Wrestlemania IV
Date: March 27, 1988
Location: Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Attendance: 18,165
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura

DiBiase’s master plan isn’t over yet and we’ll be seeing it put into effect as the night goes on. However, the tournament plans have been drastically changed since they were originally put together. We’ll take a look at what was changed and why as we move on but you should be able to figure most of it out already. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is a bit more modern this year as it’s a slot machine spitting out coins followed by the Wrestlemania IV logo. It’s very fitting in Atlantic City and a nice change of pace from the basic yet effective openings of the previous shows.

The roof has these really cool blue and red stripes as their main design. I always thought those looked awesome.

Gene brings out Gladys Knight to sing America the Beautiful. I’m not entirely sure why she’s covered in patches and looks like she has about a dozen sponsors but I’ve seen stranger things.

Bob Uecker is here again and is doing commentary on the first match. He’s probably the best celebrity commentator they’ve ever had so I have no issue with this.

Battle Royal

Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Jim Powers, Paul Roma, Sika, Danny Davis, B. Brian Blair, Jim Brunzell, Bad News Brown, Sam Houston, Jacques Rougeau, Raymond Rougeau, Ken Patera, Ron Bass, Junkyard Dog, Nikolai Volkoff, Boris Zhukov, Hillbilly Jim, King Harley Race, George Steele

The winner gets a big trophy and you really should be able to see where this is going from here. Powers and Roma (the Young Stallions) are another pretty boy tag team, Sika is a Samoan, Brown is a tough guy and a legitimate bronze medalist in judo (never mentioned on screen), Houston is a cowboy, Patera is a strongman, Bass is an evil cowboy and Volkoff and Zhukov (the Bolsheviks) are evil Russians. Steele starts on the floor and never actually gets in so it’s not really clear if he’s eliminated or not.

Uecker is on commentary for this one and mentions that Vince McMahon called to ask if he wanted to be on the show. That’s not something you would expect to hear as Vince was just a commentator at this point. Houston, a smaller guy, is quickly put out and Sika, a much bigger guy, is gone soon after.

The fans go nuts at the prospect of Davis getting tossed. It’s rather impressive that he’s hung around so long with such a simple gimmick and so little skill. Steele pulls Neidhart to the floor and both Bees and Raymond Rougeau are quickly eliminated as well. Some cops walk in front of the first row as Dog eliminates Bass. Zhukov and others dump Hillbilly and Powers tosses Davis to the biggest pop of his career. Powers is eliminated a few seconds later and the ring is really clearing out.

Race and Dog go at it again and there go Nikolai and Patera. Jacques is eliminated a few seconds alter and we’re down to Hart, Roma, Race, Dog and Brown. Dog punches Race out almost immediately and Brown backdrops Roma to get us down to three. Brown hits Hart by mistake and the all fours headbutts have them in trouble. The villains take over with some double teaming and quickly toss the Dog. An agreement seems to have been reached but Brown gives him the Ghetto Blaster (enziguri) and tosses Hart for the win at 9:45.

Rating: D. This was a rather lame battle royal with almost no drama but it did accomplish a major goal by turning Bret face for the first time in his career. Neidhart would follow him to the good side soon enough and the Hart Foundation would become a force in the division all over again. Brown would soon feud with the new World Champion for a bit in some really good matches. I wouldn’t want to spoil the new champion for you though, in case you somehow haven’t heard about it in the last twenty seven years or so.

Brown comes back in for the trophy presentation but Bret jumps him from behind and destroys the trophy.

The Fink goes over the tournament rules but Gorilla and Jesse talk over him. They quiet down for a celebrity moment though as Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’ Robin Leech reads a proclamation about the tournament, which basically says “we’re having a tournament.”

Here are the brackets:

Hulk Hogan

BYE

Andre the Giant

BYE

Jim Duggan

Ted DiBiase

Don Muraco

Dino Bravo

Greg Valentine

Ricky Steamboat

Randy Savage

Butch Reed

One Man Gang

Bam Bam Bigelow

Jake Roberts

Rick Rude

WWF World Title Tournament First Round: Jim Duggan vs. Ted DiBiase

DiBiase has bodyguard Virgil and Andre with him. Ted hides in the corner to start but Duggan fires off some right hands to take over. A big atomic drop sends DiBiase over the top and out to the floor with one of DiBiase’s perfect bounces. He’s known as a technician but he can tumble around very well. Back in and Duggan pounds away in the corner but he charges into a boot to give Ted his first control.

A sunset flip gets two for Duggan and Jesse freaks out that he knows a wrestling move. Duggan pounds him into the corner again and a slam looks to set up the Three Point Clothesline but Andre grabs his foot. The distraction lets DiBiase get in a knee to the back for the pin at 5:02. The replay shows Andre punching Duggan as well with the referee looking right at him. It would seem that DiBiase has bought off another one. Or that they screwed up and no one noticed.

Rating: C-. This is going to be a running problem tonight. These matches could be good but you can’t do much when you have so little time to work with. Five minutes is enough for a squash but you need more if you want to see something competitive. Duggan and DiBiase had some awesome matches in Mid-South but they were far different people at this point.

Brutus Beefcake threatens to cut Honky Tonk Man’s hair tonight after he takes the Intercontinental Title. Honky Tonk stole the belt from Steamboat just a few months after Wrestlemania III and has held it ever since.

WWF World Title Tournament First Round: Don Muraco vs. Dino Bravo

Bravo has Frenchy Martin with him while Muraco, now a good guy, has former WWF World Champion Billy Graham in his corner. Power vs. power here with Bravo taking him into the corner for some big right hands. Muraco comes back with a slam but is totally out of position for what looked like a Vader Bomb, meaning he has to just land next to Bravo and then cover him. A gutwrench suplex gets two for Bravo but he misses a knee in the corner to give Muraco a target.

Don starts working on the leg but gets kicked away so hard that his neck gets tied up in the ropes. Bravo follows up on the neck with a piledriver (Muraco’s move, though Muraco uses a tombstone) for two, followed by a double clothesline to put both of them down. Muraco takes over so Bravo pulls the referee in the way of a flying forearm for the DQ at 4:54.

Rating: D. Lame match here with an even lamer ending. They really needed to protect Dino Bravo in a World Title tournament at Wrestlemania? You can’t have him take a rollup loss to a former Intercontinental Champion? The ending didn’t do it any favors either and the whole thing was just messy. It could have been worse though.

Uecker, who will mainly be a backstage interviewer tonight, is looking for Vanna White but finds Honky Tonk Man and Jimmy Hart instead. A few barbs are exchanged about Uecker’s abysmal batting average and Uecker thinks it might be time for some haircuts. Honky Tonk threatens to backstroke up the Mississippi. Wouldn’t that mess with his hair?

WWF World Title Tournament First Round: Ricky Steamboat vs. Greg Valentine

Ricky has his son with him, who would wind up being Richie Steamboat in the early days of NXT. Steamboat runs the ropes to start and armdrags Valentine into an armbar as he is known to do. Some chops get two for the Dragon and he skins the cat before dropkicking Valentine in the back. In a rare botch, Ricky isn’t in the right place to roll Valentine up and has to cover him for two instead. Everyone can make a mistake every and then but it’s so strange to see it from Steamboat.

Valentine pulls Steamboat off the ropes for a big crash, giving me one of my all time favorite exchanges between Gorilla and Jesse. Gorilla: “Right on the back of the head! Right on the external occipital protuberance area!” Jesse: “The WHAT?” Gorilla: “That little bump on the back of your head.” Ricky flips out of a belly to back suplex and puts on another armbar. Greg gets back up with a big clothesline to knock Steamboat down. Gorilla: “Right on the external occipital protuberance. We talked about that Jess.” Jesse: “Ok. Back of the head for all your normal people out there.”

They slug it out as Jesse finally points out Donald Trump in the front row. Valentine can’t hook the Figure Four and Steamboat wins a slugout. Greg’s top rope chop sets up the Figure Four but Steamboat chops his way out again. Now it’s Ricky with a top rope chop to the head for two. After shoving the referee in a rare angry moment, Steamboat goes up for the cross body but Valentine rolls through for the clean pin at 9:11.

Rating: B-. Match of the night by far and while a lot of that is due to the talent in the ring, a lot of it is also due to the extra time they had. It let them build up a match instead of just getting all their stuff in, which is only a good thing when you have guys like these two out there. This would be it for Steamboat in the WWF as he headed back to the NWA after some time off.

The British Bulldogs have Matilda back after the Islanders (Heenan’s team) dognapped her. Dynamite says that Matilda has been trained for a weasel hunt (Bobby was known as the Weasel) and Koko B. Ware can’t wait for the six man tag tonight. Does this sound familiar to anyone else?

Bobby Heenan receives a package and actually TIPS THE DELIVERYMAN! Someone get him to a doctor!

WWF World Title Tournament First Round: Randy Savage vs. Butch Reed

Savage, now a full on face and the second most popular act in the company, and Elizabeth are in matching blue outfits. Reed shoves Savage down as the announcers debate whether or not Gorilla would buy a used car from Slick. Savage can’t suplex the bigger Reed so Butch suplexes him instead, followed by a hard elbow to the face. Savage’s elbows have little effect as Reed drops him again, only to spend WAY too much time yelling at Elizabeth as he goes up. Butch gets slammed down, setting up the flying elbow for the pin at 4:09.

Rating: D+. This did exactly what it was supposed to do as Savage is going to have a deep run in this thing so giving him a relatively easy first round match made sense. Reed was fine in this role as a power guy who posed a bit of a threat but ultimately had no chance. This would be his last match for the WWF before he headed for the NWA as well.

Heenan isn’t worried about the British Bulldogs or that mutt Matilda because he has the Islanders and a surprise to back it up. Uecker is offended and won’t speak at their outrigger dinner.

WWF World Title Tournament First Round: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. One Man Gang

Two monsters here as Gang is a big biker with Slick as his manager and Bigelow is a slightly smaller (6’4, 393lbs) guy who can fly around amazingly well for someone his size. He also has Oliver Humperdink (a pretty low level yet very colorful manager) in his corner. Gang jumps him from behind and splashes Bigelow in the corner as Monsoon talks about wrestling at 440lbs. Jesse is stunned and wants to hear about Monsoon’s diet back then in a funny bit that only the two of them could pull off.

Bigelow makes a quick comeback and hits a pair of headbutts, only to have Slick pull the rope down to send Bigelow outside, drawing a countout at 2:55. You would think that Bigelow being on the apron for about seven of those counts and having one foot in the ring at ten would be enough to save him but not quite. This was it for Bigelow for all intents and purposes as he needed knee surgery and would also be in the NWA by the end of the year.

Gene is in the back with Hogan, who talks about his rematch with Andre. After saying about what you would expect him to say, Hogan goes into a bizarre rant about slamming Andre and breaking America off from the fault line and causing everyone to fall into the ocean. Now things get even more insane and it has to be quoted for posterity’s sake if nothing else:

“So will Donald Trump and all the Hulkamaniacs. But as Donald Trump hangs on to the top of the Trump Plaza with his family under his other arm, as they sink to the bottom of the sea, THANK GOD Donald Trump’s a Hulkamaniac. He’ll know enough to let go of his materialistic possessions, hang on to the wife and kids, dog paddle with his life all the way to safety. But Donald, if somehow you run out of gas, and all those little Hulkamaniacs run out of gas, just hang onto the largest back in the world and I’ll dog paddle us, backstroke all of us to safety.”

So to recap:

1. Hulk Hogan basically just declared himself Jesus.

2. Wouldn’t everyone on his back drown is he backstrokes through the ocean?

3. What’s with the referencing to backstroking tonight?

4. Gene’s face during Hogan’s speech is bordering on terror as he tries not to let his jaw hang open and/or ask what on earth Hogan is talking about.

WWF World Title Tournament First Round: Rick Rude vs. Jake Roberts

These two would be about to start an awesome feud due to Rude trying to hit on Jake’s wife. Rude, with Heenan in his corner, is still a goofy ladies man here but he could be a heavy hitter when he needed to be. Feeling out process to start until Jake scores with some slams to send Rude into the corner. Jake starts cranking on the arm and even holds it when Rude punches him to the mat for a unique visual.

The wristlock stays on as they hit the mat, which sounds like the calling card of the fifteen minute time limit draw. Back up and a knee lift looks to set up the DDT but Rude bails to the floor. More stalling ensues until Jake slams him again but he misses another knee lift and crashes to the mat. The hip swivel and an elbow drop get a VERY slow two for Rude and we hit the chinlock. They’re not even hiding the impending draw. Even Jesse is wondering why Rude is doing something like this with such a short time limit.

Rude elbows him down for two and we hit yet another chinlock. Jake fights up with a belly to back suplex and Rude STILL won’t let go of the hold. Some stomps set up the fifth chinlock of the match and Jake looks asleep. The fans are loudly booing this until Jake finally escapes with a jawbreaker. It’s a remarkable improvement for the fans as they go from booing to just silent instead. Jake starts his comeback with a short clothesline but the DDT is broken up. A double clothesline makes the fans audibly groan. Rude is up first and grabs a rollup with his feet on the ropes but the bell rings for the draw at 15:13 (eh close enough).

Rating: F. Absolutely awful here as over five minutes of the match was spent in a chinlock. It’s easy to have a fifteen minute match go to a draw without boring the fans to death but they didn’t even try here. I know you don’t want to do another countout after the previous one, but what about a double DQ that eats up half the time or something like that? This was awful and just a way to waste time.

Here are the updated brackets:

Hulk Hogan

Andre the Giant

Ted DiBiase

Don Muraco

Greg Valentine

Ricky Steamboat

One Man Gang

BYE

Gene is with Vanna White (of Wheel of Fortune) but she’s never heard of Bob Uecker. They give us a quick preview of the second round and praise Hogan a bit. Vanna likes Elizabeth as “a woman person” behind Savage. White may not have been a huge wrestling fan but she knew how to have a great smile and a lot of charisma here. As I said earlier: it helps when they sound like they want to be here and Vanna seemed like she was having a good time.

Ultimate Warrior vs. Hercules

Warrior is relatively new (he debuted in October) and this is just a power vs. power match. They shove each other around to start until Warrior takes him into the corner for some hard chops. This is before Warrior had figured out the formula that made him a star so this is quite a different style. Hercules needs three clotheslines to put Rude down but Warrior pops up because they’re just clotheslines.

Ever the villain, Jesse suggests that Hercules choke Warrior out with the tassels on Warrior’s arms. It’s not a bad idea actually. They slug it out and don’t seem to know where to go next. I can understand that from Warrior but Hercules is a veteran at this point. An atomic drop puts Warrior down out of the corner and Heenan says slap it on him. There’s the full nelson but Warrior climbs the turnbuckles and falls backwards onto Hercules, raising his shoulder up for the pin at 4:36.

Rating: D. See, as boring as this one was, at least they kept it short and you had Warrior being all insane (character insane as opposed to real life insane) to keep things active. Like I said, this is completely different than the normal Warrior style and it was interesting to see something out of the ordinary.

Hercules comes in with the chain but Warrior takes it away and swings it around to clean house.

We see some Wrestlemania IV merchandise as we’re in an intermission.

Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard is here.

Long recap of Andre vs. Hogan, including the build up to Wrestlemania III, DiBiase paying Andre to bring him the title and the Main Event match which set up the tournament.

WWF World Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant

Andre has DiBiase and Virgil with him. Hogan charges right at the Giant but Andre is ready for him with a bunch of right hands. Some running forearms have Andre staggered and Hulk rams him into DiBiase for good measure. Andre gets tied up in the ropes but Hogan walks around forever, allowing DiBiase and Virgil to get Andre loose.

Even more right hands drop Andre and three straight elbows get two, only to have Andre grab Hogan by the throat to break up the cover. Andre sits on Hogan because he doesn’t like to make his offense that complicated. We hit the trapezius hold from the Giant but Hulk pops up with more right hands. A Virgil distraction lets DiBiase sneak in with a chair but Hogan takes it away and hits Andre. The Giant takes the chair and hits Hogan with it….and that’s a double DQ at 5:23.

Rating: D. Yeah the match sucked but my goodness how in the world do you call that a double DQ? Hogan hit him first and the referee was looking right at him but for some reason both guys are out. That sounds about as cut and dry as you can get but tournaments can cause some screwy results.

Hogan slams Andre and poses even though he’s out of the tournament. DiBiase runs and throws Virgil at Hogan to take the beating in the aisle. Gorilla turns into Yoda and says that “neither one of these men will be entitled to wear the belt of the champion.” As the posing ensues, Jesse thinks this was all part of the master plan. That’s because Jesse was one of the smartest commentators ever and gets common sense while Gorilla was a glorified Hogan fan. This goes on for WAY too long and feels like the end of the show while Jesse says we’ll know who the real greatest is in another hour.

Savage, now in pink to match Elizabeth again, says no one has ever defeated Hogan. Now that he’s out though, he’s going to make sure that the other half of the Mega Powers goes all the way.

WWF World Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Don Muraco vs. Ted DiBiase

The winner goes to the finals due to the double DQ. Muraco reaches through the ropes to get DiBiase (alone here) as the bell rings and Jesse freaks out because it’s not fair to Ted. Again, totally correct but Gorilla ignores him. A powerslam and a middle rope elbow get two each for Muraco so DiBiase rolls outside. That’s even worse as he has to run from Graham and his cane. Back in and DiBiase sends him hard into the buckle to set up some choking. That sweet falling fist drop gets two for DiBiase but he misses an elbow. Back up and Muraco charges into a stun gun to send DiBiase to the finals at 5:35.

Rating: D+. I find it interesting that DiBiase has won his first two matches without using his finishing hold. It’s always cool to see them mix things up like that instead of doing the same stuff over and over again. Muraco was a good choice to put DiBiase over here and the match was fine enough. Not good but fine.

Demolition says they’re going to hit Strike Force over the head with baseball bats to win the Tag Team Titles. Uecker is rightfully freaked out.

One Man Gang’s second round bye is announced to the crowd.

WWF World Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Greg Valentine vs. Randy Savage

This should be good. Savage goes for a quick rollup but Greg goes up top and drops a forearm to the back for two. Donald Trump is still in the front row and seems to actually be enjoying himself. They fight to the floor with Greg chopping even more, followed by some heavy elbows to the chest. Back in and Valentine starts in on the leg but opts for a suplex instead. Savage suddenly goes nuts and hits the top rope ax handle. He tries for a second but gets punched out of the air. Valentine can’t follow up but avoids a charge against the ropes. The Figure Four is countered into a small package and Savage advances at 6:07.

Rating: D. Quite the disappointing match here as you would expect far better chemistry from these two. Valentine barely touched the leg and was just going with the big forearms and elbows, which were normally only about half of his offense. Savage had one burst of offense and then won in the end on a fluke again, which is pretty standard for him. Not a good match here, which is a really bit surprise.

Here are the updated brackets:

Ted DiBiase

BYE

One Man Gang

Randy Savage

Vanna and Gene talk about the upcoming matches.

Intercontinental Title: Honky Tonk Man vs. Brutus Beefcake

This is one of Beefcake’s 283 or so shots at the titles over the year. Honky Tonk now has his girlfriend Peggy Sue with him (Sherri Martel as a dancing 50s girl). Jesse says he’s playing piano during Honky Tonk’s music. Unfortunately Beefcake doesn’t have his awesome music yet. The champ stalls forever so Jesse says hi to Terri, Tyrel and Jade (his wife and kids) back in Minneapolis as was his custom. A big atomic drop gives us the Honky Tonk selling and a right hand sends him outside.

Back in and Beefcake motions for a haircut before he sends Honky Tonk into the buckle over and over. Brutus finally misses a big elbow to give Honky Tonk an opening for his variety of stomping. Some choking looks to set up the Shake Rattle and Roll but the champ lets go. Jimmy Hart is confused but it turns out that they needed to move closer to the ropes so Brutus could block. I guess this is before backdrops were invented.

Beefcake grabs the sleeper but Hart knocks the referee cold with the megaphone. Instead of waking up the referee (why does that almost never happen?), Brutus goes for the scissors and cuts Jimmy’s hair instead. No one can wake Honky Tonk up so Peggy pours water over his face. Brutus tries to bring in the hedge clippers and the match is thrown out at somewhere around 6:00.

Rating: D. Another lame match here as Honky Tonk was all about the heat from the crowd and couldn’t have a good match to save his life most of the time. That being said, it made him more valuable than most of the roster as the people would pay to see him get beaten up every night because there was no way he could survive one more day as champion. Keep that up for over a year and rake in the money until you have someone to shoot to the moon as the new champion. Beefcake was never going to be that guy but he was an awesome repeat challenger.

There’s another major point to talk about here. Remember how I said the tournament we got wasn’t the original plan? Well that’s because of Honky Tonk Man. The original plan here was to have Savage beat Honky Tonk Man for the title but Honky Tonk talked Vince out of it/threatened to jump to the NWA with the title (depending on who you ask) and his reign continued.

Instead Savage was plugged into the World Title tournament and gets the major push as a result. The original World Title tournament saw DiBiase’s master plan paying off with him beating an exhausted Hogan to win the title, (the original brackets were aired on TV before they were changed to this version) setting up Savage winning it at Summerslam and going forward with history from there.

Andre puts his massive hand on Uecker’s shoulder to scare him to death while explaining the master plan. All he was supposed to do was get Hogan out of the tournament and he did his job perfectly. He chokes Uecker for fun, bugging Bob’s eyes out in a semi-famous bit.

Islanders/Bobby Heenan vs. British Bulldogs/Koko B. Ware

We get to see what was inside Bobby’s delivery earlier: a dog handler’s outfit, which Jesse calls a stroke of genius. Dynamite hiptosses Haku (formerly King Tonga) and Tama down to start before catapulting Tama over the corner and out to the floor. Off to Haku to face Davey in the power vs. power match. Davey gets two off a crucifix and we hit the chinlock on Haku. You don’t often see a heel in one of those.

Haku comes back with an eye rake and forearms. Jesse: “Heenan is saving himself Gorilla.” Gorilla: “Yeah for the senior prom.” Dynamite finally charges into a kick in the corner and it’s off to Heenan for some stomps. Jesse describes him as looking like “A Chinaman” and the cook from Bonanza.

A single right hand to the ribs sends Bobby running and it’s off to Koko for some meaningless headbutts. Thankfully the Islanders don’t sell because they respect racial stereotypes and it’s back to Heenan to work on Koko some more. Ware sends him into the corner though and everything breaks down with the Islanders slamming Bobby onto Koko for the pin at 7:31.

Rating: D+. So this was basically the Heenan Family replacing the Hart Foundation from last year. Heenan was funnier than Davis though and it almost made for a more entertaining match, but that beating that Davis took last year was a thing of beauty. Still good enough here and Koko continues to be the man you get when you need a filler.

Jesse is presented to the crowd again in another rather pointless segment.

DiBiase’s bye into the finals is announced.

WWF World Title Tournament Semifinals: Randy Savage vs. One Man Gang

Elizabeth is in black to match Savage’s robe but his trunks are purple. Savage gets smart and grabs the beard to start and snaps Gang’s throat over the top rope. That’s it for Savage’s offense though as the much bigger Gang drives him into the corner to take over. Gang gets two off a slam but Savage gets his foot on the ropes.

The big splash misses though and Savage ax handles him to the floor. A top rope ax handle to the floor has Gang reeling but Savage tries a slam like a schnook and fails miserably. Elizabeth gets on the apron for no apparent reason and Slick throws in the cane. Gang misses every swing but it’s a DQ anyway at 4:35.

Rating: D. They were setting up a fine match until the lame ending. How do you disqualify someone for failing to cheat? Then again this is the same show where there was a countout when someone was halfway in the ring and a chair to the head somehow setting up a double DQ. Savage should have won this off a missed charge and a quick rollup or something but instead they went with some botched cheating.

Vanna has to go to ringside for the final and Uecker shows up just a few seconds late. Gene says Vanna has no idea who Uecker is but he says she’s sent him a ton of letters. “Yeah some guy named Vance White.” I really hope there’s a joke I’m not getting there because that’s really not funny.

Tag Team Titles: Demolition vs. Strike Force

Demolition is challenging and has Mr. Fuji in their corner. Strike Force is the sequel to the Can-Am Connection with Martel teaming up with Tito Santana to win the Tag Team Titles from the Hart Foundation back in the fall. Smash pounds Martel down to start and the other two come in as everything breaks down. A double clothesline gets two on Smash as the crowd is quiet, likely due to exhaustion at this point.

Tito armdrags Ax down and Martel hiptosses Smash down for good measure. Smash is still strong enough to catch a charging Santana in midair and carries him over to Ax for a clothesline in a kind of prototype Hart Attack. Jesse gives tips on double teaming as Smash gets two off a suplex. Tito finally scores with the flying forearm, which Jesse says he learned in the Mexican Football League. It’s finally off to Martel to clean house but the fans just do not care. Martel gets the Boston crab on Smash but Ax sneaks in with the cane (a must have for any heel manager) to knock Martel out and give Smash the pin at 8:03.

Rating: D+. The fans reacted to the title change but there wasn’t much else for them to care about. The match wasn’t bad but it took a lot of time to get to the ending as this show feels like it’s been going on forever. Demolition would go on to have the longest reign in the history of the titles so this was quite the historic change. Strike Force was an underrated team and I was hoping to see them get back in the title change but it would never come.

It’s FINALLY time for the main event with Uecker as the ring announcer and Vanna as the timekeeper. Robin Leech is also here to present the World Title belt to the winner. Uecker gets a kiss from Vanna to wrap up the show long story.

WWF World Title: Ted DiBiase vs. Randy Savage

DiBiase has Andre with him but Virgil is probably still in the hospital after that one suplex. The final matching outfit sees Savage and Elizabeth all in white which feels appropriate for some reason. Savage is rightfully freaked out (freaked out freaked out) by Andre, who grabs Randy’s foot to make it even worse. The fans, proving that they are in fact alive, chant for Hogan.

They fight over arm control until Ted’s sunset flip is broken up by a right hand to the face. Some elbows to the back of Savage’s head changes control again but a knee to the back sends DiBiase outside. Savage goes up but Andre stands in front of him and says jump. If Savage jumps at him and gets attacked doesn’t that mean a DQ, which could mean Savage wins the title? Leave the planning to DiBiase Giant. Savage realizes something must be done and sends Elizabeth off to the back for help.

As Ted cranks on a chinlock, we get the obvious return of Hogan who sits down in the corner to keep an eye on things. Andre goes after Savage again but Hogan runs over with a right hand to even things up again. A suplex gets two for Ted but he gets slammed off the top, only to have Savage miss the elbow. DiBiase slaps on the sleeper but the referee goes to yell at Andre. Hogan comes in (wearing cowboy boots of all things) and chairs DiBiase in the back, setting up the elbow to make Savage champion at 9:17.

Rating: C. The match was fine but it came at the end of a far too long show. In their defense, the fans went nuts when Savage won, despite the blatant cheating from Hogan. As usual, Hulk continues to be really evil under the surface but to his credit Savage didn’t see what Hogan did. Good enough match but it came too late in the night.

Savage, Hogan and Elizabeth celebrate in the ring to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: D. This was LONG. The show felt like it went on for about nineteen days with so many worthless matches (Bravo vs. Muraco and Warrior vs. Hercules?) and stuff not getting enough time because we needed SIXTEEN MATCHES on one show. Savage winning the title was one of the two best options along with DiBiase so I can’t complain there, but this really needed to be cut down by an hour and minus about six matches. Or get a shorter ramp to cut down on the way too long entrances.

This is a show that really could have benefited from the modern pay per view style as there are regularly scheduled twenty minute matches on most pay per views. The problem here was you had all those matches, meaning a lot of entrances to eat up time. It made for a VERY long night and the show felt like it was never going to end. Do yourself a favor and watch the first Clash of the Champions, which aired on the same night and partially at the same time.

Ratings Comparison

Battle Royal

Original: C

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D

Ted DiBiase vs. Jim Duggan

Original: C-

2013 Redo: C-

2015 Redo: C-

Don Muraco vs. Dino Bravo

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D

Greg Valentine vs. Ricky Steamboat

Original: C

2013 Redo: C+

2015 Redo: B-

Randy Savage vs. Butch Reed

Original: D

2013 Redo: C-

2015 Redo: D+

One Man Gang vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Original: N/A

2013 Redo: N/A

2015 Redo: N/A

Rick Rude vs. Jake Roberts

Original: D

2013 Redo: D-

2015 Redo: F

Ultimate Warrior vs. Hercules

Original: D

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D

Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant

Original: C

2013 Redo: C-

2015 Redo: D

Ted DiBiase vs. Don Muraco

Original: C+

2013 Redo: C

2015 Redo: D+

Randy Savage vs. Greg Valentine

Original: C+

2013 Redo: B-

2015 Redo: D

Brutus Beefcake vs. Honky Tonk Man

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D

Islanders/Bobby Heenan vs. British Bulldogs/Koko B. Ware

Original: D+

2013 Redo: C

2015 Redo: D+

Randy Savage vs. One Man Gang

Original: D

2013 Redo: D

2015 Redo: D

Demolition vs. Strike Force

Original: C-

2013 Redo: C+

2015 Redo: D+

Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase

Original: B

2013 Redo: B-

2015 Redo: C

Overall Rating

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D

2015 Redo: D

I even got annoyed trying to write up the new ratings comparison. This show is that much of a mess.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/11/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-4-one-big-tournament-and-thats-it/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/03/13/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-iv-the-biggest-tournament-ever/

Remember to check out my new forum at steelcageforums.com, follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

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

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

Smackdown
Date: March 14, 2025
Location: Olimpic Arena Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re taped from Europe this week, which is going to be the case for a little while now. That should make for some interesting situations and we are just over a month away from Wrestlemania. Cody Rhodes is here to talk about John Cena on MizTV, which feels like it is a way to set up a match tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

A bunch of people came to work, but in Spain.

Here is the new US Champion LA Knight for a chat. The fans are VERY happy to see him and give him one of those cool singing welcomes. Knight: “YEAH!” This is the first Smackdown in Barcelona (the fans sing again, with Knight quipping that it’s a tough crowd tonight) and he is worldwide.

Cue Jimmy Uso to interrupt, saying he needs a rope to Wrestlemania so he wants to challenge for the title right now. Cue Solo Sikoa to say Jacob Fatu deserves a title shot. Sikoa calls Jimmy the failure of the family but Jimmy says the failure was trusting Sikoa as his little brother. The brawl is on with the bad guys in control but Braun Strowman runs in for the save. Nick Aldis comes out to announce a six man tag (with some Spanish thrown in).

Jimmy Uso/Braun Strowman/LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu/Tama Tonga

We’re joined in progress with Uso coming in to jump over Sikoa in the corner and slug away. The ten punches in the corner rock Sikoa but a distraction lets him come back with Spinning Solo. Fatu’s backsplash sets up Tonga’s slingshot hilo and Sikoa adds a running Umaga Attack in the corner. Uso gets in a shot of his own though and hands it off to Knight to pick up the pace.

The jumping neckbreaker and DDT get one on Fatu, who is back up to knock Knight silly. Knight knocks him right back down though and hits the top rope elbow. Fatu drops him again and we take a break. Back with Tonga taking Knight into the corner for a running splash. Fatu hits his own Umaga Attack but Knight manages to suplex Sikoa. Strowman comes in to clean house, including the running shots on the floor. Knight and Uso take out the others, leaving Strowman to powerslam Tonga for the pin at 10:09.

Rating: C+. This was a house show style match and Strowman gets to win for the popular guys. Tonga is more or less there for the sake of taking the falls for the team as we are getting closer to the split at the top of….whatever Sikoa and company are calling themselves. The match was nothing great, but it did what it needed to do in getting the show started off well.

Post match Sikoa takes Strowman down and Fatu goes after him as well, including the triple jump moonsault. It works so well that Fatu does it again.

We get a look at HHH before his Hall Of Fame induction.

We look back at Naomi admitting she attacked Jade Cargill, leaving Bianca Belair in tears and earning Naomi another beating from Cargill.

Cargill has a sitdown interview in an empty arena earlier today, saying she is physically ready to go. Naomi suggesting that she was the victim made Cargill sick because she remembers being attacked and seeing Naomi run away. She couldn’t believe that Naomi would team with Belair like nothing happened so she had to take matters into her own hands. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez come in to mock her, with Cargill issuing the challenge for next week.

B-Fab, in English and Spanish, is ready to start her legacy by beating Charlotte.

B-Fab vs. Charlotte

They take their time staring each other down to start before Charlotte powers her into the corner. B-Fab comes back with a half nelson slam for two and Charlotte rolls outside as we take a break. Back with Charlotte stomping away before taking her down with a neckbreaker. The chinlock goes on and Charlotte even manages to mock the crowd at the same time.

We take another break and come back with Charlotte hitting the figure four necklock faceplants to keep B-Fab in trouble. It’s too early for the Figure Eight though and B-Fab fires off some right hands. A pump kick gives B-Fab two but Charlotte is back with a superkick. Natural Selection into the Figure Eight finishes B-Fab at 8:22.

Rating: C+. B-Fab was trying here but this was all about getting Charlotte her first singles win in a very long time. That’s not a bad thing and B-Fab held her own in a longer match than you usually see from her. Charlotte is on her way back to the title picture at Wrestlemania though and this was more about letting the fans know how good she can be, again.

Post match Charlotte won’t let go and it’s Tiffany Stratton in for the save. Security can’t break it up and the fight stays on, with Charlotte diving off the announcers’ table to take Stratton down. Stratton hits her own dive and they’re FINALLY split up. I would hope that they’re wearing different colors at Wrestlemania because they were both in pink here and I was having trouble telling them apart.

Drew McIntyre blames Damian Priest for all of his problems in the last year.

Here’s the Miz for MizTV but Charlotte and Stratton are still fighting at the entrance. Security breaks it up again, only for Stratton to get up on the video screen for a big flip dive. Stratton shouts that there is a new queen in town to finally wrap it up.

And now, MizTV, with Miz doing the introduction in Spanish to continue a trend tonight. Miz talks about how his guest should have taken the Rock up on his offer but then got beaten down by two great rappers instead. Here is Cody Rhodes, with the fans singing his theme song in one of those shows of respect that never gets old. Miz goes even heelier than usual by saying he doesn’t have time for the singalong, which earns him a quick Cross Rhodes. Cody takes off his jacket to reveal a BARCELONA NIGHTMARE shirt (the fans approve) before saying he only wants to talk to John Cena, so he’ll see him Monday.

Earlier today, Shinsuke Nakamura told Nick Aldis he wanted a rematch when Damian Priest came in to say he wanted Drew McIntyre. Priest doesn’t like what he thinks Nakamura is saying so Aldis makes the match for later. As usual, Priest comes off like he is always ready to fight and that makes him feel more important.

We get a teaser for someone who looks a lot like Rey Fenix. Interesting that he might not be on the same show as Penta.

Damian Priest vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

They trade arm cranking to start until Nakamura takes him into the corner for Good Vibrations. A running clothesline puts Nakamura on the floor though and we take an early break. Back with Priest dropping him face first onto the barricade, only to miss a charge back inside. Nakamura hits the middle rope knee for two and it’s time to choke on the ropes.

We take a break and come back with Nakamura grabbing a chinlock. An enziguri takes Priest down again but he catches Nakamura with the lifting Downward Spiral. They go outside with Priest sending him over the announcer’s table, setting up the Old School high crossbody back inside. Back up and they trade strikes to the face but here is Drew McIntyre to sit on the announcers’ table. The distraction lets Nakamura load up Kinshasa, which is reversed into South Of Heaven. That’s enough for McIntyre to come in and jump Priest for the DQ at 8:42.

Rating: B-. This was about two guys getting to go after each other and hit the other rather hard until they got to the finish. In this case that’s how it should have gone as you don’t want Priest to lose, but Nakamura getting pinned twice in a row would be a bit much. The match itself was a good back and forth fight though, which shouldn’t be a surprise given whom was in there.

Post match McIntyre goes for Priest’s eyes, allowing Nakamura to hit Kinshasa. Nakamura leaves and McIntyre wrecks Priest. McIntyre goes to leave but sees Priest getting back up, earning himself a Claymore and some yelling.

DIY says they make the tag team division the best in the world and they’ll prove it again tonight. The Motor City Machine Guns come in to say they’ll be waiting.

Chelsea Green is glad that her administration is at full force despite everything she has had to go through. Zelina Vega comes in to say she wants a title shot but gets a match with Piper Niven next week instead. Works for Vega, who is still coming for the title.

Randy Orton vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes offers him a handshake but the fans want the RKO. Orton tries for the handshake but Hayes pulls it away, earning himself quite the beating. The belly to back drop onto the announcers’ table has Hayes in trouble and we take an early break. Back with Orton dropping him on the table again but Hayes gets in a cheap shot to take over. The fans do not like Hayes and rhythmically chant about it as we take another break.

We come back again with Orton fighting out of a chinlock but getting put right back into it. Orton fights up and hits the powerslam before pulling Hayes out of the air for another powerslam. The hanging DDT sends Hayes outside and he grabs a Stunner over the top rope. Nothing But Net misses so Hayes settles for the springboard DDT for two instead. Hayes goes up top again and gets superplexed back down but the RKO is countered into the First 48. Then the RKO connects to give Orton the pin at 10:22.

Rating: B-. While Hayes is losing a lot of these big matches, he is staying in these matches and looking good against bigger stars. What matters is that he could be moved up to the next level with just a win or two. Other than that, there is something to be said about having a younger star like Hayes who can go out there and hang with these names, though a win here or there would be nice.

Post match Orton gives him another RKO to even the score a bit. The Punt is loaded up but Kevin Owens runs in for the save. Owens bails before violence can ensue.

Jacob Fatu wants one more match with Braun Strowman next week.

We get a mysterious smoky vignette with the number 4. Or is that a slightly slanted A?

Here is Gunther for a chat. Gunther says that the Road To Wrestlemania Europe starts here and as the greatest European wrestler of all time….he wishes they could be in Madrid instead. Gunther mocks Jey Uso as having no substance and asks for “a kid” to come face him, meaning Axiom gets a rare main roster appearance.

Gunther vs. Axiom

Non-title and Axiom, a masked high flier from Spain, is one half of the NXT Tag Team Champions. Axiom is a bit tentative to start before going to the mat and getting in a quick kick. Gunther misses the chop in the corner and Axiom strikes away as the fans are losing their minds over this stuff. A chop cuts Axiom off again but the fans are right there as he fires off forearms.

The Boston crab has Axiom in trouble and Gunther flips it into an STF. Gunther goes after the mask, which wakes Axiom up enough for a missile dropkick. A running knee connects but Gunther dropkicks him down. The dropkick gets two but Axiom catches Gunther on top, with a super hurricanrana connecting. The Golden Ratio (superkick) gives Axiom two so he cranks on the arms. That’s enough for Gunther, who hits a powerbomb, the clothesline, and another powerbomb for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: B. The fans were crazy into this and they were carrying this even higher than the two of them were getting in the first place. At the same time, Axiom was more than holding his own out there to make for a heck of a match. Gunther can work well with anyone and having him shut down a smaller high flier like this makes sense. Good match, with awesome crowd reactions.

Post match Gunther sleepers axiom for the knockout.

We look back at Roman Reigns accidentally helping Seth Rollins beat Cm punk in a cage match on Raw. Then Paul Heyman helped Punk up, earning Punk one heck of a beating from Reigns.

Here is Heyman for a chat, declaring that today is Roman Reigns Day, because it is the release day for WWE2K25. He knows everyone is going to go home and play the game, but please wait until the show is over because he likes to keep the ratings high during his segments. Heyman moves on to CM Punk, who is his friend, but it isn’t CM Punk Day, nor will it ever be Seth Rollins Day. If you have a problem with that, you can say it to his face next week in Italy.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Legado del Fantasma wishes the Street Profits luck. The Profits are ready to get the Tag Team Titles.

Gunther tells Jimmy Uso to get Jey Uso to not challenge him at Wrestlemania or bad things will happen.

Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. Street Profits

The Profits are challenging. Dawkins and Ciampa start things off with Dawkins unloading in the corner to start fast. The assisted moonsault gives Ford two and it’s back to Dawkins, who chases Gargano on the floor. That’s enough for Ciampa to hammer away back inside as Pretty Deadly is shown watching. Ford comes back in but gets nailed by Gargano before Ciampa drops him ribs first across the top rope.

The Fairy Tale Ending is blocked though and Ford kicks Ciampa away, allowing the tag off to Dawkins. House is quickly cleaned but Ford’s 450 only hits raised knees. Back up and a Doomsday Blockbuster gives Ford two with Ciampa making the save. The Fairy Tale Ending/superkick combination gets two on Dawkins but Meet In The Middle misses. Ford’s frog splash connects for the pin and the titles at 11:52.

Rating: B-. This had to happen at some point as the Profits had been so close to the titles so many times, only to come up short. It’s nice to see them getting the gold, as it spices things up in the division. Odds are we wind up with some kind of a big five team ladder match at Wrestlemania, but for now, this is the right move as it is long overdue.

Overall Rating: B. Here you had a show where the crowd boosted things up that far, as the fans were going nuts all night long. The title change at the end made things feel that much more important and it was a big way to get things going with the six shows in Europe. It’s not a great show, but the fans were hot and you can see where a lot of this stuff is going, which is nice to see.

Results
Jimmy Uso/Braun Strowman/LA Knight b. Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu/Tama Tonga – Running powerslam to Tonga
Charlotte b. B-Fab – Figure Eight
Damian Priest b. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when Drew McIntyre interfered
Randy Orton b. Carmelo Hayes – RKO
Gunther b. Axiom – Powerbomb
Street Profits b. DIY – Frog splash to Gargano

 

 

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

 

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 13, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the last show before Sacrifice and the show is mostly set up. There is still the chance that we are going to see something new added, though there is only so much time left to fill in. The big match at Sacrifice seems to be the big team cage match so we’ll probably hear a lot about that here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Eddie Edwards vs. Leon Slater

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie and the winner’s team gets the advantage in the cage match, which sounds a lot more like Lethal Lockdown. Eddie jumps him to start but Slater hammers away in the corner. A running hurricanrana sends Eddie outside, where he avoids a dive and hits a big chop. Slater uses the steps to snap off another hurricanrana but Eddie snaps his throat across the top rope.

Eddie sends him hard into the steps and then sends the banged up arm into the corner for two. The armbar doesn’t last long so Eddie snaps off an overhead belly to belly for two more. Eddie cranks on the arm again and grabs another armbar, at least until Slater kicks him in the face to escape. A high crossbody gives Slater two but Eddie catches a flip with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Slater kicks him down but misses the Swanton 450. Eddie sends him into the post and adds the Boston Knee Party for the win at 9:42.

Rating: C+. The villain winning this is the only thing that makes sense and as good as Slater has been, there is nothing wrong with him losing to a former multiple time World Champion. Eddie had to win to give his team the advantage so they weren’t going in any weird direction here. The match was fine enough, but the result making sense is what matters most.

Sami Callihan is ready to take out Mance Warner, who comes in (with Steph de Lander) to say Sami doesn’t have the guts to hit him now (which he isn’t allowed to do). Trash talking ensues.

Wes Lee vs. Laredo Kid

Kid twists the arm to start and sends Lee outside, where a baseball slide misses. Instead Kid is back up with an Asai moonsault, followed by a crossbody for two back inside. Lee is right back with a superkick and a bunch of stomping, setting up a brainbuster for two. That lets Lee crank on the arm (it must be required around here) until Lee is up for the slugout. Kid knocks him down and hits a pair of moonsaults for two. A hurricanrana gets the same so Lee belly to back suplexes him into the Cardiac Kick for the pin at 7:19.

Rating: C+. Lee gets to win something around here over a talented star, even if Kid has only done so much around here. It helps that Lee is someone who has done enough around here before so it isn’t the biggest stretch. Not a bad match at all, but Kid losing time after time has taken away a lot of his value.

Post match the Rascalz and Ace Austin come out to say they’re coming for Wes Lee, Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont.

By Elegance yells at Santino Marella over how they were treated by Spitfire. Marella gives them one more title shot….but with the Personal Concierge wrestling as well, to make it a handicap match. The Concierge panicking is rather amusing.

Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside strikes away to start but gets taken down with a choke, allowing Rosemary to hammer away (and scream a lot). The chinlock is broken up but Rosemary is right back with the Upside Down. Rosemary pulls out a chain but Brookside takes it away, only to get misted for the DQ at 5:25.

Rating: C. This didn’t have the time to go very far and I’m a bit confused about what it is supposed to do. Rosemary was being hyped up as wanting to get back into the Knockouts Title scene but she just attacked Brookside when she was already winning a match. Odds are this gets a rematch, and I could go with either of these two moving up the standings a bit.

Steve Maclin is writing in a notebook and drinking when Eric Young shows up to drink with him. Maclin doesn’t want to hear from him and leaves.

JDC vs. Cody Deaner

Deaner talks about how he didn’t think he would be here just a year ago but now he is letting the fans decide for him and that has changed his life. JDC offers to let him have his countout loss but Deaner listens to the fans and hammers away to start fast. That’s broken up with some right hands from JDC, who gets caught with an atomic drop. The big right hand gives Deaner two but JDC pokes him in the eye. The Falcon Arrow finished Deaner at 1:56.

Tessa Blanchard/Cora Jade vs. Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich

Arianna Grace is on commentary. Jade tags out and lets Blanchard start with Slamovich, who drops her with some early clotheslines. Lee comes in and flips over Jade before hammering away in the corner. Blanchard offers a distraction though and Jade gets to choke away on the ropes. A basement dropkick gets two on Lee and Blanchard hits a rather hard running slap in the corner.

Jade’s chinlock is broken up and they collide for a double down. Slamovich comes back in to clean house as everything breaks down. Magnum hits Lee but Slamovich drops Blanchard. Lee hits a running knee off the apron to drop Jade before coming back in for Thunderstruck to send Blanchard outside. Jade hits Slamovich with the belt though and the Buzzsaw gives Blanchard the pin at 8:44.

Rating: B-. While Sacrifice is tomorrow, this feels like a way to get things ready for whatever the next major pay per view is going to be. Like her or not, Blanchard is an absolute star and putting her in the Knockouts Title picture immediately is not a stretch. I could go for seeing the match and this very well may have helped set it up.

We get a sitdown interview between Mike Santana and Mustafa Ali, the latter of whom shows up late with his cabinet. Ali says he respects Santana but they need to think about the bigger picture, which is TNA. He is here to knock down walls and can handle the pressure, unlike Santana. That doesn’t work for Santana, who has carried the pressure since he got here.

Ali shrugs that off and says Santana would crack under the pressure because he’s an addict. Santana: “Ali, you’re full of s***.” Santana is an addict but he’s an addict to the people. Ali can talk all the garbage that he wants, but at Sacrifice, his hands better cash those checks. Ali whips out a bottle of alcohol and asks Santana to take one sip and let everyone down. He brings up Santana’s daughter, which brings Santana out of his chair.

The cabinet beats Santana down and Ali leaves him a drink for when he wakes up. I liked this a bit better than the original with JBL and Eddie Guerrero, even if it’s almost the exact same story. That being said, this feud has been great for Santana (urine test gag aside), as he has looked like a star.

Sacrifice rundown.

Frankie Kazarian comes out for commentary on the main event and is told he’s facing Steve Maclin at Sacrifice. This doesn’t go well.

Here is Joe Hendry to defend the World Title against a mystery challenger. Santino Marella comes out to introduce….Ryan Nemeth, who announces that his big brother is returning at Sacrifice. He’ll be taking Nic’s contractually obligated rematch.

TNA World Title: Joe Hendry vs. Ryan Nemeth

Hendry is defending and retains with the Standing Ovation at 17 seconds, a good chunk of which was him holding Nemeth in the air.

That’s not what Santino had in mind, so here is the other challenger.

TNA World Title: Joe Hendry vs. Hammerstone

Hendry is defending and Hammerstone is even bigger than he was before. Hammerstone powers him into the corner to start before they chop it out. A jumping forearm staggers Hammerstone but he sends Hendry shoulder first into the post. Hendry fights up but gets dropped onto the apron as we take a break.

Back with Hendry fighting out of a neck crank but getting planted with a spinebuster for two. Another slugout goes a bit better for Hendry and he muscles Hammerstone up with a suplex. There’s the fall away slam to Hammerstone but the Standing Ovation is blocked. Hammerstone hits a powerslam for two and a German suplex into a powerbomb gets the same. A not great Boston crab sends Hendry over to the ropes (Kazarian finds this cheap.) and he’s back up with a German suplex. Now the Standing Ovation can retain the title at 15:29.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly fine match and a way to get the champ in the ring. That being said, Hammerstone has gotten even bigger and it made him look almost goofy in a way. It doesn’t help that he has never really won much of anything in TNA, at least not in a good while, but at the moment he is little more than an intimidating looking star who gets beaten almost every time.

Post match the System and the Colons come in for the beatdown but Hendry’s teammates at Sacrifice run in for the big brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling wasn’t the best here, but what mattered was helping to build up Sacrifice. That show is looking like one of the biggest non-major pay per views that TNA has presented in a long time with a ladder match and Lethal Lockdown, plus one heck of a grudge match between Mike Santana and Mustafa Ali. There is a lot of potential on that show and while this week didn’t really make me more interested, it kept things going well enough on the way to El Paso.

Results
Eddie Edwards b. Leon Slater – Boston Knee Party
Wes Lee b. Laredo Kid – Cardiac Kick
JDC b. Cody Deaner – Falcon Arrow
Tessa Blanchard/Cora Jade b. Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich – Buzzsaw DDT to Slamovich
Joe Hendry b. Ryan Nemeth – Standing Ovation
Joe Hendry b. Hammerstone – Standing Ovation

 

 

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

 

Ring Of Honor
Date: March 13, 2025
Location: Oakland Arena, Oakland, California
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re still on the way to nothing announced at the moment as there is no major show set for Wrestlemania Weekend thus far. In theory a major showdown could take place on Collision, but I’m not sure what that is going to be. Right now it seems like Chris Jericho against Bandido, but we’ve already done that recently. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Alpha Zo/CSJ

Zo works on Angelico’s arm to start as commentary makes some jokes about the non-stars’ names. Angelico ties up Zo’s arms with his feet before it’s off to Serpentico to stay on the arm. CSJ comes in and gets double superkicked until Serpentico gets to hammer away on Zo against the ropes. It’s back to CSJ for a running back elbow to the back and we hit the chinlock as we hear about JTG training CSJ (dang I feel old).

Serpentico comes back with a double Downward Spiral and it’s Angelico coming in again to strike away. CSJ gets in a shot though and is smart enough to drag Zo over to the right corner (a move that should be done more often). It’s back to CSJ, who is immediately tied up in a reverse figure four to give Angelico the tap at 6:43.

Rating: C+. Zo and CSJ got in a bit more than you might have expected here and they looked smarter than your run of the mill jobbers. Maybe they can turn into something down the road, but that is likely going to be a long way off. The Project being back is nice, but spare me from buying what commentary was saying about them getting back into the title picture.

We look at Chris Jericho unmasking Gravity and attacking him in front of his family.

We get Jericho’s promo from Dynamite, as he holds Gravity’s mask and mocks Bandido for scaring his family and unmasking his brother.

Blake Christian vs. Titus Alexander

Christian won’t shake hands so Alexander (hometown boy) says ring the bell, earning himself a slap in the face to start. The ensuing chase lets Christian stomp away on the way back in as commentary isn’t sure what to make of him. Alexander gets in a slap to the face and knocks Christian outside, where Christian whips him into the barricade a few times.

Christian kicks away back inside but yells at the referee, allowing Alexander to get a boot up in the corner. A Lethal Injection sends Christian outside and there’s the big flip dive. Back in and Christian avoids a charge into the corner, only to get caught with a running knee for two. Christian slips out of a rolling Chaos Theory though and hits a stomp, setting up Vanilla Choke Zero (that’s a great name) for the tap at 6:50.

Rating: B-. I was expecting nothing here and Alexander worked as hard as he could to get over here. It wouldn’t stun me to see him getting another shot around here, possibly even something a bit more regularly. Christian has become a little something around here too and that is something of a surprise. I’ll take what I can get, but it isn’t going to matter unless Christian gets somewhere.

Leila Grey is ready to step up.

Leila Grey vs. Lady Frost

Frost armdrags her down to start as commentary talks about which woman should get the first action figure from Ring Of Honor. Thankfully Ian realizes it should be Athena as Grey sends her into the corner, only to get chopped for her efforts. More chops set up some running shoulders in the corner but Grey is right back with a dragon sleeper of all things. That’s broken up and they fight over a small package for two each. Frost kicks her down in the corner and hits a handspring cannonball. A spinning kick to the head misses though and Grey grabs a fluke rollup for the pin at 4:31.

Rating: C. Grey is someone who could get a chance somewhere if she is given the chance and while we’re a good way off from that, a clean pin is only going to help things. She has come a long way in a short amount of time and it would be nice to see her do something else. The same is true for Frost, but she seems a lot less likely to get the shot.

Premiere Athletes/Frat House vs. Top Flight/Gates Of Agony

The brawl starts on the floor with the good guys taking over and we settle down to Dante and Daivari inside. Nese comes in and takes Dante into the wrong corner before a legsweep gets two. Dante armdrags Karter into the wrong corner though and a string of slingshot hilos get two. Vance gets in a cheap shot on the floor though and Darius is in trouble for a change.

The villains and their seconds get in some group stomping before Daivari grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up and everything breaks down with Kaun Cactus Clotheslining Karter outside. Toa throws Dante onto the pile before going to the floor to clean house. Even Mark Sterling gets taken down (Ian: “I don’t need my birthday and I don’t need Christmas. That was awesome!”). Back in and Open The Gates finishes Vance at 8:25.

Rating: C+. Apparently Toa is from this area so this was a great homecoming for him as he was looking great out there. At the same time, commentary hyped up the Gates and Top Flight as potential title contenders. Say it with me: THEN DO SOMETHING WITH THEM AND THE CHAMPIONS! That’s one of the biggest issues with ROH: we keep hearing about how people are moving into title contention and then they never actually do it. If you want the Gates or Top Flight to be champions then cool, but actually GO THERE ALREADY.

Last week, Dark Panther wouldn’t shake Komander’s hand before their title match next week.

Aaron Solo vs. Dark Panthers

Komander is in the audience again. They forearm it out to start before heading outside, where Panther drops him face first onto the apron. Solo gets in a shot of his own though and hits a top rope double stomp for two. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gives Panther two of his own before going for the arm, which sends Solo to the ropes. Panther hurricanranas him to the floor and hits a pair of dives. Solo gets sent into the barricade right in front of Panther but Solo uses the distraction to hit a spinning kick to the head. Panther kicks him down though and hits a middle rope basement dropkick for the pin at 5:40.

Rating: C+. This was designed to get Panther built up for the TV Title match next week. That’s been the case for the last few weeks and that has made it work just a bit better. They’re actually putting together a story here and even if Panther winning feels like a long shot, the story has gone pretty well. If feels like they’re actually doing something and that helps so much.

Post match Komander and Panther have a rather aggressive staredown.

Lee Johnson vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Johnson won’t shake hands to start so Shibata starts in on the arm. A stomp to the arm lets Shibata start working on the leg, including a Figure Four. Johnson makes the ropes so Shibata of course breaks it up, allowing Shibata to come back with a headlock. That’s broken up as well and Shibata chops him to the floor, meaning the chase is on.

Shibata changes directions in a smart move but gets kicked in the ribs to slow him down in an even smarter move. Back in and Johnson stomps away before going to the eyes to keep Shibata in trouble. Shibata isn’t having any of Johnson’s chops though and chops right back, followed by a running dropkick in the corner. Johnson brainbusters him down but Shibata grabs an STO into a cross armbreaker, sending Johnson over to the ropes. The PK finishes for Shibata at 8:18.

Rating: B-. Shibata is one of those guys who is going to put in a good performance against anyone and that was the case here too. He’s incredibly smooth in the ring and made Johnson look better. Again though, it would be nice if he actually did something of note rather than just having one off matches like this.

The Frat House doesn’t mind the loss because it’s time to drink. The Dark Order comes in and tells Vance to grow up. Vance points out that they haven’t won anything and leaves. Fair point.

Mistico/Esfinge/Atlantis vs. Rocky Romero/Valiente/Euforia

It’s a series of strikes to start until Mistico gets caught in the corner for some running clotheslines. Esfinge gets beaten up as well with a top rope splash getting two. Atlantis gets beaten down for a bit but makes it over to Mistico, who is triple teamed again. Mistico handspring elbows his way out of trouble and hits a springboard hurricanrana to take out Euforia on the floor.

Back in and Esfinge gets to clean some house but Euforia takes Atlantis down without much trouble. Euforia chops his partners by mistake and Atlantis gets to snap off some tilt-a-whirl backbreakers. We settle down to Mistico vs. Valiente, with the fans being rather behind the former. Mistico ties him in the ropes for a kick to the chest before sending Romero outside. A big dive to the floor takes Euforia out again so Esfinge comes in to avoid some double teaming. Everything breaks down and La Mistica makes Euforia tap at 9:45.

Rating: B-. As usual, the CMLL stars do rather well, but also as usual, it feels like something that is just tacked on because it can be there. I’m not sure why they are on every show and while I’m enjoying the matches, I could go for them mixing it up a bit. Also, as has been the case before, the idea of having Mistico available and using him in this spot, basically unannounced, is slightly insane.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling here was good this week, if not better than usual, but egads this show had so many frustrations piled together. It feels like the same people are getting the same spots but there is almost nothing for them to be fighting about. Other than the Jericho video that we saw earlier in the week, titles and champions weren’t factors on this show. If there’s nothing for these people to be fighting over, why are they fighting? Ring Of Honor might want to figure that out. I mean they won’t, but they might want to.

Results
Spanish Announce Project b. CSJ/Alpha Zo – Reverse figure four to CSJ
Blake Christian b. Titus Alexander – Vanilla Coke Zero
Leila Grey b. Lady Frost – Rollup
Gates Of Agony/Top Flight b. Premiere Athletes/Frat House – Open The Gates to Vance
Dark Panther b. Aaron Solo – Middle rope basement dropkick
Mistico/Esfinge/Atlantis b. Rocky Romero/Valiente/Euforia – La Mistica to Euforia

 

 

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Dynamite
Date: March 12, 2025
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re done with Revolution and Jon Moxley is still the World Champion, having defeated both Cope and Christian Cage, the latter of whom cashed in his contract for a title shot. Other than that, Kenny Omega is the new International Champion, having finally defeated Konosuke Takeshita. Let’s get to it.

Here is Revolution if you need a recap.

Here is Kenny Omega, fresh off winning the International Title. Omega can’t believe he’s back here after the health issues he was having, and now he has a singles title again. He thanks Konosuke Takeshita for the match and is looking forward to the start of the tournament to crown a new #1 contender to his title. Omega hits the catchphrase and is out in a hurry. As Omega is leaving, the Opps come out for their match and have a bit of a staredown with Omega (as Katsuyori Shibata is in the tournament), but everything is ok.

Opps vs. Vinny Pacifico/Eli Theseus/Gabriel Aeros

Joe hammers on Pacifico to start and it’s to Theseus, who gets clotheslined in the corner by Hook. Shibata comes in to strike away at Aeros in the corner, setting up the sleeper. The PK finishes at 2:16. Another squash.

Ricochet is ready to win the tournament and offers Shibata the chance to quit before their match at Collision.

Long recap of Revolution.

Swerve Strickland is ready to challenge for the World Title at Dynasty. Cope comes in to say that either he’s going to win the title before Dynasty, or if Swerve wins at Dynasty, Cope is coming for it. Works for Swerve.

Jon Moxley is annoyed at himself for not putting Cope away earlier and he admires the toughness. Next week, they’ll have a street fight for the title, which is fine with Moxley because he won’t make the same mistake twice.

Hologram/Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Brian Cage/Dralistico

Harleygram is here with the good guys while the other team has the Beast Mortos. Cage and Hobbs brawl on the floor to start before Dralistco and Hologram trade armdrags. Dralistico teases taking off the mask but hands it off to Cage instead. Hologram slips out of a press slam but Cage pulls a dive out of the air for a suplex (that was impressive). We take a break and come back with Mortos stomping away on Hologram.

Cue Harleygram to swivel a bit, which gets Mortos’ attention. Back in and Hologram takes Dralistico down, allowing Hobbs to come in and clean house. Cage gets to trade the clotheslines with Hobbs before the apron superplex connects. Dralistico hits…something from the top for two but Hobbs is back up with a spinebuster to Cage on the apron. Hologram uses Hobbs’ chest as a launch pad before Hobbs spinebusters Dralistico out of the air for the pin at 10:38.

Rating: B-. This was good enough with a nice mixture of some people you don’t often see together. Hologram is more than ready to do something else, as he has won everything he’s done and needs to have some kind of a bigger story. Hobbs getting a pin is good as well, as he still feels like someone who is ready to become one of the breakout stars in AEW very soon.

Post match Mark Davis and Lance Archer come out to yell at Cage.

The Hurt Syndicate is happy with their win and MVP wants them to have some fun in southern California. They’ll be at the gym instead.

We look at Toni Storm defeating Mariah May in the Hollywood Ending match. It was bloody and violent and I can get why it was a bit too much in some eyes, but I had fun with the whole wacky thing.

Here is Toni Storm, saying she has staples in her head and glass in her a**, this tramp is still the champ. The title makes it all worth it though and now it is time to find new challengers. Fighting with her is like going to the zoo, because she will bleed like a pig, lick you like a giraffe and eat you like a lion. No one swings like her so it’s time to get messy and sweaty. Cue Megan Bayne to jump Storm from behind and pose.

International Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: The Beast Mortos vs. ???

The surprise opponent is….the debuting Speedball Mike Bailey. Ever the high flier and striker, Bailey flips away to start and kicks Mortos down, with Mortos bailing out to the floor. A running shoulder takes Bailey down but he’s back with some chops. The big running flip dive drops Mortos again and we take a break.

Back with Bailey hitting a running shooting star press for two but the tornado kick misses. Bailey kicks him to the floor and hits a triangle moonsault, followed by a powerbomb out of the corner for two back inside. Mortos’ pop up Samoan drop gets two and the super gorilla press gets the same. Bailey grabs a hurricanrana for two and some moonsault knees set up a spinning kick to the face to pin Mortos at 10:55.

Rating: B-. I’m not a big Bailey fan but he’s tailor made for AEW. Between the flying and the strikes and the kind of awkward charisma, he is someone who will fit in perfectly well around here. As usual, Mortos is the perfect choice to make someone look good and that is exactly what he did here.

Christian Cage is annoyed at Renee Paquette asking about what happened at Revolution because he is NOT talking to anyone related to Jon Moxley. Cage declares himself still the undisputed next World Champion and he was just relegating his breathing before reversing the hold. Nick Wayne says Cage is lying to himself and the team and owes them an apology. Cage goes for Nick but Mother Wayne gets in the way. Cage threatens to have her back at Waffle House before yelling at Nick, telling him to keep riding his coattails or the next time they have this conversation will be the last.

MJF did not want to talk after Revolution.

Here is MJF for a chat. He’s sore from Revolution and the truth is he had that match won until Hangman Page gave him a cheap shot (commentary remembers it differently). MJF isn’t upset anymore, because he is 10x smarter than Page and all of the fans. This thing with Page isn’t over…and here is MVP to interrupt. They stare each other down and then have a big hug.

MVP met him eight years ago and was impressed because MJF once volunteered to take him on a long drive for the price of getting to pick his brain in the car. MVP is proud of him for all of MJF’s accomplishments, but he isn’t impressed with what happened to MJF on Sunday. Why isn’t MJF out here hurting people? He has lost his edge and people in the back don’t fear them.

They do fear the Hurt Syndicate so maybe MVP can help him again. MVP offers him the business card but MJF declines it, saying he’s not the young kid that he was eight years ago. MJF doesn’t want or need MVP’s help, but MVP brings up that MJF WAS the World Champion. Now MJF takes the card and seems to be thinking about something.

Here is Max Caster for another open challenge.

Max Caster vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Caster thinks Takeshita is here to invite him into the Don Callis Family. Takeshita knocks him silly, picks him up, and hits Raging Fire for the pin at 1:29.

We look back at Chris Jericho attacking and unmasking Gravity at Revolution.

Jericho holds up Gravity’s mask and says gravity has been added to his feud with Bandido. Their family was terrified at Revolution and now it is time that people stop taking advantage of Jericho. This was serious Jericho again and it’s a nice relief after the goofiness has been going on for so long.

Penelope Ford vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale slams her down to start and they take turns sending the other into the corner. A suplex gets two on Ford but she sends Nightingale throat first into the ropes. We take a break and come back with Nightingale making the clothesline comeback. A spinebuster gives Nightingale two and the Gory Special goes on, with Ford biting her way out. They trade kicks to the face and Ford hits a Stunner, only to get Pounced for the pin at 8:39.

Rating: C+. I want to be able to buy into Ford but it isn’t going to matter if she never wins anything important. That has been the case for a long time and this is the latest loss in a long series of them. That being said, it is nice to see Nightingale get a win, which doesn’t happen often enough either. She needs something to do, and I’m not sure what that is going to be at the moment.

Post match Ford chairs Nightingale down so here is Kris Statlander for the save. Then Megan Bayne takes both of them down.

Mercedes Mone’s throat is messed up so Renee Paquette has to do Mone’s catchphrase. Billie Starkz comes in to say she wants a TBS Title shot. Mone laughs it off but gives her the match for next week.

Here is Will Ospreay for a chat. He’s banged up but happy to have gotten out of the cage match with Kyle Fletcher alive. Ospreay is in a bit of trouble with his wife because he lied to her, saying he wouldn’t do anything stupid off the cage. Then he forgot there was a guy in a green shirt filming him and after the match there were fifteen missed calls from the wife.

They finally talked and she was livid…but she made him a nice dinner anyway. Now Ospreay wants some gold around his waist in the form of the World Title. Ospreay looks at the All In Texas banner, so he’s in the Owen Hart Tournament. He’s ready to face Cope, Swerve or Moxley, whomever is waiting for him at All In. Simple and to the point here and the story about his wife was funny.

Jay White would love to face Will Ospreay again but he gets asked about hitting Cope with the briefcase. White to Renee Paquette: “Are you asking or accusing?” White goes on a rant about the Death Riders and says he wants to be the #1 contender.

Hangman Page runs into MJF and says he doesn’t believe MJF was going to light him on fire. MJF says they’re now 1-1 and MJF is going to go on to become a two time World Champion, while Page will fall on his face as he always does. The people will get tired of Page failing to win the big one (ignoring the one he’s already won I guess) while MJF will be World Champion over and over. So he’s admitting he’ll lose a lot?

International Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Hechicero vs. Orange Cassidy

Hechicero blocks the hands from going into the pockets but Cassidy walks the rope and gets his hand into his pocket. Then Hechicero just pulls him down, showing it was quite the waste of time. Cassidy slowly runs the ropes and falls to the mat before nipping up as we take a break.

Back with Hechicero choking over the ropes and then tying the leg up in the same ropes. Cassidy’s leg is fine enough to come back with a high crossbody but gets caught in a swinging hammerlock backbreaker for two. The Stundog Millionaire and the spinning DDT get Cassidy out of trouble but his knee is banged up. Cassidy’s lazy top rope elbow is almost countered into a cross armbreaker before Hechicero grabs the Rings Of Saturn. Cassidy makes the ropes and grabs the Mousetrap for the pin at 10:07.

Rating: B-. This felt like Hechicero was far in advance but got caught at the end for the sake of putting Cassidy in the four way final. Hechicero continues to be someone who can do some rather awesome things in the ring, but at the same time it doesn’t matter as much if he keeps losing in bigger matches. Either way, nice main event here, even if it only has so much in the way of stakes.

Mike Bailey comes out for the staredown with Cassidy to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. They definitely took their foot off the gas a bit here and that’s not a bad thing. Revolution was such a big show that it is time to let things breathe a bit here. They did set some things up for Dynasty, which is coming up rather quickly. It wasn’t a bad show, but it did feel less important than some of what they have been doing lately. That has to be the case at some point though and this was still a good show.

Results
Opps b. Vinny Pacifico/Eli Theseus/Gabriel Aeros – PK to Aeros
Hologram/Powerhouse Hobbs b. Brian Cage/Dralistico – Spinebuster to Dralistico
Mike Bailey b. The Beast Mortos – Crescent Kick
Konosuke Takeshita b. Max Caster – Raging Fire
Willow Nightingale b. Penelope Ford – Pounce
Orange Cassidy b. Hechicero – Mousetrap

 

 

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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Evolve
Date: March 12, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

We’re back with the second episode after last week’s premiere and that could make for something interesting. Last week’s show was more about getting to know some people and the concept of the show so maybe that is what we will be seeing more of here. The point is getting these people in the ring in front of a camera so there can only be so many expectations. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Stevie Turner hypes up the main event of Oro Mensah vs. Riley Osborne, both of whom are now part of the Evolve roster. We get a tease of some surprises as well.

It’s Gal, Kendal Grey and Carlee Bright are in the VIP section.

We meet Harlem Lewis, who grew up fighting and played football. He can’t stand soft and lazy people.

Braxton Cole went to Brown University and played football, then he tried out for WWE. His mind sets him apart from the rest.

Harlem Lewis vs. Braxton Cole

Lewis hits a clothesline to start and gorilla presses Cole before shouting about getting paid to beat Cole up. A powerslam finishes Cole at 1:15. Total destruction.

Post match Lewis says no one can beat him. Cue Keanu Carver for a showdown but It’s Gal (pronounced Gaul) to say he is the human action figure and he’ll be facing Carver next week. Carver wants to do it now so ring the bell.

It’s Gal vs. Keanu Carver

Carver drives him into the corner to start, setting up a heck of a fall away slam. A pop up faceplant and the Sky High finish Gal at 1:25.

Kylie Rae is all about positive energy and has watched wrestling for a long time. She’s really, really, really excited to be here.

Carlee Bright wants to see the competition. Kendal Grey says there is no competition for her around here. Bright: “You mean how good we are right?” Cue Zayda Steel to ask why she doesn’t have a match.

Zara Zakher is the petite powerhouse but she has overcome the odds her entire life. She has a background as a gymnast and did some things on TV, which is where she got her nickname.

Kylie Rae vs. Zara Zakher

We get a tentative handshake to start before Zara pulls her into a quickly broken headscissors. Some rollups give Rae two and she grabs a crossface, sending Zara straight to the ropes. Back up and Zara backs her into the ropes before hitting a clothesline in the corner. Rae is back with a running shot in the corner, setting up a cannonball for two.

The chinlock goes on as Zayda Steel is yelling about she should be in the ring right now. Zara fights up and hits a spinebuster for two, followed by a jumping knee. One fan: “BOO THIS WOMAN!” And the fans do so, though I’m not sure who they’re talking about. Rae still can’t keep the crossface on so she superkicks Zara for two, only to get rolled up for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C+. Rae is someone who feels like she should have been a star a long time ago but there have been some issues holding her back. It’s nice to see her getting a chance in WWE, even at the bottom level, but she’s got a long way to go. Zara was fine enough out there but you can only get so much out of someone in a five minute debut.

Post match Zara says that was an upset but it won’t be next time. She shakes Rae’s hand and Rae seems touched but Zayda Steel isn’t happy. Cue Wendy Choo to hand Rae a bear with a note, which we can’t read.

Aria Bennett is a mother who has overcome a lot of obstacles with a gymnastics background.

Wendy Choo vs. Aria Bennett

Choo takes her to the match to start as the fans chant DON’T DIE. Bennett backflips over Choo out of the corner and walks on her hands, only for Choo to hit a spear to the back. Fans: “YOU DIED!” A neck crank sets up a handspring elbow in the corner to Choo, who hits a boot to the face. Bennett’s forearms and enziguri don’t do much as Choo gives her a full nelson slam. Choo chokes her out for the win at 2:07. Bennett is very athletic and did some cool stuff but it wasn’t going to get her very far here.

Post match Choo puts a blanket over her.

Brinley Reece congratulates Carlee Bright and Kendal Grey about their win last week but Grey is only so impressed.

We get a sitdown interview with Javier Bernal and Luca Crusifino, who got into it last week. Bernal has no problem with the D’Angelo Family and just wants a new start around here. Crusifino wasn’t impressed but how can Bernal get a chance when he’s already been written off? Crusifino wasn’t talking about him last week though because he doesn’t think about Bernal.

The reality is Bernal takes himself out so Crusifino doesn’t need to do it. Bernal needs to back up his words so he challenges Crusifino for next week. That’s fine with Crusifino, but remember that Bernal asked for this. Nice segment here, as it explained who these people are and gave them a reason to fight.

Video on WWE ID.

Jack Cartwheel, Sean Legacy and Cappuccino Jones are in the VIP section. Kali Armstrong comes in to ask what they’re doing here and then leaves.

Oro Mensah vs. Riley Osborne

Mensah gets in a hiptoss to start and yells a lot as they’re starting slowly. They go with the grappling on the mat before Mensah avoids an armdrag and gets two off a rollup. Osborne rolls him up for two more and Mensah is a bit surprised. They trade shoves until Mensah snaps off an anklescissors but Osborne hits a nice dropkick. Mensah kicks him to the floor and we take a break, coming back with Mensah dropping him for two more.

Osborne jawbreaks his way out of a chinlock but Mensah suplexes him right back down. A rolling hurricanrana gives Osborne two but Mensah dragon suplexes him for the same. Mensah gets sent outside for a big dive, with Stone saying he could do all of that stuff. Back in and Osborne gets two off a Michinoku Driver so Mensah takes his leg out. Osborne gets planted for two more before coming back to win a strike off. Mensah catches him on top with a flipping kick to the face before a rolling kick to the head finishes Osborne at 8:49.

Rating: C+. This got some time and you can definitely tell that the two of them are more experienced than most of the people on the show. They are capable of going out there and having a much more complete, thought out match and that’s what they did here. Either of these two could be put on NXT and do just fine, which makes them a good choice to be in this spot on the show.

Post match Mensah poses but Swipe Right runs through the curtain. The camera goes backstage to see Gallus breaking a bunch of stuff to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Odds are this is going to be more what the show is like week to week and that’s not a bad thing. This show featured a bunch of people and let us know something about them before putting them in the ring. Throw in setting up some things for the upcoming weeks and this was a fine show, even with the talent being as low level as you can get while still being in WWE.

Results
Harlem Lewis b. Braxton Cole – Powerslam
Keanu Carver b. It’s Gal – Sky High
Zara Zakher b. Kylie Rae – Rollup
Wendy Choo b. Aria Bennett – Choke
Oro Mensah b. Riley Osborne – Rolling kick to the head

 

 

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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Dark Matches
Commentators: Tazz, Joey Styles

So this is exactly what it is described as from the WWE Vault: a 35 minute collection of dark matches from over the years. To the best of my knowledge, there is no commentary or anything other than the action itself, which means I’m going to be VERY limited in what I can do with some of this stuff. Still though, it’s exactly the kind of fun content that you do not get elsewhere so let’s get to it.

Note that most of the dates and locations are from what I can find elsewhere and putting some pieces together so they might not be entirely perfect.

From Montreal, Quebec, Canada, July 7, 2003 before Monday Night Raw.

Pierre Carl Oulette vs. El Tornado

Oulette powers him down to start and hits an early backdrop with Tornado (who was still wrestling in 2024 but pretty much never left Canada) bailing to the floor. A neck snap across the top rope staggers Oulette but he comes out of the corner with a heck of a clothesline.

The big running flip dive to the floor misses (OUCH) and Tornado takes him back inside for a quickly broken chinlock. Oulette hits a chokeslam and sitout pumphandle slam but a bulldog out of the corner is broken up. Tornado rolls him up for two but gets caught on top, with Oulette hitting a t-bone superplex (you don’t see that very often). The Cannonball (Swanton) finishes Tornado at 4:46.

Rating: C+. This was likely either a tryout match for Oulette or just an appeal to the local fans and I’ve seen far worse. Oulette is a guy with some size who can do some crazy stuff in the ring and he had it on display here. Good stuff with Tornado being serviceable enough, but this was pretty much all about Oulette, as it should have been.

From New York City, New York, August 7, 2000 before Monday Night Raw.

Mean Street Posse vs. Low Ki/Vince Goodnight

Goodnight is an east coast guy who mostly retired in 2001 but keeps coming back every six or seven years for a few matches. The Posse jumps them to start and get sent outside, where Low Ki is right there for a huge twisting flip dive. Back in and Goodnight gets whipped into Ki to knock him off the apron, where Gas gives him a World’s Strongest Slam on the floor.

Back in and Rodney hammers away in the corner, followed by Gas hitting a spinning slam to drop him again. A Hennig necksnap keeps Ki in trouble and the Posse gets to stomp away. Gas chokes in the corner as Ki gets beaten up even more. Ki finally avoids a charge and hits a superkick, allowing the tag off to Goodnight. Everything breaks down and Ki just unloads with about twelve straight kicks to Rodney’s face. Gas hits the Gas Mask (a reverse full nelson sitout powerbomb, actually not a bad move) to pin Goodnight at 4:45 (while Rodney hits a pretty random Blockbuster on Ki).

Rating: D+. To call this a total mess would be an understatement, as you had Ki with his martial arts and flipping style being about ten years ahead of its time and Goodnight just being a guy with long hair. At the same time though, the Posse was just not good enough to be at this level and it was showing more and more every time they were in the ring. It was fun to have them as Shane McMahon’s bodyguards and lackeys, but having them try to do actual matches was just bad. Ki stood out the most of course, but that shouldn’t be anything close to a surprise.

From New York City, New York, August 1, 2006 before ECW On Sci Fi

FBI vs. Paul London/Brian Kendrick

London and Kendrick’s Smackdown Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. This is from the Hammerstein Ballroom and for some reason Joey Styles and Tazz are doing commentary (I wonder if this was meant to be a DVD extra or something). Guido (whose trunks say Nunzio), who is very taped up, shakes hands with Kendrick to start things off before getting armdragged down a few times.

They go to the mat to no avail and that’s a standoff. Mamaluke comes in and London stomps on his arm, with Kendrick adding an elbow to said arm. London and Kendrick take turns on the arm as we settle down to a pretty basic style. Guido comes back in and gets dropped by a springboard high crossbody, followed by double dropkicks. We get what seems to be some miscommunication as everything breaks down and London slugs it out with Mamaluke on the floor.

Guido chinlocks Kendrick back inside, which seems like a way to get things back under control (as you’re supposed to do). Mamaluke grabs a short armscissors on Kendrick before Guido knees him in the head for two. Kendrick finally rolls away from a charge and hands it back to London to pick up the pace. The dropsault hits Guido and Mamaluke has to make the save.

Mamaluke seems to screw something up by kicking Kendrick in the face, setting up a flip dive from the apron. London’s big running flip dive COMPLETELY misses and he lands hard on the floor (Kendrick DIVES on him to make sure he’s ok) and we’re clipped to London being back inside and Kendrick hitting Sliced Bread #2, setting up a step up shooting star press to give London the pin on Guido at 9:56 shown.

Rating: C. This was a weird match with the commentary pausing at random moments and a bit less of an over the top style from Styles. That being said, it wasn’t a bad match as you had two teams who can work a pretty fast paced style. That crash landing from London was terrible and there were some other botched, but it was a match that got some time and could have been better with a few less mistakes.

From Memphis, Tennessee, September 18, 2001 before Monday Night Raw.

Kid Kash vs. Justin Credible

It’s rare to see two names against each other, even in an ECW reunion. Feeling out process to start until Kash snaps off a headscissors to send Credible outside. A twisting dive takes Credible down again and it’s weird to be stuck on the hard cam shot rather than going down to see them on the floor. Back in and Credible hits his running spinning DDT, allowing him to do his signature thing of yelling at the crowd.

Credible stomps and chokes away before grabbing the chinlock as fans are filing in and trying to find their seats. That’s broken up and Kash knocks him down before being kicked into the corner, only to come down head first with a low blow (Sting approves). Kash is back up with his own spinning DDT for two, followed by a rather crazy spinning hurricanrana from the top. Credible sidesteps a moonsault though and hits a superkick (not bad either) for the pin at 5:55.

Rating: C. I’ve never gotten the appeal of Credible and that was on full display here. There is nothing about him that makes him stand out and having him yell at the crowd over and over isn’t the best way to go. Kash was doing his usual flippy stuff and it worked well enough, but getting over Credible is a heck of a task to pull off.

From Richmond, Virginia, April 28, 1998 before Monday Night Raw.

Steve Williams vs. Scorpio

This could be interesting. Williams shoves him down without much trouble to start (shocking I know) and then wrestles him down, with Scorpio bailing over to the ropes. Back up and Williams slowly hammers away but does stop to block a hiptoss attempt. Scorpio gets caught in a gorilla press (and looks terrified) and sent outside as this is domination so far. Back in and Scorpio gets in a few shots but Williams calmly punches him out of the air in a so simple it’s awesome counter.

The seated crossarm choke goes on for a good while but Scorpio finally gets out and chops away. A knee lift sends Williams into the corner and he misses a charge, allowing Scorpio to get a belly to back suplex. Scorpio hits a top rope forearm to the head for two and a running spinning kick gets the same. A handspring clothesline in the corner drops Williams but he’s back up to pull a moonsault out of the air. Williams’ powerslam gets two but Scorpio flips onto him for two of his own. Williams hits a spinebuster and some three point shoulders, followed by a belly to back suplex for the pin at 9:17.

Rating: C-. This was ok but it went on far too long. Eventually Williams looked like he was running out of things to do. It didn’t help that Scorpio was mostly beaten up for such a long stretch as it turned into waiting for the match to end already. Nothing much to see here, which is a shame as the talent involved could have made it good.

Overall Rating: C. Maybe it was due to having fun with the squash match collection, but this was pretty disappointing. Not only was there nothing overly notable, but none of the matches were anything worth seeing. There are some good dark matches out there, but this was just a bunch of random stuff and it was only so interesting. I’m not sure what they were going for here but it didn’t quite hit.

 

 

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 6, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re coming up on Sacrifice and perhaps the biggest story is the invasion/crossover from NXT. There are a variety of stars coming in from the other promotion and getting involved in some high profile stories around here. That should make for some interesting situations and more of them can take place this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, including some clips of TNA stars in NXT.

Elijah vs. Brian Myers

Alisha Edwards is here with Myers. Elijah jumps him to start and they go to the floor in a hurry. Some rams into the apron have Myers in more trouble and a running hip attack makes it even worse. Alisha’s distraction lets Myers grab a belly to back suplex though and she gets in a neck snap across the middle rope too. The chinlock is broken up rather quickly and Elijah hits a running knee. The implant DDT gives Myers two more so here is Eddie Edwards for a distraction. Elijah sends them together though and grabs the Highwayman’s Farewell (Tombstone) for the pin at 5:46.

Rating: C+. Myers is a great choice for someone to make Elijah look good since Elijah is still new around here. That is what we had here, as Elijah is already looking like a player. I’m not sure how far he is going to go, but at least he is off to a nice start by surviving three members of the System at once.

Post match the System comes in for the beatdown but Joe Hendry makes the save with his guitar.

Ace Austin and the Rascalz are ready for the Northern Armory tonight. They might not have the best history but their future is looking good.

It’s time for the First Class Penthouse and they have a special guest in the prizefighter: KO! As in KC Navarro! Cue Steve Maclin to tell them to shut up, with AJ Francis saying they can fight in thirty minutes.

Savannah Evans vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside strikes away to start and gets nowhere, instead getting smart by kicking out the leg. Rosemary is watching from the rafters as Evans takes over. Brookside gets sent hard into the corner and the chinlock goes on. Back up and Brookside sends her into the corner, setting up a high crossbody for two. Evans misses a charge into the corner and bangs up her knee, which has Brookside talking to the referee. The distraction lets Evans hit a hard clothesline to the back of the head for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C. Evans is a powerhouse but she’s not a particularly interesting powerhouse. She’s just kind of there and there isn’t much for her to do at the moment so soon after losing to Masha Slamovich. Brookside is rather perky and can do some nice things in the ring, but it isn’t going to matter if she keeps losing like this.

Spitfire has given By Elegance a makeover, which isn’t to their liking. Don’t worry though as Spitfire has the perfect travel meals for them, which doesn’t sit well with By Elegance. The Personal Concierge watching from the distance in tears is a great touch.

John Skyler vs. Mike Santana

Jason Hotch is here with Skyler, who says he is here on behalf of Mustafa Ali. Skyler hammers away to start but is quickly caught in Three Amigos. A Cannonball into a sitout powerbomb finishes for Santana at 1:31.

Post match Hotch tries to come in but gets caught with Spin The Block. Mustafa Ali pops up on screen and says that Santana has been randomly selected for a urine test. I think you know where this one is going.

AJ Francis vs. Steve Maclin

KC Navarro is here with Francis. Maclin wastes no time by hammering away in the corner but Francis is too big for the Angle Slam. Instead Maclin goes up but Navarro’s distraction lets Francis slam him off the top. A running knee in the corner rocks Maclin again, only for him to tie Francis in the Tree Of Woe. The running spear gets two, as does Francis’ spear. Cue the Northern Armory as Maclin sends him outside for a Scud. Back in and Navarro offers another distraction, allowing Francis to hit a rather big Down Payment for the win at 4:13.

Rating: C. Well they certainly didn’t have Maclin go down easily as it took four people to put him away. That’s what it should be with Maclin against someone on Francis’ level and it made for a good enough story. I’m not sure what First Class is doing, but Eric Young and company against Maclin is only so interesting.

Earlier this week, Ryan Nemeth said he was going to be on Joe Hendry’s team at Sacrifice but Matt Hardy called Nic Nemeth to say not so fast. Ryan got annoyed and left.

Steve Maclin yells at Eric Young, who says they’re doing this for Maclin. Good grief enough of this Eric Young philosophical stuff. Maclin storms off and runs into Frankie Kazarian, who is enjoying what is happening to Maclin lately.

We look at the Hardys vs. Fraxiom being set up on NXT for NXT.

Also on NXT, Moose said his match with Oba Femi next week at NXT will be the biggest match of his career.

Here is NXT Champion Oba Femi for a face to face chat with Moose, with the System and a bunch of security. Femi wants to know what is up with the security, but he also wonders why Moose waited so long to come see him. Moose says he was just waiting for the right time to cross the line. Femi praises Moose, who agrees with what Femi says. Femi is ready to fight so JDC tells the security that the first person to jump Femi is in the System. The entire team jumps him at once so Femi clears them out, only to get speared by Moose. This is going to be two big men hitting each other really hard and it should be a great time.

Fraxiom is ready to prove themselves to the Hardys.

Northern Armory vs. Ace Austin/Rascalz

Austin takes Icarus down to start and hits a quick spinning middle rope crossbody for an early two. Williams comes in as commentary recaps how the Northern Armory got here. Miguel comes in and the Rascalz hit stereo suicide dives but Icarus grabs Wentz’s leg, allowing Young to get in a cheap shot. Wentz fights up but his partners are pulled to the floor to keep him in trouble.

As you might have expected, the comeback doesn’t take long and it’s back to Austin to pick up the pace. Young slams Austin down but misses a moonsault (because Eric Young can now do moonsaults), allowing Miguel to come in and clean house. The Rascalz start using some Motor City Machine Guns double teaming until Young manages a Death Valley Driver. Cue Wes Lee and company for a distraction though, allowing Young to hit a piledriver on Wentz for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: B-. Perfectly fine six man tag here with the Northern Armory getting built up a bit with Young vs. Steve Maclin likely on the horizon. The match was mostly action based and the interference at the end made sense and protected the good guys in the loss. That’s a nice way to go and it’s nice to see a perfectly well put together match like this one.

Mike Santana yells at Santino Marella about having to take a urine test. At the same time, Tasha Steelz yells about Mustafa Ali’s coffee not being right. The payoff here is so obvious that Santana smiles at the camera.

Spitfire tortures By Elegance in a training session but the Personal Concierge, disguised as a janitor, makes the save.

Here is Masha Slamovich for a chat. She’s ready to go to war with Cora Jade at Sacrifice so cue Jade to say she’ll win. Slamovich mocks her but here is Tessa Blanchard to jump Slamovich from behind. Lei Ying Lee makes the save.

Mustafa Ali is told that Mike Santana passed his drug test….but his coffee is terrible. Comedy ensues.

Ryan Nemeth says that Nic Nemeth will still be back at Sacrifice.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Hardys vs. Colons

Non-title. Matt backs Orlando into the corner to start and works on the arm before it’s already off to Jeff. We take an early break and come back with Matt missing a charge into the corner. Orlando comes back in and drops Matt for two, setting up a legsweep for two. Eddie works on the arm but gets sent into the corner, allowing the tag off to Jeff. Everything breaks down and the Plot Twist connects…but the System runs in to jump the Hardys for the DQ at 4:49.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one as it was more about the angle at the end rather than the match. That’s a fine way to go, as the ten man tag very well might be headlining Sacrifice at this rate. At the same time, the Colons are the latest definition of “I guess they’re here too”, which isn’t exactly glowing praise. There isn’t much for them to do other than put over better teams, but it’s also not exactly fun to see them show up.

Post match the beatdown is on but Elijah, Joe Hendry and Leon Slater make the save. Santino Marella comes out to make the ten man tag match a cage match as well. That’s going to be crowded.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt like a bit of a step back from recent weeks without much worth seeing. The best match was just pretty good and the Santana/Ali angle felt like bad comedy with a payoff so obvious that they were practically winking at the camera. They did add some stuff to the pay per view and built things up a bit, but it’s not a show you need to see in the slightest.

Results
Elijah b. Brian Myers – Highwayman’s Farewell
Savannah Evans b. Xia Brookside – Clothesline to the back of the head
Mike Santana b. John Skyler – Sitout powerbomb
AJ Francis b. Steve Maclin – Down Payment
Northern Armory b. Ace Austin/Rascalz – Piledriver to Wentz
Hardys b. Colons via DQ when the System interfered

 

 

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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NXT
Date: March 11, 2025
Location: Theater At Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves, Booker T.

It’s another special show with Roadblock, which seems to be the last major event before Stand & Deliver. In this case we have a bunch of champion vs. champion matches, including some involving guest stars from TNA. That should make for a major night and we are on the way to the biggest show of the year. Let’s get to it.

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

TNA Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Fraxiom

Only the Hardys are defending. Matt sends Axiom into the corner to start and pulls him back into a sitout powerbomb for an early two. A jawbreaker into a clothesline gives Matt two and the headlock goes on. Everything breaks down and Fraser hits a dive, followed by another from Axiom as we take an early break.

Back with Jeff coming in to clean house but having to counter a cross armbreaker. The Side Effect plants Fraser on the floor and the Plot Twist gets two on Fraser. The Twist Of Fate is broken up though so it’s the super Spanish Fly into the Phoenix splash. Matt breaks it up and the Whisper In The Wind hits Fraxiom. A Twist Of Fate gets two on Fraser and Axiom’s top rope knee accidentally takes him out. The Swanton retains the titles at 12:12.

Rating: B. The fans were into this one, though it was a bit of a weird thing to see the rather red hot NXT champions lose to the Hardys. Yes they’re legends, but does that mean they should be going over the current big team? The action was rather good though, as the Hardys can still work well when they are in there with the right opponents, just like here.

Mickie James gives Jaida Parker a pep talk before her eventual title match, hinting that it might take place at Stand & Deliver.

Stacks apologizes to Tony D’Angelo for costing him the North American Title last week but D’Angelo says it wasn’t his fault. On top of that, Stacks has set up a six person tag next week, with D’Angelo eventually giving it his blessing.

Roxanne Perez vs. Jordynne Grace

A chase doesn’t go well for Perez to start as Grace is right there to hammer away. Back up and Perez gets in a cheap shot, setting up a Russian legsweep for two. It’s time to work on the leg but Grace pulls her into a rear naked choke. Perez goes after the leg to escape and wraps it around a post in the corner as we take a break.

Back with Grace sending her flying but the knee gives out again. Grace slams her down a few times but Perez goes right back to the leg in a smart move. A rollup is reversed into a sitout powerbomb for two on Perez but she flips out of a Death Valley Driver and hits a superkick. The frog splash gets two and Perez grabs a crossface while cranking on the leg at the same time. Pop Rox is countered and Grace Death Valley Drivers her into the Juggernaut Driver for the pin at 11:27.

Rating: B-. It feels like we’re seeing Perez getting cleared out of NXT as she is moving up to the main roster. That would be a good way to go as there is nothing left for Perez to do here, but what matters seems to be Grace’s push, as she appears to be the future. That’s hardly a bad idea as Grace has hit the ground running, and Perez is helping to make her into a star.

Oba Femi runs into the Undertaker, who says he has been watching him for awhile (hopefully he means Femi in the ring and not like, as he was getting dressed). Undertaker has been impressed and this match is important, so go out there and defend your yard.

Trick Williams is training for NXT Underground because it’s time for him to be back on top where he belongs.

NXT Title: Moose vs. Oba Femi

Femi is defending and Moose’s TNA X-Division Title isn’t on the line. They take their time to start and lock up against the ropes until Femi chops away. Femi runs him over but Moose is waiting on him with a clothesline to the floor. One heck of a chokeslam sends Moose onto the apron and we take a break.

Back with Femi fighting out of a chinlock and sending Moose outside again. Moose gets in a whip into the steps and a pump kick connects back inside. Moose’s top rope spinning shot is uppercut out of the air for two and Femi gets the same off an AA. Femi goes up but gets superplexed down, only to pop back up with a regular suplex.

A powerbomb gives Moose two so Femi gives him a gorilla press over the top to the floor. Back in and they slug it out before a Cactus Clothesline takes them outside again. This time Moose posts him and hits a Rock Bottom through the announcers’ table as the fans have to be muted. Moose’s spear gets two so he tries it again, only to get countered into the Fall From Grace to retain the title at 13:36.

Rating: B+. This was two big guys beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up. That’s what this needed to be and it was a heck of a hoss fight and that’s what it needed to be. The match was billed as something close to King Kong vs. Godzilla and dang they got close. I had a great time with this and they beat each other up really well, with Femi looking like a star again.

Zaria takes Sol Ruca to a rage room to burn off some steam.

Fatal Influence still wants Fallon Henley to get a rematch for the Women’s North American Title. Ricky Starks interrupts again and asks Ava for a match with Ridge Holland. It’s on for next week but Ethan Page comes in to say NXT doesn’t like outsiders.

Ethan Page vs. Je’Von Evans

Street fight and Page kicks him in the face at the bell. They fight to the floor where Evans hits a dive and punches Page in the face a few times. A chair shot misses for Evans but a second connects back inside. A table is set up on the floor and the fans approve. Evans slams him onto the chair for two but gets planted onto the chair as well as we take a break.

Back with Page punching a springboard dive out of the way, setting up the Ego’s Edge for two. Evans fights up and slugs away before sending him knees first into the steps. Back in and Evans kicks a chair into his face, setting up the running cutter over the top and through the table. One heck of a no hands dive sends Page onto the announcers’ table, followed by the twisting top rope splash for two. A Pillmanizing on the neck is blocked so Evans hits an RKO onto the chair. The springboard cutter onto the chair finishes Page at 14:45.

Rating: B. That was the best Evans has ever looked and that’s because he came off like he wanted to beat the fire out of Page and get his revenge. Page was right there with him with the violence and that made for a good brawl. What matters the most is Evans getting the biggest win of his career and looking serious in the process, which is what they pulled off.

Post match the lights go out and the four men are back for a toss powerbomb to Evans.

Shawn Spears’ group, now called the Culling, talks about how they are here to purge the weak. Shawn Spears says next week, they take the D’Angelo Family’s heart.

Eddy Thorpe is in the crowd and promises to take out Trick Williams next week. Cue Williams for the brawl, with the fans rather approving.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Women’s Title/Women’s North American Title: Giulia vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Title for title. They trade early counters and wind up looking over their shoulders for a unique standoff. Giulia bounces off the ropes into a rollup before they fight over leglocks. Neither can get very far so they roll outside for a slugout before Giulia comes back in with a missile dropkick. Vaquer knocks her to the floor though and that means a springboard dive as we take a break.

Back with Vaquer hitting Eat Defeat, setting up the running knees in the corner. The figure four faceplants keep Giulia in trouble but she catches Vaquer on top with a butterfly superplex. Giulia’s spinning sitout powerslam gets two but Vaquer gets in a dragon screw legwhip out of the corner. The SVB gets two so Vaquer goes up, only for her twisting moonsault to land in the Rings Of Saturn. Giulia’s running knee gets two but Vaquer hits a superkick. Back to back SVB’s make Vaquer a double champion at 11:23.

Rating: B. Somehow that might be a bit of a disappointment, as it could have been an epic fight and instead it was just a good, back and forth match. The best part is it could have gone either way and that left some interesting chances for drama in the end. Vaquer has impressed me more since the two of them debuted so this is a nice thing to see. There is a good chance that we’ll see the North American Title vacated but we’ll get to that when we get there. Good win for Vaquer here though, as she gets her even bigger push.

Confetti falls as Vaquer celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. Well that worked. This was an absolutely awesome show with the worst match being more than good enough to get by. You do not get this kind of content on most pay per views and they made it work this well as a free special. It’s definitely worth a look with some nice variety and a bunch of strong action. Awesome show here with Stand & Deliver still to come.

Results
Hardys b. Fraxiom – Swanton Bomb to Fraser
Jordynne Grace b. Roxanne Perez – Juggernaut Driver
Oba Femi b. Moose – Fall From Grace
Stephanie Vaquer b. Giulia – SVB

 

 

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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Monday Night Raw
Date: March 10, 2025
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

They’re back home this week as the show is in the Garden with a couple of major matches. First up, and likely in the main event, it’s Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk inside a steel cage. Other than that, it’s time to get even more ready for Wrestlemania and that should make for some interesting situations. Let’s get to it.

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

Jey Uso vs. Grayson Waller

Austin Theory is in Waller’s corner. Waller kicks the leg out to start and sends Uso into the post, only to get kicked in the head for his efforts. A clothesline puts Waller on the floor but Theory gets in a cheap shot, allowing Waller to drop Uso for a change. We take a break and come back with Waller’s middle rope elbow connecting for two. Uso fights up and hits the superkick (which might not have connected), only for the dive to be cut off by a Stunner over the ropes. The rolling Downward Spiral gives Waller two but Uso hits him in the face. The spear gives Uso the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t about Uso being in danger of losing but rather him having to overcome some odds before getting a win. Uso is being built up as a singles star and while Waller is beneath him, it’s a nice way to boost him on the way to the biggest match of his career at Wrestlemania. It’s nothing great, but it did what it needed to, albeit without being the most thrilling match.

Post match Theory comes in for the beatdown but gets dropped for a Superfly Splash. Cue Gunther to choke Uso out. Gunther feels like an afterthought on this show and while annoying, it’s not surprising given how many other stars there are around here.

Long video on CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins, focusing on the hatred that has built up for over a year.

The Alpha Academy checks on Seth Rollins in the trainer’s room.

Here is Logan Paul, who rips off a fan’s shirt on the way to the ring. The fans are NOT happy to see Paul, who tries to talk about AJ Styles but eggs on the booing as he tends to do. Paul talks about how there are some names which transcend wrestling, which is why it surprised him that Cody Rhodes turned down the Rock. It took John Cena twenty years to realize that nice guys finish last.

Paul has known that for twenty years so consider his soul for sale. He’s the one in the ring while the regular people are watching from the crowd. Paul talks to comedian Andrew Schultz in the crowd who must be here to see him, but Schultz says he’s here for the cage match. No one is here for Paul but Schultz wants to see AJ Styles. Paul pulls him over the barricade and loads up a suplex but Styles makes the save. The Phenomenal Forearm lays Paul out and Styles calls Paul out, only for Paul to leave instead. This likely sets up a Wrestlemania match but it felt like it was more to promote Schultz.

We look back at Iyo Sky beating Rhea Ripley for the Women’s Title last week.

TKO is launching a boxing promotion.

We look at a cage match from the 70s with Bruno Sammartino defeating Ivan Koloff in the first televised cage match from the Garden.

New Day vs. LWO

Tornado tag match. The LWO wastes no time in cleaning house and knock New Day to the floor. Woods fights back on Mysterio and teases loading up a table, only to shove it back underneath the ring. An assisted seated senton takes Kofi Kingston down as Woods is whipped into the barricade (right in front of NXT Champion Oba Femi). New Day fights up and plants Lee on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting a top rope double stomp to Kofi, setting up a hurricanrana to send Woods onto the table (which only kind of breaks, leaving Woods to have to hit it for the break). Back in and Mysterio’s springboard spinning crossbody gets two on Kingston and the 619 connects. The frog splash hits knees though and Kingston rolls him up for two of his own with Lee making the save.

Lee flip dives onto Kingston….and here’s a guy in a mask to take Lee out with a hurricanrana. Mysterio gets caught with a delayed German suplex by the masked man, who is in no way Chad Gable (ignore the AMERICAN MADE on his mask and him doing Gable’s pose). Security goes after the masked man, who sprints through the crowd. The top rope double stomp/backbreaker combination finishes Mysterio at 11:16.

Rating: C+. I’m liking the Lucha Gable stuff and I can absolutely see him making it (whatever it is going to be) work, but I’m not so sure on the New Day. They’re still hated by the crowd and the heel turn has made them more interesting than they have been in years, but who are they supposed to face? Other than getting the Tag Team Titles from the War Raiders or Big E. bringing in someone to fight them, they feel like they’re just kind of there, which is a weird way to go for someone who had so much heat.

We look at Bron Breakker going after Judgment Day last week.

Finn Balor is annoyed at Bron Breakker but Carlito doesn’t seem to listen because he’s staring at the apple. The rest of the team comes in and Dominik Mysterio has gotten Balor an Intercontinental Title shot next week. Balor gives him quite the hug and is proud of Mysterio for making this happen. Liv Morgan isn’t convinced but Mysterio thinks Balor has this.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat after a break. Rhodes is here because this is the cathedral of entertainment but John Cena isn’t here tonight. Cena and his inner circle aren’t here but they’ll be in Brussels, Belgium next week. That doesn’t work for Rhodes as Cena has quite the history in MSG. It was an easy decision, just like swinging someone after you have kicked them low and have backup.

Rhodes doesn’t begrudge Cena for calling his shot or having a part time schedule because part time Cena is better than most people full time. We get the dueling Cena chants and Rhodes says let’s let Cena hear it. Rhodes didn’t like Cena saying he had the discipline to do what needed to be done even if no one wanted it.

Rhodes talks about that mentor that you want to yell at and at this point he wants to tell Cena to shut up you “moron” (you could hear the audio cut out for a second as it seems they thought he was going to say something else that started with “mo”). Rhodes is looking forward to beating his mentor one more time because he is the captain now. He thanks the fans and that’s it. This was setting things up as a passing of the torch, which is an interesting way to go. Rhodes has been carrying this since the turn, but things could get cranked way up again next week when Cena is back.

We look at Jimmy Snuka’s cage dive on Don Muraco, with approximately 384 wrestlers in the crowd.

Various celebrities are here.

Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez

For a shot at the Women’s Intercontinental Title and Dominik Mysterio/Liv Morgan are here with Rodriguez. Bayley gets sent to the apron to start and her Stunner over the ropes is broken up. Back in and Rodriguez misses a charge into the corner, allowing Bayley to grab a middle rope armdrag. Rodriguez gives her a swinging front facelock but gets sent into the corner for a quick Bronco Buster.

Bayley knocks her down again and we take a break. Back with Rodriguez missing a legdrop on the apron and getting caught with a middle rope Stunner. A knee to the head rocks Rodriguez again and the top rope elbow gives Bayley two. Rodriguez is sent outside and gets posted so Morgan and Mysterio offer distractions. That’s enough for Rodriguez to plant Bayley on the announcers’ table and Bayley has to beat the count. The Tejana Bomb gives Rodriguez the pin at 10:05.

Rating: B-. What matters here is that we’re getting someone else involved in the title picture. Lyra Valkyria is in a weird place as she’s the new champion and doesn’t have anything to do other than have one off title matches. Rodriguez can be the next challenger, though you would think that Bayley beating Valkyria in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match a few weeks ago would be enough to get her a title shot.

Chad Gable denies being the masked man earlier. Gable doesn’t know who that fan was, but he should have been dragged out a lot earlier. We see the masked man being taken away by security and Gable gives Cathy Kelly an “I told you so” look. I’m intrigued.

We look at Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase in a cage in 1988.

More celebrities are here.

Michael Cole is in the ring to talk to Iyo Sky. The fans tell Sky that she deserves it and she says it is a dream to be here as champion. She is over the moon to be going to Wrestlemania as champion but here is Bianca Belair for the big staredown. Cole asks her about the Rhea Ripley situation from last week but Belair wasn’t out there to cost Ripley. Cue Ripley to interrupt, wanting to know why Belair was out here last week. Belair said she explained it already but Ripley doesn’t buy it.

Maybe Belair should have handled her business with Naomi and Jade Cargill. Belair says Ripley is made because Belair clapped for both of them last week. The reality is Ripley can’t beat Sky and she’s blaming Belair. They go face to face and shove Sky away for trying to break it up. Sky slaps Ripley and Belair and points at the sign, suggesting a triple threat at Wrestlemania. That’s an upgrade over Sky vs. Belair, as Ripley is a bigger star than both of them and needs something to do.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk

In a cage with pinfall, submission or escape to win. Rollins jumps him fast to start but Punk slugs away in the corner. They trade shots in the middle with Punk getting the better of things but Rollins is back with a powerbomb against the cage as we take a break. Back with Punk still in trouble and Rollins opening the door, seemingly offering to let Punk leave. Punk flips him off (and the camera cuts out) before countering another buckle bomb with a hurricanrana into the cage.

The GTS connects with Rollins but Punk sits and stares at him instead of trying to leave. Rollins flips him off as well to bring Punk back to the middle, where a neckbreaker puts Rollins down again. Punk hits the top rope elbow and then does it two more times for a near fall. With nothing else working, Punk goes to the top of the cage but Rollins rolls to the corner before Punk can dive.

They fight on top of the cage (with a drone camera shot for a really unique visual) until Rollins superplexes him down for two. Punk is back with a GTS for two of his own but Rollins pulls him into an STF. That’s reversed into the Anaconda Vice, which is escaped so Rollins can hit a Stomp for two. A third GTS gives Punk two so he hits his own Stomp for two. Rollins shouts that Punk wants his house and then grabs his own GTS into another Stomp for another near fall. A super Stomp knocks Punk cold (Rollins: “Come on motherf*****”)…..but here is Roman Reigns to pull Rollins through the door for the win at 19:29.

Rating: B. This was about telling an interesting story, as neither tried to escape for the most part. That makes sense as it wasn’t about winning as much as it was about beating the other person. Hence all of the covers and kickouts, which granted did get to be a bit much at times. Reigns interfering is going to set up something at Wrestlemania and helps protect Punk in defeat, as Rollins didn’t pin him and interference cost Punk the match (which he won’t like either).

Post match Reigns wrecks Rollins and gives him a spear into a Stomp on the floor. Reigns isn’t done and loads up a Stomp on the steps but Adam Pearce and company break it up. We look tin the ring….where Paul Heyman is helping Punk up. That is NOT cool with Reigns, who wrecks Punk as Heyman looks on to end the show.

WWE has built up these three people (plus Heyman) to the point where ANYTHING they do is interesting because it makes you wonder where they’re going next. Heyman helped out an old friend (who had done nothing to Reigns) and the place went coconuts. It sets up a Wrestlemania triple threat and was done by the simple act of Heyman kneeling next to Punk.

This is how wrestling is supposed to work and it still does if it’s done properly.

Overall Rating: B-. The show started off a bit weak but then it got a lot better in the last hour or so. The important part of the show was setting up a bunch of Wrestlemania matches, which needs to be done as we are just over a month away from the big weekend. They did a good job of bringing that show together, though there is still a lot more to do. The first hour and a half or so was a bit weak without much of note, but the Sky/Ripley/Belair segment and main event stuff picked it up a lot. This show was an important step towards Wrestlemania and that’s what it needed to be.

Results
Jey Uso b. Grayson Waller – Spear
New Day b. LWO – Top rope double stomp/backbreaker combination to Mysterio
Raquel Rodriguez b. Bayley – Tejana Bomb
Seth Rollins b. CM Punk – Rollins escaped the cage

 

 

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