WWF Boston House Show – June 27, 1986: The Trash Should Explain It

WWF House Show
Date: June 27, 1986
Location: Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 14,348
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Okerlund

Welcome to “I feel like watching some 80s wrestling”, as we have a house show from almost three months after Wrestlemania II. This is a bit of a strange time for the WWF, as Hulk Hogan is ruling the world and there are good feuds beneath him, but he is going to need a big challenger to come after the title. That might be taken care of tonight. Let’s get to it.

Gorilla and Gene welcome us to the show and run down the top of the card.

Based on cards I can find, this show is not in the same order that it aired, but I can’t imagine it makes that much of a difference.

Les Thornton/Tiger Chung Lee vs. US Express

Unfortunately this is the Dan Spivey version of the Express. Thornton and Rotundo start things off and Thornton drops him with a running shoulder. Rotundo pulls him down into a headscissors as Gene talks about a recent golf outing. With that broken up, it’s off to Spivey to headlock Lee over. Spivey grinds away a bit but Lee gets in a shot of his own, allowing Thornton to come back in. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Spivey powers up, only to get caught in a front facelock.

Commentary talks about some of the great teams at the moment, including Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff and George Steele/Junkyard Dog. I question commentary’s definition of “great” as Spivey gets taken down again. Lee comes in for a slam, only to get slammed off the top for his efforts. Rotundo comes in to finally pick up the pace, including a legdrop between Lee’s legs.

We lose the camera feed for a bit before coming back to Lee driving Rotundo into the corner so things can slow right back down. Thornton grabs a chinlock until Rotunda fights up, only to have Lee offer a distraction so the tag doesn’t count. Rotundo finally kicks him away and brings in Spivey for the house cleaning. A backdrop into a jumping elbow gets two but Lee gets dropkicked out to the floor. Back in and it’s Rotundo getting caught in the corner AGAIN as this match just won’t end. This beating doesn’t last as long as it’s back to Spivey for the bulldog to finish Thornton at 12:17.

Rating: D. Oh sweet goodness this was boring and I have no idea why it went on this long. It’s a match where you could cut the time in half and do the same thing that much better. The Spivey version of the Express didn’t work out very well and you could tell that the team was on the downside here. The action was slow and uninteresting and I was begging for it to end, making the last five minutes rather awful. Terrible choice for an opener.

Tony Atlas vs. Harley Race

Race has only been around here full time for about a month and a half now. They trade headlocks to start, with Atlas grinding him down to his knees. Back up and Race tries a headbutt but goes down to the power of racial stereotypes. We’re right back to the headlock but this time they fall outside, with Atlas being knocked over the barricade.

Atlas takes his sweet time coming back inside so Race suplexes him back in for two. Back up and Atlas grabs a suplex of his own, only to miss an elbow. Race puts him down with a swinging neckbreaker and drops some elbows. A dropkick gets Atlas out of trouble and a middle rope headbutt puts Race down again. The splash hits knees though and a sunset flip finishes for Race at 8:27.

Rating: C-. Well, it was better than the opener, at least partially because it was a bit shorter. Atlas came off as confused more than anything else, as he spent a lot of time standing around, allowing Race to either move or block it. Race is of course able to have a good match with just about anyone and he was holding it together until they finally just stopped.

King Tonga vs. Pete Doherty

Tonga is the future Haku/Meng and is currently owed $50,000 for slamming Big John Studd, which he does not seem likely to collect. Doherty is a local heel who was a bit of a mainstay around Boston and even did commentary on some of these shows. Tonga powers him around to start and Doherty is complaining about a non-existent hair pull.

Back up and Tonga kicks him away before glaring Doherty off for trying a ram into the buckle. Doherty has a breather on the floor before coming back inside to miss a charge in the corner. Tonga hammers away and hits a dropkick, followed by a superkick. A flying headbutt finishes Doherty at 4:20.

Rating: C. This was little more than a squash as Tonga ran over him and Doherty got in a grand total of nothing. That being said, that’s kind of the point of someone like Doherty, who was never going to be any kind of a threat to anyone. Tonga was at least a more interesting star and someone who moved around better than almost anyone else on the show so far, though that isn’t a high bar to clear.

Moondog Spot vs. Pedro Morales

They lock up as Gorilla talks about his matches with Bruno Sammartino here in the Garden. Morales starts fast with some backdrops and Spot needs a breather. We pause for Spot to yell at the fans before he grabs a not exactly cranked on headlock. Morales breaks that up without much effort and they stare at each other a bit more.

Spot gets in a shot of his own though and the chinlock goes on. Said chinlock is about as lazy as you can imagine but it stays on for a good while. Morales fights up and gets a sunset out of the corner for no count, allowing Spot to punch him in the face. Not that it matters as Morales small packages him for two, followed by an O’Connor roll for the pin on Spot at 7:27.

Rating: D. Is the WWF mad at Boston for some reason? There have been four matches so far and the best one has been ok at best. Morales is a legend and the fans are going to respond to him, but how interested can you get in a few punches and some rollups? Spot was even worse though, making this another lame match in a show long series of them so far.

Ricky Steamboat vs. Jake Roberts

Ok this HAS to be better. Steamboat chases him to the floor and the fight starts out there as they don’t quite like each other. They get back inside with Steamboat being sent inside but easily blocking a DDT attempt. With Roberts on the floor again, the referee almost hits Steamboat, with commentary NOT being happy with such an action.

Back in and Steamboat sends Roberts into the corner and is rather fired up. Roberts gets tied up in the ropes and hammered some more, only to break free and drop Steamboat with a hard right hand. A clothesline and a heck of a whip into the corner have Steamboat down and Roberts says hit him. Not one to be rude, Steamboat slugs away but gets punched down again as Roberts wants to box.

Steamboat is knocked through the ropes and barely hangs on from crashing out to the floor. Back in and Roberts grabs the sleeper, which he switches into a chinlock to avoid drowsiness. With Steamboat fighting up, Roberts slams him down and hammers away some more. The referee breaks that up as well and commentary still isn’t pleased.

It’s time for the snake but it takes too long, meaning Roberts has to try/miss a running knee lift. A neckbreaker drops Roberts again and Steamboat does it a second time for a bonus. Back up and Roberts hits the knee lift, sending Steamboat outside again. Roberts follows him out but gets posted and sent inside….as Steamboat is counted out at 13:28.

Rating: B. I’m not sure if it was the anger between the two of them or the fact that the show has been so dull until now but this was a rather good match. They were beating each other up and Roberts felt like he was tormenting Steamboat and trying to hurt him at the same time. On the other hand you have Steamboat getting ticked off and fighting back, which is something he does rather well in his own right. Rather strong stuff here, as most of their feud wound up being.

Post match Steamboat stays on him, even sending Roberts into the barricade to bust him open. Back in and the referee has to drag Steamboat off so Roberts can escape.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage

Hogan is defending and Savage’s (with Miss Elizabeth) Intercontinental Title (which he isn’t carrying) isn’t on the line. Savage jumps Hogan from behind and gets in a belt shot to the back to start rather fast. The top rope ax handle has Hogan in more trouble but Liz gets up on the apron for some reason, allowing Hogan to pop up and start throwing the right hands.

Hogan even takes Savage’s sunglasses and hammers away while wearing stolen property. Savage is sent outside and rammed shoulder first into the post to keep him in trouble. Back in and Hogan drops him again as the fans are rather pleased with these happenings. Liz runs to the back for some reason as Hogan chokes Savage in the air to make it worse.

Hogan hits a suplex and Savage’s arm gets tied in the ropes. That’s fine with Hogan, who bites away (what a monster), only to get sent outside. Savage comes off the top with an ax handle to the floor, allowing Hogan to adjust his trunks a bit. Back in and Savage hits the top rope elbow (to no reaction from commentary) for two, as it’s Hulk Up time. All of the usual sets up the legdrop to retain the title at 7:13.

Rating: C+. Stolen property and attempted cannibalism aside, this wasn’t exactly a classic but Hogan vs. Savage is always worth a look. The most telling part though was the non-reaction to the top rope elbow, as the Intercontinental Champion hitting his finisher had almost no chance of beating Hogan. That’s how big Hogan was at this point and it was rather telling for what was going to be the reality of this feud for, well, ever.

Post match Adrian Adonis comes in to beat on Hogan, who fights off both villains (Adonis’ bra is exposed). Hogan even takes Adonis’ wig as the parade of thefts continues. A lot of posing ensues.

Moondog Rex vs. Billy Jack Haynes

They take their time before locking up, with Haynes grabbing a headlock to take over. Rex powers up and gets in a cheap shot in the corner, only to have the referee block another one so Haynes can take over (commentary still isn’t pleased). Haynes grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back (a rare sight from the good guy), which is broken up with a quick belly to back. A backbreaker stays on the back as Haynes starts staggering around. Rex grabs his own chinlock before missing his own elbow, allowing Haynes to slug away. A dropkick….I think misses Rex (now busted open a bit), but Haynes slaps on the full nelson for the win at 6:08.

Rating: C-. It was better than the other Moondog match, but there were a few parts there where they didn’t quite seem to be on the same page. Haynes was a decent power guy with a good full nelson but there is only so much that he could do. At least it was short, which is rarely a high compliment for any match and it isn’t here either.

King Kong Bundy vs. Junkyard Dog

Bundy bails from the threat of a chain because, you know, it’s a chain. Gorilla says we’re in for a classic, suggesting that he doesn’t know the definition of the word “classic”. They hit the stall button for over a minute before Bundy drives him into the corner for a clean break (though the referee yells at Dog for a bit). Bundy knocks him down but misses the elbow, allowing Dog to fire off the elbows to the head.

After a quick trip tot he floor, Bundy comes back in so he can win a slugout. The splash misses but so does Dog’s headbutt as we’re getting some trash thrown inside. Bundy takes him into the corner for a short form splash, plus a chain shot to the ribs as more trash is coming in. More choking ensues as the referee takes some trash to the head.

Dog slugs back, reaches for the missing chain, and then punches some more. Dog finally grabs the chain and Bundy bails, leaving the referee to yell at Dog again. The chain is put back in the corner and they lock up again. Bundy pulls the chain in but gets headbutted, leaving Dog to toss the referee with the chain for the DQ at 7:39.

Rating: D. Not only was it a bad match, but the fans completely gave up on it about halfway through. Throw in a bad ending (along with the trash) and this was just horrible. I’m not sure what was going on here but it really didn’t work in the slightest. It’s so strange to see the fans rebel against a match like that, though it’s kind of hard to argue against in this case.

Post match Dog beats up the referee again, including a Thump (powerslam). Commentary REALLY is not pleased here as the oddness continues.

Magnificent Muraco vs. Paul Orndorff

Rematch of the Wrestlemania II opener. Fuji goes over to say something the microphones can’t quite pick up on commentary as the referee gets some of the trash from the previous match out of the ring. They fight over a lockup and break it up against the ropes as this feels like they’re taking their time. Muraco shoves him away as we’re already over two minutes in.

Some knees to the head and ribs have Orndorff in trouble and a Hennig neck snap of all things makes it worse. Orndorff knocks him to the floor for a breather though and Muraco is perfectly fine with hitting the stall button again. Back in and Orndorff starts working on the arm as we hear about his football career. The arm cranking goes on for a bit as they might as well have the clock counting down to the time limit draw on one of the advertisement boards.

More trash comes in (and is kicked out much faster this time) as Orndorff keeps the armbar going. The arm cranking reaches about three straight minutes so Gene talks about people he met on a recent flight. Muraco FINALLY fights up and sends him into the corner, setting up….a nerve hold.

Back up and Muraco sends him into the corner again, setting up another nerve hold as you can hear the fans getting REALLY fed up. One piece of trash can be seen sailing in and almost hitting the camera as this is deserving all of the anger it gets. Orndorff fights up and hammers away, accidentally showing some life in this mess. A top rope elbow to the head and an elbow drop have Muraco in trouble and the slugout is on. Orndorff grabs a small package for two as the 20 minute time limit expires at 15:11.

Rating: F. Orndorff showed some fire at the end but this was two guys going out there and more or less taking the main event off after an already horrible show. This was terrible and made me want to see their already bad Wrestlemania match again, as they weren’t trying and made no secret whatsoever about it. Just dreadful

The referee says Orndorff wins and commentary goes off about how little sense that makes, even calling it a “miscarriage of justice” to show you how serious they really are.

Overall Rating: D-. When the third best match of the night is a King Tonga squash, you know you’re in serious trouble. Roberts vs. Steamboat was rather good and Hogan vs. Savage was fun enough, but that is the grand total of anything you might want to see on a show that runs almost two hours. The fans throwing so much trash into the ring that the referee can’t get rid of it fast enough tells you everything you need to know here, as this was one of the worst house shows I’ve ever seen and most of the people involved should have felt embarrassed by what they did out there. They won’t, but they should.

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.

Rampage – June 2, 2023: Ok That’s Different (And Very Good)

Rampage
Date: June 2, 2023
Location: Viejas Arena, San Diego, California
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

This is an interesting one as it’s more or less Battle Of The Belts but none of the titles are AEW championships. Instead we’re seeing Ring Of Honor, AAA, New Japan and New Japan Strong, which should certainly make for a big mixture of stuff. Other than that, we could use something being announced for Forbidden Door, which is about three weeks away. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

AAA Mega Title: Dralistico vs. Komander vs. El Hijo del Vikingo

Vikingo is defending and they all miss crossbodies, making it look more like a tackling drill than anything else. Dralistico sends them both outside for the big running flip dive and adds a springboard Swanton to Komander back inside. Komander is sent to the apron for a forearm and a top rope double stomp puts him on the floor. Vikingo is back up with the big springboard flip dive and the fans are rather pleased.

Back in and a springboard Phoenix splash gives Vikingo two on Dralistico. The two of them slug it out as Komander is on the floor until Vikingo hits a spinning kick to the face for a near fall. We take a break and come back with a table set up at ringside as Komander hits a double springboard spinning hurricanrana to Vikingo. Dralistico is armdragged to the floor and there’s the big rope run flip dive to leave Komander as the only one standing.

Back in and a 450 gives Komander two on Dralistico with Vikingo making a save. A springboard spinning poisonrana plants Komander and Vikingo puts him on the table for the big step up springboard 630. Dralistico loads up a powerbomb on Vikingo, who reverses into a hurricanrana for the pin to retain at 10:06.

Rating: B. Take three high fliers and let them do their thing for a little while. It was mainly just a collection of spots but Vikingo’s stuff is always worth a look. That being said, as entertaining as it was, it still feels like something we’ve seen several times before. If nothing else, Komander hasn’t exactly held up well, though Dralistico looked better here than he ever has in AEW.

We recap Karen Jarrett hitting referee Aubrey Edwards with a chair.

Jeff Jarrett and company insist that there will be no suspensions over this whole thing. Mark Briscoe comes in to agree that there won’t be and tells Jay Lethal to shut up. Briscoe is talking to the Jarretts, with Aubrey coming in and the catfight starting.

New Japan Pro Wrestling TV Title: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Action Andretti

Sabre is defending. Feeling out process to start as the grappling goes to Sabre. Andretti climbs the ropes for a wristdrag into a dropkick to put the champ down, setting up a springboard corkscrew splash for two. Back up and Sabre grabs a cross armbreaker in the ropes, followed by twisting the arm around to increase the pain. Andretti tries to chop his way out of the armbar but gets pulled down into a Disarm-Her.

A suplex gets Andretti out of another armbar though and Andretti hits a springboard kick to the face for two. Andretti puts him on top for a super hurricanrana before loading up the torture rack neckbreaker. Sabre counters that with a choke (that’s rather clever) so Andretti plants him with a poisonrana instead. The split legged moonsault gets two on Sabre but he pulls Andretti into a Rings of Saturn (with the legs for a bigger than usual OUCH) for the tap at 10:15.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but wound up being a better match than I would have expected. I don’t think there was exactly much drama about a title change here but Andretti’s athleticism was enough to keep things from getting dull. I could still watch Sabre pull people into painful holds all day and that was on full display here.

NJPW Strong Women’s Championship: Willow Nightingale vs. Emi Sakura

Sakura is challenging and shrugs off Willow’s running shoulder. A suplex works better for Willow and she chops away in some corners. Willow is sent to the apron and a running crossbody to the ribs puts her on the floor. Sakura sends her into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Willow hitting a middle rope dropkick for two but Sakura rolls her up for the same. Some exchanges of clotheslines goes nowhere but Willow misses one, allowing Sakura to hit a hard clothesline for the double knockdown. Sakura faceplants her but Nightingale is right back with a heck of a Pounce. The Cannonball in the corner gives Willow two, followed by the Babe With The Powerbomb to retain at 9:52.

Rating: B. They beat each other up rather well and Willow’s power game continues to work well. There’s something cool about having someone so adorable being such a monster when she gets serious. Sakura can hang with anyone and is known enough to be a serious threat, but this was about giving Willow a nice showcase, which she needed after finally winning something.

Video on Lee Moriarty vs. Katsuyori Shibata so Mark Henry can say his catchphrase.

Pure Rules Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Moriarty, with Big Bill, is challenging. They go to the mat for some grappling to start with Shibata taking over, sending Moriarty over for his first rope break. Moriarty wins a battle of the clotheslines and we take a break. Back with Moriarty caught in a Figure Four and using the second rope break to escape.

Moriarty elbows in the back of the neck but Shibata sends him into the corner. The running dropkick sets up a suplex for two as Moriarty can’t keep any momentum. The chinlock goes on but Moriarty uses his third rope break (which might have been a mistake). Moriarty grabs a Border City Stretch but Shibata slips out. A shot to the face sets up a sleeper into the PK to retain the title at 9:11.

Rating: B-. Shibata didn’t quite squash him but it wasn’t much beyond that. Shibata ran Moriarty over here and shrugged off everything that Moriarty threw at him. The title continues to be little more than lining up a new target for the champion to beat until a new challenger is set up, which works well in small doses. It helps that Shibata is rather good at this style, so outside of some serious cheating, it’s hard to imagine him losing anytime soon.

Post match Daniel Garcia comes out for the staredown with Shibata to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. While I still don’t get the appeal of having everything BUT AEW titles defended, I can go with this as a one off idea. If nothing else, it was a completely different idea and felt like something worth seeing rather than Rampage’s regular offerings. If AEW isn’t going to use Rampage in any meaningful way, throw something like this out there and have some fun instead. The fact that there wasn’t a bad match in sight made it even better. I wouldn’t want to see this every week, but for a one off, I’ll absolutely take this.

Results
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Dralistico and Komander – Hurricanrana to Dralistico
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Action Andretti – Rings Of Saturn
Willow Nightingale b. Emi Sakura – Babe With The Powerbomb
Katsuyori Shibata b. Lee Moriarty – PK

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.

Ring Of Honor TV – June 1, 2023: What’s That? A Point?

Ring Of Honor
Date: June 1, 2023
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back to what is considered a normal length show this week at just under two hours after last week’s almost three hour Super Sized show. Following last week, Athena is defending the Women’s Title against Kiera Hogan and the New Japan TV Title will be on the line as well. Just like it will be tomorrow night on Rampage. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The Infantry vs. The Kingdom

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is here with the Kingdom. The Infantry blocks the early double kicks to the ribs and it’s Taven getting caught in the wrong corner to start. Taven is right back with a springboard kick to the face to send Bravo outside and the Kingdom takes over. A brainbuster into Aurora Borealis gets two on Bravo and he’s able to get over for the tag to Dean. Maria offers a distraction though and it’s a quick Proton Pack to finish Dean at 3:45.

Rating: C. The Kingdom continues to be a team ready to move into the title scene but when you’re losing to Action Andretti/Darius Martin, a win over the Infantry isn’t going to mean much. They didn’t do badly here or anything, but beating the Infantry is hardly some big deal. I’m not sure why the Kingdom isn’t harder pushed, if nothing else to let Maria do the promos that have made her into such a great manager.

Trish Adora vs. Skye Blue

Adora goes with the power to start and runs Blue over, setting up a running kick to the face for two. Blue is right back with a spinning kick to the head but Adora backbreakers her out of the corner. The northern lights suplex gets two on Blue and Adora seems to load up an Air Raid Crash, only to stretch Blue instead. With that broken up, Blue hits a running knee and a running kick to the face for two of her own. Adora gets in a suplex and punches her down for two more. Lariat Tubman is loaded up but Blue reverses into Skyfall for the pin at 6:10.

Rating: C+. These two were working hard here and Blue gets another win. Commentary talked about how Adora was recently admitted to the New Japan USA Dojo, where she was taken down to the very basics. I would hope that doesn’t shine through in her television appearances, as Adora has so much charisma and a unique look/style that taking her down to pure basics would be quite the setback. For now though, things worked out well and these two had a nice match.

Dark Order vs. The Righteous/Stu Grayson

Uno punches Vincent down so it’s Grayson coming in….to punch Uno in the face. With Uno all upset, Silver comes in to take over on the again legal Vincent. Everything breaks down and Reynolds is shoved off the apron and into Dutch’s swinging Boss Man Slam on the floor. Back in and the Righteous/Grayson start taking turns on Reynolds, including a heck of a backdrop.

Reynolds armdrags his way to freedom though and the hot tag brings in Uno to clean house. It’s off to Silver, but Vincent sends Uno into him to take over. Silver is fine enough to suplex the rather large Dutch and it’s the Grayson vs. Uno showdown. Vincent breaks it up again and grabs a Russian legsweep. Dutch hits a big running flip dive onto Silver and Reynolds, leaving Uno to unload on Grayson. Uno fires off forearms in the corner, with Grayson telling him to finish it. Vincent makes the save though and it’s Knightfall to drop Uno, with Vincent stealing the pin on Uno at 9:16.

Rating: C+. The most important thing here is it was part of a story between the two sides. The Righteous have been after Grayson for a long time now and seem to have most of him, with the Knightfall being a big step away from the Dark Order. Now granted there are some big question marks still, such as WHY any of this is happening or why Uno wants to fight Grayson, but I’ll take this over one mostly random match after another.

Post match Uno crawls towards Grayson, who walks away but doesn’t seem happy about it.

Samoa Joe and Zack Sabre Jr. have a slightly tense discussion where they praise each other after last week’s match, but don’t seem to agree on which TV Champion is better. Maybe they’ll have to find out.

Promise Braxton vs. Diamante

Diamante backs her into the corner for an elbow to the face and a knee makes it worse. The shotgun dropkick gives Diamante two and she drives some shoulders into the ribs in the corner. Braxton gets in a few shots of her own and some running knees to the back of the head (basically a Meteora from behind) gets two. That’s enough for Diamante, who grabs an arm trap choke for the tap at 3:57.

Rating: C. I’ve heard worse ideas than pushing Diamante, who has some charisma in the ring and can back it up well enough. That choke was a nice finisher and if they give her a few more wins, she could start going somewhere. Braxton has been fine in her two appearances but they haven’t been anything noteworthy.

Brian Cage vs. Willie Mack

Prince Nana is here with Cage, who starts fast by pulling Mack away from the ropes for a crash. A Saito suplex drops Mack for two but he grabs a t-bone suplex for a breather. Mack sends him into the corner for the cannonball and it’s a Samoan drop to make it worse. The standing moonsault gets two and they trade strikes to the head. An exchange of German suplexes leave both of them down but it’s Mack up first. The Stunner into the frog splash gives Mack two but Cage blasts him with a discus lariat for the fast pin at 7:41.

Rating: C+. This was a pair of big, strong guys hitting each other really hard until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. That’s all you need on occasion and as luck would have it, that’s about as perfect of a use for Cage as you’re going to find. It was a nice showdown, though I could still go for Mack winning a bigger match every so often.

New Japan TV Title: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Rocky Romero

Sabre is defending. Feeling out process to start with Romero’s leg cranking not exactly working. Instead Romero grabs a running hurricanrana and snaps the arm across the top. The back to back dives connect but the back to back to back dive is caught in a cravate to put Romero in trouble. Back in and Sabre starts working on the arm but twists on the foot at the same time for a bonus.

With that broken up, Sabre switches to an ankle lock but Romero escapes that as well. The chops in the corner set up a springboard tornado DDT for two on the champ and Romero grabs an armbar over the ropes. Sabre reverses into a choke before slowly kicking Romero in the face. Romero’s jumping knee to the face but Sabre pulls him into a choke. They fight over various bars until Sabre switches to a cobra stretch for the tap to retain at 11:23.

Rating: B. This was the good Romero who was working the submissions and throwing in some strikes to keep Sabre on his toes. At the same time, Sabre was feeling it here with the submissions, and when he is rolling along with those, there is very little better to see in wrestling. Sabre is a machine when he is at his best and they had a rather awesome back and forth match here.

Action Andretti/Darius Martin vs. Workhorsemen

Martin takes Henry down to start until Henry scores with a kick to the face. Drake comes in to easily run Martin over but Martin is back with a dropkick. Andretti walks the corner with a wristdrag to Henry as the pace picks up. Drake comes back in and easily wins a chop off but Andretti slips over and gets the tag. Everything breaks down and a Downward Spiral/dropkick combination gets two on Andretti with Martin making the save. A missed charge in the corner sends Drake outside and a double fireman’s carry slam finishes Henry at 5:38.

Rating: C+. Another nice match here as Andretti and Martin continue to do well, though it is hard to imagine they are anything long term. Whether it is getting a title shot and likely losing or Dante coming back from his injury, the time window does not seem to be very wide. At the same time, the Workhorsemen are fine midcard heels, though them winning something would help them have some longer term value.

Post match the Workhorsemen won’t shake hands.

Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade vs. Shogun/Bryce Saturn/Jakob Austin Young

Penelope Ford is here with Sabin and company. It’s a brawl to start with the non-stars being thrown outside. The powerbomb/neckbreaker finishes Young at 44 seconds.

Angelico/Serpentico/Jack Cartwheel vs. Komander/Bandido/El Hijo del Vikingo

Luther is here with Angelico and company. Angelico elbows Komander down to start and is quickly headscissored out to the floor. Bandido comes in to forearm it out with Serpentico, setting up some legsweeps into a standoff. Vikingo and Cartwheel come in with Cartwheel being pulled out of the air, only to flip back to his feet.

Cartwheel takes him down and hits a slingshot spinning dive for two and everything breaks down. A big flip dive from Cartwheel takes Komander down and we settle down to Komander getting caught in the wrong corner back inside. Komander fights out though and fires off some elbows, setting up a not so smooth Code Red to Cartwheel.

The diving tag brings in Bandido to clean house and everything breaks down. Bandido and company hit a stereo triple dive, setting up a pop up dropkick for two on Cartwheel back inside. Bandido tosses Serpentico onto Luther and Komander gets to do the big rope walk dive. Vikingo’s 630 finishes Cartwheel at 9:14.

Rating: B-. This was the display of flips and dives that you knew was coming and it was certainly entertaining. Komander’s big running flip dive continues to lose its luster due to how long he spends setting it up, but Vikingo is hard to ignore with all of the insane things he can do. Then you have the rather well rounded Bandido and it made for an entertaining trio, especially with a good punching bag like Serpentico.

Pure Rules Title: Alex Coughlin vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata is defending. They go to the mat for some grappling to start but the threat of a cross armbreaker sends Coughlin to the ropes. A triangle choke sends Coughlin over for his second break so Shibata cranks on both arms at once. Coughlin uses his final rope break in less than four minutes so Shibata starts working on the leg for a change.

Somehow Coughlin, sitting on the mat, manages to grab a suplex and stand up to put Shibata down. A bridging fall away slam gives Coughlin two but Shibata triangle chokes him down again. Back up and Coughlin wins a slugout but Shibata grabs a choke. The PK retains the title at 8:54.

Rating: B-. So that’s a match that happened. Shibata did his usual stuff and looked good doing so while Coughlin’s power game was insane, with that suplex being on another level. They had the teacher vs. student story here but it never felt like they had any animosity. Coughlin going with raw power and intensity vs. Shibata’s skill and experience was a more interesting way to go, but it was only so interesting.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Kiera Hogan

Hogan is challenging and feels a bit more serious here. Athena hits her in the face to start and sends Hogan hard into the corner. A hard kick drops Hogan but she’s back up with a kick of her own. Athena twists her down by the arm to take over, meaning the bad arm can be sent into the barricade.

Back in and a hammerlock suplex keeps Hogan in trouble, setting up an armbar. A swinging backbreaker into double knees to the arm has Hogan in even more trouble and Athena grabs a Fujiwara armbar. Hogan rolls out so Athena puts her on top, only to shove Athena back down. The running hip attack in the corner sets up a tornado DDT for two on Athena but the arm gives out. Athena rolls her up and grabs the trunks for the retaining pin at 7:56.

Rating: C. Hogan got in a bit at the beginning and end but Athena mainly picked her apart without much trouble. Commentary may go overboard with a lot of stuff, but they’re absolutely right about Athena being on another level as of late. It’s not the deepest field, but Athena has long since been the best women’s wrestler in Ring Of Honor history. As commentary also said, get her some stronger competition already.

Post match Hogan goes after Athena again and grabs a chair, only to get dropkicked away. The big brawl is on as commentary says Hogan wasn’t dominated here. Were we watching the same match? Other than a few flurries at the start and finish, this was ALL Athena, with Hogan’s arm giving out after Athena worked it over. I’m sure we’ll get a rematch, but I’m not sure why we need one.

Overall Rating: C+. The show being shorter certainly helped as about two hours is a heck of a lot easier than about three hours. There wasn’t anything bad on here and the Sabre vs. Romero match was a lot of fun. I’m still not sure why we need a lot of these same people on the show so often (the Kingdom, Blue, Diamante, Cage, Martin/Andretti) as their matches aren’t exactly classics and they could be removed to let the show breathe, but why have a reasonable length show when you can have a long one I guess. Either way, nice enough show this week, but they need to have something to build towards and soon.

Results
The Kingdom b. The Infantry – Proton Pack to Dean
Skye Blue b. Trish Adora – Skyfall
Righteous/Stu Grayson b. Dark Order – Knightfall to Evil Uno
Diamante b. Promise Braxton – Arm trap choke
Brian Cage b. Willie Mack – Discus lariat
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Rocky Romero – Cobra stretch
Darius Martin/Action Andretti b. Workhorsemen – Double fireman’s carry slam to Henry
Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade b. Shotgun/Bryce Saturn/Jakob Austin Young – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Young
El Hijo del Vikingo/Komander/Bandido b. Serpentico/Jack Cartwheel/Angelico – 630 to Cartwheel
Katsuyori Shibata b. Alex Coughlin – PK
Athena b. Kiera Hogan – Rollup with trunks

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.

Smackdown – June 2, 2023: Down The Middle

Smackdown
Date: June 2, 2023
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Night Of Champions and while there wasn’t a big Smackdown title change, the major story came at the end, as Jimmy Uso superkicked Roman Reigns to seemingly remove himself from the Bloodline. Tonight just so happens to be the 1000 day celebration for Reigns’ Universal Title reign so we should be in for some fireworks. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night Of Champions if you need a recap.

Barrett and Cole welcome us to the show and throw us to a rather cool video on Roman Reigns, looking at his entire reign. The video includes a timeline as he rises up the ranks and passes various people and looks at some milestones. If there is one thing WWE knows how to do, it is look back at its own history.

Austin Theory is in the ring…and we look at Reigns retaining at Wrestlemania XXXVII, which was already looked at in the video.

Theory says this is the celebration of Reigns reaching 1000 days as Universal Champion. What is even more impressive than that though is if you combined his title reign with Reigns’ it would be 1,209 days. He’ll probably have his own 4000 day reign or so, especially if he is given challengers like Sheamus. For now though, he’ll introduce his partners for tonight, so here is Pretty Deadly to be rather happy about Theory.

Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly/Austin Theory

Holland jumps Prince to start and it’s quickly off to Wilson. Butch comes in as well but gets taken down into a chinlock. That doesn’t work for Butch who stomps on the fingers. The big kick misses though and it’s Theory coming in and wanting Sheamus (the fans agree). We take a break and come back with Butch in trouble and Theory getting to pose.

Butch DDTs his way out of trouble and it’s Sheamus coming in to clean house. A triple White Noise sets up the Brogue to Theory but Prince pulls him outside. Back to back drives drop the villains and we take another break. Back again with Sheamus hitting a top rope knee to the chest for two on Prince and everything breaks down.

We get a parade of strikes to the face until Butch is backdropped to the floor. Sheamus knees Theory in the face for two and Holland powers Pretty Deadly over. The triple forearms to the chest have the Brutes in even more control but Wilson and Prince switch places, setting up Spilled Milk to Holland. Theory gets the pin at 17:35.

Rating: B-. This got a good bit of time (maybe too much) and seems to wrap up Theory vs. Sheamus. Theory has already beaten Sheamus in a singles match and now he has beaten his team in a six man. Exactly what else is there for them to do at the moment? Pretty Deadly continues to be their goofy selves, but the Brutes could use a win sooner than later as the bad run continues.

We look back at Jimmy Uso turning on Roman Reigns and leaving the Bloodline at Night Of Champions.

Paul Heyman tells Solo Sikoa that he’s going to make sure the Usos aren’t here tonight.

We look at Seth Rollins beating AJ Styles to win the World Heavyweight Title at Night Of Champions.

AJ Styles (the birthday boy) is here and wants the OC to take out Hit Row.

Roman Reigns beat Brock Lesnar to retain at Summerslam 2022.

Hit Row vs. OC

All of their associates are here and apparently this is over a Hit Row rap about the OC. Hit Row jumps them to start and it’s Adonis taking over on Anderson with a chinlock. AJ/Michin argue with B Fab on the floor, followed by Anderson hitting a spinebuster to get a breather. Gallows comes in to clean house, including a suplex to Adonis. The Magic Killer gives Anderson the pin at 2:58.

Post match Top Dolla goes after the OC, earning himself a Phenomenal Forearm.

Paul Heyman comes in to see Adam Pearce, who says the Usos’ travel has been canceled and there is double security. Heyman calls Reigns, whose locker room he was in about five minutes ago.

Breaking News: Seth Rollins defends against Damian Priest on Raw.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect, with new Raw Women’s Champion Asuka as the special guest. We look at Asuka defeating Bianca Belair to win the title at Night Of Champion, allowing Asuka to do her celebratory dance. Waller says he couldn’t have said it better himself and points to the Money in the Bank briefcases. Asuka has to know that Belair is coming for her, but here is Iyo Sky to yell at Asuka.

Cue Bayley (Cole: “There go the ratings.”) to says she’s won before so she’ll win again. Then it’s Shotzi, Lacey Evans (looking like Sgt. Slaughter mixed with Rhea Ripley) and Zelina Vega interrupting and promising to win. The arguing is on, with Waller declaring it the best day of his life, but Asuka slips away. Cue Belair for the brawl to end this really, really bad segment. It was a bunch of people coming out to say “I’ll win!/No I’ll win!/NO I’LL WIN!” until they ran out of women.

We look at Baron Corbin going after the NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes on NXT.

Cameron Grimes will be waiting whenever Corbin gets back.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Zelina Vega vs. Lacey Evans

Evans punched her during the break so Vega is rocked. An early slingshot Bronco Buster hits Vega and the chinlock is on. Evans even swings her around to make it worse before going with the normal thing. Vega fights up and sends her into the corner, setting up Code Red to finish Evans at 2:48. This was nothing.

Roman Reigns beat Sami Zayn this year at Elimination Chamber.

Legado del Fantasma praises Zelina Vega for winning her match. Escobar will do it next time and Rey Mysterio pops up to say they’ll win the briefcases.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: LA Knight vs. Montez Ford

They trade arm control to start and Knight doesn’t seem pleased. A shove off goes to Ford so Knight sends him to the apron for a hard forearm to the floor. Back from a break with Ford hitting a belly to back suplex but Knight knocks him down again. A springboard moonsault of all things misses for Knight and they clothesline each other down. Ford shoves him off the top but misses the Cash Out. Instead they trade rollups, with Knight grabbing the ropes for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C. Knight continues his singles winning streak and that should be a good sign for his future. At the end of the day, a win over Ford and a spot in the ladder match only gets you so far, but Knight has at least shaken off a lot of his loser persona. That is a big first step and if he does win the briefcase, it won’t feel like it comes so out of nowhere.

Video on Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, who speak a bunch of Latin and promise doom. They’re leaning way into the magic stuff here.

Roman Reigns retained at Wrestlemania XXXIX as well.

Here is HHH to introduce Roman Reigns for his 1000 day celebration. After comparing him to Michael Jordan, HHH brings out Reigns, with Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa. With Reigns in the ring, HHH unveils a new title belt, which is again the big WWE logo but with a gold background and mainly black around the strap. Reigns is about to tell Pennsylvania to acknowledge him but switches it to the entire WWE Universe. Cue the Usos to interrupt though, making that Adam Pearce segment from earlier rather worthless.

We take a break and come back with Jimmy Uso and Reigns staring each other down. Reigns to Jey Uso: “Kick him in the face.” Reigns tells him to do it right now like Jimmy did to him at Night Of Champions. He tells Jey to fix this, but Jimmy says Reigns is what needs fixing. Jimmy did what he did because he was being a brother. Jimmy talks to Sikoa and says Reigns will turn on him, drawing an USO chant.

Reigns says that’s because of him so let’s ask what Sikoa thinks. Sikoa acknowledges Reigns….but the Usos are his brothers. Sikoa goes to stand next to the Usos (the place goes NUTS for that) and Reigns/Heyman look scared. Jimmy says the Island of Relevancy is going to be lonely so Reigns goes for him, earning a shove in the face. Jey isn’t happy with what and we have to shut down the audio for the HOLY S*** chant.

Jey says he needs both of them and they can’t fight like this. Jimmy: “He’s right.” They’re all brothers and let’s do this together with respect like they’ve been doing. Reigns is thinking about it as Jimmy asks if they’re still the ones. Jimmy and Reigns have the big emotional hug and Jey looks incredibly relieved. As the hug continues, Reigns says no, and Solo Spikes Jimmy. Jey checks on Jimmy and Sikoa leaves with Reigns/Heyman. As they leave, Heyman asks Reigns about Jey. Reigns: “Jey’s gonna do what he always does: fall in line. He’ll fall in line.”

This was another emotional roller coaster and it absolutely worked, as this always tends to do. At the end of the day, this has turned into a battle for Jey Uso and that could make for some very interesting different paths as we go forward. You can probably pencil in the tag match for Money In The Bank, but after that, it seems like it’s a wide open slate of options.

Overall Rating: C+. This was one of those shows that was divided in two. You had everything else, and then the Bloodline segment. At the end of the day, the Bloodline is the biggest story in WWE at the moment and this was the next step in that story. Things are entering into a meltdown stage and that should be very interesting. Other than that, you have some Money in the Bank qualifying matches and that six man. This wasn’t a very good show, but egads the final segment had the audience eating out of its hand for good reason.

Results
Pretty Deadly/Austin Theory b. Brawling Brutes – Spilled Milk to Holland
OC b. Hit Row – Magic Killer to Adonis
Zelina Vega b. Lacey Evans – Code Red
LA Knight b. Montez Ford – Rollup while grabbing the rope

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.

Daily News Update – June 2, 2023

Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

NXT LVL Up – May 19, 2023

NXT LVL Up – May 26, 2023

Monday Night Raw – May 5, 2008

Impact Wrestling – June 1, 2023

To The Happy Occasion: More Details On Alexa Bliss’ WWE Status Regarding Her Pregnancy.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/happy-occasion-details-alexa-bliss-wwe-status-regarding-pregnancy/

WATCH: Matt Cardona Unleashes The RyderTaker In Hilarious Reenactment.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-matt-cardona-unleashes-rydertaker-hilarious-reenactment/

Crossover: NXT Star Set To Appear On The Bachelorette.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/crossover-nxt-star-set-appear-bachelorette/

Oh Snap? How A Broken Leg Opened The Biggest Door of A Monday Night Raw Star’s Career.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/oh-snap-broken-leg-opened-biggest-door-monday-night-raw-stars-career/

One For Two? WWE Reportedly Discussing Introducing New Title Belt.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/one-two-wwe-reportedly-discussing-introducing-new-title-belt/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Surprise Name Reportedly Favored To Win Money In The Bank.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-surprise-name-reportedly-favored-win-money-bank/

WRESTLING RUMORS: AJ Styles Reportedly Considered For Personality Change.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-aj-styles-reportedly-considered-personality-change/

Never Good: Wrestling Legend Reveals Memory Issues Brought On By Severe Brain Trauma.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/never-good-wrestling-legend-reveals-memory-issues-brought-severe-brain-trauma/

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.

Impact Wrestling – June 1, 2023: I Don’t Know If I Can Say That Anymore

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 1, 2023
Location: Western Fair District Agriplex, London, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the first show after Under Siege and a lot of things took place at the show. First and foremost, Steve Maclin retained the World Title by defending PCO but Bully Ray attacked Scott D’Amore to end the show, even putting him through a flaming table. Other than that, we have a new #1 contender in the form of Alex Shelley, who will get a World Title shot at Against All Odds. Let’s get to it.

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

Under Siege recap.

Here is Bully Ray to get things going and no one is happy to see him. He has been putting people through tables throughout his career and no one is better at it in wrestling history. We hear about some of the people who he has put through them over the years, but the really bad ones are the people he puts through flaming tables. That’s what he did to Scott D’Amore and there is no one here to stop him.

Now it is on to Against All Odds, where he can become #1 contender and then to Slammiversary to win the World Title. Cue World Champion Steve Maclin to interrupt to say he liked what happened to D’Amore. What Bully needs to understand though is Maclin allowed Ray to hurt D’Amore like that. Ray tells him to shut up and says no one tells him what he can do….but then backtracks and says Maclin is the World Champion and can do what he wants. Maclin proposes a partnership, but he’s also cool with the idea of beating Ray at Slammiversary if he has to.

Cue the Motor City Machine Guns to interrupt, with Alex Shelley saying he’s leaving Against All Odds with the World Title. Ray says that usually he would rip Shelley apart on the might but the reality is that Shelley is one of the best in the world. He has seen wrestlers in the locker room watching Shelley matches, but Shelley must be bothered by never winning the big one.

Chris Sabin brings up beating Ray for the World Title but Maclin cuts him off to yell at Shelley for the lack of respect. Shelley says “yep” when asked if he thinks he can win the title but Maclin asks why it will be different this time. Shelley says it’s because Maclin is no Josh Alexander, which makes Ray laugh. That doesn’t make sense to Shelley, because Alexander beat Ray too. We finally get the challenge for the tag match tonight and Ray likes the idea….but not tonight.

Cue Subculture (Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster/Dani Luna, formerly of NXT UK) as this segment is somehow still going. Subculture wants to face the Guns tonight and that match is on. This was nearly twenty minutes long and felt WAY out of place on an Impact show, especially when the only match made was from people who popped up at the end. I know they don’t have much time before Against All Odds but please don’t let this WWE style segment become normal around here.

Nick Aldis feels dangerous when he is in a nice suit like this but he feels all the more dangerous when he has momentum behind him. He praises Kenny King for a great match at Under Siege and King will be even more ready whenever they face off again. As for Against All Odds, Aldis is ready for the 8-4-1 match (starts off as an eight man tag, with the winning team immediately having a four way to crown a new #1 contender) because he’ll have to adapt, which is what he does best. Then he’s winning the World Title.

Eddie Edwards vs. Yuya Uemura

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Feeling out process to start with Uemura grabbing an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Eddie takes him into the corner for some chops, only to have a forearm knock Eddie outside. The slingshot dive drops Eddie again though and we take a break. Back with Uemura fighting out of a chinlock but getting taken right back down.

This time Uemura fights up with a running clothesline and a belly to back suplex gets two. Edwards tries a double underhook but gets backdropped away, only to have Alisha distract Uemura on the top. That means a superplex can bring Uemura back down but Uemura cuts off the Boston Knee Party with a dropkick. The swinging Rock Bottom sets up a high crossbody, which is kneed out of the air. The tiger driver gives Edwards two and the Boston Knee Party finally finishes Uemura at 13:30.

Rating: B. They had a good match here as Uemura continues to get better and better every week. Commentary is right when they say that he needs a big win, but I’m not sure how much longer he is going to be here on excursion in the first place. If that’s the case, just how far does Impact want to push him? For now, I guess they’ll have to settle for a good hand who can work well with anyone.

Post match Eddie teases respect but pulls away from the handshake. Cue Frankie Kazarian to say that isn’t how we do this around here and the fight is on, with Eddie being dropped. Alisha tries to jump on Frankie and is dropped as well, allowing Kazarian to leave.

Decay vs. Sami Callihan/Jake Crist

Crist bites Steve to start and hands it off to Callihan, only to have Taurus come in and clear the ring. That’s not enough for Taurus, who throws Steve over the top onto both of them. Back in and Crist starts firing off superkicks for a breather, followed by putting Steve on Taurus’ shoulders. Callihan puts Crist on his own shoulders for a cutter to Steve and the pin at 1:35. Cool finisher and dang that went fast.

Post match here is the Design to lay out Crist and Callihan. Rich Swann makes the save.

Post break, Swann, Crist and Callihan are ready for Against All Odds….but Swann already has a spot in the 8-4-1 match. Callihan and Crist understand so they can find someone else. Callihan says the doctor is going to have to call the fox.

Trinity vs. Savannah Evans

Jai Vidal and Gisele Shaw are here with Evans. Trinity grabs a waistlock to start and gets backed into the corner for her efforts. A headlock takeover doesn’t work for Trinity so she forearms away in the corner. Evans plants her with a powerbomb for two and Trinity is in trouble. Back in and Trinity gets smart by hitting a springboard kick to the face to put Evans down. A side slam cuts Trinity off but she pulls Evans into the reverse Rings of Saturn for the tap at 4:33.

Rating: C+. Evans continues to work as a monster but that is only going to have so much impact if she keeps losing all the time. Trinity is someone who is probably going to wind up being near the top of the division sooner rather than later so her winning here makes all of the sense. They went back and forth here for a few minutes but ultimately, Trinity winning was the only option.

Post match Trinity gets the mic and says she wants the Knockouts Title. Cue Deonna Purrazzo to say ask her to her face. Trinity issues the challenge for Slammiversary and Purrazzo is in. Shaw, Evans and Vidal are up for the beatdown though, only to have Jordynne Grace come in for the save. That doesn’t exactly work though as she is beaten down as well, setting up a pair of knees from Shaw.

Dani Luna vs. Jody Threat

Dani Luna is part of Subculture, who are here with her. Threat headlocks her over to start but Luna does the exact same. Luna powers her into the corner but gets sunset flipped for two. Threat knocks her back down and scores with a heck of a Cactus Clothesline. Threat’s running flip dive off the apron, followed by the running knee to the back. Luna has had it with this and hits a powerbomb for two and a hard lariat gets the same. Threat snaps off a German suplex and hits a reverse F5 (the F Bomb) for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: B-. This was a hard hitting fight and it worked well with what they were doing. Impact has done a nice job of turning Threat into…well, a threat, and that’s what they need to do every so often. Threat is someone who feels like she has been built from the ground up and could become something around here. On the other hand you have Luna, who could do well as a powerhouse with a unique look.

Santino Marella and Joe Hendry are talking about Dirty Dango when Sheldon Jean and Kenny King come in. King thinks Jean should get a match with Hendry, so Santino makes it for next week. As for Against All Odds, Hendry can defend his Digital Media Title against Dango. Works for Hendry.

We look at Killer Kelly and Masha Slamovich brawling at Under Siege. A chain was involved.

Kelly wants a dog collar match with Slamovich. Her talk about giving in to your natural instinct is designed to make various suggestions.

Here is what’s coming on various shows.

Subculture vs. Motor City Machine Guns

Shelley and Andrews get things going with Shelley’s armdrag not getting him very far. Sabin comes in to headlock Webster to little avail as Webster grabs an armdrag of his own. Everything breaks down and the Guns send Andrews outside to kick Webster down. Back in and Andrews gets kicked down as well, allowing Shelley to grab a cross arm choke on Webster.

Back up and Webster gets Shelley into the corner for a quick dropkick to the leg. Subculture hits back to back flips onto Sabin to send him outside as well, setting up the stereo suicide dives. Back in and the Guns hit some clotheslines to take over and we take a break. We come back with Andrews being caught in a surfboard for a bulldog from Sabin. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Andrews fights up, allowing the tag off to Webster. Everything breaks down again and Webster hits a springboard moonsault to drop both Guns.

Webster hits a big dive onto Sabin and a double Falcon Arrow (that’s a new one) gets two back inside. Shelley comes back in for the save and house is cleaned, including a Death Valley Driver/running neckbreaker combination (that’s a new one too). A Magic Killer (that’s not a new one) gets two on Andrews but he pops up off a Doomsday dropkick.

Shelley is knocked outside, leaving Sabin to clothesline both of them inside out. Cradle Shock is countered into a Stundog Millionaire (sweet) but Webster misses a 450. Sabin grabs a cutter on Webster and the Dream Sequence hits Andrews. The Dirt Bomb finishes Webster off at 16:13.

Rating: B+. There are certain matches that are designed to have talented stars letting it all hang out and hitting one big move after another until someone finally gets pinned. That is what you had here and this was an awesome TV main event. The Guns can still hang with anyone and if Subculture wants a job in Impact, there is a good chance that they got one here. Great stuff here and worth a look if you have time.

Overall Rating: B. I find myself looking forward to Impact more and more each week and that was the case again here. The opener and main event (especially the latter) are both rather awesome TV matches and the rapid fire build to Against All Odds wasn’t bad at all. Cut down on the way too long opening segment and this show is probably the best TV show of the week. Awesome stuff here, as I’m starting to wonder if it’s still fair to say Impact is on a roll, as this has been going on for a long time now.

Results
Eddie Edwards b. Yuya Uemura – Boston Knee Party
Sami Callihan/Jake Crist b. Decay – Elevated cutter to Steve
Trinity b. Savannah Evans – Reverse Rings of Saturn
Jody Threat b. Dani Luna – F Bomb
Motor City Machine Guns b. Subculture – Dirt Bomb to Webster

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 – May 5, 2008: Lights Out (Again)

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 5, 2008
Location: Air Canada Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 16,664
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We are less than two weeks away from Judgment Day and we have a bit of a crazy boss. Last week saw General Manager William Regal crowned as King, though the power seems to have already gone to his head as he cut the show off so fans who booed him couldn’t see the ending. Mr. Kennedy isn’t happy and it might be time to deal with things. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of William Regal going all scooters last week.

Here is Vince McMahon to say Regal pulled the plug in the end of a title match. This has led to a variety of protests from the fans, with many of them demanding that Vince appear tonight. However, McMahon finds Regal’s actions to be visionary, so Regal reminds Vince of himself! He is all for Regal’s actions and no punishment is coming.

Here is Regal for a chat. Regal doesn’t like the fans disrespecting him again here….so turn out the lights again. He has the lights turned back on but says he won’t be disrespected. Cue Mr. Kennedy to interrupt, saying all Regal has to do is agree to face him. Instead, Regal puts him in the main event against…..the entire ECW roster (or about six members). This is part of a deal with Armando Alejandro Estrada to promote tomorrow’s 100th ECW, but here is HHH to interrupt.

Just like Mr. Kennedy Kennedy here, HHH means no disrespect and tells Regal to not make mistakes. Last week, Regal cutting the lights off during HHH’s match and disrespecting him would be mistakes. HHH says Regal doesn’t want a war with him, but Regal says HHH already has to defend the title against Randy Orton in a cage at Judgment Day. As for tonight, HHH can join Mr. Kennedy in the main event against ECW. Regal is absolutely nailing it here and Kennedy is feeling like quite the rebel.

Women’s Title: Beth Phoenix vs. Mickie James

James is defending in a lumberjack match. Beth easily powers her around to start and gets two off a running shoulder. With James on the floor, the evil lumberjacks get in their required cheap shots but James is right back with a neckbreaker. The lumberjacks get into their big fight (at least they didn’t waste time here) and we take an early break. Back with Beth cranking on both arms until Mickie fights up and dropkicks her way to freedom. The top rope Thesz press gets two and Beth is sent outside for a beating. In the melee, Melina goes for Mickie but hits Beth by mistake, allowing Mickie to grab a small package to retain.

Rating: C. This was all about the insanity going on around the ring while Mickie and Beth were just kind of in the middle. There are a lot of women in the division but there aren’t many who are ready to go after the title. That is going to have to change, but for now it’s likely going to be Mickie/Beth/Melina.

Chris Jericho comes up to see William Regal, who asks about Shawn Michaels’ knee. Jericho is sure that Shawn is faking, which doesn’t go well for him because tonight it’s Jericho/Shawn vs. Miz/John Morrison.

Trevor Murdoch is singing when Trish Stratus comes in to look confused. Ron Simmons shows up for his cameo line.

Randy Orton doesn’t agree with the idea that HHH had him beaten last week but that’s not the point. As for tonight, he has CM Punk, who might cash in Money In The Bank on him when Orton gets the title back in two weeks.

Katie Lea Burchill/Paul Burchill vs. John Cutler

Hold on though as William Regal pops up to say Jim Ross isn’t going to call this match. Instead, here is Mike Adamle to take the spot, leaving Ross looking rather annoyed. Paul chops him up against the ropes as Katie seems rather pleased. A knee drop lets Katie stomp away and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Cutler tries to roll Katie up, earning a stomping from Paul. The top rope double stomp from Katie sets up the single version from Paul, giving Katie the pin.

Rating: D+. There’s something to be said about Katie being the focal point here as she has the charisma to get noticed, but I’m not sure where this is going to go. The bigger focus being on the commentary didn’t help either, but the Burchills are at least different. Paul still has the intensity to make something like this work, though it hasn’t exactly gotten there yet.

Chris Jericho comes up to Shawn Michaels in the back. Shawn says he’s really hurt but he’ll do his best, as always. Jericho doesn’t seem to buy it.

Chris Jericho/Shawn Michaels vs. Miz/John Morrison

Non-title, JR is back on commentary and Shawn is badly limping on the way to the ring. Jericho and Miz start things off with Jericho hitting a quick suplex. Morrison comes in to kick away in the corner, setting up the springboard spinning kick to the face. It’s right back to Miz, who is quickly pulled into the Walls. Morrison makes the save so Shawn comes in with Sweet Chin Music, leaving him writhing in pain. A quick Lionsault gives Jericho the pin.

Rating: C. This was more storyline advancement than anything else as Michaels is either telling the truth or milking the heck out of faking the injury. It’s an interesting story as it could go either way, which is something you don’t get very often. If nothing else, Jericho being all smug and knowing that Shawn is faking it is making for good TV. Now just stop pinning the champs and it’s that much better.

Shawn needs help getting to the back and Jericho is confused.

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton

Orton starts fast by sending him to the apron and then down to the floor in a crash. Back in and Orton starts the circle stomp but misses the knee drop. Punk kicks away but misses a springboard spinning crossbody. Back up and Punk kicks away, setting up the knee into the corner and the bulldog right back out of it. Cue William Regal though and let’s turn out the lights because this match is over.

Rating: C. Well that’s certainly a different way to go and this Regal stuff is getting more interesting. It’s not often that you see someone actually shaking things up like this and it’s making things feel different. Sometimes that is the way you need tog o and making Orton mad is going to be an upgrade as well. The match was energetic while it lasted but it didn’t exactly have time to go anywhere before the storyline ending.

Post break Orton is livid and goes to find Regal for some answers.

It’s time for Carlito’s Cabana. We look at Roddy Piper making a surprise appearance last week and slapping Santino Marella in the face. Therefore, here is Piper as this week’s guest. Carlito says he gets that Santino can be annoying but Piper took it too far. Piper: “Listen Buckwheat.”

We hear about Piper taking it too far every time, including when he beat cancer. He’s not going to apologize for anything, including not wanting to sit and talk about what he did. Carlito says he would have slapped Piper back but Piper says Carlito should be glad that Piper didn’t bring a seagull to make a next in Carlito’s hair.

Cue Santino Marella to mock Piper for taking so long to become Intercontinental Champion. Piper brings up Santino’s recent DUI, but here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Now it’s Cryme Tyme (Piper: “HOLY COW!”) and the villains (oddly enough not including Piper) bail. The good guys dance. This was there to get Piper on the show and for the dancing at the end, but the seemingly endless Carlito/Marella Tag Team Title chase is dragging things down.

Post break Cryme Tyme is still in the ring and thinks they have a lot of stuff to sell around here. They have a hammock and coconuts! Selling ensues and a lot of money changes hands (with a fan getting the hammock).

Judgment Day rundown.

JBL is standing next to his limo and offers to share his lifestyle. We go inside the limo for a ride into the arena, with JBL talking about all of the features in the limo (full bar, high speed internet). This was a very JBL thing to do and it worked.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. DH Smith

Before the match, JBL talks about Smith’s father but says the British Bulldog can’t help him. The beating is on fast and the Clothesline From JBL finishes in about a minute.

Post match the big beating is on until referees break it up.

William Regal tells the ECW roster to get it together tonight because they have a big mission. The team goes to the ring, with Kane glaring at Regal as he leaves.

Smackdown Rebound.

HHH/Mr. Kennedy vs. ECW Roster

One fall to a finish. Kennedy and Elijah Burke start things off with Kennedy grabbing a front facelock and handing it off to HHH. The jumping knee drops Matt Striker so it’s quickly off to Mike Knox. The villains (mostly at least) take over on HHH, who shrugs it off and brings Kennedy back in. Tommy Dreamer grabs a snap suplex and brings in Kofi Kingston, only to have Shelton Benjamin tag himself in. The distraction lets HHH come back in and everything breaks down. Kane chokeslams Kennedy but Bam Neeley jumps Kane, allowing Chavo Guerrero to hit a frog splash for the pin.

Rating: C. These things are always weird as there is only so much you can do with two vs. more than a dozen wrestlers. ECW was more or less rotating wrestlers in and out and the real focus here was on the visual of having that many people out there. I’m not sure how much of a punishment it was, but at least it wasn’t the same stuff we see every week.

Post match the big brawl is on with HHH cleaning house but the lights go out. They come back up and it’s Randy Orton with an RKO to HHH to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The Regal stuff is interesting and that is what the show needed given how weak the wrestling was this week. There is only so much you can get out of a bunch of weak matches and a kind of strange Roddy Piper segment and this show proved it. Hopefully this was just a one off weak show, as there are pieces, like Jericho vs. Shawn, there that could help carry the weak portions.

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 LVL Up – May 26, 2023: Getting Ready To Get Ready

NXT LVL Up
Date: May 26, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Mr. Stone

We are two days away from Battleground and there are quite a few matches on the card that can steal the night. Now almost no one on that show is going to be tied into this one, but that is LVL Up in a nutshell. You never know what you are going to see around here and I’m curious to see how it goes….for some reason. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Oro Mensah vs. Tavion Heights

Mensah tries to pick up the pace to start but Heights pulls him down into a headlock. Back up and some armdrags have Heights frustrated, followed by a high crossbody to give Mensah two. Heights powers up with a heck of a German suplex but a kick to the face staggers him. Said staggering doesn’t last long as Heights is back up with a capture suplex into a chinlock. Mensah fights up and hits a springboard moonsault to a standing Heights, followed by a flipping kick to the head. A springboard kick to Heights face gives Mensah the pin at 5:31.

Rating: C. As usual, power vs. speed is going to work almost every time and that was the case again here. Mensah can fly around well enough and the springboards looked good here. Heights is another one of those names who has been around this show for a few months but not done much, which is going to have to change at some point.

Yulisa Leon and Valentina Feroz are glad to be back home and it’s time to take it to Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson.

Boa vs. Javier Bernal

Boa throws a kick to start but gets caught in a headlock for his efforts. Back up and Boa’s second kick connects, only to have Bernal tie the leg up in the ropes for a kick to the knee. The leg cranking is on until Bernal’s knee drop hits the mat. Boa uses the good knee to stagger Bernal, who is right back with a jumping Downward Spiral for the pin at 4:58.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one as Boa continues to be a good look and little more. He isn’t horrible or even bad, but there is nothing to him that would make me want to see him again. Bernal has figured out how to be an annoying schmuck and that should carry him a long way in NXT, if not in WWE as well.

Yulisa Leon/Valentina Feroz vs. Jakara Jackson/Lash Legend

Feroz works on Jackson’s arm to start and an assisted springboard flip dive gives Leon two. It’s back to Feroz, who gets caught in the wrong corner so the beating is on. Legend charges into an elbow but is fine enough to slam Feroz off the top. Jackson grabs a reverse chinlock before Legend misses a splash. A pump kick cuts off Feroz’s comeback bid so Feroz goes with an enziguri for a breather. The hot tag brings in Leon to clean house as everything breaks down. Jackson gets caught putting her feet on the ropes in a rollup and a suplex/high crossbody combination finishes for Leon at 5:42.

Rating: C. This was about getting Leon back in the ring in NXT and she looked smooth enough out there. Feroz and Leon are a team who could get somewhere with a bit more polish and it is nice to have them back. The tag division could certainly use the help, though that isn’t going to happen until the titles are back in NXT in the first place. For now though, nice return.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one, but the action was passable enough. LVL Up might actually start serving a bit more of a purpose, as there are a lot of gaps that need to be filled on the main NXT roster. While some of these people aren’t quite ready to fill in those spots, they could be ready to start getting ready and that isn’t a bad place to be.

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 LVL Up – May 19, 2023: They’re At It Again

NXT LVL Up
Date: May 19, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

We’re getting closer to Battleground and that could be quite the shakeup for NXT. That is something LVL Up could use, as the show tends to be in a rather similar mold a lot of the time. It might be helpful for the wrestlers around here, but that doesn’t make things all that entertaining. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Kale Dixon

Feeling out process to start with Thorpe’s headlock not working all that well. Back up and Dixon runs him over with a shoulder, followed by some forearms to the spine. The neck crank and chinlock go on until Thorpe is up with a dragon screw legwhip. A Saito suplex out of the corner gets two on Dixon and the jumping elbow finishes him off at 4:52.

Rating: C. Thorpe continues to beat up lower level competition and Dixon continues to be Dixon. In other words, it was exactly what you would have expected from these two on this stage. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Thorpe getting a push on the main NXT show, but it might take some more seasoning to get him ready.

Kelani Jordan and Wendy Choo are ready to team together against Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice. Apparently karma is a bi….scuit.

Kelani Jordan/Wendy Choo vs. Elektra Lopez/Lola Vice

Lopez powers Jordan around without much effort to start and it’s Vice coming in for a double shoulder. Back up and Jordan takes Vice over to Choo for an assisted moonsault. A tornado DDT hits Vice but she brings Lopez in off a blind tag to take over. Jordan gets knocked hard into the corner and a gutbuster sets up a body vice to stay on the ribs. A quick kick away allows the tag off to Choo as everything breaks down. The Snooze Button gives Choo the pin on Vice at 5:36.

Rating: C. I can see why WWE wants to push Jordan, who has the impressive athleticism and appeal to become something down the line. She needs experience though and getting her feet wet on this show is a good start. Jordan has a long way to go, but at least she is getting started with a solid base.

Dante Chen vs. Luca Crusifino

They fight over a lockup to start as we get a LET’S GO LAWYER chant. Chen goes for the hammerlock to take over before some armdrags into the armbar have Luca in more trouble. Back up and Luca grabs a neckbreaker for two, followed by the double arm crank. With that broken up, Chen hammers away in the corner but the threat of the double chop sends Luca outside. Luca loads up the briefcase but when it’s taken away, a thumb to the eye lets him roll up Chen for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C. I’m sorry what now? A young up and comer beat Chen? I’m not sure how to handle this but it’s nice to see for a change. As usual, Chen is fine enough in the ring and certainly not bad, but he has such a history of running people over and I do not get the point having him beat so many people without actually going anywhere. That being said, Luca is a bit of a weird case and I could go for having him around a bit more in the future.

Overall Rating: C-. It says a lot when your star power is comprised of Thorpe, Choo and Chen, which isn’t exactly top level talent in NXT. The wrestling was completely watchable and the show is less than thirty minutes from beginning to end so it isn’t like you feel you’re wasting your time. In other words, this was the weaker end of LVL Up and that’s not exactly thrilling stuff.

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.