I really don’t know where to start. It’s Hulk Hogan. There might not be a bigger star in wrestling history as he is often going to be the person fans think of when wrestling is brought up. He absolutely revolutionized wrestling with the title win (January 23, 1984) over the Iron Sheik as it changed the way the business worked. That’s not something you see very often and Hogan ran with that thing for the better part of a decade.

Then you have the heel turn, which managed to put WCW firmly in front of the WWF for a good while. That’s even before he came back and won the WWF Title (last WWF Champion before the change over to WWE, which feels so appropriate) and have the awesome match with Rock at Wrestlemania. Outside of McMahon himself, there is no one who had a bigger impact on the company’s ascension, which is about as important as it gets.

There are all kinds of things that can be criticized about Hogan and a lot of them took place in the last few years, but we’ll save those for another time. This one hurts in a different way, as Hogan is the kind of person I couldn’t imagine ever actually being gone. It’s going to take me awhile to get my mind around this and I can’t imagine the tributes that are going to roll in from WWE. Hogan might not have the most spotless record in recent years, but he absolutely deserves the sendoff he’ll be receiving.

Favorite Hulk matches/moments/ridiculously nonsense stories?

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 2, 1996
Location: New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut
Attendance: 4,968
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We’re just done with Survivor Series and on the way to It’s Time, which means we could be in for a lot of Vader. That’s in theory only though, as Vader isn’t actually scheduled for the show, but the focus will be on Sid instead. He’s going to need some competition though and we might find out some more about that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Flash Funk vs. The Goon

The Funkettes are here with Funk. Goon jumps him from behind to start fast and hammers away. Funk kicks him to the head and gets two off a sunset flip out of the corner. We go split screen to look at Sid vs. Bret Hart in London last week as Funk takes him down with an armbar. Goon is sent outside for a middle rope clothesline, followed by a top rope moonsault. We take a break and come back with Funk working on the armbar again. That’s broken up and Goon drops a middle rope elbow. Funk suplexes him out of the corner though and a moonsault legdrop finishes Goon at 9:04.

Rating: C-. Other than the cool finisher, there was no reason for this to go so long. At the end of the day, occasionally you need to see someone just get a squash win and that was the case here. Funk isn’t a big star, but he’s a bigger deal than the Goon and it shouldn’t have taken nine minutes to get to the proper result.

Last week in London, Steve Austin wasn’t happy. This was very Stone Cold and that’s only going to get better.

Diesel vs. Phineas Godwinn

The bell rings and we IMMEDIATELY cut to a split (and then full) screen look at Jerry Lawler breaking Tiny Tim’s ukulele back in July 1993. We actually go back to the match with Diesel hitting an elbow in the corner and a side slam. The running crotch attack to the back connects as Jim Ross hypes up Diesel and Razor Ramon getting a Tag Team Title shot at It’s Time. Phineas sends him into the corner and a belly to back suplex but here is Ramon for a distraction. The Jackknife finishes for Diesel at 3:43.

Rating: D+. As has been the case before, it’s not a good sign when the match is ignored for the sake of talking about something that has nothing to do with the match. In this case it was over three years old and had no major connection to anything here. If they don’t care about Diesel (and Razor Ramon), why keep having him on TV?

Shawn Michaels joins us to say he was defensive last week but not defensive enough. He’s fine with Sid hitting him with a camera at Survivor Series, but he’s not ok with Sid attacking Jose Lothario. Michaels goes into a rant about giving the fans what they want and promises to win the WWF Title back at the Royal Rumble. We also hear something about dragging skeletons out of the closet and having his navel pierced. If Michaels was on something here, I wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised.

Justin Bradshaw vs. Jesse Jammes

Bradshaw has Uncle Zebekiah (Dutch Mantel) with him and Jammes is the former Roadie, who has since been revealed as the real singing voice behind Jeff Jarrett’s music career. Believe it or not, this wasn’t the big break he was looking for. Jammes crossbodies him to start and Bradshaw is already bailing out to the floor. Back in and Bradshaw shrugs ff some right hands before kicking Jammes in the face.

Jammes gets knocked into the ropes but comes back with a suplex. A swinging neckbreaker cuts that off in a hurry and Bradshaw yells at the referee for being slow. The sleeper is countered with a belly to back suplex (clearly something he learned from Jarrett) and Jammes starts the comeback. Some right hands and a dancing clothesline set up a knee lift but Jammes goes outside to yell at Zebekiah. Back in and Zebekiah trips him down, setting up Bradshaw’s lariat for the pin at 5:55.

Rating: C. Match of the night thus far, partially because it didn’t feel like it went on far too long. Bradshaw is basically what he would be for years to come, at least in the ring, while Jammes still isn’t showing much in the way of in-ring action. It’s a fine enough match, but it’s not like either of these two are known for what they do in the ring.

Jerry Lawler takes Sid’s place in the Karate Fighters tournament and beats Todd Pettingill.

Last week, the British Bulldog cut off Steve Austin from Pillmanizing Bret Hart’s leg. This led to a brawl in England last year, with Hart saving Bulldog. Then Sid beat up Hart, who can’t catch a break.

Owen Hart and Bulldog are ready to beat up Austin.

Bret Hart will see Austin down the road and wants to win the WWF Title again.

Sid is ready to beat up Bret at It’s Time.

Merc Mero/Jake Roberts vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley/Billy Gunn

Roberts chases Gunn into the ropes to start before hitting a running knee to the floor. We get a split screen interview with Jesse Jammes, who is ready to face Bradshaw again next week. Mero comes in to chase Helmsley out to the floor so Mero settles for a running knee to Gunn instead.

It’s back to Roberts to work on the arm before Mero chases Helmsley to the floor again. Gunn gets his arm cranked on even more as that’s the extent of the heroes’ offense. A backdrop gives Mero two and Roberts comes back in for the short arm clothesline. Gunn finally gets over to Helmsley, who gets to stomp on Roberts in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Helmsley grabbing a front facelock. Gunn gets to do the same but Roberts fights out for a double down. Mero comes in to clean house as Gunn and Helmsley get in an argument. Mero’s Samoan drop into the Wild Thing finishes Helmsley at 15:28.

Rating: C+. It was long and the parts with Roberts were rough, but I’ll take just about anything after this mess of a show. Mero is starting to figure things out in the ring at this point and it’s making for some fun watches. He’s already in the Intercontinental Title picture and that result is only going to get him closer.

Post match Roberts gives Helmsley the snake treatment to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. There’s a reason Monday Nitro was smashing through Raw at this point and…well ok it was the NWO, but this show wasn’t helping itself at all. Other than a just ok main event, there was nothing worth watching here and it was not an easy show to sit through. Maybe it gets better with some bigger names involved, but what we got here was not good and there was no way around it.

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

Evolve
Date: July 23, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

Last week saw Jackson Drake survive against Lince Dorado, but now he might have to deal with the freshly debuted Brooks Jensen. Other than that, Kali Armstrong is going to need a new challenger and some people are already lining up for the shot. Things have been getting more interesting around here and it’s making the show that much better. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dante Chen vs. Edris Enofe

Chen knocks him down for an early two and Enofe is already asking for a time out. Back up and Enofe uses the rope to avoid being taken down again, allowing him to stomp away on Chen. A DDT sets up choke but Chen is back up with a neckbreaker. Some right hands and an enziguri set up a running boot to drop Enofe again. The Gentle Touch is blocked so Enofe rolls him up and grabs the trunks for the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. Totally fine match between two people who are trying to find their spot in Evolve. Enofe is further along at this point with the whole “I deserve it” deal. On the other hand you have Chen, who is pretty much the same thing he was in NXT LVL Up without the weird protection that he received. Not bad, but they both need something to make them more interesting.

Jordan Oasis is looking for a partner and asks It’s Gal and Sam Holloway. They don’t care about Keanu Carver going after the ID Program and would never want to team with a nomad. Cappuccino Jones and Jack Cartwheel come in to say Oasis has earned his stripes. They accuse Gal and Holloway of forgetting what it took to get here. A tag match seems to be made, albeit not involving Oasis.

Video on the WWE ID Program.

Adrenaline Drip vs. Sam Holloway/It’s Gal

Jones grinds away (like beans) on a headlock before firing off a dropkick to rock Gal. Cartwheel comes in and it’s another dropkick from Jones into a running shooting star press to give Cartwheel two. Gal manages to knock Cartwheel outside for a big boot from Holloway, who also crotches Jones against the post. Back in and a middle rope elbow gives Holloway two on Cartwheel and Gal adds the double legdrop for two more. The villains take turns tossing Cartwheel around for two before Holloway grabs a chinlock.

Cartwheel fights up and cartwheels his way over to Jones for the tag. Holloway crashes into Gal to send him outside and it’s a top rope flipping cutter/Downward Spiral combination (cool) for two (not cool) on Holloway. With everyone else on the floor, Holloway hits a big no hands dive to take the three of them down. Back in and Holloway hits a top rope splash on Cartwheel, with Jones making the save. Jones dives onto Holloway and a corkscrew top rope splash gives Cartwheel the pin at 6:41.

Rating: B. Annoyance of that kind of a double team move only getting two aside, this was a heck of a match as they all went nuts out there for the time that they had. Holloway is a big guy whose size makes him stand out and he was using that advantage here. Really fun stuff here, with one of the more exciting matches in Evolve thus far.

Jordan Oasis continues looking for a partner and Brooks Jensen comes up to offer his services. Jensen offers to help, if Oasis will help him against the Vanity Project. Deal.

Marcus Mathers is in Stevie Turner’s office and wants a match with Keanu Carver. Turner can’t do that because Carver is busy with Sean Legacy, but Turner will give him another match. With that out of the way, Kali Armstrong comes in to demand Jin Tala, which Turner will work on for her.

Kendal Grey vs. Zayda Steel

Steel takes her down by the hair to start and grabs a headlock takeover. Back up and Grey grabs her own headlock takeover, followed by a running crossbody, with Steel bailing out to the floor. Steele catches her with a Codebreaker on the way back in and it’s time to choke away in the corner. A whip into the corner has Grey in more trouble but she’s able to grab a German suplex to put both of them down. Grey hits a middle rope spinning crossbody before snapping off a powerslam to drop Steel again. Back up and Grey grabs a rollup for the quick pin at 5:41.

Rating: C. Not much to see here, though the result was a nice surprise. Grey is someone who has the potential to go somewhere and she needs the wins to get closer. On the other hand you have Steel, who feels like someone WWE wants to be a big star (which makes sense) but she’s going to need some more reps in the ring to make that happen.

Post match Grey says she doesn’t get what the deal is with Wendy Choo but they can deal with it in the ring.

Sean Legacy doesn’t know what Keanu Carver’s problem is with the ID Program and it would be much harder without people like Timothy Thatcher. They’re ready to fight.

Chantel Monroe doesn’t think much of Kylie Rae but she’ll lower herself to deal with her.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Swipe Right vs. Brooks Jensen/Jordan Oasis

Baylor grabs a headlock on Jensen to start but gets reversed into Jensen’s headlock takeover. Oasis comes in for a suplex so it’s off to Smokes to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Swipe Right avoids crashing into each other, only for Oasis to backsplash Smokes for two. A quick distraction lets Smokes stomp away though and we take a break.

We come back with Baylor hammering on Oasis and elbowing him in the face. Smokes pulls Oasis back into the corner and Baylor drops an elbow, earning quite the celebration. Oasis gets in a backbreaker but a distraction pulls Jensen off the apron so there’s no tag. The chinlock goes on but Oasis suplexes his way to freedom.

Rather than tagging though, he hits a running flipping cannonball to Baylor’s back. Jensen comes in without a tag and drops Smokes before pulling Oasis to the right corner. Now Jensen comes in to clean house but tags Oasis and throws him back in before walking out. The Super Swipe finishes Oasis at 10:12.

Rating: C+. Good storyline based match here with Jensen going all evil, which does seem to suit him better. He doesn’t have much in the ring to back up his limited appeal so this is the better move for him. It gives both Jensen and Oasis something to do while also boosting Swipe Right up a bit. Swipe Right is still not great to see in the ring, but they’re being established, which is a good move.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice show again here, as they covered some of the stories which were already set up and set things up for the future. You can tell that Evolve has been set up well with good attention being paid to the details along the way. It makes for an easy to watch and follow show, which is what we got again here.

Results
Edris Enofe b. Dante Chen – Rollup with trunks
Adrenaline Drip b. Sam Holloway/It’s Gal – Corkscrew top rope splash to Gal
Kendal Grey b. Zayda Steel – Rollup
Swipe Right b. Jordan Oasis/Brooks Jensen – Super Swipe to Oasis

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

Dynamite
Date: July 23, 2025
Location: Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re rapidly approaching Forbidden Door with just over a month to go before the show. That means it is time to start getting ready for the show with some matches being announced. Other than that, we’re still dealing with some fallout from All In, which will likely continue tonight. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

There is going to be a tournament to crown new #1 contenders for the Tag Team Titles with the title shot at Forbidden Door.

Hangman Page is willing to face Wheeler Yuta tonight but MJF comes in to tease cashing in.

Hangman Page vs. Wheeler Yuta

Non-title. Yuta jumps him during the entrance and chokes away on the floor to start fast. Page fights back and sends him into the barricade a few times, followed by a fall away slam into the corner. Yuta goes to the eyes but Page shrugs it off and finishes with the Buckshot Lariat at 3:15.

Rating: C. Well, I can always go with seeing Yuta taking a beating and this was as squashy as it could have been. At the end of the day, Page shouldn’t be breaking a sweat over the top heel stable’s job guy and this was a good way to make Page look like a killer. Nice opener here, which did exactly what it should have done.

Post match Page grabs the chain and beats on Yuta to bust him open. Page thinks twice about hanging him though. That’s going to require a name change. Maybe Fish Feeder Adam Page.

Athena, in a Shark Week fin hat, has Billie Starkz ready to take out Toni Storm.

#1 Contenders Tag Team Tournament First Round: FTR vs. Jet Speed

Stokley Hathaway, on a crutch, is with FTR. Knight gets knocked to the floor to start and Bailey is beaten down in the corner. That’s broken up and Jet Speed hit stereo dives to the floor to pick up the pace. We settle down to Harwood striking Bailey up against the ropes. That doesn’t last long either as they go outside, with back to back backdrops putting FTR down.

We take a break and come back with Jet Speed hitting stereo missile dropkicks and stereo moonsaults (one inside, one outside) for two on Wheeler. Harwood is back up to wrap Knight’s leg around the post and Wheeler goes after Bailey’s leg on the floor. Back in and Harwood Sharpshooters Knight, who breaks out and blocks the PowerPlex.

We take another break and come back with Knight hitting a springboard forearm to Harwood and Bailey sunset flipping Wheeler for two. Bailey takes both of them out with a dive and drops the moonsault knees for two more. An electric chair and (standing) dropkick combination gets two on Wheeler and Bailey dives over the barricade to take him out again. Back in and Harwood’s slingshot powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana to give Knight two. Harwood reverses another hurricanrana and Hathaway offers the crutch for extra leverage and the pin at 17:30.

Rating: B. Good, fast paced match here with the right team going over. The problem with having such dominant champions as the Hurt Syndicate is you can only have so many teams as realistic challengers. FTR is as good of an option as we have at the moment and while Jet Speed gave them a good fight, it should have gone this way.

Post match Hathaway rants about Cope injuring him last week, calling him a cancer to AEW. Cue Cope, who is barred from getting too close to FTR. The good thing is he’s made a business deal with some people who can and they are in the business of hurting people. Cue the Hurt Syndicate for the brawl and FTR bails. Cope tries to spear Hathaway but hits a security guard by mistake.

The Matriarchy is ready to back up their words with physicality because they are now uncaged.

Jon Moxley isn’t going to make excuses for his loss but by the end of the night, we’ll find out who Hangman Page really is.

Here is Will Ospreay for a chat. Ospreay talks about the work that he put in to help get the World Title back in AEW. The problem is he had some bad discs in his neck, but he can be treated. With the right help and the hard work, he can be back for Forbidden Door. He’s still coming for the Death Riders too. Swerve Strickland comes out to show some respect.

Video on Julia Hart, Thekla and Skye Blue, who are apparently now a unit.

Willow Nightingale needs something fresh to do and could go for fighting Thekla.

We look back at the Hurt Syndicate brawling with FTR.

MJF isn’t sure what was up with that because it should be about getting the World Title. Bobby Lashley chokes him against the locker and says he wants MJF out of the team. MVP shakes his head at MJF and walks away.

Toni Storm vs. Billie Starkz

Non-title with Athena watching from the balcony. Storm grabs a headlock to start and sends her into the corner, allowing a quick pull up of the skirt. Starkz manages to knock her to the floor and hit a running Swanton off the apron. Back in and Starkz grabs a suplex and we take an early break.

We come back with Storm hitting a Thesz press and pounding away. Storm powerbombs her for two but Starkz is back with a brainbuster onto the knee. A fisherman’s suplex gives Storm two and they trade rollups for some near falls each. Storm’s hip attack sets up a failed Storm Zero attempt but she’s able to block a Swanton. The chickenwing finishes for Storm at 9:28.

Rating: C+. Again, perfectly logical here with Starkz being out there to soften Storm up rather than really going for the win here. Athena feels like a different kind of challenger and I’m starting to expect her to win the title. This was a good way to keep things moving, even if Starkz continues to be a bit less than smooth in the ring.

Post match Starkz drops Storm with a belt shot and here is Athena to send her into the steps over and over. A contract shot to the head looks to set up the cash in but Alex Windsor breaks it up.

Swerve Strickland vs. Hechicero

Prince Nana is here with Strickland and Don Callis handles Hechicero’s entrance. Hechicero ties up the arms to start but Strickland flips out of an early choke attempt. The mat grappling goes to Hechicero until Strickland reverses into something like an abdominal stretch. That doesn’t last long either as Hechicero is back with a swinging hammerlock backbreaker. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Hechicero down again though and we take a break.

We come back with Hechicero planting Strickland, who laughs at him. A slugout goes to Strickland, setting up the elbow to the back. Strickland’s 450 gets two and a bit of frustration seems to be setting in. Back up and Hechicero pulls him into a choke, which doesn’t last long either. The rolling Downward Spiral sets up the Swerve Stomp but Lance Archer runs in for the DQ at 11:15.

Rating: B-. Well at least neither of them didn’t get pinned. There was no reason for either of them to take a fall here, with Strickland gearing up to go after Okada and Hechicero likely being next in line for Bandido. I’m not wild on the run-in DQ, but in this case it’s the best case scenario if the match was made in the first place.

Post match Bandido and Brody King run in for the save and brawl to the back with the villains. Cue Kazuchika Okada to hit Strickland with a chair but Strickland fights back, with the threat of a House Call with a chair sending Okada scampering.

Ricochet and the Gates Of Agony brag about their recent success.

Here is MJF for a chat. He knows the fans aren’t that bright but he doesn’t need Bobby Lashley to get the title back. As for Hangman Page, he’s ready to execute this contract and take his title back but here is Mark Briscoe to interrupt. After making a kosher pickle joke, Briscoe says MJF stole a win from him in the Casino Gauntlet match and wants MJF next week. MJF: “No.”

If Briscoe was supposed to win the contract, he would have done it, but when the pressure is on, Briscoe loses. The fans might love Briscoe but he’s just a joke and everyone knows it. MJF respected one man from Delaware and he would have listened to a challenge from him. Briscoe must be miserable waking up every day, knowing that he’s not as respected as his brother Jay. That’s enough for Mark to come to the ring, with MJF bailing.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe backs him into a corner for an exchange of strikes, eventually flipping over Castagnoli and chopping him down. Back up and Castagnoli stomps away in the corner before sending Briscoe to the apron for another chop off. A running clothesline puts Castagnoli on the floor, where he’s fine enough to swing Briscoe into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli dropping him again but pausing to look at Darby Allin in the crowd. Briscoe kicks him to the floor for a suicide flip dive and the fans are rather enthused. The Froggy Bow only gets two but Castagnoli is back with a middle rope slam for the same. The Neutralizer is blocked so Castagnoli hits a running uppercut for two. Back up and a small package gives Briscoe the pin at 13:19.

Rating: B. Good stuff here as Briscoe is starting to be treated as a bigger deal every week. That’s great to see, as he has been losing bigger matches far too often. I’m not sure if he’s going to beat MJF in their big showdown, but at least he’s being built up in the process. Castagnoli is pretty firmly in his spot to put people over and that’s a good use for him.

Post match Marina Shafir comes in to take out Briscoe and here is Jon Moxley. He calls out Hangman Page, who comes out to say he’ll keep getting up. Next week, they can do it for the title one more time, but under Page’s rules: everyone but a referee will be banned from ringside. Page knows Moxley will accept so he’ll see him next week. The match is made official to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The word that keeps coming to mind here is “logical”, as most of the things that happened here made sense. There were matches set up (naturally some of them were in a tournament but that’s going to happen around here) and nothing felt insane. Throw in the absence of the Young Bucks and a limited amount of Don Callis and I can go with what we got here.

Results
Hangman Page b. Wheeler Yuta – Buckshot Lariat
FTR b. Jet Speed – Rollup with assist from Stokley Hathaway
Toni Storm b. Billie Starkz – Chickenwing
Swerve Strickland b. Hechicero via DQ when Lance Archer interfered
Mark Briscoe b. Claudio Castagnoli – Small package

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

NXT
Date: July 22, 2025
Location: 713 Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

We’re on the road for a change this time with a show in Booker T.’s hometown. There is a good chance that he’ll get a chance to do something, as we only have about a month to go before we get to Heatwave. Coming off this weekend, Trick Williams is still the TNA World Champion and Jacy Jayne is now the TNA Knockouts Champion. Let’s get to it.

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

There’s no Booker T. to start but here he is from backstage to introduce the show and give us a preview of what we’ll be seeing tonight.

Hank & Tank/Sol Ruca/Zaria vs. Culling

The brawl starts both in and out of the ring and we settle down to Vance hammering on Hank. Spears comes in for a neckbreaker but gets sent into the corner and it’s off to Zaria. A gorilla press has Paxley bailing to the corner and everything breaks down. Vance gets crushed by all four opponents and we take a break.

We come back with Vance missing a top rope headbutt and Tank clotheslining Spears. Ruca and Paxley both come in with the former cleaning house. Everything breaks down and Dame and Ruca both hit big dives to the floor. Zaria F5’s Spears and spears Paxley but Darkstate pops up. The distraction seemingly lets Paxley knock Zaria cold with the doll for the pin at 10:55.

Rating: C+. They had a lot going on here, including what has felt like Darkstate coming for the Tag Team Titles for a good while now. Paxley cheating to beat Zaria is fine and it would make sense for one of them to get a title shot against Ruca sooner or later. Other than that, Hank & Tank continue to be flying under the radar with the titles, though that might not last much longer.

We look at Jacy Jayne winning the TNA Knockouts Title at Slammiversary.

Jordynne Grace was barred from entering the building.

Here is Fatal Influence for a chat. Jacy Jayne brags about being women’s wrestling today and says no one believed in her but look at her now. Everyone wants to find their place in history but look who is the double champion. Cue Lash Legend to interrupt, saying it is time for her to lash out. She wants one of those titles but here is Jaida Parker to interrupt. Jayne tells the two of them to figure this out for themselves but then jumps Legend to start the brawl. Fatal Influence is quickly cleared out and Parker argues with Legend even more.

Ricky Saints gives Je’Von Evans some advice for later tonight.

Myles Borne gives Wren Sinclair a pep talk before her match tonight. Lexis King is seen in the background kicking…something.

Jasper Troy vs. Ricky Saints

Saints slugs away in the corner to start and even chops Troy into another corner. A clothesline gets Troy out of trouble though and he hits a running powerslam for two. Saints is tossed outside in a heap and we take a break. We come back with Troy pulling him into a bearhug but Saints bites his way out.

Troy is knocked outside for a suicide dive and Saints avoids a charge to send him into the post. Back in and Saints hits a tornado DDT for two and they crash right back out to the floor. The fight heads up the ramp this time and Troy sends him through said ramp. Troy gives him a backsplash and Saints is counted out at 10:45.

Rating: C+. It was a creative finish and I can go with having something like that over the same thing time after time. Troy needed a win after losing too often and this is good enough. Odds are Saints is going to want to come after him again and that could make for a good story against the monster.

Trick Williams is ready to deal with being called out and doesn’t like Je’Von Evans’ comments.

Commentary pays tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He brags about retaining his TNA World Title at Slammiversary over the weekend. Then he was disrespected by some LFG stars, who called in the Undertaker. Now it’s true that Undertaker is a star, but he never held down two brands. Williams calls out Undertaker for being turned soft by LFG so here is Undertaker (in full on Kid Rock mode).

After the big entrance, Undertaker says we have a dead man walking with the title and the bling and….is this real cowhide leather? Undertaker: “Asking for a friend.” Williams has everything except the respect. Undertaker has been watching Williams and this version doesn’t have the same traits that he had as NXT Champion.

With this attitude, it’s a matter of when Williams loses that title and that’s when the walls start crumbling down. He tries to teach his LFG team about attitude but Williams doesn’t want to hear it. No one on that team or in WWE is a superstar like him so Undertaker offers to make him famous. Williams comes out swinging and is promptly chokeslammed. This was the regular “Undertaker is better than the modern stars and you better know it”.

Fatal Influence isn’t sure what to do about Jaida Parker and Lash Legend but Michelle McCool comes in to straighten it out. No one is sure which way it is to Ava’s office though.

Wren Sinclair vs. Blake Monroe

Sinclair is looking nervous as Monroe sends her into the corner to start striking away. A takedown gives Sinclair some near falls but Monroe dropkicks her down for the same. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a double arm DDT to finish Sinclair at 2:57. Pretty much a squash.

Post match Monroe grabs the mic but here is Jordynne Grace through the crowd. Grace beats up security but Monroe uses the distraction to hit a DDT onto a chair. Geez security around here isn’t very good.

Here is Ethan Page for his North American Title celebration. He has been around this country and seen every location, but if his parents had raised him differently, he might have been like these people. This title will no longer represent North America, because it should be all about Canada.

Page throws the title down and unveils a new version of the title, with a Canadian themed strap. He insults America and praises Canada before asking us for the Canadian national anthem. Page sings it himself, out of fear of an American butchering the song. Cue TNA boss Santino Marella, who talks about being Italian in the spirit of Rocky Balboa, but he was born and raised in Canada. That’s why next week, he’s getting a title shot. The threat of the Cobra sends Page running. At least it’s just one week rather than a build for some big match.

Trick Williams and Oba Femi have a staredown, with Jacy Jayne going between them.

Yoshiki Inamura comes up to Je’Von Evans to ask for advice. Inamura isn’t sure if he should have listened to Josh Briggs, but Evans says he’s not a bad friend. The thing is Inamura has his own code and you can love someone and not like them. Inamura seems to get it.

Charlie Dempsey tells Myles Borne to go away but Bully Ray comes in to say Borne should stay. After hugging Wren Sinclair and praising her for her efforts, Ray says he’s going to get a match made between Tavion Heights and Dempsey. If Heights wins, he’s out of the team. With Ray gone, Lexis King comes in to say Borne isn’t deaf and is just trying to get sympathy. Borne says he wishes King was mute.

Roman Reigns has challenged Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker to a tag match at Summerslam.

NXT Title: Josh Briggs vs. Yoshiki Inamura vs. Oba Femi

Femi is defending. Femi and Inamura knock Briggs out to the floor to start and grapple against the ropes. Briggs is back in with a side slam but Inamura powerslams Femi for…no count as Briggs steps on the referee’s hand. It’s claimed as a mistake but Inamura isn’t happy as we take a break.

We come back with something like a Doomsday crossbody allowing Inamura to get two each. Briggs elbows Inamura down but he’s right back up to run Briggs over. Back up and Inamura powerbombs Femi for two, with Briggs making the save. Inamura hits his top rope splash on Femi but Briggs makes a save with a moonsault. Briggs wins a slugout with Inamura and drops him with a clothesline. Femi is right there with the Fall From Grace to finish Briggs and retain at 9:34.

Rating: B-. They were in a weird place here as Femi is in the middle of this feud with Briggs and Inamura. That doesn’t leave Femi with much to do at the moment but at least he got to win over some more powerhouses. This didn’t feel like much of a main event, with even the title not being enough to really carry it that high.

Je’Von Evans is still looking for what to do next. Undertaker comes in to say go after the biggest dog in the yard as they look at Femi celebrating to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Wrestling aside, this wasn’t the most inspiring show. Between the LFG stars showing up and acting like big shots again, we’re coming up on a Santino Marella title match and Wren Sinclair got crushed. It wasn’t a show that felt overly important and nothing on here stood out in a positive way. Hopefully that’s just a one off issue, and thankfully NXT has shown that is likely going to be the case.

Results
Culling b. Hank & Tank/Sol Ruca/Zaria – Pin to Zaria
Jasper Troy b. Ricky Saints via countout
Blake Monroe b. Wren Sinclair – Double arm DDT
Oba Femi b. Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura – Fall From Grace to Briggs

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

Summerslam 2012
Date: August 19, 2013
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 14,205
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

So Brock Lesnar is back and someone has to stop him. Naturally in this case that means HHH, who is still one of the most important people in the company. Lesnar broke HHH’s arm so HHH is back in the ring to get some revenge. That is pretty much the entire focus of the show, along with the required World Title matches. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Santino Marella vs. Antonio Cesaro

Cesaro (and yes, Antonio Cesaro), with Aksana, is challenging and gets to say “greatest” in five languages before his match (and yes, we were supposed to be surprised when this didn’t get over). They grapple to the mat to start and Marella can actually hang with him down there, followed by a judo throw to bring Cesaro down.

Cesaro breaks out of an armbar without much trouble but Marella is already loading up the Cobra. That’s not happening either so Cesaro takes him to the mat for a chinlock with a knee in Marella’s back. Marella gets up and suplexes Cesaro down but the Cobra is ripped up. Marella fights back and pulls out another Cobra, only for Aksana to offer a distraction. The Neutralizer gives Cesaro the pin and the title at 5:09.

Rating: C. That’s all it should have been as Cesaro wasn’t going to be in any danger against a joke like Marella. The point in putting the title on Marella was to have him lose it in dominant fashion against a big threat and that’s what we got here. The match was nothing of note but that wasn’t the point, as Cesaro basically mauled him in the end.

The opening video looks at the history of Summerslam before shifting to Lesnar vs. HHH. The other matches are basically ignored, as this is all that matters.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Chris Jericho

Ziggler is Mr. Money In The Bank and has Vickie Guerrero with him while Jericho only has bad ribs (thanks to Ziggler on Smackdown). Ziggler bails out to the floor to start so Jericho gives chase, setting up a running elbow to the jaw back inside. With the running stuff not working, Ziggler gets smart by going after the ribs to take over. An ax handle to the ribs gets two but Jericho is back up with a backdrop to the floor (with a heck of a bump from Ziggler).

Jericho does the Hogan hand to the ear but misses the triangle…well it wasn’t going to be a dropkick even if it hit. Back in and Ziggler takes him down into some kind of a rib stretch, followed by a Stinger Splash for two. A neckbreaker lets Ziggler mock the arrogant cover for two more but another Stinger Splash misses. Jericho hits the middle rope ax handle but gets sent into the corner again, allowing Ziggler to hit the Fameasser for two.

The enziguri gives Jericho two of his own but Ziggler is right back with a rather messy looking sleeper. That’s broken up (because it’s a sleeper) so Jericho catches him on top with a super hurricanrana and they both crash down. The running DDT gives Ziggler two and the Zig Zag gets the same, leaving Vickie screaming on the floor.

Back up and Jericho hits a quick Codebreaker but Ziggler rolls out to the floor. Vickie grabs the leg so Jericho can get two off a small package, leaving her screaming again. The Liontamer makes Ziggler tap at 13:04. This is described as Jericho “winning the big one” at Summerslam and….really? He’s won matches at Summerslam before but THIS is the big one?

Rating: B-. The match was fine as you would expect, but I’m not buying this being Jericho winning “the big one” at Summerslam. Jericho is a former multiple time World Champion and has main evented Wrestlemania. Having him win an opener against someone like Ziggler doesn’t feel like a major accomplishment, but rather just something he happens to be doing here.

We look at Brock Lesnar breaking Shawn Michaels’ arm on Raw, which even Paul Heyman thinks might be too far.

Heyman announces that HHH has talked the referee into letting them go a bit further tonight. Lesnar says HHH is in a fight he can’t win, with Heyman saying the two words are “tap out”.

Daniel Bryan vs. Kane

So they’re both having trouble dealing with anger, including Bryan being VERY angry that the fans are cheering for him, even if it’s more mocking this time. Bryan kicks away at the ribs to start before moonsaulting over Kane, who plants him with a slam. The basement dropkick gets one and Kane throws him hard out to the floor. Bryan gets in a shot on the floor though and the missle dropkick gets two back inside.

The fans get to Bryan again but he fires off the YES Kicks anyway. The big kick to the head misses (as it almost always does) though and Kane drops him with a hard clothesline. Kane’s side slam gets two as the loose string on his boot is driving me crazy. There’s the top rope clothesline for two but Bryan escapes the chokeslam and bails outside.

Back in and Bryan hits him in the face, which goes about as well as you probably expect. Bryan goes for the arm though and now the big kick to the head connects. The top rope headbutt is countered into a chokeslam but the Tombstone is countered into a small package (ignore Kane’s shoulder being up) for the pin at 8:03.

Rating: C+. This was another fun one, as Bryan gets to work in his small package, which has been a near trademark for him over the years. The double anger management thing was a good touch and the two of them worked well together in any capacity. If nothing else, this was a lot better than the rumored deal with Charlie Sheen for Bryan, as he and Kane would wind up having a heck of a run together as a team shortly after this.

Post match Kane stalks Bryan to the back, shouting WHERE IS HE and breaking various things (including Josh Matthews).

Intercontinental Title: Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz

Mysterio, as Batman, is challenging but Miz tops him by bringing back the awesome AWESOME balloons for his own entrance. Miz gets in an early knockdown to start so Mysterio grabs a rollup for two, sending him outside. They trade spots a few times, allowing Mysterio to dropkick him through the ropes.

Back in and Miz fires off some kicks, setting up a torture rack dropped into a backbreaker for two. A kick to the head gives Miz two and we hit the cravate. Miz hits a clothesline from his knees for another near fall but Mysterio catches him up top. The top rope seated senton starts the comeback but Miz is right there with a snazzy slingshot sitout powerbomb. Mysterio is back up with a 619 so he tries to Drop The Dime, which is pulled out of the air. That’s reversed into a cradle for two but Miz is right back with the Skull Crushing Finale for the pin to retain at 9:09.

Rating: C+. This was a match that could have been on any given Raw and again that’s not exactly Summerslam worthy. I can always go for the Miz, but this was just he and Mysterio having a match which came and went without doing much of anything. Totally fine and watchable stuff, but for a Monday night in the middle of May, not at the Staples Center at Summerslam.

Eve Torres and Teddy Long think Raw GM AJ Lee is a bit nuts. They leave and CM Punk goes in to see Lee, saying that he doesn’t like being in a triple threat for his title. Punk thinks it’s because he turned down her proposal (Lee was….something at this point), though Lee won’t say anything. He says that’s rather disrespectful, but promises to defend the title tonight. Then tomorrow on Raw, she’ll be forced to show him respect. Lee continues to look off into space and not say a word as Punk leaves.

We recap Alberto Del Rio challenging Sheamus for the Smackdown World Title. Del Rio said Sheamus was beneath him and wanted the title, which is the entire point of the feud. Sheamus stole Del Rio’s car and drove it around San Antonio before leaving the car a mess. Del Rio teased getting Sheamus arrested but had fake cops beat Sheamus up instead. The match was still on for Summerslam.

Smackdown World Title: Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus

Sheamus is defending and Ricardo Rodriguez is here with Del Rio (ok I had forgotten how good the personalized ring announcing can be). They start fast and go to the floor, with both of them being sent into a hard object. Back in and Del Rio kicks him in the head, followed by another one to the bad arm to put Sheamus in trouble. The cross armbreaker is easily countered into the Regal Roll for two but Del Rio kicks him in the arm again.

Another cross armbreaker attempt is cut off but the Brogue Kick misses as well. Del Rio knocks him outside, followed by a top rope chop to the head for two back inside. More kicks have Sheamus in trouble but he fights up with the raw power. Del Rio goes right back to the arm to knock him out of the air though and the cross armbreaker finally goes on.

That’s broken up with quite the powerbomb, followed by White Noise for two. The Brogue Kick is blocked so Sheamus hits the ten forearms to the chest. Del Rio kicks him in the head for two so Rodriguez throws in a shoe. That’s intercepted and Sheamus hits the Irish Curse for the pin, but Del Rio’s foot is on the rope…and it doesn’t matter as Sheamus knocks it off and gets the win at 11:23.

Rating: B-. This is a basic story that makes perfect sense, but that doesn’t make it interesting. I remember watching this feud as it played out and there was never a moment where I felt invested in the story. It’s just Sheamus having matches with someone who felt beneath him and that wasn’t going to work. The stuff with the car was fine, but Del Rio didn’t feel like a threat to win the title, which sums up a lot of the issues he had after around 2011 or so.

Sheamus’ “oh well” shrug and smile are great. Del Rio blames Rodriguez for the loss and walks out.

Earlier today, HHH told the referee to let he and Brock Lesnar fight tonight.

Tag Team Titles: Prime Time Players vs. Kofi Kingston/R-Truth

Kingston and R-Truth are defending. The serious R-Truth jumps Young to start and hammers away. Young drives him into the corner though and hands it off to O’Neil for some barking. A front facelock slows R-Truth down but he’s back up with a kick to the face. Kingston comes in to clean house, including the Boom Drop to O’Neil.

The chase around the ring goes badly for Kingston though as a cheap shot lets the villains take over. O’Neil suplexes Young onto Kingston for two. Commentary discusses Little Jimmy’s parentage as O’Neil puts on an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and it’s back to R-Truth as everything breaks down. Young grabs a rollup for two but walks into Little Jimmy for the pin to retain at 7:03.

Rating: C-. If there has been a recurring theme on this show, it’s “this doesn’t feel like it belongs on Summerslam” and this match is the poster child for those issues. This would have been dull on any given edition of Raw and it wasn’t any better here. I get that you need a bit of a breather between two of the bigger matches, but as usual, the Tag Team Titles do not feel remotely important. It’s not the wrestlers’ fault as they had a decent enough match, but dang this felt out of place.

We look at WWE taking over Los Angeles.

We recap CM Punk defending the Raw World Title against John Cena and Big Show. Punk got tired of the lack of respect despite being World Champion and turned evil by attacking Cena. In addition, Show has been knocking people out to keep himself involved as well. Rather kooky General Manager AJ Lee made it a triple threat to torment Punk, who is all about getting respect.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. Big Show

Punk is defending. Show drops both of them to dominate early and hits the big chops. A double suplex sends Cena and Punk flying and Show knocks Cena outside. Back up and Punk gets smart by kicking the leg out as the fans are rather pro-Punk. Cena comes back in and gets kicked down for two, only for Show to stand on Punk’s back. Show sends Cena outside again and pulls a springboarding Punk out of the air to plant him down.

Back in and Cena gets speared down for two, setting up a Vader Bomb. Punk moves out of the way so Cena gets fully crushed, leaving Punk to be chokeslammed against the ropes. The side slam plants Cena as this has been almost all Show. Cena is back up with the ProtoBomb to drop Show but Punk is right there to break up the Shuffle. Punk drops a top rope elbow for two, with the kickout sending him flying.

Another kick to the head sets up a Koji Clutch, which is broken up in short order. Cena gets Show in the STF but it’s countered as well. Punk gets the Koji Clutch on Show again but Cena adds the STF and Show taps at 12:34. Punk and Cena both celebrate but there’s no ruling. Cue AJ Lee to say restart the match, so Show chokeslams both of them for two each. The KO Punch misses though and Cena gives Show the AA, only to be thrown outside so Punk can steal the pin to retain at 14:28.

Rating: B-. Show looked dominant, but the double submission took a lot of that away in a hurry. I didn’t even remember this match taking place here and that’s because, and I hate to sound like such a corrupted mp3 (because my goodness it’s time enough to get a new metaphor) but this isn’t something that felt worthy of being on Summerslam. It’s just another triple threat that feels like what you do when you don’t have a good enough idea. AJ being all crazy and messing with Punk is fine, but find a better way to do it.

Celebrities are here!

We look at the new WWE movie, the Day. It had no wrestlers in prominent roles, got bad reviews and made $20,000 in theaters.

We look at Cesaro winning the US Title on the pre-show.

Kevin Rudolph sings the theme song. Were we really short on time here or something? Various WWE women come out to dance, with Michael Cole doing the same on commentary.

We recap HHH vs. Brock Lesnar. Basically Lesnar had a bunch of demands, like a looser schedule, Vince McMahon’s private jet and more money, but HHH said no chance. Lesnar broke HHH’s arm and a few months later, the match was set for Summerslam. This led to an almost bizarre visual of Stephanie McMahon arguing with Paul Heyman, which might have been even more entertaining. Lesnar responded by breaking Shawn Michaels’ arm as well and the match was on.

HHH vs. Brock Lesnar

The rules are slightly relaxed here and Lesnar has Paul Heyman with him. Lesnar powers him into the corner to start but the Kimura is blocked. HHH clotheslines him to the floor and hits the running knee to put Lesnar down for a breather. Another clothesline puts Lesnar on the floor and Heyman tells him to slow it down. Back in and Lesnar takes the gloves off before knocking HHH outside.

The previously broken arm is dropped onto the announcers’ table as HHH is in trouble. Back in and HHH slugs away but gets cut off with a German suplex. They go back outside and the bad arm is sent into the steps. HHH gets sent over the announcers’ table, followed by a hard clothesline back inside.

HHH fights back and tries the Pedigree but gets sent back to the floor, with the arm getting banged up again. Lesnar goes after him but HHH sends him ribs first into the announcers’ table, leaving Lesnar in trouble. Back in and HHH fires off the knees to the ribs, followed by the spinebuster. The Pedigree gets two so Lesnar hits him low for a breather. The F5 gives Lesnar two (Heyman: “WHAT DOES IT TAKE?”) so the Kimura goes on. That’s broken up and HHH hits another Pedigree, only to get caught in the Kimura for the tap at 18:43.

Rating: B. I guess you can call this the match of the night, as it’s the only match on the show that was treated as a big deal. It wasn’t exactly in doubt as HHH isn’t going to beat Lesnar at Summerslam (he would of course save that for Wrestlemania), which left this as kind of an “ok, and then what?” feeling. The stuff with the arm worked as a story, but it was a question of how Lesnar would win rather than would he win.

Post match Lesnar and Heyman leave, with HHH doing the big dramatic stand as the fans cheer for him. HHH: “I’m sorry.” Somehow this feud would continue for about eight more months, with HHH winning at Wrestlemania (of course) and Lesnar beating him at Extreme Rules to wrap it up and finally move on to something new.

Overall Rating: C+. The show isn’t bad as a whole, but there is a reason I saw this on the list and could barely remember anything about it. Outside of the main event, this is as nothing of a Summerslam as you’ll ever find, with pretty much nothing important happening here. So much of this show feels like it’s setting up something else for later and that’s not what I’m wanting out of one of the biggest events of the year. I get the idea of building off of this, but there was just nothing going on here and it’s a totally forgettable show as a result.

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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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 21, 2025
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re closing in on Summerslam and the big issue is Roman Reigns, who returned last week after his latest months long hiatus. Reigns is going after Paul Heyman and company, which doesn’t include Seth Rollins at the moment. We still need to build some things up for Summerslam as well so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap looks at last week’s gauntlet match and the return of Roman Reigns.

Judgment Day arrives and AJ Styles is the valet, though he tosses the key over his shoulder.

Here is CM Punk to get things going. He’s happy to be here tonight and talks about his goals in WWE. This includes main eventing Wrestlemania, which he’s done, but he also wants to be World Champion. Last week he won a gauntlet match to become #1 contender to face Gunther at Summerslam. Punk knows Gunther is one of the best in the world and promises to give it everything he has. Gunther is a monster but he is CM PUNK.

This brings out Gunther, who is drowned out by the crowd for a long time. Gunther says they’re both here to win titles and make money. Gunther knows he has a big ego, but unlike Punk, his isn’t based on the fans. That’s worthless, so his is based on results. Punk listed off all of Gunther’s accolades and Gunther knows that he’s that good. At least Punk will have the fans chanting for him. That leaves Punk with something to think about. The story here was fine but they didn’t get the big line it felt like they were looking for in the whole thing.

Stephanie Vaquer is asked about the Secret Hervice. Naomi comes int to say she’s the champ, which Vaquer seems to know. Naomi is ready for her triple threat at Summerslam and then beat Vaquer at Clash In Paris. Vaquer doesn’t seem impressed.

Sheamus vs. Rusev

The threat of a Brogue Kick sends Rusev bailing to the floor early and Sheamus rams him into the barricade. Back in and Rusev catches him with a kick to the head before it’s time to slug it out. A clothesline puts Sheamus down again but he’s back up with one of his own. Some more shots put Rusev on the floor and Sheamus goes up, slips off the top, then goes up again for a clothesline. After mocking his slip, Sheamus walks into a fall away slam over the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Sheamus winning a slugout. The Irish Curse and ten forearms to the chest rock Rusev but he counters the Brogue Kick into a powerbomb for two. Rusev’s superkick is cut off with a knee to the face for two and they’re both down. Sheamus pulls himself to the top but dives into a superkick, setting up the Accolade.

Rusev rips at his face but can’t keep Sheamus away from the ropes for the break. Naturally Sheamus tells him to bring it, even as Rusev stomps him down. Back up and Sheamus fights back but Rusev goes to unhook the turnbuckle. That earns him a ram into said turnbuckle (how Rusev beat Sheamus three weeks ago), setting up the Brogue Kick for the win at 12:51.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up rather well and odds are we’ll get a trilogy match between them sooner or ladder. Rusev is already feeling like he’s in the middle of the card, which is where Sheamus has been for a long time now. It’s a good example of the two of them beating each other up and that’s exactly what it should have been.

El Grade Americano speaks some heavily accented Spanish but Dragon Lee comes in to say Americano is fake. Americano calls Lee basura (trash) and the fight is on.

Trailer for WWE Unreal.

Lyra Valkyria comes up to Bayley and is stunned that she has gotten then a Women’s Tag Team Title shot tonight. Bayley says forget about what has happened and just focus on tonight. Valkyria is a bit stunned.

New Day vs. LWO vs. Creed Brothers

For a future Tag Team Title shot. Brutus throws Wilde around to start before it’s off to Julius for a double suplex to New Day. Back up and Woods cleans house and struts, setting up the Unicorn Stampede (not stomp Cole) on Julius. We take a break and come back with del Toro cleaning house, allowing the tag off to Wilde running through everyone.

A backslide to Woods and a cradle to Kingston at the same time (that was awesome) gets two each but Ivy Nile shoves Wilde doe. Cue Dragon Lee so El Grande Americano comes out to cut him off, which the Creeds don’t like. Del Toro hits a bit dive and Wilde rolls Kingston up for the pin at 9:31.

Rating: B-. This was better than I was expecting and it’s a nice result, with the LWO being some unlikely challengers. That being said, there is always room for a talented luchador team and that’s what we got here. If nothing else, New Day getting to be all depressed again should be a better use of their time.

The Kabuki Warriors want the Women’s Tag Team Titles back and Iyo Sky will retain the Women’s Title. The Warriors leave and Stephanie Vaquer comes in to say she’s ready for Sky. They’re ready to face each other in Paris but Sky wants to fight tonight. Vaquer is in.

We look at Paul Heyman turning on Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania.

Adam Pearce wants Dominik Mysterio to go get his injury evaluated but he has to go help Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez. Mysterio turns around and AJ Styles is a janitor (because that’s just something you can do) so Mysterio runs off. Styles keeps cleaning and tells New Day to be careful of the wet floor. New Day loses it over everything being weird around here lately and thinks it’s time to change things. Grayson Waller comes in to say that Austin Theory is hurt so he’s a free agent to join the team. New Day seems intrigued.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. She should be in New York City for the premiere of Happy Gilmore 2 but instead she’s here in Houston. She can’t believe Lyra Valkyria is being so selfish to need two titles. Granted it’s not the same as when she was Becky Two Belts, but for now she wants Valkyria out here.

Cue Valkyria, with Lynch saying that Summerslam is Valkyria’s last shot at the title. That’s fine with Valkyria, who wants no countouts or disqualifications. Works for Lynch, who rants about how Valkyria better now respect the match and her. Lynch wants a handshake but Valkyria is ready for the cheap shot and plants Lynch with a manhandle slam. I’m sure that won’t be a problem at all.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. Bayley/Lyra Valkyria

Judgment Day, with Dominik Mysterio, is defending. Rodriguez shoves Bayley down to start but Bayley pops up for a slap to the head. Valkyria comes in but Rodriguez suplexes both of them down in quite the feat. It’s off to Perez for some shots of her own but Rodriguez comes in and gets kicked in the face. Bayley seems more interested in cheering than tagging in, allowing Perez to get in a neck snap across the top.

We take a break and come back with Rodriguez hitting a slingshot Jackhammer into Perez’s moonsault for two. Valkyria fights back and brings in Bayley for the sunset bomb into the corner. Rodriguez comes back in for another slingshot Jackhammer into the moonsault but Bayley gets her knees up. Corey Graves’ chair breaks at ringside as Valkyria hits a top rope ax kick for two on Perez.

They fight up to the top and Valkyria powerbombs her down so Bayley can hit the top rope elbow. Rodriguez breaks up the cover so Bayley throws Valkyria at her. Mysterio’s distraction lets Perez roll Bayley up for two, leaving Rodriguez to kick Mysterio in the face by mistake. Back in and medics come out to check on Mysterio and yeah of course it’s AJ Styles. Cue Becky Lynch to send Valkyria into the steps but Bayley rolls Perez up for two. Rodriguez tags herself in and hits a quick Tejana Bomb for the pin at 13:48.

Rating: B. The idea here was that Bayley and Valkyria weren’t clear in what they were doing, as Bayley might have wanted to cost Valkyria but she might have wanted to win the titles as well. The drama at the end was good and Styles having another costume was funny for a nice bonus. Lynch costing Valkyria is a good way to go so it made perfect sense.

Sami Zayn is ready to get his revenge on Karrion Kross.

Dominik Mysterio is looking for AJ Styles but finds Judgment Day, who tell him to calm down. Adam Pearce comes in to tell Mysterio that he’s either getting evaluated tonight or he’s losing the Intercontinental Title. Balor: “Get some lollipops!”

Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross

Kross slugs away to start and takes over on the banged up Zayn. Back up and Zayn fights out, including a bunch of right hands in the corner. A clothesline puts Kross on the floor, setting up the Arabian moonsault to drop Kross again. The ribs are banged up though and Kross goes after them as we take a break. We come back with Kross staying on the ribs as the Fireflies are out for some reason.

Kross gets in a shot of his own and climbs the corner for the tornado DDT and a near fall. Zayn gets caught on top, only to come out with a sunset bomb. With both of them down, Scarlett whips out the steel pipe but can’t hand it off at the moment. Zayn exploders Kross into the corner, which is enough for Scarlett to hand off the pipe. Scarlett grabs the leg, which is enough for the referee to get distracted. Kross hits Zayn with the pipe for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C+. This felt like a step in a bigger story, as Zayn is going to have to do something to get Kross off his back once and for all. You can’t do much when you have banged up ribs so Zayn was limited with what he could do. It was a good enough match, with Zayn selling like few others can do, but Kross winning makes sense in this spot. And he even took a bump!

Adam Pearce and AJ Styles ask about Dominik Mysterio’s status but Mysterio jumps Styles from behind. Mysterio will see Styles at Summerslam.

Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Feeling out process to start with neither of them getting very far early on. Vaquer smiles before they trade double arm cranks. They lock hands and roll around a bit until Vaquer vets a cross arm choke. That’s broken up so they trade rollups for two each. Back up and they slug it out, with Sky grabbing a rollup for two more. Vaquer spins around into a rollup before Sky dropkicks her to the floor.

A big suicide dive takes Vaquer out again and we take a break. We come back with Sky possibly hurting her leg as she comes off the top. The double underhook Codebreaker gets two on Sky but she pulls Vaquer into the crossface. With that broken up, Sky hits a 619 into a headscissors driver onto the apron. Back up and Sky’s Asai moonsault connects and she stomps on Vaquer’s ribs back inside.

Vaquer avoids the running knees in the corner but Sky German suplexes her down. A sunset bomb to the floor is blocked though and Vaquer grabs a quick Devil’s Kiss on the apron. Another one connects inside for two and the running knees connect in the corner. Sky is fine enough to hit her own SVB for two and the Bullet Train connects in the corner. Vaquer manages a reverse superplex to drop Sky on her face and they’re both down…so here is the Secret Hervice. Vaquer fights them off but Chelsea Green runs in to jump Vaquer for the DQ at 15:08.

Rating: B+. It’s still amazing that Vaquer has been in WWE for so little time and already feels like she belongs on top of the division. She was going move for move with Sky here and it felt like a big match, which thankfully didn’t have a finish. They had some expectations here and wound up going beyond them, which is rather impressive.

Post match Vaquer and Sky fight the three of them off but Naomi comes in from behind and sends Sky into Vaquer. The big beatdown is on until Rhea Ripley runs in for the save (to a ROAR). Ripley, Sky and Vaquer clear the ring.

Summerslam rundown.

Here are Paul Heyman, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker before Roman Reigns comes to the ring. Before Heyman can get very far though, here is Reigns, which doesn’t sit well with the villains. After the very lengthy entrance, Heyman says he never wants to be disrespectful or rude…and we pause for some crowd chanting. Heyman mocks the Texas fans and gets to the point: Seth Rollins is injured for a long time and that means there is a leadership spot available. They’re always better together than apart, but first Reigns asks the fans to acknowledge him. Heyman does the pose but Reigns says Heyman isn’t a wise man anymore. Reigns: “You’re just a dumba**.” Bron Breakker is ready to jump Reigns, who says Heyman will turn on him one day too.

Reigns has head a lot of people trying to take credit for the Tribal Chief but the only reason that happens is the people still acknowledge him. Heyman helped Reigns become the champion but the Usos, Solo Sikoa and even Sami Zayn helped him keep the title. Then he lost the title one day, but he went home to help raise the future Bloodline. The team is family, though Heyman only sees them as another wrestling faction.

What really bothers Reigns is that he made Heyman part of the family and then betrayed the family for a “best friend”. Heyman is the one who ruined the Bloodline, which has Breakker wanting the mic. Breakker says Reigns was a big deal five years ago. Breakker knows Heyman won’t turn on him because he has value in this place. Reigns is worthless while Breakker is the big dog around here.

So Reigns can do what he does best and leave. Reigns says he didn’t hear any of that because the mic wasn’t working. He throws Breakker the mic and hits the Superman Punch before going after Reed. Breakker is back up with a spear to Reigns but Jey Uso comes in for the save to a crazy reaction. Uso and Reigns hit stereo spears to clear the ring to end the show. You could do Reigns vs. Breakker but I’d save that for down the line. Do the tag match and play it safe.

Overall Rating: B. Good show here, which focused on getting us ready for Summerslam. That was in addition to a pretty good collection of wrestling and a nice exchange between Reigns and Heyman to end the show. They needed this kind of a show that helped get us ready for the pay per view and they made it come together well. Next week is going to be a tricky one, but at least this week was a success.

Results
Sheamus b. Rusev – Brogue Kick
LWO b. Creed Brothers and New Day – Rollup to Kingston
Judgment Day b. Lyra Valkyria/Bayley – Tejana Bomb to Bayley
Karrion Kross b. Sami Zayn – Pipe to the ribs
Stephanie Vaquer b. Iyo Sky via DQ when Chelsea Green interfered

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

Slammiversary 2025
Date: July 20, 2025
Location: UBS Arena, Elmont, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s one of the biggest shows of the year for TNA and they’re in a major arena. In this case we have a main event about TNA getting the World Title back from behind NXT lines as Joe Hendry and Mike Santana go after Trick Williams. Other than that, we have a four way tag team ladder match for the titles, because we must ladder. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: IInspiration vs. Elegance Brand

The Elegance Brand, with the Personal Concierge and M By Elegance, is defending. McKay shoves Heather into the corner for the stomping to start and the IInspiration gets to do their double pose. Heather gets in a cheap shot though and Ash comes in to hammer away. The handspring elbow in the corner connects and a running dropkick gets two.

McKay fights out of the corner though and it’s Lee coming in off the tag. A fisherman’s suplex gives Lee two and a top rope hurricanrana sends Ash flying. The superplex gets two more, with M putting the foot on the rope. Lee hits a big dive off the top but Heather breaks up the Idolizer. A cheap shot from M sets up Rarefied Air to retain the titles at 8:43.

Rating: C+. They weren’t out there very long but it was an energetic match with the champions retaining. As much as the titles would seem to have been made for the IInspiration, it’s too early for the Elegance Brand to lose the titles. Good enough match too, with a simple story that didn’t overstay its welcome.

Here is the Northern Armory, with Eric Young insulting the New York crowd (with no subtlety whatsoever). He is sick of the Home Town Man and issues an open challenge so here we go.

Kickoff Show: Eric Young vs. Home Town Man

Man backdrops him to start and hammers away in the corner but Young gets in a hot shot onto the turnbuckle. Young rips off Man’s Islanders jersey and we hit the chinlock. That doesn’t last long as Man fights up and makes the clothesline comeback. Young knocks him off the top though and the top rope elbow gets two. We pause for Young to yell at some fans, allowing Man to backdrop his way out of a piledriver and cradle Young for the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C. See, this is the kind of gimmick that can work well. It might not work for a long time, but I’ll absolutely take this over TNA trying to make me care about Cody Deaner’s career prospects. This is a goofy, fun thing where the fans are in on the joke and there is nothing wrong with that.

Kickoff Show: Real1/Zilla Fatu/Josh Bishop vs. Steve Maclin/Jake Something/Mance Warner

This is a mini-invasion deal, as Real1 and company are from Fourth Rope Wrestling. Real1 does the same catchphrases he’s used for ten years now and introduces his partners. Warner and Fatu strike it out to start with Fatu knocking him down, only to miss the top rope splash.

Maclin comes in to strike away and Fatu’s splash hits Bishop by mistake. Real1 gets caught with the running shoulder in the Tree Of Woe but Bishop gives Maclin a chokeslam. We hit the parade of dives until Warner hits something by mistake. Real1 hits Eat Defeat to pin Something at 2:54. Sweet goodness I could go with never seeing Real1 again.

And now, the show proper.

Brianna Laughlin (I believe Tommy Dreamer’s daughter) sings the National Anthem.

The opening video starts with a brief history of the promotion before looking at what we’re getting tonight.

Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander

Order 4 is here with Ali. They take their time to start with Ali getting in an armdrag, followed by a flipping exchange of arm cranking. A big exchange of chops sees Alexander kicking him into the ropes, followed by a German suplex on the floor. The Secret Service offers a distraction though, allowing Ali to hit a big dive.

Back in and Ali misses the 450, plus a charge into the corner. Ali is fine enough to go up top, where Alexander super Falcon Arrows him onto the pile at ringside. Back in and Ali DDTs him, only to miss a standing moonsault. Alexander misses a shot of his own, allowing Ali to grab a Sharpshooter. That’s broken up so they head back outside, where Ali gets backdropped HARD onto the steps.

The chase is on, with Jason Hotch getting in a DDT to cut Alexander off. Back in and the 450 gives Ali two, complete with the big shocked kickout face. Tasha Steelz gets in the ring to yell at the referee and is promptly ejected. Ali rolls into a cutter from Alexander, who suplexes him into the corner for a nasty landing. The Lumbar Check gives Alexander two but cue Steelz with a chair (How is this not a DQ?), earning herself a Lumbar Check. Ali hits a quick 450 for the pin at 14:30.

Rating: B. These two work very well together and they had a hot opener here, lack of a DQ at the end aside. I’m not sure what is next for Alexander, but it’s nice to see Ali get a nice win. Order 4 needs something to do, but at least Ali got some momentum after having issues with the team.

We run down the card.

Joe Hendry is ready to get the World Title back.

The System/Matt Cardona vs. Darkstate

Darkstate runs in for the brawl before the bell and everyone gets in a fight. JDC uses a chair and, after the Sabu point, hits a big flip dive. They get back inside to officially start, with Myers planting Shugars but missing a charge into the corner. Griffin rakes Myers’ eyes across the top rope and hands it off to Lennox to keep up the beating. It’s off to James for a chinlock but Myers fights out and hits a spear.

Cardona comes in to clean house, with the Reboot hitting Shugars for two. The middle rope triplebomb plants Cardona for two but Shugars gets powerbombed out of the corner. A top rope elbow into Down And Dirty gets two and they all brawl. Radio Silence hits Shugars, followed by the Boston Knee Party to give Edwards the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C+. And that’s how Darkstate loses their first match. I’m really not sure what the thinking is behind that but they did at least lose to some of the bigger names in TNA. Still though, kind of a weird way to go, with something of a makeshift team beating the invaders in a pretty short match.

We recap Tessa Blanchard vs. Indi Hartwell. They were friends years ago but Hartwell says Blanchard has change. Fighting is ensuing.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Indi Hartwell

Victoria Crawford is here with Blanchard. They start with a chase and Blanchard gets in a baseball slide, only for a stomp on the apron to be blocked. Back in and Blanchard starts in on the leg before kicking Hartwell in the face for two. Blanchard goes up top but takes too long, allowing Hartwell to come back with a superplex.

The knee is too banged up for her to capitalize though and Blanchard is back up. The slugout goes to Hartwell, who fires off some clotheslines and a boot to the head. Blanchard gets planted for two but the Hurts Donut is broken up. A superkick sends Hartwell to the floor for a running flip dive but she breaks up the buzzsaw DDT.

Blanchard is right back with a tiger driver for two, only to miss Magnum. Now the Hurts Donut can connect for two but Blanchard catches her on top with a super cutter. Magnum gets two so Blanchard yells a lot, only to get caught with the Hurts Donut for the pin at 15:34.

Rating: C+. Not a bad match, but Hartwell going over Blanchard feels wrong on a variety of levels. Hartwell is trying but she’s not on Blanchard’s level and it’s rather obvious when they’re in the ring together. Maybe this is more of Blanchard’s punishment after her absence, though I’m not sure what’s enough to make up for such a loss.

Post match Blanchard jumps Hartwell and takes out Gigi Miller for a bonus. In the back, Santino Marella ejects Blanchard from the building.

The Elegance Brand is happy with their win but the IInspiration comes in to yell a lot.

We recap Jacy Jayne vs. Masha Slamovich, title for title. The idea is Jayne is a huge underdog but that was the case when she won the NXT Women’s Title in the first place.

TNA Knockouts Title/NXT Women’s Title: Masha Slamovich vs. Jacy Jayne

Winner take all and the rest of Fatal Influence is here with Jayne. Slamovich sends her throat first into the ropes to start before taking out Jazmyn Nyx on the floor. Fallon Henley offers a bit of an assist though, with Slamovich going into the post. Back in and some knees to the back set up a chinlock from Jayne but Slamovich drops down onto her for the break.

Some running shots in the corner stagger Jayne for two and Slamovich drives her into another corner for the same. They go up top and Slamovich blocks a sunset bomb attempt. Jayne’s running knee gets two so the rest of the team gets on the apron. Jayne hits a belt shot for two but she misses a Cannonball in the corner. Slamovich’s running boot to the face connects but Fatal Influence gets up.

Here are Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee to even the score (this would have been a cooler moment if their names hadn’t been listed on Slamovich’s chyron at the beginning of the match) but the referee goes down. Slamovich hits the Snow Plow but there is no referee for the count, meaning the replacement referee gets a very delayed two. They trade rollups for two each before the Rolling Encore (discus forearm) makes Jayne a double champion at 12:38.

Rating: B-. It makes perfect sense, as there is something about having the unstoppable champion get stopped by someone in over their head. That’s something that has worked for years and it worked again here, with Jayne getting to look like a star again. Slamovich is going to be fine, though I’m not thrilled at the idea of Indi Hartwell as the possible Knockouts savior.

Naturally this is the darkest hour ever for TNA as Jayne is presented with the title.

Eric Young yells at the Northern Armory.

The company has set a new record for highest North American attendance. Nice job.

We recap the X-Division Title match. Leon Slater wants to become the youngest champion ever while Moose wants to become the longest reigning champion of all time. This has been set up for a few months now and it should be a good a good one.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Moose

Moose, with his old school theme, is defending. Slater slugs away to start but gets choke bombed out of the corner for two. They go outside with Slater’s hurricanrana being blocked but he’s able to send Moose into the steps. Back in and Slater can’t hit a torture rack bomb, instead being sent hard into the buckle.

The release Rock Bottom drops Slater again and they go to the apron. Another chokebomb is countered into a hurricanrana and a powerbomb is countered into another hurricanrana. Slater takes him out with a bit flip dive but the pop up powerbomb drops Slater inside. Slater’s clothesline doesn’t so much so Moose blasts him with a discus lariat. Back up and Slater gets in a hard clothesline of his own but Moose crotches him on top.

The spear gives Moose two but he misses another into the corner. Slater manages the torture rack slam into a spear of his own, followed by the Swanton 450 for two. A springboard is speared out of the air to send Slater outside, where he hits a Code Red. Back in and a Swanton into another Swanton 450 gives Slater the pin and the title at 15:27.

Rating: B. Good action with a good story and that’s all you can ask for most of the time. The idea here was Slater getting to win the big one and that has been set up for the last few months. Slater gets the big win on the major stage and that is the best possible outcome. Moose had held onto the title, but Slater sound up being different, which is the way it should have gone.

Post match Slater celebrates with his family before Moose puts the title on him in a rare show of respect. With Moose gone, AJ Styles comes out to an absolute hero’s welcome (with Slater running around in circles). Styles asks if TNA missed him and talks about his history here. He says Slater earned it and says people like Slater make Styles love this business. Styles lists off some great X-Division wrestlers and says the division is in good hands before announcing Slater as the new champion. That’s as awesome of a rub as you’ll get.

The Home Town Man is in the crowd.

We recap the four way ladder match for the Tag Team Titles. The idea here is that the Hardys aren’t sure if they have it anymore and need to prove themselves one more time. The other teams are basically window dressing.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Rascalz vs. First Class vs. Nemeths

The Nemeths are defending in a ladder match so they throw ladders in to start fast. The Hardys take one of them away and start to clean house, with every non-Hardy team being dropped. For some reason the Hardys go up at the same time, with Francis shoving it over for a crash onto the top rope.

Francis World’s Strongest Slams Reed onto the ladder but Navarro gets on Francis’ shoulders, allowing Wentz to hit something of a Doomsday dropkick. Francis gets crushed with a ladder and Reed hits his diving cutter to the floor. Wentz dives through a bridged ladder at ringside and Francis is pulled off the ladder so the Hardys can double team him down.

The Nemeths break it up and climb at the same time, with the Rascalz making the save this time. The big ladder is sat up and Francis climbs up for a moonsault down into a big crash. First Class goes up and are promptly shoved over for a crash onto the bridged ladders outside.

Jeff hits a Swanton onto the Rascalz on more bridged ladders but these don’t break (though the Rascalz might), so Jeff goes up and does it again. With nothing else working, Jeff grabs a remote control and a rope ladder drops down (because of course). The Nemeths go up and crash down, with the Hardys giving them stereo Twists of Fate with chairs around their necks. Jeff climbs up to get the titles at 16:46.

Rating: B-. They had some unique spots here, but there was a grand total of no reason for this to be a ladder match. It felt like they were doing one for the sake of giving the Hardys another moment, which has been done to death. We’re not that far removed from the Hardys’ most recent title win either, so it isn’t like this is some big impactful win.

Post match, here is Bully Ray of all people and I instantly do not like where this is going. Ray praises the Hardys and puts over their history together. He wants to do it one more time at Bound For Glory and the match seems to be made. For the life of me this makes my head hurt.

Santino Marella announces that Tessa Blanchard has been suspended indefinitely. With that out of the way, the Busted Open Radio hosts make their main event predictions, but Frankie Kazarian interrupts. Kazarian thinks he should be in the main event but instead he’ll sit at ringside for commentary.

We recap the main event. Joe Hendry lost the World Title to NXT’s Trick Williams. This sent a bunch of people into a quest to get the title back in TNA, with Hendry and Mike Santana getting their shot tonight.

TNA World Title: Joe Hendry vs. Mike Santana vs. Trick Williams

Williams is defending and Santana gets rapped to the ring. That’s not good enough for Williams, who has a Harlem gospel choir singing him to the ring. Williams runs his mouth to start so the other two beat him up for a trip out to the floor. Santana flips out of Hendry’s wristlock but Hendry wins an exchange of shoulders.

Spin The Block doesn’t work for Santana and Williams is back in to hammer away in the corner. Santana is sent outside and Williams gives Hendry a release Rock Bottom for two. Williams guillotines Hendry, who powers out with a suplex for the breather. Back in and Santana strikes away but Williams cuts off the Cannonball. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Hendry is back in for a powerbomb/Blockbuster combination.

Santana is sent outside and Hendry gives Williams the Standing Ovation, only for Kazarian to pull the referee out. Santana dives onto Williams but Hendry drives onto both of them. We pause for Williams to be helped up, leaving Santana to Cannonball Hendry. Back up and Hendry hits an AA into the Standing Ovation for two but Santana is back with a pair of Spin The Blocks. That’s enough for Williams to pop slide back in, dumb Santana, and steal the pin to retain at 13:16.

Rating: B-. It might not make sense, but I’m really not surprised. TNA has a tendency to have what feels like a layup for a big moment and then not deliver on it, which was the case again here. The match itself was fairly good, but I could go without seeing the “and then someone steals the win” finish to a triple threat for a long time. Odds are Williams loses the title in the main event of Bound For Glory, but dang that feels like a long way off.

Overall Rating: B-. The action was mostly good, but outside of Slater’s title win, this was a rough night to be a TNA fan. NXT is dominating the title picture right now and other than Slater, we’re heading for the Hardys vs. the Dudleys. It’s not a bad show, but dang they better have something to make the fans happy on the way to Bound For Glory, because that’s a long way off. Just give us something to be happy about, as otherwise it’s killing the mood.

Results
Elegance Brand b. IInspiration – Rarefied Air to Lee
Home Town Man b. Eric Young – Rollup
Real1/Zilla Fatu/Josh Bishop b. Steve Maclin/Jake Something/Mance Warner – Eat Defeat to Something
Mustafa Ali b. Cedric Alexander – 450
The System/Matt Cardona b. Darkstate – Boston Knee Party to Shugars
Indi Hartwell b. Tessa Blanchard – Hurts Donut
Jacy Jayne b. Masha Slamovich – Rolling Encore
Leon Slater b. Moose – Swanton 450
Hardys b. Nemeths, Rascalz and First Class – Jeff pulled down the titles
Trick Williams b. Joe Hendry and Mike Santana – Spin The Block to Hendry

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

Yes, somehow this was their best idea for a pay per view that month.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-wwe-fatal-4-way-review/

Summerslam 1989
Date: August 28, 1989
Location: Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 20,000
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jesse Ventura

It’s the second edition of the show and again the main event is a tag match featuring Hulk Hogan and his best friend of the moment. In this case it’s Brutus Beefcake, teaming with Hogan against Zeus and Randy Savage. Other than that, the big story is Ultimate Warrior challenging Rick Rude for the Intercontinental Title. Let’s get to it.

Commentary welcomes us to the show and hypes up the main event.

Opening video, which might as well be any weekly TV show, albeit with some people doing….I guess you could call them Summery things.

Brainbusters vs. Hart Foundation

The Busters’ (with Bobby Heenan) Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line because they won the titles after the contract was signed, which is kind of a stretch to put it mildly. Hart and Tully start things off and Ventura acknowledges how good these two are in the ring. Anderson comes in with a drop toehold but Hart is right back on the arm. A hammerlock slam has Anderson in more trouble and it’s off to Neidhart.

The Harts take turns working on the arm but Anderson gets over for the tag…which doesn’t count as Blanchard’s foot was on the bottom rope. That’s not something you see very often. Anderson kicks Hart away and brings Blanchard back in, only for Hart to catch his kick to the ribs. The Harts start in on Blanchard’s arm for a change and even change behind the referee’s back as the referee is arguing with Anderson.

Blanchard’s chops have no effect and it’s back to Hart to work on the arm as Ventura can’t believe how one sided this has been so far. Blanchard reverses into a top wristlock but Hart bridges up (that’s impressive) and then flips away when Anderson grabs a double top wristlock (that’s impressive too). The Busters are double armdragged to the floor and Heenan wants a conference.

That doesn’t work for Neidhart, who throws Blanchard back in for a slugout with Hart. Blanchard manages to make a blind tag to Anderson and Hart is knocked down, but a Vader Bomb misses. Everything breaks down and the Busters are knocked outside again. Back in and Blanchard is sent face first into Neidhart’s boot and everything breaks down again. Neidhart is sent chest first into the buckle and Anderson gets to talk some trash. Blanchard grabs a reverse chinlock until Neidhart powers up, only for Anderson to come back in off another blind tag.

Back up and Anderson and Neidhart collide for a double down. That’s enough for Neidhart to bring Hart back in to hammer on Blanchard in the corner. Everything breaks down and Hart collides with Blanchard. Neidhart powerslams Hart onto Blanchard but Heenan has the referee. Anderson hits a middle rope ax handle and covers (while covering his head so the referee can’t tell he’s the illegal man in a brilliant move) for the pin at 15:57.

Rating: B+. Awesome match to start the show here with two all time great teams having an excellent match. The idea here was that the Harts were the better team, at least on this night, but Heenan (and then Anderson) cheating at the end was enough to turn things around. This was about two teams who knew what they were doing getting the chance to showcase themselves and believe it or not, it worked great.

Dusty Rhodes, in a snazzy hat, is ready for his match against the Honky Tonk Man. He hasn’t been this excited since his first date with Sally Good. Honky Tonk Man has been saying that Rhodes can’t wrestle and it’s time to prove that wrong. Rhodes was clearly having a blast here.

Dusty Rhodes vs. Honky Tonk Man

Jimmy Hart is here with Honky Tonk Man. Believe it or not, there is some stalling to start with both of them dancing a bit. Rhodes backs him into the corner about a minute in and hits a backdrop but it’s way too early for the big elbow. Back in and Rhodes works on the arm before messing with Honky Tonk Man’s hair. The atomic drop sets up an elbow to the head as it’s all Rhodes thus far.

Rhodes cranks on the leg a bit but Honky Tonk Man gets out and fires off some right hands. That’s broken up so Hart tries a distraction, which fails miserably as Rhodes chases him off. The distraction does let Hart slip Honky Tonk Man the megaphone for a shot to the ribs and the villain takes over. Hart gets in a bit of choking (Ventura: “Don’t you just love him Tony?”) and we’re off to the chinlock.

This stays on for a LONG time, with Ventura getting in a rant about how Rhodes is one of those annoying wrestlers who gets inspiration from the fans. Rhodes finally fights up and slugs away, looking a good bit like Apollo Creed in the process. Honky Tonk Man sends him into the referee so he calls for the guitar. Hart hits Honky Tonk Man by mistake though and Rhodes drops the big elbow for the pin at 9:42.

Rating: C+. I remember not liking this match very much before but, aside from the LONG chinlock, it really is a lot of fun. Rhodes knows exactly how to play to the crowd and make something like this goofy fun. The dancing turned it into a funny enough comedy match and I liked it more than I did in previous viewings. Fun stuff.

Post match Honky Tonk Man talks about Priscilla and Lisa Marie. He has a concert to do so someone help him find the stage. Yeah he’s fine.

Demolition and Jim Duggan (who is the King, meaning he has an American flag, the crown, a Demolition mask and an American flag 2×4 with a crown of its own) are ready for the Twin Towers and Andre The Giant. They’ve been flipping cars over and now it’s King Demolition, because Duggan wants to break things. Duggan’s look was so insane that I had fun with this.

Red Rooster vs. Mr. Perfect

They shove each other to start until Rooster right hands him back. Rooster’s slam falls backwards though and Perfect hits a heck of a dropkick. Back up and Taylor sends him outside for the slugout. Back in and Perfect grabs a PerfectPlex for the win out of nowhere at 3:25. Rooster hurt his ankle/knee or something in there, hence the short match.

Rating: C. Yeah there’s only so much you can do here with so little time and Rooster getting hurt in the middle. They didn’t have a choice but to go home in a hurry and that’s the best option they had. At the same time, Perfect was on the ascension around this time and you would be seeing even more of him in the coming months.

Rick Rude promises to make Ultimate Warrior into the Ultimate Liar. Bobby Heenan promises to do whatever it takes to retain the title. This wasn’t the original version that aired, as the Summerslam sign originally fell down, causing Gene Okerlund to swear. The wrong tape was played live and Tony and Jesse were caught completely off guard. Instead, it’s just a generic heel promo.

Rockers/Tito Santana vs. Rick Martel/Rougeaus

Slick and Jimmy Hart are here with the villains and there is a lot of talent in this one. Santana wants to start with Martel but gets Jacques instead. Everything breaks down in a hurry, with Santana and the Rockers hitting dropkicks to send the other three outside. Back in and Jannetty punches Jacques out of the air but a superkick cuts him off. Jannetty fights back up and brings Santana in to face Martel, who bails outside (for some hair rubbing from Jacques).

They get back in and a shot to the knee takes Santana down. A double back elbow has Santana in more trouble, with Martel firing off some shoulders in the corner. Santana gets two off a quick sunset flip but Martel chokes him back down. It’s back to Raymond for the Boston crab before Jacques adds an abdominal stretch. The villains take turns switching without a tag and Ventura, of course, loves it. The chinlock goes on but Jacques eventually misses a running knee to Raymond.

Michaels comes in off the tag and the fans go NUTS as he cleans house. Jannetty gets backdropped onto Martel and Jacques elbows Martel by mistake. Everything breaks down and Santana forearms Martel out to the floor. The Rockers and Rougeaus brawl on the floor and Hart offers a distraction, allowing Jacques to knee Jannetty in the back. Jannetty reverses that as well but Martel gets in a cheap shot and steals the pin on Jannetty at 14:58.

Rating: B+. This was an absolute hidden gem, with everyone involved working hard with a hot finish. The fact that I’ve seen the match multiple times and was genuinely expecting Jannetty to get the pin before the last second save tells you a lot about how good this was. You had some outstanding talent in there and they had a killer match here.

Long recap of Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude. Warrior lost the Intercontinental Title to Rude at Wrestlemania thanks to some cheating from Bobby Heenan so Warrior wants revenge. Rude attacked him early, with Andre the Giant playing security but not realizing that Warrior fought back. Later on, Warrior jumped Rude and beat him up for a change, only for Rude and Andre to beat Warrior up a few weeks later in quite the scary visual.

Warrior shouts a lot about the eighth wonder of the world and eating Rick Rude alive.

Intercontinental Title: Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior

Rude, with Bobby Heenan, is defending. They circle each other to start with Rude realizing that he might be in trouble. Rude slugs away to no avail so Warrior clotheslines him out to the apron. Warrior knocks him to the floor, sending Ventura into a rant about how none of this is legal and how Schiavone is dumber than Gorilla Monsoon. Back in and Warrior hits a top rope ax handle for two.

The atomic drop gives us the required funny sell from Rude, with Warrior doing his own hip swivel. Rude gets in a cheap shot to the back and starts hammering away, setting up a suplex for two. We hit the reverse chinlock to stay on the bad ribs but Warrior is fine enough to block the Rude Awakening. Rude tries a sleeper instead, with Warrior countering but taking out the referee by mistake. Warrior hammers away and hits a powerslam but there is still no referee.

A piledriver gets a VERY delayed two thanks to the foot on the ropes. Warrior hits another running powerslam but the splash hits raised knees. Rude is back up with a piledriver of his own (though he knees forward like a Tombstone for a weird twist) for two of his own and he drops a top rope fist for the same.

Cue Roddy Piper (already having issues with Rude) as Rude hits another piledriver for two more (geez and I thought AEW killed that move)…and Piper distracts Rude by lifting up his kilt. Warrior German suplexes him off the middle rope and hits a flying shoulder into the gorilla press and Warrior Splash for the title at 16:03.

Rating: B-. While it’s not quite as good as the Wrestlemania version, this was another good match from two guys who certainly worked well together. That’s all it needed to be, with Warrior getting the title back on the way to his main event push. Rude didn’t feel like a flash in the pan and got a lout out of being champion, with what feels like an awesome feud against Piper coming up.

Sean Mooney is in the crowd and thinks this is awesome, even as Ventura rants about Piper.

Mr. Perfect calls the Red Rooster a stepping stone.

Roddy Piper laughs at Bobby Heenan’s loss and blows his nose before praising the Ultimate Warrior. OF COURSE he cost Rude the title. Why would you have expected anything else?

Ronnie Garvin, in a tuxedo, says he has a special assignment tonight but Bobby Heenan comes in to rant about how Piper had NO REASON to be at ringside. Rick Rude comes in and does NOT like being called the former champion. Rude rants about Piper and promises to be the champion again. Heenan wants the match started again and can’t even speak from being so upset.

We get a five minute intermission, thankfully cut out on Peacock.

We get a recap of Hulk Hogan vs. Zeus, which started back in May when Zeus beat him down before a cage match on Saturday Night’s Main Event. The idea was that Zeus was the villain in the movie No Holds Barred but wants a real life fight. Naturally he’s called Zeus (the character’s name) rather than anything else, because Hogan, real person, is fighting Zeus, the movie character. Maybe it’s better if you don’t think about it too much. Anyway Hogan hit Zeus with a chair to no effect but maybe he can make it work in a tag match.

Demolition/Jim Duggan vs. Twin Towers/Andre The Giant

Bobby Heenan and Slick are here with the heels (Big Boss Man and Akeem as the Towers if you’re not familiar). Duggan even has the American flag face paint in case the other four things weren’t enough. Demolition work on Akeem’s arm to start and pound him down as they are known to do. Ax elbows Akeem down but it’s quickly off to the Boss Man, who gets chopped in the head.

It’s back to Ax to hammer away but Boss Man manages a few shots of his own in the corner. Duggan comes in to start on the arm but Ax allows the tag to Andre, meaning it’s time for the real beating to begin. That’s broken up rather quickly and it’s off to Smash, who (rather easily) slams Akeem, only to get dropped by a single shot from Andre. The splash connects but Duggan blasts Akeem with the 2×4 to give Smash the pin at 7:29.

Rating: B-. I’ve long since been a Demolition fan and this was a good example of why. There was something so fun about watching them hammer people down, as they lived up to the idea of demolishing them. Good effort here, even if it was clear that Andre’s body was breaking down in a hurry.

Ted DiBiase, with Virgil, is ready to beat Jimmy Snuka.

Greg Valentine vs. Hercules

Ronnie Garvin is guest ring announcer, having been suspended as a wrestler and referee, and doesn’t think much of Valentine. Garvin introduces Valentine as “his so called opponent” with a pipsqueak of a manager named Jimmy Hart, who claims to be from Seattle, Washington and who Garvin thinks is overweight by about 30lbs. Oh and his robe is covered with cheap rhinestones and you can’t tell if he’s coming or going.

Hercules slugs away to start and knocks Valentine to the floor, including a beating in the timekeeper’s area. Back in and Valentine slugs him down but the figure four is broken up. A suplex goes to Hercules and he hammers away in the corner, only for Valentine to sweep the legs and get a cheating rollup for the pin at 3:04.

Rating: C. Despite my eternal dislike of Garvin, the feud with Valentine was funny and if he could have done a better series of insults to start, it would have been even better. The match itself was nothing, but dang it was funny watching Valentine getting angrier and angrier at Garvin. Fun stuff here, with the match being an afterthought.

And hang on as Garvin calls Hercules the winner, and after some consultation, Hercules is indeed named the winner by DQ. Valentine decks Garvin and slugs it out with Hercules but Garvin gets up and drops Valentine with the big right hand.

Randy Savage, Sherri and Zeus are around a cauldron and promise to destroy Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake. Sherri sees Hogan and Beefcake defeated and Savage sees…uh, the same thing. Oh and Elizabeth will be destroyed too. This is still one of the weirdest promos I’ve ever seen.

Ted DiBiase vs. Jimmy Snuka

Virgil is here with DiBiase, who brags about ending Jake Roberts’ career. DiBiase jumps him to start but Snuka fights back for a knock out tot he floor. Virgil gets decked as well and an atomic drop sends DiBiase over the floor (with one of his always great bumps). Back in and DiBiase shrugs off a ram into the buckle and hammers Snuka into the corner.

Snuka fights back until he charges into a hot shot, followed by a backbreaker. The falling elbow misses though and Snuka hits a top rope headbutt. Instead of covering he goes up though, allowing Virgil to offer a distraction. DiBiase is back up with a posting for the countout at 6:26.

Rating: C. Not much to this one, as it was little more than a midcard match between two guys who weren’t as big as they used to be. It seemed like more of a filler match to get us to the main event, which isn’t a great sign for someone who headlined this show last year. Not bad, but you could cut this from the card and not lose a thing.

Post match Snuka jumps both villains and hits the Superfly Splash on Virgil.

Sean Mooney is still in the crowd and still doesn’t have much to say.

Hulk hogan and Brutus Beefcake talk about….Moses and the parting of the Red Sea? Brutus talks about the sharpness of his blades and Hogan talks about some sexy legs wrapped around his motorcycle. Somehow, less weird than the cauldron. Not much less, but less.

The Genius reads a poem about Hogan and Beefcake losing because they don’t have the cards.

Randy Savage/Zeus vs. Hulk Hogan/Brutus Beefcake

Sherri is here with Savage and Zeus so Hogan has Miss Elizabeth introduced, freaking Savage out all over again. With that out of the way, Zeus chokes Hogan down to start and grabs the bearhug, with Savage adding a top rope ax handle to the back. Savage grabs a sleeper before it’s back to Zeus for the bearhug.

That stays on for a good while until it’s back to Savage, who gets suplexed down. It’s finally off to Beefcake for the running knee and a sleeper but Savage sends him into the buckle. Zeus comes back in so beefcake rakes his eyes and grabs the sleeper again. Sherri slips in the loaded purse though and Savage gets in the big cheap shot. The slow beating ensues with both villains getting in some choking.

Beefcake finally gets in a shot of his own though and it’s back to Hogan, who boots Savage to the floor. Zeus drops Hogan again so Savage comes in for the elbow….and Hogan pops up. Hogan slugs away on Zeus and a clothesline finally puts him down on one knee. Sherri tries to come in but Elizabeth shoves her in. Beefcake shoves Savage, with the purse, off the top. The loaded purse to the face rocks Zeus and Hogan slam him down. The legdrop finishes for Hogan at 15:12.

Rating: C. Maybe it’s the lack of Jesse Ventura as the referee, or a monster who knew what he was doing in the ring (not Zeus’ fault) but this falls pretty far from last year’s similar main event. I kept losing interest in this one and that’s not a good sign for the main event. If nothing else, it didn’t feel like some big blowoff, even with Hogan getting the pin on Zeus. Not much of a main event here, but to be fair they only had three wrestlers doing the work of four.

Post match Hogan and Beefcake hold them off with the sheers and CUT SHERRI’S HAIR. Posing ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show starts off great and then kind of sputters out near the end, but I had a lot more fun this time around than I was expecting. That was a nice surprise and at just over two and a half hours, it certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome. That first six man is more than worth a look and the opener is a genuine dream match from this era. It’s not an all timer, but it would have been very close with a better main event.

Ratings Comparison

Original: B+
2013 Redo: B
2025 Redo: B+

Honky Tonk Man vs. Dusty Rhodes

Original: F
2013 Redo: D-
2025 Redo: C+

Mr. Perfect vs. Red Rooster

Original: C+
2013 Redo: D
2025 Redo: C

Rick Martel/Fabulous Rougeaus vs. Tito Santana/Rockers

Original: B+
2013 Redo: B
2025 Redo: B+

Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude

Original: A-
2013 Redo: B
2025 Redo: B-

Jim Duggan/Demolition vs. Andre the Giant/Twin Towers

Original: C+
2013 Redo: C
2025 Redo: B-

Hercules vs. Greg Valentine

Original: F-
2013 Redo: D
2025 Redo: C

Ted DiBiase vs. Jimmy Snuka

Original: D
2013 Redo: D
2025 Redo: C

Hulk Hogan/Brutus Beefcake vs. Randy Savage/Zeus

Original: B-
2013 Redo: D+
2025 Redo: C

Overall Rating

Original: B-
2013 Redo: C+
2025 Redo B

Yeah it’s better than I said, especially Rhodes vs. Honky Tonk Man.

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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