Ladies Night Out XVI: Should Have Stayed In

Ladies Night Out XVI
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: HyperX Arena Las Vegas At The Luxor, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Emily Mae, Rae Lyn

This is a women’s supershow and seems to be part of at least a somewhat recurring promotion. That could go in a lot of ways but it is great that we have reached the point where women’s wrestling can have this kind of a show. I’ve seen enough good women’s wrestling this week to think that this could work rather well so let’s get to it.

The hosts welcome us to the show and ask who is here to see some professional wrestling. You mean they’re not here for an Amway presentation?

Vipress vs. Lacey Lane

They shove each other to start until Lane ties the arms back and slaps her in the chest. Back up and the threat of a right hand lets Vipress dance a bit, only to get dropkicked out to the floor. Vipress gets back in and snapmares her for a dancing kick to the chest. Some chops have Lane in more trouble but she avoids a charge. A spinning springboard legdrop connects but Vipress Death Valley Drivers her into the corner for two. Vipress goes for the hair but gets backdropped into a cradle for two more. Lane sends her to the apron and a hanging Pedigree finishes Vipress off at 5:05.

Rating: C. They didn’t have a ton of time but they kept things moving here for a fast paced opener. Lane is someone who can work in just about any spot and it makes sense to spotlight her here after her time in WWE. I could go for having her back in a bigger promotion, as she definitely has the talent to be a player somewhere. You also have Vipress, who has been around a lot over these last few and has quite a bit of potential of her own.

Madisyn Maxxwell vs. Brittnie Brooks vs. Carolina Cruz vs. Mazzerati vs. Tiffany Nieves

Maxxwell seems to be a news anchor. Nieves chills on the floor but gets back in due to a lack of attention and the brawl is on. Everyone goes out to the floor and it’s Mazzerati vs. Cruz back inside in a battle between the two wearing checkered flags. Nieves comes back in to sit on Brooks’ back but gets broken up, allowing Brooks to bulldog Maxxwell. All of them get inside to slug it out for a five way knockdown and a breather. Mazzerati gives Cruz a spinning side slam but Brooks throws her outside…and Maxxwell throws Brooks outside to steal the pin at 5:04.

Rating: D+. You can only get so much out of this kind of a match and this really didn’t work. It was a big mess of a match with too much going on and pretty much no structure to the thing. In other words it came off like “yeah go do your thing for a few minutes and you win”, which doesn’t make for a great match.

Lexa Valo vs. Lili La Pescadita

Valo powers her into the corner to start and grinds away on a headlock while commentary babbles on (they’re bad about that) about how strong these two are. Lila muscles her over with a suplex but stops to dance before the cover. Valo goes with the power to put her down again and Lili can’t muscle her way up. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Valo hits a full nelson slam for two. Lili comes back with some clotheslines and a slam gets two, only for Valo to DDT her into a dragon sleeper for the tap at 5:27.

Rating: C. This show isn’t exactly giving me hope as these matches aren’t getting a bunch of time and it feels like they’re going more for quantity than quality. I get the thinking, but we barely heard anything about these two other than Valo is from Europe and Lili’s full name means Lili “little fish”, which commentary went on about for most of the match. At least there was a fresh pair of names in there, as it’s often fun to see some new stars.

WrestleLit Rumble

Raeven Marie, La Spooky, Kolbe Max, Kayla Lopez, Jem, Jazmyne Hao, Gema, Diamond Virago, Christyan XO

This is your standard battle royal and everyone comes to the ring at once so I have pretty much no idea whom is whom. Jem grabs some nipples (as commentary puts it) and gets tossed as a result. As the other women (who aren’t important enough for commentary to identify) brawl, XO comes in to tower over everyone.

XO hits a double chokeslam (minus the elevation) and dumps both of them. Another woman is out and XO gets a fourth (commentary isn’t saying names either) but for some reason, an attempt to toss XO is cut off. XO gets rid of the woman who tries to toss her and we’re down to three. Spooky clotheslines Marie (hey names) out and goes after XO, even managing to get her to the apron. XO knocks her out for the win at 7:58.

Rating: D. Oh yeah this show is going downhill in a hurry as there was nothing to this one either. The fact that commentary didn’t bother telling me who most of these people were didn’t help, nor did XO coming off like she was this match’s Andre. It makes sense as XO is already in ROH, but that doesn’t make her the most interesting person to watch. Pretty terrible stuff here.

Alexis Littlefoot vs. Monica Monroe

Littlefoot is from Lexington so she’s off to a good start. Monroe grabs a headlock to start and flips over Littlefoot in the corner but gets hammered down rather quickly. An ax kick (or faceplant according to commentary) gets two on Monroe and Littlefoot gives her a spinning back elbow for two. Littlefoot’s DDT out of the corner gets two more and we hit the chinlock. Monroe fights up and drops down onto her for the break, followed by a powerslam. A non-running Lionsault finishes Littlefoot at 4:34.

Rating: C. That might be the best match of the show thus far, which is mainly due to them finally slowing down a bit and having a match. It helps that it was just the two of them rather than trying to squeeze in everyone they could. This wasn’t great by any means, but I’ll take what I can get on a show like this.

Poder Title: Brittany Blake vs. Jazzy Yang vs. Kristin Blaze vs. Sai Perez

Blake is defending. Blaze and Blake hit hurricanrana and dropkicks to put the other two on the floor, leaving Blaze to grab an armbar. Yang and Perez pull Blaze outside for stereo superkicks before going after Blake back inside. That’s enough working together though as Yang and Perez go after each other, allowing Blaze to high crossbody both of them. Blake is back in with a top rope double stomp to Perez’s back to retain at 4:05.

Rating: C-. So the theme here seems to be “get everyone in as fast as you can and don’t worry about anything else”. That’s not helping much as the matches are hardly getting the chance to be set up. There are talented people in here and I’ve seen them do good things this week and otherwise, but this isn’t a good way to showcase them.

Myka Madria/Selene Hysteria vs. Joseline Navarro/Vanity

Commentary goes away to start this match as Navarro and Vanity take turns tagging before starting in with action. Vanity drops Madria and gives her a legdrop, followed by a running low blow in the corner. Some double stomping has Madria down again but it’s an enziguri for the tag off to Hysteria. Everything breaks down and Navarro grabs a Tombstone for the pin at 4:12.

Rating: C-. Well the problem doesn’t seem to be the commentary, but rather four mostly unknown stars fighting rather quickly for about four minutes. There’s just not much that can be done in such a match and they didn’t really pull it off here. As has been the case, it’s not that they aren’t trying or that it’s terrible, but rather it’s just in and out so fast that it doesn’t have a chance.

Sofia Sivan vs. Rachel Ley vs. Corrine Joy vs. Fallyn Grey

Grey is WWE ID Prospect Veronica Haven and she has quite the set of wings, which feels a bit too high level for this show. We get a handshake to start and Sivan and Joy clear the ring rather easily. Sivan flips around a lot and suplexes Grey onto Joy. They go outside with Sivan diving off the ramp to take out the other three. Back in and Ley gives Sivan a handspring elbow in the corner and Grey adds a Bronco Buster. Grey rolls over to give Ley an X Factor but gets brainbustered by Sivan. Ley moonsaults onto Sivan but Grey is up with a spinning full nelson faceplant to pin Ley at 5:46.

Rating: C+. The best thing here is they were actually doing something different for a change. That helps quite a bit as you don’t want the same stuff every single match, especially with a previous four way on the card. If nothing else, it was nice to see them go out of the ring, just for a change of pace. Mixing it up a bit is a good thing, which hasn’t been the case very often thus far.

J-Rod vs. Notorious Mimi

Mimi is WWE ID Prospect Sloane Jacobs. The rather strong J-Rod shoves her down to start so Mimi goes to the apron and fires off a string of knees to the chest. Back in and a fall away slam sends Mimi flying and it’s time to stomp away in the corner. Mimi’s forearms don’t do much good as J-Rod is right back with a spinebuster.

A big boot puts Mimi down for two and J-Rod puts her in the torture rack. With that broken up, Mimi grabs a hurricanrana and uses it to ram J-Rod’s head into the corner over and over (that’s a new one). Mimi kicks her in the face a few times, followed by a high crossbody for two. Back up and J-Rod sends her hard into the corner, setting up a spear for the pin at 6:30.

Rating: C+. That was a nice surprise, as I wasn’t going to expect Mimi, a WWE prospect, to lose here. That being said, J-Rod has stood out quite a bit over the week as she looks like one of the best athletes you’ll see anywhere in wrestling and can do the power game rather well. This was one of the better matches on the show thus far and that is nice to see.

Frankie B./Kingsley vs. Shazza McKenzie/Laynie Luck

Frankie and Kingsley jump them to start and a double suplex drops McKenzie for an early two. A basement dropkick/running kick to the back combination gets two and we settle down a bit. McKenzie gets choked in the corner, which draws Luck in for a failed save attempt.

Luck gets drawn in again so McKenzie can be sent into the corner again (kind of a cause and effect thing there). McKenzie hurricanranas her way out of trouble, allowing the tag off to Luck to clean house. Everything breaks down and a faceplant sets up a slam to send Frankie onto McKenzie’s raised knees. McKenzie Stunners Kingsley into a middle rope cutter from Luck for the pin at 5:35.

Rating: C+. They’re on a bit of an upward swing here as this was another match where the talent involved helped. Luck and McKenzie are a regular team so they know each other well enough. It’s still too short to be much more than a midcard match, but the star power and in-ring chemistry boosted this up a bit more.

Angelica Risk vs. Sirena Veil vs. Lady Leigh

The ring announcer gets the entrances wrong and has to introduce Risk again. Risk hits an early hip attack on Veil, which has Veil running at both of them with corner forearms. Leigh kicks Veil down and plants Risk with a Michinoku Driver for two. Leigh loads up a DDT on Risk but Veil neckbreakers Leigh to drive her down as well. Risk jumps off of Leigh’s back for a Codebreaker and Veil gives Risk a Sister Abigail. Leigh is back up with some kind of weird Crossface variation to make Veil tap at 4:31.

Rating: C. This felt like a match that belonged on a low level independent show that wanted to make sure it had something involving women. It just felt like they were trying to have a match and didn’t really care what they did or how it lasted. Risk is someone who has been on various shows and I’ve seen Veil before. Leigh is fairly tall but that’s about all I can tell you about her after this match.

Jada Stone vs. Ruthie Jay

Stone works on the wristlock to start and grabs a headlock takeover. That’s reversed into a headscissors but Stone sends her outside for a baseball slide. Back in and Jay chops away before grabbing a rolling X Factor for two. Stone’s comeback attempt is easily cut off but she’s back up to chop away.

A kick to the head out of the corner puts Jay down and a moonsault hits Jay for two. Jay is right back with a northern lights suplex for two but Stone grabs a quick tornado DDT for the needed breather. Stone sends her outside for a moonsault to take Jay down again. Back in and the Spark (handspring) Stunner finishes Jay at 7:21.

Rating: C+. Stone has been turning into something better almost every week on Impact Wrestling and it’s cool to see her having some success elsewhere. The good thing is that she’s still in the ring and figuring out what she can do, which is how you become a better star. This was a slightly longer match than usual and it allowed Stone to build towards her comeback a bit more, which did help things out.

Su Yung/Lindsay Snow/Mickie Knuckles/Tara Zep vs. Freya The Slaya/Gypsy Mac/Haley J/Sammi Chaos

Yung and company (the PWO and I’ll let you guess what the P stands for) jump them from behind to start and it’s a brawl on the floor until Knuckles suplexes Freya back inside. Freya sends Knuckles into the corner and flips Zep into her. Back up and Knuckles rakes Freya’s eyes and a Saito suplex finishes at 3:14.

Rating: D-. And so much for that. This was a big brawl and about thirty seconds of action, which isn’t quite enough for an eight person match. It was a case where I actually knew some of the people involved and had some hope but again, there is only so much you can do with about twenty five seconds per participant.

Steph de Lander vs. Airica Demia

Demia is WWE ID Prospect Anya Rune. Before the match, de Lander says she was injured last year but this time she’s back to beat this stupid anime “b****”. De Lander shoves her around to start but Demia avoids a charge and strikes away. That’s enough for de Lander to be sent outside, where she catches Demia for a face first drop onto the apron. De Lander’s chop only hits post though but she’s fine enough to grab a snap suplex for two back inside

Demia tries to fight back but gets caught on top with a running big boot. A suplex out of the corner sets up a chinlock, followed by the driving shoulders to keep Demia in the corner. Demia fights out and they trade forearms, followed by Eat Defeat and a neckbreaker to give Demia two. De Lander’s spear gets two more and the frustration is setting in. Back up and Demia puts her in the corner for a palm strike, only for de Lander to grab an F5 for the pin at 8:08.

Rating: C+. De Lander has the power and size to be a threat to anyone and it’s good to have her back in the ring after such a long time away. She still tends to work better when she has someone to play off of though, which is likely why she works so well with Matt Cardona and Mance Warner. Demia is an interesting prospect, though a lot of that might be due to her fairly unique look.

Violent Romance vs. Ray Lyn/Alejandra Quintanilla

Violent Romance are Nixon Newell/Miranda Alize. Quintanilla and Alize start things off and they trade early armdrags. Alize can’t do anything with Quintanilla so it’s off to Newell vs. Lynn for an aggressive lockup. Newell runs her over but Lyn is back up with a running dropkick. The hip attack connects in the corner and Alize is thrown into the same corner for another hip attack, with some bonus shaking. It’s back to Quintanilla to rake Alize’s back but Newell takes over without much trouble.

Quintanilla gets sent into the corner and stomped down, with Lyn’s failed save attempt allowing the double teaming to continue. Some running shots in the corner keep Quintanilla down but she manages a reverse Sling Blade to Alize. Lyn is back in to kick away at Newell and a high crossbody gets two. Everything breaks down and a bunch of kicks to the face leaves them all down. Back up and Alize rakes Lyn’s eyes and it’s a cutter into the Shiniest Wizard for the pin on Lyn at 10:00.

Rating: B-. Well I’ll be danged they actually got to double digits. Newell and Alize work well together and, for the most part, this was playing to the standard formula. At the same time, it might have just been the best match out of so many by default. The extra time helped (imagine that) but Lyn was more of the “fun” style which is only going to work so well.

Ladies Night Out Title: Jazmin Allure vs. Izzy Moreno vs. La Rosa Negra

Allure is defending…here is Jazz as a special guest referee. Moreno starts fast by suplexing both of them for an early two each. With Moreno sent outside, Allure and Rosa slap it out, with Allure getting the better of things. A northern lights suplex gets two, with Moreno coming back in for the save. Rosa is back up with some shoulders in the corner, followed by some rolling suplexes for two on Moreno. An airplane spin gets two on Moreno and she is almost sent into Jazz.

Allure is back up on top and we get a Tower Of Doom to leave everyone down. Moreno is the least banged up and fires off some clotheslines, followed by a dive for two each. Rosa powerslams Moreno and drops a leg for two on Allure. Rosa’s frog splash misses though and Allure hits a cutter, with Moreno making a save. Moreno almost runs into Jazz again and Jazz won’t count a cover as a result. Allure grabs something like a Cemetery Drive to pin Moreno at 8:57.

Rating: C. The action was better as they kept things moving, but the Jazz stuff brought it right back down. Do they really need to run something close to an angle between Moreno and the retired Jazz when the promotion runs about one show a year? I don’t get this one, but this wasn’t much to see, even with some more familiar names involved.

Thunder Rosa vs. Vert Vixen

They fight over a lockup to no avail to start, with Vixen eventually driving her into the corner for a chop. Rosa chops her even harder and it’s a dropkick to put Vixen down. A clothesline gets two on Vixen but she sends Rosa into the corner. Vixen’s big boot gets two but Rosa sunset flips her out of the corner for two more. Commentary calls Vixen’s Michinoku Driver a “sitout bodyslam” and “pretty cool”, even as it gets two.

Vixen sends her into the corner for a sliding dropkick and knocks Rosa down for two more. Rosa is right back up with the clothesline comeback and some slingshot knees in the corner. Back up and Rosa’s charge is countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two but a brainbuster is countered into a small package for two more. Rosa hurricanranas her into the corner and a Death Valley Driver plants Vixen for a rather near fall. A double stomp sets up a seated cobra clutch to make Vixen tap at 8:46.

Rating: B-. Vixen continues to be someone who can work well in there but she has never gotten the chance to do anything on the bigger stage. It’s nice to see her hanging in there against an established name like Rosa, but there was no doubt about the result here. The other problem is it came at the end of this marathon and it was hard to get interested in what they were doing.

Rosa thanks the fans to wrap up the night.

Overall Rating: D+. Well dang that was a lot. By my count, we had 62 wrestlers over 17 matches, which is quite a lot for any night, let alone a show that ran less than three hours. This was a show that absolutely went with the idea of getting as many people on the show as possible and that really didn’t work. They had talented people here and could have done a lot with some of them, but instead it was more about cranking out content. It doesn’t work in Ring Of Honor and it didn’t work here either as this was a miss via complete overload.

Results
Lacey Lane b. Vipress – Hanging Pedigree
Madisyn Maxwell b. Brittnie Brooks, Carolina Cruz, Mazzerati and Tiffany Nieves – Spinning side slam to Cruz
Lexa Valo b. Lili La Pescadita – Dragon sleeper
Christian XO won the WrestleLit Rumble last eliminating La Spooky
Monica Monroe b. Alexis Littlefoot – Lionsault
Brittany Blake b. Jazzy Yang, Kristin Blaze and Sai Perez – Top rope double stomp to Perez
Joseline Navarro/Vanity b. Myka Madria/Selene Hysteria – Tombstone to Hysteria
Fallyn Grey b. Sofia Sivan, Rachel Ley and Corrine Jay – Spinning full nelson faceplant to Ley
J-Rod b. Notorious Mimi – Spear
Shazza McKenzie/Laynie Luck b. Kingsley/Frankie B. – Middle rope cutter to Kingsley
Lady Leigh b. Angelica Risk and Sirena Veil – Crossface to Veil
Jada Stone b. Ruthie Jay – Spark Stunner
Su Yung/Lindsay Snow/Mickie Knuckles/Tara Zep b. Freya The Slaya/Gypsy Mac/Haley J/Sammi Chaos – Saito suplex to Slaya
Steph de Lander b. Airica Demia – F5
Violent Romance b. Ray Lyn/Alexander Quintanilla – Shiniest Wizard to Lyn
Jazmin Allure b. La Rosa Negra and Izzy Moreno – Cemetery Drive to Moreno
Thunder Rosa b. Vert Vixen – Seated cobra clutch

 

 

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Rhodes Wrestling Association – New Year’s Revenge: Well. I’m Surprised. (Includes Full Show)

New Year’s Revenge
Date: January 23, 2026
Location: Bullpen, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Mike Wilkes, Ryan Bellfort

I’ve made my thoughts on Dustin Rhodes fairly clear over the years. While he’s absolutely a talented star, I’ve never been the biggest fan. Instead, we’ll see what he can do as a coach and promoter as this is from the Rhodes Wrestling Association. You can get some rather fun stuff out of shows like these so let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow this promotion so I’m coming in completely blind.

Sophia Rose is ready for her #1 contenders triple threat match but Drea interrupts to say she doesn’t care who she pins to become #1 contender. Angelica Risk comes in to declare herself spicy and promises to GET RISKY and win the title from Jazmin Allure. Cue Allure to remind us that she’s the champion and argue with Risk.

Opening video.

The ring announcer welcomes us to the show and thanks the VIP fans and sponsors. Nothing wrong with that.

Tag Team Titles: 8th Day vs. Auzzy/Hitt

The 8th Day (Father Oday/Timur The Great, with Chris Marcel (I think. At times it sounds like Marcel and at times it sounds like Mordell.)) is defending after taking the titles from Auzzy and Hitt. Auzzy backs Oday into the corner to start but Oday is back with a wristlock. That’s broken up with an armdrag and it’s off to the rather big Hitt vs. the rather muscular Timur.

Hitt wins the early power off and grabs a headlock takeover but Timur manages to block a Blue Thunder Bomb. It’s back to Auzzy for a running boot to the face into Hitt’s backsplash as the pace picks up a bit. Auzzy goes up but Marcel shoves him down, allowing Timur to hit a flying shoulder to take over. Marcel gets in some cheap shots from the floor and we hit the chinlock. The champs both come in for a dropkick into a neckbreaker but Auzzy manages to slug away.

A headbutt staggers Auzzy but he manages a Pele to knock Oday down. Hitt and Timur come in off the double tag, with Hitt taking over in a hurry. A Roode Bomb plants Timur and a Blue Thunder Bomb connects as well, with the latter drawing Modell up to the apron. Oday grabs a tornado DDT and Timur adds a spear for two, with Auzzy making the save. Another Blue Thunder Bomb plants Oday but Timur muscles him up with a Jackhammer.

Auzzy’s top rope cutter hits Timur though and everyone is down. Everyone gets up and the slugout is on until Auzzy hits a Swanton, only for Marcel to pull the referee at two. Auzzy gives Marcel a big running flip dive but Oday slips out of a suplex attempt. That means an assisted Stunner can finish Auzzy to retain the titles at 13:42.

Rating: B. Well dang they started with a good match and I got into it. No they didn’t do anything that hasn’t been done better before, but that top rope cutter looked really good. They had a hot opener here, which is often where a tag match fits in well. The 8th Day felt like a solid team, though I’m not entirely sure I get what they’re supposed to be. The manager felt pretty generic too, but he did his job well enough.

Post match Hitt walks out on Auzzy.

Drea vs. Sophia Rose vs. Angelica Risk

The winner gets a Women’s Title shot later tonight. They talk a lot of trash to start and Drea rolls Rose up for an early two. A double suplex puts Drea down, leaving the other two to trade headbutts. Risk takes Rose to the apron to fire off some chops, followed by some hips to the face in a bit of a rude fashion.

Back in and Risk licks her hands before slapping Drea in the back, which sounds extra painful. Drea fights back and sends Risk outside for a baseball slide but Rose is right there with a flip dive off the apron. Risk drops Rose though and throws Drea inside for two. Rose and Risk trade the loud chops until Drea knocks both of them silly with shots to the face. Back to back basement dropkicks in the corner have Risk and Rose in more trouble, allowing Drea to put Risk on top.

That’s broken up by Rose, only for Drea to turn it into a Tower Of Doom. Rose is back up with a knockdown to Risk and a rolling Downward Spiral to Drea. Risk manages to get up though and a middle rope spinning Downward Spiral…doesn’t finish Rose despite looking rather close. A rolling cutter gives Risk two more and she goes up again, where Drea shoves her down in a crash. Drea goes up as well but dives into a Stunner from Rose for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: C+. Nice enough here as they all got a chance to shine, which is hard to do in a match that didn’t have a ton of time. Drea stood out more than the other two here, though that might have been due to the neon green gear. Rose definitely seemed to be the crowd favorite here so having her win and get to come back out later isn’t a bad idea.

Earlier today, Robert Baines (looks to be a sleazy manager) announced a new partnership with TY Shane and he has Conflict Theory (looks to be some hired thugs) ready to go. Shane didn’t approve of that and wants to win on his own, demanding that Baines won’t get involved in his match tonight against Jesse Funaki. Baines says he’s trying to play a numbers game but he’ll give Shane what he wants. They shake on it, with Shane saying he’s facing Funaki one on one to see who the better main is. Baines is sure that they’ll get the win. Hmm…

The ring announcer is ready for the next match but a student gets in the ring. Commentary says this guy brought in the pizza this afternoon and his name is….Just Jared. And apparently he’s having a match.

Chad Lennex vs. Just Jared

Lennex looks rather mean and has a woman named Tonda with him. Well in theory as his chyron says Chad Lennex but he’s introduced as Dark Chad. Commentary: “Whatever his name is.” Either way Lennex jumps him before the bell and throws him down. The match officially begins with a hard slam and a chop in the corner. A middle rope cutter plants Jared again and Lennex hits a ripcord clothesline to the back of the head. That and a Michinoku Driver finish Jared at 1:42. Total squash, which was the point.

Robert Baines (heel manager from earlier) takes over the introductions, against the regular announcer’s wishes. Baines talks about teaming up with TY Shane on a business venture who wants to take out any second or third generation stars in Texas. He is guaranteeing that Shane defeat Jesse Funaki (son of Sho Funaki) tonight and has brought in Conflict Theory to make sure that is the case (fan: “OH GOD NO!”). The team promises to win, as many evil groups have said before. Shane comes out and wants the three of them gone because he wants to do this on his own, but they stay on the floor.

TY Shane vs. Jesse Funaki

They get in each others’ face to start and the rather angry Shane is ready to go. The early exchange of forearms goes to Funaki and he strikes Shane down, followed by a nice dropkick to send Shane outside. Funaki follows but Conflict Theory distracts the referee, allowing Baines to send Funaki into the post. Shane is livid and shoves one of the members of Theory but opts to send Funaki back inside and pound away.

A neckbreaker and dropkick to the back give Shane two each and we hit the reverse chinlock. Shane shouts about how he is better than Funaki, who fights up and elbows away. Funaki knocks him outside and hits a big dive to the floor, where the villains get in some triple teaming as Shane is sent back inside. That’s too far for Shane, who goes outside and demands that they are “f****** out of here!”.

They do just that but Funaki uses the distraction to come back with a top rope spinning tornado DDT for two of his own. Shane is right back with a middle rope DDT of his own for two of his own and they both need a breather. Back up and they trade more shots to the face until Funaki hits the Deathly Hallows dropkick in the corner. Shane comes back with a brainbuster onto the knee and they’re both down again. Back up and they trade rollups for two each until Funaki’s sunset flip out of the corner gets the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B. This was actually a solid match as Shane and Funaki have definitely stood out better than the rest of the stars tonight. Shane needs a bit of a better look and Funaki could use some more experience, but I could see them both moving up the ladder eventually. Funaki definitely has some some appeal as an underdog star as he has a good look and some athleticism. Nice job here.

Post match Baines and Conflict Theory come in and lay out Funaki, though Shane isn’t sure what do to. Baines hands Shane a chair, which is too far. Shane throws it down and Baines says Shane is NOT a thinking animal. That earns Baines a chair to the head and Shane takes out Conflict Theory as well. Shane rather aggressively helps Funaki up and leaves on his own.

A team called Creative Control (one of whom has a title) is getting ready for their entrance later and insult Vin Parker’s nana. Movie (partner of Cordell) doesn’t think much of their opponents (Jimmy House and the aforementioned Parker) and it was just an illusion that Cordell hit Movie with a frog splash. Now if the stupid interviewer can get out of here, they have magic to make. These guys don’t exactly feel like top stars.

Mop Guy is here to…well you can probably guess. Cue a team called the Forged (Victor V and Bobby C) to jump him from behind. The Rhodes Brothers run in for the save. And let’s tag team it!

Rhodes Brothers vs. Forged

The brothers are Wayne and Wyatt, with Bobby easily wrestling Wyatt down and riding him to start. Wayne comes in to help with some double teaming so we’ll try Victor instead. Wayne’s headlock into a Cody Rhodes drop down uppercut has Victor in more trouble. A running flip splash into a basement clothesline gives Wayne two but Bobby trips him up from the floor. Double choking has Wayne in trouble for the first time and a wheelbarrow splash gives Bobby two. Wayne gets away without much trouble and it’s back to Wyatt for the big elbows. A bulldog puts Bobby down and Wayne’s Final Reckoning finishes at 5:12.

Rating: C. They kept this simple, as I can’t imagine the Brothers have had much experience. That’s the point of having them in a match like this one, as they can go out there with limited pressure and just get some ring time. Granted it helps when your uncle owns the promotion, but neither team looked terrible. They definitely need ring time, but it could have been far worse.

Post match Mop Guy gets to beat up Bobby for some revenge.

Earlier today, Vin Parker arrived when Jimmy House came up in his truck. They don’t seem to like each other, but House is in a good mood after his “tryout”. Apparently House has a shirt for Parker to wear in their tag match. Given that House was signed to a WWE ID deal just over a month after this show aired, I’d guess the tryout went well.

Women’s Title: Sophia Rose vs. Jazmin Allure

Allure is defending and does not seem to like the fans whatsoever. They fight over a lockup into the corner to start and Rose shoves her down. Back up and Allure grabs her by the hair for a takedown and they go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Rose is back with a flying mare and a handspring elbow connects in the corner. Allure manages to send her outside and gets in a hard posting to take over.

Back in and Allure ties her into the ropes for a hard slam down but gets annoyed at the kickout. Allure starts wrapping the previously injured leg around the ropes, followed by a basement dropkick in the corner. Rose manages to get a jawbreaker but the leg gives out on a fireman’s carry attempt.

That gives Allure the easy target of a chop block and we hit the kneebar. That doesn’t last long either as Rose manages to send her outside for a breather. Back in and a Sling Blade puts Allure down again, followed by a not so bright pump kick. Somehow Rose manages a moonsault for two but Allure is back with a dragon screw legwhip, leaving the leg in quite the nasty position. A DDT gives Allure two so she goes up, with Rose catching her with a superplex. That’s fine with Allure though, who ties up the ropes for a small package to retain at 9:57.

Rating: C+. This was another simple story with Rose’s knee not being strong enough, along with her coming in banged up from the triple threat. The fans liked Rose but Allure was fresh, with the fans hating almost everything she was doing. This wasn’t bad at all and the stuff with the knee worked fine.

Post match Allure brags about the win but walks into a Stunner.

Jimmy House/Vin Parker vs. Movie Myk/Cordell

House and Parker don’t get along but don’t like the other two at all, hence the teaming. Myk and Cordell jump them to start, with Cordell beating up House on the floor. Myk and Parker join them to keep up the beating, only for House and Parker to whip the villains into each other. We settle down to House taking over on Cordell inside before Parker comes in for a dropkick. A running clothesline puts Cordell on the floor, where House hits a heck of a double clothesline.

Back in and Myk shoves Parker off the top, allowing Cordell to take him into the wrong corner. Parker’s rollups don’t get him very far but House comes in off a blind tag and drops Myk with a clothesline. That doesn’t work for Parker, who gets in an argument with House, allowing Myk to ram them together. House is in trouble this time, with Myk raking his back and twisting the arm to cut off some chops. The arm is wrapped around the ropes for a kick and we hit the armbar.

Back up and Cordell comes in, only to get dropkicked on top. Parker is back in to clean house, including a running dropkick to send Cordell crashing to the floor. A powerslam and moonsault give Parker two on Myk, who counters a running elbow into a suplex into the corner. The double tag brings in House to punch Cordell down but Myk runs House over, leaving everyone in need of a break. Parker gets up top for a missile dropkick to send Myk into House’s German suplex for two, with Cordell making the save. House spears Parker by mistake though and Myk steals the pin at 13:20.

Rating: B-. This told a nice enough story as Parker and House both wanted to get their hands on Myk but couldn’t get out of each others’ way. I’m still not sure how main event level Myk feels, but he’s someone for the stars to chase. It’s a good enough main event and there are a few ways to go as a result, which is nice to see.

Post match House and Parker are about to go at it but get jumped, with the villains being taken out to end the show.

We get credits, which feature the wrestlers and their social media information for a unique touch.

Overall Rating: B. Well, that was a rather pleasant surprise. I came into this expecting absolutely nothing and got a very watchable and at times rather good show. Yes, it’s low level stuff with a lot of people who are just starting out or haven’t done this for very long, but nothing on here was remotely bad and it’s a lot better than some indy shows I’ve seen. Rhodes certainly has something as a trainer, as this was a rather entertaining show and far better than I was expecting.

Results
8th Day b. Auzzy/Hit – Assisted Stunner to Auzzy
Sophia Rose b. Drea and Angelica Risk – Stunner to Drea
Chad Lennex b. Just Jared – Michinoku Driver
Jesse Funaki b. TY Shane – Sunset flip
Rhodes Brothers b. Forged – Final Reckoning to Victor
Jazmin Allure b. Sophia Rose – Small package
Movie Myk/Cordell b. Jimmy House/Vin Parker – Spear to Parker

 

 

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Rampage – February 18, 2022: I Think They’ll Be Ok

Rampage
Date: February 18, 2022
Location: Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Chris Jericho, Ricky Starks

We’re a few hours earlier this week due to the NBA All Star Weekend. This week’s show doesn’t have quite the same level of star power that most weeks have, but Revolution is in about two weeks and it’s time to set up some more things. You can probably guess most of the matches from here though and that’s a good thing. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Adam Cole vs. 10

10 shoves him around to start before snapping off a German suplex. The right hands start up in the corner but Cole slips out and kicks 10’s braced knee. The knee is wrapped around the post but 10 is fine enough to hit a delayed vertical suplex. Cole knocks him outside though and it’s right back to the leg as we take a break.

Back with 10 not being able to get the full nelson, meaning Cole can enziguri him into a Backstabber for two. A discus lariat gives 10 his own two but Cole kicks him down again. The Panama Sunrise is countered with a spear for two so 10 grabs the full nelson. Cole drives him into the corner though and it’s a low blow to escape. Some superkicks set up the Boom to give Cole the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C. 10’s selling issues aside, this worked well enough as a showcase for both of them. Cole is only way to the World Title shot at Revolution and needed a win like this to help make him seem like a bigger deal and it isn’t like the Dark Order is going to be hurt by a loss. Nothing great, but at least Cole didn’t no sell something.

We look at CM Punk announcing his dog collar match against MJF at Revolution.

Face Of The Revolution Ladder Match Qualifying Match: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Dante Martin

Martin strikes away to start and hits a springboard dropkick, followed by a non-springboard version to put Hobbs on the floor. Another springboard is broken up though and Hobbs launches Martin hard into the corner. Then he does it again as commentary points out how that has happened in every qualifying match so far.

We take a break and come back with Martin escaping a bearhug but not getting very far with some running shots to the face. A springboard uppercut works a bit better though and a springboard corkscrew dive to the floor drops Hobbs again. Back in and Martin tries to fly around a bit too much, allowing Hobbs to plant him with a spinebuster for the pin at 9:28.

Rating: B-. Power vs. speed/high flying is about as simple and classic of a wrestling formula as you are going to get and that is what we had here. Hobbs winning actually surprised me as Martin would have seemed to be a layup for the ladder match, so I can appreciate a bit of a twist. Good enough match here as Martin got to do his flying before taking the loss.

Jade Cargill wants her next opponent so here is Matt hardy with the Bunny. Matt thinks that would be a money match so Cargill says she’s fine fine with beating up the rabbit lady.

Serena Deeb vs. Angelica Risk

Five Minute Professor Challenge. Deeb takes her down without much trouble to start before sending Risk into the corner. There’s a catapult into the bottom rope for two as Deeb pulls her up. The powerbomb sets up the Serenity Lock for the fast tap at 1:51.

We get the split screen interview, with Jay White saying he’s ready for Trent Beretta, while Trent says he is in fact ready as well.

Trent Beretta vs. Jay White

Orange Cassidy is here with Trent. Commentary hypes up White being the first Grand Slam winner in the history of New Japan, which has been around for decades. Granted the Grand Slam has only been around since 2017 but he is the first. White drives him into the corner to start and stomps away until Trent fights up with some chops.

A suplex drops White and they head outside with White being sent into the barricade. Trent clotheslines him down and then heads back inside, only to get suplexed over the top. We take a break and come back with Trent whipping him into the corner and hitting an Asai moonsault (though Trent landed HARD on the floor). They head back inside where White hits a Downward Spiral into a bridging German suplex for two.

Trent punches and elbows him down against the ropes and White is knocked outside again. Trent’s spear is cut off with a raised knee though and Trent gets suplexed into the barricade. Back in and White hits a spinning Rock Bottom but the Blade Runner is countered into a running knee to give Trent two. They strike is out until Trent hits a piledriver for another near fall. Back up and White grabs the Bladerunner for the fast pin at 15:05.

Rating: B. White continues to look good and this was a nice debut for him. Trent is someone with the value to make White’s win matter without doing that much damage to him, making this a logical way to go. White is probably in for a huge story because he’s involved in the Bullet Club, meaning we are likely to see him a lot more going forward. That’s not a bad thing.

Post match Cassidy checks on Trent but White bumps into him, which sets up a bit of a showdown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This one slowed down a bit as the star power wasn’t quite as high. That being said, it was still a good show with nothing bad and White making his debut. Rampage has a nice formula and it worked well here, albeit with some slightly weaker star power. If this is a bad one though, this show is going to be fine.

Results
Adam Cole b. 10 – Boom
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Dante Martin – Spinebuster
Serena Deeb b. Angelica Risk – Serenity Lock
Jay White b. Trent Beretta – Bladerunner

 

 

 

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