IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: April 26, 2018
Location: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

We’re almost done. This week in WWE saw things settle down a bit as we have done with the Superstar Shakeup stuff. Raw and Smackdown were more traditional shows but at the same time they had to set up the Greatest Royal Rumble on Friday. You can guess what a lot of the stuff on this show is going to be so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Bruno Sammartino.

Opening sequence.

Zack Ryder vs. Mike Kanellis

Kanellis now has trunks instead of tights and gets dropkicked for his fashion choice. Ryder misses a charge though and lands on the floor in a big crash. Back in and Kanellis stomps away before grabbing a chinlock. Ryder fights up and hits a flapjack, followed by the middle rope missile dropkick. The Broski Boot gets two but Kanellis scores with a superkick for two. A neckbreaker gives Ryder the same as Nigel quotes the Power of Love. Not that it helps as the Rough Ryder puts Kanellis away at 5:07.

Rating: D+. Not too bad here, especially considering Ryder apparently injured his knee (just a sprain and not a tear) somewhere in there. Kanellis is fine for a jobber to the midcard stars on a show like this so even though it’s not much to get excited over, it’s nice to have something fresh on here. Ryder winning is always nice to see as well.

From Raw.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to open things up. After a break, Heyman introduces himself for the man who is STILL the reigning, defending, undisputed Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar. Heyman knows fans think he’s here to gloat, just like they were when they broke the Streak or when they took John Cena to Suplex (repeated 14 times) City.

When it comes to Lesnar, this is real, and no one in the locker room or the crowd has a chance. Heyman delivers spoilers because Lesnar doesn’t gloat. However, Heyman can gloat all night long. He talks about the un-PG elbows to Reigns’ head and the multiple F5’s, but none of this matters to Lesnar. This Friday, Lesnar, who is dying to be in a UFC cage, will be flying across the world to be locked in a cage with Roman Reigns.

A small ROMAN chant breaks out before Heyman talks about Brock’s new contract. Lesnar wanted a fight inside a cage and now the odds are stacked against Reigns even more than before. Reigns will be coming back home in multiple boxes as another victim, but here’s Reigns to interrupt. Reigns says he’s coming home with the title and that’s it. I’m still not sure what to expect over there, but they’re booking themselves in a necessary title change at this rate.

Again from Raw.

Here are Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for the Sami and Kevin Show. They hype up the Greatest Royal Rumble and say it’s great because one of them will win it. They’re here tonight because of Stephanie McMahon was smarter than their first guest, which means Sami and Kevin singing YOU SUCK.

Cue Angle to say that they shouldn’t quit their day jobs. Owens understands Angle’s bitterness as Stephanie has his manhood in a jar in Connecticut. They recap the conspiracy on Smackdown and say that Stephanie must hate Angle for what she’s done to him. Angle agrees, because if not for him then Stephanie would still have full use of her arm. Owens talks about Angle needing this job because he has five kids. Actually it’s six because Sami forgot Jason Jordan “just like Angle did for years.”

Angle warns them about the beating they’ll be receiving on Friday when they’re in the ring with him, Daniel Bryan, Shane McMahon, Chris Jericho and everyone else they’ve treated badly over the years. As for tonight, they can have a tag match with Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman. Can we please not do the Stephanie vs. Angle story again? It wasn’t great the first time.

And from later in the night.

Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman/Bobby Lashley

Sami and Owens try to bail but Strowman throws them back in without too much trouble. Lashley forearms Owens down in the corner but it’s off to Sami for some right hands to take over. A suplex gives Sami two and the double teaming begins. Owens is sent outside and Lashley gets two off a crossbody but Owens pulls him to the floor. We hit a backsplash and it’s off to a break.

Back with Lashley fighting out of Sami’s chinlock and dropping him with a clothesline. That’s enough for the hot tag to Strowman, who runs around the ring and shoulders Owens down. Sami gets taken down as well so Strowman goes outside to run Owens over again, just as he gets up. Strowman does it a third time, this time with a dropkick as the fans are going insane for this stuff. That’s enough for Sami as he bails up the ramp, only to be thrown back inside by Lashley. There’s the delayed suplex to Sami (one arm version), followed by the running powerslam from Strowman for the pin at 12:03.

Rating: C. This might not have been a great match but it was entertaining. Strowman running Owens over three times in a row was making me laugh and Sami being tossed around like a toy was great. Strowman and Lashley could make for a very entertaining monster team and I could go with seeing more of them in the future.

Owens hasn’t moved since taking that dropkick in a funny visual.

Revival vs. Heath Slater/Rhyno

Slater and Dawson get things going with Heath grabbing some headscissors because the Revival can’t even beat Heath Slater on the mat anymore. Rhyno comes in for a front facelock on Wilder but a quick tag allows the double teaming to begin. A double suplex is broken up by Slater and everything breaks down as we take a break. Back with Wilder blindsiding Rhyno to take over again, including an armbar. Now that’s more Revivalish.

Dash adds a cheap shot to Slater to break up a hot tag with Wilder breaking up another attempt. Rhyno avoids a charge in the corner though and grabs a spinebuster to finally set up the tag. A neckbreaker gets two on Dawson, followed by a small package for the same on Dawson. Rhyno gets pulled to the floor though and the Shatter Machine ends Slater at 10:53.

Rating: C. Much better than it should have been here with all four working hard and getting some extra time. The Revival gets better as the match goes on so giving them ten minutes was the best news they’ve had in a long time. I know they’re not going anywhere (wrestlers rarely do) but I’d love to see them get even a token title reign somewhere down the line.

And finally, from Smackdown.

AJ Styles/Anderson and Gallows vs. Rusev Day/Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke now has a Japanese rock song set to the tune of his old music. I could go for never hearing that again. Graves says it’s because Nakamura is sick of the fans singing along. How does he know this? Graves: “Because I habla espanol.” Styles and Nakamura start but English gets tagged in before anything happens. That earns Nakamura a forearm off the apron and AJ pulls English into the corner for the tag to Gallows. So why isn’t AJ considered a coward too?

The villains are knocked outside in short order and we take a break. Back with Rusev kicking AJ in the head so Aiden can grab a chinlock. Therefore, let’s hit that inset promo for Friday! Back again with Rusev slamming AJ but getting kicked in the head, allowing the hot tag to Anderson. Everything breaks down but Nakamura kicks Gallows in the knee, setting up Kinshasa to the back of Gallows’ head for the pin at 10:08.

Rating: C-. Pretty standard main event six man here and there’s nothing wrong with giving Nakamura a pin before the title match, even if there’s not much benefit to pinning Gallows. I could very easily see a title change on Friday, but Nakamura is almost certainly getting the title at some point. If not, I’m not sure where he goes from here as it would make him look like a huge choker.

Post match AJ goes after Nakamura but takes ANOTHER low blow but Anderson shoves AJ out of the way to take Kinshasa. AJ is still down and can’t help Anderson from taking a second Kinshasa (sounds like a setup for an Anderson and Gallows turn to Nakamura) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Is anyone else completely sick of hearing about the Greatest Royal Rumble? It seems that we’re getting something about it every few minutes now and I can’t wait for it to be over. There’s a good chance that a lot of the show won’t mean much anyway, which makes it all the more annoying. A show recapping the build to the show didn’t help, but that tag match wasn’t half bad. Just get us on to Backlash already.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: April 24, 2018
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

We’re three days away from the Greatest Royal Rumble and we still don’t have a #1 contender for the Cruiserweight Title. That’s why we’re having a gauntlet match tonight with five men facing off for the right to face Cedric Alexander in Saudi Arabia. There’s a good chance this is going to be the entire show so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video explains the gauntlet match and introduces the competitors, all of whom get in a quick statement.

Opening sequence.

Gauntlet Match

Mustafa Ali and TJP start things off. TJP takes him up to the ropes and gets in some dabbing, earning himself a crank on the arm. The armbar goes on and there’s not much TJP can do early on. They hit the pinfall reversal sequence for some not very near falls until Ali dropkicks him in the back of the head. A kick to the head sends TJP outside and we’ll take a little breather.

With the breathing out of the way, TJP gets in a few shots to the head to take over back inside. We go split screen to hear Cedric Alexander say he’ll defend the title in Saudi Arabia and then make his own statement against Buddy Murphy. Back to full screen with Ali fighting out of a double arm crank but getting dropped with a Russian legsweep. TJP grabs Naomi’s reverse Rings of Saturn hold for a few seconds before Ali chops the heck out of him.

Ali gets in a kick to the head and the rolling X Factor (with TJP’s face not hitting the mat) gets two. The double chickenwing gutbuster is reversed into a rollup for two on TJP but he shoves Ali off the top. A missile dropkick to the knee (cool) sets up the kneebar, sending Ali bailing to the ropes. Back up and a tornado DDT on one leg drops TJP, setting up the 054 to send Ali on 9:53.

Drew Gulak is in third and you should be able to see the tap out from here. Ali is limping around and Gulak couldn’t be happier. A quick rollup gets two on Gulak but he slams the knee into the ropes to really take over. Ali does manages a drop toehold on the floor for a break, followed by a high crossbody back inside. Gulak rolls through into a leglock but Ali kicks him away in short order.

After an inset promo for Friday’s show, we come back to Gulak cranking on the knee even more. Ali tries a hurricanrana but gets pulled into a half crab. That’s reversed as well and an enziguri puts Gulak down again. There’s a kick to the head (and a shot of several empty seats in the lower arena) but Gulak is right back with the half crab. He even cranks back on the arm for a bonus but lets go, this time allowing Ali to make the ropes AGAIN. Ali likes the ropes so much that Gulak sets him on top of them, only to have Ali pull Gulak into a half crab in the ropes.

For some reason Ali decides that it’s a good idea to try a high crossbody to the floor, furthering the damage to the knee. Gulak chop blocks him down but Ali is right back with the tornado DDT. The 054 takes too long though, allowing Gulak to shove him off the top and into the steps. Ali is DONE so Gulak throws him back inside for the Gulock and the elimination at 22:41 total.

Tony Nese is in fourth and doesn’t even waste time counting his abs, meaning you know he’s serious. Nese pounds away and drags Gulak away from the ropes to keep up the stomping. Gulak gets knocked outside and sent into the barricade, followed by a toss over the announcers’ table.

They head inside again with Nese running him over and Nese yells at Gulak for saying they’re on different levels. There’s the running knee in the corner but Nese looks at the corner instead of covering. Nese lowers the knee pad but takes too much time, allowing Gulak to grab the Gulock for the tap at 30:34. That’s about it for Nese meaning anything as he got caught in a clean submission after beating the heck out of Gulak for a good while. Nese is crushed as Kalisto comes in last.

Gulak is chilling on the announcers’ table as Kalisto stands in the ring doing the LUCHA dance. Nigel isn’t exactly thrilled with this strategy and the stalling keeps going for well over another minute. Gulak finally gets in and is promptly dropkicked back to the floor. This time Kalisto follows so he can LUCHA dance right in front of him. Back up and Gulak sidesteps a suicide dive to send Kalisto hard into the barricade.

Rating: B. I can go for this idea of having one match through the entirety of a show. It makes things feel more important and like a big deal, which is what you want for something like this. On top of that, the falls took about ten minutes each, which fits a lot better. Kalisto vs. Alexander should be fun and that’s all the match needs to be as Cedric can get a big win.

Lucha House Party celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. What else can I really say when the show is literally one match long? They did a good job with making Kalisto into a quick title contender, which makes sense given that he’s the most decorated name on the roster. That being said, the show is starting to lose steam after the tournament. There’s a good chance that the place is going to turn into a show that you can skip most weeks, which isn’t a good sign for the future. Good stuff this week, but I’m worried about where things are going.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 26, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re past Redemption and that means it’s time to get ready for Slammiversary. What that means is kind of up in the air at this point but it really could go in a variety of directions. Above all else though, we have a new World Champion as Pentagon Jr. defeated Austin Aries and Fenix in a triple threat match on Sunday. Let’s get to it.

Here are the Redemption results if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Redemption, including results from every match.

Earlier today, Austin Aries talked to the roster and said he’s still the Grand Champion so it’s now the top title. Aries makes a bunch of excuses and Moose calls him out on them before walking out. The rest of the people leave as well. Sounds heel turnish to me.

Opening sequence.

The pay per view set is now the regular set.

Brian Cage vs. Trevor Lee

Lee drops to the floor for a meeting with Caleb Konley to start before a shoulder drops him to the floor again. Cage throws him around and shrugs off a forearm but a Konley distraction lets Lee kick him outside. Back in and a bridging German suplex gives Lee two and Konley adds in some choking. That’s enough for Cage who Hulks Up and hits a powerslam, followed by the apron superplex. The Drill Claw puts Lee away at 5:04.

Rating: D+. Cage is starting to run through some bigger names and it wouldn’t shock me if the names get bigger and bigger as we move forward. There’s a certain monster quality to him and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him near the World Title picture within the next year or so. Lee isn’t going to lose anything by getting destroyed here, but it was nice to have him get in some offense.

A livid Eddie Edwards arrived earlier today and ran into Tommy Dreamer (in a Lucha Underground shirt). Tommy told him to go be with his wife but Eddie shoved him out of the way.

Here’s Eddie in the arena to talk about putting Sami Callihan in the hospital. He’s not done though because he wants to put OVE in there right next to Sami. Cue OVE for the 2-1 fight and Eddie runs through them before grabbing the kendo stick. We cut to the hospital room where someone in a wheelchair with balloons covering his face rolls up to Alisha Edwards’ bed. It’s a very banged up Callihan, who says he wants to talk.

OH MY GOODNESS how stupid can Eddie be? A few weeks ago he sees OVE in his wife’s hotel and then LEAVES after checking on her for a few seconds. Now he leaves her IN THE SAME HOSPITAL WHERE CALLIHAN IS STAYING??? My goodness I know he’s a face in wrestling but Sting would find this dumb.

We look at Sunday’s main event.

Classic clip: the Steiner Brothers vs. Team 3D at Bound For Glory. I really wouldn’t point out that one half of your Tag Team Champions was old eleven years ago.

Video on DJZ, who is back after over a year away.

Moose vs. Braxton Sutter

Sutter’s pre-match promo is cut off by Moose’s music. Moose throws him into the corner to start and dropkicks him out to the floor in a heap. Sutter gets in a whip to send Moose into the barricade, followed by a suplex into the corner for two. That earns Sutter a running elbow and running dropkick in the corner, followed by a spear for the pin at 3:32.

Rating: D. Nearly a total squash here, which makes sense as Sutter has announced that he’s done with the promotion. It’s not like Sutter has done anything of note in the company and now that he and Su Yung seem to be done, there’s no reason to not have him go out on his back like this.

Post match the fans chant HAPPY BIRTHDAY at Moose. He wants Pentagon Jr. and the World Title.

Matt Sydal promises to retain the X-Division Title against Taiji Ishimori. A commotion is heard and we go to see someone (not clear who) unconscious with an X on their chest.

LAX wants the titles back but also want to know what’s happened to Konnan.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Allie

Allie is defending. Taya wastes no time in jumping Allie and hammering away in the corner. Allie’s comeback is cut off in very short order as Taya powers her down without much effort. A running dropkick in the corner only hits buckle and Allie is in even more trouble. Taya is all fired up but the Road to Valhalla is broken up, allowing Allie to hit the superkick and Codebreaker to retain at 4:17. That was pretty much all of her offense.

Rating: D. Nothing to this one and Taya deserved more than that in a title shot. Allie shrugged off everything Taya threw at her and won with her regular stuff in short order. The match needed more time, but then we wouldn’t have been able to plug the Steiner Brothers vs. Team 3D match and that’s WAY more important.

Post match Su Yung appears, flanked by a bunch of dead brides. They load up a casket but Rosemary appears for the showdown. The lights go out again and Su is gone.

Slammiversary is in Toronto.

KM yells at Fallah Bahh, his partner for next week. Why in the world are these two getting TV time?

Eddie goes to the hospital to see Alisha, who isn’t happy with him leaving her there. He goes into Callihan’s room and beats the heck out of him until a bunch of doctors make the save. This crazy Eddie character is actually working for me.

Video on Kongo Kong vs. Johnny Impact from last week.

Tag Team Titles: Eli Drake/Scott Steiner vs. LAX

Drake and Steiner are defending. Before the match, Steiner says he promised he’d win “last night” (which he says twice) because he’s world famous. Konnan was at Taco Bell due to a discount on burritos so we know his priorities. The champs stall on the floor for a long time before Ortiz drives Drake into the corner to start. Santana comes in for a chop of his own but gets taken outside and sent into the steps by Steiner as we take a break. Back with Steiner getting two off a belly to belly as he picks Santana up.

The fans chant for LAX but get cut off when Steiner “hits” a belly to belly superplex (not rotating enough and nearly falling backwards). It’s back to Drake (thankfully) for a chinlock as we hear that Edwards has been arrested. Well duh. Santana rolls over for a tag so Ortiz can get two off a short DDT. The Death Valley Driver gets two more on Drake but the Street Sweeper is countered into a powerslam (ala Rick Steiner back in the day) to pin Ortiz and retain the titles at 10:54.

Rating: D+. Steiner continues to be scary with some of those near botches, but at least they have a “big name” on the roster now right? Steiner does offer some star power but really, how much is he going to be able to offer without maiming someone? I can’t imagine that he’s going to be around very long but I’m still not a fan.

Post match Drake holds up the World Title briefcase and suggests that he’s cashing in right now. Actually it’s just a warning, but here’s Aries anyway. Back from a break, Aries says he’s healing from a dislocated elbow and looks at the “suitcase”. The fans chant for Aries, who says he wishes they were here on Sunday. The Grand Championship is what matters now but he’ll get the World Title back soon enough.

Drake wants to fight Pentagon, Aries and the Easter Bunny because it means he’s getting the title back. Cue Pentagon Jr. to say CERO MIEDO (zero fear) but Steiner and Drake beat down Pentagon and Aries. They fight back and clear the champs out of the ring, leaving Aries and Pentagon to stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. I wasn’t feeling this one, as there wasn’t a lot in the vein of storyline advancement and the wrestling was nothing of note. Allie and Rosemary continue to be an interesting team but really, there’s not much else to go on here. That being said, they have a ton of time to get ready for the next pay per view so it’s not like this needed to be incredible. Not the worst, but nothing that pulled me in.

Results

Brian Cage b. Trevor Lee – Drill Claw

Moose b. Braxton Sutter – Spear

Allie b. Taya Valkyrie – Codebreaker

Eli Drake/Scott Steiner b. LAX – Powerslam to Ortiz

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

https://wrestlingrumors.net/kbs-review-knew-getting/

WWE may not be able to just take the money and run on Friday.

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: April 25, 2018
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

So I had a full introduction written up talking about how this is the start of a new taping cycle and we finally get some storyline advancement before War of the Worlds. Then I started watching the show….and it’s a special on the Women of Honor tournament. Yes indeed, we’re going to go nearly a month between storyline advancement shows because Ring of Honor is really weird sometimes. Let’s get to it.

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

Ian and Colt welcome us to the show and explain what we’ll be seeing tonight. You know, as in stuff we’ve seen before.

We see highlights from some of the opening round matches, mainly focusing on Kelly Klein.

From the Supercard of Honor pre-show.

Women of Honor Title Tournament Semifinals: Kelly Klein vs. Mayu Iwatani

Feeling out process to start and they hit the mat for some grappling to no avail. Iwatani sweeps the leg and kicks her in the chest as they’re still in first gear. Kelly kicks her in the face to take over and drives some knees into the head. A clothesline turns Iwatani inside out and we take a break.

Back with Kelly choking in the corner and going up, earning herself a kick to the head. A super hurricanrana brings Klein down and Iwatani gets two off a top rope double stomp. That’s not enough for a cover so Iwatani drops a frog splash for two instead. Klein grabs a front face DDT and something like a Samoan driver for two of her own. Instead it’s the guillotine choke and Iwatani is out at 11:35.

Rating: C. Not bad here and Klein continues to look like she’s a few miles ahead of everyone else in the tournament. That makes me expect someone to beat her in the finals, just for the sake of the surprise to wrap things up. Iwatani was working here and the match was entertaining, though it’s odd to see her brought in for a loss on the Kickoff Show.

We look at more early round matches, including Tenille Dashwood debuting.

Again from the Supercard of Honor pre-show.

Women of Honor Title Tournament Semifinals: Tenille Dashwood vs. Sumie Sakai

Sumie grabs an early fisherman’s suplex for two but Tenille is right back with the Tarantula. It’s time to go after Sumie’s knee with a leglock but she’s right back up with a cross armbreaker. Tenille stacks her up for two so Sakai reverses into a Crossface. That’s reversed as well and Sumie’s misses charge hits turnbuckle.

The Taste of Tenille gets two but Sumie is right back up with Smashmouse (reverse Cross Rhodes) for two of her own. Sumie gets caught on top with a release German superplex for two and you can see the frustration setting in. The Spotlight Kick misses though and Sumie grabs a crucifix for the pin at 7:57.

Rating: C+. Well that happened. This whole thing was screaming Dashwood vs. Klein in the finals but instead we’ll go with the uninteresting choice because she’s been around for a long time or something. I’ve seen Sakai on and off for a few years now and I still have no idea why I’m supposed to be interested in her. She’s not that great in the ring and doesn’t have a character, but she’s been around for a long time so I’m supposed to be interested I guess.

Post match Klein comes in for the photo op and decks Sakai with a forearm during the handshake.

From Supercard of Honor.

Daffney is ringside for the finals.

Women of Honor Title: Kelly Klein vs. Sumie Sakai

Sakai jumps her during the entrances and stomps away in the corner to rock Klein. A release German suplex drops Sakai though and Klein is confident enough to put in the mouth guard. They head outside with Klein sending her into the barricade and we take an early break.

Back in a hurry with Klein getting two but getting powerbombed off the top. Klein’s fall away slam and release German suplex put them both down and here’s the women’s division to watch from ringside. They slug it out from their knees, which doesn’t work so well about five minutes into the match. Kelly’s kick to the chest gets two but Sakai is right back with a fisherman’s buster. A moonsault (more like a moonsault headbutt) doesn’t do much damage to Klein so Sakai goes with a DDT for the pin and the title instead at 8:40. That’s Klein’s first pinfall loss in Ring of Honor.

Rating: C+. So after all that, the final was (without the commercial) less than eight minutes long? I know they were going for the big epic moment here but egads let them have a little more time here. I’m not getting Sakai winning the title but they backed themselves into a corner here as there’s not much interest in having the champion be this undefeated monster. Sakai doesn’t do anything for me though and putting the title on her because she’s been here for a long time isn’t the best thinking in the world.

Sakai celebrates and shakes Klein’s hand.

Overall Rating: C-. The wrestling wasn’t bad but this was the wrong time to air a best of/recap show. By the time we get to next week’s show, nearly a month will have passed since Supercard of Honor. I’m really not sure why we have to wait this long and that gets really annoying after awhile. The show was fine for what it was, but it was the wrong time to air something like this.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: April 25, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

After a few weeks of insanity on the main roster, it’s rather nice to see how things are going down in NXT. This week we have the first defense of the North American Title as Adam Cole defends against Oney Lorcan, but there’s a slightly bigger title match. Tonight we have Aleister Black making his first defense of the NXT Title against Johnny Gargano. The shenanigans should be high with this one. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s the Undisputed Era to open things up, with Roderick Strong officially announced as a Tag Team Champion. Adam Cole talks about how much gold the team has, which is what happens when you back the team into a corner. NXT has fought against them from the start but ladies and gentlemen, here they stand.

Bobby Fish talks about having the deck stacked against them every time but they’re always winding up in front. Strong says he isn’t here to pat himself on the back so everyone else can do it for him. For once he did something for himself by taking the safer long term prospect. All Pete Dunne cares about is the United Kingdom Championship so how long would it be until he turned on Strong?

During the match, Strong had an epiphany: it’s always Roddy vs. the world, but why fight on your own and come up short? They are done being backed into a corner and now they can’t be stopped. Cole is ready to defend the North American Title on his own, just like he won it. It’s not like he needs any help defeating Oney Lorcan. Now why is it so hard to get an explanation for actions like the one Strong just gave us?

North American Title: Oney Lorcan vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending and has heavily taped ribs. Lorcan is smart enough to go for a waistlock to send Cole bailing to the floor. Mauro’s analysis: he doesn’t think Cole is at 100%. On the way back in, Lorcan shoulders him in the ribs to keep the champ in trouble. Cole comes back and stomps him down before hitting a chinlock.

The fireman’s carry neckbreaker plants Lorcan again but he’s right back up with a running elbow. The running Blockbuster gets two and Cole gets dropped ribs first onto the top rope. Cue Kyle O’Reilly with a trainer to throw up the X, followed by a belly to back suplex to put Lorcan on the apron. Cole is just fine and the Last Shot retains the title at 5:54.

Rating: C-. They did the smart path here with the Lorcan staying on the bad ribs. Having someone come out and throw up a fake X is a smart idea and something I don’t remember seeing before. The Undisputed Era could be around for a long time and that’s going to make things interesting in the future. These first few title defenses aren’t the most thrilling but the logic was sound.

Post match Danny Burch runs in for the save but gets superkicked down.

Video on Shayna Baszler.

We look at Candice LeRae defeating Zelina Vega last week.

Video on Bianca Belair, who faces Candice next week.

Heavy Machinery vs. Tino Sabbatelli/Riddick Moss

I don’t say this often (if ever) in NXT but yes, again. Knight headlocks Moss to start and double shoulders put Sabbatelli and Moss on the floor early on. Back in and Heavy Machinery rams them into each other before standing on their chests to pose. Things finally settle down and Moss hammers Dozovic into the corner to take over. It’s back to Sabbatelli to throw some punches but Dozovic launches him to the floor. Moss comes back in and slugs away but Sabbatelli walks away, leaving Moss to take the Compactor for the pin 4:07.

Rating: D+. Good. Not only is the team finally done after not having any chance to go higher than they were, but now we don’t have to watch this match anymore. There’s nothing left for Sabbatelli and Moss to do as they’re not all that interesting as so many of their stories were about that car. Sabbatelli could be ok on his own, but neither is exactly jumping off the page at me. Splitting the team is the right move, even without much upside.

Post match Heavy Machinery calls out the War Raiders, saying they’re going to eat all the steaks and lift all the weights. If the Raiders are ready to face them, Heavy Machinery is ready for war.

Video on the women’s division.

Dakota Kai doesn’t want to talk about Shayna Baszler and her injury. Baszler comes in and demands that Kai looks at her. Kai came all the way here but needs to understand that the women’s division under Baszler is Kai’s worst nightmare. If they go through with this, Kai rising up to fight Baszler could be money.

Kona Reeves is coming.

Video on Lacey Evans. Dang there are a lot of these tonight.

Next week: TM61 vs. Street Profits and Pete Dunne vs. Roderick Strong.

NXT Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black

Black is defending.

Hang on though as Tommaso Ciampa, now with face paint (or maybe tape), jumps Gargano from behind. Johnny fights out of White Noise through a table though and dives onto Ciampa. The beatdown is on until Ciampa gets in a low blow. White Noise through another table leaves Gargano laying. A stretcher is brought out with Candice LeRae out to help her husband too. We follow the stretcher to the back with Kassius Ohno (in a Larry Sweeney shirt) holding Gargano’s hands. The ambulance leaves and Ciampa is shown standing on a production truck, watching it leave. Heck of an angle here and the rematch will rock.

Back in the arena, here’s an angry Aleister Black to take a mic. Black calls out Ciampa but gets….Sanity? Eric Young says Gargano provided hope in the chaos. Out of the chaos we will find sanity but Black cuts him off, asking if Young is looking for the title. If so, let’s do this.

NXT Title: Aleister Black vs. Eric Young

Young is challenging. They take each other down and Young grabs a headlock. That goes nowhere so Young elbows him down instead. Black knocks him to the floor and moonsaults into the seated pose to remain calm. Back in and Young gets caught in an armbar but Alexander Wolfe offers a distraction to get him out of trouble. Some choking has Black down and Young gets two off an elbow.

Black fights out of the chinlock and hits a big boot for a breather. A running knee knocks Young silly and more strikes make things even worse. Black gets two off a Lionsault to a standing Young and grabs something like an Octopus hold, albeit with Young standing straight and Black hanging to the side. A Death Valley Bomb gets Young out of trouble for two and he goes to the top. That’s broken up so Young tries his slide through the legs into the sunset flip, only to eat Black Mass to retain the title at 8:51.

Rating: B. It’s amazing how much easier Young is to watch in this role. He has more than enough skill to make the matches work and keeping his talking short is the best idea NXT could have for him. Black was strong here as well, showing that he can work with anyone and hitting Black Mass is going to get him out of any trouble. Good match here and better than I was expecting.

Post match the rest of Sanity gets Black Mass as well to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about setting things up for the future and oh my did they do a good job with that. On top of the great angle with Ciampa and Gargano, there’s the potential for War Raiders vs. Heavy Machinery, someone coming up to challenge Undisputed Era and Kai vs. Baszler (that’s more long term). I’m interested in all of those things and that’s a rare feeling to have. Takeover: Chicago should be a lot of fun and as usual, I fully believe NXT can pull that off.

Results

Adam Cole b. Oney Lorcan – Last Shot

Heavy Machinery b. Tino Sabbatelli/Riddick Moss – Compactor to Moss

Aleister Black b. Eric Young – Black Mass

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 24, 2003
Location: E Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re coming up on Thanksgiving but more importantly tonight is a double shot with HHH challenging Goldberg for the Raw World Title and Raw Roulette all night long. It’s a night of Spin the Wheel Make the Deal, which used to be one of my favorite ideas when I was a kid. Now let’s see how WWE can screw it up. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The roulette wheel is in the ring to start, accompanied by Eric Bischoff and a pair of showgirls. Bischoff reiterates that Raw Roulette is taking place because this is such a boring town and explains the concept. We get the first spin for a match to be announced but it’s Shawn Michaels with an interruption instead. Shawn says Bischoff interrupted him last week so this is his way of returning the favor. He’s spent the last week thinking back to Survivor Series and now it’s completely clear: he did the exact right thing. Shawn gave the fight of his life and didn’t cost Austin his job.

Cue Batista to say he cost Austin his job. Shawn wants the “jacked up nimrod” to come fight right now so he comes, only to have Bischoff cut them off. The match is made for Armageddon but tonight, as per the wheel, it’s Bischoff’s Choice. Tonight, we’ll do Batista/Ric Flair vs. Shawn/Chris Jericho.

Lita vs. Victoria

In a cage via a spin from Molly Holly and I believe the first women’s cage match in company history. Lita throws her her into the cage a few times to start and Lawler is panicking over Victoria’s thong being exposed. Victoria gets in her spinning side slam for two but Lita gets in a monkey flip and some right hands. A hurricanrana nearly drops Victoria on her head but she’s able to get in a slam off the top.

Lita goes up again….and falls off with no one touching her. That’s a really bad sign, as is Victoria ramming her into the cage again. A powerbomb pulls Victoria off the cage and there’s the moonsault. Lita goes for the door and here’s Matt Hardy to slam the door on her head to give Victoria the easy win.

Rating: D-. That fall off the cage looked so bad and there was no saving this thing. There was little drama and with only four minutes, you can’t get much done in there. It’s not a good match and there’s no real build to it, which is what’s going to cause problems with the show all night long.

Post match Matt goes after Lita but Christian runs in for the save.

Bischoff’s showgirls are huddled around Randy Orton, who promises to win the Intercontinental Title at Armageddon. He has a match tonight too and Bischoff has already spun the wheel for him (erg), setting up a Legend Killer match. Orton leaves and here are Hurricane and Rosey, who have a match tonight as well. They’ll be having a midget catching match and here’s a midget named Fernando, who runs off. Bischoff actually explains the match and Hurricane isn’t sure, so Bischoff says if they refuse, the loser gets fired. Hurricane: “I see. Rosey, wait here.” The chase is on.

Sgt. Slaughter vs. Randy Orton

Slaughter grabs a quickly broken Cobra Clutch as the fans chant USA. You know, in opposition to that foreigner from the far off city of St. Louis. Orton forearms him down and pounds away, setting up a sleeper. That’s reversed into a camel clutch which Slaughter reverses into another Cobra Clutch. Orton makes the rope and kicks him low, setting up the RKO for the pin. This was a thing that happened.

Post match Orton stomps away until Rob Van Dam makes the save.

Video on Goldberg vs. HHH from Survivor Series and the handicap match from last week.

Val Venis and Lance Storm are waiting for some women to arrive. These are a little more conservative than usual so they have to prove that they’re nicer guys. The ladies, looking pretty much the same as most of Venis’ women, show up and are ready to go out but are worried about wrestlers being too crazy. Cue Hurricane and Rosey, the former with a net, chasing Fernando. Storm: “They’re not with us.”

Ric Flair and Coach plug the Ultimate Ric Flair DVD set (Amen brother. That thing was awesome.) with Flair promising to take care of Shawn tonight.

Matt Hardy is ready to spin the wheel but first, insists that he’s slammed the door on Lita for good. Hang on though, as Bischoff has to gloat about firing Austin, though he does plug Austin’s upcoming UPN special. It’s a Strange Bedfellows match (Matt: “WHOA WHOA WHOA! Version 1 is straight!”), meaning a tag match with first time ever partners.

Lillian starts introducing the next match but hang on because we need to see Goldberg spearing HHH in video game form.

Bubba Ray Dudley/Garrison Cade vs. Matt Hardy/Christian

Rating: D. Angle instead of a match and that’s fine enough. Cade and Mark Jindrak have nothing going for them so giving the team a few wins isn’t the worst idea in the world. The gimmick allowed that to happen and it’s not quite as big of a deal as a cage match so this isn’t as annoying. Nothing match of course.

JR is aghast at Matt walking out on this nothing tag match. He wasn’t this annoyed at SLAMMING A METAL DOOR ON HER HEAD EARLIER. Cade hands Bubba the title but doesn’t let it go. Bubba yells a bit and Cade sneers as he leaves.

Shawn Michaels promises to beat the odds again tonight. He goes to leave but stops to point out the midget looking up Terri’s dress. A chase ensues.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Goldberg

HHH is challenging. They talk trash to start until a Flair distraction lets HHH deck him from behind. That earns HHH a hard clothesline and the fight heads outside with Goldberg’s ankle seeming fine so far. Goldberg gets sent hard into the steps and it’s time to start working over the shoulder. You know, instead of the ankle that was broken about a month ago.

A knee drop rocks Goldberg again but he’s still able to slam HHH off the top. For some reason Goldberg thinks ducking your head against HHH is a good idea and that means a facebuster. The gorilla press powerslam drops HHH again but Flair grabs the foot. Cue Orton to grab Goldberg, which should be a DQ, but seems to be nothing as HHH hits the Pedigree to draw out Kane. That just earns him a spear so Kane comes in and attacks Goldberg to FINALLY draw the DQ. I’m not sure if that was a missed spot or really bad officiating but it looked terrible more than once.

Rating: D+. The ending destroys any good stuff this could have been but the bigger problem is how these two just don’t work well together. They haven’t had a good match yet and this feud has been going on since before Summerslam. HHH works too much of a power style to make this work and it’s not getting better every time they fight. We’ll be getting it again too and that’s really annoying to hear, but it’s what HHH wants so who are we to complain?

Post break HHH and Kane storm into Bischoff’s office so a triple threat is made for Armageddon.

Fernando runs through the parking lot.

Booker T. vs. Mark Henry

Rating: D+. There’s something to be said about Henry wrecking the weapons and doing the scary power stuff. It’s not a good match of course but I was entertained and that’s as good as you can get here. The problem is it’s also bad booking as you don’t want Henry and Booker T. trading wins in short matches. That philosophy doesn’t work, no matter how much WWE likes to think it does.

Trish Stratus gets a bra and panties match but doesn’t seem to mind. She leaves and runs into Chris Jericho, who offers to use his Bischoff favor to get her out of it. Trish: “I’ve got this.” Jericho: “I know you’ve got it but I can go talk to him.” Trish talks about the Shawn tag match and Trish wants him to be the man that she knows he is. Maybe if he’s good with Shawn tonight, she’ll be good with him tonight. That gets Jericho’s attention.

JR plugs the Austin special. As he and Lawler are talking, Fernando runs up and sits on JR’s lap, making him the winner. JR puts his hat on Fernando, who has a mustache, and calls him a little fella.

Rob Van Dam vs. Scott Steiner/Test

The wheel comes up with a handicap match but Orton convinces Bischoff to spin it again for a bonus stipulation, which is a Singapore cane match. Rob knocks Steiner off the apron and dives onto Test, followed by a whip to send Steiner into the steps. Scott gets kicked down but Test scores with a cane shot to break up Rolling Thunder. A clothesline with the cane gets two but Rob is right back with the kicks. Rob canes Steiner by mistake and the Five Star hits Scott. Test’s second shot to the head puts Rob down for the pin.

Jericho tries to get Trish out of the match but Bischoff thinks he’s falling for her.

Jackie Gayda vs. Trish Stratus

Bra and panties of course. Jackie jumps her to start but gets her top pulled off early on. Trish gets put in the Tree of Woe and loses her top as well. Rico gets pulled in and loses his pants, which he seems to like. Jackie kicks Rico down by mistake and Trish takes her down for the win.

Post match Jackie freaks out and rips off Lillian Garcia’s jacket.

Trish tells Jericho that their evening activities depends on what he does. That’s quite the offer.

Chris Jericho/Shawn Michaels vs. Batista/Ric Flair

The arena is full of smoke from Shawn’s pyro. Shawn chops at Flair to start and Jericho comes in off the tag with no issues. A missile dropkick gets two on Flair and a few chops set up the Flair Flop. Batista comes in and spinebusts the heck out of Jericho. It’s back to Flair who goes up top and you know what’s next.

The tag brings Shawn back in as they’re certainly running through this one in a hurry. Batista gets knocked off the apron, leaving Shawn and Flair to punch it out. A poke to the eye blinds Shawn and he punches Jericho by mistake, followed by the superkick to Flair. Jericho superkicks Shawn, who falls onto Flair for the pin.

Rating: D. These four should be able to do better than this by definition. The time was killing them again though as there’s not much you can do with so little time and an angle involved in the finish. Shawn vs. Batista could be good with Shawn knowing how to handle someone like him, but the Jericho addition is a little odd.

Jericho bolts to the back as Shawn isn’t sure what happened. Batista and Flair lay Shawn out with Shawn bleeding from the mouth to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. I didn’t hate the show but there wasn’t much to see on there. The Raw Roulette thing helped a bit but having the chase scenes all night with JR as the payoff is a little beneath what I was hoping for. They set some stuff up for Armageddon though and that’s what helps most. However, when one of those things is ANOTHER Goldberg vs. HHH match, there’s only so much positive to be gathered. That story needs to change soon because it’s been out of steam for months now. There’s not much good to be found here, but I’ll take a gimmick show like this over a regular boring night.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: April 24, 2018
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the other go home show for the Greatest Royal Rumble and that could mean a lot of tag matches tonight. The big story is Daniel Bryan showing up on MizTV for his first real showdown with Miz since he’s been cleared to wrestle again. That likely means Big Cass interfering to set up a Backlash match, but it could be fun either way. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Bruno Sammartino.

We open with MizTV and Miz silencing us all. Miz knows this is the A show but something is missing. That something is a title, which his guest vacated a few years back and that Miz will win again in Saudi Arabia. His guest is a man who just two weeks ago said that he wanted to punch Miz in the face. A few weeks ago, Miz’s life changed when his daughter was born and Miz thought Bryan’s daughter would have changed that. Maybe Birdie and Daniel don’t have the same bond that he and Monroe Sky do.

Miz knows Louisville wants to see Bryan come out here and punch him in the face so bring it on. Instead it’s Big Cass in a suit to say that he’ll be the guest since Bryan is nowhere to be seen. He was cleared on the same day as Bryan and no one was talking about him (So he’s the Groucho Marx to Bryan’s Elvis? Well, give or take a few days.). Miz gets annoyed at Cass for talking down to him and Cass goes on a rant about how Bryan should be picking up his trash but instead is getting the spotlight.

Bryan spews garbage to these people and they’re all nothing. Cass was like Bryan until he was about fifteen and that sucked. Then he grew up and beat up everyone who treated him badly. Now Cass is big, right and handsome but he lives in Bryan’s shadow. I like Cass, but this long form promo is NOT his strong suit and this was rocky to put it nicely.

Becky Lynch and Asuka are coming to the ring for a match when they find Bryan being tended to and clutching his shoulder.

Here are the Iconics for a tag match but, after saying how hot they are, Peyton does a Becky Lynch impression, talking about four leaf clovers and other things I couldn’t understand. The Iconics’ thinking: Charlotte broke Asuka’s undefeated streak and they beat Charlotte, so they’re better than Asuka!

Becky Lynch/Asuka vs. Iconics

Joined in progress with Lynch rolling Royce up for two but a cheap shot in the corner puts Becky in trouble. It’s off to Billie for some choking on the ropes and the arm work begins. Billie taunts Asuka a bit too much though and Becky gets a boot up in the corner. The hot tag brings in Asuka to clean house, including some strikes and a standing ankle lock to Royce. There’s a German suplex before it’s off to Becky again, only to have her run into Asuka by mistake. That leaves Becky two on one and Peyton sends her into the post, setting up a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 4:12.

Rating: D+. I approve of the winners and it’s not like Becky and Asuka are really hurt here. The important thing is to make the Iconics people to be feared as they’re not the most physically threatening combination but they’re more than capable of being an issue all over the place. Their personalities alone will carry them for miles.

A smiling AJ Styles leaves Shane McMahon’s office as a happy man. Tonight it’s a six man tag with Shinsuke Nakamura/Rusev Day vs. AJ/some people who are Too Sweet.

Greatest Royal Rumble rundown.

Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega are coming.

Naomi comes in to see the Usos but won’t promise not to come out and help Jimmy this week. Jimmy says it’s ok but he knows Naomi loves him. They’ll get the titles back on Friday and tonight he’s taking care of Rowan. He’s got this, but Naomi still looks worried.

Rowan vs. Jimmy Uso

Jimmy gets dropkicked at the bell and the beatdown is on in a hurry. Harper kicks Jey in the shoulder as Jimmy low bridges Rowan to the floor. The suicide dive doesn’t work so Jimmy posts him, setting up a high crossbody back inside. Jimmy gets shoved off the top and into the barricade though and pain seems imminent. Rowan loads him up for something but cue Naomi with the full Glow entrance for a distraction, allowing Jey to superkick Harper. Jimmy rolls Rowan up for the pin at 2:52.

It’s time for the contract signing between Carmella and Charlotte. Carmella comes out first and takes over from Renee Young, saying she’s here first because she’s the champ and makes the rules. She shows us the same highlight package from last week but isn’t happy with the reception. Therefore she shows it again, but this time Charlotte interrupts. Carmella won’t stop holding up the title until Renee tells her to sit down and sign. They sign and the table is flipped onto Carmella, allowing Charlotte to walk away in short order.

More Greatest Royal Rumble rundown. My goodness I know they’re heading to Saudi Arabia soon but could you be a little less obvious about filling in so much time?

Aiden English says Shinsuke Nakamura isn’t giving interviews.

Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Hang on a second as Jeff is passed over for someone else.

Randy Orton vs. Shelton Benjamin

Jeff is at ringside. The announcers talk about the famed OVW Class of 2002 as Orton punches away to start. Shelton pulls him arm first into the top rope and kicks Orton to the floor to take over. Back with Orton fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught with the dragon whip for two.

The powerslam takes Shelton down and there’s the hanging DDT. Shelton is smart enough to roll away when Orton is crouched down and slapping the mat for the RKO. Hardy watches on as a masked man takes out his knee. Orton grabs said masked man and unmasks him as Sunil Singh. That earns him an RKO but Shelton grabs Paydirt for the pin at 8:18.

Rating: D. I’m not feeling this story but unfortunately it looks like Mahal is getting the US Title back on Friday, meaning the Intercontinental Title is likely taking its place. That’s all well and good, but my goodness they’re not exactly doing their best to make the story interesting. Or maybe that’s just Mahal being shoved down our throats no matter how uninteresting he is.

New Day is celebrating (with champagne glasses full of BootyO’s and pancakes) to the success of their new book. Cue the Bar to say they’re bringing the titles to Smackdown because unlike the pancakes, the competition around here doesn’t stack up. They take the pancakes and hit the catchphrase because they can.

Anderson and Gallows are fired up to be Styles’ partners tonight.

Sanity is coming.

Daniel Bryan has a very taped up shoulder and says he was attacked by a coward, who he says was 7ft tall. At Backlash, he faces Big Cass and he’ll be fine for the Greatest Royal Rumble. Makes sense, and I could see them holding off on Miz vs. Bryan for a few months.

Samoa Joe is ready to take the Intercontinental Title. He’s fine with becoming a double champion at Backlash if Roman Reigns wins the Universal Title. Believe that.

AJ Styles/Anderson and Gallows vs. Rusev Day/Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke now has a Japanese rock song set to the tune of his old music. I could go for never hearing that again. Graves says it’s because Nakamura is sick of the fans singing along. How does he know this? Graves: “Because I habla espanol.” Styles and Nakamura start but English gets tagged in before anything happens. That earns Nakamura a forearm off the apron and AJ pulls English into the corner for the tag to Gallows. So why isn’t AJ considered a coward too?

The villains are knocked outside in short order and we take a break. Back with Rusev kicking AJ in the head so Aiden can grab a chinlock. Therefore, let’s hit that inset promo for Friday! Back again with Rusev slamming AJ but getting kicked in the head, allowing the hot tag to Anderson. Everything breaks down but Nakamura kicks Gallows in the knee, setting up Kinshasa to the back of Gallows’ head for the pin at 10:08.

Rating: C-. Pretty standard main event six man here and there’s nothing wrong with giving Nakamura a pin before the title match, even if there’s not much benefit to pinning Gallows. I could very easily see a title change on Friday, but Nakamura is almost certainly getting the title at some point. If not, I’m not sure where he goes from here as it would make him look like a huge choker.

Post match AJ goes after Nakamura but takes ANOTHER low blow but Anderson shoves AJ out of the way to take Kinshasa. AJ is still down and can’t help Anderson from taking a second Kinshasa (sounds like a setup for an Anderson and Gallows turn to Nakamura) to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. I’m suddenly relieved I didn’t go to this show. This really missed for me with barely any wrestling that mattered (fair enough as you don’t want to put too much on the wrestlers before they head halfway around the world) but egads this wasn’t a strong show. It felt like they were filling in as much time as they could (Cass’ promo going WAY longer than it needed to and the Carmella video playing twice) and that’s rather annoying with something like this. Not the worst show ever, but a major letdown off the potential the Superstar Shakeup shows us.

Results

Iconics b. Becky Lynch/Asuka – Rollup with feet on the ropes

Jimmy Uso b. Rowan – Rollup

Shelton Benjamin b. Randy Orton – Paydirt

Shinsuke Nakamura/Rusev Day b. AJ Styles/Anderson and Gallows

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: Revolution Pro Wrestling

Rev Pro: New Orleans
Date: April 6, 2018
Location: Sugar Mill, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 1,200
Commentators: Andy Quildan, Joe Dombrowski

This is another show I got to attend during Wrestlemania weekend after doing the same the previous year. Rev Pro is a British organization which brings in a lot of foreigners for their shows and puts on a heck of a product from what I’ve seen. The show was a lot of fun in person and it should be interesting to see how it holds up. Let’s get to it.

The intro is cut off here and the ring announcer/commentator/owner Andy Quildan is introducing the first match. Before this started, he asked us to be louder than London because London had been saying there was no way New Orleans could beat them. The same thing was said last year in Orlando and I can see why. It’s an easy way to get a crowd going and it worked here too.

David Starr vs. Martin Stone

Starr is the guy with the 15 or so nicknames and he’s not happy with Quildan not listing more than one of them (Starr: “WHAT THE F*** WAS THAT?”). He claims a conspiracy against him in RPW but it doesn’t matter because he’s really good at pro wrestling. Tonight he’s facing Danny Bur….oh sorry he can’t say that name. Stone only changed his name because he’s a little corporate b****, and you know that gets a rise out of the crowd. After Starr lists off all of his nicknames (and yes he has a shirt with all of them for sale), we’re ready to go (Starr: “HI DANNY!”).

Feeling out process to start as Andy joins commentary and talks about the conspiracy allegations against him. Apparently he wasn’t happy with having his Cruiserweight Title shot coming in a five way match and something about a fast count so he’s getting another title shot in May. A Thesz press gives Starr two as they’re certainly in the technical phase to start.

Stone goes after the leg so Starr bails to the floor, earning a forearm to the face. Something like a belly to back toss onto the apron cuts Stone off though and Starr dives in at eight. Back in and an uppercut in the corner gives Starr two but Stone headbutts the arm (ala Tomohiro Ishii). They exchange headbutts to put both guys down but it’s Stone up and easily winning a slugout. Do you really want to trade shots with a guy named Stone?

A modified triangle choke has Starr in trouble but he gets up and sends Starr to the apron for a springboard clothesline. Back in and Stone looks a bit dead but is still able to enziguri his way out of trouble. Neither guy can follow up so they call some rather loud spots and slug it out from their knees. Does that really need a spot call?

They chop it out and Stone actually asks for a second after a particularly hard shot from Starr. One heck of a rebound lariat drops Stone for two but he’s right back with a Crossface. Starr’s roll doesn’t work so he lifts Stone up for a backbreaker in a surprising power display. Back up and Stone tries a monkey flip but slips off the ropes, allowing Starr to throw his feet on the ropes for the pin at 10:38.

Rating: C. I was thinking having commentary would help this show and that’s exactly the case. All I knew was that Starr was claiming a conspiracy and was acting like a standard heel. Now though we know some details and I have more of a reason to care about the story. That’s what good commentary can do and it helped a lot here. I’ve always liked Stone and Starr is growing on me so there was something to be seen with this match.

Post match Quildan is coming to the ring for the next match and gets hugged by Starr, who flips him off for good measure.

Adam Brooks vs. Brian Cage

It’s rare to see a small heel vs. a monster face. Brooks dropkicks him during the weapons check in one of the only ways he’s getting much of a physical advantage here. A hurricanrana puts Cage o the floor and there’s a running kick to the chest for good measure. Back in and Brooks takes the knee out before kicking the ropes into Cage’s….uh….inner thigh. Yeah we’ll go with that.

Cage finally launches him with an overhead German suplex (Andy: “As if WrestleCon was being held on the moon!”) and there’s the delayed vertical suplex. A standing moonsault gets two on Brooks but he avoids a 619 and pokes Cage in the eyes to slow things down again. One heck of a running flip dive to the floor drops Cage again with a little nod to Will Ospreay, who Brooks hasn’t been happy with lately.

Back in and Cage scores with a jumping knee but takes too long telling Brooks “YOU’RE DEAD”, allowing him to duck the discus lariat. Brooks grabs a reverse hurricanrana so Cage pops to his feet and blasts him with a clothesline for a double knockdown. They head to the apron again (because that’s become an obsession since the HARDEST PART OF THE RING deal started) and two knees drive Cage’s head into the apron, followed by a slingshot DDT for two back inside.

Cage is back up with a powerbomb into a buckle bomb into an apron superplex for two more. In a scary sight, Cage goes up top but Brooks, fearing a bad case of death, crotches him again and hurricanranas him down. Cage is right back up with an F5 attempt but Brooks’ feet hit the referee. That means a low blow and a rollup pin (with trunks) on Cage at 10:08.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one much either as Brooks seems like someone who would benefit from a lot of promo time. Cage is a monster and a half and I’m not surprised that he’s getting a strong push in Impact. This wasn’t a great match or really anything close to one but Cage wrecking stuff is always fun.

Chuck Taylor/Rocky Romero/Will Ospreay vs. Flip Gordon/Kota Ibushi/Shane Strickland

Taylor/Romero/Ospreay are part of the New Japan Chaos stable. Hopefully Ospreay can hold up a bit more here and the tag format should help him survive. He’s crazy over to start….and then Ibushi’s music hits because the fans know they’re in for a dream match showdown at some point. Gordon and Strickland bow to Ibushi during his entrance but Ospreay doesn’t seem too impressed.

Strickland and Romero start things up as Taylor won’t stand in his designated corner. That’s not very gentlemanly behavior. Romero works the arm to start as the fans don’t seem thrilled by Rocky’s presence. It’s off to a headlock as we hear about Romero’s long list of tag team successes. Strickland fights up and grabs Rocky’s face for a rather cruel escape. A dropkick sends Romero crawling on his knees to the corner so he can grab Taylor’s legs. Gordon and Taylor come in with Chuck’s forearms to the back taking over as the announcers offer a nice comparison between the two of them.

Flip dropkicks him to the floor and thankfully Taylor is smart enough to move before a dive can launch. It’s off to Ospreay vs. Ibushi and NOW things pick up with the fans actually giving it a standing ovation. They circle each other for a good while as the fans aren’t sure who to cheer for but Chaos comes in and jumps Ibushi to steal the moment. Triple teaming ensues until Romero comes in, earning himself a hard chop. Strickland is back in with a right hand of his own and a running kick to the head rocks Rocky.

Another triple dropkick cuts Strickland off and it’s Chaos cleaning house again. It kind of helps when you’re an actual team instead of three guys thrown together. Ospreay even chokes Strickland with his shirt in the corner and a rollup gets two. Romero dances along the apron before jumping in and raking his boot over Shane’s face. That means Taylor’s slow motion slingshot senton and the fans are far too thrilled. The easily impressed fans appreciate a fan from Taylor but a second attempt is countered into a small package for two. The second successful slam draws a TEN MORE TIMES chant but settle for a missed moonsault instead.

That’s enough for the hot tag to Ibushi as things speed WAY up (which you might have expected). Ibushi drops Taylor and hits a BIG flip dive onto Ospreay and Romero. Back in and Ibushi strikes the heck out of Taylor, leaving Gordon to hit his own flip dive onto Ospreay and Romero. Back in and Shane’s 450 gets two on Taylor with Ospreay diving in for a save. Romero is back up for the forever clotheslines on Ibushi and Gordon is right back up with a super hurricanrana on Ospreay…..who lands on his feet. Andy: “He’s not defying gravity. He’s disrespecting it!”

Ospreay kicks Gordon in the head but the Oscutter is blocked. It’s time for the parade of strikes until Ospreay and Ibushi hit moonsault double kicks to the back of the head. That leaves them nose to nose and you can feel this one. They slug it out with Ospreay telling him to bring it. Ibushi hits the rapid fire strikes but misses the standing moonsault. Ospreay kicks him in the head again but Ibushi does the same.

A huge clothesline turns Ospreay inside out and they’re both down to another standing ovation. Ibushi goes up but takes the Cheeky Nandos Kick, leaving Gordon to hit the spinning springboard Stunner for two on Ospreay. That earns Gordon back to back kicks to the head, followed by the Revolution Kick. The Oscutter is enough to put Gordon away at 22:14.

Rating: B. This was all about setting up the Ospreay vs. Ibushi showdown and that’s what we got here. The buildup was fine and action was solid throughout. They were going for the big blowaway six man here and while they didn’t do that, the showdown felt special and that was the most important part. Good match, and one of the better ones of the weekend so far.

There was a fifteen minute intermission (edited out of course) where I got to meet Ospreay in a nice moment.

Jeff Cobb vs. Minoru Suzuki

Non-title and it’s hoss fight time. As he was last night, Suzuki knows how to fire up a crowd, which you wouldn’t guess from his normal New Japan matches. Suzuki won’t stand for a weapons check as you can feel the announcers wanting to see this one. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to grapple their way to an advantage. Back up and Suzuki chops him in the chest so Cobb chops him as well.

That makes Suzuki smile and he takes down Cobb’s straps for some REAL chops. Cobb finally gets smart by shouldering Suzuki to the apron, earning himself a legbar in the ropes as he goes after Suzuki. The leg is wrapped around the post but the referee won’t allow the chair usage. Suzuki will not be denied the chance of violence and shoves the referee down, allowing the chair to hit the knee.

Back in and it’s more leg work, including a bit on the referee for trying to make the break. That’s the kind of crazy man Suzuki can be. Suzuki tries another chop exchange and sticks his chest out….so Cobb dropkicks him in the face. A Samoan drop gives Cobb two, only to have Suzuki kick him in the face for two. It’s off to another leglock before Suzuki goes simple by kicking the heck out of the leg. Cobb muscles him up for a belly to belly for two but the knee slows him down again. A powerbomb attempt is countered into Suzuki’s sleeper and Cobb taps at 10:23 without even going to the mat.

Rating: C. This was a glorified squash and after last night’s Cobb vs. Ishii match, that’s rather disappointing. That being said, the fans got exactly what they wanted from Suzuki here as he was all evil and crazy while ripping the leg apart. Sometimes it’s better to go with something like this and that’s all the fans wanted to see. Not bad, but disappointing.

Post match, Cobb is helped to the back and Suzuki soaks in some cheers.

Aussie Open vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi/Juice Robinson

Aussie Open is Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis, which is made more impressive when you consider that Fletcher is just 18/19 (online says the former, commentary the latter) years old. Fletcher grabs a headlock to start but Robinson shoulders him down without much effort. A dropkick to the knee cuts Fletcher off and it’s off to Davis for some chops.

The Aussies take over with Davis holding Robinson up for a dropkick to the side of the head. Robinson comes back with a leg lariat and NOW it’s time for Tanahashi. Double dropkicks abound but Tanahashi misses a middle rope swanton to let the Aussies take over again. The TANA chants get him out of a chinlock but he misses a dropkick. This jumping on his own thing isn’t going well for him so far.

Tanahashi finally drops Davis and the hot tag brings in Robinson for the snap jabs all over the place. Robinson’s high crossbody gets two but Davis superkicks him onto Fletcher’s shoulder. A middle rope cutter, with Fletcher throwing him into the air, gets no cover as Davis can’t follow up (looked great though).

The REAL hot tag brings in Tanahashi and things speed up again, this time with a forearm to Fletcher. Davis cuts him off again but something like an Alabama Slam into a spinebuster is somewhat botched and only gets two. Tanahashi is right back with a Sling Blade on Davis, followed by a Hart Attack with another Sling Blade for two on Fletcher as Davis makes a save. Robinson takes Davis out and it’s the High Fly Flow to put Fletcher away at 12:19.

Rating: B-. Aussie Open looked VERY good here and with more time could become a heck of an indy team. That being said, this was all about Tanahashi and that’s what is should have been on a stage like this. I liked this more than I was expecting to as everyone, especially Aussie Open, was working hard out there. Tanahashi is a legend though and in an intimate atmosphere like this, that’s going to shine more than anything else.

Tanahashi poses for a long time and even does the Elvis thing of wiping his sweat on a towel and throwing it back to a fan. That’s star power.

British Heavyweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre Jr., a technical master with the most insane submissions I’ve ever seen, is defending in a reign that has lasted over a year. I ever saw him defend the title last year in Orlando so he’s held the thing for a long time. Feeling out process to start with Sabre going for the legs and being cut off in short order. Sabre takes him to the mat but the armbar attempt is pretty easily blocked.

Ishii is right back up and in the corner for a staredown and a standoff. Sabre gets all rude by shoving Ishii in the face and even patting him on the head so one shot to the face drops him with ease in a good visual. That means it’s time for the hard chops in the corner with Sabre in trouble as the announcers talk about his bravado getting him in trouble. Something like an Octopus Hold gets Sabre out of trouble but he switches to a straitjacket hold with a bodyscissors (now he’s warming up).

Sabre lets go of the hold and steps on Ishii’s head as we hear about Sabre making AJ Styles tap clean well over a year ago. Ishii gets caught in something like the Rings of Saturn but with Sabre pulling back using his leg instead of arm (think about how much more cranking that allows). A rope is finally grabbed and the fans think Sabre sucks. To be fair he does have quite the punchable face. Sabre stomps on the arm ala Shayna Baszler before picking it up and making Ishii do You Can’t See Me for him in a funny bit.

Ishii fights up with a near brainbuster for a break and puts Sabre on top, only to get caught in another armbar. This one can’t last as long so Sabre goes back to slapping a guy called THE STONE PITBULL in the face. That earns him a delayed superplex as Quildan is losing his mind on commentary. A powerbomb is countered into an abdominal stretch/Octopus Hold hybrid. Ishii fights out and goes for the cross armbreaker but Ishii channels his inner Stephanie McMahon and blocks it a few times.

Sabre switches into a triangle choke and of course Ishii muscles him up for a powerbomb. Is there really any other counter for that? They slug it out again with the much smaller (at least lankier) Sabre knocking him back and kicking the bad arm. Ishii rolls out of a Fujiwara armbar but gets caught in another near Rings of Saturn. With the legs tied almost in an upside down full nelson (again, these things are hard to describe), Ishii DIVES for the ropes and gets another break.

You can see the shock on Sabre’s face and it’s a forearm into a Saito suplex to give Ishii another breather. A powerbomb gets two but the sliding lariat (come on man, don’t be stupid) is countered into a headscissors with the arm being pulled back again. That’s not enough twisting so Sabre pulls back on the leg for a bit before cranking on the arm even more. Ishii makes the ropes AGAIN but is just done. Sabre casually kicks away….and it’s time to get fired up again.

Now the kicks get a little harder and the sneer gets even worse. Ishii tells him to kick harder until some headbutts take Sabre down again. Now the sliding lariat connects for two but Sabre reverses the brainbuster into a Kimura with a bodyscissors. It’s not on full though and Ishii gets up, only to be cradled for two in a near fall I completely bought. Ishii’s enziguri puts both guys down again and the fans (myself included) are WAY into this. Sabre is rocked and Ishii clotheslines the heck out of him for two. The brainbuster out of nowhere gives Ishii the pin and the title at 20:05.

Rating: A. I LOVED this and was completely into every near fall. The last ten minutes had some of the best drama I’ve ever seen in person with those rope breaks being a rollercoaster. Sabre has held the title for the better part of ever at this point and it’s cool to see him finally lose, especially in a great match. There’s something so cool about seeing him wrenching and twisting the arm in such tormenting ways but it’s even better to see someone FINALLY knock the smug look off his face. Outstanding match and some of the most fun I’ve ever had watching a match live.

Ishii celebrates to end the show. Quildan thanked us for coming and being a great crowd to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I was expecting a few more matches on the show but what we got was more than enough. This was a two match show for the most part with an awesome main event and a heck of a six man. When that’s a third of the show and nothing is really bad throughout the night, there isn’t much to complain about. Just like last year, Rev Pro was a lot of fun for a cheap price, meaning it’s something I’d gladly check out again given the chance. Find the main event though and have fun watching a great ride.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 23, 2018
Location: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Booker T.

It’s both a new night for the roster as well as a go home show because April has to be the most packed month of all time. In this case we have the first night under the new roster after last week’s Superstar Shakeup, where your mileage may vary on how good of a thing that is. At the same time it’s the go home show for the Greatest Royal Rumble. Let’s get to it.

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

In memory of Bruno Sammartino.

The roster is on the stage in Bruno shirts for the ten bell salute.

We get the Bruno tribute video with a who’s who of people talking about how important he was and what he meant to so many generations. He was before most modern fans’ time and I don’t think we can really appreciate how big of a star he was. Sammartino was the World Champion and that’s how he’ll be remembered. Outstanding stuff here, as usual with these tributes, and they treated him like the legend they should have.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to open things up. After a break, Heyman introduces himself for the man who is STILL the reigning, defending, undisputed Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar. Heyman knows fans think he’s here to gloat, just like they were when they broke the Streak or when they took John Cena to Suplex (repeated 14 times) City.

When it comes to Lesnar, this is real, and no one in the locker room or the crowd has a chance. Heyman delivers spoilers because Lesnar doesn’t gloat. However, Heyman can gloat all night long. He talks about the un-PG elbows to Reigns’ head and the multiple F5’s, but none of this matters to Lesnar. This Friday, Lesnar, who is dying to be in a UFC cage, will be flying across the world to be locked in a cage with Roman Reigns.

A small ROMAN chant breaks out before Heyman talks about Brock’s new contract. Lesnar wanted a fight inside a cage and now the odds are stacked against Reigns even more than before. Reigns will be coming back home in multiple boxes as another victim, but here’s Reigns to interrupt. Reigns says he’s coming home with the title and that’s it. I’m still not sure what to expect over there, but they’re booking themselves in a necessary title change at this rate.

We get some tweets of people paying respect to Bruno.

Bobby Roode vs. Elias

Roode cuts Elias off after only a mention of his name, which should make him a full on heel. Elias gets knocked around early but avoids the Blockbuster with Roode banging up his knee on the landing. An armbar gives the knee a chance to rest and the threat of a Glorious DDT sends Elias bailing to the floor.

Back from a break with Roode firing off some chops until Elias sends him into the post. We hit the neck crank and here’s an inset ad for Undertaker vs. Rusev at the Greatest Royal Rumble. Egads man you talk about it all night and do a regular commercial and NOW THIS? Good grief the Saturday morning Memphis shows had fewer show advertisements. We hit the chinlock for a bit until Roode fights up with some clotheslines and a sunset flip for two. The Blockbuster drops Elias but he bails to the floor. Roode throws him back in but Elias rams him shoulder first into the ropes and gets the pin at 11:48.

Rating: D+. I still have no idea why Roode isn’t a heel. Outside of his entrance being popular, everything about him screams heel but this is what we’re getting at the time. It’s certainly surprising to see Roode lose, but if it leads to a heel turn then I’m all good. I do like Elias getting a win though as he’s still being well protected (Braun feud excluded).

Bray and Matt laugh a lot and say run.

Bray Wyatt/Matt Hardy vs. Ascension

Corey explains Bray’s transformation and Cole is just lost. Viktor locks up with Matt to start and cartwheels away, which Matt declares WONDERFUL with a round of applause. It’s off to Bray who can’t Rock Bottom Viktor but can clothesline Konnor. Matt gets taken down and a fist drop gets two as the announcers explain the Tag Team Title situation. Graves to Cole: “You’re ok with a ten year old winning the Tag Team Championships but the Hardy Compound is weird?” It’s back to Bray for the running crossbody and a corner splash, followed by the Side Effect for two on Viktor. The elevated Twist of Fate puts Viktor away at 3:45.

Rating: D. This is the kind of match that Bray and Matt needed as they go into the title match. There’s no reason to have them lose in Saudi Arabia so a win here is a good idea. Let them build up at least a little momentum before they go on to face a good team, even if this was only a step above a squash.

More Tweets on Bruno.

Here are Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for the Sami and Kevin Show. They hype up the Greatest Royal Rumble and say it’s great because one of them will win it. They’re here tonight because of Stephanie McMahon was smarter than their first guest, which means Sami and Kevin singing YOU SUCK.

Cue Angle to say that they shouldn’t quit their day jobs. Owens understands Angle’s bitterness as Stephanie has his manhood in a jar in Connecticut. They recap the conspiracy on Smackdown and say that Stephanie must hate Angle for what she’s done to him. Angle agrees, because if not for him then Stephanie would still have full use of her arm. Owens talks about Angle needing this job because he has five kids. Actually it’s six because Sami forgot Jason Jordan “just like Angle did for years.”

Angle warns them about the beating they’ll be receiving on Friday when they’re in the ring with him, Daniel Bryan, Shane McMahon, Chris Jericho and everyone else they’ve treated badly over the years. As for tonight, they can have a tag match with Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman. Can we please not do the Stephanie vs. Angle story again? It wasn’t great the first time.

The Miztourage offer their services to Seth Rollins but get shot down.

Greatest Royal Rumble rundown.

Titus Worldwide vs. Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre

Titus runs Ziggler over to start and a standing moonsault gives Crews two. A blind tag lets McIntyre kick him in the face though and Drew hits a reverse Alabama Slam to rock Apollo. The Claymore into the Zig Zag is good for the pin at 2:10.

Post match Ziggler brags about having a dangerous man watching his back. Drew says Ziggler is right because he’s dangerous to a soft locker room. People are just back there collecting checks and it makes him sick. This is how a superstar looks and speaks because he’s the wake up call and reality check that this place needs. Again: let Drew be a star on his own without Ziggler around. It doesn’t benefit anyone but Dolph, who will manage to let everyone down.

Chad Gable comes in to see Angle and asks about Jason Jordan. Angle says he’ll be back soon but Gable is here as a singles competitor. Jinder Mahal comes in and complains about not receiving a celebrating last week. He demands to be sent back to Smackdown and threatens to call Stephanie. Gable tells him to have some respect but Jinder thinks he’s Nicholas. It’s about to get physical so Angle makes a match right now.

Jinder Mahal vs. Chad Gable

Jinder jumps him before the bell and the referee starts the match anyway. Mahal hammers away but gets sent outside, where a hard clothesline drops Chad to send us to a break. Back with Gable in a chinlock until Mahal sends him chest first into the buckle. Gable fights up and starts in on the leg with a dragon screw legwhip, only to get caught with a hot shot. A running knee to the face rocks Gable again and the Khallas is loaded up. Gable walks the ropes though and flips back into a rollup for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: D+. That’s a good idea for a win, even if Mahal is getting a title shot on Friday. Gable has more personality than Mahal could ever hope to and with an Olympic wrestling background to go with it, there’s a lot of potential there. Mahal was trying here but my goodness the levels of boring are just too much to overcome.

The Riott Squad says last week was a message to the entire women’s division. They’re here to take over and Logan says a scared animal is easy prey. Riott promises to take over in the ten woman tag tonight. This was pretty rough.

More Bruno tweets.

We look at the Lesnar/Heyman/Reigns segment.

Samoa Joe has no problem with Reigns winning the title but he’s worried he won’t have anyone to put to sleep at Backlash.

We run down the rest of the Rumble card.

The Miztourage, in new shirts, offers their services to Finn Balor but their TOO SWEET offer is declined.

Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman/Bobby Lashley

Sami and Owens try to bail but Strowman throws them back in without too much trouble. Lashley forearms Owens down in the corner but it’s off to Sami for some right hands to take over. A suplex gives Sami two and the double teaming begins. Owens is sent outside and Lashley gets two off a crossbody but Owens pulls him to the floor. We hit a backsplash and it’s off to a break.

Back with Lashley fighting out of Sami’s chinlock and dropping him with a clothesline. That’s enough for the hot tag to Strowman, who runs around the ring and shoulders Owens down. Sami gets taken down as well so Strowman goes outside to run Owens over again, just as he gets up. Strowman does it a third time, this time with a dropkick as the fans are going insane for this stuff. That’s enough for Sami as he bails up the ramp, only to be thrown back inside by Lashley. There’s the delayed suplex to Sami (one arm version), followed by the running powerslam from Strowman for the pin at 12:03.

Rating: C. This might not have been a great match but it was entertaining. Strowman running Owens over three times in a row was making me laugh and Sami being tossed around like a toy was great. Strowman and Lashley could make for a very entertaining monster team and I could go with seeing more of them in the future.

Owens hasn’t moved since taking that dropkick in a funny visual.

Video on Baron Corbin.

Baron Corbin vs. No Way Jose

The Conga line is back. Actually hang on a second as Corbin isn’t coming to the ring with all of those people at ringside because he’s not going to get jumped. Corbin is here for serious competition but Jose isn’t on his level. Therefore, no way Jose. Corbin leaves so Jose starts the Conga line again, only to get jumped by Corbin on the stage, including the chokebreaker.

Alexa Bliss gives a public service announcement about bullying over Nia Jax. Apparently Nia ate the rest of a burrito bowl that Bliss was trying to give to a homeless woman but Alexa did nothing. She can make things right at Backlash when she gets the title back. This has been your Moment of Bliss.

Finn Balor/Seth Rollins vs. Miztourage

Axel runs Balor over to start and does a little dance before it’s off to Dallas for some knees. The chinlock goes on in a hurry but Balor is right back with a Pele for a breather. The hot tag brings in Rollins to clean house, including a suicide dive to take them both out. There’s the Sling Blade to Axel and it’s a Stomp into the Coup de Grace for the pin at 4:56.

Rating: D+. That felt so much shorter. I’m not sure what they’ll do with the Intercontinental Title as I can’t quite imagine Rollins making it through both title defenses without dropping it somewhere. If nothing else, Miz can tie the record for the most title reigns and move even closer to the record for most days. Either way, it would be nice to get on to something different from the Wrestlemania feuds.

Natalya fires her team up for the ten woman tag. Nia says that insulting her can be bad for your health. Bayley and Sasha stare at each other without saying anything.

More Bruno tweets.

Alexa Bliss/Mickie James/Riott Squad vs. Nia Jax/Natalya/Sasha Banks/Ember Moon/Bayley

Logan takes Banks to the mat to start and it’s off to Sasha vs. Morgan. Banks pulls her into the corner and hands it off to Ember as Booker talks about training Moon. A springboard spinning crossbody gets two and one heck of a suicide dive takes Morgan out as we take a break. Back with Logan chinlocking Banks but Mickie tags herself in, much to Logan’s annoyance.

That means another chinlock so let’s hit that inset promo for Reigns vs. Lesnar (I mean, it’s not like these people are going to the show or anything so giving their time to someone else is totally cool). Back again with Banks fighting up and bringing Natalya in to clean house. The Sharpshooter goes on but Logan makes the save with a chop block. She tags Bayley in but Mickie kicks the injured Natalya to the floor.

Her knee is bad enough that the trainers come out and Sasha checks on her as well. Bayley fights Riott off and the hot tag brings in Nia to wreck some people. Nia DIVES off the apron to take everyone out, leaving Mickie to baseball slide Natalya again. Trash talk ensues and here’s Ronda Rousey to defend her friend. Mickie baseball slides Ronda as well and the armbar makes Mickie tap for the DQ at 14:15 before I can finish typing this. Remember: Mickie James, a six time Women’s Champion and future Hall of Famer, was tapped out in seconds by the armbar. Stephanie McMahon blocked it three times.

Rating: D. Nia’s dive was good and the ending was fairly telegraphed (and fine) since Rousey getting into the regular division is a good idea. The rest of the match wasn’t much to see, especially with the inset promo about thirty seconds after the return from a commercial. I really hope that’s just a thing for this show and Wrestlemania, because we hear enough ads during the show, let alone during the matches.

Rousey helps Natalya to the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as they really pushed the Rumble too hard. I don’t know if they even pushed Wrestlemania this much in the go home show and that’s a little hard to take. If nothing else, get rid of the ads during the matches. Other than that though, this was a lot of setting things up going forward, which has me worried about Backlash. I believe we have three matches set at the moment and three TV shows left before we get there. But hey, at least we get the REALLY big house show before we get a worn out roster on Monday and Tuesday. Not a very good show this week.

Results

Elias b. Bobby Roode – Rollup

Matt Hardy/Bray Wyatt b. Ascension – Elevated Twist of ate to Viktor

Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre b. Titus Worldwide – Claymore/Zig Zag combination to Crews

Chad Gable b. Jinder Mahal – Rollup

Braun Strowman/Bobby Lashley b. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens – Running powerslam to Zayn

Finn Balor/Seth Rollins b. Miztourage – Coup de Grace to Dallas

Alexa Bliss/Mickie James/Riott Squad b. Nia Jax/Natalya/Ember Moon/Bayley/Sasha Banks via DQ when Ronda Rousey interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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