Lucha Underground – April 27, 2016: How This Place Works
Lucha Underground Date: April 27, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker
This is another one of those really big episodes as we have the finale of the Trios tournament which just happens to be for the Trios Titles with the champions defending. Other than that we have Cage vs. Johnny Mundo inside a cage for one of the Aztec Medallions. That should be enough for one show so let’s get to it.
The opening recap focuses on the two matches tonight, which might be the entire card.
Apparently both Matanza and Mil Muertes will be fine but they’ll be out for a bit.
Aztec Medallion: Cage vs. Johnny Mundo
Inside a cage. They start fast with Cage throwing him into the corner and handing Johnny a beating. Mundo can’t get over the top so Cage dropkicks him down for some posing. Cage sends him into the steel a few times before a torture rack neckbreaker (always a cool move) gets two. In a very unique move, Cage puts him face first on the middle rope before climbing to the top for an elevated Boston crab.
Johnny crotches him for a breather but Cage throws him around and climbs again. This time it’s Taya with some belt shots to the hands to slow him down, allowing Johnny to grab a top rope C4 for two. There’s something awesome about that move and this was no exception. Mundo laughs a lot but charges into something like a Rock Bottom out of the corner. Cage goes up top but takes too long, allowing Mundo to hit a super Moonlight Drive for two.
We haven’t heard from Taya in long enough now so here’s a kendo stick from under the ring. It doesn’t seem to matter though as Cage snaps off a wheelbarrow suplex and a buckle bomb, followed by a throwing powerbomb into the cage. Well that looked awesome. Cage goes up again but it’s Taya hitting him in the back with the stick, allowing Johnny to get in some shots of his own.
They’re only good for two though as Cage gets the stick away and just mauls Johnny for two. A discus lariat gets another near fall but here’s Taya climbing the cage (Striker: “Like Peter Parker trapped by the Fantastic Four.”) with a chair to knock Cage silly for two more. Even Johnny looks stunned by that near fall. With Cage down, Mundo climbs the side of the cage but misses the End of the World for a big crash.
Now it’s Taya hitting a high cross body to start a double team on Cage with a Magic Killer getting two. Taya pulls out some handcuffs but Cage is fast enough to cuff Taya to the ropes. Johnny chairs her by mistake and it’s all crashing down. A spinebuster drops Mundo and an over the shoulder piledriver onto the chair puts Johnny away at 13:38.
Rating: B+. I was digging the heck out of this with both guys looking awesome and Cage getting easily the biggest win of his career. This was basically a handicap match with Mundo looking awesome in defeat. I could easily see Cage becoming a top star around here, even though his character is kind of limited.
We’re about ready to start the Trios Titles match but here’s Dario Cueto to say that Angelico has been mysteriously injured, so Son of Havoc and Ivelisse will defend the titles for their team.
Trios Titles: Fenix/Jack Evans/PJ Black vs. Cortez Castro/Mr. Cisco/Joey Ryan vs. Prince Puma/Dragon Azteca Jr./Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Son of Havoc/Ivelisse
Elimination rules and Son of Havoc/Ivelisse are defending. Fenix, Cisco, Ivelisse and Rey start things off and this is going to be a mess to keep track of. No one can hit anything to start and it’s an early standoff. Ivelisse puts Rey down but gets kicked in the face by Ivelisse, only to walk into a powerslam from Cisco, earning himself a chant. It’s off to Black, Puma, Havoc and Castro for some more well choreographed stuff until Havoc gets two on Castro off a standing shooting star. There’s WAY too much stuff to call here.
Things settle down with Cortez giving Havoc a backbreaker so Cisco can come in with a slingshot legdrop for two. Dragon comes in and kicks Cisco in the head but Cortez gives Dragon the same thing. Havoc elbows Castro and Cisco down so it’s off to Joey vs. Ivelisse with Ryan actually getting the better of it by taking her outside. Now it’s time for the dives with Azteca hitting an insane set of twists, followed by Black taking out the pile.
Rey comes off the top onto everyone with Puma and Son of Havoc following with the same. Most of the dives didn’t come close to hitting but they looked awesome. Joey rubs his chest to break up Ivelisse’s dive so she slaps him in the face, followed by a release German suplex. Castro gets in a brainbuster on Ivelisse but won’t tag Joey in, allowing Ivelisse to roll Cortez up for the pin and an elimination to clear the ring out a bit.
We take a break and come back with Puma vs. Havoc vs. Evans in a threeway wristlock. Jack gets dropkicked down and Havoc adds a top rope double stomp to Puma’s back for two. It’s off to Ivelisse who charges into Evans’ boot but comes back with a loud chop. A quick Code Red gets two on Evans but Black comes in and turns the cover over to pin Ivelisse, guaranteeing new champions.
Back from another break with Dragon and Fenix staring each other down. Fenix blocks a roll through with a hard double stomp to the back, only to get flipped into the air for a tornado DDT in a VERY fast counter. Puma comes back in and hits something like a GTS to drop Black, setting up the 630. Evans kicked Puma low for the save but kicks his partners by mistake, allowing the hot tag to Rey for the real comeback. Well as much of a comeback as you’re going to get in lucha. The 619 sets up another tornado DDT to plant Evans, leaving Rey to add a moonsault for the pin and the titles at 23:15.
Rating: A-. This got WAY better after things settled down and was definitely entertaining though it would have been better with just three teams instead of four. Having Mysterio and company win the titles is definitely the best possible outcome as a win over them is going to feel like a huge deal. Azteca continues look awesome and the other two are more than proven so this whole thing worked very well with some awesome action and the great spots you would have expected coming in.
Vampiro, in full master mode, yells at Pentagon for being in a wheelchair. Pentagon can’t get up so Vampiro pours hot candle wax onto his back. He still can’t get up so Vampiro calls him weak to end the show.
Overall Rating: A. When else do you get two awesome matches with such minimal talking other than to announce Angelico missing? This was exactly the kind of high flying wrestling that you want to see when you watch Lucha Underground and we can get back to the main event stuff in the near future. Again though, this is the same formula that makes NXT work: have a few batches of stories people want to see that can rotate week to week so nothing gets stale. It works everywhere it’s tried and Lucha Underground is no exception.
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NXT Date: April 27, 2016
Location: Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves
It’s a big night around here as we’re going to take a quick field trip up to Lowell, Massachusetts where Finn Balor lost the NXT Title to Samoa Joe. We’ll be looking at at least part of the match tonight, which is a really cool thing that NXT can do. When is the last time you even heard WWE reference a house show other than the European tour? Let’s get to it.
We’re told about the title change right off the bat. Why hide it at this point?
Asuka vs. Eva Marie
Non-title. The fans tell Eva that she can’t wrestle as we hit the stall button to start. The fans are actually split on Eva as they trade headlocks and armbars. Asuka blasts Eva in the face and rolls forward for a little dancing followed by the hip attack. A Fujiwara armbar sends Eva straight to the ropes and another hip attack sends her out to the floor. Graves thinks it’s starting to unravel as Nia Jax comes out to check on Eva.
Back from a break with Eva mostly missing a running boot to put Asuka down. We hit the double arm crank for a bit before a hard shot to the face keeps Asuka in trouble. Another arm crank slows things down even more until Asuka pops up with a middle rope dropkick. A second dropkick has Eva in trouble and it’s time for the kicks to the chest. Eva tries to send her into the corner but eats a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 12:55.
Rating: C-. Eva was WAY better than usual here but it should be noted that she was doing very basic stuff for the most part. Still though, the fact that she didn’t have a major botch is a step up and it’s definitely one of her best performances yet. Also Graves deserves some credit here as he was channeling Bobby Heenan hard here by praising the heel throughout the match. That adds so much and everything worked well here.
We see some clips of Samoa Joe winning the title last week with the Muscle Buster. They only showed about thirty seconds total.
Joe says his win was inevitable and no more words are needed.
Revival vs. Matt Lee/Jeff Parker
Parker and Lee are both really skinny and I believe used to team as 3.0 in Chikara. The 3.0 on their tights would seem to support that theory. We’ll say Parker is easily taken down and pounded in the corner as Lee shouts that he is respecting the rules by not interfering. Lee then starts a DEFENSE chant as Parker is dropped ribs first into Dawson’s knee for two. It’s off to Lee as the fans chant DEFENSE as well. The Shatter Machine puts Lee away at 3:12.
Rating: C. You could tell there was something to Lee and Parker after those chants. They were both entertaining and it was clear that they had some experience. Unfortunately they didn’t have any kind of a look and are almost completely interchangeable. It was a total squash though and I could get behind the new aggressive Revival, though I don’t know how much steam it would have.
Post match Dawson says they’re the best and want their titles back.
Hype Bros vs. Blake and Murphy
No Alexa here so the interest is already down. The fans want to know where she is too as Mojo scares Blake into the corner to start. Mojo gets down in a three point stance and declares that neither Blake nor Murphy are in fact hyped. Ryder comes in for two off a neckbreaker and a double facebuster to take both villains down. Blake starts in on the leg before it’s off to Murphy for a shot to the head. It doesn’t seem to do that well though as Ryder slips over to the corner for a tag off to Mojo. House is cleaned and the Hype Ryder puts Blake away at 4:48.
Rating: D+. Nothing to see here but how far have Blake and Murphy fallen in the last few months? When you’re putting over the Hype Bros, it might be time to reconsider your career choices. I don’t think Rawley and Ryder are going anywhere other than a midcard tag spot and there’s nothing wrong with that, at least as long as the fans still dig them.
Post match the Revival comes back out and jumps the Hype Bros.
Carmella vs. Aliyah
Aliyah was in a battle royal recently but is probably most well known from Breaking Ground. Carmella snapmares her to start but Aliyah takes over with a seated full nelson. A middle rope leg gets two and this is almost all Aliyah so far. Carmella comes back with a hurricanrana out of the corner and a Bronco Buster, followed by the leg crossface to make Aliyah tap at 3:19.
Rating: C. Aliyah was a very nice surprise here and Carmella looked fine. I know they’re not exactly the new Horsewomen but it’s really cool to see the division being rebuilt with a fresh cast of characters. Bliss and Blanchard looked awesome recently and these two would be a nice addition as well. Good little match here.
Elias Samson says he’ll show that he’s the drifter and will prove to Nakamura that he never should have drifted into NXT.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Elias Samson
Nakamura takes him to the ropes to start and holds Samson in place with his head. A knee drop sets up the shaky boot in the corner, only to have Elias explode out with a clothesline. Samson gets two off a suplex and we hit the chinlock. That’s fine with Nakamura who kicks Samson in the head, setting up the running knee in the corner. Kinshasa puts Samson away quick at 4:24.
Rating: C. They’re doing a really good job of setting up Nakamura as the new star of the roster, which is a really good idea given the possible departure of Finn Balor and having someone like Samoa Joe as champion. Samson is fine in his role and I’m kind of glad they didn’t push him too hard yet as he’s better as a jobber to the stars for the moment.
Overall Rating: B. I had a really good time with this show as they kept things moving all night long and got a lot of acts out there. It’s going to be interesting to see where things go at the next TV tapings but leave it to NXT to figure out a way to move the top story along while still being on the Dallas tapings. They nailed this episode though, which says a lot when none of the matches amounted to anything special.
Results
Asuka b. Eva Marie – Spinning kick to the face
Revival b. Matt Lee/Jeff Parker – Shatter Machine to Lee
Hype Bros b. Blake and Murphy – Hype Ryder to Blake
Carmella b. Aliyah – Leg crossface
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Elias Samson – Kinshasa
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Monday Nitro – December 4, 2000: Those Little Teases
Monday Nitro #269 Date: December 4, 2000
Location: Pershing Auditorium, Lincoln, Nebraska
Attendance: 3,433
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Mark Madden, Scott Hudson
Starrcade is rapidly approaching and WCW is clearly on its (final) last legs. We’re building towards a double main event of Goldberg vs. Lex Luger II and Scott Steiner vs. Sid for the World Title. If you need a better reason than that to explain why WCW is in the shape it’s in, you haven’t been paying close enough attention. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of most of the events from Mayhem and the fallout last week.
The Thrillers are in the back and they run into…..oh sweet goodness they run into OKLAHOMA, who is reading a speech tonight which is going to require security. TNA wishes they could do this kind of stupid stuff.
Opening sequence.
Here’s Oklahoma to get things going and for some reason he’s carrying a bowl. He introduces himself a few times and then stops so the fans can chant for the University of Nebraska. Tony says we only have six minutes for this segment to further destroy any feeling of legitimacy this might have and make me scream SIX MINUTES??? Apparently the bowl is here so the fans can be close to a bowl for a change.
After that hilarious sports commentary, Oklahoma says he’s here to issue a statement from Mike Sanders on Sid Vicious. After spending a minute or so talking about how awesome the security is, the announcement is that Sid isn’t allowed in the building. Cue Sid to beat up Oklahoma, which draws out Sanders with security to arrest Sid. Somehow we’re over eleven minutes into the show and the top face in the promotion (we’re in trouble) has been arrested. This is totally like Austin right?
After a break, Scott Steiner arrives and tells Sanders he wants Sid tonight. Sanders blames Flair for Sid being arrested so Steiner says no one is safe tonight.
Konnan isn’t worried about facing Jeff Jarrett tonight and wants a six man street fight at Starrcade.
Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Kwee Wee
Yes it’s Chavo again, which at least means I don’t have to try to keep Lieutenant Loco and Corporal Cajun straight anymore. Chavo breaks up the pre-match kiss with Paisley and we’re off in a hurry. Kwee Wee’s throat is snapped across the top rope which seems to wake him up for some right hands to the face. Something like a tilt-a-whirl faceplant gets two but Chavo floats over into a DDT. Chavo goes after Paisley with a chair and the distraction lets Kwee Wee get in a sunset flip for two. Some hero. A quick launch into the buckle sets up a brainbuster to give Chavo the pin.
Rating: C-. I liked this more than I was expecting to as the more aggressive Chavo was one of the only good things in the last few months of WCW. Kwee Wee continues to be one of the guys who was so crushed by a horrible gimmick that he couldn’t showcase all the natural talent he clearly has.
Sanders tells Flair what happened with Sid and Steiner so Ric is going to get Sid out of jail before the end of the show. At least going into Wrestlemania X7 Undertaker said it would take him twelve hours to get out of jail for going after HHH.
Kronik has a new client.
General Rection says what happened to Torrie was an accident because that’s now what MIA is all about. He isn’t worried about Chavo’s new attitude because tonight he has a World Title match. I don’t remember the last time the “US Champion is #1 contender” rule was enforced but I guess this is bringing it out of mothballs one last time.
Hardcore Title: Elix Skipper vs. Crowbar
Crowbar is defending and Storm wants the weapons taken away from ringside. This brings out the Cat and Ms. Jones while Storm sits in on commentary. Cat sits in as well to give us a five person booth. Daffney comes out with Crowbar to make sure this is as crowded as possible. Crowbar pulls out a bunch of weapons from under the ring, allowing Skipper to get in a few cheap shots to take over.
A shot with a steering wheel misses for the champ as Storm FINALLY talks about how Skipper didn’t bring these weapons into the ring. Duggan and Major Gunns get in some cheap shots so it’s time for a catfight. Cat and Madden get in a fight so Storm jumps Cat, only to have Duggan hit Storm by mistake. Crowbar gives Skipper the Mindbender over a car bumper for the pin to retain.
Jimmy Hart’s DJ challenge. Why it says this is a “paid paid” announcement from Jimmy Hart isn’t clear but I’d assume it’s because WCW is really bad at this stuff.
Stacy Keibler and David Flair are in the back. She’s happy to be back but won’t say who the father is. Ric comes in and has security escort them out because of the whole Steiner thing.
Reno asks Marie why his family has ignored him since he got out of jail. She’s just glad she has his brother back.
We look back at Luger attacking Goldberg on Monday and then running on Thunder.
Here’s Lex Luger with a copy of Goldberg’s book. Luger thanks the fans as they chant for Goldberg and talks about how Goldberg has thirteen days left in his career, unless he can win 150 matches in less than two weeks. Luger finally gets to the point as he talks about Sgt. Dwayne Bruce (Sarge, better known as Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker), the man who trained Goldberg to be a wrestler.
We get a selection from the book with Luger altering a bit of the book, much to Sarge’s annoyance. The only think I can think of is how much Sarge looks like a small Brock Lesnar. Lex rambles on for a LONG time about how poor Sarge is to finally wrap this up. I have no idea why I’m supposed to care about a former sergeant/leprechaun who trained Goldberg but for some reason this is what we’re getting instead of Goldberg in the World Title match.
Norman Smiley is with one of the Nitro Girls when Scott Steiner storms in. Steiner asks Norman who he has tonight. That would be Goldberg so Steiner hits Norman with a pipe.
Shane Douglas promises to take out Hugh Morrus just like Morrus did to Torrie Wilson.
Morrus and AWALL say they have business tonight but find Corporal Cajun talking with Chavo. This isn’t cool of course.
Tag Team Titles: Insiders vs. 3 Count
So last week wasn’t a title match. Good to know. The Insiders are defending while Moore and Helms are looking forward to their three team ladder match for the #1 contendership to the Cruiserweight Title. Nash throws Moore into the corner to start and drives knees into the ribs. Oh yeah we’re firmly in squash territory here and it’s even worse than it sounds.
A LOUD WE WANT HALL chant starts up and we cut to Mike Sanders who says he has something big planned for the champs. Back in the ring it’s Page giving Helms the Pancake for two. A double suplex puts Page down as the fans (in theory at least) chant for DDP. The hot tag brings in Nash a few seconds later, setting up Snake Eyes and a super Diamond Cutter to put both guys down for the pin to retain the titles.
Rating: D-. Does this one really need an explanation? You have a team who is going to be competing for a title shot at the biggest show of the year getting squashed in less than five minutes by two veterans who probably just saw the titles and said “yeah we’ll have those this week”. Either give this match some time and let it be competitive (perhaps the time given to freaking Oklahoma where he made fun of Nebraska football fans) or just bring in local jobbers. I know it doesn’t mean anything now but this stuff is so endemic of one of WCW’s biggest problems.
Speaking of problems, post match here are Sanders and the Perfect Event to bring out Ric Flair. We see a clip from the title change at the pay per view showing the Insiders pinned the illegal man. Therefore, the titles are returned to the Perfect Event, likely so the Insiders can beat them again. Flair makes the rematch for Starrcade, which should complete the double beating.
Bam Bam Bigelow attacks Mike Awesome in the parking lot.
Reno vs. Kronik
This is the match where Kronik was hired but the referee throws it out after less than thirty seconds of double teaming.
Kronik keeps beating on him until Vito makes the save. Marie comes out to check on Reno as Vito walks away.
Glacier video.
Crowbar tells Daffney that they made a great team. She offers him a ride home but two women come up to leave with him instead. Daffney isn’t pleased.
Flair tells security to watch out everywhere for Steiner.
We see Goldberg giving a kid a WCW World Title belt on the Maury show.
Goldberg vs. MI Smooth
Forty nine seconds this time and Goldberg hugs Sarge after the latest squash.
Steiner says Flair is next.
Jeff Jarrett vs. Konnan
Jarrett accepts the Animals’ challenge for Starrcade but wants the Animals ejected before we get going. Konnan says it’s fine so Jeff jumps him from behind. A kick to the ribs and an X-Factor sends Jarrett out to the floor. Jarrett chairs him in the back to take over but Konnan gets in a shot to the knee. It’s a ruse of course as the Harris Twins come in for an H Bomb on Konnan, setting up the Stroke to give Jeff the quick pin.
WCW World Title: Scott Steiner vs. General Rection
Rection is challenging. Before the match, Steiner rants about all the guys he’s put on the shelf. Now it’s SID of all people so he wants Sid out here after this match. If Sid isn’t here, Steiner is coming after Flair. Scott jumps Rection during the entrance so Rection comes back with heavy forearms and a top rope clothesline. Midajah jumps on Rection’s back (Madden: “The luchador with implants.”) for the distraction and Scott takes over again.
That means more forearms and kicks to the ribs with a spinning belly to belly to refresh things a bit. We get the Tree of Woe choke for a bit but Rection backdrops out of a tiger bomb. Rection hammers away and knocks Steiner to the floor for a plancha. Back in and a powerslam sets up the moonsault for two, making it clear that Rection has no chance here. Another moonsault hits knees though and the Recliner makes Rection tap in a hurry.
Rating: D+. The match could have been worse but it continues the problem of building someone up only to crush them all over again. I’m fine with Steiner getting a big title defense but there was no reason to have the US Champion take a clean loss like this. Was there no one else on the roster that could have been in this spot? No one at all? Just more bad decision making which isn’t even a surprise at this point.
Post match Steiner heads to the back to get Flair as Shane Douglas comes in to hit Rection with a chain. Steiner finds Arn Anderson and beats him down to the ring for the Recliner. Flair tries to get out for help but Goldberg runs out instead, only to get jumped by Luger. You know, the guy who was just standing at ringside in case this happened. After that tease of Goldberg vs. Steiner in what should be the main event, Sid comes out but is held back by security to end the show.
Overall Rating: D-. The booking here is such a disaster that there’s almost no defending it. I have no idea why I’d want to see what they’ve got set up for Starrcade with mostly recaps from a show that wasn’t very good in the first place. The wrestling was its usual bad stuff that you had to expect but the real problem here is how badly they’re doing everything else. Steiner’s push has been acceptable but it should be setting up a showdown with Goldberg instead of Sid. Storyline or whatever aside, there’s no logical reason to not be setting that up. As usual, it’s a horribly run organization which has been the case for years now.
New Column: They Came, We Saw, They Were Fine
Looking at the League of Nations and why they were just fine.
Impact Wrestling – April 26, 2016: Another Tuesday Sacrificed
Impact Wrestling Date: April 26, 2016
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Angelo Dinero
It’s another one of those big TV specials (Sacrifice in this case) for TNA with a main event of Tyrus challenging Drew Galloway for the TNA World Title. Other than that we have Ethan Carter III vs. Mike Bennett in a No DQ match and Beer Money defending the Tag Team Titles against Decay in a Valley of Shadows match. Let’s get to it.
Tyrus and Rockstar Spud are in the ring to start with Tyrus talking about how Drew Galloway has promised to defend the title against him no matter what condition he’s in. Here’s Drew and we’re ready to go.
TNA World Title: Tyrus vs. Drew Galloway
Drew is defending and has bad ribs coming in. Tyrus does the smart thing to start and sends Drew to the floor for some kicks from Spud. Some chops knock Tyrus back but the big man goes right back after the ribs to take over. A double legdrop to the ribs gets two but Tyrus misses a Vader Bomb. With the tape ripped off, Drew comes off the top with a chop to the head and (doesn’t) plant Tyrus with a horrible bulldog.
Spud gets dragged in and suplexed for his efforts, followed by a Claymore for two on Tyrus because this match MUST continue. A World’s Strongest Slam puts Drew down so Tyrus goes up, only to get caught with a right hand to the face. Drew gets two more off a superplex before the Futureshock puts Tyrus away at 7:55.
Rating: C. The match wasn’t even bad but it felt like it went on forever because only TNA thinks Tyrus is even the slightest bit interesting. Thankfully this gets rid of Tyrus as anything of importance and lets us move past the brilliant idea to have him win a World Title shot at the biggest show of the year.
We recap last week’s main event with Jeff Hardy hitting a Swanton off the set to knock out both guys.
Maria has plans for the Knockouts division.
Beer Money doesn’t care what the Valley of Shadows is because this is all about their legacy with the titles.
Maria is here to talk about rebuilding the Knockouts division through a revolution. Yeah they’re not even hiding the ripoff here. Cue Gail Kim to say Maria is ruining everything that has been built and to accuse Maria of having Rosemary kidnap her last week. Maria threatens her with her power and makes Gail vs. Rosemary. If this is really supposed to lead to Gail vs. Maria, they’re even more delusional than they thought.
Gail Kim vs. Rosemary
Rosemary has Crazzy Steve with her. It’s a brawl to start with Gail being sent outside and into the post. Back in and Rosemary puts on a full nelson with her legs. Gail easily gets out and puts on the figure four around the post, followed by a twisting top rope cross body for two. A Scorpion Death Drop gets two for Gail but Steve pulls her to the floor. This brings out Maria for a distraction, allowing Rosemary to mist Gail, followed by an F5 for the pin at 6:11.
Rating: D+. If there’s a point to this story coming that isn’t Gail vs. Maria coming anytime soon, I’d love for them to get to it already. The problem here is we’ve covered so much of Gail over the years that it’s really hard to get fired up about her again. In other words: GIVE US SOMETHING NEW ALREADY.
Here’s Eli Drake for Fact of Life where the mission is to name all the dummies. Like for instance Jeff Hardy, who dove off a scaffold to prove that he’s extreme. Or like Drew Galloway, who thinks having a belt makes him a big deal. Drake has a button to press after every name that says DUMMY, YEAH. His guests tonight are the BroMans, who are now wearing glasses.
Unfortunately they have no lenses so Drake thinks they’re dummies. Jesse had the chance to ride Eli’s coattails but decided to get back together with this waste of space like Robbie E. Jesse brings up the loss to Grado so Drake gets in his face and calls him every name he can think of, capped off by, of course, dummy. The BroMans quickly dispatch him and make fun of Drake’s catchphrase. As usual, Drake has a great presence to him and was one of the bright spots on the show.
Decay is ready for their Tag Team Title shot.
Ethan Carter III says he isn’t perfect because he’s no longer the World Champion. He’s on his way back though through revenge and that starts tonight with Mike Bennett.
Tag Team Titles: Beer Money vs. Decay
Decay is challenging in a Valley of Shadows match, which means anything goes. I’m assuming at least as there’s no explanation before the match. There are weapons everywhere and the lights are dimmer than usual. The champs control to start but are quickly pulled to the floor to keep up the brawl. Of course the lighting makes it difficult to see what’s going on but that might be best all around.
Pope tells us that this is No DQ and Josh throws in that it’s no countout, which you could tell on your own, furthering the theory that TNA announcers are entirely worthless. Decay takes over with Abyss throwing a bunch of weapons into the ring to continue the beating on the champs. Apparently Rosemary interfered at one point but the announcers couldn’t see what she did because of the lighting. A Rocket Launcher is broken up and Roode catapults Steve into a DDT from Storm. Abyss eats a spinebuster from Roode and a top rope elbow from Storm gets two.
We take a break and come back with Abyss bringing in the barbed wire board because this is yet another name for Monster’s Ball. The double suplex puts Steve onto the barbed wire but Abyss breaks up the name shouting. Now it’s thumbtacks because, again, this is Monster’s Ball. Rosemary comes in and mists Abyss by mistake, earning him a beer bottle to the head for two. Steve shoves Storm off the top and through a table, followed by a low blow to Roode. The chokeslam onto the tacks gives Decay the titles at 15:33.
Rating: C. Yeah fine. I know Roode is leaving and the team is done so Decay getting the belts makes more than enough sense but I’ve seen Abyss doing this match with this exact same set of spots so many times that it’s really hard to care anymore. Overall the match was fine but there’s no connection to it, which is the case for so many things in TNA.
We look back at Eric Young cutting off Bram’s beard last week.
Bram, still with a huge beard, says he’s ticked off and wants to end Young tonight.
Mike Bennett talks about how much his debut has changed things for Ethan Carter. No one has pinned him either so tonight the streak comes to an end.
King of the Mountain Title: Bram vs. Eric Young
Young is defending and they go at it from the bell. This is also falls count anywhere because we haven’t just gotten done with a hardcore style match. Bram backdrops him for two but the Brighter Side of Suffering off the apron is countered with a grab of the beard. Young pulls out a trashcan lid but opts for a low blow instead. A DDT plants Bram and there’s a trashcan lid shot for good measure. Young bites the face to break up a superplex attempt and drops the top rope elbow for two. The piledriver through a table is countered into the Brighter Side of Suffering through the same table for the pin and the title at 6:29.
Rating: D+. AND STAY OUT YOU RASPY VOICED PEST WITH A STUPID BEARD!!! In case you didn’t know, that was it for Eric Young and I couldn’t be happier. The guy always felt like he was in way too high of a spot and while he did have some moments, I’m so glad to see him finally out of TNA. Bram should have had that title a long time ago with Young being left out but then where would we have been without Young to guide us?
Drew Galloway wants to fight Lashley next week.
Here’s a banged up Jeff Hardy to update us on his condition. Jeff says he did what he did last week because he’s Jeff Hardy and hopefully that put some sense into Matt’s head. This brings out Reby and Spud to yell about how Jeff is selfish for hurting Matt. Reby slaps him a few times until Jeff knocks her hand away. Spud goes after Jeff’s leg and gets a Twist of Fate for his efforts.
Mike Bennett vs. Ethan Carter III
Street fight. They get right in each others faces to start and Ethan clotheslines him out to the floor. Bennett grabs a chair but gets backdropped out to the floor for his efforts. Some chops up against the barricade have Bennett in even more trouble and Carter stops a charge in the corner with a raised boot. Mike sends him shoulder first into the post though and the arm is wrapped around the post for good measure.
Ethan starts his comeback but can’t get the 1%er. Instead he settles for two off a jumping Downward Spiral, followed by a double clothesline to put both guys down. Bennett grabs a quick cutter for two so it’s time to beat the tar out of Carter with a chair. The 1%er connects but Maria comes in to break up the cover. Carter unloads on him with the chair and puts on a cobra clutch, only to have Bennett climb the ropes and flip backwards for the first ever pin on Carter at 11:08.
Rating: B. I’m digging the heck out of this feud and I’m hoping it continues. The key thing here though is that they treated Carter getting pinned as something big and then gave that accolade to someone who could go somewhere with it. Really solid main event here and exactly what this show needed.
Bennett is STUNNED to end the show.
Overall Rating: C-. The main event helped a lot but this really didn’t feel like a big show. The name didn’t help things either as this felt more like Hardcore Justice than a run of the mill show like Sacrifice. It doesn’t help that the World Title match had Tyrus involved and then three straight hardcore style matches. The main event was good though and TNA has some potential going forward, even though I have no reason to believe it’s going to last.
Results
Drew Galloway b. Tyrus – Futureshock
Rosemary b. Gail Kim – F5
Decay b. Beer Money – Chokeslam onto a pile of tacks
Bram b. Eric Young – Brighter Side of Suffering through a table
Mike Bennett b. Ethan Carter III – Rollup counter to a cobra clutch
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Monday Night Raw Date: April 25, 2016
Location: XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton
It’s the go home show for Payback and things are getting interesting around here. The big story at the moment revolves around what’s going to happen with the recently debuted Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, who may have attacked Roman Reigns to help AJ Styles. AJ has denied it but there’s a chance that this could be a Bullet Club reunion. Let’s get to it.
We start with an In Memory Of graphic for Chyna. That’s almost more than I was expecting.
The opening recap focuses on Reigns, AJ and Gallows/Anderson from last week.
Here’s Shane McMahon to get things going. Shane talks about how he’s here because of the fans and this Sunday is the first pay per view of a new era. I do love how they’re just admitting that Smackdown means nothing and comes along on Raw’s ride. Cue Stephanie to make her big return and suck up to the Hartford crowd as she was born in this town.
Apparently this is Shane’s last night running the show because Vince hasn’t been pleased. Therefore, we’re going to find out once and for all who is running the show. Shane does a quick poll of the crowd to predictable responses but Stephanie says she isn’t leaving. That’s fine with Shane, who is in charge tonight and therefore calls security down to remove Stephanie from the ring. She fights them all the way to the back as is her custom. Shane introduces our first match.
AJ Styles vs. Sheamus
Sheamus drives him into the corner to start (take a shot) but AJ comes back with his dropkick sequence. It’s back to the heavy forearms to knock AJ around so Styles hits one of his own to put Sheamus on the floor. A moonsault off the apron misses though and Sheamus sends him into the steps to take us to a break.
Back with Sheamus holding the chinlock (take another shot), followed by two straight Irish Curses for no cover. Off to a bearhug and you can’t fault Sheamus’ psychology here. AJ escapes and avoids a charge to send Sheamus into the post (take another shot) and go up top. Sheamus tries a super White Noise but AJ escapes into a release super powerbomb of all things. Looked good too.
It’s time for the running forearms and kicks in the corner until AJ is sent face first into the buckle. A nice powerslam gets two for Sheamus but he can’t get the Cloverleaf. Instead AJ comes back with a good looking Pele to put both guys down. Sheamus is up first this time and throwing on the Cloverleaf until AJ gets a quick rope. The Brogue Kick hits the ropes though and it’s the Phenomenal Forearm to put Sheamus away at 14:26.
Rating: B. This has been a great buildup for Styles who has taken down one big name after another before he gets ready for the World Title match. In other words, there has been no 50/50 booking or making either the champion or the challenger look like a goon. The commentary helped here too as they talked about how similar Sheamus and Reigns are. This was a really well done setup and the whole thing worked exactly as they were hoping for. Oh and it was a good match too, which doesn’t surprise me.
Anderson and Gallows come out to look at AJ, which fuels the conspiracy theory for some reason.
Roman Reigns is watching in the back when the Usos come in to suggest that they’ll have his back on Sunday. Reigns doesn’t seem to hate the idea. The fans in the arena were chanting WE CAN’T HEAR YOU during this.
Here’s New Day to talk about how awesome their tournament has been while promising to party like it’s 1999. This brings out the Vaudevillains to say they want to party like it’s 1899 when they beat up those mange ridden mongrels Enzo and Cass. Of course this brings out Enzo and Cass to a BIG reaction with Enzo saying he’s hotter than a 104 degree fever and wants to run down a beach and jump into his own arms. Woods says they’ll beat whoever wins because NEW DAY ROCKS. I miss simple little build segments like this without a match or a big blowoff or something. Just let people talk.
Gallows and Anderson leave AJ’s locker room.
John Cena will be back on Memorial Day, May 30.
Usos vs. Karl Anderson/Luke Gallows
No team name yet but they do have matching white vests. Cole says Anderson and Gallows were in “a club” with Styles over in New Japan. Jimmy and Anderson get things going with the twin taking over to start. It’s off to Jey for chops of his own, only to have Anderson come back with a hard leg lariat. Gallows comes in for a really big clothesline to turn Jey inside out before Anderson starts working on Jimmy’s bad shoulder.
The bald guys take turns chinlocking Jey before it’s back to Anderson with another armbar. Jey’s uppercut is knocked away with an even bigger uppercut from Gallows and the bad arm is bent around the ropes. Jey goes up top but gets knocked down hard, sending the shoulder into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Jey kicking Anderson away and making the hot tag off to Jimmy for the array of strikes. Another big clothesline turns Jey inside out though and Anderson posts him for good measure. The Magic Killer (elevated suplex into a neckbreaker) knocks Jimmy silly at 13:52.
Rating: B-. Good debut here and really just a step above a squash. This was total domination with Anderson and Gallows looking like the monsters they needed to be. I could easily see them getting the titles by the summer as New Day can move on to something bigger and it’s not like anyone else needs the belts at the moment. Also the Usos will be fine as they’re as made as a tag team can be.
The beating continues post match until Reigns comes out for the save.
Styles says he had nothing going on with Gallows and Anderson. The two of them come in to say they’ll have his back on Sunday and can do whatever he wants.
We look back at the history between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens with both guys talking about how they grew up together and were best friends for years. Then Sami won the NXT Title in December 2014, only to have Owens turn on him and take the title a few months later. Owens debuted in WWE a few months later and beat John Cena in his first match on the main roster. Sami injured his shoulder around the same time and was out for months before returning in January 2016 to eliminate Owens from the Royal Rumble. Owens thinks Sami is the one making this personal. This Sunday it’s about payback.
Sami Zayn vs. Rusev
Rusev has Lana with him for the first time in what feels like months. Sami can’t do much with the power to start and gets stomped down on the bottom rope as the fans want Lana. A headscissors takes Rusev down but the slingshot plancha is pulled out of the air with Sami being dropped onto the apron. Sami pops back up though and moonsaults off the barricade to drop Rusev again. Rusev kicks him hard in the head though and we take a break. Back with Sami fighting out of a front facelock and hitting a high cross body. Rusev throws him down but can’t get the Accolade, allowing Sami to roll him up for the pin at 12:00.
Rating: C. Sami needed this win a lot more than Rusev, though the incredible downfall for the Bulgarian continues. It’s so strange to think that he was feuding with Cena for the US Title just a year ago and now he’s a midcard monster for someone like Sami. Still though, the right guy won and it really wasn’t that shocking.
Lana throws a shoe at Sami post match. That goes nowhere so Owens runs out and drops Sami with a shot to the back.
Stardust interrupts Apollo Crews in the back but Apollo calls him Cody to make things serious. Apparently Dusty Rhodes came up with the name Apollo, which makes me wonder what Crews’ name was before that. Stardust is odd as usual.
Apollo Crews vs. Stardust
Crews starts fast with his standing moonsault to avoid Stardust and a dropkick gets two. Stardust kicks him down and takes off his gloves for some reason before cranking on Crews’ arm. That goes nowhere so Crews gets two off the standing moonsault. The lifting powerbomb gives Crews the pin at 3:08.
Rating: D+. They need to go somewhere with Crews or he’s going to get boring with the constant smiling and squash wins over low level guys. It’s hardly a lost cause or anything but he’s getting close to the Rocky Maivia territory. Give him a story or a quick feud or something, as long as it doesn’t mean listening to Crews talk that much.
Here’s Dean Ambrose for a chat. Dean was supposed to host the Ambrose Asylum tonight but he’s not in the mood for fun and games after he was attacked from behind last week. This Sunday he’s facing one of the best of all time but he’s ready to fight. Jericho may be the best in the world at what he does but Ambrose is pretty good at what he does too. When Ambrose sees a problem, he rolls up his sleeve and starts leaving bruises and chipping teeth because that’s what he does.
Dean wants Jericho out here right now so here’s Chris to call him an idiot. Jericho isn’t wasting his time fighting Ambrose in a dump like Hartford. Instead, Dean should be down on his knees kissing Jericho’s $1,500 boots for letting him be in this ring. Jericho changes his mind and asks for an apology from Ambrose for stealing the Highlight Reel. Dean apologizes that Jericho paid that much money for such ugly shoes, for wearing a scarf everywhere and for that Bon Jovi haircut. He’s not sorry for the brawl that starts but Jericho quickly gets the better of it and puts Dean in the Walls on the announcers’ table.
Natalya vs. Emma
Charlotte is on commentary. Emma quickly takes it outside for a gutwrench suplex before we hit a seated full nelson. Not that it matters as Natalya gets up and grabs the Sharpshooter for the submission at 2:19.
Natalya stares Charlotte down first match so the champ hides behind Ric.
Chyna tribute video. It’s nice that they’re actually doing this. Most of this is a series of clips and then a series of tweets from various wrestling personalities commenting on her passing.
Baron Corbin vs. Damien Sandow
In a role reversal from Smackdown, no match as Ziggler jumps Corbin from behind and chases him off.
Greetings From Puerto Rico.
Here are Miz and Maryse to talk about Miz’s title defense against Cesaro on Sunday. Miz is used to being tormented by the anonymous internet trolls who now think Cesaro is going to win on Sunday. This title is more than important because it’s legendary. Miz is tired of seeing all the handmade signs saying CESARO SECTION because the fans should be better than that. You can have your internet section because he has a Miz section that looks like Maryse.
This brings out Cesaro to interrupt but Miz goes into a Robert De Niro speech from Taxi Driver. Cesaro promises to roll the credits on Miz’s title reign and tells Miz to make his day. Miz goes to leave but tries a cheap shot, earning himself Swiss Death but Maryse dives on top of her husband to prevent the Swing. Cesaro holds up the title. I could totally go for this “let’s yell at each other and make the story more unique” to set up big matches. If only that had been done for decades instead of “here’s a match three times before the BIG version of it that you have to pay for.”
AJ comes up to Reigns in the back and says he’s taking the title on Sunday. Reigns thinks Gallows and Anderson already have ringside seats.
This week’s Kickoff match is Ryback vs. Kalisto for the US Title.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Roman Reigns
Non-title. Roman throws him around to start and gets in one of those running corner clotheslines. The running enziguri staggers Reigns though and Del Rio double stomps him from the apron as we take a break. Back with Del Rio holding the chinlock a bit longer than usual before hitting a DDT for two. The low superkick misses though and Reigns comes back with his series of clotheslines. That earns him the now standard booing but Del Rio bails to avoid the Superman Punch.
Instead it’s the apron kick to send Del Rio into the post, only to have him kick the ropes to crotch Reigns as he comes back in. This is referred to as a kick to the hamstring due to reasons of convenience, allowing Del Rio to get in the superkick for two. Del Rio misses the top rope double stomp because Reigns is able to drop down instead of sit up, allowing Reigns to hit the Superman Punch. Cue Anderson and Gallows to stare Reigns down, allowing Del Rio to roll Roman up for two. The spear puts Del Rio away at 13:00.
Rating: C. At least they seem to be turning Reigns heel because there’s just no way it’s going to work as a face act at this point. No matter what Reigns does, that booing is part of the whole package now. They’re certainly acknowledging it now though and that’s the best thing to happen to Reigns in a long time.
Post match Anderson and Gallows come in for the beatdown. AJ runs out to stop them but gets Superman Punches. Gallows and Anderson come back in, allowing Reigns to hit the Phenomenal Forearm to end the show.
Overall Rating: B-. This show started off looking great and then really ran out of steam in the second half. However, they did a lot of good things to help set up the pay per view and you can still see the momentum from Wrestlemania. The key thing for me is they’re doing a better job of setting up feuds and big matches.
Whether it’s the rather awesome World Title match or Sami vs. Owens (ok so that one wrote itself) or Cesaro going after Miz and the title, most of the matches have gotten a much stronger focus than in previous months. Above all else though they all seem to have a mostly unique story and setup.
With Cesaro vs. Miz it’s Cesaro never holding the title before and all the movie stuff. With the tag tournament match you have two unique teams with a bit of a history in NXT. With the Women’s Title you have the families feuding (not a fan but at least it’s something). The key though is everything has a story instead of “well they’ve fought a bunch of times and now they’re fighting again” or “contractually obligated rematch”. It makes things feel fresh for a change and that’s something WWE has been lacking for years now.
Results
AJ Styles b. Sheamus – Phenomenal Forearm
Luke Gallows/Karl Anderson b. Usos – Magic Killer to Jimmy
Sami Zayn b. Rusev – Rollup
Apollo Crews b. Stardust – Lifting powerbomb
Natalya b. Emma – Sharpshooter
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Thunder Date: November 29, 2000
Location: Metro Center, Moline, Illinois
Attendance: 3,800
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone, Mark Madden
We’re now in the post Stevie Ray era so I’m really not sure how well we’re going to be able to survive. It’s just such a sad world anymore and they might have to just close the promotion to let us heal. We’re rapidly approaching Starrcade and the main event is going to be Sid vs. Scott Steiner because we live in a random and chaotic universe. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Nitro’s highlights, which included Sid Vicious in a turtleneck.
Here’s Ric Flair to get things going. Ric praises the idea of Steiner defending the title against Sid at Starrcade but tonight it’s Buff Bagwell getting a shot. Based off what exactly? Anyway he brings out Sid, who says he defended that champion night after night (yes defended the champion). Sid has been watching from home and has seen Booker T. and General Rection take over in his place. Steiner is in the wrong place at the wrong time, which Sid somehow tries to tie into the Wright Brothers.
Shane Douglas wants the US Title so he can move on to the World Title. Torrie tells Pamela to not hate her because she’s beautiful. Pamela isn’t sure what to think of this and I’m much more on Torrie’s side here. Pamela is the hot blonde but Torrie is just on another level.
Lance Storm/Elix Skipper vs. Jung Dragons
Storm still has taped up ribs and seems to blame Duggan for the loss to Yang on Monday. The Dragons and Madden take turns oogling Leia Meow as Skipper rolls Yang up for two to start. Yang climbs the corner into an armdrag before it’s off to Kaz for an enziguri. The Canadians regroup on the floor so the Dragons do some impressions to entertain the crowd.
Back in and Storm kicks Kaz in the back of the head to take over, allowing Skipper to walk the ropes into a hurricanrana. Kaz flips out of a powerbomb though and kicks a seated Elix in the head for the tag off to Yang. House is cleaned until a low blow gives Skipper a near fall as everything breaks down. Storm crotches Kaz on top so Skipper can hit a good looking butterfly superplex. The women have the required catfight as the Cat comes out to take care of Duggan. A top rope backsplash/legdrop is enough to put Skipper away.
Rating: C. Fun match but the announcers still act like the idea of the Dragons beating anyone other than Noble and Karagias or 3 Count is unthinkable. The match was fine for a high flying fight though which is something often overlooked about Team Canada: as much as people remember Storm’s promos and catchphrases, both he and Skipper could go very well in the ring.
Storm yells at Duggan.
General Rection would love to fight Shane and AWALL wants Bam Bam Bigelow again.
Lex Luger vs. Norman Smiley
They bring Smiley back for this? Madden: “Luger has the body fat of a paperclip.” Tony: “A paperclip has body fat?” Norman gets in a dropkick to frustrate Luger early on, followed by a cross body for two. They head outside with Luger sending him into the barricade and gets two off a belly to back suplex. Norman comes back with the spinning slam and the spanking dance, only to have Luger forearm him low. The forearm sets up the torture rack to end Norman.
Rating: D. Again: they brought Norman back for this? That’s what Smiley gets for being talented and popular I guess, because somehow doing the opposite got Luger a two match feud with Goldberg of all people. As usual, WCW has no idea which people to push (not to say that Smiley should get a big push of course) as Luger has no business being there and it’s been obvious since the day he returned.
Post match Luger keeps Norman in the hold until Goldberg makes the save.
Bigelow calls AWALL a freak and wants to hurt him in a tables match.
Crowbar is getting a massage when one of the Nitro Girls delivers him a present: a golden pipe wrench. Ok then.
Reno and Marie are with Pamela, who asks if they’re dating. Apparently they’re actually brother and sister, which makes Pamela realize that Reno and Vito are BROTHERS. Somehow this was never mentioned before, though it shouldn’t be that hard for either of them to figure out.
Kronik seems to have a new client.
Jeff Jarrett has the Harris Brothers to fight the Filthy Animals.
Hardcore Title: Crowbar vs. David Flair
Crowbar is defending and has that wrench in his belt. The regular belt, not the title belt. They fight over a trashcan to start and David actually gets the better of it early on. Therefore, it’s time to hit the champ in the face with a mop. Crowbar comes back with the wrench but the mop is right there for the save because they’re the exact same thing.
It’s time for a paint tray with Crowbar beating David out to the floor and putting a chair on top of him for a Vader Bomb. Flair comes back with a chair shot of his own but the Figure Four is broken up by with a cookie sheet. Just picture Dusty and Ric doing that and see if you don’t chuckle or cry at least a little bit. Crowbar pops up and hits him with the wrench for the pin to retain.
Rating: D-. I’m still waiting on a point to this division other than giving the overly talented Crowbar something worthless to do. David is still insane and therefore not very interesting as you can only see that sort of thing so often, especially when the running joke seems to be that he’s not very good but tries so hard. Naturally since it’s professional wrestling, that sort of effort is to be mocked instead of rewarded or nurtured.
Post match Stacy Keibler and the trainer check on David, who wants to know about the wrench.
US Title: General Rection vs. Shane Douglas
Shane, with Torrie, is challenging and they get in their standard pre-match stuff about how much better they are than all of us. Douglas is smart enough to go after the knee to start and gets in a few shots to slow the champion down early. We’re already in the figure four so I can’t imagine this is going to go long. Rection gets the rope and starts his comeback, only to have Torrie come in and jump on his back. Somehow not noticing that it’s a smaller, lighter person or the long blonde hair, Rection drives her back first into the buckle. That’s too much around here and the match is stopped, likely setting up a rematch at Starrcade.
Ever the gentleman, Lieutenant Loco tries to get her out of the ring so the fight can continue but basically everyone glares him off.
Post break, Loco yells at Rection for not following up and a split is teased.
Filthy Animals vs. Jeff Jarrett/Harris Twins
Great, the Band is back together. It’s a huge brawl to start with Konnan staying on the floor instead of helping his smaller partners. We settle down to Konnan coming in to work on Ron’s wrist as we hear about Torrie getting crushed again. Rey bulldogs Ron down as Tygress goes on about player hating.
Don comes in to help on a double spinebuster and a swinging Boss Man Slam gets two. Naturally this warrants a talk about paying the Harris Twins in sandwiches because WCW. Konnan isn’t paying attention to a tag attempt from Rey so Jarrett knocks him off the apron. The referee tells the guys that they have three minutes as Kidman comes in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Jarrett guitars Kidman for the pin.
Rating: D+. That sounds like the mating call of a rubber match at Starrcade, likely with the guitar legal for a change. I really don’t think I need to make fun of this one all that much when the story revolves around the Harris Brothers being willing to fight for sandwiches. Even David Flair is more respected than this. Oh and somehow the referee doesn’t notice the pieces of the guitar around the ring.
Buff is ready for his title shot tonight.
Daffney returns to say she and Ozzy broke up so now she wants to be with Crowbar. He’s not so keen on the idea though and turns her down, even though it seems to make him very sad.
This week’s sitdown interview is with Stevie Ray because WCW actually thinks people care. We get right to the point as Stevie says no one has a brother in the business like he does. As usual I think I get the point but since Stevie is only a commentator, he isn’t the best at getting his point across. Stevie made his debut here back in 1993 and is one of the most successful tag team wrestlers of all time. Now he thinks he might start a drag racing team (which I believe he actually did) and thanks the fans for their support over the years.
Glacier is still coming back.
Sgt. AWALL vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
Tables match and it’s Bigelow pounding away to start. A powerbomb is countered with a backdrop to send Bigelow outside but instead of trying to put him through the table, it’s time to brawl around ringside. Back in and a German suplex through the table……doesn’t count because both of them went through at the same time. Well of course they did. They head outside again so Mike Awesome can sneak in and blast Bigelow with a chair, allowing AWALL to put him through the table.
Rating: F. Are they even ripping ECW off at this point? I mean, last year with Sandman and Raven was one thing but this is even less interesting than that was. I’m also not sure why none of these guys ever bother going after the Hardcore Title. It’s not like what they’re doing here is really all that much better than getting a belt out of it.
Awesome wants Bam Bam Bigelow at Starrcade. Somehow that’s a big deal for Awesome.
WCW World Title: Buff Bagwell vs. Scott Steiner
Steiner is defending of course. Steiner gives Buff a chance to leave before the beating begins but Buff dropkicks him to the floor and sends him into the barricade. Back in and Buff’s right hands don’t get him anywhere as Scott ties him in the Tree of Woe for some choking. The elbow into the pushups gives us a signature spot as Madden does a bad Billy Graham impression.
The belly to belly gets two and it’s time to grab the referee by the shirt. Buff misses a dropkick to stop a comeback bid because he’s Buff Bagwell and this is a big match. A DDT puts Steiner down but Scott pops back up with ease. Cue Sid on the screen for a distraction though, allowing the Blockbuster to hit for two. Buff has to catch a diving Midajah though and a quick Recliner retains the title.
Rating: D. I actually like Buff as the one off challenger here even though he had no chance of winning because he’s Buff Bagwell and never actually won a big singles match in WCW. The Sid thing was a waste of time but then again so is Sid in the main event in the first place. Bad match but perfect for a Thunder main event.
Sid comes out to jaw with Steiner to end the show.
Overall Rating: D-. They’ve just given up. You can clearly see that there’s no real effort being put into the writing (though the wrestling is tolerable at times) or storytelling and that’s caused them to hit a very hard wall. The younger guys are putting in an effort as they so often do but there’s only so much you can do when it’s Lex Luger, Scott Steiner with the horrible chinlock, Sid and the Insiders as some of the top names in the promotion.
This place really is just about the old guys and the worst part is that’s how they’re being presented: the older, cagey generation who is still around and hogging all the spots. There’s almost nothing here worth watching and it’s going to make the next few months much more sad than hard to sit through.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Ring of Honor TV – April 20, 2016: I’ll Be Waiting Over Here
Ring of Honor Date: April 20, 2016
Location: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Attendance: 1,367
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Mr. Wrestling 3
This is an interesting show as we’re taking a look at matches from Honor Rising 2016, which took place over in Tokyo….in February. Yeah instead of moving forward with the post Supercard of Honor tapings, we’re going back to a bunch of matches that really don’t mean much. I’m not sure why they would do this but in theory it’s to set up Global Wars in May. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Jushin Thunder Liger/Matt Sydal vs. Ryusuke Taguchi/Dalton Castle
Castle has the Boys with him, Taguchi has his own peacock style look and Sydal is half of the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Castle and Liger get things going as the announcers talk about how exciting this will be even though it was filmed back in February. Liger takes him down to the mat and rocks Castle into a modified surfboard.
That means it’s time for some fanning but Castle would rather strut than dive onto Liger. As you might expect, Liger slides back in, chases Castle off, and poses with the Boys instead. Back from a break with Taguchi shoving Sydal away to break up a headlock. Taguchi can’t hit his hip attack so Matt gets in a spinwheel kick. Wrestling 3 to Kelly: “Now you’re a guy with strong hips.”
Liger comes back in and counters another hip attack into an atomic drop (smart move) but Castle lifts Taguchi up to drive him into Liger in the corner. Sydal fires off some kicks for two on Taguchi but it’s off to Castle for some running shots in the corner. A nice overhead release belly to belly gets two on Sydal as everything breaks down. Sydal kicks Castle down and hits the shooting star for the pin at 8:20.
Rating: C. Castle and Liger were fun but the rest of the match was just there. It’s another match with four guys who have no real reason to be in a match together save for some stuff that happened in another promotion, which of course Ring of Honor doesn’t feel the need to educate us on. That’s where these shows fall apart for me: you can have wrestling for the sake of wrestling, but it better be really, really strong to make up for the lack of stories.
Video on the set being built.
Delirious vs. Gedo
These guys are the bookers for the promotions and Delirious is insane. Delirious kneels in the corner and doesn’t respond to Gedo’s attempt at a handshake. The bell rings and Delirious goes nuts, as is his custom. After a half lap around the ring, Delirious comes back inside to do a quick wrestling sequence. Some rakes to the chest and back have Gedo in trouble and we take a break.
Back (after a video on Moose making his New Japan debut) with Delirious charging into two boots in the corner and getting caught in a figure four. That goes nowhere so Gedo punches him in the face a few times instead. A low superkick knocks something out of Delirious’ mouth as the announcers talk about a match taking place in two and a half months, or a week depending on which timeline you follow. Delirious misses a top rope splash and gets rolled up for two, only to come back with a crucifix for the pin at 7:53.
Rating: D+. As much as I hate to say this, yeah whatever and next please. It’s a match between the bookers which isn’t interesting on its own and again the wrestling didn’t do anything special for it either. Delirious is funny but there are so many other people who can’t make the show for the sake of booker vs. booker.
Roderick Strong is ready to defend the title when Bobby Fish pops up to say he’s going to win the title in Las Vegas. And I’m sure this months long story will reach a satisfying and fulfilling conclusion.
Long video on Dalton Castle in Japan.
TV Title: Roderick Strong vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Ishii, a very tough man, is challenging. Strong’s chop has no effect and Ishii scares him out to the floor. Back in and Ishii keeps hammering on him while no selling any of the champ’s strikes. With nothing else working, Strong stomps on the open toes and we take a break. Back with Strong dropping him spine first onto the apron for his first real offense.
In a discussion that gets very stupid as soon as you think about it, Corino says we need to watch Supercard of Honor to see a legend returning. Now of course he won’t say who it was because that would defeat the point of getting the show. That is of course TOTALLY different than watching a title match to see if there’s a new champion WHO ALREADY DEFENDED HIS TITLE ON THIS TV SHOW. Strong kicks him in the face again before staying on the back, meaning the chops have more of an effect this time.
An Angle Slam gets two for the champ but Ishii comes back with a powerslam. A Saito suplex on Strong takes us to another break and we come back with Strong suplexing Ishii off the apron and down to the floor. Ishii starts no selling strikes again and gets two off a big powerbomb. Strong comes back with a top rope superplex and the Sick Kick for two. Some jumping knees to the head don’t do much to Ishii as he headbutts Strong down and gets two more off that sliding lariat (I still don’t get the appeal.). A brainbuster gives Ishii the title at 20:07.
Rating: B. Good main event here even with the ending being spoiled in the first place. Strong is a good champion but I’m not big on Ishii with his toughman stuff. I know it’s insanely popular in Japan but it’s never been my style. There was some good selling here though as Strong found the weak spot with his back to make the match much better than I was expecting.
Overall Rating: D+. Hey, did you know New Japan is awesome? I don’t know if I made it clear enough that New Japan is awesome. Now that it’s clear that you know New Japan is awesome (because New Japan is totally awesome), maybe we can get back to some actual Ring of Honor stuff instead of showcasing how awesome New Japan is (because New Japan IS AWESOME!).
Kelly said we’ll be seeing more from this show “for the next few weeks”. Let’s assume that means two more weeks at least, meaning we won’t be getting back to fresh Ring of Honor stuff until May 11 at the earliest. That’s nearly six weeks after Ring of Honor taped stuff in Dallas, so unless they’re just not airing that stuff, we’ll probably be seeing fallout from Global Wars, meaning EVEN MORE New Japan stuff.
I get the appeal of the Japanese guys coming in but this has gone WAY too far as the promotion is basically beholden to whatever New Japan wants at this point. The thing is, that’s not what I watch RING OF HONOR for. I watch Ring of Honor to see the Ring of Honor guys and whatever stories they’re doing.
However, it seems that I’m going to be sitting here for the better part of a month before I get any of that because we need to see matches from two months ago which have almost no bearing on anything going on in Ring of Honor at the moment. They need to cut this stuff out but that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon, which is one of the most annoying things I’ve seen a promotion do in a long time.
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I appeared on this show with Killjoy last Saturday night and completely forgot to mention it. It’s the two of us talking about Wrestlemania weekend and my experiences there. There are some tech issues at the start but give it some time.
I did find it interesting that they mentioned the title match on last night’s show but this is a big surprise. If nothing else it frees Balor up to do other things. Like debut at Payback.