Battleground 2024
Date: June 9, 2024
Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.
Host: Sexyy Red

It’s time for another big special event and in this case it’s taking place at the UFC venue as the two sides continue to come together. The main event will see Trick Williams defending the NXT Title against newcomer Ethan Page, which should be a big fight. Other than that, there is a ladder match to crown the first Women’s North American Champion. Let’s get to it.

Sexyy Red welcomes us to the show and dances a bit.

The opening video talks about how awesome it is to be in Las Vegas but how bad things can go with a bad roll of the dice. The entire card gets a look here.

Women’s North American Title: Sol Ruca vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Jaida Parker vs. Michin vs. Lash Legend vs. Fallon Henley

Ladder match for the inaugural title. Legend and Jordan are left alone in the ring to start, with Legend picking her up for some knees to the ribs. The ladders are picked up on the floor, with Ruca and Jordan dropkicking one into Ruca. Jordan heads outside, leaving Ruca to hit moonsault knees onto Legend. Back in and Jordan gets crushes with a ladder in the corner, with Jordan being laid onto said ladder. Henley loads up the ladder but takes too long, allowing Michin to cut her off.

The ladder is set up, with Legend sending Michin into it before four women get in a big stacked up sleeper. With that broken up, Jordan goes for a climb but gets caught by Parker and Legend, who pull her down from opposite directions. Ruca and Parker kick Michin down but Henley is back up with a faceplant to send Ruca into the ladder. A bunch of people go up top until Ruca and Legend are up top.

Ruca’s sunset bomb attempt is blocked but Legend is pulled off by everyone else and tossed onto a bridged ladder. Michin goes up but gets pulled down, leaving Parker to go up, only to get pulled down for the Sol Snatcher. Henley gets the same and goes up, only to have Jordan run up at the same time. They knock each other down though and we get a breather. Jordan’s split legged moonsault connects onto Michin onto a ladder and she runs up to win the title at 12:28.

Rating: B-. This had the wild and dangerous spots that you were wanting to see, with something of a surprise result. Jordan winning is a nice choice as she is the definition of someone who could be a fresh face in the division. Now she has won something and can defend the title for at least a little while. The match itself was the usual insanity with some things not working as well as they planned, but it could have been a heck of a lot worse.

Yesterday, Oro Mensah jumped Ethan Page as he arrived in Las Vegas.

Tag Team Titles: OC vs. Axiom/Nathan Frazer

The OC is challenging. Anderson starts in on Axiom’s banged up arm so Axiom goes with a dropkick to get out of trouble. Frazer adds a running dropkick for two before grabbing a headlock takeover. It’s back to Axiom, who tries to go up but gets sent into the wrong corner so Gallows can stomp away.

Gallows fires off elbows to the bad shoulder and it’s back to Anderson for a headbutt. Axiom manages to get in a shot of his own though and the tag brings in Frazer to clean house. A springboard takes Anderson down and the running shooting star press gets two. Anderson avoids the phoenix splash though and hits a TKO of all things. The belly to back neckbreaker gives Gallows two and one heck of a sitout powerbomb does the same. Everything breaks down and Axiom comes back in to choke Gallows.

That’s broken up and it’s a running boot into a flapjack combination for two on Axiom. Frazer’s dive to the floor is countered into a chokeslam onto the apron, leaving Anderson to hit a super TKO for two on Axiom. Anderson tries it again but Frazer makes the save. That means Frazer can dive onto Anderson and Axiom gives Anderson a super Spanish Fly. The phoenix splash gives Frazer the retaining pin at 11:38.

Rating: B-. It was a pretty formula based match and the OC is still nowhere near what they used to be, but they had a good enough match here. Axiom and Frazer got to beat a team with a bit more credibility, as their build into a strong team continues. This wasn’t some classic match, but it did what it was supposed to do well enough.

We recap Lola Vice vs. Shayna Baszler in NXT Underground. They both have MMA backgrounds, but Vice is more about having fun while Baszler is more about competition. Tonight, they’re having a big fight.

Lola Vice vs. Shayna Baszler

NXT Underground, meaning no ropes and knockout/submissions only to win with wrestlers serving as unofficial lumberjacks. They slug it out to start until Baszler hammers her down. The fight goes outside, with Vice being sent into part of the set. Back in and Baszler suplexes her into an ankle lock. That’s reversed with a roll into the post s Vice grabs a rear naked choke.

Baszler breaks that up and they head outside, with Baszler loading up the announcers’ table. A legsweep and right hands have Vice in trouble but she avoids a running knee to the side of the table. The knee is wrapped around the post and Vice grabs a kneebar. Baszler starts getting out of that so Vice switches to a quickly broken ankle lock. Vice strikes her down again but another choke is broken up. Baszler fights to her feet and hits a kick to the head, setting up the Kirifuda Clutch.

Some twisting of the bad leg gets Vice out of trouble so Baszler knees her in the face. Baszler takes the knee pad down but charges into a spinning backfist to knock Baszler out to the floor. Back up and Baszler bets up security for some reason, only to have Vice kick her in the head again. Baszler grabs a triangle choke and kicks Vice out to the floor again. Vice manages to send her into the steps though and another spinning backfist knocks Baszler silly. The hammer fists finish Baszler at 11:17, who ties to jump the referee in her confusion.

Rating: C. It was definitely different and the violence was good, but this felt like something that should have gone about five minutes shorter. Vice winning is the right call and it’s one of the biggest wins of her career, but it got a bit boring about halfway through. At least they had Baszler put Vice over in a match that made sense. Just find a better way to do it.

Sexyy Red congratulates Kelani Jordan on her win and they dance.

Heatwave is coming to Toronto on July 7.

We recap the North American Title match with Oba Femi defending against Wes Lee and Joe Coffey. Femi is the unstoppable monster, Lee is the former champion and Coffey is the brawler who wants to beat people up and win the title.

North American Title: Oba Femi vs. Joe Coffey vs. Wes Lee

Femi is defending and the other two strike away at him to start, setting up a double dropkick to the floor. Lee knocks Coffey down and hits a dive on Femi, setting up a top rope twisting dive for two on Coffey. Back in and Femi suplexes them both at once before throwing Lee at Coffey for a nasty crash. They other two get together to stagger Femi, who goes up to the middle rope. Lee goes with him so Femi LAUNCHES HIM at Coffey in an awesome visual.

Back up and Coffey manages a sidewalk slam on Femi, setting up a Vader Bomb elbow for two. Lee is sent into the corner and Coffey manages a Death Valley Driver on Femi. Back up and Lee knocks Coffey onto Femi, with Lee having to make a last second save. With Femi outside, Coffey hits a dive, only to get planted onto the apron. Lee’s big running flip dive is pulled out of the air, with Femi powerbombing him onto Coffey for the big crash. Back in and Lee headscissors Femi into the corner, with Coffey having to make a save of his own.

Coffey hits a spinebuster for two on Lee but cue Gallus to beat up Femi on the floor. Lee gets hit with a top rope moonsault from Coffey, setting up the running headbutt into the corner for two. Femi gets back up and drops Gallus, only to get knocked down again with All The Best For The Bells. The standing Meteora puts Coffey down and there’s the Cardiac Kick for two, with Gallus pulling the referee out. Lee dives onto Gallus but Femi powerbombs Lee and Coffey to pin the latter at 12:05.

Rating: B. This was the Femi show as he was out there wrecking everyone in front of him like the monster that he has become. NXT knows what they have with him and this was a good way to make him look that much better. I’m not sure what is going to be able to stop Femi, but he was a wrecking ball here and it was another fun display of his monster size and power. Lee and Coffey were doing their thing, but this was about Femi and it worked.

We recap the Women’s Title match, as Roxanne Perez is defending against the monster TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace. It’s a cross promotional match, with Grace as a guest star who still feels like an unstoppable force.

NXT Women’s Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez is defending and Grace’s TNA Knockouts Title isn’t on the line. Grace blocks a waistlock to start so Perez slaps her in the face. That just gets on Grace’s nerves and she suplexes Perez down, allowing a quick nipup. Grace goes up but gets pulled down by the arm, setting up the seated armbar.

A knee drop misses for Perez but she punches the leg out again. Perez’s high crossbody is countered into a World’s Strongest Slam, only to have Grace miss the Vader Bomb. They both go up, with Grace grabbing a super spinning torture rack bomb but it’s too early for the Juggernaut river. Instead Grace hits a clothesline and a spinebuster for two but the MuscleBuster is broken up.

Perez hits a running hurricanrana driver for two and it’s time to crank on the arm. The armbar over the ropes keeps Grace in trouble but this time she pulls Perez into the MuscleBuster for two more. They head to the apron, where Perez can’t hit Pop Rox to the floor. Instead she sends Grace face first into the apron, setting up a diving tornado DDT. Back in and a double springboard moonsault gets two, followed by a crossface.

That’s broken up as well before both of their finishers are blocked. Grace faceplants her down…and Tatum Paxley jumps the barricade. She grabs the Knockouts Title but here is Ash By Elegance (formerly known as Dana Brooke) to grab it as well. Grace takes Ash down and hits a Death Valley Driver on Perez. The Juggernaut Driver is countered into a cutter though and Pop Rox retains the title at 13:57.

Rating: B. These two were rolling before the ending, which seemed to be more of a way to set something up for the Knockouts Title. I wasn’t sure who was going to win here, with Perez fighting against the monster and having to score where she could. Grace has looked like a star every time she has been out there in WWE of any kind and it wouldn’t shock me to see that become a permanent situation as soon as possible.

Sexyy Red brags about the show and Lola Vice comes in to dance. Red and the interviewer join her.

Gallus jumps Wes Lee.

We recap Trick Williams defending the NXT Title against Ethan Page. Williams was likely to defend against Noam Dar but someone attacked Dar instead. That wound up being Page, who signed a deal with the caveat that he got a title match here. Worked for Williams.

NXT Title: Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page

Williams is defending. Page starts fast and hammers away but Williams is back up with a neckbreaker for two. Williams’ side kick misses though and he crashes out to the floor, where Page sends him into the steps. Back in and Page stomps away in the corner, setting up a double underhook backbreaker for two. Page grabs a bearhug to stay on the ribs before slowly stomping away.

Williams fights up and hits a spinning DDT to leave them both down. Back up and Williams kicks him in the face but misses the spinning variety. They go outside with Page being sent over the barricade before they head back inside. Williams’ spinning kick to the face gets two but Page knocks him out of the air. The running knee in the corner gives Page two and they slug it out from their knees.

They slug it out, with Williams hitting a Rock Bottom for two. The fight heads outside, where Williams loads up the announcers’ table, only to get powerslammed through the table instead. Back in and the Ego’s Edge (Razor’s Edge) gets two on Williams, leaving Page to yell at the referee. The distraction lets Williams hit the Trick Shot to retain at 12:14.

Rating: C+. And that’s the main event. It wasn’t exactly a hot feud coming in and it wound up going well, but there was almost no heat to the match at all. Page is just kind of a generic guy who hasn’t had the chance to turn into anything around here. Maybe this could have gone better if they had more time to build up the feud, but it only worked well enough.

Sexyy Red comes out to celebrate with Williams to end the show. Red said nothing and danced four times. End of her contributions to this whole thing.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling ranged from good to ok at worst, but there was very little that actually happened here. Kelani Jordan is the inaugural Women’s North American Champion, and the rest of the titles were retained. It was a show with good action but nothing that you need to see. The problem is that it feels like we’re pretty much right where we were when the build to this show began with only a few minor changes here and there. They need a big story around here and the closest thing right now is TNA having wrestlers show up. It’s going to need more than that and this show didn’t deliver it.

Results
Kelani Jordan won the Women’s North American Title ladder match
Axiom/Nathan Frazer b. OC – Phoenix splash to Anderson
Lola Vice b. Shayna Baszler – Hammer fist
Oba Femi b. Joe Coffey and Wes Lee – Powerbomb to Coffey
Roxanne Perez b. Jordynne Grace – Pop Rox
Trick Williams b. Ethan Page – Trick Shot

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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AND

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

Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

Rampage – June 7, 2024

Collision – June 8, 2024

One Of The Classic? AEW Appears To Bring Back Old Rule For Reigning Champions.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/one-of-the-classic-aew-appears-to-bring-back-old-rule-for-reigning-champions/

VIDEO: WWE Tag Team Teasing Tensions, Split Possibly Coming?.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/video-wwe-tag-team-teasing-tensions-split-possibly-coming/

WATCH: NXT Star Appears At Independent Show To Continue Odd Storyline.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-nxt-star-appears-at-independent-show-to-continue-odd-storyline/

Not For Now? You Won’t Be Seeing This NXT Star For The Time Being.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/not-for-now-you-wont-be-seeing-this-nxt-star-for-the-time-being/

Ricochet Reportedly Gives Notice To WWE, Set To Become Free Agent.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/ricochet-reportedly-gives-notice-to-wwe-set-to-become-free-agent/

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (featuring news stories written by ME).

Collision
Date: June 8, 2024
Location: Mid-American Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We have about three weeks to go before Forbidden Door and there is a chance we’ll see some more build towards it this week. Toni Storm is set to defend her Women’s Title against Mina Shirakawa and has a warmup match against Lady Frost this week, which could see Shirakawa get involved. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR

For the same of simplicity, I’ll only refer to Cash Wheeler as “Wheeler” and Wheeler Yuta as “Yuta”. Wheeler (in long tights for a change, just like Harwood) wrestles Yuta to the mat to start and it’s off to Castagnoli vs. Harwood. They go around the ropes to start until Castagnoli uppercuts him out to the floor. Back in and Harwood hits a hard chop but Castagnoli knocks him right back down.

Yuta comes in to strike away in the corner and a backsplash gets two. A hard shot to the face gets Harwood out of trouble and it’s back to Wheeler to uppercut the heck out of Yuta. FTR catapults Yuta throat first into the bottom rope for two but he’s right back over to Castagnoli for the tag anyway. Wheeler breaks up the Swing on Harwood but we get stereo Sharpshooters from Harwood and Castagnoli. An exchange of slaps break those up and everything breaks down again with the fights heading outside.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli grabbing a superplex for two on Harwood. Yuta comes in to cut off Wheeler but Harwood is back with a spinebuster for two of his own. Everyone is down for a bit before Wheeler gets Giant Swung into the dropkick from Yuta for two more. Castagnoli uppercuts the heck out of Wheeler for two and everyone is down again.

Wheeler is back up with a Sharpshooter of his own to Castagnoli, who reverses it int the same thing. That’s broken up and Yuta dives onto Harwood. Wheeler’s piledriver gets two on Castagnoli and we have a minute left in the time limit. Castagnoli superplexes Wheeler and rolls through into the Neutralizer for two. A crossface into the Rings of Saturn have Wheeler in trouble but the time limit expires at 20:00.

Rating: A-. I was wondering why one of these teams was going to lose and I’m rather pleased with the outcome we got instead. FTR can still work a good to great match with anyone and they had me wondering who was going to win all the way until the end. This was one of the best TV matches I’ve seen in a while and I had a lot of fun with the whole thing.

Post match Harwood wants five more minutes but Brandon Cutler is here on behalf of the Young Bucks (oh geez) to say no. Castagnoli swings Cutler and FTR adds the Shatter Machine. Ok so the Bucks don’t work Collision, but Tony Khan was here last week to make a ruling. Is Khan not here this week, or is he just not paying attention or doesn’t care here? Either way, assuming this isn’t just a one off, this is now FIVE PEOPLE with authority in this company. With that out of the way, Castagnoli says a handshake is too much of a cliché, but they’ll have a rematch anytime.

Kyle O’Reilly respects Orange Cassidy but the Undisputed Kingdom interrupts. They think someone or something is missing for O’Reilly and the team is cheering for him tonight. O’Reilly doesn’t want to hear it. Strong tells O’Reilly to remember what he said when he came back, but we don’t know what that is.

Kris Statlander vs. Robyn Renegade

Statlander powers her into the corner to start and fires off some shoulders to the ribs. Renegade slips out of a powerbomb out of the corner but the second attempt works just fine. Saturday Night Fever finishes Renegade at 1:33. Statlander looked awesome here.

Post match Stokely Hathaway praises Statlander and as of earlier today, she is officially in the Owen Hart Foundation Cup.

Post break, Willow Nightingale says she’s in the tournament too and hopes to see Statlander there.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Johnny TV

Taya Valkyrie is here with Johnny. Dustin slugs away to start and goes outside to annoy Taya for a bonus. A hard chop against the barricade rocks TV but Taya’s yelling lets him come back with a running flip dive through the ropes. They both step onto Dustin for some kissing on the steps as we take a break.

Back with Dustin fighting back and getting two off the scoop powerslam. The flipping neckbreaker gives TV two but Dustin hits a Destroyer (with TV appearing to give him a lot of help), setting up Shattered Dreams. The Cross Rhodes gives Dustin two, with Taya putting the foot on the rope. That’s enough for an ejection, with TV using the distraction to hit a superkick for two. Some knees to the face set up a missed Starship Pain and Cross Rhodes gives Dustin the pin at 9:33.

Rating: C+. I know it’s impressive that he’s been around for the better part of ever, but Dustin’s matches haven’t done much for me in a good while. It’s cool to see him still be able to have a decent match this late in his career, but odds are this is going to lead to another “I don’t know if I still have it in me but I’m going to give it all I’ve got” speech. That might work a bit better if we hadn’t heard it from him since AEW started.

Post match Dustin says he’s getting old. He’s got two things to talk about tonight, starting with the fans, who have not abandoned him after almost 37 years. Dustin thanks the production crew before moving on to the second thing, which is Jack Perry. AEW missed Perry when he left and they were happy to see him come back, but then Perry attacked the boss.

Perry has been talking about sacrifice despite being born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Dustin has been sacrificing for his family for decades but Perry has been a follower for years. If you’re a follower for that long, the view never changes. Dustin is facing Perry on Dynamite and Dustin promises to destroy his little punk a**. Perry will never forget his name. This was close enough to Dustin’s normal stuff, and that means it was good enough but not exactly exciting.

Zack Sabre Jr. wants Orange Cassidy at Forbidden Door.

Premiere Athletes vs. Trip Gordon/Dante Leon

The Athletes jump them to start and an over the shoulder Tombstone finishes Leon at 48 seconds.

Scorpio Sky offers to be our hero, our voice, and our champion.

Toni Storm vs. Lady Frost

Non-title and Luther and Mariah May are here with Storm. Frost gets taken down to start and Storm dances a bit before they fight over wrist control. Storm is knocked to the floor for an apron moonsault and we take a break. Back with Storm hitting the hip attack in the corner for two but Frost’s Air Raid Crash gets the same. Frostbite misses and Storm Sky Highs her for two more. Storm Zero finishes Frost at 7:57.

Rating: C+. Storm gets a nice win over someone who can work hard in the ring and that’s about all it needed to be. What mattered here was making Storm feel strong again, which should often be the case for a champion on the way into a big title match. Frost has a unique look, but she sems destined to be there to make people look better.

Post match Storm hugs May and says she knows how rough it is for May to see Storm and Mina Shirakawa fighting. As a distraction, Storm demands that May is entered into the Owen Hart Tournament. They’ll get through this together.

Dante Martin and Lee Moriarty argue over an Owen Tournament spot, with their respective partners getting in on it too.

Samoa Joe and Hook, after arguing about lacrosse, jump the Premiere Athletes.

Daniel Garcia vs. Tate Mayfairs

Mayfairs is from Progress Wrestling and this is his AEW debut. Garcia takes him down into a wristlock to start but Mayfairs knocks Garcia into the corner for some posing. Mayfairs hammers away both on the mat and on their feet but Garcia rolls some swinging neckbreakers. The Saito suplex into the shotgun dropkick into the Red Cross finishes for Garcia at 3:19.

Rating: C+. I guess it’s time for the next Garcia push, though I’m not likely to get my hopes up for this one being the time where everything comes together for him. Garcia has been a project for AEW for a long time now but it has never quite clicked. He’s come a long way, but seeing him make it up to the next level does not seem like the most likely result.

Post match, dancing ensues.

Video on Zeuxis, who faces Mercedes Mone on Dynamite.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Orange Cassidy talks about how bad things are going for him and now he has to deal with Zack Sabre Jr. at Forbidden Door. He has to go deal with things, including Kyle O’Reilly tonight.

Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle O’Reilly

O’Reilly takes him to the mat to start as the Undisputed Kingdom is watching from the crowd. Cassidy makes it over to the ropes so O’Reilly sits down and tells him to bring it. Instead Cassidy tries a monkey flip but has to get to the ropes to escape an armbar. They trade rollups for two each before a neck crank sends Cassidy to the floor and us to a break. Back with Cassidy grabbing a headlock takeover but O’Reilly reverses into a sleeper.

That’s reversed into a cradle to give Cassidy two but Cassidy has to escape a standing choke. The hands go into the pockets so O’Reilly sweeps the leg without much trouble. O’Reilly starts in on the arm before switching to a dragon screw legwhip over the ropes. They head outside and the Kingdom distracts O’Reilly but he’s fine enough to dragon screw Cassidy into the barricade. It works so well that O’Reilly does it again and there’s a fourth back inside.

We take another break and come back again with Cassidy working on O’Reilly’s arm. Cassidy sends him outside for a dive, followed by the high crossbody back inside. O’Reilly kicks the leg out and snaps off a German suplex, only for Cassidy to do the same, leaving them both down. Back up and they trade lazy kicks until Cassidy’s Stundog Millionaire is countered into a cross armbreaker.

Cassidy slips out of that and hits a Michinoku Driver for two, followed by a hard kick to the face. The Orange Punch is countered into a chickenwing, with O’Reilly putting his own hand into Cassidy’s pocket in a…..I guess you can call it smart touch. Cassidy powers him up for a Beach Break and a standing Orange Punch staggers O’Reilly. The more regular version finishes for Cassidy at 19:37.

Rating: B. Another good back and forth match here with the two of them both working hard. Cassidy needed a win after having some bad luck as of late, though O’Reilly losing again isn’t the best thing to see. Maybe he joins the Undisputed Era after some more losses, but egads I could go for a long, as in permanent, break from that entire team getting together again. Rather good main event here, with the fans still loving Cassidy.

Post match Trent Beretta and Kyle Fletcher come in to jump Cassidy but O’Reilly makes the…well the failed save attempt actually as the villains take over. Kris Statlander comes in as well and shakes hands with Trent. Willow Nightingale runs in to chase Statlander off to end the show

Overall Rating: B+. The opener was outstanding and the main event was rather good, which is enough to make this a heck of a show. They focused on the wrestling here and as usual, it made for a solid AEW offering. It still amazes me how much easier AEW is to watch when they don’t focus on the top storylines, but I can easily take something like this week to week. Check out the opener, as it was rather awesome.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR went to a time limit draw
Kris Statlander b. Robyn Renegade – Saturday Night Fever
Dustin Rhodes b. Johnny TV – Cross Rhodes
Premiere Athletes b. Trip Gordon/Dante Leon – Over the shoulder Tombstone to Leon
Toni Storm b. Lady Frost – Storm Zero
Daniel Garcia b. Tate Mayfairs – Red Cross
Orange Cassidy b. Kyle O’Reilly – Orange Punch

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

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Rampage
Date: June 7, 2024
Location: Blue Arena, Loveland, Colorado
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

The road to Forbidden Door continues and for once I’m almost believing we might get something new this week. Rampage has been built up a bit more in recent weeks and that has made things more interesting. It is nice to see the show feel a bit more important and hopefully that continues here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. The Butcher

They shove each other around to start until Butcher knocks him down and hammers away against the ropes. Penta fights back and strikes away in the corner, setting up a handstand dropkick to rock Butcher again. A headscissors sends Butcher to the floor, where he runs over Alex Abrahantes.

The distracted Penta gets run over and clotheslined against the apron as Butcher takes over. Butcher works on the arm and kicks him in the shoulder as we take a break. Back with Penta hitting a Sling Blade for two and the Backstabber out of the corner gets the same. Butcher’s half nelson backbreaker gets the same but Penta Fear Factors him to win at 9:48.

Rating: C+. This was a nice way to give Penta a boost as he lost to Takeshita recently. Penta is someone who continues to feel like he could be something if given the chance, though beating Butcher is only going to get him so far. For now though, I’ll take a good match that runs about ten minutes to open the show.

Here is the Learning Tree so Chris Jericho can critique Matt Menard’s commentary. That’s it.

Acclaimed vs. Hunter Grey/Parviz

Grey and Parviz look like bad Missing Link cosplayers. It’s a brawl to start but Caster hits an AA on Grey. The Mic Drop finishes Grey at 55 seconds as that is quite the poor use of guys with a good look.

Post match, scissoring ensues.

Shane Taylor Promotions wants Action Andretti/Top Flight. If you’re to the point where you’re challenging Top Flight and Andretti, it might be time to hang it up.

Gates Of Agony vs. Private Party

Kassidy starts fast and hits a springboard Stunner on Toa but a Pounce on the floor has Private Party rocked as we take a break. Back with Kassidy hitting a bit flip dive onto the Gates, setting up a Swanton for two. Kaun takes both of them down in the corner and hands it back to Toa to take over. Quen avoids a Vader Bomb and it’s back to Kassidy for a 450, with Quen adding a shooting star for two. Toa is right back with a swinging Rock Bottom and Open The Gates finishes Kassidy at 7:47.

Rating: C+. They had a completely fine match but it’s hard to believe that either of these teams is going to be going anywhere anytime soon. I can’t imagine the Gates doing anything important as they have been built up and then beaten back down over and over. Private Party is pretty much the same, as they have yet to really do much of anything other than beat the Young Bucks years ago. It was an entertaining showcase, but I don’t buy either of them as having a bright future.

Toni Storm is ready to make cinema with Lady Frost on Collision.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Caleb Crush/Chris Wilde/Tyler Payne

The Gunns let Robinson start and he runs Crush over, knocks Wilde off the apron, and pulls Payne in. A spinebuster into a Cannonball sets up the forward DDT to finish Crush at 1:34. Robinson’s charisma continues to be great.

Post match Jay White brags about the team’s success and calls Robinson the Stray Bullet. White names Robinson a quarter of the Trios Champions so we might have a Freebird Rule.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Serena Deeb

Mina dances to start before Deeb works on a standing armbar. That’s reversed into a wristlock but Deeb reverses the reversal into the Paradise Lock. With that broken up, Mina kicks the leg out and drops some elbows onto said leg before just dropping it onto the mat. Back up and Deeb manages a neckbreaker over the middle rope for a breather. We take a break and come back with Mina enziguring her way to freedom.

The bad knee won’t let her follow up immediately but she’s fine enough to rock Deeb with a discus forearm. Another forearm hits Deeb in the corner and a top rope knee to the shoulder gets two. They trade standing switches until Deeb hits a hard German suplex. The hammerlock lariat gives Deeb two but Deebtox is blocked.

Mina is right back with a Figure Four and they even slap it out while the hold is still on. The rope is eventually grabbed for the break but Deeb’s knee is shot. Somehow it’s fine enough to hit a powerbomb into a stretch muffler of all things. Deeb takes out Mina’s knee for a change and rams it into the mat. There’s no Serenity Lock though as Mina grabs a reverse sitout implant DDT for the pin at 13:19.

Rating: B-. It’s nice that Shirakawa won a match on the way to Forbidden Door as she hasn’t been in the ring much. Other than a one off match against Anna Jay back in April, she hasn’t wrestled for AEW and that needed to be fixed. Beating Deeb is a good enough deal, though it seems Deeb is falling back down into jobberland, which is more disappointing than anything else.

Post match Mariah May comes out to celebrate but Toni Storm, in a bathrobe and with a towel over her head, comes out to glare. May invites her in and we do get a handshake with Mina. They both hold the ropes open for May to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt like a show where the goal was to get multiple people into the ring and that’s not a terrible way to go. As usual, the problem feels like very little of this is going to make a difference in the bigger shows. At the same time, keeping it at three hours helps a lot as it can’t overstay its welcome. Nice show, but nothing you need to see.

Results
Penta El Zero Miedo b. The Butcher – Fear Factor
Acclaimed b. Hunter Grey/Parviz – Mic Drop to Grey
Gates Of Agony b. Private Party – Open The Gates to Kassidy
Bang Bang Gang b. Caleb Crush/Chris Wilde/Tyler Payne – Forward DDT to Crush
Mina Shirakawa b. Serena Deeb – Reverse sitout implant DDT

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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AND

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

Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

Dynamite – June 5, 2024

WCCW TV – January 16, 1988

Ring Of Honor – June 6, 2024

Impact Wrestling – June 6, 2024

Smackdown – June 7, 2024

He’s Good: Backstage Praise For Recently Signed WWE Star.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hes-good-backstage-praise-for-recently-signed-wwe-star/

Very Special Guest Star? Rhea Ripley Reportedly Backstage At Major AEW Event.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/very-special-guest-star-rhea-ripley-reportedly-backstage-at-major-aew-event/

Down: Another NXT Superstar Injured, Missing From Action.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/down-another-nxt-superstar-injured-missing-from-action/

Out Of Here: Randy Orton Opens Up On Vince McMahon Leaving WWE, How Things Are Better.

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LOOK: Asuka Offers Major Update On Her Injury (And It’s Not Good).

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WATCH: Cody Rhodes Meets A Young Fan At WWE Live Event (And It’s Awesome).

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-cody-rhodes-meets-a-young-fan-at-wwe-live-event-and-its-awesome/

Maybe? Injured AEW Star Hopes His Career Can Continue Following Surgery.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/maybe-injured-aew-star-hopes-his-career-can-continue-following-surgery/

WRESTLING RUMORS: AEW Star’s Contract Expiring This Year, WWE Interested In Signing Him.

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WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE Changing Creative Plans For Bron Breakker, Something Big Planned.

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Nope: Surprising New Details On Vince McMahon’s Status At WWE Headquarters.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/nope-surprising-new-details-on-vince-mcmahons-status-at-wwe-headquarters/

That’s Why: 52 Year Old WWE Hall Of Famer Explains Why He Never Wrestled One More Match.

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WATCH: CM Punk Looks Great In Training For WWE Return.

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Quick Turnaround? Another WWE Superstar’s Contract Reportedly Expiring At The End Of The Month.

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VIDEO: Drew McIntyre Gets In Sick Burn On CM Punk.

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Run It Back: WWE Title Rematch With Violent Stipulation Set For Clash At The Castle.

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Working On It: Important Details On Rhea Ripley’s Recovery From Injury.

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He Did It: WWE Title Change Takes Place In Match After SmackDown (SPOILER).

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All In: New Title Match Officially Set For WWE Clash At The Castle.

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Under The Knife: NXT Star Suffers Broken Foot, To Miss Six Months.

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On The Market? Big Update On Chad Gable’s WWE Contract, AEW Interested.

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WATCH: Two Major Bloodline Developments Take Place On SmackDown.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-two-major-bloodline-developments-take-place-on-smackdown/

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (featuring news stories written by ME).

Smackdown
Date: June 7, 2024
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We have just over a week to go before Clash At The Castle and after last week, it seems that we are going to be seeing AJ Styles vs. Cody Rhodes II for the Smackdown World Title. Other than that, LA Knight and Logan Paul have been circling each other and there is a good chance that we will see that match set up this week as well. Let’s get to it.

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

We look back at AJ Styles faking retirement last week and attacking Cody Rhodes to end the show.

An annoyed Rhodes is waiting for Styles.

Here is the Bloodline to get things going. The still nervous looking Paul Heyman says that until Roman Reigns comes back, Solo Sikoa is at the head of the table. The fans want Reigns, which has me wondering how long they can hold off on the return. Sikoa has decided to make a double proclamation tonight, starting with Tama Tonga being named the Right Hand Man. Second, Tonga Loa is officially a member of the team. Heyman tries to wrap it up but Sikoa asks what’s going on.

Heyman should be thanking them for the save against Kevin Owens last week, with Heyman doing just that. In addition, Heyman was here earlier today and heard that Owens is wanting a piece of the Bloodline. Cue Owens (Heyman bails) and the brawl is on but the numbers game has Owens in trouble. The Street Profits run in for the save though, allowing Owens to grab a chair and clear the ring. This feels like it’s going to keep building until Reigns comes back for the big moment and they need to make Sikoa feel that much more evil on the way there.

Post break, Sikoa tells Heyman to make this a six man or it’s Heyman vs. Tama Tonga. Heyman: “I like the six man idea a lot better.”

Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Non-title. The bell rings and here are Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre and Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark to watch. Belair takes LeRae down to start and hits a quick moonsault for two. Hartwell comes in for a cheap shot though and the posing takes us to a break. Back with Belair getting over for the tag to Cargill so house can be quickly cleaned. The assisted German suplex finishes Hartwell at 6:32. Not enough shown to rate but Cargill and Belair wrecked them after the break.

Post match the other four come in to beat down the champs, only to fight amongst themselves. Cargill and Belair take them out and stand tall.

Nick Aldis tells Cody Rhodes to not get in a fight with AJ Styles on the loading dock but Cody says he’s taking care of this himself.

Apollo Crews is ready….to get jumped by Angel and Berto. Nick Aldis calls for medics but as Crews is taken away, LA Knight comes in to ask where Logan Paul is. Carmelo Hayes pops in to say he’s getting to Knight so Aldis makes the match for later tonight. Aldis implied that this was taking the place of Crews’ match so points for some continuity.

Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller

Tommaso Ciampa and Austin Theory are here too. Gargano knocks him into the corner to start and chops away but a spinning backbreaker puts Gargano down. The rolling Stunner is countered into a belly to back suplex though and they head outside. Gargano’s Sliced Bread leaves both of them down and we take an early break.

Back with Gargano hitting some clotheslines into an enziguri, setting up the slingshot spear for two. An electric chair belly to back suplex drops Gargano for two more but something like a Destroyer out of the corner plants Waller hard. Waller bails outside and pulls Theory into a dive before posting Gargano. Back in and a running flipping Unprettier (picture Cena’s Throwback but landing on the other person instead of grabbing their head) finishes Gargano at 8:16.

Rating: C+. Assuming DIY is going to get the title shot, I’m not sure how logical it was to have Gargano lose here. Then again, at least it’s something different than winning singles matches to set up a tag match. For now though, the match was perfectly fine, with Waller pulling Theory in the way of the dive being completely in line with his way of thinking.

Nick Aldis, with security, tells Cody Rhodes that AJ Styles is arriving. Post break the car arrives with Styles in the sunroof and the OC standing in Rhodes’ way. Rhodes goes into the arena and calls Styles out for a fight RIGHT NOW. Cue Styles to say he doesn’t care what Rhodes wants, but Styles wants a title shot at Clash At The Castle. Works for Rhodes, but he wants it to be I Quit. Nick Aldis comes out to make the match and Rhodes beats up security. With Rhodes held back, Styles gets in a cheap shot.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill leave Aldis’ office and announce a triple threat Women’s Tag Team Title match at Clash At The Castle, with Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark and Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre getting the shots. Makes sense and goes another step towards trying to make the champs feel like they’re in danger. They aren’t, but points for trying.

LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes

Knight isn’t impressed to start and takes Hayes outside for some rams into the announcers’ table. A backdrop onto the table makes it worse and we take a break. Back with Knight fighting out of a top wristlock but getting hit in the face for two. Knight avoids something from the top and hits a faceplant, only to charge into a superkick. A slam puts Hayes down again but the LA Elbow (minus the LA, making it just a jumping elbow) misses. The powerslam connects but the BFT is countered into a rollup with trunks for two. Knight reverses the rollup into a rollup of his own for the pin at 8:33.

Rating: C+. This is a match where there was not harmless result, as Knight needed a win to boost him towards the likely US Title shot, but my goodness Hayes needs to win something sooner than later. Other than a fluke rollup against Baron Corbin, he hasn’t won anything of note since earlier this year in NXT. He doesn’t have to be beating top names, but he can beat some lower level names just to build himself up a bit.

Post match Knight promises to bring Smackdown to Logan Paul.

Tiffany Stratton offers to unite with Nia Jax, who looks as annoyed as someone who has to watch a Nia Jax match. With Stratton gone, Michin comes in to throw water in Jax’s face and they have to be held apart.

Video on Bayley vs. Piper Niven.

Here is Bayley for a chat. She mentions the match with Niven but here are Chelsea Green and Niven to interrupt. Niven promises to make Bayley lose again and says that the two of them will be the new champ. Bayley respects Niven, which is why she was watching from the front row at the Mae Young Classic.

She’s lost in front of everyone she’s loved and knows how bad it feels, so she’ll do it again to Niven next week. Niven gets in the ring to talk about her journey from 2008. She worked around the world while Bayley walked into a perfect situation in the Performance Center. Now she has an annoying friend in Naomi and everything handed to her. Niven promises to win the title, with Green mimicking almost every word in a nice touch.

Logan Paul sends in a video and says he’s in Los Angeles for the World Tetris Championships because he wants a real challenger. Knight needs to go back to the midcard where he belongs.

Naomi doesn’t like what Chelsea Green and Piper Niven said out there. Nick Aldis makes Naomi vs. Green for next week.

Kevin Owens/Street Profits vs. Bloodline

Dawkins powers Tonga into the corner to start and hands it off to Ford. The shoulders to the ribs have Tama in trouble but he fights out rather quickly. Loa comes in for the forearms to the head and Sikoa sends Ford outside for the crash as we take a break. Back with the slow beating to Ford continuing, with Loa hitting a basement clothesline.

Ford finally manages to get in a shot of his own and the diving tag brings in Owens to face Sikoa. Owens drops him fast and hits the Swanton for two as everything breaks down. Ford hits a big running flip dive onto the pile at ringside, which just causes Sikoa to chair Ford for the DQ at 9:40.

Rating: C+. This was picking up near the end but then they pulled all of the energy out with the lame ending. It makes the Bloodline look more violent as they would rather swing chairs than compete, but it doesn’t exactly make for the most thrilling conclusion. At least Owens didn’t take another pin though.

Post match the big beatdown is on, with Owens being put through the announcers’ table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show did a nice job of setting up the Smackdown side of Clash At The Castle, but the problem is that half isn’t very interesting. The show is going to be ALL about Drew McIntyre getting his title shot with Rhodes vs. Styles II not exactly feeling hot, even with the stipulation. Paul vs. Knight should be good as well, but it wasn’t officially announced here. Stuff did happen here and that’s good, but the stuff wasn’t that interesting, which is a problem. Odds are that changes after next week though, so this shouldn’t be a long term issue.

Results
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae – Assisted German suplex to Hartwell
Grayson Waller b. Johnny Gargano – Running flipping Unprettier
LA Knight b. Carmelo Hayes – Rollup
Kevin Owens/Street Profits b. Bloodline via DQ when Sikoa used a chair

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: June 7, 2024
Location: MegaCorp Pavilion, Newport, Kentucky
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re on the way to Against All Odds and that means most of the card is already set. While Moose is set to defend the World Title against Matt Hardy on that show, we have another title match on this show. This week will see Laredo Kid defending the Digital Media Title against AJ Francis, which should be interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Apparently this is the 20 year anniversary of the show. That’s really impressive.

Kon vs. Jake Something

Kon blocks a neck snap to start so Something hammers away in the corner and hits a clothesline to the floor. Back in and Kon is knocked outside again, this time managing to post Something to take over. Kon cranks away at the neck back inside before Something fights up and slugs away for the knockdown. An elbow misses for Kon and Something punches him down for one. Something fights out of another neck snap and Into The Void finishes Kon at 5:27.

Rating: C+. Nice win for Something here as his star continues its up and down status. It’s nice to see him win like this but at some point he needs to win something of value. Beating a monster like Kon is a good sign though and once he gets away from Deaner, maybe we can see him get a proper push.

Post match Kon jumps him but Eric Young runs in for the save. Young talks about how this show is twenty years old today and he’s celebrating with the fans.

We look at Moose injuring Matt Hardy last week.

Frankie Kazarian is fighting on behalf of the System this week. The System comes in to say if he takes out Nic Nemeth tonight, he gets a World Title shot, right? Works for Moose, though Kazarian isn’t sure if Moose is getting by Matt Hardy.

We recap PCO’s attempts to woo Steph de Lander, who seems interested.

De Lander thinks PCO has a crush on him and opens the love letter, which says “PCO: Oui or Non”. Xia Brookside comes in to tell her to give it some time before she makes her decision. De Lander says she’ll give it a week, which has Brookside rather giddy.

Gisele Shaw vs. Shazza McKenzie

Shaw knocks her into the corner to start and hits a running elbow. McKenzie is back with a neck snap over the ropes and a kick to the face for two. Back up and Shaw hits her in the face for two, setting up a Cody Cutter and a running knee for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C. Shaw looked crisp here (and in new gear to make her feel different) which is a good sign when you’re fresh back after a lengthy layoff. Shaw’s in that same category of “she needs to actually win the title” after so many close losses and maybe this is her time. The setup is definitely looking better this time at least.

Rosemary blames herself for the losses of her loved once and says it is because of sins.

Steve Maclin asks Mike Santana for an alliance against the Rascalz, but Santana is done with tag wrestling. Maclin asks again and Santana seems to be in.

Mustafa Ali/Champagne Singh vs. Speedball Mountain

Seven starts but Ali hands it off to Singh instead. Seven’s headlock allows Bailey to come in and strike away, including a dropkick into the corner. Ali comes in for a cheap shot on Bailey to take over, making sure to taunt Seven in the process. Some choking on the ropes keeps Bailey in trouble and we take a break. Back with Bailey and Singh trading rollups for two each, with Bailey making it over for the tag to Seven. The swinging slam connects but the Birminghammer is broken up and it’s back to Ali.

Bop and Bang gives Seven two on Ali, with Singh making the save. Ali is right back with the rolling clothesline but the 450 misses. Instead Seen hits the Seven Star Lariat and we get the double down. Bailey comes back in with a missile dropkick to Singh, followed by the moonsault double knees. A rather lengthy double team is broken up though and Ali uses a Secret Service distraction to DDT Bailey on the floor. Not that it matters as the Birminghammer finishes Singh at 13:30.

Rating: B-. That’s booking 101 as you have Seven looking dominant against Ali’s lackey on his way to a title shot against Ali himself. I don’t quite buy Seven as a major threat to win the title but at least they’re building him up well. At the same time, Speedball Mountain gets another win, as this thrown together team continues t have some legs.

The Personal Concierge brings back the healed up Ash By Elegance following her life saving minor surgery.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Allysin Kan

Grace is defending and Marti Belle is here with Kay. Grace charges at her to start and unloads in the corner but Belle offers a distraction to break it up. Kay strikes away until Grace skins the cat and runs her over. A Saito suplex cuts Grace off but she avoids a charge in the corner. The MuscleBuster gets two on Kay before Grace beats up Belle for trying to interfere. Kay’s kneeling piledriver gets two but Grace powerbombs her into the Juggernaut Driver to retain at 6:10.

Rating: C+. Kay is another former champion who was brought back in to make Grace look good in a victory. Grace is on her way to probably the biggest match of her life this weekend and that means she needs a boost like this one. They had a back and forth enough match too, as Grace had to put in some effort to retain here. Nice match.

We get Sami Callihan’s Death Machine TV, where he doesn’t like how Jonathan Gresham thinks he’s an octopus. The showdown seems to be set for Against All Odds.

Digital Media Title: Laredo Kid vs. AJ Francis

Kid is defending and Rich Swann is here with Francis. They start fast with Kid sticking and moving until a dropkick puts Francis on the floor. The dive is pulled out of the air though and Kid is slammed into the apron. A running knee in the corner rocks Kid but he fights up and hits a missile dropkick. Kid flip dives off the top onto Swann on the floor but the distraction lets Francis hit the Down Payment (chokeslam) for the pin and the title at 4:58.

Rating: C. Sure why not. Francis at least feels like a bigger star around here and it isn’t like Kid has lit the world on fire with his rather brief title reign. If TNA wants Francis to feel like a big star then he needed to win something. Giving him the low level TV Title would in fact count as something, as Francis gets a prize. Maybe he can even do something with it.

Nic Nemeth vs. Frankie Kazarian

They fight over a lockup to start until Nemeth takes him down for the armbar. Kazarian fights up and knocks him down but Nemeth scores with that dropkick. A backdrop sends Nemeth outside though, followed by a snap suplex back inside. We hit the chinlock, meaning Ziggler has to fight up rather quickly. Kazarian runs him over again and we take an early break.

Back with Nemeth fighting out of a chickenwing attempt and hitting the rapid fire elbows. Kazarian reverses one of them into the chickenwing, with Nemeth eventually grabbing the rope. Nemeth’s superkick gets two but the Danger Zone is blocked. Instead Kazarian grabs a slingshot cutter for two and frustration is setting in. Nemeth gets two off a sunset flip before the Danger Zone connects for the win at 14:35.

Rating: B-. This was the TNA “These Guys Are Good At Wrestling” match of the week and that is always going to work. It was the longest match on the show and it had two veterans getting to go out there and do their thing. That is something we see pretty much weekly around here and this time it happened to be in the main event.

Post match the System runs in to beat Nemeth down. Ryan Nemeth runs in for the save but Moose comes in to break up the break up. The villains get in the beatdown but Joe Hendry runs in for the real save…until Moose spears him down as well. The real beatdown is on and the System poses but we cut to Matt Hardy. You cannot break what is already Broken so he invites the System to the Hardy Compound next week. An Addams Family snap ends the show. As long as it’s a one off, just let them get it out of their system and move on.

Overall Rating: B-. TNA is in a rough place right now as their most important story is taking place in NXT this weekend, leaving everything else to be set up for a middle of the road (at best) show next week. Matt Hardy isn’t feeling like a top level challenger but rather someone who is getting to do his Broken stuff because he’s a star who gets to do what he wants. I’m still holding out hope for Joe Hendry to get the big World Title win, but by the time he gets there, it might be too late. Good enough show here, though Against All Odds is not feeling interesting whatsoever.

Results
Jake Something b. Kon – Into The Void
Gisele Shaw b. Shazza McKenzie – Running knee
Speedball Mountain b. Champagne Singh/Mustafa Ali – Birminghammer to Singh
Jordynne Grace b. Allysin Kay – Juggernaut Driver
AJ Francis b. Laredo Kid – Down Payment
Nic Nemeth b. Frankie Kazarian – Danger Zone

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.

Ring Of Honor
Date: June 6, 2024
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

For the first time in far too long, we have a title match this week with Kyle Fletcher defending the TV Title against Dalton Castle. That alone feels like a major match and that is more than you usually get around here. Hopefully we get something else to balance things out a bit though you never can tell. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Queen Aminata vs. Mazzerati

They fight over a lockup to start until Aminata snaps off a suplex. A running leg attack knocks Mazzerati into the ropes and there’s a big kick to make it worse. With Mazzerati tied up in the ropes, Aminata hits a heck of a running dropkick and the Air Raid Crash finishes at 3:26.

Rating: C. Total squash here and that’s what it needed to be as Aminata seems likely for the next Women’s Title shot. Granted we might not know when that is going to be as Athena might be out of action for a bit due to her ankle. For now though, I can live with Aminata getting built up, as she still hasn’t won anything significant so far.

Dalton Castle looks rather relieved and apologizes to Lexi Nair for everything he has put her through lately. Johnny TV comes in to accuse Castle of stealing his sunglasses, but Castle says he has no qualm (or whatever the word is, as Castle isn’t sure) with TV. They argue over whose plans are bigger, with Lexi and Taya Valkyrie saying those are huge.

Marina Shafir vs. Amira

They circle each other to start until a kick to the chest drops Amira. She tries to kick Shafir away but gets a cartwheel instead. A suplex sets up a reverse sleeper to finish Amira at 1:45.

TV Title: Dalton Castle vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher is defending and this is about seventeen minutes into the show, third from the start rather than the main event. They fight over a test of strength to start, with Fletcher quickly bailing out to the floor. Back in and Castle grabs a DDT, sending Fletcher bailing back to the floor. Fletcher knocks him hard off the apron for a crash to the floor, followed by chopping and taunting in the corner.

Castle fights back and takes him down by the arm for a needed breather. Some rolling throws have Fletcher in more trouble but he goes up, only to get crotched down. Castle hits a running knee and they’re back on the floor. Fletcher is fine enough to grab a half nelson slam to plant Castle for a change, followed by a brainbuster for two back inside. They fight over the piledriver and Bang A Rang until it’s an exchange of rollups for two each. Fletcher hits a superkick into the piledriver to retain at 12:20.

Rating: B. It was good and definitely felt like the biggest match Ring Of Honor has had in a long while. It’s nice to see Fletcher getting a win instead of jobbing on AEW TV over and over and he even beat someone with some status. That being said, why in the world would you put this in the early middle of the show instead of in the feature spot? I’m not sure I get that.

Infantry vs. Nick Comoroto/Jacoby Watts

Trish Adora is here with the Infantry. Comoroto backs Bravo into the corner to start but it’s a double hiptoss to take him down. Back up and Comoroto skins the cat for a nice power display but Walls still doesn’t want to tag in. Dean flips out of a belly to back suplex and hands it back to Bravo for a kick to the face in the corner. Watts does at least break up Boot Camp, earning him a knock to the floor. Comoroto hits a double clothesline but walks into a double superkick. A frog splash gives Dean the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C. At least Watts did a little something here, which seems to be the point of their entire story. Then again, I’m not sure I get why I’m supposed to be interested in Comoroto when he’s losing. Then again again though, having him fight valiantly in glorified handicap matches isn’t the best way to keep him as a villain. I’m not sure where they’re going here, but Comoroto is still looking like a potential star.

Lee Johnson challenges Kyle Fletcher for a TV Title shot. Fletcher comes in and towers over Johnson, saying he has to get to the back of the line. Johnson has lost to him twice, but he believes he can beat Fletcher 2/3 falls. The champ is on.

Billie Starkz vs. Zamaya

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Zamaya (her hair is tall) wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Starkz takes her down for some taunting shots to the head, followed by a release German suplex. They head outside with Starkz sending her into the barricade for some hard stomping. Back in and Starkz kicks her down, setting up the Swanton for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C. Another total squash here with Starkz getting another win on her way to a likely title showdown with Red Velvet. Starkz hasn’t been champion that long but it wouldn’t stun me to see her lose so soon. At the same time, it’s nice to see her getting a win, even if it comes at the expense of some incredible hair.

Post match Red Velvet comes in to scare Starkz off but Queen Aminata comes in to send her back inside so Velvet can get in some revenge for last week’s attack.

Griff Garrison/Cole Karter/Johnny TV vs. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages vs. Dark Order

And this is your main event. Silver and Jameson have a pose off before the bell and Jameson jumps him for not getting the proper crowd reaction. Bronson comes in to elbow Uno in the face as commentary goes into a Who’s On First routine. Everything breaks down fast and Garrison/Karter get to pose.

We settle down to Uno getting stomped down in the corner, with Garrison/Karter mocking the Dark Order’s tagging technique. Uno finally slips over for the rather cold to Reynolds for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down again and TV helps his partners up for some staggering poses. The Savages are back up to clear things out but Reynolds dives off the top with a cutter. The Order breaks that up and hit the triple flipping slam to pin Jameson at 6:07.

Rating: C+. It was certainly energetic and the most popular team won, but this was also the latest wild match with so many people running around that almost no one got to stand out. That made things all the more of a mess, as the Savages/Jameson managed to fall again. Karter/Garrison aren’t much better, as they don’t even have Maria around to make thins better these days.

Overall Rating: C+. The TV Title match was good, but other than that, there was not exactly much t keep up the interest. They’re still building up Velvet and Aminata as title challengers but we’re pretty much ready for the title matches to happen already. Other than that, there wasn’t much going on here, though Fletcher vs. Johnson in a 2/3 falls match should be good. Just give us some more interesting stories throughout the card. It shouldn’t be that difficult.

Results
Queen Aminata b. Mazzerati – Air Raid Crash
Marina Shafir b. Amira – Reverse sleeper
Kyle Fletcher b. Dalton Castle – Piledriver
Infantry b. Nick Comoroto/Jacoby Watts – Frog splash to Comoroto
Billie Starkz b. Zamaya – Swanton Bomb
Dark Order b. Griff Garrison/Cole Karter/Johnny TV and Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages – Triple flipping slam to Jameson

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World Class Championship Wrestling
Date: January 16, 1988
Location: Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas
Commentator: Marc Lowrance

I haven’t done one of these in a bit so we’ll see what they’ve got. This is from the weaker period for the company as a lot of wrestlers have either died or gone elsewhere. That doesn’t leave much to go around here but the fans will likely still be into everything going on. Let’s get to it.

The opening theme is the same but the video is different and doesn’t feel nearly as important.

Lowrance talks about how last week’s show ended in a frenzy and then runs down this week’s show.

The Hood vs. Matt Borne

Borne’s Texas Heavyweight Title isn’t on the line. Hood (a muscular guy under a mask, better known as Jeff Gaylord) bails into the ropes a few times to start and we get an argument over hair pulling. We pause for the Hood to pose as Lowrance runs down various upcoming cards. Hook hits a slam and poses some more as Lowrance explains a rather complicated match involving elimination rules, a cage and handcuffs. They slowly slug it out with Borne backing him up against the ropes as Lowrance tells you where to write for souvenirs.

We pause again for Hood to try and get the crowd to quiet down. A clothesline drops Borne and Hood stops to pose AGAIN. Another knockdown means more poses as Rick Rude would think Hood is overdoing it. Borne finally comes back with a clothesline and a belly to belly lets Borne hammer away with left hands. A spinning toehold is broken up as Hood kicks him into the corner, setting up a shoulderbreaker for two. The arm is sent into the corner for two more but Hood misses a middle rope elbow. An atomic drop sets up a top rope seated senton to give Borne the pin at 8:21.

Rating: C-. The Hood was in great shape but the “do a move and then pose” got tiresome after a bit. The same thing was true of Lowrance talking about anything but the match, as he might as well have been reading from a checklist. Borne was a decent hand in the ring, but this went about twice as long as it needed to and that was a hard sit.

Here are the Freebirds, Iceman Parsons and the Angel of Death for a chat. Believe it or not, they want to beat up the Von Erichs and they started with Fritz on Christmas night. Parsons even gets in a shot at Kerry over his motorcycle crash.

Last week, Kevin Von Erich talked about the beatings he had taken. Then the four villains ran in to beat down Kevin and Chris Adams.

We look at Eric Embry recently beating Shaun Simpson in a cage match in Reunion Arena to win the Light Heavyweight Title. Simpson was dominating until Embry rolled through a high crossbody and grabbed the trunks for the pin. Clips from this match were shown for weeks.

Eric Embry vs. Jeff Raitz

Embry’s Light Heavyweight Title isn’t on the line. Hold on though as here is Simpson to request that he get this match instead. Sure why not.

Eric Embry vs. Shaun Simpson

Non-title and Simpson starts fast with a backdrop. Back in and Embry gets in a quick shot to the ribs for a breather and we hit the chinlock. Simpson fights up and grabs a rollup for two, followed by the armbar. That’s broken up and Embry slams him down, setting up a falling headbutt for two. The slingshot suplex gives Embry two but another headbutt misses. A top rope sunset flip gives Simpson two more before he rolls through a high crossbody and pins Embry at 4:53.

Rating: C+. Well there’s your setup for a title rematch as this seems like it’s a pretty hot feud. Or as hot as something is going to be in 1988 World Class. The fans were into Simpson’s comeback and it’s a simple story that will get a reaction. Embry comes off as quite the cowardly heel who is in over his head so let Simpson chase him for a bit.

We look at the end of a Chris Adams vs. Al Perez match in Fort Worth. The referee got bumped so there was no count off Adams’ superkick. That and a Gary Hart (Perez’s evil manager) let Perez kick out as we have another referee. Then they both crash out to the floor and it’s a double countout to retain Perez’s….unspecified title.

We get an explanation of the ten man Thunderdome cage matches. It’s going to be an elimination match and after someone is pinned or submits, they are handcuffed to the cage. When all five members of one team are cuffed, the captain of the winning team gets to unlock his partners for five minutes of anything they want to the still handcuffed losers. That sounds rather violent.

Al Perez vs. Solomon Grundy

Perez’s World Title isn’t on the line here and Grundy is a 400lb hillbilly. Before the match, here is Terry Gordy to ask Gary Hart when he’s going to smarten Perez up. Gordy has been going around the world beating up people in Japan (using a not so nice name for Japanese people) so he can get a title shot. Gordy leaves but here is Chris Adams to interrupt too. He’s beaten Perez three or four times so he should get a title shot.

The beating that Gordy gave to Fritz Von Erich made him sick so Gordy comes back in for the brawl. Buddy Roberts comes in as well so Grundy crushes him as Adams superkicks Gordy. Perez jumps Adams from behind and Gordy is on Adams with his Oriental Spike. Kevin Von Erich runs in for the save and Angel of Death and Iceman Parsons come in to help get the villains away. That was the kind of wild brawl that helps make you interested in the Thunderdome stuff so well done.

Post break and we actually get Perez vs. Grundy, which is joined in progress with Perez snapmaring him into a chinlock. A pull of the hair/overalls cuts off Grundy’s comeback attempt and we stay slow. Back up and Grundy reverses a whip into the corner but charges into a raised boot. Perez drops a knee and we’re right back to the chinlock. Grundy fights up but Perez hammers away in the corner. Grundy slams him out of the corner and Lowrance thinks it’s FAR more impressive than it really is. A missed charge in the corner staggers Grundy though and Perez hits a running forearm for the pin at 3:48 shown.

Rating: C-. Grundy is a good example of “well what are you supposed to do with him”. He’s a giant who can do some very basic stuff but at some point you run out of options. Grundy did all of the standard big man spots but it didn’t make for much of a match. Perez doesn’t exactly feel like a World Champion, though he had a good look and was more than ok enough in the ring.

Fantastics vs. Cowboy Tony/Vince Apollo

Rogers and Tony start things off with the former easily waistlocking Tony to the mat. Apollo comes in and rakes the eyes so Tony can…immediately be dragged into the corner. It’s off to Fulton for a top rope wristdrag as everything breaks down. A double dropkick puts Tony down and Apollo is thrown onto him to make it worse. Back in and Tony manages to send Fulton into the corner to take over for a change. That lasts all of three seconds before everything breaks down again. The villains are rammed into each other and a Hart Attack high crossbody finishes Apollo at 3:03.

Rating: C. I can always go for the Fantastics as they can work well with anyone, even a pair of jobbers like these two. They didn’t waste time and the Fantastics never felt like they were in any danger, which they shouldn’t be in this situation. For a match that was little more than a way to fill in a few minutes at the end of the show, it went well enough.

Post match Jack Victory and John Tatum (the Tag Team Champions) run in to beat down the Fantastics as the credits roll.

Overall Rating: C. This feels like a situation where the TV isn’t great but the live events feel hot. They had a big angle with the Fritz attack but you’re only going to get so much out of that on a show like this. The wrestling here was not very good for the most part, though you can tell the angles are at least important. The territory was not in a good place at this point, but you can still see some sparks of life out there.

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Dynamite
Date: June 5, 2024
Location: Blue Arena, Loveland, Colorado
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Taz, Excalibur

We’re coming up on Forbidden Door and now we have the World Title match set, as Will Ospreay will challenge Swerve Strickland. Other than that, it’s going to be time to see which guest stars we have for the show, some of whom might pop up for the first time this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is MJF to get things going and he references being high on weed to start. He shills his new merch and tickets for Forbidden Door before talking about the people who have shown up while he’s gone. First up we have the Rainmaker, who looks like he can’t even afford a gym membership. Then you have Swerve Strickland, who says he’s a business mogul but apparently he skipped public speaking classes at business school.

Finally we have a guy with a cockney accent saying he’s the best in the world. MJF lists off a bunch of people better than Will Ospreay, including himself. He carried this place but then when he was gone healing up, people tried to smear his name. Cue Rush to say like every other American, MJF never shuts up. Where are Rush’s celebration and big moment?

MJF: “I didn’t get any of that.” Maybe Brandon Cutler is running the audio because no one can hear him. He asks if anyone could hear him before doing his version of It Doesn’t Matter. MJF casually suggests that Rush is a nepo baby before praising Rush’s successes. Sure Rush has beaten some of the best, but MJF is the best. MJF goes into some Spanglish before the fight is on, with security and Christopher Daniels breaking it up. This was MJF showing the insane charisma that he has, though starting with Rush, even in a one off match, is a little weird.

Video on Roderick Strong before his World Title shot tonight.

Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Jay Lethal vs. Rey Fenix

For an International Title shot next week. The bell rings and Excalibur’s copy for the WOO Energy spot pops up on screen as Lethal clears the ring but poses instead of diving. Cassidy is back in to send Lethal to the apron but O’Reilly grabs Cassidy for an armbar. Fenix comes back to clear things out, only to pose too long so Lethal can get in a shot from behind.

The Lethal Injection is cut off by O’Reilly and Fenix kicks Lethal in the head. Everyone gets kicked down and we get a four way breather. We take a break and come back with Fenix diving in to break up a cover, leaving all of them down again. Lethal grabs a Figure Four on Cassidy and O’Reilly grabs a guillotine on Fenix. Lethal lets go to save Fenix so O’Reilly grabs Lethal for a cross armbreaker. Cassidy and Fenix break that up until Cassidy puts Fenix down with a DDT. Back up and Lethal takes everyone out before trying a Figure Four on Fenix, which is reversed into a small package for the pin at 8:34.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match that is almost always going to be entertaining and it worked well here. Lethal was good as the normal wrestler who wasn’t going nuts for long stretches out there while the other three did their collective things. Fenix vs. Ospreay will be fine for a big flashy title match next week and that’s all it needed to set up.

Post match Trent Beretta and Don Callis come out, with the latter throwing a chair inside. Cassidy grabs a chain to even things up but here is Kris Statlander to get between them. Stokely Hathaway comes out to threaten Cassidy with Statlander violence…and then Statlander decks Cassidy. Since Cassidy can’t bring himself to hit Statlander, Willow Nightingale runs in to chase her off. That feels like a mixed tag in the making.

Chris Jericho goes all educational to his driver. Then he does it to the camera operator too.

Willow Nightingale is annoyed at losing her TBS Title but she’s ticked off at Kris Statlander. Orange Cassidy comes in for a fist bump. Nightingale was showing some intensity here and it worked.

Christopher Daniels comes out to announce the next TNT Title qualifying match.

Mark Briscoe vs. Brian Cage

Mark Briscoe’s ROH World Title isn’t on the line (he won it two months ago today and has yet to have a title defense). Briscoe starts fast and sends him outside for a dropkick through the ropes. Cage is back with a ram into the barricade, setting up the apron superplex for the crash as we take a break.

Back with Briscoe applying Redneck Kung Fu as Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita are watching from the crowd. Briscoe grabs an exploder suplex for two and Cage is sent outside. That means Briscoe can use a chair for the step up flip dive but Cage is right back with a helicopter bomb. Briscoe shrugs that off and knocks him down again, setting up the froggy bow for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: C. This was pretty much what you would expect from Briscoe vs. Cage and it wasn’t exactly great. I’m not sure why how but they’ve managed to make the Ring Of Honor World Title feel that much more worthless. That’s a heck of a trick, but I wasn’t sure if Briscoe was going to win here and Cage almost never wins.

Jack Perry says he’s going to win the TNT Title.

The Premiere Athletes interrupt Samoa Joe and Hook, with Hook’s Funions being knocked away. Joe holds Hook back from violence, saying people like them pick their spots.

Chris Jericho and company educate Matt Menard and Angelo Parker about commentary and parenting.

The Acclaimed come out for their rap but the Young Bucks (the subject) cut them off.

Swerve Strickland calls MJF a little b**** and says he’s ready for Will Ospreay. He’s proud of Team AEW, but next time, include the World Champion.

Video on Mercedes Mone vs. Stephanie Vaquer, which is title for title at Forbidden Door.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Team CMLL

Wheeler Yuta is back from injury for the first time since January and it’s Rugido/Magnus/Volador Jr./Esfinge. Thankfully Excalibur is there to tell us that Magnus is the one with his back to the camera. This would be more informative if he didn’t say it when all four had their backs to the camera. It’s a brawl to start and all eight head out to the floor.

We settle down to Danielson and Rugido chopping it out but it’s quickly off to the parade of strikes. Team CMLL clears the ring and hit stereo dives, setting up Magnus’ 619 for two on Danielson. Everything breaks down again and Hart plays Bret in a Hart Attack on Magnus. Yuta’s Fastball Special connects and we take an early break.

Back with Moxley striking away on Magnus, who manages to enziguri his way to freedom. Esfinge comes in to monkey flip Castagnoli and then grabs a leg tie rollup for two. Castagnoli cuts off the running knees with the Swing to Magnus and Moxley adds the dropkick. Volador is back in with a sunset flip for two and Rugido’s powerslam gets the same on Yuta. Back up and Yuta hits the Angle Slam, setting up the seat belt to pin Rugido at 11:58.

Rating: B-. This is the definition of “it’s not for me”. The action was good and the CMLL guys are talented, but this felt like little more than an exhibition as you had people coming in from a different promotion and getting a match against a top faction because it’s Forbidden Door season. I’m sure the CMLL guys will have a match at the pay per view and it will be good, but it’s likely nothing that is going to interest me very much.

Chris Jericho explains how to scoop chicken and dumplings. I have no idea who thinks this is funny but they should be severely punished.

Video on Daniel Garcia.

The Acclaimed threaten the Young Bucks.

Post break the Young Bucks talk to the Patriarchy, with Christian Cage wanting another title shot. They agree to keep up their partnership.

Mariah May vs. Saraya

Toni Storm/Luther and Harley Cameron/Zak Knight are here too. May wears an Outcasts jacket to the ring so Saraya jumps her to start fast. The big chase is on with May getting suckered into a superkick so Saraya can look at the camera. May is sent hard into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with May winning a slugout and hitting a hard headbutt. May hurricanranas her out of the corner and hits a missile dropkick for two. The running hip attack gives May two but Saraya is back up with Rampage for the same. Saraya grabs the Scorpion Crosslock for the win at 9:06.

Rating: C. This was a weird situation as Saraya hasn’t been doing much of anything lately and she beat May, who has at least been presented as a big deal, clean. The match wasn’t exactly great either, as Saraya isn’t exactly as sharp in the ring as she used to be. Maybe we’re getting ready for Saraya to be in a title match down the line, but otherwise this was way out of left field.

Post match Storm comes in to check on May but the Outcasts beat Storm and May down. Mina Shirakawa runs in for the save. May hugs both Mina and Toni.

Chris Jericho tells Private Party that they should open up their party and make it public. An argument ensues.

Bryan Danielson is happy with Wheeler Yuta for winning but isn’t happy with his own losses. He isn’t done with his last year yet though and now he wants in on the Owen Hart Cup to go on to a World Title shot at All In. Danielson getting fired up for anything is a good thing, but it’s still hard to fathom him winning anything big.

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland vs. Roderick Strong

Swerve is defending and Prince Nana/the Kingdom are here too. They go technical to start until Swerve grabs a headscissors into an armdrag. It’s too early for the House Call though and Strong bails out to the floor. Back in and Swerve starts in on Strong’s knee but an Undisputed Kingdom distraction breaks up the Swerve Stomp. Strong backbreakers Swerve onto the turnbuckle but his dropkick through the ropes is blocked. Swerve posts him hard and we take a break.

Back with Swerve fighting out of a seated abdominal stretch and starting the comeback. The middle rope elbow to the back sets up a brainbuster for two and we slow down a bit. The powerbomb into a powerslam gets two on Strong but the threat of the House Call sends Strong outside. They go outside with Swerve diving onto the Kingdom, allowing Strong to send him into the steps. Back in and Strong hits a Codebreaker to cut off a comeback. The Sick Kick gives Strong two but Swerve sends him to the apron for the Stomp. Back in and the House Call retains the title at 14:10.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match where you know it’s going to be good because the wrestlers are rather talented. Strong isn’t going to be a top level challenger but he is perfect for a spot like this as he made Swerve look good. Rather nice main event here, and sometimes you just need to have that kind of a match.

Overall Rating: C+. They were having a weird balancing act here as it was a mixture of good to ok at best wrestling, the Forbidden Door stuff (which I find a chore to get through) and whatever the heck they’re trying for with those Jericho segments. Those things were TERRIBLE and not in a way that makes me want to see someone beat Jericho (whomever that is going to be as he doesn’t seem to have any serious challenges at the moment) but rather wanting to wring the neck of whomever allowed it on TV. There are good parts to this show and it is NOT bad, but egads the rough parts ranged from boring to dreadful.

Results
Rey Fenix b. Jay Lethal, Orange Cassidy and Kyle O’Reilly – Small package to Lethal
Mark Briscoe b. Brian Cage – Froggy Bow
Blackpool Combat Club b. Team CMLL – Seat Belt to Rugido
Saraya b. Mariah May – Scorpion Crosslock
Swerve Strickland b. Roderick Strong – House Call

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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