Dynamite – May 27, 2020: There’s The Headliner

IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: May 27, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re done with Double Or Nothing and that means it’s time to start getting ready for the summer. I’m not sure what that is going to mean as AEW takes its time to get to their next pay per views. We do have Fyter Fest though, and that should give us a goal for the next few weeks. Let’s get to it.

Here is Double Or Nothing if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Double Or Nothing.

The Inner Circle is upset over their loss and have to get rid of this box of Stadium Stampede winner shirts. Hang on though as it’s a little more than that. Santana got a deal from his buddy Carlos and opens the back of a truck, showing crate after crate of shirts. Jericho is distraught in a funny bit.

Opening sequence.

Here’s a preview of what is going down tonight.

Matt Hardy and the Elite are ready for their match but Hangman Page wants to go get a drink. Kenny Omega joins him, so Matt is ready to team with the Bucks on his own. They wouldn’t mind an older version of him, so Matt turns into the Team Extreme version. Actually can he go a little older than that? Matt becomes….I guess late 90s version and asks if they’re ready to be spot monkeys.

Matt Hardy/Young Bucks vs. Joey Janela/Private Party

The Bucks waste no time in starting with the flips and dives on Marc Quen early on. Janela comes in and gets caught with a splash/double enziguri in the corner but Nick is sent hard to the floor. Back in and Nick is sent hard to the floor. That means we get the abdominal stretch back inside, meaning the Wilbur Snyder references are on. Nick manages to send Janela to the floor but superkicks Butcher by mistake.

The fight is on and JR takes a completely necessary shot at WWE for mentioning the Plexiglas in front of their wrestler fans. Back in and the hot tag brings in Hardy for the Side Effect on Kassidy. A double DDT plants Private Party and there’s another Side Effect to Janela. Everything breaks down and Private Party hits the big double flip dive. Quen comes up holding his knee but Kassidy slingshots in with a Downward Spiral (which didn’t land right and looked like Matt gave him a Side Effect) for two. The Bucks come back in and More Bang For Your Buck finishes Kassidy at 9:53.

Rating: C. Yeah it was another all over the place tag match, but it would be nice to have things slow down for once. AEW has some amazing tag teams but they rely so much on these insane tag matches. Maybe slow things down a bit and have a standard match instead of going all out like this. You can do these matches on a regular basis, but not an all time basis.

Post match, Hardy helps the injured Quen to the back in a nice moment. Butcher and Blade run in to beat down the Young Bucks but FTR (the Revival) drive in with their truck for the save. A spike piledriver plants Blade and FTR shows respect to the Bucks. It’s cool that they’re there, but they better tear the house down.

Brian Cage vs. Lee Johnson

Jon Moxley is on commentary and Taz is here with Cage. Splash in the corner, powerbomb, Drill Claw in 1:13.

Post match Taz promises that Cage is going to take Moxley’s heart at Fyter Fest. Moxley better bring his grit, because he’s only surviving if Cage lets him.

It’s time for Britt Baker’s Rules Of Being A Role Model, with Tony Schiavone having to operate the pointer. The third rule is all about Britt: Don’t Hurt The Role Model. She claims a conspiracy has led her to having a broken tibia, and we look at the various conspirators. They would be the wrestlers involved in the match last week (Britt: “Kris Stadtlander, you being an alien is a crock of s***!”), and now we need a chart.

Everything leads back to Aubrey Edwards, who is here for every bad thing that happens to her. Baker: “When my nose was broken, Aubrey Edwards was somewhere!” Baker will be back at All Out. Hopefully she gets to stay on TV, because this was great stuff, as usual. Just give us more Baker either way.

The Inner Circle is ready for their pep rally tonight when Orange Cassidy walks in and out. Jericho: “Did he really just do that?”

Christi Jaymes vs. Hikaru Shida

Non-title. Shida takes Jaymes up against the ropes but Jaymes shoves her back a bit and dances. Shida is invited to dance as well but Jaymes kicks her leg out as a result. That’s too far for Shida, who grabs her by the hair, only to have Jaymes do the same. A backbreaker finally slows Jaymes down and we hit the one armed camel clutch. Jaymes gets out and hits Shida in the face for two, only to miss a Lionsault. The running knee to the face sets up a running knee to the back of the head to give Shida two. The Falcon Arrow finishes Jaymes at 5:20.

Rating: C-. What the heck was that? Shida slayed the beast on Saturday and then takes five minutes to go 50/50 with someone with one match experience around here? This was a great way to make Jaymes look important, but it made Shida sweat when she should have been taking a victory lap. It’s ok to have more than one squash in a row and AEW would be well served to learn that. This made Jaymes look like a star and Shida like someone who had to survive against someone beneath her. That’s not exactly a great way to present the new champion.

We look at Cody winning the first TNT Title. Cody talks about Tom Brady being his favorite quarterback and it’s not because he was from the northeast. Cody: “I don’t think I’ll ever be welcome back in Connecticut.” It’s because Brady wasn’t the first pick and neither was Cody. When Tony Khan wanted to start the best bell to bell company in the world and he was the fourth or fifth pick.

Cody talks about how Dustin got all the Dusty genes (we cut to Brandi and Dustin watching at ringside and Brandi having to get QT Marshall’s attention away from Allie) but he will outwork anyone. That’s why every week, it’s an open challenge for the title. Wrestling is without its greatest asset at the moment but the fans have never dropped them. So follow him.

Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc vs. SCU

The winners get a title shot next week, Penelope Ford is here with Sabian/Havoc, it’s Scorpio Sky/Kazarian for SCU and it’s a brawl before the bell. We settle down to Sky working over Havoc’s arm and Kazarian dropping a knee onto it for a bonus. Kazarian gets two off an O’Connor roll but Havoc kicks him into a boot from Sabian to take over. A catapult sends Kazarian into an eye poke as the villains take over. Havoc goes after the eyes as we take a break.

Back with Kazarian still in trouble until he can slingshot into a roll over to Sky. A rolling cutter sets up a dragon sleeper on Sabian with Havoc making a fast save. Sabian’s top rope double stomp gets two on Sky but Kazarian comes back in for an assisted swinging DDT for two of his own. Ford breaks up SCULater though and it’s the dropkick/Michinoku Driver combination to Sky for the pin at 12:02.

Rating: C. Just a match here but I can go with them trying someone new in the title scene. Given that the titles haven’t been defended in three months, it would be nice to see the titles actually on the line for once. I can’t imagine Havoc and Sabian actually win, but throw in the right amount of interference and we might be getting somewhere.

MJF is ready to win the battle royal because he’s awesome. Wardlow will be in there with him as his insurance policy. Wardlow: “But…”. MJF: “BUT NOTHING!!!!” Just ribbing of course.

Battle Royal

Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Wardlow, Colt Cabana, Luther, Marko Stunt, Luchasaurus, Christopher Daniels, Orange Cassidy, Sonny Kiss, Jungle Boy, Peter Avalon

The winner gets a shot at Cody next week (despite the open challenge making this match a little unnecessary). Cassidy isn’t in the ring when the bell rings so here are Santana and Ortiz to jump him from behind. It’s the usual brawl to start as MJF sits on the top to hide behind Wardlow. Luther throws Stunt to start and gets kicked in the face by Luchasaurus.

Stunt tries to go after Luchasaurus as Kiss kicks MJF in the face. Wardlow dumps Kiss (who JR seemed to refer to as “she” twice) and MJF goes outside to beat Kiss up some more. Cabana hits the Flying Apple on Billy, who dumps Cabana out without much effort. That’s enough for Cabana to take a flier from the Dark Order at ringside as we take a break.

Back with Stunt hurricanranaing Daniels out and promptly being tossed out by Wardlow. We’re down to Wardlow, Luchasaurus, Gunn, Jungle Boy and MJF. The monsters slug it out but MJF goes after Luchasaurus’ leg. Gunn breaks that up and slugs it out with Luchasaurus, until MJF and Wardlow dump both of them.

Cassidy rolls in because he was never eliminated so MJF busts out the ring. It hits Wardlow by mistake and Jungle Boy eliminates MJF. Cassidy and Jungle Boy get rid of Wardlow and we’re down to two. Boy sends him over the top but Cassidy skins the cat and comes back in for some Superman punches. A rebound clothesline takes Cassidy down and a running hurricanrana gives Boy the win at 11:15.

Rating: C-. Battle royals are always a little rough but I like the pick for the win here. As usual, if you do a battle royal properly, you can set up more matches at the same time other than just for the winner, so hopefully they make that happen here. The action wasn’t all that great here, but it could have been a lot worse.

Video on Stadium Stampede.

It’s time for the pep rally, with cheerleaders and a drum band. Vickie Guerrero (“Get your earplugs ready”) comes out as an extra cheerleader to introduce the Inner Circle. Chris Jericho promises that the Inner Circle will rise like five sexy phoenixes. This is all for the fans so everyone gets a Stadium Stampede shirt! The fans start throwing the shirts back and Sammy, on a crutch, has to calm things down. They may not have won, but they participated, so everyone gets a trophy! Jericho: “Mine says king of dad jokes.” Sammy: “Well there’s a pandemic going on so it’s hard to find trophies.”

Santana has some chopped cheese for Ortiz, some Vick’s vapor rub for Sammy (Santana: “My abuela says that heals anything.” Jericho: “My abuela says that too.”), some discount boots for Jake Hager, and a picture of Mark Anthony for Jericho. That works for Chris, because that’s his hero. Sammy gets the Hit Me Up mobile scooter, and Ortiz gets some headphones to stop the ringing in his ears. Hager….has written a poem, about how great the Inner Circle is. He’ll choke anyone who doesn’t like them and he wants to run the Elite over with his Tesla.

This goes into a crazed rant about how he wants to murder the Elite, with Jericho having to cut him off. Hager: “The end.” Jericho: “….good stuff.” Sammy asks Jericho what he wants, which would be Mike Tyson’s head on a platter. Jericho remembers what Tyson did to him in January 2010 on a Monday night so it’s time for revenge. Sammy couldn’t get Tyson’s head on a platter, but he’s got a CHEESE PLATTER, plus a little bit of the bubbly. Actually the cheese has been eaten and the bubbly has been consumed.

Cue Tyson with his vast entourage (including some MMA fighters), carrying the bubbly bottles. Jericho yells at Tyson for turning on him but Tyson says he deserved it for being a sucker. An apology is demanded but Tyson takes off his shirt. There’s the shove and the pull apart brawl is on. The locker room comes in for the save and everyone has to pull them apart to end the show. Jericho vs. Tyson is a headliner match, though it’s going to be an absolute freak show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was a little shaky, though they advanced some stuff that they needed to cover. What matters here is setting things up for the future while also dealing with the fallout. You can see the top half of Fyter Fest (whenever that is taking place) from here and the card isn’t looking bad. I’m not wild on some of the wrestling here, but that’s not as important as the future booking and storytelling, both of which were good enough to carry the night. Couple that with the very pep rally and it was a pretty good show.

Results

Matt Hardy/Young Bucks b. Joey Janela/Private Party – More Bang For Your Buck to Kassidy

Brian Cage b. Lee Johnson – Drill Claw

Hikaru Shida b. Christi Jaymes – Falcon Arrow

Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc b. SCU – Dropkick/Michinoku Driver combination to Sky

Jungle Boy won a battle royal last eliminating Orange Cassidy

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

New Column: Enjoy Them While You Can

Some wrestling news this week doesn’t give me hope for the future of some companies.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-enjoy-them-while-you-can/

Hard To Kill Preview

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

It’s back to the pay per view pile for Impact and in a way, that sounds like a good thing. When Impact Wrestling cuts out all of the other nonsense and focuses on the wrestling alone, they can have a heck of a show and hopefully that is what happens here. Sometimes you don’t need to do anything more than have a bunch of good wrestling and under the right circumstances, this could be quite the show. Let’s get to it.

Ken Shamrock vs. Mad Man Fulton

Unless I missed it before, this was added to the show on Tuesday night. I’m not sure how much more gas Shamrock has in the tank but his intimidating look alone should be worth something. I can’t imagine that he’s going to be around long term but he has enough star power to validate keeping him around for the time being. That being said, Fulton has a lot of potential as a monster and Shamrock could make for a good opponent.

I’ll go with Fulton here because he has a brighter future and there is no reason to put Shamrock over him. Shamrock is already a legend and a former World Champion so putting him over Fulton doesn’t make sense. Then again, if there is one thing this company loves to do it is push older people for no logical reason. I’ll take Fulton, but there is a bit of fear in the back of my head over the whole thing.

Moose vs. Rhino

This is one of those formulas that works almost every time: take two people who can hit each other really hard and see who is left standing. It’s also a battle of the spears, with Rhino’s having more impact but Moose’s having the more clever name. Moose is in need of the big win but I’m not sure how much value there is in putting him over Rhino. That being said, I can’t imagine Rhino getting a big win on this stage.

So yeah of course it’s Moose here, as it should be. Rhino is someone who still has some name recognition and now that they’re getting him away from the ECW tributes, you can see why he’s been around as long as he has. This could be a good ten minute power brawl and Rhino can still bring it in that style. Have some fun and get the right person over and everything works out.

Tag Team Titles: The North(c) vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

This was the match that I was looking forward to more than any other on the card as Mack and Swann have turned into a heck of a team against a dark horse contender for the Tag Team Of The Year in 2019 in the North. Then Swann sprained his ankle last night and is unlikely for the match, meaning the whole thing is pretty much forgotten about as Mack is probably wrestling it in a handicap match.

Therefore, the North retains here and we probably get the big title match in SEVERAL weeks on Impact, assuming it happens at all. Given their marathon taping sessions, there is almost no way we’re going to be seeing Swann in the ring for months as far as Impact taping time goes and that’s a shame because he seemed ready to jump way up the ladder in the coming weeks, starting with a title win here. But alas, the North retains here (hardly a bad thing as they’ve been excellent).

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie(c) vs. ODB vs. Jordynne Grace

I was completely sold on Grace ending the record long reign here, but then ODB was added to it and things started trending down (as they tend to do when she is added to almost anything). They now have an out to keep the title on Valkyrie (again: not a bad thing, which seems to be a Canadian trait), even though it is time for someone else to get into the title picture. I think you know where this is going.

I’ll play it safe and say that Valkyrie retains the title, likely by defeating ODB. Maybe they can even throw in a bonus by having Grace hit the Grace Driver so Valkyrie can steal the pin. I’m not entirely sure why ODB needs to be involved in this, though if it’s to give her a hand after her food truck burned down, I can get over my lack of caring for her. Anyway, I’m not thrilled about this one, but Valkyrie is likely retaining to lose to Grace in a singles match later.

Brian Cage vs. Rob Van Dam

I wasn’t big on Van Dam returning as he is way past his prime and has been around for so long that a lot of the luster is gone. However, I’ve dug the heck out of his crazy self-absorbed heel character as he’s selling the heck out of it. While I could go for a little less Katie Forbes, Van Dam’s stuff has been great and I’m enjoying his promos more than I have in years.

As for the match…..dang I’m not sure. This is the kind of thing that should be Cage in a walk but Van Dam has been so awesome in everything he’s done that it could go either way. I think I’ll actually take Van Dam, just for the sake of giving him something else to talk about. Cage shouldn’t be losing again, but they’ve got an intriguing match here, provided they can make the in-ring stuff work.

Call Your Shot Trophy: Eddie Edwards(c) vs. Michael Elgin

This is basically Money In The Bank but for any title, which very well could play a role later in the show. The idea here is that Elgin wants the World Title and is willing to take shortcuts to get there. He already beat Edwards in a rather good match on Impact and now he wants to do it again for the trophy. I like the idea of having to defend the thing, even though it has barely been mentioned since Edwards won the thing.

I’ll take Elgin to win here, even if it’s two big losses in a row for Edwards. The good thing about him is that he’s almost bulletproof in Impact and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Elgin on the other hand seems to be in a place where he needs to win the World Title or find something else to do, and winning the Trophy could get him a big step closer to being champion.

X-Division Title: Ace Austin(c) vs. Trey Miguel

There aren’t many people who have been as bizarre as Austin in recent months. He’s gone from apparently being an adult actor to hitting on Miguel’s mom while also winning the title. I’m not sure which of those is weirder, but here we are with one of the first actual stories about the title in months. That might not be the best story in the world, but at least it’s something for a change.

I’ll go with Austin retaining here, partially because I like him and partially because I want to see Miguel’s mom turn on him. It would be hilarious to see if nothing else, though I do need to see the Rascalz get somewhere sooner or later. This very well may be where it takes place, but I’m not sure if that’s what’s going to happen. Give me Austin to retain, though I’m not very confident in it.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Sami Callihan(c) vs. Tessa Blanchard

And then, as usual, something has to happen to mess everything up around here. In this case it isn’t Impact’s fault, but that never stopped the bad news before. In this case, Blanchard seemed all primed and ready to win the title but then there was yesterday’s Twitter fiasco that might cause some major issues for the company should they give her some big push.

That being said, I’ll go with Blanchard winning and then Elgin cashing in his newly won trophy for an immediate title shot. Therefore, Blanchard gets her win, a Canadian gets to be World Champion and we can move forward to Blanchard chasing the title again after things have cooled down a bit. It’s not the smartest thing in the world, but it’s the most protection they can have at the moment.

Overall Thoughts

I was looking forward to this show a lot more about thirty six hours ago before the Swann injury and the Blanchard drama but you should know better than to expect something like this to work out well. It really does feel like the company is cursed at times and even when they have been doing so much better as of late, it doesn’t seem like they can ever shake off the curse that follows them everywhere.

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

Impact Wrestling – January 7, 2020: Welcome/Go Home

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 7, 2020
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re back to a regular show and it’s the go home edition before Hard To Kill. The card is mostly set but there is always the chance that something could be added at the last minute. It’s kind of a weird situation as we are coming off back to back Best Of shows, meaning there isn’t much momentum for the pay per view at the moment. Maybe they can get in one last push though. Let’s get to it.

We open with Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards having to be pulled apart at ringside. Eddie is willing to fight him right now and hits a dive.

Opening sequence.

Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin

They’re still fighting on the floor as Eddie has to hurricanrana his way out of a powerbomb attempt. They chop it out until Elgin scores with a superkick and throws it inside for the opening bell. Eddie grabs an atomic drop but an enziguri in the corner sets up a stomp to the chest for two. A German suplex attempt doesn’t work for Eddie as Elgin grabs him by the head and flips him forward with raw power.

Eddie goes technical by countering a suplex into one of his own followed by the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. A Rock Bottom/Boss Man Slam plants Eddie again and the Falcon Arrow gives Elgin two of his own. They strike it out in the corner with some chops and clotheslines before slugging it out in the middle. Elgin snaps off a German suplex but Eddie pops back up for a Boston Knee Party to the back of the head.

We take a break and come back with Eddie hitting another Boston Knee Party to put them both down. Eddie gets two off a tiger bomb and goes up, where he has to sunset bomb his way out of a super White Noise. Elgin blasts him with a clothesline for two more but can’t get a Crossface. Instead he settles for the Buckle Bomb into the Elgin Bomb for the pin at 19:43.

Rating: B. These guys beat the heck out of each other and the story made sense with Elgin using raw power while Eddie stuck and moved by getting in everything he could where he could. They didn’t waste time here and just went at it full blast for the twenty minutes and the match was very entertaining as result. As usual, the talent is strong around here and if they drop the nonsense and have good matches, it’s very entertaining stuff.

Video on the Tag Team Title match with Rich Swann and Willie Mack earning the title shot, leaving the North to try and play mind games to split them up.

Elgin vs. Edwards again on Sunday, this time with Edwards’ Call Your Shot trophy on the line. Oh yeah he has that.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Fallah Bahh/TJP/Daga

Raj kicks away at Daga to start so Daga runs the ropes and hurricanranas him to the floor. Raju comes in and gets dropkicked down for one so it’s off to Bahh and TJP for a double back elbow. TJP nips up and Bahh….well he tried at least. They run the ropes over Raju and Bahh gets rather winded, just in case you didn’t get the joke the first time around. A DDT plants Daga and it’s Shera coming in to powerbomb Raju onto Daga for two.

It’s already back to Raj for a dropkick to the head and a backsplash for two of his own. TJP comes back in for a springboard dropkick as everything breaks down. Daga’s springboard wristdrag/headscissors combination puts Shera and Singh on the floor, setting up the big dive. Bahh’s suicide dive takes them down again but Shera hits his Sky High for the pin on TJP at 7:59.

Rating: C+. The Squad did look better here but there’s no way around how uninteresting they are. Their entire characters are “we’re from India and managed by a legend” and I need a lot more than that to care about someone. The match was pretty good, but give me something else to sink my teeth into with them.

Willie Mack comes in to see Rich Swann and says he might not be healthy for the Tag Team Title match. He doesn’t want to hold Swann back from realizing his full potential but Swann wants to win the titles.

OVE is ready to take over wrestling, starting with Mad Man Fulton beating Ken Shamrock on Sunday and Sami Callihan getting rid of Tessa Blanchard once and for all.

Johnny Swinger spikes Joey Ryan’s drink when Tommy Dreamer comes in and tells him to grow up. If Swinger didn’t do anything to Ryan’s drink, he can drink it himself. I’m sure hilarity will ensue.

Video on the X-Division Title match with Ace Austin hitting on Trey’s mom in a rather creepy way.

Video on Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard with Sami finally getting the World Title and Tessa trying to make history. This includes interviews from Tessa’s family, who has worked very hard to get here. Sami on the other hand only cared about wrestling and has done everything to get here. He’ll do anything to keep the title too. Sami doesn’t like it, but sometimes dreams don’t come true and Tessa will learn that on Sunday. Very good video, though it did a little too good of a job at making me like Sami, which wasn’t exactly the point.

James Mitchell locks Susie in a locker room so she can’t interfere in Havok’s match.

Havok vs. Rosemary

Rosemary screams and slugs away to start so Havok shoves her down. That just makes Rosemary jump on her back for more right hands before avoiding a charge to low bridge Havok to the floor. Michell’s distraction fails as Havok runs him over by mistake, only to catch Rosemary with a backbreaker inside. Cue Susie, who seems messed up by all of the noise. She winds up on commentary as Havok beats up Rosemary in the corner. A missed splash lets Rosemary get in a few shots but Mitchell gets Susie away from commentary. Havok hits the Tombstone for the pin at 5:11 as Mitchell covers Susie’s eyes.

Rating: D+. This was all angle stuff and that’s fine, though this story feels like it has been going on for years now. Mitchell trying to keep Su Yung from returning is certainly a twist, but I’m almost worried about how long they’re going to drag this whole thing out. It’s not bad and does keep things somewhat interesting, but I’m not sure how much of a goal they have with the thing.

ODB/Tenille Dashwood/Jordynne Grace vs. Kiera Hogan/Madison Rayne/Taya Valkyrie

Dashwood and Rayne start things off as Callis goes into Madison’s insane resume (73 time Knockouts Champion and an honorary Hart). Tenille throws her outside and it’s Grace coming in for two off an Implant Buster. Hogan gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Taya comes in for an elbow to the face.

A kick to Grace’s back gets two so ODB….rubs her chest. Grace runs Hogna over and dives over for the tag to ODB for a lot more chest based offense. A double Bronco Buster hits Taya and Madison and there’s a TKO to Taya as well. Grace adds a Vader Bomb but since she isn’t legal, ODB throws her outside and gets the pin at 5:16.

Rating: D+. Not much here as they were rushed and could have done this as a tag match without Dashwood and Hogan involved. ODB still feels really, really tacked on to the Knockouts Title match, meaning there is a good chance that Taya escapes before dropping the title to Grace later on.

Grace isn’t happy.

Moose interrupts Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes to make sure he can trust Rob tonight. They leave and Swinger is passed out on a couch. Joey Ryan and Petey Williams come in to draw something on him.

Hard To Kill rundown.

Moose/Rob Van Dam vs. Brian Cage/Rhino

Katie is here with Van Dam and Moose. Van Dam starts with Cage but decides that Moose can do it instead. Cage hits a superkick and spinebuster so it’s off to Rhino for a WOO. Rhino shouts to the crowd a lot and hammers away in the corner as the pace slows a good bit. A clothesline puts Moose on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Moose being sent onto the ramp but Katie breaks up the Gore so the villains can take over. Moose bites Rhino’s head and hammers away but can’t get a suplex. Rhino can hit a suplex of his own though and it’s Cage coming in for the staredown with Van Dam. A German suplex puts Van Dam down but Moose runs Cage over. Everything breaks down and Van Dam kicks Cage in the face for two.

These fans aren’t good enough to see Rolling Thunder so Van Dam is sent outside, leaving Moose to slug it out with Rhino. Cage takes Rhino’s place and hits a tornado DDT to put Moose down. Van Dam kicks Cage in the face but walks into the Gore. A missed charge puts Rhino down as well but Moose misses his own Five Star. The Gore and a discus lariat are enough to finish Moose at 12:23.

Rating: C+. They didn’t waste time here and just had four people hit each other for a somewhat lengthy match. Moose taking the pin makes more sense here and they did a nice job of setting up both matches at once. That’s something that will always work as you get to build two matches while also keeping things fresh. Nicely done here in a bit of a surprisingly good match.

Long video on Hard To Kill wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a rather good go home show as they covered everything on Sunday, added another match, and made me want to see the pay per view more than I did coming in. Some of the stuff felt like it could have been cut (that six man and Havok vs. Rosemary could have been on any other show) but overall, it was more good than bad and the opener was rather entertaining. Nice job here, but make sure the pay per view is even better.

Results

Michael Elgin b. Eddie Edwards – Elgin Bomb

Desi Hit Squad b. Fallah Bahh/TJP/Daga – Sky High to TJP

Havok b. Rosemary – Tombstone

ODB/Tenille Dashwood/Jordynne Grace b. Kiera Hogan/Madison Rayne/Taya Valkyrie – Vader Bomb to Rayne

Brian Cage/Rhino b. Moose/Rob Van Dam – Discus lariat to Moose

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

Impact Wrestling – January 4, 2020 (Best Of 2019 Part 2): They’re Almost There

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 4, 2020
Hosts: Josh Matthews, Scott D’Amore

We continue our trip through the year here with the second half of the Best Of 2019. Given that Hard To Kill is in eight days, I would bet on a high concentration of Tessa Blanchard here, which isn’t the worst thing in the world. Last week’s show flew by in a good way so hopefully that continues here. Let’s get to it.

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

As usual, the matches are going to be clipped on the show but I’ll be putting in the full versions.

Josh and Scott welcome us to the show and are rather happy to have a new year, even if Madison Rayne has said they can’t drink.

From Impact, November 19.

Gauntlet Match

Six people, the winner is the #1 contender. Moose is in at #1 and Daga is in at #2 to get things started. Daga picks up the pace to start and dropkicks the leg, setting up the running Downward Spiral. They head to the floor with Daga hitting a moonsault off the apron, only to have Moose throw him around with ease back inside. The Dominator gives Moose one but Daga sends him back into the corner for a running basement dropkick. The spear cuts Daga in half though and Moose moves on at 5:10.

Rich Swann is in at #3 and looks rather nervous about facing the monster. A running hurricanrana has Moose in trouble but he’s right back with a dropkick to send Swann outside. They switch places with Swann’s running hurricanrana off the apron earning himself a bit of a breather. Moose throws him down again though and Swann has to beat the count back in. This time Swann manages a DDT but gets lawn darted face first into the middle buckle for two.

Swann slips out of a powerbomb though and kicks Moose in the head, setting up the Lethal Injection for a VERY close two (good near fall there). The middle rope 450 hits Moose’s knees though and the middle rope chokebomb gives Moose two of his own. A hot shot makes it even worse but Swann jumps into a crucifix to finish Moose at 15:14.

Michael Elgin is in at #4 and Swann knows he’s in trouble. Elgin hits a slingshot elbow to the face and we take a quick break. Back with Swann hitting a dive and sending Elgin back inside for a low superkick. A whip sitout spinebuster gives Elgin two and Swann gets sent hard into the corner to rock him again. Swann gets caught in the Crossface but a foot on the ropes lets Swann get out to the apron.

Elgin snaps off a half nelson suplex to drop Swann on his head and knock him silly. A twisting Swanton misses back inside though and Swann starts kicking away. Elgin dragon suplexes him though and nails a hard clothesline to drop him on his head. A top rope superplex hits Swann but he pops right back up with a reverse hurricanrana for two. That’s quite the recovery time there. Elgin is back up with an apron superplex into a Falcon Arrow for another near fall. Another clothesline takes Elgin down again and it’s time to hammer away in the corner….before shoving the referee for the DQ to send Swann forward at 31:23.

Elgin isn’t done though and hits the Elgin Bomb, drawing out some more referees to get rid of him. We take a break and it’s Brian Cage in at #5 to continue the destruction. Swann can barely stand but manages to kick Cage in the head anyway. That’s only good for one though and Cage throws him down with ease. Swann’s superkicks set up another kick to the head and a running step onto the head puts Cage down again. The 450 gets two and it’s a cutter into Lethal Injection for a delayed two. The Phoenix Splash misses though and it’s Weapon X to get rid of Swann at 41:14.

Tessa Blanchard is in at #6 to complete the field and, after a break with a house show ad, we’re ready to go. Tessa isn’t scared of the monster so he shoves her into the corner. A powerbomb doesn’t work for Cage so Tessa springboard dropkicks him to the floor. Cage hits the F5 onto the apron though and we take another break. Back again with Tessa dropkicking the leg out and scoring with a tornado DDT for two. Another Cage powerbomb attempt is countered with a hurricanrana into the corner.

A top rope splash gives Tessa two but Cage, bleeding from the lip, knocks her away without much effort. Tessa is rocked but hits a superkick into a cutter, setting up the hammerlock DDT for the big near fall. Another hurricanrana sets up Magnum for a rather close two and Tessa can’t believe the kickout. The second Magnum is countered into a buckle bomb but Weapon X is countered into Code Red for the pin and the title shot at 55:17.

Rating: B. This was the Rich Swann Show as he got to stay out there for a long time and get the fans behind him all over again after getting beaten down time after time. The other big deal here is of course Tessa, which you knew was going to be the ending but it doesn’t make things any less special. This match worked on a variety of levels and never felt long, which is pretty impressive for a nearly hour long match. Good stuff here, with the right people doing the right things.

Wrestlers talk about how 2019 went for themselves and Impact.

Wrestlers talk about their favorite match of the year.

Scott says he wants to treat Josh better in 2020. This includes a kiss on the cheek and Josh announces the North as the Tag Team of the Year.

From Impact, November 12.

Tag Team Titles: Eddie Edwards/Naomichi Marufuji vs. The North

North is defending. Eddie and Alexander lock up to start with Eddie taking him down in a headlock. Marufuji comes in but gets headlocked takeovered for his efforts but it’s off to Eddie to work on Page’s arm in a hurry. Some double chops put Page down until Alexander comes back in to send Marufuji into the corner. Everything breaks down though and Eddie hits a dive onto the champs as we take a break.

Back with Page getting chopped some more but he gets in a cheap shot so Alexander can knock Eddie to the floor. A catapult sends Eddie’s throat into the bottom rope and it’s a Rock Bottom backbreaker into a regular backbreaker from Page. Eddie finally gets in a suplex to take Alexander down and it’s Marufuji coming in to clean some house. A kick to Page’s head gets two but he’s back up to strike it out with Marufuji.

The assisted spinebuster doesn’t work so it’s Eddie hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Alexander. Everything breaks down again until Eddie clotheslines Page for a four way knockdown. Eddie tiger bombs Alexander for two more and the shock on the kickout is real. Page grabs Eddie’s leg so the Boston Knee Party can’t launch. Marufuji gets sent outside and it’s the double Neutralizer for two on Eddie. The assisted spinebuster gives Alexander the retaining pin at 16:43.

Rating: B. This worked, as the North continues to be one of the best things going in Impact, if not the absolute best in the whole company. I don’t remember they didn’t have a very good match, though the problem is they may start running out of opponents. Other than maybe Mack and Swann, who is supposed to challenge them? Maybe we can get a new team eventually, but for now it’s going to be the North for a long time to come.

Scott likes the North.

Wrestlers talk about who had a breakout year.

Tessa Blanchard is the Wrestler of the Year.

Tessa, at home, is very proud to win it and promises to win the World Title.

From Rebellion.

Gail Kim vs. Tessa Blanchard

They stare each other down until Tessa starts slugging, earning herself a stomping in the corner. Tessa is right back with a running hurricanrana to send Gail outside, setting up the big dive. Gail pulls her into the post but gets caught with a Codebreaker out of the corner for two. A powerslam gives Gail two of her own but the Black Widow is countered into a backbreaker.

The trash talk starts rolling, with Tessa even yelling down at Gail’s husband in the crowd. Gail misses a charge and falls out to the floor, setting up a double posting for a double knockdown. Tessa takes her time getting up and gets caught in the Hartbreaker around the post, which still doesn’t make a ton of sense. Back in and Gail fires off forearms to set up a spinning high crossbody.

With the required YOU STILL GOT IT chant going, Tessa shoves Gail to the ramp, where a spinning full nelson faceplant sends her crashing down to the floor. That’s not quite enough for the countout and Tessa is stunned. The slingshot suplex is countered into Eat Defeat for two so Gail goes up. With Tessa following up, she gets caught in a dragon sleeper so it’s a bite to the elbow for the break.

You don’t see that one everyday, which is also the case with the super gorilla press drop to send Gail right back down. Magnum gets two so it’s off to a cobra clutch Crossface for something new. Gail gets her foot on the ropes but that doesn’t count this time as Tessa rolls into the middle of the ring for the clean tap at 16:03.

Rating: B+. Match of the night here with Tessa getting the signature win and continuing to look like the best female wrestler in the world (and one of the best anywhere). They beat each other up here and thankfully they went with the right ending. Tessa is looking like the next megastar though and hopefully Impact knows it.

Post match they hug, as Tessa might be on her way to a face turn. Gail gets the big sign of respect.

Wrestlers on what to expect in 2020.

Wrestlers pick Tessa Blanchard to beat Sami Callihan at Hard To Kill 6-4.

From Slammiversary in the Match of the Year.

Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard

They both have their own baseball bats. They stare each other down for over a minute before Tessa fires off the forearms to the face. A headscissors puts Sami on the apron and a dropkick sends him to the floor. The suicide dive is countered into a powerbomb though and Sami swings her into the barricade for a thud that made me cringe. A Death Valley Driver on the floor should knock Tessa cold but Sami slams her down instead.

That’s good for an eight count with Sami not even looking at the ring. Back in and Tessa hits a running neckbreaker but Sami runs her over. Tessa rolls up the ramp but she escapes a powerbomb into the crowd. The jumping cutter drops Sami on the ramp and a tornado DDT gives Tessa two back inside.

Sami scores with Get Outta Here and a knee to the face, setting up an STF. Tessa grabs the rope for the break and escapes a super powerbomb, meaning it’s a running Codebreaker out of the corner. The referee gets shoved away though and Sami hits her in the face with the bat for two.

The replacement referee gets knocked down as well and Tessa gets in her own bat shot. Magnum gets two so Tessa switches into a Crossface in the middle of the ring (Callis: “BREAK HIS NECK!”). That’s reversed into a kneeling Tombstone to give Sami two, allowing Tessa to give him thumbs up, thumbs down. The Cactus Special finishes Tessa at 15:01.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to think of this one. Tessa didn’t look overwhelmed and her offense was believable against Sami, which was the most important thing. That being said, this wasn’t exactly as epic as the build would have had you believe and it felt weird seeing this in the main event. Tessa fighting men going forward is fine, though they’re going to have to do this carefully to make sure it doesn’t go too far into the unbelievable.

Post match Sami bangs both bats together and hands Tessa hers before leaving.

Tessa promises to win the title at Hard To Kill.

Overall Rating: B+. There’s something interesting about the Match of the Year being the weakest on the show. Anyway, this was almost all about Tessa and that’s what it should have been. The wrestling was the entire point here and that’s what it needed to be. I had a good time watching this and if they can have one awesome go home show, we could be in for a heck of a pay per view next week. Good stuff here as Impact gets to show its better parts, of which there were several last year.

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

Impact Wrestling – December 28, 2019 (Best Of 2019 Part 1): A Year Worthy Of A Best Of Show

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 28, 2019
Hosts: Josh Matthews, Scott D’Amore

It’s the Best Of 2019 and that means we could be in for an interesting night. There have been some good things going on this year and hopefully we can see where things are going to be heading in the future. Impact has had a solid year and now they can showcase it a little bit. Let’s get to it.

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

Josh and Scott welcome us to the show, which is week #1 of 2.

From Homecoming:

Eddie Edwards vs. Moose

Falls Count Anywhere. Eddie jumps him during the entrances, as he should because he’s not the kind of guy who would wait for a bell here. Moose catches the suicide dive though and Eddie gets TOSSED into the steps. Back to back powerbombs on the floor and apron give Moose two and it’s time to load up the steps, plus a piece of barricade between the ring and the regular barricade.

Another powerbomb is countered and Eddie takes it back to the floor, this time heading into the crowd. The fans want them to come OVER HERE, though I’d settle for a camera staying on them. What looked like a beer can to Moose’s head makes him walk even more but Moose whips him into some steps to the upper deck. Eddie of course hits a dive off the balcony but would rather chop Moose than cover him.

Back to ringside with Eddie getting knocked off the apron, sending him face first into the barricade. A bunch of chairs are thrown in and Moose posts Eddie to keep him down. Eddie is busted open (as he should be) and Moose bites at the cut (as he shouldn’t be). For some reason Moose goes up, allowing Eddie to pelt a chair at his head. The chairs are piled up and a top rope superplex drops both guys onto them for the huge crash.

Rating: B-. This was pretty close to the violent fight that it should have been and hopefully it wraps up the feud once and for all. There’s no reason to keep things going and Eddie winning is a pretty definitive finish. Alisha accepting Eddie’s violence and helping with the beatdown was a nice touch, especially since there was no Raven to get involved here.

Happy Holidays from Impact Wrestling.

Some wrestlers talk about their favorite Christmas memory.

From Bound For Glory.

X-Division Title: Daga vs. Jake Crist vs. Tessa Blanchard vs. Acey Romero vs. Ace Austin

Crist is defending in a ladder match and the debuting Acey weighs about 400lbs. Jake gets stared at to start until Ace and Daga superkick Romero into the corner. Tessa unloads on Crist and hits the suicide dive to the floor to take him out. She does it two more times, only to have Ace dive onto both of them. Romero dropkicks Daga, who corkscrew dives over Romero to take everyone down on the floor.

Tessa is back in with a springboard dropkick to knock Austin outside but Romero Samoan drops her off the ladder. Daga teeter totters the ladder into Romero’s face and then bridges it between the ring and the barricade. Let’s throw in a table for a bonus (and a spot on a Bingo card) but before it gets used, Romero hits a Tower of Doom onto almost everyone else.

A powerbomb sends Austin hard into the ladder and Romero teases to climb, but pulls out another one to climb two at once. Crist breaks that up with a super cutter, leaving us with Tessa and Daga for the double climb. Austin shoves both of them down but gets Death Valley Driven by Daga. That’s not it as Daga hits a running Canadian Destroyer to Crist on the bridged ladder.

Romero goes up but Tessa shoves the ladder over to DESTROY the table, with the ladder crashing over the top as well. Tessa is all alone but here’s the rest of OVE to make the save but Tessa hurricanrana Madman Fulton into the ladder. Jake is knocked through another table but Austin hits Tessa with his baton and steals the title at 17:24.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun as they didn’t waste time setting up spots and flew from one thing to another. The selling wasn’t around but when you just ignore it for most of the match, it kind of starts to work in a weird way. That being said, they have to give Tessa the win at some point because you can only tease it so many times before the fans stop caring. They cared here, but I’m not sure how much longer that can happen. Romero did well here, though you can hear Fallah Bahh crying from here.

Wrestlers discuss Christmas traditions.

We’re also doing some awards this week, with Taya Valkyrie being named Knockout of the Year. Who else was it going to be? Other than maybe Tessa? Anyway, Taya and her dog are rather pleased.

Wrestlers talk about Christmas carols.

From Homecoming.

Tag Team Titles: LAX vs. Lucha Bros

LAX is defending and there’s no Konnan in sight. Fenix and Santana start things off in a feeling out process. A very fast armdrag sends Santana into the ropes for a kick to the back from Pentagon and it’s a double superkick on Santana with Fenix hitting a crazy hard suicide dive on Ortiz. Santana gets back up and sends Fenix outside for a kick to Pentagon’s head, followed by the backsplash from Ortiz.

Pentagon goes outside as well and Santana hits a top rope Asai moonsault to take him right back down. Back in and a Lionsault/legdrop combination gets two on Pentagon as they’ve certainly started fast. Fenix saves his brother from a double suplex and the champs are sat outside on the ramp. Pentagon throws a charging Fenix onto both of them before hitting his own no hands flip dive onto the pile.

Back in and a Codebreaker/top rope double stomp combination gets two on Ortiz. Santana comes back in and hits a reverse powerbomb into a top rope splash but Pentagon runs in for the crazy save with a step up Canadian Destroyer (GEEZ) to put everyone down. Ortiz and Pentagon slap it out and it’s a series of running kicks to put all four down again.

The Bros get back up first with the spike Fear Factor to Santana, though Ortiz is a bit late with the save and Santana has to kick out on his own. The Street Sweeper hits Pentagon with Fenix diving in with a dropkick for the save. A rolling cutter into a Codebreaker into a superkick finishes Fenix out of nowhere to retain the titles at 10:48.

Rating: B+. It’s the most entertaining thing on the card so far but this didn’t hit the heights they should have reached. It needed another five to ten minutes as I was expecting this to be nearly twice as long. What we got was good, but it wasn’t built up, making the match feel like it was designed to be a classic instead of just being a classic. Very good, but it could have been a lot more.

Wrestlers talk about their favorite gifts.

Willie Mack is named Star to Watch in 2020.

From Cali Combat on August 23.

Willie Mack vs. Trey Miguel

They circle each other to start and we get a handshake, resulting in Mack being pulled into a headlock. Willie reverses into a Samoan drop into a standing moonsault as the audio and video are a little out of sync. Trey blocks a running chop in the corner and hits a springboard hurricanrana to send Willie into the other corner.

Mack is right back up with a reverse Cannonball in the corner. The Stunner is blocked so Trey grabs a jumping neckbreaker for two instead. They slug it out from their knees with Mack getting the better of it, only to get caught in the corner for a Cheeky Nandos kick. Trey goes up top but dives into a Stunner for the pin at 5:24.

Rating: C+. This was just a way to showcase Mack as he (mostly) hit the cool finisher for the pin. I’m not sure how far he can go, but the talent and charisma are going to be enough to drive him pretty far up the ladder. Trey held up his end here too and it was a rather nice little match.

Wrestlers on what they want for Christmas.

From Bound For Glory.

Michael Elgin vs. Naomichi Marufuji

Or Marufugi according to the name graphic. Come on with that stuff people. Neither can hit a chop to start so Marufuji misses some chops and kicks to get us to an early standoff. Elgin misses a charge in the corner and gets chopped a bit but he catches a charging Marufuji in a suplex. A missile dropkick sends Marufuji flying for two and the fans aren’t pleased with Elgin being in control. They chop it out with Marufuji knocking him to the floor and hits the big flip dive.

Back in and a running stomp to the head gives Marufuji two but he has to flip out of a German suplex attempt. Elgin sends him into the ropes and snaps off the German suplex this time, setting up a Falcon Arrow for two. They trade kicks to the head and it’s a double knockdown with Marufuji in the better shape of the two. A sunset bomb to the floor is blocked so Marufuji superkicks Elgin in the back of the head instead.

Sliced Bread on the floor gets a nine so it’s a top rope stomp to the back of the head for two (counting in wrestling is weird). There’s a dragon suplex to drop Marufuji and a discus lariat takes his head off. Splash Mountain gets two and the shock is strong. Another Sliced Bread drops Elgin again but Marufuji can’t get him up for a tiger bomb.

Instead it’s time to slug it out again with Marufuji picking up the intensity of the strikes to take over. That’s fine with Elgin, who blocks a kick and powerbombs him down for two. The buckle bomb into the Elgin Bomb gets two and Elgin is STUNNED in a great visual. The Burning Hammer finally puts Marufuji away at 18:04.

Rating: B. Yeah that’s what you should have been expecting here as they beat the fire out of each other for the better part of twenty minutes. Elgin is just such a powerhouse and I’ve liked Marufuji from the times I’ve seen him before. It isn’t the style of wrestling I like most of the time but for a one off, this was very entertaining.

The Moment of the Year is Sami Callihan winning the World Title on the AXS TV.

From Impact, October 29.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Sami Callihan vs. Brian Cage

Cage is defending in a cage….match. Callihan (with Melissa written on his vest) kicks the cage door into his head to start but Cage is right back with a powerbomb into the cage wall. Sami finally escapes and gets inside where he locks the cage, thinking that Brian can’t climb the wall. That stupid plan falls apart in about three seconds so Callihan gets in a baseball bat shot to take over.

Cage is busted open and Callihan bites at the forehead, followed by some bat shots to the ribs. Another running bat shot just wakes Brian up and a missed charge sends Sami into the steel. Back from a break with both of them down again until they start exchanging some strikes to the face. A spit slap annoys Cage even more but Callihan drops him with a clothesline for two anyway.

The Cactus Special gets one though as Cage is livid again. A powerbomb into a buckle bomb looks to set up the Drill Claw but Sami reverses into a small package for two. Sami hits a series of hard knees and kicks to the head, setting up rolling piledrivers….for two more. Yeah we’ve reached the ridiculous point, especially if Sami wins here. Cage is back up with a discus lariat for two of his own but Callihan crotches him on top. The super Cactus Special gives Callihan the pin and the title at 14:06.

Rating: B-. They went one near fall too many here and it took me out of the match a bit, but they did a good job of making Callihan look like the monster to finally stop Cage. He seems to be Cage’s Kryptonite and that is a good role for Callihan to play. You had to give him a World Title reign at some point and they pulled the trigger at the right time. It was a good enough match too and they have had a good story to get here.

Overall Rating: B+. This is the kind of show that works like a charm most of the time and Impact had the matches this year to make it work. They’ll be doing something similar next week and it was nice to have this kind of talent getting the attention it deserves. I liked this one quite a bit and it was entertaining throughout, which is the point of a show like this.

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

Impact Wrestling – December 3, 2019: I’ll Have The Meatloaf

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 3, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re back to the future this week with the regular show after the awesome special edition last week. It’s more of the build towards Hard To Kill and two weeks ago saw Tessa Blanchard win a gauntlet match to become #1 contender to the World Title. Things need to start getting back to normal around here and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the gauntlet match, thankfully with Rich Swann getting some earned screen time.

Michael Elgin is going to let off some steam after getting disqualified last week.

Opening sequence.

Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Cage

They fight over a wristlock to start until Cage headlock takeovers him down. Cage runs Eddie into the corner with ease but gets sidestepped out to the floor. The hurricanrana off the apron is countered into a powerbomb which is countered into the hurricanrana into the barricade. Back in and Cage snaps off a belly to belly to take over again and Eddie’s back is bent over Cage’s knee.

Eddie is fine enough to counter a suplex into one of his own to take over. Some chops in the corner rock Cage and another hurricanrana keeps him down. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two but Eddie is banged up too. Something close to an AA gives Cage two and we hit that Terminator clap. Eddie kicks him in the head but gets clotheslined down for a double knockdown. And never mind as here’s Michael Elgin to clothesline them both down for the double DQ at 8:40.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one and that is no surprise given that Eddie was in there. He’s the kind of guy who can have a good match with anyone and that is what he did here. Cage was holding up his end as well with all of the power moves throwing Eddie all over the place. It can be tricky to use someone like Cage but Eddie knew exactly what to do here and it worked rather well.

Post match Elgin stomps both of them down but we have something new.

Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Cage vs. Michael Elgin

Sure why not. Elgin gets double teamed to start but Eddie sends both monsters to the floor for a suicide dive. Not to be outdone, Cage is right back with his own no hands flip dive to take both of them down. Back in and it’s time to trade shots to the face, including a series of superkicks, to put everyone down again. Elgin slips out of Cage’s suplex and plants Eddie before dropkicking him out to the floor.

Cage is knocked outside as well and it’s a big spinning flip dive to take out Cage and Edwards as we take a break. Back with a Tower of Doom being broken up so Eddie settles for a Backpack Stunner for two on Cage. Elgin isn’t about to get caught in a half crab so it’s Cage back up to deck both of them. Edwards gets planted for two and it’s time for a short breather. It’s Elgin back up with a dragon suplex to Cage and running clotheslines in the corner.

A Falcon Arrow gets two on Cage but he’s right back with the sitout Alabama Slam for the same on Elgin. Cage runs into the Boston Knee Party and a tiger bomb to give Eddie two and he’s rather surprised by the kickout. Elgin takes a running knee to the back of the head but Cage clotheslines Eddie for a three way knockdown. Cage gets crotched on top though and it’s a Boston Knee party on the ropes for a bit knockdown. Elgin no sells a German suplex though and the Elgin Bomb to Eddie is good for the pin at 15:18.

Rating: B. Good stuff here as all three were working hard. The best thing here was just how much they were all trying, which is something you would expect out of all of them. Elgin winning makes perfect sense and it’s a match where everyone comes out looking good. I’m not sure what is next for any of them but I could go for seeing more from any combination of these three.

Watch No Surrender!

The Rascalz are in the clubhouse and Trey Miguel does not like Ace Austin hitting on his mom. Cue mom, with Trey asking her to stay out of the arena. Moms don’t go to work you see. She’s down with that and promises meatloaf. The rest of the team goes with her, and now I want meatloaf too.

Moose plays basketball and puts one of the players through the hoop.

Josh Matthews brings ODB to the ring, as the company is trying to do something for her after her food truck was destroyed. She has been making her living with the truck for years now but then it caught on fire and everything had to be started over again. Her insurance company isn’t paying anything for some reason but she has a home here in Impact.

Cue Taya Valkyrie and John E. Bravo to mockingly welcome her back. Yes ODB is a four time Knockouts Champion but Taya is the greatest Knockout of all time and this is her show. She spends more on spilled drinks than ODB spends on barbecue sauce all year. Taya plugs the Indiegogo campaign and tells ODB to get out of here. The fight is on but Bravo saves Taya from the beating.

Later tonight: Taya vs. ODB.

We go to a press conference (minus the press of course) for the official announcement of Blanchard vs. Callihan. Blanchard says she’s a professional and will put Callihan down. Callihan doesn’t like her because she’s a spoiled brat. He’s been doing this for fifteen years and she has had everything handed to her. At Hard To Kill, it’s another title defense on the resume and he’s “cracking her f****** skull.”

Reno Scum/Ace Austin vs. Rascalz

Mama Miguel is in the crowd. Trey goes with rapid fire punches on Thornstowe to start and snaps off the hurricanrana to send him into the corner. Austin comes in and tries a playing card but Trey scares him to the floor in a hurry. Thornstowe comes back in and gets hit with a series of flips and dives from the Rascalz with Luster having to make a save. Luster plants Dez with a suplex and Thrownstowe adds a standing moonsault for two more.

Austin even gets to taunt Trey a bit but Dez gets in a kick to the face and the diving tag brings Trey in. Everything breaks down and it’s a series of strikes to crush Austin. Wentz dives onto Luster and Trey dives onto everyone else. Hold on though as Austin goes to hit on Mama Miguel, meaning it’s a tackle from Miguel himself. The distraction lets Thornstowe roll Wentz up with trunks for the pin at 8:38.

Rating: C+. They were flying all over the place here with Austin and Miguel being the real stars. The idea of hitting on Miguel’s mom is an interesting way of going about things and certainly different than what they usually do for the title. I’m still not sure how Austin as the modern Val Venis works but it’s certainly a change of pace.

ODB isn’t worried about wrecking Taya tonight but will leave Jordynne Grace a piece. Grace gives her money and leaves.

Johnny Swinger rants to Joey Ryan about how the young guys are ruining everything. He suggests a kliq and Ryan….actually agrees. They’ll use hand signals to cheat tonight.

Here are Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes for a chat. Katie shakes a lot and introduces him as the sexiest man in the world. Rob knows he needs to explain a few things but no one would get it because no one knows what it’s like to have everyone want to be him. How many people do they cheer for when they steal his moves?

Cue Tommy Dreamer (Callis: “Dreamer just can’t help himself.”) to say Rob and Rhino should fight next week, like we used to here in Queens. Rob isn’t sold and wants to know why Dreamer can’t stop living in the past. Uh, a need to eat and he can’t do anything else? Anyway, Van Dam has his girlfriend (and his girlfriend’s girlfriend) to take care of so he’s ready to go. Cue Rhino to go after Rob but the referees break it u.

We look at Rich Swann in the gauntlet match again.

Willie Mack is proud of Swann but Rich admits that it was Tessa’s night. Now they want the Tag Team Titles so here are the North to mockingly applaud Swann. Rich and Willie are ready to win the Tag Team Open next week and get the titles at Hard To Kill.

Fallah Bahh isn’t happy with the Desi Hit Squad but he’s still here.

Flashback Moment of the Week: ODB beats Mickie James to win the Knockouts Title in 2013.

James Mitchell introduces Susie to Jessika Havok. They’ll be fine as long as Susie doesn’t invade her personal space.

Johnny Swinger vs. Petey Williams

Swinger offers a handshake but Petey catches the cheap shot to the ribs. Petey snaps off a headscissors and hits a dropkick to the back to put Swinger on the floor. Back in and Swinger hammers away before dropping a headbutt to the lower abdomen. The elbows miss though and Petey hits the slingshot Codebreaker. That’s enough for Swinger to call for Ryan to help him but instead he has to flip out of the Canadian Destroyer attempt. The Swinger Neckbreaker is countered into the Sharpshooter to give Petey the fast win at 3:17.

Rating: D-. Yeah I’m not sure why they put Swinger in the ring but at least his vignettes have been funny at times. The problem with a joke like this is that there doesn’t seem to be much of a payoff other than what will probably be a lame comedy bit. The idea of Swinger vs. Ryan gives me hives so you can probably pencil it in for the pay per view.

Taya Valkyrie vs. ODB

ODB misses a running charge in the corner and there’s the Stinkface for a bonus. Something close to an STF sends ODB over to the ropes and it’s time for some choking. ODB bites her face though and sits up top for the Dirty Dozen (I had forgotten that one). The Bronco Buster hits but Bravo wants a shot from the flask. He and ODB share a drink but Taya gets in a cheap shot. Cue Grace to grab the title, allowing ODB to get a rollup and the pin on Taya at 10:14.

Rating: D. Oh yeah I had forgotten how much I dislike ODB. She’s annoying, she’s loud, she isn’t that great in the ring and now she’s pinning the champ. Yes it’s a charity deal but you couldn’t have this be a DQ or a countout? It’s not like ODB is going to be wrestling full time or anything so keep the champ looking a little stronger maybe?

Overall Rating: C. This is one of the most evenly laid out shows I’ve ever seen with a very good first hour and then a bounce off the rocks at the bottom of a cliff for the second. The ODB stuff was fine in small doses but I was sick of her all over again by the end. They have a lot of time to set up Hard To Kill, but this wasn’t the best start as they head towards the pay per view. The double match at the start is good, but egads it falls apart after that six man tag.

Results

Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Cage went to a double DQ when Michael Elgin interfered

Michael Elgin b. Brian Cage and Eddie Edwards – Elgin Bomb to Edwards

Reno Scum/Ace Austin b. Rascalz – Rollup with trunks to Wentz

Petey Williams vs. Johnny Swinger – Sharpshooter

ODB b. Taya Valkyrie – Rollup

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

Impact Wrestling – November 17, 2019: It Worked Twice

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 19, 2019
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s a big night tonight with a huge gauntlet match to crown the new #1 contender. Now if you have been paying attention around here, the winner is hardly the biggest mystery in the world but that does not mean it’s a bad way to go. We’re coming up on Hard To Kill and things are starting to get somewhere with the card. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Rascalz vs. Desi Hit Squad vs. Deaners vs. Reno Scum

It’s Wentz and Dez for the Rascalz here. Wentz armdrags Thornstowe down to start and it’s the Rascalz kicking away at him for two. Luster comes in to run Dez over for two of his own and it’s a Pit Stop to make it worse. The Deaners come in and beat up Thornstowe until we settle down to Cody slugging away at Raj.

Jake comes in and starts slugging away at everyone and a double powerbomb plants Raj. Everything breaks down and Jake suplexes Raj onto the big pile at ringside. The big dive follows, setting up Raju….dancing instead of diving. Dez adds a Space Flying Tiger Drop and everyone is down. The Deaners come back in for Get Er Done on Raju but the Rascalz come in and break it up. The push moonsault finishes Jake at 8:45 to give Wentz the pin.

Rating: C. The action was fast paced and it was fine for what it was, but it brings up the same problem with the similar X-Division style matches: there’s so much stuff going on that you can’t keep track of anything and it’s just one move after another. It’s fine for a popcorn match built around excitement, but don’t expect much in the way of quality.

Post match Scum stays on the Rascalz so Trey Miguel comes in for the save. X-Division Champion Ace Austin runs in to hit him with the belt though and the villains stand tall. Trey’s mom is not pleased as Ace uses the loaded wrist brace to knock Trey cold.

Taya Valkyrie/John E. Bravo vs. Jordynne Grace

Taya immediately hands it off to Bravo so Grace sends her outside for the dive. Back in and the double teaming has Grace in some trouble until she runs Bravo over like he isn’t even there. The backsplash gives Grace two and that’s enough for Taya, who walks out. Grace hits a running knee to the back, setting up the Vader Bomb to finish Bravo at 4:24.

Rating: D+. Just angle advancement here and there is nothing wrong with that. Grace seems like the next big hope to take the title off of Taya, but at this point that has been the case several times now. I’m not sure if that is what we are going to get, but Grace has been set up as the next big hope and maybe that is where we are going.

Gama Singh yells at the Desi Hit Squad for losing. They go yell at Fallah Bahh and beat him up.

Rob Van Dam isn’t at Impact this week because he and Katie Forbes were partying last night.

Susie is wandering around in the back when James Mitchell comes up to see her. He can’t believe what he’s seeing and asks what a nice girl like her is doing here. Susie is just drawn to this place so Mitchell offers to take her under his wing. She leaves so here’s Rosemary to say that she knows James is trying to suppress the Undead Bride. Their father, and James’ boss, wouldn’t like that so Rosemary isn’t letting it happen.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Cody vs. Eddie Edwards from 2016.

The Rascalz are in the clubhouse and giggle about Dez’s abs. Trey’s mom comes in and the rest of the guys are rather impressed. She is worried about the dangerous wrestlers and calls him by his middle name: Tiberius. This was rather amusing.

Johnny Swinger vs. Buck Gunderson

The referee has no legs as Swinger knocks Buck down and drops a headbutt to the ribs. Choking on the ropes ensues as the announcers preview next week’s flashback show. Buck gets in a dropkick but ducks his head, setting up the swinging neckbreaker to give Swinger the pin at 2:20.

Post match here’s Ken Shamrock to beat up Swinger for the issue with the bag from last week (don’t ask). The ankle lock sends a tapping Swinger to the floor.

Post break Swinger asks Joey Ryan for advice on dealing with Shamrock. Joey: “Don’t make him touch your d***.”

We get a preview of next week’s flagship show, including Don Callis as Sexton Hardcastle. Edgey injokes indeed.

Gauntlet Match

Post match Tessa is stunned as cage congratulates her to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show is all about the main event and there is nothing wrong with that. They’re coming up on Hard To Kill and have their big moment ready for the show with the rest of the card getting tied together as the next few weeks go. Tessa and Swann stole the show here though and that was something that they needed to do as the stage is getting bigger again. Good show, but that flashback episode next week sounds rather interesting.

Results

Rascalz b. Desi Hit Squad, Deaners and Reno Scum – Push moonsault to Jake

Jordynne Grace b. John E. Bravo/Taya Valkyrie – Vader Bomb to Bravo

Johnny Swinger b. Buck Gunderson – Swinging neckbreaker

Tessa Blanchard won a gauntlet match last eliminating Brian Cage

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

Impact Wrestling – October 29, 2019: The Right Start

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 29, 2019
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

This is the real debut on AXS TV and the in-ring fallout show from Bound For Glory, meaning things better be rocking tonight. The show should be a big deal with Brian Cage defending the World Title against Sami Callihan in a steel cage rematch from Bound For Glory. I’m not sure how this is going to go but they need to get this one right. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video talks about how this is a new era and features a bunch of clips from Bound For Glory. Tessa Blanchard is heavily featured here.

The announcers are in the ring for a change and run down the show for tonight.

Opening sequence.

Naomichi Marufuji vs. Josh Alexander

Ethan Page is out with Alexander. Neither can hit a strike or a takedown to start so Alexander grabs a headlock, only to be rolled up four straight times for near falls. They trade chops with Alexander seemingly regretting the decision in a hurry. A kick to the ribs slows Marufuji down and a missed dropkick makes it worse. Marufuji is right back with a cartwheel into a dropkick and a running double stomp to keep Alexander in trouble.

He’s right back with a Regal Roll and a middle rope knee to the back of the head gets two on Marufuji. There’s a backbreaker for two more but Marufuji wins a quick strikeoff and knees Alexander in the face for a double knockdown. Another slugout goes to Alexander, who grabs a torture rack into a spinout slam for a rather close two. Marufuji hits a superkick into a knee to the face for two more, followed by Sliced Bread #2 for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: B-. Alexander is a very talented guy but Marufuji is rather good no matter what he is doing and he got to showcase himself well here. That being said, I could go for more of Alexander whenever the North breaks up. Impact is doing a MUCH better job these days of developing their own big names, such as Alexander, Cage, Callihan and Blanchard. Yeah they’ve been big names on the indy scene, but there’s a big difference between that and national TV every week.

Post match Alexander won’t shake hands.

OVE arrives and everyone not named Sami Callihan is banned from the building. Sami agrees, though he isn’t happy.

The Rascalz are in their circle with Dez talking about the attractiveness of Trey’s mom. Cue Fallah Bahh, who smokes and….now starts quoting Shakespeare in the vein of George Steele getting electric shock. Funny idea but it goes on a bit long.

Rosemary/Alexia Nicole/Jordynne Grace vs. Taya Valkyrie/Madison Rayne/Kiera Hogan

Taya and company get jobber entrances, which isn’t a good idea for a champion on a first episode on a new network. Nicole sends Hogan outside to start and follows up with a baseball slide. That leaves Rosemary and Grace to beat up Rayne and Taya as it’s one sided early on. Back from a break with Hogan hitting a jawbreaker on Nicole, allowing the double tag off to Rosemary and Rayne. The suplex sends Rayne flying and Rosemary hammers away with mounted forearms.

Nicole comes in and a cheap shot gives Madison two and it’s Taya coming in to stomp away. Hogan hurricanranas Alexia out of the corner but lands hard and seems to bang up her shoulder. Taya comes back in and gives up the hot tag to Grace for some hard elbows. The Vader Bomb gets two on Taya with Rayne making a save. As Callis makes some veiled shots at Rayne’s husband, Taya finds out there is no one to tag and gets small packaged by Grace for the pin at 9:39.

Rating: C-. This was designed to give Grace a win over the champ to set her up for the next title shot. That has seemed to be where they have been heading for a long time now so it makes sense to go in that direction. Taya has held the title for a LONG time now and it would be logical to get the title onto someone fresh. Grace doesn’t have to be the one, but it’s time for something new (though Taya is far from bad as champion).

We look at Rob Van Dam turning on Rhino at Bound For Glory.

Van Dam is in the hot tub with Katie Forbes and talks about how everyone has stolen his moves over the years. There would be no Kenny Omega or the Young Bucks without him and he’s tired of carrying people, like Rhino.

Video on Michael Elgin.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Willie Mack/Rich Swann

The Squad jumps them to start but it’s something close to a 3D (bulldog instead of a cutter) to put Singh down. Raju gets knocked off the apron but Singh grabs a release gordbuster on Swann. Raju’s Downward Spiral gets two on Swann and the beating continues with Sing’s backbreaker into a running kick to the face.

Singh charges into a boot in the corner though and Swann rolls forward with a clothesline to Raju. There’s the hot tag to Mack and house is cleaned. The Samoan drop into the standing moonsault (Josh: “Shouldn’t be able to do that.”) gets two on Raju but the Squad is back up for an assisted inverted DDT on Swann. Mack makes the save and it’s a Stunner to Singh, setting up an elevated middle rope flip neckbreaker to finish Raju at 4:58.

Rating: C-. They kept this one short and that’s the best thing they could have done. There is no need for Swann and Mack, who should be going after the Tag Team Titles soon, to break much of a sweat against a team like the Hit Squad. It was the right formula here and we got a passable enough match as a result.

Rhino storms into the arena and wants to face Rob Van Dam. Not for a Gore, but so he can beat Rob to a bloody pulp.

Moose is on a golf course and introduces himself, including his sports resume. Then he beat up Ken Shamrock at Bound For Glory so now he wants to do something else. That would be demonstrating a hole in one as we now have a Mr. Perfect knockoff. There is a bit of a twist though as he accuses another golfer of stealing his ball from the hole and throws him into the bunker.

Here’s Ken Shamrock for a chat. Shamrock never thought he would be back in the ring but then this whole thing with Moose got started. After the match, he had to do some soul searching and figure out the next step in his career. Before he gets anywhere though, cue Joey Ryan of all people and Shamrock just looks confused. The lollipop goes down the trunks and Ryan talks about how many great things Shamrock has done.

Shamrock has one more mountain to climb though, and Joey looks down at his trunks. Shamrock: “I don’t know who you are.” Ryan says he makes wrestling fun again, so Shamrock remembers him as “that penis guy.” Shamrock describes himself as a real fighter and Ryan is a gimmick. Ryan: “I’m a little stiff.” He offers Shamrock a chance to touch it, but maybe Shamrock is scared of it choking him out faster than a Gracie.

Shamrock sets things straight: he isn’t out here to retire, but rather to tell Impact that he’s going to hurt anyone who gets in his way. Now he won’t be touching anything, but he can break Ryan’s ankle. The match is on for next week: the World’s Most Dangerous Man vs. the World’s Most Dangerous Manhood. They shake hands and Ryan tries to get him to touch it, which goes as well as you would expect.

Video on Tessa Blanchard.

Ace Austin vs. Eddie Edwards

Non-title street fight and Eddie starts fight with the suicide dive. A suplex on the floor makes it worse and it’s time for the trashcans full of weapons. Eddie takes too long getting them though and Austin hits him with the baton, plus a trashcan. That’s fine with Eddie, who is right back with some weapon shots to the head as Callis wonders if all the, ahem, bang-a-ranging has worn Ace out. Josh: “WHAT???”

Ace’s cartwheel on the apron into the superkick knocks some spit out of Eddie’s mouth so Ace holds up the I JUST BANGED YOUR WIFE shirt. They head inside for some weapons and Eddie gets in a shot to the head, followed by a table being brought in. Ace’s shot to the head doesn’t do much good and it’s time for a piledriver, only to have Reno Scum come in for the save.

An overhead belly to belly suplex sends Thornstowe through a table in the corner but Ace hits a top rope spinning Fameasser onto a trashcan (Callis: “That might be the Bang-A-Rama!”) for two. Back from a break with Ace hitting an enziguri to catch Eddie on top. Eddie is right back with a heck of a top rope belly to back superplex and it’s kendo stick time.

Ace blocks it with the belt though and hits him in the face for two more. With Eddie down, Ace breaks the kendo stick but takes a trashcan to the head. Eddie puts it on Ace’s head and hits a hard chair shot before grabbing another table. Ace gets in his own shot and loads up the wrist brace but gets caught on top. Eddie gets hit with the brace though and it’s a super Fold through the table for the pin at 16:54.

Rating: B. I like both guys and they have a reason to feud here so there was little surprise that the match was going to be good. Ace getting a big win and getting to keep the feud going (because feuds don’t end around here) is a good thing as it still has at least a little bit of fuel to it. Eddie has come a long way and I’m curious to see how this is going to play out.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Su Yung dies but comes back to life.

The Deaners are at catering when Susie (Su Yung without paint and in a white dress) comes in to say this seems like a nice place. She says it’s nice to meet them and walks off. The Deaners think she’s creepier now than she was before….but she’s good looking.

Johnny Swinger hits on Alisha Edwards (even offering to get her booked in Portland) but Ace comes up to get rid of him. Ace wants her to put Eddie behind her and go to dinner with him. Alisha agrees for next week.

We recap Brian Cage vs. Sami Callihan. Cage got married to Melissa Santos and Callihan “accidentally” took her out, causing Cage to destroy him in their World Title match at Bound For Glory. Tonight it’s a rematch in a cage after Sami had OVE threaten Melissa and Cage’s daughter.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Sami Callihan vs. Brian Cage

Post match Sami celebrates but Tessa Blanchard comes out to stare him down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I don’t know how to say this but Impact is on a roll. Bound For Glory was good, its fallout show was rather good and they’re on a network that seems to care about them (and is actually available). It wasn’t a blow away show, but it was a show that makes me want to keep watching and for the first show on AXS, that is a great thing to say.

Results

Naomichi Marufuji b. Josh Alexander – Sliced Bread #2

Jordynne Grace/Rosemary/Alexis Nicole b. Taya Valkyrie/Madison Rayne/Kiera Hogan – Small package to Valkyrie

Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Desi Hit Squad – Middle rope flip neckbreaker to Raju

Ace Austin b. Eddie Edwards – Super Fold through a table

Sami Callihan b. Brian Cage – Super Cactus Special

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

Impact Wrestling – October 22, 2019: Straight Out Of The NXT Playbook

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 22, 2019
Location: Odeum Expo Center, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis
Hosts: Josh Matthews, Scott D’Amore

It’s the first show after Bound For Glory but in this case it isn’t your traditional fallout show. Instead we have a kind of preview/get to know you show for the move to AXS TV. It makes a lot lot of sense to do something like this this here as there is going to be a new audience who isn’t familiar with your product. Couple that with coming off your biggest show of the year and a recap is in order. Let’s get to it.

Here are Bound For Glory’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a look back at some great moments in company history. I’m not sure I’d point out how many legitimately cool things you’ve done, only to wind up where you are.

Josh and Scott welcome us to the show and promise a bunch of Bound For Glory fallout. As it should be.

Melissa Santos is in Los Angeles to talk to Taya Valkyrie later.

New X-Division Champion Ace Austin is now in a movie and Don Callis is on set. The movie set looks rather basic and….oh dang this might go very badly.

We talk about some of the talent that has showed up lately, including Rob Van Dam, Jordynne Grace, Rhino, Madman Fulton, TJP, Willie Mack, Tenille Dashwood and Ken Shamrock. Above all of them though is Michael Elgin, who walked away from Japan for a full time job here, where the stars are. Actually I’m thinking there are some bigger stars in Japan.

Video on Elgin, who came in with a bang and attacked World Champion Brian Cage as part of his path of destruction. I mean, he lost the two World Title shots, but it was quite the path. That match with Rich Swann was very good though.

The announcers are impressed with Elgin.

Madison Rayne vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Shotzi is reportedly WWE bound and Madison brings out Kiera Hogan for commentary. Madison has LRL (Locker Room Leader) on the back of her trunks and makes sure that Shotzi sees it. They yell at each other to start until Shotzi dropkicks her down and hits the reverse Cannonball in the corner. That’s enough to send Madison outside where she sits on Kiera’s lap (Kiera: “This isn’t part of the plan Madison! You didn’t explain this part to me!”). We take a break and come back with Shotzi driving her into the corner and forearming away, only to get northern lights suplexed for two.

The chinlock holds Shotzi down for a bit as Callis talks about how Madison is similar to Bret Hart for wearing pink and being a 28 time Knockout Champion. Shotzi comes back with an enziguri that didn’t seem to connect and we keep looking at commentary talking. A reverse Sling Blade plants Madison and a 619 in the corner makes it even worse. As Kiera talks about Josh not understanding the concept of getting lit, Madison ducks another 619 and catapults Shotzi throat first into the middle rope. A Roll of the Dice finishes Shotzi at 8:38.

Rating: C-. The Locker Room Leader stuff is a good enough source of heel heat and that’s all it needs to be. Shotzi is someone who gets your attention in a hurry and it would make sense for WWE to want to bring her in. She’s a good option for this spot too as she has a bit of a reputation off of her time on the indies that the win means something for Madison without wasting a match on another established name.

We look at the history of the Knockouts, including a clip of Taya retaining the title in a four way Monster’s Ball match at Slammiversary.

Ace Austin is getting his makeup done for his movie and talks about how interesting the role is going to be. A woman in a robe comes up and is rather happy to be his costar. Yeah this is going to get awkward in a hurry. Callis talks about how awesome Austin is for being a champion at 23 years old. Austin is wanted on set and another woman comes up to hit on Don, thinking he’s Dino Velvet, the villain from 8mm.

Now it’s time to talk about the tag teams, with Scott being a Desi Hit Squad fan.

We look at the North getting rid of LAX a few weeks ago.

The North issues an open challenge for next week because no one can beat them.

We look at Rob Van Dam’s heel turn at Bound For Glory.

We look at Moose vs. Ken Shamrock.

Shamrock is disappointed in himself for losing but tomorrow is a new day.

Moose, while celebrating with some friends, says he told us so and Shamrock can now move into retirement. Next week, he’ll prove why he is a legend.

Taya Valkyrie brags about beating Tenille Dashwood at Bound For Glory. After we see a clip of the successful title defense, Taya talks about being ready to go back to Bound For Glory. We see John E. Bravo going to Canada to ask fans about how much better their lives are since Taya has been Knockouts Champion but no one seems to care. Taya is annoyed, as expected.

Next week: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Josh Alexander.

We see Sami Callihan’s pre-match promo from Bound For Glory, talking about how he didn’t want to hurt Melissa Santos but the fans drove him to it. Now he’ll prove that he’s the best.

World Champion Brian Cage is healthy and ready to move forward. After a clip of Cage retaining over Callihan at Bound For Glory, cue Sami to say he wants a rematch. That isn’t happening, so Sami shows a video of OVE stalking Cage’s house. Threats are made so Cage gives him the title match for next week.

Josh and Scott are disgusted.

The World Title match will be in a cage.

D’Lo Brown joins Scott and Josh to talk about how Cage needs to have his head on straight or Sami will win the title.

Video on Tessa Blanchard.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Sami Callihan b. Tessa Blanchard at Slammiversary.

We’re on the set of the movie and the director tries to explain the psychology of the scene.

Video on Eddie Edwards, including his descent into madness at the hands of Sami Callihan.

We look at Eddie winning the Call Your Shot gauntlet match at Bound For Glory. He’ll face Ace Austin for the X-Division Title next week.

Quick look at Ultimate X for the X-Division Title at Homecoming in January.

Scott and Josh on the X-Division, which brings us back to Ace Austin and Alisha Edwards.

We get the first take of Ace’s movie, where he’s a shirtless gardener who wants to mow a woman’s grass (his words). Clothes are removed and yeah this is how they’re debuting on the new network.

Johnny Swinger doesn’t do social media but he has a PO Box for his fan club. He dubs himself Johnny Impact, with Jimmy Jacobs saying we already have one of them. Swinger: “Sounds like a job guy.” Again: a 90s throwback character is fine, but why Johnny Swinger?

Aerostar/Taurus/Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Rascalz

The luchadors are played to the ring by a band and this is under Lucha Rules. The Rascalz get jumped to start and it’s Miguel getting triple teamed. Aerostar is launched into a dropkick in the corner and the surfboard goes on, with Wagner coming off the top with a double stomp.

We take a break and come back with the luchadors posing until Dez comes in for the save. Everything breaks down and Wentz hits the Bronco Buster on Aerostar. A running double stomp hits Wagner for two and it’s time for the parade of dives. Back in and Wagner takes his mask off, allowing Taurus to German suplex Dez into a springboard splash from Aerostar. Wentz is back up with a superkick in the corner and Miguel adds the Meteora. The shove moonsault finishes Aerostar at 10:13.

Rating: C+. This was exactly what it should have been with the Rascalz doing their thing and getting a win over some names who have been built up a little bit around here. It was a good choice to set things up for Bound For Glory and it was the kind of lucha match that you would have been looking for out of these six. It was fast paced and entertaining, so what more can you ask for?

Josh and Scott preview next week’s show one more time to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: B-. They were going straight out of the post Takeover playbook here and it worked just as well. The point of this one wasn’t to do anything huge but rather to deal with what happened on Sunday and get the fans into what Impact is all about. They did that rather well and thankfully didn’t focus on the past. I was worried that this would be focusing on Hulk Hogan and AJ Styles and Kurt Angle and other people who haven’t been here for years but other than a few clips and some mentions, they were barely factors at all. Good intro for the new fans and a nice way of handing the post Bound For Glory show.

Results

Madison Rayne b. Shotzi Blackheart – Rolling cutter

Rascalz b. Taurus/Dr. Wagner Jr./Aerostar – Shove moonsault to Aerostar

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