Pro Wrestling Superstars: Toronto
Date: April 14, 2012
Location: Doubletree By Hilton, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Bill Apter, Ken Tuccio, JJ Dillon, Tommy Dreamer, Shane Douglas

So back during the pandemic, Highspots had a crazy sale on its DVDs and digital downloads and I picked up a ton of them. Since I take forever to get to them, it’s been a bit since I’ve done one of these but here we go anyway. This is basically just a legends/independent show with whatever random lineup happens to be around (at the WrestleReunion convention), meaning you could expect anything here. Let’s get to it.

Host/boss Sal Corrente brings out Howard Finkel as a special surprise. Fink puts over the convention and Toronto and hopes the fans have a good time. It’s weird hearing him just talking instead of making some kind of announcement.

Michael Elgin vs. El Generico

Commentary sums up Generico’s entrance by saying if you don’t like it, you don’t like things that are fun. The much bigger Elgin powers Generico around to start and then shoulders him down without much effort. A leg lariat sends Elgin into the corner though and a Sami Zayn Helluva Kick connects. Generico tries another but gets elbowed in the face, only to get taken down by a hurricanrana to the floor. The dive is teased but Generico backflips into the middle before hammering away in the corner.

Generico’s high crossbody is pulled out of the air though and a powerslam gets two. Back up and Generico hits some clotheslines to limited success but a dropkick works a bit better. Now the big running flip dive can take Elgin down again but he’s right back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Generico two, only for Elgin to muscle him up for some kind of reverse implant DDT. Elgin charges into the suplex into the corner though and another Helluva Kick into the brainbuster finishes for Generico at 7:55.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match that is always going to work, with two talented guys working a power vs. speed style. There is something about watching an underdog like Generico fight back against a monster like Elgin and it worked well again. It helps that there are no stakes and you can pretty much do whatever, but they kept it straight here with a perfectly fine wrestling match.

Tito Santana vs. Shawn Spears

Rick Martel (there’s someone you don’t see very often) and Jimmy Hart are here as well. They fight over a lockup to start and Santana backs him into the corner, where Spears claims a pull of the trunks (as a heel often does). Spears backs him up against the ropes for a change and we get an ARRIBA off (the fans go with Santana on that one). Dillon talks about having no memory of EVER cheating as a manager and knows Hart wouldn’t either. Heels have to stick together man.

Santana headlocks him to the ground and Spears needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Santana runs him over with a shoulder as commentary talks about the 32 year old Spears like he’s about 14. Spears goes to the eyes in the corner to take over (Dillon missed it believe it or not) and stomps away, setting up the chinlock.

Back up and Santana charges into a knee in the corner so Spears can get his feet on the ropes (Dillon: “I missed that again.”) for two. The chinlock goes on again as Apter thinks there should be two referees in matches. Spears misses a top rope splash so Santana loads up the forearm, only for Hart to trip him up. Martel chases Hart off (Spears: “WHERE YOU GOING?”), leaving Santana to grab a small package for the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C. Again, this isn’t a show where the quality of the match is worth much, but for a match between a mostly unproven Spears and a mostly over the hill Santana, this was perfectly watchable. Dillon as a classic heel commentator was fine, with some of his stories being more interesting than the match itself. For a match with no story and a pretty random pairing, this went just fine.

Adam Page/Asylum vs. Rhett Titus/Caleb Konley vs. Super Smash Bros vs. Grizzly Redwood/Jake Manning

Page is better known as Hangman, Asylum would go on to VERY minor fame as Stone Rockwell in TNA, Titus and Konley (with Leah Von Dutch) were independent stars for a long time, the Smash Bros are the Dark Order (Evil Uno/Player Uno and Stu Grayson/Player Dos) and Redwood is a lumberjack while Manning is an adult scout (the Manscout). Got all that? Eh probably as it isn’t that complicated.

Redwood and Page start things off and go to the mat as Tuccio talks about eating lunch with Redwood today. Apparently Redwood ate a tree he had cut down earlier. That’s quite the level of efficiency. Neither can get anywhere so Titus comes in to face Page, who hands it off to Konley. They stomp the mat a lot and try to tag out, only for the other six to drop to the floor.

Titus drops down so Konley can cover him, with commentary saying it was like 1998 with Hulk Hogan. First of all, that was in 1999 and second of all, the better choice, from the same era, would be the New Age Outlaws who did it in a multi-team match. Asylum comes in to take over on Titus before both Bros come in to do the same. A fist drop/standing moonsault combination gets two on Titus and the Bros stop to pose, with Tuccio not being impressed.

Titus finally drives Dos into the ropes for the tag to Konley, who gets taken down by Uno just as quickly. Manning comes in with a dropkick to the knee so Redwood can add a running bulldog for two. Redwood gets sent face first into the corner though and a pull on the suspenders keeps him in trouble. A rather hard backsplash gives Konley two and Redwood almost gets dropped on his head with a release German suplex.

Konley’s top rope ax handle gets two and we hit the cravate. A catapult into the ropes gets two more and Titus puts on a bodyscissors. That’s broken up and the tag brings in Uno to clean house. Everything breaks down and Dos hits a high crossbody on Asylum before Manning feeds Dos over to a slingshot spear from Redwood. Page chops away at Manning and gets two off a powerslam but Asylum comes in with a double underhook into a neckbreaker (that was cool) to send Dos outside.

Konley and Titus take Asylum out though until Page hits a shooting star (or most of one) from the apron onto a pile. Uno hits a dive of his own before Dos hits a corkscrew dive onto just about everyone else. Back in and what would become known as the Fatality finishes Konley to give Dos the pin at 13:26.

Rating: B. This was the “get a bunch of people on the card” match and my goodness it’s weird to see a lot of these people being such young stars. You could see that there was talent here, but only Page would go on to become a major star. It was certainly a fun match though and a nice change of pace after the previous one. It’s nothing great or groundbreaking, but it did exactly what it was supposed to do.

Gene Okerlund is brought out and a special guest: Roddy Piper. Yeah that works. We get quite the PIPER chant and says he was supposed to face Terry Funk here but thank goodness he’s not here. Instead, Piper was trying to think of something fun for these guys, because there isn’t much of a place for wrestlers to get experience. There’s really only WWE, which makes him spit.

These wrestlers are talented, so let’s let one of those young wrestlers come out here and talk to someone. A fan shouts something that I can’t understand and it makes Piper laugh. For now though, Piper invites someone down for a Piper’s Pit, so here is Caleb Konley (as Piper had requested someone from the previous match). The fans call Konley a metrosexual and Piper says Konley is doing great so far.

Piper points out that he doesn’t know much about Konley but he hands Konley the mic and tells him to see what he can do. Konley talks about how he has looked up to Piper since he was a kid and he hated Piper’s guts. Then he realized that he likes that feeling because he’s prettier than everyone else out here.

The fans’ wives and girlfriends can attest to that and they aren’t pleased. Konley asks Piper something but Piper says the rule is to never let go of the microphone. Piper wants Konley to introduce the next guest and he whispers a name in his ear. If Konley screws this up, Piper promises a clubbing. Konley introduces….BRUNO SAMMARTINO!

Piper says Sammartino still scares him and lets Konley handle the interview, with the threat of that clubbing still being a very real thing. After some basic biography questions (the fans aren’t happy), Piper whispers something to Konley, who says he thinks he can bench press more than Sammartino. Konley: “LOOK AT HIM!” Piper suggests asking Sammartino how much he has benched, which would be a then world record of 565lbs. Piper takes the mic (Konley broke the rule) and asks about Sammartino’s other record, which was benching 335lbs 38 times.

Piper wants a LEGEND chant and Konley again says he could beat Sammartino. Believe it or not, Sammartino doesn’t seem impressed and lists off the rather intense exercise regimen he still follows. With Sammartino holding Konley’s wrist, he says if Konley tries something, he’ll teach him a lesson. Piper asks Konley who he is and what he’s famous for doing. Konley: “Getting chicks!” Piper: “Maybe you should try wrestling because you lost the match.”

Piper talks about how he was treated when he started out and slaps Konley, demanding he slap back. Konley does as he’s told and then gets slapped out to the floor, with Piper saying WIN NEXT TIME. Piper says Sammartino is a legend to wrap it up. Konley went on to have a decent career, but this was probably his biggest moment ever. He did fine, but how do you stand out with those two around you?

Dave Finlay vs. Harry Smith

Finlay is of course better known as Finlay and Smith is Davey Boy Smith Jr., complete with his old Hart Dynasty theme. Feeling out process to start with Finlay taking him into the corner by the leg and then putting it on the mat, with Dreamer going into some actual analysis. Smith reverses into a kneebar into the ropes but we pause for Finlay to invite a rather passionate fan (apparently even commentary knows her by name) to be the new Hornswoggle under the ring. Said fan gets in the ring and dances with Finlay for a bit (the interlocking arm deal he did with Hornswoggle) in a nice moment.

We settle down to Finlay headlocking Smith and taking him to the mat as Dreamer talks about working out with Nikita Koloff earlier today (cool enough). Smith reverses into an armbar, which is reversed into a leglock as the match is mostly being ignored as Apter is basically interviewing Dreamer.

Apter points out that the WWE fans would probably be calling a match like this boring, though to be fair it’s a match on an independent show rather than Raw or Smackdown. It’s not supposed to be the same kind of thing, though Apter probably isn’t wrong. Smith grinds away on a headlock before being sent outside in a heap. Finlay gets in a quick shot as Smith is trying to get back in and there’s a loud ram into the post. The countout doesn’t work for Finlay so he jumps Smith on the floor and hammers away back inside.

The double arm crank goes on as we talk about how attractive Diana Smith has stayed over the years. They move on to this new thing called “social media”, which is quite the easy way to keep in touch with wrestlers and fans. Smith is sent outside again but manages to get his foot up to block a splash. Back up and Smith makes the clothesline comeback, followed by a superkick. The threat of a Sharpshooter sends Finlay to the ropes so Smith grabs the running powerslam for the pin at 13:57.

Rating: B-. Good enough stuff here, with a more traditional wrestling match to slow things down a bit. I’m sure Finlay was happy with putting over the son of a legend of British wrestling, especially with only about eight months left in his active career. Finlay could more than go at this point and he made Smith look good here, with that powerslam being a nice way to go.

Vader vs. Necro Butcher

This is….well it’s certainly a thing. Vader throws some chairs in the ring and even Butcher bails from that kind of violence. They get inside, where Vader yells at the fans and then powers Butcher into the corner for the big punches. Some hard clotheslines put Butcher down a few times and Vader pummels away in the corner.

A rake to the eyes gives Butcher an opening and he kicks away in the corner, which seems to annoy Vader more than anything else. Vader comes out of the corner with that running body block of his, setting up a Fujiwara armbar. A chokeslam plants Butcher before a Vader Bomb and another chokeslam put him away at 5:49.

Rating: C-. This was more or less an extended squash for Vader, as Butcher only got in a little bit in one corner. At the same time, it was just Butcher doing a regular match, which isn’t the best way to go. Not much to see here, with Vader getting to do his usual stuff and nothing really beyond that for the whole match.

Gene Okerlund introduces our next match.

Dominic DeNucci/Shane Douglas vs. Lord Zoltan/Shawn Blanchard

JJ Dillon is here too. DeNucci is a legend in his own right but is better known for training Mick Foley and Douglas himself. Zoltan is a mainstay of Pittsburgh wrestling and has some Danhausen style face paint. Before the match, Douglas grabs the mic and says some people have been asking for some shoot comments. He talks about Dillon (in a SWEET Four Horsemen jacket) and insults his association with Ric Flair before bringing out someone to be in his own corner: Bruno Sammartino.

Douglas takes Blanchard (I’m assuming he’s related to Tully in some way) into the corner to start and hands it off to DeNucci for some chops against the ropes. Douglas comes back in and tells Blanchard to get up but gets taken into the wrong corner for a front facelock. Dillon gets in some choking from the floor but Douglas fights up and cleans house. That’s broken up so DeNucci comes in for the save as everything breaks down. A low blow to Zoltan sets up the belly to belly to give Douglas the pin on Blanchard at 4:50.

Rating: C-. This was a good example of “yeah what were you expecting?”. You’re only going to get so far with something like this and the point wasn’t in having an exciting match. DeNucci was 80 years old here (yes it was his last match) and this was really just a way to have the Pittsburgh guys together. Not a good match, but seeing DeNucci and Sammartino out there was fun.

NCW Femme Fatales International Title: Kalamity vs. LuFisto

Kalamity is defending and this is from Northern Championship Wrestling, a Canadian company still around today. LuFisto is billed from “Montreal, Japan” (Apter: “Montreal…Japan?”) in what I’m assuming is a misprint. The bigger Kalamity backs her into the corner to start and we go to a standoff. They trade some slaps and armdrags before going head to head. Some kicks to the legs don’t get either anywhere so LuFisto trips her down and ties up the leg for a bit.

Back up and Kalamity kicks her down for a change, setting up some running knees to the back on the ropes. The half crab keeps LuFisto down but she fights out and pulls Kalamity into a Downward Spiral into the buckle. A middle rope dropkick gets two on Kalamity and a headscissors keeps her down. Back up and Kalamity crushes her in the corner, followed by a running forearm to the chest for another near fall.

A double clothesline gives us a double knockdown before LuFisto hits a running dropkick against the ropes. The cannonball and running boot to the face get a slightly delayed two on Kalamity but she runs LuFisto over again. LuFisto fights out of a superplex attempt and hits a top rope double stomp in the Tree Of Woe.

A nice spear drops Kalamity and LuFisto grabs something like a guillotine. That’s broken up as well and they kick each other in the face (geez) with LuFisto getting the better of things. Some rollups give LuFisto two and a German suplex into a spinning back elbow drops Kalamity again. A top rope headbutt misses though and Kalamity grabs a fisherman’s driver for the pin at 13:33.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match and easily the best one on the show so far. I’ve never seen Kalamity before but she had some size and knew how to use it. LuFisto was more than handling her own and fighting against the power. Good match here, and keep in mind that this was before the Women’s Revolution, making this even more of a total hidden gem.

Roderick Strong vs. Jushin Thunder Liger

Sweet goodness Liger’s music is great. Liger takes him to the mat to start but gets pulled into a leglock. That’s broken up for a standoff until Liger grabs a surfboard and rocks Strong back and forth for a bit. Liger ties up various limbs on the mat until Strong makes the rope and goes old school with a spinning toehold. Back up and Strong’s chops don’t do much as Liger sends him to the floor for a dropkick through the ropes.

Strong is back up and strikes away in the corner, setting up a suplex to put Liger down for a change. The waistlock stays on the ribs for a good while as Liger is in trouble. Back up and Strong misses a charge in the corner, allowing Liger to get in a German suplex. Another surfboard goes on, with Strong having to get over to the ropes. A belly to back side slam gives Strong two and it’s an Angle Slam into the Stronghold.

Liger gets out and they strike away until Strong grabs a fireman’s carry gutbuster. Back up and some running palm strikes rock Strong and a superplex gives Liger two. The Liger Bomb gets two more and a frog splash is good for another near fall. Strong knees him in the face though and a torture rack into the backbreaker gets two more. A tiger bomb finally finishes Liger at 15:35.

Rating: B. Another good match here with Strong getting a big win over a prominent name. Strong was already a big deal on the independent circuit and in Ring Of Honor but beating someone like Liger is still a feat. At the same time, Liger isn’t someone who needs to go over in any match as he’s been a legend for so long and is just so likable no matter what he does. The fact that they had a good match made it even better.

Respect is shown post match.

Raven/CW Anderson vs. Rhino/Tommy Dreamer

Believe it or not, this is indeed under Extreme Rules. Dreamer and Raven start things off, with the fans wanting blood. They circle each other but Raven brings Anderson in rather than fighting, because he’s smart like that. Both of them miss clotheslines and we have a standoff, as this is going a bit more slowly than you might have expected. Dreamer can’t get the sunset flip but Anderson can get the basement dropkick for the first good shot.

Back up and Dreamer hands it off to Rhino, which has Raven giving advice in the corner. A clothesline puts Anderson down and it’s back to Dreamer for a running elbow. Anderson gets in a left hand though and NOW Raven is willing to come in, as you might have expected. Some knees to the face keep Dreamer down and it’s back to Anderson for the reverse chinlock. Dreamer manages to send him into the corner though and it’s Rhino coming in to clean house. Raven breaks up the Gore and crotches Rhino on the post and the double stomping is on.

Commentary reminds us that this is an extreme rules match, despite nothing being extreme thus far. Dreamer teases the DDT on Anderson but stops to glare at Raven, who goes outside and heads up the aisle. Raven gets tossed back inside and Dreamer hammers away, with both of them going to the floor again. The fight goes into the crowd as things finally wake up a bit. Dreamer rings the bell low on Anderson before slugging at Raven back inside.

The DDT gets two on Raven so it’s time for a chair and table. Naturally that takes too long so Raven sends Dreamer into the chair for two, only to get Gored by Rhino (hey he’s still in this). Anderson’s spinebuster gets two on Rhino and the table is set up in the corner. That takes too long and the Death Valley driver through said table gives Dreamer the pin at 12:08.

Rating: C. This was an ECW match almost in name only, as they barely did anything with the weapons. You had the table in the end, because they had to get one of those in, but other than that it was just a bunch of guys doing basic stuff because it was about all they could do. Dreamer vs. Raven is a famous feud, but this was all they had?

Dreamer and Rhino leave so Raven yells at Anderson, who gives him a superkick. Then Anderson leaves and Raven stands there for a long time. He finally says Toronto sucks to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B-. This is a show where the quality isn’t the point, but rather how much fun you have with the thing. It’s a bunch of thrown together matches with a variety of generations coming together to make the whole thing work. I had a good time watching it with no expectations, plus a few good matches to make it that much better. Throw in Bruno Sammartino and Roddy Piper in the same ring and it was hard to not have fun.

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: March 18, 2025
Location: Capital Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re done with Roadblock and that means it is time to get ready for Stand & Deliver. That should make for some big matches on the way there, as we can find out what we should expect on the show. As for tonight though, we have NXT Underground with Trick Williams hopefully blowing off his feud with Eddy Thorpe. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long Roadblock recap.

Women’s US Title: Chelsea Green vs. Sol Ruca

Green, with Piper Niven and Alba Fyre, is defending while Ruca has Zaria with her. Ruca starts fast with an armbar and handstands her way out of a headscissors. An X Factor gets two on Green but she’s back up with a hard whip into the corner. Back up and Ruca faceplants her down, setting up the surfing on Green’s back. That earns her another knockdown though and we take a break with Ruca in trouble.

We come back with Green taking out the knee but Ruca wins a slugout. The knee gives out on a springboard attempt though and Green gets two off a Rough Ryder. Green gets caught on top and Ruca manages a cartwheel DDT, setting up a big dive to the floor. Back in and Green’s Codebreaker connects but she has to break up the Sol Snatcher. The Unprettier retains the title at 9:49.

Rating: C+. This was a nice way to start things off as Green comes back to NXT and breaks a bit of a sweat against a popular star in Ruca. That’s all this needed to be as Green continues to be entertaining no matter what she is doing. It was a good opening match with Ruca hanging in there before going down in defeat.

Je’Von Evans suggests that he and Trick Williams are friends and partners but Williams doesn’t want to hear it. Lexis King comes in to run his mouth and gets punched for his efforts.

The D’Angelo Family is ready to get Tony D’Angelo’s title back, but tonight D’Angelo is staying in the back while the rest of the team gets some revenge.

Here is Stephanie Vaquer for a chat after becoming a double champion last week. She says this is difficult for her because English isn’t her first language. Wrestling is her first language and she proved it last week against one of the best. Now she is ready for her first challenger and here is Jordynne Grace to interrupt. Grace says Vaquer is a trailblazer but she isn’t the only one who won last week. Cue Jaida Parker to jump Grace from behind, saying the line starts behind her. Vaquer should enjoy her time as double champion while she can, because Parker is coming for the title.

Hank And Tank fire each other up.

Hank And Tank vs. Yoshiki Inamura/Josh Briggs

It’s a brawl before the bell and Briggs clotheslines Hank down, setting up a chokeslam for two. Inamura comes in to strike away on Tank in the corner and everything breaks down again. Everyone heads outside before Inamura gives Tank a spinning slam back inside. Briggs’ big boot gets two but Tank manages a knockdown and hands it back to Hank. House is quickly cleaned but Tank misses a Swanton. Inamura’s top rope splash is good for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C+. Inamura and Briggs are a tam who need wins like this, as they have been presented in a weird way. For some reason they have done just about everything but win a bunch of regular tag matches. This isn’t the big breakthrough win but it’s better than having the team all over the place week to week.

Eddy Thorpe comes into the locker room and talks to Ridge Holland, with the two of them talking about how no one will accept them no matter what they do.

D’Angelo Family vs. The Culling

It’s a brawl on the floor to start and we settle to Riz taking Dame into the corner and hitting a high crossbody. Stacks comes in to clothesline Vance, who powers him out tot he floor. The distraction lets Dame deck Riz but Stacks is back in with a springboard forearm to Vance. Everyone winds up on the floor for the string of dives with the Family taking over as we take a break.

Back with Jensen chopping at Stacks and hitting a top rope bulldog for two. Vance grabs a chinlock until Stacks kicks his way to freedom. The women brawl again as the tag brings in Crusifino to clean house. The Shatter Machine connects….and we cut to the back, where Tony D’Angelo is attacked by the mysterious group. That’s enough of a distraction for Vance to give Stacks the reverse Death Valley Driver for the pin at 10:30.

Rating: C+. This was an energetic match at times, with the women getting in multiple brawls to keep things going. At the same time, you had the ending as a way to keep the Culling strong and protect the Family as well. It was a good way to go, with the Culling continuing to rise up the ranks, especially Vance, who got to show himself off a bit.

Ava makes Jaida Parker vs. Stephanie Vaquer for the Women’s Title next week. Works for Vaquer, so here is Fallon Henley to say she wants her own title shot. Ava throws her out because Vaquer is already busy.

Jacy Jayne vs. Karmen Petrovic

The rest of Fatal Influence and Ashante Thee Adonis are here too. Petrovic kicks her down to start and hits a basement clothesline. A basement dropkick gets two but Jayne is back with a kick to the face. The Cannonball gives Jayne two and she grabs the chinlock to keep Petrovic down. That’s broken up so Adonis throws in a chair, which the referee cuts off. Back up and Jayne catches Petrovic with a discus forearm for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C. I still don’t get the point of Petrovic and Adonis and they aren’t exactly making things that much more interesting. Other than that, it was nice to see Jayne getting a win, though I’m not sure what is supposed to be next for Fatal Influence. In theory it should be Henley getting her rematch, but after that it could go in a few ways. I’m just not sure how interesting that would be.

Hank And Tank are annoyed at their loss so here are Wes Lee, Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont to mock them.

Jaida Parker is ready to win next week. Ashante Thee Adonis and Karmen Petrovic can be seen fighting in the back.

Ricky Saints vs. Ridge Holland

They grapple up against the ropes to start before Holland hits some uppercuts. Saints is right back with a dropkick but Holland suplexes him right back. Saints’ elbow in the corner connects, only for Holland to pull him off the middle buckle. Holland tosses him outside and we take a break.

Back with Holland working on the back, including an over the shoulder backbreaker. That’s broken up and Saints sends him outside for a ram into the apron. Back in and a tornado DDT plants Holland again, setting up the Roshambo (minus the running part) to give Saints the pin at 12:32.

Rating: C+. They had to start Saints’ singles career somewhere and beating someone with Holland’s status is a good way to go. Saints is someone who could turn into something big around here, though it might take some time for that to happen. At least he got his first singles win, as he is at least getting somewhere.

The mystery group talks about how they weren’t given a chance and now it’s time for them to do something about it. Their name seems to be Dark State.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Stephanie Vaquer defending both of her titles (Women’s Title against Jaida Parker and Women’s Norther American Title against Fallon Henley).

Ricky Saints is happy about his win and is ready for Stand & Deliver…but the Culling interrupts. Trash talk ensues, but Saints makes it clear to Izzi Dame that he measures up in all the right places. A quick stare at Shawn Spears sends the culling leaving.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Trick Williams

NXT Underground, meaning no ropes and you only win via submission or knockout. Thorpe takes him to the mat to start and they start the brawling before heading outside. Williams whips Thorpe into the steps but misses the Trick Shot back inside. Instead Thorpe knocks him down and goes outside again for a belly to back suplex through the announcers’ table. Back in and Thorpe grabs a triangle choke but Williams powerbombs him onto the Evolve wrestlers outside. They get back inside again, where Williams hammers away until the referee stops it at 3:54.

Rating: C. Where’s the rest of this? The match was built up for weeks and then it doesn’t even go four minutes. That’s a weird way to go and I’m not sure what purpose it really served. I get the idea of having the match be more realistic as they were being so violent, but it still felt underwhelming.

Post match Trick Williams calls out and receives Oba Femi. Then the lights go out and Dark State is here, with Je’Von Evans and the Evolve wrestlers coming in to help with the fight. Evans hits a cutter on Femi and stands tall with Williams as Dark State stands in the crowd to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. There were some good parts to this and it was nice to see Dark State actually starting to get somewhere. They also started to set up a few things for Stand & Deliver but we still don’t have anything definitive. Things should start coming together in the next few weeks, though hopefully it’s just Williams vs. Femi in the main event. That’s the big match and has been for a long time now, which is where things need to go. Overall, this wasn’t a bad show, but it felt like they were waiting again before we really start getting going for the biggest show of the year, which is only about a month away.

Results
Chelsea Green b. Sol Ruca – Unprettier
Yoshiki Inamura/Josh Briggs b. Hank And Tank – Top rope splash to Tank
The Culling b. D’Angelo Family – Reverse Death Valley Driver to Stacks
Jacy Jayne b. Karmen Petrovic – Discus forearm
Ricky Saints b. Ridge Holland – Roshambo
Trick Williams b. Eddy Thorpe via referee stoppage

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

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

So this is the latest big screen adaptation of a wrestling story, in this case the wrestling biography of the same name by Jeff Leen (which I have but haven’t read). The film is about the rise of Mildred Burke and is directed by Ash Avildsen, whose father directed Rocky. If you didn’t know that coming in, you will absolutely get the feeling as there is a VERY strong Rocky/Karate Kid style to the film.

I won’t go step by step with the whole thing, but it’s almost a 2/3 falls movie. The first twenty to thirty minutes are a rough sit, as you have stuff like Burke going to a show and having another fan explain the concepts of “heels” and “babyfaces”, which she then uses in a conversation with a wrestler, which the wrestler doesn’t seem to mind. This would be a stretch today but in the 1930s, it would be a one in a billion chance at best and a complete disaster at worst.

After that though, though, settle WAY down and it turns into a much more traditional film, which does get good in a hurry. You see Burke fighting up through the ranks and trying to make women’s wrestling more of a legitimate attraction, plus dealing with her dirtbag husband, who was also her promoter. It feels like a story where you’re seeing Burke trying to become a star and fix her relationships with her husbands/son and bringing in new wrestlers and doing all these other things….and that’s where the problem comes in.

The biggest issue is there is too much going on in the movie and it’s kind of hard to focus on anything. Burke is definitely the centerpiece of the whole thing, but it feels like she’s jumping from one thing to another a lot of the time while still going through the main story. They probably could have done a lot of good by cutting some stuff out, as it basically needs a bit more focus. They throw a lot of information at you and it’s kind of hard to keep track of where things are going, especially if you don’t have a bit of a background in what really happened.

Overall, it is a good movie and you want to see Burke succeed because she’s been through a lot, but the first twenty or so minutes, where a lot of stuff is set up, goes by way too fast. It would have been nice to see things get off to a slower start and build up some more sympathy for her while cutting out some of the things later on. The movie is about two hours and twenty minutes and it flies by, but it gets bogged down at times and that hurts it a bit.

On the wrestling end, there are some things in there that are either flat out wrong or inaccurate, plus some stuff that is WAY out of the timeline (wrestlers tapping out did not become a thing, at least a common thing) until the 90s for example). Some of the stories they tell aren’t accurate in the slightest (someone famous enough to be a name in the movie is shown dying due to the negligence of a promoter but in real life, died at 89), including a cameo which I won’t reveal (but it’s great) where someone says something that is ONLY there as a wink to the audience. Throw in a character saying Scott Hall’s “bad times don’t last but bad guys do” speech and it’s a bit eye roll inducing at times.

There are a lot of cameos, with Naomi, Toni Storm (who plays a fairly important part in the middle), Kamille (who plays a big part) and Britt Baker (who I didn’t actually see), plus Mickie James in a non-speaking (or if she spoke it’s blink and I missed it). Jim Cornette keeps popping up as well and is rather perfect as an old school NWA representative.

If you can find a screening (it’s VERY limited, with only one or two showings a day here), it’s worth a look, though you should also read the book, which goes WAY more in-depth about what happened (the director has said the movie ends with 100 pages left in the book). Definitely cool to see this era though, as Burke is one of the actual pioneers who really did change wrestling forever.

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 17, 2025
Location: Forest National, Brussels, Belgium
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re still in Europe and that means the show is airing live around the world on Netflix. That makes for an interesting setup but there is something a bit more interesting than that on top. The big story this week is John Cena returning and hopefully explaining his attack on Cody Rhodes. The fact that Rhodes is here too should help so let’s get to it.

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

Commentary hypes up the card and says we should give John Cena the chance to explain himself.

We look back at Cena’s heel turn with Cody Rhodes’ promo from last week narrating.

Here is Cena to get things going and the fans are not pleased with him. Cena has the regular gear on and holds up the Last Time Is Now towel but is much more stoic than usual with far less energy. The dueling chants begin and Cena takes the microphone, which he drops and teases leaving but stops. Cena finally gives a quote about how you shouldn’t have to look outside yourself for approval.

The fans keep booing and Cena says this is making it so easy for him. Cena says that for twenty five years, he has been in an abusive relationship. The people have spent all these years bullying him into being his puppet and expecting him to do it with a smile on his face. The fans are not pleased with this and let him know (the censoring takes a second to catch up), which Cena calls “so very classy”. Cena: “I am not a babyface. I am not a heel. I’m a human being.”

Everyone has been awful to him and it has been the same noise for twenty five years (eh more like twenty but close enough). The fans have let him know that he wasn’t worthy of his attention so he changed himself, but it wasn’t enough. Then he worked hard like he always did and he did nothing but win and they still didn’t like him. Cena says the only thing he can do is leave, which is something that has never been done before, which gets some cheers.

One last time, Cena tries to do something nice for them and YOU RUIN IT JUST LIKE YOU RUIN EVERYTHING. Just like tonight, it’s two seconds of being great but that’s never enough! The fans sing the Goodbye Song and Cena goes into a rant about how everything has always been about what the fans get. No one ever asked how he was feeling so they get what they deserve, which is NOTHING. The fans don’t get a new look or new music because the look is his, just like the voice on his theme song.

The only thing you get is a long look in the mirror to see how bad people have been to him for twenty five years. Cena mocks the WE WANT CODY chant before pointing out some LET’S GO CENA chanters. Those people are the worst of them all because they have done nothing but steal from him. You steal his moments and times and made him the punchline of a stupid invisible joke for FIFTEEN YEARS AND IT IS NOT FUNNY!

These people wear words like hustle, loyalty and respect but he lives them every day. You think you can buy the idea of “never give up”? He is the embodiment of the idea and these people use him as an excuse for their pathetic failures of a life. Each of them, including the kid in Cena gear in the front row, is part of a TOXIC RELATIONSHIP. Cena: “I’m breaking up with you. I’m done. I’m breaking up with every single person. You’re dumped. I don’t care about you and you don’t matter to me.”

Cue Cody Rhodes to an absolute roar, leaving Cena just shaking his head. Rhodes says everyone, including himself, was willing to hear Cena out. Cena said everyone gave him their worst but they have also given him their best for twenty five years. They did that because Cena could do that and carry it. Cena: “Listen kid…” Rhodes: “ENOUGH! It certainly isn’t kid. It’s WWE Champion.”

Rhodes was looking forward to going toe to toe to Cena week to week but this version better not show up at Wrestlemania. He already took Cena’s best shot so he’ll send Cena to retirement early. At Wrestlemania, he wants the real Cena, not this whiny b****. Rhodes leaves (no music) and poses on the stage with the title before leaving. Cena drops the mic and goes to leave, earning a reprise of the Goodbye Song. He goes up the aisle, teases a pose, and then walks away.

This went on for the better part of half an hour and it didn’t feel real. After so many years of the same kind of stuff from Cena, it was so strange to see him just unleashing all of this venom. It worked very well and told Cena’s story, with Cena intentionally talking down to everyone watching. That’s what it should have been and while it’s going to take some time to process, my goodness did it work well, with the fans being furious with him the whole time. Rhodes’ stuff was fine, but this was ALL about Cena, as fans have been waiting a very long time for this.

Michael Cole goes on a rant about what Cena just said and credits the fans for everything that Cena has. Cole: “Cena is an irrational p***k.” Corey Graves says we don’t have to like it but there’s going to be a fight at Wrestlemania.

The main event is for the Intercontinental Title so we look at some classic Wrestlemania matches, including Savage vs. Steamboat. Yeah that still holds up.

Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser

No DQ and they slug it out to start until Penta knocks him to the floor. A missed charge sends Penta into the timekeeper’s area but Penta walks the barricade for a hurricanrana into the apron (thankfully Kaiser stood there while Penta was coming at him). Penta hits a big running flip dive over the top and they strike it out on the announcers’ table. Kaiser goes to the eyes and hits a Death Valley Driver onto the table as we take a break.

Back with Penta hitting a high crossbody and a Backstabber to put Kaiser down. Kaiser gets in another Death Valley Driver and they go outside, where Penta backdrops him onto the announcers’ table. Back in and they strike it out until Kaiser gets two off a neckbreaker. Kaiser demands that Penta fear him and hits a loud chair shot to the back. He demands that Penta say he’s scared but Penta reverses into the Sacrifice.

Penta grabs a chair so Kaiser backs off and says Penta wins. Then Kaiser rakes the eyes and takes the chair, only to get it superkicked into his face. Penta does it again and hits a middle rope Canadian Destroyer onto the chair (ignore that Penta landed on it instead of him), setting up the Penta Driver for the pin at 13:53.

Rating: B. The thing that catches my attention here is how few weapons they used here. Other than the announcers’ table, the chair was the only thing involved. Rather than using a bunch of weapons, they told a story with Kaiser becoming obsessed with breaking Penta but not being able to do it. Penta gets a big win and can move on, possibly into a title feud.

Post match Penta thanks the fans and says he’s coming for the Intercontinental Title. There you go.

Dakota Kai comes to the ring. Of note: Karrion Kross could be seen talking to Dominik Mysterio.

We go to the Judgment Day clubhouse where the team wishes each other luck when Dominik comes in. Balor thanks him for getting an Intercontinental Title shot tonight. Dominik has an idea of adding someone new to the team (Liv Morgan doesn’t think this is the right time) like say, Penta. Balor is NOT pleased and calls Dominik a snake. With Balor gone, Dominik says he didn’t know Penta wanted the Intercontinental Title. Carlito: “You don’t watch the show do you?” Points for a funny line.

Dakota Kai vs. Ivy Nile

Chad Gable and the rest of American Made are here too. Kai knocks her into the corner to start but what looks like an RKO is shoved away. Nile hammers away but charges into some shots to the face. Kai fights back with a boot in the corner and another out to the floor, only for Gable to offer a distraction. Back up and Nile hits something like a swinging Rock Bottom for two but here is the LWO to go after the Creeds. Gable is chased out of the arena and the running boot in the corner into the GTK finishes for Kai at 2:49.

Adam Pearce is here to emcee the contract signing between Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair. Sky says she won’t be disrespected again because she is the Women’s World Champion. She signs to get us halfway done. Belair says if Sky thought that was disrespectful, Sky doesn’t know her at all. Belair signs as well…and here is Rhea Ripley to interrupt.

Ripley gets in Belair’s face but says she’s just here to watch. Ripley isn’t pleased and gets shoved by Bianca, only for Ripley to put Belair on the table. A powerbomb sends Sky onto Belair….and Ripley signs the contract as well before taking it with her. This continues the wrestling tradition of THIS ISN’T HOW CONTRACTS WORK.

Jey Uso is ready to face Gunther….and then he runs into Gunther. Arguing and shoving ensues but security breaks it up.

Jey Uso vs. Austin Theory

Grayson Waller is here with Theory, who gets speared for the pin at 30 seconds.

Post match Uso tries a dive onto the villains but doesn’t quite clear the rope, thankfully being ok as he lands on the apron. Gunther comes in for the sleeper but Uso fights out and the brawl is on. Uso takes the title off of Gunther, who gets it back and bails. Yeeting ensues. Gunther continues to feel secondary to a lot of things around here and that’s not a great sign.

Video on Bron Breakker vs. Finn Balor.

Adam Pearce yells at Rhea Ripley about the contract, saying it’s like talking to a child. Ripley gives the contract back and wants in the match but here is Bianca Belair to jump her. Iyo Sky joins in and all three of them fight each other. Pearce and a single referee come in to break it up, which seems inefficient.

Creed Brothers vs. LWO

Brutus is knocked to the floor to start as Graves suggests that last week’s masked luchador could have been Del Wilkes or Tom Brandi. Julius comes in with a hard clothesline and we take a break. Back with Mysterio coming in to clean house but Julius gets in a backbreaker. Mysterio hits a DDT and Lee takes out Brutus, leaving Mysterio to hit a 619 into the springboard splash for the pin at 5:47. Not enough shown to rate but it was about getting Mysterio in the ring, which is fine.

Post match the masked luchador comes in to jump the LWO, including some German suplexes. Security chases him off.

We look back at last week’s main event with Roman Reigns attacking Seth Rollins, costing CM Punk a match. Reigns then took Punk out as well, mainly due to Paul Heyman checking on Punk.

Here is Rollins (in far more normal attire) for a chat. We get a VERY extended WHOA period from the crowd, Rollins hits his catchphrase and praises the people. The fans chant for CM Punk and then Roman Reigns but Rollins finds it impressive that Reigns still can’t come up with a plan without his Wise Man. Reigns had everything figured out but he forgot one more detail, with the fans against chanting for Punk.

Rollins says this is like the good old days, as he has to clean up Reigns’ mess. This Friday, they’ll be in the same place on Smackdown and he’ll get in between the two of them. That’s for a few days from now though, so how about the fans sing his song one more time before the main event? And they do. Rollins didn’t say much here but it was mainly about saying “we’ll do something that actually matters on Friday”.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

AJ Styles doesn’t think Logan Paul belongs around here but here are Karrion Kross and Scarlett to interrupt. Kross thinks Styles might be mad at himself so Styles goes to leave. Kross gets him to stay and asks how long Styles took to get to WWE. It didn’t take Paul 17 years to get to WWE, but Styles says this isn’t working. Kross, after Styles leaves: “I think it’s working.”

Bron Breakker stares down Penta in the back but nothing is said/done.

HHH Hall Of Fame video.

Intercontinental Title: Finn Balor vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker is defending. Balor’s headlock doesn’t get him very far to start as Breakker powers things into the corner without much trouble. They go to the floor with Breakker doing his big run around the ropes, only to get caught with the Sling Blade. We take a break and come back with Balor spinning into a Russian legsweep for two. Some trash talk gets Breakker mad and he snaps off a suplex. The suplex powerslam connects but here is the Judgment Day for a distraction.

Balor plants him for two but Breakker is right back up to knock him outside. The clothesline from the apron onto the announcers’ table crushes Balor, with Breakker staying down too. Back in and a Sling Blade drops Breakker again, with a dropkick into the corner, only to miss the Coup de Grace. The Super Spear hits the buckle but Breakker hits the gorilla press powerslam for two. Balor goes up top but gets crotched, only for the Judgment Day to offer a distraction. That’s broken up and it’s the super Frankensteiner into the Super Spear to retain the title at 12:32.

Rating: B. Balor not winning isn’t the biggest surprise as he just doesn’t do that in big matches. What matters the most here is that Breakker gets a nice win on his way to a potential Wrestlemania showdown with Penta. The Judgment Day’s woes continue and now we get to see where this goes as things keep falling apart. For now though, we have a Breakker vs. Penta match coming and that has me interested.

Post match Judgment Day goes after Breakker but Penta runs in for the save. Penta holds up the title but hands it to Breakker for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a rather unique show, with the one big thing dominating the rest, though most of the rest was good enough. That being said, this was ALL about the Cena segment, which fans have been waiting on and it certainly delivered (albeit going a bit long). The fans were invested though and that should make for a great Road To Wrestlemania on the way to the huge showdown. Cena sounded like a star and I want to see where it goes, which suggests that they’re doing something right.

Other than that, you have the rest of the show, with Penta of all people feeling like the biggest story. That’s a good sign, as Penta has not even been around for three months and is already in a prominent role. There is a good chance that he’ll get a title match either at or just before Wrestlemania, which opens up some interesting possibilities. The Women’s Title match is likely all but set as well, along with Jey Uso doing his thing. Naturally Cena was the big story here, but the rest held up well enough. Couple that with another red hot crowd and this was a rather nice show.

Results
Penta b. Ludwig Kaiser – Penta Driver
Dakota Kai b. Ivy Nile – GTK
Jey Uso b. Austin Theory – Spear
LWO b. Creed Brothers – Springboard splash to Julius
Bron Breakker b. Finn Balor – Super Spear

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

Global Warfare
Date: 1993
Host: Jimmy Hart
Commentators: Jim Ross, Randy Savage, Bobby Heenan

This is one of the Coliseum Videos released on the WWE Vault and I’m not sure what it’s going to be. It’s not the best time for the company as it’s in a transitional phase, with the New Generation coming in. That could go in a variety of ways and hopefully they don’t live down to this era’s reputation. Let’s get to it.

The opening video features bombs going off around the world as we seem to have a theme.

Jimmy Hart welcomes us to his home and says he’s excited about global warfare. That’s quite the odd statement to make. No one should know more about global warfare than him. That’s another quite the odd statement to make. Anyway, he talks about the theme songs (admitting he wrote them) of some of the wrestlers on the tape and brags about his music career. And now, to the first match.

From Sheffield, England, April 11, 1993.

Intercontinental Title: Crush vs. Shawn Michaels

Michaels is defending and this is from the UK Rampage 1993 show, which was only so good overall. Crush powers him around to start as the fans are already doing their deal with the horns, which can get rather annoying in a hurry. Some more power sends Michaels into the corner and Crush grabs him with a bearhug to take over again. A backbreaker has Michaels in more trouble but he wins a chase around the ring and hammers away.

Crush grabs a gorilla press slam and holds him there for WAY longer than should be done before sending Michaels outside. Back in and a knee to the back knocks Crush outside, where Michaels gets in a posting to really take over for the first time. A DDT gives Michaels two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Crush blocks the superkick, setting up a legdrop…which sends Michaels bailing for the countout at 8:52.

Rating: C-. Yeah what else were they supposed to do here? Crush was on a roll and teasing getting the big Lex Luger push but you don’t want him to win the title. At the same time, it’s always a disappointing finish when someone just walks out, even if it makes sense for the options that they had available.

Post match Crush throws him back in for a beating, including the Head Vice. Crush holds up the belt like a moron, showing that he might have been perfect for the Luger push.

From Paris, France, April 8, 1993.

Yokozuna vs. Jim Duggan

Yokozuna, with Mr. Fuji, is less than a week after winning the WWF Title and losing it about a minute later. This is also singlet Duggan so you know it’s not going to be much to see. Duggan throws a chair inside and Yokozuna (in black for a weird but cool look) doesn’t really move. The right hands in the corner stagger Yokozuna a bit so Duggan grabs the 2×4, which is quickly taken away. Yokozuna chokes away on the ropes so Yokozuna comes back with more big right hands.

As usual, Yokozuna knows how to sell this stuff rather well and almost does the big fall before elbowing Duggan in the face. That sequence works so well that they just do it again, with Heenan suggesting that Duggan just hit Yokozuna in the face with the board. Instead he gets caught in a bearhug for a good while until Duggan bites his way out (Heenan: “THAT’LL WORK!”). Duggan avoids a charge into the corner and starts firing off the clotheslines to FINALLY knock him down. Fuji offers a distraction though and it’s a splash in the corner, setting up the Banzai Drop for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C. It was basic and really simple with Duggan slugging away over and over, but dang he knows how to do that match rather well. There is something about Duggan that makes you want to see him knock a giant down. The match wasn’t good, but it was rather entertaining and that’s a good thing. At the same time, you could definitely see how much slimmer Yokozuna was here, with the tights clearly being padded to make him look bigger.

Hart is listening to music and professes his love of Coliseum Video. He also promises that Hulk Hogan will get the WWF Title back from Yokozuna. The other day, he and Hogan were in Boston and Hart wrote a new song using a Hulk pencil on a picture of Hogan. And yes, he’s wearing a Hogan shirt. Hart is nothing if not the biggest shill in wrestling history. Well one of them anyway.

From Barcelona, Spain, April 24, 1993.

Tag Team Titles: Steiner Brothers vs. Money Inc.

The Steiners are challenging and can’t get in the ring as IRS holds them off with the briefcase. The ring announcer says that if the Steiners aren’t allowed in and the briefcase isn’t taken to the back, the titles change hands. That’s enough for the Steiners to come in and clean house without much trouble.

We settle down to DiBiase headlocking Rick to start as the camera is staying rather wide for some reason. That’s reversed into a belly to belly for two on DiBiase and it’s already off to Scott to go after the arm. The camera goes to a LONG crowd shot, with Savage and Heenan both getting on him for not showing the match. We get back to the ring with DiBiase getting over for the tag to IRS, whose arm is cranked as well.

Scott uses the tie to take IRS down again as we shift to a normal camera shot as I’m rather confused by the whole direction so far. Anyway DiBiase sends Scott outside for a ram into some metal, allowing IRS to drop an elbow for two back inside. Commentary gets on the camera work again, even if things are at least somewhat settled down. DiBiase chokes Scott on the ropes and IRS gets in some cheap shots like a villain should be doing.

Scott fights out of a chinlock but goes the wrong way, with DiBiase almost feeding him into the right corner. Rick comes back in to clean house as everything breaks down. DiBiase’s piledriver is cut off and Scott adds a middle rope clothesline. IRS gets sent outside and the Frankensteiner hits DiBiase, only for IRS to come back in and….I guess the word would be tap Scott with the title for the DQ at 10:18.

Rating: C. The camera work was the focal point of this match and that’s a weird way to go. The venue was strange looking enough so maybe that’s why the camera stuff was so odd. Other than that, it was a rather just kind of there match with neither team exactly doing much. Then again, a Frankensteiner from Scott is always worth a look.

Post match the Steiners hold up the titles, marking the second time we’ve done the “they don’t know the rules” in three matches. It takes way too long to get on to the next match.

From Sheffield, England, April 11, 1993.

Mr. Perfect vs. Samu

Afa is here with Samu. They take their time to start and Samu shoves Perfect away, meaning they stare at each other again. Perfect’s headlock and a shoulder have Samu in a bit of trouble and he misses a crossbody. A crossbody works a bit better for Perfect (he is perfect after all) and some dropkicks have Samu on the floor, with the fans rather behind Perfect.

Back in and they tease a test of strength until Samu knocks him down to take over for the first time. A toss to the floor lets Afa get in a cheap shot, which has Perfect going after him. Heenan: “Come on Perfect, didn’t I teach you better than that?” Samu gets in a shot of his own, only for Perfect to go after the leg. That doesn’t work either as Samu and Afa both get in their own shots as the slow beating continues.

Samu hits a superkick, some headbutts to the head and a headbutt between the legs. As dull as this match has been, the fans are indeed staying with it so far. Perfect finally fights up and kicks away, only to get hit fairly low to cut off the comeback. A small package gives Perfect two but Samu knocks him outside. Perfect manages a quick crotching on the post to no avail but has to avoid a top rope splash. The PerfectPlex finishes for Perfect at 13:36.

Rating: C-. Thank goodness the fans were there to carry this as far as it got, as there was only so much for the whole thing. Perfect was beaten up here by half of a tag team. What else were you going to expect out of this kind of a setup? It was a match for the sake of letting the fans see Mr. Perfect, but it wasn’t much for anyone outside of the arena.

Hart is listening to Crank It Up (dig that Young Stallions song) and then brags about doing the song for Bret Hart’s next match.

From Barcelona, Spain, April 24, 1993.

Bret Hart vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Bigelow powers him around to start and then runs Hart over with a shoulder. Back in and Hart starts in on the arm and drops a leg onto it, allowing commentary to talk about wrestlers taping up fake injuries to trick their opponents. Something close to an elbow sends Bigelow to the floor and Hart gets to pose, which isn’t his style most of the time. This time Bigelow gets smart and rams him into the post, followed by a second shot to keep Hart down.

Back in and Bigelow stomps away as Hart is clearly near total destruction. The bearhug goes on back inside, with Heenan thinking a spinebuster could work well here. Instead it’s a big belly to back suplex for two and it’s off to an over the shoulder backbreaker. Hart slips out and manages his own suplex, which has Heenan losing his mind over Hart pulling that off.

Bigelow is right back up with a nasty butterfly backbreaker, only to miss the top rope headbutt. Hart fights up and hits the usual, setting up a middle rope clothesline. The sharpshooter attempt is broken up so Bigelow tries a bearhug, which is broken up with a bite to the face. Another belly to back attempt is cut off though and Bigelow crashes onto Hart. Back up and a splash misses in the corner, allowing Hart to grab a victory roll for the victory at 11:55.

Rating: B. It might not have been their King Of The Ring final but Hart knows exactly how to do a match like this. As usual, Hart felt like he was getting close to death before pulling off the miracle win in the end. Good stuff here, as Bigelow could do the monster role rather well, especially with this kind of an opponent.

From Paris, France, April 8, 1993.

Crush vs. Doink The Clown

Wrestlemania rematch. Doink hides underneath the ring to start but gets caught coming back in to to start the beating early. Crush knocks him outside and the chase is on, with Doink’s stomps not having much effect back inside. There’s an atomic drop to make Doink gyrate a bit and a figure four necklock has Doink down even longer.

Crush hits a backbreaker but misses a knee, giving Doink a needed target. The knee is wrapped around the post and Doink slowly stomp away in the corner. Crush finally fights up and knocks him to the floor, setting up the head vice. Doink slips out though and walks away for the countout at 8:15.

Rating: D+. Another nothing match in a series of them. The idea of Doink was that he would play mind games and mess with people but here he was just having a boring match. Also, if you want Crush to be seen as a big deal, maybe don’t have his two matches on the same tape end with the same finish.

Jimmy Hart is impressed by all of the new technology and then talks about Shawn Michaels, who isn’t in the next match.

From Milan, Italy, April 25, 1993.

Scott Steiner vs. IRS

Neither of their partners are here for a change. IRS hides in the ropes to start, which might not be the worst idea. A battle of wrist control sends IRS to the ropes again before he does manage to get in a shot to the head. Steiner is sent outside as JR complains about not being able to find a chicken fried steak last night. Back in and a powerslam into a headlock has IRS in trouble for a change and he bails again as they’re not exactly getting into a higher gear so far.

Back in again and Steiner takes him down by the arm, only for IRS to go outside AGAIN. This time IRS gets back in and they run the ropes a bit until Steiner is sent outside, because Heaven forbid they keep anything going. A ram into the steps keeps Steiner in trouble but he gets his knees up to block a splash. IRS bails into the corner as commentary talks about how we don’t have timeouts here. BECAUSE THIS MATCH HAS BEEN SO ACTION PACKED! Steiner charges into a boot in the corner and gets two with his feet on the ropes. The referee waves that off and Steiner gets a sunset flip for the pin at 10:06.

Rating: D+. It wasn’t so much that it was a bad match but geez this was boring. IRS wasn’t exactly known for keeping the pace up and the stalling did make sense as he was trying to keep Steiner from getting to a higher gear, but that doesn’t make it fun to watch. This tape hasn’t been much to see thus far and this didn’t help at all.

From Milan, Italy, April 25, 1993.

Yokozuna vs. Undertaker

Mr. Fuji and Paul Bearer are here too. To say they stall for a good while here is an understatement, as Bearer takes nearly two minutes to get out of the ring. They stare each other down and Yokozuna’s shots to the head not doing much. The running DDT plants Yokozuna but he hits a clothesline to put Undertaker on the floor. A ram into the steps staggers Undertaker again and the big leg…does pretty much nothing back inside. Yokozuna hits a clothesline but Undertaker gets back up so it’s a bucket shot to Undertaker’s head for the DQ at 5:42.

Rating: D. Sweet goodness this the perfect way to wrap up this pretty terrible tape. They barely did anything, with over a third of the match being spent on them standing around and staring at each other before any contact. Then they just do another DQ, which is fine for the sake of not wanting Yokozuna to look weak, but GEEZ that’s a lot of non-finishes in one sitting.

Post match Yokozuna misses the Banzai Drop and gets “chokeslammed” (eh fair enough given the size) to send him running.

Hart gives us something of an inspirational message about never giving up and going for your dreams…and then praises Hulk Hogan, even posing to Real American to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: D. As usual, leave it to Hart to have the only good match on a terrible collection of wrestling. I know it’s the European tour so things aren’t going to be up to their usual standards, but sweet goodness this was dull. It’s not a good sign when the second best part of a collection is how odd the arena in Paris looked. Just lame stuff all around and it’s easy to see why 1993 is not the best time the company ever had.

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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Collision
Date: March 15, 2025
Location: The Theater At Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We are on the way to Dynasty and believe it or not, there is a tournament going on. This one is to crown a new #1 contender to the International Title and after the first match on Wednesday, it’s time for two more matches this week. Those should be good enough to carry a lot of the show, with FTR vs. the Undisputed Kingdom doing more of the lifting. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Ricochet, Katsuyori Shibata, Mark Davis, Mark Briscoe, Undisputed Era and FTR are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Commentary runs down the card.

International Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Ricochet

Feeling out process to start with Shibata getting a kick to the leg, which just annoys Ricochet. An exchange of chops goes to Shibata but Ricochet seemingly crotches him on the ropes to take over. Shibata gets sent into the barricade, followed by a standing shooting star press for two back inside.

We take a break and come back with Shibata getting annoyed at the chops but getting dropped with a dropkick. They both sit down for the chops (because of course) until Shibata grabs a claw. A running slap to the head annoys Ricochet and a German suplex sets up the STF to send him into the ropes. Ricochet is back with the fireman’s carry kick to the head into a Lionsault for two. Vertigo is countered into the sleeper but the PK misses. Instead Ricochet rolls him up and puts his feet on the ropes for the pin at 12:32.

Rating: B-. Ricochet moving on makes perfect sense and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him getting the title shot at Dynasty. At the same time you have Shibata, who is in a bunch of places at once. He’s in the new monster trio with the Opps, he’s putting people over in matches like this and he’s having random matches in ROH. That’s a lot for anyone and while it’s still good, maybe dropping one of those things could help.

We look at Mike Bailey and Orange Cassidy advancing in the tournament on Dynamite.

The Don Callis Family beat up some guys in the back.

Toni Storm is done with making Wayne Newton and is ready to fight Megan Bayne. If Bayne wants to attack the guppies of AEW, Storm is happy with making shark fin soup.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Griff Garrison

The rest of the Frat House (it’s an ROH thing) is here with Garrison. A boot to the face just annoys Hobbs, who runs him over and takes out the Frat House. The spinebuster finishes Garrison at 1:19.

Post match the Frat House jumps Hobbs but the Outrunners make the save. Hobbs really didn’t need anyone to help with these goofs.

Thunder Rosa doesn’t like the lack of respect from Megan Bayne and says her ovaries are bigger than Bayne’s brain cells. Bayne comes in and lays her out without much trouble.

International Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Mark Davis vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe strikes away but Davis is back with a belly to back suplex. Back up and Briscoe sends him to the floor for the running flip dive, only to be sent into the barricade. Briscoe shrugs that up and puts a chair on the apron for the step up flip dive as we take a break. Back with Briscoe hitting a missile dropkick and striking away in the corner.

Davis grabs a dragon suplex for a needed breather and they go outside again. That just earns him an apron Blockbuster into a running elbow from the barricade. A fisherman’s buster gets two on Davis but cue the Murder Machines for a distraction. Davis hits the Coriolis Force for the fluke pin at 12:15.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much a long squash until the Machines came in, because Davis just isn’t that interesting or good. He’s perfectly fine for a middle of the road spot, but there was nothing else that could be done here other than having him beat Briscoe? I’m assuming Davis is in the match for the sake of taking the fall, but it’s still annoying to see Briscoe taking another loss.

Murder Machines vs. ???/???/???/???

Even commentary points out that the Machines have been all over the show. The Machines carry the beaten up losers (I’m guessing the people we saw backstage earlier) to the ring and finish with the powerbomb/chokeslam combination at 27 seconds.

Post match, further destruction ensues. Mark Briscoe tries to come in for the save but needs Powerhouse Hobbs to save him. All four of them brawl around the arena.

We look at the end of the Revolution main event. If Schiavone can call him “Cope, Adam Copeland”, why do we need the COPE name at all? Anyway Swerve Strickland is up next for Jon Moxley and the World Title.

Here is Swerve for a chat. He did what he said he would do at Revolution when he became #1 contender. Ricochet is a tough man but Swerve put him down and would be glad to do it again. It’s time for Swerve to focus on the title, which he won last year at Dynasty. Now he has to do it again and he has the chance. The question is who that will be, as Cope is getting a title shot next week on Dynamite.

Cope is a legend, but right now he’s standing in the way and Swerve will run him down. Then we have Jon Moxley, a four time World Champion, and Swerve is making the people listen to his drivel every week. In three weeks, Swerve is taking the title from one of them…and here is Moxley with a crowbar to Swerve’s leg. Swerve’s injured ear is rammed into the mat. Moxley bails outside and promises to take out Cope on Dynamite. Schiavone: “Jon Moxley is obviously one step ahead.” Remember that: Moxley is smarter and tougher than everyone.

Thunder Rosa rants about Megan Bayne but the mic messes up.

Top Flight/Hologram vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Cru (Remember them?) comes out to watch as Moriarty works on Hologram’s arm to start. Hologram gets two off a rollup as Harleygram is watching in the back. Dante and Dean come in with Dante scoring off a dropkick. Bravo comes in off a blind tag for a boot to the face and we take a break.

Back with Bravo planting Dante for two as The Beast Mortos is in the back, seemingly perplexed by Harleygram. Dante gets over for the tag to Darius, who hits a springboard Downward Spiral for two. An assisted swinging Rock Bottom plants Darius for two with Hologram making the save. Hologram gets to clean house and a dropkick/German suplex combination finishes Bravo at 9:06.

Rating: C+. There was a lot going on here, but Mortos having a thing for Harleygram has some potential. I’d hope that he isn’t going to be confused as to who he is, but that’s the kind of thing that would fit in around here. Other than that, it was the usual match from the people involved, though Cru continues to be….I guess the right word is “there”.

Hologram and Komander want to fight La Faccion Ingobernable.

Megan Bayne vs. Thunder Rosa

Rosa is banged up but strikes away to start. A running dropkick doesn’t do much to Bayne, who knocks her down without much trouble. An overhead belly to belly sends Rosa flying and she gets tossed outside as we take a break. Back with Rosa hammering away again to some better avail, including a missile dropkick to put Bayne down. Another dropkick sends her outside, where a posting makes it even worse. They slug it out on the ramp, where Rosa charges into Fate’s Descent (she landed on all fours (fair) so it wasn’t the worst result,) for a nine count. Another Fate’s Descent (much better) finishes for Bayne at 9:00.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have a ton of time with so much of the match taking place in the break but this was about getting Bayne probably her biggest win in AEW to date. Beating Rosa and having Toni Storm in her cross hairs is a good sign for Bayne, as she is certainly hitting the ground running. This was a good example of how to move someone forward and Bayne is getting a strong push to start.

Post match Bayne goes after Rosa again but Toni Storm runs in for the save/brawl. Fate’s Descent leaves Storm laying so Kris Statlander comes in for the real save.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

We recap FTR vs. the Undisputed Kingdom, who promise that it’s Top Guys Down.

FTR vs. Undisputed Kingdom

Daniel Garcia and Adam Cole are on commentary. Harwood and O’Reilly go with the grappling to start, with Harwood having to bail to the floor. Wheeler comes in and gets caught with a gutbuster/middle rope knee combination. O’Reilly gets to hammer away on the mat but it’s back to Harwood to take over. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Strong avoids a charge in the corner.

The piledriver is blocked and the tag brings in O’Reilly…for all of three seconds as the referee didn’t see the tag. Harwood plants Strong down for two more and we take a break. Back with Strong Angle Slamming Harwood, allowing the tag back to O’Reilly to clean house. Wheeler comes back in and gets his ankle locked, which is reversed into Wheeler’s ankle lock for a change.

Harwood adds a top rope headbutt to O’Reilly and everyone is down. What looked like a Doomsday Device is broken up so FTR settles for a Steiner Bulldog for two. Strong breaks up the Shatter Machine and a series of strikes gets two on Harwood. Chasing The Dragon is broken up so it’s a High/Low for two on Harwood instead. We get the four way slugout until the Shatter Machine hits Strong. O’Reilly breaks up the cover at two as Harwood seems to be bleeding from the chest. Harwood punches Strong down but the PowerPlex is broken up. Instead it’s another Shatter Machine to pin Strong at 16:41.

Rating: B+. Yeah this worked rather well, with both teams nailing it the whole way at the end. That’s the kind of thing that makes AEW stand out a lot of the time, as they know how to let talented wrestlers do their thing for a good while. FTR can still hang with anyone and it’s nice to see them have their kind of match and even get a win for a change. Pretty awesome main event here.

Post match Garcia and Cole have a tense handshake but FTR won’t shake the Kingdom’s hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event was rather good and the focus on Megan Bayne worked very well as she looks like that much more of a star. Overall, this was a strong enough episode of the show, though I could have gone for less of the Murder Machines in the first hour. It set things up for Dynamite as well, making it not only entertaining but efficient. Not a bad use of two hours whatsoever.

Results
Ricochet b. Katsuyori Shibata – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Griff Garrison – Spinebuster
Mark Davis b. Mark Briscoe – Coriolis Force
Murder Machines b. ???/???/???/??? – Powerbomb/chokeslam combination
Top Flight/Hologram b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Dropkick/German suplex combination to Bravo
Megan Bayne b. Thunder Rosa – Fate’s Descent
FTR b. Undisputed Kingdom – Shatter Machine to Strong

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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Sacrifice 2025
Date: March 14, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s time for another of the big shows between the really big shows and this one happens to be pretty stacked. We have both a ladder match and Lethal Lockdown, the TNA equivalent of WarGames. There are also some stars from NXT here as a bonus, which should help things out a lot. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Aztec Warriors vs. First Class

The Warriors are Laredo Kid and Octagon Jr. After First Class insults the fans, Octagon takes Navarro down with a hurricanrana and hands it off to Laredo. That means it’s a low bridge from Francis though and Kid is sent outside for a big dive. Back in and Francis gets to choke away on the ropes, setting up a running knee in the corner.

First Class spends too much time posing though and it’s a tag to bring Kid back in to pick up the pace. Kid’s moonsault and Octagon’s handstand moonsault hit Navarro with Francis having to make the save. Francis gets in a chokeslam on Octagon and Navarro goes after Kid’s mask. A running Sliced Bread gives Navarro the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C. The Warriors didn’t get to showcase much of their high flying stuff and it didn’t give the fans much to get behind. Throw in the good guys losing and it wasn’t exactly an exciting way to get things going. It’s a weird way to go, as while First Class getting a win makes sense, it might not have been the right way here.

The regular Kickoff Show stuff takes place but Sami Callihan and Mance Warner, who are scheduled to face off tonight in a street fight, brawl in the back. They come to the ring, where Callihan throws in a bunch of weapons, including a chair which hits Warner for a nasty shot. They get inside and we’ll ring the bell.

Sami Callihan vs. Mance Warner

Street fight and Steph de Lander is here with Warner. Callihan hits him with a trashcan but gets sent into one in the corner as a cameraman gets taken out. Warner chokes with a chain but gets powerbombed through a table…as we go to the official show. Thankfully we come back without missing anything (fair enough) and Callihan uses a poster to cut Warner’s fingers and mouth.

Warner’s hand is fine enough to hit a chokeslam onto the trashcan but neither can hit a suplex onto a chair. Instead they both grab a staple gun and trade, uh, stapling, with Callihan going low. Warner gets stapled to the turnbuckle pad before being Death Valley Drivered onto the chair for two. Callihan has to block a screwdriver to the head before hitting a Stunner for two more. De Lander throws powder in Callihan’s eyes though and Warner hits a running knee for the win at 10:57.

Rating: C+. Well at least they didn’t have glass and thumbtacks. This was the run of the mill brawling with the table and trashcans, which makes the ending a bit weak. After everything they did, it was a simple bit of powder and a running knee. That’s a weird way to go, but odds are this is going to keep going anyway.

We get the opening video, which looks at the main matches. That’s at least a fresh way to go over the standard way of doing things.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Lei Ying Lee

Local rapper Krystall Poppin sings Blanchard to the ring. Blanchard sends Lee into the corner to start but the big slap is blocked. A suplex sends Blanchard into the corner and another brings her back out of it (well at least Lee kept it even). They go outside where Blanchard takes over and sends her back inside, only to take it right back to the floor.

Back in and a dropkick gets two, setting up the chinlock. Lee fights up and strikes away, before grabbing a spinning torture rack slam. Blanchard shrugs that off and hits a slingshot splash for two but has to bail to the ropes to escape a leglock. They go up top, where Lee hits a twisting brainbuster (geez) for two more. Blanchard grabs a cutter though and Magnum connects for the pin at 11:15.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure if there was much doubt about the winner here as Blanchard is not only a bigger name but she is also likely getting ready for a title shot at Masha Slamovich. The good thing is Lee got in a lot of offense and gave Blanchard a run for her money, but this was the right decision. Blanchard is ready to get back into the bigger spots and this was a step in that direction.

Jeff Hardy and Joe Hendry’s team are ready to win their rather violent matches tonight. With everyone gone, Ryan Nemeth comes in to say “everything they said”. Gia Miller clearly mouths “what the f***?”

Wes Lee/Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe vs. Ace Austin/Rascalz

Lucha rules. Lee bails to the floor to start but comes back in to send Austin to the floor. Igwe comes in and gets hurricanranaed to the floor, with DuPont following. Triple dives are mostly cut off though, leaving Austin as the only part of his team standing. Back in and a full nelson slam plants Austin for two, followed by Lee’s basement dropkick between the shoulders.

Igwe kicks Austin in the head for two and we hit the abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Lee gets over for the Rascalz to come in and clean house. Everything breaks down and DuPont’s stomp to Miguel’s head gets two. Austin and Wentz kick away at Lee from the apron, allowing Miguel to hit a sliding DDT. Back in and Lee is left all alone so he yells a lot, only to get taken down with a Lightning Spiral/Fold combination. Wentz hits a Spiral Tap for the pin on Lee at 9:53.

Rating: B-. The lucha rules kind of hurt things here, as it was little more than just having people running in and doing things. It did feel like the end of the feud though, with Wentz getting his revenge on Lee. It was a fun match, which tends to be the case with Austin and the Rascalz.

Steve Maclin is ready to take out Frankie Kazarian.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Steve Maclin

Eric Young is on commentary. Maclin takes Kazarian into the corner to start and hits some clotheslines to the back but gets knocked down in a hurry. Kazarian hits a springboard spinning legdrop and grabs a suplex for two. After a quick Shawn Michaels pose from Kazarian, Maclin is back up with some more clotheslines and an Angle Slam. The running shoulder in the corner has Kazarian in more trouble so he snaps the throat over the top rope to get out of said trouble.

Kazarian pulls on something like a cross armbreaker but can’t hit the Fade To Black. The chickenwing is broken up and Maclin’s running knee gets two. Now the chickenwing goes on, even with Kazarian falling out to the floor without letting go (that’s a heck of a trick). Since submissions don’t count on the floor, Kazarian lets go, allowing Young to sneak in a brass knuckles shot. Maclin, who didn’t see it, grabs a quick KIA for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. This was something that could have been on any given Impact, as it was more about the Young involvement than anything else. The ending should be a way to see if Maclin wants to join him in what is likely the dark side, though that’s only so interesting. It would also be nice to have Kazarian lose the stupid trophy title shot already, but we could still be months away.

Spitfire is ready to get rid of By Elegance for good.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance/Personal Concierge vs. Spitfire

Spitfire is defending in a handicap match and they get the Personal Concierge if they win. The Concierge introduces By Elegance and then disrobes, which has commentary, uh, unhappy. Luna takes Ash down into an armbar to start but Heather comes in to crank on the arm for a change. The Concierge goes to the…bottom rope for an ax handle before handing it back to Heather, who is quickly put down. Threat comes in for a basement crossbody, followed by a suplex/clothesline combination for two.

Ash offers a distraction though and Heather takes over inside. The Concierge adds some stomps, then stops to dance, meaning Ash has to come in for a save. A catapult into a Codebreaker gets two and we hit the chinlock on Threat. As usual, that’s broken up and the tag brings in Luna to clean house. By Elegance is sent outside for a big dive, leaving Heather to get caught with a helicopter bomb, with the Concierge having to make the save. The Pressure Drop hits the Concierge but Threat gets caught in an assisted top rope double stomp for the titles at 9:12.

Rating: C+. By Elegance had to win the titles at some point if they wanted to have any kind of a future. At the end of the day, Ash has been here for a bit but hadn’t won anything of note coming in. You can present has as a star all you want, but it doesn’t matter without getting some kind of a prize. That is what she pulled off here and it was fairly long overdue. The feud needs to end already, but it’s not like there are many other teams to come after the belts.

Post match the lights go out and NXT’s Meta Four show up for your next crossover title feud.

We recap Mustafa Ali vs. Mike Santana, which is built around the idea of Ali wanting to make TNA better, which means a lack of Santana, who is a recovering addict. Santana wants to prove himself, while Ali wants to prove that Santana can’t handle the pressure. In other words, it’s JBL vs. Eddie Guerrero, which has made a good story, albeit a familiar one.

Mike Santana vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali has his cabinet with him and a local sportscaster introduces Santana. Just in case you didn’t get the story they were redoing, Santana drives a car into the arena. Santana scares Ali to the floor to start before catching him with a powerslam. Two Amigos connect but Santana cuts off the third with a small package.

Back up and Santana hits another suplex to send Ali outside for a needed breather. Ali fights up and goes after the arm, including a 450 from the top onto the arm, with Santana standing, on the floor. Back in and a rollup, with feet on the ropes, gets two and the referee is not pleased. The rolling neckbreaker gets two more and Ali stays on the arm with a crossface.

That’s broken up and Ali sends him to the floor, where Santana cuts off a dive with a cutter. Back in again and Ali lifts him up for a German suplex and a tornado DDT, only to miss the 450. Santana’s rolling cutter gets two and the frog splash gets the same (with a BIG reaction from the crowd). Spin The block connects but the arm gives out, allowing Ali to go up. Santana pulls him out of the air with a powerbomb but the Good Hands get up for a distraction. Ali rolls him up and grabs the rope for the pin at 13:12.

Rating: B. this was the match I was looking forward to the most coming in and they didn’t disappoint, with both guys working hard and telling a story. Ali is the more polished wrestler of the two and better with the technical side of things, while Santana is more about powering through and hitting his big moves. That allowed Ali to pick him apart but then when he couldn’t handle Santana, he cheated in the end, which will allow him to brag about his amazing skill. Heck of a story told and a very good match at the same time.

Post match Ali leaves a drink for Santana.

We recap Masha Slamovich defending the Knockouts Title against Cora Jade from NXT. Jade showed up and decided she wanted a title so she went after Slamovich, setting up the title match.

Knockouts Title: Masha Slamovich vs. Cora Jade

Jade is challenging and Arianna Grace is on commentary. Jade jumps her to start and is quickly clotheslined down for a kick to the chest. The chase doesn’t go well for Jade but she gets in a cheap shot for a needed breather. A quick stomp to the back gives Jade two and she pulls Slamovich down by the hair for the same.

Back up and Slamovich hits a rolling kick to the face for two of her own but Jade is back up with a knee to the face. A Canadian Destroyer on the apron connects but Slamovich is down on the floor. Back in and Jaded connects for two, leaving Jade rather frustrated. Jade strikes away but walks into a kick to the face. The Requiem retains the title at 9:24.

Rating: C+. As was the case with Blanchard vs. Lee, there was only so much drama to be had here. Slamovich is the monster champion who can smash through just about anyone in front of her. Jade has gotten better, but she isn’t on Slamovich’s level and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. Jade got in some stuff here, but Slamovich wasn’t in much danger.

We look at Oba Femi defeating Moose to retain the NXT Title this week on NXT.

We recap Moose facing Jeff Hardy for the X-Division Title in a ladder match. Hardy has pinned Moose a few times in tag matches so now we’re doing the ladder match thing.

X-Division Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Moose

Moose, with Alisha Edwards, is defending in a ladder match. They stare each other down to start before going straight to the floor to grab the ladders. Hardy knocks him to the floor and hits a clothesline off the apron but the Twist Of Fate is shoved into the steps. Moose bridges a ladder between a chair and the apron but Hardy fights up and pulls out the painted ladder.

The climb takes too long though and Moose hits a powerbomb before bridging a ladder into the bigger one. Hardy gets powerbombed onto the bridge ladder, landing so hard that a rung on the bigger ladder is broken. Back up and Moose grabs a table, only to get pulled onto the bridged ladder for a Twist Of Fate down to the mat. Moose is able to get up and throws the ladders out (with one hitting a camera) before hitting a heck of a spear.

Hardy is fine enough to hit a backdrop onto the bridged ladder at ringside before grabbing another table. The Swanton sends Moose through that table so Alisha has to make a save. That earns her a Twisting Stunner but Moose spears Hardy through a table. That’s enough for Moose to retain the title at 16:54.

Rating: B-. Commentary summed up the issues at the beginning of this match: Moose was in his first ever ladder match while Jeff was in his thirty ninth. That kind of takes away the impact, as Jeff has literally done this dozens of times. What we got was indeed good as they beat each other up, though I never quite bought that Jeff was going to win. I get why they had the match though and it did feel interesting, at least most of the time.

Mike Santana rants to Santino Marella about what happened and gets a rematch on Impact.

Earlier this week, the city declared it TNA Wrestling Day in El Paso. That’s cool.

The cage is being set up (the arena isn’t big enough to have it hanging) so here is First Class for their Penthouse. They’re introducing their First Class Records label and consider allowing the fans to audition but then mock the idea of the fans having talent. The Aztec Warriors come out to protest and the brawl is nearly on but referees break it up.

We recap the main event. The System and the Colons have been annoying the resident good guys so it’s time to do this in a cage.

JDC/Brian Myers/Eddie Edwards/Orlando Colon/Eddie Colon vs. Joe Hendry/Matt Hardy/Nic Nemeth/Elijah/Leon Slater

This is unofficially Lethal Lockdown, meaning two competitors start for two minutes. Then a member of the villains (who won the advantage on Impact) gets a 2-1 advantage for two minutes. The good guys then get to even it up and after that, the entry intervals drop down to one minute. When everyone is in, first pin or submission wins. Edwards and Elijah start things off, with the latter coming in on a horse because reasons.

After a song mocking the System and the Colons, Elijah gets inside and we’re ready to go. Elijah starts fast and works on the arm, setting up an Old School. A big boot drops Edwards again and he gets sent into the cage as Myers is in for the advantage. The System Overload connects but Nic Nemeth is in to even things up. Nemeth hits a neckbreaker/DDT combination and it’s already Orlando Colon coming in to go up 3-2.

The rapid fire entrances continue with Leon Slater coming in as these intervals are too long to really work. Slater stomps away until Eddie Colon is in to cut him off as well. Matt Hardy is in as well for the Side Effect and rams Orlando into the buckle. JDC gives the villains their final advantage and some chairs are thrown in to keep up the beating. Joe Hendry is in last to complete the field and the bell rings, which I hope isn’t considered the official start to the match.

Hendry starts firing off fall away slams, including a super version to Myers. Back up and Myers hits Hendry low to cut him off and Edwards’ Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Nemeth. Slater is sat on top of the cage but crotches JDC and Myers, meaning it’s a Swanton 450 from the top of the cage onto a pile. Cue Ryan Nemeth as we hit the parade of finishers. Hendry grabs one of the chairs and a Twist Of Fate with the chair around JDC’s neck lets Hardy gets the pin at 17:05.

Rating: C. Yeah this didn’t really work, as it felt like they were scrambling to get the match in as fast as they could. That only got them so far, as the short entrances completely destroyed the intrigue of the match. Someone would get in, hit one or two things and then someone else would come in to reset the whole deal. It didn’t make for a good main event, as this needed way more time, and probably two less people, to really work.

Post match most of the team leaves but Ryan gets in and locks the door. That’s enough for Nic to jump Hardy (the camera mostly misses it) and the beating is on. The rest of the team is held off with a chair and Hardy is busted open. The beating continues to end the show. The Nemeths vs. the Hardys is certainly a choice for a title feud.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a back and forth show, as there were some good things on here that had me interested in what they were doing, but then they did some things that simply weren’t very interesting. The top two matches were only so good and the ending was more of an “eh, ok I guess” than anything else. Things should get to pick up a bit with a fresh top heel, but they need something else for Hendry to do already, as he’s just kind of floating around despite being World Champion.

Results
First Class b. Aztec Warriors – Running Sliced Bread to Kid
Mance Warner b. Sami Callihan – Running knee
Tessa Blanchard b. Lei Ying Lee – Magnum
Ace Austin/Rascalz b. Wes Lee/Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe – Spiral Tap to Lee
Steve Maclin b. Frankie Kazarian – KIA
Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance/Personal Concierge b. Spitfire – Assisted top rope double stomp to Threat
Mustafa Ali b. Mike Santana – Rollup while grabbing the rope
Masha Slamovich b. Cora Jade – Requiem
Moose b. Jeff Hardy – Moose pulled down the title
Joe Hendry/Elijah/Matt Hardy/Leon Slater/Nic Nemeth b. Orlando Colon/Eddie Colon/Brian Myers/JDC/Eddie Edwards – Twist Of Fate with a chair to JDC

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

Smackdown
Date: April 12, 2001
Location: First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 14,626
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

This was another request for reasons I don’t exactly remember. We are freshly off Wrestlemania X7 and the big story is the Two Man Power Trip (all four of them) are running roughshod over the company. That is going to create some issues and it is time for someone to fight back. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Vince McMahon apologizing to Linda McMahon on Raw, only for Linda to say she wanted a divorce. Like that marriage could ever fall apart. Lita called what Linda did inspiring and got put in a six person tag, teaming with the Hardys against HHH/Steve Austin/Stephanie McMahon. Lita pinned Stephanie and destruction ensued as a result. Austin beating on Lita with a chair and giving her a Stunner are limited to still shots.

Opening sequence.

Here are HHH and Stephanie to get things going, with Steve Austin joining them. HHH talks about how things were pretty great just about a month ago, with The Rock and Chris Jericho as champions and Mick Foley as Commissioner. Now things have changed though, as The Rock is gone and they have taken the titles, just like they wanted to. The Hardys and Lita tried to stand in their way and look what happened.

Everywhere HHH goes or in “the dirt sheets”, he keeps hearing about how they went too far with Lita. The heck with that, because they will tell you when they crossed the line. HHH is that d*** good, Austin is that d*** cold and they are that d*** unstoppable. Eh not sure about that catchphrase. Austin is tired of all the same questions and talks about attacking the Rock at Wrestlemania because he wanted to.

Then Jim Ross asked why Austin did what he did but Austin is tired of Ross riding his coattails. He did it because he could and no one was there to stop him. Then the Hardys tried to do something about it and look what happened. Beating Lita with a chair was the best feeling he has had in a long time and there is no one back there who can stop them. Austin talks about how he could have done that to anyone in the audience but here is Jeff Hardy to lay out all three of them with a chair (Twist of Fate for Stephanie). It was a good, evil promo, but the Hardys felt WAY below these two and it was showing.

Post break, HHH storms into William Regal’s office and demands Jeff Hardy tonight, no matter what it takes.

Spike Dudley vs. Albert

The Dudley Boyz and the rest of X Factor are here and this is the fallout from Albert taking out Spike in a tag match on Raw. Spike forearms away to start and is dropped with a single shot to the face. Albert throws him across the ring (with a great Spike sell) and then drops him face first for the big crash. Spike avoids a charge but gets crotched on top to cut him off. Somehow Spike manages to knock him off the top though and a top rope double stomp connects. The Dudley Dog gets two as everyone starts fighting on the floor. Albert shrugs it off and hits the pump kick for the pin at 2:46.

Post match the Dudleys give Albert What’s Up. The table is loaded up but X-Pac takes out D-Von, followed by a double superkick to Bubba. Spike goes through the table.

Debra is looking for Jim Ross.

Don’t Try This At Home.

William Regal tells Jeff Hardy that he has an Intercontinental Title shot against HHH tonight (works for him) but if he ever besmirches (yes BESMIRCHES) Stephanie McMahon again, he will never get another title shot. Jeff leaves and Big Show comes in, demanding Undertaker and Kane tonight. Regal makes the match, with Show getting to pick any tag team he wants for a handicap match.

Crash Holly isn’t worried about Rhino, who Gores him into a steel door.

Debra comes in to see Jim Ross, who is fine with her being here despite what her husband did to him. She apologizes for what Steve Austin did and insists that she wasn’t involved. Ross knows that because he knows what kind of a person Debra is and knows she wouldn’t have anything to do with it. Austin comes in and accuses him of flirting with Debra before throwing him out (of his own dressing room). Debra isn’t sure what to do but Austins says they’re leaving now. They leave during the break.

Stephanie McMahon is annoyed at Jeff Hardy breaking her earring so HHH says he’ll take care of this. The match is officially dedicated to Stephanie and threatens the trainer. Stephanie: “Go get em Hunter. I love you.” The whiny voice made that as perfect as it could have been.

Women’s Title: Chyna vs. Ivory

Chyna is defending and Ivory has Steven Richards with her. Ivory tries to go up but gets slammed down for the early crash. Chyna’s handspring elbow misses though and Ivory grabs a bulldog. The chinlock stays on the neck (which is still banged up from earlier in the year) but Chyna powers up without much trouble. Richards gets involved by pulling Chyna to the floor for a clothesline though and Ivory gets a VERY delayed one. Chyna comes back with a suplex and some clotheslines as Ivory is getting ragdolled here. The gorilla press drop retains the title at 3:53.

Rating: C. This was somehow more competitive than their Wrestlemania match but it showed the problem with Chyna as champion: no one was going to be able to give her any serious challenge. Ivory was hardly a slouch and she got crushed here, which would happen with anyone. Chyna wouldn’t be long for the company, and it would take Trish Stratus of all people to save the division.

Post match Richards goes after Chyna and gets laid out for his efforts.

Big Show tries to get the APA to team with him tonight. That’s not happening, so Show accuses the APA of being scared. They’re just too busy though and tell him to shut the door as he goes.

Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho say they aren’t rocket scientists so they know William Regal is coming for revenge. Benoit says let’s go with it.

Edge And Christian/William Regal/Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit/Chris Jericho

Benoit and Jericho charge right in and Benoit suplexes Edge, setting up a Lionsault from Jericho. With the other villains cut off, Benoit adds the Swan Dive for two with Christian making the save. We settle down to Regal stomping on Benoit and it’s off to Angle for more of the same.

Angle gets in a German suplex but Benoit northern lights suplexes Christian as commentary ignores the match to talk about Hardy vs. HHH. Benoit gets over to Jericho for the tag to pick up the pace and we get back to back Walls and Crossfaces on various villains. That takes a bit too long though and Angle Angle Slams Jericho for the pin at 3:28.

Rating: B-. There was a lot going on in this one but it was more of an angle than a competitive match. The bigger deal here was making Regal, and presumably Vince McMahon and pals, look evil so that the Canadian Chrises would have someone to fight. Moving them up into the main event scene is not a bad idea and putting them in spots like this, where they held their own for a bit, is only going to make that push feel more warranted.

Post match Regal and Angle go after them again, only to get pulled into various submissions to make them tap.

Test wishes Jeff Hardy luck, as he wishes he could have done that to Stephanie more than once.

We recap Linda McMahon asking Vince for a divorce on Raw. This at least seems to be different than the opening video.

Rhyno vs. Hardcore Holly

This is over Rhyno attacking the other Hollys. They waste no time in starting the brawl until Rhyno charges into a boot in the corner. The fight goes to the mat before they get up and chop it out. Holly gets in his hanging kick to the ribs and they brawl into the corner again. Rhyno fights out of the corner but the Gore hits both of them. Cue Molly Holly with a trashcan so Hardcore can send Rhyno running. Apparently Rhyno was disqualified when he Gored the referee, so ignoring the lack of a bell, we’ll say it ended around 2:10.

Big Show asks Grandmaster Sexay and Steve Blackman to team with him tonight. Blackman has his nunchucks and Show thinks better of it.

Albert is the guest host at WWF New York. Not that we actually see him, but that’s what commentary tells us.

Jeff Hardy would love to be the Intercontinental Champion, but tonight is about payback and revenge.

The Right To Censor recruits Test, but he’s good on not having to give up everything and dress like them. He will take a match with Val Venis though.

Big Show settles for Kai En Tai. Apparently they think he’s Godzilla.

King Of The Ring sold out in four hours.

Big Show/Kai En Tai vs. Brothers Of Destruction

Funaki starts for the team but Undertaker wants Show. Instead it’s Kane coming in to beat up Taka but Funaki grabs the leg. Show tags himself in and hits a clothesline but Kane sits up, so we’ll have Funaki pulled in by Show instead. With Show leaving, it’s a double chokeslam to Kai En Tai. Kane tries his own Last Ride but just drops Funaki behind him instead. Undertaker shows him the proper method on Taka as Show is furious. Kane hits a better Last Ride to pin Funaki at 2:55. This was goofy fun.

Long video on the XFL playoffs.

Val Venis vs. Test

The Right To Censor is here with Venis, who jumps Test to start. They slug it out until Godfather trips Test up, allowing the RTC to hammer away from the floor. Venis chokes away and cranks on both arms at once to keep Test down. That doesn’t last long as Test is back up with a tilt-a-whirl slam, only for Venis to send him outside. Back in and Test hits the pumphandle slam so Godfather offers a distraction. Richards superkicks Venis by mistake and here is Raven, who the RTC tried to recruit on Raw, to give Richards a DDT. The big boot finishes Venis at 3:28.

Rating: C+. For a match between Test and Val Venis, they certainly put a lot in there. That’s a nice thing to see as it was a bit of a throwback to the Attitude Era style, which can work well in small doses. The RTC isn’t long for the world, and to be fair there wasn’t much else for them to do anyway. Not a great match, but it was fun while it lasted.

Post match the RTC gets in a big brawl of their own, with referees not being able to break it up.

We get another recap of what led to Jeff Hardy getting an Intercontinental Title shot.

Intercontinental Title: HHH vs. Jeff Hardy

HHH is defending and they’re both alone for a change. The early slugout goes to HHH, who knocks Hardy outside. Back in and hardy hits the legdrop between the legs into the basement dropkick before hammering away in the corner. HHH shoves him out for the big crash but the Whisper In The Wind gives Hardy two. A missed charge sends Hardy back to the floor, where he’s fine enough to send HHH into the steps.

The dive off the barricade is cut off with a powerslam out of the air, only for Hardy to get up…and get powerslammed out of the air again. Might want to try something different there chum. Back in and the jumping knee cuts Hardy off again but this time HHH would rather hammer away than cover. A hard whip into the corner drops Hardy again and HHH grabs a sleeper (more like an awkward hug really).

Hardy jawbreaks his way to freedom and…well one of them grabs a legsweep. Hardy goes up so HHH throws the referee into the ropes for the break, albeit not a DQ due to reasons of convenience. The referee gets shoved down but here is Matt Hardy (not supposed to be here) to chair HHH in the head. One heck of a Swanton gives Jeff the pin and the title in a huge upset at 8:07.

Rating: B-. This was mostly a HHH squash with a screwy ending but dang the fans went nuts when Hardy won. It was the first sign that there might be something to Jeff on his own, but it was also quite the surprise as you do not see a major heel faction lose so soon. That’s an interesting way to go, even if HHH would get the title back the next week. Granted there was something a bit bigger waiting on HHH and Austin later on in the form of Undertaker and Kane, but for now, good surprise here.

Overall Rating: B-. While I’m not big on the Austin heel run, it’s quite the fun flashback as you can see the incredible talent pool that the WWF had available. The amazing thing is that it would get even better in about two months with the Invasion and…ok so it didn’t exactly work out. This wasn’t some classic show, but it was interesting to see where the company was going in the fallout of Wrestlemania, especially with Rock gone. I’ll be back around this era one day and it was fun to look back at it again.

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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Smack Em Whack Em
Date: 1993
Host: Lord Alfred Hayes, Bushwhackers
Commentators: Lord Alfred Hayes, Gorilla Monsoon

Ah here we go, as the WWE Vault continues to upload Coliseum Videos, though in this case we have one of the best ever released. There are some classic matches here with a major focus on Bret Hart, who was becoming the new star of the company now that the Hulk Hogan Era was mostly over. This should be a lot of fun so let’s get to it.

Lord Alfred Hayes welcomes us to a house that is needing to be renovated. The people fixing things up: the Bushwhackers, who wack in from off camera, naturally with their music playing. They have been hired to turn this place into the Bushwhackers’ Wrecking Room. The first thing we have to worry about is safety, so they give Hayes some safety glasses and a helmet. And a tool belt. And gloves. And now we’re off to the first match.

From Erie, Pennsylvania, November 23, 1992.

Crush vs. Berzerker

Crush starts fast by ducking a clothesline and hitting a belly to belly suplex. Berzerker is sent outside, followed by a flying shoulder to send him out there again. Back in and Berzerker hammers away, setting up a big boot to put Crush down for a change. This time it’s Crush getting knocked out to the floor, setting up a piledriver for two back inside. Crush’s arms get tied in the ropes so Berzerker kicks away, which wakes Crush up for some reason. A backbreaker and legdrop give Crush two and the head vice finishes Berzerker at 6:17.

Rating: C. They kept this short but it was a way to push Crush forward a bit more as his near mega push was on. You could see what the company saw in him as he had the look and style that had worked for them over the years. That being said, I’m not sure I could have seen him going all the way to the top. Beating monsters like Berzerker is a good way to go, but going beyond that might have been too far.

Back at the house and the Bushwhackers try to install a window but their measurements don’t quite work. Butch’s sledgehammer shots are a few feet low, but they think it’s fine because the dog can use the window.

From Dayton, Ohio, November 24, 1992.

Earthquake vs. Repo Man

Repo moves around to start but for some reason tries a waistlock. An elbow to the face knocks that away and Earthquake runs him over as commentary talks about owing debts on various things. The splash in the corner connects but Repo is back with some right hands and a middle rope clothesline actually puts Earthquake down. The neck crank doesn’t last long on Earthquake, who fights up but misses an elbow. Repo takes too long going up though and gets powerslammed, setting up the Earthquake for the pin at 4:24.

Rating: C-. Pretty much a nothing match here, as Repo was a weird choice to face a monster like Earthquake. At the same time, it’s a strange time for Earthquake, as the Natural Disasters were something of a lifeline to him. With Yokozuna coming in though, there wasn’t much of a place for Earthquake and that was becoming fairly obvious with something like this.

The Bushwhackers use a saw on the wood but say that their mother would be proud of them. Then they accidentally cut an electrical wire, but insist on safety first. Hayes is promptly electrocuted, and perhaps killed.

And now, eating for the single man with Yokozuna. He eats a lot and Gene Okerlund is impressed. This goes on for over ten minutes and it’s just him eating. They keep presenting more food to him and he eats it, with Gene trying some. I have no idea what the point of this is, but man he sure does eat a lot.

Now we get to something a lot more fun: a profile on new WWF Champion, Bret Hart. Gorilla Monsoon talks to Bret about some of the matches we’ll be seeing, including some newfangled thing called a ladder match. Bret even thinks that Shawn Michaels might have had secret ladder match experience.

From Portland, Maine, July 21, 1992.

Intercontinental Title: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels

Shawn, with Sister Sherri, is challenging in the first ever (in the WWF at least) ladder match. After the belt is hung, Shawn starts hammering away but gets dropped with a quick clothesline. Bret comes back with some right hands and the always good looking headbutt but Shawn punches him down for a change. As Monsoon LOSES IT over Sherri having a tattoo on her chest, Shawn gets in a knee to the ribs for another knockdown.

That’s enough for the first ladder to be brought in but Bret cuts him off (starting a bit of a weird tradition in ladder matches of NO, I’M BRINGING THE LADDER IN FIRST) and hammers away on the floor. That means it’s time for Sherri to offer a distraction, allowing Shawn to set the ladder up inside. Bret cuts it off again but Shawn cuts him off just as quickly, with the ladder falling down.

Shawn rams the ladder into the ribs but eventually hits the post, forcing him to leave the ladder in the corner. Another knockdown lets Shawn go up and he touches the belt, only to be knocked back down with the ladder falling on him for a nasty crash. This time it’s Shawn knocking Bret off the ladder as the crashes continue to mount up. Bret knocks him off the ladder for no crash, but the ladder being put into the corner can’t go well. The middle rope clothesline puts Shawn down before slingshotting him into the ladder.

It’s too early to get the title though and Bret comes down, possibly twisting his knee in the process. A double down gives them a breather and Sherri is absolutely losing her mind. They both go up and then come crashing down so Sherri grabs Bret’s foot. That lets Shawn hit the superkick and the teardrop suplex before doing the really slow climb. Bret dropkicks the ladder over, sending Shawn crashing hard out to the floor. That’s finally enough for Bret to retain the title at 13:46.

Rating: B. The thing to remember here is that this was the first ladder match in WWF history. No it doesn’t have a bunch of huge spots or really anything else, but it’s not that kind of a match. Instead, this was a match which happened to have a ladder involved rather than a match focusing on a ladder. It helps that Bret and Shawn have great chemistry, which was on display here as they worked the ladder in very well. Good match and it’s a shame that it is so forgotten.

Gorilla talks about Bret defending the title so frequently. This includes a title defense against Kamala, when he was still all evil. Bret knew he had to be a fighting champion and that’s what he was going to do.

From Louisville, Kentucky, October 28, 1992.

WWF Title: Bret Hart vs. Kamala

Kamala, with Kim Chee and Harvey Wippleman, is challenging. Bret gives his glasses away as usual before ducking a lockup attempt as we’re over a minute in already. A waistlock doesn’t go so well for Bret as he gets taken into the corner, only to avoid a splash. Another missed charge lets Bret start in on the arm but he has to avoid some falling chops. Kamala has to go to the ropes (with his managers telling him to do it, then telling him he needs to let it go) before offering a test of strength.

Bret (eventually) tries it for some reason but catches the cheap shot, steps on the bare foot, and goes back to the arm. Kamala chops him down though and we hit the bearhug. For some reason that’s dropped in a hurry so Kamala can grab the pectoral claw. That’s broken up and Kamala actually leapfrogs him (COMPLETELY no sold by commentary) but Bret is back with a Russian legsweep. The middle rope clothesline into the middle rope elbow but the managers break up the Sharpshooter attempt. Instead Bret just rolls him up to retain at 8:50.

Rating: C+. This is one of those matches that shouldn’t have been very good but Bret did what he could to make it work. There was only so much that could be done with someone like Kamala, who was only going to do much. Nice stuff here, with Bret getting a defense against a rather scary looking monster, which often works.

Post match Kamala and the managers go after Bret again but he pulls Wippleman in the way of the splash and clears the ring.

Gorilla and Bret preview the title match against Ric Flair, with Bret saying this was his one chance to get the title and he was winning no matter what. He even sprains his ankle and dislocates a finger early on but kept going anyway. It’s rare to see them giving away the result early but it’s kind of a huge deal.

From Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, October 12, 1992.

WWF Title: Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair

Flair, with Mr. Perfect, is defending. Commentary makes a big deal about this being the hometown of Bret’s father Stu, just in case this wasn’t a big enough moment. Flair backs him into the corner to start and we get a clean break, plus a WOO for good measure. A headlock to the mat has Bret down but he reverses into a hammerlock, which gets a nice reaction.

Back up and Flair backs him into the corner for a chop as commentary talks about how good a match between Bret and Mr. Perfect would be. You know, like when Bret beat him for the Intercontinental Title and it was great? The threat of a Sharpshooter sends Flair outside and it’s a headlock to slow him down back inside. Bret wins the fight over a top wristlock as they’re firmly in first gear. A wristlock into a hammerlock keeps Flair down but he’s able to punch his way out of a sunset flip attempt.

Bret’s second sunset flip attempt results in Flair’s trunks coming down (of course) so Flair goes to the eyes to calm things down. Bret gets in a shot of his own but it’s way too early to get a Figure Four on Flair. Instead Bret drops some elbows on the leg (Flair: “OH GOD! NO!”) and now the Figure Four can work. After some quick two counts, Flair makes it over to the ropes for the break.

Bret gets two off a backslide before grabbing a sleeper. That’s countered with a belly to back though and they’re both down again. Flair goes after the leg as well and we’re quickly into the Figure Four, which lasts for a good while. Bret finally turns it over so Flair chops away in the corner and kicks away at the leg even more.

Another Figure Four attempt is countered into a small package for two but he charges into a boot in the corner. As usual, Flair goes up and gets slammed back down, allowing Bret to grab the Russian legsweep for two. The middle rope elbow and a suplex get two each, followed by a superplex. Bret grabs the Sharpshooter, keeps it on as Perfect gets on the apron, and makes Flair give up for the title at 26:28.

Rating: A-. This was as big of a shocker as you could get as Bret was a strong star but the idea of him winning the title was out of nowhere. It was great to see and came at the end of a very good match, which saw the crowd hanging in there for every second. Bret survived everything that Flair threw at him and then beat him clean with his finisher, which is (albeit about twenty minutes longer) about the same thing that Hulk Hogan did to the Iron Sheik. Heck of a moment here, and it more than holds up. Flair was finishing up and had an ear issue as well, so everything kind of came together and it went about as well as possible.

Gorilla praises Bret, who is ready to be a fighting champion.

We go back to the house (oh yeah that’s a thing), where it’s time to work on the plumbing. Naturally it’s safety first, but then it’ll be time to build a Bushwhackers bathroom. Luke uses a wrench on a pipe and Hayes is quickly soaked. We’ll get away from this too.

From Beaumont, Texas, January 4, 1993.

Undertaker vs. Razor Ramon

Ramon isn’t sure what to do with Undertaker to start so he slugs away, which goes about as well as you would expect. Undertaker comes back but misses the elbow, allowing Ramon to clothesline him to the floor. That earns Ramon a necksnap across the top rope but he’s fine enough to hit a middle rope bulldog to really stagger Undertaker for a change.

A chair to the back and a whip into the steps have Undertaker in more trouble and they head back inside. Ramon drops about ten straight elbows, which have Paul Bearer trying to get in for the save. Ramon takes the Urn and clocks Undertaker, who pops up at two and hits a chokeslam. That’s enough for Ramon to run off for the countout at 7:30.

Rating: D+. I didn’t like it when they did almost the exact same match (with an identical finishing sequence, even down to the elbows) on Invasion Of The Bodyslammers so this wasn’t much to see. It’s a weird way to go as a final match on the tape after all of the Hart stuff, but this was just disappointing, to the point where I was checking the other tape to make sure it just wasn’t the same match with new commentary. It really shouldn’t be that hard.

Back at the house, the Bushwhackers have a chair set up for Hayes so he can watch his favorite Coliseum Videos at the end of a hard day. This oddly works and Hayes wraps it up. Then the lights go out and the Bushwhackers say OH NO to end the tape.

Overall Rating: B. Why yes, a match with a big focus on Bret Hart as he’s becoming the top hero in the company is worth a look, as the two good matches are REALLY good, with the title change being great. That being said, there isn’t much else to see here, with the main event being flat out lame given that they did pretty much the same match just a few months earlier on another tape. Throw in the Bushwhackers stuff just not being funny and the whole thing was up and down, but dang those ups are worth your time.

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

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Smackdown
Date: March 14, 2025
Location: Olimpic Arena Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re taped from Europe this week, which is going to be the case for a little while now. That should make for some interesting situations and we are just over a month away from Wrestlemania. Cody Rhodes is here to talk about John Cena on MizTV, which feels like it is a way to set up a match tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

A bunch of people came to work, but in Spain.

Here is the new US Champion LA Knight for a chat. The fans are VERY happy to see him and give him one of those cool singing welcomes. Knight: “YEAH!” This is the first Smackdown in Barcelona (the fans sing again, with Knight quipping that it’s a tough crowd tonight) and he is worldwide.

Cue Jimmy Uso to interrupt, saying he needs a rope to Wrestlemania so he wants to challenge for the title right now. Cue Solo Sikoa to say Jacob Fatu deserves a title shot. Sikoa calls Jimmy the failure of the family but Jimmy says the failure was trusting Sikoa as his little brother. The brawl is on with the bad guys in control but Braun Strowman runs in for the save. Nick Aldis comes out to announce a six man tag (with some Spanish thrown in).

Jimmy Uso/Braun Strowman/LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu/Tama Tonga

We’re joined in progress with Uso coming in to jump over Sikoa in the corner and slug away. The ten punches in the corner rock Sikoa but a distraction lets him come back with Spinning Solo. Fatu’s backsplash sets up Tonga’s slingshot hilo and Sikoa adds a running Umaga Attack in the corner. Uso gets in a shot of his own though and hands it off to Knight to pick up the pace.

The jumping neckbreaker and DDT get one on Fatu, who is back up to knock Knight silly. Knight knocks him right back down though and hits the top rope elbow. Fatu drops him again and we take a break. Back with Tonga taking Knight into the corner for a running splash. Fatu hits his own Umaga Attack but Knight manages to suplex Sikoa. Strowman comes in to clean house, including the running shots on the floor. Knight and Uso take out the others, leaving Strowman to powerslam Tonga for the pin at 10:09.

Rating: C+. This was a house show style match and Strowman gets to win for the popular guys. Tonga is more or less there for the sake of taking the falls for the team as we are getting closer to the split at the top of….whatever Sikoa and company are calling themselves. The match was nothing great, but it did what it needed to do in getting the show started off well.

Post match Sikoa takes Strowman down and Fatu goes after him as well, including the triple jump moonsault. It works so well that Fatu does it again.

We get a look at HHH before his Hall Of Fame induction.

We look back at Naomi admitting she attacked Jade Cargill, leaving Bianca Belair in tears and earning Naomi another beating from Cargill.

Cargill has a sitdown interview in an empty arena earlier today, saying she is physically ready to go. Naomi suggesting that she was the victim made Cargill sick because she remembers being attacked and seeing Naomi run away. She couldn’t believe that Naomi would team with Belair like nothing happened so she had to take matters into her own hands. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez come in to mock her, with Cargill issuing the challenge for next week.

B-Fab, in English and Spanish, is ready to start her legacy by beating Charlotte.

B-Fab vs. Charlotte

They take their time staring each other down to start before Charlotte powers her into the corner. B-Fab comes back with a half nelson slam for two and Charlotte rolls outside as we take a break. Back with Charlotte stomping away before taking her down with a neckbreaker. The chinlock goes on and Charlotte even manages to mock the crowd at the same time.

We take another break and come back with Charlotte hitting the figure four necklock faceplants to keep B-Fab in trouble. It’s too early for the Figure Eight though and B-Fab fires off some right hands. A pump kick gives B-Fab two but Charlotte is back with a superkick. Natural Selection into the Figure Eight finishes B-Fab at 8:22.

Rating: C+. B-Fab was trying here but this was all about getting Charlotte her first singles win in a very long time. That’s not a bad thing and B-Fab held her own in a longer match than you usually see from her. Charlotte is on her way back to the title picture at Wrestlemania though and this was more about letting the fans know how good she can be, again.

Post match Charlotte won’t let go and it’s Tiffany Stratton in for the save. Security can’t break it up and the fight stays on, with Charlotte diving off the announcers’ table to take Stratton down. Stratton hits her own dive and they’re FINALLY split up. I would hope that they’re wearing different colors at Wrestlemania because they were both in pink here and I was having trouble telling them apart.

Drew McIntyre blames Damian Priest for all of his problems in the last year.

Here’s the Miz for MizTV but Charlotte and Stratton are still fighting at the entrance. Security breaks it up again, only for Stratton to get up on the video screen for a big flip dive. Stratton shouts that there is a new queen in town to finally wrap it up.

And now, MizTV, with Miz doing the introduction in Spanish to continue a trend tonight. Miz talks about how his guest should have taken the Rock up on his offer but then got beaten down by two great rappers instead. Here is Cody Rhodes, with the fans singing his theme song in one of those shows of respect that never gets old. Miz goes even heelier than usual by saying he doesn’t have time for the singalong, which earns him a quick Cross Rhodes. Cody takes off his jacket to reveal a BARCELONA NIGHTMARE shirt (the fans approve) before saying he only wants to talk to John Cena, so he’ll see him Monday.

Earlier today, Shinsuke Nakamura told Nick Aldis he wanted a rematch when Damian Priest came in to say he wanted Drew McIntyre. Priest doesn’t like what he thinks Nakamura is saying so Aldis makes the match for later. As usual, Priest comes off like he is always ready to fight and that makes him feel more important.

We get a teaser for someone who looks a lot like Rey Fenix. Interesting that he might not be on the same show as Penta.

Damian Priest vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

They trade arm cranking to start until Nakamura takes him into the corner for Good Vibrations. A running clothesline puts Nakamura on the floor though and we take an early break. Back with Priest dropping him face first onto the barricade, only to miss a charge back inside. Nakamura hits the middle rope knee for two and it’s time to choke on the ropes.

We take a break and come back with Nakamura grabbing a chinlock. An enziguri takes Priest down again but he catches Nakamura with the lifting Downward Spiral. They go outside with Priest sending him over the announcer’s table, setting up the Old School high crossbody back inside. Back up and they trade strikes to the face but here is Drew McIntyre to sit on the announcers’ table. The distraction lets Nakamura load up Kinshasa, which is reversed into South Of Heaven. That’s enough for McIntyre to come in and jump Priest for the DQ at 8:42.

Rating: B-. This was about two guys getting to go after each other and hit the other rather hard until they got to the finish. In this case that’s how it should have gone as you don’t want Priest to lose, but Nakamura getting pinned twice in a row would be a bit much. The match itself was a good back and forth fight though, which shouldn’t be a surprise given whom was in there.

Post match McIntyre goes for Priest’s eyes, allowing Nakamura to hit Kinshasa. Nakamura leaves and McIntyre wrecks Priest. McIntyre goes to leave but sees Priest getting back up, earning himself a Claymore and some yelling.

DIY says they make the tag team division the best in the world and they’ll prove it again tonight. The Motor City Machine Guns come in to say they’ll be waiting.

Chelsea Green is glad that her administration is at full force despite everything she has had to go through. Zelina Vega comes in to say she wants a title shot but gets a match with Piper Niven next week instead. Works for Vega, who is still coming for the title.

Randy Orton vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes offers him a handshake but the fans want the RKO. Orton tries for the handshake but Hayes pulls it away, earning himself quite the beating. The belly to back drop onto the announcers’ table has Hayes in trouble and we take an early break. Back with Orton dropping him on the table again but Hayes gets in a cheap shot to take over. The fans do not like Hayes and rhythmically chant about it as we take another break.

We come back again with Orton fighting out of a chinlock but getting put right back into it. Orton fights up and hits the powerslam before pulling Hayes out of the air for another powerslam. The hanging DDT sends Hayes outside and he grabs a Stunner over the top rope. Nothing But Net misses so Hayes settles for the springboard DDT for two instead. Hayes goes up top again and gets superplexed back down but the RKO is countered into the First 48. Then the RKO connects to give Orton the pin at 10:22.

Rating: B-. While Hayes is losing a lot of these big matches, he is staying in these matches and looking good against bigger stars. What matters is that he could be moved up to the next level with just a win or two. Other than that, there is something to be said about having a younger star like Hayes who can go out there and hang with these names, though a win here or there would be nice.

Post match Orton gives him another RKO to even the score a bit. The Punt is loaded up but Kevin Owens runs in for the save. Owens bails before violence can ensue.

Jacob Fatu wants one more match with Braun Strowman next week.

We get a mysterious smoky vignette with the number 4. Or is that a slightly slanted A?

Here is Gunther for a chat. Gunther says that the Road To Wrestlemania Europe starts here and as the greatest European wrestler of all time….he wishes they could be in Madrid instead. Gunther mocks Jey Uso as having no substance and asks for “a kid” to come face him, meaning Axiom gets a rare main roster appearance.

Gunther vs. Axiom

Non-title and Axiom, a masked high flier from Spain, is one half of the NXT Tag Team Champions. Axiom is a bit tentative to start before going to the mat and getting in a quick kick. Gunther misses the chop in the corner and Axiom strikes away as the fans are losing their minds over this stuff. A chop cuts Axiom off again but the fans are right there as he fires off forearms.

The Boston crab has Axiom in trouble and Gunther flips it into an STF. Gunther goes after the mask, which wakes Axiom up enough for a missile dropkick. A running knee connects but Gunther dropkicks him down. The dropkick gets two but Axiom catches Gunther on top, with a super hurricanrana connecting. The Golden Ratio (superkick) gives Axiom two so he cranks on the arms. That’s enough for Gunther, who hits a powerbomb, the clothesline, and another powerbomb for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: B. The fans were crazy into this and they were carrying this even higher than the two of them were getting in the first place. At the same time, Axiom was more than holding his own out there to make for a heck of a match. Gunther can work well with anyone and having him shut down a smaller high flier like this makes sense. Good match, with awesome crowd reactions.

Post match Gunther sleepers axiom for the knockout.

We look back at Roman Reigns accidentally helping Seth Rollins beat Cm punk in a cage match on Raw. Then Paul Heyman helped Punk up, earning Punk one heck of a beating from Reigns.

Here is Heyman for a chat, declaring that today is Roman Reigns Day, because it is the release day for WWE2K25. He knows everyone is going to go home and play the game, but please wait until the show is over because he likes to keep the ratings high during his segments. Heyman moves on to CM Punk, who is his friend, but it isn’t CM Punk Day, nor will it ever be Seth Rollins Day. If you have a problem with that, you can say it to his face next week in Italy.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Legado del Fantasma wishes the Street Profits luck. The Profits are ready to get the Tag Team Titles.

Gunther tells Jimmy Uso to get Jey Uso to not challenge him at Wrestlemania or bad things will happen.

Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. Street Profits

The Profits are challenging. Dawkins and Ciampa start things off with Dawkins unloading in the corner to start fast. The assisted moonsault gives Ford two and it’s back to Dawkins, who chases Gargano on the floor. That’s enough for Ciampa to hammer away back inside as Pretty Deadly is shown watching. Ford comes back in but gets nailed by Gargano before Ciampa drops him ribs first across the top rope.

The Fairy Tale Ending is blocked though and Ford kicks Ciampa away, allowing the tag off to Dawkins. House is quickly cleaned but Ford’s 450 only hits raised knees. Back up and a Doomsday Blockbuster gives Ford two with Ciampa making the save. The Fairy Tale Ending/superkick combination gets two on Dawkins but Meet In The Middle misses. Ford’s frog splash connects for the pin and the titles at 11:52.

Rating: B-. This had to happen at some point as the Profits had been so close to the titles so many times, only to come up short. It’s nice to see them getting the gold, as it spices things up in the division. Odds are we wind up with some kind of a big five team ladder match at Wrestlemania, but for now, this is the right move as it is long overdue.

Overall Rating: B. Here you had a show where the crowd boosted things up that far, as the fans were going nuts all night long. The title change at the end made things feel that much more important and it was a big way to get things going with the six shows in Europe. It’s not a great show, but the fans were hot and you can see where a lot of this stuff is going, which is nice to see.

Results
Jimmy Uso/Braun Strowman/LA Knight b. Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu/Tama Tonga – Running powerslam to Tonga
Charlotte b. B-Fab – Figure Eight
Damian Priest b. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when Drew McIntyre interfered
Randy Orton b. Carmelo Hayes – RKO
Gunther b. Axiom – Powerbomb
Street Profits b. DIY – Frog splash to Gargano

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