IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #24
Date: September 28, 2018
Location: War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re getting closer to Fury Road and that means things are starting to pick up. It also means that we’ll be getting something entertaining tonight with MLW World Champion Low Ki defending against Fenix. In other words, taking two talented guys and letting them have a long match should work fine. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Sami Callihan and Jimmy Havoc have started fighting in the back before their scheduled match tonight. Both guys go for the eyes and seem to be heading towards the arena.

Opening sequence.

Jason Cade vs. Myron Reed

Cade has Rhett Giddins in his corner. Reed is nice enough to let the referee check him for weapons and Cade dropkicks him in the corner for his efforts. A sunset flip gets Reed out of trouble and a dropkick puts Cade on the floor. Giddins offers a distraction so Cade can take over again as the beating continues. We hit the chinlock and go split screen to see Havoc and Callihan still fighting.

Back to full screen and Reed hurricanranas his way out of a powerbomb attempt, followed by a nip up into an enziguri. Reed scores with a running forearm in the corner and another enziguri, followed by the top rope seated senton for two. Cade knees him in the face for the same, only to be kicked in the face for his efforts. A superkick rocks Cade again but he’s fine enough to elbow Reed in the face.

Reed gets buckle bombed so he pops right back up with a reverse hurricanrana to plant Cade again. Cade scores with another superkick but Reed springboards into a cutter for two. Something like a Cradle Shock (which Tony calls a sitout powerbomb) gives Cade two more so he takes Reed over to the other ring, only to have Reed reverse a suplex into a Stunner.

Just to show off, Reed gets a running start and dives over both ropes for a cutter to wreck Cade. Another diving cutter over the top rope drops Cade onto Giddins but Giddins is fine enough to crotch Reed on top. A backslide driver (that’s a new one) of all things finishes Reed at 9:54.

Rating: C+. Reed looked like a star here, even if he used that cutter once or twice too often. That running cutter looked awesome and I was hoping to see Reed win here, which I didn’t expect coming in. Cade is fine for a midcard heel and having the bigger Giddins as an enforcer is a classic story that will work fine here. This was a very nice surprise.

Post match Cade grabs the mic but Jimmy Yuta runs in and dropkicks him down.

Post break, Yuta promises to play dirty along with Cade.

Fury Road rundown, including Maxwell Jacob Friedman defending the Middleweight Title against Cade and Yuta. Makes sense.

Brody King is ready to face Tommy Dreamer and show him some real violence at Fury Road.

Callihan and Havoc are still fighting with Havoc being choked down until a wet floor sign to the head gets him out of trouble. They fight into the men’s room with Callihan getting a face full of soap. After a break, Havoc can’t find Callihan.

Shane Strickland is ready to prove that he’s still the ace when he faces Tom Lawlor.

Friedman and Aria Blake try to get in to see Salina de la Renta but get shut down.

Cade isn’t happy with Yuta for interfering in his match and swears vengeance.

Court Bauer makes Callihan vs. Havoc: Spin the Wheel Make the Deal for Fury Road. I’m down.

Lawlor is ready to beat up Strickland and prove that he’s the present and the future. He wants to prove that this is a filthy world, not Shane’s house.

Video on Salina de la Renta vs. Konnan in a battle over talent and power.

MLW World Title: Low Ki vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix is challenging and we get the Big Match Intros. They stare each other down to start without much happening in the first minute. Fenix starts speeding things up and hits his springboard armdrag to send Low Ki outside, meaning the big flip suicide dive to drive him into the barricade. The loud superkick has Low Ki in even more trouble and a standing moonsault gets two back inside.

Low Ki dropkicks him down though and Fenix invites the champ to kick him in the chest. One heck of a chop on the floor sends Fenix over the barricade and the pace stays slow. Back inside and we hit the neck crank with Low Ki going after the mask. A double stomp gets two and they head outside again, this time with Fenix being catapulted face first into the post (DING!) to draw some blood.

Fenix gets chopped even more and can barely stand as the referee starts checking on him to make sure this can keep going. Of course Fenix gets up and screams before losing a chop off. Fenix does an Undertaker situp but can’t do much more after that, despite the fans loudly cheering for him. So he really is like Undertaker. One heck of a chop slows Low Ki down so he kicks Fenix into the corner again.

Low Ki grabs him by the hands and goes up top, only to have Fenix grab a double springboard into a hurricanrana. A rolling cutter gets a delayed two on the champ and the Ki Crusher is blocked. Instead Ki kicks him out of the corner for two and the top rope double stomp gets the same.

The big kick is countered into a rollup for two more and they both head up top. Fenix gets the better of it with a springboard Spanish Fly and the kickout shocks them both. A reverse hurricanrana drops Ki on his head but Salina takes Fenix’s mask off, setting up a great looking top double stomp to the back to retain the title at 14:28.

Rating: B. These two beat the heck out of each other and they got somewhere with the idea of Fenix fighting from behind. Those near falls were awesome and Fenix is someone easy to cheer for, making this quite the match. They can save Pentagon vs. Ki for later on or whenever Ki gets a partner for the big tag war. Very fun brawl here and they beat each other up as you would have wanted to see them do.

Salina yells in Spanish and poses with Low Ki.

In the back, Havoc and Callihan are still fighting as they go outside. Callihan gets knocked down some steps and calls Havoc crazy. Havoc: “I know it!” Callihan runs away from Havoc’s kendo stick to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. It’s a good sign when you have two matches on a show and both of them are either good or quite good. Throw in the whole Havoc vs. Callihan thing that set up a big gimmick match for the special show and this was a heck of a night. I want to see Fury Road and that’s a good sign going forward. Really strong show this week and one of the better Fusions to date.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: October 3, 2018
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

The road to Australia wraps up here as we’ve got one more show before Super Show-Down. That likely means one more segment between Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander and #1 contender Buddy Murphy, along with more between TJP and the Lucha House Party. You know, for a change. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening preview.

Opening sequence.

The empty seats are back with a vengeance this week.

Akira Tozawa vs. Jack Gallagher

Gallagher takes him up against the ropes to start so Tozawa shouts in his face. Tozawa takes it to the mat and it’s time to start fighting over a leglock. The pinfall reversal sequence gives us a reversing sequence of pinfall attempts until Tozawa kicks him in the chest. That sets up the backsplash because almost every wrestling match today needs a backsplash. Gallagher bails and Drew Gulak is a good enough villain to trip Tozawa so Jack can take over.

The chinlock goes on but even Gallagher knows how boring that is so he hammers away instead. Now it’s the longer form chinlock, plus a stomp to the arm. The double arm crank just seems to annoy Tozawa though as he kicks Gallagher to the floor for the suicide dive. Back in and the Black Widow has Gallagher in trouble but you don’t try holds on a British wrestler. Gallagher quickly reverses into a leglock to keep Tozawa down. With that not working, Gallagher takes him up top, which is rarely a good idea in general. Tozawa shoves him down and drops the top rope backsplash for the pin at 8:34.

Rating: C-. There was a story here with Tozawa getting a win back after he went with what worked well for him in the first place. Gallagher on the other hand had his success with the technical wrestling but then got out of his comfort zone. Tozawa could be a top star on the show at the drop of a hat, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the trio is split up soon.

Post match Gulak says the team hasn’t been successful lately so it’s time for the return of the POWERPOINT PRESENTATION! His plan for a better 205 Live includes no mercy, which is why he didn’t win the Cruiserweight Title. Starting right now, this team has no place for weakness or weak links. No place for former Cruiserweight Champions who have lost their edge and are dead weight holding Gulak back.

Gulak goes after Kendrick but gets sent outside, leaving Gallagher to take the Captain’s Hook. You never put a hold on when there are two people around though and Drew comes back in for the Gulock. Good enough angle, especially if you ignore Gallagher losing and Kendrick being called the weak link.

Video on Murphy vs. Alexander, complete with both of them training for the match. That’s a touch I haven’t seen in a very long time and it’s cool to see it back.

Drake Maverick says that Hideo Itami and Mustafa Ali will face off again, though no details are given.

Next week: Lio Rush’s Open Challenge.

Kalisto vs. TJP

They go right into the test of strength with TJP taking him to the mat into a double bridge. Kalisto monkey flips TJP down as well so TJP monkey flips over, only to have Kalisto land on his feet. A crossbody gives Kalisto two and it’s off to the armbar to slow things down. Back up and Kalisto dances a bit, followed by a slightly botched headscissors to the floor. The teased dive has TJP cowering away and he charges into a rollup for two more back inside.

Kalisto tries his hand walk again and gets dropkicked in the ribs this time, followed by another dropkick to the floor. Back in and TJP ties up the legs before tearing the back of the mast off. Good, as that tail thing looked stupid. The double arm crank (that’s popular around here) goes on until Kalisto fights up and tries a springboard but TJP is right there with a Russian legsweep in a cool counter.

TJP rolls some suplexes for two and the chinlock goes on for a few seconds. The Swanton misses though and Kalisto starts kicking away, including his rolling kick to the head. It’s too early for the Salida Del Sol so Kalisto settles for an enziguri instead. TJP is right back with an Iconoclasm of all things off the top but he goes up again, allowing Kalisto to pull him back down for a big crash.

A dropkick to the knee cuts Kalisto off again though and the kneebar goes on in the middle of the ring. Kalisto rolls him up for two and eventually dives over to the rope for the break. With nothing else working, TJP goes for the mask like a true villain. Cue Lince Dorado for the save, allowing Kalisto to grab a rollup pin at 14:27.

Rating: B-. Good match but it never reached the kind of level that these two are capable of hitting. Kalisto winning was a bit of a surprise and even though it wasn’t clean, it does him some good after losing so many times. TJP is still a star who should be on the main roster but why do that when you can have him toiling here?

Post match TJP steals the mask and runs off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a pretty lifeless show as there was little to get excited over, mainly due to the Cruiserweight Title match being set for Saturday. That’s a constant problem in WWE and something that keeps happening no matter what. The show wasn’t bad, but it’s nothing that you need to see. Hopefully Saturday’s match is and things get better as we move forward.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

It’s going to happen one day.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-vince-gone/

IMG Credit: World Of Sport

World of Sport
Date: September 29, 2018
Location: Epic Studios, Norwich, England
Commentators: So Cal Val, Stu Bennett, Alex Shane

It’s finally the last show of the season as there’s no reason to keep this thing going any longer. In what shouldn’t surprise anyone, the two matches for the last show are the biggest faces in the promotion getting title shots. They’re not exactly hiding what they’re doing here and that’s ok…I think. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the season, mainly focusing on the titles.

Bennett is in the ring to start and introduces the first of two title matches.

Tag Team Titles: Kip Sabian/Iestyn Rees vs. British Bulldog Jr./Grado

Bulldog and Grado are challenging. The champs try to jump them to start but get punched in the face for their cheating efforts. Bulldog slams Grado onto Sabian but Rees offers a grab of the leg to let Sabian take over. A slingshot legdrop gets two on Grado and it’s off to Rees for a chinlock. Grado fights up without too much trouble and brings in Bulldog for the real house cleaning, mainly off a bunch of suplexes. Rees tags himself in though and saves Sabian from the running powerslam, followed by a leglock on Bulldog.

That just earns him an enziguri for the second hot tag to Grado as house is cleaned again. Shane: “Grado has been kept on the outside this entire match.” We’re barely six minutes in and this is his second time in the ring. The Cannonball crushes Sabian for two but he’s right back up to take both challengers down again. The powerbomb/neckbreaker combination only gets two, leaving Bulldog to pull Rees to the floor. Sabina gets Grado up but walks into a cutter for the pin and the titles at 7:55.

Rating: C-. Given the main event we have coming up, this was only the second most obvious ending of the week. The only question coming into this match was which of the two top stars would get the pin and that doesn’t leave much in the way of drama. Not the worst match, but more a matter of waiting on the inevitable.

Post match Bennett applauds Grado to end their….I guess it was a feud. That being said, Grado came into this season as WOS Champion and leaves as a Tag Team Champion. That’s kind of a downgrade no? Did he ever even mention going after the World Title again?

We recap Rampage vs. Justin Sysum. Rampage and his cronies cheated Sysum out of the title so Sysum (already #1 contender at the time) won a match involving nearly the entire roster to earn the shot tonight.

WOS Title: Justin Sysum vs. Rampage

Rampage is defending and has CJ Banks and Sha Samuels in his corner. A goon distraction at the bell doesn’t work as Sysum hits Rampage in the jaw and starts speeding things up. Sysum dropkicks him down as the fans seem to be behind him at least. Rampage is right back with a shot to the ribs and a powerslam as the fans go quiet off the champ taking over. Sysum counters a powerbomb with a backdrop over the top…which makes the referee eject the goons for some reason.

The distraction lets Rampage trip Sysum down on the apron and a hard clothesline gives Rampage two. A belly to back suplex gets the same and an elbow to the face cuts off a comeback attempt. The required heel spinebuster gets two more and we hit the even more required chinlock. Back from a break with Sysum making a comeback off with exactly the kind of offense you would expect from him.

A t-bone suplex sends Rampage flying, only to have him clothesline Sysum’s head off. Rampage’s superplex gets the same and another suplex on the floor keeps Sysum in trouble. Like any villain, Rampage tries to cheat but spends too much time setting up the steps, allowing Sysum to hit a clothesline. The 450 is loaded up but cue Banks for a distraction, mainly showing how toothless the referees are around here.

Sysum hits his own running clothesline for two as Banks pulls the referee out. That means a suicide dive for Banks but since that’s another distraction, Rampage catches Sysum with a Samoan drop. We haven’t had a cheap booking tactic though so the referee gets bumped, meaning there’s no one to count the pin on a fisherman’s suplex to the champ. Now it’s Samuels coming back in to slam Sysum and take the turnbuckle pad off.

Rampage’s implant DDT gets two and the referee gets crushed again on the kickout. Rampage grabs the belt but another referee comes out to take it away, allowing Rampage to grab a small package for two. Sysum sends him head first into the exposed buckle though and the 450 gives him the pin and the title at 25:04.

Rating: C+. It’s good, but WAY too long for what they were capable of doing. This felt like they were trying to fill in as much time as they could with one booking trick after another, which isn’t what you want on a main event. The match should have come off as a big moment and while the title change was the only way to end the show, it needed to have come about ten minutes earlier.

Post match Rampage is livid and shoves Barrett so it’s a Bull Hammer to leave him laying. Sysum celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. And that’s probably it for the series. The final show was exactly what you would have expected it to be and there’s nothing wrong with that. You wouldn’t want to leave the fans sad and having the popular guys win the titles was the right way to close things out. I’m not wild on a lot of the roster but that’s the way you go with things, at least in a classical booking style.

Overall though, the show just wasn’t very good. At the same time though, it wasn’t very bad. That’s the problem as a whole: the show is so average and so mundane that there’s just nothing to talk about. Most of the roster is forgettable and the promos/stories are almost nowhere to be seen. None of the stories stuck with me more than the end of each episode and that’s not enough to make a full time series. Having ten episodes hurt things, but they didn’t leave me with anything that made me want to see more.

I still have almost no idea what the differences are in a lot of the members of the roster. So many of them have no distinguishing features and since there are almost no characters around, it’s not exactly the best roster to make you remember who is who. There were a few stories here and there but most of them began and wrapped up so fast that they didn’t have time to go anywhere.

Every week, the thing that sticks out to be is how much better stuff there is out there. The British wrestling scene is hot right now and this doesn’t cater to any large group of fans. Older fans aren’t going to be interested in such a lame show and younger fans aren’t going to be entertained by something that comes and goes so fast. With all the other wrestling available out there, this isn’t something worth your time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: May 3, 2004
Location: America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s a big night here with Chris Benoit defending the World Title against Shawn Michaels. HHH is still lurking around though because he doesn’t know how to do anything else. Other than that we have the continuing adventures of Eugene, who has turned out to be quite the charming fellow, especially with William Regal as his handler. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Benoit vs. Michaels, billed as the Showdown in the Desert. I’ve heard of worse ideas.

Opening sequence.

JR welcomes us to Memphis.

Evolution vs. Tajiri/Shelton Benjamin/Edge

Flair is the odd man out here. HHH and Shelton start things off but Randy tags himself in before anything can start. Orton catches a kick to the ribs but is smart enough to not spin the leg around for the Dragon Whip. A clothesline drops Orton and it’s Tajiri coming in, only to be taken into the Evolution corner. As he comes in, the fans remind HHH that he tapped out. Edge, now with a more stylish black cast, gets in as well and it’s a rather nice looking staredown.

HHH eventually gets the better of it and brings Orton in for some choking in the corner. Evolution keeps taking turns on Edge with Batista slamming him down and HHH stomping away in the corner. The bad hand goes into the steps and HHH slugs away, followed by the facebuster for two. Edge scores with a spinwheel kick and it’s off to Tajiri for some slightly better kicks. A tornado DDT gets two on HHH until Batista breaks up the handspring with a shot to the back.

We come back from a break with Tajiri still in trouble, including HHH elbowing him to the floor. Batista chokes a bit and HHH adds an elbow to the chest as the dominance continues. Lawler: “Is it true that if you turn an Oriental upside down, they become disoriented?” Orton even gets in some pounding of his own and grabs a long chinlock. Back up and Tajiri kicks the head out of Orton, allowing the hot tag off to Edge. Everything breaks down and Edge hits Orton with a top rope clothesline. Batista breaks up the spear attempt and HHH clotheslines Benjamin. Tajiri mists Batista though and the spear is enough to put Orton away.

Rating: B-. Good old fashioned six man tag (which we need a lot more of) here and that’s exactly what this story needed. Evolution vs. a rotating cast of faces is a perfect way to book the show as you can do all kinds of combinations. The win should give Edge the inside track to an Intercontinental Title shot and there’s nothing wrong with that. Good booking and fun action to start the show.

Jonathan Coachman and Garrison Cade are insulting the women of Phoenix (and promising two good looking midwest women, who better not be Moolah and Mae Young) when Vince McMahon comes in to say he’s here for the big main event. That’s a nice cameo and Vince put Benoit over very strong.

Smackdown ReBound.

Last night at a Smackdown show, Eddie Guerrero brought his family into the ring when “something” happened, possibly involving JBL. I don’t see this going well.

HHH rants to Bischoff about being in the World Title match. Batista wants Tajiri and Johnny Nitro tries to calm things down. HHH: “Take it easy Johnny Oversell.” For next week: Batista vs. Tajiri, Orton vs. Edge for the Intercontinental Title and HHH vs. Benjamin.

Hurricane vs. Rob Conway

They fight over a neckbreaker to start with Conway getting the better of it and hammering away. It’s off to a modified cravate to keep Hurricane in trouble but he pops up for a missed Shining Wizard. Conway is right back up with a hanging swinging neckbreaker for the clean pin.

Rating: D. Not enough time to mean anything here but at least they’re doing something to set up next week’s match. That’s been the norm as of late and that makes for some fun television: set up things for next week and keep giving the fans a reason to come back. Why is that so hard to grasp?

Post match Conway promises a special beating for Eugene.

Video on Kane’s renewed evil, including forcing a kiss on Lita last week. You know, in case you haven’t seen enough from Kane in recent months.

Kane vs. Steven Richards

Chokeslam in about thirty seconds.

It’s time for the Highlight Reel. Before the guest comes out, Jericho talks about tonight’s World Title match. What are his thoughts? It’s been far too long since he’s had a World Title match of his own so he wants the first shot at the winner (making sure to point out that it’s someone other than HHH challenging for a change in a nice touch).

As for the show though, his guest is Matt Hardy, who believes in karma and is not afraid of pain. Jericho asks him about Kane and Lita but Matt gets right to the point: he wants Lita in the ring right now because he needs to ask her something. Lita shows up on the screen and says Matt has to listen to her. In what sounds like a forced statement, she says she never loved him and has found someone else. She never wants to see him again and needs him to stay away from her.

Lita finally snaps and says she can’t do this before screaming that she’s in the basement, revealing that Kane has her hostage. Matt runs out and Jericho says that’s kind of an abrupt end to the show. Cue Christian, Trish Stratus (all in black and…..well dang) and Tyson Tomko to chat a bit before coming in and laying Jericho out, including a low blow from Trish.

During the break, Matt went to save Lita but Kane was gone. Hugging ensues. Again: logical stuff there. There was no reason for Matt to wait until the break was over if it was that important, so just say it happened in real time and show it later.

Gail Kim vs. Victoria

Non-title and Molly, now with long, curly blonde hair, is with Gail. Before the match, Gail says no one feels sorry for Lita. Gail jumps her to start but gets half gorilla pressed up with Victoria dropping her part of the way through. The dancing moonsault gets two with Molly making the save and earning herself a stern lecture.

Back up and Gail clotheslines her into a chinlock, followed by a dragon sleeper. That works so well that Gail does the same sequence of moves again, this time causing Victoria to fight up and scream a bit. Three straight shot to the face have Gail knocked down (ignore Gail falling before the contact on at least one of them) but she’s right back with the Black Widow….and actually gets the tap.

Rating: D. Pretty boring match here but Victoria does need a new challenger. I can’t say fresh because we’ve seen every combination of these women for the better part of ever but at least we’re getting somewhere different with these people. Gail isn’t exactly polished at this point and hopefully we get to Trish instead of her instead.

William Regal is ready to train Eugene in what he calls a torture session. This might be his way to get out of this once and for all.

Vince is alone in a sky box to watch the main event.

It’s time for the training session with Eugene, who is very excited by an armdrag because Ricky Steamboat did them. Regal does a bunch of moves but Eugene does them all (set to what would become his music) and then taunts him with toys and a HHH water bottle. Regal switches to chain wrestling (as Ride of Valkyries starts up)….and is almost immediately taken down into a Regal Stretch with Eugene making him tap.

That’s EXACTLY how this character should work as he’s a goon in over his head everywhere but the ring, where he’s an idiot savant. That’s a good character and something that plays to both WWE’s creativity (which can exist) and Eugene’s in-ring skills. Everyone wins and I’m looking forward to the match next week.

Preview for next week. Again: give them a reason to tune in because they want to see matches instead of asking them to tune in and find out that it’s a good show. It also helps when you have the show planned that far in advance.

Before the main event, Bischoff makes Christian vs. Jericho in a cage for next week.

Raw World Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit

Shawn is challenging and they have a lot of time, as they should. An aggressive Benoit goes straight at Shawn in the corner but the referee makes a bit of a forced break. They do it again and now it’s time to start slugging away for a few moments. A headlock doesn’t keep Benoit down long as he’s right back with a backdrop and a clothesline to put Shawn on the floor. The announcers talk about Shawn being born here, with JR pointing out that not many people are going to notice, or likely care.

Shawn gets in a neckbreaker, followed by the flying forearm into the nipup. Benoit can’t get the Crossface in either of two attempts so Shawn hits him in the head again. Back from a very abrupt break with Shawn holding an abdominal stretch, allowing Lawler to plug next week’s matches again. One heck of a whip into the corner just wakes Benoit up as he rattles off some rollups for near falls.

Shawn atomic drops him down again, which Lawler thinks has the fans cheering because Shawn is from Phoenix. The top rope elbow connects but Sweet Chin Music is countered into the rolling German suplexes. Benoit hits four in a row but misses the Swan Dive to put them both down. Shawn goes up again, only to get caught with chops and some very angry stomps to put him in trouble.

Benoit loads up a suplex but gets suplexed out to the floor instead. The moonsault to the floor takes Benoit down again and Michaels’ tights coming down far lower than they need to be. He’s fine enough to whip Benoit knees first into the steps and head first into the post to bust him open as we take another break. Back again with Benoit fighting out of a sleeper and getting two off a bridging German suplex.

Shawn grabs the Walls of all things but Benoit makes a rope as we keep going (not a bad thing). The Crossface goes on and Shawn is in trouble until he gets his foot on the rope. With that not working, Benoit tries the Sharpshooter but gets kicked into the referee. Of course Sweet Chin Music connects a few seconds later but there’s no one to count. Cue HHH (erg) for a Pedigree to Shawn (Benoit didn’t see it) to give Benoit the retaining pin.

Rating: B+. Dang it they had me believing that HHH might actually stay out of the main event scene for a few weeks. This is either leading to HHH vs. Shawn (again) or Shawn wanting ONE MORE TITLE MATCH (again) because that’s the only way the World Title scene seems to be able to go for Benoit. HHH and Shawn need to just stay far apart for a long time but that’s not going to happen anytime soon, because they need to take over the show again and again.

HHH laughs to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. What more can you ask for? The very good Eugene sequence, two very good to great matches and setting things up for later on. There’s very little that they’re not doing anything at the moment and it’s almost hard to believe that this is Raw. I’m not used to having a show where I can’t make fun of that much but they’re managing to do it as of late.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: October 3, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

As usual, NXT knows how to build towards the future and that’s what they’ve done here. Next week we get the triple threat match for the North American Title and the week after that it’s the War Raiders getting their shot at the Tag Team Titles. Other than that, it’s time to continue searching for Aleister Black’s attacker and Lars Sullivan vs. EC3. Let’s get to it.

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

Nikki Cross talks about being ready to play with Bianca Belair again because Bianca didn’t play fair last time. Speaking of people who didn’t play well, she knows what happened.

Opening sequence.

Candice LeRae vs. Lacey Evans

Fallout from Evans insulting Candice’s abilities as a wife last week. They shove each other to start with the much bigger Evans taking her down by the throat. LeRae gets driven into the corner as well so she sends Evans face first into the buckle. A faceplant gets two so Evans runs her over without much effort. Hang on though as Evans needs to pat down her lipstick before taking LeRae down into a headscissors, complete with pushups.

A kick to the face sets up the chinlock as Evans pulls the hair for some bad measure. Evans misses a slingshot elbow though and Candice scores with an enziguri. The middle rope swinging Downward Spiral gets two more and Evans says LeRae is a loser, just like her husband. That ticks LeRae off but she charges into the Women’s Right for the pin at 6:18.

Rating: C-. It seems like they really want to push the heck out of Evans but there’s such a firm gap between the title picture and everything else that there isn’t really a middle ground for him. They’re getting that right hand over as a finisher though and Evans is easy enough to hate that she’s likely going to get a title shot at a Takeover one day though and that’s fine.

Video on the North American Title triple threat match and what it means to everyone. Ricochet cares because it’s his, Cole cares because it’s proof that he’s the future and Dunne wants to prove even further that he’s the best in the world.

Video on the Forgotten Sons, in sepia.

Tommaso Ciampa sits in the back and says everyone is going to try to chop you down. They’re speculate and lie to try and steal your spotlight for themselves. Perhaps it’s to cover their own tracks and hide their own guilt, which is what Velveteen Dream is doing. Dream is living in a dream world where Ciampa attacked Aleister Black, but they both know what Black experienced. Maybe he should keep his theories to himself because Ciampa will turn the Dream into a nightmare. Ciampa vs. Dream sounds oddly fascinating.

Forgotten Sons vs. Vinny Mixon/Cesar Rise/Torry Kirsh

Who names these jobbers? Steve Cutler has a mask due to a broken nose in the team’s debut match. Ryker runs Kirsh over to start so it’s off to Mixon to get beaten up as well. The Tree of Woe makes things even worse for Rise as the announcers don’t bother trying to call the jobbers by their names. An armbar keeps Mixon in trouble for a few moments until it’s off to Rise for some failed clotheslines. Blake shows him how it’s done, followed by a middle rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination. A slingshot jackknife finishes Kirsh at 2:28. Exactly the kind of squash it needed to be.

We look back at Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane being set up for Evolution.

Video on Baszler vs. Sane over the last year, which has been a pretty under the radar rivalry. Baszler has been going back to the basics, which means more MMA-style training.

Tony Nese wants top competition so he’s going to beat Johnny Gargano tonight.

Bianca Belair doesn’t want to play with Cross. She’ll embarrass Nikki instead and repeats Un-de-fea-ted over and over.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tony Nese

They fight over a wristlock to start until Nese runs him over with a shoulder. A running hurricanrana sends Nese to the floor but the suicide dive is broken up with a hard clothesline. Nese misses a charge in the corner so Gargano rolls him up, followed by the rolling kick to the head. Now the suicide dive hits as Gargano is looking more confident than he’s seen in a long time.

Nese suplexes him down for two and we hit the bodyscissors. Gargano leans back for a rollup but can’t break the hold. I’ll certainly take someone trying to do something other than just laying on the mat. Gargano fights up and hits the slingshot DDT, followed by the slingshot spear. Some kicks to the head have Nese in more trouble but he rolls out of the Gargano Escape. A buckle bomb has Gargano right back in trouble and Nese dumps him to the floor.

The second slingshot DDT attempt is countered into a backdrop for a nasty crash to the floor, setting up the big Fosbury Flop to the floor. Back in and Nese hits a great looking 450 for two, followed by a sick looking German suplex into the corner. The running knee is blocked by a superkick though and the Gargano Escape makes Nese tap at 9:43.

Rating: B. When Gargano is on his game, he can have some of the best matches in the world at the moment. Gargano looked like his old self here and that should mean a big match at the next Takeover. He doesn’t need to go after the title again right away, but one day he’s going to get his hands on that thing and it’s going to be one of the best reactions NXT has ever seen.

Video on Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan, who got together after beating each other up in a series of matches. That’s a story that has worked before and it’s working well here. Lorcan has been out for a few months with a broken orbital bone. No word on when they’re back in the ring.

Lars Sullivan vs. EC3

EC3 gets aggressive to start and goes right at Sullivan, only to be taken to the floor for a choke. Some rams into the steps FINALLY put Lars down and EC3 hammers away at the head back inside. A whip into the corner sends Sullivan shoulder first into the post and a slam puts the big man down again. Sullivan finally gets going with some shoulders in the corner and the heavy crossface shots to the jaw.

The big neck crank goes on for a few seconds but EC3 fights up and manages a suplex. A not great looking high crossbody gets two on Sullivan, who comes right back up with a huge clothesline. The Freak Accident is broken up and it’s a Cactus Clothesline to the floor. EC3 makes the mistake of charging at Sullivan though and it’s a Freak Accident on the apron. Back in and the diving headbutt finishes EC3 at 6:45.

Rating: B-. They did this the right way by keeping things moving but not letting it go on too long. The point here was EC3 chopping at the tree as well as he could but Sullivan was just too much for him. That’s a good story and the match was entertaining as a result. I’m not sure what EC3 can get out of NXT as he has everything he needs to be on the main roster. Give him a win and let him go up, hopefully as a heel like he should be.

Overall Rating: B. You know what impresses me the most about NXT? The amount of mileage they can get out of any given match or story. They’re still talking about the ladder match from New Orleans (in the main event) and then the Aleister Black injury, which dropped into their lap, is fueling EC3 vs. Sullivan, Ciampa vs. Dream, and the whodunit story, which is spinning into the Undisputed Era vs. everyone else story. You don’t get that out of any other company and it’s really impressive to see here.

The show itself was good with two strong matches and more setting the table for the bigger stuff down the line. Next week’s triple threat match has the makings of a classic and with WarGames coming up next month, it’s more good forecasts for NXT. I’m not sure I can remember the last time that wasn’t the case and that’s remarkable.

Results

Lacey Evans b. Candice LeRae – Women’s Right

Forgotten Sons b. Vinny Mixon/Cesar Rise/Torry Kirsh – Slingshot jackknife to Kirsh

Johnny Gargano b. Tony Nese – Gargano Escape

Lars Sullivan b. EC3 – Top rope headbutt

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground
Date: September 26, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Things have definitely changed around here as Marty Martinez of all people is the new Lucha Underground Champion. Last week Martinez won the Gift of the Gods Title and cashed it in to become the new Lucha Underground Champion in quite the surprise. Thankfully though that means a ticked off Pentagon, which could make for some interesting results. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video covers almost every major story taking place at the moment.

Matt Striker reads a letter from Antonio Cueto recapping last week’s title situation and announcing a four way tonight for the #1 contendership at Ultima Lucha IV.

Jack Evans is in the ring for a match but doesn’t want to work for a promotion that allows someone like XO Lishus to get away with so much violence. If Evans had been around at Johnny Mundo’s wedding, he would have taken care of Matanza for his buddy. Anyway, no match tonight because he quits. Cue Antonio to say Evans can have a match right now anyway. If he wins, he can walk out a free man. If he loses, he’ll be sacrificed to the gods. Evans: “I’M SO SORRY! OLD MAN WHO LOOKS AND SOUNDS LIKE SATAN, CAN I MAKE YOU A…..”

Jack Evans vs. Matanza

Evans goes after him at the entrance but Matanza pulls him out of the ring (with the Shawn Michaels face from the Undertaker casket match) and throws him right back in for the opening bell. Evans misses a kick to the face and pulls the turnbuckle off the corner. A springboard spinning kick to the head staggers Matanza and Jack hits a 630 but Matanza picks him up for the Wrath of the Gods and the pin at 1:20.

Ivelisse/XO Lishus/Joey Ryan vs. Reptile Tribe

Non-title and the Rabbit Tribe comes out to watch, with the White Rabbit making his temple debut. Joey offers Sami a lollipop…and Sami actually eats the thing. Kobra comes in and the champs are sent into the corner with Daga dropkicking his partners by mistake. Lishus comes in to a big reaction but gets stomped down in the corner for his efforts. Ivelisse gets the tag and chops away at Daga before it’s off to Snake for the not very interesting showdown.

Everything breaks down and Lishus shakes his hips in Daga’s face over and over. Kobra gets thrown onto everyone else and Ivelisse catapults off the apron onto Daga. Back in and Joey puts a fresh lollipop into Snake’s mouth for the superkick. Daga comes back in though and grabs a rollup into a cross armbreaker to make Ryan tap at 5:22.

Rating: D+. I’m still not liking most of these matches as the Trios Titles aren’t the most interesting things in the world. At least it’s starting to feel like a division, but when your roster has gone plummeting, maybe a match that requires six people isn’t the best thing in the world anymore.

Post match the Rabbit Tribe comes in to beat down Ryan and company. The White Rabbit shouts TICK TOCK in their faces as Striker thinks they might be the hare apparent to the Trios Titles.

Jake Strong vs. Aerostar/Drago

Nunchucks match, meaning a pair are waiting by the entrances. The double teaming has Strong in trouble to start, including some alternating kicks to the chest. Strong fights them off without much effort and goes up the steps but Drago gets to the nunchucks first. Aerostar dives onto Jake but gets caught, only to have Strong throw them both into the walls. Drago gets on Aerostar’s shoulders for some mist. Some nunchuck shots to the back have Strong in trouble and the fans think this is awesome for some reason.

Aerostar goes up to the top of the temple and finds some more nunchucks, only to get thrown off the top for a big crash. Strong gets the nunchucks away but Aerostar dives off the balcony to take him down. Back in and the masked men double team Strong with nunchuck shots to the back, followed by a top rope springboard splash for two. Drago gets sent outside and the gutwrench powerbomb into the ankle lock makes Aerostar tap at 8:29.

Rating: D-. That’s one of the worst matches they’ve done around here in a long time as Strong didn’t look interested in doing anything here and only hit his big stuff at the end to win. You really should do some more selling when you’re being beaten up with nunchucks by two people who used to be champions together. There’s a fine line between being pushed hard and being treated as invincible and this was more the latter, which isn’t good.

Post match Drago tries a save and gets his ankle snapped.

King Cuerno vs. Mil Muertes vs. El Dragon Azteca Jr. vs. Penatagon Dark

The winner gets a title shot at Ultima Lucha IV. Muertes cleans house to start and puts everyone down without much effort. Cuerno finally hits him with a dropkick before going after Azteca with the slow offense. It’s Pentagon coming back in for the save, only to get caught in a tornado DDT from Azteca.

Cue Fenix to go after Melissa Santos, who runs away so Azteca can dive onto Fenix. Azteca and Fenix fight to the back, leaving Cuerno to hit the suicide dive onto both of them. Cue the Mack to Stun Muertes, allowing Pentagon to take Muertes out with a Canadian Destroyer. A superkick puts Cuerno on the floor, leaving Pentagon to pin Muertes at 5:19.

Rating: D+. Well…duh. I mean, who else was going to get the title shot at the biggest show of the year? It’s not like this was in any kind of doubt or anything so going with Pentagon in the fast match, especially one that sets up Fenix vs. Azteca at the same time, is a good idea. That being said, it’s also not much of a match as they didn’t have time to get violent or do the hard hitting stuff that has served them so well.

Post match Mack says he’s fighting Muertes at Ultima Lucha IV in a Death Match. Mack: “Rest in peace mother******”, which isn’t censored on the show.

Overall Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this week’s show as they’re not exactly on a hot streak heading into Ultima Lucha in a few weeks. The problem with this season is the lack of a big story. I guess the biggest story at the moment is Fenix being evil and that’s not exactly the big one they need to keep people interested. Maybe things pick up at Ultima Lucha but there’s just nothing going on that makes me care about the show the way I did before and that’s not a good thing at all.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: September 26, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Renee Young, Beth Phoenix, Michael Cole

We’re wrapping up the first round tonight with the last four matches, meaning things are already going to be halfway done. The interesting thing here is going to be seeing which surprises WWE has left for us, along with Japanese superstar Io Shirai as this year’s breaking name. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video talks about the eight names who will be competing tonight.

Opening sequence.

All matches are first round matches.

Rachel Evers is the daughter of Paul Ellering and wants to make her own path. She lost her focus last year but that’s not happening this time around.

Hiroyo Matsumoto calls herself Lady Godzilla. I think that sums her up quite well.

Kassius Ohno, who is dating Evers, is here.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Rachel Evers

Cole’s description of a woman who called herself LADY GODZILLA and wants to fight the Undertaker: “She’s colorful and loves to have fun.” Cole on Evers: “She wants to have fun!” They shove each other around (while still having fun) to start and some shoulders go nowhere. Clotheslines go nowhere so Matsumoto shoulders her down as Renee talks about joshi.

Evers gets two off a gutwrench suplex and kicks Matsumoto in the face. A missed charge lets Matsumoto Stun her over the ropes, which is called flamboyance for some reason. Matsumoto gets two off a missile dropkick and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Evers gets laid over the middle rope for some kicks to the ribs, followed by a Vader Bomb knee drop for two more.

Evers comes back with a pop up spinebuster (not a powerbomb Cole) for a double knockdown. A slugout goes to Evers and she grabs a cutter into a backsplash for two. Evers drops a spinning double springboard legdrop for two more and the fans are entirely behind her here. Another strike off goes to Matsumoto and she grabs a German suplex, which Evers no sells to a BIG reaction. Matsumoto has had it with Evers and powerbombs the heck out of her, followed by a Saito suplex (the Rock Drop) for the pin at 7:46.

Rating: B. Well that was awesome. These two beat the heck out of each other in a style that you just don’t get around here. Matsumoto wasn’t quite the monster I was expecting but Evers got to slug it out with her and it turned into a very entertaining match as a result. The crowd alone made it that much better, which is a major benefit that not every match can enjoy.

Taynara Conti is a Brazilian jujitsu fighter who has appeared on NXT before.

Jesse Eleban is a nerdy geek who is from Earth and describes herself as “amazeballs”. I think you get the idea here.

Dana Brooke is here. Uh…..ok then.

Jessie Eleban vs. Taynara Conti

Conti wastes no time in throwing her down twice in a row. Jessie is right back up with a kick to the face (those long legs help with that) and a backsplash (egads enough with that move) gets two. Back up and Conti starts in on the arm, followed by an STO for two. A stomp to the arm sets up an armbar, followed by another version with some cranking on the wrist to keep Jessie in trouble.

Now it’s off to bending the fingers apart, followed by some stomping to the ribs in the corner. Since that’s enough to let Jessie fight back, Conti kicks her square in the arm to cut her off again. A catapult of all things drops Conti and some dropkicks keep Conti in trouble. Conti blocks a rollup though and spins her into a Boss Man Slam for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: D+. Conti winning here wasn’t exactly a surprise here and there’s nothing wrong with that. When you have someone who has wrestled on Wrestlemania and a newcomer, it’s not exactly the biggest shock in the world. Jessie is charismatic and could get somewhere with some more experience and development, but there was no way she was winning here.

Isla Dawn says she takes a lot of inspiration from goddess worship and wants to fight.

Nicole Matthews is a veteran from Canada who wasn’t happy with being an alternate last year. How can you have the best of the best if she’s not included?

Isla Dawn vs. Nicole Matthews

They fight over a few lockups to start as we hear about Dawn being into witchcraft. Dawn takes her down and hits a double stomp, followed by a running Meteora for two. Nicole is right back with a neckbreaker out of the corner (with an edit that made me think that was a second attempt) for two. A kick to the back and a backbreaker has Dawn in more trouble until she avoids a forearm in the corner.

Matthews ties her in the ropes though and kicks away at the chest to keep Dawn in trouble. Some elbows and forearms set up a double arm crank but Dawn is right back up with some knees to the face. A snap belly to back suplex drops Matthews and a fisherman’s suplex gets two. Dawn almost drops her on an Angle Slam for another near fall as Beth thinks a spell might be in need of a spell. Matthews has finally had enough of her and clotheslines Dawn into a Liontamer for the tap at 7:19.

Rating: D. This one didn’t work for me and I don’t think that’s the biggest surprise. I was really disappointed in Dawn here who had an interesting backstory and then just went out and wrestled a normal match. The match itself felt disjointed and sloppy at times, which you shouldn’t have from someone with Matthews’ experience.

Io Shirai is a strong style high flier who was inspired by Rey Mysterio. Make sure the rocket attached to her back doesn’t burn you as it launches.

Xia Brookside is nineteen years old and the daughter of NXT trainer Robbie Brookside. It was nice knowing her.

Of course Robbie is here.

Io Shirai vs. Xia Brookside

Renee on Xia: “She looks like she’s made of Skittles.” That sounds cool, but Io’s moniker is Genius of the Sky. I don’t like Skittles so I’m taking Shirai there. Xia forearms her to start but Io lands on her feet to counter a headscissors. The look of shock on Xia’s face pretty much seals her fate so as Io forearms her in the corner.

Slingshot knees to the chest in the corner and Io grabs a kind of reverse Sling Blade into a Crossface. A hard knee to the face drops Brookside but she gets in a faceplant for a breather. The fans get behind Brookside…for all of two seconds until a palm strike cuts her off. More running knees in the corner set up a Great Muta style moonsault for the pin at 3:17.

Rating: D+. This still wasn’t the most thrilling match in the world as Xia was nothing more than cannon fodder for the big star. At the same time, Io isn’t about to show off everything she can do in a match that is little more than a squash. She’s going to get a heck of a push in the tournament and beyond, which is exactly the point of a match like this.

Shirai helps what used to be Brookside up.

Here are the updated brackets:

Meiko Satomura

Mercedes Martinez

Lacey Lane

Taynara Conti

Toni Storm

Hiroyo Matsumoto

Mia Yim

Kaitlyn

Tegan Nox

Nicole Matthews

Rhea Ripley

Kacy Catanzaro

Io Shirai

Zeuxis

Deonna Purrazzo

Xia Li

We get a recap of the show, which doesn’t happen every week. Feels like filler.

Overall Rating: C. The opening match more than makes up for some of the weaker stuff down the card but the first round being over is the most important thing. The whole appeal of a tournament like this is seeing the people who stole the show in the first round fighting each other again later and that’s going to make the next few weeks a lot of fun.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: October 2, 2018
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

With less than a week before the big show in Australia, most of the card is set. Tonight you can expect a heavy dose of Miz vs. Daniel Bryan, as the other Smackdown main event of AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe is all but set. That won’t stop WWE from talking about the Raw matches non stop though, as Undertaker vs. HHH is by far and away the real main event. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Paige to open things up. She talks about how serious everything is between AJ and Joe at the moment and we see a clip of what happened last week as Joe went to AJ’s house. Paige says nothing happened as authorities were called and got there in time (you know, to the middle of nowhere where AJ probably lives). Now that brings us to tonight, where Joe has been charged with trespassing and should be fired, but AJ doesn’t think so. AJ wants to get his hands on Samoa Joe instead and he’s dropping the charges.

The match is on, and here’s a clip from AJ, who is at his house instead of at the show. He’s not in the right frame of mind to perform tonight because this is bigger than WWE. AJ is at his house tonight and is staying there until he knows Joe is on a plane to Australia. He needs to be there because his kids are waking up in the middle of the night, checking their closets for Uncle Joe. This has to end because Joe isn’t leaving the land down under. AJ is going to bury him alive. That sounds like the big blowoff to the feud, but Joe almost has to win at this point. Do you want to treat him like you did Nakamura?

R-Truth/Carmella vs. Andrade Cien Almas/Zelina Vega

The women start things off with Vega throwing Carmella down and mocking the moon walk. That earns her a dropkick so Carmella can show us the real thing, followed by some shouting. Something like a crucifix hold over the middle rope keeps Carmella in trouble and it’s off to the men so we can get the Almas/Vega tranquilo pose.

Truth and Carmella do their own shared splits pose before scaring Vega and Almas to the floor. We pause for the dance break until Truth falls for a distraction, allowing Truth to stomp away. A missed running knee puts Almas on the floor though and we take a break. Back with Truth hitting a leg lariat for a double knockdown.

The diving tag brings in Carmella for her clotheslines and an atomic drop, which feels like a rare thing these days. There’s the Bronco Buster in the corner, followed by a Flatliner for two. Carmella isn’t pleased with Almas for making the save so she tries a superkick on him instead. Truth clotheslines Almas to the floor and hits a dive, leaving Vega to roll her up for two. The Code of Silence makes Vega tap at 9:54.

Rating: D+. Well at least Almas didn’t lose. I know that this is all about pushing Mixed Match Challenge but egads this is what they’re doing with Carmella? As in the woman who beat Charlotte and Asuka over the summer? At least Truth and Carmella are funny, which is about all you can expect from these two at the moment.

Tye Dillinger tells Paige that he wants Randy Orton but she points out the lack of Jeff Hardy since his match with Orton. Paige: “I will never understand men.” The match is made for tonight.

Here’s New Day and it’s time for the debut of their cooking show. Big E. tries to thank ICOPRO for sponsoring them but Woods cuts him off to talk about their title match against the Bar in Australia. Kofi thinks that means they need a strong dose of positivity, so they introduce their pancake chef. Tonight we’re going to learn his special recipe but here’s the Bar to interrupt. Sheamus introduces Cesaro, who knows a thing or two about making pastries.

Apparently he’s known as Chef back home, but Sheamus knows a better way to bake things. The table is turned over and the fight is on with Sheamus throwing flour into Kofi’s face to break up the Midnight Hour. Big E. goes shoulder first into the post and a double backbreaker hits Kofi. That’s not enough though as they fill in the chef’s hat with batter and put it back on his head. The rest is poured over him in the least surprising ending in a long time.

Tye Dillinger vs. Randy Orton

Dillinger jumps him in the aisle and the referee waits on the floor as the fight heads inside. A clothesline puts Orton on the floor and Tye drops him back first onto the announcers’ table. Orton hits him with the steps before putting Tye’s finger inside the hook that connects the turnbuckle to the post. The finger is bent around and Tye is in trouble until Orton finally lets it go. No match.

The Miz gives Shelton Benjamin a pep talk before Benjamin faces Daniel Bryan tonight. Apparently Miz got him the match but Shelton doesn’t seem impressed. Miz keeps talking about what Benjamin needs to do tonight until Shelton is all fired up, saying that this is the chance he’s been waiting for. They do shake hands though.

Aiden English wants the production truck to be ready to show his video about what happened with Lana in Milwaukee.

Here are Rusev and Lana to see this video. Rusev doesn’t like hearing something like this about his wife and now he wants to tear English apart. English comes out and says he has the evidence, but first: some backstory. Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin and borders two of the Great Lakes. Lana says he’s stalling but English goes on to talk about the films and TV series that have been filmed in the city.

English finally shows us the clip, which is him in his hotel, practicing his song into the camera. Lana comes in to say she wants him. That’s the end of the clip, though English says there’s more that he’s not allowed to show. English is also considering an offer from TMZ and he wouldn’t want to, ahem, CHEAT ON THEM. Rusev charges up the ramp and chases English off. More on this later I’m sure, and I’m actually kinds of intrigued.

We see a clip of the end of last night’s show with the Brothers of Destruction beating up HHH and the suddenly bald Shawn Michaels.

Post break, Rusev hunts English (who is apparently very fast) when Lana cuts him off. He says they’re not doing this here and walks away, leaving Lana looking distraught.

Daniel Bryan vs. Shelton Benjamin

Whoa, a match. Miz is on commentary as Shelton runs Bryan over to start. A gutbuster gives Benjamin two as Miz talks about the opportunities he’s given everyone over the years. Bryan gets in some right hands and slaps on the YES Lock, sending Benjamin straight to the ropes. They head outside with Benjamin whipping Bryan’s ribs into the barricade and apron over and over to Miz’s delight.

Back from a break with Bryan missing the Swan Dive and getting caught in a bearhug. Bryan finally drives him into the corner and hits a running dropkick, only to eat a running knee to the ribs. A bridging German suplex gives Benjamin two but he misses the Dragon Whip. Bryan loads up the running knee but has to knock Miz off the apron. Paydirt gives Benjamin the big upset at 9:12.

Rating: C+. I’m surprised to say this, but good. Shelton looked awesome out there and it’s a good idea to give him a win. Bryan is going to be fine for his match at Super Show-Down and this works as a way to advance the angle. Shelton gets something out of the win and Bryan is damaged coming into Saturday. Makes perfect sense.

Post match Miz wrecks Bryan even more, including dropping the ribs on the announcers’ table and hitting the Skull Crushing Finale.

Clip from Raw of the Shield being taken out by Braun Strowman and company.

Naomi is in the ring for the Susan G. Komen video. Some women from the organization and cancer survivors are here, including Dana Warrior.

Peyton Royce vs. Asuka

Before the match, Peyton and Billie Kay debut their Aussie Floss dance. Graves: “I’ve got nothing on that one.” Joined in progress with Asuka getting kicked in the ribs until a rollup gives Asuka two. A middle rope dropkick misses to give Peyton two more and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Asuka hits the middle rope dropkick for two of her own, followed by a kneebar into an ankle lock. Naomi and Billie cancel each other out, leaving Asuka to win with the Asuka Lock at 3:34.

Rating: D. Same match they always have with Royce having no chance to actually beat Asuka because Asuka is that much better. I’m not sure why I’m supposed to care about the match in Australia because the Iiconics are still annoying, but now they’re going to be annoying in front of a bunch of people who sound like them. That’s not an interesting story, though there isn’t a story here in the first place.

Here’s Becky Lynch for her surprise before Saturday. Becky talks about how she’s learned you can’t be nice around here without getting stabbed in the back. We get a clip of the history of Lynch and Charlotte, which only makes the fans cheer for her all the more. Becky wants to know where her new action figure or magazine covers are while she has to watch Charlotte get a photo shoot. Becky has a new poster of Super Show-Down, featuring Becky standing over Charlotte and holding up the title. Cue a ticked off Charlotte to spear Becky and put her in the Figure Four over the apron. Becky limps off to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This was the show where they had everything set up for Saturday and didn’t have much else to do here. Unfortunately they didn’t have anything to make up for that lack of content and it made for a pretty boring show as a result. Having three matches in two hours isn’t the greatest idea in the world and the show was pretty far below their usual Tuesday efforts. Then again, it’s not like anything on this show remotely compares to Saturday’s main event.

Results

R-Truth/Carmella b. Andrade Cien Almas/Zelina Vega – Code of Silence to Vega

Shelton Benjamin b. Daniel Bryan – Paydirt

Asuka b. Peyton Royce – Asuka Lock

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: September 27, 2018
Location: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re coming up on Super Show-Down and that means we need to build up a lot of stuff before then. Part of that came this week with Raw and Smackdown, both of which were interesting shows as we got closer to Australia. Some of that was better than others and I’m sure we’ll see some of both tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

No Way Jose/Zack Ryder vs. Mojo Rawley/Mike Kanellis

Ryder shoulders Kanellis down to start so it’s off to Rawley to kick him in the face. That just earns Mojo a middle rope dropkick to the floor, only to have Mojo run him over back inside. The double teaming begins in the corner with Kanellis kicking him in the face to set up a chinlock. Ryder suplexes Rawley down and there’s the hot tag to Jose. Everything breaks down as Jose cleans house, including the pop up right hand to finish Kanellis at 5:04.

Rating: D+. Just a longer than necessary match here with the major four wrestlers from this show having a tag match that didn’t go anywhere. Jose is a good choice for the hot tag though as he’s someone who can get in there and clean house in a hurry. Not much to see here, but I’m almost worried about who is going to be in the second match.

From Raw.

Tag Team Titles: Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre vs. Revival

Revival is challenging and get a jobber entrance. Ziggler shoves Dawson into the corner to start so Dawson takes over off a wristlock. Wilder comes in but gets to deal with McIntyre, who takes him back into the corner. It’s already back to Ziggler as the fast start continues. Ziggler gets caught in the corner and Wilder adds a slingshot clothesline for two. The running DDT is countered into the Rings of Saturn but Ziggler rolls over into a cradle.

Back up and a crossbody puts both guys on the floor in a big crash. Ziggler avoids a charge to send Wilder into the steps and it’s McIntyre getting two off a suplex as we take a break. We come back with Dawson getting the hot tag and hitting a leg lariat of all things to drop Ziggler. A tiger driver gets two and a PowerPlex (sweet) is good for the same with McIntyre making the save.

The Fameasser is countered into an electric chair for a Doomsday Device (dang they’re opening the playbook this week) as the fans are way into this. Ziggler slips out of something and brings McIntyre back in for the power. A powerslam is broken up with a dropkick to the back and Wilder falls on top for two. It’s quickly back to Ziggler though and the Claymore into the Zig Zag retains the titles at 12:38.

Rating: B-. Revival was trying to get noticed out here and while that’s not likely to happen, I can certainly appreciate the effort. Ziggler and McIntyre retaining wasn’t much of a secret but at least they had some fun out there and gave us a good match. It’s so weird seeing Revival as the de facto faces but they pulled the role off quite well.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Paige to run the contract signing. AJ comes out and says he’s just here to sign. There’s no Joe, which AJ says isn’t a surprise. Joe pops up on screen and he’s at AJ’s house. That must put a nauseous feeling in AJ’s stomach because there’s nothing he can do, even though Joe promised him to do all this stuff. Joe even has a doll for Annie and AJ is clearly panicking. That’s what Joe wants, and Joe wants that feeling from AJ in Australia. Joe rings the doorbell and says daddy’s home to end the show. This was awesome again, but at some point Joe needs to actually win the title to really make it mean something.

Super Show-Down rundown.

Video on Undertaker vs. HHH.

Apollo Crews vs. Tyler Breeze

Could be worse. Crews headlocks him to start before hitting a dropkick for an easily broken two. Breeze is right back with a headlock takeover of his own, followed by a dropkick to the back as they’re mirroring each other to start. We take a break and come back with Crews fighting out of a half crab with a grab of the rope.

A Backstabber gives Breeze two but Crews enziguris him off the top. Crews’ standing moonsault hits knees but the standing shooting star press gets two. Some right hands have Crews in trouble until he powerbombs Breeze down. The frog splash gives Crews the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. I liked this a lot more than I expected to with both guys working hard out there to put on a good show. Really, this match didn’t need to be anything of note but I had a good time with it, as I wasn’t sure who was going to win until the end. Now when is the last time you could say something like that about a Main Event match?

We see some clips from Raw of the mind games between the two trios.

From Raw.

Shield vs. Baron Corbin/???/???

The partners are of course the AOP, because who else was it going to be? Braun, Dolph and Drew come out to watch, all with their own chairs. Ambrose and Corbin start things off with Dean actually taking it to the mat so Rollins can come in for a double suplex. Corbin hands it off to Akam so the Authors can run everyone over. Reigns gets to face Rezar, who talks a lot of trash and then gets hit in the face.

A few more shots put Rezar down but he pops back up to Reigns’ shock. The Shield clears the ring so here come Strowman and company with the chairs for a distraction. The Authors beat them down and Corbin gets two off a chokeslam as we take a break. Back with Reigns dropping Corbin in a Samoan style so Rollins can come back in to speed things up. The Blockbuster gets two on Akam but Drake Maverick offers a distraction so Corbin can low bridge Rollins to the floor.

We hit the neck crank from Rezar and an elbow runs him over for good measure. Corbin comes in and runs Reigns off the apron in a smart move but the delay lets Rollins hit a Sling Blade. Everything breaks down and Reigns takes a Last Chapter on the floor. Deep Six gets two on Rollins but he’s able to get out of the side slam/double stomp combination.

The hot tag brings in Ambrose to clean house until Akam crotches him on top. Ambrose is fine enough for a jumping neckbreaker on Corbin but Reigns has to break up the Last Chapter. The Stomp hits Corbin and Rollins hits a suicide dive, leaving Dean to hit Dirty Deeds on Corbin. Ambrose dives onto Akam, leaving Reigns to spear Corbin for the pin at 19:14.

Rating: C+. Pretty standard six man tag here though nothing too bad. Seeing Shield all together is almost always fun and that was the case here, though I could have gone for the Authors having a more dominant venture into the main event scene. At least Corbin took the fall, which was the only way this should have ended.

Post match Ambrose looks at Strowman and company before heading back inside for the fist pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Well the Raw guys have taken over again as this was almost all about that one story, which isn’t quite enough to cover a full hour. The wrestling ranged from the usual to somewhat better and I’ll certainly take that around here. Not a bad show, but the Raw focus is getting to be a bit much. Again.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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