WWE Vault Grab Bag VI
Commentators: Lenny Leonard, Rob Niemi, Tony Schiavone, Lord Alfred Hayes, Vince McMahon, Byron Saxton, Jim Ross, William Regal, Lenny Leonard, Rod Trongard, Jim Ross

So I’m up to another one of these and after last time, I’m rather intrigued by what that could mean. There are some absolutely great things available but since it’s all random choice, I have no idea what I’m going to pull. That makes it all the more fun so hopefully it works out. Let’s get to it.

From Evolve 99. We actually get a special intro from World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, who says this is what wrestling is supposed to look like.

Walter vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre’s Evolve Title isn’t on the line. Sabre tries to go around him to start and is quickly taken into the corner, earning himself a front facelock. That’s broken up and we get some nice applause, followed by a rather aggressive headlock takeover to Sabre. Walter easily powers him down by the arm and a test of strength goes badly for Sabre as well. They go to the test of strength again and Sabre can’t break the bridge.

Walter can break Sabre’s though, only for Sabre to pop back up in quite the impressive visual. The big chop gives Walter two and he doesn’t like Sabre trying to chop him back. A big slam sends Sabre flying as this is pretty one sided thus far. Sabre finally pulls him down and stomps the arm but Walter uses the good arm to knock Sabre’s soul into the next county.

Another one turns Sabre inside out and a right hand drops him again. Back up and Sabre kicks at the leg to pull Walter into a kneebar. Walter gets to the rope and they head outside where he hits another hard chop. Lane: “I don’t know exactly how much money Sabre owes Walter but I’d be happy to lend it to him.” More chops have Sabre staggering around so he tries a chop of his own, earning himself one heck of a boot to the face. Back in and Walter wins another strike off, even shrugging off a middle rope elbow to the jaw.

Sabre does manage a DDT out of the corner though and they’re both down. Sabre’s PK is cut off so he kicks at the arm and gets an abdominal stretch. With that broken up, Walter busts out the dropkick out of the corner and it’s another double down. Back up and Sabre tries another chop and gets kicked into the sleeper for his efforts. Some suplexes give Walter two but Sabre is back with the Octopus.

That’s reversed into a failed Tombstone attempt and now the PK connects, leaving Sabre down for a breather. Back up and Sabre tries to chop again and gets dropped with a single shot to the face. Sabre tries a European Clutch, which is countered into Walter’s sleeper, which is countered into the Clutch for two. Back up and Sabre grabs a guillotine choke but Walter reverses into a suplex.

They get up again and Walter chops him down again, with commentary pointing out how the striking has been a REALLY BAD IDEA for Sabre. Walter chops him down again but a clothesline is countered into a cross armbreaker. That sends Walter over to the rope and he chops his way out a triangle choke. The powerbomb only gives Walter one so he hits a second for the pin at 17:58.

Rating: B. This was kind of an odd match, as Sabre was trying to come up with a way to get around Walter’s chops and never getting close. The idea seemed to be that he was trying to get through with a hold but Walter never came close to feeling like he was in serious trouble. It was more Sting vs. Vader from the 1992 Great American Bash, with Sabre getting smashed in the end for quite the emphatic win. Either way, those chops were devastating and Walter looked like a smashing machine, as has often been his custom.

From the First WWF Event In London (that’s pretty much what it was called) on October 10, 1989 in a match I’ve seen a bunch of times.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage

Savage, with Sherri, is challenging while Hogan has Elizabeth. We get the bell and Savage immediately hits the stall button, as he has a tendency to do. The lockup goes to Hogan, who shoves Savage hard into the corner for another breather. A running shoulder drops Savage again and they go outside, where Sherri goes after Elizabeth. Back in and Savage gets knocked to the floor again, where he grabs the mic and promises to take the title.

This time Sherri gets inside with him for a double beating, which Hogan shrugs off again and knocks Savage outside. Sherri is sent outside with him but it’s enough for Savage to rake the eyes and FINALLY get a breather. Hold on though as Savage goes after Elizabeth on the floor, allowing Hogan to jump him again. Back in and some choking draws Sherri to the apron, where Elizabeth actually knocks her over the top.

Hogan goes outside to stalk Sherri, allowing Savage to get in another shot to take over again. The top rope ax handle gets two and Savage grabs a sleeper, as he just never learns. Hogan fights up and hits some running shoulders before they clothesline each other for a double down. Savage grabs a rollup with trunks for two and the sleeper goes on again.

That’s broken up and Hogan makes the comeback like he’s a superhero fighting out of a sleeper but Savage snaps his throat across the top. Sherri slips in the loaded purse for a top rope shot to the head, only for Savage to pull him up at two. Naturally the top rope elbow brings Savage to his feet and the comeback is on. Sherri comes in to no avail and it’s the big leg to retain (with Elizabeth cutting Sherri off) at 14:03.

Rating: C+. Maybe it’s that I’ve seen this match so many times or that it’s another example of Savage looking like a moron against Hogan, but this didn’t do much for me. Savage had lost to Savage so many times by this point that it stopped mattering, though the London fans hadn’t seen it yet so at least it was new to them. If nothing else, Savage winning once, even off a fluke of some sort, would have made things feel more dramatic. I’m just not sure when that could have happened.

Post match we get a lot of posing, with both Elizabeth and the fans seeming to enjoy it.

From January 20, 1998 in a dark match before Raw, described as “The Attitude Era’s WILDEST Dark Match”.

Erin O’Grady vs. Vic Grimes

O’Grady is better known as Crash Holly and Grimes was one of Da Baldies in ECW. The fact that this has SLP and various other VCR buttons included tells you all you need to know here. O’Grady strikes away in the corner to start but gets shoved out with ease. Grimes tosses him out of the corner but O’Grady nips up in a rather impressive athletic spot. Some running dropkicks stagger Grimes and a missile dropkick gives O’Grady a delayed two.

A top rope hurricanrana drops Grimes again but he’s back up with some big shots in the corner. Grimes, who weighs about 300lbs, misses a charge in the corner and crashes out over the corner, allowing O’Grady to hit a nice springboard dive. Back in and O’Grady runs the ropes until he gets spun into a heck of a side slam. A torture rack dropped down into a backbreaker has O’Grady in even more trouble and a reverse sitout powerbomb plants him again.

They head outside, where Grimes grabs a chair to hit himself in the head a few times. O’Grady is sat in the chair and Grimes goes back inside for a running flip dive over the top, which only hits the empty chair. Back in and O’Grady gets his throat snapped across the top but Grimes misses a Swanton of all things. A missed charge in the corner lets O’Grady grab a tornado DDT and he slingshots forward to grab a hurricanrana. O’Grady tries it again but gets caught in a powerbomb, with Grimes flipping him up into a cutter for the pin at 7:02.

Rating: B+. Yeah it’s really that good, with O’Grady pulling out a bunch of stuff that had me thinking of AJ Styles. These two had worked together a bunch of times in California (where this took place) so it was no surprise that they had great chemistry together. It’s also no surprise that they both got developmental contracts immediately after this match. Check this out, as it’s genuinely a very entertaining match and by far the best I’ve ever seen from O’Grady.

From January 28, 1992 in Amarillo, Texas, a dark match at a Superstars taping.

Hulk Hogan/Randy Savage vs. Berzerker/Jake Roberts

Well dang the boys are back together. Berzerker is substituting for Undertaker, which makes me think how a Hogan vs. Berzerker run would have gone. Not well, but the idea would have made sense. Berzerker backs off from Hogan to start before hammering away. A dropkick of all things misses though and Hogan knocks him out to the floor. Back in and Hogan pokes him in the eyes, allowing Savage to come in for a change.

That lets Berzerker take him into the corner, allowing Roberts to send him crashing out to the floor. Mr. Fuji (of course he’s here) gets in a cane shot before Savage is thrown back inside for a Berzerker style beating from Berzerker. Roberts gets in a few shots of his own before handing it back to Berzerker, who is knocked away without too much trouble.

It’s back to Hogan for the usual house cleaning, including a big boot to send Berzerker over the top. Hogan beats on Roberts (that’s a weird visual) before handing it back to Savage to slug away. The top rope ax handle sends Roberts outside and he takes a walk but here are Undertaker and Paul Bearer to cut him off. Back in and Hogan gets a rollup for the pin (with Savage counting as well) at 8:16.

Rating: C. The action was nothing to see as it was a post show dark match, but dang the star power was high here, with the red hot Roberts, the freaking MEGA POWERS and Undertaker. Oh and Berzerker, who actually didn’t take the pin, which is kind of a shocker. This is the kind of thing I love seeing from the Vault (or the Savage Unreleased DVD) as it legitimately feels special and makes you wonder what else is hidden in those archives.

From New York City, New York on May 4, 1981 and this is a classic.

Sgt. Slaughter vs. Pat Patterson

This is the Alley Fight, which basically means street fight. We get an intro from Slaughter, explaining that this stems from the Cobra Clutch challenge, where Patterson (an interviewer) was offered $10,000 to get out of Slaughter’s Cobra Clutch. It led to a fight (of course) and they had a match which went to a double DQ. Therefore, it was time to go violent.

Slaughter goes over the entire match and even explains the ending, as Slaughter knows how to drag anything out. Apparently Slaughter had to get his passport photo when his head was still bandaged and people knew it was from the Alley Fight. I’m sure that’s the case Sarge. After a nearly EIGHT MINUTE intro from Slaughter, we’re ready to go.

The fans get rather excited at the announcement of the match and Patterson is in jeans and an I Heart New York shirt. Slaughter has the Grand Wizard Of Wrestling with him and Patterson jumps Slaughter as he gets inside to start fast. Patterson kicks and stomps away in the corner before pulling off the belt. The whipping is on, followed by some choking, but Patterson is backdropped out to the floor. Back in and Patterson whips away again before kicking Slaughter in the ribs with those big cowboy boots.

Slaughter gets in a shot of his own though and wraps the belt around Patterson’s mouth. Some choking has Patterson in trouble but he flips Slaughter out to the floor to escape. Back in and a middle rope knee hits Slaughter so Patterson does it again. Slaughter kicks him down and drops a jumping knee of his own before going up top but thinking better of it.

Patterson gets in a shot of his own to bust Slaughter open and the catapult sends him into the post to make it even worse. Patterson’s comeback is cut off with a low blow but Slaughter can barely stand up. He slowly hammers on Patterson, who gets his own cowboy boot and starts hammering away. The blood is so bad that the Wizard throws in the towel to give Patterson the win at 14:13 and blow the roof off the place.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a fight and it lived up to the expectations. The key here was that it came off like an actual fight with two guys wanting to hurt each other. Patterson was way past his prime here but he worked hard and had a heck of a performance. I dug this one quite a bit and it’s more than worth a look to see two guys beating the daylights out of each other without needing a bunch of insane weapons.

From October 17, 2012, a dark match at an NXT taping.

We’re joined in progress with Kassius Ohno attacking CM Punk for the DQ in a match against Antonio Cesaro. Cue Seth Rollins for the save so the fans want a tag team match. Works for Punk and we’re ready to go.

Kassius Ohno/Antonio Cesaro vs. CM Punk/Seth Rollins

Aksana is here with the villains. Ohno and Cesaro try to leave but get dragged back to the ring for the opening bell. Rollins takes over on Ohno and grabs a cravate, allowing Punk to come in and strike him down for two. The Muta Lock goes on to put Cesaro in trouble and he has to grab the rope. It’s back to Rollins for a dropkick to Ohno but Aksana grabs the leg, allowing Cesaro to get in a big boot.

Rollins gets his legs snapped with some wishbones for two and it’s back to Cesaro to send him hard into the corner. Rollins finally fights back against Cesaro and gets over for the tag to Punk. House is quickly cleaned, including the running knee in the corner to Ohno, followed by the bulldog right back out. The top rope elbow…I guess connects as we cut to the crowd, meaning it was a likely botch of some sort, as Cesaro makes a save. Rollins is back in for a Sliced Bread to Cesaro and Punk adds the GTS for Ohno for the double pin at 10:33.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly fine match, though I’m a bit curious about the likely botch on the elbow. Commentary didn’t act like anything was wrong so I’m wondering what we missed in there. Either way, this was a good way to send the fans home happy at the end of the night. Punk was a mega star and Rollins was the NXT Champion, along with Cesaro being the US Champion so this was quite the star studded event.

From Corpus Christi, Texas on December 2, 1991, a dark match at a Wrestling Challenge taping.

Ric Flair/Jake Roberts/Undertaker vs. Randy Savage/Jim Duggan/Roddy Piper

Mr. Perfect and Paul Bearer are here with the former. Oddly Undertaker would have been the WWF Champion here but is neither announced as the champion nor brings the belt with him. Flair backs Piper into the corner to start and gets slapped down, with Piper backing him into the other corner. Back up and Flair actually busts out a leapfrog before being knocked out to the floor. It’s off to Roberts, who wants Savage, which has Piper declaring Piper stupid.

Savage wrecks Roberts so Undertaker comes in and gets to beat on Duggan. Naturally the fans chat USA, despite the one non-American in the match being on the good side. Duggan fights out of the corner to hand it off to Piper, who explodes on Flair with the rapid fire punches in the corner. Some slower punches are cut off by the referee, allowing Flair to get in a cheap. The villains take turns beating on Piper, who slips away without much trouble. Everything breaks down and Savage drops the elbow for the fast pin on Flair to get out of there at 8:43.

Rating: C+. Totally acceptable send the fans home happy match here and that’s all it needed to be. It’s about getting some star power out there with the good guys going over in a match that doesn’t mean much. Duggan felt like the odd man out in there but those big right hands work on anyone. Fun stuff here.

From Wrestlemania XXVII Axxess.

Zack Ryder and Tyson Kidd introduce us to a tag match. Apparently they got a text at the last minute asking them for this match, which aired on MTV. Kidd considered it was an honor to be put in Piper’s sleeper.

Zack Ryder/Tyson Kidd vs. Roddy Piper/Rob Dyrdek

Piper comes out before Dyrdek and talks about how this is for the Make A Wish Foundation (ah there we go). He asks if Ryder and Kidd are having a good day before threatening to make it worse. Piper brings out a pair of unknowns and then Dyrdek, who skateboards down a ramp and goes over the top for quite the entrance. Kidd says that doesn’t make Dyrdek entertaining and no one wants to see a Johnny Knoxville wannabe team up with a broken down has been.

Somehow Kidd thinks insulting Piper is a good thing and Piper talks about fans coming here to see him 27 years ago. Now they’re here to see Dyrdek (or Kid Lightning), though Ryder isn’t convinced. Dyrdek praises Piper and says that the other two don’t know when lightning is going to strike. Piper (thankfully wrestling in a shirt) starts with Kidd and, after some stalling, drives him into the corner. Kidd shoves him away and actually goes for a handshake, allowing Piper to get in some slaps.

Piper works on the arm and spits at Ryder before handing it off to Dyrdek to stay on the arm. Ryder comes in so Piper and Dyrdek take turns working on his arm as well. Dyrdek actually gets knocked down and Kidd gives him a backbreaker, only to miss a middle rope elbow. Piper comes back in to fire off right hands and eye pokes but gets taken into the corner. One of the unknowns shoves Ryder down and Dyrdek comes down the ramp on his skateboard to dive into a crossbody for the pin on Ryder at 3:47.

Rating: C. The ending alone was far better than I was expecting (I would have bet on this being the basic rollup pin) but this was pretty much exactly what it should have been. Piper is old and Dyrdek isn’t a wrestler and the heels are just warm bodies for their sake. It’s perfectly fine as a way to give the Axxess fans a treat and there is nothing wrong with that.

From a WWA event (billed as a Funkin Dojo showcase event) in Quincy, Massachusetts on August 22, 1998.

Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage

Dory Funk Jr. and Jim Cornette are here too. Angle is wearing basic workout shorts and tennis shoes for a weird look. A fireman’s carry lets Angle ride him on the mat a bit and he picks the leg to do it again. Cage actually wrestles him down but can’t do much on the mat. A headlock takeover has Cage in more trouble and Angle grinds away on a headlock. Back up and Cage stomps away in the corner before dancing around a bit.

Cage sends him outside for a tennis racket shot to the back and Funk has to help Angle back inside, as a manager tends to do. We hit the chinlock back inside, followed by the layout reverse DDT for two. Back up and Angle rolls some German suplexes before a belly to belly gets two (with the mat sounding like they’re crashing hard every time). Cage is back with a powerslam but misses a top rope splash, allowing Angle to grab a rolling three quarter nelson for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C. The key thing to remember here is that Angle debuted TWO DAYS before this, making this his third ever professional match. Of course he’s not any good yet and has no idea what he’s doing. This was all about Angle getting his toes wet (he’s not ready for feet) and there is nothing wrong with that. The match is hardly anything good, but it was a way for Angle to do his basic stuff and get used to being in front of a crowd. The fact that he was about a year and a half away from being the Eurocontinental Champion and having a heck of a match with Benoit and Jericho at Wrestlemania is nothing short of remarkable.

From Dragon Gate USA’s Mercury Rising 2010.

Warriors vs. World-1

That would be Cima/Gamma/Dragon Kid vs. BxB Hulk/Masato Yoshino/Naruki Doi. Kid and Yoshino start things off with Yoshino’s wristlock not lasting long. Instead they run the ropes until Kid snaps off a headscissors. We’re clipped to Gamma rubbing Hulk’s face in the corner and chopping him in the head. Kid comes back in and drops some knees with Doi making the save.

We’re clipped again to Gamma coming off the top with a kendo stick for a low blow to Hulk. We’re clipped again to Cima double stomping Hulk and tying up his legs while suplexing Doi at the same time. Kid is back in for the save as everything breaks down and we’re clipped again to some stereo Black Widows going on, with Kid and Yoshino chopping it out while still holding said octopuses. Kid gets two off a DDT with Yoshino having to make a save. Cima puts Yoshino in the Tree Of Woe but misses a Coast To Coast, allowing Yoshino to come back with a missile dropkick/top rope backsplash (not bad for the same time).

Kid gets release German superplexed and Yoshino adds a Michinoku Driver for two more. We’re clipped again to Yoshino getting triple dropkicked but Doi kicks Cima into a cradle for two. Hulk slams Cima for two but Gamma catches him on top. Yoshino is back in with the nasty kendo stick shot to Hulk (the ref doesn’t mind) and Kid grabs a super poisonrana for the huge crash.

A West Coast Pop gives Kid two and we’re clipped again to Yoshino grabbing a nasty choke on Gamma with Hulk cutting off the save as Gamma passes out at 7:45 shown. The whole match is almost half an hour so I won’t rate it, but if you’ve seen Dragon Gate six man tags, you know they’re absolutely insane and a blast every time.

From an AWA show in St. Paul, Minnesota, March 13, 1983.

Hulk Hogan/High Flyers vs. Jesse Ventura/Bobby Heenan/Ken Patera

Oh this could be fascinating. The High Flyers are Greg Gagne/Jim Brunzell, the top good guy team of their day in the AWA. Heenan goes for a cheap shot to start but the villains are quickly cleared out, as you might expect. Hogan steps on Ventura’s bandanna and they’ll officially start, with Trongard even admitting that it’s going to break down sooner than later

Hogan takes over on the arm and snaps it over the top for quite the bump from Ventura. That’s already enough for the tag to Patera, who is quickly slammed. Gagne comes in to work on the arm and hands it off to Brunzell for more of the same. We get the required Heenan time and he actually takes over on Brunzell before being sent hard into the corner.

Gagne comes back in and takes out the other two before backing Heenan into Hogan, which would happen quite a few times over the years. The villains get Gagne into the wrong corner for some choking from Ventura and, like a schnook, Hogan tries to come in and makes things even worse. Patera comes in for the bearhug and Ventura does the same (imagine Ventura copying from a strong man with blond hair). The Argentine backbreaker has to be broken up so Heenan grabs a front facelock, with the referee not seeing the tag off to Hogan (what a nitwit).

Patera’s….we’ll say piledriver is countered into a backdrop but it’s still too early for the tag. Gagne slides between the legs though and it’s back to Brunzell for the house cleaning. Heenan breaks up the Indian deathlock so it’s off to Hogan for the real comeback. Hogan drops Patera and slingshots Heenan inside as everything breaks down. The legdrop (with Heenan having to flip into place as he realized what was coming) is enough to give Hogan the pin at 14:03.

Rating: C+. The AWA is the definition of an acquired taste and rarely does itself very well with one off, stand alone matches. The big idea was getting into the promos and characters, which only went so far here. Hogan getting to wreck people always worked and you could see what would become his usual stuff in there. Verne Gagne did screw up with him, but there was absolutely no way Hogan was staying there long term.

Post match the brawl stays on until the villains are cleared out again.

From World Championship Wrestling (the show and the company), May 20, 1989.

Terry Funk vs. Eddie Guerrero

Guerrero is 21 here and Funk insists that he get his chaps off before receiving a proper introduction. Guerrero rolls away from Funk to start and hits an enziguri to the floor (and of course Funk is willing to bump like crazy for him). Back in and Funk drives him into the corner for the chop as JR talks about Funk injuring Ric Flair. Guerrero flips over him in the corner but gets caught in a giant swing of all things. Funk misses a charge into the ropes and Guerrero gets in a headscissors but misses a dropkick.

One heck of a toss over the top isn’t a DQ for some reason (JR doesn’t get it either) and Funk follows him, only to clothesline the post by mistake. Guerrero gets in a heck of a high crossbody to the floor but misses a slingshot dive. Funk runs the ropes a few times and hits a dropkick through the ropes, followed by the piledriver on the floor. What is left of Guerrero is thrown inside, knee dropped and pinned at 5:13.

Rating: B-. Terry Funk is the perfect example of someone put onto this planet for the purpose of being a professional wrestler. There is something about watching him in the ring that is so unique and so out there that it is absolute fascinating to see. You could tell he wanted to do something with Guerrero here and gave him A LOT of offense, which makes sense given Guerrero’s family. This is a pretty well known match and it’s not just for the name value, as they had some entertaining chemistry.

Overall Rating: B-. As usual, these things are all over the place and while I’ve seen a few of them before, there was enough in here that was either new or new enough to make this fun. The Alley Fight and that shockingly awesome O’Grady vs. Grimes match are the highlights and while there was no run away entry, it was a great look at “huh, so that happened”. That’s what I love about the Vault and it was on full display again here.

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

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PWG Eight
Date: July 23, 2011
Location: American Legion Post #308, Reseda, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Hero, Chuck Taylor, Kevin Steen

This promotion is often all over the place, but it can have some rather entertaining shows. Usually the bigger the shows, the better they get, and this one happens to be an anniversary show. As usual, I have no idea what is going on here as I’ve only seen random events, though storylines only mean so much around here anyway. Let’s get to it.

Pac vs. Kevin Steen

This is Pac’s return to PWG and Steen realizes that Pac has bulked up. Steen: “YOU GOT F****** HUGE!” Actually hang on as Steen sees Pac’s arm band and runs to the back to get one of his own. They finally lock up nearly three minutes in and Steen powers him into the corner, with commentary asking how you pronounce “Pac”.

A hard shot to the face knocks Steen into the corner so Steen shouts something that we can’t hear because Excalibur won’t stop running his mouth. They go to the test of strength, with Steen kicking him in the ribs as he knows he’s in trouble. Steen hits the ropes for the hard running shoulder but Pac is back with a running hurricanrana. The standing shooting star has Steen bailing out to the floor for some intense staring. The referee tells Steen to get back inside. Steen: “You fight him!” Fan: “We want wrestling!” Steen: “THIS IS WRESTLING YOU F*** FACE!!!”

We go back to the test of strength with Steen snapping off a monkey flip and stomping Pac’s head down for quite the crash. That lets Steen stop for some pushups but Pac actually wins an exchange of forearms. A dropkick sends Steen outside, where he sidesteps a running flip dive. Steen spinebusters him onto the apron and there’s a slow motion Bang Bang elbow off the apron. This lets commentary make a bunch of video game references and…yeah fair enough as this is a place where you can get away with it.

Steen seems to stick his finger in Pac’s nose before dropping a backsplash for two. The fans start getting on Steen so he stands on Pac’s hair (Hero: “Utilizing one of Kelly Kelly’s favorite moves!”). They get back up and slug it out, with Steen going to the apron and trying a superplex. That doesn’t work so Pac grabs a slingshot cutter to knock Steen silly instead.

The corkscrew Asai moonsault to the floor sets up a high crossbody for two on Steen back inside as commentary talks about Youtube videos. Another cutter is countered into an F5 (with a diverticulitis reference) to drop Pac for two but Steen stops to respond to a fan (Steen: “I’M A LITTLE BUSY A******!”). That lets Pac kick him into a German suplex and a running enziguri catches Steen on top. A running Frankensteiner is countered into a super Regal Roll for two and Steen can’t believe the kickout.

Steen hits a pair of moonsaults, the latter onto the legs, into the Sharpshooter but Pac dives over to the rope. Pac knocks him down and goes up for an inverted 450 (because that’s something that can be done) so Pac goes up again. This time Steen is there to catch him with a top rope hanging DDT for two more. Steen is livid and Pac blocking the package piledriver makes it worse. A poisonrana drops Steen on his head but the shooting star press hits raised knees, allowing Steen to get the small package pin at 23:08.

Rating: B+. This was very much a PWG match, with Steen yelling a lot and a good deal of crowd play to go along with the hard hitting stuff. Pac was starting to get somewhere with the bigger size and incredible aerials, which is why he was signed so soon after this. On the other hand you have Steen, who certainly feels like a major star around here. Rather fun match here and a heck of an opener which didn’t feel nearly that long.

Post match Pac gets the PLEASE COME BACK chant.

Brian Cage-Taylor vs. Brandon Gatson

Cage is…oh a good sixty pounds lighter than his crazy muscular look. They have some issues ringing the bell before Gatson starts with a wristlock. Cage gets to the ropes as commentary goes into stories about beating up plants. Gatson cuts off some knees to the ribs and hits a running forearm, only for Cage to come back with a left armed Stunner. Cage sends him outside where the big dive is cut off with a forearm.

That means a standing Tarantula of all things can go on, followed by something like a Stunner to the leg. A PerfectPlex gives Gatson two but he slingshots into a release German suplex. The chinlock goes on as commentary starts talking about Chris Benoit coming out to a song about killing a baby. The abdominal stretch doesn’t last long for Cage, who plants him down hard for two instead.

A kind of Angle Slam gives Cage two as commentary goes on about the former Gorgeous George (90s edition) and how she caused Randy Savage to drive into a tree (no). Gatson comes back with some spinning kicks to the head and some rolling neckbreakers have Cage down again. The third neckbreaker is countered into a northern lights suplex for two and they knock each other down. Gatson is up first and misses a moonsault, only to come back with a moonsault for two.

Back up and Gatson tries to jump over him but Cage gets in a shot to the ribs for two more. Cage’s suplex to the floor is cut off by a nasty superkick but Gatson misses a Sasuke Special. Gatson is fine enough to kick him in the face though and they’re both down again. Another superkick drops Cage again and they get back inside. Something resembling a McGillicutter has Gatson in trouble for a change and Weapon X (without a smooth landing) finishes Gatson at 14:08.

Rating: B-. This match had the problem of following the much better opener, which had a lot more time and better stars. Cage looking so small was the amazing part of this one, as he looked nothing like his more famous version. I’ve seen Gatson a few times now and he’s not bad at all. I could have seen him going further but it never happened for some reason.

Alex Shelley/Roderick Strong vs. El Generico/Ricochet

Yeah this should be good. Generico and Shelley start things off with a rather tentative test of strength until Shelley grabs a headlock takeover. Back up and Shelley is ready for a leapfrog, meaning the headlock goes on again. Generico gets up and flips over him, setting up some rapid fire armdrags. Ricochet (with his weird mohawk) comes in and grabs a headlock, with Shelley grabbing the hair in a smart move.

Granted it doesn’t work but it’s smart. Shelley bites the hand to escape and grabs his own headlock and hands it off to Strong. That means it’s time for Ricochet to pick up the speed with the dives before grabbing a front facelock on Shelley. That’s reversed into a rocking horse of all things, which naturally doesn’t last long with Ricochet getting back over to Generico.

The chinlock goes on to keep Shelley in trouble and Ricochet is back in with a double arm crank. Shelley starts to break it up but Generico comes in with a chop to cut that off in a smart move. Generico comes back in with a high crossbody to send Shelley outside, where a big running flip dive takes him out again. Strong picks Ricochet up and throws him over the top for a crash as well.

Ricochet gets dropped face first onto the apron, followed by what would be known as the Devil’s Kiss back inside. Strong slams him down again and we hit the chinlock, with the fans already rhythmically clapping. A Liontamer version of a Texas Cloverleaf (or something like one) goes on before Shelley comes right back in to hammer away. It’s right back to Strong for a basement superkick and a suplex gets two.

An Irish Curse gives Strong two and Shelley is back in to knock Generico off the apron. Ricochet manages to backflip out of a double belly to back suplex and sends the….I guess villains into each other, followed by a double Pele. That’s enough for the tag off to Generico, who cleans house, including a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Strong. Back up and Strong kicks Generico in the face, followed by an Angle Slam for two on Ricochet.

What looks like End Of Heartache is countered into a hurricanrana to give Ricochet two but Strong drops Ricochet again. Shelley hits a painful looking top rope double stomp for two, with Generico having to dive in for the save. The Helluva Kick/enziguri combination hits Shelley in the corner and it’s another Helluva Kick into a brainbuster. Generico isn’t legal though so Ricochet misses a 450. A nasty End Of Heartache finishes Ricochet at 22:06.

Rating: B+. Another action based match and that was a fun thing to see. Generico was doing his thing as usual and the other three were more able to hang with him. This was the kind of match I was expecting from PWG, as it was all about having people flying around the ring until one more finisher was enough for the win. Good stuff as the hot start continues.

Post match Generico and Ricochet aren’t on the same page. Ricochet looks close to swinging but stops, with Generico shoving him instead. The fans want the bell to ring but Ricochet spits at him and runs off.

Peter Avalon vs. Ryan Taylor

Taylor works on the arm to start as commentary tries to figure out how the Taylor boys are related. Avalon escapes an armbar as the fans are all over Taylor, with Avalon playing right into it. Avalon’s headlock works a bit better as we hear about the first PWG show taking place near a Magic The Gathering competition. Taylor twists the arm down onto the mat and stomps away but lands on some knees in what might have been an intentional low blow.

We pause for a Booker T. pose from Avalon, with Taylor cutting it off. Taylor does the same thing and Avalon breaks it up as well, so they decide that they should both do Spinaroonis. Excalibur: “And they both sucked.” Taylor goes back after the arm but gets driven into the corner as commentary previews a tag match. Avalon knocks him outside for a suicide dive, followed by an elbow to the jaw for two back inside.

Taylor ducks a big kick to the face and scores with a clothesline to leave them both down. Back up and Taylor strikes away, followed by a Rock Bottom for two. A kick to the head gives Taylor two more and he drives Avalon into the corner. That lets Avalon hit a middle rope knee to the back of the head and Taylor rolls outside. With nothing else working, Avalon grabs a chair but here is Brian Cage-Taylor to take it away. Avalon rams the Taylors together though and a small package, with trunks, pins Ryan at 12:06.

Rating: C+. This was the weakest part of the show thus far but it was still perfectly fine. That’s not a bad thing to see, as not every match on the card can be some kind of all time classic. They had a good, hard hitting match here though with Taylor showcasing himself well. I still don’t get much out of Avalon, but he’s fine enough most of the time.

RockNES Monster vs. The Dynasty

That would be Johnny Goodtime/Johnny Yuma vs. Scorpio Sky/Joey Ryan. The Dynasty dropkick them to the floor to start fast and hit some dives for the double knockdown. They split off and brawl on the floor, with Goodtime hitting Ryan in the head with a water bottle. Apparently the match hasn’t started yet as Ryan and Goodtime go out into the crowd. Yuma manages to come over and help stomp at Ryan so Sky gets a charge on the apron and hits a big dive.

Yuma and Ryan go inside and we actually get the opening bell. Sky kicks Goodtime down and the Dynasty knee him in the head, which looks rather painful. Goodtime manages to backdrop Sky out to the floor for a crash, only to get dropkicked by Ryan. One heck of an Asai moonsault takes Sky down and there’s a headscissors to do it again. Back in and Goodtime high crossbodies Ryan for two but Sky is back in.

That’s fine with Goodtime, who suplexes him over the top but crashes out as well. Yuma tries a springboard but gets superkicked down, leaving Ryan to get missile dropkicked by Goodtime. Ryan is back up to spear Yuma and Goodtime sends Sky chest first into the buckle. A pumphandle suplex puts Ryan in the corner but is right back up with a Tombstone into Sky’s frog splash.

That just earns Sky a powerbomb into Ryan in the corner and a leg lift DDT drops Ryan for two. Back up and Yuma is knocked outside, meaning it’s a series of strikes to knock Goodtime into Sky’s TKO. Cue the Young Bucks for a distraction though, allowing the Monsters to hit an enziguri/cutter combination on Ryan. Goodtime Death Valley Drivers Yuma onto Ryan for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: B-. Another fun enough match here, though Goodtime was wrestling like such a superhero that prime John Cena would have found it a bit much. The Dynasty was a team that was around for a long time in PWG and had quite the success so I’d assume we can call this a big upset. Either way, it was another good match, though the lack of time took away from it a bit.

Young Bucks vs. Kevin Steen/Cima

The Bucks’ Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. The Bucks jump them from behind to start and double team Steen inside. Cima is back in for the save as apparently this is about the Bucks disrespecting Cima’s stablemate Akira Tozawa. Hold on though as Matt wants to prove that he can do pushups, allowing Cima to stomp him down without much trouble. Steen slams Cima onto Matt but Cima can’t slam Steen onto Nick. Well not at first at least, as the fans have to help him make it work.

Steen goes to slam the referee but gets chop blocked to cut him off. A double apron bomb has Steen in more trouble and we settle down to Steen biting Nick’s finger. Matt isn’t having that and takes Steen into the corner for some right hands. Steen spits at him and Cima comes in to rake the eyes, which doesn’t get him very far. Nick starts mocking Dixie Carter, with Excalibur suggesting that the Bucks slept with Carter to get their jobs in TNA. A front facelock has Steen in more trouble until he bites the leg, followed by the face, to escape.

The Bucks go after Steen’s knee again to cut him back down but the Scorpion Deathlock is broken up. Steen is able to get over to Cima to clean house but the Bucks cut him off again. A springboard splash connects with Steen having to make a save. Steen gets caught on the apron and kicked out to the floor, allowing the Bucks to kick away some more. The Bucks drape Steen in the ropes for a 450 and a near fall, meaning it’s time to look shocked.

More Bang For Your Buck is broken up though and Steen hits a package piledriver. Steen’s top rope Meteora gets two with Matt making the save. Matt spits on Steen, who blocks another Scorpion Deathlock attempt. A powerbomb drops Matt and Steen grabs the Scorpion as Cima Air Raid Crashes Nick. Cima adds a top rope Meteora to Matt while the hold is still on and Matt taps at 15:04.

Rating: B. I can always go for seeing the Bucks take a beating and it worked well here. Steen is having a rather nice night thus far and you can see the star power that WWE saw in him. Cima is someone I’ve only seen so much of and he’s worked well every time. Good match here as the Bucks may be annoying but they can be entertaining.

Post match Nick reveals it was a non-title match, which was already mentioned by commentary. The Bucks also want back in TNA so they can fight real stars like Eric Young and Shark Boy. Matt talks about how they built this company and Cima hasn’t been relevant since 2006. Steen can go get fired by another promotion, which is enough for him to chase the Bucks off. Cima thanks the fans, who want him back. The Bucks have left a belt behind and Steen tells them to come get it.

PWG World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Hero

Castagnoli is defending. They test the top rope, after it apparently broke in their previous match. Castagnoli works on the arm to start but Hero wrestles him down and starts in on the leg. That’s broken up with Castagnoli going after Hero’s leg, which is enough for a standoff. Castagnoli ties up the leg again but steps on the rope, with Kevin Steen (on commentary) calling him out for being a cheater.

Hero reverses into a leglock of his own as commentary mocks the idea of various wrestlers sleeping with Dixie Carter. Back up and Hero grabs a full nelson, with Castagnoli swinging him around but not being able to break it. Steen of course wants to see the Uncle Slam, ala the Patriot, which lets Excalibur blow his mind by revealing that Tom Brandi/Salvatore Sincere later wrestled as the Patriot.

The hold is broken up and it’s time to make fun of Test for being dead. A cravate holds Castagnoli in place as Excalibur gets to tell Steen about the Chris Benoit joke from earlier. Excalibur: “Twice in one night folks. That’s what you get with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.” Castagnoli gets a headlock and Hero wiggles out, only to get pulled right back into the same thing.

The hold stays on for a good while as Excalibur brings up the Benoit joke AGAIN. Hero reverses into a headscissors but Castagnoli reverses into a handstand as commentary seems envious of Castagnoli’s physique. Castagnoli works on the arm for a good while until Hero is back up with a boot to the face. That’s enough to send Castagnoli outside, with Hero hitting a running boot to the face through the ropes for the big crash. Castagnoli chops the post by mistake as Steen is yawning on commentary.

Back in and Hero strikes away, including some rather hard chops. The shoulders in the corner keep Castagnoli in trouble and Hero crushes him with a backsplash. Castagnoli rolls outside, where he catches Hero with a dragon screw legwhip over the ropes to bang up the knee. Back in and Castagnoli stays on the leg, including a reverse Indian deathlock. The bad leg is wrapped around the post and Castagnoli even uses the post for some painful looking cranks.

A running dropkick takes out the knee again and Castagnoli pulls on it inside, at least until Hero kicks him in the head. Castagnoli is fine enough to grab the Figure Four, with Hero having to go to the eyes for the break. They go outside with Hero getting slammed onto some chairs, followed by a snapmare to send the knee into the ropes. Castagnoli switches over to the back with a camel clutch and Hero’s knee gives out as he tries to stand up. The hold is broken anyway and Hero snaps off a very painful sounding chop.

A flipping cravate neckbreaker puts Castagnoli down but Hero needs a breather, even to the point of changing knee pads. Some shots to the face put Castagnoli down and Hero grabs another neckbreaker. Hero goes up but gets dragon screw legwhipped back down, allowing Castagnoli to grab a half crab. That’s broken up and Hero forearms him out of the air, followed by la majistral for two. Some boots to the face just seem to make Castagnoli scream a lot but Hero finally knocks him out to the floor.

That’s good for a nineteen count before Castagnoli comes back in, where an elbow to the face gives Hero two more. Hero tries a Riccola Bomb of his own but Castagnoli reverses into a one legged Swing. The Neutralizer (a Brock Lock rather than the piledriver faceplant) goes on, with Hero bailing over to the rope. Somehow Hero escapes that as well and goes up, where a super flipping cravate neckbreaker gets two. Hero loads up the discus elbow but his knee gives out. Instead he fires off a cyclone boot for two more but Castagnoli uppercuts him into another Neutralizer for the tap at 37:08.

Rating: B. This was a good example of a match that was rather good but would have been even better if it was shorter. They went longer than they needed to, though there was something awesome about seeing Castagnoli working on the leg like that and then cranking it until Hero gave up. Of course they had great chemistry together as they always did, though shaving off about eight or so minutes would have helped a lot.

Post match Kevin Steen comes to the ring and asks for a title shot, which he has officially earned after his recent victories. Steen wants a title shot at the next…and the fans say no. They seem to want to see it right now and Steen is in. Castagnoli moves the referee out of the way and then says no. That’s fine with Steen, who says Castagnoli will have to face him eventually. Then Castagnoli runs back in and kicks him in the head, bumping the referee in the process. That’s enough for a bell and we’re on.

PWG World Title: Kevin Steen vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli is defending and tries the Riccola Bomb but Steen reverses into a Sharpshooter. Cue the Young Bucks to superkick Steen for the save as another referee comes down. The Dynasty runs in to take out the Bucks and Castagnoli hits a big lariat. The Riccola Bomb is countered into a Code Red for two, followed by the package piledriver to make Steen champion at 1:34.

The fans declare this awesome and thank Castagnoli as Chris Hero comes back in to help Castagnoli up to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah this was pretty awesome stuff, with nothing but either rather awesome or at worst good action throughout. It’s the definition of popcorn wrestling as they’re just throwing matches out there to pop the crowd and it worked rather well. PWG is a good example of a company where you know exactly what you’re getting and it worked well here. I had a good time and they nailed what is probably their biggest show of the year.

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Ring Of Honor
Date: March 16, 2022

Things are getting a bit more interesting, or at least a bit more intriguing, around here as we get to find out what they are throwing out there next. The relaunch is in a few weeks but there are still some shows to fill in. Thankfully that has included opening the video vault and there is some great stuff in there. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

This week’s show is looking at some of the greatest hits of Supercard of Honor, the annual Wrestlemania weekend show.

From Supercard Of Honor on March 31, 2006.

Dragon Kid/Genki Horiguchi/Ryo Saito vs. Cima/Narkui Doi/Masato Yoshino

Yoshino works on Horiguchi’s arm to start and they trade armdrags into a standoff. Doi comes in to face Kid (via tags, though they aren’t required here) for a fast standoff so it’s off to Cima vs. Horiguchi. Cima accidentally knocks Doi off the apron so Horiguchi headscissors him out to the floor. Saito comes in and Samoan drops Yoshino and it’s Kid coming in with an ax handle to Saito’s back. Some running shots to the face set up a bulldog into a running basement dropkick to rock Saito again as we take a break.

Back with Cima ax handling Kid but getting pulled into the corner for his efforts. Saito gets two off a legdrop and we hit the chinlock. Cima fights up and brings Doi back in, only to lose a chop off to Saito. Doi manages to drive Horiguchi into the corner and Cima and company start some triple teaming. Yoshino gets an Octopus hold on Horiguchi, with his partners playing defense so Horiguchi can get rolled up for two. A running flipping splash gives Doi two and he grabs a seated abdominal stretch as we take another break.

Back again with Kid cleaning house as everything breaks down. The dives are on until it’s Cima dropkicking Saito, who is right back with rolling fisherman’s suplexes for two. Saito gets caught in the corner for some running knees until Yoshino hits something like a Sling Blade on Kid. A missile dropkick gives Yoshino two and a reverse powerbomb gets two. Doi hits an F5 into a faceplant for two on Horiguchi but Kid is back up with a super hurricanrana to take Doi down.

Saito adds a frog splash for two but Horiguchi is back up with a missile dropkick of his own to Yoshino. An exchange of strikes sets up Saito hitting a hard German suplex for two on Yoshino and Kid’s West Coast Pop gets the same with Cima making the save. Horiguchi hits an over the back piledriver (think an Alabama Slam but dropped backwards into a piledriver) for two more on Yoshino.

A series of running strikes in the corner rock Saito and a top rope double stomp crushes him. Kid gets planted with an Air Raid Crash for two but Yoshino runs him over for the same. Doi and Kid wind up on top, with Kid hitting a super cutter. A super hurricanrana is enough to give Kid the pin on Doi at 20:34.

Rating: A-. This is kind of a famous match for Ring of Honor as it was given five stars and….really? It’s a lot of fun and very entertaining but five stars? Maybe it’s just because it was all flash and speed but I’m not sure I get that high of a level of praise. That being said, this was a lot of fun as they went nuts for the last twelve or so minutes and did not stop at all. Great stuff, and worth a look if you want to see where a lot of the modern AEW stuff probably drew inspiration.

Here are highlights of some Supercards of Honor.

From the G1 Supercard of Honor on April 6, 2019.

Ring of Honor World Title: Jay Lethal vs. Matt Taven vs. Marty Scurll

Lethal is defending in a ladder match and Taven is played to the ring via piano. The ring announcer makes it clear that this ladder match is ONE FALL. You can tell Lethal is fired up to be here, as he should be. Marty goes straight for a ladder so Jay baseball slides it into him. Taven is right there with the no hands dive to take them both down but bangs up his wrist in the process. Lethal goes with some chairs and bridges a ladder between some in the aisle.

That takes too long so Marty jumps him from behind and goes inside to put a pair of ladders in a pair of corners. Lethal and Taven are back in with Jay hitting both of them with ladders to take over. Instead of going up, he bridges a ladder over the bottom rope and of course gets sent face first into it. Marty ties Lethal in the Tree of Woe in the ladder and blasts it with a chair a few times. Lethal is mostly dead so Marty sets up a ladder in the middle, grabs the umbrella, and goes up.

That takes a bit too long though and it’s Taven making the save with a superkick. Taven knees the ladder around Lethal’s neck but it’s Marty going up the ladder. Lethal ties him up in a Figure Four in the ladder but they have to let go so Taven can be stopped. Marty takes a cutter on the apron and Taven powerbombs Lethal onto the bridged ladder in the aisle. This gives Aldis another chance to be the best analyst in wrestling today because he ACTUALLY ANALYZES THINGS.

Back in and Marty gives Taven a 619, which further injures his knee. Taven ladders Marty down and the fans are all over him, because Taven is as popular as a bad fungus. For some reason Taven climbs a ladder in the corner, earning himself a superplex back down. Lethal comes back in and flips out of the chickenwing attempt. With Marty down, Lethal goes up, punches Taven down, and gets caught in the chickenwing on the ladder.

Taven goes up as well and gets his fingers snapped but Lethal kicks them both off the ladder. A Lethal Combination sends Taven into the ladder and Lethal misses a charge, putting one ladder through another in the corner. Marty drops Taven onto the X between the ladders but walks into the Lethal Injection. Lethal throws the double ladder outside and it nearly knocks out half of the first row. Fans: “THAT’S A LAWSUIT!”

Scurll gives Lethal a brainbuster on the floor and loads up a table as Aldis is suddenly very anti-Lethal. Taven is back up and spears Marty off the apron and through the table. They’re both down so Lethal pulls out another table and the big ladder, setting up Hail to the King for the crazy spot of the match. Lethal and Marty go up but Taven busts out a big purple ladder. They all get knock down as Aldis has to explain to Riccaboni why a taller ladder is a good idea. Taven climbs up, hits Lethal in the head with the title, and wins at 29:38.

Rating: B-. This was good for the most part but it’s the worst possible outcome that deflated the crowd. The fans just do not want to see Taven on top of the company and have made that very clear. Instead, he gets the World Title because ROH had put so much time and energy into him that they just did it anyway. The match was entertaining but could have been at least ten minutes shorter on an already long show where New Japan has already lapped ROH five times.

Overall Rating: A-. There is nothing bad to be seen on the show and the highlight package was a cool look back at the company’s history on a big weekend. This is the kind of show I was hoping to see from Ring of Honor during this time and I’d much rather have something like this than going over stuff from the dead period in the last year or so. Another really fun hour, which shouldn’t be a surprise given how they are formatted.

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Wrestle Kingdom XVI Night Two
Date: January 5, 2022
Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
Attendance: 6,379
Commentators: Chris Charlton, Kevin Kelly

It’s the second of three nights of this show and this one feels like the biggest. Last night’s main event saw Kazuchika Okada win the IWGP World Title again, which leaves him ready for his first defense against Will Ospreay. The second biggest match on the card is Kenta defending the United States Title against Hiroshi Tanahashi in a No DQ match, which could be a heck of a fight. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

Pre-Show: Togi Makabe/Yuji Nagata/Tomoaki Honma vs. Bullet Club

That would be Bad Luck Fale, Gedo and Jado for the Club. The Club jumps them to start but Jado and Gedo are knocked to the floor to start. Fale is fine enough to run Honma over though and the good guys are in trouble early. Honma is sent outside and Makabe gets taken into the corner with Jado standing on his chest.

Gedo and Fale take Jado’s place but Makabe fights up and brings Nagata in to strike away on Fale. Jado breaks up a Crossface on Fale and it’s Honma coming coming in. Everything breaks down and Fale is clotheslined out to the floor. That leaves Honma to headbutt Jado down, setting up a middle rope headbutt for the pin. Kelly: “Heavens be praised, Honma has won a match!”

Rating: C. This worked out well enough as it was all about warming the fans up and the good guys beating the evil villains is as smart of an idea as there is. Honma seems to be a bit of a cult hero so give him a pin to pop the crowd early on. Perfectly watchable six man here and that’s all they were shooting for.

Pre-Show: Master Wato/Tenkoji vs. Suzuki-Gun

It’s El Desperado/Yoshinobu Kantemaru/Taka Michinoku for Suzuki-Gun. It’s a brawl before the bell again until we settle down to Wato kicking away at Desperado. Wato stomps away in the corner and Tenzan tags himself in and has to back Wato off from the beating. Tenzan headbutts away but Kantemaru gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take him down. The brawl heads outside for a bit with Suzuki-Gun taking over again. Back in and Tenzan manages a mountain bomb but Taka is right there to cut him off.

As tends to be the case, one more shot is enough to get Tenzan over for the tag to Kojima, meaning we get the very rapid fire chops in the corner. A DDT hits Taka and the Koji Cutter drops Kantemaru and it’s a double tag to bring in Wato and Desperado. Wato strikes away but gets caught in a spinebuster, setting up kind of a gutwrench blue thunder bomb. That’s broken up as well and Desperado walks into the Tenkoji Cutter (3D). Everything breaks down again and it’s Wato grabbing something like a reverse Rings of Saturn to make Desperado tap at 9:24.

Rating: C+. They packed a lot into this one and it made for a good match as a result. Wato making Desperado tap should give him a future Junior Heavyweight Title match so they are even going somewhere with the result. The other four did well too, but this was about Wato and they did what they needed to do.

Pre-Show: Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Suzuki-Gun

That would be Shingo Takagi/Bushi/Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taichi/Zack Sabre Jr./Douki. Bushi armdrags Douki to start so it’s off to Takahashi, who wants Sabre. Takahashi has to slip out of a backbreaker and runs Sabre over, only to get pulled into a kneebar. A bridging leglock has Tanahashi in more trouble and it’s Douki coming back in for a double stomp. Various choking and stomping ensue but Takahashi manages a dragon screw legwhip.

The dragon screw legwhip and it’s Takagi coming in to clean house. Sabre tries a guillotine but gets suplexed down in a hurry. Taichi comes in for an exchange of clotheslines but Douki manages to low bridge Takagi to the floor. Everything breaks down and Douki dives off the top to take them out. Back in and Takagi hits a sliding lariat on Douki, followed by a Gory Bomb on Sabre. Takahashi comes back in to beat on Douki, setting up Last of the Dragon to give Takagi the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. Nice job here of giving Takagi a quick win to get him back on track after losing the World Title to Okada last night. This was a rather action packed match as they flew around the ring and kept things moving. That being said, Los Ingobernables are a good bit deeper than Suzuki-Gun so this wasn’t exactly in doubt.

The opening video runs down the card.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles: Mega Coaches vs. Bullet Club’s Cutest Tag Team vs. Flying Tigers

The Tigers (Robbie Eagles/Tiger Mask) are defending against Ryusuke Taguchi/Rocky Romero (Coaches) and Taiji Ishimori/El Phantasmo (Bullet Club). Before the bell, Phantasmo jumps Tiger though and we’re starting 2 vs. 2 vs. 1. The Coaches get to clean house and Romero catapults Phantasmo into the back of Taguchi’s tights. Eagles is back in to take out the Coaches but the Club takes over on Eagles with an assisted back rake.

Phantasmo uses his loaded boot to take over until Eagles is back up with a dive. The Coaches hit dives of their own but it’s Tiger butterfly superplexing Phantasmo. Back to back tilt-a-whirl backbreakers drop the Coaches as everything stays broken down. The Coaches hit a double hip attack on Eagles but the Club is back in with double knees to Romero’s chest.

A top rope knee sets up the UFO on Tiger and a Thunder Kiss 86 gives Ishimori two. Eagles sends Phantasmo’s kick into Ishimori’s face though and it’s time for the other teams to go after Phantasmo. It’s time to unload the boot though, which contains a piece of metal. As a result, the Club is eliminated and we’re down to a regular tag match. An exchange of rollups gets two each and Tiger dives onto Taguchi on the floor. That leaves Eagles to tie Romero up with a leglock for the tap to retain the titles at 12:09.

Rating: B-. This was pure chaos throughout but they did pay off what seemed to be a long running story with the loaded boot. There was nothing resembling a tag match here and that’s what they were trying to do. It can get a little complicated and hard to follow, but some good commentary kept it simple enough to understand for the most part. It’s also nice to see these titles retained, as they seem to change hands most of the time at this show.

Tam Nakano/Saya Kamitani vs. Mayu Iwatani/Starlight Kid

This is a Stardom (women’s promotion) exhibition tag. Each one is from a different faction and they drew straws to determine the participants. Kid headscissors Kamitani down to start and snaps off a basement dropkick to make it worse. Iwatani comes in for a double 619 into a double standing moonsault, meaning it’s time to kick Kamitani in the back. Kamitani comes back with a spinwheel kick but Nakano can’t add a German suplex.

Iwatani kicks Nakano in the head for a breather and there’s a Sling Blade to take her down again. The double tag brings in Kamitani and Kid as everything breaks down. Iwatani dives onto Nakano and Kamitani, setting up Kid’s twisting top rope splash back inside. Kid climbs onto Iwatani’s shoulders (already on the middle rope) for a high crossbody onto Kamitani for two, with Nakano making the save.

That’s fine with Kid, who grabs a Texas Cloverleaf on Kamitani to make it worse. Nakano breaks that up as well and hits a big dive off the top to the floor. Back in and Kamitani’s bridging northern lights suplex gets two on Kid with Iwatani making the save this time. Kid and Kamitani trade rollups for two each but Iwatani is back in with a superkick. Nakano tiger suplexes Iwatani and it’s Kamitani hitting a sitout fisherman’s buster to knock Kid silly. A Phoenix splash is enough to give Kamitani the pin at 9:16.

Rating: B. This was a straight sprint as they didn’t waste time doing anything but getting in as much as they could. What made it work was that most everything looked crisp and they were flying through the whole match. I’ve heard almost nothing but good things about Stardom and it is pretty awesome to see them getting a showcase match on the biggest card in Japan. Heck of a match here and very fun.

King of Pro Wrestling Provisional Title: Cima vs. Minoru Suzuki vs. Toru Yano vs. Chase Owens

This is a weird title, as it isn’t so much about winning the title here, but rather holding it at the end of the year. These four were the final four in a battle royal yesterday to set this up. The other three jump Yano to start, because he has won the trophy two years running. With Yano and Owens sent outside, Suzuki and Cima strike it out until Suzuki is sent to the floor as well.

Cima hits a big dive onto all three of them and everyone heads back inside. Yano takes off a buckle pad as Owens hits Suzuki in the face. Owens immediately apologized and gets beaten up again, leaving Cima to put Yano in an Indian deathlock. Suzuki beats Cima up, which cranks on Yano’s leg over and over. That’s broken up so Suzuki grabs his sleeper on Owens, with Yano hitting a double low blow to break it up. Suzuki isn’t having this so he kicks Yano in the face and hits the piledriver for the pin at 6:09.

Rating: C. They didn’t waste time here either and it was a fast/to the point match. Suzuki shouldn’t have had any trouble with Yano or Owens so once he got the chance, he ran through Yano for the win. That being said, this is just the start of the year’s story, but Suzuki hurting people for trying to go after his title could be rather entertaining.

Post match, Suzuki beats up Yano some more and pulls out some handcuffs. In Yano fashion, he manages to handcuff Suzuki to the rope instead and runs off.

Never Openweight Six Man Tag Team Titles: House of Torture vs. Chaos

That would be Evil/Yujiro Takahashi/Sho, who are defending, vs. Hirooki Goto/Yoshi-Hashi/Yoh. It’s a brawl on the floor before the bell until Goto spinwheel kicks and bulldogs Evil. Sho and Yoh come back in to continue their rivalry, with Yoh dropkicking him outside and hitting a dive. The Torture corner’s turnbuckle pad is ripped off as Sho knees Goto in the ribs back inside.

Takahashi comes in but can’t hit a suplex, instead getting clotheslined down by Goto. Hashi gets the tag to pick up the pace and a running dropkick to the back gets two on Takahashi. A kick to the head rocks Hashi but he’s back up with a running clothesline. It’s back to Yoh vs. Sho for the strike off but Torture catches Yoh in the corner for the series of running shots to the face.

Sho grabs a wrench Yoh can get choked behind the referee’s back until Goto and Hashi make the save. A superkick sets up the fireman’s carry backbreaker on Sho, with Yoh hitting his own superkick. Takahashi offers a distraction though and it’s a low blow from Evil into a wrench shot from Sho for the pin at 9:39.

Rating: C. I was getting into it but then the lame ending brought it right back down. I can understand not wanting to see Yoh pin Sho on back to back nights but they didn’t have anything other than a low blow into a weapon shot? Evil’s match yesterday felt rather out of place and that was the same here, though at least this came after a good enough match.

The teams yell at each other post match and odds are we’ll be seeing a rematch.

Here are a bunch of Pro Wrestling Noah stars, led by Keiji Mutoh (better known as Great Muta) to say that they are ready to face New Japan on Saturday. Cue Shingo Takagi and company to say he knew Noah would say something offensive and it is time to show who is better when they face off. Noah issues the challenge but Takagai and company being down about 20-3 is enough to make New Japan think twice. Noah promises to win and that’s it.

New Japan is back on AXS TV on March 3.

Here are some upcoming shows.

Intermission.

Sanada vs. Great-O-Khan

Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. United Empire. Feeling out process to start with neither getting very far early on. They fight over some armbars until Sanada dropkicks him to the floor. Khan is ready for the dive and takes him out, setting up a half nelson Skull Crushing Finale. A release gordbuster drops Sanada for two but the Mongolian chop is blocked. Sanada armdrags him down and hits a backbreaker to send Khan outside for some pleasant applause.

Back in and Sanada can’t get the Paradise Lock as Khan kicks him right back to the floor. Khan shouts down at Sanada, who stands there as Khan dives on him (with commentary pointing out that there was no reason to believe he would actually jump, meaning Sanada thought he had nothing to fear).and then a rollup gets two back inside. The Sheep Killer (I think? It’s something like an abdominal stretch.) has Sanada in trouble but he fights out hand tries an O’Connor roll.

That’s broken up as well and the Sheep Killer goes on again, but this time Sanada reverses into a tiger suplex for two. Sanada’s top rope splash hits raised knees and they slug it out with Khan getting the better of things. A kick to the face staggers Khan, but he knocks Sanada silly with a straight right hand for two of his own. Khan hits a middle rope moonsault and tries a claw, only to get reversed into a European Clutch for the pin at 13:22.

Rating: B-. This was the first singles match of the night and it was nice to see things change pace like they did here. The idea seemed to be that Sanada needed to prove he could win here and he took Khan down in the process. Khan’s improvement over the last year is still close to remarkable, as he was dreadful last time and put in a pretty good match here.

Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb

More Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. United Empire and this should be good. Cobb lost to Naito on a quick rollup recently and now it is time for revenge. Said revenge starts fast with Cobb unloading on him in the corner to start. Naito gets a boot up in the corner though and dropkicks the knee out to slow Cobb down. Another dropkick to the knee takes Cobb outside and the tease of the Tranquilo pose lets Naito kick him in the face again.

This time Naito follows him outside so Cobb grabs a suplex and drives Naito into the post over and over. Naito takes his time getting inside again, allowing Cobb to drive some knees into his back. There’s a gorilla press toss before Cobb puts him on his shoulder for some rams into the corner. Back up and Naito slugs away with forearms to no avail but a running boot to the face manages to drop Cobb.

Naito goes after the knee with a running dropkick, followed by a basement version in the corner. A version of the Indian Deathlock goes on but Cobb is in the rope before too long. Cobb blocks a shinbreaker and hits an overhead belly to belly, followed by a belly to belly (minus his usual running start) for two.

Tour of the Islands is broken up and Naito hits a DDT for a breather. It’s time to go back to the knee but Destino is countered again. Naito kicks him in the knee to send him into the corner and it’s time to go up. The super hurricanrana is countered into a superbomb but the knee gives out again. Naito slaps on a leglock but Cobb pounds his way to freedom. A German suplex drops Naito, only to have Cobb pop up with a hard clothesline. Tour of the Islands is broken up again and Naito hits a scoop brainbuster. Destino is enough to finish Cobb at 15:36.

Rating: B. These guys beat each other up and it was a much more definitive win than a rollup. Naito picks Cobb’s knee apart and took away a lot of his power, which made him closer to a mortal. This felt like a big win for Naito, who seems ready to move back up to the main event. He’s always good for a solid match and Cobb is still a heck of a monster, with this being the best match on the show so far. Or at least the best singles match so far.

IWGP United States Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenta

Kenta is defending and it’s No DQ. Tanahashi is all about honor and Kenta is all about the title, but Kenta has pushed Tanahashi too far. That could make Tanahashi extra dangerous. Before the bell, Kenta grabs some kendo sticks and throws one to Tanahashi so we start fast. The battle of the sticks goes to Kenta and a belt shot makes it worse. More stick shots rock Tanahashi and it’s time to bring in a bunch of weapons.

Various shots to the head and back have Tanahashi in more trouble as this is one sided to start. A short ladder is put in the corner but Tanahashi dropkicks Kenta’s knee, sending the champ face first into a trashcan. Tanahashi puts the trashcan over Kenta’s head and beats on it with a chair, meaning it’s time for a guitar. A good shot to the head puts a hole through the guitar (which doesn’t seem to be gimmicked) and let’s bring in a table for a bonus.

Tanahashi dragon screw legwhips Kenta down but a briefcase shot gives Kenta a much needed breather. They both go up top with Tanahashi palm striking his way out of trouble. Let’s throw in several more chairs and it’s a Sling Blade to drive Kenta into said chairs. The High Fly Flow only hits chairs though and Tanahashi is down again. Kenta buries him underneath the chairs in the corner for a running dropkick to crush him again.

Go To Sleep is loaded up but Tanahashi reverses into Twist and Shout onto the chairs. With nothing else working, the table is thrown inside and is decorates with a nice Kenta holding a chair. Tanahashi takes too long going up top though and gets chaired down, setting up a super Falcon Arrow to send Tanahashi mostly through said table.

Another table is thrown in and Kenta finds a big ladder (that thing is huge) for a bonus. Kenta sets up the ladder (and has to screw in the support) and puts Tanahashi on the table. That takes way too long though, as Tanahashi gets up and knocks Kenta down in a SCARY crash. The High Fly Flow through the bloody Kenta gives Tanahashi the pin and the title at 22:16.

Rating: B+. This took some time to get going, but the violence worked because it stood out. New Japan doesn’t seem to do this kind of thing very often and it felt like a physical fight as a result. Tanahashi beats Kenta at his own game because he is the better man and as a result, it was a great way to blow off their feud. That being said, Kenta was very banged up in this match, suffering a dislocated hip, a broke nose, nerve damage in his finger and the lacerations, meaning he’s going to be gone for a little while.

Tanahashi is tended to but walks off on his own.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title: Will Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada

Okada is defending but Ospreay has his own belt, as he was stripped of the title due to an injury. They stare at each other for a good while to start before some grappling goes nowhere. Okada takes him down by the leg before switching to an early headlock. Back up and Okada scores with a big boot into a backdrop to keep Ospreay in trouble. A neckbreaker sets up another chinlock as Okada is going after various parts. Ospreay fights up and scores with a Phenomenal Forearm to send Okada outside.

There’s no big dive though, as Ospreay instead opts to go outside and hit Okada in the face. Back in and some chops rock put Okada down, setting up a suplex to bang up Okada’s back as well. The cravate keeps Okada in trouble but he’s right back with a flapjack (Ospreay: “Oh s***!”) for a breather. A DDT and neckbreaker give Okada two each but Ospreay lifts him out to the apron.

That’s fine with Okada, who hits a running dropkick to knock Ospreay out to the floor. Okada whips him into the barricade but Ospreay superkicks him out of the air, sending Okada’s knee into the concrete. Ospreay climbs the lighting rig (as he did at a previous Wrestle Kingdom) and moonsaults down onto Okada for the big crash. Back in and a top rope forearm to the back of the head gives Ospreay two and the confidence is starting to roll. Okada is sent outside and Ospreay tries the Sasuke Special, only to get caught in a tombstone on the floor.

Back in and Okada hits a missile dropkick for two, setting up the Money Clip. Okada lets that go and hits a top rope elbow but Ospreay kicks him in the face. Ospreay’s standing shooting star press hits knees but Ospreay is back up with a Liger Bomb for two. With Okada draped over the top rope, it’s a shooting star to the back for two more. There’s the Oscutter for two more but the Hidden Blade misses. Ospreay doesn’t seem to mind and hits his own tombstone.

Since he didn’t watch last night, Ospreay tries the Rainmaker on Okada, who reverses into his own Stormbreaker (Ospreay’s finisher) for two. Back up and Okada hits his dropkick but the Rainmaker is countered into a C4 for a double knockdown. A super Oscutter gets two on Okada but Stormbreaker is countered into a spinning tombstone.

Okada hits a discus lariat into the Rainmaker for two but Ospreay is back up with his own Rainmaker. They slug it out from their knees and Okada hits another Rainmaker, but he tries again and gets reversed into the Hidden Blade for two. Stormbreaker is countered so Ospreay knees him in the face but another Hidden Blade is countered with a dropkick. The Landslide sets up the Rainmaker to retain Okada’s title at 32:53.

Rating: A-. It’s a really good match and felt like a Wrestle Kingdom main event, but it did have some of the same problems that almost always pop up in an Okada match. The kickouts got ridiculous here as it was at least three tombstones and about 73 Rainmakers to finally put Ospreay away. That being said, these two beat the fire out of each other and it was nice to see them finally have a definitive champion after all the months of screwiness (which wasn’t the company’s fault). Great match, but it could have had some finishers trimmed out.

Post match Okada says he respects Ospreay but now there is no doubt about who is the real World Champion. Cue Tetsuya Naito to praise Okada’s victories but he needs to be the next challenger. Okada thinks that’s a good idea and Naito leaves. Okada thanks the fans for coming out and giving the wrestlers their strength. He wants to wrestle and promises to keep making it rain.

Commentary has their big recap to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was better than the first night and it felt like a Wrestle Kingdom worthy show. The two main events are the best parts of the night, as tends to be the case, but there are also some awesome matches earlier on the card to make it that much better. You could tell that everyone was working hard and wanted to make this the biggest night of the year. I had a rather good time with it and that’s the right feeling to have after a show this big.

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Wrestle Kingdom XVI Night One
Date: January 4, 2022
Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
Attendance: 12,047
Commentators: Chris Charlton, Kevin Kelly

It’s back to Japan for the first time in about a year, though the company does feel a good bit colder this time around. The pandemic and a slew of injuries have battered New Japan, but this show’s reputation is more than enough to warrant a look. The main event of this first night is Kazuchika Okada challenging Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Title, with the winner facing Will Ospreay tomorrow night. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not regularly follow New Japan so I won’t know much in the way of storylines or recent character development. Please bear with me if I miss something that commentary does not explain.

Pre-Show: New Japan Ranbo

This is a 19 man Royal Rumble and over the top/pinfall/submission eliminations with one minute intervals. The final four advancing to a four way on night two for the Provisional King Of Pro Wrestling 2022 Trophy. Chase Owens is in at #1 and Aaron Henare is in at #2 The rather muscular Henare fires off knees in the corner to start but gets sent into the buckle for a breather. Kosei Fujita (a Young Lion) is in at #3 and goes after Owens, who cuts him off with a backbreaker.

Henare runs Owens over and it’s Yuto Nakashima (another Young Lion) in at #4. The four pair off and it’s Ryohei Oiwa (third Young Lion in a row) in at #5 with a suplex to Owens. The Young Lions get beaten down near the apron though and it’s Master Wato in at #6. Wato strikes away at Henare and Owens until Hiroyoshi Tenzan is in at #7. His entrance takes so long that all he can do is hit some headbutts before Minoru Suzuki is in at #8. That takes a VERY long time so we can get to the big part of his music but Suzuki makes up for the time by eliminating all three Young Lions (by submission of course) in a hurry.

Satoshi Kojima is in at #9 and it’s Kojima and Tenzan double teaming Suzuki. Taka Michinoku is in at #10 and walks right into a Tenkoji Cutter (3D). Cima is in at #11 for his first New Japan appearance since 2009 as Taka is pinned. Tomoa Honma is in at #12 as Wato and Cima fight. Wato is tossed so Honma beats up Cima instead as Douki is in at #13. Everyone brawls and it’s Yuji Nagata coming in at #14 for a slugout with Suzuki.

Yoshinobu Kanemaru is in at #15 as there is no time between these entrances. Kanemaru has a bottle of whiskey as he comes to the ring slowly again, where he spits said whiskey in Tenzan’s eyes for the rollup pin. Togi Makabe is in at #16 and we get the always odd muted music due to copyright issues. Nagata belly to back suplexes Kojima and a bunch of people pile on for the pin.

Bad Luck Fale is in at #17 and gets jumped by a bunch of people. That doesn’t seem to matter as he tosses Douki, Honma and Nagata in a hurry. Sixty eight year old Tatsumi Fujinami is in at #18 for a dragon screw legwhip on Fale. That lets Makabe clothesline Fale out as the field keeps thinning. Toru Yano, the 2021 KOPW Champion, is in at #19 to complete the field, giving us Owens, Minoru Suzuki, Cima, Makabe, Fujinami and Yano. Fujinami Figure Fours Makabe as Yano low bridges Henare out. Makabe and Fujinami get covered for the double pin and it’s Owens, Suzuki, Cima and Yano winning at 27:01.

Rating: C. It’s hard to grade something like this as it isn’t about having a quality match but rather flying through the entrances to get people into the ring. I do like the idea of the final four doing something as there is only so much to win from a lower card/legends Royal Rumble. This was the usually entertaining warmup and it did everything it was supposed to do.

It’s New Japan’s 50th anniversary so we see a highlight package on Antonio Inoki, who welcomes us to the show.

Opening video, featuring the card rundown (in order, as usual).

Yoh vs. Sho

They were friends and partners for a long time until Sho (now part of the pretty awesomely named House Of Torture stable) turned on him. Yoh knocks him outside to start and hits the big flip dive for a bonus. They go up the ramp, where Yoh can’t toss him off onto the floor. Sho slams him down instead and beats up someone standing near the ramp. Yoh crawls back to ringside, where Sho teases a dive but opts for a whip into the barricade instead.

Back in and Yoh shrugs off a beating in the corner and grabs a dragon screw legwhip. A bunch of forearms rock Sho again and Yoh stomps away at the chest. Sho gets up so Yoh dropkicks him back down, bugging Sho’s eyes out as a result. With nothing else working, Sho pulls the referee in the way for a distraction so he can spear Yoh down. Now it’s Sho hitting his own stomps, setting up a powerbomb and crossarm piledriver for two.

What sounds like Shock Arrow is countered into a Calf Crusher (or close enough) and Sho is in trouble. Cue Sho’s manager Dick Togo for a distraction though and Sho’s tap is missed. Yoh gets caught in a triangle choke but keeps his arm up, allowing him to kind of dance over to the ropes. Togo throws in a wrench, but Yoh sends Sho into him, setting up the bridging cradle to finish Sho at 12:33.

Rating: C+. Nice choice for an opener here as they have a rather detailed history and Yoh gets to overcome the odds/cheating to win. I can’t imagine this is the end of their feud but at least Yoh gets the big win. They didn’t do anything groundbreaking here but sometimes you need a story that is easy to understand and covers all of the bases, which is what they did here.

Post match Sho and Togo go after him again but Yoh clears them out without much effort.

Bullet Club vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi/Mega Coaches

It’s Kenta/Taiji Ishimori/El Phantasmo for the Club and the Mega Coaches are Ryusuke Taguchi/Rocky Romero. This is mainly a preview for Tanahashi vs. Kenta, who are facing off for Kenta’s US Title tomorrow, though the other four are involved in a triple threat Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title match tomorrow as well. Romero and Phantasmo start things off, with the latter cartwheeling out of a hurricanrana attempt.

A middle rope hurricanrana takes Phantasmo down though and it’s off to Taguchi vs. Ishimori. Taguchi sends him into the corner and it’s the Coaches alternating running shots in the corner to Phantasmo and Ishimori. Kenta comes in and is sent into the back of Taguchi’s tights (it’s his thing) so his partners tie Taguchi in the Tree of Woe for a painful double stomp.

We settle down to Phantasmo doing about ten springboards into a back rake, allowing Ishimori to come in for a rake to the eyes. Taguchi gets out of the way in a hurry though and the hot tag brings in Tanahashi to clean house. A dragon screw legwhip takes Kenta down but the referee gets knocked outside.

Kenta hits a DDT on Tanahashi and since there is no referee, the kendo stick comes in to keep Tanahashi in trouble. The Coaches come back in for the save though and the dives take out Phantasmo and Ishimori. Tanahashi grabs the kendo stick and unloads on Kenta, earning himself the DQ from the revived referee at 8:40.

Rating: C. Pretty run of the mill tag match here, which was little more than a way to set things up for tomorrow. That’s a perfectly fine way to go, as the match did its job well, with some good enough action. Tanahashi snapping is cool to see, and should make the No DQ title match that much better. Not a great match, but it did what it needed to do.

United Empire vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

That would be Will Ospreay/Great-O-Khan/Jeff Cobb vs. Tetsuya Naito/Sanada/Bushi. It’s also a double preview, as tomorrow we have Khan vs. Sanada and Naito vs. Cobb. Ospreay also has his REAL World Title, as he never lost the title but was stripped due to an injury. Cobb mocks Naito with the Tranquilo pose during his entrance for a nice little mind game.

The Empire jumps them before the bell and we start fast, as probably fits for the villains. Cobb drives Naito hard into the corner and everyone is on the floor in a hurry. They get back inside with Khan kneeing and chopping Naito down for two. Ospreay comes back in, sends Naito into the corner, and hands it back to Cobb (because he is smart enough to not waste energy before his World Title match tomorrow). Naito manages to get a breather from Cobb and Los Ingobernables come in for a series of dropkicks.

Sanada Paradise Locks Khan, who manages to send Sanada outside. Khan can’t bring himself to dive though, instead settling for a head and arm choke back inside. That’s broken up and Sanada manages a springboard missile dropkick, allowing the tag off to Bushi. Khan runs him over as well so it’s back to Ospreay for a Phenomenal Forearm. Everything breaks down and it’s Sanada vs. Khan again, with neither being able to hit a finisher. Ospreay can’t Stormbreaker Bushi but he can powerbomb him for two. The Hidden Blade is enough to finish Bushi at 9:29.

Rating: C+. This was a more interesting match and it felt like the people were a bit more invested this time. What amazes me the most is Khan, who was in one of the weaker matches at last year’s show but has completely turned things around. He was an effective looking monster here and a good part of the match. Ospreay did look to be a few steps ahead of everyone else here and once he stayed in, the match didn’t last long. Logical match here and they had some energy so well done.

A lot of glaring ensues post match and the Empire seems to promise to win tomorrow.

Ren Narita vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata is a rather hard hitter who has been out of action since 2018 after an injury seemed to force him into retirement. He wrestled a special rules match back in October but this is his first regular match. Well regular enough, as strikes are prohibited and it is catch as catch can rules. Narita is a surprise opponent and one of Shibata’s students. Before the bell, Shibata challenges Narita to make this regular rules and it’s game on.

They go with the grapple off to start with neither being able to get very far. Commentary talks about Karl Gotch being such a huge influence on wrestling in Japan. They fight over a headlock until Shibata misses the PK. Instead it’s a Figure Four to put Narita in trouble until a rope is grabbed. Narita is up with a bunch of stomping in the corner and the referee gets shoved down.

Shibata is fine enough to hit an STO and some hard forearms in the corner. There’s the running basement dropkick in the corner but Narita counters an armbar into something like a Texas Cloverleaf. That’s broken up as well and Shibata strikes him out to the floor. Back in and Shibata grabs a belly to back suplex into a clothesline, followed by some rapid fire kicks. A sleeper sets up the PK to finish Narita at 11:48.

Rating: C. I’m not quite sure what to make of this one, as it was mostly a squash for Shibata but that isn’t the point here. This was about Shibata getting to come back on the big stage after his career was over for a few years. It’s a feel good moment and having him face his student was a great idea. The point here isn’t the match, but rather that the match was able to take place and that is impressive given the layoff.

On March 3, New Japan is back on AXS TV.

Strong Spirits is on February 28.

Intermission.

Never Openweight Title: Evil vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Ishii is defending and Evil has Dick Togo with him. Evil jumps Ishii on the floor and sends him into the post (with the bell ringing as they make contact). It’s already time for some chairs and the duel is on. A Togo distraction lets Evil send him into the barricade as this is the hardcore section of the show.

They actually get inside with Ishii being sent hard into the corner as Kelly complains about Togo’s interference. Some mocking kicks to the head wake Ishii up and he blasts Evil with a clothesline. The belly to back suplex drops Evil and a heck of a running clothesline out of the corner does it again. A superplex is loaded up and, despite his bad back, Ishii gets him over for another near fall.

Togo offers a distraction though and the referee gets bumped. That’s enough for Togo and Yujiro Takahashi to come in and go after Ishii…who clears them off in a hurry. Cue Sho but Yoh comes out to break that up. Another referee comes in and Ishii hits an enziguri into another clothesline. Yoh cuts off Togo from bringing in the title but the distraction lets Yujiro hit Ishii low. A belt shot and Everything Is Evil gives Evil the title at 12:09.

Rating: D+. This felt out of place, as it was all the interference and the weapons not feeling like they belong on this show. Ishii was his usual self, though you can tell he is getting older and doesn’t move as well as he did before. Evil seems to be getting a lot bigger though and more built around the weapons and the violence. This really didn’t work and was easily the weakest thing on the show so far.

Tag Team Titles: Chaos vs. Dangerous Tekkers

Hirooki Goto/Yoshi-Hashi are challenging for Chaos after winning the World Tag League. The Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr./Taichi) have Miho Abe with them. We get a long staredown before the bell until Sabre and Hashi start things off. That doesn’t work for Chaos though so Goto comes in for a double shoulder and a bunch of pounding on the back. Everything breaks down in a hurry and all four go outside.

The Tekkers take over and it’s Sabre coming back inside for a headscissors on Hashi. Taichi chokes away and Sabre adds a cravate hold, only to have Hashi elbow his way to freedom. Goto comes in for a running shoulder in the corner but Sabre calmly pulls him into an Octopus hold, because Sabre is smooth enough to do just that. Everyone comes in and it’s a four way knockdown to give them a breather. The Tekkers are up first with stereo holds, but Goto makes the ropes and Taichi just lets go of Hashi.

Taichi TAKES OFF HIS PANTS, with the distraction allowing Goto to roll Sabre up for two. The European Clutch gives Sabre the same but Sabre is sent outside. Hashi and Taichi slug it out until Hashi gets caught with a belly to back suplex for two. Back up and Hashi hits a superkick, only to charge into a kick to the face of his own. Hashi kicks Sabre down and it’s a superkick into the fireman’s carry backbreaker to knock Taichi silly.

A powerbomb/GTR combination connects for two with Sabre having to make the save. Sabre and Goto go outside, leaving Taichi to roll Hashi up for two. Another powerbomb/GTR combination hits Sabre but this time it’s Taichi taking both of them down for a breather. Goto is back up with another GTR to Taichi, followed by an assisted powerbomb swung into a neckbreaker to give Hashi the pin and the titles at 15:29.

Rating: B-. This felt more like a fight while still being a tag match and that worked well. What was interesting here was the champs didn’t exactly feel like they were in control at all near the end, making Hashi and Goto seem rather dominant. It was a good match and the best thing on the show so far, which is a bit of a lower bar to clear than I would have expected.

Respect is shown post match.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi

Takahashi is challenging after winning the Best of the Super Juniors. Commentary puts over the idea that Desperado is defending but has to beat Takahashi to really stake his claim as a great champion. These two also have a long history together, including a recent time limit draw. They go straight to the slugout to start before chopping it out to keep up the theme. With that not working, it’s an exchange of running forearms with neither really getting the better of things again.

Takahashi tries a triangle choke but gets powerbombed away in a hurry. Desperado sends him outside for a dive, only to get caught in a sunset bomb. Back in and the slug it out from their knees with Takahashi knocking him into the corner. Desperado is back with a spinebuster and something like an abdominal stretch lifted into a powerbomb for two. Takahashi grabs a pop up sitout powerbomb though and they’re both down for a bit.

A belly to belly into the corner drops Desperado again and the Dynamite Plunger gives Takahashi two. Takahashi grabs a fireman’s carry but Desperado slips out, sending them into a chain of escapes and reversals. Another Time Bomb attempt is countered into a Stretch Muffler, with Desperado going for the arms as well.

That’s broken up as well so Takahashi is back up with a hard clothesline. A superkick nails Desperado but he is right back with a sunset driver for two. Desperado cuts him off with a right hand though and a double underhook facebuster gets two more. Takahashi gets dropped by a right hand and two more double underhook facebusters finish for Desperado (with the Undertaker pin) at 16:17.

Rating: B+. That’s the really good match the show has been needing and it was a heck of a fight. They set up the idea that Desperado didn’t just need to win but to flat out defeat Takahashi and that’s how it felt in the end. It felt like a major match and potentially an official changing of the guard, which is what commentary said Desperado needed. Awesome match here and the first that really felt worthy of being a major showdown on this show.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi

Okada is challenging and I love that role call of champions deal, even if this title only has a few months of history. This comes after Okada won the G1 Climax, meaning he gets to carry around a belt signifying the title match instead of the briefcase, which is a bit confusing until commentary explains it (like they’re supposed to do). Feeling out process to start (Kelly: “Wrestling start to this championship match.”) with neither being able to get very far.

Okada takes him up against the rope and grabs a headlock, which is broken just as quickly. An exchange of shoulders sets up Okada’s neckbreaker, followed by a chinlock. Back up and Takagi manages to backdrop him to the floor for a breather. Okada tries a DDT on the floor but gets suplexed for his efforts to bang up his back. They go back inside where a belly to back suplex and a bodyscissors stay on Okada’s back some more. Okada fights up and gets in a knockdown of his own, followed by a flapjack and a DDT.

A dropkick knocks Takagi off the top and out to the floor (that really is one of the best dropkicks ever) and there’s a big boot to send Takagi over the barricade. The running crossbody over said barricade drops Takagi again and we hit the Money Clip (modified cobra clutch) back inside. That’s broken up and Takagi manages a quick DDT for a breather. Something like a Gory Bomb (named after wrapping paper, because it’s putting a bow on victories) plants Okada but he counters a clothesline into another Money Clip.

That’s broken up and Takagi blasts him with a lariat of his own for a double knockdown. Back up and Takagi strikes the Rainmaker poser to make Okada snap, meaning it’s time to trade shots. A hard clothesline drops Okada and they head outside. Okada can’t Tombstone him on the ramp but Takagi can hit a Death Valley Driver on said ramp. They both beat the count back in, where Takagi hits a superplex to damage the back even more. Made In Japan is countered and Okada hits a dropkick but the Rainmaker is countered into Made In Japan for two.

Takagi’s running clothesline gets two more but Last of the Dragon is countered into the Rainmaker for another double knockdown. They slug it out from their knees and keep it going on their feet with Takagi getting the better of things. Takagi takes him up top, where Okada counters….something into a super DDT. The Rainmaker is countered again, this time into a hard lariat on Okada. The Tombstone is countered again so Okada settles for the dropkick into the Rainmaker for the pin and the title at 35:52.

Rating: A-. That was a very sudden ending to a pretty awesome match. This was about two guys trying to survive with the Rainmaker being the big difference maker. Takagi gave this everything he had and came as close as you could get without the Last of the Dragon connecting. It felt like a heavyweight battle and Okada winning is never a bad thing. Main event quality match here and that’s not a surprise.

Post match Okada shows respect to the title, the crowd and Takagi but here is Will Ospreay to interrupt. Ospreay says Okada’s gear looks cheap but congratulates him on a hard fought match. He didn’t break a sweat in his match so he’ll see Okada tomorrow. Okada says goodbye fake champ and an annoyed Ospreay leaves.

With that out of the way, Okada thanks Takagi and wishes the crowd a happy new year. The IWGP Title was a great championship but now it is time for the new belt. However, the original title deserves some applause and Okada promises to lead the company to more great matches. Next year, let’s have a full house.

Commentary recaps the night and previews tomorrow’s show.

Overall Rating: B. This wasn’t quite up to the top levels of the show, but that’s a pretty lofty goal on any given night. What we got instead was a rather good show, capped off by a pair of awesome matches. The rest of the show was hit or miss, with the Evil vs. Ishii match being rather lame. The last two matches are worth seeing and the rest you might want to pick and choose, but it’s certainly a good show and worth a look, even with the scaled back crowd.

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.

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #100
Date: March 7, 2020
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

It’s time for a special show as we have the big milestone episode. As a result, the World Title is on the line with Cima challenging Jacob Fatu for the World Title. It’s almost hard to imagine that MLW has this kind of a history but they have become a rather nice promotion and it’s cool to see them get to an important show like this. Let’s get to it.

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

Fatu promises violence against Cima because it isn’t about wins and losses.

Opening sequence.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. is ready to shut Erick Stevens’ mouth because Stevens has been saying Smith is ducking him. Tonight, he’s knocking Stevens’ mohawk off and has the Von Erichs watching his back.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Erick Stevens

Stevens has Kit Osborne with him and I’m not exactly sure who that is. I do however know who Tom Lawlor, on commentary is though. The fans are behind Smith here, as you might have expected. Smith grabs a headlock to little avail so he shoulders Stevens down instead. A headscissors doesn’t work for Stevens as Lawlor thinks Philadelphia is named after cream cheese.

Smith shoves Stevens hard into the corner and gets two off a gorilla press. The chinlock goes on, followed by a delayed vertical suplex for two. They head outside with Smith being whipped into the barricade but coming right back with a suplex onto the floor. Back in and Stevens starts in on the leg before slugging Smith down with forearms.

The half crab goes on for a good while but Smith makes the rope, with Stevens making sure to hold on as long as he can. The leg cranking continues until Smith fights up for right hands in the corner, followed by a backdrop. Stevens gets some quick near falls but Smith snaps off a powerslam for two of his own. Another powerbomb sets up the top rope headbutt to finish Stevens off at 11:51.

Rating: B-. That’s the kind of match that makes Smith look good, as you have a monster like Stevens but Smith was the bigger monster. That’s how you build up towards Smith vs. Fatu, which should headline the next pay per view. Heck of a fight here and it keeps Smith off the mic, which is a very good thing for him at this point.

Post match Smith gets in Dominick Garrini’s face and we probably have his next match before getting to face Lawlor.

Injustice isn’t allowed in the building.

Jimmy Havoc is addicted to pain but loves hurting others more than himself. He’s ready to destroy Brian Pillman Jr.

Low Ki is ready to beat up King Mo.

LA Park is done with Salina de la Renta and is ready to fight anyone anytime because he is a mercenary.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

Havoc, with Priscilla Kelly in the corner, throws him down to start and Pillman isn’t sure what to do with this one. Pillman tries to spin out of a wristlock before going with a kick to the head to get out instead. Some armdrags into a dropkick put Havoc down and an arm trap rollup gets two. That’s too much for Havoc as he throws Pillman outside as we go split screen to see Injustice still trying to get inside. Pillman chops the post by mistake and Havoc stays on the arm….in a way at least….with a cross arm choke.

Back up and the Acid Rainmaker is broken up, allowing Pillman to snap off a powerslam for two more. Pillman’s spinning high crossbody gets two and he grabs a Backstabber for the same, with Kelly making the same. A distraction lets Havoc grab a chain and…hit himself in the face, but the referee doesn’t buy it. The Acid Rainmaker misses and Kelly crossbodies Havoc by mistake. Air Pillman is good for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: C. Pillman’s middleweight run continues and that’s where he should have been back in the day. It’s great to see him getting some more time in the ring and starting to round out a bit, though he still has a long way to go. Havoc barely ever wins anything of note anywhere he wrestles but he’s fine for a character.

Post match, Pillman promises to win the Middleweight Title for his family.

Injustice STILL can’t get in.

Richard Holliday successfully defended the Caribbean Title on a private island.

The Dynasty has a great time in the Caribbean, even without MJF (Hammerstone especially loved the pharmacies). Holliday and Hammerstone are proud of their titles and can’t wait for Gino Medina to beat up Mance Warner.

Mance Warner is ready to beat up the Dynasty. Uncle Moon Man is fine too and they’re going to go drink.

Contra is ready for violence around the world and Josef Samael promises a war.

Next week: Killer Kross vs. Tom Lawlor.

MLW World Title: Cima vs. Jacob Fatu

Fatu is defending and has Samael with him. An early kick misses for the champ and Cima chops away. The pop up Samoan drop is blocked with some elbows to the head and Cima catches him with a baseball slide on the way back inside. Some double knees to the chest set up a backsplash for two and Cima grabs the seated abdominal stretch. Fatu powers up again and hits a running hip attack in the corner before hammering at the back of the head.

More stomping in the corner ensues and Cima is put in the Tree of Woe for a running headbutt to the ribs. They head outside with Samael looking pleased as Fatu sends him into the announcers’ table. The nerve hold goes on (Bocchini: “Deep tissue massage eh?”), followed by a hard elbow to the jaw to drop Cima again.

The Vader Bomb misses though and Cima gets in some running knees to the back. Something like a guillotine choke into a DDT sets up a triangle choke, with Fatu having to bail to the rope. Cima misses the top rope double stomp though and Fatu hits the pop up Samoan drop. Back to back moonsaults retain the title at 10:15.

Rating: C+. Cima is one of those guys who can do all kinds of stuff and look good at almost all of it, but he almost never wins anything major. At least we had something interesting here with the World Title on the line, as MLW has done a great job of making Fatu feel like that much of a big deal. Whoever takes the title off of him is going to be huge and that’s rather cool to see.

Post match, here’s the Death Squad with a body bag to wrap Cima up to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Overall, this didn’t feel like some major milestone show (aside from the World Title match) but I don’t think they were really going for one. The big thing they did here was mention that it was the 100^th show and then nothing more. It’s fine to go that way and it doesn’t make things feel disappointing if they aren’t trying to go for something ridiculously big. Nice enough show here, with Fatu always being a big deal.

Results

Davey Boy Smith Jr. b. Erick Stevens – Top rope headbutt

Brian Pillman Jr. b. Jimmy Havoc – Air Pillman

Jacob Fatu b. Cima – Moonsault

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:

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IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Dark
Date: November 8, 2019
Location: Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Goldenboy, Excalibur, Arn Anderson
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzales

It’s a special Friday edition of the show as they want to get it out as a preview for Saturday’s Full Gear. That makes a lot of sense and it’s something that they should be doing in cases like this. I’m not expecting it to be much different, though at least it’s a bit shorter this week. Let’s get to

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

Tony and Dasha welcome us to the show

Justin Roberts introduces Arn Anderson for commentary. Well if you insist.

Big Swole vs. Hikaru Shida

Shida takes her up against the rope to start and it’s an early clean break. Swole’s shoulder puts her down and it’s time to run the ropes until Shida kicks her down, setting up the running basement dropkick. A running knee to the face makes it worse and another one, this time off a chair, has Swole down again.

Back in and we hit the half crab on Swole, followed by another running knee for two more. Swole comes back with a headbutt into a Flatliner for her own two. Shida grabs a fireman’s carry backbreaker but another running knee is countered into a rollup. Just to mix it up, a running knee finishes Swole at 7:08.

Rating: C-. Sweet goodness that was a lot of knees. I know it’s more realistic, but that doesn’t make it more interesting. Shida used half a dozen running knees here and they got a little old pretty quickly. Swole hasn’t shown me much but she hasn’t gotten a promo or really anything more than a supporting role so you can’t take much away from that.

Post match Shida is happy to bring Japanese strong style and wants the winner of the Women’s Title match. That alone is more than I’ve heard from most of the women and it was a nice little step forward for her.

Chuck Taylor has replaced Arn on commentary. Lucky us.

Shazza McKenzie/Shalandra Royal vs. Leva Bates/Nyla Rose

There is something interesting about these completely random teams. Nyla runs Shazza over to start so Royal comes in…for a dropkick that has no effect. A slam into the nerve hold doesn’t keep Royal down very long so Rose suplexes both of them at the same time. There’s a double chokeslam for a bonus, followed by a regular suplex to Shazza for two, with Rose picking her up. Royal gets tagged in despite trying to run away, meaning Rose drags her back in. A double Samoan drop sets up a Swanton to both at once for the double pin at 6:57. Leva was never in the match.

Rating: C. Now that is how you make someone look like a star. Commentary mentioned that Rose wanted to do this one by herself and that is exactly what we got here, with her running through both of them like they weren’t even there. Rose needs to be rebuilt after losing to Riho and that is exactly what happened. I loved the booking here and Rose looked like a killer.

Rose says she didn’t tag Bates in because she didn’t have to. She has been disrespected around here so she’s going to disrespect the locker room, one by one. Or two by one as she did tonight.

Full Gear rundown.

We look back at Cody announcing that if he loses, he will never challenge for the World Title again.

Video on Cody vs. Jericho and how serious Cody is taking things. It’s a cross between remarkable and frustrating that they can do this but so many of the other stories get almost nothing.

SCU/Cima vs. Hybrid Two/Kip Sabian

Cima hammerlocks Angelico down to start as we hear about the two of them being trained/inspired by Ultimo Dragon. Angelico reverses into an armbar of his own but Cima is up with a running dropkick. Evans and Sabian are knocked off the apron and it’s Kazarian coming in for an armbar to put Evans down.

It’s off to Sabian, who gets kicked and clotheslined down in a hurry as SCU is on a roll to start. Sky’s slingshot splash gets two and it’s Kazarian slingshotting in with a legdrop. Sabian rakes Sky in the eyes though and it’s a big boot from Evans to really take over. A faceplant sets up some stomping in the corner as the villains take turns on Sky. The front facelock keeps Sky in trouble but he kicks Evans away and makes the hot tag to Cima.

That means a bunch of running knees (a theme tonight), followed by a springboard knee to both of the Two. They don’t stay down long and it’s an elbow/belly to back suplex combination, followed by an assisted 450 for two on Cima. Back up and Cima suplexes Evans for two more with Sabian making the save. Kazarian comes back in with a missile dropkick and Cima’s top rope Meteora finishes Sabian at 12:27.

Rating: C+. This was your run of the mill formula six man and that was just fine given the talent in there. Cima has been an excellent substitute member of the team and I could go for seeing more of him in a prominent role. Daniels isn’t going to be around forever, and while Cima might not be the best full time replacement, he works very well for the time being.

One more Full Gear ad takes us out.

Overall Rating: C. This felt like a middle of the road show that was designed to make me watch Full Gear. That being said, it didn’t really add anything and was more along the lines of an extended advertisement. The show was about fifteen minutes shorter than the usual fare and that feels better. You don’t have to have any certain amount of content here so cut it down a bit and let the show breathe, which can help.

Result

Hikaru Shida b. Big Swole – Running knee

Nyla Rose/Leva Bates b. Shazza McKenzie/Shalandra Royal – Double Swanton Bomb

SCU/Cima b. Kip Sabian/Hybrid Two – Top rope Meteora to Sabian

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

AEW Dark
Date: October 15, 2019
Location: Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross

I’m not sure what to expect here and that’s kind of the point of the whole thing. Last week’s show was completely watchable but at the same time, it isn’t exactly something that you needed to watch. We could be in for a lot of different things around here tonight, but I would bet on wrestling being a focal point. Let’s get to it.

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

Before Dynamite, the Young Bucks were getting ready when Kenny Omega came in. Instead, he’ll face Joey Janela in an unsanctioned match on Dark. Tony Schiavone repeats what we just heard.

Schiavone is in the studio and introduces us to the first match.

Kip Sabian vs. Sonny Kiss vs. Peter Avalon

Yes they’ve managed to get the Librarians on the show and Avalon isn’t happy with the crowd disrespecting him. Therefore, sports jokes ensue, none of which make this any better. The bell rings and Avalon shushes the crowd, earning himself a double dropkick to the floor. That leaves Kip and Kiss to flip around a lot with Kiss getting the better of it and striking a pose. Kiss does his big series of flips into a slap and hits the splits but Avalon is right back in to knock him down. Shushing ensues and we hit a seated full nelson on Kiss.

Sabian dropkicks Avalon to the floor and hits the springboard flip dive, only to hurt his hand in the process. The doctor comes out and checks on him, showing a large section of empty seats, though this is before the show officially started so it’s a lot more forgivable. Avalon suplexes Kiss but Sabian is back up for some running kicks to the head in the corner. Sabian gets thrown at Kiss, who hits a DDT as Avalon adds a neckbreaker for two each. Now it’s Kiss popping up for a double facebuster to both of them. Avalon knocks him outside but walks into the Deathly Hallows to give Sabian the pin at 6:07.

Rating: C. Now this was a different kind of presentation as you had a flamboyant character, a gimmick and a standard wrestler. That’s a good mixture of everything being thrown together at once and getting a good enough match as a result. This made a lot of sense as a dark match to opening the night and Sabian gets some momentum while keeping Kiss strong.

Dark Order/Hybrid Two vs. SCU/Cima

Hold on a second though as Jack Evans needs to hold up an SCU Sucks sign and then throw it into the crowd. Angelico and Cima start things off and that could be interesting. Cima gets hiptossed down but nips up into an armdrag. A crucifix gives Cima two and it’s off to Daniels to stay on Angelico. Actually make that Grayson, who walks into an armbar for his efforts. SCU and Cima get Grayson in the corner and it’s a series of dropkicks in the corner to really knock him silly.

Evans throws on a Last Chancery and Angelico gets in a dropkick to the face for two. Grayson pops up WAY too fast and nails a slingshot hilo on the apron to slow Daniels down. Evil Uno comes in for the first time for some forearms, followed by a running kick to the face from Angelico. A backbreaker/springboard legdrop combination gives Grayson two and Angelico adds the Sonny Kiss multiple handsprings…into a rake to the eyes. Daniels finally gets in a knockdown and dives over for the hot tag to Kazarian to pick up the pace.

A Stunner/DDT combination takes the Dark Order down and Kazarian follows up with a slingshot hurricanrana to the floor to take Grayson down again. The parade of dives begins until Grayson takes Sky back in for a torture rack into a backbreaker. Kazarian grabs a slingshot Stunner though and it’s now the parade of finishers. Sky starts cleaning house until the Hybrid Two get in a double low blow. Evans backslides Sky and flips over for the pin at 9:51.

Rating: C+. This was the designed showcase match with eight people doing a bunch of stuff, though they made sure to get in a heat segment, which does help things a lot. It was a match we have seen better several times before but it was entertaining and had some good looking dives. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with two boring teams winning, but that’s something they can work on over the next few weeks.

Cody sits down with referee Audrey Edwards to talk about her road to where she is now. WWE tried her out a few times but wasn’t signed for unclear reasons. The undeniable moment (which seems to be the theme here) is when she is holding up the title and everyone knows it is the main event. This was a fine enough interview with someone you don’t usually hear from.

Highlights of Young Bucks vs. Private Party, which works for me.

Quick look at the Tag Team Title tournament brackets.

We look at the end of Dynamite, with the battle lines being drawn between the Inner Circle and everyone else.

Kenny Omega vs. Joey Janela

Unsanctioned match and yes they do turn the lights out for a second in some nice symbolism. Joey goes straight to the floor and it’s time to grab a chair. Omega isn’t having that though and hammers away in the corner but a hurricanrana sends him outside. Of course that means the suicide dive and Janela smiles a lot. That means it’s time to throw in more chairs and a ladder as we’re getting close to three minutes in.

Omega tries to fight back but gets a chair pelted at his face. He’s fine enough to hit the running Fameasser onto a pile of chairs, which Janela was kind enough to pose in front of. A running flip dive to the floor connects with Janela’s but Omega’s legs crash into the barricade, meaning it’s time from the sanctioned doctors. The table (of course) is thrown in and Omega nails a top rope missile dropkick to the back of the head.

The Regal Roll into the middle rope moonsault gets two and the snapdragon makes it even worse. They slug it out on the apron until Omega hits another snapdragon out there and Janela is looking a bit dead. The One Winged Angel onto the steps is broken up though and Janela German suplexes him onto the floor for the next OW spot. Janela bridges a table between the steps and apron but stops to whip Omega into the ladder in the corner.

A hard German suplex sends Omega into the ladder for two, only to have Omega pop up with a V Trigger. They’re both down for a bit but Omega gets up top, only to be superplexed right back down. Janela can’t Russian legsweep him through the bridged table (which is face up) so he backdrops him onto another upside down table instead. The Death Valley Driver into the ladder rocks Omega again but Janela misses a frog splash off the ladder through the table.

Omega gets two off a Sky High and there are two more V Triggers, into Jon Moxley’s Paradigm Shift for two. A missed charge lets Janela send him over the top and through the table for the big crash. Janela puts him in a chair and knocks him right back out of it, which seems a little counter productive. Omega is right back up and loads up a pair of chairs back to back. Just because Janela is kind of out there, he gets slammed off the top, back first onto the top of the two open chairs. The One Winged Angel through a chair gives Omega the pin at 26:31.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was a blast, even if you ignore a lot of the problems with the lack of a story, the violence for the sake of violence and Janela still not being able to do much outside of hardcore stuff. I had a good time with it though and that’s all it needed to be. Omega gets the big win, though it isn’t over the highest level of competition.

Tony gives us a quick sendoff to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a very different kind of show with two pretty standard matches to open things up and a match that you could have seen on a top pay per view to wrap it up. I liked the big main event though and it’s the kind of showcase match that the company was looking for. Good show here, and completely different than what I was expecting to see from this series, in a positive way.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

AEW Dark
Date: October 8, 2019
Location: Capitol One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross

So this is something new (the second new show of the day) as AEW is releasing its dark matches (as “dark matches” enters a new definition) as a stand alone show on YouTube. Normally this is something that wouldn’t make a lot of sense but in this case, AEW needs to get their talent out there in front of an audience and that is what they’re doing here. There shouldn’t be any storylines here and it’s a pure wrestling show, which is nice for a change. Let’s get to it.

Tony Schiavone welcomes us to the show and explains the concept. He really is great at something like this and the voice is exactly the same as it was back in the 90s.

Darby Allin vs. Cima

Darby takes a bit too long looking into the crowd and gets caught with some double knees in the corner. That’s fine with Darby, who is right back with a springboard armdrag to the floor, followed by three straight suicide dives. Back in and the Coffin Drop completely misses, allowing Darby to dropkick him into the corner. Something like a Brock Lock on the mat keeps Darby down but he’s fine enough to crotch Cima on top.

That means a Tree of Woe with headbutts to the knee for a pretty unique set of offense. More shots to the knee have Cima in trouble but he’s right back with a tornado DDT for two. Back up and Cima offers him a chance for some chops, demanding Darby’s best shots. Instead Darby hits him in the face and flips over his back into a Stunner for two.

The Coffin Drop onto the knee bangs them both up a bit more so Cima is right back with the Perfect Driver for two of his own. A top top rope Meteora to the back of Darby’s head gets two more, only to have him get the same off a Code Red. That’s enough to set up the Coffin Drop, which finally connects as it’s supposed to, for the pin at 6:57.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure what to make of Allin, who is such a different kind of performer that it takes some time to get the idea of him down. The Coffin Drop comes off as rather stupid, though it fits into the kind of person Allin seems to be. Cima is someone who can have a fine match with anyone, though I’m not overly wild on either guy.

Tony explains the Tag Team Title tournament.

Lucha Bros/Hybrid Two vs. Private Party/Best Friends

Hybrid Two is Angelico/Jack Evans. Orange Cassidy is here with Private Party and Best Friends to a ROAR. Hang on though as Evans needs to yell about how he and Angelico are the A half of their team but a bunch of superkicks break that up in a hurry. Fenix dives onto the Best Friends and Quen gets sent over the top onto Evans and Angelico as I have a bad feeling about trying to keep track of all this stuff. Evans is already ranting about having to make saves until we settle down to Isaiah punching Angelico in the face and screaming.

A cheap shot from Evans takes Isaiah down so the Lucha Bros come in and try some double teaming, only to have Isaiah score with some enziguris for a breather. Evans and Angelico come in to beat on Isaiah instead as tagging is more of a suggestion here. Isaiah is fine enough to hurricanrana Angelico into Evans in the corner, which allows the tag off to Taylor as extra audio is bleeding through commentary.

Barretta comes in to take Angelico down but Evans hits a springboard moonsault onto both Friends. That earns him the sliding German suplex from Barretta, which draws in the Lucha Bros to superkick both Friends down. Quen springboards onto both Bros and everyone winds up on the floor, with Cassidy putting his hands in his pockets. Angelico and Evans take him down and…that’s about it for now. Back in and Angelico and Evans beat up the Friends as JR is trying to figure out what the heck is going on.

Isaiah hits a heck of a flip dive to the floor but the Bros are back in to kick Quen in the head. With Fenix on the floor, Taylor finds his own sunglasses but stops to hug Barretta. That sets up the stereo suicide dives, leaving Cassidy to go up for the hands in pockets dive to the floor. Isn’t that a bit much energy for him? Back in and Fenix saves Pentagon from Strong Zero and a kick to the head sends Taylor into a Backstabber. Fenix hits a big corkscrew dive, leaving Pentagon to finish Taylor at 8:46.

Rating: B. That’s about as high as any of these matches can get and they did exactly what they were suppose do. This was designed to be complete and utter chaos with everyone involved looking rather good in the process. As a bonus, Excalibur was perfect for commentary here as he can rattle off all of those names. JR on the other hand…..well he tried, but he lost the battle of the generations here.

Post match the winners argue over who gets to pose.

Quick look at the women’s division.

Britt Baker/Allie vs. Penelope Ford/Bea Priestly

Priestly shoves Baker on the apron to start so Allie snaps off an armdrag. Hold on though as Priestly wants Baker, which is exactly what she gets. That sends Priestly over to Ford, as you probably expected. Baker gets two off her own armdrag but Ford sends her into the corner for a Great Muta handspring elbow (that’s more JR’s speed). A northern lights suplex gives Ford two but she gets sent into the corner as well, this time allowing the tag to Allie.

The sliding forearm in the corner gives Allie two and it’s time to strike away at Ford. Priestly gets in a cheap shot on the floor though and the villains take over. A stomp onto Allie’s arm keeps her down but Ford misses a second handspring elbow. Baker comes back in to trade forearms with Priestly, followed by the fisherman’s neckbreaker for two. Priestly’s belly to back suplex gets two but Baker kicks her down and hands it back to Allie for a rollup. Everything breaks down and Priestly kicks Baker in the head.

Allie Death Valley Drives Priestly for two before heading to the floor, leaving Allie to DDT Ford for two more with Priestly diving back inside for the save. They head outside again though, leaving Baker to Paige Turn Ford into the Rings of Saturn. With that still on, Baker grabs something like a Mandible Claw (makes sense) at the same time for the tap at 11:11.

Rating: C-. If they want Riho and Nyla Rose to be the stars of the division, they might not want to showcase these four like this. The match was more interesting, easier to get into and just all around more fun. Riho vs. Rose did tell a good story and was better from a technical standpoint, but they’re hardly head and shoulders above these four and that was very apparent here.

We look at Chris Jericho and company taking over at the end of Dynamite.

Here’s a look at the Tag Team Title tournament with Twitter users picking their winners.

Preview for this week’s Dynamite.

Full Gear ad.

Jurassic Express vs. SCU

Jurassic Express now has a rather awesome entrance, complete with steps making a glass of water shake. Daniels has a mic on a stand with him so he can shout SCU. Daniels and Stunt start things off and Stunt can’t do much outside of spinning around into a small package. A stomp onto the back sets up the Floss Dance (ERG), with Daniels countering with his own. Jungle Boy and Kazarian come in to trade near falls off some rollups and cradles until Kazarian knocks him down for the springboard spinning legdrop.

It’s off to Sky to get in a boot to the head but Boy gets over to Luchasaurus and you can feel the fans getting more into things. That’s a bit too good though and it’s back to Stunt, who gets flipped onto Daniels into a splash for two. Boy comes back in for a chinlock but Daniels is right back up with a tilt-a-whirl side slam for two of his own. Stunt’s crossbody bounces off of Sky so Luchasaurus comes back in. Some strikes have no effect for Sky but a DDT puts Luchasaurus down….and he nips right back up.

Stunt and Boy dive onto Daniels and Sky, leaving Kazarian to get chokeslammed and moonsaulted for another near fall. A headscissors faceplant of all things (because Luchasaurus can just do that) sets up Stunt’s running shooting star press as everything stays broken down. Luchasaurus gets sent outside though and it’s Celebrity Rehab on Boy and a powerbomb/Backstabber combination finishes Stunt at 9:17.

Rating: C. They weren’t going for anything more than a fun match here, though they did get in enough stuff to make it feel different than the eight man tag. Stunt taking the pin was the right call if SCU has to win, though it is beyond ridiculous to see him out there with no muscle definition or anything close to being a realistic threat to any of SCU. Even Jungle Boy, who is small, is more believable than Stunt. Let him be a mascot or something, but having him wrestle is a step too far.

Tony wraps us up in a hurry.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a situation where you need to consider the point of this show. It isn’t meant to be anything more than a supplement to Dynamite in a way to get the wrestlers in an AEW ring. You don’t need to see anything here and as long as they keep it that way, this is the most inoffensive thing you could ask for. It doesn’t need to be around permanently as you don’t need so many people featured every week, but for a few months, this is a fine idea.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Fight For The Fallen
Date: July 13, 2019
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Alex Marvez, Jim Ross, Excalibur

The shows are starting to pick up the pace around here and that could be a good thing. What matters here is figuring out what works and what doesn’t work before the big TV launch in October, so hopefully they can get closer to that here. I’m not sure what to expect with what we’re getting but if the show is anything like the previous two, we should be good to go. Let’s get to it.

This is an outdoor show in an amphitheater, meaning it looks more like a play, albeit with some seats behind the ring as well. It’s a really cool setup actually.

Pre-Show: Peter Avalon vs. Sonny Kiss

Avalon is one of the Librarians and says that since this is a library….here’s Kiss to break it up. His entrance is a little more energetic, with some Jacksonville Jaguars cheerleaders and the Jaguars’ mascot for a lot of dancing. Kiss dances around a lot and headscissors Avalon down, meaning more dancing. A suplex gives Kiss two as the announcers talk about Avalon having some romantic interest in fellow librarian Leva Bates. That’s more of a backstory than we’ve gotten on them in two shows. Kiss gets sent outside with Bates slowly sending him back in. Excalibur: “That’s odd.”

Kiss gets in a kick to the head and an exploder suplex, followed by the twerksault (just go with it) for two. Hang on though as Bates offers a distraction so Avalon can roll him up for two. Fans: “READING SUCKS!” Just not the book that Cody put out this week right? Avalon misses a moonsault though and Kiss’s split legged crotch drop finishes Avalon at 5:08.

Rating: D+. You can get the idea of the gimmicks a bit better here, but the match just wasn’t very good. Kiss’ dancing and stuff will get the fans energized to start things off so that’s fine, but the Librarians deal….I’m still not sure what that is supposed to be. Reading is now a heel action? Seriously? Not a good match either, but it got the fans going a bit more.

Pre-Show: Britt Baker/Riho vs. Bea Priestly/Shoko Nakajima

Riho and Priestly (Will Ospreay’s girlfriend) are the Tokyo Joshi Pro and Stardom champions respectively. Baker takes Shoko to the mat to start but gets flipped back into a quickly broken leg hold. Shoko’s crawl between the legs is cut off by the tail so it’s a not great looking running dropkick to take Baker down. Priestly comes in to quite the reaction but Baker rolls her up for a fast one.

We get some miscommunication with Britt trying to tag Shoko before going over to tag Riho instead. Priestly slams the much smaller Riho down and there’s a Shayna Baszler style arm stomp. The Fujiwara armbar sends sends Riho’s feet onto the ropes as the announcers talk about common languages and laugh about it far too much. The arm work continues for a bit until Riho finally slips over and brings in Baker.

That’s fine with Shoko, who hits a DDT and missile dropkick, sending her right back into the corner. Riho is already back in and picks up the pace, setting up a weird looking 619 from Shoko (the side of one foot hit Riho in the face). Riho tries her own 619 but Priestly kicks her in the face. Baker comes in to take Priestly down and gets faceplanted for her efforts. Shoko and Riho slug it out until Priestly and Baker break it up. They drag their partners to the corner for a pair of tags and the fans gasp at Priestly vs. Baker, which isn’t quite as epic as they seem to think it is.

Baker sends her into the corner but Priestly runs the corner for a springboard….knee to the face? I think it was supposed to be a clothesline but the placement wasn’t quite right. A butterfly suplex gives Baker two as Shoko gets back in to throw her outside. The double suicide dive connects and Shoko’s top rope backsplash gives Priestly two. Riho’s running knee to the back of Baker’s head gets two but Riho hits a running knee to Shoko’s face. The northern lights suplex gives Riho two but Shoko snaps off a hurricanrana for the pin at 15:37.

Rating: B-. This would have been better off as a four way instead of a tag match as it was much more like singles matches which were going on at the same time (as commentary said). I’m still not feeling the women’s division just yet as it’s been a bunch of random matches and pairings so far. The wrestling has been good, but these matches have been mostly interchangeable.

Post match Baker and Priestly get into it again with their partners breaking it up.

The opening video looks at most of the card and does a great job making the matches feel important. There’s no tie into the name or purpose of the show, but that’s a bit of a serious place to go so early on.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Sammy Guevara/Shawn Spears vs. Jimmy Havoc/Darby Allin/Joey Janela

Allin has bad ribs from the Cody match. Friedman was mad at Spears for the post match chair shot on Cody at Fyter Fest, which the announcers do bring up during the entrances. Friedman starts with Janela and says Spears is about to see greatness. That earns him a hiptoss, which pleases Spears very much. Havoc comes in and bites the finger but gets reversed into a wristlock, much to the fans’ annoyance.

Guevara comes in to ask who the man is before chopping Janela in the corner. A springboard crossbody misses with the fans VERY into Janela. It’s back to Havoc, with Allin not being happy with not getting the tag. Guevara gets in a jumping knee to the face so it’s off to Allin for the very high angle springboard wristdrag (Humberto Carrillo does that as well and it looks great from both of them). Janela comes back in and the announcers reference the fight with Enzo Amore, which they almost have to do.

Spears knocks Janela off the apron and starts stomping away before handing it back to Guevara. The chinlock doesn’t work and it’s almost time for Friedman and Spears to get into a fight. Friedman even gives him the ten pose but switches to a double middle finger. Janela uses the distraction to knock Spears down, allowing Friedman to call Spears an idiot. Everything breaks down with Havoc hitting a top rope superplex to Spears, complete with stepping on his partners’ backs.

Allin comes in with a flip over the back into a Stunner (cool) for two on Guevara, who is right back up to knock Havoc outside. Guevara backflips to the floor and superkicks Janela before going back inside for a standing Spanish Fly for two on Allin. Janela plants Guevara with a Death Valley Driver onto the apron, leaving Allin to hit a springboard spinning crossbody on Friedman. It bangs up the bad ribs though and Spears hits running Death Valley Driver to finish Allin at 13:15.

Rating: B. Yeah this was fun but not just for the action. The most interesting part here was having the partners who didn’t like each other, which made things a lot different than you might have guessed. That’s a nice twist and something you don’t see very often without it being hammered into your head. The match was almost all action but still managed to advance some stories. Well done indeed.

Private Party is sitting at ringside when Alex Jebailey pops in. Security gets rid of him though, because it’s a private party. Eh I chuckled. Just don’t have him wrestle again.

Video on Allie vs. Brandi Rhodes, both of whom seem to have confidence issues but keep going because they will never quit.

Brandi Rhodes vs. Allie

Hold on though as here’s Awesome Kong for a distraction but Allie ducks the cheap shot and takes over to start. Brandi gets sent outside but Allie stops to stare at Kong, allowing Brandi to take over with a shot from behind. A low superkick gets two on Allie and Kong grabs the leg to cut off any comeback attempt. Brandi hits a German suplex for two but Allie is right back with a neckbreaker for the double knockdown. A sliding forearm and a bulldog give Allie two and she puts Brandi on top.

That’s countered into the Wade Barrett swinging superplex into the suplex for two more and they’re both down. Allie is up first with a running Death Valley Driver (same spot from the previous match) with Kong putting Brandi’s foot on the ropes for the save. The distraction doesn’t quite work as Allie grabs a dragon sleeper, so Kong offers another distraction, meaning the referee doesn’t see the tap. Allie lets go and Brandi hits the Bionic Spear (with the announcers mentioning that it’s because she has a plate in her shoulder, thank goodness) for the pin at 10:16.

Rating: C-. Not terrible at all here with Brandi’s pre-match vignette making the Kong factor that much better. Brandi isn’t the most polished wrestler in the world but she isn’t embarrassing herself whatsoever, which is all you can ask for from someone in her position. This was the storyline part of the division and I’m glad they’re keeping that away from the wrestling part on the preshow.

Post match Kong goes after Allie and loads up the Implant Buster, drawing out Aja Kong for the save. Awesome Kong backs away from the staredown and Aja helps Allie up.

The announcers have a rather nice talk about the brothers vs. brothers match.

Dark Order vs. Angelico/Jack Evans vs. Jungle Boy/Luchasaurus

The winners get a shot at a bye at All Out. The Dark Order have the Creepers (JR: “Jeepers!”) but they go to the back before the bell. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus have Marko Stunt with them and you can hear Jim Cornette losing it from here. Grayson drives Evans into the corner to start and snaps off a northern lights suplex to keep Evans in trouble. Angelico comes in and hammers at the jaw but gets dropkicked in the face for his efforts.

It’s Uno coming in to bite Angelico’s ear so Jungle Boy comes in for an Arabian armdrag. A neckbreaker gets Uno out of trouble but he stops to pose, allowing the tag to Luchasaurus for the monster staredown. Uno tags Angelico, who tags Evans from the apron. Evans fires himself up and is chopped right back down, followed by the big toss from Luchasaurus. A nasty wheelbarrow suplex sends Evans flying and Jungle Boy knees him into the Order’s corner.

Grayson comes in and shoves Jungle Boy into the ropes with Uno low bridging him to the floor. Back in and the Order stomp on Jungle Boy in the corner with JR wanting the referee to get involved. Jungle Boy fights back but Grayson is right there to pull Angelico and Evans off the apron. Uno’s top rope backsplash gets two but Jungle Boy is right there with a slingshot spear. The hot tag brings in Luchasaurus to kick away at the Order and chokeslam Evans over the top onto Angelico. Jungle Boy adds a shooting star onto the pile and the Tombstone Age (reverse powerbomb) gets two on Grayson.

Angelico and Evans get back in with a springboard double stomp/belly to back suplex combination for two on Jungle Boy. The assisted 450 gets the same and there’s a Razor’s Edge buckle bomb to make it even worse. Marko breaks up the 630 though and hits a super hurricanrana, with the referee ejecting Marko as a result.

Instead of leaving, Luchasaurus launches Marko onto Angelico in a huge crash. Grayson is flipped into a powerbomb from Jungle Boy (cool finisher) for two with Uno making the save. Jungle Boy gets suplexed into Luchasaurus in the corner and Fatality (Gory Bomb/Diamond Dust combination) gives Uno the pin at 15:13.

Rating: C+. This went a little longer than it needed to and Angelico and Evans could have been cut without losing much. Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy is an oddball team but the big man/small man combination has worked for years and it can work well for them too. If nothing else, the more Luchasaurus I see the happier I am, though the same isn’t the case with the Dark Order, who didn’t really stand out aside from an awesome finisher.

Video on Adam Page, who seems to be the chosen one.

Adam Page vs. Kip Sabian

Feeling out process to start with Page grabbing a headlock and hitting a hard shoulder to put Kip down. Some chops have Sabian in more trouble and a clothesline puts him on the floor. Page seems to have tweaked his leg or knee though, allowing Sabian to springboard enziguri him down to the floor. The dive is blocked with a forearm though and a tabletop suplex gives Page two.

Sabian knocks him outside and gets in an argument with a fan, though Page can’t make a comeback. The springboard missile dropkick gives Sabian two and it’s off to a half nelson. Page fights up and hits an overhead belly to belly with Sabian bouncing on his head. They’re both down until Sabian is back up with a middle rope DDT for two and a knee to the face. The slugout goes to Page though and a discus lariat turns Sabian inside out.

Back up and Sabian misses a stomp, allowing Page to belly to back suplex him onto the apron. Page hits a moonsault out to the floor but there goes the knee, with Page writhing in pain. The knee is fine enough for Page to hit a toss powerbomb to send Sabian over the top and onto the ramp for a heck of a crash.

Sabian slowly rolls back in to beat the count so Page takes him up top for a super swinging neckbreaker and another near fall. The Deadeye is broken up and Sabian bends the knee around the middle rope to put them both down as we have less than two minutes left. We hit the pinfall reversal sequence but Page reverses a sunset flip into the Deadeye for the pin at 19:04.

Rating: B-. Knee selling issues aside, Page looked like a star here as he came back from behind and won in the end with his finisher. Sabian looked great as well and that’s a very nice bonus in a match designed to make Page look like a star. It was good stuff and Page gets another win, so mission accomplished.

Post match a Creeper pops up and jumps Page with Excalibur being smart enough to figure this out in a hurry. The mask comes off to reveal…Mr. Claxton, the flower shop owner! Or maybe it’s Chris Jericho, who hits the Judas Effect to bust Page open.

So Cal Uncensored vs. Lucha Bros

It’s Scorpio Sky/Kazarian for SCU here and we get their usual shtick before the match. Kazarian and Fenix start things off with the partners coming in early on for the big standoff. That means a double tag to Pentagon vs. Sky as the fans are split down the middle again. They stare each other down and pose a lot until Pentagon takes off the glove and throws it to the referee….who drops it. No worries though as she throws it back and tries again, this time for a catch.

The chop means it’s time to head to the floor as everything breaks down again, with Christopher Daniels taking one of the loudest chops I can remember in recent memory. Sky gets one of his own and the cringing is real with this one. Fenix misses a dive onto Daniels and hits his brother by mistake, leaving Daniels to hit an Arabian moonsault onto the floor. Daniels gets ejected (thank you) and it’s Fenix being taken back inside for an assisted wheelbarrow bomb from SCU.

Kazarian’s legdrop gets two and it’s back to Sky as Fenix is in trouble off a front facelock. Fenix manages to fight up and hit a pair of kicks Kazarian’s face, allowing the hot tag off to Pentagon. Sling Blades abound as everything breaks down, including more kicks to SCU’s heads. Kazarian is sat in the corner as Sky is tied in the Tree of Woe, allowing Fenix to flip Pentagon into the two of them at once.

Fenix and Kazarian head outside as Pentagon gets two on Sky. Everyone gets back inside with a top rope double stomp/Unprettier combination getting two on Pentagon. Not to be outdone, an assisted super DDT gets two on Fenix. Back up and Fenix rope walks into a double stomp to Sky’s back, followed by the Canadian Destroyer to give Pentagon two more. The double stomp/Fear Factor finishes Sky at 15:00.

Rating: B. This is the wild kind of tag match that the company seems to focus on. There’s nothing wrong with that either as the tag division has been one of the highlights of the first three shows. The Lucha Bros are one of the best teams around too so giving them their first win makes a lot of sense. I’m sure So Cal Uncensored is going to be fine in short order.

Post match Daniels comes back out but the Bros pull out a ladder to clean house. Pentagon grabs the mic and says they’re the best team in the world. As for the ladder, how about a rematch with the Young Bucks in a ladder match at All Out?

Kenny Omega vs. Cima

Feeling out process to start with an early armbar attempt sending Omega to the ropes. Omega’s sunset flip is broken up and Cima nails a double stomp to keep Omega in trouble early on. Something like a reverse Rings of Saturn has Omega reaching for the ropes again and things reset again. Omega hits a hard chop and a belly to back suplex for two and a hurricanrana puts Cima on the floor.

Cima dives back in and kicks Omega in the face to break up a dive attempt and a Perfect Driver gets two. A knee to the face rocks Cima though and Omega takes him up top. The super Snap Dragon is broken up as Cima climbs into an electric chair but spins down into a super sunset bomb to send Omega crashing. Omega is back up and goes for the leg with a kick to the thigh before stomping on it in the corner. A Regal Roll looks to set up a middle rope moonsault but Cima gets the knees up.

The regular Snap Dragon connects though but the One Winged Angle is broken up. That means a Backstabber to Omega and they’re both down again. It’s Cima up first with a dropkick to put Omega on the floor, where he pulls Cima down by the leg again. Omega goes over to the timekeeper’s table but Cima rams him into it, setting up a Meteora off the balcony to crush Omega.

They get back in as the fans keep booing and cheering as the big screen goes in and out. Back in and a pair of springboard Meteoras give Cima two but his super Codebreaker is countered into a buckle bomb. The V Trigger connects for two and it’s a second V Trigger to set up another failed One Winged Angel attempt. Cima rolls out of a powerbomb into a DDT, followed by another Meteora (and I thought the V Trigger was bad).

They head to the apron with Cima planting him down hard, drawing a YOU KILLED KENNY chant. Yet another Meteora gets yet another two and they strike it out again. Omega hits another V Trigger into the Tiger Driver 98 for two of his own. There’s another V Trigger (JR: “I could have sworn that was a knee to the head.”) and the One Winged Angel finishes Cima at 22:35.

Rating: B. They hit a lot of V Triggers (“But that makes sense for Omega!”) and a lot of Meteoras (“But that makes sense for Cima!”) and it was a hard hitting match, though it felt longer than it needed to be, which is a trend tonight. Omega continues to be the really awesome junk food of wrestling: the matches might not be the best constructed or highest quality, but dang they’re fun to watch.

Here’s Chris Jericho for his open mic promo. Jericho talks about having Page’s blood on his hands and asks if we can see it. He’s still looking for a thank you, but not from the fans here in Jerksonville. Jericho knows that the thank yous from the people here don’t matter so he’s going to get it every night by beating up the fans’ heroes one at a time. All Elite Wrestling is taking place because of him, including the TV show on TNT in October. Jericho watched the battle royal at Double Or Nothing very carefully and counted down the entrants until only Hangman Page was left.

Ever since then, Jericho has been sitting up worrying about facing the Hangman, but he’ll beat him for sure. That’s just another victory for the greatest of all time, but if he loses….it’s the beginning of the end of AEW and of Jericho’s career. Therefore, he has to beat the Hangman. Cue Page for the brawl with referees breaking it up. Page’s eye looks very nasty from earlier.

We recap the Young Bucks vs. Cody/Dustin Rhodes with Tony Schiavone and Jake Roberts of all people talking about how important it is and how the fans want to see it. That’s quite the interesting pair.

Cody/Dustin Rhodes vs. Young Bucks

Cody and Nick start things off with Nick kicking his hand away. Everything teases breaking down before Cody goes with a headlock to bring Nick over to Dustin. Now everything breaks down with Matt being knocked outside off a double clothesline. Back in and the Bucks start their double teaming, including a headscissors to Cody to set up an enziguri. Stereo dives to the floor drop Cody and Dustin and we get a mock hug.

We settle down to Matt working on Dustin’s arm and Nick adding the slingshot X Factor. A boot scrape lets Matt come back in for some shoulders in the corner, followed by a double dropkick. Nick pulls Cody off of the apron and teases taking the tag from Goldust, who does in fact tag him with a shot to the jaw. The distraction lets Goldust go up top for a spinning crossbody to both Bucks and NOW we get the hot tag to Cody.

That means a top rope moonsault of his own to Nick and a dive onto the ramp to take Matt down as well. It’s time for the weightlifting belt to Matt’s back, followed by a missed charge to send Matt shoulder first into the post. Dustin starts in on the arm with an armbar and a whip into the corner as this is dragging a good bit. Another whip sends Matt into the post again and it’s time to go to the floor for a whip into the barricade.

Back in and the Fujiwara armbar goes on but Matt finally fights up and brings in Nick to clean house. The clothesline/bulldog combination takes Cody and Dustin down, followed by a Backstabber out of the corner to Cody. The Bucks go with double sunset flips into a double Sharpshooter, which is broken up for a double Figure Four. That’s broken up with some rope grabs and quadruple lariats give us a four way knockdown. Fans: “THIS IS WRESTLING!” No. This is long and needs to end so JR and Dustin can go to bed.

Dustin gets up for some powerslams and an assisted Cross Rhodes plants Nick. Matt dives in for the save and it’s time for a double slugout. Double powerslams take the Bucks down again and the ref gets bumped at the same time. Stereo Shattered Dreams take the Bucks down for two each with the Bucks rolling outside.

Cody’s springboard dive is superkicked out of the air, leaving Dustin to hit some Flip Flop and Fly. Another superkick drops Dustin but he’s right back up with a Code Red for two. Cody comes back in and it’s a double superkick to the back of the head for two more. More superkicks connect so Nick can hit Cross Rhodes for two on Cody. The Meltzer Driver hits Cody for the pin at 31:34.

Rating: C-. This was a match that is going to be praised for how long it went but that’s all it was. It wasn’t bad, but there were far too many moments where I was looking at the clock and sighing because this just wouldn’t end. You could have easily cut ten or so minutes out of it and still had the same match, including the long arm work in the middle. Dustin and Cody just losing is a bit anticlimactic, but you knew the Bucks were the heavy favorites coming into this one.

Post match everyone hugs and Matt’s arm is still banged up. Matt grabs the mic and praises Cody and Dustin for being one of the best teams they’ve ever been in the ring with…and here’s the locker room with a check to a group supporting gun violence victims in Jacksonville. A bunch of people have chipped in money for a grand total of $150,000. That’s a very cool deal and something they can be proud of doing.

Cody doesn’t know if they’re still on the air but you can’t counter program what AEW is doing. You can counter program some of them but you can’t counter program the love in this company. Kenny talks about how cool it is to make this kind of a donation but there is a bit of a conundrum. His signature line doesn’t seem appropriate right now, partially because it ends with him poking a finger gun in the air. Instead it’s adieu, but since we’re off the air, we’ll change it from BANG to BOING. JR can be heard asking if they’re clear as Kenny thanks the fans for coming out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was good and the energy was high but this went WAY too long and it took away a lot of the positives about the show. That main event and the post match stuff were major hits to the evening and it didn’t do them any favors. It’s still an entertaining show, but for the first time I was thinking about how long it was and that’s not a good sign. These timing issues aren’t going to work on TNT and they need to fix them before we get there. Not a bad show by any means, but they have a lot of tightening up to do.

Results

Shawn Spears/Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Sammy Guevara b. Darby Allin/Jimmy Havoc/Joey Janela – Running Death Valley Driver to Allin

Brandi Rhodes b. Allie – Bionic Spear

Dark Order b. Luchasaurus/Jungle Boy and Angelico/Jack Evans – Fatality to Jungle Boy

Adam Page b. Kip Sabian – Deadeye

Lucha Bros b. So Cal Uncensored – Spike Fear Factor to Sky

Kenny Omega b. Cima – One Winged Angel

Young Bucks b. Cody/Dustin Rhodes – Meltzer Driver to Cody

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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