IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: April 29, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

It’s still tournament time as the taped shows continues. This time around we have the semifinals for the TNT Title tournament and that means we have some big matches to get ready. In addition to that, we have Brodie Lee vs. Marko Stunt, in a match that should last about thirty seconds but I’ll put the over/under at five minutes because AEW has to let everyone shine. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Darby Allin vs. Cody, with Cody only going 1-0-1 with him. Allin says he lost to Arn Anderson and how he represents being relentless. Cody eats and breathes wrestling and wants to be champion no matter what. Allin wants to know which part of the story matters most: the beginning, the middle or the end.

Tony runs down the card, with Jericho thinking most of it will be stupid.

TNT Title Tournament Semifinals: Darby Allin vs. Cody

Cody shoulders him down to start but Allin sends Cody into the corner. They head to the floor with Cody avoiding a charge, meaning Brandi gets knocked down by mistake. Cody takes him inside and stomps away as we take a break. Back with Cody rather angry and tying Allin up in a bow and arrow. Cody drops him ribs first across the top rope for two and a half crab sends Darby bailing to the ropes.

Darby is back up with a quick Code Red into a kneebar, followed by tying the leg in the corner. They head outside where Britt Baker gets in a shoe shot from over the barricade (Jericho: “God bless you Britt!”). Back from another break with a double clothesline putting them both down. It’s Cody up first with the Beautiful Disaster but the referee takes the weightlifting belt away. Cross Rhodes gives Darby two and we get a fifteen person THIS IS AWESOME chant.

The Figure Four puts Cody in trouble and here’s Brandi from the back, holding her stomach like she has broken ribs. Brandi gives Cody some water so Darby takes it away and hits Cody in the head with it. That earns him a ripcord clothesline and they’re both down again. Jericho: “There’s no water in hockey! Well actually there is. There’s no water in football!” Cross Rhodes gives Cody two so he tries the Coffin Drop, only to hit raised knees. Darby’s Coffin Drop connects but he leans back too far and Cody gets the rollup pin at 20:23. Jericho: “What was in that water Schiavone??? THAT WAS SPIKED WATER!”

Rating: B. It was good but I was rolling my eyes at the stolen finishers. That gets old in a hurry and they did it multiple times here. It seemed to be building towards Allin vs. Archer in a big David vs. Goliath match but why do that when you can go with Cody? It’s a good match, but it could have been a lot better.

We get the second part of the Scorpio Sky bio, this time focusing on him joining SCU. He didn’t want to just be their third wheel but then he found the THIS IS THE WORST TOWN shtick and it took off. Sky doesn’t want to be good or even great, because he wants to be f****** legend.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman understands that we all feel like we’re in an Uber with a foreign driver who won’t use the GPS: lost. He has been to his nail doctor, who happens to be the most advanced doctor in his field. Now, he has healed so well that he has OVER healed and has the strongest nail ever.

MJF wants to be back on Dynamite and he was so excited that he NICKED HIS NECK WHILE HE WAS SHAVING! The scarf comes off to reveal a neck brace and now he can’t get on a germ infested plane and wrestle in front of six or seven people. He cares oh so much for you people during your time of need and wanted to be back. He is the storm on the horizon and the candle in a dark room. Just remember that he is better than us, which was very apparent after everything he said here.

Musa vs. Wardlow

Musa bounces off of him to start as we hear about how handsome Wardlow really is. For some reason Musa slaps him in the face and manages a handspring knee to the chest. That drops Wardlow to one knee so Musa gets driven straight into the corner. The release F5 finishes Musa at 2:24.

It’s time for round three of the Bubbly Bunch, with Sammy Guevara saying that if anyone thinks he lost the Flim Flam last week, they can suck his bottle of hand sanitizer. Jericho says they can agree to disagree, meaning they can have a Manitoba Melee. That would mean fighting each other over the phone, as they kick the screen, which somehow hits a variety of people, including Peter Avalon, Sonny Kiss, Jungle Boy, Chris Jericho’s Dad, Lou Ferrigno, Kevin Smith (yes that Kevin Smith), Gabriel Iglesias, maybe Hornswoggle, Virgil, and Vickie Guerrero. Jericho: “STOP! THAT WAS AWESOME!” I’d say that’s accurate.

Jimmy Havoc/Kip Sabian vs. Best Friends

Anything goes with Penelope Ford and Orange Cassidy as the seconds. It’s a brawl to start and Chuck hits a big flip dive onto both of them on the floor. A big chair toss to the head drops Cassidy (Jericho: “YES!”) and Havoc suplexes Chuck onto some steps. Trent hits his own big flip dive over the top onto Sabian, who is right back in to stomp away. Havoc pelts the chair at Chuck and it’s time for a ladder.

Havoc does make sure to tag his way in so Sabian can kick Trent into a double eye poke. The ladder is laid over the middle ropes, followed by Trent diving into a Backstabber for two. Chuck makes the save but gets sent outside again, followed by more chair shots to take him down again. Havoc takes a pair of chair throws and the Big Hug crushes him. Sabian gets caught in Soul Food into the dragon suplex for two but Sabian sends Chuck into the corner. A tornado DDT plants Sabian and a running knee into a chair to the head gets two with Havoc making the save.

Havoc and Sabian go onto the ladder in the corner with Sabian getting dropped down hard. Havoc lays two open chairs on their side and puts Trent on top for a double stomp from Sabian. Chuck makes the save and plants Havoc on the open chairs. A piledriver onto a chair gets two on Sabian with Ford making the save. The Friends are sent outside and it’s Cassidy getting back up to dive onto Sabian and Ford on the floor. Chuck comes back in with a running Awful Waffle (over the shoulder piledriver) to Havoc onto the chairs for the pin at 13:20.

Rating: C-. I didn’t get anything out of this as it was a bunch of mindless brawling with one weapons spot after another. You can tell stories and build to stuff in a match like this but they didn’t do anything close in this case. They were doing violence for the sake of violence and that gets old in a hurry.

We go to Britt Baker’s office (heavily decorated with pictures of her and Schiavone, plus a video loop of their interviews) where she is getting ready for a Role Model segment. She has a makeup lady named Rebel (formerly of Impact Wrestling) and can’t remember her name no matter. Baker takes her to another room and insists that Rebel (or Riba) say it right. We get the next tip, with her Twitter handle popping up by mistake of course, which is how it’s not ok to wear glasses, be fat, or have snaggle teeth. She just happens to use a photo of Tony Schiavone to prove her point every time. This was great as usual.

Shawn Spears vs. Baron Black

Spears takes him down to start and then hits a hard clothesline in the corner. The shot was so good that Spears stops to dance before catching Baron with a spinebuster. With a look to Jericho, it’s the arrogant cover for two, sending Jericho into pleased hysterics. The C4 into the Sharpshooter makes Baron tap at 3:42.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here but it continues to prove that Spears is nothing but a decent hand in the ring. There was nothing here that made me want to see him again, though the tributes to various Canadians were kind of fun. I’m not sure what else he can do, though after they wasted Tully Blanchard on him, his hopes don’t seem high.

Video on Lance Archer.

We recap Marko Stunt vs. Brodie Lee. Stunt got crushed by Lance Archer once and now it’s time to do it again against another monster.

Brodie Lee vs. Marko Stunt

Lee throws him down a few times to start and a big boot makes it worse. Some chops in the corner make it worse as Jericho accuses JR of being part of the Dark Order. Stunt is knocked to the apron so Lee goes outside and walks towards him, but makes sure to catch a suicide dive with ease. Lee throws him down but Stunt dives back in at nine. Back in and Stunt gets up a boot in the corner, only to dive into a swinging Boss Man Slam. A pop up sitout powerbomb finishes Stunt at 3:11.

Rating: C. I was scared when Stunt got in those boots but that was as incidental as you can get. This was a complete and total squash, exactly as it should have been. There was no need to do anything more than have Stunt get crushed here and they did it the right way in this case.

Jon Moxley is in the desert and talks about how much things have changed in the last eight weeks. One day, we will be back together and he’ll be bleeding and swearing. Right now though, it’s time to be thankful for things, like his wife for putting up with him and steel chairs, because a DDT on a chair is better than a DDT not on a chair. He’ll be live next week and it’s time to find out who he’s going to be facing at Double Or Nothing. Until then, support your local businesses by ordering takeout and BE SURE TO CALL YOUR GRANDMOTHER!

Next week: MJF returns, Jon Moxley vs. Frankie Kazarian and Le Sex Gods (you can figure them out) vs. Matt Hardy/Kenny Omega.

TNT Title Tournament Semifinals: Lance Archer vs. Dustin Rhodes

Dustin has Brandi in his corner. Dustin hits him in the face a few times to start so Archer gets in a shot of his own, sending Dustin outside. Back in and Archer gets low bridged to the floor, followed by more right hands as he gets inside again. The scoop powerslam is blocked though and Archer knocks him outside hard. Brandi has to back away from Archer, who bounces a chair off of Dustin’s head.

Dustin is busted open and we take a break. Back with Archer running him over again and winning a slugout on the floor. Archer looks at the blood on his hand, shrugs off a hope shot from Dustin, and snaps off a suplex. The blood is pooling up on the mat so Archer grabs him by the head. Dustin gets up and slugs away in the corner, even managing to hit Shattered Dreams.

Archer is ticked so he rips a turnbuckle pad off and Dustin goes face first into the exposed steel. That’s not a DQ so Archer does it again, which draws out Cody with a towel. Dustin says no and pulls the towel in with him. That just earns him a bunch of claw slams onto the mat and the pin from Archer at 22:42.

Rating: B. It was good drama and Archer looked like a killer, but at some point it might be nice to explain that there are no DQ’s around here. Or if there are, explain that Aubrey Edwards has been fired for everything she let go on here. Anyway, I liked the action, but I’ve never quite gotten why I’m supposed to care so much about Dustin Rhodes. Yeah it’s cool that he’s still around but at the end of the day, it’s a new monster beating the heck out of career midcarder Dustin Rhodes. It’s certainly not bad or anything close to it, though it’s not enough to have some big dramatic impact.

Cody looks at Archer in his best Rocky vs. Drago glare to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Tony Khan had promised that this would be one of the best nights they’ve ever had and…..well it was really good. I can’t say it’s even close to their best night ever but it had two solid matches and that’s a great start. There were some holes here though, like the Best Friends match (which I know has its audience and that’s fine) and the squashes, which do serve a purpose but aren’t all that entertaining most of the time. It’s a very entertaining show though and that’s quite an accomplishment in this environment.

Results

Cody b. Darby Allin – Rollup

Wardlow b. Musa – Release F5

Best Friends b. Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc – Running Awful Waffle onto a pile of chairs to Havoc

Shawn Spears b. Baron Black – Sharpshooter

Brodie Lee b. Marko Stunt – Pop up sitout powerbomb

Lance Archer b. Dustin Rhodes – Archer slammed his head into the mat

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: AEW

Dark
Date: April 28, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Cody

I’m running out of ways to describe this show as there’s only so much that can be done in a show that isn’t even breaking twenty minutes some weeks. Thankfully they haven’t been doing many angles or anything important, because it’s a show all about getting people in and out of the ring as fast as they can. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony runs down the card.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Shawn Dean

Havoc takes him into the corner with a lockup to start and then works on a wristlock. That’s reversed with a quick flip and it’s a salute from Dean into a handshake. Havoc doesn’t take kindly to that and hammers away in the corner so Dean armdrags him a few times. That earns him a suplex into the corner so Havok can bend Dean’s fingers back. A rope break gets Dean out of trouble so it’s the Acid Rainmaker into a fisherman’s DDT for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C-. Not quite a squash here and Dean continues to be someone who shows some promise. Havoc is a lot more tolerable when he tones it down and has a basic match, because he’s actually decent enough at the simple wrestling stuff. This could have been a lot worse and that’s a nice surprise on a show like this.

Musa/Lee Johnson vs. Best Friends

Chuck and Musa start things off with Chuck faceplanting him into a basement dropkick. Trent comes in to face Johnson and gives him a clean break out of the corner. Johnson forearms him so Chuck takes him down with a northern lights suplex. A double dropkick puts Johnson down again but he takes Chuck into the corner. Chuck fights out without much trouble but Johnson is right back with an Isaiah Scott House Call. Johnson charges into a suplex into the corner to take Musa down though and everything breaks down. Soul Food into a suplex drops Musa and it’s Strong Zero for the pin at 5:48.

Rating: C. This got some more time than I was expecting and it was a good bit more competitive than I would have bet on. The Best Friends still aren’t my thing but they were playing it straight here and that’s a good sign. Not too bad here in a match that let everyone look good.

Overall Rating: C. I guess Tony was a bit off when he said we had three matches tonight. This was about as good as a sixteen minute show was going to be and that’s all you need it to be. It gets people in the ring and doesn’t waste any time with storyline development. Nothing would be any different if it wasn’t here, but as always: how annoyed can I get when it takes longer to eat lunch than watch a show?

Results

Jimmy Havoc b. Shawn Dean – Fisherman’s DDT

Best Friends b. Musa/Lee Johnson – Strong Zero to Musa

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

Dynamite
Date: April 8, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re still in wherever the heck we are for the second week of what seems to be a marathon taping session. That’s probably the only way to get through the current situation so this is how things are going to be for a good while. The big story tonight is the start of the TNT Title tournament so let’s get to it.

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

Jake Roberts asks if you would prefer to be staring down a train coming at you or face Lance Archer. Last week, Archer destroyed Marko Stunt, which made Roberts wonder how insane Stunt is. Then there’s Cody, who might be better off losing to Shawn Spears to avoid facing Archer in the second round.

Lance Archer vs. Alan Eagles

Archer shoves Eagles down, choke suplexes him across the ring and finishes with the Blackout at 2:09.

Preview of the rest of the show.

Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida

They shove each other to start until Shida forearms her in the face a few times. Baker avoids a dropkick and bails out to the floor for a breather. Back in and they grab each other by the hair with Baker being taken down in the corner. A Fameasser gives Baker two and she punches away at the face, with Jericho talking about how she’s making her own patients. Britt sends her into the ropes and talks a lot of trash, even going to the floor to talk straight into the camera.

That’s enough for Shida to get up and stalk Baker, only to get sent into the barricade. Shida comes back and puts her over the barricade, where some of the jobbers posing as fans hold Baker in place. A running knee hits Baker and we take a break. Back with Shida hitting a suplex and pulling Baker into a triangle choke until a rope is grabbed. Baker comes back with a Sling Blade into a butterfly suplex for two on Shida.

Shida gets to the rope before Lockjaw can go on and a shot tot he face busts Baker’s nose. A Michinoku Driver gets two on Shida but baker pulls her down into Lockjaw, only to stop to put on a glove. That’s enough for Shida to escape and knee her in the face but Baker hits a low superkick as the blood is all over Baker’s face. Shida gets choked on the rope but they fight to the top with Baker getting dropped hard onto the buckle. Shida’s running knee finally finishes Baker at 17:04.

Rating: B+. Well that came out of nowhere. This might not have been a great match but it was a great fight with the two of them beating the heck out of each other and making me wonder which of them was going to survive. I got sucked up into this one and it was an awesome match which far exceeded expectations.

Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa try to figure out a team name for tonight. Nakazawa suggests Best Friends and Omega has to explain things. The real Best Friends and Orange Cassidy come in and complain about the name so they’ll be having a match for the rights to call themselves the real best friends. That made me sigh rather heavily.

Here are the Top Five tag teams:

5. Best Friends

4. Lucha Bros

3. SCU

2. Young Bucks

1. Dark Order

Women’s Top Five

5. Riho

4. Britt Baker

3. Yuka Sakazaki

2. Kris Stadtlander

1. Hikaru Shida

Men’s Top Five

5. Darby Allin

4. Kenny Omega

3. Cody

2. Chris Jericho

1. Jake Hager

Video on Jake Hager vs. Jon Moxley for the World Title next week in a No Holds Barred match. Moxley fights for the love of the sport while Hager fights for prizes and money. Hager’s wife says he has to win or don’t come home. Moxley has come a long way but Hager is a different kind of opponent. Hager’s training partners think he’s ready to destroy Moxley. They’re both ready though and it could go three minutes or thirty minutes. Good video, even if they don’t have a long history together.

Video on Cody vs. Shawn Spears, who have a long history before they face off in the tournament.

Best Friends vs. Kenny Omega/Michael Nakazawa

Nakazawa has his baby oil ready, sending Jericho into a rant about the things you would find on him before a match. That would include a fork and a pencil, with Tony sounding bewildered. Taylor armdrags Omega to start, much to Jericho’s approval. It’s off to Nakazawa to chop Trent against the ropes, earning himself an even harder chop. Therefore, it’s baby oil time so Trent’s chops have no effect. Meaning Nakazawa and Omega can stomp away.

Trent gets crotched against the post with Nakazawa pulling on his legs and marching forward as we take a break. Back with Nakazawa crotching Trent on top and sliding him down the rope as Shawn Spears, in the crowd, can’t understand the oil. Omega comes in for the chinlock but Trent fights up and gets the hot tag to Taylor for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and the Best Friends hit suicide dives but hang on because Orange Cassidy has to come in for the triple hug.

That’s broken up though, meaning Omega and Nakazawa try their own hug. That one doesn’t work either so Nakazawa can miss a double clothesline on the Best Friends, leaving Jericho almost cracking up on commentary. Cassidy gets back in and Nakazawa takes the sunglasses. Don’t worry though as Cassidy as another pair so he can dive on Omega. Trent’s tornado DDT gets two on Nakazawa but he misses a charge in the corner. Omega misses a charge into the corner though and Trent hits a running knee.

A pop up sitout powerbomb gives Chuck two on Omega and everyone is down. Hold on though as Nakazawa pulls off his underwear for a Claw on Trent, which Jericho says is enough to make him submit. Nakazawa does it to Omega by mistake though and it’s Eat Defeat into a half and half suplex to drop Nakazawa for two more. Omega gets sent into the barricade and it’s Strong Zero for the pin on Nakazawa at 16:32.

Rating: C-. I think you know my thoughts on this kind of comedy by now and watching a sixteen minute version of the whole thing wasn’t exactly my thing. That being said, I can live with it a lot more when it’s all comedy and lighthearted instead of stopping a serious match for the jokes, so this was nowhere near as bad/annoying as some of the others.

Post match, all five of them hug.

Brodie Lee yells at some Creepers for not being in their best looking gear. He’s here to make things better so get it together. They go inside the building because Lee has an idea for them.

Britt Baker isn’t cool with what Hikaru Shida did to her but don’t worry because she can fix it. She’s a dentist.

Video on Hager being dominant in two sports. Moxley talks about how violent it’s going to be next week. Hager keeps talking about how he’s a winner and winners win championships. Moxley doesn’t know if Hager can dig down deep enough for this, but Hager doesn’t care what Moxley has done on the way to the match. All that matters is Hager knows he can win, but Moxley promises to f*** him up.

Matt Hardy talks about the Inner Circle, including Chris Jericho brainwashing Jake Hager. Then Jericho tried to recruit Vanguard1, which isn’t cool with Hardy. He requests Vanguard1 bring him the shirt from last week, but Vanguard1 has lit it on fire. Hardy wants Jericho to come to the Hardy compound for the Elite Deletion.

Brodie Lee vs. Lee Johnson

Lee kicks him in the face twice in a row and hits a slingshot hilo for a bonus. A suplex makes it worse and a discus lariat to the back of the head finishes Johnson at 1:29. As it should be.

Post match, Lee stares down Marko Stunt for reasons I don’t want to understand.

Video on Cody vs. Shawn Spears.

TNT Title First Round: Cody vs. Shawn Spears

Brandi is here with Cody. Spears gets sent to the apron early on as Jericho rants about Aubrey Edwards hassling him all the time. Tony: “Isn’t she just doing her job?” You can guess Jericho’s reaction to that one. Spears’ knees to the ribs don’t do much good so he bails to the floor off the threat of a Figure Four. Cody rolls him up a few times as Jericho tries to figure out what is left for Cody if he loses here.

A pump kick drops Spears again but the moonsault misses, allowing Spears to grab a piledriver for two. We take a break and come back with Jericho talking about how great Canadians are. Jericho: “There’s a guy in Guatemala who is pretty good though.” Spears suplexes him onto a piece of the barricade at ringside and Cody seems to have banged up his heel.

A springboard frog splash hits Cody’s knees though and the comeback is on. The snap powerslam gets two but the Disaster kick misses, allowing Spears to spinebuster him for two. Back from another break with Spears pulling out a table but getting knocked down, allowing Cody to finish putting the table up. They get back in and Cody gets caught on top with a release belly to belly superplex for the double knockdown.

Brandi gets on the apron and her distraction almost gets her knocked through the table. Instead Spears AA’s Cody from the ring through the table for the huge crash. That’s good for a very slow nine count so Cody gets back in for a pair of Cross Rhodes for a near fall. Cody puts on the Figure Four….for the pin at 21:32. That’s a weird one as Spears wasn’t out or anything and was still fighting.

Rating: B. Good enough here and that ending was rather surprising. The AA through the table looked great and I liked the match more than their All Out version. Spears is still little more than a good hand, but this was better than his usual outings. Cody winning was the only logical call and I’m glad to see where they’re going with the whole tournament.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show with two rather good matches and a tag match which only kind of got on my nerves. They’re going to be in a different mode for a long time to come and it was nice to see that they know how to make things work in this situation. Solid show here and if this is a preview of things to come, I’ll be rather pleased.

Results

Lance Archer b. Alan Eagles – Blackout

Hikaru Shida b. Britt Baker – Running knee

Best Friends b. Michael Nakazawa/Kenny Omega – Strong Zero to Nakazawa

Cody b. Shawn Spears – Pin in a Figure Four

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: AEW

Dynamite
Date: March 18, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Taz, Excalibur

Suddenly things are going to be very different around here and that is going to be the case for the next few weeks. Starting tonight, like every other major wrestling show at the moment, AEW is going to be performing in front of no fans due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus. An odd show is better than no show though so let’s get to it.

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

Cody is in the middle of the completely empty arena to start and talks about how important it is to be healthy and smart. At the same time, AEW does something important in these kind of times. Tonight, Cody is going to be asking people to put aside their differences to do something special. We are going to see the Elite against the Inner Circle with the winners being the in command next week.

Cody needs the Young Bucks, Hangman Page and Kenny Omega to come out here and be the Elite. Cue Omega and Matt Jackson, with Omega saying he and Cody haven’t seen eye to eye but they will be the Elite tonight. Matt likes the call to action, even though Nick Jackson isn’t here due to last week’s attack. Page comes out, takes a sip of his drink, and walks away again. Omega says everyone needs entertainment and positivity so tonight, they’re giving the best they can give. So hit the lights and pyro so we can start Dynamite.

Video on the Best Friends vs. the Lucha Bros.

MJF and Shawn Spears are in the empty seats to gamble on the matches, but HOW DARE YOU suggest that they’re gambling!

Brandi Rhodes is doing the ring announcing. Her graphic: “Promised she’d never ring announce again.”

Best Friends vs. Lucha Bros

Orange Cassidy is on commentary. Trent takes Fenix into the corner to start and it’s time for a chop off. A double shoulder takes Fenix down and a double suplex gives Trent two. Chuck knocks Fenix down for two more but Fenix pokes Trent in the eyes to take over. The stereo superkicks drop Trent and some more kicks to the leg keep him in trouble. Orange stands up to glare as Trent is sent to the floor, meaning it’s a big dive from Fenix. Trent takes both Bros down on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Trent getting kicked in the face but managing a tornado DDT to get him out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Chuck to clean house as everything breaks down. Cassidy gets on the announcers’ table as JR is nearly disgusted by the King of Sloth Style moniker. The Bros glare at him so Cassidy dives onto the both of them, allowing Chuck to piledrive Pentagon for two. The referee is distracted though and a low blow cuts Trent down, setting up the spike Fear Factor for the pin at 14:04. MJF seems to have won a lot of money.

Rating: B. And instantly, AEW is showing how much better it is to have anyone, even just a few wrestlers, watching the match. It makes things a lot easier to watch and adds atmosphere, while also giving the people some character development. This is already better than just about anything on the WWE shows so far. Well done indeed.

Post match the Best Friends are livid and want a rematch, but in a street fight. Or maybe in a parking lot next week.

Penelope Ford vs. Riho vs. Kris Stadtlander vs. Hikaru Shida

One fall to a finish and Kip Sabian is at ringside. Ford gets double teamed to start before being knocked outside. That means a big dive from Riho onto all three others for the big knockdown. Back in and Riho is laid on the middle rope, with Stadtlander telling Shida to suplex her onto Riho. Stadtlander doesn’t like Shida trying to roll her up for two and the small package makes it even worse.

The two of them fight to the floor, leaving Riho to forearm Ford in the face and baseball slide Sabian for a bonus. Riho uses Ford as a launchpad to dropkick Sabian but Shida is back in to knee her in the face. Stadtlander makes the save but gets reverse hurricanranaed to the floor by Ford. Shida Falcon Arrows Ford for two, followed by the running knee for the pin at 5:50.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced and entertaining match with all action throughout. Shida continues to showcase herself very well and looks like a star most of the time. Good stuff here and the women’s division is starting to come around a little bit, though there is still a long way to go.

Post match Colt Cabana talks about how much he liked the match but doesn’t like Sabian interfering so much. Sabian gets annoyed so Colt hits him in the face, sending Sabian running away.

Earlier today, Jon Moxley was not happy with not being allowed to enter the arena due to not being medically cleared. When has he ever been medically cleared? He promises to be in the Inner Circle’s blind spot and he’ll be at Blood and Guts no matter what. Then he drives off in the expensive blue car.

No Bunny or Marko Stunt here, but MJF gives Butcher and Blade some cash before the match. Blade takes Boy into the corner to start and stomps away but a springboard armdrag takes Blade down. It’s off to Luchasaurus to power Blade down and that means we need a breather on the floor with MJF. Boy’s dive is countered into a toss into the barricade to put Express in trouble.

Back in and Boy’s eyes are raked across the top rope, followed by a side slam/legdrop combination. We take a break and come back with Boy still in trouble until he clotheslines his way to freedom. An elbow to the back cuts off the hot tag attempt though and the beating continues. Boy gets sat on top but he dives over Butcher and rolls over for the hot tag to Luchasaurus in a great visual.

Luchasaurus moonsaults to the floor to drop Butcher before launching Boy at Blade (which almost goes WAY too far as Boy has to save himself from falling over the top). Butcher and Luchasaurus slug it out and it’s an assisted swinging Rock Bottom to give Butcher two. Boy is back in so Blade can get Tail Whipped, with Butcher being sent outside. A reverse powerbomb/cutter combination plants Blade and Boy gets a running start….so he can step to the floor to stomp Butcher in what looks like a missed cue as Luchasaurus gets the pin at 12:33.

Rating: C. There were some missed spots in there but it was a nice formula tag match with a rather good hot tag to Luchasaurus. He’s awesome as the guy who gets the hot tag and can come in to wreck everything because he’s so much bigger than almost anyone else in the company. Just like in the opener though, the wrestlers on the floor made this a lot better. Good enough match here, odd spots aside.

Here’s the Dark Order to talk about the Exalted One being on his way. They have prepared the path for him but here’s Christopher Daniels to interrupt. He’s heard everything he needs to hear about the Exalted One because he doesn’t exist. It’s been that way for months now and nothing has changed.

Hold on though as we get a video from the Exalted One himself. There are new rules for the Dark Order though: they do what they want when they want and if he wants something, it will be taken. The hood comes off to reveal Brodie Lee (formerly Luke Harper), who promises to destroy Daniels. Back in the arena, Lee is in the ring and wrecks SCU.

Lance Archer is at ringside but Jake Roberts cuts him off to challenge Cody to a fight.

We go somewhere out in the woods where a ring is set up with Lance Archer beating up a bunch of people as Jake Roberts watches on. Archer beats them up while shouting EVERYBODY DIES and then chokeslams someone onto a car. Archer looked crazy intense here.

Next Dynamite (there is no mention of next week): Luchasaurus vs. Wardlow in a lumberjack match, the Lucha Bros vs. Best Friends in a parking lot fight and Blood and Guts.

Inner Circle vs. Elite

Ortiz comes in for a cheap shot as we hear about Santana and Ortiz failing gym and not having first names. It’s off to Matt and the arm work begins but Page tags himself in, much to Matt’s annoyance. Page clotheslines Santana twice and gets two off a bridging pumphandle fall away slam. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Cody gets superkicked on the apron as we take a quick break.

Back with Cody getting suplexed and sent into the barricade as Jericho mocks Anderson’s clothing. They come back in and Hager works on Cody’s arm, followed by a chinlock from Santana. Cody snaps off a Cross Rhodes to Ortiz though and Hager freaks out. Hager gets dropped to the floor but he comes back in and cuts off the tag as we take another break. Back again with Cody avoiding the Vader Bomb and Page getting to come in and clean house.

The dive tot he floor drops Hager and a sliding lariat gets two on Santana. Everything breaks down and Cody dives onto Ortiz and throws him at MJF. Wardlow grabs Cody by the throat so Anderson makes the save with his notepad. Back in and Matt rolls the northern lights suplexes on Santana but can’t do it to Hager. Page joins in and the double version puts Hager down but Hager breaks up the Indytaker to Santana. With Nick surprised, Santana rolls him up for the pin at 20:08.

Overall Rating: A. This was excellent and I’m not sure what else I’m supposed to say. They had no fans and a pretty limited crew and put on a regular wrestling show with some big surprised. This show made WWE’s Performance Center shows look completely worthless and amateurish. Hopefully WWE sees what they’re up against and starts changing ANYTHING to make those shows better (putting wrestlers at ringside would make a world of difference).

I’m incredibly impressed with this and AEW has completely lapped WWE for this kind of show so far. Outstanding stuff all things considered, and very good with no things considered. Check this out if you have the time, because it’s a lot better than most of their regular shows.

Results

Lucha Bros b. Best Friends – Spike Fear Factor to Trent

Hikaru Shida b. Riho, Penelope Ford and Kris Stadtlander – Running knee to Ford

Inner Circle b. Elite – Small package to Jackson

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: AEW

Dynamite
Date: February 26, 2020
Location: Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur

It’s another big week as we have the go home show for Revolution, but at the same time we also have an Iron Man match between Kenny Omega and Pac. This show has been on a roll lately with one good week after another so hopefully they can keep it going on the way to the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

The announcers preview the show.

Kenny Omega vs. Pac

Thirty minute Iron Man match. The Young Bucks are here with Omega but Hangman Page is nowhere to be seen. Feeling out process to start as it’s Omega grabbing a wristlock a minute in. Pac flips out of a wristdrag attempt and that means a standoff, with Omega’s look saying “so that’s how it’s going to be”. They chop it out until Omega kicks the leg out, only to charge into a hard superkick.

The early One Winged Angel attempt is countered into a Brutalizer but Omega falls into the corner for the break. Pac heads outside and that means a big flip dive, much to the fans’ delight. The running jumping bulldog (it was nowhere near a Fameasser this time) plants Pac for two and Omega strikes away against the ropes. There’s the Snapdragon as we’re five minutes in with both of them down.

They head outside with Pac managing a quick tornado DDT to plant Omega and give them another chance to breathe. Back in and Omega headbutts him off the top, only to have Pac run the ropes for the super brainbuster. Pac scores with a missile dropkick for two and we hit the chinlock. A hard faceplant gives Pac two as we hit ten minutes. The fans call Pac a b****** as he kicks Omega in the back of the head to keep him down.

Back up and they go into the slow motion slugout with Pac hitting a pump kick to the face. Omega doesn’t go down though so it’s a snap German suplex to drop him instead. That doesn’t seem to matter very much as Omega hits some knees to the head, followed by a Tiger Driver 98 for two.

After JR makes fun of the Tiger Driver 98 name, Pac breaks out of the One Winged Angle, only to get German suplexed HARD for two. Omega hits running knees to the back in the corner before loading up….a super One Winged Angel? That’s reversed into a sunset bomb as we hit the halfway point. Pac’s super hurricanrana is countered as well and there’s a Snapdragon into a V Trigger for two more. Pac staggers to the floor and BLASTS Omega in the head for the DQ with 14:06 to go.

Omega – 1

Pac – 0

We take a thirty second rest period but Pac gets in another shot to the head to keep Omega in trouble. A running kick to the head sets up the Black Arrow to tie it up with 13:21 to go.

Omega – 1

Pac – 1

Back from a break with 10:46 to go and the slugout on the apron going to Pac. A Falcon Arrow off the apron drops Omega again and the audio is muted for the sake of swearing fans. They’re both down again and we have less than ten minutes to go. Pac knocks him off the apron and the ref is bumped.

With no one seeing it, Pac pulls out a table and hits a shooting star off the top to send Omega through the table (which pretty much explodes). They both beat the count (I’m not sure on Omega but they give it to him anyway) and Pac can’t believe it. Another Black Arrow hits raised knees with five minutes left and Omega has an opener. A heck of a V Trigger sets up a spinning Rock Bottom for two on Pac, followed by another V Trigger.

Pac is back up with a tornado DDT and the Brutalizer (on the mat this time) has Omega in real trouble. We have two minutes left as Omega finally gets his foot on the rope. Pac is smart enough to go right back to the hold as we hit a minute left. The hold stays on with Omega looking at the clock as time expires at 30:00. Pac blasts the referee but hang on as we’re getting sudden death. Omega hits another V Trigger and then another knee to the head for two. The One Winged Angel finishes Pac at 33:14, counting the breaks between falls.

Omega – 2

Pac – 1

Rating: B+. They beat the heck out of each other here and while they could do another match, this felt like the definitive end of the feud. Omega gets a big singles win for the first time in a good while and Pac hardly looks bad in defeat. What does look bad is the Brutalizer, which was on for the better part of three minutes but then Omega just popped up and dominated overtime to win. I didn’t like it when Shawn Michaels survived that long in the Sharpshooter and I don’t like this either. That being said, heck of a fight and that’s what it needed to be.

Post break Pac doesn’t want to hear about getting what he deserves so here’s Orange Cassidy for a chat. Cassidy takes his glasses off so Pac drops him with a single forearm. Good for him.

Jake Hager isn’t allowing any interviews with Chris Jericho before tonight’s weigh-in.

Inner Circle vs. Jurassic Express

It’s Santana/Ortiz/Sammy Guevara this time around. The Express starts fast with Boy knocking Guevara off the apron and Stunt dropkicking Santana and Ortiz to the floor. Boy hits some suicide dives but Stunt gets pulled out of the air and thrown into Boy, driving him into the barricade. Back in and Luchasaurus gets taken down with a double flapjack, followed by a big toss to Stunt.

We take a break and come back with Santana hitting a big Poetry In Cannonball to crush Stunt in the corner. Stunt is fine enough to escape a German suplex attempt and bring in Luchasaurus to clean house. A chokeslam into a standing moonsault have Ortiz down but Sammy hits Luchasaurus in the back for reasons of overconfidence. Triple kicks in the corner rock Sammy and it’s a kick to the chest/Vertebreaker combination for two with Santana making the save.

A double enziguri puts Boy down and Sammy’s running shooting star press gets two with Stunt making the save. Luchasaurus moonsaults onto Stunt, Santana and Ortiz but Sammy grabs the loaded sock. Cue Darby Allin to steal it away though and Boy hurricanranas Sammy for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: B-. It was action packed and aside from my general issues with Stunt, there wasn’t much to complain about here, save for one thing. If you’re going to bust out a big move like a Vertebreaker in a match like this, it should be the finish. I know they had more to do, but if that’s the case, don’t do the move. Save a move that big for a more important spot instead of another near fall in a six man that isn’t going to mean much in the long run.

Video on Cody vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman. They’ve done an awesome job of making me want to see Cody destroy him.

Best Friends vs. Butcher And Blade

Cassidy and Bunny are at ringside. Butcher runs Trent over to start and Blade walks around the ring a lot. Trent gets dropped ribs first across the top rope but he manages a running knee to set up the hot tag to Chuck. House is cleaned and we take a break. Back with Trent’s dive over the top being sent into the barricade but he’s fine enough to spear Blade down.

Hold on though, as it’s time for ORANGE CASSIDY TO DO THE SAME THING HE DOES EVERY WEEK, BUT THIS TIME IT’S SOMEONE DIFFERENT SO HE’S AWESOME! This time Bunny steals his sunglasses so he steals her bunny ears and then dives onto Blade. Strong Zero finishes Butcher at 8:06.

Rating: C-. It was the usual match with the usual Cassidy spot and that isn’t enough to overcome my lack of caring about either team. Butcher and Blade don’t win matches and don’t really hurt anyone so I’m not sure why they’re continuing their roles as enforcers/bounty hunters/whatever they’re called at the moment. It wasn’t a bad match, but after the first two matches, this wasn’t up to the same level.

Post match Tony Schiavone is in the ring with Best Friends and Cassidy to announce Cassidy vs. Pac for Revolution. Chuck: “Pac, the joke’s on you buddy, because this time he’s going to TRY!”

Big Swole vs. Shanna vs. Yuka Sakazaki vs. Hikaru Shida

Everyone gets in a shot or two to start with Shanna hurricanranaing Swole and Shida at the same time. Sakazaki stands on the apron while the other three do a triple test of strength. She comes back in to break it up but Swole kicks her down, setting up the parade of rollups for two each. Back with Shida cleaning house and suplexing Shanna into Sakazaki in the corner.

Swole is back in to clean house and kicks Shanna on the head, setting up a springboard cutter for two. Now it’s Sakazaki getting back up, only to get taken down with a lifting Pedigree to give Shanna two of her own. Dirty Dancing drops Shanna but Shida gives Swole a backbreaker. Sakazaki hits a springboard splash for two but Shida makes the save. A running knee hits Swole to give Shida the pin at 9:12.

Rating: C-. This was just another four way with the wrestlers doing their spots until one of them won. I’m rarely a fan of matches like this one as there is next to no story or psychology to the whole thing and it’s just moves after moves. It feels like there’s a multi person match every week or two and I don’t need to see another one for a good while.

The Dark Order says the Exalted One is coming and they’re beating up SCU at Revolution.

Jim Ross moderates a sitdown interview between the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega/Hangman Page (with a drink in hand). The Bucks couldn’t believe this being the case a year ago because Omega and Page were singles wrestlers. Omega says the Bucks are the best but he and Page were in the right place at the right time. Page looks rather anxious and the Bucks call him out for needing a drink.

They’re worried about him because they’re friends in and out of the ring. Page says he tried to leave the Elite, with the Bucks saying he’s walking away from everything they did for him. He was a jobber in ROH and they made him a star on Being The Elite. Page walks out, despite the Bucks saying they have a match to promote. Not titles to win mind you, but a match to promote.

Revolution rundown.

Lance Archer debuts next week.

It’s time for the official weigh-in between Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho, with Gary Michael Cappetta of all people as master of ceremonies. After hyping up the pay per view, Cappetta brings out the two of them but Jericho calls him a weird little man instead of getting on the scale. Jericho: “It’s no wonder WCW went out of business.” Moxley goes first and weighs 234lbs.

Jericho takes his time getting on the scale because he needs to insult the fans and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He goes after Moxley, who headbutts Jericho down to bust him open. The Inner Circle is on Moxley in a hurry but here’s Dustin Rhodes to go after Jake Hager. They fight to the back (JR: “For the love of God stay away from the Dippin’ Dots!!!”) and yes, Dustin is sent into the Dippin’ Dots cart.

Back in the arena, Darby Allin runs in (as in he doesn’t wait around on the stage for thirty seconds this week) for the save but Sammy takes the skateboard away and breaks it over Darby’s head. Moxley fights up and it’s time for the big slugout with Jericho. Guevara breaks up the Paradigm Shift with a low blow and the Judas Effect hits Moxley. Jericho gives him a Paradigm Shift onto the scale. That was a hot ending and covered three matches at once so well done all around.

Overall Rating: B. The opening hour was rather good and while things slowed down a lot from there, it was still a heck of a show with the ending picking up a lot of the slack. The last two weeks were better but this got me ready for Revolution and they’re still in a groove at the right time. Rather good show this week and if they can fix some of their issues, they’re as good as anything going at the moment, if not a fair bit better.

Results

Kenny Omega b. Pac two falls to one

Jurassic Express b. Inner Circle – Hurricanrana to Sammy Guevara

Best Friends b. Butcher and Blade – Strong Zero to Butcher

Hikaru Shida b. Big Swole, Yuka Sakazaki and Shanna – Running knee to Swole

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: AEW

Dark
Date: February 18, 2020
Location: HEB Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz
Host: Tony Schiavone

This show is what I want when I watch WWE’s Main Event: they rarely mess around and include some recaps when necessary, but above all else the show offers some talent a chance to get on TV. You don’t get repeat matches and it’s not a bunch of lifeless drek. That makes things so much better and Dark can be an entertaining show. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony welcomes us to the show. Dasha isn’t coming back is she?

Diamante vs. Kris Stadtlander

Stadtlander does her poke to the referee’s nose but Diamante isn’t as interested. A shot to the face sends Diamante into the corner and Stadtlander crawls after her. There’s the double arm pull before she sticks Diamante’s fingers into her (as in Diamante’s own) ears. A running knee in the corner puts Diamante on the floor so Stadtlander gorilla presses her onto the apron. Back in and a Code Red gives Diamante two but a wheelbarrow suplex (egads) drops Diamante on her head. The Big Bang Theory finishes Diamante at 4:26.

Rating: C-. This was just a squash and I still really like Stadtlander. She doesn’t need the alien deal as she’s unique enough looking on her own but it’s certainly something unique. Diamante hasn’t impressed me during most of the time I’ve seen her but there are far worse choices they could throw out there.

Hybrid 2 vs. Best Friends

And yes Orange Cassidy is here too. Chuck and Evans start things off with the former taking Evans down in a hurry. That’s reversed into a headscissors and it’s up to a standoff. Evans flips out of a northern lights suplex but the second work just fine. Chuck comes in for a double elbow drop as the fans are behind the Best Friends again. Apparently bored on the apron, Angelico drops to the floor and decks Cassidy, only to get knocked down by Chuck.

The Hybrids use the distraction to take over and Angelico Gory Specials Trent onto Chuck in a cool spot. Evans adds a moonsault to both of them and Angelico’s top rope double stomp into a belly to back suplex gets two. Trent’s tornado DDT gets him out of trouble and a helicopter bomb gets two on Evans.

A reverse Razor’s Edge into a cutter gets two more on Evans with Angelico making a save. The assisted 450 hits Trent for two but Cassidy gets on the apron to distract Evans on top. The big shot to the leg is loaded up but Cassidy steps to the side to avoid Angelico, who hits the ropes to crotch Jack. That’s one of the only times Cassidy has felt like he contributed something substantial to a match. Strong Zero finishes Evans at 8:31.

Rating: C. They worked more of a formula here and that’s a nice treat for the Hybrid 2. I still can’t bring myself to get into them and the Best Friends continue to be hit or miss. Cassidy using his shtick to outsmart some villains is a surprise as well and a lot better than having him stare down what is supposed to be some big heel stable in the Dark Order.

Post match, the winners and Cassidy have the extra big hug.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

Christi James vs. Big Swole

They fight over a lockup to start, with Taz talking about what you can learn from your opponent by locking up with them. I know he can be a catchphrase machine at times but Taz can throw out some insightful stuff every now and then. Swole’s headlock is reversed into one from James and we get an early standoff. A hard clothesline puts James into the corner but she puts Swole on the ropes and hits an enziguri. James pulls her by the hair so Swole strikes away, including a headbutt to the ribs. A pump kick into Dirty Dancing finishes James at 4:48.

Rating: D+. James is someone who has a catchy look with a lot of Brazilian flags but I need more than that to think much of her. Granted you’re not getting much out of a five minute match but this could have been a lot worse. Swole is someone who seemed to be little more than a person on the card but she has come around a good bit in recent weeks and that’s a good thing for the division.

Young Bucks vs. QT Marshall/Peter Avalon

Before the match, we get a lot of shushing from Avalon, with Marshall even asking the fans to let him get this out of the way so we can wrestle. Nick wristlocks Marshall to start and it’s time to flip around a bit without making much contact. A handspring into the Ricochet pose has Nick perplexed but Avalon asks what is this flippy doo stuff. Avalon: “THIS ISN’T WRESTLING!” Matt grabs the mic and asks if he and Nick should do a bad a** tag team move. Matt: “Let’s do a double hiptoss!” He doesn’t mention the double basement dropkick but does start a YOUNG BUCKS chant.

The camera can’t keep up with the Bucks but it settles down for Avalon running from a Matt superkick. Marshall gets in a few shots to Matt and Leva Bates reads to him a bit. Granted she also hits him with a book but at least it comes after some education. Nick gets knocked off the apron so there’s no one for Matt to tag, leaving him to roll some northern lights suplexes.

This time it’s eight in a row, with Taz saying he’s jealous that he never thought of it. The hot tag brings in Nick to clean house with kicks in the corner and a double bulldog out of the same. A moonsault/slingshot splash combination gets two on Avalon with Marshall making the save. Marshall won’t let Avalon use the book so it’s a right hand to take him down. The superkicks into the Meltzer Driver put Avalon away at 10:30.

Rating: C. I chuckled at the in-match commentary bits but that’s an old favorite of mine. This is the kind of match that works well for a main event on this show: a top act beating a team that isn’t going to get them any real danger but can get a few nice moments out of them. It worked well enough for a Dark main event and they weren’t trying for more than that (which is fine too).

Overall Rating: C. When this show gets it right, they have a nice little groove going. That’s what we had here with four matches over forty eight minutes and nothing going longer than it should have. That makes things so much easier while also making you understand how this show, without a lot of major stars, blows away stuff like 205 Live, which has talented wrestlers but not energy whatsoever. This was fun and an easy watch, which is always nice to have.

Results

Kris Stadtlander b. Diamante – Big Bang Theory

Best Friends b. Hybrid 2 – Strong Zero to Evans

Big Swole b. Christi James – Dirty Dancing

Young Bucks b. Peter Avalon/QT Marshall – Meltzer Driver to Avalon

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: AEW

Dynamite
Date: February 5, 2020
Location: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re less than a month away from Revolution and you can see a lot of the card from here. The big story continues to be Jon Moxley challenging Chris Jericho for the World Title and that means he has to go through the Inner Circle. He’ll start with that tonight against Ortiz, but other than that we have Cody dealing with MJF. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Jon Moxley vs. Ortiz

Santana is here and Chris Jericho, flanked by Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara, goes to commentary. A shoulder puts Ortiz on the floor to start so Moxley chases both of them around with a chair. They go outside again with Ortiz getting in some biting and a whip into the steps. Jericho: “He might have knocked his patch right off of his stupid face!” Back in and we hit a camel clutch with Ortiz raking a forearm over Moxley’s eye patch.

Moxley is out in a hurry and takes out the knee to set up a Figure Four. Ortiz is smart enough to poke him in the eye for the break, only to have Moxley send him outside. A suicide dive hits Santana and Ortiz gets sent over the barricade. Back in and a Boss Man Slam gives oxley two but Ortiz sends him right back to the floor. That means a suicide flip dive to put Moxley down as well but he’s back up again. This time he sends Ortiz into Santana and hits a quick Paradigm Shift for the pin at 7:55.

Rating: C. That’s what I was hoping for here as there was no need for this to be an extended match. Moxley is the #1 contender and he’s facing someone who isn’t used to wrestling singles matches. There was no need for this to be a back and forth fifteen minute match. What they did here was the right setup and it’s not like losing to Moxley hurts Ortiz. Well done on the setup, not a bad match.

Post match Moxley gets jumped by Santana but takes him out with another Paradigm Shift. Moxley pulls out the Ford GT key and says “an eye for an eye” before stabbing the key into Santana’s eye. The Inner Circle chases Moxley off.

Best Friends vs. SCU

Orange Cassidy is here but there’s no Christopher Daniels. Kazarian headlocks Trent down to start and JR thinks 2 Cold Scorpio is on the apron. Trent is right back up with the double running knees and a double elbow keeps Kazarian down. Sky spins out of a wristlock but Chuck grabs a headlock. With Sky down, Chuck hits the double bicep but misses a middle rope moonsault. Sky hits a good looking dropkick and everything breaks down for a bit, with Kazarian hitting a slingshot Fameasser to send Trent onto the apron.

Chuck’s standing Sliced Bread connects as Sky is sent into the barricade. A release German suplex drops Trent on the floor but Chuck adds a Blockbuster off the steps to put everyone down. Cassidy gets in his designated comedy spot on the floor by laying down with them as we take a break. Back with things having settled down a bit and the Best Friends taking over. We pause for the Big Hug until Chuck kicks Kazarian into a Code Red from Trent for the fast pin at 9:08.

Rating: C+. The post break part was really short but I’m glad they didn’t make this one go too long either. I still don’t care for the Best Friends and having to pause for Cassidy’s shtick still feels forced every single time. SCU continues to be steady but very good and that’s a valuable asset to have on the show.

Post match the Dark Order runs in for the beatdown so Orange Cassidy gets in to confront them. He’s offered a mask but puts his hands in his pockets, earning himself a beatdown of his own. Christopher Daniels runs in for the save and the Dark Order bails.

Yuka Sakazaki vs. Britt Baker

Sakazaki (the Magical Girl) was at Fyter Fest back in June and has some Arabian Nights style gear. Baker forearms the much smaller Sakazaki and chokes in the corner, setting up a running kick to the face for two. Sakazaki is back up with a top rope flip dive and a springboard plancha to the floor. JR: “Not just a regular splash ladies and gentlemen. The by God Magical Girl splash.” Back in and they slug it out until Baker hits a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker for two. Lockjaw is broken up though and Sakazaki grabs a crucifix rollup for the pin at 3:12.

Rating: C. Spend two weeks building Baker up, then have her lose to someone else making her debut on the show. The division continues its spiral into nothing as we sit around with the champion barely ever around (save for a mixed tag with Kenny Omega, the only person who seems to get what he’s going for in the whole thing) and a bunch of people trading wins and losses.

Post match Baker hits her in the back with the bell and drives her mouth into the ropes. Sakazaki loses some teeth so Baker puts on Lockjaw to the bloody mouth. Good post match segment, but it might go somewhere if Baker hadn’t just lost clean in about three minutes.

Butcher and Blade/Lucha Bros vs. Young Bucks/Kenny Omega/Hangman Page

JR: “Not even I could misidentify the Bunny.” Graphic for the week: “Hangman is not happy with this music.” Makes sense as to why he power walks to the ring in front of ht eother three. Page chps away at Blade to start and it’s quickly off to Omega for some kicks to the chest and the running jumping Fameasser (more of a bulldog here) gets two. The Bucks come in for a bunch of dropkicks, including a triple dropkick to Butcher with Omega joining in.

Kenny and the Bucks hit stereo dives to the floor as Page doesn’t look impressed. Everything breaks down and Page comes in to help with that, only to be thrown outside. Fenix hits the crazy springboard flip dive and we take a break. Back with Nick taking care of both Lucha Bros on the floor, including a moonsault from the apron to Fenix. The hot tag brings in Matt for the rolling northern lights suplexes to Fenix, plus a bonus one to both Bros at once.

We settle down to Butcher working over Omega in the corner and shoving him back first onto Blade’s knee. The slugout goes to Butcher but Omega comes back with a hurricanrana. The hot tag brings in Page to clean house, including a springboard clothesline and a slingshot dive. An overhead belly to belly suplex puts Pentagon down and there’s a big moonsault to the floor. Everything breaks down and it’s Matt getting caught in the corner for Fenix’s running kick to the head.

The rolling cutter sets up a powerbomb/top rope shoulder combination but Omega is back in for the save. The Bucks clean house but Page misses the Buckshot lariat. Superkicks abound from the Bucks and Bros. Another Buckshot hits Blade and a fall away slam sends Blade flying but Page’s knee is banged up. Page won’t tag either of the Bucks so it’s a Sling Blade from Pentagon. The spike Fear Factor finishes Page at 13:13.

Rating: B. Who in the world watches the Lucha Bros wrestle that way and then thinks that they should be heels? They’re the best high flying team in the world and that rarely makes you heels. Anyway, the good storytelling continues and they have a ton of options available for what should be a heck of a Tag Team Title match against the Young Bucks at Revolution.

The losers argue post match.

Post break, Omega is in the ring for an interview but we cut to Pac, who stalks threatens Riho. Why Riho doesn’t RUN AWAY when Pac has his back turned to her isn’t clear but Omega agrees to the match so Pac will leave her alone. Pac says he wasn’t going to attack Riho, but she will. Cue Nyla Rose to powerbomb Riho onto (not through) a table and issue a challenge for next week. Well at least the champ is here for once.

Darby Allin can’t breathe after last week’s attack….so he shoots a flamethrower at a cardboard cutout of Jericho and Guevara.

Kip Sabian vs. Joey Janela

We wouldn’t want to miss this blowoff. Janela takes him into the corner and hammers away to start but Sabian is right back with some right hands of his own. A suplex gives Janela two and he kicks Sabian in the back. That’s enough for Janela, who tells Sabian to kick him in the back to keep things even. Sabian goes with a chinlock instead, with Janela fighting up in a hurry. Janela sends him to the apron and then face first into the steps, with Ford ramming the back of his head into the steps again.

Back from a break with Sabian hitting a hanging suplex for two but Janela sends him outside. That means a suicide dive but Janela needs to threaten to punch Ford, allowing Sabian to kick him in the face. Janela blocks a flip dive though and hits a German suplex to drop Sabian on the floor. Back in and Janela hits a superkick, followed by his hard Death Valley Driver for two. Ford gets on the apron to kiss Sabian but Janela knocks her to the floor by mistake, allowing Sabian to roll him up with tights for the pin at 11:21.

Rating: D+. This is up there on the list of least interesting things AEW has done so far as Janela is not worth watching and Sabian, while better, isn’t that much better. The whole feud being about Ford isn’t worth this much time as the feud feels like it has been going on for several months. I’d love for this to be it but the ending suggests another rematch down the line.

The Inner Circle isn’t happy with what happened and Santana swears vengeance. He’ll take Moxley on a walk through the park next week and it’s eye for an eye.

The Bucks ask Page what was up with that but Nick thinks it was the booze talking.

Next week: Riho vs. Nyla Rose for the Women’s Title, SCU vs. Page/Omega for the Tag Team Titles and Moxley vs. Santana.

In two weeks: a tag team battle royal for the Revolution title shot, plus Cody vs. Wardlow in a cage.

In three weeks: Omega vs. Pac in a thirty minute Iron Man match.

Dustin Rhodes knows Cody has this because he’s tougher than MJF thinks.

Here are MJF and Wardlow so Cody can take his ten lashes. Hold on though as MJF wants to use Cody’s belt. MJF snaps it behind his head to play some mind games and Cody is rather jumpy. The first lash hits and MJF takes off his coat as a bunch of heels come to the stage to watch. There’s the second lash so Cody gets in his face and MJF demands Cody hit him. The third lash puts Cody onto the ropes and here’s Arn Anderson to the ring. Arn tells him to give up now but Cody takes another lash, putting him on the mat.

The fifth drops Cody to his face so Dustin Rhodes comes out to say he’ll take the other five lashes. That doesn’t work for MJF so Dustin can go watch with everyone else. MJF gives Cody two in a row and he looks near tears. Now it’s the Bucks coming down to beg Cody to stop and he rolls to the floor for a bit while MJF chills on the ropes. Cody gets back in and tells MJF to do it, meaning there’s the eighth. MJF: “STAY DOWN B****!” Cody fights up and says two more but it’s going to be Wardlow with the last pair.

Wardlow drops him with one shot and Cody can’t pull himself up. MJF says that means no match so here’s Brandi Rhodes (sane this week) to encourage him to get up. MJF hits him in the chest for the tenth but he’s furious that Cody didn’t give up. Cody’s back looks terrible as everyone comes in to check on him….and MJF gets in a low blow before running off with Wardlow (with a fan jumping them but being subdued in a hurry) to end the show.

This was GREAT and maybe the best thing that AEW has done to date. Something like this is all about building the drama and that’s what they did here, with Cody selling the heck out of each one and getting MJF angrier and angrier as he couldn’t keep Cody down. Having people come in to try and convince Cody to stay down was a great piece of storytelling and while you knew how it was going to end, they took you on a good journey to get there and I was into it rather soon. Really great way to end the show and an outstanding segment.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling wasn’t the strongest here but they did a good job with the storytelling and laying the show out. That’s what matters more and I would much rather they focus on that rather than trying to get in the long matches every single week. You can do those on occasion, but it’s a lot better to give us some meat rather than just sizzle. Not a great show this week, but check out the ending segment for sure.

Results

Jon Moxley b. Ortiz – Paradigm Shift

Best Friends b. SCU – Code Red to Trent

Yuka Sakazaki b. Britt Baker – Crucifix rollup

Butcher and Blade/Lucha Bros b. Young Bucks/Kenny Omega/Hangman Page – Spike Fear Factor to Page

Kip Sabian b. Joey Janela – Rollup with a handful of tights

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: AEW

Dark
Date: February 4, 2020
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Tazz
Host: Tony Schiavone

This show has gone in a very different direction over the last few weeks as they have been averaging about half an hour. I’m not sure what that means for the future but it’s been rather nice just getting in and getting out. Granted the show hasn’t been around long enough to exactly have a history or lineage so it could be completely different this time. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony welcomes us to the show and talks about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He’s rather glad that KISS finally got in….six years ago.

Jurassic Express vs. Brandon Cutler/Sonny Kiss

Marko Stunt/Jungle Boy for the Express here. Stunt and Cutler start things off as we hear about Stunt being exactly a foot shorter than Cutler. Not something I’d point out but Stunt is unique or something and that makes it fun. Some rollups give Stunt two and it’s off to Jungle Boy, who ducks underneath a moonsault out of the corner. A multiple springboard armdrag puts Cutler down and it’s off to Kiss for the splits armdrag. Jungle Boy gets laid over the middle rope and Kiss flips forward into a kick to the ribs. This of course means dancing, which is a theme for this match.

Boy beats up both of them at once and launches Stunt onto him in a flipping splash. Cutler is right back to run Stunt over and a swinging slam gives Cutler two. A hurricanrana finally gets Stunt over to the corner though and it’s Boy coming in to clean house. Something like a Last Chancery (with Cutler on his knees instead of on his stomach) has Cutler in trouble but Kiss makes the save. That earns Kiss a trip to the floor and Boy puts Cutler in a Gory Stretch. Stunt comes off the top with a flipping Stunner for the pin at 7:28.

Rating: C-. It was a step above a squash and that’s a good thing, mainly as it didn’t go on too long. Stunt getting a pin is more acceptable in this situation, though it’s still a big stretch to believe that anything he does can do much damage. That being said, Cutler and Kiss are the lowest of low level wrestlers so it’s not like it makes a difference.

We go to therapy with Brandi Rhodes because we need to get her on the show. She knows something isn’t right and has visions of the therapist wearing her own clothes. Brandi needs to let go of the people she hates. I wouldn’t mind if we let go of this story in general but that’s just me.

Mel vs. Hikaru Shida

Back in and Mel hits an enziguri to drop Mel, followed by a snap suplex for two. Mel kicks her down and drops a leg for her own near fall. A few shots to the face are shrugged off and Shida hits a running knee to the face for two more. Luther offers a distraction so Kong can interfere, only to hit Mel with the kendo stick by mistake. Another running knee finishes Mel at 8:16.

Rating: D+. This is another match that just kind of happened, which tends to be the case with the women’s division. The Nightmare Collective is still one of the least interesting groups (out of several of them) in AEW and I don’t need to see them around all that often. Shida is one of the better women in the division, but the thing is such a mess these days that it doesn’t make much of a difference.

Post match Shida leaves so Kong yells at Mel, who fights back. She and Mel double team Kong and send her through the barricade. A legdrop off the steps leaves Kong down. I’m not sure how one of the most dominant female wrestlers ever will deal with an old hardcore “legend” and a loser like Mel.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

From the Jericho cruise.

Kip Sabian/Penelope Ford vs. Kenny Omega/Riho

Gotta get Riho in there. She and Omega are in matching pink and white because they’re long term partners. In Japan but that’s just something we’re supposed to know about. As a bonus, there’s no commentary here and it’s shot indy style with a handheld camera. Ford slaps Omega to start and they lock up as the fans chant for AEW while declaring this wrestling. An exchange of headlocks lets Ford take him down, only to have Omega reverse into a headscissors.

Sabian comes in and says he wants Riho, who works on her own wristlock. That earns her a forearm to the back but she hits a running dropkick and armdrag. Sabian slams her a few times but Riho slips out of a third and brings in Omega to clean house. A running powerslam gives Omega two and it’s Riho coming in for a double stomp and half crab. Back up and Sabian sends them into the corner together but Omega comes out with the jumping Fameasser for two.

It’s back to Riho for some chops in the corner but he takes her over to Ford for the standard stomping and choking package. We’re clipped to Sabian dropping Riho into a camel clutch so Omega can come in for the save. Omega stomps away on her so Ford comes back in to punch Riho in the stomach for two. Riho kicks her down and headscissors Sabian, allowing another hot tag to Omega. You Can’t Escape gets two and Riho’s high crossbody is good for the same.

Sabian scores with an enziguri to Omega and Ford is back in for the handspring elbow. We’re clipped again to Ford hitting a Codebreaker and Sabian adding a legdrop to the back of the head to give her two. Omega finally hits a V Trigger on Sabian and the women come in again, this time with Ford hitting a Stunner for another near fall. Riho misses her top rope double stomp and it’s back to Omega for the slugout and Snapdragon on Sabian. Ford hits Omega low though, leaving Riho to Snapdragon Sabian as well. Omega Snapdragons Ford to even it up and the One Winged Angel finishes Sabian at 16:49.

Rating: C-. Ignoring the parts with Sabian and Omega selling for people half their side or the continued push for Riho, this was a lot longer than it needed to be and not something that needed to be broadcast. It’s one thing as a special feature for the live crowd but having the lack of commentary and handheld camera deal made it feel like I was watching a bad indy. The action was good enough but this didn’t need to air and would have been better left on the cruise deck.

Post match Omega talks about how wrestlers like him are told to stay in their place but this was the beauty of pro wrestling. Now they’re running international TV from a cruise ship and we get some applause for everyone involved. Goodnight and goodbye.

There is no update on Awesome Kong.

Best Friends vs. Shawn Spears/???

It’s another mystery partner and this time that would be….Colin Delaney, with Tully Blanchard thinking he looks good on paper. Is there a point to this story other than making Blanchard look stupid and out of touch? Orange Cassidy and Tully are here of course. Spears flips Cassidy off to start but gets hammerlocked by Trent for his efforts. That’s escaped but Spears cuts himself off from the TEN.

Some chops have Spears wincing and Trent knees him in the chest to send him outside. Delaney (who was the loser jobber in ECW about ten years ago) comes in and armdrags Chuck into an armbar. They flip around a bit into a standoff so Spears comes in at the same time, allowing Chuck to beat them both up. The ring is cleared but Delaney and Spears break up the big hug. Delaney wants his own hug but Spears goes to hug Tully instead.

Back in and Spears gets in an argument with the referee over a count before Delaney grabs a chinlock on Chuck. That’s broken up and it’s Trent coming back in to chop away. A hard clothesline drops Delaney and a running flip dive takes him down as well. Things settle back down and Trent slips out of a double suplex and brings Chuck back in. Soul Food into a half and half suplex gets two on Delaney but Spears crotches Trent on top.

Delaney hits a top rope Stunner into Spears’ Death Valley Driver for two with Chuck making the save. Everything breaks down again so let’s get the Cassidy vs. Blanchard showdown. All four hands go into the pockets and Cassidy does the kicks to the legs but Spears jumps him from behind to break that up. Trent sends Delaney into Spears and it’s a running knee to set up the big hug. That’s enough for Tully and Spears who walk out, leaving Delaney to take Strong Zero for the pin at 15:03.

Rating: D+. What exactly was the point of this? To continue the joke of “Spears needs a partner” which is leading….where? Spears has shown that he is little more than just a hand in the ring and Tully is there with him for the sake of they have nothing else for him. If the best you have is having him put his hands in his pockets so Orange Cassidy can do his signature deal, stop bringing Blanchard out there because he’s a lot more valuable than that.

Delaney and the other three have a group hug.

Tony says goodnight.

Overall Rating: D. So to recap, we had what should have been an extended squash, a match that focused entirely on the Nightmare Collective, that weird indy special match and the latest edition of Spears Needs A Partner/Blanchard Isn’t That Bright. We needed nearly an hour and twenty minutes to get through that? This felt like the lower level card getting their shine and showing why they’re the lower part of the card.

Omega and Riho are the only names of value here and they were in a complete throwaway match which had nothing to do with what they’re doing. It was a waste of time tonight and not a good show, which isn’t a good feeling. Stick with the short and sweet stuff or recaps, not these long, drawn out matches which don’t serve much of a purpose other than catering to people already watching your promotion.

Results

Jurassic Express b. Sonny Kiss/Brandon Cutler – Gory Stretch/Flipping Stunner combination to Cutler

Hikaru Shida b. Mel – Running knee

Kenny Omega/Riho b. Kip Sabian/Penelope Ford – One Winged Angel to Sabian

Best Friends b. Colin Delaney/Shawn Spears – Strong Zero to Delaney

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: AEW

Dynamite
Date: January 15, 2020
Location: Watsco Center, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s the first half of Bash At The Beach, with the second half coming next week from a boat (yes a boat). The big story this week is the fallout from last week with Jon Moxley turning down Chris Jericho’s offer of a spot in the Inner Circle with a champagne bottle. That all but guarantees a title match at Revolution so it’s time to built things up. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Rocky Johnson, though JR makes sure to mention La Parka, Kendo Nagasaki and Pampero Firpo passing away recently as well.

The set has a beach theme, complete with a lifeguard in a swimsuit.

Kenny Omega/Hangman Page vs. Santana/Ortiz vs. Young Bucks vs. Best Friends

They don’t waste time on this show. One fall to a finish for the #1 contendership. Trent shoulders Nick down to start but Nick is back up to miss a kick to the face, giving us a standoff. Page comes in to knock Chuck down so it’s off to Matt vs. Kenny, who shake hands before we’re ready to go. Santana tags himself in and everything breaks down for a bit, with the Bucks taking over again.

It’s Trent getting caught in the Bucks’ corner with Matt hitting the rolling northern lights suplexes. Matt tries one too many though and gets caught with a tornado DDT. It’s Chuck coming in to take over, including a standing Sliced Bread and a sitout powerbomb for two on Matt. Santana breaks up the big hug though and it’s a double belly to back flip to plant Matt. The big flips have Santana and Ortiz in even more in control and it’s the passing delayed vertical suplex to Matt.

Ortiz even throws in the Eddie Guerrero dance for a nice moment. Matt hits the flip Stunner out of the corner but since Nick isn’t on the apron, he tags Omega in instead of Page. Omega cleans house with Snapdragons all around and everything breaks down again. Page moonsaults onto Ortiz and Chuck but Omega’s dive is broken up. Santana hits a springboard flip dive onto Page and Omega, followed by Chuck and Nick hitting stereo flip dives.

Trent one ups them all thoug by superplexing Matt onto the huge pile at ringside to put everyone down. We get the huge group suplex with the Bucks, Omega and Page being suplexes at the same time, with Orange Cassidy coming in for the deciding help. That means a big hug and JR is dying of laughter.

The Best Friends hit stereo piledrivers on Omega and Page and there’s Strong Zero to Omega, with the Bucks having to make the save. The Bucks clean house with superkicks and Page runs into a knee from Chuck. Santana and Ortiz get superkicked to the floor, leaving Trent to have to save Chuck from the Meltzer Driver. Page tags himself in though and low bridges Trent to the floor, leaving Chuck to take the Buckshot Lariat/V Trigger combination to give Page the pin at 16:34.

Rating: A-. This was a blast with almost all action for the better part of seventeen minutes. I know it might not be the best in terms of psychology or build but that’s not the point here. It was a crazy, fast paced match and even managed to advance Page’s issues with the rest of the Elite. Great stuff, set up a title match and had storytelling as well.

Post match the Bucks aren’t happy with Page.

Here’s Cody, looking very Miami Viceish, to address MJF’s conditions for a match. We look at the stipulations (Cody can’t touch him until Revolution, Cody has to take ten lashes on live TV and Cody has to face Wardlow in a cage match) and Cody gets it. He understands what it’s like to have someone steal your thunder so maybe MJF understands that once Wardlow debuts, people will think MJF should be carrying his bags. He’s willing to take the lashes, but the easy one is not touching MJF until Revolution.

Cody is already living rent free inside MJF’s head and everyone knows MJF is stalling. MJF has wanted to be famous his entire life and he’s living off the old school wrestling people saying he’s a real villain. Cody accepts the stipulations and is willing to take the lashes because at Revolution, he’ll give MJF his own scar. More good stuff from Cody here, who feels like a star. That’s impressive in a white suit.

Joey Janela talks about looking forward to a new year but got hit low by Penelope Ford. Now Ford is with Kip Sabian, so Sabian can bring it on. Joey is ready to face Fenix next week and get the year on track in a good way.

Mel/Brandi Rhodes vs. Hikaru Shida/Kris Stadtlander

Luther is here with Mel and Brandi, as commentary tries to explain that we should know who Luther is. Stadtlander goes after Brandi but Mel blocks her, leaving Luther to stop Shida in the aisle. Shida isn’t having that and beats him down with a kendo stick to get inside and save Stadtlander.

Mel gets sent outside to start so Stadtlander kicks her from the apron (clearly missed) and then moonsaults from the apron to the floor for….kind of a slap to the back at best. Shida grabs the chair for the step up knee to Mel’s face as Luther has the referee by mistake. We settle down to Mel choking Shida, followed by Brandi getting in some choking of her own. Stadtlander tries to come in for the save so Brandi and Mel do the switch without making a tag.

JR isn’t sure why you wouldn’t just make a tag when you’re in control and we take a break. Back with Stadtlander coming in and hitting a spinning slam for two on Brandi. Mel makes the save so Shida comes in with a missile dropkick which grazed Mel at best. Brandi spears Stadtlander down for two and Mel plants her down for the same. Shida is back up with a superplex to Mel so Stadtlander can hit a running knee for two. Brandi gets knocked off the apron and it’s a kneeling Tombstone to finish Mel at 11:15.

Rating: D. This thing dragged really badly and felt a lot longer than it actually was. There were a lot of noticeable botches as well with several shots just completely missing. Brandi and Mel didn’t work in the ring here whatsoever while Stadtlander and Shida deserve a lot better than what they got here. This didn’t work in the slightest and was just bad on a lot of levels.

A member of the Dark Order talks to the supreme leader about some cases they’re working on. They want Michael Nakazawa, Brandon Cutler and Hangman Page, all of whom have already been interested in the team or are prime targets. See, now this works, mainly because Evil Uno isn’t involved.

Jon Moxley vs. Sammy Guevara

Moxley drives the expensive car into the arena to show off. Sammy hits a running dropkick in the corner to start but Moxley sends him into another corner and hits a clothesline. A springboard cutter plants Moxley to send him outside though setting up the big running flip dive so Sammy can pose a bit. Moxley is right back up but can’t hit the Paradigm Shift on the apron. Instead Sammy hits a middle rope double stomp to the apron and then poses in the ring for a bonus.

We take a break and come back with Sammy hitting a running shooting star press for two. Moxley’s headlock driver gets two and he goes up top, only to get caught with a super Spanish Fly. A jumping knee to the head sets up a torture rack flipped into another knee to the face for two on Moxley and Sammy can’t believe the kickout. Sammy tries a moonsault press but Moxley pulls him straight into a rear naked choke for the pin at 9:25.

Rating: B. This was Sammy’s big match here as he looked awesome and put up more of a fight than he has in any match he’s had to date. He was hanging in there with Moxley until the surprise ending, which offers another direction for Moxley. I liked this one a lot more than I would have bet on and it wasn’t the glorified squash I was expecting.

Post match Chris Jericho’s music hits and the lights to out. They come back to reveal the Inner Circle so the big beatdown is on in a hurry. Everyone gets in a shot and Jericho pulls a spike off of his jacket. It goes into Moxley’s eye, which is finally enough to bring out the referees.

Post break, Jericho says that was all on Moxley because they offered him the keys to the kingdom and he smashed a champagne bottle on Jericho’s head. They’ll beat up the Jurassic Express next week when Jericho wipes the deck with Jungle Boy’s hair. Oh and they’ll see Moxley next week, even if he can’t see them. Sammy hits on the interviewer before leaving, which fits him perfectly.

Butcher and the Blade/Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Diamond Dallas Page/QT Marshall/Dustin Rhodes

MJF is wearing an “I BANGED DALLAS’ DAUGHTER” shirt, complete with the Diamond sign. Page, who is actually wrestling without a shirt, and MJF start but it’s already off to the Butcher before anything happens. Marshall comes in to face Butcher so it’s already back to MJF as we’re doing that thing. A cartwheel gets on MJF’s nerves and his offer of a handshake just earns him a middle finger.

Dustin comes in and cleans house but Wardlow slips in the diamond ring for a cheap shot. Bunny and Wardlow both get in their cheap shots and we take a break. Back with “Michael” Jacob Friedman dropping down onto Rhodes’ back and striking a few poses. He drops down onto some raised knees as well to crotch himself (an old Arn Anderson spot) and Dustin sends him outside, allowing the hot tag to Page.

House is cleaned with discus lariats all around and a Diamond Cutter drops Butcher. Another Cutter to Page is blocked so Dustin hits a middle rope Canadian Destroyer instead. Now the Cutter connects to send MJF to the floor and Dustin Cannonballs off the apron onto Butcher and Blade. Page DIVES OFF THE TOP ONTO EVERYONE and we spend so much time looking at replays that we miss MJF rolling up Marshall with trunks for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C. Butcher and Blade look more and more useless every single week and that’s not going to help them. It doesn’t help when Bunny is getting every bit of the attention and that isn’t going to stop anytime soon. MJF getting the pin was the only logical option to pick here but Page was the star of this match and looked like he did 20 years ago (when he was in his 40s, because he’s that much of a freak).

A drunk Hangman Page interrupts SCU’s interview but Omega breaks it up. Omega shows respect and everything is cool, mainly because he gets Page out of there.

Darby Allin vs. Pac

The winner faces Moxley next week for the #1 contendership. Darby starts flipping a lot and dropkicks Pac down, only to walk into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. A shotgun dropkick puts Pac on the floor but he’s fine enough to counter a hurricanrana into a swing into the steps. Back from a break with Allin being sent into the barricade and a missile dropkick connecting back inside. Allin reverses a super Samoan drop into a super crucifix bomb and the adrenaline is flowing.

A Coffin Drop to the floor drops Pack again and a Code Red gets two on Pac back inside. Pac cuts off a baseball slide by tying Allin in the ring skirt and a hard clothesline gives Pac two. We get a quick pinfall reversal sequence and we have five minutes of TV time remaining. Pac grabs a sitout powerbomb for two, with Tony freaking out on the kickout. Allin gets headbutted off the top though and the Black Arrow to the back finishes Allin at 11:46.

Rating: B-. This was a good example of how to pick someone apart as Pac destroyed Allin’s back the entire match. Pac vs. Moxley should be a heck of a fight and the cool atmosphere should make it even better. Allin continues to wrestle very hard every single week and he has become a star by doing it. Nice match here and Pac looks like a killer.

Post match Pac declares himself #1 contender because Moxley can’t go next week. Pac is coming for Jericho and the title but Tony cuts him off. We see Moxley, with his eye bandaged, being loaded into an ambulance but he gets out and comes to the ring. Moxley says he’ll wrestle blind if he has to and promises to go on to Revolution because it’s his title shot.

Overall Rating: B+. They were this close to having a classic show but the women’s tag and the six man didn’t do them any favors. What worked here worked very well though with the great opener and some awesome angle advancement throughout. It was a heck of a show with everyone working hard and Revolution really starting to take shape. I liked this one a lot and if you fix the glaring problems, it’s their best show ever by a mile.

Results

Kenny Omega/Hangman Page b. Santana and Ortiz, Best Friends and Young Bucks – V Trigger/Buckshot Lariat combination to Taylor

Kris Stadtlander/Hikaru Shida b. Mel/Brandi Rhodes – Kneeling Tombstone to Mel

Jon Moxley b. Sammy Guevara – Rear naked choke

Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Butcher and the Blade b. QT Marshall/Diamond Dallas Page/Dustin Rhodes – Rollup with trunks to Marshall

Pac b. Darby Allin – Black Arrow

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: AEW

Dynamite
Date: January 8, 2020
Location: Landers Center, Southaven, Mississippi
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re in the south again this week and it’s time for Jon Moxley to make his decision about joining the Inner Circle. That could go multiple ways but I think you know where this is headed. Other than that, we’ll be getting a tribute to Memphis wrestling legends, which seems prime for a certain loudmouthed rich kid to come in and mess everything up. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Memphis broadcasting legend Dave Brown is on commentary.

Kenny Omega/Hangman Page vs. Private Party

Page, whose name graphic says he’s “not gonna pay Private Party that $12”, and Quen start things off with the fans wanting some cowboy s***. Page slugs away to start but gets sent into the corner, with Kassidy coming in for a top rope double stomp/neckbreaker combination, plus a running knee to knock Omega off the apron. An elbow to the face gets Page out of trouble and it’s off to Omega, with Page seemingly getting along with him just fine.

A backbreaker plants Kassidy so it’s already back to Page, only to have Kassidy fight out of the corner. Kassidy hits a slingshot Downward Spiral to plant Omega and it’s a double tag off to Page and Quen. A standing C4 gets two on Page with Omega having to make the save. Everything breaks down and it’s a powerbomb to Kassidy, setting up Omega’s running knee to the back for two more.

Kassidy is right back with the Silly String for two but Page loads up a powerbomb. That’s broken up with a double dropkick to send Page into Omega though and Gin and Juice gets a VERY close two on Omega. Quen gets flipped away by Omega, but it lands in a Pele on Page as Omega panics. Page is fine enough to hit a Buckshot lariat as Omega nails the V Trigger. The One Winged Angel finishes Quen at 12:25.

Rating: C+. It was an energetic match and continued the story of Page’s issues, though I’m still not sure how this is going to wind up going. I could see Page being the leader of the Dark Order or just turning on Omega whenever he faces Pac again, but maybe they have something else in mind.

Post match Page and Omega seem fine but it’s Pac popping up on screen with Michael Nakazawa in the Brutalizer. Page demands his rubber match with Omega, who runs to the back. I’m so glad Nakazawa was there because he never wrestles but rather just stands in the back so Pac can beat him up.

Brandi Rhodes replaces Brown on commentary.

Women’s Title: Riho vs. Kris Stadtlander

Riho is defending but has bad ribs after last week. Brandi says that she’s more interested in having a nap than watching this match and asks if Excalibur takes his mask off to shower. Excalibur says that he keeps it on because of lucha libre tradition. I would have thought it’s because he thinks it’s a lot cooler than it really is.

Riho has to bridge out of an early cover but Stadtlander blocks a 619. The tilt-a-whirl backbreaker plants Riho for two and we take a break. Back with Stadtlander hitting a delayed superplex but here’s the Nightmare Collective at ringside. Riho gets kicked in the face but manages an elbow to Stadtlander’s face. The referee checks on her and it’s the Collective pulling Riho off the apron.

Stadtlander dives onto both of them as Brandi comes out to the ring. She and Stadtlander yell at each other but here’s the bald guy from the Nightmare Collective (identified as Luther, the Japanese deathmatch legend) to grab Stadtlander. Kong clotheslines Stadtlander down so Riho dives onto Luther instead of covering.

Back in and Riho misses the top rope double stomp, allowing Stadtlander to gorilla press her way up. That’s countered into a rollup for two, followed by Stadtlander’s Michinoku Driver for the same. Stadtlander loads up a piledriver but Kong trips her up, allowing Riho (who didn’t seem to see the interference) to get the rollup to retain at 9:35.

Rating: C-. And so much for that. They seemed to have something going with Stadtlander but hey let’s go with Riho retaining again and the focus being on the Nightmare Collective. I know Riho isn’t as bad as some people would say but egads people. You have so much talent out there and Riho is going over all of them for reasons that I don’t quite grasp. If Riho is that much more over than the rest of the division, she can survive without the title for a bit. But yeah it’s all about the Nightmare Collective (read as Brandi), again.

Post match the beatdown is on but some of the women’s roster, watching from the crowd, jump the barricade for the save.

Video on Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford.

Sammy Guevara vs. Christopher Daniels

Sammy has been saying Daniels doesn’t have it anymore so Daniels starts with a bunch of armdrags and chops in the corner. Sammy is right back with a fireman’s carry, with squats, into a Samoan drop for two. The 450 misses though and it’s a t-bone suplex to send Guevara down.

A running knee and running shooting star press give Sammy two but Daniels gets the same off a backslide. There’s a release Rock Bottom from Daniels but hang on as here’s Pentagon Jr. to show Daniels he can still do the Arabian moonsault. The distraction lets Sammy hit a jumping knee and a superkick to the back of the head for the pin at 5:49.

Rating: C-. This was much more about the storyline advancement than the wrestling and that’s fine. The Daniels doesn’t have it anymore story is perfectly fine and I’m curious to see which way they take to wrap it up. That’s more important than having some outstanding match here as the future is more of a positive than the present.

Post match it’s the Dark Order with Evil Uno saying that he’s known Daniels for fifteen years. Daniels isn’t the man he once was but they can help him with that. Uno holds up the mask but Daniels throws it back at him, meaning the big beatdown is on. SCU and the Young Bucks (that’s a nice addition as they should be out here) run in for the save. House is cleaned and Daniels hits the BME on Uno.

Cody/Dustin Rhodes vs. Lucha Bros

Arn Anderson is here with Cody and Dustin. Cody and Pentagon pose off to start so Cody sends him into the ropes. The Fear Factor and Cross Rhodes are both blocked so it’s Fenix and Dustin coming in for one of the strangest combinations I can imagine. Dustin gets kicked to the floor for the suicide dive and Pentagon adds the top rope double stomp for two as we take a break.

Back with Dustin still in trouble but Anderson kicks a chair away from Fenix. Dustin grabs a spinebuster to set up the hot tag to Cody, who can’t quite hit a headlock takeover/hurricanrana combination. Fenix kicks Cody in the head though and grabs a rolling cutter to drop him again. The rope run kick to the head drops Cody and the Pentagon Driver nearly drops him on his head. Dustin makes the save and hits a Canadian Destroyer on Fenix. The Cody Cutter sets up the Final Reckoning to give Dustin the pin at 10:15.

Rating: B-. I could watch the Lucha Bros do their awesome spots and flips for days as they are just so smooth out there. They lose too often though and while that’s not a problem yet, it might become one someday. Just let them win a few matches to keep their status and their talent will do the rest. Good match here though and the best one of the night so far.

Post match Arn says he and Cody will talk about MJF’s demands and get back to him next week.

Lanny Poffo talks about how great the Memphis legends are and he’s glad to be here.

Here are MJF and Wardlow with MJF wanting Cody out here right now. After giving him a ten count, it’s Diamond Dallas Page interrupting MJF instead. Page lists off his resume and we get a YOGA chant. As MJF checks his phone (so appropriate for him), Page puts over AEW and plugs his Instagram before saying people have been asking him for one more match. MJF: “ENOUGH!”

MJF doesn’t want to fight them but these guys do. Cue the Butcher, the Bunny and the Blade as MJF says Page can kiss the ring, or MJF can have one of Page’s daughters. The fight is on with Page laying out Butcher and Blade but getting kicked low by MJF. QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes make the save. Page took WAY too long to get to the point here and is still one of the most protected guys in the company despite not really being in the company.

Orange Cassidy/Best Friends vs. Jurassic Express

Jungle Boy dropkicks Trent to start so it’s off to Stunt, who psyches himself up for a bit until Trent shoves him down. Stunt does his floss dance and it’s Boy coming in to put Trent down. Everything breaks down and we take a break. Back with Luchasaurus coming in to hit everyone in a hurry.

The Tail Whip hits Trent and it’s off to Cassidy to the big reaction. The slow motion kicks to the legs don’t do much to Luchasaurus but a Stundog Millionaire sends him to the floor. Cassidy hits his hands in the pockets dive but it’s Marko hitting a spinning Downward Spiral to Chuck. A Canadian Destroyer makes it worse so Stunt gets tossed onto Trent on the floor. Back in and Jungle Boy grabs a rollup for the pin at 10:42.

Rating: C. This was a good example of a lot of the things that get on my nerves about these guys. It isn’t the fact that Stunt is so small or the fact that Cassidy isn’t really funny. It’s having them do the same gags over and over. Stunt does the dance and Cassidy does the slow kicks. Those bits were funny once or maybe twice but we see them in every match. It’s like something we have to get through rather than something that should be included.

Here’s the Inner Circle for Jon Moxley’s answer. Moxley comes down as Jericho says he would beat up Elvis if he was here because the Beatles were way better. The car is gassed up and ready to go and Beal Street is blocked off for the Inner Circle only. Jericho asks the question so Moxley talks about how he has a lot of goals. Moxley doesn’t want a car or money but rather to dominate. That’s why he says yes, because the Inner Circle is the most dominant force in AEW. They can stand together and dominate AEW so let’s open up some of the bubbly.

Moxley asks for the car keys and is proud of having the $750,000 Ford. Sammy Guevara and Jake Hager leave but Moxley says cut the music. Moxley says he’s forgotten one thing: he’s just kidding because the Inner Circle is stupid. The only thing he wants is the World Title so Moxley breaks a bottle over Jericho’s head. Paradigm Shifts abound and Moxley, with the keys, bails before Hager can kill him. There’s nothing wrong with setting up an angle where you know what is coming but get strung along for a bit on the way there and they did it well here.

Overall Rating: C-. This was another one of their weak entries as the wrestling was just kind of there for the most part with nothing being all that memorable. It’s still a completely watchable show, but there were things that just left me sitting there and a good closing angle to set up the Revolution main event. Just not much of note here, though it was far from bad.

Results

Kenny Omega/Hangman Page b. Private Party – One Winged Angel to Quen

Riho b. Kris Stadtlander – Rollup

Sammy Guevara b. Christopher Daniels – Superkick to the back of the head

Cody/Dustin Rhodes b. Lucha Bros – Final Reckoning to Fenix

Jurassic Express b. Orange Cassidy/Best Friends – Rollup to Taylor

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:

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