Wrestlemania Dark Matches
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Tazz, Todd Grisham, Matt Striker, Joey Styles, Josh Matthews

So this is pretty much as simple as you can get, with the WWE Vault releasing a collection of matches from before the full Wrestlemania cards begin. These matches are tasked with getting the show going and that can make for some interesting options. Some of these are going to be a lot better than others but they can be a lot of fun. Let’s get to it.

From Wrestlemania XVIII.

Mr. Perfect/Lance Storm/Test vs. Rikishi/Albert/Scotty 2 Hotty

Albert and Storm start things off and Jacqueline is the referee. A sitout press slam gives Albert two and it’s off to Scotty, who gets taken down with a leg lariat. Test comes in for a hard corner clothesline but Storm misses a middle rope elbow. Rikishi comes in for a Samoan drop on Perfect (who bounces off like a backdrop for a weird look) and Scotty Worms Storm to send him outside. The Albert Bomb (chokebomb) hits Test and it’s a Stinkface to Perfect, who is smart enough to pull up his towel just in time. Said towel gets stuck on Rikishi, who hits the Banzai Drop for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: C. Fast paced match but they didn’t have time to do much. You’re only going to get so much out of six people in just over three minutes but they managed to make it work well enough. If nothing else, points for not having one of the Canadians take the fall, which would have been such a WWF thing to do in Toronto.

Post match the winners and Jacqueline dance.

From Wrestlemania XXIII.

Ric Flair/Carlito vs. Gregory Helms/Chavo Guerrero

This is a lumberjack match and Guerrero is the “Cruiserweight of the World” because Lilian Garcia makes a lot of mistakes. To make things even weirder, there is a big curtain over the entrance as the set hasn’t been revealed yet. Helms backs Flair into the corner to start but gets hiptossed for his efforts. Carlito comes in and gets poked in the eye, allowing Chavo to come in and get dropped in a hurry. A dropkick sends Chavo outside so Snitsky throws him back inside without much trouble. Back in and Helms takes over with a chinlock on Carlito and it’s back to Chavo as Cole puts over the awesomeness of Detroit.

The slow beating continues as there is very little heat to the whole thing as it’s already running long. Carlito gets in a shot of his own and brings in Flair to chop away. Helms breaks up the Figure Four so Carlito comes in as everything breaks down. Chavo misses the frog splash though and it’s back to Carlito to clean house. Helms gets backdropped onto the lumberjacks and Carlito hits a quick Backstabber to pin Chavo (because OF COURSE the champion had to take the fall) at 6:38.

Rating: C-. The point here was to get Flair in the ring and to have a bunch of people get on the DVD as a lumerback. That doesn’t make for the most thrilling match though as they went a lot longer than they should have. It wasn’t an interesting match in the first place and then it went long, which is never a good combination.

From Wrestlemania XXII.

Battle Royal

Eugene, Viscera, Snitsky, Goldust, Lance Cade, Rob Conway, Tyson Tomko, Trevor Murdoch, Matt Striker, Super Crazy, Funaki, Steven Richards, Simon Dean, Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro, Psicosis, Animal, William Regal

Officially this is Raw vs. Smackdown, but it’s also every man for themselves so the logic is kind of contradictory. Cole: “I guess we have to be impartial here.” Tazz: “Why?” Simon Dean tries to tell us to get in shape and is promptly eliminated first. Brawling on the ropes ensues and Conway is out, followed by Funaki. Cade (Cole: “Who’s that?”) is out and Richards takes too much time posing, meaning he’s eliminated as well.

There goes Striker (thankfully) and Regal gets hit with Shattered Dreams. Murdoch dumps Eugene as the ring is thankfully clearing out a bit. Psicosis gets rid of Goldust in an upset and Eugene stops for a reunion with Regal. Snitsky isn’t having the risk of that being his fault so he tosses Regal without much effort. MNM hits a Snapshot on Eugene to get rid of him as well and we settle down to the final four from each show getting into a staredown. Psicosis gets rid of Murdoch and then gets knocked out by Tomko to get us down to six.

Tomko and Snitsky beat up Animal and Viscera crushes MNM in various corners. MNM fight back (the Melina screams might be powering them on) and avoid a Viscera charge, only to make the mistake of trying a Snapshot. The double Visagra (if you don’t know, don’t ask) has Melina cringing before MNM is out. Snitsky accidentally knocks Tomko out and it’s Animal left with Viscera and Snitsky, as I’ll let you guess who the Chicago fans are behind. For some reason Animal is eliminated and Snitsky misses a charge so Viscera wins at 9:03 without touching him.

Rating: D+. Why would you put Animal this close to getting the win in a meaningless battle royal on the pre-show and then have him lose for the sake of Snitsky and Viscera? This was the second time I’ve seen this match in about a month and it still doesn’t make a ton of sense. Maybe Viscera couldn’t take a bump over the top, but egads this seemed like it could have been a fun moment and it wound up just being forgettable.

From Wrestlemania XXV.

Tag Team Titles: John Morrison/The Miz vs. Colons

This is a lumberjack match to unify both sets of Tag Team Titles, with commentary saying this kind of match has NEVER happened before, about ten minutes after we saw it in the same collection. Primo and Morrison start things off with Primo getting in a headstand in the corner, setting up a hurricanrana to send Morrison outside. The beating lets Primo get two and it’s Carlito coming in for a double slingshot drop. Carlito misses a shot of his own though and it’s off to Miz for his Wrestlemania in-ring debut.

This goes as badly as you would expect, with Carlito knocking him down and hitting a double springboard flip dive. Morrison grabs Carlito by the hair though and throws him outside, nearly triggering a brawl with the lumberjacks. Back in and Carlito gets caught in a double hot shot for two and Miz grabs a chinlock. Carlito fights up for a double knockdown and does it again with Morrison, which is enough to bring Primo back in to clean house.

Some flips set up a dropkick (as Miz might not have been in position in time) but Morrison is right back in with the Flying Chuck for two. Everything breaks down and Carlito spears Miz through the ropes, leaving Morrison to roll through Primo’s high crossbody for two more. Morrison tries a reverse suplex but Primo flips over into a Backstabber in a sweet counter for the pin and the titles at 8:22.

Rating: B-. This was a more traditional match as the lumberjacks were barely a factor. The Colons winning was a nice way to go as it’s a bit of a surprise and a fun surprise to start the night. If nothing else, the finish was more than good enough to make for a big ending. Good stuff here, and one of the better pre-show matches to date.

From Wrestlemania XXIV.

Battle Royal

Elijah Burke, The Miz, Chuck Palumbo, Snitsky, Deuce, Tommy Dreamer, Shannon Moore, Jamie Noble, Kofi Kingston, Festus, Cody Rhodes, Lance Cade, Hardcore Holly, Jesse, Stevie Richards, Trevor Murdoch, The Brian Kendrick, The Great Khali, Jimmy Wang Yang, Domino, Mark Henry, Val Venis, Kane, Jim Duggan

For an ECW Title shot on the main card. It’s a brawl to start and Deuce and Domino are both out in a hurry. Khali chops away at some people as Tazz recommends hiding in the corner. There goes Duggan and Burke knocks out Richards, only to get tossed by Kane. It’s time for the required Kane vs. Khali fight before Miz is eliminated. Henry dumps out Yang and Moore and Jesse follows them both. There goes Murdoch and Festus is out, followed by Kendrick in a big crash.

Henry easily throws Kingston out and Palumbo tosses Noble…who lands on Kingston and climbs back inside (so THAT’S where Kingston learned it). Then he’s tossed out again. A bunch of people get together to toss Khali and Snitsky gets rid of Holly. We’re down to Kane, Snitsky and Henry, with the fans getting WAY into this. Snitsky spends too much time glaring and gets knocked out by Henry, leaving us with two. Henry’s gorilla press is broken up and Kane kicks him out for the win and the title shot (he would win the title in about ten seconds) at 6:22.

Rating: C. The important thing here is they kept it moving rather than waiting around for a long time. These things are only going to have a small handful of realistic winners so clearing them out that fast is a good way to go. ECW needed some bigger stars and Kane certainly fits the bill so this was a nice cross between smart and efficient.

From Wrestlemania XXIX.

Intercontinental Title: The Miz vs. Wade Barrett

Miz is challenging and kicks away in the corner, only to get hit in the face to cut that off. Barrett hammers away, shouts about Miz’s lack of awesomeness, but can’t hit the Wasteland. Miz can’t get the Skull Crushing Finale either though and Barrett is back with a swinging Boss Man Slam for two. The Bull Hammer misses though and Miz gets the Figure Four, giving us a reminder that Ric Flair gave the hold to the Miz. In case you hadn’t praised Flair enough recently you see. Barrett makes the rope and hits the Wasteland for two, only to get caught in the Figure Four for the tap and the title at 4:08.

Rating: C. Nothing much to see here, but at least we got a nice tribute to Ric Flair, who has absolutely nothing to do with this match. The match was just there for the sake of a moment to fire the fans up to start, as Miz would lose the title back to Barrett the next night. I like the idea of a Miz face run, but it wasn’t exactly working here, with the Figure Four not helping things.

From Wrestlemania XXVI.

Battle Royal

Mark Henry, Shad Gaspard, JTG, Goldust, Yoshi Tatsu, Santino Marella, Primo, Kung Fu Naki, Slam Master J., Jimmy Wang Yang, Chris Masters, Vladimir Kozlov, Great Khali, Finlay, William Regal, Luke Gallows, Carlito, Tyler Reks, Zack Ryder, Lance Archer, Mike Knox, Caylen Croft, Trent Beretta, Tyson Kidd, David Hart-Smith, Chavo Guerrero

The NXT rookies come out to watch from the stage and more than a few of them would go on to be bigger than a lot of the people int his match. Primo and J are both out in a hurry as there are too many people in there to be able to focus. Henry tosses Beretta and Croft, followed by Chavo. Khali chops Henry out and then a bunch of people get together to toss him out. Cryme Tyme gets rid of Gallows and then Shad tosses JTG in a funny moment. We slow way down until Masters, Kidd, Smith and Kozlov are thrown out in a row.

Funaki, Goldust, Regal, Gaspard and Regal all go out in a hurry and Santino Hulks Up, meaning it’s a sting of Cobras. Finlay cuts that off and tosses him out, followed by Yang and Archer going out as well. Hornswoggle comes in and helps Finlay hit various people with the shillelagh before Carlito is tossed. We’re down to Finlay, Knox, Ryder and Tatsu, with Ryder eliminating Knox and Finlay at once. Tatsu clotheslines Ryder to the apron and then kicks him out for the win at 8:31.

Rating: C. Nothing to the match, as you probably expected, but Tatsu is the kind of fun guy that you want winning something like this. If you don’t have someone local to win the match, let someone young and energetic like Tatsu take it instead. It didn’t exactly lead anywhere for him, but it also didn’t hurt anyone so go with something entertaining.

Sidenote: Tatsu’s music was so freaking catchy!

From Wrestlemania XIX.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Chief Morley/Lance Storm vs. Kane/Rob Van Dam

Morley/Storm are defending and have the Dudley Boyz in their corner, albeit the Dudleys are not here voluntarily. It’s a brawl to start with Kane and Van Dam clearing the ring without much trouble. Van Dam hits a big running flip dive to take the champs out and we take a break.

Back with Morley grabbing a chinlock on Van Dam before missing a middle rope elbow. Kane comes in to clean house, including the side slam and top rope clothesline to Storm. Van Dam kicks Morley down and the chokeslam plants Storm. The Five Star is broken up but the Dudleys give Storm a 3D…and deck Van Dam to give Storm the pin at 5:41.

Rating: C+. This could have been on any given episode of Raw and, believe it or not, Kane and Van Dam won the titles the next night in a three way match. Kane and Van Dam worked well together and it makes sense to see them getting in a spot like this. Nice match, albeit with an ending that could have been a lot happier given what was happening the next day.

Overall Rating: C. This is a weird thing to see as the matches aren’t supposed to be show stealers or anything close. They’re designed to be there for the sake of getting the crowd warm without spending a lot of time or burning through a big match. The battle royals were fun enough and that’s all this was supposed to be. It’s nothing mind blowing and nothing that hasn’t been seen before, but I’ve seen far worse historic flashbacks.

 

 

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Wrestlemania XXXII
Date: April 3, 2016
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Attendance: 101,763
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton

We had to get here again at some point. I sat in the stadium last year for the better part of seven hours watching this show and was pretty entertained for the most part. However, since then I’ve thought back on it a few times and it seems to go all downhill from there. I’m not sure what to expect from this one other than it’s going to take a few days to get through. Let’s get to it.

As we get ready for the pre-show matches, the place might be 10% full at this point as there was some confusion in opening the gates. There were no lines and it was just a sea of humanity trying to get inside.

Pre-Show: Ryback vs. Kalisto

Kalisto, in some ceremonial bird headpiece, is defending and this is your standard bully vs. smaller guy feud. It’s such a weird visual to see people coming to the ring with so few fans in the seats. I’m not sure if it’s going to make a difference but I expect a three part podcast from Ryback about how unfair it was to his career. We get the big staredown to show the match’s story and to show off Ryback’s new trunks.

Ryback plants him off a headlock and easily throws the champ outside. Kalisto gets in a quick bulldog for two but the kickout sends him outside. Some double knees to the chest get the same result and Ryback gets to show off by gorilla pressing Kalisto up the steps and back inside. We take a break and come back with Kalisto taking a hard elbow to the jaw for two.

A running sitout powerslam (kind of like a Michinoku Driver) gets the same and it’s time to slap at the mask. I know Ryback had some issues but he did seem to be trying to mix things up on offense. He deserves credit for trying at least and it’s true that he had some unfair breaks. I just can’t imagine it was as bad as he made it seem.

A delayed superplex is countered into a crossbody for two and the Shell Shock is countered into a quick DDT. The corkscrew crossbody gets two but Ryback plants him again. Kalisto goes to the corner and pulls a turnbuckle pad off. I’m sure you can piece the next step together but in case you’re a bit slow, Ryback goes head first into the buckle and the Salida Del Sol retains the title at 8:57.

Rating: C. Despite the surprise when the title didn’t change hands, this was a snappy little match with the power vs. speed working quite well. Kalisto is the kind of guy who can perform well against anyone and Ryback’s power was a perfect foil. Ryback is still one of the more interesting what if’s in recent years but it’s pretty clear that the guy isn’t all there sometimes, which can make for some messy negotiations.

Team Total Divas vs. Team B.A.D. and Blonde

Total Divas: Natalya, Brie Bella, Paige, Alicia Fox, Eva Marie

B.A.D. and Blonde: Naomi, Lana, Summer Rae, Tamina, Emma

Yes this story is still happening for reasons I’m sure you can figure out for yourself. If nothing else, Wrestlemania is an excuse to see Brie’s legs, which you don’t get for the rest of the year. This is Lana’s only main roster match to date and uh…..yeah this works. Fox elbows the heck out of Summer to start and a sloppy tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two. We get the big ten Diva staredown and it’s off to a break because the pre-show is basically Raw.

Back from a break with Eva getting booed out of the stadium and suplexing Emma. A hard tag brings in Natalya and it’s off to Naomi for the dancing kicks. Paige comes in to play Bret to Natalya’s Neidhart (that must have made her smile) on a Hart Attack. It’s back to Emma for a wheelbarrow suplex on Paige before Lana is brought in to the pop of the match so far. Some good looking kicks drop Paige and we hear some trash talk with nothing resembling an accent.

Brie tries to come in so Lana mocks the YES chant in a nice touch. Tamina grabs a chinlock as the rapid tags continue (that’s all you can expect in something like this). A Tower of Doom is teased but instead Paige dives onto a bunch of the women at ringside. Back in and Emma stomps on Paige in the corner but a rollup sends Emma’s head into the buckle.

The hot tag brings in Brie to clean house and it’s time for the parade of secondary finishers. Naomi: “FEEL MY GLOW!!!” By that she means barely get grazed by a split legged moonsault and have Lana shoves Brie off the top. Not that it matters as Brie gets a good looking roll into the YES Lock to make Naomi tap at 11:26.

Rating: D+. Yeah the match was a mess but there’s only so much you can put on the wrestling here. With so many people and so many of them being there as eye candy, there’s only so much they can do. This is the last night for the old Divas style with people being able to use the most basic moves but mainly being there for the sake of their looks. There are FAR worse versions of this match though and this was actually fine for the circumstances.

Post match Nikki Bella comes out in her neck brace in what is supposed to be some big moment.

Usos vs. Dudley Boyz

The Dudleys are heels and refusing to use tables. It’s a brawl to start with the non-brothers cleaning house as the crowd is really filling in now. D-Von cranks on Jimmy’s neck and it’s off to Bubba for some trash talk about Rikishi. The snap punches take too long though and Jimmy gets in a superkick, setting up the hot tag to Jey. Everything breaks down and Jey takes What’s Up. Bubba calls for the tables but again takes too long, earning a double superkick. 3D is broken up as well and Jey superkicks D-Von for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: D+. Another nothing match here as we’re just getting ready for the big show and getting this stuff out of the way. You easily could have cut this match off and no one was going to notice it, especially with so little time. The Dudleys were fine at putting people over but did the Usos really need a win like this? Nothing to see here and it really could have been cut as a way to take some of the time off the main show.

Post match the Dudleyz load up some tables but get splashed through them instead. Cool visual if nothing else.

Fifth Harmony sings a very nice rendition of America the Beautiful.

The opening video focuses on the history of Wrestlemania and how it’s never been bigger than this. Various legends and legendary moments are shown, as they certainly should be. This transitions into a preview of tonight’s show, including the matches and of course a focus on the Rock’s unspecified role. Nothing out of the ordinary here but as is usually the case with these things, WWE really knows how to make these things look great. Also of note: Kelsey Grammer of all people narrates this.

I’m not a fan of his but Flo Rida’s My House is one of the catchiest theme songs they’ve had in years.

Inter-continental Title: Kevin Owens vs. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Zack Ryder vs. Stardust vs. Sin Cara vs. Sami Zayn

Owens is defending and this is a ladder match. Originally there were just four people involved but the match fell through with Stephanie making a triple threat for the title shot. That match went to a no contest so LET’S JUST THROW EVERYONE INTO THE MESS OF A MATCH. And people wonder why this title isn’t treated as anything important anymore. Sami gets a very nice pop here but Owens’ blows it away, making him the big crowd favorite.

On the other hand, Stardust (in Dusty polka dots) and Sin Cara come out to near silence, which isn’t exactly the biggest surprise. Finally, Ryder gets to hear his music played at Wrestlemania for the first time ever, which really is a cool moment. Ryder: “I’VE BEEN WAITING MY WHOLE LIFE FOR THIS!!!”

Everyone drops to the floor to start and it’s Owens left alone in the ring. As you might expect, Sami comes in with a ladder and it’s time for the Wrestlemania slugout that you know means the world to them. Kevin gets the better of it and cleans house with the ladder until Cara gets in a ladder shot of his own to take over. Ryder neckbreakers Stardust onto the ladder and Miz throws a different ladder over the top and onto Cara.

Sami and Ziggler knock Miz’s ladder over and there’s the Blue Thunder Bomb, which thankfully doesn’t have to go through the motions of a near fall. Back in and Owens backdrops Sami onto a ladder. Kevin: “THIS IS KO MANIA! GO BACK TO NXT!” Ziggler and Ryder go up but Stardust makes a save to put both guys down again. Cara does the same to Stardust and it’s Sami vs. Miz in the ring.

That doesn’t last long either as Sami dives through a ladder to take out four people at once, followed by the diving tornado DDT on Owens. Cara gets shoved off the ladder but lands on the top rope into a springboard onto another pile of people. Ziggler starts the superkick party so JBL can talk about Shawn Michaels.

Owens comes back in and it’s a double superkick to put everyone down. Stardust pulls out the polka dotted ladder (The Exo Atmospheric Starbird Mark II. I’d call it Larry.) and spins it around his head, only to get caught in a Skull Crushing Finale onto said ladder. Now it’s Sami back in but charging into Kevin’s boot in the corner. A frog splash onto Sami onto a ladder bridged onto the bottom rope crushes everyone (JBL: “That’s the biggest frog I’ve ever seen.”).

Ryder doesn’t quite one up him with the Elbro off another ladder to crush Miz but it still looked cool. I’m not sure why there weren’t more flashbulbs going off either as it was quite the highspot. Ziggler faceplants Ryder off the ladder and comes up favoring his knee. The delay lets Owens powerbomb Ziggler off the ladder and Cara kicks Stardust onto a ladder bridged between the apron and the barricade.

Cara hits the big dive to put Stardust through the ladder, leaving Owens and Zayn to slug it out above the ring. Sami gets the better of it and hits the half and half suplex to drop Owens head first into a ladder (sick looking landing). That lets Sami go up until Miz shoves him over but this time Miz takes too long going up, earning himself a big shove off from Ryder, who climbs the ladder for the huge upset at 15:24.

Rating: B. It’s a fun match and the spots were great but…..RYDER??? I mean…..HE’S ZACK RYDER! As is so often the case, there were too many people in here with guys like Cara and Stardust just being there to add more bodies to the thing. Cut this down to four people (five max) and it’s WAY better but that might mean the title is treated a bit more seriously and we can’t have that. I still think this was supposed to be Neville’s spot until he broke his ankle but it doesn’t really matter.

Ryder’s dad comes in to celebrate with him for a really cool moment.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho. They traded some wins and then formed a short lived team (Y2AJ) but Jericho turned on him when they lost. Jericho was jealous over the AJ STYLES chants and wanted the respect for himself. It’s actually a solid feud and one of the matches people wanted to see, though I could have gone with not having the same match three times before.

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho drives him into the corner to start and the AJ STYLES chants are already going nice and strong. Styles gets in a hurricanrana and a snappy armdrag before sending Jericho outside. That should mean a slingshot dive but Jericho dropkicks him out of the air to take over. Back in and a neckbreaker sets up a dragon sleeper for a change of pace.

AJ tries to fight back but gets pulled down into the Walls for some good old fashioned ASK HIM/AHHHH exchanges. A rope is grabbed so AJ can hit the moonsault into a reverse DDT for two. Both guys head to the corner for a super sitout gordbuster and one heck of a crash. The Pele is countered into a Walls attempt but AJ reverses that into the Calf Crusher.

The Styles Clash is broken up and a Codebreaker gets a delayed two (with Cole making sure to say the near fall was due to the delay in a nice touch). For a change of pace, Jericho loads up AJ for the Styles Clash but gets planted face first for two instead. A rollup exchange sets up the real Styles Clash for two and the springboard 450 gets the same. With nothing else left, AJ heads to the apron and loads up the Phenomenal Forearm, only to have Jericho shove the referee away and catch Styles with the Codebreaker for the pin at 17:08.

Rating: B. Another long match here with an interesting choice for the ending. I know Jericho went on to have one of the best years of his career but at this point he’s just Jericho and Styles hasn’t even been in the company for three months yet. This continues to feel like booking for the sake of the surprise, which is almost never a good thing. Still though, would you expect anything other than very good from these two for seventeen minutes?

Maria Menunos interviews Zack Ryder and talks about getting to take a picture with Razor Ramon and his Intercontinental Title when he was a kid. Tonight though, he and Ramon are taking a picture with RYDER’S Intercontinental Title. I’m not sure if that’s a better line than waiting your whole life for this but Ryder is nailing it tonight.

New Day vs. League of Nations

New Day comes out in a huge box of BootyO’s which tips over….to reveal them in Dragon Ball Z costumes, complete with a tail on Woods. This was originally a Tag Team Title match but was changed to a handicap match before switching to a six man (Sheamus/Alberto Del Rio/Rusev for the League with King Barrett in the corner) for no apparent reason. I mean, other than having New Day lose or something crazy like that. Also, make no mistake about it: New Day was by FAR the most popular merchandise choice of the weekend. You would see that blue shirt all over Dallas and nothing was anywhere near as common.

Kofi and Sheamus start things off as we hear about New Day holding the titles for over 200 days. Somehow they’re not even at the halfway point. Sheamus gets taken down into the corner for the Unicorn Stampede and Woods starts in with some tromboning. Xavier comes in and gets beaten down as JBL has the nerve to compare these two to the Freebirds and the Horsemen.

Sheamus gets in the forearms to the beat of NEW DAY SUCKS and it’s off to Rusev for a running flip senton. Woods sends Del Rio to the floor in a big crash but Sheamus is over there to takes New Day off the apron in a smart move. Not that it matters as Kofi gets the hot tag a few seconds later and house is cleaned again. Trouble in Paradise is broken up and Rusev adds a kick to the head of his own for two.

The fans try to get an UP UP DOWN DOWN chant going and Big E. tags himself in for some suplexes. The spear through the ropes takes out Sheamus, Rusev and Barrett but it does the same to Big E., who thankfully didn’t break his neck. Back in and Woods drops a top rope double stomp for two on Sheamus. Del Rio makes a save and hits a scary double stomp off the apron to crush Kofi. That leaves Woods alone to take the Bull Hammer from Barrett to give Sheamus the pin at 10:02.

Rating: D+. Ok they’re trolling us now right? The League of Nations is one of the most worthless stables in a LONG time and they’re beating one of the most over groups in recent memory? I know it’s designed to set up the post match shenanigans but there are multiple ways to do the same thing without beating New Day. It’s even worse when you consider the group was split less than a month later.

Post match Barrett says there are no three men who can beat them. Cue Shawn Michaels (nearly causing the wife to jump out of the upper deck), Mick Foley and Steve Austin (he’s a bit too big of a star for this group) for the beatdown. The moment is cool but Cole talking about how great of a moment this is feels so stupidly forced. Anyway, house is quickly cleaned (and apparently Austin further injures his already destroyed shoulder in the process). New Day gets back in and dancing ensues with Shawn and Steve getting into it…..until it’s a Stunner for Woods. Beer is quickly consumed.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose. Lesnar is the Beast and needs someone to fight him so Dean was like “eh I’ll do it.” This led to one heck of a beatdown so Ambrose was given some weapons by various hardcore legends (barbed wire bat from Foley and a chainsaw from Terry Funk) because this is a no holds barred street fight.

Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar

Anything goes and Heyman gives Brock a big, over the top intro. JBL gives us a good example of trying to be too smart by calling Lesnar a former NWA Champion (assuming he means NCAA), which of course he never won. Brock hits the first suplex inside of ten seconds and the huge video screen above the ring kept count (It had been all over the place all night with unicorns for the New Day and various three camera shot replays. In other words, it was annoying in a hurry.).

We hit the third German suplex forty five seconds in and Ambrose is on the floor. A few kendo stick shots annoy Lesnar so he rolls two more suplexes. Brock breaks the stick over his knee and there’s number six. Ambrose can barely move so he gives the referee a thumbs up and there are numbers seven and eight before we’re even five minutes into the match. Dean slaps him in the face….and gets suplexed again.

With nothing else to do, Lesnar offers Dean a free shot with the stick, which Brock then stands on. That earns him a low blow (Ambrose: “THAT’S HILARIOUS!”) and now the stick shots work a bit better. Dean goes outside and finds a chainsaw (Heyman’s eyes bug out) but that means a tenth suplex. A laptop off Lesnar’s face allows Dean to chair him a few times, only to have Brock run the ropes for a belly to belly superplex. Dean’s next trick is a fire extinguisher blast to the face followed by some lame chair shots to the ribs.

A dropkick to send the chair into Lesnar’s face works a bit better and the top rope chair drop gets two. For some reason Dean throws in about ten chairs, which he then goes sailing over off another German suplex. The F5 is countered into a DDT onto (or close to) a chair for two. Now it’s time for the barbed wire baseball bat but it’s another German suplex onto the chairs. An F5 onto them is enough to put Dean away at 12:50.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t as bad as I remember it but they made it very clear that Ambrose wasn’t on Lesnar’s level or really close to it for that matter. There’s only so much you can do when Lesnar is out there doing nothing but suplexes (other than those and an F5, I actually can’t think of anything else he did in the match) and Dean ran into that problem here. This could have been a lot worse but a little more offense from Ambrose would have been appreciated.

Ric Flair teaches Ryder how to Woo but it turns out to be a Snickers commercial. Ryder takes a bite….and turns into Charlotte. Yeah I don’t get it either but I think Charlotte is the new Intercontinental Champion.

Hall of Fame time with a pretty good class:

Godfather (So completely out of place here.)

Stan Hansen (How was he not in already?)

Big Boss Man (That’s perfectly fine.)
Jacqueline (Fine, just don’t let her talk.)

Joan Lunden (Warrior Award, which seems to have been forgotten this year.)

Fabulous Freebirds (You could argue they were the headliners.)

Snoop Dogg (Harmless. Not exactly PG but harmless.)

Sting (Only entrance and the loudest reaction.)

We go back to the Kickoff Show with Lita unveiling the new WOMEN’S Title (meaning the Divas era is finally over). Oh and remember that this is completely different than the original Women’s Title, meaning it actually has its own lineage.

We recap the Women’s Title match with a really cool WWE Network themed video. It’s a search for Women’s Champions which shows some famous names before a Women’s Revolution search brings up the three of them (with Stephanie’s screeching narration of course). This gets the music video treatment, which it actually deserves.

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

The title is officially vacant coming in though Charlotte never lost the Divas Title. Banks has Snoop Dogg (her real life cousin) rap her to the ring, which should guarantee her winning the title here. She also has Eddie Guerrero inspired gear and actually looks better in the tights than the trunks. Charlotte (still wearing the Divas Title) has Ric Flair in her corner and debuts the blue gear, with the robe being made from the robe Flair wore in his final match. That’s a very good thing as she rocks the heck out of that outfit. Lita is holding the new title and after the Big Match Intros we’re ready to go.

Everyone trades rollups to start in a fast and pretty athletic sequence until Charlotte kicks Becky in the face. That earns a nice round of applause and you can tell the women are ready tonight. A hurricanrana sends Charlotte across the ring and Sasha throws in an Eddie dance. They botch (not bad) a sunset flip/German suplex spot before Charlotte it sent outside, leaving Sasha to elbow Becky in the face.

Charlotte pulls Sasha outside though and gives her something like a wheelbarrow suplex onto the apron. Back in and Becky (with a lot of eye makeup) grabs an arm trap reverse DDT for two on Charlotte and we hit the cross armbreaker. Flair gets on the apron like a good pop though and it’s time for the Figure Four. That also means that it’s time for Sasha to come in with a frog splash for the save.

Becky grabs something like a Rock Bottom for two on Charlotte and rolls Sasha up for the same. In the first big spot of the match, Sasha dives through the ropes to flip onto Charlotte (possibly catching her foot on the ropes but it didn’t seem to change much). Becky TAKES OUT FLAIR, drawing one of the biggest pops of the night. With Becky and Sasha staggered, Charlotte goes up top and moonsaults onto both of them (looked sweet) for maybe the biggest spot in the history of women’s wrestling.

Back in and double Natural Selection gets a double near fall, much to Charlotte and Ric’s collective frustration. Charlotte loads Sasha up into an electric chair but Becky comes in with a missile dropkick for two on Sasha. The Disarm-Her has Charlotte in trouble until Sasha makes the save with the Bank Statement.

That brings Charlotte back in with the Figure Four on Banks, which is upgraded into the Figure Eight until Becky pulls them to the ropes. Charlotte spears Banks down but gets taken to the top for one heck of a superplex. Banks gets up and goes for the Bank Statement, only to be sent outside so Charlotte can grab the Figure Eight (with Flair holding Banks’ foot) to make Becky tap at 16:08.

Rating: A-. Match of the night so far by a good stretch and pretty easily the best women’s match ever on the main roster to date. There were a few botches here and there but the idea that three women could have a match on par with if not exceeding a lot of the better men would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Great stuff here and FAR better than I think anyone could have hoped for (save for the logical Banks title win of course).

Charlotte poses and gets some pyro to really make this special.

You know, we’re about two hours and twenty minutes into this show and it’s on pace to be one of the best shows ever. I know there are some booking issues but other than a nothing six man (with a really fun post match segment), nothing has been bad and even that match was fine. However, there are four matches left and nearly TWO AND A HALF HOURS left in the show. I think I know where things are going to start going downhill.

The Cell is lowered for the 33^rd time in WWE history. That stat kind of pulls things back a bit no?

We recap Shane McMahon vs. Undertaker and it’s time for this show to start to unravel. So Shane came back in January and talked about how Vince and Stephanie had ruined everything. There was something about a lockbox with evidence of Vince doing something bad (never specified) and Shane threatened to open it if he didn’t get to run Raw (which he said basically meant WWE). Vince decided to put it up in a match with Shane facing Undertaker in the Cell. Undertaker’s Wrestlemania career was put on the line and that’s about it for anyone buying this as anything serious.

At the end of the day, it’s really, REALLY hard to believe that Undertaker was in any real danger against Shane, who hadn’t wrestled a single match in seven years. It’s kind of hard to buy this as a competitive match, but there’s a very good chance that this was supposed to be John Cena instead of Shane but injuries derailed the plans (a major problem all night). To their credit, this match led to something like tens of thousands of tickets being sold in a hurry so it was definitely a draw and worthy of this kind of a push.

Shane McMahon vs. Undertaker

Inside Hell in a Cell. Shane does the high energy entrance and brings his kids out to dance to the ring with him as Shane Bucks fall from the ceiling in a cool moment. Apparently Shane wants to take Undertaker’s cardio, which you know Shane has in droves due to, you know, everything that works against him. Some right hands have no effect on Undertaker so he punches Shane down with one shot. Remember: best pure striker ever in WWE, which you can add to the list of reasons this should be a squash.

Snake Eyes into the big boot have Shane reeling but he gets Undertaker to chase him and stomps away. That earns him a throw into the cage wall and the apron legdrop as this is total dominance in the first five minutes. The Last Ride gets two and the match is instantly a complete mess at 5:32. I’m sorry but there’s no way I can buy this no matter what WWE wants to tell me. That move has beaten World Champions but SHANE MCMAHON, in his mid 40s and seven years removed from his last match, kicks out of it after getting beaten up? Just….no, period.

Undertaker grabs the steps but gets pulled into a weak triangle choke. That’s countered into a chokeslam onto the steps for another two as Shane is suddenly the offspring of Super Cena and Hulk Hogan. Undertaker misses an elbow onto the steps so Shane sits on them and teases Undertaker into a drop toehold onto said steps. I don’t buy Undertaker as being that stupid, nor do I buy the cover that follows.

Shane punches him in the face off the situp so Undertaker gets him in the Hell’s Gate, which Shane reverses into a Sharpshooter. You know, because anyone can survive THREE UNDERTAKER FINISHERS IN TWELVE MINUTES. Undertaker easily powers out so Shane punches him into the corner, which is totally enough to have Undertaker in trouble. Coast to Coast into a trashcan gets two and Shane grabs….boltcutters.

He cuts the Cell open but Undertaker tackles him through the wall and onto the announcers’ table. A monitor to the head looks to set up a Tombstone onto the table but Shane reverses into a sleeper. That’s reversed with a backwards crash through the table as this is getting even more ridiculous. A toolbox to the head puts Undertaker on a table…..and Shane climbs the Cell.

The big elbow completely misses (because it would have killed Undertaker) and you can see the crash pad deflate as Shane lands. Cole: “FOR THE LOVE OF MANKIND!” It was a terrifying spot live but now it’s much more silly than anything else, which isn’t the point in a match like this. Then again this stopped being anything serious or really interesting as soon as the Last Ride only got two so it’s a moot point. Shane says bring it again so Undertaker carries him inside for the Tombstone and the pin at 30:06.

Rating: D-. WAY too long here with a match that should have been a glorified squash (which this was) that ran only about half this long. The idea that Shane could hang in there with Undertaker under these or any circumstances (including a bunch of run-ins, which never happened), is a combination of insulting and stupid.

It’s a ridiculous story (both the buildup and the match itself) and a terribly dull match with one big spot not being able to make up for anything. This was more fun live but GOOD NIGHT it does not hold up. Cut it down to twenty minutes at most and this is much better but as it is, this is horrible. On top of that, allegedly Shane was supposed to win until Undertaker shot it down, which he certainly should have done. The show has hit a major wall now and it’s going to need something special to bring them out.

Shane is taken out on a stretcher as the announcers brag about how awesome he is, which is why a lot of people don’t like seeing Shane wrestle. Yeah he’ll do a bunch of stuff but he gets WAY more credit and praise than he deserves. Shane gives a thumbs up on the way out.

Reason #1 this show crashed so hard: from the time the Cell was lowered to the time we cut away from Shane: 50:43. That’s a lot of time to spend on something that…..bleh.

The pre-show panel chats for a bit.

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Fandango, Damien Sandow, Shaquille O’Neal, Big Show, Viktor, Diamond Dallas Page, Konnor, Tatanka, Jack Swagger, R-Truth, Goldust, Curtis Axel, Baron Corbin, Adam Rose, Heath Slater, Tyler Breeze, Mark Henry, Bo Dallas, Darren Young, Kane

O’Neal is a surprise, or as much of one as you can be when his face popped up on the big screen during the other entrances. We get the big staredown between Shaq and Show but they have to stop and double chokeslam Kane. Everyone else is sent outside (none eliminated) until Fandango comes in and gets eliminated. Sandow (POP) does the same and is eliminated as well, allowing everyone else to come in and eliminate Shaq and Show. Somehow, that means we NEED to see them at Wrestlemania the next year, despite almost no one asking to see it. Everyone stands around until Page hits the Diamond Cutter on Viktor and tosses him with ease.

Konnor gets rid of Page a few seconds later as this is already pretty dull stuff. The yet to be official Golden Truth eliminates Konnor and Tatanka goes on a warpath that no one was asking for. Corbin tosses Tatanka to no reaction and Kane backdrops Swagger out. The Social Outcasts of all people clean house and get rid of Goldust and Truth. We get a victory lap until Kane and Corbin get rid of Rose and Axel.

We’re down to Corbin, Kane, Young, Breeze, Henry and Dallas with Kane chokeslamming Baron. Henry comes back in after being on the floor for six minutes to eliminate Slater and Breeze to get us down to five. Kane and Young (the oddest couple until….Young and Bob Backlund I guess) get rid of Henry before Kane dumps Dallas and Young. Corbin sneaks in from behind though and eliminates Kane to win at 9:43 and set off the NXT chants.

Rating: D. This was your annual “hey we still have jobs” battle royal but for once they let someone have the win to elevate them up the card. Corbin hits the ground running and odds are he’s going to be challenging for the Intercontinental Title at next year’s show. That’s how you introduce a star and it worked very well. The battle royal itself didn’t though with too many dead spots, but at least they kept the pace up after the first year’s was over thirteen minutes and last year’s was over eighteen.

Wrestlemania XXXIII is in Orlando.

Here are the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders to perform, which is never a bad thing. They’re followed by something that’s a bit more hit or miss: Rock’s annual Wrestlemania appearance. This time it’s a bit different though because he has a FLAMETHROWER. He lights a ROCK sign on fire and this eats up even more time on a show already over three and a half hours long with the main event to go.

After the long entrance and some standing around, Rock FINALLY says his first words nearly eight minutes after the cheerleaders started. We get some crowd praising and talk of Rock babies as there’s a loud echo on everything Rock says (kind of cool because of just how big the place is) and the new attendance record of 101,763 is announced. Yeah I know it’s probably not quite that high and much like in 1987, I really don’t care that much.

Rock says it’s about to get good…and we’ve got Wyatts. Thankfully this means we get the Fireflies in the stadium, which was one of the coolest visuals I’ve ever seen. It actually lit up the ring, which is pretty impressive for a bunch of phones. Bray introduces himself and says he chose Rock because Rock represents a lie. Rock is supposed to be the People’s Champion but this is Bray’s moment. He’s going to eviscerate Rock on the grandest stage of them all and the people have to watch.

Rock mocks the eviscerating line and thinks Bray has been hitting the bong. We get some jokes about Rowan and Strowman (Is this where Rock buried Bray? I never can tell with these things.) before Rock praises Bray for having it all (BURIAL! HE’S BURYING HIM! SOMEONE GET A SHOVEL TO HELP BRAY!) and getting 100,000 people on their feet. Rock accuses Bray of eating Hot Pockets but Bray says he’s here to kick the door down. However, Rock has an idea: let’s have a match! We get a referee and Rock says pick any Family member as he takes off the workout gear to reveal trunks.

The Rock vs. Erick Rowan

Rock Bottom, six seconds. Again, I saw this called Rock burying the Wyatts. You know, because people are worried about ERICK ROWAN needing protection.

The Family surrounds Rock and heeeere’s Cena for the save. House is cleaned, signature moves are hit and Rock welcomes Cena back (he would be back in about a month) to FINALLY end this, 28:15 after the cheerleaders came out (I’m keeping time for a reason in case you couldn’t tell).

It’s 11:03pm so let’s recap the main event. Roman Reigns was World Champion but HHH couldn’t get him to go corporate so it’s Austin vs. Vince again. HHH made Reigns defend the title in the Royal Rumble, which he of course entered and won to set up this match. People really weren’t all that interested but you knew this was going to happen several months back. You know, because THIS TIME FOR SURE it’s going to get Reigns over.

WWE World Title: Roman Reigns vs. HHH

HHH is defending and here’s Stephanie in what I think is a Mad Max look. It’s a closeup of her face in front of a barren wasteland as she talks about how this is their world and we’re all just living in it. Basically all hope is lost and we need to give up on this ridiculous belief that anyone can save us from the Authority.

Then an army of people in skull masks (NXT wrestlers with Enzo Amore at the front) carrying WWE Titles comes to the ring to set up HHH’s entrance where Stephanie gets to show off her legs. Again, just like the last two years, the big face gets to follow this rather cool (and over the top) HHH entrance. But hey, at least we get the annual HHH is Cool moment right?

As ridiculous (and as much as they’re begging the fans to boo them instead of Reigns) as this is, it’s NOTHING compared to the outright hatred that Reigns receives. The man is booed out of Texas and allegedly the audio had to be turned down in response. If that’s true…..I really wouldn’t be surprised.

Since these two can’t stand each other, they go to a headlock and armbar to start. The fans unload on Reigns when he shoulders HHH, only to get hiptossed to the floor. Back in and HHH works on the arm some more until Reigns shoves him into the corner for more incredible booing. A lockup goes nowhere as this is already starting to look like one of HHH’s disastrous main events.

Some hard forearms to the back of Reigns’ head put him down. The comeback is so soundly booed that it’s almost comical. A Stunner over the top rope sets up the apron dropkick for one on the champ. Stephanie offers a quick distraction so HHH can get in a low blow (FACE POP) and Reigns goes down again. HHH goes with some hard right hands to the face and the spinebuster gets two.

They head outside with HHH sending him face first into the announcers’ table (which he did a few weeks back to break Reigns’ nose). Another comeback is cut off and Reigns is thrown into the German announcers. Back in and Reigns uppercuts him out of the air and hammers away, only to have HHH bail from the Superman Punch. They trade whips into the steps until Reigns spears him through the barricade for almost no reaction. This is basically the same problem as HHH vs. Jericho in 2002: there’s no reason to believe the champ has a chance so there’s no reason to care until Reigns hits a spear in the ring.

Back in again and Reigns is holding his arm but HE’LL CONTINUE! And without a thirty minute nap like at the Rumble! Oh he’s got his working boots on tonight. HHH puts on a Fujiwara armbar of all things because the main event of Wrestlemania with a match that’s supposed to be based on hatred is built around a bad arm. See, when Daniel Bryan did that, it was entertaining. When Reigns is doing it, the fans are cheering the evil villain.

Reigns powers out of something like the Rings of Saturn but can’t knock the confetti off of HHH’s head. It’s back to the armbar until Reigns FINALLY gets the break with a powerbomb. That goes nowhere so WE HIT ANOTHER ARMBAR BECAUSE THIS MATCH NEEDS TO BE ALL LONG AND EPIC AND STUFF! Another powerbomb breaks the hold again but the spear is countered into a Pedigree which is countered into a backdrop to the floor.

The fans start singing to placate their boredom until the spear gets….no count because Stephanie pulls the referee out. Now Stephanie gets in to yell at the referee, earning herself a spear and turning Reigns into the biggest star in the world (for about thirty seconds). If my memory serves me right, she hasn’t taken a bump in nearly a year since then, or really had anything bad happen to her that lasted more than a day or two.

The Pedigree gives us the first hot near fall of the match and it’s the Superman Punch to drop HHH. The second spear is broken up with a knee and Stephanie hands HHH the sledgehammer (She took a spear less than four minutes ago so OF COURSE she’s capable of doing that. This woman is scary.). Not that it matters as another Superman Punch and the spear give Reigns the title back at 27:04.

Rating: D. And a lot of that is just for having the guts to go out there and do a match this boring in this spot on this show. This match was twelve minutes of HHH working on the arm and then getting into the main event style that went exactly where we knew it was going. The lack of drama or really anything interesting (save for that Stephanie spear) killed this and there was no recovering given how long the thing ran.

This needed to be about fifteen minutes shorter and we would have had the same result: Reigns winning and getting booed out of the building because people just don’t want to see him in this spot. There was a total lack of hatred and violence here and it really dragged things down, which is far too often the case for any given HHH match. It’s one of the worst Wrestlemania main events ever and there’s really no way around that.

A quick celebration sets up the traditional long music video to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: D. I can’t think of a single show that is so completely different from the first half to the second. The worst thing about the first few matches is the booking with the worst match being a somewhat dull six man tag. If you cut this off after the Women’s Title, this is one of the better pay per views I’ve seen in several years.

Then the Cell was lowered, kicking off the last “four” matches (counting Rock vs. Rowan) and the long segment. When you add up the Cell, the Rock segment and the main event, they all combined for over two hours. That’s two REALLY bad matches and a segment that went on far too long (but was entertaining at times) adding up to an episode of Smackdown. Clip off fifteen minutes from Shane vs. Undertaker (and another five from the intro/post match stuff), ten from Rock’s stuff (say, him playing with a flamethrower) and AT LEAST ten off the main event and this is instantly a less horrible show.

Unlike most pay per views, Wrestlemania is almost exclusively remembered for two to three matches more often than not. Therefore, it’s a major problem when your two main matches are long and rather horrible. It was hard to keep interest in this show even sitting in the stadium and that should not happen. There’s a lot of good stuff in the first half though and switching the order up would have helped out a lot. Unfortunately that’s completely the opposite of what they did as it was all stupid booking overshadowing the good and then REALLY bad stuff covering the rest of the show.

It’s easy to see why this show is remembered so poorly when the second half is just such a wreck. It felt like a huge way to have the fans get annoyed while WWE laughs and says “we’ve got all your money”. You shouldn’t leave Wrestlemania talking about how bad the show was when there was so much good going on. The bad completely outweighs the good here and there was no way anything else was going to be remembered. Awful show that lives down to its reputation.

Ratings Comparison

Zack Ryder vs. Stardust vs. Sin Cara vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler

Original: B

Redo: B

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho

Original: B

Redo: B

New Day vs. League of Nations

Original: C-

Redo: D+

Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose

Original: D+

Redo: C+

Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks

Original: B+

Redo: A-

Shane McMahon vs. Undertaker

Original: D

Redo: D-

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Original: D

Redo: D

The Rock vs. Erick Rowan

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

HHH vs. Roman Reigns

Original: D

Redo: D

Overall Rating

Original: C-

Redo: D

Oh yeah I was still feeling the in-person vibe when I watched this back the first time. A C- is WAY too generous.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2016/04/08/wrestlemania-xxxii-strap-yourselves-in-this-is-a-long-one/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

Wrestlemania XXXI
Date: March 29, 2015
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Attendance: 76,976
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jerry Lawler

I haven’t watched this one in a few years so it seemed like a good way to go for the redo this year. This show feels like a lifetime ago and is built around Roman Reigns’ rocket push towards the main event where he will challenge Brock Lesnar. Other than that, we have the insane to imagine Sting vs. HHH showdown, which I’m sure will be a mat classic. Let’s get to it.

Before we get into the Kickoff Show matches, an interesting note: since Peacock has taken away the Kickoff Shows, I went to WWE’s YouTube page to watch the Kickoff Show matches there. The Kickoff Show is available…..but the matches have been edited out, despite the talking heads hyping them up. Unless I’m mistaken, the matches aired on YouTube in the first place, so who in the world decided to edit them out here? I’d love to hear the rationale for some of WWE’s decisions at times, because they can be downright baffling.

I say it every time I see anything from this show but DANG that stage is huge.

Kickoff Show: Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Tyson Kidd/Cesaro vs. Los Matadores vs. New Day

Kidd and Cesaro, with Natalya, are defending, one fall to a finish, Naomi is here with the Usos, El Torito is here with Los Matadores and it’s Big E./Kofi Kingston for New Day. The outdoor light is still weird to see but it’s a cool visual. Cesaro and Kofi start things off but Diego tags himself in. That’s too much for Cesaro, who drives Jey into the barricade to take him out (with JBL confirming a shoulder injury almost immediately).

Kofi monkey flips Diego down for two and it’s Cesaro coming in as Jey is taken out. Cesaro grabs the chinlock but Kofi is up in a hurry as they can’t waste time here. The Cesaro Swing into Kidd’s dropkick rocks Kofi and Kidd kicks Kofi over for the tag to Jimmy. With four people in a corner each, Jimmy hits a bunch of running Umaga Attacks, leaving Kofi to hit a heck of a dive off the top to take out Fernando.

Jimmy superkicks Kidd for two but a Big E. blind tag lets him launch Kofi into a double stomp for two on Cesaro. Back up and the apron superplex brings Big E. in again, this time setting up a slingshot splash from Diego. Los Matadores hit a sunset bomb/Backstabber combination for two on Kingston, leaving the seconds to get into it on the floor. Natalya gets the Sharpshooter on Torito, setting up Naomi and Jimmy to hit stereo running dives.

Back in and the Big Ending gets two Diego with a few people making the save. Big E. suplexes Fernando but Jimmy breaks up the Big Ending with a superkick. Kofi comes back in for Trouble in Paradise to Kidd and everyone goes to the corner. That means the required Tower of Doom, leaving Jimmy to Superfly Splash Big E…..but Cesaro comes in to steal the pin at 9:58.

Rating: B-. This is one of those matches that works every time I see it because they had a bunch of people in there flying around as fast as they could for about ten minutes. It worked very well because of the talent involved and it’s nice to see Cesaro get another big Wrestlemania win. Really smart choice for the opener here (much like the previous year’s four way tag) and the stage (even the really big one) is set for the rest of the night.

Kickoff Show: Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Curtis Axel, Diego, Kane, Jack Swagger, Titus O’Neil, Goldust, Tyson Kidd, Alex Riley, Erick Rowan, Ryback, Mark Henry, Fandango, Fernando, Xavier Woods, Darren Young, Jimmy Uso, Cesaro, Damien Mizdow. Viktor, Hideo Itami, Adam Rose, Konnor, The Miz, Big Show, Big E, Heath Slater, Zack Ryder, Bo Dallas, Sin Cara, Kofi Kingston,

Axel stops to tear off the Axelmania shirt and is quickly sent out by the mob. Rose and Fandango eliminate each other and Show chops Itami, who won a tournament in NXT to get his spot. Miz and Mizdow (in the stunt double phase) double team Riley for the elimination and Dallas dumps out Ryder, only to get tossed by Itami. Show puts Itami out with the big right hand, earning a lot of booing.

Kane gets rid of Fernando and Diego and Cesaro does the same to Cara. There goes Kidd as the eliminations are coming in a hurry. The Ascension manages to dump Henry (possibly their main roster highlight) but Ryback tosses both of them. Ryback tosses Young and Slater but Titus runs him over. That earns Titus an elimination and Show knocks out Swagger.

New Day triple teams Big Show, who eliminates all three from the apron. Rowan and Goldust are out as well and Kane chokeslams Miz and Mizdow (not out). Cesaro slams Kane out ala Show last year and Show gets rid of Uso. That leaves Cesaro to go after Show but he can’t slam him this time, allowing Show to dump him out. Ryback drops Show but charges into the elimination.

We’re down to Ryback, Miz and Mizdow, with the fans going nuts for Mizdow. The split is teased and Mizdow listens to the fans by dumping Miz and shouting that he quits. That leaves Show vs. Mizdow and the fans are right behind him again. Mizdow skins the cat to avoid an elimination and gets Show upside down on the top….but then Show powers him up and out for the win at 18:07.

Rating: D+. They kept it moving despite how much time it had, but between Itami being completely wasted in the whole thing and the storyline of “Big Show has never won a battle royal” (except he had) and the fans BEGGING for Mizdow to get the win, this was a hard one to sit through. Show would use his newfound momentum (which he totally needed) by not winning another match for two and a half months.

Aloe Blacc sings America the Beautiful.

The opening video is narrated by LL Cool J, who talks about how we have all been connected for years. It has been the case from radio to television to the internet but the one constant has been us. We have those moments where we can all connect to, when we look at each other and say that was awesome. That is what Wrestlemania has done for us to shape our history. These men and women will take the biggest stage in live entertainment to move us and shape us to connect us. This is Wrestlemania. Awesome stuff here from LL Cool J, who sold the heck out of this thing.

Intercontinental Title: Daniel Bryan vs. Bad News Barrett vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper vs. Stardust vs. R-Truth

Barrett is defending in a ladder match and this is the result of the rather stupid “a bunch of people steal the title” deal. Bryan is still crazy over, as you might have guessed. It’s so bizarre seeing Brandi Rhodes as a run of the mill (yet talented) ring announcer. It’s also weird seeing Cody Rhodes as….whatever Stardust was supposed to be. Huge pop for Ambrose here too. It’s a big brawl to start with some of the people being knocked out to the floor.

Ambrose hits a suicide dive onto Harper and Barrett throws a ladder. Truth hits a running flip dive to drop Barrett but Stardust dives onto a bunch of people. Harper backdrops Ziggler onto even more people and then hits almost everyone with a dive of his own. Ambrose is the last man standing so he climbs a ladder to dive onto the pile as well. It’s Truth up first with a ladder but the fear of heights lets Barrett come in with some ladder shots.

Bryan knocks Barrett down and crushes him with the ladder in the corner. Stardust and Barrett get crushed in the corner but Harper shoves the ladder at Bryan to cut him off. This includes tying Harper in the Tree of Woe for some YES Kicks but Ziggler makes the save with a superkick this time around. Ziggler and Ambrose pull each other down and then Barrett pulls them both down at once. With Barrett dispatched, Ambrose, Ziggler and Truth go up at the same time so Stardust dropkicks the ladder out.

The CODY chants mess with Stardust so he throws the ladder over the top to hit Harper in the head for a big knockdown. With no one else up, Stardust pulls out…Exo Atmospheric Starbird, which means a glittery ladder. Barrett breaks a rung off and starts beating people with it, only to have Ambrose knock the ladder onto him. Ambrose and Harper get in the ring with some normal sized ladders but Harper goes simple with a big boot. A catapult sends Ziggler face first into a ladder and Ambrose gets dropped face first onto a ladder in the corner.

Harper puts the ladder around his neck to blast a few people until Truth takes him down. Truth busts out the huge ladder but Barrett breaks it up. Stardust goes up but the ladder isn’t in the right place, meaning Barrett can superplex him down for the huge crash. Ziggler, Bryan and Ambrose go up at the same time with Ambrose being knocked down, allowing him to turn over the ladder to knock both of them down.

That leaves Ambrose to go up but Harper hits a heck of a powerbomb through a ladder bridges between the ring and the barricade. Ziggler grabs a sleeper on Harper, who climbs anyway, until Ziggler pulls him down with a huge Zig Zag. Medics check on Ambrose as Barrett has to pull Ziggler off the ladder into a Bull Hammer.

There’s another one to Stardust and another to knock Truth off the ladder. Bryan breaks that up but Barrett and Ziggler knock him off as well. Bryan’s running knee drops Barrett (which is not how he won the title last year Cole) and, after winning a slugout with Ziggler on top of the ladder (including a nasty exchange of headbutts), wins the title at 13:49.

Rating: B. This worked too, if nothing else for the sake of giving Bryan a prize to let the crowd have something to cheer about for later. Bryan is still one of the most popular stars in the company and it makes sense to start off like this. As for the match itself, it was the wild carnage that a huge ladder match like this should be, with enough people in there to keep things moving. Fun opener, which is the right way to go here. Unfortunately Bryan would have to vacate about a month and a half later and then go on the shelf for three years.

Quick bit of trivia: this is Bryan’s fifth Wrestlemania and the fifth different title he has competed for (United States, World Heavyweight, Tag Team, WWE, Intercontinental). That has to be some kind of a record/one time occurrence.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins. Orton was the future for a long time but then HHH changed his mind and made Rollins the new future. They were both part of the Authority but HHH chose Rollins, meaning Orton was kicked out of the team. This included a Curb Stomp onto the steps to put Orton out. It’s revenge time.

Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins, Mr. Money in the Bank, has J&J Security with him. They trade headlocks to start until Orton hits a dropkick. It’s too early for the RKO so Rollins snaps his throat across the top. Orton is right back with right hands to the head but has to deal with Security….by hitting a double hanging DDT to the floor. Yeah that should work, or at least it should as Rollins uses the distraction to hit the suicide dive.

Back in and Rollins gets two off a suplex and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Orton ducks a sprinting to start the clothesline comeback. A t-bone suplex of all things sends Rollins flying but he nails an enziguri to put Orton on the floor. That means an Asai moonsault can drop Orton again and they’re both down. Back in and Rollins gets caught on top but blocks the superplex attempt.

That’s fine with Orton, who backdrops him down, setting up a high crossbody for two. The hanging DDT plants Rollins again and the RKO connects for two. Security comes in to block the Punt so it’s a pair of RKOs, which allow Rollins to hit the Curb Stomp for two of his own. Rollins has to roll out of a Phoenix splash so he tries another Curb Stomp, which is LAUNCHED into the air and pulled down into the RKO (that was GREAT and one of the best RKO counters ever) for the pin at 13:16.

Rating: C+. The match was pretty much a Raw main event but dang that ending stayed on the highlight reels for a while, as it should have. They timed it perfectly and Rollins falling down into the inevitable was great. Orton winning is a little odd as Rollins seems to be the future star, but it’s not like losing to Orton is some kind of a career killer.

Ronda Rousey is here.

We recap HHH vs. Sting and I’m still not sure I know what this is about. They said it wasn’t about WWE vs. WCW, but then Stephanie McMahon insisted that of course it was and you can’t question her, so that seems to be where we are. Or maybe it’s about Sting being the vigilante against the Authority. It’s just a big mess all around, but that’s the best thing that you can do when Sting can barely move.

HHH vs. Sting

Sting gets this big, kind of odd Japanese drum entrance. It certainly looks cool, but I have no idea what the connection to Sting is supposed to be. That’s a bit too cool though, so HHH gets a full Terminator entrance, complete with Terminators rising from the stage, armor for HHH, and a cameo from Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. Cole: “Wrestlemania is brought to you by Terminator: Genisys!” This is also a street fight (or at least pinfall/submission only), likely for the sake of things not going south in a hurry.

We get the big staredown to start and the fans instantly deem this awesome. Ok fair enough after the entrances. They stare each other down for a good while to start until Sting nails a shoulder for a knockdown. HHH is back up with a headlock takeover as they are taking it very slowly to start. A shoulder puts Sting down for a change but the crotch chop is enough to bring him back up for a dropkick. There’s the YOU STILL GOT IT chant as we’re somehow three minutes into this already.

HHH punches his way out of the corner as Cole and JBL debate Super Bowls (with Cole somehow saying that the NFL winning two of the first three meant things were even). The facebuster has no effect on Sting but it’s too early for the Scorpion Deathlock. Instead Sting whips him into and over the corner but the Stinger Splash hits the barricade (traditions are fun). JBL says this is where you find out if Sting was ever that good in the first place, because you take shots at WCW whenever you can, a mere fourteen years after the company went under.

HHH hits a delayed vertical suplex and drops the knee for two. We hit the chinlock as commentary still tries to make it about WCW, which is a pretty good illustration of why younger fans don’t watch WWE as much these days (You would have to be……twenty here to have any vague memory of Sting in WCW? Thirty for when he was still good?). HHH comes back with the spinebuster for two but Sting grabs the legs and puts on the Scorpion (not a great one but still better than the awful ones in TNA)….and here’s DX, this time in the form of the New Age Outlaws and X-Pac.

Sting lets go to beat them up and then backdrops HHH out to the floor. That means the big Sting dive, easily the best looking thing that he has done so far (and one of the best in years). Cole: “WE WERE BEGGING TO SEE THAT IN THE MONDAY NIGHT WAR!” Yeah picture lines like that for the whole match. Back in and HHH hits the Pedigree (JBL: “HE LOST TWO WARS!”) for two, giving us the stunned look on the kickout.

HHH busts out the sledgehammer but the NWO (Hollywood Hogan/Kevin Nash/Scott Hall, all close personal longtime friends of Sting of course) taking their very sweet time, comes out for the save. As weird as it is to see Hogan punching X-Pac, the distraction lets Sting hit the Death Drop for two. We hit the Deathlock as everyone gets in a brawl on the floor (with Nash going down and grabbing his leg, which has to be a rib). HHH finally makes the rope (JBL: “THIS IS US VS. THEM!”) and here is Shawn Michaels to superkick Sting.

That gives HHH a delayed two as the fans deem this awesome. HHH gets the sledgehammer again so Sting backs up, allowing Hall to hand him the baseball bat (that’s a great visual, but I don’t think a wooden bat would have much of a chance). A bat shot to the ribs puts HHH down and another breaks the sledgehammer in half. Sting unloads in the corner and hits the Stinger Splash but a second attempt is knocked out of the air by the sledgehammer for the pin at 18:37.

Rating: C+. I’m really torn on this one as I loved the heck out of it live but egads this doesn’t hold up on another viewing. The huge leaps in logic around the NWO, commentary being a complete nightmare and Sting losing in his big WWE debut (which led nowhere) made this a mess. The nostalgia is enough to carry it, but my goodness they did everything they could to suck the fun out of this.

Post match (and two minutes after the sledgehammer shot), Sting is up to shake HHH’s hand. Cole: “Do you think it has finally been put to bed?” The thing has been put to bed, fallen asleep, woken up and is getting ready for college by this point.

Here’s what’s coming to the WWE Network.

Daniel Bryan (interviewed by a Bushwhackers shirt wearing Maria Menunos) is proud of his win, and is congratulated by Pat Patterson, Roddy Piper (who kisses him on the head), Ricky Steamboat (who does a bad Randy Savage impression), Ric Flair (for the WOOING) and Bret Hart, all of whom do a YES chant. Ron Simmons comes in and says the catchphrase, leaving us to start YESing again. I love these wacky cameos.

Now for something I don’t love: Skyler Grey and Kid Ink. Give us a mini concert of the show’s theme song.

Some troops are watching in Tacoma, Washington.

Paige/AJ Lee vs. Bella Twins

Not much of a backstory here other than Paige/Lee being wrestlers and the Bellas being….well the Bellas. Nikki and Paige start with the brawl until Nikki grabs the Alabama Slam for two, followed by a forearm to knock AJ off the apron. Brie comes in with a missile dropkick for the same and we hit the chinlock.

The BRIE MODE running knee knocks AJ off the apron again and it’s back to Nikki for the Rack Attack. Paige fights back and knocks the Bellas to the floor for a running flip dive, setting up the hot tag to AJ. Nikki rolls through a high crossbody as Paige and Brie fight on the floor. The Black Widow has Nikki in trouble but Brie makes the save, only to get superkicked by Paige. Another Black Widow makes Nikki tap at 6:39.

Rating: C-. Another nothing match here, but this one was at least a bit more interesting as it would be AJ’s last match as she walked away after getting one more Wrestlemania payday. The match itself was just above Raw level but it’s so weird to see Paige and AJ these days. They seem like such relics of the past as the Divas Revolution just completely blew them away (even if Paige was part of it) a few months later.

We get a tale of the tape for Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns, with Cole saying a supercomputer calculated them. It took a supercomputer to tell us the titles they won, their heights and weights?

It’s time for the Hall of Fame recap and presentation for the stadium. Alundra Blayze pulling the Women’s Title out of a trashcan was a great moment. Also: “With triumphant jubilation, we celebrate his name. Finally the Macho Man is in the Hall of Fame.”

Here’s the class in the stadium:

Rikishi (nice reaction)

Larry Zbyszko (not sure how many people today will care)

Alundra Blayze (just call her Madusa already)

Family of Conor Michalek (for the Warrior Award, which isn’t what Warrior wanted it for but it’s a nice moment)

Bushwhackers (biggest reaction so far, though Butch looks ancient)

Tatsumi Fujinami (I’d say he earned it)

Randy Savage (represented by Lanny Poffo, to a nice response)

Arnold Schwarzenegger (not much of a response)

Kevin Nash (gets the full music entrance)

We recap Rusev vs. John Cena for Rusev’s US Title. Rusev actually beat Cena by knockout at Fastlane so Cena is fighting for a rematch and AMERICA. After Rusev started insulting America, Cena put him in the STF until Lana finally agreed to the title match. I think you know where this is going.

US Title: Rusev vs. John Cena

Rusev is defending….and comes out in a Russian tank (where he and Lana allegedly had some rather personal time), complete with the full military band introduction. Yeah we’re not topping that one tonight, or for a long time to come for that matter. Cena gets a Ronald Reagan speech, with clips of great American innovations and sporting moments. The crowd is not exactly thrilled to see Cena here (make your own jokes). They knock each other down for an exchange of early near falls and Rusev gets two more off of a gutwrench suplex.

The Cannonball…mostly connects for two on Cena and it’s time to wave the Russian flag. Cena is back up with some flying shoulders into the ProtoBomb and the Shuffle. It’s too early for the AA but Rusev knocks him down for two more. Rusev’s swinging spin out Rock Bottom gets two but Cena breaks up a superplex attempt. There’s the top rope Fameasser for two more as the LET’S GO LANA chants start up.

Rusev hits the jumping superkick for two, followed by Cena’s tornado DDT for the same. Back up and a jumping knee to the head drops Cena again but Cena picks the ankle into the STF. Lana throws in a shoe, which is enough of a distraction to break the hold and let Rusev hit a fall away slam. Rusev goes aerial with a top rope headbutt (that looked good too) but the kickout frustrates him even more.

The Accolade is blocked and Cena busts out a springboard Stunner of all things, which only gets another RUSEV chant. Another superkick sets up a wheelbarrow faceplant and we hit the full Accolade. This time Cena powers out and drives him into the corner, setting up another STF. Lana gets up for the distraction but Rusev runs into her by mistake and it’s the AA to give Rusev his first loss and Cena the title at 14:32.

Rating: B. This felt like a big time match and the power of AMERICA wins in the end, which is all you can ask for. Cena winning is the right call (I think), though the collective gasp if Rusev had kicked out of the AA would have been great. This would kick off the John Cena US Open Challenge though, which gave us some of the most compelling WWE TV in years so I think we can call it a success.

Post match Rusev yells at Lana as the split seems likely. JBL declares Cena’s win a win for everything that is good as we flash even further back in the 80s.

Wrestlemania XXXII is in Dallas.

Long Kickoff Show recap.

Here’s the Authority (HHH/Stephanie McMahon in this case) to announce the attendance record. Stephanie talks about being eight years old at the first Wrestlemania where her friend Andre the Giant (they pushed the heck out of that around this time) made it feel like a huge show. We hear about how globally available Wrestlemania is and thanks the Authority for making all of this possible.

HHH says he beat Sting tonight and he feels like he beat every fan here too, plus millions around the world. They owned Sting, just like they own everyone in the back and everyone here tonight because the Authority always wins. And here’s the Rock to blow the non-existent roof off of the place. Stephanie: “Ok you’re happy to see him.” Rock says the Authority doesn’t own the people or the Rock because the Rock is an East Bay Boy, as he was born in the East Bay around here.

HHH has two choices: go dress up like Terminator again or have a Wrestlemania Moment right here. The guys go fast to face and HHH talks about beating Rock most of the time, meaning he has nothing to prove. Rock says that just like he left his heart in San Francisco, HHH left his testicles in Stamford, Connecticut. That gets HHH’s jacket off and but Stephanie gets between them and says they made Rock.

Therefore Rock can leave, which he does, by slowly walking around the ring….and finding Ronda Rousey (with Shayna Baszler next to her). Ronda jumps the barricade and gets in the ring with Rock as JBL freaks out about Stephanie being in danger (don’t worry though, because she trained for the armbar and could block it when they had their match, because Stephanie). Rock says he would never hit a woman, but he has a friend who would be happy to.

Stephanie doesn’t think much of Rousey because she is a big fan of hers. Rousey doesn’t look impressed so Stephanie tells Ronda to go sit down and enjoy Wrestlemania like a nice little fan. Rousey: “Any ring I step into is mine.” She tells Stephanie to make her leave and there’s the death stare. Rock stops things to warn Stephanie what that look means. Rock: “That look Steph, means that if you keep running your mouth, she’s going to reach down your throat, and pull your insides out and play jump rope with your Fallopian tubes.”

After one of my favorite lines ever, and Rock mocking jumping rope, HHH is tired of this. The fight is on and Rousey flips HHH so Stephanie gets in her face, earning herself and arm….well just cranking because of UFC but it’s enough to make her run so Rock and Rousey can pose. This was great and the big WWE welcome to Rousey, but it would be a little while before anything came from it. Till though, awesome segment and you could feel every bit of Rousey’s star power.

We recap Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt. The Streak was broken last year and Undertaker was shaken up, so now Bray wants to be the new face of fear. Undertaker: “I’m not dead yet.” This screams bad idea but let’s do it anyway. Three notes here: I don’t believe this aired on the original broadcast due to time (and I have no notes on it elsewhere) and Bray sprained the heck out of his ankle during the intros. Also, the Peacock version of this actually includes the music, which I never would have expected.

Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt

Bray’s entrance is another odd one, as he walks by several scarecrows who come to life and follow him. The entrances are cool of course, but they lose quite a bit in the daylight. They also take the better part of ever because Bray is hurt and Undertaker is Undertaker, though that guitar solo on Bray’s entrance is always great. Also, Undertaker has grown his hair out a bit and put on some muscle for a big improvement.

After about eight minutes of entrances, including Bray looking a little scared once Undertaker actually gets in the ring, we’re ready to go. Bray shouts that this is his and gets booted in the face before the bell. Undertaker strikes away in the corner and wastes no time in starting in on the arm. Old School connects and the fans say Undertaker still has it. A clothesline puts Undertaker on the floor but he lands on his feet and pulls Bray outside as commentary talks about Undertaker being the best ever.

The apron legdrop connects and sets up Snake Eyes but Bray is ready for the big boot. Bray unloads in the corner and manages a running splash for two. We hit the chinlock for a bit, followed by a ram into the post to keep Undertaker down. Bray is limping pretty badly as Undertaker pulls him into Hell’s Gate, which is broken in a hurry. The release Rock Bottom into the backsplash crushes Undertaker again as commentary thinks this might have been a bad idea.

Sister Abigail takes way too long to set up so Undertaker grabs the throat (Bray’s OH S*** look is awesome) for a chokeslam. The Tombstone connects for two and, after Undertaker is done panicking, Sister Abigail gets the same. Bray spiders up but Undertaker sits up and glares at him with a “boy what are you thinking about” stare, sending Bray crawling back. They slug it out with Bray getting the better of things, but Undertaker counters Sister Abigail into the Tombstone for the pin at 15:12.

Rating: C. It just wasn’t all that good with neither guy looking overly impressive. Undertaker looked WAY better than he did last year, but that isn’t exactly a hard bar to clear. The other problem is that Undertaker is just kind of an old legend here instead of having the Streak be the be all and end all deal. The match was fine enough, but this one isn’t remembered for a reason.

Chris Jericho is going to do a special podcast on the Network (because Steve Austin was out with shoulder surgery) with special guest John Cena.

We recap Roman Reigns (who looks so young here) vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Title. Reigns won the Royal Rumble to continue the rocket push and suddenly was ready for Lesnar. Brock and Paul Heyman didn’t seem to agree and it was time to put Reigns in his place. This felt like a fight instead of a match and that is the only way it should have been billed.

WWE World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar is defending and the fans DO NOT like Reigns here, even as he makes the long entrance. The fans even go along with Paul Heyman’s intro of Lesnar to make the affiliation clear. Reigns charges at him and gets driven into the corner to start. Lesnar is bleeding from the cheek so it’s the first German suplex into an F5 in less than thirty seconds. Lesnar spends longer than that stalking Reigns and pounds away in the corner, setting up the release fisherman’s suplex.

The referee is already asking Reigns if he is sure about this so Reigns slugs away but Brock just stares at him for trying a clothesline. Another German suplex has Lesnar bouncing but Reigns is smiling at him. Some forearms to the back set up a belly to back suplex, allowing Lesnar to debut “SUPLEX CITY B****!” As WWE starts printing the t-shirts, Reigns hits some hard right hands but gets caught in a German suplex.

Reigns smiles at him again so there’s another German suplex to send Reigns flying. Lesnar drapes him over the top and fires off knees, with the fans deeming it awesome. A running forearm knocks Reigns off the apron and into the barricade, with Reigns barely being able to sit up. Back up and Brock charges into a knee, followed by another knee to the face. Reigns kicks him in the face so Brock SMASHES HIM with a clothesline out to the floor.

Lesnar is bleeding from the mouth now as he takes Reigns back inside for another suplex. Brock suplexes him back over the top rope so the crowd starts chanting EIGHT for the number of suplexes. The F5 gets two and Heyman’s eyes bug out as Lesnar smiles. Lesnar takes the gloves off and slaps Reigns in the face but Reigns keeps smiling. That’s too far for Brock, who snaps off more German suplexes. Another F5 gets two and now Lesnar has had it.

They head outside where Lesnar gets posted to bust him open from the forehead as well. Back in and Reigns has the look in his eyes and hits back to back Superman Punches. A third is countered into a German suplex but Reigns fights out and hits a bunch of headbutts. There’s the Third Superman Punch to FINALLY knock Lesnar down, followed by a pair of spears. The third is countered into an F5 to put everyone down…..and here’s Seth Rollins to cash in Money in the Bank and make this a triple threat!

WWE World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar is still defending. Rollins sends Reigns outside and hits a Curb Stomp on Lesnar. Another is countered into an F5 attempt but Reigns runs in with a spear to Lesnar. Rollins hits the Curb Stomp on Reigns for the pin and the title at 16:43 (plus a “thank you very much” to Reigns).

Rating: A-. This took a lot of time to get going but this was pure gold as soon as Lesnar got mad. It was one great moment after another with both of them giving it everything they had. That’s all you needed it to be and it played perfectly into the idea of a main event fight instead of a match. It’s also a great example of some brilliant booking, as WWE wanted to keep both of them strong and needed a way out. For one of the only times ever, the Money in the Bank briefcase was the perfect choice to get them out of the problem they have. It was an awesome moment to wrap up an outstanding match and easily the best thing on the show.

Rollins celebrates on the stage to a bunch of pyro to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This is kind of an odd show as there is nothing truly bad, but aside from the main event and maybe Sting vs. HHH, what is remembered here? It’s one of those Wrestlemanias that is very good on its own but had almost no long term consequences or impact. You get those every now and then but it still makes for a pretty awesome show on its own. This is definitely worth another look and I had a lot of fun with it, as long as you aren’t expecting any game changers.

Ratings Comparison

Tyson Kidd/Cesaro vs. Usos vs. New Day vs. Los Matadores

Original: C+

2015 Redo: B

2021 Redo: B-

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Original: D+

2015 Redo: D

2021 Redo: D+

Daniel Bryan vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Bar News Barrett vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper vs. R-Truth vs. Stardust

Original: B

2015 Redo: B

2021 Redo: B

Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton

Original: B

2015 Redo: B

2021 Redo: C+

Sting vs. HHH

Original: B-

2015 Redo: B-

2021 Redo: C+

AJ Lee/Paige vs. Bella Twins

Original: C+

2015 Redo: C-

2021 Redo: C-

John Cena vs. Rusev

Original: B-

2015 Redo: C+

2021 Redo: B

Bray Wyatt vs. Undertaker

Original: B

2015 Redo: C+

2021 Redo: C

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

Original: B+

2015 Redo: A-

2021 Redo: A-

Overall Rating

Original: A

2015 Redo: B+

2021 Redo: B+

Wyatt vs. Undertaker and Rollins vs. Orton have both fallen but it’s still a heck of a show.

Here is the original version if you are interested:

https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2015/03/29/wrestlemania-xxxi-shock-and-awe-shock-and-awe/

And the 2015 Redo:

https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2016/04/03/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-xxxi-2016-redo-surprise/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 10, 2025
Location: St. Joseph Civic Arena, St. Joseph, Missouri
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are a week away from Unbreakable and that means it is time to start getting ready to set up the International Title match. That means some triple threat matches, but other than that, we need some more matches set up. That’s on top of setting up Rebellion, which is coming up next month. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Ethan Page to get things going. He is surprised to be back but doesn’t care about the hillbillies here in the crowd. At Rebellion, it is time for him to FINALLY become the World Champion. He’s already beaten Joe Hendry and he’ll do it again. Cue Frankie Kazarian to interrupt but the fans tell them that they BOTH suck. Kazarian finds him arrogant and self centered and that’s something he can’t stand. The reality is that Kazarian earned his shot while Page just sucked up to Santino Marella. Cue Santino to say Hendry will be out here to address his status for Rebellion later tonight. That needed an announcement?

Steve Maclin is ready to deal with the System on the way to the International Title. Eric Young and the Northern Armory comes in to say they’ve got Maclin’s back but he wants nothing to do with them.

Mustafa Ali vs. Ace Austin

The Great Hands and Tasha Steelz are here with Ali. An early distraction lets Ali get in an early cheap shot, setting up the rolling neckbreaker for two. Austin is back up with a faceplant for two and Ali is sent outside, where a big dive takes out all of the villains. Ali isn’t having this and chairs him down for the DQ at 3:41.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do anything here as this was more about Ali snapping and getting violent than the match. Ali and Mike Santana are on their way to a big showdown sooner than later and that should be a heck of a fight. Austin doesn’t lose anything by getting taken down here so this could have been a lot worse.

Post match Ali loads up the chair but Mike Santana makes the save.

Post break Ali and company get to the car, where Santana is behind the wheel. Everyone but John Skyler get out as Santana drives away.

Moose vs. Cody Deaner

Non-title and JDC and Brian Myers are here with Moose. Hold on though as JDC offers Deaner a spot as a young boy in the System. It’s not like he’s winning matches so his children could probably use the security. Deaner puts it up to the people, who want him to fight. The other option is to him to win the X-Division Title, so Moose makes him an offer: if Deaner can last two minutes with Moose, he can have a title shot. We get a two minute clock and we’re on, with Moose planting him down. A Last Ride gets two, with Moose pulling him up. The spear misses though and Deaner runs away, setting up a dropkick to send Moose outside as time expires at 2:00.

The title match is now.

X-Division Title: Moose vs. Cody Deaner

Moose is defending and hits a spear to retain at 28 seconds.

Post match the beatdown is on but the Rascalz run in for the save.

Rascalz vs. The System

The Rascalz send Myers outside and stomp JDC down in the corner, setting up a Bronco Buster. Myers comes in to take over on Miguel and we hit the chinlock. JDC hits a hard clothesline for two and the front facelock keeps Miguel in trouble. That doesn’t last long and it’s back to Wentz to clean house. A cartwheel kick hits Myers and a dive takes him out on the floor. Everything breaks down and Myers gets suplexes back in, only for JDC to sweep/hold the leg to give Myers the pin at 6:07.

Rating: C. This was a fast enough paced match with the System getting to cheat to win in the end. That is what they are best known for doing and having them steal a win is a good way to go. The Rascalz can get some revenge later, as they aren’t likely to be happy with losing like this.

International Title Tournament First Round: AJ Francis vs. Mance Warner vs. Sami Callihan

Callihan busts out a turnbuckle hook and threatens Warner to start but Francis takes both of them down. The Down Payment is broken up though and an unpleasant alliance sends Francis outside. Callihan uses a poster to cut Warner’s hand but Francis won’t let him do it to Warner’s eye. Francis is taken down as well so Warner grabs a chair, only to lose a duel. Steph de Lander grabs Callihan’s foot, allowing Warner to chair him down. Callihan goes for Warner’s eye but Francis spears him down for the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C+. Francis winning is a good way to go, as Callihan vs. Warner can likely be a big grudge match, either at Unbreakable or Rebellion. If nothing else, Francis getting to brag about even getting close to another title is a good thing to see and suits him well. Francis is getting better at being the big monster wrestler and it’s working well.

Post break Callihan wants a Barbed Wire Massacre with Warner and the match is set for Rebellion.

Leon Slater vs. Ryan Nemeth

Slater chops away to start and knocks him to the floor but Nemeth gets in a cheap shot on the way back in. Nemeth stomps away and mocks the Hardys’ middle rope elbow. A Twist Of Fate attempt is broken up and Slater hits a handspring back elbow for two. Slater hits a 619 on the floor, followed by a slingshot dive. Nemeth grabs a chair but the Hardys come in to take it away. Slater is back with a kick to the face into a Twist Of Fate, setting up the Swanton 450 for the pin at 5:54.

Rating: C. Even though it’s over Nemeth, it’s nice to see Slater getting a win for a change. He puts over just about everyone he faces so having him win something is a necessary move. I’m not sure if this is going to lead somewhere else for him, but it’s certainly better than yet another loss.

We take a look at the Unbreakable three way from 2005 with AJ Styles beating Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe in still possibly the best match in company history.

Mike Santana has kidnapped John Skyler and threatens him with violence while suggesting that Mustafa Ali will leave him. Santana teases hitting him with a shovel but pulls up.

Eddie Edwards vs. Steve Maclin

Maclin starts fast and fires off clotheslines in the corner. They head outside where Maclin keeps up the beating but Alisha Edwards offers a distraction. Back in and Eddie hammers away as we take an early break. We come back with Maclin fighting out of a chinlock and being put in an armbar.

That’s broken up and so is the Backpack Stunner, with Maclin hitting an Angle Slam for two. Alisha offers another distraction though and Eddie runs Maclin over. Maclin catches him on top though and a super Angle Slam connects. Cue the System so Eric Young and the Northern Armory come down to cancel them out. The distraction lets Eddie get in a shot with the System ring and the Boston Knee Party finishes at 8:04.

Rating: C+. This was basically a preview of their match in the Unbreakable tournament which doesn’t do either of them a ton of favors. The System gets to continue their hot streak tonight and that’s about the extent of the whole thing. Maclin and Young might need each other, meaning their story gets to continue for reasons I do not quite fathom.

Here is Joe Hendry who says he has a bad rotator cuff injury. If you can’t defend the title, you shouldn’t be champion so…..he’s defending the title at Rebellion. Cue Frankie Kazarian to say he’ll win the title because Hendry is stupid enough to care about what the fans think. He could beat Hendry right now, which is fine with Hendry, because there will be a tag match at Rebellion: Kazarian/Tessa Blanchard vs. Hendry/Masha Slamovich.

Overall Rating: C. This was a show designed to build up next week’s Unbreakable as fast as possible. That worked in theory, but Unbreakable isn’t looking like the most thrilling show. It’s nice to have a card together though,, even if it’s just a big preview for Rebellion. Overall, not their strongest show as the wrestling was just ok for the most part and Unbreakable isn’t looking like that great of a show.

Results
Ace Austin b. Mustafa Ali via DQ when Ali used a chair
Moose vs. Cody Deaner went to a time limit draw
Moose b. Cody Deaner – Spear
The System b. Rascalz – Splash to Wentz
AJ Francis b. Sami Callihan and Mance Warner – Spear to Callihan
Eddie Edwards b. Steve Maclin – Boston Knee Party

 

 

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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 10, 2025
Location: UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We have a new World Champion as Bandido took the title from Chris Jericho at Dynasty. That’s a long time coming and now we get the second reign of Bandido. Odds are we’re going to need a new challenger. We’re less that a month away from Supercard Of Honor and maybe we’ll start getting ready for that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Bandido winning the World Title at Dynasty.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

MxM Collection/Johnny TV vs. Ryan Matthews/Jordan Kross/Drake Daniels

The Collection/TV have Taya Valkyrie with them and she is holding the stolen Six Man Tag Team Title, as we are apparently just moving that feud over to Dustin Rhodes and the Von Erichs. Sure. TV and Kross start things off with TV doing his spinning dance. Kross dances back at him, only to get taken down with a neckbreaker.

Taya gets in a slap from the floor and it’s off to Matthews, who gets taken down with a running hip attack to the face. Something like a Sidewinder hits Matthews but he slips out and brings in Daniels. Everything breaks down and Madden chokeslams Kross (Matthews: “THAT’S MY FRIEND!” He is promptly booted in the face.), setting up an assisted Centerfold for the pin at 4:31.

Rating: C. So now I guess we’re moving on to a six man feud, despite Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara already beating the Collection. If that’s the best ROH can come up with after about nine months of inactivity from the champions, I have no idea why the titles are active. Then again that has been the case for a long time so this isn’t exactly a big change.

We look at Harley Cameron tapping out in a tag match on Collision.

Marina Shafir vs. Nixi XS

Shafir wastes no time in kicking her down and Nixi’s forearms just amp up the annoyance. Mother’s Milk finishes Nixi at 1:18.

The Von Erichs aren’t happy that the MxM Collection stole one of the Six Man Tag Team Titles. Dustin Rhodes calls the Collection stupid and the challenge is on for next week. And no, there is nothing referencing the Von Erichs and Rhodes being apart for EIGHT MONTHS and still being champions.

Preston Vance vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Ishii’s running shoulders don’t do much to start and Vance manages to stagger him with a chop. Jakked Jameson gets in a cheap shot and Vance stomps away in the corner to take over. A snap suplex gives Vance two but Ishii is back with a belly to back suplex. Ishii hits a regular suplex for two and an enziguri rocks Vance again. Vance is right back with a discus lariat for two but Ishii headbutts him into the brainbuster for the pin at 6:19.

Rating: C. This was slightly more competitive than I would have expected and that was a fun thing to see. Ishii isn’t exactly doing much of note around here but the fans are going to approve of just about anything he does. Not a bad match at all, but it doesn’t feel like either of them are going anywhere right now.

Bandido is happy with his win and gives the title belt to his mom.

Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs vs. Dominic Garrini/Kevin Ku/Davey Bang

Non-title (of course). Rhodes runs Ku over to start and hits the drop down uppercut. There’s the powerslam and it’s off to Ross for a dropkick. A hurricanrana gets two on Garrini but Ross gets pulled into the wrong corner for the triple teaming. Ross breaks out of that and brings in Marshall to clean house. Everything breaks down and Marshall claw slams Bang for the pin at 4:35.

Rating: C. Yeah fine. I’m so glad that Rhodes is now part of two teams where he can brag about how amazing it is to be from Texas. The team hasn’t been around since last summer and they’re just picking up where they left off with pretty much no explanation or mention whatsoever. That’s why these titles are ridiculous and I’m sure we’ll get to see the champs defend the titles at All In (or on the pre-show at least) and then….eh it doesn’t matter.

Taya Valkyrie wants the Women’s TV Title but needs to go through Catalina first.

Jay Lethal vs. Bandido

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Lethal wins or lasts ten minutes, he gets a future title shot. They go to the apron rather quickly, with Lethal knocking him down to take over. Back in and it’s too early for the Figure Four so they trade chops, as is custom in AEW/ROH. Bandido hits a pop up cutter into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but the X Knee is blocked. Lethal gets a dragon screw legwhip into the Figure Four but Bandido powers out. The Lethal Injection is countered into the X Knee (that was nice) and the 21 Plex finishes Lethal at 5:16.

Rating: C+. This was another short match and it’s kind of weird to see a former World Champion losing in such short fashion. That being said, it makes Bandido feel like a bigger star so soon after winning the title so we’ll call that a good idea. Other than that though, not a bad match, but it felt tacked on, which is a weird thing to do with someone like Lethal, who could do a lot more.

Overall Rating: C+. Like last week, this show was a bit shorter than most (ran about 46 minutes) and I’ll absolutely take that. Ring Of Honor has a big problem with stretching its shows out for the sake of filling time and that’s not a good idea. If you don’t have much to offer the fans, just get out faster as it isn’t like there is some time requirement to fill. This show was easier to watch because it didn’t stretch itself out and that is nice to see. Not a particularly good show, but a lot less frustrating than most.

Results
MxM Collection/Johnny TV b. Ryan Matthews/Jordan Kross/Drake Daniels – Assisted Centerfold to Kross
Marina Shafir b. Nixi XS – Mother’s Milk
Tomohiro Ishii b. Preston Vance – Brainbuster
Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs b. Davey Bang/Kevin Ku/Dominic Garrini – Claw slam to Bang
Bandido b. Jay Lethal – 21 Plex

 

 

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Wrestlefest 1991
Commentators: Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes
Host: Randy Savage

I think you can tell the time frame here and that might not be the best thing. This isn’t the greatest time for the company but I can always go for some Coliseum Videos. It’s all going to depend on the lineup and that could go in a few different ways. The WWE Vault tends to have a reason for these picks so let’s get to it.

We go to Randy Savage’s estate to open things up and he’s having nightmares about losing his career at Wrestlemania VII. Savage insists that he was NOT sleeping but says he lost to the best of all time in the Ultimate Warrior. He’s excited to host this tape, which might be the apex of his career. Today though, Ultimate Warrior isn’t facing the Macho Man on tape but rather the Earthquake.

Earthquake, with Jimmy Hart, brings up attacking Ultimate Warrior in a pushup contest, which is how Earthquake made his debut.

From Fort Myers, Florida, February 19, 1991.

Ultimate Warrior vs. Earthquake

Jimmy Hart is here with Earthquake and offers a distraction so Earthquake can get in a cheap shot. Warrior is right back with a flying shoulder to put Earthquake on the floor so Warrior chases Hart around. That earns him a ram into the apron (from Earthquake if that isn’t clear) and Earthquake takes him inside again to start on the back.

Some rams into the corner set up a bearhug, with Warrior not being able to power out. Earthquake puts him down and drops an elbow, followed by the Earthquake for two, with the kickout being as Hulking Up as you can get. Some clotheslines set up the big slam and the Warrior Splash finishes at 5:38.

Rating: C-. They might as well have had Warrior in red and yellow out there as he was just doing a Hogan impression. It’s the exact same formula that Hogan would do in a quick house show match, to the point where I remember him doing about the same thing in a match against Typhoon. When you still have Hogan around, why would I want to see Warrior just copying him?

Savage tells us how to send in a request for a Fan Favorite match, just like the one we just saw. Uh, I’ll pass if that’s the option.

And now, a special look at Jimmy Hart, featuring the Manager Cam.

From Green Bay, Wisconsin, May 7, 1991.

The Mountie vs. Big Boss Man

So the deal here is that the camera stays (mostly) on Jimmy Hart, who is mic’d up. Mountie charges at him to start but gets kicked away for his early efforts. A slugout doesn’t go much better as Boss man picks him up for a spinebuster. Hold on though as Boss Man goes after Hart, who screams for the Mountie in a funny bit. Boss Man even grabs Hart’s jacket and puts it over Mountie’s face for a slap. Mountie gets knocked outside and thrown right back in, which isn’t exactly nice treatment.

Back in and Boss Man chokes some more, setting up the running crotch attack to the back of the neck. More choking has Hart losing her mind but Boss Man misses a charge to give Mountie a breather. Mountie ties the leg up in the ropes and kicks away, leaving Boss Man to fall down in a heap. Hart approves and, of course, can’t shut up, as tends to be his custom. We even get an I AM THE MOUNTIE announcement…and Boss Man punches him back, setting up the Boss Man Slam for the pin at 6:30.

Rating: C-. This was an idea that might have sounded fun but it would have been better served on a better match. Mountie and Boss Man didn’t get to do much here and putting a camera on Hart is only going to be so interesting when you can already hear just about everything he says thanks to the megaphone. It wasn’t a bad idea, but it wasn’t all that interesting.

Post match Mountie gets in a shot with the shock stick to drop Boss Man.

From Omaha, Nebraska, April 15, 1991.

The Rockers vs. Power And Glory

Slick is here with Power And Glory as Michaels and Roma trade hammerlocks to start. Roma gets over to the ropes to escape before stomping away on Michaels in the corner. Back up and the Rockers clear the ring without too much effort and it’s time for a meeting on the floor with Slick. Back in and Roman takes over on Jannetty, with Hercules getting in a right hand from the apron like a good villain. A nice dropkick puts Jannetty down but he’s back with a sunset flip for two.

Michaels gets drawn in though and more double teaming has Jannetty in trouble again. Hercules turns him inside out with a clothesline (Jannetty could always make that look good) and Roma grabs a chinlock. Back up and Jannetty can’t get a sunset flip so Roma clotheslines him down again. Roma comes in off the top with another shot but misses a charge in the corner. That’s enough for Michaels to come in and clean house as everything breaks down. Slick grabs Michaels’ leg though and the Rockers go after him, resulting in the countout at 12:05.

Rating: C+. I’ve seen worse, as this match got some time, even with the fairly weak house show style ending. It’s not a bad match at all, with the Rockers still being popular and Power And Glory being a perfectly fine heel team. I could have gone with more of a clear finish, but the Rockers doing just about anything work.

Post match the Rockers clear the ring and double clothesline Slick (who loses his snazzy hat). Michaels even steals the hat, which doesn’t do much for him.

Ted DiBiase is ready for the Texas Tornado, who apparently isn’t that smart.

From Orlando, Florida, February 18, 1991.

Ted DiBiase vs. Texas Tornado

Hold on though as before the match, Tornado asks about Virgil, who recently left DiBiase. Cue Virgil, sending DiBiase into a frenzy, including yelling a lot as the bell has already rung and we’re just stalling here, possibly because Tornado is in no condition to have an overly long match.

Tornado follows DiBiase to the floor and hammers away, followed by some rams into the buckle inside. Tornado throws him outside, where Virgil throws DiBiase back inside. The Tornado Punch connects but another hits the post to bang up Tornado’s hand. DiBiase knocks him to the floor again but this time Virgil sweeps the leg, allowing Tornado to fall on top for the pin at 6:28.

Rating: D+. This was absolutely nothing and it would not surprise me a bit of the match had to go short because of Tornado being out of it. That happened more than a few times and it was getting harder and harder to see him do much. That’s what you were seeing here, as Tornado wasn’t doing much more than punching until he fell on top for the pin. It was more about Virgil vs. DiBiase anyway, but still, nothing to see here.

From Fort Myers, Florida, February 19, 1991.

British Bulldog vs. Haku

They circle each other to start until Haku grabs a headlock as commentary discusses rugby. Bulldog powers out and hits a dropkick to send Haku outside, where he wants time out. Back in and Bulldog slams him down, with Haku wanting another breather. A sleeper goes on before Bulldog switches to a rather pathetic looking armbar. Haku fights out and hits a hard piledriver for two, setting up a rather painful looking hair pull. That’s switched into a more standard chinlock but Bulldog fights up and hits a crossbody. Haku is right back with another chinlock but Bulldog fights up again and runs him over. A crucifix finishes Haku at 7:48.

Rating: C. Pretty standard match here with Bulldog fighting from behind and winning. It wasn’t an interesting match for the most part and it was nothing that hasn’t been done far better. Bulldog was starting to get moved up the card as a singles star and it makes sense that he gets a win here.

Randy Savage plays some pool but he only went 2/3 when he played himself the last three times.

We go to the Barber Shop for some grooming tips, which is Brutus Beefcake cutting hair and putting mud (from the Dead Sea, as written on the container) on someone’s face. Then he adds in an egg. This just keeps going and isn’t funny.

From Biloxi, Mississippi, March 12, 1991.

Greg Valentine vs. Rick Martel

Ah yes face Greg Valentine. Actually make that ah no, face Greg Valentine. Feeling out process to start with both of them backing the other into the ropes. Valentine shoves him to the floor and Martel wants a breather on the floor. Back in and Valentine grinds away on a headlock before it’s time to go after the leg in various painful ways.

Martel kicks him in the face for the break and chokes away a bit but the bad leg means he can’t follow up. Some elbows to the back have Valentine down and we hit the abdominal stretch. Valentine fights out and makes the comeback with a clothesline to the floor, where they fight to the double countout at 8:34.

Rating: C. Valentine as a face is still one of the all time weirdest decisions from the WWF. I still have no idea who in the world (other than Vince McMahon) wanted to see this in 1991 and it just never worked. It doesn’t help that Valentine is wrestling the same style that had been dull (quality but dull) for years but now against different opponents.

Post match the brawl continues until Martel loads up the Arrogance. Instead Valentine knocks it away and grabs the Figure Four. Like a hero.

From Fort Myers, Florida, February 19, 1991.

Warlord vs. Koko B. Ware

Slick is here with Warlord, who commentary thinks could be in line for another WWF Title shot. Warlord powers him around to start, including a lifting choke to drop Ware again. Back up and Ware goes to the eyes before slugging away, with Ware bailing out to the floor before Warlord maims him.

Warlord slowly hammers him down so Ware strikes away, only to get backdropped out to the floor for a nice crash. Back in and we hit the bearhug for a good while until Ware fights out. The comeback is on with the middle rope dropkick getting two (with Ware landing on his feet). Warlord isn’t having that and hits a running powerslam for the pin at 6:38.

Rating: C-. This was exactly what you would have expected it to be, with Warlord doing his power stuff and Ware doing his speed stuff, which didn’t exactly thrill anyone. It wasn’t a terrible match, but you could tell how bad things were if they were trying to make Warlord into a thing. He’s as generic of a power monster as you could get and there was no hiding it.

Randy Savage watches his retirement match against the Ultimate Warrior from Wrestlemania VII and says you can’t change history.

From Biloxi, Mississippi, March 12, 1991.

Hart Foundation vs. Legion Of Doom

And here’s the reason to watch the tape. Non-title, as the Harts would still be Tag Team Champions at this point but as they would lose the titles before this was released, they don’t have the belts. Neidhart and Animal shove each other around to start until a double clothesline leaves both of them down. It’s off to Hawk vs. Bret, with Hawk knocking him to the floor for some rather hard headbutts.

Back in and Hart knocks Hawk to the floor for a stomp to the ribs so Neidhart can get two off a clothesline. A backbreaker gives Hart two and the front facelock goes on. That’s broken up so Hawk is sent into the corner for a running shoulder to the ribs. The chinlock with a knee in the back keeps Hawk down and it’s back up for a quick Hart Attack.

Animal makes the save so Hart hits an atomic drop to keep Hawk in trouble. Hart misses the running charge into the corner (chest first of course) and now it’s back to Animal to clean house. Everything breaks down but Neidhart breaks up the Doomsday Device, allowing Hart to get a rollup for two. The slingshot shoulder hits Animal and a rocket launch crossbody….is countered into a powerslam to give Animal the pin on Hart at 12:21.

Rating: B. You do not see the Harts doing a clean job very often but the LOD aren’t your usual opponents. This was two top level teams in what felt like a dream match and it worked well. You had the Harts using their mixture of brains and power to slow the monsters down but in the end, Animal caught Hart one time for a fast pin. Good stuff here and absolutely a dream match for this era.

From New York City, New York, March 15, 1991.

Marty Jannetty vs. Pat Tanaka

From MSG and Mr. Fuji is here with Tanaka. Jannetty circles him to start until a Fuji distraction lets Tanaka get in a kick to the back. A right hand sends Tanaka outside and he comes back in, only to get knocked outside again. Back in and Fuji offers a distraction and Tanaka…does nothing. Tanaka yells at him so Jannetty hits him in the face and adds the jumping back elbow.

Back up and Tanaka sends him into the corner for a crash into the post, putting Tanaka in control for a change. The headbutt between the legs has Jannetty in more trouble but Jannetty is back with a knockdown and rollup for two each. Tanaka hammers him down again but Jannetty reverses into an Owen Hart piledriver (and a scary one at that) for the pin at 10:54. Mooney: “What a tremendous win for Shawn Michaels’…..partner Marty Jannetty.”

Rating: C+. The ending was scary but the rest of the match was fine enough, as the Rockers and the Orient Express always had good chemistry together. That was on display again here, as you had two talented wrestlers getting to do their thing. The fans only cared so much, but how much were they supposed to get into a match like this one in MSG?

Elizabeth calls Savage so he wraps up the tape and seems to make dinner plans.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a VERY mixed bag with all kinds of stuff, but it could have been so much worse. They had a nice variety going here and it’s still interesting to see what was going on without Hogan around for a change. The tape isn’t great by any means and there are some weak spots, but that tag match is awesome and there was enough going on here to keep me more than interested for almost two hours.

 

 

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NWA House Show
Date: February 26, 1984
Location: The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia

This is exactly what it sounds like, as we’re going to one of the biggest arenas in the south and probably the most important in all of the NWA. This is a pretty awesome era for wrestling and there is some incredible talent on the show, which means we should be in for a treat. I’ve been looking forward to this so let’s get to it.

Pez Whatley vs. Jesse Barr

Whatley is rather popular and Barr is better known (kind of) as Jimmy Jack Funk. After some extensive referee instructions, we’re ready to go, with an exchange of standing switches. A wrestling exchange on the mat goes nowhere and it’s a standoff. Whatley grabs a quick small package for two and we get a nice shake of the finger. Barr takes him down and puts a knee in the back for the chinlock to slow the pace.

Whatley fights up a few times before a pull of the hair drags him back into a regular chinlock. Another comeback is cut off with a snapmare into another chinlock as they’re not exactly burning the mat up here. Back up and Whatley hits a crossbody and small package for two each, followed by a quick belly to back suplex. Barr sends him crashing to the floor though, setting up a running knee (loud one at that) for one on the way back in. Another running knee is blocked though and Whatley hits a running headbutt for the pin at 6:43.

Rating: C-. Not exactly a hot start here as this wasn’t even a long match and a good chunk of it was spent on the chinlocks. The fans did come up for Whatley’s comebacks but there wasn’t much to see here. That being said, this was the kind of match that existed for the sake of having wrestling going on while people were filing in and it served that purpose.

The Spoiler vs. Johnny Rich

Spoiler is a rather large masked man while Rich is a traditional good guys. Rich gets backed into the corner to start and Spoiler slugs away. Some right hands and a bad dropkick get Rich out of trouble so Spoiler powers him into the corner without much trouble. More right hands rock Spoiler and Rich gets two off a slam, with Spoiler already having to use the ropes. From offense that bad looking? Spoiler goes up and walks the ropes (yes, that is where Undertaker got it from) for a shot to the head before knocking Rich out to the floor.

Back in and Spoiler walks the rope for another elbow and Rich is outside again. Rich gets back in and slugs away before slamming Spoiler off the top to break up the third rope walk. Spoiler shrugs it off and grabs the claw before knocking Rich outside for the third time. Rich tries a sunset flip but gets caught in the claw, which is enough to give Spoiler the win at 6:58.

Rating: C. Spoiler seemed to be a solid monster villain and it shouldn’t be a surprise that he wound up being such a success. He had a look and could do some impressive things in the ring, which is more than enough to turn someone into a star. On the other hand you have Rich, who really didn’t show me much here. He seemed fine enough for a regional guy, but Spoiler beat him up pretty easily here, as he should have.

Post match the hold stays on a bit too long before Spoiler lets him go. A bunch of people come out to help Rich to the back but he’s mostly out of it.

Mr. R. vs. Ted DiBiase

This is an idea that you’ve seen a bunch of times, as Mr. R. is Tommy Rich under a mask following a suspension but everyone is in on the joke. R takes him down without much trouble and DiBiase is frustrated early. An armdrag puts R down for a change and DiBiase points to his head, more or less guaranteeing that he’s a villain. A headlock takeover takes DiBiase over with a headlock but he rolls out of it without much trouble.

R is right back with another headlock takeover and grinds away on the headlock as the fans are rather interested. It works so well that R does it a third time, with DiBiase getting frustrated. DiBiase can’t fight out with a top wristlock and the headlocking continues. Back up and DiBiase finally takes him down and starts in on the arm. The cranking continues but the Spoiler and Jesse Barr come in to go after R’s mask, which is enough for the DQ at 6:39.

Rating: C. This felt like more of an angle than a match and I can go with the idea of them just sending in the villains before things got serious. There is something to be said about R doing the obvious joke and it’s working well here. The fans were way more into this than anything else on the show and I’m not overly surprised given who was involved here.

NWA Junior Heavyweight Title: Les Thornton vs. Tommy Rogers

Thornton is defending and is quickly scolded for a shot to the ribs. Rogers grinds away on a headlock and gets rolled up, with Thornton even grabbing some trunks to show what a villain he is. It works so well that they do the same sequence again so Thornton headscissors his way out.

Rogers finally gets up and tries a sunset flip, only to get caught in the headscissors again. That’s finally broken up and Rogers grabs a headlock, which is AGAIN reversed into the headscissors. Back up and Thornton knocks him to the floor as we’re somehow almost ten minutes into this thing with almost nothing happening. A sunset flip gives Rogers two and Thornton’s butterfly suplex gets the same.

The chinlock goes on, with Thornton pulling him down by the hair to keep him in trouble. Back up and Thornton misses a charge into the corner as something actually happens. A knee drop gives Rogers two and he dropkicks Thornton out to the floor. Rogers belly to back suplexes him back inside but Thornton lands on top of him for two, because this is kind of a mess. Rogers hits a suplex and a top rope sunset flip for two but Thornton rolls him up and grabs the trunks to retain at 14:04.

Rating: C-. They picked things up a bit at times here but egads this was another dull match. It’s one of those matches where they were just sitting around waiting to do something and it made things so dull. The Junior Heavyweight Title has almost always come off as mostly boring stuff, which was the case again here. Just laying on the mat in a hold for long stretches of time isn’t interesting and the crowd was letting them know.

Nikolai Volkoff vs. Wahoo McDaniel

No entrances here for some reason. They circle each other to start and then stare at each other without the circling. Volkoff kicks him down and hits a running boot before going to the choking. McDaniel fights his way out of the corner but Volkoff is right back to hammer away as this is firmly in punch/kick territory.

A backbreaker gives Volkoff two and his pretty awesome gorilla press backbreaker gets the same. The bearhug goes on (you were just waiting on that one) but doesn’t last long, with Volkoff elbowing him in the face for two. McDaniel finally fights up and chops him to the floor, with the fans getting way behind the comeback. Volkoff misses a chair shot and McDaniel fights back but throws the referee down. That’s enough for the referee to call for the DQ at 5:51.

Rating: C+. This was starting to get somewhere and it made for a good enough power brawl. They weren’t exactly doing anything good here but it worked because the two of them were beating on each other like power wrestlers should. Not a great match, but it was entertaining enough.

Post match McDaniel stays on Volkoff, who runs away from the beating.

TV Title: Jake Roberts vs. Ron Garvin

Roberts, Paul Ellering, is defending and this was a huge feud. It’s so weird seeing Roberts in his pre-WWF days as he wrestles in a sleeveless shirt and pants instead of tights. Roberts takes him to the mat to start and grabs an armbar for some rather necessary cranking. The arm cranking ensues but Garvin gets up, sending Roberts backing up into the corner for a breather.

It’s already back to the arm, with Garvin seemingly nervous about throwing a punch (that feels like a plot point). The armbar goes on again, with Roberts grabbing the trunks to send the fans into another frenzy. Roberts uses the trunks again and then gets in a discussion with the referee over touching the rope. Garvin fights up and hammers away in the corner, including knocking Roberts out to the floor. Back in and Roberts is favoring his arm before bailing to the floor from an angry Garvin.

Roberts gets back in again and shoves Garvin down out of the corner. The armbar goes back on, with Roberts switching over to a chinlock. Garvin fights up and the fans are entirely with him but Roberts karate chops him back. The comeback is on though with Garvin firing off the big right hands to the ribs. Roberts’ shirt goes up to reveal a bunch of tape so Garvin hammers away. Roberts gets tied in the ropes so Ellering makes the save, only to get caught with a chair. The referee gets decked and Roberts hits a DDT onto the chair (that looked good), followed by an elbow drop for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: B-. This was a fairly basic match but the crowd was WAY into everything, with Garvin’s comebacks getting quite the reception. The arm/rib injuries were good additions and they made me want to see Garvin use them to get back against the cheating Roberts. You could see that this was part of a bigger story and that explained a lot of the reactions from the crowd. Best match on the shot thus far.

National Tag Team Titles: Road Warriors vs. King Kong Bundy/Stan Hansen

The Warriors, with Paul Ellering, are defending and this could be a mess. Hawk and Hansen lock up to start and neither can get anywhere with the power stuff. Instead, Hansen chops him up against the ropes, which works better than I would have expected. Animal (with a decent amount of hair) comes in but gets dropped by Bundy (no hair) as the fans sound pleased.

We settle down to Hawk coming in to face Bundy and the test of strength ensues. Bundy isn’t having any of this being kicked in the ribs thing and knocks Hawk backwards, setting up the bearhug. Hawk gets out but can’t whip Bundy out of the corner. A scream sets up a charge but Bundy gets the boot up without much trouble. Animal can’t slam Bundy so it’s off to Hansen for a headlock. Hawk comes in and gets hit in the face a few times as the fans approve.

An armdrag into the armbar (that feels so out of place in this match) has Hawk down again and Bundy drops a bit knee on the arm. The legdrop on the arm has Hawk in more trouble and it’s back to Hansen for some rapid fire elbows on the arm. Hawk actually gets over to the arm so Animal can work on Hansen’s arm for a change. The armbar goes on again and the fans are right there to cheer Hansen to freedom.

Animal splashes the arm to cut that off though and it’s back to Hawk for his standing armbar. The armbar goes to the mat for a good while before it’s back to Animal for the same. Back up and Hansen misses a charge into the corner, allowing Animal to bend the arm around the rope.

Hawk gets to continue the armbarring but Hansen fights up, drawing in Animal to cut him off almost immediately. Hansen fights up and hits a running knee, allowing Bundy to come in and clean house. The splash hits Animal for two as Hawk makes the save. Ellering seems to trip Bundy down and it’s a big four way brawl, with the referee throwing it out at 15:41.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but the weirder thing was seeing the Warriors as unpolished heels. They weren’t doing much of anything that would become their standard, including the rather lengthy armbars. While that part didn’t work so well, there was something to be said about the wild brawl at the end and seeing such a different version of the legendary team. And a hot tag to King Kong Bundy, which is not the most common thing to see.

Post match the brawl stays on and the Warriors bail, with Bundy shouting something into the microphone.

NWA World Title: Ric Flair vs. Brad Armstrong

Flair is defending, not long after winning the title at the first Starrcade. Armstrong’s National Heavyweight Title isn’t on the line here and he can’t be older than 21 or so. We get the old school referee instructions and a handshake gets us going. Flair backs him up to the ropes before wrestling him down but Armstrong reverses into a hammerlock. The standing armbar sends Flair over to the ropes so Armstrong switches to a headlock instead.

Flair fights up so Armstrong cranks on the head even more. Flair finally escapes and goes to a waistlock, only for Armstrong to reverse back into the headlock. This one is broken up much faster and Flair cranks on the arm, setting up the big chops. Armstrong isn’t having that and goes back to the armbar. That’s broken up as well and Flair adds in a handshake. They start running the ropes and Flair gets in a leapfrog, only to walk into a pair of dropkicks.

This time Flair needs a breather on the floor, which is more in his style. Back in and Flair fires off some shoulders in the corner but Armstrong cuts him off again and hammers away. A backdrop sets up another headlock but Flair forearms his way out a good bit faster this time. Not that it matters as Armstrong gets it on again, only for Flair to elbow him in the face. The knee drop connects (or as close as it gets) and it’s back to the corner for some shoulders to Armstrong’s ribs.

Flair gets two off a suplex and chops away in the corner but Armstrong fights out again. This time we get the Flair Flop before Armstrong slaps on a sleeper. Flair has to get his foot on the ropes, so Armstrong gets smart by crashing down onto the leg. Armstrong gets in his own suplex before grabbing the abdominal stretch. That’s broken up as well and they’re both down for a needed breather. Flair is up first and misses the big elbow, allowing Armstrong to whip him into the corner.

This time Flair actually gets stuck in something close to the Tree Of Woe, allowing Armstrong to knock him down. A backslide and O’Connor roll give Armstrong two each so Flair goes up top, only to get slammed back down. Right hands in the corner earn Armstrong a bit of a lecture, allowing Flair to chop away. Flair whips him into the corner but falls down on a slam attempt to give Armstrong two more. Back up and Armstrong hits a crossbody, with Flair rolling through and putting his feet on the ropes to retain at 20:49.

Rating: B. This was a good example of storytelling, as Flair was taking Armstrong lightly at first but got in trouble because he couldn’t keep up with him. Flair caught him later on and took over but Armstrong just kept coming at him until Flair had to cheat to win. It’s no masterpiece or anything but you could see Flair bringing him along in a basic but well put together match.

Flair leaves and we’re out pretty fast.

Overall Rating: B-. This show took some getting used to but you could tell the fans were into just about everything. The one thing that takes time to adjust to is how basic a lot of the matches were, as this was much more about simple action between people the fans cared about. It’s very different than what you get today and while it’s not perfect, there is an energy to it that works well. This was a great surprise from the WWE Vault, though it definitely takes some adjustment if you’re used to a modern style.

 

 

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Collision
Date: April 12, 2025
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We are done with Dynasty and the long road to Double Or Nothing has begun. That could go in a few different ways but for right now, AEW has taken its foot off the gas, at least for the time being. It made for an enjoyable Dynamite and it would be nice to see the same thing happen again here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Commentary tells us that Pac is injured and therefore Jon Moxley is taking his place as an interim Trios Champion. That’s about the only option they had so there is nothing wrong with that move.

Here is FTR to explain turning on Cope at Dynasty. Wheeler talks about how the more he listened to Harwood talk about Cope, the more sense it made. The reality was that Cope only cared about himself so at Dynasty, everything clicked. Cope saw Wheeler as a helpless kid but the reality is FTR are living legends and they should be treated as such. Harwood has been realizing he needed to change and the people will understand that he is right.

After waiting for four months, the only thing they were allowed to be was Cope’s new Edgeheads. Just like every wrestler in Cope’s place, he was too selfish because he wanted them to help him win another World Title. That brings Harwood to Tony Schiavone, who wasn’t pleased with them on Dynamite. Against Nigel’s advice, Schiavone gets in the ring and says FTR was wrong.

Harwood cuts him off and brings up Schiavone talking about Harwood’s daughter. Ever the genius, Schiavone brings it up AGAIN and gets loaded into a spike piledriver. That’s enough for Nigel to get up (FTR lets Schiavone go) and step between them, which draws out Daniel Garcia. FTR shoves him down (not clear if they knew who it was) before immediately apologizing and helping him up. FTR leaves in peace. Nigel getting involved is interesting, though I’m not sure I can imagine him having a match out of this.

Toni Storm is ready for the winner of the Owen Hart Tournament and has some thoughts on the competitors:

Mercedes Mone: She’ll drain her 401k and leave her having to drink Storm’s bath water.
Kris Statlander: What a woman.
Jamie Hayter: No one has ever made a dime in wrestling pretending to be from another era.

Anyway, she’s ready for anyone.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Jamie Hayter vs. Billie Starkz

They take turns missing shots to the face to start so Starkz suckers her in with a handshake. Starkz sends her to the apron for a basement superkick to the floor but gets sent hard into the barricade. That’s broken up and Starkz hits a Swanton off the apron to the back for a big crash. Back in and Hayter hits a spinebuster for two before sending Starkz outside as we take a break.

We come back with Hayter working on a half crab but Starkz fights up for a kick out of the corner. Starkz slugs back but gets caught in a fireman’s carry into the knee for two. Some forearms rock Starkz, who gets two off a backslide. Starkz drops her again and the Swanton connects for two more. They go to the apron where Hayter gets in a headbutt and suplexes her out to the floor. Back in and they slug it out until the Hayterade finishes for Hayter at 13:56.

Rating: C+. Starkz is trying in these chances she’s getting but at the same time, you’re only going to get so much out of someone who has never won anything of note on the main roster. Other than the women’s midcard title in Ring Of Honor, there isn’t much of a resume there, certainly not compared to Hayter. I’m not sure how far Hayter is going to go, but at least she got a win here.

The Death Riders are ready to keep fighting without Pac, with Jon Moxley taking Pac’s place as a Trios Champion. Moxley isn’t sure what the Opps are teaching Hook, but chicks dig scars.

Gates Of Agony vs. ???/???

Kaun hits a running suplex to start and it’s off to Liona for the corner clotheslines. It’s back to Kaun for Open The Gates for a double pin at 1:06. Total destruction.

FTR goes to leave but Matt Menard and Angelo Parker cut them off and yell at them a lot. A match seems to be made for later.

Blake Christian vs. Anthony Bowens

Billy Gunn is here with Bowens, who takes Christian down into a front facelock to start. A rollup gives Bowens two but Christian avoids a charge and hits a quick springboard dropkick to the back. Bowens fights up without much trouble and we take a break. Back with Bowens kicking away and hitting a running Fameasser from behind. Christian gets hung up in the ropes for a spinning DDT and a near fall. Back up and a Spanish Fly gives Christian two and a 630 connects for the same. A Stunner drops Bowens again but he’s right back up with a superkick. The spinning forearm finishes for Bowens at 9:11.

Rating: C+. This was another nice win for Bowens, who is on the way to his own singles run after the Acclaimed broken up. That has me at least somewhat interesting as Bowens is feeling like he could be a star if given the chance. You have to start somewhere and beating Christian in a first (non-squash) singles match is a good way to get things going.

Post match Bowens says this is a long time coming and he is the five tool player. He doesn’t need some document to prove he is the best, so who is the best to get a beating?

Megan Bayne vs. LMK/Kelly Madan

Penelope Ford is here with Bayne, who drives Madan into the corner with the shoulders to start. LMK gets tossed aside and they’re both splashed in the corner. Fate’s Descent sends Maddan onto LMK for the double pin at 1:28. Another total squash.

We look at the Men’s Owen Hart Tournament.

Kevin Knight vs. AR Fox

They trade rollups to start and Knight hits a spinning splash for two. Knight’s springboard is cut off with an enziguri and Fox sends him outside as we take a break. Back with Knight hitting a nice dropkick and unloading in the corner. A Sky High gives Knight two but Fox kicks him down and hits a 450 for two of his own. Knight hits another dropkick but gets kicked in the face, only to come back with a springboard clothesline for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: B-. This was the “let them do their thing” for awhile match and that’s what it should have been. Fox can make almost anyone look entertaining and Knight does a lot of good on his own. Knight seems like someone who is going to be a player around here and giving him a few wins here and there will only be a good thing for him.

The Gates Of Agony want the Hurt Syndicate.

FTR vs. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker

Daniel Garcia comes out to watch as FTR jumps them to start fast. Wheeler beats on Parker on the floor as Harwood drops Menard inside. Menard is already busted open (and it’s a gusher) so Harwood hammers away even more. Menard comes back with some right hands but Wheeler cuts him off. The Shatter Machine hits Parker and a spike piledriver drops Menard. Another spike piledriver connects so Garcia begs them to start…which is actually enough to get Wheeler to cover for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C. This wasn’t about the match of course but rather about FTR looking like killers out there. Beating up Menard and Parker is a fine way to go as they’re mainly around to take punishment. The blade job from Menard was a good one and made FTR seem that much more devastating. Good angle here, though Garcia being involved isn’t the most appealing thing.

Post match Garcia yells at FTR and checks on Menard, only to get beaten down as well. The spike piledriver plants Garcia again so security has to save him from another one. The Paragon makes the real save (ignore Nigel calling them the Undisputed Kingdom).

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Athena vs. Harley Cameron

Athena’s Ring Of Honor Women’s Title isn’t on the line. Athena backs her into the corner to start so Cameron grabs a headlock. A rollup gives Athena two and they go to a staredown, which has Athena a bit surprised. Cameron is sent to the apron for a kick to the head but Athena sends her head first into the buckle. A wheelbarrow suplex on the floor drops Cameron hard and we take a break.

Back with Athena working on a bow and arrow, which is quickly escaped. Athena strikes away for two and puts Cameron in the Tree Of Woe for some kicks to the back. A swinging neckbreaker gives Cameron two and she strikes away in the ropes. Athena rolls through a high crossbody but gets hurricanranaed back down. Cameron forearms her out of the air and gets two off a belly to back suplex. Her Finishing Move is broken up but Cameron grabs a rollup for two. Athena knocks her back down though and hits the O Face for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see Cameron getting to put up a fight here and she only got so far. The good thing is that Cameron now has a finishing move (Her Finishing Move) to serve as something of a threat. That’s one of the keys she has been missing and if she can string together some wins, it could get that much better. Athena needs to move on in the tournament though, even if she’s facing Mercedes Mone next and that might be it for her.

Mercedes Mone is ready to face Athena in her own hometown of Boston.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Brody King vs. Konosuke Takeshita

King powers him into the corner to start but gets caught in a quickly broken headlock. A belly to back suplex drops Takeshita and King chops away in the corner. The running backsplash misses though and Takeshita drops a middle rope backsplash to take over. They’re quickly on the apron, where King hits a Death Valley Driver to knock Takeshita silly. The running crossbody against the barricade is cut off by a jumping knee though and we take a break.

Back with King hitting a cannonball for two, meaning it’s time to trade forearms. Takeshita muscles him up for the Blue Thunder Bomb before King wins an exchange of clotheslines. Dante’s Inferno gets two but Takeshita hits a kneeling piledriver into a wheelbarrow suplex. One heck of a lariat gives Takeshita two and two running knees get the same. Another pair of running knees finish King at 12:19.

Rating: B. This was a match where the result was only so much in doubt given King’s recent record in singles matches. That’s not a bad thing though, as giving Takeshita a dragon to slay is something that works rather well. Takeshita continues to feel like he could be an outstanding hero if given the chance, and there is a good chance that’s coming one day.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was mainly focused on the tournaments and FTR and that’s not a bad thing. The show might not have been the most important in the world, but it was the kind of show that got a lot of things done in a single night. Sometimes that’s the show you need to see and it worked well enough. Maybe not a show you need to watch, but a useful one.

Results
Jamie Hayter b. Billie Starkz – Hayterade
Gates Of Agony b. ???/??? – Double pin
Anthony Bowens b. Blake Christian – Discus forearm
Megan Bayne b. LMK/Kelly Madan – Double pin
Kevin Knight b. AR Fox – Springboard clothesline
FTR b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Spike piledriver to Menard
Athena b. Harley Cameron – O Face
Konosuke Takeshita b. Brody King – Running knee

 

 

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Smackdown
Date: April 11, 2025
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We are just over a week away from Wrestlemania and that means it is time for one of the final pushes to the show. That means we aren’t likely to be seeing much in the way of big time matches but the talking will get a lot of attention this time around. Your mileage may vary but it’s a special time of the year. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Kevin Owens announcing his neck injury and Randy Orton hitting an RKO on Nick Aldis to blow off some steam.

Here is Aldis to get things going with the fans being VERY pro Orton. Aldis is here to address what happened last week and while he is going to maintain his professionalism, he invites Orton to the ring. Cue Orton to say that he paid his fine double in advance because he knew what would happen. Right now there is nothing for him at Wrestlemania and Orton doesn’t care who he faces, but he needs to be on that show. Orton doesn’t even care if it is Aldis himself, but Aldis needs to calm down.

Aldis doesn’t need Orton to pay another fine because he needs his respect. Orton says Aldis earned his respect a long time ago but he can’t promise he’ll apologize to Mickie James if Aldis doesn’t give him a match. Cue Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga, with Sikoa promising that Jacob Fatu is leaving Wrestlemania with the US Title. Orton doesn’t like the interruption and issues the challenge so the brawl is on, with Orton getting beaten down. LA Knight runs in for the save and issues the challenge for the tag match later tonight. Aldis makes the match.

Women’s Tag Team Gauntlet Match

For a shot at Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez (ringside) at Wrestlemania. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria are in at #1 and Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark are in at #2. Baszler takes Bayley down without much trouble to start and it’s off to Stark for a running shoulder. Bayley gets up and brings in Valkyria, who is quickly dropped by Stark. Bayley makes the save so Baszler goes to stomp Valkyria’s arm. That’s reversed into a jackknife cover to give Valkyria the pin at 3:18.

Natalya and Maxxine Dupri are in at #3 and we take a break, coming back with Natalya hammering away at Valkyria. Maxxine comes in with a high crossbody for two on Bayley before taking the straps down (the fans approve). Some running clotheslines set up the reverse Worm but Bayley reverses a Sharpshooter attempt into a small package to pin Dupri at 9:14 total.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance are in at #4 and rush Bayley, who gets her knees up to cut off a splash. The elbow drop gets two on Carter so it’s off to Valkyria, who gets caught with the Keg Stand for two. A quick Nightwing finishes Chance at 11:48 total and it’s Michin/B-Fab in at #5.

We take another break and come back with Valkyria kicking her way out of trouble and bringing Bayley back in. Michin cuts her off with a quick DDT and everything breaks down. Michin dives onto Valkyria but Bayley Rose Plants B-Fab for the pin at 17:31 total. Piper Niven and Alba Fyre are in at #6 (last) and knock the winded Bayley outside. A double suplex into a backsplash gets two on Bayley as we take a third break.

Back again with an assisted backsplash giving Fyre two as Bayley is in big trouble. Bayley counters a double suplex into a double DDT (the fans are WAY into the comeback) and the diving tag brings in Valkyria to clean house. A tornado DDT hits Niven, who is right back with a suplex to Valkyria.

Somehow Valkyria powerbombs Niven out of the corner and the top rope elbow gives Bayley one. A backbreaker/Swanton combination gets two on Bayley but Valkyria is back in for the save. Bayley dropkicks Niven into a powerbomb to the floor but Fyre kicks Bayley down for two. The Rose Plant hits Fyre though and Valkyria adds a top rope ax kick for the pin at 28:39.

Rating: B. Normally I don’t care for gauntlet matches but they were working hard here in front of a VERY hot crowd. Bayley and Valkyria are a thrown together team but at least they had to put in a hard fought performance to get the title shot. It’s not like there are any other teams ready to go after the belts and it is something fresh so I can go with this.

Post match the champs get in the ring for the staredown.

Apparently Charlotte and Tiffany Stratton got in a fight before the show. Which we aren’t seeing.

Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre is set for a street fight on Wrestlemania Sunday.

Classic Wrestlemania Moment: Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock. That works.

Here is Damian Priest for a chat but Drew McIntyre runs in and rams him head first into the apron monitor. Priest is carried out, leaving McIntyre saying we are starting to see now. McIntyre is the only one who tells the truth and Priest is the only person who benefits from McIntyre getting screwed. Their street fight is a year in the making and his eye is completely fine. He’s 100% cleared so Priest is 100% screwed. Cue Priest so the brawl is on but McIntyre goes to the eyes and hits him in the face with the steps. The Future Shock onto the steps leaves Priest laying.

DIY thinks there is a conspiracy against them and Pretty Deadly thinks they’re nuts. The Motor City Machine Guns come in to mock DIY as well.

We look at Rey Fenix’s debut last week.

HHH Hall Of Fame video, looking at him winning the 1997 King Of The Ring.

Berto vs. Rey Fenix

The rest of Legado del Fantasma are here with Berto. Fenix rolls him up for a fast two to start and spins around into another rollup for another two. Berto shoves him off the top and onto the apron for a crash. The big dive connects and we take a break. Back with Fenix chopping away and hitting a spinning top rope headbutt for a knockdown. Berto is sent outside for the big running flip dive but he’s back in with a springboard kick to the face for two.

A sitout powerbomb gets two more but Fenix is back with a springboard hurricanrana for two of his own. Berto is back with a fireman’s carry into another sitout powerbomb for another near fall. Fenix gets his boots up to stop a moonsault though and a running springboard kick to face in the corner rocks Berto again. The Mexican Muscle Buster finishes for Fenix at 10:41.

Rating: B. This was a good showcase for Fenix, who might not have the cool factor like Penta but he can do some crazy high flying stuff. That’s the kind of thing that is going to get someone noticed in a hurry and Fenix has made it work in two weeks. Note that commentary also mentioned Fenix and Penta are brothers, so they aren’t bothering wasting time with some big reveal.

Roxanne Perez is here to talk about how she doesn’t like Tiffany Stratton, who comes in to yell at her. They both want a match and Nick Aldis pops in to say he’ll think about it.

We get a video on Paul Heyman’s history with CM Punk, including OVW footage and their time working together to great success. Then Punk left and came back, with their relationship still being a thing, albeit in the background. Punk then helped Heyman a bit and Heyman will be in Punk’s corner at Wrestlemania, even with Roman Reigns in the same match.

Chelsea Green is annoyed that Piper Niven and Alba Fyre aren’t ready to help her. Zelina Vega comes in to mock Green for having to wrestle on her own.

We get another smoky vignette.

Zelina Vega vs. Chelsea Green

Non-title. Green stomps away to start and they go outside with Vega being dropped onto the announcers’ table. Green throws her back inside, yells at commentary…and gets counted out at 1:02.

Santos Escobar is disappointed in Berto for losing to Rey Fenix. Escobar and Angel are off to congratulate Fenix on his win.

After a look at what is coming in the rest of the show, Andrade comes in to give Berto a pep talk. Berto tells him to mind his own business.

Naomi can’t stand Jade Cargill, who she calls a snake for taking Naomi’s spot.

Jade Cargill says Naomi’s time has run out and revenge is coming.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat and there are a bunch of WWE Titles from throughout history in the ring. Rhodes puts his title on a pedestal in the middle of the rest and, after soaking in some cheers, Rhodes thanks the fans for always giving him a warm reception. These titles are the denotations of excellence and Rhodes has been blessed to hold the title. Wrestlemania is about the next twenty champions, who might be from NXT or the ID Program or maybe someone here in Seattle tonight. But there is one man who wants to take all that away and that man is John Cena.

Seattle is not part of Cena’s retirement tour so Rhodes brings up Cena saying Rhodes is nothing but a common fan. Rhodes has his tattoo and wears a suit because he wants to be someone. He goes down the titles and talks about various champions who held them, including Cena with the spinner title. Cena was someone who was trying to find himself, which is what he has said about Rhodes.

The reality right now is that Rhodes is the WWE Champion and Cena is not. Rhodes calls himself the captain around here and he is part of a stacked roster (which he lists off). The reality is that Rhodes does his best work when his back is against the wall and that is going to be the case at Wrestlemania. It would be clever for Rhodes to say Cena’s time is up but that has been the case for a long time. The reality is Rhodes is champion and it is staying with the people. I love a good props segment and this was very good stuff, with Rhodes making the title the focal point of the whole thing.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The Street Profits are ready to retain their Tag Team Titles against the Motor City Machine Guns next week. Dawkins even mentions the IWC as the Guns’ fans, but Miz and Carmelo Hayes interrupt. They seem to want the titles for themselves and a staredown ensues.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Roxanne Perez

Non-title. Stratton shoves her out of the corner to start and Matrixes her way out of a clothesline. A headscissors takes Stratton down but she’s back with some snap suplexes for two. The referee has to fix the ring skirt though and Stratton is sent into the post as we take a break.

Back with Stratton hitting some clotheslines and a spinebuster gets two. Another spinebuster gets another two but Perez avoids a hip attack. Perez’s Lionsault hits raised knees but she breaks up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. A middle rope Russian legsweep gives Perez two and the crossface goes on. That’s countered with a Regal Roll and the Prettiest Moonsault Ever finishes for Stratton at 9:18.

Rating: B-. Nice stuff here with Perez looking like she was getting squashed but turning it into a good match. That’s a nice thing to see as Perez could be quite the player on the main roster if given the chance. I’m not sure when that is going to start, but at least she is in the ring for something like this. Also of note: it’s a bit odd that both Women’s Champions both use moonsaults as a finish. Not a bad thing, but not something you often see.

Post match here is Charlotte, who had been sent home, to jump Stratton.

We recap CM Punk picking his favor from Paul Heyman, which did not sit well with Roman Reigns. Then Seth Rollins attacked Punk and teased attacking Heyman, saying Heyman owed him a favor as a result. They wouldn’t have Punk join Rollins, right?

We get the official Wrestlemania lineups, including the days:

Saturday:

Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins
Naomi vs. Jade Cargill
Raw Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. New Day
Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano
US Title: LA Knight vs. Jacob Fatu
Smackdown Women’s Title: Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte
Raw World Title: Gunther vs. Jey Uso

Sunday:

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bayley/Lyra Valkyria vs. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez
Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest
Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Penta vs. Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky
Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena

That Saturday show is rather stacked, though I would assume Sunday gets another match to even things up.

Randy Orton/LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa/Tama Tonga

Tonga drives Knight into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. Sikoa comes in and Knight fights his way out of the corner, allowing the early tag off to Orton. An early hanging DDT plants Sikoa but he comes back with a Samoan drop as we take a break. Back with Sikoa grabbing a chinlock so Orton belly to back suplexes his way to freedom.

Knight comes in for a running knee in the corner to Tonga and a neckbreaker out of the corner drops Sikoa. Back up and the Samoan Spike hits Knight, only for Tonga to walk into the RKO. Sikoa and Orton brawl into the crowd, leaving Knight to hit the BFT to pin Tonga at 9:01.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much a house show main event and that’s not a bad way to wrap up the night. We’re coming up Knight facing a member of the family for his title at Wrestlemania so having him beat one of the lackeys is a fine way to go. Orton vs. Sikoa doesn’t feel like much of a Wrestlemania showdown (and it might not be) but it’s not like they have anything else ready on such short notice.

Post match Jacob Fatu comes in and beats down Knight, including three triple jump moonsaults, to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. We’re literally now to the point where the cards have been announced for Wrestlemania so there isn’t much left to do. With just the final Raw and next week’s Smackdown, which is pretty much just a big pre-show, to go, Wrestlemania really feels like it is here. This week’s show had better action than I was expecting and I really liked the Rhodes segment with the classic belts. Good stuff here (with one of the hottest American crowds in recent memory), as we’re starting to get the final touches ready for the biggest nights of the year.

Results
Bayley/Lyra Valkyria won a gauntlet match last eliminating Piper Niven and Alba Fyre
Rey Fenix b. Berto – Mexican Muscle Buster
Zelina Vega b. Chelsea Green via countout
Tiffany Stratton b. Roxanne Perez – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
LA Knight/Randy Orton b. Solo Sikoa/Tama Tonga – BFT to Tonga

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Evolve
Date: April 9, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Robert Stone, Peter Rosenberg

After the first month or so, I’m starting to enjoy watching this show. No it isn’t anything great but it’s a logically put together show that is doing a good job of helping the young stars in their development. That’s a tricky thing to do but they’re making it work well thus far. Let’s get to it.

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

Swipe Right is happy with their performance last night on NXT, even though they lost. They know they’re the future.

We look back at Dani Palmer and Kali Armstrong teaming together and not getting along. Therefore, it’s time to fight, as tends to be the case in wrestling.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Javier Bernal vs. Riley Osborne

Bernal starts fast by spinning out of a wristlock and headscissoring him into the ropes. A superkick misses though and Osborne sends him to the floor, only to miss a moonsault. Back in and Osborne rolls into a hurricanrana for two and a clothesline drops Bernal again. The standing moonsault hits raised knees though and Bernal hits a nice running DDT to leave them both down. A facebuster into a butterfly suplex gives Bernal two and frustration is setting in. Osborne fights up and goes to the top, where he knocks Bernal down. The Star Stream (shooting star press) finishes for Osborne at 4:32.

Rating: C+. You can definitely tell that these two are more experienced and polished than the usual stars but at the same time, they have histories in NXT and that doesn’t exactly make them feel like fresh stars. Neither of them should be written off, but they’re going to need something else to build them back up. Osborne is rather athletic, though that’s not enough to really make him stand out these days.

Post match Bernal leaves his jacket behind and walks away, not looking happy.

Haze Jameson is in the VIP area.

Drako Knox is ready to work hard now that he finally has his chance. Whether it works out or not is up to him.

Bryce Donovan believes in survival of the fittest and to survive, you need to evolve. Oh I get it.

Bryce Donovan vs. Drako Knox

Hold on though as here are Swipe Right, Zayda Steel and Jackson Drake, saying Donovan is with them. Cue Cappuccino Jones, Jack Cartwheel and Ice Williams to even it up. Stevie Turner comes out to make it an eight man tag.

Bryce Donovan/Jackson Drake/Swipe Right vs. Ice Williams/Jack Cartwheel/Cappuccino Jones/Drako Knox

Knox and Drake shove each other to start until Drake runs him over with a shoulder. Drake hammers away in the corner but Knox pulls him over for the tag off to Jones. They forearm it out with Jones getting the better of things and knocking Drake down. Smokes comes in and gets caught in a backbreaker, setting up Cartwheel’s big flipping elbow to drop Smokes again. A cartwheel into a corkscrew moonsault gives Cartwheel two and we hit the chinlock.

The rather large Donovan comes in for a clothesline to Cartwheel and a big elbow gets two. Baylor comes in and slowly hammers away before dropping Cartwheel with a clothesline. Cartwheel manages to send Baylor to the floor though and everything breaks down. Jones gives Cartwheel some coffee and the big flip dive connects (Stone: “ARE YOU EVEN ALLOWED TO DO THAT???”).

We take a break and come back with Knox slamming Smokes so Williams can come in with a flipping shot for two. Donovan gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and it’s off to Balor for a front facelock. Smokes rakes the back and gets two off a neckbreaker. It’s back to Drake for a knee drop and a powerbomb gets two. Donovan gets in a few shots before Baylor hits some knees to the back for two of his own. The chinlock goes on but Williams fights up for an enziguri.

A discus lariat hits Smokes and the hot tag brings in Knox to clean house. Knox hits a powerslam out of the corner for two and everything breaks down. Knox’s pump kick puts Donovan on the floor but Zayda Steel distracts the referee so Swipe Right’s dropkick/spinebuster combination can get two on Cartwheel, with Williams making the save. We hit the parade of knockdowns with Cartwheel taking over on Baylor. A shooting star press misses though and Donovan’s Black Hole Slam is good for the pin on Cartwheel at 14:30.

Rating: B-. This was a showcase for a lot of the people involved and that’s a good idea. You can’t get much out of having this many people in just a few minutes so it was nice to see them get some actual time. Swipe Right continues to feel like they’re a big project and Williams and Jones feel like they could go somewhere. Good enough stuff here though, and it was nice to see them getting a chance in a different format.

Post match the winners are rather pleased with their win but seem to be a bit sickened. Sean Legacy and Timothy Thatcher come in to glare them down.

Chantel Monroe is in the VIP section.

Kali Armstrong is ready to fight.

Dani Palmer is from Kentucky and won’t take nonsense from anyone.

Dani Palmer vs. Kali Armstrong

Armstrong shoves her off to start and wants to fight. They trade arm control until Palmer hits a flipping seated senton for two. A basement crossbody gets two more and Palmer grabs a Fujiwara armbar. Armstrong fights up and pulls her off the top for the big crash. A belly to back slam puts Palmer down again and we take a break.

Back with Palmer fighting out of a chinlock and a double clothesline leaves them both down. They hit stereo crossbodies and they’re both down for a bit. Palmer fights up and hits an enziguri, setting up a middle rope Meteora. Armstrong catches her with a powerslam for two but Palmer knocks her down again. A rather high up frog splash misses and Armstrong hits one heck of a Pounce (the Kali Connection) for the pin at 7:39.

Rating: C+. The match was ok (that Pounce was great) but I haven’t been interested in this story since it started at the beginning of the series. It was a good enough story of a high flier vs. a powerhouse and it went well enough, but it felt like they were going through the motions. Armstrong feels like she could turn into something if she can get the talking ability to back up her athleticism. Palmer….I’m not wild on the whole Kentucky thing, as she felt more interesting as the “I’m really athletic” person on LVL Up.

Post match Armstrong says she’s different and calls out the entire locker room. Cue Kendal Grey and Brinley Reece, with Armstrong reiterating that she is different.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was a nice mixture of stuff and that made for a good show. I liked the idea of having something different than the usual kind of show we would get form LVL Up. Just putting in the eight man tag made things feel unique and that’s a nice thing to see. The show is establishing itself as something that exists in its own world and they’re making it work fairly well all things considered.

Results
Riley Osborne b. Javier Bernal – Star Stream
Bryce Donovan/Jackson Drake/Swipe Right b. Cappuccino Jones/Ice Williams/Jack Cartwheel/Drako Knox – Black Hole Slam to Cartwheel
Kali Armstrong b. Dani Palmer – Kali Connection

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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