IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

Powerrr
Date: December 23, 2019
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Stu Bennett, Joe Galli

We’re on Monday here because it would be a little insane to have a show on Christmas Eve. Therefore, it’s time for the second show of the season a week early and thankfully we get some followup to some of the good stuff we saw last week. Things moved towards a more traditional direction and that’s the best thing they could do, albeit with their own unique twist. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of Nick Aldis retaining the NWA World Title at the end of Into The Fire, setting up Marty Scurll’s return. Then last week, Aldis and Scurll didn’t seem to be on the same page about Scurll getting a World Title shot. As a result, Aldis formed a team to give us a heel stable.

Into The Fire.

Quick rundown from the announcers.

Trevor Murdoch is rather happy because he has gotten a contract. Zicky Dice interrupts him though because he’s going to win the TV Title. Cue the debuting Pope D’Angelo Dinero to talk about some famous NWA names. He’s here to find his Super Powers or Horsemen, so Dice offers his services. Pope just walks over to commentary without saying anything to a funny reaction.

TV Title Tournament Qualifying Match: Ricky Starks vs. Eddie Kingston

They lock up to start as commentary brings up the 6:05 time limit. Kingston shoulders him down into a headlock but Starks fights up for a middle rope shoulder. A high crossbody gets two but Kingston runs him over and hammers away. Starks knocks him down again though and grabs a tornado DDT for two. Buster Keaton (lifting sitout Pedigree) finishes Kingston at 4:10.

Rating: C. This was a good enough match where they packed in a lot of stuff. Starks is someone they want to push and giving him a run towards the TV Title would work rather well. Pope being involved could make for something interesting, but him putting Starks over in some way would be best.

Post match Pope nods at Kingston.

We look back at the formation of Magnus’ team last week and their beatdown of Tim Storm.

Here are Royce Isaacs and a rather tattooed woman named Mae Valentine. They’re asked about holiday plans and Isaacs whispers something in the interviewer’s ear, which doesn’t set well with him. Isaacs is going to show what he can do on his hand but here’s James Storm to say he wants Isaacs to prove himself.

Highspots.com ad.

James Storm vs. Royce Isaacs

Here’s Eli Drake, with a bottle of champagne, for a chat. We get a lot of YEAH YEAH YEAH’s before Eli talks about the interviewer warming up the crowd with a comedy routine before the taping starts. Drake talks about having some New Year’s resolutions and they are all about gold. He has the shoes of a champion and the jacket of a champion but he calls it shoes as well because he’s a little too fired up.

Jocephus (as Santa) and an unidentified Mrs. Claus sing some Christmas carols and Drake gets in a few more YEAH’s as backup. Cue Aldis and company to interrupt though and Aldis has some matching shirts for all of them. Everything you’ve seen over the last few weeks has been a part of the plan, including taking out James Storm. As for Ricky Morton, he can come out here and say something to Aldis’ face. Morton doesn’t think much of Aldis training under Harley Race and then disrespecting his legacy like this. Aldis threatens Morton to wrap it up.

We look at the women’s tag match from Into The Fire, including ODB debuting.

Melina/Thunder Rosa/Marti Belle vs. Allysin Kay/ODB/Ashley Vox

Whoever gets the fall gets to pick an opponent of their choosing. Rosa works a hammerlock on ODB but ODB slips out of a suplex and brings in Kay. Belle comes in to drop Kay with a running knee but it’s off to Vox in a hurry. She’s beaten down as well and we get into the more standard structure, with Vox getting beaten up in the corner. Melina gets two off a DDT but it’s right back to ODB vs. Rosa with the former taking over. Everything breaks down and Rosa has to bite the finger to escape an armbar. Something like a sitout White Noise shoulderbreaker finishes Vox at 5:48.

Rating: D+. I’ve never been an ODB fan so having her around here didn’t make things that much better. What did help was having a bunch of fresh talent in the match at the same time. The women’s division doesn’t really need to exist around here, but if they’re going to do something with it, they’re going to need a lot of names to keep things moving.

Post match Rosa is about to pick her opponent but Melina chooses for her: ODB.

We get a drawing for the TV Title tournament: Tim Storm vs. Nick Aldis. Storm talks about Mama Storm turning 95 this week and asked how long Tim can wrestle. She retired at 78 and he got his work ethic from her. We get an homage to the Hard Time promo, with Storm saying he’s old and broken down but he’s bad and they know he’s bad.

TV Title Tournament Qualifying Match: Question Mark vs. Colt Cabana

Colt armdrags him down a few times but loses a chop off to the ka-ra-te master. A rollup gives Colt two and an elbow to the jaw puts Mark down again. The running hip attack connects in the corner and the middle rope splash gives Cabana two. Cabana goes up but dives into a shot to the throat to give Mark the pin at 3:07.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to do much but around here it’s one of the longer matches. That’s such a weird dynamic for the company but it’s working well enough. Mark is one of the best cult favorites I’ve seen in a long time and that’s the kind of thing that can work wonders around here.

Aron Stevens and Question Mark want all the gold.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: C+. You can tell they’ve changed things up a lot around here as they are now packing in every single thing that they can. It’s made things more interesting, though I’m still not clear on how the tournament is working. Are they going to have qualifying matches and then the pay per view is built around the tournament? Anyway, at least they’re doing some interesting stuff and the place is going to be rather pleased when they get to Storm vs. Aldis for the title again. Nice show here, and the new style is an improvement.

Results

Ricky Starks b. Eddie Kingston – Buster Keaton

James Storm b. Royce Isaacs via countout

Melina/Thunder Rosa/Marti Belle b. Allysin Kay/ODB/Ashley Vox – Sitout shoulderbreaker to Vox

Question Mark b. Colt Cabana – Chop to the throat

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

NWA Powerrr
Date: November 19, 2019
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Jim Cornette

We’re back here again and things are still interesting, but they kind of need to have a story going on. Last week’s big deal continued to be wondering if Kamille would speak and there are more interesting things going on almost anywhere else. The initial idea and presentations were fine but they need to go somewhere after that. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap focuses on LET KAMILLE SPEAK and James Storm losing the National Title and coming after the World Title instead.

Opening sequence.

The announcers run down the show.

Here’s Nick Aldis for a chat and the Kamille questions start in a hurry. The internet is talking about it so OF COURSE it is on top of Aldis’ list of priorities. This is the NWA and we wrestle here, so it is time for him to prove why he is the real World’s Champion. Tonight, he has Trevor Murdoch, albeit in a non-title match. Murdoch is coming off a long sabbatical so tonight is an exhibition and if this is as close as Murdoch ever gets, at least Aldis gave him a chance.

Nick Aldis vs. Trevor Murdoch

Non-title and we get a nice handshake to start. They fight over a wristlock to start with Murdoch grabbing a hammerlock to send Aldis into the ropes. With the referee getting Murdoch away, it’s a kick to the ropes for a low blow and Murdoch takes over. Three straight slams set up the top rope bulldog but Aldis gets a foot on the rope. Aldis catches him on top before another bulldog and Murdoch slips off the ropes. That’s enough to set up the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf to make Murdoch tap at 3:31.

Rating: C-. The time didn’t help things here but Murdoch got something out of the near fall. This is a good example of someone getting something out of a loss, even if it was in such a short match. There is no shame in losing to the World Champion so it isn’t like this is some crippling moment for Murdoch’s career.

They shake hands post match.

Here are the Rock N Roll Express to announce that they have a Tag Team Title shot coming up and they’re taking something owed to them. ROCK N ROLL chants start up, because these two can make it work even in their 60s. The Wild Cards come out to say bring it on.

We get a 1979 promo video from….Andy Ardeson? Anyway a guy named Danny Deals cuts him off to plug Highspots.com.

Question Mark vs. Ricky Starks

National Champion Colt Cabana is on commentary and the place goes NUTS for Mark. Some early shots to the throat have Starks in trouble but he scores with a dropkick to the head, getting on the fans’ nerves in a hurry. Mark gets sent outside for a suicide dive but here’s Aron Stevens to jump Starks for the DQ at 1:34.

Post match the beatdown is on with Stevens turning cartwheels. Cabana makes the save and it’s a no contest, with Cornette pointing out how ridiculous that is. After a break, the tag match is announced for tonight.

Here’s Eli Drake for a chat but the QUESTION MARK chant cuts him off. Drake: “Just like a bunch of dummies.” Drake knows Mr. Anderson is looking for him and he isn’t a hard man to find, though Anderson might be beyond his expiration date. Cue Anderson to suck up to the crowd and challenge Drake to a match right now. Drake teases doing just that but jumps Anderson from behind. A turnbuckle to the back leaves Anderson laying with Drake having to be dragged away.

We recap Marti Belle turning on Allysin Kay to help Thunder Rosa. They’re ready for Kay when she gets back.

Allysin Kay/Ashley Vox vs. Marti Belle/Thunder Rosa

Kay rushes the ring and the villains bail to the floor so we can get the introductions. Belle and Vox start things off with neither getting anywhere off a lockup. Vox drop toeholds her down and Belle looks a bit surprised. Rosa comes in and grabs an armbar on Vox before sending her face first into the mat.

It’s back to Belly for a whip into the corner and some yelling at the referee for a bonus. A missed charge allows the hot tag off to Kay and Rosa with Kay winning a slugout in a hurry. The superplex brings Rosa down in a crash but here’s Melina of all people, in a rather formal dress, for a distraction. Rosa rolls Kay up for the pin at 5:24.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but the ending was quite the surprise. Rosa has all the star power she needs and should be in line for a title shot soon enough. I’m hoping Melina doesn’t get back in the ring here as she would be treated as the biggest deal around and some fresh blood in the women’s division sounds good for a change.

Post match Kay and Vox get beaten down as we have a new trio.

Austin Idol says buy the Kayfabe Cocktail.

Colt Cabana/Ricky Starks vs. Aron Stevens/Question Mark

Stevens, in street clothes as he should be, and Mark get one of the strongest BOO/YAY crowd reactions in recent memory. Starks chases Stevens to the floor to start so it’s Mark coming in to a big reaction. A dropkick won’t put him down so Cabana tries chopping away in the corner. Mark hits Cabana in the face and brings Stevens in as we hear about Mark being from “Mongrobia”, at least according to Stevens.

Some karate chops have Stars in trouble with Mark’s getting cheered loudly and Stevens’ being booed. The fans aren’t exactly being subtle here. Stevens is so annoyed that he drops his pants for the crowd, allowing Starks to hit a Sling Blade. The tag brings in Cabana to chop away and he GRABS STEVENS BY THE SCARF to send him into the corner. Starks’ jumping Downward Spiral gets two as everything breaks down. Starks goes for the mask but Stevens makes a save, allowing Mark to spike Starks in the throat. Stevens steals the pin at 6:38.

Rating: C. They would be crazy not to do SOMETHING with Mark at this point, even if it is just something goofy that means nothing in the long term. The fans just like him and that is something to run with. Don’t take it too far, but keep him around and give him a story. The NWA isn’t in a place to turn names down, so go with what works, even if it doesn’t work for very long.

After Stevens says that was the power of karate (Mark: “KA-RAH-TAY!”), here’s James Storm to say he is tired of champions not defending their titles. Kamille comes out and whispers something in his ear. Storm says his catchphrase to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The promos are carrying this show as some of the charm is gone here. The show is still entertaining and it flies by, but after coming out of nowhere about five weeks ago, it isn’t as fun of a ride as it used to be. Also, we have less than a month before Into The Fire and nothing has been announced. You might want to get on that already.

Results

Nick Aldis b. Trevor Murdoch – King’s Lynn Cloverleaf

Ricky Starks b. Question Mark via DQ when Aron Stevens interfered

Thunder Rosa/Marti Belle b. Allysin Kay/Ashley Vox – Rollup to Kay

Question Mark/Aron Stevens b. Colt Cabana/Ricky Starks – Mongrobian Spike to Starks

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

NWA Powerrr
Date: October 15, 2019
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Jim Cornette

This show debuted with a bang last week and made its way onto the must watch list. It is a completely different kind of wrestling show and that’s a good thing after so many of them looking so similar. Instead we’re getting a bunch of short matches which showcase the talent, which is exactly how you should start things off with a new series. Let’s get to it.

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

Since the show is broadcast on YouTube, there is a bit of a delay before it starts. In a smart move, that time is filled with Tweets from fans and wrestling personalities praising the show and how good last week’s debut was. The last one shown? The Rock.

We open with a recap from last week, including part of Nick Aldis’ promo about how the NWA has gone from a joke to a resurgence. One of the best things (if not the very best thing) about this show is the promos, as it’s a bunch of people looking into the camera and telling you what they’re doing and what they have going on. No overly flowery language, no ridiculous ideas and nothing that doesn’t need to be there. Just words and then actions backing those words up. It worked for years and it could work again if they’re given the chance.

Also of note: Kamilla Kaine not being allowed to respond to a question is given an extra focus. That seems rather important.

Opening sequence, again featuring shots with names of the people featured on this show. You don’t need a full bio or anything like that. Just a name with a face to get a foot in the door.

The announcers welcome us to the show and tell us who will be on the show tonight.

Aron Stevens (Damien Sandow) won’t shake Dave Marquez’s hand greets the NWA. He’s had some success in Hollywood and entertainment and that has taken him away from professional wrestling. Then he heard a rumor that the NWA and professional wrestling were back. Therefore, he is back too and has an announcement, provided that Marquez avoids eye contact with him.

Marquez: “Who are you going to face first in the National Wrestling Alliance?” Fans: “DON’T LOOK AT HIM!” Stevens talks about how there are stars and a supporting cast in wrestling. His response tells you which one he is, so he’ll pick a supporting cast when he needs one. Oh and “They love me, they really love me.” I’m not a big Stevens guy but this was fine and made me more interested in seeing him than I have in a good while. Also: notice how they take a detail about his life and turn it into a big aspect of his character. It’s not that complicated.

Trevor Murdoch vs. Ricky Starks

They’re both names in this case. The much bigger Murdoch drives him into the corner to start and sidesteps a dropkick, allowing him to strike a quick pose. The chop off goes to Murdoch, who knocks Starks’ head off with a big boot. A middle rope legdrop misses though and Starks kicks him in the face for two, followed by a neckbreaker for the same. The middle rope dropkick gets two more with Murdoch having to put his foot on the rope but a springboard tornado DDT is blocked without much effort. Back up and Murdoch punches away but gets crucifixed to gives Starks the pin at 3:30.

Rating: C-. This was a good idea and the kind of thing that needs to be done. Murdoch isn’t the biggest deal in the world but it is a good idea to have him put in there against a rookie. Beating someone who once held a title in WWE is going to help make Starks a bigger deal and that’s what they need to do.

Post match Starks goes for an interview but Murdoch stops him and shakes his hand, saying that it just wasn’t his night. With Murdoch gone, Starks says he could go after any title but he’s also about raising this up. He knows he looks great and God ran out of good looks after he made Ricky Starks, but he loves you no matter how you look. Yeah he looks a little funny but at the end of the day, he’s counting your money. Not bad in the ring and he has some charisma so maybe he has a little future.

We get a special segment with Joe Galli, talking about how he wasn’t looking for clickbait when he talked to Kamilla last week. He wants to talk to Aldis and Kamilla in a sitdown interview so he can continue to be a fair and balanced journalist.

The NWA is back on pay per view on December 14. Cool.

Here’s Colt Cabana for a chat. James Storm took the National Title from him when he wasn’t at 100% but now he’s ready to go and has a mystery partner for tonight. Cue Ken Anderson to say Cabana could have chosen anyone to be his partner but he picked this a******. Anderson loads up his catchphrase but Cabana jumps in to say his name too, which leaves Anderson stunned.

Colt Cabana/Mr. Anderson vs. Sal Rinauro/Jordan Kingsley

Cabana and Rinauro start things off and it’s a wristlock to keep Rinauro in trouble. Anderson comes in with a side slam so it’s off to Kingsley, who gets chopped straight into the corner. A backdrop makes it even worse and it’s Cabana dancing in for some chops. Anderson Regal Rolls both of them in a row, setting up Cabana for a running hip attack in the corner. The Mic Check finishes Rinauro at 3:45.

Rating: C. Just a squash here but it was an entertaining one with Anderson and Cabana being a fun team. They beat up the jobbers without much trouble and the Mic Check looked better than usual. I know neither may be everyone’s cup of tea but they’re bigger names and could be used to put some people over, or be made into some stars around here. It’s nice to have options like that.

Earlier today, Nick Aldis left and wasn’t happy with the sitdown interview with Galli, because the questions had nothing to do with wrestling and he wants nothing more to do with it.

Tony Falk wants you to come to Tony Falk’s Waffles And Tire Irons. Seriously.

We look at last week’s showdown between the Wild Cards and Eddie Kingston/Homicide.

Kingston and Homicide say no team is anything until they beat the two of them.

Allysin Kay vs. Ashley Vox

Kay’s Women’s Title isn’t on the line. Vox works on the bigger Kay’s arm and gets knocked down in a hurry. Kay misses a charge into the corner but catches Vox coming off the top for a slam. The fall away slam gives Kay two but Vox is right back with chops in the corner. There’s a wheelbarrow suplex to crush Vox for two but she pops up for a dropkick into the corner. A headscissors out of the corner has Kay down again and Vox Cannonballs her for two. Kay has had enough of this and catches her in a belly to back kneeling piledriver for the pin at 3:48.

Rating: C. I liked this one more than I was expecting to as Vox got in a lot. There is only so much you are going to be able to do in less than four minutes and Kay looked like a star. Vox is someone who could become a bigger deal in the future and that’s what they were going for here.

Post match Kay tells Vox that she did good but her good wasn’t good enough today. Vox’s future is bright but it doesn’t have Kay’s title.

Some fans liked the show last week.

We look at the end of last week’s show again.

After the end of last week’s main event, Tim Storm couldn’t say anything.

Here’s National Champion James Storm for a chat. Storm takes the mic and says the National Title is a prop to get him back in the World Title picture. Now that Tim Storm is out of the way, it’s time for James Storm to take over. Unlike the boys in the back, he is a real man and we hear the lyrics from his TNA theme song.

He works in the field Monday through Thursday, drinks Friday and Saturday and sings in church on Sunday. Cue Eli Drake to say being National Champion is a big deal because it makes Storm next in line for the World Title. Maybe Aldis is ducking him so Storm needs to hurry up and get his shot. If Storm wins the title, just remember your boy Eli Drake. Pretty simple stuff here but it worked well.

Go to the Austin Idol Wrestling College.

Tag Team Titles: Wild Cards vs. Outlaw Inc.

Outlaw Inc. (Homicide/Kingston) is challenging. Latimer and Kingston start things off with a fight over a lockup. Everything breaks down for a bit and the champs get run over until Homicide takes over on Isaacs. Latimer comes back in and slugs it out with Homicide, including a suplex for two.

We hit the chinlock for a bit, followed by Latimer’s powerslam for two more. Isaacs comes back in for a belly to back suplex and the champs take over, as Latimer grabs a chinlock to keep Homicide down. Homicide crotches Isaacs on top though and the hot tag brings in Kingston. Everything breaks down again but here are the Dawsons for the double DQ at 6:11.

Rating: D+. This had some quick spurts but it wasn’t exactly thrilling given the chinlocks and the ending to set up something else later on. The match wasn’t terrible but it is more about getting things ready down the line. I can go with all three of these teams, though hopefully not in the same match in a triple threat.

We get the sitdown interview with Aldis and Kamilla. Aldis did have some say in when the rematch with Tim Storm was set up and if that was Storm’s last chance at the title, he went out with a great performance. As for what happened with Kamilla, Aldis doesn’t like feeling like he’s on 60 Minutes. He talks about losing the title at All In to an inferior athlete so he got an insurance policy.

Other than dealing with Brandi Rhodes at All In, when has Kamilla ever interfered in a match? One time she tried to interfere but Kamilla called her off. Kamilla is asked a direct question about what it means to work with Aldis but doesn’t say anything. Aldis never wants to hear about this again.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a downgrade over last week’s show but it’s still a VERY easy hour of wrestling to watch, mainly because it does something so completely different. They didn’t have anything like the main event last week, though there was enough to keep me interested. We’re still in the phase of setting up the talent for later on and then we can get to their clashes against each other. Good show here, as they’re still off to a very strong start.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: September 19, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Michael Cole, Renee Young

We’re halfway through the first round with eight names having already advanced to the second round. That means we still need eight more people to move on and we’ll be getting four of those names tonight. This week’s show features one of the bigger names that was announced for the tournament over the summer. Let’s get to it.

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

All matches are first round matches.

Opening recap of the first eight winners and preview of tonight’s matches.

Opening sequence.

Kavita Devi was in the tournament last year and uh…..well she wasn’t very good.

Kaitlyn is back to prove that she can still do this.

Kavita Devi vs. Kaitlyn

Cole is a full on Kaitlyn fan here and Renee sounds like she has a crush on her. An early shot to the face puts Kaitlyn down as Cole talks about the original NXT’s women’s season and how that plays into the Women’s Evolution. Fair enough, though that’s more about the company as a whole than the women.

Kaitlyn chops away and gets two off a legdrop, only to get chokeslammed with no elevation. A running kick to the back sets up an armbar so Kaitlyn taps, which doesn’t count for whatever reason. Kaitlyn has to elbow her way out of a fireman’s carry and some forearms rock Devi. The Cannonball in the corner draws the YOU STILL GOT IT chants, followed by a spear to end Devi at 4:09.

Rating: D+. Devi was horrible last year and was upgraded to pretty bad this year, whichTy isn’t much of a step forward. She isn’t big enough to be a giant but is too big to be able to move around with most people. Kaitlyn on the other hand is being treated like a legend despite not really being a huge star in the first place. It’s nice to have her back and she has some credibility, but this wasn’t exactly a star making performance.

Jinny is a fashionista who has been signed to NXT UK.

Toni Storm was an absolute star in last year’s tournament and she has to be a big favorite this time around.

Tyler Breeze and the Iconics are watching.

Jinny vs. Toni Storm

Beth: “How does being a fashionista translate to a wrestling ring?” Well we’ve been trying to figure out the weird careers/interests in wrestling for years so she’s not alone. They take turns shoving each other around until a wristlock has Jinny in some low level trouble. A forearm to the face just fires Storm up though and it’s a running knee into the corner. Jinny is fine enough to hit a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle though and Storm’s nose may be messed up.

Some forearms to the face set up a Japanese armdrag into the corner and we hit the armbar. Toni is right back up with a rolling crucifix (and what looked like a wink to the camera) for two but Jinny reverses into something like a sitdown surfboard. That’s broken up as well before Storm’s shoulders are ripped apart and Jinny misses a charge in the corner. A hard German suplex puts Jinny down and Storm Zero (tiger driver) finishes her off at 7:09.

Rating: C. I know Jinny is a much bigger star (and different character) in Europe but I didn’t get much out of her here. All WWE told me was that she was a fashionista, which is hardly the most interesting thing in the world. Toni on the other hand continues to have more star potential than almost anyone else in the tournament and is clearly going to be a big deal in WWE as soon as she’s there full time. Not a bad match, even though Storm winning was never in doubt.

Xia Li (the woman from China with the fans) is back and ready to prove herself again.

Karen Q is ready to show what she can do, which includes speaking three languages. That’s more than I’ve learned about her in a year or so of watching her in Ring of Honor.

Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano are here, seemingly with no problems at the moment.

Karen Q vs. Xia Li

Cole is annoyed that Li didn’t bring them the promised dumplings. They bow to each other to start and take martial arts poses, which gets the loudest reaction of the night so far. Xia trips her down so Karen nips up and that’s another double bow. Back up and Li fires away in the corner but Karen pounds away and bows as well. A handspring elbow in the corner hits Li and a running kick to the face makes things even worse. Karen hits a pretty low full nelson slam and the cravate goes on. More kicks put Karen down for two and Xia hits a spinning kick to the back for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: D. They had me interested here with the martial arts stuff to start and then it was really just a match with some kicking included. Li moving on to the next round is fine, if nothing else so we can see the fan thing again. Karen continues to be one of the least interesting people I’ve seen in a long time. She’s not bad, but I still know nothing about her because she’s just someone who goes out and wrestles. That’s not exactly thrilling.

Allysin Kay (Sienna from Impact) is violent but classy, because she has her pinkies up. She was influenced by Bad News Brown, who isn’t a name you hear as inspiration all that often.

Mia Yim is aggressive and has a history with Kay, including a match where she severely broke her nose. That’s the kind of little story that can do a lot of good for these matches.

Sonya Deville is here and I didn’t recognize her with her hair down.

Shelton Benjamin is here.

Mia Yim vs. Allysin Kay

They go straight to the brawling with Kay having to bail to the ropes to get out of a cross armbreaker attempt. Mia does the Andrade Cien Almas pose and avoids a charge to send Kay outside. A kick to the chest has Kay in more trouble but she’s fine enough to Pounce Yim to the floor. Yim shrugs off some chops and heads back inside for a suicide dive without much impact.

A chop hits the post with a lot more impact though and Yim gets dropped face first onto the apron. The fans are split between LET’S GO MIA/PINKIES UP as Kay kicks her in the ribs. Kay blocks another armbreaker attempt and has to do the same to get out of a kneebar. They’ve finally had it with the wrestling and just start hitting each other until Kay bicycle kicks her down.

Yim is right back with some running dropkicks and a missile version gets two. A Code Red is good for the same but Kay is back up with a discus lariat for two more. We get a double knockdown until Yim goes up top (Cole, as she climbs the buckles: “IS SHE GONNA GO UP TOP???”), only to get caught by Kay. That earns Kay a super Soul Food (Eat Defeat) for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: B-. Match of the night here by a pretty wide margin and a lot of that is due to the two of them having a story coming in. I get that you can’t do that in a tournament with a bunch of fresh names (not a criticism, just a reality) but it helps so much to have even something like this. There’s a reason for them to be fighting each other like this and that made the match a lot easier to get into. Good match, and one of the best of the tournament so far.

Overall Rating: C. Totally watchable show this week with nothing terribly bad (Kaitlyn vs. Devi was short enough to get by) and a good main event. We’ve only got a week left of the opening round and the shows being about an hour each make them easy to sit through. After next week we can move on to the better matches, which is where a lot of the fun is in a tournament. This year’s edition has been perfectly fine so far and that’s a good result for something like this, which can go in either direction.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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Ring of Honor
Date: June 29, 2016
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Andrew Gervani, Nigel McGuinness

Opening sequence.

Veda Scott/Amber Gallows/Allysin Kay vs. Sumie Sakai/Thunderkitty/Crazy Mary Dobson

Faye Jackson vs. ODB

Inside ROH is a pair of dueling promos from Hania and Mandy Leon before their match tonight.

Hania vs. Mandy Leon

BJ Whitmer talks about how awesome Kelly Klein is and says her name over and over again in an old school manager trick. The promo is about how strong of an athletic background she has and how serious she is about her training. That tells me more than I know about most of the women on this show in about thirty seconds.

Taeler Hendrix is tired of hearing about Klein because this is her company and we get in the ring with her.

Kelly Klein vs. Taeler Hendrix

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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