Ring Of Honor
Date: October 19, 2023
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things changed the slightest bit last week as the World Champion actually showed up. Eddie Kingston defeated Serpentico and then gave Angelico a title shot for the sake of he felt like it. Other than that, it’s likely going to be the usual free for all around here, which is up and down at best most of the time. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Gravity vs. Angelico

Gravity’s headlock doesn’t get him very far to start so they go to the mat with Angelico working on the arm. With that broken up, Angelico switches to the leg but Gravity sends him outside. The big flip dive drops Angelico again but he’s fine enough to tie Gravity’s legs up back inside. Gravity gets some boots up in the corner though and plants Angelico again for a double knockdown. Some rollups give Gravity two and a powerbomb gets the same. Angelico is right back with a spinning faceplant before something like Konnan’s Tequila Sunrise makes Gravity tap at 8:19.

Rating: B-. This was the opening high lying match that has worked in wrestling forever. Gravity is one of those stars who still has enough status that a win gives Angelico some momentum towards his title shot. The match was entertaining as well and will probably get more time than most tonight, which is a good thing as it served a purpose.

The Righteous talk about how they tore about Adam Cole and MJF and now are coming for something else.

Shawn Dean vs. Peter Avalon

Trish Adora and Ryan Nemeth are here too. Dean grabs a headlock takeover to start and then snaps off some armdrags. Back up and Dean sends him into the buckle a few times but Nemeth grabs the ankle. Adora chases him off but Dean fights Avalon off and grabs a DDT for two. Avalon’s superkick into a Death Valley Driver gets two more but Dean knocks him off the top. A top rope splash finishes for Dean at 5:05.

Rating: C. It wasn’t a bad match but there is only so much you can get out of two people who are so low down on the totem pole around here. The action itself was fine but at the end of the day it’s two low level stars having a five minute match on the secondary show. At least Dean won, as he’s certainly a bigger star than Avalon.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Marti Belle

Martinez headlocks her over to start and bounces out of a headscissors to slap Belle in the face. Some stomping in the corner sets up a ripcord lariat for two on Belle and Martinez knees her in the face. An anarchist suplex gets two and Martinez rains down some right hands. Martinez kicks and stomps away but Belle grabs a jawbreaker. A running kick to the chest gives Belle two but Martinez gives her a chokebomb. The OG Lock makes Belle tap at 6:44.

Rating: C. This was an extended squash as Martinez mostly wrecked Belle and shrugged off her limited offense. As usual, Martinez seems to be built up towards a title shot but at some point it has to actually happen. On the other hand, Belle was treated as something of a special return, only to have her get destroyed in a slightly extended squash.

Athena yells at the Minions In Training and wants Billie Starkz to be more violent tonight. Lexi Nair still isn’t impressed.

Tony Nese vs. Ethan Page

Nese, with Mark Sterling, says he has to beat up Page and can’t do his group training. We pause for Nese to pose, allowing Page to lounge on the top. A chase lets Nese slide back inside and do some jumping jacks, followed by a headlock. Nese gets scared out to the floor and Page knocks him into the barricade, where he grabs a fan’s “TONY NESE SUCKS” sign.

Back in and a shoulder puts Nese down but Sterling’s distraction breaks up the slingshot cutter. Nese ties him in the Tree of Woe and stomps away, setting up the chinlock. Page fights up and hammers away, setting up a powerslam for two. The cradle belly to back suplex sets up the slingshot cutter for two, leaving Page surprised. The Ego’s Edge is loaded up but Sterling offers a distraction, allowing Nese to grab a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C+. Sure. Page has been built up for the last month or so as he seemed ready to get a title shot and then he loses to TONY NESE, who has been doing the exact same stuff for so long that I don’t even hear him talking most of the time. I’m sure Page will come back and win later, but egads man. It’s TONY NESE.

Post match Nese wants the Code of Honor but Mocks Page instead. Page goes after both of them but the villains escape.

Billie Starkz vs. Diamante

Athena and Mercedes Martinez are here too. Starkz sends her outside and hits a dive but Martinez offers a distraction. Back in and Diamante hammers away before sending Starkz into the corner. A neckbreaker gives Diamante two and a running dropkick to the back gets the same. Starkz manages a kick to the face out of the corner and a rollup gets the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. Starkz gets another win as what feels like the eternal build towards what is likely Athena vs. Starkz for the title continues. We’re probably going to get a tag match between these four as the big match on next week’s show and it should be good enough, but this was just two people having a match. At least it likely sets up the next step, but it would be nice to get to something that feels important.

Post match Martinez and Diamante jump Starkz and Athena until the latter clears the ring with a chair.

Cole Karter gives Maria Kanellis-Bennett a shirt, which she’ll wear during Karter and Griff Garrison’s tag match.

Josh Woods vs. Pat Buck

Pure Rules. Woods grabs a wristlock to start but Buck slips out. The threat of the Gorilla Lock sends Buck over to the ropes and Buck’s attempt at a leglock makes Woods do the same. A rollup is broken up with Woods’ second rope break so he punches Buck in the face for his official warning. Woods has had it and gutwrench powerbombs Buck, setting up the Gorilla Lock for the tap at 3:58.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash but Buck was brought into Woods’ world last week and then taps out in less than four minutes. This was the latest part of Woods’ incredible slow climb back to a Pure Title shot. Odds are that’s at Final Battle, so we only have to wait about two more months to actually get to the point.

Griff Garrison/Cole Karter vs. Myron Reed/Ren Jones

Karter knocks Jones down to start but he elbows Karter in the jaw. A brainbuster gives Jones a fast two but Garrison comes in with a discus forearm. Garrison decks Reed on the apron as Karter hits a spinning DDT so Garrison can get the pin at 2:07. Total squash.

Dalton Castle’s slow descent into madness continues as he wants to give the fans what he deserves.

Allysin Kay vs. Kiera Hogan

Hogan starts fast by sending her throat first into the ropes for a running hip attack. A kick to the head misses for Hogan so Kay takes her down and hammers away. Kay misses a charge though and Hogan kicks her into the corner for another hip attack. Now the kick connects for two but Kay is back with the AK47 for two. Not that it mattes as Hogan hits a shotgun dropkick into Face The Music for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C. Here’s the latest match on the show that came and went rather quickly without much of note. Commentary was hyping up Hogan as a potential title challenger, even though we’ve done that multiple times and it was only ok. Kay is someone who could add a lot to the division if she was around full time, but maybe she is too busy elsewhere to do anything. Granted it won’t matter if she is added into the endless loop of people fighting for a title shot that they never get.

Righteous vs. Kevin Matthews/Rod Lee

Autumn Sunshine finishes Lee in 48 seconds.

Lady Frost vs. Zoey Lynn

Lynn rolls her up for two and is kneed in the ribs as a result. Frost unloads with stomps in the corner and a spinning kick to the face makes it worse. Frost Bite finishes at 1:37.

Komander vs. Metalik

Metalik starts fast with a boot to the mask in the corner and the reverse Sling Blade. The rope walk dropkick puts Komander down again and Metalik strikes away in the corner. Komander is back up with a rope walk anklescissors and Metalik is knocked to the floor. Back in and a Code Red gives Komander two, followed by a top rope hurricanrana for the same. Metalik snaps off a springboard hurricanrana into the Metalik Driver for two. Komander is right back with a fireman’s carry gutbuster, followed by the rope walk shooting star press for the pin at 4:50.

Rating: B. Yeah it was short but man alive did they pack a lot of stuff in there. This was the kind of match where they were told “you’ve got five minutes, go totally nuts”. It was entertaining, action packed and the kind of fun high flying stuff that is what you would want to see here. Awesome stuff.

Darius Martin/Action Andretti vs. Gates of Agony vs. Workhorsemen

Drake chops Martin to start but a dropkick gets Martin out of trouble. It’s off to Andretti for a high crossbody but some shots to the arm don’t work very well. Henry comes in but Toa runs Henry and Andretti over at the same time. Martin comes back in and hits a double DDT on the Gates. Andretti gets to forearm away at Henry, followed by a springboard Downward Spiral to give Martin two on Drake. Everything breaks down and the double standing clothesline gives Kaun the pin on Henry at 4:16.

Rating: C+. There’s only so much you can get out of a match with six people getting just over four minutes. What they did was fun and fast paced, but it was a three way match for the sake of having a three way match. There’s no feud here and nothing on the line, which doesn’t make for the most interesting match.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where two or three matches bailed out an otherwise uninteresting show. Final Battle has been officially set for December and all that means is we have two more months of this meandering show with one or two stories. The other problem is how many matches will be put on the Final Battle card with no major story from this show, making it feel all the more like a waste of time. Some of the matches were worth seeing here, but even cutting off about half an hour from the previous few weeks’ runtimes, the show had too many points where I was wondering why a match was taking place.

Results
Angelico b. Gravity – Arm trap half crab
Shawn Dean b. Peter Avalon – Top rope splash
Mercedes Martinez b. Marti Belle – OG Lock
Tony Nese b. Ethan Page – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Billie Starkz b. Diamante – Rollup
Josh Woods b. Pat Buck – Gorilla Lock
Griff Garrison/Cole Karter b. Myron Reed/Ren Jones – Spinning DDT to Jones
Kiera Hogan b. Allysin Kay – Face The Music
Righteous b. Kevin Matthews/Rod Lee – Autumn Sunshine to Lee
Lady Frost b. Zoey Lynn – Frost Bite
Komander b. Metalik – Rope walk shooting star press
Gates Of Agony b. Workhorsemen and Action Andretti/Darius Martin – Double standing clothesline to Henry

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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Impact Wrestling – October 19, 2023

Keep It Going: WWE Makes Impressive Change To Survivor Series.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/keep-going-wwe-makes-impressive-change-survivor-series/

Eradicate That: Update On Rhea Ripley’s Status At Next Year’s WWE Elimination Chamber.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/eradicate-update-rhea-ripleys-status-next-years-wwe-elimination-chamber/

He Has A List: Matt Cardona Reveals Two Things It Would Take To Get Him Back To WWE.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/list-matt-cardona-reveals-two-things-take-get-back-wwe/

Split Em Up: Several Prominent WWE Superstars Likely To Miss Crown Jewel.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/split-em-several-prominent-wwe-superstars-likely-miss-crown-jewel/

King Time: Jerry Lawler Offers Details On His Recovery From Stroke, Some Remaining Issues.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/king-time-jerry-lawler-offers-details-recovery-stroke-remaining-issues/

They Finished It: Recent AEW Segment Reportedly Went Off Script, Both Wrestlers Angered.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/finished-recent-aew-segment-reportedly-went-off-script-wrestlers-angered/

Keep It Going: Update On Roman Reigns And The Bloodline Following Changes In WWE Creative.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/keep-going-update-roman-reigns-bloodline-following-changes-wwe-creative/

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (featuring news stories written by ME).

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 19, 2023
Location: Graceland Live, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the go home show for Bound For Glory and that should mean things are ready to go. This week will be about the final push towards the show and that means we should be in for a lot of talking and some basic matches that advance the card we already have. Impact has done well with these over their last few chances so hopefully it continues here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mike Bailey vs. Samuray del Sol

Feeling out process to start with Bailey kicking him to the floor. Del Sol fights back but gets sent to the apron, only to duck a charge to put Bailey on the floor. An Arabian moonsault hits Bailey but he’s fine enough to fire off the kicks back inside. The running shooting star press gives Bailey two but del Sol bends backwards to avoid a kick to the face (Bailey pauses in the middle as well for an amazing visual).

They trade kicks to the face and fall out to the floor, followed by a kick off on the apron. Del Sol goes up top but gets kicked back down to the floor, setting up a twisting flip dive. Back in and the Ultimate Weapon is broken up by another kick to the head, setting up a super victory roll for two on Bailey. A flipping powerslam gives Bailey two, followed by the Ultimate Weapon for the pin at 8:51.

Rating: B. This is the same thing that Bailey had been doing while he was X Division Champion, as he and someone else had a high flying match with both of them getting to look good. Bailey is on the way to his biggest match in Impact and seeing teases of what he could do with Will Ospreay has been good. I can’t imagine he wins at Bound For Glory, but at least the preview is working.

Dirty Dango and company doesn’t like how dirty Memphis seems and talks about how he linked up with Oleg Prudius because Alpha Bravo kept screwing up. Dango brags about how great Prudius and Bravo are, saying Bravo will throw himself on a grenade, but Prudius IS the grenade.

Video on Alex Shelley vs. Josh Alexander.

The ABC think the Rascalz are dodge them but they can’t dip, dive, duck or dodge them again at Bound For Glory. The Rascalz defaced their titles with that green paint and it’s going to be as easy as ABC, 1, 2…time champs.

Kenny King vs. Heath

Sheldon Jean is here with King. Heath knocks him into the corner to start and hits a clothesline, setting up a WOO. They go to the floor where Jean offers a distraction, allowing King to get in a right hand. Back in and Heath hits a Cactus Clothesline but comes up favoring his ankle. They get back inside with King going after the ankle but Heath kicks him to the floor.

King gets back in again and Heath hits a clothesline, only to get kicked in the face for two. A double clothesline leaves both of them down, followed by Heath winning a slugout. Heath powerslams him for two so King rolls him up, with feet on the ropes, for the same. The referee catches the cheating though and Heath scores with a spinebuster for two more. Jean offers a distraction, allowing King to kick Heath in the head. The Royal Flush finishes Heath at 8:32.

Rating: B-. The more I see of serious Heath trying to have straight matches, the more impressed I am. He’s actually quite decent in the ring and this run with Impact has shown an entirely different side of him. This was another rather nice match and King gets a push on his way to the likely rematch for the Digital Media Title, though I could have gone with Heath winning and getting a shot of his own.

Frankie Kazarian says Eddie Edwards has to respect him after last week’s war.

Crazzy Steve vs. Black Taurus

No DQ and Steve bails to the floor to start. The chase sends Steve back inside, where Taurus hits a Codebreaker to send Steve outside. We take an early break and come back with a bunch of weapons in play and Taurus hitting a pair of Sling Blades. Taurus loads up an Alabama Slam but Steve spins out into a Canadian Destroyer (that was SLICK) to plant Taurus hard.

Back up and Taurus charges into a backdrop over the top and onto a pile of chairs for a nasty crash. It’s time for the fork but Taurus blocks the stab and they head back inside. Steve grabs the briefcase and rams it into Taurus’ throat, setting up Belladonna’s Kiss for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: B-. This was getting into the wild brawl stage but they didn’t get all the way there. What matters most is Steve staying strong, as he’s one of the better things going in Impact at the moment. It will be nice to see him win the Digital Media Title, as I can’t imagine the idea of keeping it on Tommy Dreamer going forward. For now though, good enough stuff here with the monster Taurus being slayed by the evil Steve.

A bunch of people say they’ll win the Call Your Shot gauntlet match.

Mickie James and Trinity say the best woman will win on Saturday, just like the two of them will do tonight.

PCO/Rhino vs. Moose/Brian Myers

Rhino and Myers start things off with Myers not being able to do much against the power game. Rhino knocks him into the corner, where Moose tags himself in to face PCO. An exchange of shoulders sets up Moose raking the eyes but PCO opens his vest so Moose can chop him. Rhino comes in to ram Moose into the buckle over and over but a cheap shot lets Moose take over.

We take a break and come back with Moose running Rhino over for two. Rhino suplexes his way to freedom though and it’s PCO coming back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and PCO hits a reverse DDT but Moose breaks up the PCOsault. Rhino comes back in but here is Steve Maclin to break up the Gore. Bully Ray comes in to cut Maclin off though, allowing PCO to flip dive onto Maclin. Back in and Moose kicks PCO low, setting up the spear for the pin at 15:34.

Rating: C+. This was the brawl that you put these people in the ring to have and it worked well enough. Three of these four are going to have a big fight at Bound For Glory and it was nice to see a preview for what they’re going to do. It seems there is a chance that Bully Ray will be tied in as well, as they are certainly putting a bunch of the monsters into one match at the pay per view.

MK Ultra is ready to crush Deonna Purrazzo and Tasha Steelz.

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Mike Bailey.

Rhino says he doesn’t trust Bully Ray or need his help. Ray, after Rhino leaves: “You’re welcome.”

Scott D’Amore moderates a sitdown interview between Josh Alexander and Alex Shelley. D’Amore asks for decorum but Shelley isn’t happy when Alexander gets the first question. Shelley doesn’t like Alexander getting the spotlight and says he just came back from a six month vacation.

Alexander brings up Shelley coming and going from Impact over the years but Shelley says he built this house and can come and go as he pleases. Shelley accuses him of trying to get out of the match but Alexander thinks Shelley is going nuts. Alexander thinks Shelley knows he’s a transitional champion….and Shelley storms off to wrap it up. This was the mind games being played as Alexander honed in on Shelley’s insecurities and it worked.

Post break, Shelley jumps Alexander in the back.

Bound For Glory rundown.

Trinity/Mickie James vs. Gisele Shaw/Savannah Evans

Shaw and Evans (with Jai Vidal) jump them to start but James and Trinity are back with the Thesz presses to send them outside. We take a break before the bell and come back joined in progress with Trinity dropkicking Shaw into the corner. James comes in to strike away in the corner before it’s Trinity coming back in for a dancing legdrop. Evans grabs Trinity from the apron though and the villains hit a double suplex for two.

Some forearms in the corner have Trinity in more trouble but she dives over for the tag…as Shaw distracts the referee. As usual, the tag goes through a few seconds later but Shaw cuts Mickie off and cradles her for two. Everything breaks down and Shaw gets sent to the floor, leaving Evans to get kicked into the MickDT for the pin at 9:27.

Rating: C+. This Trinity vs. James story isn’t exactly thrilling me so far but at least they’ve set things up rather well. What matters is having a showdown between the current and former champion and it certainly feels like something that has potential. For now though, James is feeling like a strong challenger and that is a good thing. As for this match, it was about all that you could have expected, with Evans taking the fall and maybe just a little less miscommunication between Trinity than James than I would have bet on.

Mickie and Trinity both grab the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was good and Bound For Glory is about as ready to go as you can get. I do want to see the show so they have certainly done something right so far. The show itself had enough solid action, though only the opener really stood out. For now though, none of this matters until we get to this weekend though and all they had to do was not screw up here. They managed to pull that off here, so we’ll call this a success.

Results
Mike Bailey b. Samuray del Sol – Ultimate Weapon
Kenny King b. Heath – Royal Flush
Crazzy Steve b. Black Taurus – Belladonna’s Kiss
Moose/Brian Myers b. PCO/Rhino – Spear to PCO
Mickie James/Trinity b. Gisele Shaw/Savannah Evans – MickDT to Evans

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.

Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

NXT – October 17, 2023

Smackdown – July 4, 2008

Dynamite – October 19, 2023

It’s Excused: Details On Why Important WWE Name Missed Monday Night Raw.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/excused-details-important-wwe-name-missed-monday-night-raw/

No More? Speculation On Future Of Missing WWE Superstar.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/no-speculation-future-missing-wwe-superstar/

WATCH: Dominik Mysterio Has Backstage Altercation At Monday Night Raw, Likely Title Defense Set.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-backstage-altercation-monday-night-raw-seems-set-future-title-mach/

New Game: More Details On Triple H Taking Over WWE Creative From Vince McMahon.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/new-game-details-triple-h-taking-wwe-creative-vince-mcmahon/

Whodunit: Mystery Attack Results In NXT Star Being Hospitalized, Main Event Changed.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/whodunit-mystery-attack-results-nxt-star-hospitalized-main-event-changed/

Spoiler Warning? WWE Releases New Crown Jewel Poster Featuring Missing Superstar.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/spoiler-warning-wwe-releases-new-crown-jewel-poster-featuring-missing-superstar/

He’s Wrapping It Up: Rey Mysterio Reveals Retirement Plans.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hes-wrapping-rey-mysterio-reveals-retirement-plans/

Here She Comes Again: AEW Star Reportedly Back After Year Long Absence.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/comes-aew-star-reportedly-back-year-long-absence/

Wrapping It Up: 64 Year Old Hall Of Famer Announces His Retirement Match.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrapping-64-year-old-hall-famer-announces-retirement-match/

On Top: Rhea Ripley Picks Up Another Prestigious Wrestling Honor.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/top-rhea-ripley-picks-another-prestigious-wrestling-honor/

It’s The Same Ring: World Boxing Champion Tyson Fury Talks Potential WWE Run.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/ring-world-boxing-champion-tyson-fury-talks-potential-wwe-run/

WRESTLING RUMOR: Two New Wrestling Television Series To Be Announced Soon.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumor-two-new-wrestling-television-series-announced-soon/

Out Of Somewhere: Another Huge Hint Of Randy Orton Returning To WWE.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/somewhere-another-huge-hint-randy-orton-returning-wwe/

He’s Last? Goldberg Reveals Interesting Detail About His Final Match.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hes-last-goldberg-reveals-interesting-detail-final-match/

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (featuring news stories written by ME).

Dynamite
Date: October 18, 2023
Location: Fort Bend Epicenter, Rosenberg, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re back to the normal time slot this week after last week’s stacked show. In this case, we have a pretty deep show tonight, though a good bit of it appears to be focused on talking. That’s something that could do a lot of good though as we are a month away from Full Gear and the show needs some build. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Jay White

Alex Abrahantes and the rest of Bullet Club Gold are here too. Penta flip dives onto the Club at ringside and adds a top rope double stomp back inside. White hits a DDT out of the corner to take over but Penta scores with a superkick. A missed charge puts Penta in the corner though and White chops him out to the floor.

Back in and White ties Penta’s mask to the rope and stomps away for two. We take a break and come back with Penta hitting a Sling Blade to send White outside, setting up the big running flip dive. They chop it out (with Penta getting to do the full glove removal) with Penta even taking his shirt off so the chops can be harder.

Penta plants him for two but the Fear Factor is countered into a swinging Rock Bottom for two. White grabs the chinlock but Penta is right back up with Made In Japan for two. The Fear Factor is loaded up again so the Club offers the distraction. Juice Robinson gets in the left hand and White hits the Blade Runner for the pin at 13:12.

Rating: B-. This was another match in White’s quest to get higher up the card before his World Title shot at Full Gear. Penta is someone who has enough star status to give White something and the fans are way into him. Having the Club interfere is fine as that’s White’s thing, so this worked out on pretty much all points.

Post match Jay White mocks the idea of MJF not being able to find some partners to face the Club. Juice Robinson promises to win the battle royal and then the ring next week. He wants to pawn it to get another gold tooth you see.

MJF says he could have run in there and gone after all of those villains but he’s not that stupid. He promises to keep the ring next week and hopes that it’s against Robinson. He’s asked about Adam Cole but Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed come in to ask about being his partners. Max Caster asks about scissoring and putting a ring on it, which has MJF storming off. Billy Gunn: “That guy is such a scumbag.” Caster: “Yeah, but he’s my scumbag.”

Video on Emi Sakura vs. Hikaru Shida.

Hikaru Shida vs. Emi Sakura

Non-title. Sakura jumps her to start and we ring the bell as Shida gets back up. They roll around into an exchange of cradles until Sakura hits a running crossbody in the corner. We take a break and come back with Shida getting choked in the ropes, followed by an exchange of rollups. Sakura tiger drivers her for two but Shida….kind of hits the Katana as Sakura might have blocked it. A Fujiwara armbar doesn’t work for Shida so she hits a Falcon Arrow into the Katana for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. It was good enough while it lasted but as usual, there’s only to much that can be done when the match isn’t even nine minutes long and includes a commercial. There is a history between them though and that helped set things up better here. Just maybe give them more of a chance to do something.

We get a sitdown interview with Renee Paquette and Adam Copeland to talk about his issues with Christian Cage. Copeland’s idea was to come to AEW and finish his career with Cage but Cage wasn’t down with that. We hear about the two of them being friends for over thirty years and Copeland tried to get Cage into the industry and pushed as much as possible.

Over the years, Copeland has been pushed as the bigger star but he never wanted that. They’ve known each other for such a long time and they’re the godfather to each other’s children. Why do they keep doing this? Copeland doesn’t want the TNT Title and he will not fight Cage so he doesn’t know what he wants. Eventually Nick Wayne and Luchasaurus are going to leave Cage and Copeland will be there to pick him up. Good stuff here, as a lot of it is established history but that makes it easier to tie into their current story.

Wardlow vs. Ryan Nemeth

Powerbomb, referee stoppage, 21 seconds.

Post match Tony Schiavone comes in to ask Wardlow what he wants, with Wardlow holding up wrist tape showing MJF. Wardlow pushes past him and leaves.

Kenny Omega knows his year hasn’t been great but he’s ready for Kyle Fletcher. MJF comes in to shake his hand, then whispers “thirteen days b****.” Assuming he means thirteen days from today, that means Halloween, but it’s also thirteen days from MJF becoming the longest reigning World Champion in AEW history (nice catch Art).

The Kingdom (including a bongo solo for a song called Neckstrong) and Roderick Strong convince Adam Cole to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Apparently it’s his specialty, but STRONG DID NOT WANT CRUST. Cole leaves and Strong says he’ll have to talk to the Scum Bag.

Here is the Don Callis Family, with Powerhouse Hobbs talking about trying to get to meet Chris Jericho as a kid but it didn’t go well. That’s why he wanted to hurt Jericho and that’s exactly what he did last week. Callis hypes up Hobbs but then blames Kyle Fletcher for the team’s only loss in four months. Cue Fletcher, who says he did that match as a favor to Will Ospreay. Tonight though, Fletcher gets Kenny Omega, and Callis implies a spot on the team if Fletcher wins.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Kenny Omega

Don Callis is on commentary. Omega chops away against the ropes to start but Fletcher takes him down and fires off some right hands. Back up and Omega sends him outside for the dive but Fletcher gets in a whip over the barricade. Omega misses a charge into the barricade and we take a break.

We come back with Omega missing a middle rope moonsault but hitting the same thing out to the floor. Back in and Fletcher hits a running kick to the face, setting up a brainbuster for two. Fletcher tosses him face first into the middle buckle and then plants him down for two more. A running kick to the back of the head sets up….something Omega escapes. A poisonrana into a powerbomb into the V Trigger gets two. The One Winged Angel is loaded up but Fletcher reverses into a dragon sleeper. Omega flips out, hits a running knee and finishes with the One Winged Angel at 13:55.

Rating: B. I’m still not sure what it is that’s missing about Fletcher, but it’s not what he can do in the ring. He can work well with almost anyone and if he can figure out a way to be more interesting, things will get even better for him. As for Omega, he might not be what he was before, but he can still do something like this more than well enough.

Danhausen is coming back.

Lance Archer vs. Barrett Brown

Archer is introduced as “kicking his opponent Barrett Brown to the ring” and then chokeslams him onto the apron. Archer crushes him into the corner and hits the Black Out for the pin at 58 seconds.

Prince Nana is really excited about Swerve Strickland’s new music video being released. Swerve isn’t happy though because he isn’t the TNT Champion. That’s because of Hangman Page, with Swerve threatening retribution. Just maybe not against Page himself.

Here is Sting for a chat. He talks about how he went up and down the road for years with people like Lex Luger, the Steiner Brothers and Buff Bagwell (kind of a weird fourth choice). They looked at the people who shaped his career like Dusty Rhodes and Hulk Hogan (the ans don’t like him) but he wants to really thank Ric Flair. It was Flair who put him on the map and he can’t thank him enough. So why do people keep coming back year after year?

It’s the smell of the arena and the roar of the crowd that makes him want to come to the ring and do all this crazy stuff. Now though, we need to get to the big word: retirement. His first match in AEW was at Revolution 2021, and his last match will be at Revolution 2024. And that’s for sure. That’s good for Sting, as he can still work well enough in the ring and you absolutely do not want to stay too long.

We get Toni Storm’s latest silent movie, Gone With The Storm, in picture in picture.

We get a sitdown interview with Nick Wayne and his mom, with his mom talking about how he doesn’t understand what her son is doing. Wayne says he was always in Darby Allin’s shadow and Christian Cage is a better father than his dad ever was. Cage pops in to egg Wayne on so his mom slaps her son. Wayne says she is dead to him and leaves, where Darby Allin jumps them both. Allin beats Wayne into the ring and Wayne has lost a tooth. Luchasaurus and Cage get Wayne out. It got better when Allin came in but the interview stuff was….not good.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Kris Statlander wants to defend the TBS Title against Willow Nightingale at Battle of the Belts. Orange Cassidy didn’t realize what he had until he lost the International Title, which he will defend against the winner of a Rampage triple threat.

Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal

Dustin Rhodes, Juice Robinson, Johnny TV, Jake Hager, Max Caster, Matt Menard, Trent Beretta, Komander, Matt Sydal, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Daniel Garcia

The winner gets a shot at MJF’s, on commentary, diamond ring next week. TV is sent to the apron to start but spins his way back in, setting up a break dance routine. Garcia loads up his own dance but Menard isn’t having that. Instead Jeff does his own dance and Dustin joins Matt Hardy in some DELETING. TV is tossed out and Hager dumps Matt Hardy. MJF heads to the ring and offers Rhodes cash to…go after Robinson.

Rhodes is perfectly happy to do so and Shattered Dreams connects. We take a break and come back with Menard and Garcia tossing Komander. Dustin hits the Canadian Destroyer on Garcia. Dustin and Trent have the big hug but Hager breaks it up. Trent knocks Hager out but gets knocked to the apron where Menard eliminates him. We’re down to Menard, Garcia, Jeff Hardy, Rhodes, Robinson and Caster.

Garcia knocks Hardy out (that’s an upset) but Menard breaks up the dancing AGAIN. Garcia hits Menard by mistake, allowing Rhodes to toss Menard, but Garcia tosses Rhodes as well. NOW Garcia gets to dance but Caster tosses him out. That leaves us with Caster and Robinson with Caster knocking him to the apron.

Robinson pulls him out as well and goes up for some reason, only to get taken back down. Hold on though as we cut to Jay White going after MJF at the announcers’ table. MJF gets the belt back but White hits him low and steals it again. We get back to the actual match and Robinson uses his own ring to knock Caster out for the win at 13:55.

Rating: C+. There’s only so much you can get out of a battle royal with about two potential winners and that was the case here. Robinson might as well have had a big sign around his neck counting down until he won, though in this case that isn’t a bad thing. They set him up well and it wouldn’t shock me to see him win the ring next week. For now though, it was just an ok battle royal featuring a bunch of people doing their various things.

Overall Rating: B-. There was a lot of talking on this show and it was good enough, though I could have gone for a bigger focus on the actual wrestling. That being said, they are setting up some things for the future and we could be in for some big stuff in the upcoming weeks. Above all else is probably the Sting announcement, and now he should be in for a nice victory lap. Overall, not a terrible show, but maybe a step down from the norm for Dynamite.

Results
Jay White b. Penta El Zero Miedo – Blade Runner
Hikaru Shida b. Emi Sakura – Katana
Wardlow b. Ryan Nemeth via referee stoppage
Kenny Omega b. Kyle Fletcher – One Winged Angel
Lance Archer b. Barrett Brown – Black Out
Juice Robinson won the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal last eliminating Max Caster

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Smackdown
Date: July 4, 2008
Location: Tulsa Convention Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Mick Foley, Jim Ross

We’re into the new reality around here as both Night Of Champions and the full Draft are done. There is only one World Champion after Edge lost his title to CM Punk on Raw, meaning HHH is once again on top. Other than that, we should get to see how some of the new stars mesh with what’s left of the old. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night Of Champions if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at the 4th of July and talks about how the wrestlers get to live the American Dream with live action fireworks.

Opening sequence.

We open with MVP’s VIP Lounge. MVP wastes no time in bringing out his guest, the still World Champion HHH. After a nice hello, MVP congratulates HHH on his win at Night Of Champions and welcomes him to Smackdown. It’s been a long time since HHH has been here but he is already a big fan of MVP. HHH appreciates the bling and the Power Ranger outfit that MVP wears when he wrestles.

MVP says it’s cutting edge technology and Olympians wear it to compete. HHH says that sounds like a performance enhancer and MVP might get thirty days off. With that shrugged off, MVP brings up that he makes more money than HHH, who could see how that would make some people angry. Not that it matters as he would rather be a 12 time World Champion rather than the biggest waste of money in Smackdown history.

HHH is out here to get a rub from MVP though and he has some special footage. MVP doesn’t like that, so he says let’s play footage instead. We get a recap of CM Punk winning the Raw World Title and retaining it over JBL in the main event, followed by a brawl with security to end the show. Back in the arena, HHH says Edge got Punked out and MVP says Edge got his punk card pulled.

The jokes continue until Vickie Guerrero, back in the wheelchair, interrupts. HHH wishes her well on her upcoming wedding. HHH: “Imagine: marrying the boss to get ahead. Who thinks up that kind of stuff?” HHH thinks she and Edge just need to go to Vegas because he knows a great drive thru place. You don’t even need to be conscious!

Vickie brags about Edge’s success against Batista, but HHH says looking at her, there are things Edge would do that HHH would never do. Vickie doesn’t get what he means but eventually tells him to shut up. Edge is on his way here and speaking of Edge, HHH will be defending the title against him at the Great American Bash.

Michelle McCool vs. Victoria vs. Cherry vs. Maryse vs. Kelly Kelly

Star on a pole match with the winner facing Natalya, on commentary and now a redhead, for the Divas Title. A quick brawl to start leaves Kelly as the only one standing but Victoria knocks her off the pole. Cherry cuts Victoria off before Maryse has to knock Michelle down. A double electric chair drops Maryse and Cherry catapults Kelly into the corner. Victoria adds the slingshot flipping legdrop to Cherry and goes up. That’s cut off as well so Michelle kicks Maryse down and wins.

Rating: D+. What are you supposed to say about this? It’s the kind of match that is all about one thing and not exactly having much to do with wrestling. This felt like something out of another company and it really doesn’t fit with what they’ve been trying with the women in recent weeks. Michelle finally gets put into the title match, which is long overdue as she has been the obvious pick for a long time now.

Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder come in to see Vickie Guerrero, who wants to know where Edge is. They don’t know, so she asks them about Edge losing the title on Raw. Vickie blames them both and gives them a match with Jesse and Festus. That’s a punishment?

Edge arrives and a lot of people look at him in silence.

Video on Vladimir Kozlov.

Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder vs. Jesse And Festus

Festus is dressed as Uncle Sam. Hawkins and Ryder jump Festus to start and are quickly shrugged off, setting up a middle rope Hart Attack. Jesse has to fight out of a double team in the corner but gets pulled into another corner to begin the beating. Hawkins grabs a Russian legsweep for two and we hit the neck crank. Jesse is able to get over to the corner for the tag to Festus so house can be cleaned in a hurry. With Hawkins sent to the floor, a seated senton and the fireman’s carry flapjack (with a great sell from Ryder) finishes for Festus.

Rating: C. This was in fact a Jesse and Festus match and that’s about as good as it’s going to get for them. The team isn’t overly interesting and the one joke of Festus losing it at the bell has long since used up its usefulness. It’s not like Hawkins and Ryder are great, but they’re a heck of a lot better than the other choice.

Post match Edge comes to the ring and beats on the catatonic Festus as Hawkins and Ryder make Jesse watch. Edge throws in a nasty chair shot to the head and stares down at Festus.

Post match Vickie Guerrero tries to calm Edge down but even the Great American Bash match doesn’t make it better. Vickie mentions giving him permission and Edge loses it, saying she doesn’t understand what is going on. He has been at this for sixteen years to the day but Vickie cuts him off, saying she is still his boss. She calls him a fool and Edge storms out.

Jeff Hardy vs. John Morrison

Hardy shoves him down to start so Morrison grabs the arm to slow things down. Morrison gets sent outside and a slingshot dive….doesn’t launch as Hardy head fakes him instead, setting up a dive off the apron instead. Back in and Morrison hits a running knee to the face for two but the Flying Chuck misses. Hardy’s slingshot dropkick in the corner is broken up though and Morrison drops him out to the floor in a crash.

We take a break and come back with Morrison working on an armbar before blocking a Whisper In The Wind attempt. The armbar goes back on, allowing commentary to talk about Edge and Vickie Guerrero. Morrison cuts off a comeback attempt by sending him shoulder first into the post but Hardy counters a dive with a sitout powerbomb. Hardy fights up with some forearms and a cradle gets two. The Whisper In The Wind gives Hardy two but Morrison Pele kicks him on top. The Moonlight Drive doesn’t work for Morrison though and it’s the Swanton to give Hardy the pin.

Rating: B-. This was the “Hardy is here and he’s good on his own” match of the show. It worked well with these two showing the same chemistry they’ve had before, with Hardy showcasing his ability to fight from behind. Morrison feels good on his own too, making for a nice match.

Video on Maria.

Umaga vs. Funaki

Umaga wastes no time in knocking him into the corner and a superkick puts Funaki down as well. Foley even goes inter promotional by saying this is like Mark Henry beating up Colin Delaney on ECW. The running hip attack in the corner sets up the Samoan Spike for the squash pin.

Edge is ranting to Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder when he is told that Vickie Guerrero wants to see him. He goes to Vickie’s office, where she goes on about how she is going to be in the wheelchair with back problems for life (keeping in mind that she was standing earlier tonight). Edge says not to talk to her in that gibberish, so Vickie screams at him to GET OUT. That’s exactly what he does, with the door closing behind him. Edge walks a bit, then turns around and tries to get back in, but the door is locked.

US Title: Matt Hardy vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Shelton Benjamin

Hardy is defending and Bam Neely is here with Chavo. It’s a brawl to start with Matt running Kennedy over but Kennedy is back up with a kick to the face. Kennedy clotheslines Chavo in the corner but Benjamin is back up with a kick of his own. Chavo is back up to take Benjamin down, only to have Benjamin toss him into the air for a nasty crash. Matt and Kennedy put the other two down before knocking each other down as we take a break.

Back with Kennedy cleaning house as Foley compares this to Barack Obama vs. Hilary Clinton. Everyone but Chavo is caught in a Tower Of Doom but Benjamin is up to suplex Chavo down. Neely distracts Benjamin though and Chavo gets to Three Amigos Matt. The frog splash gets two as Kennedy makes the save. Matt hits a quick Twist of Fate on Chavo before dropping Kennedy onto Neely. Benjamin comes in and gets Twist of Fated onto Chavo, with Matt pinning the latter to retain.

Rating: B-. I believe they call this a sprint, as they were packing in whatever they could for about ten minutes. The 4th of July aspect meant that this more or less had to be the main event and it was a good match as a result. Matt retaining is a fine way to go too, even if getting the US Title off of ECW is not a bad idea.

Here is Edge, without music, for a chat. Edge says this will be his first and last statement about what happened on Raw. He was attacked twice on Raw and now he is going to get the World Title back at the Great American Bash. Ever since he came in here tonight, he was feeling the disrespect, including from Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, who should have been trying to make him happy.

He didn’t even receive the support of Vickie Guerrero, who should be there for him in his time of need. Therefore, Edge is going to let us in on some dirty little secrets, but here is a screeching Vickie (walking) to interrupt. She asks what Edge is doing so Edge walks up to her. Edge says the wedding is off, leaving Vickie to scream a lot and take off her ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was good enough here (ignoring the stupid women’s match) and having Edge’s breakdown throughout the show made it work better. They have at least a main event set for the Great American bash and there is time to set up the rest of the card. Nice show here, as they didn’t have a bad lull after getting the new roster set up.

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NXT
Date: October 17, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re back to normal this week and that means we could be in for something interesting. With a week to go before the first week of Halloween Havoc, it is time to figure out what is going to be on the two week special. That includes a #1 contenders match for the NXT Title this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Battle Royal

Creed Brothers, Drew Gulak/Damon Kemp, Brawling Brutes, Angel Garza/Humberto Carrillo, Hank Walker/Tank Ledger, Chase U, Malik Blade/Edris Enofe, Gallus, Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen, Bronco Nima/Lucien Price

If one member is out, the whole team is out and the last two teams have a regular tag match next week for a Tag Team Title shot the following week. Kemp is out less than ten seconds in and Gulak is not pleased. Ledger and Walker are out rather quickly as they’re clearing the ring pretty quickly to start.

Brawling along the ropes and on the apron ensues until Wolfgang low bridges Jensen out. Holland picks up Enofe and Blade for the double elimination as Stacks and Tony D’Angelo are having a nice spaghetti and meatball dinner while watching from the balcony. The Creeds get rid of Gallus and we’re already halfway done.

The Brutes and Nima/Price go out at the same time and fight to the back, leaving us with the Creeds, Chase U and Garza/Carrillo. Carrillo is backdropped out but the referees are dealing with the brawl in the aisle. That lets Garza and Carrillo toss the Creeds (the referees didn’t see them go over the top) but that’s it at 5:02.

Rating: C. This wasn’t much of a battle royal but if you’re going to have something like this, I can go with blazing through it as fast as they did here. It’s smart to find a way to get rid of the Creeds as they’re the best team around while leaving the fans someone to cheer for in Chase U. The match was just a means to an end to set up the regular tag match, but they even have something with the Brutes vs. Nima/Price so well done on booking for the future.

Apparently the #1 contenders match is right now. So Vic Joseph can’t be trusted to get his dates straight.

Chase U vs. Angel Garza/Humberto Carrillo

Jacy Jayne and Thea Hail come out with pom poms as Chase U cheerleaders. Chase takes over on Garza in the corner to start and Hudson’s elbow to the back gets two. We take a break and come back with Garza giving Chase a heck of a running knee (setting up an even better sell from Chase).

Carrillo chokes on the rope but Chase fights out of the corner, only for the villains to take Hudson off the apron. The tag goes through a few seconds later and Hudson gets to release Rock Bottom Humberto out of the corner for two. Chase tags himself back in with a high crossbody for two but a DDT on the floor drops Hudson. Back in and Carrillo hits a sitout powerbomb for two on Chase but cue the Creeds to take Carrillo and Garza down. The distraction lets Chase grab a rollup for the pin at 10:07.

Rating: C+. The match was fine and I can always go for the prospect of Chase U actually winning something. They’re still a popular act and they almost have to win something at some point. The match wasn’t much and the cheating at the end ties into the battle royal rather well.

Blair Davenport wants to face Gigi Dolin again at Halloween Havoc.

We get another Lexis King video, as he rants about how much his father left him alone and how he doesn’t love him. He is in no one’s shadow and will make his name bigger than Brian Pillman’s ever was, starting at Halloween Havoc.

Here is Carmelo Hayes for a chat. Last week he was standing next to John Cena and the Undertaker and he can’t believe it happened. Cue Baron Corbin to interrupt, saying he doesn’t want to hear about Hayes being a fan boy. Fans belong in the stands but Corbin heard about Hayes asking the legends about pictures. Maybe if Hayes focused on something other than being a fan, he would still have his championship.

Cue Dijak to interrupt, saying he’s going to beat them both and then become NXT Champion. Dijak talks about how Hayes is going to know the truth when he looks in his eyes, but Corbin points out that no one can look in Dijak’s eyes because he’s wearing sunglasses inside. He keeps going on about Corbin, who calls Dijak “just plain stupid”. Ilja Dragunov pops up on screen to say he’s looking forward to the match, but Cody Rhodes made one more ruling: the #1 contenders match is now a fatal four way, with Trick Williams included.

Hayes is STUNNED, leaving everyone to say what they want to talk about (Corbin is in favor of discussing Williams’ ugly pants). Hayes isn’t happy with Williams being in the match but he’s willing to put anyone down to get the title back. He’s asked if that includes Williams and the brawl is on, with Williams and Hayes clearing the ring.

A bunch of the women’s division talk about the Breakout Tournament when Tiffany Stratton comes in to brag about making it to the finals last week. Fallon Henley doesn’t want to hear about it but Stratton leaves.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Karmen Petrovic vs. Jaida Parker

Petrovic drives her against the ropes to start and spins around into a hammerlock. A knee to the ribs and a headscissors give Petrovic two but Parker starts in on the arm. Petrovic is sent into the corner and Parker sits on her ribs for two. Parker gets caught with a dragon screw legwhip though and Petrovic grabs something like Carmella’s Code Of Silence for the tap at 3:36.

Rating: C. This really wasn’t the best match though that’s kind of the point: these aren’t polished, experienced stars and they aren’t going to have the best match most of the time. Petrovic feels like a potential star and has been around on LVL Up in recent months. Parker hasn’t been around as much so Petrovic going forward makes a bit more sense, though neither exactly stole the show.

Natalya gives Tegan Nox a pep talk.

Tegan Nox vs. Lyra Valkyria

Natalya is here with Nox, who works on a wristlock to start. Valkyria takes her down to the mat and cranks on the leg, only for Nox to reverse into an armbar. Back up and Valkyria gets a sunset flip for two, followed by a knockdown into a crucifix for the same. Nox gets sent outside for a dropkick through the ropes as we take a break.

We come back with Valkyria hitting a northern lights suplex for two. Valkyria scores with a big kick for two but Nox drops her for the same. A Molly Go Round gives Nox two and she hits another one from the apron to the floor. Cue Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, with the distraction allowing Valkyria to hit a spinning kick to the head for the pin at 11:31.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, which shouldn’t be a surprise as there was a lot of talent involved. Nox losing isn’t the biggest surprise as she might be on the main roster but Valkyria is gearing up for a major title match at Halloween Havoc. They even got some time here and had a solid match, as you probably saw coming.

Post match everyone but Valkyria brawl to the back. That leaves Valkyria to talk about Becky Lynch coming to her old school and seeing something in Valkyria. Now Valkyria is ready to win the NXT Women’s Title. Lynch pops up on screen to say Valkyria was the first woman she wanted to face, because Valkyria is really, really good. She can say Lynch is her hero all she wants but she is going to have to get that same chip on her shoulder again. Welcome to the big time.

Carmelo Hayes is not happy when Trick Williams comes in. Hayes wants to know what that was and Williams says he’s listening to John Cena’s advice last week. Williams is ready to move up and he’s at the same place Hayes was at last year. Hayes gets it and Williams says yes, he should have come and talked to him. That seems to calm Hayes down but they have to go head to head tonight. They agree they’ll do whatever it takes, but they’re still cool. It’s still bizarre to see two wrestlers behaving like adults.

Gigi Dolin says Halloween Havoc is her favorite event of the year and that means Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal is coming back. Dolin spins and gets…..Lights Out, so Blair Davenport better be ready.

Von Wagner is going through physical therapy after Bron Breakker attacked him. Mr Stone is with him and doesn’t want to see Wagner like this. He knows when Wagner is ready, he’ll finish it. Wagner wants to work harder.

Kiana James vs. Shotzi

Shotzi forearms her into the corner to start but James takes her down. That earns a rather loud screech from Shotzi, who jumps on James’ back for a choke. James sends her outside though and we take a break. Back with James hitting a shoulder to the ribs in the corner but Shotzi sends her throat first into the ropes. That doesn’t matter as James is back with a running clothesline, followed by the chinlock.

Shotzi fights up and strikes away, including something like a DDT onto the middle rope. James knocks her off the top but here is Roxanne Perez to check James’ bag, which contains a brick (makes sense for her as Money Inc. did it with their briefcase thirty years ago). Shotzi gets the bag and throws it to James before falling down. An annoyed James misses a charge into the corner and Shotzi hits a top rope backsplash for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C+. Shotzi feels like much more of a star with the new haircut and look. That’s more than I would have expected and it’s great to see her having another chance. At the same time, Perez vs. James could be a good feud, as it gives Perez something to do to build her back up to the next title shot at some point in the future.

Meta Four is panicking because Jakara Jackson is in the hospital. Noam Dar is with her and mocks McKenzie Mitchell for questioning Jackson’s injury. Akira Tozawa comes in, looking for Dar, but obviously he’s not here. Tozawa says let him know.

Trick Williams has been attacked. Post break, he is officially out of the #1 contenders match.

Dominik Mysterio is in the back when Nathan Frazer comes in to start the brawl. They fight through backstage and into the arena with Frazer clearing him out.

Roxanne Perez and Shotzi are in the back, with Perez not getting Kiana James’ deal. They find the Wheel, with Perez spinning to a Devil’s Playground match. Apparently she’s fighting James at Halloween Havoc.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Brinley Reece vs. Arianna Grace

Reece is replacing the injured Jakara Jackson. Grace knocks her into the corner to start and pulls her back out, setting up a suplex for two. Another suplex is blocked but Grace pokes her in the eye. Grace loads up a Rock Bottom but flips Reece forward onto her face for the pin at 2:50.

Bron Breakker brags about how awesome he is when Mr. Stone comes in. He doesn’t care what happened to Von Wagner, which has Stone thinking Breakker just doesn’t care. Stone’s kids ask what is next for Wagner but Breakker just laughs. Breakker tells him to do something about it so Stone challenges him for Halloween Havoc. Stone realizes he screwed up as Breakker agrees, telling him to call the hospital.

Here’s what’s coming at Halloween Havoc.

Baron Corbin vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Dijak

For a title shot against Ilja Dragunov at Halloween Havoc. The big guys stagger each other so Hayes slugs away where he can. Dijak catches Hayes with a rather high chokebreaker but Corbin hits a clothesline. Hayes is back up with a springboard clothesline but Dijak pulls him out of the air.

A big toss sends Hayes flying, leaving Corbin and Dijak to slug it out again. Hayes’ springboard double DDT plants them both for two each and we take a break. Back with Corbin suplexing Dijak before dropping Hayes for two. Corbin takes Hayes outside for a Death Valley Driver as the fans declare this awesome.

Dijak kicks Corbin off the apron and takes him back inside for High Justice. Hayes superkicks Dijak for two and the slugout is on. One heck of a big boot gives Dijak two on Hayes and they go to the corner. Corbin breaks up a superbomb but Hayes is right there to turn it into a Tower Of Doom. Corbin knocks Hayes to the floor and plants Dijak with End of Days. Hayes gives Corbin Nothing But Net though and steals the pin at 12:37.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t really feeling this one and it didn’t get to the great level that they seemed to be shooting for. If nothing else, all of the superkicks and one on one segments got a bit annoying and the idea of Hayes vs. Dragunov III isn’t overly appealing. It wasn’t a bad match, but it didn’t exactly reach that top level.

Lyra Valkyria looks at a picture of Becky Lynch and says it’s in one week. Jade Cargill pops up on a screen and points at her wrist like a watch.

Overall Rating: C. Maybe it was coming off of last week’s huge show but this one didn’t exactly come off great. There were some good matches and it helped set up Halloween Havoc, which should be a much bigger show next week. For now though, this was just kind of a there show with some nice parts included. Just get to the big stuff though, as it needs to be an upgrade over this week.

Results
Chase U and Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza won a tag team battle royal
Chase U b. Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza – Rollup to Garza
Karmen Petrovic b. Jaida Parker – Leg choke
Lyra Valkyria b. Tegan Nox – Spinning kick to the head
Shotzi b. Kiana James – Top rope backsplash
Arianna Grace b. Brinley Reece – Flipping faceplant
Carmelo Hayes b. Baron Corbin and Dijak – End of Days to Dijak

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 NEW! SmackDown Star’s Interference Causes Monday Night Raw Title Change.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/new-smackdown-stars-interference-causes-monday-night-raw-title-change/

All In: Fatal Five Way Title Match Officially Set For WWE Crown Jewel.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/fatal-five-way-title-match-officially-set-wwe-crown-jewel/

They Got There: WWE Gets Some Great News For Survivor Series.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/got-wwe-gets-great-news-survivor-series/

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (featuring news stories written by ME).

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 16, 2023
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Wade Barrett

It’s the season premiere, which comes off of last week’s season finale, as the idea of seasons in wrestling is still weird. One of the big attractions this week is Judgment Day getting their rematch for the Tag Team Titles against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso, which could be a heck of a showdown. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Sami Zayn to get things going. After welcoming us to the season premiere, Sami says it feels a little weird to be out here by himself. His brother and partner has been moved to Smackdown and he is obviously very sad that their partnership has ended this way. He is excited for Owens though because he knows Owens will do huge things on Smackdown. He’s excited for himself too, because now he gets to stand on his own two feet.

It’s time to prove that he is a World Heavyweight Champion level superstar, which the fans seem to find accurate. There is an elephant in the room though and that is due to the arrival of Jey Uso. It took Owens and Zayn years to get to the highest point but then they had to deal with Judgment Day. Now they’re getting a Tag Team Title shot tonight, but Zayn wants to thank the fans for getting him here.

Cue Judgment Day to interrupt, with Damian Priest bragging about who they’ve gotten rid of around here. Rhea Ripley cuts him off and talks about how they would recruit lost wrestlers and give them directions. In Zayn’s case though, they want to get rid of him permanently. The team surrounds him but Jey Uso runs in with a pair of chairs to even things up a lot. Finn Balor calls the team off and Sami leaves, not looking completely pleased with Jey.

We look at Shinsuke Nakamura and Ricochet getting in a fight last week, with Nakamura possibly costing him an Intercontinental Title shot.

Nakamura gives us another subtitled video about how he is going to smash Ricochet like a fly.

Jey Uso catches up with Sami Zayn in the back and asks if they’re cool. Sami says he needs a minute to think because even though Jey made the save, all he was thinking was that it should have been Kevin Owens making the save. Owens isn’t here and it’s because of Jey, even though Zayn wants him to be happy. Jey has the momentum and the titles and Sami has nothing and it’s because Jey is here. Jey says Sami has him and walks off. Sami shoves a ladder over and catches up to Jey, apologizing for what he said. He offers a handshake but Jey hugs him instead.

Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Falls Count Anywhere and Ricochet kicks him to the floor before the bell. They get inside with Nakamura kicking him in the head, setting up the reverse exploder for two. The Recoil gives Ricochet the same and a triangle dropkick puts Nakamura on the floor. That sets up a big twisting flip dive to drop Nakamura for two and they fight up to the stage.

That means a trip to the gorilla position, where Ricochet flips over Nakamura and hits a knee to the face for two. They come back to the stage, where Nakamura gets his knees up to block a standing moonsault. We take a break and come back with Ricochet climbing a balcony (where he half hugs a fan) and then shooting stars onto Nakamura and a bunch of security.

They head back to ringside and it’s time for a table….and nunchucks. Ricochet shrugs that off (because nunchucks) and kicks him down inside, setting up a springboard 450 for two. Nakamura cuts him off on top though and sends him crashing through the table at ringside. Kinshasa finishes Ricochet at 13:43.

Rating: B. This was what it needed to be, as it was a display of violence between two guys who have a reason to be mad at each other. Nakamura gets a nice win to put him back on track, though I could have gone with Ricochet winning to establish him as a bit of a bigger star. Still though, rather hard hitting match though and that’s what it needed to be.

Piper Niven and Chelsea Green interrupt a group of women who are standing around not doing much. Green says she and Nox are best friends, though Nox points out that Niven ordered them to be a team. Green doesn’t want to hear it but Nox threatens her away. Niven seems to threaten Nox on the way.

Video on Imperium.

Piper Niven vs. Natalya

Chelsea Green is here with Niven. Natalya tries an early rollup before going with a basement dropkick for two more. Niven manages a ram into the buckle though and Natalya crashes out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Niven missing a backsplash and getting…not hit with a basement dropkick, which thankfully Niven doesn’t sell. Niven’s basement crossbody misses as well and Natalya hits the discus lariat for two. That’s enough for Niven, who runs Natalya over and hits the basement crossbody for the pin at 6:27. Not enough shown to rate but Natalya worked well trying to fight the monster.

Post match Green comes in for the beatdown but Tegan Nox runs in for the save.

Damian Priest and Finn Balor want to take out Drew McIntyre but Dominik Mysterio doesn’t seem to like the idea. Rhea Ripley comes up after a phone call, saying she was handling Judgment Day business, as usual. She has Shayna Baszler on her own tonight too.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat. Rollins recaps last week with the Crown Jewel title match against Drew McIntyre being set up, plus McIntyre saving him from a Money In The Bank cash-in. Cue McIntyre, with Rollins asking if McIntyre has been getting himself a little help. We see a clip of McIntyre and Rhea Ripley talking in the background last week.

McIntyre says first of all, he isn’t a thirsty creep like Jey Uso and Ripley came up to him. Second of all, what they were talking about is none of Rollins’ business and he should be worried about McIntyre taking his title. Rollins says no one is doing that to him but McIntyre needs to worry about stepping up in the big moment. McIntyre talks about the Bloodline costing him but Rollins tells him to GET OVER IT.

We hear about McIntyre stepping up during the pandemic when WWE needed it. Then he had his chance again in front of 50,000 people but the Bloodline cost him the title. Rollins says he understands what McIntyre is going though as he spent four years trying to get back to the top of the mountain. McIntyre is pointing fingers and making excuses and it won’t get him anywhere. When Rollins beats him at Crown Jewel, it will be the best thing to happen to him, because McIntyre will have no one to blame but himself. This was a good exchange and got more to the core of McIntyre’s issues, with Rollins calling him out for his whining.

Video on Bronson Reed.

Johnny Gargano vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Giovanni Vinci is here too but Tommaso Ciampa is injured after last week’s Imperium attack. Gargano starts fast but Kaiser kicks the knee out to take over. Kaiser knocks him down again and we take an early break. Back with Gargano fighting out of a chinlock and hitting the rolling kick to the head.

A springboard swinging Downward Spiral gives Gargano two and the Cheeky Nandos Kick connects. The sunset bomb gives Gargano two more and Willow’s Bell rocks Kaiser again. One Final Beat connects but Kaiser pokes Gargano in the eye. Gargano goes after Vinci but the distraction lets Kaiser kick him in the face. A twisting DDT finishes Gargano at 9:51.

Rating: C+. They’re playing up the idea that Gargano needs help to fight Imperium and losing to the numbers game isn’t the worst way to go. DIY vs. Imperium can be a big showdown when they get the chance, though I’m really not sure about having Gargano lose in his first match back. He doesn’t have the strongest reputation in the world on the main roster and this isn’t going to help things, cheating or not.

Indi Hartwell asks Becky Lynch for an NXT Women’s Title shot. Becky is cool with that and says she’ll go get it set up. As Becky leaves, she runs into Rhea Ripley for a staredown. Ripley smiles and walks away, with Becky saying something about being Becky Two Belts.

Drew McIntyre comes up to Sami Zayn and isn’t happy with him instantly forgiving Jey Uso earlier. That’s the right hand man of the Bloodline and Zayn just easily forgave him. Zayn doesn’t like that and we get a match set up between the two of them for next week.

Rhea Ripley vs. Shayna Baszler

Non-title. Before the match, Ripley says that no matter what, this is her division and Mami will always be on top. Baszler takes her to the mat with a quickly broken ankle lock but Ripley gets up and unloads in the corner. With that not working, Baszler takes her down by the arm and starts stomping. Ripley is back up with a spinning back elbow for a breather.

They go into the slugout with Baszler snapping off a German suplex. Baszler hits a knee to the face for two but Ripley knocks her back again. A missile dropkick of all things drops Baszler and Ripley loads up Riptide. That’s countered into a cross armbreaker (that was cool) but Ripley powerbombs her way out of trouble. Cue Nia Jax but Raquel Rodriguez and Zoey Stark pop up to take her down. Stark comes in and decks Ripley for the DQ at 5:35.

Rating: C+. This was good while it lasted but then the last minute plus was focusing on everything at ringside. Jax showing up took a lot of the fun out of this one and it didn’t get any better. As usual, Baszler is treated like someone who happens to be there as well and that gets annoying in a hurry.

Post match Ripley calls Jax in for the fight and Stark/Ripley beat Jax down, only for Stark to break up a slam and clear the ring. They’ve got something here

Becky Lynch gets a match with Indi Hartwell next week, per Shawn Michaels’ approval. Xia Li comes in to say she wants a shot too. Becky says say the word, but Li says on her time. Then why did she come in? Anyway here is Jade Cargill, with Becky telling her to get in line. Becky leaves and Cargill calls her funny.

Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso are ready for the main event.

Intercontinental Title: Bronson Reed vs. Gunther

Gunther, with Imperium, is defending. Reed powers out of the corner to start and staggers Gunther with a shoulder. That’s fine with Gunther, who boots him in the face twice in a row. Reed comes back out with a knockdown of his own, setting up a splash in the corner. They head outside with Gunther powering him into the apron, setting up the sleeper back inside. That’s broken up and Reed drops him on the apron, setting up the running shoulder to drop Gunther as we take a break.

Back with Reed winning a slugout, setting up a nasty Death Valley Driver for two. Gunther’s big clothesline gets two so he goes up top, only to get superplexed down for the huge crash. The Tsunami misses though and Gunther clotheslines him down. The top rope splash only gives Gunther two and he can’t believe the kickout. With nothing else working, Gunther hits the powerbomb to retain the title at 12:39.

Rating: B. I’ve said this before but there is something about building up a match between two monsters who are going to hit each other really hard. That’s exactly what you go there as it was a question of which one was going to manage to survive, which is how Gunther felt in the end. Reed didn’t feel like a major threat to win the title, but my goodness it was a heck of a fight on the way there.

Miz complains about being put on the third hour of the show and thinks Nick Aldis should take over Raw. Nia Jax comes in and says she’s still taking everyone’s best shot and looking pretty. No one has taken her best shot because she does the squashing around here. Miz isn’t pleased but we’re out of time for him.

Rhea Ripley comes in to see Adam Pearce and tells him to get the women’s division in line. Pearce is tired of threats so it’s a five way match for the title at Crown Jewel. Ripley isn’t happy and says she’ll eradicate them all. With Ripley gone, Jinder Mahal and Indus Sher come in to say they want to talk.

The Alpha Academy, with Akira Tozawa, is doing Pilates, when New Day comes in. Gyrations occur and a match is made for next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Logan Paul.

We look at the opening of Kofi Kingston’s children’s library and digital center in Ghana to help with education. That’s awesome.

Gunther is proud of Ludwig Kaiser for his win tonight. Giovanni Vinci on the other hand, didn’t accomplish his goal. Gunther saw Johnny Gargano walking around tonight, so next week, he wants Gargano stretchered out. It’s Kaiser’s responsibility.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso

Rhodes and Uso are defending. We’re joined in progress with Cody working on Balor’s arm and handing it off to Uso to do the same. Uso gets low bridged to the floor and it’s a backbreaker/elbow combination for two back inside. A quick escape allows the tag back to Cody, who hits a pair of powerslams. Cue Dominik Mysterio for a distraction but Uso superkicks Balor to break up 1916.

Cody hits Cross Rhodes on Priest but Dominik puts the foot on the ropes. Balor hits a dropkick on the floor and we take a break. Back with Cody snapping off the leg hands but Priest kicks him in the head. Cody manages to get over to Jey for the tag and the pace picks up. The Cody 1D hits Balor for two but Priest hits a chokeslam to put Cody onto the apron. Dominik shoves Uso off the top so Balor can roll him up for two.

Cue Sami Zayn to jump Dominik so Cody throws Priest over the barricade. Balor breaks up the tag though and it’s a double clothesline to put Uso and Balor down. Priest is back with a low blow to Cody and the toss Razor’s Edge puts Cody through the announcers’ table. Jey dives onto Priest but gets caught by Balor’s Sling Blade. Balor hits the shotgun dropkick but misses the Coup de Grace. Uso spears Balor and gives Priest another one before loading up the Superfly Splash. Cue Jimmy Uso to superkick Jey, allowing Balor to hit the Coup de Grace and win the titles back at 14:00.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t quite as good as the Fastlane match but they got things rolling by the end. There is definitely chemistry between these teams and it was a big time feel with the title change. I’m not sure what this is going to mean for Jimmy vs. Jey going forward, but it would not surprise me to see them getting a showdown at Crown Jewel. For now though, the title change is big enough.

Judgment Day poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show felt like a big deal and it was nice to see a bunch of stories advanced with an important moment at the end. There was nothing bad (save for maybe the ending to Ripley vs. Baszler) on the show and the matches were good to pretty good on the low end. I had a fun time with this show and it was one of the better Raw’s in awhile. WWE is starting to heat up again and that’s great timing as the important season is around the corner.

Results
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Ricochet – Kinshasa
Piper Niven b. Natalya – Basement crossbody
Ludwig Kaiser b. Johnny Gargano – Twisting DDT
Rhea Ripley b. Shayna Baszler via DQ when Zoey Stark interfered
Gunther b. Bronson Reed – Powerbomb
Judgment Day b. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso – Coup de Grace to Uso

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

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

AND

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 13, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

Things did not exactly stay interesting last week as it was one of the less engaging shows I can remember from around here in a long time. That is the kind of show I would hope to be a random one off but that is not exactly likely around here. Maybe they’ve got something this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ivy Nile vs. Kiyah Saint

Commentary is VERY enthusiastic about Saint’s resume, even as Nile shoulders her down to start. Nile runs her over again for two and we hit the front facelock. A gutwrench suplex gives Nile two but Saint is back up with a sunset flip. Saint gets her down and cranks on both arms until Nile fights up. Some forearms cut Nile back down though and a running knee in the corner gets two. Nile is back with a German suplex out of the corner and a crucifix into the Diamond Chain Lock finishes Saint at 6:48.

Rating: C+. Saint got in WAY more than I would have expected here, which has me thinking that WWE is expecting more out of her in the future. Nile is one of the bigger names that regularly appears around here and it’s no surprise that she got another win. I would say my usual thing about hoping she gets to do more, but after saying it for months, the hope is kind of gone.

Axiom is impressed by Riley Osbourne but is going to have to make him wait a bit longer for his next win.

Axiom vs. Riley Osbourne

Axiom takes him down by the arm to start as the fans seem a bit split here. Osbourne takes him down with a test of strength for some near falls before they trade monkey flips. Back up and Axiom sends him outside, only to be sent into the corner back inside. Osbourne grabs a chinlock back inside but Axiom fights up in a hurry and scores with a dropkick.

Osbourne snaps off a running hurricanrana for two but Axiom wins a slugout. They crash out to the floor, where Osbourne hits a 619 from the apron. Axiom knocks him down so Osbourne has to dive back in, where Axiom is waiting with a frog splash for the pin (though Osbourne’s shoulder might have been up) at 8:21.

Rating: B-. That was one of the best matches I’ve seen around here in months as this was all about two people getting to showcase themselves with a little more time than usual. Axiom has shown that he can hang with anyone but Osbourne got a chance to shine here as well. Heck of a match between these two and I’m glad to see them get such a chance.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This week’s show was a bit shorter than most shows and if that included two matches of higher quality than usual, I can certainly take it. The main event was a good match and the opener was good enough, making this one of the best shows they’ve had in a pretty long time. Odds are this was different because of the special edition of NXT this week, but I can go for a special LVL Up as well.

Results
Ivy Nile b. Kiyah Saint – Diamond Chain Lock
Axiom b. Riley Osbourne – Frog splash

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.