IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #97
Date: February 15, 2020
Location: NYTEX Sports Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

I could go for the theme being forever. This is a special edition of the show as the Dynasty is running things, meaning we can get that sweet theme song over and over. All of the team is in action tonight, including Richard Holiday/Maxwell Jacob Friedman challenging the Von Erichs for the Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

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

We get a Dynasty opening sequence. Like it would be anything else.

Rich has to read an intro prepared by the Dynasty, including referring to the viewers as “consumers”.

We look at Mance Warner not being too high on the Dynasty. As a result, Warner has been banned from the “permises”, as it says on the flier.

We look at Gino Medina joining the Dynasty.

Septimo Dragon vs. Gino Medina

Richard Holliday is on commentary and Septimo (not an actual dragon according to the graphic) has Konnan in his corner. Gino gets sent to the floor in a hurry and it’s a moonsault from the apron, followed by a suicide dive for a bonus. Back in and they flip over each other before missing kicks to the head. That means an early stand off and the fans are rather pleased. Dragon hurricanranas him to the floor before walking on his hands to avoid another kick.

Another headscissors gets pushed off with Dragon crashing into the ropes for two. The chinlock goes on to keep Dragon down but he fights up and hits a big top rope armdrag. Medina rolls outside to get in Konnan’s face but Dragon breaks it up with a top rope Asai moonsault. Back in and a kick to the face sets up a standing Spanish Fly for two on Medina. A springboard tornado DDT gets the same but Medina is right back with a small package with a foot on the ropes for the pin at 6:48.

Rating: C. Pretty entertaining lucha match with the usual collection of flips and dives, though I’m not sure how interesting Medina really is. He looks good in the suit and sounds like a good idea but I’ve yet to see the big match/moment from him. Granted he doesn’t exactly have a long resume and it’s not like he’s been awful by any stretch.

Post match Holliday comes in for the beatdown with Medina stealing the mask. Konnan makes the save with a slapjack.

Here’s what’s coming in the Tag Team Title match, as written by the Dynasty.

Mance Warner is locked out because he didn’t meet the dress code.

Warner says that’s not going to work.

Erick Stevens is still coming and actually gets here next week.

National Openweight Title: Alexander Hammerstone vs. Aerostar

Hammerstone is defending and Konnan is on commentary to talk about everyone coming up from Mexico. Aerostar starts fast by running the ropes for a middle rope dropkick. Hammerstone gets low bridged to the floor and we take a break. Back with Aerostar having shrugged off a bunch of power moves during the break and hitting a corkscrew crossbody for two.

The Nightmare Pendulum is countered into a small package for two (with Konnan complaining about the speed of the count, as he should). Hammerstone crotches him on top and that means a delayed superplex for two, with Hammerstone’s face perfectly switching from smug to angry. A German suplex drops Aerostar on his head but a powerbomb is reversed into the Canadian Destroyer for two. With nothing else working, Hammerstone pulls the mask off for the pin at 8:10.

Rating: B-. The action was better here with Hammerstone showing off the power rather well. Aerostar got to fight back with the flying and lucha stuff, though I’m not wild on both masks being ripped off in a row. At least it was two different forms of cheating for the actual falls, but this one felt repetitive after what we saw fifteen minutes ago.

We get another Filthy Does Dallas video with Tom Lawlor and Dominic Garrini standing on the grounds where the Sportatorium formerly stood. As expected, they relieve themselves on the ground.

Warner promise to wreck things.

Killer Kross is coming.

We recap the Death Squad jumping the Hart Dynasty with the Von Erichs making the save.

Jacob Fatu tells Cima to bring it.

Cima will bring it in three weeks on episode #100.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. and the Von Erichs share a family history because Stu Hart trained Fritz Von Erich. They have each others backs and Davey is watching Tom Lawlor.

Warner isn’t allowed in but buys off the security guard with beer because MJF is an a******.

LA Park is coming back.

Video on the Dynasty’s dominance.

Tag Team Titles: Dynasty vs. Von Erichs

The Dynasty is challenging but after their entrance, they step off to the side without coming down the aisle. We get some old school flower gifts for the Von Erichs but the Dynasty run in from behind for the opening bell. The champs get sent into the barricade and they head inside for the first time with Ross being chopped in the corner. Boot choking abounds and Holliday gets two off a neckbreaker.

Ross’s legs are wishboned and MJF shouts about how Marshall is RIGHT THERE if Ross can get over to him. Ross manages to escape but Holliday pulls Marshall off the apron. The Paisan elbow gets two and MJF’s suplex is good for the same. Holliday’s gets the third near fall in a row with MJF demanding a faster count. The chinlock goes on for a bit before MJF wants a double suplex. Ross counters into a double neckbreaker though and the hot tag brings in Marshall to clean house (albeit at a bit of a slow pace).

A Cannonball in the corner sets up a standing moonsault for two as everything breaks down. Ross hits a big dive onto MJF, leaving Marshall to take Holliday up top. That just means a Market Crash to set up MJF’s top rope splash. Ross dives over the referee (cool visual) for the save as Hammerstone comes to the ring. Cue Warner to chair him down though, drawing out Medina for the brawl to the back. A double dropkick puts Holliday on the floor and the Claw/belly to back suplex combination finishes MJF to retain the titles at 12:38.

Rating: C+. They went with the formula stuff here as the fans wanted to cheer the Von Erichs. It’s true that they’re very green but there is something about them that makes fans get behind them. This is the kind of place where they can gain experience and working against a good (albeit also young) team like the Dynasty is going to help that out a lot.

Overall Rating: B. I had a good time with this one as they had a nice theme going throughout the night. The Dynasty is still one of the best things going in MLW and it’s a shame that MJF is going away soon (if not after this). Warner vs. the Dynasty is a good idea, if nothing else for the culture clash, and maybe we can get some fresh blood near the top of the card. Good show here, with the presentation making it work.

Results

Gino Medina b. Septimo Dragon – Small package with a foot on the ropes

Alexander Hammerstone b. Aerostar – Rollup

Von Erichs b. Dynasty – Claw/belly to back suplex combination to Friedman

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: February 20, 2020
Location: York Barbican, York, England
Commentators: Aiden English, Tom Phillips

It’s another week and hopefully things can pick up a bit after last week’s not so great show. NXT UK has turned into a place where you can fairly expect some very good stuff and I have no reason to believe that last week was anything more than a one off misfire. That has been the case elsewhere before and I’ve been rather wrong. Let’s get to it.

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

Joe Coffey watches a clip of Ilja Dragunov costing him the United Kingdom Title. Vengeance is sworn.

Opening sequence.

Tyler Bate vs. Joseph Conners

Conners’ music now starts with him saying I AM WORTHY. Bate ducks an early enziguri attempt and Conners bails into the corner. A hurricanrana into a pair of dropkicks puts Conners on the floor it’s already chair time. Back in and Bate’s monkey flip is blocked with Bate being knocked off the top instead.

Conners hits a clothesline for two as the fans start singing about Bate. The neck crank goes on until Bate uppercuts his way up and blocks a backslide attempt. An overhead suplex drops Conners for two and the airplane spin puts them both down. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a bulldog but Conners misses a middle rope moonsault.

Instead Conners clotheslines him to the floor for the suicide dive, followed by the slingshot Downward Spiral for two back inside. Bate wins a slugout and hits a Liger kick to the floor, setting up the big no hands dive. Conners sends him into the chair on the floor though (not a DQ as it is ruled incidental) but Don’t Look Down is countered into a DDT. The rebound lariat sets up the Tyler Driver 97 to finish Conners at 11:38.

Rating: C+. Bate being out there helped a good but though there is still only so much interest that you can get out of Conners. The idea of him being worthy of Takeover is hardly much of a character to get behind as he hasn’t shown himself as being worthy of much more than a free hot sandwich at a blood bank. I guess this has been better, but it’s not exactly worth seeing.

Video on Toni Storm vs. Kay Lee Ray for next week’s I Quit match.

Walter and Dave Mastiff have a staredown in the back before their title match.

Here’s Jinny on the announcers’ table to fire Jazzy Gabbert, who wasted her fifteen minutes of fame. Therefore, it’s now all about her.

Noam Dar vs. Josh Morrell

Dar takes him into the corner and that means it’s time for pinkies up. Morrell gets aggressive to send Dar hiding into the corner and an exchange of slaps has Dar staggering around. A dropkick looks to set up a standing moonsault but Dar rolls away, only to earn himself a running elbow in the corner. Dar’s suplex is countered into a small package for two but Dar takes him down by the arm. A rear naked choke sends Morrell over to the ropes so Dar kicks the leg out and finishes with the Nova Roller at 5:32.

Rating: C-. Morrell showcased himself well here in a short dose but it was about getting Dar over more than anything else. Dar is still hot and cold and this was an effective near squash. Sometimes it’s fine to just have a quick match that doesn’t mean much long term and that is what they did here.

The Hunt wants the Grizzled Young Veterans.

Jordan Devlin is ready for Takeover: Dublin.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Joe Coffey

Dragunov dodges some early right hands and neither can get much of a grapple going. The standoff lets them circle each other some more until fighting over a headlock on the mat. Back up and an exchange of shoulders has Dragunov telling him to bring it. Coffey misses some right hands and Dragunov gets two off a crossbody. A dropkick puts Coffey on the floor so there’s the big dive to take him out but Dragunov misses the top rope double stomp.

That means the Glasgow Sendoff can put Dragunov right back on the floor with Coffey hammering away. Coffey gets in a shot to the knee to knock him off the apron and he works on the leg back inside. A middle rope shinbreaker sets up the Boston crab but Dragunov is in the rope in a hurry. Dragunov makes a rope and kicks him away but both of their discus lariats miss.

A jumping enziguri sets up something close to a German suplex for two on Coffey. The bad leg is pulled to the top so Dragunov can hit a backsplash for two more but Coffey crotches him on top. That means a belly to belly superplex but Dragunov is back with a knee to the face. Coffey goes shoulder first into the post and a Death Valley Driver puts him into the corner again. Back up and All the Best for the Bells is cut off with Torpedo Moscow to finish Coffey at 14:52.

Rating: B. This was the hard hitting fight that it should have been with Dragunov getting a good chance of going somewhere. I could see him having the knockdown, drag out fight with Walter for the title and Coffey seems to be the gatekeeper around here. He’ll be fine as well, but Dragunov seems ready to be the way to go.

Post match Gallus comes out and shows respect to Dragunov to end the feud.

Overall Rating: B-. It was a better show this time around and having Bate and Dragunov around helped that a lot. The wrestling was pretty good and they are setting things up for the future so hopefully we get more like this than what it was looking like last week. They need to build up Walter vs. Mastiff a bit more, but next week’s I Quit match should be more than enough to carry a single show. Nice show this week, as is the case more often than not.

Results

Tyler Bate b. Joseph Conners – Tyler Driver 97

Noam Dar b. Josh Morrell – Nova Roller

Ilja Dragunov b. Joe Coffey – Torpedo Moscow

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: February 19, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

We’re done with Takeover: Portland and that means it’s time to get ready for Takeover: Tampa, which is coming up in a hurry. The big story is Johnny Gargano costing Tommaso Ciampa the NXT Title against Adam Cole, likely setting up the final showdown in Tampa. Other than that, we probably need to get some stuff set up for the big show. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Takeover if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Takeover, which switches over to a preview of tonight’s show.

Here’s the Undisputed Era to get things going. Adam Cole talks about destiny and Tommaso Ciampa getting his answer about being a champion. That answer was undisputed as the Era continues to show that they are dominant around here. Tonight, Roderick Strong can continue showing that against Velveteen Dream. Cue Dream’s voice, saying that Strong can prove himself by leaving his boys in the back. Dream: “Do it for Marina.” Strong says he’ll make Dream wish he never came back. They kept this short and to the point as they were out about six minutes into the show, including the recap.

We look at Gargano costing Ciampa the title.

Cruiserweight Title: Jordan Devlin vs. Lio Rush

Devlin is defending and drives him into the corner to start, only to get sent outside. Back from an early break with Devlin hitting a jumping knee to the face and then kicking Rush in the head. The release Rock Bottom sets up the standing moonsault but Rush gets his knees up. A release half and half suplex gives Devlin two and he knees Rush in the ribs for the same.

The camel clutch works on the ribs a bit more, followed by some kicks to the face as Nigel is rather pleased. Rush tries to fight back with the springboard Stunner but Devlin plants him with a backbreaker. A jawbreaker drops Rush again and we take another break. Back again with Rush hitting a high crossbody for two but Devlin hits a cutter to send Rush outside.

Devlin plants him with a standing Spanish Fly back inside but Rush is back up with a super reverse hurricanrana. The springboard Stunner for two sets up the Final Hour, which only hits mat for the big crash. Devlin headbutts him into the Devlin Side to put Rush away and retain the title at 18:34.

Rating: B. Devlin continues to impress but I’m more surprised by how much I’ve gotten into Rush as an underdog face. He was one of the most annoying (in a good way) managers I’ve seen in a long time and now he’s this good at the other side. Rush is rather talented and if he can keep his head on straight, he has a heck of a future.

Reina Gonzalez says she saw something in Dakota Kai because she knows what it means to be left on the sidelines. Together, they are unstoppable. William Regal comes in to tell Kai that she faces Tegan Nox in a cage match in two weeks.

Rhea Ripley says the queen is having a nightmare at Wrestlemania.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Raul Mendoza/Joaquin Wilde

Wilde dropkicks Gibson but Drake is right there with a cheap shot from the apron to turn that around. Drake comes in so Wilde turns up the pace and gets two off a crucifix. It’s already back to Gibson who takes Wilde down, setting up a toss to the floor. The slingshot forearm/backbreaker hits Wilde and the chinlock goes on back inside.

Wilde fires up and hits a moonsault out of the corner, allowing the tag off to Mendoza. Everything breaks down and it’s Gibson getting in a shot to Mendoza’s throat. A suplex drops Mendoza again and Drake dropkicks Wilde to the floor. Mendoza tries a headscissors but gets spun into the Ticket to Mayhem for the pin at 4:34.

Rating: C-. This was just a step above an extended squash for the Veterans and that’s fine. They’re in a weird place as there’s little left for them to do in NXT UK other than having random feuds against tag teams they should beat. Therefore, putting them over here gives them a fresh hill to climb, but I’m not entirely sure they’re sticking around full time. I hope they are though, as it could make things interesting. The other interesting point here is no mention being made of Wilde vs. Mendoza being announced for next week’s 205 Live. Odds on no one at NXT being told or caring that 205 Live has a match announced (or even exists)?

Post match Gibson insults the fans and says they’re here to take over and be recognized as the best in the world.

Here are the Broserweights for their big celebration, including a trip through the crowd and a lot of fist bumps. Matt Riddle isn’t sure where the golf cart is but Pete Dunne says Riddle got it impounded. That doesn’t matter though because they’re the Tag Team Champions. Riddle says Dunne is a machine, but the Dusty Cup partied too hard and got Wellnessed for thirty days. Riddle: “It’s a thing here. It’s a thing here.”

Broserweights vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

Non-title. Dunne and Burch start things off with Dunne taking him down into something like a bow and arrow. That’s broken up in a hurry but Burch can’t stomp on Dunne’s hands. He can however spin out of an armbar attempt and try a failed Crossface, giving us a standoff. Riddle and Lorcan come in with Riddle riding him on the mat. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the champs hit some quick suplexes to take us to a break.

Back with Lorcan holding Riddle in a half crab, which he switches into an STF. That’s broken up in a hurry and it’s Dunne coming back in for some stomps onto the fingers. Burch blocks an armbar though and rolls Dunne up for two, only to have both partners come in for the break. Riddle no sells a German suplex so Burch clotheslines him into the Crossface.

Dunne flips out of another suplex and breaks up the hold to put everyone down at the same time. The tag brings Dunne in Legally for an enziguri to send Burch into the corner. That means Lorcan can come in for a running Blockbuster to put Dunne down. Dunne is back up and snaps the fingers though and it’s the Bitter End/jumping knee combination to finish Lorcan at 11:03.

Rating: C+. The ending was pretty abrupt but it came at the end of a nice slugout with two teams who can work that hard hitting brawling style. Riddle and Dunne are rapidly gaining chemistry though and their promos have grown on me in a hurry. Good stuff here, as Burch and Lorcan continue to be the kind of team you can put in there with anyone and get a solid match.

Roderick Strong tells the Undisputed Era that he needs to do this himself.

The Forgotten Sons don’t like the Grizzled Young Veterans coming to their country and talking trash. They’ll fight for AMERICA.

Keith Lee vs. Kona Reeves

Non-title. Lee runs him over before the bell, says ring the bell, and finishes with the Big Bang Catastrophe at 12 seconds. That’s more time than Reeves deserves.

Post destruction, Dominick Dijakovic comes in to say he had Lee beaten at Takeover. All Lee hears is a bunch of excuses, but the fans want to see them fight forever. Based on that, maybe Dijakovic can talk him into another match.

Kayden Carter vs. Chelsea Green

Robert Stone introduces Green as the face of the women’s division. Carter grabs a quick rollup for two but doesn’t have quite the same magic as she did last time. Green gets knocked into the ropes and a low superkick gives Carter two more. Back up and Green runs her over for two, setting up a camel clutch.

Carter’s throat is sent into the middle rope for two and Green stands on her hair. With that going on, here’s Bianca Belair with a mic to call out Charlotte for jumping her at Takeover. It doesn’t even matter if Charlotte doesn’t go here. Green gets some near falls off a few rollups but Carter hits a superkick to send her outside. Stone trips Carter up though and it’s a reverse Unprettier to give Green the pin at 4:46.

Rating: D-. What in the world was that? I like Carter a good bit and Green has charisma, but this was a rather bad match with Belair’s run in promo being the only thing worth seeing. The wrestling was horrible and there was no fire or anything worth seeing. This is one of the worst things I’ve seen from NXT in a long time and I really hope it’s a one off misfire instead of what they’re capable of doing.

Next week it’s Ciampa vs. Theory and Finn Balor is here.

Roderick Strong vs. Velveteen Dream

Dream is in a blue full body suit and I have a feeling that it’s not lasting the whole match. Strong takes him up against the ropes to start but Dream comes back, sending Strong outside for a breather. They switch places as Dream keeps playing the mind games but Strong gets in a poke to the eye (which makes Beth gasp). The strikes begin to put Dream in trouble, followed by the first backbreaker.

They head outside with Dream getting sent back first into the barricade and then the steps for a bonus. We take a break and come back with Dream fighting out of a sleeper. They ram heads in the corner for a breather and it’s Dream hitting his own backbreakers. A middle rope ax handle lets Dream knock him into the ropes but it’s too early for the Dream Valley Driver. Strong is back with a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle for a close two but Dream knees his way out of a suplex attempt.

Instead, Strong takes him down into the Strong Hold and cranks back for a bit. That’s broken up as well with a kick out to the floor and it’s Dream hitting a superkick. The Dream Valley Driver connects and indeed the suit comes off, revealing the Marina Shafir tights (thankfully without their son). Dream goes up but has to dive onto the invading Era, allowing Strong to knee him out of the air. That doesn’t matter much though as a second Dream Valley Driver finishes Strong at 15:38.

Rating: B-. It was a pretty good back and forth match but the Dream tights deal is still weird. It’s WAY better without the son though so they’re going in the right direction. This would seem to point towards Dream heading to Takeover to challenge Cole for the title and that should make for a big deal is that’s where the title change takes place. Strong going after the back made sense, but I didn’t really feel the fire that Strong should have had after what Dream has been doing.

Post match the Era is on Dream immediately and the beatdown ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The best thing here is that the show didn’t feel like a chore again this week. It’s not a great show but it felt a lot more like a normal NXT than last week’s slog. Granted this one had one of the worst things I can remember from NXT but it also had a good opener and closer, plus what felt like the setup for a pair of Takeover matches. You might even be able to pencil in Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Broserweights and that sounds like the makings of an awesome card. Not a blowaway show this week, but it had more energy and didn’t feel like they were stretching it out for the sake of stretching it out.

Results

Jordan Devlin b. Lio Rush – Devlin Side

Grizzled Young Veterans b. Raul Mendoza/Joaquin Wilde – Ticket to Mayhem to Mendoza

Broserweights b. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan – Final Flash/Bitter End combination to Lorcan

Keith Lee b. Kona Reeves – Big Bang Catastrophe

Chelsea Green b. Kayden Carter – Reverse Unprettier

Velveteen Dream b. Roderick Strong – Dream Valley Driver

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: September 19, 2005
Location: Kay Yeager Coliseum, Wichita Falls, Texas
Attendance: 3,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Jonathan Coachman

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

Opening sequence.

Bischoff looks surprised and Angle talks about everything he’s going to do as champion, cutting Vince off in the process. Vince doesn’t like the sound of Angle as WWE Champion. Vince: “Who in the h*** named you WWE Champion?” Angle: “He did.” Vince makes Bischoff admit the match ended in a DQ and tells him to shut up.

Due to the DQ, Cena is still champion but Vince has something else to talk about. In two weeks on October 3, we’ll be having Raw Homecoming, with Mick Foley, HHH, Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin all making appearances. On that same night, Cena will defend the WWE Championship….against Bischoff. Vince takes the title and leaves as Bischoff is speechless.

Post break, Bischoff tries to talk Vince out of this. Eric: “What if I win???” Vince says he’ll think about it and gets in the limo. Once inside, he says he’s thought about it and the match is still on.

Trish Stratus vs. Torrie Wilson

Non-title, Torrie has Victoria and Candice (plus Torrie’s dog) with her and the trio comes out to what would become Laycool’s music. Trish on the other hand has Ashley’s and what would continue to be Trish Stratus’ music. Even Coach points out that Torrie isn’t very good in the ring so you know this isn’t going to go well. Victoria grabs the leg from the floor and Torrie takes over for what must have been a good three seconds before Trish starts beating her up. The big chop (with hand lick) has Torrie against the ropes but Victoria’s distraction lets Torrie get two off a rollup. Trish is right back with her own rollup for the fast pin.

Post match the big brawl is on with Torrie and company cleaning house to stand tall.

Trevor Murdoch vs. Hurricane

Lance Cade and Rosey are at ringside. Totally different than what they were doing before the title change. See, now Murdoch has the belt instead of Hurricane, so it’s not the same. Murdoch can’t hit an early DDT and gets driven into the corner, meaning it’s an early breather on the floor.

Back in and a single right hand puts Murdoch outside again but this time Rosey throws him inside again. Murdoch works on a neck crank but Hurricane comes back with a DDT. Some clotheslines into a middle rope dropkick gives Hurricane two and the pace picks up a bit. Never mind though as Murdoch avoids a charge and hits his own DDT for the pin.

Rating: D+. These things are little more than time filler and that is getting annoying. This is one of the darkest times the Tag Team Titles has ever seen and I’m not sure how much better it is going to get anytime soon. Cade and Murdoch are a better option than Hurricane and Rosey but who are they supposed to face?

Carlito insists that he was reaching for the ropes last night and did NOT tap out. He’ll get the Intercontinental Title back tonight.

Edge rants to Bischoff about wanting Matt Hardy fired for attacking Lita. Bischoff doesn’t like being yelled at so it’s a ladder match at Raw Homecoming, loser leaves Raw and the winner keeps the Money in the Bank briefcase. That’s the only way they can really go with these two.

Tyson Tomko vs. Eddie Craven

Tomko knocks him outside and kicks him in the face for the referee stoppage in about a minute.

Video on Carlito vs. Ric Flair, capped off with the title change at Unforgiven.

Intercontinental Title: Ric Flair vs. Carlito

Flair is defending and starts with a WOO, as tends to be the case. A chop puts Carlito on the floor for a bit and another puts him down inside. More chops send Carlito outside again, followed by a hammerlock to start in on his arm. Carlito throws him outside though and it’s a backdrop for two back inside.

Flair gets sent into the corner and bangs up his eye so Carlito hammers away like a smart villain. That earns Carlito a whip into the corner and Flair grabs a bite of the apple to spit in Carlito’s face. Rights and lefts in the corner have Carlito on the apron and a shot to the face sends him outside again. Flair posts him and we take a break. Back with Carlito slapping away and getting two off a neckbreaker.

The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a spinebuster for two more. An atomic drop out of the corner gives us a quick double knockdown and Flair drops the big elbow. Flair chops and punches away and even manages another top rope shot to the head. The beating continues on the floor before Flair takes it back inside, with a kick to the ropes for the low blow, to set up the Figure Four. A grab of the rope is enough to make Carlito tap.

Rating: C. This got some time and it’s nice to see Flair get the cheers that the fans have been wanting to give him for months (if not years). It’s one of those situations where the reign isn’t as important as the loss, because taking the title from Flair is going to be a disheartening moment, which is what a heel should be doing.

Matt Hardy is ready for the eight man tag but here’s Shawn Michaels to say everyone is talking about Hardy. Big Show and John Cena come in to say they’re going to be an awesome team. Cena to Show: “If we need you to, you’ll eat somebody.” Cena lists off what they’re going to do to their opponents and makes Todd Grisham do the Robot.

We hear about the stars returning for Homecoming.

Flair tells Maria that he’s the Nature Boy because he can go all night long. Carlito comes in to call Flair not cool and the beatdown is on until Chris Masters comes in to Masterlock Flair.

Smackdown Rebound.

Kurt Angle/Chris Masters/Edge/Snitsky vs. John Cena/Matt Hardy/Big Show/Shawn Michaels

Joined in progress with Cena clotheslining Edge and getting two off the release fisherman’s suplex. Show comes in to step on Edge’s back and it’s a chop to Masters for a bonus. Cena is back in and clotheslines Masters for two but he’s back with his own suplex. That means Shawn can come in for the first time with some chops. Masters slams him but misses an elbow, allowing Matt to come in and slug away at Edge.

The Masterlock goes on but Show breaks that up with a headbutt. Back from a break with Edge chinlocking Matt and then planting him with a flapjack for two. Snitsky gets in his own suplex for his own two but the next chinlock is broken up even faster. It’s back to Angle for the failed Angle Slam but he gets the ankle lock just fine. Show makes another save so Snitsky forearms him into the Angle Slam over the top for the big crash. Back from another break with Edge Edgecating Shawn to stay on the leg.

Masters pulls on the leg a bit more and it’s Angle working on a chinlock. The Angle Slam gets two and it’s back to the ankle lock, which is broken up in a hurry. Edge comes in and spears Cena off the apron….and here’s a ticked off Big Show getting back on the apron. Show cleans house and everything breaks down, with Show shrugging off all four opponents at once. Matt is tossed onto Masters and Snitsky, leaving Edge to get Shuffled into the chokeslam for the dog pile pin.

Rating: C+. Big time house show main event style match here and it worked just fine. They didn’t have anything overly important going on and just did what they needed to do to send the fans home happy. Their matches and feuds are already set so just let them go out there with some time and have some fun in a match that gets some time.

A long celebration ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. This felt like a placeholder show as they are coming off of Unforgiven and don’t have much going on until we get to Homecoming in two weeks. You can tell that’s going to be a big night and where everything takes off next, so this is really more about holding things in place until then, which is fine because it’s just two weeks. Not much of a show, but it also wasn’t bad and I can live with that well enough.

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: February 19, 2020
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

We’re coming up on Revolution and that means there are a few things we need do first. That would include a tag team battle royal to crown some new #1 contenders, plus Cody vs. Wardlow in a cage so Cody can face Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Hopefully we get some other good stuff as well and the last few weeks would suggest we will. Let’s get to it.

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

Tag Team Battle Royal

Hybrid 2, Private Party, Young Bucks, SCU, Best Friends, Jurassic Express, Strong Hearts, Butcher And Blade, Dark Order, Santana/Ortiz

Both members have to be eliminated. Kazarian dives onto everyone to start and Evans does the same, but his dive is caught for an elimination. Private Party saves themselves with the Silly String and then gets rid of T Hawk. SCU beats up the Butcher and Angelico but the Dark Order jumps them. The Dark Order isn’t that good though and get taken down. Hold on though as we need a Dark Order promo from the crowd about how the Exalted One is near.

The distraction lets the Dark Order get rid of SCU, only to have the Bucks superkick the Dark Order out. SCU goes after the rest of the Dark Order in the crowd, leaving Trent and Cima to chop it out in the ring. An Iconoclasm plants Trent and now Santana/Ortiz get in for the first time. Jungle Boy and Cima head to the apron for the slugout with Luchasaurus getting rid of Cima. The Bunny distracts Jurassic Express though and Butcher and Blade jump them from behind.

As this is going on, the Dark Order offers Cima a mask and he seems interested. Nick Jackson gets to beat up just about everyone else in the match until Butcher manages to send him over the top. A backdrop puts Jungle Boy on a pile of people, leaving us with Luchasaurus vs. Butcher. Private Party loads up Silly String again but they’re both knocked out as a result.

Luchasaurus kicks Angelico out but here’s Sammy Guevara to help eliminate Boy. Butcher and Blade and Santana/Ortiz get rid of Luchasaurus and it’s the Best Friends standing tall. Butcher and Blade get rid of Chuck and throw Trent over, but he lands on a surprise Orange Cassidy’s shoulders for the save. That lets Chuck get back in, leaving us with Matt, Blade, Santana/Ortiz and Chuck.

Butcher and Chuck fight on the apron as Orange is ready for the save if necessary. He puts his hands in his pockets but Bunny kicks him low as Chuck is eliminated. A spear through the ropes gets rid of Butcher, leaving Matt against Santana/Ortiz. The Street Sweeper plants Matt but he hangs on and superkicks Ortiz out. Sammy Guevara tries to interfere and gets superkicked out of the air, leaving Matt to clothesline Santana out for the win at 18:00.

Rating: C. This went on for a good while but didn’t feel too long, even if the ending was never in any serious doubt. The Bucks continue to push every possible boundary when it comes to surviving but they run the company so it’s to be expected. I don’t think there was any reason to believe the Bucks weren’t winning, but the match had some fun moments to keep it from being boring.

Shanna vs. Kris Stadtlander

Britt Baker is on commentary and has a special coffee for Tony. JR wants someone to explain Stadtlander to her and only Excalibur is dumb enough to go into the backstory, with JR calling him off in a hurry. Stadtlander cartwheels around a lot and then crawls towards Shanna in the corner, setting up the nose touch.

That sets up a poke/shove off as JR is rather annoyed that it’s always piefacing. JR: “I like cake!” A knee to the ribs cuts Stadtlander off and we take a break. Back with Shanna crotching her on top and tying Stadtlander in the Tree of Woe. A spinning DDT gets two but Stadtlander is right back with the Big Bang Theory for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: D+. So they’re on national TV and doing a spot where one pokes the other in the nose and the other shoves her back. I know Stadtlander is built around that gimmick a lot, but I was rolling my eyes over and over again during that one sequence. It’s like almost every match has to have some kind of shtick in there and it gets annoying in a hurry.

We look at Nyla Rose winning the Women’s Title last week.

Here’s Nyla Rose for a chat. She doesn’t like the fans buzzing around her because she wants to be the face of the division, meaning making the most money too. Riho believed in herself and look where it got her. No one can stand up to her so here’s Kris Stadtlander to point at the belt. Big Swole comes out as well to pose at Nyla, drawing out referees to break it up. Are we going to get an explanation for that segment during the commercial last week with Rose yelling at Tony Khan and Kenny Omega?

We look at Jeff Cobb’s debut last week.

Jeff Cobb vs. Jon Moxley

Tazz is on commentary but hold on though as here are Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara and Jake Hager to sit in the front row. Moxley has the bad eye and bad ribs so Cobb starts fast with the belly to belly into a dropkick. They head to the floor with Moxley getting in some chops but Cobb runs him over without much trouble. A headbutt to the ribs connects back inside and it’s a chinlock with a knee in Moxley’s back.

Moxley gets knocked outside again and we take a break. Back with Cobb planting Moxley again but pulling him up at two. Moxley’s sleeper is broken up in a hurry so he goes with a heel hook, which is broken up as well. Cobb goes to the floor so Moxley dives off the top….and right into another suplex. An Oklahoma Stampede gives Cobb two but Moxley hits a middle rope knee.

That earns him a German suplex but Moxley pops up with a clothesline. Cobb shrugs off another clothesline and blasts Moxley with one of his own. Tour of the Islands and the Paradigm Shift are blocked and Moxley elbows him in the corner. A superplex plants Moxley again, but he interlocks the legs for the small package and the pin on Cobb at 11:35.

Rating: C+. I can live with Cobb losing in that way as it was the only non-DQ ending they had, but maybe they shouldn’t have booked the match then. Cobb looked awesome here, as he tends to do, but you can’t have Moxley losing so close to the biggest match of his AEW run. The match was a glorified squash until the ending but it was the only way out they had.

Post match the Inner Circle comes in for the beatdown but Dustin Rhodes runs in for a failed save. Instead here’s the returning Darby Allin, who comes to the stage, walks around a bit, loads up his skateboard, and then comes to the ring, all while the Inner Circle stands there and watches him. The good guys clean house with Allin beating people up with the skateboard. Moxley gets in the big showdown with Jericho to finally clear the ring.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. Kenny Omega/Hangman Page

Page and Omega are defending and Page’s name graphic says “como se dice Yeehaw? (How do you say Yeehaw?). Page slugs it out with Fenix to start before it’s quickly off to Omega for the running Fameasser. Pentagon gets knocked off the apron and it’s You Can’t Escape to Fenix, with Page taking out Pentagon again so Omega can get two. Everything breaks down with the Bros taking over, allowing Excalibur to wonder how long the ten seconds with no tag can go. A running kick to the face rocks Omega in the corner and we take a break.

Back with Page cleaning house, including a dive to the floor to take out Fenix. Pentagon is back in with a Canadian Destroyer to Omega though and everyone is down. It’s Fenix up first with the kicks to the head but Pengaton is knocked off the apron. That means the big dive from Page, followed by the moonsault to the floor.

Back in and everything stays broken down, including Page’s Buckshot Lariat hitting Omega. The Pentagon Driver gets two on Omega in a good near fall but he’s right back up to send Pentagon outside. A Tiger Driver 98 plants Fenix and it’s the V Trigger/Buckshot Lariat combination to retain the titles at 15:07.

Rating: B. Another very entertaining tag match as they aren’t deviating from the formula that works for them. I can go with something like that as it’s better to know what they are going to be doing instead of being all over the place. The result wasn’t all that surprising but the Revolution match is going to be awesome.

AEW has action figures, coming later this year. They look pretty good too.

Video on Cody vs. MJF, who is making Cody face Wardlow in a cage tonight.

Cody vs. Wardlow

In a cage (which is a good bit taller than the WWE version) and escape means nothing. MJF is here with Wardlow, who is making his in-ring debut. Cody kicks him in the head to no avail to start and Wardlow throws him into the corner. Wardlow blasts him with a clothesline to turn Cody inside out and there’s a toss into the cage. Back from a break with Cody busted open and making the comeback, until Wardlow kicks him low.

A release F5 drops Cody again and Wardlow throws him through the door. MJF tells Anderson to slam the door on Cody’s head but Arn hits MJF with it instead. Cody scores with some clotheslines and sends Wardlow into the cage. Wardlow is back with his own whip into the cage, setting up a heck of a Swanton for two.

The ring is thrown inside but Cody kicks him low and takes it away. MJF tries to claim in but Brandi hits him with a chair. Arn sends MJF into the crowd before he can hit Brandi, leaving Cody to hit Cross Rhodes for two. With nothing else working, Cody goes all the way to the top for a moonsault press to finally finish Wardlow at 11:07.

Rating: B. They rushed some parts of this a bit but dang they hit the high points. The ending looked very cool with the high cage and Warlow was a great monster. He’ll be fine as a bodyguard in the future, but Cody was the star here, showing that he really does come off as a main eventer. It’s amazing how much better he has been here than in WWE, and he wasn’t even that bad there.

Post match Cody poses on top of the cage and MJF sells the heck out of it, knowing that there’s no way around this and he’s screwed up bad.

Overall Rating: B+. It was a hair beneath last week’s show but another very good one that did everything it was supposed to do. We have some extra stuff set up for Revolution, plus some rather solid wrestling throughout the night. This show has been doing almost everything right lately and if you tweak a few things here and there, they’ve got some instant classics on their hands. More very good stuff this week.

Results

Young Bucks won a tag team battle royal last eliminating Santana/Ortiz

Kris Stadtlander b. Shanna – Big Bang Theory

Jon Moxley b. Jeff Cobb – Small package

Hangman Page/Kenny Omega b. Lucha Bros – Buckshot lariat/V Trigger combination to Fenix

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

It’s that time of year again and that’s not a good thing.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-because-we-have-to/

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: February 18, 2020
Location: HEB Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz
Host: Tony Schiavone

This show is what I want when I watch WWE’s Main Event: they rarely mess around and include some recaps when necessary, but above all else the show offers some talent a chance to get on TV. You don’t get repeat matches and it’s not a bunch of lifeless drek. That makes things so much better and Dark can be an entertaining show. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony welcomes us to the show. Dasha isn’t coming back is she?

Diamante vs. Kris Stadtlander

Stadtlander does her poke to the referee’s nose but Diamante isn’t as interested. A shot to the face sends Diamante into the corner and Stadtlander crawls after her. There’s the double arm pull before she sticks Diamante’s fingers into her (as in Diamante’s own) ears. A running knee in the corner puts Diamante on the floor so Stadtlander gorilla presses her onto the apron. Back in and a Code Red gives Diamante two but a wheelbarrow suplex (egads) drops Diamante on her head. The Big Bang Theory finishes Diamante at 4:26.

Rating: C-. This was just a squash and I still really like Stadtlander. She doesn’t need the alien deal as she’s unique enough looking on her own but it’s certainly something unique. Diamante hasn’t impressed me during most of the time I’ve seen her but there are far worse choices they could throw out there.

Hybrid 2 vs. Best Friends

And yes Orange Cassidy is here too. Chuck and Evans start things off with the former taking Evans down in a hurry. That’s reversed into a headscissors and it’s up to a standoff. Evans flips out of a northern lights suplex but the second work just fine. Chuck comes in for a double elbow drop as the fans are behind the Best Friends again. Apparently bored on the apron, Angelico drops to the floor and decks Cassidy, only to get knocked down by Chuck.

The Hybrids use the distraction to take over and Angelico Gory Specials Trent onto Chuck in a cool spot. Evans adds a moonsault to both of them and Angelico’s top rope double stomp into a belly to back suplex gets two. Trent’s tornado DDT gets him out of trouble and a helicopter bomb gets two on Evans.

A reverse Razor’s Edge into a cutter gets two more on Evans with Angelico making a save. The assisted 450 hits Trent for two but Cassidy gets on the apron to distract Evans on top. The big shot to the leg is loaded up but Cassidy steps to the side to avoid Angelico, who hits the ropes to crotch Jack. That’s one of the only times Cassidy has felt like he contributed something substantial to a match. Strong Zero finishes Evans at 8:31.

Rating: C. They worked more of a formula here and that’s a nice treat for the Hybrid 2. I still can’t bring myself to get into them and the Best Friends continue to be hit or miss. Cassidy using his shtick to outsmart some villains is a surprise as well and a lot better than having him stare down what is supposed to be some big heel stable in the Dark Order.

Post match, the winners and Cassidy have the extra big hug.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

Christi James vs. Big Swole

They fight over a lockup to start, with Taz talking about what you can learn from your opponent by locking up with them. I know he can be a catchphrase machine at times but Taz can throw out some insightful stuff every now and then. Swole’s headlock is reversed into one from James and we get an early standoff. A hard clothesline puts James into the corner but she puts Swole on the ropes and hits an enziguri. James pulls her by the hair so Swole strikes away, including a headbutt to the ribs. A pump kick into Dirty Dancing finishes James at 4:48.

Rating: D+. James is someone who has a catchy look with a lot of Brazilian flags but I need more than that to think much of her. Granted you’re not getting much out of a five minute match but this could have been a lot worse. Swole is someone who seemed to be little more than a person on the card but she has come around a good bit in recent weeks and that’s a good thing for the division.

Young Bucks vs. QT Marshall/Peter Avalon

Before the match, we get a lot of shushing from Avalon, with Marshall even asking the fans to let him get this out of the way so we can wrestle. Nick wristlocks Marshall to start and it’s time to flip around a bit without making much contact. A handspring into the Ricochet pose has Nick perplexed but Avalon asks what is this flippy doo stuff. Avalon: “THIS ISN’T WRESTLING!” Matt grabs the mic and asks if he and Nick should do a bad a** tag team move. Matt: “Let’s do a double hiptoss!” He doesn’t mention the double basement dropkick but does start a YOUNG BUCKS chant.

The camera can’t keep up with the Bucks but it settles down for Avalon running from a Matt superkick. Marshall gets in a few shots to Matt and Leva Bates reads to him a bit. Granted she also hits him with a book but at least it comes after some education. Nick gets knocked off the apron so there’s no one for Matt to tag, leaving him to roll some northern lights suplexes.

This time it’s eight in a row, with Taz saying he’s jealous that he never thought of it. The hot tag brings in Nick to clean house with kicks in the corner and a double bulldog out of the same. A moonsault/slingshot splash combination gets two on Avalon with Marshall making the save. Marshall won’t let Avalon use the book so it’s a right hand to take him down. The superkicks into the Meltzer Driver put Avalon away at 10:30.

Rating: C. I chuckled at the in-match commentary bits but that’s an old favorite of mine. This is the kind of match that works well for a main event on this show: a top act beating a team that isn’t going to get them any real danger but can get a few nice moments out of them. It worked well enough for a Dark main event and they weren’t trying for more than that (which is fine too).

Overall Rating: C. When this show gets it right, they have a nice little groove going. That’s what we had here with four matches over forty eight minutes and nothing going longer than it should have. That makes things so much easier while also making you understand how this show, without a lot of major stars, blows away stuff like 205 Live, which has talented wrestlers but not energy whatsoever. This was fun and an easy watch, which is always nice to have.

Results

Kris Stadtlander b. Diamante – Big Bang Theory

Best Friends b. Hybrid 2 – Strong Zero to Evans

Big Swole b. Christi James – Dirty Dancing

Young Bucks b. Peter Avalon/QT Marshall – Meltzer Driver to Avalon

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: February 14, 2020
Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Commentators: Jon Quasto, Aiden English

We have a new #1 contender now that Lio Rush defeated Angel Garza last week on NXT. Notice that the big stuff is taking place there, which isn’t a good sign for anything going on with this show. Then again there hasn’t been anything to get excited about around here for years now and that hasn’t changed a thing. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Rush beating Garza last week.

Opening sequence.

Singh Brothers vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

The Brothers are the hometown boys and come out in Vancouver Canucks jerseys. They actually get a big face reaction for a change and I don’t know how to handle this. The two of them met Wayne Gretzky at some point and he told them to have fun….and get out of Vancouver as soon as possible. They pull off their jerseys to reveal Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys, which bring out Lorcan and Burch to start the fight in a hurry.

Sunil offers a distraction though so Samir can take over as we really get going. A double superkick lets Samir dance some more and the chinlock goes on. Samir comes in for a front facelock and an elbow to the face gets two. The chinlock continues the theme we’re working on here but Lorcan fights up and gets over to Burch for the hot tag. Everything breaks down and a double superkick sets up the Bollywood Blast for two on Burch. Lorcan takes care of Sunil and it’s the elevated DDT to plant Samir for the pin at 5:59.

Rating: D+. As weird as it is to see the Singhs as faces (at least for a second), it doesn’t make the match any better. They’re not good at keeping interest and we’ve seen them so many time snow that there’s no reason to car about anything going on. Burch and Lorcan are far ahead of them on the totem pole and that doesn’t leave us with much to get excited about here.

Post match Brian Kendrick and Ariya Daivari run in to beat down Burch and Lorcan with a chair. It’s like my nightmares coming together.

Video on Joaquin Wilde.

Video on Raul Mendoza. He meets Wilde last week.

Lio Rush has been up against aces his whole life and he’s going to be the next Cruiserweight Champion.

Jordan Devlin tweeted a response, basically saying nu uh.

Kendrick and Daivari are STILL in the ring with Kendrick bashing Canadians everywhere. We get some of the most generic Canadian jokes and Daivari says that they’re OG’s around here. The two of them are going to be wrestling tonight so get some opponents out here.

Brian Kendrick/Ariya Daivari vs. Tony Nese/Mike Kanellis

You have to pay for the baby somehow. Kanellis and Nese jump them to start and it’s a brawl at the bell. Kendrick grabs Nese’s foot so Daivari can take over, plus yell at Canadians as a bonus. Nese fights up and drop toeholds Daivari into a Kanellis’ knee. Commentary actually uses CONTINUITY to talk about Kanellis and Kendrick being friends when Kanellis most recently disappeared. I’m as shocked as you are.

Kendrick pulls Daivari away from the springboard moonsault and it’s a camel clutch to keep Nese in trouble. That’s broken up with a quick jawbreaker and it’s back to Kanellis to pick up the pace. A spinebuster gets two on Kendrick but Daivari low bridges Kanellis to the floor. The kneebar has Kanellis in more trouble and Daivari grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up and it’s a double clothesline to put them both down. It’s Nese coming in to clean house again with Kendrick being thrown outside.

Now the moonsault connects for two on Daivari and it’s a pumphandle slam/top rope knee to the head combination to plant him again. Kendrick makes the save and grabs the Captain’s Hook on Kanellis, which is broken up as well. Nese’s 450 gets two on Daivari with Kendrick making another save and it’s Sliced Bread to put Nese down. The Persian Lion splash gets two more and it’s time for the chairs. Cue the bandaged Lorcan and Burch for the distraction so Nese can roll Daivari up for the pin at 14:07.

Rating: C-. It was halfway to being a MOVEZ match and that’s not the best thing in the world to see. It was weird to see Nese and Kanellis as the de facto faces here. That’s not exactly how you tend to see them out there and the match was good enough, but making me care about Kendrick and Daivari just isn’t happening.

Burch and Lorcan grab the chairs and clean house to end the show.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: February 13, 2020
Location: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Mickie James

It’s time for things to start picking up and I’m not sure what that is going to mean around here. Granted the answer tends to be “not much” and I have a feeling that’s where things are going to go again. We’re building towards Wrestlemania and while we have a few stops to get through first, I don’t know how much we’ll get from Main Event. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

No Way Jose vs. Eric Young

Young works on a headlock to start but the Conga Line dances Jose back to his feet. The airplane spin has Young in trouble and Jose goes up top, only to get shoved….right onto the Conga Line for the big catch. That’s fine with Young, who throws him back inside and drops the big elbow for two. We hit the neck crank and chill on the mat for a bit but Jose is right back up. The pop up punch finishes Young at 4:17.

Rating: D. This was certainly a match that happened and nothing more than that. Jose and Young have been stuck in Main Event limbo for a long time now and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. They’re great examples of people who have done nothing wrong but aren’t going to get anywhere no matter what they do. It’s a bit frustrating, though if they’re good with it, fair enough.

From Smackdown.

Goldberg joins us live via satellite from Texas and gets straight to the point: he watched the Royal Rumble and it gave him the itch again. Brock Lesnar is already dealing with Ricochet and Drew McIntyre, but what about the Fiend and the Universal Title? He never got a rematch, so here’s some Breaking News from Firefly Fun House News. William Goldberg is considering challenging the Fiend and that’s bad news for Billy, because he accepts.

Mercy the Buzzard gives us the weather report: it’s going to be a cold day in h*** before the Fiend loses the Universal Title. Goldberg says he won’t be intimidated and the only thing he’s taking is the Universal Title. The Fiend is next and the fans like that idea. Goldberg leaves and Bray says that wasn’t very nice. Let him in. Bray: “Bye! See you Bill! Bye!”

From Raw.

Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Asuka

Asuka is challenging and has Kairi Sane in her corner. A headlock and running shoulder have Becky in early trouble but she’s up with her own headlock. Sane offers a distraction though and Asuka gets in a kick to the floor as we take a break. Back with Becky making her comeback with a spinning kick to the ribs and a flying shoulder for two. It’s too early for the Disarm-Her so Asuka grabs a sitout spinebuster for two of her own.

They head outside with Becky forearming Sane (who shoved Asuka out of the way) down but getting shoved down. Back in and Asuka Codebreakers her out of the air for two before sending her shoulder first into the post. Asuka’s running hip attack misses though and Becky gets the Disarm-Her in the ropes. They fight on the apron with Becky hitting a layout reverse DDT as we take another break.

Back again with Asuka getting two off a superplex but her cross armbreaker is broken up. Instead Asuka goes with a triangle choke but Becky muscles her up for a powerbomb and a near fall. Becky’s middle rope legdrop misses and Asuka grabs the Asuka Lock. They spin into the middle but Becky slips out to set up a few rollups for two each. Becky grabs a Rock Bottom out of nowhere to retain at 17:53.

Rating: B. They really got going near the end here and the near falls were awesome. I don’t think there was any secret to who was going to win as all signs would seem to point to Becky vs. Shayna Baszler at Wrestlemania. The match was very good and maybe now Asuka and Sane can get back to actually defending their titles.

Post match Shayna Baszler runs in and jumps Becky from behind. She even BITES BECKY’S NECK to draw a bunch of blood for a scary visual. Medics come out and check on Becky, taking her to the back as we go to a break.

From Raw again.

Here’s Becky, with a taped up neck, to calls out Shayna. She’s ready to break Shayna down week by week so come find her because she finds you.

OC vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

Ryder and Gallows start things off with Ryder’s headlock having as much success as you would expect. Hawkins comes in for an STO/Russian legsweep combination for two, only to get taken into the corner in a hurry. A slam and elbow drop get Hawkins out of trouble but Anderson knocks him off the apron as we take a break.

Back with Gallows dropping a series of elbows on Hawkins and grabbing the chinlock. Hawkins jawbreaks his way to freedom and it’s back to Ryder for the middle rope missile dropkick. The Broski Boot gets two on Anderson as everything breaks down. Ryder hits the Rough Ryder on Hawkins by mistake and it’s the Magic Killer to finish Ryder at 8:28.

Rating: D+. This just felt long with neither team exactly showing off all that well. The OC aren’t great but they deserve better than this. That being said, WWE can’t push them with any kind of a story that doesn’t involve the Tag Team Titles so they’re stuck around here at the moment. Not a horrible match, but you know what we’re getting on Main Event and that’s not often the most thrilling stuff.

From Raw.

Kevin Owens/Samoa Joe/Viking Raiders vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy/AOP

Rollins runs his mouth before the match but it’s a big brawl before the bell. We’re joined in progress with Murphy in trouble, including Joe hitting an enziguri in the corner. Owens hits a Vader Bomb elbow and throws in a crotch chop for good measure. Erik slams Ivar onto Murphy for two but it’s off to Akam to pound Erik down. Rollins comes in for the chinlock and there’s the Sling Blade for a bonus.

Erik jumps over Murphy out of the corner though and it’s Ivar coming in to wreck Murphy in various ways. A heck of a clothesline drops Murphy and we take a break. Back with Owens in trouble on the floor, meaning it’s actually not a chinlock for once (I could certainly go for that being a trend.). Rollins gets in a cheap shot on the floor but Owens manages a fall away slam to send Murphy into the barricade.

It’s still too early for the hot tag though as Rezar cranks on Owens’ neck instead. A DDT drops Murphy and it’s Joe coming in to hammer on Rollins. The AOP cuts off Joe’s dive so the Raiders cut off the AOP. Joe and the Raiders dive onto Rollins and the AOP and a Rock Bottom gets two on Rollins. Everything breaks down and Owens hits a huge flip dive to the floor. That leaves Murphy to tap to the Koquina Clutch but an AOP distraction lets Rollins hit the Stomp on Joe for the pin at 14:44.

Rating: B-. I liked this one as they’re using the big tag matches to make things more interesting. They worked a good formula here and the match wound up being good as a result. Rollins stealing another win lets the good guys have a reason to fight him again and I’m looking forward to when we get to the singles matches with Rollins facing Joe and Owens. It’s a good story and they’re doing well with keeping this story alive.

Overall Rating: D+. This was your usual episode of Main Event and that means there isn’t anything of note. The wrestling was nothing special and the recaps didn’t make me want to see anything else that was going on. I still wonder why they can’t throw one of their 184 writers onto this show and do some wacky stuff with it. Like it would really hurt things in any way. Another nothing show here and it’s getting really tiresome.

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: August 19, 1996
Location: Civic Center, Wheeling, West Virginia
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross, Kevin Kelly

We’re wrapping up the month here due to the US Open tennis tournament and THANK GOODNESS it’s a new taping cycle. Summerslam has come and gone with the huge surprise of Paul Bearer turning on Undertaker to join Mankind. If nothing else felt different about this feud, that was a game changer after years of Undertaker and Bearer as a team. Let’s get to it.

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

We recap Bearer turning on Undertaker, who is totally gone for good.

Opening sequence.

Tonight will see the start of a tournament for the vacant Intercontinental Title so we’ve got brackets:

Owen Hart

British Bulldog

Steve Austin

Marc Mero

Sid

Hunter Hearst Helmsley

Savio Vega

Faarooq Asaad

Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Owen Hart vs. British Bulldog

There’s no Cornette for either of them. Bulldog starts fast and monkey flips Owen over, setting up a dropkick to the floor. He’s even nice enough to hold the ropes open like a polite villain. Back in and Owen hits his own dropkick to the floor but Bulldog is right back in to power Owen down. The chinlock goes on, followed by a gorilla press as the screen goes staticy because Undertaker isn’t happy (seriously).

Bulldog chinlocks him again and we hear a NITRO SUCKS chant. Ok to be fair, they were opening with Jim Duggan vs. VK Wallstreet so this is likely the better starter. Granted they also had Chris Benoit vs. Bobby Eaton, Dean Malenko vs. Steven Regal and the Giant vs. Randy Savage so….yeah Nitro is probably winning. Anyway Bulldog hits a quick powerslam but Owen has his foot on the rope. Cue Sunny for no apparent reason and we take a break.

Back with Bulldog missing a running knee in the corner so Owen can start stomping away. Sunny goes on about how bad Cornette is as a manager so we go to an interview with Cornette, who rants about how the company is against him. You have two of his men facing off in a tournament, plus Vader beats Shawn twice but can’t get a rematch??? Don’t worry though because Yokozuna can crush Shawn Michaels tonight since they’re back together.

Jim pauses while Owen grabs the Sharpshooter (or Scorpion Deathlock according to JR) and panics enough that we go back to the full screen for Bulldog’s grab of the rope. Sunny calls Cornette fat as Bulldog suplexes Owen over the top and out to the floor. Owen is fine enough to hit a spinwheel kick to drop Bulldog, followed by a clothesline to put Bulldog into Sunny’s lap for the countout.

Rating: C. The action was good but the ending seems to be setting up something rather than just having a one off match. Owen advancing is as good as anything else so maybe we’ve got something going with the tournament. Couple that with Cornette ranting and raving while Sunny insults him with the best of them and everything else was more entertaining than the match.

Post match Sunny throws a drink in Bulldog’s face and says that Bulldog tried to look up her skirt. Cornette comes out to yell at Sunny, calling her a sl**.

We look at Faarooq attacking Ahmed Johnson and possibly ending his career.

Ahmed Johnson has vacated the title and while he isn’t happy with it, he’s accepted it. JR and King can be heard talking over this.

Newcomer Mark Henry signs autographs for fans at ringside.

Vader vs. Freddy Joe Floyd

Vader gets in Henry’s face during his entrance and Henry laughs at him. We take a break just after the bell and come back with Cornette on commentary as Vader destroys Floyd. The screen starts to go out again and comes back to a pair of Vader Bombs for the pin in a hurry.

Now he’s going to be taking the WWF Title at In Your House and making Shawn Michaels a very unsexy boy while destroying the Kliq at the same time. That makes him happy as the lights keep flickering. JR insists that Undertaker is here but Bearer disagrees….and the gong strikes. Bearer’s shocked face is GREAT here as the lights go out and we’ve got druids. They carry Undertaker’s body to the ring, just as they took him away last night. Have they been carrying him around all night? That must be really uncomfortable.

The Stalker is coming. Yeah totally better than just having him be Barry Windham?

Battle Royal

Goldust, Savio Vega, Sid, Steve Austin

For the #1 contendership as we’re repeating the final four eliminated from the battle royal two weeks ago because Ahmed is hurt. Goldust jumps Sid during the entrance and we start in a hurry. Sid is triple teamed out in about twenty seconds but comes back in to chokeslam everyone. Austin and Goldust go after Vega until Austin turns on him in a hurry as we take a break.

Back with Vega and Austin down but Austin gets back up and clotheslines Goldust again. A superplex brings Austin off the top and for some reason, Goldust and Austin team up AGAIN, this time with Vega beating them both up. Vega tosses Austin but gets faceplanted by Goldust. The Curtain Call is escaped and Vega hits the spinwheel kick, only to get tossed out to give Goldust the win.

Rating: D. This was pretty worthless but they didn’t have a choice after Ahmed’s injury. It’s not like Shawn vs. Goldust is all that interesting but what else were they supposed to do? I’m not sure if they were going to do Ahmed vs. Shawn in the first place so maybe this is where they were going, though it’s not exactly interesting either way.

Cornette isn’t worried about Shawn.

Shawn Michaels vs. Yokozuna

Non-title and Shawn has Jose Lothario with him. Yokozuna shoves him away to start but Shawn is back with enough right hands to put Yokozuna down in the corner. Cue Cornette as Yokozuna drops Shawn with a headbutt and we take a break. Back with Cornette beating up Lothario on the floor and Yokozuna scoring with the spinning belly to belly. Shawn is back with the forearm and a top rope splash for two. Sweet Chin Music is countered with a Samoan drop but Shawn avoids the legdrop. Now Sweet Chin Music can finish Yokozuna off.

Rating: C-. That would be it for Yokozuna on regular TV and really, it’s hard to argue against it. Yes he could still have a passable match with Shawn but that’s not exactly shocking. He was just so big and there wasn’t much that he could do from a storyline perspective. Other than “he’s big and evil”, what else is there?

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t a good show but this was an all timer compared to last week’s nightmare. That being said, it might not matter all that much as they’re going to miss the next two Mondays due to the tennis tournament. Mind Games could be interesting with Mankind vs. Shawn, but the lack of TV time to build it up isn’t going to help things. The Undertaker segment is pretty awesome though, as he, Mankind and Shawn continue to be some of the only worthwhile parts of this show.

Remember: no show until September 6, which is a Friday special.

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