guru Raaj

Hayward works on a headlock to start but Raaj slips out and grabs a wristlock. A sunset flip gives Hayward two and a delayed slam drops Raaj again. Back up and Raaj kicks at the leg, setting up an abdominal stretch. Hayward breaks that up without much effort though and a rollup out of the corner finishes Raaj at 4:26.

Rating: D+. What is there to say here? Two of the lowest level wrestlers in all of WWE had a boring match that never got above maybe second gear. This is about as low on the totem pole as you can be while still being above ground and it isn’t like there was any reason to get excited. Chase is turning himself into something, but getting interested in his lackey isn’t working so far.

Valentina Feroz vs. Ivy Nile

Feeling out process to start until Nile takes it to the mat. The grappling is on, with Feroz actually getting the better of things and grabbing a headlock. Nile can’t get out of trouble, with Feroz even running the corner to take Nile down again. Feroz is finally spun over into a figure four necklock before Nile throws her over into Carmella’s Cone of Silence. The rope is finally grabbed and Feroz is back up with a few takedowns. Nile has had it with her though and grabs the dragon sleeper for the tap at 4:35.

Rating: C. Now this was more like it as they had a rather energized match with Feroz showing off the Brazilian ju jitsu skills to take Nile down. That isn’t going to work for very long though and Nile eventually shrugged it off to win, which is how this should have gone. The good thing is they let Feroz get in some offense first, which isn’t something I would have expected to see.

We look at Bron Breakker becoming NXT Champion.

From NXT.

Here is Breakker to get things going. The title looks good around his waist but the fans are split on whether or not he deserves it. Breakker thanks Tommaso Ciampa for being a great champion and a respectable human being. Last week, Ciampa told him it was his time and went over to shake his father’s hand.

We don’t have any days off around here though so if anyone wants some, come get it. Just remember that if you come in to train, he’s already trained. If you’re watching film, he’s already done it, because he’s the freaking NXT Champion. Breakker goes to leave but Santos Escobar comes out for his match, giving us a quick staredown. Breakker sounded like a Steiner here and that is a good thing.

Overall Rating: C-. This wasn’t much to see, but it seems that Odyssey Jones was injured during his match, which was edited out as a result. That would explain the very low amount of wrestling, but also why we suddenly had a pretty inconsequential promo inserted instead. The show was its usual skippable self though and that is barely a surprise anymore.

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Saturday Night’s Main Event #35
Date: August 18, 2007
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 16,827
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jim Ross

It’s time for the annual hour and a half long commercial for Summerslam which makes you want to watch the original run of this series again. This show has nothing advertised outside of an update on who Vince McMahon’s illegitimate child might be. The show doesn’t make a difference anyway but I’m almost worried about what is going to be on here. Let’s get to it.

Vince McMahon and Coach are in the back to recap the illegitimate child deal. Coach has been looking through the roster and thinks he has an idea of who Vince’s child is. Vince has told him about all of his dalliances (which he just has records of I guess), except for this one in Kansas City (where Coach is from), back in the 70s….when Coach was born…..and then put up for adoption. Vince thinks this is going to be a long night.

Opening sequence.

Batista/Kane vs. Great Khali/Finlay

Take two Summerslam matches, put them in a tag match. Finlay and Kane, with his taped up ribs, start things off, with Kane knocking him into the corner. It’s quickly off to Batista, who takes Finlay down by the arm. A MuscleBuster drops Finlay again and we take a break. Back with Khali working on the ribs and putting on the stomach Claw.

Kane fights up but gets kicked in the face to put him right back down. That doesn’t last long though as Finlay gets over for the tag off to Batista as everything breaks down. Khali gets tied in the ropes so here is Hornswoggle…who is launched into Khali’s chest. A double chokeslam puts Khali down and the Batista Bomb finishes Finlay.

Rating: C. Total house show style main event and that’s about as good as you’re going to get. Ultimately, the wrestling isn’t so much the point of this show as much as just seeing these wrestlers doing something to get you ready for Summerslam. They didn’t have another option for the ending either so this was about as good as it could have been done.

Vince McMahon has to know who his kid is….and then he looks in a mirror to turn him into his 80s version. Coach gets Vince out of there so Ron Simmons comes up and catchphrases at his own reflection.

MVP is very happy to see Evander Holyfield here to beat Matt Hardy in a boxing match. Holyfield does seem to know him.

Here are Coach and Vince McMahon for Illegitimate Child Corner. Since DNA tests have taken so long, it is time to find out who the child is. Coach talks about how Vince is man with urges but Vince tells him to GET ON WITH THIS. First up, Vince had a tryst in Kentucky, which brings out Eugene. Vince says that’s not possible, because he slept with a woman, not his cousin. Eugene says his Uncle Eric wanted to get into wrestling because Vince nailed his sister….and that’s enough for Vince to cut him off. Eugene: “I LOVE YOU DAD!”

Vince throws him out so Coach brings in Melina, who might have been conceived when Vince was at a Wrestlemania II after party in Los Angeles. Cue Melina, who looks rather upset. They both insist that it isn’t her, as….apparently they had, ahem, a “meeting” on the Fourth of July. Melina better hope that their meeting was, ahem, harmless, or she’s suing him for everything he has. I think he’ll be fine as Vince was in New York for Wrestlemania II, not Los Angeles.

Anyway, there’s one more person but Coach doesn’t want to bring them out. Vince insists though and the glass shatters, meaning we get that classic Vince panic. Austin thinks Vince could be his pops and he could be the fruit of his loins. The result of what came from Vince’s grapefruits if you will. Vince says there’s no chance of that, which Austin says is too bad.

They never had the chance to play catch, go to a football game, build a go kart or teach him how to water ski. Vince never even got to have that talk about the birds and the bees with him. They didn’t get to have a beer together but Vince has had enough of this. Austin thinks the easy thing would be Stunning Vince, but he would rather help him out with the grapefruits instead, meaning a bunch of low blows. Coach gets the Stunner instead and beer is consumed. Vince pulls himself up and gets a Stunner of his own. This was a few jokes until we got to the Austin/Vince moment and that’s always going to work. The search continues.

John Cena vs. Carlito

Non-title and this is the Big Apple Showdown. Cena tackles him down to start and pounds away with right hands. Carlito is sent outside but manages to pull Cena to the floor as we take a break. Back with Cena hitting the top rope Fameasser for two and the STFU makes Carlito tap in a hurry. Not enough shown to rate but this was almost a Cena squash.

Post match Randy Orton comes in and gives Cena an RKO through an open chair. Cena is out cold and Orton yells at him a lot before staring, evily.

Post break, Randy Orton says that’s just the beginning and he’ll take the WWE Title at Summerslam.

There are a bunch of women at ringside for the boxing match.

Matt Hardy vs. Evander Holyfield

Michael Buffer is here to handle the introductions, including one for MVP, in Holyfield’s corner. Matt is at least wearing headgear to prevent a bad case of destruction. We have two minute rounds and Holyfield knocks him down in about a minute. Hardy gets back up and is down again in about twenty seconds. Somehow he survives again to end the round, with MVP being very pleased. The bell rings for the second round and Holyfield doesn’t want to beat him up anymore. MVP comes in and tells Holyfield to do it, earning himself a knockout. This is about all they could have done and at least they made it fast.

CM Punk/Boogeyman vs. John Morrison/Big Daddy V

ECW actually gets the closing spot. Matt Striker is here with V and they’re moving through the entrances pretty fast. Punk and Morrison start things off with Punk rolling him up for tow. Morrison sends him throat first into the middle rope so Punk clotheslines him over the top to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Boogeyman backdropping Morrison a bit harder than he needed to but Striker’s distraction lets V come in. That means Boogeyman is thrown around this time but he does avoid a charge in the corner. It’s back to Punk with the springboard clothesline to Morrison but he’s back up with a knee to the head. Not that it matters though as Punk grabs a small package for the pin.

Rating: C-. This felt like they were running out of time and had to squeeze everyone in there while they could. I’ll take that over not having the match, though V didn’t do much here, which might be a good thing. Punk gets another boost for his title match and that was the point here.

Commentary sends us to a fast highlight video to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: C. Keeping in mind that this was just a way to build to a pay per view, it was completely watchable. They probably could have cut this down to an hour instead of an hour and a half, but at least they covered a lot of stuff and had the Vince/Austin deal in the middle. Absolutely not a show you need to see, but it would have been completely acceptable background noise while you fold your neighbor’s towels.

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ECW on Sci Fi
Date: August 14, 2007
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut
Attendance: 5,500
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

Things have changed again as we now have a bit company wide angle. Vince McMahon has an illegitimate child who is a wrestler on one of the brands, meaning the ECW roster is in contention. That could open up some doors for some interesting options, but we also have an upcoming ECW World Title match between John Morrison and CM Punk. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Vince McMahon finding out that his child is a wrestler and dreading the possibilities.

Jonathan Coachman is here to say he is still searching for the surprise McMahon. That means he is going to be busy, but he has a solution. Coach brings out the new ECW General Manager: Armando Estrada (Not to be confused with Armando Alejandro Estrada. I think they’re cousins.). After saying we can call him Commandante and hoping that McMahon made frequent trips to Cuba back in the day (if you know what he means), it is time for the contract signing for the ECW World Title match at Summerslam.

John Morrison and CM Punk come out, with Morrison saying that this is as close as Punk will ever get to the title. Morrison signs, while saying Punk couldn’t last fifteen minutes last week. Punk says that’s right, because he beat Morrison last week. They yell at each other, with Punk insulting Morrison’s clothes and signing. Estrada says he likes the fire because both of them will be in action tonight.

CM Punk vs. Big Daddy V

Matt Striker is here with V. Punk gets shoved down to start and V crushes him in the corner to make it worse. Back up and Punk hits a running knee in the corner, only to get caught with something like a powerbomb. A running charge knocks Punk off the apron and into the announcers’ table for the fast countout.

Rating: D+. Pretty lame reason for a countout to end a short match, but they didn’t have many other options to make this work. They didn’t want either of them to lose so the weak countout ending was as good as they could have done. Punk got in nothing here though and I’m not sure why they needed to do this in the first place.

Video on the Boogeyman.

Tommy Dreamer comes up to Armando Estrada in the back and says he wants the winner of the Summerslam title match. Estrada doesn’t seem to like that because Dreamer is lazy. Dreamer also has 60 seconds to make it to the ring for his match. We get a clock on the screen as Dreamer runs into various things and winds up limping into the ring. It’s about to get worse too.

Big Daddy V vs. Tommy Dreamer

V pounds away and hits a Samoan drop, followed by a splash and a big running elbow for the easy pin.

Miz, with Layla and Brooke, run into Kelly Kelly talking to Balls Mahoney. Miz laughs off the idea of Kelly and Balls getting together, with Kelly not being able to say much. Layla says they have to do something and the women all leave with Miz, as Mahoney is left sad.

Kevin Thorn vs. Stevie Richards

Thorn powers him into the corner to start but Richards fights out and hammers away. Some rights and lefts don’t have much effect though as Thorn tosses him into the corner. A knee to the back keeps Richards in trouble and we hit the chinlock. Back up and some clotheslines rock Richards again as this is mostly one sided so far. Richards fights back with some kicks and what would become known as the Codebreaker for two. That’s too much for Thorn, who hits a spinebuster for the pin.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what the point was in having Richards win a few matches and then lose, as it doesn’t quite make Richards look good to go 2-1 against him with the last being a loss. At the same time, beating Richards in the thirst match doesn’t make it much better. Also, an underdog Richards sounds more interesting than Thorn at the moment, but WWE going with the guy who is already beyond his expiration date makes sense.

Post match Thorn beats on him even more and that’s a referee’s decision, meaning Richards wins again.

Coach talks to Elijah Burke about his parentage.

Summerslam rundown.

We look back at CM Punk beating John Morrison last week to earn the Summerslam title shot.

John Morrison vs. Boogeyman

Non-title. They lock up to start with Morrison being sent into the corner early on. Back up and Morrison’s springboard kick to the face misses but he Peles Boogeyman off the top. Some right hands give Morrison two and a sliding lariat is good for the same. The armbar goes on before Morrison kicks him in the ribs a few times. The corkscrew moonsault misses though but so does Boogeyman’s splash in the corner. Now the springboard kick to the face connects and Morrison hammers away….for the DQ.

Rating: C. Not too bad here, but that’s the second match in a row that resulted in the referee calling off a match because of violence. The match didn’t exactly make Morrison look great, but then again you don’t want Boogeyman in there for a long match in the first place. It also doesn’t help that Boogeyman was last seen getting squashed by Big Daddy V, but I doubt WWE remembers that one.

Post match Boogeyman hits the chokebomb but Morrison bails from the worming to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a weird show, as both CM Punk and John Morrison came off looking fairly weak here. That doesn’t exactly make me care about the upcoming title match but it isn’t like it means much in WWE either. There wasn’t much on the Vince side either, but at least Richards won again (eventually). Somehow, that is the story that has me the most interested, which doesn’t bode well for ECW’s immediate future.

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205 Live
Date: January 7, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to the NXT version of Main Event, which seems to have dropped any indication of a new name. That is something that seemed imminent but now nothing seems to actually be taking place. Hopefully they get to the switch already, because there isn’t much of a point to this show otherwise. Let’s get to it.

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

Malik Blade vs. Draco Anthony

They fight over some basic grappling to start until Anthony shoulders him down. A headlock takeover keeps Blade in early trouble until he is right back with a dropkick. Anthony slams him out of the corner though and an overhead belly to belly gets two on Blade. The Boston crab stays on Blade’s back for a fairly long while but he finally manages to fight out. Some shots to the face put Anthony in trouble for a change and there’s a running clothesline in the corner. Blade hits his own suplex and a missile dropkick finally gives him a win at 6:04.

Rating: C. Blade is turning into the feel good story around here and that is kind of nice to see. NXT is designed to build up new stars and letting him win something to move forward, even a tiny step, is the right way to go. Anthony is not exactly off to a great start but NXT has shown that it doesn’t care about wins and losses, so it doesn’t make much of a difference.

Erica Yan vs. Nikkita Lyons

Yan takes her down with an armbar to start and then switches to a wristlock to keep up the theme. With that not working, it’s time to work on the leg for a change, only to have Lyons reverse into a headlock. A catapult sets up a half crab, which Lyons lets go in rather quickly. The double arm crank goes on but Yan fights up and strikes away. There’s a jackknife rollup to give Yan two but Lyons kicks her down without much trouble. A DDT finishes for Lyons at 5:25.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as neither exactly felt like a polished star. They didn’t exactly get past second gear, but there is only so much that you can do in a match that doesn’t even make it five and a half minutes. Both of these two need more ring time though, and that is what they were getting here.

Ikemen Jiro vs. Ru Feng

Jiro cartwheels to start and avoids a kick from Feng. After coming out of the ropes, Jiro misses a kick of his own but pulls Feng down by the arm instead. An armbar has Feng in trouble and Jiro flips over to make it worse. Feng can’t flip his way to freedom and we get a JACKET TIME chant.

Back up and Feng kicks him down, setting up the chinlock. That actually needs a rope break for the escape so Feng knocks him down and grabs the chinlock again. Jiro fights up again and hits a spinwheel kick, followed by the jacket punches. A springboard moonsault sets up the Ikemen Slash to finish Feng at 6:43.

Rating: C. This is your latest proof that WWE has already stopped caring even remotely about 205 Live, as we aren’t even getting midcard names in the main event anymore. The main event featured half of a comedy tag team against one of the regular jobbers. If that’s all they can do with this show, why am I supposed to want to watch it?

Overall Rating: C-. I can’t believe I actually thought they might do something with this show. All you’re getting here is a set of dark matches that happened to have a camera turned on. Why bother changing the name at this point? It’s beyond obvious that this show exists because of some kind of distribution deal (which is fine, as WWE not wanting to make money would be ridiculous) but any mild hope of it getting better has gone out the window in nearly record time. Another nothing week here, with some ok at best wrestling to fill in 29 minutes.

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ECW on Sci Fi
Date: August 7, 2007
Location: Chevrolet Center, Youngstown, Ohio
Attendance: 3,700
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s the show with the match that sets up the match on the show, as CM Punk will be facing John Morrison in a 15 Minutes of Fame match. Should Punk win, he gets to challenge Morrison again for the ECW World Title at Summerslam. Other than that, we have…well not much here, other than Extreme Expose having a thing for the Miz. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of CM Punk winning a triple threat last week to earn the 15 Minutes of Fame tonight.

Opening sequence.

Boogeyman vs. Jesse Guilmette

Boogeyman has a large wig on, which he removes to show the new face paint from last week and a mouth full of worms (as you do). A bunch of clotheslines set up a slam and a rather lengthy top rope splash.

Post match, Guilmette gets wormed. Cue Matt Striker to literally shake a stick at Boogeyman until Big Daddy V jumps him from behind. The big beatdown is on, including a Samoan drop and a bunch of elbows. The worms are still all on the mat, which had to be embarrassing for Guilmette. So embarrassing that he changed his name to Pepper Parks and ultimately the Blade in AEW.

Elijah Burke vs. Tommy Dreamer

Dreamer kicks at the leg to start and clotheslines Burke outside. For some reason Dreamer goes to pick him up from the apron and gets snapmared to the floor in a big crash. Back in and Burke hits the running slingshot elbow but Dreamer suplexes his way out of a chinlock. The Texas Cloverleaf is countered and Burke goes to the top, where Dreamer tries a superplex. That’s countered with a neck snap across the top, setting up the Elijah Express for the fast pin.

John Morrison dubs himself the Shaman of Sexy and the Guru of Greatness and doesn’t think much of CM Punk. They don’t serve diet soda in the Palace of Wisdom and after tonight, no one will remember Punk’s name.

HHH is back at Summerslam.

Miz vs. Balls Mahoney

Miz has Extreme Expose with him. Mahoney grabs a headlock to start and shoulders him down. Back up and Miz manages to knock Mahoney outside, where Kelly Kelly looks worried. Mahoney is sent back inside where he avoids a neckbreaker but walks into the Reality Check to give Miz the win.

Post match, Kelly Kelly continues to look worried about Mahoney.

CM Punk promises John Morrison will never forget his name.

Raw Rebound.

Stevie Richards is ready to talk about his wins over Kevin Thorn, but Thorn jumps him from behind and leaves him laying.

John Morrison vs. CM Punk

Non-title but it’s a 15 Minutes of Fame match, so if Punk wins/survives, he gets the ECW World Title shot at Summerslam. Feeling out process to start as Morrison takes him into the corner to start, only to be taken down by the arm. That’s reversed into Morrison’s armbar, which turns into a fight over a top wristlock. Morrison takes him down with a snapmare and points at the clock (now at about 11:00 to go) but Punk fights up and hits a dropkick.

A hard clothesline gives Punk two and a big running version sends Morrison outside. That means a slingshot dive to the floor but Morrison pops up (a bit too fast) to kick Punk off the apron. Punk is fine enough to suplex Morrison over the top and we take a break. Back with about 4:00 to go as Morrison gets two off a leg lariat.

The middle rope moonsault misses though and Punk kicks away, setting up the springboard clothesline for two. We’re down to two minutes as Punk rolls him up for two. Morrison is back with a backbreaker into a neckbreaker for two of his own but Punk gets a rollup for another two with a minute left. The GTS is broken up and Morrison hits an enziguri for a double knockdown. Not that it matters as Punk is back up with the GTS for the pin with five seconds left.

Rating: C+. The ending wasn’t quite in doubt and they didn’t make that much better by screwing up some of the drama near the end. Since a draw was the same as a win for Punk, the ending wasn’t really in doubt with about thirty seconds left. I do like Punk getting the pin though, as he needed to show he could beat Morrison after back to back losses.

Overall Rating: C. The main event is the only thing worth seeing but it was nice to see them advancing some other stories. The biggest flaw around here has been the World Title getting almost all of the focus so maybe they are starting to learn a bit. Not a great show, but it flew by and the main event set up ECW’s contribution for Summerslam, which needed to be done.

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ECW on Sci Fi
Date: July 31, 2007
Location: US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

The CM Punk vs. John Morrison feud seems to be continuing and Punk might have a new path to get back to the title. Last week Morrison introduced the 15 Minutes Of Fame, where you can get a title shot for surviving against him in a fifteen minute match. That could go in a few different ways so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence, with Let The Bodies Hit The Floor back as the theme song.

Here is John Morrison for an opening chat. He is our portal to the infinite and the new face of extreme. Join him in the Palace of Wisdom or continue to be slaves to society. He is a fighting champion, so tonight it is a new 15 Minutes Of Fame Challenge against one of the greatest athletes in Arizona. We hear about some Arizona athletes, none of whom were up to Morrison’s standards. Instead, we have this challenger.

John Morrison vs. Joey Blaylock

Non-title and Morrison knees him down, setting up the corkscrew neckbreaker for the pin in less than thirty seconds. As he has been in the past, Blaylock would become better known as Joey Ryan.

Post match Morrison says that wasn’t much of a challenge so he wants another opponent. Cue Tommy Dreamer, to say he has been around longer than fifteen minutes and wants a shot of his own. Cue Elijah Burke to say Dreamer is prehistoric and fifteen years past his time. Someone like him deserves the shot, but here is CM Punk to interrupt as well. If Morrison is that confident, let’s do it one more time, and if Punk loses, he’ll never challenge again. Morrison turns them all down, because that was a grueling match. Instead, do the triple threat thing, with the winner getting a 15 Minutes Of Fame challenge next week.

Stevie Richards vs. Kevin Thorn

Rematch from last week where Richards won in an upset. Thorn powers him into the corner to start and stomps away before tying Richards in the ropes. The neck crank doesn’t last long so we go with the reverse chinlock to keep Richards in trouble. There’s a torture rack to stay on the back and Thorn drops to his knees for a backbreaker and a near fall. Back up and Thorn misses a charge into the post, setting up a rollup to give Richards the fluke pin.

Rating: C-. Again, giving someone some wins is the perfect way to build them up. It really is that simple a lot of the time but for some reason it is turned into something far too complicated. Richards was a joke and suddenly looks like a little something just by winning two matches. Odds are it doesn’t lead anywhere, but at least they’re making a bit of an effort.

Video on Big Daddy V.

Video on CM Punk.

Big Daddy V vs. Jeff Michaels/Brandon Gaston/John Armstrong

Everyone goes after V at the same time so Michaels is gorilla pressed onto Armstrong. The beating is on in a hurry and it’s a triple splash in the corner. A swinging Boss Man Slam drives Gaston onto the other two for the triple pin. Almost a literal squash.

Post match the Boogeyman returns (now with new face paint) and V bails.

Extreme Expose dances, followed by Layla introducing Miz.

Miz vs. Balls Mahoney

Miz sends him to the apron to start and a drop toehold sends Mahoney face first into the middle buckle. Mahoney fights back with an uppercut and spinebuster for two with Miz putting his foot on the rope. Back up and Mahoney misses a charge into the corner, allowing Miz to hit the Reality Check for the fast pin.

Video on Tommy Dreamer.

Elijah Burke says that was a nice video but he’ll just tell you what’s about to happen because his highlight video would go on a lot longer. He’s going to win tonight.

HHH is back at Summerslam.

Tommy Dreamer vs. CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke

The winner gets a 15 Minutes of Fame match against John Morrison next week. Joined in progress after a break with Punk getting kicked to the floor, leaving Dreamer to send Burke face first into the buckle. Punk is back in so Dreamer neckbreakers him down for an early two. Burke sends Dreamer outside and pounds on Punk, setting up the chinlock. That’s broken up and Punk kicks Burke in the face for two of his own, only to get backdropped over the top (and partially onto the steps).

The fans want tables but have to settle for Burke Russian legsweeping Dreamer for two. Burke’s handstand elbow out of the corner gets the same, with Punk making the save this time. Punk sends Dreamer outside as well and hits the double suicide dive for the big crash. They all get back in with Dreamer belly to back suplexing Punk for two, with Burke making a save of his own.

Burke stomps on both of them until Dreamer pulls him into a Texas Cloverleaf. Punk breaks that up with a hard kick to the back of Dreamer’s head, setting up a butterfly backbreaker for two on Burke. Dreamer takes Burke up top but it gets turned into the Tower of Doom to put everyone down. Back up and Punk sends Dreamer outside, setting up the GTS to finish Burke.

Rating: C+. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Dreamer was a nice addition to the match as it gave you a possible second option. No one would have bought Burke having a chance one on one against Punk but there was a tiny chance that Dreamer could have pulled it off. Punk is the way to go though, and now he has a chance to earn another title shot, but it needs to be his last one.

Overall Rating: C. As has been the case for a long time, the World Title is the only thing that feels like it matters around here. They did set up Boogeyman vs. Big Daddy V, but that can’t go longer than one match. Richards is interesting to a point, though I can’t imagine he is anything more than a light meal for a bigger star. A second story would do a lot of good around here, and that is more than building someone up for a one sided feud.

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205 Live
Date: December 31, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s the very final WWE show of the year and since I’m not sure there really is a Best Of for the new 205 Live, we’re getting a regular show. Normally I would say there won’t be much of an audience for this given the time and date, but would it be that much different than the regular show? Let’s get to it.

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

Edris Enofe vs. Guru Raaj

Enofe flips out of a wristlock to start as we hear about Raaj missing a long time due to an injury. Raaj takes hm down by the arm but Enofe is back up with a standing hurricanrana. A nice fisherman’s suplex gets two on Raaj but he is right back with a monkey flip for the save. Enofe hits a middle rope elbow to the face for two more before planting Raaj with a spinebuster. A shooting star press, with Enofe taking his time in completing the rotation, finishes Raaj at 4:54.

Rating: C. It’s good to get Enofe a win and the shooting star, while scary, did look rather athletic. They were definitely looking like people fresh out of the Performance Center with the very basic offense, but now 205 Live is the next step in a WWE wrestler’s development. That should tell you a lot about some of WWE’s problems these days.

Amari Miller vs. Nikkita Lyons

Miller’s parents are in the crowd and this is Lyons’ debut. We hear about Lyons surviving as she grew up and her striking experience as she fights out of a wristlock to start. Lyons takes her down and we hit an early chinlock. A kick to the chest drops Miller and we hit the chinlock again. Miller is back up again with a gator roll into a spinning kick to the face. Something like a snapmare sends Lyons face first into Miller’s knee to give Miller the pin at 3:58.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what it says that I was relieved Miller didn’t lose in front of her parents, but that’s how WWE has conditioned me to think. Miller is someone with potential to become something one day, but that might not have been enough to overcome the powers of crushing someone’s spirit. Lyons looked decent as well, though you can only get so much out of a three minute match with two chinlocks.

Dante Chen vs. Draco Anthony

You might remember Chen as the guy whose one profile detail is being from Singapore. They go with the grappling to start and exchange some wristlocks. Chen takes over with some armdrags into an armbar but Anthony is back up with a dropkick. Anthony counters a dive with a t-bone suplex for two and it’s time to crank on Chen’s arms. That’s broken up as well and Chen hits some forearms to the face, followed by a pump kick. A vertical suplex version of Angel’s Wing Clipper (Dante’s Inferno according to Nigel) finishes Anthony at 5:29.

Rating: C. Another short and to the point match here, but egads they need SOMETHING else for Chen if they want him to become a player. His entire deal is “I’m from Singapore”. That might appeal to people from Singapore, but outside oft that, he isn’t the most thrilling participant. Anthony is someone who should feel like a bigger deal and just doesn’t, though losing to Chen isn’t helping things.

Overall Rating: C-. This show has already lost the little structure that it had when things changed over and now it is even worse. It’s rather sad seeing these people get their three minutes a week, because that is hardly going to do anything for developing their skills, but since WWE has changed everything all over again, this is about as good as it can be at the moment, no matter what.

Results
Edris Enofe b. Guru Raaj – Shooting star press
Amari Miller b. Nikkita Lyons – Faceplant onto the knee
Dante Chen b. Draco Anthony – Dante’s Inferno

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

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