WrestleCon: USA vs. The World
Date: April 2, 2022
Location: Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Veda Scott

This is about as obvious of an idea as you can get: take a bunch of wrestlers from WrestleCon weekend and put them in a bunch of matches, one country vs. the rest. This show has a tendency to be one of the weaker of the WrestleCon offerings but there are some talented people on the card. Let’s get to it.

Warrior Wrestling Lucha Libre Title: Sam Adonis (USA) vs. La Hiedra (World) vs. Mr. Iguana (World) vs. Golden Dragon (World)

Adonis is defending and this is one fall to a finish. Iguana jumps on Adonis’ back to start, allowing Dragon to hit a superkick. Hiedra goes after Iguana, who fights her off using the magic of his hand puppet. Adonis is back in with a Death Valley Driver as Scott tries to figure out if an iguana is a reptile or an amphibian. Dragon comes back in to clear the ring so Hiedra armdrags him to the floor. Back in and Adonis shrugs off Hiedra chops before dropping her with one shot.

That just earns him a low blow into a DDT, setting up a low bridge to send Adonis outside. Using Iguana as a helping hand, Hiedra walks the ropes to dive onto Adonis for the big crash. Back in and Iguana headscissors dragon down but gets caught with a slingshot reverse suplex for two. Adonis comes back in but Hiedra breaks up a superplex by turning it into a Tower of Doom. Iguana catches Dragon with a spinning DDT but Dragon counters a super hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb for two of his own. Adonis is back in with a kiss and punch to Hiedra, followed by a 450 to Dragon to retain the title at 8:03.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of lucha four way that you start a show with to crank up the energy and that is what they had here. Adonis is a rather good heel that you want to see get taken down but he escapes with the title while being quite the despicable person. Iguana seems to be quite the popular gimmick star and Dragon is a smaller luchador who should be fine. Hiedra did her stuff quite well too, making this a rather fun opener.

USA – 1
World – 0

Jessica Troy (World) vs. Rachael Ellering (USA)

They shake hands to start and we’re ready to go, with Ellering taking her into the corner without much trouble. With that not being to her liking, Troy takes it to the mat for an armbar and the grappling begins. With an assortment of cranking not working, they get back up, this time with Ellering casually tossing her with a release gutwrench suplex. Troy pops back up and hits a springboard wristdrag out of the corner, setting up some running knees for two.

Back up and Ellering snaps off some chops, which has the fans rather pleased. Troy gets sent into the corner for two as the beating is on. The backsplash gives Ellering two and she might be getting a bit frustrated. Back up and Troy avoids a charge and hits some running shots in the corner, setting up a top rope tornado DDT for two. It’s time to go after Ellering’s arm, including what looked to be a Shayna Baszler style stomp.

The cross armbreaker is blocked though and Ellering is back with a spinebuster for two as the pace is picking way up. Troy grabs a Codebreaker onto the arm and they’re both down again. They strike it out (with Troy wisely staying on the arm) until Ellering has to roll her way out of a Fujiwara armbar. Troy slaps it right back on and cranks even more but this time Ellering sends her outside. Back in and a swinging Boss Man Slam gives Ellering two, leaving her rather annoyed. A powerbomb is countered into another Fujiwara armbar but Ellering counters the counter into a cradle for the pin at 15:00.

Rating: B. Oh yeah this worked rather well and came off as a star making performance from Troy. Both women were working hard here and they had a story with Ellering as the powerhouse and Troy trying to take her down piece by piece. I got pulled into this one and it was a heck of a match which might even be hard for the rest of the show to top. Check out more Troy, as she seems rather good.

USA – 2
World – 0

Davey Richards (USA) vs. Mike Bailey (World)

Respect is shown before the match and they go straight to the mat grappling. The test of strength fight goes on with both of them being flipped over. Richards starts cranking on the arm and chokes a bit, with Bailey flipping backwards into a choke of his own. Bailey cranks on the arm until Richards gets to the ropes and kicks Bailey’s arm into it to take over. A kneebar over the ropes has Bailey in trouble, though the idea of Bailey selling anything on his knee is hilarious.

Back in and Richards grabs a modified Tequila Sunrise to stay on the leg, followed by the hard kicks to the chest. They slug it out until Bailey hits his rapid fire kicks (I knew it) and sends him outside for the dive. More kicks set up the running corkscrew shooting star press for two on Richards but he’s right back up with another leglock. The rope is eventually grabbed so they head to the apron for kicks to the chest.

Bailey gets dragon screw legwhipped in the ropes, but is right back up with a standing moonsault knees to the chest because MIKE BAILEY DOES NOT SELL KNEES EVER BECAUSE THIS IS FREAKING DUMB! Bailey goes up top so Richards joins him for an exchange of headbutts and a top rope superplex brings Bailey back down. Back up and they slug it out, with Bailey firing off more kicks.

Richards pulls one into an ankle lock, which is probably just going to recharge Bailey at this point. With that broken up, Richards hits a top rope double stomp for two, followed by a brainbuster for the same. The ankle lock is broken up and Bailey sends him into the corner for…..bear with me….a double spinning kick to the face, setting up the Ultimate Weapon (shooting star knees to the back) for the pin on Richards at 14:35.

Rating: D. That’s as high as I can go and yes I’m sure I’ll get a lot of eye rolls. I understand the idea of getting your stuff in and MOVEZ but this was a total waste of Richards’ time. He spent the better part of ten minutes working the leg and Bailey is literally up flipping and bouncing around with no trouble or issues whatsoever. Bailey was around multiple times during the week and this might have been the best selling job he did, at least in matches I’ve seen. This was dumb and I feel bad for wasting my time on it.

USA – 2
World – 1

Caleb Konley/Flip Gordon/Gringo Loco (USA) vs. Aeroboy/Arez/Aramis (World)

Gordon and Aeroboy start things off with Aeroboy taking him to the mat for a quickly broken headscissors. Gordon counters a headscissors but gets hurricanranaed down. Aramis comes in so Gordon bounces around with a series of nipups. It’s off to Loco for more flipping but he gets sent outside rather quickly. Arez and Konley come in for an exchange of takedowns and, believe it or not, flips.

A kick to the head drops Konley so it’s Loco coming in, only to get hurricanranaed. Aeroboy comes back in to grab a running cutter as everything breaks down. We settle down to Gordon suplexing Aramis for two and handing it back to Konley for a belly to back. Gordon grabs an STF (Submit To Flip) and his partners grab holds of their own. With that broken up, Aeroboy gets caught in the wrong corner for the triple teaming. Everything breaks down and the World team all hit dives to the floor.

Back in and a double stomp into a Swanton gets a triple cover near fall on Konley, with Loco making the save. The Americans are back up for their own series of dives, including Loco hitting a step up flip dive to the floor. Aramis hits his own flip dive to drop the pile but Gordon kicks him right back down. Back in and Gordon misses a 450, setting up a torture rack powerbomb to give Aramis the pin (as his partners get their own covers at the same time) at 14:56.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of six man insanity that you would expect from a lucha show. The World team looked great and were flying around as well as you could ask them to. Gordon continues to be someone who seemed ready to break through to the next level but it never exactly did. Konley is a good hand anywhere he goes and Loco is rather good as a high flier. Fun match and that’s what it was supposed to be.

USA – 2
World – 2

WorkHorsemen (USA) vs. Extreme Tiger/Bandido (World)

Tiger takes Henry down to start and gets a middle finger for his efforts, which will certainly help American and Mexican relations. Henry takes him down by the leg but gets pulled into a surfboard. That’s broken up as well and they spin up to a standoff. Tiger snapmares him into the corner and Henry is looking a bit frustrated. They go chest to chest before handing it off to Bandido and the bigger Drake.

Bandido gets shouldered down but he’s back up with a flip to annoy Drake a bit. Back up and Drake jumps over Bandido for a change, setting up a hurricanrana to stun the fans. Drake gets sent outside though and it’s Henry coming in to chop at Tiger. Back in and Drake grabs a chinlock for a bit before unloading with chops in the corner. A Shining Wizard gives Henry two but Drake misses the Vader Bomb, allowing the hot tag to Bandido.

That means a top rope twisting dive onto the Drake and Henry, setting up a running hurricanrana to Henry. Tiger comes back in and spins Henry around in a Tumbleweed for two but Drake runs Tiger and Bandido over with a double clothesline. Henry dropkicks Tiger into a belly to back suplex and Bandido’s 21 Plex is broken up. Instead, Bandido grabs a pop up cutter on Henry before chopping it out with Drake. For some reason Drake goes up and Bandido gorilla presses him down (because of course he can do that), setting up the 21 Plex for the pin at 16:08.

Rating: B. This was a nice mesh of two styles as you have the old school southern style team with Drake and Henry (or close to that style at least) against the lucha team. It worked well here, as Bandido’s strength continues to be nothing short of uncanny. Good match here and I was getting more into it than I expected by the end.

World – 3
USA – 2

Calvin Tankman (USA) vs. Big Damo (World)

This is a hoss fight, with Tankman from MLW and Damo being better known as Killian Dain. They go with the power lockups to start and neither get anywhere. The running shoulders don’t work either so Damo kicks him in the ribs for some more success. Back up and Tankman hits a flying shoulder to put Damo on the floor, meaning it’s time for a strike off. They head back inside, where Tankman forearms him into the corner.

Damo is right back with a running dropkick into another corner, setting up the neck crank. Tankman fights up for a slam into a splash for two but Damo hits a running crossbody for the double knockdown. Back up and Damo knocks him into the corner, only to miss another Vader bomb. Tankman scores with a spinning back elbow, setting up the Tankman Driver (over the shoulder piledriver) for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: C. They went with the simple and classic idea here of having two big men beat on each other until one of them couldn’t get up. Tankman is a huge guy but moves very well, while Damo is more of your big pounding brawler. It wasn’t a great match but it was a fun one and that is enough to work.

USA – 3
World – 3

Rev Pro Cruiserweight Title: Michael Oku (World) vs. Rich Swann (USA)

Oku is defending and the fans are split to start. Swann grabs a quickly broken headlock and sticks the landing on a hurricanrana for a standoff. Oku’s headlock works a bit better and he runs Swann over to take control for the first time. Some stomping in the corner sets up a chinlock, which is broken up just as quickly. Swann hits a running dropkick to rock the champ as a NEW CHAMP/OLD CHANT chant off begins.

A running kick to the back of the head gives Swann two and it’s off to something like a seated abdominal stretch. They head outside with Swann putting him in a chair and running around the ring for a boot to the face. Swann tries to do it again but this time gets cut off with a dropkick. Oku can’t follows up and gets chinlocked back inside, which of course triggers the comeback.

A jumping DDT drops Swann and a missile dropkick gets two. Swann kicks him back down and hits a rolling splash for two but the middle rope 450 misses. There’s a springboard moonsault to give Oku two and the half crab (his signature) goes on. Swann bails out to the floor so Oku is right after him with a running flip dive.

Back up and Swann kicks him down from the apron, followed by a spinning kick to the face back inside. They slug it out until Oku hits a spinning kick to the head into a Codebreaker. A frog splash gives Oku two but Swann is fine enough to pull him off the top. Swann loads up a missile dropkick but dives into the half crab for the tap to retain Oku’s title at 19:34.

Rating: B. Main event worthy match here between two bigger names. Oku is someone who has done rather well in the times that I have seen him, even if the half crab is a bit of a stretch as a major finisher. Swann is going to give you a good match no matter what he is doing so they set this up well and then paid it off even better.

World – 4
USA – 3

Respect is shown post match. Oku grabs the mic and thanks Swann for the match while getting the fans to thank him as well. Swann says if someone has heart like Oku, it doesn’t matter where you’re from because you can inspire people with professional wrestling.

Overall Rating: B. Mike Bailey’s no-selling nonsense aside, this was a rather good show and a lot better than I would have bet on. The previous USA vs. the World was little more than a “well, if I have nothing else to do” show but this had multiple matches that pulled me in and got me interested. They put on a good show here with a minimal concept behind it and that’s impressive, so nice job.

 

 

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Rampage
Date: May 20, 2022
Location: Fertitta Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Ricky Starks

We are less than two weeks away from Double Or Nothing and now it is time for the card to really get hammered home. This time around, that only includes one Owen Hart Tournament match, which seems like a drop compared to recent weeks. The Blackpool Combat Club is here though so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

House Of Black vs. Dark Order/Fuego del Sol

Black has no time for Evil Uno to start so it’s off to Fuego, who gets taken down into a kneebar. Matthews comes in and stomps away but Fuego gets over to Uno to pick up the pace. Black tags himself back in though and the House cleans itself as we take a break. Back with 10 cleaning house but he can’t get the full nelson. Everything breaks down and Uno gets to kick King in the face over and over but a kick to the face sets up the Ganso Bomb for the pin at 9:20.

Rating: C. This is a good example of what has been wrong with the House of Black: there is no reason for it to take nearly ten minutes for the full strength team to beat these three. Fuego is the definition of a loser and the Dark Order are a low level team. Why is it taking that long to complete what should have been a four minute squash? Make them look dominant, not like they have to rally to win.

Post match Death Triangle comes out and unveils a House Of Black tombstone with DOUBLE OR NOTHING included. Thank goodness. Have the match already so we can move on to anything else.

Anthony Bowens has been injured and the Gunn Club promises a reunion when he’s healthy again.

FTR is down for a Ring Of Honor Title match against Roppongi Vice. Oh and they want the IWGP Tag Team Titles too.

Shawn Spears vs. Big Damo

That would be Killian Dain, formerly of NXT fame. Damo takes him down to start and hammers away inside, only to miss the Vader Bomb. A running knee and the C4 (Spears: “WARDLOW!”) finishes Damo at 1:38. That was a bit unexpected.

The Undisputed Elite teases a Fingerpoke of Doom once they get to the Owen Hart finals. Or they could do it seriously, which works for both of them. The Young Bucks also want the Hardys at Double Or Nothing.

Owen Hart Foundation Tournament First Round: Red Velvet vs. Kris Statlander

Ruby Soho is on commentary and doesn’t seem to like Jericho. Statlander starts fast with a one armed gorilla press (because of course she can do that) but misses a charge, allowing Velvet to tie her up in the rink skirt. We take a break and come back with Statlander taking her down but getting caught with the Final Slice for two. Statlander’s Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same and a wheelbarrow faceplant gives Velvet two more. Back up and Statlander clotheslines her down but can’t hit the Big Bang Theory. Instead Velvet counters into a rollup, which is countered into a rollup to give Statlander the pin at 7:35.

Rating: C. Little surprised by the ending there and that is a nice feeling. Statlander going forward is more interesting than one of Cargill’s minions, even if Soho vs. Baker seems like a more likely final. I’m glad to see Statlander getting to move up the ladder a bit, as she hasn’t had much going on in recent months.

Post match the Baddie Section comes in for the beatdown and Ruby Soho’s save fails. Anna Jay comes in and grabs Mark Sterling’s crutch for the real save.

Mark Sterling, Tony Nese and Hookhausen are all training for Double Or Nothing. Danhausen is cranking on those one pound weights.

Here are the Men of the Year for a chat. They mock the end of the Inner Circle (Jericho: “That’s a low blow.”) and Scorpio Sky wants the TNT Title back from Sammy Guevara. We cut to Guevara, who breaks the title with a sledgehammer. Frankie Kazarian pops up to take over, leaving Sammy to kiss Tay Conti. Kazarian promises more violence. AEW has a roster deeper than anyone could ask for these days and these two are STILL FIGHTING???

Britt Baker mocks Toni Storm’s record in big matches. Storm threatens to knock her teeth out.

Dante Martin and Matt Sydal like the idea of peace, love and pro wrestling. The Blackpool Combat Club doesn’t agree.

Here’s what is coming on various shows.

Jade Cargill is ready for Anna Jay at Double Or Nothing.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Dante Martin/Matt Sydal

William Regal is on commentary. The Club jumps them to start and it’s Moxley getting two off a suplex to Martin. Danielson comes in for some forearms to the head as Regal sings the praises of cauliflower faces. Martin avoids a charge to send Moxley into the post and it’s off to Sydal to pick up the pace.

We take a break and come back with Martin cleaning house but missing the Nose Dive. Danielson catches him on top with the butterfly superplex, setting up the LeBell Lock. The rope is reached so Danielson starts kicking away at the ribs, but what looks to be a Hart Attack is broken up. Everything breaks down and Sydal hits a Meteora to Danielson on the apron. Danielson is up in time to save Moxley from the Nose Dive, leaving Moxley to hit a piledriver. That’s good for two, so Danielson and Moxley come in for the hard elbows. The Paradigm Shift finishes Martin at 12:05.

Rating: C+. This was a little too similar to the opener, in that the established team, especially two main eventers like Danielson and Moxley, shouldn’t be needing twelve minutes to put away Martin and Sydal. It shouldn’t have been a squash, but this was a bit lengthy for something that should have been done more quickly.

Post match, the Jericho Appreciation Society runs in to go after the Combat Club. Santana and Ortiz runs in for the big brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one all that much as it didn’t feel like a very important show. The wrestling was perfectly fine and it didn’t have a bad match, but there was nothing on here that I’m going to remember in a few hours. As has always been the case though: it’s an hour long, and that is WAY too short to have me begging for it to end. Even a weaker Rampage is still fine TV and that’s what we had this week.

Results
House of Black b. Fuego del Sol/Dark Order – Ganso Bomb to Uno
Shawn Spears b. Big Damo – C4
Kris Statlander b. Red Velvet – Rollup
Blackpool Combat Club b. Dante Martin/Matt Sydal – Paradigm Shift to Martin

 

 

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 8, 2016
Location: Barclayard Arena, Birmingham, England
Attendance: 3,500
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Angelo Dinero

It’s the final night of the UK tour and also the last night of Kurt Angle’s TNA run. Expect to see a lot about Angle tonight as we wrap up his nearly ten year run with the company with a match against Lashley. Other than that it’s hard to say what else we’ll see here but I have a feeling it’s going to include British wrestlers losing a lot because that’s how TNA keeps the fans excited. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick video on Angle’s final match.

Dixie Carter is in the ring to open things up with the roster and several backstage workers around the ring. She introduces Kurt for his big goodbye and gives him a nice speech without trying to cry. Drew Galloway says he came to TNA for several reasons, including to wrestle the best competition in the world.

Wrestling Kurt is a master class in wrestling and this is a roster that wanted to be professional wrestlers instead of football players or whatever (always get in those shots at WWE guys). Kurt says this retirement has made him better and he’s the luckiest man on this planet. This brings out Lashley to say that while he respects Kurt, it’s going to be a rough last night for him. Lashley thanks Angle for getting him into this business but realizes that Kurt just isn’t ready for tonight.

King of the Mountain Title: Eric Young vs. Bram vs. Big Damo vs. Will Ospreay vs. Jimmy Havoc

King of the Mountain match with Young defending. This is the reverse ladder match where you have to hang the title above the ring. In order to do that though, you have to become eligible by getting a fall on someone, which also sends that someone to a penalty box for one minute. Josh explains the WAY too complicated rules and finally gets around to actually listing off the challengers. Ospreay pins Havoc with a crucifix and goes up the ladder with Young making a save. Havoc gets out and goes on top of the box for a dive to take out Damo and Bram.

Eric piledrives Havoc onto the steps and gets the easy pin to become eligible as well, sending Havoc back to the box in the process. Bram gets a pin on Damo with the Brighter Side of Suffering a few seconds later, giving us a showdown between Young and Bram over who goes up the ladder. Both guys shove each other off the ladder (allowing Josh to get in even more “playing defense” lines) until Ospreay dropkicks Eric off the ladder as well. Young dives off the top with a neckbreaker to put Will down and hang the title to retain at 6:44.

Rating: D. I’m so glad we had this seven minute gimmick match with all the violence and carnage with Young holding on to the title because that’s what the midcard consists of these days. You kind of knew that they weren’t giving it to anyone new here as they’re likely done after this tour. Above that though, I continue to want to cry every time I see Young and Bram standing next to each other with Young getting the push.

Jeff Hardy will be back next week to deal with Young.

We look back at Angle’s debut at Genesis 2006.

Maria talks to Dixie Carter about Mike Bennett and Dixie agrees to give him a chance. Dixie isn’t as wild on Maria being an asset to the Knockouts without seeing some actions.

Decay video.

Back from a break with Maria and Bennett in the ring with Mike saying this company needs him now more than ever. Angle, who ducked him, is leaving so let’s just name him #1 contender already. Instead it’s Drew Galloway with the Feast or Fired case to say that Bennett needs to actually win something. Bennett is ready to fight and says get Dixie but Drew punches him in the face to start a brawl. Mike is chased off by the threat of a Claymore Kick.

Another Kurt moment saw him winning the World Title at Slammiversary 2007. If nothing else this gives us the sweet tones of Don West.

The Wolves and Angle suck up to each other. Kurt passes the ankle lock on to Richards.

Knockouts Title: Jade vs. Gail Kim

Kim is defending after Jade attacked her last week. Gail jumps her to start and fires off forearms in the corner but Jade grabs her with something like an AA. That’s it for her offense at the moment as Gail takes her down and puts on a Figure Four around the post. Back in and Jade grabs an Indian Deathlock with a chinlock, followed by a Fujiwara armbar. Gail avoids a missile dropkick and clotheslines her down for two (playing defense according to Josh). Eat Defeat is countered into a German suplex for another near fall. Jade tries a high cross body but Gail rolls through for the pin to retain (of course) at 6:35.

Rating: C-. Well of course Gail retained because if she didn’t, we might have someone other than Gail Kim as Knockouts Champion and that’s just not a world I want to live in. It seems that we’re leading towards Maria taking the title and possibly taking over the Dollhouse because that needs to be a thing for some reason. The match was fine, albeit identical to almost every Gail Kim match in recent weeks.

Video on Ethan Carter III vs. Rockstar Spud from last week. Carter gets a shot at Hardy next week on the live show.

Matt is livid about having to defend against Ethan again and claims a conspiracy. It doesn’t matter though as he knows he can beat Ethan again.

Tag Team Titles: Wolves vs. Beer Money

The Wolves are defending in this dream match which is so important that neither team gets an entrance. Eddie takes over on Bobby to start and it’s quickly off to Storm who gets taken down for some elbows to the back. Apparently there was no tag in there so Roode stays in, allowing the Wolves to kick both challengers to the floor for a double suicide dive.

Things settle down to Storm working on a waistlock on Eddie, followed by Roode slapping on a chinlock. Eddie can’t get over for a tag so he settles for two off a sunset flip instead. A double hurricanrana drops both challengers and the hot tag brings in Davey as we take a break. Back with Davey putting Eddie in a leg lock and taking Davey down into an ankle lock at the same time.

Beer Money gets to the ropes and everything breaks down, leaving Storm to enziguri Eddie on the top. A hurricanrana drops Eddie to set up a top rope splash from Roode for two with Davey making the save. There’s the double suplex to Eddie but he breaks up DWI. Davey goes up top but dives into Closing Time, only to land badly and tear his ACL, putting him on the shelf for six to nine months. Last Call into a spinebuster gets two on Eddie before DWI gives Beer Money the titles back at 16:14.

Rating: B. Not exactly a classic but it was a really good match that lived up to enough of the hype. It’s always a shame to see someone go down to an injury like that but I can’t imagine it changed much of the match. Beer Money getting the titles back is a good thing as the Wolves are kind of out of stuff to do with them. If nothing else this might let Eddie revitalize the X-Division for a bit.

We see Kurt’s Hall of Fame induction.

Lashley tells Drew that he’s winning tonight.

We also see Mike Bennett getting in Angle’s face and Kurt calling him a punk.

Here’s Grado who claims he has video proof that he was cheated out of his job. Cue Eli Drake and Jesse Godderz to interrupt before the video can be played. Drake talks about Grado getting fired in a fair match and promises to beat Grado with the briefcase until Grado has no idea where he is anymore. Grado gets beaten down until Mahabali Shera comes in for a slow motion save. The villains screw up with the briefcase going off Godderz’s head, allowing Grado to hit Drake with a cutter and steal the briefcase.

Kurt Angle tribute video with various people praising him.

Kurt Angle vs. Lashley

Lashley has that headband on and it’s already distracting. A headlock doesn’t last long so Angle throws him down with some German suplexes. There’s an overhead belly to belly to send Lashley flying again but he drops Angle face first onto the turnbuckle to take over. Lashley chokes away on the ropes but Kurt comes right back with right hands and rolling German suplexes. That’s fine with Lashley as he throws Kurt around even more. A bad looking Angle Slam gets two for Kurt and he hits three more German suplexes to set up an ankle lock. They’re not even trying to do anything but the big spots here.

Lashley reverses into a cross armbreaker but Kurt reverses into an ankle lock. That’s reversed as well and Lashley gets two off a spinebuster and spear. Another spear gets another two but Kurt avoids a third and grabs the ankle lock with a grapevine. Lashley hangs on for a long time and escapes before sidestepping a charge, setting up the third spear for the pin at 10:58.

Rating: B-. After all that, it wasn’t even eleven minutes long? The match was fine enough but they weren’t even hiding the fact that this was just a tribute match instead of something really good. I’ve seen Kurt do those same signature spots over and over so many times now that it’s really hard to get excited above them all over again. The match was good and all but nothing special as far as quality goes.

Post match Lashley holds up Kurt’s arm before punching him in the face. Of course it’s a heel turn. It’s ALWAYS a heel turn. Drew Galloway and Eddie Edwards come out for saves but get speared down as well. Ethan Carter III comes out for the staredown but Lashley bails before anything happens to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. It’s definitely the best show they’ve done in a long time and most of that is due to them cutting out all of the nonsense and just having the wrestling carry things. Lashley turning heel is a good idea in theory but TNA currently has three top faces with Jeff Hardy, Ethan Carter III and Drew Galloway. TNA relies on the big heel turn way too often as we just had Matt do one about two months ago and now it’s Lashley, who won’t even be the top heel in the company. It’s a good show though and that’s all you can ask for from TNA at this point.

Results

Eric Young b. Will Ospreay, Big Damo, Bram and Jimmy Havoc – Young hung the belt

Gail Kim b. Jade – Kim rolled through a high cross body

Beer Money b. Wolves – DWI to Edwards

Lashley b. Kurt Angle – Spear

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 1, 2016
Location: Wembley Arena, London, England
Attendance: 4,000
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Angelo Dinero

We’re getting close to the end of the UK tour and we have one more week before Kurt Angle’s farewell match. The big story here is Rockstar Spud turning on Ethan Carter III last week, costing Carter the TNA World Title against Matt Hardy. Tonight is going to be about Ethan’s revenge against Spud. Let’s get to it.

Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode

Angle starts in with armdrags and works on Roode’s wrist early on. Back up and a knee to the ribs drops Angle for a pair of two’s as they’re clearly going with a main event style formula here. Roode’s front suplex gets two more but Angle suplexes out of a chinlock. We hit the rolling Germans for a bit before the ankle lock goes on for the first time.

Roode kicks away because no one taps out to the first ankle lock and sends Angle into the post to set up the Crossface. Kurt reverses into the ankle lock which is countered into another Crossface, which is countered into the Angle Slam for two. The Roode Bomb gets the same but a second attempt is countered into the ankle lock to make Roode tap out at 8:38.

Rating: B-. Kurt’s Greatest Hits tour continues as he beats someone else who could mean something for TNA because Angle needs this extra dose of praise. That’s been the problem with this whole thing: it’s been about making sure Angle looks as amazing as he can, which is one of the worst things you can do when TNA is in the shape it’s in at the moment. But hey, it’s not like Angle has enough accolades already right? At least the match was good, albeit almost all finishing moves.

Post break, Roode praises Angle and James Storm comes out to do the same. Beer Money gets out the beer but give Angle (and his DUIs) a half gallon of milk instead. They had me worried there for a bit. Angle isn’t done yet either because he wants to see Beer Money vs. the Wolves. Cue the Wolves to praise Angle before accepting the match against Beer Money next week. Storm says polish those belts up.

Here are Matt Hardy and company because this show was actually entertaining for a little bit. Hardy brags about beating Ethan last week and promises that Ethan will never get another shot at the title. Tyrus is just laughably huge behind Matt here. Matt welcomes out Rockstar Spud, now in a leather jacket because he’s a villain and villains wear leather jackets.

Spud doesn’t like the idea of his English fans cheering for Carter and asks for a show of hands of the people there for him when he needed help. We get some praise for Matt, who is the champion this company needs and deserves. Spud says they’ve gotten rid of the cancer but here’s Carter to interrupt. House is quickly cleaned and Spud is left alone with Ethan. The villains runs off but Carter challenges Spud to a fight tonight.

Gail Kim is going to call out Maria.

Post break Dixie Carter yells at Matt and company (that needs a name and I’m sure TNA has 14 of them ready since they haven’t had a heel stable in long enough) and refuses to sanction Ethan vs. Spud for later. They’ll still have the match but it’s going to be unsanctioned. Oh dang they’re fighting without TNA approval. That’s like, scary.

Abyss vs. Jimmy Havoc

No DQ. Havoc goes right after Abyss to start and knocks him to the floor, only to have a trashcan pelted at his head. Abyss sends him into the apron and busts out the cheese grater but Havoc gets his hands up just in time. A table takes too long to set up though and Havoc gets in three trashcan shots to the head for a near fall.

Rosemary offers a distraction though and Abyss throws a chair at Havoc, knocking him off the top and through a table at ringside. The Janice shot misses and Havoc dropkicks Abyss through the table for two. Jimmy brings in the barbed wire board but charges into the Black Hole Slam onto it for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C-. “Hey! We signed this awesome British wrestler for this tour and we’ve got him in Abyss’ signature match. Let’s put Abyss over!” Such is life in TNA where they manage to make all of the British wrestlers either a heel or a loser because they think people still want to see Abyss doing his hardcore stuff. I’m so sick of these hardcore matches and now they’re not even getting enough time to go anywhere. Bad match and annoying result.

Mike Bennett promises to take care of Drew Galloway tonight.

Carter is going to destroy Spud later.

Here’s Gail Kim to call out Maria. We get the exact same speech about THIS IS WRESTLING and WRESTLING IS SERIOUS that has bored fans every single time over the years but they keep having Gail say the same thing because Gail has no character and is one of the least interesting wrestlers of all time. Anyway she calls out Maria who won’t get in the ring because she has something to say.

Maria talks about Gail wanting to be famous because she married a celebrity chef and had the wedding televised. We hear about Maria being famous for being on Celebrity Apprentice, being in Playboy and working with Donald Trump. However she’s a lady so there won’t be a fight here tonight. Gail goes after her but gets jumped by Jade.

Bram and Eric Young are here for Young’s King of the Mountain Title defense but first of all they have to insult the British fans because none of them know how to fight. Young issues an open challenge.

King of the Mountain Title: Big Damo vs. Eric Young

Damo is a huge hairy man who looks like a cross between Rusev and a lumberjack while weighing well over 300lbs. A running dropkick puts Young on the floor (Josh: “People are already making memes about it!”) and Damo drops an elbow back inside. Back up and Young shrugs off some right hands, only to get slammed down for a backsplash. A powerbomb and another elbow get two on Young, followed by a cross body to crush him again. Damo tries another backsplash but hits knees, setting up the piledriver to retain the title at 3:40.

Rating: D+. Damo looked good but are you impressed with Young yet? I mean he’s crazy and he has a piledriver so that makes him an interesting wrestler and character for sure. As usual, let’s make sure the person who might be a future star for TNA gets beaten by the guy who has been around forever because that will keep the British crowds hot.

Drew promises to make Bennett tap tonight.

Drew Galloway vs. Mike Bennett

Galloway stomps him down in the corner to start but Maria offers a distraction. That goes nowhere though as Mike gets kicked in the face and sent outside for a throat first drop across the barricade. Bennett is sent into the post again but he gets in a shot to Drew’s taped up knee. The more wrestling I watch the more I agree with the “don’t tape it up” announcers because it really is too obvious.

Back in and Drew gets kicked in the face for two and we hit the cross arm choke. Even more kicks to the head have Drew in trouble but he Hulks Up and punches Bennett down. A middle rope clothesline looks to set up the Future Shock but Drew settles for a spinebuster instead. Mike gets in a cutter for two but the Miracle in Progress is countered into the Celtic Cross. There’s the Claymore followed by the Iron Maiden (Drew’s crossface) but Maria breaks it up. Mike grabs a rollup and a handful of trunks at 7:56.

Rating: C. Well at least the right guy won (I think). Bennett could be something interesting but I’m not sure if they should be getting there by having him beat Drew Galloway. Much like WWE, they can’t quite get this whole PUSH SOMEONE NEW right because they knock someone off to get someone else over. TNA is a bit easier to accept though as they barely have anyone left on their roster.

Matt gives Spud a pep talk.

Grado promises proof that he was screwed.

We look back at Angle vs. Lashley I.

Preview for next week’s show.

Rockstar Spud vs. Ethan Carter III

Street fight, meaning our second anything goes match of the night. We see Carter coming to the ring from the back when Tyrus jumps him. Carter beats him back down but Matt runs in as well, only to have Carter shove them into the back of a truck and lock the door. This is joined in progress after a break with Ethan knocking him down the aisle and throwing him into the barricade.

They get inside for the first time with Spud choking with his shirt but Carter kicks him in the shoulder for a comeback. Back to the floor now and Spud tries a running chair shot to the face but Carter stops him with a raised boot. Carter hits the TK3 and loads up a table. Spud can’t crawl away in time and has to settle for a low blow. Some left hands don’t do much for Spud as Carter grabs the hand and powerbombs him through the table. A cobra clutch with a bodyscissors has Spud tapping until he taps out. Referees come out to break it up to end the show as this is a no contest (remember not an actual match) at about 9:00.

Rating: D+. This was as entertaining as Carter squashing Spud for nine minutes was going to be. As usual, the problem here is TNA turning someone heel to advance a storyline and making them a lackey for whoever the big heel is at the moment. Yeah Spud is a heel now and he just got crushed but at least Matt is still World Champion, minus an opponent of course.

Overall Rating: C. Not their best effort tonight but at least it’s a big step up over the previous few weeks. The problem here is the same one they’ve had in a long time now: it seems to be more about setting up either a feud we’ve seen before or about praising the old guard who are either leaving or barely around anymore. Unfortunately, I have no real reason to believe TNA will keep things going as they have almost no ability to maintain momentum.

Results

Kurt Angle b. Bobby Roode – Ankle lock

Abyss b. Jimmy Havoc – Black Hole Slam onto a barbed wire board

Eric Young b. Big Damo – Piledriver

Mike Bennett b. Drew Galloway – Rollup with a handful of trunks

Ethan Carter III vs. Rockstar Spud went to a no contest

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