NXT
Date: November 1, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We are into the final two months of the year and heading towards Deadline in December. It would seem that JD McDonagh is on his way towards the next shot at Bron Breakker, where he is probably a favorite to win the title. Now though the question is who shows up from the main roster this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Bron Breakker to get things going. He talks about how great a night Halloween Havoc was, and not just for him. We hear about Wes Lee winning the North American Title, but here is Pretty Deadly to interrupt. They don’t think much of Breakker retaining his title again but Breakker mocks their accents.

Cue Wes Lee to praise Pretty Deadly’s hair and Breakker is willing to let Pretty Deadly have the spotlight. Pretty Deadly poses for a picture (meaning a lot of hip thrusting) but Breakker says someone is going to interrupt. That would be Breakker and Lee, who want the Tag Team Titles. Prince: “There is no way this night could get any worse.” Cue R-Truth and yeah it’s worse. This was a bit of an out of nowhere title challenge, which makes me think the change in the World Series schedule might have messed up NXT’s plans.

R-Truth vs. Grayson Waller

Waller gets sent into the corner to start but comes out with a shoulder. A mock of You Can’t See Me earns Waller a trip down and Truth grabs a headlock. Back up and an STO drops Truth but he rolls away before Waller can try the elbow. They head outside with Truth hitting a big flip dive and we take a break. We come back with…..the match being stopped due to an injury to R-Truth at 7:13. Truth didn’t quite clear the ropes on that dive and hurt his knee. Oh that’s never good to see.

Rating: C. Oh that doesn’t look good. You never want to see anyone get hurt in any way and a knee is one of the scariest possibilities. It doesn’t help that Truth is in his late 40s and probably doesn’t have much time left in the ring. Hopefully he isn’t severely hurt and only needs some ice, but we could be waiting for a long time before he’s back out there.

Post match Waller brags about his win (which came on his own) over a 20 year vet.

We get a sitdown interview with Schism, with Ava Raine saying no one but Schism ever took the time to get to know her. She got hurt early in training and no one who had “known her for years” checked on her. The rest of the team talks about how much they care and can’t help what people think about them. And no, Raine isn’t brainwashed, but she will help Joe Gacy against Cameron Grimes next week. You mean the lack of a Get Well Soon card means we have to sit through MORE Schism???

Javier Bernal talks to Edris Enofe and Malik Blade outside of Shawn Michaels’ office. He was told to be here to find out about his match tonight, but Odyssey Jones comes out. Jones will face Bernal tonight.

Kiana James gives her assistant an envelope.

Indi Hartwell and Zoey Stark get in one of those “only WWE women argue like this” arguments and a match is set for later.

Andre Chase gives Thea Hail a pep talk before her match but she doesn’t feel right. There is no Bodie Hayward, but Duke Hudson breaks through a wall and offers to carry the flag.

Thea Hail vs. Kiana James

Andre Chase and Duke Hudson are in Hail’s corner. Hail is rather fired up to start but James takes her to the mat for an early armbar. It takes Hail a bit to fight back but she sends James into the corner, setting up the running flip neckbreaker. Back up and James hits her running reverse Sling Blade for two, as Hudson puts the foot on the rope. That’s too much for Chase, who ejects him on principle. Another reverse Sling Blade finishes Hail at 4:18.

Rating: C. The Chase University story was one of the best things in NXT and while Chase can still do some very funny things, you can feel that some of the energy is gone and the idea is starting to fall off. It doesn’t help when you have Duke Hudson, who is good but not the most exciting, guy there to bring it down (which does seem to be the point) and Hail losing, but hopefully they can figure out something to salvage it in some way.

Post match Charlie Dempsey returns and jumps Chase from behind, drawing Duke Hudson out for the save. Hail isn’t sure if she can trust Hudson but seems to enough.

Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Fallon Henley are ready to watch the main event. Kiana James’ assistant comes up to deliver the envelope from earlier to Henley. The trio reads the papers but don’t say anything about them.

Mr. Stone interrupts Wes Lee and Bron Breakker to ask why Von Wagner hasn’t gotten a title shot. Breakker tells him to get out.

Odyssey Jones vs. Javier Bernal

This is Jones’ first match in several months after a knee injury. Jones runs him over to start and then does it again for a bonus. Bernal gets smart by going after the legs to take the much bigger Jones down, setting up a sleeper. With that broken up, Jones has had enough and grabs a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 4:21.

Rating: C. I’m not quite as all in on Jones as some but he does make for a good big man to crush people like Bernal. Jones is someone who could be a rather nice addition to the roster in some places and that is a good thing to have. Bernal….I know you need jobbers, but was he really the best that they had available?

Here is Toxic Attraction to celebrate Mandy Rose reaching one year as NXT Women’s Champion. Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin both congratulate her, talking about how she has beaten everyone and turned Toxic Attraction into one of the most important factions in the history of NXT. They send us to a video looking at her rather long title reign.

Rose: “Not bad for a piece of eye candy huh?”. She knows no one can stop her and thanks Dolin and Jayne for helping bring Toxic Attraction to the top. The numbers don’t lie and she wants some respect on her name. Anyone in the locker room knows where to find her so here is Alba Fyre. Dolin is put through a table and Fyre says Jayne is next, with Rose to follow.

Apollo Crews thinks NXT wants to see him face Bron Breakker because Crews is a matchup problem for anyone. Crews thinks Breakker is running from him, but Von Wagner comes in to say he’s next for Breakker. Please no.

Scrypts calls the Performance Center again and says being in NXT almost feels like home. We also see security footage of him spray painting his name on the wall.

Indi Hartwell vs. Zoey Stark

Nikkita Lyons is here with Stark, who gets caught by the wrist to start. Back up and Stark hits a springboard spinning crossbody as the lights go out for a bit (seems a bit planned). The lights come back up (after not going all the way out) as Stark works on Hartwell’s arm for a change. Stark gets clotheslined to the floor and the frustration is on as we take a break.

Back with Stark stomping Hartwell down in the corner, even as Lyons tells her to cool it. Stark teases taking her outside for a powerbomb through the announcers’ table but Stark talks her out of it. Back in and Stark kicks her in the face, setting up a clothesline to the back of the head for the pin at 9:48.

Rating: C+. The reheating of Hartwell continues and I’m still not sure how interesting Starks really is. Having her lose her temper isn’t quite an enticing story and having her with Lyons doesn’t exactly help things. Maybe they can get somewhere with her, but it’s not quite clicking yet.

The man who appears to be T-Bar talks about how this is his authority.

Valentina Feroz wants Sanga in his corner but Veer comes in to interrupt them. Sanga says he can’t do it as Wendy Choo watches from behind.

Nikkita Lyons has to calm Zoey Stark from going after the taunting Kayden Carter and Katana Chance.

Valentina Feroz vs. Cora Jade

Feroz looks rather upset on the way to the ring but she’s fine enough to take Jade down. A running knee sends Jade outside and Feroz sends her right back inside. Jade gets in a shot to the face and we hit the choke. Feroz breaks that up but misses a high crossbody, allowing Jade to hit a DDT for the pin at 3:38.

Rating: C. This was quick as it should have been, as Jade is rising up the heel side and Feroz is best known for being part of a tag team that is on the shelf at the moment. The lack of Sanga seemed to shake Feroz up and somehow they have set the story up so that makes a good bit of sense. There was no way Feroz should have won here, but at least the loss was logical.

Post match Jade goes after Feroz with her stick but Wendy Choo makes the save.

Stacks tells Tony D’Angelo that he took care of that thing. D’Angelo sees Stacks like his own son getting started. Elektra Lopez comes in to say she’s her own boss now and will be even more dangerous.

Tag Team Titles: Pretty Deadly vs. Wes Lee/Bron Breakker

Lee and Breakker are challenging. Lee sunset flips Wilson to start and then rolls him up for two more. Wilson gets annoyed when Lee flips away from him so it’s off to Prince. Breakker comes in for a backdrop and running clothesline to drop him hard. Stereo Frankensteiners take the Champs down and we go to a break.

Back with Lee dropkicking Prince through the ropes to the floor but Wilson jumps him from behind. Lee is thrown back in and elbowed down by Wilson so the beating can continue. A quick shot allows the tag off to Breakker though and a Steiner Bulldog puts Prince down. Breakker suplexes both of them and nips up, meaning it’s back to Lee and everything breaks down. Cue Carmelo Hayes for a distraction though and Lee gets rolled up to retain the titles at 12:00.

Rating: C+. This felt like something you would see at a house show and that isn’t a bad thing for a thrown together TV main event. Singles champions vs. team champions is a fine way to go, though I could have gone without Lee taking a pin. At least they had some shenanigans with Hayes interfering, but I also don’t need Hayes going after the North American Title again.

Lee and Hayes fight away and it’s Von Wagner coming in to jump Breakker.

Apollo Crews is watching in the back when JD McDonagh comes up. McDonagh doesn’t see Crews’ vision of being NXT Champion coming true.

Overall Rating: C+. The more I think about this show, the more I think that they pulled back a bit because baseball was moved into the time slot. That’s fine for a one off show as they didn’t know they were going up against the World Series until yesterday. Punt things until next week when you have a bigger audience and make this more of a stand alone show with previews for next week. For what it was, this was perfectly acceptable, but it’s not worth your time.

Results
Grayson Waller b. R-Truth via referee stoppage
Kiana James b. Thea Hail – Reverse Sling Blade
Odyssey Jones b. Javier Bernal – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Indi Hartwell b. Zoey Stark – Running clotheslines to the back of the head
Cora Jade b. Valentina Feroz – DDT
Pretty Deadly b. Wes Lee/Bron Breakker – Rollup to Lee

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 31, 2022
Location: America Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We’re on the way to Crown Jewel but first we need a big stop for Halloween. This is going to include the traditional Trick Or Street Fight, this time between Matt Riddle and Otis, but also an appearance from Roman Reigns. Hopefully it involves the Bloodline and not Logan Paul, but we might not be that lucky. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Nikki Cross

Non-title. Belair drives her into the corner to start so Cross sticks her head out and shouts at Belair to hit her. That’s fine with Belair, who hammers away but gets taken outside for a tie up in the ring skirt as we take a break. Back with Belair managing a suplex but favoring her leg.

Said leg is fine enough to hit the handspring moonsault but Cross grabs a choke. They crash out to the floor to break it up but here are Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai to distract the referee, allowing Bayley to sneak in and post Belair. Cross beats up Damage Ctrl but walks into the KOD to give Belair the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C. Kind of a weird match here as Cross is back but has already lost her first match. The good thing about Cross is she is the kind of agent of chaos who can lose matches and still be enough of a force that it doesn’t really matter. You don’t need her to beat Belair of course, but the result was a bit disheartening.

Post match Damage Ctrl comes in for the beatdown but Asuka and Alexa Bliss return for the save.

We look back at Brock Lesnar returning and going after Bobby Lashley.

Asuka and Alexa Bliss have Bianca Belair’s back but also want a Tag Team Title match tonight.

We get a split screen sitdown interview with Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley…..minus Lesnar. Lashley talks about being ready to prove he is more than just a Lesnar knockoff but here is the real Lesnar in the arena. Lesnar gets to the point: he isn’t here for an interview but rather for a fight, so here comes Lashley. The fight is on in the aisle with wrestlers and referees trying to split them up. Even HHH comes out but Lesnar can’t be held back. They’re finally separated after a big man brawl.

Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins

Non-title and the result of Rollins not having the best things to say about Theory on commentary last week. Rollins sweeps the leg down to start and grabs a headlock. It’s too early for a Pedigree though and Theory bails out to the floor. Rollins heads outside and gets rammed into things to put Theory in control as we take a break.

Back with Rollins hitting a suicide dive, followed by the basement superkick for two. Rollins loads up the Pedigree but gets reversed into a brainbuster onto the knee for two more. A standing Blockbuster gives Theory two and the fans think this is awesome. A Town Down is broken up but Theory blasts him with a superkick and a forearm for the double knockdown. With nothing else working, Theory tries his own Pedigree but gets reversed into the Stomp to give Rollins the pin at 14:50.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match and the kind of match that Theory has been needing. No he didn’t win, but he was able to feel like he fit in with one of the biggest stars in WWE today. They were trading one big move after another and it made for a rather good match. I could still go for Theory winning one of these big matches, but I’ll take this over him losing every time.

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman for a chat. The fans chant UCEY but Reigns assures them that Jey Uso will be a much more ucey man soon. That brings Reigns to Crown Jewel, where he is facing someone with two matches under his belt. Reigns laughs off the Logan Paul threat but Heyman sounds a bit more worried. Cue the Miz, who says he knows Logan Paul better than anyone and offers an alliance with Reigns. All Reigns has to do is help Miz against Mustafa Ali and he’ll teach Reigns everything there is to know about Logan Paul. One Superman Punch later and Reigns says he isn’t interested.

Post break, Miz is in the trainer’s room and doesn’t want Johnny Gargano’s video on Miz and Dexter Lumis airing. Mustafa Ali comes in to comment on the rather small size of Miz’s testicles.

Karl Anderson vs. Damian Priest

The rest of the OC and the Judgment Day are here too. It’s a brawl to start and they head outside, where a Judgment Day distraction lets Priest get in a cheap shot. We come back with Anderson fighting up but a Rhea Ripley distraction lets Priest take him down again. The Reckoning is loaded up but Anderson reverses into a cradle for the pin at 7:15.

Rating: C. A lot of this match was during the break but it was nice to have the OC get a win before what is likely going to be a bad loss at Crown Jewel. A member of Judgment Day losing to a fluke rollup isn’t going to hurt him that much, even if it is to someone other than AJ Styles. Still though, not much of a match here but the result was the right call.

Post match the brawl is on with Ripley being left alone for the Judgment Day but AJ Styles and Anderson can’t do anything. The rest of Judgment Day gets back up and the big beatdown is on.

MVP laughs off the idea of Braun Strowman beating Omos at Crown Jewel. MVP will be at Smackdown with a surprise for Strowman.

Here is JBL to suck up to the Texas fans by listing off various Texas sports teams and legends. Then he insults kids who go door to door begging for food on Halloween, which is what this safe space generation doesn’t need. No one here in this arena deserves to be called a Texan. As for everyone here, get on your feet for Baron Corbin!

Cue Corbin, to thank everyone for spending their last dollar to come spend every last dollar they have and the truth is…..and cue R-Truth. This would be cowboy R-Truth, complete with a horse between his legs. JBL calls Truth a buffoon but Truth wants to know what is up with the costumes. The fight is on and JBL throws his hat at Truth, allowing Corbin to hit the End of Days. At least it wasn’t a match.

Nikki Cross is with Damage Ctrl.

Matt Riddle vs. Otis

This is a Trick Or Street Fight (meaning a bunch of pumpkins and various Halloween things are around the ring) and Riddle, with Elias, is dressed as Ezekiel. Chad Gable is here with Otis and….they’re Chippendale Dancers, ala Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley from Saturday Night Live.

They fight to the floor early and take a rather quick break. Back with Otis working on a neck crank but Riddle is back with a knee. Otis runs him over and hits a Worm but Riddle is back up with a candy corn kendo stick. A World’s Strongest Slam plants Riddle but Elias sends Gable through a table. The distraction lets Elias put a pumpkin on Otis’ head, setting up the RKO to give Riddle the pin at 7:38.

Rating: C. This was another quick match that didn’t do much but the weird thing was the Halloween theme after an otherwise mostly serious show. I get the idea of having the Halloween match and that’s cool, but it’s still something that feels like it belongs on another show. For now though, Riddle getting a nice win is good for him and it isn’t like Otis has anything to lose. Even with a pumpkin on his head.

Bayley gives the rest of Damage Ctrl a pep talk.

Miz vs. Mustafa Ali

Miz is a big banged up after Reigns hit him in the face earlier but he’s fine enough to sucker Ali in to stomp away. Ali threatens a shot to the face and rolls Miz up for two. The rolling neckbreaker gives Ali two but he has to bail out of the 450. Miz rakes the eyes and sends him face first into the buckle as we take a break.

Back with Ali shrugging off the YES Kicks so Miz plants him with a DDT for two. Ali sends him outside and hits a dive before they fight over the announcers’ table. Cue Dexter Lumis to go after Miz before security chases him off. That lets Ali knock Miz down and hit the 450 for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C. So Ali wins but it doesn’t really feel like it means anything for him. Instead, it comes off as the next chapter in the Miz vs. Dexter Lumis deal, which isn’t the best way to go. I’ll take it over Ali coming up this short again though, which has happened far too often over the last few months. Make these wins feel like they matter and we could actually get somewhere with him.

And now, WWE Investigates, looking at Dexter Lumis and the Miz. Byron Saxton talks to Johnny Gargano, who claims to have bombshell news. Gargano talks about knowing Lumis for years, including various clips of The Way’s wacky antics. Then Lumis lost his job and fell on hard times. We get a re-enactment of Lumis as an artist on the street, with Miz offering him $10,000 to fake the whole stalking ordeal for….some purpose.

Gargano even produces a recording of Miz talking to Lumis (who doesn’t talk) about the whole plan. Gargano shows clips, suggesting that Miz is just doing this for attention. Then somewhere, at least Gargano thinks, Miz stopped paying Lumis and the whole thing fell apart, with Lumis wanting his money. This was certainly a way to go and it’s actually a way out of explaining the whole nutty deal so I’ll take it. I’m not sure if it’s the most logical or even a good way to go, but this should be better than some of their other ideas. I think.

Crown Jewel rundown, with Bray Wyatt announced for an appearance.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Damage Ctrl vs. Alexa Bliss/Asuka

Bliss/Asuka, with Bianca Belair, are challenging and Bayley is here with the champs. Bliss stomps Sky into the corner to start and the fight is on fast but Sky is back up with a dropkick to the ribs. Kai comes in to stay on the ribs but Bliss fights up and brings Asuka in to clean house. A quick suplex drops Kai and a clothesline cuts her off again.

The champs are knocked outside but Kai is able to dropkick Bliss down as well. Asuka kicks away at Sky but gets taken down with a dragon screw legwhip as we take a break. Back with Asuka rolling Sky up for two and the hot tag brings in Bliss to clean house. Bliss Code Reds Kai out of the corner for two and it’s back to Asuka. Sky crushes her in the corner, setting up the springboard missile dropkick for two.

Asuka Codebreakers her out of the air and grabs the Asuka Lock, but the distracted referee doesn’t notice the tap. Bayley and Belair fight onto a box near the timekeeper’s area, where a Bayley to Belly sends Belair through a table. Back in the ring and Kai kicks Asuka in the face, only to get sent into the steps by Bliss. Asuka kicks Sky in the head and Bliss goes up top for Twisted Bliss and the titles at 16:21.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly nice match which got some time and ended with a surprise title change. At the end of the day, it isn’t like Damage Ctrl needed to have the titles and the change is a good thing. Bliss and Asuka get to come back and get their revenge plus the titles, making this a rather logical way to go.

Pyro goes off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t a great Raw and other than one or two spots, the Halloween aspect was barely a factor. That being said, I’ll take what we got over a bunch of lame Halloween jokes (ala a Halloween party). They do really need to get past the Logan Paul stuff though, as it comes off as such a lame detour from what could be a lot of good options otherwise. Outside from that, Crown Jewel is set and we should be in for a nice show. That was mostly the case here, but other than the Rollins vs. Theory match, you’re probably better off just looking at a recap.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Nikki Cross – KOD
Seth Rollins b. Austin Theory – Stomp
Karl Anderson b. Damian Priest – Rollup
Matt Riddle b. Otis – RKO
Mustafa Ali b. The Miz – 450
Asuka/Alexa Bliss b. Damage Ctrl – Twisted Bliss to Sky

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

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: February 12, 2008
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 14,307
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

The now seemingly never ending feud between Chavo Guerrero and CM Punk continues after Punk knocked Guerrero into the Gulf of Mexico last week. We are still on the way to their next match at No Way Out and odds are Guerrero is going to do something to get back at Punk this week. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s Gulf Of Mexico match.

Opening sequence.

Here is Chavo Guerrero to get things going. He stands before you, lucky to be alive, as CM Punk threw him into the Gulf Of Mexico and he can’t even swim! Now he has a HORRIBLE sinus infection, plus some pink spots on his throat. He’s had migraines too and these TV lights are making it worse. When he was in the water, he was stung by a jellyfish!

But he is a Mexican warrior so he’ll defend the ECW Title against Punk TONIGHT. Cue Armando Alejandro Estrada to say that while he is proud of Chavo, he can’t let that match happen. Chavo is still sick, but Punk can have a warmup match tonight….against Mark Henry. Works for Chavo!

We look at Stevie Richards’ sitdown interview last week where he talks about wanting to come back from his latest surgery. This was a great way to build sympathy for him and it worked well.

Stevie Richards vs. Rory Fox

Richards grabs a headlock to start before taking Fox down for a kick to the chest/back each. A big boot and a double underhook DDT finishes Fox in a hurry, leaving Richards looking very pleased.

Video on Mark Henry.

Kelly Kelly vs. Layla

Lena Yada is here with Layla, who takes Kelly down with a headscissors to start. Kelly fights up but gets knocked into the corner as Tazz tries to talk about their looks without sounding creepy and not quite making it work. Layla starts in on the arm, including legdrops and an armbar to mix things up a bit. Kelly breaks it up and manages a high crossbody for two, followed by a Fameasser for the pin.

Rating: C-. I don’t think it’s anys ecret that this crop of women weren’t exactly great in the ring but they did seem to be trying. Having a match that was just under four minutes and could have been far worse isn’t the worst result and they do seem to be getting more comfortable in the ring. Keep working on that and see just how far they can take things.

Kofi Kingston vs. Mike Knox

Kofi picks up the pace to start but can’t quite take the much bigger Knox down. He can however monkey flip Knox, who comes back with a shot to the face. Knox stomps him down in the corner as we do get a KOFI chant, though I’m not sure if enough people seem to be cheering it to reach that volume level. Kofi fights up and hits a kick to the face and the double legdrop. The spinning kick to the head finishes Knox off.

Rating: C. Another basic but effective match here as Kofi is starting to establish more of a style. He has a long way to go, but beating some slightly more difficult competition like Knox is a good thing. Knox hasn’t been a big deal in awhile, but beating someone who used to be a bigger deal is better than beating someone who has never been anything.

No Way Out rundown.

John Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer

Miz and Colin Delaney are the seconds and the villains handle Dreamer and Delaney’s entrances in a rather negative way. Dreamer takes him down to start and sends things outside to keep up the beating. Miz grabs the foot though and Dreamer gets to crash out to the floor.

Back in and Morrison grabs a seated abdominal stretch before switching to the classic idea of punching him in the face. Dreamer avoids a charge though and Morrison crotches himself on the rope. After knocking Miz off the apron, Dreamer walks into Morrison’s springboard spinning kick to the face. The flipping neckbreaker is broken up though and Dreamer’s DDT finishes Morrison off.

Rating: C. It’s still low level stuff, but Delaney having any kind of a friend is a good thing and gives his story a better future. Sometimes that’s all you need and is has given the story a new life. Delaney takes a good beating and that can get him pretty far, with the obvious tag match being the big endgame from here.

Post match Miz and Morrison beat down Delaney and Dreamer.

Mark Henry says this is going to be a funeral.

CM Punk vs. Mark Henry

Chavo Guerrero comes out to watch. Punk slugs away and is promptly run over with a hard shoulder. The big elbow drop misses but Henry throws him down without any trouble. Henry posts him hard and then chokes inside for the DQ.

Post match Punk kicks Henry to the floor and gives Chavo the GTS to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. You can see the stories that they are putting together around here and while that is a good thing, it would be nice if the stories were a bit more interesting. The nothing women’s feud and a Tommy Dreamer mentor story are only going to get so far. At the same time it’s still CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero as the top feud. How far is that supposed to get you? Watchable enough show, but they still need something interesting.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 28, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Byron Saxton

And here we go again, with more of the same batch of people having matches against each other over and over. There are very few people who can rise up the ranks (or Level/LVL Up if you will), save for maybe Miles Borne in the last few weeks. Maybe that ride continues this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Stacks vs. Tank Ledger

Tony D’Angelo is on commentary. Stacks bounces off of the bigger Ledger to start and it’s time to crank on the arm. Ledger runs him over with a shoulder and a slam sends Stacks outside. A kick to the face drops Ledger on the floor as D’Angelo invites Saxton to dinner next weekend. The chinlock doesn’t work very well for Stacks and the comeback is on including a running crossbody for two. Stacks is right back with some running shots to the face, setting up a running elbow drop for the pin at 5:41.

Rating: C-. Stacks continues to be one of those guys who is just there in NXT and not doing anything, though to be fair he’s just a lackey who is keeping the D’Angelo stuff warm until he is back to health. That should be the case in a few weeks, but until then, Stacks is little more than just a guy having not very good matches.

Trick Williams is on the phone but stops talking about a vacation to be ready for Brooks Jensen. Williams isn’t worried because he has the FLASH.

Thea Hail vs. Jakara Jackson

Andre Chase is here with Hail and Duke Hudson is in the student section. Hail grabs a headlock to start but Jackson takes her down by the hair. We hit the armbar and Hail can’t quite roll out of it. Hudson busts out the Chase U flag and Hail powers out and starts the comeback. The faceplant cutter finishes Jackson at 4:32.

Rating: C-. Jackson has a great look but didn’t exactly come off as someone who had any chance of winning here. That being said, sometimes you have to get your feet wet and this is as good of a way as anything else. At the same time, Hail gets to win to boost herself up a bit, even if it was just an extended workout.

Brooks Jensen vs. Trick Williams

Josh Briggs is here with Jensen. They fight over arm control to start with neither being able to get very far. A flying headscissors of all things takes Williams down but he’s fine enough to tie Jensen in the ring skirt to stomp away and take over. Back in and a jumping clothesline drops Jensen for two and we hit the cravate. That’s broken up and Jensen snaps off a powerslam for a needed breather. The comeback is on and Jensen fakes Williams out from the ring skirt, only to have his high crossbody punched out of the air. Jensen is fine enough to hit a quick Fameasser for the pin at 6:10.

Rating: C. Williams is someone who is decent enough to be a bit better than Carmelo Hayes’ lackey and he was showcasing some of that here. This was a completely watchable match and it went fine for both of them. Jensen is doing fine with the country boy deal, but the team has definitely lost some steam since losing the titles.

Overall Rating: C. Yeah what else are you expecting here? The good thing is that they did have the star power up a bit this time around, as you can only get so far with the same NXT rookies. Having people like Jensen, Hail and D’Angelo does boost things up a bit, which is what this show has been dying for in recent weeks. Granted it isn’t likely to last, but I’ll take it as a one off.

Results
Stacks b. Tank Ledger – Running elbow drop
Thea Hail b. Jakara Jackson – Faceplant cutter
Brooks Jensen b. Trick Williams – Fameasser

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Texas Till I Die
Date: April 3, 2022
Location: St. Jude Hall, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Chris Russo, Sammy Cassel

This is from New Texas Pro, which as you might guess is a local Texas promotion which ran some events over Wrestlemania XXXVIII weekend. I’m not sure what to expect from this show but there are some talented names on the card. Shows like this can go in a few different ways and hopefully this one works out well. Let’s get to it.

As you might have gathered, I don’t follow the promotion so I apologize for not knowing plot or character points.

Hyan vs. Billie Starkz

For the #1 contendership to the Women’s Title. They hit stereo pump kicks to start and that means it’s already time for a standoff. Starks sends her outside and yells at a lot of empty seats, allowing Hyan to get back up for her own dive. Back in and Hyan rolls her down into a cravate for some knees to the face. A half crab with a boot on the back of Starkz’ head makes it even worse and it’s off to an armbar.

Back up and Hyan plants her with a Wasteland for two and we hit the chinlock. Starkz fights up and hits a kick to the head of her own. They slug it out for a double knockdown but Hyan blocks a third Amigo. Hyan hits a running knee in the corner to set up a Falcon Arrow for two but Starkz rolls her up for the same. A Gory Bomb and Swanton give Starkz two each, only to have Hyan pull her into something like a crucifix with both arms cranked back for the tap at 9:35.

Rating: C. Not bad for a starter and Hyan seems like a fairly polished star. Starkz is someone who has been around the indies for a bit now and has potential but still needs some work and experience to sharpen the edges. Not a great match, but they didn’t do anything horrible and it had enough energy.

Respect is shown post match.

Tag Team Titles: Fly Def vs. JJ Blake/Cam Cole

Fly Def (Warren Johnson/Zack Mason) is challenging. Mason drives Blake into the corner to start and it’s quickly off to Cole. Johnson dropkicks him down for two but Cole grabs a headlock takeover. Back up and Cole gets his neck snapped across the top to put him back in trouble, setting up a slingshot elbow for two. Cole gets launched into the corner, where Blake is fine enough to not tag in.

Blake is willing to come in for an assist on a double clothesline and a neckbreaker gives Cole two. Back up and Mason grabs a German suplex on Blake, who cuts him off with a quick front facelock. As you might have guessed, Mason powers over for the tag but the referee is distracted, meaning the beating continues (that will always work and I love it). A Demolition Decapitator (with a knee instead of an elbow) gets two on Mason and we hit the one arm camel clutch.

Mason finally fights out and kicks Cole away, allowing the hot tag off to Johnson to start cleaning house. A sitout bulldog gives Johnson two but Cole comes in to cut him off. Cole hits a frog splash for two and a not very good looking Big Rig gets a delayed two. Everything breaks down again and a pair of running shots in the corner rock Blake.

A spinning high crossbody into a top rope splash gets two with Cole making a rather last minute save. What looks to be a Tower of Doom winds up as a sitout powerbomb to Cole, leaving Blake to get caught in a Gory Bomb/middle rope Codebreaker (doesn’t work so well but nice concept) for the pin and the titles at 13:16.

Rating: B-. I like Fly Def, but this one went on too long and the champs were in over their heads. This needed to wrap up a few saves earlier and the extra stuff didn’t really make it better. The title change is nice and Fly Def was a good enough young team, but the lack of audience noise is making this show a bit weird to watch, especially in a longer match like this one.

ASF vs. Stephen Wolf

That’s short for Antonio San Francisco. Feeling out process to start as Wolf takes him down in a front facelock with commentary talking about Wolf recovering from a horrible neck injury/surgery. ASF slips out of a rollup for two and we’re up to a standoff. Another takedown attempt is cut off by a standing backflip flip from ASF so Wolf tries a springboard wristdrag….which gets so high that he gets his feet caught in some of the drapes above the ring.

You don’t see anything like that happen very often and since Wolf is fine, ASF slips out of a powerbomb attempt and kicks him to the floor. There’s the big running flip dive to drop Wolf on the floor but he’s fine enough to avoid a 450 back inside. The Death Valley Driver into the corner gives Wolfe two and we hit the chinlock. ASF slips out and hits a springboard Sling Blade, with commentary possibly implying that was a bit more flippy than necessary.

Back up and Wolf kicks him in the face, setting up a running shooting star press for two. ASF isn’t going to be outdone with a Death Valley Driver of his own into a basement dropkick. A series of strikes from ASF looks to set up a handspring but Wolf grabs a sliding cutter (cool) for two more. Wolf misses a moonsault though and the 450 gives ASF the pin at 10:03.

Rating: C+. They had a bit of time here and while this was a very indy feeling style match with a bunch of flips and dives, it was entertaining enough to keep me interested in two guys I have barely heard of before. For a ten minute match on this kind of show, it worked out perfectly well.

Commentary compliments ASF’s…..cover. That’s a pretty rare one. Respect is shown as well.

Cole Radrick vs. Aaron Mercer

Radrick has been decent in the few matches I’ve seen from him before. We get a bit of a tentative handshake and we’re ready to go. Feeling out process to start and they trade some chops, with both of them standing still to maximize the shots. Mercer chops him so hard that blood is trickling down Radrick’s chest (dang) and a running kick to said chest gives Mercer two.

They head outside with Radrick being sent hard into the barricade to keep him in trouble. Back in and they strike it out with Radrick knocking him down for two of his own. Mercer gets knocked to the apron and grabs a triangle choke over the ropes. With that broken up, they slug it out again with Radrick getting the better of things until a running shot to the face cuts him off. Radrick gets caught with another right hand on the top and it’s Nigel McGuinness’ old Tower of London to give Mercer the pin at 8:10.

Rating: C. I’m still not big on the “you hit me and then I’ll hit you” stuff and there wasn’t much here besides that. I don’t know if Radrick was a bit tired after wrestling so much this weekend, but this didn’t exactly catch fire. Granted it doesn’t help when you are having a cold match in front of a small crowd so there is only so much that you can get going.

Post match Radrick grabs a mic and puts Mercer over. He thanks the fans for coming out and shakes Mercer’s hand, apparently finally getting to meet him.

Heather Monroe vs. Shazza McKenzie

This is McKenzie’s New Texas Pro debut. Monroe has a large fan (as in one she holds in her hand) and quite the feather boa so she’s more than a bit over the top. McKenzie cranks on the arm to start and takes it to the mat with an armbar. Monroe can’t get a Figure Four so McKenzie headlock takeovers her down. A running dropkick puts Monroe in the corner and a running shot to the face makes it worse.

Monroe is able to take her to the floor by the knee (egads) and makes fun of McKenzie’s face, which was damaged by Maven (yes that Maven, because there can be only one) over the weekend. Back in and something close to a dragon sleeper keeps McKenzie in trouble, setting up a running hip attack in the corner to make it worse. A double stomp to the back out of the corner gives Monroe two but McKenzie manages a knockdown of her own.

They’re both down for a bit, followed by a strike off. McKenzie ties her in the ropes for the rapid fire kicks to the chest and a high crossbody gets two. Monroe is fine enough to grab a half dragon suplex and a basement superkick connects for two more. They strike it out again until McKenzie hits a splits Stunner and goes up. The middle rope sunset flip is countered though and Monroe sits down and grabs the rope for the pin at 10:48.

Rating: C+. McKenzie is someone who feels like she should be ready to become a top star but never breaks through for whatever reason. You could definitely tell she had some more polish here than a lot of the other stars on the show and she did a nice job of putting over Monroe. Nice enough match here, and McKenzie still feels like she could have a lot of potential.

Six Shooter Challenge

This is a six person match with timed intervals, but a pin or submission can win the match at any time, even if everyone isn’t in yet. There is a two minute interval for the first two entrants and one minute intervals after that, with the winner gets a future title match. I’d assume six entrants but you never can tell with these things. At least it isn’t everyone at once though, with Max Heights (whose Lone Star Title isn’t on the line) in at #1 and Izzy James is in at #2.

Heights gets rolled up to start and bails to the floor for a quick breather. Back in and Heights gets some rollups of his own until he drops James pretty hard onto his shoulder. James pulls a springboard dive out of the air and grabs a Sharpshooter but Rudy Garza is in at #3 for the save. Garza snaps off Three Amigos on Heights, who is right back with a high crossbody to take both of them down. Sky de Lacrimosa (the Texas Chasinsaw, who has no chainsaw) with Cousin Otis, is in at #4 and knocks Garza out of the air.

There’s a Rock Bottom out of the corner to take out James but all three get on the monster. That doesn’t work very well and it’s Jerome Daniel Griffey (Dr. Sleep, who looks like an MMA fighter) in at #5 to go after Sky as well. Griffey gets to clean house and it’s a quadruple sleeper until T Ray is in at #6 to complete the field. It’s Griffey getting in Ray’s face, earning himself a quick T (F) 5 for two, with a group save needed.

Ray shrugs that off and sends them into the corner for some running clotheslines. A running hurricanrana drops Sky and a powerbomb gets two on Heights. Ray is knocked outside for a big flip dive from Heights, leaving Griffey to muscle Sky over for a suplex. Garza takes Griffey down but Ray is back in with a T5 to Garza….but Heights comes in to steal the pin at 10:17.

Rating: C. I liked the staggered entrances deal but yeah this was just another scramble match and nothing more. Heights seems like a good villain, but there is only so much to be gathered from a match with six people over ten minutes. T Ray felt like a good monster and Sky is probably going to be a threat to multiple people around here, but find a better way to showcase them than throwing everyone in at once.

Heights immediately runs off in a smart move.

Women’s Title: Raychell Rose vs. Willow Nightingale

Rose is defending and gets powered away to start. Nightingale’s headlock is broken up and they go to the grappling for a change. Back up and Nightingale flips to the middle of the ring for some quick dancing. Nightingale manages Two Amigos before the third is countered into a small package for two.

A fisherman’s buster plants Rose for two but she’s right back to work on Nightingale’s leg in the corner. The leg cranking stays on in the middle of the ring before a running knee in the corner rocks Nightingale again. Nightingale quickly fights out of a chinlock and scores with a heck of a clothesline for a double knockdown.

The clothesline comeback is on, setting up a spinebuster to give Nightingale two. There’s the Pounce into a Cannonball in the corner for two but Rose knocks her off the top. Rose’s spear connects for two but Nightingale knocks her off the top as well. Rose goes right back to the leg and a running knee to the back of the head (ala Adam Cole’s Last Shot) retains the title at 10:12.

Rating: C+. Nightingale is such fun to watch but she didn’t get to do as much of her thing here. She has so much charisma and it is so easy to like her so having her around helped a lot. Other than that, Rose was fine as a champion for Nightingale to go after, making this a perfectly fine title match.

Mysterious Q vs. Davey Richards

For a future New Japan Pro Title match. Feeling out process to start with Richards getting him down by the arm. An exchange of cradles gets two each and Richards takes a quick breather on the floor. Richards comes back in and kicks him down to set up the chinlock. With that not working, Richards kicks away at the arm before cranking away at it in various painful looking ways.

They head outside where Q cuts off the big kick to the chest, only to have Richards take out the leg again back inside. A running dropkick to the knee sets up the Figure Four, which Q turns over to send Richards to the rope. Richards is fine enough to kick him down again as commentary wonders why Q can’t get anything going. Back up and Q grabs a release German suplex, followed by the Q Cutter for a delayed two.

A dragon screw legwhip over the rope lets Richards go up, where he misses the double stomp. Richards instead grabs an Indian Deathlock to send Q bailing to the ropes again. They slug it out until Q’s handspring kick to the face is countered into an ankle lock. That’s broken up so Richards kicks him down and hits the top rope double stomp for two. A brainbuster gets two more so we hit the ankle lock again, which Q reverses into a cradle for the pin out of nowhere at 15:48.

Rating: B-. In case you were wondering, no, Richards has not gained the ability to show emotion or do much beyond striking people rather hard. I know he has an audience and some people are into this stuff, but I’ve never been a fan and Q didn’t get in much here, with even commentary acknowledging it. Q has a good look and some size, but this wasn’t a good showcase of him because of all the Richards dominance.

Respect is shown post match to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where the wrestling was pretty good for the most part but it was such a dry event that I was dreading watching most of it. Maybe it was the small crowd and venue, but there was almost nothing on here that would make me want to watch more from the promotion. There was no emotion here at all and it felt like a show that could be done better by other promotions. That doesn’t make it feel special, but rather just kind of there.

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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Make sure you check out some recent reviews.

Classic All Star Wrestling – October 16, 2022

Smackdown – October 28, 2022

Rampage – October 28, 2022

Survivor Series 1993 (2012 Redo)

Survivor Series 1994 (2012 Redo)

Classic All Star Wrestling – October 23, 2022

LOOK: Man Wears WWE Title During Suspected Armed Robbery.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/man-wears-wwe-title-suspected-armed-robbery/

WWE Considering Major Feud For Bray Wyatt.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-considering-major-feud-bray-wyatt/

33 Year Old Former WWE Star Makes Surprise Return After 5 Year Absence.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/33-year-old-former-wwe-star-makes-surprise-return-5-year-absence/

WWE Adds Two Huge Title Matches To Crown Jewel.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-adds-two-huge-title-matches-crown-jewel/

WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE May Move Major Annual Matches To WrestleMania.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-wwe-may-move-major-annual-matches-wrestlemania/

AEW TNT Champion Wardlow: “I Have Girls Chained Up In My Bedroom”.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/aews-wardlow-girls-chained-bedroom/

WWE Hall Of Famer Making Special AEW Appearance Next Week.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-hall-famer-making-special-aew-appearance-next-week/

Becky Lynch Explains What Hurt Her Friendship With Charlotte.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/becky-lynch-explains-real-life-issues-charlotte/

Possible Reason Why Two WWE Stars Are Missing.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/possible-reason-two-wwe-stars-missing/

Identity Of SmackDown’s Uncle Howdy Possibly Revealed With Old Photo.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/identity-smackdowns-uncle-howdy-possibly-revealed-old-photo/

LOOK: NXT Stars Get Creative In Halloween Costume Battle Royal.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/look-nxt-stars-get-creative-halloween-costume-battle-royal/

Arn Anderson On Time As A WWE Producer: “I Hated That Job”.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/arn-anderson-wwe-producer-hated-job/

Mick Foley Opens Up On Health Issues From His Career.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/mick-foley-opens-health-issues-career/

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

Classic All Star Wrestling
Date: October 23, 2022
Host: Adam Parsons

We’re back with another week of random classic matches which in some cases are more old than classic. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of this as I don’t know what’s coming and that’s a great feeling to have. If nothing else, it’s cool to try to figure out what I’m seeing most weeks, which is quite the mystery to solve in some cases. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Adam Parsons runs down the card.

We’re starting with a bit of a confusing one, as Parsons says this is from Southwest Championship Wrestling (San Antonio). Now this is billed as being from San Antonio, but the ring is rather Memphis, the commentary is rather Memphis, the referee is from Memphis and the only record I can see of these two having a match is in Memphis on January 4, 1986, so I’m thinking Parsons slipped up with the announcement.

Rick Casey vs. Benny Trailer

Casey (better known as Wendell Cooley) works on the arm to start and grabs a quick suplex. Arm cranking ensues and the bulldog finishes Trailer at 3:04.

Rating: D+. The match was nothing more than a squash but I was having fun trying to figure out where this took place. All signs point to Memphis and I’m all but certain it was just a quick mistake from commentary. That’s the fun part of this show and they made it work again here, even if it was a pretty lame match.

Next up is from International Championship Wrestling, likely from the early 1980s.

Tojo Yamamoto vs. Kenny Harris

Yamamoto was a longtime star in Memphis so this is a rare excursion for him. The graphic says Harris but commentary (which sounds like Lanny Poffo) says Hall. A chop has Yamamoto in trouble so he goes into his tights for what is likely a phantom foreign object. Yamamoto gets his arm cranked so it’s a pull of the hair to get himself out of trouble.

Another shot sends Yamamoto into the corner and we pause again as he keeps trying to find something in his tights. Back up and Yamamoto goes to the eyes to take over and some chops in the corner keep him in trouble. Some chops put Harris down and the stomach claw is enough for the submission at 5:20.

Rating: D+. You know, if you want to have Yamamoto go with the foreign object deal, he might want to actually find one (even if it doesn’t exist) at some point. I’m not sure what else you could expect here, but they were doing quite a bit of stalling for a payoff that didn’t really come. That being said, you don’t get to see much Yamamoto but he knew how to do the villainy things. There are better examples than this though as it wasn’t the most interesting deal.

I’m assuming we’re staying in in International Championship Wrestling, as I can’t imagine anywhere else going here, from Frankfort, Kentucky, again in the early 1980s.

Pez Whatley vs. Walter Johnson

We’re joined in progress and Johnson, a former NFL player, misses a headbutt as the referee is down. Whatley dives into a bearhug as Rip Rogers comes in to throw powder in Johnson’s eyes to give Whatley the pin at 1:00 shown. Just the finish instead of the match here.

Post match, Whatley yells about Ronnie Garvin and yes this is ICW.

Finally, from Southwest Championship Wrestling in San Antonio, likely on July 1, 1984.

Parsons gives us the preview for next week and signs off before the main event. Ok then.

Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah the Butcher

We’re joined in progress again with the two fighting on the floor. Back in and Butcher kicks him low so Butcher beats up the referee (in case you thought the referee mattered here). The brawling continues as we get a second referee, who is shoved down almost immediately. They fight to the floor again and then into the crowd where they find a piece of wood. A bunch of fans run off as they fight to a high rise area and choke/rake eyes. Brody grabs a chair and Butcher wanders off at 4:58 shown.

Rating: C. I have no idea how much of that was part of the actual match as it was just a big brawl rather than anything resembling a match. Brody and Butcher were there to do this kind of thing over and over and that is why they would always be able to find work around the country and world. It’s a total freak show, but dang they could make it feel exciting.

Overall Rating: C-. This wasn’t one of their better shows, but what matters is still the fun from just seeing what we might get that week. It’s the point of a show like this and it worked very well again here. Getting to go around the wrestling world and get away from the WWF or Crockett is great for a change as there is so much talent that you just won’t see most of the time. Not a great edition, but dang this is a fun concept.

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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Rampage
Date: October 28, 2022
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re back with another live Rampage this week and this time we have the World Champion in action as Jon Moxley is facing Matt Menard. That would likely be the big match of the show and after that, there is a good chance the star power goes a bit downhill in a hurry. I’m not sure what that is going to entail but we should be in for a fun show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Matt Menard

Non-title and Angelo Parker is here with Menard. Hang on though as Moxley asks Menard for a minute before going after a distracting Parker. With that not working, Moxley sends him outside and there’s a ram into the barricade. There’s the back rake to Menard and Moxley bites away back inside. We hear that Mike Tyson will be on commentary next week (oh dear) as Menard has to block a Figure Four attempt. Parker gets in a shot that we don’t see (thank goodness for replays) and we take a break.

Back with Menard choking on the ropes but Moxley grabs a quick cutter to get himself out of trouble. Moxley tells Menard to hit him before hitting the King Kong lariat for the knockdown. The ankle lock goes on but Menard actually manages to kick his way to freedom. Parker tries to interfere and gets cuttered as well but Menard gets in a cheap shot off of the distraction. Menard gets in his own kicks but gets pulled into the choke to give Moxley the tap at 8:06.

Rating: C+. This was exactly what it should have been. There was zero reason to believe that Moxley was in any serious danger and other than Parker interference, Menard didn’t get in control very often. This was a glorified workout for Moxley but it was fun, which is the direction a match like this should have gone.

Post match Stokely Hathaway and Lee Moriarty come out. Stokely throws out the challenge to Moxley for next week on Dynamite and for some enticement, we see a video on Moriarty beating on Wheeler Yuta and explaining Taigastyle. Moxley says the Blackpool Combat Club likes Moriarty but that was a big mistake. The match is on.

We’re getting another #1 contenders tournament with the finals coming at Full Gear for a Winter Is Coming title shot. The first entrant: Dante Martin. Their last tournament was last month.

Jade Cargill is training and promises to get the TBS Title back.

Keith Lee vs. Serpentico

Serpentico chops away and the Spirit Bomb finishes him off at 17 seconds.

Post match Tony Schiavone gets in the ring to talk to Lee about the Full Gear Tag Team Title match. Before Lee can say anything, the Acclaimed interrupt, sans rap. They haven’t seen Swerve Strickland or Billy Gunn and want to know where he is. Swerve pops up on screen to reveal that he has kidnapped Gunn and has him tied to a chair. Gunn tells Swerve to blame himself but Swerve says Gunn won’t be at the title match. Swerve whips out some pliers and seems to break Gunn’s finger before cutting the video. The Acclaimed runs off….and I have no idea to where. Lee seems to think that was too far.

We see the Jericho Appreciation Society challenging any former Ring Of Honor Champion. Thankfully they have the audio fixed this time.

Tay Melo vs. Madison Rayne

Sammy Guevara is here with Melo. Feeling out process to start and Melo flips her over into a sunset flip, which is reversed into a cradle for two. Back up and they yell at each other until Melo hits a backbreaker on the ropes and we take a break. We come back with Madison managing a DDT and a neckbreaker gets two. Rayne catches her on top with a super cutter for a rather delayed near fall. Melo is back with a spinebuster for two and the SHOCKED face is great. A quick TayKO finishes Rayne at 9:22.

Rating: C. Rayne continues to be just kind of there and nothing more as she keeps losing one after another. The good thing is that she came in with low expectations but she is still enough of a name and can hang in a match well enough. Melo gets another win here and should be moving up the ladder, at least a little bit.

Ethan Page yells at the idea of MJF being anything without him. Plans have changed and now MJF is going into Full Gear at less than 100%. In addition, he is going to Full Gear himself because he is in the #1 contenders tournament.

Wardlow and Matt Taven are ready to fight. Taven is ready to make the TNT Title into the Taven Network Television Title. Wardlow would rather just powerbomb him a lot.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

TNT Title: Matt Taven vs. Wardlow

Taven, with the rest of the Kingdom, is challenging. Taven chops away to no effect but a dropkick puts Wardlow on one knee. Unfortunately that lasts half a second and I’M MATT TAVEN takes a bit longer, allowing Wardlow to send him flying. A big toss over the top sends Taven outside and that means a posting to make it worse.

Mike Bennett gets in a cheap shot, allowing Taven to hit the Flight of the Conqueror. Wardlow gets rammed into the steps and we take a break. Back with Taven missing a top rope…I guess stomp, allowing Wardlow to hit the F10. There’s a spinebuster to plant Taven so Wardlow offers a distraction, which does nothing to stop a Four Movement Powerbomb Symphony to retain the title at 9:01.

Rating: B-. This is exactly how AEW should be using Wardlow. Taven isn’t a major star, but he has enough of a resume that beating him means something. Wardlow needs to move up in competition but he needs to be doing it the formula that got him to this point. The match was good enough, but what matters is that it was the Wardlow style that worked so well for him in the first place.

Post match Bennett comes in to jump Wardlow but Samoa Joe makes the save. Cue Powerhouse Hobbs to stare at Joe and Wardlow, with the Embassy running in from behind to beat the two of them down. The big beatdown ends the show, with Hobbs holding up the TNT Title while Brian Cage grabs the ROH TV Title.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a very Rampage style episode of Rampage: there was some good enough content but it felt like the majority was spent setting up something for later or just wasn’t that important. Having Mike Tyson on the show next week should be entertaining, but it isn’t going to make the show feel like it matters any more than that. It’s strange as Dynamite makes the lowest stuff feel important, but for some reason Rampage is the complete opposite. Maybe find a bit of a better balance? Or just put more into Rampage.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Matt Menard – Rear naked choke
Keith Lee b. Serpentico – Spirit Bomb
Tay Melo b. Madison Rayne – TayKO
Wardlow b. Matt Taven – Powerbomb Symphony

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
Date: October 28, 2022
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We are less than eight days away from Crown Jewel and Roman Reigns is actually here this time. Odds are he’s going to be talking about Logan Paul, but there is always the chance that he will be giving us some hints about what he is going to be doing at Survivor Series. Other than that, I’m sure Bray Wyatt will be running around. Let’s get to it.

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

Brawling Brutes vs. Solo Sikoa/Sami Zayn

In the back, Sami asks Jey Uso to keep things calm, as Roman Reigns isn’t here yet and the first thing he needs to see is the team being successful. Butch and Zayn start things off with the former hitting a rather hard clothesline. Holland comes in to help Butch out with some forearms to the chest but they don’t exactly look great.

Jimmy gets in a cheap shot to Butch from the floor but he’s fine enough to send Sami outside. A running knee off the apron drops Zayn but Sikoa runs Butch over as we take a break. Back with Sikoa Samoan dropping Holland for two but getting caught with the Al Snow trapping headbutts (Best offense strong A, U+B can buy. At least out of Create A Wrestler.).

Butch tries the Cloverleaf on Sami but has to glare at Jimmy. An enziguri rocks Sami in the corner, leaving him to argue with Jey on the floor. Sikoa comes over and reminds them of a match, allowing Holland to run all three over. Back in and Holland small packages Sami for the pin at 11:44.

Rating: B-. Good start to the show as the Brutes get built back up at the expense of the top stable in the company. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Brutes getting a big title shot soon, perhaps even at Crown Jewel. The Bloodline continuing to have issues is a great thing and we could be in for some even more interesting stuff going forward.

Post match arguing ensues….and here’s Roman Reigns to interrupt (Sami’s scared face is great). Post break Reigns has the fans acknowledge him but he’s tired of the team messing up. Reigns says if the team wants to act like children, he’ll treat them like children. He wants them to put everything on the line, so Sami apologizes for everything and asks if he and Jey can bury the hatchet once and for all.

Sami extends his hand and Jey thinks about it before saying Sami needs to get that hand out of his face. Jey talks about everything he doesn’t like about Jey, including pretending to be part of the Bloodline when he isn’t blood. Jey is willing to bleed for his family but Sami will never be part of it. Sami: “The Tribal Chief wants peace!” Jey: “I DON’T GIVE A D*** WHAT THE TRIBAL CHIEF SAYS!”

As Reigns slowly turns around, everyone knows that Jey is pretty much dead. Sami again tries to play peacekeeper and says Jey (who can’t look at Reigns) is going through a lot and hasn’t been very Ucey lately. Reigns smiles and asks if that is what is going on around here. Reigns: “Jey is that the problem? It’s that you’re not feeling……..UCEY?”

Jey tries to leave but a smiling Reigns puts his arm around him and says stay right there. Reigns says if Jey can’t find his honorary Ucey, he’s going to do something Jey doesn’t like. If Jey can’t figure this out, Sami goes from being an honorary Uce to a full one, with a new name of Sami Uso. Sami looks like a three year old on Christmas morning as Paul Heyman says that’s about it and plugs Reigns vs. Logan Paul at Crown Jewel.

This is still the most interesting character stuff in wrestling, with multiple paths this could take. The reaction when Jey went too far was amazing because that was getting in way over his head and he knew it. Great segment here as it continues to be the highlight of the WWE week.

New Day vs. Maximum Male Models

In an inset interview, New Day isn’t sure if the New Day is more Rick Martel/Tyler Breeze or Billy and Chuck. Kofi starts in on Mansoor’s and hands it off to Woods to work on the arm. Mace takes Woods down from the apron though and the villains take over. That doesn’t last long and the hot tag brings in Kofi to clean house. The Midnight Hour finishes Mansoor at 3:40.

Rating: C. Just a quick match to get New Day back on track as they are probably heading for a showdown with the Usos over the Tag Team Titles, probably with the record on the line. The Models were never going to be big stars in the division so this is hardly some devastating loss. New Day can still work well with anyone and this was fine enough.

Sonya Deville doesn’t think much of Liv Morgan, who runs up and attacks her.

Braun Strowman loves the idea of Omos as a challenge.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. ???

Rousey is defending in an open challenge against….Emma. Yes that Emma, though this time it’s very much in the Tenille Dashwood mold. We start after a break with Rousey kicking her to the floor but missing a charge into the steps. Back in and Emma grabs the Tarantula, followed by a high crossbody for two.

Rousey pulls her down to the mat but Emma fights up and hits a running clothesline. A Russian legsweep drops Rousey for two but she’s right back with the ankle lock. That’s countered into a wheelbarrow suplex so Rousey uses a distracted referee to rake the eyes. Piper’s Pit sets up the armbar to make Emma tap at 6:51.

Rating: C+. It was nice to see Emma being back and I’m curious to see what she can do as the serious version on the main roster, assuming she is sticking around. Thankfully there is nothing in the way of Emmalina to be seen, as that was a career killer. Also, having Rousey beat a surprise challenger makes her look good, which is a good way to get her back on track.

Newly announced for Crown Jewel: Bayley vs. Bianca Belair, Last Woman Standing for the Raw Women’s Title and Usos defending the Tag Team Titles against the Brawling Brutes.

Jey Uso tries to talk to Roman Reigns but Heyman says he’ll take care of it. Jey is pleased but Heyman seems to know Jey is in trouble.

Shayna Baszler congratulates Ronda Rousey on her victory when Natalya pops in. Natalya says she would have won if she had answered the challenge and is immediately choked out by Baszler. Well that makes Baszler look a lot better.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Hit Row/Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura is a mystery partner and Zelina Vega/B Fab are the fourths. The brawl is on with Hit Row cleaning house, leaving the four of them to hit a Nakamura COME ON as we take a break. Back with the bell having run during the bell and Adonis in trouble. Del Toro adds a top rope splash for two but a tag bring sin Nakamura to clean house, including the sliding German suplex to Escobar. Top Dolla comes in for the World’s Strongest Wasteland (thanks Barrett) and a rope running chop to the head (cool) knocks Wilde silly. Kinshasa finishes at 4:19.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure how much I can get behind either of these teams at the moment, as Hit Row is nowhere near as good without Swerve and Legado is already getting beaten up. Nakamura is kind of thrown in there out of nowhere and I’m not sure how much Hit Row gets out of the win with Nakamura doing the main work.

Paul Heyman shows Roman Reigns some of Logan Paul’s boxing, which Reigns sees as a waste of time. Heyman knows that Paul has metal pins in his hand to knock people out, but Reigns says IT’S HIS THIRD MATCH! Heyman: “Brock Lesnar won the UFC Heavyweight Title in his third match!” That’s a bit too far for Reigns so Heyman runs off to do something else.

LA Knight doesn’t think much of SmackDown so Ricochet comes in to offer him some advice. Knight isn’t impressed and a match is likely.

Karrion Kross vs. Madcap Moss

Scarlett is here with Kross. They fight over a lockup to start and Moss knocks him down for a bit. Back up and Kross knocks him into the corner, only to charge into an elbow. A middle rope shoulder and a clothesline put Kross on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Kross stomping away in the corner and hitting a clothesline for two.

A suplex gets another two but Moss makes the rope to avoid a cross armbreaker. Moss fights up and hits a spinebuster but Scarlett gets up on the apron for a distraction and Kross kicks him in the face. There’s the Doomsday Saito and the running forearm to the back of the head finishes for Kross at 11:39.

Rating: C+. They had a good brawl but it’s weird to see Moss getting beaten up like this. He was on a rather nice run and had cooled off a bit, but I didn’t think he was ready to get beaten up by Kross this decisively. Kross vs. Drew McIntyre at Crown Jewel will be good, though I’m not sure how much of a chance McIntyre has.

Post match Kross chokes out Moss and grabs the mic, saying Drew McIntyre is a much weaker fighter. Kross will always stand for the new beginning and McIntyre is done at Crown Jewel.

Crown Jewel rundown.

Rey Mysterio is ready for Gunther when Imperium jumps him. Gunther hits the big chop to leave Rey laying.

Here is Bray Wyatt for a chat. He could get used to those reactions because it is like pure adrenaline. Bray says this isn’t him behind a mask or with any smoke and mirrors because this is Bray, the real man. He is here today and plans on doing some spectacular things. For the majority of his life, he has had no control and he has done some horrible things. There is a part of him that likes to do horrible things and there will be a time when he is asked to do that again….and then the video feed is taken over.

We see the same man who said Howdy last week (looks like Bray with a lot of makeup) but this time he says he is the ghost of the man who sold the word. There is a reason why you (presumably Bray) is a shell of who he once was and while he claims to not wear a mask, that is not true. Bray will never be able to hide from him, his Uncle Howdy. End of show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was pretty much in the middle and I wasn’t wild on the ending, but that Bloodline segment was more than enough to carry this to a sold week. The Bloodline is on an absolute roll right now and delivering the best story in wrestling. Crown Jewel and Logan Paul feel like little more than a pit stop because that’s more or less what it is, but you can feel something big coming at Survivor Series and that should be great.

Results
New Day b. Maximum Male Models – Midnight Hour to Mansoor
Ronda Rousey b. Emma – Armbar
Hit Row/Shinsuke Nakamura b. Legado del Fantasma – Kinshasa to Wilde
Karrion Kross b. Madcap Moss – Running forearm to the back of the head

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

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AND

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

Classic All Star Wrestling
Date: October 16, 2022
Host: Adam Parsons

So it’s back to this show, which should be a lot of fun if they do things like they did last week. Granted that seems to be the format of the show and that should make for a lot of fun every week. Last week’s preview mentioned a battle royal featuring Andre the Giant, which could be anything. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Adam Parsons runs down the card.

We’re going to Big Time Wrestling to start. The promotion is based out of Detroit but I believe this is from Toronto in 1975. Or at least something close to that.

North American Title: Stan Stasiak vs. Ron Doner

Stasiak is defending and the name is Doner, not Donner as the graphic says. Doner takes him down by the arm but Stasiak is back up with a thumb to the throat to cut that off in a hurry. Stasiak takes him into the corner but misses a charge, which is enough to send him outside and give the fans a BIG reaction for Doner. Back in and Stasiak takes hi into the corner again, only to get forearmed into the ropes for his efforts. Doner is back on the arm that got hurt in the missed charge and then leapfrogs the referee (that was cool) to stay on Stasiak. With the arms freed, Stasiak is done with this and finishes with the heart punch at 4:18.

Rating: C. Stasiak is a guy who could have been quite the monster for someone to slay at the right point and Doner seems to be the latest person to go after him here. Stasiak was a former WWWF Champion at this point so he was already a big deal in the sport and being a champion here wasn’t a surprise. It wasn’t exactly a good match, but the fans were into Doner so it was fine for a one off match.

From ICW in Lexington, Kentucky (likely at Henry Clay High School). Based on who is holding a title coming in, we’re looking at late 1981 or late 1982.

TV Title: Great Tio vs. Ron Strunk

Tio is defending and he is managed by Ox Baker. Strunk elbows him down to start and Tio needs a breather in the corner. Some chops put Strunk in trouble but he blocks a ram into the buckle to send Tio outside. Back in and Tio sends him outside as the video goes black for some reason, but commentary suggests that Baker got in a cheap shot. Back in again and Strunk slams him down, only to be sent into the corner. A suplex retains Tio’s title at 3:46.

Rating: C-. Strunk didn’t exactly do much here but at least he put up a short term fight until Tio beat him. Tio is fine for a monster and you could see him being the kind of monster for a classic good guy to take down (there’s a theme with this show). Nice, short match here and Tio wasn’t half bad.

Post match Baker brags about his champion winning and promises to get even better because of some changes coming with Tio’s training regimen.

Parsons talks about the dangers of the battle royal.

From Polynesian Pro Wrestling in Hawaii, I believe on December 19, 1984.

Battle Royal

There are twenty people in this and we’re joined in progress so I’m not even going to hope to figure out everyone involved. Some notable names would include Andre the Giant, Jimmy Snuka, Don Muraco and Masa Sasito. Andre cleans house and everyone brawls on the ropes as we hear about Dusty Rhodes and Magnum TA coming to Hawaii. Commentary keeps going on about an upcoming show as the camera just goes around the ring with various brawls. We’re nearly four minutes in and we’ve heard all of ten seconds of discussion about the match.

Back to back wrestlers are tossed out and Snuka pairs off with Muraco for a double elimination. We’re down to six with Andre, four other people not important enough to mention. One of them is tossed and Andre dumps two more….which is enough for Andre to be declared the winner at 6:17 shown. The other two just don’t count because….I don’t know why.

Rating: D. I’m not sure if this was normal for Polynesian Pro Wrestling but it felt like a bit of a waste of time. I get the idea of talking about an upcoming show (and the show they were talking about was the biggest show the promotion ever had, but my goodness the match they were airing was nothing but background noise. Andre winning a battle royal is no surprise and is always fun to see. I just could have gone with it getting some kind of attention.

The preview for next week wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C. The not so great main event aside, I could still go for a lot more of this show and I will be sticking around for a long time. Just seeing the random stuff that pops up is cool as it isn’t a bunch of famous or classic matches, but rather a sample of the run of the mill stuff that you would see, plus a bigger main event. It’s a very fun half hour and I will take that every week.

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.