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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).

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 20, 2024
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last Raw before King And Queen Of The Ring, which means we need to set some things up for that show. This includes setting up the Raw finalists in both tournaments, plus maybe even setting up a World Title challenger for Damian Priest. Other than that, Sami Zayn gets Chad Gable again. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, wrestlers arrived at a wrestling show.

Here is Sami Zayn to get things going. He has five days before he is ready to defend the Intercontinental Title in a triple threat match and people aren’t sure why he would want to do that. Chad Gable has made it personal with him, while Bronson Reed wants the title. It’s a match between the mind (Gable), body (Reed) and soul (Zayn), with Zayn betting on the soul every time.

Cue the Alpha Academy, with gable taking credit for coaching Zayn to the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania. Compare that to the three failures he has in the team, with Otis being the biggest disappointment on the planet. Zayn wants to know how long the team is going to put up with Gable, but Gable cuts him off. Gable promises to win the title on Saturday but Zayn says they’re both ready, so let’s have their match right now.

Chad Gable vs. Sami Zayn

Non-title and they go with the grappling to start. Gable bails out to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Gable hitting a suplex but missing a Swan Dive. The Blue Thunder Bomb doesn’t work for Zayn as Gable suplexes him down again. Dupri is given a chance to get in a cheap shot but can’t bring herself to do it.

Instead Gable hits a shoulder and uses a Dupri distraction to stomp away. Tozawa can’t bring himself to interfere either so Gable labels them as failures and ejects them. The distraction lets Zayn hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for two and we take a break (with another QR code on the way to the commercial).

Back with Gable rolling some German suplexes until Zayn reverses into a Michinoku Driver for two. The Helluva Kick is reversed into the ankle lock with Zayn making the rope and being sent outside for his efforts. Otis won’t interfere either so Gable slaps him in the face and grabs the title. That’s enough for Zayn to exploder Gable into the corner but NOW Otis will interfere. The cheap shot lets Gable grab rolling Chaos Theory for the pin at 16:05.

Rating: B. They had good action and the story at the end tied things together as one of the better feuds in WWE today gets to continue. We’ve been getting solid stuff from these two (and Reed) for weeks now and I’m wanting to see how the title match goes. Otis being all conflicted should extend things out until he and Gable finally have their big blowup. Nice work here all around.

Commentary talks about the QR codes.

Video on Iyo Sky, who is underwater for some reason. She promises to be Queen Of The Ring.

We run down the rest of the card.

The Alpha Academy’s interview is cut off as someone has attacked Cruz del Toro.

Bron Breakker vs. Kale Dixon

Breakker compares about not being in the tournament before hitting the spear and throwing Dixon outside. Another spear hits on the floor and the referee calls it at 1:57.

Post match Breakker hits another spear and then puts the steps on Dixon’s head. A chair to the steps crushes Dixon. There’s a joke in there about crushing kale for a salad that I’ll leave you to make for yourselves.

Post break Dixon is put in an ambulance. Adam Pearce yells at Breakker for what happened but Breakker blames him for not putting him in the King Of The Ring.

We look at last week’s Queen Of The Ring matches.

Becky Lynch gives Lyra Valkyria a pep talk.

Queen Of The Ring Semifinals: Iyo Sky vs. Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria takes her down by the arm to start and gets a quick two off la majistral. A quick crossbody gives Valkyria two more and we take a break. Back with Sky ducking an elbow and grabbing a double underhook backbreaker for two of her own. The cross arm choke doesn’t last long for Sky as she grabs some one counts instead.

Valkyria snaps off a release German suplex and kicks her in the head, setting up a rocking horse. That’s reversed into a crossface but Valkyria is out just as fast. Valkyria’s tornado DDT is blocked and Sky sends her outside, setting up an Asai moonsault to drop Valkyria as we take another break.

Back again with Valkyria hitting the tornado DDT, followed by a quick suplex for two. Sky puts her back down but Over The Moonsault is broken up. The break up is broken up as well though and Valkyria gets powerbombed. Over The Moonsault misses but Sky counters the Nightwing into a rollup….which is reversed into another rollup to give Valkyria the pin at 19:17.

Rating: B+. This was rather awesome as Valkyria gets another win to further establish herself on the main roster. That’s how you get someone over, and it wouldn’t stun me to see her win the whole tournament. Then again there is always the chance that she gets crushed by Nia Jax, along with various hopes and dreams.

Post match Valkyria is happy with her win.

R-Truth is teaching the New Catch Republic how to do the Hokey Pokey, but Miz is worried about facing Judgment Day tonight. It’s cool though, because Andre The Giant told R-Truth that they’ll be fine. Miz asks Andre to be there in spirit. R-Truth: “And they say I’m the crazy one.” He means Braun Strowman right?

Ilja Dragunov is frustrated after last week’s loss. Ricochet comes in and seems to want a rematch but Bron Breakker comes in to spear Ricochet in half.

Post break Ricochet is checked out by medics.

We look at Gunther and Jey Uso advancing to the King Of The Ring semifinals.

Earlier today, Gunther was in an empty arena and talked about how Jey Uso has gone from someone Gunther mocked to the hottest thing on Raw. Tonight, the seats will be filled with fans cheering for Uso and pouring out hope and illusion. The bad news is Gunther is in the business of taking hope away and bringing them back to reality. Then he’ll win the King Of The Ring.

Damian Priest gives Finn Balor and JD McDonagh a pep talk before turning to Carlito. Word is that Cruz del Toro will be out for a while after that attack, which is why Carlito is laying low here. Priest missed the sign that says this is the APA, so Carlito can’t hang here forever. The rest of the team leaves and Carlito asks if Priest saw the New York Knicks lose. Priest: “What’s wrong with you?”

Baron Corbin presented a title to a professional bowler for winning a tournament.

Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler are getting ready when Sonya Deville returns and has something to talk to them about.

Tag Team Titles: Awesome Truth vs. Judgment Day

Awesome Truth is defending and Dominik Mysterio is here with the challengers. Balor and Miz fight over a wristlock to start and it’s off to Truth for the dancing legdrop. McDonagh comes in and takes over on Miz, meaning Judgment Day gets to pose and we take a break. Back with Miz kicking McDonagh in the head, with McAfee worrying about Miz’s foot. The tag brings in Truth to take over on Balor, including the John Cena finishing sequence.

The STF goes on but McDonagh makes the save. Everything breaks down and the champs hit stereo Five Knuckle Shuffles. Cue Carlito for a distraction but R-Truth hits Little Jimmy on McDonagh. Carlito puts the foot on the rope so here is Braun Strowman to wreck various people. R-Truth grabs an AA for the pin on McDonagh at 9:25.

Rating: C+. While I don’t think Awesome Truth last long as champions, they’re working well enough at the moment. One day they’ll run into a big team who will take the titles but I’ll take them doing this kind of thing for the time being. If nothing else, Strowman as the American Andre fits him well enough, as he’s that kind of a monster when he needs to be.

Becky Lynch congratulates Lyra Valkyria on her win. Liv Morgan comes in to do the same, but doesn’t seem as sincere. Morgan throws in a slap for a bonus.

Bronson Reed tells Sami Zayn he’s going to use his body to win the Intercontinental title. Reed leaves and Otis comes in, with Zayn yelling at him for costing him the match. Otis apologizes, with Zayn saying he knows Otis is a good guy. Zayn has been where Otis is before, and as soon as Otis starts listening to the fans, things will get a lot better. The fans chant for Otis.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. Lynch talks about her history with Liv Morgan, who has never beaten her. Morgan is a different person now though and she thinks this is what will help her become champion. Cue Morgan to interrupt and ask how she could be the bad guy in all of this. She doesn’t care about anyone or anything but completing the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour.

Lynch laughs about Morgan finally finding a purpose, but Lynch says she has known her own purpose since she was 15 years old. She has accomplished all kinds of things, though her purpose is still the same: to leave this place better than she found it. What is next for Morgan after she gets her revenge? Morgan laughs that off and says Lynch has only ever cared about herself. After mocking the WHAT chants, Morgan mocks the fans, with Lynch talking about how she’ll do anything for all of them.

The challenge is on for right now and Morgan teases going to the ring but stops to mock Lynch for looking stupid. She’ll wait for the title match and tells Lynch to cry about it. Morgan is a lot of things, and one of those is really bad on the microphone. There isn’t much of a way around it: she’s just not good at talking.

Damian Priest isn’t pleased with the Judgment Day’s loss and walks off. Finn Balor agrees with him.

Xavier Woods is cleared to return to action. Kofi Kingston leaves to talk to Adam Pearce when Karrion Kross and Scarlett come in. Kross suggests Woods can still turn things around.

Katana Chance/Kayden Carter vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark vs. Maxxine Dupri/Ivy Nile vs. Damage CTRL

For a future Women’s Title shot. Nile and Sane start things off and everything breaks down seconds later. Carter and Chance clear the ring and hit a Keg Stand to the pile on the floor. We take a break and come back with Dupri getting to clean house until Carter gives her a Downward Spiral.

The After Party connects Carter isn’t legal so the delayed cover is broken up. A Tower Of Doom puts Baszler down and Chance gives Stark a super hurricanrana onto her. Dupri does her reverse Worm but gets taken down by Sane. The Insane Elbow connects on Dupri but Baszler and Stark cut Sane off. Stark tosses Dupri into Stark’s knee for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C. There was so much going on here and while Sonya Deville possibly being the brains behind the new team, it’s hard to get behind the idea of Baszler as part of another tag team. She felt like she was going to be the next big villain and then just got stuck in this never ending string of teams. As for the rest of them, Damage CTRL was their usual acceptable selves and the other two teams are athletic but little more.

Ludwig Kaiser isn’t worried about Gunther looking ahead to the finals and mocks Sheamus again. Sheamus can come back so Kaiser can put him down. Kaiser leaves and Drew McIntyre comes in to say he’s here because the people want him. He’s coming for Damian Priest and the title.

Chad Gable is talking to the Creed Brothers when Otis comes in. Gable tells them to remember what they talked* about before Otis tells him he apologized to Sami Zayn. That works for Gable, who thinks Otis is softening him up for Saturday. Gable has all of Otis’ documents ready for the trip and he’ll see him on the plane. Otis doesn’t seem convinced.

King And Queen Of The Ring rundown.

Jey Uso is ready to go because there is no tomorrow (unless he wins that is). We get the tracking shot of him walking from the back to the arena as he starts the YEETing early.

King Of The Ring Semifinals: Gunther vs. Jey Uso

They fight over a lockup to start until Uso starts slugging away. Gunther gets knocked outside and taken down again but manages to send a charging Uso into the post back inside. They head back outside with Uso being sent into the timekeeper’s area as we take an early break.

Back with Gunther working on the (right) arm and shrugging off Uso’s comeback attempt. The arm is bent backwards but Uso catches him on top. Another armbar is countered into a super Samoan drop for the double knockdown. Uso hits a step up enziguri and a superkick gets two. Gunther goes back to the arm by grabbing a Fujiwara armbar but Uso slips out again.

Some suplexes have Uso down again and the top rope splash into the clothesline gets two. Gunther chops him down so Jey gets in a slap, which just annoys Gunther into more chopping. The referee gets knocked down by mistake so the spear into the Superfly Splash gets a delayed two. Gunther has had it and pulls Uso into a choke with the arm trapped and Uso is out at 17:37.

Rating: B+. This was just a step away from being a 17 minute squash as Uso was getting wrecked throughout. That’s exactly how this match should have been, as Gunther is a monster who can pick you apart, especially with an injury like Uso had here. Other than that, Uso got in a few hope spots but this was about Gunther, which worked as well as usual.

The show is off the air about five seconds after the match is over so they barely got it done.

Overall Rating: B. They were all over the place this week, with some rather good matches to go with some that were as mediocre as you could get. The talking in between the matches was about the same, with Gunther and Zayn’s promos being rather strong and the Lynch/Morgan stuff being dreadful. There was more good than bad, but the bad was definitely there and it showed…uh, badly.

Results
Chad Gable b. Sami Zayn – Rolling Chaos Theory
Bron Breakker b. Kale Dixon via referee stoppage
Lyra Valkyria b. Iyo Sky – Rollup
Awesome Truth b. Judgment Day – Attitude Adjustment to McDonagh
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter, Damage CTRL and Maxxine Dupri/Ivy Nile – Knee to Dupri’s face
Gunther b. Jey Uso – Arm trap choke

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

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NXT LVL Up
Date: May 17, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

We’re back in Orlando and things have actually been getting a bit more interesting around here. There have been a few bigger names around here in recent weeks and that has helped quite a bit. However, this is a bit different than most weeks as it is part of a double taping, meaning a shorter show. Let’s get to it.

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

Tavion Heights vs. Jasper Troy

Troy is 6’8 and 340lbs so we have a new big man. Heights gets caught in an early front facelock before going to an armbar to slow Troy down. Back up and Troy just runs him over with a shoulder but charges into a shot to the face. A big side slam plants Heights again and we hit the chinlock. Heights fights up and hits an overhead belly to belly but Troy powerslams him right back down. Not that it matters as Heights is back up with the spinning belly to belly for the pin at 5:16.

Rating: C. This worked fairly well as a big debut for Troy, who wrestled a nice enough big man match. He wrestles a bit slowly, but that can work for someone his size. Heights is still someone who feels like a project around here and his belly to belly is becoming a nice enough finisher. Not a great match, but they both looked decent.

Brinley Reece and the debuting Layla Diggs are rather positive.

Brinley Reece/Layla Diggs vs. Carlee Bright/Kendal Grey

This is Diggs’, a former track star, in-ring debut. Grey and Diggs start things off with Diggs taking her down into a headscissors. Grey gets her over to the corner for the tag to Bright, who spins around a lot. Diggs drops down into the splits and pulls her into a front facelock, allowing the tag off to Reece. Bright tries to crawl to the corner so Reece grabs her by the legs and swings her into the corner for a basic yet clever counter. Everything breaks down and Reece hits a cartwheel DDT to pin Grey at 4:01.

Rating: C. This was short and much more about the getting the four relative newcomers into the ring. Reece is fairly far in front of the other three but is still pretty new herself. They were smart to keep things short and to the point here, as none of them are ready for a long match, but what we got was just ok enough.

Everyone poses together to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The show was only 18 minutes long and that makes it hard to get annoyed about some not so great matches. This show was about getting more newcomers into the ring for some ring time and it worked well enough. It’s just a quick show and it did what it was supposed to so we’ll call it right in the middle, as is often the case around here.

Results
Tavion Heights b. Jasper Troy – Spinning belly to belly suplex
Brinley Reece/Layla Diggs b. Carlee Bright/Kendal Grey – Cartwheel DDT to Grey

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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Rampage
Date: May 18, 2024
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We continue the double shot on Saturday with what is usually the lesser of the two shows. In this case we have just over a week to go before Double Or Nothing and that means we should be getting some build up towards the show. Hopefully that isn’t swapped out for more build towards Dynamite. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Darby Allin joining Team AEW, with quite the positive tilt towards the Young Bucks, who are fighting people who don’t agree with them.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Lee Moriarty

Anthony Ogogo is here with Moriarty. O’Reilly wrestles him to the mat to start but Moriarty rolls up as Schiavone rapid fires upcoming shows. Moriarty’s bodyscissors is broken up so O’Reilly hits a knee to the ribs into a slap to the face. A charging O’Reilly is sent into the buckle and we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly striking away, setting up a belly to back suplex into a kneebar. Moriarty grabs the rope and then snaps O’Reilly’s fingers, setting up a running boot in the corner. O’Reilly suplexes him down again and they trade kicks, with both grabbing the other’s legs. They slap it out until both of them go down before fighting over arm control. O’Reilly grabs a guillotine before kicking him in the chest, followed by the cross armbreaker for the tap at 9:59.

Rating: B. Two technical guys got to have a rather nice technical showcase, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise. O’Reilly has a good mixture of the submission skills and the striking, which is what we were seeing here. It helps that Moriarty can hang in there with anyone and he was getting to show off some rather nice skills here as well.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn have noticed that everyone is getting crazy about authority these days. No one wants to face the Acclaimed though so tonight it’s Anthony Bowens vs. Brian Cage, with an affirmation that EVERYONE loves the Acclaimed.

Rush vs. Cody Chhun

Bull’s Horns in 34 seconds.

Post match Rush wrecks him in a beating that lasts a good bit longer than the match.

Bryan Danielson says FTR won’t be at Dynamite but he will be. The Elite can take a shot but be ready for the consequences.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Robyn Renegade

Purrazzo slips out of a wristlock to start before armdragging her into an armbar. Robyn slips out so Purrazzo pulls her into a cross armbreaker as we take a break. Back with Robyn slugging away with forearms and a big clothesline to put Purrazzo down. A dropkick to the back of the head gives Robyn two but the pumphandle slam is countered with an armdrag. Purrazzo DDT’s the arm into the Fujiwara armbar for the win at 7:14.

Rating: C+. Robyn was showing some fire here until she got her arm wrecked so badly. Purrazzo knows how to take someone apart like she did here and that Fujiwara armbar can seem rather deadly. Hopefully she can do well in her big showdown with Thunder Rosa, though I’m not sure I like her odds of winning.

Post match Purrazzo stays on the arm and even turns it into the Venus de Milo, with Thunder Rosa running in for the save. Rosa checks on Robyn, allowing Purrazzo to get in a cheap shot. Purrazzo runs off but gets caught by Rosa, only to bail into the crowd.

Scorpio Sky is coming back and he’s here for us. If he is on his way back, how can he be here for us?

Sonjay Dutt has a deal with the Elite, which is why it’s Bryan Danielson vs. Satnam Singh on Dynamite.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Brian Cage vs. Anthony Bowens

Max Caster and Billy Gunn are here too. We get a pose off to start before Bowens grabs a float over DDT for two. Cage powers him into the corner for some shots to the ribs until Bowens snaps off a dragon screw legwhip. Bowens sends him outside, where a running kick is countered into a powerbomb to the post.

We take a break and come back with Bowens grabbing a small package for two. Bowens strikes away and hits a running Fameasser for two more. A DDT onto the apron drops Cage again but Cage kicks him in the back, setting up the apron superplex for two more. The Drill Claw is countered and Bowens kicks him in the chest for two, only for the referee to nearly get bumped. Cage kicks him low and hits the Drill Claw for the win at 11:45.

Rating: C+. Pretty nice stuff here, with Bowens doing a solid job as the underdog. They were playing up the idea that Cage is used to singles matches while Bowens didn’t have a partner as usual. It helps boost Cage back up after his loss to Swerve Strickland, though there wasn’t much else to get interested in here.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener was good, but this was another show that you could completely skip and not miss much at all. On its own that makes for a breezy hour, but as the third hour of a block, it’s not the most engaging sit. There’s not much of a reason to watch this show, though you won’t be disappointed if you do.

Results
Kyle O’Reilly b. Lee Moriarty – Cross armbreaker
Rush b. Cody Chhun – Bull’s Horns
Deonna Purrazzo b. Robyn Renegade
Brian Cage b. Anthony Bowens – Drill Claw

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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Collision
Date: May 18, 2024
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s another three hour block on Saturday night, starting with this one. The show is likely going to feature some buildup for Dynamite, though hopefully it also includes some effort to get ready for Double Or Nothing next Sunday. The show could use some extra buildup and it would be nice to see some of it here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Will Ospreay vs. Shane Taylor

Anthony Ogogo is here with Ospreay and the Undisputed Kingdom comes out to watch at ringside. Ospreay dropkicks him to the floor to start and takes Taylor down with a dive, followed by a springboard back inside. Taylor hits a hard shoulder to put Ospreay down so Matt Taven goes after Ospreay, meaning Taylor gets to yell a bit. Ospreay manages to post Taylor and send him into Taven. Ogogo uses the distraction to get in a cheap shot on Ospreay as we take a break.

Back with Ospreay hitting a handspring kick to the head to stagger Taylor, setting up a top rope shot to the back of said head. The Hidden Blade is blocked and Taylor’s running splash gets two. One heck of a clothesline gives Taylor the same and he blocks the Oscutter, setting up a Marcus Garvey Driver for two more. The package piledriver is blocked so Taylor goes up, only to get caught with the Cheeky Nandos Kick. The Storm Driver out of the corner gives Ospreay the pin at 9:53.

Rating: B-. Ospreay is put in trouble and fights back to win over the monster in the end. That’s a perfectly fine way to go and gives Ospreay a nice victory on the way to his title shot. The problem continues to be that the International Title feels way beneath Ospreay and the more he’s built up, the bigger that problem becomes. Unless they have some kind of genius way out, Ospreay almost has to win the title, and he’s being built up well if he’s going to become the new champion.

Post match the Undisputed Kingdom goes after Ospreay, who takes them out like he’s a big star and they’re a bunch of goons.

Team AEW is happy with Darby Allin joining the team with Eddie Kingston out injured. Tonight, they’re ready for Lance Archer and the Righteous.

Jon Moxley is ready to face Konosuke Takeshita at Double Or Nothing. The BCC fights for violence, with Claudio Castagnoli saying he hates talking because it should be about going out there to fight.

Chris Jericho and Big Bill aren’t happy with Hook for attacking them, but Jericho likes Hook showing that kind of fire. That’s why Jericho is here, because Hook needs someone to teach him.

Hook vs. Johnny TV

This is a qualifying match for a triple threat match for a future FTW Title shot and Taya Valkyrie is here with TV. Hook takes him down to start and goes for the arm but TV’s rollup gets two. A suplex and clothesline put TV down and Hook counters a high kick into another suplex. Taya’s distraction lets TV hit the Flying Chuck but Starship Pain misses, allowing Hook to grab Redrum for the tap at 3:27.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do much here but I like Hook getting to do something other than the hardcore matches. He’s only going to get so much out of those, so putting him in here with a veteran, even in a short match, is going to let him learn a bit more. Now just let him beat Jericho into the ground (again) and he might be able to move on to something a bit better.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Rocky Romero

Another FTW qualifying match. They go technical to start with Shibata grabbing the arm before switching into a Figure Four. That’s broken up so Romero grabs an Octopus, which is reversed into another Figure Four. Romero is out again and grabs a tornado DDT as we take a break.

Back with Romero kicking at the arm, with Shibata telling him to keep it up. Shibata chops away but Romero ties him in the ropes for a middle rope dropkick. Sliced Bread doesn’t work for Romero, who comes up favoring his leg, meaning Shibata can grab a kneebar. Romero makes the rope so Shibata suplexes him for two more. With that broken up, Shibata goes back to the Figure Four for the win at 10:01.

Rating: B-. Perfectly acceptable, if not good, wrestling here with Shibata picking apart a limb and then working it over until Romero gave up. That helps to make up for the lack of drama, as Romero winning wouldn’t have made much sense. Romero might not be the most interesting star, but he’s a rather strong hand in the ring, which is a very valuable thing to have.

Bryan Keith vs. Beefcake Boulder

This is the final FTW qualifying match, making me wonder how the participants were chosen. Boulder has Bronson and Jacked Jameson with him, the latter of whom talks about how much trash he has seen in this city. Keith gets knocked into the corner to start but slips out of a slam and kicks away at the leg. Jameson offers a distraction but Keith uses it to send Bronson into Boulder’s hairy chest. Diamond Dust finishes Bronson at 1:43. Well that was fast.

Pac doesn’t care about what Bullet Club Gold has been saying to them. He wants them to make him feel something and care. The interviewer can leave him alone too.

We look back at Mercedes Mone and Willow Nightingale signing a contract on Dynamite.

Bullet Club Gold appears for a match but they have attacked Pac and carried him out to the stage. Much like in the previous match: well that was fast.

Christian Cage tells Nick Wayne that he has a warmup match tonight before he faces Swerve Strickland on Dynamite. Wayne thanks Cage for turning him into a man.

Orange Cassidy vs. Isiah Kassidy

We’ll go with first names to make things a bit more simple. Orange flips around to start and they go to the mat, with Orange grabbing a quickly broken surfboard. Isiah avoids the Orange Punch so Orange hits a suicide dive as Don Callis is watching in the back. There’s the running dropkick against the barricade…and here is Trent Beretta in the crowd. The distraction lets Isiah get in a whip to the barricade, setting up a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

We take a break and come back with Orange countering a piledriver attempt on the steps. They get back in where Stundog Millionaire and the spinning DDT plant Isiah. Both of them head to the apron where Orange kicks him out to the floor. Another Beretta distraction lets Isiah get in a cheap shot, allowing him to use the referee for the Silly String. Orange pops up and hits the Beach Break for the pin at 12:12.

Rating: C+. They’re piling up the nice matches without much in the way of drama over the winner. Orange vs. Beretta is continuing, likely in some big showdown at Double Or Nothing, which should be where Orange gets his big win to win the feud for good. Another pretty good match here, as it helps move towards something important down the line.

Post break Beretta says he’s better than Cassidy, who had to cheat to beat him. The challenge is on for Double Or Nothing, with Cassidy pulling him over the barricade.

Serena Deeb vs. Anna Jay

Deeb starts fast and elbows away, setting up a swinging neckbreaker for two. Jay gets tied up in a Paradise Lock for the running dropkick. Back up and Jay snaps off a northern lights suplex, only to get neckbreakered over the middle rope. We take a break and come back with Jay fighting out of an abdominal stretch and grabbing a Downward Spiral for two. Deeb ties her in the ropes for a dragon screw legwhip, followed by a hammerlock lariat for two of her own. The Queenslayer goes on out of nowhere and Deeb has to flip out. A faceplant into the Serenity Lock makes Jay tap at 8:34.

Rating: C. Much like the Shibata match earlier, Deeb picked Jay apart and made her give up in the end. That’s a perfectly fine way to go, but my goodness it would be nice to have Jay either be some up and coming star or cannon fodder for the biggest stories. This is what she’s been doing for a long time now and she’s not getting anywhere new as a result.

Post match Luther comes out and steals Deeb’s flag. Mariah May comes out to hold the flag up so Toni Storm can come to the stage and disrobe behind it. The flag is wrapped around Storm and the villains leave.

Video on Swerve Strickland vs. Christian Cage.

Nick Wayne vs. Jack Cartwheel

Wayne jumps him to start and stomps away but Cartwheel fights back up. Cartwheel sends him outside, where Wayne pulls a Samoa Joe by sidestepping the big dive. Back in and Wayne’s World connects….for no cover. Instead it’s a Swerve Strickland House Call for the pin on Cartwheel at 2:19.

FTR/Bryan Danielson vs. Righteous/Lance Archer

Harwood and Vincent fight over a lockup to start, with the latter whipping him hard into the corner. That’s broken up and Harwood snaps off a suplex before a double slam gives Wheeler two. It’s off to Dutch so Wheeler snaps off some jabs, allowing Harwood to come back in for a Russian legsweep. The fans want Danielson as everything breaks down and we take a break.

Back with Harwood fighting out of a chinlock but Vincent drops him again. Harwood sends Archer into the corner and avoids Dutch’s elbow drop, allowing the tag back to Danielson to start cleaning house. Dutch gets low bridged to the floor and the suicide dive connects. Everything breaks down and Archer has to save Dutch from the LeBell Lock. Autumn Sunshine gets two, with Wheeler having to make the save. Vincent gets PowerPlexed but Danielson has to break up the Blackout. That leaves Vincent to walk into the Shatter Machine for the pin at 12:52.

Rating: B. This was the best match on the show and that shouldn’t be a big surprise given the talent involved. Danielson can make anything work and FTR is still probably the best team in the company. The villains did their job well enough before ultimately falling to the better team. Commentary kept talking about how Archer and the Righteous were doing this at the Elite’s bidding so at least it ties into the bigger story.

Post match the villains beat Danielson and FTR down, including a bunch of chair shots to Harwood’s ribs. Wheeler gets Blacked Out onto a chair but Daniel Garcia comes out with a chair of his own for the save.

Overall Rating: B. Collision is such a weird show. The wrestling ranges from fine to good, but two hours of little more than setting up things for Dynamite and supplements to the midcard feuds makes for a long, long sit. Throw in Rampage after and it’s even more tedious. That makes it all the more frustrating as this is by no means a bad show and I enjoy it more than Dynamite most of the time. You just have to remember that very rarely is anything big going to happen and it’s much more about setting things up for Dynamite, where everything happens. That makes for a rather good, yet at times tedious, two hours.

Results
Will Ospreay b. Shane Taylor – Storm Driver
Hook b. Johnny TV – Redrum
Katsuyori Shibata b. Rocky Romero – Figure Four
Bryan Keith b. Beefcake Boulder – Diamond Dust
Orange Cassidy b. Isiah Kassidy – Beach Break
Nick Wayne b. Jack Cartwheel – House Call
Bryan Danielson/FTR b. Righteous/Lance Archer – Shatter Machine to Vincent

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.

Joey Janela’s Spring Break: Cluster**** Forever
Date: April 6, 2024
Location: Penns Landing Caterers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Veda Scott

This is the second half of Spring Break, with a two match card. Naturally this includes a Punjabi Prison match, but the big draw is the Cluster**** Battle Royal, which is only a match with actual structure in the loosest of terms. There will probably be more than fifty entrants with loosely timed intervals, but the real fun is seeing who shows up. Let’s get to it.

We open with a video on the Punjabi Prison match.

Tag Team Titles: Violence Is Forever vs. Juicy Finau/Zilla Fatu vs. Los Macios vs. Bollywood Boyz

Violence Is Forever (Kevin Ku/Dominic Garrini) is defending and Los Macios are Ciclope/Miedo Extremo. The Boyz are carried on fans’ shoulders to the ring, which is surrounded by the bamboo style cage. This is one fall to a finish, meaning it’s not quite a Punjabi Prison match but I’ll take what I can get under the circumstances.

Fatu and Finau clean house to start, with Finau and Garrini fighting to the floor (as in outside of the cage) where Garrini gets beaten up. Los Macios hit Ku with a double flapjack but can’t manage to double suplex the rather large Ku. The Boyz are back up with a Bollywood Blast to Ku before double teaming Fatu down. Finau wrecks Finau as more people go to the floor to brawl.

Gurv is busted open and Ciclope grabs an electric tool, which can’t go well for anyone. Los Macios manage to knock Finau down inside, at least partially thanks to a chair, leaving Fatu to Samoan drop Harv off the cage through some doors at ringside. About ten chair shots and a Samoan drop put Finau down again as Ciclope climbs the cage.

Fatu Samoan Spikes him down and then dives back in with Garrini having to make a save. A spike piledriver hits Gurv…who pops right back up. The champs chair him down and then do the same to Finau. We pause for the sake of spending forever to set up a double stack door. The top rope double stomp to Finau gives Ku the retaining pin at 14:26.

Rating: C+. What is there to say about a match like this? It’s total insanity with all kinds of things going on at once. That’s kind of the point, and while the cage itself was only kind of used at times, I think I like the idea of having people coming and going. Having eight people in the ring at once is a mess, so I’ll take carnage going throughout the arena and ringside over everyone in the ring and not being able to move.

We look at upcoming shows as it’s going to take some time to get the cage down.

Commentary hypes up the Cluster as we stay on the graphic of upcoming events.

Before the Cluster starts, here is GCW World Champion Black Christian, with Shane Mercer, for a chat. Christian talks about how Joey Janela couldn’t finish the story last night at Spring Break and it wasn’t the first time he was bigger, stronger and could last longer than Janela. Cue Janela from behind to powerbomb Christian and hit him with a package piledriver. Mercer and Janela brawl outside…and here is Mance Warner, who has a guaranteed title shot at any time. Warner loads up the screwdriver but Effy comes in to brawl with Warner to the back.

We preview the Cluster, which is about having all kinds of people, with no idea of who or how many people will be entering.

Cluster****

There are unknown entrants and you can be eliminated by pin, submission, over the top, leaving the building and death. It’s Royal Rumble style (with the rules and intervals being loose at best) with Jimmy Lloyd, in a neck brace after last night, in at #1. Before the match he rips on Philadelphia before bringing out Matt Cardona and Steph de Lander. Well in theory that is but instead it’s Shane Douglas coming in at #2.

Shane hits a quick belly to belly for the pin and the elimination, allowing him to stop and talk about the history of wrestling here in Philadelphia. All of the promotions around here can kiss his a** but here is Shota in at #3. A dropkick staggers Douglas but he’s back with the belly to belly for the pin. Bam Sullivan is in at #4 and flips off Douglas, who hammers away. Sullivan knocks him down and gets two off a splash but Douglas bites him in the head. A running clothesline of all things gets rid of Sullivan and it’s Lindsay in at #5.

Douglas doesn’t think much of her so she hits him low for two. The camel clutch goes on but Jason Knight comes in, presumably at #6, to kiss Snow and toss her out. Rob S*** is in at #7 and beats on both of them until Knight dumps him. The Carnage Crew (Loc and DeVito) are in at #8 and #9 but they’re both out just as fast. Tommy Dreamer is in at #10 and yeah the fans approve as the ECW reunion continues. Justin Credible pops in, I guess at #11, and leaves with Jason without doing anything.

That leaves Dreamer vs. Douglas with a quick DDT getting rid of Douglas as the Impact Players (Knight/Credible) are officially eliminated due to leaving. Rina Yamashita is in at #12 and they slug it out, with Rina grabbing a testicular claw. An enziguri drops Dreamer and Tony Deppen is in at #13 (Rina rolls her eyes). Rina rolls outside (not eliminated) and 1 Called Manders is in at #14. Brawling ensues until Charlie Tiger is in at #15. That goes nowhere so Jeffrey John is in at #16 as the ring is starting to fill up.

Facade is in at #17 for some kicks to stagger various people. The intervals pick up as Masha Slamovich is in at #18. Slamovich avoids a dropkick and chokes John out for the elimination. Tiger gets choked out as well before Slamovich crotches Facade on top and gets rid of him. Deppen tries to get rid of Slamovich but Dreamer throws him out instead. Trevor Outlaw and Frank The Clown are in at #19 and #20 with Outlaw trying a cheap shot on Dreamer, who grabs a DDT.

Slamovich tosses Dreamer and pins Outlaw as Marcus Mathers is in at #21. Mathers kicks Rina back out to the floor (again not out) and Parrow is in at #22. Frank The Clown has left the building (he never got in the ring) for an elimination and it’s Mike Bailey in at #23 (you knew he was coming). Everyone goes after the large Parrow, who tosses Bailey. Parrow puts Slamovich down for the pin as well and it’s Pollo del Mar in at #24. Pollo is tossed rather quickly and it’s Dark Sheik, Edith Surreal and Jamie Senegal in at #25, #26 and #27.

They all strike away at Parrow, including a trio of Shattered Dreams. Parrow goes through the ropes (not out) and it’s Cheech and Colin Delaney in at #28 and #29. They go after the trio but can’t get rid of anyone as the Main Event (Jay Lion/Midas Black) are in at #30 and #31. Some rather snazzy double team moves have Cheech and Delaney in trouble, albeit not eliminated. Dives through the ropes take Cheech and Delaney down as the Ugly Sucklings (White Mike and Rob Killjoy) are in at #32 and #33.

The Sucklings beat up both tag teams but can’t get rid of anyone as Davey Bang and August Matthews are in at #34 and #35. That means they get to clean house with some dives as even more people get to lay around on the floor. Cheech and Delaney come back in but get dropped with clotheslines as Bobby Flaco, Terry Yaki, Aerial Van Go and Mr. Danger come in together at #36, #37, #38 and #39.

The four of them go after Delaney, with a hurricanrana into a phoenix splash getting rid of him, with Cheech being thrown out just after. Flaco plants Black for the elimination and a twisting Canadian Destroyer gets rid of Lion. Bang and Matthews are back up to get rid of Mike and Killjoy. Fuego del Sol and Sam Stackhouse are in at #40 and #41 with the much bigger Stackhouse going after Matthews.

Del Sol and Stackhouse knock Matthews and Bang down for stereo pins to clear the ring, not counting all of the people still either on the floor or gone. Stackhouse and del Sol beat up some of the foursome before a ladder is brought in. A moonsault onto said ladder gets rid of Flaco and Yaki but Van Go and Danger use the ladder to drop Stackhouse and del Sol. They both climb the ladder and Van Go headscissors Danger onto the pile on the floor, meaning they’re both eliminated.

Green Phantom is in at #42 and Sexxxy Eddy follows him, apparently at #43. Eddy comes to the ring in a towel and puts his tights on before getting inside to chair Stackhouse down. Mathers comes back in and gets hit low by Eddy but Manders gets back in as well. A double clothesline puts Manders down and it’s Tara Zep in at #44.

Eddy gyrates a lot and Phantom knocks Zep face first into Eddy’s trunks. Phantom slams Zep onto a chair for the elimination and Tank is in at #45. Tank beats up Eddy and Phantom but Manders is back in again for a slugout. They trade headbutts until Tank hammers him into the corner with both of them busted open. Tank headbutts Manders down and it’s Matters coming back in for another slugout. CPA (yes he’s an accountant) is in at #46 and takes off his shirt and tie to reveal….the same shirt and tie.

We’ll make that three layers as he hits a slow motion 619 on Tank. Everyone but CPA goes under the ropes to the floor and it’s Alex Zayne in at #47. Mathers takes Zayne’s place and is sent outside (not out again) as Philly Mike is in at #48. Mike knocks Mathers into the corner and it’s Spyder Nate Webb in at #49 for the full Teenage Dirt Bag entrance. Other wrestlers dance with him at ringside before Webb conducts the fans to sing the song with him.

With the song done, Webb takes a bow and gets inside, beer in hand. The fans want the song to be played again and that is in fact what happens as commentary points out that it is 2am local time. Philly Mike finally jumps Webb, who hands him a beer and then hammers him down. They fight to the floor and Mike walks out for an elimination. Webb follows and he’s out too, taking some of the energy from the crowd. Said energy picks up again as ring announcer Emil Jay enters at #50 but is tossed out almost immediately.

Eddy gets to gyrate a bit and it’s Cheeseburger in at #51. Cheeseburger ties Eddy in the Tree of Woe and sends Phantom face first into his tights, which is enough for an elimination. Eddy’s tights are pulled off and he has to fight with his hands covering himself. That lets Cheeseburger toss him out and Man Like DeReiss is in at #52. As usual, DeReiss raps himself to the ring and throws out CPA in the process. Monomoth (he has wings) is in at #53 and Zayne isn’t sure what to do with him.

A quick rollup gets rid of Zayne and Mercedes Martinez is in at #54 so Mathers comes back in (there are all kinds of people just sitting/strolling around at ringside) and is quickly fisherman’s bustered out. Surreal and Senegal (See what I mean?) come back in to go after Martinez, with Sheik joining them but getting eliminated. Surreal saves Senegal but Martinez DDTs both of them for the double elimination. DeReiss comes back in and low bridges Martinez out as Kaplan is in at #55.

Kaplan sets up doors and chairs on the floor as Manders and Stackhouse get back in. Del Sol is back in as well as Sawyer Wreck (with a bad arm) is in at #56. Kaplan misses a moonsault and gets thrown through the doors for the elimination. Wreck comes in as Brandon Kirk and Kasey Catal are in at #57 and #58.

Manders and Kirk are eliminated by their respective (romantic) partners….and then Wreck and Catal kiss. They leave together and they’re both out (Emil Jay: “Sawyer Wreck and Kasey Catal have left the building….together.”). Jordan Oliver is in at #59 to dropkick Tank out but Parrow is back in for a chokeslam. Monomoth is back in and is quickly tossed as Beastman is in at #60.

Beastman chokebombs Parrow but Stackhouse comes in and takes his shirt off, giving us a lot of jiggling. DeReiss chops at the huge Stackhouse and Beastman before tossing both of them out for the big eliminations. Viva Van is in at #61 and knocks DeReiss into the corner. The gear is hitched up for a Stinkface (DeReiss approves but feigns being knocked out when Van looks at him) but del Sol breaks it up. Van is out and Gringo Loco is in at #62.

The entrants pick up as Grim Reefer is in at #63 and tries to light a cigarette, with Parrow breaking it up. Parrow puts Reefer out and it’s Cole Radrick and Alec Price in at #64 and #65. They go after del Sol and Oliver with the former being knocked out thanks to some double teaming. Johnny Kashmere is in at #66 and we get a mini tag match with Kashmere/Oliver vs. Price/Radrick. That includes Radrick and Price both being tossed, leaving Kashmere and Oliver in the ring as Kurt Bale, Lance Scaper and Big Vin are in at #67, #68 and #69.

Vin and company get to wreck Kashmere and Oliver but can’t eliminate them as the American Giant (he’s 7’3) is in at #70. Giant gets rid of Vin and chokeslams Bale and Scaper for the double pin. There goes DeReiss as well so Parrow comes in for the staredown with Giant. Microman is in at #71 for the funny visual and Chiitan (a mascot with a big head) is in at #72.

Parrow gets rid of Giant and kicks Microman in the head but Chiitan knocks Parrow through the ropes. The Fighting Chicken (Prazak: “What in the world?”) is in at #73 and we get the big mascot staredown with Chiitan. Dr. Cube, the Hot Potato and Double Unicorn Dark (they’re kaiju from Japan) are in at #74, #75 and #76. The Chicken pecks away but the kaiju knock the mascots into the corner. Potato’s shooting star press gets two…and Aja Kong is in at #77 for the big surprise.

The Kaiju and the Chicken go after her but she knocks the three villains out and spinning backfists the Chicken for the pin. Chiitan, minus the hat, goes after Kong, who hits a spinning backfist for the pin. That gives us Parrow vs. Kong, with Parrow hitting a clothesline for the pin. Loco is back in and gets knocked out before going after Microman. Yoshihiko (a doll) is in at #78 and Stunners Kashmere out before brainbustering Oliver (just go with it) for the elimination.

Rina Yamashita (who hasn’t done anything or been seen in probably an hour and a half) comes in to piledrive Yoshihiko, who hurricanranas her out anyway. Parrow goes to throw out Yoshihiko, who throws him out instead. We get Yoshihiko vs. Microman but Nick Gage is in at #79 (announced as #87, but there’s no way I was THAT far off), the final entrant. Commentary says Gage, Yoshihiko and Microman are the final three so we’ll go with that as I lost who was still in an hour ago.

Gage hammers Yoshihiko into the corner and hits a gorilla press powerslam. The pizza cutter is whipped out but Microman makes the save. Yoshihiko crossbodies Gage but gets sent out, leaving Microman to suplex Gage. Microman pizza cutters Gage, who shoves him back down. The fans cheer for Microman, who is sat on top…but Gage misses a charge and falls out, allowing Microman to get the win at 1:57:51 (close enough as there was no opening bell).

Rating: B. Oddly enough, I had a good time with this. It’s a perfect example of “this is what we told you would be happening”, as there is nothing remotely serious about the whole thing, with stretches where there were dozens of people officially in but few were actually doing anything. This isn’t a match where it’s about the story or the action, but rather the whole atmosphere and wondering who was coming in next. This was pure, goofy fun and I had a good time with it, which is exactly what it should have been.

Overall Rating: B-. It says a lot when an eight man, four team cage match is completely forgotten but that’s the kind of show this is. This isn’t supposed to be anything more than one big party show where the fans get to see a bunch of people running out there and some semblance of a match taking place. You have to know exactly what you’re getting into, but if you can accept that, you’ll have a good time.

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.

Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

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Ring Of Honor – May 16, 2024

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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: May 17, 2024
Location: VyStar Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are just over a week away from King And Queen Of The Ring and that means it is time to start getting ready for the tournament finals. Other than that, we need to get ready for the World Title match between Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul, meaning it’s time for a contract signing. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a King And Queen Of The Ring recap.

Queen Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Bianca Belair vs. Tiffany Stratton

Belair powers her into the corner a few times to start but Stratton gets smart by pulling her down by the hair. Back up and Belair runs her over with a shoulder, followed by a gutbuster. A standing moonsault gives Belair two and Stratton is sent outside, where she uses the hair to pull Belair down again. Belair is sent knee first into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Stratton grabbing an Indian Deathlock and bridging up to stay on the bad knee. Belair makes the rope and the knee is ok enough to snap off a fall away slam. The KOD is countered and Belair puts her down for two of her own. A handspring elbow is countered into a German suplex to plant Stratton again. With nothing else working, Stratton goes evil by raking the eyes and taking out the knee again. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever is blocked though and Belair grabs the KOD for the win at 13:24.

Rating: B. It’s almost weird seeing Stratton lose when she is looking like such a star, but at the same time, Belair is on a different level and has been one of the biggest stars in WWE for a long time. I could very easily see her winning the wold thing and it wouldn’t be a shock. Stratton’s big moment is coming though, as I would be rather surprised if she wasn’t Women’s Champion before the end of the year.

Post match Belair says her knee is banged up but nothing is stopping her.

We look at Logan Paul being named as Cody Rhodes’ next challenger.

Logan Paul runs into LA Knight and tensions flare.

Jade Cargill is ready for the irresistible force because Nia Jax is just standing in her way. Bianca Belair comes in and they’re ready to face each other if we get there.

We look back at Solo Sikoa telling Paul Heyman that Roman Reigns has put Solo in charge of the Bloodline.

Tama Tonga is ready to go and makes various noises as he leaves the Bloodline’s locker room. Paul Heyman asks Solo Sikoa if he talked to him today. Solo: “All the time wise man. All the time.”

LA Knight is ready for Tama Tonga. Carmelo Hayes comes in to offer Knight the chance to welcome him to Smackdown. Knight isn’t impressed and hits his catchphrase before telling Hayes to go play somewhere.

King Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Tama Tonga vs. LA Knight

The Bloodline is here with Tonga. The fight is on to start with Knight hammering away but getting clotheslined down for his efforts. A backdrop gets Knight out of trouble and there’s a running knee in the corner to rock Tama. Solo Sikoa offers a distraction though and Tama hits a running shot in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Tama hitting a basement clothesline but missing a top rope splash. Knight clotheslines him to the floor and rams Tama face first into the apron over and over. Back in and Tonga Loa pulls Tama back to the floor, earning himself a dropkick through the ropes. That’s enough of a distraction for Tama to grab the jumping Downward Spiral for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. Knight winning here didn’t feel like the strongest bet as Tama is being kept strong, meaning a deep run is more likely. The only way I could have seen Knight moving forward was off a DQ or something similar, but giving him the pinfall win makes more sense. At some point Knight needs to win something though, as the fans are only going to stay behind so many big losses.

Post break Knight isn’t happy with the numbers game from the Bloodline and runs into Carmelo Hayes, who mocks him for the loss. Shoving ensues.

Here is Nick Aldis for the Logan Paul/Cody Rhodes contract signing. Paul comes to the ring with his entourage while Rhodes is on his own. Rhodes says thirty two years ago today, right here in Jacksonville, WarGames 1992 took place. He knows this because he’s a fan, while Paul is just passing through. Paul needs to step aside and leave that US Title in good hands on the way out. Paul says he’s heard this since the beginning and he’s here to sign a contract. The fans are all over Paul, who calls them a horrible crowd.

Paul looks to sign, but then tears the deal up. His lawyer brings out his own contract, saying it’s just for the WWE Title and not the US Title. Aldis won’t stand for this but Rhodes tells Aldis that he’s got this. With that, Aldis leaves and Paul signs, saying Rhodes hasn’t earned a US Title shot. Rhodes calls him a human hat rack and promises that Mike Tyson is going to knock Paul’s brother out next weekend. The brawl is on and Rhodes clears Paul out before sending one of the entourage through a table. The fans hate Paul and love Rhodes so this was a hot segment.

Nia Jax isn’t scared of Jade Cargill.

Queen Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Nia Jax vs. Jade Cargill

Nia shoulders her down to start but misses a backsplash. They’re on the floor rather quickly, with Nia yelling at Jade’s daughter in the front row. The fired up Jade sends her into the announcers’ table but gets sent into the timekeeper’s area. Jax grabs a chair but Jade takes it away and hits her with it for the DQ at 2:10. That was their “get Jade out of the tournament free” card but dang did it feel rather lame.

Post match the brawl is on with referees having to break it up.

DIY vs. Angel/Berto

The rest of Legado del Fantasma is here with Angel/Berto and A-Town Down Under is on commentary. Gargano hurricanranas and armdrags Berto to start and it’s off to Ciampa for a clothesline. DIY hit stereo slingshot dives and the villains are down on the floor. Angel low bridges Ciampa to the floor though and we take a break. Back with Ciampa enziguring his way to freedom but Gargano gets pulled off the apron. The Garza Special (Gory Bomb/flipping cutter combination) gets two on Ciampa but he manages to knock Garza back anyway. The hot tag brings in Gargano to clean house until Elektra Lopez grabs his foot. That’s enough for an ejection, leaving DIY to hit Meet In The Middle for the pin on Berto at 8:37.

Rating: C. I like DIY from their NXT days but there isn’t much to them here. They’re the definition of “just kind of there”, with some ok matches and nothing memorable about them whatsoever. Nothing makes them stand out and while they’ll probably get the PPV title match, it’s going to be really hard to get invested in the match. They need something other than “we work hard” because the rest of the division is rapidly passing them by.

Commentary talks about the weird QR codes and see a clip from a therapist, I believe the same one from the Bray Wyatt White Rabbit clips, asking someone if they’re ok since their last session. Graves even mentions remembering what happened the last time the QR codes started popping up.

AJ Styles isn’t sure where he goes next after back to back losses. Next week, he’s going to Nick Aldis and find out where he goes from here.

Bayley is asked about the Queen Of The Ring but Piper Niven and Chelsea Green interrupt. Chelsea blames Bayley for Niven’s loss but Bayley will face Chelsea next week instead.

King Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Randy Orton vs. Carmelo Hayes

They take their time to start until Hayes gets in a single shot, which has Orton less than pleased. Orton sends him into the post a few times and then over the top for the crash to the floor. Hayes avoids being dropped onto the announcers’ table, poses on the table, and then gets dropped onto it. Orton does it again and we take a break.

Back with Hayes working on the leg until Orton makes the clothesline comeback. Hayes avoids the powerslam though and Orton tweaks the knee again to slow things back down. The second attempt connects to give Orton two but Hayes hits the First 48 for the same. Nothing But Net misses though and Orton grabs the hanging DDT. The RKO is countered so Hayes tries a springboard, only to dive into the RKO for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: B-. They’re giving Hayes the “he’s losing but he’s losing to top stars” treatment, which sounds good on paper but he’s going to need to beat some people eventually. Corbin was a good start last week, but he can’t have that be his one big win for the next several months. Other than that, Hayes did a good job here against a legend before ultimately falling, which isn’t a bad way to spend your fourth week on Smackdown.

The Bloodline comes out for the staredown but Orton says he isn’t scared because he is Randy Freaking Orton. An RKO is promised to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The tournaments have been good to WWE TV in recent weeks as they have allowed the shows to be built up with one strong match after another. Save for a two minute Cargill vs. Jax match, that was the situation again here as the tournament semifinals are both set for next week. Add in a hot contract signing and what should be one of the last steps before the QR stuff is revealed and we should be getting somewhere. Solid show here, and if have something better than the DIY match, it goes even higher.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Tiffany Stratton – KOD
Tama Tonga b. LA Knight – Jumping Downward Spiral
Nia Jax b. Jade Cargill via DQ when Cargill used a chair
DIY b. Angel/Berto – Meet In The Middle to Berto
Randy Orton b. Carmelo Hayes – RKO

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 16, 2024
Location: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentators Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re up in Canada this week and that means we could be in for something…well as interesting as it gets around here. With more than two months from Death Before Dishonor, it could be a long time before we get to anything important with this show. Maybe we could get some decent action out of it though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s what’s coming on this show.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Mentallo

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Mentallo wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Fletcher jumps him to start and fires off the chops in the corner. Some stomps set up a delayed suplex but Mentallo is back with a running dropkick to the knee. Fletcher is sent outside for a moonsault, setting up a top rope Fameasser for two back inside. The palm strike in the corner is cut off with a boot to the face and Fletcher hits a brainbuster for two. They trade kicks to the face until Fletcher grabs the piledriver for the pin at 5:56.

Rating: C+. So Fletcher loses over and over on Dynamite to bigger names, then needs to work to beat someone who means nothing around here. I’m not sure why he couldn’t have a dominant win here, but he could use a few of them after a not so great stretch of results. There’s nothing wrong with moving Fletcher up the ladder, but maybe not have your champion take so many losses?

Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal vs. Dark Order

Oh yeah Lethal and company are a thing. Lethal and Uno slug it out to start and neither can get very far. Therefore we’ll go to Singh vs. Silver, the latter of whom barely comes up to his chest. Silver puts his hand up for a test of strength, with said hand only reaching Singh’s shoulder. Singh drops him with a single shot and hands it off to Lethal for a running crotch attack against the ropes into a Fargo strut. Uno knocks Lethal off the top and Silver tries to choke Singh, who chokeslams Uno anyway. Lethal actually has to make the save, setting up the Lethal Injection to finish Uno at 4:46.

Rating: C. As weird as it is to see Singh in ROH (or in a match at this point), it was nice to have something resembling star power around here. Lethal isn’t a top name in AEW, but he’s someone who has nothing else going on so putting him out there for about five minutes in ROH is a good idea. While it wasn’t a particularly good match, I’ll take a match between some midcard names over another squash.

Jacked Jameson and the Iron Savages are tired of being stepping stones and are ready to become road blocks. Shouldn’t they want to be something other than something that stands still?

Anna Jay vs. Tara Zep

Zep powers her into the corner to start but Jay is back with a suplex for a quick two. Jay chokes away on the ropes and hits a Gory Bomb, only to pull Zep up. The Queenslayer finishes Zep at 2:09.

Skye Blue vs. Rachael Ellering

Blue grabs a headlock to start but gets powered away without much trouble. Ellering hits a hard shoulder into a gutwrench suplex but the running backsplash hits raised knees. A handspring elbow is cut off by an Ellering clothesline and a running elbow puts Blue down again. Ellering’s scoop brainbuster gets two and now the backsplash can connect. They trade rollups for two each and Ellering hits a pop up powerbomb for two more. Blue is back up with a quick Code Blue for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C+. The action was fine but this was the match that became infamous last week due to the horrible person (he’s not a fan) at ringside. Whatever he said was edited out here as he wasn’t noticeable at all, though there were a few odd camera cuts in places. I’d be curious to see how much of the match was trimmed, but the less he has to be heard, the better.

Angelico and Serpentico say they’ve been in a nightmare for months and can’t wake up. They’ve had to deal with Griff Garrison/Cole Karter/Maria Kanellis and it’s about to get uglier. Does it have to? It can’t just be over instead?

Action Andretti/Darius Martin vs. Levi Knight/Jon Cruz

Knight is rather retro and gets kicked in the ribs by Darius to start. Cruz comes in and takes his jacket off but trips on the ropes, with Andretti not being overly impressed. Knight comes back in and gets elbowed out to the floor in a hurry. With commentary making as many Knight/Night music puns as they can manage, Knight gets in a quick shot to take over on Darius.

A backbreaker gives Knight two and Cruz hammers away as well, with Andretti having to make a save. Cruz grabs the chinlock with a knee in the back but Darius hits a Pele Kick out of the corner. That’s enough for Andretti to come back in as everything breaks down. Andretti hits a slingshot dive to the floor and a double superkick drops Knight. Cruz is sent to the floor and a double swinging slam finishes Knight at 7:44.

Rating: C+. This was a fun match with the kind of regular team beating a makeshift team. Knight got your attention by looking a bit odd and sometimes that’s enough to get you through something like this. Any combination of Andretti/Top Flight works, though they need to win something of value at some point.

Kingdom vs. London Lightning/Jason Geiger

Another non-title Proving Ground match and the spotlights during the Kingdom’s entrance show off a lot of fans cosplaying as empty seats. Lightning and Bennett start things off with Lightning moving around rather quickly. Taven comes in and can’t catch Geiger, who grabs a quick spinebuster with Bennett having to make the save.

Taven chokes in the corner and says that’s how your mom stretches, which is kind of a weird insult. It’s back to Bennett for the Death Valley Driver and Just The Tip gives Taven two. Lightning gets over to Geiger as everything breaks down, with Lightning being sent outside. Rockstar Supernova puts Geiger down for the count at 5:05.

Rating: C. If only the Undisputed Kingdom hadn’t been treated as such losers, the Kingdom could be a rather useful team. They work well together and have a history of success, but for some reason they’re stuck with worthless titles and get beaten by any serious competition. Lightning continues to do well when he’s out there so it’s no surprise that he’s one of the resident Canadian jobbers.

Athena vs. Nicole Matthews

Non-title Proving Ground match and Matthews is something of a mainstay of independent wrestling. The fans certainly seem to know Matthews and that is already helping a bit. They go to the mat to start with Matthews working on a hammerlock. Athena reverses into a gator roll but gets sent outside as she can’t do much with Matthews early on. With nothing else working, Athena trips her down and scores with a big right hand as commentary talks about Matthews’ career history.

A running forearm in the corner rocks Matthews again and Athena even throws in a bit of a dance. Matthews escapes a neck crank and gets a few near falls, followed by some clotheslines. A northern lights suplex gives Matthews two but Athena hits her in the face. Matthews gets baseball slided to the floor and the O Face gives Athena the pin at 7:02.

Rating: C+. The name value of Matthews helped a good bit here, as the fans seemed to remember her and wanted to see her have a chance. While I get not having her go over Athena or even make the time limit, it was nice to see something of a tease. Athena seems likely to be facing Queen Aminata next so giving her a nice win helps, with Matthews being able to give her just enough of a challenge.

Post match Athena puts her in the crossface but Queen Aminata makes the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Ring Of Honor is in such a weird spot, as this is the kind of show that makes for a perfectly watchable show week to week. The problem is that the champions and the bigger names are treated as such losers on AEW shows that it’s hard to get behind them here. I’d want to see more of these people in action, but seeing them lose all the time on AEW TV brings them right back down. Notice that Athena, who never loses anywhere and is almost never on AEW TV, is the biggest star on this show. That’s not a coincidence, but that isn’t stopping AEW from running most of the ROH names into the ground.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Mentallo – Piledriver
Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh b. Dark Order – Lethal Injection to Uno
Anna Jay b. Tara Zep – Queenslayer
Skye Blue b. Rachael Ellering – Code Blue
Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. Levi Knight/Jon Cruz – Double swinging slam to Knight
Kingdom b. London Lightning/Jason Geiger – Rockstar Supernova to Geiger
Athena b. Nicole Matthews – O Face

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.