On the Sasha Banks/Naomi walk out, and how it is going to make the real underlying problem in the women’s division that much worse.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-belts-made-walking/

Dynamite
Date: May 18, 2022
Location: Fertitta Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

It’s Wild Card Wednesday, meaning we find out the two Joker entrants in the Owen Hart Foundation tournaments. Other than that, we have two Dynamites left before Double Or Nothing and that means it is time to start hammering out a few more matches on the card. Most of the show is already set though and that can make things all the more interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Owen Hart Foundation Tournament First Round: Samoa Joe vs. ???

Non-title and the joker is….Johnny Elite (Nitro/Morrison/about eight other names). Feeling out process to start as Joe doesn’t seem overly impressed. Joe knocks him into the corner for some shots to the ribs, followed by an elbow to the face. Some shots to the face have Joe in a bit of trouble though and Elite knocks him to the floor, setting up the big twisting cannonball to take Joe down again.

We take a break and come back with Joe hitting a big boot and then chopping Elite down. The MuscleBuster is loaded up but Elite takes him down and goes up top. The 450 connects (with Elite’s knees hitting a good bit short) for two but Joe is right back with the MuscleBuster for the pin at 10:21.

Rating: C+. Yeah fine. Elite is about as perfect of a choice as you could get to have him come in, be a nice enough surprise, and be fed to Joe without ruining a debut. I don’t need Elite to stick around, but he had a pretty nice start to his time in AEW, even if this is it. Joe is likely making a deep run in this thing and him winning the whole tournament wouldn’t shock me.

Post match Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh come in to take Joe out with a pipe. The Best Friends make the save.

We look back at Jeff Hardy getting banged up last week against Darby Allin (egads).

The Young Bucks come up to see the Hardys, with Jeff being cleared to wrestle tonight. The Bucks have been praying for him all week but Jeff wants that “Christian AF BS” out of here. Jeff has a tournament to win and Matt threatens violence if the Bucks interfere. Matt calling the Bucks Hardys cosplayers was funny.

Hangman Page vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Non-title and CM Punk is on commentary. Page starts fast and knocks him to the floor but Takeshita is back in with some strikes of his own. They head to the apron with Page taking him down again as we take a break. Back with Takeshita hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb and a jumping knee for two each. They clothesline each other down but Page is back up with a release German suplex, setting up a Tombstone for two.

The buckshot lariat is countered into a jumping knee and a stalling German suplex plants Page again. They go up top with Takeshita hitting a heck of a forearm to knock Page to the mat. Page pops right up with a discus lariat and the Buckshot lariat….but doesn’t cover. Instead it’s the GTS (Punk: “I’ve got him right where I want him.”) for the pin at 12:12.

Rating: B-. I’ve liked Takeshita more than I would have expected as DDT Pro doesn’t have the best reputation for being serious. Takeshita has a good look and his work has gone well enough so I could go for more of him going forward. That being said, this was an extended workout for Page and that’s all it needed to be.

Fuego del Sol and the Dark Order are ready for the House of Black.

Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee vs. Workhorsemen

Lee gets the better of a chop off with Drake to start and hands it off to Strickland. A jumping kick to the face rocks Henry in the corner and it’s back to Lee to clean house. Lee loads up a sitout powerbomb and Strickland adds a top rope double stomp for the pin at 2:21. Nice use of the new power/speed team here.

Post match Lee says they are a top five team but here is Team Taz to interrupt. Ricky Starks calls Lee Rex from Toy Story but Strickland says Starks looks like a bar of soap with a pearl necklace on. Cue Jurassic Express with Christian Cage to interrupt. Christian says they are the best and the triple threat challenge is thrown out for Double Or Nothing. Deal. Oh and for a bonus: let’s do Jungle Boy vs. Ricky Starks vs. Swerve Strickland next week.

Red Velvet and Kris Statlander are ready to fight in the first round of the Owen Hart Tournament on Friday. Jade Cargill comes in for catchphrases/trash talk.

Here are MJF and Shawn Spears, with MJF nearly getting sick when saying he’s in Houston. He tells Wardlow to get out here right now so here is Wardlow, with his hands still cuffed. MJF spits in his face and slaps him but Wardlow maintains his composure. MJF gets in a few whips but Wardlow doesn’t flinch. Spears gets in a few whips of his own and those wake him up, but MJF gets in a low blow and unloads with the belt. The Dynamite Diamond ring knocks Wardlow cold and MJF is rather pleased with himself.

Roppongi Vice throws out the challenge to FTR for a Ring of Honor Tag Team Title shot.

Owen Hart Foundation Tournament First Round: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix starts with the flips but loses a chop off to put him right back down. Back up and an armbar slows Fenix down but he knocks O’Reilly to the floor for a heck of a running flip dive. O’Reilly posts the arm though and we take a break. Back with Fenix kicking him down as O’Relly’s chest is very red. O’Reilly grabs the rolling butterfly suplexes but Fenix drives him into the corner for a springboard spinning kick to the head.

Another spinning kick rocks O’Reilly but he bounces off the ropes with a rebound lariat. O’Reilly is back with a choke, which is reversed for a jumping enziguri. Fenix isn’t done and knocks him to the floor for a rope walk flip dive. Back in and a rolling cutter is countered into a cross armbreaker for the tap at 11:16.

Rating: B. This was an interesting back and forth style, with O’Reilly being perfectly logical by going after the arm that was hurt not too long ago. O’Reilly is going to go after a limb no matter what and they gave him an extra target here. Joe vs. O’Reilly should be a good showdown next week and they have done a nice job getting us there, especially with Fenix getting in just enough flips etc. to not take it too far.

Here is the Blackpool Combat Club/Eddie Kingston/Santana/Ortiz, as William Regal and Chris Jericho have their face to face chat (as Jericho tends to do). The Jericho Appreciation Society comes out, with the order to cut off the pyro and music. Jericho brings up the attack last week and says he thought Regal would be dead by now. Regal gets a chuckle out of that and talks about how Regal should have been one of the best of all time given all of his skills. Instead, he wound up being a world class addict.

Regal has been fired from every company he has ever worked for until he weaseled his way in here on the coattails of his proteges. Then you have Eddie Kingston, whose face was burned with a fireball. Then you have Bryan Danielson, and we pause for a YES chant. Danielson has never had a drink or taken a drug in his life, but stick with this gang long enough and Regal will have him needing the program just like Moxley. Jericho tells Regal to get out of the business or the Wizard will shoot a fireball in his face. Or relieve himself in Regal’s tea again.

The tea gets Regal talking, as the two of them have known each other since 1997. The only thing that are worse than Jericho’s voice are the screams from a burning orphanage so please be quiet. Jericho is right about Regal’s issues, but one thing has kept him going for the last 21 years. Whenever he has been on a show with Jericho, Regal would go to Jericho’s bag when Jericho was in the ring and….place Jericho’s toothbrush in a certain area. Daniel Garcia: “HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO SOMEONE???” Regal: “Actually flower, I did it to yours last week.”

Jericho loads up the Stadium Stampede challenge but Moxley says he “isn’t doing that s***.” Moxley isn’t doing that sports entertainment stuff so let’s make it anything goes with glorious violence until the Society is bleeding like stuck pigs. Call it whatever you want, including wrestling vs. sports entertainment.

Jericho seems down with that and brings up the other team’s history with each other, including Danielson calling Kingston “a judgmental prick.” Kingston to Danielson: “You are.” Kingston doesn’t care about buyrates or ratings though so let’s fight right now. Jericho and company leave instead, with Danielson and Kingston being ready to fight over giving chase. There were some great lines in there, but this wasn’t what I had in mind for Regal vs. Jericho: Face To Face, especially as Regal didn’t exactly get in any great lines in response to Jericho’s stuff.

Dante Martin and Matt Sydal want the Blackpool Combat Club on Friday.

Owen Hart Foundation Tournament First Round: Britt Baker vs. ???

The Joker is Maki Itoh, the singing wrestler who teamed with Baker last year at Revolution. Baker loads up the Fingerpoke of Doom but Itoh small packages her for two instead. Itoh steps on her foot and hits a headbutt, only to miss a falling headbutt. There’s a Sling Blade to Baker and we take a break.

Back with Baker sending Itoh face first into the buckle, but Itoh has a hard head so she does it to herself. A headbutt puts Baker down and Itoh adds a tornado DDT for two. Itoh finally hits her falling headbutt for two but Baker pulls her straight into the Lockjaw for the win at 6:45.

Rating: D+. The match itself was nothing and that isn’t the point here. Itoh is the definition of a gimmick and therefore having her pop up once every now and then is going to work. I don’t know how much anyone was wanting a payoff to Itoh and Baker teaming together at Revolution, but for something that lasted about eight minutes, there are far worse ways to go.

Post match Toni Storm comes out for the staredown with Baker, who doesn’t seem impressed.

Here is Tony Schiavone in the ring to hype up next week’s three year anniversary show but Serena Deeb cuts him off. She is sick of hearing Tony talk, especially last week when Tony said that she can’t beat Thunder Rosa. Dustin Rhodes has had a lot to say about Deeb having no chance against Rosa, so here is Dustin to interrupt.

Deeb calls him the poster boy of failure and says Jim Ross might be the only one with any brains around here. She says Dustin knows how hard it was to be a woman in her era and even got implants to satisfy old perverts. So why does Dustin think Deeb can’t beat Thunder Rosa? Dustin has nothing to say so she slaps him in the face, which draws out Rosa. Deeb takes the Women’s Title from her and gets in a good shot. I have no idea what they were going for here, but Deeb talking isn’t a good thing.

Owen Hart Tournament Semifinals: Adam Cole vs. Jeff Hardy

Cole jumps him in the aisle and the beating starts fast. Hardy is sent into the steps, setting up a Backstabber to drop Jeff again. We take a break and come back with the slugout in the middle (because of course) but Cole enziguris him down. The sitout gordbuster gives Jeff two but the Whisper in the Wind is…kind of superkicked out of the air (that didn’t look great). The Boom misses so Jeff hits the Twisting Stunner, only to miss the Swanton. Cole hits the Boom for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: C. This felt like a rush job due to time constraints, especially with Cole jumping him in the aisle. I can kind of get the idea of not wanting Allin to lose to Cole here, but if that is the case, don’t set up the brackets that way in the first place. Hardy was still banged up here so he has an out, but it wasn’t like there was much to the match in the first place.

Post match Cole stares at Jeff but Matt Hardy gets in to cut him off. The Young Bucks come in for the cheap shot but the Hardys stare them down. Cole jumps the Hardys and here are Sting and Darby Allin for the save. Cue ReDRagon to go after Sting and Allin though, including Sting’s ankle being Pillmanized to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. AEW continues their weird streak of a good show with that one weird thing in there. This time it was Deeb’s segment, as I’m not sure I get what they were trying to do. Other than that (and the Baker vs. Itoh match, which was meant to be glorified comedy), there wasn’t much to complain about here. Double Or Nothing had matches either added or enhanced so I can’t complain all that much. Not a home run show here, but it did what it needed to do and didn’t go nuts with the surprises. I had fun, so call it at least mostly a success.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Johnny Elite – MuscleBuster
Hangman Page b. Konosuke Takeshita – GTS
Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee b. Workhorsemen – Sitout powerbomb/top rope double stomp to Henry
Kyle O’Reilly b. Rey Fenix – Cross armbreaker
Britt Baker b. Maki Itoh – Lockjaw
Adam Cole b. Jeff Hardy – Boom

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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Ballroom Brawl 12
Date: July 13, 2019
Location: Commodore Ballroom, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Commentators: Peter Brown, Cody Von Wilson

This is Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW), another promotion that I have heard a lot about but never actually seen. Again, thanks to the magic of Highspots, I get to knock another indy promotion off of my list and see what I can find out there. The card isn’t exactly big but there are some interesting names. Let’s get to it.

Keep in mind that as usual, I don’t follow this promotion and have no idea about any characters or storylines so please bare with me.

Opening sequence, which looks like an extended version of a regular TV show opening, though it does include the show’s card. It’s a nice highlight video, but going nearly three minutes might be a bit much.

The ring announcer, named Sweatervest, gets his own entrance. Granted it’s to Steve Austin’s music and with a pretty good Austin impression so I’ve seen worse. Sweatervest runs down some of the bigger matches and we’re ready to go.

David Starr vs. Judas Icarus vs. Beef Boy vs. Travis Williams

This is pretty close geographically to DEFY Wrestling and the opening match on their show that I looked at a few months back was also a four way featuring Icarus. Speaking of Icarus, he has a pretty big guy named the Natural with him, while Williams has Goddess Mandy. Beef is about 170lbs but billed at 606, giving him a bit of a Crash Holly vibe. Then we have Starr, who isn’t in wrestling anymore because he’s kind of a horrible person (allegedly).

The fans are behind Beef, though they should be behind the referee, who is the tallest person in the ring. Those same fans also think that Williams looks like Justin Bieber…and they might be on to something with that. The four way trash talk is on until Williams knocks Beef to the floor, only to get chopped outside as well. Starr Thesz presses Icarus down for two and a rolling kick to the face puts Icarus on the floor.

Beef comes in for a running hurricanrana on Starr but Williams is right back in to run Beef over. One heck of a chop puts Williams on the floor but Icarus cuts off Beef’s dive. An exchange of uppercuts gives us a standoff until Starr comes back in to chop at Williams. The big wind up chop in the corner is blocked though, meaning the big chop has to hit Icarus instead. Williams takes Starr down and stops to pose, allowing Starr to come back with another chop. A slap gets on Starr’s nerves and a long series of strikes has Williams mostly done on the ropes.

Williams is fine enough to hit a slingshot DDT but it’s back to Beef vs. Icarus. Some right hands give Beef control until Starr takes him down with a suplex for two. Icarus is back up with a string of uppercuts but Williams busts out a pair of RKO’s. Beef hits one of his own on Icarus, only to have Williams hit a middle rope version to Starr and Beef at the same time, leaving everyone down. That means the four way slugout from their knees until it turns into a circle chop off.

Williams is the only one left standing and takes Starr out with a quick suicide dive. Back in and Icarus grabs a fireman’s carry onto the knee to drop Williams, who is sent outside. Beef is left alone in the ring so he hits a running Blockbuster to take Williams off the apron and down onto the other two. Back in and Starr drops all three of them in a row, including a lariat to the back of Icarus’ head and a powerbomb onto the knee to break Beef. Williams dives in for a save and they’re all down again.

It’s Starr up first to stomp away on everyone else, though the fans are still behind Beef. Starr pulls Beef up but Icarus and Williams double team Starr down, setting up Beef’s Swanton. Icarus and Beef take Williams to the top, where he rams their heads together to save himself. That leaves Beef to drop Icarus onto the apron (Commentary: “Beef just Scar’ed his Mufasa!”) and another Swanton hits Judas for two, as Mandy pulls the referee out (ignore the referee’s hand slapping the mat for the third time). Williams kicks Beef low and hits a running knee for the pin at 14:23.

Rating: B-. This is the new version of the Cruiserweight match from the WCW Monday Nitro days as you have a bunch of people getting in the ring at once and flying around until someone wins. The fans were behind Beef but he took the fall anyway, which might not be the best way to start the show. Starr felt like the, uh, star here, but Williams had the fans hating him and that is a good thing. Just maybe don’t have him win by pinning the crowd favorite.

Come to upcoming shows!

Bishy Wishy/Randy Myers vs. The Shining

Bishy Wishy is Bishop and Fergie while the Shining is Chris Voros/Nicole Matthews/Patrick Voros (with Kristopher Kassidy). Voros and Voros are twins, just to make things even more confusing, and Matthews has her ECCW Women’s Title. Apparently Myers had a hand in the Twins’ development and they turned on him so it’s time for revenge. Bishy Wishy both wear purple and dance to the ring, which has Sweatervest cracking up.

Finally we have Myers, who is sung to the ring by a woman performing Welcome To The Black Parade. With that out of the way, the very flamboyant Myers (the Weirdo Hero, complete with green hair) comes out and runs through the crowd as the woman sings another sounds (sounds like she’s saying “so carry on” over and over). Kassidy tries his own song but Sweatervest is having none of that.

We actually get to the match, with Fergie and Matthews starting, and the latter stealing Fergie’s hat! That makes Fergie so mad that he lets Matthews bounce off of him with some shoulders. The hat goes back on and he shoulders Matthews into the corner for the tag to Patrick (commentary thinks it’s him at least). Some chops set up the tag to Myers, who tells Patrick to STOOOOOOOP and SHUUUUUUSH before firing off some Al Snow trapping headbutts.

Bishop and Chris come in, with Bishop hitting a quick powerslam. Patrick gets slammed onto Chris and it’s a moonsault from Bishop to crush both of them. Matthews comes back in and gets Michinoku Driver for two as everything breaks down. The Voros Twins take over but spend too much time posing, meaning they’re knocked off the apron. Fergie throws Matthews onto them and Bishop hits the big dive to take out the trio as this is one sided so far.

Back in and Kassidy’s interference is cut off, allowing Matthews to bring in the belt…to no avail as she is cut off too. That’s enough for Kassidy to get in a briefcase shot to Fergie and the villains take over. The Voros Twins stomp away before it’s off to Matthews for a heck of a chop. Bishop gets drawn in, allowing the triple teaming to ensue. Fergie shoves both Voros Twins away at the same time but the referee doesn’t see the hot tag. That means Matthews can get Fergie back into the corner so the chopping can ensue.

Some dust to the face blinds Fergie to make it worse but either Bishop or Myers sprays Matthews in the face with some water. Fergie finally flips Matthews off his shoulders but the Voros twins break up the tag AGAIN. Matthews grabs a choke but Fergie powers her over for the hot tag to Myers, sending all of the Shining to the floor in fear. Back in and a Russian legsweep/Downward Spiral combination drops the Twins before kicking Matthews low.

With that not working, Myers puts her in a fireman’s carry as Bishy Wishy hit a Rock Bottom and Stunner on a Twin each. An AA to Matthews gives us a triple cover and a triple two count with a triple foot on the rope. Bishop gets to clean house until Fergie hits a Bubba Bomb on Patrick. That leaves Chris to hit a middle rope dropkick/backsplash to Bishy Wishy but hold on as Myers kisses Kassidy and rolls up Matthews for the pin at 12:39.

Rating: C. The match itself wasn’t great but for a team comprised of Bishy Wishy and the Weirdo Hero, I got into this one and had a good enough time. I’ve seen Myers before and he certainly gets your attention, which is more than you would expect from someone who is that over the top. The Twins were just ok and Matthews was her usual pretty good self, but the match wasn’t exactly a classic outside of the standard six person formula.

Myers and Bishy Wishy get sung out again.

In the back, Travis Williams says you have no idea how cocky he is going to be now that he has beaten Beef Boy. He was tired of hearing promos (his word) from everyone else and now he is at the top after two years. Now he wants a title.

War Games is on September 6 with Team Eddie Osbourne vs. Team Scotty Mac.

Eddie Osbourne vs. Brody King

Osbourne has The Natural and Judas Icarus with him. They stare at each other to start before locking up after nearly a minute of glaring. An exchange of shoulders doesn’t go anywhere but King’s second attempt staggers Osbourne a good bit. They slug/chop it out with King getting the better of it, setting up a running clothesline against the ropes. King shoulders him down and gets to pose a bit, like any tattooed monster should.

Back up and King snaps off a running hurricanrana to the floor, setting up….a slide underneath the ropes that doesn’t make any contact. They chop it out on the floor, with King chopping the post by mistake. A Rock Bottom onto the apron plants King again and the Natural holds him in place, allowing Osbourne to hit a big Cannonball off the apron through King through a chair.

Back in and Osbourne chops in the corner before choking on the ropes. A lot of posing allows King to get back up and hit some running clotheslines in the corner. One heck of a crossbody gives King two and he wins another chop off, only to have the Natural make a save. Icarus gets tossed onto Osbourne and the Natural, setting up a heck of a piledriver….for two. Ok well done on the false finish.

A clothesline connects but the Natural has the referee. Osbourne is back with a Rock Bottom and a Death Valley Driver for two of his own and the shock is strong with this one. King can’t fireman’s carry him but he can block Osbourne’s running knee. A Samoan driver finally puts Osbourne away at 14:51.

Rating: B. Sometimes you need two hosses to beat each other up for about fifteen minutes. Some of Osbourne’s stuff didn’t look great, but King is enough of a monster to make almost anything work. This was the fun kind of monster clash that they made it seem like it would be and I had a good time with it as a result.

TJP is ready for the main event.

Here is Erik Strange with Scotty Mac, the latter of whom seems to be a big deal around here, even if he is badly limping. Mac is returning from an injury and talks about how he has always put ECCW above everything else, from family to relationships. They have sold this place out again but his leg is still banged up so he can’t wrestle tonight. That’s why he is here with Strange, who is going to wrestle for the Tag Team Titles for the both of them. Strange is winning the titles on his own so they can defend them when Mac is healthy again.

Hold on though as Strange has a replacement partner: Andy Bird. This brings out Bird, who has a bird costume made of Christmas lights and what looks to be one of those old plague masks that Marty Scurll would wear. It’s quite the visual and makes for a heck of an entrance. Hold on though as commentator Peter Brown grabs the mic (with Sweatervest explaining how to turn it on) to talk about how this is a dark time.

The Grindhouse has been the Tag Team Champions for a year now but that is changing tonight. Brown doesn’t like the fans booing him but he also doesn’t like Bird here as the replacement. He mocks Strange for being injury prone and accuses the three of them of using the Freebird Rule. The fans don’t like Brown, who finally gets to the point by trying to sign the three of them up. That’s a no from Bird but the trio wants to have a conference. Strange teases signing but instead it’s a ruse for Bird to hit Brown with his hair (ala Bianca Belair). And now, a match.

Tag Team Titles: Grindhouse vs. Andy Bird/Erik Strange vs. Wisemen vs. ReLoaded vs. Gross Misconduct

Grindhouse: Ashley Sixx/Cat Power
Wisemen: Billy Suede/Tony Baroni
ReLoaded: Jacky Lee/Shareef Morrow
Gross Misconduct: Drexl/Steve West

Grindhouse is defending and just in case this isn’t messy enough, FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE WITH ELIMINATIONS!!! Oh and the Wisemen have the Goddess Mandy with them because we need more people. I’m not even going to pretend to be able to keep track of everything going on in this one, because it’s more than a bit insane. The entrances alone take a VERY long time, which doesn’t exactly give me the most confidence.

Grindhouse gets surrounded to start and the brawl is on until it’s down to Power vs. Suede in the ring. Power clothesline him down for an early two (thankfully from the two referees) but it’s Sixx (a man, which might not have been clear) clearing the ring. Baroni breaks up the dive though, leaving ReLoaded to hit stereo suicide dives, because they’re the kind of smaller guys who would hit stereo dives.

Sixx goes up top for a dive onto a bunch of people, followed by Strange hitting his own big flip dive. Bird adds his own huge dive and everyone is down on the floor. The cameras lose sight of most of the people involved until it’s Lee beating up Sixx in the ring. Lee manages a headscissors into the corner….and we cut to a closeup of wrestlers brawling around the arena. We cut back to the ring with Sixx getting a cover but with no referee to count.

Suede has Power sprayed with beer at the bar and we’ll just stay on these two as commentary tells us what else is going on around the arena. The camera loses them for a second before coming back to Suede and Power walking around the arena and near what looks to be the merchandise stand. The two of them fight to the back as we hear about Bird being knocked down with a bench. Granted we can’t actually see that because the camera is on some fans. Back in and it’s Lee taking over on Baroni as we’re told that Strange and Bird have been eliminated at 9:24.

Baroni hits a pop up Codebreaker for two on Lee, setting up West hitting a Stinger Splash into a DDT (cool) for two on Sixx. Lee hits another big dive onto the pile, leaving Drexl to save West from Sixx as well. Power saves Sixx from a double suplex before knocking Drexl and West off the apron for the pin and the elimination at 13:10.

We’re down to three teams so things chill a bit, with Baroni and Suede stomping on Power. ReLoaded try to dive in and sends the Wisemen into each other, setting up a kick to the Baroni’s head for two. Suede makes the save with what looks to be hairspray, allowing him to pin Morrow at 15:17.

So we’re down to Power vs. the Wisemen as Sixx was handcuffed to the rope somewhere in there. Cue Beef Boy to get Sixx away from the rope and dropkick a stop sign into Suede’s face. Baroni is up with some superkicks of his own but the chair shot hits the rope and comes back into Baroni’s face this time. A Magic Killer (with Beef assisting) is enough to retain the titles at 17:23.

Rating: C-. This really wasn’t my style as there was way too much going on with the camera barely being able to follow things throughout the arena and the whole thing being a total mess. Do this gauntlet style and it is so much better but this was about as good as it could have gone given the situation. The fans seem happy with the win, but other than ReLoaded, it wasn’t like any of the challengers really stood out. Just cool things down a bit and it’s a huge improvement.

Post match Grindhouse celebrates for a good bit.

Brian Pillman Jr. is ready for his match with Kevin Sullivan, which is a long time in the making. Sullivan came in to MLW and tried to extend his career by latching on to the young stars. That’s how Pillman helped keep him a star, but now he has to take out the garbage. Tonight he is the Taskmaster, and he is tasked with ending Sullivan’s career.

We recap Sullivan vs. Pillman, which comes via a clip from MLW Fusion in August 2018. Sullivan wanted to help Pillman, but not so much his friends Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. Then Pillman took Sullivan out to prove his loyalties.

Sullivan promises revenge.

Kevin Sullivan vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

No Holds Barred. Sullivan jumps him before the bell and the fight goes into the crowd, as you probably expected to be the case. A shot to the throat rocks Pillman again but he manages a posting to get a breather as I don’t think the bell has rung yet. Some more strikes have Sullivan in trouble until he low blows his way to freedom. The brawl stays in the crowd and I can’t see anything going on, as tends to be the case with this show.

We get a better camera angle as Pillman cranks on the arm and they walk around the arena some more. Sullivan is busted open and they finally get inside, with Pillman slowly hammering away in the corner. A shot to the eyes gives Sullivan a breather but Pillman is right back with forearms to the face.

Hold on though as Pillman offers a handshake….and then beats on him even more. The referee tries to break it up so Pillman knocks him down, followed by some shots to producers who try to intervene. Then Sullivan’s fireball accidentally goes off in his hand early, meaning Sullivan walks off instead. Pillman cuts him off and they brawl to the back…and we’ll say that’s it at 9:45.

Rating: D-. Yeah this was a total disaster and I can’t say I’m all that surprised. Sullivan is almost 70 here and could barely move, including barely doing anything as Pillman beat on him in the corner. It doesn’t help that they were having a match built on a story between Sullivan and Pillman’s father in WCW and was then build up in MLW. Total miss here and that shouldn’t be anything close to a surprise.

ECCW Title: Artemis Spencer vs. TJ Perkins

Spencer is defending and we get some Big Match Intros. Feeling out process to start with TJP taking him to the mat for some riding before flipping up to his feet. Spencer does something similar and TJP is a bit impressed. An arm crank has Spencer in trouble but he spins it over into an armbar of his own. Back up and TJP twists around into the headscissors on the mat, meaning it’s time for some dabbing.

That takes too long though as Spencer pulls him down into a headscissors of his own. TJP nips up into a bow and arrow, which is flipped over into another standoff. We get the Canadian Content with TJP trying the Sharpshooter but Spencer pulls him into a failed triangle choke attempt. TJP grabs a Sharpshooter while grabbing the arms before switching into a Muta Lock of off things.

With that broken up, Spencer hits a heck of a springboard wristdrag but TJP pulls him into a DDT to cut it off again. There’s a slingshot hilo but Spencer sends him outside, setting up a heck of an Asai moonsault. Back in and Spencer’s armbar sends TJP straight to the ropes as he is starting to pick TJP apart. TJP gets his feet up in the corner though and a hurricanrana gives him a breather.

A tornado DDT gives TJP two but the Detonation Kick is blocked. That’s fine with TJP, who dropkicks the knee out to put Spencer in more trouble. An exchange of kicks to the head means a double knockdown and we get an old ten count. TJP is up first and knocks him into the ropes, setting up a slingshot kick to the head. Spencer drives TJP hard into the corner though and a headbutt lays TJP out on the top.

The top rope backsplash crushes TJP for two so Spencer goes after the arm again. That works for TJP, who pulls him into something close to a Sharpshooter. Spencer tries to reverse that into the Arte-choke (I chuckled) but gets pulled into a kneebar, which Spencer reverses into a cradle for two.

A powerbomb backbreaker plants TJP, who is fine enough to crotch Spencer on top. The top rope superplex sets up some rolling suplexes but Spencer kicks him in the head. TJP dragon screws the leg though and the Detonation Kick gets a very close two. Spencer catches him on top and tries another backsplash, only to have Spencer pull him into the Arte-choke. TJP is done, meaning a Spiral Tap can retain the title at 18:05.

Rating: B. That’s a good way to make someone like Spencer feel like a bigger star. Spencer hung in there with a more established name from the big leagues and beat him in the middle of the ring to retain the title. TJP is someone who can have a good match with anyone and he elevated Spencer here. Solid match and it felt like a main event, especially with something that didn’t seem to have much of a story other than “here’s a name for a challenger”.

Respect is shown post match.

In the back, Spencer says he’s ready for anyone to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked what we got here, though that Pillman vs. Sullivan match should be forgotten as quickly as possible. Other than that though, the biggest issue here was the camera work, which felt fairly low budget at times and was often missing spots or moments. The good thing is that the wrestling itself was quite good, as the talent shined through. I can see why this is a promotion that has stuck around for a long time and I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing something else from them down the line.

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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NXT
Date: May 17, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We’re officially on the road to In Your House and that means more of Joe Gacy vs. Bron Breakker because of course it does. Other than that we have more of the women’s Breakout Tournament, which at least started out somewhat ok. Tonight we have more first round matches so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams vs. Solo Sikoa/Cameron Grimes

Before the match, Hayes and Williams promise to take the North American Title back at In Your House. Grimes kicks Hayes in the face to start and Sikoa drops a backsplash on Williams to start fast. Williams is back with a jumping clothesline on Grimes and Hayes adds a springboard crossbody. It’s a double tag to bring in Williams and Sikoa with Sikoa getting taken down as we take a break.

Back with Hayes holding Sikoa in a chinlock, which is broken up without much trouble. The tag brings Grimes back in to clean house, including the double hurricanrana. There’s a high crossbody to Hayes but Sikoa tags himself in to break up the Cave In. Sikoa drops Hayes and the Cave In hits Williams, setting up the Superfly Splash to finish Hayes at 9:59.

Rating: C+. Four talented people were put into a match and two of them won, with the #1 contender to the North American Title taking the fall. I’m sure this won’t set up a triple threat match for the title, because that is never something WWE would do. The action here was as good as you would have expected and it was a solid choice for an opener.

Post match Sikoa hands Grimes the North American Title, albeit with quite the stare.

Pretty Deadly certainly isn’t scared of the Creed Brothers.

Video on Thea Hail training at the Performance Center. She has been decent enough on LVL Up. Oh but first she needs to graduate high school.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Lash Legend vs. Tatum Paxley

Legend powers her into the corner to start but gets caught in a headscissors. That’s escaped with a nip up and Paxley can’t get an electric chair. Paxley’s leg is messed up so Legend wraps it around the bottom rope to make it worse. A stretch muffler goes on but Paxley pulls herself up and manages a rollup for two. The electric chair still doesn’t work so she grabs a suplex, only to hurt her knee again. A standing spinning moonsault gives Paxley two but she STILL can’t get the electric chair (try something else already). That lets Legend hit the pump kick for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C-. I don’t think it’s any real secret that this tournament is going to end with Legend and/or Nikkita Lyons in the finals so running through Paxley was a mere formality here. Legend has improved a lot and not letting her talk is the best thing NXT could have gone, but she still has a long way to go. Certainly not an awful match here though and that is a big upgrade for Legend.

Tony D’Angelo and company are ready for Legado del Fantasma tonight.

NXT is returning to live touring in Florida this summer. That is great to hear for them as the wrestlers need the reps.

Duke Hudson is talking about how he took some time off…and Bron Breakker walks by, saying to play his music.

Here is Breakker in the ring for a chat. Breakker talks about how Joe Gacy left him in a field and now wants him to join Gacy’s cause. That earns Gacy an offer of kissing a certain part of Breakker, but here is Gacy to interrupt. Breakker says he doesn’t trust him but Gacy says the people want Gacy vs. Breakker, one on one. That’s fine with Breakker, who says the match is on but Gacy wants to raise the stakes. It should be Breakker destroying Gacy and hurting him every way he can. That gives Gacy an idea: if Breakker gets disqualified, he loses the title. Deal. Sure why not, as it’s not like anything else in this feud has mattered.

Indi Hartwell is tired of feeling sorry for herself so she wants to face Mandy Rose.

Wes Lee says Xyon Quin isn’t medically cleared but Lee is waiting on him. Nathan Frazer comes in for a challenge for tonight. Lee says there is a lot of pent up aggression so he doesn’t want to hurt Frazer. The match seems to be on.

Viking Raiders vs. Creed Brothers

Roderick Strong and Damon Kemp are here with the Creeds. The Creeds start fast and knock the Vikings outside early on. We settle down to Erik running Julius down and the Raiders be clubberin. The armbar goes on, followed by a clothesline and the front facelock. Julius fights up and brings Brutus in to clean house, including a dropkick to knock Ivar off the top. Brutus hits a top rope cannonball to the floor (and lands hard on his feet) as we take a break.

Back with Brutus getting two on Erik and taking him into the corner to keep up the beating. Erik breaks that up and dives over to Ivar to make the tag, meaning house can be cleaned. Everything breaks down and a spinebuster gets two on Erik. Brutus is sent outside and it’s back to Ivar, setting up a middle rope World’s Strongest Slam for two, with Brutus making the save.

A German suplex drops Erik and Julius runs the top, only to have a superplex attempt broken up. Ivar misses the top rope splash, allowing Brutus to grab an Oklahoma roll for two as Erik makes a save of his own. Everyone slugs it out so Kemp gets in the apron, allowing Strong to offer some interference. Julius breaks that up, only to have the Raiders double powerbomb Julius for the pin at 13:01.

Rating: B. This was about four big, strong guys beating on each other and throwing around some suplexes, which is all it should have been. They didn’t waste time here and the ending plays into the story that was set up in their first match. It’s another case of the #1 contenders losing, but at least the Raiders winning isn’t a total stretch.

Post match, the Diamond Mine seems ready to split.

Legado del Fantasma is ready for Tony D’Angelo and company.

Tiffany Stratton gives Grayson Waller a pep talk.

Bron Breakker is ready for Joe Gacy but Duke Hudson interrupts. A match is set for later tonight.

Grayson Waller vs. Andre Chase

Bodhi Hayward is here with Chase. Waller pounds away to start but Chase is back with a neckbreaker. That earns him a big boot though and Waller gets in some right hands. This does not sit well with Sarray, the honorary Chase U flag bearer, and neither does a suplex from Waller. A side kick gives Waller two but Chase catapults him into the corner. The spelling stomps set up a backdrop but Waller lands on Hayward by mistake. The distraction lets Waller hit the rolling Stunner for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: C. Chase is still one of the most entertaining people in NXT but he shouldn’t be going over someone like Waller. NXT certainly sees something in Waller and he is almost good enough to be on the main roster today (and might already be ready). Let Chase stay around here where he can pop the crowd with a funny line every so often and things will be fine.

Toxic Attraction doesn’t think much of Kayden Carter/Katana Chance/Indi Hartwell have been talking about them. Revenge is promised.

The Diamond Mine argues in the back with the Creed Brothers walking away. Roderick Strong tells Damon Kemp to deal with this. With Kemp gone, Pretty Deadly comes in to say the Creeds aren’t winning no matter what.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Roxanne Perez vs. Kiana James

James takes her down to start and goes after the arm but Perez grabs some armdrags. A backbreaker puts Perez in trouble but she reverses a Boston crab into a rollup for two. Another spinning backbreaker drops Perez again as she can’t get any kind of momentum. Perez finally manages a headscissors for a breather and a Russian legsweep gets two. James hits a side slam but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Perez to hit Uproxx for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as James was getting a bit repetitive with her side slams and backbreakers. Much like the Legend match though, there wasn’t a lot of drama in Perez winning, as she is someone who could be a star in short order around here. James has an interesting enough gimmick to go a little somewhere, but it might be a lot better suited as a manager.

Malik Blade and Edris Enofe mock the Tony D’Angelo vs. Santos Escobar war. D’Angelo’s goons come in and the match is set for next week.

Cora Jade congratulates Roxanne Perez on her win but Elektra Lopez comes in to promise to beat Alba Fyre next week. Jade and Perez aren’t impressed.

Wes Lee vs. Nathan Frazer

Feeling out process to start and they go to a rather early standoff. Frazer misses the threat of a superkick and gets sent to the apron, with Lee knocking him to the floor. They switch places again and it’s Frazer hitting a heck of a suicide dive. Back in and Lee grabs a German suplex for two but Frazer catches him on top. A superplex attempt is countered into a crossbody for two and they’re both down again. They hit stereo crossbodies for a double knockdown and they need a breather. Not that it matters as Von Wagner runs in to kick Frazer in the face for the DQ at 4:22.

Rating: C+. The match was the usual spot fest style of entertaining and that’s not a bad thing, but it feels like the kind of a match that I’ve seen half a dozen times this month alone. Throw in Wagner being the big focus at the end and it doesn’t make things much better. I still feel sorry for Lee, as he is stuck trying to start from scratch after something that wasn’t his fault.

Post match Wagner beats up Lee as well, setting up a big gorilla press toss onto the announcers’ table.

Wes Lee and Nathan Frazer run into Sanga, who says they did well for men their size. Lee takes that personally but Frazer isn’t getting involved. Sanga doesn’t want to get involved in this but a match is set for next week.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Santos Escobar

Feeling out process to start with D’Angelo running him over and stomping away. Escobar fights back but his dive is cut off, allowing D’Angelo to do more mob stereotypes as we take an early break. Back with Escobar hitting a kick to the face to put D’Angelo on the floor, setting up a heck of a suicide dive.

A dropkick takes D’Angelo down and another puts him on the apron as well. D’Angelo grabs a belly to belly into the corner and they both go up top, where Escobar snaps off a super hurricanrana. The fans chanting knocks the sound out and here is the rest of Legado for a distraction. D’Angelo’s goons come in to take care of them, but Escobar uses the distraction to knock D’Angelo cold for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: C. I cannot put into words how little I care about this whole gang wars story. It isn’t my kind of thing and I haven’t gotten interested in anything they’re doing. The worst part is how out of sync it feels with just about everything else on the show and that makes it stick out so much. Escobar and D’Angelo are talented enough that they don’t need the other the top stuff, yet here we are again.

Joe Gacy, with his minions, talks about how Bron Breakker’s lack of control will cost him the NXT Title, allowing Gacy to control the brand (yes the brand) and the world. Maniacal laughter, apparently from on top of a rather high building, ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. It was a very up and down show this week, as some good action was drowned out by some pretty uninteresting stories. I still have no idea why Breakker vs. Gacy is continuing or how some of these things are the best ideas that NXT has, but we are full steam ahead towards In Your House. Hopefully that means a change of pace for a lot of things, as the action is only going to carry it so far.

Results
Solo Sikoa/Cameron Grimes b. Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes – Superfly Splash to Hayes
Lash Legend b. Tatum Paxley – Pump kick
Viking Raiders b. Creed Brothers – Double powerbomb to Julius
Grayson Waller b. Andre Chase – Rolling Stunner
Roxanne Perez b. Kiana James – Uproxx
Nathan Frazer b. Wes Lee via DQ when Von Wagner interfered
Santos Escobar b. Tony D’Angelo – Right hand with brass knuckles

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

Make sure you check out some recent reviews.

NXT LVL Up – May 13, 2022

Monday Night Raw – May 16, 2022

Chris Jericho Does Something Pretty Awesome To Help A Wrestling Legend.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/chris-jericho-something-pretty-awesome-help-wrestling-legend/

BREAKING: Monday Night Raw Main Event Changed As Two Wrestlers Walk Out On The Show.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-monday-night-raw-main-event-changed-two-wrestlers-walk-show/

They’re Back: Two Returns Take Place On Monday Night Raw.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/theyre-back-two-returns-take-place-monday-night-raw/

New Title Match Set For WWE Hell In A Cell.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/new-title-match-set-wwe-hell-cell-2/

Alexa Bliss Receives An Important Change This Week On Monday Night Raw.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/alexa-bliss-receives-important-change-week-monday-night-raw/

Here Are The Two Names WWE Has Picked To Represent The Company.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/two-names-wwe-picked-represent-company/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Original Plans For Top Monday Night Raw Match.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-original-plans-top-monday-night-raw-match/

WOO! Ric Flair Confirms Return To The Ring, Possible Legend Returning As Opponent.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/woo-ric-flair-confirms-return-ring-possible-legend-returning-opponent/

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 16, 2022
Location: Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re in for a big grudge match with Omos vs. Bobby Lashley inside a cage. This is the third match between the two of them after they split the first two, though I’m not sure if it’s the best idea with the Cell pay per view a few weeks away. Other than that, we will probably get another push towards the Usos vs. RKBro on Friday, which will totally be the big conclusive ending. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Omos vs. Bobby Lashley.

Here’s what’s coming on the rest of the show.

Omos vs. Bobby Lashley

Inside a cage with MVP in Omos’ corner. Before the match, MVP runs down the history and goes over the ways you can win the match (pinfall, submission, escape) before promising a lot of violence. Hold on though as Cedric Alexander jumps Lashley from behind in the aisle and the big brawl is on. We take a break and come back with the opening bell, as Lashley hammers away until MVP gets in a cheap shot from the floor.

Lashley grabs a choke anyway but Omos hits him in the chest to break that up. Another MVP cheap shot lets Omos choke away and then take it into the corner for a running splash. MVP tries to interfere again but Lashley grabs him by the arm for a ram into the cage. The spear takes Omos down for two and Lashley elbows him in the face. Lashley looks ready to finish but has to cut off Cedric Alexander, who is pulled down into the cage. Omos boots Lashley in the face and throws him through the cage, allowing Lashley to step outside and win at 7:32.

Rating: C-. This felt like the last third (or even half) of a cage match but they were so rushed through everything that almost nothing had a chance to make an impact. They had a seven minute match with multiple interferences and a screwy finish. I know they’re a bit rushed, but could you slow down at least a little bit? The ending was a good way to protect Omos, but Lashley was going even with him throughout at worst so I’m not sure how much the protection helps anyway.

Long recap of Mustafa Ali vs. Miz/Theory.

Theory vs. Mustafa Ali

Non-title….and Theory says hang on a second. He thinks we need a special referee for this match, so here is Miz to replace the referee already in the ring. Hold on again though as Theory is using Vince McMahon’s advice of “expect the unexpected”. Therefore, Ali has a different opponent.

Veer Mahaan vs. Mustafa Ali

Miz is guest referee. Ali goes after him to start but gets knocked away. Some superkicks stagger Veer so Theory trips Ali up (Miz doesn’t mind). Veer gets low bridged to the floor and some dropkicks make it worse, but Miz gets in the way of Ali’s dive. Miz shoves Ali and the distraction lets Veer hit the Million Dollar Arm. The Cervical Clutch finishes for Mahaan at 2:47, as Ali’s punishment continues.

Post match the beating continues but the Mysterios run out for the save and knock Mahaan off the apron. The throw everyone else in the pot feud continues.

Becky Lynch has seen Sasha Banks and Naomi leaving the building before the Six Pack Challenge. Lynch is going to just be the new #1 contender and takes the night off, but Adam Pearce makes Lynch vs. Asuka for the #1 contendership tonight instead. So they advertised a Six Pack Challenge and then changed it inside of 50 minutes. That’s a new mark even for them.

Riddle vs. Jimmy Uso

Jey Uso is here with his brother but there is no Randy Orton because of a family commitment. Jimmy starts with the kicks but gets caught in a triangle choke to the floor. A Jey distraction breaks up the apron kick though, meaning Riddle kicks Jey instead. Jimmy gets in a dive and Riddle is sent into the steps as we take a break. Back with Jimmy hitting another enziguri, setting up the running Umaga Attack for two.

The chinlock goes on but Riddle is back up with a few shots of his own. As the Countdown To Cody clock comes up (before his ten o’clock appearance), the pop up Samoan drop gives Jimmy two. Jimmy goes up top but has to break up the super RKO attempt, only to have the Superfly Splash hit knees. A rollup has Riddle in trouble but the referee catches the interference, earning Jey an ejection. Riddle small packages Jimmy for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. I wasn’t all that interested when the match was another tag match preview between two singles wrestlers but at least it wound up being pretty good. Riddle beating the Usos on his own doesn’t exactly make the Usos look great, but maybe they have something better planned for Smackdown. I still don’t buy the titles being unified on TV, though Friday should have the big fight feeling.

Video on AJ Styles/Finn Balor/Liv Morgan’s lack of luck against the Judgment Day.

Earlier today, Morgan was upset about Rhea Ripley when Los Lotharios came in to offer her a spot in the Kiss Cam. That’s a no, but AJ Styles and Finn Balor came in to chase them off. The guys offer her a spot in their corner tonight but she’ll think about it.

The Judgment Day is rather happy with how everything is going but Edge knows that there are some people who want in. They know everyone wants power, so anyone who wants to come in and move to the next level is welcome. It could even be you, AJ Styles. They could use his athleticism, so join him on top of the mountain. Either be by their side or at their feet, because they aren’t stopping.

AJ Styles/Finn Balor vs. Los Lotharios

Liv Morgan is here with Styles and Balor, apparently having made up her mind at some point today, because saying “I’m in” was too much to ask. Humberto actually stomps Styles down into the corner to start and it’s off to Angel to pound on the back. The abdominal stretch goes on, with Humberto getting in a kick to the ribs for a bonus. Styles fights up and brings in Balor to clean house, setting up the double slingshot dives to send us to a break.

Back with Humberto working on a half crab before Angel comes in for a double half crab. Styles powers out and brings in Balor to clean house. Angel actually cuts that off with a superkick and hands it back to Humberto. The moonsault hits raised boots (with Humberto taking a huge bump off the impact) and it’s the shotgun dropkick to Humberto in the corner. AJ Phenomenal Forearms Angel and it’s the Coup de Grace to finish Humberto at 9:15.

Rating: C+. Los Lotharios are a good team most of the time but in this case, they went with the right call of having AJ and Balor take them down. There is almost no way to imagine a midcard team beating a pair of former World Champions so don’t bother going nuts with it. At least it should be good when Balor or Styles joins up with Edge and company.

Too Sweeting ensues after the match.

Kevin Owens, in a Sami Zayn Forever shirt, meets the Alpha Academy, who has the results of Ezekiel’s DNA tests. They open the envelope….but the results have been contaminated by the presence of BARBECUE SAUCE on the sample. Otis is immediately blamed but Gable tries to keep things calm. Next weeks, Gable promises to expose Ezekiel for the fraud that he is. Tonight though, Gable is going to beat it out of him in the ring. Owens: “THAT’S WHAT YOU SAY EVERY WEEK!”

We recap Sonya Deville losing her job as a WWE boss last week, followed by losing to Alexa Bliss in about thirty seconds.

Alexa Bliss vs. Sonya Deville

Deville gets slapped in the face to start as the match has already lasted longer than last week’s. Bliss takes her down with a legsweep but misses the standing moonsault. A running knee gives Deville two and the chinlock goes on. Another running knee blasts Bliss so Deville goes to unhook a turnbuckle pad. The distracted referee misses Deville hitting a clean spinebuster but runs over for a delayed two. Bliss hits a DDT for the pin at 4:01.

Rating: C-. They had a bit of something here with the delayed cover, but it’s hard to get into the idea of Deville being screwed over. She was more interesting when she was serious a few years ago, and the idea of her getting what happened to her over and over again is only going to get so much of my attention. The match itself wasn’t great, but Bliss is still probably shaking off some ring rust.

Post match Deville yells at the referee and then slaps him.

We recap Seth Rollins attacking Cody Rhodes and Stomping him on the announcers’ table.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. He has been told that Seth Rollins is not here tonight but he hopes that Rollins is listening. Last week, Rollins poured gasoline on the fire but the reality is that Rollins is his own biggest threat. Rollins has built his own purgatory and wants to pull Rhodes down in with him. We flash back to 2011, when Rollins arrived with the rest of the Shield, with Rhodes as one of the bitter guys in the back. Rollins went on a rocket to the top by shattering the glass ceiling, which Rhodes never knew was there in the first place.

Rhodes’ story is a little different. He lost a lot and worked his way up, even if he was looking at the lights most nights. Now he has a second chance, and he isn’t taking it for granted. Rollins isn’t denying him a second chance so Rollins will have to kill him. So let’s run it back one more time…..inside the Cell. Rollins, who seems to be backstage, pops up to say Rhodes is nuts because anyone inside that Cell with him is changed. The match is on. I’d again like to point out that Rhodes has looked and sounded like a star since he returned. That makes all the difference in the world.

Asuka is giddy about getting to face Becky Lynch tonight.

Ezekiel vs. Chad Gable

Kevin Owens is on commentary and Otis is in Gable’s corner. Before the match, Owens doesn’t want to see a photo of Ezekiel and Elias together. Gable takes him down by the arm to start but Ezekiel is back up with an armdrag. That doesn’t work for Gable, who wants some SHOOSHING, only to have Ezekiel come back with a Gory Stretch. Gable slips out and gets into the ropes, with Ezekiel being sent outside.

Otis drives Ezekiel into the apron and we take a break. Back with Gable working on the arm but Ezekiel comes up with a clothesline. A spinebuster gets two and the jumping knee gets the same. Gable sends him into the corner for two but Ezekiel comes out with a kick to the chest. Otis’ distraction lets Gable grab a rollup, which is reversed into another rollup to give Ezekiel the pin at 10:59.

Rating: C. The more I see of Ezekiel, the more I like him. It isn’t like Elias was tearing the house down every week in the ring so there isn’t much of a bar to clear. Ezekiel had a perfectly watchable match here and is different enough than Elias to make it a bit more interesting. Not exactly a classic, but Ezekiel is an interesting enough change of pace for the time being.

R-Truth finally serves Akira Tozawa with his divorce papers and then runs off. Dana Brooke comes in to thank Truth for serving Reggie last week, but Truth wants to consummate with the 24/7 Title. Dana runs off and bumps into Carmella. Insults ensue, including Dana saying Carmella hasn’t mattered since the Guy With No Chin was here. Truth runs up and asks Carmella for help getting the title back. Sure, but she wants Dana Brooke when the time is right. As we continue adding people to this thing.

Here is Lacey Evans, who is introduced as a mother, daughter, Marine and more. Evans puts over the military and thanks them for everything they do. She is proud of what she has done and knows she has a long way to go, but no one in the back is any better than she is. I’m still not sure what they’re doing with Evans and I don’t think WWE does either.

Riddle is ready for the Usos.

The Usos are ready for Riddle.

Becky Lynch vs. Asuka

The winner gets a shot at Bianca Belair, at ringside, at Hell In A Cell. Becky starts fast but gets caught with the running hip attack on the apron. They go to the floor, where Becky hits a suplex into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Asuka getting two off a backslide and kicking Becky in the head. A knee to the face sets up a German suplex and a sliding knee gives Asuka two.

Becky gets in a running shot of her own for two and frustration begins to set in. A rollup is countered into the Asuka Lock but Becky flips backwards for the cover to escape. The cross armbreaker sends Becky to the ropes so she heads outside to yell at Belair. Asuka follows her out, earning herself a whip into Belair. That’s enough to bring Belair to the apron, allowing Becky to grab Asuka’s umbrella. That takes a bit too long though and it’s the green mist into a buzzsaw kick to give Asuka the pin at 9:52.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have time to get great here but it was a good win to build Asuka back up and get her ready for the title match next month. Becky’s slide continues, but she is so far and away established as a top star that it doesn’t matter. This felt like a big enough main event, though I could go for the pay per view version again.

The referee doesn’t seem interested in the fact that Lynch is green to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t exactly a strong show but the whole ordeal with Naomi/Sasha Banks walking out kind of turned parts of the show upside down. They started moving towards the Cell, but I still don’t know what the biggest match on the show is supposed to be. That is the problem with the lack of a World Champion, though it is likely to stay that way for a long time to come. For now, this worked well enough, even if nothing was exactly a show stealing classic. They still don’t have the terrible stuff and that is an important level to reach.

Results
Bobby Lashley b. Omos – Lashley escaped the cage
Veer Mahaan b. Mustafa Ali – Cervical Clutch
Riddle b. Jimmy Uso – Small package
AJ Styles/Finn Balor b. Los Lotharios – Coup de Grace to Humberto
Alexa Bliss b. Sonya Deville – DDT
Ezekiel b. Chad Gable – Rollup
Asuka b. Becky Lynch – Kick to the head

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

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There’s your big twist for the week. Apparently Naomi and Sasha Banks walked out on this week’s Monday Night Raw, when they were supposed to take part in the show’s Six Pack Challenge main event, also featuring Doudrop, Nikki Ash, Becky Lynch and Asuka. Apparently Banks didn’t like the creative, which would have seen Naomi winning, so Naomi went with them. WWE referenced it on Raw and issued a statement, which you can see below:

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1526389791784321028/photo/1

I believe the term here is egads and I’m not sure where to start. First of all, I know it might not have been the best creative or whatever the situation was, but walking out isn’t a good idea. It’s unprofessional and makes you look like you’re throwing your toys out of the crib. To make it worse, this is hardly the first time that Banks has walked out on the company. At this point, I’m almost so sick of hearing about her leaving that I wouldn’t mind if she didn’t return. She’s very talented, but either do your job or stay out.

As for Naomi, I hope she comes to her senses, because she might be talented but she isn’t a big enough star to walk out on her own. Maybe she thinks being part of the extended Anoa’i family gets her out of trouble, but it might not be quite enough. On top of that, you have the Women’s Tag Team Titles and….well maybe this is the way to get rid of those stupid things once and for all.

Overall, I’m not happy that this happened, but Banks has long run out of good graces to make up for something like this. How many times has she walked out now? I’m sure a lot of wrestlers are unhappy with how they are being presented, but stick around until your contract is up or something other than just walking out. Maybe this is fixed soon, but my goodness it’s not looking great for either of them.

NXT LVL Up
Date: May 13, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

We’re in an interesting place on NXT as the show is now featuring some of the people who started here. It makes this one feel a bit more like a launching pad and that could open up some doors for something more interesting. Then again, it might have absolutely nothing to do with anything going on here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence, featuring a bunch of people who will never be on this show.

Sanga vs. Dante Chen

Sanga throws him into the corner to start but Chen swings out of a slam to set up an armbar. A side slam cuts Chen off and some shots to the back of the neck make it worse. The cobra clutch sets up a missed legdrop and Chen hits a quick short DDT. Sanga blasts him with a clothesline and finishes with the chokeslam at 5:07.

Rating: C-. Sanga is another run of the mill monster and it’s kind of weird to see him go five minutes with someone as low level as Chen. I kind of like Sanga as his own man instead of being ANOTHER bodyguard though and he didn’t look awful here. Give him some ring time and maybe it could work, though it’s strange to see him having a regular match like this instead of a total squash.

Elektra Lopez vs. Thea Hail

Lopez powers her into the ropes to start but Hal grabs a rather nifty headlock. Some shoulders stagger Hail but she’s back with some running dropkicks. Lopez takes her down by the arm though and a legdrop on the arm makes it worse. The armbar with a chinlock goes on before it’s off to a rather nasty arm crank. Hail powers up and manages to take her down, only to miss a dropkick. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Lopez the pin at 5:06.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what to make of Lopez, as she gets to dominate when she is in the ring but doesn’t do it often enough to mean much. Maybe NXT doesn’t think enough of her in the ring but she’s doing well enough here. Hail might need a costume change but she has been impressive enough to be the next project around here if they want to go that way.

Javier Bernal vs. Trick Williams

Carmelo Hayes is here with Williams. Bernal starts working on the arm and manages to take him down for an early chinlock. That gets shifted into a headlock but Williams slips out and hits a heck of a dropkick. A jumping clothesline gives Williams two and he plants Bernal again, allowing some trash talking. There’s a flapjack for two more before Williams grabs a standing armbar. Bernal jawbreaks his way to freedom and it’s an atomic drop into a Russian legsweep as we go back to 1987. Williams isn’t having that and hits a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 6:20.

Rating: C. Hayes gets the attention and the glory but Williams is a perfectly fine worker in the ring. He looked good enough here and the spinning kick for the finish worked well too. Bernal is another guy who is just on the roster and not looking like anything special, which is where so many people fall in NXT. Maybe they can find something else for him, but it isn’t happening so far.

Overall Rating: C-. Pretty nothing show this week and that isn’t exactly a surprise these days. LVL Up continues to be all over the place from one week to the next, as you never know what you are going to get around here. The matches are usually watchable enough, but there isn’t exactly a reason to watch most weeks. Get these people back on some small house show circuit or something, because it is going to mean a lot more than this.

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

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Make sure you check out a recent review.

NXT UK – May 12, 2022

New Career: AEW Star Lands Debut Acting Role.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/new-career-aew-star-lands-debut-acting-role/

Wrestling Legend Reveals Cancer Diagnosis.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-legend-reveals-cancer-diagnosis/

Ouch: WWE Star Announces He Is Out Of Action With An Injury.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/ouch-wwe-star-announces-action-injury/

WWE Issues New Rule Over Wrestlers Getting Haircuts.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-issues-new-rule-wrestlers-getting-haircuts/

WATCH: Fan Attacks Wrestler At Independent Event And A Brawl Breaks Out.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-fan-attacks-wrestler-independent-event-brawl-breaks/

WWE Backstage Producer Seems To Receive A Promotion.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-backstage-producer-seems-receive-promotion/

Former WCW Announcer Trying To Keep Ric Flair From Returning To The Ring.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/former-wcw-announcer-trying-keep-ric-flair-returning-ring/

WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE Considering Major Changes To SmackDown Star.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-wwe-considering-major-changes-smackdown-star/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Big Turn Planned To Set Up New Judgment Day Member.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumor-big-turn-planned-set-new-judgment-day-member/

Remember Them: WWE Attitude Era Stable Reunites At Independent Show.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/remember-wwe-attitude-era-stable-reunites-independent-show/

Put It Together: AEW Considering Major, Violent Match Soon.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/put-together-aew-considering-major-violent-match-soon/

Backstage Confusion In WWE Over Money In The Bank Plans.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/backstage-confusion-wwe-money-bank-plans/

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

NXT UK
Date: May 12, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a big time show this week as we have the 200th episode (though that doesn’t seem to be the case if you actually count them up). Counting issues aside, we have a big main event as United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov is defending against Jordan Devlin in a title match that is also Loser Leaves Town. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the title match.

Opening sequence.

Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter vs. Gallus

The winners move on to a triple threat Tag Team Title match and it’s the Coffey brothers for Gallus. Mark powers Carter to the mat to start and it’s quickly off to Joe for a chop as commentary talks about Joe never winning anything. Carter sends Mark into the corner with a headscissors and starts in on the arm, with Smith coming in to do the same. That doesn’t work for Mark, who runs Carter over and hands it back to Joe….who is quickly knocked to the floor.

We settle back down to Joe hammering on Smith, setting up an overhead belly to belly. Joe seems to tweak his knee on a leapfrog though, allowing Carter to come back in with a slingshot shoulder. An assisted 450 gives Smith two but a Silly String moonsault hits raised knees. Joe gets in another suplex and the hot tag brings in Mark to clean house. Mark hits a middle rope bulldog for two on Carter and a belly to back drops Smith. Joe comes back in with a high/low for two, leaving Mark to dive onto Carter. A missed springboard bangs up Joe’s knee again and another assisted moonsault gives Carter the pin on Joe at 10:24.

Rating: C+. They kept things moving here but Smith and Carter winning was the only thing that makes sense. The two of them have seemed primed to get the titles for awhile now and Gallus’ losing streak gets to continue. I’m not sure where that is going but things are continuing to go badly, which makes things interesting.

Post match, Gallus isn’t happy.

A-Kid has gotten his match with Charlie Dempsey to be held under Heritage Cup rules.

Video on NXT UK over the years and how some of them have gone on to main roster success. They’ve had some good stuff.

Lash Legend cuts off Emilia McKenzie’s interview but doesn’t have time for McKenzie getting annoyed at her.

Nina Samuels vs. Ivy Nile

Samuels offers a quick pose off, which is kind of stupid when Nile’s biceps are bigger than Samuels’ head. Nile takes her to the mat for a headscissors, complete with pushups. Samuels goes to the ropes for a needed breather before snapping Nile’s throat across the top. That lets Samuels get in her own pushups, followed by the double fish hook. Nile fights up with the kicks to various parts of Samuels and a running dropkick in the corner gets two. A slap to the face rocks Nile on the ropes but she’s right back with the dragon sleeper for the win at 4:43.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t much but it is nice to see Nile getting a win over a more established name. Nile seems ready to move up to the title picture soon as it isn’t like there is much more for her to do otherwise. Samuels is pretty firmly established in her spot and the Nina Samuels Show stuff can get her right back after another loss.

Damon Kemp doesn’t think much of Sha Samuels jumping him last week.

Dave Mastiff and Jack Starz mock one of Die Familie’s meetings, including a cardboard cutout of Charlie Dempsey’s head. A beating is promised.

Joe Coffey says he’s going to take some time away by himsel.f

Wild Boar blames Eddie Dennis for his troubles last year and now he wants revenge.

Kenny Williams continues to go insane and still believes that Tiger Turan is behind everything. He even has a wall covered in papers as all sane people do.

United Kingdom Title: Jordan Devlin vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov is defending and this is Loser Leaves NXT UK. Devlin gets taken to the mat to start, with Dragunov working on a headlock. The comeback attempt just earns him another headlock before it’s time to go with the slugout. Devlin catches him on top with a shot to the face and it’s a brainbuster onto the top turnbuckle for a nice tribute to El Generico.

Back in and Dragunov can barely stand so Devlin kicks him in the ribs for two. A running legdrop just wakes Dragunov up but Devlin knocks him into the corner. One heck of a clothesline drops Dragunov and we hit the half crab, complete with some stomps to the head. That’s broken up though and Dragunov starts firing off elbows, with commentary saying Dragunov is more volatile than Bitcoin.

Back to back German suplexes drop Devlin again but he’s able to crotch Dragunov on top. A moonsault out to the floor drops Dragunov and a reverse cutter gets two back inside. Dragunov catches him on top with a superplex, setting up a hard forearm to the face for two. Torpedo Moscow only hits buckle though, allowing Devlin to hit the Devlin Side for the pin (with Dragunov’s foot in the ropes).

Devlin celebrates but here is Johnny Saint to say restart things. Another Torpedo Moscow is countered into a Canadian Destroyer (that was sweet) and a brainbuster gets two. Dragunov is back up with a German suplex and the Torpedo Moscow retains the title/gets rid of Devlin at 16:12.

Rating: B. Dragunov continues his reign in another good match, though some of his kickouts do get to be a bit much. There come points where he feels indestructible and that can be hard to take at times. Other than that, Devlin leaving could be interesting, as he could be on his way to regular NXT or out altogether, or he might be back under some shenanigans. Either way, I’m curious to see what is next for both of them, as Dragunov is in need of a new challenger and no one seems to be ready for him.

Dragunov celebrates and Devlin is crushed to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a much better show than the last few, as there is only so much you can get out of a show focused on the lower level NXT stars. Instead, this show was about the United Kingdom Title with a big time main event. That is what the show has been needing, though I have a bad feeling that this is a one off rather than a shift back to what made the show work over (most of) the last 200 weeks.

Results
Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter b. Gallus – Assisted moonsault to Joe
Ivy Nile b. Nina Samuels – Dragon sleeper
Ilja Dragunov b. Jordan Devlin – Torpedo Moscow

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.