Backlash 2017
Date: May 21, 2017
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s time for another Smackdown exclusive, which could mean things are hit or miss tonight. The card isn’t exactly the best with Jinder Mahal challenging Smackdown World Champion Randy Orton and AJ Styles challenging Kevin Owens for the US Title. Other than that though, this is kind of a stretch for a pay per view. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Tye Dillinger vs. Aiden English

This is their third match and this time English sings himself to the ring. Dillinger starts with the ten but English says this is his town (which it actually is). English starts cheating to send Dillinger into the corner though and the posing takes us to an early break. Back with Dillinger working on a chinlock until the comeback starts up. Tye knocks him down and drops a knee before hitting the ten left hands in the corner. Aiden gets in an elbow but misses a Swanton, allowing the Tyebreaker to finish him off at 8:18.

Rating: C-. This was all you would have expected it to be and there’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t think anyone is taking Dillinger seriously as a major star right now but there’s a lot of value in having a cheer/signature deal that’s going to wake the fans up every single time. The TEN thing is going to work so just stick with the classics.

The opening video doesn’t have much of a theme but it does touch on almost all of tonight’s matches.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler

Makes sense for the opener and DEAR GOODNESS do the fans love Nakamura. Feeling out process to start with Ziggler not being able to do much, other than be told to bring it. Nakamura takes him into the corner and starts picking up Good Vibrations. Dolph grabs the neckbreaker over the ropes and slaps on a chinlock as the fans are actually split.

Ziggler’s dropkick and the Shot to the Heart get two but Nakamura kicks him in the head to take over again. The running knee in the ribs connects as they’re not exactly going crazy out there. A triangle doesn’t last very long with Ziggler making the ropes. It’s way too early for Kinshasa so Ziggler hits the Fameasser for two.

Ziggler tunes up the band but has to settle for the Zig Zag for another near fall. A powerbomb of all things is broken up and Nakamura kicks him in the head again, only to get superkicked in the back of the head. That’s not enough either so Ziggler tries a single leg, earning himself some knees to the head. The middle rope Kinshasa misses but the regular version is good for the pin on Ziggler at 15:48.

Rating: B. Certainly not a classic but it was a fine way for Nakamura to show that he was there. I don’t think anyone was expecting a masterpiece here but Nakamura just doing the greatest hits is getting a bit old. He’s pretty much lived off his reputation from the Zayn match and hasn’t gotten back to that point since. I’m not saying he can’t but I’d like to see it again. Then again, maybe it’s because this was the dark match at the last two house shows I’ve been to so there’s not much of a fresh factor here.

Here’s the full Fashion Files segment from Tuesday to fill time.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Breezango

Breezango is challenging and Breeze is still in the janitor costume, complete with mustache and mop. Jimmy comes at him and gets stopped with a mop to the fact. That earns Tyler a superkick and the mop is broken, much to the fans’ annoyance. Fandango comes in for some hip gyrating….and Breeze is now dressed as an old woman, complete with blue hair, a dress and a cane. Fans: “LET’S GO GRANDMA!”

We get the standard set of spots: flashing and the Bronco Buster, only to have Jimmy kick him down as well. JBL goes along with the whole gag and gets a dress thrown at his head. Jimmy goes shoulder first into the post and the hot tag brings in Fandango. Everything breaks down and Jey is sent outside, leaving Jimmy to take an Unprettier for two. Breeze is sent over the barricade but comes right back with a dive to take them down. JBL says these guys are about to win the titles and it’s a superkick to Fandango to retain the titles at 9:12.

Rating: C. This is going to vary quite a bit depending on your taste. I’m a big Breezango fan so I liked some of the jokes, but, as usual, JBL really hurt things here with all of his talking about how funny things were. It’s the beating you over the head with the COMEDY that gets old and JBL is horrible about it. I’m fine with Breezango not winning here but hopefully they stick around.

We recap Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin, which is your standard bully vs. underdog story. Corbin has jumped Zayn multiple times now and Sami is fighting back.

Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin

Zayn starts fast and sends Corbin to the floor for the flip dive, only to have Corbin bail away. Sami isn’t willing to wait and dives onto Corbin to send him into the barricade as it’s one sided early on. Back in and Corbin starts the power game with some forearms and a bearhug to slow things down. A spinebuster drops Zayn again and his high crossbody is good for two.

Another shot to the back slows him down though and a chokebreaker gives Corbin two more. He takes Sami up top, only to get taken down with a sunset bomb for a nice near fall. Sami’s tornado DDT is broken up and Corbin makes things even worse by blocking the exploder in the corner.

Instead he grabs two more off a crucifix, only to walk into Deep Six for another two. They’re trading near falls here and it’s not half bad. Sami gets sent outside but comes back in with a boot to the face, followed by the Helluva Kick for the clean pin at 14:19. JBL is rather stunned by the upset and I can’t say I blame him.

Rating: B-. Cool. They told a good story here with Sami hanging in there as long as he could until he caught Corbin with his one big move. Corbin can win the rematch but at some point they had to give Sami a big win to keep his credibility. I’m very surprised here and that’s not a bad thing. Good match and a win that Sami probably needed more.

Xavier Woods, Ember Moon, Zack Ryder and someone else play Rocket League on Up Up Down Down.

Jinder Mahal and the Singh Brothers arrive an hour and twelve minutes into the show. Tonight he’s going to turn this city into a beautiful thing despite everything thinking he’s evil and horrible. We hear some Punjabi with Mahal promising to become champion.

Welcoming Committee vs. Charlotte/Becky Lynch/Naomi

Lynch has a long red mohawk tonight and gets thrown into the corner for her efforts. It’s off to Charlotte to take over on Natalya but the strutting gets her in trouble as she’s knocked into the Welcoming Committee corner. That doesn’t last long either though as it’s off to Naomi, who takes the beating for her team as well.

Becky gets pulled off the apron to prevent another tag though and Tamina gets two off a Samoan drop. The second attempt at the hot tag works a bit better and Becky comes in with the Bexploder for two on Natalya. Carmella has to break up the Disarm-Her and Tamina adds a shot of her own, setting up the Sharpshooter to make Becky tap at 10:07.

Rating: D+. This was as uninteresting as you would have expected it to be and that’s fine. The Welcoming Committee needed this win and as stupid of an idea as they are, they should have gone over here. Becky taking the fall is fine and the best option, especially if it leads to her joining the team (not logical but the best choice).

We recap the US Title. It’s another simple story: the Face of America vs. the Face That Runs the Place. Owens is extra smug lately but has shown how violent he can get against Chris Jericho.

US Title: AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens

Owens is defending. AJ is all fired up to start so Owens bails, only to have them switch places with AJ smirking a bit. Back in and AJ scores with a dropkick but Owens just blasts him with a clothesline to take over. We hit the chinlock with Owens demanding to ASK HIM, followed by a DDT and two backsplashes for two. Owens spends a bit too much time talking trash though and gets caught in belly to back faceplant.

The fireman’s carry flip into a backbreaker gives AJ two and he smiles a bit. Styles takes too long going up top though and gets caught with a superkick, followed by a big double underhook into a neckbreaker for a cool looking move. Owens isn’t done as he sends AJ outside with Styles’ knees going into the steps. A Cannonball against the barricade sets up a Cannonball against the leg in the corner as Owens certainly has a target.

We hit a half crab and an ankle lock of all things but AJ has fought Kurt Angle before and dives over to the ropes. Owens takes him up for a superplex but gets pulled down with a sunset bomb for two, only to have the Phenomenal Forearm broken up. A double underhook implant DDT gives Owens two but frustration starts to set in, allowing AJ to score with the Pele.

Now it’s Styles taking him to the top for a superplex, meaning Owens can use the swinging superplex for two more. They head to the apron with AJ getting in a suplex on the apron but both guys are done. Owens throws him into the timekeeper’s area but eats a Phenomenal Forearm. AJ isn’t done though and loads up the Styles Clash on the top with JBL freaking out. His foot actually goes through a hole in the table though and Owens beats the count back in at 21:09.

Rating: B+. Oh yeah that worked. These two beat the heck out of each other and traded bombs until Styles literally slipped and fell for the loss. You know there’s going to be a great rematch and that’s going to be awesome as well. I had a blast with this match and it’s easily the second best match of the weekend (nothing was touching that UK Title match though).

We look at the Kickoff Show match.

Erick Rowan vs. Luke Harper

This would be the cool down match. They take turns driving each other into the corner to start before taking a quick trip outside. Back in and Rowan starts throwing Harper around as the announcers recap the history between these two. Rowan misses a top rope splash though and bails to the floor, allowing Harper to hit one heck of a suicide dive. Back in and Harper’s slingshot hilo gets two, followed by Rowan powerbombing him for the same. A slugout doesn’t get anyone anywhere so Rowan clotheslines him down. That means it’s time to go talk to the mask, allowing Harper to get in a discus lariat for the pin at 8:26.

Rating: D+. This was fine for what it was supposed to be as the fans get a much needed breather after the outstanding US Title match. These two aren’t the most interesting pairing in the world but they’re fine for two people hitting each other with big power moves for a few minutes. I’m sure we’ll get a rematch here too.

We recap the Smackdown World Title match. Jinder Mahal won a Six Pack Challenge and has attacked Randy Orton a few times, including stealing the title belt for a week or so.

Smackdown World Title: Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal

Orton is defending and attacks Mahal before the bell. The beating goes on for a bit until things are separated Jinder is ready to go. Orton is right back on top of him and hammers Mahal all over the ring, including taking him outside for a beating on the floor. Mahal gets in a shot to the arm and takes over though, setting up a variety of armbars back inside.

With the offense that limited, Orton sends him shoulder first into the post to get a breather and grabs the superplex to put both guys down. Orton throws him with a fall away slam for two, followed by a neckbreaker from Mahal for the same. They head outside with Orton beating up the Singh Brothers, allowing Mahal to post the bad arm.

Not that it matters as Orton throws him back inside for the RKO, only to have the Singh Brothers pull Mahal outside. The Brothers are thrown onto the announcers’ tables, followed by a double hanging DDT back inside. Mahal sneaks in though and grabs the Khallas for the pin and the title at 16:47.

Rating: D. So yeah that happened. I have no idea what to think about it but yeah that happened. I’m sure this is going to end next month in St. Louis at Money in the Bank but hey, at least Bray Wyatt lost the title to Orton for a good reason right? The match was what you would expect from these two of course but…..dang yeah that just happened.

We get a long celebration and a ton of fan reaction shots to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. It wasn’t bad and the ending was a big surprise but that doesn’t mean it’s something that should have happened. This show really didn’t need to exist but that’s what you have to get to keep those subscribers coming in. The main event is the definition of throwing the title around like a prop, which is annoying and something we just kind of have to live with. Not a horrible show by any means but nothing you need to go out of your way to see, save for the US Title match.

Results

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Dolph Ziggler – Kinshasa

Usos b. Breezango – Superkick to Fandango

Sami Zayn b. Baron Corbin – Helluva Kick

Welcoming Committee b. Naomi/Charlotte/Becky Lynch – Sharpshooter to Lynch

Kevin Owens b. AJ Styles via countout

Luke Harper b. Erick Rowan – Discus lariat

Jinder Mahal b. Randy Orton – Khallas

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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Ring of Honor
Date: May 17, 2017
Location: William J. Myers Pavilion, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

And now for something completely different because we have a post-pay per view show. We’ll likely get to the next batch of TV tapings in three more weeks but for now we have a one off show with the Six Man Tag Team Titles on the line in the main event. While that might sound entertaining, the Rebellion is getting the shot. Now that your interest has been crushed, let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Will Ferrara/Cheeseburger vs. Chris Sabin/Jonathan Gresham

Didn’t Ferrara and Cheeseburger split like three times now? Before the match, Alex Shelley tells us that he’s injured thanks to the Rebellion so Gresham is his replacement at the moment. Shelley puts Gresham over as a great talent who deserves a chance to get over. Gresham and Ferrara go to the mat to start with an early standoff so it’s off to Sabin vs. Cheeseburger, the latter of whom has to tag himself in.

The threat of the palm strike scares Sabin a bit so Cheeseburger hits him in the face a few more times. Sabin and Gresham both get kicked out to the floor but Cheeseburger’s dive is pulled out of the air. Gresham dives onto all three though and we take a break. Back with Sabin cranking on an abdominal stretch/Octopus Hold hybrid to make Ferrara scream.

Everything breaks down with Sabin giving Ferrara a hanging neckbreaker off the apron to the floor. Back inside, Sabin enziguris Cheeseburger into a German suplex from Gresham, only to have Cheeseburger come back with the palm strikes. Not that it matters as Gresham grabs an Octopus Hold to make Cheeseburger tap at 9:38 with Ferrara watching from the floor.

Rating: C-. Just a match to further the split between Cheeseburger and Ferrara, though as usual most of these characters seem to be there for the sake of filling in both time and roster spots instead of being interesting. The matches are fine enough but they’re nothing I ever look forward to seeing and I rarely get excited over them.

Ferrara walks out on Cheeseburger.

Jay Lethal was getting ready for a commercial but Silas Young came in and beat him down, especially focusing on his leg. I’m not sure if this is a major downgrade for Lethal or a major upgrade for Young.

Silas Young vs. Bobby Fish

Speaking of downgrades, what the heck has happened to Fish? He looked like a World Title contender and now I barely remember his last important match. Young says he won’t make any excuses for his failures, unlike Fish, who will be a huge failure in this match. Feeling out process to start with Fish’s headlock not working as Young hits a good looking dropkick. A very quick kneebar sends Silas outside and we take a break.

Back with Young hitting a slingshot double stomp and laying in the trash talking. A springboard clothesline drops Fish again as this has been almost one sided. Back in and they trade some running shots with Fish getting the better of it, only to have a double clothesline drop them both.

Silas grabs a cutter for two as Colt talks about Fish going after the knee but not sticking with it like the old Bobby would do. Hokey smoke: an actual analysis. Silas shrugs off some more shots to the head and grabs a hanging neckbreaker for two. More kicks to the knee give Fish a breather but the Beer City Bruiser offers a distraction. Silas takes off his knee brace and knocks Fish cold for the pin at 13:39.

Rating: C+. Not bad here as Young continues to get better and better every single week. I can’t believe it but I’m starting to get into the Young/Bruiser team as they actually work well together. Fish continues to fall through the floor though, which really does seem to be setting up something (possibly a heel turn, as almost always seems to be the answer). Nice match here.

Dalton Castle lost once but he’s ready to become World Champion.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Rebellion vs. Briscoe Brothers/Bully Ray

The Briscoes and Ray are defending and Alex Shelley is on commentary. It’s Rhett Titus/Caprice Coleman/Shane Taylor for the Rebellion here with King nowhere in sight. Mark headlocks Titus to start but one heck of a left hand puts Briscoe down. A brawl breaks out in a hurry though and we take a break with the champs in control.

Back with Titus still in trouble but he’s still able to save Coleman from What’s Up. Taylor and those terrifying thighs come in to take over for all of two seconds and it’s Jay getting beaten down in the heel corner. Taylor’s hard clothesline gets two as Coleman dances on the apron.

We hit the big man standard in the form of a bearhug and take a break. Back with Shane missing a charge in the corner and getting hit in the face, allowing the hot tag to Bully. That means a string of clotheslines before it’s back to Mark to really clean house. Jay adds the big suicide dive but the Froggy Bow hits knees. Not that it matters as 3D ends Titus at 17:01.

Rating: D+. Hey, did you know the Rebellion sucks? I didn’t know if we had made that clear enough yet but they certainly do. There’s no reason to believe that they’re going to win anything and it doesn’t help that they’re just another team now. It completely defeats the point of the characters but that’s never stopped ROH before.

Coleman gets powerbombed through a table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Just a run of the mill post-pay per view show here which is all that you can expect. They put in whatever they can find to fill in the time here, which makes for some rather skippable shows. I’m sure we’ll have a few more of these and then we’ll get to the important stuff, which means the next few weeks really don’t mean too much. I’m really not a fan of these shows but at least they’re quick.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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It’s nice to have Backlash back where it belongs as the whole September slot didn’t feel right last year. I’m not sure if the show is going to be that much better as historically it’s more a show of Wrestlemania rematches, but why do that when you can do a mostly new card? This show doesn’t have the most hype coming in and after “Takeover: Chicago”, they have quite the hill to climb. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Tye Dillinger vs. Aiden English

Having one guy win two matches and then doing a third match worked for Steve Austin and the Rock so it can work here too right? Dillinger debuted on the main roster about a month and a half ago and has kind of toiled around the lower midcard since. Fighting English over and over again hasn’t done much for him but it’s gotten English more TV time than he’s had in months.

Of course I’m going with Dillinger, unless they want to kill one of the hottest crowds they’re going to have all year right off the bat. English is going to need some changes if he’s going to survive but I don’t think that’s going to happen here. To be fair though, it’s not like a win in a glorified dark match is going to do him a lot of good. Just give this seven minutes or so though and let Dillinger get a win.

Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn

I might have overreacted to Corbin losing to Randy Orton the other night but he should be fine coming into this match. Their reason for fighting isn’t all that great but it’s a good way to get both of them on pay per view, where they belong. Corbin has cooled off considerably since losing at “Wrestlemania XXXIII” (not that it matters though as the Kickoff Show matches aren’t on the DVD/Blu-Ray) but this could help him get back.

As much as I want to go with Zayn here, Corbin makes more sense. Just give him the win and let him start getting back on his feet. Orton vs. Corbin would work fine for a major match, as would Corbin winning Money in the Bank. As much as Zayn needs a win as a member of the “Smackdown Live” roster, Corbin needs it more at the moment. Unfortunately that’s the case far more often than not for Zayn and it’s going to become a problem one day.

Luke Harper vs. Eric Rowan

Speaking of things that are going to get tiresome if they happen too much. These two have been fighting or at least associated with each other for years now and I really don’t have much interest in watching them have another match. Rowan really isn’t all that interesting but he’s big and that earns him a push.

I’ll take Harper winning here as it gives them a reason for another match down the line because WWE likes trilogies. I’m not sure what we’re supposed to get out of this match, especially after they had a boring TV match a few weeks back. At least the match should be a good food break moment as this just isn’t the kind of match that a lot of fans are going to care about.

Naomi/Charlotte/Becky Lynch vs. Welcoming Committee

I get why the match exists (they want to save Charlotte’s big matches with the top “Smackdown Live” women) but that doesn’t mean the Welcoming Committee is a good idea. It’s basically three women and James Ellsworth banding together because they’re scared of Charlotte but none of them have an interesting personality between them, making the whole thing all the more annoying.

That being said, I’ll take the Welcoming Committee to win here so Charlotte can yell at Naomi or Lynch for the loss. My initial thought was Carmella takes the loss as she seems to be the potential star of the team but hopefully the trio’s plug is pulled in the near future. It’s not likely to be all that entertaining but that’s par for the course on a lot of these matches.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Breezango

What the heck happened to American Alpha? They lost the titles and I don’t remember seeing them again since. Maybe we could have more time for them if we didn’t need the Welcoming Committee or Rowan vs. Harper in a hoss battle that people don’t care about. Maybe we could have some time to build them up and give them some personality (you know, the thing that GOT THEM OVER IN NXT) to go with the wrestling ability. Oh yeah this match.

The Usos retain of course because WWE freaking loves these guys, even though they really only appear to speak in that weird promo style of theirs for about thirty seconds a week. I’ve been loving the Fashion Files vignettes but I have a bad feeling this is it for Breezango and they’ll just fade away as a result. At least it’s been a fun time getting here.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler

I’ve seen this match twice now as post-show dark matches and I have a feeling that’s not going to be the best indicator of what we’ll see here. WWE is pushing the heck out of Nakamura as we come into this show and that makes for some lofty expectations. That being said, if Nakamura showed me one thing in Dallas, it’s that he knows how to make a good first impression.

Of course I’m taking Nakamura as there’s no reason to believe that Ziggler will or should win here. Nakamura is going to be a major star on the show and I could easily see him going after a title as soon as “Summerslam 2017”. There’s not much of a point in waiting with him so having him beat the heck out of Ziggler in a star making performance is a great place to start.

US Title: AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens

This match hasn’t had the strongest build in the world and I’m starting to get worried about it. If nothing else, they’re running a really strong chance of underwhelming due to the incredibly high expectations. I’m just hoping we don’t get a match where the prevailing wisdom is “eh it’s Styles vs. Owens” and it’s just phoned in.

I’ll take Styles to win here as it seems there’s more interest in Owens doing the chasing than actually holding the title, or at least that’s been the case for most of his title reigns. There are a lot more options to go after champion Styles than Owens, who could easily move up to going after Orton, assuming he retains the title.

Smackdown World Title: Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal

And then there’s this, which really does seem to be a way to boost the Indian markets (and possibly screw with TNA before they head over there for some live events). That also explains why we’ve got the Singh Brothers in Mahal’s corner instead of, you know, someone actually intimidating (like the Authors of Pain for example). This is the definition of throwing together a challenger, though to be fair this is what we always ask for: a fresh opponent we haven’t seen before. Now we get it and despite the building him up well, people aren’t interested in Mahal.

Unfortunately I think we’re going to keep going with this story as Mahal wins by DQ or countout and we get a rematch at “Money in the Bank 2017” in Orton hometown of St. Louis. As usual, WWE sacrifices their core audience for the sake of whatever their long term planning is, as people are really bored with Mahal but that’s what we’re getting no matter how many people change the channel.

Overall, this feels exactly like a filler pay per view, which is one of the worst things you can have if it goes badly. Having low expectations coming in can help a lot but at the same time, you run the risk of having a horrible show that feels more like torture than something entertaining. Maybe the show will be good but there seems to be very little that has my interest. If Orton vs. Mahal goes to a DQ to end the show, Chicago isn’t going to react well and that’s a very risky move.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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Takeover: Chicago
Date: May 20, 2017
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tom Phillips, Percy Watson

How did we not get here before? If there’s one town that seems perfect for one of these things, it’s Chicago. We have a five match card here and thanks to the addition of the United Kingdom Title match, four of those matches are for titles. The card might be a bit predictable as is usually the case with Takeover but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on underdogs winning here in Chicago, including a shot of Wrigley Field. As a Cleveland Indians fan, SCREW OFF! The Cubs were the favorites coming into the World Series and it was really tiresome listening to people treat the Indians like they were some kind of nuisance that had to be dealt with so EVERYONE’S favorite team could win the World Series.

Roderick Strong vs. Eric Young

Strong comes through the crowd to lay out Sanity and Young is scared about having to be on his own. The fans are behind Roddy as you can tell it’s a hot crowd tonight. Young gets beaten around ringside before grabbing a neckbreaker back inside. Strong makes his comeback but goes after Wolfe and Dain, the latter of whom hits a crossbody on the floor to take over.

The slow beating continues inside with Young working on the neck to set up that wheelbarrow neckbreaker. Strong dropkicks him out of the air though and there’s the first backbreaker. A belly to back faceplant sends Young bailing to the floor but he gets in the wheelbarrow neckbreaker to take over again. It takes too long to throw him back inside though and Strong is out at two.

The top rope elbow looks to set up another wheelbarrow neckbreaker but Strong is ready for it this time. Another shot knocks Dain off the apron but Young breaks up the Angle Slam. The fans stay behind Roddy as he catches Eric on top and knees him in the jaw, knocking him down onto Sanity. Back in and a suplex into a backbreaker gives Strong the pin at 13:38.

Rating: B+. And that’s how you make a star. Tye Dillinger spent months trying to do what Strong just did in one match and it made Strong look like the hottest thing in the company. If nothing else I’m glad he’s going with something other than a running boot to the face, which is the same thing Drew McIntyre and Hideo Itami use, at least on occasion. Really good match here too with Strong never being far enough gone that you couldn’t believe he could make a comeback.

We recap the UK Title match, which I believe is the same recap that opened the UK Championship Special from earlier this week. Tyler Bate defeated Pete Dunne to win the inaugural title back in January but Dunne is back and more serious.

Jim Ross comes out for commentary on the next match.

United Kingdom Title: Pete Dunne vs. Tyler Bate

Bate is defending and has a mustache and beard, making him look like he’s a fourteen year old trying to buy beer. The fans are behind Dunne (the Bruiserweight) but Tyler does have some fans. At least they’re not cheering for CM Punk. Dunne works on his arm and cranks away a bit but can’t stomp Bate’s hand into the steps.

Instead Bate pulls away and pops him in the jaw (I believe that one was Bop), only to have Dunne hit an X Plex (release suplex) onto the apron. Back in and it’s time for more working on the finger but Bate shrugs off some kicks to the face. Bate grabs a suplex and flips out of another X Plex. A standing shooting star shows off some of Tyler’s athleticism but he gets caught in a triangle choke.

Now it’s time to show off the strength with Bate powerbombing his way to freedom. A very long and very fast airplane spin gives Bate two more and both guys are down. Dunne flips out of a German suplex and blasts him with a forearm, followed by an X Plex into a sitout powerbomb for a very near fall, drawing a standing ovation. They slug it out again with neither getting an advantage until Tyler rolls into a kick to the head.

Dunne gets out of the Tyler Driver but the Bitter End is countered into a DDT in an awesome counter. They’re somehow not done yet as Tyler goes up for freaking SPIRAL TAP and another near fall. Bate misses a big dive over the top and knocks himself silly though, setting up the Bitter End for the pin and the title at 15:29.

Rating: A. And that’s going on the Match of the Year list. That’s certainly the logical ending but I completely forgot about the story and was just watching them beat the heck out of each other and trading one major spot after another. Absolutely outstanding match and if Bate isn’t a major star one day, WWE is more inept than I was expecting them to be. Check this out if you have the chance.

We recap the Women’s Title match. There was a battle royal for the #1 contendership but Asuka interfered, making the classic mistake of thinking that she wouldn’t have any challengers. As is always the case, the boss made it a four way, though Ember Moon was injured and had to pull out.

Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross

Asuka is defending and undefeated. Nikki throws her jacket at Riot to start but a hip attack puts her on the floor. We get Ruby vs. Asuka with the fans being split again. Ruby sends her outside and loads up a dive, only to have Nikki come back in to break it up. Asuka comes back in with a missile dropkick to Nikki while landing on Ruby in a top rope splash. It lands on the knees but it’s still a cool looking spot.

With Nikki down on the floor, Asuka grabs a powerbomb on Ruby but Nikki makes the save. All three wind up inside again with Ruby mostly missing a hurricanrana on the champ. Asuka and Nikki head and Ruby dives on the champ, followed by a top rope backsplash for two on Cross. Nikki gets superkicked into a German suplex from Asuka but the champ catches Ruby’s dive in the Asuka Lock.

A reverse DDT onto the apron knocks Riot silly and Asuka’s baseball slide gets her caught in the ring skirt for a beating. All three are down for a bit until Asuka gets sent outside again, leaving Riot to kick Cross in the head. Asuka dives back in and runs the rope before making the save, forcing Riot off the cover so she doesn’t get the pin. The knee to the head knocks Riot silly and Asuka pins them both at 12:22.

Rating: C+. They were trying here but there were some noticeable botches, including the ending. I think the idea was for Cross to kick out and knock Riot into the shot to the head but that’s really not how it looked. It’s still good, but I don’t think there’s any secret to the fact that Moon is the real challenger and this was just a stop on the way there.

The Velveteen Dream arrives this Wednesday.

We recap Hideo Itami vs. Bobby Roode, which actually isn’t closing the idea. Itami is finally back and healthy and Roode needs an opponent. They’ve been going after each other for weeks with Itami knocking him out via GTS twice now.

NXT Title: Hideo Itami vs. Bobby Roode

Itami is challenging. A computer generated piano appears on stage and plays the start of Roode’s entrance before the real things takes over. Feeling out process to start with Itami taking him down into a headlock. Roode pulls him off the ropes though and grabs a Blockbuster for two.

We’re already in the chinlock as Roode is keeping things simple to continue his custom. Itami fights up and hits a running boot to the face, followed by some running clotheslines. A top rope clothesline really picks things up and Roode’s missed charge sends him shoulder first into the post. Roode escapes a weak Fujiwara armbar but gets caught in a Falcon Arrow for two.

Another shot to the arm looks to set up the GTS but Roode slips away and snaps Itami’s throat across the top rope. They head outside with the shoulder going into the steps but Itami’s dropkick only hits the steps, leaving both guys down. Back in and Itami has a bad knee but still manages a running dropkick in the corner.

The GTS doesn’t work though and it’s a Glorious DDT for a close two. Itami pops up for a GTS but it knocks Roode to the floor and only gets two. Itami punches him in the face over and over but another GTS is countered into back to back Glorious DDTs to retain Roode’s title at 17:49.

Rating: B+. I love the fact that Roode keeps winning these matches pretty clean. It’s similar to Ric Flair as he takes a heck of a beating but then survives long enough until he can capitalize on a mistake. The matches continue to surprise and this was no exception, even though Itami felt like a one off challenger more than anything else. I’d assume Strong is next and that’s a very good thing.

Kevin Owens, Milwaukee Brewer Eric Thames, Sami Zayn, Pat Patterson and Kassius Ohno are here.

We recap DIY vs. the Authors of Pain. DIY finally beat the Revival but the Authors took them apart in their first shot at the titles. They haven’t gotten a rematch yet though and tonight it’s in a ladder match. The other issue is Tommaso Ciampa’s knee/ankle, which he injured at a house show two days ago. Word is he’s good to go but it should be interesting to see how he’s doing.

Tag Team Titles: Authors of Pain vs. DIY

DIY is challenging and it’s a ladder match. The fight is on in a hurry with the Authors being knocked outside. It’s too early for a ladder though and Akum is sent face first into the steps. DIY brings in a huge ladder to set up at ringside but have to dive underneath it to take the champs down.

For some reason they both climb the ladder, allowing Akum to make a pretty easy save. Razar does the slowest climb in history and DIY quickly breaks it up. The Super Collider doesn’t work but DIY gets dropped onto the ropes. Ciampa is holding his knee but seems to be good to continue. The Authors are smart enough to drop down and crush DIY with the ladder again.

Now it’s time for the big ladder and of course the fans (who have been good tonight) want tables. Two ladders are bridged from the apron to the barricade with a standing ladder between them but double powerbombs are broken up. Strikes to the head put the Authors on the ladders……and DIY climbs the big one. Stereo splashes crush the champs, with Gargano nearly overshooting his target.

Back in and all four go up two ladders with only Gargano being left, only to have Paul Ellering come in for the save. Gargano superkicks him down but the Authors get back up and massacre Ciampa in retaliation. Ellering gives the sign to end things and Gargano shoves Ciampa out of the way to take one heck of a ladder shot to the face. The champs both climb again and it’s Ciampa with a superplex THROUGH A LADDER (as in breaking it, not bending it) to put both guys down.

Akum knocks Gargano away before moving the ladder, which gets caught around his neck. That means Meet in the Middle to knock him silly and all four are down. DIY goes up at the same time but the Authors kick the ladder away and pull them down for the Super Collider. That’s enough to retain the titles at 20:11.

Rating: B+. That was very good stuff and they’ve made the Authors feel invincible but NXT is running the risk of ticking the crowd off by pushing the Authors so strong. You could hear the crowd turn on things both here and in Orlando when they retained as the fans want to see DIY with the titles but it really didn’t last very long. Still though, very good main event and the right choice to close the show.

Post match DIY gets the big heroes’ ovation….until Ciampa turns on Gargano and lays him out with a running knee to the face. White Noise off the announcers’ table and through a bunch of tables ends the show. That’s the right call as it’s not like they have anything else to do, especially since they’re clearly not getting the titles back.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah this worked, even though it didn’t feel like a major show. I’m hoping we wait a few months to have another one as they don’t need to be monthly. Either way, at least we had an outstanding show here with the ending being the right idea. It says a lot when you can get a Chicago crowd to turn on you like Ciampa did at the end there. They put on a great show with the worst match being more than acceptable, which is how it was during the best days of NXT.

Results

Roderick Strong b. Eric Young – Suplex backbreaker

Pete Dunne b. Tyler Bate – Bitter End

Asuka b. Nikki Cross and Ruby Riot – Running knee to Riot

Bobby Roode b. Hideo Itami – Glorious DDT

Authors of Pain b. DIY – The Authors pulled down the titles

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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Smackdown
Date: December 19, 2002
Location: St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re past the last pay per view of the year and that means we only have two Smackdowns left. The big story on the Smackdown side is Kurt Angle becoming the new Smackdown World Champion, having defeated Big Show in a match that was way better than it had any right to be. That puts us on the road to the Royal Rumble, where Chris Benoit might be the new #1 contender. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last week’s tag match with Big Show pinning Angle and then Angle winning the title thanks to Brock Lesnar’s help. This eats up over three minutes.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Angle, with a belt that still says Big Show, to open things up. He lists off his accomplishments but this title win was different. Angle isn’t sure if he could have won the title without Lesnar so he’d like Brock out here now. Cue Brock to one heck of a reaction. Angle agrees to give him a shot at the title anytime, any place. That’s what Brock wanted to hear because he wants his shot tonight. Actually that doesn’t work for Kurt though because he has a non-title match with Chris Benoit. Lesnar will get his title shot next week though, which Lesnar begrudgingly accepts.

Big Show is livid about Lesnar getting the first shot and rants to Paul Heyman about it. Don’t worry though because Heyman has a fan. Again, this takes way too long to accomplish something very simple.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Billy Kidman

Non-title. Eddie goes right for him and grabs a belly to back suplex to take over. A very fast tilt-a-whirl backbreaker looks to set up the frog splash but Kidman bails away and hits an enziguri. The BK Bomb gets two and the shooting star connects, only to have Chavo pull Kidman away. That’s not a DQ for no apparent reason though and Eddie grabs a Gory Bomb for the pin.

Matt Hardy walks into Stephanie’s office to explain the concept of MF’ers (Mattitude Followers). She’s worried that he won’t be able to face Lesnar tonight but Matt is ready to go.

John Cena vs. Chuck Palumbo

Cena’s rap calls the Buccaneers a rather surprising slur which rhymes with beers. The announcers start talking about the Torrie/Dawn Marie footage as “Bling Bling Buchanan” gets in a few shots on the floor. Cena grabs a seated full nelson (it’s better than the same old chinlock over and over) but Palumbo fights up for the comeback. A belly to belly sets up the discus punch and Chuck heads to the top, only to have Cena roll through a high crossbody and grab the trunks for the pin.

Chuck punches Cena out but gets hit by Buchanan’s change. Cue Rikishi for the save because THIS STORY IS STILL GOING!

We get a long, LONG recap of the build to Torrie/Dawn in the hotel room (same as the one from Sunday I believe) and then see about ten seconds, all of which we saw at the pay per view.

We get a sitdown interview with Torrie at her mom’s house in Idaho where she says she’s more proud than anything else. She’s willing to do anything for her father but he’s the one person she’s embarrassed her. As for being a sexual predator, she’s certainly a sexual person, but Dawn is going to find out what kind of a predator she can be. Cue Dawn and Al as Cole suggests that Al has no idea what’s going on. You mean getting to be with a woman WAY out of his league who doesn’t seem to mind being with him in exchange for tormenting his daughter? I still don’t quite get how Al is hurt in all this.

Anyway Dawn calls Torrie a nymphomaniac and says her relationship with Al is sacred. They never run out of things to say and enjoy their late night encounters. She’s never seen a more handsome and virile man than her “Al-sy Wal-sy.” The wedding will be here on Smackdown in two weeks. Torrie storms off because they deserve each other.

Raw Retro: Rock challenges Hogan. That’s one heck of a moment.

Brock Lesnar vs. Matt Hardy

This is over Brock throwing Matt, who has wrestled in 44 states, through a wall. However, Matt comes out holding his good eye and has Shannon Moore tagging along. We’ve got a substitution due to Matt getting something in his good eye, rendering him temporarily blind.

Brock Lesnar vs. Shannon Moore

Brock wastes no time in belly to bellying Shannon OVER THE TOP AND DOWN ONTO THE FLOOR in one of the sickest landings you’ll ever see. Moore somehow doesn’t have a broken leg as he takes the F5 for the pin in less than a minute. Great bump to go with the complete destruction.

Blind Matt gets beaten down as well.

Stephanie tells Angle to clear this up or she’ll do it herself.

Here’s Angle to explain whatever it is that Stephanie was talking about. Angle talks about having integrity and if it were up to him, he’d face Angle and Benoit in the same night. He has a lot on his plate though and he needs good representation. That’s why he’s now represented by……Paul Heyman.

Paul comes out for a hug and says no one should be surprised by this. There was no way Lesnar was ever getting close to the title again and Heyman made sure of it. The plan started when Angle suggested he could get Lesnar’s suspension lifted and Heyman convinced Stephanie to let Brock come back. Angle played Lesnar like a violin (How?) and now the Angle vs. Lesnar match is postponed indefinitely.

Cue a livid Big Show to yell at Heyman and glare at Angle. Heyman says Show isn’t dumped because Show is still his favorite client. To make it up to him, Show can have a shot next week. Kurt isn’t happy but Heyman says it’s cool as long as either of them is champion. Just keep it away from Lesnar you see.

Ok……I need a minute on this one. So Heyman worked together with Show to get the title off of Lesnar and then signed Angle as an insurance policy to give him more leverage to keep the title away from Brock? Ok, fine. And Angle had to get Lesnar’s suspension lifted because Angle couldn’t beat Show on his own? If that’s not it, I have no idea why Lesnar had to be reinstated. Why would Heyman want him back in the first place?

I’m not really sure I get the idea. I guess Heyman thought Angle could beat Big Show so he bought Kurt off before he could, but Angle could only do it with Lesnar’s help? Show can beat an injured Lesnar with Heyman’s help but it takes Angle/Lesnar to beat Big Show? I’m probably missing something in there because this is already far beyond how complicated it needs to be. Just have Show vs. Lesnar go to a double DQ at Survivor Series and then do a triple threat so Angle can take the title from Show and announce Heyman’s plan after. Either way, it sets up an eventual Angle vs. Lesnar match and that’s just glorious sounding.

Bill DeMott/Crash vs. Jamie Noble/Nunzio

DeMott is teaming with Crash because he respects Hardcore Holly. Bill beats on Nunzio and then pulls Jamie in to beat on him as well. A release German suplex sends Noble flying and DeMott makes him tag Nunzio back in. Noble is thrown into Nunzio in the corner and a powerbomb sets up the moonsault to put Jamie away. Crash was never in. So Nunzio debuts one week and gets squashed the next by BILL DEMOTT. I’m so glad to know this show has a plan for everyone.

DeMott beats Crash down as well.

Edge is ready to beat up A-Train again tonight.

Edge vs. A-Train

A-Train charges straight at him to start but Edge slips out of a gorilla press. It’s already time to go after the knee though as A-Train lays on it and then grabs a half crab. Back up and Edge hits an enziguri followed by a missile dropkick due to the bad knee. The bicycle kick gives A-Train two and it’s right back to the half crab. The chokebomb is broken up and Edge spears him for the pin.

Rating: D. This was as good as A-Train doing half crabs for five minutes was going to be. I still don’t get the idea behind pushing him like this but it seems to be time for the big guys to get their pushes. Edge sold the leg well enough but there’s only so much he can do in a story like this.

Josh Matthews recaps Angle vs. Lesnar and it still doesn’t make a lot of sense. Lesnar comes in and says his state of mind is a good question.

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit

Non-title. Benoit takes him to the mat for an early hammerlock and a very fast armdrag. They head outside with Benoit chasing him back inside for the first suplex. Angle gets in his own overhead belly to belly as the announcers marvel at Heyman’s brainwashing abilities. Heyman even gets in a belt shot to Benoit for two and it’s time to trade some chops. A chinlock keeps Benoit down for a bit and a release German suplex drops him again.

Angle is right backup but a double clothesline puts both guys down. It’s Benoit up first with the seven rolling German suplexes, causing Heyman to put his head in his hand, as if he knows there’s nothing that can be done at this point. The Swan Dive sets up the Crossface but Big Show lumbers down for the DQ.

Rating: C+. Good match as usual but you could see the ending coming from a mile away. They’ve done this match too often lately though and it’s starting to get tiresome. It’s still entertaining but there are other options out there. Put Angle in there with Edge (because Heaven forbid we don’t get the A-Train match in there) or anyone else to save Benoit for later.

Lesnar runs in for some suplexes but gets beaten down as well to end the show. My only other thought here: Heyman reminds me of Louie De Palma in far too many ways.

Overall Rating: D. Really big step down here as this whole thing was about two stories with a few other matches filling in the rest of the time. The Heyman stuff is more complicated than it needs to be and the Dawn/Torrie stuff is clearly going nowhere. If you’re over fourteen years old here, you know you’re never going to see more than you saw at the pay per view and after that you have whatever disaster the wedding and ensuing match are going to be. This really wasn’t a good show and Smackdown should be better than what they did here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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Main Event
Date: May 18, 2017
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

It’s the mystery box show as they do seem to have mixed the roster up a little bit for a change. You can only do so much with the same people and WWE has taken that to the furthest limits possible. Things have been a bit better lately but as usual, it all depends on the Raw clips. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Dana Brooke vs. Nia Jax

See? Is this too much to ask for? Brooke tries the power game to start and is easily thrown around, followed by a headbutt. A sleeper works a bit better for Brooke before she avoids a charge to send Nia outside. Brooke scores with a dive but only gets a seven count. Back in and Jax swats her away and stands on Brooke’s back for good measure. Brooke fights out of an arm crank and grabs a neckbreaker but tries a fireman’s carry for some reason. Jax Samoan drops her for the pin at 5:03.

Rating: D+. This was just a step above a squash but I can’t emphasize how much better this is than the same three people fighting a random opponent (or each other) for a change. Brooke was trying here and is still rather green but at least she’s trying. Jax looked like the monster she should be and her swatting Brooke away made perfect sense.

From Raw for the first time.

Intercontinental Title: Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz

Ambrose is defending and we get some Big Match Intros. Miz bails to the floor though and we take a break. Back with Miz hitting his running clothesline in the corner, followed by the YES Kicks. Dean comes back with a suicide dive, followed by a bulldog for two back inside. Miz misses a running charge in the corner, followed by the top rope standing elbow to give Dean two more.

The rebound lariat is countered into the Skull Crushing Finale for the very close near fall, giving us a shocked look from Miz. Dean sends him outside again so Miz hides behind Maryse, only to have Dean dive anyway. Maryse offers a distraction but the low blow is blocked, allowing Dean to kick Miz low for the DQ at 12:02. Dean looks stunned at the DQ for some reason.

Rating: C+. That’s as obvious of a setup for a No DQ rematch as I’ve ever seen and that’s fine. Miz vs. Ambrose is a good feud and Miz winning his seventh title is a good idea. I liked the match more than I was expecting to and they actually had me for a second on that Skull Crushing Finale.

And again.

Here’s Alexa Bliss for a chat. Bliss rips on Newark a bit before talking about what it’s like to be a winner. When you’re smarter than everyone else and more dominant than everyone else, winning just comes easily. If you’re a failure, say what. Crowd: “WHAT!” Bliss: “My point exactly.” If she had entered Miss USA last night, she would have walked off with the crown. Bliss: “So Miss USA: you’re welcome.”

Cue Bayley to interrupt though she knows Bliss doesn’t care what she says. Bayley is invoking her rematch clause at Extreme Rules but Bliss needs to make it clear that it won’t be extreme pogo sticking. Bliss talks down as only she can and suggests Bayley leave the championships to the adults. A dropkick puts Bliss on the floor but she snaps Bayley’s throat on the ropes and comes up with a kendo stick. One heck of a shot to the back sends Bayley outside and Bliss poses with the title. Heck of a segment from Bliss here, who is still on fire.

Rich Swann vs. Ariya Daivari

Swann nips out of an early wristlock before a dropkick is good for one. Daivari sends him hard into the corner though and we take an early break. Back with Daivari working on a backbreaker, followed by some more whips into the corner. Swann fights back with some shots to the head but it’s too early for the Phoenix splash. Instead Daivari bails to the floor, only to have Rich dive on him there instead. Back in and Daivari’s frog splash gets two but Swann rolls him up for the pin at 9:57.

Rating: C-. This was fine but totally standard cruiserweight action, meaning it’s nothing I’m going to remember by…..what was I talking about again? Nothing to see here of course as Swann was the obvious winner and Daivari continues to be one of the least interesting members of the roster.

We’ll wrap it up here.

Bray Wyatt vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins starts fast and sends Bray outside for a…..dive. Bray Rock Bottoms him onto the barricade though and we take a break. Back with Wyatt still in control and grabbing a superplex. Another Rock Bottom is broken up though and….let’s have a graphic for the pay per view match IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS MATCH.

Anyway Seth tosses him to the floor for a…..dive before Bray hits one of the hardest clotheslines I’ve ever seen. Another Rock Bottom gives Bray two but Seth gets in his low superkick for the same. Bray gets tossed outside (third time) for a top rope….oh you get the idea by now but Samoa Joe comes in for the most obvious DQ in recent memory at 14:13.

Rating: C-. As repetitive as the match was, it really took a……dive as they kept doing the same stuff over and over again. It also doesn’t help that I had the DQ written up before the match started but to be fair, that’s the logical ending and the right place to have Joe on the show. Good enough match but nothing great.

Bray and Joe beat on Rollins until Wyatt hits Joe with Sister Abigail to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. So that exists. The women’s match was an actual breath of fresh air but it needed more than Jax and Brooke having a quick match. The Raw stuff was pretty dreadful but that’s the case with almost everything on that show this week. Then again though it’s hard to complain when this show takes all of twenty minutes to watch.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: May 16, 2017
Location: SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

So we’re coming up on Backlash and, again, the Cruiserweight Title match will see Neville defending against Austin Aries. This really needs to be the final match between the two as it’s becoming a bit tiresome. Aries doesn’t need to win the title but the feud needs to end one way or another. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at TJP/Neville defeating Jack Gallagher/Austin Aries last night on Raw, only to have Neville turn down another request for a title shot.

Aries interviews himself about facing TJP tonight (again) and calls him Neville’s lap dog. The knee is banged up but he’s still ready to go.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat a bit.

Noam Dar vs. Gran Metalik

Sweet. I’ve liked Metalik since he debuted and it would be nice to have him featured around here some more. Dar almost immediately bails to the corner to start so Fox gives him a kiss on the cheek. Metalik armdrags him down but seems to hurt his own elbow in the process. It doesn’t seem bad though as he dropkicks Dar to the floor again.

An Alicia distraction lets Dar take over for a few seconds but Metalik runs the ropes (his trademark) to send Dar outside for a third time. A top rope Asai moonsault drops Noam again and both guys are down. Dar goes after the knee to take over before switching to the arm. At least it makes sense as Metalik was favoring the arm earlier.

Metalik reverses a suplex though and Graves thinks exhaustion is setting in. If you’re exhausted six minutes into a match, you have no business being around here. The Metalik Driver is broken up and Dar snaps the bad arm across the ropes. Metalik gets in a kick to the head and a top rope elbow for two but the rope walk is broken up with a kick to the leg. Dar’s running kick finishes Metalik at 8:57.

Rating: C+. The arm was fine for a story here and Metalik losing to Dar in his first match on 205 Live in months. Dar is starting to pick up some steam again which is a good thing, especially with Cedric Alexander returning in the near future. Fox and Dar are a strong pairing together and I really don’t get why they were split up in the first place.

We look back at Akira Tozawa defeating Brian Kendrick last week, only to have Kendrick lay him out post match. Next week, it’s a street fight.

Kendrick loves the idea because he can be creative with how he hurts Tozawa.

Cedric Alexander is back next week.

Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali

And never mind as here’s Drew Gulak to destroy Ali.

Gulak promises to make an example out of Ali and Nese adds a running knee in the corner.

Rich Swann wants to be as far away from Dar and Fox as he can get. A deliveryman comes up with a package for Richard T. Swann but Swann says that’s not him. Instead he says it belongs to that guy over there, which is Ariya Daivari. Ariya says it’s his $2,500 sunglasses but, without opening the box, knows it’s not the sunglasses. He leaves so Jack Gallagher comes up to open the box, only to have Daivari say that’s his. Gallagher leaves and the box contains powder. So not only do deliverymen randomly talk to Swann about their deliveries, but Daivari has deliveries sent to whatever arena they’re in that week.

The announcers think this is WAY funnier than it was.

TJP vs. Austin Aries

Why did they drop the Perkins? It’s still on TJP’s shirt and it’s not like people are going to forget the full version. Aries scares him out to the floor to start and takes a quick rest on the top rope. Back in and Aries takes over in the corner before hitting the slingshot hilo. The knee seems to be bothering Aries but he’s still able to grab an early Last Chancery attempt.

TJP is out almost immediately but gets sent outside to keep up the beating. Aries heads up top but gets dropkicked, tying his knee up in the ropes. The slow attack on the knee begins with TJP kicking away and putting on something like a half crab over the top rope for a nice move. TJP rakes his boot over the face because that’s what heels do. It’s off to a leg crank until Aries fights up with a gutbuster and STO.

The Pendulum Elbow sets up a jumping elbow to the seated back for two but a shot to the knee brings Aries right back down. The Wrecking Ball dropkick rocks Aries again but the Detonation Kick is broken up. TJP is sent outside (we get it already) for a suicide dive with the leg nearly giving out. Back in and a chop block sets up the kneebar on Aries, only to have TJP grab the ropes instead of settling for the tap out. Aries slips out of a fireman’s carry and slaps on the Last Chancery for the win at 12:25.

Rating: B. How many times have these two fought now? The knee stuff is more about setting things up for Sunday and that works fine, though is there anyone we could swap in for TJP? Couldn’t Nese or Gulak do this in a one off match? TJP is improving as a heel but he needs something fresh.

Post match Neville comes out to stay on the knee but Gallagher makes the save with the umbrella to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. They really need some fresh blood near the top of this show as both main feuds feel like they’ve been going on forever. I could easily see Aries vs. Gallagher starting up soon but please get us away from Aries vs. TJP and Kendrick vs. Tozawa. The latter seems to be wrapping up next week though and Alexander returning should give us a little more energy. Good show, but it’s getting a bit repetitive.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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

When I heard about “Takeover: Chicago” taking place only about six weeks after “Takeover: Orlando”, I wasn’t all that thrilled with the concept. These shows work best when they have time to be built up instead of rushing things together like this. Then again, the idea of Takeover in Chicago is too much to pass up. It also helps that the show has been well built up in such a short amount of time and I’m actually looking forward to a lot of the card. Let’s get to it.

United Kingdom Title: Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne

We’ll start with a match that feels a bit tacked on for the sake of filling in a spot on the card. Bate defeated Dunne to become the inaugural champion back in January and has held the title ever since. Dunne became #1 contender on the recent “UK Championship Special” and the match was set for here. These two have been circling each other for a good while now and it makes sense for them to have a major rematch.

I see no reason for Dunne not to walk away with the title here. Bate was the feel good story of the tournament but Dunne seems to be the much more well rounded performer. Let him take Bate more seriously this time and give him a few Bitter Endings to wrap up the champ’s unbeaten streak. This should be a lot of fun and I have a feeling the Chicago crowd will eat it up, but the ending really shouldn’t be in any sort of doubt.

Tag Team Titles: Authors of Pain vs. DIY

Now this one took an interesting (and disappointing) turn over the last few days as Tommaso Ciampa injured his leg/ankle at a house show in Highland Heights, Kentucky. That’s normally something that can be worked around but it’s a bigger issue here with the ladder match stipulation. Either way, these teams have feuded for months and there’s an interesting potential to this match that you almost always feel around the tag division.

That being said, I think the Authors of Pain retain the titles here. The situation seems too perfect for DIY to get the titles back and that often means that there’s going to be a bit of a swerve. NXT did it in Orlando as the odds were stacked against the Authors and it might be the case again here. I’ll take the Authors to retain and the more I think about it, the more confident I feel in it.

Roderick Strong vs. Eric Young

This is the only non-title match on the card and it feels like one of the more important ones. There’s been a wave of new talent in NXT as of late and these two, along with Aleister Black and Drew McIntyre, have been some of the main players. I was worried that all four of them would miss the show but two out of four are better than none. Young and his Sanity group have been feuding with Strong and a variety of partners for months now and with Tye Dillinger up on the main roster, Strong is a logical target.

I can’t imagine Young goes over here as Strong has been pushed as a big player and it doesn’t make sense to have him lose in his first big Takeover singles match. Strong could easily become a contender to the NXT Title in the very near future and it would do him a lot of good to have him win here. The match should be fun too as both guys know how to go at a fast pace and put on an entertaining performance, but there’s no real reason to have Young get the win.

Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Nikki Cross vs. Ruby Riot

I actually got to see this match at the aforementioned Highland Heights house show on Thursday night and it was certainly entertaining. While it’s clear that the injury to Ember Moon has completely changed things around, it’s not out of the question that the title could change hands here. Riot and Cross are both just crazy enough to give Asuka a real challenge. Asuka doesn’t seem to know what to do when things get crazy, but she does always have the option of kicking someone in the head.

That’s what I see happening here, likely with a big kick to Cross’ head. Asuka seems destined to drop the title to Moon and with her not here, there’s no reason to have Asuka lose and then get the title back so she can lost to Moon all over again. Just let Asuka win here and then build up to the second showdown with Moon. Asuka has been working well in her new heel role and having her cheat to retain here would further that new stance even more. So yeah, the champ retains.

NXT Title: Bobby Roode vs. Hideo Itami

This one is interesting as well with the champ not really having a top challenger and Itami filling in the role due to necessity rather than being the best possible candidate. If nothing else, and it’s kind of sad to have to say this, it almost has to be now for Itami because there’s no way of telling when he’ll suffer another horrible injury that will put him on the shelf for several months.

I’ll go with Roode winning here, but the place is going to lose it when Itami hits the GTS. As annoying as it’s going to be, they’re going to chant for CM Punk because they don’t care that Itami invented the move. No, instead let’s focus on someone who won’t be there instead of what you paid to see because he’s the one thing that would make them happy, at least until five minutes had passed and they were sick to death of him too and started chanting for JBL or something.

Overall, this show feels like it has a steep hill to climb but it’s capable of doing so. The matches are interesting though I really do wish they had gotten Black and McIntyre on there, even in a quick squash each. The UK Title match should be fun but it doesn’t quite fit on the card, especially with what feels like more important talent that could use the spotlight. All that being said, this show should be fun and that’s really what matters most with these things.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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

Before we get to these new ones, a quick update: I’ve lowered the prices on all of the books. I was looking at them the other day and the prices were just too high. I probably wouldn’t pay that much for them and I have no idea why anyone else should be expected to either. Each one has been lowered by at least a dollar and some far more than that. The British prices have been lowered as well.

You can check them out, with the new prices, by clicking on any of the following:

History of Wrestlemania, the Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and Summerslam.

NXT Volume I and Volume II

And now, for something new.

If you’re a wrestling fan, odds are you’re familiar with these two series. They’re some of the most important wrestling shows in history and for vastly different reasons. While Saturday Night’s Main Event offered a chance for the masses to see the WWF on a major TV network, Clash of the Champions went the other way and offered pay per view caliber matches on TBS.

In these books I’ve gone back and looked at every episode of both series to see why each one worked (and didn’t work) in their own ways. There were thirty five Clash of the Champions specials and thirty six Saturday Night’s Main Events, though I’ve thrown in the five Main Event specials as a bonus. Each show is broken down match by match and segment by segment with context, play by play and analysis.

Both are ready to go from Amazon in full paperback form. They’re both priced at $9.99 each and are available worldwide (only in English) from any country’s Amazon page. Here are the links for the US and UK versions.

Saturday Night’s Main Event – US, UK

Clash of the Champions – US, UK

Or just search “KB Saturday Night” or “KB Clash” on Amazon.

All of my e-books (24 different topics) are available here:

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

I hope you like these and please shoot me any questions you may have.

KB

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 19, 2017
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Angelo Dinero

We’re back to Orlando as Impact is featuring the X-Division again, this time in an Ultimate X match. Other than that we have the fallout from Alberto El Patron winning the GFW World Title last week, which is now the top story in the promotion as Lashley doesn’t seem to defend his TNA World Title anymore. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of LAX disrespecting the fallen Decay and promising to win the GFW Tag Team Titles. The Veterans of War came out to clean house. We also see a clip of El Patron winning the title.

Preview of Ultimate X.

Opening sequence.

GFW Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: LAX vs. Laredo Kid/Garza Jr.

So the Impact Tag Team Champions are in this tournament too? Didn’t they learn anything from the WCW/NWA Tag Team Title mess in 1992? It’s a brawl to start with LAX being sent outside for stereo moonsaults from Kid and Jr. Back in and Ortiz stomps on Kid in the corner until a crossbody drops the champ.

A Death Valley Driver connects on Laredo but Jr. tagged himself in so there’s no count. Everything breaks down with Garza getting beaten down, including a few cheap shots from Homicide. It’s nice for him to earn his check like that. Or the pile of office supplies that TNA probably used to pay him.

Santana kicks Garza in the back for two but he tells LAX to stop so he can strip…..and they’re nice enough to let him. After that ridiculous moment, Laredo comes in to speed things up. Santana and Laredo clothesline each other and we take a break. Back with Ortiz getting catapulted into a superkick, followed by a Lionsault for two. Diamante grabs a hurricanrana to take out Garza, leaving Laredo Kid to take a Canadian Destroyer and the Sweet Sweeper for the pin at 12:02.

Rating: B-. Good match here as they continue the solid wrestling around here. I’m not sure when that started happening but I’m hoping they keep it up. Now if only we can unify the titles or just drop one set of them as there’s no reason to have two tag team titles around here (or anywhere for that matter).

JB’s fans mock Josh but there’s no JB in sight.

Magnus comes up to Bruce Prichard in the back and wants to know what’s going on around here. Why is Bruce messing with Magnus’ career? Bruce says Magnus is out of the picture now (so much for rematch clauses) but Magnus promises to do something about it.

Video on Laurel Van Ness bringing in Kongo Kong (who she found…..somewhere) to take care of Braxton Sutter and Allie.

Kongo Kong vs. Braxton Sutter

Sutter ducks the fat man offense to start and slips out of a powerslam. That’s about it for him though as a belly to belly crushes Braxton. Kong shouts a lot as Laurel is playing with lipstick. Braxton avoids the Cannonball in the corner and hammers away but can’t drop the big man. Clotheslines and a bicycle kick don’t put him down so Kongo splashes him in the corner, followed by an Emerald Flowsion for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: D+. Not bad here but Kong continues to be disappointing in the ring. I love what Laurel is doing but if this doesn’t end with Sutter and Allie standing tall, I have no idea what they’re going for here. Those two should be one of the harder pushed acts in the company and instead they’re jobbing in midcard matches. I don’t quite get that.

Post match KM and Sienna come in and beat on Sutter while Allie is forced to watch. Mahabali Shera comes in for the save. Did I mention they’re going to India for tapings soon? Sutter issues a challenge for a tag match next week.

We look back at last week’s X-Division triple threat with Andrew Everett getting the win.

Matt Sydal loves the competition around here.

Video on the history of Ultimate X. This is cool, but it would be nicer if I believed any of these people had a chance of moving up the ladder to the main event scene.

Karen Jarrett makes Eddie Edwards/Alisha vs. Davey Richards/Angelina Love for next week. Magnus walks by and doesn’t pay any attention to her.

We look at EC3 whipping James Storm. That was quite the segment.

Ethan Carter III vs. James Storm

Well that’s…..sudden. Magnus is on commentary. Storm brings in his own strap but opts to clothesline Carter in the corner instead. The referee pulls Storm away so Carter can hit him from behind to really take over. Ethan is smart enough to go after the injured back before switching to the knee for no logical reason.

We hit the chinlock for a bit as the announcers discuss who may or may not be a stooge. A running knee to the back sends Storm outside but James gets in a kick to the side of the head. Magnus won’t let him use the strap though, drawing out Prichard to eject him. Back from a break with Carter working on a half camel clutch and slapping Storm in the back. That has no effect either so Storm grabs a neckbreaker, only to get crotched on top. The TK3 drops Storm and it’s strap time but Carter shoves the referee for the DQ at 14:55.

Rating: D+. I know we’re coming up on a rematch between these two, likely with the strap involved at Slammiversary, but this was an awkward choice for the followup to last week’s angle. Not only was Storm mostly fine but he didn’t seem to really want to hurt Carter. That should have set up a big brawling segment and instead it was mostly a regular match. Not the most logical move here.

Carter whips the referee but Storm makes the save, only to have Magnus come in and beat him down. That’s not cool with Carter so he argues with Magnus. Bruce Prichard comes out again and makes a triple threat for next week. Prichard isn’t done yet as he tells Carter to go find his testicles, earning himself a shove to the mat.

Spud is coming for Swoggle next week.

GFW Women’s Title: Sienna vs. ODB

ODB is challenging. Sienna wastes no time in throwing her to the floor before they trade splashes in the corner. The head shoves into the crotch have Sienna in trouble but the middle rope Thesz press misses. Sienna pounces her for the pin at 2:45. This was nothing.

The announcers bicker until JB comes out, carrying a microphone. JB has hired an attorney and he’s back around here full time. The attorney is Joseph Park, who I believe we established WASN’T A REAL ATTORNEY BECAUSE HE’S ABYSS. JB is back on commentary so Josh bickers with Park, who he calls Abyss. Park: “You get my insides burning just like my aunt’s famous chili.” A challenge is issued for a tag match if Josh can find a partner for Slammiversary. We have to listen to this build for another SIX WEEKS. Josh leaves to find a partner now and JB takes his place.

We look back at Patron winning the title last week.

Patron is happy to have won and praises Magnus’ skill.

X-Division Title: Low Ki vs. Trevor Lee vs. Andrew Everett

Low Ki is defending and this is Ultimate X, basically meaning a ladder match where you have to crawl across ropes instead of climbing in the middle. The champ is in a suit again and kicks away to start but gets sent into the metal structure that holds the cables when he tries to get the belt. Everett scores with the Frankendriver but Lee shoves both of them off the apron and into the barricade.

Back from an early break with Low Ki down, leaving Lee to send Everett into the corner again. Lee throws the champ outside again as the announcers ignore the match to talk about what we’re seeing next week. Everett is alone in the ring so of course he goes with a springboard shooting star press instead of grabbing the title. For some reason Low Ki is up first so Everett dropkicks him down.

Lee throws a chair to knock Everett off the ropes….but it bounces back and hits him in the head too. Low Ki gets back in and punches the chair into Lee’s face, only to eat the standing double stomp. Somehow the champ is up first again and he takes off the jacket to make things even more serious.

Everett ties him up in the structure but here’s Gregory Helms with a super swinging neckbreaker to drop Everett again. Lee stands on Helms’ shoulders and goes for the belt but OF COURSE Low Ki is back up for the save. The champ goes to the top of the structure and drops through the middle, knocks down both challengers and retains the title at 17:15.

Rating: B. Good match, Low Ki’s selling issues aside. This is the kind of thing that the X-Division thrives at but they really need a singles feud that lasts a long time and actually sets up a one on one match. Everett winning the title at Slammiversary would make sense, but they seemed to be setting up Sonjay Dutt for that role instead. Still though, fun match here and hopefully we get Lee vs. Everett in a big blowoff soon.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe the Jarretts really were the answer, as this show keeps getting better week after week. There’s still a lot of things that need to be fixed (like waiting six weeks for the second blowoff to Josh vs. JB) but what they’re doing well, they’re doing very well. I don’t have a ton of faith in them keeping this going but I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

Results

LAX b. Laredo Kid/Garza Jr. – Street Sweeper to Kid

Kongo Kong b. Braxton Sutter – Emerald Flowsion

James Storm b. Ethan Carter III via DQ when Carter hit the referee

Low Ki b. Andrew Everett and Trevor Lee – Low Ki pulled down the belt

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

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

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

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