http://wrestlingrumors.net/the-undertaker-is-donatello-in-new-tmnt-toy-line/
I don’t know if it’s due to being on cough medicine or reality setting in but THIS IS THE GREATEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!
Superstars
Date: October 7, 2016
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves
This is the kind of show you don’t often get in WWE: a quick and simple wrestling show where the in ring action is really all that matters. You’ll also get some highlights from this week’s Monday Night Raw while seeing some names that don’t often make it onto the major TV show. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Darren Young vs. Jinder Mahal
Dang it I can’t get away from Mahal. Darren works on the wrist to start and almost falls over while trying a swinging neckbreaker. Mahal pulls him out of the corner though and drops some knees from the middle rope for his first two. We hit the chinlock for a bit before another knee drop gets another two. Mahal has those long legs so it makes sense to use the knees that often. Back up and Young grabs a belly to back suplex onto the apron, followed by the Gut Check for the pin on Mahal at 4:21.
Rating: D. The wrestling was fine but these two combine for the personality of a chair. I’ll be very glad when the election is over and we can drop this making Darren Young great again nonsense. At least putting him on Superstars is better than making me watch him face Titus O’Neil every week on Raw.
We go back to Raw for the Roman Reigns/Rusev/Lana segment.
Here’s Roman Reigns to open the show and MY GOODNESS they’re booing him out of the building. WWE is asking for this one as Reigns just isn’t the kind of person who can go out there and talk full time. He goes into the guy line but here’s Lana to interrupt. Fans: “THANK YOU LANA!” With the accent slipping, Lana rips into Reigns for everything he’s done in recent weeks but Reigns just tells her to bring her husband out here if he wants that rematch.
Rusev comes out and the brawl is on again with the Bulgarian getting the better of it and knocking Reigns into the crowd. Rusev takes the belt and starts to walk up the ramp but Reigns sneaks up from behind him with a Superman Punch. Reigns grabs the mic and says they can have the rematch but it’s going to be inside the Cell.
Back to Raw and here’s most of New Day vs. Chris Jericho/Kevin Owens.
Chris Jericho/Kevin Owens vs. New Day
Non-title. Masterson and Kutcher are on commentary as Owens runs Woods over to start. Owens makes sure to jump over Xavier in the kind of funny bit that most people just don’t think to do. Woods gets taken into the corner for the double teaming as Kutcher talks about their new show. It’s off to Big E. to face Owens for some hip swiveling.
Graves says Saxton would be the Fez (character on That 70s Show, on which Masterson and Kutcher starred) of the commentary table, which sounds like a good insult, assuming you find dating Mila Kunis’ character to be a bad thing. Big E. gets beaten down even more as the announcers discuss middle names and scarves.
Back from a break with Owens and Big E. colliding off a double clothesline. Woods comes in and gets chinlocked before it’s back to Jericho for a running clothesline in the corner. A superplex is broken up and Woods gets two off a high crossbody. Owens breaks up a hot tag attempt and gets two off a DDT.
Cue Seth Rollins to the stage for a distraction though and Woods gets in an enziguri. The hot tag brings in Big E. to clean house (and swivel the hips of course) but Owens superkicks him down. Big E. and Owens go to the floor and Jericho gets the Liontamer on Woods, only to have Rollins offer a distraction. A quick Midnight Hour puts Jericho away at 16:25.
Rating: C-. This was much longer than it needed to be and served little more purpose than to have Kutcher and Masterson there to plug their new show. It’s a really bad sign that this is what the World Champion is being used for: a second hour tag match with little to gain other than helping set up a Netflix show. Well done WWE. It’s good to see what you think of what should be your flagship star. Masterson and Kutcher were both fine and seemed to be having a lot of fun, which is much better than you’re going to get out of most guest stars.
Rollins gives Jericho a Pedigree to really get under Owens’ skin.
Neville vs. Curtis Axel
Axel slams him to start and it’s already time to pose. A rollup gets one for Neville but Axel drives in some knees to the robes to take over again. We get the front flips across the corner and a dropkick sends Axel outside. That means a running flip dive but it’s way too early for the Red Arrow as Neville is kicked out to the floor. Back from a break with Axel hitting a great looking dropkick and grabbing an armbar chinlock. The Axehole (that neckbreaker faceplant that Axel used to use as a finisher before it stopped finishing anyone) gets two and it’s an enziguri into the Red Arrow for the pin on Axel at 7:18.
Rating: D+. Not the most exciting match in the world but I liked it better than the opener. Granted that’s probably due to having Neville in there instead of someone like Young as there’s so much more charisma in the second match. Axel continues to be someone that could go somewhere if they gave him the right story but there’s been too many losses and too much time gone over the years to make it work without something major.
Long recap of Charlotte vs. Sasha, going all the way back to the BFF’s days in NXT. They’ve both been fighting to prove themselves as the best in the world and have traded the title over the last few months.
Hispanic Heritage Month video on Cesar Chavez.
Raw Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte
Charlotte is defending and we get Big Match Intros. Sasha kicks her outside and hits a suicide dive, setting up a break less than thirty seconds in. Back with Charlotte in control and working on the back with a backbreaker (makes sense) and a hard shove into the corner. Sasha blocks the big boot and gets two off the double knees.
The champ is sent outside but is still able to drop Sasha’s back onto the apron. Sasha tries to go up top but gets knocked onto the ropes for a nasty crash. Charlotte’s superplex is shoved off and double knees from the top get two. It’s too early for the Bank Statement though so Charlotte sends her outside, setting up a CORKSCREW MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! I mean it made almost no contact but it looked awesome. Natural Selection gets two back inside and Charlotte is frustrated. A headscissors sets up the Bank Statement and Charlotte taps in a hurry to give Sasha the title at 14:17.
Rating: B. Good match but they felt out of sync at the end. That missed moonsault didn’t help things and the ending felt like it was out of nowhere. Sasha winning makes the most sense and, dare I say, sets up a rematch inside the Cell? They’ll have a rematch one way or another and it needs a little something more than just a regular match.
A long celebration ends the show.
Overall Rating: C+. This show’s rating depends on whether or not you’re factoring in the bonus footage. With the bonus and far more important stuff being thrown in, I could easily see why people would prefer this over the full three hour version. Oddly you could skip the original wrestling and just watch the stuff from Raw to get your fill of Monday’s show in far less time. It’s a perfectly entertaining and quick show, which makes it very different from Raw.
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Superstars
Date: September 30, 2016
Location: US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves
I don’t normally do this show but I was in the arena live for the taping so I might as well take a look at the show. This was taped before last week’s Monday Night Raw and now serves as the night’s dark matches. Superstars tends to be completely forgotten and there’s a good chance that’s justified. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence, featuring a bunch of people you won’t be seeing on this show.
Sami Zayn vs. Curtis Axel
Not a bad choice to fire up the crowd. Axel takes him down by the arm to start so Sami does his big spin out to escape. Sami’s reverse leapfrog sets up some armdrags into an armbar and the fans are very pleased. Some right hands and a good looking dropkick put Zayn down but Axel spends a bit too much time yelling. The exploder suplex sets up the Helluva Kick to give Sami the pin at 4:40.
Rating: C-. Not much to this one but Sami is the perfect choice to open a show and fire the fans up. There’s just something so easy to cheer about Sami and it hasn’t failed him yet. For the life of me I don’t know why he’s stuck on the midcard treadmill when Smackdown is dying for talent and Zayn can’t even get on Raw most weeks.
We see a long stretch, as in the better part of five minutes, of Roman Reigns vs. Rusev from Raw.
We see Charlotte, Dana Brooke and Sasha Banks’ segment from Raw. This is much closer to being complete so here it is in full.
Here are Charlotte and Dana Brooke for a chat. Charlotte says last night was another chance for everyone to be disappointed because that’s what she does time after time. She’s not the huggable Bayley or the internet darling Sasha Banks. Cue Sasha to say that’s her title because Charlotte didn’t beat her last night. Sasha is owed a one on one match and she wants it right now. Charlotte tells the YESing fans to be quiet so she can tell Sasha that she’ll get her rematch….next week. Sasha cleans house and the villains leave.
Neville vs. Jinder Mahal
This would be another option that could have picked the crowd up during Raw but nah, we needed three minutes of Stephanie yelling at Foley instead. To no one’s surprise, Mahal comes out to crickets. Neville grabs a headlock to start as we hear about Mahal talking trash about NXT stars coming up through the ranks. So yeah, this actually has a story to it. Mahal’s armbar doesn’t do much to shake his image of being really boring so Neville handsprings across the ring and hits something like a hurricanrana. The tease of a dive scares Mahal to the barricade and we take a break.
Back with Mahal missing a charge and falling outside again, only to have him send Neville ribs first into the apron. A basement dropkick puts Neville down and a big boot to the face gets two. Neville comes back with his series of kicks, including a big one to knock Mahal out of the air. The Red Arrow puts Mahal away at 8:55.
Rating: D. I don’t know how many more ways I can say Mahal is boring but it’s the biggest problem with so many wrestlers today. There’s no real character there and his in ring abilities aren’t enough to make me want to watch anything he does. This was longer than it needed to be with Neville doing what he could but having nothing to work with in Mahal.
Most of Kevin Owens on the Highlight Reel (minus anything with Enzo and Cass) ends the show.
It’s time for the Highlight Reel. Jericho tells us to be quiet about a dozen times because this is the most anticipated Highlight Reel in WWE history. Before Owens comes out here though, Jericho has a bone to pick with Masterson and Kutchner, who have the nerve to claim that they’re better friends. Jericho: “THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE!” That’s so unthinkable that they’re both about to make the List of Jericho.
It’s almost time for Owens to come out but Jericho yells at the cameraman for shooting him from the wrong side, which means HE MADE THE LIST! Rollins is on there too because he got hurt again last night. Owens comes out and praises the Jeritron 5000 but says he’s not about to wear a suit for a place like Cincinnati, Ohio. What kind of town can this be when it created Dean Ambrose? Jericho: “HE STILL OWES ME $17,000!” Owens moves on to Rollins and says the rib injury is karma after all the people Seth injured over the last year and a half. Cue Rollins but security and Foley pull him back.
Overall Rating: D+. I see why I don’t watch this show most of the time. It’s basically just a long recap show with some dark matches filling in the gaps. That being said, there’s a reason this is little more than D level programming to fill in time on the Network and to satisfy international commitments. It was fine enough but nothing worth going out of your way to see whatsoever.
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They kind of have to mix this up due to the Network making these matches so accessible.
DISC 1:
Documentary:
* It All Begins Here
* Origins
* The Prestige
* Controversies
* Surprises
* Undercard
* Records
* Moments
* Legacy
DISC 2:
Special Features:
* Devil Hair
* Pamela Anderson
* Mae Young
* Ric Flair’s Return
* Batista Zipper
* Women in the Rumble
Matches:
Royal Rumble Match
Royal Rumble • January 24, 1988
The Rockers vs. The Orient Express
Royal Rumble • January 19, 1991
WWE Championship Match
Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter
Royal Rumble • January 19, 1991
Royal Rumble Match
Royal Rumble • January 22, 1994
WWE Championship Match
Sycho Sid vs. Shawn Michaels
Royal Rumble • January 19, 1997
Tazz vs. Kurt Angle
Royal Rumble • January 23, 2000
DISC 3:
Royal Rumble Match
Royal Rumble • January 21, 2001
Royal Rumble Match
Royal Rumble • January 28, 2007
WWE Championship Match
CM Punk vs. The Rock
Royal Rumble • January 27, 2013
WWE Divas Championship Match
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch
Royal Rumble • January 24, 2016
BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVES:
Winner Gets #30; Loser Gets #1
Duke Droese vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Royal Rumble – Free For All • January 21, 1996
Winner is #1 Contender
15-Man Royal Rumble Match
SmackDown • January 29, 2004
Winner is #1 Contender
RAW Royal Rumble
RAW • January 31, 2011
Booker T Interview with Shawn Michaels
Royal Rumble Kickoff • January 25, 2015
Having four Rumbles in full is a good idea but most of the matches are nothing worth seeing. The TV Rumbles are interesting as they feel a bit more rare but this is all about the documentary and there’s nothing wrong with that. Oh and a lot of Shawn because of course.
Cruiserweight Classic
Date: September 14, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Daniel Bryan, Mauro Ranallo
It’s already the grand finale as we’re live tonight for two hours. We have three tournament matches to go tonight and at least one other as Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa vs. two cruiserweights to be named tonight. There’s always the chance that they’ll add in another match, as well as the potential of something involving the Cruiserweight Title. Let’s get to it.
We open with a look back at the tournament, narrated by HHH.
Opening sequence.
The announcers talk about the show a bit.
Preview of the first semifinal match.
Video on all four semifinalists.
Semifinals: Gran Metalik vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Mexico vs. England. Metalik dropkicks him at the bell to put Zack on the floor for a flip dive. A springboard Swanton Bomb gets a VERY close two but Sabre ties him in the ropes for some kicks and knees to the back. Sabre starts in on the neck to slow things down and puts Metalik’s head between his legs to crank on a leg.
Back up and Zack fires off more uppercuts but gets caught in a weird standing leglock until Sabre dives over to the ropes. Zack comes back with a dragon sleeper with his leg pulling Metalik’s arm back as he stays on the neck. They fight over a double arm crank until Sabre just kicks him in the face. Metalik does the same and gets two off a running shooting star press. Both guys get near falls off some rollups until Metalik gets something like an octopus hold.
Sabre reverses into a guillotine which is reversed into a Boston crab which is reversed into a rollup for two on Sabre. A slugout goes to Sabre so Metalik takes his head off with a clothesline for two more. Sabre’s running PK gets another near fall but Metalik kicks him in the face again. Something like an octopus hold has Metalik in more trouble but it breaks down so Metalik can survive. Sabre goes to the ropes but gets crotched and hurricanranaed down for a very close two. Metalik gets caught in a triangle until he flips over into a rollup for two more. Back up and a quick Metalik Driver eliminates Sabre at 13:14.
Rating: B. The ending surprised me a bit as Metalik has been pretty quiet throughout the whole tournament but is somehow in the finals. He’s very much your standard luchador and that’s the kind of wrestler who is always going to have a spot around here. Sabre might not be coming to WWE but he’ll be a big star around the world with the skills that he has.
William Regal comes out and gives Metalik a big medal for winning.
With the help of a translator, Metalik thanks the fans and says he’s going to win the tournament.
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are out to prove something tonight against Noam Dar and Cedric Alexander. All that matters to them is a rematch with the Revival.
Semifinals: Kota Ibushi vs. TJ Perkins
Japan vs. Philipines. Feeling out process to start with Perkins actually checking one of Ibushi’s kicks. The fans are mostly split as Perkins works on an armbar but tries to pull Ibushi in for the kneebar. Ibushi sprints over to the ropes so Perkins gets him on the mat in a headscissors. A running kick to the chest drops Perkins and a springboard missile dropkick makes it even worse.
Ibushi tries a running springboard moonsault but gets kicked to the floor for a nasty looking crash. Back in and a double underhook crank stays on Ibushi’s neck for a bit until a good looking dropkick hits Perkins in the mouth. Now the springboard moonsault to the floor works just fine and Ibushi follows up with a springboard missile dropkick. A running powerslam sets up a middle rope moonsault but Perkins gets the knees up.
The kneebar goes on and sends Ibushi over to the ropes for the save. Ibushi is right back with a snap German suplex for two and it’s time for the hard kicks to Perkins’ chest. TJ breaks up the middle rope German deadlift suplex and counters the Golden Star Bomb into a DDT. That’s only good for two (Mauro: “CONJOINED TWINS CLOSE!”) and it’s off to the kneebar in the middle of the ring.
Ibushi flips out of that too and the Golden Star Bomb plants TJ for one of the hottest near falls I’ve seen in a long time. Perkins rolls away from a Phoenix splash but gets caught in a wheelbarrow slam driver. Yet another Golden Star Bomb attempt is countered into the kneebar and Perkins even leans up to pull back on the neck for the huge upset at 13:51.
Rating: A. I was losing my mind on those near falls and that just does not happen to me very often. Perkins is someone that I never saw much in but this match here more than won me over. He had a logical game plan here and he stuck with it until the ending while Ibushi was throwing everything he could. I had a blast with this match and it never stopped being a blast.
Perkins says he’s won one and now he needs to win one more.
Sasha Banks, Bayley, Kalisto, Jack Gallagher and Rich Swann are in the crowd.
Noam Dar/Cedric Alexander vs. Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa
Just an exhibition match. After some handshakes all around, it’s Alexander throwing Ciampa around in a bit of a surprise to start. It’s quickly off to Gargano for a knee to Dar’s jaw. They already tag off again so Cedric flip dives over the top to take Ciampa out. Everything breaks down and Gargano superkicks Dar before spearing Alexander through the ropes for two. A wicked Michinoku Driver gets two on Gargano and we settle down to Ciampa kneeing Dar in the face until Cedric springboards in with a clothesline.
Everything breaks down again and a series of clotheslines and superkicks puts all four down. Dar reverses a kick and grabs an ankle lock on Johnny, only to have Ciampa go all psycho while stomping to break up the hold. Dar dives onto Johnny and Alexander hits a very hard brainbuster for what looked like three but the referee says keep going. Gargano comes back in with his superkicks to both guys, setting up the running knee/superkick combo for the pin on Dar at 9:42.
Rating: B. Totally wild match here to give us a little change of pace from the tournament matches. These guys beat the heck out of each other and there were some great near falls even though there was little doubt that Gargano/Ciampa were going to win due to their upcoming match with the Revival. Still though, this was a very entertaining match and a good idea after the two great matches we saw earlier.
Regal talks about helping to put the tournament together and trying to find people who weren’t as well known but could handle the rigors of this competition.
Corey Graves comes in to talk a bit as we fill in time before the main event.
We recap the semifinals.
Quick look at the trophy.
Cruiserweight Classic Final: Gran Metalik vs. TJ Perkins
Mexico vs. Philipines. Wait a second though as HHH comes out to say this is going to be for the new Cruiserweight Title. That’s quite the jump up though it was the only logical way to introduce the title.
Cruiserweight Title: Gran Metalik vs. TJ Perkins
The title is vacant coming in of course. They trade some early rollups before Perkins grabs a modified octopus hold. Metalik rolls out and sends Perkins outside for a suicide dive with their heads crashing together. Back in and we hit a surfboard with Metalik’s boot in TJ’s back for extra pressure. Perkins gets over to the ropes and tries a suplex, only to have Metalik get a running start and hurricanrana Perkins off the apron for an awesome spot.
Metalik follows him out with a big springboard flip dive to keep Perkins in trouble. The running shooting star misses though and Perkins grabs the kneebar, sending Metalik over to the ropes again. A dropkick to the knee looks to set up the Metalik Driver but instead it’s a DDT for two on Perkins.
The reverse Backstabber sets up another kneebar and Perkins pulls him back to the middle. He can’t get the leg crossed though and Metalik counters into a rollup for a close two. The Metalik Driver plants Perkins but the knee gives out again and it’s only good for two more. Perkins takes too long going up top and gets caught in a super Metalik Driver but that’s reversed into a full on kneebar to make Metalik tap at 17:45.
Rating: A-. Just like before, Perkins won me over here. He really has no business being in there with names like this and he’s more than shown he belongs at the top of this division. I had a blast watching him through and you can add him to the list of names that TNA managed to screw up and let go over to WWE. Another great match here to cap off a great night.
Perkins is presented with the trophy and title but he needs to see someone about his chest, which is terribly, terribly bruised. He talks about how this trophy is for everyone and he can’t believe he’s here. Perkins celebrates to end the show.
Overall Rating: A+. You think this one needs an explanation? This tournament was absolutely incredible and one of the best displays of wrestling I’ve seen in a long time. For me, the whole thing works for how simple they kept things. This started two months ago yesterday and we’re DONE. No three months of round robin before we get to the actual tournament, no waiting around with people who had no chance being teased and nothing that was ever boring.
This tournament flew by and was so much fun that I started looking forward to watching it every week. I don’t think it’s something that would work all the time but it’s going to be a great addition to Raw for a match or two a week and that’s all it needs to be. Excellent tournament and an outstanding finale.
Results
Gran Metalik b. Zack Sabre Jr. – Metalik Driver
TJ Perkins b. Kota Ibushi – Kneebar
Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa b. Noam Dar/Cedric Alexander – Running knee/superkick combo to Dar
TJ Perkins b. Gran Metalik – Kneebar
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Cruiserweight Classic
Date: September 7, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Daniel Bryan, Maruo Ranallo
It’s the second half of the semifinals tonight with the other two names getting set for next week’s live two hour finale. This show somehow keeps getting better despite already being one of the most entertaining hours of wrestling every week. Tonight we get to see Zack Sabre Jr. in action again and there’s nothing wrong with that. Let’s get to it.
Preview of tonight’s matches.
Opening sequence.
Zack Sabre Jr. isn’t worried about the billions of people he’s performing in front of because there’s only one opponent in the ring with him at a time.
Noam Dar is the youngest entrant in the tournament but he’s fought around the world and knows how to adapt.
Quarterfinals: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Noam Dar
England vs. Scotland. Sabre rides him on the mat to start and grabs a rather rough looking headlock. A dropkick to the knee has Zack in a bit of trouble as Mauro tells us about Dar being a bit jealous of Zack’s success and the publicity that comes with it. Dar goes after the leg a bit too much and it’s Zack getting in a stomp to the arm to take over. The standing armbar doesn’t work yet and it’s a pinfall reversal sequence for some near falls.
Zack gets punched in the face so he grabs a half nelson suplex for another near fall. Dar goes after the leg again but gets kicked in the arm, only to have the Penalty Kick mess up Sabre’s leg even worse. Dar gets two more off a running dropkick to the back and there’s the kneebar to put Sabre in trouble. That’s reversed into a cross armbreaker and a rollup for two on Dar.
They strike it out again until Dar gets caught in the armbreaker, sending him straight to the ropes. Sabre shows off his lack of common sense by trying a top rope knee drop, only to bang it up again. Dar comes off the top with a double stomp to the leg and there’s the kneebar. Sabre can’t reach the ropes so he rolls outside to put both guys down in a crash. Zack has to dive back in at nine but he seems to have injured his shoulder. A bunch of stomps to the arm have Zack in trouble but he pulls Dar down and puts on the Rings of Saturn with his legs, bending Dar’s arms so far back that I cringe as Dar gives up at 15:48.
Rating: B+. Really good chess match here as they spent the whole time working on the limbs until one of them had to give up. There’s a story in the end with Dar switching gears to go after the arm instead of the already injured leg but Sabre stuck with his guns to win with what he had set up all night. This was great stuff and that’s all you can expect from Sabre. Dar more than held his own though and that’s a positive sign for his future on Raw.
Dar can barely stand for the official decision so they hug from the mat.
TJ Perkins knows he’s one of the best in the world because you have to think that in this business.
Rich Swann says you’ll see the best of him when the pressure is on.
Quarterfinals: TJ Perkins vs. Rich Swann
Philippines vs. America. The fans sing Rich’s theme song in the ultimate sign of respect. They trade near falls to start and it’s an early standoff. It’s off to the battle over the wristlock as we hear about how Eddie Guerrero both influenced them. Perkins dances out of a headscissors and does that bicep kissing thing (yes I know what it’s called). Mauro talks about rap lyrics until Swann stops to dance. Mauro: “It’s a dab duel at the Cruiserweight Classic.”
Rich sends him outside but tweaks his knee on a moonsault attempt. Perkins isn’t about to let that go and dropkicks him down before going with a belly to back suplex. There’s a chance he didn’t see the knee injury so this isn’t necessarily bad psychology. Perkins starts in on the leg until Rich hits him in the face a few times. Simple yet effective. A jumping DDT gets two on TJ but Rich’s leg gives out on a hurricanrana attempt.
The second attempt works a bit better though as Perkins is put down, setting up a kick to the head for two. Perkins grabs a quick kneebar but Rich is right next to the ropes. A tiger driver out of nowhere gets two on Perkins and Rich kicks him square in the head. Perkins comes right back with a fireman’s carry into a kick to the head (think a GTS but with a kick instead of a knee), followed by the kneebar to make Swann submit at 17:01.
Rating: B-. This got better once they cut out the dancing stuff and got down to a serious match. Swann is really growing on me and I’m very surprised that they went with Perkins here. That being said, I can’t imagine they’ll go with him over Ibushi next week. Still though, good match here and it got a lot better as they started getting serious.
Perkins immediately checks on Swann and seems almost sad that he had to beat him.
A video on next week’s final three matches wrap us up.
Overall Rating: A-. Yeah what else were you expecting here? Of course this was awesome as the Cruiserweight division has the potential to be something great once they finally get to Raw, though I have a bad feeling they’re going to just have random matches without the storylines to make everything work. Still though, really good show here as the quality wrestling continues.
Results
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Noam Dar – Rings of Saturn
TJ Perkins b. Rich Swann – Kneebar
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Cruiserweight Classic
Date: August 31, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Daniel Bryan, Mauro Ranallo
The quarterfinals begin tonight with eight participants left as we head towards the finale in two weeks. Therefore we’ll probably see two matches tonight and two more next week which means longer wrestling and more action. There’s always the chance of some bonus matches but this seems like a show that’s going to stick to the lone concept. Let’s get to it.
We open with a look at the Great Eight.
Bryan and Mauro talk about the tournament so far.
Corey Graves previews tonight’s matches.
Gran Metalik thinks he’s the best around and wants to prove it in WWE.
Akira Tozawa knows he’s the best here and can’t wait to show it.
Quarterfinals: Gran Metalik vs. Akira Tozawa
Mexico vs. Japan. Bryan keeps raving over Tozawa’s German suplex as they hit the mat for some alternating leg holds. Tozawa doesn’t offer a clean break as he kicks Metalik in the ribs, only to get armdragged down. Metalik comes back with a dropkick against the ropes as the fans stay into him.
We get the first of likely multiple suicide dives to put Tozawa against the barricade before it’s off to something like a Figure Four. Back up and Tozawa starts with the kicks, earning himself some chants in the process. As you might expect, Tozawa hits his own suicide dive because that’s required viewing in a cruiserweight match.
Back in again and they chop it out until Tozawa gets bored and just punches Metalik in the jaw. Well mask but you get the idea. Metalik blasts him with a superkick and a standing shooting star (getting a bit too common as well) gets two. The Metalik Driver is countered into a Saito suplex for two more and Tozawa is stunned.
Tozawa charges into a superkick which just makes him scream more so Metalik sends him outside for the springboard flip dive. Back in again and Tozawa takes him up top for a superplex, only to get reversed into a great looking hurricanrana. The fans would like them to fight forever and Tozawa hits his German suplex for two. Metalik fights out of another German suplex and hits the Metalik Driver for the pin at 15:48.
Rating: B+. If there’s one thing I love about this tournament (and there are several) it’s how many different match styles they can have. You can have people flying all over the place or working on the mat as fast as anyone in the world or you can have a match like this with two guys both working their own styles but making them mesh together so well that it gives us an entertaining match.
They shake hands post match.
Bryan says he won’t be impartial in the next match.
Brian Kendrick knows this might be his last shot.
Kota Ibushi is one of the best in the world and wants to win because he loves wrestling.
Quarterfinals: Brian Kendrick vs. Japan
USA vs. Japan. Kendrick invites him to the floor which isn’t a common strategy in this tournament. Ibushi doesn’t bite but he does kick Kendrick in the head and hits a big dive to take over. Kota misses a kick though and gets his foot caught in the barricade so Kendrick dives in to try for a countout. They’re doing a good job here of having Kendrick win any way he can against the younger and more talented Ibushi.
More kicks have Kendrick in trouble so he grabs a neckbreaker across the turnbuckle rod for a unique counter. Brian grabs a cravate to stay on the bad (and surgically repaired) neck, only to eat a dropkick to put both guys down. A middle rope moonsault gets two for Ibushi but Kendrick superkicks his head off to get them back to even. Sliced Bread #2 gets another near fall for Kendrick so Ibushi gives him a release German superplex from just off the corner to knock Brian silly.
Kendrick tries the Bully Choke but Ibushi turns to the side to make it a regular chinlock. A Burning Hammer of all things makes Ibushi’s neck even worse, though not enough to put him away. Ibushi misses a middle rope Phoenix splash and another Bully Choke has Ibushi in trouble. He breaks the hold with a rollup though and the Golden Star Bomb finally ends Brian’s run at 13:57.
Rating: B. I thought the first match was more entertaining but this one told a better story. This was all about Kendrick throwing everything he had at Ibushi but not being able to put him away and eventually falling to the better man. The neck injury was a good bonus to the story and gave Brian enough of an opening to make this interesting. The storytelling was carrying this and it was very entertaining as a result. Good stuff here and Kendrick continues to surprise me in this thing.
Daniel cries as he talks about Brian’s run being over.
After the preview for next week’s show, Daniel comes to the ring to hug Kendrick to end the show.
Overall Rating: A-. As is so often the case, I’m not sure what else you could want from this show every week. The wrestling, the storytelling and the action are all there, along with some emotion this week from Brian and Bryan. The final could wind up being a match of the year candidate in case we haven’t had enough greatness in the preliminaries. If you’re not watching this show, I don’t know what else you’re waiting for as it’s one of the best things every single week.
Results
Gran Metalik b. Akira Tozawa – Metalik Driver
Kota Ibushi b. Brian Kendrick – Gold Star Bomb
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s WWE Grab Bag at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
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http://www.wwe.com/article/mr-fuji-passes-away
I know Fuji is best remembered as the other manager when you have people like Jimmy Hart and Bobby Heenan around in the 80s, but a lot of people forget a few things about him, including the following:
2. He still holds the record for most days as a WWF Tag Team Champion, 932 over five reigns. Billy Gunn is second with 916 and then it’s Ax and Smash at over 100 days less.
3. And then this. If you’ve never seen it, I give you the 80s.
Cruiserweight Classic
Date: August 24, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Daniel Bryan, Mauro Ranallo
We’re wrapping up the second round tonight and after this show we’ll have the final eight competitors. There are only three weeks left before the finale and it’s hard to imagine that this isn’t going to be around much longer. The wrestling has gotten even better as the tournament goes on, which really is amazing given where they started. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of the tournament via a HHH voiceover as well as seeing the (really simple) trophy being unveiled.
Look back at last week’s show.
Preview of tonight’s three matches.
Opening sequence.
The announcers talk about last week and tonight.
Lince Dorado is here because it’s all he’s ever wanted to do and he’s a hybrid wrestler.
Rich Swann says wrestling saved his life.
Second Round: Lince Dorado vs. Rich Swann
Puerto Rico vs. USA here. The goofy Swann gets his traditional ALL NIGHT LONG chant to start us off. They start fast with some nice early near falls and neither guy being able to pull off a headscissors. Dorado keeps cutting off Rich’s dancing so he can do an Alex Wright style dance.
Swann sends him outside and does some dancing of his own until a springboard missile dropkick knocks Rich outside as well. A HUGE dive from Dorado takes Swann down again but he comes right back with a neckbreaker. That means more dancing before he lifts Dorado up for a suplex but kneels down and bends Dorado over his neck for a hold. That’s certainly new.
Unfortunately it can’t last long due to the laws of physics so it’s time to strike it out. Dorado blocks a top rope hurricanrana and they hit bicycle kicks at the same time for a double knock down. Back up and Dorado gets in a few kicks to take over until Rich gets two off a DDT. The standing 450 only hits Dorado’s raised knees and Swann is planted with a reverse hurricanrana. Lince misses his shooting star press though and Swann’s Phoenix Splash lands on Dorado’s face to send him to the final eight at 8:15.
Rating: C+. Swann is an NXT guy and almost guaranteed to make a run in this thing and the lighthearted character is starting to grow on me. Not everything needs to be this big serious moment so throwing a dancing guy who can wrestle so well in there helps a lot. Good enough match here but nothing compared to some of the other stuff they’ve done.
We look at Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa losing to the Revival at Takeover.
Gargano, with Ciampa next to him, says he doesn’t want to lose again.
Drew Gulak likes to hurt people.
Zack Sabre Jr. knows how to wrestle and can escape anything.
Drew Gulak vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
USA vs. England. Gulak won’t shake hands to start and tries to take it to the mat early on. Drew actually gets the better of it with a straitjacket choke, only to have Zack take him to the mat and crank on both arms at the same time. The more aggressive Gulak chops him in the corner and works on a double arm hold of his own. Sabre tells him to come on so Gulak slaps him in the face. Gulak’s top rope clothesline is countered into a Fujiwara armbar but it’s reversed into a Gory Special with Sabre’s arms being bent so far backwards that they cross behind his back.
Sabre gets out and puts on an octopus hold which is quickly reversed into an ankle lock. Drew can’t hang on to an electric chair so Sabre reverses into a Kimura with a bodyscissors. Gulak slams him down to escape until a penalty kick to the chest gets two for Zack. A slap to the face knocks Sabre silly but the dragon scissors is countered into rollup to pin Gulak at 8:28.
Rating: B. Now that’s more like it as they were just countering everything and turning it into one hold after another until someone finally got caught. That’s an important word as Gulak didn’t so much get defeated as much as he got caught in the end. It’s good to see Sabre get tested like this after looking so dominant in the first round. Good stuff here and really fun to watch.
Drew shakes hands after the match.
TJ Perkins is a high flier and one of the best in the world.
Johnny Gargano is one of the best in the world period and had a great match against Tommaso Ciampa to get to the second round.
Second Round: TJ Perkins vs. Johnny Gargano
Philippines vs. USA. They’re playing up the idea that Gargano is four days removed from Takeover so he might not be 100% coming in. Perkins takes him to the mat to start and grabs a Muta Lock for a bit. Back up and Gargano sends TJ outside for a suicide dive but his knee is banged up again. Perkins comes right back with that rocking horse hold of his, followed by a surfboard for good measure.
Gargano gets out of a headscissors and spears Perkins through the ropes for no cover. A big sitout powerbomb plants Johnny and we get a BOTH THESE GUYS chant. They head outside with Johnny hitting a running flip dive but his leg crashing into a table. Back in and they slug it out even more with Perkins hitting a springboard dropkick to the face. A kneebar doesn’t work as Gargano reverses into a modified crossface. Perkins is sent face first into the middle buckle with authority for two more and both guys are spent. TJ is smart enough to kick the leg out and roll into a kneebar for the submission at 12:18.
Rating: B. Now THAT is a surprise as Gargano was probably one of the major favorites to win this whole thing. I really like the storytelling here though as they set up the knee injury from a show that hadn’t even taken place yet and tied it together here. Gargano giving up because of the knee makes sense and it made for a great story as a result. That kind of thing amazes me and they pulled it off really well here.
Here are the quarterfinal matchups:
Akira Tozawa
Gran Metalik
Zack Sabre Jr.
Noam Dar
Brian Kendrick
Kota Ibushi
TJ Perkins
Rich Swann
Overall Rating: B+. Another night of great wrestling with a huge surprise to wrap things up. Those last eight names should make for an amazing final three weeks and I’m really looking forward to whatever they have planned going forward. There’s almost no way the next few rounds won’t be great as this show has proven that they can pull off almost anything in the ring.
Results
Rich Swann b. Lince Dorado – Phoenix Splash
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Drew Gulak – Rollup
TJ Perkins b. Johnny Gargano – Kneebar
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s WWE Grab Bag at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
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http://411mania.com/wrestling/finn-balor-relinquishes-the-wwe-universal-title/
WOW. I mean WOW. Balor separated/dislocated his shoulder taking the buckle bomb against the barricade last night and word on the street is he might be out three months. On top of that though: how important is it that he won last night? If Balor lost last night, the Demon looks like a joke and he’s sent scurrying away after his first pay per view match. Now he fought through an injury and can come back as the uncrowned champion.
Odds are we get champion Rollins again, but dang this is bad.
Edit: According to Cole on Raw, he’s going to be out SIX MONTHS. That means no Rumble and barely getting back for Wrestlemania.