Dynamite
Date: June 11, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

The Friday night escapades continue as we move towards the return of fans in a little over a month. That means we could be in for a big card tonight but there is always something interesting going on around here. I’m not sure what to expect and that can often be a good thing with AEW. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The Hardy Family Office is in the ring to get things going. Matt Hardy rants about how Christian Cage is jealous over Matt making more money in his career so tonight, Angelico is going to give Christian such a beating that he will never financially recover.

Angelico vs. Christian Cage

They fight over arm control to start so Angelico offers him his leg to keep things interesting. Christian doesn’t fall for that and hits Angelico in the face instead. Some right hands in the corner stagger Angelico even more but he is right back up to pull Christian off the top. Angelico stomps on the arm and sends Christian hard into the corner.

The arm is wrapped around the rope and Angelico adds a PK to the shoulder. Something like a short armscissors goes on with Christian having to get to the ropes. Christian starts the comeback but gets pulled down by the arms again. Angelico goes up but dives into raised boots and it’s a small package to give Christian two. A collision puts both of them down and they get up in opposite corners. Christian is over this and grabs the Killswitch for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: C. Not a bad opener but Christian still hasn’t quite caught fire around here. He’s perfectly solid and in no way looking horrible, but at the same time, he isn’t exactly great so far. The idea of Matt Hardy vs. Christian in 2021 doesn’t do much for me, though Christian doesn’t need to go any higher than that whatsoever.

Post match Jack Evans runs in to lay out Christian, allowing Matt to hit another Twist of Fate.

Here’s the July schedule:

July 7 – Road Rager
July 14 – Fyter Fest Night One
July 21 – Fyter Fest Night Two
July 28 – Fight For The Fallen

They’re really pushing this return.

Tony Schiavone is here for a chat, but first he has an announcement: next week it’s QT Mar-Shall (as it was pronounced in Ring Of Honor)/Aaron Solow vs. Cody Rhodes and…..Brock Anderson, the son of Arn Anderson. Here are Cody, Brock and Arn, with Cody talking about how Brock is going to prove that he wasn’t born on third base. Cue QT Marshall to say he’s tired of all of Cody’s vanity projects (preach it).

Cody has been ducking the up and coming stars but the people who are really behind Cody are the fans. Marshall: “Not the IWC. The real paying fans.” Marshall wants to end this with Cody in a South Beach Strap match when all of the fans are back. Cody is ready to do it right now but Marshall decks Arn and Brock jumps him until referees pull him off.

Pac/Penta El Zero Miedo/Eddie Kingston vs. Young Bucks/Brandon Cutler

Don Callis joins commentary as Pac sends Cutler (in a mask to protect his injured face) into the corner to start and kicks him down. Penta comes in to kick him down and chop the skin off of Cutler’s chest. Kingston comes in for a double stomp and Pac kicks him even more, meaning he wants the Bucks for a change. Matt comes in and gets dropped, allowing Pac to mock the Bucks’ pose. Nick trips over the rope getting inside so Pac knocks him to the floor again. Matt is back up to kick Pac in the face and we take a break.

Back with Pac fighting his way out of the corner so Kingston can come in to clean house. Penta comes in with a high crossbody and kicks Cutler in the mask. Matt gets dropped and Nick kicks Cutler in the face by mistake. The Backstabber drops Nick and the Pentagon Driver gets two with Cutler making the save.

A series of kicks in the corner look to set up the Black Arrow but Cutler’s distraction breaks it up. Kingston cleans house and takes Nick to the floor as Penta dives onto Cutler. Pac hits the 450 into the Brutalizer on Matt but Nick…can’t break it up despite kicking Pac in the head. Kingston and Pac hit dives onto Nick and Cutler, leaving Matt to roll Pac up with trunks for two. Pac gets buckle bombed into a pair of kicks, but Cutler misses a springboard elbow. Kingston hits the spinning backfist to give Pac the pin on Cutler at 13:06.

Rating: C+. It was certainly fast paced, though the ending wasn’t the biggest surprise. You know the Bucks aren’t losing, like ever, including when Pac had the Brutalizer. Cutler was there to take the fall so that worked out fine, though building up Pac/Penta for a title shot is not quite as thrilling when the Bucks already beat them.

Post match the Bucks are on Penta and Pac a mere five seconds after the bell (that’s our Bucks), with the Good Brothers coming in to help with the beatdown. Kazarian comes in for the save and Cutler is left alone, with Kazarian planting him with a clothesline.

We get a Don Callis/Kenny Omega produced video on the Double Or Nothing World Title match, complete with some questionable subtitles.

Here is the Pinnacle for their first comments since Double Or Nothing. Dax Harwood talks about how Stadium Stampede did not go as well as they hoped, but FTR doesn’t want to hear about Santana and Ortiz. Harwood has a family to take care of and is going to take money out of Santana and Ortiz’s pockets. How have they not won the Tag Team Titles in two years?

Shawn Spears says he is the hero instead of Sammy Guevara and they aren’t done. Wardlow thinks that Jake Hager is obsessed with him and needs him around. Is that because Hager brings out the best in him? Next week, they can meet in an octagon, where Wardlow will show that everywhere is his world.

MJF says he’s getting a little tired because he was the best so soon. No one here can relate to that, because they won’t be the best at anything. That brings him to Chris Jericho, with MJF watching every match and listening to every promo. MJF was at the Double Or Nothing Rally in 2019 and spoke on the stage. Then he saw Chris Jericho, his idol. MJF couldn’t believe it because he was going to get the chance to work with Jericho, but that isn’t how it went.

One night it hit him: he had spent all of this time idolizing a false god. Jericho is not even remotely on his level so he has nothing to prove to the fans. The match request is denied, so MJF is moving on to Sammy Guevara. Sammy can’t compete in the talking department because he has the verbal skills of Helen Keller. MJF is better than Sammy and he knows it, but here is Chris Jericho on the screen.

The Pinnacle can walk home, because the Inner Circle is destroying the Pinnacle’s limo. Tires are slashed, windows are broken, spray paint is applied, and I lose count of how many cars or vehicles have been used in this company’s history. Cue Jake Hager with a forklift to crush the limo all over again, including lifting it into the air and dropping it down. Jericho thinks the Pinnacle is going to need an Uber and Sammy is ready to fight anytime. MJF’s promo was good, but a feud should probably be done after WarGames and Stadium Stampede.

Darby Allin wants Sting to stay home for his handicap match with Ethan Page and Shawn Spears. Sting says Allin has nothing to prove because he was the TNT Champion when Sting got here. Allin: “It’s not about that. Just stay home this one time please.” Sting agrees and they bump fists because everything is cool.

Evil Uno talks about what Brodie Lee meant to the Dark Order. He wants to bring the TNT Title back to the Dark Order to honor Lee again.

TNT Title: Miro vs. Evil Uno

Uno is challenging and has some of the Dark Order with him. Miro slams him down in a hurry but Uno chops him out to the floor. That’s fine with Miro, but he punches a post and gets taken down with a flip dive from the apron. Back in and Miro off the ropes and into a Saito suplex as we take a break.

Back with Uno being knocked outside in a heap but the Dark Order’s pep talk gets him back inside. That earns the Order a beating and Miro rips the turnbuckle pad off. Uno gets in some shots to the face, including a running big boot. A Swanton connects and the rest of the Dark Order comes out to cheer Uno on. Miro can’t hit a spinout Rock Bottom and gets kicked into the exposed buckle for two. A hard clothesline drops Uno though and it’s Game Over to retain the title at 9:36.

Rating: C+. This was a match that had no business being good and they made it work anyway. I was getting into the idea of wanting Uno to win the title in Lee’s memory, though Miro should not be losing for a good while to come. Good stuff here, as they turned what should have been just a quick match into enough of a story to pull me in. Nice job.

Video on Andrade El Idolo, who seems rather rich and is billed as the Face of Latinos.

Here are Kenny Omega and Don Callis for a chat. Callis talks about the AEW conspiracy to get the title off of Kenny Omega, so Jungle Boy did a good job at becoming the #1 contender. But to Callis, Jungle Boy is just like the band that sings his theme song: a one hit wonder. Omega talks about how he is supposed to sell the match but he can’t bring himself to say anything bad about Jungle Boy.

When he looks at Boy’s long hair and underwear model body, Omega sees a bit of himself. There is something missing though, and Callis thinks it is the guts. Cue Jungle Boy, with Omega saying he has never heard Boy talk. Omega doesn’t think this will be the battle of wits or the greatest promo of all time.

If he has anything to say, he has five five second to say it because Omega is getting tired of this. Boy says Omega talks to much so Omega swings, only to get punched up against the ropes. Omega gets pulled into the Snare Trap but the Young Bucks run in to clear Boy out. This was good once Boy came in, but Omega talking is not the best thing.

Jade Cargill and Mark Sterling are rather happy that their monetization plan has been a success. Next up: marketing the catchphrase, because Cargill is that b****.

Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky aren’t impressed with Darby Allin but they are going to take him out again. They are going to chop him down, step on his body and move up, because it is all up from here for the Men Of The Year. What an odd name for a team.

Lance Archer vs. Chandler Hopkins

Archer jumps him to start but Hopkins actually gets out of the chokeslam. Archer knocks Hopkins out of the air and this the big chokeslam. The Blackout finishes for Archer at 52 seconds.

Archer storms out of the arena immediately after the win.

The Wingmen offer Orange Cassidy a chance to get his wardrobe upgrade, or Cesar Bononi will mess up his face.

Nyla Rose vs. Leyla Hirsch

Vickie Guerrero is here with Rose. Leyla chases Vickie out to start and gets slammed for her efforts. That doesn’t seem to cause much trouble though as a cross armbreaker has Rose in trouble. A dropkick puts Rose on the floor but the suicide dive is cut off, with Leyla being driven into the apron. Back in and Rose drops a knee for two, setting up a neck crank to send us to a break.

We come back with Leyla hitting a slingshot dropkick in the corner for two, setting up a release German suplex. A running knee rocks Rose again and a rope walk moonsault (with barely a cover) gets two. Leyla can’t suplex her, with Rose draping her over the top instead. The top rope knee drop is broken up though and Leyla goes up, only to get super Beast Bombed back down to give Rose the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C. They made a bit of a go with it here, though I’m not sure how much I could buy Rose being in danger here. What worked was having Leyla show off with some power and technique, which really do make her look legit. Rose is on her way to another title shot (because of course) and a win over someone with some credibility will help her get there.

Britt Baker doesn’t like Nyla Rose making fun of Leyla Hirsch’s height but let’s get back to her. Baker has endorsement deals flying in left and right, which was never the case when Rose was champion. That’s cool with Baker though, because she’ll add Rose to the list of jealous b****** in the back. Rose needs the title because it makes her, but Baker is making the title.

Here is what’s coming next week.

Hangman Page/10 vs. Brian Cage/Powerhouse Hobbs

Page, who has lost all sense of time, gets driven into the corner to start so Cage can drive shoulders into the corner. Some forearms get Page out of trouble for a bit but his sliding lariat is countered. Cage misses a basement dropkick though and Page hits a standing shooting star press for two. 10 comes in but walks into an assisted powerbomb from Hobbs, who starts getting a bit cocky. A running knee to the ribs drops 10 and we take a break.

Back with 10 hitting a pump kick each to Hobbs and Cage, allowing Page to come in for a running boot to Cage. They head outside with Page posting Cage, setting up a moonsault press for two on Hobbs. A crossbody gives Hobbs two on Page but Cage is back in with a 619 to knock 10 silly.

Page is back in with a springboard shot to Cage’s face and 10 busts Hobbs spine. Cage comes back with a running clothesline in the corner and a sloppy high/low gets two on 10. Ricky Starks throws Cage the FTW Title but Cage throws it away, earning a slap from Starks. Cage chases Starks off so Hobbs buts a spinebuster for two on 10. A ripcord cutter drops Hobbs though and the Buckshot Lariat is enough to give Page the pin at 10:18.

Rating: C+. There was a lot going on here, with the continuing split of Team Taz being the biggest story. Cage vs. Starks will be good, though they are going to have to stretch things out a lot due to Starks’ injury. Hobbs vs. Cage will do for the time being though, assuming that is the way they go. At the same time, it is a good sign to see Page being treated as a big deal again, as he should have been for a long time now.

The Dark Order comes out to celebrate with some beers to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was another week where they kind of took the night off, but it wasn’t as bad as last time. Right now they are building towards the June 26 show with the World Title match, though I’m not sure what else is going to be seen as a big deal on that show. This was a completely watchable show with some good action, as they got me to care about matches that weren’t all that interesting in the first place. Nice job here, though it’s another skippable show.

Results
Christian Cage b. Angelico – Killswitch
Pac/Penta El Zero Miedo/Eddie Kingston b. Brandon Cutler/Young Bucks – Spinning backfist to Cutler
Miro b. Evil Uno – Game Archer
Lance Archer b. Chandler Hopkins – Blackout
Nyla Rose b. Leyla Hirsch – Super Beast Bomb
10/Hangman Page b. Brian Cage/Powerhouse Hobbs – Buckshot Lariat to Hobbs

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: March 24, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

We are coming off of last week’s incredible Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa war and that means this show is going to have a lot to follow. I’m not sure how they are going to be able to do that but AEW does have a nice track record with this sort of thing. If nothing else, the build towards Double Or Nothing is likely starting soon so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kenny Omega vs. Matt Sydal

Non-title with Don Callis on commentary. Omega works on the arm to start and takes him down into a top wristlock. Sydal’s flip is taken down but he’s right back up with a headscissors out to the floor. Back in and Sydal starts working on the shoulder but Sydal takes him down in the corner for a running knee. Another headscissors out of the corner puts Omega down, only to have him pop back up with a heck of a clothesline.

Omega slaps him in the back but Sydal is back up with some spinning kicks to the head. Sydal snaps off a middle rope hurricanrana into a fisherman’s buster for two. Back up and Sydal sits him on the top but Omega slides through the legs to avoid a super hurricanrana (that’s a new one and a sweet counter), sending Sydal crashing to the mat. There’s the snapdragon on Sydal but he kicks Omega in the face again, setting up kind of a snap Angle Slam for two more.

Omega is right back with the V Trigger for two and the kickout offers some frustration. Sydal grabs a poisonrana and goes up, only to get crotched before the shooting star press can launch. Another V Trigger looks to set up the One Winged Angel but Sydal reverses into a victory roll for a VERY close two. Omega V Triggers him again into the One Winged Angel for the pin at 11:29.

Rating: B. I’m really not big on Sydal but these two had a rather hard hitting back and forth match. As usual, Omega is far better when he is in the ring than on the microphone so this was a good bit better than I was expecting. Omega gave him a lot here and that near fall on the victory roll was outstanding. Awesome opener here and I had a good bit of fun with it.

John Silver is ready to win the TNT Title and the Dark Order helps fire him up. Hangman Page says the team will love Silver no matter what.

Hangman Page vs. Cezar Bononi

Bononi blocks a whip into the corner but misses a big boot, allowing Page to kick him in the face instead. A slingshot dive over the top is caught though and Bononi drops him onto the apron. Back in and Page slugs away but gets sent hard into the corner. That earns Bononi a t-bone suplex into the Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 2:19.

Lance Archer thinks everyone who has ever stepped in the ring has looked up to Sting. I’m sure Brisco is at the top of the list. Archer holds up Sting’s bat and says it makes people respect him now. People are going to remember his name and it is going to be showtime.

We look back at last week’s Thunder Rosa vs. Britt Baker war, with Rosa thanking everyone for believing in her.

Britt Baker (complete with a shirt showing her bleeding face last week) is here with Tony Schiavone and can’t believe that she isn’t getting more applause. She calls the people more disrespectful than Thunder Rosa because Baker is the reason she will be remembered. Then Rosa had the audacity to say that she put the women on the map? If that’s true, then why are so many people talking about Baker?

Mick Foley gave Baker a thumbs up, but she became a hardcore legend in one night instead of twenty years. Tony Khan is looking for every legend when the real legend is right here under his nose. She put AEW on the map last week and those three letters come second to DMD. Baker brought the intensity here. Now do something with it!

Christian Cage is in the back with the Varsity Blondes and Dante Martin when Frankie Kazarian comes up to say Christian hasn’t even said hello to an old friend. They’re cool, but Kazarian wants to know when Christian is going to start working. How about next week? Seems like we have a deal, though Kazarian tells him to check out his match on Monday, since Christian doesn’t do anything that night.

Pinnacle vs. Varsity Blondes/Dante Martin

That would be FTR/Shawn Spears for Pinnacle with MJF, Tully Blanchard and Wardlow at ringside. Spears and Garrison shove each other around to start before Garrison starts working on the arm. Martin gets in some cranking of his own and it’s quickly off to Pillman, who beats up both Spears and Harwood at the same time. Everything breaks down in a hurry with the Pinnacle being sent outside. Wardlow gets in the way of the big flip dives and we take a break. Back with Martin taking a brainbuster and Spears hitting the C4 for the pin at 6:43.

Rating: C. They sped through this one and about half of it was spent in the break. The good thing here was the fact that Pinnacle won, even if they gave up a good bit at the start. You don’t need to do anything more than what makes sense and Pinnacle winning until (maybe) they run into the Inner Circle is the right call. The team looks good and then they won, so that’s all that matters.

Post match Wardlow beats up Pillman a bit more. Wheeler says he doesn’t have any family at home so these men here are his family. Harwood calls out Santana and Ortiz because if you want to measure yourselves in wrestling, come face these men. MJF says the only thing Jericho is going to break is the next chair he sits in. Tony Schiavone tries to get involved but is glared down. MJF has a gift for them next week.

Taz insists his team has no problem and Brian Cage has apologized for praising Sting last week. The team is ready for anything.

QT Marshall talks about the perks of being part of the Nightmare Family. Cody Rhodes taught him the value of putting in the work but Tony Khan is the only person to put in more work than him. Sure there have been some perks, but what about having to make sure Cody’s coffee is hot? Cody is going to go back to the hotel with his wife but Marshall is going to be at work while his wife sleeps alone. The only way to fix this is to have an exhibition with Cody next week.

Now Marshall knows he can’t make Cody do this….but here’s Cody, with the headset on and his arm in a sling, to say the match can be on with Arn Anderson as the referee. Cody promises not to hurt Marshall next week. If he gets the Figure Four on, he’ll let it go or if he hits Cross Rhodes, he won’t follow through with it. Marshall might be his best friend, and they will have this match friend to friend. That’s enough for a handshake and Marshall seems ok. I think you know where this is going and there is nothing wrong with that.

Laredo Kid/Lucha Bros vs. Young Bucks/Brandon Cutler

Nick and Fenix trade wristlocks to start things off with Fenix spinning around into a cradle for two. Nick does the same thing and it’s a staredown, followed by a double tag off to Matt and Penta. A crucifix gets two on Matt but he grabs the Sharpshooter, sending Penta bailing over to the rope. Penta cranks on both arms for two and it’s another staredown. Laredo and Cutler come in with Kid hitting him in the jaw to start. A headscissors sends Cutler out to the floor but the Bucks break up the dive attempt.

Back in and Fenix takes the Bucks down with a very spinning springboard double wristdrag, followed by the springboard flip dive from Penta. Cutler adds his own springboard flip dive and there’s the moonsault from Kid. We settle down to a powerbomb/Sliced Bread combination for two on Kid and we take a break. Back with a double tag bringing in Matt and Penta as everything breaks down. A pop up splash gives Fenix two on Matt, followed by Kid’s springboard hurricanrana on Matt.

Penta adds a double stomp and Fenix’s springboard Swanton gets two with Nick and Cutler making a double save. Fenix superkicks Nick and then nails a spinning kick to the head. A heck of a clothesline drops Fenix though and everyone is down. It’s back to Kid, whose tornado DDT is countered into Matt’s rolling northern lights suplexes.

The Bucks start the double teaming on Kid and Risky Business (Do they have nothing better to do than think up names for moves all day?) gets two. Everything breaks down again and Fenix starts cleaning house, only to get caught in a non-springboard Indytaker. Nick hits a springboard corkscrew dive to the floor and Matt hits a SCARY DDT to plant Fenix hard on the apron. Kid’s Spanish Fly finishes Cutler at 11:28.

Rating: B. Yeah what else were you expecting here? They did all of their flips and dives and that’s why you put them in there. Kid pinning Cutler is the right call as you keep the big teams ready for whenever Pac is back for the Tag Team Title match. These matches don’t exactly stand out a lot of the time, but what they did here was rather entertaining and that is exactly the idea.

Post match here’s Kenny Omega to jump Kid with the microphone and then hit him with the microphone. Omega remembers the first ever Fyter Fest with Kid involved before shifting to the Bucks. He remembers being there three years ago with the Bucks, who were just like his family.

Omega didn’t take the greener pastures of New York because he went with the Bucks to AEW. Then they chose Brandon Cutler instead of Omega, and yeah Don Callis can be abrasive, but Omega is giving them one more chance to throw up the Too Sweet. The Bucks walk away and leave with Cutler, who Omega shouts at on the way out. Hold on though as the Lucha Bros get up and jump Omega for the spike Fear Factor. Cue the Good Brothers for the very late save, even as Omega is bleeding from the mouth.

Jade Cargill thinks Red Velvet has made a big mistake by getting in her face. If Velvet wants to get in the ring with her, she’s getting in the ring with the bad b****.

Cody and Brandi Rhodes are getting a reality show.

Eddie Kingston knows the Good Brothers broke something in his leg but he has had things broken before. Kingston gets fired up but Jon Moxley tells him to sit down because there is going to be war on the streets of Jacksonville. Moxley doesn’t play games but he owes the Young Bucks one from last week. They’re playing with live rounds so if they are willing to be in the game, they better be willing to get their hands dirty.

Tay Conti vs. Nyla Rose

Rematch from the #1 contenders tournament. Rose knocks her down with straight power to start but Conti grabs something like an Octopus which falls down to the mat. Some judo throws take Rose down again as Conti is far more aggressive than usual here. The running knee in the corner is countered into a spinebuster for two and Rose drapes her over the top rope. The top rope knee to the head gives Rose two and we take a break.

Back with Rose grabbing a backbreaker for two but Conti is back up with some strikes in the corner. Some running knees knock Rose silly and Conti hits her own flying knee to the side of the head for a rather close two. Rose gets in a shot of her own but can’t hit the Beast Bomb. The Samoan drop is countered again and Conti hits another running knee. Then another running knee sets up the DDTi (hammerlock DDT) finishes Rose at 9:27.

Rating: C. That’s the kind of thing that they need to do at some point as the division needs some fresh names at the top. Conti is someone with all kinds of potential and maybe she could be one of the next bit things in the division. Just maybe cut down a bit on the running knees. Rose is going to be fine based on her size and power, but you can only beat her so many times before it stops meaning very much.

Post match Vickie Guerrero breaks up the celebration so Rose can go after Conti. Hikaru Shida comes in for the save but Bunny comes out to help beat Shida and Conti down. Matt Hardy and company come up to say the #1 contenders tournament was a sham because Bunny wasn’t in it.

Video on Kip Sabian/Miro vs. Chuck Taylor/Orange Cassidy, who are going to have a match with video games around the ring….and it’s called Arcade Anarchy.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Scorpio Sky is ready to show us his new side. People need to stop pretending he isn’t a dangerous man. He’s ready to take out Mike Sydal on next week’s Dark: Elevation.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. John Silver

Allin is defending. They shove each other around to start and Silver gets the better of a test of strength. Allin reverses into a headlock but Silver is back up with a running elbow to send Allin crashing out to the floor. Back in and Silver tosses him around, including a heck of a toss into the corner. There’s a gorilla press toss into the corner and Silver hits a running knee for two.

We take a break and come back with Silver missing a charge to go over the barricade (possibly dislocating his shoulder in the process). Silver barely makes it back over the barricade so Allin hits a suicide dive….onto Alex Reynolds. The Dark Order surrounds Allin but here is Sting to stare them off. Back in and Silver kicks away at Allin but the German suplex is countered into la majistral for two.

The flipping Stunner is countered into a rear naked choke until Allin flips back into a cradle for two. Allin grabs something like a DDT for two but gets sent outside again. Back in again and Silver fires off kicks to the chest until Allin blocks a bit one. Allin strikes away in the corner but Silver reverses into some beatings of his own. A victory roll gives Silver two and he pump kicks Allin into the corner.

Allin knocks Silver off the top but Coffin Drops onto the Dark Order instead of going after Silver. Back in and Silver hits a kick to the head to catch Allin on top. A super torture rack toss powerbomb gets two, only because Silver hooks the leg into the ropes. Silver loads up the sitout powerbomb but Allin reverses into a Code Red to retain at 14:43.

Rating: B. Silver really is someone who might never be the World Champion but you can feel the energy that he puts into everything that he does. Having him out there working so hard is great to see and while there was not the most drama here, it was nice to see him getting such a showcase. Allin continues to be one of the best things going in AEW and is one of their best home grown stars in the company. Good stuff here, and that shouldn’t be surprising.

Post match Sting and Allin show respect to Silver but Matt Hardy comes in to take out Allin. The Dark Order comes in but here is the Matt Hardy Family Office. Allin hits a big dive onto Hardy to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This show had a little bit of everything, with storyline advancement, some very good matches up and down the card, and a high energy throughout the night. I liked this one quite a bit and it is great to see the company following up on last week’s incredible main event. Awesome show here and the kind of show that makes AEW so much fun to watch.

Results

Kenny Omega b. Matt Sydal – One Winged Angel

Hangman Page b. Cezar Bononi – Buckshot Lariat

Pinnacle b. Varsity Blondes/Dante Martin – C4 to Martin

Laredo Kid/Lucha Bros b. Young Bucks/Brandon Cutler – Spanish Fly to Cutler

Tay Conti b. Nyla Rose – DDTi

Darby Allin b. John Silver – Code Red

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: February 24, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

AEW had a pretty surprising headline earlier today as they announced the signing of Big Show Paul Wight, which is not something many people had on their Bingo cards. I’m not sure how much of a difference he is going to make around here but he seems a lot more like a signing for the sake of getting some attention than anything else. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Ryan Nemeth

Nemeth says he likes trying for the starring role and gets slapped off his feet in a hurry. Some knees to the ribs have Moxley staggered but he comes right back with a belly to back suplex. Another shot to the face sets up the Paradigm Shift to finish Nemeth at 2:45.

Post match Moxley sits in a chair and says he’ll do anything to be World Champion again. What kind of images come to mind when someone says exploding barbed wire death match (Laughter?)? Maybe it’s blood, carnage, Japanese wrestling magazines? Moxley talks about how he can’t get enough of wrestling and while it’s a trap from Kenny Omega and his boys, he just can’t resist. He talks about how far he is wiling to go to win the title back and promises to give us everything he has (which sounded like he is leaving, perhaps for paternity leave).

Video on Omega vs. Moxley.

Lance Archer and Rey Fenix respect each other but they both want to win the spot in the Revolution ladder match. Then Fenix calls him the worst partner he has ever had though and has to dodge a lot of violence.

We look back at the Inner Circle shoving Papa Buck last week.

The Young Bucks are here with their parents, who seem rather proud.

Varsity Blonds vs. Team Taz

Brian Cage/Ricky Starks for Team Taz here with Taz on commentary. Pillman and Starks run the ropes to start and it’s Pillman tripping him down to the floor. Back in and Pillman grabs a rollup for two but Air Pillman is knocked to the floor. Cage powerbombs him against the post and we take a break.

Back with Cage curling Pillman and tossing him down, allowing Starks to come back in for a running elbow in the corner. A right hand misses though and the hot tag brings in Garrison to pick up the pace. Garrison’s belly to back faceplant gets two on Starks with Cage making the save. Air Pillman breaks up a sitout powerbomb but it’s a spear to Garrison and a discus clothesline to Pillman. The drill Claw gives Cage the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C+. I liked this one a good bit as the Blonds were looking better than they have to date. The action was good and I can always go for a power vs. speed match. These guys had a pretty fun match here and they had Team Taz sweat a bit, which you might not have guessed in this spot.

Post match we get a video of a truck dragging a body bag. Sting is driving and Darby Allin is in the bag (in half Sting face paint). Back in the arena, here’s Sting, with a body bag. Tony thinks Allin might be in the bag and…..it’s actually Taz’s son Hook. Allin ziplines into the ring with the skateboard to clean house. Sting gets in as well for some pretty bad stomping and the Stinger Splash to Cage.

We get a sitdown interview with Miro, Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford. They don’t like what happened with Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy at the wedding. Miro likes Charles though and wants him to come back as the butler rather than following Cassidy. We get a note from Taylor and Cassidy, with the Y/N/Maybe (circle one), hugs and kisses. Miro tells Taylor to be a man and the match seems likely.

Brandon Cutler vs. Jake Hager

Hager suplexes him down a few times to start and hits the Hager Bomb. Back up and Cutler manages to send him outside for the big flip dive, only to get caught in something like a powerslam back inside. One heck of a running clothesline finishes Cutler at 3:12.

Rating: C-. Nearly a total squash here with Hager barely getting touched outside of that one flip dive. Cutler isn’t someone who feels like anything important so having him beaten up to make the Bucks mad isn’t the worst idea. This worked out well enough, even if the match wasn’t exactly competitive.

Post match the Inner Circle is out for the beatdown but the Young Bucks make the real save. The Bucks call out MJF and Chris Jericho, who pop up on the screen. They aren’t wasting time coming to the ring….because they have beaten and bloodied Papa Buck. MJF and Jericho mock the Bucks’ pose and run when the Bucks come in for the save.

We recap Cody Rhodes/Red Velvet vs. Shaquille O’Neal/Jade Cargill. I’m still not 100% sure why Cargill and O’Neal are a team or why they’re going after Cody but I don’t think you’re exactly supposed to. Jim Ross and Excalibur talk about the match, which could be one heck of a mess.

Isaiah Kassidy vs. Hangman Page

Matt Hardy and the Hybrid 2 are here with Kassidy. Page, who has made some new friends lately, slugs away at Kassidy to start and stomps him down in the corner, setting up the fall away slam. A hard clothesline drops Kassidy and Page kicks him out of the air to the floor. There’s the slingshot dive to drop Kassidy again and a clothesline puts him over the barricade.

Hybrid 2 gets on the apron for a distraction and Hardy’s cheating lets Kassidy get in a cheap shot. Cue the Dark Order to stooge on Matt, who is ejected. Kassidy grabs the armbar and we take a break. Back with Kassidy still working on the arm until Page gets in a shot to the face. The Buckshot Lariat is broken up so Page settles for a discus forearm and a near fall. Kassidy is back with an enziguri, only to get caught in a Death Valley Driver.

There’s a brainbuster for two more on Kassidy, who is back with a posionrana for one. A cross armbreaker has Page in trouble and Kassidy snaps the arm over the rope. Back up and Kassidy tries a springboard but Page pulls it out of the air and hits a (one armed) Deadeye for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: C+. This was quite the lengthy match, though the action was good enough to work out. I’m not sure why Kassidy is getting to hang with Page this long but maybe the ring time will do him some good. The idea of Hardy vs. Page still doesn’t interest me, but if it’s a one off match then it should be ok.

Post match Hardy’s voice comes over the speaker to talk about how Page made the wrong choice. Hardy appears with #5 and throws him off the stage.

Kenny Omega is building the Moxley Extermination Chamber, complete with pounding on metal himself. If you want something done, do it yourself.

Long video on the Women’s #1 Contender tournament.

Women’s #1 Contenders Eliminator Tournament Quarterfinals: Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose

Baker gets tossed around to start so it’s time to go to the back for some complaining. Back in and Rose hits the Samoan drop before trying to break the leg in the corner again. That doesn’t work so Rose drops her hard with a gorilla press. They head outside with Baker kicking the arm against the barricade and we take a break. Back with Rose hitting a superplex but Baker manages a suplex of her own. Rose knocks her down again and goes to the corner but has to take Rebel out with a release Rock Bottom onto the apron.

Rose chokeslams Baker but has to knock Rebel into the corner. That sets up the Cannonball but Baker sends Rose into the exposed buckle (exposed during the break and shown when we came back) to set up Lockjaw. That’s countered though and Rose plants her for two, only to have Baker pull her into Lockjaw again. That’s broken up again so it’s Beast Bomb…for two (possibly due to the banged up arm), with Rose being stunned. Another Beast Bomb finishes Baker at 12:41.

Rating: C. This was an awkward one as they tried to do a bit too much with Rebel and it didn’t quite click. At the same time, and it’s too early to actually get annoyed at this yet, but I’m really not all that interested in Rose. We’ve been there far too many times now and hopefully we don’t have to see it again anytime soon.

Video on Jurassic Express vs. FTR/Tully Blanchard. FTR wants to fight them because they are so different, but they don’t know what they are in for with Blanchard returning to the ring.

Here’s what’s coming in the next few weeks, including at Revolution.

Lance Archer vs. Rey Fenix

For a spot in the Revolution latter match and Jake Roberts is here with Lance. Archer stalks him into the corner but Fenix snaps off a hurricanrana. Fenix manages to knock the monster to the floor for the big running flip suicide dive. Jake catches Fenix on top, so he jumps over Roberts and dives onto Archer instead. Archer throws him over the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Archer knocking him hard off the apron to the floor and looking rather pleased about the landing. Fenix gets sent hard into the barricade and then a toss suplex sends him flying inside. A kick to the ribs lets Fenix get up top for a top rope double stomp to the back of the head but Archer snaps off a release German suplex.

There’s the rope walk moonsault for two on Fenix, who is whipped hard into the corner for a running clothesline. Archer charges into a raised boot in the corner though and Fenix’s rope walk kick to the head puts the monster down. The rolling cutter connects and a Spanish Fly somehow connects for two more on Archer. A Pounce drops Fenix and there’s the chokeslam for a rather close two. Archer is frustrated so he takes Fenix up top and plants him with the Black Out for the pin at 17:32.

Rating: B. I was betting on the time limit draw at the end but it was nice to see Archer get the monster win in the end. This was about the beast chasing its next meal and finally catching him in the end, which is a fine story to tell. They both did their thing rather well and it was a heck of a main event, especially with the longer time that they were given. Fenix is a heck of a star and it’s great to see him getting a chance to shine on his own.

A bit of respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This felt like they took their foot off of the gas before the big show next week and there is nothing wrong with that. Next week is the show that matters with the big tag match and then Revolution is later in the same week. There was no need to hammer away with this week’s show and thankfully they didn’t try too hard. What we got was rather good (a few questionable choices aside) and I had a pretty easy time with the show.

Results

Jon Moxley b. Ryan Nemeth – Paradigm Shift

Team Taz b. Varsity Blonds – Drill Claw to Pillman

Jake Hager b. Brandon Cutler – Running clothesline

Hangman Page b. Isaiah Kassidy – Deadeye

Nyla Rose b. Britt Baker – Beast Bomb

Lance Archer b. Rey Fenix – Black Out

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

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AND

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IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Dark
Date: October 13, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

It’s the night before the big anniversary show and that means we have a lot to cover in the near future. I’m not sure what we we are going to be seeing tonight, but there are fourteen matches, which is likely going to make this one of the longer shows in its history so far. You know how much I’ll love that. Let’s get to it.

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

Commentary welcome.

Evil Uno vs. Blade vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Jungle Boy

One fall to a finish and there are no seconds. It’s a brawl to start with Uno and Blade being knocked outside in a hurry. Kazarian sweeps Boy’s leg out for two but Boy stacks him up for two more. Boy’s legsweep misses and it’s a standoff, allowing Uno to take Boy’s place. Kazarian clotheslines Uno down so here’s Blade, who gets taken down with a springboard wristdrag.

Kazarian’s bridging electric chair gets two on Boy but Uno is back in with a suplex for the same. A neckbreaker with the wrist tape drops Boy for two more, leaving Blade and Uno to chop it out. Everyone is back inside and Boy monkey flips Kazarian, who hits the other two with a double clothesline. Kazarian pulls Boy into the slingshot cutter before fisherman’s suplexing Blade for two.

Uno’s backbreaker gets two more on Boy but Blade powerbombs him out of the corner. Kazarian grabs the slingshot DDT on Blade but Boy is back in with stereo crossbodies to Kazarian to put everyone down. Boy gets caught on top so Kazarian and Blade fight over who gets to give him a superplex. Uno breaks that up, only to get caught in a rollup to give Boy the pin at 8:31.

Rating: C. They telegraphed the ending a bit by talking about Boy being in the #1 contenders tournament but at the same time, a four way is the kind of match which could go in a variety of ways without hurting the most important name. It was a good opener and felt more important, though that isn’t likely to be the case for everything tonight. Boy winning is a good thing though and it’s not like Uno loses anything significant by taking the fall.

Post match Uno jumps Boy and calls out the Dark Order but here are Christopher Daniels and SCU for the save, with Luchasaurus beating up various people.

Lucha Bros vs. Cezar Bononi/Lee Johnson

Penta yells at Bononi to start and gets run over by a shoulder. Fenix comes in for a handspring kick to Johnson’s face and it’s back to Penta, who takes too long yelling. Bononi gets the tag and starts cleaning house, including World’s Strongest Slamming Penta and powerbombing Fenix at the same time. Fenix is back up with a springboard wristdrag to set up a low top rope double stomp from Penta to put Bononi down. The double superkick look to set up the spike Fear Factor but Johnson makes the save. Penta is right back with a Sling Blade and Fenix kicks Bononi down. Now the spike Fear Factor can finish Johnson at 5:04.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t into this one as much as they didn’t get to the drama for the most part. It was fine enough as the Lucha Bros can do their thing, but they need someone better to work off of. Bononi and Johnson are just two guys facing them, and that’s not exactly the best use of the Lucha Bros. Then again that has been the case for months so maybe they need a new direction.

Brandon Cutler vs. Peter Avalon

They’re at it again and Avalon jumps him from behind during the entrances. A tiger bomb plants Cutler on the ramp and Avalon demands that he be declared the winner. The bell rings anyway so it’s a running dropkick to send Cutler outside again, meaning the count is on. Three straight belly to back suplexes set up a half crab but Cutler makes the rope. Back up and Avalon charges into a boot to the face, allowing Avalon to hit a kick to the head.

They head outside where Avalon yells at Leva Bates, allowing Cutler to hit a suicide dive. The springboard elbow gives Cutler two back inside but Avalon is back with the Rock Bottom for the same. Cutler grabs a reverse inverted DDT for his second two so he tries the big dice but Leva talks him out of it. Back in and Avalon hits a running clothesline before picking up a book. The referee gets decked as Cutler picks Avalon up, meaning there is no count off Cutler’s gutbuster. Cutler rips up the book so Avalon grabs the dice, meaning they hit each other at the same time for the double DQ at 7:32.

Rating: C. This worked, but it needs to be the last screwy finish. Throw some kind of a gimmick out there or something, but end it with the next one. Both guys wanting desperately to win their first match is a clever way to go and the double DQ was the most logical after the double countout. This worked out well, but you can probably guarantee a time limit draw in there somewhere.

Sonny Kiss is ready to show he’s a singles star as well.

Sonny Kiss vs. Matt Sydal

Sydal armdrags him down a few times into a front facelock but Sonny is right back with a running dropkick. Back up and Sydal hits a spinwheel kick and we hit the third eye jazz. Sydal takes him down into a stretch, with Taz and Excalibur arguing over what kind of a grip he is using. A fisherman’s buster gives Sydal two but Sonny is back with forearms into a running Downward Spiral. The running splits splash gives Sonny two but the middle rope version misses. Sydal ties the legs up and grabs a cobra clutch to make Sonny tap at 5:40.

Rating: C-. This was just a step above a squash for Sydal, who never quite felt like he was in jeopardy. Part of that is due to where Sonny is on the card, but the other problem is he is much more of a gymnast than anything else and it doesn’t exactly make him seem like a threat. Not a bad match, but not a dramatic one either.

Dark Order vs. Aaron Solow/M’Badu/Angel Fashion

It’s 3/4/10 for the Order here. Silver slams Solow down to start but Solow is back with a dropkick. M’Badu comes in and pounds away on Silver, who fails at a shoulder block. Fashion comes in to kick Reynolds’ leg out and adds a running knee to the face for two. It’s off to Vance for a running cutter, followed by a neckbreaker from Reynolds.

Fashion manages to back flip his way to freedom and makes the tag off to M’Badu to clean house. Solow comes back in but gets cut off by Vance’s slingshot spear. That means Solow is lifted into the air for a running charge from Silver, flipping Solow down for the crash and the pin at 5:47.

Rating: D+. M’Badu was the only thing of value here, as the Dark Order continues to be fine and not much else. Silver has grown on me a bit and is showing some personality though, making him the lone member of the lower half of the team to do so. Another match that could have been trimmed, but AEW LOVES the Dark Order so that wasn’t an option.

Red Velvet vs. Elayna Black

Brandi is on commentary because she’s Brandi and needs to be around a lot. Black on the other hand comes out with a mini coffin, containing an AEW face guard. Black’s waistlock is broken up in a hurry and Velvet armdrags her down. Velvet does it again and adds a dropkick for a bonus. Brandi thinks Velvet should be called Lil Cupcake but gets cut off by Black kicking out the leg. Black mocks the stirring deal but Velvet is back with some running clotheslines. A Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog sets up some running double knees to Black’s back. Just Desserts (a running kick to the side of the head) finishes Black at 3:32.

Rating: C-. Velvet is someone who could be a bit of a player if she is given the chance to grow and a win is the first step. It’s rather nice to see this show FINALLY starting to boost up some of these people who we have seen so many times already. It’s long overdue and helps a lot so if Velvet is someone they can build, good for them.

Ricky Starks vs. Fuego del Sol

Commentary makes fun of Sol, a luchador, being from Alabama. Starks unloads on him in the corner before sending Sol into various corners. There’s a big toss across the ring and Starks elbows him in the face, giving us a THIS IS MY HOUSE. Sol gets sent hard over the top and out onto the ramp, with Starks dragging him over near commentary. Starks jumps on commentary to say this is AEW Starks before taking it back to the ring. Sol’s comeback doesn’t work as it’s the spear into the Roshambo to give Starks the pin at 3:05.

Rating: C-. The match was completely one sided but you can feel the star power with Starks. He gets in there and commands attention, looks great and backs it up in the ring. What else could you ask for from someone who is 26 years old? Starks has been a complete steal and I could go for a lot more of him as he gains experience.

Scorpio Sky and Christopher Daniels are asked if Shawn Spears is in their heads so here’s Spears to ask the same. Sky is ready to fight so Tully Blanchard makes the match for next week.

Starks joins commentary.

Gunn Club vs. Ryzin/Maxx Stardom

They’re trolling us with the Gunn Club right? Ryzin stomps Austin down in the corner to start as Team Taz doesn’t like Ryzin wearing the orange and black. Austin is right back with a Hennig necksnap for two and Billy comes in for a running boot to the face. A spinning slam plants Stardom but it’s back to Ryzin for a backbreaker into a neckbreaker on Austin. Back up and a double clothesline allows the double tag to Billy and Stardom. The Fameasser misses though and Ryzin hits a superkick. Austin is right back in though and the Quick Draw finishes Stardom at 4:47.

Rating: D. This was every Gunn Club match you’ve seen so far and that isn’t likely to change. They’re probably about 9-0 at this point and have never so much as come close to going after the titles. It’s like running on a treadmill but there is nothing to see in the first place. The team just sticks around no matter what and never goes anywhere, only making them the most expendable thing that shows up on this show far too frequently.

Darby Allin vs. Nick Comoroto

Comoroto is a very hairy man in an untied straitjacket (good look to him). Allin gets shoved into the corner to start as Team Taz is now cheering for Comoroto. There’s another hard whip into the corner to put Allin down again and a slam gives Comoroto two. He whips Allin into the corner a third time for two and a backbreaker cuts Allin off for two more.

Allin flips his way to the apron and snaps the arm across the rope. There’s a dropkick to the knee and an armbar over the ropes has Comoroto in more trouble. A Fujiwara armbar sends Comoroto into the ropes so Allin goes to the middle rope to take him down by the arm. The Coffin Drop finishes Comoroto at 5:42.

Rating: C. Allin continues to impress and it makes sense to keep him around so much. The Coffin Drop looks good as a finisher too and I want to see more of him against Team Taz. At the same time, Comoroto looks like he could be a good monster around here, though that won’t be as effective if he loses seven or eight matches around here first. Nice debut showing here though, partially because he looks like a werewolf.

Post match Allin charges at Starks for the brawl.

KiLynn King wants to fight Nyla Rose again. This was an intense promo and I could go for more of King, either wrestling or talking.

Colt Cabana vs. Griff Garrison

Yes we are now at three Dark Order matches on one show. Cabana takes him down in a hurry and it’s time to fight over arm control. Garrison hits a kick to the face but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Cabana to stomp away. A spinebuster looks to set up the Billy Goat’s Curse but Garrison heads straight to the ropes. Back up and Garrison hits a rolling elbow, followed by a running splash in the corner. Cabana gets his boots up though and the Flying Apple connects. The middle rope splash gets two and Cabana is surprised. Cabana trips him down and it’s the Billy Goat’s Curse to make Garrison tap at 4:40.

Rating: D+. Another match which came and went, though Cabana is a lot more polished than most of the people on the roster. He’s been around forever and knows what works on him so it makes sense to have him out there fairly often. They have seemingly dropped the issues with Cabana and Lee, but I’m not sure how much further it could have gone anyway.

KiLynn King vs. Nyla Rose

Vickie Guerrero is here with Rose. King gets shoved down to start so she goes with the strikes to have Rose in a bit of trouble. Back up and Rose hits the fall away slam but misses a charge into the corner. Rose sends her flying with a release German suplex and the Beast Bomb finishes at 1:54. What a waste of a good promo.

Post match Vickie says she wants a better opponent. They are the Vicious Vixens and demand an answer. It’s either Hikaru Shida for the Women’s Title or Rose doesn’t wrestle.

Joey Janela vs. D3

Sonny Kiss is here with Joey. They go to the mat to start and D3 grabs a rollup for two. Janela is back up with a running shoulder but gets caught in the very spinning anklescissors. That’s broken up with a simple drop to send D3 face first into the mat, marking a rather smart counter.

A neckbreaker gives Janela two but D3 is back with his own neckbreaker. Commentary mostly ignores the match to talk about Italian ice until Janela gets their attention with a spinning Death Valley Driver on the floor. Back in and Joey hits a running clothesline before screaming a bit. Three brainbusters knock D3 silly and Janela finally pins him at 5:04.

Rating: D+. So now Janela gets aggressive to beat a jobber? That’s what we’re going with now? Janela continues to be someone who is just there and that isn’t exactly inspiring stuff. I know he’s a big deal on the indy scene, but it isn’t translating here and one match where he hits a bunch of brainbusters isn’t going to make it work.

Wardlow vs. Elijah Dean

Dean wears bright purple and pink and is from Intercourse, Pennsylvania. Wardlow shoves him down and takes the leg out to put Dean in more trouble. Dean’s shots to the chest earn him a big toss and a hard clothesline makes it even worse. Wardlow powers him into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs before putting Dean on the top. Dean is dropped down onto a knee to the face for the knockout at 1:53. So we needed to add in this total Wardlow squash to build him up for a tournament he is already in because he has been built up in matches like this? And it just NEEDED to be tonight?

Eddie Kingston vs. Baron Black

Black has to go straight to the knee to escape an early grappling attempt so Kingston knocks him down. The big chops have Black in more trouble but he hits a discus clothesline in the corner. An exploder suplex drops Kingston again, only to have Eddie come back with the spinning backfist. A front chancery makes Black tap at 2:47.

Kingston shouts for Jon Moxley.

Preview for Dynamite FINALLY wraps this up.

Overall Rating: D. NOPE! This was one of the most infuriating shows I can remember in a long time and it made me long for a good old fashioned three hour Raw. After six matches, I looked at the clock and after my eyes bugged out, it dawned on me that we had another EIGHT to go. They crammed every single thing they could in here and a grand total of nothing stands out because there were fourteen matches, plus promos, with the big stories being a match set up for next week and Cutler vs. Avalon continuing.

This was so stupidly long and there is zero reason for it to be. How many matches could you just not do and have the same result? There were a few things on here which felt somewhat more important than usual but they all get forgotten because we need the Gunn Club and three Dark Order matches and Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela in singles matches and a squash from Nyla Rose, Wardlow and Eddie Kingston. This was so annoying and I don’t remember the last time a show got on my nerves so much. And of course they’ll do it again and the answer will be “just don’t watch it”, because that’s easier than making a show better.

Results

Jungle Boy b. Evil Uno, Frankie Kazarian and Blade – Rollup to Uno

Lucha Bros b. Cezar Bononi/Lee Johnson – Spike Fear Factor to Johnson

Brandon Cutler vs. Peter Avalon went to a double DQ when both used weapons

Matt Sydal b. Sonny Kiss – Cobra clutch

Dark Order b. M’Badu/Aaron Solow/Angel Fashion – Double flipping slam to Solow

Red Velvet b. Elayna Black – Just Desserts

Ricky Starks b. Fuego del Sol – Roshambo

Gunn Club. Ryzin/Maxx Stardom – Quick Draw to Stardom

Darby Allin b. Nick Comoroto – Coffin Drop

Colt Cabana b. Griff Garrison – Billy Goat’s Curse

Nyla Rose b. KiLynn King – Beast Bomb

Joey Janela b. D3 – Brainbuster

Wardlow b. Elijah Dean – Knee to the face

Eddie Kingston b. Baron Black – Front chancery

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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IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Dark
Date: September 15, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Veda Scott

We’re back to the usual hour and a half long show on Tuesday after last week’s double shot on Tuesday and Friday. This time around we even have a special featured match with Peter Avalon vs. Brandon Cutler in a match where one of them will have a winner, unless they find a way to have a draw, as they should. Let’s get to it.

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

The announcers bicker and make their jokes about each other, as they tend to do.

Red Velvet vs. Brandi Rhodes

Dustin Rhodes is here with Brandi. They fight over the wristlocks to start and Velvet seems to indicate that she is red. A shoulder taker Velvet down but she’s right back up with a leg lariat. Brandi kicks her in the face and hammers away before a low superkick gets two. The Sling Blade gets two but here is Anna Jay to stare at Brandi. The distraction lets Red hit a DDT for two but Brandi is back up with the spear. Brandi grabs Jay’s Queenslayer for the tap at 4:19.

Rating: D+. I can’t say I’m surprised that Brandi is getting a story of some kind because it has been a full two or three weeks since she had something going on. Normally I would complain about someone who isn’t exactly the most talented in-ring performer getting a spot like this but I think that has been covered extensively enough. Brandi is treated like the biggest star around but she loses so much of her aura as soon as she gets in the ring. The solution would be not to have her wrestle….and yeah that isn’t going to happen so here we are.

Daniel Garcia/Kevin Blackwood vs. Butcher and Blade

Eddie Kingston is here too. Butcher and Blade jump them to start and the brawl is on in a hurry with all four heading outside. Back in and Garcia gets beaten down in the corner as Taz goes into his New York geography discussion of the week. Blade comes in and kicks away at Garcia’s head as commentary argues about a pen. Blackwood gets the tag and a crossbody from Butcher to go with it. Everything breaks down and it’s backbreaker into Full Death to finish Garcia at 4:19.

Rating: C-. This was a little bit better than the opener, but I’m still not feeling the suplex onto the knees finisher. Butcher and Blade have come a long way since their debut, which might have something to do with them actually winning some matches for a change. And dropping the whole “we’re butchers” thing.

Dani Jordyn vs. Penelope Ford

Kip Sabian is here too so we get into a Twitch discussion. That’s switched into a battle of the Mean Girl vs. the Super Bad Girl as commentary starts laughing at each other again. Thankfully Scott actually takes her job seriously as Ford chokes on the rope and catapults her throat first into the top rope for two. A gutbuster drops Jordyn and Sabian slides in the burn book so Ford can shoves the pages down Jordyn’s throat. That brings Jordyn back to life (because wrestling is weird) but Ford bulldogs her into the corner. A missile dropkick sets up the fisherman’s suplex to finish Jordyn at 4:32.

Rating: C-. Taz and Excalibur need to be punched in the face while Scott needs a stern lecture as commentary is rapidly going off the rails. It’s more of the same with them doing and saying things to entertain themselves because they know this match means nothing and is just there to fill in time on the show. If AEW insists on the show being this long, at least get commentary to take it seriously for a few matches.

Brian Cage vs. Megabite Ronnie

Ronnie (with his glorious mustache) isn’t a computer guy, but rather a competitive eater. Ricky Starks joins commentary which has to be an upgrade. The running shoulder into a backbreaker set up the shoulders in the corner as commentary makes car references about Cage. Ronnie gets in some kicks to the ribs and a knee to the face but Cage clotheslines his head off. A sitout powerbomb plants Cage and Ronnie….goes to grab a hot dog, which he eats while hitting a People’s Elbow for two. Thankfully Cage kicks him in the face and hits a 619 into the Drill Claw for the pin at 3:09.

Rating: F. You have Cage, who has been a World Title challenger within the last month or so, staying down long enough so that a guy can get a bite of a hot dog and hit a move that takes about ten seconds to set up. All because, at least according to the official reason, AEW wants to let indy wrestlers showcase themselves? But yeah, I’m the one who misses the point.

Santana and Ortiz vs. Griff Garrison/Brian Pillman Jr.

Starks stays on commentary because a four person booth has been a great idea so many times in the past. Santana cranks on Pillman’s arm to start and gets annoyed at Pillman for trying to reverse. Garrison comes in and gets his skin chopped off in the corner, followed by a superkick to put him down. A bulldog drives Garrison down and Ortiz gets two before kicking Garrison in the ribs for good measure.

Ortiz hits another clothesline and brings Santana back in for a running kick to the head. There’s a suplex into the corner but Garrison gets in a shot to the face allowing the tag to Brian for Air Pillman. Commentary doesn’t get the reference, but Excalibur does get to call a tope suicida, which I’m sure is more important to someone other than Excalibur. Ortiz hits a sitout powerbomb into a kick to the head from Santana for the pin at 6:09.

Rating: C. This was an entertaining extended squash as Santana and Ortiz got to do all of their cool stuff. Naturally there was no doubt a tot the winner, but at least Pillman has charisma and Garrison has a little something to him that makes him fun to watch. It was the most entertaining thing on the show to watch so far, which might be more due to commentary doing their jobs for the most part.

Will Hobbs vs. Jessy Sorensen

Hobbs clotheslines him down to start and sends Sorensen to the apron. That means a kick to Hobbs’ head on the way back in but he hits a spinebuster into an Oklahoma Stampede to finish Sorensen at 1:20.

Rache Chanel/Skyler Moore vs. Diamante/Ivelisse

Ivelisse works on Moore’s arm to start but gets hiptossed down in a hurry. Diamante and Chanel come in with the latter hitting some armdrags, only to get pulled into a hard forearm to the face. Ivelisse is back in with a kick to the back to set up a dragon sleeper. That goes nowhere so Diamante comes back with a hard clothesline. A shot to the face allows the hot tag back to Moore though and house is cleaned in a hurry. Everything breaks down and it’s a Backstabber into a rolling kick to the face to finish Moore at 5:28.

Rating: D+. Commentary has thankfully settled down, which may be due to Starks, who can be the cocky guy without going too far out of the way. It wasn’t exactly a competitive match but it wasn’t quite supposed to be here. I like Moore most of the time I see her and she had a fairly fired up comeback so this could have been a lot worse.

Colt Cabana vs. QT Marshall

Allie and the Dark Order are here as well. They go with the grappling to start until Marshall is headscissored out to the floor for a lecture from Allie. Back in and Cabana looks up at the Dark Order for approval and gets dropkicked down in a hurry. Marshall gets sent hard into the corner and an elbow to the head gets two.

The neck crank doesn’t last long as Marshall fights up with a flying shoulder and a top rope elbow to the face. A Lethal Combination gets two on Cabana and he counters the Flying Apple into a belly to back suplex for two. Cue Evil Uno to talk to Cabana for a distraction, allowing Stu Grayson to hit a running knee on Marshall. Cabana’s discus lariat is good for the pin at 7:03.

Rating: C. See, now this was more like it. Not because the wrestling was better or anything, but because there was an actual story here and the slightest bit of doubt over who could win. That’s such a relief and a nice change of pace after all of the noncompetitive matches with people who aren’t all that interesting. Why not do more like this?

Brandon Cutler vs. Peter Avalon

Neither has ever won a match around here and Leva Bates is here with Avalon. They slug it out and head outside for a bit until Cutler sends him back inside for a springboard clothesline. They head outside again with Avalon spinning around the post to avoid going head first into the steel. Avalon is sent inside but comes right back with a suicide dive. Back in and a Rock Bottom gives Avalon two and we hit a quickly broken Boston crab.

Cutler is back with a reverse inverted DDT for two so Avalon comes back with a tiger driver for the same. The split legged moonsault gives Avalon another near fall but Cutler knocks him down and hits a springboard elbow for a closer two. They both head up top and slug it out to send them both to the floor. Neither can get back in thanks to some saves from the other…and it’s a double countout at 6:45.

Rating: C. That’s the only way to go, but most importantly here is that it took place on Dark. This match has a story and the two of them have a history, but it is the kind of match that could only fit on this show. The action was pretty good too, so it was a

Dontae Smiley/Maxx Stardom vs. Best Friends

Chuck drives Stardom into the corner to start and hits a kick to the face to send him over for a tag. It’s off to Smiley, who gets headlocked takeoverd but a running knee takes him right back down. Trent forearms him in the corner and it’s back to Stardom, who hits a spinning bulldog out of the corner. That earns him a suplex down and everyone heads to the floor. Trent spears Stardom down and it’s Soul Food into the half and half back inside. The stuff piledriver into the piledriver gives Trent the pin at 5:36.

Rating: C-. I for one certainly needed to see the Best Friends again as being on every show is not the easiest thing in the world to accomplish. They played it a little more serious here though and that helped a bit. I’m still not a fan of the Trent’s mom’s van deal, but it’s the closest thing we can get to making it work.

Private Party/Gunn Club vs. Dark Order

Billy headlocks Reynolds to start and stares Reynolds down for daring to try a chop. It’s Reynolds being taken into the corner for some work on the arm. Austin comes in to do the same and there’s a backdrop for two. Reynolds drives him into corner though and it’s time for the villains to beat him down. That doesn’t last long either though as Austin drives him back into the corner for the tag to Marq Quen.

An atomic drop looks to set up the shooting star as everything breaks down. Quen’s leg is grabbed and it’s Grayson pulling him down for two off a crash. We hit the reverse chinlock for a bit until Quen it taken back into the corner to keep up the stomping. Uno’s brainbuster gets two with Kassidy making the save, leaving him to get out of trouble with his own with a double hurricanrana.

A roll over to the corner allows a nice hot tag to bring Billy back in. Everything breaks down but the Fameasser is broken up by Reynolds pulling Billie outside. Everything breaks down and it’s the Fameasser for Grayson but Billy gets pulled to the floor. The Fatality finishes Austin at 10:42.

Rating: C. Another not terrible match here, though I’m surprised by Gunn taking the fall. I get that Billy is the legend (work with me here) here around AEW and they don’t want to have Private Party lose, but it still felt off. The Fatality did look good though, which is usually the case for a nice ending.

The Dynamite preview takes us out.

Overall Rating: C-. There wasn’t much wrestling worth going out of your way to see here and it was another long show on top of that. Some of the matches did feel a little more important here, which helped somewhat, though it was still a show that you don’t need to see with a bunch of wrestlers who are on here almost every week. Just more of the same, which means it wasn’t very good.

Results

Brandi Rhodes b. Red Velvet – Queenslayer

Butcher and Blade b. Daniel Garcia/Kevin Blackwood – Full Death to Garcia

Penelope Ford b. Dani Jordyn – Fisherman’s suplex

Brian Cage b. Megabite Ronnie – Drill Claw

Santana and Ortiz b. Brian Pillman Jr./Griff Garrison – Kick to Pillman’s head

Will Hobbs b. Jessy Sorensen – Oklahoma Stampede

Diamante/Ivelisse b. Rache Chanel/Skyler Moore – Kick to Moore’s face

Colt Cabana b. QT Marshall – Discus lariat

Brandon Cutler vs. Peter Avalon went to a double countout

Best Friends b. Dontae Smiley/Maxx Stardom – Piledriver to Stardom

Dark Order b. Private Party/Gunn Club – Fatality to Gunn

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: All Elite Wrestling

Dark
Date: July 14, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

It’s the fallout show from Fyter Fest as well as the go home show for Fight For The Fallen and we even have a title match tonight. This week it’s Brian Cage defending the FTW Title against Brian Pillman Jr. in a match that sounds a bit squashish on paper. Other than that, the show sounds like its usual self. Let’s get to it.

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

Rache Chanel/Diamante vs. Allie/Brandi Rhodes

Dustin Rhodes is here with Allie and Brandi, the latter of whom doesn’t like Diamante shoving Allie before the bell. Allie and Diamante lock up to start with the former hitting a Dustin drop down uppercut. Rache comes in, after getting in one final touch of the hair of course. It’s off to Brandi, who snapmares Rache down for a kick to the face and an early two. A Diamante distraction lets Chanel get in a cheap shot from behind to take over on Allie though and the stomping is on in the corner.

We hit the chinlock as Taz talks about the QT Marshall apple necklace Allie is wearing. Allie fights up but Diamante knocks Brandi off the apron to block a tag attempt. Brandi is up to pull Allie out of the way out of a running corner dropkick and the hot tag brings Brandi in. Rache knees Brandi but spends too much time talking trash can gets superkicked down. The spear finishes Chanel at 7:23.

Rating: C-. Brandi and Allie are the stars here of course and they’re not exactly the kind of team that you need to have out there for almost eight minutes. It was a good enough match with no drama on the ending, but how many people are all that interested in seeing Brandi and Allie as wrestlers? Especially when they aren’t exactly likely to be rising up the ranks all that soon in the near future.

Ricky Starks vs. Robert Anthony

They go to the mat to start with neither being able to get anywhere. Back up and Anthony gets in a few shots to the face and a kick to the ribs, only to have Starks come back with a clothesline. The release northern lights suplex drops Anthony and the spear puts him on the apron. Back in and Starks grabs a swinging neckbreaker for two but Anthony gets in a tilt-a-whirl faceplant for a breather. The surfboard into another faceplant gives Anthony two but Starks kicks him in the face. Starks picks him up with a double underhook Dominator for the pin at 4:51.

Rating: C. Anthony got in some offense here and continues to look like someone who could be a player later on. Starks looks like someone who could be a star even sooner though, which makes him one of the best signings that AEW has made in recent weeks. It’s a loss for the NWA, but dang it’s fun to watch Starks, who really does seem like a potential star of the future.

Shawn Spears talks about the history of the glove in wrestling.

Shawn Dean/Will Hobbs/Joe Alonzo vs. Dark Order

3, 4 and 5 for the Order with more of the team watching from the stage. Hobbs and 5 start things off with 5’s right hands in the corner staggering Hobbs early on. The fall away slam sends 5 flying though and it’s 4 coming in, with Hobbs giving him a World’s Strongest Slam. Alonzo comes in and hits a hiptoss but 4 sends him into the corner. 3 comes in for a double dropkick to Alonzo’s head but Dean gets the tag to send 3 face first into the corner. Dean hits a slingshot dive to the floor to take out 3 and 4, only to have 5 send him into the barricade.

5 comes back in for some rapid fire splashes and 4 adds a running kick to the chest for two. Another kick to the face sets up another splash from 5 for two more but Dean kicks 5 away. The hot tag brings in Hobbs to clean house and everything breaks down. Alonzo rolls 4 up for two but it’s a Wing Snapper from 5 into a double flipping Destroyer DDT for the pin on Alonzo at 9:12.

Rating: C-. Another match that just kind of came and went, though it could have been worse. The problem is that it’s still hard to get into three small guys who are relatively interchangeable when they’re all in masks. It doesn’t help that there was no chance of an upset here, because there never is on this show.

Marko Stunt vs. Michael Nakazawa

ARE THEY KIDDING??? I watch this show every single week and they make me watch THIS??? Nakazawa throws the baby oil away to start and drops Stunt with a shoulder. Stunt runs the ropes and bounces off of him again but a dropkick works well enough. There’s a kick to the head (Taz: “Almost like Bruce Lee but not.”) and another kick to send Nakazawa into the corner. The suicide elbow sends Nakazawa into the barricade but he drops Stunt throat first across the top back inside.

A slam gives Nakazawa two and we hit the chinlock. Hold on though as Nakazawa changes his mind and wants the oil, which he pours onto Stunt. Back up and Stunt avoids a charge in the corner so Stunt hits a top rope shot to the back. A Samoan drop cuts Stunt off again and Nakazawa crotches him on top for a slide across the top. The underwear claw is loaded up but Stunt knocks it into Nakazawa’s face. Since Nakazawa can’t let go, Stunt grabs a rollup for the pin at 6:10.

Rating: F. What are you expecting me to think here? This was another dumb match in a series of them from Nakazawa, but his buddy helps run the company and that means he is going to have a job around here as long as he wants to. Or until the rest of the roster revolts against him and chases him off with pitchforks and torches, as they should have done a LONG time ago.

Post match Stunt has to help him get the underwear off of Nakazawa’s face.

Serpentico/Luther vs. Pineapple Pete/Brady Pierce

Serpentico shoots a bunch of webbing out of his hands during the entrances. Cool visual if nothing else. Pete not being sure what to make of Serpentico and Luther is funny. Luther jumps Pete to start and hits a pump kick, followed by Serpentico’s top rope double stomp to the arm. A monkey flip gets Pete out of trouble and it’s Pierce coming in to have no effect on Luther. Brady’s running clothesline in the corner works a bit better but Luther takes Pete into the corner with ease.

Luther grabs a belly to belly for two and there’s a swinging side slam to put Pete down again. Serpentico is slammed down onto Pete for two and a slingshot double stomp sets up Luther’s knee to the face. Pete dropkicks his way out of the corner though and it’s the hot tag bringing in Pierce to clean house. A kick to Pierce’s face sets up the standing Sliced Bread though, with a spinebuster/top rope Meteora finishing Pierce at 7:02.

Rating: D+. Pretty slow match here and that’s not exactly something that makes me want to keep watching any of them. Pete continues to be fun and Serpentico feels like someone who could be a bigger star somewhere else. Then there’s Luther who is fine enough, but that’s about as high as I’m going on him.

Jurassic Express vs. Peter Avalon/Brandon Cutler

Marko Stunt and Leva Bates are at ringside while the Young Bucks are watching from the crowd. Commentary jumps up and down in quality as Cutler and Jungle Boy run the ropes to start. Cutler’s slingshot kick to the head gets two but Luchasaurus comes in and throws Boy into a Downward Spiral to drop Cutler for two. Luchasaurus leaves though and it’s Cutler hitting a springboard uppercut to the face for his own near fall.

Avalon gets two off a suplex and Cutler hits a running legdrop for the same. Boy is back with a heck of a clothesline and it’s back to Luchasaurus to clean house. Kicks to the face drop Cutler and Avalon but the standing moonsault hits Avalon’s knees. Bates gets in a hurricanrana off the apron to Boy and Cutler grabs a tornado DDT on Luchasaurus.

A heck of a springboard elbow gets two with Boy having to make the save. Boy comes in off the tag and starts taking over, including a tiger suplex for two on Avalon. Everything breaks down and some shots to the face rock Luchasaurus again but Boy is back in for the Extinction Level Event to finish Avalon at 8:45.

Rating: C+. They did a good job of making me believe that the upset could happen here, which I never would have bet on coming into this. They’re doing something with the idea of having Avalon and Cutler finally getting their first win and that’s more of a story than anything else has here. Not a great match or anything, but for what it was in this spot, well done.

FTW Title: Brian Cage vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

Pillman is challenging after Taz and Cage make it clear that the title is on the line. Pillman jumps him to start and it promptly sent into the corner for the hard clotheslines. A release German suplex sends Pillman flying again and they head outside. Cage’s powerbomb on the floor is blocked but a flip dive off the apron is countered into a suplex. The toss powerbomb into the post and there’s the apron superplex to make it worse. The Drill Claw finishes Pillman at 2:28.

Post match Cage hits back to back powerbombs into an F5 to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a different format to the show and while I’m still not wild on it, I’ll take it over what they’ve done most of the time. They had some longer matches here but didn’t do as many, which made for a better setup for the whole thing. The matches stood out more and that’s one of the biggest flaws with Dark most of the time. Still longer than it needs to be and burn the Stunt vs. Nakazawa match with fire, but I think I like the altered format a bit more.

Results

Brandi Rhodes/Allie b. Rache Chanel/Diamante – Spear to Chanel

Ricky Starks b. Robert Anthony – Double underhook faceplant

Dark Order b. Joe Alonzo/Shawn Dean/Will Hobbs – Double flip DDT to Alonzo

Marko Stunt b. Michael Nakazawa – Rollup

Serpentico/Luther b. Pineapple Pete/Brady Pierce – Meteora/spinebuster combination to Pierce

Jurassic Express b. Peter Avalon/Brandon Cutler – Extinction Level Event to Avalon

Brian Cage b. Brian Pillman Jr. – Drill Claw

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: July 7, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

It’s the go home show for the second half of Fyter Fest and I’m not sure if that is going to matter. This show continues to be all over the place and I’m not sure what to expect from it week to week. One of the biggest draws here is the in-ring debut of Brian Pillman Jr., who could be a star in a few years. Let’s get to it.

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

Taz and Excalibur give us a quick hello.

Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Shawn Spears

Tully Blanchard is here with Spears. Feeling out process to start with Pillman flipping out of a wristlock and kicking Spears into the corner. Some chops put Pillman in the corner but he’s right back with a dropkick. That means a chat with Blanchard on the floor, which seems to work as Spears dropkicks him off the ropes back inside. Pillman gets sent head first into the steps on the way to the ring but he’s right back with a running forearm to the face. The springboard spinning crossbody misses though and it’s the C4 to give Spears the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C-. Well that was a little surprising. Pillman isn’t the biggest star in the world and while he isn’t a bigger star than Spears (for now), you might have expected a little something more than a five minute clean loss. It wasn’t terrible, but I was hoping for Pillman to be treated as a little bit of a bigger deal in his debut.

Rache Chanel vs. Big Swole

Chanel is into fashion if that wasn’t obvious. Swole powers her around to start and strikes the bicep pose, followed by a headlock. The takeover takes Chanel over but the threat of Dirty Dancing sends her bailing to the floor. Back in and Swole hits a kick to the head on the apron but Chanel grabs a swinging neckbreaker for two. We hit the seated armbar and then a reverse chinlock as Britt Baker rolls out to watch. Swole fights back with some clotheslines but stops to glare at Baker. A spinning powerbomb sets up Dirty Dancing and a kick to the face finishes Chanel at 7:23.

Rating: C-. Chanel didn’t look all that great here but Swole is starting to figure things out. She has a good energy to her and that is the kind of thing that can make her into a star. There is a solid charisma and seeing her face Baker when she is finally healthy should be a fun match.

We get a sitdown interview with Allie and Brandi Rhodes, who argue about who is responsible for their success. Dustin Rhodes comes in to say he knows Allie is going to turn on QT Marshall and wants her to stay away from his family. The women want to be a team.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Luther

Excalibur thinks Kazarian’s 19-10 record is 19-1, which Taz doesn’t notice and calls a “good observation”. Luther powers him into the corner to start so Kazarian snaps off some armdrags and cranks on the arm. Back up and Luther hits a spinwheel kick of all things, allowing him to rake the face in the corner. A hard clothesline gives Luther one but Kazarian fights back with some shots to the head. The slingshot Oklahoma roll gets two and a victory roll gives Kazarian the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C. Luther has been surprisingly acceptable and that’s all I could have asked of him. There was no reason to believe that he was ever going to be anything special and seems to be there as nothing more than a favor to Jericho. There are worse ways to get a job and he has done better with it than I ever would have guessed.

Butcher and Blade/Lucha Bros vs. Faboo Andre/Brady Pierce/Joe Alonzo/Tony Donati

Pentagon tells Tony that there is CERO MIEDO so it’s a big chop to the chest. Fenix comes in so the Bros can tie Donati up. A kick to the chest and an assisted chop allow the tag to Alonzo, who is knocked down in a hurry. Everything breaks down and it’s a superkick/brainbuster combination to Pierce. Butcher suplexes Alonzo into a powerbomb onto Blade’s knees, with Fenix adding a springboard missile dropkick for the pin at 3:15.

Rating: D+. That’s how this should have gone with the team in a big match wrecking people instead of doing anything resembling selling. These were four goons going against two bigger teams and there was no reason for it to be anything more than a squash. I can go for some complete dominance and that is what we got here, as we should have.

Will Hobbs vs. Orange Cassidy

A missed charge lets Cassidy hit a Superman Punch for the pin at 12 seconds.

Michael Nakazawa vs. Shawn Dean

Dean grabs a hammerlock into a waistlock so it’s the oil squeezing for the escape. Nakazawa hits a running shoulder so Dean is back with a dropkick. A clothesline gives Dean two but Aubrey Edwards has to take away Nakazawa’s baby oil. Nakazawa goes with a tackle and then a top rope shoulder gets two. With nothing else working, Nakazawa pulls out his own underwear but gets caught in a TKO Stunner. A Backstabber gives Dean two but Nakazawa puts the underwear on Dean’s face like a claw for the win at 5:45.

Rating: F. See, Luther being around for the sake of being Jericho’s friend has been a good thing. Nakazawa being around for the sake of being Kenny Omega’s friend is HORRIBLE as he is one of the dumbest things I’ve seen in a long time. It’s the same joke over and over and feels like something that belongs in comedy written by a five year old. Moving on to ANYTHING else.

Serpentico vs. Scorpio Sky

Sky takes him down to start but gets reversed into a quickly broken headlock. A Russian legsweep gives Sky two and a backbreaker lets him bend Serpentico over the knee. Serpentico sends him outside though and it’s a ram into the barricade. A legdrop on the apron keeps Sky in trouble and there’s a stomp to the face for a delayed two. As Taz discussed bird watching, Serpentico gets two off a one footed dropkick.

The armbar doesn’t last long but Sky blocks a suplex attempt. Instead Sky snaps off a brainbuster and gets two off a neckbreaker. Serpentico is sent to the apron and comes back in with a kick to the head, followed by a slingshot double stomp. A short DDT gives Serpentico two more but Sky is back with a good looking dropkick for the double knockdown. The TKO is countered and Serpentico hits a knee to the face. The followup takes too long though and now the TKO gives Sky the pin at 9:58.

Rating: C+. Sky is the definition of smooth as he can look good against anyone. He wrestles a very universal style but makes it look good every time he’s in the ring. This was a nice showing for Serpentico as well though and hopefully they both get another chance to showcase themselves in the future.

Dark Order vs. Brandon Cutler/Peter Avalon

For a couple of losers, Cutler and Avalon (with Leva Bates of course) get to main event a lot of shows. A lot of the Dark Order is here with Stu Grayson and Evil Uno. Taz talks about how Avalon and Cutler suck as individual wrestlers. Excalibur: “Taz, I will have you know, they sucked as a team too.” Ok point for a funny line. Avalon offers to lay down for Uno but manages to grab a small package for two.

Grayson comes in and gets kicked in the head by Cutler, who comes in off a quick tag. Cutler gets slammed down by Grayson though and a running shoulder in the corner keeps him in trouble. A backbreaker sends Cutler to the apron and a running knee gives Uno two. The brainbuster gets the same but Cutler pulls himself to the top for a high crossbody and immediately rolls over for the hot tag to Avalon.

House is cleaned and an Arabian moonsault gives Avalon two. Grayson goes after Bates so Avalon makes a diving save, followed by a big springboard dive from Cutler. Grayson kicks both of them in the head and gets two off a sitout powerbomb to Avalon. The Knightfall finishes Avalon at 7:26, as Uno seems to be favoring his wrist and shoulder.

Rating: C. I never would have bet on having Avalon and Cutler work as faces but they did here….kind of. It was a fun match and they were getting somewhere with the Avalon comeback. They might have something with those two FINALLY winning a match of some sort, but I’m not sure when were’ going to get there, or if it’s going to matter in the end.

A Fyter Fest rundown ends the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a rougher one to sit through, mainly because of the Nakazawa match being as welcome as a stapler to the face. They didn’t have the star power going this week and it made for a tougher sit than usual. It wasn’t the worst show but there were a lot of times where I was wondering how much longer it could go. Not their best effort this week.

Results

Shawn Spears b. Brian Pillman Jr. – C4

Big Swole b. Rache Chanel – Dirty Dancing

Frankie Kazarian b. Luther – Victory roll

Orange Cassidy b. Will Hobbs – Superman Punch

Michael Nakazawa b. Shawn Dean – Claw

Butcher and Blade/Lucha Bros b. Tony Donati/Joe Alonzo/Faboo Andre/Brady Pierce – Springboard missile dropkick to Alonzo

Scorpio Sky b. Serpentico – TKO

Dark Order b. Peter Avalon/Brandon Cutler – Knightfall 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

Dark
Date: March 24, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

This is a special edition of the show as they are cramming it full, for the sake of bringing in some indy wrestlers to work some dates in light of the Coronavirus epidemic. That’s nice of them, and much to my relief, the extra matches are being crammed into the same amount of time as usual. Let’s get to it.

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

Taz and Excalibur run down the card.

Jake Hager vs. Joe Alonzo

Hager pounds him in the back to start and throws Alonzo down with a wheelbarrow suplex. A Rock Bottom out of the corner sets up the head and arm choke to finish Alonzo at 1:26. Total squash.

Matt Sells/Jon Cruz vs. Natural Nightmares

Sells and Cruz have a woman named Skyler Moore with them while Brandi Rhodes is here with the Nightmares. Dustin armdrags Cruz down to start and a clothesline turns him inside out so Marshall can get two. It’s off to Sells for some hip swiveling so Marshall returns the favor with a clothesline to give Dustin two of his own. Sells’ palm strike gets two on Marshall and a middle rope double stomp to Marshall’s arm keeps him down. Marshall grabs a Lethal Combination on Cruz and it’s back to Dustin for the snap powerslam. A Dominator/sliding cutter combination finishes Cruz at 4:22.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable and acceptable tag match here and that’s all it needed to be. The Nightmares have turned into a nice little team and while I don’t think they have much of a future as far as going up the ladder, they’re good for a match like this and maybe as some dark horse challengers for the titles one day.

SCU vs. Robert Anthony/Shawn Spears

Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian for SCU here. Anthony wristlocks Kazarian to start as Tully Blanchard is filming the match on his phone. An armbar has Kazarian slowed down even more and it’s off to Spears, sending Kazarian backing up. That’s quite the suckering in though as Spears charges into an armdrag and it’s off to Daniels in a hurry.

Everything breaks down in a hurry and Anthony pulls Daniels outside for a beating. Anthony comes in for a spinning gutwrench faceplant for two and it’s Spears mocking the THIS IS AWESOME chants (with claps of course). Three straight slams give Anthony two and we hit the chinlock. That doesn’t last long either as it’s Spears coming in, only to get rolled up twice in a row.

Kazarian comes back in and starts to clean house, including making Spears hit Anthony by mistake. Spears gets knocked outside, leaving Anthony to hit a rolling Death Valley Driver for two on Kazarian. Everyone gets back in again and Anthony runs Spears over this time. That’s enough for Spears, who walks out again, leaving Anthony to take the Best Meltzer Ever for the pin at 10:34.

Rating: C. Another nice little match here with Anthony getting to show off a bit. They had mentioned that Anthony had wrestled for over twenty years and you could see the experience on display. It’s not a great match or anything, but given that it should have been little more than a squash and wound up being fine, I’m pleased.

Kip Sabian vs. Suge D.

Penelope Ford is here with Sabian and her kiss to Sabian lets Suge get two off a rollup. Suge walks into a Dropkick to the face though and it’s time to start choking in the corner. A missed charge gives Suge a breather but he gets caught in a hanging swinging neckbreaker. Suge trips him down though and gets in a discus forearm, only to get half and half suplexed. Sabian grabs a grounded Octopus for the tap at 4:40.

Rating: C-. Suge isn’t someone I’m overly familiar with but he had some charisma and got a change to show what he can do in the ring here. It’s not a good match or anything but Sabian needed a win in there somewhere as it feels like he has gone months without doing anything of note. Fine enough way to showcase a lesser known name too.

Colt Cabana vs. Brandon Cutler

Cabana takes him down in a hurry to start but offers Cutler a free hand for a break. That earns Cutler some sarcastic applause so he does the same as Cabana, who gets wristdragged down. Both of them miss each other a lot until Cutler armdrags him into a quickly broken armbar. Cabana tries a clean break out of the corner but makes sure to talk a bit of trash, earning himself a shot to the head. A hurricanrana sends Cabana outside for a suicide dive but Cutler misses a dive back inside. An elbow to the head sets up the Superman Pin to finish Cutler at 4:32.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t my style but Cabana knows how to do this match in his sleep and can turn up the serious if he needs to at any time. He’s a nice asset to have around here due to that versatility and AEW is smart to keep him in spots like this at the moment. Cutler continues to just a person on the roster but they could do a lot worse.

Post match, respect is shown.

Corey Hollis/Mike Reed vs. Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela

Janela even gets pyro before he pulls Hollis into the corner by the wrist. Kiss comes in for the handspring slap as Taz talks about not liking so many tags in so little time. Hollis gets kicked into a German suplex from Janela and we get some comedic posing. Reed sneaks in for a knee to Kiss’ face and another knee breaks up Kiss’ bridge.

The chinlock doesn’t last long and Hollis kicks Kiss in the face for two. A belly to back suplex doesn’t work as well though as Kiss flips out and brings Janela back in. Everything breaks down and it’s a running kick to Reed in the corner. Janela climbs onto Kiss’ back for the top rope elbow, followed by a flying splits splash to give Kiss the pin at 6:15.

Rating: C-. It was just a step above a comedy match but at least Kiss finally beat someone. It’s not like this is going to mean anything in the long term but for a final match on a pretty packed show, it worked out well enough. I’ve seen Skyler before and I don’t need to see Janela ever again so at least things even out a little bit.

Overall Rating: C. Now this is more of what Dark should be like week to week. There isn’t a need to have some ten to fifteen minute match with the lower half of the roster. Just get them in, get them on camera, and move on to someone else. It’s a good example of less is more and that’s what I got here, as the show breezed by and nothing overstayed its welcome, or even really came close to it for that matter. Nice change of pace here and it worked well.

Results

Jake Hager b. Joe Alonzo – Head and arm choke

Natural Nightmares b. Matt Sells/Jon Cruz – Dominator/sliding cutter combination to Cruz

SCU b. Robert Anthony/Shawn Spears – Best Meltzer Ever to Spears

Kip Sabian b. Suge D. – Grounded Octopus

Colt Cabana b. Brandon Cutler – Superman pin

Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela b. Mike Reed/John Skyler – Top rope splits splash to Reed

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: March 17, 2020
Location: Maverik Center, West Valley City, Utah
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

This might be the last time that we see a large crowd for a large company and that makes me sad in a way. I’m hoping the show lives up to its status of being in this position, even if there was no reason to believe that it would be in the first place. So yeah, odds are it’s a normal show, which sounds great right now. Let’s get to it.

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

The announcers run down the card.

Peter Avalon vs. Colt Cabana

Leva Bates is with Avalon of course and Cabana interrupts his pre-match speech, also of course. Avalon takes him into the corner to start but Colt gives him a heck of a chop. It’s time to crank on Avalon’s arms before taking him down into a bodyscissors. Back up and Avalon dropkicks him to the floor, with Cabana grabbing his knee.

Avalon’s high crossbody gets two and he grabs his own double arm crank. Cabana fights up again and hits the Flip Flop and Fly into a splash for two. That sends Avalon to the apron but Bates gets in Cabana’s way, setting up a tug of war. Avalon gets the better of it and nearly kisses her, only to get caught in the Superman pin at 5:42.

Rating: D+. Just a match here, but it shows what Cabana can do best: he’s a perfect choice for a way to open the show most weeks. The fans know who he is, he can be entertaining both with comedy and wrestling, and can go serious if necessary. This was fine enough for an opener, though it’s not like it was anything worth seeing.

Tony and Dasha don’t have much to say, though Tony does have a new shirt.

Hybrid 2 vs. Brandon Cutler/Michael Nakazawa

Evans and Angelico jump them to start as the fans chant for Nakazawa. We settle down to Evans hammering on Nakazawa until Angelico takes him down by the leg to crank away. Nakazawa’s comeback doesn’t last long as Angelico cranks on the arm, only to have Nakazawa oil his way to freedom. The oil gets him out of a double suplex as well and it’s Cutler coming in to clean house.

This includes a forearm, with Excalibur making fun of JR for calling it a Five Arm (since wrestling was invented in Japan/Mexico and nothing else matters to him, or at least that’s how it comes off). Anyway, Cutler kicks people in the head and drops a guillotine legdrop to the back of Angelico’s head on the apron. A top rope elbow gets two on Evans but Nakazawa oils Cutler in the face by mistake. Evans moonsaults onto Cutler, leaving Angelico to hit a running Razor’s Edge buckle bomb. The 630 gives Evans the pin on Nakazawa at 6:24.

Rating: C-. So, to recap, Excalibur is fine with a guy whose whole deal is pouring oil on himself and then spitting it in his partner’s eyes but JR calling a forearm a Five Arm (because for some reason the idea of the name is REALLY complicated I guess) is too far? But hey, he knows the “official” name for a suicide dive and wears a mask because he honors lucha libre tradition. Or something.

The hosts preview the next match.

Penelope Ford vs. Riho

Kip Sabian is here as well. Ford forearms her down to start but Riho bridges up at one. Some running knees in the corner have Ford in trouble until Sabian pulls Riho’s leg. That lets Ford hit a Stunner and hammer away on the mat, followed by the handspring elbow in the corner. A delayed vertical suplex gets two and Ford tries a bridge, only to get stomped in the ribs.

Riho hits a 619 (or tiger feint kick in case Rey Mysterio isn’t good enough for you) and a crucifix driver gets two. The top rope double stomp gets the same but Ford is right back with a fireman’s carry gutbuster. The V Trigger misses in the corner but Sabian offers a distraction, allowing Ford to hit a handspring Stunner. A fisherman’s suplex finishes Riho at 6:06.

Rating: C-. There was a bit too much interference here as Sabian got involved several times, but I can go with that by having a surprise ending. I wouldn’t have bet on having Riho lose here but it’s nice to see someone getting a chance. I’ve never quite gotten the huge star power in Riho, but if she’s as big of a deal as the fans treat her as, this shouldn’t hurt her that much.

Stu Grayson vs. Christopher Daniels

SCU gets ejected before the bell and Dark Order is tossed as well, meaning it’s one on one. A shoulder puts Grayson outside in a hurry so Daniels hits a baseball slide to send him into the barricade. Back in and a high crossbody gives Daniels two, only to have Grayson come back with a release Rock Bottom. Some rollups give Daniels two more so Grayson hits him in the throat.

A slingshot hilo to the apron (Grayson: “This is fun!”) crushes Daniels but he catches Grayson with an exploder suplex into the corner. The STO plants Grayson and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same. Grayson is back with a running knee for two but Nightfall is broken up. Angel’s Wings is countered as well though and Grayson hits a sitout TKO for a rather near fall.

Grayson takes too long to set up his own BME so Daniels slips away, setting up Angel’s Wings for two. A Downward Spiral sets up the Koji Clutch but a Creeper (or follower or the Dark Order as Excalibur puts it because he can’t remember the official name here, and yes I’m still on this) distracts the referee. Daniels takes care of him and counters Nightfall into a rollup for the pin at 10:06.

Rating: B-. You have this good match, which ties into a big story, taped and you don’t put it in on Dynamite? I’m not sure I get that but at least it was a lot better than anything else on the show. What matters here is making me care about the Exalted One and they have done that rather well, as I don’t know who it is going to be, which is a nice feeling to have.

Post match the Dark Order comes in but SCU and Colt Cabana run in for the save. Daniels calls out Evil Uno, saying there is no Exalted One.

Overall Rating: C. The main event helped it a lot but aside from that, this was your run of the mill, non-essential viewing episode of Dark. It’s very good that AEW has basically turned this into the B team show most of the time, as people like Nakazawa or Avalon have little reason to be close to Dynamite these days. Not a great show, but the main event wasn’t bad at all and advanced the big story for the week so well done there.

Results

Colt Cabana b. Peter Avalon – Superman pin

Hybrid 2 b. Michael Nakazawa/Brandon Cutler – 630 to Nakazawa

Penelope Ford b. Riho – Fisherman’s suplex

Christopher Daniels b. Stu Grayson – Rollup

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: March 10, 2020
Location: 1^st Bank Center, Broomfield, Colorado
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

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

Taz and Excalibur run down the card.

Jurassic Express vs. Peter Avalon/Kip Sabian

Marko Stunt, Penelope Ford and Leva Bates are all at ringside. Sabian has to backflip out of a Luchasaurus chokeslam attempt and that means a Karate Kid pose. Boy and Avalon come in with Peter telling us to be quiet. That earns him a chop to the chest and a springboard armdrag to put him down as the pace picks up. A dropkick has Avalon in more trouble and a springboard dive drops Sabian for a bonus.

Ford breaks up a springboard though and Sabian gets two off a neckbreaker. Sabian is back up with a springboard dropkick into a spinebuster, followed by a double suplex for one. Ford and Bates get in an argument over a book though and, after they shove Stunt away, the distraction lets Luchasaurus come in to clean house. Avalon actually escapes a chokeslam attempt but gets kicked down, setting up a standing moonsault for two instead. It’s back to Boy to start rapid firing the strikes as everything breaks down. The Tail Whip sends Sabian outside and the reverse powerbomb/cutter combination finishes Avalon at 7:58.

Rating: C. Pretty standard match here but it’s great to see Jurassic Express do something after just kind of sitting around for months. I’m not sure what happened to them but they were looking like one of the biggest teams in all of the company. If nothing else, it was nice to see the better version without Stunt out there as the novelty act.

Buy a Pharaoh shirt with some of the money going to charity!

Severino Corrente vs. Jimmy Havoc

This is Corrente’s debut. Havoc works on the arm to start so Corrente punches him in the face. You don’t do that to someone like Havoc, who sends him face first into the buckle to take over again. A double stomp out of the corner sets up a middle rope double stomp but the Acid Rainmaker is countered into a German suplex back into the corner. Havoc bites the finger and pokes the eye though, setting up a running dropkick. A Death Valley Driver into the Acid Rainmaker finishes Corrente at 4:48.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here and that might be a good idea for Havoc. He hasn’t done much around here in a long time and having him get a win like this at least keeps him around. I’m not sure what it means for Havoc’s future, but I can’t imagine seeing him facing Luther on Dynamite.

Post match Luther comes in and beats Havoc down.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming! And buy that shirt.

Abadon vs. Hikaru Shida

It’s Abadon’s debut as well and she’s rather evil looking. Shida seems scared of her to start and backs off early on before running Abadon over with a shoulder. A headscissors puts Shida down and she yells at Shida a lot. Abadon bends Shida’s neck across the rope and it’s time to chop it out. A knee to the face sets up a middle rope dropkick on Abadon but she’s right back with an Edge-O-Matic for two. That just earns Abadon a brainbuster into the running knee for the pin at 5:31.

Rating: C. Abadon feels like one of several evil/creepy wrestlers that you have probably seen time after time but she had a perfectly fine performance here. Shida is someone else who can do a lot in the ring, but at some point she needs to do something a little more than just the running knee. She’s one of the better women in the division though and I can see why AEW is pushing her.

Jimmy Havoc isn’t hurt and wants to fight Luther, who jumps him again.

Avalon and Bates come up to Colt Cabana and tell him to read more instead of listening to podcasts. Peter storms off but Bates comes back up to say that she’s a big fan of his podcast.

Private Party vs. Sonny Kiss/Brandon Cutler

Cutler armbars Cassidy to start and it’s Kiss coming in off a blind tag but everything breaks down. A bunch of kicks miss until Kiss misses a handspring elbow in the corner. Kiss is fine enough to knock Quen down but he’s right back with a monkey flip, allowing the tag back to Cassidy. An atomic drop sets up an enziguri to drop Kiss and the leapfrog double stomp to the back gets two.

Kiss slips out of a double suplex and slides under a double clothesline for the hot tag to Cutler for the house cleaning. Cutler ties both of them in the ropes for springboard legdrops, followed by a suicide dive to Quen. A springboard legdrop gets two on Cassidy, followed by some kicks from Kiss.

Back in and Kiss snaps off a middle rope hurricanrana for two on Cassidy. Quen breaks up the splits though and Kiss is driven back into the corner. A moonsault to the back gives Cassidy two with Cutler breaking the save, setting up back to back fireman’s carry gutbusters. Cutler is sent outside though and it’s Gin and Juice to pin Kiss at 11:21.

Rating: C-. Much like Jurassic Express, what in the world happened to Private Party? They came in as one of the more promising teams in the company and now they’re taking eleven minutes to beat two jobbers? The match wasn’t too bad but Private Party should be at least a little higher up than this.

Post match the Death Triangle runs in for the beatdown on all four. Pac says this is just the beginning so here’s Joey Janela to get beaten down. The Best Friends and Orange Cassidy run in for the save. That’s quite a bit to end Dark.

Results

Jurassic Express b. Peter Avalon/Kip Sabian – Reverse powerbomb/cutter combination to Avalon

Jimmy Havoc b. Severino Corrente – Acid Rainmaker

Hikaru Shida b. Abadon – Running knee

Private Party b. Brandon Cutler/Sonny Kiss – Gin and Juice to Kiss

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