IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

AEW Dark
Date: October 8, 2019
Location: Capitol One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross

So this is something new (the second new show of the day) as AEW is releasing its dark matches (as “dark matches” enters a new definition) as a stand alone show on YouTube. Normally this is something that wouldn’t make a lot of sense but in this case, AEW needs to get their talent out there in front of an audience and that is what they’re doing here. There shouldn’t be any storylines here and it’s a pure wrestling show, which is nice for a change. Let’s get to it.

Tony Schiavone welcomes us to the show and explains the concept. He really is great at something like this and the voice is exactly the same as it was back in the 90s.

Darby Allin vs. Cima

Darby takes a bit too long looking into the crowd and gets caught with some double knees in the corner. That’s fine with Darby, who is right back with a springboard armdrag to the floor, followed by three straight suicide dives. Back in and the Coffin Drop completely misses, allowing Darby to dropkick him into the corner. Something like a Brock Lock on the mat keeps Darby down but he’s fine enough to crotch Cima on top.

That means a Tree of Woe with headbutts to the knee for a pretty unique set of offense. More shots to the knee have Cima in trouble but he’s right back with a tornado DDT for two. Back up and Cima offers him a chance for some chops, demanding Darby’s best shots. Instead Darby hits him in the face and flips over his back into a Stunner for two.

The Coffin Drop onto the knee bangs them both up a bit more so Cima is right back with the Perfect Driver for two of his own. A top top rope Meteora to the back of Darby’s head gets two more, only to have him get the same off a Code Red. That’s enough to set up the Coffin Drop, which finally connects as it’s supposed to, for the pin at 6:57.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure what to make of Allin, who is such a different kind of performer that it takes some time to get the idea of him down. The Coffin Drop comes off as rather stupid, though it fits into the kind of person Allin seems to be. Cima is someone who can have a fine match with anyone, though I’m not overly wild on either guy.

Tony explains the Tag Team Title tournament.

Lucha Bros/Hybrid Two vs. Private Party/Best Friends

Hybrid Two is Angelico/Jack Evans. Orange Cassidy is here with Private Party and Best Friends to a ROAR. Hang on though as Evans needs to yell about how he and Angelico are the A half of their team but a bunch of superkicks break that up in a hurry. Fenix dives onto the Best Friends and Quen gets sent over the top onto Evans and Angelico as I have a bad feeling about trying to keep track of all this stuff. Evans is already ranting about having to make saves until we settle down to Isaiah punching Angelico in the face and screaming.

A cheap shot from Evans takes Isaiah down so the Lucha Bros come in and try some double teaming, only to have Isaiah score with some enziguris for a breather. Evans and Angelico come in to beat on Isaiah instead as tagging is more of a suggestion here. Isaiah is fine enough to hurricanrana Angelico into Evans in the corner, which allows the tag off to Taylor as extra audio is bleeding through commentary.

Isaiah hits a heck of a flip dive to the floor but the Bros are back in to kick Quen in the head. With Fenix on the floor, Taylor finds his own sunglasses but stops to hug Barretta. That sets up the stereo suicide dives, leaving Cassidy to go up for the hands in pockets dive to the floor. Isn’t that a bit much energy for him? Back in and Fenix saves Pentagon from Strong Zero and a kick to the head sends Taylor into a Backstabber. Fenix hits a big corkscrew dive, leaving Pentagon to finish Taylor at 8:46.

Rating: B. That’s about as high as any of these matches can get and they did exactly what they were suppose do. This was designed to be complete and utter chaos with everyone involved looking rather good in the process. As a bonus, Excalibur was perfect for commentary here as he can rattle off all of those names. JR on the other hand…..well he tried, but he lost the battle of the generations here.

Post match the winners argue over who gets to pose.

Quick look at the women’s division.

Britt Baker/Allie vs. Penelope Ford/Bea Priestly

Priestly shoves Baker on the apron to start so Allie snaps off an armdrag. Hold on though as Priestly wants Baker, which is exactly what she gets. That sends Priestly over to Ford, as you probably expected. Baker gets two off her own armdrag but Ford sends her into the corner for a Great Muta handspring elbow (that’s more JR’s speed). A northern lights suplex gives Ford two but she gets sent into the corner as well, this time allowing the tag to Allie.

The sliding forearm in the corner gives Allie two and it’s time to strike away at Ford. Priestly gets in a cheap shot on the floor though and the villains take over. A stomp onto Allie’s arm keeps her down but Ford misses a second handspring elbow. Baker comes back in to trade forearms with Priestly, followed by the fisherman’s neckbreaker for two. Priestly’s belly to back suplex gets two but Baker kicks her down and hands it back to Allie for a rollup. Everything breaks down and Priestly kicks Baker in the head.

Allie Death Valley Drives Priestly for two before heading to the floor, leaving Allie to DDT Ford for two more with Priestly diving back inside for the save. They head outside again though, leaving Baker to Paige Turn Ford into the Rings of Saturn. With that still on, Baker grabs something like a Mandible Claw (makes sense) at the same time for the tap at 11:11.

Rating: C-. If they want Riho and Nyla Rose to be the stars of the division, they might not want to showcase these four like this. The match was more interesting, easier to get into and just all around more fun. Riho vs. Rose did tell a good story and was better from a technical standpoint, but they’re hardly head and shoulders above these four and that was very apparent here.

We look at Chris Jericho and company taking over at the end of Dynamite.

Here’s a look at the Tag Team Title tournament with Twitter users picking their winners.

Preview for this week’s Dynamite.

Full Gear ad.

Jurassic Express vs. SCU

Jurassic Express now has a rather awesome entrance, complete with steps making a glass of water shake. Daniels has a mic on a stand with him so he can shout SCU. Daniels and Stunt start things off and Stunt can’t do much outside of spinning around into a small package. A stomp onto the back sets up the Floss Dance (ERG), with Daniels countering with his own. Jungle Boy and Kazarian come in to trade near falls off some rollups and cradles until Kazarian knocks him down for the springboard spinning legdrop.

It’s off to Sky to get in a boot to the head but Boy gets over to Luchasaurus and you can feel the fans getting more into things. That’s a bit too good though and it’s back to Stunt, who gets flipped onto Daniels into a splash for two. Boy comes back in for a chinlock but Daniels is right back up with a tilt-a-whirl side slam for two of his own. Stunt’s crossbody bounces off of Sky so Luchasaurus comes back in. Some strikes have no effect for Sky but a DDT puts Luchasaurus down….and he nips right back up.

Stunt and Boy dive onto Daniels and Sky, leaving Kazarian to get chokeslammed and moonsaulted for another near fall. A headscissors faceplant of all things (because Luchasaurus can just do that) sets up Stunt’s running shooting star press as everything stays broken down. Luchasaurus gets sent outside though and it’s Celebrity Rehab on Boy and a powerbomb/Backstabber combination finishes Stunt at 9:17.

Rating: C. They weren’t going for anything more than a fun match here, though they did get in enough stuff to make it feel different than the eight man tag. Stunt taking the pin was the right call if SCU has to win, though it is beyond ridiculous to see him out there with no muscle definition or anything close to being a realistic threat to any of SCU. Even Jungle Boy, who is small, is more believable than Stunt. Let him be a mascot or something, but having him wrestle is a step too far.

Tony wraps us up in a hurry.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a situation where you need to consider the point of this show. It isn’t meant to be anything more than a supplement to Dynamite in a way to get the wrestlers in an AEW ring. You don’t need to see anything here and as long as they keep it that way, this is the most inoffensive thing you could ask for. It doesn’t need to be around permanently as you don’t need so many people featured every week, but for a few months, this is a fine idea.

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: National Wrestling Alliance

NWA Powerrr
Date: October 8, 2019
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Jim Cornette

So this is something different as the NWA is back with a fresh TV series, though it is taking place in a studio in front of probably about 100 people instead of an arena. It might seem a little ridiculous, but at some point you have to just put the wrestlers in the ring and run shows, which is where the NWA is now. It’s better than nothing so hopefully it works out well here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence, featuring a lot of shots on the NWA World Title and champion Nick Aldis. One very smart thing here though: name graphics for the wrestlers, which might be only the wrestlers appearing on the show.

And yes there are three r’s in the name.

The announcers welcome us to the show with Cornette being in his element rattling off the history of televised wrestling in Atlanta.

We get the old interview area (I miss that thing) with Aldis, and his bodyguard Kamille, who talks about holding the World Title for nearly a year. It’s hard to stay hungry but look at how far they’ve come. They were a punchline and now they have some great champions representing the NWA name.

We hear about the Tag Team Champions (the Wildcards), the National Champion (James Storm) and the Women’s Champion (Allysin Kay) and all of the people fighting for respect. That brings him to Tim Storm, who he respects more than any man he’s ever met. But everything Aldis has, from the Jaguar parked outside to every meal that he’s put on his son’s table, is because of professional wrestling. Let’s do it serious tonight so Storm can find out why he’s the National Treasure.

This felt VERY similar to an old school studio promo as it was no gimmick or special feature. It was Aldis, who was rocking the suit like an NWA World Champion would, looking straight at the camera and telling us why we should care about what we’re seeing and who is coming for the title. More of this stuff and we’re in a good place.

Dawsons vs. Billy Buck/Sal Rinauro

The Dawsons (Zane and Dave) are a couple of big guys who knock Sal around to start. Buck comes in and gets caught with a running elbow/side slam combination. A standing splash to the back into a powerslam finishes Rinauro at 1:20.

Post match the Dawsons say that is just a little taste of what is to come because they own the world now. They’ll fight everyone and they don’t care how they win. They’re the guys who bullied you for your lunch money so be ready for them.

Promotional consideration paid for by…..THE AUSTIN IDOL UNIVERSAL WRESTLING COLLEGE??? They’re making it really hard to not want to keep watching this.

Here’s Eli Drake for a chat and that’s a very good thing. Drake asks if this is NWA country and he thinks they said YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH. There’s something different about this place but it doesn’t take a scientist to see that it’s a special kind of place. You look around and see men ready to fight so everyone with a belt better be ready because he’s coming for you. I’ve always liked Drake and his talking is some of the best around.

Eli Drake vs. Caleb Konley

Drake shoulders him down but gets rolled up for a few near falls. A monkey flip sends Drake into the corner but he blocks another one back out of it, setting up a jumping neckbreaker to drop Konley. A swinging neckbreaker gives Drake two and the fans are behind him. Drake knees him in the head for two more but Konley is right back with a kick to the chest. Konley gets two off a slingshot splash and a double stomp out of the corner makes it worse. The springboard splash hits raised boots though and the Gravy Train finishes Konley at 4:26.

Rating: C. They were trying hard here and Drake looked good while selling quite a bit. Konley was someone who showed potential in Impact but at the same time, Drake looked like a star who belonged on a bigger stage. Drake could be a big deal around here and I hope that is the case, because you can see the fire in his eyes every time he talks.

We recap Aldis vs. Storm, which is Storm’s last shot at the title. Storm accepted the challenge because he knows he can beat Aldis, as he has before.

Jocephus, a seemingly mad man, runs up to commentary and demands Storm come out here right now.

Back from a break and Jocephus is still shouting for Storm. Cornette: “Are you a meteorologist?” Cue National Champion James Storm, who says he is the only Storm that Jocephus needs to worry about. Storm calls Jocephus the kind of fake wrestler who could never walk a mile in his shoes. Go back to your desk job and leave the job of being a star to the real stars. The fight is on but referees break it up.

Wild Cards vs. Danny White/Mims

The Wild Cards (Tom Latimer/Royce Isaacs) are the Tag Team Champions but this is non-title. Isaacs runs White over to start and gets beaten up by Latimer (formerly known as Bram in Impact) and stomped by Isaacs. A powerbomb into a German suplex finishes White at 2:08.

The Wild Cards say this is what they were made for but here’s Eddie Kingston to mockingly applaud them. He calls Latimer Bram but then switches to Tommy Boy, who he is not here to disrespect. Royce complains but is threatened with a slap if he isn’t quiet. They may be a great team, but they do not speak for the outlaws. Cue Homicide to back up Kingston as Jocephus and Storm brawl through the curtain as well.

Back from a break with Storm breaking through security and chasing Jocephus around some more. Referees break it up again….for all of three seconds before it’s up into the crowd for a bit. Storm gets in the ring and calls Jocephus in, but he has to turn his back first. Hey let’s make it a match.

James Storm vs. Jocephus

Storm puts Jocephus’ thumb in his mouth for a little bonus humiliation. For a bonus, Storm goes to commentary and says the NWA is in the eye of the storm.

Video on Tim Storm, who is a wrestler, a teacher and a grandfather. He wants to do this when he’s 70 because he never wants to come off of the mountain. Aldis took the title from him in 2017 and, other than a quick run by Cody last year, has held it ever since. He needs one more shot at the title because he knows he can do it.

Storm (Tim this time) talks about how 6:05 on Saturdays defined him (when he was a young man of about 35 more than likely) but now it is his family, including his 94 year old mother, who only cares if he gets hurt. He is Mama Storm’s baby boy, which sets off a MAMA chant. The title defined him as a wrestler and he held it for over 400 days. Now it’s all he wants back and he kind of quotes Lose Yourself in regards to seizing the opportunity. Tonight is his night.

NWA World Title: Nick Aldis vs. Tim Storm

Aldis, with Kamille, is defending. We get the Big Match Intros and they are VERY to the point with just the names being announced, meaning no weights or hometowns, which makes for a weird intro. Aldis loses an early chop off to the bigger Storm, who wins a slugout in the corner as well. They head outside with Aldis sending him face first into the post and back first into the apron.

Back in and an elbow gets two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Storm sends him face first into the buckle for a double knockdown. Storm grabs a Figure Four (required) but a rope is eventually grabbed. With the holds not working, Storm gets two off a superplex and can’t believe the kickout. A high crossbody (with Storm slipping a bit) connects for two but we do get a PERFECT STORM chant. Storm misses a middle rope Swanton of all things and the fans are split this time.

Aldis’ top rope elbow hits the back and it’s the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf to stay on the spine. That’s broken up and we almost get a ref bump, allowing Storm to hit a low blow. The Perfect Storm (swinging Boss Man Slam) gets two so they go up top. That means a double headbutt to put both guys on the floor again. Aldis clotheslines Kamille by mistake and Storm posts him for a good staggering. Back in and Aldis grabs a small package out of nowhere to retain at 12:08.

Rating: B-. Not a great match or anything but you can tell Aldis is a polished wrestler. I don’t remember seeing much (if anything) from Storm before but he was perfectly fine. That being said, Aldis looked like a star and Storm looks like someone whose heyday was twenty plus years ago. It’s fine for a short form story, but changing the title here would have been insane and I’m glad it didn’t really come close to that.

Post match Aldis praises Storm as a real man and Kamille won’t speak about the missed clothesline. Storm takes the mic back and says it was a great win. Kamille doesn’t seem thrilled with that but leaves with Aldis anyway.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this WAY better than I would have expected as the hour flew by, mainly due to the squash matches. What mattered here was they kept it short and to the point. The production is bare bones (there aren’t even entrance themes) and what you get here is a show build on the legacy, the wrestlers and their personalities. This show was designed to get you into the wrestlers and make you want to see more. The NWA has miles to go but this felt different in a good way, and that’s better than anyone would have expected from them a few years ago. Great start, and check this out if you have a chance.

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: October 3, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Dio Maddin, Mickie James

This could be a different kind of show as there is no Smackdown material here as the show had not taken place yet. That will be taken care of when next week’s show airs, but thankfully this week’s Raw was a big enough deal that everything should be fine. Well I mean Raw wasn’t all that great but maybe the highlights will be better. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mojo Rawley vs. No Way Jose

Jose dances a lot to start as Mickie talks about how much she wants in on the Conga Line. Rawley gets shoved into the corner and glares at him, allowing Jose to hit a running corner dropkick. That’s enough to put Rawley on the floor but he’s right back in with a jawbreaker. Some right hands keep Jose in trouble and it’s time to choke on the rope. The required chinlock goes on but Rawley lets go so he can pose. Jose hits a dropkick and a running clothesline in the corner, setting up a high crossbody for two. A missed charge in the corner sets up the running right hand to give Rawley the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C-. I know I say something like this every single time but these two almost always have a decent match against each other. For the life of me I’d love to see Jose get a chance to do something fresh as he is more than talented enough to make something bigger work. That won’t happen as Jose is slotted into his spot, but it’s a spot that isn’t likely going anywhere anytime soon, which isn’t the worst thing in the world.

From Raw.

It’s time for MizTV with Miz offering condolences to Rey and his family. He can’t imagine what it would be like to have something like that happen to his child. As for tonight, he has two legends for his guests. That would be Hulk Hogan (with Jimmy Hart) and Ric Flair, with Ric not seemingly happy with Hogan. Ric complains about hearing Real American for thirty years. Hogan: “WOO!” Miz: “We’ve been hearing those even longer!”

Hogan brings out his captain in the form of Seth Rollins, but Flair has his own captain in Randy Orton. Randy wants Seth’s undivided attention so can he please crawl out of Hogan’s a** for a second. Randy to Flair: “Can I get a WOO?” They’ll be picking their teams together over the next few weeks but for now, let’s have a captain’s match. Flair was all over the place here and seemed a bit out of it, or at least rambling with some off the cuff comments.

Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton

I think this is non-title….and here’s King Corbin to interrupt. The bell never rings as Corbin and Orton double team Seth, including a scepter shot. Rusev of all people saves and I smell a tag match. Actually we don’t as Rusev clears the ring and we seem to have a second member for each team.

From Raw.

Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss

Hang on though as here’s Becky Lynch to join commentary. Bliss gets knocked to the floor to start and it’s already time for the trash talk from the ring. Becky gets on the table and yells back as we go split screen for a Gears of War ad. Back in a hurry with Becky still standing and taping her fists. An ambulance siren goes off in the arena, which I would assume would be Dominick’s ambulance leaving. Bliss slaps away but a DDT is broken up, leaving Banks to beg off. She calls for Bayley (not here) and the distraction lets her kick Bliss in the leg and grab a rollup for the pin at 4:25.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here other than a nice hope of having the stories bleed between segments for a change. The ambulance leaving gives me some hope, as there is no logical reason to have everything come to a halt because another match starts up. The ending was a little odd as it seemed to focus more on the Tag Team Title stuff than the Raw Women’s Title on Sunday.

Post match Becky comes in for the fight but Banks bails into the crowd, where a fan has the most bugged out eyes.

Quick look at Brock Lesnar destroying Rey Mysterio and Dominick.

Lucha House Party vs. EC3/Eric Young

Are they just running the same matches that they saw on previous shows? Kalisto is the odd man out for the House Party here. Dorado armdrags Young into a standing moonsault for two to start. Metalik, in his full bodysuit, comes in and climbs onto Dorado’s shoulders for the splash. Double dropkicks put Young and EC3 on the floor as we take a break.

Back with EC3 stomping Dorado down in the corner and handing it back to Young for a chinlock. The moonsault misses though and an enziguri to EC3 is enough for the hot tag to Metalik. Everything breaks down and Young’s top rope elbow hits EC3 by mistake. Metalik’s elbow into the shooting star from Dorado is enough for the pin at 8:52.

Rating: C. Another match where they were working hard and trying, which is starting to become more of a thing around here. Don’t worry though as I’m sure WWE will manage to crush their spirits soon enough and let them know that this is Main Event and that’s not what they’re supposed to do around here. I’d be curious to know how low on the card whoever runs this show is, as it must be the busy work for some agent backstage more than anything else.

From Raw one more time.

Raw World Title: Rusev vs. Seth Rollins

Rusev is challenging and gets a jobber entrance as Orton and Corbin are watching from the stage. Rollins tries to start fast but has to bail from the Accolade. The fall away slam starts working on the back as we take a break (with the Fiend appearing to say Let Me In). Back with Rollins fighting out of the bearhug and sending Rusev to the floor for the suicide dives. Rusev rolls through a high crossbody but Rollins rolls through his roll through for two.

Rusev kicks him in the head and gets two off a swinging release Rock Bottom. Rollins is back up with the Falcon Arrow for two but the Stomp misses. The springboard knee hits part of a superkick…..and here’s Bobby Lashley. He waves someone out though and here is…..Lana, as Rusev is crushed. Kissing ensues with Lana almost crawling on top of Lashley as Rusev just glares. There go the lights and the Fiend Mandible Claws Rollins in a no contest at 11:30.

Rating: D+. This was just a backdrop for the double angles and I’d rather they do that here than wasting what could have been a big match with Mysterio. Rusev not losing is a great sign and he has a feud set up instantly. I’m curious about the story behind the whole thing so at least they have something going on already.

Laughter ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. The weird schedule changed some stuff around here but for what it was, this wasn’t too bad. They got in the bigger stuff from Raw, but it’s a strange situation because Raw was possibly the fourth biggest show of the week. That may sound strange, but it could very well become the new norm around here, which is going to take a lot of getting used to. Better than average show here, but that’s on the Main Event scale.

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 4, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel And Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

Suddenly this is a follow up show to Smackdown, which is the bad spot the show is going to be in for the next few weeks. Tonight is a big follow up show though as we need to deal with what happened last week when Sami Callihan hit Melissa Santos with a bottle. Odds are this is going to lead to some dismemberment at the hands of Brian Cage, which should be rather entertaining. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the wedding and reception, where Callihan hit Santos by mistake.

Flanked by security, Jake Crist says Sami will talk about what happened later tonight.

Opening sequence.

Madison Rayne vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Tenille Dashwood

It’s a brawl to start with Hogan and Rayne teaming up on Dashwood early on. Madison gets thrown outside though and Dashwood grabs a butterfly suplex to take over on Hogan. Back in and the double teaming continues and Dashwood is in trouble again. This time it’s Kiera being sent outside and Dashwood stands on Rayne’s hair while pulling on the arms.

Kiera comes back in and starts talking trash to the fans but switches back to double teaming Dashwood again (you may be noticing a theme emerging here). Dashwood fights back and sends both of them outside before throwing Dashwood back inside for two. They all get back in again and Dashwood fights out of a double superplex attempt before sunset bombing Madison onto Hogan for a double near fall.

A double Taste of Tenille gets two on Rayne but Kiera comes back with an enziguri and swinging neckbreaker. We get the required argument over who gets the cover though, allowing Dashwood to send them into each other. Hogan is knocked outside and the Spotlight Kick finishes Madison at 8:52.

Rating: C-. I don’t know what it is but Dashwood isn’t showing any of the fire that made her look awesome in Ring of Honor/elsewhere. Maybe it was her shoulder injury or something but she isn’t the same performer she was not very long ago. Hopefully it’s more of a motivation thing or something, because the talent is there and I’d love to see it back again. The match itself was a formula based triple threat with Dashwood being the obvious winner as she is coming up on the Knockouts Title match at Bound For Glory.

Impact is coming to AXS TV.

Eddie Edwards talks to Tommy Dreamer and says Reno Scum drugged him at the wedding last week (which they did). He picks Kenny the Kendo Stick as his partner to face them tonight. Smart man.

Johnny Swinger vs. Owen Travers

Swinger is a late 90s tribute guy, which is fine for an idea but there was NO ONE else on the roster to play the character? As Callis swoons over Swinger’s Zubaz, Swinger takes over and hits a falling headbutt to the rather lower abdomen. Choking and strutting ensue, followed by more choking for bad measure. Travers fights back but misses a charge in the corner and gets caught in a swinging neckbreaker to give Swinger the pin at 3:10.

Rating: D. I get the idea here and as mentioned, a 90s character is hardly a bad idea. What I still don’t get is how this can be anything anything more than Callis giving a friend a favor. Does anyone think Swinger has any kind of a future around here? This isn’t a character that is going to go anywhere and while it’s fine for a lower card idea, bringing in another ECW name (not legend, but name), isn’t something that is going to make Impact look great at the moment.

The North is ready for Willie Mack and Rich Swann at Bound For Glory. They are not however ready for the match becoming a three way, also including Rob Van Dam/Rhino.

Tessa Blanchard isn’t surprised by what Callihan did last week. She’s coming for OVE.

Bound For Glory rundown.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode at Bound For Glory 2011. That was really stupid.

Ace Austin comes up to Alisha Edwards in the back and tries to apologize for what happened last week as the wedding. He thinks Eddie has some kind of a substance abuse problem and offers an ear if needed. Alisha looks confused.

Eddie Edwards/Kenny vs. Reno Scum

Eddie puts Kenny on the apron in the corner, which takes longer than you might think. Thornstowe starts for the team and runs into an atomic drop, followed by an overhead belly to belly. Luster comes in and wants to face Kenny, which is enough of a distraction that Luster can take over in the corner. The double teaming begins as the announcers talk about Alisha’s issues with Ace.

Eddie finally grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb for a breather and even reaches for the tag (he’s a rather confused man). A dive allows the hot tag to Kenny and everything breaks down with Eddie swinging Kenny around to take over. After a pair of dives to the floor (just go with it), Eddie gets slammed onto Kenny back inside. That doesn’t seem to matter though as it’s the Boston Knee Party to finish Thornstowe at 8:27.

Rating: D+. I mean….why not. Eddie continues to be one of the more fascinating wrestlers in the company and I want to see what happens to him. That’s the sign that they’re doing something right and I wouldn’t have bet on it lasting this long. There is a lot more to the story as well, and I’m not sure where they’re going between Eddie and Austin at Bound For Glory, but it could be rather interesting.

The North come up to Konnan and shut the door behind him.

Post break, Konnan is out. Josh: “WHAT HAPPENED TO KONNAN?” Josh….you dolt.

Here is OVE for a chat. Sami says last week was a tragedy but he is here to issue an apology. He means everything he says as he reads an apology off of a piece of paper. What happened last week was an accident and he isn’t happy with anything. He has no reason to destroy a marriage….and here’s Cage to run through security. The Crists and Fulton get taken out so Sami bails. Cage goes after him and throws a fan, which draws out referees to break things up. The cops are there as well and Cage gets arrested. This could work well.

X-Division Title Ladder Match Qualifying Match: Daga vs. Chris Bey

X-Division Champion Jake Crist is on commentary. They start with the flipping and rolling as neither can get much beyond an armdrag here or there. A kick to Bey’s head puts him on the floor but it’s Daga switching places and hitting his own dive. Back in and Daga hits a running forearm in the corner, followed by a dropkick for one. Bey knees his way out of a suplex attempt and dropkicks him outside for a change.

The running flip dive connects and it’s a slingshot DDT for two back inside. Back in and Bey hits a spinning kick to the head and rains down left hands in the corner. A crucifix gives Bey two but Daga is right back with a super Spanish Fly for the same. Daga has had it and double underhooks Bey into double knees to the chest for the pin at 6:40.

Rating: C+. I liked this one with Daga getting to showcase himself in a more impressive performance than I remember seeing from him. I know he’s a respected guy but I haven’t seen much from him so far. This was a good step forward for him though and hopefully that continues to move forward.

Post match the Crists come in to double team Daga but Tessa makes the save.

TJP says he and Fallah Bahh make a great team.

OVE leaves and Sami yells at the Crists.

Some NFL alumni talk about how much they’re looking forward to Moose vs. Ken Shamrock. Scott D’Amore offers his thoughts as well but here’s Moose himself to say MMA is for amateurs. However, he has Frank Trigg to help him train but here’s Shamrock to say he’ll beat Moose up. Ken promises to win but Moose walks out of the press conference, only to come back and start the shoving match. Shamrock looks….old.

James Mitchell yells at Havok for messing with Su Yung. Now YOU KNOW WHO is going to deal with her for messing with his favorite bride. Taya Valkyrie comes in and offers to take care of Su if they’ll take care of Dashwood. Mitchell doesn’t seem impressed and says Havok should just take the title for herself.

Michael Elgin vs. TJP

This could be interesting. TJP hammers away to start but gets picked up with straight power. The kneebar is blocked as well as TJP isn’t sure what to do against this kind of strength. Elgin runs him over and blocks a crossbody with ease. TJP is sent to the apron but slingshots in for a headscissor faceplant and we take a break. Back with Elgin being low bridged to the floor but countering a dive into an apron bomb. Elgin chops him so hard that he hurts his own hand but charges into raised boots in the corner.

The delayed apron superplex is broken up with a knee to the head and a hurricanrana takes Elgin down. TJP goes for the Fujiwara armbar but Elgin powers over to the rope without much effort. Another armbreaker is powered up with a powerbomb for the break and a discus lariat gives Elgin two. TJP sends him outside for the suicide dive but Elgin reverses it into a powerslam for a sweet counter. Back in and a Falcon Arrow gives Elgin two more, followed by a heck of a buckle bomb. A spinning backfist sets up a spinning Elgin Bomb to finish TJP at 13:50.

Rating: B. I liked this one quite a bit with both guys doing what they could and Elgin cutting him off every chance he could. The powerslam counter to the suicide dive was awesome and Elgin’s offense has the kind of power that makes him look dangerous (in a good way) every time he’s out there. Good stuff here, as they took two talented people and had them do their stuff at a high level.

Post match Bahh checks on TJP and glares at Elgin, likely meaning we’ll be getting a future match.

Santos talks to Cage on the phone but Sami cuts them off. What happened last week was a mistake, but he really enjoyed it.

Overall Rating: C+. Impact is up and down at times but this was a solid show for the most part and you can see the stories coming together as we move towards Bound For Glory. They’re starting to peak at the right time and that is what matters more than anything else. The action was mostly good here and while I could go for some adjustments in their personnel choices, we had a mostly good show here and a solid main event. Not bad at all and I liked it well enough. Check out TJP vs. Elgin if you have time.

Results

Tenille Dashwood b. Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne – Spotlight Kick to Rayne

Johnny Swinger b. Owen Travers – Swinging neckbreaker

Eddie Edwards/Kenny b. Reno Scum – Boston Knee Party to Thornstowe

Daga b. Chris Bey – Double underhook double knees to the chest

Michael Elgin b. TJP – Spinning Elgin Bomb

Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com 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: October 7, 2019
Location: Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin, Jerry Lawler

I don’t think there’s any other way to put it: the ending to last night’s show was a nightmare, with no one coming out of Seth Rollins vs. the Fiend in the Cell looking good. Things need to be put back on track, so tonight we have a singles match to build towards Crown Jewel, a boxer talking to set up a likely match at Crown Jewel, and Lacey Evans vs. Natalya V: Last Viewer Awake loses. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last week’s show with Lana and Bobby Lashley, for lack of a better term, canoodling on the stage right in front of Rusev. This is interspersed with clips of Rusev and Lana’s wedding and marriage.

Opening sequence.

Rusev vs. Randy Orton

Hang on a second as we come straight out of the opening sequence to Orton and Baron Corbin stomping on Rusev. He fights back but Lashley pops up on screen in a robe. That would be Rusev’s robe, because Lashley is in Rusev’s house. Actually he’s in Rusev’s bedroom, which includes a rather comfortable bed.

There is only one thing missing, which would be Lana herself. She comes in and climbs in next to Lashley, while mentioning that everything they own is now in her name, plus they no longer have separate checking accounts. Lana removes some of the little clothing she still has on and the lights go out with more laughter.

We come back to the arena where Rusev is taking this as expected and Orton and Corbin laugh on the floor. Rusev snaps and beats both of them up, including various shots to Corbin with the steps. A jumping superkicks each knocks both of them into the crowd. No match of course.

Lacey Evans vs. Natalya

Last Woman Standing so Lacey brings out a garbage can with Natalya’s name on it. They have reached the end of the line so it’s time to take out the trash. Natalya starts the fight on the floor by driving Lacey back first into the barricade and knocking her around ringside. The Sharpshooter goes on inside but Lacey climbs the ropes for a break. Lacey slams her head first into the mat for a nine so they head outside, with a swing sending Natalya head first into the barricade.

That’s good for another nine so Lacey teases a table, only to whip Natalya into the steps instead. Back from a break with Natalya being whipped into the timekeeper’s area and being hit with a kendo stick for nine. Lacey gets annoyed so she gets creative by putting Natalya in the chair and strapping her in with the stick before turning the chair over.

That’s only good for nine as well and more stick shots get the same. A hard trashcan shot (which actually includes actual trash) and a moonsault off of the barricade get another nine. They head up the ramp with Natalya being sent into the set, followed by a suplex onto the announcers’ table. Natalya gets back up and hits a suplex on the stage, followed by a powerbomb off the stage and through a table for the win at 17:10.

Rating: D. Good grief this was bad with Natalya selling for almost the entire match, which was mainly Lacey doing something and Natalya laying around for a long time before Natalya hit two moves and won. On top of that, NATALYA gets the big blowoff win in the series? They can’t possibly be setting her up as the next challenger again right? They couldn’t possibly think that is a good idea.

Aleister Black is still in his dark room and talks about the calm and collective demeanor on Raw. That is not who he is though because he is as unforgiving as fire and as cold as death. He is forever restless so come knock on his door for a fight.

The Street Profits do their thing. After the regular recap, it’s time for a scouting report for the upcoming Draft. Apollo Crews is a blue chipper, Buddy Murphy is the best kept secret and Drake Maverick is WWE’s Steve Carrell: the forty year old virgin. With that out of the way though, it’s time to talk about Tyson Fury.

We see Braun Strowman and Fury squaring off on Smackdown and Fury accidentally getting knocked down, drawing him over the barricade for a near fight.

Fury says maybe he shouldn’t have jumped the barricade, but he’s not leaving until he gets an apology. If not, Strowman is going to get these hands.

Viking Raiders vs. Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode

Non-title. Ziggler gets beaten up by Erik to start and Ivar gets slammed onto him for a bonus. That sends Ziggler, clutching his chest and ribs, over for the tag so Ivar beats up Roode instead. The knee to Roode’s face has both champs on the floor and Roode gets knocked outside again as we take a break.

Back with Erik being knocked off the barricade and getting caught with Ziggler’s running DDT on the floor. The chinlock goes on to keep Erik in trouble so Ziggler grabs a neckbreaker for two. Roode comes back in for another chinlock but Erik fights up and shrugs off some double teaming. Ziggler misses a splash and the hot tag brings in Ivar to clean house.

The Fameasser cuts Ivar off for two but Erik is back in for the German suplex/springboard clothesline combination for two more. Ivar gets sent outside and it’s a spinebuster/Zig Zag combination for two on Erik. The Glorious DDT is blocked Erik comes back in for the Viking Experience and the pin on Ziggler at 14:50.

Rating: C. When all else fails, go with the booking that is the easiest and least interesting way to get the Raiders to a title match. Why they needed anything more than “the Raiders are unstoppable and deserve a shot” is beyond me but why not beat your not great champions to get there?

Here are the Singh Brothers, who seem to have been left to Raw in the 205 Live will. They call out Aleister Black so they can prove themselves for the Draft.

Aleister Black vs. Singh Brothers

Kick to the head, kick to the chest, jumping knee, Black Mass and something like a dragon sleeper give Black the win at 1:05.

Video on the Smackdown premiere.

It is now 9:15pm and we have not had a single mention of last night’s show, or at least nothing major. Unless I missed some quick reference in passing, it has not been mentioned once.

Strowman says he was having fun with Fury on Friday but if he wants to get serious, tonight Fury can get these hands. We get a quick clip of Strowman knocking AJ Styles out with one punch last night, which is as big of a reference as we have gotten so far.

We look at Brock Lesnar winning the WWE Title from Kofi Kingston and the ensuing beatdown by the debuting Cain Velasquez.

Rey Mysterio is upset about what happened to Dominick but the physical scars will fade. He let himself and his family down though but he was sitting in the hospital when Cain Velasquez, Dominick’s godfather, came in. Cain can brag about beating Lesnar and he’s coming for revenge.

AOP talks about fighting to keep food in front of their families and promise violence.

OC vs. Lucha House Party

Kalisto starts in on Anderson’s arm before handing it off to Dorado for the same. Metalik comes in with the splash off of Dorado’s shoulders for two but it’s off to Gallows to take over. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the House Party hits a triple moonsault (off the same corner) for the big knockdown as we take a break.

Back with Dorado fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a high crossbody for the breather. A roll into the diving tag brings in Kalisto with a slingshot hurricanrana and the rolling kick to the face. The hurricanrana driver gets two on AJ with Anderson making the save. The Pele into the Phenomenal Forearm ends Kalisto at 9:30.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable six man here with the OC getting back on track after last night’s dumb result. The House Party is perfectly fine for a spot like this as they work well together and have exciting matches, meaning it’s not like a loss is going to hurt them. The OC will be fine, assuming they stay together. They could be fine on their own but they seem to work better together.

Post match the House Party takes another beating, including the super Styles Clash to Dorado.

We recap Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks from last night.

It’s time for MizTV with Miz talking about how awesome Smackdown was with all of the big names coming out. With that out of the way, here are his guests for the week with Becky Lynch and Charlotte taking seats. Miz talks about all of Becky’s accomplishments in the last year, including being on Golden Crisp cereal. Becky is proud of everything she has done but what matters right now is beating Sasha Banks. As for Charlotte, it’s good to be the queen because she is champion again.

They get into an argument over whose reign means more with Charlotte saying she made Becky famous. Becky says her reigns mean more but Charlotte says ten times is ten times. Cue the Kabuki Warriors with Asuka shouting in Japanese. The previously announced fight is on and we get a referee, but it’s a double baseball slide to drop the Warriors as we take a break.

Kabuki Warriors vs. Charlotte/Becky Lynch

Non-title. Becky and Asuka start things off with a cheap shot from the apron allowing Asuka to send her outside. Becky fights up and brings Charlotte in to take over on Asuka, including Natural Selection to send Asuka outside. Sane gets sent outside as well and Charlotte busts out the moonsault to the floor to put them both down again. A Figure Eight attempt is broken up and Asuka kicks a diving Charlotte out of the air as we take a break.

Back with Charlotte taking Sane down and bringing Lynch back in to clean house. Asuka gets in a distraction though and Sane hits Becky in the face to take over again. Becky fights back but Charlotte is down and holding her knee. The Disarm-Her has Sane in trouble but Asuka hits the mist, allowing Sane to roll Lynch up for the pin at 11:25.

Rating: C. I’ll give them some rather nice points here for getting out of what could have been a messy ending without screwing things up. None of the new champions took the fall and Becky was protected in the loss. Given that they had other champs lose clean earlier tonight, it’s at least a step in the right direction.

Post match the beatdown is on until Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross make the save.

Roman Reigns talks about the impact children with cancer had on him.

We look back at Lana and Lashley from earlier.

Apollo Crews is ready for Ricochet tonight and is ready to showcase himself.

The Viking Raiders get a Tag Team Title shot next week.

Ricochet is ready for what could be his last night on Raw. This is a showcase, not a swan song.

Ricochet vs. Apollo Crews

Ricochet flips out of a German suplex attempt to start but Crews cartwheels his way out of a hurricanrana as well. They both miss moonsaults to the floor before heading back in for a dropkick from Crews. Ricochet rolls away again and heads to the apron for the kick to the face in the corner. The springboard clothesline sets up a running shooting star press for two. It’s too early for the 450 though and Crews hits an enziguri into the standing moonsault for his own near fall. Not that it matters as Ricochet is right back with the Recoil for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C+. They packed a lot into a four minute match and that’s exactly what you would want from these two. Don’t leave them out there long enough to let them overstay their welcome and leave you wanting more from them. Crews is his usual self and Ricochet looks more and more like a star every time he’s out there.

We actually look at Rollins vs. Wyatt in the Cell and Rollins not being able to end him. The DQ is included, as I still see no referee stoppage. There is no announcement or conclusion, as they just air clips and move on.

Jerry Lawler brings Fury to the ring for a chat. He didn’t like Strowman making him look like a fool last week and he is here to demand an apology. Cue Strowman to say he was just giving Fury a present last week and then he told security to let Fury go. If Fury wants to get in Strowman’s ring, he’ll eat him for lunch.

Fury says he would have knocked Strowman out but Strowman says he would do the same. How man titles has Strowman won? They go into the corner and here’s security to break it up in a hurry. That doesn’t last long though and the fight is on again but here is the locker room for the save. They keep breaking it up and the fight starts up over and over again.

In the back, Strowman says Fury is tough but there will be no apology. Strowman comes charging back out and the brawl ends the show.

Overall Rating: D+. I came into this show hoping that WWE could find something to start a new path towards fixing last night. What I got was WWE taking the night off after a horrible pay per view and basically saying none of what you’re seeing here matters. It was nowhere near as bad as last night and there were some interesting moments here, but this show felt like they just weren’t interested in trying until the Draft, as everything changes again. That’s not a good sign two nights in a row, no matter how much effort you put in last week.

Results

Natalya b. Lacey Evans – Powerbomb off of the stage

Viking Raiders b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler – Viking Experience to Ziggler

Aleister Black b. Singh Brothers – Dragon sleeper to Sunil

OC b. Lucha House Party – Phenomenal Forearm to Kalisto

Kabuki Warriors b. Charlotte/Becky Lynch – Rollup to Lynch

Ricochet b. Apollo Crews – Recoil

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

Hell In A Cell 2019
Date: October 6, 2019
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin, Jerry Lawler

So what happens if WWE holds a show but forgets to put it together? Until late Friday night, this was a three match card, though they added four more on Sunday afternoon so the show wouldn’t be an hour and fifteen minutes long. The big question tonight is can the Fiend take the Universal Title from Seth Rollins so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Lacey Evans vs. Natalya

So yes, of all things they could add, they picked THIS for the warmup match. Lacey wristlocks her to start so Natalya uses something pretty close to Owen Hart’s spinning escape to take Lacey down instead. A hammerlock keeps Natalya down as Lawler goes into his HILARIOUS material about Lacey’s time in Afghanistan. Lacey takes her down for some choking but has to fight out of a Sharpshooter attempt.

Natalya gets sent outside and we take a break. Back with Lacey’s slingshot elbow getting two and the chinlock going on. Some shots to the face let Lacey start stomping on the knee but the Sharpshooter attempt is kicked away. Back in and Lacey takes her down again but misses the double jump moonsault. Natalya gets the Sharpshooter and Lacey taps at 9:17.

Rating: D. Sure why not. This feud has been one of those nightmares that just won’t end with a fight that no one cares about and matches that aren’t any good either. I don’t know why we needed to see, what was this, the fourth match between the two, but it felt like a warmed over leftover match on a house show.

Post match Natalya punches Lacey out for some revenge.

The opening video talks about how evil the Cell is and how it changes lives, even though it has barely done that in years. The big matches get their usual attention as well.

Raw Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch

Lynch is defending inside the (RED) Cell. Sasha jumps her before the bell though, meaning the Cell isn’t even on the ground yet. That means a beating on the floor as the Cell completely lowers so Sasha goes inside as Becky pulls herself up outside. Becky rams the door into her face before taking it inside for the opening bell. Hang on again though as Becky grabs the chain and hits Sasha with it before raking her face across the Cell.

With Banks down, Becky chains the Cell shut, only to have Banks send her face first into the wall. They bust out a table, a ladder and a chair as it’s already time to tease the December rematch. Banks gets sent face first into a chair back inside but manages to dropkick it into Becky’s face for two. The Bexploder sends Banks outside and a baseball slide sends her into the wall. It works so well that Becky does it twice more but Sasha Meteoras her into the ladder for the big knockdown.

With the shots to the head no longer being enough, Banks puts the arm out of the Cell and slams the door onto it for two back inside. The arm gets sent into the chair and Banks unloads with forearms to the face. Another Meteora puts Becky through the chair for two more and Becky is looking shaken. A quick rollup gets Becky out of trouble and she kicks the chair into Banks’ ribs.

Becky dropkicks her into the Cell again and the Bexploder into the Cell makes it even worse. Back in and a bulldog onto the bottom of an open chair gives Lynch two and she can’t believe the kickout. A missile dropkick sends the chair into Banks’ face for another two and it’s time to bail to the floor. It’s time to get creative with Becky wedging some kendo sticks in the Cell wall and putting a chair on top, with Sasha going on top of that. Becky dropkicks her into the corner to complete the cool yet long to set up crash.

Back in and Becky gets two off the top rope legdrop but it takes too long to set up the table. That means a Backstabber to Becky and the top rope Meteora through the table gives Banks two. The Bank Statement with the kendo stick sends Becky crawling underneath the ropes. Becky gets the stick away and beats the heck out of Banks with it, only to whipped into a chair hanging in the Cell wall. Banks throws in about a dozen chairs and uses one on Becky’s arm. It takes her too long to go up though and a super Bexploder onto the chairs sets up the Disarm-Her for the tap at 21:26.

Rating: B. I liked the spots and they felt like they were hurting each other enough, though I’m scratching my head at Lynch retaining. This almost has to mean the return of Rousey right? If not, who in the world is supposed to take the title from Lynch? She has cleaned out the entire division (or at least all of the realistic challengers), so it’s either Rousey or the long awaited Horsewomen four way right? Or we could just do the same thing because the Cell is no longer a blowoff match.

We recap Erick Rowan/Luke Harper vs. Daniel Bryan/Roman Reigns. Rowan was revealed to be an evil genius who wants to destroy Reigns. He doesn’t like Bryan for thinking they were mental equals and Harper is here for the extra muscle.

Daniel Bryan/Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan/Luke Harper

Tornado Tag so it’s a brawl to start with Reigns and Rowan heading out to the floor, meaning Bryan hits the suicide dive. There’s a Superman Punch to Rowan as Harper is favoring the knee. Ever the nice guy, Bryan starts kicking at the knee, leaving Reigns to Samoan drop Rowan for two inside. Harper’s knee is fine enough to block the spear with a superkick for two.

Bryan comes back in but gets double teamed, as does Reigns in the same corner. A steps shot to the face keeps Roman in trouble on the floor, meaning Bryan gets beaten down again. Reigns pulls Harper to the floor though and Bryan rolls Rowan up for two. That leaves Rowan to yell at Bryan for embarrassing him but Bryan gets the LeBell Lock.

Harper makes a save of his own, allowing Rowan to Jackhammer Bryan for two more. Reigns and Rowan head to the floor, with Roman having to dive back in for a save after Harper’s Michinoku Driver. Another drop to the floor leaves Bryan to kick away at Harper’s arm and then chest in the corner, followed by a dropkick to the knee. Harper is back up to knock Bryan to the floor, setting up the suicide dive to Reigns.

It’s time to load up the announcers’ table so the German announcers jump over the barricade. Instead though, Reigns gets knocked down so Rowan can slam Harper onto him. To mix it up a bit, Rowan starts ripping up the barricade and then moves back to the table. Bryan escapes a double powerbomb by hurricanranaing Harper off the table, leaving Reigns to spear Rowan off said table.

Reigns is holding his knee though, leaving Bryan to hit the running dropkicks on Harper in the corner. The super hurricanrana is countered into a superbomb for two on Bryan and they’re both down. Harper is back up with a suplex but Bryan slips out, allowing Reigns to come back in for the Superman Punch. The running knee into the spear finishes Harper at 16:46.

Rating: B. Back to back good matches to start the show with these guys beating the heck out of each other throughout. This felt like they were hitting the brakes on Harper and Rowan, though I’m not sure if they’ll hit them as hard on Rowan as they do on Harper. At least they had a good match though and that’s something that helps a lot.

Post match Bryan pulls himself up and wants a hug. That’s exactly what he gets too and the fans are rather pleased.

Seth Rollins is ready for the challenge from the Fiend and promises to retain the title.

Randy Orton vs. Ali

Bonus match and Orton points at the Cell during his entrance. Orton works on the armbar to start before taking it outside for a drop onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Orton stomps away back inside before sending Ali hard into the post, leaving a NASTY bruise on the ribs. Something close to an abdominal stretch stays on the ribs back inside, followed by the required chinlock. That’s broken up and they head outside with Ali hitting a dropkick and diving over the announcers’ table onto Orton.

Ali’s rolling X Factor and Orton’s powerslam get two each but Ali is right back with a spinwheel kick. The tornado DDT sets up a missed 450 and Orton hits the handing DDT. The RKO is countered with a handstand into a crucifix for two as Orton is surprised. Another rolling X Factor is loaded up but Orton catches him with the RKO for the pin at 12:13.

Rating: C+. Yeah I don’t think anyone really expected Ali to win here and that’s the problem for him most of the time, just like so many others. It’s pretty clear that WWE isn’t interested in giving him any serious kind of push and that makes his matches a bit harder to watch. He’s trying hard, but it doesn’t seem to be getting him any higher up the card. At least he’s appearing on the show though, which is more than he’s been doing.

Tomorrow night: Lacey Evans vs. Natalya, Last Woman Standing. I’d love to know their rejected ideas.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross vs. Kabuki Warriors

The Warriors are challenging with Asuka hitting a sliding knee to Cross’ face for two. It’s off to Bliss for the running slap in the corner and Cross comes back in for a jawbreaker. Sane comes in and beats up Bliss a bit before handing it back to Asuka for a choke. Bliss blocks what looked to be an ankle lock attempt but gets knocked right back into the corner. Sane pokes Cross in the eye to knock her off the apron but it means the referee doesn’t count off the sliding lariat in the corner.

Bliss escapes another ankle lock and brings Cross in off the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Sane has to break up a quick cover. The Insane Elbow hits raised knees so it’s back to Asuka for the kicks to Cross’ face. Cross blocks a big kick, so Asuka busts out the green mist of all things to blind her rather well. The big kick finishes Cross for the pin and the titles at 10:27.

Rating: D. I was fighting to stay awake during this one as the match just was not interesting no matter what they were doing. Going full on evil Japanese monster with Asuka is kind of interesting, though it’s about a year too late. It could have been worse, but it did a very bad job of keeping me interested and that’s not a good sign with about two hours left.

Here’s a video on Smackdown.

OC vs. Viking Raiders/???

The Raiders need a mystery partner so here’s Braun Strowman to complete their team. Anderson headlocks Ivar to start so Ivar quickly reverses into the Whoopee Cushion out of the corner. Gallows comes in to hammer on Ivar, who goes up top to dive over Gallows and roll over for the tag to Erik. House is cleaned with Gallows being sent to the floor but Styles tags himself in to get in a few shots to the head.

The Pele connects for two but Erik fights out of the corner, only to walk into the spinebuster from Anderson. A backdrop is finally enough to bring Strowman in for the destruction, including the running shoulders on the floor. Back in and Strowman’s shoulder goes into the post, allowing AJ to chop his block. Erik breaks up the Calf Crushes and Ivar clotheslines Gallows. The running powerslam is broken up with another chop block and it’s a triple teaming on Braun for the DQ at 8:15.

Rating: D+. Total TV match, complete with a TV main event because we need to protect Anderson and Gallows from the Strowman and the Raiders. This was a watchable match that didn’t belong on pay per view, which has been the case with more than one match on this show. Strowman isn’t likely to be bothered by the loss as he’s doing something with Tyson Fury soon, but for now, this wasn’t much to see.

Post match the beatdown keeps going until the Vikings send Gallows and Anderson to the floor. Double suicide dives connect and Strowman is back up with a knockout right hand to drop Styles. Anderson and Gallows pick Styles up and have to tell him what day it is after that right hand.

The Street Profits do their thing. Tamina pops in and pins Carmella for the 24/7 Title. Tyler Breeze comes up and gets knocked out, leaving R-Truth and Carmella to split up to look for Tamina. More on this, meaning Carmella or R-Truth will get the title back, later.

We recap Baron Corbin vs. Chad Gable, which started with Corbin beating him for the King of the Ring, so Gable broke his throne.

Chad Gable vs. King Corbin

Hold on though as Corbin has to make some short jokes. Corbin even dubs him Shorty Gable. That’s too far for Gable, who goes straight at him with crossfaces to the jaw and a quickly broken sleeper. Corbin sends him shoulder first into the post and chest first into the buckle for two. The chinlock is broken up so Corbin clotheslines the heck out of him for two more. Gable fights up and gets in a missile dropkick, followed by another kick to the head.

Corbin is down on his knees so Graves can praises Gable for finally being taller than someone. Gable shouts a lot and forearms away, followed by a German suplex for two. The rolling Liger kick in the corner is countered into a powerbomb to give Corbin two more but Gable is right back with a cross armbreaker over the ropes. Gable walks into Deep Six for another near fall but End of Days is countered into a running flip neckbreaker.

The moonsault gets two and sets up the ankle lock but Corbin makes the rope. They head outside with Corbin hitting a chokeslam onto the apron before going to grab the scepter. That’s taken away and Gable rolls him up for the pin at 12:18. Ring announcer: “Here is your winner: SHORTY GABLE”!

Rating: C. I like this company. I really and truly do. I’ve watched it for over thirty years and I care about WWE more than any other wrestling company. Then they do nonsense like this, all for the sake of Vince thinks it’s HILARIOUS to call a guy short over and over again. You get a talented guy, who can talk, has charisma and is an Olympic wrestler. What do you do with him? Name him Shorty, soon to be changed to Shorty G. I love WWE, but they don’t make this easy.

We look at Charlotte making Bayley tap on Smackdown.

We do the international announcers’ row and Tamina runs in to use Funaki as a human shield. She throws him at R-Truth to cut him off but walks into Carmella’s superkick….so Truth can get the pin and the title back, at Carmella’s insistence.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Bayley

Bayley is defending and misses some early chops, allowing Charlotte to show her how it’s done. A crossbody misses and Charlotte goes for the Figure Eight, sending Bayley rolling outside. Bayley pokes her in the eye but Charlotte chops away again. This time Bayley gets smart by taking out the leg and sending her outside for a crash. Charlotte’s leg gets sent into the LED ring skirt and then gets wrapped around the rope/post.

The half crab goes on but Charlotte slips out, meaning it’s time for Bayley to try the Figure Eight. That isn’t going to work either as Charlotte wraps the leg around the post for a change. Natural Selection gives Charlotte two and the knee is fine enough for the moonsault to hit Bayley’s raised knees. A rollup with feet on the ropes gives Bayley two but the referee catches her. The big boot into the Figure Eight gives Charlotte the tenth title at 10:12.

Rating: C-. You had to know this was coming sooner rather than later as it had been more than a month since Charlotte held a title so WWE had the bad itch again. Charlotte winning is fine enough as I’m numb to it after this many times, but hopefully this moves us closer to a Horsewoman four way as it’s not like they have many more interesting/fresh ways to go.

For your eye roll line of the match, Cole: “We may have to start considering Charlotte as one of the all time best.” Bayley sits on the floor and asks why it’s always her.

In the back, Gable accepts the Shorty moniker because all he cares about is winning. Corbin called him a loser but tonight, Gable was the bigger man. Corbin jumps him from behind because this feud must continue.

We recap Seth Rollins vs. the Fiend. Bray Wyatt has come back and become a monster under his new persona, earning himself the shot here. Rollins is terrified of the Fiend but is ready to fight and survive, as he always does.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. The Fiend

Inside the Cell with the Fiend challenging. The creepy entrance with the human head lantern are back too. We get the old Kane red lights as Fiend goes right after him to start. Seth hammers away and gets knocked to the floor for his efforts. Back in and Fiend knocks him down again as they head outside for the second time. A whip sends Rollins into the Cell wall as the slow beating continues.

Fiend goes looking for plunder but Seth gets in a shot with the steps for a breather. A table is sent in but Seth scores with a pair of suicide dives and a whip into the steps. Another suicide dive is countered into Sister Abigail into the Cell and the table is set up inside. Some kicks put Fiend on the table and the frog splash puts Wyatt down again. Seth hits the Stomp and Fiend is right back up with another Sister Abigail for two.

With Seth down on the floor, Fiend busts out the big mallet. Seth knocks him away and hits another Stomp onto the mallet but Fiend is back on his feet inside. A springboard knee to the face and a superkick won’t put Fiend down so it’s a third Stomp into a fourth Stomp. The fans are openly booing Seth as he hits a fifth Stomp but Fiend is still getting up. The Pedigree sets up a sixth Stomp….for one. Stomps #7, #8, #9 and #10 all connect but he’s still getting up.

We get #11 to put Fiend down for a bit but Seth gets a chair instead of covering. A huge chair shot to the head only gets one so let’s bring in a ladder. The chair is placed on the Fiend’s head and crushed with the ladder for two. Fiend stays down as Seth finds a toolbox. The chair and ladder are put on Fiend’s head and Seth crushes it over and over with the toolbox, which he then puts on top of the pile. That’s not enough for a cover as the booing is getting even louder now. Seth pulls out the sledgehammer but the referee won’t let him use it. Seth stops but then crushes Fiend with it…..

AND

THAT

IS

A DQ!!!!!

INSIDE THE CELL!!!

AT 17:22!!!

Rating: F. They killed the Cell. I’d think that’s enough for a failure, wouldn’t you?

The Cell is raised and medics come out but Fiend pops up and puts on the Claw. Sister Abigail connects on the floor as we get a RESTART THE MATCH chant. Another Sister Abigail on the exposed concrete knocks Rollins cold and it’s the Claw again. The lights go out and laughter ends the show.

Overall Rating: D-. Once this show ended, I actually sat at my computer for a bit and just stared. I’ve spent a lot of time watching this company and I’ll defend almost anything they do. Tonight, I felt like they wasted my time and laughed at me for watching their show. It was bad enough that WWE showed how much they cared by announcing over half of the card on the day of the event, but then we get to the two main points.

Then we got to what might have been the most annoyed I’ve gotten at WWE in years: Shorty Gable. That nickname, which seems to be sticking around, is a fine example of WWE ignoring every bit of talent that a wrestler has and going with a stupid joke name designed to do nothing more than amuse their writing staff, or probably Vince himself. There are probably a dozen interesting ways to push Gable (he should have been Angle’s son, he’s a wrestling machine, he’s ticked off at the short jokes and hurts people, you could have made him King of the Ring and the list goes on.

But no. Instead, we get him being called Shorty like he’s in some 1930s gangster movie, because that’s the kind of amusement that we need around here. It’s a one note gimmick that is going to allow Graves to make as many short jokes as he can think of and then Gable will be forgotten because he’s the guy who has a stupid name designed to make people laugh. That’s the kind of thing you expect out of Vince Russo and we’re getting it here in 2019.

Then there’s the…..man this hurts to even say again. My all time favorite wrestler is Mick Foley, who is best known for the insanity he went through in the Cell. That’s what they always bring up every time one of these matches takes place (at the same time of course, because that’s what the match has become: a spot on the calendar instead of the be all end all gimmick match) and now…..it’s a match where you can have a DQ.

WWE decided that they had booked themselves into a corner and instead of coming up with a smart finish or anything good, they decided to just cut through the rules and go against the entire concept of a match that has been a big deal around here for over twenty years. It’s stupid, it’s shortsighted, it’s lazy, it’s kicking the fans between the legs and telling them to keep paying their money next year when they probably run this show again with the same premise.

This was WWE laughing at its fans and saying “yeah whatever, we know you’re going to keep coming back.” The Cell is built around the idea that anything goes and it is the ultimate battle ground. Well now it’s any given match because you can go too far and the match can be stopped. The one thing about the Cell that is supposed to make it special is now gone, because WWE, with its army of writers and creative people, couldn’t think of something else.

I can’t call the show a failure because the first two matches were really good, but then it became a mix of house show rematches, literally turning a wrestler into a joke and then pulling the plug on the company’s top violent match that this show was named for. WWE took your money/time and laughed at you for watching their show tonight, and I’m sure tomorrow everything will be fine because that’s how WWE works. This bothered me, as it’s one of the first times in a long time that I felt like I did something stupid by watching a show. That shouldn’t happen, but it did tonight.

Results

Becky Lynch b. Sasha Banks – Disarm-Her

Roman Reigns/Daniel Bryan b. Luke Harper/Erick Rowan – Spear to Rowan

Randy Orton b. Ali – RKO

Kabuki Warriors b. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross – Kick to Cross’ head

Braun Strowman/Viking Raiders b. OC via DQ when the OC triple teamed Strowman

Chad Gable b. Baron Corbin – Rollup

Charlotte b. Bayley – Figure Eight

The Fiend b. Seth Rollins via DQ when WWE lost its mind

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

No this isn’t incomplete. This is the big finale to the busiest and most important weeks in wrestling history. After all the time that has been spent on the major television premieres and everything else that is going on this week, it is time for a regular pay per view. I don’t know how many people in WWE remember this because, as of pretty late Saturday night, there are a total of four matches announced for this thing. There are enough stories going on to set up a few more, but for some reason that just has not happened yet. It’s as good as I can get here so bear with a pretty short preview. Let’s get to it.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Charlotte

This was added after this week’s SmackDown, where Charlotte made Bayley tap in a tag match on the first match on the new network. That’s how you treat champions in WWE, so I can’t say I’m surprised that this happened. The first match took place last month at Clash of Champions where Bayley cheated to retain, meaning you should know what is coming this time around.

I’m going with a new champion here as Charlotte is the kind of person that WWE would love to push on FOX for a variety of reasons. If nothing else, just couple it with the fact that she’s Ric Flair’s daughter and I think they’ll be fine. Bayley has held the title for a few months now and there isn’t much else for her to do at the moment, though it’s hard to say what is going to happen after next week’s Draft.

Daniel Bryan/Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan/Luke Harper

This one is just more confusing than anything else. I know how we got here but at the same time I have no idea where we are supposed to go from here. It seems that we need a big reveal/swerve as the real mastermind as I just can’t imagine Rowan being the big bad in the whole thing. He’s gotten a lot out of it, but Rowan and Harper are such perfect fits as monster lackeys that it doesn’t fit to imagine them as the boss.

Since I think we’re having the mastermind revealed eventually, I’ll take Rowan and Harper to win here, as it wouldn’t make sense to cut them down so soon. Maybe it’s Bryan himself as the mastermind, but I just do not think Rowan and Harper lose here. I mean, it didn’t make a ton of sense to have Rowan lose on Friday but that didn’t stop WWE either. Rowan and Harper win here, though it’s not the end of the story just yet.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Sasha Banks

Here we have your annual “hey their fighting can’t be contained and it happens to be September so we better have a Cell match” match. These two got in a wild fight last month at Clash of Champions until Lynch got disqualified so it’s time to put them in the Cell to settle things. This has been a good enough feud, though it seems that at least Lynch is destined for SmackDown.

I’ll say we have a new champion here as Lynch has held the title for a long time now and doesn’t need to do much more with it. Just let her go over to SmackDown after fighting her heart out here. You could find a way to get Bayley to cheat to help switch the title as it’s not like there isn’t interference in half of the Cell matches. The match should be a good fight, though nothing that hasn’t been done before. Banks wins though.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. The Fiend

At least we have one match where I really don’t know what to pick. This is one of those matches where you could see it going either way, but you can almost bet on the fact that they are going to do something stupid at some point. The Fiend is the new unstoppable monster and putting him in a match like this would seem to be the place where he should be guaranteed to win.

I’ll go with what should be the obvious answer and say that the Fiend gets the title, which should be the case. However, knowing WWE, would something completely stupid surprise you? There has been a no contest inside the Cell so they could manage to find a way to do something else again. Rollins has not done very well as champion so putting the title on the Fiend would at least be something fresh. Just go with what makes sense for once, please.

Overall Thoughts

I’m not even sure what to say about this. It comes at the end of a week with more material than anyone knew what to do with and that didn’t leave much time for this show. There will probably be some form of interference to set up future feuds as well as a Raw Tag Team Title match being added (and probably a midcard title match or two) to flesh out the card, but I’m really not sure about having possibly more than half of the card being added on the day of the show. Yeah there were special circumstances for this one, but come on man.

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: October 2, 2019
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Quinn McCay, Ian Riccaboni, Rhett Titus

It’s Death Before Dishonor weekend, though I’m not sure this is going to mean a thing in the long run. The pay per views have never meant much as far as television goes, though we’re pretty clearly in a different era here. Hopefully some of that changes this time around, as it’s not like it can get much worse. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a clip of Rush and Jeff Cobb winning the All Stars vs. Champions elimination match but Rush kicked away the offer of a handshake.

Clips of Silas Young/Okumura/Felino beating the Shinobi Shadow Squad in Atlanta.

After the match, Silas brought in Josh Woods to say he hoped he had been learning. Woods low blowed Okumura and laid out Felino.

In the back, Silas grabs Woods’ notebook and tells him to take better notes before throwing the book down. Young doesn’t care that Woods’ girlfriend bought him that.

Soldiers of Savagery vs. Sal Rinauro/Michael Stevens

From Atlanta. Promised Land (double chokeslam) finishes both jobbers at 45 seconds.

Jeff Cobb needs another shot at Matt Taven so he’ll beat three guys tonight.

Atlanta again. Master and Machine are Griff Garrison/Marcus Kross while the Twins are the former Boys, now as superheroes, complete with an over the top voiceover introduction. Marcus starts with Brent with the latter jumping around and stopping a charge with the threat of a power ring. Brandon comes in off a blind tag for a springboard crossbody and it’s time to work on the arm.

Back from a break with Brandon enziguring Kross in the corner and monkey flipping him right back out. Caprice: “Would that be a super monkey flip?” Kross dropkicks them both out of the corner and the hot tag brings in Garrison for a bunch of forearms. A good spinebuster and some backbreakers have the Twins down and earn Garrison some nice applause. Brandon gets tossed at Brent and a spear gives Garrison two as Coleman isn’t sure if that would have been an upset or not. It would have been but that sounded good.

Everything breaks down and Kross enziguris Brandon down. Kross flips out of a chokeslam attempt and blasts Brandon in the ribs with a palm strike. A powerbomb/Disaster Kick combination gives Garrison two on Brent with Brandon making the save. Brandon dives onto Garrison and it’s a double belly to back faceplant to finish Kross at 8:20.

Rating: C. It was a little sloppy at times but I was digging both teams. The Twins having something different to do is a good sign though there is something amusing about them being somewhat bumbling superheroes instead of suddenly being awesome now that they have their own gimmick. Kross wasn’t much here but Garrison has some potential, especially with the fire he showed off the hot tag.

Quick discussion of the Top Prospect Tournament.

We look back at Mark Haskins winning the International Cup last year by defeating Adam Page.

Jay Lethal is ready to beat three other guys to get a title shot. It’s a big gamble but the title is that important to him. Tonight is his night and he has this.

Matt Taven vs. Jeff Cobb vs. Kenny King vs. Jay Lethal

Non-title Defy Or Deny, meaning an elimination match. If Taven wins, whoever he beats last can never have a title shot as long as Taven holds the title. If anyone else wins, they get a title shot. King has Amy Rose with him. Taven yells about how he’s beaten all three of them so the triple teaming starts in a hurry. King and Lethal pair off as Taven low bridges Cobb to the floor. That leaves Taven to headlock King down but Lethal comes in to get rid of both of them.

Cobb is back in for a showdown with Lethal with the fans being split on their choice. Lethal’s shoulders work as well as you would expect them to so Cobb shows him how it’s done. Lethal gets in a suplex but Cobb is on his feet first, just to show off a bit. Cobb misses the standing moonsault though, allowing Lethal to nail the basement dropkick for a delayed one. King pulls Lethal to the floor so Taven takes his place, only to get caught in a delayed vertical suplex.

King’s kick to the ribs doesn’t make Cobb drop Taven as he muscles him back up just to show off. That leaves Lethal to hammer away at King on the floor and we take a break. Back with Cobb LAUNCHING Taven into the corner for a good visual but missing a forearm. King and Taven double team Cobb down before kicking Lethal in the face. A hard whip into the corner keeps Lethal down as we’re in something close to a tag match.

King rolls Taven up for two but Taven would rather put Lethal in the Figure Four than get some revenge. Cobb throws King onto the hold for the break and beats up Lethal as we take another break. Back again with King hitting the Blockbuster for two on Cobb as they seem to be wearing down a bit. King loads up the Royal Flush on Cobb but Taven breaks it up, with the announcers bashing him for such a stupid move. Lethal counters the Climax and hits a cutter on Taven for two. Everyone comes back with superkicks and a DDT to Cobb gives us a four way knockdown.

Taven and King slug it out until Lethal hits the Lethal Combination on King. Hail To The King is loaded up but Lethal goes after Rose for grabbing the title. The belt is left in the ring so Taven can blast Cobb with it….for a DQ at 16:51. King hits Lethal with the title as well and grabs the Royal Flush and the elimination at 17:22. It’s King vs. Cobb for the title shot, meaning neither can lose their future title shots. The Royal Flush is escaped and Cobb snaps off a German suplex. Tour of the Islands gives Cobb the pin and the title shot at 19:18.

Rating: B. This took its sweet time to get going and that’s a positive thing in a match like this one. A longer form match is a good call in a longer form match and that’s the case even more when you have four people all fighting for something important. The wrestling was entertaining and the right person won so there isn’t much for me to complain about around here.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helped this one a lot but you can just feel how far down this promotion has gone. There is almost nothing of interest to keep the fans around, though maybe some of the Death before Dishonor results could help make things a bit better. That is, if it isn’t too late already, which very well may be the case. Anyway, good main event and not much else.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: May 5, 2005
Location: Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, New Jersey
Attendance: 4,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re into the build towards the yet to be named pay per view now, as John Bradshaw Layfield is the new #1 contender to the Smackdown World Title. The more interesting story at the moment though is Eddie Guerrero completely turning on Rey Mysterio last week, which is not likely to go well for either of them. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Eddie promising that he and Rey are fine, only to turn on Rey last week after Rey accidentally knocked him off of the apron during a tag match. Eddie’s emotionless face is great.

Here’s Rey for a chat. Rey has to hand it to Eddie because he’s a heck of a liar. Eddie even had Rey believing that they were family but Rey isn’t going to be his fool anymore. Rey wants to fight right now so here’s Eddie to no music. The fans are all over Eddie, which is all the more impressive given how beloved he was just a few months ago. He has nothing to say to Rey, which isn’t what Mysterio wanted to hear.

Post break Rey demands that Theodore Long give him a match with Eddie. Long says that’s easier said than done so here’s Chavo Guerrero to say Rey will never be a Guerrero. The fight is on and Long screams for security.

Matt Morgan vs. Robbie Eckos

Before the match, Morgan stutters about being unstoppable and promises to make Eckos disappear. A headbutt sends Robbie into the corner and it’s the suplex into the Rock Bottom for the pin in a hurry. Exactly what it should have been after the pre-match promo, which is exactly what it should not have been.

Rey vs. Chavo in a street fight is set for later.

We see the same look at John Cena’s music video that we saw last week.

We look back at JBL becoming #1 contender last week.

Sharmell fires Booker T. up backstage.

Orlando Jordan vs. Booker T.

Non-title. Feeling out process to start with Booker hitting him in the face and chest a few times. A clothesline puts Booker on the floor though and a posting makes it even worse. Back in and Booker breaks out of a chinlock in a hurry but gets rolled up for two with Jordan’s feet on the ropes. Booker hits the running forearm and a missile dropkick sets up the side kick. The ax kick finishes Jordan clean.

Rating: D. Normally I would get annoyed at a champion losing clean but Jordan has been presented as nothing more than a punching bag for weeks so it’s hard to get overly annoyed. I have no reason to believe this will lead to Booker going after the title, but it’s not like it has any value since Jordan won the thing.

Sharmell is happy in the back when Kurt Angle comes up. He says Booker should be arrested for grand larceny after last week. Angle wants Booker at Judgment Day and Sharmell needs to be at ringside to hear Booker’s screams as his ankle is broken.

MNM vs. Scotty 2 Hotty/Shannon Moore

Non-title and Tazz is already reaching near Jerry Lawler levels of creepy about Melina’s entrance. Mercury takes Scotty into the corner to start but it’s a blind tag from Shannon so Scotty can dance a bit. Everything breaks down for a bit and a double clothesline puts Mercury on the floor. That leaves Nitro to knee Shannon in the head so the champ can take over in the corner.

Nitro and Moore both try crossbodies at the same time and it’s a double knockdown. Mercury knocks Shannon into the corner though and it’s off to Scotty to not much of a reaction. House is cleaned for a bit and most of the Worm is loaded up, only to have Melina get on the apron and show off some leg. The elevated DDT (now dubbed the Snapshot) finishes the distracted Scotty.

Rating: D+. They were doing better than you might have expected for what looked to be a squash on paper. Scotty and Shannon weren’t going to be any threat to beat the new champs here but at least we got a surprising little match out of it. There aren’t any major teams to go after the titles at the moment but at least MNM is rather awesome.

Post match Mysterio runs in with a lead pipe to chase everyone off.

Here’s JBL for a chat even though it was John Cena’s scheduled time. JBL talks about how we need him as champ because no one here would have survived what he’s been through since Wrestlemania. The people have a long history of quitting, whether it be from school or your jobs.

JBL had to go through a bunch of people to get back to the title match and he did it like Moses going through the Red Sea. Now only Cena is left and he is a one hit wonder. Cena is the Buster Douglas of wrestling and after Judgment Day, he will be nothing but a footnote.

Cue a serious Cena with JBL telling him to get his fifteen minutes of fame. Cena agrees that JBL isn’t a quitter but he rides around with a lot of oily men called the Cabinet. He and Michael Cole are “just friends” but he’s not a quitter. Cena isn’t a quitter either, which is why they’re having an I Quit match at Judgment Day. Cena explains the match and promises to make JBL quit before Cena beats him into unconsciousness. This was the fired up Cena and it worked as well as ever.

Chavo is talking to MNM.

Here’s a ticked off Kurt Angle for the Invitational but he’s in no mood for this and throws the jobber out of the ring. Actually he changes his mind and beats the kid up anyway. Angle wants Booker to answer his challenge so here are Booker and Sharmell to answer. The match is on so Angle promises to break his ankle and make Booker go home with that “gutter sl**.”

The beating is on in a hurry and Sharmell even gets in a slap. Actually several of them but Angle gets in a low blow and the Slam. It would seem to be ankle lock time but Angle looks at Sharmell instead. She trips running up the aisle so Angle goes into stalker mode. Cue referees to break it up and Booker chases Angle off. I don’t see this one going well.

Video on the European tour.

Chavo comes in to tell Eddie about how much he admires him. Eddie put friendship and loyalty over anger when Rey slapped him so tonight Chavo will get revenge for the whole family. Eddie still doesn’t say anything.

Hardcore Holly vs. Carlito

Carlito hits one heck of a chop in the corner to start but Holly hits some far weaker ones of his own. The hanging kick to the ribs and a clothesline get two but Carlito knocks him back down. The neck crank doesn’t last long and neither does the ensuing sleeper. Holly gets two off a full nelson slam and tries a suplex but Carlito reverses into a backslide with feet on the ropes for the pin.

Rating: D. Carlito continues to be nothing worth seeing in the ring and it’s not like Hardcore Holly is the kind of guy to get a good match out of him. It’s smart to put Carlito in the ring at least a little bit, but he needs the right kind of opponent to make him look good and Holly doesn’t fit that mold.

Post match, Carlito announces the Big Show as his guest on the Cabana next week, where he’ll give Big Show a special offer. Ok then.

Long introduces Cena’s music video for Bad Bad Man, which is very 80s.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

Street fight. Mysterio brings the pipe to the ring so Chavo bails. For some reason Rey puts it down, allowing Chavo to dropkick the knee out and take over to start. Rey kicks him into the corner and hits a baseball slide low blow, setting up a split legged moonsault for two. The basement dropkick gets the same and a springboard hurricanrana sends Chavo tot he floor.

Rey’s slingshot dive completely misses though and it’s time for a chair. Chavo takes a bit too long though and gets his leg kicked out so Rey goes up top. That doesn’t work well either as Chavo dropkicks him out of the air and tosses Rey stomach first to the floor. We haven’t gotten very hardcore yet so here’s a ladder to make up for lost time. Rey avoids being launched into the ladder though as he catches himself in the air and moonsaults down onto Chavo in a cool spot.

Back in and Rey headscissors him shoulder first into the post. The chair is opened up and Chavo is fine enough to send Rey face first into the steel. The Gory Bomb gives Chavo two so here’s MNM to hold up the ladder. Rey dropkicks it into their faces but walks into a faceplant for two more. Back up and Rey knocks him into the chair, setting up the springboard seated senton to knock Chavo right back out of the chair for the pin.

Rating: C+. They only played into the street fight stuff a little bit here, though Rey vs. Chavo is almost always a good match. MNM didn’t really need to be out there but they did make things a bit more interesting and it plays into what happened last week and earlier tonight. It’s a good main event, though it’s just part of the much bigger story going on.

Post match the triple teaming is on but here’s Eddie for the save. With MNM and Chavo gone, Eddie stares at Rey….and beats the heck out of him, including sending him head first into the post. He even rips the mask open to show the busted forehead. A suplex onto the steps leaves Rey laying as the fans are scared to end the show. This was really effective with Eddie looking completely evil and teasing the fans with Eddie making the save before stabbing Rey in the back again.

Overall Rating: B-. The big stories were all on fire here with Eddie vs. Rey being a big standout and Cena vs. JBL having a logical next step. Angle vs. Booker could go a variety of ways but what we got so far seemed that we might be in for some rather uncomfortable moments. Some of the bad stuff on here went by rather quickly and the additional Eddie vs. Rey stuff more than made up for it. Good show, though there are still areas they need to fix.

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: Pacific Coast Wrestling

Title Wave
Date: August 20, 2016
Location: Oak Street Gym, Torrence, California
Commentators: Todd Keneley, Christian Cole

This is (likely) the final show I’ll be doing from these guys as I ordered another box of DVDs and after getting annoyed at FIVE duplicates, I had this: the fourth show from Pacific Coast Wrestling. Their debut show was so dreadful that I skipped the second but their third was actually pretty awesome. Now we’ll see what happens when they bring in titles, which could be rather interesting indeed. Let’s get to it.

The announcers welcome us to the show and talk about how important champions can be. That’s very true, and while it’s a little early to have them, you can only go so far with the one off matches over and over again.

Opening sequence.

Jacob Fatu vs. Jorel Nelson

Fatu, with some guy named Cesar Black, would move on to become the MLW World Champion and is part of the Anoa’i family (son of Tonga Kid/Tama, nephew of Umaga and Rikishi). Cesar offers a quick distraction and Fatu forearms away, setting up a Samoan drop to put Nelson on the floor. Just because he can, Fatu hits a big flip dive to the floor, followed by the spinning release Rock Bottom back inside. The springboard standing moonsault has the fans going even nuttier for Fatu (fair enough) and a clothesline turns Nelson inside out.

The Stinger Splash hits post though and Nelson gets in his token offense. Some Rocky Johnson style left hands set up a crossbody to give Nelson two so Fatu superkicks him into the corner. The running Umaga attack sets up the double jump moonsault to finish Nelson at 4:48. We’re told that Fatu advanced in the tournament but also that we’ll be seeing our first tournament match next. From what I can tell, this wasn’t a tournament match, which is a good idea as you don’t want to have Fatu losing here.

Rating: C+. Well that worked. Fatu is an athletic freak and this was an outstanding performance as he completely destroyed Nelson with one cool move after another. You shouldn’t be able to move like that with that kind of size and Fatu made it look easy. If that guy isn’t signed to one of the big companies soon, they’re both completely insane.

Post match, Cesar asks where the competition is.

Scorpio Sky training video as he’s coming for the Light Heavyweight Title.

Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Semifinals: Mr. 450 vs. Kevin Martenson

There are only three people in each tournament as the winner gets Sky for the title. 450 is from Puerto Rico where he held all kinds of titles. An early kick to Martenson’s leg makes him wipe it down with a towel, followed by some circling. Martenson slips out of a headlock takeover but can’t nip up, leaving 450 to lay over the ropes. The offer of a handshake leads to a slap off, followed by Martenson suplexing him down.

A springboard crossbody and a dropkick put Martenson on the floor but a suicide dive is cut off by a dropkick. Martenson knees him in the corner and we hit the chinlock with a knee in the back. That’s broken up so it’s a pump kick from 450, followed by a kick to the back to put him on the floor. Now the suicide dive can connect and a second one is good for a bonus.

Back in and 450 gets two off a middle rope elbow, followed by a springboard tornado DDT for the same. Martenson is right back with a stomp to the back of the head and a brainbuster for two of his own. For some reason Martenson tries going up top, allowing 450 to hit a German superplex. The 450 finishes Martenson at 10:38.

Post match 450 promises to win the title.