IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

Powerrr
Date: February 4, 2020
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Stu Bennett

This show continues to be tricky to call as it tends to focus on the talking, which is a weird way to go in modern wrestling. That’s what makes it work more than anything else and I could go for more of it. The show is a lot of fun more often than not and we are coming up on the Crockett Cup, which needs to finalize its main event. Let’s get to it.

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

James Storm and Eli Drake think we should watch Powerrr.

New opening sequence, now with a Pantera song (I’m Broken) instead of Into The Fire. That’s a downgrade, but they have updated the name graphics so it’s not all negative.

Here’s Tim Storm for a chat. The fans shout that they love him and he calls them his family. He’s ready for Thom Latimer next week because he wants to prove himself against the best. There have been rumors about Storm retiring from wrestling and there is nothing to them because he wants to be here with his family. He can handle Strictly Business and will never raise his hand against Kamille because Mama Storm taught him better.

Cue Latimer and Kamille with Latimer not thinking much of Storm. Hold on though as we have a surprise: MAMA STORM IS HERE! AND SHE NEEDS A SHAVE SO I DON’T THINK THAT’S HER! Tim isn’t impressed as “Mama” rambles about taking Tim to see Frank Gotch. Storm doesn’t know if he’s angry or laughing but “Mama” says he should go back to school so he can learn to win a match.

If the NWA accomplishes nothing else, they have turned Tim Storm from “the old guy who is NWA Champion because the NWA is a joke” into a grizzled veteran that you can sympathize with in a great way. That’s remarkable and worthy of a lot of praise because I don’t know who else could pull it off.

We look back at Thunder Rosa winning the Women’s Title at Hard Times. The rematch is tonight.

Matt Cross vs. Caleb Konley

Ricky Starks is on commentary. They go straight to the mat to start and that’s good for a standoff. Cross headscissors him into the corner and hits a running forearm as the fans go with the LET’S GO CROSS chants. Konley pulls him off the ropes and hits a running kick to the face for two, setting up the bow and arrow hold. That’s broken up in a hurry and Cross hits some running clotheslines for two of his own so Konley small packages him for the same. Konley’s low superkick sets up a tornado DDT for the same but Cross bounces off the rope for a cutter. The shooting star finishes Konley at 5:52.

Rating: C. This felt like any indy match you could imagine and that’s a fine way to go. They did some good stuff with Cross getting to show off a bit but I’m going to forget that I saw this in about thirty seconds. Neither made that much of an impression but you can always use people who can have a completely competent match, which is what you had here.

Post match, respect is shown.

We look at Nick Aldis setting the terms for Marty Scurll to get another shot at the NWA World Title.

Aldis is wondering why he hasn’t gotten a response yet. Maybe the wolf on the hill is hungrier because the food is right in front of him. His patience is wearing thin so respond, maybe even with a counteroffer. He wants a response by Free Enterprise on Sunday.

Video on Eddie Kingston, the Pope and the Dawsons.

Here are Pope and the Dawsons for a chat. Pope doesn’t need to offer an explanation but this doesn’t speak badly on Kingston. It speaks badly on Homicide, but don’t speak badly on the cashier who is bringing change to the NWA. Cue Kingston, who had to be told not to bring a wrench or screwdriver out here to deal with Pope. Homicide is the reason he didn’t kill himself and that’s real. He got a phone call from some young high fliers who needed a chance to prove themselves, so here are the Bouncers from ROH (Beer City Bruiser/Brawler Milonas, the smaller of whom is about 350lbs). A match is teased but nothing happens.

We look back at Trevor Murdoch yelling at Aron Stevens and announcing their National Title match this week.

Mae Valentine gives us a vlog about how everyone is loving her around here and how hard everything is for her. But her outfits have been awesome! She isn’t wild on Royce Isaacs being so jealous but he won a match while she made a new friend so everything is ok. The airheaded voice was kind of funny.

National Title: Trevor Murdoch vs. Aron Stevens

Stevens is defending and has the Question Mark with him. The fans are behind Murdoch in a bit of a surprise. They go with back to back headlock takeovers into headscissor counters until Stevens bails into the corner. Murdoch slams him down a few times but a showdown with the Question Mark….means it’s an ejection. Stevens uses the distraction to send Murdoch into the apron a few times and Stevens wants to know how much time is left in the ten minute time limit.

Back in and Stevens drops a knee before hitting a running hip attack to the back of the next. A hard clothesline gets two more and Stevens throws him outside again. Stevens demands a count but only gets about a six before Murdoch is back in. Commentary is right there to point out that Stevens is letting Murdoch recover and it isn’t as smart as he thinks. That’s some good insight and you don’t get enough of that these days. The chinlock works a bit better and a thumb to the eye lets Stevens put Murdoch on the floor again.

Back in and a suplex puts Murdoch down again so some knee drops can get two. With less than two minutes to go, Stevens throws him outside again but this time Murdoch lands on his feet and comes back inside to hammer away. A full nelson slam gets two on Stevens with less than a minute to go but Stevens pokes him in the eye with thirty seconds left. Stevens jawbreaks his way out of a sleeper as time expires at 10:00.

Rating: C+. The storytelling was strong with this one and that’s not something you can ever get enough of in wrestling. Stevens is a great cowardly champion as he’s going with a twist on a classic trope. Murdoch is someone who is getting a lot of mileage out of a simple gimmick and that’s always nice to see.

Post match Murdoch hits a top rope bulldog and counts his own pin.

Zicky Dice challenges us to subscribe to the NWA YouTube channel. If they get another 100,000 subscribers, he’ll do whatever the fans want.

Sean Mooney is thankful for the warm welcome he has received and recaps the Aldis/Scurll summit from last week.

Mooney also recaps the Lucky 7 Rule, which now has a graphic showing how many title defenses Ricky Starks has completed.

Ricky Starks is ready to keep the title for a long time.

One more thing: Melina wants to be #1 contender after tonight’s rematch. I can go for a quick control center deal like this.

James Storm/Eli Drake vs. Jocephus/Mims

Non-title. The fans are glad to have Jocephus back, even as Storm works on his arm. Drake comes in to stay on his arm but an elbow knocks him down. Mims comes in and is quickly run over with a clothesline so it’s back to Storm. That goes badly for Mims as well with Storm chopping him down and Drake hitting a powerslam. Drake fireman’s carries Mims into a Backstabber from Storm for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: D+. Perfectly nice little squash here and there is nothing wrong with that for the new champs. Let them go in there and beat people up so the fans know that they’re good at what they do. The action wasn’t the point here, but rather Storm and Drake looking dominant, which is exactly what we got.

Clips of Thunder Rosa vs. Allysin Kay for the Women’s Title at Hard Times, which looks like a heck of a fight.

Women’s Title: Allysin Kay vs. Thunder Rosa

Rosa is defending and Melina is sitting at commentary without putting a headset on. They trade waistlocks to start before fighting over front facelocks instead. Rosa gets the better of it with a quickly broken Crossface and that means an early standoff. Kay snapmares her down and hits a kick to the back but Rosa snaps the arm over the ropes to take over. The arm is wrapped around the middle rope for a bonus (now we just need the bottom for the complete set) but Rosa switches gears by slugging away in the corner.

The Fujiwara armbar stays on the arm until Kay gets a foot on the rope for the nearly desperate save. Back up and they trade running forearms, followed by the wild slugout in the middle. An exchange of big boots gives us a double knockdown. It’s Rosa up first for a running corner dropkick but cue Marti Belle for a distraction.

Tasha Steelz and Ashley Vox come out to stare her away and Rosa grabs a rollup for two. Kay is back with a swinging neckbreaker and a Jackhammer for two but the arm is still hurt. The AK47 doesn’t work and Rosa gets in a Stunner for her own two. A Gory Bomb gives Rosa two more and a Death Valley Driver is good for the same as Kay can’t believe she kicked out. Rosa is right back up with a bridging rollup for the pin to retain at 9:25.

Rating: C+. The brawling sequence in the middle was rather good and these two have chemistry. The best thing about it though is that the NWA is understanding that Rosa needs to be turned face because she is the most popular woman in the division at the moment. There’s no need to keep her heel for a story that isn’t that big in the first place and capitalizing on something they have is a good idea, plus an encouraging sign.

Post match Rosa leaves as Bell and Melina look at her.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a different kind of show and that’s a good thing in this case. It’s not that the other kind of show is bad but much more about the fact that this show worked in a different way. What we got here was entertaining and advanced the stories, which is a unique way to go for them. It worked in a way you don’t see from this show and I liked that for a change.

Results

Matt Cross b. Caleb Konley – Shooting star press

Trevor Murdoch vs. Aron Stevens went to a time limit draw

James Storm/Eli Drake b. Mims/Jocephus – Fireman’s carry into a Backstabber to Mims

Thunder Rosa b. Allysin Kay – 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

Dark
Date: February 4, 2020
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Tazz
Host: Tony Schiavone

This show has gone in a very different direction over the last few weeks as they have been averaging about half an hour. I’m not sure what that means for the future but it’s been rather nice just getting in and getting out. Granted the show hasn’t been around long enough to exactly have a history or lineage so it could be completely different this time. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony welcomes us to the show and talks about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He’s rather glad that KISS finally got in….six years ago.

Jurassic Express vs. Brandon Cutler/Sonny Kiss

Marko Stunt/Jungle Boy for the Express here. Stunt and Cutler start things off as we hear about Stunt being exactly a foot shorter than Cutler. Not something I’d point out but Stunt is unique or something and that makes it fun. Some rollups give Stunt two and it’s off to Jungle Boy, who ducks underneath a moonsault out of the corner. A multiple springboard armdrag puts Cutler down and it’s off to Kiss for the splits armdrag. Jungle Boy gets laid over the middle rope and Kiss flips forward into a kick to the ribs. This of course means dancing, which is a theme for this match.

Boy beats up both of them at once and launches Stunt onto him in a flipping splash. Cutler is right back to run Stunt over and a swinging slam gives Cutler two. A hurricanrana finally gets Stunt over to the corner though and it’s Boy coming in to clean house. Something like a Last Chancery (with Cutler on his knees instead of on his stomach) has Cutler in trouble but Kiss makes the save. That earns Kiss a trip to the floor and Boy puts Cutler in a Gory Stretch. Stunt comes off the top with a flipping Stunner for the pin at 7:28.

Rating: C-. It was a step above a squash and that’s a good thing, mainly as it didn’t go on too long. Stunt getting a pin is more acceptable in this situation, though it’s still a big stretch to believe that anything he does can do much damage. That being said, Cutler and Kiss are the lowest of low level wrestlers so it’s not like it makes a difference.

We go to therapy with Brandi Rhodes because we need to get her on the show. She knows something isn’t right and has visions of the therapist wearing her own clothes. Brandi needs to let go of the people she hates. I wouldn’t mind if we let go of this story in general but that’s just me.

Mel vs. Hikaru Shida

Back in and Mel hits an enziguri to drop Mel, followed by a snap suplex for two. Mel kicks her down and drops a leg for her own near fall. A few shots to the face are shrugged off and Shida hits a running knee to the face for two more. Luther offers a distraction so Kong can interfere, only to hit Mel with the kendo stick by mistake. Another running knee finishes Mel at 8:16.

Rating: D+. This is another match that just kind of happened, which tends to be the case with the women’s division. The Nightmare Collective is still one of the least interesting groups (out of several of them) in AEW and I don’t need to see them around all that often. Shida is one of the better women in the division, but the thing is such a mess these days that it doesn’t make much of a difference.

Post match Shida leaves so Kong yells at Mel, who fights back. She and Mel double team Kong and send her through the barricade. A legdrop off the steps leaves Kong down. I’m not sure how one of the most dominant female wrestlers ever will deal with an old hardcore “legend” and a loser like Mel.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

From the Jericho cruise.

Kip Sabian/Penelope Ford vs. Kenny Omega/Riho

Gotta get Riho in there. She and Omega are in matching pink and white because they’re long term partners. In Japan but that’s just something we’re supposed to know about. As a bonus, there’s no commentary here and it’s shot indy style with a handheld camera. Ford slaps Omega to start and they lock up as the fans chant for AEW while declaring this wrestling. An exchange of headlocks lets Ford take him down, only to have Omega reverse into a headscissors.

Sabian comes in and says he wants Riho, who works on her own wristlock. That earns her a forearm to the back but she hits a running dropkick and armdrag. Sabian slams her a few times but Riho slips out of a third and brings in Omega to clean house. A running powerslam gives Omega two and it’s Riho coming in for a double stomp and half crab. Back up and Sabian sends them into the corner together but Omega comes out with the jumping Fameasser for two.

It’s back to Riho for some chops in the corner but he takes her over to Ford for the standard stomping and choking package. We’re clipped to Sabian dropping Riho into a camel clutch so Omega can come in for the save. Omega stomps away on her so Ford comes back in to punch Riho in the stomach for two. Riho kicks her down and headscissors Sabian, allowing another hot tag to Omega. You Can’t Escape gets two and Riho’s high crossbody is good for the same.

Sabian scores with an enziguri to Omega and Ford is back in for the handspring elbow. We’re clipped again to Ford hitting a Codebreaker and Sabian adding a legdrop to the back of the head to give her two. Omega finally hits a V Trigger on Sabian and the women come in again, this time with Ford hitting a Stunner for another near fall. Riho misses her top rope double stomp and it’s back to Omega for the slugout and Snapdragon on Sabian. Ford hits Omega low though, leaving Riho to Snapdragon Sabian as well. Omega Snapdragons Ford to even it up and the One Winged Angel finishes Sabian at 16:49.

Rating: C-. Ignoring the parts with Sabian and Omega selling for people half their side or the continued push for Riho, this was a lot longer than it needed to be and not something that needed to be broadcast. It’s one thing as a special feature for the live crowd but having the lack of commentary and handheld camera deal made it feel like I was watching a bad indy. The action was good enough but this didn’t need to air and would have been better left on the cruise deck.

Post match Omega talks about how wrestlers like him are told to stay in their place but this was the beauty of pro wrestling. Now they’re running international TV from a cruise ship and we get some applause for everyone involved. Goodnight and goodbye.

There is no update on Awesome Kong.

Best Friends vs. Shawn Spears/???

It’s another mystery partner and this time that would be….Colin Delaney, with Tully Blanchard thinking he looks good on paper. Is there a point to this story other than making Blanchard look stupid and out of touch? Orange Cassidy and Tully are here of course. Spears flips Cassidy off to start but gets hammerlocked by Trent for his efforts. That’s escaped but Spears cuts himself off from the TEN.

Some chops have Spears wincing and Trent knees him in the chest to send him outside. Delaney (who was the loser jobber in ECW about ten years ago) comes in and armdrags Chuck into an armbar. They flip around a bit into a standoff so Spears comes in at the same time, allowing Chuck to beat them both up. The ring is cleared but Delaney and Spears break up the big hug. Delaney wants his own hug but Spears goes to hug Tully instead.

Back in and Spears gets in an argument with the referee over a count before Delaney grabs a chinlock on Chuck. That’s broken up and it’s Trent coming back in to chop away. A hard clothesline drops Delaney and a running flip dive takes him down as well. Things settle back down and Trent slips out of a double suplex and brings Chuck back in. Soul Food into a half and half suplex gets two on Delaney but Spears crotches Trent on top.

Delaney hits a top rope Stunner into Spears’ Death Valley Driver for two with Chuck making the save. Everything breaks down again so let’s get the Cassidy vs. Blanchard showdown. All four hands go into the pockets and Cassidy does the kicks to the legs but Spears jumps him from behind to break that up. Trent sends Delaney into Spears and it’s a running knee to set up the big hug. That’s enough for Tully and Spears who walk out, leaving Delaney to take Strong Zero for the pin at 15:03.

Rating: D+. What exactly was the point of this? To continue the joke of “Spears needs a partner” which is leading….where? Spears has shown that he is little more than just a hand in the ring and Tully is there with him for the sake of they have nothing else for him. If the best you have is having him put his hands in his pockets so Orange Cassidy can do his signature deal, stop bringing Blanchard out there because he’s a lot more valuable than that.

Delaney and the other three have a group hug.

Tony says goodnight.

Overall Rating: D. So to recap, we had what should have been an extended squash, a match that focused entirely on the Nightmare Collective, that weird indy special match and the latest edition of Spears Needs A Partner/Blanchard Isn’t That Bright. We needed nearly an hour and twenty minutes to get through that? This felt like the lower level card getting their shine and showing why they’re the lower part of the card.

Omega and Riho are the only names of value here and they were in a complete throwaway match which had nothing to do with what they’re doing. It was a waste of time tonight and not a good show, which isn’t a good feeling. Stick with the short and sweet stuff or recaps, not these long, drawn out matches which don’t serve much of a purpose other than catering to people already watching your promotion.

Results

Jurassic Express b. Sonny Kiss/Brandon Cutler – Gory Stretch/Flipping Stunner combination to Cutler

Hikaru Shida b. Mel – Running knee

Kenny Omega/Riho b. Kip Sabian/Penelope Ford – One Winged Angel to Sabian

Best Friends b. Colin Delaney/Shawn Spears – Strong Zero to Delaney

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: February 3, 2020
Location: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Jerry Lawler

We’re about two months away from Wrestlemania and tonight is going to be very interesting. Not so much because we need to do anything special, but because there is a horrible snow storm in Salt Lake City. The show is going on as planned, but we could be in for a very sparse crowd. Like, even more so than usual. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a recap of what happened to Edge last week at the hands of Randy Orton, including being taken away in an ambulance after the show.

Here’s Orton to explain himself. Orton takes his time before posing on the roles and the fans are not thrilled to see him. He thinks he owes an explanation but the fans are booing him out of the building in a hurry. That turns into an Edge chant and Orton still can’t bring himself to say anything. He finally says he can’t do this, puts the mic down, and walks away.

Video on the Royal Rumble, focusing on Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar.

Lana vs. Liv Morgan

Lana fakes a wrist injury to start and gets two off a kick to the head instead. We hit the chinlock before Lana sends her head first into the mat. Posing ensues and Liv is back up with the springboard Downward Spiral for the pin at 1:24.

Post match Ruby Riott makes her surprise return….and knocks Liv down with a chokeshove. Riott beats her down even more and leaves, allowing Lana to lay out Liv again.

We take a quick look at the horrible blizzard.

We look back at Drew McIntyre challenging Brock Lesnar last week and getting beaten down as a result.

Drew McIntyre vs. Mojo Rawley

Non-title but first, Drew promises to Claymore Mojo’s head off three seconds after he puts the mic down. After thanking the fans for braving the weather, Drew talks about that clip of Drew getting attacked, pointing out that Brock had to take him down from behind. That’s all well and good, because Drew, has a secret weapon with the Claymore and he’s kicking Brock’s head off to become champion. Drew: “Geez Mojo I forgot you were there for a second. Claymore in six seconds and Drew didn’t even take his coat off. The “Mojo’s Only Fan” sign in the crowd is a nice touch.

Buddy Murphy and the AOP are ready for Kevin Owens and the Viking Raiders. Seth Rollins comes in to tell them to go get ready because he’s got this. Rollins is ready for a triple threat match tonight where he can become #1 contender at Super ShowDown. He’s beaten Brock Lesnar for the title twice (thanks for finally mentioning that) and Drew needs to get ready for a new Wrestlemania opponent.

Viking Raiders/Kevin Owens vs. AOP/Buddy Murphy

Elimination rules and Rollins is here with his cronies. The Vikings start fast with Ivar slamming Erik onto Murphy and we take a fast break. Back with Murphy hitting a jawbreaker on Erik so Rezar can come in for the slugout with Ivar. Akam comes in though and knees Erik down, setting up some hard right hands to keep him in trouble. Murphy strikes away as well but Erik knees him in the face, allowing the hot tag off to Ivar for a basement crossbody.

A seated senton out of the corner crushes Akam and a clothesline turns Murphy inside out. The springboard clothesline/German suplex combination gets one on Murphy with the AOP making a save. Everything breaks down and the Raiders hit some dives to take AOP down. Ivar misses a charge into the LED board though (knocking it offline in the process), allowing Rollins to Stomp Erik on the floor. That’s enough for Murphy to get the elimination at 8:06 as Ivar’s shoulder is out. Ivar goes to the back at about 9:00 so Owens is all alone against the three of them.

We take another break and come back with Owens hitting a suplex but Murphy pulls him down into a chinlock. Murphy takes it to the floor but gets caught with a fall away slam into the corner. Back in and Murphy kicks him in the face for two as frustration is starting to set in. Owens enziguris Rezar but walks into the side slam/middle rope stomp combination for two.

The chinlock goes on and Murphy cuts off another comeback attempt. A DDT plants Murphy but Akam is right back in to forearm Owens down. That doesn’t last long either though as Owens goes to the apron for a Cannonball to Rezar, followed by a whip to send Akam into the steps. The Swanton hits Murphy’s raised kneed but a Pop Up Powerbomb gets rid of Murphy at 19:21.

The Stunner eliminates Akam at 20:04 and Rollins is panicking. Rezar charges into the post and gets superkicked into the corner, setting up the Cannonball. Now the Swanton can connect for two so Owens gets a fireman’s carry, only to have Rollins offer a distraction. Rezar hits a heck of a clothesline and a spinebuster plants Owens again. A second spinebuster finishes Owens at 23:15.

Rating: C+. It was longer than it needed to be but that’s how you stretch out a match when there might not be a full load of talent due to the weather. I was surprised by the ending here as I never would have bet on Rezar winning once they got down to one on one. Fair enough given that Owens was spent though and enough to make everyone look good.

Post match Owens get the big standing ovation.

Ricochet is ready to earn a title shot because he wants to prove people wrong.

Aleister Black vs. Eric Young

Black starts with the striking and sweeps the legs out, setting up a knee to the face. Black Mass finishes Young at 1:18.

Post match Black talks about being told that he could be anything you want to be. Now he knows that isn’t true and that drives him. He will be knocking down the Raw locker room door because he was told he could be anything he wanted.

We look back at Andrade hammerlock DDTing Humberto Carrillo into the concrete last December, plus Humberto coming back to do the same thing to Andrade last week. Andrade is out indefinitely, though there is no word on the title being stripped or vacated.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Angel Garza

That would be Humberto’s cousin, who is accompanied by Zelina Vega. She puts Garza over as a former champion and a hot prospect, while also mentioning the family connection. Garza says that he is the leader of their family so Humberto answers to him. Humberto is a disgrace to the family, so he takes the mic away and rants in Spanish at both of them. Zelina slaps him in the face and Garza jumps him, including the Wing Clipper to knock Humberto silly. They go outside with Garza peeling back the mats but Rey Mysterio runs in for the save. Sounds like we have a replacement match. Garza looked like a star here. Again.

Rey Mysterio vs. Angel Garza

Garza stalls on the floor to start before Rey makes him bail into the ropes for another breather. Rey grabs a headlock before headscissoring him into the corner. That’s enough to send Garza to a knee with an offer of a handshake but Rey shakes a finger no. Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS and throws them at Rey but misses a charge into the corner. A kick to the face staggers Rey again though and Garza puts him on the corner so the mask can be teased.

With that not working, Rey gets tied in the Tree of Woe for a running knee to the ribs. Rey is right back but misses the 619, allowing Garza to pull the ring skirt out to send him to the floor. Back from a break with Mysterio still in trouble as Lawler mentions that he and Honky Tonk Man are cousins (that’s something you don’t hear too often in WWE). Garza misses a moonsault though and they’re both down.

Rey gets two off a tornado DDT but Garza knees him in the head for the same. The Wing Clipper is broken up and Rey hits a running Canadian Destroyer. Vega breaks up the 619 so Rey springboards to the floor to drop Garza again. Rey yells at Vega so Garza gets in a superkick and whips him into the barricade. The hammerlock DDT onto the exposed concrete draws the DQ at 13:10.

Rating: B-. If you want to make someone look like a star, put them in there against Mysterio. Garza took a bit to grow on me but sweet goodness he has all the star power you could want. The ending tied into everything that the story was built upon and the match was good as a bonus. Nice stuff here and I’m hoping Garza gets even more of a push in the future.

Here’s Charlotte to announce her Wrestlemania decision. She has held the Raw and Women’s Titles more than once and….there’s a Rhea chant. Charlotte says she’s done that too and yes NXT has love for it’s queen but….here’s Rhea herself. Rhea says Charlotte has beaten Bayley and Becky, but Rhea has beaten her. She holds up the NXT Women’s Title and Charlotte smiles at her, only to walk around and leave. Charlotte throws in one more WOO for good measure. I’m not sure where they’re going with this and I like that.

Bobby Lashley isn’t distracted by Lana losing because that was her match. He’ll become #1 contender tonight because he deserves to face Brock Lesnar. Then he’ll go to Wrestlemania and beat up Drew McIntyre to retain the title. Posing ensues.

Asuka vs. Natalya

Asuka’s early headscissors doesn’t get her very far so she does it again and switches into a bodyscissors. A grab of the leg has Natalya in trouble so she kicks Asuka in the back for the break. Natalya knocks her into the corner and hits a sitout powerbomb for two, with Asuka bailing to the floor. Back from a break with Asuka kicking away at Natalya’s chest but missing the big one and getting rolled up for two.

A kick to the face sets up the Octopus Hold, followed by a Shining Wizard to give Asuka two more. The armbar keeps Natalya in trouble and Asuka switches to a guillotine to make it even worse. Natalya powers her up into a suplex for the break though and they’re both down. It’s Natalya up first with the discus lariat into the Sharpshooter but a rope is grabbed before too long. A quick Kairi Sane distraction lets Asuka grab the Asuka Lock for the tap at 12:01.

Rating: C+. It’s always nice to see Asuka in old school form of breaking people in half and that’s what we got here. Natalya is fine when you don’t let her talk and just go out for her stable and efficient match. The ending was a little flat as Sane just cheated to give Asuka the win but they had a good match coming up on the finish.

Post match Asuka rants about wanting a rematch with Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Title. Cue Becky (with checkered flag sunglasses) to say Asuka ducked her for a year and now wants to face her again. Of course she wants to drink from that fountain again but why put the title on the line again so close to Wrestlemania? Well, that’s because beating Asuka again would be better than doing it once so the match is on. Sane tries to jump Becky but gets thrown to the floor. Becky is even ready for the mist because she has superpowers, like eyes in the back of her head. No date on the match.

Charlotte will be on NXT this week to answer Rhea Ripley’s challenge.

Here’s Seth Rollins for the main event but first he needs to talk about it being his time. He’ll go to Super ShowDown and win the WWE Title, though the fans aren’t as happy with the announcement this week. Last year he won the title from Lesnar twice and then defended it around the world but the fans crucified him. He doesn’t hate the people for it though and actually he’s here to say thank you. Rollins is fighting right now and it’s for something that is going to be remembered in ten years. McIntyre is going to Wrestlemania but he’ll be facing the Monday Night Messiah.

Seth Rollins vs. Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley is sent outside early and Rollins is right there with a Sling Blade to Ricochet. Another shot knocks Lashley off the apron so Rollins can get a quick two. Lashley is back in though and hits a DDT to Rollins and a neckbreaker on Ricochet at the same time. A clothesline puts Rollins on the floor but Ricochet gets in a kick to Lashley’s head. The rolling dropkick puts Lashley outside again and there’s the big flip dive.

The running shooting star press gets two with Lashley having to make a save. Another spinebuster hits Ricochet and a lifting Downward Spiral gets two on Rollins. A Blockbuster gives Rollins his own two on Lashley with Ricochet making a save this time around. The Buckle Bomb hits Ricochet but he’s back up with an enziguri to catch Rollins on top. There’s the Tower of Doom, though Lashley lets go of the two of them so it was more like Ricochet superplexing Rollins as Lashley just fell. The 630 hits Lashley for the sudden pin at 13:33.

Rating: B. Ricochet makes sense as the big winner as we’ve seen Rollins and Lashley vs. Lesnar isn’t exactly thrilling to anyone but Lashley. Ricochet may not have a chance to win but there’s a great Jeff Hardy factor him where there might be a. .01% chance that he could win, but it’s very fun to think about. The match was good and it had the right winner so I can’t really complain.

Post match Lesnar runs in for a quick F5 to end the show. Lesnar might have been on screen for fifteen seconds and got a full payday for it. That’s why he’s smarter than we are.

Overall Rating: B. You can tell they’re in Wrestlemania Mode as the show flew by with nothing bad and some stories being advanced. It’s acceptable to focus on Super ShowDown as there is so much time left before Wrestlemania, but I really hope that it doesn’t turn into the usual mess where all of the focus is on the less important show and the big one suffers in the process. This show gives me hope though, because it was the best one in a long time.

Results

Liv Morgan b. Lana – Springboard Downward Spiral

Drew McIntyre b. Mojo Rawley – Claymore

Buddy Murphy/AOP b. Kevin Owens/Viking Raiders – Spinebuster to Rezar

Aleister Black b. Eric Young – Black Mass

Rey Mysterio b. Angel Garza via DQ when Garza DDTed Mysterio on the exposed concrete

Asuka b. Natalya – Asuka Lock

Ricochet b. Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley – 630 to Lashley

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 #95
Date: February 1, 2020
Location: NYTEX Sports Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

The Dallas shows continue and for the first time in forever, they won’t include Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc. The big story seems to be the slow build towards Davey Boy Smith vs. Jacob Fatu for the World Title, which could be a heck of a match. There are other things going on at the same time though, including a Middleweight Title match this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Hart Foundation vs. Contra, which would be a lot better if Teddy Hart was still around.

Davey Boy Smith is ready to take out Simon Gotch tonight in a no ropes match, with a win coming by knockout or tap out. Gotch can pick his own execution.

Opening sequence.

We look back at Injustice getting in an argument with Konnan last week, setting up tonight’s Middleweight Title match with Drago challenging Myron Reed.

Simon Gotch vs. Davey Boy Smith

The ropes are gone and you win by knockout or tap out only. Gotch has Josef Samael with him. Smith takes him down and gets ground control with a side choke but Gotch spins out and forces Smith out to the floor. Back in and they exchange kicks to the legs until Smith grabs the head and spins him down to the mat. A headlock takeover into an armbar keeps Gotch in trouble so he counters with a headscissors.

That’s broken up in a hurry and it’s another standoff. Smith takes him down again but gets hit in the head a few times to break that up. A top wristlock has Gotch in more trouble and Smith elbows him in the head to make it even worse. Back up and Gotch slugs away so Smith tells him to do it harder. That’s what Smith does and Gotch goes down in a heap. Gotch takes him down for a change though and kicks at the leg.

That doesn’t get him very far either though as Smith reverses into a cross armbreaker. Samael makes a save from the floor though and Gotch can go back to the ankle. Now it’s Smith getting up again for some more hard forearms, only to get pulled down into a kneebar. Smith powers up again with some belly to back suplexes into a Saito suplex, which is good enough to give Smith the knockout win at 8:03.

Rating: C. Your mileage is going to vary here as it might not have been the most thrilling match in the world but it did a great job of making Smith look like a machine. What matters here is making him look like a threat to the indestructible Jacob Fatu and that might be where we’re going sooner rather than later. Say over Wrestlemania weekend?

Alexander Hammerstone is back from a tour of Japan and has a sponsorship deal with a Japanese soda company. He’s rather happy with the 10,000 Yen payday….until Richard Holliday explains that he’s making about $91. It doesn’t matter though as they’ll get his lawyer/father to get them on more shelves to make the Dynasty more money.

We look back at Mance Warner defeating Jimmy Havoc in their final showdown.

Warner is off to celebrate and then he wants some gold. Like the National Openweight Title.

Video on the Team Filthy Dojo, which is open for business again.

And now, Filthy Does Dallas, which means Tom Lawlor and Dominic Garrini go to a western store so they can look like real cowboys. Not like those fake Von Erichs you see.

Middleweight Title: Myron Reed vs. Drago

Reed is defending and has the rest of Injustice with him. Oliver thinks we’re in Houston but it doesn’t matter considering this place looks just like Oklahoma. They run the ropes to start with Drago flipping over him and trying a backsplash, only to injure himself on the chest protector. Reed hits an enziguri and two knees to the chest out of the corner connecting for two. A dragon sleeper goes on but Dragon backflips his way to freedom.

That earns him a belly to back suplex and a slingshot legdrop for two from Reed. Drago launches him to the floor where Injustice makes a catch, allowing Drago to hit a dive onto all three of them in a big crash. Back in and Drago hits a powerbomb, followed by another one for two. Oliver comes in so Drago superkicks Reed to the floor and hits a running Canadian Destroyer to take Oliver down. Another distraction lets Kotto Brazil get in a low blow and Reed hits a springboard 450 to retain at 4:44.

Rating: C. Drago got to showcase himself here in a failed attempt but there is only so much you can do when you are down three to one. They’re doing a nice job of setting Reed up as someone who could be a rather annoying heel champion, meaning someone could take the title from him in a big moment. Nice match, though the cheating was the way things should go.

Low Ki is ready to face King Mo, when Mo and his trainer Dan Lambert come in. Mo brings up that he knocked out Low Ki’s trainer to take some steam away.

Air Wolf has been attacked.

Contra is ready to end the Hart Foundation.

Air Wolf was attacked by members of Contra’s Death Squad.

We recap the Von Erichs vs. the Dynasty, setting up tonight’s main event.

Marshall Von Erich vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Tom Lawlor is on commentary, and MJF has Alexander Hammerstone and Gino Medina with him. Before the match, MJF says the Von Erichs, just like everyone here and tonight, another member of the family goes six feet under. Points for having the guts to go there. Hold on though as Medina and Hammerstone are ejected before the bell. The fans are behind Marshall and Lawlor seems to hate it.

They lock up and go all the way outside without letting it go. The lockup stays on and they even get back inside for a standoff. Friedman offers a handshake and Marshall actually falls for it, only to come back with an armdrag and a dropkick. The threat of a Claw sends MJF bailing to the floor but Marshall chops the post by mistake. MJF puts the fingers inside the turnbuckle hook and pulls on the other arm to take away the Claw.

Back in and MJF hammers away for two before cranking on the hands again. A knee drop to the hand makes it even worse as MJF is rather good at working on an arm/hand. Marshall powers up and gets in an overhead belly to belly to put them both down. A dropkick puts MJF in the corner and Marshall hits a Cannonball for a bonus.

Marshall powerslams him for two but MJF hides behind the referee before the Claw can go on. The injured hand hits the buckle so MJF takes him down into a Fujiwara armbar with a pull on the fingers. A long crawl allows a rope break and Marshall knocks him down again, setting up a moonsault for two. Cue the rest of the Dynasty for a distraction so MJF can grab a rollup with feet on the ropes for two more. Marshall is right back up with the Claw for the tap at 10:30.

Rating: C+. They told a simple story here as MJF gets to show off his ability to take someone down by a body part. It works well every single time and that’s what happened here. Marshall gets to make a comeback win and look like a hero, which is the right way to go in Dallas. Solid match, though it’s also MJF’s last match in MLW. There’s a chance that he’ll be in a vignette or two soon enough to write him off, but he belongs on a bigger stage.

Post match Lawlor tries to bring in a chair but Marshall fights him, plus the Dynasty, off at the same time to end the show. We do get a mention from commentary that Ross is off on a promotional appearance so they did cover that rather large problem (well done).

Overall Rating: B-. There was a different energy to this show and it felt like the concept they’re shooting for: a good mix of everything that they can offer. That makes the show a lot more fun to watch and that’s what I was feeling here. It felt like a better blend instead of focusing on one or two stories and it makes for a more entertaining show. Good stuff here and I could go for more like this.

Results

Davey Boy Smith Jr. b. Simon Gotch via knockout

Myron Reed b. Drago – Springboard 450

Marshall Von Erich b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Claw

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: January 30, 2020
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Mickie James

We’re past the Royal Rumble and that means things can pick up in a big way. The problem is that they might not do that, which is always a possibility around here. This show can give you a good look at how things going but that is not always the case. In other words, I have no idea what to expect here so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Sarah Logan

It was good last week so maybe they can repeat it this time. Feeling out process to start with Logan reversing a waistlock but getting elbowed in the face for her efforts. Deonna gets sent outside and kneed against the barricade so Logan can shout a lot. Back in and Purrazzo hits another elbow to the face but she takes Logan outside again to send her arm first into the apron.

The nasty armbar follows inside, followed by Logan’s arm being wrapped around the bottom rope. Logan is fine enough to send her shoulder first into the post and a running dropkick has Purrazzo in even more trouble. A bridging belly to back suplex gives Logan two more but Purrazzo flips over into the Fujiwara armbar. That means a rope grab and likely the end of Purrazzo’s chances. Back up and Logan knees her in the face for the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C-. Yeah not exactly last week’s rather surprising performance but they could have done a lot worse. Logan is someone who might wind up being a midcarder on one of the major shows but that isn’t happening until she gets somewhere first. Maybe she can do that in time and some wins on Main Event are better than nothing.

Video on the men’s Royal Rumble.

From Raw.

Here’s Drew McIntyre to open the show. Drew loves the sound of being introduced as the Royal Rumble winner, so let’s get this out of the way: he challenges Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania. Last night he saw the fear in Brock’s eyes and knows that he can beat Lesnar. He wants a Claymore party tonight though and that means it’s open challenge time. Cue the OC to say they’ll both fight him right now. That’s fine with Drew, so ring the bell.

Drew McIntyre vs. OC

Drew starts fast by chopping Anderson and beats up Gallows as a bonus. A top rope ax handle hits Anderson and there’s the Futureshock to Gallows. The Claymore hits them both and it’s a double pin at 2:21. Total squash and that’s how you make a star.

Post match here’s Lesnar to F5 McIntyre.

Video on the women’s Royal Rumble.

From Raw.

Here’s Charlotte to brag about winning last night but that’s what she does, because she’s Charlotte. We see some highlights from last night and Charlotte announces that she will be challenging….for a championship because she hasn’t made up her mind yet.

Cedric Alexander vs. Riddick Moss

This cameo makes some more sense after Raw. Moss works on a wristlock to start but Cedric reverses into a headlock. A rather hard shoulder puts Alexander in the corner and we take an early break. Back with Moss forearming away in the corner and shouting a lot. The chinlock goes on but Cedric is right back up with a running dropkick to the knee. The springboard Downward Spiral is broken up and Moss hits a heck of a Rock Bottom for the pin at 7:27.

Rating: D+. The key phrase here would be “they tried”. At some point you need to give us someone new and maybe Moss can go somewhere. I haven’t seen much from him to suggest that he can, but eventually you need to put someone out there and give them some wins to see what they can do. With all of the talent they have in this company, it’s worth seeing what you have.

Video on Edge returning at the Royal Rumble.

From Raw.

Here’s Edge for his big return speech. He soaks in some cheers and can’t believe that he’s here, because being back means so much to him. The reactions are why they do this so thank you. Edge gets to the big point: how can he be here? Nine years ago he was told he could never do this again but he doesn’t like living in a world of what if’s. A few years went by and he started to feel pretty good.

Then he started thinking about what if he came home. He had a second neck surgery and got in the best shape of his life because he wanted to do this one more time and go out on his own terms. Last night he was in the Royal Rumble and saw some names that he had seen before, plus some new ones. He hopes to see them again down the road, but he’s not sure how long this is going to last.

Edge wants us to join us on the ride, earning himself his first YES chant. Edge: “I’ve got to thank Daniel Bryan for that because that’s pretty cool.” Yeah he’s older now but he has one thing that you can’t fake: grit. This brings out Randy Orton, who hugs Edge and calls him a brother. Last night, Orton felt the energy and the chemistry that only they have. Edge was talking about what if’s, so what if Rated-RKO got back together one more time?

Before we get an answer, the RKO drops Edge. Orton grabs a chair and cracks Edge over the back for good measure. The chair is wrapped around Edge’s head (as his hand is shaking) and Orton goes to the middle rope. Orton gets back down and takes the chair off of his head….so he can get two chairs. The One Man Conchairto ends the show, with Orton whispering something to Edge. Good angle here, and Edge can bring the fire at Wrestlemania.

Overall Rating: C. The original stuff wasn’t great, but it did tie in together with the overall theme of this time of year: trying something different. There are only so many things that you can do before you bring in someone new and WWE is finally doing something in that area. They have a long way to go before it means anything, but at least they’re trying.

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 Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: January 29, 2020
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

We’re off to Atlanta again and that could make for some interesting moments. The Final Battle fallout is officially over and we need to move on towards whatever is up next, which will eventually include Supercard of Honor. I’m not sure what to expect from this one but this show is so all over the place these days that you never can tell. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

We look at PCO defending against Rush, which saw a bunch of people, including NWA World Champion Nick Aldis getting involved for the no contest. That could benefit both sides.

The hosts tell us to watch Free Enterprise.

Clips of Dragon Lee retaining the TV Title over Andrew Everett.

Silas Young and Josh Woods get in an argument in the back and Silas yells at Woods for almost knocking over Quinn McKay.

Video on Vincent turning on Matt Taven and forming his own team.

Vincent/Bateman vs. Sal Rinauro/Michael Stevens

Bateman pulls Stevens inside and kicks him in the face as we ring the bell. The fans chant for Bateman but sound like they’re slipping in some YOWIE WOWIE at the same time. Bateman keeps up the beating with some slow forearms and chops until Stevens hits a quick Eat Defeat.

Rinauro comes in and, after an enziguri from Stevens, gets two off a sunset flip. That’s it for the offense though as Bateman is back with the slow chops to take over again. Rinauro grabs a running Stunner but Bateman plants him with a brainbuster. Vincent gets the tag and cuts a promo….which is censored out, including a graphic saying that the statements are too controversial. Either way he pins Rinauro at 3:25.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here and there’s nothing wrong with that. The thing at the end with Vincent being censored is the coolest thing they could do as it adds some intrigue. Vincent wasn’t interesting in the Kingdom but maybe he can do something else here now that he’s got his own team. The squash was effective enough but they need to do something to make these guys stand out.

Nick Aldis talks about how he’s here to save this place. Now you have Marty Scurll as the new big deal but he had to come to the NWA as a bonus. They are not friends right now and if Scurll wants a turf war with Villain Enterprises against Strictly Business, bring it on. He’s happy to team with Rush against Marty and PCO. Aldis is a great promo.

Here’s Shane Taylor, with the Soldiers of Savagery, to call out Joe Koff. Shane thanks him for the opportunity around here and the best year and a half of his career. If Joe wants him to stick around though, he has some demands: a Six Man Tag Team Title shot, a World Title shot, the biggest contract around and his face on every poster. Koff doesn’t get to answer but that doesn’t seem likely.

Buy merch!

Clips of Jonathan Gresham beating Josh Woods via countout.

Marty Scurll says Flip Gordon is taking PCO’s place in the Six Man Tag Team Title match. The fans are all over Marty here and it’s almost weird to see.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Villain Enterprises vs. Flamita/Bandido/Rey Horus

Marty, Flip and Brody King are defending. Brody and Flamita start things off with the masked one being launched into the corner. A shoulder drops Flamita again and his chop just annoys King. Back up and Flamita manages a running hurricanrana, only to get knocked down again. Marty and Bandido come in with Bandido hitting a running dropkick. A running hurricanrana is blocked and it’s a quick standoff, with the fans being behind the luchadors.

Horus and Flip come in to continue the very formalized series of tags. A running kick to the back of the head gives Horus an early two so Flip is back with a kick to the mask. Flip sends him outside so Marty can get in a running shot and we settle down a bit. King comes in to take over on Horus with a splash giving Marty two. Back from a break with Gordon clotheslining Marty by mistake, allowing the hot tag off to Bandido.

The top rope spinning crossbody takes King down again, followed by a moonsault to the floor from Bandido with the other two hitting running flip dives at the same time (awesome spot). Back in and Flip gets beaten down, including Bandido suplexing Flamita into a moonsault for two. Gordon is right back with a springboard spear and it’s King coming back in to start wrecking people. Everything breaks down again and the sunset flip into a German suplex gets two on Flamita.

King kicks Scurll off the apron by mistake though and Horus is back in with his springboard tornado DDT for two. Bandido’s crucifix bomb plants King again and a Spanish Fly does the same to Flip. Horus DDTs the heck out of King again and everyone is down to a VERY warm reception from the fans. Bandido and Scurll are up for the slugout with the X Knee hitting Scurll.

Back up and Scurll tries to fight off all three challengers at once, earning himself a superkick into a moonsault slam for two. Flip and King are back in for the exchange of chops, followed by the Motor City Machine Guns’ Made In Detroit for two on Bandido. Flip and King dive onto Horus and Flamita so a triple kick to the head can get two on Bandido. Marty takes way too long loading up the chickenwing though (some things never change) and it’s a victory roll to get Bandido the pin and the titles at 16:47.

Rating: B+. As usual, Ring of Honor is at its best when they let it all hang out and go nuts, which is what they did here. Villain Enterprises are awesome in matches like this one and you can’t go wrong with Bandido and company. This was a heck of an entertaining match with everyone getting to show off. It’s also good to keep the World Champion out of this as he shouldn’t be taking a loss, even if someone else gets pinned.

Overall Rating: B-. That main event more than carries the show and it was a heck of a way to use the last third. They did everything you could want them to do out there and I had a good time watching it for the most part. It’s still weird to just do portions of big events as it feels like a highlight show rather than a show that goes week to week. Then again we tried that and it was such a mess that there is no point in going there again. In other words, it comes down to the action itself and this week’s was good.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 28, 2020
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re still in Mexico and that means we should be in for a lot of guest stars. The big question though is what will Sami Callihan be up to, because you know he isn’t going to let the World Title go without a fight. He might have to wait for Taya Valkyrie and Ace Austin though, which could be interesting….maybe. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Josh Alexander vs. Vikingo

Ethan Page is here with Alexander. The smaller Vikingo gets shoved down to start so Vikingo nips right back up. A spinebuster puts Vikingo down again but he hits a quick Trouble in Paradise. Alexander gets knocked outside so Vikingo misses a suicide dive, only to roll through and land just fine. A running elbow takes Vikingo down again on the floor and it’s time to head back in. This time Vikingo counters what looked to be a chokeslam into an armbar but Alexander shoves him into the corner again.

That just earns him a springboard missile dropkick and they go to the floor again so Vikingo can jump from the barricade into the crowd for a moonsault onto Alexander. Back in and Vikingo spins out of a Boston crab attempt and dropkicks Alexander in the corner. A 450 gives Vikingo two but another hurricanrana attempt is countered into a powerbomb breaker. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence until Alexander tries another powerbomb, only to get countered into a hurricanrana for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: B-. Yeah this worked rather well and Vikingo looked awesome out there. Alexander is someone with a lot of potential despite not having much that makes him stand out. This was a good showdown and both guys were solid. I liked this one more than I ever would have guessed and we’ll call this a very nice surprise.

The fans throw money at Vikingo but Page and Alexander chase him off.

Taya Valkyrie isn’t happy with Jordynne Grace getting involved in the #1 contenders match. She’ll be watching closely.

Moose blames Rhino for the loss last week and promises to get him after taking care of Taurus tonight.

Rascalz vs. Pagano/Murder Clown

Dez and Wentz for the Rascalz here and they look terrified. Clown gorilla presses Wentz to start but misses an elbow, allowing Wentz to strike away. It’s quickly off to Dez for a hurricanrana but Pagano is quickly in to….move around in some weird ways. A slingshot reverse suplex puts Dez down and Pagano strikes away to send him outside.

Pagano’s big suicide dive takes everyone out, setting up a wheelbarrow faceplant/middle rope Fameasser combination for two on Dez. LAX’s old Street Sweeper hits Wentz but Pagano takes too much time going up, allowing the Rascalz to hit a double superplex. Wentz hits a Swanton and Dez adds the Final Flash for the pin at 6:11.

Rating: C. It’s nice to see the Rascalz win for a change as it seems like they lose almost all the time anymore. The match was entertaining enough as well as the monsters were built up well at the beginning but fell in the end. As weird as it was to see the Rascalz as just another team to this crowd, I’m rather glad they won.

Michael Elgin wants Eddie Edwards to be the man he was before so Elgin can beat him at his best. The trophy is his.

Moose vs. Taurus

Moose tries some running shoulders to start but Taurus is right back with a running hurricanrana. A teased chop lets Moose kick him in the ribs so Taurus sends him outside for the running corkscrew dive. Moose chops the post by mistake but manages to knock Taurus down again anyway. Boot choking in the corner ensues and Moose’s cockiness gets cranked up even higher. Another charge gets cut off at the knees though and Taurus hits a 619 for two. They hit stereo headbutts to send Taurus into the corner again, setting up No Jackhammer Needed to give Moose the pin at 6:29.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as Taurus didn’t get to show off as much as he did last week. Moose winning is the right call as he could be moving forward to something a lot bigger in the future, though at least Taurus got in a little offense. It was better than last week’s tired triple threat, but still not much to see.

Post match Rhino comes in and Gores Moose.

Eddie Edwards is ready to defend his trophy, now with a smiley face, against Elgin no matter how many times they have to fight.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Kurt Angle beats James Storm at Genesis 2012. This was a lot shorter than most of the regular clips.

Joey Ryan is a little hurt by Rob Van Dam’s comments last week but it comes with the territory for him. Maybe Rob is worried that Katie Forbes wants to touch it.

Jordynne Grace vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Madison Rayne

For the #1 contendership and Taya Valkyrie is on commentary. Grace gets double teamed to start but sends them together with almost no trouble and drops Rayne onto Hogan for an early two. A double clothesline puts them both down again but Rayne is back up to hammer on Grace. Hogan gets in a basement dropkick and Rayne adds a sliding lariat to set up….a chinlock.

That works as well as you would expect as Taya says Grace doesn’t have her number because it’s unlisted. Hogan gets in a sliding dropkick in the corner but Grace suplexes both of them at the same time. Grace goes up top and gets slammed back down, meaning it’s time for the required argument over who gets the pin. A series of kicks put Grace on the floor and it’s a game of Rock, Paper Scissors to determine who goes after her. That takes way too long though and the Grace Driver finishes Hogan at 8:13.

Rating: D+. This was very similar to what happened last week with the men’s triple threat and that’s one of the worst things that could have happened. Hogan and Rayne might as well have been evil unnamed henchmen to try and slow Grace down and that’s not exactly an interesting way to go. This was tired and dull, which is the case with most TV triple threats these days.

Ace Austin gives his case for a World Title shot.

Johnny Swinger says he and Willie Mack need to work on their tag skills but Mack makes it clear that they’re not a team. Swinger: “I was pretty cool back in ECW.”

TJP likes Fallah Bahh’s new gear and faces Vikingo next week. I know he’s still big, but Bahh’s physical transformation is remarkable.

Reno Scum vs. Daga/Dr. Wagner Jr.

Wagner’s son is at ringside. Daga runs Thornstowe over to start and it’s a quick standoff until Luster comes in. Wagner comes in as well and gets shoved down by the much bigger Luster. A falling headbutt gets two but the middle rope version misses. It’s back to Wagner but Scum gets in a few cheap shots to take over.

The neck crank goes on until Daga fights up with his string of strikes. That’s enough for the hot tag to Wagner so house can be cleaned. A Samoan drop hits Thornstowe and Daga hits a big corkscrew dive onto Luster. The Wagner Driver gets two on Thornstowe as everything breaks down. Wagner dives onto Luster and a double underhook gutbuster finishes Thornstowe at 8:06.

Rating: C-. This is something I can always live with as Reno Scum losing never gets old. They’re a team with the slightest bit of name value so losing to a legend in Wagner and someone with some potential like Daga isn’t a bad thing. The match was mainly for the live crowd though and wasn’t anything great in the first place, but at least the right team won.

Post match OVE runs in for the beatdown as Reno Scum makes Wagner’s son watch.

Rosemary appears to Susie and asks if she has found what she is looking for. Maybe it’s out there in the arena itself and maybe Rosemary could be her teacher. That works for Susie, so they’ll have a friendly exhibition next week.

Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards

Match #1 in a Best of Five series. They go to the mat to start and that’s a very early standoff. Eddie gets smart by going after the knee and avoids an enziguri to set up a quickly broken STF. Elgin bails to the floor so Eddie busts out the suicide dive. That’s fine with Elgin, who swings him hard into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Eddie hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb to put both of them down. The Backpack Stunner gives Eddie two and the half crab goes back to the knee.

The STF stays on longer this time but Eddie lets go before the rope can be grabbed. A tiger driver is countered with a backdrop to send Eddie head first into the mat for a scary landing. The rolling German suplexes rock Eddie for two but he’s back up to lose the slugout. Eddie hits a clothesline though and this time the tiger driver connects for two. Elgin is up first and hits a super Death Valley Driver before elbowing the heck out of Eddie’s head. The Crossface goes on and Eddie passes out at 12:43.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t as good as some of their other matches but there’s a good formula between having Eddie’s technical/brawling hybrid style vs. the raw power of Elgin. I’m not sure how good it is to have the series go to five matches but it’s cool to see these two fighting anytime. Just don’t overdo it.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was pretty good here and I liked the show better than a lot of the shows down in Mexico. This one felt like it had more of a point and the one off matches were better than last week’s. They still have a long way to go before their next pay per view but they’re plugging Sacrifice at the end of the month quite a bit so maybe it can be the gap show. The fact that I’ll be there has nothing to do with my excitement over it of course. Anyway, not a bad show here and better than last week.

Results

Vikingo b. Josh Alexander – Hurricanrana

Rascalz b. Pagano/Murder Clown – Final Flash to Pagano

Moose b. Taurus – No Jackhammer Needed

Jordynne Grace b. Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne – Grace Driver to Hogan

Daga/Dr. Wagner Jr. b. Reno Scum – Double underhook gutbuster to Thornstowe

Michael Elgin b. Eddie Edwards via referee stoppage

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: September 1, 2005
Location: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida
Attendance: 5,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s the last night on Thursday and we have a pesky network boss running around trying to tell Teddy Long how to do his job. This is going to be an interesting show as it is mainly going to exist as a setup for next week’s big edition, meaning I wouldn’t expect too much to happen. Maybe they can surprise me though. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Heidenreich vs. Joey Mercury

Animal, Melina and Johnny Nitro are all here. Heidenreich and Animal clear the ring to start and Mercury’s cheap shot at the bell doesn’t work. They head outside with Heidenreich beating him up even more but Mercury catches him with a neck snap across the top rope to take over. Nitro even gets in a cheap shot so Mercury can drop a knee. We hit the chinlock but Heidenreich is straight back up with the one two combinations. A big boot staggers Mercury and a chokebomb gives Heidenreich the pin.

Rating: D. What else were you expecting? Animal and Heidenreich are the new monsters and there is no reason to have someone as small as Mercury be a serious threat. The tag match itself could be better but they’ve been very smart to keep things quick in these matches. It’s the best thing they could do, even though they haven’t exactly been great.

Post match Animal gets beaten down in the corner but Heidenreich makes the save. Mercury and Nitro have to save Melina from the Doomsday Device and Animal gets sent into the steps. The Snapshot leaves Heidenreich laying.

Here’s Cowboy Bob Orton to introduce his son Randy. After a lot of posing, Randy talks about his dad telling him that he would be the greatest wrestler ever. Eventually, every legend would fall at Randy’s feet and that makes Bob a genius. It’s interesting that no one has ever seen Undertaker has Summerslam because he’s running scared.

That’s why the two of them have signed Undertaker’s new DVD and you can bid on it at WWE.com. The money goes to the Undertaker’s retirement fund and Randy will match it dollar for dollar. Undertaker can even come here in person next week and accept his retirement fund. As for tonight, Randy has Rey Mysterio, who has lied to his son for years. Tomorrow, he’ll have to lie to his son again when his son asks if Rey won his match, because tonight it’s the RKO.

Chris Benoit wants to test his timing again so let’s see how long it takes him to, ahem, relieve himself. Benoit beats the time, though hand washing may not have been included.

US Title: Chris Benoit vs. Orlando Jordan

Jordan is challenging and we have a clock on screen. Jordan unloads in the corner but gets Crossfaced for the tap at 23.4 seconds. This is great stuff.

Christy Hemme vs. Stacy Keibler

The bell rings but hold on as here’s Sylvain (Grenier) to say the two of them don’t compare to him. Cue Hardcore Holly to say that he doesn’t care about Sylvester because he’s here to see the girls. Sylvain calls him Bobby and gets beaten up.

Teddy Long and Palmer Cannon preview next week’s show and mention that next week’s JBL vs. Batista match will be a bullrope match. As for tonight, JBL has the night off, which is news to Long. Since he doesn’t like the surprise, he has one of his own: next week it’s Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio inside a cage.

Booker T. vs. Ken Kennedy

Christian, with a broken nose, is on commentary and Sharmell is here with Booker. Kennedy isn’t happy with Tony Chimmel’s introduction though, suggesting that he sounds like the adults in a Charlie Brown special. After handling his own introduction, Kennedy asks if you can dig that, earning himself a forearm to the face. Booker jumps him to start and stomps Kennedy down in the corner, which Christian seems to like. A superkick puts Kennedy down for two and a backdrop gets two as it’s one sided so far.

Kennedy misses a spinning kick to the face so he keeps spinning and catches him the second time around. Booker gets sent into the corner as Tazz diagnoses Christian’s thumb injury. Some shots to the face keep Booker in trouble but he’s right back with his own kick to the face. That just earns him a hot shot and a running neckbreaker for two so Booker grabs a spinebuster for another comeback. Hold on though as we need a Spinarooni as Sharmell goes over to yell at Christian. The distraction lets Kennedy catch him on top for the super Regal Roll and the pin.

Rating: C. Egads this Sharmell stuff needs to go far away as it’s just her yelling at people and being annoying. What matters here though is Kennedy getting a much harder push in a hurry. Beating Funaki is the Smackdown version of a participation award and the fans know it, so giving him a win over someone who matters is something that could actually get him somewhere.

Here’s Simon Dean, on his personalized Segway (the Dean Machine), to say that Batista is a Simon System user. It has made him bigger, stronger and faster, but not smarter. Hit the music.

Batista vs. Simon Dean

Non-title. Hold on though as Batista can’t remember trying the Simon System. He’s willing to try it though because he’s into fitness and open minded. Batista tries some and says he feels bigger, stronger….and more aggressive. The big clothesline starts us off and the beating is on in a hurry. Batista hits the spinebuster but stops for more to drink, which makes him shake the rope. The Batista Bomb connects but he grabs the drink and poses with it as he covers Dean with one foot. This gave me a few chuckles and was a different way of using Batista, which is a good idea.

William Regal/Paul Burchill vs. Scotty 2 Hotty/Funaki

Fallout from this weekend’s Velocity where Burchill debuted and helped Regal beat Scotty down. Scotty and Regal start things off with Regal’s arm getting worked over. Funaki comes in and monkey flips Burchill, only to miss a charge and get sent head first into the mat. Regal comes back in to suplex Funaki but an armdrag is enough for the tag off to Scotty. Everything breaks down and Regal gets in a cheap shot, setting up a shoulder breaker from Burchill. A Fujiwara armbar makes Scotty tap in a hurry. Burchill looked good in his debut.

We preview next week’s big show.

Eddie Guerrero is standing behind a piece of a cage and very quietly says Rey didn’t just get Eddie’s son. Rey got his whole family because Vickie Guerrero cost Eddie the match. That made Eddie realize something though: she wasn’t just shoving the ladder over to save Rey’s family because she had lost him too. It’s Eddie’s fault though because he had Rey at the edge of defeat so many times and toyed with him. Next week Rey will have to take him on, but how can he beat someone who has already lost everything? This was almost creepy.

Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton

Bob is here with Randy, who starts with some early short jokes. These mesmerize Mysterio so much that Randy can kick him in the ribs and forearm him out to the floor. Back in and a heck of a clothesline drops Mysterio but he’s right back up with a hurricanrana to the floor. This time Mysterio gets to mock Orton a bit by stealing his pose on the ropes. Orton gets back in so Rey hammers away to really rock him for a change.

That’s a little too much for Orton who throws him under the bottom rope and we take a break. Back with Orton holding a standing chinlock of all things before saying Rey is as big as his ten year old brother. Mysterio is back with a dropkick to the knee but Orton hits….a delayed atomic drop. Not exactly a big heel move but Rey sold it sell enough. The chinlock goes on again for a good while, followed by a rake of the boot to the face.

Rey gets in a rollup for a quick two and the sitout bulldog puts Orton down again. Orton’s backbreaker gets a pair of near falls but he dives off the middle rope into the raised boots. As luck would have it, Orton falls into the ropes but gets up before the 619 can connect. Orton uppercuts him from his knees instead, only to run into a boot so Rey can hit the springboard seated senton. A headscissors sets up the 619 but Bob breaks up the West Coast Pop. Randy hits him low and puts Rey on top for a super RKO and the pin.

Rating: C+. This took some time to get going but they’re talented enough that the match was almost always going to be good. Orton winning was hardly a secret but it helps when you have Mysterio out there to do whatever you want from him. Bob is fine for a short term addition but Orton has already been a main eventer on his own and doesn’t exactly need him out there. It’s a good act for now though and as long as it doesn’t drag so long, it should work out.

A promo for the show moving to Fridays ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. The show was fine enough, though not exactly something memorable. One thing I really do like at the moment is that the way that they’re doing short form stuff with some bigger names. Stuff like Batista and Benoit running through people is a good way to get them on television and pop the crowd without wasting anything. It’s a different way of doing things and rather nice for a change. Next week’s show is a big one though and that’s the one that matters.

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 #94
Date: January 25, 2020
Location: NYTEX Sports Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

It’s barbed wire night and that means it can only be two people involved. Yes somehow we’re getting another violent match between Mance Warner and Jimmy Havoc, two guys who I liked at one point and now never want to see again. Maybe this can wrap it up and we can move on to ANYTHING else, but for some reason I have my doubts. Let’s get to it.

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

AJ Kirsch is in the ring to welcome us to the show but here’s Contra to cut him off. During their entrance, we see a still photo of the team attacking Davey Boy Smith Jr. at an NHL event over the weekend. Josef Samael goes big by referencing the Kennedy assassination by saying the MLW Camelot falls here as well. The Hart Foundation has a history of tragedy and we hear about Contra throwing a fireball at Teddy Hart back in November. Cue Davey Boy Smith Jr. down the aisle and Brian Pillman Jr. (in disguise, through the crowd for no apparent reason) to clear the ring.

Opening sequence.

Here’s everything you just saw.

Quick preview of the rest of the show.

Earlier today, Konnan was talking about how AAA is coming to MLW but before he can answer a question about Gino Medina, Injustice interrupted him with their usual insults. Konnan isn’t impressed and wants some more respect so Oliver swears a lot. Konnan hopes Oliver is never in prison because he would get traded for some Cinnabons.

Injustice vs. Drago/Puma King vs. Taurus/Low Rider

Fallout from said backstage segment and it’s Kotto Brazil/Jordan Oliver for Injustice. As a bonus, next week it’s Drago vs. Myron Reed for the Middleweight Title. They actually go a full eight seconds with the formality of having people on the apron before everything goes nuts. Low Rider hits a springboard double armdrag on Drago and King and that’s about as good as I can do with the play by play in something like this. Rider kicks King in the face and adds a springboard flip dive onto Injustice, leaving Taurus to clean house inside.

Taurus powerslams Drago into King in the corner and then spears King in half. Injustice comes back in for the save and it’s Rider being sent hard into the corner, setting up an assisted sitout powerbomb to give Brazil two. A double belly to back suplex doesn’t work so King tags Rider on the back (Seriously?) to come in and plant Brazil. King powerbombs Jordan and it’s a Backstabber into a dropkick to make it worse. It’s Taurus back in to clean house again until King launches Drago into a hurricanrana.

Cue Myron Reed for a distraction to cut Drago off, allowing King to DDT Taurus for two. Now it’s Injustice getting to clean house, including a suicide Stunner from Oliver to King. Rider is back up with a springboard Codebreaker to Brazil, with Taurus blasting him with a clothesline to make it worse. A powerbomb/Backstabber combination destroys Oliver and Taurus plants Brazil on the apron. Drago catapults Rider into a cutter from King, who then flip dives onto Taurus. The Dragon’s Tail (spinning, twisting rollup) pins Rider at 7:30.

Rating: C+. This was exactly what it should have been with everyone getting a chance to shine and the #1 contender picking up the pin over someone who got to shine throughout. They shouldn’t have tried to do anything but go nuts with lucha stuff here and we got a good, fun and logical match out of it.

Video on Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc with Mance recapping everything and wanting to destroy Havoc once and for all.

Fightland is coming.

Buy merch!

We look back at Davey Boy Smith Jr. winning the Opera Cup.

Smith is proud of his win and hopes Stu Hart is proud of him. This is the first of many accomplishments for him and he’s coming for the World Title.

Contra’s Josef Samael saw fear in Smith’s eyes earlier when he looked at Simon Gotch. Therefore, how about Smith vs. Gotch in a no ropes match where you only win by submission or knockout?

Chandler Hopkins vs. Low Ki

Hopkins is a country boy who has wrestled in AAA. They stare at each other for a bit to start until Ki cranks on the arm for a bit. That’s broken up and Hopkins works on a hammerlock of his own, only to have Ki pull him into the corner for a hard kick to the chest. A chop and headbutt in the corner put Hopkins in the corner for some pain. Ki shoves off the running hurricanrana attempt but Hopkins pops back up and hits a hurricanrana driver. Hopkins’ rolling Downward Spiral gets two but he misses a shooting star. Ki dropkicks him into the corner and sits on Hopkins’ back for a choke with his boot for the win at 5:47.

Rating: C. This was a lot better than I would have bet on and Hopkins got to impress a lot more than you would have expected. That’s one of the places where MLW gets to shine: bringing in some unknown names and showcase them like this. Maybe Hopkins can turn into something, but what matters is he was given a chance here.

Low Ki shows some post match respect.

Smith accepts Gotch’s challenge. He’s still not a great promo though and a mouthpiece wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Tom Lawlor brags about new student Dominic Garrini and talks about how he’ll be hurting people. Garrini points out that he’s been here before but ignore everything he has done before because everything is new. Oh and Lawlor has brought a sponsor back: Condom Depot.

Erick Stevens is still coming.

The Fightland Control Center announces Alexander Hammerstone defending the National Openweight Title against T-Hawk, Killer Kross vs. Tom Lawlor and Low Ki vs. King Mo.

We look back at the Von Erichs winning the Tag Team Titles from the Dynasty at Saturday Night SuperFight.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is impressed by Marshall Von Erich’s lineage but Marshall isn’t all elite. Oh and Mance Warner is an inbred who needs to watch his match next week.

We look at the first barbed wire match in MLW history, back in 2003 between Terry Funk and Steve Corino.

Jimmy Havoc and Priscilla Kelly aren’t scared of the barbed wire match because Jimmy loves hurting people. He enjoys blood and wouldn’t mind drinking Mance’s.

The Von Erichs crush apples to show what is happening to MJF next week.

Parental guidance is suggested for the following..

Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc

The ropes have been replaced by barbed wire and Jimmy has Priscilla Kelly. Rich calls this the final encounter, which is the best news anyone could hear. Even the announcers have gloves on in case the wires break. Havoc has his baseball bat and Warner has the chair but both weapons shots miss. They pause before hitting the wire though and it’s already time to tease the wire to the head.

Havoc discus punches Warner but gets sent into the wire anyway. A few whips into said wire make it worse and Warner grabs the chair again. Warner hits him in the back but Havoc is right back with a suplex into the wire. Havoc drives it into Warner’s head before downgrading things a bit with a staple gun shot to the head. Warner’s shirt is ripped off and then stapled to his back, only for Havoc to rip it right back off.

To mix things up a bit, Havoc busts out some bolt cutters and cuts off a piece of the wire. The already bleeding Warner gets the wire wrapped inside of his mouth to draw even more blood. Havoc hits him in the head with the barbed wire bat and there’s a stomp to make it worse. Warner tries to fight back but gets flipped off. That’s fine with Warner, who hits him low with the bat. Havoc grabs the staple gun to stab Warner between the legs (both commentators: “Right in his bucksnorts!”).

Not that it matters again as Warner spinebusters him on the side of a chair (egads) and brings in some extra boards. That takes too long though as Havoc Death Valley Drivers him through a board for two. Warner chokeslams him through a board bridged between two chairs for two more. The wire around the arm looks to set up a lariat but Kelly gives Havoc powder. It goes into Havoc’s eyes of course though and the barbed wire lariat….doesn’t even get a cover. Instead, Warner piledrives him onto a bunch of stuff for the pin at 10:37.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of thing that made sense for the story, even though I wasn’t wild on what they were doing. It was how they should have gone here though as you can’t go from violence to non-violence, especially with the way these two go. What mattered here was it felt like the ending and there is no reason for them to come back again. I’m not big on the violence, but at least it worked for what it was supposed to be.

Overall Rating: B-. Good show for the most part here with three matches that were all at least decent. The best thing here though was that some times wrapped up and it felt like we were actually getting somewhere for a change. That hasn’t been the case in a long time now and hopefully we can go somewhere else going forward. Fightland looks good and things can start up in the next few weeks. This wasn’t too bad though and if we’re really done with Havoc vs. Warner, things are looking up.

Results

Drago/Puma King b. Taurus/Low Rider and Injustice – Dragon’s Tail to Rider

Low Ki b. Chandler Hopkins – Seated choke with boot

Mance Warner b. Jimmy Havoc – Piledriver onto a chair

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: January 31, 2020
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Joe Quasto, Aiden English

Things have changed a bit since last week as Jordan Devlin won the NXT Cruiserweight Title at last weekend’s Worlds Collide special. That doesn’t exactly bode well for 205 Live, as the champion is already splitting time with NXT and now they’re going to have to split time with another show. But at least we have Ariya Daivari and Brian Kendrick. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Devlin winning the title.

Opening sequence.

The announcers talk about the title change as the ring is cleaned up after the dog food incident that ended Smackdown.

We look back at Brian Kendrick and Ariya Daivari joining forces to become the new League of Super Villains.

Joaquin Wilde vs. Raul Mendoza

They go to the mat to start with Wilde tying up the legs before flipping over to crank on both arms. That’s reversed into a headlock from Mendoza but Wilde headscissors his way out. A few very fast covers get one or less each and Wilde nips up to a standoff. Wilde elbows him to the floor but Mendoza is right back in with a dropkick to cut him down. Mendoza’s shoulder gets two and we’re off to the cobra clutch.

Back up and Wilde hiptosses him to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive. Unfortunately you can hear him shout because the fans are so quiet at the moment, which is as bad as you can get. A backbreaker gives Mendoza two but Wilde is right back with a reverse hurricanrana. Mendoza gets caught with a rolling Codebreaker and the Wilde Thing is good for the pin at 6:26.

Rating: C. Wilde is someone who could go somewhere around here, which is almost impossible to imagine after his pretty lame run as DJZ in Impact. Mendoza is someone who can have a fine match against anyone and that is the kind of wrestler that is going to have a job forever around here because they’re incredibly valuable.

Respect is shown post match.

Brian Kendrick vs. Danny Burch

When did this show get so rematch happy? Daivari is here with Kendrick so we can fill our quota this week. Burch chases Daivari off the apron before the bell and Kendrick bails to follow him right after the bell rings. At least they’re a matched set again. The stalling continues and Daivari’s distraction fails, allowing Burch to hit Kendrick in the face. Burch sends Kendrick into the steps and it’s time to stall some more. This time it’s a fake out though as Kendrick sends Burch over the announcers’ table.

Burch comes up but is favoring his knee, meaning it’s time for Kendrick to hammer away. What looked to be a Figure Four attempt is broken up so Kendrick kicks at the leg again. Daivari’s interference fails again (come on man) and Burch uses the good leg to kick him in the head. The missile dropkick connects but bangs up the knee some more. With the leg not an option, Burch headbutts him into a Crossface, drawing in Daivari for the DQ at 7:07.

Rating: C-. This was the Two Bumbling Heels Show and that’s not what I really need to see. As usual, the problem stems from how apathetic you almost have to be towards the heels. They’re not interesting and don’t impose any kind of a serious threat, so what is there to dislike about them? I’m sure Burch will find a friend to help him but my goodness, give us better villains.

Post match the beatdown is on, including a chair to the knee, but Oney Lorcan runs in for the save with a chair of his own. Of all the people around here, Daivari and Kendrick are getting a story???

Devlin is here next week.

Tyler Breeze vs. Angel Garza

English isn’t sure which one is more handsome. Garza, with his shoulder bandaged, holds Breeze in place off a headlock until Breeze shoulders him down and lays on the top rope. Garza doesn’t think much of that so he….runs around a bit and tries to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS, only to get kicked in the face. This time it’s Breeze chilling on the floor so they switch places, followed by Garza pulling him back outside for a hard crash.

Back in and we hit the bow and arrow hold but Breeze is back up in a hurry, only to get sent into the corner. That’s enough for Garza to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS (to almost no reaction), followed by a kick to the ribs for two. Something like a seated abdominal stretch has Breeze in more trouble until he comes back up with some forearms to the head.

Breeze superkicks him out of the air for two but a knee to the face gives Garza the same. A slingshot reverse suplex gets two more but Breeze rolls away before the moonsault can launch. Garza tries a Lionsault instead and hits raised boots. That doesn’t seem to matter very much though as it’s the Wing Clipper to finish Breeze at 11:44.

Rating: C. The wrestling was better here and it was a match between two people who are a little higher up on the ladder than the rest of the show. That being said, you can feel the lack of enthusiasm from the fans here and while it is a main event event match for around here, it isn’t anything great, as tends to be the case on this show.

Overall Rating: D+. This was slightly better than some of the previous weeks but they have so far to go up the ladder that it doesn’t really matter at this point. The show has become a zombie over the last few months and just having Jordan Devlin around next week isn’t going to make it that much better. They would be much better off having an hour long version of Main Event (bring back Superstars or something) because this isn’t worth the time anymore.

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