Dynamite
Date: June 24, 2026
Location: Rio Rancho Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

It’s the last Dynamite before Forbidden Door and the finals are officially set for the Owen Hart Cups. That means we need to have the big hype segments for Sunday’s final showdowns. As for tonight, Zack Sabre Jr. is here again to face Jack Perry in his Forbidden Door warmup match. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley gives the Death Riders a pep talk. Will Ospreay gets in their bouncing circle and falls down. Well of course he did.

Death Riders vs. Brodido/Mistico

Yuta grabs Bandido’s arm to start and they trade takedowns. Back up and Bandido snaps off a running headscissors before headlocking Moxley. That earns Bandido a trip into the corner, meaning Castagnoli can stomp him down. Bandido shrugs that off and brings Mistico in to get a rather spinning headscissors to take Castagnoli down.

It’s off to King for the big man slugout and of course King can run the ropes to springboard into a double wristdrag to Castagnoli and Moxley. The Riders are sent outside for a triple dive and we take an early break. We come back with Bandido still in trouble and Moxley getting two off a suplex.

Bandido gets in a running kick to the chest and Mistico gets the much needed tag. That means house can quickly be cleaned, including a quick sunset flip for two on Castagnoli. Bandido muscles Castagnoli over for a suplex but Marina Shafir offers a distraction. That’s enough for Moxley to get in a belt shot and roll King up for the pin at 12:19.

Rating: B. This was a good, hard hitting opening match with King getting to showcase his impressive athleticism. At the same time, this doesn’t make Bandido look strong going into his title shot and Mistico has his upcoming tag match and this…really had nothing to do with that either. It’s a weird way to go, though Bandido getting a pin here would have made a bit more sense.

Post match Bandido has a quick staredown with the Riders.

The Conglomeration is ready to fight in the cage at Forbidden Door. Darby Allin is ready to fight and the team promises to load up their backpacks. The rest of the team leaves and Orange Cassidy looks a bit annoyed but insists he’s fine. Renee Paquette doesn’t seem convinced.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Marina Shafir vs. Harley Cameron

Cameron is in Supergirl inspired gear and gets kicked in the ribs to start fast. Shafir mounts her but Cameron is right out into a half crab. That’s broken up as well and Cameron knocks her outside for a crossbody off the steps. Back in and Shafir gives her an AA and we take an early break. We come back with Shafir snapping off some judo throws but Cameron manages a belly to back suplex. Cameron hammers away in the corner until Shafir knees her right back. The half crab is broken up again so Shafir flips her into a choke, only to have Cameron backflip into a cradle for the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C+. This was a nice surprise victory for Cameron but what matters the most here is that Cameron is going to be in next week’s match. I’m not sure if she’s going to win the title and she probably won’t, but at least she’s going to bring her rather amazing charisma to the whole thing. She’s a good bonus to the match and could even win the whole thing, which is kind of stunning considering where she was when she first came to AEW.

Video on Maya World vs. Mercedes Mone in the Women’s Owen Hart Cup finals.

Will Ospreay vs. ELP

ELP (El Phantasmo) works on the arm to start and runs Ospreay over with a shoulder, earning him a nip up. Ospreay sends him outside without much trouble and hits a slingshot dive but ELP is back up with a quick drop onto the apron. One heck of a moonsault takes Ospreay down again and we take an early break.

We come back with Ospreay hitting an enziguri, only for ELP to grab a tornado DDT. Ospreay’s forearms make ELP laugh and they trade kicks to the head until Ospreay grabs a standing Spanish Fly. ELP gets in a superkick for two of his own but Ospreay flips over into a Styles Clash. The Hidden Blade pins ELP at 10:42.

Rating: B-. It was another entertaining match with Ospreay getting to do all of his stuff, though again I’m not sure how well this did to make Ospreay look great. It did a good job of building up ELP, who hung with Ospreay for a good while before getting taken out. That’s something that happens quite a bit during this season and it’s kind of annoying as Ospreay is in the likely main event of Forbidden Door and ELP isn’t likely going to be here beyond tonight.

Post match Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana come out for a staredown, with Ospreay leaving through the crowd.

Swerve Strickland vs. Daniel Garcia

Garcia walks in from outside and…how long has he been waiting out there? Strickland runs him over to start so Garcia pops up to get in Strickland’s face. That’s not a good idea as Strickland shoves him down and stomps away, setting up a running boot to the floor. This time Garcia pulls Strickland down for a hammering but takes too long yelling at a fan. Strickland kicks him in the face again and we take a break.

We come back with Strickland missing a Swerve Stomp to the apron and getting his leg dragon screw whipped. Strickland’s leg is fine enough to roll over and drop Garcia with a suplex. Garcia’s clothesline is shrugged off so he kicks out the leg instead. The ankle lock has Strickland in more trouble but he backbreakers his way out. A powerbomb is spun into a powerslam (cool) to plant Garcia, who pops up with a Styles Clash for two of his own. Strickland House Calls him for two, followed by a Hidden Blade to finish Garcia at 12:25.

Rating: B. Much like the previous match, this was a good way to build up someone who has nothing going on while the person set for a big match on Sunday is going 50/50 with Garcia. If protecting Garcia is that important (and I’m sure it is for whatever reason), don’t put him in the match. Strickland and Ospreay should have looked like killers in their matches and instead they’re just out there taking 10+ minutes to beat stars beneath them.

Post match Strickland goes after Garcia’s arm so Ospreay runs back in for the brawl. Nana offers a distraction though and Strickland gives Ospreay the House Call. A Vertebreaker drops Garcia and Ospreay chases Strickland off with a chair.

Video on Team Ospreay vs. Team MJF.

Don Callis and his Family are ready to win but MJF cuts them off to rant about Mark Briscoe. The reality is that Briscoe has never beaten MJF and that isn’t going to change. MJF thinks the two sides haven’t been on the same page but Callis whips out a shirt for TEAM DCMJF and yes the image is of them muscular and in limited clothing. MJF and Callis love it but the Family is less than impressed.

Jack Perry vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre takes him down with a cravate and shrugs off Sabre’s attempt to go after the leg. They fight over a double arm crank until Perry rolls him up for some near falls. A very near fall sends Sabre outside but he’s fine enough to start in on the arm, including snapping it over the top rope.

We take a break and come back with Perry hitting a Sliced Bread but getting sent outside. Sabre grabs a cross armbreaker on the floor but has to let it go, allowing Perry to hit another Sliced Bread on the apron. A moonsault to the floor takes Sabre out again, only for him to grab a triangle choke back inside. Perry reverses into a sitout powerbomb for two and the Snare Trap has Sabre in trouble for a change. Sabre twists the arm around to escape so Perry grabs a package powerbomb for two more. That earns him a double arm crank, with Sabre using his leg to pull Perry’s arm down for the submission at 13:12.

Rating: B-. This was a good example of Sabre getting to take Perry apart, which boosts him up on the way to facing Kenny Omega on Sunday. Granted we saw Sabre do something similar in his most recent match around here so it was only so necessary. It’s certainly fitting the theme for the night though and we’ll get the big match with Omega soon enough.

Young Bucks vs. TMDK

Tito jumps Matt from behind to start fast but the Bucks are right back with their stereo running bulldogs. A double clothesline puts TMDK on the floor for the stereo dives, followed by some back elbows to the face back inside. Matt gets crotched on top though and Nick gets pulled out of the air, with a spinebuster getting two on Matt in a big crash. Matt flips away from both of them though and grabs a DDT, allowing the tag off to Nick. House is cleaned and the Superkick Party is on, setting up the Meltzer Driver to pin Nicholls at 4:20.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted and I’ll take this over the rest of the matches, as the Bucks get a pretty nice win over a team who doesn’t have anything going on. That’s a good way to go here as there was no reason to have the Bucks in any serious trouble. Nice enough job here and I’ll take that just about all the time.

Post match TMDK jumps the Bucks and Kenny Omega makes the save. Forearms are exchanged with Sabre and TMDK bails. Omega says may the best man win on Sunday and he certainly will.

We look at Thekla invading a Stardom show and attacking the owner.

Survivor Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Red Velvet vs. Queen Aminata

Velvet’s ROH Women’s TV Title isn’t on the line. Velvet rolls over her into a sunset flip for an early two and then wristdrags her down again. Aminata is right back with a snap suplex for one but the big headbutt misses. Aminata’s right hands in the corner are countered into a powerbomb and we take a break.

We come back with Velvet grabbing a sitout bulldog for two but Aminata gives her a slingshot reverse suplex to leave them both down. The running boot in the corner sets up a middle rope double stomp for two on Velvet. Back up and Velvet flips her off the top, setting up a frog splash to the back for two. Velvet kicks away and, after an apology, misses the big kick to the head. Aminata knocks her into the ropes and hits a PK for the pin at 10:17.

Rating: C+. And of course a reigning champion loses clean in a qualifying match. I’m sure there was absolutely no one else available to take this loss, but it’s just Ring Of Honor anyway, which has been treated like nothing since it was brought back from the dead to create a promotion of cannon fodder. This is the kind of stupid stuff that drives me crazy in wrestling and it doesn’t need to happen but here we are anyway.

The Young Bucks are ready to superkick their opponents at Forbidden Door but Adam Copeland and Christian Cage brawl through with the Dogs. They brawl into the makeup area and Connors blinds Copeland with some hairspray to take over. The Dogs choke them both out. And we get a five second pose, complete with Cage’s old over the top sunglasses.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet

Takeshita is defending and the Gates Of Agony are here with Ricochet. An early cheap shot knocks Takeshita outside and the big flip dive hits him as well. Back in and a springboard 450 gives Ricochet two as he’s certainly starting fast. Takeshita is back up but misses a charge in the corner, allowing Ricochet to hit a 619. The springboard clothesline and a running shooting star press give Ricochet two and we take a break.

We come back with Ricochet striking away in the corner and knocking him out to the floor. The shooting star off the apron is countered into a suplex though and they’re both down. Back in and a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita two before they trade kicks to the head. The wheelbarrow suplex drops Ricochet, who is right back up with Vertigo for two.

A shooting star press gives Ricochet two but he flips out of a German superplex. Takeshita’s Last Ride gets two but Ricochet uses the referee to cut off the running knee. A kick to the head sets up a Ricosault for two and Ricochet is stunned on the kickout. Takeshita drops him with a clothesline though and it’s the running knee and Raging Fire to retain at 13:48.

Rating: B. I don’t think anyone is going to be surprised that these two had a fast paced match together and they made it work here. Ricochet getting a somewhat random title match is hardly a stretch and it’s fine as a main event for a bit of an odd show. Takeshita gets a nice title defense as well and that’s a good thing as he looks for his next big challenger.

Here is Mark Briscoe with something to say about MJF. He and his friends are ready to fight in the cage on Sunday and he brings up their history in Blood & Guts. That was all about the thrill of the fight but this has some more consequential implications. Briscoe agrees that he and MJF are nothing alike (and he thanks God for that) but he knows he can beat MJF if they get a chance. On Sunday, he’ll be fighting with his friends while MJF has some hired stars who don’t care about him.

Cue Don Callis for a distraction so MJF can jump Briscoe from behind. Briscoe fights back and we get the parade of people running in one at a time to hit a single big move. Andrade has to save MJF from the Jay Driller but they go face to face. Callis cuts that off and MJF loads up the ring, only to accidentally hit Andrade. The Jay Driller lays MJF out to end the show. This was pretty much what you would have expected, though they do have some stories in the big cage match, which does help things.

Overall Rating: B-. This is a good example of a show where it’s perfectly fine from a quality standpoint, but it’s not something that interests me. A good chunk of this show was built around setting up Forbidden Door matches for wrestlers who aren’t likely to be regulars around here in a few days.

They aren’t regulars coming into this show either and it made for a less than thrilling show. Forbidden Door isn’t doing much to get my attention this year, though they’ve done an effective enough job with what they had. Not a bad show at all here (though another champion losing in a qualifying match makes my head hurt), but not my taste for the most part.

Results
Death Riders b. Brodido/Mistico – Rollup to King
Harley Cameron b. Marina Shafir – Cradle
Will Ospreay b. ELP – Hidden Blade
Swerve Strickland b. Daniel Garcia – Hidden Blade
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Jack Perry – Double arm crank
Young Bucks b. TMDK – Meltzer Driver to Nicholls
Queen Aminata b. Red Velvet – PK in the ropes
Konosuke Takeshita b. Ricochet – Raging Fire

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

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

Mid-South Wrestling
Date: November 2, 1984
Location: Irish McNeil Boys Club, Shreveport, Louisiana
Commentators: Joel Watts, Jim Ross

I took a look at the first one and had a good time so let’s do the second. This is the week after the previous show and it’s fun to get some fallout. The big stories coming out of last week are the destruction of Jim Duggan and Ricky Morton, which won’t end well. There is also a new North American Champion in the form of Ernie Ladd and that feels secondary. Let’s get to it.

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

This is billed as presented in the most complete form possible, which makes me think there are some music issues.

Opening sequence.

Ernie Ladd is at the commentary desk (and refers to Jim Ross as “Mr. TV Announcer”, a trademark of his) and says that Magnum TA might be younger and faster, but Ladd is older and smarter and won the title fair and square. We look at the title change, which involved Ladd choking with some tape. Back in the arena, Ladd talks about how he’s the champion because he’s that smart. Ross runs down the rest of the card, with Ladd glaring at him.

We look back at Jim Duggan’s bloody promo from last week. The more I look at him, the more impressive he is, as he looked like he got hit by a bus and bounced along the road. He blames Ted DiBiase and swears revenge before being taken away.

Steve Williams vs. Gary Cortinelli

Cortinelli is better known as the Italian Stallion. Williams runs him over to start and shouts for Duggan while pulling Cortinelli up. The bearhug goes on and Cortinelli fights out, even managing a hiptoss. Williams isn’t having that and finishes with the Oklahoma Stampede at 1:50.

Hercules Hernandez vs. Thomas Ivy

Hernandez has the masked (due to baldness) Jim Cornette in his corner and doing his entrance. Said entrance also includes a request for Skandor Akbar to handle some negotiations. On the other hand, Ivy looks like he took third in a Mr. T. lookalike contest. Ivy works on the arm to start and Hernandez kicks him down without much trouble. The big clothesline sets up a chinlock on Ivy as Cornette approves. That’s switched into a cobra clutch and Ivy is out at 2:03.

Earlier today, Skandor Akbar and Buddy Landel were in the ring, with Akbar wanting results from Landel, which he apparently promised. Landel says some people call Akbar’s money “blood money” but he wants some more of it. Akbar pulls out a gold watch and that see to be payment enough, though he wants results next week. With Landel happy, Akbar offers threats about Ted DiBiase being back. Just as Jim Duggan about it.

Buddy Landel/Butch Reed vs. Steve Brinson/Mike Jackson

Jackson grabs a headlock takeover to take Landel down before doing it again with a running shoulder. Back up and Landel grabs a rather high hiptoss but gets kicked down, allowing Brinson to come in for a headlock. Jackson comes back in for a headlock of his own but Reed gets in a knee from the apron. Landel stomps away and grabs a backdrop, followed by Reed’s middle rope fist to the head. It’s already back to Landel, who misses a knee drop but Brinson gets suplexed. The gorilla press drops Brinson and Landel begs to come back in so the corkscrew elbow can finish at 4:16.

Rating: C. Landel is someone who was around in a lot of these promotions back in the day and it’s easy to see why. When he was on, he was rather worth having around, especially if you needed Dollar Store Ric Flair. His stuff with Akbar should be interesting soon enough, especially when we find out…whatever it is that he’s doing.

Ted DiBiase vs. Master G.

Master G. is the future George Wells (well also current and past it’s his real name) and I’m guessing the edit is to his music. Skandor Akbar and Butch Reed are here with DiBiase as he and G. back each other into the corners. G. fights back and hits a big backdrop to send DiBiase outside. Back in and DiBiase goes for a piledriver but gets knocked away, only for DiBiase to go after the leg. The Figure Four is blocked though and DiBiase is kicked out to the floor. Reed offers a distraction though and DiBiase gets in the loaded punch, allowing the Figure Four to finish G. at 4:28.

Rating: C+. DiBiase and that black glove are always worth something, as it was built up for a long time and became established as a big deal. It’s good to have him back, as he instantly feels like one of the biggest stars on the show. As for G….uh yeah he’s certainly a person who is here too. He was fine enough as a warm body here, but I didn’t get much out of the four or so minutes we got from him here.

Post match DiBiase won’t let go and it’s a DQ instead. Magnum TA, Bill Dundee and Brickhouse Brown run in for the save.

Magnum TA vs. Missing Link

Skandor Akbar is here with Link, who does right to the eyes to start. Magnum knocks him outside so Link rams his own head into the steps. Back in and Magnum strikes away but gets caught with a headbutt. Link’s middle rope headbutt has Magnum in more trouble but he fights back, with Akbar getting on the apron. Link runs into him by mistake and Magnum grabs the belly to belly for the pin at 2:02. Well that was fast.

TV Title: Adrian Street vs. Bill Dundee

Street, with Miss Linda, is defending. Dundee takes him down by the legs to start and there’s the catapult into the corner, with Street being more than over the top in the crash. Street rolls away to get out of a wristlock and chops away in the corner. Some shots to the face let Street take him down again and an elbow to the jaw gets two.

Back up and Dundee gets in a hard shot to the face before sending Street crashing out to the floor. A shot to the throat takes Dundee down again but he fires off the right hands to the face. An airplane spin has the referee knocked outside so Linda comes in to count. Dundee gets distracted and Linda sprays him with perfume, allowing Street to hit a running forearm for the pin at 4:15.

Rating: B-. Street, with Linda, is another act that makes me want to see more and more every time he’s in the ring. He wasn’t exactly doing something ground breaking, but he did it so well and had the ability to back it up in the ring. This was a fun main event, as Dundee was trying to figure

Commentary previews next week’s show.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: B-. This was more about the fallout from last week and that worked well, with Williams getting to do something and TA getting some heat back. DiBiase continues to feel like one of the biggest stars around here and that went well with Ladd’s rather good promo to start the show. I could absolutely go for more from Mid-South as it definitely lives up to the hype.

Results
Steve Williams b. Gary Cortinelli – Oklahoma Stampede
Hercules Hernandez b. Thomas Ivy – Cobra clutch
Buddy Landel/Butch Reed b. Steve Brinson/Mike Jackson – Corkscrew elbow to Brinson
Master G. b. Ted DiBiase via DQ when DiBiase would not release the Figure Four
Magnum TA b. Missing Link – Belly to belly suplex
Adrian Street b. Bill Dundee – Running forearm

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

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NXT
Date: June 23, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s the last show before the Great American Bash and that means we’re in for a big one this week. Actually two, as it’s a DOUBLE CONTRACT SIGNING, with both the NXT and Women’s Title matches officially being signed. That’s about all you could ask for in a single show, with the wrestling being a bonus to TWO, count em TWO contract signing. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony D’Angelo isn’t happy that Naraku hasn’t signed the contract for the Great American Bash but Robert Stone tells him to be on good behavior. Aaron Rourke comes up and D’Angelo wishes him good luck tonight. An appreciative Rourke wishes D’Angelo the same.

Evolve Title: Aaron Rourke vs. Tristan Angels

Rourke (who is rather flamboyant) is defending. They trade headlocks to start with Angels switching over to a cravate (how English of him). Rourke flips over him out of the corner and hits a quick dropkick but Angels gets in a forearm to the back. The nerve hold doesn’t last long and Angels misses a charge to the floor. Angels trips him down onto the apron and we take an early break.

We come back with Angels working on the arm but Rourke fights up and strikes away. A fall away slam puts Angels down again as we see D’Angelo looking for Naraku. Rourke hits a middle rope Codebreaker for two but takes too long stealing the Mr. NXT sash, earning him an enziguri out to the floor. Angels seems to be pulled underneath the ring though and comes out looking terrified. The Molly Go Round retains the title at 8:53.

Rating: C+. This was fine as a way to do something of an Evolve showcase. Angels has been around for a bit before so this was more about Rourke, who did well enough. Rourke is someone who takes some time to grow on you but he definitely has the talent to get somewhere. Let the fans get to know him a bit more and it could work out rather well.

D’Angelo finds Naraku in the parking lot (uh oh) and Naraku presents him with the signed contract. D’Angelo opens it…and a fireball explodes in his face. Robert Stone panics while Naraku laughs.

Post break an ambulance arrives and D’Angelo is taken away as Stone is still worried.

Here is Saquon Shuggars for a face to face meeting with Dion Lennox. Shuggars cuts him off to talk about Darkstate throwing him through a table five weeks ago. Lennox was the one acting like the leader and calling Shuggars an independent wrestler. Shuggars is indeed a wrestler but Lennox says Shuggars wasn’t supposed to be on the team. Darkstate got what they needed out of him and then moved on, with the final beating coming on Sunday

Shuggars insists that there is no Darkstate without him. Shuggars says the other two are lost without him and if Lennox put on Shuggars’ jockstrap, it would be a bad fit. Lennox says Shuggars is a facade and he would disappear just before it was go time. Dropping Shuggars wasn’t a mistake because it was a correction. Lennox is ready to finish him off at the Bash. This was an intense showdown but it’s still members of a not so interesting team fighting.

Hank & Tank talk to comedian Matt Matthews, who might be ready to get in the ring. The Vanity Project is in the background.

Myles Borne talks about being someone who has always been uncomfortable but he has grown to live with it. He started to get comfortable in the No Quarter Catch Crew and got even better. Tavion Heights talks about their time together and now they’re fighting for the title on Sunday.

Wren Sinclair can’t calm Heights down because he doesn’t have a title. Kendal Grey comes in and gives the now healthy Sinclair a pep talk. Cake is teased.

Birthright vs. Hank & Tank

The rest of the team and Matt Matthews are here too. Hank works on Connors’ arm to start and Stacks gets armdragged down as well. A cheap shot puts Hank into the wrong corner though and the villains go to stomping. Hank clotheslines his way to freedom and a double slam sends Connors flying for two. Everything breaks down and Matthews has to be saved, meaning Hank & Tank can hit stereo dives as we take a break.

We come back with Hank getting powerbombed out of the corner for two but he ducks a clothesline. The diving tag brings in Tank to clean house and it’s back to Hank, who gets Stunnered over the top rope. Stacks adds a top rope elbow for two as everything breaks down again. Hank plants Stacks but Connors hits a big Swanton. Matthews manages to take out the rest of Birthright on the floor and the powerslam/running neckbreaker combination finishes Stacks at 12:02.

Rating: C+. I still don’t get the appeal of Hank & Tank, but I really hope they drop this comedian sooner than later. Matthews isn’t particularly funny or memorable and he’s been on the show for a few weeks now. Odds are it’s just some mandate from the CW because otherwise, what in the world are they thinking? If nothing else, what does the rest of Birthright do now that they got beaten up by a rather tiny non-wrestler?

Shiloh Hill says he’s healthy, both in body and mind, and wants to beat up Tristan Angels at the Great American Bash.

We look back at Tony D’Angelo being burned.

We go backstage for the Women’s Title contract signing. Kendal Grey says she hit Lola Vice by mistake but Vice doesn’t want to hear it. She has Grey’s style figured out but Grey talks about her own amateur wrestling style. Grey is going to raise the bar even higher on Sunday, though Vice doesn’t think Grey is doing anything Vice hasn’t done in the first place. Vice promises to retain and they both sign.

Keanu Carver vs. EK Prosper

Carver runs him over to start and gives Prosper a big throw out of the corner. Prosper is back up with a springboard missile dropkick, only to get gorilla pressed down. A springboard moonsault connects on Carver, who knocks Prosper hard to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Carver pulling him out of the air for a hard slam. Quite the release German suplex puts Prosper down again but he gets in some kicks to the head. The Shining Wizard rocks Carver again and Prosper hits a heck of a springboard moonsault to the floor. Carver isn’t having that and blasts him with a clothesline, followed by the Pounce. A powerbomb is…reversed into a sunset flip to give Prosper the big upset pin at 9:53.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on the idea of having Carver lose like this but points for giving another of the newcomers a big win. Prosper is a heck of an athlete and there’s always room for a high flier like him, though getting a better name would help him a lot. Carver losing is a bit of a risk, but they did at least try something with Prosper and I’ll take that.

Post match Carver lays him out with a running clothesline and a powerbomb puts Prosper through the announcers’ table.

Zaria is ready for Tatum Paxley, who couldn’t let Zaria enjoy her own success. Their title match is set for the Great American Bash.

Robert Stone tells Naraku that he might have just cost himself the title shot. Keanu Carver comes in and gets yelled at but he doesn’t seem to mind.

Izzi Dame vs. Arianna Grace

For the Women’s Speed Title shot and their respective friends are here too. Dame kicks her in the face at the bell and a Sky High gets two. Grace gets in a kick to knock Dame out of the air though and goes up, only to take too long. Another shot to the face gives Grace two as we have a minute left. Dame gets in a knockdown of her own but Shawn Spears insists on a hand slap, allowing Grace to get the small package pin at 2:19.

Wren Sinclair comes out for the showdown as Dame doesn’t want to hear it from the Culling.

Robert Stone says there are going to be some AAA stars at the Great American Bash and we’ll get an update on the NXT Title match before the end of the night. The Vanity Project comes in and want to be part of the Great American Bash. Stone doesn’t seem to have time for this.

NXT Origins video on Alexa Bliss. I believe this is the third time this has aired in a week.

Jaida Parker is upset but doesn’t seem to want to talk to OTM about it. Lucien Price seems to be fine with Bronco Nima joining Los Perros del Mal in AAA.

The Culling vs. Dorian Van Dux/Sean Legacy

Spears takes Legacy into the corner for the hard chop, only to get caught with a double stomp to the back. It’s off to Dux to stay on the arm, who gets forearmed in the jaw for his efforts. Vance comes in and gets sunset flipped for two, with Dux going off to his arm for a change. Legacy gets taken down but kicks Spears in the head without much trouble. Everything breaks down and the Culling takes over as we take a break.

We come back with Vance taking a shot to save Spears, allowing Dux to come back in and wreck the villains. Everything breaks down and an assisted swinging DDT gets two on Legacy. Dux moonsaults onto Vance on the floor and it’s Legacy’s 450 into Dux’s shooting star press to pin Spears at 11:33.

Rating: B-. Not too bad here, though I still don’t get the appeal of Legacy. He’s just kind of there for the most part, with Dux at least looking like a monster who could do a lot of damage. At the same time you have the Culling, who haven’t exactly done anything in a long time, which doesn’t seem likely to be changing.

Post match Vance turns on Spears and chokeslams him through the announcers’ table. Izzi Dame approves.

Great American Bash rundown.

Here is Robert Stone to explain the NXT Title situation. He brings out Naraku, who says if Tony D’Angelo is out, he’ll just take the title. Cue Mason Rook to say he’ll fight Naraku for the title. Now it’s the Vanity Project to interrupt, saying they want in on the title match. Rook takes the Project out so Naraku says give him the title. Stone says it was always going to be someone else for the title match…and here is D’Angelo to clear Naraku out.

One more Great American Bash rundown ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. They definitely did a bunch of to set up the Bash here, even if it felt like a last ditch effort. They added in a few more matches to pad the show out a bit, though it still feels like it’s missing a big match to really carry things. Hopefully the show lives up to the hype, which did get stronger here, though it was starting fairly low in the first place. Good stuff here, with the D’Angelo vs. Naraku ending being a relief over what they were teasing just a few moments before.

Results
Aaron Rourke b. Tristan Angels – Molly Go Round
Hank & Tank b. Birthright – Powerslam/running neckbreaker combination to Stacks
EK Prosper b. Keanu Carver – Sunset flip
Arianna Grace b. Izzi Dame – Small package
Sean Legacy/Dorian Van Dux b. The Culling – Shooting star press to Spears

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

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

Mid-South Wrestling
Date: October 27, 1984
Location: Irish McNeil Boys Club, Shreveport, Louisiana
Commentators: Bill Watts, Boyd Pierce

Sure why not. The Vault has released some of these shows and Mid-South is a bit of a dark spot for me, especially in its heyday. While I know a good bit of its history, I haven’t actually seen a lot of it and that needs to change. We might as well check out what is available so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence. Oh sweet goodness how 80s can you get?

Commentary runs down the card and announces that Terry Taylor is going to be out of action for about a month due to an injury. Watts moves on to Jim Cornette and his tennis racket, which is just part of the wild violence around here. The promotion is going to get rid of just about everything that could, you know, KILL PEOPLE, but they’re going to let a lot of the rest go. Well that’s intense.

Steve Williams has a football helmet and is ready to face Jim Duggan (or Doogan as Watts always called him) in a football helmet match. Williams goes on a rant about how he’s going to bury Duggan in the dirt.

Duggan has his helmet on too and it’s giving him flashbacks to his gridiron days. It’s time to fight Williams again.

Skandor Akbar (as interviewed by a rather young looking Jim Ross) is looking for great weapons for his army and he has found an incredibly underrated wrestler in Buddy Landel. It’s time for Landel to deliver whatever Akbar has paid him to do which is….not specified.

Missing Link vs. Mike Jackson

Jackson is around 35 here and about ten years into what is (thus far) a fifty plus year career in the ring. Link goes nuts by ramming his own head into the corner a few times but Jackson is up with a dropkick that misses by about a foot (even Watts calls out that they didn’t connect). A headbutt puts Jackson down and another sends him out to the floor. Back in and a World’s Strongest Slam into a middle rope elbow to the back finishes Jackson at 1:23.

Jim Duggan vs. Steve Williams

This is a football helmet match…and there is no Duggan. Instead here is Ted DiBiase (returning after an absence and looking bizarre with no facial hair) with Duggan’s SMU helmet to say Duggan won’t be wrestling tonight. Apparently Duggan jumped him from behind and tried to hit him with the helmet. DiBiase avoided it though and knocked him out with one punch. Ross doesn’t seem to buy it as DiBiase’s clothes aren’t even messed up. Commentary isn’t sure about this either but there’s no match at the moment.

During the break, Duggan was found and is described as “in bad shape”.

We get an interview from last week with a masked Jim Cornette (due to getting his head shaved) saying that he was ready to take out a member of the Rock N Roll Express. His mother has sent in a check for $25,000 and all it will cost them is a Tag Team Title shot. The Rock N Roll Express can even name the stipulation so if they’re not scared, sign on the dotted line and get paid.

Butch Reed vs. Brickhouse Brown

Brown snaps off some armdrags but gets taken down with a headlock takeover. A headscissors works a bit better for Brown and it’s Watts’ chance to complain about the WWF, which was a common subject for him. Reed wins a test of strength but Brown spins out (that was snazzy) into an armbar, which has Reed fuming.

One heck of a clothesline out of the corner drops Brown and the legdrop connects as well. A neckbreaker drops Brown again but Reed pulls him up and two and sends him outside. Brown starts going after the knee and follows with a backdrop, only to miss a missile dropkick. Reed’s gorilla press and legdrop finish at 6:22.

Rating: C+. Brown had a good look and it’s easy to see why he would get more than a few chances. At the same time though, Reed felt like a star and had the look to go with it, which is why he was such a star for so long. This was a fun match and Brown got to show off a bit, which has me wanting to see more of him.

Jim Duggan has crawled into the arena and he is a bloody mess. He talks about how he went down to get his bag out of his car and three or four guys jumped him. Someone hit him with a slapjack though and he went down. The only face he saw was Ted DiBiase, who beat him with the slap jack. He said he’d be here though and stand up for everything (technically he’s not standing at the moment but close enough) but he can’t keep going and has to be helped out. Heck of a promo from Duggan here, who was a totally different star outside of the WWF. He looked like he was near death here and it was rather outstanding.

Post break, Watts praises Duggan for getting through all of that. Duggan is going to the hospital.

North American Title: Magnum TA vs. Ernie Ladd

Magnum is defending. Ladd runs him over with the size and power to start but gets knocked out to the floor. Magnum is back in with a front facelock but a forearm cuts that off rather quickly. Back up and Magnum strikes away and hits a backdrop (eventually), followed by a middle rope dropkick. The referee gets bumped though and Magnum’s elbow drop gets a delayed two.

Another shot knocks the referee outside and Ladd chokes Magnum down with some tape as another referee comes out to check on the first one. The second referee comes in and Ladd picks Magnum up but falls backwards to give Magnum two. Watts explains that Ladd is trying to fool the referee into thinking that Magnum is still fighting (if that’s what they were going for, that’s brilliant) and Ladd finishes with a double legdrop at 5:29.

Rating: B-. The more I see of Ladd, the more I wish I could see even more. He knew how to be a big man in wrestling, which is a hard thing to make work. The good thing is that we should be seeing something else from him going forward as you know, he won the title and all that such. The faking out the referee at the end was great and added a layer of realism that you don’t often see. It’s not a great match but I liked it well enough.

Here are the Rock N Roll Express to answer Jim Cornette’s challenge. Ricky Morton is sick of Cornette interfering and busts out a straitjacket, which is how they’re going to cut Cornette off in the title match. For some reason Morton puts Robert Gibson in the straitjacket and ties it up (oh dear) and, because Morton has apparently never watched wrestling, or had a functioning brain before, here is the Midnight Express to jump them.

The huge beatdown ensues with Cornette getting in some shots of his own and….yeah the Rock N Roll deserved all of that. How stupid can you…oh yeah it’s Morton. A bunch of good guys make the save. That was another level of stupid from Morton, who might not have been the brightest guy in the world but….how can you be this dumb?

Ted DiBiase vs. Johnny Mantell

DiBiase (with Skandor Akbar) starts fast and hammers away, including a running shot in the corner. Mantell fights back and strikes away, including a monkey flip out of the corner but a second is blocked. The falling fish (with the black glove) sets up the Figure Four to make Mantell give up at 1:28.

Post match DiBiase says he’s ready for Master G. next week. G. has some kind of special hold but DiBiase has the Figure Four.

Watts is distraught at what has happened this week and recaps the show.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: B. There’s a reason that classic Mid-South is nothing short of beloved and you could see it here. I pretty much jumped into this cold and felt like I got every story that was going on with nothing leaving me unsure or confused. The action was good, but the point here is the whole atmosphere, as it feels like an exciting show with people moving around and getting into issues. That Duggan promo was a heck of a sight and I want to see where this is going. This lived up to the expectations and I’ll absolutely take that.

Results
Missing Link b. Mike Jackson – Middle rope elbow to the back
Butch Reed b. Brickhouse Brown – Legdrop
Ernie Ladd b. Magnum TA – Double legdrop
Ted DiBiase b. Johnny Mantell – Figure Four

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 22, 2026
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Michael, Corey Graves

It’s the last Raw before Night Of Champions and the two tournament finals are set. That means we’re going to be seeing something in the way of the last push towards the finals, which could make for some interesting showdowns. We also have some titles on the line and that should make for a hot crowd. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on the King and Queen Of The Ring and what winning the tournaments mean.

Here is Oba Femi to get things going. He loves hearing the fans chant his name but moves on to destiny having his back for years. Lady destiny has been very kind to him over the years and it will continue to do so this Saturday. But who should he come after? The fans seem more interested in Femi vs. Roman Reigns, which brings out Jey Uso to interrupt. This means the full, and very long entrance as Femi just kind of glares at him.

The fans want him to run it back and Femi says he’s putting an end to that, so of course Uso does it anyway. With that out of the way, Uso talks about how people are saying he can’t win King Of The Ring, but he knows how to overcome mountains. On Saturday, he’s winning the crown and then at Summerslam, he’s taking Cody Rhodes’ title.

Femi tells him that if he shoots, he better not miss because if he does, Femi will destroy him. Femi: “And if you don’t miss, I will still destroy you.” The thing is Uso isn’t the member of the family he is worried about, so give Roman Reigns the bullets. Teasing Femi getting into the main event scene, especially against Reigns, is a big deal but that Brock Lesnar shaped shadow is an even bigger roadblock

We look back at Jacob Fatu attacking Eric Andre last week.

Adam Pearce is on the phone and runs into LA Knight, who thinks Pearce is on the phone with the Bloodline so they can give him orders. Jimmy Uso comes in to complain about Knight hitting him with a chair last week. Pearce tries to break it up but knight tells him to shut up. Pearce makes the match between them tonight. Knight says that’s a terrible idea and suggests…himself vs. Jimmy tonight. Uso: “THAT’S WHAT HE SAID!” Knight doesn’t care because he didn’t listen to Pearce so the match is on. Pearce’s confused face at Knight made this whole thing worth it.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Lyra Valkyria/Bayley vs. Paige/Brie Bella

Valkyria and Bayley are challenging and we hear from them in the back, with Valkyria saying this is the time after all of their losses. Everything breaks down rather quickly and Paige hits the knees to Valkyria on the apron. Bayley’s hanging twisting Stunner drops Bella with Paige having to make a save.

We take an early break and come back with Paige having to save Bella again and firing off the suplexes. Valkyria gets in the Nightwing but Bella makes the save this time. Paige rolls Valkyria up for two but gets planted with a fisherman’s buster. Valkyria tries another instead of covering though and gets reversed into Rampaige to retain at 8:01.

Rating: C. The title reign continues as we get one step further away from the Bellas eventual big crowning moment. I’m still not sure how I’m supposed to believe that Paige and Brie are this good together but these titles have always been a bit weird. Bayley and Valkyria need something else to do, though I’m not sure if that is going to include them being together.

Post match Valkyria is ticked off so Bayley hugs her and get jumped as a result. Valkyria slaps her in the face a few times and sends her throat first into the middle rope. Some agents come in but Valkyria hits Nightwing anyway. Yeah that kind of had to happen.

Post break Valkyria has nothing to say.

Here is Chad Gable for a chat. Gable talks about how everything has been going crazy for him lately with the loss of his mask in Mexico. There are some people he needs to apologize to face to face though so he asks for the Alpha Academy to come out here. All three of them come to the ring, with Gable praising Maxxine Dupri for winning a singles title, which Gable has not done. He apologizes for how he treated her and it is all his fault.

Akira Tozawa is the definition of fighting spirit with the heart of a lion and Tozawa didn’t deserve that either. That leaves Otis and, after a heavy sigh, Gable says Otis was the most loyal friend he could ever have. Gable threw all of that away for a chance at singles gold and after all of that, he owes them all an apology.

We get the formal I’m sorry and Gable extends his hand. Otis isn’t sure what to do but goes to shake Gable’s hand, only for Dupri to get in between them. Dupri says everything Gable has said and done is a lie. She knows Otis and Tozawa have the biggest hearts and want to give him a second chance but she doesn’t.

Dupri goes on a rant about all of the things Gable did to them because it has always been about him. Now they’re going to leave him like he left them: alone. Dupri and Tozawa leave, with Otis eventually joining them. They’re doing a heck of a job with getting the fans behind Gable. If he sticks with this, it could be a huge moment for him. Or if he eventually goes evil again, it could be all the bigger.

Dragon Lee gets some encouragement from Rey Mysterio and Penta before his match tonight.

Dragon Lee vs. Ethan Page

Lee starts fast by firing off the kicks, including a hard one to knock Page down in the corner. The running dropkick in the corner gets two but Page turns the mask around and kicks him out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Lee getting two off a tornado DDT. Page gets two off a boot to the face but Lee is back with a hard elbow to the head. Page is knocked outside for a heck of a flip dive onto the announcers’ table and they head back inside. The Styles Clash is broken up with what looked to be an intentional low blow (Graves isn’t convinced) and the Egoplex gives Page the win at 9:58.

Rating: C+. Page continues to get over mainly on attitude and mannerisms, as his in-ring style is still rather basic. That’s not a bad thing though, as there is nothing wrong with a basic style if it is well executed, which his certainly has been. He could be on his way to something around here and I’m interested in where it’s going.

Video on the Vision vs. the Street Profits for the Tag Team Titles tonight.

The Vision are in the back (with only Theory in wrestling gear) and Logan Paul talks about how he is healing faster than any human in history (Bron Breakker pops out of camera, presumably due to laughing too hard). They’re ready to win tonight, with Breakker being ready to crush Seth Rollins on Saturday.

Video on Sol Ruca, who is a thrill seeker.

Here is Iyo Sky for a chat. She is so grateful to have gotten here and she can’t wait to face Liv Morgan for the crown. This brings out Morgan to interrupt, saying she’s going to win on Saturday to crush Sky’s dreams for good. Sky asks if the crown can fit on Morgan’s big head and rants in Japanese. Morgan is cleared out without much trouble. This wasn’t much, but the tournament is screwy anyway.

The Usos are ready in the back when Jacob Fatu interrupts. Jey asks where Fatu has been all night or why he was on Smackdown. Fatu says he doesn’t answer to Jey and the Usos can sit and wait to find out what is happening next. This doesn’t sit well with the twins.

The Judgment Day comes up to see Danhausen, who want their money back after he didn’t curse Oba Femi. He has already spent the $100,000 on experiments, so they threaten violence. That earns JD McDonagh a cruse and he electrocutes himself on some of Danhausen’s equipment, allowing Danhausen to escape. Oh that wacky…whatever Danhausen is.

LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso

They start slugging it out early, with Uso knocking him to the floor for a ram into the steps. Knight is back up with his usual collection of face first plantings into the announcers’ table. Back in and Uso hits a Whisper In The Wind for two and they’re right back to the floor. This time Knight is sent hard into the barricade and we take a break.

We come back with Knight dropping him onto the apron to bang up Uso’s ribs. They head back inside with Knight slowly working on the back, at least until Uso gets in a suplex. Knight’s torture rack neckbreaker is broken up and Uso superkicks him for two. Knight takes Uso up top but here is Solo Sikoa to Samoan Spike…Uso. The confused Knight (who saw what Sikoa did) grabs the BFT for the pin at 12:25.

Rating: B-. This was another instance of the Bloodline doing whatever, as Sikoa is now here from Smackdown to cause issues for Roman Reigns and company. At the same time, Knight getting a win is good to see, as he almost has to get at least a title match at some point in this whole big story. Either way, there is something going on here, though I have no idea where it is leading. Unfortunately I’m not sure how much I care either.

Bayley is getting medical treatment but has nothing to say.

Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez are happy for Liv Morgan but want something of their own to celebrate. Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh come in, with McDonagh not recognizing them. Morgan comes in to rant about how unfair that was to her, with Rodriguez having to put her in her place. Morgan tries to calm things down but has nothing for Perez as they take McDonagh to the medical area.

Earlier today, Corey Graves sat down with Seth Rollins, who says things have not been going his way but they would be even worse without the Street Profits having his back. Rollins knows the risks of getting inside a cage with Bron Breakker but he has to prove he can still do this. Then he can get back to regaining the title that he never lost.

Chad Gable talks to Adam Pearce about a possible match with Penta but Judgment Day comes in. Dominik Mysterio says he’s facing Penta first but he also wants his apology from Gable as well. Gable says Mysterio sent him to Mexico in the first place and he doesn’t just hand out apologies. If Mysterio wants an apology, he can try to beat it out of him. Mysterio says Gable can face JD McDonagh next week but Pearce wants the doctor to clear McDonagh first. McDonagh thinks Pearce is the doctor and he’s off to medical.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. The Vision

The Vision, with Logan Paul, is defending and jump the Profits to start fast. Dawkins comes in for a dropkick to Theory and it’s back to Ford for a shoulder. Dawkins suplexes Ford onto Theory for two as the fans are rather mocking of the champion. It’s off to Breakker for the really big running clothesline though and a suplex drops Dawkins.

We take a break and come back with Ford still in trouble. Breakker knocks Ford down again and it’s back to Theory for a chinlock. Ford flips out of a suplex though and it’s off to Dawkins to clean house. A spinning Stinger Splash and enziguri put Breakker down in the corner and the Silencer hits Theory. The Doomsday Blockbuster gets two on Theory, with Paul putting the boot on the rope.

That’s enough for an ejection and the distraction lets Ford bring Dawkins back in. Breakker cuts off another Doomsday Blockbuster and hits the diving clothesline to the announcers’ table as we take a break. We come back again with Breakker cutting of a tag attempt and Theory getting to grab a chinlock.

A wishbone has Dawkins down again and Breakker mocks Ford, with Cole saying Breakker has a screw loose but Cole won’t be explaining that to him. Dawkins strikes back but it’s a double clothesline to leave both of them down. Ford comes back in to clean house, at least until Breakker knocks him down. A powerslam sets up the Steiner Bulldog for two, with Dawkins having to make the save.

Paul tries to come back in with the brass knuckles but here is Joe Hendry to chase him off, sending the fans straight into song in the process. Theory goes to get the knuckles and of course here comes Seth Rollins to use said Knuckles to knock Theory cold. Breakker gives chase (jumping the barricade in a scary impressive display) and Ford hits the frog splash for the pin and the titles at 19:38.

Rating: B. It felt like a pretty safe bet that one of the titles were changing hands this week and this is a good enough way to go. We were pretty much at the breaking point for the Profits, as they had to win or there wasn’t much left for them to do otherwise. At the same time, the champions were a replacement team anyway so it isn’t like this is some big lost opportunity. It’s a good match too, with the Profits hopefully getting to be built up for some fresh set of challengers.

Overall Rating: B. The hot crowd helped as always, with the Femi vs. Uso segment standing out as well. I’ve gotten more interested in Night Of Champions in the last week so at least the final push has been good. This show was up and down at times, but I liked the Valkyria turn and the Profits getting the titles back is a good choice. There were quite a few positives here, with stories advancing and solid action so I’ll call it a pretty strong show.

Results
Brie Bella/Paige b. Lyra Valkyria/Bayley – Rampaige to Valkyria
Ethan Page b. Dragon Lee – Egoplex
LA Knight b. Jimmy Uso – BFT
Street Profits b. The Vision – Frog splash to Theory

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

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

John Cena On Velocity
Commentators: Marc Lloyd, Michael Cole, Tazz, Ernest Miller, Josh Matthews

This is firmly in the “oh well why not” category as the WWE Vault comes through with another totally random collection. Velocity was the low level Saturday night show for a good while and since Cena wasn’t exactly a star yet, he was around for a good while. That should make for an interesting collection so let’s get to it.

From September 7, 2002.

John Cena vs. Chavo Guerrero

They fight over a lockup to start as commentary talks about the recent international tours. Guerrero takes him down into an armbar, which doesn’t last very long. Guerrero begs off and lures Cena in for some working on the leg. The leg is wrapped around the rope and a dropkick gives Guerrero two.

Cena fights up and gets elbowed right back down, with Guerrero cranking on the leg again. A Muta Lock has Cena in more trouble and the dropkick to the knee cuts him down again. Back up and Cena gets a boot up in the corner, allowing him to small package Guerrero for the win at 6:30.

Rating: C. This was a totally basic match and that’s what Cena needed at this point. He had only been around for a few months so putting him out there with someone like Guerrero for an easy to follow match was the right idea. Guerrero was a great choice for making others look good and he did it again here, which is why he has been around for so long.

From September 28, 2002.

John Cena vs. Reverend D-Von

Cena takes him down by the arm to start and cranks away with a rollup getting two. Back up and D-Von knocks him outside to take over. They get back inside with one heck of a clothesline getting two on Cena, who manages to avoid a middle rope elbow. Back up and Cena hits a dropkick into a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker for two of his own. The right hands in the corner are cut off with a diving neckbreaker for two but Cena grabs a quick sunset flip for the pin at 5:13.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t as interesting as the Guerrero match as Dudley wasn’t exactly making Cena look great. The finish coming out of nowhere again isn’t the best sign for Cena either, as both of his wins have felt like he’s just stealing pins rather than definitively beating anyone. He’s winning, but that’s only getting him so much.

Post match D-Von lays him out, much to Tazz’s approval.

From October 5, 2002.

John Cena vs. Albert

Albert powers him around to start but Cena is back up with the right hands in the corner. That earns Albert a SHAVE YOUR BACK chant so he slugs Cena down without much trouble. A running shot in the corner gets two and Albert rakes Cena’s eyes on the mat. The running splash in the corner connects for two more as I try to figure out why Albert’s torso is so much more tanned than his legs.

Albert lays him on the top for some forearms to the chest but Cena gets in a belly to back suplex for two of his own. The pump kick gives Albert two more and I was surprised by that kickout. Back up and Cena grabs a ProtoBomb out of nowhere (that’s some nice power) for the pin at 5:21.

Rating: C+. Now this is where you’re getting more into Cena’s wheelhouse, as he was getting to do more of a power brawl here. Cena knew how to make a comeback (well at least one at his level here) and make it believable, which worked out well enough. Throw in the impressive power display at the end and you could see what would work for Cena in the future.

From November 30, 2002.

John Cena vs. Danny DeNucci

NOW we get interesting as Cena not only has Bull Buchanan (B Squared) as his muscle but he’s also a rapper who tells the Columbia, South Carolina fans to go sleep with their sisters. DeNucci actually hits a clothesline to start as commentary wonders why DeNucci has blue hair. Cena fights back and chokes on the rope, setting up a hard elbow to the jaw for two. The ProtoBomb (or close to one) gets two on DeNucci, who is right back with a middle rope clothesline. A running bulldog gives DeNucci two of his own but Cena is back with a heck of a clothesline. The ProtoBomb finishes for Cena at 4:02.

Rating: C. This was more about DeNucci looking surprisingly good than anything else as Cena was still figuring out what to do in the ring with the rapping stuff. It’s still a work in progress but the new character is such an improvement. The generic Cena wasn’t going to last so this was a huge and necessary upgrade.

From December 7, 2002.

John Cena vs. Paul London

Bull Buchanan is with Cena, who wrestles London down without much trouble to start. Back up and Cena misses a charge into the corner, allowing London to snap off a spinwheel kick. A crossbody misses though and Cena gives him that big clothesline that he usually gives for his last possible option. Buchanan’s cheap shot gives Cena two more and he grabs the seated full nelson. With that broken up, Cena spends too much time jawing with a fan and gets enziguried. A springboard spinning crossbody puts Cena down again and a springboard moonsault gets two. Cena is right back up with the ProtoBomb for the pin at 4:24.

Rating: C+. Believe it or not, London looked good in defeat here but you can see Cena still doing a lot of the same things. There wasn’t much here that made him stand out, as he only had so much in the ring. The good thing though is he has the fans getting mad at him and that is going going to open up a lot of doors for him going forward.

From December 28, 2002.

John Cena vs. Chuck Palumbo

Buchanan is still here and Cena raps about how terrible it is to be in Oklahoma. Palumbo charges in to clear the ring and hits Cena with a right hand on the floor to start fast. They get inside with Palumbo knocking him down for two but a Buchanan distraction lets Cena get in a running clothesline.

A suplex gives Cena two and he grabs the seated full nelson. That’s broken up so Cena elbows him (in the arm) for two more, setting up another full nelson. Palumbo fights out again and hits a running clothesline, followed by a spinning belly to belly for two. An overhead belly to belly sends Cena flying and a spinning right hand drops him again. Buchanan comes in and gets Jungle Kicked (not well either), allowing Cena to hit a low blow for the pin at 5:08.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as it was really just showing that Cena was still trying to figure out a bunch of the little things. He’s doing well with playing to the crowd, but a lot of these matches finish out of nowhere. The stuff before that is ok enough, but it’s still not really flowing well from start to finish.

From February 8, 2003 and you might have seen this one before.

John Cena vs. Bryan Danielson

For whatever reason, this is listed as Cena vs. Brock Lesnar on the YouTube chapter descriptions. Danielson goes after the arm to start and Cena (in long pants instead of trunks here) actually takes him down. A crank of the arm lets Danielson get in a drop toehold and it’s off to a quickly broken Kimura.

Cena takes him down again with a test of strength but can’t break Danielson’s bridge. He can however kick Danielson in the ribs and elbow him in the face for two, meaning it’s time for some frustration. Back up and Cena grabs a bearhug of all things, which is broken up rather quickly. Danielson strikes away but walks into the ProtoBomb to give Cena the pin at 3:42.

Rating: C+. Believe it or not, Danielson is someone who can help Cena do a better job of stringing a match together. This was Cena working on the ribs and Danielson fighting to stay in there until Cena hit a big move to win. Danielson was of course a nobody at this point, but they would headline Summerslam about ten years later. Wrestling is a weird, weird place.

From June 21, 2003.

John Cena vs. Funaki

The jorts are here! Funaki strikes away to start fast and snaps off a headscissors. Cena knocks him down but misses an elbow as commentary is surprised at how fast Funaki is starting. Back up and Cena sends him into the corner and hits the big clothesline to start the trash talk. Matthews wonders what You Can’t See Me means but the discussion is cut off as Cena ducks a crossbody. The delayed vertical suplex puts Funaki down for two and we’re off to the chinlock. Funaki fights out again and grabs a tornado DDT for two of his own. The crucifix is loaded up but Cena reverses into the FU for the pin at 3:43.

Rating: C. Oh yeah now Cena has come a long way in about four months. This was FAR closer to the version of Cena you would have expected, down to the look and finisher. He was also getting ready to turning good and that worked about as well as possible. You can see the things coming together, and that’s only going to make things better for him.

From May 1, 2004.

US Title: John Cena vs. Akio

Cena, now a full on good guy, is defending and Akio charges at him to start fast. The fans go nuts as Cena fights back, only to have Akio’s associate Sakoda cut off the Throwback. Akio kicks away in the corner but Cena gives him the running clothesline out of the corner. A side slam sets up the Five Knuckle Shuffle and Cena pumps up the shoes. The FU is loaded up and, after swinging Akio at Sakoda, Cena retains at 1:59. The fans went NUTS on the pin and my goodness Cena is a star.  This might as well have been a different person from the rest of the matches in this collection.

Overall Rating: C. So as you can tell, there wasn’t much to a lot of these matches and most of them were just ways to get Cena in the ring to build up some more experience. Things would get better near the end as Cena absolutely exploded near the end, with the last match having Cena feel like a mega star. To say that Cena had bigger moments would be an understatement, but it is fun to see a quick look like this at the very formative months.

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

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Fan Favorites
Commentators: Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes, Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan
Host: Sean Mooney

This is another random Coliseum Video but a good bit shorter than most of them. I’m not sure what that is going to mean and now I’m wondering what this is going to wind up being. Hopefully these aren’t the kind of lunkheaded fans who don’t like exactly the same things I do so let’s get to it.

This appears to be from around 1992.

The opening video seems to preview the card.

Sean Mooney welcomes us to the tape and says the card has all been chosen from fan requests.

From February 19, 1991 in Fort Myers, Florida.

Earthquake vs. Ultimate Warrior

Jimmy Hart is here with Earthquake…and this is from WrestleFest 91, even down to the same commentary. Earthquake jumps him to start and gets taken down with some running shoulders. That’s enough to send Earthquake outside while Warrior goes after Hart. The cheap shot lets Earthquake take over and power Warrior into the corner back inside. Earthquake crushes him in the corner and slowly hammers away. Stomping and an elbow set up the Earthquake, which of course triggers the comeback. Warrior hits the running clotheslines and a slam sets up the Warrior Splash for the pin at 5:41.

Rating: C-. Ok so they can’t all be winners. There was pretty much nothing here, but it just makes me wonder how things would have gone if Earthquake was the first real challenger for Warrior when he won the WWF Title. He would have been a perfect foil for Warrior and certainly fresh, but that doesn’t leave much for Hogan and that’s a problem. Unfortunately it wound up being Warrior’s problem, though the match was nothing remotely special anyway.

Post match Warrior throws Hart at Earthquake.

From February 18, 1992 in West Palm Beach, Florida (and from Battle Of The WWF Superstars 1992).

Randy Savage vs. Berzerker

Savage ducks some clotheslines to start but Berzerker hammers away. They go outside to keep up the pounding before going back inside so Berzerker can throw him over the top again. Back in again and Berzerker hits a piledriver before throwing him back outside for a slam on the exposed concrete.

They head inside again with Savage fighting back and commentary talking about how this is an EXCLUSIVE for Battle Of The WWF Superstars 1992, because that’s how cheap this tape is. The referee is ducked and Mr. Fuji throws salt in Berzerer’s eyes by mistake. A top rope cane shot sets up the top rope elbow to give Savage the pin at 4:08.

Rating: D. There are some outstanding Savage matches throughout history but there are also a lot that are basically him doing nothing but the basics before doing something to set up the elbow. This was the latter and the match was what you would expect. Thankfully Savage would get into a feud with Ric Flair soon after this and re-energize everything

From May 19, 1992 in Lexington, Kentucky (featuring Papa/Mama KB and I in the front row)

The Mountie/Beverly Brothers vs. Undertaker/Legion Of Doom

The Genius/Jimmy Hart/Paul Bearer/Paul Ellering are here too. For some reason the Genius mocks the other team before the match, which feels REALLY STUPID. Animal shoves Blake into the corner to start but Blake actually comes out with a powerslam of all things. That earns Blake a powerslam from Animal (I’ll let you guess which was better) and the villains all bail out to the floor.

Beau comes in and gets scared away by Hawk, meaning it’s time for another meeting on the floor. Back in and Hawk elbows him to the floor and the chase lets Beau get in some ax handles. Those work as well as Beau Beverly ax handling Hawk is going to and it’s a gorilla press to send Beau flying. Mountie comes in and gets to face Undertaker, who is having none of this I AM THE MOUNTIE jazz. A choke on the ropes has Mountie in more trouble so it’s back to Hawk vs. Blake.

For some reason Blake wants Hawk to try a running shoulder, which sends Blake flying. Hawk misses a charge into the post though and the bad guys actually get to take over for a bit. Beau adds a middle rope Hennig necksnap but Blake misses a middle rope headbutt. Animal comes back in to clean house, including a heck of a flying shoulder. A double DDT drops the Brothers and everything breaks down. Beau gets caught in the Dooms…actually a top rope Hart Attack (the old version) for the pin at 13:32.

Rating: C-. And that might be the match of the tape thus far. This was basically just a nothing house show match with the massive appeal being the Undertaker and LOD teaming up (though there was a heck of a potentially interesting….something with the managers on the floor). The Beverlys and Mountie were a weak team no matter what, but it was nice to see such an awesome team getting to slaughter people. Oh and one more thing: I’m supposed to believe that someone wrote a letter asking to see this specific six man? Really?

From This Tuesday In Texas (my goodness this is a lazy tape).

Intercontinental Title: Bret Hart vs. Skinner

Hart is defending and works on the arm to start, followed by some atomic drops. A running clothesline puts Skinner on the floor before it’s right back to the arm. Some cranking on the mat has Skinner in more trouble so he grabs the hair, only for Hart to twist the arm some more. Oh yeah this isn’t interested Hart and it’s showing.

Back up and Hart is sent hard into the post and Skinner gets in some choking on the floor. An abdominal stretch goes on, with Monsoon complaining about the form (there’s your free Bingo square), followed by a shoulder breaker to give Skinner two. The alligator claw to the throat has Hart in more trouble, though he does insist that it was a forearm. The chest first whip into the buckle lets Skinner go…for the leg? Even Heenan realizes that’s a bad idea and it’s the reverse DDT for two on Hart.

Skinner goes up and dives into a raised boot, which lets Hart start the comeback. The Russian legsweep and middle rope elbow give Hart two and he kicks Skinner outside to break up a rollup. Skinner goes up and gets slammed down, setting up the Sharpshooter to retain the title at 13:46.

Rating: C-. What were you expecting here? This is a match that I’ve seen a bunch of times as it’s on both the pay per view and Supertape 92. Hart clearly wasn’t interested and can you blame him? The match is against Skinner six days after he and Shawn Michaels headlined Survivor Series in a pretty great match. How hyped was he supposed to be here?

From March 10, 1992 in Biloxi, Mississippi (and from WrestleFest 1992).

Natural Disasters vs. Nasty Boys

The Boys have Jimmy Hart with them. Sags elbows away at Typhoon to start and tries a slam for some reason (the team never was that bright). Typhoon slams him instead and hits a splash in the corner so it’s off to Knobbs vs. Earthquake. Knobbs is dropped a few times to start and a slam makes it even worse.

An elbow to the back (after what looked like some missed timing) has Knobbs in more trouble but Sags gets in a cheap shot from the apron (I wonder if that was supposed to happen the first time) to take over. The Boys take turns beating on Earthquake, who just sits on Sags’ chest for two as Knobbs makes the save. Everything breaks down and Hart brings in the helmet. That’s cut off by Typhoon and Earthquake drops an elbow to pin Sags at 6:28.

Rating: D. This was a fittingly bad ending to an awful tape. There was nothing going on here with the Boys not being able to do much against the monsters. The Disasters winning off a basic elbow tells you just about everything you need to know here, as this was somehow less interesting than it sounds.

Mooney gets more letters and wraps it up.

Overall Rating: D-. I mean….dang man. What is there to say about something like this? There was nothing going on with this whole thing and nothing resembling a match you might want to see. It isn’t even a lack of star power as you have the Ultimate Warriors, Savage, Hart, the LOD and Undertaker but they couldn’t work miracles. This felt like something thrown together in about five minutes with the Mooney bookending segments probably filmed in even less time. Just nothing to see here and incredibly disappointing as they could have easily found anything better than most of this stuff.

Results
Ultimate Warrior b. Earthquake – Warrior Splash
Randy Savage b. Berzerker – Flying elbow
Undertaker/Legion Of Doom b. The Mountie/Beverly Brothers – Top rope Hart Attack to Beau
Bret Hart b. Skinner – Sharpshooter
Natural Disasters b. Nasty Boys – Elbow to Sags

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

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

And I would know first hand.

https://www.smarkdownsblog.com/danhausen-wwe-success

AAA On FOX
Date: June 20, 2026
Location: Foro GNP Seguros, Merida, Mexico
Commentators: Rey Mysterio, John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves

After last week’s rather down show, we’re up for something a bit bigger here as both Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio and El Grande Americano are here. That should be enough to carry the show as we are on the long road to TripleMania. It should be interesting to see what is next for Americano after his star making performance last month so let’s get to it.

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

As usual various people arrive and I’m not sure why El Grande Americano is carrying a duck.

El Ojo vs. Mini Vikingo/El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

Dorian Roldan is here with El Ojo and for the sake of simplicity, we’ll go with “Vikingo” for El Hijo del Vikingo” and “Mini” for Mini Vikingo. Wagner books Vikingo down to start and a dropkick to the back of the head gets two. Vikingo goes to the eyes though and gets two off a rollup with his feet on the ropes. A rip at the Wagner’s mask just wakes Wagner up as he grabs a powerslam and hands it off to Mini.

The flipping and spinning abound but Vikingo gets in a knockdown to cut off the momentum. Omos comes in to choke Mini on the top rope and Roldan even gets in a cheap shot. Some surprisingly fast elbow drops crush Mini and it’s back to Vikingo, who gets taken down with a super hurricanrana. Wagner comes back in to clean house but Vikingo hits a running Meteora in the corner. Mini is back up with a springboard crucifix bomb for the fluke pin on Vikingo at 6:36.

Rating: C+. The shocked face from Mini is a great look and it was rather fascinating to see him be the kryptonite to a star like Vikingo. Odds are this sets him up for the big underdog title shot where Vikingo smashes him but that’s still a great boost for him. The match was also an impressive showing from Omos, who was moving out there in a way you don’t often see from him.

Post match El Ojo comes back in to clear the winners out and the beating is on. Omos grabs the steps but Galeno runs in for the failed save attempt.

Dominik Mysterio says that a lot of things have changed around here but he is still the Mega Champion. He is still the king of the luchadors and he is going to TripleMania.

Psycho Clown is walking in the back…and that’s it. I’m not sure if that was supposed to air at that point.

Video on Rey Fenix winning the Cruiserweight Title.

Cruiserweight Title: Lince Dorado vs. Laredo Kid vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix is defending. Kid snaps off some hurricanranas to take over early on and a Michinoku Driver gets two on Dorado. With Kid knocked down, Fenix rolls Dorado up for two but Kid is back up to pull Fenix outside. Kid’s big dive to the floor takes the other two down, followed by a corkscrew splash for two on Dorado. Back up and Dorado scratches Kid’s back into a Backstabber for two but Fenix is back in with a springboard armdrag.

Fenix is hits his running top rope kick to the head and a huge dive to the floor hits Dorado. Everyone gets back inside and Dorado rolls Fenix up for two. Kid hits a double running Blockbuster for a double two but Dorado is back up with a super hurricanrana to Fenix. Kid knocks Dorado into the announcers’ table but his frog splash hits Fenix’s raised knees. The Mexican MuscleBuster retains the title at 11:11.

Rating: B. This was a rather traditional three way cruiserweight match with everyone flying around and doing their thing to a rather entertaining degree. I’ll take that pretty much every time and it was fun to see them flying all over the place. Fenix gets his first defense in AAA down and it should make for the start of a long reign.

Rey Mysterio is backstage and congratulates Fenix on his win before saying that he is in talks for Fenix to defend his title in WWE. That’s not all though as next week, the NXT Women’s Title is on the line here as Lola Vice defends against La Hiedra. There has also been talks of bringing in a former WWE World Champion who has never wrestled here before but the deal is not official just yet. More on that next week.

Video on the mask vs. mask match between Los Grande Americanos which somehow exceeded expectations.

Here is El Grande Americano to a hero’s welcome and he takes a good while to get inside, as he has quite a few fans to greet. He is happy with his win as he showed everyone what AAA is all about but he didn’t do it alone. Americano thanks the fans and the people who helped him in the match. The people here lifted him up when he was down and this win was for them and all of the people in Mexico.

But what’s next? He has won Rey de Reyes and the mask, so now he wants the Mega Title. That brings him to Dominik Mysterio but here is NXT’s Karmen Petrovic of all people. Americano invites her in but here are a bunch of guys (including Daga, Los Garza and NXT’s Bronco Nima) to lay Americano out.

They all unzip their jackets to reveal Los Perros del Mal (a former heel stable who haven’t been around in eight or nine years) shirts to end the show. Americano’s welcome was great, though I’m not sure how big of a surprise it was that he wants the title that he earned a shot at by winning Rey de Reyes. Still though, this should tied him over until his big title win at TripleMania.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the ending, but this was kind of a disappointing show overall. The big selling points here were the returns of Americano and Dominik Mysterio. While the former went fine, the latter was absolutely nothing and could have been done on any show. The matches were good but the Dominik thing felt like a bait and switch, as I kept waiting on him to actually show up and it was just nothing. It’s a good show for the most part but that one thing left a bad taste in my mouth.

Results
Mini Vikingo/El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. b. El Ojo – Springboard crucifix bomb to Vikingo
Rey Fenix b. Laredo Kid and Lince Dorado – Mexican MuscleBuster to Kid

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

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Collision
Date: June 20, 2026
Location: Smart Financial Center, Sugar Land, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Excalibur

We’re eight days away from Forbidden Door and this week we get another match officially set for the show. In this case it’s the semifinals of the Women’s Owen Hart Cup with Athena facing Maya World. Other than than we should have the usual big Collision attraction, meaning the announcements of stuff for Dynamite. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Young Bucks/Jack Perry vs. Lethal Twists

Christian jumps Nick to start fast and everything breaks down in a hurry. Perry hits a suicide dive onto Johnson but misses a moonsault and gets superkicked by Christian. The Bucks make the save and it’s Christian getting kneed in the corner. Perry gets tied up in the Tree Of Woe though and Christian adds a moonsault as we take a break.

We come back with the Twists going after Perry’s knee but the leg is fine enough to snap off a hurricanrana to the floor. Matt gets the tag to clean house and the Bucks do their top rope double stomp on the rope into the sitout powerbomb. Stereo powerbombs out of the corner set up stereo Scorpion Deathlocks with Perry getting Lethal in the Snare Trap.

Everyone makes the ropes and it’s Perry slugging it out with Lethal. Johnson and Lethal are back with cutters as commentary points out that the referee is just watching and enjoying the match. The Death Valley Driver into Hail To The King gets two on Perry and we hit the parade of everyone kicking everyone. Perry gets in a double poisonrana and the Meltzer Driver finishes Johnson (McGuinness: “Five stars.”) at 14:20.

Rating: B. As usual, starting with the Bucks is a good way to get the crowd going as the AEW fans absolutely love these guys. It makes a lot of sense to go this way and the Lethal Twists are a good choice for their victims. Yes it feels like a match we’ve seen about a million times, but that’s kind of a feature with the Bucks.

Kris Statlander and Mina Shirakawa seem to respect each other but they’re ready to fight tonight. Harley Cameron will be on commentary and tells them to shake, though they shake hands while she shakes her….yeah you get the idea.

Hikaru Shida doesn’t care who she’s going to be facing in Survival Of The Fittest because TBS will stand for THE BEST IS SHIDA!

Survival Of The Fittest: Mina Shirakawa vs. Kris Statlander

Harley Cameron is on commentary. Shirakawa’s headlock has Statlander down early on until she sends Shirakawa hard into the corner. A Stunner over the top rope drops Statlander but she catches Shirakawa with something like a Big Ending onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Shirakawa hitting La Mistica before knocking Statlander outside. Back in and a missile dropkick gives Shirakawa two but Statlander is back with the Falcon Arrow for two of her own. Shirakawa comes back with another La Mistica but Statlander rolls her up for the fast pin at 9:09.

Rating: C+. Statlander winning clean is good to see as she’s kind of been all over the place lately. I’m not sure if she’s going to win the title, but at least she has something to do at the moment. On the other hand you have Shirakawa, who has felt like she’s in the middle of nowhere for months and that doesn’t seem to be changing.

Post match match respect is shown, with Harley Cameron joining in.

We get a commercial for the Bang Bang Gang’s spay and neuter center.

Jack Perry talks about Zack Sabre Jr. welcoming him to Japan in an act of kindness. He would love another act of kindness in the form of a match on Dynamite. After they can hit the bar again, with Perry picking up the tab, because the winner should always pay.

Hurt Syndicate vs. Warren Johnson/Zack Mason

Lashley gets annoyed at a chop and it’s off to Mason, with Lashley shoving both of them down. It’s off to Benjamin for a nasty German suplex, followed by a running knee. Lashley hits the spear on Johnson and Benjamin gets the pin at 1:52.

Post match MVP says that the Hurt Syndicate doesn’t want titles, but they are more than willing to hurt people for money. If anyone is interested, come find them.

Skyflight is ready for Dante Martin to face Mistico. In addition, Matt Sydal is back and Skyflight has his back. I’m really not sure if this team needs another warm body.

Nigel McGuinness introduces Tommaso Ciampa and Chris Jericho for a face to face chat. Jericho praises Ciampa and knows that he’s wanted to face him for a reason. The question is which version of Jericho Ciampa will face, but it won’t matter because all of them will take him out. Ciampa likes the sound of that and he wants to face Jericho on July 8 in Clearwater, Florida at Beach Break.

Jericho is in for some wrestling that night, but tonight they’re fighting. The brawl is on but Ciampa quickly cuts him down with a low blow. Ciampa beats him down and busts him open, with the running knee leaving Jericho laying. This was simple and to the point but I definitely like setting it up for a show other than Forbidden Door. That show is going to have enough and I want to see this match get some focus, which it wouldn’t receive at the pay per view.

Pac vs. Shota Umino for the latter’s IWGP Global Title is set for Forbidden Door.

Dante Martin vs. Mistico

Christopher Daniels is here with Martin. Mistico flips away from a headlock to start but gets elbowed in the chin. Martin sends him outside for a suicide dive but Mistico fights back and hits a suicide dive of his own. Back in and Martin runs the corner for a superplex and two, leaving Mistico’s knee banged up as we take a break.

We come back with Mistico’s knee being fine enough to hit a springboard high crossbody to send Martin outside. There’s the slingshot dive and they go back inside to trade groggy right hands. They kick each other down and we get a double breather. Mistico is up first and his moonsault hits a raised boot, allowing Martin to get two off a rollup. Mistico’s powerslam gets two, as does Martin’s package powerbomb. Martin heads up top, only for Mistico to plant him with a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 11:34.

Rating: B-. Yeah this was fine, as they weren’t pretending that this was anything more than “here’s Mistico in a match”. They weren’t hiding that or trying to make it anything else and that’s a fine way to go. Mistico has such a following and is such a big deal that getting him on the show makes sense, especially on a show so close to Mexico.

Ricochet wants Konosuke Takeshita and the International Title but first he wants to beat up the returning Matt Sydal.

The Dogs don’t think much of Adam Copeland and Christian Cage being around for thirty years. They want the Tag Team Titles at Forbidden Door and they’ll put those b****** down.

Pac vs. Jay Alexander

Jon Moxley is on commentary and doesn’t think this is going to take long. Pac backs the rather muscular Alexander into the corner and then drops him with a running clothesline. Marina Shafir gets in a cheap shot and Pac adds a missile dropkick. The Brutalizer finishes Alexander at 3:11.

Rating: C. This was quick and to the point as Pac gets to run through someone with quite the size and power. Pac has an intensity to him that could make him look good against anyone and that’s a nice asset to have. At the same time, Moxley put him over rather strong on commentary, saying Pac could win any title in the world on any given night, including Moxley’s. There are a lot of things to criticize about Moxley, but he knows how to make people sound strong on commentary.

Thunder Rosa wants to team with someone from CMLL and challenge for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Adam Priest

Schiavone: “We haven’t seen Zack Sabre Jr. in an AEW ring since a year ago at Forbidden Door!” Forbidden Door was in late August last year, so no, it hasn’t been a year ago. Sabre works on the arm to start, including a nasty snap with his legs. Priest is right back with a snap suplex but Sabre is right back to the arm.

The arm is bent over the top rope and Priest is in trouble as we take a break. We come back with a double clothesline leaving both of them down before Priest knocks him down again. Priest starts in on Sabre’s leg but Sabre pulls the bad arm back in and twists it around. A double arm crank makes Priest give up at 10:36.

Rating: C+. This was the “here is Sabre’s warm-up match for his warm up match for Omega at the pay per view match”. As usual, it went on longer than it needed to and did more for Priest than Sabre. While Sabre was more or less toying with him the whole time, Priest looked tough in his comebacks, which doesn’t really do much for Sabre, as is often the case in matches like this.

Megan Bayne and Lena Kross are in for whatever Thunder Rosa wants to do.

A bloody Chris Jericho thanks Tommaso Ciampa, but Ciampa won’t thank him later. Serious Jericho is a nice thing to see.

Owen Hart Cup Semifinals: Maya World vs. Athena

Athena’s ROH Women’s Title isn’t on the line. Athena takes her down in the corner for a pat on the head to start but gets dropped with a running shoulder. A rather rolling crucifix gives World two as we’re told that Thunder Rosa will team with Olimpia to challenge for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. If that’s how they’re going to announce it, why bother with the mystery in the promos earlier? Just tell us then so that it’s not an afterthought in the main event.

Anyway they both try dropkicks at the same time and flip up for a staredown. World cartwheels into a basement dropkick and they go to the apron to slug it out. Athena catches a roll and flips her into a faceplant on the floor as we take a break. We come back with World hitting a superplex and stomping Athena in the ribs. World’s moonsault gets two, as does Athena’s sitout powerbomb. Athena stomps her down and gets two more off a rollup, which has Athena frustrated.

The O Face misses and World gets two off a tabletop suplex. They fight outside, with Athena hitting a Rock Bottom onto the barricade. World is mostly done but Athena breaks the count to bring her back in. Athena yells a lot, which just wakes World up. The big comeback doesn’t last long though as Athena hits the O Face for….two, giving us a well deserved stunned kickout face. Some superkicks put World down and Athena loads up the big right hand, only to get rolled up for the out of nowhere pin at 14:10.

Rating: B. Well World pretty much has to win the tournament now or this is a heck of a way to use Athena. As usual, Athena comes up to the AEW roster and loses but I’m sure she’ll get to continue her nearly four year reign as ROH Women’s Champion. As for World…well, it’s certainly a way to make someone look bigger, but it doesn’t mean nearly as much if she just loses to Mone. I like making a bigger star, though good grief just let Athena be a regular in AEW already.

Post match respect is shown but here is Mercedes Mone to interrupt and hug World, who is then jumped by Athena. The Statement Maker goes on and Athena mocks World to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the “let’s get a lot of stuff together for Forbidden Door as fast as we can show” and….yeah it mostly worked. The action was good enough and the PPV card feels a lot more complete. At the same time, it was a show that felt rather packed and didn’t leave much time for anything to have an impact. That’s something AEW has had issues with for a long time and while it would be nice to see that change, it isn’t likely to happen. Either way, good show here, and it did a lot of the work that AEW needed.

Results
Young Bucks/Jack Perry b. Lethal Twists – Meltzer Driver to Johnson
Kris Statlander b. Mina Shirakawa – Rollup
Hurt Syndicate b. Warren Johnson/Zack Mason – Spear to Johnson
Mistico b. Dante Martin – Super Spanish Fly
Pac b. Jay Alexander – Brutalizer
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Adam Priest – Double arm crank
Maya World b. Athena – Rollup

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

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