It’s that time again, as I’ll be starting the Survivor Series countup starting this Saturday. Each day I’ll be posting a review of a past Survivor Series, but I’ll be doing two new versions. One of them will be the 2021 edition, but you get to pick the other. Any of them are eligible save for the following (which I’ve either done recently or done enough over the years):
1995
2003
2006
2007
2020
2021
Vote in the comments below!
Monday Night Raw
Date: October 17, 2022
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick
We’re rapidly approaching Crown Jewel and WWE has the main event covered with Logan Paul challenging Roman Reigns. That leaves some spots open for the rest of the card, some of which needs to be filled in soon. Odds are we’ll get some of that soon and you can probably guess some of the matches from here. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
We open with Bobby Lashley in the ring mid-promo, where he calls out Brock Lesnar. Cue Lesnar as I’m impressed that they found a much more logical way to start the show for once. They get in a fight before Lesnar can even make it to the ring, with Lashley getting posted on the floor. Lashley slips out of another posting and sends Lesnar into it instead. A spear through the barricade draws out wrestlers and officials to break it up but Lashley gets away. This time it’s Lesnar going through the announcers’ table (on the second attempt) to leave him laying.
OC vs. Alpha Academy
AJ Styles is here with the OC. Anderson takes Gable into the corner to start and it’s off to Gallows vs. Otis. The shots in the corner stagger Otis so Anderson comes back in. A cheap shot from the apron lets Otis knock him to the floor and we take a break. Back with Gallows cleaning house until Anderson gets caught with a northern lights suplex for two. That doesn’t work so well as it’s the Magic Killer for the pin on Gable at 8:14.
Rating: C. This was your standard “welcome back” match as the OC shows that they can beat one of the established teams around here. That was never really in doubt as the Academy has fallen through the floor in recent months, but they do still serve a purpose. The Magic Killer can still look good and this was about as solid of a use as the Academy has at the moment.
Post match the Judgment Day comes out with Finn Balor saying he started this Club. The challenge is thrown out for Crown Jewel and the match is made rather quickly. Styles wants to fight right now though, but it’s Dominik Mysterio to say AJ would run away like Rey Mysterio did to Smackdown. AJ challenges Dominik for tonight and Rhea Ripley accepts for him. Dominik isn’t ready right now though so we’ll do it in like an hour or so. Styles tells him to drink some water though so he can beat the p*** out of him.
We look back at Seth Rollins winning the United States Title last week.
Here is a rather jazzed up Seth Rollins for a chat. Rollins brags about being the new champion and is ready to wipe the floor with Matt Riddle tonight. Cue Mustafa Ali of all people to interrupt, allowing him to congratulate Rollins as well. Ali is wondering when Rollins is going to congratulate Brock Lesnar for the help but we can move on from that.
See, Bobby Lashley promised Ali the next shot and Ali wants the shot, no matter who the champion is. Rollins laughs him off because Ali doesn’t belong in this ring. Ali TAKES ROLLINS’ GLASSES and says he is Rollins’ next freakin problem. Rollins calls him a good man and father and then punches him in the face. The champ goes to leave but Ali jumps him from behind. The fight is on and Ali takes a heck of a posting.
JBL’s limo arrives.
Damage Ctrl vs. Candice LeRae/Bianca Belair
Non-title and Bayley is on commentary. Candice takes Sky down to start and hands it off to Belair. Kai comes in and gets shouldered hard but everything breaks down. The villains are knocked to the floor, where Candice hits a springboard dive to send us to a break. Back with Sky rolling Belair up for two and Kai coming in to pull Belair by the braid. That doesn’t last long either as Belair gets over for the tag off to LeRae. A step up backsplash onto Kai’s back lets Candice go up top, only to get pulled back down.
Candice gets knocked down into the corner so Kai can hold her down with a boot to the face. That’s broken up as well and it’s back to Belair to clean house. LeRae comes back in off a blind tag and it’s Belair with a suplex into LeRae’s missile dropkick for two with Kai having to make a save. Belair gets sent outside so Bayley grabs a kendo stick, earning herself a tackle over the announcers’ table. That leaves Sky and Kai to hit a kind of double electric chair for the pin on LeRae at 12:11.
Rating: C+. These four worked well together and you can all but guarantee that we’re getting another Bayley vs. Belair match sooner than later. I’m not big on seeing LeRae take another fall but getting beaten by the champs 2-1 isn’t the worst situation. Energetic match here though, with Sky and Kai working well together.
Matt Riddle is ready to win the US Title. He sees Mustafa Ali and says when he wins, Ali can have a shot. Ali appreciates that but they hear Miz shouting about slipping and hurting his knee. Riddle talks about knowing a sanitation engineer, but Miz is sure he’s torn his ACL so GET HIM SOME HELP.
Judgment Day is getting Dominik Mysterio ready but NXT’s Cora Jade comes up to Rhea Ripley. Jade wants Rhea to come to NXT and hurt Roxanne Perez in their Pick Your Poison match tomorrow. Ripley is in.
Here is JBL of all people for a special appearance. After insulting the Oklahoma Sooners football team for losing to a real team like the Texas Longhorns, JBL talks about Rey Mysterio leaving Monday Night Raw for Smackdown. It turns out that, thanks to a trade there is a new star here in the form of…..Baron Corbin! After Corbin gets his big entrance, JBL mocks modern stars such as Dolph Ziggler who are taking money and TV time that could go to people like Corbin. Cue Ziggler and it’s time for a match (which happens to be a rematch of Corbin’s first match on Raw back in 2016).
Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler
JBL is on commentary. Corbin kicks Ziggler in the face to start and chokes him on the apron. Ziggler fights up and knocks Corbin into the corner for an Arn Anderson eye rake across the rope. A reverse suplex gives Corbin two and a hard clothesline puts Ziggler on the floor. There’s a whip into the steps to keep Ziggler down and we take a break.
Back with Ziggler hammering away but getting caught with a fall away slam to cut that off in a hurry. The jumping DDT gives Ziggler two but Deep Six gives Corbin the same. Ziggler is back up with the Zig Zag for two more, only to have Corbin come back with End Of Days and the pin at 13:36.
Rating: C-. So Corbin is back and….yeah he’s still Baron Corbin. His in-ring work was its usual decent power work which didn’t exactly have me begging to see more. Then you have Ziggler, who is good at what he does but we’ve seen it so many times that it loses some luster. That is the case with both of them here and it was showing badly: it wasn’t bad, but how many times can you get excited about seeing these two?
Miz doesn’t want anyone to come near his knee but Byron Saxton comes in to suggest that Miz staged the whole thing. That’s too far for Miz, but his knee hurts so he can’t yell. A voice shouts IT’S DEXTER LUMIS so Miz pops up and is just fine. That would be Johnny Gargano, who was mistaken about Lumis but is impressed by Miz’s recovery. The match still seems to be on.
MVP and Omos don’t think much of Braun Strowman. Giants aren’t real, but monsters are.
Here is the still weird Bray Wyatt segment from Smackdown, albeit a bit condensed.
Cameron Grimes is here and asks if the OC want to be his partners tomorrow night against the Schism. They’re in, which Grimes declares to be TOO SWEET.
Crown Jewel rundown, with Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley added to the card.
AJ Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio
OC and Judgment Day are here too. Styles doesn’t waste time by kicking him outside but Dominik is back up with a cheap shot. Choking on the ropes ensues and Rhea Ripley is rather pleased with everything that is going on. A neck snap across the top sets up the Eddie Dance into the slingshot hilo for two on Styles. That earns Dominik a shot to the face and a toss to the floor as we take an early break.
Back with Dominik backing off but getting dropped again, only to have Rhea crotch Styles on top. Three Amigos drop Styles but he’s back up with a gutbuster. The threat of a 619 doesn’t work for Dominik as Styles pulls him into a Calf Crusher. With that broken up, Rhea offers a distraction so Dominik can grab a rollup to give Dominik the upset pin at 14:27.
Rating: C. I’ll give them this: WWE has done a masterful job of making the crowd boo Dominik out of the building every time he does anything. The ending was a good way to make Dominik look a little more dangerous and it’s not like he pinned Styles clean. Dominik is working in this role and if we can keep him away from Rey Mysterio, he could actually turn into a little something.
Miz is getting ready when Johnny Gargano comes up. Miz isn’t cool with what Gargano did and he’s coming for him next. Works for Gargano.
We look at Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar’s show opening fight again.
Dexter Lumis vs. The Miz
If Lumis wins he gets a contract, but if Miz wins, Lumis is gone from WWE. Hold on though as Miz jumps him from behind and hits a Skull Crushing Finale onto a chair. No match.
Damage Ctrl isn’t worried about anyone they’re facing because they have taken out Alexa Bliss and Asuka. Next week, Bayley wants Bianca Belair.
Miz runs into Johnny Gargano, who says that attacking Dexter Lumis was a bad move. Lumis isn’t going to stop until Miz gives him when he wants. Miz gets annoyed, so Gargano threatens him with….a whistle?
Here’s the returning Elias, who explains that his brother’s career was cut short. The show must still go on though and he has a special song ready. Cue Matt Riddle with his bongos to talk about how Zeked out he got over Ezekiel. Riddle: “You want to hit my bong?” Elias turns him down but promises they can play together one day. Riddle has a seat as Elias starts to play but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt.
US Title: Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins
Rollins is defending and Elias is at ringside. Riddle goes right for the triangle choke (how he won at Extreme Rules) and Rollins bails to the floor. Back in and a gutwrench suplex sends Rollins down again, only to have him come back with a shot to the throat. Riddle knocks him to the floor though and Elias gets taunted into hitting the jumping knee.
We take a break and come back with Riddle striking away, including a running forearm in the corner. The Floating Bro gets two and Riddle wins another slugout. Another Floating Bro is broken up, allowing Rollins to hit the reverse superplex, which he rolls into the reverse Falcon arrow for two. Rollins goes up for the frog splash but dives into the triangle choke, which isn’t broken up with a powerbomb.
A buckle bomb doesn’t break it either so Rollins gets a boot on the rope for the break. Rollins bails to the floor, where he can’t get Elias to interfere. Instead, Rollins drops Elias, only to get kicked down by Riddle. The snap powerslam and the hanging DDT look to set up the RKO but Elias comes in. Rollins shoves Riddle into him and the Stomp is enough to retain the title at 14:21.
Rating: B-. The question here wasn’t whether or not Elias would factor into the ending but rather how would he cost Riddle the match. In this case they went with the accidental version, meaning there isn’t much of a reason for Elias and Riddle to fight. Rollins escaping with the title is the way to go with him, as he fits the weaselly champion idea to perfection. If you ignore the fact that this renders the main event of Extreme Rules pretty worthless, there wasn’t much to complain about here.
Post match Rollins hits Elias with a Stomp of his own. Another Stomp to Riddle is loaded up but Mustafa Ali comes in to knock Rollins outside. The suicide dive connects and Ali sends Rollins running through the crowd to end the show. That’s how you make a title feel valuable: have people treat it like it’s important.
Overall Rating: C-. This show felt flat almost all night, as it started with a bang and then didn’t do much else to keep the interest. Lesnar vs. Lashley is going to be a hoss fight, but a six man tag between Judgment Day and OC and whatever they have for the US Title doesn’t quite interest me for Crown Jewel. Maybe they have something else up their sleeves, but for now, there isn’t much to get excited about from Raw, save for the monster fight.
Results
OC b. Alpha Academy – Magic Killer to Gable
Damage Ctrl b. Candice LeRae/Bianca Belair – Double electric chair to LeRae
Baron Corbin b. Dolph Ziggler – End Of Days
Dominik Mysterio b. AJ Styles – Rollup
Seth Rollins b. Matt Riddle – Stomp
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.
My dad wasn’t born yet.
NWA World Title: Lou Thesz vs. Bill Longson
Date: June 17, 1952
Location: Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas
Longson is challenging and this is 2/3 falls. You might not have heard of Longson, but he was one of the first big time heels and is also credited with inventing the piledriver. No handshake from Longson of course because that’s not his thing. They go with the grappling to start and Longson takes him to the mat without too much trouble. Back up and Thesz takes him down for a change into a headscissors.
That’s broken up and catches Longson punching at what seems to be the thigh but might be a bit more of an illegal spot. Longson puts him down with a headlock takeover and then chokes in the corner with a boot. Back up Longson takes him to the mat with a top wristlock as Thesz is getting out technicaled here. Thesz has finally had enough of Longson’s punches so he grabs a headlock for some shots of his own. Longson grabs a standing choke and pulls the hair, which is enough to make Thesz unload. The Thesz press gets the first fall at 7:57 and we take a break before the second.
Back with Longson slowing down a bit and trying for an armbar. Thesz takes him down by the leg so Longson goes to the rope in a hurry. Longson takes him down to pull on the leg and even unties Thesz’s shoe, which has to be against some rule. Back up and Longson goes for the leg again, as commentary corrects himself by saying this is rasslin instead of wrestling. Longston grabs the rope with the leglock on and you can hear the fans freak out with each touch. See? It’s really not that hard.
The referee finally catches him and calls for the break, much to Longson’s annoyance. A headlock takeover lets Longson hammer away so Thesz does the same, sending Longson jumping over the top to safety. Thesz dropkicks him off the apron and then does it again, only to bang himself up on the second. Longson comes back in and hits a piledriver for the second fall at 15:28. The third fall begins with Longson trying another piledriver but getting backdropped down. Thesz hits three straight dropkicks for the pin and the third fall to retain at 16:38.
Rating: B. This was a lot more interesting than you would have bet on as it was a rather simple story (Thesz is the technical master so Longson cheated, which sent Thesz over the edge so he won with better skill) but done so well. Thesz is someone who seems dull on paper but he makes it work so well in the ring that it’s easy to see why he is so revered. Good stuff here, with Longson being a great heel and Thesz looking like the champ who was awakened by the end.
Make sure to check out some recent reviews.
ECW On Sci Fi – February 5, 2008
Impact Wrestling – October 13, 2022
WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE May Bring Back Historic Show.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-wwe-may-bring-back-historic-show/
Details On Wyatt 6 Stable, Likely Members And Characters.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/bray-wyatt-expected-lead-wyatt-6-stable-surprising-members/
Another NXT Star Injured, Out Of Action.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/another-nxt-star-injured-action/
WWE Considers A New Option To Keep Naomi In The Company.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-may-new-plan-keep-naomi-around/
WWE Officially Sends Former World Champion From Monday Night Raw To SmackDown.
Three New Stars Make AEW Debuts On Rampage (Contains Mild Spoilers).
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/three-new-stars-make-aew-debuts-rampage/
Gable Steveson Takes Huge Step Forward In WWE Career.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/gable-steveson-takes-huge-step-forward-wwe-career/
WATCH: AEW’s Shawn Spears Explains His Absence In Emotional Speech.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-amazing-emotional-moment-takes-place-aew-rampage/
WATCH: Shotzi, Scarlett Bordeaux And Harley Cameron Release New Music Video.
Original Plan For Erick Rowan’s Giant Spider Revealed (It’s A Little Better).
Recent WWE Story Booked By The Wrestlers Themselves.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/recent-wwe-story-booked-wrestlers/
WWE Stars To Wrestle For New Japan Pro Wrestling.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-stars-wrestle-new-japan/
Two Monday Night Raw Stars Set To Appear On SmackDown As Well Going Forward.
39 Year Old Former WWE Star Wants Third Stint With Company.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/39-year-old-former-wwe-star-wants-third-stint-company/
Backstage News On Why WWE Put Zelina Vega With Legado del Fantasma.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/backstage-news-wwe-put-zelina-vega-legado-del-fantasma/
Smackdown
Date: February 8, 2008
Location: American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
Attendance: 6,500
Commentators: Jonathan Coachman, Michael Cole
We are getting close to No Way Out and the Smackdown Elimination Chamber match. That should be enough to carry the show, though there is also a Royal Rumble rematch between Edge and Rey Mysterio for the Smackdown World Title. Tonight is likely going to be about building towards those matches so let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Michael Cole brings out Batista for a chat to start. Batista says his experience in the Chamber is his strength because he knows what it is like. There is going to be a ton of monsters in that Chamber but here is MVP to interrupt. MVP says Batista has never been in the Chamber with him but Batista promises violence, especially for what MVP did to Ric Flair. Now it’s Big Daddy V, with Matt Striker, to interrupt.
V feels differently about who is going to win the Chamber with Striker promising violence. Yeah yeah V is big and heavy in case you didn’t get the idea. Then Great Khali, with Runjin Singh, comes out with the latter saying Khali will win. Then Finlay, with Hornswoggle, comes in to say he’s here to fight. Then Undertaker pops up and the good guys clear the ring, likely setting up a six man tag. As soon as MVP came out, you knew what the next eight or so minutes was going to be, especially if you watched Raw where they did the same thing.
Wrestlemania is coming.
Kane vs. Shelton Benjamin
Rematch from ECW where Kane won by countout. Before the match, Shelton says there ain’t no stopping him now. Kane hammers him down in the corner and hits a basement dropkick to keep Benjamin in trouble. A missed charge sends Kane into the corner though and Benjamin hits a Blockbuster for a delayed one.
The chinlock doesn’t last long as Kane is back up with some shots to the face to start the comeback. The top rope clothesline sends Benjamin outside where Kane gets posted. They head up to the apron with Shelton going up top. Kane uppercuts him back to the mat….and doesn’t beat the count to give Shelton the win.
Rating: C. That’s definitely a creative ending but it came after a pretty standard match. Kane vs. Benjamin sounded like a match that should have been rather good but for some reason neither of their tries have gone very far. It also doesn’t help that they don’t have much going on at the moment so they’re just matches for the sake of filling in time on various shows.
Chuck Palumbo vs. Jamie Noble
Yes, again, but this time Michelle McCool is here with Jamie. Palumbo kicks him in the face to start and hammers away, only to miss a top rope elbow. Noble knocks him outside but Michelle isn’t sure about having Noble stomp away. A dropkick knocks Palumbo off the apron again but sends a diving Noble into the motorcycle (OUCH). Back in and Full Throttle finishes Noble.
Rating: C-. That crash onto the motorcycle looked good but my goodness it is hard to care about this story in any other way. Palumbo just isn’t that interested but Noble continues to do everything he can to make this work. They need to move on though, as this match has been done to death already.
Post match Palumbo destroys Noble even more, with commentary getting into their serious voices over the brutality. Palumbo even teases running a downed over with his motorcycle as this segment goes on FAR longer than a Chuck Palumbo and Jamie Noble segment needed to last.
WWE has an office in Shanghai!
Jesse and Festus vs. Deuce N Domino
Cherry is here too. This is the new improved Festus, who comes to the ring with a bag over his head. The bag comes off and Festus looks the same, only to go nuts as usual when the bell rings. Deuce N Domino are cleared out but Deuce comes back in to get armdragged by Jesse. Festus keeps rocking back and forth on the apron as Jesse misses a charge in the corner to put him in trouble for a change. A distraction brings Festus in so the chinlock can go on, only to be broken up just as quickly. The hot tag brings in Festus to clean house and a pump kick into a splash knocks Domino silly. The fireman’s carry flapjack gives Festus the pin.
Rating: C. So yeah it’s the same Jesse and Festus, meaning they’re fun for a bit before before you realize how little Jesse brings to the team. Festus did his thing well enough and is great as a wrecking ball, but the charm wears off soon. Kind of like anything involving Deuce N Domino mattering, as they have completely collapsed after a great start.
Here is Edge for the Cutting Edge. He doesn’t want to do it, but he shows us a clip from the Royal Rumble where Vickie Guerrero was taken out by an errant 619. That brings out Vickie, with Teddy Long at her side, as this week’s guest. After the EDDIE chants die down, Edge sends Teddy to the back so he can be alone with his “Vickiekins.”
Edge knows that next week is Valentine’s Day and Edge has a special question to ask her. That’s next week though, but for now, Rey Mysterio needs to come out here and apologize right now. Cue Rey, who tries to explain but gets slapped by Vickie. Berating ensues, followed by Edge beating Rey down. Rey is ready for the Conchairto though and hits a quick 619 to send Edge bailing. With Rey and Vickie alone, Rey apologizes to her. Fine enough segment with the challenger standing…well not quite tall but close enough.
No Way Out rundown.
Raw Rebound.
Edge won’t say what he is asking Vickie next week.
Edgeheads vs. Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore
Yang dropkicks Ryder down to start but it’s quickly off to Hawkins for a forearm to the chest. The villains start taking turns working on Yang’s arm but he gets a boot up in the corner to cut off a charging Hawkins. Moore comes in for a quick legdrop on Ryder, who is right back up with a reverse inverted DDT for the pin.
Rating: D+. This is a match that never had a chance to go anywhere and it seems that Yang and Moore’s completely out of nowhere run is finished. They were a fun enough team, who had no chance to actually do anything because the tag division is that weak. Hawkins and Ryder work well together though and it makes sense to give them a win like this to establish them as something more serious than just Edge’s goons.
Great Khali/MVP/Big Daddy V vs. Batista/Finlay/Undertaker
Matt Striker, Runjin Singh and Hornswoggle are here too. We’re joined in progress with Khali hammering on Finlay before MVP comes in to do the same. Finlay fights out of trouble and hands it off to Batista to start on the arm. V comes in and misses the huge charge into the corner, allowing Batista to hit the shoulders in the corner. Undertaker gets to come in and unload with right hands and headbutts before cranking the arm around the top.
Old School is broken up but the second attempt works just fine. An MVP distraction lets V drop Undertaker with a clothesline though and we take a break. Back with MVP hammering on Undertaker but Batista comes in for a suplex. Finlay gets a chance to stomp on MVP, who manages to send him over the top and outside. Everything breaks down and Undertaker grabs a chair, which can’t possibly end well.
We settle down to Khali coming in and stomping on Finlay before stopping to pose. For once that isn’t a bad idea as it’s off to V for a rather easy slam. MVP’s chinlock doesn’t last long and he misses the running boot in the corner, allowing the tag off to Undertaker. Snake Eyes into the big boot (that’s always smooth) gets two and everything breaks down. The parade of secondary finishes sets up Undertaker’s chokeslam to MVP as the match is thrown out.
Rating: C+. Well good for them for not having Undertaker pin MVP, the US Champion. The result was pretty definitive but they didn’t have someone take an unnecessary fall. It’s almost like WWE was thinking about this for a change. Anyway, you know that the Chamber has two possible winners so the match is going to be a lot of filler before the finish, but at least they did something smart here.
Post match Undertaker, Finlay and Batista stare each other down to end the show.
Overall Rating: C-. We are firmly at the point where No Way Out is set and there isn’t much left to do. WWE has done a decent enough job with half of pay per view that isn’t so interesting so this was about as good as they can do. Hopefully they can come up with something good for next week, because that could be quite the lame show. For now though, this was just barely ok enough, but there is nothing you need to see.
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
Date: October 14, 2022
Location: Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz
We’re still north of the border and that should make for a rather energized show. AEW has never gone international (at least on land) before and the crowds are often enough to carry the night. Hopefully they like Ring Of Honor stuff though, because that’s the main event this week. Let’s get to it.
Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Jon Moxley/Claudio Castagnoli vs. Butcher and the Blade
Bunny is here with Butcher and the Blade. It’s a brawl to start with the fight starting at the bell. They’re quickly on the floor with Blade being sent over a table and then chopped up against the barricade. We settle down to Moxley chopping Blade into the corner before it’s off to Castagnoli as we see Hangman Page watching in the back. A poke to the eye gets Blade out of trouble, meaning Butcher can come in to fight over a suplex with Castagnoli. Butcher gets muscled over and the running uppercuts make it even worse.
Bunny finally rolls inside to cut off the uppercut to Blade, meaning Butcher can get in a cheap shot. We take a break and come back with Castagnoli fighting out of a chinlock but Moxley has been knocked to the floor, meaning there is no one to tag. The second attempt at the tag works just fine though and Moxley comes in to clean house.
A back rake on the top sets up a piledriver for two on Blade and frustration seems to be setting in. Butcher breaks up a series of stomps to the head (JR: “Crossbody from a big tattooed hairy man.”) but Castagnoli breaks up a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination. The big showdown is on with Moxley and Castagnoli dropping them with stereo clotheslines. Blade gets Death Ridered and the Riccola Bomb finishes Butcher at 8:38.
Rating: B-. Butcher and Blade are a rather decent power team and it felt like Moxley and Castagnoli had to break a sweat to win here. This was a match where the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt but it was a hard hitting fight to get there. I could go for more of Castagnoli on his own but teaming with Moxley works too.
Post match Moxley says it doesn’t matter who they face, because it’s time to take out Hangman Page next week.
Swerve Strickland laughs about beating Billy Gunn but what’s even better is Acclaimed losing the scissoring stuff. Keith Lee doesn’t like Swerve’s attitude, or his cheating to beat Gunn on Dynamite. Maybe Swerve is swerving into the wrong lane. Swerve needs to think about that.
The Dark Order is disappointed with their loss but Jose the Assistant interrupts. 10 gets recruited again but he’s tired of this. Next week on Rampage, 10 will face Rush and when 10 wins, LEAVE HIM ALONE. That gets rid of Jose and here is the returning Stu Grayson to join in on the team huddle. Jubilation occurs.
Here is the Jericho Appreciation Society for a chat. Matt Menard: “DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT MAKES DADDY MAGIC’S NIPPLES HARD?” Tony: “NO!” The team is rather pleased with Daniel Garcia making his loyalties known and Anna Jay gives him an official welcome. Garcia thanks Chris Jericho for helping him see the way and even though Bryan Danielson is his hero, he will never be a pro wrestler.
Jericho taught him how to win by hitting him in the head with a title belt, and that is how he learned sports entertainers win every time. Garcia is a sports entertainer and Jericho promises to beat every former Ring Of Honor World Champion. Cue Dalton Castle to say that as a former World Champion, he is sick to see that title around Jericho’s waist.
Castle broke his back for that title and now he’ll break Jericho’s to give the fans what they deserve. You can feel the Peacock Power in this building and his heart beating keeps the lights on. So give him a title shot next week on Dynamite! Jericho says it’s on and promises to pluck Castle’s feathers. All Honor The Ocho. Castle was a nice surprise and keeps the Jericho vs. Honor run going for another week.
Toni Storm and Hikaru Shida are ready to fight for Storm’s Interim Women’s Title on Dynamite.
Nyla Rose vs. Anna Jay
The rest of the Vicious Vixens are here with Rose, who has the TBS Title but isn’t the champion. Rose takes her down to start before grabbing some rather easy looking slams. A legdrop gets two on Jay but she avoids the Cannonball in the corner. We take a break and come back with Nyla missing a top rope knee to the back of the head and getting her throat snapped across the top. Anna grabs a chinlock but Rose fights up and hits the Beast Bomb for the pin at 6:28.
Rating: C. Pretty to the point match here as Rose beat her up, didn’t exactly stay in trouble for any significant amount of time, and then won clean with the Beast Bomb. Rose seems to have shifted face, or at least close to it, and with the sense of humor she has, that has some serious potential. Just don’t have her lose clean to Jade Cargill and preserve the bit of momentum she has here.
Post match Vickie Guerrero holds up a 1-0 sign. Cue Jade Cargill with the Baddies, with Jade clearing out security without much effort. The distraction lets the Vixens run off with the title.
Ariya Daivari is sick of Hook turning down the $50,000 offer for the FTW World Title. Next week, he’ll take it himself.
Isaiah Kassidy vs. Ethan Page
Matt Hardy and Marq Quen are here with Kassidy, who gets suplexed to start. A kick to the face lets Page do the Jeff Hardy dance but Kassidy is back with a tornado DDT. Page bails to the floor so there’s the running spinning dive. Stokely Hathaway offers a distraction though, meaning Kassidy misses the Swanton. A Twist of Fate and the Ego’s Edge gives Page the pin at 2:15.
The Best Friends want the Trios Titles.
FTR and Shawn Spears are ready for the Embassy, whose feelings are mutual.
Here’s what’s coming on various shows.
FTR/Shawn Spears vs. Embassy
Prince Nana is here with the Embassy and it’s almost weird to see Spears doing the 10 thing again. Spears and Kaun grapple away to start with Spears grabbing something like an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Spears is taken to the floor, where the Gates put him down as we take a break.
Back with Cage hitting the apron superplex for two on Spears but the F5 is countered into a DDT. Kaun breaks up a tag attempt but of course the diving tag goes through a few seconds later. It’s Harwood coming in to clean house and the fans are behind FTR again. There’s the spinebuster to Kaun but Cage is back up to drop FTR. A top rope elbow gets two on Harwood and there’s the F5 to Spears. FTR is back up though and stereo Sharpshooters go on, with Spears grabbing one on Nana for a bonus. Loa breaks that up but gets cleared out. The hart Attack hits Kaun and the C4 finishes for Spears at 10:31.
Rating: B-. The Embassy continue to be little more than warm bodies for other people to beat up but they’re Ring Of Honor so they have a place on this show. Other than that, FTR was FTR and Spears got to do his stuff as Tye Dillinger rather than himself. While Spears doesn’t feel like a top star, he is better this way than as the chair swinging villain so it was a nice comeback.
Post match the Kingdom (Maria Kanellis and Mike Bennett/Matt Taven) debut to interrupt and ask how FTR can be the Top Guys without ever facing them. That’s enough of a distraction for the Embassy to jump FTR and Spears, with the Kingdom joining in. Samoa Joe and Wardlow make the save to end the show. I like the Kingdom, but AEW bringing in more people right now is almost hard to fathom.
Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case for a good while now with AEW, the wrestling and in-ring work bail out some pretty weak stories. This was another show with a heavy focus on Ring Of Honor and it’s still hard to find a way to care. There are only a handful of interesting stories and Chris Jericho and company trying to make Ring Of Honor into a sports entertainment company isn’t exactly great stuff. The wrestling here was good, as it almost always is, but they need to find something to draw in some interesting on the story side. Otherwise, they’ll be more like Ring Of Honor than they probably planned.
Results
Jon Moxley/Claudio Castagnoli b. Butcher and the Blade – Riccola Bomb to Butcher
Nyla Rose b. Anna Jay – Beat Bomb
Ethan Page b. Isaiah Kassidy – Ego’s Edge
FTR/Shawn Spears b. Embassy – C4 to Kaun
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 14, 2022
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole
We’re on the road to Crown Jewel but this is going to be the Bray Wyatt Show. After not appearing on Monday Night Raw Wyatt is advertised for this week’s show, meaning we might get an idea of what the new version will be like. Other than that, we find out the new #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title so let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
We open with Scarlett and Karrion Kross having been in a car wreck outside the arena and barely able to walk. Drew McIntyre runs up and jumps Kross, ramming him into the side of a truck over and over, with the trunk being dented. The door is slammed on Kross and referees break it up, with McIntyre shouting that this is just the beginning. Major points for starting with something different for a change.
Opening sequence.
Kofi Kingston vs. Sami Zayn
Before the match, New Day talks about the Usos challenging their Tag Team Title reign. We cut to the back where Jey Uso isn’t happy with Sami Zayn. The phone rings and it’s Roman Reigns, who seems happy with Sami but not happy with Jey. Rather than fighting though, Jey goes along with whatever Reigns (who we can’t hear) is saying. As for the match, Kofi sends him outside to start and we take a break less than a minute in.
Back with Sami hitting a suplex and adding a running Umaga attack in the corner. Sami goes up top, only to be dropkicked out of the air for a big crash. Kofi seems to try a hurricanrana out of the corner but they mistime something, with Sami managing to turn it into a rollup (that was a sweet save and it could have been WAY worse). Sami knocks him off the top and out tot he floor as we take a break.
Back with Sami being sent outside for a change so Kofi can hit a dive. Jimmy Uso drops Woods with a heck of a superkick on the floor, allowing Sami to hit the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Kofi flips out of a suplex and rolls him up, only to have Jey make the reversal and Sami gets the pin at 14:50.
Rating: B. These two are both better known for their out of the ring antics (or at least well known for them) and I think people forget just how good they are once the bell rings. Kofi vs. Sami is a match that could work well under almost any circumstances because they’re both so talented at what they do. Jey biting the bullet and helping Sami win should calm things down for the time being, but that explosion is coming one day.
HHH is here when Rey Mysterio comes up to him. Rey talks about how bad things are going with Dominik on Monday Night Raw. He doesn’t see a way forward….so he quits. HHH says hang on a second and asks to talk about this in his office.
NXT’s Roxanne Perez is here with Shotzi to pick Cora Jade’s opponent for next week’s NXT. She picks Raquel Rodriguez, but Damage Ctrl comes in. Bayley says she should be the pick, but instead, we’ll have a six woman tag tonight.
Braun Strowman vs. James Maverick/Brian Thomas
The destruction is on but Omos and MVP come through the crowd for a distraction. Strowman doesn’t mind and it’s the powerslam into a powerbomb for the double stack pin at 1:57.
Post match MVP mocks the idea of Strowman being the monster among monsters. Next to Omos, Strowman looks normal. Strowman calls Omos to the ring but MVP seems to think we’ll do this later.
Jey Uso wants Sami Zayn to thank him for that out there but neither Sami nor Solo Sikoa saw it. Sami is happy that Solo is following in his footsteps.
Mansoor vs. LA Knight
Mace and Maxxine Dupri are here too. Knight backdrops him to start and hits a running clothesline to the floor. Mace offers a distraction though, allowing Mansoor to get in a cheap shot. A DDT drops Knight but he’s right back with a jumping neckbreaker. The slingshot shoulder drops Mansoor and BFT (Blunt Force Trauma) gives Knight the pin at 2:52. Knight looked just fine here as usual, making me wonder why they bothered with the Dupri stuff in the first place. I mean ok so the answer is “Vince” but it’s still an odd choice.
Post match Knight mocks the fans for cheering him and puts the locker room on notice. It’s his game so everyone can line up to get their ticket punched.
We look back at Bray Wyatt’s Extreme Rules return.
Damage Ctrl vs. Raquel Rodriguez/Roxanne Perez/Shotzi
Perez and Kai start things off with Perez managing to hit a headscissors. Sky comes in and takes Perez into the corner. That’s broken up and Perez sends her outside for a suicide dive. Back in and it’s off to Shotzi to knock Sky to the floor. Back in and Shotzi gets caught in the wrong corner, only to come back out to send Kai face first into the apron.
The hot tag brings in Rodriguez to clean house, including loading up a powerbomb to Kai on the floor. Sky breaks that up with an Asai moonsault, leaving Shotzi to hit a big dive. Back in and the Bayley to Belly gets two on Perez, leaving Bayley stunned. Bayley goes up top but gets super hurricanranaed right back down. The Rose Plant is countered into a rollup which is countered into a crucifix to give Bayley the pin at 6:42.
Rating: C+. This was all about showcasing Perez and she nailed her part out there. That sequence at the end with Bayley saw her going move for move with an established veteran and I think WWE knows they have something special with her. The other four more or less vanished near the end and let Bayley vs. Perez go, which wound up being great.
We look back at Ronda Rousey taking the Smackdown Women’s Title from Liv Morgan.
The Viking Raiders are coming back.
Legado del Fantasma vs. Hit Row
Santos Escobar/Zelina Vega/B Fab are here too. Hit Row starts the fight in the aisle until Top Dolla throws Cruz del Toro inside for a dancing jumping elbow. Santos Escobar pulls Ashonte Adonis off the apron for a crash into the steps though, albeit by being smart enough to go down as well so the referee doesn’t know what happened. The distraction lets Legado hit Sacrificio to finish Dolla at 1:22.
Sonya Deville trash talks Liv Morgan, who runs in and beats Deville down. Morgan puts her on a table, climbs up a scaffolding and drives through Deville to leave her laying.
Sheamus vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Ricochet vs. Rey Mysterio
The winner gets a future Intercontinental Title shot and Mysterio is replacing an injured Karrion Kross. House is cleaned rather quickly and Rey hits his big dive as we take an early break. Back with Sheamus powerbombing Ricochet as we’re told that Rey is officially part of Smackdown. We get a Sheamus vs. Sikoa showdown and slugout until they fight to the floor.
Sikoa hits a Samoan drop so Rey dives onto him, setting up a showdown with Ricochet back inside. Ricochet flips out of a running hurricanrana but Sikoa is back in to run them over. A running spinwheel kick drops Sheamus and we take another break. Back again with Sikoa still in control until Sheamus knocks him down.
Rey and Ricochet catch Sheamus on top but Sikoa powerbombs the two of them down. Sheamus breaks up Sikoa’s cover with a top rope knee to the back and grabs the Cloverleaf on Sikoa. Cue Jey Uso and Sami Zayn for the save and a beatdown on Sheamus, though they get in a fight over who should get to beat him up. The Brawling Brutes come out to help Sheamus and they all brawl to the back. That leaves Rey to 619 and frog splash Ricochet for the pin at 16:19.
Rating: B. Another match built around action and near carnage and that isn’t a bad thing. Once Mysterio was introduced, it felt like a pretty safe bet that he might be winning but Sheamus being there for a potential trilogy match with Gunther added just enough intrigue. It was fun insanity and that is what you tend to get out of these things.
And now, Bray Wyatt. The lights go out and the door near the entrance opens, with Bray coming out for the full lantern entrance. Bray gets on the mic and says he never thought he would get to be here. This is just him being himself for the first time and he seems rather choked up about this whole thing.
Over the last year, he lost a lot of things, like his grandmother, his career, his self confidence and two people who were very close to him. He thought nothing he ever did mattered and he was wrong. Once he was done feeling sorry for himself, people started asking him to come back. There were people he met who said he helped get them through some tough times and those people would say thank you Bray. Fans: THANK YOU BRAY!
The thing is, he could sit right here and say they were there when he was weak and vulnerable so thank you for saving his life. He talks about the reason things got better….and then the (limited) lights go out. The mask pops up on screen and says to forget the future and follow him. The new Wyatt logo appears and that’s the show. That was definitely different and that’s a good thing, though I’m curious about where it goes. This feels like the kind of story where we’re going to get a little bit each week and that’s not a bad thing.
Overall Rating: B-. Well it wasn’t boring. This was one of those shows where it felt like a lot of stuff was happening but it might take awhile before we see where some of it goes. The opener and main event were both rather good and the Bray promo….well that’s going to get some very polarizing responses. What matters is they moved things forward and added some intrigue throughout the show, so now we wait and see what is going on. As you’re supposed to want to do when a wrestling show ends.
Results
Sami Zayn b. Kofi Kingston – Rollup
Braun Strowman b. James Maverick/Brian Thomas – Double pin
LA Knight b. Mansoor – BFT
Damage Ctrl b. Shotzi/Roxanne Perez/Raquel Rodriguez – Crucifix to Perez
Legado del Fantasma b. Hit Row – Sacrifico to Dolla
Rey Mysterio b. Ricochet, Sheamus and Solo Sikoa – Frog splash to Ricochet
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:
http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6
AND
Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.
Impact Wrestling
Date: October 13, 2022
Location: Albany Armory, Albany, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan
It’s the Bound For Glory fallout show, as the biggest pay per view of the year ended with Bully Ray as the next challenger to Josh Alexander. Since there was no way to have him show up on Impact and make a challenge, Ray won a twenty man match by pinning Steve Maclin to get the shot. I’m sure nothing but good will come from this. Let’s get to it.
Here is Bound For Glory if you need a recap.
We open with a long recap of Bound For Glory.
Here is Josh Alexander to get things going. The fans are rather glad to see Alexander, who talks about how Eddie Edwards said their match was going to be a war. That is what it was, but now the war is over because here he stands, still the World Champion. He is the champion but he has made mistakes. Now he knows that the next challenger is waiting so Bully Ray, get out here right now.
Cue Bully, who Alexander welcomes back to the company, but wants to know why Ray helped him at Bound For Glory. Bully talks about how he could have stabbed Alexander in the back but didn’t. He has been here longer than he has any other company he has ever worked for, just like he did to Sting, Hulk Hogan, Brooke and his own brother. Ray says he has done it all, but now he needs to do it right. He knows that no one has a good thing to say about him and he wants to change that. Ray isn’t cashing in his title shot like Moose did last year, so Alexander is going to see him coming.
Cue Steve Maclin to interrupt because he doesn’t trust Ray. How exactly did Ray get into Call Your Shot anyway? Maclin talks about how he has done things the right way but now he wants to know what it takes for him to get his title shot. Cue Moose to say Maclin is in the presence of World Champions so step aside. As for Ray, he is a scumbag, but that’s ok, because Moose likes scumbags. Moose learned his bad ways from Ray, just like how he won the title last year.
He would go after Alexander again….but here is Bobby Fish to interrupt as well. Fish agrees that Moose has turned into quite the scumbag himself and Maclin is becoming quite the locker room politician. Sure Ray is a scumbag, but he didn’t scumbag Alexander at Bound For Glory. For tonight though, Fish wants his own match against the champ, with Alexander saying it’s on. This was a good bit longer than it needed to be and hopefully it isn’t the start of a new style.
The Motor City Machine Guns are happy with their win on Before The Impact and they want another Tag Team Title shot. They walk off and run into Heath and Rhino, who are getting a title shot next week. Rhino wants revenge on Honor No More so they’ll get it next week. Don’t worry though, as the Guns can have a title match when they win the belts.
Killer Kelly vs. Tasha Steelz
No DQ and Savannah Evans is here with Steelz. Evans doesn’t waste time by jumping Kelly before the bell to start fast. Kelly gets dropped face first onto the apron but sits up to glare at Steelz for a cool visual. A basement dropkick drops Kelly and it’s time for a chain. With that taking too long, Steelz has to counter an attempt at the Killer Klutch. Kelly gets two off an Alabama Slam and grabs a chair but settles for two off a Death Valley Driver. Evans comes in to grab Kelly but she fights both of them off. Steelz gets in a superkick and grabs the chain, only to get choked into the Killer Klutch for the tap at 6:52.
Rating: C. Kelly winning in what should be the last match of the feud is a good thing but I was expecting a bit more out of a No DQ match. I did like Evans not bothering to just stand around as she got involved from the beginning, but Steelz and Evans are pretty clearly on the downside of their run. Kelly has a charisma that makes me want to watch her and that is a major step towards being a star.
Zicky Dice and Johnny Swinger are bragging when Dirty Dango comes in to say he should cuff them for being stupid. Swinger invites him to Swinger’s Dungeon.
Sami Callihan jumps two guys in yellow because they part of Violent By Design. Good. Get rid of all of them.
Scott D’Amore praises Josh Alexander for his recent efforts but tells him to keep an eye out for Bully Ray.
Black Taurus vs. Trey Miguel vs. Kenny King vs. Alex Zayne vs. Yuya Uemura vs. Laredo Kid
It’s a brawl to start with no one actually getting an entrance. Taurus is sent outside into a pile of people, leaving Zayne to work on King’s wrist. Zayne’s dive is broken up and it’s a series of dives to send us to a break. Back with a bunch of reverse DDTs into King’s Blockbuster, setting up a spinebuster for two on Miguel. Uemura comes in with a high crossbody to King and a super hurricanrana brings Taurus off the top. Back in and Miguel grabs something like a reverse Angle Slam for the pin on Zayne at 5:20.
Rating: B-. The match was the usual insanity that comes with this kind of a scramble match, meaning that it was only going to be so good. You can’t put together any kind of a serious story in something like this as it’s all about flying around and getting in whatever you can. Miguel winning is nice, but it only means so much in a match with this format.
Mike Bailey gives Frankie Kazarian a very respectful congratulation. Trey Miguel comes in to say he’s coming for the title but Kazarian says we’ll see what happens. Bailey continues to be quite less than interesting.
VXT/Gisele Shaw vs. Death Dollz
Jessicka slugs away at Shaw to start and takes her into the wrong corner for the running knees from Taya. Purrazzo comes in and gets caught in Rosemary’s Upside Down, sending Rehwoldt into a frenzy. A Green distraction lets Purrazzo hit a Backstabber on Taya though and the villains take over with the stomping in the corner.
Taya and Green go down off a double clothesline though and it’s back to Rosemary for the house cleaning. Green catches Rosemary with a Bully Bomb into a faceplant but Rosemary is right back up with a spear for two. Everything breaks down and Rosemary hits a spear on Purrazzo, only to get kneed in the head to give Shaw the pin at 5:38.
Rating: C. Another match that didn’t have much time to do anything and it hut things a lot. What mattered was giving Shaw and VXT a win to give them some momentum back. The Dollz having success without Rosemary continues as well and that should make for an interesting story down the road.
Tommy Dreamer begs Bully Ray to not lie to everyone about his intentions. Ray says he’s telling the truth and they’ll team together.
Maria Kanellis gives Honor No More a pep talk but they think the company is trying to kill them off again. They’re not sure where Eddie Edwards is but next week, they’ll retain the Tag Team Titles.
Matt Cardona vs. Bhupinder Gujjar
Cardona’s headlock doesn’t get him very far as Gujjar hits a dropkick into a slingshot elbow for an early two. They head to the floor with Cardona knocking him down for a change, setting up a hangman’s neckbreaker for two back inside. The middle rope missile dropkick misses though and Gujjar strikes away but here is Brian Myers for a distraction. Radio silence finishes Gujjar at 4:22.
Rating: C. Not much to see here but Cardona and Myers being back together is a good thing. Cardona being back in general is nice to see as he really is good at his heel stuff, though Myers does add a nice bonus to the mix. Gujjar continues to seem like he has potential and he’s starting to feel more like one of the regular guys around here, but please give him something else to make him interesting.
Video on Jordynne Grace vs. Masha Slamovich.
Mickie James would love to face Grace if she gets to the top of the mountain. VXT and Gisele Shaw interrupt, saying Mickie should respect them instead of losers like Mia Yim. Chelsea Green mocks James for beating her but James challenges Deonna Purrazzo instead.
Bullet Club would love to face Tommy Dreamer/Bully Ray next week.
Here’s what’s coming up next week.
Impact Wrestling World Title: Bobby Fish vs. Josh Alexander
Alexander is defending. Feeling out process to start as they grapple up against the ropes. Some headlock takeovers work well for Alexander but Fish is back up with some knees to the ribs. Alexander is right back with an overhead belly to belly but the crossbody to the back doesn’t get to launch.
Fish is fine enough to drop him with a dragon screw legwhip on the ramp and we take a break. Back with Fish hitting a slingshot elbow and kicking away in the corner. Neither of them can hit a suplex so Alexander goes with a clothesline and then drops Fish with a hard right hand.
The C4 Spike is blocked and Fish kicks him in the head, setting up a Saito suplex for two. The ankle lock is broken up as well though and Fish catches him on top. Alexander knocks him down and hits a moonsault, only to have the ankle lock pulled into a triangle choke. That’s countered into a backbreaker and now the C4 Spike can retain at 16:18.
Rating: B-. This was another match that had no story and was a showdown between two technicians, meaning it was only going to be so good. They had no reason to be mad at each other and it was hard to imagine that Fish was going to be a real threat to the title. The action carried it to pretty good, but they had a firm ceiling above them.
Post match Frankie Kazarian comes out to congratulate Alexander for being a great champion. For now though, he is cashing in his X-Division Title, using Option C, to get a World Title shot.
Overall Rating: C+. I don’t know if it’s the focus being on Bully Ray or the X-Division Title being vacated but there was a lack of interesting stuff going on this week. Hopefully things pick up again as we get back to normal next week, but this show didn’t feel like it was coming off the biggest night of the year. Granted any show with an announcement of Ray and Tommy Dreamer getting a featured match the next week isn’t going to do me much good, but the rest wasn’t exactly great.
Results
Killer Kelly b. Tasha Steelz – Killer Klutch
Trey Miguel b. Black Taurus, Kenny King, Alex Zayne, Yuya Uemura and Laredo Kid – Snap neckbreaker to Zayne
VXT/Gisele Shaw b. Death Dollz – Running knee to Rosemary
Matt Cardona b. Bhupinder Gujjar – Radio Silence
Josh Alexander b. Bobby Fish – C4 Spike
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.
ECW On Sci Fi
Date: February 5, 2008
Location: American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
Attendance: 3,500
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz
We’re in the Chavo Guerrero era and last week saw a rather obvious mariachi reveal (there’s a weird statement) as CM Punk is still trying to get his title back. Other than that, we have Tommy Dreamer standing up to help the eternally injured Colin Delaney, which could go in a few directions. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Here is CM Punk to get things going. Punk talks about Chavo Guerrero’s fiesta last week and we see a clip of Mariachi Punk hitting him with a guitar. Back in the arena, Punk says he is invoking his rematch clause right now and wants Chavo out here in this ring. Cue Chavo, who doesn’t think that rematch is happening tonight. Punk can have his rematch, but it’s going to be at No Way Out.
Last week, Punk embarrassed him so tonight, he is embarrassing Punk. We cut to Armando Alejandro Estrada, who is outside the arena, next to the Gulf of Mexico. Tonight, it’s Chavo vs. Punk in the first ever Gulf of Mexico match, where anything goes and you win by throwing your opponent into the Gulf. Well that’s unique.
Victoria/Layla vs. Michelle McCool/Kelly Kelly
Lena Yada is here with Victoria/Layla. Kelly flips out of Layla’s wristlock to start before pretty badly mistiming a handspring elbow in the corner. Michelle comes in for a Hennig necksnap so it’s off to Victoria, who gets forearmed in the face. A shot in the corner slows Michelle down though and Victoria takes out her knee. That doesn’t last long as Michelle gets over to Kelly, who high crossbodies Victoria down. There’s a headscissors to make it worse but as everything breaks down, Lena grabs Kelly’s leg so the Widow’s Peak can give Victoria the pin.
Rating: C-. Kelly is trying to get better but you can only get so far with her timing issues. That can come with work and time but it isn’t there yet. Michelle is getting better as her size and athleticism helps, but you can only get so far wrestling Victoria so many times. Not a terrible match, though keeping the match this short was the only way to go.
We look back at Shelton Benjamin walking out on a match with Kane last week. Their rematch is on Smackdown.
Wrestlemania video, set to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Weird that this is included here but was missing on Raw.
John Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer
Miz and Colin Delaney are here too. Dreamer hits a shoulder block to start and armdrags him into an armbar. Back up and Morrison gets in a shot of his own and chokes on the apron to send Dreamer outside. Dreamer has to save the heavily bandaged Delaney, allowing Morrison to get in another shot to take over again.
The chinlock goes on before something close to Miz’s old Mizard of Oz gets two. Morrison misses a corkscrew moonsault though and the comeback is on, including a flapjack to give Dreamer two. There’s the reverse DDT to drop Morrison but Delaney has to cut off an invading Miz. That’s enough of a distraction that Morrison can neckbreaker Dreamer for the pin.
Rating: C. Dreamer is still fine in this role and it isn’t like he is going to be in any major story for the time being. Having him act as Delaney’s protector makes sense and could turn into something down the line. Miz and Morrison need some challengers anyway so let someone be built up for a change.
We get a sitdown interview with Stevie Richards, who talks about his latest throat surgery. His neck was hurt back in 1997 when Terry Funk dropped a barricade on him (and yes we see a clip), which somehow hurt his vocal chords. He has had nine throat surgeries since then but he’ll be back in the ring next week. Richards has been a heck of a surprise in this ECW and I’m glad to see him back.
Kofi Kingston vs. James Curtis
Kofi takes him down into an armbar to start and then twists Curtis down by the wrist. Curtis is back up with his own armbar and works on his own wristlock as the fans do not sound overly interested. Thankfully they pick up the pace a bit with some chops and a jumping elbow dropping Curtis. There’s the jumping double leg and the spinning kick to the face gives Kofi the pin.
Rating: C-. Kofi is one of the more unique looking stars in a good while and it is cool to watch him do his stuff, but spending more than half of the match working on the arms is only going to get you so far. I still wonder if Curtis could have been something, as he had a decent look and could wrestle a competent enough match.
No Way Out rundown.
Chavo Guerrero vs. CM Punk
Non-title Gulf of Mexico match, meaning you win by throwing the other person into the Gulf. They’re both in jeans (and their respective t-shirts of course) to start before the brawl goes outside rather quickly. Chavo knocks him over the barricade and into some chairs but Punk is back with some strikes of his own. Punk gets dropped ribs first onto a wall but fight back and they fight out into the concourse. It’s time to go outside where Punk punches in him the face, earning himself a whip onto the hood of a well timed car.
We take a break and come back with Punk slamming him onto the hood of another car. A backdrop sends Chavo into the windshield but he’s right back with some kicks to the ribs. They go over towards the water, where they scare off some very confused fishermen. Chavo chucks the fishermen’s cooler at Punk but can’t manage to throw him into the Gulf. An attempt at a suplex into the Gulf is blocked and Punk GTS’s him into the water for the win.
Rating: C+. This worked in a weird way, partially due to the lack of commentary when they came back from the break and partially due to letting them have a unique fight. Punk vs. Chavo has been done to death in the ring so let them get out of the ring and mix it up a bit. The next title match is already set up and Punk getting to pose against the night sky after throwing Chavo into the Gulf of Mexico is certainly a way to make things more interesting.
Overall Rating: C. The main event was the best part of the show but it wasn’t enough to carry the rest. There were too many things on here that just weren’t very good and it dragged things down a bit. ECW is still a one to two story show at best and while it is only an hour a week, it isn’t the most interesting hour as the dull parts are really hurting the good pieces.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:
http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6
AND
Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.
Make sure you check out some recent reviews.
Monday Night Raw – October 10, 2022
Monday Night Raw – February 4, 2022
Ronda Rousey Praises Monday Night Raw Star, Calls Him “Amazingly Talented”.
Two More Champions Reportedly Returning To WWE This Month.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/two-champions-reportedly-returning-wwe-month/
BREAKING: Reigning New Japan Champion Returns To WWE.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-reigning-new-japan-champion-returns-wwe-partner/
BREAKING: Brock Lesnar Returns To WWE And Finds A New Target.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-brock-lesnar-returns-wwe-new-target/
Huge Title Change Takes Place On Monday Night Raw.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-title-change-takes-place-monday-night-raw-3/
More Details On Jon Moxley’s New AEW Deal, Surprise Appearances Possible.
WWE Brags About Extreme Rules Success.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-brags-extreme-rules-success/
WWE Confirms Return Of Missing Superstar.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-confirms-return-missing-star-next-week/
WATCH: D-Generation X Celebration Continues After Monday Night Raw.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-d-generation-x-celebration-continues-monday-night-raw/
WWE Interested In Former World Champion, Ring Of Honor Stars Backstage (Contains Mild SPOILERS).
Injured WWE Star Explains Her Condition, How She Was Hurt.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/injured-wwe-star-explains-condition-hurt/
WATCH: Undertaker Slaps Michelle McCool With A Tortilla.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-undertaker-slaps-michelle-mccool-tortilla/
Monday Night Raw, SmackDown And NXT Stars Changing Places Next Week.
Update On WWE’s Plans To Bring Up New Superstars.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/update-wwes-plans-bring-new-stars/
Two Reasons Why Some AEW Wrestlers Reportedly Want To Head To WWE.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/two-reasons-aew-wrestlers-reportedly-want-head-wwe/
Update On The Statuses Of Three Returning WWE Stars.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/update-statuses-three-returning-wwe-stars/
WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE Interested In Bringing Back This Former Star.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-wwe-interested-bringing-back-former-star/
Renee Paquette (Young) Makes AEW Debut In Familiar Role.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/renee-paquette-young-makes-aew-debut-familiar-role/
Surprise Title Change Takes Place On AEW Dynamite.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/surprise-title-change-takes-place-aew-dynamite-2/
Wrestling Legend Hints At Changes Coming In His In-Ring Career.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-legend-hints-changes-coming-ring-career/
Special Reunion Takes Place After AEW Dynamite.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/special-reunion-takes-place-aew-dynamite/
WRESTLING RUMOR: How WWE And USA Currently View Monday Night Raw.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumor-wwe-usa-view-current-state-monday-night-raw/
AEW’s Paige VanZant’s Trainer Claims She Has Stopped Wrestling Training.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/aews-paige-vanzants-trainer-claims-stopped-wrestling-training/
WATCH: Mustafa Ali Says “I’m Done”.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-mustafa-ali-says-im-done/
AEW Star Makes Surprise Return After Four Month Absence.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/aew-star-makes-surprise-return-four-month-absence/
Daniel Cormier Forgot The Ending To WWE Extreme Rules Main Event.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/daniel-cormier-forgot-ending-extreme-rules-main-event/
Warner Brothers Discovery Executive On More AEW Programming (Minus A Ring).
NXT Star Announces She Needs Surgery.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/nxt-star-announces-needs-surgery/
Wrestling Legend: “I Lost All Respect For Shawn Michaels”.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-legend-lost-respect-shawn-michaels/
Latest On Adam Cole’s Injury Status, Said To Be “Really Bad”.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/latest-adam-coles-injury-status-said-really-bad/
WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE Considers Adding A Woman To Current Stable.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-wwe-may-add-woman-current-stable/
Edge Lands New Acting Role In Upcoming Disney Project.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/edge-lands-new-acting-role-upcoming-disney-project/
WATCH: The Rock Says He Is The Head Of The Table.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-rock-says-head-table/
Matt Cardona On Possible WWE Return: “Always Ready For Any Opportunity”.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/matt-cardona-possible-wwe-return-always-ready-opportunity/