Rey de Reyes 2026 Night One
Date: March 14, 2026
Location: Auditorio GNP Seguros, Puebla, Mexico
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Rey Mysterio, Corey Graves

It’s the first of three weeks of one of the biggest AAA shows of the year and they’re starting fast. This week features both the Rey de Reyes finals, plus Dominik Mysterio defending the Mega Title against El Hijo del Vikingo, with some special stipulations. That’s in addition to a Women’s Title match so let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about what it takes to be the best and earn the crown. Or sword in this case.

Commentary sends best wishes to Konnan, who has been having some health issues.

Here is Rey Fenix to get things going. He loves being here and promises surprises for everyone. That includes his favorite wrestler, and his brother, which brings out Penta. I mean, he was already announced for the show so it’s not a surprise but close enough. Fenix even holds the rope open for him in a nice moment before going to leave, but Penta tells him to stay.

Penta greets the crowd and teases a Lucha Brothers reunion, perhaps at TripleMania. They’re the best team in the universe and they’ll be back together. Fenix leaves and Penta talks about some of the legends that have won the Rey de Reyes tournament over the years. Penta talks about how winning the Intercontinental Title is about everyone here and he wants a challenger from Mexico to step up. You could tell how much this meant for Penta and that’s rather cool to see.

Reina de Reinas Title: Flammer vs. ???

It’s open challenge time with Flammer defending against….Bayley. Ok that’s a nice surprise. Bayley headlocks her down to start and they grapple around a bit, with Flammer slipping away. Bayley takes her to the floor for a quick beating but Flammer sweeps the leg and hits a suicide dive. Back in and Flammer pounds away before grabbing the chinlock. That doesn’t last long as Bayley is back up with a running neckbreaker.

The Twisting Stunner over the ropes gives Bayley two and she knees Flammer in the face. Flammer kicks her out of the corner though and rips a pad off the turnbuckle but has to escape the Rose Plant. Bayley gets tied in the ropes for a springboard legdrop but is fine enough to hit a middle rope elbow to the back. A Codebreaker out of the corner gives Flammer two, only for Bayley to knock her down. Cue Las Toxicas for a distraction, allowing Flammer to send her into the ropes. The running dropkick against the ropes retains the title at 11:38.

Rating: B-. And that’s a great way to use a star like Bayley, as she got cheated out of the win and Flammer gets one of the biggest victories of her career. The win gives Flammer the record for longest reign in the title’s history, which is quite the accomplishment. I don’t quite get the star power out of her, but this kind of a win is always going to help.

Video on the Rey de Reyes tournament and what it has meant over the years. This year, the winner even gets a Mega Title shot in addition to the really big sword.

Rey de Reyes: Santos Escobar vs. Original El Grande Americano vs. El Grande Americano vs. La Parka

One fall and for the sake of simplicity, I’ll call them “Original” and “Americano” respectively. The bell rings twice for some reason and it’s already off to Original vs. Americano. Escobar makes the fans wait even longer though, with Parka coming back in to break it up. The fans call Original IMPOSTER as he sends Parka out to the apron. A dropkick sends Original to the floor and Escobar dumps Parka as well.

Americano is back in to hammer on Escobar but Parka is back in to clean house. Parka moonsaults down onto the other three and a spinning torture rack bomb drops Original for two back inside. Original is back up to start working on Parka’s arm and a top rope clothesline drops him for two. Escobar is back in and Original takes over on him as well, with Americano coming back in to the crowd’s delight.

Escobar gets the other three in the corners for some running knees and a superkick gets two on Parka. Americano tells Escobar to bring it though and clears him out, meaning it’s time for the showdown with Original. Escobar breaks it up again and gets his ankle locked, with Americano doing his weird camel clutch to Parka. Both of those are broken up so Escobar takes Parka up top for a superplex and a near fall.

Original German suplexes Parka and Escobar so here is Americano to hammer away. A super Spanish Fly drops Original, with Escobar adding a superkick mid-flip (cool) for two. Original and Americano take the other two down and they both load up the masks. Stereo headbutts leave both of them down and Parka frog splashes Americano for two. Parka and Escobar clothesline each other and everyone is down.

Original and Americano brawl to the back, which JBL points out as being rather dumb. Escobar grabs a chair but gets suplexed for two instead. Parka misses a moonsault and gets faceplanted onto the chair for two. Cue Americano, who points to Los Americanos beating up the Original in a sky box. Escobar avoids a charge in the corner and gets two off a rollup with tights. Cue El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. to stop Escobar from grabbing a chair though, allowing Americano to hit the running headbutt for the pin and the tournament at 19:00.

Rating: B+. This was pretty much non-stop action and the fans were WAY into everything Americano was doing. They’ve got a hot feud here and a mask vs. mask match is about as perfect of a blowoff as you can get. Putting Americano into the Mega Title picture is what the fans want and it comes after an awesome four way. Rather good stuff here, as they did not stop throughout.

Post match Americano laughs at the Original, who has been handcuffed to a railing in the box.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Mega Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Dominik Mysterio

Vikingo, with Dorian Roldan, is challenging and cannot challenge again if he loses. If Mysterio wins, he has to leave Mexico. It’s also No DQ so they both grab an early kendo stick. Vikingo dropkicks him into the corner and ties him in the ropes for a running low dropkick. Some legsweeps put Mysterio down and a chair is tossed at his head (Rey: “Maybe after that hit he’ll recognize me as his father.”).

Vikingo sends him into the steps and a running flip dive knocks Mysterio out of a chair for the big crash. Back in and Vikingo puts a trashcan over Mysterio’s head and unloads with a kendo stick for two. Mysterio fights back and knocks him down for the slingshot hilo but Vikingo blocks the Three Amigos. Instead it’s a Michinoku Driver for two on Vikingo, with Roldan making the save.

Cue Omos for a distraction, allowing Vikingo to get two off a rollup. Omos pulls a trashcan away from Mysterio and throws it back at him, allowing Vikingo to hit a top rope double stomp for two. Vikingo puts on the title but misses a frog splash, only for Omos to break up the 619. There’s a big chokeslam to Mysterio but here is Mini Vikingo to break up the 630. Mysterio goes low to save Mini from Omos and some chair shots put Omos down. The 619 and frog splash retain the title at 12:55.

Rating: B. The key thing here is they didn’t go long, as this was more about just getting everything in and leaving before they overstayed their welcome. The big two promotions could absolutely learn something from that as it made things so much better here. Mysterio retaining is a great way to go, as he is thriving here and it would be insane to take him out of Mexico.

Post match Mysterio celebrates and you can hear Rey having to keep himself from cheering for his son (that’s nice).

Overall Rating: B+. As usual, I had a great time with this as everyone was working hard and you can get into everything rather easily. The tournament final was a blast and the main event was fun, with Bayley being a nice surprise. They knew this was the big show and they did well with it, though good luck following up on it in the coming weeks. AAA continues to be among the best weekly series and that was absolutely the case again here.

Results
Flammer b. Bayley – Running dropkick against the ropes
El Grande Americano b. Original El Grande Americano, La Parka and Santos Escobar – Running headbutt to Original
Dominik Mysterio b. El Hijo del Vikingo – Frog splash

 

 

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We’re back on pay per view and as usual, there is quite the massive card. In this case, the show is headlined by Hangman Page challenging MJF for the World Title in a Texas Death Match, but there are several other titles on the line. That’s pretty normal around here, as is having awesome pay per views, so hopefully they can continue the trend. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Boom & Doom vs. The Infantry

This is the “get Big Boom AJ on the card” match and naturally there are no other options for opponents than two thirds of the Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Champions. This is likely going to be the same as every AJ match has been thus far, meaning it’s going to be a lot better left on the pre-show than anything else. It’s not a match that is going to hurt anything and that makes it the easiest to watch of these three.

Of course I’ll take AJ and Marshall to win, there is no reason for the Infantry to beat the celebrity wrestler. Just let them do their thing and hits the catchphrase with AJ’s son and the Rizzler being there (because that’s still a thing) and we move on. It’s the definition of a harmless match and would be fine as a one off Kickoff Show match, but even as one out of three, it should be ok.

Zero Hour: TBS Title: Willow Nightingale(c) vs. Lena Kross

Since modern wrestling absolutely loves the idea of double champions, this is the first of two title defenses for Nightingale, with Kross being a challenger in both of them as well. This is a good example of a match that should be a Collision main event rather than on the card, but we have to beef the numbers up somehow due to reasons of that’s how AEW tends to work.

I’m actually kind of split on this one, as it would be a bit weird to have Kross lose here if she has another title shot later in the night. At the same time, I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have Kross win the title so soon into her run. Maybe this ends with some sort of interference, but I’ll take Nightingale to retain the title here, as she’s so adorable in general I don’t want her to lose.

Zero Hour: National Title: Battle Royal

So as usual, we only know a few of the participants in the match, which means we could be in for quite the collection of surprises. Ricochet is defending and that should be fine, though you never know what you’re going to see in something like this. Having the title on the line in a battle royal is a way to get the title off of Ricochet without him taking a (nother) pin so they might have an out.

Since we don’t know so much of the field, and the members we do know are not much, I’ll take Ricochet to retain. It’s the kind of thing that can give him a lot of bragging points going forward and that is where he tends to shine. He has to lose the title at some point, but shutting him up with a one on one loss sounds more effective. He’ll keep the title for now at least.

Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir

These two have been teasing a big fight for a long time now and we’re finally getting to see it take place. That hasn’t really made it feel must see, as Shafir is mainly just a valet/enforcer and Storm is…ok I’m still working on that but she’s different. What matters the most is that this could be quite the intense fight, but I’m not sure where it is going to go in the end.

Despite a feeling that it’s going the other way, I’ll take Storm here. At the end of the day, Shafir has never really shown any interest in becoming a singles star and beating Storm would rocket her up towards the top of the division. Storm overcoming the odds of another monster here makes sense, especially if she’s getting back into the title picture. It feels like Shafir could win, but I’ll take Storm.

Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy/Roderick Strong vs. The Dogs

So this has been built up for a few weeks, as Cassidy has been dealing with the Dogs and finding a single friend to help in the form of Allin. That only got him so far as there were three Dogs, so thankfully Strong popped up to even things out. Now we have a six man tag as a result, though it definitely feels like something that belongs on Dynamite rather than here on pay per view.

I’ll go with the Dogs to win here, as there is pretty much no reason to have them come together and lose in their first big man as a trio. The team is fun together and they’re against a makeshift group of good guys. Let the Dogs win so they can get their feet under them and maybe take the Trios Titles down the line, as at least they’re an actual team rather than some people thrown together.

Trios Titles: Don Callis Family(c) vs. Mistico/Jet Speed

Speaking of makeshift teams in the title picture, we have Mistico and Jet Speed getting a title shot despite having no history as a team. It’s pretty new for Jet Speed, as they won the titles while teaming with Hangman Page, basically from scratch. This feels like a way to get Mistico on the show, and fair enough, but it doesn’t do the titles much good in the process.

I don’t see any reason for the titles to change hands here so we’ll go with the champions retaining. Ultimately, Jet Speed and Mistico aren’t a team and Mistico isn’t going to be around full time (then again neither are the titles), so let the Family retain for a change. It should be a fast paced and entertaining match, but there is no reason to think the titles are changing hands here.

Bandido vs. Andrade El Idolo

Shockingly enough, there is no indication that the Ring Of Honor World Title is on the line here, as I guess Andrade has no interest in the thing. They really seem to just be fighting for the sake of having a fight, which is hardly a great reason to have a pay per view match. Basically it was Bandido’s partner had a match and Bandido wanted one too and here we are.

I don’t see a reason for Bandido to win here, as Andrade is on a roll and Bandido is basically there to add a banger to the card. That’s hardly a great reason to run the match, but at least it should be entertaining. Hopefully it lives up to the hype and leads to a rematch for the title that is right there. It would be even worse for Andrade to beat him and then move on, though there is a very good chance that’s what happens.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Babes Of Wrath(c) vs. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne

Here we have the second of Nightingale’s title defenses against Kross on the night, which is a pretty weird way to go. This one doesn’t feel so certain though, as the Babes have had the titles for a pretty long while now and it might make sense for them to lose. If nothing else, there is a good chance that Kross does something to weaken Nightingale in their first match to make this an easier victory.

I think I’ll go with the titles changing hands here, as if nothing else, Bayne needs to win something already. She’s an absolute monster but that doesn’t mean much if she never wins a prize. The Babes are more than solidified as a top team so changing the titles is an acceptable result. It should be a fun match, but in theory this is where the titles finally change hands.

Women’s Title: Thekla(c) vs. Kris Statlander

This is 2/3 falls because the show just wasn’t long enough already. These two have been feuding for the better part of ever already and it is high time for the thing to be over. In theory this is going to be the last match between them and the angle on Collision did help boost it up a bit. Ultimately the problem comes down to the fact that Thekla has exploded in recent weeks and that’s a big issue for Statlander.

I’ll take Thekla to retain here, likely two falls to one, as there is pretty much no reason to put the title back on Statlander. She had a lengthy enough run as champion and Thekla is absolutely feeling like the bigger star. Go with the hot hand at the moment, hopefully with something other than that still not so great looking spear, and let Thekla retain on the big stage.

Continental Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita

This is one of the bigger matches on the card and it has no time limit, which is almost a scary concept. The good thing is that these two can work very well together on the big stage and if they can make that happen again here, we should be in for a heck of a match. Moxley won the title late last year but couldn’t beat Takeshita, which has been giving him quite the issue.

I’ll go with Takeshita winning the title here though, as Moxley and the Death Riders have mostly dominated the feud with the Don Callis Family and it might be time for the Family to get their big win. It’s a match that absolutely could go either way and I’m probably wrong. The good thing is that it should be an absolute war, which is what you want to see out of these two.

Tag Team Titles: FTR(c) vs. Young Bucks

Yes again. I know this is the big, all time tag feud in AEW but I stopped caring about everything they were doing a long time ago. The good thing is the match is pretty much guaranteed to be a hit, which is about all you can ask for here. This is going to be treated as one of the biggest matches on the card and that does make sense, so hopefully they can live up to the considerable hype.

Since we’re in southern California and it hasn’t happened in a bit, I’ll go with the Bucks to win the titles here. It might not be what I want to see, but the team tends to get a big run with them every year or two. That makes sense given their status in AEW and in theory it is where they’re going here. It should be a heck of a match, with the Bucks winning making the most sense.

Brody King vs. Swerve Strickland

I waited for this one as it’s the match that interests me the most. At the end of the day, these two could beat the living daylights out of each other and that should be a heck of a match. What matters here is having King look like a star against a big name like Strickland, who has already been crazy successful in AEW. This should be quite the showdown and it has all of the potential.

As much as I’d love to see King get a big win, Strickland seems to be on the way back into the World Title picture following his heel turn. Odds are Strickland wins here after one heck of a fight and that has me more than interested. The good thing is they are getting the big chance on the biggest stage and both have been on a roll as of late. Strickland wins, but it’s after an awesome match.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman(c) vs. Hangman Page

This is another Texas Death Match as Page officially has a signature match (at least it isn’t a bull rope match). The catch here is that if Page loses, he can never challenge for the World Title again. That seems like it’s setting things up to go one way, though it’s also giving me something of a doubt. It feels like everything is set up for MJF to lose, only to retain the title in a shocker.

Therefore, I’ll go with my pick most likely to be wrong and say MJF retains here, possibly with some shenanigans costing Page the match. While I absolutely cannot imagine the idea of Page never challenging for the title again, it just feels too safe for Page to win here. It feels like something where we’re going to see a swerve (not the Strickland kind) and that’s what I’ll take.

Overall Thoughts

Make no mistake about it: this show is going to be long. That’s the AEW way and they’re going to make it happen again here. The card has thirteen matches (yes including the pre-show), with one of them being 2/3 falls and another being no time limit. This is setting up to be a very long show, but the potential for some great stuff is there. AEW has earned the benefit of the doubt, but I’m going to need a nap when they’re done.

 

 

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

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Collision
Date: March 14, 2026
Location: San Jose Civic, San Jose, California
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the night before Revolution and it’s time for the final push towards the show. That’s what we’ll be doing here, with the usual assortment of matches around here, likely including a bunch of Don Callis Family members. Other than that, we might even get an extra match or two added to the card. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

El Clon vs. Kevin Knight

They start fast with Knight knocking him outside to start, only to crotch himself on the ring skirt on a dive. Clon suplexes him on the floor and takes it back inside to work on the leg. Knight manages a quick sitout spinebuster and an elbow to the face gets two. Now the slingshot dive connects for Knight and we take a break.

We come back with Clon hitting a backbreaker to send Knight outside, where a step up moonsault connects. Back in and Knight catches him on top with a superplex, followed by a nice dropkick to put Clon down again. Clon’s sitout powerbomb gets two, as do Knight’s rollup and backslide. Knight drops him again though and it’s the UFO Splash for the pin at 12:25.

Rating: B-. As usual, Knight pretty much steals the show no matter what he does as he’s one of the smoothest in-ring stars AEW has. He’s talented and getting his chance to shine, thankfully on his own without Mike Bailey. Clon is doing well too, but I’m not sure what else he’s supposed to do but have random matches until Hologram gets back for their big showdown.

Video on the Trios Titles match at Revolution.

The Babes Of Wrath are ready to retain their titles and make Megan Bayne/Lena Kross glitter like cotton candy.

Komander vs. Mark Davis

Davis throws him around to start and blocks the very springboardy hurricanrana. Komander sends him to the apron for a running superkick but Davis knocks him down again. We take a break and come back with Komander striking away and running up top for a missile dropkick. Davis bails out to the floor and there’s the moonsault to take him down again.

Back in and one heck of a running elbow drops Komander, who gets slammed down hard for two. A quick hurricanrana sends Davis into the corner where a springboard sunset bomb gets two more. The 450 hits raised knees though and Davis knocks his head off for two. Komander is back up with an octopus, followed by a 619 (Schiavone: “Area Code Kick to the head.”) but Davis blocks Cielito Lindo. The piledriver finishes for Davis at 11:55.

Rating: B-. Davis is someone who is making the most out of his chances and that is awesome to see. He’s a big power guy and that is the kind of thing that will always have a spot around a promotion, especially one focused on smaller wrestlers. Nice match here, with Davis looking like a killer who survived Komander’s rapid fire stuff.

The Dogs are ready to hurt Roderick Strong and company.

We run down the Revolution card.

Video on Mascara Dorada.

Various people are ready for the National Title battle royal.

Triangle Of Madness vs. Tatevik/Viva Van/Karisma

Blue kicks Tatevik into the corner to start and it’s off to Hart for a forearm. Thekla hits the spear for the pin at 1:06.

Post match Thekla rants about how she is tired of hearing about Kris Statlander. She’s tired of Statlander making challenges and running away, so here is Statlander to take out the rest of the Triangle. Thekla gets dropped as well and Statlander takes off her own belt, telling Thekla to beat her with it. This proves to be a bad idea as Statlander is quickly beaten down but gets up, even with the welts on her back. Instead Thekla hammers away on her and throws in some spit. Thekla leaves and Statlander gets up, saying Thekla should be afraid of what Thekla has to do to keep her down.

Marina Shafir says Toni Storm is getting into a level of violence she doesn’t understand.

The Demand vs. Bang Bang Gang

Austin speeds around Kaun to start, including an armdrag to take him down. A drop toehold and kick to the back set up a legdrop to keep Kaun down. Gunn comes in to strike away at Kaun, followed by a jumping Downward Spiral to an invading Ricochet. Liona offers Robinson an easy path inside, with Robinson slapping him in the face.

The crossbody is pulled out of the air but Robinson slips out and sends him outside. The dive is pulled out of the air again, only for Austin to hit a big running dive as we take a break. We come back with Austin in trouble, with the Demand taking turns crushing him in the corner. Austin manages to send Ricochet outside and hit a springboard missile dropkick to Liona.

It’s back to Robinson and house is cleaned as everything breaks down. A cutter out of the corner drops Robinson though and Ricochet’s top rope splash gets two. Austin and Robinson strike away at Liona and we hit the parade of knockdowns. Gunn hits a Fameasser to Kaun but Ricochet is back in with the Spirit Gun for the pin at 14:34.

Rating: B. This was another wild match and it’s nice to see Ricochet actually win (granted without getting the pin) for a change. His title is going to be in danger tomorrow and thankfully it’s a battle royal, so there was no reason to have him take a pin here. The match was more fast paced action and it worked out well, even if it didn’t feel overly important.

Post match the Gang gets beaten down again and Ricochet promises to retain his title in the battle royal.

Jack Perry stabs a board and wants to win the National Title in the building where he used to watch wrestling as a kid.

Toni Storm is laid on what appears to be a blanket and talks about knowing what the circus is like around here. At Revolution, Marina Shafir finds out that she is just a performer in her final act.

Lena Kross vs. Mina Shirakawa

Megan Bayne is here with Kross, who pats Shirakawa on the head to start. Shirakawa rolls her into the corner but gets sent flying with a fall away slam. A missed charge sends Kross crashing to the floor but she drops Shirakawa face first onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Shirakawa working on the leg, setting up a slingshot dive for two. The Glamorous Driver is broken up so Shirakawa grabs the top rope Sling Blade for two more. A rather hard German suplex puts Shirakawa back down though and a Jackhammer gives Kross the pin at 9:50.

Rating: C+. Kross needed the win before her title shot tomorrow, which makes me wonder why she’s getting a shot in the first place. At the same time, it’s yet another loss for Shirakawa, who has quite the collection of them lately. I still have no idea how this is the best use of her, but you can all but guarantee her losing every time she gets in the ring.

Video on MJF vs. Hangman Page.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Mascara Dorada

Don Callis is on commentary. Andrade kicks the handshake away to start and takes Dorada down without much trouble. A running shoulder drops Dorada again and they trade standing switches, with Dorada missing a moonsault as Andrade does Tranquilo in the ropes. Dorada headscissors him outside, where Andrade gets in a shot of his own but stops to flirt with another fan.

Back in and Andrade’s tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two but Dorada spins into a crossbody to put Andrade down for a change. Andrade is sent outside for a slingshot hurricanrana, setting up a top rope DDT onto the apron. The Asai moonsault is blocked though and we take a break. We come back with Andrade getting the better of an exchange of forearms but getting caught with a pop up dropkick. A springboard hurricanrana takes Andrade down and a Code Red gets two.

Andrade’s Three Amigos get two and he goes up, only for Dorada to snap off a spinning super hurricanrana. Dorada sends him outside for a running corkscrew dive, followed by a 450 for two back inside. They slap it out from their knees until Andrade catches him in the ropes for the reverse Spanish Fly. The running knees in the corner give Andrade two but Dorada is back with some kicks to the head. A spinning Canadian Destroyer out of the corner looks to set up the shooting star press, with Andrade rolling to the apron. Back in and Andrade knocks him down, setting up the DM for the fast pin at 18:49.

Rating: B. Yeah of course this was good stuff, as Andrade is actually trying at the moment. That’s not something that is likely to last very long, but at least we’re getting something good for the time being. At the same time, Dorada is always worth a look, which was certainly the case again here. Pretty solid main event.

Post match Bandido comes in for the staredown but the Don Callis Family jumps him. Brody King makes the save but gets jumped by Swerve Strickland. Bandido and King fight back to clear out the villains to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was the kind of show that was all about the in-ring action, which made for a heck of a two hour stretch. At the same time, it only felt like so much of this really mattered for Revolution, but if the card is set, there is no need to push it too far. You don’t need to watch the show, but you would have had a pretty great time if you did.

Results
Kevin Knight b. El Clon – UFO Splash
Mark Davis b. Komander – Piledriver
Triangle Of Madness b. Tatevik/Viva Van/Karisma – Spear to Tatevik
The Demand b. Bang Bang Gang – Spirit Gun to Gunn
Lena Kross b. Mina Shirakawa – Jackhammer
Andrade El Idolo b. Mascara Dorada – DM

 

 

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

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Wrestlemania VII
Date: March 24, 1991
Location: Los Angeles Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 16,158
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan

It’s the Gulf War show, as Hulk Hogan is fighting to get the WWF Title back from former American hero turned Iraqi sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter. If that sounds like one of the worst ideas for a Wrestlemania main event ever, you have quite the memory for these things. Other than that we have Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior in a match that actually belongs in a big spot at Wrestlemania. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is all about the stars and stripes with only Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter being shown.

Willie Nelson sings America The Beautiful.

Jim Duggan joins commentary for the first match, while saying that Hulk Hogan going after Sgt. Slaughter is like the military going after Saddam Hussein.

The Rockers know they’re ready for Haku and the Barbarian, whether they are part of the Heenan Family or not.

Rockers vs. Haku/Barbarian

Haku and Barbarian, with Bobby Heenan, are already in the ring in a move that could cut down on so much Wrestlemania time these days. Shawn and Haku start things off as the fans are already yelling about Heenan. Haku whips him into the corner a few times but a shoulder and some right hands get Shawn out of trouble. Marty comes in for the double elbow but Barbarian clotheslines both Rockers inside out.

Back up and a double superkick drops Barbarian and it’s time for pointers with the Brain (jot that down for a talk show idea). We settle back down to Marty sunset flipping Barbarian for two before working over the arm. Haku comes back in for a double headbutt and an assisted hot shot has Marty in even more trouble. The gorilla press plants Marty again and Barbarian even draws Shawn in so double choking can ensue.

A hard whip into the corner gives Barbarian two more and we hit the required bearhug (What took them so long?). Marty tries to fight back but gets caught in a heck of a powerslam to cut him off again. Barbarian misses the top rope headbutt though and there’s the tag to Shawn. House is quickly cleaned, including a middle rope crossbody to Barbarian. Everything breaks down and it’s a double clothesline to Barbarian. Marty missile Barbarian and Shawn adds a high crossbody for the pin at 10:33.

Rating: C+. The middle felt a little bit long but this was a perfectly fine power vs. speed tag match. The Rockers are one of the better speed teams from around this time and they were a great choice for an opener. Haku and Barbarian on the other hand were perfectly acceptable monsters, making this a rather nice way to get the crowd fired up. It would have been a heck of a house show match (and probably was more than once) and that worked well in this spot.

We get our celebrity interviews with Regis Philbin (scared of Earthquake), Marla Maples (future wife of Donald Trump and tonight’s guest timekeeper) and Alex Trebek (Jeopardy jokes abound). I love Jeopardy and Regis can be funny, but these are about as cringe as you can get.

Dino Bravo vs. Texas Tornado

Jimmy Hart is here with Bravo, who jumps Tornado at the bell and clotheslines him out to the floor in an early heap. Back in and Tornado slugs away but can’t get the Claw. Bravo knocks him down again and drops an elbow for two, setting up the side slam. The delayed cover gets two and there’s a middle rope elbow to the back of Tornado’s head. Bravo goes up but dives into the Claw, setting up the Tornado Punch for the pin at 3:11.

Rating: D. This is the match that I cite for why I don’t redo every Wrestlemania (or any show) very often. There are only so many ways you can talk about a nothing match like this with no build and almost no time. Tornado was past his expiration date and Bravo would be gone, save for mostly house shows, after this, so what were they supposed to do here?

Slick and the Warlord are ready to beat British Bulldog. Sweet goodness I was scared of Warlord’s half mask back then and it’s still an awesome look to this day.

Bulldog says he can powerslam Warlord.

British Bulldog vs. Warlord

Slick is here with Warlord but Bulldog has his mascot Winston (he’s no Matilda). This is power vs. power so Warlord starts with the clubbing forearm to the back. Bulldog runs him over with some shoulders and Warlord is already on the floor for a breather. Back in and Warlord counters the crucifix into something like a Samoan drop as things slow way back down. The bearhug goes on for a bit before Bulldog charges into a hot shot to cut the comeback right back off.

We hit the chinlock, with Heenan even complaining about how sloppy Warlord has it on. With that broken up, Bulldog dropkicks him into the corner and hammers away, setting up a crossbody for two. The piledriver is blocked so Bulldog settles for two off a sunset flip instead. Bulldog misses a charge though and Warlord gets most of the full nelson, minus the fingers being locked. The incomplete version is broken up and Bulldog hits the powerslam for the pin at 8:10.

Rating: C. This was another house show style match as Bulldog gets an impressive win, with that powerslam still looking great. Warlord is up there with the most generic monster villains you can get but he looked good enough that beating him still felt like something of a big deal. These two could have some nice power matches though and they made a basic story work well here.

The Nasty Boys, with Jimmy Hart, are ready to win the Tag Team Titles, even if it means beating the Hart Foundation. They destroy Gene handkerchief to warm up.

The Hart Foundation are ready for a fight but say the Nastys can’t crack, move or break the foundation.

Tag Team Titles: Hart Foundation vs. Nasty Boys

The Nastys, with Jimmy Hart (in a helmet), are challenging and Macaulay Culkin is in the audience, with Monsoon thankfully recognizing him. Sags punches away at Bret to start but Bret is back with a Thesz press and right hands (….hey). Bret cuts off a kick to the ribs and stomps Sags in the abdomen (or bread basket, whichever you prefer). Knobbs comes in to hammer on Neidhart in the corner, which of course is just fine with Neidhart.

The hard shoulders send Knobbs to the floor before it’s time to work on the arm back inside. It’s back to Sags, who gets taken down again by Neidhart, allowing Bret to hammer away as well. The Russian legsweep into the middle rope elbow connects but Bret has to cut off an interfering Knobbs. That’s enough for Sags to get in a cheap shot so the Nastys can actually take over for a change.

Bret is knocked to the floor for a breather, followed by a hard whip into the corner back inside as the pace stays slow. The reverse chinlock goes on for a good while before Knobbs comes in for one of his own. Sags grabs a third reverse chinlock, followed by Knobbs dropping elbows to the bad back.

Make that four reverse chinlocks until Bret finally avoids a charge in the corner. The tag to Neidhart isn’t seen but Knobbs runs into Sags by mistake, allowing Neidhart to come in legally. House is cleaned and a powerslam gets two on Knobbs. The Nastys collide again and the Hart Attack hits Knobbs. There’s no referee though, allowing Sags to get in a shot with Jimmy’s helmet to give Knobbs the pin and the titles at 12:00.

Rating: C. There were good sections, but how in the world can four straight reverse chinlocks be the best you have? Mixing it up at least a little big really shouldn’t be too much to ask but apparently that wasn’t going to happen here. This was a way to get some fresh blood in the tag division, which would be needed as the Harts were more or less done after this, with Bret moving into his singles career.

We recap Rick Martel vs. Jake Roberts. Martel went to spray Jake’s snake bag with cologne (because reasons) but sprayed Jake in the eyes. Roberts was blinded as a result, though he managed to DDT Brother Love at one point. His eyes were messed up for months but now he’s back for a blindfold match.

Roberts says snakes have five senses but they always do it better in the dark.

Jake Roberts vs. Rick Martel

They’re both in hoods and if you ignore being able to see the eye hole when Jake puts his on, it makes for a good visual. Roberts goes smart early on by having the crowd help him find Martel. There’s no contact for the first minute until both of them stumble over the other a bit. Jake gets two off a rollup and then steps around Martel’s backdrop attempt (because that’s the kind of thing you do when you can’t see).

The pointing thing results in a collision and a pair of missed charges. Then to mix it up a bit, they miss each other again. Martel finally catches him with a slam but misses the elbow drop as Gorilla and Bobby suddenly can’t hear each other. Martel corners the referee in the corner as Jake is in another corner to start the pointing. With that not working, Jake starts clapping to get Martel to come over. This one actually works, but they crash into the ropes. Heenan: “Why doesn’t Martel lift the hood up and peak?” Gorilla: “That’s cheating!” Heenan: “SO WHAT???”

A headlock doesn’t work for Jake as Martel sends him outside. Heenan: “Excuse me. MARTEL! HE’S ON THE FLOOR!” Martel follows him out and pokes around with a chair, with the swing only hitting the post. Back in and Martel hits a backbreaker to set up the Boston crab. With that broken up in a hurry (so much for Martel’s finisher), Jake grabs the DDT for the pin at 8:31.

Rating: D. This match isn’t something that works well on second viewings, as there are so many instances where it is clear that they can see each other. Roberts getting the win is the feel good moment, but it took its sweet time getting there. Not as completely horrible as I remember it, but it doesn’t work very well if you’re paying attention.

Post match Jake busts up the Arrogance atomizer and puts Damien on Martel.

Marla Maples is in the locker room where the Nasty Boys, Jimmy Hart and the Mountie are celebrating the Tag Team Title win. Dino Bravo and Earthquake come in with more champagne and Marla is surrounded. That’s it for her, as this isn’t exactly a great celebrity cameo. What exactly was nasty about a big celebration anyway?

Jimmy Snuka vs. The Undertaker

Paul Bearer is here with Undertaker of course. Snuka stares at Undertaker as we cut to Bearer looking….well weird to everyone else, normal for him. Undertaker sends him into the corner a few times before knocking Snuka outside in a heap. A suplex brings Snuka back in but he manages a few strikes for a breather. Snuka’s missed charge only hits ropes though and it’s another crash to the floor, followed by the Tombstone to make Undertaker 1-0 at Wrestlemania at 4:20.

Rating: D+. It’s always kind of interesting that one of the most important things in the company’s history started off as such a nothing match. This was little more than a squash as Snuka had absolutely nothing. The Tombstone alone was worth a look, though Undertaker was still figuring a lot of things out at this point.

We recap Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior in a career threatening match. Savage wanted a shot at Warrior’s WWF Title but got turned down (despite Sherri’s suggestive advances). As a result, Savage cheated like crazy to cost Warrior the title to Sgt. Slaughter. Warrior wants revenge, and their careers are on the line. This is FAR more interesting than the real main event as it has a more personal story and could go either way.

Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior

Before the match, Heenan spots Miss Elizabeth in the crowd, looking a bit distraught. Savage, with Queen Sherri, gets his big throne entrance and Warrior makes it weird by walking to the ring. They take their time to get going until Warrior powers him away. Savage bounces off of him and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Back in and Warrior chokes away before hitting an atomic drop, though things are still moving fairly slowly.

Sherri’s interference fails and Warrior punches Savage down again. Savage finally comes back with that running clothesline but Warrior pulls a high crossbody out of the air (that’s always impressive). Instead of slamming Savage down though, Warrior sits him down to start up the mind games. Said games cause Savage to throw in a chair but Warrior punches him down again. Warrior finally misses a charge into the corner though and Sherri stomps away on the floor.

Savage’s top rope ax handle has a bit more impact but Warrior shoves Sherri down anyway. A posting drops Warrior and Sherri, not taking this lying down, kicks away at Warrior. As Gorilla says this is officially the largest pay per view audience in the history of pay per view, Warrior gets two off a backslide for a breather. Warrior hits the clothesline and runs the ropes a bunch, only to miss the shoulder.

Savage grabs the chinlock for a bit before Warrior fights up. A double clothesline gives us a double knockdown and they’re both rather winded. Back up and Warrior actually grabs a small package but Sherri has the referee. Savage knees Warrior in the back to send him into the referee and now things are getting going. Sherri comes in off the top with her shoe but hits Savage by mistake, meaning it’s time for Warrior to go a-stalking.

A rollup (seemingly with trunks) gives Savage two and he sends Warrior hard into the corner. Savage clotheslines him in the back of the head and drops the top rope elbow. Then he drops the top rope elbow. Then he drops the top rope elbow. Then he drops the top rope elbow. Then he drops the top rope elbow….for two, just in case you didn’t know who was winning here.

Warrior Warriors Up and hits the shoulders into the gorilla press drop. The Warrior Splash connects for two and now Warrior is stunned. Warrior looks up, then looks at his hands, and starts walking up the aisle. Instead of taking the countout, Savage jumps him from behind and goes up top, only to miss his dive onto the barricade. Back in and Warrior’s flying shoulder sends Savage outside again. They get back in and do it again, as Savage’s bumps off the shoulder here are awesome. A third running shoulder sends Savage outside again and Warrior throws him back inside. Savage is DONE and Warrior gets the pin at 20:47.

Rating: A-. This felt like an epic showdown between two top stars and that is what it was supposed to be. You don’t get this kind of a match very often around the WWF and they made it work on every front. The ending scene of Savage being completely defeated made it look like the better man won, even with Savage and Sherri cheating every chance they could. Outstanding match here and it still more than holds up.

Post match Warrior leaves and Sherri berates Savage as he still can’t get up. She even kicks him over and over….until Elizabeth jumps the barricade and chases Sherri off (the ultra rare instance of her getting physical). Savage finally gets up and sees Elizabeth, leaving him very confused. Elizabeth stretches out her arms and Savage finally hugs her to a huge roar. Savage puts her on his shoulder and then holds the ropes open for her, because things have finally changed before them.

This is the moment that can still bring a bit of a tear to the eye of fans of my generation because it was YEARS in the making and the fans were begging Savage to take her back by the end. It’s Savage FINALLY being at peace and getting his happy ending after leaving it all in the ring. This is still one of the best things that WWE has ever done and it still gets to me, even if I’ve seen it dozens of times.

And now, a debate on instant replay in wrestling, with Vince McMahon moderating the discussion between New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and NFL analyst Paul Maguire. Steinbrenner wants instant replay but if it takes more than a minute to get the call right, fire them. Vince: “What do you mean fire him? Like, from his job?” Maguire doesn’t like the idea and insults Steinbrenner over his comments. We get an instant replay, as looked at by the Bushwhackers, which results in the tape being ruined. Their ruling: the tape is inconclusive, therefore the play stands. This was bizarre to put it mildly, which might be why it isn’t on the Peacock version.

We run down what is left on the show as this feels like an intermission. Gorilla and Bobby talk about what has gone on so far, with Heenan saying if he was Savage, he would rather have some money than a skirt.

Regis Philbin interviews Undertaker and Paul Bearer, with Undertaker taking measurements for….reasons. Puns about being alive ensue.

Alex Trebek interviews Demolition, with Mr. Fuji, who yell a lot and scare Trebek a bit. Trebek tries to turn it into something Jeopardy-ish and the yelling gets has him throwing it back to Regis.

Regis tries to talk to Genichiro Tenryu and Koji Kitao about their match but can only use Japanese company names. They want to know where Kathy Lee (the co-host of his talk show) is and it doesn’t go well.

Jake Roberts and Damien scare Trebek off. Roberts tells Damien that he’ll have to settle for the home version of Jeopardy.

Those four segments? They were really, really bad.

Genichiro Tenryu/Koji Kitao vs. Demolition

This is Crush/Smash, with Mr. Fuji, in the very last try to push the team as meaning anything. Tenryu and Kitao are here as part of a partnership with Tenryu’s SWS promotion. Demolition jumps Kitao to start but Kitao knees Crush against the ropes. A distraction lets Smash get in a shot from behind though and Demolition takes over. Crush hits a top rope ax handle to the back as the fans aren’t exactly interested here. Kitao gets over for the tag off to Tenryu, who misses a top rope elbow. The Demolition Decapitator is loaded up but Kitao makes a save. Tenryu enziguris Smash and a powerbomb gives Tenryu the pin at 4:40.

Rating: D. Call it a style clash, call it Demolition being worthless at this point or call it the WWF not getting why this would be a bad idea, but this really did not work in any sense. The Ax/Smash version of Demolition was great, but the Crush/Smash version was Demolition in name only. This was more or less it for Demolition and based on this, that is the best thing for everyone involved.

Big Boss Man is tired of Bobby Heenan talking about his mama and has run through the Heenan Family. Now Mr. Perfect, and the Intercontinental Title, are all that’s left.

Bobby Heenan references the Rodney King beating and promises you’ll see something similar when Mr. Perfect beats up the Big Boss Man.

Intercontinental Title: Big Boss Man vs. Mr. Perfect

Boss Man is challenging after spending months beating up the rest of the Heenan Family (Rick Rude was originally going to be included but he left the company in the fall). Alfred Hayes is joining commentary to replace Heenan, who is in Perfect’s corner. Boss Man catches Perfect’s towel and cleans himself off with it, much to Perfect’s annoyance. Perfect gets knocked around as the beating is on, including Perfect charging into a boot in the corner.

There’s the big toss over the top and you know Perfect is going to take a huge bump off that one. Back in and Boss Man takes off his belt, only to have Perfect take him away and start hammering him down. Some shots to the back keep Boss Man in trouble and we hit the abdominal stretch. With that broken up, a good looking dropkick gives Perfect two and the neck snap makes it worse.

The PerfectPlex is countered into a small package for two but Perfect knocks him down again. Perfect goes up and dives onto a raised boot, setting up the ram into the buckle for another huge Perfect bump. Boss Man crotches him against the post but a Heenan distraction lets Perfect send him into the steps.

With the numbers advantage causing issues, Andre the Giant (oh boy) comes out to….well it’s not exactly even but it definitely changes things. As you might expect, Heenan panics so Perfect goes after Andre, who smacks him in the face with the Intercontinental Title. A VERY delayed cover gets two and here are Haku and Barbarian to jump Boss Man for the DQ at 10:46.

Rating: C. There was a lot going on here but I still don’t get why Boss Man didn’t win the title. That would seem to be the most obvious ending but instead it just goes nowhere, with Boss Man getting the “feel good” win. Perfect very easily could have wont he title back a month or so later, but at least we got one more Andre appearance where he looked somewhat mobile.

Gene Okerlund interviews……Donald Trump, who hopes to have Wrestlemania back in Atlantic City. Chuck Norris is here too, and thinks the wrestlers are great athletes, even name dropping Argentina Rocca of all people. Henry Winkler is happy the Ultimate Warrior won. Lou Ferrigno finds this really entertaining. I need a Christmas special where those four get together and save Santa Claus.

Earthquake vs. Greg Valentine

Jimmy Hart is here with Earthquake. This is my regular chance to ask what the heck the WWF was thinking by making Valentine a good guy around this time. Earthquake starts fast and hits an early powerslam for two as the dominance seems to be on. Valentine avoids a charge in the corner and slowly hammers away. A running elbow to the head actually puts Earthquake down on one knee and a middle rope version actually knocks him down. The Figure Four is blocked and Hart offers a distraction, allowing Earthquake to drop the elbow. The Earthquake finishes Valentine at 3:17.

Rating: D+. The match was fine enough and Valentine got in some offense, but there is only so much that you can get out of this situation. Earthquake cleaned Valentine out and beat him without much effort. I’m still not sure who saw Valentine as a good guy but to call it a flop would be too kind.

The Legion of Doom promise to make Power And Glory sour and gory. That’s a heck of a line.

Legion of Doom vs. Power And Glory

Slick is here with Power And Glory. The Doomsday Device finishes Roma at 58 seconds and the LOD wants the Tag Team Titles.

We recap Virgil vs. Ted DiBiase. Virgil had been mistreated for years and FINALLY snapped at the Royal Rumble after a tag match with DiBiase. Roddy Piper has been supporting Virgil, despite Piper being in a horrible motorcycle accident that has left him barely able to walk at the moment.

Virgil vs. Ted DiBiase

Roddy Piper is here with Virgil, who punches DiBiase outside to start. With DiBiase back inside, Virgil punches him right back to the floor. Back in again and DiBiase gets clotheslined to the floor as the frustrations continue. A slower DiBiase gets back inside and this time a few shots slow Virgil down.

The beating is on, including a piledriver for two as commentary talks about how big of a show this has been. A suplex drops Virgil again and DiBiase heads outside to deck Piper. Back in and a powerslam gives DiBiase two but Piper uses his crutch to low bridge DiBiase to the floor. DiBiase goes after Piper but gets counted out at 7:42.

Rating: C-. As has been said, the problem with Virgil is that there just wasn’t anything there in the ring. His punches were his best weapon, as other than that, he was as generic as you could get. Getting the win over DiBiase was a nice moment, but they didn’t exactly make it feel like a big deal. It would have been too much to see Virgil pin him, but this wasn’t exactly thrilling.

Post match DiBiase goes after Piper’s knee again, with Sherri running in to help with the beating. Some crutch shots to the knee have Piper in trouble but Virgil gets up for the save. Piper is in agony but Virgil tells him to get up. Then Piper gets up with Virgil’s help.

Sean Mooney sends us to a recap of Sgt. Slaughter vs. Hulk Hogan. Slaughter has been playing by a new set of rules, including burning a Hulk Rules shirt. Adnan and Slaughter come in, with Adnan ranting a lot before we look at Slaughter jumping Hogan recently. Slaughter threatens to get himself disqualified or counted out in the main event. It doesn’t help that Slaughter getting disqualified or counted out was his best chance to retain the title.

Mountie vs. Tito Santana

Just in case the show hasn’t gone on long enough yet. Santana knocks him outside to start and hammers away back inside but Jimmy Hart slips Mountie the shock stick. One electrocution (and a joke about bad Mexican food from Heenan) and Santana is done at 1:21. This might be the all time definition of needless filler.

Hulk Hogan promises to use secret weapons to win the WWF Title. And no, a beating from Sgt. Slaughter isn’t slowing him down.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter

Slaughter, with General Adnan, is defending, Marla Maples is the guest timekeeper, Alex Trebek is the guest ring announcer and Regis Philbin is on commentary. Hogan chases Adnan and Slaughter around to start before Slaughter even takes the belt off. We then pause for Slaughter to get ready before hitting the stall button for a bit longer. They lock up (accidentally knocking the referee down) and slaughter is sent into the corner.

Back up and Hogan runs him over with a shoulder, sending the champ outside. Slaughter grabs a chair but Hogan is waiting for him. Instead they head back inside, where Slaughter pokes him in the eye to take over. Heenan has to explain some of the backstory to Regis as Hogan slugs away to put Slaughter in the corner. Some rams into the buckle keep Slaughter in trouble as this isn’t exactly thrilling so far.

There’s a backdrop to Slaughter and a running knee sends him into the corner again. A catapult into the corner sets up the raining down right hands but Slaughter knocks a diving Hogan out of the air. Hogan shrugs that off and drops a bunch of elbows before going to the top (oh dear) where Adnan’s distraction lets Slaughter slam him down. Now a chair to the back can keep Hogan down on the floor, followed by the slow beating back inside.

Slaughter complains about the speed of a two count and the referee yells right back. The Boston crab goes on, all of four inches from the rope, so Hogan tries to power out anyway. With that not working, Hogan grabs the rope to escape, which feels pretty out of character. Some knees to the back set up a top rope knee to the back but for some reason Adnan distracts the referee, allowing Hogan to kick out.

A chair to the head busts Hogan open so Slaughter pounds away on the head and grabs the camel clutch. Hogan powers up again and escapes but Slaughter sends him into the corner. Slaughter puts the Iraqi flag onto Hogan and that’s enough for the Hulk Up. Said flag is destroyed and Hogan throws the punches, setting up the big boot and leg to get the title back at 20:22. Monsoon: “The war is now officially over.”

Rating: C+. The problem here is that it isn’t a bad match, but it might be the most obvious result in the history of….well perhaps human kind. Desert Storm was already over so this was just a formality, as Slaughter was a short form champion from the second he won the belt. Hogan did his normal match here, albeit a bit longer than usual, and the Hulk Up was short even by his standards. It’s completely fine, but with the war already over, it was nowhere near the feel good, special moment they were hoping it would be.

Hogan poses and waves the American flag to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a show that has good pieces but DESPERATELY needed to be trimmed down. Would anyone have missed Earthquake vs. Valentine, Santana vs. Mountie or Von Erich vs. Bravo? The main event is on the lower end of Wrestlemania main events and the celebrity stuff is horrid. At the same time, Warrior vs. Savage is a classic and there is some other good stuff in there, but they really needed to cut this down by at least thirty minutes to get rid of some of the drag.

 

Ratings Comparison

Rockers vs. Haku/Barbarian

Original: B
2013 Redo: B
2015 Redo: B
2023 Redo: C+

Texas Tornado vs. Dino Bravo

Original: F
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D-
2023 Redo: D

British Bulldog vs. Warlord

Original: B-
2013 Redo: C+
2015 Redo: C-
2023 Redo: C

Nasty Boys vs. Hart Foundation

Original: C-
2013 Redo: B-
2015 Redo: C+
2023 Redo: C

Jake Roberts vs. Rick Martel

Original: F
2013 Redo: F
2015 Redo: F-
2023 Redo: D

Undertaker vs. Jimmy Snuka

Original: D+
2013 Redo: D+
2015 Redo: D
2023 Redo: D+

Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage

Original: A+
2013 Redo: A
2015 Redo: A
2023 Redo: A-

Genichiro Tenryu/Koji Kitao vs. Demolition

Original: W (For What were they thinking)
2013 Redo: D+
2015 Redo: D-
2023 Redo: D

Big Boss Man vs. Mr. Perfect

Original: C-
2013 Redo: C
2015 Redo: C+
2023 Redo: C

Earthquake vs. Greg Valentine

Original: N/A
2013 Redo: F+
2015 Redo: D
2023 Redo: D+

Legion of Doom vs. Power and Glory

Original: N/A
2013 Redo: N/A
2015 Redo: N/A
2023 Redo: N/A

Virgil vs. Ted DiBiase

Original: C-
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D+
2023 Redo: C-

The Mountie vs. Tito Santana

Original: N/A
2013 Redo: N/A
2015 Redo: N/A
2023 Redo: N/A

Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter

Original: C+
2013 Redo: C
2015 Redo: C+
2023 Redo: C-

Overall Rating

Original: C
2013 Redo: B-
2015 Redo: B-
2023 Redo: C-

I’ve really come down on this one over the years and other than maybe boosting up Savage vs. Warrior a bit more, I’m not sure how I had some of those earlier ratings.

Here is the original if you’re interested:

The 2013 Edition:

And the 2015 Edition:http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/03/16/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-vii-no-that-isnt-a-tear-in-my-eye/

 

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.

Hey everyone.  As you might have noticed, things have been a bit slow over the last few days.  My wife has bronchitis and the flu and our son is coughing and sneezing so I’ve been trying to help take up some of the slack with him.  Now I seem to have gotten at least some of what she has so it’s been a lot of sleeping on and off without as much focus on work.  I still plan to cover everything I do but it might be a bit slower than usual as I’m not really moving very fast as I also fell while out on a walk the other day and got pretty banged up.  I’ll be getting the weekend shows up ASAP and I already have the first Wrestlemania Redo of the year done.  I’m sorry for the slower pace and I’ll get it done as soon as I can.

 

Thanks as always,

KB

Ring Of Honor
Date: March 13, 2026
Location: Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s a special episode that is so special it was mentioned with less than twenty four hours’ notice. The big story here is that the Trios Titles are actually being defended, with Shane Taylor Promotions putting the titles on the line for the first time since winning the things back in December. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Shane Taylor Promotions vs. TMDK

The Promotions are defending and no, this version of TMDK (Mikey Nicholls/Robbie Eagles/Shane Haste) have never teamed as a trio in Ring Of Honor. It’s a brawl to start and Eagles clears the ring for a running flip dive through the ropes. A belly to back neckbreaker combination gets two on Bravo back inside but Eagles gets crushed on the apron for his efforts.

Eagles is beaten down in the corner and a springboard Vader Bomb gets two. That doesn’t last long and it’s a tag to bring in Haste, who is rather intense during his comeback. The Marcus Garvey Driver is countered and Eagles gives Taylor Sliced Bread. TMDK takes over on the Infantry until Haste gets dropped with a middle rope leg lariat. The double stomp retains the titles at 8:36.

Rating: C+. Ok. I mean what else am I supposed to say? There was no build to this match, the titles are barely ever defended and the challengers literally had no record as a three man team in Ring Of Honor. This was the latest example of “here’s a match that we pulled out of a hat”, which is the specialty of the house around here.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Big Boom AJ and QT Marshall (facing part of the Promotions at Revolution) make the save.

We look at Persephone winning the CMLL Women’s Title from Mercedes Mone last week.

Persephone vs. Jen Savani

No entrances for either, as this was taped before Persephone had the title. Persephone takes her down into a rollup to start and is looking rather cocky. Savani’s knee is countered and Persephone hits a spear. A bridging backslide gives Persephone two and a superkick drops Savani again. Savani catches her on top but Persephone flips over her for the Razor’s Edge and the pin at 3:34.

Rating: C. Persephone has become something of a treat around here, partially because she’s been around enough to establish herself a bit more. She’s rather talented and can look dominant in her matches, which makes her beating Mone for a title a nice result. This was basically a squash though and that worked well for a quick appearance.

Big Boom AJ and QT Marshall are ready for the Infantry at Revolution. And the Rizzler might be there too!

Beef vs. Rush

They trade big shoulders to start until Rush hits a running dropkick. Beef comes back with big right hands and they fire off big chops. Rush knocks him into the corner for the cocky kick to the face and the Tranquilo pose. A staggered Beef is knocked outside and whipped into the barricade a few times. Back in and the Bull’s Horns finishes for Rush at 4:50.

Rating: C+. Beef was as intense as usual to start but the match turned into the squash you were probably expecting. As usual, Rush feels like a big star when he’s around, but that doesn’t happen enough to make the biggest impact. I get why Ring Of Honor throws him on the shows when they can, though it doesn’t happen enough to matter much.

Serpentico vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta, now in trunks, works on a headlock to start but gets pulled down into a cradle for two. Serpentico takes him down for a basement elbow to the face and works on the arm for a few seconds. Back up and Yuta grabs the mask to take him down and the double arm crank is on. Serpentico gets up for a jawbreaker into a hurricanrana out of the corner, followed by a superkick. Yuta pops back up with a German suplex and the hammer elbows. The running knee and seatbelt pin Serpentico at 5:34.

Rating: C. Yuta was his usual self here, with the fans getting on him a bit more for the shaved head, even if it grew back in rather quickly. As usual, it was a perfectly fine match that doesn’t feel like it matters in the slightest. Yuta is someone else who pops in and out of here but doesn’t really move up the ladder, which is the case for a lot of people around Ring Of Honor.

Ace Austin vs. KM

Austin kicks away at the bigger KM to get him down, setting up a running basement dropkick. KM fights up and starts talking trash but gets kicked down again. Austin’s knee drop rocks KM again, followed by a Death Valley Driver. The Fold finishes for Austin at 3:13.

Rating: C. I still like Austin quite a bit but he’s already feeling like the latest victim of “hey he’s cool” and then he’s not doing anything for weeks at a time. At least he got a pretty dominant win here, with the Fold always looking cool. KM isn’t much, but his size will keeps him around, even in this kind of a spot, for a good while.

Danielle Kamela vs. Marina Shafir

Shafir powers her into the corner to start and then ties up the legs without much effort. Kamela fights up and gets in an ax handle to the back, which has Shafir smiling. Shafir kicks her down and then uses a foot choke in the corner. Kamela manages a running neckbreaker but Mother’s Milk makes her tap at 4:27.

Rating: C. The idea here was to get Shafir in the ring before her big match with Toni Storm at Revolution. That’s a fine enough way to go, but you know what you’re getting with Shafir so it isn’t like this added much. Kamela (the former Vanessa Borne in NXT) certainly has charisma so this could have been far worse.

RPG Vice/MxM Collection vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Top Flight

Kingston and Romero start things off, with Romero taking him up against the ropes for some dancing. A knockdown means more dancing, which has Kingston chopping away. Ortiz comes in to work on the arm and a hip swivel annoys the Collection. Beretta gets the tag and is armdragged into an armbar.

The Collection comes in to put Ortiz down and strike the pose, only for Mansoor to be taken into the wrong corner. Kingston’s neckbreaker gets two and it’s off to Darius, who gets chokeslammed from the apron to put him in trouble. Kingston goes to get a chair but gets caught, with everything breaking down for a bit.

We settle down to Madden working over Darius in the corner before Beretta comes in for a Death Valley Driver. The Collection cuts the other three off and the villains hit a string of elbows. The four way pose is broken up and Darius gets in a dropkick and the tag brings in Dante to clean house. Vice cuts Dante off with a double jumping knee but Dante is over for the tag to Ortiz. Everything breaks down and Kingston’s DDT into Ortiz’s top rope splash finishes Mansoor at 11:47.

Rating: C+. This was the biggest match of the show by far and it was perfectly fine. There’s pretty much nothing to it that made it feel important, though Kingston is always worth a look no matter what he’s doing. At the same time, I’m not sure I get the appeal of Ortiz. He’s fine, but he really just makes me want to watch TNA to see Mike Santana.

Overall Rating: C. In theory, the idea here was to have a special show on the big pay per view weekend and get fans to watch Ring Of Honor. That only works so well when you had to watch Ring Of Honor to know about the show, but that’s more effort than Ring Of Honor usually gets. As usual, the wrestling was perfectly fine and not much more, though this show felt like a bunch of stuff not good enough to make the regular show, which says quite a bit. I have idea why I would need around two and a half hours of Ring Of Honor in two days, but we’re just lucky that way I guess.

Results
Shane Taylor Promotions b. TMDK – Double stomp to Haste
Persephone b. Jen Savani – Razor’s Edge
Rush b. Beef – Bull’s Horns
Wheeler Yuta b. Serpentico – Seatbelt
Ace Austin b. KM – Fold
Marina Shafir b. Danielle Kamela – Mother’s Milk
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Top Flight b. RPG Vice/MxM Collection – Top rope splash to Mansoor

 

 

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

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

Smackdown
Date: March 13, 2026
Location: PHX Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We have a Smackdown main event for Wrestlemania, as Randy Orton is now set to challenge Cody Rhodes for the World Title. Rhodes took the title from Drew McIntyre last week, which should set us on a clear course for Wrestlemania in about five weeks. That leaves some openings for other matches around here and we should see some of them coming together soon. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Rhodes winning the title back last week, with Jacob Fatu helping to cost Drew McIntyre the belt.

Nick Aldis is looking over the contract for the Wrestlemania title match but Drew McIntyre storms into the arena and demands that Aldis come out here and make this right. Aldis says there is nothing to correct because McIntyre should be looking at the consequences of his actions. McIntyre calls Aldis a corporate stooge who had to get the title back on his corporate champion.

Aldis isn’t having that and says it’s clear why McIntyre didn’t want Rhodes to get a shot: the first time he did, he won the title. They go face to face but here is Jacob Fatu to interrupt. Fatu asks what McIntyre needed fixed and says he’s the reason McIntyre was champion in the first place. Last week Fatu fixed the situation so McIntyre is no longer champion. McIntyre can point all the fingers he wants but Fatu is the one who did it, so what is McIntyre going to do? McIntyre: “I quit.” And he walks out.

Solo Sikoa is happy with how things are going and leaves the lantern with Tama Tonga while he’s off for a tag match. The team leaves but Shinsuke Nakamura comes in to ask Tonga when he’ll be his own man. Sikoa comes back in with a threat to Nakamura.

Jacob Fatu is mad about Drew McIntyre leaving but Trick Williams comes in, saying he’s the only person who can whoop that. Nick Aldis makes Williams vs. Fatu and Williams panics, with threats of his firing.

MFT’s vs. Wyatt Sicks

Non-title. Rowan and Talla start things off for the big man fight with Talla getting in a shot to stagger him. Sikoa comes in to knock Wyatt around and they head outside with Howdy being sent into various things. We take a break and come back with Talla’s Samoan drop getting two on Howdy and Sikoa coming back in. Sikoa loads up his own Sister Abigail, which is broken up with a belly to back suplex.

Rowan is back in for a running DDT to Talla, followed by a dropkick into the corner. A middle rope elbow gives Rowan two but Sikoa comes back in off a blind tag. Sikoa’s splash hits raised knees though and Howdy comes in, where he is promptly Samoan Spiked. Rowan makes the save as the rest of the teams start brawling on the floor. Back in and Sikoa loads up another Spike but Nikki Cross grabs the lantern. Howdy uses the distraction to grab Sister Abigail for the pin at 10:40.

Rating: B-. It’s nice for the Wyatts to get a win here and odds are they’re set up for some kind of a big group title match at Wrestlemania. If nothing else, it’s a good thing for the titles to feel like they’re actually being used, as that hasn’t been the case for long enough. Granted the lantern is the more important thing right now, but the titles are a nice secondary prize.

Post match Howdy gets the lantern back but Tama Tonga runs in for the Cutthroat Driver to steal it again.

R-Truth thinks the MFT’s are the Judgment Day but Damian Priest says it’s about the titles. Los Garza come in to say they’re the reason R-Truth and Priest won. Priest is ready to fight tonight instead.

Kiana James and Giulia laugh off the idea of Tiffany Stratton winning the Women’s US Title.

Jade Cargill vs. Michin

Non-title and Michin jumps her from behind to start the fight fast. Cargill is sent outside but comes back in with a pump kick to take over. Some choking in the corner has Michin in trouble but she avoids a charge to send Cargill outside again. Michin’s crossbody off the steps is easily countered into a fall away slam as we take a break.

We come back with Michin escaping Jaded and hitting a tornado DDT for two. Eat Defeat sends Cargill out to the floor but the running flip dive misses. That lets Cargill send Michin crashing into the barricade, followed by a chokeslam back inside. Jaded finishes Michin off at 8:23.

Rating: C. This was all it should have been, with Michin feeling like absolutely nothing and being beaten down pretty easily here. It wouldn’t stun me to see Michin and B-Fab wind up as Cargill’s future lackeys as it’s not like they have anything else to do. Cargill is already going to have her hands full at Wrestlemania so maybe she needs the help. Well as much help as Michin and B-Fab can be.

Post match Cargill says she isn’t scared of Rhea Ripley and that isn’t starting today. She’ll show why she’s always on top but here is Ripley to interrupt. Cargill runs off, with Ripley saying she’s going to make Cargill her b**** at Wrestlemania.

Cody Rhodes tells Nick Aldis that the contract is fine when Sami Zayn comes up for some congratulations. He hopes Rhodes wins at Wrestlemania. Rhodes doesn’t want this to be a thing but he knows Zayn said the same thing to Randy Orton. If Zayn just wants a title shot that’s not hard to get, but Zayn says he doesn’t look up to Rhodes like he does with Orton. Rhodes says that’s fine and points at the title before leaving. Aleister Black and Zelina come in to suggest that the title picture might not be the right place for him. Zayn says stay far, far away from him.

Rhea Ripley and B-Fab console Michin, who doesn’t want the pity.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Irresistible Forces

The Forces are defending…but before they come out, here are the Bellas instead because this has to be a thing. They’re next in line for the titles and are going to watch from ringside. My goodness you could feel the energy go out of the air when they showed up. It’s a brawl to start with the Forces being knocked outside, where Legend knocks a diving Charlotte out of the air.

We take a break and come back with Bliss fighting out of trouble, allowing the tag off to Charlotte. The no rope Buckshot Lariat cuts Legend down but Jax is back in with a Samoan drop. The Annihilator misses though and Charlotte hits a moonsault for two, with Legend making the save. Bliss DDTs Legend and Charlotte posts Jax but accidentally kicks Nikki Bella. Back in and Charlotte kicks away at Jax, setting up Natural Selection. Twisted Bliss is loaded up but Brie Bella runs in to jump Jax for the DQ at 8:08.

Rating: C+. The match was getting going but you knew the Bellas were going to come in at some point. I’m sure they bring some kind of quote unquote star power to the title picture but it just seems incredibly forced to have them involved. Hopefully they don’t win the titles at Wrestlemania, though that definitely feels like the inevitable.

Post match the Forces lay out both teams.

Jelly Roll congratulates Randy Orton, who tells him to beat up Miz on MizTV.

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss run into the Bellas, who are apparently next for the titles. Yeah I know they have fans but good grief I do not want to see the Bellas, especially in a big match at Wrestlemania.

Damian Priest/R-Truth vs. Los Garza

Los Garza jump them to start fast but Priest rises up with a double clothesline. R-Truth comes in but gets choked on the ropes to put the villains in control. A running knee to the head has R-Truth in trouble and a quick comeback attempt is cut off. Stereo moonsaults to the floor take out R-Truth and Priest as we take a break.

We come back with Angel jumping over Berto to land on R-Truth in the corner. Angel makes the mistake of mocking You Can’t See Me though and gets a Stundog Millionaire for his efforts. It’s back to Priest to kick away and the Old School crossbody hits Berto. A cheap shot puts Priest down and Angel’s moonsault gets two, but Priest knocks Berto away. The Razor’s Edge drops Berto and the South Of Heaven and AA get the stereo pins at 11:01.

Rating: C+. It’s kind of sad that Priest, who was World Champion less than two years ago, and R-Truth, who was supposed to be more serious, can only do this. At the same time, it’s even worse when this is what the Tag Team Titles have come to with the other talented teams around here. At least it’s something for them, but it’s only so much.

Alex Shelley and Candice LeRae try to wake Johnny Gargano back up, with LeRae and Gargano wheeling away. Chris Sabin comes in to ask why Shelley is still doing this and has gotten them a match next week.

Danhausen has a shirt for Miz, who can’t believe that Danhausen already has one. He can even wear the show on MizTV with Jelly Jam! Then Danhausen can get his own show with celebrity guests! Miz isn’t doing that…so he is cursed.

It’s time for MizTV but the mic doesn’t work. With that fixed, he brings out Jelly Roll as this week’s guest. Roll is here because of the Road To Wrestlemania and Miz is happy to have him. Miz suggests he mentor Roll, but that isn’t going to happen. Miz brings up the time Roll did something at Summerslam, where he was so heavy that Miz had to help him up. Roll can’t believe Miz is taking credit for him losing 250lbs because he’s the one who was doing the work. Miz: “I liked you better when you were fat!”

The brawl is teased but here is Kit Wilson to interrupt. Wilson talks about Roll’s face tattoos and criminal history and accuses him of being FAT PHOBIC! Roll is toxic so he and Miz try to deck Wilson, only for Roll to hit Miz by mistake. Eh, Danhausen warned him. Weird segment here, as I’m not sure who I was supposed to like.

Apollo Crews and Ilja Dragunov appreciate that when Carmelo Hayes comes in. Hayes understands what Dragunov said last week about not wanting the open challenge but Dragunov says this is the only way he knows. Hayes thinks there might be another reason they aren’t fighting and Dragunov isn’t happy.

Tiffany Stratton, after shoving Chelsea Green’s wheelchair away, promises to take out Kiana James and come for the Women’s US Title.

Kit Wilson yells at Miz and is ready to get a match. Danhausen comes in to offer Miz some teeth if his lost one, but there is one thing he has to do to reverse the curse. Miz insists there is no curse but Danhausen is gone.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Kiana James

Stratton sends her into the corner to start and flips over her but has to avoid a Giulia trip. James gets in a Stunner over the ropes and Stratton is sent into the barricade as we take a break. We come back with Stratton hitting a handspring Stunner for two as Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre are here to watch. James can’t get her up for a powerbomb so Stratton gives her a Regal Roll. Giulia pulls James outside so Stratton hits her with a dive. Back in and James kicks Giulia by mistake, setting up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to give Stratton the pin at 7:39.

Rating: C. There is only so much you can get out of a sub eight minute match with a break in the middle, but Stratton was always going to be beating Giulia’s (talented) lackey. That’s a classic way to set up the match, even with Green and Fyre being involved. Stratton vs. Giulia should be fine, as it’s nice for Giulia to remember that she’s actually a champion with a title to defend.

Next week: Kit Wilson calls out Jelly Roll.

Trick Williams isn’t happy about Jacob Fatu, but Sami Zayn comes in to complain about Williams jumping into the main event. A fight is teased and is likely coming later.

Jacob Fatu vs. Trick Williams

Fatu slugs away to start but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Williams to send him into the buckle. That goes as expected of course and a McGillicutter (yeah the McGillicutter) has the same effect and Fatu knocks him outside. We take a break and come back with Fatu fighting out of a chinlock and sending him hard into the corner.

Fatu’s Whisper In The Wind connects but the Trick Kick cuts off a running Umaga Attack. A flapjack drops Fatu again and the release Rock Bottom gets two. Fatu is back with a pop up Samoan drop into a Swanton for two more. Williams bails outside and gets taken out by a suicide dive…with Drew McIntyre running in to post Fatu. A pair of Trick Shots give Williams the pin at 11:24.

Rating: B-. Williams’ rise continues and it would be nice to see him getting something big at Wrestlemania. Like say, the US Title. Other than that, we’re all but guaranteed to see McIntyre vs. Fatu at Wrestlemania and that should be a heck of a fight, as they’ve certainly set up the feud to be quite the showdown. Williams getting a win here is a big deal, and in a way it’s nice that Fatu isn’t invincible, as it makes him more relatable.

Post match McIntyre gives Fatu the Claymore.

Jelly Roll is back at ringside.

Nick Aldis is in the ring for the Cody Rhodes/Randy Orton contract signing, but first: Drew McIntyre apparently didn’t quit so he can face Jacob Fatu next week. Anyway here are Orton (who has changed shirts from earlier) and Rhodes face to face. They shake hands and Rhodes talks about his history with Orton and how things have gone well.

Rhodes wanted to be like Orton and left, only to come back on his own. He’s not Orton’s brother, but he’s always been proud to be his boy. Rhodes signs and Orton goes to as well but doesn’t do it. Orton says he needs the title and this was supposed to be easy with Drew McIntyre in there. Rhodes is fine with that because he wants the Orton with the voices in his head and the Legend Killer.

After the match is over, Rhodes will always love him. Orton signs (with Rhodes applauding) and then kicks him low. The big beatdown is on with Orton hitting him in the head with the steps to bust him open. Rhodes is beaten onto the announcers’ table and Jelly Roll comes over the barricade, only for Orton to shove him down. Rhodes’ head is laid on the steps so Orton crushes it with a chair before sitting in the ring with the title to end the show. They needed to do this, as Orton vs. Rhodes was feeling like a great main event….for Summerslam. Now just have Orton win the title, as he needs to.

Overall Rating: B-. The show is still far too long, but the ending segment helped and Trick Williams continues to rise up the card in an impressive fashion. They’re starting to set up the card for Wrestlemania, though it only feels so good right now. Hopefully they have something extra to spice it up a bit in the near future, because they’re rapidly running out of time to make it work. It’s a good show here, but this is only going to be enough for so much longer.

Results
Wyatt Sicks b. MFT’s – Sister Abigail to Sikoa
Jade Cargill b. Michin – Jaded
Irresistible Forces b. Charlotte/Alexa Bliss via DQ when Brie Bella interfered
Damian Priest/R-Truth b. Los Garza – Double pin
Tiffany Stratton b. Kiana James – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Trick Williams b. Jacob Fatu – Trick Shot

 

 

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

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

Wrestlemania VI
Date: April 1, 1990
Location: SkyDome, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 67,678
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura
O Canada: Robert Goulet

We’ll look at one more Wrestlemania after this year’s season ends thanks to the WWE Vault. This is one of the most famous Wrestlemania main events of all time with The Ultimate Challenge as Hulk Hogan vs. the Ultimate Warrior, title for title. That’s about all you have on the show but…well what else do you need? Let’s get to it.

The opening video is one of the all time best, with Vince McMahon showing various constellations in space, eventually stopping on Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, because this is ALL Wrestlemania was built around.

Robert Goulet sings O Canada.

Koko B. Ware vs. Rick Martel

The ring carts are back! Martel jumps him during the weapons check and hammers away but Ware is back with a middle rope crossbody. Some dropkicks have Martel in trouble and a backdrop makes it worse. Ware gets low bridged out to the floor and it’s a suplex for two back inside. The Boston crab is blocked (in the Coliseum Video, that was clipped to the finish, assuming you ignore Ware being nowhere near where he was for the submission when the hold was put on) and Ware fights up but the comeback is cut off as Ware misses a crossbody. Now the Boston crab can finish Ware off at 5:30.

Rating: C. Not much to see here but a Canadian heel gets to win so the fans won’t be overly annoyed. It’s still strange to see a cold match on Wrestlemania but there’s nothing wrong with what we got here. Ware is a perfectly serviceable star and Martel is still criminally underrated, so it’s not like this was going to be bad. Uneventful maybe, but not bad.

Gene Okerlund is with the Colossal Connection (Haku/Andre The Giant) but calls them the Colostomy Connection. This leads to a series of puns but the gist is they’ll beat Demolition.

Demolition is ready to chop down the Colossal Connection. Threats of shouting TIMBER are issued, while Smash would rather put the champs in the back of a truck and throw them off a cliff. Dude it’s a wrestling match. Stop threatening to murder them.

Tag Team Titles: Colossal Connection vs. Demolition

The Connection, with Bobby Heenan, is defending and don’t get an entrance. It’s almost like that’s just not a big deal and is a nice way to shave off a bit of time. The champs jumps them before the start and it’s Haku officially starting with Smash. They slug it out with Smash taking over and grabbing an early neck crank. Ax comes in for some shots of his own before it’s back to Smash for a battle over a backslide.

With that going nowhere, it’s back to Ax, who gets hit in the throat and caught in a backbreaker for two. Some chops have Ax in more trouble, to the point where he staggers over to Andre, who decks him as well. Haku strikes him down again and then sends him into Andre’s head, which is quite the smart move. Another comeback is cut off with a poke to the eyes and we go to a wide shot of the stadium and dang it looks awesome.

The nerve hold goes on to keep Ax in trouble but he fights up, only to get choked down by Andre again. Ax manages to fight up and gets in a knockdown, which is FINALLY enough for the tag off to Smash. Everything breaks down and Andre gets double teamed into the corner. Haku superkicks Andre by mistake though and he gets tied up in the ropes. A double clothesline and the Demolition Decapitator gives us new champions at 9:10. Andre never tagged in.

Rating: C+. This was a glorified handicap match, with Haku literally wrestling the entire match with Andre only coming in at the beginning and end. It was clear that Andre was at the end of his run but there was still something to be said about having a giant like that standing around. Demolition getting the titles back got a heck of a reaction too, as it was quite the moment.

Post match Andre is still staggered but Heenan LOSES HIS EVER LOVING MIND by yelling at Andre and slapping him in the face. Andre punches Heenan in the face, beats up Haku for daring to defending Heenan and then knocks both of them out of the ring cart (I’ve always loved that), allowing him to ride away to one final hero’s sendoff.

Jimmy Hart thinks there is going to be an earthquake in Toronto. I mean, there already is one next to him but I get the idea.

Hercules vs. Earthquake

Jimmy Hart is here with Earthquake. Hercules hammers away but can only knock Earthquake into the corner. A test of strength has Hercules down on his knees and Earthquake drops him again. Back up and some running shoulders and clotheslines stagger Earthquake but ever the moron, Hercules tries a torture rack. The ensuing collapse sets up an elbow into the Earthquake to finish Hercules at 4:56.

Rating: C. This was about all you could have expected from this match and it went completely ok. At the end of the day, there is only so much Hercules can do with a monster, especially with Hulk Hogan being up next for Earthquake. You don’t want to see Hercules throw him around and Earthquake looks all the more dominant. The key thing here was to keep it short, and it worked better as a result. Hercules would turn heel and form Power & Glory pretty soon.

Rona Barrett (celebrity interviewer) talks to Miss Elizabeth, who says she’ll be back around more frequently in the near future. Not really, no.

Brutus Beefcake looks at Mr. Perfect’s record and is impressed, but he’s ready to trim it down.

Brutus Beefcake vs. Mr. Perfect

The Genius is here with Perfect. They slug it out in the corner to start with Beefcake knocking him out to the floor. Perfect needs a breather before coming back in to hammer away and take over. Beefcake sends him into the corner and comes back with a slam, followed by another whip into the corner. Naturally Perfect does a big bump, because that’s just what he does. With nothing else working, Genius slips Perfect the scroll for a cheap shot to take over. The Hennig necksnap gets two and Perfect slaps him a few times but Beefcake catapults him into the post for the pin out of absolutely nowhere at 7:48.

Rating: C+. This was a good match for Beefcake, who gets the big feather in his cap by giving Perfect his first loss. Beefcake really was crazy over at this point and was getting better in the ring. Then his face was destroyed in a few months and he just never recovered, which is a shame when you can see what he was doing here.

Post match Beefcake goes after the Genius (Perfect doesn’t seem to notice and leaves), setting up the sleeper and a haircut. The thing is Genius apparently wasn’t told this was going to happen (as apparently Pat Patterson only told Beefcake about the idea) so his flailing around and trying to get away was legitimate. It almost led to a fight backstage between Beefcake and Randy Savage before things calmed down.

We recap Roddy Piper vs. Bad News Brown. They eliminated each other from the Royal Rumble and had a big fight to the back. Then Brown called it a skirt and of course it meant war.

Now we get to the reason why this match isn’t on Peacock, as Piper, in half Black face, calls himself Hot Rod and Hot Scot (complete with a bit of Billie Jean). Piper mocks Brown’s eyes, ears and nose (with the long hairs sticking out) before moving on to the biggest problem, which is Brown’s mouth. Piper is ready to shut it for Brown, but will it be Hot Rod or Hot Scot who does it? I have no idea how this was seen as a good idea but it’s as terrible as it sounds.

Roddy Piper vs. Bad News Brown

Brown doesn’t seem to understand what is up with the dual skin color thing and I’m not quite getting it either. They slug it out to start and the referee breaks it up, allowing Piper to hit a crossbody. Piper hammers away in the corner but gets staggered by a big headbutt. Some right hands put Piper down and we hit the nerve hold.

An elbow gives Brown two, with commentary getting on him about the lackadaisical cover. The turnbuckle pad is taken off but Piper sends him into it instead. It’s time to load up a glove and Piper knocks him down a few times, with the referee being fine with the whole thing. Brown bails to the floor and pulls Piper with him and it’s a double countout at 6:50.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t exactly good, but it’s remembered for reasons of WHAT WAS PIPER THINKING. I have no idea how this was approved and while I know things were a bit different back in 1990, it was just such a terrible idea. It doesn’t help that they didn’t have time to do anything, with the match wrapping up when it was just getting going. I mean, assuming the glove deal was something getting going.

The brawl continues and referees break it up as they go to the back.

Steve Allen (former Tonight Show host) is in a bathroom with a piano, where he can’t quite manage to play the Soviet national anthem. This is what we get for celebrities these days. And now did they get that piano in there?

Hart Foundation vs. Bolsheviks

The Bolsheviks do their singing and get jumped by the Harts to start fast. Volkoff is knocked to the floor and the Hart Attack finishes Zhukov at 19 seconds. Hart counting to three at the camera was a great touch. And now it’s time for the Harts to go after the Tag Team Titles.

Wrestlemania VII is coming to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Well maybe if they can get tickets to a game on their way to the Sports Arena.

Tito Santana is ready for the Barbarian.

Tito Santana vs. The Barbarian

Bobby Heenan is here with Barbarian, who Santana can’t drop to start. Barbarian runs him over instead and tries a powerbomb, only for Santana to punch his way out. Barbarian’s middle rope elbow misses though and Santana comes back with the flying forearm. Heenan puts the foot on the ropes like a good manager should, allowing Barbarian to get in a throat snap across the top. The top rope clothesline absolutely destroys Santana (in an awesome sell) for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C+. Santana was trying here and Barbarian was perfectly capable of having this kind of a match. Barbarian got in his power stuff and looked impressive, but that clothesline is all people remember from the match. That’s for good reason too, as Santana sold the thing like death.

We recap Dusty Rhodes/Sapphire vs. Randy Savage/Queen Sherri. It’s basically the men were feuding and the women got involved. Simple and to the point here.

Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire are ready to prove that they are better than royalty and promise the Crown Jewel. Great. Now we’re going to Saudi Arabia.

Dusty Rhodes/Sapphire vs. Randy Savage/Queen Sherri

Ventura has a big problem believing that Rhodes and Sapphire combine to weigh 465lbs, as Sapphire is at least 250. Rhodes and Sapphire do indeed have the Crown Jewel in the form of Miss Elizabeth, who comes to the ring as Savage loses his mind. The men start things off as commentary explains the rules, as this is a first time ever match in the WWF.

Sherri tries a cheap shot on Rhodes and gets pulled into the corner by Sapphire, leaving Ventura panicking over a camera shot from behind Sapphire. Rhodes pulls a diving Savage out of the air and it’s off to the women. Sapphire sends the villains into each other and airplane spins Sherri. Savage comes back in and gets his arms tied up, allowing Sapphire to get in a slap.

Back up and Savage sends him outside for a top rope ax handle, setting up Sherri for a knee to the gut. Sapphire comes over and gets thrown down, with Ventura being far too pleased. Back in and Savage hits a suplex, allowing Sherri to hit a top rope splash for two, already going against the rules of the match. Rhodes comes back in and elbows away at Savage before Sapphire comes back in to suplex Sherri. Elizabeth throws her back in and even gets in a shot to Sherri. Sapphire gets a rollup for the pin at 7:38.

Rating: C. They were very smart to keep Sapphire out of the ring save for a few fun spots and that’s the right way to go. At the end of the day, she wasn’t much of a wrestler but she wasn’t being presented as one so it’s not some big stretch. The match might not have been good, but it was certainly fun and that’s all you need at times.

Post match Savage tries a scepter shot but Rhodes takes it away. Savage manages to get his crown on as he runs off because he’s awesome that way. Dancing ensues.

Gene Okerlund asks Bobby Heenan where he has the “ba….the nerve” to hit Andre in the face. Heenan makes various threats and actually loses his train of thought, leaving him with a blank stare. Gene brings him back to reality and Heenan goes on a rant about starting a new Family (true actually). Ignore Heenan being all sweaty and disheveled due to the Andre thing, but looking perfectly fine for the Barbarian match in between them.

Rona Barrett suggests that Jesse Ventura has done an adult movie. Gorilla Monsoon is WAY too interested in this.

Randy Savage rants about mind games.

Demolition, who haven’t had a shower despite winning the titles an hour ago, are happy with their title win and they’re ready for the Hart Foundation.

Hulk Hogan says the power lies in his hand. Then when he gets Ultimate Warrior on his knees, he’ll ask if Warrior wants to live forever. The Hulkamaniacs can save him and bring him from the darkness into the light. Hogan says it doesn’t matter whether he wins or loses (there’s your red flag) because it’s about being a good winner or loser. Hopefully Warrior is a good loser.

Ultimate Warrior throws Sean Mooney out, saying he doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as Warrior and Hogan. Warrior then goes on some rant about how no one can live forever but he wants to merge the Little Warriors and the Hulkamaniacs. Then he wants to bring Hogan to a new place where he has never been before. Dubuque, Iowa?

Orient Express vs. Rockers

Mr. Fuji is here with the Express. Jannetty knocks Tanaka down to start but Tanaka hits a superkick (close enough). The Rockers clear the ring and hit stereo dives (a big spot for 1990), with Fuji not being pleased in the slightest. Back in and the Express stomps away in the corner before Tanaka gives Michaels a gutbuster.

A spinning forearm cuts Michaels off again before Sato grabs a quickly broken nerve hold. Michaels fights up and brings in Jannetty as everything breaks down. Fuji offers a distraction though and Sato gets in some salt to Jannetty’s eyes. Jannetty even stumbles over the barricade (sounds like a normal night for Marty) and it’s a countout at 7:43.

Rating: C+. This is a match that should have been awesome but it was just mostly ok. Allegedly the Rockers were VERY hung over for the match and that’s probably the reason for a lot of the issues. That being said, it’s still a good match and they would have a much better match the following year at the Royal Rumble (subbing in Kato for Saito helped).

Steve Allen introduces Rhythm & Blues. Allen: “They have been called one of the greatest bands to come along in quite a long time. Unfortunately they are not here tonight so here are Rhythm & Blues.” Allen suggests that the Honky Tonk Man is similar to Elvis. As in Costello. More jokes ensue, including Valentine saying they’re going to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. Allen: “I’ll call them and warn them you’re coming.” Yeah it’s corny but Allen is funny enough.

Jim Duggan vs. Dino Bravo

Duggan is waving the American flag (which is wrapped up to the point where you can’t see the stars at first) and Ventura points out how dumb that might be in Canada. Bravo has Earthquake and Jimmy Hart with him so this isn’t likely to go well. Duggan slugs away to start and Bravo is knocked outside.

Back in and Duggan hits an atomic drop before slugging away in the corner. Bravo fights back and drops a big elbow before sending Duggan face first into the buckle. Since there’s nothing there to hurt, it fires Duggan up but Bravo kicks him down again. Duggan fights up and makes the comeback so Earthquake offers a distraction. The 2×4 shot to the back gives Duggan the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C-. Good example of “what else were you expecting”, even with Earthquake out there for the likely post match beatdown. Duggan is such a goofy fun star and that was always his thing. It was certainly on display here and the match wasn’t any good, but it’s almost impossible to boo Duggan. Even with his flag issues aside of course.

Post match Earthquake drops Duggan and gives him two Earthquakes.

We recap Jake Roberts vs. Ted DiBiase, which is a long running feud over Roberts stealing DiBiase’s money and the belt. Now the belt is on the line.

Roberts talks about how there are people who could use DiBiase’s money but he mocks and humiliates them. Now it’s time for DiBiase to be mocked and humiliated, a victim of his own greed.

Million Dollar Title: Jake Roberts vs. Ted DiBiase

DiBiase is defending and has Virgil with him. They slug it out to start and Roberts tries an early DDT, sending DiBiase bailing out to the floor. They both miss elbows and DiBiase has to run from another pair of DDT attempts. Back in and Roberts works on a hammerlock, even managing to send DiBiase bailing out to the floor. DiBiase slowly gets back in and walks into a knee, only to avoid a running knee in the corner to leave Roberts down for a change.

The front facelock goes on as the fans do the Wave before they go outside, with Roberts getting posted. A piledriver gets a VERY delayed two, with even Ventura getting on DiBiase for taking so much time. The Million Dollar Dream goes on and Roberts finally falls into the ropes for the break.

DiBiase goes up but gets punched out of the air, allowing Roberts to start the comeback. Virgil offers a distraction though and Roberts goes outside to take care of him. The Million Dollar Dream goes on again outside, with Roberts sending him into the post. Virgil earns his pay though by sending DiBiase back inside to beat the count out 11:49.

Rating: C. For some reason, these two just could not have a good match if they tried. They’re a pair that should have made for solid matches up and down the circuit and it just never happened. That was the case again here, with the countout making things even worse than usual.

Post match DiBiase gets some money out so Roberts beats him up. Virgil bails with the belt but Roberts plants DiBiase with the DDT. Roberts gives away the money, including $100 to Mary Tyler Moore. Damien is loaded up but Virgil runs back in for a distraction and escapes.

Slick and Akeem (who can’t stop dancing) are ready for some revenge on the Big Boss Man.

The freshly turned Big Boss Man talks about how he isn’t going to take money from Ted DiBiase. He may be poor, but he’s proud.

Akeem vs. Big Boss Man

Boss Man’s sneer as he rides the ring cart to the ring is borderline terrifying. Hold on though as Ted DiBiase is still at ringside and jumps the Boss Man on the floor. So the match officially begins with Akeem hitting a splash, with Gorilla and Ventura arguing over interference. Apparently this is TOTALLY DIFFERENT than Elizabeth interfering earlier. Akeem hammers away in the corner but Boss Man knocks him out of the corner and makes the comeback. Some whips into the corner have Akeem in trouble and a clothesline puts him down. Boss Man hammers away and hits the Boss Man Slam for the pin at 1:51.

Sean Mooney talks to various fans about Rhythm & Blues sing. One fan: “I DON’T CARE!” He also talks to Mary Tyler Moore, who clearly has no idea what is going on and doesn’t care. Mooney: “She’ll always be Mary Richards to me.”

We get a rare production gaffe as the bell rings before Rhythm & Blues come to the ring to play their new song live. They come out in a pink Cadillac, complete with a totally unknown Diamond Dallas Page driving (it was his car). Monsoon dubs the girls in the car the Honkettes and Jesse LOSES IT for some reason. Anyway, they do indeed play Hunka Hunka Hunka Honky Love…until the Bushwhackers come out and wreck everything. Honky Tonk Man felt so useless after losing the Intercontinental Title (which was kind of the point) but Valentine trying so hard with this completely out of nowhere gimmick change is still amusing.

The official attendance: 67,678. Not bad.

Rick Rude vs. Jimmy Snuka

Bobby Heenan is here with Rude and Steve Allen is on commentary. Rude jumps him from behind and starts the big forearms to the back, only to miss a dropkick (not his most common move). Snuka gets in a few shots to the ribs and mocks Rude, only for Rude to slug him right back down. A poke to the eye cuts Snuka off again but he comes back with a flying headbutt. Snuka’s middle rope headbutt misses though and the Rude Awakening is good for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C. Yeah this is something that probably should have been cut due to time, but this was important enough for the future. Rude’s hair was slicked back here to get rid of his goofy looking style and he won clean in the end. It wasn’t a memorable match in any way, but what mattered here was Rude feeling like a more serious star and they made it work well enough.

We recap Hulk Hogan vs. the Ultimate Warrior. They went face to face in the Royal Rumble and it was the most amazing thing ever, as it was hard to imagine the match actually happening. The match was set up, Hogan saved Warrior from Earthquake, Warrior saved Hogan from Earthquake, and they had a mini feud with Mr. Perfect and the Genius. None of that stuff mattered though, because Hogan vs. Warrior was going to happen.

WWF Title/Intercontinental Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior

Title for title so they’re both defending. Warrior gets to run to the ring and that’s not likely to go well. Hogan walks (being the only two to not use the ring carts) and that imagine of Warrior doing his pose on the buckle is one of the first wrestling imagines I can ever remember. You don’t get to say this and actually mean it very often, but this is the definition of a split crowd. Both of them are cheered and the fans are giving no sign that one is more popular than the other. They take their belts off and do the staredown and my goodness you can feel the intensity.

They shove each other and pose before going to the test of strength with even Jesse saying this is totally even. Warrior gets him down to his knees and that is a game changer (Ventura: “WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT!”) as the idea of a good guy being able to do that to Hogan was unthinkable. Hogan powers up to set the universe right and Warrior goes down for one of your famous shots from the match. Warrior starts to get up so Hogan trips him down and drops a leg for two.

They do the criss cross until Hogan hits a slam, with Warrior popping back up to scare Hogan to death. Back up and Warrior hits his own slam, with a bit more effect. A clothesline puts Hogan on the floor and he comes up holding up his knee. Warrior is smart to kick at the knee but Hogan tells the referee he’s getting back in, where Hogan suddenly forgets about the knee (it’s never brought up again) to make the quick comeback.

Hogan drops some elbows and we hit the front facelock as Warrior is blown up and needs a breather. A small package sets up a chinlock before Hogan hits a clothesline for two. The chinlock goes on again as they are barely able to hide that Warrior is in trouble. Some knees to the back (Monsoon: “Cervical vertebrae!” Ventura: “No Monsoon, IT’S THE BACK!”) set up another chinlock as we’re firmly in the middle of the match, though the crowd is still right there with them.

Back up and they hit a double clothesline, with Ventura accurately saying that Hogan should be in control still because he had done so much more damage. Warrior starts to shake the ropes for the comeback as he now has some more oxygen, meaning it’s time to whip Hogan into various corners. A bearhug has Hogan in trouble and we get two arm drops. Hogan punches his way to freedom and Warrior accidentally runs the referee over.

Back to back top rope ax handles stagger Hogan but he avoids the flying should to spike Warrior into the mat. That’s good for no count so Hogan gets up, with Warrior belly to back suplexing him to even the match at a visual pinfall apiece. The referee gets back up (if this had been modern wrestling, there would have been a ridiculous heel turn or interference and it would have been awful) to count some very delayed twos.

Warrior gets sent outside and Hogan gets sent into the post. The gorilla press into the Warrior Splash gets two as it’s time to Hulk Up. The comeback is on and the big boot connects but the legdrop misses (GASP!). Warrior hits another quick splash for the pin and the title at 22:45, with Hogan kicking out at 3.01, because Warrior was just a hair better, but that’s all he needed to be.

Rating: A. This very well may be the greatest example of a match being elevated by the crowd. The match itself is good and a back and forth match which told a story, but the crowd turned it from a match to an event. Just watching these two go face to face felt special and it came off like the dawning of a new era. That era didn’t go so well, but the start of it was incredible. It’s not an all time classic wrestling match, but it’s professional wrestling at an incredibly high level and that is more than noteworthy.

Post match the referee gives Warrior the titles but we go tight on the Warrior so the referee can hand the WWF Title back to the Fink. That lets Hogan pick up the title and hand it over for the big hero moment. Hogan gets to leave and salutes Warrior as the pyro goes off and posing ensues. Even Ventura praises Hogan for the big sendoff in a moment you don’t often see.

Overall Rating: B. This show is really kind of astounding as it’s fondly remembered, but there is NOTHING on here but the main event. You have a few nice moments, but so many of the matches are completely forgettable if not downright skippable. They banked everything on Hogan vs. Warrior and luckily those two hit it so far out of the park that the ball wound up back in America. It’s a one match show, but my goodness what a match that is.

Results
Rick Martel b. Koko B. Ware – Boston crab
Demolition b. Colossal Connection – Demolition Decapitator to Haku
Earthquake b. Hercules – Earthquake
Brutus Beefcake b. Mr. Perfect – Slingshot into the post
Hart Foundation b. Bolsheviks – Hart Attack to Zhukov
The Barbarian b. Tito Santana – Top rope clothesline
Dusty Rhodes/Sapphire b. Randy Savage/Queen Sherri – Rollup to Sherri
Orient Express b. Rockers via countout
Ted DiBiase b. Jake Roberts via countout
Ultimate Warrior b. Hulk Hogan – Warrior Splash

Ratings Comparison

Rick Martel vs. Koko B. Ware

Original: D
2013 Redo: D+
2015 Redo: D+
2025 Redo: C

Demolition vs. Colossal Connection

Original: C-
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: C+
2025 Redo: C+

Earthquake vs. Hercules

Original: D-
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D
2025 Redo: C

Brutus Beefcake vs. Mr. Perfect

Original: C
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: C
2025 Redo: C+

Roddy Piper vs. Bad News Brown

Original: A
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: C
2025 Redo: C

Hart Foundation vs. Bolsheviks

Original: N/A
2013 Redo: N/A
2015 Redo: N/A
2025 Redo: N/A

Barbarian vs. Tito Santana

Original: D
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: D+
2025 Redo: C+

Dusty Rhodes/Sapphire vs. Randy Savage/Sensational Sherri

Original: D-
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: C-
2025 Redo: C

Orient Express vs. Rockers

Original: C
2013 Redo: C+
2015 Redo: C+
2025 Redo: C+

Jim Duggan vs. Dino Bravo

Original: D+
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D-
2025 Redo: C-

Ted DiBiase vs. Jake Roberts

Original: C
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: C
2025 Redo: C

Big Boss Man vs. Akeem

Original: N/A
2013 Redo: N/A
2015 Redo: N/A
2025 Redo: N/A

Rick Rude vs. Jimmy Snuka

Original: C-
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D
2025 Redo: C

Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan

Original: A+
2013 Redo: A
2015 Redo: A
2025 Redo: A

Overall Rating

Original: C+
2013 Redo: C+
2015 Redo: C
2025 Redo: B

Geez it’s better than those previous reviews would have you believe. It’s not even a bad show and the main event is more than good enough to carry it.

 

 

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

New Year’s Revenge
Date: January 23, 2026
Location: Bullpen, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Mike Wilkes, Ryan Bellfort

I’ve made my thoughts on Dustin Rhodes fairly clear over the years. While he’s absolutely a talented star, I’ve never been the biggest fan. Instead, we’ll see what he can do as a coach and promoter as this is from the Rhodes Wrestling Association. You can get some rather fun stuff out of shows like these so let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow this promotion so I’m coming in completely blind.

Sophia Rose is ready for her #1 contenders triple threat match but Drea interrupts to say she doesn’t care who she pins to become #1 contender. Angelica Risk comes in to declare herself spicy and promises to GET RISKY and win the title from Jazmin Allure. Cue Allure to remind us that she’s the champion and argue with Risk.

Opening video.

The ring announcer welcomes us to the show and thanks the VIP fans and sponsors. Nothing wrong with that.

Tag Team Titles: 8th Day vs. Auzzy/Hitt

The 8th Day (Father Oday/Timur The Great, with Chris Marcel (I think. At times it sounds like Marcel and at times it sounds like Mordell.)) is defending after taking the titles from Auzzy and Hitt. Auzzy backs Oday into the corner to start but Oday is back with a wristlock. That’s broken up with an armdrag and it’s off to the rather big Hitt vs. the rather muscular Timur.

Hitt wins the early power off and grabs a headlock takeover but Timur manages to block a Blue Thunder Bomb. It’s back to Auzzy for a running boot to the face into Hitt’s backsplash as the pace picks up a bit. Auzzy goes up but Marcel shoves him down, allowing Timur to hit a flying shoulder to take over. Marcel gets in some cheap shots from the floor and we hit the chinlock. The champs both come in for a dropkick into a neckbreaker but Auzzy manages to slug away.

A headbutt staggers Auzzy but he manages a Pele to knock Oday down. Hitt and Timur come in off the double tag, with Hitt taking over in a hurry. A Roode Bomb plants Timur and a Blue Thunder Bomb connects as well, with the latter drawing Modell up to the apron. Oday grabs a tornado DDT and Timur adds a spear for two, with Auzzy making the save. Another Blue Thunder Bomb plants Oday but Timur muscles him up with a Jackhammer.

Auzzy’s top rope cutter hits Timur though and everyone is down. Everyone gets up and the slugout is on until Auzzy hits a Swanton, only for Marcel to pull the referee at two. Auzzy gives Marcel a big running flip dive but Oday slips out of a suplex attempt. That means an assisted Stunner can finish Auzzy to retain the titles at 13:42.

Rating: B. Well dang they started with a good match and I got into it. No they didn’t do anything that hasn’t been done better before, but that top rope cutter looked really good. They had a hot opener here, which is often where a tag match fits in well. The 8th Day felt like a solid team, though I’m not entirely sure I get what they’re supposed to be. The manager felt pretty generic too, but he did his job well enough.

Post match Hitt walks out on Auzzy.

Drea vs. Sophia Rose vs. Angelica Risk

The winner gets a Women’s Title shot later tonight. They talk a lot of trash to start and Drea rolls Rose up for an early two. A double suplex puts Drea down, leaving the other two to trade headbutts. Risk takes Rose to the apron to fire off some chops, followed by some hips to the face in a bit of a rude fashion.

Back in and Risk licks her hands before slapping Drea in the back, which sounds extra painful. Drea fights back and sends Risk outside for a baseball slide but Rose is right there with a flip dive off the apron. Risk drops Rose though and throws Drea inside for two. Rose and Risk trade the loud chops until Drea knocks both of them silly with shots to the face. Back to back basement dropkicks in the corner have Risk and Rose in more trouble, allowing Drea to put Risk on top.

That’s broken up by Rose, only for Drea to turn it into a Tower Of Doom. Rose is back up with a knockdown to Risk and a rolling Downward Spiral to Drea. Risk manages to get up though and a middle rope spinning Downward Spiral…doesn’t finish Rose despite looking rather close. A rolling cutter gives Risk two more and she goes up again, where Drea shoves her down in a crash. Drea goes up as well but dives into a Stunner from Rose for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: C+. Nice enough here as they all got a chance to shine, which is hard to do in a match that didn’t have a ton of time. Drea stood out more than the other two here, though that might have been due to the neon green gear. Rose definitely seemed to be the crowd favorite here so having her win and get to come back out later isn’t a bad idea.

Earlier today, Robert Baines (looks to be a sleazy manager) announced a new partnership with TY Shane and he has Conflict Theory (looks to be some hired thugs) ready to go. Shane didn’t approve of that and wants to win on his own, demanding that Baines won’t get involved in his match tonight against Jesse Funaki. Baines says he’s trying to play a numbers game but he’ll give Shane what he wants. They shake on it, with Shane saying he’s facing Funaki one on one to see who the better main is. Baines is sure that they’ll get the win. Hmm…

The ring announcer is ready for the next match but a student gets in the ring. Commentary says this guy brought in the pizza this afternoon and his name is….Just Jared. And apparently he’s having a match.

Chad Lennex vs. Just Jared

Lennex looks rather mean and has a woman named Tonda with him. Well in theory as his chyron says Chad Lennex but he’s introduced as Dark Chad. Commentary: “Whatever his name is.” Either way Lennex jumps him before the bell and throws him down. The match officially begins with a hard slam and a chop in the corner. A middle rope cutter plants Jared again and Lennex hits a ripcord clothesline to the back of the head. That and a Michinoku Driver finish Jared at 1:42. Total squash, which was the point.

Robert Baines (heel manager from earlier) takes over the introductions, against the regular announcer’s wishes. Baines talks about teaming up with TY Shane on a business venture who wants to take out any second or third generation stars in Texas. He is guaranteeing that Shane defeat Jesse Funaki (son of Sho Funaki) tonight and has brought in Conflict Theory to make sure that is the case (fan: “OH GOD NO!”). The team promises to win, as many evil groups have said before. Shane comes out and wants the three of them gone because he wants to do this on his own, but they stay on the floor.

TY Shane vs. Jesse Funaki

They get in each others’ face to start and the rather angry Shane is ready to go. The early exchange of forearms goes to Funaki and he strikes Shane down, followed by a nice dropkick to send Shane outside. Funaki follows but Conflict Theory distracts the referee, allowing Baines to send Funaki into the post. Shane is livid and shoves one of the members of Theory but opts to send Funaki back inside and pound away.

A neckbreaker and dropkick to the back give Shane two each and we hit the reverse chinlock. Shane shouts about how he is better than Funaki, who fights up and elbows away. Funaki knocks him outside and hits a big dive to the floor, where the villains get in some triple teaming as Shane is sent back inside. That’s too far for Shane, who goes outside and demands that they are “f****** out of here!”.

They do just that but Funaki uses the distraction to come back with a top rope spinning tornado DDT for two of his own. Shane is right back with a middle rope DDT of his own for two of his own and they both need a breather. Back up and they trade more shots to the face until Funaki hits the Deathly Hallows dropkick in the corner. Shane comes back with a brainbuster onto the knee and they’re both down again. Back up and they trade rollups for two each until Funaki’s sunset flip out of the corner gets the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B. This was actually a solid match as Shane and Funaki have definitely stood out better than the rest of the stars tonight. Shane needs a bit of a better look and Funaki could use some more experience, but I could see them both moving up the ladder eventually. Funaki definitely has some some appeal as an underdog star as he has a good look and some athleticism. Nice job here.

Post match Baines and Conflict Theory come in and lay out Funaki, though Shane isn’t sure what do to. Baines hands Shane a chair, which is too far. Shane throws it down and Baines says Shane is NOT a thinking animal. That earns Baines a chair to the head and Shane takes out Conflict Theory as well. Shane rather aggressively helps Funaki up and leaves on his own.

A team called Creative Control (one of whom has a title) is getting ready for their entrance later and insult Vin Parker’s nana. Movie (partner of Cordell) doesn’t think much of their opponents (Jimmy House and the aforementioned Parker) and it was just an illusion that Cordell hit Movie with a frog splash. Now if the stupid interviewer can get out of here, they have magic to make. These guys don’t exactly feel like top stars.

Mop Guy is here to…well you can probably guess. Cue a team called the Forged (Victor V and Bobby C) to jump him from behind. The Rhodes Brothers run in for the save. And let’s tag team it!

Rhodes Brothers vs. Forged

The brothers are Wayne and Wyatt, with Bobby easily wrestling Wyatt down and riding him to start. Wayne comes in to help with some double teaming so we’ll try Victor instead. Wayne’s headlock into a Cody Rhodes drop down uppercut has Victor in more trouble. A running flip splash into a basement clothesline gives Wayne two but Bobby trips him up from the floor. Double choking has Wayne in trouble for the first time and a wheelbarrow splash gives Bobby two. Wayne gets away without much trouble and it’s back to Wyatt for the big elbows. A bulldog puts Bobby down and Wayne’s Final Reckoning finishes at 5:12.

Rating: C. They kept this simple, as I can’t imagine the Brothers have had much experience. That’s the point of having them in a match like this one, as they can go out there with limited pressure and just get some ring time. Granted it helps when your uncle owns the promotion, but neither team looked terrible. They definitely need ring time, but it could have been far worse.

Post match Mop Guy gets to beat up Bobby for some revenge.

Earlier today, Vin Parker arrived when Jimmy House came up in his truck. They don’t seem to like each other, but House is in a good mood after his “tryout”. Apparently House has a shirt for Parker to wear in their tag match. Given that House was signed to a WWE ID deal just over a month after this show aired, I’d guess the tryout went well.

Women’s Title: Sophia Rose vs. Jazmin Allure

Allure is defending and does not seem to like the fans whatsoever. They fight over a lockup into the corner to start and Rose shoves her down. Back up and Allure grabs her by the hair for a takedown and they go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Rose is back with a flying mare and a handspring elbow connects in the corner. Allure manages to send her outside and gets in a hard posting to take over.

Back in and Allure ties her into the ropes for a hard slam down but gets annoyed at the kickout. Allure starts wrapping the previously injured leg around the ropes, followed by a basement dropkick in the corner. Rose manages to get a jawbreaker but the leg gives out on a fireman’s carry attempt.

That gives Allure the easy target of a chop block and we hit the kneebar. That doesn’t last long either as Rose manages to send her outside for a breather. Back in and a Sling Blade puts Allure down again, followed by a not so bright pump kick. Somehow Rose manages a moonsault for two but Allure is back with a dragon screw legwhip, leaving the leg in quite the nasty position. A DDT gives Allure two so she goes up, with Rose catching her with a superplex. That’s fine with Allure though, who ties up the ropes for a small package to retain at 9:57.

Rating: C+. This was another simple story with Rose’s knee not being strong enough, along with her coming in banged up from the triple threat. The fans liked Rose but Allure was fresh, with the fans hating almost everything she was doing. This wasn’t bad at all and the stuff with the knee worked fine.

Post match Allure brags about the win but walks into a Stunner.

Jimmy House/Vin Parker vs. Movie Myk/Cordell

House and Parker don’t get along but don’t like the other two at all, hence the teaming. Myk and Cordell jump them to start, with Cordell beating up House on the floor. Myk and Parker join them to keep up the beating, only for House and Parker to whip the villains into each other. We settle down to House taking over on Cordell inside before Parker comes in for a dropkick. A running clothesline puts Cordell on the floor, where House hits a heck of a double clothesline.

Back in and Myk shoves Parker off the top, allowing Cordell to take him into the wrong corner. Parker’s rollups don’t get him very far but House comes in off a blind tag and drops Myk with a clothesline. That doesn’t work for Parker, who gets in an argument with House, allowing Myk to ram them together. House is in trouble this time, with Myk raking his back and twisting the arm to cut off some chops. The arm is wrapped around the ropes for a kick and we hit the armbar.

Back up and Cordell comes in, only to get dropkicked on top. Parker is back in to clean house, including a running dropkick to send Cordell crashing to the floor. A powerslam and moonsault give Parker two on Myk, who counters a running elbow into a suplex into the corner. The double tag brings in House to punch Cordell down but Myk runs House over, leaving everyone in need of a break. Parker gets up top for a missile dropkick to send Myk into House’s German suplex for two, with Cordell making the save. House spears Parker by mistake though and Myk steals the pin at 13:20.

Rating: B-. This told a nice enough story as Parker and House both wanted to get their hands on Myk but couldn’t get out of each others’ way. I’m still not sure how main event level Myk feels, but he’s someone for the stars to chase. It’s a good enough main event and there are a few ways to go as a result, which is nice to see.

Post match House and Parker are about to go at it but get jumped, with the villains being taken out to end the show.

We get credits, which feature the wrestlers and their social media information for a unique touch.

Overall Rating: B. Well, that was a rather pleasant surprise. I came into this expecting absolutely nothing and got a very watchable and at times rather good show. Yes, it’s low level stuff with a lot of people who are just starting out or haven’t done this for very long, but nothing on here was remotely bad and it’s a lot better than some indy shows I’ve seen. Rhodes certainly has something as a trainer, as this was a rather entertaining show and far better than I was expecting.

Results
8th Day b. Auzzy/Hit – Assisted Stunner to Auzzy
Sophia Rose b. Drea and Angelica Risk – Stunner to Drea
Chad Lennex b. Just Jared – Michinoku Driver
Jesse Funaki b. TY Shane – Sunset flip
Rhodes Brothers b. Forged – Final Reckoning to Victor
Jazmin Allure b. Sophia Rose – Small package
Movie Myk/Cordell b. Jimmy House/Vin Parker – Spear to Parker

 

 

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 12, 2026
Location: Gateway Arena Center At College Park, College Park, Georgia
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re just over two weeks away from Sacrifice and the big story is that we now have a World Title match set. Mike Santana is set to defend against Steve Maclin in what should be a heck of a fight. The rest of the show is starting to come together too and more matches are likely to be announced tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Hardys vs. Sinner & Saint

Non-title. Matt backs Williams into the corner to start but Williams spins out of a wristlock. That’s fine with Matt, who rams him into the buckle over and over to put Williams in more trouble. Jeff comes in to go back to the arm, setting up a Poetry In Motion clothesline. It’s back to Matt, who gets taken down by the arm as Icarus takes over. That doesn’t last long at all as it’s right back to Jeff to clean house. Jeff gets dropped though and a frog splash gives Icarus two with Matt making the save. Everything breaks down and the Swanton is broken up, leaving Jeff to grab his reverse full nelson (the Spinal Destination) for the tap at 5:10.

Rating: C. Not much to see here, though the Spinal Destination is a heck of a name for a move. Sinner & Saint might not be a great team but they’re good enough to be out there to polish up someone like the Hardys. It seems that we’re still coming up on the Righteous getting another shot at the Hardys so keeping the champs strong is a good idea.

Post match Jeff gives Williams a Swanton, which seems rather mean. And then they shake hands. After a post match cheap shot. Sure.

The Elegance Brand yells about ODB and Mickie James but the team is more interested in Mr. Elegance debuting next week. Former TNA interviewer Goldy Locks of all people comes in to yell at the Brand. Mr. Elegance: “Weren’t you working here when I was like four years old?”

Indi Hartwell vs. Kelsey Heather

Hartwell easily wrestles her down to start and works on the wrist. Heather misses a handspring elbow in the corner and a suplex puts her down again. A wheelbarrow bulldog works a bit better for Heather, who misses a middle rope moonsault. The spinebuster and the Hurts Donut finish for Hartwell at 2:52.

Post match Hartwell says she wants the Knockouts Title because the reigning champion doesn’t deserve it. She wants her shot so here are Arianna Grace and Stacks to interrupt. Grace tells her to get in line, with Hartwell saying she didn’t get a title handed to her. She’s coming for the belt.

The Hardys thank the Righteous for what they did last week, with the Righteous liking what the Hardys did to Sinner & Saint. Vincent says the System is coming for the titles and the Righteous will be there for them. The Nemeths come in but the Righteous don’t like the interruption. Nic reminds them that they pinned Jeff and the Nemeths laugh as they leave.

Order 4 vs. Trey Miguel/BDE/Rich Swann

Order 4 jumps them to start fast and BDE is taken outside for a ram into the post. We settle down to Ali dropping BDE to cut off a comeback inside. Skyler comes in to strike away and suplex BDE into the corner for quite the crash. Ali comes back in and it’s a double rolling neckbreaker to drop BDE again as we take a break. We come back with Swann striking away at Ali and spiking him with a headscissors. Everything breaks down and Swann’s frog splash gets two on Ali.

Back up and Ali goes to the eyes, meaning it’s off to Miguel for a double stomp to Skyler for two more. Tasha Steelz gets up for a distraction so Jada Stone runs out to cut her off. The two of them brawl into the crowd and one heck of a spinning backbreaker drops BDE. Ali dives onto Miguel and Skyler spears Swann on the apron. Miguel Shell Shocks Skyler, setting up the Lightning Spiral for the pin at 12:26.

Rating: B. Well dang that was fun. This was a wild match where they started fast and kept it going the whole time. That’s not something you often see around here and it worked very well, with Miguel looking like a star in the end. I could go for Ali winning something for a change, but dang this was a blast.

Mike Santana finds Daria Rae, who says if Santana touches Steve Maclin, he’s stripped of the title. Santino Marella comes in to say if Maclin touches Santana, he’s out of TNA. Maclin comes in and has a staredown with Santana on his way to the ring.

Arianna Grace isn’t happy with everyone coming after her title. Stacks calms her down and they sneak up on Indi Hartwell, with Grace hitting her in the knee with the belt. Santino Marella shows up to yell a lot.

Here is Steve Maclin for a chat. Maclin is glad to be back here and it feels like he never left. He is required to apologize, so he has a prepared statement. First up, he thanks Daria Rae, who is far better than Santino Marella. As for Tom Hannifan, it’s a shame that their friendship ended this way but it’s because Hannifan can’t take a punch to the gut.

Mike Santana is watching in the crowd as Maclin says he lost the World Title due to backstage politics. Maybe Maclin should start playing meetings at the VA or playing voicemails from his dad so people will feel sorry for him too. He’s met death before and knows what it is, which is part of how he’s playing Santana so easily. Mayhem is for everyone, including Santana.

Some of the cast of Tulsa King are here.

AJ Francis vs. Elijah

Frankie Kazarian is on commentary. Elijah strikes away in the corner to start and knocks him outside. Back in and Elijah knocks him into the ropes, allowing Elijah to run around the ropes for a running knee to the head. Francis cuts him off with a pop up right hand and a running knee in the corner knocks Elijah even sillier.

A powerbomb is countered into an Alabama Slam to drop Francis though and Elijah’s jumping knee gets two. The rope walk Canadian Destroyer gets two more and Francis goes outside. Elijah hits a superkick but throws a drink at Kazarian, who gets in a quick neck snap over the ropes. The Down Payment finishes Elijah at 6:02.

Rating: C. This was more about furthering Elijah vs. Kazarian, which is one of the more “uh, ok?” feuds I can remember around here in a long time. Francis isn’t doing much of his own, though I’m curious to see what he does next as he’s rather effective as a villain. The match wasn’t exactly much to see, but it did at least serve a purpose.

Post match Kazarian jumps Elijah but Home Town Man runs in with a pipe for the save.

Eric Young is glad Leon Slater is injured and wants the X-Division Title shot at Sacrifice.

GREED. We go to SWINGER’S PALACE when Rosemary pops in. Swinger thinks she’s Sherri Martel and Papa Shango as JDC laughs at Sinner & Saint for losing their money. Rosemary makes a deal to keep the place open forever…..and ALLIE is back. Rosemary: “Oh boy.” I have no idea what is going on with these things but TNA knows how to cameo.

Ricky Sosa vs. Brad Attitude

This is Sosa’s debut and apparently he is a viral sensation. Sosa rolls him up for two to start and works on the arm as the fans seem to like Sosa quite a bit. Attitude knocks him down for a slingshot hilo for two and the chinlock goes on. That’s broken up and some running elbows have Attitude down, with a nice moonsault connecting for two. The big no hands dive connects on the floor, followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb for the pin on Attitude at 3:33.

Rating: C+. It’s a pretty small sample size but Sosa looked smooth out there. That’s the point of a squash like this as you got to see some of his bigger stuff and he was out before anyone could get tired of him. I could go for more of him, as he has some size and can move, which is a nice combination to start.

Moose vs. Cedric Alexander

Street fight with the System barred from ringside, though Alisha Edwards is here with Moose. That’s not fair. Moose hammers away to start fast and hits a quick backsplash for two. They head outside with Moose striking away but Alexander manages a surprise suplex. Alexander grabs a chair but Moose gets one of his own and it’s time for the duel. Moose gets the better of things and chairs Alexander down as we take a break.

We come back with Moose in trouble and Alexander throwing a bunch of chairs inside. A chokebomb gives Moose two and they head outside, where Moose is sent into the steps. Alexander loads up a stomp onto the steps but Alisha gets in the way, allowing Moose to fight back. Moose gets caught on the apron though and powerbombed onto a standing trashcan for quite the crash.

Back in and Moose pops up to catch Alexander on top and it’s a superplex onto the pile of chairs. Alexander’s Spanish Fly gets two, only for Moose to hit a heck of a spear. The rather smart Alexander rolls outside so it’s time for a table. The table is set up in the corner but Moose is sent face first into a chair in the other corner. Alexander’s brainbuster doesn’t do much as Moose spears him through the table for the win at 16:13.

Rating: B-. Good hardcore style match here, at least partially because they didn’t go nuts with the weapons. I can go with the idea of just beating on each other until one of them can’t get up, as it’s better than doing a bunch of ridiculous spots. Moose’s path of destruction continues, though Alisha turning on him feels all but inevitable.

Overall Rating: B-. TNA is getting back into their usual groove, as they don’t have much that is must see, but everything they do have is easy to understand and it feels like they sum things up rather well almost every week. That’s a good way to bring in new fans as nothing feels too complicated from week to week. That was the situation again here, as you can easily follow what they’re doing on the way to Sacrifice. Keep that going and things should be fine.

Results
Hardys b. Sinner & Saint – Spinal Destination to Icarus
Indi Hartwell b. Kelsey Heather – Hurts Donut
Trey Miguel/Rich Swann/BDE b. Order 4 – Lightning Spiral to Skyler
AJ Francis b. Elijah – Down Payment
Ricky Sosa b. Brad Attitude – Blue Thunder Bomb
Moose b. Cedric Alexander – Spear through a table

 

 

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

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