IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: October 4, 2019
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

Well here we go. It’s time for the biggest opportunity WWE has had in a generation, if not ever, as they debut their weekly television series on a major broadcast network. They aren’t scaling back on anything either, with every major name you could ask for and a slate of huge matches to boot. Tonight is all going to be about the presentation and that could go various ways. Let’s get to it.

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

Vince and Stephanie McMahon come through the rather cool looking new set (it looked like a tunnel of parentheses for lack of a better term) and welcome us to the show.

Opening sequence, which looks awesome as it makes the wrestlers look larger than life.

Here’s Becky Lynch to open things up. She talks about changing the game and how she wants to beat someone up right now. Cue King Corbin of all people to say Becky is no longer the man. A threat is made and here’s the Rock to interrupt. After some soaking in of the cheers, Rock calls Corbin a crackhead looking Burger King knockoff. That sets up FINALLY, but Corbin tells them both to know their roles and shut their mouths. Rock: “Beck do you mind if I take this one?”

Lita, Trish Stratus and Maria Menunos are in the front row.

Becky Lynch/Charlotte vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Banks sends Charlotte hard into the corner to start so Charlotte chops right back. Charlotte gets knocked off the apron though and we take an early break. Back with Becky coming in off the hot tag to kick Bayley in the corner. The Bexploder into the middle rope legdrop gets two and it’s back to Charlotte for Natural Selection for two more.

Banks makes the save and it’s the big showdown with Becky as they slug it out. That’s broken up by Bayley and everything breaks down in a double brawl. A missile dropkick puts Banks down and Charlotte moonsaults onto both of them. Back in and the Figure Eight makes Bayley tap at 8:18.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t as good as their previous match but they didn’t have the time to make it that big. What mattered here was getting Becky on the big stage in a match this important before the showdown with Sasha on Sunday. It was energetic while it lasted and no one botched anything horrible so….well done?

FOX Sports reporter Erin Andrews interviews the New Day, including asking Kofi Kingston about challenging for the WWE Championship (the title that she is literally one foot away from as it hangs over Kofi’s shoulder). Kofi talks about climbing mountains, but Xavier and Big E. aren’t going to be there because Kofi has requested to do it himself.

World boxing champion Tyson Fury is here.

So are Mick Foley and Kurt Angle.

Seth Rollins comes out for his match but it’s Firefly Fun House time. Bray Wyatt shouts a welcome to the Fun House and introduces his friends. Ramblin Rabbit is in a Seth Rollins shirt and has a Rollins beard painted on. He wants to be just like Seth when he grows up so DO NOT GET IN THE CELL WITH THE FIEND. Bray interrupts and starts speaking in an accent, because setting up his own Cell match between Ramblin Rabbit and Mercy the Buzzard. Biting ensues and stuffing flies as Rabbit’s head comes off. Bray says history will repeat itself. See you in h***!

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title. We come back from a break to see Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Rock’s mom in the crowd as the bell rings. That was a rather quick cameo and Nakamura takes the attention off of them even more as he tries an early cross armbreaker. That’s broken up and Rollins kicks him down….and there go the lights for a no contest at we’ll say 1:30. Rollins runs to the stage and there’s the Fiend for the Claw, because no one in this company knows how to look over their shoulder. The Fiend throws him off the stage.

Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon

Ladder match and loser leaves WWE. Owens cuts him off in the aisle and sends him face first into a ladder to start. The ladder is bridged between the ring and the barricade but Shane is fine enough to cut off an early climb attempt. Owens throws the ladder at him but it goes flying over the top, allowing Owens to hit a clothesline. The ladder is dropkicked into Owens’ face and Shane loads up the announcers’ table. That means the top rope elbow actually connects and we take a break.

Back with Owens frog splashing Shane through the bridged ladder as they missed quite a transition during the commercial. The crowd seems to be muted for a second for what may have been a HOLY S*** chant. Owens climbs the ladder but Shane chairs him down and hits Coast to Coast into the ladder. Shane goes up but Owens powerbombs him onto another bridged ladder. That’s enough to pull down the briefcase and get rid of Shane at 11:58.

Rating: C. That’s one of the weakest ladder matches that I can remember in a long time as it was just one spot after another with almost no selling and no emotion to the whole thing. They didn’t do a good job of making me want to see Shane gone and it felt like a story where we missed most of what led up to it. The spots were good but there was no building to them, especially with just a commercial between the elbow and the frog splash. I’m assuming it was Shane’s limitations, but this was rather lifeless and led to an obvious ending which didn’t have any emotional impact.

Post match Owens gets to tell Shane that he is fired.

We get a montage of Smackdown highlights over the years.

Paul Heyman shows us a clip of Brock Lesnar destroying Rey Mysterio and Mysterio’s son Dominick. Heyman says Mysterio was in Lesnar’s way, just like Kofi Kingston is tonight. Here’s a spoiler: tonight, Lesnar is WWE Champion again.

Braun Strowman/Heavy Machinery/Miz vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler/AJ Styles/Randy Orton

Ziggler hits a quick Zig Zag on Miz to start but takes too long posing, allowing Miz to grab the DDT. It’s off to Strowman to clean house but the RKO hits Miz. Otis runs Orton over but walks into the Phenomenal Forearm. Tucker Cactus Clotheslines AJ to the floor and it’s time for Strowman’s shoulder block train. Strowman stops to pose with Tyson Fury, but Ziggler jumps on Braun, meaning it’s time to get knocked into Fury. Back in and the powerslam ends Ziggler at 3:10.

Rating: D. What the heck was that??? It was like a drive by eight man tag with a celebrity angle in the middle. It came, it went, it might as well have been an in-ring interview gone awry. At least there was a thing with Fury, though I can’t imagine that actually gets to go anywhere for a long time. This felt very random, but at least it came and went quickly while getting some people on the show.

Post match Fury jumps the barricade but security holds him back from Strowman.

In honor of the new movie Gemini Man, we get a look at some WWE youth vs. experience matches (such as Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. HHH and young Mark Henry vs. old Mark Henry).

We look at Fury jumping the barricade again.

Earlier today, R-Truth and Carmella were in the back with a DJ named Marshmello winning the 24/7 Title from Carmella. She would win it back later in the night.

Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan

Lumberjack match with Daniel Bryan on commentary. It’s a fight to start with Roman being sent outside, only to get tossed back in. Rowan gets the same treatment, though Rowan beats them up to stay on the floor. Roman goes out after him and it’s back inside for a big boot from Rowan as we take a break. Back with Roman fighting out of Rowan’s fist vice around the head.

The Superman Punch connects and everyone is down but here’s Luke Harper. Bryan gets up as Harper beats up the lumberjacks but Bryan is on him as the big brawl breaks out. Roman hits the big dive over the top to drop everyone, leaving Rowan to throw Ali at Roman to take him down. Back in and Rowan hits a crossbody for two but the Iron Claw is broken up. Reigns Superman Punches Rowan but Harper comes in to drop Reigns. Bryan knees Harper and the spear finishes Rowan at 8:54.

Rating: C+. It was an entertaining brawl and I want to see the tag match on Sunday, though I have almost no idea where the story is going after that match. Bryan seems to be a face again and unless there is a heck of a twist coming, I’m not sure how many more directions they can take with the whole thing.

We look at the Rock and Becky beating up Corbin.

Smackdown World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston

Kofi is defending. The F5 makes Brock champion in six seconds.

Post match here are Rey Mysterio and CAIN VELASQUEZ as Brock looks like he’s seen a ghost. Cain takes him down with a double leg and the scared Brock bails in a hurry. Brock teases coming back to the ring but backs off and walks away as we’re off the air at 9:58.

Overall Rating: D+. And really, that’s being pretty generous. This show felt like a mess as everything was being crammed together to try and get everything they could in. The opening segment was the longest part of the night and it went on way longer than it needed to. The show should settle down a bit next week and the big angle at the end worked really well, but egads this show was crammed full of stuff and a lot of it really didn’t work. It wasn’t a terrible show but this needed a third hour or to be spread over two weeks. Hopefully next week is better because they stumbled coming out of the gate.

Results

Becky Lynch/Charlotte b. Bayley/Sasha Banks – Figure Eight to Bayley

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura went to a no contest when the Fiend interfered

Kevin Owens b. Shane McMahon – Owens pulled down the briefcase

Braun Strowman/Heavy Machinery/Miz b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler/AJ Styles/Randy Orton – Powerslam to Ziggler

Roman Reigns b. Erick Rowan – Spear

Brock Lesnar b. Kofi Kingston – F5

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #77
Date: September 28, 2019
Location: Nytex Sports Center, North Richland Hills, Texas
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

The Dallas stretch continues with the fallout from last week’s pretty good show. We are in need of a new #1 contender to the World Title and with SuperFight on the horizon, they might need to pick up the pace a little bit. If nothing else we have something here between Teddy Hart and Austin Aries over the Middleweight Title. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Aries attacking Hart last week and knocking him cold with a brainbuster onto the apron.

Opening sequence.

Injustice says they need to look out for themselves because no one else will.

Injustice vs. Gringo Loco/Air Wolf

Myron Reed/Kotto Brazil for Injustice. Reed still has his chest protector and the referee finds a chain on Brazil during the weapons check. With that out of the way, Jordan Oliver slips Reed some brass knuckles. Hang on though as the referee finds the knuckles and gets rid of them before we get started. Brazil sunset flips Loco to start and gets stomped in the back for his efforts. Loco drops a standing moonsault for two and then sends him flying into the corner off an overhead belly to belly suplex. Wolf comes in and chops Reed in the chest protector for a bit of an “are you kidding me” look.

The rapid fire changes continue with Brazil sweeping Loco’s legs so Reed can drop a leg and take over. Brazil gets whipped into the corner for an uppercut to Loco and a dropkick gets two. The pace picks up a bit with Wolf getting in a kick to the head from the apron, allowing Loco to hit a belly to back faceplant. Wolf gets knocked off the apron so Loco electric chairs both of them at once (with Kotto on Reed’s shoulders as Reed is on Loco’s shoulders for a crazy visual). Since Brazil is dead, Wolf comes in (with a crowd shot that sees Brazil go from one side of the ring to the other) and gets the easy pin at 7:44.

Rating: D+. Oh yeah they had to edit something out of the ending because the ending came out of nowhere after a legitimate scary landing. That could have gone FAR worse and that’s a scary thought given how bad it looked in the first place. It wasn’t a good match in the first place as Injustice can only do so much in the ring, though Loco is an awesome performer with some great charisma.

Post match Injustice beats up the referee to blow off some steam.

Mance Warner’s uncle is here to watch the main event. Blood is promised, though Mance tells his uncle (named Moon Man) to no drink too much because they’re going out after the show.

Dominic Garrini is still coming.

During the break, Injustice attacked more referees.

Brian Pillman Jr. isn’t happy with Austin Aries injuring Teddy Hart. He’ll do something about it next week.

Salina de la Renta doesn’t want to talk strategy for the Bunkhouse Brawl.

The SuperFight Control Center tells us nothing new.

The Von Erichs are at a children’s hospital visiting the sick kids. The Dynasty shows up to say they should buy the place and turn it into a casino. MJF: “OH SNAP IT’S THE VON ERICHS! And you’ve got shoes on!” Their plans don’t sit well with the Von Erichs, so Holliday talks about trying to make the economy boom. His coffee is slapped out of is hands. MJF: “This isn’t the 1980s!”

Timothy Thatcher vs. Douglas James

James is a martial artist, though he’s rather small. They go with the grappling to start with the bigger Thatcher getting the better of it until we hit an early standoff. Neither can get very far with a grab of the leg so it’s a quick slugout with James taking him down by the leg this time around.

Back up and James scores with a clothesline to set up some kicks to the chest, only to have Thatcher pick the leg again. The chinlock doesn’t last long as James tries a cross armbreaker to no avail. Some gutwrench suplexes give Thatcher two but James is right back with a few superkicks for two. James tries a frog splash but hits knees, allowing Thatcher to grab a Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 9:01.

Rating: C+. I liked this one rather well as it showed a different style than most of what you get around here. That’s the kind of thing that can help keep things feeling fresh, which doesn’t happen enough at times. Thatcher is someone who looks good every time he’s out there and I could go with seeing him in a higher profile role.

Post match they exchange respect, with Thatcher offering to train with him. With that out of the way, Thatcher wants Tom Lawlor at SuperFight.

Jimmy Havoc promises to do bad things to Warner and licks a pitchfork.

Warner has the interviewer draw some items he’ll be using in the Bunkhouse Brawl. He isn’t happy with her artistic skills but the violence will tell the story.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Mance Warner

Bunkhouse Brawl, meaning anything goes. Havoc pulls out a shovel so Warner turns his back on him in a rather dumb move. The fight starts on the floor with Jimmy throwing a bail of rather abrasive hay at his head. Warner sends him head first into a whiskey barrel and it’s time to choke with a bull rope. Jimmy gets in a shovel shot to the head to take over, but because it’s a long match that’s only good for two back inside.

A rake across the head (with an actual rake) has Warner in trouble and allows the announcers to debate rake as a noun and verb. Warner gets in a poke to the eye and a rake to the face for two, meaning it’s time for a door. A pumpkin to the head misses as Warner throws it into the crowd by mistake, allowing Havoc to bust out the staple gun. With Warner down, it’s time for the second pumpkin….and Jimmy staples Mance’s tongue to said pumpkin. Rich: “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT???”

Warner breaks it off and DDT’s Havoc onto the pumpkin, which gets stuck. The running knee to the pumpkin gets two as Tony is very confused. Some chairs are set up in the middle with a door laid on top of them, only to have Havoc Death Valley Drive him through another door in the corner. Now Warner’s tongue is stapled to the door over the tables. Havoc goes up but Warner rips the staple out and throws a pumpkin at him. A superplex through the table sets up the lariat to give Warner the pin at 11:39.

Rating: D+. I know I’m not the target audience for a match like this but I was in the same line of thinking of Tony here: at some point it gets ridiculous with stuff like stapling a tongue to a pumpkin. This just didn’t work very well as it was an entertaining enough brawl, but it came off as more silly than violent at times, which missed the point.

Post match Havoc pulls out some barbed wire to hit Warner in the head and draw some blood. The wire goes into Warner’s mouth with Havoc pulling back until referees break it up.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a good example of the hybrid idea behind the series but it was also an example of what happens when the matches just aren’t all that good. It wasn’t a terrible show by any means and they set up/advanced some stuff, but I wasn’t all that impressed throughout the show. SuperFight is starting to sound good though so they’re going in the right direction overall.

Results

Gringo Loco/Air Wolf b. Injustice – Electric chair to Brazil

Timothy Thatcher b. Douglas James – Fujiwara armbar

Mance Warner b. Jimmy Havoc – Lariat

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

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

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

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

This week has been one of the busiest in wrestling history and there have been more things going on than I could have imagined.  I’ve been looking at the site’s numbers and they’ve been up rather well, along with the revenue that comes with them.  That means more people have been looking at it and that kind of thing always makes my head spin.  I can’t begin to thank you all enough for sticking with me as long as you have and it means so much when I see people coming here and reading my stuff and commenting on it.  This week has been a tiring one but seeing people interested in what I’m saying about it makes the whole thing worth it.

Thank you all and I hope I can keep you around.

KB

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 3, 2019
Location: Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We have to be getting close to the end of this taping cycle right? Takeover already feels like it was forever ago and we should have moved on to a new era. The women take center stage this week with Kay Lee Ray facing the often injured Tegan Nox. I’m not sure what to expect from this one but it could be good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Piper Niven vs. Isla Dawn

They stare at each other for a bit before Piper starts in on the arm. Isla tries to whip Piper away and it goes as well as you would expect. A headlock takeover works just fine for Piper but it gets reversed into an armbar with Dawn pulling at the face as well. Dawn’s suplex attempt fails as well and it’s one more bad idea with Dawn trying a crossbody.

Piper crushes her with a seated crossbody and it’s back to the chinlock. It’s switched into a crossarm choke as Dawn can’t do much with Piper’s size. Another attempt at the belly to back suplex works for Dawn and a knee to the face gets two. The front facelock goes on but Niven powers up and hits the Michinoku Driver for the pin at 7:13.

Rating: C-. The holds took a lot out of this but the bigger problem here is how neither of them seem to be doing anything. This felt like two people in search of something to do and that makes for a pretty slow paced match. Niven winning wasn’t much of a surprise, though there is something in Dawn that could work if they would develop the character a little bit more.

Ilja Dragunov has a shoulder injury and isn’t cleared for tonight. Alexander Wolfe comes up and says that’s a shame because he likes Dragunov. Wolfe will take his match tonight so Dragunov can think about his future.

Video on the Hunt.

Niven wants a title shot but here’s Jinny to say that’s her spot. Jazzy Gabbert jumps Piper from behind to set up a battle of the….what’s the female version of hosses?

Alexander Wolfe vs. Saxon Huxley

The fans give Huxley a Jesus chant as he headlocks Wolfe over. Huxley flips him down for an armbar but Wolfe….takes down Huxley’s kneepad to escape. As Huxley fixes it, Wolfe kicks him in the face to take over for a rather smart heelish move. Something close to a Fujiwara armbar goes on for all of a few seconds so Wolfe suplexes him instead. Wolfe starts stomping on the hand before going to the classic neck crank, followed by another armbar. He’s certainly versatile when he hurts people.

Make that a chinlock, with Huxley loudly shouting no. An enziguri staggers Huxley but he’s right back with a Thesz press minus the press. A dropkick puts Wolfe into the corner and the fans are actually standing to cheer for Huxley. Wolfe avoids a pump kick though and snaps off a German suplex. The Batista Bomb finishes Huxley at 7:09.

Rating: C. Huxley is another guy who has one thing going for him and it isn’t anything about what happens once the bell rings. The match was a long form squash for Wolfe, who was a pretty obvious winner. The idea of Dragunov being part of the team to fight Imperium is interesting, but he’s going to need people to fight alongside him.

Ashton Smith is ready to bounce back when the Grizzled Young Veterans come in to mock him for being so far down on the totem pole. Insults are traded so Smith promises to get a partner for a match in the future.

Mike Bird vs. Jack Starz

Or not as Gallus has attacked Starz and drag him down to the ring. They put Bird over as the godfather of Welsh wrestling and list off some of the people he has trained. That includes Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews, so they would like him to send them a message. The beatdown is on with Andrews and Webster running in for the save, but Joe Coffey comes out to take care of the champs. No match of course.

Next week: Jazzy Gabbert vs. Piper Niven.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Tegan Nox

Non-title. Ray takes her into the corner to start and of course we don’t get a clean break. Nox gets in a slap of her own and Ray bails to the floor for a breather. Back in and Nox runs her over again, setting up a high crossbody for two. A departing Ray has to be thrown back in but she gets in a shot to the knee in a rather dastardly move. The seated abdominal stretch doesn’t exactly follow up on the knee but makes Nox scream anyway. Ray rolls her into a kick to the chest for two more as Nox keeps checking her knee.

Now it’s off to the other knee as Nox tries to adjust her brace. A gordbuster of all things gives Ray two but she misses a charge into the post to give Nox a breather. The knee is too banged up at the moment though so it’s a lot of clapping while Nox tries to get up. The slugout goes to Nox and she kicks Ray’s leg out for a change. An enziguri from the apron sets up a Molly Go Round (Nox was mentioned as being a Molly Holly fan) for two but Ray is back up with a superkick.

The Gory Bomb is countered into a rollup for two on Ray and Nox superkicks her for the same. Ray is right back up with a tornado DDT for her own two and it’s off to a guillotine in the middle of the ring. Ever the face, Nox powers up with a spinebuster but Ray puts it right back on. This time Nox manages to get to the rope for the break and busts out a chokeslam of all things.

It takes a little too long for Nox to get up top though and Ray crotches her down, only to get caught in the Canadian Destroyer for another near fall. The Shiniest Wizard gets the same with Ray having to get her foot on the rope. They head to the apron and Nox’s running knee goes into the post to crush the dreams. The Gory Bomb finishes Nox at 13:29.

Rating: B-. The storytelling was strong here and Nox is very good as an underdog face. It’s easy to get into what she’s doing as anyone can sympathize with someone who almost lost their career because they got hurt. Ray was great here by going after the knee and showed a side of herself that she hasn’t done before, which made for a rather good story.

Overall Rating: C-. After everything else this week, it’s almost weird to watch something that was just a show. There was nothing on here that you really needed to see, though it was a good way to reintroduce Nox to the NXT UK audience. Maybe it was just a letdown after everything else but you could skip this week and not miss much.

Results

Piper Niven b. Isla Dawn – Michinoku Driver

Alexander Wolfe b. Saxon Huxley – Sitout powerbomb

Kay Lee Ray b. Tegan Nox – Gory Bomb

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

And it was a squash.https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wow-aew-dynamites-ratings-viewership-numbers-hit-park-smash-nxt-setting-record/

AEW walloped NXT by about 500,000 viewers, plus beat last week’s Smackdown in the 18-49 demographic.  That’s WAY beyond what any reasonable expectations could have been and will keep TNT happy for a long, long time.

It was a great case of everything coming together well and while there is room for improvement on AEW, I’m not sure how much better it could have gone.  As I’ll say about anything though: well done.  Now do it again, but better.

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: October 2, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuiness

As big of a night as it is on the other show, this one is huge in its own right with the first full two hour broadcast on USA. The card is completely stacked with three title matches for a new Takeover level show. I’m not sure what to expect from this show but NXT knows how to bring it on the big nights. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video talks about how this is the exclusive brand of wrestling and if that’s what you’re looking for, welcome home (nice touch).

NXT Title: Matt Riddle vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending and has a broken bone in his wrist. Riddle goes straight for the armbar to start in a smart move but Cole is straight over to the rope. Some rolling gutwrench suplexes give Riddle one and he kicks Cole outside without much effort. Cole is fine enough to hit a jumping kick to the head to stagger Riddle though and Cole sends him into the steps for a bonus.

Back in and the fireman’s carry backbreaker gives Cole two and we hit the figure four necklock. Riddle fights up and hits some running forearms in the corner, setting up the standing moonsault. That doesn’t connect so Riddle hits a Broton into a running kick to the chest for two. The Final Flash into the fisherman’s buster gets the same and a dead lift German suplex gets the third two.

Riddle puts him in a fireman’s carry but Cole slips down into a Backstabber for the double knockdown. Cole gets smart by stomping on Riddle’s bare feet before superkicking him in the face. Riddle is fine enough to hit a knee before tossing Cole onto the back of his head with a release German suplex. Cole is right back up with the brainbuster onto the knee for two more and they’re both down to a huge NXT chant.

Back up and Riddle kicks him in the face but can’t hit something on the apron. Instead Cole kicks him to the floor but dives into a knee to the face. Back in and the Floating Bro hits knees, setting up Cole’s Panama Sunrise for two more. Another Panama Sunrise is countered into a Bro To Sleep and a powerbomb. Another Floating Bro connects for a very hot two and Riddle is stunned at the kickout.

Riddle tries a flip over the ropes but gets superkicked, setting up the second Panama Sunrise. The Last Shot misses and the Bromission goes on in the middle of the ring. Cole flips back and stacks him up for two, only to get pulled into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s escaped as well and Cole gets in a cast shot, setting up the Last Shot to retain at 13:49.

Rating: B. Good match here, even if some of the submission escapes were a bit of a stretch. What we got was some high enough quality stuff though and the always hot Full Sail crowd helped make it even better. I’m a bit surprised Riddle lost, though I’m certainly not surprised that Cole cheated to win, which protects Riddle enough.

Post match Cole poses….and here’s Finn Balor. He soaks in the cheers and stares Cole down before declaring that as of now, he is NXT.

Shayna Baszler watched Candice LeRae’s match at a house show last week and LeRae isn’t surprised. LeRae is ready to win the title.

Here’s Velveteen Dream, surrounded by an army of women, for a chat on the stage. Dream talks about the experience and how the Undisputed Era tried to steal it. He’s never had a problem with taking on more than one man at a time so he has a challenge for Roderick Strong. If he accepts, the next thing he knows it’s going to be dream over, and a snap takes the lights off.

Next week: Drew Gulak defends the Cruiserweight Title against Lio Rush. The title is officially the NXT Cruiserweight Title.

Video on Lio Rush.

Io Shirai vs. Mia Yim

Shirai starts fast and takes it to the floor with a kick to the face staggering Mia. We go picture in picture for a break and come back with Shirai hitting a running dropkick to the side of the head for two, meaning it’s time for some frustration. A flapjack into a handstand double knees to the chest gets two more but Mia is back with a suplex. Some shots to the face and a clothesline give Yim two but some kicks to the chest cut her off.

A 619 into a springboard missile dropkick get two more on Yim, who is right back with Code Blue. Shirai bails to the floor for a suicide dive and we go picture in picture again….which switches to a full commercial and then back to picture in picture again. Anyway we’re back with Yim hitting a superplex for two. Shirai is done with this though and kicks her in the face, setting up the moonsault for the pin at 14:43.

Rating: C+. It was a good, hard hitting match but I still cannot bring myself to care about Mia. I don’t know if it’s the bad nicknames or the character but it’s really not clicking at all. Hopefully this loss seems to indicate that she is going down the card, which almost feels like a relief at this point. She’s not terrible, but I can’t get into anything she does.

The Outsiders are here.

The Street Profits arrived earlier today. Of note: Bianca Belair is mentioned as Montez Ford’s wife, I believe for the first time on television.

Video on Tegan Nox’s injury and long time recovery.

Shane Thorne vs. Johnny Gargano

Johnny teases a kick to the face so Shane goes to the safety of the mat instead. Gargano rolls him up for two and tries the Gargano Escape to send Throne to the ropes. Back from a break with Johnny hitting the rolling kick to the head before sending Thorne outside. The suicide dive is blocked so Johnny tries it again and knocks Throne down in a crash.

The slingshot spear gets two but the slingshot DDT is countered. A Cannonball into a heck of a powerbomb gives Thorne two so he kicks Gargano in the head. That’s fine with Johnny, who snaps off a reverse hurricanrana. The low superkick (ala his half of Meet in the Middle) gives Johnny the pin at 8:53.

Rating: C. Just a match here as it’s almost strange to see Gargano winning a short match instead of some epic. I don’t think anyone was really expecting Thorne to take off as the next big thing so a short match with Gargano was about as good as he was going to get. What we got here was fine enough, though I’m not sure what Gargano can do next.

Women’s Title: Candice LeRae vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler is defending. Feeling out process to start with Candice knocking her to the floor. The slingshot dive takes us to an early break and we come back with Candice being knocked off the top. Baszler crushes the arm in the steps and it’s time to crank away back inside. Candice is right back up and hits a DDT onto the apron, setting up the suicide dive to drop Baszler again.

A second and third dive connect as well and Candice heads up top, only to get superplexed right back down as we take another break. Back again with Candice snapping off a German suplex and grabbing her own Kirifuda Clutch. Baszler is out of that in a hurry and grabs her own clutch out of the corner, which is reversed into Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride for two more. The Lionsault misses though and now the real Kirifuda Clutch goes on. Candice flips around a bit and almost breaks it but has to tap at 14:50.

Rating: B-. I am genuinely at a loss for who is supposed to take the title from Baszler. They’re going to have to import some names at this point with Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai being too fresh off of injuries to go to so soon. Rhea Ripley has already had her match so maybe….Toni Storm? Perhaps? I mean is there anyone other than someone from NXT UK?

Stephanie McMahon, Mark Henry and Alundra Blayze are here.

Video on Kushida vs. Walter, which takes place next week.

Pete Dunne vs. Danny Burch

Dunne nips out of a wristlock to start as they fight over early arm control. Burch avoids having his fingers stomped and reverses an armbar into a quickly broken Crossface attempt. A missed right hand gives us a staredown until Dunne blasts him with a clothesline. Back from a break with Burch getting the better of a slugout as someone is bleeding from somewhere. Dunne hits a Batista Bomb for two but Burch headbutts him into a powerbomb of his own. The top rope hanging DDT gets two but Dunne has had it and snaps the fingers. Dunne grabs the Bitter End for the pin at 7:13.

Rating: C. Good, hard hitting brawl here as I’m still trying to get my head around the idea of Dunne as a regular wrestler instead of the big specialty star. Burch is very good for a spot like this as he can wrestle against anyone and has good enough matches to keep himself solid despite almost never winning anything.

Post match Dunne poses but Damian Priest runs in and lays him out.

Cole tells the Undisputed Era to forget about Balor and go keep the Tag Team Titles.

We look at the Street Profits winning and losing the Tag Team Titles.

Tag Team Titles: Undisputed Era vs. Street Profits

The Profits are challenging and Wale raps them to the ring. Dawkins wrestles O’Reilly down to start before running him over with a shoulder. That means an early standoff and the champs bail to the floor. We take a break and come back with Ford getting taken into the champs’ corner. Ford get knocked down so O’Reilly dances a bit, allowing Ford to nip up. That earns him another beating though, including a slingshot hilo to give Fish two.

Some forearms to the face keep Ford down as the heat segment rolls on. Three Amigos give Fish two and it’s a double kick to the chest for two more. We take another break and come back again with Fish kicking Ford down again. Ford finally gets in a Rock Bottom but Fish is right there to pull Dawkins off the apron. Some rolling butterfly suplexes keep Ford in trouble and we hit the abdominal stretch.

Ford finally gets out and dives over for the hot tag to Dawkins, who runs through a double kick to the chest. A clothesline drops Fish and Dawkins bulldogs O’Reilly onto him for a cool spot. Everything breaks down and Dawkins’ spear is blocked with a knee to the face, allowing O’Reilly to come off the top onto Dawkins’ knee. The kneebar goes on and Fish adds a guillotine to Ford.

That’s broken up as Ford drives forward for the double escape and everyone is staggered. Ford hits a splash onto Fish’s back but an electric chair is broken up. The champs tease leaving so Ford hits a running flip dive over the post onto all three. Cue Roderick Strong to grab Ford’s foot so Dawkins spears him down. The distraction is enough for the High/Low to retain the titles at 20:06.

Rating: B. These four have chemistry together but it was pretty clear that the Profits were going to be the short term, one time champions. There’s nothing wrong with that and it makes sense to have them lose here. I’m not sure who is next to go after the titles, though Breezango would seem like a logical way to go.

Post match the Era celebrates with Cole coming out to the stage to pose….and here’s Tommaso Ciampa to circle Cole and look at the title. The place goes nuts and singes along with Ciampa’s song as the staredown ends the show. Well he’s the biggest face in the company now. Maybe? Dang it’s cool to have two huge names appear on one night like that.

Overall Rating: B+. Yeah they brought the big time atmosphere as they always do and had the wrestling to back it up. What matters most here though is the two major returns as NXT’s main event scene is instantly energized again, which is a place where WWE has a major advantage: with so much talent on all of their rosters, they can swap people in and have fresh matches and moments for years. “Hey here’s a former World Champion who is a god in NXT. Oh and to close out the show, one of the most popular stars NXT has ever seen.” Not bad for two hours and there happened to be an awesome show in between.

Having seen both shows, NXT was a better (though not much better) show but this really isn’t a fair comparison. NXT has a long history, established stories and a far deeper roster with WWE support. Coming into tonight, AEW has about as much total time on air as WWE produces in about two weeks. The comparisons can come in a few months when AEW has gotten its footing, but NXT won by a bit tonight, though you can’t go wrong watching either show.

Results

Adam Cole b. Matt Riddle – Last Shot

Io Shirai b. Mia Yim – Moonsault

Johnny Gargano b. Shane Thorne – Low superkick

Shayna Baszler b. Candice LeRae – Kirifuda Clutch

Pete Dunne b. Danny Burch – Bitter End

Undisputed Era b. Street Profits – High/Low to Ford

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: All Elite Wrestling

Dynamite
Date: October 2, 2019
Location: Capitol One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re finally here. It almost feels weird to imagine that it’s actually happening but here we are. This is the debut episode of the much ballyhooed weekly series from AEW and the hype seems to be real. The show is going head to head live with NXT as the Wednesday Night Wars begin. I’m actually excited for this so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

The announcers welcome us to the show.

We get some clips from last night’s Countdown show to hype up Cody vs. Sammy Guevara, which will be the first match in the history of the show.

Cody vs. Sammy Guevara

Brandi is here with Cody and that is a lot of pyro. Feeling out process to start with Sammy’s speed giving Cody some issues. A trip to the floor lets Cody have a breather and it’s back in for an armbar from Sammy. That’s broken up as Cody powerslams him down and slaps on the Figure Four so we can hit the WOOing. Sammy makes the rope so Cody kicks him down again and does some pushups, setting up a springboard cutter/Stunner for two. Sammy is right back with a slingshot cutter for two of his own.

Cody sends him outside as well though and nails a suicide dive….which hits both Brandi and Sammy. Thankfully Brandi isn’t knocked cold and gets in a shoe to Sammy’s head, setting up Cody’s Disaster Kick for two. To mix it up a bit, Cody takes it to the top rope for a reverse superplex for two more. They head up again with Sammy hitting a super Spanish Fly, only to have a shooting star hit raised knees so Cody can small package him for the pin at 11:52.

Rating: C+. They were clearly jazzed to be on a big show and you knew Cody was winning here to set up his World Title shot at the next pay per view. The spots were good here and Sammy was fine for a villain here. They didn’t need to do anything more than get through a fast paced match here and that’s what they did. Nice first match with Cody playing the face role well.

Post match Cody has something to say but Sammy stops him for a tense handshake. Cue Jericho to jump him from behind and hit a Codebreaker as we take a break, albeit going split screen with Jericho beating him up even more during the commercial. Back with Jericho powerbombing him through some open chairs to really bang up the spine. Jericho declares himself the champion before leaving.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Brandon Cutler

Friedman has a mic on the way to the ring and insults the poor looking crowd, along with Cutler, who looks like a Dungeons and Dragon fan who got lost and needs to be back in his seat. We hear about Cutler being a big Dungeons and Dragons fan, with JR cutting the other two off as Cutler slaps Friedman in the face.

A shot to the throat gets Friedman out of trouble and he works on the arm while demanding Cutler tell his family that he’s a bum. Cutler gets fired up and sends him outside for a suicide dive but comes up favoring his knee. Back in and the knee doesn’t seem to be working so Friedman grabs his Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 2:45. That felt like a very sudden ending so maybe the injury was legit.

Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes (as Jay and Silent Bob) are here to hype up their new movie, featuring Chris Jericho. Cue Angelico and Jack Evans to yell, so Jay makes fun of them for not being able to win a match. Private Party shows up with drinks for some laughter.

SCU is in Washington DC to announce that they will be in the tournament, with Scorpio Sky impersonating Barack Obama.

In the arena, SCU announces that it will be Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian representing the team in the tournament. Cue the Lucha Bros to say they’re the best team in the world, with Pentagon spitting water in Daniels’ face. The fight is on but security quickly breaks it up.

Pac vs. Adam Page

Make up match after Pac’s contractual issues over the summer. Joined in progress with JR promising a picture in picture commercial break next time. Pac slides back in and forearms away but a discus lariat turns him inside out. They head outside with Pac being sent into the barricade, followed by a fall away slam into a running shooting star press back inside. Pac is fine enough to knock him back to the floor for an Asai moonsault and Page’s head bangs off the ramp.

Page is a bit rocked as Pac puts him on top, only to elbow Pac in the face. A super fall away slam sets up a slam into a reverse flapjack (that’s a new one) for two. Pac whips him shoulder first into the post though and we take a break. Back with Page in trouble and Pac shouting a lot before walking into a spinebuster. Page gets two off a powerbomb but Pac kicks him low. The Red Arrow hits Page in the back and the Brutalizer is good for the knockout win at 13:00.

Rating: B-. I’m a little surprised by the result here as Page seems to have had the plug pulled out from underneath him. Pac is certainly a star and someone who could be a huge deal around here, though I didn’t think it would be at the expense of Page. It wasn’t clean though and a rematch wouldn’t shock me, nor would it annoy me in the slightest.

Women’s Title: Nyla Rose vs. Riho

For the inaugural title and Britt Baker is on commentary. After the Big Match Intros, Riho starts with some dropkicks but gets shouldered down without much impact. Riho knocks her down again and tries a double stomp to the back but Rose just sits up for the block. The STF goes on for a bit until Riho makes the rope to save herself. A running knee sends Rose outside but she’s fine enough to send Riho into the barricade.

The ref takes a chair away so Rose sends her into the barricade again and pulls out a bunch of chairs. She puts Riho on those chairs but the middle rope dive only hits the steel, allowing Riho to hit a double stomp off the apron. Another double stomp sets up a Bank Statement inside and we take a break.

Back with Riho in trouble and making the mistake of trying a backdrop. Some forearms are cut off by a kick to the face but Riho slips out of a powerbomb. A rollup gets a very close two and the fans aren’t pleased by the kickout. Rose’s Death Valley Driver gets two more and she goes up top, only to get caught with even more forearms. A northern lights superplex gives Riho two so she knees Riho in the face for the pin and the title at 13:27.

Rating: C+. Yeah I can’t say I’m surprised. The tiny newcomer beats the seemingly unstoppable monster in your metaphor of the night. The problem with Riho continues to be that her whole character is that she’s small. Rose continues to lose far more often than she should and that was the case here as well. The crowd got into it though and those near falls were quite good at times. Fine match, but it’s going to take some time to get into Riho.

Post match Michael Nakazawa comes in for the interview in Japanese but Rose comes in to jump them both and powerbomb Nakazawa. A Death Valley Driver on the apron is broken up but Kenny Omega makes the save.

Elite vs. Chris Jericho/Santana/Ortiz

Omega runs back to the stage for his entrance despite the lack of a commercial. Jericho starts against Omega but tags out to Santana before anything happens in an old but classic move. Omega kicks Santana’s knee out and tries his running Fameasser but has to settle for a bulldog as he overshoots it a bit. Jericho comes in for the chops and the Bucks have to break up the Walls with some superkicks.

Back with the Bucks in trouble and Santana/Ortiz hitting their assortment of splashes. Jericho misses the Lionsault to Nick but Ortiz breaks up the hot tag attempt. A cutter out of the corner sets up some rolling northern lights suplexes and the hot tag brings in Nick to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s Matt taking a springboard Cannonball in the corner. The Judas Effect gives Jericho the pin at 13:20.

Rating: C. The Omega deal took things down a bit here and it felt like it just came and went. It was a good choice for a first main event as it showcased Santana and Ortiz and it’s not like losing to the World Champion is a bad thing. What we got here was good enough and it gave us a fine enough main event, even if the big angle came a bit early.

Post match the big brawl is on with Cody coming in for the save. Sammy Guevara comes in to kick him low so Dustin Rhodes is out for the save. Cue the debuting Jake Hager (Jack Swagger) to wreck Cody, Dustin and the Bucks. That means a WE THE PEOPLE chant as the villains stand tall together. A table is brought in and Dustin gets powerbombed onto (not through) it for the big OOH from the crowd. The Judas Effect leaves Cody laying to end the show. They did get the timing right to wrap it up this time around.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling wasn’t what mattered here. The point of this was everything working well enough and the presentation feeling big overall. Everything looked great here and it felt like a WWE level show. There are a lot of things to work on still, but what we got was rather good. I want to see where things are going in the future and that’s a great sign for a first night.

That’s what matters the most here: it was the first night and the show worked well. Nothing was bad and they had a big moment with the title change. Nothing blew me away, which is actually a silver lining in a way. If you start with your biggest, best show ever, where can you go from there? They have room to improve, but what matters most is to keep things going. Very good start, now keep doing it and make it better.

Results

Cody b. Sammy Guevara – Small package

Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Brandon Cutler – Fujiwara armbar

Pac b. Adam Page – Brutalizer

Riho b. Nyla Rose – Running knee to the face

Chris Jericho/Santana/Ortiz b. Kenny Omega/Young Bucks

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 27, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel And Gaming Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s time for a wedding! We’re in Las Vegas and that means we need to do something big, which may or may not work out very well. I mean, it’s a wrestling wedding so I wouldn’t expect it to go well but you never know. It’s a big night for Brian Cage and Melissa Santos so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Brian and Melissa’s relationship, which is just so well documented around here. I mean, it’s known outside of Impact but it’s not something that has been focused on around here.

We have a special correspondent and GAIL KIM is the first guest. She’s excited to be here, believe it or not.

Here’s the North, in LAX gear and to LAX music. Ethan Page talks about how the fans were expecting something else. They came out here looking like idiots and fans cheered for them anyway. Josh Alexander talks about how this is a serious place and sacred ground but the fans are making him sick.

They are the Tag Team Champions and they’ll make you forget who LAX was. You CANNOT have LAX back so stop talking online about how much you miss them. Konnan doesn’t have the power to overturn the North so here’s Konnan to interrupt. He rants about how stupid they are but has some new people to come after the titles. Cue Rhino and Rob Van Dam so let’s ring the bell.

Rob Van Dam/Rhino vs. The North

Non-title I believe. The champs get sent outside and we take an early break. Back with Van Dam monkey flipping Alexander and hitting Rolling Thunder for two. It’s off to Rhino to punch Page in the corner and run him over with a shoulder. Van Dam comes back in and gets taken into the champs’ corner with Alexander hitting a suplex for two of his own. Some right hands and a kick to the face get Rob out of trouble and Rhino comes back in for the running shoulders in the corner. Everything breaks down and Rhino runs Alexander over, setting up the Five Star for the pin at 6:42.

Rating: D+. There’s your Bound For Glory title match and as long as the titles don’t change hands (which they shouldn’t), everything is fine coming out of this. The ECW guys are going to be around no matter what and hopefully we still get what should be Willie Mack and Rich Swann’s spot at the pay per view. A triple threat makes sense here, at least after this match.

Impact moves to AXS TV on October 1….for some specials, with the real show beginning on October 29 but close enough.

Gama Singh yells at the Desi Hit Squad and praises Mahabali Shera as the savior of the team.

Mahabali Shera vs. Cousin Jake

Jake swings away to start but gets knocked down and chokes a lot. Shera misses a charge in the corner so Jake throws a running shoulder into the corner, only to have Shera come right back with a World’s Strongest Slam for the pin at 2:34.

Post match the beatdown continues as this feud must continue.

TJP and Fallah Bahh argue about their wedding attires. Eddie seems drunk.

Madison Rayne vs. Tenille Dashwood

They fight over a wristlock as the announcers argue over how many times Rayne has been Knockouts Champion. Rayne takes her down and brags a lot, earning herself a basement dropkick. They slug it out on the floor with Dashwood kicking her in the face, only to miss a charge into the corner back inside.

Rayne tells a fan to “shut up old lady” and grabs the chinlock to keep things slow. Back up and a cutter gives Rayne two but another missed charge lets Dashwood hit the Taste of Tenille. The Spotlight Kick misses so it’s a neckbreaker for Rayne instead, setting up the Spotlight Kick to give Dashwood the pin at 8:12.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here with Dashwood winning a match that she was almost guaranteed to win. Rayne is fine as a midcard heel and the Locker Room Leader deal is growing on me a little bit. They need someone to go after the title though and Dashwood would seem to be the best option.

Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes arrive at the wedding and are greeted by Rich Swann and Willie Mack. A discussion over the Tag Team Title shot at Bound For Glory ensues.

Dashwood gets the Knockouts Title shot at Bound For Glory. As she should…..I think.

Here’s Ken Shamrock (looking rather aged) for his big return. He has some great memories of being in this ring and he thanks the fans for their support. Shamrock was talking to Brian Cage when Moose interrupted and bragged about all of his skills, but Ken isn’t impressed. Now Moose isn’t here, meaning his whereabouts are like his resume: NOTHING. We get the call out but Moose comes up on screen from Shamrock’s gym. Some yelling ensues and Moose beats up a guy in a cage. This is totally different than when he did the same thing at the American Top Team gym when he was feuding with Bobby Lashley.

Taya Valkyrie asks Rosemary for help against Dashwood but doesn’t like Taya’s whining attitude. Until the old Taya is back, Rosemary will be no help. Taya even offers her a dress, which is thrown onto the floor.

Bound For Glory rundown.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Eric Young marries ODB.

OVE is not allowed into the reception.

Tommy Dreamer gives Brian Cage a pep talk about the wedding when Cage’s brother Ryan comes in. Dreamer finds his rather normal appearance amusing.

Rayne coaches the bridal party on how to walk down the aisle. Taya comes in and says she needs help with Dashwood.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Dave Crist

Jake Crist and Madman Fulton are here too and the winner goes on to an X-Division Title ladder match at Bound For Glory. Tessa hammers away to start so Dave kicks at the leg to no avail. A trip to the floor lets Fulton choke Tessa a bit, which is good for a quick ejection. Back in and Dave chokes in the corner and hits her in the back of the head, allowing Jake to get in his own choking. Tessa rolls him up for two but gets caught in something like a Go To Sleep for the same. A missed double stomp out of the corner misses as well and Tessa grabs the buzzsaw DDT for the pin at 6:20.

Rating: C-. The interference got annoying but it’s nice to see Tessa get the pin off a move instead of a fluke rollup. There is little to no reason to not put the X-Division Title on her at Bound For Glory now that her World Title chances are done. It might not be the coolest moment in the world but it’s a big deal and another step forward now that she has nothing left to do in the Knockouts diviison.

Post match Fulton is back in for a chokeslam.

Rayne tells Alisha Edwards to keep a better eye on her husband so Ace Austin can escort her at the wedding.

It’s time for the wedding with the Rascalz coughing a lot and the Deaners hitting on Jessika Havok. Rohit Raju is crying and Gama Singh has to glare at him to break it up. Taya glares at Rosemary for not wearing the dress she brought her but gets told to keep walking. In something that absolutely shouldn’t surprise me, Dreamer walks Melissa down the aisle.

Ryan is officiating the ceremony but hang on as Taya needs to brag about everything she has done. Ethan Page has objections….to how the company is run and wants royalty money. Eddie Edwards staggers in and vomits on Ryan before trying to beat up Austin. Dreamer asks if anyone can run the wedding. Cue James Mitchell to say you asked for a minister. He goes through their vows, gives Melissa his card just in case, and pronounces them man and wife. The reception is in the ring. Dreamer: “Right after this commercial break.”

Overall Rating: C-. The big angle at the end helped a lot and felt like a big deal, which is really the first time that has happened in a long time. That’s been the biggest problem for Impact for a long while now: nothing they do feels like it matters and it needs to change in their busy season. Maybe the move to AXS can help, but there are some things holding them back, with some of their roster being near the top of the list. Not a bad show, but it needs more of the latter than the first half.

Results

Rhino/Rob Van Dam b. The North – Five Star Frog Splash to Alexander

Mahabali Shera b. Cousin Jake – World’s Strongest Slam

Tenille Dashwood b. Madison Rayne – Spotlight Kick

Tessa Blanchard b. Dave Crist – Hammerlock DDT

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

What else is going under the radar during the biggest week in eighteen years?

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-news-big-week-edition/

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 2, 2005
Location: FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 6,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

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

In the back, Batista is hitting on a rather receptive Christy Hemme when Eric Bischoff interrupts. We’re going to have a tournament for the #1 contendership to the World Title and he even has a name for it: the Gold Rush Tournament. No one will know who they are facing until the music hits. As for tonight, Batista can have the night off. Christy smiles but Batista wants to have a match tonight. He hints at wanting to face Bischoff, who screams at the thought. Batista laughs, because he’s an animal with a sense of humor.

Opening sequence.

Gold Rush Tournament First Round: Christian vs. Kane

Christian has Tomko with him so Kane counters with a limping Lita. One heck of a shove sends Christian to the floor and a big boot makes it even worse. Kane follows him but gets drop toeholded into the steps to give Christian a breather. A crossbody off the steps gives Christian two back inside, though it just seems to annoy Kane even more.

The reverse DDT gets two with Kane launching him off for the kickout. Christian’s raised boot in the corner earns him an attempted chokeslam but Christian escapes into a sleeper. That’s reversed into a side slam but Christian gets smart by going to the eye. Tomko gets on the apron so Kane sends them into each other, setting up the chokeslam for the pin.

Rating: D+. Well so much for Christian being ready for the monster push. They seemed interested in going somewhere with him and then he loses to Kane in less than five minutes. There was no one else they could put into that spot? Or have Kane win by countout or something? Why give Christian pay per view time last night if this is what you have planned for him the next night?

Post match Tomko jumps Kane and gets beaten down as well.

Post break, Christian runs into Ric Flair in the back. Ric mocks him for losing and “raps” that HHH is winning the tournament.

We get part of the opening video from last night’s show, focusing on the fans demanding ONE MORE MATCH from Hogan.

Here are Muhammad Hassan and Daivari for a chat. Daivari rants a bit before handing the mic to Hassan, who will not allow this injustice to continue. He is undefeated from Raw and yet he is still left out of the Gold Rush Tournament. It’s prejudice, but it’s also Daivari’s fault. Daivari took the fall last night and that isn’t cool, so Hassan beats him up. Hassan leaves and Daivari nearly crawls after him. Daivari is better in the ring and the rants are always energetic but these two need some rebuilding.

Here’s Viscera for a chat before his match. Last night he showed how physical he can be and his hunger for love. That brings him to Lilian Garcia, because he is a big man who likes to eat spicy. Lilian is a spicy Latina so Viscera wants to go south of the border tonight. Cue Simon Dean to interrupt to say women don’t want men who are this out of shape. Dean calls himself a Greek god but everyone here in Boston is fat. Those are fighting words.

Simon Dean vs. Viscera

Viscera throws him around to start and hits a splash to break Simon out of the Tree of Woe. An elbow misses so Dean goes up, only to get chokeslammed out of the air, setting up the splash for the pin.

Post match Viscera tells Lilian that he’s back on the market. The BLACK market.

Stacy Keibler and Candice Michelle oogle Stacy in Stuff Magazine, as good looking women tend to do. Bischoff comes up and likes the pictures before heading to his office. HHH is waiting on him and rants about the tournament, because he had Batista beaten last night. If we have to have a tournament, HHH better be in the thing. Bischoff can tell Batista that he is on borrowed time.

Shelton Benjamin isn’t worried about who he has to face because that’s what a champ does. Chris Jericho comes in to stare at the title but respect is shown. They’re both in the tournament and wouldn’t mind facing each other.

We get a quick graphic acknowledging the passing of Chris Candido. That’s better than they have done on some occasions.

We look back at Kane beating Christian.

Gold Rush Tournament First Round: Shelton Benjamin vs. Shawn Michaels

Non-title and this is a special one. Shelton’s taken back look when Shawn’s face is great as he didn’t expect something like this. JR loses it because this is going to be awesome, and yeah it’s almost impossible for it not to be. Shawn tries to wrestle him to the mat and finds out that’s not a good idea, meaning it’s straight to the ropes for a break. A hammerlock works a bit but Shawn tries taking him down again for the exact same result. You can see the look of “well that didn’t work” on Shawn’s face, though the fans are still completely behind him.

A headlock takeover works a bit better but Shelton is right back up with some armdrags for the early standoff. Shelton headlocks him down for a change, with Shawn trying some rollups to keep things from getting dull (so many people forget to do that). Back up and Shawn goes with a forearm to the head for the first real offense but it’s a Cactus Clothesline to put them both on the floor. Shawn gets the worst of it and we take a break with him still down.

Back from a break with Shelton reversing a belly to back superplex into a crossbody (a little better than coming back in a chinlock) to put them both down again. A Samoan drop gives Shelton a bit of an advantage but he can’t get back up. Some running clotheslines have Shawn in trouble and a backbreaker gives Shelton two. Shawn comes back with the forearm into the nipup but Shelton does a faster one of his own, giving us a great “YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!” look.

Some elbows break up the exploder and tries Sweet Chin Music but walks into the Dragon Whip (and a great one at that) for two. Shawn knocks him off the top and drops the elbow but can’t cover. Instead he pulls himself up and tries the superkick again with Shelton blocking this one with a high kick to the head. Just to show off, Shelton jumps from the mat to the top for a spinning clothesline and another two. Back up and Shawn sends him to the apron so Shelton tries a springboard…..to this day I have no idea what he was going for but it’s superkicked out of the air for the highlight reel moment and the pin.

Rating: A-. This is my all time favorite match and there are a few different reasons. Starting with what you can see in front of you, these guys were tearing it up for about fifteen minutes with Shelton being a different level of athlete but Shawn hanging in there until he caught Shelton trying for one big move too many and finishing him. Shelton’s athleticism was on full display here (that jump to the top for the clothesline was nuts) and it’s not like you lose much when you get pinned clean by Shawn after an instant classic. Outstanding match and well worth seeing if you haven’t, or again if you have.

The other reason this match means so much to me is it served as a big step forward in my wrestling fandom. For years I had heard about the concepts of psychology and storytelling in matches but they never really clicked. I was watching this a few years after it aired and I thought it was like an older, smarter Shawn wrestling himself from ten years ago: the young, athletic phenom who would do these big things because he could rather than if it made sense.

It was like a light bulb went off over my head as it was the first time I understood the idea of telling a story with a match. I had never really gotten the concept but it started to make sense, which was something completely new for me. It helped me start looking for things like that in matches from them on and it made me into a different kind of fan. Not every match is going to have something that specific, but once it clicks like that, it can change everything for you. Anyway, great match, watch it if you have time.

Shawn shows some respect and it takes a good while for Shelton to get up.

Edge is asked why he’s in the tournament when he already has a guaranteed shot. He brings up beating Chris Benoit last night so now he’s the real toughest man in WWE. As for why he’s in the tournament, of course he wants two title matches, because not even Batista can beat him twice in a row. The interviewer brings up an important point: if Edge gets drafted to Smackdown, he loses his shot because it’s for the World Heavyweight Title. This seems to be news to Edge, but he’ll be champion anyway. Edge leaves and goes to hit on Lita and Victoria, who aren’t interested. This actually doesn’t get a big chant/gasp from the crowd.

Tag Team Titles: Hurricane/Rosey vs. La Resistance

Hurricane/Rosey are defending. Rosey shoves Grenier down to start but it’s a quick low bridging to take him outside. That means a posting for two back inside and the stomping is on again. Rosey gets beaten up in the corner for a bit but manages to elbow his way out of trouble. The rolling tag brings in the Hurricane to clean house, including a middle rope hurricanrana for two on Grenier. Conway gets sent outside and it’s a side slam/Eye of the Hurricane combination to finish Grenier and retain the titles.

Rating: D. Hurricane and Rosey aren’t great as champions but they’re better than just about anyone else who could be in the spot. La Resistance has run its course and while they’re still fine enough as midcard heels, we’ve covered everything that could be done with them and I’m glad that we seem to be moving on. The problem is who in the world are we supposed to move on to?

Smackdown Rebound.

Gold Rush Tournament First Round: Chris Jericho vs. Edge

Jericho goes after a wristlock to start but Edge powers out for a standoff. Slapping and chopping have Edge in trouble against the ropes and in the corner but he’s fine enough to shove Jericho off the top. A ram into the elbow and an elbow to the back give Edge two and a backbreaker is good for the same. Jericho gets in a flapjack for the double knockdown and the running shoulders keep Edge in trouble. The running enziguri gets two but Edge gets in a shot to the face, meaning it’s time to grab the briefcase.

Edge can’t bring himself to do it though and Jericho dropkicks him to the floor. That means a slingshot dive but Jericho wastes some time by pulling the pad off the barricade. Some fans call this boring but seem pleased when Edge’s spear hits buckle back inside. The Walls go on but Edge is too close to the rope. He’s also close to the briefcase, which bashes Jericho in the head. A missile dropkick and the spear finish Jericho.

Rating: C+. Jericho is in a bit of a funk at the moment as his matches are still good but he doesn’t seem to be going anywhere or doing anything important. Edge winning was the only choice here as he has a story with the potential to have two title matches at once. The briefcase works well as a signature weapon too.

Happy Birthday Rock! I’m sure you’ll be here soon!

Chris Masters, Masterlock Challenge ($4,000, a Curt Schilling Red Sox jersey and an autographed Tom Brady football), plant, Masters wins. Takes about six minutes.

Gold Rush Tournament First Round: HHH vs. Chris Benoit

Benoit chops away and wins a slugout, setting up the first suplex. HHH bails from the threat of a Crossface and whips Benoit chest first into the buckle. A hard clothesline to the back of the head has Benoit’s eyes bugging out in one of the most deeply disturbing images I can remember in a long time.

We take a break and come back with HHH getting frustrated and Benoit’s eyes still all buggy, though not as bad as they were before. Benoit shrugs off a knee to the head and chops away again but gets pulled into a sleeper. The suplex gets Benoit out of trouble and, after ducking a clothesline (meaning we don’t get the scary eyes again), rolls the German suplexes.

The Swan Dive connects for a delayed two and it’s time to beat up an invading Flair. We get a ref bump and it’s a low blow to Benoit, but here’s Batista (in gear after being in a suit earlier) to lay out HHH and Flair. Everyone is down (with Benoit’s eyes all over the place again) until Benoit slaps on the Sharpshooter for the (eventual) win.

Rating: C. The match was good enough but egads those eyes are hard to get out of your head. Even if you ignore what would be coming for Benoit, that was one of the creepiest things I’ve seen in wrestling for a good while. Benoit making HHH tap (or anyone making him tap for that matter) is almost hard to fathom but it’s nice for a HHH break, as short as it is guaranteed to be.

Here are the updated brackets:

Kane

Chris Benoit

Shawn Michaels

Edge

Overall Rating: B-. This was actually a heck of a show with wrestling up and down the card (though the quality varies) with the instant classic being more than enough to carry it a long way. As overloaded as WWE has been with tournaments lately, this is a chance to give Batista a fresh challenger and that could help him a lot at the moment. Now granted it still looks like he’s feuding with HHH, but I wouldn’t put too much worry into something like that. Rather good show, with one match taking it to a different level.

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/

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