This is what happens when I think about wrestling after a long day.  I’m sorry.

https://www.smarkdownsblog.com/wwe-animal-mascots-fantasy-booking

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 15, 2026
Location: Dothan Civic Center, Dothan, Alabama
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Bound For Glory and there were a bunch of title changes. The biggest of them all was the World Title, with Leon Slater becoming the youngest World Champion in company history. We also have a new X-Division Champion in newly inducted Hall Of Famer Amazing Red, who joined the match for the vacant title at the last minute. As for tonight though, the Hardys are in charge in honor of their 35 years in wrestling. Oh dear. Let’s get to it.

Here is Bound For Glory if you need a recap.

Long Bound For Glory recap.

Opening sequence.

Here are the Hardys to get things going. They brag about Bound For Glory and promise that tonight will be especially extreme. That includes a brother vs. brother match, though not between the two of them. Instead it’s Nic Nemeth vs. Ryan Nemeth and if either of them lose on purpose, they’re stripped of the Tag Team Titles. Matt previews the rest of the show and then brings out Amazing Red, the new X-Division Champion.

The Hardys praise Red for his win but Red says he’s here because of them. That’s not all though as Matt brings out new World Champion Leon Slater, who talks about how much this means for the X-Division. Slater says his mother has always been his rock and will face anyone who wants a shot. Jeff Hardy would like one but instead we’ll have a five way ladder match for the #1 contendership tonight. Sure why not.

The Nemeths aren’t happy with their match tonight but Nic would rather complain about not getting his World Title rematch. He’s not even in the ladder match!

The System comes in to see the vacationing Santino Marella, who leaves rather than dealing with them. Hold on though as the System argues a bit over their less than successful Bound For Glory.

Nic Nemeth vs. Ryan Nemeth

They take their time to start and don’t exactly go after each other. A rather gentle kick to the leg puts Nic down as the referee doesn’t look impressed. Ryan goes for a cover but cue the Hardys to say not so fast. They sit down on the stage and say fight or be stripped of the titles. They trade rollups with tights/trunks for two each and the Hardys again try to make them fight. Nic hits a superkick and yells at the Hardys, who want him to do it one more time. A Fameasser finishes Ryan at 5:00.

Rating: C-. This was barely a match and more about the Hardys getting to torment the Nemeths. That’s a good way to go as the show is all about the Hardys, but my goodness can we just get the Hardys away from the titles? Or at least until after they win a match after their loss at Bound For Glory?

Post match Nic again complains about not being in the #1 contenders match.

The Hardys run into AJ Francis and Expressions, the latter of whom wants Francis to get a World Title shot tonight. Instead the Hardys say they’ll face the two of them tonight, which has Expressions responding as expected.

Harley Hudson runs into the Righteous and offers them luck tonight against the Syx. She seems to want to be out there with them.

Righteous vs. Syx

Tables match and both members have to go through to lose. They slug it out with the Righteous getting the better of things. Everyone goes outside and grab the tables as we take an early break. We come back with Sawyer dropping Vincent with the handspring clothesline.

Vincent is knocked off the apron and onto a table, which doesn’t break, so Sawyer goes outside to powerbomb him through it (nice, quick save for a misfire on the table). Dutch knocks Sawyer through another table at ringside and we’re tied up. Another table is loaded up but Sawyer’s distraction lets Shaw slam him through said table for the win at 9:35.

Rating: C+. This was just about the Hardys getting to screw with two teams they don’t like. As a result, it’s a tables match despite not needing to be in any way. The Syx continue to move up the ranks and have been protected thus far. Now just keep it that way and don’t let the Hardys drag them down for eight months and it should work out.

The Hardys run into Frankie Kazarian and Avery Styles, who are ready to get their Tag Team Title shot. Matt approves, but says they can have a title shot without the trophy being cashed in when the Hardys get the titles back.

We get closeups of Allie and then Rosemary, the latter of whom is smiling.

AJ Francis/Expressions vs. Hardys

Jeff avoids a charging Francis to start and works on the arm, with Matt doing the same. A double suplex puts Francis down again so Expressions offers a distraction. Francis gets in a big boot and Expressions comes in to stomp away. A bearhug goes on but Expressions misses an elbow, allowing Matt to come back in. Francis is tied in the Tree Of Woe while Expressions gets Twist Of Fated a few times. The Swanton finishes him off at 5:34.

Rating: C. This was similar to the opener as it wasn’t really about the match itself but rather just something to get the Hardys in the ring. That being said, it worked out just fine because there was no reason for this to be anything more than a squash. While I’m sick of the Hardys, having them beat up an annoying manager is a perfectly fine use of them.

Xia Brookside/Apex vs. Gabby Forza/Harley Hudson/Indi Hartwell

Brookside immediately hands it off to Baszler, who gets to start with Hartwell. Baszler takes her down to try the arm stomp, with Hartwell breaking it up rather quickly. Hartwell tries running the ropes but gets dropped by Serrano, who came in off a blind tag. It’s back to Baszler to stay on the arm, with Brookside getting to grab an armbar. That’s broken up and Forza comes in for a double suplex. Everything breaks down and Hudson is left alone with the Apex, which she knows is a bad thing. She’s willing to fight but is launched into a knee to the face, setting up the Kirifuda Clutch to make Hudson tap at 4:28.

Rating: C. Kind of a weird match here, with Apex smashing through Hudson and not having much trouble with Hartwell either. That’s a good way to make Apex look good, but it didn’t do much for Hartwell, the new Knockouts Champion. I do like Baszler being here, but maybe don’t have another former WWE star come in and be the most awesome thing ever?

Trey Miguel vs. Ricky Sosa vs. Jason Hotch vs. Moose vs. Elijah

Non-title ladder match for the World Title shot at Destination X and Leon Slater is on commentary. Moose and Sosa are left alone in the ring to start and the slugout is on, with Moose dropkicking him off the top and out to the floor. Elijah is cut off so Moose clotheslines Sosa for a loop. Miguel is back in to go after Sosa, who is taken down by Hotch’s rolling neckbreaker (as stolen from Mustafa Ali).

Hotch takes down Moose and Elijah with a double DDT but Miguel is back in with a poisonrana. Moose dives onto Elijah and grabs the ladder, which is cut off by Sosa as we take a break. We come back with a ladder actually set up in the ring, with Elijah and Hotch slugging it out near the top. Sosa is back in but gets shoved off the ladder and into the turnbuckle. Moose sets up the bridged ladder on the floor, with Miguel giving him a tornado DDT.

Miguel goes up and gets pulled down into Hotch’s torture rack neckbreaker. Cue Mustafa Ali to distract Hotch as the two brawl up the ramp and into the back. Sosa pulls Miguel off the ladder and into Elijah’s jumping knee. Moose is back in to powerbomb Sosa…in the general vicinity of the bridged ladder for a scary looking crash. Back up and Elijah gives Moose a springboard guitar shot but here is Nic Nemeth to cut Elijah off. Nemeth tries to go up but gets cut off by Miguel, who goes up and gets the contract at 17:53.

Rating: B-. It’s a ladder match. We saw two of them at Money In The Bank over the weekend and another at All Out a few weeks ago. Seeing TNA run a ladder match of their own so soon after just makes it feel like TNA trying to keep up. Miguel winning is a good choice as Slater can have a nice first defense to get his reign off to the right kind of start. This just didn’t need to be a ladder match, and it was quite the use of Hotch fresh off of his International Title win. Not bad, but not the best timing for something like this.

Post match the Hardys come out to thank the fans and TNA as Slater and Miguel have a respectful staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as it was mainly about the Hardys getting to do their thing all night long. That’s all well and good, but it’s not the right time to do something like that, as this put Bound For Glory WAY onto the backburner. The Hardys have gotten more tributes over the years than anyone could ever use and this was just another on the pile. Too much stuff was pushed off to the side here and it doesn’t help that I’m sick of seeing the Hardys/being told how great they are. At least it wasn’t another Broken Universe show, but that’s only so much of a bar to clear.

Results
Nic Nemeth b. Ryan Nemeth – Fameasser
Syx b. Righteous – Slam through a table
Hardys b. AJ Francis/Expressions – Swanton to Expressions
Xia Brookside/Apex b. Gabby Forza/Harley Hudson/Indi Hartwell – Kirifuda Clutch to Hudson
Trey Miguel b. Ricky Sosa, Jason Hotch, Moose and Elijah – Miguel pulled down the contract

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: October 15, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re slowly approaching Final Battle and that means it is time to get ready to start thinking about the build to the show. Then again, there is always the chance that everything will be announced at the last minute with pretty much no particular rhyme or reason. That’s the case around here more often than not so let’s get to it.

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

Athena is ready for a Minion In Power meeting, starting with bringing in Hyan. Athena doesn’t seem happy with Hyan beating Billie Starkz and kind of offers to make her a Minion In Training. Hyan doesn’t seem overly interested. The audio on this was rather hard to hear for some reason.

Opening sequence.

AR Fox/Top Flight vs. JD Ink/Matt Mako/Charles Crowley

Crowley takes Darius into the corner to start so it’s off to Mako, who is atomic dropped. A bulldog sends Mako into Darius’ knee and Dante hits a standing moonsault. Darius is sent outside though and Crowley is right there to stomp away, followed by a jumping knee back inside. Darius flips away though and it’s off to Fox to clean house. Mako is pulled into a cutter and Top Flight hit dives to the floor. That leaves Fox to 450 Mako for the pin at 4:40.

Rating: C+. The non-winners got in some offense here and I’ve seen good things from both Crowley and Mako in the past. At the same time, Fox continues to manage to make things that he’s done quite a few times feel new, which is rather impressive work. The match was what it should have been, as they thankfully didn’t spend a bunch of time when it wasn’t needed.

Mina Shirakawa doesn’t think much of the way Isla Dawn dresses.

The Beast Mortos vs. QT Marshall

Marshall’s running shoulder doesn’t do much damage to start and Mortos snaps off a running headscissors. A running headscissors sends Mortos to the floor but he switches places with Marshall for the corkscrew dive. Marshall is sent into the steps and they take turns raining down right hands in the corner. Mortos powerbombs him down though and we’re off to a chinlock.

Back up and Mortos takes him into the corner, where Marshall is back with a sitout powerbomb. They slug it out from their knees and feet until Marshall gets in a missile dropkick, followed by a Lionsault for two. Mortos is back up with a Tombstone into a gutbuster and a pop up Samoan drop gets two. Marshall gets up with a handspring kick to the head to send Mortos outside for the suicide dive. That and a top rope elbow combine for two but Mortos gives him a pop up headbutt. A chokebomb finally finishes Marshall at 9:39.

Rating: B. Well that was a nice surprise. These guys had a heck of a back and forth match and it was not something I would have expected. Marshall is a totally decent hand in the ring most of the time and Mortos is a talented power wrestler. That turned out to give us a good match and better than I would have bet on seeing here.

Bandido has officially broken the record for most days as ROH World Champion.

We look at ELP beating Adam Brooks at Death Before Dishonor back in August. This of course gets ELP a TV Title match tonight.

We recap Emi Sakura turning on Deonna Purrazzo to set up their Women’s Pure Rules Title match.

Women’s Pure Rules Title: Emi Sakura vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is defending. Sakura goes for the arm at the bell and Purrazzo has used the first break about five seconds into the match. Back in and the Fujiwara armbar has Sakura getting to the rope for her first break. Purrazzo ties up the leg but Sakura bites her way to freedom, which is less than a technical solution. A Figure Four goes on and is quickly reversed, with Sakura using her second break.

Purrazzo starts in on the rope and the Fujiwara armbar sends Sakura to the rope for her final break. Sakura’s Fujiwara has Purrazzo using a second break and they clothesline each other down. Back up and Purrazzo wins a slugout but gets taken down with a neckbreaker. A spinning Vader Bomb gives Sakura two so Purrazzo grabs another Fujiwara for the tap to retain at 9:17.

Rating: B-. I guess this was the big blowoff match between them and I’m not sure it was worth the build to the thing. It was pretty much just a Pure Rules match with Purrazzo winning like she always does. I still see no reason for this title to exist as Purrazzo has been champion forever and shows up for occasional defenses. Does that really require a belt?

The Dark Order wants a Six Man Tag Team Title shot but John Silver isn’t here due to protests. Preston Vance comes in to offer his services and is reinstated.

Premiere Athletes/Beef vs. Adrian Alanis/Nic Nolan/Parker Li

The Athletes and Beef jump them before the bell and the destruction starts fast. Nolan, who wears suspenders with his trunks, is taken out by an assisted elevated DDT at 1:30. Total squash.

We look at Hyan beating Billie Starkz last week.

Athena vs. Sirena Lenton

Non-title Proving Ground match. They trade wrist control to start and Athena is sent outside, leaving Lenton to celebrate a bit. Back in and a running boot sends Lenton outside before Athena ties her in the Tree Of Woe. Some running kicks have Lenton in more trouble but the near fall has Athena frustrated. Lenton’s Samoan drop slows Athena down and a top rope twisting moonsault gives Lenton two. Athena is right back with some rolling German suplexes and an AA into the corner. A curb stomp finishes Lenton off at 7:30.

Rating: C. This was in fact an Athena Proving Ground match and by this point, you know what that means. There isn’t much of a reason to believe that Athena is going to lose, which will make for a huge moment when she does but it’s making for a pretty dull run these days. She has no competition and given how her Final Battle defenses seem to go, odds are her competition will just show up out of nowhere.

Post match Athena stays on her but Hyan comes in, only to spear Lenton by mistake.

Matt Sydal vs. Bryan Keith

As usual, Keith throws his gear at Sydal, who is smart enough to fire off a jumping knee. Sydal knocks him down again and hits a kind of standing reverse Fameasser for two. The standing moonsault gives Sydal two more but Keith is back up with a t-bone suplex. Keith’s running knee drops Sydal and another knee to the head gets two. Sydal slips out of a suplex but gets caught in a DDT to leave them both down.

Keith misses a Helluva Kick though and Sydal kicks at the leg, followed by a big kick to the head for two more. The shooting star press is broken up, as is Keith’s tiger bomb with Sydal rolling him up for another near fall. Sydal knocks him down again and finishes with the shooting star press at 8:31.

Rating: B. As much as I do not particularly get the point in having Sydal go over anyone at this point, he can still wrestle a mostly smooth, high flying match. He looked good in the process here, though I’m rather surprised that Keith got beat here. Then again Keith hasn’t had much to do lately so hopefully this changes him up a bit.

Post match Keith won’t shake hands.

Isla Dawn is ready to use Mina Shirakawa as a stepping stone.

TV Title: ELP vs. Action Andretti

Andretti is defending and would rather flip ELP off rather than shake his hand. They trade flipping escapes from a wristlock to start and it’s a clapping standoff. An exchange of missed dropkicks let them both flip up to another standoff and Andretti wants to go out for a breather. Back in and a springboard hurricanrana takes Andretti down but he goes to the leg to take over again.

A Hennig necksnap gives Andretti two but ELP is back up with a dropkick to leave them both down again. ELP gets two off some rollups so Andretti boots him out to the floor for a Lionsault. A ram into the apron has ELP in more trouble and Andretti chokes him on the ropes back inside.

We have five minutes left as ELP gets in a running boot in the corner and a tornado DDT. The right hands in the corner have Andretti in more trouble but the cutthroat driver is escaped. Andretti’s standing shooting star press gets two and a Falcon Arrow puts ELP down for the same. A running dropkick and split legged moonsault give Andretti two and we have thirty seconds left. ELP hits a spinning torture rack neckbreaker and the frog splash connects as time expires for the draw at 15:00.

Rating: B-. This is where Tony Khan’s booking becomes an issue. They were going for a big, dramatic title match here but the problem is ELP makes very limited appearances and Andretti still doesn’t feel like a serious champion. He’s perfectly fine in the ring but he still feels like he’s in over his head most of the time. Andretti got one win over Lio Rush (who has just disappeared as of late) and that’s pretty much it for him lately. This was a good match but nowhere near as suspenseful as it was designed to be.

Post match ELP wants a rematch but gets belted in the head. Adam Priest runs in for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There were some good matches on here and Ring Of Honor has had far worse shows but it didn’t feel overly interesting. You might expect Bandido breaking the record for most combined days as champion to warrant an appearance but why do that when we have some lower midcard champions instead?

It’s far from a bad show, though ROH continues to feel totally unimportant week to week. You’ll get the occasional storyline, but it’s rarely given the chance to develop and then we have a pay per view in probably about six weeks where the stories are suddenly supposed to matter. That’s not how wrestling works, but ROH keeps doing it that way no matter what to the same results.

Results
AR Fox/Top Flight b. JD Ink/Charles Crowley/Matt Mako – 450 to Mako
The Beast Mortos b. QT Marshall – Chokebomb
Deonna Purrazzo b. Emi Sakura – Fujiwara armbar
Premiere Athletes/Beef b. Adrian Alanis/Nic Nolan/Parker Li – Assisted elevated DDT to Nolan
Athena b. Sirena Lenton – Curb stomp
Matt Sydal b. Bryan Keith – Shooting star press
ELP vs. Action Andretti went to a time limit draw

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

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Best Of D’Lo Brown
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Jonathan Coachman

This is firmly in the “sure why not” category and I’m curious to see what they have with Brown. He’s one of the underrated good hands of his era and worked well with anyone. There are some good options in here and I’d like to see where they go. That’s the point of this series but they’ve been hit or miss at times. Let’s get to it.

Quick opening video.

From Monday Night Raw, July 2, 1998. Given that the 2nd would have been a Thursday, I’m thinking that’s an error. My guess is this would be July 20.

European Title: D’Lo Brown vs. HHH

Brown, with fellow Nation Of Domination member The Rock, is challenging and Chyna is here with HHH. An early slam has HHH down and the head shaking Brown (in his chest protector) so HHH grabs a headlock for some head slapping. A shot to the nose (JR makes his required joke) gets Brown out of trouble but he has to escape an early Pedigree attempt.

Brown bails outside to yell at Chyna, who hits him in the face (HHH approves). Back in and Brown grabs a quick Sky High for two, followed by a weird looking spinwheel kick. A jumping knee to the face cuts Brown off and a suplex drops him again. The Rock trips HHH so Chyna posts him, which draws out Mark Henry to distract Chyna again. The Pedigree is loaded up but Rock comes in with a Rock Bottom to give brown the pin and the title at 6:00.

Rating: C. The match was just another part of the Nation/Rock vs. DX/HHH feud, which was a huge part of the summer. Brown winning the title got it away from HHH, who could go after Rock’s Intercontinental Title in the coming weeks. It wasn’t much to see, but Brown would get better in a hurry.

Also of note: this match was taped on July 14. I was at a house show on the 18th and Brown was announced as champion before this show aired, which was a rare situation of spoiling TV for pretty much no reason given that it was just a house show.

From Summerslam 1998.

European Title: D’Lo Brown vs. Val Venis

Brown is defending and I knew this would be on here. Ever the good champion, Brown is now residing in Helsinki, Finland (as opposed to Helsinki, Montana). They fight up against the ropes to start until Brown lets him go for some head shaking. More grappling goes to a standoff, with Venis knocking him into the corner. Venis’ forearm to the chest just hurts himself due to the chest protector, which does indeed protect Brown’s chest.

A standing splash knocks Venis down and a running splash in the corner makes it worse. The missed charge sends Brown into the corner though, with the impact somehow hurting him. Venis dropkicks him down and they run the ropes a bit, with neither being able to get very far. A nice spinebuster plants Brown and we cut to some weird newcomer in the crowd named Edge.

Venis misses a running splash, with JR pointing out that it was kind of dumb to try on someone wearing a chest protector. Brown grabs a suplex but stops to glare at the crowd some more, allowing Venis to bust out a t-bone suplex of all things. One heck of a clothesline gets Brown out of trouble and he drops a leg, which he leaves over Venis’ neck for the cover.

Thankfully commentary mocks him for the “cover” so Brown hits a leg lariat to get them back on his side. A middle rope elbow gets two more but Venis is back up, only for his back to give out on a slam attempt. Brown grabs a Texas Cloverleaf, which Brown just releases when it doesn’t work. Brown stays on the back with a slam (Lawler: “Here comes some more!” That sound byte was used in the Attitude game for Nintendo 64.) but takes way too long loading up a middle rope backsplash.

Venis makes a comeback with a backdrop but dives into a sitout spinebuster and they’re both down. Back up and Brown plants him with a DDT for two, with Venis’ powerslam getting the same. Venis plants him again but the Money Shot hits raised knees. Brock tries a Liger Bomb but can’t get Venis up, instead just dropping him on his head. Another attempt works, though the Low Down doesn’t as Venis gets away this time.

Some right hands have Brown staggered and Venis gets smart by removing the chest protector. And then Venis gets dumb by putting it on instead, with the referee grabbing Venis’ foot to accidentally crotch him on top. Venis gets in an atomic drop and shoves the referee, which may be earned but it also draws the DQ at 15:25.

Rating: B. This is one of those matches that I’ve seen a bunch of times but it still more than holds up as a hidden gem. You had two young guys being given the biggest chance they’ve ever had and making the most of it. That’s not something you see very often and my goodness it worked. Heck of a match here and one the best ever for both of them.

From Monday Night Raw, October 5, 1998 (actually a Monday this time).

European Title: D’Lo Brown vs. X-Pac

Brown, with Mark Henry, is challenging and Chyna is here with X-Pac. The brawl is on fast with Brown grabbing a powerslam to cut him off early. The leg lariat gives Brown two and we hit the chinlock. With that going on, cue a man at ringside to give Chyna an envelope and then run back into the crowd. Chyna reads whatever is in the envelope and Henry says “it’s from me”.

The fans are all over Brown as Chyna and Henry glare at each other from opposite sides of the ring. X-Pac suplexes his way to freedom but misses an elbow, allowing Brown to grab a side slam for two. The Low Down misses as X-Pac rolls away (even though it went so far that he didn’t need to move) and a jumping spinwheel kick drops Brown again. There’s the Bronco Buster but Henry trips X-Pac and then pulls his dive out of the air for a drive into the apron. That and he Low Down give Brown the title at 5:17.

Rating: C. This was a pretty slow match for a lot of the time they had, but the bigger problem was the focus on Henry vs. Chyna. That took way too much of the attention away from the match, which was only so interesting in the first place. Brown getting the title only means so much, but DX vs. the Nation was still going, because the feud could never die.

From Monday Night Raw, August 2, 1999.

European Title/Intercontinental Title: D’Lo Brown vs. Jeff Jarrett

Title for title and Jarrett (Intercontinental Champion) has Debra with him. Brown is out of the Nation now, a good guy, and has his awesome theme song. They slug it out to start and the referee has to break it up, which you don’t see very often. Brown counters a dropkick into a sitout powerbomb for two and Jarrett is already set to walk. Back in and Jarrett dropkicks him out of the air, meaning it’s time for some choking on the ropes. After yelling at Debra for a bit, Jarrett grabs a sleeper.

Lawler gets in a funny line about how Brown’s head is always tilted to one side or the other as Brown fights up. A swinging neckbreaker gives Jarrett two and it’s time to be frustrated. Brown catapults him into the corner and hits the finger point legdrop for two. The referee gets bumped so Debra brings in the belts. That and an open jacket try to distract Brown, who grabs a belt and clocks Jarrett to become a double champion at 6:12.

Rating: C. On one hand, it was nice to see Brown, an up and coming star, get a cool honor like this. It doesn’t need to be a long reign (and it wasn’t) but it’s something he can brag about for the rest of his career. That being said, Lawler came as close as he could to sinking this match on his own. The constant puppies talk put all of the focus on Debra rather than the important match, which happened far too often for Lawler. Just shut up about it for two seconds already.

From Smackdown, September 25, 2000.

Lo Down vs. Hardy Boyz

That would be Brown/Chaz because I guess they both needed something to do. After looking at HHH sending Stephanie McMahon some flowers, we’re ready to go. The Hardys get jumped to start and Brown flapjacks Chaz onto Matt. A running tornado DDT gets Matt out of trouble and it’s off to Jeff for a double elbow.

Brown comes in as well but Chaz crotches Jeff against the post. A double release suplex drops Jeff again and a belly to back suplex cuts off his comeback bid. Brown misses a springboard moonsault though and the tag brings in Matt as everything breaks down. Poetry In Motion sets up the Twist Of Fate and Swanton to pin Chaz at 6:05.

Rating: B-. I’m not entirely sure why this was included as it’s just ok, with Low Down showing some aggression and getting to look decent against the Hardys. That being said, it’s not like they looked like the next big thing and it was a pretty standard Hardys match. Maybe they wanted the name value, but this was kind of a strange choice.

Post match Lo Down lays the Hardys out without much trouble.

From Sunday Night Heat, September 1, 2002.

D’Lo Brown vs. Raven

Brown is a commentator and leaves Coach on his own on commentary, as apparently he’s mad at us. Raven bails to the floor to start and then does it again before Brown hammers away back inside. A quick toss into the post cuts Brown off and a middle rope knee drives the shoulder to the mat.

The Raven Effect is blocked but Brown misses a middle rope elbow. They knock each other down with Brown getting up first to start the comeback. The finger point legdrop gets two and a swinging Side Effect gets the same. Raven powerbombs him out of the corner and puts his feet on the ropes for two but Brown counters the Raven Effect into the Sky High for the pin at 5:28.

Rating: C+. This was an interesting addition as the fans clearly liked Brown well enough and it felt like a grudge match. That’s more than I would have expected from this one and it was a nice treat compared to everything else that we’ve gotten on here, as it’s nice to get something of a surprise. Nice match here and kind of a different era from Brown.

From Monday Night Raw, October 7, 2002.

D’Lo Brown vs. HHH

Non-title Blindfold match and Ric Flair is here with HHH. They reach for each other to start and miss right hands, with HHH taking him into the corner and yelling. Naturally he’s yelling at an empty corner as Brown moves but it makes for a good visual. HHH catches him again and tries a Pedigree, which is countered into a backdrop. The Sky High sends HHH rolling to the apron and Flair comes in for a distraction. That’s enough for HHH to lift the hood and hit the Pedigree for the win at 2:36. Huh? Why in the world was this included? And that’s how it wraps up? Nice job guys.

Overall Rating: B-. Brown is a great example of someone who was a steady hand with cool music and a rather bouncy head. He was never a major star but he was a regular in the Attitude Era and beyond, regularly in the ring against some big names. It’s nice to see someone like him get some attention, though some of those latter choices were strange and came off like an attempt to make this a bit longer. Still though, hearing that song again so many times was worth the effort.

Results
D’Lo Brown b. HHH – Rock Bottom
D’Lo Brown b. Val Venis via DQ when Venis shoved the referee
D’Lo Brown b. X-Pac – Low Down
D’Lo Brown b. Jeff Jarrett – Belt shot
Hardy Boyz b. Lo Down – Swanton to Chaz
D’Lo Brown b. Raven – Sky High
HHH b. D’Lo Brown – Pedigree

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

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

Collision
Date: October 14, 2026
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Walker Stewart, Tony Schiavone

It’s the second, and shorter, half of the three hour AEW block this week and the last show before Saturday’s WrestleDream. There are still some spots left for the Clockwork Carnage match and that means we should be getting a focus on everything else on the card. Then again you never know around here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with the United Empire getting up after losing in Dynamite’s main event.

Renee Paquette asks Jon Moxley about another loss and he throws a bunch of stuff while making various noises. She kneels down next to him and asks what’s wrong. Moxley says he’s in pain but doesn’t know what kind anymore. Marina Shafir calms Moxley down, which isn’t likely to go well at home.

Clockwork Carnage Qualifying Match: Ricochet vs. Ace Austin

Ricochet backs him into the corner to start so Austin is back up with an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Ricochet pulls him down for a face first trip into the apron. They get back inside with Austin firing off some chops but getting sent outside again. The big running flip dive takes Austin out again and we take a break.

We come back with the two of them fighting over a suplex until Ricochet is placed on top. The running anklescissors doesn’t work as Ricochet flips onto his feet so Austin grabs a suplex to leave both of them down. Back up and Ricochet wins a slugout before backflipping over for a German suplex. Ricochet has to bail out of a shooting star press and gets pulled into a swinging faceplant to give Austin two. That just earns Austin a running headbutt, followed by the Spirit Gun and Vertigo for the pin at 11:13.

Rating: B. Gah stop beating Austin so often! He has some very consistent performances but loses so often that it stopped mattering a good while ago. Hopefully they find something else for him to do besides be the Bang Bang Gang’s whipping boy, as he deserves a lot better than this. I get that Ricochet needs to be in the title match but there was no one else for him to beat?

We get a sitdown interview with the Don Callis Family, who don’t want to wait for the Young Bucks. Kyle Fletcher is ready to beat the Bucks again, with Kevin Knight agreeing. Callis himself loves that plan but the Bucks run in with superkicks and right hands to break that up.

Justin Roberts reads orders to cheer for the rather handsome Nick Wayne, who is here for a celebrating of his win over Chris Jericho at Grand Slam. He announces his win and pyro goes off, which goes so well that he does it again. A third attempt just brings out Jericho, with Wayne cutting the music off. Wayne throws us to a video on the match at Grand Slam, set to Superman by Five For Fighting.

Jericho isn’t surprised at the video leaving out a few parts, so Jericho shows his own video, complete with the low blows. So Jericho made a highlight reel of himself getting hit in the groin? What a weirdly specific theme. Anyway Jericho wants a third match, but Wayne says if he wins, Jericho has to apologize to him. Jericho is in, saying he wants to teach Wayne some things. Then Jericho kicks him low as this feud just keeps going.

Tommaso Ciampa is ready to take the National Title from Andrade El Idolo. Samoa Joe (Ciampa’s partner on Dynamite) is ready to win the World Title.

Hyan/Dani Luna vs. Persephone/Britt Baker

Luna is a British powerhouse who debuted at All Out. Hyan immediately knocks Persephone into the corner to start as Baker yells at Luna on the floor. Back in and Hyan pump kicks Persephone but Baker gets in a trip from the floor. That lets Baker grab a hanging swinging neckbreaker and we take a break.

We come back with Luna coming in to clean house, including a middle rope dropkick to send Persephone flying. A top rope superplex drops Baker and Luna powerbombs Persephone for two more. Everything breaks down and all four get dropped, leaving Hyan to spear Baker for another near fall. Persephone is back up to take Hyan down on the floor and Baker’s swinging neckbreaker gets two on Luna. Persephone’s belt shot almost hits Baker but they’re sent into each other instead, allowing Luna to grab a rollup to pin Baker at 10:31.

Rating: C+. Luna getting a win is good as she’s still brand new and was already 0-1 around here. She’s not exactly a top level star in the first place so her getting a pin here is a good thing. Persephone still doesn’t feel like a huge star but at least she’s around on television fairly regularly so she’s starting to feel more normal.

Post match the villains are back up for the beatdown but Queen Aminata makes the save.

We get a vignette for someone conducting music. That almost has to be Ilja Dragunov.

TNT Title/Clockwork Carnage Qualifying Match: Hechicero vs. Darby Allin

Allin is defending in addition to trying to qualify. Hechicero starts fast on the arm and neck, with a double arm crank and a knee to the neck working on both at once. With that broken up, Hechicero pulls him into a surfboard to get the legs in on the pain thing too. That’s broken up as well so Allin bites the hand and puts it down the post to strike away. Hechicero is right back up with a spinning faceplant onto the apron, with Allin’s face taking quite the crash.

We take a break and come back with Hechicero flipping him into a choke but Allin backflips out for the escape. Allin’s sunset bomb is countered into another choke, which can’t stay on long due to the ropes. Allin gets in a rollup, with his leg giving out after the kickout. The swinging backbreaker is countered into a crucifix driver to give Allin two. That’s enough for Allin to go up but the Coffin Drop is countered into a cradle, albeit after Hechicero rolls him all around the ring. Allin knocks him outside for a suicide dive and the standing Coffin Drop connects as well. Back in and another Coffin Drop retains the title at 14:11.

Rating: B. Allin was at his best here as it felt like he was trying to survive and as usual, it worked. Hechicero does all kinds of things that no one else even approaches and it was fun to see him torment Allin until the end. It’s smart to keep Hechicero’s appearances limited around here, as it makes his stuff feel that much more special.

Post match the Don Callis Family runs in to go after Allin so the United Empire makes the save. Kazuchika Okada takes Will Ospreay down but Adam Copeland runs in for a save of his own. Ricochet comes in and takes over but gets taken down by Konosuke Takeshita, who gets taken down by Samoa Joe. The parade of knockdowns continues and the big wild brawl wraps up the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Much like Dynamite, this was about trying to get as much stuff done as they could in the limited time they had to complete the build up. It worked as well as they could have done it here and again, not their fault after everything changed a few weeks ago. They’re pretty much banking everything on Clockwork Carnage though and hopefully it lives up to the hype, as otherwise WrestleDream is in big trouble. Nice enough show here, as it felt like a third hour of Dynamite for a change.

Results
Ricochet b. Ace Austin – Vertigo
Dani Luna/Hyan b. Persephone/Britt Baker – Rollup to Baker
Darby Allin b. Hechicero – Coffin Drop

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

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Dynamite
Date: October 14, 2026
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Walker Stewart, Tony Schiavone

It’s the first half of the double show bit again, as we have an hour of Collision tonight after Dynamite. That’s due to this being the last night before this weekend’s WrestleDream, meaning we need some rapid fire qualifying matches for Clockwork Carnage. That should be enough to carry things so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Death Riders vs. Wardlow/Don Callis Family

Davis backs Garcia into the corner but Garcia goes after the leg. That earns him a shot from an interfering Doyle, who gets to face Kidd. Wardlow comes in as well and runs Kidd over so it’s already back to Garcia, who is knocked into the corner. Moxley is in to get shouldered down as well, with Wardlow doing it a second time.

Some stomping in the corner has Moxley in more trouble so it’s back to Garcia. This time he escapes a Powerbomb Symphony attempt and grabs the Dragontamer, which is broken up rather quickly. We take a break and come back with Garcia powering up for his dance and knocking Doyle down. Moxley and Davis come in to slug it out with Moxley hammering him in the corner.

Davis’ piledriver is countered into a quickly broken bulldog choke so Moxley hits a running dropkick to the floor. The suicide dive takes Davis out again and it’s time for the rapid fire clotheslines to Davis inside. Marina Shafir gets in one of her own and the Dragontamer into the Stomp gives Moxley two. Wardlow is back in and gets guillotine choked, which is broken up as well. Davis is left alone to blast Moxley with the clothesline and the piledriver finishes Moxley off at 16:08.

Rating: B. The ending was the latest attempt to make Davis feel like a threat to Moxley’s title and yeah it’s just not going to work. The match was good, albeit a bit long, with Wardlow being back and not really getting to stand out. It’s not the best idea to put him in there with two powerhouse partners as it takes away what made him feel special. Fix that up, and get him away from the Family whatsoever, and it should be a lot better.

Clockwork Carnage Qualifying Match: Adam Copeland vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander grabs a headlock to start as commentary again explains Clockwork Carnage (which does make sense, though it sounds messy). They’re quickly on the floor where Alexander takes over on the leg as we take a break. We come back with Alexander staying on the leg but running into a jumping boot to the face. They trade big forearms from their knees and then more from their feet, with Copeland getting fired up to take over.

Copeland knocks him out to the floor, followed by the Impaler back inside. Alexander counters the spear into some rolling German suplexes for two and the ankle lock goes on. That’s broken up and Copeland hits an exposed buckle, allowing Alexander to get in his own spear for two. Copeland is back up to knock him to the apron for a slingshot cutter but Alexander gets in a crotching on top. Copeland escapes a superplex though and drops him onto the turnbuckle, followed by the spear for the win at 11:17.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see Copeland getting in the ring on his own, which doesn’t really happen that often. He’s gotten the tag run out with Cage out of the way and if you want him to, let him do one more singles run. He certainly has the standing and resume to make it a realistic chance and this is at least a step in that direction.

Post match Copeland says that Christian Cage broke three ribs and suffered a collapsed lung five minutes into the ladder match at All Out. Cage kept going in that match for the fans, who applaud him. Due to that, Copeland had to think about some things because he knows he’s aging out. The truth is that 2027 will be his last year in wrestling (the fans disapprove), which is why he has to go for the AEW World Title.

This brings out Don Callis and Brian Cage, with Callis saying he’s known Copeland his entire career. Callis says he needs to be the one who makes this kind of a decision about Copeland’s retirement. Cue the Family to lay Copeland out. Cue Konosuke Takeshita and the Conglomeration for the save. That’s a big story and Copeland’s last year in wrestling could be quite the big deal depending on which way it goes.

Clockwork Carnage Qualifying Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Brian Cage

They immediately go to the exchange of forearms and Takeshita hurricanranas him out to the floor. Cage is able to change places with him for the running flip dive and then drops Takeshita onto the barricade. Back in and Cage choke tosses him into the corner, followed by a sitout Alabama slam for two.

We take a break and come back with Cage powering out of a full nelson. A powerbomb and spinning kick to the face drops Takeshita onto the ropes for the 619. Takeshita gets in a Blue Thunder Bomb for two of his own, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two more. Cage catches him up top for a super hurricanrana and then the apron superplex, with Takeshita rolling through into Raging Fire. That sends Cage rolling to the ropes so they trade some hard clotheslines. Cage loads up the F5 but Takeshita slips out for a jumping knee to the face. A dragon sleeper makes Cage tap at 12:21.

Rating: B. This was better than I was expecting, with Takeshita getting to show that he can work with a power wrestler, which doesn’t seem to happen very often. At the same time, Cage looked better than I was expecting and this was one of his better matches in AEW. Good stuff here, even with the result not being in doubt, which happens in a lot of these matches.

The new United Empire (Will Ospreay/Mike Bailey/Brawling Birds/Andrade El Idolo) are ready for tonight and Saturday. Of note: we’re over an hour into the show and this is the first segment to not involve the Don Callis Family. Maybe space them out a bit?

Here are FTR and Stokely for a chat on the stage. Dax Harwood says being a champion is what matters to him (rather than his annoying wife or bratty daughter) and he wants a reason why they aren’t the #1 contenders. This brings out the Motor City Machine Guns, who respect FTR but want to be the best. Harwood mentioned beating the Young Bucks three times, but could FTR beat the Guns three times? We get an official challenge for a best of five series, with Shelley wanting to do the first match tonight. Stokely says they’ll do it at WrestleDream instead. At least it gives the Guns something to do for a change.

After Grand Slam, Hangman Page ranted about Swerve Strickland but Brodido calmed him down, telling him to focus on the Trios Titles.

Clockwork Carnage Qualifying Match: Myron Reed vs. Kazuchika Okada

Non-title. Okada backs him against the ropes for the slap on the chest so Reed comes back with some forearms. Reed sends him outside but Okada slides back in for a flapjack. Okada has to bail out of the top rope elbow, instead knocking Reed down again as we take a break. We come back with the top rope elbow hitting Reed and there’s the middle finger. A superkick into the hanging Downward Spiral gives Reed two, setting up the big dive over the top to take him out again.

Back in and Okada counters a Stunner into a Tombstone and they head outside. This time Okada gets backdropped on the floor, setting up another hanging Downward Spiral, this time off the barricade. Reed gets in a 450 off the steps but a regular version hits raised knees back inside. A quick poisonrana off the top plants Okada, who is up 12 seconds later for the Rainmaker and the win at 11:03.

Rating: B-. This was about what you would have expected, with Okada not seeming to take it seriously and popping up after one of Reed’s big moves at the end. There was absolutely no way that Reed was winning here so the match was more a waiting game until the Rainmaker. They could have done this in about five minutes and saved us a good deal of time.

Video on MJF, who was named #1 on the PWI 500.

New Level is told that Swerve Strickland had some family business to deal with but he’s sent a friend: comedian Mojo Brookzz. Cue Brookzz, who is very enthusiastic about being here.

Here are New Level, with Brookzz and Prince Nana, for a chat. Brookzz hypes up the match again the Good, The Bad and the Ugly, with Brookzz saying Bandido wears a mask for being ugly. Kofi admits that Bandido beat him last week but it’s going to be different at WrestleDream because it’s three on three. There are levels to this so THANK GOD for the NEW LEVEL! This was pretty nothing and Brookzz was more of a distraction than anything else.

Triangle Of Madness vs. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne/Mercedes Mone

Mone shoves Thekla in the face to start but Thekla starts writing around a bit to avoid a charge. That earns Thekla a string of shoulders in the corner and Bayne blocks a middle rope Codebreaker. Hart comes in and gets choked on the rope but a quick dropkick in the corner has Bayne in trouble. It’s already back to Mone and the villains take over as we go to a break.

We come back with Blue snapping off a headscissors but Bayne counters a headscissors into a buckle bomb. Mone’s running Meteora gets two, with Thekla making the save. That lets Blue get in a basement dropkick and Thekla gets to come in and clean house. A high crossbody gets two on Kross and Thekla slaps on the Muta Lock. Bayne breaks it up and gets caught in a guillotine choke but Mone gives Blue a Backstabber. Thekla runs Kross over for two so Hart gives Kross the mist. A double gordbuster and the Stomp gives Thekla the pin on Kross at 11:10.

Rating: B-. I’ll take this over a similar deal to the opener, as Thekla pinning Mone would have felt really basic. Instead Thekla gets a win over a monster, which is quite different than what she’ll have to do on Saturday. It felt like a fresher way to get to the title match, even if Thekla getting the belt back feels like a long shot.

Samoa Joe/Tommaso Ciampa vs. United Empire

Andrade and Ciampa start things off, with the latter quickly bailing into the corner to bring in Joe. That means Andrade gets his eyes raked over the top rope but Andrade fights back for a high crossbody. Ospreay comes in with a running boot to Ciampa and a step up moonsault for two. Andrade sends Ciampa outside for a slingshot dive and of course we pause for the weekly photo.

We take a break and come back with Ciampa avoiding a crossbody, allowing the tag back to Joe. The corner enziguri gives Joe two but Andrade’s running forearm puts Ciampa down. That’s enough for the tag back to Ospreay and the comeback is on. Stormbreaker is blocked and Joe trips Ospreay up before walking away from an Oscutter attempt. Joe drops a backsplash to quite the reaction for quite the near fall and it’s back to Andrade. The Koquina Clutch is broken up so Ciampa grabs Willow’s bell onto the belt to knock Andrade silly. Now the Clutch can finish for Joe at 14:11.

Rating: B. There is something about Joe and Ciampa that make them fun to watch. They feel like people out there trying to win a fight and that’s not something you often see. Joe isn’t likely to win the title on Saturday but he feels like a threat and that’s noteworthy in any match. On the other hand, assuming Ciampa gets a title shot against Andrade, not only does he feel like a threat, but he feels like he should take the title. You don’t want Ciampa to be “that guy who won one thing months ago and keeps losing, so give him this instead.

Post match Joe hands Ospreay the title as Andrade vs. Ciampa for the National Title is set for WrestleDream to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was a rushed effort to set up the Clockwork Carnage match and that was something that was going to have to happen. Between the Pac show and grand Slam, there wasn’t much time to get ready for WrestleDream. It’s not great, but it’s not on AEW whatsoever this time. This show had some good action, though it was mainly focused on one big match at WrestleDream. It worked well enough and it had to be done, so nice job.

Results
Don Callis Family/Wardlow b. Death Riders – Piledriver to Moxley
Adam Copeland b. Josh Alexander – Spear
Konosuke Takeshita b. Brian Cage – Dragon sleeper
Kazuchika Okada b. Myron Reed – Rainmaker
Triangle Of Madness b. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne/Mercedes Mone – Stomp to Kross
Samoa Joe/Tommaso Ciampa b. Will Ospreay/Andrade El Idolo – Koquina Clutch to Andrade

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

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Evolve
Date: October 14, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Peter Rosenberg

It’s time for a big one with Succession IV and that means title matches. As usual, both titles are on the line here, with Harlem Lewis defending against Harley Riggins, while Wendy Choo challenges Nikkita Lyons in a Last Woman Standing match. We also have Laynie Luck vs. Vanta The Unknown so let’s get to it.

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

The people in the title matches, and Sloane Jacobs, are ready for their title matches.

Evolve Title: Harlem Lewis vs. Harley Riggins

Riggins is challenging and they go straight to the exchange of forearms. Lewis clotheslines him to the floor but gets knocked down and stomped back inside. A tilt-a-whirl powerslam plants Lewis and we take an early break. We come back with Lewis getting in a backdrop and a nasty German suplex, with Riggins landing on the back of his head. Riggins is back up with a slam out of the corner and a twisting middle rope Swanton. Lewis spears the heck out of him though and the Boom Slang retains the title at 4:48.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted but I was expecting it to last about another ten minutes. They were starting to beat the fire out of each other and then it just went home out of nowhere. Maybe Riggins got his bell rung or something and they wrapped it up, but I was stunned by how fast they finished and not in a good way.

Post match Riggins jumps him from behind and crushes him with the steps (impact not shown due to a camera cut) before finally leaving. So there’s your rematch.

We look at Booker T. giving Reality Of Wrestling star Josiah Jean a WWE ID contract.

Vanta The Unknown vs. Laynie Luck

They trade headlocks to start and flip up to their feet, with Luck missing a charge out to the floor. Vanta catches her on top though and hits a hanging Stunner for two, followed by a choke with a bodyscissors. Back up and Vanta grabs an abdominal stretch while lifting the leg, only for Luck to power out. A spinning kick drops Vanta and a springboard stomp on the apron connects. Back in and Vanta blasts him with a discus lariat before cranking on the arm for the submission at 4:56.

Rating: C. I wasn’t sure what to think here, but the point was to make Vanta feel a monster. She ran through Luck here, who was mostly scared of whatever Vanta did. That’s fine enough and Vanta is still keeping me interested, as not knowing anything about her is the point. It might not have been a great match but it did what it should have.

Elijah Holyfield wants to fight Braxton Cole, but here is Marcus Mathers instead. Mathers agrees about Cole but says he can run circles around both of them. It’s Gal comes out to break it up.

We look at some Evolve’s stars success in NXT.

Women’s Title: Wendy Choo vs. Nikkita Lyons

Lyons is defending in a Last Woman Standing match and gets introduced by Sloane Jacobs, of course. Choo goes right at her to start and snaps off a headscissors. They’re already on the floor, where Choo gets in the chair shots. Lyons puts a trashcan over her and kicks away to come back, only for Choo to hit a clothesline. Back in and Lyons wedges a trashcan in the corner and sends Choo into it (that’s a rare success) and we take a break.

We come back with Lyons kicking her in the head and getting in a missile dropkick. Lyons have Jacobs send in some nunchucks to beat Choo down again. Choo fights out of a choke and uses one of the nunchucks to take over, setting up a hammerlock lariat. A hanging DDT out of the corner leaves both of them down, with Lyons getting up first. Lyons Michinoku Drivers her onto the trashcan but Choo is back with the Dirt Nap.

They fall out to the floor, where PJ Vasa runs in to clothesline both of them. Vasa leaves and they’re both up at nine to head back inside. Choo full nelson slams her onto some Legos and then knocks Jacobs off the apron. The Dirt Nap goes on again but Lyons drives her through the table. Choo gets up so Jacobs grabs her ankle, allowing Lyons to kick Choo off the apron and through another table. Even though Choo kind of gets up, the referee gets to ten and Lyons retains at 13:08.

Rating: B-. They had all of the usual spots in here but the Vasa interference was just in and out with pretty much nothing to it. Then they went on to the finish, which could have been done in a regular match. It was like they forgot the gimmick until the ending and that made for a weird one. Not bad for the most part, but just kind of a mess.

Post match Skylar Raye stands up in the VIP section and points and Lyons.

Harlem Lewis is out indefinitely and we’ll get an update on the title next week.

Overall Rating: C+. This special didn’t really feel special and that’s a problem. The Evolve Title match was barely anything and felt more like a way to set up the post match angle. The main event was slightly better, mainly because it got some time, but it didn’t feel big in any way. It’s not bad, but they need something a bit more interesting they do one of these things.

Results
Harlem Lewis b. Harley Riggins – Boom Slang
Vanta The Unknown b. Laynie Luck – Arm crank
Nikkita Lyons b. Wendy Choo – Spinning kick through a table

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

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NXT
Date: October 13, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We are less than three weeks away from Halloween Havoc and the card is starting to come together. Last week saw a disguised Wren Sinclair become the #1 contender for the Women’s Title and this week we’ll name a male counterpart. Tony D’Angelo and Myles Borne are facing off for the right to challenge Grayson Waller in what should be the main event. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Wren Sinclair, disguised as Lady Shani, winning last week’s #1 contenders battle royal.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: Vanity Project vs. Mini Vikingo/Chazz Hall

Non-title and Hall starts with Smokes. They trade some early near falls until Hall just sits on Smokes’ back. Baylor comes in and avoids a rollup before shoving Hall into a forearm from Smokes. A missed splash in the corner allows Vikingo to come in and clean house, leaving Booker impressed. The Project is sent to the floor and get away before the dives can launch. Instead the Project take the other two down and we’re off to an early break.

We come back with Baylor pulling Vikingo away from the corner so Vikingo hits a standing Spanish Fly. Hall and Smokes both come in, with Hall hitting a double Pele. The standing corkscrew moonsault gets two on Smokes so the Project heads to the floor. That means a Sasuke Special from Hall, followed by Vikingo’s 450 to Baylor for a near fall.

Hall comes back in with a jumping knee and everyone is knocked down. Baylor’s suplex is reversed into a hurricanrana and Vikingo’s (I believe) Phoenix 630 hits Smokes with Baylor making a save. A pop up hurricanrana sends the Project into each other but Smokes gets his knees up to block a 450. The reverse DDT/top rope double stomp combination finishes Hall at 12:56.

Rating: B. The Project continues to be good for around here and that’s nice to see. If nothing else you need to have the Tag Team Champions advance like this as they can’t be losing in the round of right, especially to a makeshift team. Vikingo’s high flying is awesome and Hall’s is…well it’s not quite as good but it’s still acceptable enough. Rather nice opener here.

Saquon Shugars says he should be challenging for titles and not looking down at Tristan Angels. Grayson Waller comes in to mock him for not winning but Shugars is ready to prove himself.

Earlier today, Kali Armstrong complained to Robert Stone about last week’s battle royal and got a Reina de Reinas Title shot as a result. It’s that easy?

Tristan Angels vs. Saquon Shugars

Angels throws a sash at him to start and gets armdragged into an armbar for his efforts. The hammerlock is broken up and Angels gets in some hip swiveling, earning himself a faceplant. Shugars elbows him down for a slingshot legdrop and goes back to the arm. Angels is sent outside for a dropkick through the ropes so he grabs a chair to blow off some steam.

We take a break and come back with Angels booting him down for two. A hanging Backstabber gives Angels two more and he grabs the sleeper. Shugars gets up and hits some elbows to the face (nice of him to not just do the standard set of clotheslines) into a spinning faceplant for two. They head outside, where Angels shoves a tornado DDT off and the driving knee finishes Shugars at 11:06.

Rating: C+. It’s weird to see Angels getting a win on TV but it’s something that has to happen at some point. At the same time, seeing Shugars lose is quite the odd moment, as he’s been more prominently featured in recent weeks. The match was fine enough, though the result is quite the surprise.

Tony D’Angelo isn’t impressed with the new Myles Borne, who is trying to come where D’Angelo lives.

The Culling, or in particular Izzi Dame, doesn’t think much of Zaria, who appears to be scared. Eventually Zaria’s mask will slip and we’ll see who is underneath the mask.

Here is Wren Sinclair for a chat. She is the #1 contender and no, she wouldn’t have believed that a few months ago. Last week, she did something that the old her couldn’t do by taking a risk. She’s sorry but also not sorry because it worked! Now she knows she doesn’t have to back down anymore and now she knows what happens when you don’t take chances. She saw how fast her best friend lost her title and she can’t just wait around for things to change.

Yes technically she was suspended but here is Kelani Jordan to interrupt. Jordan says Sinclair’s win shouldn’t count because of the suspension because she didn’t earn anything. Jordan is the standout rather than the handout so no, Sinclair isn’t getting a title shot at Halloween Havoc. Sinclair can’t get anyone to care about her on her own but here is Robert Stone to say that the suspension is suspended. Stone polls the fans on what should happen so the title match is officially on for Halloween Havoc. That was a simple enough way to tie up that loose end and give Sinclair some serious talking time.

Mike Santana is talking to Lizzy Rain when he gets a phone call. He talks about how his story has made him a target but he’ll call the person back after the show. Dion Lennox pops in to jump Santana and grab the phone, saying after next week, Santana will be begging for their help. Vic Joseph clarifies that was Santana’s mother, which I must have missed.

AAA Reina de Reinas Title: La Catalina vs. Kali Armstrong

Armstrong is challenging and is fired up as she runs Catalina over to start. Catalina flying mares her way out of a headlock and grabs a quick rollup for two. Back up and some running shoulders in the corner have Catalina in trouble but she sends Armstrong outside. Armstrong pulls her out of the air though and peels the floor mats. That takes too long as Catalina knocks her down for a running seated senton off the steps.

We take a break and come back with Catalina sending her into the corner for a missile dropkick. Some running clotheslines send Armstrong back to the corner for the running hip attack. Armstrong’s kickout has Catalina stunned and Armstrong is back up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two of her own. A powerslam plants Catalina but she sidesteps the Kali Connection and sends Armstrong crashing out to the exposed concrete. Back in and Catalina’s running knee retains the title at 10:32.

Rating: B-. Catalina is continuing to build herself up and it’s working fairly well, though the title, along with AAA’s women’s division, only feel so important. That can change with time and it’s working, but it’s going slowly. Armstrong is a physical force but she seems to still be learning, which is something that happens with just about anyone starting so young.

Wren Sinclair comes up to Myles Borne and calls what he did selfish. Borne finds that funny but Kendal Grey is back to announce that she’s officially cleared.

We look behind the scenes at Agent Of Shadows. I can’t believe that isn’t just some parody trailer and it’s a real movie/special. It sounds like something not good enough to make it straight to DVD.

EK Prosper gives Mini Vikingo and Chazz Hall a pep talk but here is the Vanity Project to brag about their win. A six man seems to be set for next week.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: Fraxiom vs. Noam Dar/Romeo Moreno

Frazer headlocks Dar to start but can’t get a sunset flip. Dar misses a kick to the head and the threat of an ankle lock sends Frazer bailing over to the rope. Frazer offers him a handshake but Dar tags Moreno instead. Axiom comes in to trade some flips as the pace picks way up. They flip to a standoff so Axiom knocks him down for a quick two. It’s back to Frazer, who is knocked into the corner as everything breaks down. Fraxiom takes them down on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Axiom and Dar knocking each other down, allowing the double tag off to Frazer and Moreno. The pace immediately picks up with Frazer cleaning house, including the super reverse Spanish Fly for two on Moreno. Back up and Moreno tries a dive to the floor, which only hits announcers’ table rather than Axiom. That lets Frazer hit a running basement DDT to give Axiom two on Dar, who is right back with a cross armbreaker on Axiom. Frazer comes over for the save and gets caught in a triangle choke.

That’s broken up so Frazer drops a frog splash for two. Moreno is back in and gets in a shot of his own, leaving all four of them down. Back up and Dar German suplexes Axiom, who catches Moreno on top with an enziguri. The super Spanish Fly looks to set up the Phoenix splash but Dar is back up with an ankle lock. That’s broken up and it’s a superplex into the superkick/brainbuster combination for two on Moreno. Dar elbows Frazer out of the air and a high/low finishes Axiom at 14:24.

Rating: B+. Dang this got awesome in a hurry with both teams working hard, which shouldn’t be a big surprise. These guys all work a fast paced style and they worked well together out there. I was surprised by the result too, as beating Fraxiom means a lot more in NXT. Heck of a match here, with Moreno and Dar getting a win which could help establish them more permanently.

The Wagner Brothers say their goal is to win the Dusty Classic but Birthright come in to mock them. The Brothers aren’t worried, with Charlie Dempsey saying not to worry about what their Spanish meant.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Myles Borne

For the NXT Title shot at Halloween Havoc. D’Angelo wastes no time in snapping off some slams but Borne is back with a Nightmare On Helm Street for two. An overhead belly to belly sends Borne rolling outside so D’Angelo follows, only to be sent into the steps. Back in and a fireman’s carry backbreaker gives Borne two so he goes up, with D’Angelo quickly catching him.

They’re quickly on the floor with D’Angelo loading up the announcers’ table. That sends Borne back inside, where D’Angelo snaps off a spinebuster. D’Angelo takes him back to the floor for a crash onto the steps as we take a break. We come back with Borne dropping a knee for two and snapping a suplex for the same. A hard whip into the corner gets the same but D’Angelo gets mad enough to get in a series of German suplexes.

Borne tries to go up top but gets speared out of the air for two. Borne Again is blocked and D’Angelo powerbombs him for another near fall. Back up and Borne knocks him down again…but gets distracted by a hooded cameraman. That lets D’Angelo hit Dead To Rites for the pin at 12:40 (with Borne almost kicking out).

Rating: B. This was a back and forth match, but it felt like we were just waiting for Heights to get involved in some way. The good thing is that’s not a bad result, as it’s the perfectly logical result with Heights getting to take something away from Borne. Nice main event here, and it sets up D’Angelo’s one on one rematch, which needed to happen. In other words, it’s efficient.

Post match D’Angelo looks at the cameraman as well and of course it’s Tavion Heights, who belly to belly suplexes Borne. Heights puts him through the announcers’ table as well.

Robert Stone finds a message saying “make me the host of Halloween Havoc or YOU ARE CURSED”. Laughter ensues as the lights flicker to end the show. It’s not like there is a better fit and he could probably make Shotzi Blackheart’s outfits work.

Overall Rating: B+. This was the rare wrestling focused show, with the two Dusty Classic matches carrying things and the main event being good enough to hang in there. I liked this quite a bit and while it’s not something that would work every week, it was a good way to spend a Tuesday. The top of Halloween Havoc is all set now and the rest can be filled in over the coming weeks so they should be on schedule. Rather solid effort this week.

Results
Vanity Project b. Mini Vikingo/Chazz Hall – Reverse DDT/top rope double stomp combination to Hall
Tristan Angels b. Saquon Shugars – Driving knee
La Catalina b. Kali Armstrong – Running knee
Noam Dar/Romeo Moreno b. Axiom – High/low to Axiom
Tony D’Angelo b. Myles Borne – Dead To Rites

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 12, 2026
Location: Brookshire Grocery Arena, Bossier City, Louisiana
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves

We’re done with Money In The Bank and that means the briefcases have been won. Penta and Tiffany Stratton picked up said briefcases and in theory only Penta will be a factor around here. Stranger things have happened though and now it’s time to get ready for Crown Jewel, which is at least scheduled for Saudi Arabia in a few weeks. Let’s get to it.

Here is Money In The Bank if you need a recap.

Long Money In The Bank recap.

Here is Penta to get things going. Penta thanks everyone from the fans to his opponents in Money In The Bank. For twenty years, he has fought for everything and he did it again at Money In The Bank. The briefcase means everything to him because it gives him the power to become World Champion whenever he wants.

This brings out Je’Von Evans, with his arm in a sling and a bad limp, to interrupt. Evans says he’s banged up but he wasn’t missing an episode of Raw. Penta deserves the briefcase more than anyone but here is Bron Breakker to spear the rather injured Evans and run off. There wasn’t much here, but Breakker as the lurking monster force is a good role for him.

Big Cass vs. Rey Mysterio

Mysterio charges into a knee to start so he hits Cass in the face and runs to the floor. The chase is on and Mysterio hides underneath the ring, allowing him to snap off a hurricanrana from the apron. Cass is right back to send him into the barricade and then over the top as we take a break.

We come back with Mysterio kneeing his way out of a suplex but getting knocked right back down for two. Cass sits him on top but gets kicked away, setting up a top rope seated senton. A low bridge sends Cass outside and a 619 connects on the floor. There’s a tornado DDT to plant Cass again and Mysterio gets in a 619 to the ankle. The regular version is cut off with an elbow to the face and some hard rams into the corner. The referee checks on Mysterio and here is Dragon Lee for a distraction. Now the 619 into a victory roll finishes for Mysterio at 10:06.

Rating: B-. It’s really hard to imagine Cass being able to turn this around at this point as the magic seems to have worn off. Granted that doesn’t take much as there was only so much magic in the first place, but Cass just feels like someone brought out there to lose to everyone now. You would think there might be something else for him to do but apparently not this time.

We recap the chaos of 946.

946 suggests more violence tonight.

Adam Pearce assigns the referee to the Usos/Solo Sikoa vs. 946 tonight, saying that the rules are a bit looser and the referee needs to count a fall and get out of there. Works for him.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat, with Liv Morgan bragging about getting the Women’s Title back. She’s ready to become the two time Crown Jewel Champion but here is Smackdown Women’s Champion Chelsea Green for a chat. Morgan calls her a placeholder champion but Green says she’s used to being underestimated. She’s not going to be called a placeholder by Dominik Mysterio’s placeholder girlfriend. Roxanne Perez isn’t standing for this and we’ll do it next.

Chelsea Green vs. Roxanne Perez

Non-title and we’re joined in progress with the two of them fighting over a lockup on the floor. They get inside with Green’s majistral cradle getting two and a shoulder putting Perez down again. Back up and Perez sends her into the corner for a running elbow but Green is right back with a shot of her own. A missile dropkick sends Perez to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Green fighting out of a Russian legsweep and getting two off a Rough Ryder. They seem to mistime Perez’s basement Downward Spiral but Perez is back with a quick rollup for two instead in a nice save. The Unprettier is countered so Liv Morgan offers a distraction but Green is fine enough to dive onto Perez and Raquel Rodriguez. Morgan is sent over the announcers’ table, though the distraction lets Perez hit Pop Rox for the pin at 10:27 shown.

Rating: C+. Pretty nice effort here, with the big story being that Green was in over her head with the numbers advantage. That’s not something that is going to hurt her, but good night I do not look forward to nearly a month of acting like the Crown Jewel Title means anything whatsoever. It was dumb when it was just for Brand Supremacy and it’s worse for a belt they don’t get to wear.

Post match Green slaps Morgan and is promptly beaten down by Judgment Day.

Solo Sikoa comes in to see the Usos, who says to run the play they call tonight. Sikoa isn’t impressed and says they need to follow his lead. Jimmy has to play peacemaker and says they need to stay together tonight.

And now, Money In The Bank highlights in other languages.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. Femi talks about how he had been promised a bunch of Tsunamis but he wound up seeing some lovely blue skies. Now it’s time for everyone to bend the knee but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt. He saw Femi kick out of the Tsunami, which has never been done before. Heyman was amazed when Femi took out Brock Lesnar, which brings him to his point. Femi cuts him off to say he’s an Oba Femi Guy and walks off, not interested in the likely sales pitch.

Lyra Valkyria interrupts Adam Pearce and Iyo Sky, saying she wants to face Bayley again because Bayley is always following her. Bayley is right over there! Pearce: “She works here.” A frustrated Valkyria leaves when Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez come in, with Perez wanting a title shot at Chelsea Green. Rodriguez doesn’t think much of Sky, who thinks she has a new challenger.

LA Knight is disappointed in the loss at Money In The Bank when Solo Sikoa interrupts. Knight seems to be displeased with Sikoa working with the Usos but he says it isn’t like that. Sikoa asks if they’re good, with Knight saying they are but maybe not meaning it.

Intercontinental Title: Chad Gable vs. Rey Fenix

Only Gable’s title is on the line. Fenix takes him to the mat to start but misses a sliding dropkick. Back up and a running hurricanrana sends Gable into the ropes but he’s right back with the ankle lock. That’s broken up very quickly so Gable heads to the floor, with Fenix backflipping into an anklescissors into the apron. A great looking moonsault hits Gable and we take an early break.

We come back with Fenix diving into a northern lights suplex for two and the top rope moonsault gives Gable the same. The ankle lock goes on again but Fenix is right back with some kicks to the ribs. A big kick to the head staggers Gable but he counters a rolling something into an Angle Slam. Fenix heads outside and manages to get in the running kick from the apron, followed by a dropkick off of said apron to rock Gable again. Gable is fine enough to suplex him into the barricade but Fenix’s rolling cutter gets two back inside.

We take another break and come back again with Gable getting up to roll some German suplexes. Gable goes up and gets caught with a running uppercut, which sets up a super hurricanrana. Now the rope walk kick can set up the frog splash to give Fenix two and they both need a breather.

Gable escapes the Mexican MuscleBuster and grabs the ankle lock, which is reversed into one from Fenix. That’s reversed into one from Gable, with Fenix getting over to the rope for the break. Back up and Gable sends him into the corner but gets crotched on top. The Mexican MuscleBuster is countered again into another ankle lock, with Fenix tapping at 18:36.

Rating: B+. Gable is in the mode of being the guy who is sent out there for one awesome match after another and it worked again rather well here. Granted it helps to be out there with Fenix, who is one of the most exciting stars that you’re going to see no matter what. This was designed to be a great match and they did just that, which was pretty great to see.

Post match respect is shown again.

We look at the rather awful looking secret agent show coming out later this month.

Stephanie Vaquer limps out of the trainer’s room on crutches but Becky Lynch comes in to mock her for losing. Vaquer doesn’t respect her anymore and they are ready for a fight when the ankle is healed.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Rey Fenix is interrupted by Ethan Page, who says it’s clear that Fenix can’t beat Chad Gable. We need to move on, which is advanced by Page jumping Fenix. Gable runs in for the save.

946 vs. Usos/Solo Sikoa

946 comes through the crowd to no music for a more outsider feeling. Jaida Parker is here with 946. We get the big standoff on the apron and the bell rings to start the brawl in a hurry. 946 knocks all of them down to start without much trouble but Sikoa throws an announcers’ chair at Keys’ head. Most of them go to the floor and it’s Jimmy with a big corkscrew dive to the pile as we take a break.

We come back with Nima getting in a top rope stomp to a standing Jimmy, who is sent outside. Back in and Keys hammers on Jimmy in the corner but a jumping enziguri gives Jimmy a breather. Keys is right there to cut off the tag attempt though and Jey has to break up something like a double Angle Slam. The diving tag brings in Sikoa to make the fired up comeback, including a Samoan drop to Keys. Spinning Solo gets two but Parker pulls the referee outside.

The referee is thrown over the barricade and everything breaks down, with Sikoa being sent into the post. OTM and the Usos brawl into the crowd but Jey is up to dive off the balcony to take them down. Parker is up with a dive of her own and we cut back to ringside, where Sikoa Samoan drops Keys through the announcers’ table.

A Superfly Splash hits Keys and the Samoan Spike is loaded up…but someone comes in to hit Sikoa in the ribs with a crowbar. The USB puts Sikoa down and the returning Usos are cut off just as fast. More crowbar shots leave the Usos and Sikoa laying them out to end the show. We’ll say the match was thrown out at around 15:00 or so but that’s not exactly the point.

Rating: B. Well this was all about the big moment at the end of course, but it was interesting to see Parker get in that dive of her own. She’s a bit more than just a woman who hangs out with the team and can do something of her own. At the same time, this was a good, hard hitting match but it’s clear that someone is going to have to deal with 946. Likely in Houston at WarGames. 946 is feeling more and more like a big deal and I can absolutely go for more of Hayes, who has been stuck sitting around for way too long.

Overall Rating: B. The last two matches definitely boosted this show up, even if there was only so much going on in the first half. Penta is Mr. Money In The Bank but there was pretty much nothing about him, or anyone else in the opening segment, after that was over. The good thing is that 946 is looking like a much bigger deal and I’m curious to see where they go. Solid stuff here, if nothing else due to the lack of a triple threat match for a change.

Results
Rey Mysterio b. Big Cass – Victory roll
Roxanne Perez b. Chelsea Green – Pop Rox
Chad Gable b. Rey Fenix – Ankle lock
946 vs. Usos/Solo Sikoa went to a no contest

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

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Bound For Glory 2026
Date: October 11, 2026
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the biggest night of the year and that means it’s time for a match that is pretty important in its own right. The main event will see former X-Division Champion Leon Slater getting a World Title shot via Option C. That’s more than enough and we also have the annual Call Your Shot gauntlet. Let’s get to it.

National Anthem.

The opening video mainly focuses on Nic Nemeth vs. Leon Slater while talking about stretching to reach the highest of highs.

Ricky Sosa vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Sosa kicks him in the face and hits an early dropkick, followed by a quick rollup for two. Eddie is sent outside for a ram into the steps but Alisha is up with a tornado DDT off the apron. Back in and Eddie chokes in the corner, setting up the chinlock. That’s broken up so Eddie hits a quick swinging neckbreaker for two more. Sosa gets fired up and makes a quick comeback but gets sent to the floor.

That’s fine too as Sosa snaps off a hurricanrana to bring Eddie off the apron. Back in and a springboard cutter gives Sosa two but Eddie’s tiger bomb gets the same. Eddie can’t believe the kickout but the Boston Knee Party is countered into a powerslam. Alisha tries an interruption and gets powerbombed, allowing the Boston Knee Party to give Eddie two. Sosa is fine enough to hit a quick Head Shot into the corner, followed by a second for the pin at 11:19.

Rating: B-. That’s exactly what it needed to be. Sosa has been trying to find his place around here and while this won’t be the big game changing moment of his career, it’s nice to see him getting a win to prove himself a bit. I’m curious to see what they can get out of Sosa, who has the fans interested in him and can do well enough in the ring to back up a lot of his hype. Good opener.

Post match respect is shown and Eddie leaves in peace.

We run down the card.

Leon Slater agrees that he doesn’t have the same experience as Nic Nemeth but Nemeth has also never been a generational star who wants to become the youngest TNA World Champion of all time.

X-Division Title: Fabian Aichner vs. Ryan Nemeth vs. BDE vs. Cedric Alexander vs. KC Navarro vs. Rich Swann vs. Amazing Red

For the vacant title and Red, who was inducted into the Hall Of Fame earlier tonight, was added to the match on the pre-show. No one likes Nemeth to start and the ring is quickly cleared save for Swann and Alexander. Swann is sent outside fast so Aichner is in to take over. A running Red is pulled out to the floor and BDE is back in with a springboard crossbody for two.

Swann takes out the team of Nemeth and Alexander and we’re off to Navarro vs. Red for a rather odd showdown. They strike it out until Nemeth and Alexander jump them from behind, with BDE getting caught in the wrong corner. Alexander gets the worst of the Tower Of Doom so it’s BDE’s Kliq Cutter to Nemeth.

That earns BDE and Lumbar Check, followed by a Michinoku Driver for two on Swann. Aichner reverses BDE’s suicide dive into a suplex on the floor Aichner is back up with a springboard tornado DDT to Alexander but Navarro plants him. A dive takes Nemeth out on the floor and Navarro escapes Red’s Code Red back inside. Red’s super Spanish Fly plants Navarro and now the Code Red gives Red the pin and the title at 10:39.

Rating: B. Sure why not. The title was vacant coming in so it’s not like Red beat the reigning champion. With so many people flying around, Red basically won on a fluke. He was more than holding his own in there and this is far from some kind of an embarrassment. It’s a rather surprising moment but it really doesn’t hurt anything and gave them a nostalgic title win.

Post match Frankie Kazarian, who inducted Red into the Hall Of Fame earlier, comes out to show Red some respect.

Nic Nemeth is ready for Leon Slater, who isn’t ready to be the best.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Shayna Baszler/Zoey Serrano vs. Allie/Kiera Hogan

Serrano and the debuting Baszler are challenging. Allie and Baszler (whose gear says she’s “choosing violence today”) start things off with Baszler not looking intimidated. Baszler easily wrestles her into the corner but Allie manage to avoid a stomp on the arm. Hogan comes in and gets decked from behind and it’s time to work on the leg. Serrano mocks Hogan’s tag attempt and the half crab goes on to stay on the leg a bit more.

Hogan fights out of the corner but the leg gives out again, allowing Baszler to cut her off again. A clothesline isn’t enough for Hogan to get out of trouble as Serrano runs in to knock Allie off the apron. Hogan finally sunset bombs her way to freedom and it’s Allie coming back in to clean house. A full nelson backbreaker drops Serrano, who is right back with a knee to the face for two. Baszler knees Allie down and the Kirifuda Clutch gives Baszler and Serrano the titles at 8:45.

Rating: C+. There was no reason for Allie and Hogan to hold onto the titles here so this was the right call. Allie and Hogan weren’t even a regular team or the original champions so why bother keeping the belts on them? Instead go with Baszler and Serrano, who work well together and have a history. If nothing else, it gives me a reason to mock the Pure Fusion Collective again, a joy in life that seemed to have passed me by.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet

This is basically a Royal Rumble (20 entrants, two minute interval to start then sixty seconds) with over the top eliminations until we’re down to two. Then those two have a regular singles match, with the winner getting a title shot anytime within the next year. Trey Miguel is in at #1 and Avery Styles (making his TNA in-ring debut) is in at #2 to get things going. They fight over wrist control to start and the technical off goes nowhere. Stereo missed dropkicks leave them in a standoff and they stare at each other a bit.

Bear Bronson is in at #3 and takes both of them down without much trouble. Frankie Kazarian is in at #4 and slugs away at Bronson, with Styles helping with the knockdown. Dutch is in at #5 as the rapid entrances are working for me thus far. Bronson and Dutch have the big slugout until the dancing LJ Cleary is in at #6. Cleary’s poisonrana drops Bronson and it’s Gabby Forza in at #7.

Forza spears Kazarian and goes after Bronson, who eliminates Cleary to clear out some space. Matthew Rehwoldt (billed from The Commentary Table) is in at #8 and takes so long getting ready that Heather By Elegance is in at #9 before he even gets in the ring. Rehwoldt gets in, mocks Heather’s height, and is eliminated by her in a bit that is still funny after being done so many times. Naturally Rehwoldt gets back on commentary like nothing happens as Heather slides outside and hides underneath the ring. Vincent is in at #10 and helps Dutch double team Miguel in the corner.

Harley Hudson is in at #11 and pulls Heather out, sending her face first between Bronson’s legs in the corner. AJ Francis is in at #12 and gets to clean house, with the fans rather approving. A bunch of people get together but can’t get rid of Francis as it’s Elijah in at #13. Francis counters Walk With Elijah but gets caught with a quick tornado DDT. M By Elegance is in at #14 and dives onto Elijah.

That earns Heather a Highwayman’s Farewell from Elijah, who gets in a staredown with the Righteous. With that not going anywhere, the Hometown Man is in at #15 and wins a slugout with Francis. Bronson gets rid of Dutch, who stays on the floor to save Hudson as Brian Myers is in at #16. The System gets together to clean house as it’s Mr. Elegance in at #17. We get a quick string of eliminations with Vincent, Hudson, Heather and M going out within a few seconds, almost as if they realized “dang there are a lot of people in there.”

Elayna Black is in at #18 and hurricanranas Francis into the corner. Forza tosses Bronson in quite the impressive feat and it’s Jada Stone in at #19. Well in theory at least as Ben Bishop debuts to jump her and take her spot. Bishop, who is described as standing 6’12, comes in and is hurricanranaed out by Stone just as fast. Well that was quite the moment. Myers tosses Stone and gets tossed by Man, who gets tossed by Francis, who is wearing a lot of orange. Francis gets rid of Forza and it’s the rather chatty Joe Alonzo in at #20 to complete the field.

That gives us a final field of Miguel, Styles, Francis, Elijah, Elegance, Black and Alonzo, which is quite the grouping. Alonzo runs his mouth a lot on the way to the ring and I think you know where this is going. Alonzo actually gets in some offense, including some superkicks, but Styles throws him out for the elimination. Styles Peles Elegance out and tosses Francis over the top, with Expressions popping up for the save.

Francis is back in to get rid of Black and Elijah tries to knock Francis out, only to get eliminated by Kazarian. We’re down to four and everyone not named Francis goes after Francis to limited success. Francis cuts of Styles’ springboard to get rid of him but Miguel catches Francis with a Canadian Destroyer. That’s enough for Francis to be tossed, leaving Miguel vs. Kazarian in a regular match.

They slug it out until Miguel takes over but misses a Lionsault. Kazarian’s springboard legdrop gets two but the chickenwing is broken up. Miguel’s sunset bomb is blocked so he settles for a 619 in the corner. Kazarian’s slingshot cutter gets two and they trade rollups for two each, with Kazarian stacking him up for the pin at 34:06 (and his third straight win in this thing).

Rating: C+. It wasn’t horrible, but dang this thing is long every year. You have these long stretches with people just staying in the ring and not much in the way of interest. Bishop stealing the spot from Stone kind of worked but when Stone is in there a few seconds later anyway, it didn’t mean much. The action was good enough, but this was way too long for the same result (or close enough) that we’ve seen for the last two years. Just make it a regular battle royal next time and cut the time way down already.

We recap the International Title match. Order 4 has imploded and now the former members are getting a shot against Mustafa Ali.

International Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Special Agent Zero vs. John Skyler vs. Jason Hotch

Ali is defending, Tasha Steelz and Mila Moore are here too and it’s one fall to a finish. After quite the over the top intro for Ali, we’re ready to go. Skyler and Hotch start fast with a Total Elimination to Ali, who misses a hard charge into the corner. Zero is sent outside, leaving Skyler to slingshot Hotch out to the apron. Hotch kicks him down and does the same to Ali, followed by a moonsault out to the floor.

Back in and Zero gets tornado DDTed for two with Ali making the save. Zero chokeslams Hotch onto the other two before knocking a springboarding Ali out of the air. A Downward Spiral drops Hotch and Zero is up with the big dive to the floor. Steelz tells Zero to get the table but Ali is up with a suicide dive into the barricade. Ali gets Hotch and Skyler together so a 450 can put Zero through the table. That’s the end of the alliance and the middle rope G9 plants Ali back inside.

Skyler and Hotch show some respect and slug it out until Ali is back in. That means a double Destroyer to Hotch and Ali so it’s time for the steps, and Zero, to come back inside. Hotch pops up to use the steps for a superplex to Ali (that looked good) and everyone is down. They slug it out from their knees until Zero is up with a chokebomb to Skyler. Hotch superkicks Zero and gives him the spinning torture rack bomb. Hotch’s top rope double stomp hits Zero as Ali 450s Hotch…who reverses into a crucifix for the pin and the title at 13:17.

Rating: B+. This was the match that interested me the most and I can go with the idea of Hotch getting the title back. He’s someone new who could become one of the younger stars around here and TNA could use all the help they could get there. The action was rather good and Ali can move on to something else, which I’ve been wanting to see him do for a long time now. Maybe it’ll actually happen for once.

We recap Indi Hartwell challenging Xia Brookside for the Knockouts Title. Hartwell has been close to winning the title before but kept coming up short. Santino Marella granted her the shot here, in spite of Daria Rae’s protests.

Knockouts Title: Indi Hartwell vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside is defending and Mickie James is guest referee. Hartwell backs her up against the ropes to start and we actually get a clean break. A corner clothesline and bulldog give Hartwell two so she knocks Brookside to the floor. Brookside is fine enough to send her into the post and it’s time to take the turnbuckle pad off back inside. Some running knees in the corner and a floatover Russian legsweep give Brookside two, setting up the chinlock.

Back up and more running knees miss in the corner, allowing Hartwell to fire off some corner clotheslines. The spinebuster gives Hartwell two, followed by a powerbomb for the same. Brookside rolls outside and grabs the belt to leave but Hartwell sends her back inside. The top rope elbow only hits belt so they’re back up for a slugout.

Brookside pokes her in the eye and gets yelled at by James (who has done nothing of note thus far). Brookside gives James a slap and is promptly slapped down for two. Back up and Darkside gives Brookside two but Hartwell breaks up Brookside’s MickieDT attempt and sends her into the exposed buckle. The top rope elbow and Hurts Donut give Hartwell the title at 10:28.

Rating: C+. Hartwell winning the title here in the big moment was hardly a secret as it’s been built up for a long time now. That’s kind of a shame as Brookside was starting to gel as champion and I could have gone for a much longer reign. At the same time, James didn’t add much of anything here but on the plus side, Hartwell didn’t use that horrible looking submission of hers.

Moose vs. Max Caster

Caster is answering an open challenge. Caster’s rap invokes glory holes and bombs dropping in Riyadh. Moose powers him around to start so Caster hammers away as we get a Voodoo Kin Mafia reference because of the Billy Gunn association. They head outside with Caster dropkicking him into the steps and a high crossbody gets two back inside. Moose whips him hard into some corners back inside and the chokebomb out of the corner gets two.

We’re off to the chinlock for a bit with Caster fighting up, setting off an exchange of shots to the face. Moose is knocked outside for a running elbow off the apron. Back in and Caster misses a charge out to the floor, where he backdrops a charging Moose onto the steps. Hold on though as Caster doesn’t want a countout so Moose sends him into the post back inside. A top rope superplex and a release Rock Bottom have Caster in trouble but he gets in a hurricanrana. Caster hits an AA but the Mic Drop elbow hits raised knees. Moose spears him for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C. Huh? Caster is your big name showing up for the most important show of the year and Moose just beats him clean? The match was fine, the rap wasn’t great and the result is….that? I’m not saying you put Caster over clean here but why should I care about him after that kind of a result? Moose shrugged off everything Caster threw at him and then just won. This really did not work.

Frankie Kazarian, with Avery Styles, says he’s going to cash the trophy in for the Tag Team Titles, with Styles of course.

We recap Syx vs. the Hardys. There was a string of mystery attacks and the Syx (Joseph Sawyer/Samuel Shaw) were revealed as the attackers. Now the Hardys, who were attacked as well, are in for a falls count anywhere match.

Syx vs. Hardys

Falls Count Anywhere. The Hardys jump them to start fast and Poetry In Motion into the Side Effect gets two on Shaw. Jeff throws in some chairs and opens them up, with Syx being sent onto them. It’s time to brawl into the crowd and then out into the concourse, with Matt grabbing a Hardy foam finger to beat on Syx.

Matt and Shaw brawl back into the arena and a DDT plants Shaw on the floor. Jeff loads up some tables underneath a balcony (oh dear) and, sporting a pair of foam fingers, Swantons Shaw through the tables for two as Sawyer makes the save. That leaves Sawyer alone in the ring with the Hardys hitting a Plot Twist for two.

Sawyer is taken up to the stage and of course let’s grab some ladders. Shaw is back up and the Hardys grab stereo Twists Of Fate to take over again. Syx is laid on the tables but Erick Redbeard (Rowan) debuts to take the Hardys out. A suplex/powerbomb combination drops Jeff inside and Sawyer powerbombs Shaw onto him (that didn’t look good) for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t bad, but my goodness I’m over seeing the Hardys in these hardcore matches. The good thing is that Syx already feels like a bigger deal than the Righteous and there’s always going to be a place for someone like Redbeard. Odds are Uncle Howdy is going to be here next and I’ve heard worse ideas. Good enough here, with Redbeard looking like the star.

Sidenote: are all of the other wrestlers that Syx took out (and there were a bunch of them) ever going to come for revenge? Or are they all just letting it slide?

Santino Marella says the Hardys are in charge of Impact this week. Oh that could be something and not necessarily in a good way.

We recap the World Title match, with Nic Nemeth defending against Leon Slater, who traded the X-Division Title for the shot. Nemeth is a legend and Slater is a young star who wants to be the youngest champion in the title’s history.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth vs. Leon Slater

Slater is challenging and after the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. The grappling doesn’t go very far to start so Slater takes him into the corner for the right hands. Nemeth goes to the eyes to cut that off but a running clothesline puts him on the floor. The big running flip dive over the corner is loaded up but Nemeth moves away, leaving Slater to hit a regular dive instead.

A running forearm off the steps drops Nemeth again but he’s right back with a Fameasser for two back inside. Nemeth starts in on the knee and we’re off to the chinlock. That’s broken up and Slater dropkicks him into the corner, followed by a running spinwheel kick. The high crossbody gives Slater two but Nemeth is right back with the sleeper. After doing something that looks a lot like tapping, Slater slams his way to freedom and goes up.

Nemeth cuts that off too but gets crotched on top, setting up a spinning torture rack slam. Slater tries what appears to be a powerbomb but it’s reversed into a pinfall reversal sequence. The big DDT gives Nemeth two and they fight over a suplex until Nemeth is dropped out to the floor. Slater is knocked down on the floor as well and has to dive back inside to beat the count.

Nemeth’s superkick gets two and a top rope elbow connects, only for Slater to reverse into a crucifix for two more. A Skull Crushing Finale gives Nemeth another near fall and they’re both down. Slater wins an exchange of superkicks and the Swanton 450 gets a rather near fall. Another one hits raised knees to give Nemeth two and the Danger Zone gets the same. Back up and Slater sends him to the floor for the big running flip dive and a top rope splash (three fourths of the way across the ring) connects back inside. Another Swanton 450 makes Slater champion at 18:21.

Rating: B. It was a good, back and forth match with the young star getting the chance to shine. That’s a great thing to see, but it really didn’t feel like a big moment. Slater winning is cool and it definitely shakes things up a bit while getting away from the idea of the former Dolph Ziggler being World Champion in 2026. It’s the right move, but only so interesting for the most part.

Slater celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was kind of a weird show as it had good enough action, a bunch of title changes, including the big World Title change, and a few debuts, but it still didn’t feel that special. It’s like this was just doing a checklist of things you see on a major show but it only got so far. The gauntlet match really just pulled the life out of the show as it went on so long, which is a running problem with the thing. Overall it’s a good enough show and definitely feels like it could be the start of something better, but it only felt so special on the way there.

Results
Ricky Sosa b. Eddie Edwards – Head Shot
Amazing Red b. Fabian Aichner, Ryan Nemeth, BDE, Cedric Alexander, KC Navarro and Rich Swann – Code Red to Navarro
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Serrano b. Allie/Kiera Hogan – Kirifuda Clutch to Allie
Frankie Kazarian won the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match last eliminating Trey Miguel
Jason Hotch b. John Skyler, Special Agent Zero and Mustafa Ali – Crucifix to Ali
Indi Hartwell b. Xia Brookside – Hurts Donut
Moose b. Max Caster – Spear
Syx b. Hardys – Powerbomb to Shaw onto Jeff
Leon Slater b. Nic Nemeth – Swanton 450

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