IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: XXV
Date: June 1, 2019
Location: Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

We’re at the latest big show, even without as much time as it seems that we usually get for these things. The big story here is Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole in a rematch for the NXT Title after Cole defeated him in the first fall of a 2/3 falls match. The card doesn’t feel as strong as others but that’s never stopped them from having a great show before. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the history of Takeover with some of the biggest moments the show has ever seen. There are certainly some great ones in there, plus a shot of all twenty five logos the show has ever had. We move into the regular video on the five matches tonight, including Cole vs. Gargano.

Roderick Strong vs. Matt Riddle

Riddle has been dealing with the entire Undisputed Era and it’s time to go after them one at a time. Strong can’t get anywhere on the mat to start and gets taken down with ease. The early Bromission attempt is broken up and it’s an early standoff. Some shoulders in the corner work better for Strong but Riddle is right back with some rolling gutwrench suplexes. Strong bails to the floor and gets forearmed off the steps for his efforts.

They forearm it out on the apron and Strong hits the first backbreaker to take over. A Rock Bottom backbreaker gets two and it’s time to go outside again with Riddle going ribs first into the post. Back in and some right hands give Strong two, followed by the Olympic Slam for the same. A very quick Bromission attempt is broken up so Riddle grabs a fisherman’s buster for a breather instead.

The rapid fire strikes give Riddle some more momentum and an exploder suplex makes it even better. The Broton into the running kick to the chest gets two and Riddle is spent. Some YES Kicks drop Strong again and a GTS into the German suplex gets two more. Strong enziguris him in the corner though and a top rope superplex gets a rather near fall. They slug it out again with Riddle’s back flaring up again, allowing Strong to tee off on him with a series of shots to the face.

The belly to back faceplant gets a VERY close two and Strong is stunned. The Stronghold is broken up and Riddle is back with a ripcord knee (the ripcord V Trigger according to Mauro) into a powerbomb. Riddle hits the Final Flash for two but Strong blocks a top rope twisting Broton with raised knees.

A tiger driver and a gutbuster get two and it’s straight into the Stronghold. That’s switched into a Liontamer but Riddle powers out of that as well, this time switching into the Bromission. The back gives out again though so Riddle elbows him in the face, setting up a reverse Neutralizer (the Bro Derrick, or at least that’s what it sounded like) to give Riddle the pin at 14:41.

Rating: A-. This was a match where you knew the end result but they managed to make me care about how we got there. Riddle survived a bunch in there and managed to win in the end, which was a good test for him. It’s clear that he’s (or Velveteen Dream) is going to get the rocket push soon enough and this was a great performance on the way there.

Shawn Michaels and Road Dogg are here.

We recap the Tag Team Titles, which were vacated by the Viking Raiders to head up to Raw (where they have been so well used). Therefore the titles are vacant and are hanging above the ring in a ladder match with four teams coming for them.

Tag Team Titles: Forgotten Sons vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Street Profits vs. Undisputed Era

Ladder match for the vacant titles and there are no seconds. It’s a brawl to start as you had to see coming with the Era taking over early on. Blake gets low bridged to the floor and it’s time for a showdown with Lorcan and Burch. Lorcan chops away but Burch gets knocked down and the Era takes over again. It’s time for the first ladder but Blake suicide dives down to take the Era out. A bunch of people wind up brawling in front of the ring so Dawkins can dive onto all of them.

The Profits climb a ladder at the same time, allowing the Era to come back in for the save. Blake knocks the Era down again with O’Reilly landing back first on the ladder. The Sons put the ladder around their heads to clean house until Burch and Lorcan hit stereo release German suplexes, sending the ladder flying in a spot that could have gone a lot worse. The Profits are back in to take down Lorcan and Burch, with Ford hitting a heck of a frog splash.

O’Reilly is back in with a missile dropkick to break up a climb attempt but he bangs up his back even worse. It’s the Era loading up the ladder with Fish going up, only to have Blake toss powerbomb O’Reilly into the ladder for the huge crash, with Fish thankfully landing on O’Reilly. The big ladder is brought in and Cutler goes up….but stops to stomp onto Fish as Cutler hits a reverse DDT. There was absolutely nothing stopping him from getting the belts there.

Now the Sons go up again but Burch and Dawkins make the save with a Doomsday elbow/Doomsday Blockbuster each. O’Reilly starts going up but here’s Jaxson Ryker to buckle bomb him into a ladder. Ryker shoves Dawkins down and crushes him with a ladder in the corner over and over. Lorcan charges at Ryker and gets backdropped onto the edge of the ladder for a scary spot. Fans to Ryker: “WE DON’T LIKE YOU!”

Everyone gets together to beat down Ryker, who I don’t think got over as well as NXT would have liked him to here. About eight ladder shots to the back crush him for good and it’s back to “regularly scheduled hostilities.” Ryker is getting back up as the Era loads up a ladder so they hit him in the face with it instead. Ford adds a big running flip dive and it’s time for Burch and Lorcan to beat everyone up with the ladders.

They throw the ladder at the Forgotten Sons and go up the big ladder with the Era making the save. The four of them wind up on a pair of ladders but the Sons shove all of them over. The Profits come back in though with Dawkins spearing Cutler down and Ford springboarding onto the ladder to knock Blake off. Ford pulls down the titles at 21:19.

Rating: B. Ryker getting this much attention hurt things a bit as he almost had his own section in the middle of the match. What matters here though is they pulled the trigger on someone new and paid off their chase over the last few months. They were the right choice and they have a bunch of matches waiting on them, which is a great future.

Candice LeRae says she has Io Shirai’s back.

We recap Tyler Breeze vs. Velveteen Dream. Breeze has gone up to the main roster without the greatest success while Dream has taken over NXT. Now Breeze is back and wanting to reclaim his spot, but Dream says there is only room for one spotlight and it belongs to him. Breeze hit him with his phone and the match was set.

North American Title: Tyler Breeze vs. Velveteen Dream

Dream is defending and has some fans (as in the kind you wave in your face) for his entrance, which isn’t quite as big as I was expecting. He even throws a glove at Breeze and the fans are split to start. They fight over arm control to start and Dream bails from an early Unprettier attempt, allowing Breeze to lay on the ropes and wave a foot at Dream. A modified Backstabber gives Breeze one and he sends Dream to the floor.

The suicide dive hits forearm and it’s Dream coming back in with a double ax handle. Breeze is right back and wraps the knee around the post to take over. Dream punches him out of the air on the floor for a breather but the Dream Valley Driver is broken up. The half crab has Dream in more trouble and Breeze dropkicks him out to the floor. Breeze follows and eats a superkick, followed by some face first rams into the announcers’ table.

With Breeze down, Dream grabs a phone and the title, demanding that Breeze say cheese for a selfie. The distraction lets Breeze get in the Supermodel Kick but Dream snaps off a Dream Valley Driver. It’s too early for the Purple Rainmaker though as Breeze gets in an enziguri but Breeze’s high crossbody is rolled through for two. The DreamDT is blocked as well and Breeze’s second Supermodel Kick gets two more.

Dream blocks the Unprettier again and plants him with the DreamDT for another near fall. It’s time to go up again and this time Dream gets crotched but he’s fine enough for a hard knee to the face. They fight over a Tombstone of all things until Dream hits his own Unprettier for two.

The Purple Rainmaker hits raised knees (still don’t get how that doesn’t hurt the knee even more) and it’s the Supermodel Kick into the Unprettier to give Breeze his own crazy near fall. The Beauty Shot out of nowhere sends Dream outside and you can see the frustration setting in for Breeze. That’s nearly enough for the countout but Dream has the title, which is thrown to the referee. Now it’s the Dream Valley Driver into the Purple Rainmaker to retain at 16:47.

Rating: B+. That was teasing a heel turn at the end there but Dream didn’t actually cheat so we can chalk it up to mind games. Turning Dream isn’t going to work anyway as the fans just are not going to boo the guy so I don’t see the point. It’s another very good match and that’s all you would have expected from these two on this stage.

Post match they do take the selfie together and everything seems cool.

Damian Priest (Punishment Martinez) is coming.

We recap Io Shirai vs. Shayna Baszler. Shirai is the best talent from Japan and wants to prove that she can do it here too. Baszler says no one has been able to beat her and everyone who has tried has been run out of NXT.

Women’s Title: Io Shirai vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler is defending. Shirai charges straight at her but gets taken down so Baszler can load up the arm stomp. That doesn’t quite work though and Shirai slaps her in the face. The champ gets sent outside and the baseball slide her has in trouble. Back in and the arm stomp works the second time around as Shirai is down for the first time.

Baszler starts in on the arm with stomps and pulling but Shirai gets in a German suplex for a breather. A 619 gives Shirai two more and she pulls Baszler down into a Crossface. That’s reversed into a side slam and they head up top with Shirai dropkicking him down to the floor. Shirai hits the big moonsault, followed by some running double knees back inside. Cue Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir but LeRae makes the save with the kendo stick.

The distraction lets Baszler get in a failed Kirifuda Clutch attempt as Shirai slips out in a hurry. Shirai’s moonsault misses but she backflips out of another Clutch for two. Shirai tries to bridge back into a cover but gets caught in the full Clutch. The hold stays on for a very long time until Shirai finally taps at 12:12.

Rating: B. Another rather good match here as Baszler cleans out a little more of the division. Candice is pretty much the only one left and that should be a rather good match. If nothing else the moment will work very well with the fans being rather pleased. Baszler staying in NXT as long as she can is the right call though as she is going to be buried horribly on the main roster.

Post match Shirai snaps and destroys Baszler with the kendo stick, plus hitting a moonsault while holding a chair. That almost has to be a heel turn after Shirai lost completely clean.

Stephanie McMahon is here.

We recap the main event. Cole beat Gargano in the first fall of a 2/3 falls match and has claimed that he deserves a rematch since. The Undisputed Era and Matt Riddle have been brought in since and this is the big rematch.

NXT Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole

Cole is challenging and gets rapped to the ring. Gargano on the other hand has Captain Marvel inspired gear. Cole wastes no time in trying for the Last Shot but heads outside when Gargano glares at him. Back in and it’s time to fight over wrist control as the fans are split again. The Gargano Escape attempt earns Johnny a forearm to the face so he hurricanranas Cole to the floor.

The running flip dive from the apron has Cole down again and Gargano seems a bit stiff off the landing. Gargano starts in on the arm as the technical side continues. With the armbar broken up, Cole superkicks the leg to go after a limb of his own. Cole wraps the knee around the ropes and tries to bend it forward for a bit. Gargano comes back with a small package and a middle rope….something is countered into a powerbomb to give Gargano two.

There’s an overhead belly to belly and the rolling kick to Cole’s head makes it even worse. A middle rope Downward Spiral gets two and the slingshot spear gives Gargano the same. Gargano goes up and has to fight out of a sunset bomb, only to dive into a Backstabber for two more. The jumping enziguri rocks the champ and it’s a reverse fireman’s carry facebuster to bang up Johnny’s face again. Cole hits a superkick but dives into one from Gargano so they head to the floor for an exchange of superkicks and a double knockdown.

Cole gets back in first, allowing Gargano to hit the slingshot DDT for the very near fall. With Cole on the floor, Gargano wants the suicide dive but the leg is too hurt, allowing Cole to kick him in the head. The fireman’s carry backbreaker gets two more on Gargano and they’re both winded. Gargano throws him off the ropes so Cole lands on the bad arm, setting up the Gargano Escape. There is indeed an escape though and Cole gets in a Figure Four to go back to the leg.

Gargano gets smart by grabbing the arm to make Cole scream, setting up the turnover and the escape. That’s enough for Cole as he snaps and stomps away at the knee even more, setting up a JOHNNY DEFENSE chant. Johnny kicks away another Figure Four attempt and hits the slingshot DDT, which sends Cole to the floor again. The suicide dive is superkicked out of the air and a Canadian Destroyer off the apron knocks Gargano silly….for two. Cole tells Johnny that it’s over but the Last Shot misses.

Gargano can’t get the Gargano Escape as Cole reverses into one of his own, which is escaped as well. Now it’s Gargano hitting his own Last Shot for two, meaning we need a strike off. They trade even more superkicks until Gargano grabs a reverse hurricanrana. Cole pops up for the Last Shot and the very near fall so it’s time for a chair. Gargano doesn’t care and it’s a suicide dive….which hits the referee. With the referee down, Cole signals for someone from the back so Gargano grabs the chair, allowing Cole to hit a hanging piledriver for the next very near fall.

Gargano collapses to prevent the Last Shot from hitting again, which suckers Cole in for the Gargano Escape with Gargano crossing his legs to prevent Cole from hitting him. Cole rolls over and elbows the knee to get out though and some more kicks to the knee look to set up another Destroyer. Gargano sits down on it for two but Cole kicks him in the face again. Now the Destroyer into the Last Shot finishes Gargano at 31:47.

Rating: A-. I liked this one better than the previous match and the ending was the right call. Cole had to win the title at some point and beating Gargano clean here was the right way to go. Gargano is the kind of guy who can bounce back from a loss in a hurry and is better off as the guy who loses and has to fight back. This was rather great, though I was getting a little tired of the same moves over and over at the end.

The Undisputed Era comes in to celebrate (with Fish’s arm in a sling) to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. Just once, just once, I’d like to see NXT have a bad match (let alone a bad show) to see how the reaction went. The worst match they had here would have been one of the best matches on almost any other show, which just isn’t normal. It’s another great show with nothing even close to bad, though somehow it pales in comparison to how incredible New York was. Two title changes made it feel important though and Breeze being there tied it into the past. It’s worth seeing (of course) and now we can move on to Toronto with a proper build.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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: May 28, 2019
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Aiden English, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

We seem to be getting ready for Akira Tozawa to challenge for the Cruiserweight Title against Tony Nese, which is certainly an upgrade over Ariya Daivari. I’m not sure what we should expect with the rest of the show but this has become one of the better series around as of late, which says a lot about where things are in WWE these days. Let’s get to it.

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

Jack Gallagher is watching last week’s match when Humberto Carrillo comes in. They both enjoyed beating up the Singh Brothers but there is still an uneasiness between them. Gallagher needs to know that he can beat Carrillo so he’ll have a chance tonight.

Opening sequence.

Brian Kendrick vs. Mike Kanellis

Kendrick rushes him to start but misses a big boot. Instead it’s an early Captain’s Hook attempt with Kanellis bailing to the floor. Kendrick follows him outside though and Kanellis’ chop hits the post. Kanellis is fine enough to hit a suplex into the barricade, followed by a regular one for two back inside.

The chinlock sets up a spinebuster for two on Kendrick with the kickout stopping Maria’s proud strut. Kanellis puts him on top for some chops and shoves off a leg lariat after Kendrick gets back down. Kendrick is right back with the Captain’s Hook but Kanellis gets over to the rope in a hurry. They head outside with Kendrick suplexing him off the steps for a nasty looking landing.

Back in and Sliced Bread #2 is broken up so it’s right back to the Captain’s Hook. Kanellis fights up again and gets in a Samoan driver for a needed breather. They slug it out and trade superkicks before a pair of clotheslines give us a double knockdown. Kendrick is up first and now Sliced Bread connects with a delayed cover getting two. Kanellis hits another Samoan driver into the rolling cutter for the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C+. Kanellis is starting to get better but he needs something better than the rolling cutter for a finisher. That and a personality might do him a lot of good. Getting a clean win is a positive sign for him though and a match down the line against Tony Nese for the Cruiserweight Champion could be a nice match.

Nese comes in to see Drake Maverick when Tozawa comes in. The champ offers Tozawa a title match and makes a formal request but Maverick says he’s only taking it under consideration.

Ariya Daivari yells at his barber and says he’s still coming for the Cruiserweight Title. Before he gets there though, he’s going to get even with Oney Lorcan for cutting his ear open last week.

Noam Dar vs. Mike Karma

Feeling out process to start with Dar not really taking Karma all that seriously. Dar throws him outside and poses, with a chant of EASY. Another toss to the floor keeps Karma down but he comes back in for some forearms. Dar isn’t having any of that and kicks the leg out, setting up the Nova Roller for the pin at 2:22. Just a squash.

Post match Dar says he’s back despite the jet lag from performing in NXT UK. Oh and Oklahoma sucks.

Maverick talks about the potential Cruiserweight Title match….but then chases after R-Truth and the 24/7 Title. He’s the boss of a show and he’s literally in a chase scene.

Oney Lorcan thinks Ariya Daivari is looking unbalanced after last week so he’ll bust open Daivari’s other ear to even things out.

Jack Gallagher vs. Humberto Carrillo

Feeling out process to start with Gallagher spinning out of an early wristlock in that very British way. Gallagher gets in a hammerlock with his leg and pulls back on the other arm, eventually getting it behind his back to bend back onto the mat (FREAKING OW MAN!). That’s broken up to avoid the death of Carrillo’s arm and he cranks on Gallagher’s foot for some near falls. A headlock keeps Jack in trouble until he walks on his hands to escape. An armdrag into an armbar has Gallagher frustrated again and it works so well that Carrillo does it again.

Gallagher is back up with his handstand in the corner so Carrillo mirrors him in the opposite corner. With that (hand) stand off over, Carrillo gets another armdrag into a dropkick but Gallagher sends him outside. That means a whip into the barricade, followed by a kick to the head back inside as Gallagher gets a lot more aggressive. We hit the chinlock and Gallagher pulls him back down to prevent an escape. It’s off to a reverse chinlock for a real change of pace, followed by the regular chinlock again.

The holds are finally broken until a dropkick puts Carrillo down again. That doesn’t last long as Carrillo hits the springboard spinning crossbody to send Gallagher to the floor. That means the suicide dive with Carrillo coming up holding his arm. The arm is fine enough for a standing moonsault, followed by a Disaster kick for two. Carrillo gets caught up top and it’s a belly to back superplex, meaning both of them head outside for a breather.

Gallagher charges into a hiptoss into the barricade. They head to the apron with Carrillo hitting a missile dropkick to the back to keep Gallagher in trouble. The top rope moonsault hits raised boots though and Gallagher hits the running dropkick to put him on the floor. That means a dive from Gallagher but Carrillo gets a rollup for two back inside. A double clothesline gives us a double knockdown and a quick breather. Gallagher is up first for a delayed vertical suplex, which is reversed into a hard DDT. A twisting 450 gives Carrillo the pin at 16:04.

Rating: B. This was your usual long but quality main event around here as Carrillo continues to be built up. He has the look and ability to make a run around here at the moment and that’s a good idea. The finisher helps too as they haven’t had a traditional high flying face in a little while.

Post match they shake hands and hug with Gallagher leaving.

Overall Rating: B. Another good show here, assuming you don’t mind the fact that a lot of the stars on the show aren’t the most interesting in the world. They’re starting to build up some people for the next generation, but there are things that still need to be done to make the show more interesting. At least the wrestling was good though, which is better than you get a lot of the time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

Pay per view is one of the most important aspects of professional wrestling. You can get a lot out of television, but at the same time you need a big show to build towards. That’s where pay per view came in, though originally they were fairly infrequent. Eventually the shows became more common, and the WWF even offered a series of cheaper shows. That’s where In Your House came into play, though there was a lot more to it than just some lower priced events.

In this book, I’ll be looking at all twenty eight editions of In Your House, which ran over the course of about four years. Each show will be broken down match by match and segment by segment. Included will be analysis and ratings for the shows to see what worked and didn’t work about the entire series.

The book runs about 270 pages and is available on Amazon both in a physical paperback for $9.99 or an e-book format for $2.99. In case you don’t have a Kindle, there are plenty of FREE apps you can get from Amazon for pretty much any electronic device, all of which are available at this link.

here as an e-book.

here as an e-book.

Or if you’re in another country with its own Amazon page, just search “KB’s History Of In Your House”.

Also you can still get any of my previous books on the Intercontinental Championship, Monday Night Raw from 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003 and the first half of 2014, Smackdown 2003, Monday Nitro from 1995-1999, In Your House, Summerslam, Starrcade, ECW Pay Per Views, Royal Rumble, Saturday Night’s Main Event, the WWF and WCW pay per views from 1998, Wrestlemania, WWE Grab Bag and Clash of the Champions, NXT Volumes I, II and III at my author’s page here.

I hope you like it and shoot me any questions you might have.

KB

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 29, 2001
Location: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 13,449
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

So I just did the Smackdown from the week before so now we’ll see the followup for the sake of continuity. We’re coming off the Royal Rumble and on the way to No Way Out, meaning Steve Austin vs. HHH/Vince McMahon is currently the top story. That’s not the worst place in the world to be and this is a pretty strong time for the company. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Here’s hometown hero and WWF Champion Kurt Angle to open things up. Angle brags about being the most valuable sperm donor in town, Angle shows us a clip from last year where he declared himself Pittsburgh’s hometown hero in this very arena. He even told Mario Lemieux to come back to the Pittsburgh Penguins, which Lemieux did in the year in between. You can imagine the gloating off that one, but Angle would rather talk about tonight’s fatal four way for a title shot this week on Smackdown.

Angle omits the Rock from the list of participants so here’s Rock to interrupt. Rock didn’t like being left out so he’s here to set things straight. First of all, Rock doesn’t quite agree with Angle taking credit for Lemieux return, leading to a string of various swearing and insults. With the mean things out of the way, Rock has some footage of his own, which suggests that Angle likes….pizza. Angle freaks out and Rock shows us a local pizza ad from a few years ago with Angle watching pizza toppings wrestle. Ok yeah it’s goofy, but Rock was in a series of Chef Boyardee commercials in 1999 with the jingle Gettin Cheffy With It.

Back in the arena, Rock asks about Angle saying it doesn’t matter who is in the four way, setting up the IT DOESN’T MATTER what doesn’t matter line. Rock promises to win tonight and then take the title on Thursday but here’s Big Show (also in the four way) to jump Rock from behind. Angle is very pleased as Show hits a big clothesline, but a point from Show makes the nerves go right back up.

The XFL is coming in five days. On my birthday no less.

Tag Team Titles: Dudley Boyz vs. Edge and Christian

The Dudleys are defending but Edge and Christian come out in street clothes. As I try to figure out what street they could possibly be from, Christian says Edge is sick with food poisoning he got last week at Smackdown. He even has a note from a “real professional doctor.” They have replacements though.

Tag Team Titles: Dudley Boyz vs. Kaientai

The Dudleys are still defending and Kaientai promise to win by the power of Grayskull. Edge and Christian sit in on commentary (JR: “Oh goody. Hot dog.) as D-Von sends Funaki face first into the top turnbuckle. Bubba punches Taka in the face as we look at commentary for a rather annoying trope. D-Von drops his good looking legdrop for two on Funaki as Edge and Christian insist that they are NOT scared of the Dudleys.

The reverse inverted DDT slam gets two on Taka and it’s off to Bubba to clean house, despite the team being firmly in control before the tag. What’s Up hits Funaki and it’s an electric chair drop into a neckbreaker (that’s a new one) to Taka. That’s enough to draw Edge in for a spear on D-Von and the Canadians bail. Funaki gets the least intriguing near fall in a long time and it’s the 3D to retain the titles.

Rating: D. Well they tried, though it wasn’t the most thrilling match any way you looked at it. There is only so much you can do to make me believe that Kaientai is a real threat to the Dudleys and the titles so this was about as good as it was going to get. If nothing else, Edge and Christian vs. the Dudleys will be great, as always.

Vince promises a match tonight for the #1 contendership when HHH and Stephanie storm in with an attorney named Brian Gerwitz (ha). HHH is worried about the contract signing but Vince has it covered.

Rock left the medic’s room earlier after refusing treatment.

Billy Gunn is worried about Chyna but wants her to get better and move forward with everything else going on in her life.

Val Venis vs. Steve Blackman

The Right To Censor is trying to get rid of Steve’s weapons. Therefore, Blackman has a full bag of them. Blackman strikes away to start until a belly to back suplex gets Venis out of trouble. Steven Richards gets in a few cheap shots on the floor because that’s what he’s supposed to do in a match.

There’s a whip into the steps to make it worse for Blackman as this is almost one sided so far. Back in and we hit the chinlock with Ivory shouting that violence is unacceptable. Blackman fights up and kicks him in the ribs, setting up a snap suplex for a breather. The comeback is shortlived though as Richards gets in a cheap shot from the floor, allowing Venis to get a rollup for the pin.

Rating: D. There’s an idea to the Right To Censor but at the same time there was only so much that could be done when their biggest star was either the Goodfather or Venis. Struggling to beat Steve Blackman isn’t a good sign either and the lack of a top star was a reason why the team never went anywhere. That and the fact that they weren’t supposed to.

Post match Blackman clotheslines Venis and beats up Richards. Bull Buchanan runs in for the save but Hardcore Holly makes the real save with some weapons. He throws Blackman some nunchucks and the beatdown is on in a hurry. Holly and Blackman tease a fight but agree to settle it over a warm cup of tea instead.

Tough Enough video submissions, including Josh Lomberger (Matthews).

Vince is on the phone with someone who is recovering and suggests massages. William Regal comes in with a cup of tea because it can relieve Vince’s stress. Vince seems pleasantly surprised.

Video on HHH vs. Steve Austin. HHH was revealed as the mastermind behind Austin being run over by a car back in 1999 and then cost him the WWF Title. Austin cost him the title at the Royal Rumble and then won the Rumble later in the night. They need one more match, and they’ll do that at No Way Out.

HHH rants about how he can’t trust anyone in this.

Austin says he’ll sign and he’ll even do it first.

Here’s Vince to emcee the contract signing. Vince talks about the hatred between the two and says the stipulations for the match are to be determined. However, there can be no violence between the two of them until No Way Out, unless it is in a sanctioned match. If HHH attacks Austin, he is suspended for six months. If Austin attacks HHH, he loses his WWF Title match at Wrestlemania.

HHH (with Stephanie and attorney) and Austin both come out and sit down as the fans are rather mean to Stephanie. Hold on though as Austin needs some beer. They stare each other down and Austin signs without saying anything. HHH’s attorney has to read the contract again and there’s something that HHH doesn’t like. We pause for some reading and Austin isn’t happy.

HHH signs….and hits Austin in the head with the metal briefcase. The beatdown is on as everyone is freaking out about the suspension. The Pedigree lays Austin out and Vince tells HHH that he’s been suspended for six months. Actually that’s not true…..because HHH didn’t actually sign. NOW he signs and gets in a gem with “Paragraph 3:16 says you can’t touch me.” I’ve always liked this segment.

The XFL is coming in five days.

Post break, here’s what you just saw before the break.

HHH and Stephanie left during the break but did make sure to pop out of the sunroof for some bragging.

APA vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Right To Censor

The winners get a title shot on Smackdown and that would be Buchanan and Goodfather for the RTC. It’s a brawl to start before the RTC even gets here with Jacqueline and Lita fighting on the ramp. With that broken up, the RTC comes in and it’s Buchanan attacking Matt to start. Everything breaks down in a hurry with Jeff missing the Whisper in the Wind. Bradshaw Clotheslines Buchanan with Goodfather making a save. That’s enough to allow Jeff to drop the Swanton for the pin and the title shot in a hurry.

Rock confirms that he will be in the four way because all Show did was tick him off. Payback is guaranteed.

Big Show laughs.

Hardcore Title: Raven vs. Crash

Crash is challenging and has Molly Holly in his corner. Raven brings his shopping cart full of weapons and uses it to knock Crash off the ramp. A tricycle toss misses Crash and they’re already in the crowd. Crash dives off the balcony with an ax handle and catapults Raven into a sign. They head into the concourse with JR and King using the time to plug the XFL. Raven throws a mop bucket at him and gets sent into a wall for his efforts.

Some kind of cart crushes Raven against the wall and Crash dives through the cart to take him down again. They head outside for a bulldog onto a park bench but Raven kicks Molly away before she can crotch him against a tree. Crash does it on his own but a masked woman jumps out of a car and saves Raven. Molly goes after her and gets thrown down, allowing the masked woman to hit Crash in the back so Raven can steal the pin.

Rating: C. This was pretty entertaining for a hardcore match as they were trying out there. You can only get so far in a match like this if you just hit each other with stuff so going out of the ring and trying something new is the way to go. The tree part was funny and the kind of thing you need some creativity to do and it worked out well here.

Raven and the woman (never revealed but I believe it was going to be Tori) drive off.

Chris Benoit isn’t worried about the four way.

Undertaker vs. Haku

Kane and Rikishi are here as seconds. They waste no time in slugging it out with Undertaker hitting a big boot into the legdrop for two. Old School already connects but Undertaker goes outside to beat up Rikishi. The distraction lets Haku get in a few shots and “slam” Undertaker down by the head (Haku seemed to lose the grip and Undertaker fell by himself). Back up and the jumping clothesline puts Haku down again and the jumping DDT has more effect than you might expect. Rikishi and Kane get in a fight on the floor to break up the Tombstone….so Undertaker hits a chokeslam to win a few seconds later instead.

Rating: D. Just a bunch of hitting each other until the finish here, which isn’t the most thrilling match in the world. Then again, the Brothers of Destruction against Rikishi and Haku isn’t the most interesting match either. Rikishi isn’t an imposing main eventer and Undertaker just beat Haku in four minutes. Where is the threat here?

Post match Rikishi chairs Undertaker in the head to bust him open but he’s right back up to clear the ring with Kane’s help.

Post break Undertaker thinks there is too much talking going on so now it’s time to fight. Let’s have a First Blood match on Smackdown. Undertaker: “I like to bleed. It turns me on!”

Dean Malenko, a real ladies’ man, is at WWF New York and can’t stand being away from Lita much longer. They’ll be back together real soon and the Hardys won’t come between them again.

Lita vs. Jacqueline

Ivory is on commentary as the winner faces her on Smackdown. They start fast with a Cactus Clothesline putting them both on the floor as Ivory accuses JR of fantasizing about him. Apparently big JR fans, Jacqueline and Lita dive onto Ivory and the match is thrown out in a hurry. Lita’s music plays but she didn’t seem to win.

We look at the contract signing again, with HHH apparently only signing one H before attacking Austin. That might be stretching the legal definition of not signing. One thing I always appreciate: they keep saying February 25 as the date of the show. Not “four weeks from now” or “at No Way Out”. It’s a definitive date so you know when the show is taking place. Why is that so much to ask?

Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Big Show vs. The Rock

Benoit breaks up the cover but Show is right there to beat up everyone else. Jericho’s high crossbody is pulled out of the air but Benoit comes in to cut Show down. Rock comes back in for his clotheslines and Show gets tossed outside. That’s fine with Benoit, who snaps off a German suplex to Rock. The Swan Dive only hits mat and Rock’s Samoan drop gets two.

Show comes back in and gets DDTed but Rock has to go outside to deal with Jericho. Rock comes back in to break up the Crossface and the Lionsault hits Benoit for two. Jericho tries the Walls on Rock but Show grabs him by the throat. Benoit kicks Show low and the Canadians send Show outside, leaving Rock to Rock Bottom Benoit for the pin and the title shot.

Rating: B. That was a very fast match but they packed a lot into it and didn’t bother wasting time. Why bother doing anything more than exactly what the fans want to see here? There’s no need to build it up as anything more than what it was: four people giving it all they had to become the #1 contender, which is what you should be trying to do almost all the time.

Angle tells Rock to bring it to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It continues to amaze me how much easier these old shows are to watch. There’s an energy to them and they get through things so quickly without having the show drag. That and there’s not a ton of comedy to them. Not everything needs to have some kind of a joke included and they realized that here. It’s an entertaining show that made me want to see more, with the contract signing even having a good twist included. Well done, and it wasn’t even that great of a show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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: May 29, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix, Mauro Ranallo

It’s the go home show for Takeover and that means we should be in for some nice final push segments towards the show. The card feels a little thrown together but that has never stopped NXT from making these things work before. If they do things right, we could be in for another classic. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Mia Yim

Rematch from three weeks ago where Belair won. Mia dropkicks her to the floor early on and Bianca isn’t sure what to do. Back in and Bianca takes her down with a double leg but gets reversed so Mia can hammer away even more. A Cannonball in the corner keeps Bianca in trouble but she comes back with a kick to the face for two.

It’s off to a double chickenwing to keep Yim down, followed by a delayed vertical suplex (with squats) to show off Belair’s power. Mia is right back with a Tarantula and an SOS for two so an annoyed Belair dropkicks her in the face. The cocky cover gets one but what looks like a Glam Slam is countered into a rollup to give Mia two. Belair forearms the heck out of her for one and it’s back to the double chickenwing.

That’s broken up as well and a shot to the face gives us a double knockdown. Code Red (that’s becoming WAY too popular of a move these days) gives Mia two more and Eat Defeat sends Belair outside. They chop it out on the ramp and dive back in at nine with Belair taking over again. Yim pulls the hair to get out of a powerbomb though and Protect Yo Neck finishes Belair at 10:08.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on either of them but the match was a good one with Belair thinking she was better than Yim due to being so much better of a pure athlete. Yim is the kind of person who is going to fight no matter what and that’s what she did here, which made for a good story being told. Belair continues to be really annoying, so at least she has the heel stuff down.

Long video on Tyler Breeze vs. Velveteen Dream, with Dream talking about how Breeze went to NXT and was overwhelmed so he’s back here to recapture his former glory. There is only room for one person to steal the spotlight here and that’s what Dream does. That’s a good story between two people who are rather similar at their cores.

We look back at Io Shirai saving Candice LeRae from the Horsewomen last week.

Shayna Baszler and the Horsewomen aren’t worried about Shirai because Shirai can’t bring weapons to Takeover. Baszler’s weapons, as in the Horsewomen, are right here.

Drew Gulak vs. Kushida

One fan tries to start a GULAK chant and thankfully gives up in short order. Gulak’s wristlock doesn’t last long as Kushida takes him down, only to get reversed into a hammerlock. Kushida rolls away from that as well and it’s a standoff. A grab of the leg sets up a half crab on Kushida, which is broken up in a hurry. Kushida switches to a triangle and Gulak slaps his leg, which looked a lot like a tap but doesn’t count here.

The hold is broken up again and it’s off to an also quickly broken Crossface. Kushida can’t keep an Octopus hold on either and neither can hit a hiptoss. Instead Kushida gets sent to the apron and snaps the arm over the top rope. Back in and Gulak’s arm is fine enough for a gutbuster, followed by something like an Octopus hold on the mat. That’s broken up as well and Kushida gets the hiptoss, this time into an armbreaker.

Since a hold can’t stay on for more than a few seconds, Gulak gets up and grabs an ankle lock. That’s reversed into another armbreaker which is reversed into another ankle lock. Kushida scores with an enziguri into the corner and the Hoverboard Lock goes on. Gulak rolls away but gets caught in a Downward Spiral. What looks to be a camel clutch is rolled into a rollup to pin Gulak at 8:15.

Rating: B. This was the human chess match which can be so fun to watch. These two were countering everything the other had and it was really entertaining to see where they were going from move to move. The ending felt like a clean version of Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania XVII with all those submission holds (they even had a Crossface and ankle locks) until someone got caught in a pin.

Post match Gulak yells but Kushida holds up three fingers.

Io Shirai isn’t worried about the Horsewomen but Candice LeRae comes up to say she has her back at Takeover.

Takeover rundown.

Video on Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole. Johnny has worked hard to get here but Cole thinks that he deserves the title because of how great he is. Oh and pinning Gargano in the first fall in New York.

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Forgotten Sons

Burch armbars Blake to start but a blind tag lets Cutler come in for a double back elbow. A double backbreaker gives Blake two but it’s quickly off to Lorcan for the chops. Jaxson Ryker offers a distraction though, allowing Blake to hit a clothesline. Ryker gets ejected (Mauro: “IT’S ABOUT TIME!” We’re not even two minutes into the match.) and here are the Street Profits to jump him. The Profits come in for the double DQ at 2:11.

Post match, with the fans chanting THANK YOU PROFITS, the fight is on with the Sons bringing in chairs. Cue the full Undisputed Era to beat everyone down and hit the pose. Cole grabs a ladder and the Era drives it into Ryker’s face. The ladder is set up on the stage and Cole sits on top of it, promising Johnny Gargano and Matt Riddle that Takeover will be Undisputed to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I don’t know if it’s the fast turnaround or that we’re coming off the previous awesome Takeover, but this one isn’t feeling like the biggest show in the world. I’m sure it’s going to be very good, but that’s not exactly the kind of level that you expect from NXT. This was a strong enough go home show, though I’m not exactly sold on the entire card.

Results

Mia Yim b. Bianca Belair – Protect Yo Neck

Kushida b. Drew Gulak – Rollup

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Forgotten Sons went to a double DQ when the Street Profits interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: May 29, 2019
Location: Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s time for some fallout as last week saw Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel interfered to cost Pete Dunne his rematch against Walter for the United Kingdom Title. It seems like Dunne needs some friends and that’s just what he has. Other than that we have one more week before the four way for the #1 contendership. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s main event with Dunne getting cheated out of the title.

Opening sequence.

Here are Walter, Barthel and Aichner to open things up, with the fans giving a loud WE WANT DUNNE chant. We have to wait a second for the fans to calm down as it’s another case of no one being bale to say a word. Barthel says they are here to lead us to a better NXT UK and raise the professionalism of their sport. They are the ones to lead because they hold true power. Aichner says Dunne and British Strong Style have expired. None of them can lead NXT UK in the right direction so now it’s up to the three of them.

Walter says this mat is sacred to them and the three of them will be known as Imperium. This brings out British Strong Style and they waste no time in starting the fight. A cameraman goes down so the camera sits on its side as referees come out….and we lose the feed. Nice job with the tease.

Sid Scala makes the six man tag for two weeks.

Mark Coffey/Wolfgang vs. A-Kid/Carlos Romo

Wolfgang runs Romo over at the bell and it’s off to Coffey for a toss across the ring as the destruction is on fast. The fans are behind Gallus for a change as Romo gets a rollup for two and brings A-Kid for a breather. That goes badly as well as Coffey hits a chokeslam and brings Wolfgang back in for more aggressive shouting. Coffey’s seated full nelson keeps A-Kid in trouble and he swings it around for a bonus. A jawbreaker gets A-Kid over for a tag….and Wolfgang ax handles him in the chest to knock him silly. Wolfgang powerslams A-Kid as Coffey adds an enziguri for the pin at 3:28.

Rating: C. Rebuilding Gallus isn’t the worst idea in the world as Imperium is going to need someone to fight after they get done with British Strong Style. Then again this was in Scotland so Gallus was going to be more over here than anywhere else in the world so it’s not likely to carry on from here.

Xia Brookside doesn’t like Jinny bringing in Jazzy Gabbert to do her dirty work. Isla Dawn comes in and offers a partnership, which intrigues Xia.

Joseph Conners wants to see how tough Ilja Dragunov really is.

Video on next week’s four way.

Kassius Ohno vs. Jack Gallagher

They take their time to start with Ohno’s headlock sending Gallagher over to the ropes for a clean break. Ohno takes him down and starts in on the leg but Gallagher spins up with ease to show off the technical skills. It’s right back to the ankle before Ohno switches over to an armbar. Gallagher tries three straight handstands before going with a headscissors to take over. Ohno uses his own bouncing escape before popping to his feet as it’s a chess match so far.

They go back to the mat with Ohno tying up the legs until Gallagher gets up again. This time Ohno tries a full nelson, which Gallagher breaks by raising his legs and pulling himself down. That means another standoff into a test of strength with Ohno taking him down again. Something like a spinebuster plants Gallagher but he spins out of another leg crank. The handstand in the corner legs Gallagher jump over Ohno….and he ties himself in a ball in the middle.

Ohno gets smart and stomps away before pulling on the leg again. Since we haven’t had an escape in a few seconds, Gallagher spins out and fires off forearms, only to get kicked in the head. The rolling elbow is blocked with a headbutt to Ohno’s arm and Gallagher, with a bloody nose, tries to take him down into an armbar. With that not working it’s off to a triangle choke but Ohno powers up for a slam. A backsplash crushes Gallagher and they’re both down. They chop it out until the rolling forearm knocks Gallagher silly for the pin at 12:33, with Ohno pulling the foot from underneath the rope after the pin.

Rating: B-. I had a lot of fun with this as they were going with the British style of counters and holds, making it quite the entertaining match. Gallagher’s foot being underneath the rope sets up either a rematch or gives Ohno another talking point when he talks to Scala and the invisible Johnny Saint.

Piper Niven is ready to fight Rhea Ripley whenever.

We recap the opening brawl.

Women’s Title: Nina Samuels vs. Toni Storm

Toni is defending. Feeling out process to start with Nina slipping out of an early armbar attempt. A kick to the chest sends Nina outside and Toni snaps off a cartwheel. Back in and a series of uppercuts give Toni two but Nina ties her up in the ropes for a dropkick between the shoulders. An armbar has the champ in some trouble and a Hennig necksnap gets two.

Two knees to the back get two but Storm is right back with a German suplex. Storm Zero is countered so Storm grabs an STF for something that looks a lot like a tap. The rope gets Nina out of trouble and she kicks Toni in the head to take over again. Toni headbutts the heck out of her for two, followed by Nina’s double underhook backbreaker for the same. Nina’s missile dropkick gets two more but Toni rolls some single underhook suplexes. Storm Zero retains the title at 9:44.

Rating: C-. This might as well have been a house show title match with no reason to believe that Samuels was going to win the title. The women’s division is too strong to believe that Storm is going to be threatened by a lower name like Samuels. Not with people like Jinny, Ripley, Gabbert and Niven around. It’s not a bad match, but the drama wasn’t there.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was pretty good this week and the big angle at the beginning made the show work well enough. It’s not as good as last week but that’s not a fair comparison to make. At least we have two weeks worth of big matches to look forward to, which is something very few shows can pull off these days, or almost ever for that matter.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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: December 27, 2004
Location: Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the final show of a year that wasn’t very good in the first place. We’re coming off the Best of 2004 last week so it’s been a little while since we’ve gotten anything new. The big story is still the build towards the Elimination Chamber at New Year’s Revolution. Other than that, things aren’t the most exciting around here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Eric Bischoff announcing the Elimination Chamber. Flair’s “oh s***” look at Batista when he was announced for the Chamber was a great touch that I missed before. It makes sense that they would start there as it’s not like there is anything else going on at the moment.

Here’s Bischoff in the arena to explain the Elimination Chamber. Makes sense as there have only been two of them and we haven’t seen it in over a year. As for tonight, all six participants will be taking part in singles matches against mystery opponents, with the one who wins in the shortest time getting to enter last. If any of them lose, they’re out of the Chamber and replaced by whoever beats them. We’ll call it the Beat The Clock Challenge and Christy Hemme will be timekeeper. Oh and there will be a guest referee for the Chamber, who will be announced later tonight. Works for me.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Chris Jericho vs. Christian

Christian has Tomko with him. Christian goes with a slap to the face and a slap to start so Jericho tries the fast pins which never work in a match like this. A sunset flip from Christian sets up a pinfall reversal sequence but the Walls are countered into a small package for two more. Some right hands in the corner have Jericho in more trouble and we hit the chinlock, which goes through a few forms.

Jericho gets sent to the apron but he backdrops Christian over, with Christian landing face first on the floor in a nasty crash. We’re not done yet though as Jericho springboards onto both villains as we take a break. Back with Jericho hitting a crossbody for two, followed by Tomko getting in a cheap shot to give Christian the same. Jericho has had it with Tomko and dropkicks him down before reversing Christian’s rollup into the Walls for the win at 10:47.

Rating: C+. Good match here but you have to expect that from the two of them. It was nice to have some stakes in the match though and the idea that Christian could get in made it better. The time thing is something that can work quite well and makes the matches later on mean something, so at least we’re off to a nice start.

Ric Flair tries to calm HHH down while Batista doesn’t care who he’s facing tonight. The question is why HHH isn’t confident. HHH tries to talk his way out of it and bets $100 that he beats Batista’s time. Flair intervenes again and makes it clear that this is all about HHH, though Batista doesn’t seem phased.

Randy Orton is excited to go into the Chamber since he was able to challenge for the World Title. And they wonder why the face turn didn’t work. His New Year’s resolution is to go to New Year’s Revolution and win the title. Tonight though, he’s winning in the fastest time.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Randy Orton vs. Maven

Christy has changed outfits for the match and the clock is set at 10:47, meaning the countdown clock counts down in a logical move. They lock up to start until Orton hits the dropkick. Maven catches him on top though and sneaks in a poke to the eye, allowing him to shove Orton off the apron. That means a hard ram into the steps and Maven mocks Orton’s pose (with King referring to Orton as the Big O).

The chinlock goes on for a good while until Maven sends him outside. King: “Orton, you cannot win this match out on the floor!” Uh, yeah he can. Orton hits a Russian legsweep into the barricade and the hanging DDT plants Maven back inside. Maven is fine enough to roll through a high crossbody into a rollup for two but it’s the RKO to give Orton the pin at 6:14.

Rating: D+. Not as good of a match as the previous one but Maven isn’t as good as Christian. Orton’s face push still isn’t working, though he’s getting some positive reactions when he’s in the ring. The character just isn’t quite there though and having him not be able to fight for the title for three months was death to the whole thing.

Lita vs. Molly Holly

Non-title. Molly follows Christian’s plan from earlier and slaps Lita in the face. This time works a bit better though as she sends Lita into the corner and grabs a chinlock as JR recaps Lita’s rather up and down year. A monkey flip lets Lita hit some right hands and there’s a headbutt to the ribs for two. Molly misses a charge into the corner and the DDT gives Lita the fast pin.

Post match here’s Snitsky to chase Lita through the crowd and into the back. Lita gets into a room so here’s Bischoff to make Kane vs. Snitsky at New Year’s Revolution.

Simon Dean vs. Rosey

This is fallout from Heat, which either took place last night or two weeks ago depending on if you believe JR or the graphic. Before the match, Simon does the standard YOU’RE ALL FAT stuff. Being called a hog is too much for Rosey, who pulls Simon in to start the beating. For some reason Dean tries a sunset flip, earning himself a big sitdown splash.

Dean gets smart by going after the knee, including wrapping it around the post. The fans don’t like Simon as he works on the knee but Rosey’s comeback gets their attention a bit. It doesn’t go well for Rosey though as the Vader Bomb misses, though Dean decides to go for a slam for some reason. After that falls apart, Rosey grabs Dean’s weightlifting belt and gets rolled up for the pin.

Rating: D. What are you expecting here? Dean is a lower card heel and nothing more than that, which is fine for something short like this. Rosey on the other hand looks like a goof who can’t beat someone like Dean, which doesn’t exactly make me care about either guy. Then again, I don’t know how far they’re expecting Dean to go in the first place.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Edge vs. Eugene

The clock is set at 6:14 so Edge jumps him before the bell to start fast. Eugene fights back without even taking off his ring jacket and gets in a hiptoss. Edge gets sent outside so the jacket can come off but the delay lets Edge snap his throat across the top. The chinlock goes on in a rather dumb move, followed by Edge hitting a dropkick for two. It’s back to the reverse chinlock with less than three minutes to go as Edge keeps wasting time. Eugene fights up and hits an electric chair drop, setting up a crisscross. That’s enough for Eugene to head outside and high five some fans as the clock keeps ticking.

Eugene even hides under the ring as the clock continues to tick away. Back in and Eugene tries a Rock Bottom and Stunner but gets reversed into the spear….which sends Eugene to the floor as time expires. The match keeps going though as Eugene could still win and take the spot. Back in and Eugene hits the Stunner for a very delayed two but a running knee hits the buckle. Edge wraps the knee around the post and debuts (I believe) the Edgecator (the Sharpshooter without stepping over) for the win.

Rating: C-. Not too bad here with the clock playing more of a role this time around. Edge getting frustrated and not making the time was a nice twist, even though there was almost no way the change was coming here. The Beat the Clock thing has worked so far as it’s adding in some drama, which is a lot better than building momentum matches.

Bischoff is on the phone and is glad that someone will make it here tonight. Coach comes in and gives Bischoff his Christmas present: some Coach sunglasses. The call was from the guest referee but Coach doesn’t get to know who it was in advance.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Chris Benoit vs. Viscera

The clock is still at 6:14. Viscera shoves him down without much effort to start as JR and King have no idea how Benoit can pull this off. Benoit gets smart by going after the legs so Viscera runs him over again. That’s fine with Benoit, who tries the chops but walks into a spinwheel kick. Viscera mounts Benoit on the mat for some shots to the face in a rather disturbing image.

A Samoan drop crushes Benoit again and the Crossface attempt is easily countered into a side slam. Benoit somehow manages a belly to back suplex and the Crossface (or Crossthroat here) with Viscera waiting a ridiculous forty seconds before tapping (or moving for that matter) to give Benoit the win at 5:43.

Rating: D. What in the world was that ending? Viscera doing his giant thing for most of the match was fine but did HHH even survive that long in the Crossface at Wrestlemania? I’m hoping it was just a clock thing where they needed the time lower, but at least roll over or fight for the escape or something.

Here’s Stacy Keibler to say he hopes we had a great Christmas. 2004 was a great year and thank you for voting her the Babe of the Year. She’ll bend over backwards and forward to make 2005 that much better. Thankfully Muhammad Hassan and Daivari come out to break up this scintillating promo. Daivari throws Stacy out and Hassan rants about Christmas before going into his same standard speech about how prejudiced we all are.

The fans drown him out with a USA chant so Daivari goes up to commentary to yell at JR and King. Hassan joins them as Lawler gets up and threatens Daivari, meaning the fight is on. JR gets knocked down and Jerry gets in Hassan’s face, meaning a New Year’s Revolution match is likely.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Batista vs. Rhyno

The clock is set at 5:43. Batista tells Rhyno to bring it to start and then elbows him in the face. A shoulder goes well for Batista again as Rhyno’s power game is completely outmatched here. Rhyno gets in a quick Gore for two and Batista is right back up with the Batista Bomb. Batista is so confident that he hits a second one for the pin at 3:02.

Rating: D+. Oh yeah they know what they’re doing with Batista. This was a monster style match with Batista shrugging off an established finisher and nearly cutting Benoit’s time in half. I still don’t think it’s fair to blame Orton’s face push on Orton himself but sweet goodness Batista is nailing every single thing about this push.

Video on Tribute to the Troops.

Coach interrupts Bischoff talking to Candice Michelle to say the special referee is here. Bischoff wants to know how Coach knows he’s here if he doesn’t know the referee. Coach says it has to be him but here’s Hassan to interrupt. He doesn’t like JR and King’s anti-Arab American propaganda so we should have a debate. Bischoff says no because JR isn’t a wrestler, so we’ll have…..a debate. The complete lack of a crowd reaction should tell you all you need to know.

New Year’s Revolution rundown.

HHH complains to Flair about Batista, who doesn’t see the problem. Batista says HHH is starting to tick him off and THAT gets the fans’ attention. Flair plays peacekeeper, again.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Shelton Benjamin vs. HHH

Non-title and the clock is set at 3:02. Everyone else in the Chamber is sitting at ringside. Also, is this a fair match for HHH? Maven, Rhyno, Viscera and the Intercontinental Champion? HHH goes right after him to start and sends Benjamin to the floor, with Lawler again incorrectly saying he can’t win out there. A whip into the steps has Shelton in more trouble and HHH hammers away with right hands. There’s the spinebuster for two and we hit the sleeper to keep HHH in control.

A way too early Pedigree attempt is countered so HHH goes back to the sleeper. HHH gets two arm drops but Shelton gets his foot on the rope as it drops the third time. The celebration is on but time expires to anger HHH all over again. Shelton hits a quick Stinger Splash for two as King starts to panic. There’s the Dragon Whip for two more but HHH gets in a spinebuster for the same. Flair offers a distraction so the exploder doesn’t get a count. Shelton gets rid of Flair and the Pedigree gives HHH the pin.

Rating: C. I liked this more than I should have with HHH being aggressive but not being able to seal the deal. Once the clock expired though, fans got more into things as the possibility that HHH might not make it intrigued them quite a bit. Shelton was even protected in the loss, making this quite a nice little piece of business, especially given the short amount of time.

Post match HHH is relieved but Bischoff brings out Shawn Michaels as guest referee for the Chamber so everyone can freak out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. They kept things moving this week and it made for a much better show. The matches might not have been masterpieces but the clock deal was a nice touch and it offered something a little different for a change. That’s as good as you’re going to get when so much of the roster is tied up in one match and it wound up being a good show to end the show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

This might never be said again.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-giant-weasel-bad-idea/

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: May 28, 2019
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re finishing the month tonight with another night of pumping up Super ShowDown, which may in fact be better than (or equal to) Wrestlemania. Whatever is presented tonight almost has to be better than last night’s show, but WWE has shown an incredible ability to lower the bar before. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Dolph Ziggler returning last week and destroying Kofi Kingston.

Here’s Kevin Owens for a match but you know we can’t start things off that easily. Before he gets to talk, we see a long video on Owens joining and then turning on New Day, plus attacking Big E.’s knee last week. Back in the arena, Owens talks about how he wanted to do a Kevin Owens Show here but Oklahoma doesn’t deserve him. He’s been accused of attacking Big E. but he had nothing to do with that. Owens likes the idea of Dolph Ziggler winning the WWE Championship because it will be due to what Owens has done. Cue Owens’ opponent to cut him off.

Kofi Kingston vs. Kevin Owens

Non-title. Hang on again though as Kofi grabs the mic and says he doesn’t believe Owens didn’t attack Big E. Owens lied about wanting to be part of the New Day because he is a liar. Kofi says tonight, Owens is going to pay for what he did to Big E.’s knee and attacking Woods week in and week out. Kofi dropkicks him at the bell but Owens drops him on the back of his head to take over as we hit an early break.

Back with Kofi in trouble but managing to fight out of a chinlock. Owens pulls him right back down and send Kofi head first into the mat. For some reason Owens goes for Kofi’s feet but gets kicked to the floor, setting up the big dive over the top to drop Owens again. We take another break and come back again with Kofi fighting out of another chinlock. Owens sends him outside again though and hits a frog splash off the apron to crush the ribs all over again.

That’s good for a nine count, followed by another frog splash for two back inside. Owens goes up top but this time Kofi is there to forearm away. A headbutt knocks Kofi down and the Swanton gets two as these kickouts are becoming way too much to take. The Pop Up powerbomb is countered and a quick Trouble in Paradise gives Kofi the pin at 16:48.

Rating: C+. Yeah that was too much for Kofi to survive and Owens was hurt pretty badly by not being able to beat him after two frog splashes and a Swanton. Kofi surviving three big spots like that took me out of things and I just didn’t buy it. The rest of the match was good, but it was hard to believe what I was seeing.

R-Truth and Carmella run from everyone with Truth saying how hard it is to defend the European Title. He has to run all the time, even at the dentist’s office. Do you know how hard it is to get a cavity filled when you have to kick out of pins? They run off and evade Drake Maverick, who has the wanted posters again.

Here are Daniel Bryan and Rowan for a chat. Bryan calls the Smackdown tag team division a joke, which is completely accurate. Rowan even makes a knock knock joke to make it clear how bad the division really is. They’re no joke though because they have big plans. While fat, ignorant humans ate the beautiful creatures over Memorial Day, such as an intelligent pig named Wiggles or a cow named Wilbur, they didn’t realize that those creatures had names.

Oklahoma is worse than anyone else, with their fracking and oil well drilling, which brings them earthquakes. The fans cheer for that but the intimidated Kayla Braxton says that there are some teams who want to challenge them. Cue Heavy Machinery with Otis hitting the gyrations. They want a title shot right now and here’s a referee. Bryan and Rowan accept the challenge, but not in a fracking state like this. Heavy Machinery make sense as challengers, though Bryan is right about the division being so bad.

Sonya Deville is proud of Mandy Rose being on the cover of Muscle and Fitness Hers Magazine and the two hand out copies to some people. They run into Ember Moon, who is sitting around reading Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of all things. Sonya gives her all the magazines because she needs them to be a star.

Carmella vs. Mandy Rose

Mandy gets half an entrance and armdrags Carmella down to start. She shows off the magazine, which Carmella kicks away. A Thesz press has Mandy in trouble but she sends Carmella face first into the middle buckle. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a jumping knee to the face. Carmella sends her into the corner for a quick Bronco Buster but has to superkick Sonya down. That’s enough for Mandy to get a rollup pin at 3:10.

Rating: D. This was an advertisement disguised as a match and there’s nothing wrong with that. Mandy being on the cover of the magazine is a nice accomplishment and they did a fine job of letting people know about it. Besides it’s not like a three minute match is going to hurt things, especially after last night’s minute and a half of action in the first seventy minutes.

Jinder Mahal jumps Truth but gets thrown outside for his efforts. Truth hides in a well placed photo booth, which allows the mob to run past him. Drake Maverick FINALLY runs into him and the chase is on again.

Aleister Black says he gets it. Everyone is waiting for Black to throw out a name and pick a fight with someone. There lies the conundrum though. He is sitting here waiting patiently for someone, anyone, to pick a fight with him. Well it’s better than the weird poetry.

Here are Shane McMahon, Elias and Drew McIntyre for Shane McMahon Appreciation Night. Shane says he doesn’t do what he does night in and night out for a trophy or adulation. He just enjoys his life and being out here in front of these people. Shane came back home to help run a family business and the greatest praise he can have is the company’s success.

We see a Shane highlight package, which continues to show that WWE doesn’t quite get how to present Shane. Back in the arena, Shane praises Kevin Dunn for the video (Shane: “Don’t boo Kevin Dunn.”) and says it was for Roman Reigns. A few weeks ago, Reigns punched Vince McMahon and that was biting the hand that feeds him. At Super ShowDown, Shane is going to beat some respect into him. Elias sings about how Shane is the best in the world and how Texas is better than Oklahoma….and here are R-Truth and Drake Maverick.

Truth hits a gordbuster and pins Maverick but Shane isn’t happy with the dancing. As I try to figure out why Truth bothered to pin him, the beatdown is on with Elias hitting Drift Away and McIntyre adding the Claymore….so Elias can win the title. Shane is out of breath from that thirty seconds of action but still manages to make Elias/McIntyre vs. Truth/Reigns. The 24/7 rules are suspended until the end of the match so Elias can focus.

Charlotte and Lacey Evans are having tea and rip on Becky Lynch and Bayley for being rude. Now that Becky has lost her title, it’s time to send Bayley back to the kiddie pool.

Lars Sullivan vs. Lucha House Party is set for Super ShowDown.

Bayley vs. Lacey Evans

Non-title with Charlotte on commentary. Bayley starts fast with a rollup but gets sent into the corner. Lacey walks into a knee to the face but she’s fine enough to send Bayley outside where Charlotte stands up as we take a break. Back with Bayley hitting a crossbody for two until Lacey sends her into the corner again. Lacey pulls out the wipe for some annoyance but Bayley grabs the Stunner over the ropes. It’s time to head outside with Charlotte getting involved again, earning herself a shove from Bayley. Charlotte charges in and the distraction lets Bayley get a rollup to put Evans away at 7:17.

Rating: D+. I’m glad that they’re giving Bayley an actual push for a change though Evans shouldn’t be taking pins when she’s coming up on another shot at Becky Lynch. Then again that would suggest not having this match in the first place and that seems to be a little too much to ask for from WWE.

Post match Bayley leaves and Lacey goes after Charlotte, earning herself a big foot to the face.

Video on HHH vs. Randy Orton.

We see a promo from last week where Finn Balor said he was banged up in Money in the Bank. That’s why he didn’t get to perform last week and he’s not happy about it.

Andrade says he powerbombed Balor on the ladder and it’s going to be worse at Super ShowDown.

Here’s this week’s Firefly Fun House.

Roman Reigns/R-Truth vs. Elias/Drew McIntyre

Truth is banged up and the 24/7 Rules are suspended. Hang on as Elias, McIntyre and Shane jump Truth during his entrance. Reigns helps beat up Elias and McIntyre as Shane gets stared up the ramp. The bell rings and Shane offers a distraction so Elias can hammer away on Reigns in the corner. The neck crank has Reigns in early trouble until a Samoan drop breaks things up. Truth actually comes in so it’s a Glasgow Kiss to cut him off in a hurry. Drew whips him into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Truth still in trouble as Elias and McIntyre take turns beating on him. Truth manages to send Drew outside though and the diving tag brings in Reigns for a nice reaction. The corner clotheslines and a big boot drop Elias as everything breaks down. The apron boot hits Elias but Reigns has to punch Shane in the face. Drew misses the Claymore on the distracted Reigns and it’s a spear to finish Elias at 10:44.

Rating: D+. Just a main event tag here and there wasn’t exactly a lot of doubt in how things were going to be finishing up. If nothing else though, it was nice to have Shane be the pesky manager he should be rather than getting in the ring to have these matches. He’s fine in that role, but for some reason WWE would rather have him be competitive in major matches. I’m sure there’s no connection to that and the lack of solid, top heels in the company.

Post match Reigns has an idea and spears Elias again so Truth can win the title back. I mean, it is beneath Reigns to win it after all.

Overall Rating: C-. It really is amazing how far Raw has fallen when this show, which was only kind of good at times, blows it completely out of the water. The wrestling was average at best and there wasn’t really anything you needed to see but there were never any moments where I wanted to go jump off a balcony or stick my head in a vice. It’s still not great, but I’ll take watchable over….whatever Monday was every day.

Results

Kofi Kingston b. Kevin Owens – Trouble in Paradise

Mandy Rose b. Carmella – Rollup

Bayley b. Lacey Evans – Rollup

Roman Reigns/R-Truth b. Elias/Drew McIntyre – Spear to Elias

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #59
Date: May 25, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Jim Cornette

It’s time for a big night around here as the World Title is on the line with Tom Lawlor defending against Avalanche. They’ve done a very good job of making these World Title matches feel important as the champ is very rarely in the arena, yet almost always makes a brief appearance, even in a pre-taped cameo. It’s been working well for me and hopefully that continues here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Lawlor winning the title and promising to face anyone from all over the world, including Avalanche from Germany.

Opening sequence.

We look at Brian Pillman Jr. beating Rich Swann in last week’s main event.

The Dynasty is preparing for Alexander Hammerstone to win the National Title and all the money that it’s going to bring in. They don’t like the Hart Foundation and Hammerstone has a big arm.

Ace Romero/Barrington Hughes vs. Contra

That would be Josef Samael/Jacob Fatu for Contra here. The brawl is on in a hurry with Romero and Fatu having an early standoff. Samael busts out his spike though and knocks Romero cold, leaving Fatu to hit the moonsault for the pin on Hughes at 1:12. Again, exactly what it should have been.

Post match the beatdown stays on as the announcers talk about the lights flickering, though they don’t seem to be changing that much. The big guys are left laying.

Salina de la Renta plays coy about LA Park cashing in his title shot.

Earlier today, Contra attacked the Lucha Bros and Fenix took a fireball to the face.

Video on the Von Erichs, who are still coming.

Fenix has been tended to and lost a lot of skin from the fireball.

Video on Contra attacking Tom Lawlor.

Lawlor says he doesn’t get shaken by anything and people should be worried about how to get the title off of him. It doesn’t matter if you’re a bag of bones, guys from an 80s video game or an avalanche from German because he’s ready.

Fury Road Control Center, now with the Contra logo popping up without being acknowledged.

We look back at Teddy Hart winning the Middleweight Title and holding the belt for several months since. Jimmy Havoc is coming for the title because he’s willing to do anything to hurt his opponents.

Mance Warner goes to the pay window, which has three floors: jobbers at the bottom, midcarders in the middle and old Mancer right at the top with the main eventers. That’s what he does every time and gets paid to do it. That southern voice is easy to like and this was short and to the point, with Mance mentioning being from the south, drinking light beer and poking eyes. What more do you need to know about him in about forty seconds?

Promociones Dorado vs. Chris Pagan/Troy Hollywood

It’s Low Ki and Ricky Martinez for Dorado here, though Low Ki doesn’t seem happy with Salina. Dorado jumps them before the belly with Pagan being knocked silly on the apron. A hard clothesline drops Hollywood and it’s a top rope double stomp to the back to give Low Ki the pin at 1:10. The night of squashes continue.

Post match here’s Contra and the fans are VERY interested. Martinez and Salina bail though and Low Ki gets beaten down, including a great looking pop up Samoan drop. That’s how you book something interesting: build up two people (including destroying a team each tonight) and then put them against each other because it’s hard to imagine either of them losing to the other. Then sell tickets.

The Hart Foundation give Pillman tips for facing Hammerstone next week with the big suggestion being to tire him out. Pillman knows Hammerstone is big and strong but his dad told him about the size of the fight in the (yellow) dog. This win is for his family. Not a great promo from Pillman, though the story is there.

We look at what happened to Contra tonight.

Low Ki is still in the ring.

Backstage interviewer Kasey Lennox is distraught over what Contra has done all night.

We recap tonight’s Contra stuff (second time in three minutes) and the hint that Park could cash in his World Title match tonight.

MLW World Title: Robert Dreissker vs. Tom Lawlor

Lawlor is defending and Dreissker is called Avalanche. They’ve done well with making Lawlor feel like a big deal and so much of that is he’s rarely in action. Make that a special occasion. Lawlor strikes away to start and gets knocked into the corner with no effort. Some kicks to the leg work a lot better for the champ and now the strikes to the chest have some more success.

Avalanche gets knocked down so Lawlor can kick at the chest and hit a running seated clothesline for two. A hard kick sends Lawlor outside and Avalanche crushes him with a splash against the post. Back in and Dreissker hits the required big splash for two, followed by a big shoulder to send Lawlor flying. There’s a hard whip into the corner and Lawlor is in even more trouble.

More strikes give Lawlor a breather but Dreissker gives him a northern lights suplex to cut the champ off again. Lawlor manages a release German suplex though and the comeback is on. Forearms in the corner take Dreissker down but he’s right back with another running splash. The Vader Bomb misses though and a hard knee to the face drops Dreissker. The rear naked choke retains the title at 7:52.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t a masterpiece or anything but it had a fine enough story and that’s all you can really expect. Dreissker doesn’t have a resume around here and there’s no issue between the two of them aside from Dreissker wanting the title. They did what they could with what they had and it came out well enough.

Post match here’s Contra again and the beatdown is on. Fatu hits the moonsault and they drape the Contra flag over him, with Lawlor still trying to grab the title for a nice touch.

We cut to the back where Salina de la Renta tells LA Park to cash in now but Sami Callihan and Mance Warner jump him to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This might be the best show they’ve done yet as it felt like big stuff was happening here. I wanted to see more of what they were going for and Contra looked like monsters all over again. Throw in the World Title match and building up to next week’s live special and I’m not sure what more you could ask for. They probably could have cut one or two of the recaps and done another promo or something, but this was a very good show and on another level than most of what they do.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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