It’s from a forgotten period of the company….and that might be for the better.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-elimination-chamber-2012-review/

Smackdown
Date: January 16, 2026
Location: Wembley Arena, London, England
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves

It’s another taped show overseas but in this case we have a pretty big focal point. This week’s show features four matches, with the winners going on to a four way for a future shot at Drew McIntyre’s World Title. That should make for a big and rather wrestling heavy night so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Drew McIntyre winning the World Title last week when Jacob Fatu got involved.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is McIntyre, played to the ring by some bagpipers of course, for his first chat as champion. He takes his sweet time with his entrance, this is the first time he has ever had an introduction as champion in front of fans. McIntyre says he prayed for this and it happened. He’s still the first and only British WWE Champion and talks about how no one did anything for him when he was champion.

There was only one person who believed in him before and that was….himself. McIntyre wants the fans to cheer for him before talking about the former (oh he loves that word) champion, Cody Rhodes. There’s no rematch clause, so he’ll be champion for a long time…and here is Randy Orton to interrupt. Orton talks about beating McIntyre before so he knows he can do it again. Cue Jacob Fatu to chase McIntyre through the crowd but the Miz (facing Orton tonight) sneaks up from behind with a Skull Crushing Finale.

IMG Credit: WWE

#1 Contenders Qualifying Match: The Miz vs. Randy Orton

We’re joined in progress with Miz hammering away, including an exchange of right hands. They go outside with Miz dropping him onto the announcers’ table for an Orton pose. Back in and Orton wins a slugout before hitting the hanging DDT. They go outside again, with Orton dropping him onto the announcers’ table a few times. The RKO is loaded up but Miz reverses into the Skull Crushing Finale for a near fall. Miz tries it again but has to settle for two off a rollup. Orton pops back up and the RKO (while getting to take a breather) finishes Miz off at 4:37.

Rating: C. Orton shrugged off Miz’s offense and took him out here, which was rather impressive. As old as he is, Orton can still make this stuff work with that RKO being as dangerous as ever. It’s one of the biggest finishers ever and it still works well. On the other hand you have the Miz, who is still a heck of a villain, even if he probably only has so much time left in the ring.

An anxious Drew McIntyre is trying to leave with the title but runs into Ilja Dragunov, who promises to take a step closer to the title tonight. McIntyre says he’ll beat him too and gets out as fast as he can.

The Wyatt Sicks aren’t wild on Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s taking the lantern, but they’ll get it back.

Charlotte comes up to see Alexa Bliss last week, with Bliss ranting about how terrible things went for her last week. She wants to know if Charlotte was really sick, which Charlotte insists was the case. Charlotte says she’s turned down a bunch of title matches for the good of the team. Bliss: “Name two.” Charlotte: “That’s beside the point.” She’s here now though and she’s stretching before her match. Bliss leaves and Nia Jax and Lash Legend come up to gloat. Charlotte isn’t pleased and makes some threats, along with saying Legend has changed.

Kiana James/Giulia vs. Charlotte/Alexa Bliss

Bliss strikes away at James to start but gets caught with a knee to the ribs. Charlotte comes in to send her into the corner, only to walk into a superkick. Everything breaks down and Bliss is in trouble as we take a break. We come back with Bliss kicking her way to freedom, allowing the tag off to Charlotte. Chopping abounds, followed by a big clothesline to James. A high crossbody gives Charlotte two but Giulia breaks up the moonsault. Giulia and Charlotte get to strike it out until Bliss is back in with the Sister Abigail DDT to finish James at 8:28.

Rating: C+. Charlotte and Bliss have turned into a heck of a team, which is nice to see as it means we have some actual teams rather than just doing the revolving door of title challengers. Let the division be built up a bit and see how well it can work. That’s what we’re getting here and it’s rather nice to see after such a long time of it not working.

Post match Nia Jax and Lash Legend run in to drop Charlotte and Bliss, with Giulia and James getting in Jax and Legend’s faces.

Solo Sikoa says if the Wyatts want their lantern back, put the Tag Team Titles on the line.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat (but only after hugging a young fan, which leaves her in tears). Normally he would tap his fist on the mat and we would all say WHOA and he’d move on to whatever he’s talking about. He was champion and saw the fans as his teammates. But now he got too complacent, but maybe it was that Drew McIntyre was just too good. Rhodes brings up the Royal Rumble, and since this is a special city, where he wrestled for What Culture Pro Wrestling to hone his skills and in a city that deserves a Wrestlemania, he is declaring himself for the Royal Rumble.

With that out of the way, he gets to Jacob Fatu, who Rhodes knew was going to be something special. Rhodes knows Fatu is a young veteran and that means he knows what RECEIPT means. Fatu can either come out here and get it or he can stay back there and Rhodes can find him. This was the intense Rhodes and that worked well.

Matt Cardona is disappointed that Cody Rhodes lost last week because he wanted to wrestle his buddy for the title. He’s back to win the title. Another intense promo here and it’s nice to see that he is feeling like something other than Zack Ryder.

#1 Contenders Qualifying Match: Trick Williams vs. Matt Cardona

Williams poses at him to start and gets powered into the corner. Some big shoulders drop Cardona, who is right back with a dropkick into a Downward Spiral. Cardona knocks him outside for a dropkick off the apron and we take a break. We come back with Williams forearming away but Cardona grabs a Zig Zag for two. Williams misses a Stinger Splash but he rolls away before the Reboot. Back in and Williams slingshots him over the ropes and hits the Trick Kick for two. The Rough Ryder misses and Williams Pounces him down hard. The Trick Shot gives Williams the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. Williams continues the hot start to his main roster career and that’s a good sign. There is no reason to believe that he’ll win the match at Saturday Night’s Main Event but at least he is getting a few wins like this one. As usual it’s all about the followup, but he’s doing well so far.

Post match Kit Wilson comes out and decks Cardona.

Damian Priest is ready to face Solo Sikoa, but he knows it won’t be one on one. He also knows he has to get to Drew McIntyre, one on one for the title.

Post break, Kit Wilson is still in the ring and says he is the solution to the problem around here. He’s going to solve the toxic masculinity…and Jacob Fatu is behind him. Destruction ensues and Fatu calls out Cody Rhodes. Cue Rhodes (who has changed clothes in the 15 minutes since he was in the ring) for the brawl with security and Nick Aldis not quite being able to break it up.

IMG Credit: WWE

#1 Contenders Qualifying Match: Solo Sikoa vs. Damian Priest

The MFTs are here with Sikoa, who headbutts him into the ropes, only to get caught with a superkick. Priest kicks him out to the floor, where the MFTs aren’t going to allow any shenanigans. Sikoa gets in a cheap shot though and the MFTs drop Priest as we take a break. We come back with Sikoa hitting a running Umaga Attack but Priest spinwheel kicks him in the face.

Priest kicks away and they trade big shots to the head, with Priest getting the better of things. Talla Tonga gets caught trying to interfere and gets ejected, leaving Priest to grab the Razor’s Edge for two. Another MFTs distraction lets Sikoa hit the Spinning Solo into the Superfly Splash for two of his own. Cue the Wyatt Sicks to go after the MFTs but Sikoa grabs the lantern. The distraction is enough for Priest to hit South Of Heaven for the win at 10:51.

Rating: B-. I got into this a bit more than I was expecting as Priest gets to move on to a pretty big match. That’s not the focal point though, as this was more about the MFTs vs. the Wyatts. That will likely be the cool down match at the Royal Rumble, or at worst at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and they are making it feel important.

Post match Priest leaves and Uncle Howdy gets the lantern back but it’s Tama Tonga dropping Howdy to take it back.

Drew McIntyre runs into Sami Zayn, bragging that Zayn has never beaten him. Zayn promises to win twice in a row so he can go to the Royal Rumble and face McIntyre again.

US Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. ???

It’s open challenge time with…TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater answering (and not defending). They lock up to start and Hayes takes him down for an early exchange of rollups. A chop hurts Slater’s hand but Hayes might have banged up his knee. Slater kicks him in the face and adds a handspring elbow to send Hayes outside. The slingshot dive connects and a nice high crossbody puts Hayes down for two.

We take a break and come back with Slater kicking away until a suplex cutter gives Hayes two of his own. Slater kicks him in the face for two more and a slingshot ax kick to the back of the head has Hayes in more trouble. They trade rollups for two each until Slater sends him outside for the huge flip dive over the top rope. Back in and the Swanton 450 misses for Slater, setting up the First 48. Hayes goes up top with Scott following, only to get superplexed into a cutter to retain the title at 11:45.

Rating: B. This was your weekly “here are some talented stars doing their thing for awhile”. Hayes is getting into a groove of this thing, though the whole open challenge thing is getting a bit old. Slater coming to WWE full time sooner than later wouldn’t surprise me, as he seems ready to come over.

Shinsuke Nakamura is watching in the back but Tama Tonga interrupts, saying he’s coming for the US Title. Tonga tells Nakamura to stay out of his way but Nakamura doesn’t seem impressed.

Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae have Axiom’s mask, with Axiom popping up. He wants the mask back but LeRae walks off with it. Cue another Axiom to punch Gargano and of course it’s Nathan Frazer, who will face Gargano next week.

Video on Oba Femi.

Chelsea Green vs. Jordynne Grace

Alba Fyre is here with Green and Jade Cargill is watching from ringside. Grace powers her down to start and grabs a rather delayed vertical suplex. Back up and Green manages to sens her into the corner for a superkick from Fyre. Grace clotheslines her down and grabs a suplex, followed by a Death Valley Driver for the pin at 2:36. Well that was almost squashy.

Post match Grace calls out Cargill, who accidentally gets decked by a charging Green.

Trick Williams puts Smackdown on notice (uh oh) that he is that dog. Damian Priest comes in to say they’re both ready for Saturday Night’s Main Event, but on Friday, he’ll whoop that Trick.

IMG Credit: WWE

#1 Contenders Qualifying Match: Ilja Dragunov vs. Sami Zayn

They slug it out to start until Zayn hits a clothesline for the knockdown. The forearms in the corner don’t do much to Dragunov, who is right back with a running boot in the corner. Something off the top misses for Dragunov and Zayn gives him a suplex for two. Dragunov is back with some rolling German suplexes and goes up top, where Zayn catches him with a top rope superplex as we take a break.

We come back with Dragunov busted open and escaping the Blue Thunder Bomb. A missile dropkick gives Dragunov two but the H Bomb is blocked with a raised boot (quite the logical counter). The Helluva Kick misses as well and they fight to the apron. Dragunov hits Torpedo Moscow to leave both of them down on the floor. Back in and Dragunov hits a powerbomb (THUD) but the top rope backsplash hits raised knees. The Helluva Kick gives Zayn the pin at 12:27.

Rating: B. These guys beat each other up in the way you would expect them to do and it made for a good main event. Zayn feels like he is finally on the path towards the World Title, however long it might take for him to get there. Dragunov losing again is perfectly fine, but what matters here is that he didn’t feel too far over his head. If that can continue, they might have something with him.

Post match Trick Williams jumps Zayn to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show had a theme running throughout, but at the same time, this was the first three hour show that felt every minute. It wasn’t a show that felt it needed to go that long and that made it a bit tedious. On the other hand, the positive was that the show featured four matches which had World Title implications, plus other stories getting coverage. This was a well put together show, but three hours a week can absolutely grind you down in short fashion.

Results
Randy Orton b. The Miz – RKO
Charlotte/Alexa bliss b. Kiana James/Giulia – Sister Abigail DDT to James
Trick Williams b. Matt Cardona – Trick Shot
Damian Priest b. Solo Sikoa – South Of Heaven
Carmelo Hayes b. Leon Slater – Superplex cutter
Jordynne Grace b. Chelsea Green – Death Valley Driver
Sami Zayn b. Ilja Dragunov – Helluva Kick

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 15, 2026
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

This is a big one as we’re on AMC for the first time. That is the kind of show that you do not see very often and it should be one of the most important shows that TNA has ever had. The main event is Mike Santana trying to get the World Title back from Frankie Kazarian, but Nic Nemeth is lurking with his Call Your Shot trophy. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at most of TNA’s big stars and talks about how they’ve worked to get here.

Here is AJ Styles as a surprise to get things going. Styles says he’s going to keep this short and sweet because we have some wrestling to do. He wants the fans to keep the energy going because the fans here are TNA.

We get a shorter form (and minus voiceover) opening sequence.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling/Darryl Stewart

Elijah/Hardys vs. Order 4

The brawl is on fast to start with Elijah using the Great Hands as stepping stones for a superplex to Ali. Order 4 bails out to the floor and we take an early break. We come back with Elijah in trouble and the Hardys being knocked off the apron. Elijah fights out of trouble though and it’s Jeff coming in to clean house. Tasha Steelz tries to interfere so Jeff hits a double Twist Of Fate for quite the cool visual. Matt comes in for a Twist Of Fate to Skyler and Jeff adds the Swanton for the pin at 8:19.

Rating: C+. They started the show fast with some of their top stars winning, which isn’t a bad idea. At the same time, having the Hardys are the starting point of a show in 2026, especially going over a team like Order 4, might not be the best idea. At some point the Hardys are going to have to be replaced and I don’t know that I see such an option anywhere for TNA.

Post match Agent Zero comes in to deck the winners but the Righteous run in to make the save. Then the Righteous jump the Hardys, even chaining Jeff to the corner so Vincent can Swanton Matt.

Frankie Kazarian is ready for the main event but here is AJ Styles to cut him off. Kazarian tells Styles to thank him for the house. Styles looks at the title, thanks him, and leaves.

Video on the X-Division.

We look at various people in the crowd. This is a bad move as it shows A LOT of empty seats.

We hear from some of the people in the front row, including Mara Sade and former WWE star Candice Michelle. Ryan Nemeth comes in and interrupts, only to crotch himself on the barricade and get chopped by an actor.

Here is Santino Marella, now looking happier than in recent weeks, for a chat. He’s happy about what is happening here, but he has been upset by what has happened with his daughter. There are a lot of responsibilities, so he is getting an assistant: Daria Rae, formerly known as Sonya Deville.

She praises Marella and hypes up the move to AMC…and then says that TNA does NOT need Marella with all of his jokes. Rae knows she can do the job better because her name is Daria Rae and she is the Suit. She has signed a new Knockout, so here is Elayna Black, formerly known as Cora Jade. Not that she actually does anything, but she is in fact here.

AJ Styles gives Mike Santana a pep talk and he’s grateful.

So to recap: we’re about 45 minutes into this show. We’ve had one match, and the big stories have been the Righteous turning on the Hardys, plus the debut of Sonya Deville, who turned on her boss in about fifteen seconds and announced the signing of Cora Jade. While that’s hardly anything, the bigger problem is TNA is treating its audience like they know EVERYTHING that has happened thus far.

On a show like this, you might want to take some time and explain some people and stories rather than just jumping right into it. AJ Styles is praising Mike Santana. Well who in the world is Mike Santana? Why should I care about him? Maybe let us know about that? Or should we just let the fans know that they’re on AMC again?

The Elegance Brand is in the ring, with the Personal Concierge introducing….Perez Hilton, as we flash back at least ten years. Hilton insults the crowd and the Concierge introduces Mr. Elegance (who looks a lot like Matt Riddle). He claims to be the far heavier (and different) man we saw teasing being in the role last week after a week on the Elegance Brand. Apparently this is OVW wrestler AJZ, who gets about as big of a reaction as you would expect.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Elegance Brand vs. IInspiration

The IInspiration is defending and jumps them to start fast but we take an early break. We come back with M’s moonsault hitting raised knees as Sol Ruca and Zaria (from NXT) are watching in the back. Lee comes in to clean house but the Concierge pulls the referee, meaning it’s time to argue on the floor. Mr. Elegance distracts the referee but gets knocked to the floor. That leaves the IInspiration to load up the Idolizer, which is broken up by Mr. Elegance’s chop block. A rollup pins Lee to give us new champions at 8:45.

Rating: D. Oh my sweet merciful goodness this show is somehow getting worse. This barely had time to go anywhere and the Elegance Brand only needed five people to beat the IInspiration. I guess they were going for the “give us a title change to make it feel important” but could they have it be in a match that was at least somewhat good?

Arianna Grace and Stacks aren’t worried about Santino Marella. Grace was also behind NXT invading. When did they do that? Who invaded? What did they do? NOT IMPORTANT!

Indi Hartwell is talking about her childhood dream…and the Elegance Brand interrupts her with their celebration.

Video on the Knockouts Title over the years.

Santino Marella is in the ring and brings out Knockouts Champion Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside for a chat. Apparently Dani Luna, who has been built up as the monster challenger for weeks, isn’t going to be at Genesis due to a visa issue, so it’s open challenge time. Cue Sol Ruca and Zaria to answer, with Ruca saying that Zaria should get the show. The contract is signed. So to know what just happened, you need to follow NXT and TNA. This show has no idea how to introduce a new crowd to the product.

Video on the history of the World Title.

Santino Marella comes up to Cedric Alexander in the back, saying that Leon Slater can’t be at Genesis either. Therefore, Alexander will still get his X-Division Title shot down the line, but for now, he’s in a three watch match with Moose and…that guy who appears when you say his name. Alexander says the name….and Joe Hendry calls him. Doesn’t APPEAR of course, but does call him.

Genesis rundown, again, making quite the series of assumptions that you know these people.

Here is the System for a chat. Eddie Edwards is ready to face JDC in JDC’s retirement match at Genesis. JDC isn’t done though, as he’ll be in the ring live next week to announce the newest member of the team. As for Genesis, Eddie better be ready to pull the trigger, or JDC will. So Moose and Brian Myers didn’t get to talk and we’re set for JDC’s retirement match. Who is JDC? Well that’s just not important enough to explain.

Video on Frankie Kazarian vs. Mike Santana, with Nic Nemeth teasing cashing in his title shot.

TNA President Carlos Silva brings in….oh my goodness Dixie Carter. She isn’t well received but puts over TNA. Bully Ray comes out to do commentary on the main event but stops for a staredown and hug with Carter.

TNA World Title: Mike Santana vs. Frankie Kazarian

Santana is challenging and thankfully we get a recap of the title match (Santana won the title at Bound For Glory but Kazarian cashed in the TNA version of Money In The Bank to win the title shortly thereafter). After a break (so that we can pass an hour and forty minutes with two matches having taken place), we’re ready to go and Kazarian stalls right after the bell. The first two or so minutes feature the standard opening stuff, with Kazarian going for the arm but getting knocked outside.

Commentary of course ignores ALL of this to hype up next week’s show, as the World Title and featured attraction of the show is just background noise. Kazarian throws him down on the floor and we take a break less than three minutes in, lest we actually see some wrestling on this show. We come back with Kazarian reversing a rollup into a Backstabber, which just seems to wake Santana up.

They strike it out until Santana hits the rolling Buck Fifty (rolling Stunner) for two. A super Spanish Fly drops Kazarian and the Code Red gets two more. Angel’s Wings and a slingshot cutter give Kazarian two of his own and it’s time to grab the title. Santana misses Spin The Block and the referee gets bumped, meaning the second Spin The Block connects for no count.

A belt shot sends Santana to the apron for Fade To Black and a near fall. Santana pops up for Spin The Block and a near fall (oh that did not look right, as it seems it was supposed to be the pin but was called two instead), followed by another Spin The Block to give him the title back at 15:51.

Rating: B-. Well that was….fine. They had the big emotional title change back at Bound For Glory so there was only so much they could do here. Santana has more than enough charisma to make this interesting, but at the same time Kazarian felt like a champion in over his head. There was pretty much no drama here outside of something terribly screwy and it made things feel more like a waiting game than a dramatic match. Also, wouldn’t it have made more sense for AJ Styles, who was around both guys earlier, to be on commentary rather than Ray, who had nothing to do with either of them?

Commentary points out that there is a rematch already set for Genesis. Not shown here? Nic Nemeth trying to cash in his title shot and getting in a fight with Santana. The result is Nemeth will be guest referee for the title rematch, which will be a Texas Deathmatch. But at least we got Dixie Carter on the show right?

Overall Rating: D-. And that’s being as generous as I can. This was a disaster, as it felt like a show where you needed to have watched the last few weeks (if not months) of TNA and NXT to get a lot of this stuff. That’s a really bad way to go when this is your big DEBUT rather than a finale.

That’s in addition to the total lack of wrestling for long stretches, as when you factor out commercials, you had maybe twenty minutes of wrestling bell to bell. Throw in stuff like battling authority figures, the pretty terrible Knockouts Tag Team Title match, various big names/champions not doing anything and the bringing back of Dixie (and freaking PEREZ HILTON around) and this was a rough, rough sit.

Now, there were some good points to this show. Santana has the title back, which he never should have lost, and bringing in some fresh names like Cora Jade and Sonya Deville is a wise move. Having a newcomer as Mr. Elegance is fine, though he needed a much better debut. Also, Agent Zero looked good as a monster after the opener. There are some good pieces on this show, but my goodness they botched this hard. Absolutely terrible show for the most part, with even Santana not being able to save things.

Results
Elijah/Hardys b. Order 4 – Swanton to Skyler
Elegance Brand b. IInspiration – Rollup to Lee
Mike Santana b. Frankie Kazarian – Spin The Block

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: January 15, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

I’m not sure what to expect from this show because things are kinds of all over the place here, as usual. The only big story is Blake Christian coming after the World Title and now has Jay Lethal in his corner. Other than that, we have the usual assortment of people allegedly trying to get into title contention. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Angelico and Drake start things off with Drake wrenching the arm before sending Angelico into the corner. Some alternating elbows in the corner drop Angelico, who fights right back without much trouble. Serpentico comes in to work on the arm and drops a backsplash for two. The Veterans shrug that off and kick them down, with Drake working on Serpentico’s leg.

Gibson grabs a half crab, which is broken up, so Serpentico hits a quick backbreaker. Angelico comes back in to clean house with everything breaking down. Drake sends Angelico into the steps, leaving Gibson to give Serpentico the middle rope Codebreaker. Drake’s springboard dropkick finishes Serpentico off at 8:47.

Rating: C. In case you were wondering what a tag match between two teams going nowhere looks like, here you are. I’m assuming this was the way to heat the Veterans up before they get wrecked by Eddie Kingston and Ortiz, which makes me wonder about the logic when it’s in two different places. Either way, the technical stuff was fine, but these teams are so low on the totem pole that it just doesn’t matter.

Post match the Veterans promise the same for Kingston and Ortiz. Cue the two of them with chairs for the save.

Lance Archer vs. Vin Parker

Chops and a crossbody take Parker down and the Blackout finishes at 1:52. Total decimation, which will in no way get Archer closer to a title shot, even though he’s 15-0 here.

Kiran Grey vs. Shane Taylor

The rest of the Promotions are here with Taylor. Grey gets in a shot to the face and grabs a choke, which is broken up with pure power. A knee to the face rocks Grey and Taylor fires off some shoulders in the corner. Taylor’s big clothesline gets two but Grey sweeps the leg and gets two off a jumping splash. Taylor is back with a release Rock Bottom and his own big splash for two, followed by the right hand for the pin at 5:01.

Rating: C+. They pretty clearly see something in Grey and that’s not a bad thing. He certainly has something of a mystique to him and it’s interesting to see some fresh blood around here. It also helps that he got in a bit of offense and wasn’t totally squashed, so at least there was some protection here.

Frat House vs. Aaron Solo/QT Marshall/Von Erichs

Karter gets dropkicked by Ross to start and it’s off to Marshall for a dropkick of his own. Solo comes in to neckbreaker Garrison, who catches him with a slingshot powerslam. The House takes Solo into the corner for some stomping before Jameson misses a middle rope backsplash. Marshall comes in to clean house and Vance clotheslines Karter by mistake. Stereo Claws set up the cutter to give Marshall the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. This was about what you would expect from these guys, though I did appreciate it being a bit shorter. The Von Erichs were their usual bland selves and Solo got to be the punching bag for a good chunk. The good thing is that it wasn’t long enough to get dull, making it more “well it could have been worse”, which is about the best you can hope for with these guys.

We look at Trish Adora beating Zayda Steel in last week’s mixed tag.

MxM TV vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Rare heel vs. heel mixed tag here. Valkyrie and Adora start things off, with Valkyrie hitting a basement clothesline to take over. Madden comes in to elbow Bravo in the back, setting up a finger tip double elbow drop. Mansoor gets caught in the wrong corner though and some clubberin sets up a chinlock. A belly to back suplex gets Mansoor out of trouble and the diving tag brings Valkyrie back in.

The running knees in the corner get two on Adora and they forearm it out. They clothesline each other and it’s back to Madden to clean house as everything breaks down. Mansoor spinebusters Bravo and hits a dive but we pause for a fan to get Mansoor’s attention. Bravo gets in a cheap shot (Bravo to the fan: “BE RIGHT BACK!”) to Mansoor, followed by the double stomp for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C+. I’m curious about the fan getting involved as it’s better than the same nothing matches that they have over and over. The Promotions are still about the same as usual, meaning they’re only so interesting, but MxM TV playing the heroes for a change made things a bit better. Just find something different for both of them to do already and things could improve.

Post match Bravo brings the fan over the barricade and she’s rather tall.

Red Velvet vs. Robyn Renegade

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Robyn can win or last the time limit, she gets a future title shot. Renegade uses the hair to pull her down to start but Velvet is right back with a short armscissors. That’s reversed into a fall away slam and Renegade throws her out to the floor. Back in and a springboard double stomp to the back gives Renegade two. They trade missed hand licking chops in the corner until Renegade grabs a sitout gordbuster for two more. Velvet gets fired up and hits a leg lariat, followed by the big left hand for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: C. There have only been so many success stories in modern Ring Of Honor but Velvet has been added to the list in recent months. Something has clicked since she returned from her injury and she feels like a star. That’s a nice thing to see and her matches are becoming one of the highlights around here.

Tony Khan announces that Ring Of Honor will be teaming up with Metro Plex Wrestling, run by Athena, on January 29. Athena is rather pleased. Eh it’s something different at least.

Dark Order vs. Swirl

Jay Lethal is here with the Swirl. Christian and Uno start things off, with Christian flipping him off in a few different ways. Uno is back with a knockdown into his own strut, allowing Reynolds to come in for a double basement dropkick. Reynolds fights out of the wrong corner but gets kneed in the face for his efforts. They go outside, with Christian using the chair for a step up forearm to the back.

The chinlock goes on back inside but Reynolds fights up and ties him in the ropes for something like a Black Widow. The tag brings in Uno to clean house, including a big boot into a DDT for two. Christian fights out of a Gory Bomb though and everything breaks down. A Lethal Injection is countered into a Gory Bomb/Codebreaker combination to drop Christian again. Johnson is back in for the save and a pair of basement superkicks knock Reynolds silly. The Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination finishes Reynolds at 7:05.

Rating: C+. The Swirl are the top heels around here, though I’m not sure where that is leading. In theory it sets up Christian getting a World Title shot, though he’s been ready for that for a rather long time now. At least they’re looking like a dominant team at the moment and I could go for seeing that continue for a while to come.

Post match the beatdown is on again until Tommy Billington and Adam Priest make the save.

Overall Rating: C. There were parts here that I liked, but one of the biggest issues was the simple fact that it featured so many of the same people that we’ve seen time after time. How many Lance Archer squashes can we see? Or Shane Taylor Promotions for that matter? Meanwhile, the Women’s Pure Title, Tag Team Titles, Six Man Titles and Women’s Title have not been on the line in about six weeks. Fix this, as it’s making for quite the annoying show.

Results
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Spanish Announce Project – Springboard missile dropkick to Serpentico
Lance Archer b. Vin Parker – Black Out
Shane Taylor b. Kiran Grey – Right hand
Aaron Solo/QT Marshall/Von Erichs b. Frat House – Cutter to Vance
Shane Taylor Promotions b. MxM TV – Double stomp to Mansoor
Red Velvet b. Robyn Renegade – Left hand
Swirl b. Dark Order – Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination to Reynolds

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

Royal Rumble 2011
Date: January 30, 2011
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,113
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker

It’s an interesting choice for the annual redo as 2011 is kind of a forgotten time. This was something closer to a transitional period for the company as they were trying some different people in the World Title scene, hence why the Miz is defending here. Other than that we need a card for Wrestlemania and things will start here, with the only edition of the Royal Rumble with FORTY entrants. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at how winning the Royal Rumble can send you on the Road to Wrestlemania. The big draw is the forty man Rumble, which sounds more long than thrilling.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler

Edge (in a rare face role) is defending while Ziggler has Edge’s ex-wife (and his current girlfriend, as well as acting GM of Smackdown) in his corner. Since Vickie is rather evil, Edge loses the title if he uses a spear. They trade some shots to the ribs to start with Ziggler hammering him down in the corner, only to get whipped hard into the other corner. The announcers proceed to talk about Vickie, with Striker bragging about getting along with Lawler for a change.

Ziggler gets sent to the apron and Edge slips through the legs to send him face first onto said apron. Back in and a neckbreaker gives Ziggler two as neither is exactly pulling away so far. A boot to the face and a hanging neckbreaker keep Edge down and we’re already on the chinlock. That’s broken up and it’s a catapult to send Ziggler into the buckle, only for him to grab another neckbreaker for two more.

The chinlock goes on again as the neck work continues. At least he’s sticking with something. Ziggler sends him outside, rams him into the barricade, and grabs another chinlock. Edge finally gets up and hits a double crossbody to put them both down. The missed Stinger Splash makes it even worse for Ziggler and a flapjack puts him down again. I love a good flapjack so points for that. A jawbreaker gets Ziggler out of trouble but the running Fameasser is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two more.

Edge heads up top, shrugs off a superplex attempt, and hits a high crossbody with Ziggler rolling through for two. Striker gets WAY too excited over a not very near fall, but that’s Striker for you. Ziggler dropkicks him for two more but Edge is right back with the Edgecator (it’s been awhile on that one), sending Ziggler straight to the ropes. Back up and Ziggler hits the Fameasser for two and the fans are getting into things for the first time.

A big boot puts Ziggler down but Edge has to stop himself form using the spear, instead going with the Edgecution for two, with Vickie pulling the referee out. Vickie gets on the apron to slap the already annoyed Edge, drawing out Edge’s friend Kelly Kelly for the catfight. The distraction lets Ziggler hit a Zig Zag for two in a rather hot near fall.

The sleeper goes on but the referee gets bumped just before Edge jawbreaks his way to freedom. There’s no referee and no Vickie and there’s the spear to cut Ziggler down. Cole: “COME ON REF YOU FOOL!” The referee gets up and it’s an Unprettier to retain Edge’s title at 20:44.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but the drama was there near the end. That being said, I’m not big on the idea being Edge can’t use the spear and then “oh well he used it anyway”. In this case there would actually be some fallout though so points for that for a change. It was a great example of the Royal Rumble World Title match: not an epic, but a good solid match that had some drama before the hero retained in the end.

We recap the Miz vs. Randy Orton for the Raw World Title. Miz cashed in Money in the Bank on Orton to win the title back in November and then beat him again to retain at TLC in a tables match. Tonight it’s just a singles match, because WWE didn’t know how to build to a gimmick match back then either. The idea here is that Miz is in WAY over his head but he’s ready to prove himself on the big stage.

Miz talks about how unfair his title reign has been because everyone says he shouldn’t be here. Riley promises Miz will win.

Raw World Title: The Miz vs. Randy Orton

Orton is challenging and Miz has Alex Riley (sweet goodness what could have been) in his corner. I had forgotten how annoying/stupid Cole as the Miz superfan really was. It’s also weird to not hear the “QUIET ON THE SET” intro to Miz’s music. Orton unloads on him in the corner to start as Cole wants Lawler to call this one down the middle. They head outside with Miz being rammed into the apron for two and Orton starts kicking at the ribs.

A catapult sends Miz throat first into the bottom rope as Cole talks about Miz being able to brawl if you want him do. Striker: “Who comes up to someone and says ‘I want to brawl with you.’?” And that’s why Striker is a pest. Orton stomps away but Riley, who went to Boston College, snaps Orton’s neck across the ropes to a big pop. A missed charge in the corner lets Miz stomp away and there’s the running corner clothesline for two. Miz chokes away as Cole compares the basketball games that Miz and Lawler are invited to.

Riley cheats again so Cole high fives him as Miz grabs a chinlock. A knee to the ribs and another to the face get two apiece and it’s back to the chinlock. That lets Cole compare Miz to Lou Thesz, Bob Backlund, Steve Austin and DX rolled into one. Ok he can be annoying but when he turns it up that high, it can be a little funny. Orton fights out but walks into a big boot for two. Miz gets crotched on top though and a superplex brings Miz down for two more.

The backbreaker sets up the hanging DDT but Miz backdrops his way out of trouble. Back in and a top rope ax handle gives Miz two more and he hammers away. Now it’s a reverse chinlock to really mix things up a bit. They head outside again with Orton bouncing off the post for a nine count, allowing him to come back in with a Thesz press and right hands. The powerslam sets up the Garvin Stomp and a big knee drop gets two.

Neither finisher can hit so Orton goes with an Angle Slam of all things. Miz tries to bail so Orton clotheslines him down and throws him back inside for two more. Now the hanging DDT connects and the RKO is loaded up, but here’s the New Nexus for a distraction. Riley tries to come in so Orton throws him at the team, leaving Miz to take the RKO. Cue CM Punk, the leader of the New Nexus, with a GTS to Orton so Miz can retain at 19:50. Cole is literally jumping up and down in celebration.

Rating: C-. I’m a big Miz fan but some of these main event level matches just do not hold up all that well. What we got here wasn’t terrible but it also hit a firm ceiling and needed to be at least five minutes shorter. The ending set up something for the future and Orton vs. Punk should be good, but Miz still feels like he’s in over his head. That can make for a good heel, but the matches aren’t often the best.

Miz is stunned that he survived.

Cody Rhodes is too devastated by his recent facial injury at Rey Mysterio’s legs that he won’t be appearing tonight. It was his time to shine but now he will wait in the shadows. That’s the start of what could have been an incredibly awesome character. We wound up getting just an awesome one, so I’ll take what I can get.

Fans pick their Rumble winners. Some of them even gets them right.

Divas Title: Laycool vs. Natalya

Laycool is challenging after Natalya beat them in a handicap match at Survivor Series. Striker doesn’t think much of Natalya, again showing that Striker doesn’t need to exist. Hold on though as we have a message from the Anonymous Raw GM. There are a few changes to the match.

Divas Title: Layla vs. Michelle McCool vs. Eve Torres vs. Natalya

Natalya is defending and it is one fall to a finish. Laycool jumps them to start and takes over early on with Layla feeding Eve in for a clothesline from Michelle. A double Stroke plants Eve again as Striker asks Lawler to politely assess the Divas assets. Natalya gets back up and Striker tries to analyze things in that annoying way that only he can do so. Laycool clears the ring and that means it’s time for the awkward staredown.

That’s broken up as Natalya trips Layla and Eve rolls Michelle up for two. Natalya sweeps Eve’s legs but has to stack Layla on top of her for the double Sharpshooter. That’s broken up in a hurry as Lawler calls the hold a great photo op. Layla’s Layout puts Eve on the floor but Natalya is back up to take Laycool down. Michelle kicks Layla by mistake but Eve sends Natalya and Michelle outside. Eve’s moonsault finishes Layla at 5:12, even as Michelle has Natalya pinned at the same time.

Rating: C. This was a weird time for the women as they were far better in the ring than they were before but no one cared about this and the division was used as nothing more than filler. The wrestling wasn’t bad and there was a story, but you could see how unimportant all of this was in the grand scheme of things. I do miss Laycool though.

United States Champion Daniel Bryan, with girlfriend Gail Kim (oh yeah that was a thing), is ready to go from NXT rookie to World Champion, when the Bellas come in to apologize for trying to steal Bryan last week. The fight breaks out because they suggest they’re better than Gail, with referees not being able to break it up.

And now, the always popular (with me at least) Rumble By The Numbers:

40 entrants

1 winner

24 winners

656 losing entrants

39 eliminations by Shawn, a record

26 WWE Hall of Famers who have competed

183,932lbs that has competed in the Rumble, or 92 tons or 492 Big Shows

2 women who have competed in the Rumble

11 eliminations by Kane in 2001, a record

13 straight Rumbles for Kane, also a record

62:12 Mysterio lasted in the 2006 Rumble

1 second, the record for shortest time in the Rumble, held by Santino Marella

3 wins by Austin

2, the number of wins that spot #1 has produced, the same as #30

70% of winners have gone on to win the title at Wrestlemania

Royal Rumble

Forty entrants, ninety second intervals and CM Punk is in at #1 but here’s the Corre, as in all four of them, to surround the ring and jump him. The rest of the New Nexus comes in and the brawl is on but the GM emails in to say everyone but Punk needs to get out or be disqualified. Can you be disqualified from the Rumble? Anyway, Daniel Bryan is in at #2 for the geek out start. Punk shoulders him down to start and shouts as Striker talks about the internet loving this match.

Bryan grabs a fireman’s carry but can’t get Punk out as the CM PUNK chants start up in a hurry. A missile dropkick puts Punk down and it’s Justin Gabriel (of the Corre) in at #3. That means Punk gets beaten down in the corner but Gabriel misses the 450, allowing Bryan to toss him without much trouble. Zack Ryder, now a cocky heel with some song about a radio, is in at #4 and goes after Punk as well. Bryan breaks that up as well but tosses Ryder at Punk for an assisted Rough Ryder. Not that it matters as Bryan throws Ryder out a few seconds later.

William Regal is in at #5 and Striker is very pleased. Regal and Bryan uppercut it out and the internet smiles even more. Ted DiBiase Jr., with girlfriend Maryse is in at #6 and I’m having so many weird flashbacks to this forgotten era. Bryan kicks at Regal as DiBiase can’t get rid of Punk in a tag match I don’t really need to see. With that going nowhere, John Morrison is in at #7 and of course slingshots in to kick Regal in the head.

Morrison is sent outside in a hurry but he hangs onto the barricade like Spider-Man, crawls to the side, gets to his feet on the barricade, and dives to the steps for the save, inspiring a Jamaican named Kofi Kingston for years to come. As he defies….well something, Regal is dumped and it’s Yoshi Tatsu (with his AWESOME theme song) in at #8. We get some near eliminations with neither going anywhere so Husky Harris (New Nexus member) in in at #9. Striker: “If this kid looks like this at 23, what’s he going to look like at 30?” Eh bigger beard, carrying a lantern, kind of cultish. Maybe answers to the name Bray.

Harris cleans a bit of house and we rush to the next entry, with commentary pointing out how fast it is between Harris’ entry and Chavo Guerrero (the second Smackdown name, after Gabriel) coming in at #10. That gives us Punk, Bryan, DiBiase, Morrison, Tatsu, Harris, Henry and Chavo. Guerrero goes with Three Amigos to everyone he can find, with probably a dozen or so total. Striker: “Chavo Guerrero with a Royal Rumble moment!” Stop, please. Like, please. Mark Henry is in at #11 and this should clear the ring out a bit. Chavo is out in a hurry and Tatsu follows him until JTG is in at #12.

Everyone punches a lot and it’s Michael McGillicutty (Curtis Axel, also of the New Nexus) in at #13. JTG is dropkicked out in a hurry and the rest of the entrants start realizing that the New Nexus is getting too strong. DiBiase is backdropped out and it’s Chris Masters (HE STILL HAD A JOB???) in at #14. The Masterlock (not the Masterpiece Cole) has Punk in trouble but McGillicutty makes the save. David Otunga (ALSO New Nexus) is in at #15 and Punk gets rid of Bryan.

Masters follows him and the team dumps Morrison. That leaves New Nexus vs. Henry and it goes as well as you would expect for Mark, with the team clearing the ring. Tyler Reks (I barely remember him) is in at #16 and goes out as fast as you would expect. Vladimir Kozlov is in at #17 and gets the exact same treatment. R-Truth is in at #18 and manages to last a full minute (including Punk hitting a running knee in the corner and shouting “WHAT’S UP”) before getting tossed out.

Great Khali comes in at #19 for the hope spot and Punk hides behind Otunga in a smart move. Otunga goes at Khali, who isn’t smart enough to pull him out because he’s rather shove him away. Harris gets eliminated though but Mason Ryan (a musclehead from Wales and the final member of the New Nexus in the greatest luck of Rumble draws ever) is in at #20. That gives us Punk, McGillicutty, Otunga, Ryan and Khali but Ryan puts Khali out in a hurry. Booker T. returns in a huge surprise (and the kind that you need in the Royal Rumble) at #21 and Punk drops to his knees in panic.

Booker kicks everyone he can and gets in a Spinarooni but Punk and Ryan get him out. Punk smiles a lot (“WE’RE GOING TO WRESTLEMANIA!”)….and John Cena is in at #22. Cena counts all four of them and charges into the ring anyway with Ryan, Otunga and McGillicutty being knocked out in seconds, leaving Punk all alone. The eyes are bugging out and this is one heck of an underrated showdown. They knock each other down in a hurry and it’s Hornswoggle in at #23, playing Barbarian to Cena and Punk’s Hogan and Warrior.

Punk gets up and kicks Hornswoggle in the head, only to walk into an AA for the elimination. Tyson Kidd is in at #24 and gets double teamed, including a headscissors from Hornswoggle and an AA from Cena. Hornswoggle even gets in his own AA and Kidd is gone in a hurry. Heath Slater (Corre) is in at #25, takes a beating, and is out in less than a minute. Kofi Kingston comes in at #26 in a showdown that would be way more interesting nine years later (Daily trivia: Cena and Kofi have never had a singles match. You would think it would have happened in a one off at some point).

Kofi and Cena knock each other down and it’s Jack Swagger in at #27 to not do much, meaning it’s King Sheamus in at #28. Hornswoggle kicks him in the leg and gets Brogue Kicked out so Sheamus and Swagger can beat up the heroes. Rey Mysterio is in at #29 to pick up the pace and knock down everyone not named Sheamus, who blasts him with a clothesline. Trouble in Paradise puts Sheamus down instead and a 619 eliminates Swagger. Wade Barrett (the Corre’s leader) is in at #30, giving us Cena, Kingston, Sheamus, Mysterio and Barrett for a nice talent pool.

Kofi stomps Barrett down in the corner and it’s a banged up Dolph Ziggler in at #31. Mysterio saves Cena from being eliminated (with commentary talking about how smart he is to know you need friends in a match like this)….and DIESEL is in at #32 to a huge pop, which wound up wrecking a major storyline later in the year (Who would have called that?). Diesel cleans house to a big pop and it’s Drew McIntyre (almost unrecognizable compared to how he looks today) to hammer away, even as the LET’S GO DIESEL chants keep going.

Alex Riley is in at #34 and Miz joins him as Diesel is tossed out. Miz joins commentary and it’s Big Show in at #35. Sheamus and McIntyre are waiting on him as Striker and Cole talk over each other so much that I actually can’t understand either of them. I know Cole is a character at this point but he’s lead commentator. In other words, again, shut up Striker. Show dumps McIntyre and it’s Ezekiel Jackson (a big musclehead, also of the Corre) in at #36 to dump Show in a hurry.

Santino Marella is in at #37 and gets knocked to the floor (not out) almost immediately. Alberto Del Rio (still brand new here) is in at #38 with Ricardo Rodriguez handling his intro. Riley is eliminated during his entrance and Mysterio spends too much time staring at Del Rio, allowing Sheamus to hit him from behind. Del Rio’s entrance takes so long that it’s Randy Orton in at #39 for the parade of RKOs.

Kofi and Sheamus are both out and it’s Kane in at #40, giving us a final grouping of Cena, Mysterio, Barrett, Jackson, Marella, Del Rio, Orton and Kane (not too bad). Cena and Orton stare at him but he knocks both of them down without much trouble. Jackson can’t slam Kane and gets low bridged out (Striker: “That’s huge!” That’s the third time he’s used those same words to describe an elimination.).

Mysterio gets rid of Kane but Barrett dumps him as well, leaving us with Orton, Cena, Barrett, Del Rio and Marella (still on the floor). Cena and Orton have a showdown with nowhere near the heat of Punk vs. Cena from earlier but Barrett suplexes Cena to break that up.

There’s an AA to Del Rio but Riley comes back down for a distraction, allowing Miz to dump Cena. Rock would be back in two weeks so I think Cena will be fine. Orton gets rid of Barrett but Del Rio throws him out….as Santino crawls back in. Santino crosses himself and hits the Cobra (as taught to him by Jon Lovitz). The Trombone pose takes too long though and Del Rio throws him out for the win at 1:09:51. I lost my mind when Santino snuck back in watching this live and bought it completely, so they had a great idea with this one. He was already a Tag Team Champion so pushing him wasn’t out of the question.

Rating: B. This is a weird one as you could say cut out the extra ten people and it’s a classic but if you cut out the ten people, you probably don’t have the awesome New Nexus deal, which set them up as a threat and made Cena’s entrance that much better (seriously that was awesome). There are a lot of great moments here, but it goes a bit longer than the sweet spot. The winner was WIDE open this year though and that does a lot of good for the match. Oddly enough this should have been about thirty five people, which isn’t something you would often see. Good Rumble though and worth your time.

Rodriguez loses it to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The best word to describe this show is forgettable, as other than the Santino spot at the end. The Rumble is rather good and makes the show work, but there are so many people and angles that I can’t remember at all around here and it shows badly. There’s a reason that this era is so forgotten, and Rock coming back to take over things for a few months made it even worse. Punk would rise soon enough, but my goodness this is a completely lost era in a lot of ways. Check out the Rumble, but find something else otherwise.

Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler

Original: A-
2013 Redo: A-

2020 Redo: B

Miz vs. Randy Orton

Original: B
2013 Redo: B

2020 Redo: C-

Eve Torres vs. Natalya vs. Layla vs. Michelle McCool

Original: D
2013 Redo: D+

2020 Redo: C

Royal Rumble

Original: A
2013 Redo: A

2020 Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: A
2013 Redo: A

2020 Redo: B-

Dang was I in a really bad mood here?

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/01/30/royal-rumble-2011-his-name-is-alberto-del-rio/

And the 2013 Redo:

https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2020/01/20/royal-rumble-count-up-2011-2013-redo-they-had-me/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also -available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author- page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Royal Rumble 2010
Date: January 31, 2010
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 16,697
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker

We’re getting close to the end of the run here with only three shows left. Tonight we’ve got the Rumble of course along with Undertaker defending against Mysterio and Sheamus defending against Orton. I remember really liking this one as the new generation had arrived and was rising up the card. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is about the Road to Wrestlemania is beginning and how it determines what happens for months to come. This is called the most star studded Rumble ever, which is a tagline that has been used before.

ECW Title: Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson

Christian is defending and man that ECW ring announcer has an annoying voice. Regal is with Jackson here. According to Striker, Jackson went to Columbia Law School. Now there’s a factoid that fell through the cracks. Jackson shoves Christian into the corner and then does it again into the ropes so the champion slaps him in the face. After a brief chase, Christian dropkicks Jackson out to the floor.

The springboard plancha takes Jackson out and we head back in. Christian finally gets caught in the corner and pounded on before having the Killswitch easily blocked. Instead Christian chokes away on the ropes and hits another shot to the face. Jackson throws Christian to the floor where Regal tries to throw him back in, earning himself an ejection. Off to a neck crank back inside which Jackson picks up into a kind of cobra clutch slam for two.

A vertical suplex gets two for Big Zeke and it’s time for more choking. A sunset flip is easily blocked by Jackson and it’s back to the chinlock. Striker tries to figure out what a peep is, as he knows it as a something made of chocolate. Some shots to the face get Christian out of trouble for awhile, or at least until a clothesline to the back of the head gets two.

Jackson hooks both of Christian’s arms back for another hold before putting the champion on top. The superplex is blocked and Christian hits a top rope back elbow for two (LOVE that move). Jackson’s big clothesline misses and a middle rope dropkick gets two for the champion. A spinwheel kick gets two on Jackson but a swan dive misses and gives Zeke a near fall as does a backbreaker.

The tornado DDT gets ANOTHER two for Christian so Jackson takes his head off with a clothesline. Off to a sleeper from Christian when the Killswitch doesn’t work but Jackson counters into a powerslam position to ram Christian’s back into the buckle. Christian slides down Jackson’s back and grabs the Killswitch out of nowhere to retain.

Rating: C+. Trim two minutes out of this and it goes WAY up in quality. The period of near falls went on too long without getting any significant heat from the crowd. Jackson would get the title in a little over two weeks on the final episode of ECW because if there’s one man that should be the final ECW Champion, it’s a musclehead that could barely get through a five minute match most of the time.

Cryme Tyme come in to try to get a second spot in the Rumble from Teddy and Tiffany. Khali says “no dice homeslice” to selling their spot because he’s keeping it real. Apparently he’s learned his English from Family Matters (Singh’s words, not mine). Ok then. Anyway US Champion the Miz comes in and laughs which causes him to have to defend against MVP.

Orton is in the back when Cody Rhodes comes in. He’s there for Randy in the title match tonight but that’s not all. Apparently DiBiase isn’t in on this because his mind is on winning the Rumble and taking the title from Orton.

US Title: The Miz vs. MVP

A quick clothesline gets two for MVP and he works on the champ’s ribs to start. Miz gets a boot up in the corner to slow him down but MVP comes right back with a belly to back suplex for two. They head to the floor for this gem from Striker: “Miz is one of the most recognizable faces on this planet.” I don’t think Miz is one of the most recognizable faces in this match.

Back in and Miz sends MVP to the apron and gets kicked into the table on the floor. Not that this is treated like anything of note because the announcers are laughing about Sherri Shepard from The View. Miz sends shoulders into MVP’s ribs in the corner followed by the running corner clothesline. A top rope double ax gets two for Miz and we hit the chinlock.

After that eats up some time, MVP pounds away with all of his usual stuff. Ballin hits and a running boot to the side of the head gets two for the challenger. A big shoulder block gets the same for MVP but he misses a running boot in the corner. MVP grabs three straight quick near falls but gets caught in a small package for the pin to keep the title on Miz.

Rating: D+. If there was a reason for this to be on PPV other than the show was running short, I don’t know what it was. Miz didn’t look like anything special out there but somehow he would be world champion a year later. MVP on the other hand would be out of the WWE but he did well enough in Japan. Nothing to see here other than a filler match.

Post match MVP hits the Playmaker on Miz and gets booed LOUDLY. He lost completely clean so the booing is deserved.

Show and Jericho, the former tag team champions, run into each other. Show accuses him of being jealous of the chemistry Show and Miz have but Jericho brushes it off. He calls the crowd gelatinous worms before pointing out all of the similarities he and Miz have. Show says he’ll throw both Miz and Jericho out to win the Rumble. R-Truth pops up and says he’ll do the same. Show leaves Jericho standing there much to Jericho’s chagrin.

DiBiase wishes Orton luck and says he’s got Randy’s back. Orton asks where Cody is but DiBiase doesn’t know. This was during the time when Legacy was about to die and both members were trying to get on Randy’s best side. DiBiase claims that Rhodes only wants to win the Rumble but Orton has heard enough. He doesn’t want anyone’s help and gets a clear face pop in response.

The National Guard is here.

Raw World Title: Sheamus vs. Randy Orton

Sheamus won the title in a shocker last month at TLC and is heel here. He’s also still not that good and wouldn’t really hit his stride for about a year and a half. They stare at each other to start and my goodness is Sheamus pale. A dropkick puts the champion down but he comes right back with a running ax handle. Sheamus gets in a shot to the arm and we head to the floor where said arm is sent into the steps.

Back in and Orton goes for the knee and things slow down a bit. Orton wouldn’t really pick up the pace of his offense until about the following year which made his matches pretty hard to sit through. Sheamus comes back by sending Orton’s shoulder into the post twice and hitting some shoulder blocks in the corner. That gets him nowhere though as Orton takes out the knee again and knocks Sheamus to the floor.

They head inside again and yet AGAIN momentum shifts back to Sheamus as he hits a DDT on the arm for two. Off to an armbar for a bit before they slug it out to the boo/yay chants. Orton wins the slugout but walks into the Irish Curse for two. The High Cross is escaped and Orton kicks Sheamus in the head to send him to the outside. Orton gets ready for the RKO but Rhodes jumps the guardrail and blasts Sheamus in the back before running away. The referee sees it though and despite Orton hitting the RKO, he’s disqualified and Sheamus keeps the title. Lame ending to a pretty lame match.

Rating: D+. Like I said, Sheamus just wasn’t very good yet. He was still this big imposing brawler who pounded on people and that’s about it. There was indeed a story in the match but it wasn’t a very entertaining one as they just kept beating on each other’s limbs but when there’s no difference because of the beating, the story doesn’t work. The ending didn’t help either but it did set up something in the future.

Post match Orton snaps on Cody as DiBiase comes down to save his partner. While Orton yells at Cody in the corner, Sheamus comes back in and lays out Randy with a Brogue Kick.

We recap Mickie vs. McCool. This was an awkward feud as Mickie won the title shot in a triple threat and then Laycool made fun of Mickie for being fat. This is of course odd as Mickie is a professional athlete and gorgeous and would only be called fat by a crazy person. It’s also pretty disturbing when you consider how WWE pushes the Divas as role models. The final bit of it was a segment where Mickie got beaten down and covered in food.

Women’s Title: Michelle McCool vs. Mickie James

Pre match Michelle runs her mouth about how fat Mickie is and accuses her of skipping out on the match. Michelle offers cake and here’s Layla in a Mickie Pig costume. The real Mickie sprints to the ring and hits a Thesz Press on Layla on the floor. She heads inside, sends Michelle into Layla and hits the MickieDT for the pin and the title in 20 seconds.

Post match the other Divas bring out a cake and smash it into Laycool’s faces.

We recap Mysterio vs. Undertaker. Rey won the shot by slamming a cage door onto Batista’s head to escape because that’s what heroes do. Taker said he’ll show no mercy on Mysterio so Rey uses the same line everyone does on Taker: he isn’t afraid. Batista beat up Mysterio as well, claiming that Undertaker and the world title was his.

Smackdown World Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Undertaker

Mysterio, in the deep south, comes out wearing a white hood. Striker talks about Lawler being in the ring with Kamala and Lord Humongous (Sid) because he thinks it makes him sound interesting. He’s trying to make a comparison to being in the ring with Undertaker, but if he was as smart as he thinks he is, he would ask Jerry what it’s like to be in the ring with Undertaker himself, which would save a lot of headaches.

Rey fires off some shots in the corner before Taker grabs him by the neck and throws him up and over the top and out to the floor. That looked awesome. Back to the apron and Rey fires off strikes to the face, only to get punched right back down to the floor by a single shot. Taker misses the legdrop on the apron but hits it the second time before heading back in. Rey counters a chokeslam into the 619 but Taker easily grabs the legs. Tombstone is countered and Taker misses an elbow drop.

Rey tries a springboard cross body but jumps into a boot to the chest. We head to the floor again and there’s another big boot to the head to take Rey down. A third big boot keeps Rey down but the fourth misses and Taker sends his leg around the post. Rey hits a baseball slide to send the leg into said post and Taker is in trouble. The seated senton off the apron is caught and Taker puts him back on the apron, only to be caught by an Asai Moonsault to put both guys down.

Taker grabs Rey by the throat and slams him into the barricade. The champion’s nose is busted a bit. Taker does that lifting wristlock of his to crank on the arm a bit before punching Rey down in the corner for a bit. A big side slam gets two for the guy who would use a side slam in this match as Striker goes into this big speech about how the blood shows that undertaker is mortal. Seriously, it’s a BLOODY NOSE. Watch the freaking Lesnar match in the Cell when the blood is literally dripping from Taker’s head and down onto Lesnar’s body.

Rey starts firing off some punches but a single shot from Taker is enough to put him back down. A jawbreaker finally staggers the big man and they do a kind of cross body, although Taker counters into something like Langston’s Big Ending, so it’s hard to say which hurt worse. Taker sits up so Rey kicks him in the face. Why has no one done that before? Rey drops the dime (springboard legdrop) for two but Taker kills him with a big clothesline. The Last Ride is countered and the 619 hits as does a second one, but the West Coast Pop is countered into the Last Ride to retain the title.

Rating: B. This was solid stuff for the most part for a few reasons. First of all, they didn’t make Taker look ridiculous to get into position for Rey’s moves. That’s my biggest issue with most of Rey’s battles against giants: how stupid the big men look. The other good thing here is that Taker wasn’t knocked silly after just a few moves. Rey only hit maybe a dozen offensive moves here other than basic strikes and it wouldn’t have made sense to have Taker in major trouble. Finally, Rey can bump like crazy when he’s trying to. The only issues here are the lack of a threat to Taker and Striker’s commentary. Chill out already man.

Shawn is watching in the back when Kane comes in and says Shawn’s obsession with Taker is unhealthy. This is KANE calling something unhealthy. He warns Shawn to cool it with Taker because it won’t end well. Kane leaves and HHH comes in. Shawn apologizes for whatever happened on Raw which apparently isn’t important enough to specify. HHH agrees Shawn vs. Taker is meant to be, but it won’t be by wining the Rumble.

Rumble by the Numbers time:

23 Winners

627 entrants eliminated

36 eliminations by Austin

11 eliminations by Kane in 2001

2002 was the last Rumble in Atlanta

62:12 Rey was in the Rumble in 2006

2 seconds was the record for 20 years until Santino broke it last year

3 wins for Austin

2 win for #1, the same as #30

70% of the winners win at Mania

Royal Rumble

Dolph Ziggler is #1 and Evan Bourne is #2. Bourne snaps off a headscissors to start and follows up with a spinwheel kick to take Dolph down. Ziggler comes back with the Zig Zag but can’t throw Evan out. Bourne decks Ziggler and hits Air Bourne as CM Punk of the Straightedge Society is #3. He slams the other two guys’ heads together and dumps them out one after the other. Punk gets a mic and says that tonight is the greatest night in the history of the Straightedge Society. These two are just the first of 29 men who will challenge him, but they can be saved.

The clock starts running down, so Punk gives us the line of the night: “Excuse me, it’s clobberin time.” JTG is #4 and after a few clotheslines, he poses like an idiot in the corner and gets dumped. Punk gets the mic again and says that not everyone can be saved because they don’t have his dedication. Great Khali is #5 and Punk immediately says he can make Khali greater by saving him. He asks Khali to raise his hand for the Straightedge Pledge but Khali lowers the hand onto Punk’s head for the chop.

There’s the Khali Vice and in less than 90 seconds, Beth Phoenix of all people is #6. She stares down Khali and gets picked up and placed on the apron. Beth kisses Khali but in the process pulls him over the top to eliminate him. Phoenix gets back in and BEATS UP PUNK, only to get caught in a GTS to the chest. Would that really knock her out? Before she’s dumped out, here’s Zack Ryder at #7.

As Ryder gets in, Punk grabs the mic and says Zack has potential. PREACH IT BROTHER! Punk starts offering him a spot but his Ryder with the mic before he gets done with it. The fans are going nuts for Punk now and there goes Ryder. Punk talks about how great he is and wants to know who is next, but whoever it is, they’re inferior to Punk. In at #8 is HHH as we enter the second segment of the Rumble.

They stare each other down and HHH starts punching. The facebuster has Punk staggered and a spinebuster puts him down as Drew McIntyre is #9. That gives us a tag champion in HHH and the IC Champion in Drew at the moment. HHH is looking a bit flabby here. He hits the high knee on McIntyre and escapes the GTS to eliminate Punk. DiBiase is #10 as we’re flying through this.

HHH gets double teamed down in the corner until John Morrison, the guy that lost the title to McIntyre, is #11. He takes both heels down and pounds away on them before hitting a jumping DDT on Drew. Starship Pain almost completely misses Drew and HHH clotheslines John down. Kane is #12 and comes in with the top rope clothesline to HHH. There’s a double chokeslam to McIntyre and Morrison before Kane tries to dump DiBiase.

Rhodes is #13 and saves Ted as he comes in. Morrison is sent to the apron and springboards back in, only to get dropkicked out of the air. Legacy goes after Kane but HHH saves him for no apparent reason. Cody saves himself from being eliminated and MVP is #14. Miz runs up behind him though and blasts MVP with the US Title. Morrison hits the Moonlight Drive on McIntyre to break up the Future Shock on Kane. HHH is in trouble in the corner and MVP is carried to the back.

Carlito is #15 and the ring is starting to get full. There’s a Backstabber to HHH and one for Drew and Ted as well. Miz is #16 and hits a quick Finale on Carlito. Cue MVP to clothesline Miz out and eliminate himself in the process. Matt Hardy is #17 and lasts about 20 seconds before Kane puts him out. HHH immediately dumps Kane too and the ring is a lot more empty all of a sudden.

HHH starts laying out everyone and Shawn is #18. Carlito is backdropped out, Rhodes and DiBiase are tossed, Morrison gets dumped, and DX puts out McIntyre to get us down to DX. Before anything can happen though, Cena is #19 to get us to the final third of the match. Cena cleans house and hits a double Shuffle before getting caught in the Pedigree. Out of nowhere Shawn superkicks HHH out to pop the crowd BIG.

Shelton Benjamin in that stupid gold period is #20. He hits Paydirt on both guys but gets dumped by Cena in less than 50 seconds. Yoshi Tatsu is #21 and doesn’t even make it 30 seconds. Big Show is #22 and Cena is shaken. Big Show RUNS down to the ring and house is cleaned. Shawn and Cena try to eliminate each other but Show pulls Shawn back in for some reason. What’s up with that tonight?

Mark Henry is #23 and we get a quick battle of the giant. Who would think those two would have a world title feud a year and a half later and be REALLY popular? Henry slams Show and falls on Cena as he tries an AA. Show spears Henry down and Chris Masters is #24. Masters tries the Masterlock on Show and gets dumped for his efforts. Now Henry goes after Show but Shawn breaks it up for some reason. R-Truth is #25 and actually dumps BOTH big guys. There’s something you wouldn’t expect.

Truth hits a Stroke on Cena and Jack Swagger is #26. All three guys get Vader Bombs and Swagger goes old school with a very slow Oklahoma Stampede. Jack knocks Michaels to the apron but can’t get the elimination. Kingston is #27 and cleans house on Swagger, hitting the Boom Drop and dumping him out with a nice leverage move. Truth puts Kofi on the apron but gets pulled out by a reverse headscissors.

Jericho is #28 but after cleaning about half the house, Cena grabs an AA to put him down. Shawn adds the top rope elbow and tunes up the band but Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise to take him out. Cena dumps Kofi but walks into a Codebreaker. Everyone is down and EDGE makes his big return at #29. That’s rather brilliant instead of waiting for the big surprise at #30, we get a SWERVE that actually makes sense.

Everyone gets a spear and Jericho is out. Edge is back about six months early and it’s Edge-O-Matics all around. Batista is #30, giving us a final four of Shawn, Cena, Edge and Batista. Not bad at all. It’s power all around but Edge spears him down. Everyone is down now Shawn gets up first and hits the forearm on Cena followed by the nipup.

Shawn slams every American in sight and drops the top rope elbow on Cena. Batista takes one too as Edge is still down in the corner. Sweet Chin Music hits Cena and there’s one for Batista as well. Edge clotheslines Shawn to the apron and Michaels superkicks Edge back in, only to get knocked out by Batista. The crowd gasps HUGE at that and Shawn is about to cry. Shawn gets back in and superkicks the referee to vent some frustration. Shawn FINALLY leaves and Cena escapes the Batista Bomb before dumping Batista out. Edge misses the spear but throws out Cena a second later to go to Wrestlemania.

Rating: A-. This is kind of a hard one to grade. They definitely followed the three act structure which helped a lot and the match was VERY fast paced. I mean, the longest anyone was in there was Cena and he barely broke 20 minutes. The problem with that is it doesn’t give anything time to develop. The main story was Shawn which is fine and he would get to Mania at the end of the day anyway. It’s a really fun Rumble but not one of the best ever.

Overall Rating: B. The Rumble is very solid and the rest has nothing terrible so we’ll call it a good show overall. Things would get a lot more interesting soon after this with the rise of the Nexus and a very solid Wrestlemania. This was also a time of transition for the company as a lot of the guys in this show would be gone by the end of the year. Anyway good show here and worth checking out.

Ratings Comparison

Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson

Original: C+

Redo: C+

Miz vs. MVP

Original: B-

Redo: D+

Sheamus vs. Randy Orton

Original: B

Redo: D+

Mickie James vs. Michelle McCool

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio

Original: C-

Redo: B

Royal Rumble

Original: A

Redo: A-

Overall Rating

Original: A-

Redo: B

Dang I liked Sheamus a lot more than I thought I did.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/01/29/royal-rumble-count-up-2010-one-of-the-best-ever/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

WWWF Heavyweight Wrestling
Date: May 9, 1965
Location: Capitol Arena, Washington D.C.
Commentator: Ray Morgan

Well this is a little out of my normal range. This is basically the WWF grandfather, as it’s the promotion that would morph into the WWF several years later. I’ve done some of these shows before and they can be very interesting, though something this old is going to be more than a bit different. Let’s get to it.

Ray Morgan welcomes us to the show and says it’s the second half of the show, though this seems to be about the regular length. We hear the card with some familiar names, with Morgan casually holding a cigarette because 1965 was a very different time.

Before the first match, we get the card for an upcoming live event, which sounds rather awesome. The announcer also references something that happened here “tonight”, which has me wondering how this show worked.

Tomas Marin vs. Bill Watts

Yes that Bill Watts and the fans DO NOT like him to put it mildly. Watts jumps him from behind to start and hits a forearm to put Marin on the floor early on. The knee drop sets up some jumping stomps and Watts sends him hard into the corner. Marin is tossed over the top as commentary says this is the second hour of the show.

Watts drops him onto the apron and then kicks him outside, leaving Watts to shout to the crowd in a great heel touch. Marin’s comeback lasts all of three seconds as he misses a dropkick and gets kneedropped again. The bulldog (called a bulldozer) gets two, as Watts pulls him up, followed by some elbows to the back (“50,000 watts” according to Morgan in a good line). Another bulldog finishes Marin at 5:06.

Rating: C+. Yeah it’s easy to see the greatness in Watts, as he clearly got the idea of connecting with the fans. The people clearly hated him and let him know, which made for some great moments. The match is just a squash, but Watts looked like a star, which is why he was such a big deal for such a long time.

Chief Big Heart vs. Tony Newberry

Big Heart is your traditional Native American and Newberry is billed as a Big Game Hunter. Newberry jumps him from behind to start but Heart fights back and pulls Newberry’s vest over his face. The big chops send Newberry outside where he yells a lot before coming back inside. Newberry tries to get the vest off again and Heart fires off more chops, much to the crowd’s approval.

A big chop sends Newberry back to the floor, where he finds…what looks to be a foreign object but Heart beats him up again. Newberry takes the leg down to finally get control and a leglock keeps Heart down. Heart chops his way to freedom and Newberry hides in the ropes, meaning it’s time for more chops.

A half nelson (you don’t see that very often) has Newberry in more trouble but he gets in some judo shots. That just fires Heart up and the war dance is on, meaning even more chops. One heck of a chop puts Newberry down and the Bow And Arrow makes him give up at 8:25 (with Newberry tapping, though that didn’t mean anything for almost thirty years).

Rating: C+. I liked this more than I was expecting, with the deal with the vest being a nice touch. The thing is that while they were both rather gimmicky, you could instantly understand what you’re getting. It might be a bit more simplistic than most matches but it was easy to understand. That’s a nice feature and it helped the match overcome its only so great action.

Argentina Apollo vs. Bob Boyer

Apollo takes him down by the arm to start and they go to the mat. A fight over what we would call a Tombstone results in Boyer being sat on the apron and a pat on the head. Back in and they go back to the mat to grapple over the leg. That’s broken up with a grab of the ropes and the fans seem to appreciate the clean break. Well that’s rather nice of them. Apollo takes him down by the arm for a change so Boyer grabs the leg and twists for a smart break.

Boyer works on the arm and it’s time to talk about upcoming shows. A backdrop puts Apollo down but he misses a splash, allowing Apollo to crank on the arms. They both go to the mat and tie their legs together with neither being able to get anywhere. A rather painful looking leglock has Boyer in more trouble, with Boyer having to turn it over to make the rope for the break.

Well kind of as they’re so tied up that it takes a bit longer than usual. Even the referee is confused about what to do as they’re really that stuck. Apollo finally stands up and grabs Boyer’s leg, spinning it around to get him back up. Boyer has to rub some feeling back into his leg before they shake hands and we’re finally back to normal.

Apollo cranks on the leg again and then cartwheels around into another leglock for a nice sequence. The half crab goes on, but Boyer slaps him on the back, which makes Apollo let go as he thought it was the referee. Eh smart move. A snapmare puts Apollo down and some jawbreakers make it worse. Back up and they run the ropes until Apollo hits a crossbody for the pin at 14:22.

Rating: C. There was a good match in there but the extra time hurt it. I liked the technical aspect of things here, with the referee getting confused about untying them being something that felt realistic. It’s easy to see why Apollo got a following, as he was quite the athletic star. Cut off about five minutes and this is far better.

Post match….they actually keep fighting, which isn’t something you would often see back in the day.

Chief White Owl vs. Steve Stanlee

Stanlee strikes away to start but Owl goes into the war dance and knocks him out to the floor rather quickly. Back in and Stanlee knocks him into the ropes for some slow kicking but Owl gets it into the corner. Owl’s clean break earns him a kick to the ribs so he ties Stanlee up in the ropes. Stanlee gets loose and charges right into a forearm to the chest. Well that didn’t work. Back up and Stanlee hammers away in the corner so Owl fires off some dropkicks. Owl fights back but the time runs out for the curfew at 6:05.

Rating: C. You can only do so much with the short run time and it was only going to be so good in the first place. It also didn’t help that we already had a Native American gimmick on the show. Commentary mentioned that White Own and Big Heart were a team, but it doesn’t work so well when you have both of them fighting on the same show. Stanlee is someone I’ve seen before and I still don’t quite get the appeal.

Post match Owl chops him down and is declared the winner by referee’s decision.

Morgan talks to an older fan on a cane to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. While this is basically the great great grandfather of modern wrestling, I had a good time with the show. You can easily tell the good guys from the bad guys and the action is fine at times. No you won’t be seeing any of the high flying stuff of today, but it’s straight up pro wrestling and it still works. While I wouldn’t want to watch a ton of it, there is something to be said about seeing the origins of what we watch today.

Results
Bill Watts b. Tomas Marin – Bulldog
Chief Big Heart b. Tony Newberry – Bow And Arrow
Argentina Apollo b. Bob Boyer – Crossbody
Chief White Owl b. Steve Stanlee via referee’s decision

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

Main Event
Date: January 8, 2026
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Blake Howard

So for some reason this was put up on the WWE YouTube channel. I have no idea if that’s going to be a regular thing, but I can’t imagine me doing this more than once anyway. This is as low on the main roster totem pole as you can get and you’ll see what I mean if you’ve never seen this before. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Talla Tonga vs. Apollo Crews

Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s are here with Tonga. Crews is wrestling his first match in WWE in nearly a year, allowing commentary to make snake jokes as he is from Stone Mountain, Georgia. Tonga knocks him into the ropes but gets kicked out to the floor, with a dropkick through the ropes making it worse.

Back in and Tonga hits a running corner clothesline, followed by a full nelson slam. A chokeslam doesn’t work though and Tonga misses a charge into the buckle. Crews starts going after the knee and hits an enziguri, followed by a moonsault onto the back for two. Tonga isn’t having this though and kicks him out of the air, setting up the chokeslam for the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C-. Well, Crews is indeed back and he’s in the same spot he was in before. There was nothing to see here other than Crews getting to do some quick athletic stuff. That’s been his issue for a long time, as he’s more than crazy athletic, but there’s just nothing to make him connect with…well anyone really.

From Raw.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky vs. Kabuki Warriors

The Warriors are defending and we start fast with the champions being sent outside for the running flip dive from Ripley. We take a break and come back with Ripley missing a second flip dive off the apron, allowing the Warriors to kick her down inside. Ripley throws her way out of trouble though and it’s off to Sky to Sling Blade Asuka. Sky gets draped over the top though and a top rope knee to the back gives Sane two.

We take another break and come back again with Sky getting bent around in a Liontamer. Sky gets twisted too far though and kicks Sane in the ribs, allowing the tag back to Ripley. House is quickly cleaned with Ripley hitting a Razor’s Edge into a missile dropkick. Ripley gets kicked by Asuka and the ankle lock goes on. She gets up but Asuka traps the leg for a German suplex (Ripley: “OH S***!”) and the Warriors fire off the kicks. The assisted Insane Elbow gets two, with Sky making the save. Sky kicks Asuka into the Riptide from Ripley, setting up Over The Moonsault for the pin and the titles at 16:29.

Rating: B. This is the right call as they set the match up as a big deal and then paid it off with the title change. Ripley and Sky have been needing to get another big win sooner or later and this is about as big as you can get. Sky continues to establish herself as one of the top stars in the division and Ripley gets back to some success, which she’s been needing for a good while.

Video on Maxxine Dupri vs. Becky Lynch.

From Raw.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch vs. Maxxine Dupri

Dupri is defending and we get a Stranger Things intro, saying this is Chapter Three: It’s Not Just Her Saying It. They take turns backing each other into the corner and Lynch knocks her into the corner to take over. A Thesz press lets Dupri hammer away and we take an early break. We come back with Dupri fighting out of trouble and hitting a running knee to the head. Dupri loads up a backslide but then drops down, leaving commentary unsure what that was supposed to be.

A high crossbody misses for Dupri and the threat of an ankle lock sends Lynch over to the ropes. Lynch misses a middle rope legdrop in the ropes though and gets caught in the ankle lock. The Disarm-Her is reversed into the ankle lock, which Lynch reverses into a DDT for two. Lynch’s ankle lock is broken up and Dupri suplexes her into a high crossbody for two. Lynch catches her on top but Dupri rolls into another ankle lock. This time though Lynch stacks her up and grabs the rope to get the title back at 10:35.

Rating: B-. It had to happen sooner or later and that’s ok. What matters the most here is that Dupri has gone from pretty much a joke to someone who looks like she can hang in there with bigger names. There is zero shame in losing to Lynch, who is simply on a higher level than Dupri. I’m not sure what is next for either of them, but this would be a fine enough way to close the story.

From Raw.

CM Punk isn’t worried about the spear because if he’s the underdog, Bron Breakker will underestimate him.

We look at (in rapid fire):

Matt Cardona returning
Trick Williams debuting on Smackdown
Je’Von Evans signing with Raw
Giulia regaining the Women’s US Title

War Raiders vs. Los Americanos

El Grande Americano is here too. Bravo shoulders Erik to no avail to start so Rayo comes in for a double shoulder. Rayo misses a charge into the ropes and gets atomic dropped, allowing Ivar to come in for a double clothesline. The Raiders launch them at each other for a midair crash and we take a break.

We come back with the Americanos starting in on the leg, including a double wishbone. A quick distraction draws Erik in so the double stomping can ensue. Ivar clotheslines his way to freedom and brings Erik back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Grande hits a loaded headbutt to Ivar, setting up a Russian legsweep/top rope headbutt combination to give Rayo the pin at 7:36.

Rating: C+. It’s so strange to see the War Raiders fall this far. They have gone from being the champions to losing on Main Event in less than a year. The entire Raw tag division has just collapsed and they’re certainly on the list. At the same time, Los Americanos are fun, but they’re just kind of there. Much like El Grande Americano actually.

Video on CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker.

From Raw.

Here is Gunther for a chat. Gunther has been asked to show respect, but what about respect for him? He brings up making John Cena tap out but here is AJ Styles to interrupt. Gunther immediately cuts him off though, saying Styles is punching above his weight. He’s the man who made Cena tap out like a little B****, so what is little AJ going to do about it? Gunther gives him a You Can’t See Me so Styles slaps him in the face. They get in each others’ faces and Styles says that’s what he thought.

From Raw.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker, with Paul Heyman, is defending. Punk grabs a headlock to start and cranks on the arm, including a takedown. Breakker catches him with a powerslam though and we take an early break. We come back with Breakker slamming him down again and hammering away with right hands. Another throw drops Punk again and he is looking rather rocked.

Some trash talk wakes Punk up though and he strikes away but the GTS is escaped. Breakker’s fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two but the running spear around the ring is cut off with a clothesline. We take a break and come back with Breakker not being able to hit the super Frankensteiner and crashing backwards. Punk’s top rope elbow gets two so he goes back up, where a super Frankensteiner brings him back down for two.

The gorilla press is countered into a DDT for two and they slug it out. Punk knocks him down but goes after a distraction Heyman. Cue the Vision for a distraction, allowing Theory to hit a Stomp. Cue Dragon Lee, Penta and Rey Mysterio to brawl with the Vision, leaving Breakker’s spear to hit the post. The GTS gets two and dang they had me on that one. Punk hits a piledriver for two so he tries the GTS, which is reversed into a Fujiwara armbar.

That’s reversed into the Anaconda Vice but Breakker powers up and hits a hard clothesline for two. Breakker tries a GTS but Punk reverses into the STF. Heyman gets on the apron for a distraction though and gets punched in the face, only for Breakker’s spear to miss. Punk tries a suicide dive, which is punched out of the air for a nasty landing. Breakker knocks him onto the announcers’ table for the big elbow from the top, through said table in a nasty crash. Back in and the spear is kneed away and the GTS gives Punk the pin at 26:45.

Rating: A-. There were multiple times in there when I wasn’t sure who was going to win and there is no better feeling to have in a match. They did a great job of having Breakker look like a monster with Punk just barely surviving, including NOT having Breakker hit the spear, which can be saved for later. Awesome match here as Punk still has it and Breakker’s time will come one day.

Punk celebrates to end the show, including dropping the title in a funny bit.

Overall Rating: B. Welp, the show continues its run of doing the exact same thing for the better part of ever. It’s an exclusive match, recaps, another exclusive match, and more recaps. That’s what this show has been for longer than I can remember and it’s kind of hard to get mad about that. The fact that it’s just on YouTube (at least this week) makes it better, as it’s not like it’s taking up a valuable space. Nothing show of course, but it featured highlights from a stacked Raw so call it a success.

Results
Talla Tonga b. Apollo Crews – Chokeslam
Los Americanos b. War Raiders – Russian legsweep/top rope headbutt combination to Ivar

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

Dynamite
Date: January 15, 2026
Location: Arizona Financial Theater, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Excalibur, Bryan Danielson

It’s Maximum Carnage, which…really doesn’t seem to mean much, other than we have Bandido challenging MJF for the World Title. There is still a long time to go before Revolution, but these special named shows do tend to do pretty well for AEW, as they know what they’re doing with them. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Samoa Joe wants to deal with Hangman Page, but he needs to get ready to defend the Trios Titles. Therefore, he’s putting a bounty out on Page, with Bryan Keith here to collect it. That would be the second bounty of the year thus far.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Pac vs. Darby Allin

Allin jumps Pac from behind during the entrances and they quickly fight into the crowd. Pac gets staggered with some shots to the face, setting up the Coffin Drop off a balcony. They head back to ringside, where Pac gets in a suplex on the floor. An overhead belly to belly sends Allin crashing into the steps and they get inside for the opening bell. A very hard clothesline gives Pac two and he drops Allin onto the ropes as we take a break.

We come back with Allin hitting a missile dropkick but charging into a belly to belly into the corner. A release belly to belly superplex sets up a Razor’s Edge over the ropes and onto the ramp to drop Allin again. Back in and Allin flips Pac off and knocks him to the floor, setting up another Coffin Drop. A third Coffin Drop, this time onto the apron, connects but the referee gets bumped back inside. The Scorpion Deathlock goes on so here are the Death Riders to save Pac. A chair is wrapped around Pac’s ankle and another Coffin Drop is good for the Pillmanization. The Scorpion Deathlock finishes Pac at 11:05.

Rating: B-. It was a hard hitting match, but I’m losing interest more in Allin every time he does his “I do stupid stuff and get hurt a lot”. It’s been his thing since he got here and it is rapidly losing its charm. Allin is talented enough that he doesn’t need to do that all the time and it would be nice to see it happen a lot less frequently.

Hangman Page vs. Bryan Keith

Big Bill is here with Keith, who chops away to start but gets kicked away. Page fires off forearms in the corner and knocks him outside to keep up the hammering. Bill offers a distraction though, allowing Keith to take over in the corner and we take a break. We come back with Page slugging away, setting up a fall away slam. Bill offers a distraction to break up the Buckshot Lariat, which brings out Swerve Strickland to cut Bill off with the chain. Now the Buckshot Lariat can finish Keith at 9:27.

Rating: C+. This felt like little more than an extended workout for Page and that’s fine. He’s one of the biggest stars in AEW so it’s hard to find someone who is going to give him a real challenge. Sometimes you just need to get him in the ring and he dispatched Keith with an assist from Bill. That could have been worse so I’ll take it.

Post match Page rants about Samoa Joe not being man enough to fight him. Strickland says they’re coming for MJF too because they want to be back on top. Cue Kenny Omega to interrupt, saying three of the greatest challengers for the World Title are in the ring right now. Omega took pride in being called the god of professional wrestling and he knows he has to win some matches to get the World Title shot. He looks at Page and Swerve and says he’s going for the title, with Page saying if they cross paths, may the best man win. Page and Omega shake hands, but Swerve glares at Omega.

Swerve and Page leave and here is the Don Callis Family to interrupt. Callis says if Omega needs to win matches, he should face Josh Alexander. That’s fine with Omega, who is ready to go tonight. Alexander is ready too but Callis says not so fast. We’ll do it next week, with Omega hitting the catchphrase to wrap it up.

Brody King runs into Jon Cruz, who says don’t let Bandido punch him in the face anymore. That’s fine with King, because it’s his turn in their standby match.

Brody King vs. Jon Cruz

King punches him out of the air and finishes with the Ganso Bomb at 38 seconds. About as expected.

Post match King tells Bandido to win the World Title and then it would be his honor to get a title shot.

Video on MJF vs. Bandido.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Davis And Doyle vs. Gates Of Agony vs. JetSpeed vs. Young Bucks

Tornado tag and for a future Tag Team Title shot. The Bucks and JetSpeed start fast with dives to the floor before getting back inside for the staredown. The Bucks get in stereo slams but all four miss elbows, allowing the Gates to come in and take over. Davis And Doyle are right there for the power slugout until the four good guys are back in.

The powerhouses are sent outside for some dives, which are pulled out of the air. Nick dives onto everyone for the big knockdown and the Bucks get to pose. Davis And Doyle collide back inside and then get superkicked down. Liona is up with a moonsault from the apron to the floor and the Gates are in control as we take a break.

We come back with Matt sending Davis And Doyle into each other, allowing the Bucks to clear the ring. All eight get back in for a quadruple superkick and quadruple dives off the top. A wheelbarrow cutter drops Matt and it’s Open The Gates for two on Nick, with Knight making the save. Liona pulls both Bucks into a fireman’s carry but Bailey is in with the Ultimate Weapon to break it up. The Bucks and JetSpeed trade rollups for two each until the BTE Trigger connects. Ricochet pulls the referee but here is Jack Perry to take Ricochet out. Doyle powerbombs Bailey onto a pile at ringside and Davis’ piledriver finishes Knight at 14:51.

Rating: B-. This was your AEW match of the week, as they might as well have had an introduction saying that they scripted this down to the letter. It felt like a performance rather than a match and that took me way out of the whole thing. It’s definitely entertaining and they’re very athletic, but egads going with a wrestling match instead of insanity sounds nice.

Post match FTR comes in for the brawl with Davis And Doyle.

We get a quick tribute to Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead guitarist who recently passed away.

SkyFlight is ready for the Don Callis Family.

Babes Of Wrath/Kris Statlander vs. Triangle Of Madness

Statlander and Thekla start things off…or not as we’ll go with Hart instead. Cameron comes in to take Hart down and a running Sling Blade gets two. Some basement clotheslines and a backsplash crush Blue but she’s able to grab a springboard neckbreaker on Cameron. We take a break and come back with Cameron still in trouble, with her partners being pulled off the apron.

As usual, the tag goes through a few seconds later, with Statlander getting to come in and clean house. Hart and Blue are rammed into each other and Nightingale is in with a spinebuster. Hart helps plant Nightingale with the assisted swinging Rock Bottom and Thekla knocks her into the corner. Thekla spears Statlander (who shoved Nightingale out of the way), setting up the stomp for the pin at 11:34.

Rating: C+. This should set up at least one title match and that’s not a bad way to go. Thekla vs. Statlander has been built up for more than a little while now and it would make sense to do it in the next few weeks. Nice enough match too, as it only got wild near the end, which is a good change of pace.

Swerve Strickland gives JetSpeed a pep talk. With Swerve gone, Hangman Page comes in and decides he’s teaming with them to go after the Trios Titles on Collision. So less than an hour after Omega’s statement that “you don’t just get handed title shots”, Page just decided that he and JetSpeed are getting a title shot.

The Rascalz are coming. That’s either a perfect fit or more people who wrestle a similar style in this company.

We look back at the one time Hangman Page and JetSpeed team together (back in August), which is enough for them to get a title shot. Kenny Omega should want a word about this.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Bandido

Bandido is challenging (and his ROH World Title is not on the line). MJF shoulders him down to start and does an Eddie Dance, only for Bandido to come back with an armdrag. Back up and MJF yells at him, only to get his legs swept out for two. The gorilla press sends MJF outside and there’s the required dive to take him out again. Back in and MJF bails out to the apron, where a cheap shot lets him grab an armbar on Bandido.

MJF knocks him down and does a quick Macarena, allowing Bandido to roll him up for two. A flip of the bad arm sends Bandido into the corner and we take a break. We come back with Bandido breaking up the Three Amigos and hitting a suplex of his own. The one armed gorilla press has MJF in more trouble and he goes outside, with Bandido hitting a big dive. MJF heads into the crowd so Bandido hits an even bigger dive to take him down again.

Back in and MJF hits a Codebreaker onto the arm to cut him off for a breather. Bandido gets two off a Code Red but the 21 Plex is blocked. MJF pulls him into a slingshot cutter for two more and they trade rollups for twos, and then ones, each. Bandido hits the X Knee into the 21 Plex but he can’t bridge, giving MJF enough of a breather to kick out. That’s enough for MJF to pull him into the Salt Of The Earth and then the LeBell Lock. Bandido fights but passes out to retain MJF’s title at 19:43.

Rating: B. They worked hard and had a good match, as MJF can more than hang in the ring to go with his abilities on the mic. That makes him a rare combination and it makes sense that he’s one of the top stars in the company as a result. On the other hand, Bandido continues to have one great match after another and it’s awesome to see.

Post match MJF agrees that Bandido will be a World Champion sometimes. Oh in AEW that is. That means he has to do this, and the beatdown is on, with Brody King making the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Good show overall here, with the main event being a good way to wrap things up. At the same time, there were some less than steady storytelling, mainly involving what it takes to get a title shot. That stuff aside, it was another good night inside the ring and that’s where AEW tends to stay. Nice job here, as we should be able to move on to Revolution in the near future.

Results
Darby Allin b. Pac – Scorpion Deathlock
Hangman Page b. Bryan Keith – Buckshot Lariat
Brody King b. Jon Cruz – Ganso Bomb
Davis And Doyle b. Young Bucks, JetSpeed and Gates Of Agony – Piledriver to Knight
Triangle Of Madness b. Babes Of Wrath/Kris Statlander – Stomp to Nightingale
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Bandido – LeBell Lock

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

Evolve
Date: January 14, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

Things are changing in a hurry around here and it’s rather interesting to see where they are all going. With a bunch of Evolve names now officially part of NXT, some changes are going to need to be made around here. That could be a good thing, but it’s definitely a thing of some description. Let’s get to it.

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

Team PC arrives and are ready to take over.

The Vanity Project arrives and runs into Aaron Rourke, Cappuccino Jones and Eli Knight. They argue a bit and a six man tag is set for later.

Opening sequence.

Video on the Women’s Title match, with Kendal Grey being ready to face the monsters PJ Vasa and Kali Armstrong.

Women’s Title: Kendal Grey vs. PJ Vasa vs. Kali Armstrong,

Grey, with Wren Sinclair, is defending and Karmen Petrovic is in the VIP section. Vasa powers both of them into the corner to start so Grey slides between her legs to pick up the pace. Some running dropkicks stagger Vasa and a double dropkick sends her outside. That leaves Grey to suplex Armstrong and then kick the returning Vasa back outside. Armstrong spears Grey but gets speared by Vasa, who stands tall as we take a break.

We come back with Vasa cleaning house, including booting Grey down while holding Armstrong in a fireman’s carry. Grey gets the ankle lock on Vasa but Armstrong makes the save. Armstrong drops Vasa with the powerslam and loads up the Kali Connection, only for Grey to springboard in with Shades Of Grey to retain at 5:08.

Rating: B-. Well it was eventful while it lasted, but I was expecting a far longer match than what we got here. At the same time, I was expecting Grey to lose here as it’s pretty clear that she’s getting elevated in the near future. That being said, her holding the title even longer isn’t a bad thing and she got a solid win here.

Post match Petrovic doesn’t think much of Armstrong, who wants to put the sword, uh, somewhere.

Trill London talks about his time in the NFL and is ready to leave you wondering who he is.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Charlie Dempsey

Shockingly enough they go to the grappling to start, with Dempsey getting a cravate, which is broken up without much trouble. A knee to the arm has Dempsey in trouble and Thatcher knocks him outside as we take an early break. We come back with Thatcher still on the arm until Dempsey takes the leg down to switch control. Dempsey ties up the leg and then goes with something close to an STF.

A gutwrench suplex drops Thatcher again and it’s back to the legbar. With that broken up, Dempsey just cranks on the leg for a change. Back up and Thatcher just hits him in the face, which is quite the logical comeback. Dempsey gets something like a dragon screw legwhip but Thatcher pulls him into a Fujiwara armbar.

That’s rolled into a leglock, which is reversed into a cross armbreaker as this is a technical clinic. Dempsey knocks him to the floor and matches Thatcher with a shot to the face back inside. A bridging butterfly suplex (nice) gets two on Thatcher, as does a bridging German suplex. Dempsey switches over to a Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 13:10.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun as you can tell both of them know this style very well. Dempsey winning is of course the right call as Thatcher is just there to make others look good. That’s what he did here and it came in a rather entertaining match. This isn’t something that works all the time, but when you see this style every so often, it’s pretty awesome.

Video on Harlem Lewis.

Vanity Project vs. Eli Knight/Cappuccino Jones/Aaron Rourke

Rourke frustrates Baylor to start and it’s quickly off to Jones for a nice dropkick. Knight comes in and gets headlocked by Drake but comes back with a nice leg lariat. The villains are cleared out to the floor and, after a quick spank from Rourke, Knight hits a big flip dive over the top. Baylor gets in a jumping knee to the face though and we take a break. We come back with Knight in trouble, including Drake raking his back.

A fisherman’s suplex gives Drake two and he knocks Rourke and Jones off the apron. The villains take turns beating Knight up in the corner, with a variety of stomps. Knight manages a high crossbody and that’s enough for the tag off to Jones. Everything breaks down and Rourke hits Eat Defeat on Smokes. The Decaffinator takes Baylor down but Smokes shoves Jones off the top. Drake comes back in with the Unaliving to pin Jones at 9:40.

Rating: C+. Pretty standard six man tag here with Drake getting to look like a star in the end. That’s a good thing, as Baylor and Smokes aren’t exactly must see stuff in the ring. I can see why they make for good background people, but that only gets you so far once the bell rings. At the same time, Knight got to showcase himself well here, but it was only for so long.

Post match Team PC comes out, with Kam Hendrix saying they’re running Evolve in two weeks. That’s not when Hendrix wants his title match though, because that’s going to be Drake vs. Carver, Riggins and Presley in a handicap match. Then Hendrix will get his title match the next week. That’s rather brilliant.

Tate Wilder is in the back and says he feels like he’s walking this road alone.

Overall Rating: B-. I still love the way this show is put together, as it feels like every show is designed to keep things moving. This show had a variety of different stuff going on and I wanted to see all of it. That’s not something you often see and the differences make it stand out that much more. Good stuff here, and they kept things moving for the future as well. Nice work, as is almost always the case.

Results
Kendal Grey b. PJ Vasa and Kali Armstrong – Springboard Shades Of Grey to Armstrong
Charlie Dempsey b. Timothy Thatcher – Fujiwara armbar
Vanity Project b. Cappuccino Jones/Eli Knight/Aaron Rourke – Unaliving to Jones

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