Olde Wrestling In Detroit: Where Has This Been?

Olde Wrestling In Detroit
Date: March 30, 2019
Location: The Whiskey Factory, Detroit, Michigan
Commentator: Joe Dombrowski

This is something I have wanted to see for a LONG time, as the promotion is set in the 1920s and features a corrupt judge, bootlegging, shoeshine boys and more. It sounded like a blast and made me grab a subscription to IndependentWrestling.TV, which sent me on a list of about 20 shows. This is the grand finale though so let’s get to it.

Opening video, with old school style of course.

The ring announcer (in a furry top hat) welcomes us to the show (which is pronounced Old-E Wrestling) and we’re ready to go.

Jeff King vs. Cymbal Monkey

Cymbal Monkey might be better known as Space Monkey, and yes he looks like the wind up monkey toy that plays the cymbals. King on the other hand, is billed as the man who drove Frank Gotch out of wrestling…and he looks like Barry Horowitz in a one shoulder singlet. He also doesn’t like the cymbals and threatens to leave if they’re played one more time. They are indeed played, with King saying they are an illegal object.

Threats of a broken back via a bearhug are made and King demands a check of the tail (because being a monkey, he has a tail). The ring announcer, who sounds like an old radio announcer, thinks this might even make the DuMont Network! Or even a Nickelodeon! King grabs a headlock but a bite of the hand takes care of that. The Monkey takes the banana from King (who had a banana) as the commentary promises this to be a humdinger. Just like Vince McMahon about the opener at Summerslam 1990.

Monkey takes him down with a drop toehold as commentary talks about the popularity of swing music. A dropkick (flying leg kick, as the commentator calls it, just like Heroes Of Wrestling) has King rocked and he almost slips on the banana peel. King wants to know WHAT THIS IS and then runs Monkey over. An elbow on the tail connects as commentary is happy there are no groups around for animal rights.

The tail is wrapped around the rope but Monkey gets a boot up in the corner. A monkey flip (“Monkey type fashion” according to commentary) sends King into the corner and it’s time to get the cymbals. King grabs the bearhug but the cymbals go upside his head for the escape. Then a charging King charges and slips on the banana peel to give Monkey the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C+. Oh yeah I’m going to have fun with this, and partially just due to the commentary. The match itself was just ok but this is ALL about the presentation and that is working well. You knew the peel was going to play into the ending and in this case, it was the perfect choice. This was a blast and it’s very goofy, but they are leaning HARD into the joke to make it work.

Here are two men in suits, plus a spinster/possible religious fanatic for a chat. They are here to shut this operation down because one of them a Senator (Volstead, the name of the act that instituted prohibition), and the other, a representative of the government (they have names, though they’re a bit hard to understand), are here for ALL OF THE BOOZE.

The first man (I believe the Senator) explains the prohibition rules and the spinster (carrying an ax) threatens to use the ax on anyone who breaks said rules. Well that got intense quickly. The fans chant for something called the Purple Gang, which apparently are the main enemies of these three.

The promotion is nice enough to promise that the next match is actually happening. With no more interruptions. “Yes we’re certain.”

Danhausen vs. Marion Fontaine

Danhausen looks like Nosferatu. Fontaine is a mustached haberdasher and puts up his fists like he’s a boxer from the 1890s (I like him). Hold on though as Danhausen (with darker face paint than usual) stalks Fontaine around the ring, but the referee makes the mistake of inviting Danhausen into the ring (because vampires can’t enter a place where they haven’t been invited).

A test of strength is broken up as Fontaine goes for a hammerlock, with Danhausen reversing into one of his own. Back up and Danhausen screams at Fontaine, who faints, with commentary thinking it is a case of the vapors. Fontaine knocks him out to the floor but Danhausen is right back in to rip at Fontaine’s face. Danhausen stomps away and chokes with a boot in the corner. A bulldog doesn’t do much to Danhausen, who comes up smiling. Instead, Danhausen grabs a slingshot German suplex for the pin at 5:05.

Rating: C-. Oddly enough, this wasn’t the most entertaining match as Danhausen wasn’t doing his usual stuff and it got a little dull at times. The Nosferatu deal was great, but there is only so much you can do when the gag keeps going. The good thing is they kept it short, but I’m not sure how much more good there was involved.

Gregory Iron vs. Caleb Stills

Stills seems rather mean and Iron has cerebral palsy, in essence leaving him with one arm. Here, he’s a bullfighter (sure). Stills jumps him from from behind and takes the bull cape, which he tucks into his trunks. Iron takes it back and taunts Stills with the cape, only to switch to Stills’ own jacket. That’s enough to make Stills charge, with the frustration letting Iron chop away.

Stills is so annoyed that he goes outside and kicks the post, which just makes things worse. The chase is on outside, as commentary suggests Iron’s arm is messed up because of a bullfight gone wrong. Back in and an Irish Curse gives Stills two before it’s time to crank on both arms. A missed charge in the corner doesn’t do much for Iron as Stills crotches him on top. Stills grabs a torture rack but the referee yells at him a bit too much. That’s enough for Stills, who shoves the referee for the DQ at 7:40.

Rating: C-. This was ok at best, as Iron as a bullfighter was a cool visual but I didn’t need to see it for nearly eight minutes. Stills was little more than a hothead, which isn’t going to be enough to keep the interest going for that long. That’s kind of the theme for the whole show and I can’t say I’m all that surprised as it is kind of a one note concept.

Post match Iron fights up and knocks Stills to the floor.

Aiden Prince vs. Feline Blanco

Prince would wind up in Impact and is royalty here. Blanco gets kicked in the ribs to start but he starts picking up the pace and hits a quick splash. A shot to the face is enough to send Prince outside as commentary talks about “the lucha door style”. Prince pulls him outside for a ram into a support post and they fight into the crowd for a bit. Well fight is a bit of a stretch, as it’s Prince beating him around the arena.

Back in and a running crotch attack to the back of the neck gives Prince two so it’s time to choke. Blanco fights up and hits a springboard crossbody, followed by a dropkick to put Prince on the floor. There’s a suicide dive but Prince runs him over again back inside. Prince gets a bit too confident though and it’s a sunset flip to give Blanco the pin at 7:50.

Rating: C. Another match that was perfectly watchable but not something that I would need to see again anytime soon. Prince has a good look and Feline is a run of the mill luchador, but that isn’t quite enough to blow your mind. It didn’t help that this one wasn’t very heavy on the gimmicks so there wasn’t much to get excited about here.

Intermission.

Jody Nation vs. Kate Carney

Nation is the ax wielding spinster from earlier. Carney on the other hand has a sailor named Josh in her corner. She’s about to sing something but Nation charges at her because that isn’t going to happen. Nation is sent outside and doesn’t seem happy when Carney takes off some of her clothes to reveal her gear (which is nothing out of the ordinary).

The chase is on outside before they head back inside with Carney taunting her with various flesh. Commentator: “I’m going to need a double scotch rocks and a pack of Lucky Strikes”. Nation comes back with a slam as commentary talks about a young comedian named Bob Hope. Carney fights up and runs her over but here is the Senator and agent from earlier, allowing Nation to hit her with the ax. A middle rope ax handle gives Nation the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C-. The idea here made all the sense in the world as you have someone who wants things conservative and simple while the woman was showing about as much skin as she would on the beach. That being said, there hasn’t been what I would consider a very good or even very above average match on the show yet and this was another example.

Lobby Legislators Of An Anti-Saloon Land vs. Purple Gang

That would be Representative Gavin Q. Volstead/Senator Cameron S. Smith vs. Abe Bernstein/Nate Axler, or government vs. mob. The fans are all behind the Gang as Voldstead and Axler start things off. Bernstein shoulders him down and dropkicks Smith for a bonus to put them both on the floor. Back in and it’s off to Bernstein, who seems to be the muscle.

The Legislators get tied in the ropes and punched into the teeter totter spot. With that broken up, the Legislators manage to pull them outside for a posting to take over. Back in and a double suplex drops Axler but he fights up and hands it back to Bernstein for the house cleaning.

A double clothesline/shoulder/I can’t believe it matters runs the Legislators over and a powerslam gets two on Volstead. Everything breaks down and the referee gets bumped. Cue the sailor from the previous match with a life preserver to the head of Volstead, which draws out Jody Nation for the save. Kate Carney cuts her off and Volstead hits Smith with a boot by mistake. Bernstein drops a leg for the pin at 13:46.

Rating: C+. This was one of the better matches of the night, which granted isn’t the biggest accomplishment. It’s also a bit surprising that this wasn’t the main event, as the whole prohibition vs. booze seems to be the main story of the show. What we got was a pretty good match, though it was hardly an instant classic.

Olde Wrestling World Title: RJ Metropolis vs. Matthew Cross

Cross, better known as Matt Cross of course, is defending and it’s 2/3 falls. Metropolis, a rather popular silent film star is slightly known as RJ City. Thankfully the belt does look like an old boxing title for the right flavor. Feeling out process to start with Cross getting the better of things early on. A bearhug has Metropolis in trouble and a whip across the ring has Metropolis down and holding his knee. Believe it or not, Metropolis is in fact goldbricking and it’s a rollup for the first fall in less than five minutes.

Hold on though as Metropolis wants a five minute break, because it’s time for him to go outside, construct, and sit in a director’s chair. The delay draws Cross out and Metropolis gets in a cheap shot to take over back inside. Now it’s time for Metropolis to pull out….one of those snapping slates that you see when movies are being made and people say TAKE ONE. After an alleged pinch of the nose and a running slap in the corner, Cross has had enough and comes back with a running forearm.

A backbreaker ties it up at a fall apiece and Metropolis heads back to the floor for a seat in his chair. They brawl on the floor before beating the count back in, where Metropolis takes him down again. A fan helps put the chair inside and Metropolis sits down while grabbing the sleeper. Cross fights out and hits a running boot for two before having a seat himself. Metropolis tries a piledriver but gets caught in a fireman’s carry.

That leaves Cross so confused that he puts the referee in it as well, as apparently the airplane spin makes you blind as well as dizzy. Then the referee gives Metropolis one and all three do a Flair Flop. Back up and Metropolis rolls him up for two but Cross is fine enough to tie up an arm and a leg at the same time for the win at 16:24.

Rating: B-. Cross is a talented guy and Metropolis did well as the film star, but this felt like a tacked on match without much importance. I’m not sure if the match was referenced more than once or twice throughout the show and Cross didn’t really have a character outside of “champion”. Best wrestling on the show, but also the least interesting match.

Overall Rating: C. This is a weird show as it’s built around one concept, but the problem is that concept loses its charm fairly quickly. Eventually the gag gets a bit old and you’re left with a voice on commentary that runs out of jokes and matches that are only ok. It isn’t a bad show, but it’s a show that feels like an idea that would work a lot better as an hour at most rather than a full event. Some of the characters were funny and commentary had some good lines, but this wasn’t as fun as I was expecting, at least not after about thirty minutes in.

 

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Impact Wrestling – March 31, 2022: Which Way Do They Go?

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 31, 2022
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for the Multiverse of Matches but that doesn’t seem to mean much at the moment. Part of the issue is that we also need to build up Rebellion, which is less than a month away. That doesn’t leave Impact a lot of time, though maybe they can give this week’s show some attention of its own. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Josh Alexander vs. Moose as they are on their way to a showdown at Rebellion for Moose’s World Title. Just to crank it up, Moose SPEARED ALEXANDER’S WIFE at a show in Canada over the weekend.

Josh Alexander arrives and Scott D’Amore tells him that while Moose isn’t here, he has recommended that Moose be stripped of the title and fired. Alexander grabs him by the jacket and says he needs Moose in the ring so he can take the title from him, man to man.

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Kenny King

Non-title. Before the match, Gresham mentioned that he will be facing Eddie Edwards at Rebellion, but King’s entrance cuts him off. King talks about how he sees a great wrestler but a puppet for Ring of Honor. Gresham should be part of Honor No More, but he is called the Octopus because he is all arms and no brains.

They get in each others’ faces to start and we have a rather aggressive lockup. As expected, Gresham goes after the arm to put King in trouble before sending him outside. King manages to snap Gresham’s throat across the top to take over though and a suplex on the floor makes it worse. Back in and Gresham grabs a dragon screw legwhip, only to miss a high crossbody and bang up his own knee.

We take a break and come back with King hitting a spinebuster for two but Gresham goes right back to the knee. A dragon suplex into a tiger driver gives King two more but King’s knee gives out again. You don’t have to ask Gresham twice to grab a hold so the Figure Four goes on. Gresham stands up to crank on it even more and that’s enough for the tap at 12:04.

Rating: C+. There is something so entertaining about watching Gresham take someone apart and put them in pin in a variety of ways. That is exactly what we got here, with that adjusted Figure Four being a nice twist on what you might have expected. King was good as usual, but this was more about Gresham, as it should have been.

Post match Eddie Edwards runs in to go after Gresham but Rocky Romero makes the save, meaning we probably have a tag match coming up.

Here’s what’s coming at Multiverse of Matches and later tonight.

The Motor City Machine Guns are ready for their rematch with the Bullet Club because Jay White should know what it means to get pinned.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready for another Champ Champ Challenge at the Multiverse of Matches and there are a ton of possible challengers.

Johnny Swinger/Zicky Dice vs. ???/???

This is Swinger’s Chump Chump Challenger and the opponents are…the Good Brothers. Dice immediately starts panicking and Gallows sends him flying with a fall away slam. The Magic Killer finishes at 51 seconds. As it should have been.

Post match the Good Brothers say they are back to what they do best. They’re on the way to Rebellion and the eight team elimination match, plus the Multiverse of Matches against the Briscoes. We cut over to PCO in the parking lot, screaming for Jonah. Cue Jonah to jump him from behind and the brawl is on, using a variety of parking lot accessories.

Jonah powerbombs him onto some wooden pallets and then gets in a few shots with a sledgehammer (as you do). A brick is placed on PCO’s ribs and cracked with the hammer but he grabs Jonah by the throat. Jonah’s head is crushed in a car door and PCO buries him underneath some dirt. That’s just something he happened to have laying around right?

Josh Alexander vs. Madman Fulton

Ace Austin is here with Fulton. Alexander wastes no time in starting with the suplexes before knocking Fulton outside. Fulton is sent into the barricade but manages to fight out of the C4 Spike back inside. The chokeslam is countered into a powerbomb though and an ankle lock makes Fulton tap at 1:49. That was quick.

Post match Austin teases going after Alexander but gets scared off. Alexander cranks on Fulton’s ankle so hard that Fulton’s boot comes off.

Trey Miguel asks Mike Bailey about his relationship with Ace Austin. Bailey says expect the unexpected.

Last week, Mickie James ranted about Chelsea Green turning on her, making Green a sellout just like Matt Cardona. Nick Aldis will be at the Multiverse of Matches, where it’s the Midcardonas vs. Al-Dis.

Matt Cardona doesn’t want to talk about this but Chelsea Green doesn’t like the idea of Mickie James treating her like the little sister.

Knockouts Battle Royal

Madison Rayne, Tenille Dashwood, Lady Frost, Gisele Shaw, Jordynne Grace, Havok, Alisha Edwards, Rosemary, Savannah Evans, Jesse McKay

The winner gets a Knockouts Title shot against Tasha Steelz, on commentary, at Rebellion. It’s a brawl to start (battle royal and all), though the IInfluence has time to stop and pose. Edwards actually forearms away at Havok, only to have Rosemary cut her down with a spear. Havok tosses Edwards and saves Rosemary from Evans. Everyone gets together to dump Havok and McKay gets rid of Dashwood.

McKay gets knocked off the apron but Kaleb With A K catches her. Rayne is out as well as McKay is thrown in, where she gets caught in a Samoan drop from Evans. That’s it for McKay and it’s Evans vs. Grace in the power slugout. Grace is tossed but Shaw and Frost toss Evans too. That leaves with with Frost, Shaw and Rosemary with Shaw getting the better of things. The other two get together and dump Shaw, with Rosemary knocking out Frost as well for the win at 7:15.

Rating: C-. Rosemary is one of those women that you can throw right into the title picture and no one will think anything is out of the ordinary as she really is that good. She has the resume and the status so this should work out well. I don’t know if she wins the title, but she is someone who very well could and that is a good choice for a challenger.

Black Taurus b. Deaner on BTI.

Eric Young and Violent By Design is ready to retain the Tag Team Titles at Rebellion.

Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Aiden Prince

Brian Myers has his own commentary table again. Headlocks and shoulders don’t work for Prince to start as Gujjar knocks him to the floor. That’s enough for Price to try walking out, only to get tossed back in without much effort. A powerslam gives Gujjar two but Prince gets in a knee to the back to take over. Gujjar comes right back with a Sling Blade into a powerslam for two but Prince hits a suplex. Prince misses a 450 though and the middle rope spear gives Gujjar the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C-. Another week, another Gujjar match as he has a cool looking finisher which takes some effort to set up. Other than that though, there is still almost nothing about Gujjar that makes him interesting. He’s a guy in tights for most of his matches and it doesn’t make me want to see anything that he is doing.

Post match W. Morrissey tries to powerbomb Myers through the table but Prince gets in the way. That means Prince gets the powerbomb through the table instead.

Masha Slamovich vs. Abby Jane

Tiger suplex and Snowplow finish for Slamovich in 48 seconds.

We run down the Multiverse of Matches card again.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Bullet Club

Chris Bey/Jay White for the Club here. White shoulders Sabin in the corner to start but Sabin is back with a middle rope spinning crossbody. Shelley tags himself in and a neck snap over the ropes sets up a legsweep to put White in trouble. A backsplash/knee drop combination sets up a chinlock as commentary goes over some of the possibilities for the eight team gauntlet match at Rebellion. Bey sneaks in with a shot off the top to drop Sabin and we take a break.

Back with Sabin not being able to crawl over to Shelley, meaning Bey can get in some smirking. White gets in some shots of his own but a pair of leapfrogs allows Sabin to get over to Shelley. The Motor City Stretch has Bey in trouble until White makes the save and Bey returns the favor by breaking up Thunder Express.

Back to back choking on the ropes has Shelley in more trouble and he gets tossed outside. Bey’s suicide dive hits White though and it’s back to Sabin for the flip dive off the apron. They head back inside with Sabin hitting a bunch of running dropkicks in the corner to both Clubbites, setting up Thunder Express for two on Bey. White is back up to clear the ring though and Bey hits a big running flip dive to the floor.

Bey’s top rope splash gets two with Shelley making the save, which the referee is fine with this time. That doesn’t go well with White but he and Shelley go outside. Sabin drops Bey to set up Skull and Bones for two, followed by the Dream Sequence to White. Made In Detroit is broken up so White hits Sabin with a half and half suplex. The Art of Finesse gives Bey the pin at 17:42.

Rating: B. I don’t think there was much doubt in the ending after the previous screwy(ish) ending but they had a heck of a match on the way there. The Guns aren’t going to be hurt by a loss and the Club needed the win a bit more here. Very good match between two talented teams and it is nice to see Bey getting the pin in a pretty high profile match. He has come a long way and now he is having some success to back it up.

Overall Rating: C+. As has been the case, they continue to have issues with building towards two shows at once, even though the Multiverse of Matches feels like a quick pit stop on the way to the important event. Still though, they had a good main event and I want to see where things are going with Rebellion, which is the main point of this show. The main event is worth seeing if you have the time and Multiverse of Madness looks good so…success?

Results
Jonathan Gresham b. Kenny King – Standing Figure Four Leglock
Good Brothers b. Johnny Swinger/Zicky Dice – Magic Killer to Dice
Josh Alexander b. Madman Fulton – Ankle lock
Rosemary won a battle royal last eliminating Lady Frost
Bhupinder Gujjar b. Aiden Prince – Middle rope spear
Masha Slamovich b. Abby Jane – Snowplow
Bullet Club b. Motor City Machine Guns – Art of Finesse to Sabin

 

 

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Impact Wrestling – August 9, 2019: North Of The Average

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: August 9, 2019
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re still in Canada and in that weird period as the fallout from Slammiversary is over but it’s still way too early to set up Bound For Glory. Last week saw the continuation of Tessa Blanchard vs. OVE and the rise of Rhyno, who is back and feuding with Michael Elgin. I’m not sure what to expect this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title: Aiden Prince vs. Jake Crist

Prince is challenging and the fans are rather behind him. Crist gets sent outside early on but manages a kick to the face to cut off the dive. They fight on the apron with Crist hitting a Death Valley Driver to knock Prince silly. Back in and it’s off to a reverse Rings of Saturn to keep Prince in trouble, followed by a shot to the head for two. Jake chokes in the corner for a bit and plants him with a suplex for no cover. A spinning kick to the head gets two but Prince is right back with a middle rope tornado DDT.

The 450 hits knees to give Crist two more but Prince is right back up with a reverse hurricanrana for his own two. Crist heads outside and gets taken down by a dive, only to have Prince get superkicked out of the air when he tries another. Back in and Prince gets crotched on top but manages a suplex to get a breather. The 450 connects this time for another near fall and Prince goes up top, where he dives straight into a cutter to retain the title at 10:57.

Rating: B-. The action was good here and Prince made the most out of what is likely a one off shot. He felt much more like a local hero than a serious challenger but they still had a rather entertaining match with some good near falls. It’s also smart to have Crist get a win on his own to establish himself, because having OVE out there every time isn’t working.

Konnan gives Daga a pep talk before he teams with Ortiz tonight to challenge for the Tag Team Titles. Ortiz comes in and whatever he is drinking is blurred out. Daga seems to think that Ortiz isn’t serious enough. Blurred things go towards their mouths.

Taya Valkyrie isn’t happy with the idea of having to defend her title again.

Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin

Austin recently hit on Eddie’s wife, sending him over the edge but she didn’t seem to like Eddie standing up for her. Eddie knocks him outside to start and hits a slingshot dive as the beating is on in a hurry. Back up and Austin does his handstand on the apron into his kick to the chest to put Eddie down for a change. Since Eddie is a bit off though, he drops Austin back and face first onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Eddie hitting a suicide dive, only to have Austin get in a baton shot for two. Ace even busts out the playing card to cut Eddie’s finger. That earns himself a powerbomb so Austin begs off, asking what Alisha would think of this. That earns him the Boston Knee Party and a big beatdown draws the DQ at 9:54.

Rating: C. This was much more about Eddie being violent and insane than the match itself, which is a good way of doing things, though we’ve seen it happen a few times now. You can only have Eddie go nuts so many times before it stops working and I’m worried that we’re reaching that point.

Post match Alisha runs out to yell at Eddie and look down at Austin.

We look at Tessa Blanchard coming up short against Sami Callihan at last week’s Unbreakable, though Jake hitting her with the X-Division Title had something to do with that.

Fallah Bahh was having lunch earlier today when Moose came up to yell at him and call him fat. The fight was on but Moose threw something in his eyes and shoved food in his face.

Madison Rayne vs. Alexia Nicole

Kiera Hogan is on commentary. Madison takes her into the corner to start and looks rather confident. Nicole picks up the pace a bit and dropkicks her into the corner as Kiera doesn’t seem happy with Madison. A crash on the floor puts Nicole down but she drives Madison into the corner to break up a Koji Clutch. Madison has had it with this and hits CrossRayne for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: D+. Nicole tried a bit, though there is only so much you can get out of a match that is just a step above a squash. Madison vs. Kiera doesn’t have the most potential in the world and isn’t exactly interesting, though it’s still nice to see the company trying a few different stories that aren’t exclusively about the title.

Post match Kiera gets in to yell at Madison, though they do keep beating up Alexia in the process. Jordynne Grace runs in for the save.

The Rascalz are sad about not winning the Tag Team Titles. Wentz is very happy with seeing….someone in the hall. That someone sits down and it’s Rob Van Dam, who is WAY overdue for a cameo in one of these things. The Rascalz start beating each other up with Van Dam’s moves as he looks rather confused.

Knockouts Title: Havok vs. Taya Valkyrie

Rating: D+. There wasn’t time for much here as the interference cut things off in a hurry. This story is getting a bit confusing as things keep moving all over the place. It would seem to be leading to either Havok or Grace taking the title from Taya, but that has seemed to be the case for a long time now. The story is still going though and it isn’t boring, so continuing it isn’t a problem just yet.

We get a sitdown interview with Melissa Santos for an update on Brian Cage. Santos recently made their relationship public after a long time of trying to keep their personal and professional lives separate. That was getting to be too much though and things had to change. She can’t give much of an update on his medical condition, though he has been getting better, slowly.

The Desi Hit Squad shows up at a bar to insult the Deaners and a fight ensues. The Deaners get the better of it until Gama Singh’s distraction lets the Hit Squad get in beer bottle shots to the head.

Later, the Deaners are ticked off because the Hit Squad wouldn’t survive at their compound. Next week, they can fight in the ring. Why not at the compound?

Stone Rockwell vs. Nate Madsen

Rockwell takes him down and poses a bit, followed by a swinging Rock Bottom backbreaker. And never mind as here’s Rhyno to Gore Madsen for the DQ at 1:43.

Post match Rockwell tries to bribe his way out of a Gore to no avail. Rhyno wants Elgin out here right now so here he is, but he’s not happy with Rhyno trying something stupid. Elgin has put everyone in the hospital so this isn’t happening now. Rhyno isn’t cool with that so the fight is on in the aisle.

Austin brags about being the first person to get to Eddie Edwards. Now, he’s going to get his wife.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Abyss vs. Mick Foley in a Monster’s Ball match at Bound For Glory 2009.

The Desi Hit Squad agrees to face the Deaners, but if they win, the Deaners are their servants.

Sami Callihan is ready to become World Champion as they take over the entire company. First up though: destroying Tommy Dreamer. WELL OF COURSE THAT’S WHAT MATTERS MOST! Therefore, next week it’s Sami/Dave Crist vs. Dreamer/Tessa.

Tag Team Titles: Daga/Ortiz vs. The North

The North is defending and Konnan is out with Daga/Ortiz. Ortiz hammers on Page in the corner to start but Page punches him in the face as Callis says Daga and Ortiz could be the next Strike Force to LAX’s Can-Am Connection. Daga comes in but gets taken down by a cheap shot, allowing Alexander to come in for a slugout. A headscissors sends Alexander outside and that means a big flip dive from Daga.

Back in and Daga’s suplex gets two on Alexander but an assisted suplex from the champs puts Daga down for a change. The alternating stomps keep Daga in trouble and it’s a northern lights suplex into some right hands. Daga manages a German suplex for the hot tag to Ortiz so everything can break down.

A springboard tornado DDT into a splash gets two on Alexander. The top rope double stomp to the back sets up a Death Valley Driver for two more but Page is right back up to jump Daga. Alexander’s moonsault gets two but Daga is back up with a low superkick for two more as everything breaks down. Daga gets sent outside and it’s the alley oop spinebuster to retain at 10:36.

Rating: B-. It’s still good but not as good as some of the other North matches we’ve been seeing as of late. They’ve turned from what seemed to be just another midcard team to quite a good act. This was likely to be the big final showdown with LAX but Daga was fine enough for a one off replacement. Nice main event here.

Post match the champs leave so Konnan/Daga/Ortiz can shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a bit of a downgrade over the last few weeks but what we got here was good enough. They’re getting into a nice groove and that’s something that can make for a rather effective way to set up some stuff in the future. Some of the stories aren’t the most interesting but they’re being given time and some things are being allowed to develop. Keep it at this pace and we should be just fine for the near future.

Results

Jake Crist b. Aiden Prince – Cutter

Ace Austin b. Eddie Edwards via DQ when Edwards attacked Austin

Madison Rayne b. Alexia Nicole – CrossRayne

Nate Madsen b. Stone Rockwell via DQ when Rhyno interfered

The North b. Daga/Ortiz – Alley oop spinebuster to Ortiz

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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