Monday Night Raw
Date: May 26, 2008
Location: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 16,524
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the last Raw before One Night Stand and the end of last week’s show set up a pair of huge matches for the show. Now we are getting ready for JBL vs. John Cena in a first blood match and HHH vs. Randy Orton in a last man standing match for HHH’s Raw World Title. I’m sure we’ll get some more tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Memorial Day video.

Opening sequence.

Vince McMahon joins us on the Titantron to say William Regal got what he deserved last week, but are the fans getting what they deserve? They deserve appreciation, and tonight they will receive it like never before. He’s open to suggestions, including from the wrestlers. By the end of the night, fans will receive appreciation like they have never seen.

Here are HHH and Randy Orton for a face to face standoff. Orton is asked about how he beat HHH in a last man standing match before, but it was HHH’s third match of the night and Orton’s second. Orton is sick of having his accomplishments downplayed, because what matters is that he beat HHH in this very match.

HHH says the fans are laughing at Orton because he’s a censored. He isn’t laughing though, because Orton has a tendency to find a cheap way out. If Orton wants to be the best, he has to face the best over and over. Orton says HHH doesn’t thrive on competition because he either brings in his threats or just flat out eliminates him.

Like Shawn Michaels or Evolution, because HHH knows he needed to fear them. HHH says Evolution was about making Orton realize his potential but he isn’t just going to walk away. Orton promises to win and goes to leave, but HHH promises to end the Age Of Orton like it never happened. There wasn’t much left to be said about this feud so this was nothing we haven’t heard before.

Melina vs. Jillian Hall

Beth Phoenix is on commentary. Jillian jumps her to start and hits a flipping faceplant before hitting some kicks to the back. Melina fights back and elbows her in the face, setting up an Indian Deathlock for the fast tap.

Chris Jericho comes in to see Vince McMahon with an idea to appreciate the fans: a match with Shawn Michaels tonight. Deal, and we’ll make it non-title. Cryme Tyme comes in and steal some of Williams Regal’s stuff to sell.

Paul London/Brian Kendrick vs. Cody Rhodes/Hardcore Holly

Non-title. Rhodes dropkicks London down to start but a double dropkick puts Rhodes down for two. Holly comes in to knock Kendrick down but Rhodes misses a middle rope crossbody. It’s off to London to dropkick and hurricanrana Holly as everything breaks down. London tries to skin the cat, only to get caught in the Alabama Slam for the pin.

Rating: C. Fast paced stuff here but they only had so much time to make it work. London and Kendrick are still an entertaining team but for some reason WWE insists on sticking with Rhodes and Holly as champions. The tag division barely exists, though you would think WWE might want to go with the better of the two teams here.

Post match here is Ted DiBiase of all people. He has a special moment for us, in the form of the newest member of the Raw roster: his son Ted DiBiase! Ted Jr. says he has always wanted to become a champion and that is what he is going to do in his debut match. So Holly and Rhodes need to pay attention, because everybody has a price, but he is priceless. That’s a great line.

Roddy Piper is training Jimmy Kimmel’s Cousin Sal for his match against Santino Marella. Kimmel comes in to watch the training and isn’t sure if this is going well as Piper beats up Sal. Oddly enough this is included on Peacock, along with a recap of last week’s segment, which wasn’t on Peacock.

Mickie James suggests a contest to Vince McMahon where schools get to say why they love WWE and the winner gets a Diva For A Day. JBL comes in to say that sounds like an escort service (working for strangers you see) and suggests the ring mat, covered in John Cena’s blood on Sunday, be cut up and sold.

Some soldiers wish us Happy Memorial Day.

John Bradshaw Layfield/Umaga vs. John Cena/Jeff Hardy

Cena and JBL start things off but let’s go with Umaga instead. The FU attempt doesn’t work but Umaga misses a charge in the corner so Cena can slug away. The swinging release Rock Bottom cuts Cena off though and we take a break. Back with JBL hammering Hardy into the corner and whipping him into another one.

The abdominal stretch goes on but Hardy slips out and hits a Whisper In The Wind. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Cena and house is cleaned in a hurry. Umaga knocks Cena into Hardy for the tag but the Swanton misses. With Cena and Umaga on the floor, the Clothesline From JBL finishes Hardy off.

Rating: C+. The ending came a bit out of nowhere but it was a good enough match to get the people involved out there. Umaga vs. Hardy has been a bit forgotten amid the two main event level matches at One Night Stand so giving them a bit of exposure was a good idea. Then again JBL vs. Cena isn’t exactly thrilling and it’s more interesting to go in another direction, even for one match.

Shawn Michaels comes to see Vince McMahon and doesn’t buy Vince wanting to appreciate the audience. Vince says Shawn will have to give the devil his due. Shawn: “You would know about that wouldn’t you?”

Video on the recent tour of Mexico.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Carlito

Carlito takes him down fast and grabs a quickly broken chinlock. The Backstabber is loaded up but Kennedy reverses into the Mic Check for the fast win.

Post match Katie Lea Burchill comes out to say some people aren’t happy with Kennedy getting rid of William Regal. Paul Burchill pops up from behind and lays Kennedy out.

Trevor Murdoch tries to sing a country version of No Chance but Vince McMahon sends him away.

One Night Stand rundown.

Video on Randy Orton vs. HHH.

More troops say hi.

Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

Non-title. They go to the mat a few times to start and that’s good for a standoff. Shawn sends him crashing out to the floor and we take a break. Back with Shawn fighting out of a chinlock but Jericho takes him into the corner for some stomping. Jericho’s bulldog is blocked with a shove into the corner and there’s the nipup.

The superkick is countered into a Walls attempt, which is countered into a small package for two. The second Walls attempt works far better but Shawn makes the ropes. That doesn’t work for Jericho, who takes him tot he floor and grabs the Walls again for the double countout.

Rating: B-. Jericho vs. Shawn is going to work almost every time but Jericho is teetering on the brink of a heel turn. I’m curious to see how they get to what should be Jericho as quite the villain, as they could go a few different ways to get there. I’m not sure how much we’ll get out of the Shawn vs. Batista match to get there, but they have an interesting story on the way there.

Post match Jericho grabs a chair but puts it down.

Here is Vince McMahon for the big announcement despite there not being much time left. Vince walks through the roster on the stage before talking about how everyone together. Let’s do that in four weeks with the WWE Draft. Until then, for the next four weeks, Vince is going to give away MONEY. What if he gave away a thousand dollars? Ten thousand dollars? Or even A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS? Heck he’s a billionaire, so over the next week, he’s going to give away the sum of ONE MILLION DOLLARS. End of show.

Overall Rating: C+. They did a nice job of covering just about everything on this side of the One Night Stand card and that is the right idea. Other than that, the money thing at the end was more than a bit different, but at least they’re trying to set something up for after the pay per view. WWE certainly needs something fresh at the moment as they continue to milk another pay per view out of feuds they’ve been running for a long time. Not a bad show, but the build to Summerslam needs to start fast.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: May 23, 2008
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
Attendance: 6,300
Commentators: Michael Cole, Mick Foley

We’re on the way to One Night Stand but first of all, we have to deal with the fallout from Judgment Day. That shouldn’t be too hard, as there the show didn’t have much in the way of major developments. There is still no World Champion and that means we’ll probably need to set up another title match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Vickie Guerrero and Edge to start things off. Vickie says none of the people here know what it’s like to have to run Smackdown. Everyone knows that a title can only change hands on a pinfall or a disqualification, so Undertaker couldn’t win the World Title on a countout. Therefore, at One Night Stand, it’s Undertaker vs. Edge for the title in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. Oh and if Undertaker loses: he’s gone from WWE FOREVER.

Jesse & Festus/Cherry vs. Deuce N Domino/Maryse

Festus powers Domino around to start and then slams Jesse down onto him for two. Deuce comes in and gets taken down so Jesse can hammer away as we hear about Deuce N Domino not winning a match since August. A springboard clothesline gets Deuce out of trouble as we hear about Mick Foley enjoying Maryse as the Daily Diva on WWE.com. We’ll move away from that rather quickly as Deuce N Domino take turns beating on Jesse, including a jumping fist drop for two.

This not so interesting match lets Cole point out that Vickie Guerrero said the World Title can only change hands on a pinfall or submission and then made the next title match Tables, Ladders, and Chairs. Jesse clotheslines his way to freedom, allowing the hot tag off to Cherry. This means Foley can recite a poem about her, which sounds quite Bruce Springsteenish. Everything breaks down and Festus kicks Domino into Cherry, allowing Maryse to get in a big kick for the pin.

Rating: C-. This was a rough sit, partially because Foley was transforming into something closer to Jerry Lawler with the women involved. That sounds like a Vince In His Ear transformation more than anything else, but it wasn’t going to help such a dull match anyway. It kept going and felt a lot longer than it was, which is one of the worst things that can happen in a match. Granted it doesn’t help when both teams feel like losers, with commentary pointing out how true that is for Deuce N Domino.

Chavo Guerrero comes in to see Edge and Vickie Guerrero, who he hopes aren’t mad at him. Vickie isn’t, but Chavo does happen to have a match with the Undertaker tonight. Don’t worry though as the rest of La Familia will be out there with him.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge, with MVP bringing out Teddy Long for a chat. MVP brings up their history, which doesn’t matter as much now that Teddy isn’t his boss. Teddy is JEALOUS of his money, looks, clothes and HAIR. Teddy is about to leave but cue Batista to interrupt. MVP doesn’t want Batista out here as the big hero, but Batista just wants to thank Teddy for everything and say goodbye. Oh and if MVP threatens Teddy again, Batista will put a fist through his face. MVP doesn’t like the disrespect, but Batista says he’ll show MVP disrespect. The set is promptly destroyed as MVP leaves.

Post break MVP goes in to see Vickie Guerrero and Edge to complain about Batista. Vickie makes MVP vs. Batista instead, which isn’t much of a heel decision.

Finlay vs. Chuck Palumbo

Hornswoggle is here too. Finlay gets in a quick elbow and takes him down by the leg for some cranking. Back up and Palumbo hits him in the face before hitting a hard clothesline for two. The chinlock goes on as it already feels like they’re filling in time. Hold on though as Hornswoggle whips out a water gun to spray Palumbo, allowing Finlay to run him over. The face/heel dynamics have been a bit off on this show. Back in and a side slam puts Finlay down but he pulls Palumbo into a Fujiwara armbar of all things.

Palumbo fights up and comes out of the corner with a heck of a clothesline for two, followed by the chinlock. A big boot gives Palumbo two and we’re already back in the chinlock. Finlay gets up this time and hits a crossbody for two of his own but Palumbo drops him again. This time Palumbo goes after Hornswoggle though, allowing Hornswoggle to bust out the Irish mist (which is apparently a thing). The shillelagh to the head gives Finlay the pin.

Rating: C-. Well I can certainly check the “Finlay vs. Chuck Palumbo for about ten minutes” match off my wish list. I’m not sure why this match needed this much time but the Irish mist certainly, uh, existed. Palumbo continues to be the relatively nothing midcard villain but there are worse choices out there. Not a good match here, and it felt like they were just killing time.

MVP vs. Batista

Feeling out process to start with Batista powering him into the corner without much effort. A headlock has MVP in trouble and Batista knocks him outside to make it worse. Back in and Batista leapfrogs (!) him before hitting a big boot to put MVP down again. MVP manages to send him into the corner though and a running boot to the face puts Batista on the floor for a change.

We take a break and come back with MVP grabbing a front facelock to keep him down. MVP hammers on the arm until Batista powers into the corner, meaning MVP needs to hammer him down even more. The armbar goes on for a bit until an armdrag gets Batista out of trouble. Another running boot is cut off by a spear but Batista can’t cover. A one armed spinebuster plants MVP and the Batista Bomb finishes him off.

Rating: C. This started off well but once it got to the arm work, the interest fell straight down. These two are capable of having a much better match and I’m not sure what happened here. As has been the case all night, the match just wasn’t very fun or exciting and that is disappointing given who was involved here.

Nunzio vs. Vladimir Kozlov

Kozlov starts in on the arm and gets two off a northern lights suplex. A headbutt to the chest sets up a kick to the ribs and the reverse DDT finishes for Kozlov in a hurry.

Matt Hardy/Kofi Kingston vs. Shelton Benjamin/Elijah Burke

Kingston and Burke start things off with Kofi taking him to the mat without much trouble. Matt comes in and starts cranking on the arm before punching the heck out of Burke. Another right hand knocks Benjamin off the apron but the distraction lets Burke knock Matt down for a change. Benjamin comes back in to work on a chinlock, only to dive into the Side Effect for a knockdown. It’s back to Kofi with the high crossbody for two as everything breaks down. Kofi’s spinning kick to the head finishes Benjamin.

Rating: C. This was pretty quick and to the point, but it’s interesting to see the ECW stars around here more often. Kingston has done well enough on ECW and use some better competition. Granted this was the same competition in a different place, but it does at least feel like an upgrade. Now just get Matt a nice challenger for the title and we could be getting somewhere.

Raw Rebound.

One Night Stand rundown.

Undertaker vs. Chavo Guerrero

The rest of La Familia is here too. Undertaker wastes no time in striking him into the corner for an elbow to the face. Old School connects but Undertaker misses a boot in the ropes. The beating is on outside….and La Familia (save for Bam Neely) is ejected. Chavo kicks away and a shot to the knee puts Undertaker down a bit. A hanging DDT puts Undertaker down but he sits up to scare Chavo away. Neely’s distraction breaks up a chokeslam so Undertaker punches him down. Chavo gets in a low blow but dives right into the Tombstone for the pin.

Rating: C. Yeah what were you expecting here? Undertaker beating Chavo even with the big advantage wasn’t out of the question and then the numbers game was mostly neutralized anyway. This gives Undertaker a bit of a boost going into the next title match with Edge and that’s all it was ever supposed to be.

Overall Rating: C-. This whole show just wasn’t very interesting, though that is probably due to the quick turnaround for One Night Stand. It’s a sequel to a show that was already a sequel so how much work do they need to do? This show didn’t make me want to watch One Night Stand though, as it was quite the chore to get through at times. Put in some effort next week and things should be better, but Smackdown needs something new and they need it soon.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

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Summerslam 2003 (2018 Edition)

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Summerslam 2005 (2020 Edition)

Ring Of Honor – July 20, 2023

Death Before Dishonor 2023

Impact Wrestling – July 20, 2023

Smackdown – July 21, 2023

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Collision – July 22, 2023

Summerslam 2006 (2021 Edition)

Summerslam 2007 (2022 Edition)

ECW On Sci Fi – May 20, 2023

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As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (featuring news stories written by ME).

Collision
Date: July 22, 2023
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to what I guess passes for normal around here after last week’s huge show. That could make for some interesting changes, as this week’s show features a Trios Titles match. Other than that I’m sure CM Punk is going to want some revenge on Ricky Starks after last week’s screwy finish so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn, Action Andretti and Darius Martin, Bullet Club Gold and Ricky Starks are ready for tonight.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone brings out Ricky Starks, with the Owen Hart belt and a bag, for a chat. The fans tell him he deserves it and he certainly seems to agree. As for the bag…..there’s nothing in it but he wanted to show off what he treated himself to after he won last week. As for the controversial ending, it isn’t about how he won but how many he won, and anyone in his (Prada) shoes would do the same thing. It’s by any means necessary so talk to him about how stylish he is. He doesn’t want to be a pillar because he stands by himself and those Pillars haven’t won any Owens.

Cue CM Punk (no music) to say this is Starks’ celebration and he is only mad at himself. He’s cheated some people before and so has everyone else. Maybe if the New Jersey Devils did it before, they could have made it out of the first round. Punk says he can live with the loss, but isn’t sure if Starks can live with the win. He goes to leave, but Starks says the bag Punk has been carrying is empty, which brings Punk back.

Punk says he is the real world’s champion…but here are Christian Cage and Luchasaurus to interrupt. They are contractually obligated to be here as champion but this is taking too long. Christian says that he, er, we, are the faces of TNT but here is Darby Allin to interrupt. Allin promises to become the new face of TNT at All Out, though that’s a ways off. For tonight, let’s have a tag match (Allin: “Christian you don’t wrestle anymore so give me the TNT Champion.”) This was the most WWE opening since the last time WWE opened a show in their signature “talking leads to a main event” style.

Andrade El Idolo was not allowed in the building due to his actions last week.

Action Andretti/Darius Martin vs. Bullet Club Gold

The Gunns are here too. Martin takes over on Robinson to start and hands it to Andretti for the twisting crossbody. Andretti’s multiple springboard wristdrag sends Robinson down again but he’s right back with a kick to the face. A hanging neckbreaker on the floor drops Andretti and he’s sent hard into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Andretti hitting an enziguri and diving over for the tag to Martin. Some right hands and a high crossbody get two on White, followed by Andretti’s Asai moonsault to the floor. Back in and a dropkick into a German suplex (which didn’t look great) gets two on Robinson. Andretti gets dropped though and Robinson hits the big left. The forward DDT into the Blade Runner finishes Andretti at 10:18.

Rating: C+. This was one of those matches that wasn’t about drama but rather Bullet Club Gold having to work a bit to get their momentum back after last week’s classic. There’s nothing wrong with a match like that and it worked well here without lasting too long. Andretti and Martin are fine as the young high fliers and everything worked out there.

We look at Willow Nightingale winning the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament last week and then losing to Athena last night at Death Before Dishonor because Ring Of Honor isn’t about having fun.

Miro vs. Nick Comorato

Comorato jumps him from behind on the stage and sends him into the steps to start fast. Some shoulders in the corner have Miro in trouble as the match officially starts. Miro avoids a charge though and hits the jumping superkick, setting up Game Over to finish Comorato at 1:26.

Video on FTR.

Trios Titles: House Of Black vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

The House of Black is defending and break up Caster’s rap to start fast. Caster gets caught in the wrong corner and Black hits him in the face for two. King drops the backsplash for two and Matthews drives Caster into the corner. Caster manages to send Matthews outside and then kicks him away, allowing the tag off to Gunn. House is cleaned but King blasts him with a clothesline, setting up Black Mass to retain the titles at 4:30.

Rating: C. This was pretty much a squash as Acclaimed and Gunn never got anything going. It was little more than destruction and that isn’t what you expect to see from them. Also, unless I missed it, there was no mention of the House Rules deal so maybe that has already been dropped.

Post match the House seems to show respect to Gunn. The House leaves and Gunn takes off his boots, leaving them in the ring to show his retirement. The Acclaimed tries to stop him but he walks off anyway.

Here is FTR for a chat about their Tag Team Title defense next week against Adam Cole and MJF. They have unfinished business with a bunch of teams but first they have to deal with these two. Wheeler gets that the fans like MJF and Cole at the moment, but he has first hand experience dealing with MJF’s lies. Harwood talks about having to get a job when he was about 14 and some of the rich kids made fun of him for having to work. He always wanted to punch them in the face but it brings him here, where people like MJF take wrestling as a joke.

We pause for a DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE chants before Harwood talks about how he doesn’t like how much of a joke MJF and Cole make wrestling. Next week, Harwood is giving them the beating he should have given those other kids. Nice job here of keeping composure when the fans were on the other side.

Video on Blood & Guts.

Skye Blue vs. Taya Valkyrie

Taya goes with the power to start and takes Blue down, allowing some kicks to the ribs. Back up and Blue gets in an armdrag but is knocked hard off the apron. Blue gets back inside and gets Blue Thunder Bombed for two as we take a break. We come back with Blue kicking away but getting caught in the ropes for the sliding German suplex. Taya hits a hard clothesline and a curb stomp finishes Blue at 8:54.

Rating: C. That was quite the surprise as Taya more or less ran through her here without much trouble. It’s a bit weird that Taya seems to be getting reheated, though I’m not sure how far that is going to take over. Blue seemed ready to move up the ladder and then she just gets beaten clean like this. Weird but ok then.

Post match Taya calls out Britt Baker for Dynamite.

Video on AR Fox.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Ricky Starks/Christian Cage vs. CM Punk/Darby Allin

Luchasaurus is here too. Starks has to start with Punk and is so hesitant to get in that the referee gets to a nine count with Starks on the apron. Once inside, Starks gets rolled up twice in a row and has to get away from the GTS. Christian comes in and gets caught in an armbar, allowing Allin to come in and stay on said arm. It’s already back to Punk, with Christian having to convince Starks to come back in. Punk and Allin clean house, setting up the double dives and we take a break.

Back with Punk in trouble as Scorpio Sky is watching from the sky box. Punk gets away and brings Allin back in for the house cleaning, including a Code Red for two on Starks. Allin’s suicide dive is knocked out of the air by Luchasaurus and Cage sends him head first through the bottom of the announcers’ table. Back with Allin still in trouble but Christian misses a top rope headbutt. Starks pulls Punk off the apron though and there is no one for a diving Allin to tag.

Allin kicks christian away and it’s back to Punk to clean house, including body slams and cartwheels. A clothesline gets two on Christian and the top rope elbow gets the same. Starks blocks the GTS and hits a headbutt to really rock Punk. He’s fine enough to get over to Allin off the tag but a quick Roshambo gives Starks two. Starks takes him up top but a superplex is reversed into a super reversed DDT. Christian saves but gets pulled outside into a GTS on the floor. Luchasaurus breaks up the Coffin Drop though and Starks grabs a rollup, with rope, for the pin at 25:07.

Rating: B. Another long main event here and Starks continues his rise after last week’s big win. The interesting thing here is that he cheated again after saying it didn’t matter earlier, as he is leaning into his turn a bit more. That could be quite the thorn in Punk’s side going forward and I’m curious to see where it goes. Allin vs. Cage/Luchasaurus is already set, so the other side worked well on its own. Good match here, with the time well spent.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe it was how much Tony Khan produced wrestling I’ve seen in the last few days but this show felt long and didn’t have nearly the same pop to it that the previous episodes have had. There was no big moment for this one and it was hurt a bit as a result. That being said, there was good wrestling throughout and it advanced enough stuff to make it worth a look. Certainly not a bad show, but the first few episodes gave it a pretty high bar.

Results
Bullet Club Gold b. Action Andretti/Darius Martin – Blade Runner to Andretti
Miro b. Nick Comorato – Game Over
House Of Black b. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn – Black Mass to Gunn
Taya Valkyrie b. Skye Blue – Stomp
Ricky Starks/Christian Cage b. CM Punk/Darby Allin – Rollup to Allin while holding rope

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Rampage
Date: July 21, 2023
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re in for one of the more unique shows this week as this was taped after Blood & Guts, meaning it’s a double ring. Therefore, we’re getting the Royal Rampage two ring battle royal, which was rather well received for the most part last week. Other than that, the road to All In/Out needs to get started so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Royal Rampage

So you have a red ring (with Darby Allin in at #1) and a blue ring (with Swerve Strickland in at #2). Those rings have a Royal Rumble each (with one minute intervals) and the winners eventually go one on one for the All Out TNT Title shot. Jay Lethal (Red) and Nick Wayne (Blue) are in at #2…..as Excalibur has lost his voice. Allin and Wayne take over to start as Excalibur’s voice suddenly pops in (I wonder if that’s in post production) and Jericho gets in the interesting bit of three of these entrants being from the Seattle area.

Minoru Suzuki (Red) is in at #3 and teams up with Lethal to beat on Allin as Brian Cage (Blue) is in at #3 to help go after Wayne (Red and Blue are now getting alternating entrances rather than coming in at the same time). Cage plants Wayne as Ethan Page (Red) is in at #4 to go after Lethal until Komander (Blue) is in at #4. Komander walks the ropes and steps over Cage’s shoulders to DDT Strickland in a cool spot. Butcher (Red) is in at #5 as we still haven’t had any eliminations.

Big Bill (Blue) is in at #5, with Chris Jericho going into MJF’s story of slamming Bill for a nice chuckle. Page gets rid of Lethal but Lethal grabs his hand, allowing Suzuki to toss Page as well. Butcher and Suzuki slug it out, with Butcher actually getting rid of him as Blade (Red) is in at #6.

We take a break and come back with Brother Zay (Blue) having come in at #6. Toa Liona (Red) is in at #7 and the three villains throw Allin into the corner. Matt Sydal (Blue) is in at #7 and teams up with Zay to clean a bit of house (still no eliminations in Blue). Bishop Kaun (Red) is in at #8, giving us Butcher/The Blade vs. Gates of Agony as Allin tries to recover. Zay is tossed and Butcher and Blade follow to clear things out rather quickly. Matt Hardy (Blue) is in at #8 and hits a DDT on Bill. Allin has to dodge the Gates as Matt Menard (Red) is in at #9.

Sydal is out as the Gates stare Menard down for some reason. Instead Menard goes after Allin in the corner as Jeff Jarrett (Blue) is in at #9. Angelo Parker (Red) is in at #10 to complete the first ring (Toa, Kaun, Parker, Menard and Allin). Jake Hager (Blue) is in at #10 to complete the second ring (Matt Hardy, Big Bill, Jake Hager, Jeff Jarrett, Komander, Brian Cage, Nick Wayne, Swerve Strickland) and we take a break.

Back with Allin slipping out of a quadruple powerbomb and dropkicking the Gates to the apron. The Gates dump Menard and Parker and Toa tackles the heck out of Allin. Hardy gets rid of Jarrett but gets F5’d into a cutter, allowing Bill to knock him out. As Komander and Hager were apparently eliminated during the break, Swerve dumps Bill to get us down to three in the Blue ring.

Actually make it two as Wayne just jumps to the Red ring (which I guess you can do) and helps Allin get rid of Kaun. So we’re down to five total (Cage, Wayne, Strickland, Allin and Toa) until Wayne and Swerve get rid of Cage. Swerve drops Wayne out and All low bridges Toa, leaning we’re down to Swerve vs. Allin for the whole thing.

Allin sends Swerve to the apron but cue Prince Nana to hit Allin with a skateboard. Swerve powerbombs Allin onto the skateboard (wheels up because of course) and they go to the apron, but Allin slips out of a suplex to get back inside. Allin hits a spear through the ropes (not over so he’s fine) for the win at 28:32.

Rating: B. I really didn’t care for last year’s version all that much but they put this one together far better, with the cameras cutting just enough to keep track of everything going on. Allin going wire to wire is a very Allin thing to do and him getting the big title shot in Chicago will work well. Good stuff here and it never felt long, so well done on fixing what was wrong last year.

Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. QTV

Billy and Johnny TV start things off and don’t go anywhere, so it’s off to Marshall, complete with a very bandaged back. Bowens comes in for the jumping Fameasser and we get some scissoring to send us to a break. Back with Gunn getting the hot tag as everything breaks down. Bowens gets to clean house but Johnny clotheslines Billy and Max down. Solo adds a top rope double stomp for two on Billy but Bowens is back in with the Arrival. Max drops the Mic Drop for the pin at 8:47.

Rating: C+. See now this is a good use of QTV. They can do their backstage stuff and wacky segments but then put over a bigger team in a decent match. Why that needs to involve Powerhouse Hobbs and drag him down is beyond me, but there is a place for goofs like them. The Acclaimed and Gunn get a decent win before their Trios Titles match tomorrow as well, so this was the right way to go.

Post match Bowens says they’re winning the titles tomorrow.

Video on Marina Shafir vs. Kris Statlander for the TBS Title.

TBS Title: Marina Shafir vs. Kris Statlander

Statlander is defending. They go with the grappling to start until Shafir grabs a suplex to take over. Some right hands on the mat have Statlander in trouble but she’s back up with an electric chair drop (good for three replays). Back up and Statlander hits a running knee in the corner, setting up a delayed vertical suplex (again with the three replays). Shafir gets a standing Figure Four but Shafir reverses and hits Friday Night Fever to retain at 5:02.

Rating: C. This was just a quick “hey here’s a title match” match and it went as well as could be expected. Statlander is still in the mode of having to reestablish herself and the best way to do that is stacking up wins. Shafir is fine as the grappler/MMA woman of the division and she did fine here, but there wasn’t time for this to get anywhere.

Overall Rating: B-. About half of this show was one match which went well so you could only complain so much about it. If you ignore that some of the wrestlers were working both the ROH PPV and appearing here at the same time (which must be the most difficult issue to overcome in history), it’s a completely entertaining enough show. Granted that’s mainly due to something that won’t be around every week, but I’ll take what I can get.

Results
Darby Allin won the Royal Rampage last eliminating Swerve Strickland
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. QTV – Mic Drop to Solo
Kris Statlander b. Marina Shafir – Friday Night Fever

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Smackdown
Date: July 21, 2023
Location: Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are just over two weeks away from Summerslam and this week has a pretty major development. The big story of the week will be the announcement of the rules of engagement between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. Other than that, we get a step closer to a #1 contender to the US Title. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the recent Bloodline issues, which got us to tonight’s Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns showdown.

Rey Mysterio vs. Cameron Grimes vs. LA Knight vs. Sheamus

The winner gets to face Santos Escobar next week for the US Title shot at Summerslam, meaning Summerslam is at ringside. Knight has a mic on the way to the ring and promises to win the match to go to Summerslam (the fans approve). It’s a brawl to start with the four of them pairing off. Knight elbows Sheamus down and the fans are very pleased as we take a break.

Back with Knight and Grimes being sent outside, leaving us with Sheamus vs. Rey in the ring. Rey and Sheamus actually hit the stereo forearms to the other twos’ chests but Sheamus isn’t having that much gimmick infringement. Instead it’s a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to Rey but Grimes comes back in to kick away at them. Knight’s comeback is cut off with an enziguri and Grimes faceplants Mysterio for two. Back up and Knight crotches Rey on top but the other two come over to make it a Tower Of Doom.

We take a break and come back with Rey hurricanranaing Grimes at Theory at ringside but only hitting the chair. Sheamus sends Grimes and Rey into the barricade but Knight counters the Brogue Kick into a slam. Blunt Force Trauma is broken up so Knight settles for his reverse AA for two, with Rey making the save.

Rey goes up top but Grimes catches him, only to have Rey hit a top rope hurricanrana on Sheamus and Grimes at the same time. Theory breaks up the cover by sending Rey into the steps so here is Santos Escobar to fight Theory into the crowd. We hit the parade of finishes until Rey snaps off a hurricanrana to finish Grimes at 18:36.

Rating: B-. Well, at least Knight didn’t get pinned. That is likely going to be the big talking point coming out of this match as Knight’s non-push has been rather interesting for the last few weeks. As for the actual winner, this sets up Mysterio vs. Escobar, which should have more than a few interesting facets. The match itself was a higher level version the four way formula, though it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.

Post match Rey and Escobar have a respectful standoff.

The Cavinder Twins, NXT rookies, are here.

Jey Uso is walking through the back and runs into NXT’s Tony D, Stacks and the Creeds, all of whom are or were NXT stars.

Austin Theory wants Santos Escobar tonight, with Adam Pearce making it official. Non-title of course.

We look at Brock Lesnar taking out Cody Rhodes on Raw.

Carmelo Hayes (NXT Champion) and his friend Trick Williams are here.

NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton is here.

Charlotte vs. Iyo Sky

Bayley is with Sky and joins commentary. They trade cartwheels to start until Charlotte gets in a quick shot, setting up a high crossbody for an early two. Sky is back up and drops Charlotte as Bayley isn’t interested in talking about Shotzi last week. Charlotte knocks her to the floor but misses a dive as we take a break.

Back with Charlotte in trouble but neckbreakering her way to a double knockdown. Sky’s crossbody is countered into a fall away slam and an Honor Roll gets two. Bayley has had enough and offers a distraction, allowing Sky to hit an awesome sunset bomb. We get a rather intense video of Shotzi shaving her head last week and Bayley is scared enough to run away.

Charlotte misses the spear into the corner and the crossface goes on. With that broken up, Sky misses the missile dropkick and the spear gives Charlotte two. A German suplex connects for the same but Sky catches her on top with a super hurricanrana. They trade rollups for two each until Natural Selection finishes Sky at 13:38.

Rating: B. This had time and they were able to put something together here. The Smackdown women’s division has become something rather interesting in a short amount of time. You have four women in the title hunt right now, with Sky looming over all of them. I want to see where this is going and that’s interesting for a change.

Post match Asuka runs in and lays out Charlotte.

Dominik Mysterio is the new NXT North American Champion. Cue Butch to say he wants a title shot and here’s Shawn Michaels to make it official. Well that was quick.

Roman Reigns looks at the lei that symbolizes being Tribal Chief. Solo Sikoa looks at it as well and Reigns isn’t pleased.

Bayley gets to her locker room and finds a photo of herself stabbed to her bag with a pair of scissors. They’re out fast.

Santos Escobar vs. Austin Theory

Non-title. Theory knocks him down for an early two but Escobar is right back with a running headscissors. A rollup gives Escobar two but Theory slips away from what looked like Colt Cabana’s Billy Goat’s Curse. Theory bails from the threat of a dive and we take a break. Back with Theory getting two off a backbreaker but not being able to drop Escobar on the apron.

Instead Escobar knocks him outside for a suicide dive. Some running forearms drop Theory again back inside and a high crossbody gives Escobar two. Theory gets in a left hand and a fisherman’s buster gets two. A-Town Down is blocked so they both go to the top, where Escobar snaps off a heck of a super hurricanrana. The Phantom Driver finishes Theory at 10:43.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough stuff but it’s almost weird to see a champion losing like this. I know Theory hasn’t been the strongest champion in recent months but I could have gone without him getting pinned here. Escobar getting the title shot at the title itself should work out, though the threat of the two going 50/50 looms rather large.

Bobby Lashley meets with Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams.

NXT North American Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Butch

Mysterio, with Rhea Ripley, is defending. Butch doesn’t waste time in hitting a dropkick and cranking on the fingers. The arm stomp sets up an armbar but Dominik is right in the ropes. Ripley slips Dominik a chain but here is Ridge Holland to pull it away. Butch grabs a quick X Plex and we take a break.

Back with Dominik hitting the slingshot hilo for two and we hit the chinlock. Cue Pretty Deadly, with Elton Prince in a wheelchair due to his separated shoulder. Butch fights up and hits Dominik in the face, earning commentary some yelling from Ripley. The kick to the head gives Butch two as Pretty Deadly and Holland get into it on the floor. The three of them go running off but Rhea chop blocks Butch, allowing Dominik to get in a posting to retain at 7:54.

Rating: C. As is usually the case, Dominik’s in-ring work (while fine) isn’t the point. This was about Ripley helping Dominik retain the title and all of the other shenanigans going on at the same time. It made or an entertaining showcase, with Dominik almost playing the modern day Honky Tonk Man. That’s an idea that could last for a long time, and this could be a nice first step.

Here is Jey Uso, followed by the Bloodline, to decide the rules of his match with Roman Reigns (in the form of a contract signing). They both sit down at the table and Reigns asks if Jey still wants to do this. Jey says that Jimmy is in the hospital so Jey has to get him. Reigns says that Jey isn’t getting him because he doesn’t get it. He’s just a soldier and a pawn in the game.

Reigns calmly signs the contract but Jey rips up the contract. Jey says they don’t need the contract because it’s in their blood. This is officially Tribal Combat, which has Reigns and Sikoa looking a bit more serious. Reigns: “Do the elders know about this?” Jey: “It was their idea Uce.”

Tribal Combat means anything goes, with Jey listing off everything that can happen. Reigns puts the title down and puts the lei on top of it, suggesting that it’s for the title and the spot as Tribal Chief. Sikoa loads up the Spike on Jey but Reigns blocks it and Sikoa gets superkicked. Reigns isn’t sure what to make of this and leaves to end the show. So it sounds like a street fight/no holds barred, but Reigns and Sikoa’s reaction to the term “Tribal Combat” sold the heck out of this, as you get the sense that they know it just got a lot more serious.

Overall Rating: C+. This was more about setting things up for the future and as a result, it made for kind of a weaker than usual Smackdown. What mattered here was setting things up for Summerslam, or at least the next few weeks and that part was a success. The wrestling was a bit up and down, but I think they knew the audience would be smaller because of the show being away from FOX this week. Not a bad show, but it was something you would watch if nothing else was on, not watch it above everything else.

Results
Rey Mysterio b. LA Knight, Sheamus and Cameron Grimes – Standing hurricanrana to Grimes
Charlotte b. Iyo Sky – Natural Selection
Santos Escobar b. Austin Theory – Phantom Driver
Dominik Mysterio b. Butch – Ram into the post

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 20, 2023
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are back after a middle of the road Slammiversary, where the big story was the return of Josh Alexander, as he confronted World Champion Alex Shelley to end the show. That should make for a big showdown going forward, and Eric Young is back as a bonus. Let’s get to it.

Here is Slammiversary if you need a recap.

Long Slammiversary recap.

Here is Scott D’Amore in the ring to get things going. He is proud of everything that happened at Slammiversary in his hometown. Getting to stand in the ring with those people is something he will never forget, but as for tonight, he is acting Director Of Authority because Santino Marella is beating up Dirty Dango. We hear about more of the show until the Good Hands come out to interrupt. D’Amore tells them to come in if they have something to say so the Good Hands come in for some threats. That’s cool with D’Amore, who has some guys waiting to face them.

Good Hands vs. Sami Callihan/Rich Swann

Sami hammers on Skyler to start but the Good Hands actually take over, with Hotch hitting a middle rope moonsault to take the two of them out on the floor. We settle down to Skyler taking over on Swann but Hotch gets dropped, allowing Callihan to come in and pick up the pace. The Death Valley Driver gets two on Hotch with Skyler making the save. That earns Skyler a kick to the floor, setting up double knees to Hotch’s face. Swann and Callihan lift Hotch up under the arms for a rather high angle double spinebuster for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C. The Good Hands got in more than I was expecting here but ultimately Callihan and Swann are a much prominent pairing. I could go for seeing the two of them getting into a bigger story and maybe this is the start of something like that. For now though, nice quick opener and rather different than the longer stuff that has mainly opened the show in recent months.

The Bullet Club are mad about losing their Tag Team Titles and promise revenge on the Rascalz too. Cue the Rascalz to mock them, meaning the brawl is on. Scott D’Amore comes in to say the Club already has a match tonight but the Rascalz can get out of here. With them gone, Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice come in, with Swinger asking what he’s supposed to do now. D’Amore says the fifty wins deal is over, but if Swinger wins his next match, he’ll get a title shot. He can even fight Dice, and we’ll make it Loser Leaves Town!

Eric Young is back and has a story to tell but here is Nick Aldis to interrupt (and TOWER over Young). Aldis says Young can be his colleague in his war against the cretins and internet darlings who are ruining this place. Young isn’t sure about that so they’ll fight tonight instead.

Video on Jake Something, who looks like a star but has the name Jake Something so he’s under a ceiling.

Jake Something vs. Kevin Knight

Knight actually gets an insert promo, promising to show what he can do. Something shrugs off some shoulders to start and then shoulders Knight instead. Some clotheslines rock Knight again but he sends Something to the apron for a heck of a springboard dropkick. We take a break and come back with Something’s Hulk Up being dropped by a basement shoulder.

Knight hits a jumping splash for two but Something fights up and runs him over with another hard shot. Back up and Something turns him inside out with a clothesline but gets caught on top. Knight’s super hurricanrana is countered into a super sitout powerbomb for…two. Either Knight is winning or the producer is a moron. Something cuts him off with a forearm but Knight hits a forearm of his own, followed by a rather awesome pop up dropkick. A high crossbody gives Knight two but Something hits a Boss Man Slam for the pin at 13:39.

Rating: B-. They had me until that sitout powerbomb only got two. It’s a perfect example of a move that either should have been the finish or shouldn’t have been in the match. Knight got a lot in here and has the potential to be a star on his own, while Something has all of the physical tools you could need. Just get a better name and things should be just fine.

Courtney Rush vs. Savannah Evans

Jessicka, Jai Vidal and Gisele Shaw are all here too. Rush gets powered up against the ropes to start and her headlock is countered with a belly to back. Vidal grabs Rush’s leg so Evans can run her over and drop a leg or two. Back up and Rush charges into a spinebuster for two but gets in a shot of her own. Vidal grabs the foot again though, which draws out Jody Threat to carry Vidal to the back. Rush hits a spear for the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C-. The interference and everyone getting involved hurt this a lot and kept taking me out of the match. Rush winning is a good way to go though as she has needed some kind of momentum for a bit. Evans is a big, intimidating monster so beating her once in awhile is a great way to give someone a nice boost. Just cut down on the shenanigans.

Video on Trinity winning the Knockouts Title and how much it means to her.

The Coven isn’t impressed with Trinity but they also want the Women’s Tag Team Titles back from MK Ultra (Masha Slamovich/Killer Kelly).

We get a sitdown interview with Jonathan Gresham, who says if the X-Division is about no limits, it is now about no rules. In Ring Of Honor, he wanted rules…..so maybe this place isn’t for him.

Dirty Dango vs. Santino Marella

Santino grapples him down to start and tries for the armbar, which Dango has to block for a good bit. The threat of a leglock sends Dango to the ropes but this time he comes up with a shot to the face. Back up and Santino snaps off some armdrags but Dango pulls him throat first into the ropes. Some shots to the back have Santino in trouble and a whip into the corner keeps him down. Santino’s back gives out on a slam attempt but he avoids a twisting Swanton. The Cobra is loaded up but here is a guy in riot gear to break it up. Dango rams them together and gets the cheap pin at 5:55.

Rating: D+. This is a good example of a match that missed the point. Dango attacked and insulted Santino, who should have been out for blood. Instead, he was doing armdrags and hiptosses, plus the Cobra. Santino showed he can wrestle and grapple but then he just went into the traditional goofy stuff. Why should I care if he’s doing comedy in such a personal feud? This didn’t work and that’s rough to see.

It’s the returning Johnny Bravo.

Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans run into MK Ultra and insults are exchanged. Jody Threat drops Jai Vidal off at their feet.

Alisha Edwards and Traci Brooks get into a brawl.

Tag Team Titles: Subculture vs. Bullet Club

Subculture, with Dani Luna, is defending. Webster armbars Austin to start until they flip to a standoff. Andrews comes in to flip around and annoy Bey’s arm. Back up and Bey hits a dropkick and it’s back to Austin for a headscissors. Andrews is back up with a northern lights suplex and we take a break.

Back with Andrews working on an armbar before handing it off to Webster. That doesn’t exactly go well as Austin quickly takes over. Webster is already back to Andrews to pick up the pace but Bey brainbusters him for two. Bey torture racks him so Austin can hit a kick to the head, setting up the torture rack neckbreaker for two more. Webster is back in with a headbutt to Bey so a poisonrana can get another near fall.

Back up and Bey sends the champs outside for the big running flip dive as we take another break. We come back with Andrews hitting his double Pele but the Club hits the Art of Finesse. The Fold is broken up though and the Stundog Millionaire drops Bey. Cue the Rascalz to take Austin out, leaving Andrews to roll Bey up to retain at 19:57.

Rating: B. This got some time and the action was rather good for the most part. Subculture has hit the ground running like few teams ever have around here and that is great to see. Beating the former champs, even after some shenanigans, will take Subculture a long way and now they can wait for their next challenges. Solid match here and I was getting rather into it by the end.

Here is Josh Alexander for his big return speech. Alexander talks about how he had to give up the World Title right here due to a freak injury. Now he wants to win the title that he never lost, and he is 100% medically cleared. Unfortunately he can’t come here and get his title back from Steve Maclin, so now the question is can Alex Shelley beat him.

Cue Shelley to say Alexander has a cool healing factor but let’s cut to the chase. Shelley is the champ but he has to know if he can beat Alexander so let’s do it. Cue Lio Rush to tease Option C so cue Kushida (#1 contender to the X-Division Title) to say no Option C until he gets his shot. Now cue Bully Ray but the distraction lets Moose and Brian Myers to jump Kushida, Alexander and Shelley. Rush teases laying out Shelley but leaves instead to end the show. It got more interesting by the end, but enough of the Option C stuff.

Overall Rating: C+. This show only gave me so much hope for Impact’s future, as this didn’t feel like the rather good stuff that they have been doing in recent months. It’s still a fine enough show, but something was missing here. There were good parts to the whole thing, including the ending and main event, but some of the stuff was rather weak and felt like a step in the wrong direction. Good enough overall, but hopefully they tighten things up again.

Results
Rich Swann/Sami Callihan b. Good Hands – Double high angle spinebuster to Hotch
Jake Something b. Kevin Knight – Boss Man Slam
Courtney Rush b. Savannah Evans – Spear
Dirty Dango b. Santino Marella – Marella was rammed into a helmet
Subculture b. Bullet Club – Rollup to Bey

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Death Before Dishonor 2023
Date: July 21, 2023
Location: CURE Insurance Arena, Trenton, New Jersey
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Ring Of Honor is back on pay per view and the card has been tacked together rather quickly. The World, Television and Women’s Title matches were added in the last few days and the Tag Team Title match is a four way featuring two teams who haven’t been around in months. They’re going to need a heck of a show to make up for the build so let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Tracy Williams vs. Josh Woods

Pure Rules and Woods has Mark Sterling and Tony Nese with him. They go with the grappling to start and Woods takes him to the mat for an arm crank. That sends Williams to the ropes for his first break but he makes the mistake of grabbing the rope to avoid an Irish whip, meaning that’s the second break.

Williams goes with a suplex to take over and hits a running shot in the corner for two. A piledriver gets two more, though Woods has to put his foot on the rope for a break. Woods is back up with a gutwrench suplex for two as Williams uses his last rope. They go to the apron with Woods snapping off a German suplex before tying him up in a guillotine in the ropes. With no more breaks, Williams has to tap at 8:40.

Rating: C. The match was fine enough but these matches just aren’t that interesting. It doesn’t help that so many of the same wrestlers are used in them over and over, but the bigger thing is nothing really makes them stand out. Other than the rope break, this was more or less the same match that you could see from almost anyone. Perfectly nice technical match, but Woods doesn’t feel like some breakout star.

Zero Hour: Workhorsemen vs. Action Andretti/Darius Martin

The Workhorsemen jump Andretti and Martin to start but the good guys fight back. We settle down to Martin getting beaten down in the corner, with Drake getting to stomp away. Henry grabs a front facelock to slow Martin down but he gets away and brings Andretti in to pick up the pace. House is cleaned but Martin gets taken down, allowing Henry to hit a moonsault. Andretti picks up Henry for a Death Valley Driver, with the referee being nice enough to stop and look at them before the save because they were quite late. Andretti muscles Henry up for the torture rack neckbreaker for the pin at 7:14.

Rating: C. That mistimed save in the middle was terrible but the rest was mostly just a power vs. speed match, which will work every time. I’m not sure why Andretti and Martin aren’t in the Tag Team Title match tonight as they work well together and have at least been around. They got a bit of a showcase here, though the Workhorsemen looked rather good as well.

Zero Hour: Trish Adora vs. Leyla Hirsch

Leyla wins the grapple off to start so Adora goes for the arm to take over with the power. That doesn’t work for Leyla, who slips to the floor for a breather and leaves Adora frustrated. Back in and Leyla goes after the legs to take over but Adora blocks a suplex attempt with straight power.

Leyla switches to the arm and cranks away but Adora manages a bridging German suplex from her knees in a rather awesome power display. Leyla knocks her into the corner for a running dropkick, only to have Adora come back with a backbreaker. The running kick misses for Leyla so they trade rollups for two each. Leyla pulls her into the cross armbreaker to make Adora tap at 8:32.

Rating: C+. This was a nice power vs. technical match and I was getting into seeing how Adora was going to deal with Hirsch. There is something awesome to seeing Hirsch pick someone apart like that and it worked well here. Ring Of Honor has something with either of them and if they get built up a little more, the division could get a very nice boost.

Zero Hour: Shane Taylor vs. AR Fox

Fox tries to grab the wrist to start and is quickly knocked silly by a single shot. Back up and Fox kicks away, including an enziguri into a dropkick to send Taylor outside. The big dive drops Taylor again and Fox adds another one for a bonus. Back in and Taylor unloads in the corner to knock Fox outside, where the beating can continue. Fox gets in a shot of his own and hits a springboard imploding 450 to take Taylor down for a change.

Some more kicks to the head set up a springboard Stunner but Taylor headbutts him in the chest. A release Rock Bottom sets up a splash to give Taylor two. The apron legdrop misses for Taylor though, allowing Fox to hit a running hanging DDT for two more. Back up and Taylor…at least tries to crotch Fox on top but Fox rolls through. Welcome To The Land gives Taylor two as Fox gets his hand on the rope. A middle rope Marcus Garvey Driver is broken up and Fox manages a Death Valley Driver. The 450 finishes Taylor at 10:22.

Rating: B-. Match of the Zero Hour by far as they traded one big shot after another until Fox won. It makes sense as Fox has the International Title shot coming up next week on Dynamite but at least he had to work to get the win here. Taylor is still a great monster and I was getting into this one by the end. Good stuff.

Komander vs. Gravity

Gravity flips out of a wristlock to start and then bridges back into a rollup for two. Back up and Gravity does his slow motion walk (because of gravity issues you see) before being sent outside for a big dive from Komander. One heck of a shooting star press gives Komander two but Gravity sends him outside. A big running dive is teased but Gravity flips onto the top turnbuckle instead, setting up the dive instead (that was cool).

Back in and Komander kicks him down but his moonsault hits raised boots. A sitout powerbomb gives Gravity two but Komander faceplants him down. With Gravity rolling to the floor, Komander hits the big multiple springboard spinning dive but Gravity crotches him back inside. Komander drops him ribs first on the top and hits the rope walk moonsault for two. Gravity gets planted again and tries to drag Komander to the middle of the ring, only to get small packed to give Gravity the pin at 10:02.

Rating: B-. This was on the weaker end for Komander, as he was taking a lot of time to set things up. The positive spin on that is that it played into the finish, with commentary pointing out that Komander was more worried about going for something cool rather than the pin. It’s a solid choice to open the show, as despite not having a ton of importance, it had a lot of energy and that’s a great thing.

TV Title: Dalton Castle vs. Samoa Joe

Castle, with the Boys, is challenging after winning a tournament. Stokely Hathaway joins commentary and Joe goes outside to glare at him to start. Back in and Castle takes a breather this time, meaning we get a lap around the ring. Castle comes inside again and starts striking away before tripping Joe down.

Some splashes to the back keep Joe down despite Castle’s ribs being banged up. Back up and Joe is sick of Castle so it’s a heck of a clothesline to put Joe in control. A chop to the back sets up the neck crank to keep Castle down. There’s a snap suplex for one and Joe sends Castle outside, only to have the Boys throw him back in.

Joe’s powerslam gets two but a Boys distraction lets Castle get in a hurricanrana on the floor. There’s the suicide dive to Joe, followed by a t-bone suplex. Joe is sent outside and tells Stokely to FIX THIS, which earns the Boys an ejection. The distraction lets Joe hit him low and grab the Koquina Clutch to retain at 11:40.

Rating: B-. Another good match but Joe’s title reign has reached the point where it’s probably time to take it from him. He doesn’t defend it often and it isn’t exactly changing much. Castle is such a ball of energy that it could have been interesting to see him get the title, though I can see why they’ve kept it on Joe here. Rather entertaining match, though some of that is Joe having to deal with Castle’s antics.

Tag Team Titles: The Kingdom vs. Aussie Open vs. Best Friends vs. Lucha Bros

The Bros are defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Chuck and Taven start things off but quickly hand it off to Bennett and Trent for the chop exchange. Fenix comes in and gets slammed by Fletcher, setting up a double Aussie elbow. We settle down to the Bros and the Aussies exchanging kicks to the head as everything breaks down. The Best Friends are sent outside but rent is back in to superplex Bennett onto the pile.

Back in and Taven hits Aurora Borealis for two on Trent but the Proton Pack is broken up. Trent gets in a tornado DDT and he reluctantly brings in Penta for a high crossbody to the Kingdom. The Fear Factor gets two on Taven but the Aussies kick Penta down. Fenix gets dropped into a cutter from the top and the Aussies kick people in the face. The Whirlybird gets two on Penta but the Kingdom is back in with the Rockstar Supernova for two, with Chuck making the save.

Hail Mary is broken up but the big hug is broken up as well. Soul Food into the dragon suplex drops Bennett but Maria gets on the apron and opens her jacket for a hug from Chuck. Trent gets said hug instead (Caprice: “BROS BEFORE MARIA!”) but Davis pulls him into a piledriver.

The Bros are back in with the spike Fear Factor to Davis for two, with Bennett making the save. Hail Mary and the Proton Pack are both broken up and Storm Zero hits Bennett, with the Bros having to pull the referee at two. Penta takes out Trent and Davis has to make a diving save. The Coriolis hits Trent to give the Aussies the pin and the titles at 17:13.

Rating: B. This was all about the insanity and everyone making diving saves, so it was certainly not boring. At the very least, it ends the Bros’ completely nothing reign and if the Aussies are actually around, they could make quite the champs. The titles really needed to change hands here and while the Kingdom feel like the better option, I’ll take the Aussies over either the Bros or the Friends. Heck of an entertaining match here and they did what they should have done with it.

The Righteous and Stu Grayson threaten the Dark Order with pain, bruises and agony.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Master Wato/Ryusuke Taguchi/Leon Ruffin vs. The Embassy

The Embassy is defending and Cage gets triple teamed to start, which is quickly broken up by Loa. Ruffin is suplexed hard into the corner and the champs take over in a hurry. Cage comes in to get in his own shots as we see Big Bill watching in the back. Kaun hits a running backsplash for two but Ruffin grabs a jawbreaker.

A clothesline drops Ruffin again though and the beating gets to continue. Ruffin manages to reverse a backbreaker onto the top turnbuckle into a DDT and it’s Wato coming in to clean house. Kaun has had it and grabs a suplex but Taguchi is back in with the Funky Weapon. The ankle lock has Kaun in big trouble until Toa makes the save.

Taguchi gives Cage a 619 but Kaun elbows Ruffin’s head off. There’s a low blow to stagger Kaun though and a small package gives Taguchi two. Back in and Ruffin hits a flipping cutter on Cage but Toa gives him a swinging backbreaker for two. The champs all grab Ruffin and throw him into the air for the crash to retain the titles at 11:38.

Rating: C+. And that’s a Six Man Tag Team Title match, as the action was fine but there is nothing resembling a division, meaning there is little reason to get behind the challengers. Ruffin can sell rather well and knows how to play his size. Wato and Taguchi were just there and there was little reason to believe the titles were changing hands. As has been the case for months. Ring Of Honor might want to work on that.

Pure Rules Title: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Daniel Garcia

Shibata is defending and takes Garcia to the mat to start for the stomp onto the fingers. A Figure Four has Garcia going straight to the ropes and taking a breather on the floor. That’s fine with Shibata, who sends Garcia into the barricade a few times to put Garcia down again. Garcia gets in a quick shot though and holds up the title for some showboating.

Back in and Garcia works on a nasty hammerlock but Shibata pops up for the standoff. Garcia dances so Shibata sits down and grabs the arms. There’s the slap to Garcia and Shibata takes him into the corner for the running basement dropkick. Garcia is right back with an STF but Shibata reverses into a bow and arrow.

An exchange of suplexed leave them both down and they slug it out from their knees. Garcia charges into a boot to the face and they trade clotheslines for another double knockdown. They slug it out until Garcia gets the Dragon Tamer. Shibata escapes as well and wins a chop off, setting up the sleeper. The PK retains the title at 14:34.

Rating: B. This felt like the time to give Garcia the title but keeping it on Shibata is certainly a logical choice as well. I can’t imagine Shibata holds the title that much longer, as it isn’t like he is anything more than a glorified special attraction. The Pure division isn’t much but I’ll take Shibata retaining over having to see even more Garcia. Good match here, as they were beating each other up while telling the silly vs. serious story.

Post match Shibata shakes his hand but Garcia pulls away.

Aussie Open is proud of their win and promise more.

Dark Order vs. Righteous/Stu Grayson

Fight Without Honor, meaning anything goes. Uno hammers on Grayson to start but Grayson sends him to the apron for a spear through a well placed table. Dutch brings in a barbed wire 2×4 and Reynolds is already busted open. Silver busted out the bag of thumb tacks but is quickly Boss Man Slammed onto them for two. Uno chairs Grayson in the back but Vincent makes the save.

Vincent tears the mask open and Uno is cut, with Vincent hammering at the gash. Reynolds is back in with a chair for the save and the finishing sequence gets two on Dutch. Now it’s Uno getting his own bag containing…..Legos. A triple flipping slam to Grayson is broken up, leaving Dutch to powerbomb Uno onto the Legos.

Vincent tries a Swanton to the floor onto Silver on the table, which doesn’t break at all. Back in and Uno gets powerbombed onto the Legos for two, meaning it’s time to head up to the stage. Dutch is slammed through a table off the stage, leaving Silver to kick away at Vincent inside. Grayson kicks Uno down and sets up a huge ladder but takes WAY too long to climb. Instead, Grayson crashes through a table, minus Uno. The Order triple slams Grayson for the pin at 15:36.

Rating: B-. It was your usual six man weapons match with the big ladder at the end being the high point. This was the big victory for Evil Uno over Stu Grayson, which in theory should set up a singles match to wrap everything up for them for good. It’s still not a very interesting feud as there hasn’t been an overly clear explanation for WHY Grayson walked out, but at least they got to the big team match here.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Pac

Castagnoli is defending and hits a quick Swiss Death for an early two. They head outside with Castagnoli dropping him onto the barricade but the Swing is broken up inside. Back to the floor and up the ramp they go, with Castagnoli Swinging him on the stage. Castagnoli comes up favoring his knee though, allowing Pac to score with a top rope moonsault back at ringside.

A whip sends Castagnoli’s knee into the barricade again, setting up a missile dropkick for two back inside. The top rope superplex gives Pac two but Castagnoli is back up to send Pac crashing through a well placed ringside table. Back in and the seated elbows into the Neutralizer gives Castagnoli two. Pac fights up and starts striking away until Castagnoli blasts him with a clothesline to leave them both own.

With Pac on the apron, the apron superplex is blocked but a super hurricanrana is blocked as well. What looked to be a super Riccola Bomb is countered into a hurricanrana. The lack Arrow misses for Pac but the Riccola Bomb is once again countered, this time into the Brutalizer. Castagnoli has to climb the corner for a super Air Raid Crash to escape so Pac goes for the turnbuckle. Cue Wheeler Yuta to distract Pac, allowing Castagnoli to hit a running Riccola Bomb to retain ta 18:56.

Rating: B. You knew what you were going to get here and it still worked very well. These guys beat the figure out of each other, though suddenly having Wheeler come in to give us the lame distraction finish didn’t help. The good thing is that Pac can slug just as hard as Castagnoli, meaning Pac can hang with him the entire way. Best match on the show here, which was all but guaranteed given who was in there.

Post match the Lucha Bros come in for the beatdown but the Best Friends and Orange Cassidy make the save. Cassidy Orange Punches Castagnoli and stands tall.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Willow Nightingale

Athena is defending in the rubber match and immediately bails to the floor. Back in and Willow powers her around before they forearm it out. Athena gets two off a crucifix but Willow’s fisherman’s buster gets the same. A crucifix gives Athena two and she sends Willow outside in a crash. Back in and the double knees connect in the corner, setting up the chinlock.

Willow powers her way up and hammers away, only to get dropped with a quick shot to the face for two. Willow is fine enough to try the Babe With The Powerbomb but Athena reverses into a snapmare driver for two. Willow’s swinging neckbreaker gets two but Athena is right back with Obliteration. She muscles Willow up and into a sitout powerbomb for two (that was impressive) before going up.

That takes too long as well though and Willow grabs a super Death Valley Driver for a rather near fall. They head outside and Athena posts her, setting up the O Face for a VERY near fall back inside. The Babe With The Powerbomb gets the same but Athena is back up with another O Face. The crossface goes on and Athena even grabs a leg. Willow passes out to retain Athena’s title at 20:28.

Rating: B-. Well. Ok then. I’m not sure what this weird obsession Ring Of Honor has lately with the heroes losing in the end but they did it again here. It also makes me wonder why the Owen Hart tournament wasn’t just for the title shot with someone else in Athena’s place, thereby giving us the same result and no Athena loss. They had a hard hitting fight, but that was one more deflating ending on a long list of them in Ring Of Honor’s recent history. Someone is going to have to beat Athena, and it’s going to have to be an AEW import at this point. Anyway, solid main event with a rather surprising result.

Post match respect is actually shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As is usually the case with these shows, the action was good, but as is becoming the case with these shows, there is a grand total of nothing to really make you feel good. The biggest happy moment here was Evil Uno (a heel in AEW mind you) getting a pin over Stu Grayson. Willow doesn’t win the big one, the Best Friends don’t win the Tag Team Titles and Pac, who isn’t really a face but he could have beaten the villain, loses too. This had a bunch of mostly good matches with some strange decisions, but what do you expect from a slapped together pay per view?

Results
Josh Woods b. Tracy Williams – Guillotine choke
Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. Workhorsemen – Torture rack neckbreaker to Drake
Leyla Hirsch b. Trish Adora – Cross armbreaker
AR Fox b. Shane Taylor – 450
Gravity b. Komander – Small package
Samoa Joe b. Dalton Castle – Koquina Clutch
Aussie Open b. Best Friends, The Kingdom and Lucha Bros – Coriolis to Beretta
Mogul Embassy b. Leon Ruffin/Master Wato/Ryusuke Taguchi – Triple toss into the air to Ruffin
Katsuyori Shibata b. Daniel Garcia – PK
Dark Order b. Righteous/Stu Grayson – Triple slam to Grayson
Claudio Castagnoli b. Pac – Running sitout Riccola Bomb
Athena b. Willow Nightingale via referee stoppage

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: July 20, 2023
Location: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the go home show for Death Before Dishonor and we have a handful of matches. The World Title match was announced earlier today, as Pac will be getting the shot against Claudio Castagnoli. Other than that, we need a #1 contender to the TV Title, so tonight it’s Shane Taylor vs. Dalton Castle for the shot. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on Daniel Garcia challenging Katsuyori Shibata for the Pure Rules Title at Death Before Dishonor. This gets the talking heads treatment.

Opening sequence.

Daniel Garcia vs. Jason Geiger

Pure Rules and they grapple against the ropes to start until Garcia pats him on the head. Garcia takes him down and dances, only to have Geiger do exactly the same. Geiger cranks on the arm and Garcia actually uses his first rope break. More arm cranking ensues but Garcia drops him again. This time Geiger muscles him up with a suplex and a butterfly variation gets two. Back up and Garcia drops him again, setting up the Boston crab (in a nod to Shibata). With that not working, the Dragontamer finishes Geiger at 7:08.

Rating: C+. Garcia gave him a lot here and that’s a bit weird to see the night before Garcia gets a title shot under these same special rules. That being said, Garcia did win in the end and that is what matters more than anything else as the momentum is there going into tomorrow. That also being said, this is probably the weakest title feud going in ROH today as it’s just not that interesting and there isn’t much of a way to hide it. I’m sure the match will be good, but it’s not exactly drawing me in.

Post match, Katsuyori Shibata comes out for the staredown.

Trish Adora vs. Utami Hayashishita

The Infantry is here with Adora, who grabs a headlock takeover to start. Adora cranks on the arm and rolls her over for two before loading up an Air Raid Crash. Instead of crashing though, Adora kneels down and cranks on various things at once. Utami escapes but can’t slam the bigger Adora, who comes back with some forearms to the ribs.

A kick to the arm slows Utami again but she counters the Lariat Tubman into a German suplex for two. Utami’s Air Raid Crash is broken up and Adora kicks her in the face, setting up a backsplash for another near fall. Back up and Utami grabs a torture rack spun into a powerbomb for two, followed by James Storm’s Eye of the Storm for the pin at 9:19.

Rating: B-. Commentary was hyping up Utami as a big deal from Stardom so there is definitely something to her. At the same time, Adora isn’t really doing anything at the moment so the loss only does so much damage. They were beating each other up rather well too so this was a pretty nice one off match.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Dalton Castle vs. Shane Taylor

For the shot at Samoa Joe at Death Before Dishonor and I would have bet on this being the main event. The Boys clear out but Taylor scares Castle outside to start. Taylor powers him into the corner back inside but Castle slips away and grabs a DDT. You don’t do that to Taylor, who knocks him down and hits a Tower Of London on the floor.

A side slam gets two back inside and Taylor starts in on the always damaged back. Castle fights up and manages a low bridge to the floor, setting up the hurricanrana. Back in and Taylor goes simple by punching him in the ribs, only to have Castle snap off a suplex. The Julie Newmar bulldog gets two and one heck of a Bang A Rang (he spun Taylor around a few times sends Castle to Death Before Dishonor at 8:32.

Rating: B-. I’m tempted to go higher than that just because of how impressive that ending really was. Castle going forward was the only option as he is a far more interesting challenger than Taylor. While I can’t really picture a title change, I’ll take almost anything that has Castle on screen more often, as he really does have the charisma to make it work every time. Good match here, and dang that ending worked.

Josh Woods vs. James Stone

Pure Rules again and Woods has Mark Sterling and the Varsity Athletes with him. Woods starts fast and takes him into the ropes for the first break. Stone gets rocked again and has to use a second break, only to have Woods grab an anarchist suplex for the pin at 2:38. Total squash and I’m not sure why this needed to be Pure Rules, but it was so quick that it doesn’t really matter.

Tony Khan announces that Willow Nightingale is getting a Ring Of Honor Women’s Title shot against Athena at Death Before Dishonor. Willow is ready for the title match and she is ready to bring her big smile, big hair and a big fight.

Athena yells at Jerry Lynn and Stokely Hathaway about how she isn’t going to have this match. Tony Khan comes in to say oh yes you are. This segment served to remind you that Lynn and Hathaway are still in fact people on this show.

Athena vs. Nikita

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Nikita wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Athena is in street clothes here and shakes her head in the corner to start. For some reason Nikita comes in and shoves her in the face. A right hand, the only move of the match, finishes Nikita at 56 seconds.

Post match the destruction is on but Willow Nightingale makes the save.

The Righteous vs. The Boys

Stu Grayson is here with the Righteous. Vincent runs Brandon over to start and sends him chest first into the corner. Dutch comes in and a basement Downward Spiral gets two. Brandon rolls under a clothesline though and dives over for the tag to Brent. Some dropkicks stagger Dutch but he runs Brent over with a clothesline. Vincent grabs Autumn Sunshine for the pin at 2:14.

Nicole Matthews vs. Leyla Hirsch

Hirsch headscissors her down for some posing to start before they fight over wristlocks. Matthews knocks her into the corner and hits a neckbreaker, followed by some forearms to the face. Hirsch isn’t having that and nails a running knee for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C. They didn’t waste time here and Hirsch gets a fine win. She very well could be the next major challenger for the title, though the idea of her facing Willow Nightingale is a little strange. Matthews is a weird case as she was in that group of independent women who were stars in their time but were kind of forgotten after the Women’s Revolution. That’s a shame as she was quite good, but she feels like a blast from the past here.

Here’s what’s coming on Zero Hour, because the Death Before Dishonor card can’t be announced until days before the show but Zero Hour can be thrown together all at once.

Death Before Dishonor rundown.

Video on the Tag Team Title match, which has two teams who have not won a match in Ring Of Honor in over three months.

Video on Pac vs. Claudio Castagnoli, which was set up the night before this show (fair enough due to the Mark Briscoe injury).

Kingdom vs. Bollywood Boyz vs. Workhorsemen vs. Darius Martin/Action Andretti

Drake and Bennett knock some of the others off the apron before firing off the chops. Martin pulls Bennett off the apron to take over though and more people are knocked off the apron to clear things out again. We settle down to Martin getting double teamed until Bennett hits a dropkick for two.

Drake breaks up a cover off Just The Tip, allowing Martin to come back with a double DDT. The Workhorsemen and the Kingdom get in a fight on the floor so Andretti hits a big flipping dive. Back in and a top rope Hart Attack (elbow instead of clothesline) gets two on Bennett as the Boyz get to take over for a change. A Demolition Decapitator gets the same and it’s time for the parade of kicks to the face. The Proton Pack lets Bennett pin Harv at 6:23.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted, but the Tag Team Title match at the pay per view is such a mess. Why not have Andretti and Martin, who have actually been around, in there instead? At least the Kingdom won here, furthering the idea that they should be in a regular title match instead of this four way stuff. This was the usual insane mess, with four teams being spread out over six minutes, so how is anyone supposed to stand out?

Overall Rating: C+. The shorter shows continue as this clocked in at about an hour and twenty minutes. That’s the third straight week within that range so maybe they have figured out the proper timing. Other than that though, there was enough on here that worked, but Death Before Dishonor is feeling as slapped together as any show could possibly be and that’s not good. I would say maybe they can get better organized after this, but that doesn’t seem likely. Decent show this week, though not exactly must see.

Results
Daniel Garcia b. Jason Geiger – Dragontamer
Utami Hayashishita b. Trish Adora – Eye of the Storm
Dalton Castle b. Shane Taylor – Bang A Rang
Josh Woods b. James Stone – Anarchist suplex
Athena b. Nikita – Right hand
The Righteous b. The Boys – Autumn Sunshine to Brent
Leyla Hirsch b. Nicole Matthews – Running knee
The Kingdom b. Workhorsemen, Action Andretti/Darius Martin and the Bollywood Boyz – Proton Pack to Harv

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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So this is something new that I’m trying, as I recently purchased access to an INCREDIBLE treasure trove of wrestling from around the world and throughout history. It’s almost exclusively NOT WWF/E stuff so expect quite the variety. There is all kinds of stuff that I’ve never even heard of before (including a weekly French series from the early 90s for a real twist). I’m not sure how often I’ll be doing these but more wrestling is a good thing (in theory).

WWF Cage Match Compilation Volume I

Ok so it’s mostly non-WWF but they do have a collection of about 70 cage matches from the company, including quite a few fan cam recordings from house shows. That is going to make for quite the look back, though some of these are from major shows that you have probably seen before. I’ll be doing them at random in a series so let’s get to it.

Superstar Billy Graham vs. Butch Reed
Date: October 16, 1987
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 19,700
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Nick Bockwinkel

This is from Graham’s last run in wrestling and he only had a handful (ok two big handfuls) of matches before he hung it up for good. These two feuded for a good while during this run, though Graham’s body is rapidly deteriorating as he is already wrestling with a replaced hip and it’s only getting worse.

Before the match, we need to put the cage together (a thing that I miss but is completely impractical in the days of just hanging it above the ring). While that is taking place, we get some pre-match promos.

Graham talks about having Reed in the bearhug and now he’s ready to be locked in the cage so no one can interfere whatsoever.

Reed is ready to be in there man against man, and the REAL man is the only one leaving. Guess who that is supposed to be.

We go to the actual match and Reed jumps him on the way in to start fast. Graham is sent head first into the cage as Bockwinkel says this is like a prison cell. What kind of jails do they have in the AWA territory??? Anyway, Reed sends him into the cage and then uses Graham’s own bandanna to tie him to said cage. Reed charges into a knee though and Graham slips out.

This time it’s Reed going into the cage and Graham gets to choke with a shirt. It’s too early for Graham to get out as Bockwinkel thinks Graham’s knee might be his Achilles tendon. You were one word away from a perfect illustration. Reed gets caught trying to escape and Graham grabs a quickly broken sleeper. The ram into the cage lets Reed crank on the leg but Graham pulls him down.

A low blow doesn’t do much to Reed, who goes right back to the bad hip. Reed gets caught trying to climb out and the bearhug has him in trouble. That’s broken up with another ram into the cage but Graham pulls him down again. With the climbing not working, Reed pulls out some brass knuckles but misses a few shots, allowing Graham to use them on Reed instead. Graham dives (work with me here) out of the door to win at 11:04.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t exactly a great technical showdown, but that’s not what they were going for here. This was about Graham getting some revenge on Reed by hitting him in the face/sending him into the cage. The fans were still reacting to Graham and you could see the (super) star power, but the injuries were catching up to him way too fast to really be effective in a bigger way. Reed was good as usual, and for a big house show cage match, it worked well.

WWWF Title: Bruno Sammartino vs. Stan Hansen
Date: August 7, 1976
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 22,000
Commentator: Vince McMahon

Bruno is defending (of course) and this is a rematch from Showdown At Shea, which was a rematch from when Hansen broke Bruno’s neck. We get the ESCAPE ONLY explanation and Hansen looks like a monster during his introduction. Bruno gets a heck of a reception (shocking I know) and after some Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Hansen jumps him to start but Bruno fights right back and sends him into the cage to an awesome roar. Some stomping puts Bruno down for a bit but he fights back again and sends Hansen into the cage.

It’s too early for Hansen to escape so he hammers away some more, earning a stomping from Bruno for a change. A shot to the ribs slows Bruno down but Hansen misses the elbow. Bruno grabs a reverse chinlock (or Boston crab according to Vince) before just stepping on Hansen’s face. What looks to be a low blow gets Hansen out of trouble but Bruno is still fine enough to catch him trying to escape.

We get some boots to Hansen’s head (there is something awesome about the way Bruno swings his leg so wide as he kicks someone) so Hansen goes with another low blow (or “foul” as Vince calls it). Another escape attempt is cut off for another ram into the cage, this time busting Hansen open. Bruno ties him in the ropes and unloads on him as Hansen is almost out. One more big right hand drops Hansen and Bruno walks out to retain at 10:43.

Rating: B-. This was a good old fashioned fight as Bruno didn’t so much care about the title as much as he wanted revenge on Hansen. Bruno always looked best when he was ticked off and just wanted to hit someone in the face over and over, which is exactly what you got here. You can feel the emotion when Bruno is in the ring, as even someone like Hansen is just overwhelmed. Very fun match and the crowd’s reaction to Bruno is incredible.

Post match the rather bloody Hansen gets up and poses before collapsing again. Vince: “Hansen, absolute annihilated here.” That’s about the size of it, yeah.

Andre The Giant vs. Big John Studd
Date: September 24, 1983
Location: Philadelphia Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,983
Commentators: Dick Graham, Gorilla Monsoon

We see Andre walking through the tunnel in the back and my goodness it’s such an imposing visual. That’s a big part of the appeal and dang does it work. Studd jumps him on the way in and stomps Andre down in the corner (that’s a weird sight) but the ram into the cage is blocked. Andre sends him into the cage a few times and Studd is already busted open.

Some rams into the other cage walls (just to be a completionist) have Studd staggered until he elbows Andre in the face a few times. Studd tries to leave so Andre sits on him for a rather painful cut off. Back up and Studd grabs a front facelock but gets cut off rather quickly for daring to try an escape.

Andre has to dive to cut off another escape attempt as Gorilla isn’t sure what size boot Andre wears. Back up and Andre sends him into the cage a few times but Studd hits a big clothesline. Studd’s next escape attempt is cut off with a legdrop to the back of the head and there’s the slam (good for $10,000). Andre goes nuclear by heading up top for a super sitdown splash. Since Studd is pretty much crushed beyond repair, Andre walks out to win at 10:04.

Rating: C+. Remember how I said the visual of Andre walking to the ring was awesome? The visual of him jumping off the top to crush an innocent human being is even better. I’ve seen him do it before but if there is a bigger ultimate finish in the WWF’s history, it’s a new one on me. Studd was one of the few people who could match size with Andre and he did well enough here, but there was no stopping the force that was Andre.

WWF Title: Bob Backlund vs. Jimmy Snuka
Date: June 28, 1982
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentator: Vince McMahon

Backlund is defending and it’s escape only again, albeit this time ONLY through the door (As apparently Backlund’s manager Arnold Skaaland thinks Snuka is too good at jumping over the cage. That’s quite a cop out for a heroic champion.) Snuka has Captain Lou Albano with him, like any good villain of the day should. Backlund tells him to get inside before grabbing him by the hair to start fast.

Some stomps have Snuka in trouble and Backlund strikes away, even headbutting Snuka without hurting himself. Snuka fires off some chops and knees as this is much more of a brawl so far. It’s Backlund going into the cage first as Vince talks about how there are TWO opponents each here, getting all philosophical you see. There’s the big whip into the cage and a backbreaker keeps Backlund in trouble.

The middle rope forearm/headbutt connects but it’s way too early for Snuka to escape. Backlund gets all fired up and punches away, setting up the catapult into the cage. Snuka is busted open and you know (at least you should) that a ticked off Backlund is going to go after that. A shot to the chest cuts Backlund off again though and an elbow….does nothing as pins don’t count here. Backlund gets suplexed but the splash off the top of the cage misses, allowing him to escape and retain at 10:25.

Rating: C+. This was just starting to get good when it wrapped up and that’s rather annoying. The splash off the cage looked like the big epic finish and Backlund escaping after it misses worked well enough, but the anger and hatred were just starting to flow here when they wrapped up. This was a huge feud at the time though and it’s easy to see why Snuka was a huge star the second he turned.

Post match Backlund says he kind of liked getting to hurt Snuka like that. He likes going out the door anyway because he wants more of a contest than a fight. Backlund respects Snuka’s power and athleticism and he’s ready for his next challenger, who might be Cowboy Bob Orton.

Vince gives us a quick backstory, saying Backlund and Orton were going to wrestle in high school but Backlund got hurt and couldn’t do it. As a result, Orton thinks he’s a coward but Backlund is ready to prove that he’s the better man. Backlund doesn’t have much say in who he faces but he’s requesting to face Orton. Total “bye golly’s” in this five minute interview: four. Oh and a “hello mom and dad”.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Kamala
Date: January 11, 1987
Location: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 17,500
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Johnny V.

Hogan is defending and I’m surprised it took this long to get to one of his matches. In a rare moment, this is described as a ten foot cage instead of the traditional fifteen. Kamala has the Wizard and Kim Chee with him to uneven the odds a bit. Hogan has his face painted up and slaps his stomach on the way to the ring so Kamala uses the belt to beat the racial stereotypes out of him. Hogan fights back and chokes with the bandanna but has to block some cage shots.

There’s the back rake but Kamala sends him into the cage as Monsoon talks about Whipper Billy Watson. A leg dive keeps Kamala inside but he chops Hogan down. The splash connects as Gorilla talks about Kamala’s cannibalistic tendencies but it’s already Hulk Up time. The bloody Hogan sends him into the cage over and over and there’s quite the slam. Hogan drops the leg so Chee and the Wizard jump the referee and come in. That doesn’t work for Hogan, who beats all three of them up and goes through the door to retain at 6:19.

Rating: C. The match was nothing but Hogan came off like an absolute superhero here. He shrugged off Kamala’s biggest stuff, beat up the cheating managers, and walked out to retain in short order. The fans were going nuts for this too and I can’t say I blame them, as this is the Hogan that felt like the strongest force in the universe. How could you cheer for him?

Post match the villains go after him again and get beaten up, again! Posing ensues.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff
Date: January 3, 1987
Location: Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura

Hogan is defending and this is a famous one, from Saturday Night’s Main Event #9. Before the match, Orndorff’s manager, promises to make Hogan the paper that lines a bird cage. Danny Davis is here as the second referee and yeah that is going to mean shenanigans. In the back, Hogan says the cage is the last resort. They both come out to Real American in a still awesome angle. Orndorff grabs the belt again for some shots but Hogan reaches for the ankle.

Hogan catches him on top as well, with Orndorff having to be dragged back over (Ventura: “Hogan would not be the champion if Mr. Wonderful was bald.” That line has cracked me up for over thirty years now.). Back down and Hogan punches away but Orndorff catches him on top. Orndorff misses some elbows and the comeback (I think?) is on but Davis doesn’t have the door unlocked in time. Some knees to the head rock Hogan again and stereo rams into the cage leave both of them down. They both climb up and get to the ground….at the same time at 6:45, with one referee each saying they both win.

It’s a tie, so we’ll get them back inside and keep going. Back from a break with Orndorff throwing him back inside and getting in some cheap shots. A fist drop triggers the comeback and Ventura isn’t happy. Some rams into the cage set up a backbreaker of all things into the legdrop. Heenan tries to break it up but Hogan shrugs him off, beats them both up and leaves to retain at 16:34.

Rating: B-. This was billed as the first cage match in network television history (accurate) and it felt like a big deal. Hogan vs. Orndorff had been a massive feud so giving them this big of a blowoff made sense. The stuff in the middle added some drama and as usual, the chemistry was rolling between these two. Hogan was off to something bigger though, which Orndorff would have to settle for the end of the biggest run of his career.

In the back, Heenan promises to get the footage of the match and show it to Jack Tunney because Orndorff is the champion. I still want one of those WWF duffle bags.

Hogan isn’t worried about Heenan’s plan.

Hulk Hogan/Brutus Beefcake vs. Randy Savage/Zeus
Date: December 27, 1989
Location: Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura

This is The Match from No Holds Barred: The Movie/The Match. Since the movie was falling apart, Vince McMahon tried this idea: get the movie on pay per view and see this match as well, as the big blowoff to the Hogan vs. Zeus feud (which would eventually be available on the original Supertape, which I’ve seen roughly 183 times). Hogan rips off Beefcake’s shirt but won’t let Beefcake do the same. That’s why he has no friends. Sherri, apparently a Beefcake fan, sends the cage door into Hogan’s face to drop him outside, leaving Beefcake two on one.

Since it’s Hogan, that lasts all of thirty seconds before Hogan punches Savage through the bars and climbs over the top to clean house. Zeus gets sent into the cage a few times to take over but he sends Hogan and Beefcake into the cage to drop both of them. Savage goes up but Beefcake breaks that up as well. The sleeper doesn’t last long on Zeus so the villains send Beefcake and Hogan into the cage a few times each. For some reason Savage and Zeus try to climb over the top, earning stereo suplexes back down.

All four are down so the referee tries to go inside (because he doesn’t understand the rules), allowing Sherri to ram him with the door as well. Sherri gives Savage the chain as he goes to the top of the cage but Beefcake manages to punch him out of the air. Savage and Beefcake fight on the side of the cage until Beefcake escapes and Hulk Hulks Up. With Beefcake dragging Savage out of the cage, Hogan sends Zeus into it a few more times. A slam sets up THREE LEGDROPS (GEEZ) for the pin at 9:44. Jesse: “I don’t believe it, he did it again!”.

Rating: C+. Watching this back, it is the definition of a post show dark match to send the fans home happy as other than Savage jumping off the cage, there really wasn’t anything special to this. Hogan dropping that many legs made it feel big, but the match itself is just pretty good. The nostalgia is strong enough though and Hogan was over like free beer in a frat house, so it’s the definition of good, easy fun.

WWF Title: Bob Backlund vs. Pat Patterson
Date: September 24, 1979
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentator: Vince McMahon

Backlund, with Arnold Skaaland, is defending and Patterson’s Intercontinental title isn’t on the line. Vince says that this is the fourth time the two have fought at MSG, apparently the first time a match has happened that many times at the Garden. Backlund starts fast and sends Patterson into the cage a few times as the fans are rather pleased. It’s rather too early for either to escape so Backlund cages him again.

Patterson cuts him off for a change and rams him a few times, only to get caught at the door. With that not working, Patterson tries to climb out so Backlund goes up as well. They slug it out on top until Backlund barely makes a save for a double crash back to the mat. In a change of pace, Patterson goes for the door but gets caught, then goes over the top but gets caught.

What appears to be a foreign object busts Backlund open and Patterson hammers at the cut. Backlund gets up for a hard shot of his own and they’re both down again. Patterson pulls him down so Backlund hits a catapult into the cage to bust him open as well. The atomic drop hits Patterson but he catches Backlund on top. The swing with the foreign object misses but they crash back down anyway. Backlund kicks him away and backs out of the door to retain at 16:41.

Rating: C+. This one took some getting into and it was only so good. They did a lot of the same things over and over and it didn’t exactly work. Backlund was trying here and Patterson was usually good but something was holding them back. Maybe they needed to mix it up a bit but this didn’t get beyond pretty good.

WWWF World Title: Bruno Sammartino vs. George Steele
Date: July 25, 1970
Location: Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Sammartino is defending and this is the earliest match in the set. There is no commentary here and we see the cage put up by a guy in an undershirt for a weird visual. The ring announcer even tells us what the two of them will be wearing in a smart touch. Bruno starts fast and unloads with those kicks in the corner that he made look very good. The choking is on in the corner as it’s all Bruno to start.

Steele cuts him off from an early exit so Bruno unloads with some ax handles to the chest. A ram into the cage cuts Bruno off for once and the stomping ensues. Bruno manages to kick his way up from the mat (that’s awesome) to take over again and Steele is sent into the steel. Steele is allowed to go up but Bruno pulls him right back down for another crash.

A low blow gets Bruno out of trouble but he’s right back up and hammers Steele in the head. Bruno gets in those big stomps to the head and then chokes away until Steele goes to the eyes. Raking of the face has Bruno gyrating a bit and the fans are all over Steele. The blind Bruno swings away so Steele sends him into the corner for more stomping. Finally Bruno has had enough and just erupts, firing Steele into the cage over and over and stomping away. With Steele properly destroyed, Bruno walks out to retain at 14:34.

Rating: B. I’ve seen this match a few times before and it’s just fun. The crowd carries it a lot as they are absolutely rabid for Bruno and that comeback at the end had them looking like they were ready to kill Steele. It’s a very different era and they aren’t doing anything more than basic stuff, but my goodness the reactions and energy from Bruno are both great.

Jesse Ventura vs. Tony Atlas
Date: May 22, 1982
Location: Philadelphia Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 11,513
Commentators: Dick Graham, Kal Rudman

As usual, Jesse is great at being a heel, as he walks around the ring and yells at various people, like a villain should. Jesse takes his sweet time getting in and immediately tries to escape, only to be pulled back down to start the beating. Right hands and elbows have Ventura down fast but he blocks some rams into the cage. A headbutt puts him down instead but Ventura is back up with a failed ram of his own.

Ventura cheap shots him and sends Atlas into the cage to bust him open. A bite to the arm and an atomic drop keep Atlas in trouble as commentary is a bit stunned. For some reason it takes Ventura way too long to figure out how to get out of the cage, meaning the beating can be on again. Some rams into the cage bust Ventura open and then does it again to make it worse. Ventura hits him low for a breather but again takes way too long to go out. This time it takes so long that Atlas gets up, hops over the cage and escapes to win at 10:36.

Rating: C+. They were having a good fight until the kind of weird ending, as Atlas just suddenly remembered he had maxed out leaping ability and won. Ventura getting outsmarted, or at least outjumped, was kind of a weird way to go, but at least they had a unique way out. Not a great match, but it was getting good there at times.

Bruno Sammartino/Paul Orndorff vs. Roddy Piper/Bob Orton Jr.
Date: October 26, 1985
Location: Philadelphia Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 16,000
Commentators: Dick Graham, Gorilla Monsoon

Before the match, Sammartino says he isn’t climbing over the top, but rather walking out the door after he has destroyed Piper and Orton. Yes Sammartino is a little older but he is ready to take these two out.

One more thing: before the match, we hear about next month’s card. This will include:

David Sammartino
Corporal Kirchner
Hercules Hernandez
Hart Foundation vs. Uncle Elmer/Hillbilly Jim
Big John Studd vs. Hillbilly Jim (listed as a correction)
Don Muraco/Mr. Fuji vs. Tito Santana/Ricky Steamboat
King Kong Bundy vs. Andre The Giant

Freaking WOOF man, and the show itself would be even worse.

Anyway, all four are in at once here but in a twist, only one has to escape. It’s a brawl to start and Bruno is busted rather quickly. Orndorff slugs back to take over, including taking Orton’s cast and using it to smash Piper in the head. Piper is busted open and panics as he tries to escape, only to be pulled back inside.

Bruno is back up as well and starts unloading on Piper (as only Bruno can) but a cheap shot takes him down. Everyone is busted and we hit stereo chinlocks (that’s a new one in a cage match) but the good guys are up rather quickly. Orndorff and Orton go up and over at the same time, with Orndorff hitting the ground first for the win at 7:33.

Rating: B-. As has been the case, this was getting somewhere and then it ended before it could turn into something really good. What matters here is that Bruno got to look like a killer again as the awesome Piper vs. Orndorff feud continues. I could go for either combination of this again and that is because there was some awesome talent in there. Good stuff here, but it could have been better.

Post match Orton gets right back in and Bruno is left laying. Because THAT’S a good idea.

Intercontinental Title: Magnificent Muraco vs. Jimmy Snuka
Date: October 17, 1983
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Pat Patterson

You might have heard of this one and Muraco is defending. Before the match, a serious Muraco talks about the experience you need in a cage match and how he is still champion because he is the best.

Snuka’s manager Buddy Rogers talks about how Snuka will win because he is the best.

Snuka promises violence in the cage, as only he can bring.

We get the entrances from the backstage, including the famous fan sign “When Snuka Flies, Muraco Dies.” Snuka checks the cage and looks up, with a certain Hardcore Legend Mick Foley clearly seen in the crowd after hitch hiking because he had to see this match in person. Snuka goes right after him to start and chops against the ropes but a catapult sends him into the cage.

Another shot puts Muraco back down and Snuka goes up, but Muraco knows what that means and cuts him off quick. A slam off the top brings Snuka back down, followed by a low blow to keep him down. Back up and Snuka’s chops bust Muraco open to make it even worst. The middle rope forearm to the head sets up a flying headbutt….and Muraco goes sprawling through the door to retain at 6:46.

Rating: C+. Oddly enough, for one of the most famous moments ever in wrestling, the match is pretty much nothing. Muraco was terrified of letting Snuka get up top and then absolutely lucked his way into retaining. Snuka was so obsessed with violence and revenge that he kind of screwed himself over, but you could feel the intensity here, which is one of the places where Snuka often shined.

Snuka isn’t having that and pulls Muraco back in for a suplex. Then he climbs the cage and, in one of the most famous shots in WWF history, dives off with the splash to END Muraco (who sells it perfectly and doesn’t move an inch). Snuka drops the belt on him and poses before leaving.

Post match, Muraco’s manager Lou Albano says that Muraco is hurt but not destroyed. Muraco survived the most dangerous move in wrestling history and Albano goes on a rant about how Muraco fell out of the door COMPLETELY on purpose because he’s that smart.

Overall Rating: B-. The overall rating doesn’t mean much here as it’s just a random assortment of matches but there really isn’t a great one on here. A lot of these are rather short but what matters is how much the energy is cranked up. This was about beating the fire out of each other and it did show just how intense things can get when the cage is involved. Good enough stuff here, and I’ve got more than enough of these for a few extra volumes, which sounds rather appealing.

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