IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: May 26, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

It’s the first show after the very good Double Or Nothing and you know what that calls for: nearly an hour and a half of overly competitive jobber matches! I’m not sure if this is the new permanent norm or if they’re just burning off a bunch of material they taped on the off chance that they wouldn’t be able to tape for a good while. Either way, it’s hardly must see material. Let’s get to it.

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

Tazz makes it clear that he will not be getting into any details about his relationship with Brian Cage. That’s wrestling code for “this was taped before that happened.”

Dark Order vs. Natural Nightmares

Jon Silver/Alex Reynolds here. The Nightmares snap off an early double Russian legsweep on Reynolds to start and Dustin adds the running knee lift. Cue Allie of all people, with Marshal’’s apple. Marshall certainly seems interested and Silver uses the distraction to get in a cheap shot and take over. Reynolds’ uppercut gives Silver two but Marshall tells him to go with the chest kicks. The big one is countered in a hurry so the hot tag brings in Dustin for the house cleaning. The snap powerslam plants Silver and Marshall adds a cutter for the pin at 5:02.

Rating: C-. It’s not the biggest story but Allie eating an apple now counts as the top story on this show in about a month, if not more. I can always go for more of Allie as she is a great manager, but I’m worried about how long it might be before the angle gets any followup. If this show was taped that long ago, it could be a good while indeed.

Michael Nakazawa vs. Brandon Cutler

Cutler starts fast with a running forearm for an early two as Taz talks about Cutler’s losing streak. Nakazawa comes back with a spear but Cutler comes in from the apron with a kick to the head for his own near fall. Hold on though as Nakamura is out of oil, likely sending him into a downward spiral. Cutler keeps kicking away, despite having been busted open somewhere in there. The torture rack goes on and Nakazawa gets sent over the top. They fight on the floor and it’s Nakazawa sending him into the barricade for the first countout in AEW history at 6:20.

Rating: D. So yes, we needed to see these two have a match that actually got a little bit of time on this show. The wrestling was just there for the sake of filling in time and it’s not like either of these two mean anything. It’s why they’re here, having a glorified comedy match without ever being mentioned anywhere else.

Post match here are the Librarians, with Peter Avalon saying this is proof Cutler is the worst wrestler in the world. Therefore, Cutler can go sit on commentary and watch Avalon pick up a win.

Peter Avalon vs. Jungle Boy

Boy grabs an early headlock takeover and we’re already in the technical material. An armdrag puts Avalon on the floor but the rest of Jurassic Express won’t let him leave. The distraction lets Avalon post him and it’s a suplex for two back inside. A leg lariat gives Avalon two more and we hit the headscissors. The moonsault misses though and Boy hits a hard clothesline.

Boy’s springboard tornado DDT gets two but Avalon is back with a Meteora to the back of the head for his own near fall. Leva Bates gets on the apron for the assistance but winds up on Luchasaurus’ shoulders. Cue Marko Stunt to kiss her, meaning Boy can grab a modified STF for the tap at 7:30.

Rating: D+. The match was only somewhat better than the previous one and that’s not much of a compliment. Avalon has never been interesting and having him in a feud with Cutler over who the worst wrestler in the company is doesn’t sound too promising. As usual, there are people in wrestling companies who don’t need a story. Avalon, Cutler and Nakazawa fit the descriptions.

Serpentico vs. Christopher Daniels

Serpentico goes for the arm to start but Serpentico grabs a headlock. Some armdrags into the armbar put Serpentico down so he slugs away, only to walk into a leg lariat for two. Daniels hits a high collar suplex (Taz: “Thanks to him for stealing my gimmick.”) but Serpentico takes him down as well. A slingshot elbow gives Serpentico two but Daniels STOs him down. The release Rock Bottom into the BME gives Daniels the pin at 4:27.

Rating: C-. A little better here, but that might be due to having Daniels in there. He’s always good for a quick win and can make anyone look decent. Serpentico has been around a few times now and showed me a little more this time around. I don’t think he goes anywhere significant, but a not terrible performance is better than an awful one.

John Skyler/Brady Pearce vs. Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela

Pearce knocks Kiss down to start but Kiss kicks him into the corner for the early tag to Janela. That means Pearce gets laid over the middle rope and gets caught with a front flip ax kick to the ribs from Kiss. Skyler offers a quick distraction though and Pearce gets in a kick to the face. Janela avoids a charge though and the hot tag brings in Kiss for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and Kiss kicks Pearce through the ropes, setting up the suicide dive. Back in and Janela drops a top rope elbow to finish Skyler at 4:37.

Rating: C-. This was your random partners with nothing else to do getting a win. There wasn’t much to talk about in this one but Kiss had his usual charisma turned up high. Janela continues to be someone who is just there, despite his ability to make his eyes bug out more than should be humanly possible.

Tony Donati/Faboo Andre vs. Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc

Penelope Ford is here with Sabian and Havoc. Andre gets jumped before the bell but manages to dropkick Sabian into the corner for what is likely the highest level of success he should expect here. Havoc comes back in and walks into a spinning middle rope crossbody from Andre. Sabian is back in to stomp Andre down in the corner, leaving Havoc to bite the face. Ford gets in a cheap shot from the floor so Havoc’s running big boot can get two.

A PK to the chest connects, though the referee said it was wide right. The lack of Stadium Stampede references as a result would tell me that there is a time gap between the tapings. The Acid Rainmaker misses though and (the bloody, from Havoc’s bite) Andre dives over for the hot tag to Donati. A hammerlock suplex gives Donati two on Sabian but he’s right back up with the hanging spinning neckbreaker. Sabian’s top rope double stomp sets up a dropkick/Michinoku Driver combination to finish Donati at 6:58.

Rating: D+. Another match that came and went as Sabian and Havoc are a fine midcard team, but there isn’t much of a reason to have them take this much time to beat a pair of jobbers with next to no experience around here. What am I supposed to get out of this? Or out of anything on this show actually?

Mr. Grimm vs. Wardlow

MJF is here with Wardlow, who slams Grimm down and stomps away in the corner to start. A missed charge sends Wardlow into the post, but he easily counters a springboard into a German suplex. The F5 is broken up but this time the running shoulder connects in the corner. A knee to the face knocks Grim out at 2:59.

Post match Wardlow hits the F10 for a bonus.

Lee Johnson vs. Colt Cabana

They shake hands to start and fight over a wristlock with Johnson bailing into the corner. As the announcers debate if Tony Schiavone or Tony’s wife is the bigger heel, Cabana gets two off a quick rollup. Cabana cranks on the arms into some crucifixes for two each until Johnson makes the mistake of firing off a chop. Johnson dropkicks him in the back to knock Cabana into the corner, which just annoys him. The Flying Apple into the Bionic elbow into the Billy Goat’s Curse finishes Johnson at 3:43.

Rating: C-. Cabana isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but at least his comedy seems to be more about chuckles than some big laugh that rarely connects. There isn’t much else to say about him, but that’s the case with most comedy wrestlers. Johnson continues to be someone they seem interested in, though that 0-8 record isn’t helping him.

KiLynn King vs. Penelope Ford

Sabian is here with Ford. King is a giant compared to Ford and grabs a headlock to start. Some standing switches don’t go anywhere so King runs her over with a shoulder. That lets King yell at Sabian, meaning Ford can get in a shot from behind. Stomping in the corner keeps King down and a suplex gives Ford two. Some choking doesn’t do much on King, who snaps off a dropkick. King misses a charge in the corner though and Ford hits a cutter for the pin at 4:53.

Rating: D+. The back and forth between eh and erg matches continues with Ford not exactly looking like a star here. Ford is talented in the ring but she needs someone better to make this work. King looked like someone who could go a little further with some more time, which is the kind of thing that you can get in this situation.

Shawn Dean/Alan Angels vs. Best Friends

Orange Cassidy is here too. Taylor works on Dean’s arm to start and adds a dropkick for a bonus. Trent comes in for the double elbow and it’s off to Angels, who is taken to the mat in a hurry. A hard clothesline cuts off Angels’ comeback but a springboard dropkick sends Trent into the corner. Dean suplexes Angels into Trent in the corner for two but Trent gets in his own suplex. The hot tag brings in Chuck to pick up the pace, including sending Dean into a spear from Chuck. Angels gets powerbombed and the big hug sets up Strong Zero for the pin on Angels at 4:24.

Rating: C. This was better just because of the shorter run time, but the #1 contenders shouldn’t be in any trouble against two guys who literally have never won a match between them around here. That’s the case with almost everyone on this show though and that hasn’t stopped them yet. Not a terrible match, but maybe I’m just numb to the Best Friends by now.

Overall Rating: D+. They did the same thing they have done for the last two weeks but this time around the matches were even weaker than usual. They weren’t terrible or anything really close to it for the most part, but it continues to be a show that you don’t need to watch in any situation. I’m assuming this was just a bunch of material they needed to burn off, but it makes me wonder how much they taped when they had the chance. This is about thirty jobber matches in three weeks. They can’t have many more, right?

Results

Natural Nightmares b. Dark Order – Cutter to Silver

Michael Nakazawa b. Brandon Cutler via countout

Jungle Boy b. Peter Avalon – STF

Christopher Daniels b. Serpentico – Best Moonsault Ever

Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela b. John Skyler/Brady Pearce – Top rope elbow to Pearce

Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc b. Faboo Andre/Tony Donati – Dropkick/Michinoku Driver combination to Donati

Wardlow b. Mr. Grimm via knockout

Colt Cabana b. Lee Johnson – Billy Goat’s Curse

Penelope Ford b. KiLynn King – Cutter

Best Friends b. Shawn Dean/Alan Angels – Strong Zero to Angels

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: WWE

Dark
Date: May 12, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

We’re back to the full length of this show, meaning it’s over an hour long this week. That’s quite the jump from a few weeks back when it wasn’t even breaking twenty, but things have opened up a bit since then. Hopefully they can make the show work well enough as that kind of length can be a problem given what they are going for with this show. Let’s get to it.

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

Excalibur and Taz give us a pretty vague preview of the show.

Shawn Dean vs. Colt Cabana

Chicago explodes and thankfully the referee is wearing a mask. Colt takes his time folding up his jacket and headlocks Dean down. Dean bails into the corner but gets taken down with a wristlock. Back up and a dropkick sends Cabana outside and things slow down a little bit. Cabana comes back in to work on the arm but gets caught in a waistlock. That just earns Dean some snap jabs and the Flying Apple sets up the Superman pin at 4:54.

Rating: C. Dean is someone they’ve been using a lot and that’s a good sign for his future. He has done well enough in spots like this though he is far from being ready to win anything. If nothing else though, this will get him all the indy cred he wants once the independents start back up. Cabana was his usual self here and that’s not a bad thing.

Jurassic Express vs. Mike Reed/Ryan Rembrandt

It’s Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus for the team here and they start wrecking things early. The Tail Whip puts Reed and Rembrandt on the floor, earning them a dive from Boy. Back in and Reed plants Boy down to take over for the first time. Rembrandt runs him over for two and a belly to belly is good for the same. Boy rolls over Reed’s back though and the hot tag brings in Luchasaurus. Reed slips out of a fireman’s carry but gets chokeslammed into a standing moonsault. Some superkicks send Reed outside and the reverse powerbomb into a cutter finishes Rembrandt at 5:39.

Rating: D+. AEW really needs to understand that it’s ok to squash people more often. Luchasaurus is a monster and shouldn’t be needing the better part of six minutes to finish these two off. It wasn’t terrible (mainly because Marko Stunt wasn’t in there), but the jobbers got in too much offense and it got a bit annoying at the end.

Lee Johnson/Musa vs. Private Party

This is the third straight match with someone from Chicago. Kassidy and Johnson trade waistlocks to start and it’s quickly off to Quen for an enziguri to take over. Musa low bridges Quen to the floor though and it’s a big dive from Johnson to drop him again. Back in and Musa snaps off a suplex for two but it’s back to Kassidy without much trouble. It’s Johnson getting caught in the corner for a splash from Quen, who tags out at the same time. Musa gets sent outside again and it’s a running Downward Spiral from the apron over the top. The shooting star press finishes Johnson at 5:36.

Rating: C-. Another match that just existed here as Private Party continues to be a team who knows how to look flashy but don’t know a ton about structuring a match. Or in this case about squashing a team of jobbers, though we’ve covered that well enough. The shooting star always looks great though and I had missed it over the last few months.

10 vs. Jon Cruz

10 shoves him down to start and takes Cruz’s head off with a clothesline. They head outside with Cruz being sent into the steps, only to have 10 miss a charge into the steps as well. Back in and 10 hits the spinebuster for the pin at 2:33 to finish in a hurry.

Post match, Brodie Lee comes out to applaud.

Fenix vs. Alan Angels

Fenix headlocks his way out of a waistlock to start but gets reversed into a small package for two. Back up and Fenix moonsaults over him and hits a hard superkick for two more. Some slaps to the head set up a leglock that lasts all of half a second. The announcers make Toru Tanaka references as Angels comes back with shots to the face.

That earns Angels a dropkick to the face and a kick to the chest. Angels is back with a springboard dropkick of his own and a clothesline on the apron drops Fenix again. Back in and a top rope double stomp to Fenix’s back sets up a moonsault for another near fall. Fenix pops back up and hits a high crossbody into the Black Fire Driver for the pin at 6:36.

Rating: C+. Match of the night so far by a mile as Fenix continues to be one of the most entertaining people in any company. He can make anyone look good and that’s what he did here. That being said, Angels didn’t quite reach the point that he did with Chris Jericho on commentary. Anyway, nice match here as they continue to make Angels look like a thing.

Dani Jordan vs. Kris Stadtlander

Dani brings out a binder. They trade headlocks to start with Stadtlander taking her down a few times in a row. Jordan is back with a crucifix for two so Stadtlander does the nose touch. A short armscissors doesn’t work for Stadtlander so she elbows Jordan to the floor. Jordan rams her back first into the apron for two back inside and a basement dropkick gets the same. Stadtlander moonsaults over her in the corner and a running knee sends Jordan into the barricade. Back in and Stadtlander hits a Pele into Big Bang Theory for the pin at 4:33.

Rating: D+. Jordan didn’t seem interested in slowing down for most of Stadtlander’s offense here and that’s where things start to go south in these matches. The point should be to promote Stadtlander, as in the person who regularly works here. Jordan sticking in there took the focus off of Stadtlander and that’s not a good idea.

Orange Cassidy vs. Jason Cade

The Best Friends are here with Cassidy beach towels. Cade won’t let him put his hands in the pockets so it’s a headlock to slow things down. Cassidy grabs a single handed wristlock and puts a hand in the pocket, so Cade tears off the sunglasses. That annoys Cassidy, so he sweeps the leg and hits a dropkick into a nipup, all with the hands still in his pockets. Trent throws in some extra sunglasses and Cassidy armdrags him down before….posing with the thumb up. That annoys Cade so much that he hits a jumping knee to the face, only to get crucifixed for the pin at 2:41. That’s another match that happened.

Post match, Cassidy gets dressed again.

Britt Baker vs. Skyler Moore

Baker immediately claims a shot to the nose AND a broken nail on the first lockup attempt! Moore grabs a rollup for two so Baker kicks her in the face. Angry stomping ensues and Baker sends her throat first into the middle rope. Baker puts her foot against Moore’s jaw and pulls a bit, allowing her to explain dental issues. Moose grabs a small package for two so Baker knees her in the face. A fisherman’s neckbreaker sets up Lockjaw (with a glove of course) to make Moore tap at 5:07.

Rating: C-. Now this was more like a squash, which makes sense as Baker is on the way to a big match this week on Dynamite. I can’t get over how much better Baker has gotten in the last month and a half or so and it shows that they can figure things out. That means a lot for their future and Baker has been a great bright spot.

Dr. Luther vs. Jimmy Havoc

No DQ and Havoc has Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford with him. This is such a big match that the sun has come back out to check it out. Luther throws him into the corner to start so Havoc bites the finger. Havoc snaps the arm across the top but Luther is back with a toss. Sabian slips Havoc a chair so he can unload, only to have Luther throw the chair at his head to break it up. A big flip dive to the floor drops Sabian and Havoc and Luther backbreakers him onto an open chair.

Back in and Havoc is hiptossed through the open chair for a nasty landing, causing Luther to scream a lot. Sabian offers a distraction though and Havoc catches Luther on top. The super hurricanrana sends Luther over the chairs so Havoc lays him on them instead. A top rope double stomp gets two so they head onto the ramp. Luther grabs a butterfly suplex and something close to a top rope bulldog sends Havoc hard into the mat. Ford throws water at Luther’s face though and Sabian pelts a chair at his head. That’s enough for Havoc to hit a fisherman’s DDT for the pin at 7:15.

Rating: C-. What exactly does it say that Havoc needed help from two people to beat Luther? I know he’s one of Jericho’s buddies and Luther certainly hasn’t embarrassed himself in any of his appearances, but Havoc probably shouldn’t be having trouble with someone who has been around that long and who doesn’t have the biggest reputation.

A quick Dynamite preview ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. Well that happened. This was almost an hour and fifteen minutes of nothing but average (above average once) matches with a lot of mid to lower midcard wrestlers. This could have and probably should have been split into three different shows, just for the sake of length. Watching three or four of these matches at once would be one thing but nine in a row is a good bit too much in a single sitting/show.

Results

Colt Cabana b. Shawn Dean – Superman pin

Jurassic Express b. Mike Reed/Ryan Rembrandt – Reverse powerbomb/cutter combination to Rembrandt

Private Party b. Lee Johnson/Musa – Shooting star press to Johnson

10 b. Jon Cruz – Spinebuster

Fenix b. Alan Angels – Black Fire Driver

Kris Stadtlander b. Dani Jordan – Big Bang Theory

Orange Cassidy b. Jason Cade – Crucifix

Britt Baker b. Skyler Moore – Lockjaw

Jimmy Havoc b. Dr. Luther – Fisherman’s DDT

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: May 5, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Cody

The show continues and I’m not sure what that is going to mean. AEW has made an interesting choice with this show as it means nothing but can often give you a few good moments of wrestling a week. Maybe that’s what they’re trying for and if so, well done. Let’s get to it.

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

Quick card rundown.

10 vs. Ryan Pyles

That would be 10 from the Dark Order, meaning Brodie Lee is with him. 10 runs him over with a clothesline and sends Pyles flying out of the corner. Pyles gets sent outside so 10 follows him outside, looks at Lee, and hits a hard chop. Back in and Pyles hurts his own hand on a chop as I try to figure out why the video screen says Dynamite instead of Dark. Lee is livid that Pyles got in that much so it’s a spinebuster to give 10 the win at 2:22.

Shawn Dean vs. Sammy Guevara

Cody calls Sammy the Starscream to Chris Jericho’s Megatron. I never watched Transformers so I’ll assume that’s a good comparison. Sammy pulls out his phone before the match and spends so much time talking to it that he gets rolled up for two. That means the beating is on so Sammy grabs the fireman’s carry and does some squats. Dean muscles him up for a suplex though and a rolling knee gets one. The count earns him some kicks to the head for two and we hit the chinlock. Shawn fights up with some shots to the face and a DDT but he walks into the Burning GTS for the pin at 6:20.

Rating: C-. Dean is someone who could be turned into something with some more time and experience and that’s not a bad thing. I’m not sure if AEW is going to bring him in full time or anything but for someone who is there to make others look good for the time being, he has done well enough. Sammy on the other hand comes off as a star every time he’s out there and AEW knows what they have.

Kip Sabian vs. Colt Cabana

Sabian has Penelope Ford with him and this is fallout from about six weeks ago on Dynamite. Sabian slaps him in the face to start and grabs a quickly broken headlock. They run the ropes for a bit until Cabana hits a bigger slap to send Sabian outside. Back in and Sabian misses a springboard kick to the face so Cabana starts in on the arm. It’s off to the leg next, followed by the arm and the leg at the same time.

With that broken up, Colt runs the ropes so Sabian holds up his hand and says stop. Cabana runs him over anyway, suggesting that he isn’t great at following orders. A Ford distraction lets Sabian take him off the apron…but Ford won’t kiss Sabian for some reason. Sabian kicks Cabana in the chest for two and a springboard missile dropkick connects for the same.

A stomp to the face blinds Cabana a bit but he can get the boots up to block a springboard splash. Cabana strikes away and hits the Bionic elbow for two. The Flying Apple drops Sabian but Ford gets in to block something off the middle rope. That’s enough for Sabian to get in a low blow for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: C. This felt like the biggest Dark main event in a long time and you could have seen it taking place on a slow episode of Dynamite. That’s all you can ask for in a show like this as it’s not like there is anything to be expected around here. It was nice to see a story tied together from Dynamite though and for what it was, this worked out perfectly fine.

A quick Dynamite preview ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. Of course this isn’t a show worth going out of your way to see but the thirty minute run time made for a pretty sweet spot compared to the very short or very long shows. You don’t need a show built around dark matches to go very long but you also don’t want it to have no value at the same time. This worked well enough and it’s not like you can get overly annoyed at a show this short.

Results

10 b. Ryan Pyles – Spinebuster

Sammy Guevara b. Shawn Dean – Burning GTS

Kip Sabian b. Colt Cabana – Low blow

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

Dynamite
Date: April 15, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re taped again and this time around we have a major match with the World Title on the line as Jake Hager challenges Jon Moxley. Other than that it’s time to continue the TNT Title tournament as we continue towards what is likely going to be an empty arena Double Or Nothing at some location to be determined. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Jake Roberts talking about how Lance Archer is ready to be the TNT Champion because the tournament was made for him. Colt Cabana may have some skills, but it’s not enough to get through Archer.

Tony and Chris run down the card.

Colt Cabana talks about how he is coming in as an underdog but he has been surviving for fifteen years. Archer has dominated Japan but Cabana has wrestled all over the world. Tonight, he’s proving what he can do.

TNT Title Tournament First Round: Lance Archer vs. Colt Cabana

Archer takes out an unidentified person on the way to the ring and then decks Cabana before the bell. Some chops and forearms don’t do much to Archer so he runs Cabana over with a shoulder. Cabana makes Archer chase him a bit and tries a wristlock to little effect. The Flying Apple is countered into a full nelson slam for two and it’s time to rip at Cabana’s face.

A hard clothesline takes Cabana down again but the wrestlers at ringside are behind him anyway. Back from a break with Cabana getting knocked down again but avoiding a middle rope splash. Now the Flying Apple connects and a middle rope splash gives Cabana two. Some right hands stagger Archer, but they also make him laugh. Archer nails a Pounce and there’s a chokeslam to make it worse. The Blackout finishes Cabana at 11:24.

Rating: C. Archer’s power stuff was impressive enough and Cabana was wrestling mostly serious tonight so it wasn’t a bad performance whatsoever. It was a little longer than it needed to be though and that is the kind of thing that can make Archer seem a little less dominant. Good enough though and Archer should have had a little more trouble with someone like Cabana.

Britt Baker is in her office and has a presentation about how to be a role model. Step #1 is always fight fair, which wasn’t the case last week when Hikaru Shida injured her. Britt kept fighting though because it is her mission to always be the face of the division. So who is the true winner here? Baker has gotten awesome at this stuff in a hurry.

ESPN’s Ariel Helwani picks Hager to win the World Title tonight.

Taz picks Moxley.

Post break, Taz walks us through how Hager chokes people out, including Moxley a few weeks back.

Britt Baker vs. Cassandra Golden

Baker kicks her in the leg and then nails a superkick, followed by a bunch of choking on the ropes. Golden’s mouth is place on the rope and a kick to the back of the head is good for the pin at 1:09.

Ron Funches picks Moxley.

Mike Goldberg (MMA commentators) picks Hager.

Double Or Nothing is coming.

And now, the Bubbly Bunch, which features the Inner Circle talking over the phone about how they aren’t sure which of the Young Bucks is Carlos. Sammy Guevara jumps in and says he isn’t sure why someone would call him a fake Latino. He’s ready to punch someone cinco times. Jake Hager would beat up Kenny Omega and choke out the Elite.

Tonight though, he’s beating the s*** (his kids, poolside with him, cover their ears at that one) out of Moxley. Jericho, making eggs, agrees and thinks Hangman Page is an idiot. Page has been cone for so long now though that he thinks Cody Exotico fed Page’s remains to Pharaoh. Jericho has another call though and, as he spills orange juice and with the dogs looking on, complains to his assistant about a lack of toilet paper. This started slowly but got into that good Inner Circle humor by the end.

Sammy Guevara vs. Suge D.

Sammy, who is not Brandi Rhodes’ favorite, gets a nice reaction from Jericho. Guevara takes him into the corner to start as Jericho and Tony try to pronounce Suge. That’s cut off with a jumping knee to Suge’s face to knock him outside. Back in and a delayed suplex gives Sammy two, followed by some squats with Suge on his shoulders. A clothesline drops Suge again but he comes back with a chop. Suge strikes away but gets kneed down again, setting up the Burning GTS for the pin at 5:57.

Rating: C. Sammy was good but Jericho’s man crush on Sammy is one of the funniest things going in wrestling today. They fight together so well and Jericho was on fire with commentary the whole time here. It was an entertaining squash and I like that finisher rather well.

Post match Sammy promises to win the title, including taking care of Darby Allin. The beatdown continues but Allin makes the quick save.

Big John McCarthy (Bellator referee) picks Hager.

Chuck Taylor vs. Kip Sabian

Orange Cassidy and Penelope Ford are on commentary. Jericho isn’t happy with Cassidy because Cassidy wears a shirt of himself and WHO DOES THAT??? Jericho: “I was going to wear a Tony Schiavone shirt but I couldn’t find one!” Taylor takes him down to start and grabs a quick half crab, only to have Sabian escape in a hurry.

Some stomping in the corner keeps Chuck down as Jericho rants about Vanguard 1 and leather pants. Taylor gets in a knee to the face and drops an elbow for two, only to get knocked outside. That goes badly for Sabian, who gets suplexed onto the apron, which has Jericho declaring Taylor as the biggest heel in the match. Sabian dropkicks Taylor down and a kick to the chest gets two.

Taylor is right back with a Samoan driver as Jericho mocks wrestlers cheering from ringside. A pop up sitout powerbomb gets two on Sabian, who is right back with some right hands. Hold on though as Sabian has to kiss Penelope, which draws Cassidy up to the apron for a distraction. Jimmy Havoc pulls him off the apron though, allowing Ford to hit a top rope hurricanrana on Taylor to give Sabian the rollup pin at 10:08.

Rating: D+. This felt a lot longer than it was but that’s probably because Taylor was involved and I still don’t get it. They were just trading moves for a bit here until Taylor got pinned after something from Ford. It never got my attention and it got worse as it continued so this wasn’t exactly my favorite thing.

Dan Soder picks Moxley.

Ortiz picks Hager.

We look at Cody defeating Shawn Spears last week, plus Spears defeating Billy last night on Dark.

Shawn Spears vs. Justin Law

Spears doesn’t seem to think much of Law and slowly chops away. Some trash talking lets Law roll him up for two, sending Spears into a rage. The beating is on in the corner, including a heck of a clothesline. The running C4 gives Spears the pin at 2:23.

Josh Thomson (Bellator fighter) picks Hager.

Santana picks Hager.

AEW World Title: Jake Hager vs. Jon Moxley

Hager is challenging, no holds barred, and Jim Ross is on commentary. They go for the grappling to start and Moxley takes it to the mat to go after the arm. That doesn’t work so Moxley pulls him back down by the leg as the grappling continues. Moxley elbows away in the corner and starts cranking on the arm. Hager fights his way out of that without much trouble but gets sent outside.

That earns him a dive from Moxley and the cross armbreaker goes on again. Hager breaks that up with some shots to the head though and we take a break. Back with the two of them fighting into the empty stands and Hager knocking him around. They stagger in front of more empty seats and Moxley is sent into a barricade. He is also dropped onto a barricade, just to make sure he knows it a little better. Hager chokes with a knee and throws him back to ringside.

Moxley’s running knee takes Hager down back inside and it’s time for the big slugout. A gutwrench powerbomb gives Hager two more and we take a break. Back again with Hager hitting a running clothesline in the corner and pausing for a breather. Moxley hits another clothesline though and they both struggle to get back up. Hager gets to the middle rope but dives into the Paradigm Shift.

The cover takes a good while though and the head and arm triangle choke goes on, sending Moxley to the rope. That shouldn’t be a break but that has never stopped them before. Hager wedges a chair in the corner and Moxley misses a charge into it, giving Hager two. We take another break and come back again with Moxley getting caught in the ankle lock. That’s reversed with a roll through the ropes and Moxley grabs a guillotine choke. Hager escapes that as well and they slug it out until Hager kicks him low. Moxley is right back with the chair to the face though and the Paradigm Shift onto the chair finishes Hager at 30:53.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a fight and I got into the chance that they might actually change the title in the end. You can tell that Moxley has a great time with this kind of match and that it’s much better suited to what he wants to do in wrestling. This could have easily been a pay per view match on a show with a major main event to come on after and that’s what it should have been. Moxley is going to hold the title for a good while and it’s going to be a big deal when he loses it, which is a nice feeling to have.

Overall Rating: A-. It’s quite a show when you have one match eat up about a fourth of the show and have it be rather good. The rest of the show was hit and miss but they made the main event feel like something must see and gave us a heck of a match. I liked the show rather well and it felt like In Your House as a TV show. That’s a formula that can work and it did so here.

Results

Lance Archer b. Colt Cabana – Blackout

Britt Baker b. Cassandra Golden – Kick to the back of the head

Sammy Guevara b. Suge D. – Burning GTS

Kip Sabian b. Chuck Taylor – Rollup

Shawn Spears b. Justin Law – C4

Jon Moxley b. Jake Hager – Paradigm Shift onto a chair

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: National Wrestling Alliance

Into The Fire
Date: December 14, 2019
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Stu Bennett

This is another one that has been sitting on my list for a good while now and it’s time to knock it off. What we have here is the NWA pay per view and the big culmination of the first season of Powerrr. The show has been good leading up to this event and now we need to see what the NWA can do on a big stage. The main event is Nick Aldis defending the World Title against James Storm in a 2/3 falls match with guest referees involved. Let’s get to it.

The opening video features Stu Bennett reading a poem, which is capped off with the line Into The Fire. Makes sense, just like the words being read over clips of the wrestlers on the card.

The commentators run down the card, which I never understand on a pay per view, but for a cheap show where a lot of people might be getting into the promotion, it makes some more sense.

Eli Drake vs. Ken Anderson

Everyone has music and an entrance now, making the show feel even more important. This is fallout from a triple threat match for the National Title where James Storm retained. A hard lockup takes them into the corner to start, followed by Anderson grabbing a hammerlock. Drake can’t spin off the mat early on so he powers up and hammers away in the corner. Anderson whips him back into the corner though and it’s a sliding knee to crush Drake’s head.

Back up and Drake grabs a hot shot for two, setting up the chinlock. The big jumping elbow gets two and there’s a slingshot shoulder for the same. The chinlock goes on again, followed by a quick neckbreaker so Drake can get another near fall. We hit the reverse chinlock until Anderson fights up again for the Regal Roll. Anderson counters the Gravy Train into a rollup and goes up top. That’s fine with Drake, who runs up the corner for a superplex, only to have Anderson counter into a sunset bomb, with Drake sitting down on it for the pin at 9:15.

Rating: C. This was a perfectly fine match between two wrestlers who have been in the ring for a long time and done this stuff for a long time. They didn’t do a great job of explaining why these two are fighting, but at least they had a watchable enough match. I can go for more of Drake, though he wasn’t exactly looking great here.

Here’s Nick Aldis to say the NWA went from nothing to something, with forty countries watching live on pay per view. Yeah you can get up and cheer for that and tonight, it’s him vs. James Storm as the only men with a chance to live forever. Storm comes out as well and says everyone worked together as a team to get here. Tonight, Aldis is going to learn that he has been through a war with the toughest SOB in the world. At the end of the night though, Aldis is going to hear AND NEW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION.

We recap Melina debut and forming an alliance with Thunder Rosa and Marti Belle.

Here’s Tasha Steelz for her match but first, she says how great she is and makes a weird noise.

Tasha Steelz vs. Thunder Rosa

Rosa comes down the steps and looks ticked, despite getting a heck of a reception. Rosa grabs her by the hair to start but misses a clothesline. Steelz goes for the wristlock but gets blasted with the second clothesline attempt, allowing Rosa to tie her in the Tree of Woe. A running corner dropkick gets two so Steelz tries an Irish whip, which is cut off with a drop toehold (I’ve seen that before and it’s still sweet). The surfboard goes on but Steelz gets out and hits some running uppercuts. Some running kicks to the face drop Steelz again and a top rope double stomp to the back finishes Steelz at 4:18.

Rating: D+. As usual, the women’s division doesn’t exactly seem like much around here and it hasn’t gotten much better. The match was just a few steps above a squash and Steelz is one of multiple women who feel interchangeable around here. Rosa continues to look like a star though and the longer she toils with these matches, the less important she feels.

Post match Rosa beats on her some more, drawing out Ashley Vox for a failed save attempt. Rosa dislocates the elbow for a bonus.

We recap Aron Stevens joining forces with Question Mark over the powers of ka-ra-te.

Question Mark vs. Trevor Murdoch

Stevens is here with Mark, who he refers to as Sensei Question. Hold on though as Mark needs to sing the Mongrovian National Anthem, with Stevens unrolling the flag. They stare each other down for a good bit after the bell until Murdoch starts slugging away. A slam puts Mark down again but it’s too early to go for the mask. Mark strikes away with chops to the head and chest, followed by a middle rope dropkick for two. Back up and Murdoch grabs a spinebuster before going up top…..WHERE HE GRABS THE FLAG AND THROWS IT DOWN! You don’t do that to Mark so Murdoch has to chase Stevens off, allowing Mark to hit the chop to the throat for the pin at 5:58.

Rating: C. Mark is one of those guys who the fans have just accepted and turned into one of the most entertaining acts around here. That’s all he needs to be and while it won’t last forever, it is something that is rather entertaining for what it is. Murdoch will be fine as the old cowboy as it’s a character you can always have around.

We look at the Rock N Roll Express winning the Tag Team Titles from the Wild Cards. Tonight is the rematch.

The Express comes out, flanked by Outlaw Inc., for a chat before their title defense. Outlaw Inc. is here as an insurance policy, which doesn’t bode well. Hold out though as here are the Wild Cards, with the Dawsons as their own backup.

Tag Team Titles: Rock N Roll Express vs. Wild Cards

The Express is defending. Morton and Latimer start things off with the champ sending him into the corner. A double back elbow drops Latimer and Gibson sends the Cards into each other. Naturally Morton is fine enough to hit a suicide dive onto both of them but Isaacs gets in a knee to the back to take him down.

A powerbomb connects but the referee won’t count because there was no tag. I guess they really do wrestle in the NWA. Morton avoids a charge in the corner and brings Gibson back in to clean house. A missed clothesline drops Isaacs and Morton busts out a Canadian Destroyer of all things. The other teams get in a fight on the floor and in the confusion, the double dropkick finishes Isaacs to retain the titles at 5:01.

Rating: C. This is one of those matches where you have to put it on a sliding scale because the Express are in their sixties and there is only so much that they can do. The match wasn’t anything great and I’m not sure why I should think much of the Wild Cards if they can’t beat the old Express, but the fans were WAY into the champs here. And they even busted out a dive and Destroyer so it’s kind of hard to complain that much.

The NWA will be back on pay per view January 24 and the TV Title is coming back (dig that classic design).

Here’s Eli Drake to say he wants a World Title shot. Drake doesn’t like the idea of someone coming out here and trying to pump his gas, so here’s Ken Anderson to jump him from behind. Anderson wraps a chair around Drake’s neck and crushes it against the post. The Mic Check onto the open chair knocks Drake cold.

Allysin Kay/??? vs. Melina/Marti Belle

Ashley Vox was supposed to be Kay’s partner but she was taken out earlier, meaning we need a replacement. That would be….ODB, because we’re just that lucky. Good thing she was here and in gear on about thirty minutes notice too. Melina bails from a charging Kay to start so it’s Belle coming in instead. That earns her some forearms into the corner so a running knee can get two.

A hard whip into the corner keeps Belle down and Kay hammers down some right hands for two more. There’s a neckbreaker for another two as Kay keeps yelling at Melina. That’s enough to draw Melina in without a tag so Kay tries the belly to back piledriver (AK47, which is a different move than the one that originally used the same name), allowing Belle to get in a cheap shot to take over.

Now Melina is willing to come in legally and stomp away, with Belle choking from the corner for a bonus. Belle gets two off a DDT but Melina misses a kick to the head, allowing ODB to come in off the hot tag. House is cleaned, including a fall away slam and Bronco Buster to Belle with Melina making the save. Now the AK47 drops Melina and the Bam (usually a TKO but practically a Samoan drop here) finishes Belle at 7:21.

Rating: D. I’ve never been an ODB fan and this didn’t make it any better. The finish looked horrible and I’m still not sure what the point of this feud is. Then again I’m not sure if it’s a feud in the first place, as the story just kind of goes on and on. Not every promotion needs a women’s division and while Melina may be a star, she’s not quite the kind of legendary star that they seem to think she is.

Video on Storm vs. Aldis. Storm has claimed a conspiracy against him so tonight it’s 2/3 falls and they both get to pick a referee.

National Title: Ricky Starks vs. Aron Stevens vs. Colt Cabana

Cabana is defending, Stevens has Question Mark with him, and it’s one fall to a finish. Stevens bails to the floor to start so the chase is on, with Cabana and Starks hitting elbows to his head back inside. A running kick to the head puts Stevens on the floor so he hides behind a Christmas tree at ringside. Starks takes Cabana down in a hammerlock but Cabana is back with one of his own.

As Bennett tries to figure out what a “Stroke Daddy” is, Starks fights up and shoulders Cabana down for two. With the other two down, Stevens runs back in, poses a bit, and gets punched in the ribs for his efforts. Cabana throws Starks outside and takes Stevens into the corner. Starks comes back in so Stevens hits Cabana low and discus clotheslines Starks for two. A fancy elbow hits Starks and it’s time to choke in the corner.

Mark takes care of Cabana on the floor and Stevens knees him off the apron as Starks can’t get back up. Cabana gets back in and is sent out again just as fast, allowing Starks to run Stevens over. Everyone gets back in and it’s time for some atomic drops to Stevens for the sake of comedy. Starks dropkicks Cabana and lands on Stevens with a backsplash for two, followed by an abdominal stretch to Cabana.

That’s broken up as well and the Billy Goat’s Curse (reverse Boston crab) has Starks crawling over to the rope in a hurry. The pinfall reversal sequence gives us some near falls each until Starks grabs a tornado DDT on Cabana. Back up and Cabana hits the Superman Pin for two as Mark makes the save with a shot to the throat. Stevens is right back in and covers Cabana for the pin and the title at 12:21.

Rating: C+. This was a fun match and Stevens is going to be fine as a champion who everyone knows they can beat but can’t quite do it for a bit. His association with Mark is going to be rather entertaining and hopefully we get some more wacky shenanigans out of them soon. Starks is going to be fine for a long time to come.

Here’s Tim Storm, Nick Aldis’ referee for the World Title match, to promise that he’ll call everything right down the middle. He’ll represent the NWA because he’s always Mama Storm’s little boy.

We recap the World Title match, which is still centered around Kamille, who whispered something to Storm. The story doesn’t exactly make sense, but the match itself does and that’s what matters most here.

NWA World Title: James Storm vs. Nick Aldis

Aldis is defending and it’s 2/3 falls with Brian Hebner (Storm’s pick) and Tim Storm (Aldis’ pick) refereeing the first and second falls respectively. If a third fall is needed, a coin flip will determine who gets to referee. They fight over hammerlocks and headlocks to start with Storm having to flip out of a headscissors. Back up and it’s a standoff as Kamille comes out to watch. Aldis tells her to get to the back and it’s a Last call to give Storm the first fall at 2:17.

James stays on him to start the second fall and hammers away on the floor for a bit, including sending Aldis knees first into the steps. They fight up into the crowd for a bit, followed by a hard suplex onto the floor to keep Aldis down. Tim counts to nine at a fair speed so James throws Aldis right back to the floor. Aldis manages to whip him into the Christmas tree though, meaning it’s time to send Aldis into the announcers’ table.

Back in and James starts in on the leg, only to go to the middle rope and dive into a belly to belly. James is fine enough to hit the Eye of the Storm for two so it’s time for a chair. Believe it or not, he listens to the referee and throws it down, only to get small packaged to tie it up at 11:06.

We get a coin toss with Hebner winning so the third call can start. Aldis grabs a quick Michinoku Driver for two but walks into a Backstabber for the same. Storm gets crotched on top and superplex down for two (with a sloppy cover, causing Gorilla Monsoon to groan from the announcers’ booth in the sky). Another superplex attempt is broken up and Storm drops a top rope elbow for two. The Last Call is countered so Storm settles for a Figure Four instead.

Aldis turns it over to escape and hits a Tombstone of all things, setting up the top rope elbow for two. The referee gets bumped though, meaning Tim has to come back out to take over. There’s the Last Call to Aldis, who gets knocked into the corner. James grabs an O’Connor roll, with Aldis pulling the turnbuckle pad off with him (it wasn’t clear if he unhooked it or if it broke). The kickout sends James into the exposed buckle and the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf finishes the unconscious James at 21:54.

Rating: B. This was a main event that felt like it should have been on a major show and that’s a good thing. I could see this being a finish in an old school NWA match as you could argue over whether Aldis cheated or not. Aldis continues to carry himself like a champion every time and that’s the kind of thing that should keep the title on him for a long time to come. Good main event here and easily the best thing on the show.

Post match Aldis says this win belongs to all of us because we are the NWA. The title is how he tells the world who he is, and he knows no one can take the title from him. The lights go out and MARTY SCURLL IS HERE! Aldis looks scared and leaves to end the show before anything happens.

Overall Rating: C+. The thing to remember is where this company was just a few months ago. Until Powerrr started, AEW truly was a punchline. They went from absolutely nothing to something that people were talking about in a good way. Now they’re putting on a completely competent, if not downright good, pay per view. There were things here that weren’t very good, but there were enough positives to make the whole thing a success. It’s an easy two and a half hour show and that’s all it needed to be. Nice job and considering how far they’ve come recently, that’s impressive.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

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

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

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

Taz and Excalibur run down the card.

Jake Hager vs. Joe Alonzo

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

Matt Sells/Jon Cruz vs. Natural Nightmares

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

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

SCU vs. Robert Anthony/Shawn Spears

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

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

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

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

Kip Sabian vs. Suge D.

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

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

Colt Cabana vs. Brandon Cutler

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

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

Post match, respect is shown.

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Jake Hager b. Joe Alonzo – Head and arm choke

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

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

Kip Sabian b. Suge D. – Grounded Octopus

Colt Cabana b. Brandon Cutler – Superman pin

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

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

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

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

The announcers run down the card.

Peter Avalon vs. Colt Cabana

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

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

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

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

Hybrid 2 vs. Brandon Cutler/Michael Nakazawa

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

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

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

The hosts preview the next match.

Penelope Ford vs. Riho

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

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

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

Stu Grayson vs. Christopher Daniels

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Colt Cabana b. Peter Avalon – Superman pin

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

Penelope Ford b. Riho – Fisherman’s suplex

Christopher Daniels b. Stu Grayson – Rollup

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: March 4, 2020
Location: 1^st Bank Center, Broomfield, Colorado
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

We’re in a new stretch for AEW as Revolution has come and gone, meaning we have a new World Champion. Jon Moxley defeated Chris Jericho to win the title on Saturday, marking the first time that the title has changed hands. It should be interesting to see where we’re going next, but WarGames is looming in three weeks. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Revolution if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Revolution.

Here’s Moxley for his first chat as champion but he has to wait for the YOU DESERVE IT chants to die down. Moxley says AEW represents professional wrestling and this belt never belonged to Chris Jericho. It doesn’t belong to him either, because the belt belongs to the people. Every fan out there who said they wanted something different helped bring pro wrestling back. He will defend this title with his life and there isn’t a man in this industry who has what it takes to pry it away from his cold dead hands.

Moxley knows the Inner Circle is still coming for him and seeing the title on his shoulder is like acid in Jericho’s mouth. Moxley dares them to come after him so here comes Jericho, flanked by the rest of the team. The fans keep singing the song after the music stops for….I think it was a cool moment but I’m not sure. Jericho says he doesn’t need a belt to be Le Champion and yells at the fans for not chanting in unison. The fans may like the Moxley Era but Jericho thinks it sucks. Moxley’s title reign was based on a lie and the fact that Moxley can see out of both eyes is not worthy of a champion.

Therefore, Moxley is a liar and so are all of these fans. Now the Inner Circle is a hit squad and they’re coming after the entire roster. They’re going to hurt some people, starting with Moxley. After tonight’s main event (there’s a hug for Sammy), Moxley isn’t walking out of this dump on his own. Jericho is so sure of it, that if Moxley walks out on his own tonight, he’ll take a sixty day hiatus from AEW. Moxley knows he isn’t that smart but he’s so sick of hearing Jericho talk, that he’s going to beat him again tonight in Broomfield, Colorado.

Here’s a preview for the rest of the show.

SCU/Colt Cabana vs. Dark Order

Cabana and Grayson start things off with Cabana shrugging off some chops. The Order comes in to take over on Cabana and knock SCU off the apron at the same time. SCU gets back in and takes over on Silver, including a running series of elbows in the corner. Daniels gets sent outside though and Uno posts him to take over. The beatdown has Daniels down in the corner and we take a break.

Back with Daniels still in trouble but getting away from Silver and making the hot tag to Kazarian. House is cleaned and the assisted middle rope stomp puts Grayson down. A slingshot cutter gives Kazarian two and it’s off to Cabana to deal with multiple parts of the Order at the same time time. The fans are into Cabana but are also happy for Sky’s big flip dive over the top. Cabana hits the Chicago Skyline on Silver, followed by the Superman Pin at 10:27.

Rating: C+. Well at least the important members didn’t get pinned. The match was a good way to give Cabana his first win and continue the build towards the Exalted One. I’m still curious to see who it is and that’s a good feeling to have, as long as the reveal is even somewhat good.

Post match, Uno threatens SCU with the arrival of the Exalted One, because he will not be pleased.

Highlights of the Revolution Tag Team match, featuring quotes from Alvarez, Keller and Meltzer. Now granted they don’t say who those people are so anyone who aren’t hardcore fans won’t know who they are, but they did say that Justin Barrasso writes for Sports Illustrated.

Big Swole vs. Leva Bates

Britt Baker, with coffee for Tony, is on commentary. Swole shoves Bates down to start but a Peter Avalon distraction lets Bates hit her with a book. A Backstabber rocks Swole but she’s right back with Dirty Dancing for the pin at 1:28. Well that was emphatic.

Video on MJF stealing a pin over Cody.

Here’s Cody for a chat. He doesn’t know if he wants to talk about what it means to lose to MJF because it means a lot to get on a pay per view, let alone win. Cody has gone through a lot and now he wants MJF to come out here right now, look him in the eye and say he won fair and square. Instead, here’s Jake Roberts for your random cameo of the week. Jake: “I got tired of hearing you cry and b****.”

Roberts says he’s here because the Dark Side is coming to AEW and it will be like a phoenix rising from the ashes. It’s been twenty years to get clean and now he has earned it. If you think he’s going to be a nice boy who plays nice, you have another thing coming. For years, he brought a snake to the ring to get in people’s heads and now he’s still getting in heads.

His client is coming and he’ll be on the floor getting in Cody’s head again. Cody can even bring Arn Anderson if he wants because Jake is just here to take Cody’s piece of the pie. Jake says never turn your back on someone you respect or are afraid of before turning his back on Cody and walking away. They got the point across, but it took a few seconds for Jake to start making sense.

Clips of Pac vs. Orange Cassidy.

Chuck Taylor vs. Pac

Orange Cassidy and Trent are at ringside. They run the ropes to start with neither being able to make much contact. A hurricanrana puts Taylor on the floor but Pac rolls outside to stare at Cassidy. Taylor jumps over him in the corner and chops away but Pac takes it outside. That means a hard whip into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Pac working on the arm until Taylor fights up with a dropkick to the floor. That means a dive over the top, but he still has time to hug Trent. Back in and Pac gets caught with an Awful Waffle in the corner for a rather close two. The moonsault misses though and the Brutalizer makes Chuck tap at 10:05.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t the extended squash that it should have been, which is annoying at least Pac continues to make the fans hate him. I’m sure the feud will continue, even though Pac has dominated the entire thing and apparently has the Lucha Bros with him. Chuck wasn’t bad as usual, but the entire team feels like it’s playing over its head.

Post match Trent gets in Pac’s face but Cassidy takes his place. Cue the Lucha Bros for the beatdown, with Pac naming the trio the Death Triangle. Is there some rule that EVERYONE around here has to be in some kind of a faction??? Cassidy takes the spike Fear Factor and Pentagon bites his ear.

Tully Blanchard wants your suggestions for Shawn Spears’ partner.

QT Marshall vs. Jake Hager

Brandi Rhodes, Dustin Rhodes, Santana and Ortiz are here. Hager takes him down with straight power to start and Marshall gets dropped with a knee to the ribs. The running Vader Bomb hits raised boots and Marshall’s corkscrew Swanton gets two. Hager is right back with a heck of a clothesline, setting up the standing arm triangle choke for the win at 3:23.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here and that’s fine enough. Hager is someone who needs to pick up wins like this to show that he can be more than a heavy and they did what they should have done. This feels like they’re setting up something for the future with a six man tag, though I’m not sure how much fuel something between these people are going to have.

Post match Hager won’t let go so Dustin comes in. That draws out Cody to clean house until Santana and Ortiz take him down with a chair shot. Cue Matt Jackson for the attempted save but the numbers are too big for him. Now it’s Hangman Page, who puts the beer on the post and starts wrecking people, including the Buckshot Lariat to Hager. Matt gets in Page’s face so Page flips him off and leaves.

MJF says he’s all about pinning shoulders to mats and banging rats (MJF: “AKA women.”). He’s gone from prospect to prodigy and now it’s time for him to become #1 contender. MJF will face Jungle Jabroni or Marko Stunted growth and doesn’t care who he is. It’s hot in here though so he needs to take his jacket off, revealing an I Pinned Cody shirt. That shirt is obnoxious, regrettable and very distracting. MJF: “Kind of like a neck tattoo, don’t you think?” We’re not worthy of MJF because this was glorious.

Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara vs. Jon Moxley/Darby Allin

Hold on though as three masked men jump Moxley during his entrance. They take him into the concourse and remove the masks to reveal Santana, Ortiz and Hager as the beatdown is on. Moxley gets covered with trash and choked out as commentary says Allin was jumped in the ring, which is why he isn’t coming out for the save. Ignore being able to see Allin standing up and watching the beatdown on the monitor.

Anyway, Allin agrees to wrestle on his own so Sammy knees him down for an early two. Jericho comes in and chokes in the corner, with Hager and company out to choke as well. A sunset flip out of the corner gives Allin two but Jericho is right back with the Walls. Allin makes the save so Jericho baseball slides him to the floor as we take a break. Back with Jericho hitting a suplex and bringing Sammy back in for a double elbow. The fans chant something censored before switching to STUPID IDIOT.

Allin fights up and knocks Jericho outside for a suicide flip dive but the numbers take him down again. Sammy kicks him in the back for two but the Lionsault hits knees. Allin tags himself in and gets all fired up, meaning the comeback is on. Jericho and Sammy are sent outside for the top rope Coffin Drop onto the entire Inner Circle. Back in and the Coffin Drop gets two on Sammy with Jericho making the save. Darby sends Jericho outside but the suicide dive gets Judas Effected out of the air. Allin is done and Sammy gets the pin at 14:08.

Rating: B. This was another show stealing performance from Allin, who needs to actually win something big at some point. It was a match where I got into Allin again and that’s something that happens almost every time he’s out there. Good stuff here and the action helped boost up a solid story.

Post match here’s Moxley to throw a chair at Hager but the numbers game gets the better of him as well. The Inner Circle takes him to the stage and powerbombs him down through some tables to end the show.

Lance Archer didn’t appear and wasn’t mentioned.

Overall Rating: B. It wasn’t quite as good as some of their previous efforts but that’s a pretty high standard to reach. There were some very good parts here along with some that were a bit odd/weak, such as Roberts’ random cameo and ANOTHER group named after death/darkness/evil. Still a good show and they’ve got a lot to look forward to, which is a great sign coming out of a pay per view.

Results

SCU/Colt Cabana b. Dark Order – Superman Pin to Silver

Big Swole b. Leva Bates – Dirty Dancing

Pac b. Chuck Taylor – Brutalizer

Jake Hager b. QT Marshall – Standing arm triangle choke

Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara b. Darby Allin – Judas Effect

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: National Wrestling Alliance

Powerrr
Date: January 7, 2020
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Stu Bennett, Joe Galli

We’re back to the regular scheduled after the holidays messed things up a few times. This week is again about the title situation, with Tim Storm setting his sights on Nick Aldis, who doesn’t seem interested in fighting. This has done wonders for Storm and I want to see where he goes from here. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at everyone coming at Aldis, who seems more interested in finding every way he can to avoid them all.

Into The Fire. I wish they would update the credits as it was better when you had the people on the show rather than just the big names.

Here’s Tim Storm to open things up. Storm explains the tournament (there will be six members of the Powerrr roster and two open invitational spots, which could come from anywhere) but he isn’t happy with Aldis running from him. Cue Kamille to hold up a mic but she doesn’t say anything. Storm calls Aldis a coward and gets slapped in the face.

Trevor Murdoch is ready to fight anyone and we get another draw for two TV Title Tournament qualifying matches: Dave Dawson vs. Zane Dawson and Trevor Murdoch vs. Tom Latimer.

TV Title Tournament First Round: Zicky Dice vs. Caleb Konley

I’m pretty sure this is the first round and there is no mention of a qualifying match. Konley grabs a few rollups for two and armdrags Dice into the corner for a bonus. Dice avoids a dropkick, only to get knocked outside for a breather. Konley gets sent to the apron so he comes back in with an anklescissors. A backsplash gets two on Dice but he’s right back with a bridging northern lights suplex for two. The slugout goes to Konley but he misses a double jump moonsault. Dice’s Snake Rattle and Roll is good for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure how much there is in Dice but Konley is fine for a match like this. They need to build someone up to be a factor in the tournament and Dice is becoming just that so far. I could still go for a bracket or a list of who all is involved, but I’m not completely sure the NWA knows just yet.

Highspots.com ad.

Earlier today Aron Stevens and the Question Mark promised to win more titles with Stevens owing his success to Mark (in a Stevens robe for a funny visual).

ODB vs. Thunder Rosa

Allysin Kay is on commentary. Rosa grabs a front facelock to start but ODB is back with some knees to the ribs. The slugout goes to ODB but Rosa starts with the kicks to the legs. A legsweep sets up the running crotch attack to the back in the ropes and it turns into a brawl on the mat. The chinlock goes on but ODB is up in a hurry and hitting her in the face again. A middle rope ax handle misses though and ODB bangs up her knee again. The top rope double stomp to the back finishes ODB at 5:49.

Rating: D+. Rosa getting the win is the right move as she has a lot of potential and beating a name like ODB can help her a lot. I’m still not convinced that the women’s division needs to exist but that isn’t going to change anytime soon. Not a terrible match, but I could go for something a lot stronger in the story department around the whole division.

The Rock N Roll Express have a love hot line.

Here’s Nick Aldis for a chat and there is literally a stack of questions for him. Believe it or not, the first question is about Kamille and Aldis knew that was coming. It’s true that Kamille isn’t the insurance policy anymore but that’s because she is now a full fledged member of Strictly Business. Then there’s Ricky Morton, who is a great tag team wrestler but needs to stay away from the World Title.

It’s like Eli Drake and James Storm trying to jump the line and get to the main event without earning anything. The Wildcards are going to be taking the Tag Team Titles so Storm and Drake can mind their business. As for tonight, he’s ready to beat Ricky Starks in less than six minutes because the only place he isn’t done in less than six minutes is in the bedroom because he can go all night.

Nick Aldis vs. Ricky Starks

Non-title with a 6:05 time limit. Aldis shoulders him down and busts out a cartwheel, meaning it’s time to lay across the top rope. Starks does the same but adds in a dropkick to set up a rollup for a new fall. A spinning suplex gets Aldis out of trouble and a clothesline is good for two.

The chinlock goes on and we have three minutes left. Starks is up in a hurry and Aldis charges into a boot in the corner for a breather. The middle rope missile dropkick gives Starks two more and the suicide dive to the floor makes it even worse. Back in and Starks misses a moonsault to tweak his knee. That means the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf with a minute left and Starks holds on for the time limit draw at 6:05.

Rating: C. This is the kind of thing that the champ can do to put someone over. It’s true that Starks was in trouble and would have lost after another minute or so but officially it’s a tie and Aldis couldn’t beat him. That’s how this should have gone and it wound up being an entertaining little match with Aldis giving Starks a lot.

Post match here’s Ricky Morton to demand five more minutes. That’s not happening, so Morton asks for five minutes of his own. Again, no.

Eli Drake/James Storm vs. Wildcards vs. Colt Cabana/Mr. Anderson

Hang on as there are no Wildcards to start so we’ll go two on two early on. Cabana headlocks Drake to the mat to start so Drake slips out, only to get caught in a second headlock. A quick flip gives Cabana two and it’s off to Anderson to hammer away. Drake’s jumping clothesline allows the tag off to Storm, who skins the cat and snaps off a headscissors.

Storm gets caught in the corner for a few moments but is fine enough to enziguri his way to freedom. Drake comes back in for the E-Li-Drake jumping elbow but Cabana trips him into the corner. That doesn’t last long either as Drake hits his own middle rope dropkick, only to have Anderson grab the referee. Cabana hits the Superman Pin for two on Storm so Anderson grabs the referee…for the DQ at 6:15.

Rating: C+. This had some nice energy and some of that was due to not having the other team included. That’s the kind of thing that can drag a match down so it was a good case of addition by subtraction. If nothing else, a triple threat match doesn’t seem to fit in the NWA and it was nice to see this get a little more time than the usual matches around here.

Post match Cabana yells at Anderson for costing them the match until they head to the back.

Cue Aldis and Kamille, plus the Wildcards, for one more chat. Aldis pulled the Wildcards from that match because it wasn’t in the best interest of Strictly Business. He invites the Rock N Roll Express out here and has an idea: a six man tag with Team Aldis vs. Team Morton. If Team Morton wins, he gets a show at Sweet Charlotte. Morton goes on a rant about the good old days before accepting the challenge. Hang on though as Aldis and Morton won’t be in the match because Aldis wants no excuses. Team Aldis will be the Wildcards and…..SCOTT STEINER, because we need to get that required square checked off.

Overall Rating: C+. This is starting to feel like a more complete wrestling show and that is the best thing that it could do. You can see the stories (ok so having some different people in them might help) being set up and where they are likely going, but what matters most is they’re making me care about what happens to these people. This place is starting to get some life and that’s a very good sign. There’s more to it than that, but for now they’re doing pretty well. Nice show here, with the wrestling not being the focus, as usual.

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: National Wrestling Alliance

Powerrr
Date: December 23, 2019
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Stu Bennett, Joe Galli

We’re on Monday here because it would be a little insane to have a show on Christmas Eve. Therefore, it’s time for the second show of the season a week early and thankfully we get some followup to some of the good stuff we saw last week. Things moved towards a more traditional direction and that’s the best thing they could do, albeit with their own unique twist. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of Nick Aldis retaining the NWA World Title at the end of Into The Fire, setting up Marty Scurll’s return. Then last week, Aldis and Scurll didn’t seem to be on the same page about Scurll getting a World Title shot. As a result, Aldis formed a team to give us a heel stable.

Into The Fire.

Quick rundown from the announcers.

Trevor Murdoch is rather happy because he has gotten a contract. Zicky Dice interrupts him though because he’s going to win the TV Title. Cue the debuting Pope D’Angelo Dinero to talk about some famous NWA names. He’s here to find his Super Powers or Horsemen, so Dice offers his services. Pope just walks over to commentary without saying anything to a funny reaction.

TV Title Tournament Qualifying Match: Ricky Starks vs. Eddie Kingston

They lock up to start as commentary brings up the 6:05 time limit. Kingston shoulders him down into a headlock but Starks fights up for a middle rope shoulder. A high crossbody gets two but Kingston runs him over and hammers away. Starks knocks him down again though and grabs a tornado DDT for two. Buster Keaton (lifting sitout Pedigree) finishes Kingston at 4:10.

Rating: C. This was a good enough match where they packed in a lot of stuff. Starks is someone they want to push and giving him a run towards the TV Title would work rather well. Pope being involved could make for something interesting, but him putting Starks over in some way would be best.

Post match Pope nods at Kingston.

We look back at the formation of Magnus’ team last week and their beatdown of Tim Storm.

Here are Royce Isaacs and a rather tattooed woman named Mae Valentine. They’re asked about holiday plans and Isaacs whispers something in the interviewer’s ear, which doesn’t set well with him. Isaacs is going to show what he can do on his hand but here’s James Storm to say he wants Isaacs to prove himself.

Highspots.com ad.

James Storm vs. Royce Isaacs

They brawl on the floor before the bell with Storm getting the better of things. Storm hammers away…and Isaacs takes the countout at 1:02. Well it’s better than Isaacs taking the pinfall.

Here’s Eli Drake, with a bottle of champagne, for a chat. We get a lot of YEAH YEAH YEAH’s before Eli talks about the interviewer warming up the crowd with a comedy routine before the taping starts. Drake talks about having some New Year’s resolutions and they are all about gold. He has the shoes of a champion and the jacket of a champion but he calls it shoes as well because he’s a little too fired up.

Jocephus (as Santa) and an unidentified Mrs. Claus sing some Christmas carols and Drake gets in a few more YEAH’s as backup. Cue Aldis and company to interrupt though and Aldis has some matching shirts for all of them. Everything you’ve seen over the last few weeks has been a part of the plan, including taking out James Storm. As for Ricky Morton, he can come out here and say something to Aldis’ face. Morton doesn’t think much of Aldis training under Harley Race and then disrespecting his legacy like this. Aldis threatens Morton to wrap it up.

We look at the women’s tag match from Into The Fire, including ODB debuting.

Melina/Thunder Rosa/Marti Belle vs. Allysin Kay/ODB/Ashley Vox

Whoever gets the fall gets to pick an opponent of their choosing. Rosa works a hammerlock on ODB but ODB slips out of a suplex and brings in Kay. Belle comes in to drop Kay with a running knee but it’s off to Vox in a hurry. She’s beaten down as well and we get into the more standard structure, with Vox getting beaten up in the corner. Melina gets two off a DDT but it’s right back to ODB vs. Rosa with the former taking over. Everything breaks down and Rosa has to bite the finger to escape an armbar. Something like a sitout White Noise shoulderbreaker finishes Vox at 5:48.

Rating: D+. I’ve never been an ODB fan so having her around here didn’t make things that much better. What did help was having a bunch of fresh talent in the match at the same time. The women’s division doesn’t really need to exist around here, but if they’re going to do something with it, they’re going to need a lot of names to keep things moving.

Post match Rosa is about to pick her opponent but Melina chooses for her: ODB.

We get a drawing for the TV Title tournament: Tim Storm vs. Nick Aldis. Storm talks about Mama Storm turning 95 this week and asked how long Tim can wrestle. She retired at 78 and he got his work ethic from her. We get an homage to the Hard Time promo, with Storm saying he’s old and broken down but he’s bad and they know he’s bad.

TV Title Tournament Qualifying Match: Question Mark vs. Colt Cabana

Colt armdrags him down a few times but loses a chop off to the ka-ra-te master. A rollup gives Colt two and an elbow to the jaw puts Mark down again. The running hip attack connects in the corner and the middle rope splash gives Cabana two. Cabana goes up but dives into a shot to the throat to give Mark the pin at 3:07.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to do much but around here it’s one of the longer matches. That’s such a weird dynamic for the company but it’s working well enough. Mark is one of the best cult favorites I’ve seen in a long time and that’s the kind of thing that can work wonders around here.

Aron Stevens and Question Mark want all the gold.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: C+. You can tell they’ve changed things up a lot around here as they are now packing in every single thing that they can. It’s made things more interesting, though I’m still not clear on how the tournament is working. Are they going to have qualifying matches and then the pay per view is built around the tournament? Anyway, at least they’re doing some interesting stuff and the place is going to be rather pleased when they get to Storm vs. Aldis for the title again. Nice show here, and the new style is an improvement.

Results

Ricky Starks b. Eddie Kingston – Buster Keaton

James Storm b. Royce Isaacs via countout

Melina/Thunder Rosa/Marti Belle b. Allysin Kay/ODB/Ashley Vox – Sitout shoulderbreaker to Vox

Question Mark b. Colt Cabana – Chop to the throat

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