IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: December 16, 2005
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Attendance: 3,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s the go home show for Armageddon and that means it’s going to be a lot more about Undertaker vs. Randy Orton. That’s the most logical way to go when there isn’t much else of note on the card. We do have the Raw vs. Smackdown tag match, but that’s hardly the most thrilling story in the world. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Undertaker’s supernatural stalking of Orton last week. Looking at this all together makes it look a lot dumber.

Opening sequence.

Boogeyman vs. Nunzio

Boogeyman is officially “the weirdest superstar in sports entertainment history”. Vito is here with Nunzio and I can’t imagine that is going to help. The arena is full of smoke and Boogeyman shrugs off some early shots. Worms are consumed and the pumphandle powerslam is good for the fast pin.

Post match, Nunzio is wormed as well.

The roster is watching in the back and Sylvan is disgusted. There are probably twenty people back there. Get more monitors.

Bob Orton is having Randy see a sports psychologist before Sunday.

We look at Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels in the Cell.

Randy is on the psychologist’s couch and says he sees Undertaker everywhere, from in the car next to him to in the mirror behind him. The doctor wants to hear about the Cell and Orton freaks out about the idea even more. He needs some sort of control and the doctor tells him to pick one of two roads before him.

Batista is getting ready when Melina comes in and starts rubbing his shoulders. MNM is ready for their match against Batista and Mysterio but they have to face the Mexicools on Sunday. If Batista will withdraw from the match, she can make it worth his while. Melina winds up on his lap and the camera is no longer needed.

We see some of the Armageddon press conference. How low on the list do you have to be to get that assignment?

Kid Kash vs. Super Crazy

Kash is confused by having all three Mexicools here. Or maybe he’s wondering why they’re on riding lawnmowers. No seriously, why are they on riding lawnmowers? Who thought that was a good idea? Crazy monkey flips him to start and Kash is staggered early on. Kash heads to the apron and grabs a neckbreaker over the top rope to take over. Some knees and kicks keep Crazy in trouble but he grabs a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Crazy hits some dropkicks for two and a DDT sets up the moonsault….which only hits mat. The brainbuster gives Kash the pin.

Rating: C. Completely watchable match here as we get ready for Sunday’s title match. I’ll give them points for trying anything else in the cruiserweight division as there is only so much you can do with the same three or four people over and over. Kash might not be the best choice, but he’s better than the same matches over and over for years.

Randy gets done with therapy and tells Bob that he needs to make a decision. We’ll see what that is later.

Melina puts her shirt back on and Batista adjusts his trunks. Melina says they have a deal. Actually no, but Batista thanks her for the warmup. He’s ready to go kill MNM. As usual, Batista comes off as being smarter than everyone else around him, which was an important part of what got him over in the first place.

Video on Tribute to the Troops.

Video on Mysterio/Batista vs. Kane/Big Show.

Tag Team Titles: Rey Mysterio/Batista vs. MNM

MNM is defending and Melina is ticked at Batista. Mercury and Rey start things off and there’s the required EDDIE chant. Mysterio starts in on the arm and gets two off an early sunset flip. It’s off to Batista as the arena is still full of smoke from the entrances. Nitro’s superkick is blocked and Batista hammers away in the corner. Mercury comes back in and his forearms have as much effect as you would expect. The champs are both clotheslined to the floor and Rey adds a moonsault to send us to a break.

Back with Rey headscissoring Nitro for two and hitting ten right hands to Mercury in the corner. A distraction lets Nitro hit a slingshot powerbomb for two and there’s a clothesline to the back of Rey’s head. Nitro grabs a backbreaker into a Russian legsweep and Melina pulls Rey outside for a crash.

Back in and Mercury drives Rey back in to keep the ring cut off, because old school wrestling still works if it is done right. Melina has to offer a distraction so the champs can pull Rey back into the corner. Mercury takes him up so Rey snaps off a super hurricanrana, finally allowing the hot tag to Batista. Everything breaks down and the 619 hits Melina. The Batista Bomb finishes Mercury for the pin and the titles.

Rating: C+. This was a formula tag match to make Sunday’s Raw vs. Smackdown match champions vs. champions. Odds are the titles will change back in a few weeks (at most) and while it is annoying that MNM lose the titles again, it’s not like this is anything more than a short form title change. And the Melina/Batista deal was funny for a bonus.

We look at Undertaker chokeslamming Rikishi off the Cell.

Bobby Lashley vs. Paul Burchill

William Regal is with Burchill. Lashley throws him outside to start and hits some shoulders to the ribs in the corner. A belly to belly into the Dominator finishes Burchill in a hurry.

Matt Hardy is ready for Booker T. tonight when JBL, on crutches, interrupts. That’s not cool with Matt, though JBL knocks him down anyway, triggering a brawl.

Teddy Long talks to the psychologist, but the session with Randy is confidential. He thinks the Cell match is barbaric and storms off.

Batista and Rey are happy with their win so here’s Randy to interrupt. Randy congratulates them and we get a tense handshake.

Armageddon rundown, with JBL vs. Matt Hardy added.

One time, Undertaker threw Mankind off the Cell.

Matt Hardy vs. Booker T.

JBL is on commentary and Sharmell, with a broom, is in Booker’s corner. Joined in progress with Booker knocking him into the corner but Matt slugs him over the top. A JBL distraction lets Booker kick away and the chinlock goes on. Matt fights up and hits a neckbreaker into a bulldog for two. There’s the Side Effect to set up the top rope legdrop for two more but Sharmell offers a distraction. JBL gets in the Clothesline and Booker hits the ax kick for the pin.

Rating: C-. Just a match here as we set up Matt vs. JBL on Sunday and keep Booker warm for the US Title match. It’s not like Booker loses anything by having someone interfere either, making this a fairly well put together match. Not that the match itself was good, but the setup was and that’s more important.

Randy tells his dad that yes, he is sure about this.

Video on Tribute to the Troops.

Here’s Randy for his big announcement. He has accomplished a lot in his career, including his Survivor Series success and being a certified legend killer. What he’s learned now though is no one can’t destroy the legend of the Undertaker. Undertaker has destroyed everyone in the Cell but that won’t happen to him.

When he was on that couch, he realized something. He isn’t going to have his grandkids on his lap and let them believe that he gave up. So he’s going out on top, meaning he’s retiring right now. He’s killing his own legend, right now. Cue Teddy Long to say not so fast. If he doesn’t show up on Sunday, it’s going to be a big lawsuit. Randy isn’t happy….and there’s the gong.

Cue the druids followed by the Undertaker so Orton immediately begs off. One of the druids pulls out the urn and it’s Bob Orton, allowing Randy to jump Undertaker. The RKO drops Undertaker but he sits up, meaning Randy chairs him right back down. Another (unprotected) chair shot to the head still can’t keep Undertaker down, though it can bust him open. It’s an urn shot to the head. Orton unloads with the chair and promises to end Undertaker to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was almost all about the Orton vs. Undertaker and Raw vs. Smackdown matches, which works out well enough. Sunday should be a big event and then Raw gets to take the next night off because of Tribute to the Troops. Then we can get on to the Royal Rumble build, which could go a few different ways this time around. Not a bad show here, but it’s getting close to the finish line before we can start the new year in a big way.

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: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: May 13, 2020

We have an interesting one this week with the company’s new boss, Marty Scurll. This is one of the more fascinating choices as you don’t often see the company’s boss as one of the most popular wrestlers around. Scurll is someone you could see being a top guy and he pretty much is, but never THE top guy. Let’s get to it.

We open with a Scurll video package.

Marty joins us from his couch and talks about how we have to do something like this because of the Coronavirus and they with they could be in the arenas like usual. It’s a crazy time so stay safe out there. Their job is to entertain you and the fans have always been loyal to them. Therefore, we’re going to be looking at a special subject: Marty himself! Marty debuted here and won the TV Title in a hurry over his longtime rival Will Ospreay.

And now, his first match, from All In.

Marty Scurll vs. Kazuchika Okada

We even get the Okada Bucks. Feeling out process to start with Okada laying Marty up against the ropes and slapping him on the chest. Marty teases doing the same thing but stops with a pose instead. The announcers entertain themselves with inside jokes as Okada’s wristlock doesn’t get him anywhere. Marty starts slugging away with running forearms and an apron superkick, followed by the suicide dive.

They chop it out with Marty getting the better of it but Okada flapjacks him back inside. That’s enough for in the ring so they head outside again with Okada DDTing him on the floor. Back in and Marty pulls himself up but gets caught in a crossarm choke. That’s reversed into a Backstabber followed by a tornado DDT for two more.

Another DDT gives Okada two and they strike it out until Scurll grabs the brainbuster to knock Okada silly. Scurll grabs a piledriver but can’t pick him up. Instead he stops to fire himself up, allowing Okada to hit the over the White Noise onto the knee to put Marty right back in trouble. They go to the corner to slug it out with Okada getting the better of it, followed by the pinfall reversal sequence for two each.

Scurll powerbombs the heck out of him for two so Okada missile dropkicks him for two of his own. Another DDT gets Scurll out of trouble but there’s the Tombstone. Okada spends too long loading up the Rainmaker though and Marty snaps his finger (Ian: “We found the umbrella!”). The Rainmaker is countered a second time into the chickenwing but Marty can’t get the grip. Okada stands up and drops back on him for the break, only to have Marty slap it on again.

The hold gets flipped back for the break…and the ref gets bumped. An umbrella to Okada’s head sets up a Rainmaker from Scurll for two as THIS JUST KEEPS GOING. The chickenwing is countered into the Rainmaker but Okada can’t cover. Scurll tells him to bring it on so a forearm puts him down. A slap to the face annoys Okada and it’s a discus lariat into the Rainmaker to finally finish Scurll at a ridiculous 26:09.

Rating: C. It was pretty good at times but GOOD GRIEF this was long. They easily could have cut ten minutes out of this and when the show is already running long, it would have done them a lot of good. The story of Scurll trying to rise up to the heavyweight level was a good one, but sweet goodness it wasn’t the right time to go the better part of half an hour. I was worried they would do that late in the show and they did it here.

That’s the kind of match that makes him love wrestling. Just like this one, with a very exciting opponent. From ROH TV, September 18, 2019.

Bandido vs. Marty Scurll

The fans are VERY into both of them here. We get a handshake, with Bandido being nervous but going through with it, earning some applause from Scurll. Marty wrestles him to the mat to start and an early standoff takes us to a break. Back with Marty “accidentally” poking him in the eye, though Bandido is fine enough to superkick him outside. Scurll hits his own superkick on the floor to take over and he even heads into the crowd for a quick bow.

Back in and a slingshot into an arrogant cover gets two on Bandido as the fans are eating Marty up here. There’s a surfboard double knee stomp to slow Bandido down and the knee gives out on a gorilla press attempt. The knee is fine enough for a springboard spinning crossbody and a cutter puts Marty on the floor for a big flip dive. Back from another break with Marty suplexing him for a double knockdown.

A tornado DDT looks to set up a chickenwing but Marty settles for a pumphandle Ghostbuster for two more instead. The chickenwing is broken up again so Marty snaps off a half and half suplex instead. Bandido is right back up with a shot to the face and they’re both down for a breather.

Marty teases a chop off before punching Bandido in the face, only to have a middle rope hurricanrana countered into a buckle bomb. The 21 Plex is countered so Bandido hits a standing shooting star press for two instead. The superplex moonsault World’s Strongest Slam plants Marty but he’s fine enough to pull Bandido into the chickenwing. That’s broken up so Marty hits Black Plague for the pin at 19:43.

Rating: B. Sometimes the solution is to just have two popular guys do a bunch of stuff to each other for twenty minutes and let the fans go nuts. That’s what they did here and the match was a blast as a result. They didn’t need to go any more complicated than that and we can get one more big team match between the groups next week, because that’s what works best around here. I’ll take it over whatever else we can get and it should be another fun match, just like this one.

Marty is proud of his win and knows more great ones are coming.

Overall Rating: B. Yeah this worked well enough. Scurll is someone who can do a lot of things but most importantly, the fans like what he is doing and he gets strong reactions everywhere. Hopefully he gets a major push somewhere down the line, because he’s earned a chance on top, even if it’s something short. Good show here, as these continue to work.

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 15, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

As is the case on almost every show these days, it’s time for a tournament, as we have to crown a new Intercontinental Champion. It isn’t clear who will be in the tournament or how many entrants there will be, but at least we have something to keep a smaller number of wrestlers busy for the time being. Let’s get to it.

Here is Money in the Bank if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the Money in the Bank match/matches.

Miz and John Morrison are here for MizTV and here’s Otis before he is introduced. Otis even throws in a cartwheel on the way to the ring. Miz: “Have a seat.” Otis: “Right here?” Miz: “Where else would you sit?” Eh Otis will stand instead. This is the second biggest win of his career because the biggest was winning his peach Mandy. Now the briefcase contains various stomach aides and a bratwurst. We see a photo of baby Otis and Morrison thinks Otis is pregnant.

Now it’s a shot of Otis and his mom, who helped him with school because he had a learning disability. Then we see Otis as a kid in trunks and wrestling boots. With the gyrations going, Otis says if you’ve got it, flaunt it. That’s too much for Miz as he can’t believe Otis has gone this far, won the briefcase and got the girl too. Miz wants a tag match tonight so get Tucker out here. Otis: “Tucker got a case of disenbary on the Oregon Trail.” Miz says Otis can find anybody so good luck.

It’s tournament time and we’ve got brackets:

Daniel Bryan

Drew Gulak

Jeff Hardy

Sheamus

Elias

King Corbin

AJ Styles

Shinsuke Nakamura

The lack of Ziggler makes me smile.

We look back at Elias vs. Corbin.

Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Elias vs. King Corbin

Elias hammers away to start but gets pulled into a chinlock for his efforts. That’s broken up and it’s a clothesline to put Corbin on the floor. Elias hits a big dive to drop Corbin again so it’s time to go to another side of the ring. Corbin grabs the guitar for some strumming and gets sent into the barricade for his efforts.

Back from a break with Elias’ rope walk being broken so Corbin can hammer away on the announcers’ table. Back in and the slide underneath the rope clothesline gives Corbin two. Elias gets in a swinging neckbreaker for a breather, followed by the reverse swinging neckbreaker for two. A spinebuster gives Corbin the same and there’s a chokeslam for another near fall. Corbin is so annoyed that he destroys Elias’ guitar so Elias knees him in the face. A small package gives Elias the pin at 15:53.

Rating: C-. Who in the world thought Elias vs. Corbin needed fifteen minutes??? This ran longer than it needed to but the amount of relief from the lack of Corbin is a great thing. I’m not sure what to expect on that side of the draw now, but you can almost guarantee that these two will meet at least one more time.

Otis asks Sheamus to be his partner and that’s not happening.

Post break Mandy Rose comes up to Otis to ask how things are going. Mandy suggests asking Braun Strowman. That sounds like a good idea and Otis throws in a kiss on the cheek.

The hacker pops up to say he hears everyone and sees everything. No one is safe. The cameras show everyone again.

Otis asks Strowman about the tag match and while Strowman isn’t sure about Otis’ motives, he’ll think about it.

Naomi vs. Dana Brooke

Naomi is annoyed at the loss in the Money in the Bank qualifying match but gets knocked into the corner to start. Dana tries to start a clap, realizes no one is there for it, and hits a handspring elbow in the corner. Naomi gets a boot up in the corner and hits a high crossbody, which is rolled through and then rolled through again to give Naomi two. A quick victory roll attempt is countered into a rollup to give Dana the pin at 1:22. This wasn’t good while it lasted with a lot of sloppy moves and looking like they were on different pages more than once.

Here’s Charlotte as part of the Brand To Brand Invitational. She talks about how awesome she is because she’s tall, talented and a Flair. Cue Bayley and Sasha Banks with Bayley laughing about how she is the role model and how she has beaten Charlotte twice now. Charlotte points out that it took her being unconscious and Bayley’s haircut to make that work. So just go back to Raw or NXT and beat up Liv Morgan. Charlotte talks about how Sasha made Bayley relevant and goes over Sasha’s impressive resume. Bayley tries to talk for Sasha so Charlotte says cut her mic so Sasha can reply for herself. Bayley is ready to fight, but Charlotte asks Sasha is her own woman or Bayley’s lackey. Sasha doesn’t answer.

The Forgotten Sons talk about being in the military and then being forgotten once they got back home. They weren’t welcomed with open arms so now they’re fighting back with closed fists. This took about thirty seconds and gave us an introduction to the characters with a quick backstory. That’s all you need most of the time and this told you everything you need to know about them.

Miz and Morrison don’t think Otis will get a partner. Dancing ensues.

Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Daniel Bryan vs. Drew Gulak

They shake hands to start with Bryan spinning out of a wristlock. Bryan takes him down by the arm and gets the YES Lock but Gulak is in the ropes in a hurry. Gulak gets the Gulock for the same result and it’s an early standoff. A double underhook has Gulak in trouble and he blocks an armbar attempt. Back up again and Drew dumps him over the top in a suplex attempt as we take a break.

We come back with Gulak holding a headlock and shrugging off a shinbreaker to keep hold. Bryan fights up and snaps off a German suplex for two, only to get caught in a Michinoku driver for the same. Gulak stays on the neck with a full nelson but Bryan slips out and hits another German suplex. The running knee misses and Gulak’s sunset flip gets two, leaving Gulak to powerbomb Bryan for two. Neither can get their finisher so Bryan twists the knee down again. A heel hook goes on to make Gulak tap at 12:26.

Rating: B. I liked their match at Elimination Chamber and this one worked too. These two know how to wrestle a technical match like few others and we had a heck of a showdown here. Gulak isn’t ready to beat Bryan and it’s not like it’s a big downgrade for him in losing. Bryan is a favorite to win the whole thing and this was a rather good first step.

Post match Bryan talks about having to vacate the title almost exactly five years ago. He has always wanted to make the title the top championship on Smackdown by defending it every week because he is the best wrestler in the world. Bryan and Gulak shake hands.

Next week, Bayley vs. Charlotte, the other two first round tournament matches and Sonya Deville/Dolph Ziggler vs. Mandy Rose/Otis.

Sonya talks about how Mandy is only good at being pretty and once that is over, she’ll wind up barefoot and pregnant with Otis shouting to bring her another beer. Maybe that’s what she wants but Mandy will never be a winner like Sonya. What matters is Sonya is going to ruin her life and she’s just getting started. Sonya: “B****.” She really has been bringing fire with these promos and someone is going to notice.

Otis/??? vs. Miz/John Morrison

The partner is….Strowman. I’d love it if one time it wasn’t he teased partner and was instead someone like Bo Dallas. Otis drives Morrison into the corner to start so Morrison kicks him in the head. Gyrating gets Otis out of trouble and he faceplants Morrison for a bonus. Morrison gets knocked down again and it’s off to Strowman for a double Caterpillar as we take a break. Back with Miz front facelocking Otis before the YES Kicks connect for two. Otis suplexes both of them down at the same time and it’s back to Strowman to clean house. Miz is ran over on the floor but Strowman goes shoulder first into the post. Morrison strikes away until Strowman catches him with the powerslam for the pin at 9:38.

Rating: D+. That’s all it needed to be as this was about putting Otis’ toe into the main event waters. It’s going to be a good while before Otis goes after the title, assuming he actually gets that far. Normally I would say I can’t imagine the title change taking place, but who would have imagined Otis getting here in the first place?

Post match here’s Mandy Rose and the distraction lets Otis think about using the briefcase. Strowman sees it coming though and Otis says it’s just for a laugh. Celebrating ends the show instead.

Overall Rating: C-. This was the Otis Show and I’m not sure how well that is going to go over with the masses. Otis got over rather well under certain circumstances, but what happens if/when the fans are sick of seeing him? Having Otis be the focal point of the show could backfire, but it’s WAY too early to tell if that is the case just yet. Other than that, the show was good enough because of the tournament and it’s nice to see them having a focus again.

Results

Elias b. King Corbin – Small package

Dana Brooke b. Naomi – Rollup

Daniel Bryan b. Drew Gulak – Heel hook

Otis/Braun Strowman b. Miz/John Morrison – Powerslam to Morrison

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

Fusion #109
Date: May 9, 2020
Location: Auditorio de Tijuana, Tijuana, Mexico
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, AJ Kirsch

We’ll wrap it up here as MLW is out of original content after tonight. I’m not sure what to expect here, but the best thing is that LA Park will be in the ring tonight. I remember him back in WCW over twenty years ago and last week had me laughing more than once. It took some time but he’s one of the best things going at the moment. He just might not be around for awhile. Let’s get to it.

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

Psycho Clown is ready to bring the rest of his clowns to take out the Parks.

Opening sequence.

The announcers preview the show.

The Parks want the Tag Team Titles.

Konnan is happy with the Super Series and now they want a rematch on MLW’s court.

Dan Lambert wants Low Ki to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Pagano wants to change lucha libre. Every party needs a clown.

The Dynasty is in Bucksnort, Tennessee and the smell has ruined Richard Holliday’s coffee. Gino Medina brings up meth gators but they realize that Hammerstone is gone. Hammerstone pops up and is AMAZED that there are raccoons over here. Holliday needs out of here now.

Here’s the Top Ten:

10. Dominic Garrini

9. Low Ki

8. Mance Warner

7. King Mo

6. Richard Holliday

5. Tom Lawlor

4. Brian Pillman Jr.

3. Myron Reed

2. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

1. Alexander Hammerstone

We look back at the Dynasty buying Savio Vega’s childhood home and naming himself Richie Two Titles.

Mance Warner has been drinking and thinking about climbing the ladder of success. Not in a ladder match, but there will be ladders involved. It needs to be Warner/Savio Vega vs. the Dynasty with the titles, the house and Gino Medina’s gold watch above the ring. It’s going to be a Triple Tower of Doom match, with a caged ring on the bottom, with a bunch of weapons included. Above that, we have a cage with light tubes and barbed wire because red equals green. Then at the very top is all the gold. It’ll be two on three, but maybe he can call up Big Sexy, Glacier or PN NEWS!

We recap the Super Series, with MLW up 4-3 going into the final match.

Los Parks vs. Nino de Hamburguesa/Nicho El Millionairio/Psycho Clown

The Parks are representing MLW and Nicho is better known as Psicosis. Psycho Clown and Park’s sons are wearing unidentified titles. The Parks start the fight in a hurry and the beating is on. Park Jr. hits Nino in the head as Park and Clown fight into the crowd. Hijo and Nicho are inside as well with the skeletons hammering away with some chairs.

A bar table is thrown in and Nino is knocked through a regular table at ringside. Park and Clown are back and a bar table to Clown’s face puts him down. A middle rope triple bomb has Nino bouncing off the bar table and the skeletons are dominating. We need some more weapons so it’s time for a trashcan and a crate of beer bottles. The Clown gets hit in the head with the crate and Nino gets suplexed onto the trashcan.

Nino loses his shirt and gets whipped with a belt, followed by some chops to the rather large chest and stomach. He finally runs the Parks over with a shoulder and it’s Clown taking LA Park into the crowd for a beating with chairs. The sons are beaten down with chairs inside as well, including a low blow to Park Jr. Clown and company run in a circle around the ring as Park is back in. He stares down all three of them at once and we actually get down into a regular tag format. Sure why not after the ten minute brawl.

A right hand drops Clown but everything breaks down again, with the Parks all being knocked down. Nino hits a big triple splash and Clown grabs a sloppy victory roll for two on Park. Park gets sent head first into Hijo’s crotch and Nicho hits a triple Bronco Buster. Nino adds a triple Cannonball and it’s a triple rollup for two each on the Parks. Nicho is left alone for a Downward Spiral on Hijo for a near fall so Hijo pops back up for a Superman punch. A Codebreaker out of the corner rocks Nicho and Park Jr. superkicks Nino.

Back up and Nino drops a leg on Park Jr. so Park kicks the referee to break up the count. We get another Park vs. Clown showdown so they can chop and clothesline it out. Park gets the better of it until Nicho comes in to chop Park in the back. A spinwheel kick drops Park for two but he pops up and tells Nicho to hit him. There’s another spinwheel kick to put Park outside, setting up a suicide dive.

Clown hits a big flip dive onto Park, Park Jr. and Nicho. Hijo adds an Asai moonsault so Nino dives….onto his own partners by mistake. Back in and a German suplex drops Nicho for a ridiculously delayed two (the referee couldn’t have been more out of position if he tried). Cue Pagano with a chair to take out the Parks but the referee gets rid of him. Park spears Nicho down for the pin at 22:04.

Rating: C. This went on for a long time and while it could have been cut down, I was never bored and there were some entertaining spots. I wouldn’t have bet on Park being someone so fun to watch but he has grown on me a lot in recent months. This felt like a huge match and while it probably felt bigger in Mexico, it worked well here.

MLW – 5

AAA – 3

That’s the final score of the series and I’m sure they’ll do this again.

Contra hacks the feed and we see a bloody Davey Boy Smith Jr. down with a Contra flag draped over him. Tonight, the war is waged. He has promised a reckoning for over a year and tonight it is taking place. Josef Samael is at MLW Headquarters in New York where he is now sitting on the throne. We see wrestlers and executives being attacked and laid out as Samael says the rise of MLW is over. Contra has seized the company and if you try to rise up, the soldiers will have a violent response. So there’s your angle for why there are no more shows for the time being.

Overall Rating: C+. The match itself was fine and then the big angle at the end of the show made it better. This was definitely more like a season finale and I’m not sure when we will be seeing more of the standard MLW shows. It’s a shame that they went out on such an intriguing note, but well done for setting up a cliffhanger for their return.

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: DDT Pro

DDT Is Coming To America
Date: April 4, 2020
Location: La Boom, New York City, New York
Attendance: 650
Commentator: Trevin Adams, Pat Hill

This is from DDT (Dramatic Dream Team) Pro, a Japanese promotion which has some comedy elements. It’s part of last year’s Wrestlemania weekend series of shows and the only bits I’ve seen from this promotion are other shows from the same weekend. If nothing else, this show has the Ironman Heavymetalweight Title, which is one of the funniest long running jokes in modern wrestling. Let’s get to it.

I know very little about this promotion or anyone involved so please bare with me if I don’t know a storyline or character point.

Mr. Haku, the English commentator, is in the ring to welcome us to the show, mainly because he is the only English speaker in the promotion. He reads some announcement, mainly about the company’s streaming service and Right To Challenge Anytime Gauntlet, their version of the Money in the Bank briefcase, though there are multiple ones at the same time. However, the briefcase is defended at any given time so it might change hands before the night is over.

There is one more concept to cover though, and that is the Ironman Heavymetalweight Title. This is the ultimate comedy title, with over 1300 reigns and title changes coming in the forms of Rock, Paper Scissors games, dream sequences, in exchange for autographs and more. DDT wrestlers, wrestling legends, schoolchildren, a baseball bat, an invisible man and a ladder among MANY other things have held the title over the years.

Therefore, here is the 1350^th champion, Saki Akai, a popular woman, comes out as Haku explains the Delayed Entry Battle Royal for the title, which is coming later on. Also later tonight, there will be a Weapon Rumble in the USA match (not for the title) involving wrestlers supplying weapons, which will be added to the match at timed intervals. We’re ready to start the show….but Makoto Oishi comes in, spits in Akai’s face, and small packages her for the title.

Company owner/founder/president Sanshiro Takagi comes out to do the traditional opening speech: LET’S PARTY!

Opening video, including a card rundown ala New Japan.

Damnation vs. Shuten-doji

That would be Soma Takao/Tetsuya Endo (the latter of whom holds one of the Right To Challenge Gauntlets) vs. Masahiro Takanashi/Yukio Sakaguchi. The former seem to be the heels, or at least the far more serious team. Endo and Sakaguchi start things off with Sakaguchi sitting down on the mat as Endo circles him. They both wind up on the mat for some grappling with neither being able to get anywhere. They get up and it’s a double tag to bring in Takao and Takanashi, the latter of whom gets quite the reception.

Takao grabs him by the hair so Takanashi does the same, even tossing Takao down by said hair. Endo pulls Takanashi down from the floor so Takao can hit a basement dropkick. More hair pulling lets Endo come in for a backbreaker for two. A reverse Rings of Saturn has Takanashi in trouble so Sakaguchi makes a quick save. Takanashi gets stomped down in the corner and Takao dropkicks him down, only to nip up before covering. That’s not the brightest move in the world and Takanashi uses the break to block a slam attempt.

A suplex is enough to make the hot tag to Sakaguchi as everything breaks down. Takao hits a quick top rope double stomp to the back but Sakaguchi pops back up for the slugout. Takao kicks him in the face and it’s back to Endo for a springboard forearm. Takanashi comes back in and strikes it out with Endo, including a grab of the nose to set up a kick to the face.

Endo is right back with a running shooting star for two and Sakaguchi’s running knee his turnbuckle. Another attempt at the running knee takes Endo down to give Takanashi two. Endo rolls him into the reverse Rings of Saturn and adds a guillotine to make Takanashi tap at 9:27.

Rating: C+. You can see some star power in some of these people, with Endo shining as brightly as anyone involved here. Endo and Takao looked like the more serious and dominant team here and it made sense for the two of them to win. Good opener here and you could tell the fans cared about the four people involved.

Ironman Heavymetalweight Title: Delayed Entry Battle Royal

This is an eight person Royal Rumble style match with one minute intervals, pin/submission/over the top eliminations and Makoto Oishi defending. Also note that anyone who eliminates the champion wins the title but the match continues until only one person is left. Kazuki Hirata is in at #1 (he dances a lot) and Saki Akai (who lost the title earlier tonight) is in at #2 as I’m expecting the comedy to be high here.

Hirata offers a handshake and then kicks her in the ribs, giving us a “WHO ME?” look. Akai kicks him in the chest and gets two off a high crossbody as Kikutaro is in at #3….or at least he would be if the ringside doctor didn’t say that he needed his blood pressure checked. Apparently Kikutaro’s blood pressure is too high and he can’t compete. That seems legit as there is no reason to do this otherwise.

Kikutaro is eliminated as Akai kicks Hirata in the back for two and Colt Cabana is in at #4 (you had to know he was coming in something like this). Cabana and Akai stare each other down with Cabana making some rather suggestive gyrations. An offer of a kiss earns him a slap to the face as Mizuki Watase, a guy in a suit, is in at #5. Cabana hits the Flying Apple to crush Hirata and Akai in the corner but Watase takes him down in the same corner for Coast to Coast. Hirata gets up and gives Cabana a….flick to the chest (Maybe?) for the elimination as champion Oishi is in at #6.

Oishi gets in and rolls outside, meaning Hirata and Akai follow him for the chase. That earns Hirata a belt shot to the head as Yuu, a popular woman, is in at #7. Some headlock takeovers work for a bit but she can’t take Watase over. Instead she picks him up and throws him over for the elimination. Oishi spits in Akai’s face again and small packages her for the second pin of the night.

And then it’s Yoshihiko, a sex doll who comes out to the Corporate Ministry theme carried by Kikutaro and a holder of the Right To Challenge Gauntlets, plus an eleven time champion (That old story again?) in at #8, giving us a final field of Yoshihiko, Hirata, Oishi and Yuu. It’s a chokeslam from Yuu to Yoshihiko and a dropkick sends Hirata into the corner. Yoshihiko…..headscissors Yuu and Oishi gets the elimination.

A super powerslam gives Oishi two on Yoshihiko as I try to figure out what I’m watching. It’s a reverse DDT into a Sharpshooter on Yoshihiko….who reverses into a half crab to make Oishi tap and win the title. Hirata pops back up and hammers on Yoshihiko, only to get choked and almost very tilt-a-whirl headscissored. Instead Hirata reverses into a chokeslam but it’s another tilt-a-whirl headscissors into a Code Red (just go with it) for two (again, just go with it). Hirata finally reverses into a sunset flip for the pin, the title and the Right To Challenge Gauntlet at 11:35.

Rating: D+. I have no idea what I just watched and I kind of want to see it again. This was the kind of wackiness that I wanted to see from the title and while it is going to get the usual criticisms for being ridiculous (and yes I’ve done it before), it was a fun spectacle. If nothing else, managing to make the doll look almost lifelike more than once, is impressive enough. Complete insanity at times of course, but that’s what you’re going for.

Post match, Hirata chokeslams Yoshihiko to the floor….and gets kicked in the face by Akai. A crucifix bomb makes her champion again, but it does not count for the Gauntlet because it wasn’t a sanctioned match. I think?

Akito/Ethan Page vs. Harashima/Kazusada Higuchi vs. Renegades

The Renegades are Jason Kincaid/Shigehiro Irie (who was a nice hidden gem over the weekend) and they have Watase is in their corner. Page and Akito do angels in the ring before the other teams come out. Page, Higuchi and Irie start things off with the three way test of strength to start until a double shoulder puts Higuchi down. Irie runs Page over but gets run over by Higuchi to give us a three way tag.

Kincaid yells a lot and it’s a circle of forearms. Then they change directions to really mix things up a bit. Akito and Harashima double team Kincaid to send him outside so it’s Page coming in to double team Harashima. He’s right back with a double stomp in the corner (ala Sasha Banks’ knees) but the Renegades break it up. Kincaid goes Coast to Coast on Harashima and Irie adds a slingshot splash.

Harashima is on the apron so Kincaid gets a running start and spins over the ropes for a rather unique double stomp. Page is back up and powerbombs Kincaid onto Harashima, followed by an Iconoclasm to send Kincaid into Irie. A middle rope elbow gets two on Irie and it’s Higuchi throwing Akito around with ease. Harashima adds a slingshot splash for two but Akito is right back with a Figure Four. The Renegades break that up and get two each with Higuchi making a save of his own.

Back up and Higuchi tries a sunset flip on Irie but can’t get him over. At the same time, Irie grabs a piledriver on Harashima and Kincaid spikes him down onto Higuchi in a pretty unique move. That’s broken up as well and it’s Akito slugging it out with Irie. Harashima gets Pounced hard by Irie and Kincaid adds the top rope X Factor on Page. A reverse hurricanrana plants Akito and it’s a Buzzsaw kick into double running knees to give Harashima the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. Fast paced and entertaining match here with the fans behind everyone involved. Page is an underrated talent and someone who is worth seeing almost anywhere he goes. I’ve seen Kincaid before and he has one of the most unique offenses I can remember in a long time. Higuchi is a pretty awesome big guy and Harashima was definitely over with the crowd. You can tell the fans like these guys and that’s a nice thing to have for a show like this.

Sanshiro Takagi vs. Mao

This is the Weapons Rumble In The USA match, meaning they have chosen three weapons each. One new weapon will be introduced every minute and either of them can use it. I think this might have been used on an episode of the Wrestlers (check that series out). Takagi (President of the company) is a Steve Austin inspired wrestler, meaning his music starts with the glass shattering and he does the double arm pose in each corner).

Mao on the other hand has a plastic sword and garbage can lid shield, plus two computer keyboards hanging from his back. They both miss some shots to start and it’s Mao scoring first with a dropkick. It’s time for the first weapon, which is….a wrestler dressed as Hulk Hogan (apparently named Antonio Honda).

This is booed out of the building as the shirt is ripped off. Takagi chops away but Honda Hulks Up and the fans are a little more into him. Honda’s big boot and legdrop give Mao two and it’s time for the second weapon: a bunch of plastic storage bins? Takagi slams Mao through a container for two and it’s time for the third weapon (the clock is all over the place here): garbage cans.

Mao puts it on Takagi’s head and botches a 619 attempt. He hits the second one (mostly) and it’s time for the fourth weapon: a bicycle (complete with Dusty Rhodes impression from commentary). They take turns riding on the bicycle with Takagi throwing it at Mao’s knee. The fifth weapon is a bunch of Legos, because that’s the big new thing in these matches. Starship Pain onto Takagi onto the Legos gets no cover and it’s already time for the sixth weapon: a toilet. Fans: “HOLY S***!”

Takagi DDTs Mao into it and then breaks off the lid, which is kicked into his face. Mao sends him face first into the toilet and the referee takes it away. Mao goes up and is superplexed right back through the containers as we hit the seventh weapon (though I thought there were only six): Chunsuke Nakamura, complete with fake US Title.

Nakamura shakes Takagi’s hand and then hits him low, setting up COME ON. A Michinoku Driver through a container gives Mao two so he puts another container full of Legos on Takagi’s ribs. The 450 only hits container though and Nakamura hits a running knee to the chest. An AA through the trashcan gives Takagi two and a spinning sitout powerbomb through a container finishes Mao at 12:24.

Rating: C+. You know, I actually liked this. They didn’t hide what they were going for and it was the wacky comedy that you kind of expect out of a match like this. I can go for comedy more when they go full steam ahead and that is what they did here. Fun match, and the kind of insanity I wanted to see from a DDT show.

Tokyo Princess of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita vs. Maki Itoh

Itoh is challenging and grabs a headlock to start. A back elbow takes Miyu down and she gets sent into the buckle over and over. Miyu avoids a falling headbutt though and kicks the heck out of Itoh for two. A snapmare gets the same and we hit the reverse chinlock. That actually needs a rope break for the escape and Itoh hits her own falling headbutt for two.

The chinlock, with a middle finger, goes on but Miyu fights up for a hard clothesline. Itoh Hulks Up out of the corner and they slug it out with the champ getting the better of things. Itoh is back with a Boston crab, sending Miyu to the ropes this time. A quick DDT plants Miyu but she avoids a splash. Miyu kicks her in the head and hits a Shining Wizard to retain at 7:01.

Rating: C+. This was fun enough despite the lack of time. They got in and did their thing with some good action and intensity, though it was a lot of “I do a move and then you do a move.”. Still though, it was a nice joshi match and it makes sense to put it on here to add some flavor.

Post match, Itoh flips her off again just because.

Joey Ryan/Royce Isaacs vs. Antonio Honda/Danshoku Dino

Yeah it’s Joey Ryan, but I’ll give them points for having him come out to the Pina Colada song because it really couldn’t be a better fit. During the entrances, Dino (who apparently came up with Ryan’s special suplex and has a magic….well the opposite side of Ryan’s) goes around kissing random fans. Hold on though as Ryan has to do his lollipop distribution and the baby oil deal.

Joey and Dino start things off with Joey offering to have him touch it. They slug it out instead with Dino giving it a quick touch, setting up a standoff. Honda and Isaacs come in and Honda hurts his knee almost immediately. It’s so bad that he decides to retire….but first he wants to tell a fairy tale? He wants to make the world happy so he tells a story about a fox, which he makes with his hand. The fox went to the Empire State Building but then realized it was the Empire State Big D*** and pokes Isaacs in the eye.

Dino comes back in for some pelvic thrusting and grabs a claw inside Isaacs’ trunks. Mounted thrusting ensues and the fans declare this wrestling. As I think Jim Cornette would disagree, commentary says “Don’t tell Jim Cornette that.” Honda comes in for some near falls and it’s back to Dino, who lowers the trunks to reveal….well very little clothing actually. He does some squats over Isaacs’ face but Ryan comes in to knock him down onto Isaac.

That earns him a belly to belly suplex and it’s back to Ryan. Dino injures his knee on an atomic drop attempt and is then forced to touch it. Honda makes the save and is forced to touch it as well, with Dino making the save. Dino drops his trunks again and uses it to flip Joey for a change (just go with it). With Dino on top, Honda pulls down Dino’s remaining gear (Fans: “WE WANT A**!”) to reveal even less and Joey goes face first.

Isaacs comes back in for a Jackhammer but Dino gives him some rapid fire low blows. Honda pokes Isaacs in the eyes to send him into Dino’s….yeah you get the idea here. With Dino sitting on top, Honda makes the foxes with his hands and sticks them into Dino to charge them up, only to have Joey make him poke himself in the eye. Joey makes Honda touch it so Dino tries to flip Joey again, only to have Joey flip him from behind. The lollipop goes inside Dino and then into Honda’s mouth. Sweet Tooth Music is good for the pin at 13:22.

Rating: UN. For um, no. This is the kind of thing that you hear about from wacky wrestling and while I won’t say it’s absurd or stupid or not wrestling or whatever, it’s absolutely not for me and nothing I ever need to see again. You know what you’re getting when you get into this show but egads this was a rough one. Just not my thing and it never will be.

KOD Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Daisuke Sasaki

Sasaki is part of Damnation (at ringside with him), Takeshita is defending and this is the company’s top title. Sasaki takes him into the ropes and slaps him a few times for some mind games. They go to the mat with Sasaki grabbing a headlock and then leg lariats him down. A time out request earns Sasaki a right hand but his friends offer a distraction so Sasaki can get in a shot to the knee on the floor.

Back in and the knee is in trouble, with some stomps and an Indian Deathlock making it worse. A rope is grabbed and it’s an overhead belly to belly to send Sasaki flying. The knee won’t let Takeshita follow up so it’s a delayed DDT to plant Sasaki again. One heck of a Blue Thunder Bomb gives the champ two but Takeshita misses a running boot in the corner. Sasaki drapes him over the top for a running dropkick to put Takeshita in trouble again. Takeshita catches him with a big boot on top but can’t hit a German suplex to the floor.

They head outside with Sasaki sending him into the crowd and hitting a Russian legsweep into the chairs. A heck of a flying elbow onto the chairs crushes Takeshita again and it’s a crossface to make it worse back inside. That’s broken up as well and they forearm it out until Takeshita stomps on the fingers. Takeshita accidentally boots the referee in the corner so Sasaki gets in a low blow.

That’s good for a pretty quick two as that’s a resilient referee. Takeshita rolls outside, where he manages to catch a suicide dive and suplex Sasaki onto the apron. Now the running boot connects with Sasaki in the corner but he’s right back with a Pedigree to cut the champ off again. A scary release German suplex sends Sasaki flying (and nearly landing on his head), followed by a lariat to give Takeshita two.

They botch a Code Red attempt (making it look more like a reverse hurricanrana) to give Sasaki two and the crossface goes on again. That’s broken up as well and a kneeling tombstone gives Takeshita two more. The fans are split as Takeshita knees him hard and hits a springboard Swanton to a sitting Sasaki. Takeshita loads up a German suplex but Sasaki grabs the referee to hit a pair of low blows. A running hurricanrana gives Sasaki the pin and the title at 19:02.

Rating: B. Now this was more like it with a very good back and forth match. They were going back and forth here for a long time with Sasaki cheating over and over until Takeshita just couldn’t overcome the odds any longer. This was easily the best thing on the show so far and shows the athleticism and skill that the company can offer after some of the insanity earlier in the night.

The fans chant PLEASE COME BACK but Sasaki has something to say. He says this is his championship but here’s Tetsuya Endo with his Gauntlet….and it’s on.

KOD Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo vs. Daisuke Sasaki

Sasaki is defending and is chopped down while the introductions are being made. Endo suplexes him into the corner and hits a Spanish Fly for two. The champ rolls to the floor and teases a countout but Endo isn’t having any of that. Back in and Endo misses a springboard 450, allowing Sasaki to grab a rollup for two. They slug it out on the apron with Endo trying a torture rack but getting reversed into a quickly broken crossface. Back in and Endo hits a spinning torture rack slam for two more. Endo’s shooting star is good for the pin and the title at 4:03.

Rating: C. There’s only so much you can get out of this but they did their thing well enough while it lasted. Endo stealing the title was a cool moment to end the show but it’s weird seeing what seems to be a heel (albeit a popular heel) cash in on another heel. Both guys looked good here though and you believed Sasaki could pull it off.

Post match the announcers sign off but Endo grabs the mic to apologize to Sasaki. Endo addresses the crowd but says he can only speak Japanese. I don’t understand what he says, but he seems to put over DDT and New York. Endo praises Sasaki and the rest of his teammates before saying remember us.

That’s…not the end of the show as here are Saki Akai and Makoto Oishi with the latter spitting in her face and grabbing a rollup to win the Heavymetalweight Title (third time tonight). Kazuki Hirata comes in for a low blow to become champion. Now it’s Maki Itoh coming in for a small package for the title. Danshoku Dino comes in to kiss the men and headbutt Itoh, setting up a piledriver (with Itoh’s head down his trunks) for the pin and title. Dino puts over the company and kisses fans in the crowd to finally end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show is not going to be for everyone (and a lot of it wasn’t for me) but it was never boring and was rather energized throughout. What mattered here was how different things felt, which is the point of Wrestlemania weekend. It offered a bunch of different styles of wrestling that you don’t often see and that’s what you got here. It’s not something I’m going to want to watch again, but if you’re into something a little less serious with some good action in there, give this one a shot.

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 14, 2020
Host: Andy Shepard

It’s time for another special edition of the show and that should be something interesting. This time around it’s another Superstar Picks show and I’m curious to see what they pull out of the vault this time. The first edition was a lot of fun and hopefully that is the case again here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Andy Shepard welcomes us to the show and explains the concept in a hurry.

Eddie Dennis starts us off with a trip way back to Raw, March 3, 1997.

European Title: Owen Hart vs. British Bulldog

This is the finals of a tournament to crown the inaugural champion. They go to the corner to start with no one having an advantage. They exchange wristlock counters and it’s Bulldog with some very early control. He counters a monkey flip with a cartwheel and both guys nip up to a standoff but they shake hands and reset.

Owen grabs the wrist and climbs the ropes but gets caught in a powerbomb. Bulldog catapults him to the floor and invites him back in. Rollup gets two for Owen but an armdrag puts him on the mat where Bulldog takes over with a headlock again. Owen tries the same wristlock counter as before but the British one drops him right on his back and arm to counter.

We take a break and come back with Bulldog working on the arm even more. Bulldog’s old crucifix gets two. The delayed vertical is countered into an enziguri attempt but Bulldog ducks low. There’s a surfboard but Owen grabs the referee to escape. Bulldog speeds things up but Owen avoids him to toss him out to the floor. Bulldog is holding his knee but gets back in pretty easily.

Back in Owen tries a leapfrog but injures his own knee. He’s channeling his inner Bret though and is goldbricking so he can get the advantage. Now they’re ticked off and the Sharpshooter is broken up. Things speed up and Owen kicks his head off for no cover. Owen drops a leg for two and hooks a chinlock as they get a breath. Bulldog is knocked to the floor and a sunset flip back in gets two.

We take a second break and come back with Bulldog ramming elbows into Owen’s ribs but a belly to belly suplex stops him cold. Off to a camel clutch but Bulldog stands up and hits an electric chair to break the hold. Owen tries a Flair cover with his feet on the ropes for two and a middle rope elbow gets the same. This is already very good and is getting great. Up to the corner and Bulldog falls onto him to counter a superplex for two.

Bulldog comes back with clotheslines and the fans are getting into it. A suplex puts Owen down for two. Smith gorilla presses him but crotches him on the top. Owen’s German suplex gets two and Bulldog is in a bit of trouble. He’s fine enough to load up the powerslam but Owen grabs the ropes to escape. There’s the enziguri and Bulldog is down. He hooks the Sharpshooter but Bulldog makes the rope. Owen loads up a tombstone but Bulldog reverses into the Powerslam for two. The victory roll that Owen beat Bret with at Wrestlemania X is countered into a rollup of Bulldog’s own for the pin at 22:43.

Rating: A+. Just a total classic here as they countered each other perfectly the entire time and we got a great false finish with Owen kicking out of the powerslam. Do you ever remember that happening? This is easily one of the best matches you’ll ever see, especially on free TV. Great stuff and probably their second best matches ever each.

Candy Floss sends us to Raw, April 7, 2014.

Here are AJ and Tamina so the former can brag about being Divas Champion for 295 days now. She gave all of them a chance to prove her wrong and every single one of them has failed. She’s the hero of this story and the savior of the Divas division. Scratch that. She IS the Divas division, but here’s the debuting Paige to disagree. Paige is here to do what no one else would: congratulate AJ on her accomplishments. AJ tells her to go back to NXT and offers Paige a beating to send her there. Paige isn’t ready but AJ slaps her in the face and says let’s make it a title match. The fans are happy because they all know what’s coming.

Divas Title: AJ Lee vs. Paige

The champ jumps her to start and drops Paige with a running elbow. The Black Widow goes on but Paige powers out, hits a horrible looking Paige Turner and wins the title in a shock at 1:19. Well as much of a shock as it can be given how obvious it was as soon as Paige’s music hit.

Primate’s favorite match from NXT UK is from November 1, 2019 (though it seems to really be October 31, 2019).

Dave Mastiff vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin goes right at him but is smart enough to bail to the floor when he feels the power. Back in and Mastiff throws him around again, followed by a hard shot to the face. A choke takes Devlin to the top rope but he takes Mastiff’s arm down across said rope to take over. The arm goes around the rope again and Devlin stands on Mastiff’s head. The short armscissors goes on and some of those slaps to the leg look like taps. Anyway Devlin backflips away and muscles Devlin up for the break.

Back up and an overhead belly to belly sends Devlin flying but has to slap his own arm. Devlin tries the Devil Inside for as much success as you would have expected. A hard whip puts Devlin on the floor and there’s a Regal Roll to crush him even worse. Back in and Devlin hits a slingshot cutter into a moonsault for two, only to try it again and hit raised boots. Into the Void connects but Devlin collapses to the floor. Mastiff pulls him back in and goes up for some reason, allowing Devil to hit an enziguri. A super Devil Inside finishes Mastiff at 12:03.

Rating: B-. Devlin is looking more and more like a main eventer every single day and Mastiff does things that a giant should not be able to pull off. That gave us a rather entertaining match with Mastiff’s power and freaky athleticism being enough to hold Devlin down, but in the end it was one creative move that stopped him. That made for a rather strong story in a match where you wouldn’t have expected it.

Finally, Trent Seven picks this one from the United Kingdom Championship Tournament II Night Two.

NXT Tag Team Titles: Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era

The Era is defending. Bate dropkicks Strong to start and it’s quickly off to Seven for some arm cranking. As usual this goes badly for Seven but everything breaks down with the champs sending them outside. Back in and the fans are split as Strong chops away at Seven in the corner.

We’re already into the chinlock but Seven kicks O’Reilly to the floor. Like a smart champion, O’Reilly runs around the ring and pulls Bate off the apron to take over. As tends to be the case, the hot tag goes through a few seconds later, allowing Bate to come in and clean house. O’Reilly saves Strong from the airplane spin and jumps on Bate’s back, so Bate German suplexes Strong at the same time, just because he can.

Seven comes back in and gets kicked in the face for two, sending O’Reilly into fits of frustration. A discus forearm knocks Seven into Bate for the tag and the dragon suplex/clothesline combination (how they beat O’Reilly yesterday) gets a close two. Back up and O’Reilly’s brainbuster gets two on Bate but Seven sends Fish to the floor. A hard shot rocks O’Reilly and a torture rack neckbreaker/top rope knee drop combination finishes O’Reilly for the titles at 10:40.

Rating: B. That’s the way to fire up a crowd and it doesn’t matter if the title reign is just for the live crowd and they drop the belts right back in short order. Moustache Mountain is a fun team and the fans in both America and England love them. This was a perfect opener and that’s all you could have asked to see.

Overall Rating: A-. It’s a greatest hits show and I’m not sure what else you can ask for out of it. They had a nice mixture of stuff here and it was a bunch of either very good to classic matches. This is the kind of thing that they can do time after time and it is going to work almost every time. I wouldn’t mind having NXT UK back, but it’s not exactly something all that high up on my priority list. Keep this going as long as you can because it’s a lot more fun.

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 12, 2005
Location: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 7,500
Commentators: Joey Styles, Jerry Lawler, Jonathan Coachman

It’s officially a new era as Eric Bischoff was fired last week. That ends a three and a half year reign from Bischoff, meaning we now need a new boss. Or maybe not at the time as we have the build for the Elimination Chamber to get us through the next week or two. That could make for some good stuff so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week’s trial and Eric Bischoff being fired.

Here’s Vince McMahon to get things going, but first he has to throw away a microphone that doesn’t work. Last week he fired Eric Bischoff and that isn’t changing. Oh and Merry Christmas to Eric and his family. As for a new GM, Vince has some options. Maybe Stephanie McMahon or Shane McMahon, or Theo Epstein or Ted Turner. It might even be one of the fans here! Vince: “Just ribbing. It won’t be one of you.”

Vince has assigned someone to be the interim GM for tonight. He’s a business genius, handsome and one virile SOB. Naturally that’s Vince himself, and tonight it’s the Elimination Chamber qualifying matches. We’ll start with this, and the fans will NOT be censored during his entrance.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Ric Flair vs. Kurt Angle

Non-title. Flair headlocks him down to start and Angle is already bailing into the corner. With the WOOing out of the way, Angle drives him into the corner and pounds away. Some chops don’t do Flair much good so it’s a German suplex into the ankle lock. A few dives allow Flair to make it to the rope so Angle grapevines it for the four count as we take a break.

Back with Flair fighting out of a chinlock and belly to back suplexing his way to freedom. The Figure Four goes on but it’s pretty close to the rope and doesn’t last long. The leg is fine enough to pop off an overhead belly to belly but Flair chops him to the floor. Angle grabs a chair so the referee gets rid of them, allowing Angle to whip out a gold medal and knock Flair silly for the pin.

Rating: C+. This was getting good until the end and I’m always appreciative of protecting a champion. Angle beating Flair on his own wouldn’t have been horrible but there’s no need to have the champ lose again so soon after Survivor Series. I could go for more of this, though it would just make me wonder what they could have done in their primes.

Post match Angle goes on a rant about how Raw is going to Afghanistan next week for a Tribute to the Troops. It’s voluntary though and Angle is NOT going because the troops have done nothing for him. MAYBE is they catch Osama Bin Laden, he’ll go over there and sign some autographs.

We cut to Daivari in the back in front of statues of Boston sports legends Larry Bird and Bobby Orr. He whips out some spray paint so he can treat them like Americans treat Angle but here’s angry John Cena to cut them off. Cena goes on a rant about how Angle won’t go honor the troops that keep him safe. Half of the people think Cena sucks too so but that’s because we’re in AMERICA! With no American soldiers there are no American heroes, and you can’t see him, so he spray paints the camera lens.

Edge and Lita mock Flair for being arrested. A fight is teased but goes nowhere.

Shelton Benjamin comes in to see Shawn Michaels and asks him about last week when Shawn wanted an attitude. That’s what Shelton gave him and now Shawn isn’t happy. Tonight, Shelton is qualifying for the Elimination Chamber and he hopes Shawn is there. Shelton hands Shawn a copy of Shawn’s book to show him….I’m not sure actually.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito

Shelton jumps him at the bell to start and Carlito is stomped to the floor early on. Back in and a quick belly to belly drops Carlito again. Shelton follows him to the floor for some clotheslines but Carlito rams him into the apron. Back in again and the Backstabber drops Shelton, followed by a backbreaker to keep the focus strong.

The Boston crab is broken up in a hurry and Shelton hits a Samoan drop into some clotheslines. A sunset flip connects but Carlito grabs the referee to get a slight delay. Carlito hits him in the back but walks into the exploder….for no cover. Instead Shelton grabs the apple and takes a bite, allowing Carlito to small package him for the pin.

Rating: C-. What does it say that Shelton is moving up in the world by having a reason for him to lose? This just keeps getting worse and worse but for some reason WWE doesn’t see much in Shelton. I’m not a big Carlito guy but in this case, he’s the right choice to put into the match. Granted the match might not be the best idea, though that has never stopped them before.

Trevor Murdoch talks to Vince about being the GM. Vince throws him out for having tobacco and moves on to find Candice Michelle. The word position is mentioned several times and lingerie is revealed. Kurt Angle storms in and Vince is ready to kill him as we go to a break.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Big Show vs. Shawn Michaels

Shawn gets thrown into the corner to start and has to chop his way out of a chokeslam attempt. A low bridge puts Show on the floor but he catches the dive and throws Shawn back in. The big elbow misses so Show goes with the bearhug instead. That’s broken up so Shawn chops away, only to have the forearm pulled out of the air.

Some more strikes work for Shawn and he counters the chokeslam into a DDT. The top rope elbow connects and so does the superkick…which only puts Show on one knee. Shawn tries it again but gets chokeslammed for his efforts. Cue HHH with a chair to hit Shawn, meaning Show loses so HHH can laugh.

Rating: C+. Shawn was moving out there and had you believing that this could go either way, which is hard to do in about five and a half minutes. The ending sets up a match at No Year’s Revolution and gave us a few entertaining minutes of action. Not too bad, but Shawn can make something work out of almost any situation.

Kurt demands a title match against Cena tonight but Vince reminds him that this isn’t Eric Bischoff’s Raw anymore. Instead, Vince gives Cena a You Can’t See Me match against Daivari, meaning Cena will be blindfolded. Oh and you can disrespect the troops and Larry Bird, but NEVER interrupt him. Angle and Daivari leave so Vince can admire Candice’s magic wand (minus Candice).

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Chris Masters vs. Viscera

Masters powers him into the corner but Viscera comes out with a slam. An elbow gives Viscera two and he falls on top of Masters for daring to try a slam of his own. The Masterlock doesn’t work as Viscera drives him into the corner, setting up a side slam. A Samoan drop puts him down as well, only to have Masters drop toehold him into the corner. The Masterlock to a kneeling Viscera is good for the submission.

Rating: D+. You know, this wasn’t too bad all things considered. Who would have expected anything from these two? Masters getting the hold on Viscera was kind of impressive and the match wound up being a decent enough power showdown. I still don’t see Masters as anything more than a midcarder, but like Carlito, he’s the right choice at this point.

Smackdown Rebound.

Trish Stratus went to talk to Mickie James but Mickie tells a story about growing up watching wrestling with her grandfather. He took her to Wrestlemania X7 where Trish stood up to Vince McMahon (Mickie: “You were totally sleeping with him!”) and then he died soon after. Now she has a #1 contenders match and might get to be in the ring with Trish! Mickie starts crying and Trish suddenly can’t remember what she came here for. Sounds like a delayed breakup.

Here’s Matt Striker to teach us something. His blackboard says Family Values, which have been forgotten. Like working mothers. What happened to mothers who did work when they weren’t on their back? Striker wants to know where the fathers are, but here in Massachusetts, they’re probably marrying each other.

Striker brings up the gay marriage law in Massachusetts and says “that’s the sort of thing that is ruining our country.” The people here are uneducated and that’s where he comes in. He’ll be your father figure! There’s a line in there that wasn’t good when it aired and has aged even more horribly. That would be “Here’s Matt Striker.”

Chris Nowinski and Dusty Rhodes both apply to be General Manager.

Victoria vs. Mickie James

The winner gets Trish, on commentary, for the title at New Year’s Revolution. Victoria starts fast with the spinning side slam for two but a standing moonsault hits knees. Mickie slugs away to knock her into the corner as Trish sounds nervous about the idea of facing Trish. Victoria comes back with a quickly broken Boston crab so it’s the MickieDT to give Mickie the pin and make Trish a little more anxious.

Rating: D+. Another match that didn’t have the time to go anywhere and that’s fine. You’re only going to get so much out of a short match like this, which is even more frustrating when these two are capable of doing more. The women’s division has been three people for a long time now and that needs to change. I mean it probably won’t, but it should.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: HHH vs. Kane

HHH charges into a clothesline to start and Kane hammers away in the corner. The big choke has HHH in more trouble so he goes to the knee. Kane whips him over the corner for the big crash to the floor though and we take a break. Back with HHH hitting a spinebuster but the sleeper is broken in a hurry.

The powerslam sends HHH down again but HHH rolls outside before the top rope clothesline can launch. Back in and the facebuster connects, only to have Kane kick the referee down by mistake. The distraction lets HHH pull out the sledgehammer but here’s the Big Show. Kane gets back up and it’s a double chokeslam for the slow three.

Rating: C-. This was another storyline match but at least they had some time to make it work out a little better. HHH vs. Big Show is a fine enough match, but it’s a little strange to see a Tag Team Champion in a singles match. Much like the women’s division, it’s not like Kane and Show have much competition though so there aren’t many other options.

John Cena vs. Daivari

Non-title, only Cena is blindfolded and yep that’s a major hometown pop. Daivari claps to get Cena’s attention and Cena misses a charge. A slap to the back of the head annoys Cena again and Daivari even talks some trash. Believe it or not that’s not a good idea as Cena gets in a shot to the face. Cena starts pointing for the YES/NO chants from the crowd but Angle gets in a cheap shot. Cena catches Daivari anyway though and it’s the STFU for the fast tap.

Rating: D. These matches almost never work but the fans helping Cena here and keeping it short made this a lot easier to get through. Angle vs. Cena has been done for weeks now though and I really don’t need to see any more of it, even an offshoot like this. At least the hometown boy wins for once though, which shouldn’t be that big of a surprise.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a theme show and those can be hit and miss. They did what they needed to do for the Chamber though and that’s a good thing. There were a few other things going on and those feuds are only decent. I’ll give them points for having SOMETHING during the December lull though, as that isn’t often the case. Not a bad show, but it was almost all about one idea and if you didn’t care for it, you weren’t getting much out of this.

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

Undertaker is going to retire one day, believe it or not.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-goodbye-gong/

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: May 13, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton, Beth Phoenix

It’s another title week this time around with the Tag Team Titles on the line as Timothy Thatcher and Matt Riddle defend against Imperium. It’s always fun to see Imperium in the ring so we should be in for a big match. Other than that, Finn Balor gets to beat up Cameron Grimes on his way to finding out who attacked him. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Timothy Thatcher/Matt Riddle vs. Imperium

Imperium (Marcel Barthel/Fabian Aichner this time) are challenging and it’s Thatcher taking Barthel down to the mat to start. Aichner comes in for an armbar as Riddle beats up Barthel on the floor. Riddle comes in to choke Aichner, who powers out without much trouble. That just earns him a gutwrench suplex so Barthel can come in, earning a suplex of his own. Aichner runs Riddle over though and we take a break. Back with Riddle fighting out of a chinlock but it’s too early for the tag.

Aichner hammers away again and hands it right back to Aichner to pound him down. Riddle suplexes his way out but misses the penalty kick, meaning Barthel can cut him off again. That earns Barthel a kick to the head and Riddle monkey flips him….right into Thatcher to knock him off the apron. That’s enough for Thatcher, who walks out, despite Riddle’s shouts. The European Bomb is broken up though and it’s a Bro to Sleep to Barthel. A blind tag brings Aichner back in though and the European Bomb gives us new champions at 11:04.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have much of a choice here as Thatcher and Riddle were a makeshift team to replace another makeshift team. At some point you need to just give them to a regular team and that’s a good idea with Imperium. Riddle and Thatcher can do something later on anyway and give them both something to do.

Post break Thatcher complains about Riddle not being serious. He wants to be a champion, but not with someone who is more about game shows and flip flops. Riddle comes in and the fight has to be broken up.

Tegan Nox vs. Indi Hartwell

Hartwell slams her down by the hair to start and some shots to the ribs have Nox in angry pain. A side slam gives Hartwell two but Nox fights back with a whip into the corner. The reverse cannonball sets up a high crossbody to drop Hartwell again. The Shiniest Wizard gives Nox the pin at 3:19.

Rating: C-. How great is it to see Nox not only on her feet but also getting to do something in the ring? You almost never see anything like that after two horrible knee injuries and yet here Nox is. I’m not sure how high she can go, but not wrestler deserves to have their career cut short so horribly and so soon.

We look back at Rhea Ripley returning to go after Charlotte but getting in a fight with Io Shirai.

Rhea is ready to bring the Women’s Title back to NXT and if she has to beat up Shirai to get there, so be it.

Riddle says he has a match with Thatcher tonight so here’s Thatcher to jump him from behind. He hits Riddle in the arm with what looks like a TV.

Jake Atlas says he has to win to advance and then hopes that Drake Maverick wins to force the tie.

Interim Cruiserweight Title Tournament Group A: Tony Nese (0-2) vs. Jake Atlas (1-1)

Last first round match for both guys. Nese grabs a headlock to start and snaps Atlas’ throat across the top to put him down. Some left hands set up a front facelock on Atlas but he’s right back up with a big boot. There’s a German suplex into a step up enziguri for two on Nese. That’s not good for Tony but he can’t hit the pumphandle powerslam. Instead Atlas hits a running neckbreaker, only to get caught in the corner. That lets Nese stomp away at the face and head but Atlas kicks him down. The Rainbow DDT finishes Nese at 5:04.

Rating: C. This didn’t have much time to go anywhere but Atlas is starting to grow on me. He’s come in pretty cold and now has a finisher that is getting over and is a contender for the tournament finals. I’m not sure where this block is going and that’s an interesting feeling, as this could set up a three way tie if Maverick can beat Kushida.

Group A Standings

Kushida – 2 – 0

Jake Atlas – 2 – 1

Drake Maverick – 1 – 1

Tony Nese – 0 – 3

Adam Cole talks to Kyle O’Reilly on Facetime because O’Reilly is making a movie. Apparently it’s Nuns On The Run Ghostbusters meets Titanic but here are Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong to join in things. It’s been a long time since they’ve been together but O’Reilly is happy with what they’ve been doing. They’re not happy with Dexter Lumis so Strong is going to take care of him.

Karrion Kross/Scarlett video, set to the old The End Is Here theme. They are not here to shock a system or to save anyone. No, they are your entertainment and it is time to wake up from the dream or else you will sleep forever. Tommaso Ciampa was the first but will not be the last.

Dakota Kai talks about how she cared too much about the fans because they didn’t care about her. She came back from her knee injury and was in the shadow of Tegan Nox. That brought her to Takeover: WarGames where she took Nox out. Then she met Raquel Gonzalez, who knows what it’s like to be an outcast as well. This is the hurting business and they’re going to hurt everyone.

Isaiah Scott is ready to win and stay alive in the tournament. He’s feeling confident to protect his house. If you can’t win a match in this tournament, you should quit wrestling.

D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels/HHH/Road Dogg in this case) announce the next Takeover, which will be Takeover: In Your House on June 7. Dogg finally remembers that HHH had the hog pen match and we’re suddenly out of time.

Finn Balor vs. Cameron Grimes

This could be interesting. Grimes goes for the Cave In at the bell but Balor isn’t having any of that and takes him into the chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry and Grimes kicks him away, setting up some elbows to the back. Balor rolls out of a sunset flip and dropkicks him down but can’t get 1916.

Back from a break with Balor fighting out of an armbar but getting kicked in the knee to take him down again. Some shoulders to the back keep Balor in trouble and a big clothesline gives Grimes two. Balor is right back with the double stomp and then regular stomps put Grimes on the floor.

That’s fine with Balor, who goes to the apron to keep up the stomping. The running kick from the apron drops Grimes again…and here’s Damian Priest. Balor is ready for him and takes Priest down, followed by the Sling Blade to Grimes on the floor. Back in and Priest gets in a baton shot to the leg, setting up the Cave In (more like a running double stomp to the back of the head) for the pin at 9:47.

Rating: B-. I’m curious about how this is going to go as they have Grimes getting a big win to give him something to build from, but also Priest vs. Balor. Odds are you can pencil that in for Takeover and Grimes will probably get something out of this as well. Not bad for ten minutes of action.

Post match Priest hits the Reckoning on the chair and sits it on Balor’s throat ala HHH/Undertaker in 2001. Priest reveals himself as the attacker. Well that was simple.

Interim Cruiserweight Title Tournament Group B: Jack Gallagher (0-2) vs. Isaiah Scott (1-1)

Final first round match for both and if Scott loses, he’s eliminated. Hold on though as here’s Nese to deck Scott from behind and send him into the steps. Like any goodhearted schnook, Scott says he’ll fight so the bell rings. That is immediately followed by a running corner dropkick for two and the seated abdominal stretch goes on. Scott fights out and hits a quick House Call for two, followed by some YES Kicks. Gallagher pulls him down into a guillotine so Scott muscles up and throws him off. Not that it matters as Gallagher discus forearms him for the pin at 3:32.

Rating: C. This was working while it lasted but it didn’t have time to go anywhere. I’m surprised that Scott is already eliminated. It’s nice to see Gallagher actually get a win for a change, but I still don’t get why Scott can’t get out of the blocks around here. He seems like someone who is ready to be pushed but it just never takes off. He’s far from done, though they might want to actually do something with him.

Group B Standings

Akira Tozawa – 2 – 0

El Hijo del Fantasma – 1 – 1

Jack Gallagher – 1 – 2

Isaiah Scott – 1 – 2

Kayden Carter vs. Aliyah

Carter takes her down in a hurry and the trash talk is on. Aliyah fights up and gets suplexed down for two. A missed charge in the corner lets Aliyah kick away but Carter switches places and stomps as well. Cue Robert Stone to watch as Aliyah takes over again and goes up top. That’s broken up as well and something like an Indian Deathlock makes Aliyah tap. So much for the Stone deal.

And now, Dinner with the Garganos. Things have gotten better in recent weeks with Candice stomping a hole in a ninja and Gargano beating the 7’8 383lb Dominick Dijadofus. They look at some clips of the match with Gargano breaking Dijakovic down. If he did it so easily and Keith Lee had so many problems, Gargano wouldn’t have any problem with Lee. Candice isn’t happy with Mia Yim being rewarded over and over after losing time after time. Where is Candice’s chance? Everyone else deserves nothing, just like Mia.

Gargano knows what it’s like to be North American Champion and everyone loves you….until they don’t. The glory Lee is looking for doesn’t exist because it’s just a catchphrase to get fans on your side. Gargano has been turned on before and while Lee is strong physically, he isn’t strong enough to deal with reality. They’ll show everyone what glory looks like. These dinner deals are great and this worked well, again.

Next week: Kushida vs. Drake Maverick and Fantasma vs. Tozawa, plus Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle

Thatcher doesn’t get an entrance and Riddle’s arm…seems to be fine actually. Riddle takes him to the mat to start and fights from underneath. That’s broken up in a hurry so Riddle kicks away at the legs. They go straight back to the mat with Riddle getting on top this time and pounding away.

Thatcher can’t get the leg so Riddle drives him down again and they trade forearms from the mat. They get back up with Riddle firing off knees and kicks. Back from a break with Riddle working on the leg but Riddle gets up again. A German suplex is no sold and Riddle hits the running knee. Riddle gets in a triangle choke but Thatcher reverses into an armbar.

The powerbomb breaks things up and they get back to their feet to strike it out hard. Thatcher knocks him down for the ankle lock (on a bare foot, which is a little strange) but that’s reverses into a Bro To Sleep to put them both down. The Floating Bro hits knees and Thatcher grabs a Fujiwara armbar. That’s reversed so Thatcher grabs the ankle again but Riddle stacks him up for a pin at 12:26.

Rating: B. Maybe it was that the match was so different but this was a really entertaining one with a very different style. Thatcher looked like he could hang with Riddle and doesn’t lose all that much by getting pinned. Fans are still getting used to Thatcher so having him show off against Riddle is a good way to go.

Post match Thatcher sends the arm into the post and grabs the Fujiwara armbar. Riddle taps so Thatcher lets go, only to put it on again for more tapping and screaming to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was pretty good overall here but the show just felt bleh. You can see some of what they’re setting up for Takeover and I’m sure they’ll be fine to set up a card over the next two weeks, but it’s still not all that thrilling. That being said, there is only so much that can be done with the limited crew and it’s pretty clear that they are lacking a lot of their big stars. It’s just a weird time and while the wrestling worked, it wasn’t a great feeling one and that’s a bigger problem.

Results

Imperium b. Timothy Thatcher/Matt Riddle – European Bomb to Riddle

Tegan Nox b. Indi Hartwell – Shiniest Wizard

Jake Atlas b. Tony Nese – Rainbow DDT

Cameron Grimes b. Finn Balor – Cave In

Jack Gallagher b. Isaiah Scott – Discus forearm

Kayden Carter b. Aliyah – Indian Deathlock

Matt Riddle b. Timothy Thatcher – Rollup

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: AEW

Dynamite
Date: May 13, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re coming up on Double Or Nothing and that means things are going to be pushing forward this week. The big story coming out of last week was the return of Santana and Ortiz to put the Inner Circle back to full strength. I’m not sure where things can from here but it should be interesting either way. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Lance Archer to beat up a backstage worker. He and Jake Roberts get in the ring with Jake talking about how he isn’t interested in giving Brandi Rhodes an apology. Jake has been watching Archer’s work…..and here’s Cody, in his truck, to carefully run over some rather breakable barricades. Cody has his fists taped up and kicks Archer low to take the fight to ringside. Archer drops him on the apron (Jake: “Cody went boom.”) but Cody is right back up. A chair shot has no effect on Archer but he slips out of the Blackout. The Cody Cutter is blocked as well but Roberts says not now and the villains leave. This worked well.

We run down the card.

Video on the depth of the tag team division. They really do have a lot of options.

Best Friends vs. Jurassic Express

Is there some rule that says the Best Friends have to be on every show??? Orange Cassidy is here as well of course. Jungle Boy armdrags Chuck to start so it’s off to Trent to chop at Luchasaurus. The Tail Whip drops Trent so it’s back to Boy, who gets caught on top. Chuck puts Trent on his shoulders so Boy missile dropkicks him down. Luchasaurus comes back in for a kick to the head as everything breaks down.

A chokeslam is broken up and it’s a double suplex to drop Luchasaurus. There’s the big hug but Boy flip dives onto both of them as we take a break. Back with Chuck fighting out of the corner and handing it off to Trent for the tornado DDT on Luchasaurus. Orange Cassidy starts playing cheerleader but here’s Fenix to jump him from behind. MJF jumps the barricade to post Boy and it’s the Awful Waffle to give Chuck the pin at 10:48.

Rating: C. This wasn’t great but it did its job well enough. I’m curious about the random attacks but I’m sure it’s going to be leading somewhere. What we got here was good enough, even if I could go months without seeing another Best Friends match. At least Luchasaurus didn’t take the fall, but it’s not much better to have Boy get pinned as he’s on his way to a match at Double Or Nothing.

Post match Wardlow jumps Marko Stunt and has a staredown with Luchasaurus. For once Excalibur does something useful, explaining that the people involved in the random attacks are part of the Casino Battle Royal at Double Or Nothing and are trying to get an early advantage. That line took five seconds and cleared everything up.

Jon Moxley arrives and has nothing to say.

Hikaru Shida vs. Kris Stadtlander vs. Britt Baker vs. Penelope Ford

One fall to a finish with Stadtlander being knocked down to start (Tony: “The alien is down on the mat.”) as Baker goes after Shida to make up for the broken nose. Stadtlander makes the save so Ford crossbodies Stadtlander and Shida at the same time. That earns her a double nip up so Baker grabs the Lockjaw on Shida. Stadtlander makes the save by grabbing Baker’s face, earning herself a whip into the corner. Back up and everyone gets knocked down and we take an early break.

We come back with Stadtlander fighting up but getting caught in Baker’s Canadian Destroyer. Ford cutters Baker down for two and Stadtlander Michinoku Drivers Ford for the same. Stadtlander gets sent into the corner and Shida is suplexed into her for a crash. Ford’s reverse hurricanrana sends Stadtlander outside and Baker follows her with Lockjaw. The distraction lets Shida knee Ford in the face for the pin at 10:24.

Rating: C+. This was almost all action and the women’s division continues to make great strides. They’ve come a very long way in a short amount of time and that’s awesome to see. It was a rocky part of the show at first but things have picked up to the point where it can be downright enjoyable more often than not. Shida vs. Nyla Rose should be good stuff too, likely at the pay per view.

Pineapple Pete says he’s happy that Jericho has given him a new name because it’s made life sweet. He takes a drink from a pineapple in case you needed a visual.

Kenny Omega/Matt hardy vs. Santana and Ortiz

Omega gets jumped before Matt comes to the ring so here’s Matt to bite Santana for the save. Hardy gets to the ring and it’s officially Omega and Ortiz to start. The running Fameasser gets Omega out of trouble and it’s off to Matt for a neckbreaker. The WONDERFUL legdrop allows the tag back to Omega for the chops in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Omega caught in a Boston crab but fighting out without much trouble. Ortiz comes back in to poke him in the eye and gyrate the hips a bit. Omega doesn’t seem pleased and fights back, allowing the hot tag off to Hardy. Santana is sent head first into multiple buckles as house is cleaned in a hurry. The Side Effect gets two on Santana but Matt has to break up the Street Sweeper.

Omega dives onto Santana and the Twist of Fate gets two with Ortiz making the save. The shotgun dropkick puts Omega in the corner for the assisted backsplash and another near fall. Hardy is back in with a double underhook neck crank but here’s Sammy Guevara, limping on a chair and in a neck brace. Hardy kicks the chair away and gives him a Twist of Fate (our hero). The V Trigger catches Ortiz on top and it’s a Twist of Fate to finish at 17:15.

Rating: B-. This one felt lone but Omega and Hardy getting revenge and a win back after last week’s big loss is a good idea. They did what they needed to here and Sammy coming out was a great thing to see. What matters is keeping the momentum going towards whatever these guys are doing at Double Or Nothing and they did that here.

Darby Allin still doesn’t want Taz’s help. It’s Taz who doesn’t get it, and Allin mentions that he was third in the Idaho state wrestling tournament.

We talk about the Casino Battle Royal, which will have nine entrants and staggered entrances again.

Hikaru Shida, who is confirmed for the title shot at Double or Nothing, promises to win. Nyla Rose comes in and kendo sticks her down. Nyla: “I FOUND YOUR KENDO STICK B****!”

Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Lee Johnson

MJF jumps him from behind to start and the trash talk is on in a hurry. Johnson gets sent outside with MJF telling the wrestlers in the crowd to help him. There’s an apron bomb to knock Johnson silly and it’s a shoulder breaker back inside. A Fujiwara armbar makes Johnson tap at 2:44.

Post match MJF talks about being ready for Jungle Boy. He still has some ring rust though and needs to shake that off against Marko Stunt next week.

Chris Jericho vs. Pineapple Pete

Jericho has the Inner Circle with him and his own Pineapple Pete shirt. Pete slugs away to start and hits a running elbow in the corner, followed by a second for good measure. That just earns Pete the Judas Effect for the pin at 1:04. This was worth it just for JR’s response to hearing that the match was taking place.

Post match Jericho says that with the threat of Pineapple Pete dispatched, it’s time to move forward. He’s heard that Hangman Page has moved to North Carolina to pick berries and the Young Bucks are hiding in California. That brings him to the Elite, because while the world is reacting to the Coronavirus, the Inner Circle is acting. That’s why they have created the Stadium Stampede match. Imagine what the Inner Circle can do to the Elite in an 80,000 person seat football stadium. They can bring it at Double Or Nothing.

Cue Vanguard 1 with the stolen shirt, which Jericho takes back. He had warrants out in seven states for Vanguard’s arrest. We see Vanguard’s perspective and he says WE ACCEPT. Tony: “He speaks drone.” Jericho asks about Vanguard joining the Inner Circle but doesn’t get an answer. That’s fine with Jericho, who introduces Vanguard to the newest member of the team: Floyd the baseball bat. Cue Matt Hardy, so the Inner Circle, including Jericho with a baseball bat, to run away.

We run down next week’s card.

Christopher Daniels vs. Brodie Lee

Lee, with 10, is wearing the AEW World Title and declares himself champion. Daniels is tossed to the floor and a shot to the face knocks him down again. The rest of SCU argues with Lee though and Daniels gets back up for a suicide dive. The Arabian moonsault takes Lee down again and a slingshot elbow gets one. Lee is right back up with a big boot and the boot choke is on. The swinging Boss Man Slam gets two and we take a break.

Back with Daniels countering a backdrop into a DDT and a hurricanrana staggers Lee again. 10 offers a distraction so SCU cuts him off. Daniels grabs the Koji Clutch so SCU and Colt Cabana come in to cut off the Dark Order’s interference. Lee and Daniels aren’t couched so the match keeps going, with Daniels hitting Angel’s Wings for one. The Best Moonsault Ever press gets two so Daniels goes up again, only to dive into a powerbomb. The discus lariat finishes Daniels at 12:33.

Rating: C+. This was a good win for Lee and sets up the title match well. You can only get so much out of squash after squash so beating someone with Daniels’ reputation, especially after kicking out of his finisher like that, is a good way to go. They did this the right way and hopefully we get something even better from Lee vs. Moxley.

Post match Lee grabs the title so here’s Jon Moxley for the fight. Lee sends a member of the Dark Order after Moxley and leaves with 10 and the title. Moxley says Lee is going to pay for this with interest. The World Title is about a lot more than a piece of metal. At Double Or Nothing, Lee may very well find that his AEW career is over before it started. Moxley beats up the masked man to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The point of this show was to set up Double Or Nothing and they did that very well. The wrestling was mostly good (though not all of it) and they made me want to see the pay per view. What helped a lot here was how they didn’t spend too much time on any one thing. It was a good balance of material from a lot of the feuds and that helps a lot on a show like this. They didn’t blow anything away here, but they accomplished the important goal.

Results

Best Friends b. Jurassic Express – Awful Waffle to Jungle Boy

Hikaru Shida b. Kris Stadtlander, Britt Baker and Penelope Ford – Running knee to Ford

Kenny Omega/Matt Hardy b. Santana and Ortiz – Twist of Fate to Ortiz

Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Lee Johnson – Fujiwara armbar

Chris Jericho b. Pineapple Pete – Judas Effect

Brodie Lee b. Christopher Daniels – Discus lariat

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:

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