Monday Night Raw
Date: July 31, 1995
Location: Louisville Gardens, Louisville, Kentucky
Attendance: 4,181
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon

We’re still on the way to Summerslam and unfortunately it seems that means King Mabel is coming after Diesel and the WWF Title. There is nothing good that can possibly come from that but it’s what we’re getting due to reasons of it’s 1995. Shawn Michaels continues to feel like the biggest star in the company, but Bret Hart got to remind us of how good he was last week. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Razor Ramon and Savio Vega getting ready to challenge for the Tag Team Titles.

King Mabel vs. John Barberry

Sir Mo is here too and I feel for the people who have to carry Mabel and the throne to the ring. Mabel runs him over to start as you would expect and the beating is on to start. They actually go outside with Barberry getting crushes again. Back in and Barberry avoids a legdrop and hits a dropkick but gets splashed in the corner. The belly to belly suplex finishes for Mabel at 3:13.

Rating: D+. Hey did you know that Mabel is really big? I’m not sure if they made that clear enough, because it’s all that Mabel had at this point. Literally, what else is there that is supposed to get my attention about him? This was another dull squash as we continue the horrible march towards Summerslam.

Post match Mabel wants to be the WWF Champion.

Fatu is still trying to make a difference.

We look back at Jerry Lawler and Shawn Michaels arguing last week.

Lawler and Michaels have a face to face meeting in the back, with Lawler saying fans want to see Sid beat Michaels up at Summerslam. Michaels thinks that sounds like a challenge and some poking ensues, seemingly setting up a match.

Goldust is still coming.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Bob Cook

Bigelow knocks Cook to the floor to start and sends him flying for a bonus. Cook actually gets in a shot, only to be suplexed down for his efforts. The chinlock goes on as we hear something about America Online. Bigelow slams him down and drops the top rope headbutt for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C. Nothing much to see here, though it really is amazing to see how Bigelow had this kind of a career resurgence in 1995. He headlined Wrestlemania and King Of The Ring but then just fell away shortly thereafter. Nothing to see here as usual, save for the always good looking headbutt.

We go to the Report Card, where Dean Douglas agrees that Bam Bam Bigelow is indeed a beast, who looks like a walrus. He gets an F based on looks alone.

Jim Cornette talks about cars to suggest that Owen Hart and Yokozuna will retain the Tag Team Titles.

Skip vs. Major Yates

Sunny is here with Skip and insults the crowd before the match. Skip takes him into the corner to start and fires off some forearms. Yates comes back with a wristlock but gets hit in the face for his efforts. A sunset flip gives Yates two so Skip gives him a running clothesline. Skip hits a top rope superplex for the pin (and some pushups) at 2:20.

We go to the Summerslam Insider, focusing on Mabel vs. Diesel, with the latter saying he gets respect. He’ll earn respect from Mabel at Summerslam. Other than that, Jerry Lawler and Isaac Yankem look at a patient’s teeth (or a camera) and find what they see as disgusting as Bret Hart. Finally, Shawn Michaels is ready for Sid. Uh, yeah.

Next week, Diesel vs. Sir Mo. Sweet goodness somebody get my medicine.

Merchandise shill.

Tag Team Titles: Owen Hart/Yokozuna vs. Savio Vega/Razor Ramon

Hart and Yokozuna, with Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji, are defending. Vega and Hart start things off with Vega taking him into the corner to chop away. They trade wrist cranks and chops before it’s off to Ramon for an arm twist of his own. Hart gets knocked to the floor and holds his jaw as we take a break.

We come back with Hart getting beaten up some more but getting knocked over to the corner for the tag to Yokozuna. Ramon gets shoved down off to Vega, who manages to knock Yokozuna outside. Vega is smart enough to avoid being taken into the corner before it’s off to Hart for a spinwheel kick. Yokozuna drops the big leg and Vega is in trouble in a hurry. The nerve hold goes on and we take a break.

We come back with Vega making the tag and Ramon comes in with a middle rope bulldog. Everything breaks down and a double clothesline drops Yokozuna. The Razor’s Edge hits Hart for the pin and the titles at 15:49. And never mind as Hart wasn’t legal so the match has to restart. The match restarts but Cornette is ejected for arguing too much.

Ramon hammers at Yokozuna and throws Hart onto him for a bonus. Vega comes in for a rollup on Hart and we take a third break. We come back again with Yokozuna missing a big elbow and Ramon crotching Hart on top. Hart reverses the belly to back superplex into a crossbody for two and they’re both down. Ramon gets back up…and we’re out of time at 21:49 with the match still going. Well that’s certainly an ending. More on this next week I’d assume.

Rating: C+. Well it certainly wasn’t short. I’m not sure I’d call it good, but just seeing a match get this much time was nice to see. Ramon and Vega were a fine enough team and maybe even a better fit than Ramon and the 1-2-3 Kid, at least in the ring. Other than that, you had your usual sluggish Yokozuna match, but thankfully the other three were doing most of the work.

Overall Rating: C. The main event was the big focal point here, but the problem is that we’re closing in on Summerslam, meaning King Mabel is going to be around that much more. For the life of me I do not get what Vince McMahon saw in him other than he’s a big guy, but that’s what we’re getting at the moment. Just move on from it already and find anyone else, because it almost can’t be worse.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 24, 1995
Location: Louisville Gardens, Louisville, Kentucky
Attendance: 4,181
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon

We’re done with In Your House II and Diesel is still the WWF Champion, having beaten Sid in a not so great lumberjack match. Shawn Michaels won the Intercontinental Title from Jeff Jarrett in a far better match. Other than that though, we are on the way to Summerslam and that might not go so well. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at Shawn Michaels winning the Intercontinental Title.

Opening sequence.

Shawn Michaels vs. Jimmy Del Ray

Non-title and Jim Cornette is here with Del Ray. Michaels starts fast by taking him down for an armbar but Del Ray is right back up. A springboard out of the corner doesn’t work for Del Ray as Michaels knocks him to the floor. Back in and Del Ray hits a quick DDT and takes over, including a boot rake to the eyes. Some hip gyrating sets up a (gyrating) neckbreaker for two on Michaels and we hit the chinlock. Del Ray misses a top rope splash and Michaels hits a running forearm. A superkick drops Tom Pritchard (who was apparently here too) and another finishes Del Ray at 5:19.

Rating: C+. Well, this was at least better than Michaels’ match against IRS last week, mainly just because it was shorter. Michaels is on a roll at this point and he shouldn’t be needing that much time to take out someone like Del Ray. Not a good match here, but less bad, and for this time period, I’ll take that.

Post match Michaels teases stripping, as he tends to do.

We look at Jeff Jarrett’s live singing debut, but there are accusations that it was NOT REALLY HIM. And yes, you’re supposed to be interested by this.

We look at Shawn Michaels beating Jarrett again.

We recap Bret Hart vs. Hakushi, who had some great matches.

Smoking Gunns vs. John Faulkner/Rick Stockhauser

The jobbers have matching tights so they might be a regular team. Faulkner’s headlock doesn’t last long on Billy but it’s off to Stockhauser for an elbow. Billy fights out of trouble with ease and Bart comes in for the left hands. The Sidewinder finishes in a hurry at 2:01.

Merchandise shill….for Jeff Jarrett gear.

Goldust is coming.

Fatu wants to make a difference in his hometown of San Francisco.

Waylon Mercy vs. Gary Scott

Mercy hammers him down at the bell to start and chokes away. A hard whip into the corner has Scott in more trouble and the sleeper finishes for Mercy at 2:02.

We go to the Summerslam Control Center, which turns into a recap of In Your House. Ah the days of pay per view replays. King Mabel is ready to come for Diesel next, because we have to see some horrible things from time to time.

Bret Hart vs. Hakushi

Hakushi has Shinja with him. We get a little weird before the match as Hakushi pulls out a Hart mannequin head. Uh, right. Hart goes after Shinja to start so Hakushi jumps him from behind. Back in and Hakushi’s Vader Bomb hits knees, allowing Hart to hammer away. The backbreaker connects and Hart slugs at the ribs. A whip into the corner is reversed and Hart goes back first into the post as we take a break.

We come back with Hakushi hitting a nasty kick to the face, followed by a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. A top rope headbutt to the back gets two and we’re off to the nerve hold. That’s broken up and Hakushi rolls him to the floor and we take another break. Back with Hakushi connecting with a Asai moonsault but Hart is right back up. They get back in for a backbreaker into a middle rope elbow, followed by the bulldog for two on Hakushi. Hart gets knocked down again but he avoids a top rope headbutt. The superplex into the Sharpshooter makes Hakushi give up at 16:24.

Rating: B. Match of the month on the show so far, which really shouldn’t be a surprise. They’ve been in the ring before and worked well together so it makes sense to give them a rematch. Hart can work well with anyone and Hakushi was ready to hang in there with him. Yes I’m as shocked as you are that Hart stole the show, as he was doing it time after time in this era.

Post match Hart beats up Shinja for a bonus. Cue Jean-Pierre Lafitte to steal the bag from before the match.

Dean Douglas has the Report Card, where he talks about the importance of knowledge. This was bad, but what else were you expecting?

Jerry Lawler yells at Shawn Michaels and doesn’t see much in his future. Michaels isn’t impressed to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event helped carry things here, but you could only expect so much when the focus was on Hart and Michaels. There are only so many talented stars on the roster at this point and this focused on two of the really good ones. They rest of the show was the usual collection of squashes, but Hart vs. Hakushi is worth a look.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 17, 1995
Location: Danville High School, Danville, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 2,700
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon

It’s the last Raw before In Your House and the big story is still Sid, who may or may not be scared of Diesel. Other than that, there is a lot of focus on Jeff Jarrett around here, which can’t be the best idea. We might get something else added to the show this week, though the card seems pretty full. Let’s get to it.

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

IRS says Shawn Michaels is going to learn what it’s like to pay the tax man.

Shawn Michaels doesn’t seem worried.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Yokozuna/Owen Hart vs. Gus Kantarrakis/Jim Dimitre

Yokozuna and Hart, with Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette, are actually defending here for some reason. Hart works on a wristlock to start and then flips out of Gus’ version. A clothesline and dropkick put Gus down and it’s off to Yokozuna for a wishbone. Hart trips Gus for the big leg from Yokozuna and the Sharpshooter finishes Jim at 2:57.

The In Your House Control Center runs down the card and focuses on the lumberjack match. The rest of the show gets some attention as well.

Jean-Pierre Lafitte vs. David Thornberg

Lafitte knocks him against the ropes to start and splashes him in the back. They head outside to keep up the beating, followed by a Cannonball for the pin at 2:31.

Fatu is back where he grew up and now he wants to make a difference. Sweet goodness what a lame gimmick. It’s a perfectly nice idea, but they couldn’t have been more ham handed with it if they tried.

For the third straight week, here is the With My Baby Tonight video.

Shawn Michaels vs. IRS

Ted DiBiase is here with IRS. Michaels, in the always awesome looking black trimmed with red, takes IRS down to start and works on the arm to send him outside. Back in and IRS bails to the floor again, with Michaels grabbing the tie. A headlock takeover lets Michaels grind away a bit, and it works so well that he does it a second time. IRS finally manages to send him over the top for a crash out to the floor and the pace slows down a bit. Sidenote: I know it happens a lot, but IRS is so drenched in sweat that I thought he was in a light blue shirt. My goodness man that’s insane.

Michaels’ comeback doesn’t last long as he misses an elbow, allowing IRS to grab a chinlock. We take a break and come back with the chinlock continuing, as it tends to do. Michaels fights up and slugs away but gets dropped with a clothesline. Back up and the superkick finishes for Michaels out of nowhere at 12:14.

Rating: C. It’s not a good sign when the part of the match that stands out the most is IRS’s sweating. As usual, IRS isn’t interesting in the slightest but he’s perfectly fine from a technical standpoint. That was the situation again here, with Michaels just shrugging off whatever was thrown at him and kicking IRS in the face for the pin.

Merchandise shill.

Isaac Yankem DDS, again with Jerry Lawler in his office, pulls out a child’s tooth, which is censored due to the pain involved.

Kama Mustafa vs. Billy Mack

I wonder if he’s related to Willie Mack. Mustafa, with Ted DiBiase, hammers away to start but spends too much time yelling at the crowd, allowing Mack to hit a missile dropkick. That’s it for the comeback, as Mustafa hits him in the face for the win at 2:02.

Vince McMahon brings in Diesel to introduce his lumberjacks. First though, Diesel insults Sid and suggests he’s a CHICKEN. He insists he’ll keep the title and brings out the midcarders extraordinaire as his lumberjacks. Some of them say what they have planned for Sid if he goes outside, including Shawn Michaels promising a little chin music (for some reason, I’ve remembered the way he said that line for thirty years). Sid comes out for the staredown but walks away. The lumberjacks and Diesel celebrate (for some reason) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. What was the big draw here? Michaels had a perfectly watchable yet uninteresting match and then….here are the midcarders who will be watching the main event of the pay per view? That’s about it, and I’m going to need more than that to make the show worth a watch.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 10, 1995
Location: Danville High School, Danville, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 2,700
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon

We’re less than two weeks away from In Your House II and that means we are firmly in the Sid Show. Sid is on his way to challenging Diesel for the WWF Title again, this time in a lumberjack match. Other than that, Shawn Michaels is ready to go after Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett, who feels more than in over his head. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video recaps Sid vs. Diesel, which is somehow about to headline its third straight pay per view.

Sid is rather menacing.

Opening sequence.

Roadie vs. Jerry Flynn

Jeff Jarrett is here with Roadie. Flynn grabs an armdrag into an armbar to start before Flynn strikes away in the corner. An enziguri misses though and Roadie pulls him into a half crab. Roadie gets caught holding the ropes, so instead he settles for countering a hurricanrana into a powerbomb for the pin at 2:39.

Jeff Jarrett shows a rather large man around some country music offices but gets thrown out. This was stupid.

Now it’s off to Las Vegas, where Jarrett is with a rather flamboyant man and goes in to see Paul Anka.

Just like last week, here’s the With My Baby Tonight video. That’s four straight segments featuring Jarrett if you’re counting.

The Allied Powers are ready for Tatanka and Henry Godwinn.

Merchandise shill.

Savio Vega vs. Mike Khoury

Vega wins an early battle over arm control to start and gets in a slam. Back up and Vega hits a running corner clothesline, followed by some hard chops in the corner. A rollup (actually what Orange Cassidy would call the Mouse Trap) finishes for Vega at 1:47.

The WWF was at the Special Olympics. Still cool.

Here is Sid, with Ted DiBiase, for a chat. DiBiase insists that Sid is NOT a coward and we meet the lumberjacks (the midcard villains of course). Diesel is going to find out that he can’t run and hide, but a DIESEL chant cuts DiBiase off. Sid hits the catchphrase and we get an extreme closeup of his face (that is some serious nostril flaring).

We look at Barry Horowitz beating Skip over the weekend in one of the biggest upsets in company history.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Matt Hardy

Helmsley takes him down for a knee to the back as Vince talks about all of the fans comments on the “internet” after King Of The Ring. I’m sure they were entirely positive of course. A suplex drops Hardy again but he gets a boot up in the corner. Hardy misses a moonsault though and the Pedigree (good one too) finishes Hardy at 3:03.

Rating: C. The Pedigree alone makes this work, as Helmsley took his time with it and cinched it in much more than would become his norm. Other than that, it was just a squash with commentary ignoring the whole thing. That’s a running theme around this time and that’s not the easiest thing to sit through, but what else are you supposed to do?

In Your House Control Center so we run down the card and look at Mabel beating up Razor Ramon at King Of The Ring, setting up a tag match with Ramon and Savio Vega vs. Men On A Mission.

Allied Powers vs. Tatanka/Henry Godwinn

Ted DiBiase is here with the heels. They start fast and Tatanka gives Luger a DDT to put him in early trouble. The stomping ensues before it’s off to Godwinn for a slam out of the corner. Godwinn chokes away and we take a break. We come back with Luger still in trouble and getting elbowed in the face for two.

The big elbow misses for Godwinn though and Luger makes the tag as Vince goes on about how safe the WWF is compared to wrestling in general. Everything breaks down and Godwinn trips Bulldog from the floor to cut off the comeback. Back up and Bulldog hits a quick powerslam for the pin out of nowhere at 9:19.

Rating: C-. Nothing to see here again, but what were you expecting? The Bulldog can work with anyone and Tatanka isn’t bad, but the other two are just big guys who work power styles. That doesn’t make for an interesting match and yet somehow it would have been worse under the original plan of King Kong Bundy rather than Godwinn.

We get a quick Isaac Yankem DDS vignette, as Jerry Lawler talks about Bret Hart while Yankem does some painful dental work to end the show. This stuff scared the heck out of me when I was a kid. Today it still scares me, but for entirely different reasons.

Overall Rating: D+. Bleh. I’m very quickly remembering why this time was sup bad and it’s not getting any better every week. At the end of the day, the wrestling is bad, the characters are worse, and the stories just aren’t there. While there are a few interesting people on the show, they’re not around enough to carry things and the lack of depth is showing very badly.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 3, 1995
Location: Danville High School, Danville, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 2,700
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon

So we’re a few weeks removed from the Royal Rumble and unfortunately that means we are dealing with the reign of King Mabel. There is pretty much no good way around that, but thankfully we do have another In Your House coming up at the end of the month. That gives them something to build towards so it shouldn’t be nearly such aimless TV. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s Jeff Jarrett vs. Savio Vega match, with Shawn Michaels running in for the save. Tonight, we see what happened after the show went off the air.

Sid is ready for Bam Bam Bigelow.

Bam Bam Bigelow is ready to set Sid on fire. One of these promos is more intense than the other.

Opening sequence.

1-2-3 Kid vs. Mike Bell

Kid backs him into the corner to start and Bell is already accusing him of a hair pull. That doesn’t work for Kid, who hits a crossbody but bangs up his neck. Bell sends him into the corner and grabs a chinlock, which apparently hurts the neck more than the chin. Back up and Kid knocks him to the floor for a running seated senton off the apron. A spinwheel kick and an Oklahoma roll finish for the Kid at 3:02.

Rating: C. Watching these Kid matches back is making me think more of Rey Mysterio, who was much smaller than just about everyone else but learned to wrestle a unique style. It worked well here for the Kid, with the martial arts making for a good offense. Not much of a match of course, but more proof that the Kid was really good at what he did.

We go to the In Your House Control Center, headlined by Sid challenging Diesel for the WWF Title in a lumberjack match. We even hear the lumberjacks! Moving on, we get a clip from after last week’s Raw, with Jeff Jarrett saying he wanted to face Shawn Michaels, who easily beat up Jarrett and the Roadie. This set up Michaels getting an Intercontinental Title shot at the pay per view. The rest of the card gets a quick look.

We get Jeff Jarrett’s music video for With My Babe Tonight, which is absolutely on my wrestling playlist.

Bob Holly vs. Brooklyn Brawler

Brawler actually knocks him down to start but gets caught in a quick wristlock. Holly drop toeholds him into an armbar, followed by a dropkick. The high crossbody finishes Brawler at 2:53. Not much here.

Next week: Allied Powers vs. King Kong Bundy/Tatanka. Is that an advertisement or a warning?

We look at Adam Bomb and Henry Godwinn brawling to a double countout but Bomb got slopped anyway.

Henry Godwinn vs. Barry Horowitz

They’re bringing out the quality jobbers here. Godwinn powers him up against the ropes to start and chokes a lot, followed by an elbow for two. The middle rope elbow hits Horowitz as well but he avoids a charge into the corner. That doesn’t make much of a difference as the Slop Drop finishes for Godwinn at 2:59.

Merchandise shill.

Sid, with Ted DiBiase, comes out for the next match and DiBiase signals something to Henry Godwinn.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Sid

Ted DiBiase is here with Sid. Godwinn blocks Bigelow’s entrance but security breaks it up. They take their time to start, with Sid waiting over a minute before driving him into the corner. Bigelow is right back with some running shoulders and Sid misses a charge. Sid knocks him off the top though and hammers away on the floor, followed by a kick to the head back inside.

Bigelow’s enziguri misses though and Sid boots him down as we take a break. We come back with Bigelow knocking him down but charging into a boot in the corner. The powerbomb is blocked though and Bigelow goes up, only for Godwinn to shove him off the top. Sid gets the pin at 9:02.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t the best idea, as the point of someone like Sid is to showcase the power. That doesn’t work against a monster like Bigelow and since Sid is rather one dimensional, it was only going to go so well. Throw in the lame ending and there really wasn’t much hope for this one.

Post match Sid gives Bigelow a powerbomb, which goes as well as you would expect.

The WWF was at the Special Olympics. Nothing wrong with that.

Waylon Mercy vs. Jeff Hardy

This is Mercy’s Raw debut and he shakes Hardy’s hand, then mauls him at the bell. An overhead belly to belly and faceplant have Hardy in trouble to start. Hardy is sent hard into the corner as we’re told that Henry Godwinn is taking Bundy place in next week’s tag match, which is an improvement…I think? A sleeper finishes Hardy at 2:58. It didn’t help that they were both wearing white, making it look like a couple of house painters got in a fight.

Earlier today, Jerry Lawler went to the dentist and threatened a kid with his personal dentist beating up Bret Hart. Dang I hope that kid is a wrestling fan, because otherwise that’s the weirdest thing he’s ever seen. Almost as weird as the man who would become Kane with curly blond hair.

We run down next week’s card and look at Sid vs. Blgelow again to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: C-. It’s rarely a good sign when the most interesting thing is a future legend makes a cameo, but that’s about all you had here. It’s a really dark time for the company as we’re in one of their worst years ever, but even worse is that it’s the worst time of that year. Just nothing to see here, and that isn’t going to change for the time being.

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Summerslam 2010
Date: August 15, 2010
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 14,178
Commentators: Matt Striker, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

Tonight’s show focuses on one idea: the Nexus Invasion. Back in February of 2010 ECW was replaced by a new competition show called NXT. Eight rookies tried to become the next WWE Superstar with Wade Barrett winning the competition. One night in June, these eight men invaded Raw and took over the arena to end the show. Over the next three months, these men, now called Nexus, terrorized the company and John Cena in particular. Tonight it’s Team WWE vs. Nexus in a Survivor Series elimination tag match. We also have Kane vs. Mysterio and Orton vs. Sheamus in the title matches. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is about how change can affect so many things, such as Nexus destroying everything in sight.

Intercontinental Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph is defending and has Vickie with him. These two have fought a ridiculous number of times, even trumping Edge vs. Cena. Ziggler took the title nine days ago with Vickie’s assistance. Vickie’s EXCUSE ME is finally cut off by Kofi’s music. Kingston quickly takes him down and stomps away before clotheslining Dolph to the outside. A suicide dive totally misses though and Ziggler gets a breather.

Back in and the champion pounds away before getting two off a neckbreaker. We hit an early chinlock but Kofi is out of it in a few seconds. Instead Dolph sends him face first into the buckle for two before hitting a Hennig neck snap for two. Off to a reverse chinlock for a few moments until the jumping elbow drop gets two for Dolph.

We hit chinlock #4 but Kofi gets bored and goes off on the champion before hitting the Boom Drop. The middle rope cross body is rolled through, getting a two for Dolph as things speed up. A Fameasser puts Kofi down for two more but he pops up and clotheslines Dolph back down. The champion avoids Trouble in Paradise and hooks his sleeper but the Nexus runs in for the DQ.

Rating: D+. These two are capable of having far better matches if they don’t have to kill time until the run-in ending. Far too much of the match was spent in the chinlockery and it’s a rare bad opening match for Summerslam. Kofi continues his career path as Ziggler is about to start his climb to almost the top of the company.

Ziggler bails and Nexus destroys Kingston. Barrett talks about how Team WWE only has six men but the seventh doesn’t matter because Nexus is going to destroy them. This felt like the opening of Raw.

Jericho begs Mr. MITB and the US Champion the Miz to be on Team WWE. Edge is on the Miz’s other side eating a Slim Jim because Edge is awesome. Jericho says Miz doing this in LA could be bigger than Titanic or Avatar Miz doesn’t seem intersted.

Divas Title: Alicia Fox vs. Melina

Alicia is champion and the flavor of the month of the division. Melina has on a headdress that makes her look like a peacock. She looks….stupid. Melina takes forever taking off her furry boots before we’re finally ready to go. After they stare at each other for a good while Melina shoves her into the corner and then they stare at each other some more. The champion takes it to the mat with a headlock before Melina comes up with forearms. Off to a kind of Indian Deathlock with a curb stomp to Fox followed by a pair of knees to Fox’s ribs.

Some more forearms have Fox in trouble but Melina lands on her bad knee which cost her eight months off. The knee is good enough for Melina to superkick Fox, only to be sent shoulder first into the post. Back in and Fox goes after the arm because she’s not that bright. Melina realizes how stupid this is and makes her comeback with a kick to the ribs. A LOUD scream sets up a kick to the back and kind of a Diamond Cutter faceplant for the pin and the title.

Rating: D-. Both girls looked great but my dear merciful goodness Fox was embarrassing out there. When Jerry Lawler is making fun of you for having a lack of psychology, it’s a bad sign for your match. The Divas division hit a black hole after Trish and Lita left and this was a great example of how bad it was getting.

Post match Josh Matthews goes in to talk to Melina but here’s Laycool to interrupt. They’re the co-women’s champions here after literally tearing the belt in two. They try to take a picture with Melina but she kicks them both in the ribs. Layla trips Melina up though, allowing Michelle to clearly not make contact on a big boot. Fox tries to join in but gets beaten down as well. The titles would be unified next month.

Trace Adkins, Marlon Wayans and Michael Clarke Duncan are here.

We recap Big Show vs. Straight Edge Society. Mysterio had won a match against Punk, forcing him to shave his head. Punk wore a mask to hide it but Big Show ripped it off to humiliate him. Punk’s Society (Luke Gallows, Joey Mercury and Serena) got together and broke Big Show’s hand in a segment much funnier than it should have been due to Big Show’s face while being choked out.

Big Show vs. Straight Edge Society

Three on one handicap match. Punk has already grown his hair to a bit shorter than it is in 2013. We continue the awesome that is CM Punk as he wears a shirt saying “I Broke Big Show’s Hand”, which is a reference to Greg Valentine’s “I Broke Wahoo’s Leg” shirt from about thirty years ago. Show takes off his cast to reveal that the hand is fully healed and to freak Punk out a bit.

Mercury charges right into a chop and Gallows gets the same. The Society has to tag in and out here so Punk calls a conference on the apron. Gallows and Mercury jump Big Show and apparently tagging isn’t required here. Show easily throws away the lackeys and palms Mercury by the head, throwing him over the top and onto Gallows. Punk is the only one left now and a few shots to the back easily put him down. Show misses a chop and hits the steps, giving the Society an opening to go after the hand.

The Society pounds away with really basic stuff as we’re just waiting on the comeback. Punk charges into a back elbow and Show cleans house for a bit until Punk hits a high kick to slow him down. Some running knees in the corner stagger the giant before a double DDT from Punk and Mercury gets two. Punk goes nuts on the hand but Show picks him up on his shoulders. After dropping Punk over the top, the lackeys are destroyed again and Show chokeslams Mercury onto Gallows for a double pin.

Rating: D. Another dull match here as Big Show never once felt like he was in any kind of danger at all. That was the problem with this whole feud: Show treated Punk like an annoyance rather than an opponent. This would lead up to the destruction of Punk in a one on one match next month because Big Show needed that push right?

Kane is standing by Undertaker’s casket and talks about getting revenge on Rey Mysterio for attacking Undertaker. Raw World Champion Sheamus comes in and proposes an alliance but Kane wants no part of it. Kane says Sheamus has guts and they’ll be on the floor if he interrupts Kane again. Sheamus is still a heel here and is actually pretty awesome.

Speaking of awesome, here’s Miz to answer Jericho and Edge’s offer from earlier. Miz doesn’t care if the fans want him on the team or not because he’s the missing link in the WWE chain. Earlier today Cena admitted he was wrong about Miz and brags about Bret Hart begging him to be on the team on Raw.

Jericho gave Miz a Fozzy CD but Miz threw it away. Miz’s former partner John Morrison admitted Miz was the HBK of the team, Edge gave him Slim Jims and Truth wrote him a rap. Miz is the future and brags about how much bigger he is than everything else. He actually agrees to be on the team tonight but the fans aren’t allowed to do his catchphrase with him. Cole loses his mind over Miz’s announcement.

We recap Orton vs. Sheamus. There isn’t much to say here as Orton won a three way over Edge and Jericho on Raw to earn the shot. Sheamus won the title at Fatal Fourway with the unintentional assistance of Nexus. Sheamus has been hurting a lot of people lately and he claims Orton is the next victim.

Raw World Title: Sheamus vs. Randy Orton

Orton is challenging if that somehow wasn’t clear. This is during Orton’s bare arms phase which was always a strange look. Cole lets us know that if anyone interferes on Sheamus’ behalf, they’re suspended. If Orton loses, he gets no rematch. Sheamus shoves him into the corner and shouts in his face. It works so well that he does it again, earning him right hands to the face. Orton stomps Sheamus down into the corner and hits a hard clothesline to put him down again.

Orton drops him with another clothesline and a third to send the champion to the floor. The fourth straight clothesline sends Sheamus into the crowd but Orton has to go back inside before the ten count. Back in and Orton hits the circle stomp for two and a catapult into the bottom rope sends Sheamus outside again. The champion FINALLY gets a breather by sending Orton shoulder first into the steps. They’re doing the methodical build here which implies they have a lot of time.

Sheamus takes over with the power brawling via a knee to the ribs and a reverse chinlock. Back up and Orton counters a suplex but the Elevated DDT is countered into a backdrop to the floor. Sheamus rams Orton’s back into the barricade and the look on Orton’s face is great. Back in and a hard ax handle to the head gets two. This is surprisingly good stuff so far which leaves me with little to talk about.

Sheamus grabs something resembling a cross face chicken wing as is the case with most guys who come out of FCW. That’s one of the problems with one training area: you get a lot of the same spots from guys. Orton comes back with kicks to the ribs but another ax handle to the face takes him down. Back to the chicken wing and Sheamus channels his inner Jericho, telling the referee to ask him. Back up and Orton suplexes Sheamus down but can’t follow up.

They slug it out with Orton taking over. The fans are WAY into Randy here. A bad powerslam puts Sheamus down which Cole calls “A malignant growth of momentum.” Lay off the JR metaphors dude. A superplex gets two for Randy but he walks into the Irish Curse (note that at this point, the High Cross (Razor’s Edge) was called the Irish Curse. I’m using the more well known move: the Rock Bottom backbreaker) for two.

The Brogue Kick misses and Sheamus falls to the floor, only to be caught in the Elevated DDT as he comes back inside. The RKO is shoved off for two but Orton escapes the Irish Curse. Brogue Kick is only good for two which is a very rare sight to see. What isn’t a rare sight tonight is a bad finish, much like here as Sheamus gets himself disqualified for a chair shot.

Rating: B-. Bad finish to a good match here. Sheamus is getting better and better which makes you wonder why they book him so badly in present times. The guy is clearly talented but he hasn’t had to really work hard to beat a guy in months. This was a good match though and they clearly have chemistry together.

Post match Orton snaps and kicks Sheamus low before RKOing him onto the announce table. The fans want Miz but get a trailer for John Cena’s new movie instead.

We recap Kane vs. Mysterio. Kane won MITB and cashed in the same night to win the Smackdown Title over Rey. This was at the same time that someone had attacked Undertaker and left him in a “vegetative state” because we can’t say coma in WWE. Kane swore to find who did it but Mysterio accused Kane of doing it himself. Tonight is the rematch and somehow a way for Kane to prove his innocence.

Smackdown World Title: Kane vs. Rey Mysterio

Kane brings out a casket and I think you know where this is going. Kane hits a quick slam to start but Rey avoids an elbow drop. Rey tries to fire off some offense but Kane easily throws him around. The 619 is easily countered and Rey is sent to the floor. He slides back in and hits a quick baseball slide to get an advantage. Back in and Kane punches him off the top rope before ramming Rey back first into the post over and over.

Kane drops him ribs first over the top rope and slaps on a bearhug to keep things slow. Rey forearms out and dropkicks Kane in the chest, only to have Kane clothesline him down on a 619 attempt. Mysterio is sent chest first to the floor and kicked off a springboard to the floor. Kane follows him out but gets caught in a drop toehold into the barricade. Back in and a springboard headbutt to the chest gets two on Kane but he backbreakers Rey down again.

There’s a nice story going here of Rey speeding things up but Kane easily stopping him with power stuff. Power vs. speed is going to work almost every time and it helps that both guys are very talented. Kane bends Rey’s back over his knee before getting two off a side slam. Mysterio manages to break up the top rope clothesline but a rana attempt is easily blocked.

Now the clothesline misses and Mysterio counters another backbreaker into a tilt-a-whirl reverse DDT (here’s a good example of why Matt Striker is annoying. He calls it a Slop Drop, which is another name for a reverse DDT, but come on: does ANYONE think of the Godwinns when they see that move? Is there some Godwinn fan base out there that he’s trying to appeal to? It comes off like him trying to sound smart without adding anything at all). The seated senton puts Kane down and a spinning DDT gets two more.

A hard kick to the face gets the same but Mysterio dives into an uppercut. Kane opens up the casket to show that it’s empty but Rey sends Kane into the ropes. The 619 is caught and Rey is thrown into the casket but he kicks out of danger. Now the 619 connects but Kane gets the feet up on the springboard splash. Rey stops in mid jump though and gets two off a rollup, only to be chokeslammed to death for the pin.

Rating: C. This was about as good as this match could be. At the end of the day, it’s almost impossible to buy Mysterio as a physical threat to a guy the size of Kane. Yeah something like the 619 could stun him but it’s hard to believe anything but that or a rollup is going to get more than a one count. That’s not to say either guy is bad, but it’s the problem with a guy Mysterio’s size.

Post match Kane wants to make Rey pay for what he did to Undertaker. He promises to make Mysterio hurt for eternity and lays him out with two chokeslams and a tombstone. Kane goes to the casket and yep Undertaker is inside. HOW DID HE DO THAT I ASK YOU!!! Taker asks the half dead Rey what happened but Rey says no. The brothers go at it and Kane beats Taker down, I guess turning heel again and shocking no one. The idea is that Taker is still banged up and doesn’t have his full powers back yet.

Video on Axxess.

We recap Nexus vs. Team WWE. I think I’ve covered this well enough but it’s the first season of NXT coming to the main roster to try to take over the company. Over the last few months they’ve attacked various people and tonight it’s about revenge. Great Khali was originally on the team but was taken out by Nexus, leaving Team WWE with just six guys. Team WWE (also called Cena’s Army) is having a lot of problems with Jericho and Edge quitting over Cena’s leadership, only to come back later.

Nexus vs. Team WWE

Nexus: Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Michael Tarver, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Skip Sheffield

Team WWE: John Cena, Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, Edge, R-Truth, John Morrison, ???

You should know most of the Nexus, though Sheffield later changed his name to Ryback. As for Team WWE, Miz isn’t the last man. He comes out but Cena stops him, because it needed to be someone who made his decision earlier. Instead it’s……DANIEL BRYAN! This requires a backstory. The night Nexus debuted, Bryan was a member of the team. However he got fired for choking ring announcer Justin Roberts with a necktie as it wasn’t PG. Tonight is Bryan’s return and he wasn’t a surprise at all. See, WWE.com actually spoiled the return by mistake, ruining it for anyone who saw the website before the match.

It’s a huge brawl to start and Cole RIPS into Bryan for the sake of Miz. Bryan starts with Young and a quick LeBell (YES) Lock makes it 7-6 in less than 45 seconds. Justin Gabriel is in next and gets to fight Chris Jericho for his troubles. Some kicks to the ribs allow for the tag to Truth as things speed up. A suplex into a Stunner is good for two but Gabriel comes back with a spin kick to the face. Off to Tarver who was about as worthless as you could ask for a man to be.

Tarver charges into a boot in the corner and it’s off to Morrison to clean house with some dropkicks. The Fying Chuck (Disaster Kick) sets up Starship Pain (split legged twisting moonsault) for the second elimination. The remaining five members of Nexus hit the floor for a meeting before everything falls apart. Sheffield gets the nod and easily throws Morrison around. A big powerslam puts Morrison down and some snap suplexes work on his back even more. Morrison tries a comeback but Gabriel kicks him in the back of the head, allowing Sheffield to hit a big clothesline for the elimination.

Truth comes in and another clothesline ties the match up maybe twenty seconds later. Jericho comes in but gets sent into the buckle, allowing for the tag off to Barrett. Otunga is in a few seconds later, before he got good in the ring. Now let that one sink in for a minute. Anyway back to Barrett to crank on his NXT mentor’s arms but Jericho gets a boot up in the corner. A clothesline puts both guys down and it’s a double tag to Slater and Hart.

Old Man Bret pounds away on Heath for a few moments and doesn’t look half bad doing it. It doesn’t have the same snap that it used to but Bret’s offense still looks good. He puts on the Sharpshooter but Wade slides in a chair. Bret lets go of the hold and cracks Sheffield over the back in self defense, drawing a DQ. There really wasn’t another way to get rid of him due to an inability to take bumps. Sheffield staggers to his feet and walks into a Codebreaker from Jericho followed by a spear from Edge to tie us up.

To recap it’s Cena, Jericho, Edge and Bryan vs. Gabriel, Barrett, Otunga, Slater. On paper, this should be pure domination. Gabriel is in to face Edge but after scoring some kicks to the chest, Justin walks into an Edge-O-Matic for two. A big spin kick puts Edge down and it’s off to Slater, whose shorter hair makes him look like an even bigger tool than he does today. Slater pulls Edge into the corner for the tag off to Barrett who hooks the chinlock. Edge quickly fights up and scores with a spinwheel kick but gets caught in a swinging neckbreaker.

Back to Otunga who is almost booed out of the building. A standing spinebuster is easily countered into Edge’s Impaler and there’s the tag off to Jericho. Has Cena even been in yet? The running bulldog sets up the Lionsault and the Walls are good for the submission from Otunga. Jericho immediately knocks Slater off the apron and into the announce table to take him down. Back in and the top rope back elbow has Heath reeling but Jericho almost runs into Cena, allowing Slater to hit his running sleeper drop to pin Chris.

Edge comes in to yell at Cena but Slater rams him into John for a rollup pin thirty seconds later. Edge lays out Cena and Jericho adds a few kicks to the ribs of his own. So we have Cena/Bryan vs. Slater/Gabriel/Barrett with Cena getting caught in the Nexus corner. Barrett comes in to pepper Cena with rights and lefts before it’s off to Justin to crank on the arm. Cena tries to fight back but walks into a side slam from Barrett for no cover. John comes back with a quick fisherman’s suplex but Slater breaks up the hot tag attempt.

Cena hits a hard clothesline to put Slater down and dives for the hot tag to Bryan. Daniel comes in with a quick German suplex on Slater as Striker calls for Cattle Mutilation, which means absolutely nothing to most WWE fans. Bryan backflips over Slater in the corner and hits the running clothesline before sending him to the floor for the FLYING HAIRLESS ANIMAL! Back in and Bryan hits the missile dropkick and counters a rollup into the LeBell Lock to get us down to two on two.

Bryan looks at Nexus but here’s Miz to blast him in the back with the MITB case, giving Barrett an easy pin. Gabriel hits a hard right hand in the corner to put Cena down but Cena comes back with his finishing sequence to take Gabriel down. He loads up the AA but Barrett makes a blind tag and breaks it up with a shot to the head.

Nexus stomps away on Cena in the corner and a big boot from Wade sends him to the floor. Gabriel and Barrett peel back the mats at ringside and a DDT on the concrete knocks Cena out cold. Back in and Gabriel misses the 450, allowing Cena to score a quick pin. Barrett comes in and gets caught in the STF out of nowhere for the final elimination 20 seconds later.

Rating: C+. The match was entertaining and never dragged, but the ending doesn’t hold up when you take it out of the moment. Now one thing that does need to be kept in mind is Cena wasn’t in the match until over twenty minutes after the start so he was hardly banged up until the very end. That DDT on the concrete is a bit too much to take though, as Cena goes from out cold to fine in less than a minute. I can’t quite buy that.

This also brings up to the problem with Nexus: they never really won anything. At the end of the day, Barrett was the only one to have any success for a long time and to this day he’s one of two of the seven here to do much of anything. You have Ryback doing pretty well, but the rest are all midcard to lower card guys who haven’t accomplished much. As of August 2013, Tarver is gone, Otunga and Young are lucky to have jobs, Slater is a comedy jobber and Gabriel is a Superstars mainstay. That’s what killed Nexus: at the end of the day, they were a bunch of jobbers who swarmed big names and nothing more.

Overall Rating: D. This is a pretty terrible show with only two matches being decent at all. The main event is pretty good but it’s absolutely nothing worth going out of your way to see. Nexus fizzled out so badly that their existence is really just a big footnote anymore. Bryan wound up being the big star out of all of them and he was literally on the team for one night only. Nexus would go on to do nothing but annoy fans over the next few months, even with new members and Punk as a leader. The show isn’t worth seeing and thankfully things would pick up next year.

Ratings Comparison

Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston

Original: C+

Redo: D+

Melina vs. Alicia Fox

Original: D

Redo: D-

Straight Edge Society vs. Big Show

Original: D+

Redo: D

Randy Orton vs. Sheamus

Original: D+

Redo: B-

Rey Mysterio vs. Kane

Original: C-

Redo: C

Team WWE vs. Nexus

Original: B+

Redo: C+

Overall Rating

Original: B

Redo: D

My goodness what was I thinking?

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/08/13/history-of-summerslam-count-up-2010-a-one-match-show-almost-literally/

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: July 17, 2025
Location: UMPC Events Center, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re at the final show before Slammiversary and that means we should be in for the final push towards the show. That should mean a good deal of talking, but there is always the chance of seeing some quality action on the way there. Odds are NXT’s Trick Williams will be here too so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Moose vs. Sami Callihan

Non-title and Alisha Edwards is here with Moose, who whips Callihan into the corner to start fast. A Stunner gives Callihan a quick near fall but the spear sends him outside. Back in and another spear finishes Callihan at 2:44. That’s quite the squash of a former World Champion.

Post match Moose promises to retain the title on Sunday before telling Callihan that he doesn’t have it anymore. The Death Machine is now just a fat piece of garbage. Callihan needs to take his boots off and get out, so Callihan unlaces a boot…and rolls outside. Cue the rest of the System as Callihan leaves.

The System vs. Order 4

Hold on though as here is NXT’s Darkstate to jump the System (who went after them on NXT). No match.

Dani Luna is ready to face Tessa Blanchard and knows what she (as in Luna) can do.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Dani Luna

Victoria Crawford is here with Blanchard. Luna powers her into the corner to start and hits a basement clothesline before cranking on the arm. A dropkick sends Blanchard into the corner but she knocks Luna down and chokes on the rope. Blanchard’s slingshot elbow gets two and she hammers away.

A DDT to the leg has Luna in more trouble and Blanchard grabs a guillotine choke. That’s reversed into a suplex and Luna kicks her in the face a few times. Luna’s powerbomb gets two but Blanchard is back with a Codebreaker out of the corner for the same. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Luna two more but Crawford offers a quick distraction, allowing Magnum to finish for Blanchard at 9:21.

Rating: C+. Luna is still in a weird spot after the Spitfire split, as she doesn’t really have anything to do. At the end of the day, she was only so interesting in the first place (as was Spitfire) so now she’s just kind of floating. Blanchard at least feels like a star, and there is a good chance that she’ll get a nice win at Slammiversary and then move on to something bigger.

Post match the beatdown is on but Indi Hartwell runs in for the save. Hartwell says she and Blanchard have known each other for years but at Slammiversary, Blanchard will get to know her, b****.

The Elegance Brand messed with the IInspiration at an autograph signing.

The IInspiration is going to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

We look at Masha Slamovich pinning NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne on NXT.

Here is the Elegance Brand for a chat. Ash complains about being fined for her actions against the IInspiration and is being forced to make an apology. Everyone is talking about Masha Slamovich vs. Jacy Jayne but the reality is you should be talking about her. Ash goes on a rant about how she should be the #1 contender but here is NXT’s Fatal Influence to interrupt.

Jacy Jayne doesn’t dislike the Elegance Brand, though that changed when Ash said they were the most dominant faction in women’s wrestling. Cue Masha Slamovich to interrupt as the Elegance Brand leaves. Slamovich talks about growing up in Russia and coming to New York, where she fought for her life. If Jayne wants to take the title from her, Jayne will have to stop her heart from beating. Good stuff here, and it still feels like Jayne is winning.

Killer Kelly and Indi Hartwell check on Dani Luna, who is getting checked by the medics.

We look at the TNA World Title contract signing from NXT’s Great American Bash, with Darkstate attacking Joe Hendry and Mike Santana. This led to a six man on NXT, with the System running in to attack Darkstate.

Video on Mike Santana, with what is I believe a voicemail from his father, talking about how proud is he is of Santana and wishing him the best.

Home Town Man vs. Judas Icarus

Travis Williams is here with Icarus. Man slugs away to start and hammers away in the corner, setting up a very spinning TKO for two. Icarus bites the hand though and hits a running knee for two of his own. Back up and Man hits a spinning slam, followed by a suicide dive to Williams. Sliced Bread gives Man the pin at 3:34. I hate to admit it but Man’s theme song is catchy.

Rating: C. See, now this is far better than what we were watching with Cody Deaner. The Home Town Man at least feels like something fun, and more importantly, he getting on Eric Young’s nerves, which makes him a national treasure. I’ll take that over Deaner looking all sad for months despite meaning pretty much nothing.

Post match Eric Young comes in to go after Man’s mask but Man bails into the crowd.

Real1 says he’s coming to Slammiversary and he’s bringing people with him. Please…..no.

Steve Maclin wants competition for his International Title.

Matt Cardona vs. Jake Paydirt

I think that’s his name at least. Before the match, Cardona (I’m more sure on his name) calls out Darkstate, saying he is always ready. The bell rings and the lights go out so here is Darkstate for the big beatdown. Brian Myers runs in for the save and the rest of the System comes in to clear the ring. Call it a no contest at 15 seconds.

Here are the Hardys for a chat. They thank the fans for allowing them to live their dream for thirty three years. That earns a THANK YOU HARDY chant before Matt talks about how they never wanted to be a shell of what they once were. Fans: “YOU STILL GOT IT!” Jeff reminds Matt that he recently got beat by AJ Francis, with Matt thanking him for the reminder.

They think it might be time to hang it up if they don’t win the titles back at Slammiversary. Cue Leon Slater to interrupt, saying he’s struggled to keep up with the Hardys in the ring for the last six months. They have changed his life in the last few months and wants to thank them. Matt appreciates that but wants Slater to focus on winning the X-Division Title.

Slater wants them to get back to being the Hardys but here is First Class to interrupt. They mock the Hardys, with Matt telling Slater that this is their fight. Cue the Nemeths to interrupt and brag about their success, with Ryan saying they have been in more ladder matches than anyone. Ryan has never actually been in one but here are the Rascalz to interrupt as well. The Hardys clear the ring with a ladder, which they then climb for a pose.

Slammiversary rundown.

Frankie Kazarian/Trick Williams vs. Joe Hendry/Mike Santana

Santana and Hendry aren’t sure about who should start so Williams jumps them from behind. We take a break ten seconds in and come back with Santana hitting the Rolling Buck Fifty to drop Kazarian. The Death Valley Driver is blocked though and Kazarian knocks him down so Williams can come back in.

A Samoan driver plants Santana for two and the front facelock keeps him down. Kazarian comes back in and stomps away a bit, only for Santana to springboard moonsault onto both of them. That’s enough for the tag back to Hendry, who cleans house with back to back fall away slams. Santana tags himself in though and Spin The Block finishes Kazarian at 9:37.

Rating: B-. Totally run of the mill tag match here, with the only question being which of the two good guys would beat Kazarian. Hendry still feels like something of a third wheel here, but that’s mainly because Santana has been presented so well. It feels like his time, and there is almost no way he doesn’t win the title either at Slammiversary or at Bound For Glory.

Everyone glares at each other.

We cut to what looks like a warehouse where a box is opened. Inside: a P1 vest, as in the one worn by AJ Styles. Someone blows dust off of it to end the show. Yeah that would be a big deal for a special show.

Overall Rating: B-. The best thing I can say about this show is that it made me want to see Slammiversary more than I did coming in. The Styles push at the end is a good idea, but it might have been better to announce it earlier. Other than that, I’m more interested to see the show than I was coming in so they’re doing something right. Slammiversary could be quite good and if they can live up to the hype, it could be their best show in a long time.

Results
Moose b. Sami Callihan – Spear
Tessa Blanchard b. Dani Luna – Magnum
Home Town Man b. Judas Icarus – Sliced Bread #2
Matt Cardona vs. Jake Paydirt went to a no contest at 15 seconds when Darkstate interfered
Joe Hendry/Mike Santana b. Trick Williams/Frankie Kazarian – Spin The Block to Kazarian

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 17, 2025
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Supercard Of Honor and Bandido is still World Champion, having retained the title over Konosuke Takeshita in a great match. Other than that, the Sons Of Texas and Athena retained their titles and we are likely back to the run of the mill shows around here for a good while. Let’s get to it.

Here is Supercard Of Honor if you need a recap.

We actually see commentary so you know we’re taped from something special.

We get a quick recap of Supercard Of Honor’s results and preview tonight’s show.

Lee Johnson vs. Atlantis Jr.

Blake Christian is here with Johnson. They fight over arm control to start and then trade standing switches until Atlantis grabs a headscissors. Johnson is sent outside so the big dive takes him out again. Back in and Johnson gets him in the ropes, with Christian running in for a sliding German suplex. The chinlock doesn’t last long but Atlantis misses his frog splash. A Death Valley Driver gives Johnson two but he can’t hit a powerbomb. Atlantis hits a Canadian Destroyer and the frog splash for the pin at 6:35.

Rating: C+. As usual, the in-ring side of things is not the issue for Atlantis, who can do well against anyone. The issue is more that he’s only so interesting, which was the case here. The match was perfectly fine enough, though I’m not sure what is next for Atlantis. He’s in the middle of the clogged up midcard, and it’s hard to imagine that changing anytime soon.

Lee Moriarty is the longest reigning Pure Wrestling Champion ever and wants to become the face of Ring Of Honor.

We look at Mina Shirakawa winning the Interim Women’s TV Title…but then she got injured the next day. No word on what this means, but maybe we can have an Interim Interim Women’s TV Title!

Diamante vs. Maya World

Diamante snaps off a running hurricanrana to start and rakes World’s eyes across the top rope. Some more shots to the face set up a Code Red to finish World at 1:56. Just a squash.

We get an ad for Seed, the MxM Collection perfume.

Athena is ready to be the AEW Women’s World Champion.

We look at Dustin Rhodes becoming a triple champion at Supercard Of Honor, with a look at his quest to win the TNT Title over the years.

Rhodes can’t believe he won and his dad taught him to always keep going. He wants to carry the title for as long as he can. This was a rather humble promo.

Jay Lethal vs. Michael Oku

Amira is here with Oku, whose Rev Pro Title isn’t on the line. Oku wins a wrestle off to start and Lethal isn’t sure about this. Back up and they lock hands for some big forearms. Lethal snaps off a suplex but the Lethal Injection is countered with a hurricanrana. They head to the apron, where Lethal gets backdropped out to the floor. Oku hits a triangle dropkick, which is one of Lethal’s moves, for a nice touch. Back in and Lethal grabs a pair of cutters, setting up the Lethal Injection for the fast pin at 5:47.

Rating: C+. I’m still not sure I get the appeal of Oku, but this seems like the latest attempt to push Lethal a bit around here. He certainly has the pedigree to be in the spot, but he’s also only so interesting. That’s a recurring issue in Ring Of Honor, but there are worse choices than Lethal.

Respect is show post match.

The Frat House is upset at losing at Supercard Of Honor but they go to the bar anyway.

We look at Bandido retaining the World Title and Hechicero seeming to step up next after the match.

Hechicero vs. Angelico

Rocky Romero and Serpentico are here too. Hechicero wins a wrestle off to start and blocks a snap off the arm. Angelico takes him down by the leg and does his dance, earning himself a choke in the ropes. Hechicero goes up but gets kicked out of the air for a big crash. Back up and Angelico strikes away and grabs la majistral for two. A lifting Downward Spiral gives Angelico two but Romero’s distraction lets Hechicero hit a DDT. The spinning backbreaker finishes for Hechicero at 6:24.

Rating: C+. Another fine match here but it only had so much time. They wanted to make Hechicero feel like a big deal here and a threat to Bandido, but there is only so much to be gotten out of beating Angelico. Odds are Hechicero gets the title shot at Death Before Dishonor though so he needs the build as fast as it can be done.

Post match the beatdown is on but Hologram makes the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Perfectly fine show, which again is made better by the shorter run time. Ring Of Honor had a bad habit of stretching the show out longer and having so much filler, but the 45ish minute run time is pretty much the perfect fit. They have enough action to keep you engaged without realizing how low level a lot of this stuff can be. Nice follow up show here, which is a good thing to see.

Results
Atlantis Jr. b. Lee Johnson – Frog splash
Diamante b. Maya World – Code Red
Jay Lethal b. Michael Oku – Lethal Injection

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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Dynamite
Date: July 16, 2025
Location: Byline Bank Argon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We are done with All In and it was a very good night for our heroes. Hangman Page is the new World Champion and the Young Bucks are out of power, which means we could be in for a whole new ball game around here. It also means that we are about five weeks away from Forbidden Door so it’s time to get things ready. Let’s get to it.

Here is All In if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings out Hangman Page for his first big speech after the title win. As usual, Schiavone bails so Page can be alone in the ring, making me wonder why he was even there in the first place. Page says that the fans chanting YOU DESERVE IT are the ones who really deserve it. Fans: “WE DESERVE IT!” Oh come on man don’t encourage them. Anyway Page talks about how the fans are the ones who wanted a grassroots approach to pro wrestling and they are the ones who brought AEW into being.

The people here do it for the fans rather than the title, which earns a THANK YOU HANGMAN chant. Page thanks people like Orange Cassidy, Jay White, Adam Copeland, the Opps, Bryan Danielson and Darby Allin. He also needs to thank Will Ospreay, who made wrestling fun again. Finally though…and the fans know where this is going. Page doesn’t know if this person helped for himself, AEW, or even Page himself, but thank you to Swerve Strickland. Page has a wife and two kids who love him and he is the World Champion. Good opening here, as Page gets to take his victory lap.

Long recap of All In.

The Young Bucks had to Uber to the show.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Mascara Dorada

Fletcher boots him in the face to start and hammers away at Dorada. Back up and they trade some flips until Dorada sends him into the corner, followed by a dropkick. Dorada sends him to the floor for a big dive, only to get caught with a swinging Side Effect back inside. We take a break and come back with kicking him in the head, setting up a running headscissors.

A shooting star to the floor drops Fletcher again and Code Red gives Dorada two. The super brainbuster doesn’t work for Fletcher so Dorada snaps off a spinning super anklescissors. Dorada’s 450 gets two and a superkick into another anklescissors sends Fletcher into the buckle. Fletcher is right back with a lawn dart into the corner and the brainbuster gives Fletcher the pin at 10:56.

Rating: B-. Fletcher gets a win and there is a good chance that it is a foot forward on the path towards a shot at Dustin Rhodes. That’s the way it should go, and probably should have gone in the first place, but at least we’re on the way there. Dorada is solid in the ring and can make anyone look better, which was what he pulled off here.

Schiavone says that we’ll hear from Dustin Rhodes on Collision. Schiavone: “MUST SEE TV!” NBC is cringing over that one.

The Young Bucks are given the cold shoulder by Marina Shafir and find their tiny dressing room. Don Callis comes in with an offer to do business. The Bucks won’t join the family but they do hug Callis. Because Callis has to be involved with everything.

MVP is begging for a legendary tag team to step up and challenge the Hurt Syndicate for the Tag Team Titles. MJF shouts about being the best in the world and being better than Hangman Page. If Page is the main character, MJF can be the villain because nice guys finish last.

Josh Alexander/Hechicero/Young Bucks vs. Jet Speed/Bandido/Brody King

The Bucks don’t get pyro, have a bare bones Titantron video, and are listed as “they used to be EVP but now they’re not!”. Alexander headlocks King to start before a running clothesline has no effect. King chops him in the back and it’s off to Hechicero vs. Bandido. Hechicero gets taken down a few times to start fast and a hurricanrana does it again. A double dropkick puts the Bucks down on the floor and Jet Speed hit stereo dives.

Back in and the Bucks get to clean house, including a Doomsday kick to Knight as we take a break. We come back with Knight fighting out of trouble but the Bucks cut off the tag attempt. The Bucks try the EVP Trigger but stop because they can’t use the name anymore. Knight fights up and brings Bailey in to clean house, including a missile dropkick to Matt. King comes back in to clothesline Alexander to the floor, followed by a Cannonball to Hechicero.

Bailey Asai moonsaults onto the Bucks and Knight springboard clotheslines Knight. Back in and some superkicks send King into a German suplex from Alexander but Matt superkicks Nick by mistake. Bandido X Knees Nick but the 21 Plex is countered. The TK Driver drops Bandido and Hechicero grabs a choke for the win at 13:36.

Rating: B. I’m not sure about having the Bucks win so soon after their big loss at All In, but at least it was more about Hechicero vs. Bandido more than anything else. The Bucks being a bit less focused and stupid was a good idea. Now just don’t have them do anything important anytime soon and things will be better.

Here is Cope, so we pause for the fans to sing his song. Cope thanks the fans and says no, of course he didn’t save Christian Cage. He doesn’t know what is wrong with Cage but he is proud of the Patriarchy. No, he came back at All In because he wanted to get his hands on FTR. They were the first people he called when he was getting back in the ring and they wanted to be Rated FTR.

But then FTR started complaining about being in Cope’s shadow. They put him on the shelf for four months and those are four months he doesn’t have. Cope is back to get rid of FTR, but here is Stokely Hathaway, with security, to interrupt. Hathaway doesn’t like Cope and apparently Cope using Spike got THREE anonymous letters sent to AEW.

Therefore, if Cope interferes in an FTR match, he is officially fired. So go find a hobby and leave FTR alone. Cope says Hathaway looks like a fat Oompa Loompa, and what a shame it would be if that caught on. Hathaway said Cope couldn’t get near FTR, but he can get near Hathaway, who is dropped with a spear. They’re planting the seeds for the Cope and Christian reunion and….I’m kind of interested but it’s only getting me so enthused.

Mark Briscoe says MJF ducked and dodged him like a b****, leading to Briscoe not accomplishing either of his goals at All In. MJF brought up Jay Briscoe and now Mark is going to make him pay for his sins.

Thekla vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Queen Aminata vs. Kris Statlander

For $100,000. Nightingale and Aminata are knocked outside to start, leaving Thekla to escape Statlander’s suplex. Thekla kicks away but Nightingale and Aminata are back in to slug it out inside. Aminata does her hips to the face deal but Nightingale is back up with a Rack Attack to Thekla. Back up and Thekla hits a big dive to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Thekla doing a sit up in the Tree of Woe and giving Aminata a spider superplex. The string of knockdowns leave Nightingale standing until she is knocked out as well and everyone is down. Nightingale is back up to plant Thekla for two but Statlander drives Nightingale into the barricade. Cue Julia Hart to mist Aminata and Thekla hits a Stomp for the pin at 10:42.

Rating: C+. The whole “this match is for a bunch of money” is becoming a bit too common thing lately, as it’s not like they have much meaning after the match is over. Maybe have people winning these matches and get closer to title shots? On top of that, Thekla vs. Aminata is still only so interesting and hasn’t really been doing much for the still new Thekla.

Here is Toni Storm in a balcony for a chat. She lists off all of her nicknames before saying that this tramp is still the champ. Storm thanks Mercedes Money for going all in with her but she warned Mone that if she made one mistake, she would eat Mone alive. Storm: “Well darling you were delicious!”

If Mone wants to come back for seconds, this buffet is always open for seconds. Unfortunately Luther was injured in the line of duty and it’s going to require reattachment surgery. Athena cuts her off and brags about her own abilities before saying that Storm’s demise is at hand. Storm: “If you are able, I will bend you over the table.” Athena feels different as a challenger and that is a very good thing.

The Patriarchy says they are now the Matriarchy and Christian Cage is now beyond his expiration date. Nick Wayne brags about being the youngest champion in company history and Cage created this monster.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Quintero

Non-title and the dropkick into the Rainmaker finishes at 1:02.

Post match Okada calls Swerve Strickland a b**** for screwing the Young Bucks. Cue Strickland to interrupt and ask what Okada meant, but Okada bails. I’d call that a good next challenger for Okada.

Death Riders vs. Mark Briscoe/Powerhouse Hobbs/Hangman Page

Hobbs goes after Castagnoli to start and fires off the clotheslines in the corner. Page comes in and gets to face Yuta, who is easily sent into the corner corner. We take a break and come back with Hobbs pulling Yuta out of the air but a cheap shot puts him down. Hobbs gets sent to the floor, where Marina Shafir gets in a cheap shot.

Moxley sends him into the steps and comes in for a running boot before handing it right back to Yuta. That doesn’t go as well and it’s off to Briscoe to clean house. Shafir cuts him off on top though and Moxley grabs the Paradigm Shift on the floor. We take another break (two hours and four minutes into the show) and come back again with Moxley grabbing an STF on Briscoe.

That’s broken up and Briscoe fights back, including a missile dropkick. Page comes back in with a pop up sitout powerbomb for two on Yuta and flips out of a Doomsday Device. The moonsault to the floor hits Yuta but Moxley breaks up the Buckshot Lariat. Instead Hobbs makes the save and Page rolls Castagnoli up for the pin at 17:42.

Rating: B. Good match here, with Page getting the win to keep things going after his title match. What matters the most is that Page and company won the match and beat the Death Riders again. It’s a solid way to wrap things up, but now we have to see what is next for Page, which could be a few different challengers. The Death Riders on the other hand probably have to deal with Darby Allin, which could be quite the next step in their downfall.

Post match the Death Riders beat Page down but Darby Allin pops up in the rafters. The distraction lets Page get in a Buckshot Lariat to Moxley. Allin looks down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. All In was a heck of a show and they had a good follow up as a result. I’m not sure that it needed a nearly fifteen minute overrun after the longest pay per view ever, but AEW is going to take their time no matter what happens. I’m curious to see where things go from here though and there was enough good action here, so this worked well as the next step after their biggest show of the year.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Mascara Dorada – Brainbuster
Young Bucks/Hechicero/Josh Alexander b. Jet Speed/Brody King/Bandido – Choke to Bandido
Thekla b. Willow Nightingale, Queen Aminata and Kris Statlander – Stomp to Aminata
Kazuchika Okada b. Quintero – Rainmaker
Hangman Page/Powerhouse Hobbs/Mark Briscoe b. Death Riders – Rollup to Castagnoli

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

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Evolve
Date: July 16, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

Things have been picking up around here, but also in places not so much around here. In this case that was earlier this week, as the Evolve Women’s Title was defended on NXT. That’s the kind of showcase Evolve can use and it went fairly well. As for this week, Lince Dorado is getting his Evolve Title shot. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Kylie Rae vs. Chantel Monroe vs. Tyra Mae Steele

Rae and Steele throw Monroe out to start and Steele wrestles Rae down without much trouble. Monroe is back in and they trade rollups for some near falls until Rae kicks Monroe outside again. A suicide dive takes out Steele and Monroe at the same time and a moonsault gets two on Steele back inside. Steele gets up and cleans house with raw power until a spinning Codebreaker gives Monroe one. Back up and Steele rams Monroe into Rae, followed by a bridging German suplex to pin Monroe at 4:43.

Rating: C+. That’s the right result, as Steele feels like she could be a huge star down the line. She has the charisma and certainly has the athletic background, so if she can put everything together, there are some real possibilities there. For now, it’s smart to put her in the ring for a few minutes to get her feet wet, which can increase in the coming weeks and months.

Earlier today, Jin Tala sat down for an interview and talked about revealing herself as the backstage attacker. She knew that she had to be aggressive and was going to go after everyone by any means necessary. Tala was eliminated from LFG because she wasn’t eliminated and now she is going to become the next Women’s Champion. Tonight against Carlee Bright, she is going to show us what real aggression is about. Tala sounded dangerous here.

Jordan Oasis is in Stevie Turner’s office and says he wants the winner of the Evolve Title match. He wants to fight Swipe Right too so Turner says if he can find a partner, the match can be on for next week.

Jin Tala vs. Carlee Bright

Kendal Grey is here with Bright, who goes right after Tala to start the fight fast. They trade hard shots in the corner before going outside. Tala rams her into various things and then chokes on the ropes back inside. Bright’s dropkick into a jumping neckbreaker sets up a standing moonsault for two but cue Wendy Choo to glare at Grey. Tala uses the distraction to hit the Direct Effect for the pin at 3:10.

Rating: C. The result was right, but this should have been a lot more one sided. Tala should have been a smashing machine here and run through someone (not necessarily Bright) but instead she felt like just another run of the mill wrestler. That’s not a great sign, but at least she did win so it could have been worse.

Ridge Holland comes up to Tate Wilder and seems to apologize. Wilder is cool with that, but Holland is really saying that Wilder is going to prove he doesn’t belong. Wilder has a match tonight but he’d love to face Holland after that. Holland turns that down, because Wilder is beneath him.

Tate Wilder vs. Edris Enofe

Wilder is a cowboy. They fight over a lockup to start and trade slaps until Enofe works on a wristlock. That’s broken up with a dropkick and some left hands in the corner have Enofe in more trouble. Wilder flips him to the floor and hits a dive before they slug it out inside again. Enofe gets the better of things and we hit the chinlock, including some choking. That’s broken up and Wilder hits a spinning elbow but Enofe knees his way out of a suplex attempt. Wilder hits an enziguri but misses a nice looking step up moonsault attempt. Enofe grabs a neckbreaker for the win at 4:22.

Rating: C+. Wilder had a decent enough debut here, with that moonsault looking rather nice. I can get why you wouldn’t want to have him beat Enofe in his first match, but this basically just proves Holland right. That feels like a bit of a bad idea, though Wilder does at least have some potential.

Post match Dante Chen comes out and, after apologizing, decks Enofe with a right hand.

Keanu Carver tells Sean Legacy to avoid him amid threats of violence.

The Vanity Project is worried about the main event but Jackson Drake says he has this because he’s the champion for a reason.

Edris Enofe comes into Stevie Turner’s office and rants about Dante Chen. Turner says Enofe did the same thing a few weeks ago and she liked what she saw out there tonight. Enofe accuses her of being biased, which doesn’t work for Turner. She makes Enofe vs. Chen for next week and throws him out.

Evolve Title: Lince Dorado vs. Jackson Drake

Drake is defending and the Vanity Project is banned from ringside. Drake rolls him up for a fast two but Dorado gets a cradle for the same. A top rope armdrag and anklescissors have Drake on the floor but Dorado would rather pose than dive. We take a break and come back with Drake shoving him off the top for a big crash out to the floor. Drake hits a dive and hammers away before taking it back inside.

Some stomps to the hand have Dorado in pain and a powerslam has him in a near fall. Drake’s chinlock doesn’t last long but he blocks a hurricanrana. The second attempt works better for Dorado and the Golden Rewind staggers Drake. A Backstabber gives Dorado two but Drake gets out of a cross armbreaker. Instead Dorado kicks him down and goes up but the Vanity Project’s music plays.

The distraction lets Drake hit a gutbuster and powerbomb for two, with the kickout leaving Drake stunned. Dorado hits a superkick into a brainbuster, followed by a running palm strike. The shooting star press connects but Drake rolls outside in a smart move. A running flip dive connects but Ricky Smokes is underneath the ring and grabs Dorado’s leg. Drake’s running knee retains the title at 10:38.

Rating: B-. I’m really going to need an explanation for why Dorado isn’t the champion after the interference. There is no reason for Stevie Turner to not see what happened and enforce the stipulations, but there is a good chance it won’t be mentioned. Other than that, it was a good match with Drake having a nice trick with the music, but the ending hurt it a bit as the interference felt rather weak.

Post match Brooks Jensen runs in to lay Drake out, with the Vanity Project chasing Jensen off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. There were some holes in this show and it hurt things a good bit. Stuff like Tala not not exactly dominating, Wilder losing in his debut, and the interference in the main event didn’t feel great, though the rest of the show worked out fairly well. I’m not wild on Jensen being added at the end, but I guess he needs something to do. Not a bad show, but a bit of a step down from their recent efforts.

Results
Tyra Mae Steele b. Chantel Monroe and Kylie Rae – Bridging German suplex to Monroe
Jin Tala b. Carlee Bright – Direct Effect
Edris Enofe b. Tate Wilder – Neckbreaker
Jackson Drake b. Lince Dorado – Running knee

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