Impact Wrestling
Date: April 25, 2024
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Rebellion and now it is time to start the fallout. The big story was the return of Broken Matt Hardy, who seems to want the World Title back. I’m not sure how well that is going to go but it seems like we have at least a general direction for Under Siege next month. Let’s get to it.

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

Long Rebellion recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Nic Nemeth to get things going. He appreciates the welcome but thought he would be here as World Champion. There are no excuses because he left it out there in the ring and he failed. His family was right there in the front row and he let them down. Right now he doesn’t know what to do next and he feels broken inside…which brings out Broken Matt Hardy to interrupt.

Matt had a pre-mo-neetion that he would be in the ring with the World Champion at the end of Rebellion, which he was hoping would be Nemeth. We look at the end of the match, where Nemeth’s shoulder was clearly up. Hardy wants the World Title and says Nemeth can have a shot down the line, but here is the System, including World Champion Moose, to interrupt.

Moose says Hardy thinks he is the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, which is why the team is so bad. You can’t challenge a play in wrestling but Nemeth says come say this to their faces. Eddie Edwards says Nemeth is here to be the next Kurt Angle but he might not even be Eric Angle. Nemeth challenges Edwards for tonight. This was shorter than I thought and set up a main event, plus pointed us in the direction for some other stuff. That’s not too bad, unlike Hardy, who is rather bad.

Santino Marella oversees the ballot box for crowning a new #1 contender to the X-Division Title. Jordynne Grace comes in for some glaring.

We look at some of the insanity in the Knockouts Title match at Rebellion, with PCO interfering and Sami Callihan returning before Jordynne Grace retained over Steph de Lander.

Grace is glad she had PCO on standby but didn’t know Callihan was coming. Next week, the title is on the line again Miyu Yamashita, who comes in to say she’s winning the title.

Mike Santana vs. Myron Reed

The Rascalz are here with Reed and offer an early distraction so Reed can jump him to start. A slingshot Codebreaker gives Reed two but Santana is back up with some chops. Santana is knocked to the ramp but manages to block the jumping cutter. The Buck Fifty drops Reed and a running Blockbuster takes out the Rascalz for a bonus. Back in and Spin The Block finishes for Santana at 2:57. They packed a lot in there and Santana continues to look good.

Post match here is Steve Maclin (who Santana beat in his return at Rebellion) to ask the Rascalz to go after Santana. That’s a negative, so Maclin tries it alone and has to run from a Spin The Block attempt.

Steph de Lander and Kon issue the challenge to Jordynne Grace and PCO for Under Siege.

Here is Josh Alexander for a chat. He declares it a good day because he is in a TNA ring. At Rebellion, he showed what this place meant to him and you can call him the gatekeeper around here. The one thing he hasn’t been called around here in far too long is World Champion, but here is Frankie Kazarian to interrupt.

Kazarian won at Rebellion too so he should be getting that World Title shot. Alexander is down for a #1 contenders match but Kazarian says he’s too banged up after Rebellion. That’s fine with Alexander, who is cool with being #1 contender without a match. That doesn’t work for Kazarian (yes he says brother) so the match is on…right now.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Josh Alexander

For a future World Title shot, with Kazarian in street clothes and Alexander in a track suit. Kazarian throws a jacket at him to start and chokes in the corner but Alexander makes the clothesline comeback. We take a break and come back with commentary saying this is NOT a #1 contenders match, despite it being kind of perfect to be one.

Alexander misses the running crossbody on the apron and Kazarian hits a slingshot legdrop for two. A running Russian legsweep gives Kazarian two more and a fisherman’s suplex is good for the same. Alexander fights back and hits a Regal Roll for two of his own but Kazarian pulls him into the chickenwing. That’s reversed into the ankle lock but Kazarian slips out and hits the apron Fameasser.

Fade To Black and the C4 Spike are both blocked so Alexander goes with the ankle lock again. With that broken up, Alexander snaps off a German suplex for two more. Frustration is setting in so Kazarian sends him to the apron for a slingshot cutter. Kazarian brings in a chair and a chain, with the former being taken away so he grabs the latter. Cue Eric Young to take the chain away, allowing Alexander to grab the ankle lock for the tap at 12:52.

Rating: B-. This was the weekly “let two good wrestlers have a wrestling match” match and as usual, it went pretty well. Alexander getting back into the title hunt is a good thing, but egads Young vs. Kazarian needs to either be over or take a long break. They just had a big bloody match over the weekend and they’re already back at it? That’s a bit much.

Santino Marella says Jake Something can’t have another X-Division Title shot. Hammerstone comes in and wants to talk about Rebellion, but gets in Something’s face instead. Santino makes the match at Under Siege.

Here is First Class, with hip hop legend Bun B, for a chat. AJ Francis tells the fans to make some noise for B before telling them to shut up. B praises the first class accommodations with First Class before Rich Swann brags about beating Joe Hendry. Cue Hendry, to say he suffered an injury after the match but he knows he owes Francis an apology. That comes next week.

Ash By Elegance vs. Xia Brookside

They glare at each other to start before slugging it out, with Ash getting the better of things. Ash stomps away in the corner and gets two off a suplex. They go to the ramp where Ash drops her again, setting up a chinlock back inside. Brookside fights up and sends her into the corner for some running knees to the back. A high crossbody gives Brookside two but Ash sends her crashing out to the floor. Back in and Ash loads up a foreign object, which is quickly taken away, allowing Brookside to roll her up for the pin at 6:59.

Rating: C. That one surprised me as I wouldn’t have bet on Ash losing anytime soon. The good thing here is it was presented like Brookside catching her rather than flat out beating her which leaves Ash looking a bit stronger. You can pretty much guarantee a rematch, maybe as soon as Under Siege, but for now, it was an intriguing enough twist.

Trey Miguel has won the election for an X-Division Title shot but there are allegations of BALLOT BOX STUFFING! Mustafa Ali says he shouldn’t defend the title at all, but Santino Marella says we can have a run off, in the form of a #1 contenders match next week.

Here are the Good Hands to complain about Sami Callihan attacking them at Rebellion. They wanted a match with Callihan, who wants to fight both of them.

Sami Callihan vs. Good Hands

Sami jumps them to start and uses a picture of PCO to paper cut their fingers. Skyler manages a quick spear off the apron and Hotch adds a moonsault off the apron. Back in and Callihan knocks Hotch out of the air, setting up the Cactus Driver 97 for the pin at 2:40.

Steve Maclin offers an alliance with Frankie Kazarian so they can deal with Eric Young and Mike Santana. Kazarian seems to be pondering.

Here’s what’s coming at Under Siege.

Eddie Edwards vs. Nic Nemeth

Alisha Edwards and Brian Myers are here with Eddie while Nic’s brother Ryan is in the front row. They go to the mat to start with Nic getting a headscissors into a headlock. Eddie reverses into a headlock of his own but Nic slips out. The superkick is cut off by an Alisha distraction though and Eddie hammers away on the ropes.

Eddie whips him chest first into the chest for two, followed by a snap suplex into a knee drop for the same. Nic fights up and hammers away but Myers offers a distraction so Eddie can knock him out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Eddie kneeing him in the ribs for two, setting up the chinlock. Nic fights up and hits a neckbreaker out of the corner, setting up the rapid fire elbows.

The running DDT gives Nic two but Eddie rolls outside to avoid the superkick. Back in and Nic gets crotched on top, setting up a superplex into a tiger driver for two. Eddie takes too long setting up his own superkick, allowing Nic to superkick him into an Angle Slam. They slug it out until a double clothesline leaves both of them down. The referee has to yell at Ryan and Myers for fighting on the floor, allowing Moose to run in with a belt shot. The Boston Knee Party finishes for Eddie at 16:30.

Rating: B-. Much like the other long match, you know you’re going to get at least pretty good stuff out of these two because they’re both polished veterans. They had a good match here and the ending should set up something at Under Siege. It’s not a classic, but it worked well for a first time TV main event.

Post match Moose wraps a chair around Nic’s neck and smashes it with another chair. Speedball Mountain runs in to chase the System off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the kind of show that the company needed with only eight days to go before Under Siege. They set up a bunch of the show’s matches in a hurry while giving us a pair of rather good one off matches here. As usual, TNA knows how to get things done when they need to and they did just that right here.

Results
Mike Santana b. Myron Reed – Spin The Block
Josh Alexander b. Frankie Kazarian – Ankle lock
Ash By Elegance b. Xia Brookside – Rollup
Sami Callihan b. Good Hands – Cactus Driver 97 to Hotch
Eddie Edwards b. Nic Nemeth – Boston Knee Party

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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Main Event
Date: April 10, 2024
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Blake Howard, Brian James

It’s the first show after Wrestlemania (first taped that is) and I was in the house for it so we’ll take another look. One would think that Main Event after Wrestlemania might be the place to put in someone new for a look but that doesn’t tend to be the case. The action can be good enough though so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark

Baszler drives Carter into the corner to start so it’s off to Chance, who is taken into the wrong corner as well. Chance springboards her way to freedom and takes Stark down, allowing Carter to monkey flip her into Stark for two. Back up and Stark drops Chance onto Baszler’s raised knee (ouch) for two. Baszler starts in on the arm and hands it back to Stark, who gets kicked in the head. Carter rolls over and hits a low superkick on Stark, followed by the springboard spinning legdrop for two. Baszler isn’t having this and stomps on Carter’s arm, leaving Stark to hit the Z360 to finish Chance at 4:46.

Rating: C. The knees to the face were good but the fans weren’t exactly into this for some reason. Baszler and Stark continue to be a team who feel like they should be moving up the ladder but it just hasn’t happened. Then again there isn’t much of a ladder to go up in the women’s tag division, but it’s better than having Baszler doing nothing for so long again.

Video on Cody Rhodes’ path to being WWE Champion.

From Raw.

Cue Cody Rhodes to quite the hero’s welcome. Before HHH leaves, he congratulates Rhodes for ending one of the greatest title runs of all time at the greatest Wrestlemania of all time. On his first night as champion, Rhodes is responsible for a record gate of over 20,000 people. In addition, on his first night as champion, some people in the production office have made a little something for him. There’s no Titantron, so Rhodes has to watch a musical tribute to him on a portable monitor (with HHH making a joke about it).

After some tears are shed, HHH leaves and Cody asks what the fans want to talk about. First, he has Samantha Irvin announce him as the new champion one more time. Two years ago, Cody returned to WWE and announced his dreams, but now those dreams are reality. He and the fans are on top of the mountain and the previous man on top of that mountain has to be acknowledged as well.

That gives us a THANK YOU ROMAN chant before Cody shows us a clip of his daughter telling him to finish the story. Cody wanted his daughter to know that when her daddy goes to work, he’s going to work as champion. He was once undesirable, then he was undeniable, and now he is undisputed.

Cue the Rock and the fans know this is about to get serious. The fans won’t let him talk, with an UNDERTAKER (McAfee: “TOO SOON!”) chant, followed by SHUT THE F*** UP. Rock says he is a lot of things but “sucks” is not one of them. Rock finally gets some words in by saying he is here to deliver flowers to Cody Rhodes but there is another announcement to make: Philadelphia has set the record for the largest gathering of trailer part trash in history. Rock tells the fans they can keep going with their “SHUT THE F*** UP” chants (muted on TV, not in the arena, which is bizarre to hear in WWE).

Rock gets a bit more quiet and talks about their history, including how happy Mama Rhodes was last night. You know who else was smiling? Dusty Rhodes up in Heaven. Dusty was Rock’s hero and their dads ran the roads together. Maybe Rock’s daddy wasn’t happy with what Rock did to Cody….but he doesn’t care.

Rock talks about Cody’s belt and says the People’s Title he has is real too. But maybe….could he hold Cody’s title? He’s held every title, except for that one. Cody says Rock can hold his if Cody can hold Rock’s, so they switch off for a bit. Rock puts the title on his shoulder (fans: “THIS IS AWKWARD!”) and says it feels right before they switch back.

As Cody knows, the Rock has got to go away for a little while, but he loves wrestling and the two of them made it cool again. The fans sing the Goodbye Song but Rock says he’ll be back for Cody one day. While Cody might have beaten Roman Reigns, Rock beat Cody the night before.

Cody talks about Rock being the Boss, but he’s the champion. He’s the people’s champion and the Rock’s champion. Rock agrees and says he has something for Cody. He reaches into his pocket and hands it to Cody without us seeing it. Rock says don’t you ever break his heart again, if you smell what he’s cooking. Rock leaves and we still don’t know what he handed Cody.

And with that, we’re 45 minutes into the show. This was a weird segment as they went on for a long time but didn’t actually say much. It was basically “Wrestlemania was great, thank you fans, Cody is great, Cody talks about how he did it, Rock comes out, says he’s leaving, awkward exchange, Rock gives him something. That was about a fourth of the show and they more or less just teased Rock vs. Cody for later.

From Raw.

Here is most of Judgment Day to brag about the team’s success at Wrestlemania. Cue Rhea Ripley (the fans seem to like her) to brag about retaining her title. With Ripley’s topness confirmed, here is Damian Priest for the big celebration. Fans: “YOU DESERVE IT!” Priest: “You d*** right I do.” The team poses with their titles but R-Truth pops up behind them. He brought the Tag Team Titles back to the team and thinks it’s time to induct Miz.

Cue Miz, who doesn’t want to be in the Judgment Day. He knows R-Truth doesn’t want to be in the team either (Priest: “He’s not in the Judgment Day!” R-Truth: “I am in the Judgment Day!”) and introduces Awesome Truth as the new champs. Finn Balor wants a title shot right now but R-Truth says there are three of them. The challenge is thrown out for a six man, with R-Truth saying they can team with “the guy you can’t see”. Works for Judgment Day, who don’t come off as very bright here.

Judgment Day vs. Awesome Truth/???

Awesome Truth is jumped and sent to the floor as we take an early break. Back with the match (billed as a handicap match) joined in progress and McDonagh kicking away at Truth. The chinlock doesn’t last long as R-Truth is up to avoid a splash in the corner. Miz comes in and kicks away, including a double DDT to Mysterio and McDonagh. The Skull Crushing Finale is broken up and Miz scores with a clothesline to take over.

We take another break and come back with Miz kicking McDonagh away but Mysterio pulls R-Truth off the apron. And here’s John Cena, which somehow only Judgment Day and commentary didn’t figure out. Cena gets the tag almost immediately and house is cleaned, setting up triple Shuffles and triple AA’s for the triple pin on Judgment Day at 10:05.

Rating: C. Oh this was fine with the match being nothing of note until Cena came out there for one of the most obvious reveals in a long time. That being said, this is what Cena is perfect for these days: he can be put in there as a hot tag guy and pop the crowd with his usual stuff. It’s nothing but a cameo but on this kind of a show, he’s the exact right option and didn’t hurt anything whatsoever.

Sheamus is coming back.

Julius Creed vs. Ivar

Brutus Creed is here with Julius. Ivar runs him over without much trouble to start and then hits a boot to the head for a bonus. Julius fights up and gets in a running forearm to stagger Ivar before managing to knock him against the ropes. A fireman’s carry doesn’t work but Julius sends him outside for a slingshot dive. We take a break and come back with Ivar sitting on Julius’ chest out of the corner. Julius’ comeback doesn’t work as Ivar knees him in the ribs but Julius is able to catch him with a dropkick on top.

They head outside with Ivar nailing a big boot, setting up a rather scary flip dive off the apron. Back in and Ivar loads up the Doomsault, only to have Julius jump up top for the top rope superplex. Ivar is right back with a tiger driver for two and Ivar is stunned. With nothing else working, Ivar goes up top but Julius pulls him back down for a rather hard slam. Julius’ 450 misses, though of course he mostly sticks the landing. Ivar kicks him in the face and comes back with a super World’s Strongest Slam, setting up the Doomsault for the pin at 7:03.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match that lets two people get to beat the fire out of each other with one big spot after another. Julius got to show off his insane athletics, but he still needs a lot of work in the personality department. Other than that, you have Ivar who can hit a spinning kick to the face and a Doomsault. What else can you ask for from him?

From Raw.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat before the main event and he is not happy. What happened last night was BS because his moment only lasted 5:46. The fans laugh but he says that’s five minutes longer than most of them last in bed. He respects Seth Rollins but then that bondage Undertaker messed everything up. McIntyre would whip Damian Priest but Priest would probably like it. The reality is that this is all CM Punk’s fault and the next time he sees Punk, it’s time for revenge. He’s going for Punk’s weakest part…which is his entire body. This was hilarious as McIntyre can be funny and angry at the same time.

Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed vs. Ricochet

For a future shot at Priest and the World Heavyweight Title. Everyone but Ricochet goes to the floor to start so he hits a big flip dive and we take a break. Back with a table in the corner and Reed dropping an elbow on Uso. Commentary says that this is one fall to a finish despite the introductions saying that this is under elimination rules, so things are already a bit confusing. Uso tries a spear on Reed, who sends him through the table as we take another break, 2:09 after coming back.

We come back again with Ricochet striking away at Reed until McIntyre sends him flying with a release belly to belly. We get the McIntyre vs. Reed showdown until McIntyre gets two off a Michinoku Driver. Uso and Ricochet start firing off the superkicks until Uso spears Reed for two. McIntyre and Uso go up top, with McIntyre doing his situp choke throw to send Uso flying.

Reed plants Ricochet for two but McIntyre breaks up the Tsunami. McIntyre and Reed brawl to the floor with the latter getting posted. Uso goes up but Ricochet kicks him down, allowing Ricochet to hit a 450 off the top through Reed through the table (though he BARELY made it). Back in and McIntyre Futureshocks Uso and loads up the Claymore, only to have CM Punk pop up for a distraction. Uso hits a superkick (mostly), a spear and the Superfly Splash to end McIntyre at 17:40.

Rating: B-. It was a fun match with multiple options to win, with Uso making the most sense. Priest needs a first challenger who can make him look good and that’s what Uso will be for him. At the same time, Punk costing McIntyre the win is exactly what should have happened and it worked well here. I’m not sure when that match is going to take place but they are setting it up as an amazing fight. For now though, Ricochet gets to do his flips and Uso gets the win he needs.

Overall Rating: C+. The opening match was nothing special but the rest of it was more than good enough. Julius vs. Ivar was the best thing from the show, if nothing else due to the fact that it felt fresh. Main Event isn’t meant to be a show of new stuff, but for a recap of a victory lap, it could have been worse.

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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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: July 15, 2008
Location: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Mike Adamle, Tazz

It’s been a bit since I’ve done one of these but we are in the middle of Mark Henry’s monster reign as ECW champion. He is scheduled to defend against Tommy Dreamer on Sunday at the Great American Bash and that match is going to need some more build to make things interesting. Like Tony Atlas perhaps. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Tony Atlas joining forces with Mark Henry as his new manager, which is certainly an interesting choice.

Opening sequence.

Tazz is in the ring and brings out Mark Henry and Tony Atlas for a chat. Tazz brings up the title match at the Great American Bash, but first he wants to know what happened with these two last week. Atlas says he’s a legend who doesn’t carry bags, but he’ll do it for the World’s Strongest Champion. To prove how strong Henry is, we have a demonstration, involving some frying pans.

After establishing that the pans are normal, Atlas wants someone to come out here and try to bend it. A fan attempts to do it but can’t get anywhere, so Henry does it instead. Cue Tommy Dreamer (Adamle: “Here comes the Dream Machine.”) but he’s not here to fight. Instead he would rather try to bend the other pan, which of course he can’t. He can however hit Henry in the head with the pan before leaving like a wise man would.

Post break, Teddy Long ejects Dreamer from the arena. Oddly enough, Dreamer is stunned.

Mike Knox vs. Shannon Moore

Knox sends him into the corner to start and drops Moore with a hard clothesline. There’s a backbreaker and Knox bends Moore’s back over the knee. Moore comes back up and kicks away, setting up a top rope hurricanrana for two. Not that it matters as Knox is back with the swinging faceplant for the fast pin.

Raw Rebound.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Evan Bourne

Bam Neely is here with Guerrero and we get quick comments from Bourne, who wants to show he is on Chavo’s level. Chavo grabs a headlock to start but Bourne armdrags him down and hits a dropkick. The spinning kick to the face set up an armbar but Chavo knocks Bourne off the top.

The nasty crash has Bourne in trouble and Chavo belly to bellies him for two. We hit the chinlock but Bourne fights up and grabs a middle rope armdrag. The standing moonsault gives Bourne two but Chavo is back up with a spinning backbreaker. Chavo’s Vader Bomb only hits knees though and it’s the shooting star press to give Bourne the pin.

Rating: C+. This was good stuff with Chavo being a nice choice to give Bourne a clean win. Bourne is someone with some impressive high flying but he has the strikes to make it that much better. He certainly feels like one of the better additions to the ECW roster at the moment and that is a good thing to see after some less than successful attempts.

Mark Henry and Tony Atlas interrupt Colin Delaney talking to Tiffany and tell him he has nothing to worry about. Then Henry gives him a bearhug and tosses him around.

Video on CM Punk vs. Kane on Raw, with Batista having to make the save.

Great American Bash rundown.

Hardys vs. Miz/John Morrison

Non-title and we’re joined in progress with Miz clotheslining Matt. That doesn’t get very far as Matt’s hiptoss gets two and we hit the headlock. Jeff comes in but gets taken into the wrong corner, where Morrison starts working on the arm. That’s broken up just as quickly as Jeff hits the legdrop between the legs and the Spin Cycle gives Matt two. Miz has to offer a distraction and hit a clothesline to save Morrison from the Twist of Fate, showing how versatile he really is.

The chinlock goes on before it’s back to Morrison to strike away. Matt Russian legsweeps his way to freedom though and it’s back to Jeff to pick up the pace. The slingshot dropkick hits Miz in the corner, as does Poetry In Motion for good measure. It’s too early for the Swanton though as Miz and Morrison bail to the floor. We take a break and come back with Jeff fighting out of a reverse chinlock….eventually. Miz cuts off the tag bid with a backbreaker for two before grabbing a chinlock of his own. That gives me a chance to marvel a bit at how far Miz has come. Yeah he still looks like a goof, but he’s an accomplished goof.

Then said accomplished goof misses a charge into the corner, meaning Morrison has to cut off another tag attempt. Jeff manages to knock Morrison down but Matt is pulled off the apron again, meaning the beating continues. This time Miz ties him in the Tree of Woe for some choking, only to have Jeff get up and hit the Whisper In The Wind.

Now the tag can bring in Matt to clean house, including a clothesline/bulldog combination. Morrison gets in a shot of his own but Starship Pain is easily broken up. A Razor’s Edge powerbomb plants Morrison for two and the Side Effect drops Miz. Morrison knees Matt down but Jeff hits a Swanton onto his back to break it up and give Matt the pin.

Rating: B-. This got some time and felt like a big match, even if it was more for the North Carolina fans than anything else. That being sad, it’s the best match on the show and that makes for a good main event. The Hardys still feel like a big enough deal and them going over the Tag Team Champions in a long match doesn’t feel like the biggest stretch. Odds are we’ll get a title rematch out of this and that should be a good one.

Overall Rating: C+. They kept things fairly simple here, with the main event and the opener being long enough to eat up a lot of the show’s time. The best thing is the show didn’t feel long and helped build up Evan Bourne, which is something the show needs. ECW hasn’t been very good lately but maybe things are starting to turn around. I wouldn’t bet on it, but I’ll take the slightest hope where I can.

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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AND

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Main Event
Date: February 15, 2024
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Brian James, Blake Howard

I haven’t done this one in a bit but I was in the arena for the show so I might as well look at it for a bonus. The show is still what it has been for years: the dark matches for Raw with its own show which means very little to anyone. That doesn’t exactly bode well but you know what you’re in for with this. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence, still featuring people who have nothing to do with this show.

Chelsea Green vs. Tegan Nox

They fight over a lockup to start and even go to the mat without it breaking up. Green climbs the ropes and then falls on her face, as tends to be her custom. Nox elbows her in the face and Green needs a breather on the floor. A running flip dive off the apron drops Green again but she gets in a shot of her own back inside to take over. They slap it out and go into a pinfall reversal sequence for a bunch of near falls until stereo headbutts stagger them both. Nox knocks her down and hits the reverse Cannonball in the corner. A high crossbody connects for Nox but Green rolls through and grabs the tights for the win at 5:01.

Rating: C. As has been the case for a long time, Green is at her best when she is (literally or figuratively) falling on her face. She talks such a big game and then gets shown up one way or another. That was the case here and it made for a good moment, even if she won in the end. This was more fun than it should be and that makes for a nice start to the night.

Nox’s shocked face is rather good.

Long video on the Wrestlemania press event in Las Vegas.

From Raw.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat and he gets right to the point: he’s challenging Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. He can do that because of the fans, who made their voices heard online after….well he doesn’t say what caused it (him giving away his shot against Reigns in the first place). Rhodes doesn’t want to get too emotional though, because it might make him a crybaby.

We see the Rock on the Pat McAfee Show, dubbing the term Cody Crybabies. Rock also lists some things that those crybabies can do with chicken nuggets, which has Rhodes so confused that he asks McAfee what Rock said. Rhodes didn’t like Rock putting his hands on him and slapping him across the face so Rhodes is going to hit back. Cue Seth Rollins to interrupt so the fans get to sing a bit.

Rhodes thanks him for the help against the Rock, with Rollins wondering what else can he say except you’re welcome. Rollins says Rhodes needs to finish his story at Wrestlemania because if he doesn’t, everything changes after the match. Reigns shows up and defends the title even less so this is their last chance to take the title and give it to the people. While Rhodes might be the man, he needs a plan.

Last year he got cheated out of the title and now the pressure is even high but it’s even more complicated because of the Rock. Rollins says Rhodes can’t do that on his own because he is tired for Reigns and Rock getting away with this stuff. We hear about Rollins helping Reigns become who he is today but there is one man suited to be Rhodes’ Shield. That man is an architect and a visionary, which seems to leave Rhodes a lot to think about. Rollins was bringing the emotion here but it feels like he’s being set up to cost Rhodes the title at Wrestlemania.

From Raw.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. After accepting a prom invitation for 2034, Lynch talks about how crazy the Road to Wrestlemania has already been. She loves this, starting with the time she first set foot in the ring when she was 15. Wrestling is what let her meet her husband, have her daughter and cause her to miss her father’s funeral. It’s also left her having some weird conversations with her daughter like why her mom’s face is busted open, why her shoulder is banged up and she can’t pick her up….and why Daddy wants to fight Maui (Rock’s character in Moana).

Lynch knows a lot of people love Rhea Ripley and people believe no one can beat her, but Lynch isn’t anyone. She gets a drink from ringside and drinks a toast to Ripley’s last few days as champion. Cue Nia Jax, who talks about how she wishes her mother was half the woman Lynch is. She sounds rather emotional as she talks about how Lynch is going to win at Elimination Chamber. Just like she’s going to beat Ripley….who interrupts for the fight. Lynch gets crushed in the corner though and dropkicks Jax out to the floor. They almost have to go with Lynch vs. Ripley at Wrestlemania and that’s not a bad way to go.

Dante Chen vs. Akira Tozawa

I can’t escape Chen no matter where I go. Maxxine Dupri is here with Tozawa. Chen shoves him down to start so Tozawa grabs a headlock. Tozawa’s middle rope hurricanrana sends Chen outside but he’s right back in with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. We take a break and come back with Chen whipping him into the corner for two, setting up the chinlock. Another backbreaker gives Chen another two and we hit another chinlock.

Tozawa fights up again and hits another (there’s that word again) hurricanrana, setting up the Shining Wizard. The big dive to the floor hits Chen and Tozawa’s missile dropkick gets two back inside. Chen kicks him in the face for two more but Tozawa is back with a spinning kick to the head. That means a Hulk Hogan shirt tear (ok that worked) and the top rope backsplash finishes for Tozawa at 7:34.

Rating: C+. This was a nice surprise as I wouldn’t have bet on these two having a rather decent match. At the end of the day, Chen has almost nothing interesting about him but at least he was getting to do something better here. Then you have Tozawa, who is the definition of “comedy guy”, so having him do something like this was nice to see.

From Raw.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn

Nakamura kicks him in the ribs to start but Zayn sends him to the floor and bounces back to the middle. We take an early break and come back with Zayn hitting a middle rope elbow to the head but Nakamura chokes him in the corner. Nakamura kicks him in the head though and we hit the chinlock.

Zayn fights up and hits a quick Michinoku Driver for two so they can both have a breather. A clothesline puts Nakamura on the floor and there’s a big flip dive, with Nakamura not exactly catching him so Zayn hits the floor HARD. We take another break and come back with an exchange of forearms until Nakamura kicks him in the head. Zayn is right back up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two and Nakamura rolls outside.

We go old school with Zayn trying a diving DDT over the bottom rope, only to get hit in the face. Back in and Nakamura hits a middle rope knee to the back of the head, followed by another one for another two. Zayn is back up with a heck of a clothesline and then the exploder into the corner. The Helluva Kick is loaded up but cue Drew McIntyre for a distraction. Nakamura kicks Zayn’s knee out and hits a running knee to the back of the head for the pin at 17:07.

Rating: B-. While it wasn’t quite their masterpiece in Dallas eight years ago, it was still good stuff with both of them hitting each other rather hard. The ending was part of Zayn’s issues as he continues his downward spiral. I’m not sure where that’s going to go, but hopefully it isn’t a heel turn as Zayn getting into the title hunt as the big underdog could be incredible.

Post match the double beatdown is on, with Cody Rhodes running in for the save.

Overall Rating: C+. Main Event remains the same, with a pair of mostly skippable (yet occasionally entertaining) matches with low level stars and a bunch of Raw recaps. That’s all it’s supposed to be, and if you have no expectations coming in, you can have a good time. This week’s show was fine enough, but you would be better off just watching Raw.

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

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

AND

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https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-cm-punk-reportedly-suffered-serious-injury-royal-rumble/

Yes, again. So Punk apparently got hurt at some point during the Royal Rumble. While it isn’t confirmed, it is speculated to be a torn triceps, which would put Punk out of action for most of the rest of the year. Punk is apparently set to address the injury this week on Raw, which is likely not going to be the best news.

I’m a big Punk fan but my goodness this can’t keep happening. At the end of the day, this is yet another major injury that is likely to keep Punk out of the ring for months. He’s in his mid-40s and that does not exactly suggest a bright future. It wouldn’t shock me if he wants to come back for one more big moment, but how many special returns can he have? On top of that, how is WWE supposed to be willing to put him in a top spot if his body keeps breaking down like this? It’s sad to see, but it’s also the kind of situation where reality has to set in at some point.

So I kept meaning to do one of these things earlier in the week but then it was one big story after another so I kept putting it off. Now with everything that came out today, I kind of need to cover this before John Cena become King of Lichtenstein on Friday.

Monday Night Raw To Netflix

This is the big story of the week (at least the first half) as the show is leaving USA at the end of September and moving to Netflix in January 2025. The deal is reportedly worth about $500 million a year, or just shy of TEN MILLION DOLLARS A SHOW. I have no idea how Netflix is supposed to make money on this, but WWE continues to make absolute bank on everything they touch.

Now there is something on the downside, as having the company’s flagship show behind a paywall is going to be more than a bit weird. That is going to rub some people the wrong way, but ultimately this is the way things are going in television. Of WWE’s three major shows, only Smackdown is going to be on cable starting next year. Also I’m assuming that Netflix/WWE are assuming that a lot of people already have Netflix so it’s not like some big change that everyone is going to have to make. Either way, WWE has a home for a good while and all kinds of money to go with it, which checks their two major boxes.

Smackdown Possibly To Tuesdays

During an interview with Pat McAfee, Nick Khan said that Smackdown will begin on the USA Network on October 1, which is a Tuesday. That means NXT will be moving elsewhere, which has me wondering what the other shows are going to do. At the very least, it makes me hope that Collision could move off of its death slot on Saturday night. This is something where we’ll have to wait and see, but it does appear that changes are coming.

The Rock Joins The TKO Board

This is something that might be more for show than anything else, but he did get the ownership of “the Rock” trademark. I’m curious if this is part of the lawsuit that came down against Vince McMahon, but at the very least, it makes me wonder what this might mean for Rock coming back to the ring. If he’s tying himself even more to WWE, it makes me think that he has that much more of an investment in the company’s future.

Vince McMahon Wall Street Journal Article

If you haven’t seen the details I’ll spare you from reading them here, but McMahon is being sued by a former employee who claims he sex trafficked her around the company. The details and alleged texts from McMahon are downright disturbing and sickening, to the point where if this is true, McMahon has to be done in the wrestling world. Right now it’s more a matter of waiting for the other shoe to drop, as this is some horrendous stuff that paints McMahon as the monster he has long been accused of being.

Kevin Patrick Gone From WWE

Yeah who cares. Michael Cole will be doing Smackdown this week and then we’ll find out about the permanent replacement.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-seth-rollins-reportedly-suffers-torn-mcl-partially-torn-mensicus/

So Seth Rollins has torn his MCL and part of his meniscus, which means things are getting very complicated very fast. The biggest problem here is that we’ll have to see how long Rollins is going to be out of action. It’s going to be at least a few weeks, but there aren’t that many weeks to go before Wrestlemania. You can all but guarantee that he will be out of the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber, which means we’re stuck waiting, as usual.

Now what does that mean for the title situation? Well assuming Rollins is going to be out of action for a long time and has to vacate the title (which hasn’t been announced), the best bet would probably be to have the Rumble for the title. It instantly raises the stakes and lets WWE go wherever they want in a single night. If you don’t know where you want to go then the Rumble can proceed as usual, but WWE might be needing to come up with another idea for Wrestlemania. Since that was all but guaranteed to be Rollins vs. CM Punk, Cody Rhodes or Drew McIntyre might be having another story.

Or Damian Priest finally gets rid of the briefcase on Raw and everything is solved at once.

I’m a bit late to this but I’d like to do some more of these big story bits.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-rock-returns-monday-night-raw-teases-roman-reigns-match/

So that happened. This is the biggest story in wrestling right now and that shouldn’t be any kind of a shock. The idea of the Rock teasing a match against Roman Reigns is amazing enough and now it seems like we might be seeing it. Save for a scheduling conflict, the match, should it happen, would be one of the biggest in modern wrestling and make WWE its latest fortune.

As for the match itself, I’m not sure I can imagine Rock doing a full on match given that he hasn’t had a long one in more than ten years and is in his fifties, but the smoke and mirrors could help out with quite a few of those issues. Other than that, we should be in for one heck of a ride, as the promos between these two can write themselves. I was excited when they were getting to the reveal and then it got even better when they finally said something. WWE continues to have one big name involved after another and this is the biggest one yet.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hes-done-longtime-wwe-executive-reportedly-leaving-wwe-30-years-big/

You know, you always imagine this kind of thing happening but you can never believe it would take place. Kevin Dunn has reportedly given notice to WWE and will no longer be running WWE’s production. He allegedly hadn’t been interested in doing anything that Endeavor told him, so there was almost no reason to believe that he was going to be around long term.

As for the actual change of pace, my goodness it sounds great. While there is the chance that things might not exactly change overnight, just having something fresh for the way WWE television is presented is rather great. It has been the same thing for so long now and hopefully things change in some positive way. I’m not sure how fast the changes are going to take place, but dang this is rather interesting to think about after waiting on it for so long.

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: July 8, 2008
Location: River Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Commentators: Tazz, Mike Adamle

Things are changing a bit around here as we are firmly in the Mark Henry era. Last week saw Henry wrecking Colin Delaney, which might earn him the ire of Tommy Dreamer. In addition, we saw the debut of Atlas Ortiz, which really was not the most thrilling start. Maybe the second week can go better so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are the Miz and John Morrison for a chat. They introduce themselves, with some jokes about hurricanes wrecking things around here. With that fairly disturbing line out of the way, they say they want new challengers for the Tag Team Titles so here is Finlay to interrupt. Finlay doesn’t think people want to see them run their mouths, but rather someone come out there and shut those mouths. Hornswoggle sneaks in with a water gun and the champs are quickly cleared out.

Finlay vs. Miz

We’re joined in progress with Finlay taking Miz down and doing it again with some uppercuts. A headlock on the mat has Miz in trouble and Adamle not being clear on who Finlay is facing. They go outside with Miz being rammed into the apron, followed by some stomping inside.

An atomic drop has Miz in more trouble and Finlay beats on him in the ring skirt to make it even worse. A cheap shot lets Miz ram him into the apron though and we hit the chinlock. Miz drops a leg and bends Finlay’s arm around the rope, setting up the logical armbar. The corner clothesline connects but Hornswoggle offers a distraction, allowing Finlay to grab the Celtic Cross for the fast pin.

Rating: C+. Finlay is the guy to put in there if you need to make someone look good and that was the case here. Miz is still nowhere near ready to be a featured star so having Finlay out there to walk him through a match is a good idea. That being said, Miz has come a long, long way in a relatively short time and that deserves a lot of praise.

Teddy Long and Tiffany are in Teddy’s office when Armando Estrada interrupts. Long isn’t happy with the lack of respect but asks what Estrada wants. That would be a contract, but instead Long gives him a match with the newest ECW star. Cue a man behind Estrada, who says knock knock. Apparently his name is Braden Walker, and he’s going to knock Estrada’s head off. That would be former TNA star Chris Harris under a really stupid name.

Raw Rebound.

Armando Estrada vs. Braden Walker

Walker snaps off an armdrag to start but Estrada drives him into the corner without much trouble. Walker charges into an elbow to the face though and we hit the chinlock. That doesn’t last long so Estrada elbows him down and stomps away, setting up a waistlock. Some slow stomps set up another waistlock as you can hear some BORING chants pop up. Walker fights up with a running clothesline and a full nelson slam gets two. A high crossbody, with Walker almost landing on Estrada’s shoulder, is enough for the pin.

Rating: D. Somehow, Walker might have made Atlas Ortiz look good last week. Walker was slow, sluggish and had some very lame offense. He might not have been a top star during his time in TNA, but he was a lot better than this. I’m not sure what went wrong here, but this was rather horrible.

Teddy Long runs into Tony Atlas and wants to treat him well tonight. Atlas can even be the ring announcer for the main event. With that out of the way, Mark Henry comes in to say what a fan he was of Atlas growing up. Henry mocks Atlas’ 650lb bench press and doesn’t shake his hand before leaving.

Atlas Ortiz brags about being undefeated.

Video on Matt Hardy.

Tommy Dreamer is giving Colin Delaney a pep talk when Tony Atlas walks in. Dreamer talks about Atlas mentoring him and pleasantries are exchanged.

Evan Bourne vs. Nunzio

We get a voiceover from Bourne about how great of a high flier he is, but we don’t get any special kind of video so it’s quite the odd visual. Bourne takes him into the corner to start and snaps off a headscissors into a jumping kick to the head. Nunzio gets in a backbreaker and bends Bourne’s back over the knee for a bit. Bourne is back up with a kick to the head into something like a standing Sliced Bread. The shooting star press finishes Nunzio.

Rating: C. Well it was better than Braden Walker. Other than the ending, this wasn’t much of a showcase for Bourne, though that jumping kick to the head was good. The positive for Bourne is that he is by far the best of the newcomers so far and that should be enough to keep him in good graces until he gets something more important to do.

Mark Henry runs into Tony Atlas again and hears he needs a payday. How about Atlas carries his bags? Atlas thinks about it.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Mark Henry

Non-title with Tony Atlas as guest ring announcer and he introduces Henry from “Sillsville” as opposed to “Silsbee” Texas. Colin Delaney is here with Dreamer as well. Dreamer slugs away to start before Henry hits a standing body block. The comeback attempt is swatted away and Henry drops the rather large elbow. Delaney grabs Henry’s leg so the chase is on, with Atlas asking Henry to leave him alone….and then sending Delaney into the announcers’ table. Dreamer goes outside for the save and gets World’s Strongest Slammed onto the floor for the double countout.

Atlas announces Henry as the winner to end the show as Adamle thinks Dreamer invited Atlas to be ringside for the main event (Tazz thankfully ignores him).

Overall Rating: C-. The opener was good and the main event angle was…well it was something. Other than though, this was a rather weak show, with the new stars ranging from pretty good to dreadful. ECW is feeling like even more of a nothing show as WWE is now putting its newcomers on here rather than people you might want to see. Lame show, and I don’t see that getting much better.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.