Smackdown
Date: November 18, 2022
Location: XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

Survivor Series is next week and odds are we find out what we are going to be getting in the men’s WarGames match. You can probably guess one of the teams but we are going to need another team to oppose them. The rest of the show could use some work too though and we might be getting something like that tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are the Brawling Brutes and Drew McIntyre for a chat, likely about their officially announced WarGames match against the Bloodline. Sheamus checks his mic in a callback to last week before asking how many times he and McIntyre have been to war. They have known each other for twenty years and it has created respect between them. Sheamus even had McIntyre as the best man at his wedding three weeks ago.

The fans chant UCEY but Sheamus says they want a Brutey. Drew: “Did you just say Brutey?” Sheamus wants McIntyre to be an honorary Brute in WarGames and McIntyre is down. Cool moment, though it might have been a bit better if they hadn’t shown McIntyre in the graphic when they came to the ring. They’re ready for WarGames, but they need a fifth member. That will be….interrupted by Sami Zayn, calling them “his dogs”.

Sami says the Bloodline is feeling pretty ucey about WarGames because you’re talking to the master strategist, the Honorary Uce and…..Ucey In The Sky With Diamonds. He guarantees that the Bloodline will win WarGames and if Butch is ready, they can go earlier than expected tonight. Sheamus thinks Sami will have a problem with the fifth man, because it’s the last person he’s going to expect. Sami continues to mine gold with Ucey, but they better have someone good for the fifth man.

Smackdown World Cup First Round: Mustafa Ali vs. Ricochet

Ali has taped up ribs after Bobby Lashley wrecked him on Raw and is wrestling against doctor’s/Ricochet’s recommendations. Ricochet takes him down to start and Ali’s ribs are already bothering him. Ali grabs him in the corner but a reluctant Ricochet elbows his way out of trouble. That doesn’t work for Ali, who hits him in the back of the head to take over. A top rope Backstabber sends Ricochet outside and we take a break.

Back with Ali in trouble off a superplex during the break but still managing a headscissors. A running dropkick sends Ricochet to the floor and a good looking sling shot dive….is pulled out of the air. Ricochet Michinoku Drivers him on the floor (ouch) but the Phoenix splash misses inside.

Ali’s Koji Clutch sends Ricochet over to the ropes so he blasts Ali with a heck of a discus lariat. A moonsault gives Ricochet two and he goes to the ribs to cut off Ali’s comeback. The ribs are fine enough to grab a tornado DDT but the 450 takes too long to set up. Ricochet goes up as Ali is getting to his feet and hits a shooting star crossbody (Kind of?) to finish Ali at 11:02.

Rating: B-. Ali was selling the heck out of his ribs here and even teased going to the dark side to compensate for his injury. That being said, there was no reason to have Ricochet even come close to losing here so they went with the smart idea. Ricochet was even mocked by Gunther last week so he has a personal reason to keep moving forward.

Respect is shown post match.

Jey Uso yells at Sami Zayn for speaking for the Bloodline and guaranteeing a win in WarGames. Jimmy finally gets involved and says they need to be on the same page before Roman Reigns arrives. Sami is told to chill and seems ok, complete with a special handshake with Jimmy as Jey glares.

We look at the Usos retaining over the New Day last week.

New Day is disappointed but Imperium comes in to say New Day is everything wrong with wrestling. Woods says they’ll get a partner.

Emma gives Madcap Moss some water as Moss is upset over getting choked out three weeks ago. She seems to believe in him.

Madcap Moss vs. Karrion Kross

Scarlett is here with Kross. Moss goes right after him to start and stomps away in the corner as we get a graphic with both of their names and faces. Simple, effective, tells fans who they are without wasting any time. Do more things like that. Back up and Kross runs him over, setting up a release tiger suplex. Scarlett even gets in a slap, which fires Moss up enough to run Kross over with a shoulder. Some running shoulders in the corner have Kross in trouble but a Scarlett distraction lets Kross get in a cheap shot. The Krossjacket goes on and Moss can’t power out, setting up the tap at 3:45.

Rating: C. This was more about dealing with Moss having troubles lately and needing someone, perhaps like Emma, to help him with those troubles. At the same time, Kross seems destined to move on to something bigger so there was no reason for him to be in trouble here. Moss did his thing but Kross weathered the storm and won, like he should have.

Kross takes his time letting go and Emma runs down to check on Moss.

Here is Bray Wyatt to make amends. Bray talks about being conditioned a certain way and it makes you feel like changing is impossible. Then last week he got a little too violent on LA Knight and wants to apologize. Cue Knight, who says that he might have earned some respect by not being afraid of Wyatt last week. Knight says respect is the most valuable quantity around here and slaps Wyatt in the face. That makes them even but Wyatt looks ready to snap.

Wyatt says ok, they’re even, and he’s going to fight the urges of what he wants to do to Knight. Now though, Knight has a decision to make that will affect the rest of his life. Wyatt extends his hand but Knight slaps him again, saying he has been waiting all week to do that. Wyatt stares him down as the Titantron behind Knight starts to go all wacky. This should work well for Wyatt’s first match back.

We look back at Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey beating down Shotzi last week.

The Usos ask Karrion Kross if he is the fifth member but Jimmy doesn’t think so. Kross says he isn’t a follower but he’ll come for Roman Reigns’ titles on his own time.

Shayna Baszler vs. Shotzi

Ronda Rousey is here with Baszler. Baszler knocks her down to start and strikes away until Shotzi fights up. Rousey trips Shotzi up though and the beating is back on. Shotzi fights up again but this time Rousey messes with the hair. An enziguri gets Shotzi out of trouble but she goes after Rousey, allowing Shayna to grab a German suplex.

Shotzi makes her third comeback with the hip attack against the ropes but Rousey offers her fourth distraction so Shayna can knocks Shotzi into the corner. Cue Raquel Rodriguez to even things up so Shayna yells at her. That’s enough of a distraction for Shotzi to avoid the arm stomp and roll Shayna up for the pin at 4:55.

Rating: C+. The action here was just ok but they put the match together well. Yes Shotzi won off a distraction rollup, but it was a case of her fighting through a lot of cheating before winning when things evened out a bit. Also note that Rodriguez didn’t do anything to Baszler, who got mad all on her own. This kept Shotzi looking strong, even if she is going to get smashed by Rousey.

LA Knight tries to leave, but he is NOT scared of Bray Wyatt.

Post break and Knight is out cold in the back with a bunch of stuff on top of him.

Imperium vs. New Day/Braun Strowman

The brawl is on before the bell and Kofi tries the trust fall, only to get pulled out of the air. Imperium drops him onto the apron so Woods loads up a dive of his own. Gunther cuts that off with a chop but Strowman comes in and we ring the bell. That’s enough for Gunther to bail as we take an early break.

Back with Woods fighting out of trouble and kicking Kaiser away, allowing the tag off to Strowman. Gunther comes in as well and Strowman chases him around the ring, shouldering various people down on the way. Back in and Gunther has to escape a powerslam, setting up the big chop. A spinebuster gives Strowman two but Gunther slips out of the Monster Bomb. The double tag brings in Kaiser and Kofi but a blind tag allows Woods to hit the Midnight Hour for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C+. This was a fun one with Strowman coming in as the wrecking machine that even has Gunther thinking twice. They are doing a very nice job of tying the tournament in to other stuff so that it feels more important, along with teasing people going after Gunther. Some interference next week to cost Strowman the match wouldn’t shock me and WWE planted the seeds for it here.

Strowman heads to the back where he runs into Ricochet, who doesn’t think Strowman is winning the tournament. Ricochet dubs himself a flippy flipper (Ricochet: “Your words not mine”) and says Strowman will have some trouble with him.

Smackdown World Cup First Round: Sami Zayn vs. Pete Dunne

The respective groups are here too. Butch hammers away to start but charges into a powerbomb. That’s enough for Dunne to be sent outside but he’s right back in with a tornado DDT for two. Sami knocks him outside and we take an early break. Back with Sami hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb as everyone else gets in a fight on the floor. Sami cuts off a comeback with an exploder suplex into the corner but Sheamus throws Jey Uso inside, breaking up the Helluva Kick. The Bitter End gives Butch the pin at 7:49.

Rating: C+. There is only so much you can get when such a big chunk of the match was taking place during the break. Butch winning is going to cause some problems with the Bloodline and that is where things should get interesting. Sami is someone who can lose a match or two and not be hurt, so Butch going forward was the right move.

Post match the big brawl stays on but Roman Reigns comes out to wreck things. McIntyre takes the shirt off and wants the big fight but Solo Sikoa offers a distraction. The spear drops McIntyre so Sheamus wants a fight of his own. The slugout is on with Reigns hitting a Superman Punch….and it’s Kevin Owens (limping a bit) for the staredown with Reigns, apparently as the fifth man.

The knee is good enough to hit a superkick on Jimmy Uso before Owens goes inside for the fight with Reigns. After Roman is cleared out, Sami comes in for the big distraction, allowing Reigns to hit the Superman Punch on Owens. The spear is cut off though and it’s a Stunner to Reigns to end the show. They’re doing a great job of building up an army of people who could take the title from Reigns. The walls might be starting to close in.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show where it was more about setting things up for later rather than what was going on here. That is the kind of show you need at times and they made it work well this week. What mattered here was setting up WarGames but also making the tournament feel that much more important. Tournaments matches are tied into something else or at least build up in some way and now that is paying some dividends. This might not have been the best show, but it was a very well set up one.

Results
Ricochet b. Mustafa Ali – Shooting star press
Karrion Kross b. Madcap Moss – Krossjacket
Shotzi b. Shayna Baszler – Rollup
New Day/Braun Strowman b. Imperium – Midnight Hour to Kaiser
Butch b. Sami Zayn – Bitter End

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 17, 2022
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It is the go home show for Overdrive and that means we need to find out the other finalist in the X-Division Title tournament. Other than that, we have what should be a violent match between Eric Young and Sami Callihan, where blood is required. It should be an eventful show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

A laughing Crazzy Steve is in the ring and asks if we can feel it. Brace yourselves for the barrage of brutality that is Black Taurus. Now that’s an entrance.

X-Division Title Tournament Semifinals: Black Taurus vs. PJ Black

They flip around to start with neither being able to get very far. A monkey flip sends Taurus into the corner but he blasts Black pretty hard. Black is fine enough to send him outside for a big dive. Back in and a moonsault misses for Black, allowing Taurus to powerslam him for two. A Sling Blade gives Taurus two more but Black is back with a pop up Meteora (that was cool) for two of his own. Taurus catches him on top, only to get pulled down with a super Spanish Fly. They slug it out with Black getting the better of things, only to get caught in Taurus’ spinning piledriver for the pin at 6:19.

Rating: C+. I don’t think anyone bought Black as having any real chance in a match like this but he can put on a good one if given the chance. That being said, Taurus is a monster who can move and that is a different way to go for the title. I’m curious to see where things go with the final, but Taurus winning the title would make a lot of sense.

We get the contract signing with Josh Alexander and Frankie Kazarian (with their wives next to them). They respect each other and Kazarian is sorry that he has to take the title from Alexander. The wives (Jade Chung and Traci Brooks) aren’t happy with what is being said but everyone splits before it gets violent.

Post break, Kazarian and Alexander say they’ll do it tomorrow and everything seems cool. Bully Ray says he’s coming for the winner, but Kazarian doesn’t believe that Ray will do it straight up. Ray doesn’t like that and leaves, with Alexander asking why it matters if Ray is honest or not. He’ll be ready no matter what.

Aussie Open vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Bullet Club vs. Raj Singh/Shera

It’s Ace Austin/Chris Bey for the Club with Austin and Kyle Fletcher starting things off. Austin grabs the arm and brings Bey in for a running dropkick in the corner. The Club takes Fletcher down and poses on him but Singh tags himself in. Austin gets dropped face first onto the top turnbuckle and a Downward Spiral makes it worse.

We take a break and come back with the Guns bouncing Singh back and forth with right hands. Sabin cutters Austin and drops Bey, followed by the Dream Sequence on Singh. Shera comes back in to clean house but the Aussies double team him down. Austin crossbodies Fletcher down and clears the ring, only to have Davis do the same thing, but Aussier. An assisted top rope cutter drops Bey for two but he’s able to slip out of Coriolis. Bey is back up with a big dive onto the floor (while too sweeting Austin on the way over) before coming back in for an assisted Art of Finesse to pin Fletcher at 12:02.

Rating: B-. This was your wacky match of the week as everyone was flying around and hitting one big spot after another until the Club won. They needed a win like this to get back on track and I could go for them getting into the title hunt. Everyone did well here, with even Singh and Shera doing well as the power guys.

Rosemary yells at Taya Valkyrie about the missing Jessicka, who was told to go get a drink.

Jordynne Grace is ready for Masha Slamovich so let’s do Last Knockout Standing at Overdrive.

Tasha Steelz vs. Taya Valkyrie

Savannah Evans and Rosemary are here too. Taya kicks her into the corner to start and a clothesline gets an early two. The running knees in the corner get the same but another charge sends Taya shoulder first into the post. Tasha loads up the Black Out but gets reversed into the Road To Valhalla. That’s blocked as well only to have Taya sit down on it to pin Steelz at 2:20.

Post match the brawl is on but Jessicka, complete with one of those helmets with a beer can on either side, makes the save.

Josh Alexander asks Tommy Dreamer about Bully Ray, which Dreamer says is the last 25 years of his life. Dreamer believes that Bully is a changed man.

Trey Miguel was sore after last week’s match but he is ready to get his X-Division Title back.

Steve Maclin vs. Tommy Dreamer

Old School (Extreme) Rules. Dreamer starts fast with a hiptoss and a Cactus Clothesline sends them both outside. A cookie sheet shot to the head rocks Maclin and Dreamer peels back the floor mat. The piledriver on the floor is broken up (because it’s a piledriver on the floor) and Maclin gets in a posting. Maclin drops a Cactus Jack elbow off the apron and it’s time to bring in some chairs. That takes too long though and Dreamer gets in some kendo stick shots, setting up a crossbody to drive Maclin through a chair.

The White Russian legsweep drops Maclin again but he grabs an Angle Slam for two. Dreamer gets in another shot and grabs some water/popcorn, both of which go into Maclin’s face. A cutter gives Dreamer two and it’s table time (of course, albeit with help from a fan dubbed Mr. Impact). Maclin blocks the Death Valley Driver though and DDTs Dreamer onto a pile of chairs for the pin at 8:06.

Rating: C. This was in fact a Tommy Dreamer match from anytime in the last fifteen years or so, but thankfully Maclin won in the end. What matters here is getting Maclin over as a major threat, as I could easily see him as the next World Champion. Dreamer got in his, and by that I mean others’, usual stuff and thankfully he more or less has it down to a science at this point.

Post match Maclin loads up a Conchairto but Bully Ray comes in for the save. Moose runs in to beat down Ray but Josh Alexander makes another save and has a staredown with Ray. Then they put Maclin through a table and Ray very slowly hands Alexander the title.

In her first interview around here, Masha Slamovich (in Russian) insults the interviewer for asking stupid questions. No one wants to talk about her wins because she had one bad night. Her expectations for Overdrive: death. Well that got serious.

Laredo Kid vs. Rich Swann

Kid starts fast with a neckbreaker and they head outside with Kid hitting a big dive. Back in and some moonsault elbows hit Swann but a third only hits mat. Swann fights back but gets caught with a release German suplex. The frog splash gives Kid two but he charges into a superkick. The middle rope 450 finishes Kid at 3:41.

Rating: C+. That was a weird one as Kid was dominating and then Swann won out of almost nowhere. I’m not sure if this one was cut for time or what, but it felt like there was another four to five minutes missing. Swann winning is fine, though Kid getting a big breakthrough win feels like it has been coming for years now.

Mickie James isn’t happy with Taylor Wilde for getting involved last week but Wilde didn’t want interference to end Mickie’s career. See, Wilde should be the one to end it.

Video on Josh Alexander vs. Frankie Kazarian, including how the X-Division Title has been wrecked along the way.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Eric Young vs. Sami Callihan

This is Death Machine Double Jeopardy, meaning your opponent has to be busted open before you can win by pinfall or submission. Violent By Design jumps Sami during his entrance and bust him open before he even gets to the ring. We take a break before the bell with Sami saying start it up. Young hits a quick Death Valley Driver for two but Sami reverses a suplex on the floor.

It’s weapons time with Sami cutting Young’s mouth with a picture of the Death Dollz. Young is back up and they fight on the apron, with both of them going after the eyes. Sami Death Valley Drivers him on the apron and we take a break. Back with Young busted open as well and the two of them posting each other. The piledriver on the floor is countered with a backdrop (this seems strangely familiar) and Sami throws a trashcan into the corner.

Back in and Young blasts him with a trashcan lid to the head before grabbing a kneebar. Sami reverses into something like a Figure Four but Young is out again. They fight up and slug it out until stereo headbutts put both of them down. Young is up first with a piledriver for two but another one is countered with a crotch grab. The Cactus Driver 97 gives Sami two of his own and another one finishes Young off at 17:38.

Rating: C+. This still isn’t my kind of match, but it was done a disservice by having Dreamer and Maclin do a lighter version of it less than an hour before. There were some spots here that were identical to Dreamer vs. Maclin (piledriver on the floor countered into a backdrop) and that took away some of the impact that this one had. Callihan winning is the way to go as it means Young loses, but I’m sure Young will be featured over and over again because reasons.

Post match Violent By Design comes out to stare down at Young to end the show. Oh come on don’t tell me it’s going to be Sami/Young vs. these goons.

Overall Rating: B-. They covered a lot on this show and there was nothing that would be called bad. There are some interesting stories going on around here and I want to see where they go. At the same time though, Overdrive continues to feel like an absolute nothing of a show and I have no desire to see what they do with it. Just get on with it so we can move on to the next big show.

Results
Black Taurus b. PJ Black – Spinning piledriver
Bullet Club b. Aussie Open, Motor City Machine Guns and Raj Singh/Shera – Art of Finesse to Fletcher
Taya Valkyrie b. Tasha Steelz – Rollup
Steve Maclin b. Tommy Dreamer – KIA onto a pile of chairs
Rich Swann b. Laredo Kid – Middle rope 450
Sami Callihan b. Eric Young – Cactus Driver 97

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

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

AND

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

Survivor Series 2012
Date: November 18, 2012
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 8,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield

I don’t remember much about this show and I think that says a lot about it. The main event is a triple threat with Punk defending against Cena and Ryback because WWE loves their three way matches. The original main event was going to be Team Punk vs. Team Foley in a Survivor Series match but WWE realized no one would pay to see that, so the new main events were made. Team Punk was replaced by Team Ziggler, despite the two of them having no real animosity at all. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: 3MB vs. Zack Ryder/Santino Marella

It’s Slater and Mahal here. Ryder starts with Mahal as Matt Striker rips Ryder on commentary. Mahal takes him down with a shoulder block but gets caught in an armdrag. Off to Santino who works on a headlock before it’s off to Slater for another armdrag. Ryder comes back in as the announcers talk about Halloween a good three weeks since it’s been over. McIntyre holds Slater’s belt from the floor to avoids Santino’s dropkick. Tag off to the fun one of the Band (meaning Mahal if that’s not clear) who gets two off a knee drop.

Back to Slater for some shots in the corner but he gives up the hot tag to Santino for all his usual antics. Heath punches him down and brings Jinder in again for some knee drops off the ropes. Santino misses a double clothesline which gives Slater another near fall. The Band stays on Marella but he backdrops Mahal down, allowing for the lukewarm tag off to Ryder. The Broski Boot connects and everything breaks down. A Rough Ryder connects on Slater but the legal Mahal sneaks in with a full nelson slam for the pin on Zack.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t much to see. It isn’t a bad match or anything but how good can a match be when 3MB is getting a clean pin? That’s not exactly a match that’s going to light the world on fire. Also, you’re trying to get a crowd going for a show, you have Santino Marella, and he doesn’t get the hot tag? Really?

The opening video talks about the history that has taken place at this show, ranging from Undertaker and Rock debuting, Montreal, and Rock and Cena teaming up for the first time ever. We then shift over to the main event hype videos you would expect, focusing on the world title matches and….nothing else. Seriously Foley vs. Ziggler isn’t mentioned here at all. There is a nice idea of Punk surviving as champion at various amounts of days into his reign.

Team Clay vs. Team Tensai

Brodus Clay, Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd, Sin Cara, Rey Mysterio

Tensai, Primo, Epico, Prime Time Players

This is a bonus match to fill out the card. Nothing wrong with that at all. Apparently this is the debut of the three man booth so we’re getting a bit of history here. Why anyone would care about that is beyond me but I need something to talk about during these long entrances. This was also back when Tensai was all evil but was a total joke by this point, just as he had been all along. If nothing else we get to see Rosa Mendes with black hair and those hips of hers.

Kidd works on Epico’s arm to start before taking him down into a headlock. Epico is sent to the floor but manages to send Kidd face first into the apron to take over but it’s quickly off to Gabriel. A sunset flip gets two for Justin and he cranks on Epico’s arm as well. Back to Kidd for a headscissors before putting on another armbar. That doesn’t last long as Mysterio comes in with a low dropkick for two.

Young gets the tag and is almost immediately sent face first into the middle buckle, allowing for a tag off to Sin Cara. The masked men hit a combination wheelbarrow slam/X-Factor for two on Young, sending him over to the corner for a tag off to Primo. Cara hits a quick cross body for two and a sunset flip gets the same as this is a very fast paced match. Tensai gets the tag and runs over Cara with a few slams as JBL lists off Tensai’s Japanese accomplishments.

Off to Titus as Sin Cara is in a lot of trouble. Another slam puts Sin down and it’s off to Primo for a camel clutch. Tensai comes back in to work over the downed Cara but goes after the rest of the team instead of covering. Sin Cara gets up for an enziguri, allowing the hot tag to Clay. Brodus cleans house and the Players, Epico and Primo are sent to the floor. Kidd and Gabriel hit stereo dives to take out the cousins followed by Asai moonsaults from Cara and Mysterio to take out the Players. Awesome sequence.

The monsters are going at it back inside and Clay botches his high collar suplex, making it into more of a lifting downward spiral. Tensai avoids a charge in the corner and shoulders Brodus down, setting up a backsplash for the elimination. Gabriel comes in with some kicks to the side but gets taken down by a big shoulder block. Off to Titus for an abdominal stretch followed by a backbreaker. Back to Tensai for two off a backsplash but he misses a second one, allowing Gabriel to get a quick rollup for the elimination.

Titus comes in to stomp on the spent Gabriel before it’s back to Epico for a chinlock. Epico misses some elbow drops, allowing Gabriel to make the tag off to Tyson. Kidd heads to the apron but gets sent to the floor where Primo gets in a cheap shot. Back inside with Primo now legal but getting forearmed in the face. Cole says Primo has been a general out there. I’d go more like a lieutenant at best from what I’ve seen.

Back to Titus who crotches himself off a missed big boot, allowing Tyson to kick him in the side of the head, setting up a rolling cradle for the pin and an elimination. Young comes in to keep the pressure on Kidd before it’s back to Epico for some rolling belly to back suplexes. Not that they matter though as Kidd sweeps the legs and puts on the Sharpshooter to get rid of Epico. Cole of course talks about Montreal.

Primo comes in now but gets elbowed in the ribs for his efforts. He comes back with a quick belly to back suplex, only to go up top and dive into a dropkick to the ribs. The hot tag brings in Mysterio who rolls through a sunset flip and kicks Primo in the face for two. A seated senton looks to set up the 619 but Primo moves to the side, only to get caught in La Majistral for the pin. Darren Young is left all alone and it’s finishers a go-go until Rey finishes him with a top rope splash for the win.

Rating: C. The winners were never really in doubt but this was the right way to get a show going. The fast paced stuff worked very well here with all of the smaller guys hitting their dives to wake the crowd up and give them a fun match. It’s no masterpiece or anything but it did exactly what it was supposed to do. A little trivia for you: that loss makes Tensai 0-5 at Survivor Series, which I’m pretty sure is the worst record ever.

Kaitlyn is on her way to the ring when someone in black attacks her. Kaitlyn fights back to reveal a blonde wig which falls off as the attacker leaves. Eve pops up and acts all shocked even though she’s evil at the moment. I think the attacker wound up being Aksana.

Divas Title: Katilyn vs. Eve Torres

Eve is defending. Kaitlyn jumps her to start and pounds away in the corner before sending Eve out to the floor. The champion is sent into the barricade and apron before heading back inside for some hair pulling. Eve kicks her in the ribs and slams Kaitlyn’s head into the mat over and over for two. Off to the corner for some choking and an elbow to the back gets two on Kaitlyn.

Eve puts on a figure four choke before clotheslining Kaitlyn down for no cover. Kaitlyn pops back up to break up the moonsault, sending Eve out to the floor. Back in and Eve is tossed around by the hair followed by a fireman’s carry gutbuster for two. Eve comes right back by sweeping Kaitlyn’s legs out and finishing her with a swinging neckbreaker.

Rating: D. As is the case with the Divas around this time, there isn’t much to brag about other than the girls looked good in their outfits. Kaitlyn just wasn’t that good in the ring and hasn’t gotten much better ever since. Eve was good but her character had hit a ceiling around this time. It’s no surprise she was gone soon after this.

Team Ziggler argues over who is the leader.

Team Foley argues over who will survive. Foley unites them in a BANG BANG chant, save for Orton. Foley: “Randy?” Orton: “I hate you.” Foley: “He’s ready.”

US Title: Antonio Cesaro vs. R-Truth

Cesaro is defending and asks why Americans are thankful. The only thing he can think of is how great of a champion he is. Truth gets a quick rollup, sunset flip and rolling cradle for two each before thrusting his hips a bit. Cesaro comes back with a headbutt and a clothesline before pounding away on Truth in the corner. Off to an armbar but a USA chant gets Truth to his feet. The champion shoulders him in the corner and puts on a body vice to keep Truth down again.

A knee to the ribs gets two as JBL lists off some facts about Cesaro’s rugby career. Cole brushes him off and starts listing off rugby facts of his own, sending JBL into a hilarious rant about Cole not listening and asking if Cole is a parrot. The gutwrench suplex gets two for Cesaro and an uppercut gets the same. Back to the body vice for a bit before Truth makes his comeback. Some clotheslines take Cesaro down and a spinning kick to the face gets two. A front suplex gets the same for Truth but the ax kick misses and Cesaro Neutralizes him to retain.

Rating: D. Other than JBL’s rant there was nothing to pay attention to here. These kind of title defenses tend to be very dull as someone like Truth isn’t going to take the title off Cesaro. For the life of me I don’t get why Cesaro isn’t a bigger deal than he is today. The guy has everything you would need but he doesn’t get that big push.

Ad for TLC, set up like an ad for David Otunga’s law offices.

We get a clip from Raw of voicemails from AJ, saying that she wants to end her relationship with Cena, but she loses control when she sees him. AJ claims that Ziggler hacked her phone and set those up. Ziggler makes fun of Cena’s, ahem, performance issues, drawing out Cena as backup. AJ slapped Ziggler down without Cena doing a thing.

Here’s AJ with some evidence against someone for something. Over the last month Vickie has been trying to prove that AJ is having an affair with Cena (remember that they’re both single at this point) which AJ thinks means Vickie has something to hide. This brings out Vickie, ranting as always about how much power she has and how she’s being disrespected.

AJ has pictures of Vickie eating with various wrestling personalities and this is SCANDALOUS! I’ve spent a long time trying to block this storyline out of my head but now I’m remembering how dumb it was. Vickie is shown in a one piece leopard swimsuit dancing with Brodus and Vickie shouts a lot. Slapping is threatened but they both get fired for touching the other, so here’s Tamina Snuka to destroy AJ on Vickie’s behalf. This story would keep going for WEEKS.

Promo for the Attitude Era DVD. Just writing that is so wrong.

Paul Heyman talks about how Punk is now #8 on the all time list for longest title reign and will be rising up the ranks even further after tonight because he’s the best in the world. Heyman is just awesome at promoting his guys.

We recap Big Show vs. Sheamus. Not much of a story here other than they had a war at HIAC with both guys kicking out of each others’ finishers in a great match. Tonight is a rematch.

Smackdown World Title: Sheamus vs. Big Show

It’s another brawl to start with Sheamus pounding away but Big Show gets in a few shots of his own to take over. The big chop misses in the corner and Sheamus gets in some more shots to little avail. Finally Sheamus wakes up and goes after the knees before tying Show up in the rpes for the forearms to the chest. Big Show escapes to the floor but Sheamus dives off the apron to get in even more right hands to the head.

Back in and Sheamus goes up top but Big Show spears him out of the air in a cool looking crash. They head outside again with Show sending Sheamus into the steps. Sheamus is thrown back in and can barely move. Big Show steps on Sheamus’ ribs a few times as the match has slowed way down. A huge elbow drop gets two and we hit the nerve hold. Sheamus fights up quickly but walks into a side slam for two as the match stays in slow motion. Since the slams aren’t working, Show just stands on Sheamus’ head. Sheamus fights up and grabs a sleeper but Big Show throws him off.

Big Show is getting winded so Sheamus pounds away as much as he can, only to miss a charge and go shoulder first into the post. The Final Cut gets two and Show goes to the middle rope, only to be caught in an electric chair of all things for two. That was rather awesome indeed. They slug it out from their knees and Sheamus takes over, knocking Show down with a running ax handle.

The Brogue Kick and chokeslam are countered and Sheamus gets two off White Noise. Now the fans are getting into this again. Sheamus loads up the Brogue Kick again but takes out the referee by mistake. Four people immediately come out to check on the referee as the replay shows the champion pulling him in the way. Big Show knocks out Sheamus and one of the referees counts a pin to end the match out of nowhere.

Rating: C. The match was slow for the most part and the ending hurts it even worse. This took all the good stuff out of the HIAC match and turned it into a dull imitation. This needed to be two monsters firing bombs at each other until neither guy could get up but instead it was your usual Big Show match at about 4 miles per hour.

Post match Show is disqualified and Sheamus lays the thirty one chair shots on him. I never remembered it being that many and that’s because it’s more like 18 and a Brogue Kick. Big Show crawls to the back as WE WANT ZIGGLER chants are ignored.

Team Ziggler vs. Team Foley

Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, David Otunga, Damien Sandow, Wade Barrett

The Miz, Kofi Kingston, HELL NO, Randy Orton

So as I said, it was supposed to be Punk vs. Foley over old school vs. new school, but Punk was put in the main event and Ziggler was picked despite having no issue with Foley. The match was originally Punk/Sandow/Miz/Del Rio/Rhodes, but Cody got hurt and Miz felt he didn’t deserve the spot, so Miz was replaced by Barrett and Cody was replaced by Otunga. Ryback was originally on Team Foley but was moved to the main event and replaced by Miz in a Raw poll. As you can see, the match is a huge mess and almost no one was interested in it for the most part. HELL NO have the tag belts and Kofi is Intercontinental Champion of course.

Kofi grabs a quick rollup for two on Otunga to start. David avoids a quick Trouble in Paradise but gets caught by a dive on the floor. Otunga’s trunks are pulled up a bit as Bryan comes in with his kicks. Off to Sandow for the Russian legsweep and the Wind-Up elbow gets two. Bryan fights out of a chinlock and fires off the kicks to the chest to send Sandow out to the floor. Damien says good luck and walks out but Kane will have none of that. Back in and Bryan’s big kick to the head sets up a chokeslam for a fast elimination.

The tag champions get in an argument for no apparent reason, allowing Ziggler to hit a quick Zig Zag on Kane for the pin. That makes the move look strong if nothing else. Orton and Miz get in a quick fight for some reason but Randy catches a sneaky Ziggler in the slingshot suplex for two. Off to Kofi for the matchup that will not die with Ziggler being launched face first into the buckle for two. Back to Bryan who gets poked in the eye, allowing Dolph to tag in Barrett.

Bryan shouts NO a lot but misses a charge into the corner, setting up Barrett’s big boot in the ropes. Otunga comes in again and the YES Lock goes on almost immediately for the submission. It’s 4-3 with Foley in the lead as Del Rio comes in with a chinlock on Bryan. Back up and Del Rio misses a charge into the corner, allowing Bryan to kick him out to the floor. Kofi gets the not very hot tag and kicks Del Rio down, setting up the Boom Drop for no cover. Instead Ziggler distracts Kofi so Trouble in Paradise misses, but Kofi runs up the corner for a cross body and two.

Wade comes right back with the Bull Hammer for a quick pin, getting us down to 3-3 (Orton/Miz/Bryan vs. Barrett/Ziggler/Del Rio). Orton comes in right away and suplexes Barrett down before cranking on the arm. Miz doesn’t seem interested in a tag but Bryan is glad to come in and work on an arm. A middle rope dropkick gets two and Bryan snaps off even more kicks. Barrett avoids a big one and tags in Del Rio but Alberto has to fight out of a quick YES Lock attempt.

Alberto tries a running enziguri in the corner but hits the arm instead, setting up the cross armbreaker for the elimination. Can you imagine the reaction if that happened today? Miz comes in for the first time and scores with some left hands before it’s back to Orton for his traditional stuff. Back to Ziggler who takes over on Randy with a big elbow followed by a chinlock. Orton fights up and launches Ziggler into the air in a nice crash.

A double tag brings in Barrett and Miz with the American connecting with the corner clothesline. The Skull Crushing Finale is countered into a pumphandle attempt (which isn’t the Wasteland Cole) but Miz escapes into the Finale for the elimination to tie us up at two. Del Rio comes in next but charges into a DDT for two. Alberto grabs a German suplex for two but gets pulled off the middle rope in a crash. Miz misses the corner clothesline and gets enziguried for an elimination.

That leaves Orton vs. Ziggler/Del Rio with Alberto starting for his pair. Orton fires off some punches but gets caught by a cheap shot, allowing Ziggler to come in and slow things down. Alberto is back in very quickly with a double stomp to the ribs but goes up top, only to dive into a dropkick. Ricardo trips up Orton, earning him Socko down the throat. Ziggler accidentally dropkicks Del Rio and gets sent into the post. A quick RKO takes out Alberto and it’s one on one now with Orton having that evil look in his eyes.

Orton immediately goes into RKO mode but Ziggler holds the ropes and hits the Zig Zag for a quick near fall. So it can beat Kane after he’s taken no damage at all but Orton kicks out at two after twenty minutes? Score one for the Viper. The Fameasser misses and Orton hits the Elevated DDT despite bleeding from the mouth a bit. Orton loads up the Punt like a schnook though and walks into a superkick for the pin.

Rating: C-. Here’s the problem again: the match isn’t bad but there’s no reason for these guys to be fighting each other. Yeah they’ve all feuded with each other at some point in the past, but there’s nothing going on setting up this match. It’s really just ten guys fighting each other with a minor feud here or there. There was no reason to care about this match and that’s exactly how the match felt. Decent match, but the absence of emotion held it back.

Tout continues to annoy me a year after it stopped being a thing.

We recap the main event. Punk has been champion for a year almost to the day, Ryback got screwed over by Brad Maddox inside the Cell and Cena gave Ryback his spot in the Cell due to injury. The solution? TRIPLE THREAT OF COURSE!!!

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Ryback vs. CM Punk

Punk bails to the floor to start and gets chased by both guys. Ryback finally catches him in the corner but Cena is all like “dude, my arch nemesis” and pulls Ryback away, allowing Punk to get in shots on both guys. Ryback kicks him in the chest and Cena adds a bulldog before Ryback clotheslines Punk to the floor. It’s the battle of the heroes with Cena pounding away but Ryback escapes the AA and knocks Cena to the outside.

Punk is back in now and scores with a snap suplex on Ryback, but the monster pops right back up and gorilla presses the champion into a fallaway slam. Cena comes back in with a belly to belly for two on Ryback before putting on a chinlock. Punk breaks it up with a top rope ax handle and Cena falls to the floor. Another ax handle attempt is caught in midair but Punk takes Ryback down with a neckbreaker. Cena sneaks in with a rollup for two but Punk DDTs him down for two more.

With Cena down, Punk channels his inner Austin Aries and puts on the Last Chancery but Ryback lifts Punk into the air for a powerslam. Cena grabs the ProtoBomb on Ryback but Ryback pops up, leading to a slugout. The shoulder blocks look to take Ryback down but Punk pulls John to the floor and sends him into the steps. Punk’s springboard clothesline gets two on Ryback and we hit the chinlock. Ryback fights up and slams Punk down followed by the Meathook. Cena breaks up the Shell Shock and puts Ryback in the STF but it’s Punk with the Macho Elbow for the save.

Everyone is down now and Punk might have hurt himself on that elbow. He’s up first though but can’t hit the GTS on Cena. Punk and Cena slug it out but Ryback clotheslines both guys down to take over again. Ryback sends both guys to the floor for some reason but they double team Ryback down as a result. A double suplex puts Ryback through the table and they head inside for the real showdown.

Punk grabs a GTS out of nowhere for two and Heyman is livid. The AA gets the same result other than Heyman being relieved. Punk comes back with the running knee but the bulldog is countered into the STF. Ryback makes the save and throws Cena into the barricade to put him down. The Meathook and Shell Shock lay out Punk but Cena makes a diving save. The Shell Shock lays out Cena as well……but here are three guys in black to destroy Ryback. They pound away on Ryback and take him to the floor for a TripleBomb through the table. Punk crawls over and pins Cena to retain.

Rating: C+. It’s probably the best match of the night but that’s not saying much at this point. Obviously the three guys were Reign/Ambrose/Rollins which Cole tells us during Punk’s celebration. Punk winning was a good idea and set up more stuff down the line which is the best possible outcome. You could feel the wind blowing as Ryback fell down the card though and he hasn’t recovered yet. Fairly good match but nowhere near enough to save the show though.

Overall Rating: D. Man alive has time been cruel to this show. Watching it live there was some drama, but looking back you have two LONG Survivor Series matches with no real story behind them and two screwjob finishes in title matches. Shield would become a bigger deal but no one knew that at this point. This was a “tune into Raw tomorrow night” show and that’s not good for the Survivor Series.

Ratings Comparison

3MB vs. Zack Ryder/Santino Marella

Original:

Redo: D+

Team Clay vs. Team Tensai

Original: B-

Redo: C

Eve Torres vs. Kaitlyn

Original: D-

Redo: D

R-Truth vs. Antonio Cesaro

Original: D

Redo: D

Sheamus vs. Big Show

Original: C-

Redo: C

Team Foley vs. Team Ziggler

Original: C-

Redo: C-

Ryback vs. John Cena vs. CM Punk

Original: B-

Redo: C+

Overall Rating

Original: D+

Redo: D

About the same down the line. It sucked back then and it sucked now. I actually watched most of this show late and while still tired from a flight the first time around but apparently it had more problems than that.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2012/11/21/survivor-series-2012-a-filler-ppv-disguised-as-a-major-show/

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: February 22, 2008
Location: Sports Arena, San Diego, California
Attendance: 8,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman

We’re done with No Way Out and Edge is still the World Champion, meaning he is set to defend the title against the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. That could be in for a long build and the question now is what else will be on the Wrestlemania card. They have some work to do to get it ready so let’s get to it.

Here is No Way Out if you need a recap.

We look at Undertaker winning the Elimination Chamber to become #1 contender.

Opening sequence.

Here are Edge and the Edgeheads to get things going. Edge brags about retaining the World Title at No Way Out because the three of them hurt Rey Mysterio last week in Chile. Now he is on to Wrestlemania to face the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, where Edge wants to cement his legacy by ending the Streak. Edge has his own Wrestlemania undefeated streak and something has to give. He goes against the impossible and succeeds, which is why he will succeed.

For fifteen years, everyone has asked who will finally defeat the Undertaker (eh, more like the last seven or eight) and he will not fall. This year it all ends because he is that man. Then the gong strikes and here is Undertaker to beat up the Edgeheads, who offer enough of a distraction for Edge to escape. Perfectly fine first segment for the feud.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

Shelton powers him into the corner to start and drives some shoulders to the ribs. Yang fights out, only to get buckle bombed HARD into the corner. The chinlock goes on for a bit before a t-bone suplex cuts off Yang’s comeback. A backbreaker keeps Yang in trouble before Benjamin puts him up top. Yang shoves him away, only to have Benjamin jump up to the top for an overhead belly to belly superplex.

Another buckle bomb is countered with a hurricanrana and a spinning headscissors drops Benjamin again. The running spinwheel kick in the corner sets up a high crossbody for two on Benjamin, followed by a sunset flip out of the corner for the same. That’s enough for Benjamin, who avoids the moonsault press and hits the jumping Downward Spiral for the pin.

Rating: C. Yang is a good example of someone who has been built up well enough to be a bit of a headache for Benjamin. There was no way Yang was going to get in a match like Money In The Bank, but at least they didn’t have the match be total dominance. This was a completely watchable match and that’s more than I was expecting.

Teddy Long runs into the returning Maryse, who says she hasn’t been around for a long time. She would like to ask him something….in his office.

Jesse And Festus vs. Deuce N Domino

Cherry is here with Deuce N Domino. Festus headbutts Deuce down to start and it’s off to Jesse for a drop toehold. Jesse sends him outside but a Cherry distraction lets Domino get in a cheap shot. We hit the chinlock back inside (with Jesse looking like he is tapping) before Jesse is draped over the top for a forearm to the back from Domino. Back up and Festus adds a headbutt from the apron, allowing Jesse to hit his own headbutt. That’s enough for the hot tag to Festus so house can be cleaned in a hurry. A Rocket Launcher finishes Domino.

Rating: C. Festus is a fun act, but you can only get so much out of the idea of Jesse does a regular match and then tags Festus to wreck things. That doesn’t have the longest shelf life and it is already starting to lose steam. Festus has something with the idea, but there is only so much that can be done with what is basically a one man team.

Raw Rebound.

Video on the South American tour.

Big Daddy V. vs. Shannon Moore

Matt Striker is here with V. Moore gets shoved down to start and his kicks just annoy V a bit more. The swinging Boss Man Slam plants Moore and V sends him flying again. A missed charge lets Moore kick away a few times until V runs him own. The really big elbow finishes Moore off.

Rating: D+. If WWE insists on pushing V as the monster over and over, he needs a win like this every so often. This was almost a total squash and Moore probably got in more than he should have. Moore getting crushed isn’t a bad thing, but V has lost so much that it has me wondering how many more times they can keep reheating him.

MVP vs. Batista

Non-title. During his entrance, we get an inset promo from MVP, saying Batista can’t beat him twice in a row. Batista drives him into the corner to start before going with a boot into MVP’s banged up back. MVP manages to send him face first into the buckle though and a forearm to the back of the head drops Batista for a change.

The running big boot to the side of the head knocks Batista off the apron and MVP hammers away back inside. We hit the chinlock so Batista fights up, only to get sent right back to the floor in a bit of a surprise. The front facelock goes on back inside, setting up a facebuster for two on Batista. That doesn’t last long though as Batista is back with three straight spinebusters and the Batista Bomb finishes fast.

Rating: C. Oh yeah MVP is in that bad place, as he is losing over and over again while still US Champion. In other words, WWE seems to think that he is bulletproof and that means he is going to lose more and more. Why Batista needed to beat him again isn’t the most clear concept, but I would bet on a reaction of “oh well” as they move on.

We get a medical update on Hornswoggle after he got beaten down so badly on Raw. Naturally we see the beatdown, which commentary describes as so horrible.

Great Khali vs. Kane

Kane slugs away to start and gets hit in the face for his efforts. Khali gets knocked back into the corner but a clothesline of his own puts Kane back down. The slugout continues with Kane hitting an uppercut but getting caught going up top. We hit the nerve hold and then the Vice Grip but Kane kicks off the corner and falls backwards for the pin.

Rating: D. It was a bunch of punches and chops before the fluke ending to keep Khali looking strong. Kane was trying here but what exactly is he supposed to do in a situation like this? Khali continues to be so limited in the ring, but much like Big Daddy V, it stops meaning anything when he loses over and over again.

Video on the Streak.

Chuck Palumbo vs. Matt Jackson

Yes that Matt Jackson and Palumbo runs him over with a clothesline to start. Jackson hits a dropkick as Michelle McCool is watching in the back. Palumbo knocks him to the floor for a fall away slam, followed by a clothesline back inside. The Full Throttle finishes Jackson fast.

Here is Rey Mysterio for an update on his health. Rey gets right to the point: he has a torn bicep and needs surgery. Unfortunately the surgery will take place this weekend, so he won’t be at Wrestlemania. If this is the last time that he is going to be in the ring for a long time, there is no better place to be than in San Diego.

Cue Vickie Guerrero to say she doesn’t care if Rey is hurt because he ruined her moment last week. We see Rey “accidentally” hitting Vickie with a springboard seated senton last week and Rey still isn’t very sorry. Vickie doesn’t want to hear it, but Rey has a match RIGHT NOW, injury or not.

Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title. Chavo charges at him to start and hammers away with Rey falling around the ring. Rey manages a hurricanrana but gets faceplanted to cut that off in a hurry. We take a break and come back with Chavo working on the arm. Rey even has to go to the ropes to escape, leaving Chavo to baseball slide him to the floor. Back in and Rey manages another headscissors, setting up the running seated senton off the apron.

Chavo catches Rey up top back inside, only to get knocked down to set up a top rope seated senton. The basement dropkick gets two more and the 619 has Chavo down. Rey’s arm won’t let him hit the springboard though, allowing Chavo to catch him on top. Three Amigos have Rey in trouble but he avoids the frog splash, allowing Rey to come back with a sunset flip for the fast pin.

Rating: C+. Given Rey’s injury, this went about as well as it could have gone. That being said, it doesn’t say much when Chavo, the reigning ECW Champion, knew this was coming and was healthy but still lost anyway. WWE already hasn’t exactly made ECW look good and now it is even worse with this latest development as Rey is on the way out.

Post match Vickie says it’s her turn to hurt Rey….so here is Big Show to lay Rey out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Edge vs. Undertaker is going to be fine but they didn’t exactly do anything to start another feud here. Rey was written off due to his injury for the sake of crushing him in his hometown, but we knew he was already heading off for surgery. Throw in a bunch of pretty ok at best matches and there just wasn’t much worth seeing as we start the Road To Wrestlemania.

Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: November 16, 2022
Location: Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the go home show for Full Gear and that means the card could still use some work. If nothing else, we need to have some more matches in the Contenders tournament as the finals are still set for Saturday. Other than that, odds are we’ll be hearing from MJF and Jon Moxley. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bryan Danielson/Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara

It’s a brawl to start with the Club elbowing away at Guevara and Jericho, followed by a surfboard to Guevara. Back up and Guevara hits a dropkick to take over, allowing Jericho to come in for the chops in the corner. Danielson fights out and scores with the running dropkicks to Guevara but tries once too often. Jericho gets in a cheap shot from the floor and we take a break.

Back with Danielson getting double suplexed but managing to get over for the hot tag to Castagnoli. House is cleaned and a running clothesline gets two on Jericho. Danielson breaks up the Walls to Castagnoli with a top rope missile dropkick, allowing Castagnoli to make the tag this time.

Everything breaks down again and Danielson reverses the GTH into the LeBell Lock. Jericho comes back in and stereo crossbodies put he and Danielson down. Back up and Jericho goes for the bat, only to have Castagnoli grab him for the Swing. The Sharpshooter makes Jericho tap at 17:30.

Rating: B-. This one got the time that it needed for people this talented, but at the same time it doesn’t give me much hope for Castagnoli’s chances on Saturday. I’m not sure who leaves as champion, but the more I think about it, the more likely Jericho seems. Either way, they had a good one here, with everyone working hard to make it go well.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. MJF.

Video on Darby Allin being pulled out of the grave in a body bag and put in the back of a car. Sting is driving and they’re coming to Full Gear.

Jeff Jarrett and company are ready to end Sting and Darby Allin.

We get the new Acclaimed music video, complete with Paul Wight reprising his role as Captain Insano from the Waterboy. The gist of the song: they don’t like Swerve In Our Glory and no one else does either.

Swerve Strickland vs. Anthony Bowens

Everyone else is ejected so we can start the brawl on the floor, with Swerve being send face first into the steps. They head inside for the opening bell and then fight back to the floor, with Swerve knocking him over the barricade as we take an early break. Back with Bowens sending him into the corner for a kick to the head. A suplex drops Swerve for two more but he’s right back with a snap to the arm. The Swerve Stomp gets two in a bit of a surprise kickout but the JML Driver puts Bowens away at 9:33.

Rating: C. Strickland winning here makes sense as it isn’t like Bowens has any real history as a singles star. I also like the lack of shenanigans at ringside, as it is something that has been done to death in AEW. There’s a little too much going on in a match like this and they went with the simpler version here. Saturday should be a fun match and they did a fine enough job to set things up.

Video on Nyla Rose vs. Jade Cargill, complete with the talking heads.

Here is Samoa Joe for a chat. He was tired of Wardlow overstepping his bounds but here is Powerhouse Hobbs to interrupt. Hobbs says Joe is late to the party because Hobbs is the one who has been beating up Wardlow for the last few weeks. The fight is almost on but here is Wardlow to take Joe down. The big fight is on now with security and wrestlers having to come in to break it up.

Britt Baker talks about how Saraya has stared her down time after time. No, Baker has never wrestled in Madison Square Garden but she wrestled in Daily’s Place for years to keep this place going. The fans say her catchphrases with her and she is happy to walk the roads that Saraya helped pave. She isn’t going to have Saraya talk down to everyone though because she is stuck in the past. This is Baker’s house. And this was a 100% face promo, as they’re looking really close to a double turn.

Trios Titles: Death Triangle vs. Top Flight/AR Fox

Death Triangle is defending and Dante knocks Penta to the floor to start as commentary talks about Fox’s career (as they should, as he might not be known to the audience). Fox comes in and ducks Pac’s clothesline, setting up a jumping enziguri to knock him into the corner. Top Flight launches Pac into a cutter from Fox but stereo dives are cut off by kicks to the face from the champs. The Bros kick all three challengers down and we take a break.

Back with the challengers fighting back and sending Death Triangle outside, setting up a big springboard inverted dive from Fox. Back in and a 450 gives Fox two with Pac having to make a save. The Bros are back up for a spike Fear Factor and the double flip dive onto Top Flight. The Black Arrow finishes Fox at 11:31.

Rating: C+. They went with the insanity here, which tends to be the case with these matches. Fox and Top Flight could be a decent team, but it isn’t like there is anything involving any teams other than Death Triangle and the Elite. Just get us to the title rematch on Saturday, which should be all set up by the end of the night.

Post match Pac asks the fans if they think Death Triangle is stupid. They know some people are coming back, and that trio (who he never names) can come see them at Full Gear. Those three know who they are and we get the Death Triangle vs. Elite graphic for Saturday. Pac is pleased.

Ricky Starks was taken out by Lance Archer last week but now they’ll do it for real on Rampage. This time though: let’s just start backstage so Starks can hurt him all the way to the ring.

Full Gear Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Bandido vs. Ethan Page

Page has Stokely Hathaway with him. Bandido spins around to start and shows him the finger guns. It’s never a good sign when a wrestler is threatening to shoot on you fifteen seconds in. Page knocks him down and takes over as we go to an early break. Back with Page missing a charge into the corner and getting sent face first into the middle buckle.

Bandido kicks him down but the 21 Plex is blocked, allowing Page to hit a springboard cutter for two. Back up and Bandido hits the one armed gorilla press (that’s insane) setting up a frog splash for two. The super fall away slam is broken up and the Ego’s Edge finishes Bandido at 9:05.

Rating: C+. This Page push continues to elude me. He is by no means bad but it would seem that there are several other stars on the roster who would be ready for a push. They are at least trying with someone new though and that is a good thing, even if it means Bandido losing another match.

Video on Luchasaurus vs. Jungle Boy in a cage.

Saraya is tired of talking about Britt Baker and wants to just do this.

Video on Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. Jun Akiyama/Konosuke Takeshita on Rampage.

Anna Jay vs. Toni Storm

Non-title. They go to the mat to start for a bit before Storm gets caught in the corner. A Backstabber brings her back out and we take a break. Back with Storm fighting out of trouble and hitting the running hip attack to knock her off the apron. Jay is back with her not so great looking roll into a kick but the Queenslayer is broken up. Storm hits another running hip attack in the corner, setting up the Texas Cloverleaf for the tap at 6:49.

Rating: C. Storm gets a win before Saturday, as I try to get my head around this being a match for Jay to possibly become #1 contender to the Interim title. This whole thing has fallen so far down that they need to reset a lot of pieces to make it work. Not that they will, but Storm losing the title might be the way to go, just for the sake of getting away from this mess.

Post match Jamie Hayter comes out for the staredown with Toni Storm.

Full Gear rundown.

Here is Jon Moxley with William Regal for the big push towards the World Title match. Moxley talks about how he is the champ and talks trash but backs it up. He loves to fight because he is sick in the head but it has gotten him this far today. Last week he asked who MJF is and has found out some things about him. It turns out MJF is a good singer who took a vacation after dealing with Brian Pillman Jr. before coming back as the devil and winning a poker chip in the worst ending to a ladder match he’s ever seen.

Moxley is ready to beat him but here is the Firm to beat Moxley and Jericho down. Cue MJF for the save and he grabs a mic. MJF makes it clear: he did this so Moxley has no excuses on Saturday and gets in Regal’s face as a bonus. After a quick Pipebomb quote, MJF talks about how he needs to win the title because he needs it more than air.

MJF says that yeah he’s the devil, and the greatest trick he ever pulled is convincing the world that he doesn’t exist. Moxley cuts off the catchphrase though and says he never saw the big deal with MJF. At Full Gear, he’ll find out if MJF has it, but if not, on Sunday (Moxley: “Is the show Saturday or Sunday? Saturday.”), the training wheels come off. Not a great promo, but there is no reason for these two to be mad at each other, so Moxley has little more to say besides “yeah I’m going to beat him” over and over.

Overall Rating: C+. For a regular show this was pretty good but it did very little to make me want to see Full Gear. There wasn’t anything overly noteworthy and the stuff that was added to the show did very little for me. AEW is in a pretty solid funk right now and Full Gear isn’t looking like the show that will get them out of it. This week was another instance of the wrestling bailing out weak almost everything else, but that is only going to last so long. Not a great show, especially by Dynamite standards.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli/Bryan Danielson b. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara – Sharpshooter to Jericho
Swerve Strickland b. Anthony Bowens – JML Driver
Death Triangle b. Top Flight/AR Fox – Black Arrow to Fox
Ethan Page b. Bandido – Ego’s Edge
Toni Storm b. Anna Jay – Texas Cloverleaf

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

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

AND

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

Make sure you check out some recent reviews.

Survivor Series 2009 (2012 Redo)

Survivor Series 2010 (2012 Redo)

Monday Night Raw – November 14, 2022

Survivor Series 2011 (2012 Redo)

NXT – November 15, 2022

WRESTLING RUMORS: Rey Mysterio Out Of Action With An Injury.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-rey-mysterio-dealing-injury/

WATCH: Two WWE Stars Pay Off A World Series Bet In Hilarious Fashion.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-two-wwe-stars-pay-off-world-series-bet-hilarious-fashion/

He’ll Be Back: Likely Sad Reason Why Sami Zayn Missed SmackDown.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hell-back-likely-sad-reason-sami-zayn-missed-smackdown/

That Explains It: Backstage Reason For Awkward SmackDown Spot.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/explains-backstage-reason-awkward-smackdown-spot/

Oh No: Kevin Owens Injured At WWE Live Event.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/oh-no-kevin-owens-injured-wwe-live-event/

Add It Up: New Grudge Match Set For WWE Survivor Series.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/add-new-grudge-match-set-wwe-survivor-series/

WATCH: Mickie James And Trish Stratus Reunite For Cool Moment.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-mickie-james-trish-stratus-reunite-cool-moment/

He Seems Impressed: Seth Rollins’ High Praise For Famous Becky Lynch Moment.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/seems-impressed-seth-rollins-high-praise-famous-becky-lynch-moment/

Long Overdue: Inaugural Class Of Women’s Wrestling Hall Of Fame Announced.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/long-overdue-inaugural-class-womens-wrestling-hall-fame-announced/

One More? Huge Update On Steve Austin Possibly Wrestling For WWE Again.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/one-huge-update-steve-austin-possibly-wrestling-one-wwe-match/

He’s Good: WWE Star Receiving Praise For Being A Company Workhorse.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hes-good-wwe-star-receiving-praise-company-workhorse/

Double Ouch: Two AEW Stars Reportedly Injured.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/double-ouch-two-aew-stars-reportedly-injured/

Brand New: Former WWE Personality Announces New Wrestling Promotion.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/brand-new-former-wwe-personality-announces-new-wrestling-promotion/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Top WWE Stars’ Salaries Revealed.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-much-top-wwe-stars-reportedly-earn/

Ouch? Randy Orton’s Wife Posts Photo Of Him From Hospital.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/ouch-randy-ortons-wife-posts-photo-hospital/

Run That By Me Again: WWE Announces New Match Type Coming Next Much (It’s A Lot).

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/run-wwe-announces-new-match-type-coming-next-much-lot/

WATCH: International Star Makes Surprise NXT Debut.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-international-star-makes-nxt-debut/

No More: WWE Dropping Major Gimmick For Upcoming Star.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/no-wwe-dropping-major-gimmick-upcoming-star/

One More Time: How A Possible CM Punk WWE Return Is Being Received Backstage.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/one-time-possible-cm-punk-wwe-return-received-backstage/

That Could Mean Something: WWE Star Posts Cryptic Message After Rare Appearance. November 16, 2022.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/mean-something-wwe-star-posts-cryptic-message-rare-appearance/

Switch Em Up: WWE Reportedly Changes WarGames Plans Due To Injuries.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/switch-em-wwe-reportedly-changes-wargames-plans-due-injuries/

Sweeten The Pot: Contract Details On Returning WWE Superstars.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/sweeten-pot-contract-details-returning-wwe-superstars/

Take Four: Famous Wrestling Promotion Considers Comeback After 4 Year Hiatus.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/take-four-famous-wrestling-promotion-considers-comeback-4-year-hiatus/

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

NXT
Date: November 15, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

Deadline is in less than a month but we have a big night to get through first. This week will see two title matches, as the NXT Title and NXT Women’s Titles will both be defended. Those are going to make for some major matches and there is going to be some other big stuff included as well. Let’s get to it.

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

NXT Title: Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker

Wagner, with Mr. Stone, is challenging. Stone offers an early distraction so Wagner can jump Breakker to start. Breakker’s arm is snapped over the top rope and some shoulders to the arm make it even worse. Back up and Breakker snaps off a suplex as we take an early break. We come back with Wagner fighting out of a chinlock and taking Breakker to the floor for a spinebuster onto the steps.

Breakker manages a top rope clothesline though and the comeback is on, including the powerslam. The Steiner Bulldog plants Wagner again but Wagner grabs a Fireman’s carry flipped into a neckbreaker. Breakker tries the gorilla press but his back gives out, leaving him to escape another fireman’s carry. The spear retains the title at 12:42.

Rating: C+. There was no reason to believe that the title was changing hands here but this got Breakker in the ring and let him get a win under his belt. Wagner is still a pretty generic monster but now that he is out of the way, Breakker can move on to something more important/interesting. For a one off title match, it went just fine.

Video on Alba Fyre vs. Mandy Rose.

Bron Breakker gets to the back where JD McDonagh congratulates him.

Here is Zoey Stark to say her back feels better now that she isn’t carrying Nikkita Lyons anymore. Stark came back from a nine month layoff and gets told that she’s going to be teaming with Lyons in the tournament for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. Then Stark got hurt, but Lyons said that she wasn’t mad at her.

Stark didn’t get hurt doing something stupid, but rather while she was in the ring. Then they lost the Tag Team Title match and was tired of the apologies. We see Stark turning on Lyons last week and Starks is very happy with her new attitude. She blames the people and says it is now about her because she is UNDENIABLE. She is the hunter and everyone back there is the prey. As was the case last week: this would have more impact if they had five matches together as a team.

Duke Hudson comes up to see Andre Chase, who wants to know why Hudson threw in the towel last week. Hudson says it was because he values Chase’s health and if Charlie Dempsey had hurt him last week, the entire University would have been on the shelf. If people accuse him of loving the university too much, then he is guilty as charged. Thea Hail comes in and Hudson leaves rather abruptly. Hail says Hudson is growing on her.

Apollo Crews comes up to Bron Breakker and suggests he’s coming for the title.

Indus Sher vs. George Cannon/Ariel Dominguez

Sanga slams Cannon face first into the mat to start and drops him throat first across the top. Veer comes in to run Cannon over and some big slams drop the tiny Dominguez. A running big boot and corner splash rock Dominguez again, setting up a side slam/middle rope elbow to give Mahaan the pin at 3:26.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here but Sher didn’t exactly do anything to make themselves more interesting. They did a fine imitation of the Authors of Pain or the Viking Raiders as the latest power monsters and that’s about it. I’m sure they’ll be fine as they look the part, but this is far from original or any kind of a novel take on the concept of big monsters.

Post match Indus Sher says they’re ready to crush the Creed Brothers.

Diamond Mine is ready to fight but Ivy Nile tells them to cool it.

Wendy Choo calls Cora Jade a salty and petulant child who will never change. At the same time though, she said some things that Choo hasn’t heard since high school. Next week, she’ll give Jade two black eyes.

JD McDonagh vs. Apollo Crews

They stare at each other to start until Crews armdrags him into an armbar. Back up and McDonagh does the same thing back to Crews, only to get reversed into a headscissors. Crews grabs a backdrop and shoulders him out to the floor in a heap. That’s fine with Crews, who goes after him for a drop onto the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Crews dropping backwards onto McDonagh off the middle rope, only to get caught in a sleeper. A belly to back suplex puts Crews down but he sends McDonagh outside, setting up the apron moonsault. They get back inside with a sitout powerbomb giving Crews two, meaning it’s time to go up top. McDonagh pulls him back down in a crash but Crews gets in a hard whip into the corner.

Crews misses a charge and cashes out to the floor, where McDonagh hits a good looking Asai moonsault. Back in and Crews catches him on top, this time with a super Angle Slam for a double knockdown. They trade small packages for two each until an exchange of shots to the face staggers them both. McDonagh gets two off a sunset flip and goes up top, only to miss a moonsault. A high angle spinebuster gives Crews the pin at 13:55.

Rating: B. That’s quite the surprise ending as I would have bet on McDonagh winning again to set up another title match down the line. The interesting thing here is that Crews finally gets a win that feels like it matters after a few months of just kind of being there. He’ll probably lose to someone in his next big match, but he has to win something to maintain some credibility.

Mandy Rose is ready to beat Alba Fyre because she is a superstar.

Javier Bernal is ready to face Axiom, ignoring that he is injured. With Axiom out of action, what about Ilja Dragunov? Eh he’s out too, so maybe anyone from Gallus? Oh yeah they’re all suspended. Well find him someone then! This was actually somewhat funny so I’ll go with shocked at Bernal being moderately entertaining for a change.

Here is Booker T. to moderate the contract signing between Wes Lee and Carmelo Hayes, with Trick Williams. Hayes is proud to be in Booker’s Fave Five, but Booker isn’t sure about that. Lee says Hayes isn’t the A Champion anymore but Hayes says the fifteen minutes of fame end next week. Lee is ready for his first title defense because he is ready to prove himself again. They both sign and Williams talks some trash with Lee but Booker isn’t going to let violence ensue.

T-Bar is still ready to come back.

Odyssey Jones hypes up Malik Blade and Edris Enofe, but he isn’t wild on Blade’s sweater. Blade talks about how it is a tribute to his father, who wanted him to look nice.

Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs vs. Dyad

Fallon Henley and the rest of Schism is here too. Fowler slugs away on Jensen to start but gets taken down with a running faceplant. Briggs comes in for a flying shoulder and it’s quickly back to Jensen. Everything breaks down and Jensen gets knocked off the apron, leaving Reed to suicide dive him into the announcers’ table in a nasty crash. Briggs is right back up to clean house, including throwing Reid into the ropes on the floor, with Briggs clotheslining him out of the air. Cue Kiana James to go after Henley, earning herself a slap. Back inside and a double Codebreaker finishes Briggs at 4:10.

Rating: C. Well at least Schism didn’t talk. Pushing the Dyad as a team is a fine enough idea, though it isn’t going to matter until they actually win the titles. Kiana James as a thorn in the country boys’/Henley’s side is interesting, but she’ll need a team of her own to fight them at some point. For now though, costing them a win works well enough.

Shawn Michaels joins us for an announcement of a new match: the Iron Survivor Challenge. There will be a men’s and women’s match at Deadline with five entrants each. Two wrestlers will start and every five minutes, a new one will be added until all five are in. You win with the most falls in 25 minutes, with falls coming via pinfall, submission or DQ. If you win a fall, you get a point, but the person who loses the fall is put in a penalty match for 90 seconds. The winner is the new #1 contender, with entrants being announced in the coming weeks. So it’s a gauntlet Iron Man Penalty Box match? That’s quite a few things combined.

Indi Hartwell vs. Tatum Paxley

Ivy Nile is in Paxley’s corner. Paxley sends her into the corner to start but Hartwell does the same. A hiptoss is broken up so Hartwell knocks her down with a shot to the face. The chinlock doesn’t keep Paxley down very long as she makes the comeback, only to have Hartwell rip her mask off. Hartwell kicks her down and, after throwing the mask to Nile, hits a running forearm to the back of the had for the pin at 4:00.

Rating: C. Reheating Hartwell is a good idea and I’m curious to see just how far they’ll take her. She hit rock bottom for a good while and was even a regular on LVL Up so there isn’t much further she can fall. She didn’t need to cheat to beat Paxley here so it could have been a lot worse. Paxley continues to be just kind of there, but at least she’s getting on TV.

Scrypts was here but is already gone because he is too smart and fast to be caught. You’ll see how smart he is next week so do you want to play a game? So he’s Jigsaw?

Roxanne Perez congratulates Indi Hartwell on her win but wasn’t it too far to rip off Tatum Paxley’s mask? Hartwell doesn’t care because she wants in the Iron Survivor Challenge. The heel turn continues to work.

Women’s Title: Mandy Rose vs. Alba Fyre

Mandy is defending in a Last Woman Standing match. Fyre starts fast and knocks her outside to start. Some rams into the barricade knock Rose sillier and Fyre grabs some weapons from underneath the ring. The delay lets Fyre grab a slam on the floor but she’s right back with a half crab back inside.

We take a break and come back with Fyre hitting a dive off the top to take Rose out on the floor. Rose is back up with some ladder shots against the barricade to put Fyre in trouble but she’s back with a trashcan shot. Rose barely beats the count and they fight into the crowd, with Rose knocking her off the barricade.

Fyre fights up and knocks a diving Rose out of the air. A Gory Bomb onto the apron lets Fyre put her on the announcers’ table. Fyre goes up a ladder….and Isla Dawn pops up on the other side to send Fyre through the table. Rose beats the count at 11:56 to retain the title again.

Rating: B-. They had a good fight here, even with the screwy finish. What matters is keeping the title on Rose, which I wouldn’t have bet on coming in. NXT needs someone who can take the title off of her and I’m not sure who that is at the moment. At least it wasn’t Jayne or Dolin interfering in the end here, even if Fyre has to lose in another big match.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event felt big and Crews vs. McDonagh was a good match, which is enough to carry this week. The rest of the show was pretty in the middle at best, but I’ll take two rather good matches out of six on a weekly show. Other than that, they set up things for the future, though I’m not sure how well the Iron Survivor deal will go. For now though, nice week of TV as we are on the wa to a bigger show next month.

Results
Bron Breakker b. Von Wagner – Spear
Indus Sher b. George Cannon/Ariel Dominguez – Side slam/Middle rope elbow combination to Dominguez
Apollo Crews b. JD McDonagh – Spinebuster
Dyad b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen – Double Codebreaker to Briggs
Indi Hartwell b. Tatum Paxley – Running forearm to the back of the head
Mandy Rose b. Alba Fyre when Fyre didn’t answer the ten count

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 14, 2022
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are less than two weeks away from Survivor Series and that means it is time to start building some things up for the show. While we have a few matches, the real focus is going to be on WarGames. It looks like Raw will only be supplying the women’s match and more of the lineup needs to be locked in. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going and we see a package on Austin Theory’s failed cash in last week. Last week, he put out an open challenge and now there are people coming out of the woodwork for a shot at the title. Rollins talks about the cash-in and the fans say THAT WAS STUPID. Rollins is ready to defend against Finn Balor tonight but here is Bobby Lashley to interrupt. Rollins isn’t worried and brings up the loss to Brock Lesnar, so here is Mustafa Ali to interrupt. Lashley tosses him out with ease so Ali jumps on him again, only to be thrown right back to the floor. That’s not enough for Lashley, who says ring the bell.

Mustafa Ali vs. Bobby Lashley

Ali charges at him to start and gets knocked outside. Lashley gives him the posting and the spinning Big Ending connects back inside. A pair of spinebusters drop Ali but he says bring it. Lashley jumps over a charge in the corner and grabs a tornado DDT for a breather. And then the spear turns Ali inside out, setting up the Hurt Lock to finish at 4:23.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a squash with Ali trying what he could but getting run over almost every time. I’m not sure why WWE feels the need to crush Ali over and over but that’s what he had to deal with again here. The match was a way to make Lashley look great, but I’m not sure why Ali needed to be the sacrifice.

The OC is happy to have Mia Yim, with AJ Styles challenging Finn Balor for Survivor Series. Tonight though, Mia Yim is returning to the ring.

Mia Yim vs. Tamina

Tamina jumps her to start and hammers away as Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio come out to watch. Yim fights up and grabs a quick Eat Defeat for the pin at 1:54.

Post match Ripley teases the big brawl but walks away instead.

Matt Riddle says Elias is off doing his rock star thing and getting them their gig. Chad Gable comes in for some SHUSHING and brags about Otis’ win last week. The SHUSH vs. the bongo deal was about as annoying as you could imagine.

Damage Ctrl comes up to Mia Yim in the back and teases violence, but the OC comes in with the beer for the celebration.

Matt Riddle vs. Chad Gable

Otis is here with Gable. They grapple to start until Gable dragon screw leg whips him out of the corner. Another one slows Riddle down again but he’s back up with a kick to the chest. Riddle goes up top but Otis messes with the steps for a distraction, allowing Gable to grab a release German superplex to drop them both.

We take a break and come back with Riddle striking away, including a jumping knee to the face. There’s an overhead belly to belly into the running backsplash sets up a powerbomb for two on Gable. A triangle choke is broken up so Riddle grabs a hanging DDT instead. Gable is back up with a backslide and puts his feet on the rope, with Otis holding on, for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C+. This was mostly good stuff, though the ending was kind of weird to see. Riddle has fallen a pretty long way in the last few months, as the lack of Randy Orton is hurting him a lot. The Alpha Academy winning a match, even by cheating, feels weird and I’m not sure what the point is in having them beat Riddle. We’ll get a rematch I’m sure but dang that was out of nowhere.

JBL and Baron Corbin are winning at poker and don’t like being offered Kentucky bourbon. Akira Tozawa sits down to gamble, despite not knowing any of the rules. JBL: “Your money is good here!”

It’s time for MizTV, with Miz as the guest and Byron Saxton asking the questions. Miz has a statement about the Dexter Lumis situation: he regrets paying Lumis, but all he wanted was empathy. Miz has been in WWE for 18 years and he has worked so hard without ever getting so much as a cheer. All he wanted was for people to care about him, but here is Johnny Gargano to cut him off. Gargano says Miz wasn’t depressed because Maryse posted pictures of their vacation in Cabo over the weekend.

Miz says he was depressed in his hotel room but Gargano mocks Miz’s sweater (Miz: “IT’S A CARDIGAN!”) and calls him Mr. Rogers. Miz is ready to move on but Gargano wants Miz to pay Lumis what he is owed. It’s cool though because Gargano has an idea: in two weeks, it’s Miz vs. Lumis and if Lumis wins, he gets Miz’s money and a contract. Miz says beating Lumis will be AWESOME. Then a cameraman pops up and it’s Lumis, who steals Miz’s sweater as Miz runs to the back. This was rather bad, but Miz did make the cardigan work.

Earlier today, Dominik Mysterio mocked Shelton Benjamin, who threatened him with a beating. Damian Priest got in between them and we get Dominik vs. Benjamin later tonight.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Shelton Benjamin

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are here too. Dominik bails to the floor to start but a Judgment Day distraction lets him get in a few cheap shots. Benjamin punches him down without much effort and Dominik bails to the floor again. Back in and Dominik tries a 619 but gets caught in a powerslam. A t-bone suplex has Dominik on the floor for the third time so Benjamin finally goes after him. The ankle lock goes on back inside but Benjamin gets rolled into the corner. Dominik goes straight up and hits a frog splash for the pin at 4:59.

Rating: C. This wasn’t a great match, but Dominik as the pest is a much better use of him going forward. He isn’t going to get anywhere based on his own abilities so having him do something like this is the right way to go. Not a terrible match and I can go for more Shelton, even though he is out there as a jobber.

Austin Theory says he didn’t fail last week because now he feels more alive than he ever did. That briefcase was an anchor around him but he was trying to make the most of an opportunity. Cue Dolph Ziggler to say it was the worst cash in ever but Theory doesn’t want to hear it from him. This is Theory’s time, but Ziggler doesn’t seem to buy it.

Video on WarGames.

Dana Brooke vs. Iyo Sky

The rest of Damage Ctrl is here with Sky and we get an inset promo from Brooke, who promises to never give up. Sky wastes no time in kicking her down and hitting a springboard missile dropkick. Brooke fights up but gets dropped again, allowing Sky to pose near the ropes. Back up and Brooke grabs a DDT but the handspring elbow is countered into a release German suplex. Running knees in the corner sets up Over The Moonsault for the pin on Brooke at 3:13.

Rating: C. Commentary was getting to the point with Brooke here: she’s trying, but at some point you have to win something. That has haunted her throughout most of her career, as she doesn’t really do anything outside of stuff like the 24/7 Title. Sky wasn’t going to lose here and Brooke tried, but she was in over her head.

Post match Mia Yim comes out to join Team Belair in WarGames.

Tozawa has cleaned out JBL and Baron Corbin. The villains try to cheat but Tozawa doesn’t fall for it.

Austin Theory vs. Dolph Ziggler

Theory takes him down to start and chokes on the rope, allowing for some trash talk. Back up and Ziggler charges into an elbow for two but he slips over Theory in the corner. Theory blasts him with a clothesline and sends Ziggler shoulder first into the post though and we take a break.

We come back with Ziggler hitting the running DDT but getting caught in a torture rack powerbomb for two. A Town Down is reversed into a sleeper but Theory slips out as well. The Fameasser gives Ziggler two, only to have Theory send him shoulder first into the post. Ziggler reverses another whip though and hits the Zig Zag for a rather near fall.

Back up and Theory forearms him in the face before hitting A Town Down….for no cover. Instead he hits a second one and stomps away before taking Ziggler outside for a whip into the steps. Theory rams him into the announcers’ table enough times to draw a rather violent DQ at 14:33.

Rating: C+. This started rather slowly but then they got going near the end. That being said, it was more about the Theory angle than the match itself. Theory going all angry is a different direction, but having it be against Dolph Ziggler isn’t exactly helping him. Cut a few minutes out of the beginning and it’s better, but Ziggler has a firm ceiling these days and that was on display here.

Post match Theory destroys Ziggler and sends him over the barricade to keep up the beating until agents break it up.

Rhea Ripley joins Team Damage Ctrl.

Baron Corbin vs. Akira Tozawa

JBL is here with Corbin, who shoulders Tozawa down to start. A chokeslam is countered into a DDT and a missile dropkick gets one on Corbin. They head outside with Corbin sending him into the steps, only for Tozawa to come back with a top rope headbutt to a standing Corbin back inside. Tozawa tries it again but dives into End of Days for the pin at 3:31.

Rating: D+. I have no idea what they were going for with the angle and the match, as Tozawa beat Corbin in poker and then had him in trouble here. The action was ok, but then you realize that it’s Tozawa giving Corbin a run for his money. Of all the people on the roster for something like this, Tozawa? How long has it been since he meant anything anywhere? Really not seeing what they were trying to do here but it didn’t quite work.

We look back at Austin Theory snapping.

Team Belair is ready for a singles match next week against Team Damage Ctrl. Damage Ctrl is all about games but Team Belair is all about war.

The Alpha Academy comes in to brag about their win but Seth Rollins dances by while singing shush. Ok then.

Finn Balor accepts AJ Styles’ Survivor Series challenge. For tonight though, he’s winning the US Title.

US Title: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

Rollins is defending and gets taken down into an early chinlock. With that broken up, Rollins sends him outside for a heck of a dive as we take a break. Back with Balor knocking Rollins into the corner and mocking the conducting the fans motion. The abdominal stretch goes on but Rollins slips out and slugs away. Balor gets knocked outside for a suicide dive into the barricade but the Sling Blade is cut off back inside. Rollins kicks him down and hits a frog splash for two as we take another break.

We come back again with Rollins swinging Balor into the barricade but Balor hits a running dropkick to send him into the barricade as well. Back in and Rollins grabs a sitout powerbomb for two but Balor knocks him down again. Rollins catches him on top with a superplex but the Falcon Arrow is countered into 1916, leaving Balor rather frustrated. The Pedigree and Buckle Bomb are blocked and Rollins is right back with the Falcon Arrow for two.

The Stomp is loaded up but here is the Judgment Day for a distraction. Balor sweeps the legs and hits the jumping double stomp but here is the OC to take out Judgment Day. The shotgun dropkick sends Rollins into the corner, only to have AJ Styles break up the Coup de Grace. Rollins hits the Stomp to retain at 20:02.

Rating: B. This was the best part of the show as you had two guys who know how to work that kind of a match. At the same time, the ending with that much chaos and the referee being fine with the whole thing was a bit much to take. It does move us towards Styles vs. Balor at Survivor Series, but they went a few steps too far with the interference. Anyway, good match, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Post match Austin Theory runs in to beat up Rollins. The beatdown is on with Theory hitting a belt shot to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. What was this show? This felt like they dipped into the Vince McMahon playbook for some reason, with a bunch of weird choices and only a handful of decent matches. They did advance Survivor Series a bit and the show wasn’t a disaster, but it was one of the least interesting shows since McMahon left. Hopefully this is just a misfire, as it felt like a major step backwards after weeks of much better stuff.

Results
Bobby Lashley b. Mustafa Ali – Hurt Lock
Mia Yim b. Tamina – Eat Defeat
Chad Gable b. Matt Riddle – Backslide with feet on the ropes
Dominik Mysterio b. Shelton Benjamin – Frog splash
Iyo Sky b. Dana Brooke – Over The Moonsault
Dolph Ziggler b. Austin Theory via DQ when Theory attacked Ziggler on the floor
Baron Corbin b. Akira Tozawa – End of Days
Seth Rollins b. Finn Balor – Stomp

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

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AND

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Make sure you check out some recent reviews.

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Impact Wrestling – November 10, 2022

Smackdown – November 11, 2022

Rampage – November 11, 2022

Survivor Series 2008 (2012 Redo)

Northeast Wrestling WrestleFest XV

Update On Bandido’s AEW Deal, What Led Him To Sign.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/update-bandidos-aew-deal-led-sign/

Congratulations! Two Former WWE Stars Get Married.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/congratulations-two-former-wwe-stars-get-married/

Ouch: SmackDown Star Out Of Action Three Months Following Surgery.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/smackdown-star-action-three-months-following-surgery/

That’s A Long Time: Bad News On Tommaso Ciampa’s In-Ring Status.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/thats-long-time-bad-news-tommaso-ciampas-ring-status/

WATCH: Several Former Champions Return On WWE SmackDown.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-several-former-champions-return-wwe-smackdown/

I Know Them! WWE Has Special Celebrity Plans For WrestleMania 39.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/know-wwe-special-celebrity-plans-wrestlemania-39/

Round Three: Here’s What WWE Reportedly Has Planned For Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley III.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/round-three-heres-wwe-reportedly-planned-brock-lesnar-vs-bobby-lashley-iii/

Uso-No: Injury Update On Jey Uso.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/uso-no-injury-update-on-jey-uso/

That Kind Of Story: WWE Teases Using Real Life Relationship As Storyline.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kind-story-wwe-teases-using-real-life-relationship-storyline/

WATCH: WWE Star Teases Taking Going In A New Direction.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-wwe-star-teases-taking-going-new-direction/

New Home? Important Streaming Trend Could Shake Up AEW And WWE Television Deals.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/new-home-important-streaming-trend-shake-aew-wwe-television-deals/

WWE’s Scarlett Reportedly Involved In Incident With Fan At Live Event.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwes-scarlett-reportedly-involved-incident-fan-live-event/

And NEW! Former WWE Star Wins First World Title.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/new-former-wwe-star-wins-famous-world-title/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Triple H Changes His Mind On Group Of WWE Stars.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-triple-h-changes-mind-group-wwe-stars/

I’ve Seen That Before: Fans Accuse Sarah Logan Of Copying Independent Wrestler’s Look.

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

WrestleFest XV
Date: January 15, 2011
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Attendance: 1,700
Commentator: Jerry Strauss
Hosts: Jerry Strauss, Reby Sky

This is from Northeast Wrestling and is the latest in the long line of shows I picked up from the big Highspots sale. I’ve looked at Northeast Wrestling before and they have been around for a very long time now, so it could be interesting to see what they had a pretty long time ago. Let’s get to it.

Keep in mind that I am coming into this blind so I apologize in advance for not knowing anything about characters or plot points coming in.

Our hosts welcome us to the show and run down the card before throwing us backstage for an interview.

Romeo Roselli (formerly of the Heartthrobs/breakers) and Max Bauer interrupt an interview and promise to take out Sgt. Slaughter, Private Jeff Star and….a local DJ named Boris?

We’re still in the pre-show so we go to the fan meet and greet for some promos from various people on the card.

Brian Anthony is ready to find Hurricane Helms’ Kryptonite and prove that he is the only lime green superhero the northeast needs.

Roxxi (better known as Roxxi Levoux in TNA) is ready for Mia Yim and can’t wait to show what she can do. Since talking doesn’t seem to be Roxxi’s strong suit, here is Yim to mock her a bit. This was really not good.

Hurricane Helms vs. Brian Anthony

Thankfully Hurricane doesn’t have that weird Hurribelt with him. The fans are behind Hurricane and Anthony isn’t sure about that. Hurricane grabs an armdrag but gets punched in the face coming out of the corner. A shoulder drops Hurricane but he’s right back up with the superhero pose for quite the reaction. The threat of a chokeslam sends Anthony bailing to the floor, only to have him come back in for Hurricane’s leg lariat.

Anthony is sent outside for the slingshot dive but he knocks Hurricane out of the air back inside. Hurricane gets sent hard into the corner and we’re off to the chinlock. With that broken up, Anthony hits a running knee for two and they’re back to the floor. This time it’s Hurricane chopping away against the ropes, only to have Anthony come back with a hard clothesline inside.

The nerve hold doesn’t last long as Hurricane starts the comeback, including something like a reverse Unprettier for two. Hurricane’s Shining Wizard is countered into a spinebuster for two more. The moonsault misses for Anthony though and it’s a chokeslam to give Hurricane the pin at 9:27.

Rating: C+. That’s a good choice for an opener as Hurricane has enough star power to feel like a big deal but he can also wrestle a completely fine match. Anthony is someone I’ve seen before and he continues to show talent, even much earlier in his career. This worked just fine as a way to start the show and it wound up being a rather nice mix for the situation.

Sabu vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Vik Dalishus vs. Ryan McBride vs. Hale Collins

Ladder match (of course) for a title shot later tonight. The fans want tables before anyone even comes out so you might know what you’re in for here. Everyone but Sabu goes outside to start so Sabu hits a baseball slide to start the fighting on the floor. Sabu punches Ciampa as Collins and McBride fight inside. Dalishus and Collins, collectively known as the Now, take out McBride with a Smoking Gunns Sidewinder but Ciampa makes the save.

Ciampa hits the running knee to Collins as we hear about Sabu’s ECW days. Everyone gets back inside and Collins’ Air Sabu only hits ladder instead of McBride. Sabu gets back up to beat on Dalishus with a chair as McBride drops Collins HARD onto the ladder. Another ladder is brought in and Collins drops an elbow onto the ladder onto McBride. It’s Sabu coming in for the save but getting powerbombed off the ladder.

This time McBride comes up for a safe of his own but Ciampa pulls him off the ladder into the yet to be named Project Ciampa. Dalishus hits a big springboard moonsault to the floor to take out McBride as the greedy fans want tables. The Now gets together to throw things at Ciampa but Sabu one ups them by pelting some chairs. An Arabian Facebuster through a table knocks Dalishus silly but Collins cuts off a climbing Ciampa.

The Now loads up the ladder but Ciampa comes back with a rope to hang Dalishus. A big ladder is set up on the floor and Collins uses it to elbow McBride through a table. Ciampa moonsaults off the top onto Sabu and Dalishus to put everyone down. Collins and Ciampa go up but Dalishus pulls Ciampa down, allowing Collins to win at 13:50.

Rating: B-. You had five people, they did a bunch of flips and dives, then one of them won the match. There is only so much that you are going to be able to get out of a match like this and we hit it pretty firmly. Collins didn’t really get to show off or anything, but he can do that later on tonight in his title match. Sabu was the star power here and was just kind of here being Sabu without going too far in any way. So yeah: indy ladder match with one then famous name.

Post match NEW Champion Matt Taven comes out to hold up the belt for the showdown.

Here is MVP, in the show’s main event, for a chat. MVP hits the catchphrases and says this is his first post-WWE show. He asked for his release from WWE and that gets a PG SUCKS chant. MVP says PG does suck but what matters is that there are some talented professional wrestlers in that locker room. Tonight he is here to face Matt Hardy, so how many people remember their feud from Smackdown?

Love him or hate him, Matt is talented and won quite a few titles. One of them was the WWE Tag Team Titles with MVP, who carried him to the gold. They have fought all over the world and tonight it is about respect, but there is no WWE telling them what to do. Instead, they’ll be doing it themselves as they do best, and MVP will be balling. MVP felt like a star here and that is what he should be on this show.

Roxxi vs. Mia Yim

Yim comes out swinging but gets dropkicked down for a quick two. A crossbody (which looked like a botched cartwheel) misses for Roxxi though and Yim slows it down with the clubbing forearms. The front facelock and a pull of the hair put Roxxi down and a kick to the back gives Yim two. Back up and Roxxi gets a boot up in the corner, setting up the exchange of forearms. A fall away slam gives Roxxi her own two but Yim kicks her in the face (simple yet effective) for two. Roxxi gets in another shot of her own though and the Voodoo Drop (arm trap suplex drop, which wasn’t a great finisher) puts Yim away at 4:17.

Rating: D+. This was a strange time for women’s wrestling as there was a level far ahead of the Divas, but this one came off like “hey we have a women’s match”. Yim and Roxxi are talented, but they only got to do so much here. It was a short match and mainly trading strikes, which left it pretty low on the scale.

Sgt. Slaughter/Private Starr vs. Romeo Roselli/Max Bauer

Kurt Adonis is here with Roselli and Bauer and is ready to deal with local DJ Boris, who is nowhere to be seen. Before the match, Roselli mocks the crowd and brags about his abs. They certainly aren’t worried about the Cobra Clutch either, as Adonis has given the Clutch evading lessons. The fans do seem to like Slaughter so the star power is still strong. Slaughter brags about Starr’s “gun rack” and we’re ready to go. Starr (whose first name is Jeff, not Private) is after after a rather long time away due to an injury so the fans are rather happy to see him.

Roselli and Starr, apparently old rivals start, with the fans chanting USA, presumably for Starr. Roselli: “I’M FROM THE USA TOO!!!” I never got that logic from the fans so it’s nice for Roselli have the same line of thinking. Feeling out process to start until Roselli elbows him in the face. Back up and Starr hits a dropkick before handing it off to Slaughter to work on the arm. By that I mean a few arm cranks before it’s back to Starr less than fifteen seconds later.

A slugout goes to Roselli but Slaughter is back with a left arm clothesline. It’s too early for the Cobra Clutch though and Bauer comes in to choke Slaughter in the corner. Adonis gets in a cheap shot like a good evil manager should and we hit the chinlock. Bauer comes back in and elbows Slaughter, who is so out of it that he goes to the wrong corner for a tag.

It’s back to Roselli, who gets punched out of the air so Slaughter can bring Starr back in to clean house. A superkick drops Roselli but Bauer is back in to toss Starr outside. Cue Boris to go after Adonis as Roselli knocks Bauer down by mistake. The Cobra Clutch holds Roselli back as Starr Cannonballs Bauer for the pin at 7:42.

Rating: C. This was a perfectly fine tag match with Slaughter adding the star (not Starr, but star) power to make it feel important. Starr looked good and felt like someone who could be a big deal in the promotion. Bauer felt like a heavy and while it’s weird seeing Roselli as what felt like a singles guy with a monster, he worked well as a heel. They didn’t reinvent the wheel here but what they did worked out just fine.

Jerry Lawler vs. Tommy Dreamer

In a cage (which is maybe six and a half feet above the apron) and this is hyped up as old school/WWE vs. ECW. Thankfully commentary mentions that they had another fight last year at WrestleFest XIV, so this isn’t something entirely based on something from the original ECW.

Before the match, Lawler talks about how he has been asked for years if all of the wrestlers are really friends behind the scenes. It’s true that a lot of the wrestlers are friends, at least to an extent. That being said, it’s like any job: there are people you like and people you don’t like, but then there are people you just despise.

Above all of them is Terry Funk, who is the toughest guy Lawler has ever faced, but Lawler couldn’t warm up to him if they were cremated together. He doesn’t like the Miz and Michael Cole isn’t too far behind him, as Cole cost him the WWE Title. Then there is one guy who he can’t stand, and their problems started back when ECW invaded WWE.

Lawler was never an ECW fan and Dreamer was the one who caused the most of his problems. Tonight is the final battle between the two of them, and no it isn’t the last one until he gets a bigger payday. With that rather lengthy speech out of the way, we’re ready to go. If nothing else, hearing Man In The Box is always worth a smile.

Feeling out process to start with Lawler driving him into the corner for a quick standoff. They trade kicks to the ribs and stare at each other before locking up. Neither can send the other into the cage so they stare at each other again. Lawler takes over with rights and lefts before hitting a Stunner of all things.

Back up and Dreamer blocks a ram into the cage, meaning Lawler can go face first into it a few times instead. Dreamer opens the door and….shoves Lawler out, with the fight heading to the floor. A crutch shot to the back staggers Lawler but he comes back with a chair to drop Dreamer. They fight around the cage with Lawler being sent into the timekeeper’s table, only to come back up with a chair shot. The table is set up against the cage and Dreamer is sent face first but he does the same to Lawler to even it up.

They head back inside with Dreamer putting something between Lawler’s legs and smashing it with a kendo stick. Dreamer misses a dive though and Lawler chokes with the ring bell before having his fist drop hit a chair. A piledriver plants Lawler (apparently a callback to their previous match) but Lawler gets a foot on the rope.

As I shake my head at that working in a cage match, Lawler manages a few shots of his own and ties Dreamer to the cage with some cable. Some kendo shots knock Dreamer free so he grabs the stick and beats the heck out of Lawler. Dreamer picks up a chair but walks into a fireball for the pin at 16:00.

Rating: C+. They did a good job of building up the hatred and anger between the two of them, but I wasn’t wild on the trip outside or the weapons inside. One would think a cage match would be extreme and violent enough, but it felt more like they were trying to have an ECW match and a cage match at the same time. That only kind of worked, but these two have probably done something similar a hundred times (or probably ten times that in Lawler’s case) so they could likely do this in their sleep. And yes, they would wrestle again in this promotion the following year.

Medics check on Dreamer as Lawler celebrates.

Northeast Wrestling Title: Hale Collins vs. Matt Taven

Taven is defending and apparently the two of them are friends. We get the Big Match Intros and Collins is the hometown boy to make this even more interesting. Taven poses to start and the fans don’t seem thrilled with him. Collins poses as well and gets dropkicked, allowing Taven to start in on the heavily bandaged arm.

A DDT onto the arm has Collins in more trouble, with an arm snap across the rope making it worse. We hit the armbar but Collins grabs a rollup, only to get dropkicked right back down. Collins fights up and forearms with the good arm before managing to roll some suplexes. Taven is right back with a cross armbreaker and Collins is in trouble all over again.

The armbar goes on again but Collins fights up and hits a quick Fameasser. Collins’ superkick hits the referee so the second one that hits Taven gets no count. Taven gets up and kicks Collins low, setting up a flipping neckbreaker and a frog splash for….two from a second referee. They get back up and it’s Collins grabbing a small package for the pin and the title out of nowhere at 11:50.

Rating: C-. This is a good example of a match that makes sense on paper but isn’t that good in execution. Instead you have Taven working on the arm in various ways for most of the match before the shenanigansy ending. Collins winning the title in the end is a good way to go and a cool moment that makes the show feel special, even if it came after a pretty lame match.

And never mind as the original referee calls it a DQ and Taven retains. Well that was fun for about ten seconds. Taven leaves so Vik Dalishus and Collins beat up the referee. Collins even gets a pin counted by the first referee.

Matt Hardy vs. MVP

Hardy is looking a bit more muscular than usual. MVP grabs a headlock to start but Matt slips out and they fight over a lockup. A headlock takeover brings Matt down and they trade counters until Matt gets up. MVP grabs an armdrag but has to block a Side Effect. The Twist of Fate is countered as well and we’re at a standoff. They go to a lockup and roll outside without letting it go.

That doesn’t really go anywhere so it’s back inside for what looks to be a bit of miscommunication on a Side Effect attempt. Matt hits the middle rope elbow to the back of the head and we hit the chinlock. MVP powers up and grabs a fireman’s carry drop before kicking Hardy outside. After an exchange of ramming each other into things, MVP takes him back inside for the running boot in the corner and a near fall.

Ballin sets up the Play Of The Day for two and MVP is stunned at the kickout. Hardy fights back up and gets planted with a jumping Downward Spiral for two more. MVP rolls some German suplexes before going up, only to get slammed off the top for two. The Twist of Fate gets two more, meaning it’s frustration/shock time. Hardy tries another Twist but gets reversed into a backslide to give MVP the pin at 14:06.

Rating: B. Believe it or not, two talented, veteran wrestlers who have fought each other a hundred times can have a good match. This felt more polished than anything else on the show and it came off like a big time main event. Hardy and MVP might be a bit past their primes here but they’re names fans will know and they can still work very well with each other. This is exactly what I was expecting and in this case that isn’t a bad thing.

Post match Hardy congratulates MVP and says they’ll meet again down the road. For now though, they can get a beer and celebrate a great match.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a rather fun show and I’ll absolutely take that from an independent event. They had a nice mixture here with star power in the forms of the main event, the cage match and Slaughter, plus young up and comers with local stars mixed in. There were a few weak points throughout but even the worst wasn’t all that awful.

What mattered here was how organized and planned things felt. There was never a point where I was wondering what they were doing or why they were doing it and that is nice for a change. NEW is a company I’ve seen good things from over the years and that was true here too, so you might try the place out, as they seem to know what they are doing.

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

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

AND

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