NXT
Date: March 7, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

This is the Roadblock special, because we need a special event less than a month before what is probably the biggest NXT event of the year. Since the NXT Champion is in a six man tag, the real main event is probably Shawn Michaels appearing on the Grayson Waller Effect. NXT has teased Michaels fighting Waller, so odds are we see who is doing it in Michaels’ place this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Tiffany’s Epiphanies, as Tiffany Stratton runs down the card and talks about how we got here. In her own style of course.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Dijak

This is the Jailhouse Street Fight, meaning a casket match with a jail cell (weird choice of name). Dijak tries a nightstick to start but gets clotheslined to the floor instead. It’s way too early to send Dijak into the cell but D’Angelo fights his way out of it too. After Stacks gets knocked down, they head back inside where Dijak hits High Justice onto a chair. Dijak throws in a bunch of chairs as commentary makes Big Boss Man references.

A bunch of chair shots put D’Angelo down but he catches Dijak on top with a chair shot. The flipping belly to back superplex sends Dijak crashing (that looked good) and we take a break. Back with Dijak hitting a springboard elbow to put D’Angelo through a table on the floor (that looked good). D’Angelo is back up with the belly to back Rock Bottom on the floor and they’re both down.

Dijak is sent into the cell but brings Stacks with him for the save. A discus boot to the face puts Stacks over the barricade so D’Angelo throws Dijak down. D’Angelo explodes with chair shots but a low blow gets Dijak out of trouble. Stacks dives into the cell to keep the door from closing, allowing D’Angelo to come back with a bunch of crowbar shots. The door is slammed onto Dijak’s head and D’Angelo locks him in for the win at 11:22.

Rating: C+. The elbow alone gets this a boost but otherwise, I have no idea why this needed to have the jail cell deal. It didn’t add much of anything and Dijak getting knocked cold in the cell isn’t much better than having him get pinned. This was a weird way to go, but a face D’Angelo could be….I’m not sure what actually.

Roxanne Perez is nervous about facing Meiko Satomura tonight and she has pushed herself harder than ever. She’s ready.

Josh Briggs comes in to Kiana James’ office to talk about Brooks Jensen and Fallon Henley. Briggs points out the flowers that someone (who he assumes to be Jensen) sent her and says his friends’ happiness is his own happiness. After pulling away the name card and hiding it under her planner, James seems concerned and agrees to call Jensen tonight.

Here is Gallus for a chat. They waste no time in calling out Pretty Deadly, who pop up on the platform. Gallus wants them down here face to face and ask what it is going to take to make that happen. Gallus lays the titles down and say come take them, so here is Pretty Deadly. The beating doesn’t take long and Pretty Deadly runs off without much of a fight. The eventual match should be interesting.

Lyra Valkyria isn’t pleased with Stevie Turner because she is here for a fight. Valkyria wants the Women’s Title too.

New signing Dragon Lee is here.

Indus Sher vs. Bron Breakker/Creed Brothers

It’s a brawl on the floor before the bell with Indus Sher taking over. We start with Veer and Breakker hammering on each other until Julius comes in to take over. Brutus slams Julius onto Veer for two before it’s off to Mahal. A suplex drops Mahal in a hurry and it’s off to Breakker to slug it out with Sanga. Everything breaks down and the good guys send them outside for the big flip dive, allowing them to pose as we take a break.

Back with Mahal kneeing Julius in the face for two but Julius flips out of a belly to back suplex. Sanga comes in to run Julius over but something like an Angle Slam gets Sanga out of it. Breakker gets the tag and scores with a moonsault before Julius hits a heck of a 450 for two. A Doomsday Deice is broken up though and Sanga runs Julius over. A side slam/middle rope elbow drop gets two and everything breaks down again. Everything breaks down and Breakker spears Sanga and Mahal. Julius slams Veer down, setting up a Doomsday Brutus Ball for the pin at 11:13.

Rating: C+. That should be the end of the Creeds vs. Indus Sher unless they run back the regular tag match one more time. Other than that, this was Breakker smashing people and the Creeds holding their own against the monsters. Mahal continues to add nothing, but that hasn’t stopped them for a long time now.

Long video on Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect. We waste no time in having Shawn Michaels come out as the guest, with Waller saying he would have freaked out if he was here at 12 years old. Waller brings up being a Bret Hart guy though, and Shawn says “we’re going there”? As the fans chant HB Shizzle (that will never get old), Shawn talks about how they used to be cool and wants to know what changed.

Waller talks about how he won the Iron Survivor Challenge, he was taking over. For some reason though, Shawn treats Waller the same as people used to treat Shawn in his day. Shawn was told he was too small and not a draw but look what happened. That doesn’t work for Shawn, who says Waller cashed in his title shot and lost. To see the problem, Waller needs to look in the mirror.

Waller says Shawn is only in the Gorilla Position every week because HHH had a heart attack. Shawn can give him that one, but Waller needs to understand something: HBK is directing this ship. Waller accuses Shawn of trying to get rid of him, maybe even cutting him after Wrestlemania, because they don’t want a star. That doesn’t work for Shawn, who says NXT has always been about the collective.

We hear a list of names who helped build the place (including the Undisputed Era) and the current stars, which includes Waller. The thing is, Waller is just a part of it. Waller: “I’m a part of it! I’m a part of it!” Waller doesn’t buy this team player stuff from SHAWN MICHAELS, but Shawn says that isn’t true of him now.

That sends Waller out of his chair, because Shawn doesn’t see what is right in front of him. Shawn: “ENOUGH!” People a lot bigger than Waller have been running him down for 40 years, but do not ever run NXT into the ground. Waller: “Then do something about it.” Waller issues the challenge for Stand & Deliver for Shawn to put on the HBK had one last time.

Shawn takes off his jacket and says that for over a decade, he has had people challenging him to a Wrestlemania dream match. People have been asking for dream matches for so long that they have backed the Brinks truck to his door. Heck the drivers know his address! Waller is just a guy and he’ll come and go. Everyone wants to fight Shawn, and nothing would make him happier than to beat Waller up at Stand & Deliver.

The reality is there is someone who wants to take Waller out even more, and that man is…..Johnny Gargano. The brawl is on and Waller bails in a hurry. Ok they needed someone big if Shawn wasn’t going to do it and Gargano fits. And remember: Waller interrupted Gargano’s NXT farewell and it was never followed up on, so well done for some continuity.

Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne

Dolin (who didn’t get an entrance) takes her to the floor to start and the brawl is on. Back in and Dolin cranks the arm and yells a lot before going right back to the floor. Dolin knocks her down again and we take a break. Back with Dolin fighting out of a chinlock but getting dropped with a clothesline for two. Dolin fires off kicks to the chest but Jayne grabs a neckbreaker. Dolin is right back with an abdominal stretch, which she swings back like a crucifix bomb….for the pin at 7:58. Well ok then.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what happened here but it wasn’t an interesting or even important feeling match. The ending came out of nowhere and felt more like Dolin caught Jayne rather than beating her. This match showed one major problem: outside of having different hair color, there isn’t much to make these two stand out from each other. Save for a few moments here and there, they have never done anything other than stand behind Mandy Rose and be a team. That doesn’t work well when you need to make a new star and it wasn’t working here.

Post match Jayne shrugs off the impact of the abdominal stretch bomb and loads up a Pillmanization but referees break it up. So this is going to continue?

Brooks Jensen apologizes to Fallon Henley about the Kiana James stuff. Josh Briggs comes in to compliment him on the roses idea, but Jensen seems a bit confused. Anyway, James calls him (Jensen: “Hey girl.”) and they seem to have a date, with Henley being astounded by how he was talking. Henley and Briggs pick up on the roses deal and have an idea.

Here is Bron Breakker to say it’s time to set up the biggest match on the biggest stage. At Stand & Deliver, he wants Carmelo Hayes, and calls him out right now. Cue Hayes to say that yes, it is time for these two to go at it. Breakker says he has been going through challenger after challenger but he kept wanting it to be Hayes. They’re both ready to fight and they’ll do it at Stand & Deliver. This felt like they were building up a battle of titans rather than a personal feud and that is a good way to go.

Thea Hail is meditating with Tyler Bate when Chase U comes up. Hail is making progress in her recovery and she’s ready to be out there for now. Duke Hudson doesn’t buy Bate’s “snake oil” for a second.

Joe Gacy vs. Andre Chase

Joined in progress with Chase hitting a running clothesline and hammering away as Chase U is rather happy on the floor (Schism on the other hand is unhappy). Gacy knees him in the face and gets two off a brainbuster. Chase comes right back with the spelling stomps but gets caught on top. A sunset bomb gives Chase two but Thea Hail goes after Ava on the floor. That’s enough of a distraction for Gacy to hit the handspring lariat for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C-. I’m out of ways to get upset at Chase losing and Gacy winning over and over. For the life of me I don’t get what NXT sees in Gacy and Schism but there is a chance that it involves the father of one of the team’s members. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and involved far too healthy of a dose of Gacy to be very good.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre are in the woods under the full moon and get rather spooky.

Post match Andre Chase tells Thea Hail he’s proud of her but Duke Hudson reminds Chase that he lost. Hudson says Chase U is a bunch of loses and a bloody joke before walking off.

Wes Lee issues another open challenge for next week. Cue Axiom to say he’s getting the shot, though Lee says get to the ring first. Seems cool with Axiom.

Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez

Satomura is challenging. Bell, handshake, break nine seconds in. Back with Satomura taking her down with a test of strength but Perez pulls her into a chinlock. That’s reversed into an ankle crank before Satomura starts striking away at the face. A running forearm just wakes Perez up and she dragon screw legwhips Satomura down. Perez knocks her outside for the dive but a super Russian legsweep is blocked.

Satomura kicks away but Perez sticks the landing on a Death Valley Driver. Another attempt works and Satomura hits the cartwheel knees to the back. They head outside with Pop Rox not exactly working so Satomura hits Scorpio Rising for two, with the foot on the rope saving the title. Perez is fine enough to grab a rollup for the pin at 14:00.

Rating: B. This was the best match of the night and it was hyped up more than any other match, but it didn’t exactly feel epic. Part of that is due to Satomura being explained to us rather than shown to us. She is absolutely a legend and by far the best in-ring star in the division, but her only time under the WWE banner was in NXT UK. No one saw her there, so what is there for fans who haven’t seen her to go off? She’s clearly great if you just watch her in the ring, but you need more than that to make this feel like some huge accomplishment for Perez.

Post match respect is shown…and Perez collapses. Referees and medics come out, with Booker T. getting in the ring to check on her as well. Perez is taken to the back on a stretcher and into the ambulance to end the show. This feels like it is tying into the “I’ve never trained harder” promo from earlier.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m really not sure why this needed to be a special. There were some matches that felt bigger than normal, but giving the show a name and talking about it like it was something important didn’t really work. Having so much Stand & Deliver talk didn’t help either, as that show felt so much bigger than anything else that was going on here. What we got was good, but this certainly didn’t feel like a must see show, no matter what catchy name it had.

Results
Tony D’Angelo b. Dijak – Dijak was locked in the cell
Creed Brothers/Bron Breakker b. Indus Sher – Doomsday Brutus Ball to Veer
Gigi Dolin b. Jacy Jayne – Abdominal stretch bomb
Joe Gacy b. Andre Chase – Handspring lariat
Roxanne Perez b. Meiko Satomura – Rollup

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.

NXT LVL Up
Date: March 3, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

I’m starting to enjoy having no idea what to expect from this show. It’s such a guessing game of what you are going to get to see and that makes for some entertaining sub half hours. You never know what NXT is going to throw out there on this show and that offers some fun. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Tatum Paxley

They fight over a lockup to start with Valkyria taking her down for a rollup. Back up and Valkyria works on an armbar, leaving Paxley frustrated. Valkyria can’t keep the arms down with a test of strength so Paxley catapults her into the corner. The chinlock goes on for a bit before an elbow gives Paxley two. Back up and Valkyria sends her hard into the corner, setting up the high crossbody for two. Valkyria has had it with Paxley and kicks her in the head for the pin at 5:24.

Rating: C. Paxley is getting better and better in the ring so this was a decent enough match. What matters here is making Valkyria look stronger, as she could become something around here. That’s the kind of buildup this show can do well, but for some reason they don’t do it very often.

Newcomer Luca Crusifino is a rather smiley lawyer who is ready to make his debut. Will he be great? “Abso-luca-lutely.” I think I like this guy.

Luca Crusifino vs. Dante Chen

They go technical to start with Luca grabbing a headlock but getting reversed into a headscissors on the mat. Some armdrags into an armbar have Luca down but he’s right back with a neckbreaker for two. Another neckbreaker is countered but Chen walks into a Samoan drop for two more. Chen makes the comeback with a clothesline and some rapid fire shots to the ribs, setting up the double chop to finish Luca at 4:47.

Rating: C-. Commentary made mention of new wrestlers facing Chen, but WHY DO ALL OF THEM HAVE TO LOSE TO HIM??? Chen has never been anything in NXT but he beats just about every new wrestler that comes around here for whatever reason. This is one of the few running traditions around here and it makes such little sense when you think about it for that long.

Oro Mensah vs. Eddy Thorpe

Feeling out to process to start with Mensah’s armbar not getting him very far. Back up and Thorpe chops away before a fisherman’s neckbreaker gets two. Mensah fights back and snaps off a suplex, only to miss a kick to the head. Thorpe kicks him in the head and gets two off a Saito suplex. The seated abdominal stretch doesn’t last long as Mensah comes back with a springboard standing moonsault. A springboard kick to the chest drops Thorpe for two but the Lionsault misses. Thorpe nails the implant DDT for the pin at 6:52.

Rating: C+. So Oro Mensah, who has been on at least a few important NXT shows and is even a former NXT UK Tag Team Champion, can’t win a match but Dante Chen goes on a winning streak against newcomers? I know neither of them mean anything, but I do not get the logic here at all. Thorpe is still looking good in his first few matches, but it is just a small step on a long path.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The Dante Chen Experiment continues and that made up a third of this week’s show. Other than that, Valkyria and Thorpe got some nice wins and should be boosted up a bit, which is where this show can be valuable. If NXT ever acknowledged that this show existed, it might matter even more. It won’t happen, but it might help. Not as much as facing Chen though of course, because no one can survive that.

Results
Lyra Valkyria b. Tatum Paxley – Spinning kick to the head
Dante Chen b. Luca Crusifino – Double chop
Eddy Thorpe b. Oro Mensah – Implant DDT

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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Monday Night Raw
Date: March 6, 2023
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are less than a month away from Wrestlemania and tonight is going to be one of the bigger shows, as John Cena is back. There is a good chance that we get his Wrestlemania match set up this week, as he is running out of time. Other than that, we also get a face to face staredown between Logan Paul and Seth Rollins. Let’s get to it.

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

The Bloodline (Paul Heyman, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa) arrived earlier today, with Heyman reiterating Roman Reigns’ orders to deal with Sami Zayn. Now Zayn escaped on Friday, so he must be here in Boston tonight. Instead, Sikoa is going to solve the Kevin Owens problem tonight, and Jimmy will solve Zayn, whether Jey is here or not. Jimmy and Solo leave and Heyman calls Reigns.

Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa

Owens jumps him before the bell but Sikoa fights back and we officially get going. Sikoa kicks away at him a few times and a right hand gets two. Owens slugs away but gets taken down with a shot to the stomach. Some standing clotheslines put Sikoa down and there’s the backsplash for a bonus. The Cannonball is loaded up but Sikoa bails to the floor, allowing Owens to take him down with a dive.

Cue Jimmy Uso for the save and Sikoa slams Owens off the top. It’s too early for the running Umaga attack so Sikoa hits it against the barricade as we take a break. Back with Sikoa hitting a Samoan drop as Jimmy is looking all over the building, presumably for Jey. Sikoa goes shoulder first into the post and Jimmy’s distraction fails, allowing Owens to hit the Cannonball. The Swanton connects on Sikoa but Jimmy comes in for the DQ at 11:20.

Rating: C. This was ok, with even commentary saying it wasn’t about the win or loss but rather the Bloodline hurting Owens. That does make sense in this case, as the Bloodline has long since been all about taking care of Owens’ enemies. The Zayn reunion is still coming for Owens, and this is the reason why he would need him. It’s another step in a long path, but the payoff is going to be huge.

Post match the beatdown is on with the splash through the announcers’ table loaded up. Cue Sami Zayn for the save and he chases the villains off with a chair. Sami leans down to help Owens up but Owens rolls away and leaves on his own. The long form teases continue.

Bobby Lashley wants Bray Wyatt to face him like a man.

Carmella is sick of Adam Pearce and Chelsea Green comes up to applaud her. They want the Wrestlemania match changed and are going to go to Pearce’s manager after tonight. They’re rather pleased and then throw Byron Saxton out for eavesdropping.

Bianca Belair vs. Carmella

Non-title and Chelsea Green is here with Carmella. A few early shots have Belair in trouble but she sends Carmella into the corner and pops back up. Carmella knocks her off the corner though and we take a break. Back with Belair fighting back but Green distracts the referee to avoid the count. Carmella hits a quick superkick for two and isn’t happy with the kickout. Belair rains down right hands in the corner but Green offers another distraction. This time Green is sent over the barricade and the KOD finishes for Belair at 8:35.

Rating: C-. These two feel like they have fought a few dozen times and I don’t remember any significantly different result. WWE tries to make Carmella feel like a big deal but just being a former multiple time champion doesn’t mean you feel like a threat to Belair here. This was little more than a workout for Belair, which is what she needs on her way to Asuka.

Post match the beatdown is on again and Asuka makes the save.

Sami Zayn comes up to Kevin Owens and says tonight was proof that the Bloodline is too big for any one person. They need to go after them together but Owens remembers Zayn joining the team right here in this very arena. Sure they could fight them together, but Owens doesn’t want to. Zayn should just rejoin Roman Reigns and get the acceptance he wants. Just leave Owens out of it.

Video on Rhea Ripley.

Here is the Miz to moderate a meeting between Seth Rollins and Logan Paul. The fans sing Rollins’ song for so long that Paul tells them to shut up before the segment runs out of time. Rollins sucks up to Boston and mocks the idea of Paul gracing us with his presence. Paul talks about how he is just better than Rollins at his job and he has done more in a year and a half than Rollins has done in twenty. If Paul was Rollins, he wouldn’t like him either.

Rollins calls Paul the scum of the earth and a troll, plus a fraud. Rollins and the fans don’t want him in their house but Boston is here to see Rollins get his pound of flesh. The fight is teased but Miz says not so fast. Miz isn’t going to let any violence go down tonight, but Paul says don’t put words in his mouth. Paul isn’t going to fight here in Boston, but he might if the stage is bigger.

Miz brings up that he is the host of Wrestlemania and can make the match happen, which has Rollins very interested. He even throws Miz out so he can get there faster. Paul jumps Rollins from behind but misses the Stomp, only to drop him with one heck of a right hand. Paul says that when Rollins wakes up, he can tell him about Wrestlemania. Imagine that: Paul is an outstanding heel when he is given the chance to be one. This was more great stuff from Paul, who is getting to be his natural self for a change.

We recap Brock Lesnar agreeing to face Omos at Wrestlemania.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Omos

This is thanks to Mustafa Ali getting the match made. Ziggler gets in a shot but charges into a big boot. The chokebomb finishes Ziggler at 52 seconds.

The Maximum Male Models are amazed by someone. Baron Corbin comes up to say thank you, but they mean Otis. Corbin: “What does he have that I don’t have?” Mansoor: “Hair.” Maxxine Dupri tells Corbin to beat Chad Gable and maybe she’ll take him on as a client.

Paul Heyman tells Jimmy Uso to deal with Sami Zayn, but he better make sure Jey Uso is on Smackdown.

Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano

The rest of the Judgment Day and Dexter Lumis are here. Balor works on an armbar to start but Gargano sends him outside. The suicide dive drops Balor and we take an early break. Back with Gargano fighting back and hitting the slingshot spear, only to get suplexed down. Balor reminds Gargano of his name and hammers away, only to get sunset flipped for two.

Gargano goes after the rest of Judgment Day, allowing Balor to hit a double stomp to the chest. The shotgun dropkick connects….and here is Edge through the crowd (as telegraphed by Damien Priest going up the aisle), allowing Edge to shove Balor off the top. One Final beat finishes Balor at 9:34.

Rating: C+. These two have had some awesome matches before but that was then and this isn’t NXT. For now, Gargano needed a win to give him somewhere to go and Edge costing Balor another win pushes them even closer to Wrestlemania. Nice TV match, but it does kind of show you how long has passed since the heyday of NXT.

Post match Lumis and Edge take out Judgment Day.

We recap Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns’ showdown on Smackdown. Reigns asking “have you ever won that one” got me.

King and Queen of the Ring are back in Saudi Arabia on May 27. That’s the day before AEW Double Or Nothing.

Edge says he’ll be in the ring alone next week. If Finn Balor has the guts, come finish this.

Nikki Cross vs. Piper Niven

It’s a big brawl before the bell but Niven says ring the bell. Cross hits a crossbody to send Niven outside but can’t grab a swinging neckbreaker back inside. Instead, Niven grabs the Loch Ness Slam for the pin at 52 seconds.

Rick Boogs is trying to lift a semi truck when Elias comes in. Elias is trying to help him by getting Boogs to fight, so Boogs goes up to Bronson Reed. Unfortunately we get a miscommunication and it’s Elias vs. Reed next week. That’s not what Elias meant! Of note: Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens could be seen talking in the background.

Here is John Cena (looking to have dropped A LOT of muscle) but before he can say anything, Austin Theory interrupts. Theory says Cena inspired him to get into wrestling so he has a gift for him (after the CENA chants die off that is): the two of them, one on one for the US Title at Wrestlemania. Cena: “No.” Cena says that Theory doesn’t have the authority to give a gift like that. Theory is a nothing guy with a generic look and no heart.

Cena points out a sign saying Theory is a Cena wannabe and says Theory is in the Ruthless Aggression Era. That time almost got Cena fired and now the people don’t see anything in Theory. Cena: “You’re a pair of trunks away from being a jabroni.” Cena says that Theory has the best name in WWE history. Not Steve Austin, the Rock, or the Undertaker, because there is no name better than Austin Theory. That’s exactly what he is: a theory.

In theory, he should be great and everything that a WWE executive look for. But he’s just a guy with no heart. Therefore, Cena and the people of Boston are giving him a gift: the chance to leave in one piece. Theory says he isn’t going anywhere, just like Cena’s bald spot. Theory talks about Cena’s NEVER GIVE UP shirt but saying no sounds like giving up to him.

The hat says RESPECT, but where is the respect for the people? Cena has a chance to face the greatest US Champion ever and he’s giving up? Where is the hustle, loyalty and respect? Cena: “I would much rather be bald than have them pipe in fake crowd noise for my matches because nobody cares.”

Cena didn’t say no because he gave up, but rather to save an unready Theory. If they fight at Wrestlemania and Theory loses, he loses everything. Then he’ll have to go out the next night on Raw and explain what happened. Therefore, Cena now has to ask the fans what they want. The fans are into it and approve, so Cena is in. Cena goes to leave but says Theory isn’t ready for Wrestlemania. Here’s someone who is though: Cody Rhodes, who gets the hug from Cena for the endorsement.

This was another very heavy verbal beating from Cena, as Theory needs to win something, but I’m not sure if it did much good for him, even if Cena wins. Cena beat him down so heavily and now Theory is going to have to do something big against Cena and then follow it up even better to make things better.

Sami Zayn can’t get through to Kevin Owens but he isn’t leaving without getting rid of Roman Reigns. Tonight, that means taking out Jimmy Uso.

Baron Corbin vs. Chad Gable

The fans want Otis as Corbin puts on an over the shoulder backbreaker. Gable is right back up with some rolling German suplexes and the ankle lock finishes Corbin off at 2:02. That worked, as it’s amazing how much easier it is to deal with the Alpha Academy when they don’t do their catchphrase over and over.

We look back at Becky Lynch and Lita winning the Women’s Tag Team Titles last week.

New Wrestlemania trailer: Miz and Maryse in Top Gun. These trailers feel like they came up with an idea but then didn’t bother making them funny/entertaining/good.

Logan Paul vs. Seth Rollins is set for Wrestlemania.

Here are Becky Lynch and Lita to celebrate being the new Women’s Tag Team Champions. Lita wanted one more chance and took what she had, but there is one more person to thank. Cue Trish Stratus, who is glad she could help, but here is Damage Ctrl to interrupt. Bayley is sick of hearing from Trish, who threatens to go from retired to unretired. The challenge for a six woman tag is thrown out and accepted rather quickly. That felt rather fast as I’m wondering if the show is running long.

Sami Zayn vs. Jimmy Uso

Solo Sikoa is here too. Sami goes right after him to start and we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Sami in trouble but he gets in a DDT for a breather. Zayn’s high crossbody gets two but he gets sent outside. Hold on as Sikoa almost goes after him, which is enough for an ejection. Back in and the Blue Thunder Bomb gives Zayn two as we take a second break just over six minutes into the match. We come back with both of them down and Jey Uso comes through the crowd. The distraction lets Zayn grab a rollup at 10:37.

Rating: C-. That was dangerously close to not having enough shown for a rating, which is hard to do in a ten minute match. This was of course all about the Jey appearance and setting up the big decision on Friday, which is going to be the latest step in the Bloodline Saga. It’s nice to see Zayn getting a win though, as you don’t want to have him get beaten into a pulp over and over again before the big Wrestlemania moment.

Post match Zayn goes to the floor and Jey gets in the ring to confront Jimmy. They stare at each other for a good while and Jey grabs him by the shoulders. Jey leaves, stares at Zayn, and hugs him (Zayn is SHOCKED), leaving Jimmy looking crushed. The posing is on, but then Jey superkicks Zayn and throws him inside (with Jimmy’s face turning into an evil smile). The big beatdown ensues, with Solo Sikoa coming out to make it worse. Cody Rhodes runs in for the save to end the show. That was great, as they FINALLY did something definitive and pulled the trigger on Jey, which had to be done.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that was heavy on the emotion and moving the chains for Wrestlemania, which is what you need to do with less than four months to go. We had three new matches set up for the show, plus the big moment at the end. What matters is getting those things done by the time they get to Los Angeles and this show did a lot of the heavy lifting. It wasn’t so much that these matches were surprises (the six woman tag might be) but rather things that needed to be done. WWE did that tonight, and Wrestlemania feels bigger as a result. It was an efficient show, and that’s what WWE needed.

Results
Kevin Owens b. Solo Sikoa via DQ when Jimmy Uso interfered
Bianca Belair b. Carmella – KOD
Omos b. Dolph Ziggler – Chokebomb
Johnny Gargano b. Finn Balor – One Final Beat
Piper Niven b. Nikki Cross – Loch Ness Slam
Chad Gable b. Baron Corbin – Ankle lock
Sami Zayn b. Jimmy Uso – Rollup

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.

Revolution 2023
Date: March 5, 2023
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Jim Ross

We’re back with another AEW pay per view and that should mean something really good. The television shows haven’t been the strongest in recent weeks but that has never stopped the pay per views from being special. The main event will feature MJF defending the World Title against Bryan Danielson in an Iron Man match, which should be…uh, long. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Lucha Bros/Mark Briscoe vs. Varsity Athletes/Ari Daivari

Mark Sterling are here with the Varsity Athletes (Tony Nese/Josh Woods) and Daivari. Nese poses at Penta to start but Penta is right back with CERO MIEDO. All six come in to strike it out with Penta and Nese being left alone in the ring. Made In Penta gives Penta a quick two before Daivari has to save Sterling. The villains take over on Penta by whipping him into the corner and Woods adds a nice suplex for two.

The Athletes double suplex Penta as commentary keeps ripping on Schiavone for making a mistake about how much time is left before the show. Rights and lefts in the corner keep Penta in trouble but he kicks away at all three villains, setting up a double DDT. The Sling Blade drops Woods and the diving tag brings Fenix in to pick the pace up even more. Fenix and Woods knock each other down and it’s back to Nese, who puts Fenix on top.

A slightly messed up super hurricanrana (though Fenix got enough of it) brings Nese back down and it’s Briscoe coming in to strike away. Everything breaks down and the Bros hit stereo dives, followed by Briscoe hitting the step up flip dive to the floor. The Froggy Bow is broken up though and it’s a Tower of Doom to leave everyone but Nese laying.

That leaves Nese to add a 450 for two on Briscoe and we get the parade of strikes to the face. Nese hits Briscoe with….something that breaks into a bunch of pieces for two but the Bros are back in with a bunch of superkicks. The spike Fear Factor hits Daivari (with Nese taking a Widow’s Peak at the same time), setting up a Froggy Bow for the pin at 12:43.

Rating: C+. This was exactly what kind of Kickoff match you should have: a bunch of people getting in the ring and having a fast paced match that didn’t get too serious. It was a light match that didn’t overstay its welcome, so well done on hitting all of the points. The Bros and Briscoe getting a Trios Title shot wouldn’t be too far out of the question either.

Post match the winners beat up Mark Sterling.

Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Starks

The Jericho Appreciation Society is banned from ringside. Starks, with bad ribs, hammers away in the corner to start but Jericho chops his way out of trouble. They fight to the floor with Starks hitting a suicide dive but getting chopped against the ropes back inside. A forearm to the face sets up the missed Lionsault but Jericho drops the bad ribs across the top.

Jericho drives him hard into the barricade as the fans are all over Jericho here. The butterfly backbreaker stays on the ribs but Jericho stops to slap him in the face, which just wakes Starks up. Jericho is fine enough to send him to the apron for the triangle dropkick, setting up a baseball slide to the ribs, sending Starks outside again. We hit the abdominal stretch back inside (makes sense) but Starks powers his way out.

A tornado DDT gives Starks two but Jericho kicks him out of the air. Jericho’s Death Valley Driver (that’s different) gets two and Starks is in trouble. Jericho sends him chest first into the corner but the Codebreaker is countered into a powerbomb for two. The spear is loaded up but Jericho counters into a Codebreaker for two. Back up and Starks hits the spear for two, meaning it’s time for the slugout.

Starks kicks him in the chest, only to miss a middle rope moonsault. The Walls go on to go straight after the ribs but Starks rolls out. Starks is able to grab his own half crab but here is Sammy Guevara….who is speared down by a surprise Action Andretti. The distraction lets Jericho get in a baseball bat shot to the ribs but the Judas Effect is blocked (by just raising his arm, which is so simple that it’s almost hilarious). Roshambo finishes Jericho at 14:05.

Rating: B-. Good opener, with a result that brings us back to where we were when the feud started. This feud needed to end as soon as it started, but at least Starks did win clean in the end. That’s what matters most, as Starks feels like someone who could be a breakout star in the short or long term. A win like this helps a lot, screwy setup aside.

Christian Cage vs. Jungle Boy

This is the Final Burial, which thankfully means Casket Match instead of Buried Alive (which is still over the top, but not as egregiously so). Though there is still a mound of dirt and a shovel so who knows what they’re doing here. Jungle Boy (in street clothes) goes straight at him with a double leg takedown and right hands before sending Christian face first into the post.

They fight on the floor with Christian bailing into the crowd so Jungle Boy gives chase. Christian is taken back to ringside where he bails up the ramp, right towards the casket. Jungle Boy tries the Snare Trap on the ramp but gets kicked away, meaning it’s back to the ring. Right hands in the corner have Christian in more trouble, at least until he knocks Jungle Boy down and rubs a forearm over Jungle Boy’s face.

Choking on the ropes, including that stand on the back and hold the ropes spot that Christian does, is broken up and Jungle Boy sends him to the floor. There’s the required dive and Jungle Boy sends him into various things. Jungle Boy misses a stomp to the arm though and gets dropped head first onto the steps instead. Christian is busted open as he whips Jungle Boy in the back with a belt.

They go up to the casket with Christian choking even more before opening said casket. A chair is pulled out but Jungle Boy knocks it away, only to get backdropped on the dirt. The Killswitch onto the chair is broken up though and Christian is sent off the stage. Jungle Boy follows with the big flip dive and it’s time for Christian to beg off. That’s just enough to get Jungle Boy to walk into a low blow and Christian sends him face first into the closed casket over and over.

With the casket opened, Christian can’t shut him inside so Jungle Boy goes after the leg, only to have Christian throw dirt in his eyes. The Killswitch onto the dirt but the Killswitch misses, allowing Jungle Boy to come back with some shovel shots. Back up and Christian’s shovel shot misses so Jungle Boy pulls him into the Snare Trap. Christian is down so Jungle Boy is able to hit the Conchairto, but he doesn’t look happy with himself. That’s finally enough for Jungle Boy to put him in the casket (and grave) for the win at 14:30.

Rating: B-. The stipulation is weird as almost everything before the ending doesn’t matter. You can’t win the match in the ring, so the drama doesn’t really crank up until you get up to the casket. They did give Jungle Boy the big win though and made him look very strong in defeat and that is what matters most. Good fight here, but Jungle Boy winning is the big deal.

We recap the Elite vs. the House of Black for the Trios Titles. The Elite are awesome but the House of Black is violent, so this will be a real test for both of them.

Trios Titles: Elite vs. House of Black

The Elite is defending and has its whole entourage here, while the House has Julia Hart. Matthews and Omega start things off with the staredown with Matthews grinding him down by the arm. With that broken up, they trade headlock takeovers to a standoff, with the fans approving. Black comes in for the big showdown with Omega, which the fans dub awesome. Omega avoids a kick but can’t grab the One Winged Angel, meaning Black gets to miss Black Mass.

They both sit down and look at each other, with the fans again being rather pleased. Matt comes in and gets to face King (as per his request), but then thinks better of it. Nick isn’t having anything to do with that though, only to come in for a double dropkick. Everything breaks down with the House being sent outside, allowing Matt to dive onto Black and Matthews. Omega hurricanranas King to the floor and then dives onto all three members.

Back in and King wrecks everyone in front of him to take over, including a running crossbody to crush Omega against the barricade. Nick rolls Matthews up for two before it’s right back to King for a running splash in the corner. Omega gets back in and cleans house, including the Kitaro Crusher for two on King. The You Can’t Escape moonsault only hits raised knees though, allowing Matthews to dropkick Omega into the corner.

The House’s triple shot in the corner is broken up though and everything breaks down again. Believe it or not, it’s the Bucks cleaning house with superkicks into a standing Sliced Bread on Matthews. Black gets nailed with Omega’s V Trigger but is right back up for the slugout. Hart grabs the boot for the distraction and it’s King choking Matt on the apron.

Omega hits another V Trigger on King and then accidentally takes out an interfering Hart with one of her own. Black Mass hits Omega for two with Nick making the save but the Bucks are sent outside. That leaves Omega down 3-1 but the Bucks make a quick save. A bunch of superkicks drop the House and there’s the BTE Trigger to Black for two with Matthews making the save. The Meltzer Driver is loaded up but Matthews knees Nick (who would have been three feet short anyway) out of the air. Dante’s Inferno gives the House the titles at 17:53.

Rating: B+. That was the only way they could have gone, as there was no way you could have the House lose again without ever actually picking up a major win. The House needed the win and while I’m sure the Elite will get the titles back eventually, they lost them when they had to. Other than that, you had a high energy match where I wasn’t sure who was going to win until the end. Pretty awesome match here, with the right ending.

Tony Schiavone replaces Jim Ross on commentary. If that’s all he’s going to do, what’s the point anymore?

Women’s Title: Saraya vs. Ruby Soho vs. Jamie Hayter

Hayter is defending and Britt Baker and Toni Storm are here too. Saraya bails to the floor to start so Soho dropkicks her off the apron to take the fight outside. All three wind up in the crowd, with Soho getting dropped throat first across the barricade. Saraya knocks Hayter back to ringside and stomps her down in the corner. Hayter fights up and sends Saraya outside, meaning it’s time for Soho to high crossbody Hayter for two.

The chinlock goes on but Saraya breaks it up, only to have have Hayter fight back up. Hayter suplexes both of them at once and gets two each as they’re getting beaten up. Soho suplexes Saraya but walks into the Hatebreaker to leave all three down. They slug it out from their knees until Saraya is knocked outside. Soho’s hurricanrana driver gets two on Hayter but Saraya is back in and hooks Soho in the Scorpion Crosslock.

Hayter breaks that up and decks Storm, only to get caught in what used to be called the Rampaige. Baker makes a save as well so Soho hits Destination Unknown for two on Hayter, with Saraya making the save. Back up and Hayter grabs a rollup on Soho and traps the arm to retain at 9:47.

Rating: C+. This worked well enough with such a three way formula, but the effort was certainly there. Hayter fighting off both challengers at once is a good way to make her feel strong, though there is still a lot more to the story to go. What matters is Hayter retains, but you can almost guarantee that she is going to lose the title in a big showdown in the near future. For now though, I’ll take a pay per view worthy title defense.

Post match Storm decks Baker and goes after Hayter, meaning the big brawl is on. Soho watches before sending Saraya and Storm outside, saying “we run this place b****”. Then Soho lays out Hayter and Baker as well. That’s a good surprise, but it might have meant a bit more before she got pinned. Then Storm hands Soho a can of spray paint to brand Baker and Hayter.

We recap Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page in a Texas Deathmatch. They have fought multiple times and hate each other, but now it is about being the only one who survives.

Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley

Texas Deathmatch, which in this case means you can only win by knockout or submission (not what the historic version of Texas Deathmatch means but I guess this is the AEW version). Moxley makes his big entrance through the crowd but Page is right there to jump him and start the fight. Page whips him into the barricade and it’s time to bust out the barbed wire (well of course).

The wire cuts Moxley open and Page stomps him down in the corner. Page wraps the wire in his boot (might have made more sense twenty seconds earlier) but gets caught in it, allowing Moxley to take him down and hammer away. A barbed wire right hand knocks Page down again and Moxley pulls him into the triangle choke. With Page trapped, Moxley stabs him in the head with some kind of stick to bust Page open as well.

What looks like a fork to the head makes Page bleed even more and Moxley wedges a chair into the corner. For once that actually works, as Page is sent face first into said wire, leaving him even more rocked. The half crab, with Page’s chest on the barbed wire chair, doesn’t last long as Moxley stomps him in the head instead. Moxley wraps some chairs around two open chairs but takes too long, allowing Page to powerbomb him onto the chairs.

With his back busted open, Page wraps barbed wire around himself and moonsaults down onto Moxley (with the wire not really coming close to making contact). Page gets knocked down so Moxley can pull out….a brick and a chain. Moxley crushes Page’s hand between two bricks and then piledrives him onto the chain. Another piledriver onto the barbed wire chair is broken up and Page hits a hard clothesline. Moxley gets fall away slammed into the wire and sent outside but he rakes Page’s back to get a break.

The barbed wire is raked over Page’s back and Moxley sends him down (and mostly over) a barbed wire board bridged over two chairs (he basically Swantoned the board). Back in and they slap it out until Page blasts him with a lariat. The Buckshot Lariat is countered into the Death Rider though and Moxley Stomps him onto the bricks. The fans sing Seth Rollins’ song (they earned that) so Moxley chokes him for nine. Back up and Hangman gets his own choke, followed by the Buckshot Lariat. Moxley gets up again so Page chokes him with the chain for the tap at 25:58.

Rating: D-. Call me stupid, tell me I don’t get it or that I’m old fashioned but I cannot stand this kind of a match. These two are capable of having such a better match (I was there in person for one of them) but instead they had to do their barbed wire fetish match and it turned into “what can we wrap it around next”. Oh or stabbing someone in the head with a fork, because that was a thing here too. This time though they mixed it up with bricks and a chain, because that’s what they needed instead. I’m sure this will have its audience and if you liked it then good, but this was absolutely not my thing in any way.

We recap Wardlow vs. Samoa Joe for the TNT Title. Joe took the title from him and also cut his hair, which had been a tribute to Wardlow’s father. Now it’s time for Wardlow’s revenge.

TNT Title: Wardlow vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is defending and Wardlow pulls him outside to start the fight. They get inside with Wardlow sending him hard into the corner and hammering away. A Whisper in the Wind drops Joe again but he’s back with a chop block to take over. The Rock Bottom out of the corner plants Wardlow and Powerhouse Hobbs (who gets the winner on Dynamite) approves from a sky box.

Joe cranks on the leg but Wardlow is right back with a spinebuster. Some choking ensues to keep Wardlow down but he makes the rope for the break. With that not working, Joe tries his own powerbomb, only to have Wardlow slip out and hit a headbutt. Wardlow grabs his own rear naked choke….and Joe is out to give Wardlow the title at 10:32.

Rating: C+. Ok they got me with that finish as I wouldn’t have bet on Wardlow using a choke to win. That being said, the match was kind of all over the place, as Wardlow continues to sell too much in his matches instead of being the machine that got him over in the first place. At the same time, they have a big Hobbs shaped problem now, as neither of them should be losing anytime soon.

Tag Team Titles: Acclaimed vs. Danhausen/Orange Cassidy vs. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal vs. The Gunns

The Gunns are defending and it’s one fall to a finish. They start slow with Cassidy’s hands in the pockets driving Jarrett and Lethal nuts as they can’t cut him off. Danhausen comes in for some better received slams before Colten takes over on him with some alternating shots. A roll under a clothesline is enough for the tag back to Cassidy but Austin hands it back to Lethal before the Orange Punch.

The Stundog Millionaire hits Lethal and it’s Caster coming in to take over. Sonjay Dutt saves Jarrett from Scissor Me Timbers so Bowens hits Dutt with it instead. Back in and the Gunns take over on Bowens, including a delayed vertical suplex, with Jarrett and Lethal taking out everyone else. The villains all strut and do their own scissoring but Bowens fights up. Caster comes back in and drops Lethal but has to escape the Stroke. The Gunns go after Jarrett and Lethal so Singh makes the save.

We get the Danhausen/Singh showdown, with Cassidy Orange Punching Singh so Danhausen can get in the low blow. Billy Gunn adds the Fameasser (I’m pretty sure they’ve done pretty much this same sequence before) to get rid of Singh and the Acclaimed cleans house. Jarrett throws in the guitar but Caster takes it away, only to have the referee take it away from him. The Golden Globe to Caster sets up the Stroke for two, leaving Jarrett panicking. Back in and Danhausen rolls up Austin for two but the 3:10 to Yuma finishes Danhausen to retain the titles at 13:10.

Rating: C+. The match was fast paced but dang they had a lot of stuff going on in there. The Gunns retaining isn’t overly surprising as putting the titles back on the Acclaimed wouldn’t have felt right and the other two teams were just there to fill in spots. Danhausen taking the fall was the right way to go as there was no reason for anyone else to get pinned. Hopefully they have something good planned for the Gunns, because they have a long climb starting in loose rocks.

Post match the Gunns brag about their wins but FTR returns and lays out the champs. How Dax Harwood’s got busted open while beating up the Gunns isn’t clear (must have taken a shot in the punch out) but I’ll take the return. I mean, it should have been a year ago but I’ll take it.

We recap MJF defending the World Title against Bryan Danielson in an Iron Man match. Danielson wants to prove he is the best in the world and MJF wants the moniker for himself. MJF made him jump through hoops to get the title shot and since Danielson did, here we go. For some reason MJF talked about how horrible his personal life has been lately, but the match was already set.

AEW World Title: Bryan Danielson vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is defending in a sixty minute Iron Man match and gets a masked orchestra to play him (in a mask as well) to the ring. We get the Big Match Intros and MJF (who is in great shape here) bails to the floor to start burning off some clock. Back in and Danielson (with a taped up shoulder) easily takes him down to tie the legs up and bridging onto his neck to crank up the pressure. MJF grabs the rope and we’re at a standoff as they have a long way to go. A hiptoss takes Danielson down but he kicks MJF off and they both miss elbows.

Headlock takeovers don’t work either so they trade armdrags into another standoff. Hold on though as MJF goes outside again and throws a drink on a fan before stopping to pose some more. MJF: “Is this going to cost me a star Dave?” Back in and Danielson does some jumping jacks before slipping out of a full nelson. Danielson starts going after the legs so MJF hides behind the referee. With that not working, Danielson backdrops him (with MJF screaming) and then does it again for a bonus.

MJF sends him into the corner though and stops for some water as we’re ten minutes in. In a clever move, MJF tells the fans to clear out and then throws Danielson the other way. Back in and Danielson manages some quick dives for a breather. MJF catches him with a lifting DDT for two though and we hit the armbar to keep Danielson down.

We’re fifteen minutes in as MJF takes him up top, only to get sunset bombed down in a huge crash. MJF avoids a charge into the corner though and goes right back after the bad arm to take over again. A powerbomb onto the knee gives MJF two and he breaks up a skin of the cat with a low superkick (into the Shawn Michaels pose).

Back in and MJF can’t quite get Salt of the Earth, so he hits something like Made In Penta for two. Danielson gets in a knockdown of his own but bangs up the shoulder again to leave them both down. They trade headlock takeovers and counters for a bunch of near falls…and then keep going even longer, with both of them looking a bit tired by the end (fair enough). They’re both up and Danielson hits the running knee for the first fall at 25:25.

Danielson – 1
MJF – 0

MJF is frustrated and hits Danielson low for the DQ at 26:32.

Danielson – 2
MJF – 0

Then MJF pins Danielson at 26:38.

Danielson – 2
MJF – 1

Then MJF pins Danielson again at 26:43.

Danielson – 2
MJF – 2

Well that was smart. MJF grabs some water but Danielson is back up to go after the knee. Danielson’s charge is cut off by a clothesline but MJF’s is as well. Danielson fires off the kicks against the barricade as we hit the halfway point. A running dropkick against the barricade rocks MJF again and Danielson starts in on the leg back inside. The Figure Four goes on and MJF screams a lot as they slap it out (what a time for a Power Slap promotion).

MJF finally turns it over for the break and they fight to the apron, where neither can hit a piledriver. Instead Danielson gets shoved off for a nasty crash and seems to have hurt his arm again. With nothing else working, MJF puts him on a table and drops a top rope elbow for the huge crash. Danielson barely beats the count back in so MJF takes him back outside….for a running Tombstone through the unbroken piece of the table. MJF’s knee is in a lot of trouble and Danielson is busted open. That’s fine with MJF, who squeezes the cut as we have 20:00 left. Back in and the Heatseeker gives MJF the pin at 40:29.

MJF – 3
Danielson – 2

MJF takes a second to favor his knee before hammering away at Danielson’s head. With Danielson down, MJF shouts that Danielson isn’t the best in the world and that he f****** sucks. We hear the names of Danielson’s kids and MJF shouts at the camera to them. Some stomps keeps Danielson in trouble before MJF tells him to give him his best shot.

A headbutt drops Danielson against the ropes but he gets fired up and hammers away. MJF gets knocked to the floor and taken out with a big dive. Back in and MJF catches him on top, only to get headbutted down for the Swan Dive. MJF is busted open as Danielson gets two and we hit the Regal Stretch to make MJF tap immediately at 49:48.

MJF – 3
Danielson – 3

Danielson tries the hold again but gets reversed into the Salt Of The Earth. That’s reversed into the LeBell Lock and MJF is in trouble. The reversal lets MJF grab the Salt Of The Earth again but Danielson won’t tap. Instead MJF ties up the arms with both lets and pulls back Danielson’s leg, sending Danielson’s free leg to the rope for the break (that was a crazy looking hold). They pull themselves up to their knees for the slugout as there is blood everywhere.

With five minutes left, they get up and slug it out hard, with Danielson smiling. A running forearm drops MJF but he’s back up with a Heatseeker for two more. Hold on though as MJF goes to get more water, prompting an H2O chant. Danielson catches him up top again with the hammer and anvil elbows, only to get reversed into a super Tombstone. The landing bangs up MJF’s knee though and the long delay lets Danielson get the single leg crab with a minute left. MJF has to bite his hand to avoid tapping and the clock runs out at 60:00, with MJF tapping at 60:01.

MJF – 3
Danielson – 3

The announcer clarifies that is a draw and MJF retains the title. Hang on though as Tony Schiavone gets a message, saying that Tony Khan is insisting on sudden death. The medical team leaves (as MJF was getting oxygen during the break) and MJF immediately shoves the referee, allowing Danielson to grab a rollup for two. MJF kicks Danielson low for two (with trunks) so it’s time for the belt.

The referee takes it away but MJF pulls out the diamond ring. The big shot misses and Danielson hits a poisonrana into the running knee for a VERY close two. Danielson gets the half crab again and the referee takes the ring away from MJF at the same time. The rope is grabbed but MJF taps just after, making Danielson think he won. MJF rolls outside and grabs the oxygen tank to knock Danielson silly. A LeBell Lock on the unconscious Danielson….who stops his arm at two drops to keep it going. Then Danielson taps at 1:07:30.

MJF – 4
Danielson – 3

Rating: A-. Oh that ending is going to get a lot of people talking, as there was a rather simple solution of having Danielson pass out in the hold. Having Danielson tap is going to get people annoyed as the hero falls, but MJF can get a lot of bragging out of that one. Now that being said, this match started slowly but got WAY better by the end, with a great mixture of playing up the limb injuries and mixing in the violence. They were playing some interesting games with each other before the finish and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. Great match, with an ending that might not go over so well.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another rather good AEW show, with the last hour plus being the best match of the night. Save for one match (which is going to get all kinds of differing takes), there wasn’t anything bad on the show and it was full of the hard work you would expect around here. With this out of the way, AEW can hopefully reset things a bit and find their groove again, but for now, they are starting with a heck of a pay per view as they add to their collection of awesome special events.

Results
Mark Briscoe/Lucha Bros b. Varsity Athletes/Ari Daivari – Froggy Bow to Daivari
Ricky Starks b. Chris Jericho – Roshambo
Jungle Boy b. Christian Cage – Jungle Boy put Cage in the casket
House of Black b. Elite – Dante’s Inferno to Nick
Jamie Hayter b. Ruby Soho and Saraya – Rollup to Soho
Hangman Page b. Jon Moxley – Choke with a chain
Wardlow b. Samoa Joe – Rear naked choke
The Gunns b. Danhausen/Orange Cassidy, The Acclaimed and Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett – 3:10 to Yuma to Danhausen
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Bryan Danielson 4-3

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.

Cyanide
Date: December 11, 2010
Location: America Legion Post #308, Reseda, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Brandon Bonham, Chris Hero, Kevin Steen, Rick Knox, Joey Ryan, Chuck Taylor

It’s back to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla with what they call “A Loving Tribute To Poison”. If there is one thing that PWG knows how to do, it is come up with some wacky names and they have done it again here. I have no idea what to expect here, which is pretty much the norm for anything from this company. Let’s get to it.

Peter Avalon vs. Willie Mack

This is Mack’s PWG debut and the fans already seem to know him. Commentary discusses weight as Mack shoulders him down hard to start. Mack flips over him and then hits one heck of a flying tackle to rock Avalon again. They head outside with Mack firing off some chops but turns to play to the fans instead.

That’s enough for Avalon to knock him into the chairs and take over for the first time. Back in and we hit the chinlock as we talk about the commentator’s theme music. Mack fights up and swings him into a sitout powerbomb for two. Avalon fights up and tries a side kick, only to get pulled into a cutter for two more.

A Miz running corner clothesline crushes Avalon and a standing moonsault press gives Mack another near fall. Avalon manages to get to the apron for a springboard crossbody and some double knees to the back give Avalon two of his own. Mack gets caught with a Backstabber in the corner but lands on Avalon to delay the cover. Another crossbody is pulled out of the air, setting up one heck of a sitout powerbomb to give Mack the pin at 8:46.

Rating: C+. Nice opener here as Mack had the fans behind him the whole way and then he backed it up with a fast paced match. Avalon got in a bit of offense before getting crushed by Mack, which is what the fans wanted to see. Mack’s charisma is more than enough to carry him and the fans were eating him up here.

Roderick Strong vs. Chuck Taylor

Feeling out process to start, with Taylor being taken into the corner and DEMANDING the five count from the referee. Strong teases the chops so Taylor bails to the floor, where a fan gives him a jacket to protect his chest. Back in and Strong knocks him outside without much effort. The chops rock Taylor, who loses the jacket and then gets suplexed for two back inside. Some shoulders to the ribs slow Strong down for a change and we hit the headscissors on the mat.

Strong breaks that up and slowly stalks Taylor like he’s a dangerous striker and Taylor is a coward. Something like a seated abdominal stretch lets Strong slap away at Taylor’s chest as the beating continues. Back up and Taylor hits a dropkick as commentary talks about Claudio Castagnoli. Taylor puts on an Indian deathlock and poses, allowing Strong to slip out and chop away again.

There’s a backbreaker (from Strong, believe it or not) and the camel clutch sleeper goes on. Commentary: “Obscure Pat Tanaka reference.” Strong is back up and kicks Taylor in the face as commentary talks about…I have no idea but it seems to be some TV show. They go to the apron to slug it out as commentary talks about the Tuskegee Airmen (if I have to hear their nonsense, so do you) until Taylor sends him down onto some chairs.

The big running flip dive takes Strong down again as we get Ice Cube references (and Taylor gets a rub on the head from the referee). Back in and Taylor grabs a half crab but Strong fights up and knees him in the face. A powerbomb gives Strong two and some knees to the chest put Taylor down again. They forearm it out until Strong grabs a belly to back into a Side Effect.

Another backbreaker gives Strong another two and the Strong Hold goes on. Taylor reverses into a rollup for two and grabs a Rock Bottom of all things for a breather. The threat of an Awful Waffle is enough to make Strong realize that an Awful Waffle is coming, allowing him to hit an Ug-Lee backbreaker for two. Taylor’s Soul Food is shrugged off and Strong hits a low superkick. The Gibson Driver gives Strong the pin at 14:30.

Rating: B-. Taylor still isn’t my thing most of the time but he was working hard here, as was Strong. Over the years, Strong has been one of the more dependable in-ring workers you’ll find and that was on display in this one. Strong kept surviving whatever Taylor threw at him before finishing with a big shot. Good match here, with another of those random pairings that lets talented people showcase themselves.

RockNES Monsters vs. Cutler Brothers

The (debuting as a team) Monsters are Johnny Goodtime and Johnny Yuma while the cutlers are Brandon and Dustin. The fans are behind Yuma, despite the Cutlers wearing Santa hats. Kevin Owens on commentary: “Where do babies come from? I have one and I don’t know how it came.” Goodtime dropkicks Dustin as commentary talks about Randy Savage Slim Jim commercials.

Yuma comes in to face Brandon, who dropkicks him down a few times without much trouble. It’s back to Goodtime to take Brandon down for a slingshot legdrop as commentary goes on a rant about pirated DVDs. Some kicks to the head and a, ahem, hip attack has Brandon in more trouble but he easily sends Goodtime into the wrong corner. Goodtime sends the Cutlers into each other in the corner though and stomps on Dustin’s back, giving us an NES Track And Field reference.

Dustin isn’t having that (must be a Sega Master System fan) and plants Yuma with a spinebuster to take over again. Some candy cane fishhooking has Yuma in more trouble (ok that was unique) and Brandon hits a good side slam for two. Yuma fights his way out of trouble and climbs onto Goodtime’s back for some running clotheslines. Goodtime crossbodies both Cutlers but a low blow takes him down just as fast.

Brandon gets caught in the corner though and Goodtime hits a top rope double stomp to the back of Brandon’s head, followed by the running flip dive to Dustin. Back in and Yuma gets caught with a Downward Spiral to send him to the floor. The big running flip dive takes both Johnny’s down, prompting Excalibur to bring up a song called “Johnny Are You Qu***?”

Back in and a Death Valley Driver hits Goodtime for two as Excalibur says that Goodtime is “on qu*** street”, an expression he then explains in detail. A wheelbarrow into a Codebreaker gets two on Goodtime with Yuma making the save. Back up and Goodtime Death Valley Drivers Yuma onto Dustin for two as we talk about Joey Ryan’s True Blood inspired Halloween costumes. Brandon gets draped over the top rope but Dustin makes the save. The yet to be named Meltzer Driver finishes Yuma at 13:39.

Rating: B-. Good action here as both teams were in the small, fast paced offense mold. That made for an exciting match that got the fans into things quickly. Both teams were better in the ring than I would have expected and I’m curious why neither of them made much of a bigger impact either in PWG or elsewhere. Granted a lot of that might have been due to the Young Bucks dominating that spot, but these guys were good in their own right.

Joey Ryan vs. Brandon Gatson

Before the match, Ryan says lights, camera, action and tells the people to take their pictures of the winner of the Battle Of Los Angeles. He’s also a former World Champion and formerly known as the technical wizard. Now Claudio Castagnoli likes to call himself one of the Kings of Wrestling, but Ryan believes he is just as good as Castagnoli. As for tonight, Ryan wouldn’t want to be in Gatson’s shoes.

Gatson slugs away to start and gets two off an STO. A Russian legsweep sets up a middle rope elbow for two but Ryan is back with a t-bone suplex. Commentary topic of the moment: the Reagan administration and how it defined the 80s and Jerry Brown’s failed Presidential bid. Back up and Gatson knocks him down, only to get pulled off the top with a flying armbar. The regular armbar goes on to keep Gatson frustrated, followed by a dropkick for two.

Another armbar keeps Gatson down but he fights up and hits a one armed Stunner for a breather. Gatson tries to go to the apron but Ryan hits a clothesline to turn him inside out….with Gatson landing on his feet outside. Ok that wasn’t bad. The beating takes Ryan around the ring but Gatson misses a dive. It’s only a bit more of a miss than the superkick that Ryan follows up with to take over, but it was still a miss.

Ryan is right back on the arm, including a Kimura with a bodyscissors back inside. The rope is grabbed for the break and they grade rollups for two each. Ryan hits a superkick for two but gets knocked into the chairs on the floor. A Cactus Jack Bang Bang Elbow (minus the Bang Bang) hits Ryan hard and they’re both down. Back in and Gatson hits a 450 for two but Ryan pulls him into the Kimura for the tap at 17:13.

Rating: B. It’s weird seeing Ryan playing something straight and having a hard hitting match at the same time. This was a back and forth match with the arm being the focal point throughout. Gatson is someone who seems like he could have gone somewhere further, though he never seemed to get out of California. Maybe that’s what he wanted, but the potential was there, as it was on display in the best match of the show so far.

Post match Ryan dubs himself the Hollywood Submission Machine. He’s coming for the World Title and he’ll make anyone tap out.

Young Bucks vs. Fightin Taylor Boys

That would be Brian Cage-Taylor and Ryan Taylor (who had a brief NXT run as Tyler Rust). The weird thing here is that Brian is looking completely human here, a minimum of 75lbs lighter than his better known look. The Bucks handle their own entrance and we pause for a quick strut on the apron. Ryan and Matt start things off with a feeling out process as commentary talks about a rude sound guy before the show.

Matt snaps off an armdrag and we get the double double biceps pose. Cage comes in and cleans house, including helping Ryan kick Nick down. Nick’s leg gets caught in the ropes, leaving Brian to hit a rather delayed suplex on Matt. A running knee hits Matt for two as commentary wonders about fans watching shows out of order, leaving them to make up inaccurate results from earlier in the show. Ok fair point: who would watch a DVD out of order?

Back up and Matt takes over on Ryan’s arm, allowing Nick to come off the top (grabbing a light on the way down) and landing on said arm. We get some strutting, giving commentary a chance to ask if anyone knows who Jackie Fargo is these days. Matt drops a middle rope elbow to the back as the fans are slit on who to cheer for here. Nick gets in a big rake to the back, setting up a gutbuster/running flip neckbreaker for two.

Commentary is talking about My Chemical Romance and the Umbrella Academy comic book series as Matt grabs a chinlock. Ryan fights up and chops both Bucks before kneeing Matt in the face. A front flip over allows the tag off to Brian so house can be cleaned in a hurry. Everything breaks down and Matt’s dive only hits chairs at ringside (OUCH). Brian puts the Bucks on his shoulders so Ryan can hit a Doomsday dive onto both of them at once.

Back in and the Bucks clean house again, including a bunch of kicks to the face. Brian isn’t having that and runs them over, setting up a flipping faceplant for two on Matt. That’s too much selling for Matt, who is back up to take both Taylors down again. A double hanging DDT drops Brian for one as he….Brians up.

Nick gets clotheslined to the floor but Brian is as well, only to have Ryan blast Matt with a running clothesline. Matt is right back up with a superkick but More Bang For Your Buck is countered with a crucifix bomb. A Go To Sleep/discus elbow combination gets two on Nick, leaving Ryan to miss a Swanton. Brian is knocked outside again and More Bang For Your Buck finishes Ryan at 14:57.

Rating: B. Another fast paced match with both teams doing a bunch of wacky stuff until the Bucks survived at the end. It was a fun match to watch, assuming you ignore the Bucks no selling just about everything and making it clear that they were fine throughout. Brian and Ryan worked well together as a team, though once Brian….uh….inflated himself, there was no way to keep him in a team, even a nice one like this.

Kevin Steen vs. Akira Tozawa

We’re joined with Tozawa hitting a suicide dive on Steen and the opening bell. They slug it out on the floor with Tozawa getting the better of things. Tozawa grabs a Christmas present to hit Steen in the head as Chuck Taylor on commentary wonders if the Japanese celebrate Christmas (they do, with Kentucky Fried Chicken for some reason). Steen hits Tozawa in the head with a present, which explodes for some reason (leaving Excalibur in stitches).

They get inside for the first time with Tozawa grabbing a chinlock to slow things down for a change. As commentary talks about the band Poison, Tozawa strikes away in the corner to keep Steen in trouble. The slam just isn’t going to happen though and even Steen gets a chuckle off that one. Steen falls on top of him for two and even manages a pushup! A missed charge sends Steen to the floor but he pulls the suicide dive out of the air for the apron bomb.

Back in and Tozawa Stunners his way out of trouble but Steen kicks him down without much trouble. Hold on though as Steen has to run outside and yell at a fan in an El Generico mask. Back in and Tozawa’s comeback doesn’t last long as Steen DDTs him into the corner, setting up the Cannonball. Steen charges into some boots in the corner and Tozawa manages to slam him, sending everyone, including the referee, down.

Back up and a running boot in the corner gives Tozawa two, followed by a running knee for the same. Steen is right back with a brainbuster onto the knee for two (and a middle finger to the El Generico fan). Another Cannonball connects but Tozawa pops up this time and kicks Steen in the face three times in a row. A backdrop driver rocks Steen again and they fight to the apron.

Tozawa pump kicks him again and a German suplex on the apron knocks Steen silly. A running knee and kick to the face give Tozawa two but Steen knocks him off the top. Steen misses the Swanton and gets dropped HARD with a German suplex. Back up and Steen is fine enough to come right back with the package piledriver for a very close two. That’s enough for Steen, who grabs a sleeper suplex and a pair of package piledrivers to finish Tozawa at 19:18.

Rating: B-. Tozawa is someone who had a lot more success outside of WWE, mainly because he was just a wrestler here instead of someone doing whatever wacky comedy stuff WWE offered him. Steen was already a big deal at this point and you could see that little something different about him that stood out. They had a good, long match here and Steen felt like a star, as always.

Post match Steen gets the mic and helps Tozawa to his feet and actually shows respect for once. Excalibur doesn’t think Tozawa knows what Steen said. The fans approve of Tozawa as well.

Peligro Abejas vs. Kings Of Wrestling

Abejas’ (El Generico/Paul London) Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Hold on though as Chris Hero thinks we should make this a Tag Team Title match in the name of the Christmas spirit. London agrees, with the caveat of a future World Title shot against Claudio Castagnoli if they retain. Castagnoli is in so let’s go.

Tag Team Titles: Peligro Abejas vs. Kings Of Wrestling

Abejas is defending. Hero shakes hands with Generico to start despite London starting for the team. London gets taken down by the leg and they fight over the front facelock. That goes nowhere so Hero rolls over to the corner for the tag off to Castagnoli. As we talk about London wanting to start an orphanage on Mars, Castagnoli sends London into the corner for the tag off to Generico.

With Generico being powered into the corner, it’s back to Hero to work on the wristlock again. The Kings clean house with running shots to the face, leaving Castagnoli to work on an armbar. London hurricanranas his way out of trouble though and it’s off to Generico for a dropkick. Castagnoli isn’t having that though and clotheslines him down for two. Hero grabs a stretch plumb until London breaks things up.

The Blue Thunder Bomb puts Hero down as well though and it’s a diving tag to London. There’s a flapjack for two on Hero and the dropsault gets the same. Everything breaks down and Generico Arabian moonsaults onto Castagnoli on the floor, leaving Hero to discus forearm London for two more. Castagnoli Swings London into a dropkick from Hero for another near fall but London slips through the legs and hands it back to Generico.

That doesn’t work for Castagnoli, who boots Generico off the apron as soon as the tag is made. Generico is back up with a pair of Helluva Kicks but the brainbuster is countered with an uppercut. London dives onto Hero outside, leaving Generico to reverse the Riccola Bomb into a Code Red for a very close two. Castagnoli pulls a diving Generico out of the air and hands it back to Hero for the shot to the head. Everything breaks down again and Generico rolls Hero up for the fast pin to retain at 15:21.

Rating: B. It was a fast paced match and on the level of the other tag matches on the show, making this a good main event. The talent was certainly there and it is always awesome to get to see the Kings, who were one of the better teams of their era. Generico and London more than held up their end, as Generico is still so easy to cheer. Good main event here, but not the best tag match on the show.

Post match Castagnoli holds up the World Title and looks at Generico, suggesting that he’s getting the title shot. With the Kings gone, London praises them but stops for the Danger Bees (Peligro Abejas) chant. London speaks some Spanish to Generico and talks about how much of a drug the fans’ cheers can be. Generico says it isn’t necessary and London says this place is a family. Now, they’re off for tamales.

In the back, London and Generico refer to themselves as tricks but they don’t pull rabbits out of hats. London talks about how they melded together, while referring to himself as a space orphan. Then you have Generico, who comes from everything that is fun, happy and sensational. Their team is for real as Generico says he is part Aztec and part Mayan (with the accent sleeping fast).

London: “It doesn’t matter, because if I cut him open with a stone dagger, he would bleed. And it would be blue, because it turns red when the air hits it.” Next year, they’re starting their pollination and will have so many kids they can’t keep track of them all. London: “We’re kind of going to be deadbeats.” They went into the Kings’ nostrils and carved up their brains but found nothing there! Generico is just done with all of these jokes and closes it out after cracking up for the fourth or fifth time. London is uh….something.

Chris Hero talks about how he didn’t win gold again this year, at least around here. He and Claudio Castagnoli won the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles and took them around the world. On the other hand, Castagnoli is the World Champion and that puts Hero in a weird place. That World Title is what matters the most to Castagnoli so you might not see the Kings team together very often. They’re best friends, but Castagnoli has something that Hero wants. Hero is coming to get the World Title back so see you later.

Joey Ryan (in a Turbo Man Jingle All The Way shirt) talks about he can make anyone, including Claudio Castagnoli tap out.

Chuck Taylor yells at the Fightin Taylor Boys for losing, though they point out that he lost too. Papa Taylor calls Chuck but hangs up instead of talking to Brian. Taylor bickering, and then a three way high five, ends the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This was the kind of PWG show where yeah, I get the hype. There was so much talent on this show, many of whom would go on to become AEW/WWE champions that it was almost impossible to not have an awesome show. There isn’t a bad match on the show and it was one fast paced match after another.

PWG would get more polished with even more top names in the future, but this was one of the better shows I’ve seen from them and I’m getting less and less surprised at the quality each time. Just please get better commentary, as Excalibur was HORRIBLE here with one unfunny/offensive reference after another. Other than that, great show.

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It’s Revolution and things are not exactly feeling hot coming into the show. The main event is a sixty minute Iron Man match with Bryan Danielson challenging MJF for the World Title, which means there won’t be as much time for the usual deep card this time. Other than that, we have Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley in a Texas Death Match and Christian Cage vs. Jungle Boy in what seems to be a Buried Alive match. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Mark Briscoe/Lucha Bros vs. Ari Daivari/Varsity Athletes

The Mark Briscoe vs. Mark Sterling and company feud continues for reasons I don’t think I follow. Briscoe also has some new friends in the Lucha Bros and that means we could be in for a new trio. The division could certainly use them, but for now they have to get rid of something like this, as AEW is giving them a nice spot to get their feet wet as a three man team.

Of course I’ll take Briscoe and the Bros here, as there is no reason to suggest that Daivari and company will ever be winning anything important. If nothing else, it is nice to see Briscoe getting to do something, as that mention of Jay he made on Rampage was one of the sadder things I’ve heard in wrestling in forever. The obvious choice here is obvious though, and hopefully Briscoe gets to move on from the Sterling feud.

Tag Team Titles: Gunns(c) vs. Acclaimed vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett vs. Orange Cassidy/Danhausen

For the life of me I still don’t get why the Acclaimed lost the titles in the first place, but they are already feeling nothing like they were just a month ago. This is another match where there are going to be a lot of people doing as much as they can, probably at the same time. That is not going to make it an easy match to keep track of, but that might be part of the plan.

I’ll take the Gunns to retain here, but I’m really curious to see what AEW has planned for them next. The tag team division has taken a hit in recent months (right around the time of the rise of the Trios Titles) and it could use a good match here. That is only going to get so far with four teams in there at once, but the champs win here, leaving the Acclaimed to continue their rapid fall down the mountain.

TNT Title: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Wardlow

This is a feud that has been going on for a good while now and has reached the point where Wardlow needs the win. Joe has not only beaten him but also taken away part of his hair. That should be grounds for Wardlow winning and winning big, but there is always the chance that things are not going to follow the strongest logic. On top of that, we already have Powerhouse Hobbs waiting on the winner, putting us….right back where we were months ago.

Anyway, I’ll take Wardlow to win here, as he almost needs to at this point. Wardlow has been beaten at almost every point so far and that means he has to pull this one off. Joe is someone who can be reheated almost immediately, even after he takes a long form Powerbomb Symphony. Let Wardlow win here, as he needs to get back on track after quite the derailment.

Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page

This is a Texas Deathmatch as we hopefully wrap up a feud that felt like it should have wrapped up with their Los Angeles match. Instead, we are getting a match where these two can beat the fire out of each other, which does fit with what they have done to get here. Now that being said, these two can have one heck of a fight, and if they do that here, then we should be in for a pay per view quality brawl.

Page needs to win here and we’ll go with that, as Moxley can absorb a loss like almost no one else around AEW. This is going to be about the two of them beating each other over and over until one can’t get up, which is a good way to make a star. Page could use a big win here and surviving everything Moxley can throw at him can help him. Moxley winning wouldn’t surprise me, but Page going over makes more sense.

Women’s Title: Jamie Hayter(c) vs. Saraya vs. Ruby Soho

The three sided feud continues, with the originals vs. the newcomers vs. Soho. This feud has dominated the women’s division over the last few weeks and Soho has established herself as a weird third wing. That is where we are with the title match, as all three branches are fighting over the championship. It could change the way the feud goes, and that should tell you where things are going.

As much as I would think Hayter retaining the title would make sense or giving Soho the win be some fresh blood in the title scene, I’m thinking Saraya leaves as champion. It is the kind of story that would keep the feud going the longest while also attempting to get something else out of Saraya. Hayter should retain the title, but my gut says Saraya gets it here in what will be treated as a big deal.

Ricky Starks vs. Chris Jericho

I’m still not sure what to think about this feud. While Starks has gotten one of the biggest wins of his career and may have outsmarted Jericho to keep the Jericho Appreciation Society away, the entire feud has been built on a horrible premise. Starks has already beaten Jericho, who has then put up every roadblock he can find to avoid facing Starks again. It doesn’t make the most sense, yet here we are anyway.

I keep having to shake the feeling that Jericho will get the win here to somehow try and stretch this story out for one more match. Ignoring that though, I’ll assume that AEW doesn’t go insane and Starks just wins here. Starks needs to get away from Jericho and if he wins again here, he can do that with his next big win here. I would say I’m not sure what is next for Jericho, but it is probably going to be going after the next young and popular stars.

Christian Cage vs. Jungle Boy

And now, Buried Alive. Or the Final Burial, but based on what they’re saying, it sounds a lot like Buried Alive. The idea is that Cage has insulted Jungle Boy’s deceased father once too often, but their first “match” was Cage hitting the Killswitch on a beaten up Jungle Boy and then going away for six months. That seems like quite the leap to this level of a match, but why go sane when you can go nuts?

There is no reason for Jungle Boy to lose here so we’ll go with that, as he finally gets to show his aggression and beat Cage. I’m not sure what that means for Cage after this as a Buried Alive match kind of gets rid of you for awhile, but maybe they have some kind of out. For now though, I’m still trying to get my head around the stipulation, which feels like something created by a random number generator. Or a nine year old who thinks it sounds cool.

Trios Titles: Elite(c) vs. House Of Black

This one has me worried, as there is one way this match should go and quite a bit of reason for making me think it will not go that way. The Trios Titles seem to be made to give the Elite something to do and at the moment, there isn’t much of a division to fight over them. The House Of Black are the most viable challengers, but if the Elite wins, who are they supposed to fight anytime soon?

I’ll go with the logical hope and say the House Of Black wins here, but the Elite squeaking out a win wouldn’t surprise me either. The House Of Black has always felt like they should be this unstoppable force but at some point they need to actually win something to validate their hype. Starting with these titles would be a smart move. This should be a layup, but the Trios Titles have been weird so far to say the least.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman(c) vs. Bryan Danielson

This is a sixty minute Iron Man match and probably the reason for a bunch of multiman matches earlier in the show. The idea here is that Danielson can out wrestle Friedman any day and then….something about Friedman’s personal life falling apart and he’ll do anything to win and then he might have framed his ex-girlfriend for a car wreck. In other words, this whole story has been weird as they seem to have booked the match and then tried to put the rest of the story together, which is rarely a good sign.

I’ll go with Friedman retaining, either via a draw or just barely escaping with the last fall. This feud has been uneven to say the least but it is almost impossible to fathom Friedman losing the title so soon after he won it. Danielson also has seemingly gone on a quest to put over as many people as he can and he will probably be doing that again here, albeit with some shenanigans.

Overall Thoughts

Here’s the thing about AEW: the TV builds to pay per views can be all over the place (this one has been particularly weak) but they have such a sterling reputation on pay per view that I fully expect this show to work. The action will be good and people will be working hard, which will make for another very good show. That’s kind of what AEW does, and I’m looking forward to the show, not so great hype aside.

Brass City Brawl
Date: October 1, 2010
Location: Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut
Attendance: 850
Commentator: Jerry Strauss

This is from Northeast Wrestling and I think that’s the name of the show, though I’ve also seen this called the 15th Anniversary Tour. Northeast Wrestling has been around for a good while and I haven’t seen them do anything terrible yet. It would be nice to see them keep that streak up, but you never can tell with promotions like this. Let’s get to it.

The unnamed host runs down the card and we might be in for a good one here.

Jake Manning vs. Cedric Alexander

Manning is the Manscout (as in an adult Boy Scout), down to the uniform and reading from his manual. Commentary calls him creepy and…yeah I can go with that. The bell rings but hang on as Manning needs another look at his book. Manning shoulders him down to start and throws in a monkey flip for a bonus. Alexander reverses into an armdrag and it’s a standoff with a handshake.

Believe it or not, Manning suckers him in before avoiding a dropkick. With Alexander outside, Manning follows him to the floor, only to have Alexander run back inside for a flip dive. Commentary: “No hands for the rookie!” That’s one of the things I love about watching shows like this: seeing future names getting their start. Back in and Manning snaps off a neckbreaker, followed by a Big Boss Man slide under the ropes right hand.

Alexander can’t quite fight out of a chinlock so it’s a rather delayed vertical suplex for two. The basic offense continues with a second chinlock until Alexander fights up with a gordbuster of all things. A backsplash gives Alexander two but Manning’s backbreaker/Downward Spiral combination gets the same. Alexander kicks him in the head though and a split legged moonsault finishes Manning at 9:58.

Rating: C. Perfectly acceptable match to start things off here as you have the plucky rookie Alexander beating someone who seems more than a bit despicable. That’s a good way to open the show, as the fans get something to cheer about while seemingly not beating a huge star. You could see the potential in Alexander and it is no shock that he made it to WWE.

Here are Brian Anthony and Bull Dread for a chat before their tag match. Anthony isn’t happy with local police officer Mike Tripp arresting him last year so tonight it’s time for a beating. Sure Tripp has found a friend in Northeast Wrestling Heavyweight Champion Matt Taven, but the title is coming where it belongs. Cue the rather smiling/dancing Kurt Adonis, who has a bad history with Anthony. The villains don’t know why Adonis is here but they insist that it is NOT about him. We pause for a ONE MORE MATCH chant before Adonis teases a right hand to Anthony.

Instead they hug, with the fans not being pleased about the development. Adonis says the fans don’t deserve one more match and talks about how badly he has been treated for the last ten years. He doesn’t want Anthony to suffer the same fate so now they’re on the same side. The fans are all over Adonis as he promises to help make Anthony Northeast Champion. Nice heel turn here and the fans were livid.

Joey Bricco vs. Eddy Latham

Bricco seems to be the local favorite. Latham poses to start before getting dropkicked out to the floor. An attempted dive is cut off by a forearm to the face to give Latham two, earning some jeering from the fans. Some clotheslines give Latham two and a monkey flip sends Bricco flying. The charge in the corner misses though and Bricco scores with a slingshot DDT. Cue a big guy named Ron Zombie to jump Bricco for the DQ at 2:40.

Zombie beats up Latham as well and Bricco gets chokeslammed onto the chair. After the destruction, Zombie apologizes to everyone for not being around as much lately. Tonight, it is time to reintroduce himself against Tommy Dreamer. To prove how extreme he can be, he needs to take Dreamer out.

Vin The Chin/Ryan McBride vs. Caleb Konley/Chris Battle

Konley has bounced around the wrestling world for years. Vin and Battle start things off with Battle hitting some hard forearms. Vin is right back with a pair of atomic drops before handing it off to the rather slim McBride. Konley comes in and gets armdragged into a dropkick as the villains (I believe) are in trouble early. They prove their villainy with a cheap shot from Battle and Konley gets two off a neckbreaker. A butterfly suplex gives Battle two but Vin gets back over to McBride. House is quickly cleaned and a 450 finishes Konley at 4:47.

Rating: C. Well that was abrupt. It was an energetic match between four young guys but there isn’t much you can do in less than five minutes. McBride felt like someone the fans were into and….well there’s only so much you can do when your name is Vin The Chin. Not enough time to do much, but they didn’t do anything bad and got a bit of ring time, which is the point of a show like this.

Carlito vs. Robbie E.

Robbie E. is also know as Mr./Robert Stone from NXT and has Cookie with him. This is Carlito’s Northeast debut so he is treated as quite the big deal. Commentary: “He’s the coolest man in entertainment since the Fonz.” No, no he isn’t. Stop lying. Hold on though as Carlito has something to say. He thinks the fans appreciating him is cool and we’re ready to go.

Robbie takes him into the corner to start and pumps his fist, earning a shot to the floor. After yelling at some fans, Robbie gets back inside so Carlito can shoulder him right back to the floor. Back in again and we get the required hair messing, with Robbie bailing to the floor for a third time. Hold on though as Carlito needs to wash his hands after putting them in….whatever is in Robbie’s hair. Carlito throws him back inside for some rams into the buckles before grabbing the apple.

Cookie gets on the apron to protest and yeah the apple hits her in the face, as expected. That’s FINALLY enough for Robbie to get in a few shots and take over for the first time. A comeback attempt is cut off with Carlito’s head being slammed into the mat, followed by the chinlock (as the crowd noise goes way down all of a sudden. Carlito is back up with a springboard elbow to the face but Robbie neckbreakers him. That’s fine with Carlito, who is back with the backstabber for the pin at 8:28.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of a big name vs. local star match you would want, though Robbie was becoming a bigger deal in TNA at the time. That being said, they understood what they had here with Carlito and it makes sense to present him as a big deal. Nice match here and it felt like something that would have been a lot of fun for the live fans getting to see a former WWE star.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Ron Zombie

Hardcore match but they respect each other. Hold on though as, believe it or not, Dreamer has something to say before we can get going. Dreamer talks about wrestling in this town at a Toyota dealership once a month when he was young. There was one fan who kept telling Dreamer he hated him and yes, it was Zombie. Then ECW came along and Zombie was a fan there too.

Dreamer finally convinced him to follow his dream and become a wrestler and he couldn’t be happier. We get going with Dreamer shouldering him down before Zombie does the same. After Dreamer seems to approve, they both miss punches and that’s a standoff. The fans want tables and since these two have no control over themselves, it’s time to throw in…well pretty much everything but tables. What a bunch of heels.

Zombie grabs a kendo stick but Dreamer chairs him down to take it outside. Dreamer grabs a drink from a fan and spits it into Zombie’s face before grabbing a bunch of cans of Pepsi. One spit goes into Zombie’s face and Dreamer gives the rest of the cans to some kids (fair enough). Dreamer puts the ring bell between Zombie’s legs and hits it with the timekeeper’s hammer before firing off some right hands in the corner.

Dreamer’s charge hits the post and Zombie uses the chair to take over on the arm. A fan’s title belt to the face drops Dreamer again and Zombie goes Raven with the drop toehold into the open chair. Back up and Dreamer catches him on top with a kendo stick, meaning it’s off to the Tree of Woe.

Dreamer’s running dropkick sends the chair into Zombie’s face and NOW it’s table time. Zombie kicks said table into Dreamer’s face and puts it up in the corner. That takes too long too though and it’s a Death Valley Driver to send Zombie through the table. The DDT onto a chair is loaded up but Zombie reverses into an STO (judo leg trip according to commentary) onto the chair finishes Dreamer at 11:13.

Rating: C. I’m not a big hardcore guy, but after having to sit through various death match nonsense, it’s nice to see this much more, for lack of a better term, family friendly style of hardcore. Hitting each other in the back with chairs, a table spot and spitting drinks isn’t some cringe inducing garbage and the fans liked it, so this could have been much worse. Dreamer not going over is even a bit more shocking, as he was nine days away from pinning AJ Styles at Bound For Glory, because that’s a thing that happened.

Post match Dreamer grabs the mic and talks about Zombie living around here for over thirty years. Dreamer says Zombie earned his respect and he leaves Zombie in the ring to pose.

Matt Taven/Mike Tripp vs. Brian Anthony/Bull Dread

Anthony and Dread have Kurt Adonis in their corner. Tripp is in his regular police uniform and comes out to the Cops theme because…well what else was it going to be? Hold on though as Taven has someone to even things out a bit: George The Animal Steele! Apparently Steele was at the meet and greet before the show, which does cover the question of why Steele would happen to be available to counter a heel turn from an hour ago.

After we pause for Taven to throw his shirt to the crowd, Taven and Dread start things off. A leg lariat staggers the large Dread and some dropkicks put him on the apron. Anthony comes in and says he wants the cop. Tripp comes in and grabs a headlock, which sends Anthony bailing into the corner. A shoulder drops Anthony and some hiptosses make it worse. Dread tries to come in and gets leg lariated by Taven as the good guys clear the ring.

Steele even gets in a chair shot to Dread, setting up Taven’s Flight of the Conqueror for the big knockdown. Back in and Adonis trips Taven, allowing Dread to run him over. Anthony comes in and pounds Taven to the floor before hammering away back inside. Taven tries to dive over to Tripp but it’s far too early for something like that.

A missed clothesline lets Taven grab a small package for two but Anthony busts up his spine. Anthony drops a top rope elbow for two but Taven wins a slugout and kicks him down. The hot tag brings in Tripp for the clothesline comeback as everything breaks down. Taven moonsaults onto Dread but takes out Steele as well, which can’t be good. Steele is fine enough to chair Adonis, leaving Tripp to spear Anthony for the pin at 14:22.

Rating: B-. The thing to keep in mind is that this was a glorified handicap match with Tripp’s best offense involving sticking his arm out so the other two could bounce off of him. That isn’t a bad thing as it was built around a local interest story, with Tripp getting the pin to wrap it up. Completely decent match here as they protected Tripp well, allowing Taven to do the majority of the work.

Mickie James vs. Mia Yim

Yim is still new around here but it is James’ debut for the promotion. A fan high fives Mickie on her way to the ring and seems to hold onto her for a good while, leaving Mickie looking a bit annoyed. They fight over a lockup to start with Yim cranking on a wristlock. A headlock takeover keeps Yim in rather early control but Mickie flips over into a Last Chancery.

Back up and Mickie works on a wristlock of her own before kicking Yim in the face. Yim sends her into the corner though and chokes away while looking rather cocky. Mickie doesn’t approve and hits a basement dropkick to send Yim outside. Back in and Mickie goes up but gets kicked in the head to put her right back down.

Yim chokes a bit and stops for a jumping jack celebration (as you do) before grabbing a dragon sleeper. That’s broken up as well and they slug it out from their knees, with Mickie getting the better of things. A hurricanrana out of the corner drops Yim and the top rope Thesz press gets two. Yim is fine enough to snap off a spinning kick to the head for two but Mickie has had it with her. The MickieDT finishes Yim off at 12:04.

Rating: C+. Yim wasn’t a star yet but you could absolutely see the ability waiting to break out. She had that certain it factor to her and the talent was there to back it up. Then you have James, who was already established as one of the best of all time. This was a good part of the show and James being around felt like a special bonus for the fans.

As Mickie leaves, she seems to sidestep the weird fan from her entrance. It’s a shame that something like that had to happen.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Daniel Bryan

Bryan’s WWE US Title isn’t on the line. Bryan had already returned to WWE but was fulfilling his independent commitments. Feeling out process to start with Benjamin working on a headlock and then running Bryan over. A running dropkick sends Benjamin into the corner and the fans are right there with a BEST IN THE WORLD chant. Benjamin is back with a headlock on the mat until Bryan slips out for an armbar.

The threat of some kicks send Benjamin bailing to the floor as a fan has some advice for how Bryan should deal with Benjamin: “PRETEND HE’S MICHAEL COLE”. Ok that was clever. Back in and Benjamin takes him down with a test of strength but can’t break Bryan’s bridge. Benjamin is right back up as well and Bryan applauds him during the standoff. What might have been a cheap shot staggers Bryan and Benjamin whips him hard into the corner to take over. We hit the chinlock but Bryan fights up and heads to the top.

That takes too long though, allowing Benjamin to run the corner and kick him in the face for a great visual. Back in and Benjamin grabs a suplex, only to get kicked down hard to get us back to even. Bryan is back with the kicks in the corner before a crucifix gets two. Benjamin isn’t having that and BLASTS him with the Dragon Whip (an always cool move) for two of his own. Some more kicks stagger Benjamin though and Bryan’s missile dropkick gets another near fall. The LeBell Lock is blocked so Benjamin rolls some German suplexes, only to get rolled up to give Bryan the pin at 15:13.

Rating: B. This is a situation where you can look at the card, see “Daniel Bryan vs. Shelton Benjamin for fifteen minutes” and know that things are going to go well. That was exactly what happened here, as you had two very skilled professionals getting to have a main event style match. Bryan was already a made man in this kind of promotion and Benjamin had more than enough of a reputation. Very solid main event here in a match you don’t see very often.

Respect is shown post match and Bryan high fives some fans to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This is the third Northeast Wrestling event that I’ve seen and all of them have been good so far. They had a nice balance of up and comers, regular stars and legends/big names to offer a mixture. Having names like Carlito, James, Bryan and Benjamin made the show feel pretty big, while it was cool to see newcomers like Alexander and Yim. Nothing on here was bad, as it felt like a show where they put in the effort to make it work. Check out some stuff from this promotion, as they put on a good one most of the time.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 2, 2023
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are done with No Surrender and that means we are at least one step closer to Rebellion in April. Josh Alexander is still the World Champion after retaining over Rich Swann, but now Steve Maclin is waiting on the champ. That should make for a good buildup and they have time to make it work. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of No Surrender.

Here is the Bullet Club for a chat to start. Chris Bey is rather happy about what he and Ace Austin have been doing lately, including beating the Motor City Machine Guns (in a six man tag) at No Surrender. Bey talks about helping set up the ring in this building before making his Impact Wrestling debut here as well. It turns out that Austin debuted here too but he would rather talk about beating Chris Sabin.

After revealing Austin’s “I BEAT CHRIS SABIN”, we get a quick audience poll over who the best team around here really is. Cue the Motor City Machine Guns, with Sabin asking how long the Club has been together. The Guns have been around since 2006 and they’re still the champs. The Club says that is just because they haven’t gotten a fair shot. Maybe they could fix that at Sacrifice? The Guns talk about how they are still the best team and offer the title match tonight. Game/match on.

Shane Haste, who is going to be part of Multiverse United on March 30, he is ready to take out Mike Bailey tonight. He even throws in some karate moves.

Rich Swann cuts off a question about his loss at No Surrender to admit that yes, he did lose. That doesn’t sit well with him but he isn’t going to let that loss define him. He wants the World Title back but here are Raj Singh and Shera, the former of which has a lot of money that he keeps handing out. Swann isn’t happy and is ready to fight Shera but Singh calms it down and wants to hit the casino instead.

Mike Bailey vs. Shane Haste

Bailey takes him down to start and they grapple on the mat until Haste has to duck a big kick. A snapmare sets up a basement dropkick to the back of Bailey’s head but he strikes his way out of trouble. The bouncing kicks send Haste to the apron but he’s fine enough to drop Bailey onto the apron. Bailey’s head is crushed against the post before Haste takes him back inside for a Saito suplex.

We take a break and come back with Haste still hammering away but getting shoved off the top. A missile dropkick hits Haste and Bailey gets to kick away. Haste kicks him in the face though and suplexes him into a cutter for two. Bailey fights back and sends him outside for a springboard moonsault. One heck of a dropkick sets up a sitout Last Ride for two on Bailey back inside. Bailey counters a fireman’s carry into a poisonrana though and a superkick drops Haste again. The Ultimate Weapon finishes Haste at 14:40.

Rating: C+. This was a hard hitting match that made Haste look good but Bailey is too big of a star to lose here. Haste is someone who will be around at Multiverse United and then leave while Bailey is likely to be around a lot longer. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Bailey in the World Title hunt sooner rather than later so he isn’t losing here.

The Design is in the back when Rhino comes in. Rhino doesn’t like what the team does and he won’t let them do it to Sami Callihan. Cue Callihan to say he’s where he wants to be, so Rhino says he’ll knock some sanity into Callihan. Deaner calls this step #6.

Kenny King vs. Kevin Knight

King isn’t interested in a handshake and elbows Knight in the face instead. Knight is back up and knocks King outside, which means a missed dive with King sidestepping him in a not quite Samoa Joe counter. King tries to throw him back in but gets caught with a dive. Back in for real this time and King strikes him down for two before grabbing the reverse chinlock.

The swinging backbreaker gets two on Knight and we’re off to a camel clutch. Knight is back up with some rollups for two each, followed by a pump kick. A springboard spinning crossbody gives Knight two but King grabs a spinebuster for the same. The Royal Flush gives King the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C. Knight is someone who has potential but for now he is in need of ring time. He wrestles an exciting enough style and can work with anyone, though King seems like he is on the way to a title shot sooner than later. This was a completely watchable match, though it didn’t come near the next level.

We look at Kushida holding Josh Alexander in the Hoverboard Lock during the pin in a tag match at New Japan Battle In The Valley.

Josh Alexander is read to face Kushida at Rebellion. First though, he has to get by Kushida at Multiverse United, but first he wants a six man tag at Sacrifice. It can be Kushida/the Motor City Machine Guns against Alexander and whomever he can find. Cue Steve Maclin to say keep the title safe until Rebellion.

We look at Bully Ray throwing coffee at Tommy Dreamer at No Surrender.

The doctor tells Santino Marella and Dirty Dango about Dreamer’s condition. Bully Ray comes in to make sure Dreamer will live so he can beat Dreamer up. Bhupinder Gujjar comes in to yell at Ray, who doesn’t have time for this because Gujjar won’t be relevant in ten years. Gujjar grabs him by the sweatshirt and says Dreamer is his friend. Ray can respect that…and then slaps him in the face.

Here is Mickie James to be glad about retaining her Knockouts Title against Masha Slamovich at No Surrender. No one said she could do it but then she did it. Now though, there is a little bit of controversy as Jordynne Grace is saying Mickie tapped out at Hard To Kill. Mickie has been saying that since she got done with Masha…and here are Gisele Shaw and company to interrupt.

Shaw says Mickie is going after Grace to hide from the real challenger and ducking her. Mickie brings up that she beat Shaw already, but Shaw says that wasn’t THIS version of her. We hear about how great Shaw is and she says she’s waiting for Mickie when Mickie is done with Grace. Mickie is ready to fight now but Shaw isn’t in her gear. That’s the difference between a diva and a woman as Mickie still wants to fight, so here is Gail Kim to make the match.

Moose comes in to see Brian Myers and says he wants to humiliate Joe Hendry. Myers seems intrigued. Hendry has beaten Moose twice now. Why is this still going?

Jordynne Grace isn’t happy with Gisele Shaw getting a title shot but she’ll have hers at Sacrifice. Santino Marella says deal but then gets interrupted by Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice. Swinger says no one can win fifty straight matches and he is tired of having everyone against him. Marella makes him a deal: he can pick ANYONE on the roster to face. Works for Swinger.

PCO vs. Trey Miguel

Non-title and this could be interesting. Miguel bails to the apron to start but gets pulled in for a crash. PCO blasts him with a clothesline and they head outside with PCO hitting a hard backbreaker. The running flip dive through the ropes only hits floor though and the PCO shaped thud sounds rather painful. We take a break and come back with Miguel kicking him down but PCO stands right back up. There’s a pop up powerbomb to plant Miguel again but Eddie Edwards comes in and hits PCO in the back with a shovel for the DQ at 8:42.

Rating: C+. I liked this one and could go for more with either being the good or bad guy. Miguel having to run and try to survive against the monster is interesting but Miguel trying to slay the monster as the underdog hero could work as well. This could have been more but Edwards vs. PCO is the real feud and you don’t want your champion losing, even to someone as unstoppable as PCO.

Post match PCO goes after Edwards, with security breaking it up. That’s fine with PCO, who PCOsaults down onto all of them (that was scary/great).

Here is what is coming on various shows, including a Mercedes Mone promo for her match against Kairi.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. Bullet Club

Bullet Club is challenging. Sabin and Austin flip out of an exchange of wristlocks to start but everyone comes in for the staredown. Shelley comes in to take Austin down but it’s off to Bey for the slugout. Everything breaks down and Sabin accidentally shoulders Shelley in the corner. The Guns are sent outside for the stereo suicide dives as the Club is rolling here.

Back in and Austin slices Shelley’s mouth with the playing card before sliding the card up his sleeve (he’s not a great magician if you can see it on national TV). Shelley manages a shot to Bey’s weakened (by Kushida over the last few weeks, as mentioned by commentary) arm and Sabin gets in a cheap shot behind the referee’s back (that’s different). Sabin even dives off the apron to drop Bey on the floor as Shelley takes Austin off the apron (and takes his place to offer Bey a tag in a funny bit). The Border City Stretch doesn’t last long but Sabin kicks Bey’s arm from the apron as we take a break.

Back with Shelley chopping the post instead of Bey and Sabin doing the same. Bey still can’t get over for the tag as Sabin stomps on the arm on the apron. An enziguri gets Bey out of trouble and it’s Austin coming back in to start cleaning house. Everything breaks down and Bey hits the one armed flip dive to drop the Guns.

Back in and Sabin hits his tornado DDT/dropkick combination but Austin kicks Sabin down again. Sabin gets a standing Kimura on Bey as Shelley takes Austin down by the leg. Cradle Shock is broken up and Bey hits a quick cutter on Sabin. Shelley gets dropped with a cutter of his own but the assisted Art of Finesse is broken up. A doomsday missile dropkick hits Bey and Shell Shock gives Shelley two.

The Border City Stretch sends Bey to the rope so Shelley puts it on again. Austin’s save fails as he gets caught in Cradle Shock as Bey reverses Shelley into a rollup for two more. The Guns kick Bey in the head but Austin makes the save. A pair of spinning kicks to the head send Sabin outside. The assisted Art of Finesse into the Fold is enough to give Bey the pin and the titles at 22:04.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match and it was interesting to see the roles reversed. You don’t see the Guns working heel that often and while they were only leaning into it here, it was different enough to catch your attention. At the same time, the Club won completely clean, which is more than I would have expected. Awesome match here and the Club feels like a breakout team waiting to happen.

The new champs celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event is by far the best part here and it anchored a strong show. They have some momentum coming out of No Surrender, but at the same time, they are now building towards three shows at once. That could get more than a little complicated, but at least Rebellion is far enough away that Sacrifice and Multiverse United can be covered before we get there. Very good show here and I liked pretty much everything.

Results
Mike Bailey b. Shane Haste – Ultimate Weapon
Kenny King b. Kevin Knight – Royal Flush
PCO b. Trey Miguel via DQ when Eddie Edwards interfered
Bullet Club b. Motor City Machine Guns – Fold to Shelley

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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Rampage
Date: March 3, 2023
Location: Cow Palace, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

It’s the final show before Revolution and that means this week is live. Normally I would say a pay per view card is set two days before the show but AEW has a tendency to throw in a bunch of stuff at the last minute. This week will also see Dustin Rhodes/Keith Lee vs. Mogul Affiliates so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Aussie Open vs. Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta vs. Top Flight vs. Dark Order

The Dark Order jumps Castagnoli/Yuta in the aisle to start but Top Flight dives onto all four of them. Aussie Open drives Top Flight together as JR talks about needing to win to get a pay per view pay day. Ross: “Am I right about that?” And he is completely ignored, as that doesn’t seem to be right.

We get inside for the bell with Top Flight dropkicking Aussie Open with Davis being knocked to the floor. Reynolds comes in and hits a running elbow on Fletcher as Jericho talks about the attractiveness of Tony Schiavone’s grandmother. It’s off to Silver to take Castagnoli down and hammer away. Silver hits a running flip dive to take Davis down on the floor, runs over more people, and then gets pulled out of the air by Castagnoli.

A backbreaker gets two on Silver as we see La Faccion Ingobernable watching backstage. Castagnoli and Yuta kick Reynolds down and we take a break. Back with Reynolds flipping out of a belly to back suplex as Maria and the Kingdom are watching at ringside. Yuta comes in but gets stomped down by Reynolds, allowing a double tag off to Dante vs. Fletcher.

Dante forearms him down and hits the big running flip dive to the floor. Back in and Silver has to make a save but the Aussies superkick Dante out of the air. An assisted flip powerslam gets two with Yuta making the save. Davis blasts Fletcher by mistake though and it’s the Dark Order coming in to clean house. The Stunner into the German suplex hits Darius but Yuta comes in with the Seatbelt for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: B. This was your “here are a bunch of people doing a bunch of stuff” match of the week and it was an entertaining one. While I do think these matches tend to run together quite a bit, they worked well here and the Blackpool Combat Club’s nefarious ways continue. The Aussies still feel like they should be a bigger deal around here but maybe their infrequent appearances are slowing them down. As for Top Flight, can they please get a few wins already?

Post match Dark Order jumps Castagnoli and Yuta until things are separated.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley in Sunday’s Texas Death Match.

We look at the Jericho Appreciation Society beating up Ricky Stars on Dynamite.

Jungle Boy wants to end Christian Cage…and it seems like it’s going to be something like Buried Alive. That seems like quite the jump after one 30 second match, jokes about Jungle Boy’s dad or not.

Riho vs. Emi Sakura

Sakura, Riho’s mentor, kicks her in the ribs to start and pulls the crossbody out of the air. Riho is back with a snap suplex for two and a headscissors puts Sakura on the floor. Sakura is fine enough to catch a charging Riho in a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Riho gets crushed against the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Riho forearming away and hitting a 619. A high crossbody gets two on Sakura but she’s back with a running crossbody in the corner for two of her own. La Majistral gives Sakura two more and her moonsault….well it hits Riho but it doesn’t seem like it was supposed to. Riho misses the top rope double stomp but spins around Sakura into a rollup for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: B-. Riho is back and seems to be getting a strong push, which could lead up to a big match, perhaps against say Jade Cargill. This win makes her 2-0 this week and that should be enough of a stepping stone to somewhere. Sakura is someone else who can wrestle a good match with anyone and she was just right for putting Riho over here.

Video on Ruby Soho vs. Saraya vs. Jamie Hayter for the Women’s Title.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Serpentico

Town Business finishes Serpentico at 41 seconds. As it should be.

Don Callis recruits Konosuke Takeshita, who seems intrigued.

Mark Briscoe talks about being sick of Mark Sterling. He was ready for a tag team battle royal but he couldn’t find his brother Jay, because Jay must have already been out there (well dang). But no, he’s up there with the Lord now so Mark Briscoe went after Mark Sterling on his own. Then he saw the Lucha Bros in there and here they are with their friend. The six man tag is set for Revolution.

Revolution rundown.

The four teams in the four way Tag Team Title match are all ready to fight.

Video on Dustin Rhodes/Keith Lee vs. Mogul Affiliates.

Dustin Rhodes/Keith Lee vs. Mogul Affiliates

It’s a brawl to start with Lee and Boudreaux slugging it out. Boudreaux’s shots to the face just wake Lee up and it’s Dustin coming in to rain down right hands in the corner. Those are shrugged off but Boudreaux won’t tag for no logical reason. We take a break and come back Strickland throwing Dustin out of the corner and dropkicking Lee off the apron. Dustin backdrops his way out of trouble but there’s no Lee, leaving Dustin to powerslam Strickland instead.

That’s enough for the tag to Lee, who Pounces Boudreaux for the big crash. Strickland comes in and realizes he has to face Lee, leading to panic. One heck of a high angle spinebuster plants Strickland as everything breaks down. Strickland moonsaults off of Lee’s chest to take Dustin out on the floor. That leaves Lee to get Swerve Stomped for two but Dustin is back in. Lee crossbodies Boudreaux and Dustin hits a Canadian Destroyer on Strickland. Dustin gets tossed onto Boudreaux and the Big Bang Catastrophe finishes Boudreaux off at 11:03.

Rating: B-. This was about how the match should have gone, as Lee looks like a monster who is going to get his hands on Swerve at some point. I’m a bit surprised that it isn’t at Revolution, but it should make for a nice Dynamite main event in a few weeks. You also have Dustin holding things together for the incredibly inexperienced Boudreaux and it made for a nice main event.

One more Revolution rundown….doesn’t finish the show as Ricky Starks jumps Chris Jericho and brawls with him to end the show. That was a nice surprise.

Overall Rating: B+. While a lot of the matches didn’t exactly feel important (JR thinking there was a prize for the winner was really bad), this was a very easy to watch show with good stuff up and down the card. It was a mixture of different stories and kinds of matches to keep things interesting and that made for a solid Rampage. Now just get Revolution right (which they probably will) and maybe AEW can get back on track.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta b. Top Flight, Dark Order and Aussie Open – Seatbelt to Darius
Riho b. Emi Sakura – Rollup
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Serpentico – Town Business
Dustin Rhodes/Keith Lee b. Swerve Strickland/Parker Boudreaux – Big Bang Catastrophe to Boudreaux

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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Smackdown
Date: March 3, 2023
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are less than a month away from Wrestlemania and that means it is time to kick the build into high gear. This time around we are going to be seeing something special as Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes will be going face to face for the first time in a very long while. Other than that, I’m sure Sami Zayn will be up to something. Let’s get to it.

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

We’ll start big as here is the Bloodline (still minus Jey Uso) to get things going. After Reigns requests and receives his acknowledgment, here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Cody makes it clear that he isn’t here to fight because they can do that at Wrestlemania, one on one. Therefore, unless Reigns needs the rest of his team, they aren’t needed. Reigns sends the team away and asks if that makes Cody more comfortable. Reigns puts both titles down in front of Cody, who says Reigns has been champion for 915 days.

For some, Reigns has become this impossible mountain to climb, but that is kind of Cody’s thing. There is no way Cody could survive Stardust and there is no way 10,000 people will pay to see Cody headline an indy show. The goalposts are always being moved but he is always kicking it through the uprights. Reigns may be impossible for some, but that isn’t the case with Cody. Reigns: “That was good.” He accuses Cody of rehearsing that all week before asking if Cody has ever won the WWE Title. Or even competed for it. Or headlined Wrestlemania.

Reigns has been groomed for this since he was a little boy, both by his own father and by Cody’s father as well. Don’t worry though as he won’t degrade Dusty Rhodes, because Dusty was the one who put the confidence in him. We get the required Dusty impression and Reigns says Dusty knew everything Reigns would wind up doing. You know what Dusty would say about Cody though? Nothing. Maybe when Seth was in there talking to Dusty or something but most of the time, it was like Cody didn’t exist.

Reigns knows Dusty isn’t here anymore, but if there is anything he didn’t teach Cody, Reigns will at Wrestlemania. The handshake is offered though Cody says this isn’t even on the same playing field. Paul Heyman came to Smackdown to tell Cody the truth, and if that is the truth, then one of Dusty’s kids (as in students) was better than Dusty’s actual kids. If that is the truth, then Reigns is the son that Dusty always wanted. If that is the truth, then Cody has to win the title at Wrestlemania. So absolutely, may the better man win, and they shake hands.

This was Reigns showing he can hang with the big talking himself and it’s feeling more and more personal every week. Great stuff here, and Cody is building his own story with Reigns. That had to be done and for once they’re actually making it work. Keep this up and they are going to have something special in Los Angeles.

Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

Dominik Mysterio is here with Rhea. This is the result of Liv challenging Ripley to a match because it’s insane. Liv takes her down to start but a springboard armdrag is countered into a faceplant. A running knee drops Liv again but she fights back and hits a middle rope dropkick. With Rhea on the floor, Liv tries a dive, which is swatted away for a hard crash.

We take a break and come back with Liv kicking her away, setting up a Codebreaker. A springboard Codebreaker and middle rope Codebreaker Connect for two but the Oblivion is countered. Riptide is countered and an enziguri hits Ripley as well. That’s enough for Ripley, who knocks her down and hits a quick Riptide. The Prism Trap with a knee on Liv’s head gives Ripley the submission at 8:00.

Rating: B-. That might be high but this was a lot more entertaining than I was expecting. Morgan wasn’t about to beat the #1 contender but she got in a lot of offense and had Ripley selling a bit before the finish. What matters here is having Ripley look good and giving Morgan a bit more offense before the win was a good way to go.

The Bloodline is in the back and Roman Reigns wants to know when Jey Uso will be back. Jimmy Uso says Jey needs time, but Reigns is running out of patience. Jimmy will let Jey know, but Reigns implies he’s running out of patience with Jimmy as well.

We look back at Rey Mysterio not being able to hit his son Dominik last week.

Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley run into Santos Escobar, who wants Dominik in the ring right now. He even blows Rhea a kiss for a bonus.

Santos Escobar vs. Dominik Mysterio

Rhea Ripley is here with Dominik. A quick dropkick staggers Escobar to start but he sends Dominik into the corner and tells him to acknowledge the legacy of Rey Mysterio’s mask. Dominik: “NO!” A surfboard has Dominik in more trouble but he breaks that up and sends Escobar outside.

We take a break and come back with Dominik teasing a 619 but opting to choke on the ropes instead. Escobar wakes up though and hammers away, only to have Dominik go to the eyes to escape the Phantom Driver. Escobar is right back with a flying forearm into a standing legdrop for two. They collide for a double knockdown though and Dominik whips out some brass knuckles. The distraction lets Ripley hit Riptide on the floor, with Dominik adding the frog splash for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C+. Escobar continues to look like someone who could become a bigger deal if he is given the chance. It’s nice to see him getting a chance here and you can almost guarantee that he is going to be in a spot going forward. At the same time, the star here was Ripley, who has so much charisma and feels like a star. Dominik is getting the hang of things, but he is going to be in Ripley’s spotlight for a long time.

Post match Dominik takes Rey’s mask and rips it up. Cue Rey to glare at his son, with Dominik offering to hand it over if Rey will hit him. Rey won’t so Dominik drops the mask and hits Rey from behind.

Sami Zayn was at the airport earlier today and said you could feel the heat. Roman Reigns is feeling the heat too and tonight, he is facing Solo Sikoa. This isn’t about wins and losses, but rather about sending a message. The Sami Zayn problem isn’t going away until the Bloodline goes down. A lot of fans around him know it and the SAMI chants are on. I love it when they go out of the arena like this and Sami felt like a star here.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat and he gets right to the point by calling out Gunther. Cue Sheamus, who says Drew is going behind his back to get to Wrestlemania. Drew knows what winning the Intercontinental Title means to Sheamus and Sheamus isn’t going to calm down. That doesn’t work for Drew, who says he isn’t going to ask Sheamus for permission to do everything.

Sheamus says he isn’t Drew’s parent, but he thought they were brothers. No, instead Drew is just a backstabbing b******. Drew says if we’re telling the truth, the reality is Sheamus lost to Gunther twice….and here is LA Knight to interrupt. If you’re talking about the Intercontinental Title, you have to be talking about him. These two in the ring (who are arguing without even looking at Knight) have gotten every chance….and here is New Day to interrupt.

They mock Knight for saying you can’t have an LA Wrestlemania without him before saying Knight can’t even win a match around here. Cue Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) to interrupt and now the fight is on before they can say anything. Sheamus and Drew clear the ring but Drew dives onto a bunch of people (mainly landing on Kofi Kingston) instead of fighting. Kross sends Sheamus into the post and stands tall.

Earlier today, Tegan Nox and Natalya attacked Ronda Rousey, resulting in her arm being hurt and Shana Baszler making the save.

Shayna Baszler vs. Tegan Nox

Ronda Rousey (in a sling) and Natalya are here too and their entrance songs are used. Baszler starts fast and goes after Nox’s arm but gets kicked in the head for her efforts. Another shot to the arm cuts Nox down and an armbar makes her tap at 2:02. More or less a squash.

Gunther calls the lack of a Wrestlemania challenger a disgrace. He wants a worthy opponent for this great prize in this sacred sport. That’s as much praise as the Intercontinental Title has gotten in years.

Here is Bobby Lashley for a chat. He saw the Bray Wyatt Muscleman Dance on Raw so Bray can come see him right now. Instead, here is Uncle Howdy from behind and the beating is on. Lashley shrugs it off and hits the spinebuster, but the lights go out before the spear. They come back up and Howdy is gone. Well that made Howdy look worthless.

Jimmy Uso comes to see Roman Reigns. He called Jey Uso, who said he needs more time, which apparently is shorthand for “leave him the h*** alone.” Reigns can’t believe this and blames Sami Zayn. He wants Jimmy out there with Solo Sikoa against Zayn tonight. If they get rid of Zayn, Jey will come home. Jimmy leaves and Paul Heyman calls that wonderful. Reigns waves that off and says Jey has one week, which Heyman understands. If Jey isn’t back in a week, Reigns is going to blame Jimmy Uso. That gets the fans’ attention.

Solo Sikoa vs. Sami Zayn

Jimmy Uso is here with Sikoa. They start before the bell with Sami taking Sikoa down and sending Jimmy over the top. Back in and the bell rings with Sami sending Solo outside for a change. A Jimmy distraction lets Solo get in a posting though and Sami is thrown into the timekeeper’s area as we take a break. Back with Zayn knocking Sikoa down but walking into a Samoan drop. A tornado DDT gives Zayn two and a high crossbody gets the same. Sikoa misses a charge in the corner and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. Jimmy saves Sikoa from the Helluva Kick though and the Samoan Spike finishes Zayn at 7:47.

Rating: C. That ending was a bit disappointing as Zayn taking another fall so soon after Elimination Chamber feels unnecessary. They could have gotten a better result out of some kind of screwy finish, so this was a little hard to take. The good thing is Zayn didn’t lose clean, but it would be nice if he didn’t have to lose at all here. Now that being said, the numbers game playing against him means he is going to need a friend, and that can only lead in one direction.

Post match Solo and Jimmy grab a chair and beat Zayn down, including putting it around his chair in the corner. Sikoa loads up the running Umaga Attack but Jimmy wants to do it instead. That takes too long though and Zayn grabs the chair, which he launches at Sikoa’s head. The Helluva Kick hits Jimmy and Zayn grabs the chair, only to have Sikoa knock it away. Zayn runs into the crowd as an upset Roman Reigns is shown in the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that had more of an energy and there was a reason to care about almost everything going on. You don’t get that very often and it made for a good show. What matters here is that it felt like they have turned on the Wrestlemania jets and we should be in for an exciting ride over the next month. The Cody vs. Reigns showdown was awesome and if they can keep up that energy, the main event will be white hot. Good show here as they check another step off the Road To Wrestlemania.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Liv Morgan – Prism Trap
Dominik Mysterio b. Santos Escobar – Frog splash
Shayna Baszler b. Tegan Nox – Armbar
Solo Sikoa b. Sami Zayn – Samoan Spike

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