NXT UK
Date: February 18, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s hoss fight night as Rampage Brown faces Joe Coffey. Actually it isn’t so much of a hoss fight night as much as it is a hoss fight main event, as we also have the Heritage Cup on the line between two decidedly non-hosses. Things have been good around here so far so hopefully they can keep it up this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Heritage Cup: A-Kid vs. Sha Samuels

Kid is defending and they start round one with a feeling out process. They take turns taking each other to the mat with neither being able to get anywhere. Kid is sent face first into the buckle to put Samuels in the first control but he can’t grab a choke in the corner. He can however put on a cobra clutch on the mat with the shoulder pulled back (the Butcher’s Hook) and Kid taps in a hurry at 2:35 of the first round (seemingly playing strategy to avoid extra pain).

Round two begins with Kid charging at him but getting taken down to the mat to work on the shoulder some more. Samuels tries to go for the arm but Kid takes it to the mat, only to get his arm cranked on again. Kid is back up with a choke but Samuels goes straight to the rope. They tumble out to the floor and the round ends.

Round three begins with an exchange of rollups for two each but Kid starts going after the knee. A kick to the chest gets two and a dropkick finishes Samuels at 1:23 of the round to tie it up. Round four begins with Kid rolling him up for a fast two. Samuels runs him over for the same but walks into an enziguri for two more.

Kid goes up for a high crossbody, only to get caught in a Michinoku Driver instead. The Hook goes on again but the bell rings just in time to end the round. Round five begins with Kid pulling him straight into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up so Kid kicks him in the face, only to charge into a spinebuster for two. Kid escapes the Hook again and grabs the Rings of Saturn to make Samuels tap for the 2-1 win at 2:25 of the fifth round (13:49 total).

Rating: B. These things grew on me quite a bit during the tournament and they are still holding up today. They are rather similar to Ring of Honor’s Pure Rules matches but these are kept sporadic enough that they feel like a treat rather than something that overstays its welcome. A-Kid has something too and I could go with seeing him step up after he’s done with this division.

Video on Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey, including a look at their time against each other in Progress. Various UK names like William Regal, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus talk about how awesome this should be to really make it feel important.

Walter has tied Pete Dunne’s record as longest United Kingdom Champion and breaks the record tomorrow.

Ben Carter vs. Josh Morrell

Carter is taken to the mat to start but uses Johnny Saint’s distraction to escape, which pops the heck out of Nigel. An armdrag into an armbar and sets up a headlock on the mat to keep Morrell down. That’s broken up and Morrell grabs a hurricanrana for two, only to get suplexed for the same. The front facelock has Morrell in more trouble but he reverses into a surfboard but Carter reverses into one of his own. Back up and Morrell gets two off a hiptoss but Carter grabs the suplex neckbreaker. The frog splash finishes for Carter at 6:28.

Rating: C. Carter continues to look polished but above all else, I want to see him win. He’s small enough that he plays a rather good underdog who needs to come from behind to win. Throw in some good technical abilities and a high flying finisher that looks good without being too flashy and it works well. Morrell looks good too, though he isn’t the one who is going to get pushed at the moment.

We get a press conference for the Women’s Title match between Meiko Satomura and champion Kay Lee Ray. Ray loves the challenge, Meiko loves the challenge and has a mission, Ray wants the best in the world, they stare each other down to wrap it up.

Video on Nina Samuels vs. Xia Brookside.

Tyler Bate gets some air outside of the Performance Center and is ready for whatever comes at him.

Aleah James vs. Dani Luna

The rather strong Luna powers her into the corner to start and easily blocks a crucifix attempt. James gets tossed down again and there’s a suplex to send her back into the corner. Luna’s powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana for two so she is right back with a hard clothesline. A forearm puts James on the apron and Luna catches her springboard without much effort. Luna fireman’s carries her into a sitout powerbomb for the pin at 3:33.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here as they seem interested in Luna as a bit of a thing here. That’s not the worst idea in the world as having someone with that kind of power can be a fine choice for a quick push. I’m not sure how far she can go but even a short term deal would work out well enough.

Jinny and Joseph Conners call out Piper Niven. I’m not sure what it is but Jinny just isn’t clicking with me.

Video on next week’s Tag Team Title match with Gallus defending against Pretty Deadly.

Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey

They power each other around to start with Coffey grabbing the required rough headlock. That’s broken up and they run the ropes until Coffey’s leapfrog is countered into a powerslam. Brown hammers him into the corner but it’s too early for the Doctor Bomb. Instead Coffey takes him to the mat and hammers away, setting up a backbreaker to set up his liver shot later. The straitjacket choke goes on, followed by the jumping elbow for two on Brown.

A running basement clothesline gets two and Coffey blasts him with crossface shots to the face. What looked like All The Best For The Bells is cut off by a hard clothesline from Brown before he wins another slugout. A big boot gives Brown two and a hard suplex is good for the same. Coffey fights out of a fireman’s carry though and snaps off a belly to belly.

The running splash in the corner sets up a shotgun dropkick to put Brown on the floor. Coffey follows him out but misses a charge into the steps. The arm is sent into the steps and they’re already back inside. Coffey manages a spinning high crossbody for two but All The Best For The Bells is blocked with a kick to the arm. Brown grabs the Doctor Bomb for the pin at 11:16.

Rating: B. Take two big power brawlers and let them beat on each other for a pretty good while. Brown is the one they are pushing at the moment and that’s a good idea. He does his thing well and beating Coffey feels like an important deal. Good slugout here and I liked it as much as I expected to, meaning it worked well.

We get the big, delayed, respectful handshake to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Two good matches make up for the weaker stuff in the middle and that was a fine way to use a little over an hour. This show continues to be rather solid more often than not and that was the case again this week with a nice mixture of a few styles to make it all work out. We could be seeing some nice stuff from these people going forward and that’s a rare thing to say in WWE these days.

Results

A-Kid b. Sha Samuels 2-1

Ben Carter b. Josh Morrell – Frog splash

Dani Luna b. Aleah James – Fireman’s carry powerbomb

Rampage Brown b. Joe Coffey – Doctor Bomb

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT UK
Date: January 28, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

Opening sequence.

Here’s Jordan Devlin for a chat. He talks about issuing an open challenge and wanting to be the best wrestler ever under 205lbs. Cue Trent Seven to say he thinks Devlin needs a challenger so he’ll get under 205 and come for the title. Devlin says come see him after losing a lot of weight so Seven drops him in a hurry. This was really quick.

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

Kay Lee Ray wants the best in the world….and WWE has officially signed Japanese legend Meiko Satomura. Yeah I’d think that works.

Ben Carter vs. Sam Gradwell

Hold on though as Gradwell has something to say. He talks about how impressive it is that Carter made it here but being from Jersey isn’t all that impressive. Jersey is a place with more cows than people and it doesn’t even make an atlas. Oh and he doesn’t like Carter’s P.E. shorts. Gradwell works on the arm to start but Carter flips out and hits a dropkick for a break. Some flips out of the corner set up another dropkick to put Gradwell on the apron but he’s right back in with a shot to the head.

Gradwell forearms him in the back of the head for three straight near falls and we hit the chinlock. Carter jawbreaks his way to freedom though and makes the comeback with some running forearms. A superkick puts Gradwell on the floor and there’s a quick dive to send Gradwell back inside. Gradwell heads to the other side of the floor and gets taken down by a running flip dive. Back in and Gradwell gets two off an STO but Carter is back up with a standing Lionsault into a Nightmare on Helm Street. The frog splash finishes Gradwell at 7:18.

Rating: C. I like Gradwell more every time I see him but this was all about getting Carter back up after he lost the title match in his debut. Carter is clearly someone they see a lot in and it makes sense to give him a win over someone as intense as Gradwell. It might not have been a classic, but at least they did everything right.

Noam Dar gives Sha Samuels some advice we can’t hear.

Sha Samuels vs. Josh Morrell

Samuels powers him into the corner to start and gives him a pat on the cheek, only to get armbarred down. Morrell flips out of a wristlock so Samuels hits him in the face. There’s a running forearm to drop Morrell again and there’s a backdrop to keep him in trouble. Morrell is able to avoid an elbow and a charge in the corner before dropkicking Samuels’ knee out. A standing corkscrew moonsault gets two on Samuels but he avoids a crossbody. Samuels grabs a spinebuster into a seated cobra clutch for the tap at 5:13.

Rating: C-. Samuels is an interesting case as he isn’t exactly the most thrilling guy but you can tell that he has been around for a long time and knows how to do his thing rather well. That’s all you need in some cases and if he becomes a bigger deal, great. Otherwise, you have a perfectly acceptable midcarder.

Ilja Dragunov isn’t sure what happened against Jack Starz. Sam Gradwell walks by and Dragunov doesn’t look happy.

Rampage Brown is happy with his time in NXT UK so far. Gallus comes up and a match with Joe Coffey is teased.

Pretty Deadly vs. Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster vs. Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter vs. The Hunt

Elimination rules, no seconds at ringside, and the winners get a future Tag Team Title shot. Sam Stoker immediately tags in Smith so Andrews can grab a rollup for two. Webster comes in to get two off a sunset flip so it’s off to Carter, who gets taken down with a hurricanrana. Gallus is watching (with popcorn) as Carter suplexes Andrews for two. Lewis Hawley is tagged in but can’t tag out immediately, meaning Carter can clothesline him. The Hunt comes in for stereo German suplexes on Pretty Deadly and everything breaks down.

We settle down to Primate suplexing Smith for two and then slamming him hard. Wild Boar spears Carter off the apron to break up the tag possibilities but Smith gets over to Webster to pick up the pace. Webster and Andrews hit stereo dropkicks to put Pretty Deadly on the floor but Smith tags himself in. That means the Tower of Doom brings down Stoker and Smith for the huge crash.

Carter uses Smith’s back as a springboard to moonsault onto the pile at ringside but the camera moves so fast that it didn’t seem to end well. Back in and Smith hits a Falcon Arrow for two on Hawley, followed by Carter superkicking Primate out of the air. Everyone is down for a bit and Gallus is rather pleased. Primate comes in to go after Smith in the corner but gets caught in an electric chair with Carter adding a springboard cutter for the elimination at 11:59.

Hawley uses the distraction to jump Carter from behind but Smith gets the tag and starts cleaning house. It’s quickly back to Carter, who hits a pop up 450 for two on Stoker. A quick tag brings in Andrews for a sitout bulldog and it’s a poisonrana with a running knee at the same time (French Toast At 2am for the best named move I’ve heard in years.) to get rid of Smith and Carter at 15:14.

We settle down to Hawley elbowing Webster in the corner but a quick crawl through the legs allows Andrews to come in and strike away. A double Pele kick gets two and Stoker breaks up a cover off a hurricanrana to Hawley. Back up and Hawley kicks out Andrews’ knee so it’s a one legged giant swing into a half crab from Stoker. The Figure four goes on so Webster shoves Hawley into the hold for the break.

Stundog Millionaire connects with Stoker to give Webster two and Andrews hits a slingshot hurricanrana to take Hawley out on the floor. Webster’s top rope flip dive takes both of them out but the melee lets Eddie Dennis sneak in with a chair to Andrews’ knee. Back in and a Hart Attack (neckbreaker instead of a clothesline) finishes Andrews at 22:14 to give Pretty Deadly the title shot.

Rating: B+. This was all action throughout and it was a heck of a match as a result. Pretty Deadly were the fairly obvious winners but that didn’t make for a boring match. I really liked this with Smith and Carter getting a great rub out of the thing, with that electric chair cutter looking great. It was Pretty Deadly’s match, but at least everyone else looked good in the process.

Gallus comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event carried this thing and that’s all the show needed. Carter did well in the opener and Samuels is someone who could do fine in the midcard. Throw in a long and action packed main event and you have a rather nice evening. Also, it’s another case of not having the big names around and still having a good show. That’s more than a lot of promotions can say.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT UK
Date: January 7, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to the regular shows after two weeks of Best Of editions. They’re back in a big way too with both a #1 contenders match for the Women’s Title and the debut of Ben Carter. Granted Carter is going to be debuting on a talk show but that just means that he is getting into modern wrestling because EVERYONE needs a talk show. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Jinny vs. Piper Niven

The winner gets Kay Lee Ray at some point in the future. They slug it out to start with the much bigger Niven driving her down into the corner for some stomping. Jinny gets out though and hits a running clothesline in the corner. That just earns her a crossbody to send things outside and Piper hammers away. Jinny sends her knee and face first into the post though and Niven has to roll back in.

The Iron Octopus has Piper in more trouble and Jinny elbows her in the back of the head. Piper muscles her up and drops back for the break as Joseph Conners of all people comes out. A hard belly to back suplex and some clotheslines have Jinny in trouble with a low crossbody getting two. Jinny rolls out so Niven loads up a flip dive, only to have Conners take the bullet for her. Back in and Piper picks her up again, only to have Conners pull the leg to give Jinny the rollup pin at 6:50.

Rating: C. Jinny winning to set up her match with Kay Lee Ray is a little weird but what’s worse is bringing Conners into it. He hasn’t been as annoying since the relaunch but it hasn’t exactly been the best stuff either. Maybe it can be better this time, though it’s hard to imagine it being a thrilling addition to whatever they’re doing.

Pretty Deadly knows Gallus doesn’t want them in the tag division but they have the champs’ attention. Mission accomplished.

Aoife Valkyrie says the birds don’t try to be perfect. They just are. This oddly worked coming from her.

Tyler Bate talks about how he needs to change some things. Bruce Lee said “be like water” so he needs to go deep within and find his raw, pure self expression.

Sam Gradwell sees the advice and says the only yogi he knows steals picnic baskets.

It’s time for Noam Dar’s Supernova Sessions. Dar talks about how he has some goals this year, including all the titles, Most Humble, Most Handsome, the lead role in Marine 475, and Trish Stratus’ phone number. His guest is Ben Carpenter (Carter), who Dar asks about his woodworking abilities. Carter clears up his name so Dar yells at his producer because he has seven questions about wood work.

Carter is happy to be here because he wants to face the best. Dar is ready for that but here’s Jordan Devlin to interrupt. Why is Carter on the show before Devlin is? Devlin understands what Carter is about and that’s fair enough but Devlin is the Cruiserweight Champion. Dar says go become the real champion and his people will talk.

Carter is on Devlin’s side and says Devlin is as good as he says….so he should have no problem with Carter getting a title shot. Sounds good to Devlin, who says let’s do this tonight. Carter is game and Sid Scala comes out to say they can make the match official (while making it clear that they had a main event and are swapping it out because this show is smart).

Kay Lee Ray isn’t worried about Jinny because the title belongs to her.

We look at Levi Muir and Jack Starz beat Saxon Huxley but got beaten down as a result. Dave Mastiff made the save.

Dave Mastiff vs. Saxon Huxley

Huxley slugs away to start but Mastiff hits him a good bit harder. A running knee to the ribs and a backsplash give Mastiff two but Huxley is right back with a Thesz press. There’s a running knee to Mastiff’s head and a top rope clothesline gets two. Mastiff backdrops his way out of an armbar and throws him down again for two of his own. Another clothesline sets up Into The Void to finish Huxley at 4:44.

Rating: D+. It’s nice to see Huxley get beaten up and crushed like that in the end so things were a little better. Commentary mentioned Mastiff vs. Rampage Brown so we could be in for a good hoss battle in the near future. Mastiff is good at what he does and they kept this short, which was the right way to go.

Video on Walter vs. A-Kid. Walter respects what he has done but this is a different level. A-Kid disrespected him by acting like he represented this ring so it’s time to pay.

Cruiserweight Title: Ben Carter vs. Jordan Devlin

Carter is challenging in his debut but Devlin slams him down to start. Devlin’s wristlock is reversed with a lot of spinning and Carter takes him down into a headlock. Back up and Carter flips out of the corner, ducks under a charge and dropkicks Devlin outside. The dive is broken up and Devlin stands on Carter’s hair. With that not working, he switches to the head and Carter is in early trouble.

Carter gets back up with a sunset flip for two and he sends Devlin into the buckle. A springboard missile dropkick rocks Devlin but a right hand knocks Carter off the top and out to the floor. That’s fine with Devlin as he sends Carter into the steps for two back inside. They both hit crossbodies at the same time and it’s a double knockdown.

Back up and Devlin is sent outside, allowing Carter to hit a moonsault into a Nightmare on Helm Street on the floor. That sets up a swinging suplex for two back inside so Devlin grabs a Spanish Fly for the same. Code Red gives Carter two more but Devlin pulls him into the Cloverleaf. That’s broken up with a grab of the rope so Devlin hits the Kawada kicks into the Devlin Side for the pin at 12:36.

Rating: B. The point here was introducing Carter and showing that he could hang at this level, which worked out rather well. I was thinking they might have Carter win in an upset here, but giving Devlin another win is a good way to go also. Carter showcased himself well here and he’s going to be fine at this level and beyond long term. I’m curious to see how far Devlin can go and after this reign, it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t get a UK Title shot.

Overall Rating: C+. That main event is the match that you need to see and all that matters here. They have a new star around here and Devlin continues to move very close to the top of the depth chart. The future is looking bright around here and Walter getting back in the ring next week is only going to make it better. Nice show this week, which feels like the norm most of the time.

Results

Jinny b. Piper Niven – Rollup

Dave Mastiff b. Saxon Huxley – Into The Void

Jordan Devlin b. Ben Carter – Devlin Side

 

 

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

Late Night Dynamite
Date: September 23, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Jim Ross

It’s a special edition of Dynamite for those who need a bridge to the next one. Dark was on…well officially yesterday as this is airing after the NBA Playoffs and Inside The NBA, meaning it is going to be starting at about 12:40AM. I’m not sure why we need three AEW shows in less than a day and a half but maybe they can surprise me. Let’s get to it.

Chris Jericho joins commentary.

Ben Carter vs. Scorpio Sky

Carter is a British wrestler who has been rather impressive on Dark. They take each other down to start until Sky is ready for an armdrag attempt. That’s fine with Carter, who hits the second attempt to give us a standoff. Another armdrag into an armbar has Sky in trouble for a bit before Sky fights up to run the ropes. A dropkick puts Sky down on the floor and he has no idea what to do with Carter here (those looks are doing more for Carter than almost anything else he can do).

Back in and Sky catches him with an elbow to the face into a dropkick and there’s a Russian legsweep. Sky hits a backbreaker into an abdominal stretch as the logical offense continues (Chris Jericho: “Homage to Tony Garea there!” Schiavone: “Wow….Tony Garea.”). Carter flips out and chops away in the corner (he might not want to do that again) but gets knocked down as we take a break.

Back with Carter fighting out of a camel clutch but getting knocked down for two more. Carter is back up and hits an AJ Styles moonsault into the reverse DDT, though he switches his into an Eye of the Hurricane for two instead. A running shooting star press gives Carter two more but he misses the moonsault to the floor. Sky kicks him in the face and rams Carter face first into the apron.

Carter shrugs that off and hits a running flip dive to the floor. Back in and Carter hits a frog splash for a very near fall. Sky grabs a neckbreaker but Carter is back with some forearms to the head. A spinning kick to the back connects but Sky is right back with a fisherman’s buster for a very near fall. Carter kicks him in the face and grabs a rollup for two more but misses some kicks to the face. Sky hits a running double stomp to the back and Carter looks mostly done on the mat. A big boot drops Carter again and the TKO finally gives Sky the pin at 15:32.

Rating: B+. Yeah that was outstanding and I don’t know what else you can say about something like this. Carter looked like a young star here and Sky gave him an outstanding rub here with Carter being presented as a major threat. His offense looked good and I could go for a lot more of him in the future. How did NXT UK not pick this guy up?

Video on the six man tag between Will Hobbs/Jon Moxley/probably Darby Allin vs. Team Taz/Lance Archer.

Anna Jay vs. Brandi Rhodes

They slug it out to start and Brandi hits an early spear to send Anna to the apron. Something close to a DDT onto the apron plants Anna again and Brandi whips her hard into the corner. Anna is right back with a sleeper but Brandi reverses into a victory roll for two. Brandi hits some atrocious right hands but gets sent into the corner for some rakes to the back.

A snap suplex drops Brandi again and it’s time for the boot choke in the corner. There’s a running seated Blockbuster for two on Brandi and we hit the seated crossface chickenwing. Brandi fights up again and hits a clothesline into a Sling Blade but here’s the Dark Order. Evil Uno doesn’t let Stu Grayson interfere so there is a very delayed two off a Shot Of Brandi (bicycle kick) which….I think grazed Anna’s arm. The Queenslayer knocks Brandi out at 6:03.

Rating: C-. They started very hot here but then it turned into a regular match and it didn’t work all that well as a result. Brandi botches a lot (that kick was horrible and the right hands were almost as bad) and Anna is far from someone who can do anything great in the ring yet. This wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but dang there were some very bad parts.

Scorpio Sky wants the TNT Title but here’s Matt Sydal to praise him as well. Sydal was happy with his debut in the Casino Battle Royal and Sky wants to see him do it again. Maybe they’ll even go out for drinks after the show. Sydal seems interested.

Video on Brodie Lee and his path of destruction. He gets to defend against Orange Cassidy, who receives quite a bit of praise.

Matt Sydal vs. Shawn Spears

Tully Blanchard is here with Spears, who drives Sydal into the corner to start. Spears grabs a headlock into a wristlock, which is escaped with a little spin in a hurry. Sydal headlocks takeovers him over, which seems to confuse Jericho. They head to the apron with Spears getting dropped back first but being fine enough to hit a baseball slide. Back in and Sydal hits a spinwheel kick and we hit an arm crank on the mat. We take a break and come back with Sydal hitting a standing corkscrew moonsault for two.

Spears grabs a Sky High for two more and a brainbuster onto the knee connects, sending Jericho over the edge when Excalibur uses the Japanese name. Sydal blocks the C4 and goes up top (where he wipes the sweat off in a nice nod to All Out) for a top rope Meteora and another near fall. Spears goes outside and has a seat in a chair so Sydal can hit a running charge to knock him out. Tully uses the distraction to load up Spears’ glove. Back in and the C4 is countered so Spears uses the loaded glove to knock Sydal silly. Now the C4 finishes Sydal at 13:42.

Rating: B-. I’m not surprised that they had a good match, but asking me to get interested in a Shawn Spears match that started at 1:23am is not going to be the easiest sell in the world. They did surprise me with the result though, as Spears does not seem like the kind of guy who was going to pin Sydal in Sydal’s first singles match. Well done with the twist ending, though Spears is still far from thrilling.

Post match Spears goes after Sydal again but Scorpio Sky makes the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Ok they actually got me here as I was expecting an absolutely nothing show and got two good to VERY good matches, plus Brandi vs. Anna thrown in the middle. The obvious problem here is obvious though: aside from the most hardcore of hardcore fans, who in the world stayed up to watch this? It was a very good show (one of AEW’s best in a while actually), but it’s kind of hard to have that much interest or enthusiasm when it starts so late and comes on after another hour and thirty five minute Dark with several hours in between. Check out Carter vs. Sky though as they tore the house down.

Results

Scorpio Sky b. Ben Carter – TKO

Anna Jay b. Brandi Rhodes – Queenslayer

Shawn Spears b. Matt Sydal – C4

 

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

Dark
Date: September 22, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Veda Scott

It’s the first of two AEW shows on the same night because we’re just lucky enough to have them running a special show after the NBA Playoffs tonight. This is likely to be your usual stuff, but that goes without saying as they rarely shake things up around here. Hopefully it’s a little better than usual though. Let’s get to it.

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

The announcers welcome us.

Fuego del Sol/Rembrandt Lewis vs. Dark Order

At least it’s Stu Grayson and Evil Uno here so I don’t have to figure out which is which. Fuego grabs a quick O’Connor roll for two on Grayson so it’s off to Lewis for a dropkick. Uno comes in to run Lewis over though as commentary talks about how much money Team Taz has and how much they spend on clothes. Lewis gets in a superkick but Uno suplexes him down into a legdrop. A side slam/top rope elbow combination gets two but it’s off to Fuego anyway. That earns him a running knee to the face from Grayson, setting up Knightfall. Uno picks him up and flips him into a spinning Downward Spiral for the pin at 4:11.

Rating: D+. You know when you ignore everything about their look, gimmick and characters, this version of the Dark Order isn’t half bad. They work well together and have cool looking moves, though I’m not sure how far they should be going around here. Odds are they’ll get the Tag Team Titles one day though, as AEW really, really likes the Dark Order.

Ricky Starks vs. Christopher Daniels

See now this is something you should be featuring. Why isn’t something like this the main event? Starks knocks him down to start and mocks Daniels’ dancing, only to get armdragged into an armbar. That’s reversed into a headscissors as they hit the mat but Daniels reverses into a front facelock. Daniels takes him down into another armbar before ducking Starks’ crossbody.

The Arabian moonsault gets two on Starks but he’s back with a rake to the eyes. A knee to the back sends Daniels outside and it’s a swinging neckbreaker for two back inside. Daniels is back with a t-bone suplex and an STO into the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. They go to the pinfall reversal sequence until a double knockdown gives us a breather. Daniels’ Rock Bottom is countered and Starks hits the spear for the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C+. Yeah this worked, though I could have gone for more from them. Daniels is far from the peak of his career but he can still have a good match with almost anyone. Starks is a very talented guy but he needs to build up his resume. Beating Daniels clean like this is going to help him so nicely done here.

Puf/Calvin Stewart vs. Butcher and Blade

Eddie Kingston is here and Ricky Starks has jumped in on commentary. Puf is a large man who thought he was going to be Kip Sabian’s best man. Butcher and Blade jump them to start and Puf is sent outside so Butcher can send Stewart into the corner. Blade gets in a few cheap shots on the floor but Stewart manages a dropkick back inside. Puf comes in and runs Blade over so Butcher comes in as commentary tries to figure out how many sizes Puf is. A middle rope crossbody takes Puf down and it’s back to Stewart, who walks into Full Death for the pin at 4:21.

Rating: D+. They didn’t waste time here and Puf was fun enough while he lasted. There isn’t much you can usually do with someone his size but he can move a little bit and has some charisma so this went as well as could be expected. He’s no one I need to see again but for a one off match, it worked out fine.

Will Hobbs vs. Serpentico

Luther is here with Serpentico. A Luther distraction lets Serpentico get in a cheap shot to start and they head outside. That means Serpentico gets whipped into the barricade and it’s a delayed vertical suplex to drop Serpentico back inside. Hobbs gets slapped in the face and Serpentico hammers away in the corner, setting up a boot to send Hobbs outside. Back in and Serpentico slaps him in the face, earning himself a hard shoulder. Hobbs pulls him out of the air though and finishes with a spinebuster (even Starks is impressed) at 4:40.

Rating: C-. Hobbs is someone who could go a long way and I can see the hope AEW has in him. This was a good match for him as Serpentico is unique enough to feel like a big deal and throwing Luther out there with him makes it look even bigger. They both looked good here, but this was about Hobbs, as it should have been.

Dontae Smiley/Maxx Stardom vs. Lucha Bros

Eddie Kingston is here again. Fenix takes Stardom down to start and rolls over the ropes to get to the apron while still holding Stardom’s hand. Penta comes in for a double Paradise Lock into a double kick to the head. A spinebuster into a top rope missile dropkick low blow (think What’s Up but with a dropkick) makes it even worse for Stardom.

Back up and Stardom avoids a charge, allowing the hot tag off to Smiley. Everything breaks down and a double wishbone into a double kick to the face has Penta down again. There’s a dive over the top onto Fenix but Penta is back up with the Pentagon Driver on Stardom. Smiley makes a surprising save but Fenix is back in to dropkick Smiley to the floor. The elevated Fear Factor gives Penta the pin at 5:16.

Rating: C. That near fall at the end was an actual surprise and made things that much more entertaining. The Lucha Bros have fallen a long way since AEW started and hopefully they can get back to their previous greatness sooner rather than later. The match was nothing great, but they surprised me a few times.

Dark Order vs. Ryzin/Xander Gold

5 and 10 for the Order here. Gold and 5 trade wristlocks to start with Gold not being able to grab an armdrag. A running clothesline has Gold in trouble and 10 comes in to send Gold into the corner. Ryzin comes in to shove 10 but gets sent into the corner as well, allowing 5 to get in a cheap shot. There’s a cutter to Ryzin and Gold is knocked off the apron. Ryzin gets a boot up in the corner but misses a moonsault. Gold comes in to drive a shoulder into 5 in the corner, followed by a dropkick. Back to back kicks to the head rock Ryzin and it’s a top rope double stomp into a powerslam to finish Gold at 5:53.

Rating: C. This is the weaker version of the Dark Order as not only did they go toe to toe with the jobbers here and don’t look like as much of a team. They’re more a pair of wrestler with the same opponents rather than two people working together. Not a bad match again, but it’s something else that probably could have been trimmed to make the show shorter.

Kevin Blackwood/Daniel Garcia vs. Joey Janela/Sonny Kiss

Janela and Garcia grapple a bit to start but neither can get anywhere. It’s off to Kiss for some shaking to get on Garcia’s nerves and a running hurricanrana makes it worse. Blackwood comes in and gets dropkicked, meaning it’s right back to Garcia to run him over. Garcia puts on a surfboard but Kiss slips out and kicks Garcia in the face. The hot tag brings in Janela to clean house, including sending Blackwood into Garcia. There’s a dive onto both of them and it’s a DDT to Garcia back inside. The top rope splits splash gives Sonny the pin at 7:17.

Rating: C. This was much more of a formula tag match and that worked out well. Janela and Kiss are in the same place they were in months ago and I don’t know if I can see it going much further than that. That’s not a bad place for them and I’ll certainly take it over Joey vs. Kip Sabian.

M’Badu/Cruz vs. Gunn Club

There’s one of your Bingo spaces on the Dark card. Colten, I’m assuming another of Billy’s sons, is here as well. Billy tangos with Aubrey Edwards before headlocking M’Badu to start. M’Badu charges into an elbow in the corner and gets clotheslined down. The rather hefty Cruz comes in and Austin kicks his leg out. Cruz runs him over and drops an elbow for two before handing it back to M’Badu. The Stinger Splash misses though and it’s back to Billy to clean house. M’Badu is sent outside and it’s the Fameasser to finish Cruz at 4:07.

Rating: D+. M’Badu continues to look like he could be someone so at least it was Cruz taking the pin. Billy and Austin are two guys who are just there and feel like a required piece of most Dark matches. Nothing to this one, but that’s the case with most Gunn Club matches so far.

KiLynn King vs. Serena Deeb

They fight over a lockup to start and then do the same with a wristlock. King gets taken down and Deeb grabs something like a reverse Rings of Saturn. An armbar goes on with a knee in Deeb’s back until Deeb snaps off an armdrag into an armbar. That’s broken up as well and King hits some running knees in the corner. The chinlock goes on but Deeb fights up again and grabs a swinging neckbreaker. Deeb’s neckbreaker over the middle rope gets two and she drives King face first into the mat. The Serenity Lock (Konnan’s Tequila Sunrise) makes King tap at 4:39.

Rating: C. I’ve liked King quite a bit and she looked good again here. It would be nice to see her get a slightly bigger chance but I’m not sure when something like that is going to happen. Deeb has been signed this week so the ending was never in doubt, but at least they had a pretty good match on the way there.

Ben Carter vs. Lee Johnson

Carter was impressive last time. They to the mat to start and the counters are on fast until it’s an early standoff. It’s time to fight over some wristlocks as they’re moving very quickly here. A double nipup gives us another standoff as even Starks says these two are excellent. Back up and Johnson misses a dropkick but the second attempt connects so they can reset again.

Carter flips forward out of the corner and catches a charging Johnson in a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle. A snap suplex sets up the chinlock on Johnson before Carter pulls him into an STF. That’s broken up so Carter puts him up top for a top rope superplex, even as he slips off the ropes a bit. Johnson grabs a small package for two and it’s a double clothesline into a double nipup. They trade kicks to the face and they’re both down again. It’s a slugout from their knees until Carter tries AJ Styles’ moonsault into a reverse DDT.

That’s broken up and Johnson grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb for another near fall. Carter sends him to the apron for an enziguri but misses the middle rope moonsault. Johnson dives back in for the big running flip dive. The posing takes too much time though and Carter is back up with his own running flip dive. Back in and Carter misses the Phoenix splash, allowing Johnson to hit a Death Valley Driver for two more. Johnson goes up top but gets caught in a super Spanish Fly into a low superkick for….two. Dang they got me on that one. Carter jumps back up top and hits the frog splash for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: B. What do you want me to say here? Two young guys got some time and tore the house down with an incredibly entertaining match. If AEW wants to build up their younger guys, have them (try to) do something like this instead of having them lose for months on end. I really liked this and Carter looks like a great prospect who very well may get signed soon.

Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Eddie Kingston

Pillman starts fast with a shoulder to put Kingston on the floor. Kingston doesn’t approve and Pillman’s crossbody into some armdrags make it worse. A dive to the floor is broken up and Pillman is dropped hard onto the barricade. Back in and Kingston strikes away in the corner before whipping Pillman hard into the other corner. A shot to Kingston’s face just annoys him even more but Pillman grabs a top rope sunset flip for two. The crucifix is countered into a Samoan drop to plant Pillman and it’s off to the chinlock.

Pillman fights up again but Kingston just hits him in the back of the head like a smart brawler would. We hit the chinlock again, which just seems to fire Pillman up. The comeback is on with chops and rams into the corners and there’s a superkick to the floor. Pillman’s missile dropkick through the ropes sets up Air Pillman for two back inside. Kingston is back with a jawbreaker into a spinning Rock Bottom for two more but Pillman grabs something like a pumphandle driver for his own near fall. Kingston has had it with Pillman and knees him in the ribs, setting up the spinning backfist for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C+. This was another good one as the veteran Kingston didn’t take Pillman seriously enough, allowing Pillman to get in a lot of offense. They were playing up the idea of an upset here and that’s what should be done in a match like this. Kingston works well as a brawler and we had a good match with a nice story as a result.

Dynamite preview wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. It was indeed better than usual and that was rather necessary. The last two matches felt like they belonged here, but above all else, the show is still too long. They could have had a heck of a show if this was about 45 minutes long instead of more than double that, but at least they had something good in here. If that becomes the norm we might be onto something, but I’ll need to see more of this and less of the usual.

Results

Dark Order b. Fuego del Sol/Rembrandt Lewis – Spinning Downward Spiral to Lewis

Ricky Starks b. Christopher Daniels – Spear

Butcher and Blade b. Puf/Calvin Stewart – Full Death to Stewart

Will Hobbs b. Serpentico – Spinebuster

Lucha Bros b. Dontae Smiley/Maxx Stardom – Elevated Fear Factor to Stardom

Dark Order b. Xander Gold/Ryzin – Top rope double stomp/powerslam combination to Gold

Joey Janela/Sonny Kiss b. Kevin Blackwood/Daniel Garcia – Splits splash to Garcia

Gunn Club b. M’Badu/Cruz – Fameasser to Cruz

Serena Deeb b. KiLynn King – Serenity Lock

Ben Carter b. Lee Johnson – Frog splash

Eddie Kingston b. Brian Pillman Jr. – Spinning backfist

 

 

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