Hidden Gems #15
Date: 1993

March To Wrestlemania IX
Date: March 28, 1993
Location: Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan

I don’t know how but the last three of these that I’ve picked at random have all been full shows. This time around it’s….well I think the name speaks for itself in this case. We’re about a week away from Wrestlemania IX and we get to see some glorified warmup matches. Let’s get to it.

We start with the contract signing between Yokozuna and Bret Hart from Wrestling Challenge, with Yokozuna attacking him and hitting the Banzai Drop. Bobby Heenan brings up a great point: if Bret is injured, there’s no match. Bret tries to get up and manages to stay up after Yokozuna leaves.

Vince and Bobby talk about the attack and run down the card. It sounds like something off of Super Wrestlemania.

Yokozuna vs. Randy Savage

Yokozuna (with Mr. Fuji) is #1 contender and Savage is doing commentary at Wrestlemania so you should know what’s coming here. After a minute spent on disrobing and salt throwing, we spend another thirty seconds on Yokozuna’s sumo stance. Throw in Savage yelling at Fuji and there is no contact in the first two minutes. They FINALLY lock up so Yokozuna can shove him down, meaning we hit the USA chants. It’s already time to go outside with Yokozuna sending him into the post and then the steps.

Back in and Yokozuna slugs away but Savage snaps off the jabs….to no avail as a shot to the throat cuts him off in a hurry. The choking ensues in the corner but Savage avoids the charge. There’s the ax handle to the back but Fuji hits Savage with the Japanese flag. Heenan had something fuzzy on his monitor, though it clears up in time to see Yokozuna hit a belly to belly for the pin at 6:37.

Rating: D+. What were you expecting for this one? Almost all someone of Savage’s size can do here is stick and move a bit and sell quite a bit. That’s what we got here and the match wasn’t the worst, but it was about as good as it could have been. It’s kind of amazing that Bret Hart got such a good match out of Yokozuna at Wrestlemania. Yokozuna is far from bad, but you can only do so much with him.

Post match Yokozuna loads up the Banzai Drop but Savage gets away and knocks him outside.

We look back at the Narcissist Lex Luger debuting at the Royal Rumble (with Bobby Heenan being WAY too excited about him) and his ensuing series of knockouts. He’ll meet Mr. Perfect at Wrestlemania.

Mr. Perfect vs. Skinner

Skinner jumps him to start and they head outside with Perfect going face first into the steps. Perfect posts him to even things up so Skinner takes off his belt for a shot to the throat. Some whippings don’t draw a DQ for some reason as Vince accuses Heenan of paying Skinner off to hurt Perfect. Or he’s just a villain? Skinner misses a charge into the corner though and Perfect rains down right hands. The running knee lift connects but Skinner gets in a shot with the alligator’s claw. Not that it matters though as the PerfectPlex finishes Skinner at 5:26.

Rating: C-. It was a little bit better than the opener but that’s not saying much. There’s something so strange, if not outright wrong, about seeing Mr. Perfect as a face. It just doesn’t fit, even though he is more than capable of pulling it off. If nothing else, it shows you just how good he is as a heel because it’s hard to make the face run work. Not that it failed of course, but it doesn’t quite fit.

Hulk Hogan video.

Reverend Slick talks about how his new convert is fighting off evil in the form of Kim Chee. Can he get a witness? Apparently not, but he can get a match.

Kamala vs. Kim Chee

Chee hammers away to start with Heenan comparing Kamala to a weak dog. The bearhug cuts Chee off and the splash to the back connects. Once Kamala figures out that he needs to turn Chee over, plus get the shoulder down, Chee is done at 2:11. That’s how it should have gone, though Kamala’s Wrestlemania match with Bam Bam Bigelow was cut due to time.

Post match Kamala hits Chee with his pith helmet and they steal it. Some preacher.

Wrestlemania video, complete with PUMP IT UP. Dang I’ve missed that thing.

We look at Money Inc. attacking Brutus Beefcake with their metal briefcase, turning Jimmy Hart face (egads) and bringing Hulk Hogan to Raw for the first time. The title match is set for Wrestlemania.

Money Inc. vs. Reno Riggins/Jerry Sabin

Non-title. Sabin gets sent into the corner to start and then taken outside so the beating can be on. Back in and a double elbow to the jaw takes Sabin down again so it’s off to Riggins to get stomped down as well. The Million Dollar Dream finishes Riggins at 2:58 in a total squash.

Here are the Mega Maniacs (Hogan and Beefcake with Jimmy Hart) for a chat on the platform. Hogan talks about seeing Beefcake get jumped so he stole Beefcake’s motorcycle and crashing onto the sands of Venice Beach. That made him hear the Hulkamaniacs praying so he sniffed hair tonic (I’m sure) and rode all the way to New York.

Then there was something about the Three Stooges so Beefcake talks about going to Cape Kennedy so Hogan could drop rockets on Beefcake’s mask. The Pythons were about to blow Beefcake to the moon! Hart promises Mega Maniacs posters and Nintendo games, plus the Tag Team Titles. Beefcake has been at K-Mart getting his hair tonic together (Hogan nearly cracked up at that) but he decided to just pull Money Inc.’s hair out instead.

Hogan has been pulling sharks out of the ocean and he’s filled the pools at Caesar’s Palace with salt water. Now they have nasty sea urchins and some bad mermaids in them so he can put the sharks in there too. Beefcake is going to work on them so he can throw all the bathing beauties into the pool with the sharks, but Hogan wants to make sure that they all have perfect tans for Wrestlemania.

That was the most coked up insane interview I’ve heard this side of Randy Savage and I was trying to figure out what the heck Hogan and Beefcake were talking about more than once. Or they were trying to make each other laugh for ten minutes by being as insane as possible. More than likely the cocaine though.

We look at Tatanka beating Shawn Michaels twice in a row, setting up the Intercontinental Title match at Wrestlemania.

Tatanka vs. George South

Tatanka goes with the armdrags to start so South takes him into the corner for some right hands. That just earns him some chops to the chest and head but South pokes him in the eye. Tatanka goes on the war path though and it’s more chops into the Papoose To Go for the pin on South at 3:13.

Rating: D+. Standard Raw match from this period and that’s all it needed to be. Beating the champ twice in a row (once in a six man tag so it could have been worse) is a fine way to set up a title match at Wrestlemania and they had done a good job of making Tatanka into a threat over the years. Then again ti’s Shawn in 1993 so Tatanka is going to be in over his head.

Post match Shawn comes out to say Tatanka can’t win the title so Tatanka is ready to fight right now. Shawn teases it but bails, as expected.

Here’s Gene Okerlund for the Wrestlemania Report. Bret Hart is ready to retain the WWF Title, Crush is fishing to get ready to destroy Doink and the Steiners tell the Headshrinkers to say their prayers. I miss these old school short form promos. Just a quick line or two but they give you an idea of what to expect.

Beverly Brothers/Little Louie vs. Bushwhackers/Tiger Jackson

Jackson would go on to become Dink. Heenan is right there with the short jokes, as you knew he would (and should) be. Again, there’s no contact for the first minute and a half until Beau chokes Luke on the rope. Everything breaks down for some three way biting, followed by the required chase scene. After some group whacking, it’s off to Jackson for two on Louie.

That means Jackson gets to dance a bit, only to miss an elbow. Blake and Butch come in with the latter not buying a handshake offer. A cheap shot doesn’t work for Blake either and there’s a bulldog to take him down. Everything breaks down again as Heenan denies riding an ostrich to Wrestlemania.

Beau gets in a top rope ax handle shot to Luke to take over for the first time. Beau’s top rope ax handle gets two and Louie adds a slap. Luke gets in a running clothesline though and the hot tag brings in Butch to clean house. Everything breaks down and Jackson is sat on top for a high crossbody to finish Louie at 9:56.

Rating: D-. Who in the world decided to give this match ten minutes? I mean, other than Vince of course. It was your standard match with the minis in there and that’s not a good thing. These things aren’t any good most of the time and this was the longer form version, making it even worse. It’s harmless fun for kids, but that doesn’t make it easier to watch.

We look at Giant Gonzalez debuting and attacking Undertaker, setting up Wrestlemania.

Undertaker vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Paul Bearer is with Undertaker of course. We get the big staredown and it’s Undertaker slugging away, only to get taken down by a drop toehold (!) so Undertaker can rip at his face. Back up and Undertaker hits his running DDT as Heenan thinks Gonzalez is twenty feet tall. Old School connects but some running clotheslines won’t put Bigelow down. Instead Bigelow sends him outside and we take a break.

Back with Bigelow in control on the floor, including a ram into the steps. They head inside again for a belly to back suplex but Undertaker pops back up. Then he does it again, just for some good measure. Bigelow’s falling headbutt makes Undertaker sit right back up so they do it again, just in case you reached over for some sarsaparilla. The top rope headbutt misses and Undertaker hits the chokeslam so Bigelow walks out for the countout at 7:36.

Rating: D+. This could have been something but there is only so much that they can do with that lame of an ending. The two of them have the talent to do something entertaining and they are more than capable of a solid match, but what can you do in this situation? There wasn’t much of a better option since they both had Wrestlemania matches though, which is the problem with something like this.

Post match Giant Gonzalez comes out for the staredown. Undertaker has to be held back from the fight.

We get a Bret Hart video, set to Respect by Aretha Franklin. Not on the Network of course.

Vince promises Heenan in a weasel toga, meaning Bobby has to prove he has no tail to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. As usual with something like this, you have to consider what they were shooting for. This wasn’t about the wrestling itself whatsoever, which is a good thing as it was horrible. Instead, this was all about hyping Wrestlemania and they did a decent enough job of doing so. Almost every match got at least a bit of time (some more so than others) and it did what it was supposed to do. Not a good show, but it’s nice if you want the complete Wrestlemania IX experience (and who doesn’t want that).

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: May 29, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

It’s back to the Performance Center for some more matches that aren’t going to have any significant impact whatsoever. That’s how things work around here and I’m running out of ways to say how worthless this show is. It’s right in the running with Dark to see how little a show from a major promotion can matter so maybe they can sink even further. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tyler Breeze vs. Tony Nese

Nese poses to start before they lock up against the ropes. That’s good for a clean break so Breeze snapmares him into a chinlock. Nese fights up and hits Breeze in the face (egads man) to take over and we hit the bodyscissors. Breeze fights up and strikes away, including the running forearm in the corner. That earns him another shot to the face and Nese moonsaults him for two.

The Sunset Driver is countered into a sunset flip for two but Breeze has to roll away from the Running Nese. Back in and Breeze slaps on a half crab, sending Nese over to the rope. Nese is right back in with a quick double stomp but it hurts his knee again. A spinebuster sets up a Rock Bottom for two on Nese but he’s right back with a running elbow in the corner. The Running Nese finishes Breeze at 8:32.

Rating: C. This could have been worse but you can still feel how nothing of a match that it really is. Both of them go from match to match around here and while there might be a very slight story for either of them, it’s not like there is any reason to keep track of the wins and losses. That is the case around here most of the time and it gets rather tiresome in a hurry.

We look at Drake Maverick winning the triple threat match on NXT, earning himself a spot in the Cruiserweight Title match.

Tehuti Miles vs. Danny Burch

Miles plays some mind games to start and it’s Burch chasing him to the floor early on. Back in and Burch hits him in the face before grabbing a headlock on the mat. That’s another chance for Burch to hit him in the face before grabbing the leg to pull Miles out of the air. Burch strikes away in the corner and stomps him down as this is one sided.

Miles is back up with a dropkick to the floor and we hit the chinlock back inside. A pair of neckbreakers gives Miles two and the chinlock goes on again. Burch fights up and hits his own dropkick, followed by a release German suplex. Back in and Miles grabs a rollup with trunks for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: C-. What the heck was that? We’re building towards Burch and Oney Lorcan challenging for the NXT Tag Team Titles and he LOSES here? To TEHUTI MILES??? I know it’s a nothing show that no one will see but why in the world did they do this? There was no one else for Miles to beat? I don’t get this and it’s making my head hurt all over again.

Overall Rating: D+. So not only is the show a complete waste of time but now they’re having #1 contenders to titles lose to cruiserweight jobbers? I don’t get the point of this, even if that has been the case around here for a long time now. Nothing to the matches of course, but then they do something screwy with a result? I’d love an explanation, but my goodness the possibilities that presents.

Results

Tony Nese b. Tyler Breeze – Running Nese

Tehuti Miles b. Danny Burch – Rollup with trunks

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: May 28, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, MVP

We’re on the way to Backlash and I’m not sure what they’re going to do to get us ready here. The show is mostly set up already and I’m not exactly thrilled with what we’re going to be seeing as far as original content on this one. It’s just hard to get fired up for this show and that’s the case every week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Hey it’s the 400^th episode. This is not likely to mean anything whatsoever.

Bianca Belair vs. Ruby Riott

Ruby goes for the arm to start but gets whipped hard into the corner for a shoulder to the ribs. A tilt-a-whirl gutbuster gives Belair two and we hit the neck crank. Back up and Belair flips over Riott out of the corner, setting up a dropkick back into the corner. Belair misses a hard charge into the post (that sounded horrible) and Ruby stomps her down. An STO gives Ruby two but Belair double chickenwings her onto the turnbuckle. The KOD finishes Riott at 5:45.

Rating: C-. Just a match here with Riott continuing to fall further and further down the mountain. That has been the case with her since she came back (and before) and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. Belair has already cooled off a lot, but it might be more due to the fact that the Street Profits are playing golf instead of wrestling.

We recap the first round of the Intercontinental Title tournament.

From Smackdown.

We open with the Dirt Sheet, where John Morrison’s abs are now certified social media influencers. Miz can’t believe that Otis is Mr. Money in the Bank and goes on a rant about how Braun Strowman teamed together. Miz: “It just makes no sense.” Morrison: “Like Becky Lynch choosing to have a child with Seth Rollins.” Morrison can’t believe that the Universal Champion is the one that Bray Wyatt replaced with puppet animals. Miz: “Bray Wyatt had the choice between Braun Strowman and stuffed animals. HE PICKED STUFFED ANIMALS!”

We have a special feature tonight: rejected Firefly Fun House puppets, all of whom don’t think much of Strowman. One of which is Mandyquin Rose, whose power is to whisper plans into Otis’ ears. Mandyquin: “Not everything about Braun is a monster.” Morrison: “TOO FAR!”

Cue Strowman to say the show isn’t half bad. Now ask him about Bray’s puppets at Money in the Bank. Miz can’t believe that Strowman thinks Bray is done with him. Miz fought Bray Wyatt and it spiraled into the lowest point of his life (and it only took him about a week to bounce back) but Morrison was there to help him. Morrison doesn’t think much of Strowman and manages to get him a match against Miz next.

Miz vs. Braun Strowman

Non-title. Miz slugs away to start and is knocked down with a single forearm to the chest. The running shoulder puts Miz down again and the dominance is on. A low bridge puts Strowman on the floor and Morrison adds a Flying Chuck. Strowman posts himself by mistake and Miz kicks him in the head. The short DDT is blocked though and Miz is driven into the corner. There’s the big toss and the running powerslam finishes Miz at 3:45.

Rating: C-. Miz got some stuff in here but he and Morrison, even combined, shouldn’t be any real threat to Strowman at this point. It’s not a very good match but that wasn’t the point of something like this. Odds are we get Morrison vs. Strowman next week and that’s the end of it as Bray comes back for the PPV title match.

Post match, Morrison challenges Strowman to a handicap match for the title at Backlash. Strowman says it’s on.

From Raw.

Edge talks about how Randy Orton woke him up last week. Now he has to prove that he still has it, which he has learned over the years from people like Kurt Angle, Mr. Perfect, British Bulldog, Eddie Guerrero and Christian. He was a five tool workhorse for this company but everything he said was in the past tense. Maybe he can’t do those things anymore but he’s going to dig into his soul at Backlash because that’s all a man can do.

Akira Tozawa vs. Shelton Benjamin

Tozawa runs the ropes to start and slips away to hit an enziguri. Shelton is right back with a knockdown into an armbar but Tozawa hurricanranas him to the floor. The suicide dive sends us to a break and we come back with Shelton kneeing him in the face. Shelton gets two off a suplex and we hit the chinlock.

Tozawa’s back is bent over Shelton’s knee but he pops up for the Octopus. That’s broken up in a hurry so Tozawa nails the Shining Wizard. A missile dropkick gives Tozawa two but Shelton rolls into the ankle lock. That’s reversed into a rollup for two and Tozawa kicks him in the head. The top rope backsplash is broken up though and Shelton hits a belly to belly superplex. Paydirt finishes Tozawa at 9:36.

Rating: C. What in the world does it say when you’re losing to Shelton Benjamin on Main Event in 2020? Remember when Tozawa was this close to a title match in the Cruiserweight Title tournament? Like, last week or so? Well now he’s here losing to Benjamin, who hasn’t meant a thing in years. I don’t get it, but at least the match was ok.

From Raw.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with MVP talking about how no one can offer this kind of star power. His guest this week is Drew McIntyre, who is soon to be the former WWE Champion. Drew wastes no time in asking where Bobby Lashley is but MVP says don’t worry because we’ll save that for Backlash. MVP remembers taking a Claymore kick and he knew McIntyre would win the WWE Title, but MVP would have a hand in him losing it.

Lashley has a title shot after thirteen years, but Drew took nineteen years to get here. Then he was in the main event of WrestleMania and beat Brock Lesnar in five minutes. Drew doesn’t need anyone talking or fighting for him and Lashley is going to have to pry the title from his cold dead hands. MVP: “That could be arranged.” Cue Lashley so Drew Claymores MVP just in case. McIntyre is ready for him and tells Lashley to get in. The half conscious MVP holds Lashley back and gets him up the ramp.

From Raw again, after the show’s main event.

Post match here’s McIntyre for the brawl but since there is no security, some NXT wrestlers come in for the failed save. Lashley spears McIntyre down but the brawl continues. Even more wrestlers fail to break it up so here’s another batch to finally separate them to end the show. They’ve got something pretty good here with this feud as I want to see these two fight.

Overall Rating: D+. Yeah this didn’t work out so well and that’s not exactly surprising. We’re in that post Money in the Bank lull as we wait around to see what happens at Backlash, which isn’t exactly a top level show in the first place. Hopefully that show winds up being something good, but you never can tell these days. Either way, at least they had a crowd here, even if it didn’t save the show.

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

Ring of Honor
Date: May 27, 2020

It’s time for another Best Of show and this time we’re getting to see a lot of Dragon Lee. I could go for a good bit of that as Lee has some of the most entertaining matches around here for a long time now. They have a nice selection to pick from with Lee so hopefully they pick the right ones. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Dragon Lee video.

Lee welcomes us to the show and thanks us for watching (that’s polite of him). He throws us to our first match.

From All Star Extravaganza 8.

Dragon Lee vs. Kamitachi

You probably know Kamitachi better as Hiromu Tankahashi. Kamitachi isn’t interested in a handshake to start so they strike it out and go to the mat with neither getting an advantage. They trade flips to escape each other until Kamitachi is sent outside for a suicide dive. Lee may have banged up his knee so Kamitachi is back up with a running sunset bomb to take Lee from the apron to the floor in a huge crash. A running dropkick off the apron drops Lee again and a hard whip sends Lee over the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Lee hitting some running dropkicks to put Kamitachi on the floor again, setting up the big flip dive. A double stomp from the middle rope to the apron plants Kamitachi again and a suplex powerbomb gives Lee two back inside. Kamitachi suplexes him into the corner and they crash to the floor again. They dive back in and strike it out again until Lee kicks him in the face and snaps off a German suplex for two.

We take another break and come back with an exchange of German suplexes with Lee getting the better of things for another near fall. Kamitachi drops him on his head with another German suplex for another two and they’re both staggered. Lee grabs some Rings of Saturn but Kamitachi is too close to the ropes. That sends Kamitachi to the apron and Lee snaps off a running hurricanrana to the floor.

Neither of them can do much but it’s Kamitachi snapping off a Canadian Destroyer for two. Lee forearms his way out of a superplex attempt and now the top rope double stomp connects. A powerbomb is countered into another Destroyer to plant Lee for another near fall. Lee knees him in the head though and grabs the Phoenix Plex (powerbomb but he grabs Kamitachi’s head and drops backwards to send Kamitachi head first into the mat) for the pin at 16:06.

Rating: B+. This is the kind of match where you can just sit back and watch spot after spot with nothing in the way of psychology. That’s exactly the point of something like this though and they had a heck of a match here. Just let them go insane and have fun, which is all they needed to do in something like this. Check this out, or pick any of their other matches.

Lee talks about the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden and how big it was for him.

From the G1 Supercard.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Dragon Lee vs. Bandido vs. Taiji Ishimori

Ishimori is defending and this is going to be insane. The champ gets knocked outside to start and it’s Bandido with a pair of hurricanranas to Lee. The running flip dive takes Lee down but it’s Ishimori back in to crank on Bandido’s neck. Lee hurricanranas Bandido outside as they’re already crazy fast to start. Ishimori moonsaults onto both of them and they all head back in with Lee powerbombing Ishimori for two. Lee’s top rope double stomp is countered by Bandido’s super hurricanrana, earning himself a Canadian Destroyer as Lee popped right back up.

Ishimori knees Lee down but walks into a pop up cutter for two. Now Lee hits the top rope stomp on Bandido but his suplex is countered into a hurricanrana for two from Ishimori. The Bloody Cross gets two on Lee and they head up top with Bandido on his feet as well. Bandido catches them both for a SUPER DOUBLE FLOATOVER FALL AWAY SLAM (Cabana: “THAT’S NOT A REAL MOVE!!!”).

After two on Lee, Bandido hits….something on Ishimori that we miss because the camera was looking at the crowd looking at itself on the screen. Lee knees Ishimori to the floor and hits a fisherman’s suplex powerbomb on Bandido for the pin and the title at 8:56. Sweet goodness that was awesome.

Rating: B+. Oh come on like this was going to be anything but awesome. It was a pure spotfest and that’s exactly what we should have been getting here. Any of these guys could have left as champion and I’d bet on all three of them being champion at some point again. Just do more of this and they’ll be fine.

Then it was time to go after the TV Title against the monster Shane Taylor.

From Final Battle 2019.

TV Title: Shane Taylor vs. Dragon Lee

Taylor is defending and has all of his goons with him. Lee dropkicks him into the corner but charges into a spinebuster. That doesn’t seem to matter as he dropkicks Taylor to the floor, only to get slammed onto the apron. Taylor sends him into the barricade and then chokes on the apron for a bit as the beating begins. The big legdrop gets two and Taylor tells him to do something.

Lee dodges a charge in the corner (that would be something) and kicks Taylor to the floor for a heck of a suicide dive. An even bigger no hands flip dive takes him down again and a running dropkick in the corner gives Lee two. Some running strikes to the face have Taylor on the apron so Lee snaps off a top rope double stomp. Another top rope double stomp gets two….so Lee slaps him in the face.

Taylor knocks him right back down and a clothesline turns Lee inside out. The package piledriver gives Taylor two and a German suplex drops him again. Lee gets in a kick to the head in the corner though and the Alberto top rope double stomp gets two. Taylor snaps off Greetings From 216 for another near fall and the frustration is strong.

With nothing else working, Taylor pulls out a chain but Lee is back up to knock it away. Lee is right back with a knee to the face, a Canadian Destroyer and another running knee with the chain wrapped around it for two. The knee pad comes off and another running knee (bone to skull) gives Lee the pin and the title at 14:34.

Rating: B. This was a rather great back and forth power vs. speed match as the two of them beat each other up for about fifteen minutes. It’s as basic of a match formula as you can get and this one was very good, as the crazy talented Lee gets to take the title from the monster Taylor. I liked this more than anything else on the show and I can’t say I’m surprised by that whatsoever.

Overall Rating: A. What more could you ask for out of something like this? Lee is all about flying all over the place and having one awesome spectacle of a match after another. That’s what we got here and it was outstanding to watch an hour of what he did. Awesome stuff here, but you know that if you’ve seen Lee before.

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 26, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne

It’s tournament semifinals night as we get closer to finding out the next #1 contender to the World Title. That is of course assuming that the World Champion ever actually shows up again, which might not be the case for a long time to come. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but it wouldn’t be Impact Wrestling without some kind of a mess. Let’s get to it.

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

In memory of Shad Gaspard and Hana Kimura.

Opening recap.

#1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Ace Austin vs. Hernandez

Ace makes the mistake of trying some shoulder blocks for no effect but a springboard kick to the face works a bit better. A sunset flip doesn’t work either so it’s another kick to the face to stagger Hernandez again. Hernandez claps Austin’s ears so Austin kicks the rope for a low blow. Some kicks to the leg put Hernandez down and it’s time to stomp away to keep him in trouble.

The chinlock doesn’t last long so Austin dropkicks the knee out for two. Hernandez fights up without much effort and runs Austin over with some shoulders. The shirt comes off and Hernandez uses it to toss Austin across the ring without much effort. The Border Toss is escaped twice in a row and Austin hurricanranas his way out of a powerbomb attempt. Now it’s a suplex being escaped for another chop block, setting up the Fold to finish Hernandez at 9:43.

Rating: C. There wasn’t a ton of drama here but they played a nice story here and sent Austin forward as they should have. Hernandez feels like a relic of the past but he’s still fine enough as a monster who can throw people all over the place. Not bad at all here as they played it simple and did everything as right as they could have.

A biker drives past Cody Deaner’s compound. Cody tells them to slow down because “this ain’t no boneyard. They all think they’re bad***.” Good grief.

Johnny Swinger is ready to teach Chris Bey and has all of his gimmicks ready whenever they’re needed. Bey says they’ll figure it out in the ring.

The North arrives at the Deaner Compound and are greeted by a rather odd man.

Michael Elgin is ready for Trey in the tournament.

Chris Bey vs. Cousin Jake

Johnny Swinger is here with Bey. The bigger Jake throws Bey down to start and there are some clotheslines to drop him again. Bey bounces up for some dancing so Jake runs him over again. A Swinger distraction lets Bey hit a running kick though and a springboard dropkick staggers Jake as we take a break.

Back with Bey stomping Jake down in the corner Jake says bring it on and the YES Kick brings him back to his feet. That’s fine with Bey, who kicks him right back down. The standing moonsault (a shot at Willie Mack) misses though and Jake hits a hard clothesline. An over the shoulder sitout Tombstone gives Jake two and a sitout powerbomb gets the same. Swinger offers a distraction though and it’s a Fameasser into the Final Finesse to finish Jake at 13:10.

Rating: C. Bey continues to impress and having Swinger as his lackey is fine. They’re making me want to see Bey vs. Mack, which says a lot for the company’s recent work as well as future, as this isn’t the kind of match they have been able to promotion at this level in a good while. It’s not like Jake is hurt by a loss anyway as he’s little more than a comedy guy.

Post match the beatdown is on so here’s Willie Mack for the save.

Rohit Raju is annoyed at having the TNA Originals coming in to take his spot. Chase Stevens comes in and the match is set for next week.

Havok vs. Kimber Lee

Rematch from last week where Lee cheated to win. Lee jumps her at the bell and unloads in the corner, only to get tossed into said corner with raw power. Lee isn’t having any of that and kicks Havok three straight times, setting up the choke. That’s broken up as well and Havok hits a spinebuster into a running knee. Lee rakes the eyes to break up the Samoan drop and grabs the brass knuckles. Cue Nevaeh to jump Lee for the DQ at 3:34.

Rating: D+. This was more about the angle than anything else as I’m not sure if Impact knows what they’re doing with these new women yet. That’s fair enough, and at least they’ve got something going on that they can build from over the next little while. It’s nice to see something fresh in the division though and that’s a good thing to see.

Post match Havok and Nevaeh lay out Lee.

Tasha Steelz, Kiera Hogan and Kylie Rae yell at each other in the back when Susie comes in. Kiera and Tasha jump Kylie and then do the same to Susie. Su Yung flashes on the screen as it seems we have an Impact Fiend.

The Deaners welcome the North to the compound.

Joseph P. Ryan wants OVE at ringside with him for his match with Mentally Unstable Steve next week.

The North comes into the Deaner barn and find a whole bunch of Deaners. Cody Deaner’s partner Wheels isn’t here yet, so the North starts guessing who he is (one incorrect guess is the referee, who is the legless referee who popped up in the early days of AEW). That’s enough for Ethan Page, who is ready to leave and throws a toy car. Cue Wheels, who is rather large, and the bell rings.

Tag Team Titles: Wheels/Cody Deaner vs. The North

The North is defending and we’re in full on cinematic mode (meaning there are several cuts with a lot of action missing) with Wheels sending Page into various things on the floor. We see the weird guy from earlier watching from outside and running off to get something as he sees what is going on. Page throws a bag of golf clubs at Wheels but Cody picks one up to hit Alexander in the ribs.

All four fight outside with Alexander being thrown into the back of a truck. The North double Razor’s Edges Cody out of the back of the truck onto a pile of Deaners. We cut to Cody diving off of a trailer onto everyone and Alexander opening a car truck, allowing the weird guy to run off again. Page throws Wheels through a fence but Cody makes the save and drops Page on top of a car for two.

Alexander and Cody climb a ladder onto a really big truck with Alexander hitting a Tombstone. That means only Alexander can climb down so he and Page can go back into the barn and beat up Wheels in the ring. That’s good for two so they yell at the referee, who beats Page up with a 619. The 450 misses though and here’s Cody to clean house, including with the Deaner DDT to Alexander.

There’s no referee though and the North is back up for the double Neutralizer to put Cody outside. Wheels is back in to grab the champs by the throat but the running guy comes in to hit him low. He’s a referee too now (Page: “I don’t get it but I’ll take it!”) and a double pin with a fast count retains the titles at 7:45.

Rating: D+. Yeah this didn’t work and I can’t say I’m surprised. At the end of the day, this was all about the idea of how insane the Deaners were and while that’s fine, it wasn’t exactly something that was going to be entertaining in the first place. Not very interesting or good in the first place, though there is only so much that you can do with this situation.

Post match the Deaners chase the champs back to civilization.

TJP and Fallah Bahh are ready to get their shot at the titles but the Rascalz come in to say they’ve beaten them before. Next week it’s what sounds like a #1 contenders match.

The Rascalz are in the tree house when Moose comes in to plug the show. Moose recaps the tournament and talks about how Trey might want to come after this World Title. We hear about some World Champions with Trey doing some quick impressions. This was a thing that existed.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Moose vs. Cody on March 30, 2017 with Moose retaining the Grand Championship in a controversial decision.

Deonna Purrazzo is coming. Cool again. She’s rather smart and it lets her wrestle better.

Rosemary talks to John E. Bravo about some deal with a fake healer that almost led to a marriage. Bravo feels like he sold his soul to Taya, which seems to get him a partnership with Rosemary. They’re leaving the bar next week and Rosemary hints that it will be a date.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

#1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Michael Elgin vs. Trey

Elgin throws him around with no trouble to start and then rolls out of a wristlock for a bonus. The headscissors goes on to keep Trey down but he comes up with a dropkick. A running shoulder drops Trey again but a hurricanrana sends Elgin outside. Another hurricanrana is blocked and an Asai moonsault is pulled out of the air. Instead, Trey hits a DDT off the apron to actually rock Elgin for the first time.

Back in and a split legged moonsault gives Trey two but Elgin pulls him out of the corner into a gutbuster. The confidence starts to turn up and a big right hand drops Trey again. There’s an elbow to the face into a snap suplex for two on Trey, who is back with a bunch of forearms. A jawbreaker staggers Elgin but he’s right back with an enziguri. Elgin pops him up but Trey lands with a Meteora as we take a break.

Back with Trey picking up the pace to survive a slugout and enziguring Elgin down. Trey goes to the apron but gets pulled into a cutter for two more. Another slugout goes to Elgin but Trey hits a quick Code Red for two. Elgin’s Falcon Arrow is countered into Stundog Millionaire, only to have Elgin BLAST him with a clothesline. Trey is back with three straight superkicks into a springboard cutter for two.

Elgin si back with a superbomb attempt but Trey reverses into a hurricanrana for two more. Trey is gassed but still manages to knee his way out of an apron superplex attempt. Trey’s top rope hurricanrana is countered into a sitout powerbomb and Elgin can’t believe the kickout. The Elgin Bomb is loaded up but Sami Callihan’s ICU pops up on screen. That’s enough for Trey to grab a jackknife pin for the upset at 21:30.

Rating: B. Oh man they were this close to something special until the screwy ending. Instead we just got a very good match where I wanted to see Trey pull off the miracle. Trey winning is rather interesting as this was Elgin’s tournament to win. I could go for another Austin vs. Trey match and they had a good way getting there. Well done here, but it could have been a step better, even if that wouldn’t have made the most sense.

Elgin is LIVID to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. That main event helped a lot but the rest of the show was pretty skippable. That’s the case with a lot of tournament based shows though as you center the show around one idea instead of anything else. Not a terrible show, but that main event is the only thing worth seeing in two hours.

Results

Ace Austin b. Hernandez – The Fold

Chris Bey b. Cousin Jake – Final Finesse

Kimber Lee b. Havok via DQ when Nevaeh interfered

The North b. Wheels/Cody Deaner – Low blow to Wheels

Trey b. Michael Elgin – Jackknife cover

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: December 30, 2005
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re finally finishing up the year with this one, as the road to the Royal Rumble begins. There are a few things to wrap up first and hopefully we go out with some of them being finished off. I’m not sure what we’ll be covering tonight, but maybe things can work out better than usual for a change. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Chris Benoit and Booker T.’, on crutches, in Teddy Long’s office. Booker has a knee injury and can’t wrestle in match number five of the best of seven tonight. He’s already up 3-1 though so just make him champion. Long thinks it should be a forfeit, but Booker wants to find a substitute. That’s fine with Benoit, so the series is still on.

Opening sequence.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Matt Hardy

Rematch from the pay per view, with JBL saying he doesn’t have matches anymore but rather only sends messages. Jillian Hall is here with JBL as well. Matt jumps him to start so JBL nails a big boot to cut that off in a hurry. A neckbreaker sets up the elbow drops as it’s almost one sided so far. Another shot to the face sets up a choke on the ropes and a belly to belly suplex to keep Matt down.

There’s a running shoulder as well, allowing Jillian to distract the referee so JBL can take off the buckle pad. Matt uses the delay to send JBL into the buckle for two but JBL puts him on top. Cue the Boogeyman but JBL hits the super fall away slam and the Clothesline From JBL anyway. JBL heads outside to hide behind Jillian though, allowing Boogeyman to throw the worms at her. Instead of fighting, JBL runs into the crowd for the countout.

Rating: D+. JBL was squashing him until the screwy ending because Matt is still in big trouble after Survivor Series. That might be a little harsh, but it’s not like Matt had any major momentum when he came over from Raw. Nothing to the match of course, but at least someone new is getting a push. That has been the case as of late and some of them have been better than others. I’m not exactly thrilled with Boogeyman getting a chance, but maybe it can work.

Orlando Jordan wants to be Booker’s substitute but Sharmell shuts that down by asking how many times Benoit made Jordan tap. Booker tells him to get his heels to clicking. He wants Jordan to dance?

Mexicools vs. The Dicks

Psicosis works on Chad’s arm to start so it’s quickly off to James. That goes badly as well but Chad gets in a cheap shot to take over. Chad’s clothesline gives James two on Psicosis and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry and Psicosis gets over to Super Crazy to pick up the pace. Chad is knocked off the apron and into the lawnmower, so it’s a missile dropkick to James. The moonsault finishes James.

Rating: C-. Speaking of new wrestlers who are worse than others, you have the Dicks. The Mexicools may have a stupid gimmick, but at least they can back it up in the ring. The Dicks….egads man. They’re not a horrible team but what in the world are they supposed to do when their entire existence is built around a joke?

Booker talks Randy Orton into replacing him in the series by asking if taking a whipping from Undertaker is how he wants to end 2005. Orton is in.

We recap Melina’s failed attempts to talk Batista out of the Tag Team Title match and the ensuing title change.

Here’s Melina, flanked by what looks to be a lawyer, for a press conference, with reporters and photographers around one whole side of the ring. Melina can barely say anything here over the Batista chants. She calls herself a role model and says she was recently the victim of a sexual predator.

Yes she flirted with Batista but then it turned into something horrible. Batista used his power as World Champions (Does that include heat vision?) to coerce her into sexual relations and now she knows the truth about him. Melina’s body is her temple, not his for the taking. That is why she is suing him for sexual harassment. Fair enough and while I doubt this goes anywhere major, it fits well for someone like Melina.

Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit

Match #5 in the best of seven series with Booker T. up 3-1, meaning he wins the title if Orton wins here. Booker and Sharmell are on commentary, with Booker insisting that his injury is absolutely real. The early Crossface attempt is blocked and Orton rolls outside for an early break.

Back with Orton headlocking Benoit on the mat before sending him shoulder first into the buckle. Booker continues the longest sentence ever until Orton gets two off a suplex. Benoit is right back with an armbar as Sharmell rants about Booker deserving the title already. A headlock has Orton in trouble so the announcers compare the series to a football comeback.

Orton powers up and sends Benoit over the top for a crash and the brawl heads to the floor. Benoit gets belly to back suplexed onto the barricade so we can hit the chinlock back inside. That’s broken up after a decent while but Benoit still can’t get the Crossface. We take another break and come back with Benoit going shoulder first into the post so the armbar can go on.

Benoit hits an enziguri for the double knockdown and then grabs Three Amigos for the extended knockdown. The Swan Dive misses and you can hear Booker’s relief. Benoit loads up the Sharpshooter so here’s Sharmell with the crutch for the DQ. Booker: “A fan just ran into the ring!”

Rating: B-. This was picking up a lot near the end but it needed to lose about five minutes in the middle. It doesn’t help that the ending doesn’t make a ton of sense. Why would you have Sharmell come in for the DQ if there was even the slightest chance that Orton could have survived? If he taps or if Sharmell comes in, the result is the same, so why not take your chances for the title?

Post match Benoit chases off Booker and Sharmell but walks into the RKO.

Funaki brings Cruiserweight Champion Kid Kash out to the platform (which still exists) for a chat. Kash brags about being a great champion but the fans don’t like him because he beat a nothing champion. Funaki: “WHAT IS A JUVENTUD???” Apparently he looked it up and it’s a Mexican salamander. Kash wants to know why everyone around here is foreign, including sushi boy. Funaki doesn’t know what to say so Kash brainbusters him on the platform. For some reason I remember seeing this one as it aired, even though it’s nothing all that impressive.

Finlay is coming soon. Cool.

The trailer for Kane’s new movie See No Evil is out next week!

Sylvan doesn’t like being in this ugly city for the new year so he has a resolution for the people here: they need to appreciate him, because he’s handsome.

Bobby Lashley vs. Sylvan

Sylvan jumps him to start and is quickly knocked outside. Back in and Sylvan slugs away, only to get suplexed right back down. A right hand sends Sylvan to the floor and he’s done because you don’t touch his face.

Batista isn’t worried about Melina because it’s about retaining the Tag Team Titles.

We look at Melina’s announcement again.

Tag Team Titles: MNM vs. Batista/Rey Mysterio

MNM is challenging and the distressed Melina is with them. Mercury and Mysterio start things off and a Nitro distraction completely fails, allowing Rey to hit a dropkick for two. Batista comes in to double clothesline the two of them in the corner and it’s back to Rey for two off the springboard splash.

We take a break and come back with Mercury being sent face first into the corner but managing to drag Rey into the corner. That’s fine with Rey, who spins around into a headscissors on Nitro. Rey loads up a springboard but gets superkicked outside, where Mercury works on the knee.

Back in and Nitro cranks on the knee as well, setting up a double legdrop for two. We go old schoolish with the Brock Lock for all of five seconds before Mercury goes to more of a standard leglock. The knee gets wrapped around the ropes and Nitro takes some imaginary pictures. There’s another stomp to the knee but Rey manages to jump over Mercury. A DDT plants Nitro and the diving tag brings Batista back in.

House is cleaned in a hurry but Mercury breaks up the Batista Bomb. Rey hurricanranas Mercury into the corner but the referee is bumped. Cue the returning Mark Henry (out since February 2004) for the gorilla press into the yet to be named World’s Strongest Slam. Mercury comes back in to steal the pin and the titles.

Rating: C. There’s a lot to unpack here and I wouldn’t have bet on that coming in. First of all, at least the titles are back where they belong after Rey and Batista got done borrowing them for their champions vs. champions match. It wasn’t hard to see that coming and that’s not a bad thing. On the opposite end, it was very hard to see Henry coming in as Batista just stood up and then got jumped. They did that well and I like it better than watching Henry come down the aisle. Finally, it’s about time someone came after Batista alone, as he hasn’t defended the title on TV since No Mercy on October 9. Pick up the pace champ.

Overall Rating: C-. The ending helped a bit but this was a pretty lackluster match outside of that angle and Benoit vs. Orton. Then again it’s the end of the year and they don’t have anything going on until they need to get ready for the Rumble so I’ll take the one angle at the end over nothing. Not terrible, but a rather skippable show.

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

MLW Zero Hour
Date: January 11, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re back to the early days of the promotion here as the one off shows continue. I’m not sure what to expect from this show as it has been a good while since the previous one, but they’re usually pretty good at getting us caught up in short order. Now hopefully the action can work as well. Let’s get to it.

We open with a video on the chaos of Jimmy Havoc, who brings suffering and death to everyone. Shane Strickland wants to come into Havoc’s world in a deathmatch. Jimmy thinks Shane is trapped with him but Jimmy is trapped with Swerve.

Opening sequence, complete with card rundown.

Commentary explains what we’ve got coming up.

Jeff Cobb and Matt Riddle arrive but Tom Lawlor and Seth Pettruzelli jump them and crush Cobb’s arm in the car door Barry Windham style.

Dirty Blondes vs. Jason Cade/Jimmy Yuta

The Blondes run a crisscross to warm up. There’s nothing significant there but I like the team so it’s nice to see them doing anything. Cade can’t do much with the bigger Leo Brien to start as Tony complains about Michael Patrick’s use of tobacco. A slap to the face annoys Brien and the running hurricanrana is blocked. The dropkick sends Brien over to Patrick, who gets enziguried by Yuta.

Another dropkick to the knee and a sliding version to the head give Yuta two as the tobacco rant continues. The high five double elbow gets another two but the power finally takes over with Patrick taking Cade into the corner so Brien can knee him in the back. A handspring knee to the face drops Brian so it’s Yuta coming in to clean house (even if it hadn’t had time to get very dirty).

The Bleach Job (double Alabama slam) gets two on Yuta with Cade making a save. Cade kicks Brien down but Patrick shoves him off the top, only to spit his tobacco juice into Brien’s face (bump up Tony’s foreshadowing by one). Cade’s frog splash into Yuta’s top rope elbow is good for the pin at 7:13. Yuta being stunned by the win is a great visual.

Rating: C. Completely watchable tag match here as power vs. speed is always something that is going to work. What matters here is getting the show off to a good start with the crowd having something to cheer about. It wasn’t a great match or anything but it served its purpose perfectly well.

Update on Cobb: there is no update.

Here’s Saieve Al Sabah for an unscheduled chat. He’s here to introduce us to himself as the divine leader (Tony: “Sounds like my preacher on Sunday.”) and asks for silence so he can educate us (Tony: “Yeah he definitely sounds like my preacher.”). He won’t talk until there is quiet but breaks his own rule to talk about a revolution. Cue Mike Parrow (who Al Sabah knocked out with brass knuckles last time).

Mike Parrow vs. Vandal Ortagun

Parrow sends Al Sabah over the top and we’re ready to go. Ortagun dropkicks the knee out to start and gets an early two off a low superkick. That just earns him a chokeslam but Al Sabah is on the top with the knuckles. Parrow grabs him by the throat but Ortagun goes after Parrow, allowing Al Sabah to use the knuckles for the DQ at 1:22.

Post match Ortagun poses with Al Sabah. So we’ve got the start of a heel stable.

There is speculation that Lawlor and Pettruzelli were out to gain an unfair advantage by trying to break Cobb’s arm. After that bombshell, Matt Riddle says the match is happening in the ring, in the street or at Chili’s.

Here’s when MLW is running events in Orlando again.

Brody King vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is the same as he would be in AEW, mainly because it’s a character that could work for years. Before the match, MJF talks about the significance of the show being called Zero Hour. After the show is over, he will have zero losses and the people in front of him are all zeroes. He’s winning the upcoming World Title tournament because he’s better than you and you know it.

MJF shoves him, only to be shoved right back down for his efforts. That means some stalling on the floor but King sends him into the corner for a heck of a chop. Another one in another corner sets up a toss across the ring as MJF looks like he’s in way over his head. The Cannonball misses though and MJF forearms away in the corner. A stomp to the wrist starts in on the arm work, including a springboard flying armbar for two.

The sleeper goes on so Brody just drops down onto his back for the pretty easy break. The comeback is on with some running shots, including a running dropkick to give King two. A sitout chokebomb gets two on MJF but he kicks King in the face and hits a hanging piledriver for his own two. King goes outside so MJF tries an Asai moonsault (!) but misses, earning himself an apron bomb. Back in and Cradle Shock finishes MJF at 7:08.

Rating: C. Not bad here though I’m a little surprised by the ending. MJF is someone you expect to see winning more often than not, but there does come a point where a monster like King should be winning here. The action wasn’t bad, but you can see the complete package of MJF and it’s great to watch that development over the years.

Stokely Hathaway promises that Low Ki is ready to end MVP tonight.

Barrington Hughes wishes us a happy new year and promises to be bigger, badder and more dominant in the new year.

The next match aired on the first Fusion.

Barrington Hughes vs. Chico Adams

The 469lb Hughes wins with a Rock Bottom at 9 seconds. Probably as long as he should be going.

Cobb needs an x-ray but he’s wrestling unless he’s dead.

Salina de la Renta has Sammy Guevara hold her bag so she can talk about bringing in the best Latino stars.

Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin

Sammy has Salina de la Renta in his corner. Allin chills in the corner to start and Sammy tells him to bring it on. An early takedown goes to Sammy and we hit the posing. Sammy grabs a rollup for two and that’s enough to make him walk up the aisle and pose. Back in and Darby rolls him up for two, quickly followed by a springboard corkscrew splash for the same. Sammy chills on the floor again and then flips Darby off back inside. That earns him a Fujiwara armbar, sending Sammy bailing straight to the rope.

The stalling continues as we hear more about Salina being a power broker. Allin follows him outside and gets sent head first into the steps, only to stick the landing on a toss over the barricade. The Coffin Drop off the barricade nails Sammy but Salina grabs Darby’s leg, meaning Sammy can avoid a running charge against the post. Back in and Sammy puts him in the fireman’s carry for some squats, setting up the Samoan drop for the arrogant two.

A running knee to the face drops Allin for two more but Darby is right back up. Another charge misses as Sammy backflips over him (cool) and hits a good dropkick for another near fall. Allin knees his way out of a suplex though and snaps Sammy’s arm across the top. It works so well that he does it again but Salina’s distraction lets Sammy raise his knees to block the Coffin Drop.

The shooting star (not a 450 Rich) hits Darby’s back for two more and you can feel the fans getting behind Allin here. As Rich corrects himself on the 450/shooting star (fair enough), Darby pulls him into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up in a hurry so it’s a Code Red for two more. They slug it out until Allin grabs the Last Supper for the pin out of nowhere at 14:36.

Rating: B. Allin just has this weird charisma to him and it’s the kind of thing that you can’t teach. This could have been on any given AEW show and that made it one of the best things on the show so far. They had a heck of a back and forth match and you can see the star power in both of them.

Post match, more yelling ensues.

MJ Jenkins vs. Santana Garrett

Feeling out process to start with Garrett flipping away from her for some polite applause from Jenkins. Some armdrags have Garrett down but she grabs one of her own. They mess up the Booker T. spinning sunset flip out of the corner spot with Jenkins taking a knee to the head and she seems a little rocked by it.

Jenkins wakes up enough to hit a fall away slam for a delayed two and we hit the standing cravate. Garrett fights out for a headbutt and clothesline, followed by a crossbody for two. A Stratusphere out of the corner sends Jenkins flying and the handspring elbow in the corner gets another near fall. Garrett hits a superkick and finishes with the shining star press (handspring moonsault) at 6:25.

Rating: D+. This exists and that’s about all I can say for it. Garrett is rather talented but there’s just something missing from her that completes the whole package. One thing I’ve likes about MLW is they haven’t forced a women’s division in. They could probably find the talent to make one happen, but it isn’t really necessary and they haven’t tried to make one fit where it isn’t needed/a viable option.

Tom Lawlor and Seth Petruzelli wants Matt Riddle because he doesn’t have good technique.

The next match actually aired on the first episode of Fusion three months later so I’ve done this one before.

Rey Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr.

Salina is here with Pentagon, who is introduced as Penta El Cero but his graphic says Pentagon Jr. Fenix offers a handshake but gets the CERO MIEDO treatment. Some kicks to the head have Fenix in early trouble but he’s right back with kicks to the head of his own and it’s a double knockdown.

Back up and Fenix bounces along the ropes (including bouncing on his back onto the top rope), setting up an armdrag to the floor and a suicide flip dive. They head back in where Pentagon dropkicks him out of the air for a nice counter to take over again. Pentagon heads outside and chops him against the post before, of course, chopping the post by mistake. A running hurricanrana from the apron into the crowd (albeit in slow motion as it’s hard to roll over people) has Pentagon in more trouble.

Back in again and Fenix starts kicking him in the head, followed by a triple springboard missile dropkick for two. A Backstabber out of the corner gives Pentagon two so Fenix grabs some rollups for a near fall each. Fenix catches him on top with a super C4 for two more but charges into a powerbomb backbreaker.

Tony tries to figure out why the fans are cheering a rudo (I….don’t know how to handle Tony talking about rudos), followed by Pentagon backdropping him into a powerbomb for a sweet landing. We even get a catchphrase with Tony dropping “What’s major league? THAT’S MAJOR LEAGUE!” The Fear Factor gives Pentagon the pin at 14:09.

Rating: B. Like I said, kind of a layup with Pentagon being one of the biggest indy stars around at the moment and Fenix being crazy levels of exciting most of the time. You don’t need to do much more than let these two go insane and do all kinds of high flying stuff. Pentagon winning makes sense and while I doubt they would put the title on someone so hot, it’s cool to see him getting a big win.

MLW has a bunch of podcasts!

We recap the big tag match. Tom Lawlor likes to teach people how to cheat in MMA by getting a little dirty (or filthy for that matter). Matt Riddle saw him beat Jeff Cobb through some shenanigans and it’s time for revenge. Lawlor is tired of hearing about Riddle and knows he can surpass him. Then Riddle made him pass out in a rear naked choke last time so then they both brought in some friends for the tag match.

Jeff Cobb/Matt Riddle vs. Seth Petruzelli/Tom Lawlor

Lawlor and Petruzelli have the rest of Team Filthy with them. Cobb is wrestling with his wrist/arm taped up. Riddle and Petruzelli start things off with Riddle throwing him down without much effort. A quick cross armbreaker attempt doesn’t work for Petruzelli so he tries a triangle choke, which fails just as quickly. It turns into a strike off with an exchange of kicks to the legs with Riddle telling him to kick and Petruzelli checking Riddle’s kicks.

Riddle finally gets smart by sweeping the leg but he knows he can’t tag the injured Cobb. Lawlor comes in and gets rolled with gutwrench suplexes. Cobb comes in for the first time for a corner splash and a one armed Samoan drop for two on Lawlor. The running uppercut with the bad arm connects, which of course does more damage to Cobb than Lawlor. It’s time to start in on the arm as I try to get my head around Tony Schiavone talking about Matt Riddle.

The villains take turns on the arm with Lawlor hitting a middle rope ax handle and working on an armbar. A double suplex gets two and it’s right back to the arm, because they’re smart heels. Cobb starts fighting back so Lawlor is immediately around the ring to pull Riddle off the apron in a move that always works. Lawlor clotheslines him in the back of the head but kicks Petruzelli in the face by mistake, allowing Cobb to get in a suplex.

The hot tag brings in Riddle and it’s time to clean house. The Bro To Sleep into a bridging German suplex gets two on Lawlor so it’s Petruzelli getting in a cheap shot to slow things down. Everything breaks down with Cobb coming in for the save, allowing him to launch Petruzelli off the top and into a jumping knee from Riddle. The powerbomb into the Final Flash knee finishes Petruzelli at 14:11.

Rating: C+. It’s a nice enough tag match but it feels like a part in a much bigger story. Odds are it continues for at least the next show if not longer and that’s not the worst thing. It doesn’t make for the most thrilling match here, and Cobb’s arm injury wasn’t exactly the biggest selling point. Still though, not too bad and that’s all you can ask for here.

We recap MVP vs. Low Ki. MVP grew up in the rough part of Miami and had to learn how to fight. He even got pretty good at it, but he wanted that rich lifestyle that you see in the city. That wasn’t going to happen working nine to five though so he tried robbing a bank, earning himself nine years in prison. While he was in there, someone told him about where he could train to be a wrestler. Then he signed a contract with a company that gave him the limousine world he wanted.

Eventually he made it here to MLW, where he signed with Black Friday Management. The group was set up in 2004 by Gary Hart and Low Ki and now they want what MVP promised them. MVP is done with them but doesn’t like them being aggressive in trying to get him back. Therefore, if MVP wins, he’s out of his contract. If he loses, Low Ki has beaten the heck out of him so it’s all fair anyway.

Low Ki vs. MVP

Black Friday Management boss Stokely Hathaway handles Ki’s entrance. MVP goes after Hathaway to start but Low Ki makes the save and the slugout is on. Low Ki wins a quick exchange of strikes and it’s an early standoff. MVP sends him into the corner for some forearms but the running big boot misses. The handspring splash misses as well though and MVP’s big boot hits this time around. They head outside with Stokely offering a distraction so save Low Ki from a big barricade shot to the face.

MVP is sat in a chair but Low Ki spends too much time posing and gets said chair pelted at his head. Serves him right. A whip sends Low Ki through some chairs and they keep brawling into the crowd. Back in and MVP avoids the top rope stomp to the back and hits a heck of a clothesline. Low Ki climbs onto MVP’s shoulders for a dropkick in a cool spot but then decks the referee. MVP takes him down and hammers away and another referee comes down to throw it out at 9:43.

Rating: C+. This was much more a fight than a match and that’s what makes sense here. They billed it as a superfight so it wouldn’t have made sense to have them trying to get rollups. It was a physical brawl and the ending sets up a likely gimmick rematch next time around so well done.

Post match security comes out to hold them apart and the fans are not happy.

We have brackets for the World Title tournament:

MVP

Tom Lawlor

Matt Riddle

Jeff Cobb

Shane Strickland

Kenny King

MJF

Jimmy Havoc

There will be alternates just in case, though Low Ki has been banned from the tournament for attacking the referee. That’s a rather fast decision.

A rather serious Shane Strickland promises to cross a line tonight against Jimmy Havoc. Tonight, Havoc is trapped in the match with him.

Shane Strickland vs. Jimmy Havoc

Deathmatch and Priscilla Kelly and Darby Allin are here with Havoc. Actually never mind as Jimmy says he’s got this and sends them to the back. Shane meets him in the aisle and hits a jumping knee to the face. That’s enough to knock Havoc into some chairs and Shane buries him underneath said chairs for a bonus. Rich says that he’s just been told these two are in the World Title tournament. You mean the tournament we saw brackets for before the match? Why did he need to be told that again?

They make it to ringside where Jimmy pulls out a barbed wire chair. Shane sends him head first into a regular chair and starts cranking on the arm. The fight goes into the crowd and they wind up near commentary (fan: “TONY! RUN!”), with Shane dropping him behind the bar. Jimmy DDTs him onto said bar and loads up a table near the ring. A missed charge sends Shane through the table and they get inside for the first time, over six minute in.

Havoc wedges the barbed wire chair into the corner but stops to use a staplegun on Shane’s shoulder. That just wakes Strickland up and he no sells some more staples. Instead it’s a staple going into Jimmy’s head as Shane is rather serious. Fans: “YOU SICK F***!” Rich: “Pretty much!” Shane staples a five dollar bill to Jimmy’s head and then staples another bill into his own shoulder.

There’s a staple to the crotch and then Havoc goes into the barbed wire chair in the corner. They head outside again with Shane being slammed off a big speaker and onto a couch for a big crash. Back in and Havoc adds some chairs, but first he needs to slice open Shane’s fingers and mouth with a dollar. Havoc busts out the tacks and puts them in Shane’s mouth, but Shane blocks the big boot.

Instead he puts them in Havoc’s mouth and they slug it out, with neither stopping to spit out the tacks. Both guys go down with Shane getting up first and putting Havoc in a chair. The top rope double stomp knocks Havoc into the tacks for two so let’s get the barbed wire. Shane ties up the arm and tries to tie him up with the wire but Havoc finds the staplegun to escape.

A top rope double stomp drives the barbed wire into Shane for two, so Havoc busts out a barbed wire board. That takes too long though and it’s a running Death Valley Driver through the board to give Shane two more. Havoc pops back up with the Go Home Driver (kneeling belly to back piledriver) onto the barbed wire for the pin at 18;13.

Rating: B-. They beat the heck out of each other here and it was a fun hardcore style match. That’s what Havoc gets to do and I can understand the idea of Strickland not being able to win on Havoc’s turf. That being said, Strickland had some good promos earlier in the night and it’s kind of a shame to see him lose here.

Post match, Havoc actually helps him up in a show of respect.

We get a post show interview with Santana Garrett, who isn’t worried about Priscilla Kelly not showing up. Garrett leaves and finds and finds a weird shrine to her, including the word WONDER over a bunch of photos of her. There’s a monitor set up showing Garrett’s house and a video of Kelly watching her sleep, even rubbing her face. Kelly says SHH and Garrett is greatly disturbed to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. You really do get the fusion idea that the company would go for later with these early shows. There is a little bit of everything on this show and nothing really close to bad. While I would have had the tag match main event the show from a story perspective, it wouldn’t have been able to follow the deathmatch. I’ve always liked this promotion and the standalone shows have been good too. Nice stuff here, though there isn’t much worth going out of your way to see on its own.

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: May 29, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re very slowly closing in on Backlash but tonight is all about the Intercontinental Title tournament. That means a pair of semifinal matches and one of them is actually interesting. It’s AJ Styles vs. Elias and Jeff Hardy vs. Daniel Bryan, where I’ll leave it up to you to figure out which is the interesting one. Let’s get to it.

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

We open in the parking lot where Elias has been attacked. The police find the car that the attacker was in and it’s rented to Jeff Hardy. Braun Strowman was an eyewitness who called the cops and saw someone running off. The police go over to the bushes and find Jeff, who apparently smells like alcohol and looks rather out of it. They pass Elias being loaded into the ambulance and Jeff screams at him before being put in the police car. They’re really doing a DUI angle with someone currently still facing legal issues over a DUI? I know it’s going to be something else but there was NO other idea here?

The roster is briefed on the situation and Sheamus says this is Hardy’s sixth strike. AJ Styles says it’s him vs. Daniel Bryan in the finals but Bryan wants them to both have an opponent. He’s not going to be a coward so Sheamus volunteers to be one of the opponents, because Jeff had to be on something to beat him last week.

King Corbin wants in on this too so we’ll have Bryan vs. Corbin vs. Sheamus for the right to face Styles. No one is cool with that so an unnamed boss says it’s a battle royal next for the right to face Bryan in the main event, with the winner of that facing Styles for the title in two weeks. That works for everyone, leaving Styles to call Bryan an idiot.

Battle Royal

Drew Gulak, Shinsuke Nakamura, Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik, King Corbin, Cesaro, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Shorty G., Jey Uso

It’s a brawl to start and Ziggler is already doing his near elimination deal. Sheamus yells at Cole while choking Uso but has to survive Gable’s elimination attempt. Corbin punches Dorado out and Gulak follows him. The fans aren’t happy with that and it’s Metalik going after Corbin until Ziggler superkicks him out of the air. Corbin dumps Metalik and tosses Ziggler for trying to turn on him.

Jey superkicks Corbin out and we take a break. Back with the five (Sheamus, Cesaro, Uso, Gable, Nakamura) all still in and Gable getting the armbreaker over the ropes on Sheamus. A tornado DDT plants Sheamus and it’s Uso cleaning house. Gable gets rid of Cesaro to tick him off and suplexes Nakamura out clean in a heck of an upset.

Cesaro sneaks back in to toss Gable though and we’re down to Sheamus and Uso. Jey fires off forearms but gets sent to the apron. A Stunner across the top staggers Sheamus and the superkick connects back inside. Jey clotheslines him to the apron but Sheamus hangs on and hits the Brogue Kick to win at 14:13.

Rating: C-. They had some surprising moments in there with Gable getting some big eliminations, though I have no reason to believe it’s going to lead anywhere. Sheamus winning is the most logical move they have, if they insist on doing the Hardy angle for whatever reason (which might wind up being a good one). I’m not sure where it’s going though and I’m almost scared to find out.

Sonya Deville tells Lacey Evans to put her hair up and square up. Evans pops up from behind to shove her down.

Cesaro and Nakamura yell at Gable over the eliminations and Cesaro tells him to be the bigger man for once and walk away. Either that or face him in the ring. Gable hits him in the face and says challenge accepted.

Lacey Evans vs. Sonya Deville

This was set up on Twitter when Deville insulted blondes (seriously). Lacey talks about what blondes can do and gets down into referee position for an amateur wrestling fight. That goes to Lacey so Sonya shoulders her down without much trouble. Sonya ties her hair back so Lace nips up and puts her hair up as well. Lacey knocks her into the corner and gets punched in the face for her efforts, allowing Sonya to take over in the corner. Sonya stands on her hair so Lacey gator rolls her to the apron for some right hands. They fight on the floor and it’s a double countout at 4:16.

Rating: D+. They are not only having a match, but apparently a continuing story, over Lacey being a blonde. Was there no one else out there who could come up with a better idea than that? It wasn’t a horrible fight either, but hearing them talking about hair color over and over was killing it for me.

Post match Lacey says bring it but Sonya says on her time.

The Forgotten Sons, with Wesley Blake doing the talking, says he supports his brothers and gets in the blood on our hands line.

It’s time for a special tag team edition of A Moment of Bliss with New Day as the guests. Corey: “I must have been a horrible person in a past life.” Nikki Cross has a special present for New Day: SCOTTISH pancakes! Big E. pulls out some coffee beans (Big E.: “From Djibouti of course.”) and mixes them into Alexa’s coffee (with a wooden spoon that he happens to have), though she’ll save that for later.

Bliss wants to know who is up next for New Day and they like the idea of the Forgotten Sons. They ask Alexa the same thing so here are Bayley and Sasha Banks to interrupt. Banks gets in the ring and takes off her track jacket to throw in Bliss’ face. Bliss isn’t listening to Bayley and points out that Sasha is the only one here without a title. Sasha calls herself the conversation and says she put the titles on the map (with Bayley serving as the annoying hype woman). Bliss says name the time and the place but Bayley makes Bliss vs. Banks right now, even though Banks is in track pants and heels.

Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss

Bayley and Nikki Cross are on commentary and Banks has gotten some better shoes during the break. Some rollups give Bliss some early near falls and Insult to Injury connects for two. Banks is right back with the running knees in the corner for the same, leaving Nikki to LOSE IT when Bayley threatens Cole. The Meteora gives Banks two and Cross starts the LEXI chant.

Banks grabs a double arm crank and hits a backbreaker for two. Bliss faceplants her out of the corner as commentary still won’t stop shouting for two seconds. A dropkick cuts Banks off but it’s another Meteora into the corner. Two knees out of the corner gets two but Bliss fights up and goes to the top. Bayley gets up so Cross deals with her, only to have Banks grab a sunset flip for the pin at 7:18.

Rating: F. Usually I can block commentary out but this was the most annoying thing I have ever heard in wrestling. It was literally just Bayley and Cross screaming for the better part of seven minutes and taking away any focus the match might have had. It wasn’t even that good of a match in the first place but this was a nightmare to listen to and odds are we’ll get it again soon enough. The match itself was watchable enough, but commentary pulled this into a bottomless pit and dragged everything down with it.

We look back at the Hardy/Elias situation.

Shorty G. vs. Cesaro

Nakamura is here with Cesaro and how much of this show was actually booked in advance? Gable starts fast and hits a moonsault for a very quick two and then twists the knee for a bonus. Back up and Cesaro blasts him with a clothesline, followed by a gutwrench suplex. The chinlock with a knee in the back goes on but Gable fights up, earning himself a near Last Ride for two. Gable backflips out of a belly to back superplex and grabs the ankle lock, only to be sent into the ropes. Cesaro’s crucifix gets two so he tries another powerbomb, only to get reversed into a sunset flip for the pin at 4:06.

Rating: C+. After that previous debacle, I was ready to take anything here and they had a rather action packed match. I don’t believe in Gable’s push for a second of course and calling him Shorty G. is still as horrible of a decision as you could have, but at least he’s doing something and getting a win. Now keep it going and don’t just drop everything next week.

Earlier today, Otis and Mandy Rose got to spend some time by the pool with Otis pouring her some peach champagne. We go to the dream sequence where Mandy rather approves of Otis in his limited gear and it’s the homage to Fast Times At Ridgemont High, with Otis taking his shirt off. Mandy squirts the bottle of suntan lotion, only to be woken up when Otis cannonballs into the water and splash her. She rather approves of the dream and gets in the water with him for various canoodling. This is certainly a thing that happened and I’m not sure what else there is to say about it.

Kurt Angle is looking forward to seeing Randy Orton vs. Edge but he’s here for something else. He has gotten to know someone who is going to be the future of this show and introduces a video on Matt Riddle, who is officially coming to the show.

We get a Riddle highlight package.

Sheamus isn’t impressed and wants the Intercontinental Title. Daniel Bryan comes in and kicks him in the leg.

Intercontinental Title Tournament Semifinals: Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan

Sheamus kicks him down to start and grabs a chinlock, only to have Bryan fight back with the kicks in the corner. The suicide dive to the floor connects and we take a break. Back with Bryan working on the arm but Sheamus elbows him down. The top rope clothesline gives Sheamus two and he says he created the YES Movement when he beat Bryan at Wrestlemania.

Bryan fights back but gets Irish Cursed into the Cloverleaf. That’s broken up so Sheamus takes him up top for a superplex. Bryan blocks that as well and hits the missile dropkick but the YES Lock is countered into White Noise for two. Sheamus runs him over again and loads up the Brogue Kick….and here’s Jeff Hardy. The distraction lets Bryan hit the running knee for the pin at 13:12.

Rating: B-. Odd ending aside, they beat each other up well enough and played off some of their history. Bryan knows exactly what he’s doing int here against a big guy and Sheamus is better than your average monster lug. I’m curious about the Hardy ending, but at least they didn’t wait long to seemingly move past the drunk/high thing.

Overall Rating: C. People talk about how something like Stadium Stampede was unrealistic and made wrestling look fake. You can argue that for yourselves, but for me, this show is what makes it look take. Of the five matches taking place, four were booked tonight. It’s true that there were two others booked in advance, but they just happened to find a solution to make the whole thing work out in the end? And it just happened to fill two hours with Hardy arriving at the very end of the show? Plus they filmed a dream sequence. It was entertaining content but the setup didn’t work for me and that hurts things a good bit.

Results

Sheamus won a battle royal last eliminating Jey Uso

Lacey Evans vs. Sonya Deville went to a double countout

Sasha Banks b. Alexa Bliss – Sunset flip

Shorty G. b. Cesaro – Sunset flip

Daniel Bryan b. Sheamus – Running knee

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: May 28, 2020
Commentators: Andy Shepard, Tom Phillips
Host: Andy Shepard

It’s another Hidden Gems episode, meaning we have more dark matches from various NXT UK TV tapings. I had a good time with this last time around and hopefully that means we could still be in for some fun here. You never know what you might get out of these but their track record isn’t half bad. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Andy tells us what to expect.

From Coventry, England, March 7, 2020.

Finn Balor vs. Kenny Williams

Balor pulls him down into an early headlock but Williams jawbreaks his way to freedom. Williams takes him into an armbar and drops a leg on the arm, followed by a running knee to the chest. That’s not cool with Balor, who is back up to stomp away at the chest for two. Some running chops in the corner set up another kick to the chest for two more but the fans get behind Williams again.

Balor promises to kill Walter and the delay lets Williams get in some forearms. A rebound lariat gives Williams two and he sends Balor to the floor for the suicide dive. Balor is right back with the Eye of the Hurricane into the shotgun dropkick. The Coup de Grace sets up 1916 to finish Williams at 8:10.

Rating: C. This was a nice enough match with Balor having to break a bit of a sweat against someone who wasn’t all that much of a challenge. Having him call out Walter the entire time made it even better as Balor was focused on Walter, even if the masses weren’t going to be seeing this. Not a great match, but it worked well enough.

From Brentwood, England, October 5, 2019.

Rhea Ripley vs. Nina Samuels

Samuels can’t spin out of a top wristlock to start and a hiptoss is blocked as well. Rhea puts her on top and throws her down for daring to jump. Back up and Samuels kicks away and sends Rhea face first into the middle buckle for two. We hit the crossarm choke for a bit but Rhea is right back up with a basement dropkick for two more. Not that it matters as Riptide finishes Samuels at 4:51.

Rating: D+. This was Ripley’s last match in NXT UK and it makes sense to send her out with a fairly dominant win. Ripley was a much bigger star than Samuels could ever hope to be so just having Ripley on the show was a good idea. Let the fans feel like they got to see something special and send them home happy.

From Derby, England, June 16, 2019.

Killian Dain vs. Travis Banks

The much bigger Dain sends him into the corner but Banks starts kicking away. That just causes Dain to say bring it so Banks kicks him down and fires off some YES Kicks to the chest. Dain throws him down and limps around before sending Banks hard into the corner. Running knees to the chest give Dain two and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Banks’ back.

A seated abdominal stretch keeps Banks in trouble until he fights up with more kicks to the leg. The running dropkick in the corner connects to put Dain on the floor and there’s the suicide dive. A top rope double stomp gets two back inside but the Slice of Heaven misses. Dain gives him a fireman’s carry slam though and the Vader Bomb finishes Banks at 8:28.

Rating: C+. I had a good time with this as it was a fine power vs. speed/striking match. Banks continues to be someone with a lot of potential who never has gotten anywhere for some reason. Dain is fine for a midcard monster, but I’m not sure if he’s ever going to break through to the main event level. Still though, good little match here.

From Plymouth, England, July 19, 2019.

Here are the Grizzled Young Veterans (NXT UK Tag Team Champions) and Joseph Conners for a chat. Zack Gibson isn’t pleased with the SHOES OFF chant because he can see the webbed feet from here. After a break (and a Gallus video), Conners says he wants the best the world has to offer. Cue the Street Profits (NXT Tag Team Champions) to tell Drake to shut up. They’ve got a friend with them tonight too.

Street Profits/Matt Riddle vs. Grizzled Young Veterans/Joseph Conners

After an exchange of holding up titles, Riddle and Conners start things off but it’s Drake coming in before anything happens. Riddle grapples him down without much effort and then takes it to the mat with a headlock takeover. The kick to the chest misses so Riddle goes with the rolling gutwrench suplexes. Gibson comes in and is quickly pulled into a cross armbreaker so it’s right back to Drake, whose ankle is locked in a hurry. It’s off to Dawkins, who holds up both Veterans on the ropes so Ford (still in the hoodie) can jump onto their backs.

The hoodie comes off and Ford chops Drake so hard that he shivers a bit himself. A cheap shot sends Ford to the floor though and it’s the backbreaker/slingshot forearm to keep him in trouble. Back in and the stomping continues, followed by the chinlock from Gibson. That’s so thrilling that we go split screen for a highlight package on the match and Drake comes in for a neck crank. Drake’s snap suplex gets two and it’s off to another chinlock.

Gibson continues the chinlock parade but the fans get behind Ford to bring him back up. I mean it doesn’t actually get him to his feet, but they are at least cheering for it. Drake can’t get another chinlock as Ford rolls over for the tag to Dawkins for the house cleaning, followed by a Doomsday knee to the chest from Riddle. Everything breaks down and the Veterans hit a superkick/neckbreaker combination on Ford.

Everyone is down and it’s a double tag to bring in Ford and Drake. Ford superkicks him out of the air and small packages Gibson for two. A double dropkick takes down Gibson and Conners, who tagged himself in on the way. The Cash Out into the Bro Derek finishes Conners at 13:39.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of Riddle I like: the calm, cool, laid back version who can suddenly go beast mode with the suplexes and submissions. The Profits continue to have more charisma than they know what to do with and the fans absolutely hate the Veterans. Entertaining match here with the result never in any serious doubt.

Overall Rating: B-. This is how you do a Hidden Gems show, with a collection of entertaining matches with low stakes. It’s very much a sit back and enjoy some fun wrestling and that’s what they did here. I liked this more than I was expecting to and if you need something really easy to watch, this is a great choice.

Results

Finn Balor b. Kenny Williams – 1916

Rhea Ripley b. Nina Samuels – Riptide

Killian Dain b. Travis Banks – Vader Bomb

Matt Riddle/Street Profits b. Grizzled Young Veterans/Joseph Conners – Bro Derek to Conners

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: May 27, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Tom Phillips

We’re less than two weeks away from Takeover and that means a lot of the matches are already set up. Hopefully they come up with a strong main event, though I can’t imagine it’s anything but Velveteen Dream getting his second title shot. That one just doesn’t blow my skirt up but Takeover has surprised me before. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Interim Cruiserweight Title Tournament Group A Finals: Drake Maverick vs. Jake Atlas vs. Kushida

The winner faces Hijo de Fantasma in the finals. They start fast with Atlas being sent to the floor and Kushida going for Drake’s bad arm. Atlas is back in for the save and a middle rope moonsault to the floor takes Kushida down. The springboard Blockbuster gives Atlas two on Maverick but Kushida takes them both down as we take an early break. Back with Atlas kicking Maverick in the face but being sent outside for a dive from Kushida. Atlas makes the save so Drake hits him with a Dudley Dog for two.

Kushida lays Drake out with a right hand and the cartwheel DDT makes it even worse for Drake. Atlas knocks Kushida down on the floor as Drake gets up. The Sakuraba Lock catches Atlas on top but Maverick makes the save. Kushida superplexes Atlas into the cross armbreaker but Maverick reaches an arm over to pin Atlas while the armbar is still on at 11:15. Shouldn’t that be a double pin since Kushida’s legs were over Atlas as well? Or even a clean pin for Kushida since he was on top first?

Rating: C+. The action was rather good here, though the ending was a little bit confusing. Maverick winning is the right story and I’m curious to see what happens. Kushida is starting to look more like his old self, but the New Japan version is never going to be back in full. At least he looked good here, and Atlas should be fine moving forward as well.

Post match Fantasma comes out and shakes hands with Maverick. Maverick: “Carpe diem.”

Post break, we see that Atlas tapped before Maverick got the pin.

Here are Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae for a chat. Johnny talks about how these people at ringside have a company because of him. Tonight is the first ever Johnny Gargano Invitational where he will wrestle a young superstar. Candice pulls the name out of an envelope and it’s….Adrian Adonis?

Johnny Gargano vs. Adrian Alanis

Gargano starts with some forearms and cuts Alanis off with a superkick. The Gargano Escape finishes in 46 seconds.

Post match Keith Lee and Mia Yim pop up on screen at a dinner of their own. Keith pulls out some ugly flowers, which Mia says are so trashy that they’re perfect for the Garganos. Mia busts out the flashlight and mocks Candice for having badly tinted hair and being in NXT for 25 years and never winning a title.

Lee isn’t sure what’s up with the flashlight but does the same thing to mock Gargano himself. Keith: “Now I’m blind but I did work up an appetite.” Mia has prepared takeout, which is Tegan Nox bringing in…..what’s left of a pizza as she ate the rest. Keith: “Apparently she just has a key.” It’s no longer about the Gargano Way, but rather about making them pay.

Drake Maverick isn’t sure what happened in the match but he’ll have another triple threat if necessary. Kushida comes up to say Maverick is fighting for the title and a job at Takeover, so win. Maverick shakes his hand and promises him the first title shot.

Imperium isn’t losing the Tag Team Titles, especially to Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch.

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Raquel Gonzalez

Dakota Kai is in Gonzalez’s corner. Gonzalez drives her into the ropes to start and takes Shotzi down by the arm for some yelling. Shotzi pulls herself up and tries a hurricanrana but Gonzalez blocks it with raw power. The same thing prevents Shotzi’s sunset flip so she hits Gonzalez in the face and head a few times. Shotzi goes after Kai and gets jumped from behind, allowing Kai to STEAL THE TANK. Cue Tegan Nox to make the save as Shotzi is sent into the corner and we take a break.

Back with Shotzi still in trouble and we hit the bearhug. A backbreaker plants Shotzi for two but she knocks Gonzalez outside. Shotzi springboards up with Darby Allin’s Coffin Drop but mostly misses both women and lands HARD on the back of her head. I’ve never seen the referee get down so fast to check on someone but thankfully Shotzi is back inside. Cue Candice LeRae to argue with Nox though, allowing Kai to offer a quick distraction. Gonzalez hits a chokeslam off the top for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: C. I’m still trying to get over the terrifying landing off the springboard. Shotzi just jumped too far which is going to happen every now and then but my goodness that was terrifying. At least she’s ok now though and we should have a few matches coming out of this thing. Gonzalez is fine as a monster too and that’s a spot you don’t see too often in this division.

Video on Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest.

Video on Charlotte.

Rhea Ripley/Io Shirai vs. Charlotte/???

The mystery partner is…..Chelsea Green. During Shirai’s entrance, Ranallo pays tribute to Hana Kimura and asks humans to be better in general. Rhea wants Charlotte but gets Green to start with Chelsea crawling between the legs. A big knockdown takes care of Chelsea so Rhea scares Charlotte off the apron. Green knocks Rhea into the corner and it’s Io coming in to strike away. Some flips set up a dropkick to Green’s ribs and the slingshot knees to the chest connect in the corner.

The 619 is broken up and Shirai is sent outside for the suicide dive from Green. Now Charlotte is willing to come in and stomp away in the corner but Shirai fights right back. Another dive takes Green out on the floor but she whips Shirai into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Shirai sending Charlotte into Green but it’s not enough for the hot tag. A middle rope crossbody is enough for the tag to Rhea though and it’s time to clean house.

An electric chair faceplant gets two on Green with Charlotte making the save. There’s a big boot to drop Rhea and the Figure Four goes on. Shirai makes the save before it can be switched to the Figure Eight though and Shirai is back up with a headscissors into the corner. The running knees get two on Charlotte and now the 619 can connect. Green shoves Charlotte out of the way and takes the missile dropkick for her but Charlotte avoids a charge to send Shirai into Ripley. The rollup with feet on the ropes finishes Shirai at 11:45.

Rating: C+. The action was strong here and if Charlotte has to be on every show, it’s nice to have her wrestling on the show where she’s the champion. It’s still not exactly thrilling to see her every week, but at least they’re setting something up for Takeover. Green being added is interesting, even though she isn’t ready for this spot.

The Garganos are livid and Johnny promises to take the North American Title at Takeover. LeRae wants to face Yim next week. As for Nox, she should be ashamed of herself.

It’s time for a negotiation between Adam Cole and William Regal (online in this case). Cole complains about his lack of a celebration for a year long title reign, but it’s because of Velveteen Dream. Therefore, he wants the Undisputed Era to receive a Tag Team Title shot and to never see Velveteen Dream again. Regal doesn’t like this and thinks it’s Dream getting the title shot at Takeover. Cole complains about everything wrong with Dream, not noticing the strong irony.

Regal points it out and Cole does not like being compared to Dream. That’s a bit too much for Regal, who doesn’t like Cole being like a bay-bay. Cole says that’s Regal’s first funny joke since he was a man’s man. Anyway, Cole will defend against Dream at Takeover, but it’s Dream’s last shot ever. Regal makes the match. However, it will be in a setting of Regal’s choosing. PLEASE don’t make this cinematic too. Please.

Video on Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan, who have fought their entire lives to get here. It’s why they work so well together and why they’re going to win the Tag Team Titles.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Leon Ruff

Cue Scarlett for a distraction so Ruff can get two off a rollup. Ciampa hits a running knee to the head and the Fairy Tale Ending is good for the pin at 1:17.

Post match Karrion Kross pops up on screen to promise the end for Ciampa.

Video on Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle. Thatcher was Pete Dunne’s replacement partner but he didn’t care for Riddle’s goofiness and it got even worse when they had a misfire in the Tag Team Title match. Riddle beat him off a surprise rollup in a match so Thatcher attacked him again, setting up this special cage match.

Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher

In a cage with knockouts/submissions only and Kurt Angle as guest referee. This is a very different kind of cage though (dubbed the Fight Pit) with no ropes or turnbuckles and a platform around the top of the cage (pretty cool actually). Riddle comes in off the platform off the top and rolls forward to go after Thatcher. A choke is blocked and they get up with Riddle walking up the cage to escape another choke. Riddle grabs a German suplex and says that’s what’s up BRO. One heck of a slap staggers Riddle so he walks up the cage to kick Thatcher hard in the face.

Thatcher is bleeding from the mouth and seems to have lost some teeth. We pause so the doctor can check on him as Angle holds the teeth. Thatcher says he can keep going though and after a break, Riddle is hammering away with Thatcher on the mat next to the cage. Riddle tries another cage walk kick but Thatcher reverses into a belly to belly suplex. The half crab puts Riddle in trouble and an STF makes it even worse.

Thatcher pulls him over for an armbar, followed by cranking on the leg. Riddle switches up and hammers away, only to get pulled most of the way into a triangle choke. That’s powered up so Thatcher climbs onto the scaffold with Riddle following. Some kicks rock Thatcher until he reverses into an ankle lock with a grapevine. That’s escaped but the Broton only hits scaffold.

Thatcher suplexes him onto the scaffold but Riddle is back with a knee to the face, sending Thatcher down to the mat. The Floating bro connects and Riddle fires off kicks to the chest. A charge hits the cage though and Thatcher grabs the rear naked choke. Riddle rams him into the cage and then drops back for the break, only to have Thatcher grab it again. That’s enough for Riddle who is out (with three arm drops) to give Thatcher the win at 14:32.

Rating: B. Good brawl here and Thatcher was put over completely clean as he survived all of Riddle’s attempts to escape and grabbed the hold again for the win. Odds are this is it for Riddle in NXT, as he isn’t winning the title so move him up to the main roster so his career can be destroyed. Well done on making a new star here though. Angle was a completely non-factor here and I forgot he was referee for a good chunk of the match.

Riddle is upset to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice show here and they had some good things going on all night. Nothing was bad and they set up some things for both next week and Takeover. Hopefully they have something next week as well as they could use some momentum as they get ready for Takeover. I can’t believe I need to say that, but NXT has fallen a fair distance over the last few months. They had a good one here though and hopefully that’s the start of a trend.

Results

Drake Maverick b. Kushida and Jake Atlas – Maverick pinned Atlas during a cross armbreaker

Johnny Gargano b. Adrian Alanis – Gargano Escape

Raquel Gonzalez b. Shotzi Blackheart – Chokeslam

Charlotte/Chelsea Green b. Io Shirai/Rhea Ripley – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Shirai

Tommaso Ciampa b. Leon Ruff – Fairy Tale Ending

Timothy Thatcher b. Matt Riddle – Rear naked choke

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:

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