Daily News Update – May 1, 2022

Make sure you check out a recent review.

NWA Great American Bash 1988 (Greensboro)


 

Hang On: Possible Reason For WrestleMania Backlash Match Change.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hang-possible-reason-wrestlemania-backlash-match-change/

Mark Your Calendars: NXT May Have A Strange Schedule For Upcoming Major Events.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/mark-calendars-nxt-may-strange-schedule-upcoming-major-events/

It’s A Good Weekend: AEW Team Picks Up Some Gold (With Some Chicanery).

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/good-weekend-aew-team-picks-gold/

WWE Had Main Roster Plans For Recently Released NXT Name.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-main-roster-plans-recently-released-nxt-name/

Say What? WWE Releases Suggest Major Communication Issues With Creative.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-releases-suggest-major-communication-issues-creative/

WATCH: Roman Reigns Calls Out The Rock At WWE Live Event.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-roman-reigns-calls-rock-wwe-live-event/

 

 

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.




HIDDEN GEM: Great American Bash 1988 (Greensboro): Just Another Summer Night

Great American Bash 1988 Greensboro
Date: July 16, 1988
Location: War Memorial Stadium, Greensboro, Coliseum
Attendance: 7,500

The Great American Bash wasn’t just a full on pay per view at first, but also a tour of house shows. This is one of them, as we are in one of the bigger Crockett cities. The main event here is WarGames, which had debuted twelve days prior and was done quite a bit during the tour. Let’s get to it.

Bugsy McGraw/Tim Horner vs. Rip Morgan/Larry Zbyszko

It’s always so strange to have A, no commentary, B, two rings, and C, Teddy Long (referee here) with hair. Morgan grabs the mic to shout a lot and jump up and down before Larry takes Bugsy down but misses a bunch of elbows to the fans’ delight. Bugsy drives him into the corner and grabs a headlock before Horner comes in for a few shoulders. The slightly out there Morgan tries his luck and takes Horner down into a quickly broken chinlock.

It’s back to Bugsy to start working on Morgan’s arm (the hair pull helped too) but Morgan takes him into the corner for the tag back to Larry. We get the always classic referee misses the big tag spot and Morgan elbows McGraw down again. Bugsy gets in a shot to the face though and grabs the rope to avoid Larry’s dropkick (yes Larry’s dropkick), allowing the hot tag to Horner. Everything breaks down and Horner hits a quick crossbody to finish Morgan at 8:07.

Rating: C. Totally watchable match here but what matters most is how it was a hot enough opening match. You don’t want to take too much time in a spot like this and they got through things rather well here. Horner wasn’t the best in the world but he was able to come in off a hot tag and clean house, which is almost all he was here for. Not a great match, but an efficient one and that’s a good thing.

Ronnie Garvin vs. Italian Stallion

Garvin is freshly heel and now managed by Gary Hart. Stallion knocks him down to start and Garvin grabs his ankle. That’s enough to have the referee slow things down a bit, but Garvin comes up with the Hands of Stone for the pin at 1:13. Just a way to establish that Garvin is a changed man.

Dick Murdoch vs. Gary Royal

Royal hits him in the face to start so Murdoch takes it into the corner. A headlock manages to get Murdoch down onto the mat and Gary cranks away for a bit. Murdoch gets out using some cheating so it’s time to yell at referee Teddy Long, which could be quite the interesting argument.

Royal gets driven into the corner for some shots to the face but a dropkick puts Murdoch on the floor. That’s enough of this being in trouble thing for Murdoch as he knocks Royal around without much trouble and takes him outside for a whip into the scaffolding (yeah we have a scaffold match coming). Back in and Murdoch stomps away before finishing with the brainbuster at 7:01.

Rating: C-. Murdoch really was good at almost anything he did and it is easy to see why he is as revered as he is by so many people. He knows how to make the fans care about him and is so smooth at everything he does. This was just a squash for the most part but Murdoch managed to make that work, which is quite the impressive feat.

Jimmy Garvin vs. Rick Steiner

Precious is here with Garvin. Steiner mauls him down to start, as Steiner had a tendency to do. Garvin fights up and slugs away but has to stop as Kevin Sullivan goes after Precious (that’s a LONG story) to a crazy reaction. Back in and Garvin rolls him up for the pin at 1:25. That was surprisingly short.

Sheepherders vs. Rock N Roll Express

That would of course be the Bushwhackers with Rip Morgan as their flag bearer. We hit the stall button to start, with the Bushwhackers messing with their flag and then telling the fans to shut up. Pain is promised to the Americans so Ricky Morton grabs the mic and tells the Sheepherders what they can kiss. The Express finally jumps them about two and a half minutes after the bell and the ring is cleared in a hurry.

We settle down into the first lockup almost four minutes in and it’s Butch sending Gibson into the corner for the early tag to Luke. A knee to the ribs cuts Gibson off again but he nails a right hand to take over. Butch hits Luke by mistake and Morgan takes out his friends, meaning the Express can pose early. We settle down to Morton in trouble but sliding through Luke’s legs for a dropkick.

The Sheepherders are sent into each other and it’s time to bail again as things settle a bit. Back in and Gibson hits a crossbody on Luke but Morgan has the referee, allowing Butch to get in a flag shot for the save. They go outside with Gibson being driven into the apron and then it’s back inside for stomping. A chinlock doesn’t last long so it’s a double clothesline to drop Gibson again.

The fans start up their ROCK N ROLL chant as Gibson gets in a few shots, only to be pulled down into a chinlock. Gibson fights up again and gets over to Morton for the hot tag (that feels so wrong). Everything breaks down with Morton getting posted on the floor as Gibson has Butch in a sleeper. The double gutbuster plants Gibson but he manages to send them together, allowing Morton to high crossbody Butch for the pin at 14:06.

Rating: B-. This is a perfect illustration of how to take a rather basic match and get the fans going nuts to set up a hot ending. That’s what they had here, with very little contact for almost the first five minutes and then they got into the meat of the match. The fans were with them the entire way because they cared about the teams and wanted to see the Express make the comeback. Good match, but much more of a lesson in how to do this, as the high spots were a dropkick and a high crossbody. Today, it would be called boring, because less is more is a lost concept.

Al Perez vs. Brad Armstrong

Perez has Gary Hart in his corner. Feeling out process to start with both guys shoving the other around. Armstrong grabs a wristlock and a monkey flip doesn’t even break the grip. Perez can’t armdrag his way out of an armbar so Armstrong armdrags him into another armbar. That works so well that Armstrong stays on it as we hit the five minute mark. Armstrong has to go after Gary Hart though and Perez sends him into the scaffolding to take over.

Back in and Perez hits what would become known as the Eye of the Storm for two and the chinlock goes on. With that not working, Perez goes with knees to the back (Armstrong: “OH S***!”) but the referee calls it off for being in the ropes. Armstrong’s backslide gets two so Perez throws him outside in a heap. Perez follows him out and gets elbows in the face so Armstrong heads back in. A suplex brings Perez back in and Hart sweeps the leg to give Perez the pin at 11:17 (that was the most telegraphed ending I have seen in years).

Rating: C. It wasn’t too bad here as Armstrong is always worth a look and Perez is someone who could have become something but never went beyond the midcard. I’m not entirely sure why, but I could have seen both of these guys going a bit higher than they did. Nice match though, even with the really obvious ending.

Fantastics vs. Midnight Express/Jim Cornette

The Midnight’s US Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line and I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is going to be the best thing all night, or at least so far. This is a Bunkhouse match, meaning anything goes. Cornette looks ridiculous in the body suit of course but you can see the look in his eyes that he is having the time of his life out there. Eaton and Cornette have their hug to start with Cornette kissing him on the cheek, so Rogers thinks Cornette should start for the team. Cornette: “I AIN’T GETTING IN THERE! YOU PEOPLE SHUT UP! I AIN’T GETTING IN THERE!”

The Bobbys start things off instead with Eaton getting in a right hand but stopping to celebrate, allowing Fulton to tag him with some right hands. Eaton hits a knee to the face but gets backdropped down, leaving Cornette to grab a chair on the floor. That earns him a chase from Rogers who clears the ring, setting up the strut. Cornette: “WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO???” Back in and Eaton hits Fulton with one of his great right hands and grabs a chair, only to get atomic dropped down onto it.

Fulton blasts Eaton with the chair and everything breaks down (as it should) with Rogers wearing Eaton out with the chair. Cornette and Stan get the chair and go over to check on Eaton as the panic continues. For some reason Eaton tries to tag Cornette before coming to his senses and bring Lane in instead. That’s fine with Rogers, who dropkicks him down a few times and mocks Cornette’s bravery. Lane tries to toss Rogers, who skins the cat and comes back in with more dropkicks.

Cornette bails from a possible tag again so Lane grabs him by the shirt, sending Cornette into pure panic because he might be about to die. Rogers breaks that up and gets sent outside, where Cornette throws a chair at him to get back in the Midnights’ good graces. Rogers gets dropped again and Cornette hits his own strut, leaving Lane to choke Rogers on the floor. Now Cornette is willing to come in and drop some elbows but Rogers stares him down after the right hands.

Cornette tries a quick handshake but gets driven into the corner where Lane can come back in (not the best aiming from Rogers). An atomic drop into a backbreaker puts Rogers down again and Cornette comes back in for some right hands with a chained fist. Cornette’s slam attempt doesn’t work so Eaton comes in to do it for him, leaving Cornette to pose anyway (that’s great).

The Rocket Launcher connects but Cornette wants the pin, which takes too long and includes too much posing, allowing Rogers to toss him hard on the kickout. The hot tag brings in Fulton to clean house and Cornette’s powder hits Eaton by mistake. A double clothesline pins Cornette at 15:09.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun and so much of that is due to the great chemistry that the Midnights and Cornette had. They were so perfect together and Cornette’s moments of panicking at the idea of being in trouble but then getting so cocky in a hurry was great. Really fun match here and the place was going coconuts over some of the spots and chances for Cornette to get destroyed.

TV Title: Sting vs. Mike Rotunda

Rotunda, with Kevin Sullivan and Rick Steiner, is defending and EGADS the place goes nuts for Sting. Yeah I’m thinking he’ll be fine. Sting starts fast with some dropkicks, including one to Steiner to clean house in a hurry. Rotunda bails out to the floor but gets back in where he has to escape a Scorpion Deathlock attempt. It works so well that he has to do it a second time so Sting settles for a headlock instead. This time Rotunda sends him outside for a beating from Steiner and Sullivan, followed by a clothesline back inside.

We hit the chinlock to keep Sting in trouble and Rotunda makes sure to get a foot on the rope. An elbow to the face sets up the chinlock sequel but Rotunda goes up top for some reason. Since that leaves Rotunda looking like a fish on a bicycle, Sting slams him down and sends him into the other ring. There’s the big dive over the ropes and Sting is all fired up. The right hands in the corner set up the Stinger Splash but the Varsity Club comes in for the DQ at 10:16.

Rating: C. As usual, the action wasn’t the best part here but the fans were going nuts over everything Sting did. You could see that he was a hue star and he would eventually get the title early in 1989. First up though we had to see Rick Steiner taking it from Rotunda in one of the most underrated moments in the history of the NWA/WCW.

Road Warriors vs. Ivan Koloff/Russian Assassin #1

This is a scaffold match and the Warriors have Paul Ellering while the Russians have the eternally useless Paul Jones. The Russians start throwing powder, which is hardly safe. They slug it out in a hurry with Ivan already having to hang on while his legs dangle over the side. The same thing happens to Animal but he gets back up for a dropkick (Ok it was terrible but EGADS MAN!), which has Ivan in more trouble.

A bunch of stomping has Ivan hanging on the bottom of the scaffold and there he goes for the elimination. That leaves Assassin and Hawk fighting on the other end of the scaffold but Ivan comes up to choke Hawk with a chain. Hawk and Assassin start climbing down and Hawk knocks him off to win at 5:34.

Rating: D+. I’m never sure what to think of a match like this as it isn’t exactly a wrestling match, or at least certainly not a traditional one. The guys were doing what they could (and as someone scared of heights, I can’t get over that dropkick) but they had a pretty firm limit and that is ok given how hard it is to do something like this.

Four Horsemen vs. Dusty Rhodes/Paul Ellering/Lex Luger/Nikita Koloff/Steve Williams

And now, WarGames, which only debuted about two weeks ago. In case you don’t know the rules, you have five men per team and each one will send in a man each for a five minute period. After two minutes, the heels will win a coin toss to gain the advantage, meaning they will be able to send in their second man for two minutes. Then the good guys will tie it up for two more minutes. The teams alternate until everyone is in and it is the first submission wins.

Arn Anderson and Dusty Rhodes start things off with Dusty easily winning the early slugout. The big elbow has Anderson freaking out in the corner so let’s try a different ring. Dusty is right there with a running DDT and he sends Arn into the cage for the first time. Arn goes into the cage over and over and the blood is already flowing. Some shots to the leg put Dusty down though and Arn punches him into the other ring. Dusty punches him out of the air though and puts on the Figure Four until the Horsemen win the coin toss.

Barry Windham goes in for the Horsemen but Dusty lets go of the Figure Four want is waiting on him. Anderson gets in a cheap shot from behind though and Dusty gets caught in Windham’s claw. Choking and clawing ensue and it’s Williams coming in to even things up. Football tackles abound and Dusty is back into it (which doesn’t make the claw look like the most devastating hold).

Flair comes in to give the Horsemen the advantage back though and it’s time to send the good guys into the cage. Dusty is busted open and you know the Horsemen know how to go after that. Luger comes in to even things up again and it’s time to clean house but Flair hits him low. The chops in the corner just wake Luger up (as always) though and he cleans house again, including the right hands in the corner to Flair.

It’s Tully Blanchard in to give the Horsemen another advantage and he finds a chair to beat on Luger and Windham. Flair and Anderson start in on Luger’s knee, followed by a DDT to plant him hard. Nikita Koloff (who should not have hair) comes in and it’s Russian Sickles a go-go.

The right hands in the corner rock Flair (he took those so well) and it’s a lot of punching until JJ Dillion is in to complete the Horsemen team. That means a barrage of eye rakes and choking but Nikita gets in in the corner and unloads with mostly reckless abandon. Arn has Luger in some kind of leglock as Ellering comes in to complete everything. Everyone brawls until JJ misses a dropkick and Dusty grabs the Figure Four for the submission at 21:07.

Rating: B. It isn’t as great as the famous one from the 4th of July but this was a house show and they probably had done half a dozen of these by this point. How much of an effort are they going to put into making this one feel special? It is still a brand new match and something that felt like a spectacle, so going with a basic punch/choke/leglock formula here worked out fine.

Overall Rating: B. This was a heck of a fun show with some rather good matches and nothing bad. Above all else, it was great to see a house show with such a hot crowd who was into anything these people were going. The talent was there and it felt like an important show. Good stuff here and I can see why this was such a hot promotion at the moment. Compare this to Wrestlemania II from a few months earlier and the difference is all the more obvious. Check this out if you get the chance.

 

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Daily News Update – April 29, 2022

Make sure you check out some recent reviews.

Impact Wrestling – April 28, 2022

NXT UK – April 28, 2022

Smackdown – April 29, 2022

Rampage – April 29, 2022


 

BREAKING: WWE Releases Nine More From Company.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-wwe-releases-nine-company/

Welcome Home? WWE Considering A Big Move For NXT.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/welcome-home-wwe-considering-big-move-nxt/

A New Endeavor: Backstage News On Why Two Wrestlers Are Going On Hiatus.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/new-endeavor-backstage-news-two-wrestlers-going-hiatus/

Important Detail On Bret Hart’s New WWE Deal.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/important-detail-bret-harts-new-wwe-deal/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Money, Money: WWE Has Gotten Another Huge Payday For Very Little Work.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/money-money-wwe-gotten-another-huge-payday-little-work/

Big Ouch: Another AEW Star Suffers Injury During Dangerous Match.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/big-ouch-another-aew-star-suffers-injury-dangerous-match/

WATCH: Former WWE Stars And Wrestling World React To Recent Releases.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/former-wwe-stars-wrestling-world-react-recent-releases/

WWE Makes Major Change To WrestleMania Backlash Card, Top Match Off.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-makes-major-change-wrestlemania-backlash-card-top-match-off/

 

 

 

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.




Rampage – April 29, 2022: Call It A Punt?

Rampage
Date: April 29, 2022
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ricky Starks, Chris Jericho

We’re still in the most serious wrestling city in the country and that should play into AEW’s hands rather well. Rampage is the show that is going to focus on the in-ring action more than anything else and hopefully that makes for a good night. Throw in Danhausen calling out Hook and….I’m really not sure what that is going to mean. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Qualifying Match: Swerve Strickland vs. Darby Allin

Sting is in Allin’s corner as they start with a wrestle off. Neither can get very far until Allin takes him down by the arm. Make that a chinlock for a bit before Allin knocks him to the floor. The suicide dive is cut off by a jumping knee as commentary talks about how well these two know each other.

We take a break and come back with Allin working on the knee but Strickland fights up. Swerve knocks him down but misses the Serve Stomp. Allin’s Coffin Drop hits raised knees so Strickland kicks him in the head for two. Strickland heads to the apron and suplexes him down onto the floor, because that’s a totally rational thing to do. Cue Ricky Starks off commentary to go to ringside but Sting cuts him off. Allin grabs the Last Supper for the pin at 10:25.

Rating: C+. Annoying distraction finish aside, this worked well while it lasted, even if you factor in the pretty insane suplex to the floor. You could have gone with either winning here, but Allin is a bigger star and a threat to win the whole thing. Strickland needs a win of his own though, as he hasn’t had much success so far around here.

Shawn Spears is excited to see Wardlow get taken out by the big guy next week. They still won’t say who it is though.

Chris Jericho names himself Sports Entertainer Of The Week for attacking Eddie Kingston.

Santana and Ortiz storm the commentary booth and jump Jericho to lay him out.

Baddies vs. Skye Blue/Trish Adora/Willow Nightingale

That would be Jade Cargill/Red Velvet/Kiera Hogan. Blue gets taken into the corner to start so Velvet can choke with the boot. Hogan comes in with a running boot the face but Blue manages a kick. Blue and Hogan both catch a kick at the same time before Hogan kicks her in the head. Adora comes in and gets hit with a step up Fameasser, allowing the tag off to Cargill for jaded and the pin on Adora at 2:40. Total squash.

Darby Allin offers Swerve Strickland another match after the ending but Strickland knows Allin didn’t have anything to do with it. Strickland wants Allin to win the tournament so now he can go find Keith Lee and deal with Team Taz.

Keith Lee vs. Colten Gunn

Gunn looks like he got kicked in the face by a horse, kicked the horse back, and then got kicked in the face again. They shove each other around a bit until Lee takes him into the corner for the Grizzly Magnum chop. We take a break and come back with Lee hitting some running shoulders but missing a charge in the corner. The Fameasser is blocked though and the Big Bang Catastrophe finishes Gunn at 7:00.

Rating: C. As is so often said about AEW matches, this needed a break? The match wasn’t even that good as Gunn was little more than a sacrificial lamb for Lee. I’m still not sure what Lee is supposed to do in AEW, because he has been stuck in minor stories and matches like this for a lot of his time there. The Gunns continue to be watchable though and there might even be some potential upward mobility for both of them.

Jeff Hardy is ready to take out Bobby Fish next week in the Owen Hart Foundation tournament.

The Undisputed Elite laughs off the idea of Jeff Hardy being a threat, with Fish calling him Jeff hardly.

Here is Danhausen, who says SEND HOOK. Cue Hook, with Danhausen thinking that we need to do this at another time. Cue Mark Sterling for a distraction so Tony Nese can jump both of them. Hook fights up and grabs a suplex, allowing Danhausen to curse Nese and Sterling. The villains leave and the fans want Hookhausen, but Hook grabs him by the neck instead, only to leave without getting violent.

The Gunn Club says that isn’t a loss but the Acclaimed comes in to offer some scissoring, complete with hand gestures. The Club wants to go talk to their dad, leaving the interviewer to turn down the same offer.

Mercedes Martinez is ready to take out Deonna Purrazzo and become the undisputed Ring Of Honor Women’s Champion.

Samoa Joe threatens to kill Trent Beretta, while Trent says he’s going to win the ROH TV Title.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Trent Beretta vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is defending and the Best Friends are here with Trent. Joe knocks him into the corner to start but gets knocked outside, setting up Trent’s Asai moonsault. We take a break and come back with Trent hitting a top rope dive to the floor to drop Joe. Back in and Trent grabs a Saito suplex for two, only to have Joe pull him into an STF. We’ll make that a Crossface but Trent gets his foot on the rope. Jericho: “He’s not dead yet!” Joe blasts Trent with a clothesline, with Jericho switching to “he might be now!” The MuscleBuster is broken up and it’s the Koquina Clutch to make Trent tap at 10:02.

Rating: C+. Joe can have a good match with anyone and the same is true of Trent, making this a fine enough main event. That being said, having a 40+ year old Joe as the midcard champion of a minor league promotion isn’t likely to bring in more eyes to the show. Joe can still draw in some attention, but isn’t there anything bigger that he could do than this?

Post match Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh come out to interrupt a Samoa Joe interview. Orange Cassidy tries some lazy kicks but gets decked by Dutt. The brawl is on with Lethal and Joe having to be held apart to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Maybe they were taking a week off this time because of the NBA and NFL events going on, but this wasn’t exactly a great show. It didn’t feel like much of anything on this show mattered and that isn’t a great feeling to have. There is some good enough action, but it continued AEW’s trend of not feeling important without the big stars. Certainly a watchable show, but not worth the time.

Results
Darby Allin b. Swerve Strickland – Last Supper
Baddies b. Skye Blue/Trish Adora/Willow Nightingale – Jaded to Adora
Keith Lee b. Colten Gunn – Big Bang Catastrophe
Samoa Joe b. Trent Beretta – Koquina Clutch

 

 

 

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

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AND

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Smackdown – April 29, 2022: Change Of Plans

Smackdown
Date: April 29, 2022
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We have a rare taped show from Smackdown this week as the roster is currently over in Europe. WrestleMania Backlash is in just over two weeks and the card could use some spicing up, which we might get this week. If nothing else, things should be interesting as we have our second contract signing in two shows (third if you count this week’s NXT UK). Let’s get to it.

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

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Inside a cage after Zayn has run away from McIntyre twice in a row. Drew Gulak, auditioning to be timekeeper, rings the bell so Sami goes for the early escape. That goes as well as expected and McIntyre sends him straight into the cage. It works well enough that McIntyre does it again but Zayn grabs a sunset bomb to send us to a break.

Back with Zayn rubbing McIntyre’s face against the cage and then kicking said face into said cage. McIntyre gets in a ram into the cage of his own but Sami whips him right back in for a knockdown. The Helluva Kick against the cage rocks McIntyre but he’s fine enough to pull Zayn back down.

An overhead belly to belly sets up a neckbreaker so McIntyre loads up the Claymore. It takes a bit too long though, allowing Zayn to go up and crotch McIntyre for the attempted save. That takes too long too though and it’s a superplex back down, setting up the Claymore to give McIntyre the pin at 10:20.

Rating: C+. This felt like a dark match main event as they didn’t do anything special other than that superplex. There wasn’t much doubt about the winner here as this version of Zayn isn’t going to be winning any major match. McIntyre gets a nice win in what feels like a big match and can move on to something bigger.

We look back at last week’s contract signing between Ronda Rousey and Charlotte.

Charlotte doesn’t get embarrassed, but Ronda certainly will at Wrestlemania Backlash. Tonight it’s a Beat The Clock Challenge and Rousey might quit before we even get to the pay per view.

Here is Happy Corbin for Happy Talk, which is now new and improved because Madcap Moss isn’t here anymore. Moss failed at his one job of being funny so now Corbin has to beat him at WrestleMania Backlash. That means Moss will get to show that the only joke is suggesting that he could ever beat Corbin.

Until then, Corbin needs to destroy Moss’ Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy, which is his special guest this week. The trophy gets an entrance as we look at Moss’ recent roll. Back in the arena, Corbin wants to wreck the trophy and calls for the sledgehammer….but it’s Moss holding said hammer. The beating is on and Corbin is left laying.

We look back at Ricochet defeating Jinder Mahal and getting a match with Shanky set up for this week.

Intercontinental Title: Ricochet vs. Shanky

Shanky, with Jinder Mahal, is challenging and powers Ricochet into the corner to start. The neck crank goes on in less than a minute but Ricochet fights back up. That doesn’t last long as Shanky takes him back down for another neck crank, only to miss an elbow. Ricochet fights up and hits a springboard crossbody. Mahal’s distraction lets Shanky grab him again, only to have Ricochet roll him up for the pin to retain at 3:22.

Rating: D+. Yeah what were you expecting here? Shanky might as well have had a sign above his head saying “PIN ME/PAY ME” as there was no chance that Ricochet was dropping the title here. Hopefully this wraps things up, but it looks like we might be seeing more of Ricochet vs. Mahal, as WWE continues to think that’s a good idea. I’m sure it’ll work this time though.

Post match Mahal yells at Shanky, who walks off.

Raquel Rodriguez says you aren’t nervous when you look like her. Seriously though, of course she’s nervous but she’s going to put on a show. The show was acting like anyone would speak this way.

Raquel Rodriguez vs. Cat Cardoza

Cardoza jumps her before the bell and is easily thrown around by the arm. Some fall away slams set up a spinning Vader Bomb but Cardoza is back with a running knee in the corner. Choking on the ropes doesn’t go well for Cardoza as Rodriguez is back with the Chingona Bomb for the pin at 2:00. Cardoza got in a bit too much offense here but Rodriguez looked dominant enough.

Ludwig Kaiser and Gunther brag about the latter’s dominance. Gunther promises to take respect.

A Make A Wish kid is here. That’s always awesome.

It’s time for the contract signing for the Tag Team Title unification match at Wrestlemania Backlash between the Usos and RKBro. Everyone throws out their chairs and Adam Pearce says let’s just get this done with no problems. The Usos say they don’t have to prove anything to anyone and the only thing they need is bigger luggage when they win the other titles. Riddle says he can’t tell the Usos apart, which isn’t a problem for RKBro.

Randy Orton can’t believe that because he has never had a problem telling them apart. See, you have Jey Uso, who is the right hand man and Jimmy Uso is nothing but a little b****. The fight is on with RKBro getting the better of things but here is Roman Reigns to uneven things a bit.

Now the beatdown is on, with Reigns ripping up the contract and shoving it in Riddle’s mouth….but here is Drew McIntyre to slowly walk down the aisle for the save. With the teams out of the way, McIntyre gets in the ring and sends Reigns flying with a suplex as we seem to have a next challenger. I would have bet on it being at a bigger show, but maybe that’s all they could think of at the moment.

Post break Paul Heyman comes in to see Adam Pearce and suggests that the Tag Team Title match at Wrestlemania Backlash be turned into a six man tag. Pearce says not so fast, but Heyman says the Board Of Directors might see things differently.

Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler

Yes it’s a singles ma….oh forget it. Their respective partners are here too. Baszler takes her down to start but gets pulled into the corner so Naomi can have her fun (as Cole likes to describe it). That doesn’t work for Baszler, who suplexes her down and starts twisting the arm. The Kirifuda Clutch is countered into a Bubba Bomb attempt but Baszler is out again. Naomi fights up and sends her face first into the corner for the pin at 2:23.

Post match the brawl is on with Sasha Banks clearing the ring but Natalya pulls her into the Sharpshooter in the ropes. Baszler stomps on Naomi’s arm for a bonus.

We look back at Butch running away from Ridge Holland and Sheamus, with Michael Cole saying he ran off like a “spoiled, petulant child.” There are missing person posters, plus FAKE PHOTOS of him possibly being in various places.

Sheamus and Ridge Holland have been putting up the posters….but they put them in the same places, seemingly not noticing the same posters in the same places.

The six man is official for Wrestlemania Backlash, with no titles on the line. Riveting.

Xavier Woods vs. Ridge Holland

Before the match, New Day mocks Sheamus and Ridge Holland for losing Butch. Woods dubs Sheamus “Shake It Sheamus” for all of the partners he has had over the years, which does not sit well with Sheamus. Feeling out process to start with Holland using the power to take over. That’s fine with Woods, who sends him outside and hits the flip dive off the apron to drop Holland as we take a break.

Back with Holland running him over and dropping some elbows. Woods’ comeback is cut off without much trouble and the chinlock goes on, allowing fans to keep up the Sheamus chants. Another comeback attempt is countered into a spinebuster but Woods grabs Backwoods for the fast pin at 8:25.

Rating: C. Is Backwoods supposed to be a joke finisher? If it is, they need to work on their joke finishers, though I don’t think it’s meant to be one. That doesn’t exactly make things better, but maybe Woods’ singles run continues. Granted I don’t think that is where they are going, but it is a bit hard to get fired up about someone turning a small package into a thing.

Post match Sheamus wants to show Ridge how it’s done so Kofi Kingston can get in here right now.

Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus

Joined in progress with Kofi fighting out of the ten forearms to the chest and hitting a spinning top rope forearm to the head. The Irish Curse hurts Kofi so Sheamus does it two more times before grabbing a reverse chinlock. A powerslam gives Sheamus two but the Brogue Kick is countered into the SOS for two. Sheamus knees him out of the air though and the Brogue Kick finishes Kingston at 2:57.

Post match Holland sends Woods into the barricade and Sheamus loads up the table. The powerbomb through the table leaves Woods laying.

We get Chapter Four of the Lacey Evans Story, focusing on her time in the Marines. She graduated from boot amp but her father didn’t show up to the ceremony because she was never good enough for her family. Evans starts crying as she talks about not having any support growing up and she doesn’t need it. Now she is coming for everyone in the WWE locker room.

I Quit Beat The Clock Challenge: Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi

I Quit match with Charlotte at ringside. Shotzi bails to the floor to start so the chase is on with Shotzi getting in a few shots on the way back in. Rousey isn’t having that and grabs a suplex, setting up the ankle lock with a grapevine to make Shotzi give up at 1:41.

Charlotte talks some trash to Rousey and now it’s Charlotte’s turn.

I Quit Beat The Clock Challenge: Charlotte vs. Aliyah

Non-title I Quit match with a 1:41 time limit. Aliyah starts moving around early and even hits a bulldog. A high crossbody misses though and Charlotte kicks her in the face. The Figure Eight is kicked away though (with Rousey getting in a smirk), meaning Charlotte has to take Aliyah down again. The Figure Eight goes on but time expires at 1:41, meaning Rousey wins.

Post match the staredown is on and Charlotte slowly walks outside….to go after Drew Gulak. The beating is on, including a bell shot to Gulak’s back, to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This didn’t work all that well and the ending felt pretty flat. Granted some of that is due to this being a taped show, but there wasn’t anything on here worth seeing. Throw in the lack of the big Tag Team Title match at the pay per view and the future isn’t looking bright on this show at the moment. I was rather disappointed here, and the six man being announced really didn’t make it better.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Ricochet b. Shanky – Rollup
Raquel Rodriguez b. Cat Cardoza – Chingona Bomb
Naomi b. Shayna Baszler – Drop toehold into the corner
Xavier Woods b. Ridge Holland – Backwoods
Sheamus b. Kofi Kingston – Brogue Kick
Ronda Rousey b. Shotzi – Ankle lock
Charlotte vs. Aliyah went to a time limit draw

 

 

 

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NXT UK – April 28, 2022: They Had A Really Bad Show

NXT UK
Date: April 28, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

We’re in a bit of a weird place here as there is no major match this week. Last week saw Moustache Mountain cheat to retain the Tag Team Titles and in two weeks, Ilja Dragunov defends the United Kingdom Title against Jordan Devlin. I’m not sure what that leaves us with this week but maybe they have something in mind. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Symbiosis vs. Wild Boar/Mark Andrews

Eddie Dennis is here with Symbiosis and it’s a big brawl on the floor before the bell. Andrews avoids a kick in the knee and hits a 619 on T-Bone’s leg, setting up a dropkick to the same knee. Boar comes in for a slam on Primate and then drops Andrews onto him for two. It’s back to T-Bone (still favoring the knee) for a forearm to the back and a belly to back suplex for two. Primate hits an elbow to the face as the villains keep taking turns beating on Andrews.

T-Bone makes the mistake of yelling at Boar though and Andrews slaps him in the face. With that not working, Andrews misses an enziguri but avoids Primate’s elbow, allowing him to dive over to Boar for the tag. A heck of a lariat gives Boar two on T-Bone and Primate is sent outside. Boar’s t-bone suplex gets two on Primate but Dennis gets on the apron for a distraction. Not that it matters as Boar sends Symbiosis into each other and suplexes T-Bone. Andrews adds Fall To Pieces for the pin on T-Bone at 7:26.

Rating: C. This was another step on the way towards Wild Boar vs. Eddie Dennis, which is getting quite a bit of time for a story that is only so interesting in the first place. It’s good to have Andrews back after such a long time away, but he does feel a bit inserted into the whole thing. Boar vs. Dennis could be good, though I’m not sure how much I care about getting to that point.

Post match Boar goes after Dennis and grabs the chain so the chase is on, with Dennis running out of the arena.

Video on Von Wagner, who is ready for Saxon Huxley.

Moustache Mountain arrived earlier today and no last week wasn’t nefarious. Trent Seven says that they are going to keep the titles no matter what but now the bosses (whose names he mispronounces) need to find them some real competition.

Sid Scala….is interrupted by Eddie Dennis running away from Wild Boar. Scala is tired of this running so let’s have a Dog Collar match. Boar shows up and chases Dennis off.

Angel Hayze vs. Xia Brookside

Eliza Alexander is here with Brookside, who looks annoyed at Hayze’s presence. Brookside works on the arm to start but Hayze reverses into a wristlock of her own. Brookside stomps on the foot to escape in about as simple of a counter as you can get (which isn’t a bad thing). That’s reversed with a wristlock takeover and a running kick to the head gets two on Brookside.

Hayze gets kicked out of the corner as Shepherd talks about how whiny Brookside has been as of late. The camel clutch goes on for a bit until Hayze fights up and scores with some forearms. A running shot to the face gives Hayze two but an Alexander distraction lets Brookside grab the rollup pin at 5:06.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash for Brookside but at least her bodyguard did something for once. I’m still not sure if she needs a bodyguard for the most part as I liked her better on her own, but she does at least have someone helping her get some wins. Not much of a match, but I can go for more Brookside most of the time.

Post match the double team beatdown is on but Amale runs in for the save.

A-Kid comes up to Charlie Dempsey at the Performance Center and wants to settle their differences for good. That seems to set up a match but nothing specific is mentioned.

Damon Kemp is officially in NXT UK. That’s a good thing, as wrestlers need to work in front of a different audience and with different people. Johnny Saint even comes in for a cameo to welcome him to the show.

Von Wagner vs. Saxon Huxley

Fallout from Huxley interrupting Wagner’s debut and calling him stupid. They go straight to the slugout to start until Huxley shoulders him down. Back up and Wagner scores with a jumping knee to the face as Nigel talks about how Huxley can be dangerous, depending on which voice in his head he listens to at the moment. A clothesline gives Wagner two and the chinlock goes on. Huxley fights up and hits some running shoulders, setting up a top rope clothesline for two of his own. The Thesz press sets up something in a fireman’s carry but Wagner elbows his way to freedom. Wagner’s Death Valley Driver finishes at 4:04.

Rating: C. Totally run of the mill power match here with Huxley getting to showcase himself while Wagner gets the win because WWE sees something in him. I’m not sure what that something actually is but they certainly see something. Huxley has a weird charisma to, but odds are this is about as far as it is going to go.

Post match Wagner says Huxley is the first of many and you’re just living in his world.

Gallus had a press conference earlier this week where they promise that they are united and stronger than ever. They all shake hands after answering no questions.

Tiger Turan, a masked man, is coming.

Video on Isla Dawn vs. Meiko Satomura in next week’s Women’s Title match.

Lash Legend is coming. Oh freaking joy.

Here are Sid Scala and Johnny Saint for the contract signing between Jordan Devlin and Ilja Dragunov. Both guys come to the ring and Devlin puts his feet up. Devlin blows into the microphone and says those are the winds of change. Dragunov doesn’t like Devlin belittling this place but Devlin says he IS this brand. He’s the reason for all of this pomp and circumstance but Dragunov says this title defines him.

Dragunov’s worst nightmare is to see Devlin holding the title and it isn’t happening. Devlin knows that it will happen, so Dragunov wants to raise the stakes. That could work, so Dragunov wants to make it Loser Leaves NXT UK. Devlin thinks Dragunov won’t want to be seen after he loses anyway, so he’s in. They both sign and the fight is on, with Dragunov putting the table up in the corner. Devlin uses Scala as a shield though and it’s the Devlin Side to put Dragunov through the table. The fans dub Devlin an Irish coward as he holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. What in the world was that? Did they forget that they had a show here and threw out whatever leftovers they had? We got a match setting up a match between a wrestler and a manager, a match that was just a step above a squash, and Von Wagner. For the “important” stuff, we had a contract signing that ate up the last bit of the show and added a stipulation that could have been added in a graphic. This was a total misfire and I really, really hope that it’s a one off instead of the new direction around here

Results
Mark Andrews/Wild Boar b. Symbiosis – Fall To Pieces to T-Bone
Xia Brookside b. Angel Hayze – Rollup
Von Wagner b. Saxon Huxley – Death Valley Driver

 

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

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Impact Wrestling – April 28, 2022: As They Almost Always Do

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 28, 2022
Location: Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Rebellion and the big story is that Josh Alexander got the World Title back from Moose in a heck of a main event. Other than that, we are less than two weeks away from Under Siege and need to get a card together pretty fast. Odds are we’ll be seeing a bunch of rematches so let’s get to it.

Here is Rebellion if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Rebellion in rapid fashion.

Opening sequence.

Here is Violent By Design for a chat. Eric Young talks about desiring power and control, and that is exactly what they went and got. Now they have defeated seven teams and are the permanent Tag Team Champions. If you are being honest, their success shouldn’t surprise you and there is no team anywhere that can take them down.

Cue Heath and Rhino to say they want the Tag Team Titles (with Rhino’s voice getting a bit high) but here are the Briscoes to interrupt. Jay says Dem Boys are in the house and you should have known that they were going to be back after that BS at the Multiverse of Matches. They have won titles everywhere they have gone and this will be no different. Heath tells them to get in the back of the line but Jay says they don’t do that for anyone. Young says this isn’t “an us” problem so the other two can figure this out and come find the champs.

Briscoes vs. Heath/Rhino

For a future Tag Team Title shot. Mark starts fast and clears the ring, setting up the big flip dive to the floor. The brawl is on outside until we settle down so Mark can suplex Heath for two. Heath manages to kick Jay outside though and Rhino gets in a clothesline as we take a break with the Briscoes in trouble.

Back with Jay getting elbowed down and Rhino grabs the nerve hold. Heath switches to his own chinlock and pulls the hair to keep Jay away from the tag. That lasts all of eight seconds as the tag brings Mark in for Red Neck Kung Fu. Everything breaks down and Jay hits the neckbreaker onto Rhino, setting up the Froggy Bow for the pin at 9:57.

Rating: C+. I can always go for more of the Briscoes and while this might not be WWE or AEW, it is great to see them getting on a bigger platform. I’m not sure if they are going to be around long term but just seeing them in Impact is a good sign. Now just get them into the title picture permanently (if they’re staying) and things should pick up a lot.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Moose comes in to see Scott D’Amore and isn’t happy with getting his rematch on five days’ notice. D’Amore tells him to go win his title back.

EGV is coming.

VSK vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

VSK tries to jump him to start but Gujjar gets a running start and hits an elbow to the face. That’s enough to send him outside so Gujjar is right there with a dive to take him out. Back in and VSK gets in a shot to the face as some rather young children seem to be chanting for VSK. The chinlock goes on and lasts as long as expected, with Gujjar fighting up for a Sling Blade. What looks to be a powerslam is broken up but the second attempt works, setting up the middle rope spear to give Gujjar the pin at 4:32.

Rating: C-. This was ever Gujjar match but not as interesting. The guy just doesn’t have that much of note in the ring and is serviceable at best. It also doesn’t help that his story is involving two other people who haven’t been seen as big deals either, making it feel as low level as you can get around here.

Post match here are Raj Singh and Shera, with the latter beating up VSK again.

Ace Austin calls himself Trey Miguel’s greatest weakness but here is Rocky Romero to offer him a spot in the New Japan Best of the Super Juniors. Austin likes the idea but tells Romero to leave. This gets Romero to challenge him for a title match next week. Austin says get in line, but Romero is off to talk to Scott D’Amore. Mike Bailey comes in to offer Austin a handshake but Austin walks away.

Steve Maclin wants the World Title shot at Under Siege.

Honor No More vs. Motor City Machine Guns/Mike Bailey

Eddie Edwards/Mike Bennett/Matt Taven for Honor No More here, with the rest of the team at ringside. Bailey and Taven start things off but it’s a brawl less than fifteen seconds in. Taven tosses Sabin into a powerbomb from Edwards but Bailey flips over them and starts kicking away. A Kenny King distraction lets Taven and Bennett take over on Bailey and Edwards adds the suicide dive as we take a break.

We come back with Bailey kicking Taven down but Edwards in in for the save. As expected, the tag to Sabin goes through mere seconds later and it’s time to clean house. The Dream Sequence hits Bennett and it’s time for the exchange of strikes to the face. Bailey and Bennett chop it out with Bailey getting the better of things and hitting the running shooting star press. The Guns set up Bailey for a double Dream Sequence and it’s time for the series of dives to the floor. Back in and a Kenny King distraction breaks up the Ultimate Weapon and Bennett Spears Shelley. The Die Hard Driver finishes Bailey at 11:05.

Rating: C+. I can always go for a good six man tag and they had the talent in here to make it work. It’s a good sign to see Honor No More picking up a win and there is something satisfying about seeing Bailey getting knocked around. The Guns being back is nice to see too, leaving me pretty happy with everything going on here.

Post match Sabin and Bailey aren’t getting along. With the Guns and Bailey gone, here are the Good Brothers to take out Honor No More.

Josh Alexander says it’s time to shut Moose up for good. He’s ready to face whoever Scott D’Amore has in store for the title shot at Under Siege too.

Here is new AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Taya Valkyrie for a chat, though Matthew Rehwoldt is still trying to find the words to deal with Deonna Purrazzo’s loss. Taya talks about her passion and creativity being held captive for a long time (seemingly talking about her time in WWE) but now she knows who she is. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to reach the top again and now she is the champ again. Cue Purrazzo to jump Taya from behind though and the Fujiwara armbar goes on. Decay comes in for the save.

Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans b. Decay

It’s a brawl around ringside before the bell until they head inside with Steelz being driven into the corner hard enough that the referee has to check on her. She’s fine enough to get splashed by both members of Decay before handing it off to Evans. The Upside Down is broken up by a grab of Rosemary’s throat and things slow down a bit. Rosemary claws her way out of a fireman’s carry though and it’s Havok coming in with a Death Valley Driver. Everything breaks down and a Havok backbreaker sets up a Rosemary spear finishes Evans at 4:51.

Rating: C. This was a quick one and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Havok as the challenger of the month. She makes for a good monster and hasn’t gotten much focus in recent years so it could be worth a shot. Sometimes you need to mix it up a bit and that is what we might be getting as Rosemary has already had her chance.

It’s time for It’s All About Me with the Influence bragging about their win. Gisele Shaw comes in and says she smelled cheap perfume and insecurity. A match with Dashwood is made for next week.

Vincent is ready to bring PCO back to fight in the coliseum, meaning Monster’s Ball, against Jonah.

Here’s what’s coming next week and at Under Siege.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Moose vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is defending. Moose starts fast and powers him into the corner but Alexander switches places and chops away. That doesn’t last long as Moose sends him to the floor and we take a break. Back with Moose sending him ribs first into the apron and adding an apron powerbomb. Some shots to the face set up a chinlock with a knee in Alexander’s back.

That’s broken up and Alexander wins a slugout but can only roll so many German suplexes. The C4 Spike doesn’t work so Alexander grabs a Sharpshooter like any good Canadian. Moose makes the rope and gets back up for the exchange of forearms. Alexander rolls over into the ankle lock but Moose sends him into the corner, setting up the release Rock Bottom. A buckle bomb drops Alexander but Moose doesn’t launch the spear. Instead he tries another powerbomb, which is reversed into one from Alexander (with what seemed like a camera cut). The C4 Spike retains Alexander’s title at 16:10.

Rating: B-. These two work well together and they did it again here, though there wasn’t the same energy that the title match had over the weekend. It’s good to see Alexander pick up another win to really establish himself as champion, even if it is something that he already covered on Saturday. Now it is on to Under Siege for Alexander, as Moose might need to go away for a bit to reenergize.

Post match Tomohiro Ishii comes out to stare down Alexander and seems to be the challenger for Under Siege. Works for me.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one but Impact has a history of not having the strongest shows post pay per views. It doesn’t help that they had to jump right into the build for Under Siege in two weeks, but the card does seem to be made up of logical steps. This wasn’t a great show though and the best match, the main event, was done better just a few days ago. Not worth a watch, but that might be a one off problem.

Results
Briscoes b. Heath/Rhino – Froggy Bow to Rhino
Bhupinder Gujjar b. VSK – Middle rope spear
Honor No More b. Motor City Machine Guns/Mike Bailey b. Die Hart Driver to Bailey
Decay b. Savannah Evans/Tasha Steelz – Spear to Evans
Josh Alexander b. Moose – C4 Spike

 

 

 

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

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WWE Releases 10 More From NXT

Spring cleaning seems to be upon up.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-wwe-releases-nine-company/

Dakota Kai

Harland

Malcolm Bivens

Persia Pirotta

Blair Baldwin (referee)

Sanjana George

Draco Anthony

Mila Milani

Raelyn Divine

Dexter Lumis

There isn’t a major name on here but Lumis, Pirotta, Harland and Kai are certainly surprises (Bivens apparently wasn’t going to re-sign so they let him go).  The interesting one to me is Kai, who was literally a champion earlier THIS MONTH and now she’s gone.  I’m not sure how many of these people are going to get signed elsewhere (Bivens would be a steal for any promotion that wants him) but you’ll likely see some of them somewhere.  What worries me is how many more might be let go.  It’s never good to see this kind of thing and odds are WWE isn’t done yet.




Daily News Update – April 29, 2022

Make sure you check out some recent reviews.

ECW On Sci Fi – October 30, 2007

Hidden Gem: Let’s Go To Canada

Smackdown – November 2, 2007


 

Yes And Yes: Two Former WWE Stars Announce Their Engagement.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/yes-yes-two-former-wwe-stars-announce-engagement/

WATCH: Bobby Lashley Suffers Near Disaster After Ring Rope Breaks At Live Event.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-bobby-lashley-suffers-near-disaster-ring-rope-breaks-live-event/

Here’s What Was Changed On AEW Dynamite Due To Hangman Page’s Coronavirus.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/heres-changed-aew-dynamite-due-hangman-pages-coronavirus/

Not Again: WWE Dealing With Coronavirus Issues.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/not-wwe-dealing-coronavirus-issues/

VIDEO: Ember Moon Reveals WWE Holding Meetings To Teach Women To “Dress Sexy”.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/former-wwe-star-reveals-meetings-teach-women-dress-sexy/

WATCH: Former WWE Star Confirms Return To The Ring.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-former-wwe-star-confirms-return-ring/

WWE Might Be Making Another Roster Change Soon.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-might-making-another-roster-change-next-month/

More On WWE “Dress Sexier” Meetings, Who Wrestlers Are Blaming.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-dress-sexier-meetings-wrestlers-blaming/

 

 

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.




Smackdown – November 2, 2007: A Show In One Interview

Smackdown
Date: November 2, 2007
Location: Nassau Coliseum, New York City, New York
Attendance: 12,300
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

We are done with Cyber Sunday and the big story on the blue side is Batista FINALLY defeating the Undertaker to retain the World Title. It is time to get towards Survivor Series and that could go in more than a few directions. They don’t have a ton of time to set it up though so hopefully we start getting somewhere this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Cyber Sunday if you need a recap.

Here is Batista to get things going. He talks about growing up in a rough neighborhood and having to fight for everything. Now he has done the same thing here, with every kind of fight you could imagine. Then on Sunday, he finally accomplished something he thought he would never do when he defeated the Undertaker. Their rivalry has been a war and now they are 1-1-2 and that makes them even.

Tonight they’re partners, but their differences have not been settled. He has Undertaker’s back but wants to know if Undertaker has his. There go the lights and Undertaker appears in the ring. Undertaker says he has Batista’s back because Batista still has the one thing that he wants. Batista asks if that means he wants a rematch, so the match is on. As Batista goes to leave, Undertaker says let’s do it in the Cell. Well that escalated.

In the back, Vickie Guerrero comes up to Jamie Noble, who panics and says he wasn’t hurting anyone. Vickie doesn’t have time for this because she has to work on the Cell match. Jamie thinks he’s being put in the match with them but she has a gift for him: a Rey Mysterio DVD, because he is facing Rey tonight. That works a lot better for Noble, who thinks Vickie is sweet on him. Oh and maybe later they could watch, ahem, some different DVDs.

Festus vs. Domino

Their respective partners are here too as Batista vs. Undertaker in the Cell is set for Survivor Series. Festus starts fast with a backdrop and some shots to the face for two. Domino goes to the eyes to escape and hits some knees to the face. That earns him another kick to the head as Jesse takes out an interfering Deuce. A fireman’s carry flapjack gives Festus the pin without much trouble.

Video on Eve winning the Diva Search.

Rey Mysterio vs. Jamie Noble

Finlay, who is facing Rey next week, comes out to watch at ringside. Feeling out process to start with Jamie flipping him over by the arm and barring it for a bonus. That’s fine with Rey, who climbs up Noble and grabs a sunset flip for two. Back up and Noble hits a running knee to the ribs to cut Rey down but he’s fine enough to load up the 619. That sends Noble bailing to the floor, where Rey gets in a kick to the legs to put Noble in more trouble.

Noble gets back in and hits something like an over the shoulder backbreaker spun into a cutter over the top (that’s a new one) to take over. A northern lights suplex stays on the banged up arm and the armbar goes on again. Noble drops him face first onto the mat and puts on the armbar for a third time. That’s broken up and Rey headscissors him down into a Fujiwara armbar. Noble slips out so Rey hits a springboard seated senton, only to charge into a powerslam. The tiger driver is loaded up but Rey reverses into a hurricanrana for the fast pin.

Rating: C+. This is one of those matches where you can have two guys do just about anything get a good match out of them. Noble has been used as a goon in recent weeks but he is capable of doing something like this if he is given the chance. Rey vs. Finlay sounds like it should be a good blowoff match next week too, as they have had a solid feud over the last few weeks.

Post match Finlay calls Rey a quitter and a loser, which he’ll prove next week.

Raw Rebound.

Matt Hardy is still healing and he’ll be ready to go next week. That’s cool with MVP, because he survived at Cyber Sunday and they need to get back to dominating. Matt agrees, and wishes MVP luck in his match tonight. MVP doesn’t know anything about a match, but it’s next…and Kane’s pyro goes off.

MVP vs. Kane

Non-title. Kane punches him down to start and a hard whip into the corner bangs up MVP’s ribs. Back up and MVP gets in a few shots of his own but a backbreaker gives Kane two. Some shots to Kane’s bad ribs (you might want to come up with something different) slow him down though and a running shoulder to the ribs gives MVP two of his own.

Kane rocks him with an uppercut but MVP is right back on the ribs as they aren’t making this very complicated. That’s reversed into a bearhug on the mat but MVP reverses into a seated abdominal stretch. MVP kicks him out to the floor and we come back with Kane having to fight out of a bodyscissors. Kane gets in a faceplant out of the corner and the top rope clothesline connects, setting up the chokeslam for the pin.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure who put this together but they could have done a bit better than an exchange of working on the ribs over and over. Have Kane’s shoulder hit the post or something but find a way to mix it up. Also, the US Champion gets pinned again, which probably doesn’t set up another title match, but at least they had this happen again because of course they did.

Post match Big Daddy V comes in to drop Kane and crush the ribs again. Cole: “He is a mean man!”

Mick Foley vs. Jonathan Coachman

Foley is the hometown boy and this match needs a guest referee in the form of Hornswoggle. Coach realizes he’s in trouble and Foley shoves him over Hornswoggle to make it worse. Foley rakes his eyes over the top and drops an elbow, setting up the green Mr. Socko. Hornswoggle adds the Tadpole Splash so Foley can get the pin. Just a quick way to make the live fans smile.

Next week, ECW World Champion CM Punk comes to Smackdown.

Kenny Dykstra vs. Chuck Palumbo

Victoria and Michelle McCool are here too. Palumbo hits him in the face to start and grabs a belly to back suplex for an early two. They head outside with Palumbo being sent back first into the apron as JBL talks about what a great future Dykstra has. Back in and Palumbo snaps off an overhead belly to belly. Michelle cuts off Victoria’s interference and Palumbo hits a top rope shoulder. Full Throttle finishes Dykstra off.

Rating: D+. Palumbo’s total stall continues and that is due to having him face people like Kenny Dykstra and Chris Masters. WWE has presented him as nothing more than a lower level guy and there is no reason to care about him. You’re only going to get so far with this and Palumbo has hit that point.

Rey Mysterio’s DVD went on sale last week.

Great Khali and Mark Henry shout at each other in a strategy session.

Great Khali/Mark Henry vs. Undertaker/Batista

Undertaker starts fast on Henry but Old School is broken up. Some shots to the arm put Henry in the corner though and now Old School connects. Henry gets knocked off the apron and we take an early break. Back with Batista driving Henry into the corner as well, allowing Undertaker to come in for a headbutt.

A running knee in the corner gets two (and has Batista impressed) but Henry powers Undertaker into the corner to bring in Khali. Since you don’t want Khali doing much more than kicking away in the corner, Henry comes back in and gets taken down with the running DDT. Batista comes in and gets elbowed in the face by Khali, setting up the big chop for two.

The Vice Grip goes on and makes Undertaker pace on the apron before eventually making the save. Batista spears Khali down and it’s back to Undertaker to unload on Henry. Everything breaks down and Batista spinebusters Henry, followed by Undertaker big booting Khali. The Batista Bomb is loaded up….but JBL runs in to jump Batista for the DQ.

Rating: C. This worked in a bit of a weird way, mainly because no one is going to buy Henry and Khali as a threat to the top two forces on the show. They didn’t bother having Undertaker and Batista in that much trouble, but the ending was a bit of a surprise. JBL is pretty clearly getting ready to make some kind of a comeback, though I’m not sure how much interest there is in having another big guy on a show with so many monsters.

Henry and Khali wreck Batista and Undertaker to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This show was all about the Undertaker vs. Batista Cell announcement and a grand total of nothing else. The second biggest thing on this show was finding out that Rey Mysterio has a new DVD out. Maybe it’s fallout from the pay per view or not needing much for Survivor Series, but this was a weak show and I was pretty bored.

 

 

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