Impact Wrestling
Date: March 14, 2024
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Sacrifice and the big stories coming out of the rather good show are both Tag Team Titles changing hands. The System and Spitfire picked up some gold and that could make things more interesting going forward. Other than that, it is time to get ready for Rebellion and we should be in for the start of the build this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Sacrifice if you need a recap.

Sacrifice recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title: Chris Sabin vs. Mustafa Ali

Sabin is challenging in his rematch from No Surrender, where he lost the title to Ali. Sabin jumps the security to start and atomic drops Ali into the corner. Ali gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some strategically placed standing, followed by a sliding dropkick to the face. Back up and Ali takes over on Sabin, setting up a quickly broken chinlock.

Ali pulls him back down into the chinlock before planting the countering Sabin with a DDT. It’s too early for the 450 and Sabin kicks him down for a breather. Neither can hit a powerbomb so they trade superkicks for a double knockdown. Ali avoids a charge in the corner and grabs the title but charges into a clothesline. Sabin picks up the title instead but the distraction lets Ali roll him up with feet on the ropes to retain at 10:00.

Rating: B-. This was a match that needed to be covered before they could both move on and it’s nice that they didn’t do anything ridiculous. Ali gets to cheat to retain and can move on to another challenger, while Sabin might be on the way to a showdown with Alex Shelley. The latter could be a long time in the making though and I’m not sure who would be coming for Ali next. Kushida maybe?

Nic Nemeth, Mike Bailey and Trent Seven are ready for the Rascalz and Steve Maclin. They might just want some gold as well.

Here is the headgear-less Josh Alexander for a chat. Alexander says he’s called the Walking Weapon because he knows no one is better than he is when he can be focused. He proved that when he beat Will Ospreay and when he set the record for longest World Title reign in history. Now he wants the title back, but he knows there are rungs on the ladder to get there.

This includes Hammerstone, who had to cheat and then take his headgear. Hammerstone was tapping too and now Alexander is ready for another fight. Instead here are Alpha Bravo and Oleg Prudius, with Alexander saying he wants Dirty Dango. Cue Dango, who is tossed out in a hurry, but Prudius jumps Alexander. Cue Santino Marella to make the match right now.

Josh Alexander vs. Oleg Prudius

Prudius jumps him to start but gets ankle locked for the tap at 50 seconds. Well that worked and Alexander looked like a killer.

Here is Crazzy Steve for a chat. Steve thought people knew who he was and more people, like Tommy Dreamer, Rhino and Joe Hendry have started to learn that. He is the only champion who defends his title every time he’s out there. No man alive can understand that so cue PCO for a staredown.

Ace Austin vs. Frankie Kazarian

Chris Bey is here with Austin and this is fallout from Kazarian talking trash after the ABC lost the Tag Team Titles at Sacrifice. Austin sends him into the corner to start and fires off clotheslines. Kazarian is knocked out to the floor but manages a neck snap across the top for a needed breather.

Back in and Kazarian pulls him off the top as we take a break. We come back with Austin hitting a springboard spinning kick to the head for two. Kazarian blocks the kick’s sequel and grabs an electric chair suplex for his own near fall. Fade To Black is blocked so Austin tries a rollup, only to get pulled into the chickenwing for the tap at 9:05.

Rating: B-. There’s no surprise in this being a good match as Kazarian is Kazarian and Austin has long since shown he can hang with anyone. I’ve always thought Austin could have been a breakout singles star if given the chance but he happened to get into a heck of a team with Bey. Maybe he goes his own way later, as he showed he can do it here.

Post match Kazarian keeps up the beating but Eric Young runs in for the save.

The System brags about their success.

The Grizzled Young Veterans interrupt Time Machine and Alex Shelley offers a match with the Time Splitters.

AJ Francis vs. Joe Hendry

This is fallout from Francis costing Hendry the Digital Media Title at Sacrifice. Before the match, Hendry talks about Francis showing his emotions and starts an AJ SUCKS chant. The opposite of that is WE BELIEVE but Francis jumps him from behind. Of course Hendry wants to go and he hammers away in the corner to put Francis in trouble.

A suplex drops Hendry though and we hit the chinlock. Hendry fights up and hits some clotheslines into a DDT and they’re both down. The big slam gives Hendry two but the referee gets crushed in the corner. Cue Rich Swann to chair Hendry down as we have a heel turn, which allows Francis to hit a chokeslam for the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. The action wasn’t the point here as Francis has never been anything important in the ring. What matters here is Francis antagonizing the crowd over and over, which is what they are going to be seeing going forward. Now Francis even has someone to do the wrestling for him and that should make for an interesting setup. Hendry is going to need some help too and that could go in a few ways.

Alan Angels, in a neck brace, is ready to have Ash By Elegance on the Sound Check but her handler isn’t happy with the setup. Angels gushes over how happy he is to meet Ash, who has a big announcement: she’s having her third match next week. And that’s it.

Spitfire vs. Beaa Moss/Vanna Black

Non-title and points for Black for having a creative name. Hold on though as here s MK Ultra to join us before the bell. And we’ll add Decay as well. Luna slams Moss to start and it’s off to Threat for a running shoulder. Luna comes back in and suplexes both of them, setting up an assisted sitout spinebuster to pin Black at 2:05.

Here is Tasha Steelz to say Jordynne Grace didn’t pin her so she wants a Knockouts Title shot next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Rascalz/Steve Maclin vs. Nic Nemeth/Speedball Mountain

Nemeth and Wentz start things off with the former easily wrestling his way out of early trouble. Maclin comes in and is quickly Fameassered for two, meaning Speedball Mountain gets to come in for a double chop. Bailey’s running shooting star gets two but Maclin grabs a backbreaker for two of his own. It’s off to Seven for his sitout slam for two on Miguel and we take a break.

Back with Seven kicking his way out of trouble and sending Maclin out to the floor. The diving tag looks to bring in Bailey but Maclin pulls him to the floor in a move that will always work. Seven finally knocks Miguel down and brings Nemeth in to clean house. The Rascalz are sent outside and the running DDT hits Maclin. Everything breaks down and Maclin’s big dive hits Miguel by mistake. The Rascalz walk out, leaving Maclin to get triple teamed into the Danger Zone for the pin at 14:11.

Rating: B. Yeah you knew this was going to go well as they put a bunch of talented people out there and let them do their thing for a good while. Nemeth and Speedball Mountain seems likely to be in for the title shots at Rebellion and giving them a win over a successful enough team was a good way to set those matches up.

Post match the System runs in for the big beatdown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This felt like the style that has been working for Impact in recent months, with nothing really standing head and shoulders above the rest but everything working well. Nothing on the show was bad and it felt like they had put effort into everything they were doing. Rebellion is starting to get a foundation built and that should be enough to get us ready for the show in time. You can probably see the two main title matches from here, with enough other stuff being started. Good, efficient show here as TNA is still doing very well.

Results
Mustafa Ali b. Chris Sabin – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Josh Alexander b. Oleg Prudius – Ankle lock
Frankie Kazarian b. Ace Austin – Chickenwing
AJ Francis b. Joe Hendry – Chokeslam
Spitfire b. Beaa Moss/Vanna Black – Assisted sitout spinebuster to Black
Nick Nemeth/Speedball Mountain b. Steve Maclin/Rascalz – Danger Zone to Maclin

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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Make sure you check out a recent review:

Monday Night Raw – March 18, 2024

WRESTLING RUMORS: Reigning WWE Champion Possibly Injured, Pulled From Weekend Live Events.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-reigning-wwe-champion-possibly-injured-pulled-from-weekend-live-events/

That Many? Jimmy Uso Teases The Bloodline Growing In A Big Way.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/that-many-jimmy-uso-teases-the-bloodline-growing-in-a-big-way/

One More? 37 Year Old Former WWE Champion Open To Return To The Ring After 10+ Year Absence.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/one-more-37-year-old-former-wwe-champion-open-to-return-to-the-ring-after-10-year-absence/

Out For Now: WWE Wrestler Pulled From Active Roster With Serious Medical Issue.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/out-for-now-wwe-wrestler-pulled-from-active-roster-with-serious-medical-issue/

WATCH: Seven More Names Officially Confirmed For WrestleMania 40.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-seven-more-names-officially-confirmed-for-wrestlemania-40/

All Timer: Mercedes Mone May Have Set A Record When She Signed With AEW.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/all-timer-mercedes-mone-may-have-set-a-record-when-she-signed-with-aew/

She Did It: Becky Lynch Makes Very Special Announcement Following This Week’s Monday Night Raw.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/she-did-it-becky-lynch-makes-very-special-announcement-following-this-weeks-monday-night-raw/

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 18, 2024
Location: PNC Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are less than three weeks away from Wrestlemania and that means things are mostly set in stone. However, we still need some teams for the big ladder match as well as possibly one or two more matches. Odds are we’ll get something more from Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins vs. the Bloodline as well so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Jey Uso to get things going and he wastes no time in calling out Jimmy. Much like his brother, Jimmy (with Solo Sikoa) wastes no time in coming to the ring as well. Jey says he knows they have bad blood but he misses his brother. He misses being with his brother and asks him to come back but Jimmy says it was Jey’s idea to leave the Bloodline.

It was Jey going off on his own to be a success and he even won a Tag Team Title without his brother! The biggest moment in Jey’s career is because of Jimmy, but Jey disagrees. The biggest moment of his career will be at Wrestlemania when he knocks the yeet out of Jimmy. That’s enough to bring Sikoa in for the beatdown but Cody Rhodes runs in for the save. That probably sets up the main event but Jey vs. Jimmy needed some attention of its own.

Video on Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax.

Adam Pearce calls someone (presumably Nick Aldis) to yell about the Bloodline being here but Paul Heyman interrupts. The Bloodline’s actions weren’t authorized by Roman Reigns or the Rock but Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa are gone for the night. Heyman has official business here tonight though and it will catch everyone off guard.

Wrestlemania Tag Team Titles Qualifying Match: DIY vs. Creed Brothers

Dang I had almost forgotten the Creeds were around. The winners go straight to Wrestlemania, unlike Smackdown which is a mini tournament. Julius wrestles Ciampa down to start and then does it again without much trouble. A fireman’s carry takeover puts Ciampa on the mat again and it’s off to Brutus to work on the arm. Back up and Gargano comes in off a blind tag though and DIY sends them outside for the stereo dives. DIY applauds themselves and we take a break, coming back with Brutus getting the tag to clean house.

Brutus rolls Ciampa up and northern lights suplexes Gargano at the same time for a double near fall. Despite being down on his knees, Julius picks up Ciampa for a suplex, going from mat to knees in a crazy athletic display. The standing moonsault gives Julius two, leaving Brutus to knock Ciampa outside. Brutus sends him over the announcers’ table and we take another break.

Back again with Ciampa hitting much needed reverse DDT, allowing the hot tag back to Gargano. Everything breaks down, leaving Ciampa to hit a super White Noise for two on Julius. They slug it out until Julius barrels through him and puts on the ankle lock. Gargano tries to make the save and gets powerbombed for his efforts.

Brutus comes in to make it stereo ankle locks but they’re reversed into a Sicilian Stretch and the Gargano Escape. Those are both broken up and the Creeds throw them into each other, setting up back to back moonsaults for two on Ciampa. The Brutus Ball misses though and Gargano superkicks Julius into a rollup to give Ciampa the pin at 17:37.

Rating: B. These guys got a lot of time and it’s rather nice to see DIY getting a chance on the big stage. Odds are they don’t win the titles but it’s better than never being on Wrestlemania at all. At the same time, the Creeds feel like they have fallen into a hole. They were in a big time title match and then just vanished for a bit. I’m sure they’ll be back, but dang they fell down a good ways.

Andrade meets Judgment Day, who might be interested in bringing Andrade aboard. They’ll be watching him next week though. Andrade leaves and Damian Priest comes in to get on JD McDonagh for his losses. Dominik Mysterio has this though.

Katana Chance/Kayden Carter vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Hartwell takes over on Carter to start and takes her into the corner, only to have LeRae miss the step up backsplash. It’s off to Chance to pick up the pace but she bangs up her knee while flipping out of a suplex. The referee checks on her but LeRae decks Carter and grabs a half crab on Chance for the tap at 2:02.

We look at the Rock Concert from Smackdown.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. In less than three weeks, he will be face to face with Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania again. Last week on Smackdown, the Rock referred to himself as a heel, which might be an insider term but we all know what it means. People like Ric Flair was a heel but the Rock is just an a******. Rock said he came back here to save WWE but look at this house without him here. Rock is little more than a whiny b**** who brought up Cody’s mom. That makes it fair so let’s talk about Rock’s mom.

She is a wonderful lady who helped him chop Kevin Owens in a dark match once night. Rock thought Cody’s mom was going to cry when he beat Cody with a weightlifting belt, but Rock doesn’t know Cody’s mom. Cody doesn’t know what is going to happen at Wrestlemania, but what does Dwayne know? Is Rock going to bring the Great one or is it going to be “Little D*** Syndrome”?

Rock calls himself the Final Boss and credit to Brian Gerwitz for coming up with that, but he thinks Rock is just Roman Reigns’ side chick. Cue Paul Heyman to interrupt, saying they have a lot in common. A few weeks ago he tried to bring out some cops to take care of Cody and it didn’t work so Heyman apologizes to everyone involved. Cody wanted to talk about heels and while that might be true of Heyman, Reigns is a Tribal Chief of his words.

They will be going face to face this Friday on Smackdown and the only member of the Bloodline with them will be Heyman himself. If Cody shows up, Reigns will be there, alone. Cody: “Deal.” Heyman says that’s fine, if Cody shows up alone too. Cody: “Deal.” This was Cody getting to make things personal with Rock as well and that should get us some great lines both ways.

Nia Jax promises to break Becky Lynch’s face again and take her place at Wrestlemania.

Jey Uso tells Cody Rhodes he has his back on Smackdown but Cody says he has this. Everything is cool.

Ricochet vs. Dominik Mysterio

JD McDonagh is here with Dominik. Ricochet starts fast but McDonagh offers a quick distraction, allowing Dominik to kick him out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Dominik trying Three Amigos but Ricochet reverses the third to take over. That lets McAfee make a puma reference (Ricochet was formerly known as Prince Puma in Lucha Underground) and Ricochet kicks Dominik in the face. The 450 misses so Ricochet drops McDonagh and grabs the Recoil for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C+. That’s one heck of a big win for Ricochet as he not only beat Dominik but took out McDonagh on the way there. I wouldn’t have bet on seeing him pull off something like that but maybe it’s time to try something else with Ricochet for a bit. There’s no reason to believe it will last but I’ll take even a little hope.

Post match Ricochet fights off McDonagh again.

Sami Zayn thanks Chad Gable for the match last week but Gable still isn’t happy. It means more to him, but Zayn says he has people he’s trying to make happy too. Gable gets straight to the point: Zayn can’t beat Gunther.

Adam Pearce is in the ring and brings out Gunther and Sami Zayn for the contract signing for Wrestlemania. Gunther cuts Pearce off and asks why Zayn isn’t dressed better for something involving a match of this magnitude. Zayn doesn’t like how Gunther is taking him so lightly, but that has been the case more than once in his career. People didn’t believe he would make it to WWE or main event Wrestlemania but last year he ended the longest Tag Team Title reign of all time. Now he can do the same thing to the Intercontinental Title.

Zayn signs and Gunther tells him to keep dreaming before signing as well. Gunther goes to leave but Zayn says wait. Zayn gets in his face and tells Gunther that he believes. Gunther is now looking into the eyes of the man who is taking him down at Wrestlemania. This was setting up Zayn vs. his Goliath, which is as easy of a story as you can have.

R-Truth is in the back with Miz and DIY, with Miz telling R-Truth to be that serious. Indus Sher comes in and R-Truth is worried for whomever has to fight them. Miz sighs and says he’ll tell R-Truth.

Wrestlemania Tag Team Titles Qualifying Match: Awesome Truth vs. Indus Sher

Sanga scares R-Truth away for the early tag to Miz, who gets elbowed in the face for his efforts. Veer comes in for the big jumping elbow and we hit the nerve hold. Miz fights up and it’s back to R-Truth for the John Cena finishing sequence. The STF has Veer in trouble until Sanga breaks it up. Everything breaks down and the Skull Crushing Finale hits Veer but Sanga makes the save. Miz takes out Jinder Mahal at ringside and Sanga elbows R-Truth….right onto Veer for the pin at 3:09.

Rating: C. The comedy with R-Truth being scared was a nice way to go as there was little reason to get into the match otherwise. Awesome Truth have been dealing with Judgment Day for a long time now and it would be nearly insane to not have them involved in the match at Wrestlemania. Indus Sher continues to be little more than the latest foreign monsters and I can’t see it going much further than it has gone here.

Sami Zayn asks Chad Gable why he thinks Zayn can’t beat Gunther. Gable says Zayn is always crawling through the window like an underdog and Gunther won’t let him do that.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat…but Seth Rollins interrupts him on the way to the ring. McIntyre doesn’t like being cut off but Rollins says one thing McIntyre recently said was correct. The first step on the road to recovery his name is Seth Rollins and he is a spotlight junkie. McIntyre says everything is a joke to Rollins but….we pause for WHAT chants, which McIntyre says means the fans are glad he took out Punk.

McIntyre goes on a rant about Punk but Rollins tells him to shut up. He was telling the truth when he said he was a spotlight junkie and it gets better and better every single time he’s here. The fans sing for him and that is what Rollins has been wanting. At Wrestlemania, he’ll beat Roman Reigns and the Rock on night one and Drew McIntyre on night two. McIntyre talks about how they’ve both been doing this for twenty years and Rollins has the wrestlers’ title. Why can’t that be why they get the biggest spotlight?

All McIntyre cares about is Rollins making it to the ring at Wrestlemania one way or another. McIntyre is not going to get the moment he deserves but rather the moment he has earned. Rollins talks about how McIntyre won in front of no one but he couldn’t do it again when the people were there. At Wrestlemania, the lights will be on again and McIntyre will find out that he’s not that good. They’re saying the right things but this isn’t quite clicking yet.

Becky Lynch promises to be the last woman standing against Nia Jax.

Wrestlemania Tag Team Titles Qualifying Match: New Day vs. Alpha Academy

Otis runs Woods over to start and we hit the stomach gyrations. Tozawa comes in for a kick to the face, followed by a middle rope hurricanrana to Kingston. New Day is sent outside and Tozawa hits a dive as we take a break. Back with double tags bringing in Otis and Kofi with the former cleaning house.

A World’s Strongest Slam plants a diving Kofi and there’s the Caterpillar for two. Woods comes back in for a tornado DDT for two on Tozawa but Otis makes a save. Tozawa’s top rope backsplash gets two on Woods with Kofi making the save this time. Back up and Woods hits a sitout powerbomb to plant Tozawa, setting up the Limit Breaker for the pin at 9:29.

Rating: C+. The Academy got in a lot more offense than I was expecting here and it made the match more interesting. You almost need to have New Day in a big time match like the ladder match at Wrestlemania, but the team isn’t exactly on fire right now. They’re getting stale again and need something to do, which probably isn’t going to happen until a few weeks after Wrestlemania at the earliest.

Liv Morgan wishes Becky Lynch luck against Nia Jax.

Cody Rhodes, with Pharaoh, runs into Seth Rollins. Yes, Cody is going to Smackdown on his own.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax

Last Woman Standing and Jax starts fast by knocking her out to the floor. Lynch fights back and we take a break just over a minute in. Back with a bunch of weapons being thrown into the ring, with Jax hitting a Samoan drop onto a pile of chairs. Lynch is back up and knocks Jax down, only to get chaired out of the air.

ax hits a bunch of chair shots and drops the leg for a near ten. Choking with a chair doesn’t work for Jax as Lynch fights out with a kendo stick for the escape. The apron legdrop misses for Jax and Lynch hits a DDT onto the steps for nine. Jax gets up as Lynch grabs a table and we take a break.

Back with Lynch getting off a table and using a fire extinguisher to get Jax off a ladder. They get back inside where Jax hits a Samoan drop through a table in the corner. That and the Annihilator get nine so they head to the apron. Lynch grabs a Manhandle Slam through a table at ringside but Jax beats the count again. With nothing else working, Lynch goes up and hits a Fameasser to send Jax through the announcers’ table for the win at 18:32.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up for a good while but it wasn’t exactly an entertaining spectacle. Lynch is ready for one of the bigger matches of her career and Jax is the villain she had to get rid of before she can completely focus on Wrestlemania. That made this match more of a formality than anything else, but as long as Jax is gone from the story, I’ll take it.

Rhea Ripley comes out for the big staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. As usual with the last few shows on the way to Wrestlemania, this was mainly about firming things up for the big show. There were some things added to the card with three teams qualifying for the ladder match, but most of the show was built around the talking segments. Those went about as well as could be asked and Wrestlemania is really starting to feel like it’s just around the corner. That’s what Raw needs to accomplish and it’s beginning to happen.

Results
DIY b. Creed Brothers – Rollup to Julius
Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter – Half crab to Chance
Ricochet b. Dominik Mysterio – Recoil
Awesome Truth b. Indus Sher – Skull Crushing Finale to Veer
New Day b. Alpha Academy – Limit Breaker to Tozawa
Becky Lynch b. Nia Jax – Fameasser through the announcers’ table

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 15, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

Things almost have to be better after last week’s rather dull show. As usual, the show’s interest level hinges on the star power involved and there was almost none to be see last week. That needs to change here but you never know if that is going to be the case. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Lola Vice vs. Carlee Bright

Bright’s mom is in the audience. Vice takes her to the mat without much trouble to start and grabs the waistlock. That’s reversed into a headlock from Bright, followed by a running crossbody for two. Vice is right back with a spinebuster and we hit the neck crank. That lasts as long as the average neck crank, with Bright grabbing a backslide and small package for two each. Vice isn’t having that though and grabs a headscissors choke for the tap at 4:24.

Rating: C. Vice continues to feel like someone who is turning into something around here and she is probably going to be a project going forward. There is value there and WWE seems to know it. On the other hand you have Bright, who is another young athletic star who has been dropped into the division without having anything that makes her stand out.

Javier Bernal, now with the rather large (and debuting) Drake Morreaux, is ready for their tag match against the D’Angelo Family. Morreaux is very, very Cajun.

Javier Bernal/Drake Morreaux vs. D’Angelo Family

Stacks and Bernal fight over arm control to start until Stacks runs him over with a shoulder. Morreaux comes in and for some reason it’s off to Crusifino, who is powered into the corner. Crusifino is run over without much effort and it’s back to Bernal for the front facelock. A springboard elbow drop gives Bernal two but Crusifino ducks Morreaux’s running shoulder. Stacks comes back in and everything breaks down, allowing Stacks to hit Cement Shoes to finish Morreaux at 5:26.

Rating: C. I know it’s just LVL Up but was there no other way to go than having the new monster take the fall here? A former champion beating a goon like Bernal doesn’t feel like that big of a stretch but instead it’s the new monster losing. The good thing is almost no one sees this show as otherwise, that would be a good way to cut Morreaux’s legs off right at the beginning.

Wren Sinclair vs. Sol Ruca

The fans are glad to have Ruca (now with new tattoos) back and respect is shown before we get going. They fight over arm control to start until Ruca cartwheels away from a sunset flip attempt. Ruca takes her down out of the corner and we hit the headlock takeover. Sinclair reverses into a quickly broken headscissors before stereo crossbodies leave both of them down. Back up and Sinclair knocks her down again, setting up a chinlock. That’s broken up as well so they trade rollups for two each. Ruca scores with a dropkick and the Sol Snatcher finishes Sinclair at 6:02.

Rating: C+. The rest of the match was just ok but dang that Sol Snatcher is one of the coolest looking finishers you’ll see anywhere. Ruca’s athleticism is rather impressive and it’s great to see that she can still do her big move after her injury. Sinclair continues to lose over and over but she’s certainly not getting crushed out there.

More respect is shown post match.

Overall Rating: C+. It really is amazing what happens when it feels like the people on the show matter. Having Ruca, the Family and Vine around made this such a more engaging show and that was glaringly absent last week. The show wasn’t exactly great, but I’ll certainly take this after last week’s drek.

Results
Lola Vice b. Carlee Bright – Headscissors choke
D’Angelo Family b. Javier Bernal/Drake Morreaux – Cement Shoes to Morreaux
Sol Ruca b. Wren Sinclair – Sol Snatcher

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.

Ring Of Honor
Date: March 14, 2024
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are less than a month away from Supercard Of Honor and it should be time to announce some matches. That could make things all the more complicated as there isn’t much time left to build up the card. Then again ROH has a tendency to just throw things together and that will probably be the case again here. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the card.

Women’s TV Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Diamante vs. Billie Starkz

They trade rollups to start until Diamante knocks her into the corner for a running dropkick. The beating heads outside with Starkz being knocked into the barricade. Starkz is right back with a hurricanrana off the steps to take over. Diamante drives some shoulders in the corner and we hit the neck crank. Starkz fights up but gets splashed for two, only to kick her back to the floor.

There’s the suicide dive, followed by two more to make it worse. Back in and a suplex onto the knee gives Starkz another near fall, followed by a faceplant to plant Diamante on her face. Diamante is back with a rolling Chaos Theory out of the corner for two, only to have Starkz blast her with a clothesline. They forearm it out (of course) until Diamante grabs a quick Stunner. A standing Sliced Bread #2 gives Diamante two but Starkz kicks her in the face. The Swanton gets two so Starkz goes for a half nelson crossface for the tap at 11:38.

Rating: B-. This got rolling near the end and I was digging what they were doing. The tournament matches have been made a good bit more exciting s there is SOMETHING for these people to fight over. The fact that there was a pretty obvious winner in Starkz but they had me wondering on some of those near falls is proof that they were doing something right. Good stuff here and one of Starkz’ better matches to date.

Lee Johnson vs. Aaron Solo

They trade arm control to start until Johnson grabs a headlock takeover. That’s broken up and Solo gives him a sarcastic handshake. Solo is sent outside and shakes the fans’ hands but runs into a dropkick back inside. Back up and Solo sends him hard into the ropes with Johnson seemingly hitting his throat on the top rope to cut him down fast. A suplex gives Solo two and we hit the chinlock.

Johnson fights up and sends him throat first into the ropes to even things up with a double knockdown. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Johnson two but the Big Shot Drop is broken up. Solo kicks him down for two and a top rope double stomp gets the same. A butterfly powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana from Johnson, who lawn darts Solo into the buckle. The Big Shot Drop finishes Solo at 10:22.

Rating: C+. Lee Johnson is being pushed, with six straight wins coming into this match. This was near his hometown of Atlanta. It took him ten minutes to beat a perennial jobber in Solo. There was little reason for this to be anywhere near as competitive if Johnson is supposed to be something important. In theory he is on the way to a title shot, but why should I believe he can beat someone important if it is this hard to beat Solo?

Robyn Renegade vs. Lady Frost vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Leyla Hirsch

Renegade gets triple teamed down to start, leaving the other three to fight in the ring. Frost sends Hirsch into the corner but gets legdropped by Hogan for two. Robyn comes back in but gets choked by Hirsch, only to have Hogan break it up with some kicks to the head. They all slug it out until Frost sends them into the corner for a pair of flipping Cannonballs. Hogan is back up with a running hip attack against the ropes to Renegade, followed by Face The Music for the pin at 5:26.

Rating: C. Hey look: another four way match where the winner is no further ahead than she was before the match. It also didn’t get a ton of time so they didn’t have the time to shine or get anything going. The action was fine enough, but these things coming and going every week have taken away almost all of their interest.

Griff Garrison and Cole Karter are ready for their big match but Maria Kanellis-Bennett comes in to blame their lack of Collision appearances on Garrison’s loss to Adam Copeland. Don’t disappoint her.

Athena vs. Aisha

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning Aisha gets a title shot if she survives the ten minute time limit or wins. Athena starts fast with a toss suplex but Aisha kicks her into the corner. They head outside with Athena sending her into the barricade a few times. Aisha comes back with a spinebuster for two inside but Athena grabs the Codebreaker. Something like an abdominal stretch makes Aisha tap at 4:29.

Rating: C. This is what you get from an Athena Proving Ground match and there isn’t much to be gained from them. The good thing is they got through the match rather quickly and Aisha didn’t put up much of a fight. Athena needs a new challenger and we’ll probably get that sooner than later, but for now there isn’t much for her to do.

Post match Athena keeps up the beating and runs down the city of Atlanta. Cue Hikaru Shida to interrupt and we seem to have a challenger for Supercard of Honor. That would be another person from outside ROH getting the title shot because the division has been wrecked so badly by this Athena title reign that could have ended months ago without her losing a thing. But then again it’s not like this show matters in the slightest so why should I expect it to be well put together?

Top Flight/Action Andretti vs. Iron Savages

Before the match, we get a drink off between the Savage Sauce and Andretti’s water. Andretti wins and we’re ready to go, with Top Flight/Andretti hitting dives out to the floor. Back in and Dante kicks away at Bronson and everything breaks down again. Dante avoids going into a hairy chest and brings Darius back in to clean house.

Darius gets knocked down in the corner but Bronson spends too much time on pelvic thrusting and misses the moonsault. A kick to the face out of the corner allows the tag to Dante, meaning things pick up again. Everything breaks down and Jameson gets caught with a shooting star press followed by a frog splash to give Dante the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C+. Nice six man here with Top Flight and Andretti continuing to work well together. That being said, it’s another case where a team is floating around from win to win without getting much of a chance to go anywhere. Granted it might help if the Six Man Tag Team Titles had been defended here but that hasn’t happened on this show since September.

Lee Johnson is just getting started.

Workhorsemen vs. Jacoby Watts/Nick Comoroto

The Workhorsemen jump them from behind to start and Comoroto is knocked into the wrong corner. Comoroto slugs his way out of corner but Henry kicks him down for two. Everything breaks down and Drake suplexes Comoroto, setting up Henry’s top rope double stomp for the pin at 3:41.

Rating: C. This is a good example of a match that was fine but since it didn’t really add anything, it probably didn’t need to be on a show that is running over two hours. The Workhorsemen have been around here for months and don’t seem to be going anywhere, which again might have something to do with the champions almost never being around here (with their one title defense since winning the titles in December).

Post match Watts holds the ropes for Comoroto and they take their time leaving together.

Lance Archer vs. Darian Bengston

Jake Roberts bothers to show up for once. Archer misses a charge into the corner but pulls Bengston out of the air without much trouble. Another missed charge lets Bengston strike away but Archer plants him with a chokeslam. The Blackout finishes for Archer at 2:17.

We look at Dalton Castle losing the Boys to Johnny TV/Taya Valkyrie two weeks ago.

Taya Valkyrie is thinking about buying the Boys matching outfits but Dalton Castle comes in to say he can smell them. They shout at each other over the boys diets (sushi vs. tater tots) until security drags Castle away. This was amusing.

Women’s TV Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Mercedes Martinez vs. Abadon

Abadon slugs away to start and hits some running knees in the corner. Martinez is knocked outside and taken down again, only to come back with a big boot. Back in and some rolling butterfly suplexes have Abadon in trouble and a clothesline gives Martinez two. Abadon fights up and hits a running Codebreaker for two, only for Martinez to come back with a hard suplex.

The half crab has Abadon crawling over to the ropes for the break, followed by a quick cutter to send Martinez outside. Martinez is back up with a hard knee on the apron, setting up a hanging neckbreaker to the floor. Back in and Abadon grabs a quick DDT for two…but someone pops out from under the ring to deck Abadon. The fisherwoman’s buster gives Martinez the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t as good as the opener but it was still a nice showdown between two talented stars. Martinez going forward is a good choice as she is at least a minor threat to win the title but also someone who can be beaten to give someone a rub. I’m curious about the interference, as it’s at least a fresh ending for one of the tournament matches.

And it’s Diamante as the interfering scoundrel.

The final four:

Billie Starkz
Mercedes Martinez

Red Velvet
Queen Aminata

Slim J vs. Jack Cartwheel vs. AR Fox vs. Komander

Oh this is ROH in 2024 all right. J isn’t interested in a handshake and instead flips everyone off before heading to the floor for the bell. Fox takes him out with a dive, as he won’t stand for that kind of disrespect. That leaves Komander to miss a charge in the corner so Cartwheel hits a flipping elbow for two. J is back in to hit Fox low and another one cuts off Cartwheel, setting up a running cutter for two more. Fox flips J off the top and steps through into a cutter of his own for two of his own.

Komander has to make a save before kicking J down in the corner. Komander’s backbreaker puts Fox down before going to the top with Cartwheel. A middle rope Codebreaker on the apron rocks Cartwheel but J is there with a suicide dive to drop Komander. Back in and a top rope reverse DDT gives J two on Fox before Cartwheel and Komander go flipping up (and down) the ramp. Komander gets the better of things, setting up Cielito Lindo to finish J at 8:20.

Rating: B-. Remember the women’s version of this match earlier, where it was more or less the same kind of match that they’ve had for months and it is mainly just flashy yet meaningless? Same thing here, but with the men instead. It was entertaining enough, but when you’ve seen it over and over again for weeks, it’s hard to get interested again.

Eddie Kingston says Mark Briscoe was supposed to get a World Title shot last year. He can have it this year at Supercard Of Honor instead. There is no mention of anything but the ROH World Title on the line. Naturally this had to be a pre-tape because the champ isn’t going to be on the regular show.

Cole Karter/Griff Garrison vs. Trent Beretta/Orange Cassidy

Maria Kanellis Bennett is here with Karter and Garrison so Chuck Taylor is here to cancel her out. Karter misses an armdrag attempt to start so Cassidy puts his hands in the pockets to take over. Beretta comes in to hiptoss Garrison, setting up a quick double suplex for two. Cassidy sends Garrison face first into the buckle over and over but Karter is back in with a snap suplex.

Cassidy manages to kick his way to freedom though and there’s the hot tag to Beretta. A dive to the floor takes out Garrison but some double teaming puts Beretta in trouble for a change. Karter misses a 450 though and Beretta suplexes Garrison, allowing the real tag off to Cassidy. A bunch of kicks put the villains down and Garrison gets high crossbodied. The tornado DDT gets two on Karter but Maria offers a distraction, meaning it’s time for an exchange of kicks to the head. Maria gets up for another distraction and offers a hug, but Beretta would rather hug Chuck. The Orange Punch finishes Karter at 10:58.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, even if it is near impossible to care about Karter and Garrison no matter what they do. They have been up and down for months and still seem to be going nowhere as I still wonder why Maria is stuck with them. Cassidy and Beretta were the big guest stars and it makes perfect sense to close with them, even if they needed better opponents.

Post match the Spanish Announce Project comes in to get Serpentico’s mask back but manage to get beaten down. Cassidy and Beretta make the save and pose with the Project to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. And we’re back to the old format with two hours of stuff, much of which could have easily been dropped with absolutely nothing being lost. The four ways feel like little more than ways to get people on the show and when they feature a lot of the same people week in and week out, it’s rather hard to care. Other than that you had a bunch of the usual stuff, with the tournament matches at least feeling important. So yeah, it’s back to what makes ROH annoying after weeks of having it be what it should have been.

Results
Billie Starkz b. Diamante – Half nelson crossface
Lee Johnson b. Aaron Solo – Big Shot Drop
Kiera Hogan b. Robyn Renegade, Lady Frost and Leyla Hirsch – Face The Music to Renegade
Athena b. Aisha – Abdominal stretch
Top Flight/Action Andretti b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Frog splash to James
Workhorsemen b. Jacoby Watts/Nick Comoroto – Top rope double stomp to Comoroto
Lance Archer b. Darian Bengston – Blackout
Mercedes Martinez b. Abadon – Fisherwoman’s buster
Komander b. AR Fox, Slim J and Jack Cartwheel – Cielito Lindo to J
Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta b. Griff Garrison/Cole Karter – Orange Punch to Karter

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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NXT LVL Up
Date: March 8, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Byron Saxton

My confusion with these shows continues as I had a better time with last week’s show after weeks of almost nothing. That could make for something good this time around here, assuming there is anything involving continuity. Granted There is no reason to believe that will be the case but oh well. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Scrypts vs. Dion Lennox

OTM is here with Scrypts, who is sent hard into the corner to start. Lennox wrestles him to the mat but Scrypts flips away from the threat of a right hand. That’s fine with Lennox, who grabs a bridging northern lights suplex for two but Scrypts starts working on the arm. A middle rope crossbody gives Scrypts two and it’s back to the arm. Lennox fights up and makes the one armed comeback but the arm gives out again. Scrypts sends said arm into the corner and it’s a rolling cutter to give Scrypts the pin at 5:51.

Rating: C. Scrypts continues to be someone I tend to forget is around most of the time and that was the case coming into this as well. He’s still an amazing acrobat and can do some impressive things, but that doesn’t make him someone who is the brightest star around here. Lennox isn’t someone who should be beating Scrypts, making this less than ideal.

Karmen Petrovic is ready for Izzi Dame, even if Kiana James is in Dame’s corner.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Izzi Dame

Kiana James is here with Dame. Petrovic’s headlock doesn’t last long as Dame reverses into an armbar. A big boot puts Petrovic down and there’s a full nelson slam to make it worse. Some backbreakers give Dame two and she grabs the torture rack. With that broken up, Petrovic goes up for a middle rope crossbody but Dame is back with the Z Quill for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C-. Pretty to the point match here with neither of them getting to stand out. Dame and James are still the same middle of the road team they have been since they got together and that isn’t exactly great. Petrovic isn’t doing much either, though her martial arts stuff looks good when she gets to use them.

Dante Chen vs. Tavion Heights

They go to the mat to start and that goes a grand total of nowhere. Heights grinds away on a headlock but Chen is back with an armbar. More grappling doesn’t get either anywhere as commentary talks about what Stand & Deliver means to the wrestlers around here. Ignore that neither of these two are anywhere close to that level as Heights hits a hard clothesline.

Heights pulls him down out of the corner and grabs an armbar to keep things slow. Chen is right back with a neckbreaker but Heights suplexes his way out of a headlock. Another suplex has Chen in more trouble and a doctor bomb gives Heights two. Back up and Chen hits something like a Side Effect for two, meaning frustration is setting in. The double chop misses though and Heights grabs a spinning belly to belly for the pin at 7:09.

Rating: C. This got better in the end and it was nice to not have Chen pick up another win over someone who needed the momentum. Thankfully WWE seems to have calmed down with keeping Chen so strong as I never got the point. Heights is someone who could have some potential and losing to Chen would have knocked that all the way back down.

Overall Rating: D+. Not one of their finer offerings here with little in the way of interest and the best match being fairly dull. It was a case where there was barely anything in the way of star power and the action wasn’t exactly good either. This really didn’t work and there wasn’t much in the way of positives on the whole thing.

Results
Scrypts b. Dion Lennox – Rolling cutter
Izzi Dame b. Karmen Petrovic – Z Quill
Tavion Heights b. Dante Chen – Spinning belly to belly

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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Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

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Smackdown – March 15, 2024

Wrestlemania XVII (2019 Edition)

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Collision – March 16, 2024

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WATCH: Naomi, Bayley And Tamina Go To Extreme Measures To Attend AEW Dynamite.

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

Collision
Date: March 16, 2024
Location: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

The road to Dynasty continues and in this case that means we have quite the big match. This week will see Bryan Danielson vs. Katsuyori Shibata in a match that was literally announced yesterday. It would be nice to have that big of a match announced further in advance but at least it is happening. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Bryan Danielson vs. Katsuyori Shibata

They aren’t wasting time here. Feeling out process to start until Danielson takes him down by the arm as Nigel talks about his history of beating up Danielson. That’s broken up and they go back to the standoff until Danielson goes back to the arm. Shibata isn’t having that and forearms him down with Nigel saying Danielson keeps coming back like a fungus. Some chops have Danielson taking Shibata back to the mat but Shibata sends him outside as we take a break.

Back with Danielson striking away in the corner until Shibata reverses for strikes of his own. There’s the running dropkick in the corner as Nigel wonders if Danielson is missing a chromosome. They trade ankle locks before knocking each other down for a double breather. Back up and they exchange knees to the chest until Shibata grabs a Death Valley Driver for two. Some elbows to the head rock Danielson but he’s right back with the running knee for two of his own.

Danielson gets the LeBell Lock until Shibata puts a foot on the rope. The kicks to the chest rock Shibata but he wants more. The running kick to the chest brings Shibata back to his feet and he fires off the Kawada Kicks. Now Danielson sits down so Shibata can kick him, leading to a seated slap off. Danielson kicks him in the head for the knockdown but the running knee is blocked. The octopus goes on but Danielson slips out and gets two off a rollup. Danielson’s LeBell Lock attempt is countered into a rollup, which Danielson counters into a rollup for the pin at 19:33.

Rating: B. I get the appeal of this kind of thing and it was a hard hitting, physical match, but this was the latest in the tour of “Danielson wrestles someone in a dream match and then we move on”. There are far worse uses of television time, but it’s a match that comes and goes and really just feels like something that happened because Danielson wanted it to. I’m sure he’ll do something else again and it’ll be good, but it would be nice to have it feel like something other than “here’s a cool pairing you’ve never seen before”.

Respect is shown post match.

We look at Mercedes Mone’s debut.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Trish Adora

Hart is defending and the special rule is….the loser is banned from ringside for the House of Black vs. Infantry match later tonight. Adora takes her to the mat and does the splits on Hart’s back while cranking on the arms. They go to the floor, with Adora blocking a whip and elbowing Hart in the face. Hart sends her hard into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Adora fighting out of a chinlock but getting sent into the corner for some running elbows. Adora’s bridging German suplex gets two so Hart superkicks her down. The moonsault retains the title at 7:43.

Rating: C+. Adora continues to look strong in the ring and can do some rather impressive things. At the same time though, this was about giving Hart another win as her rise continues. She is on the way to a showdown with Willow Nightingale for the title and having her win here is a good way to boost her up even further.

Zak Knight and Harley Cameron are happy with Angelo Parker wanting to fight Knight. Poutine insults ensue…and never mind as Knight says they’ll fight on his terms, meaning not tonight.

Daniel Garcia vs. Lee Moriarty

Shane Taylor is here with Moriarty and Matt Menard is on commentary. They go to the mat to start with Garcia slipping out of a headscissors and hitting a running basement dropkick to send him outside. The Taylor distraction lets Moriarty come back with a suicide dive to take over, allowing him to STEAL GARCIA’S DANCE! Moriarty works on the arm back inside but Garcia is back up to pound him into the corner. Garcia starts in on the leg before a Saito suplex gets two. Garcia’s piledriver attempt is cut off so Moriarty hits a double stomp. Not that it matters as Garcia pulls him into a heel hook for the tap at 5:12.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see a short match like this one where they got to the point and gave Garcia a pretty definitive win. That’s a good thing to see after he lost at Revolution so there seems to be something of a bright spot for him going forward. Moriarty can work well with just about anyone and he did well here by making Garcia look better.

We look at Bullet Club Gold breaking Darby Allin’s foot on Dynamite.

Pac vs. Aaron Solo

Solo wastes no time by knocking him to the floor to start, setting up the running flip dive. Back in and Pac stomps him down in the corner, followed by some boot choking. Pac kicks him in the head and hits a missile dropkick, setting up the Black Arrow into the Brutalizer for the win at 4:36.

Rating: C+. I was worried that Solo was going to get in a bunch of offense here but instead Pac shrugged it off and squashed Solo as he should have. Pac is one of those people who has a bunch of presence and feels like a star every time he’s out there. The problem continues to be that he can’t stay around, which makes getting behind him that much harder.

Post match Pac says he’s looking for trouble. Either Tony Khan can find it for him or he can find it himself.

Bryan Danielson talks about how he and Katsuyori Shibata were both told that they couldn’t wrestle again but they just did it tonight. Danielson is grateful for that, just like he’s grateful for getting to face Will Ospreay at Dynasty. It’s live or die, but Danielson isn’t ready to die. He doesn’t think Ospreay is ready.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Lance Archer

They shove each other around to start and trade shoulders to see both of them staggered. We’re already on the exchange of forearms until Castagnoli takes over with some clotheslines. A running version puts Archer on the floor, only to have Castagnoli miss a clothesline off the apron. Archer’s running flip dive drops Castagnoli and we take a break.

Back with Archer hitting a swinging Rock Bottom for two but Castagnoli grabs a suplex. Archer hits him in the face and goes up, only to have his Old School broken up. The Swing is broken up as well though and Archer knees him on the top. A chokeslam gives Archer two but the Blackout is countered into a Death Valley Driver to give Castagnoli two. Castagnoli gets creative with a cutter off the middle rope for another near fall, followed by a springboard spinning uppercut. The Swing is on but here is the Righteous to jump Castagnoli fir the DQ at 11:08.

Rating: B-. I could have gone with a better finish than something that is likely setting up a six man with the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club but it was fun to see two monsters beating on each other. That’s all you needed from these two and they had a heck of a brawl. Castagnoli’s power continues to be impressive and him getting to throw someone like Archer around worked well.

Post match the beatdown is on so Bryan Danielson runs in for the save. When that doesn’t work, Katsuyori Shibata runs in with a chair for the real save.

Angelo Parker and Ruby Soho aren’t happy that Zak Knight won’t fight Parker tonight. Parker is ready to go find him, but Soho says that’s what Saraya and company want, so she won’t be with him. That’s enough to get Parker to calm down.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Bryan Keith

Keith grinds away on a headlock to start but O’Reilly slips out for another standoff. O’Reilly is knocked outside but gets right back in for an exchange of strikes. A grapple off doesn’t go well for O’Reilly as Keith kicks him in the face, followed by a DDT for two. We take a break and come back with O’Reilly kneeing him in the ribs.

We pause for a second for the referee to check on Keith, followed by a quick kneebar from O’Reilly. That doesn’t work so O’Reilly goes for a triangle choke to slow Keith down. Keith is fine enough to catch him on top, setting up a hard kick for two. An enziguri staggers O’Reilly again but he’s back with a heck of a lariat. The cross armbreaker makes Keith tap at 11:30.

Rating: B-. Keith was a good choice for O’Reilly’s first opponent back as O’Reilly needed to show he could still hang around here without putting him against too big of a name. Odds are this will be followed by something with the Undisputed Kingdom, and I’m not sure where that is going to go. Nice match back for O’Reilly here, as he has a lot of time to make up for from the last few years.

Post match the Undisputed Era come in to celebrate.

Deonna Purrazzo and Thunder Rosa are ready for Toni Storm and Mariah May.

Tag Team Title Tournament Wildcard Match: House Of Black vs. Infantry

Julia Hart is here with the House, who jump the Infantry from behind before the bell. The beating goes outside with the Infantry being beaten down until the House gets inside. The Infantry wants to go so we ring the bell, allowing King to hit a Cannonball for two. Matthews kicks Dean on the floor and we take an early break.

Back with Bravo grabbing a rollup for two on Matthews and diving over for the tag to Dean. King comes in and runs Dean over with a heck of a clothesline, followed by Dante’s Inferno for two with Bravo making the save. King takes Bravo outside for an AA onto the announcers’ table, setting up a piledriver onto the same table. Julia Hart gets up to argue for some reason and here’s Mark Briscoe with a chair shot to Matthews. Briscoe runs off with King giving chase, allowing Dean to get the upset pin at 7:44.

Rating: C+. This was almost more of an angle than a match, as it was mostly a squash until the end when Briscoe interfered. It’s nice to see Briscoe costing the House the win as it ties together and gives us quite the twist to start the tournament. Odds are this leads to something big between Briscoe and the House, though waiting until Dynasty might be a bit much.

Post match here is Malakai Black to glare.

Video on Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage.

Here is Copeland, still with the box labeled SPIKE. Copeland talks about his history here in Ottawa and, after rolling his eyes a bit at the hatred for Toronto, he sits in a chair in front of the box. He was looking forward to sitting around with Christian Cage when their careers were over but now everything has changed.

Copeland failed at World’s End and took a Conchairto. Now he has talked to someone who helped make him who he is (implying but not saying Mick Foley) and pulls out spike, which is a 2×4 covered in nails (better known as Janice in TNA). He and Spike are going to end Cage and make him say I QUIT in Toronto. Shouting I QUIT before an I quit match might not be the best idea.

Overall Rating: B-. This was quite the show, with nothing that really felt bigger than the rest and a pair of return matches before a big upset in the main event. It was a show with a bunch of things happening and most of it was anywhere from completely decent to solid. Next week’s Dynamite should be a big deal and this show did enough to help set it up, albeit without anything that felt like a main event.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Katsuyori Shibata – Rollup
Julia Hart b. Trish Adora – Moonsault
Daniel Garcia b. Lee Moriarty – Heel hook
Pac b. Aaron Solo – Brutalizer
Claudio Castagnoli b. Lance Archer via DQ when the Righteous interfered
Kyle O’Reilly b. Bryan Keith – Cross armbreaker
Infantry b. House Of Black – Chair shot to Matthews from Mark Briscoe

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: March 15, 2024
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

The Rock is here again and that alone makes this feel important. With just over three weeks before Wrestlemania, the show is really starting to come together and there is a good chance that we’ll get a few more adjustments this week. That might include a battle of the Usos being set so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes agreeing to face the Bloodline at Wrestlemania with quite the set of stipulations. Rhodes slapped Rock to end the show, making things a lot more serious.

Here is the Rock to get things going. After a long introduction, Rock says he usually torches every city he’s in, but this week is different. He started his career right here in Memphis on Channel 5 (big pop for that) and then at the Big Top Flea Market. Rock was Flex Kavana back then (he doesn’t get it either but he went with it) and now he is back home. Since this is the home of the blues and country, we’re going to have a little song tonight.

With some musical accompaniment, Rock sits down for a song about what he’s going to be doing to Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. Rock threatens to beat them both, maybe even with his fanny pack, but he might even go after Mama Rhodes. That leads him into a musical story about how Cody was conceived (complete with a Stardust picture) due to cheap condoms.

As for Rollins, yeah he’s weird but he’s not even as popular as his wife. We get a shot at Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant before mocking the Cody Crybabies. The song ends and the fans cheer for Rock, who just mocked all of them because evil Rock is too good to overcome. Rock talks about the slap from Cody and brings up Cody crying about being able to hand the title to his mother. That brings Rock to Mama Rhodes, with Rock promising to make Cody pay both nights at Wrestlemania.

The only belt Cody is going to get is a weightlifting belt that Rock pulls out, which he is going to use to beat Cody bloody. Then after Roman Reigns beats Cody, rock is going to hand it over to Mama Rhodes and say….what can I say except you’re welcome. If you smell what the final boss is cooking. This was pure Rock charisma and it’s no wonder that the fans were going nuts for him after every mean and horrible thing he said.

Wrestlemania Tag Team Title Qualifying Quarterfinals: Legado del Fantasma vs. LWO

Angel chops del Toro up against the rope to start and hands it off to Berto, who misses a charge into the corner. Wilde comes in for a double basement superkick, setting up the double running flip dives as we…don’t take a break for a change. A double elbow and assisted springboard moonsault gets two on Berto and now we take the break.

Back with Berto elbowing del Toro for two and knocking him into the corner. A double middle rope gorilla press slam gets two on del Toro but he’s right back with a Spanish Fly for a breather. Wilde comes in to clean house but Angel throws him into a kick to the ribs from Berto for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C+. This is one of the good ideas of a series of qualifying matches like this one as you can throw a bunch of established feuds out there with fresh stakes. The match wasn’t anything break but having people flying around all over the place is always a good way to go. It’s the kind of thing that has worked forever in wrestling and it worked well again here.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. After taking the mic from Kayla Braxton, Knight talks about how he’s been looking for AJ Styles, who thinks Knight needs to be humbled. Well he’s standing right here, so why not come out here and humble him? There’s no Styles, which doesn’t shock Knight at all. Styles will go all the way to Australia but he can’t come to Memphis? Knight says if Styles can’t show up here, how about he shows up at Wrestlemania? We get the catchphrase and here is Styles to jump him with a chair and accept. This was checking off a box that was all set to go.

We look at Randy Orton attacking KSI and sending Logan Paul running last week.

Paul comes in to see Nick Aldis and wants to know what kind of punishment Orton is facing after last week. Aldis thinks Paul should request that apology in person, which Paul doesn’t like. How can he expect Aldis to do his job when he can’t even find Paul a Wrestlemania opponent? That’s a rookie mistake if I’ve ever heard of one.

Summerslam is coming to Cleveland.

A fired up Jimmy Uso accepts Jey Uso’s challenge for Wrestlemania.

Randy Orton vs. Grayson Waller

Austin Theory is here with Waller. Orton spends so much time posing that Waller gets annoyed but here is Logan Paul to interrupt/join commentary. Waller jumps him to start but Orton hammers away in the corner, only to be dumped outside. Orton takes over out there as well but stops to glare at Paul, allowing Waller to send him into the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Orton fighting out of a cravate. Orton hits the powerslam and they go outside, where Waller is dropped onto the announcers’ table a few times. Theory’s distract fails and it’s the hanging DDT but Waller bails before the RKO. Instead Orton drops Theory and now the RKO can finish Waller at 7:37.

Rating: C. Not bad here as Orton was never going to be in any serious danger to Waller, even with Theory out there. We’re pretty clearly moving towards Paul vs. Orton, with Kevin Owens possibly involved as well, so keeping Orton looking strong over a goon is a good way to go. They didn’t have a great match or anything here, but they did what they needed to.

Post match the beatdown is on but Kevin Owens makes the save. Cue Nick Aldis to announce a triple threat match for the US Title, with Orton and Owens getting the title shots. Paul: “Oh no.”

We look at Bayley being thrown out of Damage CTRL on the way to her title shot at Wrestlemania.

Dakota Kai is ready to destroy Bayley before she can get to Iyo Sky at Wrestlemania. Damage CTRL runs the show.

Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee

The rest of Legado del Fantasma is here with Escobar. Lee wastes no time in knocking him to the floor for a running flip dive. A running hurricanrana takes Berto off the apron but Lee walks into the Phantom Driver for the pin at 1:58. Remember when Lee was the next big thing earlier this year?

Post match the beatdown is on but Carlito makes the save. He’s taken out as well but Rey Mysterio makes the real save. Mysterio issues the challenge to Escobar for next week and promises to slap the smile off his face.

Wrestlemania Tag Team Title Qualifying Quarterfinals: Pretty Deadly vs. New Catch Republic

Bate and Dunne take turns working on Wilson’s arm to start with Dunne shifting over to the fingers for some extra pain. Wilson manages to send Dunne outside though and Prince gets in a cheap shot to take over. Back in and Dunne fights out of trouble without much effort, allowing the tag to Bate for the house cleaning. The very spinning airplane spin has Prince in trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Bate muscling Wilson up with a suplex, allowing the tag back to Dunne to pick up the pace. Prince has to escape an armbar and it’s back to Bate for stereo kicks to the head in the corner. Wilson makes the save and everything breaks down, with the Republic being sent into the post. A middle rope bulldog/face plant combination gets two on Bate but Dunne is back up. The Birminghammer finish Prince at 13:11.

Rating: C+. Good match here with Pretty Deadly getting in more offense than I would have expected. This sends the Republic on to a match with Legado del Fantasma for a spot in the six way at Wrestlemania, which is quite the complicated setup. I’m not even sure how many quality teams there are for such a match, but at least we’ll have one smaller team in there for some impressive looking insanity.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Bayley vs. Dakota Kai

The rest of Damage CTRL is here with Kai. Bayley wastes no time in starting the beating but stops to glare at Damage CTRL. That’s enough for Kai to get in a slap, which earns her a drive into the corner. The fans chant for NXT’s Trick Williams for some reason as Bayley sends her face first into the apron to take over. Kai is down on the floor and gets surrounded by Damage CTRL as we take a break.

Back with Asuka offering a distraction so Kai can get in a standing double stomp out of the corner. Bayley knocks her off the top though and there’s the top rope elbow for two. Sane gets in another cheap shot though and it’s Kai kicking Bayley in the face. A powerbomb out of the corner plants Kai but Sky comes in with the belt for the staredown. Kai grabs Bayley’s leg and Sky decks Bayley for the DQ at 7:33.

Rating: C. That’s a bit of a weird way to go as you would think that Bayley could use a win on the way to Wrestlemania. Kai is fresh back in the ring after her injury but it’s not like she is anywhere near Bayley’s level in the first place. Damage CTRL coming in is a fine way to go, but I’m a bit surprised by the lack of Bayley getting a pin.

Post match the beatdown is on so here is Naomi, who gets beaten down as well. The fans chant for Bianca Belair but have to settle for Sky hitting Over The Moonsault to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Well you can’t say they didn’t get a lot done. This show had the rather snazzy opening from the Rock plus three Wrestlemania matches being announced. That’s quite the use of two hours and as usual, it shows that things can go well even when the wrestling was just ok. Wrestlemania is shaping up and now we have a few more weeks to really set things up for Philadelphia.

Results
Legado del Fantasma b. LWO – Kick to the ribs to Wilde
Randy Orton b. Grayson Waller – RKO
Santos Escobar b. Dragon Lee – Phantom Driver
New Catch Republic b. Pretty Deadly – Birminghammer to Prince
Bayley b. Dakota Kai via DQ when Iyo Sky interrupted

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