Rampage
Date: July 8, 2022
Location: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Jim Ross

We’re in for a pretty stacked show this week with Konosuke Takeshita vs. Eddie Kingston and some Ring Of Honor stars, including World Champion Jonathan Gresham, getting their TV time. Throw in Orange Cassidy vs. Tony Nese for Swerve Strickland’s AEW contract, because reasons, and let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Eddie Kingston

They shove each other around to start and then head to the mat, with neither being able to go anywhere. Excalibur lets us know that we just saw a replay of Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Mitsuharu Misawa, because AEW really likes tributes. Kingston takes him down and cranks on both arms, with Takeshita reversing into a double crank of his own.

That reversal is reversed into another reversal before the rope gets Takeshita out of trouble. The head into the corner with Kingston firing off the machine gun chops (minus some of the machine gun speed). Takeshita hits some better forearms but gets headbutted down hard. More slugging out keeps Takeshita in trouble until a heck of a Blue Thunder Bomb gives him two.

We take a break and come back with the slugout on the apron, as Takeshita hits a German suplex to drop Kingston hard. Kingston is fine enough to hit a t-bone suplex on the floor and they both have to beat the count back in. One heck of a clothesline gives Kingston one and a Liger Bomb gives him two.

Back up and Takeshita hits him in the face and grabs a brainbuster for two of his own. They slug it out from their knees and then their feet, where Kingston has to avoid the jumping knee. Kingston nails the spinning backfist, gets hit with the jumping knee, and then hits another spinning backfist for the pin on Takeshita at 12:03.

Rating: B. This was the kind of hard hitting and fun match that you would have expected. What mattered here was about seeing them slug it out and see who was going to be the last man standing. The opening was a copy of a Japanese sequence and the ending certainly felt like another one, so this was quite the fight from beginning to end.

Athena and Kris Statlander want the TNT Title.

Video on Hook.

Gates of Agony vs. Lee Moriarty/Jonathan Gresham

Caprice Coleman is on commentary and Tully Blanchard is here with the Gates (Toa/Kaun). Moriarty gets kneed in the ribs to start and the beating is on, setting up a heck of a chop from Kaun. The choking is on in the corner with Toa taking Moriarty down, setting up Kaun’s slingshot hilo. Toa hits a Samoan drop for two and we take a break. Back with Moriarty fighting out of trouble but Gresham won’t accept the tag and walks away, because we have a heel turn. Gresham hugs Blanchard in the aisle as Moriarty gets caught in a fireman’s carry gutbuster for the pin at 7:28.

Rating: C. This was about the turn and nothing more, though it should also set up Moriarty as the next challenge for the Ring Of Honor World Title, possibly at Death Before Dishonor. That should be a great technical off, though I could have gone for more of Gresham as a hero. If nothing else though, this should give us a heck of a star making performance once someone takes Gresham’s title.

Eddie Kingston is happy with his match with Konosuke Takeshita and loves young competitors like that. That sends him to Chris Jericho, who made Kingston a liar by not bleeding. Now he wants a barbed wire match with Jericho for what Jericho did to Ruby Soho.

Kayla Sparks/Christina Marie vs. Serena Deeb/Mercedes Martinez

Deeb runs them over to start and takes Marie into the corner for the running clothesline. The throat first catapult into the bottom rope has Marie down again but Deeb stops to yell at Martinez. That’s enough for a tag from Martinez, who hits Marie with a sliding knee. Marie is dropped ribs first across the top rope and it’s back to Deeb for the Serenity Lock and the win at 2:24. To the point here with pure dominance.

Post match Deeb takes Martinez down and puts her in the Serenity Lock.

Jonathan Gresham is tired of being on the sidelines but Tully Blanchard got him back in. Blanchard is looking forward to next week’s title match.

Danhausen, still Orange Cassidy’s lawyer, objects to Mark Sterling trying to get Cassidy to sign the petition to get rid of Swerve Strickland. Cassidy: “Yeah I don’t care.”

Lee Moriarty, with Matt Sydal, is ready to win the Ring Of Honor World Title next week.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Orange Cassidy vs. Tony Nese

For Swerve Strickland’s future, despite Strickland having nothing to do with this match. Cassidy loads up the hands in the pockets but rolls away from a charging Nese. A shoulder takes Nese down and Cassidy puts his hands in his pockets, allowing him to avoid back to back Nese legdrops. There’s a dropkick to send Nese outside, with Cassidy nipping up without taking his hands out of his pockets.

Back in and Cassidy snapmares him down, setting up a thumbs up before the crucifix gets two. Nese is right back with a fireman’s carry gutbuster for two (showing that his knees are not as good as Kaun’s from the tag match) to send Cassidy outside, where Sterling gets in some cheap shots.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy fighting out of a bodyscissors but getting elbowed in the face. Cassidy can’t hit his tornado DDT so Nese northern lights suplexes him for two instead. Nese puts him up top but gets knocked down, meaning Sterling needs to offer a distraction. That draw Danhausen up for a save but Nese baseball slides him into the barricade. Cassidy grabs the Stundog Millionaire and a Michinoku Driver for a close two. Now the tornado DDT can plant Nese and Cassidy does it again for a bonus.

The top rope DDT gets two so Sterling gets on the apron. The lazy kicks have Sterling screaming, followed by Nese getting up for a pumphandle driver and his own near fall. Nese’s running Nese hits buckle so Sterling gets in with the clipboard but Danhausen is back in to steal it and hit Sterling low. Nese gets cursed and the Orange Punch gives Cassidy the pin at 15:00.

Rating: B-. The match was certainly fun and this is the kind of story where Cassidy and Danhausen work very well. It wasn’t a serious story, with Swerve Strickland not even being involved in a funny bit, which is where these two schnooks belong. I chuckled enough times in here to make it work and while it might have been a bit longer than it needed to be, this was a rather entertaining main event.

Posing ensues to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event and opener are more than good enough to make the show work, even if the stuff in the middle was just ok. What mattered here was having a mixture of a hard hitting opener, storyline advancing matches in the middle and a fun main event. I liked the show rather well and the variety made it work well. Good show this week.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Konosuke Takeshita – Spinning backfist
Gates Of Agony b. Lee Moriarty/Jonathan Gresham – Fireman’s carry gutbuster to Moriarty
Serena Deeb/Mercedes Martinez b. Kayla Sparks/Christina Marie – Serenity Lock to Marie
Orange Cassidy b. Tony Nese – Orange Punch

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: July 8, 2022
Location: Dickie’s Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re done with Money In The Bank and have just over three weeks before Summerslam, but because this is WWE, we need to build towards Clash At The Castle too. This week will feature Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus for the shot at Roman Reigns at the show in Wales in September. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Theory losing the US Title but then becoming Mr. Money In The Bank later in the night.

Here is the Bloodline to get things going. After their full entrance, Theory pops up on the stage, with Cole asking if he’s going to cash in Money In The Bank now. No Cole, he isn’t. After a break (meaning nothing of note has happened in nearly fifteen minutes on the air), Roman Reigns talks about how happy he is to be here, including saying that he’s hearing some mixed reactions from the fans.

As long as God wakes him up every day, he can handle anything. Now he’s here and seeing the Usos and his Special Counsel….and the Counsel looks like this. Heyman looks terrified but Reigns says it’s ok, even as he hands Heyman the microphone and asks what’s wrong. Heyman says that he loves his Tribal Chief but the problem is Brock Lesnar.

We hear about the things that Lesnar has done over the years and Heyman is worried that we’re going to have to see the savage Reigns. Putting Lesnar down for ten seconds in Lesnar’s final title shot is going to be near impossible and Reigns is going to have to do everything he can. Heyman believes in him and takes a knee, but here is Theory (who left the arena and is now coming back) to take a lap around the ring. And nothing else. This was every Reigns vs. Lesnar promo you’ve ever heard warmed up in the microwave with WWE hoping there is a bit of flavor left in it.

Video on the Viking Raiders.

Viking Raiders vs. Jinder Mahal/Shanky

Gee, I wonder if Shanky is going to dance and Jinder will get in trouble because of it. The bell rings and Shanky goes to the floor to dance, leaving Jinder to get beaten down and hit with the powerbomb for the fast pin at 1:08.

Post match the Vikings beat up Jinder again but New Day comes out. Yes the Vikings have beaten them up in recent weeks, but those were unsanctioned beatings. Therefore, New Day has cards for OFFICIAL A** BEATINGS and charges the ring. The brawl is on with New Day being destroyed in short order.

We look back at Happy Corbin jumping Pat McAfee and beating him down after Money In The Bank went off the air.

Here is Gunther for an Intercontinental Title open challenge. Ludvig Kaiser doesn’t think there is anyone worthy of this shot while Gunther says it is foolish to defend a title against someone when you don’t know they’re coming. Cue Shinsuke Nakamura to say that if Gunther isn’t ready, he’ll face Kaiser. Of note: Happy Corbin is on commentary to prove he can do what Pat McAfee can do. As Nakamura comes out, Corbin and Graves get on the announcers’ table to play their air guitars as Cole looks like he’s ready to jump off a building.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Ludvig Kaiser

Nakamura takes him down but goes to yell at Gunther, allowing Kaiser to get in a cheap shot as we take a break thirty seconds in. Back with Nakamura kicking Kaiser down as Corbin talks about football. Kinshasa finishes for Nakamura at 5:35. Nowhere near enough shown to rate but this should set up the Summerslam title match.

Post match Nakamura leaves and Gunther yells at Kaiser, who gets chopped as punishment.

We recap Liv Morgan’s wild ride at Money In The Bank, resulting in her winning the Smackdown Women’s Title.

Here is Liv Morgan for a chat with Michael Cole, but first we get the YOU DESERVE IT. Morgan is rather emotional and talks about how she is going to fight to keep the title. Cue Natalya to interrupt and says she wants the title but Ronda Rousey (limping badly) interrupts as well. After sounding like she forgot where we are, she offers to kick the “credit” (yes credit) out of Natalya. That earns her a cheap shot but Natalya gets chased off as we take a break.

Ronda Rousey vs. Natalya

Rousey is in what passes for street clothes and kicks Natalya outside. Natalya teases limping out but Rousey is right back to kick her in the leg. The ankle lock on the apron sets up an ankle lock in the ring to make Natalya tap at 2:18. What in the world was the point of that?

Here is Max Dupree to introduce his Maximum Male Models tennis collection, with Mace and Mansoor modeling the gear and Dupree listing off various descriptions. And yes, they are taking applications.

We look at Theory taking a lap around the ring earlier.

Theory is ready to cash in on either Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar at Summerslam. With Theory gone, Madcap Moss comes up to say he’d love to shut Theory up.

Aliyah/Lacey Evans vs. Shotzi/Shayna Baszler

Lacey comes to the arena, doesn’t get the reception she wants, and then does it again to a louder reaction. Then she does it a third time just to make sure. Hold on again as Lacey grabs a mic and says that was a disappointing reaction. The fans know who she is because she poured her heart out on live TV and she gets that kind of reaction? She’s an American hero and calls a bunch of the fans fat. Lacey goes to leave but stops to punch out Aliyah. No match, with Shotzi and Baszler never appearing.

Usos vs. Los Lotharios

Champions Contenders match and we’re joined in progress with Jimmy being sent into Angel’s boots. Los Lotharios get the Usos knocked outside and switch places a few times to amp up the frustration. Back in and Humberto gets shoved off the top, setting up a superkick. The 1D finishes Humberto at 2:02 shown.

Post match the Usos are shown the Street Profits getting a shoulder up at Money In The Bank. There is going to be a rematch at Summerslam, with rumors of a special guest referee. The Usos are happy with that, depending on who it is….which we don’t know yet.

Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre

The winner goes on to get the title shot at Clash At The Castle. Hold on though as Sheamus is coughing a lot and thinks he might have a touch of the Covids. He can’t wrestle tonight because he needs to get tested, so Butch can take his place.

Drew McIntyre vs. Butch

Butch goes for the arm to start but Drew slips out. The Claymore finishes for McIntyre at 1:28.

Post match Drew beats up Ridge Holland and holds off Sheamus with the sword. He cuts the ropes, ala Wrestlemania, for a bonus, to end the show. Ignore the sword bending.

Overall Rating: D. I really wasn’t feeling this show tonight, as it felt like it was thrown together at the last minute with a bunch of short matches and little that actually mattered. Heck the New Day even acknowledged that they were basically doing the same thing they had done for the last few weeks. None of the matches got any time and it was mainly a bunch of short action and talking, most of which meant nothing. Throw in the bait and switch main event and this was a pretty horrible night.

Results
Viking Raiders b. Jinder Mahal/Shanky – Powerbomb to Mahal
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Ludvig Kaiser – Kinshasa
Ronda Rousey b. Natalya – Ankle lock
Usos b. Los Lotharios – 1D to Humberto
Drew McIntyre b. Butch – Claymore

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:

Summerslam Count-Up – 1996 (2013 Redo)

Summerslam Count-Up – 1997 (2013 Redo)

NXT UK – July 7, 2022

Impact Wrestling – June 23, 2022

Stick Around: WWE Announces Long Term Contract Extension For Popular Broadcaster.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/stick-around-wwe-announces-long-term-contract-extension-popular-broadcaster/

The Big Twist: Major Title Shakeup At NXT UK TV Tapings *CONTAINS SPOILERS*.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/major-title-shakeup-nxt-uk-tv-tapings-contains-spoilers/

Over There: WWE Star Officially Moving From Monday Night Raw To SmackDown.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-star-officially-moving-monday-night-raw-smackdown/

Getting Closer: Positive Sign For Bayley’s WWE Return.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/getting-closer-positive-sign-bayleys-wwe-return/

That’s Not Good: Tony Khan Offers Injury Update On Adam Cole.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/thats-not-good-tony-khan-offers-injury-update-adam-cole/

It’s Not Looking Good: Multiple Updates On Sasha Banks And Naomi’s WWE Statuses.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/not-looking-good-multiple-updates-sasha-banks-naomis-wwe-statuses/

It’s Not Your Usual Title: AEW Has A Special Plan For New Championship.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/not-usual-title-aew-special-plan-new-championship/

That’s A Turnaround: Former WWE Employee Becomes British Education Secretary.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/thats-turnaround-former-wwe-employee-becomes-british-education-secretary/

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 23, 2022
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Slammiversary and that means things need to pick up a bit. While a few lower level titles changed hands at the pay per view, Josh Alexander retained the World Title in the main event by defeating Eric Young. That means he needs a new challenger and we might find out who that is today. Let’s get to it.

Here is Slammiversary if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Slammiversary, as you probably saw coming.

Opening sequence, now back to We Own The Night instead of the mixtures from recent weeks.

Here is Honor No More to take over the show to start, with Mike Bennett stealing a camera so Eddie Edwards can talk about how the celebration is continuing today. Everyone has been going crazy with the nostalgia but Honor No More is the one thing that people should be talking about. They didn’t lose on Sunday…..except for PCO. Vincent says he brought PCO back to life for Honor No More instead of Impact.

We hear about Traci Brooks and D’Lo Brown interfering, plus Earl Hebner suddenly being a referee. All this happened while Scott D’Amore watched on, which has Vincent thinking. They are the ones who are always making this place more interesting, but here is America’s Most Wanted to interrupt. James Storm says the lyrics to his theme music before talking about how things used to be around here. Storm sums up the problem with Honor No More: they suck.

Kenny King asks what year it is and says Storm might as well have come out here on his own. Chris Harris says if King keeps talking, he’ll make King cry harder than he did on the Bachelorette. Violence is teased but AMW brings out the Good Brothers to even things up a bit more. The brawl is on but Honor No More gets the better of things until the Briscoes make the real save. House is cleaned and Honor No More is cleared out.

Gisele Shaw offers Alisha Edwards a cupcake after Masha Slamovich wrecked her. This turns into an argument, as Edwards mocks Shaw for having no friends but Shaw is off to find a partner to win the Tag Team Titles. They got more than a bit lost in the messaging here and I’m not entirely sure how they got from A to B.

Honor No More yells at Scott D’Amore so they get a ten man tag at Against All Odds and a six man tonight.

Chelsea Green vs. Mia Yim

Deonna Purrazzo comes out with Green and joins commentary. Green fires off the kicks to start and sends Yim pretty hard into the corner. They head outside with Yim hitting a suplex and we take a break. Back with Yim grabbing a bow and arrow but Green slips out and hammers away. That doesn’t last long as Green is up with a whip into the corner, setting up a Tarantula.

With that broken up as well, Green kicks her down to the floor for a breather. Back in and Yim kicks away, only to get caught with a Codebreaker into a Stomp for a rather close two. Green loads up Yim’s Eat Defeat but gets reversed into a quick belly to back suplex. Yim goes up but Purrazzo shoves her down for the crash. Cue Mickie James to jump Purrazzo, allowing Yim to hit Eat Defeat for the pin at 12:29.

Rating: B-. That might be high but I was getting into this one, even with the screwy finish. They got rolling here rather well and beat each other up for a pretty long while. It might be the best Green match I’ve ever seen and Yim wasn’t that far behind. Good stuff here and I was into it almost all the way throughout.

Post match Mia and Mickie look at each other, with a tag match seeming likely.

The Influence isn’t happy with their loss and don’t seem thrilled with each other either. Gisele Shaw comes in to offer her services to replace the injured Madison Rayne. That might be possible, if Shaw can take out Rosemary or Taya Valkyrie.

Bhupinder Gujjar/Shark Boy vs. Johnny Swinger/Zicky Dice

Shark Boy (with a rather good sized gut) starts with Swinger but it’s off to Dice before much happens. Gujjar comes in as well and gets to pummel both goons a bit before handing it right back to Shark Boy. Dice gets hammered in the corner but a Swinger distraction lets him hit a quick clothesline. That’s about it for Shark boy getting beaten on though as he gets over to Gujjar for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and the Chummer hits Swinger, followed by the middle rope spear to finish Dice at 3:44.

Rating: C. The match was nothing to see but how could you not have a good time with this? They weren’t trying to do anything more than have a good time with the old guys and Dice while giving Gujjar a win. It was a quick, fun match and that is all it was supposed to be, especially with how short they kept things here.

Post match Deaner and Joe Doering run in and take out Gujjar and Shark Boy. Deaner wants Josh Alexander out here RIGHT NOW but that’s not what he gets. Instead, he gets Alexander after a break, with Alexander asking why he’s here. Deaner hypes up Doering as Alexander’s next challenger at Against All Odds. The staredown is on with Deaner keeping up the threats/promises but Alexander promises to take Alexander out. The brawl is on with Alexander getting beaten down until security comes out and gets beaten up too. Actually hold on because Alexander wants to do this now.

Josh Alexander vs. Deaner

Non-title. Alexander strikes away to start and drops an early knee, followed by a backbreaker for two. Deaner gets sent to the apron for the running crossbody dive from Alexander to put him on the floor in a heap. That works better for Deaner who manages a posting, setting up some shots to the back of the head back inside. Deaner ties him up in the corner and hits a running dropkick to the back to jar Alexander’s neck hard.

It doesn’t seem to do much damage to Alexander, who is right back with the rolling German suplexes. The ankle lock is blocked so Alexander hits another German suplex, followed by the ankle lock in the corner. Since that can’t last, Deaner is right back with a big boot but the Deaner DDT is countered into the ankle lock for the tap at 5:12.

Rating: C. Not too bad here but there wasn’t exactly a ton of drama. Deaner is little more than the designated goon of the team and while that is a good spot for him, it doesn’t exactly leave much for him to do in the ring. Alexander running through Violent By Design for a few weeks is a fine enough short form story before we get to the Bound For Glory build, though I can’t imagine it mattering anywhere beyond Against All Odds.

Frankie Kazarian calls Slammiversary one of the best nights of his career and we hear a quick recap of the ten man tag. Now though, he wants one more match with his career rival, Chris Sabin.

Jordynne Grace is happy with her Knockouts Title win and thanks Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans.

Steelz is ready to get her title back at Against All Odds, but first, Grace can face Evans.

Sami Callihan vs. Jack Price

Sami offers him a headlock to start before hitting a fast clothesline. The Cactus Driver 97 finishes Price at 1:21.

Post match Moose comes in and jumps Sami, including putting him through a table at ringside.

The Good Brothers tell the Briscoes they have their back in the main event. James Storm is ready to go to the ring too but first he tells Chris Harris to stay in the back and Harris actually agrees.

Sami Callihan runs into Gail Kim and wants another match with Moose. That’s cool with Gail, who makes a Clockwork Orange House Of Fun match.

Here’s what’s coming up on upcoming shows.

Honor No More vs. James Storm/Good Brothers/Briscoes

Matt Taven/Mike Bennett/Eddie Edwards for the team here. Mark drives Taven into the corner to start with Taven hitting a quick dropkick. Back up and they chop it out until Taven is taken into the corner for a running big boot from Jay. Taven gets over for the tag off to Edwards, with Storm coming in to neckbreaker him down. Everything breaks down and both Briscoes hit a dive as we take a break.

Back with Storm cleaning house until Bennett gets in a shot to the face to cut him down. They get back in and Taven hits a middle rope moonsault for two on Storm and Eddie grabs the front facelock. As you might have guessed, that means Storm can get up and drive Eddie into the corner but the referee doesn’t see the tag.

Storm manages a Backstabber out of the other corner though and the hot tag brings in Mark to really clean house. Redneck Boogie hits Taven but Eddie is back up to drop Mark. The Last Call hits Eddie but Bennett is back with a superkick. The Broton Pack to finish Mark at 15:44.

Rating: C+. I was a little confused coming into this because of the ten man tag at Against All Odds but at least we got a decent enough match here. Storm is one of those wrestlers who never ages and it is always nice to see him back in an Impact ring. Honor No More winning to get back on track is a good thing too as they still have enough status to keep them as a threat, which is a valuable thing to have.

Post match the rest of Honor No More runs in to keep up the beating but the Good Brothers run in for the save. That doesn’t work either and Mark’s leg is Pillmanized over and over to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a weird show as they had to keep things moving to get towards Against All Odds, but at the same time they had to find a way to come out from Slammiversary. They managed to stick most of the landing and at least they didn’t do anything too bad. Fun enough show, though having Against All Odds next week isn’t a great move. At least they had something here though and it was a pretty good show.

Results
Mia Yim b. Chelsea Green – Eat Defeat
Bhupinder Gujjar/Shark Boy b. Johnny Swinger/Zicky Dice – Middle rope spear to Dice
Josh Alexander b. Deaner – Ankle lock
Sami Callihan b. Jack Price – Cactus Driver 97
Honor No More b. Briscoes/James Storm – Broton Pack to Mark

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

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

AND

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

NXT UK
Date: July 7, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

Things need to pick up a bit around here and unfortunately that has been the case for a little while now. Between the influx of NXT stars and nothing major happening for a few weeks now, it hasn’t been the most exciting place. Maybe that can be changed this week as Kenny Williams faces Tiger Turan. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kenny Williams vs. Tiger Turan

Williams charges at him before the bell but settles for a lockup once we get going. That earns him an armbar from Turan without much effort, followed by a running shoulder for the knockdown. Turan goes back to the arm before dropkicking a frustrated Williams out to the floor. Back in and Turan does a headstand in the corner to avoid another charge before kicking Williams down again.

Williams finally gets smart by taking out the leg and a boot scrape across the eyes makes it worse. The neck crank doesn’t do much for Williams as Turan is back with a sunset flip for two. A tilt-a-whirl faceplant plants Williams but the Swanton hits raised knees. That lets Williams talk a bunch of trash (Williams: “I KNOW IT’S YOU!”) but the distraction lets Turan grab a small package for the pin at 6:35.

Rating: C. This was a grudge match and the story is likely to continue. I’m not sure where it is going, though Amir Jordan being acknowledged last week has me curious. Why would you have name drop the person’s name if he is supposed to be a surprise? Anyway, this story is interesting me more than I would have bet on so well done with the success.

Post match Williams goes after Turan and takes the mask off, revealing….a second mask. Referees have to drag Williams away from the ring. Nigel mentioned Amir Jordan as Turan’s likely identity during the melee.

Video on Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen winning the Tag Team Titles and being targeted by Pretty Deadly.

Trent Seven was held back by security when Sam Gradwell came in. Even Gradwell thinks what Seven did was low, but Seven storms off anyway.

Die Familie again wants Oliver Carter to join the team but he doesn’t like Ashton Smith’s name being invoked. The result is Carter vs. Teoman at some point in the future.

Josh Morrell vs. Primate

Primate drives him into the corner for some yelling to start but Morrell gets in a shove of his own to start the frustration. The test of strength actually puts Primate down but Morrell can’t break his bridge. With that not working, Morrell goes up to the corner and gets German suplexed right back down for the big crash. A backdrop gives Primate two but Morrell low bridges him to the floor. Back in and Primate runs him over again, setting up a clothesline to the apron. That’s fine with Morrell, who grabs a sunset flip for the completely clean pin at 4:06.

Rating: C. This was an interesting way to go as Morrell got the clean win so he gets a boost, but the match felt more like Primate having trouble after dropping Eddie Dennis. That story can be advanced, but at the same time, Morrell finally gets a win that could move him up the ladder. Maybe it means nothing, but at least he is getting a start.

Blair Davenport is back and gets interrupted by Amale. Last week Davenport talked about crushing hope, which COULDN’T have been about her. Davenport laughs it off, but does threaten Amale if she ever tries anything else. With Davenport gone, Stevie Turner comes in and gets a match with Amale as a result.

Video on Ilja Dragunov and all of the people he has beaten. The big takeaway here: what happened to Rampage Brown? As for now though, Dragunov sees a lion called Wolfgang and is ready to face that lion.

Tate Mayfairs vs. Trent Seven

Seven chops him down to start and hits more chops to make it even worse. A DDT plants Mayfairs and another chop gets two. The trash talk takes a bit too long though and Mayfairs strikes away, only to get chopped back down. The Seven Star Lariat finishes Mayfairs at 4:07.

Rating: C-. I get the idea they’re going for here, but at the end of the day, it is a little hard to get behind the idea of Seven as a huge threat. He is doing things right and feels like a villain, but Seven has never felt like some top star in the ring. It’s hard to buy the idea of him being a threat to any top name other than Tyler Bate so this might be a one feud push. It still works, but I’m seeing a pretty firm ceiling.

Post match Seven grabs a leglock, drawing out Sam Gradwell for the save.

Noam Dar calls himself a victim of his own success because he has cleared out the entire Heritage Cup division. That’s why Mark Coffey is getting another shot, because Mark is a lucky lucky boy. The fact that there is a ton of money on the line doesn’t make it any harder.

Meiko Satomura/Sarray vs. Xia Brookside/Eliza Alexander

Brookside pulls Sarray’s hair to start so Sarray cranks on the arm. That’s reversed into some arm cranking from Brookside, which is reversed into some arm cranking from Sarray. Brookside has to headstand her way out of a headscissors and it’s Alexander coming in for a shot to the ribs. Sarray bridges out of a near fall and hits a basement dropkick, allowing the tag off to Satomura.

House is quickly cleaned and it’s already back to Sarray, who is clotheslined down in a hurry. Alexander hits a basement forearm for two and we hit the camel clutch. With that broken up, Sarray rolls her up and hits a double stomp to the chest for two. The real hot tag brings in Satomura to clean house, including a DDT and a frog splash for two on Alexander. Everything breaks down and Alexander pulls Brookside out of the way of a charging Sarray. Satomura is back up and Brookside gets knocked into the ropes for that SCARY running dropkick from Sarray. Scorpio Rising finishes Brookside at 9:28.

Rating: C+. The people involved alone here are going to make the match work but there is only so much that can be done when Satomura is going to come in and clean house like she did here. I’m sure we’re coming up on Blair Davenport getting the title shot soon enough, so having Brookside and Alexander get beaten up is not that interesting. Best match on the show though, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Celebrating ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. I’m not sure what to think of this show. For one thing, they did have far less of a focus on the regular NXT stars, but what we got wasn’t all that interesting. Things have cooled down a lot around here as of late, with the Turan vs. Williams stuff probably being the best story going. I’m not sure what is going on around here, but they need something to pick up the pace because this show has dropped in interest quite a bit.

Results
Tiger Turan b. Kenny Williams – Small package
Josh Morrell b. Primate – Sunset flip
Trent Seven b. Tate Mayfairs – Seven Star Lariat
Meiko Satomura/Sarray b. Xia Brookside/Eliza Alexander – Scorpio Rising to Brookside

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

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AND

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

Summerslam 1997
Date: August 3, 1997
Location: Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 20,213
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon, Jim Ross

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Mankind

Chyna comes inside and tries to drag HHH out as Mankind climbs over the top. He gets down to the apron and takes off his mask but climbs back up. The fans chant SUPERFLY as Mankind goes up, rips open his shirt to reveal a Dude Love heart, and drops an elbow off the top of the cage. Mankind climbs out and reaches the floor just before Chyna can drag HHH out to the floor.

Rating: A-. This was great stuff with Mankind overcoming everything HHH and Chyna could throw at him before hitting the huge spot to win it. There was a very good story built up between these two which would finally be blown off in a street fight at the first Raw in MSG. Great opener here and the fans were WAY into it. You could see the future in these two and it was awesome.

Call the Hotline!

Todd Pettingill (he still had a job at this point?) brings out the governor along with Gorilla Monsoon and the Headbangers for some reason. She got rid of some entertainment tax on wrestling shows to allow the first show in New Jersey since the 80s. Gorilla gives her a WWF Championship belt as a thank you present.

Video on the local festivities leading up to Summerslam.

Goldust vs. Brian Pillman

Goldust is a face by this point. Pillman jumps him to start but Goldust hits a jumping back elbow out of the corner. He pounds on Brian in the corner and kisses him to the floor but Pillman is ticked off. Brian drops Goldust with a clothesline and goes after Malena, only to be headed off by Goldie with an uppercut. Back in and Pillman takes him down with a snap suplex but Goldust crotches him off the top.

Godwinns vs. Legion of Doom

The LOD are actually referred to as Road Warriors here which is rare for the WWF. LOD cleans house to start, sending the Godwinns to the floor with Hawk hitting a clothesline off the apron. We get started with Phineas vs. Animal with the latter missing a charge into the corner, allowing the hog dudes to double team him. Animal comes back with a double clothesline of his own to send the Godwinns to the floor.

Rating: D+. This was supposed to be about revenge but the match never acted like that at all. The Godwinns were horrible as heels and this was a very dull match as a result. LOD still had a little bit in the tank here but they were going to explode in the next few months but almost no one cared.

We recap British Bulldog vs. Ken Shamrock which is another spinoff from the Border War. Bulldog was about to lose an arm wrestling match on Monday so he laid Shamrock out with a chair and shoved dog food down his throat.

European Title: Ken Shamrock vs. British Bulldog

Post match Shamrock chokes Bulldog out for a VERY long time, to the point where Bulldog would be dead. The referees get suplexes.

Los Boricuas vs. Disciples of Apocalypse

Jesus hits a Fameasser on Skull to set up another four on one beatdown. We hit a chinlock but 8 Ball breaks it up to prevent further boredom. Skull finally gets over for the tag and everything breaks down. Chainz is sent to the floor and punches Ahmed who responds with a sitout powerbomb on the concrete, giving Miguel an easy pin in the ring.

A 12 man brawl follows.

Intercontinental Title: Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart

Owen takes him down by the knee and wraps it around the ring post right after the bell. Back in and Austin fires off right hands and hits the Thesz press before hitting the HARD whip into the corner ala Bret. Austin pulls him around by the hair and stomps the stomach for two. Back up and Austin works the arm with a wristlock as the fans chant USA. Owen does his spinning nip up to counter but Steve casually pokes him in the eye.

WWF World Title: Undertaker vs. Bret Hart

Bret brings a chair into the ring and lays out Undertaker with no Michaels to see it. Shawn limps back into the ring but the count only gets two. Bret erupts on Shawn and flips him off before pounding away in the corner again. Shawn picks up the chair and is spat on by Bret. Shawn swings the chair but knocks Undertaker out cold, giving Bret the pin and the title.

Rating: B+. This took a lot of time to get going but with thirty minutes to use they had more than enough time to waste. Hart winning was definitely the right move after he spent all summer on top of the company. This opened up a lot more options than Taker was providing, which is what a champion is supposed to do.

Post match Undertaker is FURIOUS and goes after Shawn. The Hart Foundation celebrates to end the show.

Ratings Comparison

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Mankind

Original: A

Redo: A-

Brian Pillman vs. Goldust

Original: D

Redo: D

Legion of Doom vs. Godwinns

Original: C-

Redo: D

British Bulldog vs. Ken Shamrock

Original: D-

Redo: D

Disciples of Apocalypse vs. Los Boricuas

Original: D

Redo: D-

Owen Hart vs. Steve Austin

Original: B

Redo: B

Undertaker vs. Bret Hart

Original: A

Redo: B+

Overall Rating

Original: B

Redo: C+

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/07/31/history-of-summerslam-count-up-1997-shawn-vs-taker-begins/

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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Summerslam 1996
Date: August 18, 1996
Location: Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 17,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, Mr. Perfect

Steve Austin vs. Yokozuna

The opening video is about monsters like Vader and Mankind wearing masks but heroes standing up to them no matter what.

Owen Hart vs. Savio Vega

Post match Justin Hawk Bradshaw comes out to lay out Vega once again.

Tag Titles: Smoking Gunns vs. New Rockers vs. Bodydonnas vs. Godwinns

Rating: D-. This was so boring I could barely keep my eyes open. The tag title scene was so barren at this point that there were practically zero interesting acts at all. That would be the case for over a year when the New Age Outlaws FINALLY brought the division back to life for a few years. Terribly boring match.

Post match Sunny insults the women in the audience and unveils a huge poster of herself to make the arena prettier.

Video on the Summerslam festivities in the city this weekend.

Sycho Sid vs. British Bulldog

The managers keep arguing post match.

Video on Shawn.

Goldust vs. Marc Mero

A clothesline and a backdrop put Goldust down again and a million dollar kneelift does the same. Goldust counters punches in the corner and they both tumble to the floor but Mero slides back in and hits a running flip dive. A slingshot legdrop gets two followed by the debut of the Shooting Star Press, called the Wild Thing. Since this is 1996 WWF, it only gets two. A few seconds later Goldust hits the Curtain Call (reverse forward suplex) for the pin.

Goldust stalks Sable post match until Mero makes the save.

We recap Jake Roberts vs. Jerry Lawler. Jake claimed to have sobered up and was speaking at churches about how Jesus helped him overcome his demons. Lawler claimed that Roberts was a fraud (which was the case in real life as he was still hooked on crack) and tonight is the showdown.

Jerry Lawler vs. Jake Roberts

Roberts finally comes out so Lawler pulls a huge bottle of booze from the bag. Jake pulls the snake out of his own bag to scare Lawler to the floor and the bell finally rings. Lawler looks for a microphone but Jake sends him face first into the steps and hammers away back inside. Back to the floor with Lawler being sent into various hard objects until he steals a drink from a fan to blind Jake. Henry: “So what is the fan going to drink?” Lawler gets one of the bottles from ringside but has to block a DDT attempt. Another DDT is countered and Jerry hits him in the throat with the bottle for the pin.

Bob Backlund campaigns for President.

Paul Bearer comes to the ring. The next match will be won by retrieving the Urn from his hands.

Undertaker vs. Mankind

Undertaker comes back with a trashcan lid to the head and they brawl around the room with Mankind in control. The announcers have stopped talking as Mankind stuns Taker across a wooden stand. A stiff right hand puts Taker down and Mankind chokes away. The camera cuts out for a few moments so something can be edited and we come back with a trashcan shot putting Taker down.

With Taker still inside Mankind barricade the door but Taker kicks it in anyway. They fight up the aisle with jobbers watching from the doors. Taker shoves him across the coffee area, allowing Mankind to get ahead a bit. He throws hot coffee onto Undertaker and crawls into the arena to give the fans something to see in person. Taker catches up with him and pounds away but Mankind keeps him out of the ring.

WWF World Title: Vader vs. Shawn Michaels

Vader is challenging after pinning Shawn in a six man tag at In Your House #9. He pounds Shawn in the face to start before taking his head off with a clothesline. Shawn catches a big boot and leg sweeps Vader down before hitting a low dropkick to stun Vader. Michaels fires off rights and lefts from his knees and Vader bails to the floor. A HUGE dive takes him down again as the fans are finally waking up a bit.

Shawn agrees to get back in but Vader punches him down on the floor. Cornette pops Shawn in the back with the tennis racket and a belly to belly gets two for Vader. Michaels punches his way out of the powerbomb and hits the forearm/nip-up combo. He tunes up the band but Cornette throws in the racket, only to have Shawn intercept it and blast Vader for the DQ.

Ratings Comparison

Owen Hart vs. Savio Vega

Original: B+

Redo: C

Smoking Gunns vs. Bodydonnas vs. New Rockers vs. Godwinns

Original: B-

Redo: D-

British Bulldog vs. Sycho Sid

Original: D

Redo: D+

Marc Mero vs. Goldust

Original: C+

Redo: D

Jerry Lawler vs. Jake Roberts

Original: C-

Redo: D

Mankind vs. Undertaker

Original: A-

Redo: B

Vader vs. Shawn Michaels

Original: A-

Redo: B+

Overall Rating

Original: A

Redo: C

Did I owe this show money a few years ago? My jaw is hanging open as I read these ratings again.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/07/30/history-of-summerslam-count-up-1996-mick-foley-has-arrived/

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:

Summerslam Count-Up – 1994 (2018 Redo)

Summerslam Count-Up – 1995 (2019 Redo)

Smackdown – December 7, 2007

Dynamite – July 6, 2022

They’re Done: AEW Team Split, Team Seems To Be Turning To The Other Side.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/theyre-done-aew-team-split-team-seems-turning-side/

Made Again: Title Change Takes Place On AEW Dynamite.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/made-title-change-takes-place-aew-dynamite/

Pat On The Bank: WWE Bragging About Money In The Bank Success.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/pat-bank-wwe-bragging-money-bank-success/

Long Term: WWE May Have Some Plans For Liv Morgan’s Title Reign.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/long-term-wwe-may-plans-liv-morgans-title-reign/

Guest Stars: Two Big Names Appear After AEW Dynamite To Offer Respect.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/guest-stars-two-big-names-appear-aew-dynamite-offer-respect/

Group Effort: AEW Roster Reportedly Stood Up For Wrestler To Prevent His Departure.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/group-effort-aew-roster-reportedly-stood-wrestler-prevent-departure/

WATCH: WWE Broadcasters Are REALLY Happy At Money In The Bank.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-wwe-broadcasters-really-happy-money-bank/

Triple H’s Return To WWE Performance Center Might Not Mean Much.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/triple-hs-return-wwe-performance-center-might-not-mean-much/

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

Dynamite
Date: July 6, 2022
Location: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York
Commentators: Taz, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re back to the normal show this week and that could mean more than a few things. In this case it means that we are going to be seeing Jon Moxley defend the Interim World Title against Brody King, which should be a heck of a fight. Other than that, it is time to build towards Ring Of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor later this month. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Wardlow vs. Scorpio Sky

Wardlow is challenging in a street fight. Sky strikes away at the leg to start and gets dropped with a hard shoulder. A low blow cuts off Wardlow but he’s fine enough to toss Sky around a few times. They head outside where an American Top Team distraction lets Sky send Wardlow into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Wardlow knocking him off the top and hitting a Swanton. The Powerbomb Symphony is loaded up but Wardlow clears them out without much effort. The distraction lets Sky get in a belt shot for two and Wardlow is back with the spinebuster. A three movement Powerbomb Symphony gives Wardlow the pin and the title at 8:29.

Rating: C. Not exactly a great match and I’m not sure on the idea of having Sky lose again here, but Wardlow needed to win something already and they pulled that off here. Wardlow shrugged off whatever was thrown at him here and he won the title like a monster should. Good enough match and it did what it needed to do.

Confetti falls and Wardlow gets to celebrate.

Jon Moxley is tired of people trying to make their name off of him and tonight, Brody King is going to do it again. You don’t know what kind of a monster you have with him but Moxley knows what he is facing tonight in King.

Here are Christian Cage and Luchasaurus for a chat. Christian has been asked what is going on for a few weeks now and why Luchasaurus has sided with him. Before he can say anything, here is Matt Hardy to interrupt. Matt says he and Jungle Boy have gotten close in recent weeks and Jungle Boy didn’t deserve what Christian did to him.

Christian: “Matt, you’re starting to make your brother sound like the sober one.” Matt talks about regretting the time he spent manipulating people and maybe the last month has been karma coming to get him. Christian calls Matt out for being delusional and for riding Jeff’s coattails for one more run. The brawl is on with Luchasaurus leaving Matt laying, including a chokeslam through the ringside table. I could have gone without the Jeff references but this was fine enough.

Video on Blood & Guts from last week. The Jericho Appreciation Society promises it is not over.

Jake Hager yells at Claudio Castagnoli for never being a World Champion. Castagnoli talks about respect and promises to earn it next week.

Butcher and the Blade vs. Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee

Bunny is here with the villains. Lee headbutts Butcher down to start so we’ll try Strickland vs. Blade instead. That doesn’t go so well for Strickland to start but he knocks Blade down and hands it back to Lee for a shot of his own. Blade jawbreaks his way to freedom but gets knocked outside. Bunny offers a distraction to cut off the dive though and Butcher gets in a cheap shot to take over as we take a break.

Back with Lee getting to clean house as everything breaks down. A lariat/enziguri combination drops Butcher but Blade pulls Swerve in the way of Lee. Butcher hits Lee with a Stunner and Butcher runs him over, allowing Butcher to toss Lee into Blade’s knee. A running knee gets a VERY close two on Swerve with Lee making a (maybe late) save. Back up and Swerve In Our Glory finishes Blade at 9:38.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on the continued tease of Swerve and Lee breaking up, especially when they haven’t been around long in the first place, but at least they won the match in the end. Butcher and Blade almost feel like a relic from the past but they are still good enough as a team to make a match like this work. Just either split Swerve and Lee or let them stay together and stop with the teases if it isn’t happening.

Post match Team Taz comes out to yell at Swerve and Lee, with Ricky Starks losing his mind over what sounds like a challenge. Cue the Young Bucks to cut them off, though they don’t have to apologize for anything because they started this company. The Bucks brag about the tag division, including what we saw at Double Or Nothing, which was 4.5 stars. Granted that’s an off night for the Bucks, but they need to keep things going. The solution to that: a triple threat match next week at Fyter Fest. Fans: “FTR!” Nick: “We’re better than them and you know it.” The match seems to be on.

Malakai Black says his House’s violence is by design and Jon Moxley doesn’t know what he is in for.

Here is Eddie Kingston for a chat. He congratulates Wardlow on winning the title and everyone who won Blood & Guts last week. The only person he doesn’t like is Chris Jericho, who made him a liar last week. Kingston didn’t get to taste his blood…but Jericho cuts him off on the screen. Jericho asks if Kingston wants to get nuts and we see the Jericho Appreciation Society slamming Ruby Soho’s hand in a car (granted it wasn’t in the car and they more or less had to tell her to get it slammed in the door, making it look really bad).

Here is the Dark Order, complete with -1, to say that they aren’t going anywhere. They’re here to stay because Dark Order is forever but here is QT Marshall to interrupt. Marshall doesn’t think much of the team and -1 in particular, so threats are made. Cue Hangman Page to send Marshall into the ring and the big beatdown is on. -1 teases beating Marshall but says he’ll wait until he’s 18. This could have, and probably should have, been a post show segment.

Rush vs. Penta Obscuro

Andrade, Jose, Fenix and Alex Abrahantes are here too. They go right at it to start with Rush getting the better of things by running Obscuro over. The fight heads to the floor, where the Alex Abrahantes and Jose get in a fight of their own and we take a break. Back with Rush hitting a powerslam for two but Penta grabs a Backstabber for the same.

They slug it out until Rush knocks him into the corner and hits a top rope dropkick for two. Penta is back up with a kick to the face and the Fear Factor gets two, with Andrade putting Rush’s foot on the rope. The distraction lets Rush get in a low blow and rip off Penta’s mask (of course) for the pin at 11:04.

Rating: C+. Good brawl here, though I am completely over that rip off the mask ending. It has been done so many times with both of the Lucha Bros that it feels like something they have to do instead of something special. These two can work the hard hitting style well and they did here, though Rush is still only so interesting.

Jay Lethal and company are happy with the upcoming ROH TV Title shot at Death Before Dishonor. Lethal isn’t taking Joe lightly, but he is taking Joe’s title. Good line.

Mark Sterling is trying to get the Best Friends to sign a petition to get rid of Swerve Strickland. Orange Cassidy wants his lawyer present and that’s….Danhausen? Sterling wants Tony Nese vs. Cassidy on Rampage so they can make a lot of money. but Cassidy isn’t sure. Danhausen to Cassidy: “How about you vs. his client on Rampage? We’ll make a lot of money.” Cassidy is in. Funny stuff, especially Danhausen shouting various legal terms and no one paying attention to him.

Ruffin It/Fuego del Sol vs. Gunn Club/Acclaimed

The Club cuts off Caster’s rap and tensions are high. Fuego takes Colten down to start but it’s Bear Bronson coming in for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Caster hits the Mic Drop, but Austin tags himself in and steals the pin at 2:14. This story is oddly growing on me.

Post match the Club and Acclaimed get into it but Billy Gunn comes in the ring…and turns on the Acclaimed, leaving both of them laying. So there’s the Acclaimed’s face turn.

Miro is not happy with Malakai Black.

Thunder Rosa/Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir/Nyla Rose

Rosa takes Shafir into the corner to start and it’s a double suplex for two. A hip attack keeps Shafir in trouble as the dominance is on to start. Rose gets in a cheap shot though and a fireman’s carry slam drops Storm as we take a break. Back with Storm fighting out of the corner and handing it back to Rosa to clean house. The running dropkick against the ropes staggers Rosa but she’s back up with a Rock Bottom. Everything breaks down and the hip attack hits Shafir, setting up a spike fire thunder driver to pin Shafir at 9:07.

Rating: C. Calling Rosa and Storm Thunderstorm is a funny way to go, though at first I thought it was AEW’s latest gimmick match. Anyway, this is a fine way to set up what should be Rosa vs. Storm for the title down the line, though the less Shafir we see on TV the better. It isn’t working with her, but she’s here pretty frequently anyway for whatever reason.

Stokely Hathaway recommends Leila Grey as the newest Baddie. Jade Cargill says he better be right.

Daniel Garcia is ready to take the Ring Of Honor Pure Title from Wheeler Yuta at Death Before Dishonor.

FTR wants the Briscoes at Death Before Dishonor, one more time.

Interim AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Brody King

King is challenging and William Regal is on commentary. They shove each other around to start and get in each others’ faces to yell a lot. King knocks him outside and sends Moxley into various things to take over. Back in and Moxley gets in a few shots to the knee to take over but gets dropped again as we take a break.

Back with King missing a Cannonball in the corner so Moxley puts him on top and rakes the back for some pain. King blasts him with a clothesline and hits a piledriver for two before grabbing the sleeper in the corner. With that broken up due to being in the ropes, Moxley grabs a Paradigm Shift. The hammer and anvil elbows keep King in trouble, setting up the bulldog choke to finish him off (ala how Moxley beat Brodie Lee) at 11:14.

Rating: B-. They had a good fight here, even though it was Moxley defending against Moxley’s Designated Victim #1. There was no reason to believe that King was going to take the title here, but in this case that worked out well. Moxley gets a win over someone who looks impressive and King doesn’t lose anything from a loss to the champ. Completely logical choices.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t their strongest effort as everything seemed a bit off. Maybe it was a post-holiday hangover or something but it just didn’t quite click. They have some time before All Out and you can probably guess the top of the card from here, but focusing on it would be nice. Certainly not a bad show, but Dynamite has a pretty high bar and this was beneath their usual.

Results
Wardlow b. Scorpio Sky – Powerbomb Symphony
Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland b. Butcher and Blade – Swerve In Our Glory to Blade
Rush b. Penta Obscuro – Small package
Gunn Club/Acclaimed b. Fuego del Sol/Ruffin It – Mic Drop to Bear Bronson
Thunder Rosa/Toni Storm b. Marina Shafir/Nyla Rose – Spike fire thunder driver to Shafir
Jon Moxley b. Brody King – Bulldog choke

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: December 7, 2007
Location: Civic Center, Florence, South, Carolina
Attendance: 3,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re almost up to Armageddon and the big story continues to be Edge joining forces with Vickie Guerrero, making them the top villains around here. Edge is set to face Batista and Undertaker in a triple threat at the pay per view and that should make for a heck of a show. The rest of the card could use some build as well though so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Vickie/Edge/Batista/Undertaker situation.

Opening sequence.

Here is Teddy Long, now the Assistant General Manager, to get things going with a State of Smackdown address. Teddy is happy to be back while Vickie Guerrero is out of action, which is why he made last week’s announcement. At Armageddon, it will be Edge and Undertaker challenging Batista for the World Title. Speaking of titles at the pay per view, MVP will be defending the United States Title against Rey Mysterio.

Cue Edge to interrupt and say that even a heart attack can’t stop Long. Edge reminds Long that he is the ASSISTANT General Manager, but Long says he is still the boss. After Edge talks to the camera to express his love to Vickie, Edge rants about how Long has screwed him out of the title over and over. Long logically explains all of his actions and gives Edge Kane tonight to shut him up.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Jesse/Festus

Non-title. The bell rings and Festus chases Morrison to the floor, leaving Jesse to hiptoss Miz. A high crossbody gives Jesse two but a neck snap across the top cuts him off. That’s broken up and the hot tag brings in Festus to clean house with reckless abandon. A faceplant and big boot drop Morrison so it’s back to Jesse. That’s fine with Morrison, who crotches Jesse on top and steals the fast win. Miz and Morrison keep racking up wins, but they’re rapidly running out of teams to beat.

Elijah Burke doesn’t like the idea of being the last person on Batista’s mind and is going to beat him tonight.

We recap Edge vs. Kane, which started back in July when Kane attacked him, leading to the big injury.

Batista vs. Elijah Burke

Non-title. Burke backs into the corner to start and then gets backed into the corner for a bonus. A running clothesline rocks Burke but he dropkicks the knee out to get a breather. Burke hits a chop block into a basement dropkick for two, with Batista getting annoyed. Batista spears him out of the air and hits the Batista Bomb for the pin.

Jamie Noble hits on Michelle McCool with offers of….Pepto Bismol? Noble rants about being a real man, unlike Chuck Palumbo and puts out an offer: if Noble beats Palumbo again, he gets a date with McCool. Deal.

Jamie Noble vs. Chuck Palumbo

If Noble wins, he gets a date with Michelle McCool. Palumbo takes him into the corner to start and hammers away but Noble kicks the knee out. An overhead belly to belly rocks Noble, but he gets a knee up in the corner. McCool gets up on the apron and takes off her jacket for a distraction. Palumbo is almost sent into McCool though and a rollup gives Noble the pin (and the date).

Cole has an idea for the date: curling up on the couch and…..watching the Triumph and Tragedy of World Class DVD! Works for me, but I might be the minority.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with MVP talking about how he has world class everything, so of course he wants to talk about World Class Championship Wrestling. We see what looks like a trailer for the DVD and here it this week’s guest: Michael PS Hayes! Complete with Bad Street! Hayes isn’t interested in sitting down but is willing to talk about all of the deaths from the promotions. Hayes: “Six Von Erich brothers. Five are dead.” The point of the DVD is to say no to drugs and that is a great message (fair).

Hayes wants people to learn that but MVP says that Hayes is a survivor. MVP: “You look good for your age.” Hayes doesn’t like that and asks if MVP can tell time. Of course he can, so Hayes asks how it feels for your time to be running out soon. MVP asks about Hayes’ receding hairline and his expanding waistline but backs off from a fight. Hayes wants to try to stick with the DVD but MVP switches to the Hardys. Like that time when MVP crippled Matt Hardy.

Hayes says the Hardys are their own men and when Matt is back, MVP will have a serious problem. That sends Hayes into a rant about Rey Mysterio taking MVP out last week. MVP calls out Hayes for being the third wheel of the Freebirds and says they carried him. Hayes goes off about how MVP has no respect for the people who got here so he’s ready to beat MVP up. The beatdown is on with MVP laying him out with the Playmaker but Rey Mysterio makes the (very late) save. At least this was a different way to build up the title match.

Remember that Edge vs. Kane video? Here it is again.

Batista is ready for Edge and Undertaker, though he knows how hard of a fight it is going to be.

Raw Rebound.

Hornswoggle is playing in Deuce N Domino’s car and they don’t like it. The chase is on but Finlay comes in, allowing Hornswoggle to break the antenna. A match is implied.

Finlay vs. Deuce

Hornswoggle, Domino and Cherry are here too. Deuce actually hammers him down in the corner to start but Finlay grinds away on the mat to take over. A headlock takeover puts Deuce down again, with Cole referring to Finlay as Great Khali. Domino chases Hornswoggle around the ring, allowing Deuce to jump the distracted Finlay and take over. The neck crank goes on but Finlay slugs away….as Finlay sprays Cherry with a fire extinguisher. The distraction lets Finlay get in a Shillelagh shot for the pin.

Rating: C-. The big thing here is that Finlay needed to cheat to beat Deuce. When in the world would that make sense? Anyway, Finlay and Hornswoggle are slowly becoming a decent team together and that is more than I would have bet on what seems to be a glorified comedy act. The match was nothing to see, but Finlay is still good most of the time.

Post match here is Great Khali but the distraction lets Domino get in a cheap shot. Khali vice grips Finlay down.

Armageddon rundown.

Kane vs. Edge

Batista is on commentary. Before the match, Edge declares his love for Vickie Guerrero. Kane chokes him down to start as Batista doesn’t want to talk about the past. Edge’s arm is wrapped around the post and the rope before a right hand puts him down again. The double arm crank goes on but Edge fights up and hits an Edge-O-Matic. A spear knocks Kane off the apron and we take a break.

Back with Edge driving knees into the ribs but Kane fights up and hits the running clothesline in the corner. There’s the side slam but Edge breaks up the top rope clothesline. The regular spear is cut off with a big boot and now the top rope clothesline drops Edge again. Kane loads up the chokeslam but Edge drops him throat first over the top rope. That’s enough for Edge to bring in a chair (but doesn’t use it), which draws the DQ.

Rating: C+. This was just getting going when they went with the ending to keep both of them strong. That’s the better result, as both of them have a match at the pay per view. At least they got in some good stuff before they wrapped things up, which is all you can ask for in a situation like this one.

Post match Kane beats Edge down and loads up the steps but Edge sends him face first into them. The Conchairto is loaded up but Batista comes in for the save….and there’s the gong. Undertaker pops up to chokeslam Edge, earning himself a spear from Batista to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. There wasn’t much in the way of wrestling on this show, though the pay per view feuds got enough of a quick build to make the show sounds more interesting. While Armageddon isn’t entirely built around the triple threat, it is by far and away the biggest part of the show. Giving it a lot of attention here makes sense, but it would be nice for something else to get some significant time of its own.

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