Now with the Dudley Boyz vs. Sami Zayn/Neville and the six Smackdown tag teams in a twelve man tag. Cesaro vs. Sheamus has also been bumped to the pre-show.
Even I’m getting tired of all this. There’s no need to cram all this stuff on there and it’s just going to burn the audience out even more than they already are.
http://411mania.com/wrestling/eva-marie-suspended-by-wwe-for-wellness-policy-violation/
Just…….wow. I mean WOW.
Bayley as a main roster replacement in the six woman tag?
Cruiserweight Classic
Date: August 17, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Daniel Bryan
If last week is any indication, this should be one of the most entertaining shows all week. We’re into the second round now and already know two of the names in the final eight. Tonight that more than doubles with three matches advertised at the end of last week’s show. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of last week’s great show and a preview of tonight’s matches.
Opening sequence.
Jack Gallagher is still very British.
Akira Tozawa will never give up or back down. I believe these are the same vignettes from the first round with clips of their first round matches added in.
Second Round: Jack Gallagher vs. Akira Tozawa
England vs. Japan. They trade wristlocks to start until Tozawa takes him to the mat and works on the leg. Gallagher reverses into an Indian Deathlock (with wrestling expert Daniel Bryan telling us that it’s also called a British Figure Four) so Tozawa puts him on the mat with a headlock. That’s fine with Jack as he gets up into a headstand and walks backwards to escape. Fans: “HE’S SO DAPPER!”
Somehow Gallagher ties Tozawa’s limbs together into a ball. I’m not sure if Tozawa can’t get out or doesn’t realize Gallagher isn’t there but he realizes it when Jack gives him a running kick. A frustrated Tozawa takes him to the mat in a chinlock and drops a backsplash to slow Jack down a bit. Gallagher gets the closest thing he can be to ticked off and ties the leg up on the mat. Tozawa finally gets smart and kicks him in the face but that just earns him another leg lock.
Back up and Tozawa hits a running boot to the chest but the leg means he can’t cover quickly enough. Tozawa tries a suplex but is smoothly taken down into a heel hook. Gallagher immediately lets go when Tozawa gets the rope, only to have Tozawa fall down on an Irish whip attempt. Tozawa seems to be goldbricking though and starts firing off kicks until Gallagher headbutts him in the chest. A deadlift German suplex sends Gallagher crashing into the mat though and that’s enough for the pin at 11:38.
Rating: B+. As good as the wrestling was here, the commentary deserves so much praise in this match. Bryan and Ranallo did a perfect job of pointing out the differences in styles and treated it as a showdown of two very different wrestlers. The people in the ring then played their roles perfectly and I had a great time watching this match. Just a lot of fun in a wrestling match here and that’s what I love about this show.
Hoho Lun has known what he wanted to do since he was eight years old.
Noam Dar is ready to go despite being the youngest man in this tournament and can submit anyone. “Everyone’s leg bends the same.”
Second Round: Noam Dar vs. Hoho Lun
Scotland vs. Hong Kong. They trade wristlocks to start with Dar getting the better of it before starting in on the leg with a dragon screw leg whip. A belly to back gets two for Dar so Lun kicks him in the head for the same. The fans’ chant here: saying DAR over and over again to the tune of Darth Vader’s theme song. Dar kicks him down again and we hit something like a half crab. Lun gets up and hits a missile dropkick with the knee giving out in a hurry. A Michinoku Driver gets two on Dar but he pulls Lun down into the kneebar (with kicks to the back) for the submission at 7:02.
Rating: C. Still good here but the time hurt them. That being said, there’s only so much you can do with a story of taking apart someone’s leg and then using submissions to make them give up. It’s a simple idea and not something you can really stretch out that far. Dar has had a nice run but odds are he gets Zack Sabre Jr. in the next round so this is probably it for him.
Tony Nese is very athletic and should have been here a long time ago.
Brian Kendrick is a veteran looking for one more shot.
Second Round: Tony Nese vs. The Brian Kendrick
USA vs. USA. Nese doesn’t play around and just blasts Kendrick in the face with a kick in the first fifteen seconds. Kendrick is knocked outside but Nese is right there to chop him some more. Back in and Nese somehow gets his hand caught in the turnbuckle pad, allowing Kendrick to get in his first offense. Nese ducks under a clothesline and comes back with some legdrops for two.
Kendrick realizes he has to get crafty by tying Nese’s arm around the ropes and cranking away on a seated armbar. A cross armbreaker makes things worse for Nese and a Fujiwara Armbar makes Nese scream. Bryan gives a very impassioned speech about how he and Kendrick lived together and trained together which helped make Bryan the wrestler he was. Nese gets back up and sends Kendrick outside for a running dive over the top.
Back in and Nese easily wins a slugout before a Falcon Arrow gets two. Nese gets pulled off the top for two off a nasty crash but he comes right back with a buckle bomb for two. Brian isn’t done yet either as he grabs that Bully Choke until Nese pumphandles him into a sitout powerslam for two more. Now Nese is getting frustrated so Kendrick just unloads with headbutts and a leg lariat. Kendrick gets kicked off the top but is still able to avoid a 450 and grab the Bully Choke for the tap out at 14:38.
Rating: B. That ending made my eyebrows go up as I was actually surprised by the finish. They told a really good story here with Kendrick being overmatched by the more athletic and younger Nese but hanging in there just long enough to catch Nese in a mistake. Good stuff here and that’s all you can ask for with a match like this.
Overall Rating: B+. It’s not as good as last week but that’s not a fair comparison to make. The opener was really good and the other two matches ranged from just fine to a surprise, giving us three more strong matches to go with last week’s two great ones. The final three rounds could produce some classics if these matches are any indication and I’m really excited to see where they go from here.
Results
Akira Tozawa b. Jack Gallagher – German suplex
Noam Dar b. Hoho Lun – Kneebar
Brian Kendrick b. Tony Nese – Bully Choke
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http://411mania.com/wrestling/paige-suspended-by-wwe-for-wellness-violation/
More Wellness. Given her relationship with Del Rio, this is most interesting. Above all else though, unless there’s a very, very good reason that we don’t know about, I have no idea why WWE didn’t put Paige with the Smackdown women where she could be a big help. I don’t say this often but I really want to know more about this.
Due to a Wellness violation. Based on his rather sluggish performance last night, it’s quite possible he knew this was coming and was off his game. Normally I would say this might let him get a bit refreshed but really, WWE has shown that they have no interest in fixing him up and there’s no reason to hope otherwise this time. Smackdown needs another upper midcarder but it’s not like Del Rio was lighting the world on fire or anything.
Cruiserweight Classic
Date: August 10, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Daniel Bryan
We’ve hit the second round as the field has shrunk to sixteen competitors. This is where things start to get more interesting as a lot of the people who came in with no chance have been eliminated, leaving us with matches between more realistic options. Only two matches have been announced for tonight but there could be extras to go with them. Let’s get to it.
We open with a music video recap of the first round.
Opening sequence.
The announcers talk about the tournament for a few moments.
Corey Graves previews tonight’s show.
Gran Metalik is here to represent Mexico.
Tajiri has been around for a long time but wants to make one more run.
Second Round: Gran Metalik vs. Tajiri
Mexico vs. Japan. They trade some fast armdrags and legsweeps to start and it’s an early stalemate. Tajiri takes him to the mat for a reverse Koji Clutch but gets reversed into an ankle lock. Now it’s time to trade rollups as they’re mirroring each other so far. Metalik sends him outside but Tajiri runs inside again and hits a quick kick to set up a chinlock. That goes into a headscissors on Metalik before it turns into a slugout with Metalik getting the better of it off an enziguri.
Tajiri goes outside again and that means it’s time for Gran to walk the ropes into a flip dive for a huge crash. Back in and a top rope elbow gets two on Tajiri but he goes back to the kicks for a break. Metalik gets put in the Tree of Woe for the basement dropkick. A powerbomb gets two more for Tajiri before he grabs a sunset flip but goes to the side, leans back and pulls on Metalik’s head for a submission attempt. Metalik escapes and ducks another kick, setting up the Metalik Screwdriver (Samoan Driver) to advance at 10:54.
Rating: B. This was exactly why you bring in someone like Tajiri: he has a resume, the fans know who he is and he can still go. Metalik is a stranger to most of these people but now he’s beaten a former multiple time Cruiserweight Champion to give him some credibility with people not so familiar with him. The booking and structure of the match were both perfect and the execution being strong was a bonus. Very well done here.
Cedric Alexander is here to prove he’s the best.
Kota Ibushi is a star in Japan and wants to be one in America as well.
Second Round: Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander
Japan vs. America. They start fast as well with Ibushi knocking him to the mat but Cedric is smart enough to not run in again. Back up and Cedric grabs an armbar for a bit before Ibushi comes back up and turns on the speed again. A sunset flip gets two for Kota before he stops playing and just blasts Cedric in the chest with a big kick.
Kota heads to the apron and chops Cedric in the face (Isn’t that a slap?) to set up a springboard dropkick. A moonsault to the floor misses though and Cedric nails a running flip dive. Back in and a great looking top rope clothesline gets two on Kota. They chop it out again before Kota hits the loudest dropkick I’ve heard in years. Ibushi fires off even more rapid strikes and gets two off a standing corkscrew moonsault.
An exploder suplex sends Cedric to the floor and now Ibushi hits the big moonsault dive to the floor. Fans: “FIGHT FOREVER!” A Michinoku Driver gets two for Cedric and he one ups himself by landing on his feet to counter a super Frankensteiner. Now it’s a brainbuster for two more, almost immediately followed by a hard kick to Kota’s head for an even closer two. Kota drops him on his head with a German suplex and the Golden Star Powerbomb sends Ibushi to the second round at 14:56.
Rating: A. WOW that was fun. This match felt like it was going on for the better part of an hour and I was stunned when it wasn’t even fifteen minutes long. Cedric has won me over here as I wasn’t the biggest fan of his ROH stuff but was blown away by his performance tonight. Absolutely incredibly action packed match here and a complete spectacle from bell to bell. Check this match out for sure, which isn’t something I’ll often say.
Bryan previews next week’s matches but we cut back to the arena where Cedric gets a standing ovation. Fans: “PLEASE SIGN CEDRIC!” Alexander starts crying and HHH comes out to congratulate him as well. He gives the fans a thumbs up which might mean they get what they want.
Overall Rating: A+. The first round grew on me over time but this was the show where they jumped to the next level. It’s rare enough to see one amazing match like this and we got two of them in about forty five minutes. I was amazed by this stuff and the final could be the match of the year almost no matter what combination we get. Watch this show and keep watching
Results
Gran Metalik b. Tajiri – Metalik Screwdriver
Kota Ibushi b. Cedric Alexander – Golden Star Bomb
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Cruiserweight Classic
Date: August 3, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Daniel Bryan, Mauro Ranallo
It’s the final night of the first round as this tournament has been as well structured as anything WWE has produced in a long time. Tonight we’ll have another four matches to complete the field of sixteen for the second round. It should be interesting to see which people get the star treatment this week as you can almost always see who WWE wants to push, meaning they might be a big deal in the upcoming Cruiserweight division. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of last week’s show.
Preview of tonight’s matches.
Opening sequence.
Corey Graves looks at the updated brackets.
Rich Swann says he won’t take anyone lightly because people have spent years telling him he’ll never make it.
Jason Lee of Hong Kong has been wrestling for eight years and wrestles with a kung fu style.
First Round: Rich Swann vs. Jason Lee
America vs. Hong Kong and dancing vs. nunchucks. They run the ropes to start with Swann diving over Lee and catching him with a dropkick for two. The fans are WAY behind Swann and chant ALL NIGHT LONG as he holds an armbar. I hope he does more than that tonight. Lee comes back with some very fast strikes and an enziguri for two. Swann knees him in the head and jumps to the top for a hurricanrana but Lee comes back with a DDT. La Majistral gets two for Jason as Bryan is amazed by Lee’s speed. Swann comes right back with a kick to the head and a standing 450 gives him the pin at 3:49.
Rating: C+. Both guys looked good here but you knew they weren’t going to give Jason the pin over an NXT guy. Swann is really over with the crowd already and that standing 450 looked cool. I know Lee isn’t likely to go anywhere in WWE but it’s cool to see people like him get a shot, even if it’s a one off like this.
Gurv Sihra, brother of Harv from last week, grew up watching cruiserweight wrestling and he can’t wait to represent India.
Noam Dar wants to represent Scotland.
First Round: Noam Dar vs. Gurv Sihra
Scotland vs. India. Dar starts fast with a dropkick to the knee but gets caught in a headlock. Sihra can’t get in a backbreaker so Noam starts back in on the knee and dropkicks him in the side of the head as a bonus. Another dropkick in the corner gets two but Gurv comes back with a spinwheel kick for two, only to miss a top rope elbow due to wasting time on a handheld Bollywood camera (as in the old Hollywood Blonds taunt). Noam uses the crash to grab a kneebar for the tap at 5:23.
Rating: C. I wasn’t as interested here but I can always go for something as simple as working on the knee from the start to set up a leg submission at the end. Noam looked a lot better here and Gurv really did look young out there. This wasn’t much of a match but again it didn’t overstay its welcome, which has been a great thing about this whole tournament.
Fabian Aichner wants to see what it’s like to wrestle outside of Italy where there isn’t much of a wrestling scene.
Jack Gallagher, in a suit, is a British gentleman.
First Round: Fabian Aichner vs. Jack Gallagher
Italy vs. England. Jack already has more of a character than almost anyone else in this tournament. Gallagher spins out of a wristlock to start and does it again nearly in slow motion, much to Daniel’s delight. A very British toehold keeps Aichner in trouble but the much bigger Italian runs him over with a shoulder. Some loud chops set up a slightly botched springboard kick to the chest and we hit a chinlock.
A pinfall reversal sequence results in Gallagher charging into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Aichner surprises everyone with a double springboard moonsault for two, only to have Jack come back with a guillotine choke. Gallagher gets lifted into a suplex but powerbombed down and the fans boo the heck out of Aichner for beating on Bryan’s new man crush. A great looking running dropkick knocks Fabian silly enough for the pin at 6:47.
Rating: B. Oh yeah this was a lot of fun. Gallagher is like the stereotypical British wrestler you would see in a video game but he’s turned up to twelve or so. Bryan was gushing over him and I can’t say I really blame him. Aichner was no slouch either and I really hope he gets another shot somewhere else.
The guys get a THANK YOU BOTH chant. Daniel: “I’m in love.”
Video on Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa, who are best friends outside the ring but will fight as hard as they can to advance here.
Gargano and Ciampa both say they’ll win.
First Round: Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa
America vs. America here. They take a few seconds before shaking hands and it’s Gargano with an armbar to start. A very loud elbow to the jaw knocks Johnny’s head around and Tommaso mocks the “Johnny Wrestling” chants. Another hard elbow has Johnny in trouble and we get a C DUB C chant. Tommaso grabs what looks like White Noise but climbs the ropes instead of crashing down, allowing Johnny to slip out and superkick him through the legs.
A powerbomb brings Ciampa down and a suicide dive makes things even worse. Back in and they just kick each other in the head over and over, leaving Gargano looking rather shaken up. They chop it out on the apron and White Noise only gives Tommaso two. Johnny looks completely out of it and Ciampa can’t bring himself to knee Gargano in the face.
The distraction lets Johnny get in a superkick but he walks into Project Ciampa (powerbomb into a Backstabber) for two. The stunned look on Ciampa’s face is excellent. Some chops rock Johnny and a right hand just makes Ciampa angry. Ciampa loads up his armbar but Johnny counters into a crucifix for the surprise pin at 10:49.
Rating: B+. This was awesome stuff with some excellent selling from Gargano. They did a great job of making the evil Ciampa a little more human as he was afraid to hurt his friend and tag partner, only to get caught in a rollup at the end. These two are going to get a Tag Team Title shot at Takeover: Brooklyn and with a match like this it’s easy to see why. Really good stuff here and probably the match of the tournament so far.
Ciampa can’t shake hands post match but comes back to hug Johnny.
Here are the updated brackets:
Akira Tozawa
Jack Gallagher
Tajiri
Gran Metalik
Drew Gulak
Zack Sabre Jr.
Noam Dar
Hoho Lun
Brian Kendrick
Tony Nese
Kota Ibushi
Cedric Alexander
TJ Perkins
Johnny Gargano
Lince Dorado
Rich Swann
Overall Rating: A-. I’m digging this show more and more every week and it’s cool to see so many different styles involved. Somehow they keep things fresh every week and go through things fast enough that it doesn’t get dull. This really does feel like something different and that makes for interesting shows every week. Things are going to get even better now that we have the first round out of the way and that’s just cool.
Results
Rich Swann b. Jason Lee – Standing 450
Noam Dar b. Gurv Sihra – Kneebar
Jack Gallagher b. Fabian Aichner – Running corner dropkick
Johnny Gargano b. Tommaso Ciampa – Crucifix
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Cruiserweight Classic
Date: July 27, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Daniel Bryan, Mauro Ranallo
We’re still in the first round but since this tournament is structured rather well, we’ll be done with it next week. This show has become a very refreshing change of pace with nothing but wrestling and almost no storylines. I know that wouldn’t work long term but it’s really fun in the short version like this. Let’s get to it.
We look at tonight’s four matches.
Opening sequence.
Tyson Dux used to wrestle in WWE and then destroyed his knee.
Zack Sabre Jr. says Harry Potter isn’t the only wizard from England.
First Round: Tyson Dux vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Canada vs. England. I’ve actually never seen a Sabre match. The fans are entirely behind Sabre here as he takes Dux down by the leg. Bryan talks about Sabre being well educated in the art of escapology, meaning he knows how to get out of every possible hold. Sabre keeps spinning around from one body part to another with some sweet movements, each one frustrating Dux even more. You can almost hear Bryan drooling over every single thing Zack does.
Dux tries to grab a headlock but gets caught in an armbar on the mat. A slam and some chops stagger Sabre a bit but he comes right back with European uppercuts. Some kicks to the arm only seem to tick Dux off and he grabs a fisherman’s buster. Zack’s stunned look as he lands is great.
Dux puts on a Fujiwara armbar but Zack gets to his feet and grabs an octopus hold. Tyson gets the ropes so Zack hits a running kick to the chest for two. A quick DDT gets two for Dux and he clotheslines Zack’s head off. Sabre comes right back with a Kimura before taking him down into something like the YES Lock but he bends Dux’s fingers back for the submission at 9:23.
Rating: B. This was exactly the way they should have had Sabre make his debut: Instead of having him just run through Dux, Sabre had to actually break a sweat here and that makes for a more interesting match. It means that Sabre might have to actually put in some work as he moves forward, which makes for something worth watching. Just having Sabre tie Dux up and make him tap in four minutes would have worked short term but this is putting in some early effort for a better payoff later. That’s so rare these days and it’s nice to see a change.
Drew Gulak is a submission expert from Philadelphia.
Harv Sihra was inspired by Eddie Guerrero to embrace his heritage.
First Round: Drew Gulak vs. Harv Sihra
America vs. India. Sihra is part of the Bollywood Boys and his brother is also in the tournament. They’re quickly on the mat with Gulak grabbing a bodyscissors, only to have Harv tie the legs up to send Drew crawling to the ropes. The fans didn’t seem to see what was going on though and there wasn’t much of a reaction. Gulak comes right back with a middle rope clothesline for two, only to be backdropped to the floor. Harv gets in a nice twisting cross body to the floor and grabs a superplex back inside. With Gulak down, Harv goes for the ankle but gets caught in a dragon sleeper for the tap out at 5:24.
Rating: C. Gulak isn’t as flashy as Sabre but you can tell he certainly knows his submissions. That dragon sleeper looked great and he looked completely in control of Sihra out there. Sabre vs. Gulak in the second round should be excellent, especially if they give it enough time to go somewhere.
Tony Nese says he’s a complete athlete.
Anthony Bennett is from Philadelphia and has very large hair.
First Round: Tony Nese vs. Anthony Bennett
America vs. America here and Bennett’s hair has its own sunglasses. Bennett dances around to start and Nese will have none of that nonsense. They head outside with Bennett hitting a quick cannonball off the apron but is easily taken down for a springboard middle rope moonsault. A suplex plants Bennett, who pops back up for a dropkick. Bennett’s guillotine choke doesn’t get him very far so Tony slams him again….and the referee stops the match to check on him. We get the all clear and Nese hits a 450 for the pin at 6:33.
Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as well with Bennett’s size being a bit too much to overlook. Nese is fine but a bit too much of your standard “I’m awesome and athletic” cruiserweight. The 450 looked good though and made for a good ending to a not so great match. Eh they can’t all be great.
Raul Mendoza grew up idolizing Eddie Guerrero who was small but became champion.
Brian Kendrick is here to get his second chance.
First Round: Brian Kendrick vs. Raul Mendoza
America vs. Mexico. Kendrick is looking very skinny and you can see a lot of his bones here. They trade leapfrogs to start with Kendrick being sent out to the floor. Back in and Mendoza slaps on something like a reverse Texas Cloverleaf, only to swing Brian around before taking him down into a leglock on the mat. Cool indeed. Kendrick suckers him in for a big boot before putting Mendoza’s mouth on the ropes, which he then kicks for good measure.
Mendoza is bleeding from the mouth but quickly says he’s ready to continue. Raul comes right back and sends him outside for a f
lip dive, only to miss a springboard 450 back inside. A big running kick to the face drops Raul but Kendrick takes too long getting up top, allowing Raul to crotch him into the Tree of Woe. Mendoza goes way big with a Coast to Coast dropkick but a backbreaker only gets two. We get some old school goldbricking as Kendrick fakes an injury, only to pull Mendoza down into a choke (apparently the Bully Choke) for the submission at 7:35.
Rating: C+. I would have gone with Mendoza here as Kendrick is a big name but he’s not exactly a big enough name that he has to go forward here. Raul was a sweet high flier here and that’s something we haven’t seen much of tonight. I get why they went with Kendrick but I hope he doesn’t go much further than this.
Overall Rating: B-. This show worked but I would have gone with Sabre as the main event. It’s clear that he’s going to be a big deal in this and I don’t know why they wouldn’t go with him last. They had a good show with four good to watchable matches though as this tournament is flying by. The first round wrapping up is a good thing as we can now see big names facing off, which is the point of a tournament. Another good show this week, as has become the norm.
Results
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Tyson Dux – Double arm lock
Drew Gulak b. Harv Sihra – Dragon sleeper
Tony Nese b. Anthony Bennett – 450
Brian Kendrick b. Raul Mendoza – Bully Choke
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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Smackdown
Date: July 5, 2001
Location: Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jim Ross
This is another old request as I try to knock some of my way too long list down. We’re very early into the Invasion and Steve Austin is currently out due to an injury and is sitting in Vince McMahon’s office singing campfire songs with Kurt Angle, who has basically decided he’s Austin’s best friend. Let’s get to it.
The opening recap looks at Torrie Wilson trying to seduce Vince to get a contract, only to have Linda catch them in a scene that wasn’t very funny. This is in no way a reason for Vince to get physical with Torrie Wilson in a swimsuit top.
Opening sequence.
Tag Team Titles: Chris Jericho/Spike Dudley vs. Dudley Boyz
Bubba and D-Von are defending as Spike tries to find someone to help fight off his brothers, who don’t like him dating Molly Holly. This is another sign of the times as you would just have random title matches on TV instead of spending weeks setting up a title match on pay per view. D-Von and Jericho start things off with Jericho scoring off some chops. A springboard dropkick sends D-Von outside and Spike dives on both Dudleys. Well the other Dudleys that is. I can assure you he didn’t dive on himself.
Back in and Spike plays D-Von in What’s Up to D-Von but the Dudley Dawg is easily broken up. It’s time for Spike to get beaten down, including an awesome double flapjack to send him crashing to the mat in a great looking landing. D-Von misses a middle rope legdrop and the hot tag brings in Jericho to clean house. Jericho can’t keep the Walls on though as D-Von makes a quick save, leaving Spike to come in instead. A quick 3D ends Spike to retain the titles.
Rating: C-. That flapjack alone makes this match go up in value. I mean Spike just slammed into that mat and landed on his face. How can you not love that? Jericho vs. the Dudley Boyz wasn’t the most interesting feud and it didn’t do much other than fill in a little time before he moved on to the big time with the invasion.
Jericho clears the ring post match.
Austin and Debra come in to see Vince, who rants against Torrie for what happened on Monday. Debra blames Vince but Austin has a present to make things better. Vince opens the big red box and it’s……a cowboy hat. Austin has one of his own but Angle comes in and feels left out. There’s one more box though and it’s a smaller hat, just for Kurt, who has never been happier. Austin looks like he wants to kill him. Then why did Austin buy the hat? This was an awkward phase of comedy but they’re nailing the timing and it’s actually really funny stuff.
Earlier today the WWF and WCW referees got in a fight, which actually set up a pay per view match for reasons I don’t want to comprehend.
Crash Holly vs. Jacqueline
Crash knocks her around to start but they head outside with Jacqueline sending him shoulder first into the post. Back in and we hit the armbar for a bit before Crash gets two off a northern lights suplex. Crash gets crotched on the top and a super hurricanrana gives Jacqueline the pin.
Rating: D-. This was a stretch when Jacqueline was wrestling various men despite there being no real reason to see her do so. Basically it was a way to show off how awesome she was (quite the stretch) and, again, no one was really all that interested. This would happen from time to time and the fact that it never lead anywhere didn’t seem to change much.
Trish (looking GREAT here) comes in to thank Jeff Hardy for saving her from Big Show. Lita and Matt come in to make her leave. Jeff thinks there’s nothing wrong with this, which might have something to do with Trish kissing Matt last week.
We look back at Austin, Angle and WCW wrestler Buff Bagwell beating down WCW World Champion Booker T. Austin and Angle beat Bagwell down and threw him outside.
Various wrestlers, many of them who used to work in WCW, laugh at Booker for taking such a beating. Booker says he’s ready to defend his title tonight.
Vince gets a summons about a settlement with Linda. Austin blames Angle and wants his hat back but Angle calls him an Indian giver.
WCW Cruiserweight Title: Billy Kidman vs. Gregory Helms
This is a WCW match complete with graphics and Scott Hudson and Arn Anderson on commentary. Helms used to be Gregory but we can’t have two Shanes on the roster. The announcers talk about Booker defending the WCW World Title tonight and ignore the match to really make this feel like something out of WCW. Helms is sent to the floor and taken down with a dive.
Back in and Kidman is hiptossed out for a big crash. Anderson rips on the cowboy hot segment as Kidman gets beaten down even more. A BK Bomb (Sky High) gets two but the shooting star misses. The Nightmare on Helm Street gets two and a modified Kid Crusher (basically the Killswitch) gives us a new champion.
Rating: C+. The match was what you would expect from these two but the crowd just did not care and I can’t really blame them. These fans have no reason to care about WCW or its titles because that’s not what they came here to see. Kidman and Helms are very talented but there’s no connection to them for the WWF fans. Build these guys up under the WWF banner and then do the big war.
Vince blames women for his problems and Debra is incensed. His plan is to explain to the people and everything will be ok. Angle thinks telling the truth is the answer, just like he learned in the Boy Scouts.
Christian has Edge’s King of the Ring trophy ready for Edge’s Intercontinental Title shot tonight. Apparently Edge would rather Christian stay in the back though and Christian looks disappointed. You can see the split coming and it’s really well done so far.
Here’s Vince to talk about what’s been happening to him recently. See, when you die you leave a good or a bad reputation behind. Linda would like you to believe that he has a bad reputation because he’s a womanizer and a skirt chaser. Just for the record he wasn’t going to go that far with Torrie because he was just testing her loyalty. Yeah that’s it. On July 23 he has to appear before a judge about division of assets with Linda and right now he’d like to say he’s sorry. Vince drops to a knee and apologizes to everyone and IS THERE A POINT TO THIS COMING ANYTIME SOON???
William Regal and Tajiri come out and beg Vince to get up because it’s not his fault. Vince hugs Regal and we cut to Austin and Angle looking stunned. It’s not Vince’s fault that women are so attracted to him or that he’s a self made billionaire. He’s Vince McMahon and he’s proud of it. Again, if anyone can explain the point of this to me, I’d love to hear it and tell you that it’s nothing more than an excuse for Vince to take up more TV time.
Hardy Boyz vs. Big Show/Billy Gunn
Apparently Billy and Big Show think everyone is against them. Right. Billy charges into an armdrag and Matt grabs an armbar. It’s off to Jeff (wearing a hat) for two off Poetry in Motion. Big Show and his one piece women’s swimsuit come in for the Alley Oop (lifts Jeff for a powerbomb but falls backwards to send Jeff face first into the mat). Show takes a ridiculous amount of time going to the middle rope, allowing Jeff to avoid an elbow drop.
The hot tag brings in Matt (European Champion, which isn’t important enough to mention until nearly the end of the match) who is quickly launched out to the floor. Lita uses the distraction to hit the hurricanrana on Billy, allowing Jeff to hit a missile dropkick on Big Show. The Twist of Fate/Swanton/legdrop crush Show but Billy comes back in with his cobra clutch slam to give Show the pin on Matt.
Rating: D. For the life of me I do not get the obsession with pushing Billy Gunn outside of his most popular character. He’s just a guy who has a look and almost nothing more. If Big Show and Billy Gunn are the best they can do for a tag team at this point, they might as well just have the Hardys feud with Edge and Christian and the Dudleys forever because there’s nothing worth seeing here. Well other than Lita of course.
Vince tells Angle/Austin/Tajiri/Regal that he’s taking the night off and going to a bar. Actually, Tajiri can come with him. I’m assuming Tajiri will put a shirt on at some point. The two of them leave so Austin and Angle can yell at Regal for hugging Vince without their permission. Austin and Angle get in an argument over who makes the other sicker.
Intercontinental Title: Albert vs. Edge
Believe it or not (and I’m not sure why you wouldn’t), Albert is defending. You can tell how much this match matters as the video during the entrances is about Undertaker (who challenges for the title on Monday) vs. Diamond Dallas Page. Before the match, Edge rips on Albert’s X Factor theme (I always liked it) to tick the monster off. Edge has to fight out of the Baldo Bomb (chokebomb) but eats a bicycle kick square to the hands.
We hit a backbreaker, which Tazz informs us works on the back. A torture rack neckbreaker gets two for the champ and it’s off to a bearhug (which also works on the back). Albert misses a splash and Edge grabs the Edge-O-Matic for no cover. Instead he goes up and scores with the missile dropkick but Albert hits him low and grabs the Baldo Bomb to retain.
Rating: C. I have no idea why but I remember thinking Albert was a cool choice for the Intercontinental Title. It wasn’t going to last much longer as it would be sacrificed on the altar of the invasion but at least they gave the belt to someone fresh. You can only have Jericho, Angle, Edge and Benoit hold the thing for so long before it’s time for some new blood.
The locker room apologizes to Test for beating him up (as they thought he was a WCW mole) when Austin comes in to tell them to get together and fight the bacteria that is WCW. They can start tonight by beating up Booker T. Angle praises Austin and says Steve could beat up Booker T. and everyone else in this room, thereby screwing up the plan. Austin stares at him and throws his hat down.
Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Dean Malenko
Scotty is recently back from an injury. Malenko has Perry Saturn and Terri with him. Things start fast with Scotty armdragging Dean a few times but missing a dropkick. Malenko starts in on the leg but the Cloverleaf goes on too close to the ropes. Scotty’s rollup gets two but he gets knocked to the floor with a clothesline but Dean is down as well. Cue Saturn with Scotty’s hat to try the Worm on Dean (just go with it), only to have Scotty come back in and hit the real thing for the pin.
Rating: D+. Uh….yeah. Saturn being insane was funny and stayed entertaining enough for a long time though Malenko having character stuff like this wasn’t the best idea. I mean, it’s better than having him be a ladies man and all that (save for the Lita vignettes) but he really wasn’t cut out for the WWF in general.
A WCW referee wishes Page luck but Page talks about wanting to go after Undertaker and/or Kane.
We look back at last week’s Tough Enough. HHH will be on the show after Smackdown tonight and gave a speech that I believe talked a buddy of mine out of wanting to wrestle.
Austin yells at Angle and Debra about various things and is ready to beat up Booker T. Angle wants to bounce Booker around like a pogo stick so Steve sends him out to break Booker’s ankle. Angle: “Hold onto my hat.”
WCW World Title: Diamond Dallas Page vs. Booker T.
Page is challenging and it’s another full on WCW match. By that I mean WCW logos with graphics nowhere near as good as the company had and a commentary team that never did commentary for them. Page jumps the champ during his entrance but gets elbowed out to the floor in something that looked edited. Back in and the Diamond Cutter is broken up but Booker gets dropped face first onto the buckle.
They head outside again with Page being thrown over the announcers’ table and then into the crowd despite a lack of any real personal issue between them to warrant this kind of violence. Page takes over and stomps on Booker’s hand back inside. A good looking Batista Bomb gets two on Booker and sets off his comeback, including the ax kick. Page bails to the floor and sends Booker into the steps before grabbing a chair. The referee is shoved down (DQ? Anyone?) and a DDT onto the chair gives Page two. Cue the Undertaker for a distraction and Booker rolls Page up to retain.
Rating: B-. Good match and all but again there’s almost no reason for the fans to care. As far as WWF fans are concerned, these are brand new wrestlers who just happen to be fighting over a title. I’m sure a lot of them know who these two are but that doesn’t mean they want to see a title match here. If they did, they probably would have watched Nitro more often.
Undertaker chases Page off and here’s Angle to go after Booker. An ax kick puts Angle down and there’s a belt shot to the face.
We go to the parking lot where the WCW guys jump Undertaker but can’t even knock him off his feet. Eight guys pounding on him and barely having any effect should tell you all you need to know about this story. They FINALLY get him down but WCW owner Shane McMahon comes in for the save, only to have Page beat him up too. Booker calls them off and gets beaten down as well to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. The show wasn’t bad and the Austin/Angle comedy stuff is oddly hilarious but this WCW story is clearly dead in the water. You can blame it on probably a dozen factors but a lot of it comes down to people not wanting to see WCW wrestlers on the WWF show. If I didn’t want to watch WCW with all of its star power, why would I care about Booker T., Diamond Dallas Page as a character so different from what made him famous and then everyone else that just happens to be there? Things are only going to get worse from here but they’re really not off to a good start.
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Cruiserweight Classic
Date: July 20, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Daniel Bryan
It’s week two and therefore time for more first round matches. Last week’s show was entertaining stuff as they’re going with a very different vibe this time around. It’s rather cool to see a lot of the unknowns getting shots, even if a lot of them have almost no chance of winning the thing. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Mauro welcomes us to the show and congratulates Bryan on his new role in WWE, though no specific spot is mentioned.
Corey Graves introduces a recap of last week’s show and introduces tonight’s matches.
First Round: Tajiri vs. Damien Slater
Japan vs. Australia. Tajiri starts fast and sends Slater into the ropes as they’re still feeling each other out in the early going. Slater kicks him in the ribs and Bryan is right there to say kicking with Tajiri is a bad idea. Instead they fight over some wristlocks with Tajiri hammering him down with some elbows.
More kicks sets up an armbar on Slater but he makes the ropes and sends Tajiri outside for a slingshot corkscrew dive. Back in and Tajiri grabs a wristlock to slow down Slater’s offense. That’s so simple but actually smart at the same time. I mean it didn’t work but it was smart. A running knee to the head gets two for Slater. Tajiri gets in even more kicks and grabs a quick Tarantula, followed by the handspring elbow. The Buzzsaw Kick puts Slater away at 5:49.
Rating: C. Tajiri was one of my favorites in ECW and it’s a good sign that he’s basically the same wrestler that he was back in the day (albeit a bit slower). Sometimes it’s easier to just kick someone in the head over and over. Slater wasn’t the flashiest guy out there but he looked very confident in the basic stuff he was doing.
TJ Perkins is the wrestler who makes everything look good.
Da Mack wants to be the Michael Jackson of professional wrestling. Take that for what it’s worth.
First Round: Da Mack vs. TJ Perkins
Germany vs. Philippines and both guys seem cocky. Mack’s dancing draws an Alex Wright reference. Perkins takes him down with a dropkick and a headscissors with some dancing that Bryan (nor myself) can identify. Mack catches him with a palm strike but Perkins dances into a Boston crab with Perkins lifting him up by the arms. The threat of a Muta Lock (bridging Indian Deathlock with a chinlock) sends Mack over to the ropes and he’s able to pull TJ to the floor.
Naturally that means a big flip dive, followed by some dancing stomps back inside. Now the Muta Lock has Mack in trouble but he’s right in front of the ropes. Mack is back up and runs the corner for a spinning kick to the face, only to have the landing delay the cover. Perkins is right back up with a slingshot dropkick but he misses a 450. Not that it matters as some kicks to the head set up a kneebar to make Mack tap at 6:30.
Rating: B-. They packed a lot into a short amount of time and it was a much different style than the first match. This was all about the high flying with some submission stuff thrown in for some flavor. Mack looked like almost any high flying indy name but Perkins looked like a much more versatile and polished wrestlers. Not great but entertaining enough.
Mustafa Ali says he’s the most well rounded wrestler in the tournament.
Lince Dorado, a masked man, talks about wrestling around the world and being ready to face anyone.
First Round: Mustafa Ali vs. Lince Dorado
Pakistan vs. Puerto Rico. Ali doesn’t want to shake hands but eventually does so to get us going. Dorado headscissors him out to the floor but gets pulled outside as well, setting up a running knee from the apron. A knee to the back gets two on Dorado but he kicks Ali in the face. Dorado isn’t done as he headscissors Ali to the floor, setting up the longest Asai Moonsault I’ve ever seen. Back in and a springboard reverse hurricanrana (it sounds better than it looks) gets two on Ali, who comes right back with a springboard Spanish Fly for the same. Ali misses a 450 though and a shooting star gives Dorado the pin at 5:53.
Rating: B+. Take two guys and let them fly all over the place for a few minutes. It worked back in WCW and it’s still going to work today. This was easily the most entertaining thing so far with two guys who both got to show off a lot. I’ve seen Dorado before but Ali looked a lot better than I was expecting. Really fun match here and the kind I’ve been waiting for.
Akira Tozawa is excited to be here.
Kenneth Johnson thinks it’s his time.
First Round: Akira Tozawa vs. Kenneth Johnson
Japan vs. USA. Again they fight over a wristlock to start until Johnson actually takes him to the mat and works on the leg. A headlock into a headscissors gives us a standoff. Tozawa, the heavy favorite coming in, finally starts getting serious and wins a chop off before just punching Johnson in the jaw.
Johnson takes a hard roaring elbow but comes right back with a dropkick for no cover. There’s a double clothesline to put both guys down until Tozawa goes nuts with some forearms to the jaw. Johnson stops him cold with knees to the face and a jackknife cover for two. Kenneth misses a middle rope spinning legdrop though and Tozawa snaps off a hard German suplex for two, followed by a bridging German for the pin at 10:00.
Rating: B. Tozawa cranked it up in the end and looked like one of the favorites to win the whole thing. Johnson was the definition of a guy in tights but he held his own here against someone with a lot more experience and skill. There was even a good story here with Tozawa underestimating him and Johnson trying to make the most of it until he was overcome by all the skill and experience. The match was shockingly good and far better than the squash I was expecting.
Overall Rating: B+. The last two matches were definitely upgrades over the first two with two flashy, high flying cruiserweight styles matches which is more what I was looking for here. I do however like the multiple styles because they keep the thing from getting stale with the same stuff over and over. Mixing it up is always an appreciated touch and it made the show much more entertaining this week.
Results
Tajiri b. Damien Slater – Buzzsaw Kick
TJ Perkins b. Da Mack – Kneebar
Lince Dorado b. Mustafa Ali – Shooting Star Press
Akira Tozawa b. Kenneth Johnson – German suplex
Results
Tajiri b. Damien Slater – Buzzsaw Kick
TJ Perkins b. Da Mack – Kneebar
Lince Dorado b. Mustafa Ali – Shooting Star Press
Akira Tozawa b. Kenneth Johnson – German suplex
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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