Ring Of Honor
Date: January 9, 2025
Location: Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We continue the slow crawl towards Supercard Of Honor in a few months and as you might have expected, pretty much nothing happened at Wrestle Dynasty. Ring Of Honor was relegated to the pre-show where the Sons Of Texas retained the Tag Team Titles, likely on their way to what is supposed to be a special title defense at All In: Texas. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the lineup.

Trish Adora vs. Harley Cameron

Adora rolls her down to start but Cameron does the same thing to her to keep it even. Back up and a flying headscissors takes Cameron down, followed by a northern lights suplex to make it worse. Adora’s snap German suplex sends Cameron into the corner and a Boss Man Slam backbreaker has her down again. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Adora switches to a double arm crank. Cameron fights up and starts striking away, setting up a Shining Wizard for two. Back up and the Lariat Tubman gives Adora the clean pin at 6:23.

Rating: C-. OH COME ON! Harley Cameron is the most charismatic woman in AEW right now and she’s losing clean to Trish Adora, who has done a grand total of nothing in months. Cameron is set to face the AEW Women’s Champion in two days and yet here we are, because Adora needs a win or something. I’m sure she’ll benefit from this win, which will ABSOLUTELY have title implications. Maybe Adora can get one of the better seats in catering when someone else comes in from Japan to get the next title shot after doing nothing in ROH. This place is baffling and this is a perfect example of why.

Blake Christian vs. Serpentico

Christian jumps him before the bell but gets caught with an early dropkick for two. They head outside with Serpentico being sent into the barricade, allowing Christian to stomp him onto said barricade. Christian stomps his head onto the steps before they trade kicks to the face back inside. A neckbreaker gets two on Christian but he’s right back with some running knees to the head for the pin at 7:36.

Rating: C. This was as lower midcard as you can get around here as ROH is now deciding to push Christian as something. Then again, winning matches around here isn’t the way to get title opportunities and that is what Christian is doing so far. Other than that, perfectly fine match here which isn’t likely to mean much going forward.

Griff Garrison vs. Boulder

Boulder powers him around to start but misses a charge in the corner, allowing Garrison to hit a running clothesline. The straps come down as Boulder gets fired up and there’s the running splash in the corner. More splashes have Garrison in trouble and a side slam gives Boulder two. A tilt-a-whirl powerslam plants Garrison again and the basement crossbody (Boulderdash) finishes him at 5:00.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here as the Iron Savages are now good guys and winning matches. The match was the same short form stuff that we’ve seen around here before and little more than a squash. The show could use a good match to pick up the steam and this wasn’t what it needed.

We’re thirty minutes into an eighty five minute show and the biggest star we’ve seen so far is comedy jobber Harley Cameron. In the words of Lenny Haise, this is an opportune time to pick it up a little.

Billie Starkz vs. Brittany Jade

Starkz rolls her up for two before stomping away. Jade fights up and hits a clothesline in the corner but gets dropped face first onto the turnbuckle. Starkz drops a Swanton for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: C-. Another nothing match with Starkz squashing her without much effort. Other than Jade being Caprice Coleman’s student to tie it into the commentary a bit, this was another match which came and went to fill in time. When you’re over a third of the way through a show, you should have had something more than that by now.

Rachael Ellering vs. Queen Aminata

Aminata takes her down by the arm for some hip swiveling, earning herself a gutwrench suplex. The shout of a splash sends Aminata bailing to the floor, with commentary wondering how smart the shout was. Back in and Ellering takes her down again, setting up the backsplash (with shout) for two. Aminata tries a leglock but gets rolled up for two instead. That doesn’t matter much though as Aminata hits the headbutt for the win at 4:44.

Rating: C. Again, it’s not that these matches are bad, but they’re between people who have nothing going on and they aren’t exactly making things interesting. Neither of the have been anywhere near a title match in months but here they are, getting time on a random show. It feels like a match thrown out there to fill in time and that’s not a great thing to see.

From July 25, 2018 (and from a previous review).

Women of Honor Title: Sumie Sakai vs. Hazuki

Hazuki is challenging and has her Oedo Tai stable mates with her. Sakai starts with the Mongolian chops and gets tossed into the corner with no effort. The announcers make a big deal out of Hazuki being just 20 years old, which is quite the point worth bragging about. A facewash sends Sakai outside and Hazuki hits a middle rope backsplash to a standing champion as we take a break.

Back with Sakai getting rolled up for two but slugging Hazuki in the face to take over. A full nelson slam and another backsplash (this time with Sakai down) give Hazuki two. Sakai is right back with a running dropkick and a missile dropkick to send Hazuki to the floor. That means a big dive onto all three but Hazuki catches her with a Codebreaker off the top for a very close two. The rest of the team fails at interfering and it’s Smash Mouth to retain at 9:55.

Rating: C+. It’s not a good sign when you need to bring in this many people to even have a division, or when a 20 year old showed up your first champion this badly. Sakai has no spark to anything she does and I still have no connection to her, even after the whole tournament. Hazuki came off like a star with a better offense and charisma, but we’re still getting Sakai no matter what logic may dictate.

MxM Collection vs. Dawsons

Mason and Zane fight over a lock up to start with Mason powering him into the corner. Everything breaks down and the Dawsons are cleaned out, meaning it’s time to pose. Mansoor gets in trouble for all of three seconds, meaning it’s a double clothesline to set up the tag off to Mason. The Centerfold finishes Dave at 4:05.

Rating: C. Another squash here but at least they didn’t give it much time. The Collection is another team that came in hot but isn’t doing anything at the moment, while we count down the days to All In: Texas so the Sons Of Texas can have some kind of moment. It would be fun to see the Collection or the Outrunners getting a nice moment with a short title reign, but here we are instead.

Red Velvet vs. Jazmyne Hao

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Hao wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. They start somewhat slowly before Velvet stomps away in the corner to take over. Some forearms and running knees to the back have Hao down and a left hand (or right according to Riccaboni) finishes for Velvet at 2:51.

QT Marshall is ready for his TV Title shot next week.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Gates Of Agony

Kaun and Moriarty start things off with Kaun taking him down, setting up an exchange of leapfrogs. Taylor comes in for the power showdown with Kaun and takes him into the corner. Moriarty works on the arm before Taylor hits a hard knee to the face for two. A splash gets the same but Kaun fights up with a double crossbody for a double knockdown.

Toa and Taylor come in for the big showdown, including an exchange of headbutts. Toa gets the better of things but Moriarty comes in off a blind tag. That earns him Open The Gates for two but Trish Adora offers a distraction. Cue the Infantry to jump Kaun, allowing Moriarty to roll him up for the pin at 8:57.

Rating: C. Again, fine, but spare me the idea of Shane Taylor Promotions getting back into the title picture or whatever the line commentary is going to feed us will be. Another watchable enough match with some nice power stuff, but the people involved have been running on a treadmill for so long that it’s hard to get interested. Same as always around here.

Here is Chris Jericho, with Bryan Keith, for a chat as we have about five minutes left in the show. Jericho complains about the lack of people cheering for him in the last few matches because the people were chanting for the Rock N Roll Express. Cue the Rock N Roll Express, with Jericho saying he hates rock and roll. Ricky Morton made fun of him in 1994 and Jericho has hated him ever since. The Express quickly clears the ring and Morton says they’re glad to be back in Charlotte to end the show. Morton didn’t even talk for ten seconds.

Overall Rating: F+. Nope. Before I get into this, let me make it clear: the wrestlers aren’t at fault here. They were trying and putting in some effort and the matches were hardly awful. This show’s problems aren’t on them and I don’t want it to seem like this is some dumpster fire of bad wrestling.

The problem here is this show committed the ultimate sin in wrestling: it felt like a waste of time. This show featured absolutely nothing important, with a bunch of lower card stars having matches or a bunch of squashes. I did not care about what I was watching because it didn’t feel like Ring Of Honor cared about what they were presenting. This is one of the most useless wrestling shows that I have seen in a LONG time and shows you just how nothing ROH is right now. I’m sure someone will blame this on people being in Japan for Wrestle Dynasty, but three people being gone didn’t make this show feel so unimportant.

Results
Trish Adora b. Harley Cameron – Lariat Tubman
Blake Christian b. Serpentico – Running knees to the head
Boulder b. Griff Garrison – Boulderdash
Billie Starkz b. Brittany Jade – Swanton
Queen Aminata b. Rachael Ellering – Headbutt
MxM Collection b. The Dawsons – Centerfold to Dave
Red Velvet b. Jazmyne Hao – Left hand
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Gates Of Agony – Rollup to Kaun

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

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AND

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

Collision
Date: January 11, 2025
Location: Akins Ford Arena, Athens, Georgia
Commentators Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re on the way to Grand Slam in Australia but first we need to get through next week’s Maximum Carnage. That show is going to feature Powerhouse Hobbs getting a World Title shot against Jon Moxley, albeit in Moxley’s hometown, but it’s going to need more than that. Odds are we’ll see some of it added this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Harley Cameron, Mariah May, the Learning Tree and Rated FTR are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Cope vs. Big Bill

Chris Jericho is on commentary. Bill wins a power lockup to start and Cope is quickly sent outside. The brawling goes a bit better for Cope, who sends him into various things on the floor. A Jericho distraction lets Bill drop Cope onto the announcers’ table and then sends him into various things to take over. A drop onto the barricade has Cope in more trouble and we take a break, with most of the match having been on the floor.

Back with Cope managing a clothesline to the back of the head but charging into a swinging Boss Man Slam. Cope goes up top (above an exposed turnbuckle) and Bill is sent face first. A powerbomb out of the corner plants Bill for two as the fans are getting into this. Bill’s boot to the face gets two but Cope is back with an implant DDT for a rather near fall. Back up and Bill tries a chokeslam so Cope kicks him low, setting up the Jon Moxley hammer and anvil elbows. A rear naked choke finishes Bill at 13:33.

Rating: B. This started to click a lot better at the end and that is always nice to see. Cope and Bill aren’t the kind of people you would expect to have this kind of chemistry but they made it work well. That being said, I could go for Cope not feuding with two champions at once, though that certainly seems to be the direction they’re taking.

Post match the Learning Tree runs in for the beatdown but FTR makes the save.

Video on Kenny Omega’s return on Dynamite.

Hangman Page talks about the work that he has put in to protect his family and it was all undone in one night. He could either remain the husk of a man that he was or become something else. That’s why he kept Swerve Strickland from winning the World Title, which is why he gave him such a beating in September. Then he heard what Christopher Daniels said but then Daniels crossed a line with him. They’ll fight next week in a Texas Deathmatch. He knows who he will be against Daniels, who has made his own bed. Good promo, but it’s setting up a Texas Deathmatch between Page and Daniels.

Pac vs. Komander

Non-title. They pick up the pace to start with Komander sending him outside for a slow motion flip into a headscissors. The big rope walk flip dive connects and a high crossbody gives Komander two back inside. Pac isn’t having that and sends him outside, with Komander crashing into the barricade.

Back in and Pac goes simple by kicking him in the face for two but makes the mistake of going after Alex Abrahantes. Komander is right there with the dive and a DDT gets two. Some superkicks into a super Canadian Destroyer connects, only for Pac to pull him into the Brutalizer for the win at 8:01.

Rating: B-. Nice stuff here with Pac oddly being a bit more of the violent star rather than going to the air as he is capable of doing. At the same time, Komander was flying all over the place as…well not only he can but as he can do. Finally, such if life for a Ring Of Honor champion, and there is pretty much a zero percent chance that Pac will go after the belt, as Ring Of Honor continues to look useless.

Post match the Death Riders come out for the beatdown but the Outrunners run in and it’s match time.

Death Riders vs. Outrunners

It’s a brawl to start until Yuta gets taken into the wrong corner as things settle down a bit. That doesn’t last long as Castagnoli takes over on Magnum with the uppercuts against the ropes. Magnum fights up with a Thesz press of all things, allowing the Outrunners to clear the ring.

We take a break and come back with Magnum getting kicked in the head but managing a backdrop to send Castagnoli outside. Floyd comes in for a series of slams to take over and the Mega Powers elbow hits Yuta. Everything breaks down and Yuta dropkicks Floyd and a spinning suplex gives him two. Castagnoli superplexes Floyd down and the Fastball Special is enough for the pin at 11:42.

Rating: C+. Ah there it is, as the Death Riders get to take out another popular team. It makes sense on paper as the Death Riders are way above the Outrunners, but it might be nice to have the popular guys win something over these guys at some point. Or for the Death Riders to defend the Trios Titles, as it’s been over two months now.

Video on Maximum Carnage.

Powerhouse Hobbs has been listening to the Death Riders and wants the World Title.

Harley Cameron vs. Mariah May

Non-title. Cameron starts fast with some rollups for two each and May needs an early breather. May’s chops in the corner just annoy Cameron, who fires off some knees to the ribs and an enziguri for two. Back up and May hits a running dropkick for two and we take an early break. We come back with May putting her on top for a double chop but Cameron fights back again. A few knockdowns set up a belly to back suplex for two on May, who knees her in the face. Storm Zero finishes for May at 9:19.

Rating: C. This was fun stuff with the two of them getting to be a bit goofy, though Cameron was putting in the work as well. There was never going to be any drama about the result here as May is not likely to lose to a comedy star like Cameron, but it was nice to see the two of them having a fun match. It worked well, and I could go for the two of them doing some more stuff later on.

Christopher Daniels is ready for Hangman Page next week.

Brody King vs. Trevor Blackwell

Julia Hart is here with King, who hits a running clothesline, a Cannonball, and the Ganso Bomb for the win at 1:31.

Post break Brody King talks about how this is a strange time for the House Of Black but Cope comes in. Cope says it’s time for King to take the reigns, which has King thinking.

TNT Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Garcia is defending. Feeling out process to start with Shibata taking him up against the ropes for an early clean break. They trade chops with Shibata getting the better of things in the corner and grabbing a suplex for two. Shibata ties up the legs and we take an early break. Back with Garcia hammering away in the corner and rolling a neckbreaker for two.

They trade running boots to the face and belly to back suplexes until a double takedown gives us a double breather. Then they both sit up and trade chops and ankle locks, which are both broken up. Shibata stays on the leg and puts on the Figure Four, sending Garcia over to the ropes. Then Garcia grabs a quick jackknife rollup for he pin at 11:27.

Rating: C+. Garcia has done that quick rollup pin thing a few times now and it’s only working so well. At the same time, this was quite the “I do this and you do the same thing and then you do something and I’ll do it after”, making it feel as scripted as possible. I get the idea of Garcia being able to hang with Shibata but….yeah it still looks weird to have them doing the same moves over and over.

Video on the Women’s Casino Gauntlet match.

Chris Jericho vs. Dax Harwood

Non-title and everyone is barred from ringside, which is just something that can be enforced at any given time. They fight over a lockup to start and go to the floor before trading chops back inside. Harwood wraps the leg around the post but gets pulled face first into said post but Harwood wins a brawl in the crowd. Back in and Jericho snaps off a super hurricanrana and we take a break.

We come back with Harwood rolling through a high crossbody for two but Jericho counters a German suplex. The Walls of Jericho are broken up as well so Jericho settles for the Lionsault for two more. Jericho takes too long going up and gets top rope superplexed back down for the crash. They forearm it out from their knees and it’s a double knockdown, with Jericho rolling outside.

Jericho kicks him into the steps and almost wins by countout, only for Harwood to come back in for a Sharpshooter. A belt shot misses for Jericho but he punches the referee in the eye and….I think he’s supposed to put the belt up to cut off a dive but instead just kind of hits a diving Harwood. Then a belt shot gives Jericho two, followed by the Judas Effect for the pin at 15:23.

Rating: C. Not only was it long, as in rather long, but the last thirty seconds felt like it ha about four finishing sequences put together. I have no idea why the belt shot couldn’t have just wrapped it up but I guess they had more time to fill. Harwood can wrestle a fine enough match with anyone, though this was far longer than it needed to be and it hurt things a lot.

Post match the Death Riders run in for the beatdown, with Cope, Cash Wheeler and the Outrunners running in for the save. Naturally Jon Moxley gets to drop Cope with the Paradigm Shift but Powerhouse Hobbs makes the real save and no sells Moxley’s chair shot. Moxley runs off and Yuta is put through the announcers’ table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show didn’t feel like it had as much filler as last week, but dang did it have a lot of the Death Riders. I don’t know what we’re waiting on, but there is a good chance that Cope is going to be the next challenger for Moxley, and that doesn’t feel like the big ending to the story. Overall, not a bad show at all, but Dynamite next week is feeling like the big show where things actually happen.

Results
Cope b. Big Bill – Rear naked choke
Pac b. Komander – Brutalizer
Death Riders b. Outrunners – Fastball Special to Floyd
Mariah May b. Harley Cameron – Storm Zero
Brody King b. Trevor Blackwell – Ganso Bomb
Daniel Garcia b. Katsuyori Shibata – Jackknife rollup
Chris Jericho b. Dax Harwood – Judas Effect

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: January 16, 2025
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re a few days away from Genesis and that means it should be time to hammer home the card. Most of the matches have already been announced, but there is still time to push everything just a bit harder. I’m sure we’ll get a big Joe Hendry and Nic Nemeth showdown so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Leon Slater vs. Trent Seven

Frankie Kazarian, who is facing Slater on the Genesis Kickoff Show, is on commentary. Seven takes him down to start but Slater kicks him in the head, followed by a knockdown out to the floor. A dragon suplex sends Slater down some steps but he dives back in for the save, setting up another running boot to the face to drop Seven for two.

Slater takes him up top but gets caught with a super slam for another near fall. Back up and Seven hits him in the face, setting up the Birminghammer for two more. Slater is back with a boot to the face and a DDT on the apron, setting up a big dive. Back in and the Swanton 450 finishes Seven at 8:47.

Rating: C+. I kept wondering what it was going to take to beat Slater and it just never happened so points for doing the logical thing before Slater’s match with Kazarian. Slater isn’t reinventing the wheel out there but he can do some nice high flying stuff and the fans seem into him. Nice opener here, with Slater continuing to look pretty good.

Post match Kazarian teases jumping him but stops just in time.

Video on Joe Hendry, who is ready to get to the top of the mountain after coming short at Bound For Glory.

Here is the Personal Concierge for the pre-championship celebration for Ash/Heather By Elegance. We get the reveal of some cardboard cutouts with the two of them as champions and Ash is happy to win the titles. Well this weekend that is. We get some tearful thank you’s before the fans are not happy with Heather. She’s ready to win as well but here is Spitfire to interrupt. Bickering ensues and By Elegance is sent outside, leaving the cardboard to be destroyed.

Sami Callihan and PCO are ready to beat the Hardys and get into the Tag Team Title match at Genesis.

First Class vs. Eric Young/Steve Maclin

Navarro slaps Young to start and is quickly beaten into the corner to cut that off. Maclin comes in to hammer away in the corner but gets sent outside by Francis as the villains get to take over. Francis gets in a shoving match with….someone famous at ringside, which is enough of a distraction for Maclin to get in an Angle Slam. Everything breaks down and Young’s top rope elbow finishes Navarro at 6:35.

Rating: C. Not much to this one but Navarro is pretty much just there to take the fall while Francis gets to be the star. That being said, there isn’t much shame in losing to a pair of former World Champions who have had some success as a team. First Class is likely going to be something at some point this year so this feels like something of a roadblock on the way towards inevitability.

Post match the System comes out for the staredown.

We look at Cora Jade and Masha Slamovich on NXT.

Rosemary is ready for violence with Slamovich.

We look at the Northern Armory destroying Mike Santana at a recent independent show.

Here is the Northern Armory to brag about taking out Santana…and Santana pops up to say he won’t quit. That’s why at Genesis, their match should be an I Quit match. Works for Alexander, who threatens a lot of violence and pain. Alexander promises to show that Santana is a middle of the road star, with Santana promising to become the new standard of TNA. Santana was fired up here and it showed.

Jake Something vs. Laredo Kid

Kid tries to start fast but is quickly sent outside without much trouble. Back in and Something hits a corner clothesline before knocking a diving Kid out of the air. Kid knocks him down though and avoids a charge into the corner, setting up some enziguris. A flipping DDT gives Kid two but Something catches him on top, meaning it’s a super sitout powerbomb (that looked good) for the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C+. Power vs. speed works pretty much every time in wrestling, but, as usual, none of this means a thing if Something doesn’t win a match that matters. We’ve seen him get built up so many times and it goes nowhere, which makes me hesitant to buy into it here. For now though, I’ll take a pretty awesome looking finisher like that powerbomb as Kid was done.

Video on Ace Austin, who wants the X-Division Title back and is only thinking about doing this for Chris Bey. He talks about what the X-Division means and how far he has gone in it over the years, which is why he’s going back to his roots. This was good stuff and it would be a heck of an awesome moment if he won the title.

PCO/Sami Callihan vs. Hardys

Non-title. Callihan knocks Jeff into the corner to start and it’s a four way slugout early on as we take a break. Back with Poetry In Motion hitting Callihan for two but Callihan takes over on Matt. PCO comes in for some clotheslines but a double DDT gets Matt out of trouble. Everything breaks down and Jeff comes in for the Whisper In The Wind. The Twist of Fate into the Swanton finishes Callihan at 10:03.

Rating: C. Well that was uneventful. I’m not sure what was supposed to be interesting here as they were teasing making the title match a triple threat and then the Hardys just beat them clean. Callihan and PCO never felt like a big time team but this should be it for them for good without much doubt.

Genesis rundown.

Jordynne Grace pops up on commentary to say that Tessa Blanchard hasn’t signed for their match. Grace has signed and leaves the contract behind.

Here is Joe Hendry for his showdown with Nic Nemeth. Hendry says he has to win the title because it is time for him to start a new era by holding up that championship. Nemeth says he understands what Hendry has to do but Hendry doesn’t know what it’s like to be champion.

We see a clip of John Layfield interfering at Bound For Glory and Nemeth says he didn’t see it live. All Nemeth saw was Layfield attacking his brother, who comes out to interrupt. Ryan comes in and goes after Hendry, allowing Nic to make the save with a superkick. The Nemeths leave and Hendry is shaken up. Hendry has to win. I just don’t know that he will.

Tessa Blanchard runs in to sign the contract, with Jordynne Grace appearing for the brawl. The Juggernaut Driver leaves Blanchard laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was very much a TNA go home show, as the card for the pay per view was pretty much set and all they had to do was sharpen the edges a bit. Genesis is going to depend on how Hendry does in his next World Title shot, because that’s by far the biggest thing on the show. The rest of the card is good enough, but it’s all about the main event because Hendry is long past the point of needing to win the title. This show worked well enough, but it’s pretty much just a big preview for Genesis.

Results
Leon Slater b. Trent Seven – Swanton 450
Eric Young/Steve Maclin b. First class – Top rope elbow to Navarro
Jake Something b. Laredo Kid – Super sitout powerbomb
Hardys b. PCO/Sami Callihan – Swanton to Callihan

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 9, 2025
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentator: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re still on the way to Genesis and that means we should be getting some more of the card set up. In this case that could make for an interesting show, as there are several spots to be filled in on the card. Joe Hendry is still on his way to another World Title shot and we should be getting some hype towards it this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

The System vs. Eric Young/Steve Maclin/Jonathan Gresham

Edwards charges into Gresham’s bot in the corner to start and it’s off to Young to hammer on Myers. A quick necksnap across the top rope takes over on Young though and the villains take him into the corner. JDC sends him back into the corner to cut off a comeback attempt and we hit the chinlock. It’s too early for the Roster Cut though as Young cuts off Myers with the Death Valley Driver. Maclin comes in to clean house with a backbreaker getting two on JDC. Everything breaks down and the KIA finishes JDC at 6:30.

Rating: C+. They weren’t wasting time here as the System takes a loss in less than seven minutes. The team isn’t doing so well right now and the idea of Moose losing their lone title at Genesis isn’t out of the question. For now though, the trio of unlikely good guys are fine for what they are, especially in a fast spot like this.

Post match the System lays the winners out and wrap a chair around Gresham’s neck, which is sent into the post for a crash.

Video on Joe Hendry, looking at his childhood and rise up the ranks to the #1 contendership. We look at his education in judo and music to make him quite the mixture of talents. This is a really good package and a great “get to know you” idea to make you want to see Hendry the person win rather than Hendry the character.

Savannah Evans vs. Lei Ying Lee

Lee is being brought in by Xia Brookside for revenge on Evans, who injured both of them. Lee starts fast and takes Evans out with a dive on the floor, followed by another for two back inside. Evans powerbombs her down for two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and a clothesline drops Evans but Lee is right back with Thunderstruck for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C. It’s nice to see Lee back in the ring and getting a win but I’m still not seeing much out of her that makes me think she’s going to be a star. At least she has something of a story here though and that is more than she has been able to say thus far. Brookside being involved should help a bit, though I’m curious to see who Evans is going to get to even things up.

Jordynne Grace grabs the mic and calls out Tessa Blanchard for a fight.

Here’s a Classic Moment Of The Week as Kurt Angle defeats Jeff Jarrett at Genesis 2009. We see about eight minutes of a twenty one minute match, which is quite a bit of TV time to use on something like this.

Rosemary wants Masha Slamovich.

Mike Santana vs. Northern Armory

Gauntlet Match and Judas Icarus starts for the team. Icarus jumps him from behind but the clotheslines don’t seem to matter. Santana hits a dropkick but gets knocked off the top for a crash. Not that it matters as Spin The Block gives Santana the pin at 1:56. Travis Williams is in next and slips out of a Death Valley Driver attempt to kick Santana down.

We take a break and come back with Williams getting a cross armbreaker but Santana powers out. The buckle bomb into a sitout powerbomb finishes Williams at 8:23 total, meaning it’s time for Josh Alexander. Cue Alexander…and the rest of the Armory jumps Santana for the DQ at 9:16.

Rating: C+. This was more of a plot device than anything else and that is not a bad idea. Santana wants to get his hands on Alexander and having to get through the lackeys first makes sense. Alexander sent the goons to do his dirty work and it makes for a perfectly simple wrestling angle as a result.

Post match the beatdown is on and Alexander gets his headgear back.

The Personal Concierge is ready to have a pre-title win title celebration next week.

Rosemary sees cracks in Masha Slamovich’s armor. Raven of all people comes in to ask how long it’s been since she held the belt. Rosemary whips out a knife and holds it to his throat so Raven offers to coach her. Well that came out of nowhere.

Good Hands vs. Rascalz

Wentz dropkicks Hotch down to start but Skyler breaks up the handspring to take over. A double middle rope crotch standing has Wentz in more trouble and Skyler grabs an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and everything breaks down with Rolling Thunder getting two on Wentz. A quick Feed Them To The Lions finishes Skyler at 4:48.

Rating: C+. Not much to see here but the Good Hands are in fact good hands, in that they can make anyone around them look better. That’s what the Rascalz can use on the way to their title shot next week at Genesis and it worked well enough here. Not a great match, but it did exactly what it needed to do.

Frankie Kazarian annoys Rhino.

Steve Maclin and Eric Young want revenge on the System but First Class interrupts to get on their nerves. A match is likely for next week.

Here is Alisha Edwards to introduce Moose for a chat. Moose promises to introduce a new X-Division Title at Genesis but cue former TNA star Andrew Everett to say that title means a lot around here. Moose isn’t sure who Everett is and promises violence. A boot to the face and a referee running in are enough to set up a title match.

X-Division Title: Moose vs. Andrew Everett

Moose is defending and runs him over in the corner to start fast. Everett gets in a tornado DDT though and Moose is sent outside. That means the big dive but Moos is back with an apron powerbomb. Back in and a Last Ride finishes for Moose at 2:54.

Sami Callihan demands a title shot against the Hardys. Santino Marella makes it a non-title match next week and if Callihan and PCO win, Genesis is a three way. Works for Callihan.

Here is Jordynne Grace to call out Tessa Blanchard, who answers for the pull apart brawl.

Grace vs. Blanchard is set for Genesis.

Rhino/Joe Hendry vs. Ryan Nemeth/Nic Nemeth

Frankie Kazarian is on commentary as Ryan bails from Rhino to start. Nic works on Rhino’s arm instead but can’t get very far. Instead a double clothesline puts Rhino down for two but he easily takes Ryan into the corner to take over. It’s off to Hendry for a running shoulder and a rather delayed suplex gets two.

Rhino comes back in and gets double teamed down, with Nic grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up and Hendry comes back in to clean house in a hurry. Kazarian gets up for a failed distraction, leaving Rhino to Gore Ryan but get dropped by Nic’s superkick. Hendry drops Nemeth and hits the Standing Ovation to pin Ryan at 9:19.

Rating: C+. Similar to a few things tonight, this wasn’t a match that was designed to blow the roof off but rather move us a few steps closer to a match that has already been set up. It worked well and gave Rhino a nice win on his way out of the promotion. That’s minor compared to helping boost up Nic vs. Hendry, but I can go for two birds with one match.

Nic and Joe have one more staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This might as well have been TNA in a nutshell recently: it’s nothing that is blowing the doors off of the place and certainly nothing overly novel, but it did a good job of setting up the show that has already been made. I want to see Genesis and while they still have one week to go, they have done well enough so far and this week was a big part of making that work.

Results
Eric Young/Steve Maclin/Jonathan Gresham b. The System – KIA to JDC
Lei Ying Lee b. Savannah Evans – Thunderstruck
Mike Santana b. The Northern Armory via DQ
Rascalz b. Good Hands – Feed Them To The Lions to Skyler
Moose b. Andrew Everett – Last Ride
Rhino/Joe Hendry b. Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth – Standing Ovation to Rhino

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: January 15, 2025
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re getting closer to Grand Slam and the card needs to start getting built up. Before we can get there though, we have Maximum Carnage, which should have quite the card. That includes the in-ring return of Kenny Omega, plus Powerhouse Hobbs getting a World Title shot at Jon Moxley. Let’s get to it.

We open with a big preview of the show.

Brian Cage vs. Kenny Omega

Don Callis is on commentary. Omega strikes away to limited avail as Cage grabs him for the curls into the toss. A clothesline drops Omega but Omega counters a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. Lance Archer offers a distraction though and Omega, whose head is cut open, is sent outside and sent into the announcers’ table. Callis gets in a few shots of his own and we take a break.

Back with Omega still in trouble but firing off a running knee. The F5 gives Cage two so he goes up top, only to get caught with a super sunset bomb. Omega’s running knee gets two and the V Trigger rocks Cage. The One Winged Angel (it took a second but he got cage up) finishes for Omega at 11:38.

Rating: B-. This was never going to be a match where the result was in doubt but what matters the most is that Omega got back in the ring and looked good enough. That wasn’t exactly guaranteed just a few months ago so it’s nice to see him in the ring again. He’s instantly one of the biggest names in AEW and having him beat a big enough name like Cage is a nice start on his road back.

Post match the beatdown is on but Will Ospreay runs in for the save. The Family beats them down though.

MVP is ready to get back in the ring.

The Learning Tree is ready for their match on Collision in Cincinnati, in the heart of the Bluegrass State. They can get along with the Death Riders.

Here is Ricochet, to quite the negative reception, for a chat. Before anything can be said, as the fans are not pleased, Swerve Strickland’s music hits and it’s Prince Nana with a chair shot to Ricochet’s back. Swerve chases Ricochet off and outside, complete with the snow.

We look at a Day In The Life Of Mercedes Mone. She shops, trains and is apparently all around swell. Keeping anything involving her talking short is appreciated.

Hurt Syndicate vs. Mark Briscoe/Private Party

The Syndicate jumps them to start and MVP kicks Briscoe in the face as we get going. Briscoe is sent outside and Benjamin drops him onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Briscoe still in trouble until he clotheslines his way out of trouble. Kassidy comes in to clean house and it’s off to Quen for some dropkicks. Everything breaks down and a jumping Downward Spiral hits Benjamin. Poetry In Motion does it again but Lashley is in with a spear. Benjamin’s release German suplex into a superkick finishes Quen at 9:26.

Rating: C+. This is what it needed to be and now we need to get to the next step of the Hurt Business winning the Tag Team Titles. There isn’t anything to keeping them on Private Party at this point as the champs have hardly done anything special with the belts. The Hurt Business is looking awesome at the moment and that was on full display again here.

We look at Cope brawling with Pac on Collision, setting up their match this weekend.

Video on Rated FTR.

Here is Jeff Jarrett for a chat but MJF cuts him off before he can get very far. MJF didn’t think much of Jarrett saying the last few weeks have been humbling but Jarrett calls him lazy for not wanting to enter the Casino Gauntlet. MJF snaps and says Jarrett has convinced a lot of people he’s a lot better than he is. MJF calls Jarrett the last thing any wrestling company sees before it dies.

We get some jokes about Jarrett’s alcohol issues before MJF offers to have some fun with Karen Jarrett before sending her back to Tennessee. That way Jarrett can know the taste of a generational talent and an Olympic gold medalist. Jarrett laughs everything off because he’s heard it before. The reality though is Jarrett did all of this before but he did it better. Jarrett says it must be really tough being raised by a call girl mother and an ambulance chasing father.

When MJF was in the ring going sixty minutes, his girlfriend was doing it too….just in the parking lot with other wrestlers. The reality is MJF needs Jarrett because he’s a scared little boy. MJF goes on a rant about how far he carried this company but then he got screwed out of a bunch of things. He needs to win the World Title so he can shove it down a whole lot of throats. But then he needs to wait for JEFF JARRETT?

The reality is no one has ever cared about Jarrett, who thinks his friendship with Owen Hart entitles him to a grand finale. That’s enough for Jarrett and the fight is on and security, plus Karen Jarrett, break it up. MJF grabs Karen for a second but lets her go before leaving. Jarrett is on to something with MJF being a one trick pony, as he has incredible delivery but almost every big time promo exchange like this breaks down to “here’s a list of insults about things in your past and I’m better than you.” It’s still good, but it feels like MJF might as well just be inserting names into a formula.

Video on Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii.

Hook vs. Christian Cage

Hook jumps him on the ramp to start and the fight is on with Hook hammering away on the floor. The beating goes up the ramp and then back into the ring. Cage gives him a hug but gets suplexed for his efforts. Cage is sent into the buckle and we take a break. Back with Taz getting annoyed at Cage as he drops a splash for two. The spear gives Cage two more but the Killswitch is countered into a fisherman’s suplex for two more. Hook hammers away until Cage sends him into the post for a crash out to the floor. The Patriarchy is fought off and it’s the Redrum back inside, only for the Patriarchy to run in for the DQ at 11:38.

Rating: C. Of course it’s going to keep going. This is a feud that has been going on for a few months now and as long as Cage has that contract, almost anything he does feels like he’s just killing time. That isn’t doing Hook any favors and having him possibly dealing with Cage’s goons isn’t going to help either. The match was another brawl with interference, which is rather common around this place.

Post match the beatdown is on but Taz stands up….and Samoa Joe is back to clean house. Katsuyori Shibata runs in for the assist and the good guys stand tall.

The Undisputed Kingdom wants gold.

Dustin Rhodes interrupts Jeff Jarrett, saying MJF has no idea how this business works. Rhodes wants Jarrett to fulfill his dream.

Women’s Casino Gauntlet

For a shot at Mariah May, on commentary, at Grand Slam. Kris Statlander is in at #1 and Jamie Hayter is in at #2 as we have unknown entrants and uneven intervals. May immediately asks Taz if he wants to roll around on that new knee but he’s happily married. And retired. Hayter takes her down to start but gets planted as Megan Bayne (she’s rather tall and rather strong, leaving May looking worried) is in at #3.

Bayne elbows Statlander into the corner (May: “What does she eat for breakfast? Babies?”) and Hayter small packages her way out of a suplex as May is still worried. Julia Hart is in at #4 and is immediately suplexed on the ramp by Hayter. We take a break and come back with Willow Nightingale coming in at #5 but getting dropped by Bayne.

A double suplex drops Bayne and it’s Toni Storm in at #6. House is quickly cleaned as May is nervously laughing. Hart fights up and helps clear the ring before slugging it out with Hayter. Harley Cameron is in at #7 and grabs some rollups but Hayter plants Hart. Back up and Hart mists Cameron, only to get small packaged by Storm for the pin at 13:18.

Rating: B-. Bayne looked like a star and that was good to see, but this was pretty much a big countdown until Storm won. Who else was going to win the match and the title shot for a show coming up in Australia? I’m sure we’ll get the next big step in the evolution of Storm going forward, but for now she was the only realistic option here and that’s not a bad thing.

AEW World Title: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley, the hometown boy, is defending and has the Death Riders with him. Hobbs hammers away to start and a running shoulder puts Moxley on the floor. They fight into the crowd with Moxley getting the better of things and hammering away back inside. Hobbs bites the ear for a breather though and we take a break.

Back with Moxley, bleeding from the ear, getting knocked down but telling Hobbs to bring it. The Paradigm Shift is blocked and Hobbs runs him over again. A spinning slam gives Hobbs two but Moxley pulls him into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up so here is Wheeler Yuta for a cheap shot. Hobbs is back with a spinebuster but Marina Shafir gets in a briefcase shot so the Paradigm Shift can get two. The bulldog choke retains the title at 13:05.

Rating: B-. And the Death Riders interfere to keep the title on Moxley. Again. Like so many other heel stables have done over the years. That’s the problem with the Death Riders in general: it feels like something we’ve seen so many times now and that’s not overly interesting. The team’s mission is only so defined in the first place and we’re just sitting around waiting until someone steps up for the big moment. That makes for some tedious stuff, and that was the case again here.

Post match the beatdown is on, including a Pillmanizing of the leg. Rated FTR clear the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m not sure how big this show felt, but it was far from a bad week. Mega being back is a nice thing to see and they set up what very well may be the main event of Grand Slam with Storm vs. May. Other than that, it was a slightly above the normal show, albeit one that felt like it was designed to set up something else down the line. Good enough show, but not exactly an all time classic.

Results
Kenny Omega b. Brian Cage – One Winged Angel
Hurt Syndicate b. Private Party/Mark Briscoe – Superkick to Quen
Hook b. Christian Cage via DQ when the Patriarchy interfered
Toni Storm won the Women’s Casino Gauntlet – Small package to Hart
Jon Moxley b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Paradigm Shift

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

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

AND

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

NXT
Date: January 14, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re back to a normal show this week after New Year’s Evil saw a big shakeup around here. Oba Femi is the new NXT Champion and is going to need a challenger for Vengeance Day in about a month. We also have a new Heritage Cup holder and Women’s Champion, plus the Tag Team Titles are on the line tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Long New Year’s Evil recap, and no it still can’t make what Rock said sound like anything.

Here is Oba Femi to get things going. Femi brags about being able to take his rightful place on the throne and he has been backed by destiny since he arrived. The fans think Femi deserves it before Femi talks about how Trick Williams put in a lot of work. Williams has a ceiling, unlike Femi himself. As for Eddy Thorpe, he can go annoy someone else, but here is Tony D’Angelo to interrupt.

D’Angelo brings up beating Femi twice so he can come after the NXT Title as well. Femi brings up Ridge Holland taking out D’Angelo, who promises to take care of Holland. This brings out Holland, who has a photo of himself as Santa Claus attacking D’Angelo. The fight is on, with Thorpe running in to jump Femi and hits him with what looks like a strap. They have a bunch of options in there, but getting rid of Thorpe in a hurry needs to be near the top of the list.

Ethan Page mocks Dante Chen and shoving ensues. A match seems teased, but I’m more curious about why the three man Gallus team apparently shares one locker.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Shotzi

For a future Women’s North American Title shot. They go with the grappling to start and get nowhere so that’s a show of respect. Shotzi’s armdrag is blocked and Vaquer grabs a rollup for a fast two. An enziguri hits Vaquer and Shotzi grabs an upside down to keep her in trouble. Vaquer is right back with the figure four faceplants into the mat and we take a break.

Back with Shotzi snapping off a super hurricanrana but getting caught with Eat Defeat. A tiger suplex gives Shotzi two and it’s time to trade forearms. Cue Jacy Jayne for a distraction, allowing Fallon Henley to come in and deck Vaquer (Shotzi didn’t see it) to give Shotzi the win at 11:06.

Rating: C+. I wasn’t betting on that one but it’s a bit of a nice surprise. They did a nice job of making it clear that Shotzi didn’t know about the cheating and there is a good chance that it is going to set up some kind of a triple threat later on. The action itself was just ok, but they did a good job with the story they were telling.

Zaria gives Kelani Jordan a pep talk bout Cora Jade comes in to mock Jordan. That earns Jade a hard slap.

Oba Femi wants Eddy Thorpe and nearly ends Mr. Stone to get the match for next week.

Ethan Page vs. Dante Chen

Page jumps him before the bell but Chen says ring the bell. The brawl is on but Chen can’t hit his double chop. Instead Page hits the Twist of Fate for the pin at 57 seconds. You mean he could have saved LVL Up that fast???

Post match Page crushes Chen’s leg with the steps. Je’Von Evans tries to make the save but Page hits him in the bad jaw and tells him to smile.

Oba Femi doesn’t want to listen to Dion Lennox.

Riz and Izzi Dame don’t want to listen to Shawn Spears.

Ashante Thee Adonis apologizes to Karmen Petrovic and gives her a rose. She says it’s about time and kisses him.

We look at Giulia winning the Women’s Title last week.

DIY has heard so much about Fraxiom and they’re here to scout future competition.

Meta Four vs. Unholy Union

For a future title shot. Fyre takes Jackson down by the arm to start but Jackson wristdrags her out of the corner. Dawn comes in and gets dropped by a Sling Blade and it’s off to Legend. A cheap shot from Fyre slows her down but Legend breaks up a Tarantula attempt. Fyre takes out Legend’s knee to send Jackson crashing into the corner, allowing Fyre to hit a top rope flip dive.

We take a break and come back with Legend chokeslamming Fyre for two and slamming Dawn for a bonus. A Backstabber/Swanton combination gets two on Jackson as everything breaks down. The Gory Bomb is broken up though an it’s a wheelbarrow faceplant/running cutter combination (that was slick) to finish Fyre at 12:53.

Rating: C+. The Legend push continues, but at some point she’s going to have to get some gold. I’m not sure if that is what we are going to see from the title match, but this was a big showcase match for Legend to look like a killer. She has come a very, very long way in a few years and deserves a lot of credit for the development she has undergone.

Lexis King is proud to win the Heritage Cup but Charlie Dempsey and Wren Sinclair come up to talk about a rematch. Ava is interested…but has to go break up a fight between Ridge Holland and Tony D’Angelo. That freaking parking lot.

TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich is here.

Cora Jade vs. Kelani Jordan

Jordan starts fast and hammers away before elbowing Jade down. Jade catches her on top though and stomps away, setting up a running dropkick against the ropes. Jade’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Jordan knocks her down and stomps away as well. Jordan unloads in the corner so the referee breaks it up, allowing Jade to rake the eyes. The double arm DDT finishes Jordan at 5:12.

Rating: C. I’m a bit surprised to see Jordan lose here as she is kind of taking a step back from the heelish tendencies over the last few weeks. Other than that, Jade gets a needed win as she has only done so much since her big return. I’m not sure where this is going, but Jordan is at least getting to do something rather than just win random matches as champion.

Eddy Thorpe is ready to win the NXT Title next week.

Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura want a Tag Team Title shot at Fraxiom (maybe they could try having a match). OTM comes in to say they’re getting the titles tonight. Insults lead to a brawl.

Tag Team Titles: Fraxiom vs. OTM

OTM is challenging and Frazer is taken into the corner to start. Shoulders to the ribs have Frazer down and double teaming makes it worse as DIY is watching from the platform. Frazer fights up and brings in Axiom to clean house, though he looks up at DIY. That lets Nima drop him with a heck of a clothesline and we take a break.

Back with Frazer coming in off a hot tag to clean house, including a running shooting star press for two on Price. Everything breaks down and OTM get caught in stereo holds. That’s broken up when Nima suplexes Frazer onto the other two and we settle back down. Frazer comes in off a springboard tag but Nima Rock Bottoms him onto Axiom. It’s time to clear off the announcers’ table but Frazer fights up. A frog splash sends Nima through the table and the Golden Ratio to Price retains the title at 13:13.

Rating: B. As annoying as the will they/won’t they stuff with Fraxiom can be, they can have some exciting matches. The tension issue does a nice job of making you wonder if this is the time where they are going to lose and that was the case here. They have to lose the titles eventually, but that DIY tease means we might be waiting a good while longer.

A pair of shoes arrives.

Here is Roxanne Perez for a chat. When she won the Women’s Title at Stand & Deliver, no one thought she was going to hold it that long. She wanted to make women’s wrestling special and give the people something they can take pride in every week. This is the best women’s wrestling every week, but here she is without her title. Last week, Giulia was better but that’s what the people wanted. Giulia isn’t going to take the title to the same heights she did and it doesn’t deserve her…and Bayley is back (the fans seem to remember her).

Bayley is here with some advice, but Perez doesn’t want to hear it. Bayley mocks her for wanting advice when she was shorter than she even is now. Perez laughs it off because while Bayley set records, Perez broke them. Maybe she should be Bayley’s role model. Bayley says Perez will be stuck here while Bayley goes on to win the title on Smackdown. The brawl is on and we are way out of time so it’s cut off fast.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that did a lot of things and covered quite a few stories in a single night. The main event was good and Dante Chen got wiped out in short order so there is little to complain about in at least two matches. I liked the Bayley return too as she is an absolute legend around here. Solid work this week, with about a month to go before Vengeance Day.

Results
Shotzi b. Stephanie Vaquer – Rollup
Ethan Page b. Dante Chen – Twist Of Fate
Meta Four b. Unholy Union – Wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter combination to Fyre
Cora Jade b. Kelani Jordan – Double arm DDT
Fraxiom b. OTM – Golden Ratio to Price

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 13, 2025
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with the big pomp and circumstance show last week and that means it is time to start getting on with the normal stuff. That’s what we’re going to be doing this week, along with getting ready for the Royal Rumble. Some of the names have already been filled in and now we get to do even more. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week.

CM Punk arrives in the back and does a hand to his ear before coming to the ring (with Michael Cole making fun of his Chicago Blackhawks). Punk gets into the ring and he thanks everyone who has been fighting the wildfires in southern California. With that out of the way, Punk brings up the Royal Rumble, where he came back last year but tore his triceps in the process. He thought his career was fading away and he couldn’t see (that’s a John Cena you can’t see me taunt) his dreams, but now he sees the Wrestlemania sign.

As for someone you can’t see, John Cena has declared himself for the Royal Rumble and now so has Punk himself. Then he’s going to win and point to the sign on the way to Wrestlemania….and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt (Punk isn’t happy, asking why it can’t be Rhea Ripley). Rollins says if he wasn’t a man of his word, all he would be is Punk. That gets a “but I’m still the winner right?” from Punk, but Rollins really isn’t pleased.

Rollins has lost all kinds of matches over his career but last week was the worst loss of his career. Rollins is ready to throw Punk out of the Royal Rumble and win, which Punk thinks is an easy way out since he couldn’t get a pin. Cue Drew McIntyre and Punk can’t believe this. McIntyre can’t believe someone could actually get worse, but Punk brings up what he did to McIntyre inside the Cell. Actually McIntyre was talking about Rollins, who says McIntyre can get in the ring and take a beating from him instead.

They all argue and Punk is ready to fight, with Rollins taking his jacket off. McIntyre comes towards the ring but then says no because he has no reason to do that. The bigger problem is Roman Reigns is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers, so he’s going to have to step up again and get the title before Reigns. Now that Reigns already has the “falafel”, it’s a matter of time before he wants the title again. McIntyre is in the Rumble too so he can keep Reigns from getting it. These three work so well together and having them all tie into a few stories makes things that much more interesting.

Chad Gable vs. ???

This is Gable vs. the best luchador that Adam Pearce can find and of course it’s Penta, which to be fair they didn’t exactly try to hide. Cole: “It was the worst kept secret in the business!” The fans are rather happy to see Penta who poses a lot before taking Gable down. Gable wrestles up and it’s a standoff as the fans are way behind Penta. A dive is loaded up but Gable cuts him off with a high angle suplex for two.

Gable hammers away in the corner but gets caught with a Cheeky Nandos Kick. The German suplex drops Penta on the apron and Gable starts in on the leg, which is wrapped around the post. Gable misses a swan dive though and gets sent to the floor, with Penta hitting a big running flip dive to the floor. Back in and a high crossbody gets two on Gable, who goes back to the leg to slow him down. The ankle lock goes on but Penta pulls him into the arm snap (the Sacrifice) and the Penta Driver (pumphandle driver) for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: B. Yeah this was a heck of a debut, with Penta feeling far more like a solo star than he ever felt in AEW. The fans were ready for him and he was presented as a major deal, which certainly made for a big impact. Penta worked hard here and Gable an work well with anyone, making this a very nice start to Penta’s new run in WWE.

Post match Penta thanks the fans in English and Spanish, saying this was a dream come true to be in his new home. This is the new Netflix Era, but it is the Penta Era as well. The fans are WAY into this as he does the catchphrase.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez come in to see most of Judgment Day and they aren’t happy with Finn Balor. They talk about revenge and here is Dominik Mysterio with flowers for Morgan. She’s not mad at all, but he can go grab their bags from the car anyway. She throws the flowers to Carlito and says put them somewhere nice. Dominik: “I don’t think she’s mad at all.” Balor: “Man, you’ve got a lot to learn.” McDonagh is off to get a rematch for the Tag Team Titles. Mysterio as the confused goof is still great.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

They strike it out to start and go to the floor to trade chops. Back in and the ten forearms to the chest are broken up so Kaiser can kick him into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Sheamus fighting up to hit the ten forearms. Kaiser goes to get the shillelagh but Sheamus knees him in the face for two instead. Back up and Kaiser manages a knockdown of his own before loading up a Brogue Kick. That doesn’t work either and Sheamus hits his own for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: B-. This is where Sheamus tends to shine, as they just had two people beat each other up for the better part of ten minutes. That’s all it needed to be, with Sheamus likely moving back into the Intercontinental Title scene. It’s a perfect spot for him, as he can easily be put into that spot with a win or two, which is exactly what he did here.

Post match Sheamus gets in a staredown with Bron Breakker (in the crowd) and shoving ensues.

Seth Rollins is ready to face Drew McIntyre next week. As Rollins goes to leave, he runs into Sami Zayn, who says he is here to talk if Rollins needs someone. Rollins thinks Zayn must have had a great week last week when Roman Reigns won Tribal Combat, which doesn’t sit well with Zayn.

Karrion Kross rants to Miz about the Wyatt Sicks being moved to Smackdown. Sami Zayn comes in to talk to Adam Pearce but Kross stops him, saying he found Zayn’s talk with Seth Rollins interesting. Miz says that if we’re talking about World Champions, we don’t need to worry about Zayn. That doesn’t work with Zayn, who is going to get a match with Miz tonight. Kross seems to approve, and laughs at Miz saying “we” have to deal with Zayn.

Here is Gunther for a chat. Gunther was impressed with the presentation last week but there were a lot of people arguing over things like being the Best In The World and being the Tribal Chief. The title is the only thing that matters and here is Jey Uso to interrupt. Jey is willing to come after that title and he’ll do it at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Gunther isn’t impressed and even though Jey is funny, he isn’t on Gunther’s level. The title match is on though. Gunther goes to leave but Jey cuts him off, saying that everything Gunther said is true. It’s true that Jey isn’t supposed to be here but he has bet on himself and is still trying to earn that respect. That’s what he’ll do at Saturday Night’s Main Event. That doesn’t feel like a major match, but I’m not sure it’s supposed to do anything more than get Gunther into a title match here rather than at the Royal Rumble.

Video on Lyra Valkyria vs. Dakota Kai.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Dakota Kai vs. Lyra Valkyria

For the inaugural title and we get some Big Match Intros. Feeling out process to start as commentary compares this to various important men’s Intercontinental Champions. Valkyria sends her outside but a dive is cut off. Instead it’s a nasty suplex to send Kai outside and we take a break.

Back with Valkyria cranking on the arms and kicking her away for two. Kai’s scorpion kick is countered into a powerbomb which is countered into a hurricanrana. The Kairorpactor gets two on Valkyria but she’s back with a running sitout powerbomb for two. Back up and the GTK connects on Valkyria, who rolls outside for the save. Kai misses the running kick in the corner though and gets caught in something like a running Randy Orton backbreaker. The Nightwing makes Valkyria the first champion at 8:27.

Rating: B-. I could have sen this one going either way so having Valkyria win is certainly not a crazy pick. She’s been looking for that big win since she got to the main roster and this more than counts. Kai was already a lot further than anyone would have reasonably expected her to get in the tournament so this is hardly some terrible loss. Good match here, but the moment of the title win is the important part.

Post match Adam Pearce presents Valkyria with the title and we get a hug of respect.

Miz vs. Sami Zayn

Miz takes him into the corner and hammers away before mocking Zayn’s theme music. A quick ax handle gets Zayn out of trouble but Miz elbows him down. More mockery ensues but Zayn hammers away to cut if off. Zayn suplexes him down for two and grabs a quickly broken full nelson. Back up and the Helluva Kick into the Blue Thunder Bomb finishes Miz at 4:08.

Rating: C+. I like the short run time here, as sometimes there is just no reason for a match to go that long. Zayn is the bigger deal right now and he defeated Miz without stretching things out longer than they needed to go. Perfectly nice match here, especially with the rare moment of Zayn winning with the Blue Thunder Bomb.

Also set for Saturday Night’s Main Event: Bron Breakker defends the Intercontinental Title against Sheamus.

Here is Rhea Ripley to brag about being Women’s Champion again. She’s back on top and even though she sounds like a broken record, here she is. Cue Nia Jax to interrupt, saying she’s here as part of the transfer window and can’t take listening to this anymore. She’s going to win the Royal Rumble and take whichever title she wants.

Tiffany Stratton might think she’s at the top, Ripley might think she’s on top, and Bayley, at ringside….why is she here? Bayley reminds Jax that she’s from here so Jax throws in some more mocking, which is enough for Bayley to get in the ring. This might not be Bayley’s show but it is her city and the fight is on. Jax shoves both of them down but a quick double team sends Jax bailing. Hopefully this isn’t a long term thing, as Ripley has already beaten Jax enough times.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including New Day returning to the ring and an appearance by JBL.

Video on Damien Priest vs. Finn Balor.

Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor

Street Fight and Balor jumps him from behind with a kendo stick to start fast. Priest is back up with his own stick shots and a flapjack puts Balor down. The lifting Downward Spiral sends Balor face first onto the announcers’ table and it’s time for a less talkative table. They fight into the crowd where Balor beats on him with a trashcan.

Priest hits him with the same thing and they go into another part of the crowd, where Balor gets in a chair shot. The fight heads up into the fans and a Falcon Arrow sends Balor crashing through a table. We take a break and come back with Priest in the ring and Balor being taken out on a stretcher. That doesn’t work for Priest, who wheels Balor down the aisle and into the ring (nice visual), for a heck of a clothesline.

Carlito and JD McDonagh runs in for the beatdown and Balor gets a near fall. Another table is loaded up but the War Raiders run in for the save, leaving it one on one again. Balor unloads with a bunch of chair shots but Priest gets in South Of Heaven for two. Back up and Balor double stomps him through a table on the floor but Priest gets in a drive through the barricade. Priest razor’s Edges him through a table and another South Of Heaven gives Priest the pin at 17:16.

Rating: B. This felt like a run of the mill street fight but then they cranked it up to another level to make it work that well. That’s all I can ask for out of something like this and it made for a good showdown. It should be the final match between the two of them as Priest got the big win, which hopefully wraps things up. Nice hard hitting brawl here and that’s all you could want out of it.

Overall Rating: B. This worked rather well and part of that was due to the show going just over two and a half hours. It prevented the show from feeling like it was stretched out for the sake of extending the show, and that made things so much better. That’s a nice change of pace and I liked what we got on the show, with a solid Penta debut and a good main event, plus some big additions to the Royal Rumble. Positive show this week as we get closer to the normal.

Results
Penta b. Chad Gable – Penta Driver
Sheamus b. Ludwig Kaiser – Brogue Kick
Lyra Valkyria b. Dakota Kai – Nightwing
Sami Zayn b. The Miz – Blue Thunder Bomb
Damian Priest b. Finn Balor – South Of Heaven

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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Smackdown
Date: January 10, 2025
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

It’s a bit more back to normal this week and that should be nice to see. The big story here is a United States Title match between Shinsuke Nakamura and former champion LA Knight. Other than that, we have some fallout from Monday’s Tribal Combat where Roman Reigns defeated Solo Sikoa. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a rather lengthy recap of Raw.

Here is Paul Heyman, who is rather proud that Roman Reigns is once again the one and only Tribal Chief. Now he gets to announce what is next for Reigns, and invites Cody Rhodes out here to hear it. Heyman says that Rhodes has earned the respect of everyone, from the people to Heyman to Reigns himself. That is why Reigns wanted Rhodes to hear this in person: Reigns wants his title back and he’s winning the Royal Rumble to get there.

Rhodes doesn’t seem to have any issue with this but here is Kevin Owens to interrupt. Owens couldn’t believe it could get worse, but then Rhodes SHOOK THE ROCK’S HAND! Rhodes has already gone everywhere and now he is willing to let Reigns get a title shot? That’s enough for Rhodes, who runs into the crowd for the brawl, leaving the Bloodline to corner Heyman. Jimmy Uso runs in for the save so Heyman can escape but a chair shot just angers Fatu. Rhodes runs back in for the real save.

Post break Jacob Fatu yells at security but gets thrown outside by LA Knight. Commentary isn’t sure that was wise.

Women’s US Title: Michin vs. Chelsea Green

Green, with Piper Niven, is defending. The threat of Eat Defeat takes Green outside in a hurry so Michin grabs a Tarantula instead. They go outside where Greens ends her into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Michin fighting out of a chinlock, only to get caught in the same thing.

A belly to back suplex takes Green down for a breather and Michin hurricanranas her way out of the corner. The Cannonball gets two on Green but her lifting Downward Spiral gets the same. Michin goes after Niven (now in a Secret Service look) and hits a high crossbody on Green, who rolls through and grabs the trunks to retain at 8:43.

Rating: C+. Green and Niven are a good choice for a villainous pair as they could frustrate a lot of challenges for a long time. What matters here is that Michin has one more reason to get a rematch after more cheating. I’m not sure how that could go, but at least they have that as an out if necessary.

Post match Niven drops a backsplash and Michin is crushed.

We look at the tag teams arguing after last week’s title match went haywire. Nick Aldis makes some matches, likely with title implications.

Los Garza vs. Pretty Deadly

Garza clears the ring to start and hits some dives, followed by Garza’s rolling moonsault for two on Wilson back inside. A running knee against the ropes rocks Wilson but Prince makes a blind tag to neckbreaker Berto out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Berto missing an enziguri but diving over for the tag anyway. Angel’s high crossbody gets two on Wilson, who starts screaming for DIY to come help them. That doesn’t happen so Prince gets crotched on top and it’s a double swinging gorilla press slam (FTY) to pin him at 8:55.

Rating: C. This was something of a weird match as Los Garza are kind of faces but still in a heel stable and beat the resident goofy villains clean. That wasn’t the best thing in the world but at least they didn’t waste a lot of time here. Perfectly nice match here, and I could go for Los Garza moving up a bit.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura is defending. Knight powers him into the corner to start and grabs a swinging neckbreaker but Nakamura bails out to the floor. A running knee rocks Knight for a change but he’s right back with a backdrop over the top. Nakamura gets rammed into the announcers’ table, only to come back with some postings as we take a break. Back with Knight winning a slugout and hitting the spelling elbow for two. Knight is almost sent into an exposed buckle but Nakamura is back with the sliding German suplex.

With Nakamura up top, Knight jumps the corner for the top rope superplex and a near fall of his own. Since nothing else is working, Knight goes Colt Cabana (you never go Colt Cabana) with the Billy Goat’s Curse (reverse Boston crab), sending Nakamura over to the rope. Nakamura kicks him down for two but the running knee hits the exposed buckle. The BFT knocks Nakamura silly, only for the Bloodline (minus Solo Sikoa) to run in and take out Knight for the DQ at 14:08.

Rating: C+. This got a pretty good deal of time and it worked out rather well with a logical ending. What mattered here was having Knight look strong and possibly move on to something else, as he has already won the US Title and can go up the ladder a bit. That might not be what we are seeing here, but at least they are doing something different.

Post match Knight gets crushed, including the triple jump moonsault. Jimmy Uso and Cody Rhodes make the save and Rhodes wants the tag match for tonight.

We recap Tiffany Stratton cashing in the Money In The Bank briefcase last week to beat Nia Jax and win the Women’s Title. This might as well have had a big sign that said FILLER.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. A-Town Down Under

Waller punches Shelley in the face to start and it’s off to Sabin, who gets caught in a cravate. An armbar keeps Sabin in trouble but he’s right back up to trip Waller off the apron. The big dive is cut off and we take an early break with Shelley in trouble. Back with Shelley fighting out of a chinlock and handing it back to Sabin to strike away.

Sabin hits a dive onto both of them but Waller drops Shelley back inside. A dive is broken up though and everything breaks down, with the Dream Sequence hitting Waller. With Theory being sent outside after a rather nasty crash, Skull & Bones finishes Waller for Shelley at 12:06.

Rating: B-. I could have gone for more of this as the two teams were beating each other up and got going near the end. The Guns are best known for their fast paced matches and looking as good as anyone around, but at the same time, the villains were more than able to hang in there, which was something of a surprise.

Pretty Deadly isn’t happy with DIY not coming out there but Johnny Gargano explains the idea of “HEAT”. The title shot is totally coming. With DIY gone, Apollo Crews mocks Pretty Deadly for being dumb.

Here is Tiffany Stratton for her big celebration. She hits the catchphrase and claims that she was playing dumb with Nia Jax the entire time. Now she wants some respect on her name and to know what time it is (5:11am EST by my watch) but here is Jax to interrupt. Jax threatens violence and says time’s up but here is Bayley to interrupt. Bayley thought Stratton was stupid and knows that Jax is stupid and thinks she should get the first title shot. Cue Naomi and Bianca Belair but Jax says no one cares about Naomi. The brawl is on and Stratton gets to interrupt. Nick Aldis pops up to make a four way #1 contenders match.

Bayley vs. Nia Jax vs. Naomi vs. Bianca Belair

It’s a brawl to start with Bayley being sent outside, leaving Jax to (mostly) suplex both of the other two. Jax bails to the floor from the threat of the other three before pulling Belair outside for a ram into the barricade. Bayley goes after Naomi inside but Jax pulls Bayley outside for another crash. Belair hammers on Jax until Bayley breaks up the cover before a Tower Of Doom leaves all four of them down.

We take a break and come back with Jax being knocked out to the floor, leaving the KOD and Bayley To Belly to be broken up. Naomi is back up with the split legged moonsault for two on Jax and everyone tries to pin Jax in a row. Cue Candice LeRae for a distraction, leaving Naomi and Belair to hit dives to the floor. Back in and Belair takes over on Bayley but LeRae breaks up the KOD. That’s enough for Bayley to Rose Plant Naomi for the win at 17:18.

Rating: B-. This got some time and was working well, with Bayley getting the win to move on to what should be a nice first defense for Stratton. I’ll take that over another Jax vs. Bayley match, which has kind of been done to death at this point. Not a great match or anything, but it did what it needed to do.

Cody Rhodes and Jimmy Uso are ready to go. Rhodes leaves and Carmelo Hayes comes in, only for Uso to mock Hayes for throwing up so many bricks (as in misses, which Hayes says never happens).

Bayley is excited for her title shot, which is next week.

Cody Rhodes/Jimmy Uso vs. Tama Tonga/Jacob Fatu

Rhodes works on Tonga’s arm to start before it’s off to Jimmy, tho is taken into the wrong corner. A pop up Samoan drop cuts off Jimmy’s comeback attempt and we take a break. Back with Tonga working on Jimmy’s leg and then gabbing a nerve hold. Fatu adds a heck of a running Umaga Attack in the corner but Jimmy knocks him off the ropes.

A Whisper In The Wind is enough to set up the tag off to Rhodes, who hits a dive onto both of them. Tonga grabs a running DDT for two but he gets caught in a PowerPlex. Fatu makes the save and here is Kevin Owens to distract Rhodes. The chase is on and Jimmy is left alone, with the triple moonsault finishing him off at 12:18.

Rating: B-. Standard main event style tag match here with the interference being a good way to get the Bloodline a win after the big loss on Raw. I’m not sure where things are going for the team but this is the kind of thing that at least gives them some stability. Rhodes vs. Owens is already set so this was just another step in getting ready for their match.

Rhodes and Owens fight off and go through a table to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked the show as it set up some stuff for the future and gave us good action at the same time, but the problem here is it felt long. Maybe it’s knowing that the show isn’t going to be going three hours permanently or they don’t know how to do it yet, but I could go for something a bit less stretched out. Figure out that problem and this show is that much better.

Results
Chelsea Green b. Michin – Rollup with trunks
Los Garza b. Pretty Deadly – FTY to Prince
LA Knight b. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when the Bloodline interfered
Motor City Machine Guns b. A-Town Down Under – Skull & Bones to Waller
Bayley b. Bianca Belair, Nia Jax and Naomi – Rose Plant to Naomi
Tama Tonga/Jacob Fatu b. Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens – Triple moonsault to Uso

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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Royal Rumble 1994
Date: January 22, 1994
Location: Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island
Attendance: 14,500
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Ted DiBiase

This is one of those shows where the good stuff is good but the bad stuff is REALLY bad. The main idea here is that someone has to stop Yokozuna, and it’s going to be one of three people: Bret Hart or Lex Luger who could get the shot by winning the Rumble, or the Undertaker who has a casket match against Yoko tonight for the title. Oh….this is going to be a long night. Let’s get to it.

Vince is on commentary here and gets to do his carnival barker stuff. The guy knows how to make a show sound exciting, I have to give him that. DiBiase comes out to do commentary with McMahon due to having to retire late in 1993 due to a bunch of injuries.

Tatanka vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Bigelow is in Ludvig Borga’s spot because Borga broke his ankle. Bigelow pounds on Tatanka to start and dropkicks him into the corner. Tatanka literally bounces off of Bigelow before coming back with a chop to take Bigelow down. A DDT puts Bam Bam down again but Tatanka goes up for a cross body, missing Bigelow by a mile. This is a REALLY hot start so far. Bigelow crushes Tatanka in the corner with a splash and things slow down somewhat.

Tatanka gets in a shot to the head and tries a top rope sunset flip, only to have Bam Bam sit on him. When all else fails, sit on the other guy. Off to a bearhug for about two minutes before Bigelow drops him with a shoulder block. Tatanka starts his war path thing so Bam Bam decks him in the head with an enziguri to drop him. The moonsault misses though and Tatanka goes up again, this time hitting the cross body for the pin.

Rating: C+. Shockingly hot opener here and if you cut the bear hug in half or so, this is a really solid match. They stuck to the formula really well here and the match was good as a result. This is one of the nice surprises in wrestling: on paper this sounded horrible but it turned out to be a pretty nice match. Good opener.

We recap the tag title match, which is a rare instance where it’s all about the challengers rather than the champions. Owen Hart was the only Hart Brother eliminated in the Survivor Series match against Shawn and his Knights, which ticked him off. Owen had been whipped into Bret on the apron and the distraction let Shawn roll Owen up for the pin.

This caused Owen to cut a heel promo, talking about how he was tired of being in Bret’s shadow and wanting a match with him to escape it. Bret of course said no, but instead offered to team up with Owen to get his brother his first championship. Owen talked about leading the team but seemed genuinely ok at this point. For some reason we also see the Quebecers losing the tag titles to the 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty for a single week for some reason.

The Harts talk about all the teams they’re going to give title shots to once they win the belts tonight.

Tag Titles: Bret Hart/Owen Hart vs. Quebecers

The Quebecers are managed by Johnny Polo, who would change his name to Raven in ECW. Pierre and Bret start things off with the challenger taking over. Off to Owen to work on the arm with his signature spinning counter to a wristlock. Off to Jacques and they botch something, but Owen hits a quick suplex to keep things on track. An enziguri gets two for Owen and it’s back to Bret.

After a bunch of rollups by Bret, everything breaks down and the Quebecers take over. Actually scratch that as Owen hits a kind of spear into a rollup for two and the Harts stand tall. It’s Bret vs. Jacques with Hart in control until it’s back to Owen for a gutwrench suplex for two. Bret comes back in, only to get powerslammed down by Pierre. A pair of knees to the back gets two and it’s back to Jacques.

That goes nowhere so Pierre comes in to jump into a boot. Owen comes back in and belly to bellys Jacques down before hooking the Sharpshooter. Pierre bulldogs Owen down for a fast save of course and it’s back to Pierre legally. Owen dropkicks both Quebecers down and it’s off to Bret again. For some reason both champions are allowed to stay in the ring for way too long. Pierre is atomic dropped to the floor, and now we get to the turning point of the match: Johnny Polo holds the ropes open to send Bret to the floor. Bret comes up holding his knee and he’s in big trouble.

Pierre rams the knee into the barricade to further the damage and the match turns into a kind of sloppy brawl on the floor. Owen finally throws Bret back into the ring and the leg work begins. Jacques puts on a half crab but Owen makes a fast save. The champions load up the Cannonball (kind of an aided Swanton) but Bret rolls away. Instead of tagging though, Bret tries the Sharpshooter….and the referee stops the match for the knee injury.

Rating: B-. This is one of those matches where you can look at it in multiple ways. From a match standpoint, it’s a standard tag match with the faces and heels doing exactly what they would be expected to do. On the other hand, the idea here was about setting up Owen’s heel turn, and the ending does that perfectly. There was no reason for Bret to not tag at the end and it sets Owen off as it should.

Post match Owen glares at Bret and paces back and forth. Bret manages to pull himself up but can barely stand up. Owen kicks the leg out, officially turning heel to HUGE booing. He leaves so here are some officials to come check on Bret. Ray Rougeau, a reporter for WWF at this point, comes out to interview Bret while he’s on his back in agony. For some reason that cracks me up.

Owen is in the back and goes on a huge tirade about how selfish Bret is and how Bret cost him the biggest match of his career. Bret is being carried to the back and has to watch this promo on the video screen. Owen’s face here is great as he unleashes all this pent up anger and frustration on Bret, saying he’ll win the Rumble because he doesn’t have to count on Bret. This would be the top feud for the next eight months or so.

Intercontinental Title: IRS vs. Razor Ramon

Guess who is defending here. JR and Gorilla Monsoon do commentary for this match. IRS goes on a big rant about how evil the crowd here is for not paying their taxes, even though they have about three months left to file. Razor goes off on IRS to start, knocking him out to the floor. IRS comes back with some forearms but Razor punches him right back down to take over again.

Ramon hits a bunch of basic stuff like atomic drops and clotheslines for some two counts, but IRS ducks under a clothesline to send Razor out to the floor. Back in and IRS goes up but jumps into a boot. For one of the only times I can EVER remember this happening, IRS avoids the foot and drops an elbow for two instead. WHY IS THAT SO HARD FOR PEOPLE TO DO???

We hit the chinlock for well over a minute before Razor fights up and hits the fallaway slam. The referee gets knocked out in the corner and IRS grabs his briefcase, only for Razor to take it back and clock him in the head with it. No referee though, so Razor loads up a belly to back superplex. There’s still no referee, so Razor sets for the Edge, only to have Shawn run out and clock him with the fake IC Title. IRS finally wakes up and pins Razor for the title.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t bad but the overbooking hurt it a lot. This should have lasted about three minutes less and it would have been a lot better. Oddly enough I don’t remember IRS being champion at all, but then again this is the remastered version so maybe they really cleaned things up.

Or maybe another referee comes out to explain the interference and the match is restarted. Razor hits the Edge to retain.

Bearer and Undertaker are making a coffin for Yoko.

We recap the world title match, which is Yoko being scared of Taker and Taker being one of the last hopes to stop the monster. Apparently the contract was signed before Yoko and company knew it was a casket match. Taker I believe debuted his popping out of the casket spot in this feud.

WWF World Title: The Undertaker vs. Yokozuna

They stare each other down to start and Taker fires off his uppercuts to stagger the champion. A clothesline puts Yoko down and another uppercut puts Yoko on the floor. Taker is sent into the steps and it’s immediately no sold, scaring Yoko to death again. There’s Old School but the jumping clothesline misses as Yoko ducks. Why does no one else ever think of doing that?

They fight over a chair on the floor which winds up going upside Yoko’s head. There’s a plastic chair to the back of the champion but Yoko grabs the trusty salt to blind Taker. Now it’s Taker’s back getting hit with the chair and we head back inside. A clothesline puts Taker down but he fights out of the casket. Taker wins a slugout in the middle of the ring but Yoko belly to belly suplexes him down. Come on. You know that’s not holding him down. Taker pops up and grabs Yoko by the throat and hits a DDT to put the champion down again.

Yoko is placed in the casket but here’s Crush to block Taker from closing it. Taker slugs him down so here’s Great Kabuki and Tenryu but Taker beats them down as well. Yoko is still out cold in the casket. Bam Bam Bigelow comes in now and it’s 4-1 in the ring. One has to wonder why Paul Bearer doesn’t go over and close the casket but this match doesn’t seem to be the most logical one. Fuji and Cornette have stolen the Urn.

Yoko finally gets out of the casket as Bearer beats up Fuji and Cornette, stealing the Urn back. He uses it to recharge Taker, who fights off all four mercenaries. Now it’s Adam Bomb to make it technically 8-1 but Taker fights everyone off with the salt bucket. Jeff Jarrett comes in as well, as do the Headshrinkers. That makes it NINE wrestlers (Yoko, Crush, Kabuki, Tenryu, Bigelow, Jarrett, Samu, Fatu, Adam Bomb) against Undertaker.

AND HE GETS UP. Diesel comes out and they get Taker in the coffin but he fights ALL OF THEM OFF. Yoko steals the Urn and hits Taker in the head with it before opening the Urn. Green smoke comes out of it and Taker now is powerless. Everyone hits a bunch of moves on him as this goes on WAY too long. After ALL THAT, Taker is put in the coffin and Yoko retains the title.

Rating: F. On a major wrestling show, The Undertaker just fought off ten men until green smoke was released to drain him of his power. I’ve seen Japanese anime that makes more sense than this. Oh and the match itself, as in the one on one part, might have gone about six minutes.

BUT IT GETS WORSE!

The heels all push the coffin away when a gong goes off. Smoke comes out of the casket…..and a FREAKING CAMERA FEED FROM INSIDE THE CASKET POPS UP ON THE SCREEN. Taker says his soul lives in everyone and he can’t be extinguished. He says there’s going to be a rebirth of the Undertaker and he won’t rest in peace. Then electrical noises go off and we get something like an inverse camera shot (as in it’s all in black and white but what is white is black and what is black is white).

Then, to REALLY hammer home the point, the image on the screen starts to rise up through the top of the screen (which should be the top of the casket, meaning it should be ramming into the people that put him in the freaking casket) and A FREAKING BODY RISES OUT OF THE TOP OF THE SCREEN. AS IN A TANGIBLE BODY (which might have been played by Marty Jannetty).

In other words, WWF just said Taker is something like Jesus. Oh and one other thing to really make sure this is stupid: YOU CAN’T SEE IT. All I can see are some quick shots of it when flashes go off. This is one of those things that embarrasses me as a wrestling fan. I mean…..WOW.

The usual Rumble interviews eat up some time.

Royal Rumble

Scott Steiner is #1 and Samu is #2. Also the intervals are every 90 seconds this year so the entrances will come in faster than ever. Scott pounds away to start and hits a butterfly suplex as Samu tries to hang on. He does indeed survive and kills Scott with a clothesline. Rick Steiner is #3 and Samu is in BIG trouble. After some suplexes he’s out very quickly (but not before getting his head caught in the top and middle rope which is always kind of scary looking), giving us the Battle of the Steiners.

That battle literally lasts six seconds as Kwang (Savio Vega in a mask, allegedly Asian here) is #4. Scott suplexes Kwang down and Owen Hart is #5 to BIG heel heat. The heels take over and Owen actually dumps Rick out. That’s one of the rare times where the constant pushing against the ropes worked. Bart Gunn is #6 and things speed up a bit. No one really does anything so here’s Diesel at #7. This is where things pick up as this match is without a doubt Diesel’s coming out party.

He beats on everyone and throws out Bart, Scott, Owen and Kwang inside of 45 seconds. Bob Backlund is #8 and immediately goes for the leg. He actually gets Diesel up against the ropes and upside down, but Diesel will have none of that. Who would believe these two would have a world title match in Madison Square Garden later in the year? Backlund is gone quickly. Billy Gunn is #9 and doesn’t even last fifteen seconds.

We cut to the back where Kabuki and Tenryu are destroying Lex Luger. After Diesel stands around for a bit, he has to throw out Virgil who is #10 in about thirty seconds (causing DiBiase to laugh loudly and get in some good verbal jabs). Note that the fans are LOUDLY chanting for Diesel here, who had NEVER gotten a reaction until this point. No one has been able to stand up to Diesel at all so far. #11 is Randy Savage. This should be a bit better challenge I’d think.

Savage goes right for him and pounds away on the big man in the corner before peppering him with jabs. He has Diesel in trouble but Jeff Jarrett is #12 to save the not yet Big Daddy Cool. We hear about Jarrett wanting to become WWF Champion so he’ll be a famous country singer in Nashville. And people wonder why he never got over until he completely changed everything about his character.

Savage is thrown to the apron by Jarrett but Randy comes back and eliminates Jeff with ease. Crush, who Savage HATES at this point, is #13. Diesel just kind of chills in the corner as Savage beats up Crush. The numbers finally catch up with Savage though until Crush eliminates him with ease. Doink is #14 and he gets beaten up as well but not tossed. Here’s his big rival Bam Bam Bigelow at #15 and it’s 3-1 now. Bigelow easily thorws the clown out ala the Spike Dudley throw from ECW.

Mabel is #16 and dang there are some big guys in there. He goes right for Diesel in a terrifying preview of Summerslam 95. Mabel cleans house until Sparky Plugg (Bob Holly as a racecar driver and debuting here as a replacement for the 1-2-3 Kid) is #17. Shawn Michaels is #18 and stares down Diesel to start. Everyone gets on Diesel and Shawn gives the final push to eliminate him. Diesel gets a VERY audible ovation and chant as he leaves.

Mo, Mabel’s totally useless partner, is #19. Nothing of note happens so here’s Greg Valentine in a one night only appearance at #20. Mabel misses a charge in the corner and Shawn is gorilla pressed by Crush but not eliminated for some reason. Tatanka comes in at #21. To recap we’ve got Plugg, Valentine, Tatanka, Mabel, Bigelow, Crush, Michaels and Mo in there. Valentine puts Michaels on the apron but can’t get him out.

Kabuki is #22 and almost everyone gangs up on Mabel to dump him out. It’s amazing how much easier it is to see with the big fat purple tub of goo out of there. Lex Luger (looking FINE after that attack like 15 minutes ago) is #23 and he cleans house. There are ten people in the ring right now but there goes Kabuki at the hands of Lex. Luger clotheslines Bigelow down and here’s Tenryu at #24.

There are WAY too many people in there right now. Like seriously, do we need FREAKING MO in there? Or Valentine? Those are bodies you could dump out and no one would care. Luger and Tenryu go at it as Shawn is almost dumped out. Bastion Booger is supposed to be #25 but he’s not here for some reason (Vince says it was supposed to be Bret Hart but more on that in a bit). I believe there are nine people in there at the moment so Booger not coming in was a good thing. Granted it was a good thing either way but you get the idea. Rick Martel is #26 and nothing happens.

For your big face pop of the match (other than Diesel): Bret Hart is #27 and limping very badly. Today, people would have a bandage on the knee and charge to the ring because modern wrestling is stupid. Fatu is #28 and DEAR FREAKING GOODNESS THROW SOMEONE OUT ALREADY! A bunch of guys team up and FINALLY throw Crush out as Marty Jannetty is #29. Naturally he goes right for Shawn and punches Shawn to the apron.

Adam Bomb is #30, giving us a ridiculous THIRTEEN FINAL PEOPLE in the Rumble. The final group is Bigelow, Sparky, Shawn, Mo (seriously, FREAKING MO?), Valentine, Tatanka, Luger, Tenryu, Martel, Hart, Fatu, Jannetty and Bomb. Bret saves Shawn (shocking I know) to dump out Sparky, thank goodness. Bret beats on everyone as we still need to get rid of more people. Everyone beats on everyone for awhile and nothing is happening. DiBiase: “The smart thing to do is go after Bret Hart’s knee.” Vince: “The smart thing to do is throw people out of the ring.” Did….did Vince just burn Ted Dibiase?

Martel dumps Valentine but is quickly dumped out by Tatanka. Luger throws out Bomb and Mo is FINALLY put out as well. Bigelow tosses Tatanka and Lex forearms Bam Bam out. Jannetty goes out to get us down to Luger, Hart, Fatu, Tenryu and Shawn. Tenryu rams Shawn and Fatu’s heads together which only hurts Shawn of course. Luger and Bret put out Tenryu and it’s Bret vs. Shawn (duh). Luger goes for Fatu’s head and gets superkicked for being stupid.

The heels put Luger on the apron but he fights them both off and clotheslines Fatu into a 360. Bret dumps Fatu and Luger dumps Shawn and we’re down to two. They slug it out and Luger picks up Bret, but they both fall out at the same time, giving us a double elimination to end the Rumble.

Rating: C+. This is a hard one to grade. The pacing is TERRIBLE with guys like Sparky Plugg and Mo staying in for over twenty minutes each, but the action is solid for the most part. The stuff with Diesel is excellent and it truly made him a star. The ending stuff once they got rid of about seven guys in 90 seconds was good too, but stuff in the middle didn’t work all that well.

Post match there’s a disagreement over who wins but both guys have their music played. This would lead to a somewhat complicated decision where there was a coin toss and two world title matches at Mania. This goes on for about eight minutes or so but it’s just the referees arguing and both guys saying they won. Replays don’t really show us anything either. They do a good job here of making it impossible to tell who won, unlike in 2005 when it was clear that one of them (I want to say Cena) hit first. They’re finally declared co-winners to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This show is one where it’s very hard to come up with an overall grade. I really liked the opener and the tag match and Rumble were both good, but when a show has what might be the dumbest moment in wrestling history (and that covers A LOT of stupid moments), it’s brought down a lot. Early 1994 was not a good time for the WWF but once they finally picked Bret as the guy, things got a lot better.

Ratings Comparison

Tatanka vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Original: B

Redo: C+

Quebecers vs. Bret Hart/Owen Hart

Original: A+

Redo: B-

Razor Ramon vs. IRS

Original: C+

Redo: D+

Yokozuna vs. Undertaker

Original: F

Redo: F

Royal Rumble

Original: B

Redo: C+

Overall Rating

Original: B

Redo: C-

DANG I liked this show a lot better on the first viewing.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/01/13/royal-rumble-count-up-1994/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

Ring Of Honor
Date: January 2, 2025
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re starting a new year and that could make things more interesting around here. I mean it probably won’t as tends to be the case with this series, but we do at least have some title matches coming up at Wrestle Dynasty. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but it’s better than the usual stuff around here. Let’s get to it.

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

We preview the show.

Women’s TV Title: Red Velvet vs. Hanako

Hanako is challenging after defeating Harley Cameron on the Final Battle kickoff show. Velvet poses at her to start and they fight over arm control. Back up and Hanako shoves her into the ropes, where Velvet tells her to get away. More mocking earns Velvet a hard shoulder before a slam sends Velvet outside.

Back in and Velvet starts working on the leg, including wrapping it around the post. Hanako’s knee is fine enough to muscle her up with a suplex and hit some running corner clotheslines. Velvet is back with running knees against the ropes and the Stir It Up gets two. A flipping faceplant finishes Hanako at 8:36.

Rating: C. The match was fine, but Velvet’s incredibly sudden heel turn isn’t exactly doing anything for her. The problem is she doesn’t really have that much of a personality in the first place so it wasn’t some shocking moment when she turned. Without a reason to care about her in the first place, the turn doesn’t have any impact. Throw in Hanako having wrestled for less than ten minutes in ROH coming into this match and there wasn’t much to get interested in here.

Shane Taylor Promotions wants it all. Cool. Now stop talking about it and do something already.

Action Andretti/Lio Rush vs. Homicide/Rocky Romero

Rush jumps Romero to start before it’s off to Andretti to draw Romero in. Homicide comes in legally to chase Rush to the floor, followed by a double shoulder to take him down back inside. The Forever Lariats are broken up and a double suplex drops Romero. A double flapjack sets up Rush’s front facelock but Andretti accidentally decks Rush. Romero kicks Andretti in the face and it’s back to Homicide to clean house. The cutter gives Homicide two and everything breaks down. Romero misses a dive to the floor, allowing Andretti to hit Homicide low for the pin at 8:08.

Rating: C+. This was more action packed to keep the pace up, though it definitely felt like a match that had been written out to the letter to set it up. Rush and Andretti are the new team around AEW/ROH and they are getting some wins together, which makes sense for their future. They could use a name of some kind, but getting a win is what matters most.

We look at Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara retaining the Tag Team Titles at Final Battle.

After the match, Rhodes talked about how important this was and how they have grown together. They’re ready for a match at Wrestle Dynasty, as the House Of Torture have challenged them for the titles.

Harley Cameron vs. Ashley Vox

Vox takes her down to start but Cameron gets a drive into the corner. Cameron avoids a quick Cannonball attempt and grabs a suplex for two. The cross arm choke is broken up in a hurry so Vox can hammer away in the corner. The Cannonball connects as the camera rapidly cuts away from a row of empty seats. Cameron is back with some forearms into the Shining Wizard for the pin at 5:06.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t much to see and in Cameron’s case, it makes sense that she isn’t running through people. She isn’t presented as some kind of dominant force but rather someone who is so out there that she believes she’s amazing. It makes her close to the female Danhausen and it’s nice to see that kind of talent featured here.

Red Velvet is asked why she cheated at Final Battle. She’s tired of being asked that but Leyla Hirsch comes in to demand a rematch. Velvet says sure but on her time.

Shane Taylor Promotions/The Infantry vs. Iron Savages/Dark Order

Trish Adora, Jon Silver and Jacked Jameson are here too. Reynolds and Moriarty grapple to the mat to start with Moriarty getting two off a crucifix. Bravo comes in to hit Boulder in the face so Bronson comes in for his hairy chest spot to make Bravo scream. Adora gets in a cheap shot from the floor and it’s Taylor coming in to take Bronson into the corner. A belly to back suplex/backbreaker combination drops Bronson but he piledrives Bronson onto Dean.

Uno comes in to clean house and everything breaks down, with Boulder hitting a double Downward Spiral. Boulder powerslams Taylor but Bronson gets posted. Moriarty gets Reynolds in the Border City Stretch on the floor and Uno is caught with a double stomp inside. Moriarty comes back in to Border City Stretch Uno for the win at 9:10.

Rating: D+. There is so much wrong with this match, I don’t know where to start. First and foremost, the problem here is the Iron Savages, who have been the most obnoxious villains in the company for months, are suddenly good. There was no promo, no action and no explanation, but now we’re supposed to cheer them. That’s poor storytelling no matter how you look at it. On top of that, forgive me for believing that THIS will be the time that Shane Taylor Promotions finally starts moving up the card. I’ve heard it for so long that I have no reason to believe it. The action was fine, but this match was annoying on multiple levels.

We look at Athena firing Lexi Nair last week.

From Death Before Dishonor 2023 (and from a previous review).

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Willow Nightingale

Athena is defending in the rubber match and immediately bails to the floor. Back in and Willow powers her around before they forearm it out. Athena gets two off a crucifix but Willow’s fisherman’s buster gets the same. A crucifix gives Athena two and she sends Willow outside in a crash. Back in and the double knees connect in the corner, setting up the chinlock.

Willow powers her way up and hammers away, only to get dropped with a quick shot to the face for two. Willow is fine enough to try the Babe With The Powerbomb but Athena reverses into a snapmare driver for two. Willow’s swinging neckbreaker gets two but Athena is right back with Obliteration. She muscles Willow up and into a sitout powerbomb for two (that was impressive) before going up.

That takes too long as well though and Willow grabs a super Death Valley Driver for a rather near fall. They head outside and Athena posts her, setting up the O Face for a VERY near fall back inside. The Babe With The Powerbomb gets the same but Athena is back up with another O Face. The crossface goes on and Athena even grabs a leg. Willow passes out to retain Athena’s title at 20:28.

Rating: B-. Well. Ok then. I’m not sure what this weird obsession Ring Of Honor has lately with the heroes losing in the end but they did it again here. It also makes me wonder why the Owen Hart tournament wasn’t just for the title shot with someone else in Athena’s place, thereby giving us the same result and no Athena loss. They had a hard hitting fight, but that was one more deflating ending on a long list of them in Ring Of Honor’s recent history. Someone is going to have to beat Athena, and it’s going to have to be an AEW import at this point. Anyway, solid main event with a rather surprising result.

QT Marshall vs. Komander

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning Marshall gets a title shot if he wins or survives the ten minute time limit. Marshall immediately bails to the floor to burn off a minute to start. Komander isn’t having this and hammers away but gets sent into the corner for a chop. A kick to the ribs staggers Komander and a knee drop gets one. Marshall grabs a neck crank before switching to a basic choke, followed by a chinlock to complete the trifecta.

Komander fights up and his the very springboardy hurricanrana to the floor. Back in and Marshall gets two off a suplex powerbomb and they go up top. Marshall’s super cutter is countered into a super hurricanrana. Marshall is sent outside again for a big springboard moonsault and a springboard Canadian Destroyer sets up Cielito Lindo…but Marshall rolls outside for the time limit at 10:00.

Rating: C+. If there was one match that summed up why this show can be so annoying, it might be this one right here. First and foremost, Marshall hasn’t won a match in AEW or ROH in over a year. Why is he getting this chance? Why not former champion Brian Cage or Survival Of The Fittest runner up Blake Christian? No, instead it’s someone who is known for losing low level matches on Zero Hour getting this shot, again with absolutely no explanation as to why.

Second, Komander, who just got the biggest win of his career and followed it up with an upset in the Continental Classic suddenly can’t be comedy jobber QT Marshall. This is what I mean when I saw this show feels like it just comes and goes with no logic or reasoning behind almost anything that happens, and my goodness it is so frustrating at times.

Overall Rating: C. This show was all kinds of frustrating, if nothing else due to just how all of the place it felt. Case in point, you have three title matches coming up and they were earned by someone winning their only match in ROH, someone just asking for a shot, and someone losing every match they have before going to a draw. Meanwhile, how many people are THIS CLOSE to a title shot and have been for months now?

I’m not expecting this show to be the greatest, tightest booked show of all tie but having it include some sort of continuity or sense. Throw in the unforgivable sin of trying to make me like the Iron Savages and this was a really hard show to watch. As usual, the action was fine, but the show feels like it’s thrown together with an excuse of “oh who cares” when it comes to structure or internal logic.

Results
Red Velvet b. Hanako – Flipping faceplant
Action Andretti/Lio Rush b. Homicide/Rocky Romero – Low blow to Homicide
Harley Cameron b. Ashley Vox – Shining Wizard
Shane Taylor Promotions/The Infantry b. Iron Savages/Dark Order – Border City Stretch to Uno
QT Marshall vs. Komander went to a time limit draw

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

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