IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: December 13, 2019
Location: Firsev Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Aiden English

We’re back to this show and it’s really hard to know where things are going to go from last week. It doesn’t help when the Cruiserweight Title changed hands on Wednesday instead of on this show, which is becoming less and less important every single week. One of the biggest deals coming out of the last two weeks was Jack Gallagher snapping so maybe we can get somewhere else with that one. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Angel Garza becoming NXT Cruiserweight Champion by making Lio Rush tap.

Opening sequence.

Ariya Daivari vs. Raul Mendoza

It’s a bit distracting watching them walk past the tables, ladders and chairs during the entrances. They talk trash to start until Mendoza shoulders him down a few times. Daivari avoids a charge and puts him on the middle rope so Mendoza jumps up to the top for a crossbody in a nice move. A baseball slide puts Daivari on the floor but he’s back up to post Mendoza.

Back in and we hit the expected chinlock, followed by a reverse chinlock to mix things up a bit. Mendoza fights up and hits a running forearm to knock Daivari silly. Some right hands rock Daivari and a dropkick puts him into the corner. It’s a fine comeback but the crowd is so silent for the whole thing that it’s rather depressing. Daivari is sent outside for a big flip dive and a suplex gets two back inside.

Mendoza runs into a superkick in the corner though and Daivari hits a heck of a Persian splash for two more. A hurricanrana gives Mendoza two more but he has to bail out of a Phoenix splash. That means Daivari can hit a Rock Bottom for two but they collide on stereo crossbody attempts. They slug it out and Daivari tries the hammerlock lariat, only to get reversed into a rollup for the pin at 11:05.

Rating: C+. Thank goodness. They had me worried that they would do the idiotic thing here and have Daivari, the heatless wonder, get the win. Mendoza is someone who has been used to put over a lot of names (there’s nothing wrong with that) and at some point you have to give him a win or two, which is what they had to do here. Daivari is a failed experiment so go with someone who could get something out of the win.

Video on Joaquin Wilde, who nearly died in a match in 2017.

Joaquin Wilde vs. James Tapia

Wilde starts with the air horn sounds and spins around Tapia without much trouble. A jump over Tapia sets up an armbar and Wilde sends him into the corner, setting up a nip up. Tapia tries a superplex but gets powerbombed out of the corner instead. Wilde kicks him into the air so Tapia lands face first on Wilde’s feet (the Wilde Thing) for the pin at 2:53. Wilde looked ok here.

We look at Angel Garza proposing to his girlfriend after winning the Cruiserweight Title last week.

Danny Burch vs. Tony Nese

Feeling out process to start as they fight over a test of strength. Burch gets the better of a wristlock so Nese slips out, only to get taken down with a headlock takeover. Nese fights to his feet and gets put right back on the mat as they’re taking their time to start here. Another comeback is cut off as Nese’s leapfrog is pulled out of the air for a faceplant. Burch goes up but gets pulled out of the air for a crash and Nese finally gets in a few shots to the face to take over.

The Lionsault gives Nese two and the bodyscissors goes on to stay on the ribs. That’s broken up as well and Nese hits a middle rope dropkick to put them both down. An enziguri sets up a heck of a right hand to give Nese two but he’s able to flip out of a release German suplex. A double stomp to the chest gives Nese two, only to have Burch come right back with the Tower of London out of the corner.

The Crossface goes on but Nese gets his foot on the rope in a hurry. Burch gets sent to the floor so Nese hits the big flip dive. The 450 misses inside though and Burch slaps on the Crossface again. This time Nese just muscles out of it and hits a running buckle bomb. The running Nese finishes Burch at 12:58.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable match and that’s all it was going to be. What else were you expecting out of a cold match between Nese and Burch in the last match of the year? It’s kind of a perfect way to wrap things up: two people having a fine enough match to no reaction as a lot of the fans have gone him. Sums up 205 Live rather well, no?

Overall Rating: C-. And that’s it for the year’s new episodes, with a not very good one to wrap it up. The show has fallen a long way this year and I don’t see it getting much better in 2020. As usual, the talent is there but they’ve been left out in the middle of nowhere to rot and it shows badly. Such is life in 205 Live and WWE seems perfectly content to let it keep going like this.

Results

Raul Mendoza b. Ariya Daivari – Rollup

Joaquin Wilde b. James Tapia – Wilde Thing

Tony Nese b. Danny Burch – Running Nese

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

205 Live
Date: December 6, 2019
Location: Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Commentators: Aiden English, Tom Phillips

I’m not sure what to think about this show anymore. NXT has taken away everything that mattered about this show and made it even less important than it was before, assuming that was actually possible. The only thing you can hope for are a few good matches, which are always a possibility around here. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Lio Rush vs. Angel Garza. Tonight they get to pick each other’s opponents.

Opening sequence.

The announcers recap the ending of Smackdown with Bray Wyatt possibly cutting hair without a license.

Angel Garza vs. Raul Mendoza

Mendoza gets aggressive to start and knocks Garza to the floor for an early breather. Back in and Garza gets caught in a front facelock and then a cravate for a change of pace. The announcers talk about women wanting to ride Garza and how much English misses Humberto Carrillo as Garza breaks out and yells at someone in the crowd. That’s broken up so they run the ropes, only to have both of them try an armdrag at the same time.

Garza knees him in the ribs but Mendoza snaps off a springboard armdrag. A middle rope hurricanrana sends Garza outside so Mendoza hurricanranas him there as well. Garza pulls him hard off the apron (that was nasty) though and Mendoza is in trouble in a hurry. Mendoza is so banged up that there is no focus on GARZA TAKING OFF HIS PANTS. A running kick to the chest puts Mendoza down in the corner so we get to see the removal of the pants, with English being VERY pleased.

The slingshot reverse DDT into the low superkick gets two on Mendoza and we hit the half crab (minus the stepover). That’s broken up and Garza misses a charge, going shoulder first into the post. Mendoza makes the comeback with a dropkick and it’s just sad to see the fans having no emotion to any of this. Garza catches him in the corner though and hits a running dropkick to both legs (always looks cool).

The Wing Clipper is blocked though and Mendoza grabs a rollup for two. An exchange of superkicks puts both guys down though and we get a breather. They chop it out until Mendoza snaps off a Spanish Fly for two. Garza slides out to the floor so that’s a big flip dive from Mendoza. Back in and Garza hits a superkick, setting up the Wing Clipper for the sudden ending at 12:11.

Rating: B-. Garza continues to look like a star every time he’s out there, if nothing else due to the smile alone. The fact that he can back it up so well in the ring makes it even better as there is very little he can’t do. Mendoza on the other hand is someone who can have a good match with anyone and is an excellent hand, which is going to keep him around for a long time to come.

We look back at Jack Gallagher snapping last week.

Gallagher has since sent out a tweet saying “I’m done.”

Singh Brothers vs. Trent Newman

Actually hang on as here’s Tony Nese to interrupt. He’s taking this match instead and doesn’t seem interested in the Singhs’ opinion.

Tony Nese vs. Trent Newman

Nese takes him into the corner for some early chopping before nipping up to avoid a chop from Trent. A kick to the ribs lets Nese pose before snapping Trent’s throat across the top rope. The middle rope moonsault gets two back inside as the Singhs are still at ringside. Trent gets in an enziguri but gets caught on top and suplexed into the corner. The running Nese is good for the pin at 3:41.

Rating: D+. I’m almost scared to imagine what this is going to mean for Nese as working with the Singh Brothers does not offer the brightest potential. Then again, it’s not like Nese has anything else going on at the moment. The match was just a squash, but it feels like the start of something for Nese and I guess that’s better than nothing.

Post match Nese leaves and the Singhs hit Trent with the Bollywood Blast.

Video on Isaiah Scott.

Danny Burch vs. Lio Rush

Non-title. Burch grabs a headlock to start with Rush going to the ropes for a rare form of escape. Another headlock puts Rush down for a bit and it works so well that they do it again, though this time Burch goes with a reverse Crossface (cool). Back up and Burch punches Rush to the floor before whipping him into the barricade as this is one sided so far.

Back in and we hit the neck crank, followed by another right hand and yet another chinlock. Rush fights up and hits the clotheslines to set up the handspring elbow. Burch gets sent to the floor for the suicide dive as the silence continues. The spinning kick to the face gives Rush two but Rush headbutts him down without much effort.

The middle rope dropkick hits Rush for two more but he blocks the German suplex. That’s fine with Burch, who powerbombs him first and then gets in the German suplex. A hard clothesline gives Burch two but Rush is right back with the springboard Stunner. That means it’s time for the Final Hour, only to have Garza come out to shove Rush off the top for the DQ at 12:58.

Rating: C+. This took a long time to get going with a bunch of chinlocks and nerve holds before getting into the back and forth action that made it work. The DQ ending was the right way to go as Burch hasn’t been around very long and doesn’t need to be taking a pin. The champ doesn’t either so this is as good as they could have done.

Post match Garza gives Rush the Wing Clipper and holds up the title, with Rush crawling for it, to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It was an entertaining show, which may have been due to the show being a bit shorter than usual. That can help a bit here as it feels like they’re keeping things a bit tighter instead of stretching things out. Throw in the actual story from top to bottom and it makes for a nice enough show. I don’t believe it means anything for the future, but it worked for one week.

Results

Angel Garza b. Raul Mendoza – Wing Clipper

Tony Nese b. Trent Newman – Running Nese

Lio Rush b. Danny Burch via DQ when Angel Garza interfered

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

205 Live
Date: November 29, 2019
Location: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Aiden English

We’re back after another week off, which continues to not be a good sign for the show’s future. Then again that would suggest that anyone gave this show any kind of thought, which doesn’t seem to be the case around here. It’s time to get ready for next week’s Cruiserweight Title match, which happens to be taking place on NXT. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the triple threat match from the Survivor Series Kickoff Show, with Lio Rush retaining the Cruiserweight Title over Akira Tozawa and Kalisto, as well as Rush defeating Tozawa in a singles title match on NXT.

Opening sequence.

It’s three years to the day of the start of 205 Live. My goodness how has this thing lasted that long?

Raul Mendoza vs. Ariya Daivari

Daivari grabs a headlock to start and the fans are almost disturbing in their silence. A shoulder gives Daivari two and he tells someone to shut up. I have no idea who it was, but it can’t be that hard to figure out who is saying something in this situation. Mendoza springboards over him to set up a dropkick and even stops to talk some trash. A hurricanrana increases Daivari’s frustration and a top rope version makes it even worse.

Daivari bails to the floor so it’s the suicide dive to put him down again. Back in and Mendoza hits one of the loudest chops I can remember with Mendoza having to stop and shake his hand off a bit. Makes sense because that was a very hard one. Mendoza gets a bit too cocky though, allowing Daivari to shove him off the top. An elbow hits raised knee, which for some reason doesn’t hurt said knee, but Daivari grabs the chinlock a second later anyway.

That’s broken up as well but Mendoza gets sent hard into the corner to take him down again. The top rope splash misses though and they’re both down again. Mendoza makes his comeback with some clotheslines and hits a rope walk top rope dropkick. Daivari’s Rock Bottom gets two but Mendoza is back with a running kick to the chest. The hammerlock lariat misses and Mendoza kicks him in the face. Daivari has had it with him though and now it’s the hammerlock lariat to finish Mendoza at 9:58.

Rating: D+. This was a fine example of a match that was technically fine but MY GOODNESS what were they thinking putting this out there? How in the world was this supposed to be a good choice for a match to keep the fans interested? It’s an ice cold match (meaning there is no reason for these two to be fighting) between two guys with the combined charisma of a cardboard box. What were they expecting here?

Jack Gallagher has been losing lately but he’s here to show why he’s one of the best around. He needs this, and doesn’t know what he’s going to do if he loses.

Angel Garza doesn’t care what Gallagher needs. Tonight, Gallagher gets his wings clipped. Also, Garza wants a rematch with Lio Rush for the Cruiserweight Title.

Danny Burch vs. Greg Williams

Burch gives us a clean break to start so Williams shoves him down. That earns himself a headlock and a grab of the leg blocks Williams’ leapfrog for a face first crash. A slam makes it worse for Williams as it’s completely one sided so far. Williams scores with a jumping knee to the face so Burch headbutts him into the corner. A German suplex into a hard clothesline sets up a top rope hanging DDT to finish Williams at 3:30.

Rating: D+. Burch got to look good here and I’m not sure why it took him so long to get to NXT. He’s kind of the perfect choice for a show like this and adds a different style to freshen things up a bit. It’s fine for a quick squash too and Burch is someone who who could give us a little something else. It’s not like what they’re doing is working at the moment.

Akira Tozawa thanked Lio Rush after their match on Wednesday. Angel Garza came up and Rush had to be held back. The title is on the line again this week. This isn’t exactly an interesting feud but it’s an actual feud and that’s something.

Angel Garza vs. Jack Gallagher

Gallagher blocks a reach for the pants and grabs a headlock, which sends Garza bailing to the floor. That means the tease of a high five to a fan so Gallagher catches him with a headlock takeover back inside. Back up and Gallagher does his handstand stop sign deal in the corner, followed by a kneeling backdrop (that’s a knee one). Garza is fine enough to tie Gallagher’s legs up in the ropes though and it’s a double dropkick to the thighs.

That means GARZA CAN TAKE OFF HIS PANTS before telling the fans to callate. A running shot to the back gets two on Gallagher and one to the ribs is good for the same. Garza dropkicks him for two more and we hit the camel clutch. That’s broken up and Gallagher hits a running forearm, setting up a crossbody for his own two. They head up top with Garza blocking a superplex attempt and dropkicking Gallagher out of the air for another near fall.

The Gentleman’s headbutt rocks Garza but he scores with a superkick to put both guys down. Back up and Gallagher just unloads with forearms to the back to get the fans into things but the Gentleman’s dropkick is blocked. The Lionsault is broken up as well though and Garza gets caught in the ropes for a missile dropkick. Now the Gentleman’s Dropkick can get two more thanks to a foot on the rope. Gallagher slaps on a guillotine with a bodyscissors but Garza slips out and grabs the Wing Clipper for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: C. Best thing about the show by a mile and it’s still all not that interesting. Garza is a very charismatic guy but there is only so far you can go on this show. It really is staggering how much better and more important he seems on NXT, as he comes off like a small star there, while this is more just a thing that he is doing. That’s the case for everyone, and it’s true of Garza here too.

Post match Gallagher clears off the announcers’ table and throws a chair at the referee. Gallagher beats up security as well so Drake Maverick comes out to break it up. Drake suspends him and gets knocked down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. And so ends another edition of 205 Live with little to get excited about, some passable wrestling and nothing more. I know I’m beating a dead horse with this but what else is there to say? This was basically forty five minutes to set up a title match on NXT and the angle at the end, which was hardly anything great. This is the best example of a show that comes and goes with nothing changing and it just never gets better.

Results

Ariya Daivari b. Raul Mendoza – Hammerlock lariat

Danny Burch b. Greg Williams – Top rope hanging DDT

Angel Garza b. Jack Gallagher – Wing Clipper

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

NXT
Date: October 16, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a big night as we have the return of Tommaso Ciampa to in ring action. That’s quite the get for NXT, as they are in for a fight against Dynamite. There are only so many people you can throw out there and Ciampa is already a legend around here. Speaking of legends, the advertisements for the show have featured Finn Balor so we could be in for another major appearance. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Angel Garza

Ciampa gets the hero’s return welcome. They start fast with Ciampa running him over but they both miss kicks to the ribs, allowing Garza to kneel for a handshake over. Ciampa kicks that away but gets enziguried for his efforts. Back in and the Fairy Tale Ending is blocked and Garza dropkicks him in the corner for a trip to the floor.

That means a big flip dive but hang on, because GARZA HAS TO TAKE OFF HIS PANTS. Ever the pants fan, Ciampa snaps and stomps away in the corner, before stomping on the Mexican flag in the corner, including a kneeing knee. He even loads up the Fairy Tale Ending on the flag but stops to hit the Willow’s Bell (hanging DDT) to finish Garza at 3:17.

Rating: C. The stuff with the flag was a little weird but at least they didn’t go into anything too strange and it didn’t become a mess. It’s good to have Ciampa back and there was no reason to have him break a major sweat in his first match back. I’m a bit surprised by having Garza be the one to take the fall here, but Ciampa is what matters the most.

Post match here’s the Undisputed Era to stare Ciampa down. Ciampa grabs his chair and crutch but hang on a second as Kyle O’Reilly goes over to the announcers’ table and throws Mauro a USB drive. The Era walks out without saying or doing anything else.

Post break we see what is on the USB, which shows the Era in the back, having laid out the Velveteen Dream and Strong BREAKING HIS SUNGLASSES.

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Imperium

Marcel Barthel/Fabian Aichner for Imperium and they have Alexander Wolfe as a bonus. Aichner literally throws Burch into the corner to start so Burch runs him over with a shoulder. It’s off to Lorcan for a double elbow so Barthel comes in, only to dive into a headbutt from Burch.

It seems to mess with Burch even more though as Barthel hits a sliding dropkick in the corner as we take a break. Back with Burch hitting Aichner in the face and bringing Burch in for the house cleaning. Uppercuts into a slingshot dive to the floor sets up a big dive onto both of them. Back in and Burch German suplexes Aichner, followed by a powerbomb into a jackknife cover for two.

The assisted elevated DDT is broken up by Barthel so it’s Lorcan and Aichner chopping it out. Barthel dives on Burch on the floor, leaving Aichner to hit a double springboard moonsault for a close two on Lorcan. That leaves Lorcan to get beaten up with a series of strikes and the European Bomb gives Barthel the pin at 8:32.

Rating: B-. This was about four people beating the heck out of each other and that’s exactly what we got. Lorcan and Burch are not looking like a team who will ever win the titles, though that tends to make them guaranteed champions around here. Imperium being on both NXT and NXT UK adds a fresh change of pace around here and it’s an interesting twist.

Video on Johnny Gargano. He has wanted to wrestle forever and is living his dream by staying in NXT.

Gargano isn’t sure what to think about Ciampa being back and won’t know what to think until they see each other face to face.

Io Shirai vs. Kayden Carter

Carter starts fast but flips around once too often and gets shouldered down. Something like a sunset flip gives Carter two and Shirai bails to the floor. That doesn’t go well for Carter as Shirai hits her in the face, setting up a springboard missile dropkick for two back inside. Carter sweeps the leg though and a kick to Shirai’s chest staggers her a bit. A low superkick gets two on Shirai but she’s right back with a hard release German suplex. The moonsault finishes Carter at 2:37. That was a rather entertaining match for so little time.

Post match, Shirai says she only wants Shayna Baszler and not Rhea Ripley or Bianca Belair. Cue Ripley and Shirai is looking a bit nervous. Rhea is ready for Belair next week but she’ll shut Shirai up too. Shirai teases a fight but bails instead.

We look back at Killian Dain distracting Boa so Cameron Grimes could beat him in about five seconds. Dain destroyed Boa after the match for a bonus.

Boa wants revenge on Dain.

William Regal says Velveteen Dream is out of action for the time being due to the attack. Therefore, Strong needs a new #1 contender so Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic is now for a title shot.

Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic

The winner gets Strong for the North American Title next week. The exchange of shoulders goes nowhere to start so they try it again for the same result. They try a test of strength with Lee going to one arm and lifting him into the air in a nice power display. Lee shoulders him down and stays on the arm with a splash for two.

Back up and Dijakovic gets in a clothesline with the good arm and we take a break. We come back with Lee hammering away in the corner before tossing him across the ring. The Pounce gives Lee two and Dijakovic’s sitout chokeslam gets the same. Dijakovic can’t hit a superplex though as Lee shoves him down and hits a middle rope splash onto the arm. The Spirit Bomb sends Dijakovic rolling out to the floor but he’s right back with the cyclone boot for two back inside.

That means it’s Lee’s turn so he muscles Dijakovic up (on the third time in a crazy strength display) for a suplex and the big crash. Lee loads up what looked to be a Vader Bomb so Dijakovic gets him in an electric chair, which is countered into a reverse hurricanrana for the big knockdown. They get to the corner with Lee loading up a super powerbomb, only to have Strong come out and hit both of them at the same time for the no contest at 15:23.

Rating: B. It was good, but they were under the pressure of their previous outstanding matches and it didn’t hold up as well as they were shooting for. What we got was good, though the ending is the same heel idea that has never worked before and hopefully they get to the point and do the triple threat. We don’t need to see these two again in another singles match for a long time though, because the impact isn’t as strong anymore.

Hold on though as Regal wastes no time in saying that isn’t going to work and next week it’s a triple threat match for the title.

Matt Riddle vs. Bronson Reed

Riddle’s shoe flip misfires this time for a somewhat funny moment. We get a quick bit of respect before Riddle hits him in the face. The Final Flash sets up the running forearms in the corner and a t-bone suplex makes it even worse. Reed runs him over though and drops a backsplash for a fast two.

Riddle is right back with a powerbomb and the second Final Flash for two of his own. The Floating Bro is countered into a sitout powerbomb to knock Riddle silly and the straps come down. Reed tries a suplex but Riddle reverses into a sleeper. That’s escaped as well and Reed tries to jump over Riddle in the corner, only to get caught on Riddle’s shoulder in a rather nice power display. The Bro Derek finishes Reed at 3:04.

Rating: C. This was a fired up Riddle, who threw everything he had at Reed and took the big guy down. Reed looked good as well though as you can always use a monster who can move. It was more about Riddle here though and this should get him back on tract after the loss to Cole.

Video on Bianca Belair, who is ready to beat Shayna and is tired of people jumping in front of her.

Kushida has a fractured wrist and will be out for a month.

Taynara vs. Tegan Nox

Nox starts fast with a kick to the face for two but a bicycle kick puts her on the floor in a heap. Back in and Taynara gets in some rolling judo throws into some running knees in the corner for two. Nox is right back up and a running knee and a chokeslam, followed by a Willie Mack style reverse Cannonball. The Shiniest Wizard finishes Taynara at 2:55. Mauro:” Tegan Nox it out of the park!” She did look good here and just seeing her getting to wrestle again without having her knee explode is a good sign.

Post match Dakota Kai comes out to hug Nox but here are the Horsewomen to interrupt. Baszler doesn’t like the idea of Nox jumping into the title picture because she’s running out of limbs to rehab. When she does something important, come see the champ.

Finn Balor talks about needing a new path to take so he’s taking the one he took before. He’s in the ring next week.

Boa vs. Killian Dain

Rating: D+. Just a squash here for the most part with Dain dominating, as he should. Boa is someone with a good look though he is just one of the warm bodies around to take beating at the moment. That can change in the future though and he looked good for the first thirty seconds or so.

Pete Dunne comes out for his match but gets in a staredown with Dain. For some reason Dain thinks it’s a good idea to point his finger at Dunne, who snaps it to send Dain running.

Pete Dunne vs. Damien Priest

Priest goes with an elbow to the face to start before winning a battle of the kicks. With that not working for Dunne, he grabs the finger and gets in the stomp to the arm to take over. They head outside with Dunne working on the arm even more, including another stomp on the steps. Priest kicks him off the apron though and a right hand puts Dunne down again as we take a break.

Back with Dunne hitting a superplex and striking away with lefts and rights. An enziguri sets up a middle rope dropkick to the knee and Priest heads outside again. That doesn’t go well either as Dunne hits the middle rope moonsault for another knockdown. Back in and a Liger Bomb gives Dunne two more so he loads up the stomps, only to get kicked in the head.

Dunne can’t get a cross armbreaker so he tries a triangle, which Priest counters into a rollup with feet on the ropes for two. Priest sends him shoulder first into the post and gets two of his own off a Razor’s Edge (somehow without a Razor Ramon reference from Mauro). Dunne is sent outside for a crazy running flip dive from Priest, followed by the South of Heaven chokeslam for another near fall.

They slug it out with Priest turning him inside out with a clothesline. The Reckoning is blocked but Dunne can’t hit the Bitter End. Another chokeslam is countered with an enziguri so Priest hits a spinning kick to the head. They’re both down but Dunne gets up first, only to have his moonsault hit knees. Dunne slips out of a powerbomb though and cranks on the finger, with the referee getting between them. That’s enough for a low blow from Priest and the Reckoning gives Priest the pin at 14:20.

Rating: B. This worked very well with two guys beating the heck out of each other and one of them taking the shortcut to win in the end. Dunne doesn’t lose anything here and you can almost guarantee a rematch here, perhaps in the form of a tag match with Dain joining Priest against Dunne and….Riddle maybe? If that’s still a thing?

Overall Rating: B-. The main event helped a lot here but the show hasn’t felt quite as special since the show moved up to two hours. The shows are still quite good though and we are getting some big stuff in the future, though it doesn’t have exactly the same spark that it had for all those years. Good show here, though it was missing a little something.

Overall, AEW wins this week but as usual it’s just by a hair. They had a tighter show with better matches up and down the card. The big tag match on Dynamite was the best thing all night and I liked how they were setting up Full Gear. NXT worked rather well too, though it lagged a few times and it hurt things just enough to give Dynamite the win.

Results

Tommaso Ciampa b. Angel Garza – Willow’s Bell

Imperium b. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan – European Bomb to Lorcan

Io Shirai b. Kayden Carter – Moonsault

Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic went to a no contest when Roderick Strong interfered

Matt Riddle b. Bronson Reed – Bro Derek

Tegan Nox b. Taynara – Shiniest Wizard

Killian Dain b. Boa – Seated abdominal stretch

Damien Priest b. Pete Dunne – Reckoning

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

205 Live
Date: October 11, 2019
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Aiden English

Here are the previous show’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Lio Rush beating Drew Gulak to become Cruiserweight Champion on NXT.

Opening sequence.

Drew Gulak/Tony Nese vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

I know it’s almost Halloween but there are far too many people dressed up as empty seats already. Nese headlocks Lorcan down to start but it’s off to Burch in a hurry. A series of kicks take Lorcan and Burch down at the same time with Burch being dragged into the corner. Nese slams Lorcan down but can’t hit a belly to back suplex as Lorcan backflips out and brings in Burch off an ice cold tag.

That doesn’t last long either as Nese takes him into the corner and hammers away, setting up a quick chinlock. A spinning kick to the face gives Nese two and it’s a reverse chinlock this time around. That lets commentary go into a history of Nese always siding with someone who can help him at the moment, which is an interesting path to take. Gulak comes back in and works on a wristlock but Burch shoves him away and rolls over for the tag.

The running uppercuts rock Nese and Lorcan hits a top rope flip dive onto both of them. Back in and Gulak gets DDTed for two, followed by Burch’s powerbomb into a jackknife cover for the same. Nese comes back in and hits a rolling right hand to Lorcan, who is fine enough to dive in with a headbutt to save Burch. That fast paced sequence receives…..less enthusiastic applause than your average college golf match. Nese’s 450 gets two as everything breaks down. Nese gets knocked outside and the assisted elevated DDT finishes Gulak at 11:46.

Rating: C. I feel so bad for these guys as they are out there working hard and the fans just do not care. It’s a situation where they are fighting a battle they can’t win because this isn’t what the fans paid to see. This is the bonus show at the end where most fans don’t watch it in the first place and they don’t want to see the show. That’s a shame, but it’s a situation where the wrestlers can’t win, which is just sad to see.

Video on Isaiah Swerve Scott.

After losing the title on Wednesday, Gulak says that change is the rule and he is the law.

Lio Rush had his first photo shoot and can’t believe he’s here. Everything has been worth it.

Ariya Daivari vs. Chris Bey

Daivari runs his mouth about being a high roller in Las Vegas who gets to come and go while everyone else is stuck here. After he beats up this local jabroni, he’s going to triple his money at the craps tables. Bey gets punched in the face to start and a backdrop puts him on the floor. Back in and the Iconoclasm connects, allowing Daivari to chill on top for a bit. Bey gets in some left hands and a knee to the face, only to walk into a release Rock Bottom. The hammerlock lariat finishes Bey at 2:33. The announcers kept trying to get Daivari Dinero over as a new name and….yeah sure. As long as it’s Daivari, it won’t matter.

Lucha House Party has been drafted to Smackdown.

Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick

No DQ. They stare at each other to start until Tozawa punches him out to the floor. That means it’s time to grab a kendo stick each with Tozawa getting in the first shots. A right hand to the face drops Kendrick again and Tozawa kicks him in the head. With that not working, Kendrick heads outside again and grabs a chair to pelt at Tozawa’s head to block a suicide dive.

A DDT onto the chair gets two and it’s time to duct tape Tozawa’s wrists to the top rope. That means some free shots with the kendo stick before Kendrick grabs more chairs. Two of them are set up but Tozawa gets out and drops Kendrick back first onto said chairs. Here are even more chairs, bringing the total to about ten or so. They fight over a suplex, with Tozawa finally dropping him onto them. Nice spot, though it was better when Tozawa and Mike Kanellis did it back in May onto the open chairs.

A table is brought out and gets the pop of the show but Kendrick kicks him down and hammers away with the stick. Tozawa kicks him in the face though and the backsplash from the apron puts Kendrick through the table. Back in and Tozawa puts Kendrick on more chairs but here’s Mike Kanellis to lay Tozawa out. Some kendo stick shots onto the chair onto Tozawa knock him silly and Kendrick is dragged on top for the pin at 12:43.

Rating: C. Some of the spots were good and the duct tape torture deal always works but at the same time, it feels like nothing we haven’t seen before. These guys have been dealing with each other for years and while it is still quality stuff, it isn’t something that is going to spark a lot of interest.

Kendrick and Kanellis hug to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. It’s like this show’s soul has died. Maybe it’s all of the big changes or maybe it’s the talent at the moment, but the interest that this show had has just died for me. What are you expecting from a show that feels like it’s a contractual obligation more than anything else? The show just does not feel important and with the Cruiserweight Title going to NXT, what is the point of this show? It’s not a bad show, but it doesn’t seem like anyone cares.

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

NXT
Date: October 2, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuiness

As big of a night as it is on the other show, this one is huge in its own right with the first full two hour broadcast on USA. The card is completely stacked with three title matches for a new Takeover level show. I’m not sure what to expect from this show but NXT knows how to bring it on the big nights. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video talks about how this is the exclusive brand of wrestling and if that’s what you’re looking for, welcome home (nice touch).

NXT Title: Matt Riddle vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending and has a broken bone in his wrist. Riddle goes straight for the armbar to start in a smart move but Cole is straight over to the rope. Some rolling gutwrench suplexes give Riddle one and he kicks Cole outside without much effort. Cole is fine enough to hit a jumping kick to the head to stagger Riddle though and Cole sends him into the steps for a bonus.

Back in and the fireman’s carry backbreaker gives Cole two and we hit the figure four necklock. Riddle fights up and hits some running forearms in the corner, setting up the standing moonsault. That doesn’t connect so Riddle hits a Broton into a running kick to the chest for two. The Final Flash into the fisherman’s buster gets the same and a dead lift German suplex gets the third two.

Riddle puts him in a fireman’s carry but Cole slips down into a Backstabber for the double knockdown. Cole gets smart by stomping on Riddle’s bare feet before superkicking him in the face. Riddle is fine enough to hit a knee before tossing Cole onto the back of his head with a release German suplex. Cole is right back up with the brainbuster onto the knee for two more and they’re both down to a huge NXT chant.

Back up and Riddle kicks him in the face but can’t hit something on the apron. Instead Cole kicks him to the floor but dives into a knee to the face. Back in and the Floating Bro hits knees, setting up Cole’s Panama Sunrise for two more. Another Panama Sunrise is countered into a Bro To Sleep and a powerbomb. Another Floating Bro connects for a very hot two and Riddle is stunned at the kickout.

Riddle tries a flip over the ropes but gets superkicked, setting up the second Panama Sunrise. The Last Shot misses and the Bromission goes on in the middle of the ring. Cole flips back and stacks him up for two, only to get pulled into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s escaped as well and Cole gets in a cast shot, setting up the Last Shot to retain at 13:49.

Rating: B. Good match here, even if some of the submission escapes were a bit of a stretch. What we got was some high enough quality stuff though and the always hot Full Sail crowd helped make it even better. I’m a bit surprised Riddle lost, though I’m certainly not surprised that Cole cheated to win, which protects Riddle enough.

Post match Cole poses….and here’s Finn Balor. He soaks in the cheers and stares Cole down before declaring that as of now, he is NXT.

Shayna Baszler watched Candice LeRae’s match at a house show last week and LeRae isn’t surprised. LeRae is ready to win the title.

Here’s Velveteen Dream, surrounded by an army of women, for a chat on the stage. Dream talks about the experience and how the Undisputed Era tried to steal it. He’s never had a problem with taking on more than one man at a time so he has a challenge for Roderick Strong. If he accepts, the next thing he knows it’s going to be dream over, and a snap takes the lights off.

Next week: Drew Gulak defends the Cruiserweight Title against Lio Rush. The title is officially the NXT Cruiserweight Title.

Video on Lio Rush.

Io Shirai vs. Mia Yim

Shirai starts fast and takes it to the floor with a kick to the face staggering Mia. We go picture in picture for a break and come back with Shirai hitting a running dropkick to the side of the head for two, meaning it’s time for some frustration. A flapjack into a handstand double knees to the chest gets two more but Mia is back with a suplex. Some shots to the face and a clothesline give Yim two but some kicks to the chest cut her off.

A 619 into a springboard missile dropkick get two more on Yim, who is right back with Code Blue. Shirai bails to the floor for a suicide dive and we go picture in picture again….which switches to a full commercial and then back to picture in picture again. Anyway we’re back with Yim hitting a superplex for two. Shirai is done with this though and kicks her in the face, setting up the moonsault for the pin at 14:43.

Rating: C+. It was a good, hard hitting match but I still cannot bring myself to care about Mia. I don’t know if it’s the bad nicknames or the character but it’s really not clicking at all. Hopefully this loss seems to indicate that she is going down the card, which almost feels like a relief at this point. She’s not terrible, but I can’t get into anything she does.

The Outsiders are here.

The Street Profits arrived earlier today. Of note: Bianca Belair is mentioned as Montez Ford’s wife, I believe for the first time on television.

Video on Tegan Nox’s injury and long time recovery.

Shane Thorne vs. Johnny Gargano

Johnny teases a kick to the face so Shane goes to the safety of the mat instead. Gargano rolls him up for two and tries the Gargano Escape to send Throne to the ropes. Back from a break with Johnny hitting the rolling kick to the head before sending Thorne outside. The suicide dive is blocked so Johnny tries it again and knocks Throne down in a crash.

The slingshot spear gets two but the slingshot DDT is countered. A Cannonball into a heck of a powerbomb gives Thorne two so he kicks Gargano in the head. That’s fine with Johnny, who snaps off a reverse hurricanrana. The low superkick (ala his half of Meet in the Middle) gives Johnny the pin at 8:53.

Rating: C. Just a match here as it’s almost strange to see Gargano winning a short match instead of some epic. I don’t think anyone was really expecting Thorne to take off as the next big thing so a short match with Gargano was about as good as he was going to get. What we got here was fine enough, though I’m not sure what Gargano can do next.

Women’s Title: Candice LeRae vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler is defending. Feeling out process to start with Candice knocking her to the floor. The slingshot dive takes us to an early break and we come back with Candice being knocked off the top. Baszler crushes the arm in the steps and it’s time to crank away back inside. Candice is right back up and hits a DDT onto the apron, setting up the suicide dive to drop Baszler again.

A second and third dive connect as well and Candice heads up top, only to get superplexed right back down as we take another break. Back again with Candice snapping off a German suplex and grabbing her own Kirifuda Clutch. Baszler is out of that in a hurry and grabs her own clutch out of the corner, which is reversed into Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride for two more. The Lionsault misses though and now the real Kirifuda Clutch goes on. Candice flips around a bit and almost breaks it but has to tap at 14:50.

Rating: B-. I am genuinely at a loss for who is supposed to take the title from Baszler. They’re going to have to import some names at this point with Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai being too fresh off of injuries to go to so soon. Rhea Ripley has already had her match so maybe….Toni Storm? Perhaps? I mean is there anyone other than someone from NXT UK?

Stephanie McMahon, Mark Henry and Alundra Blayze are here.

Video on Kushida vs. Walter, which takes place next week.

Pete Dunne vs. Danny Burch

Dunne nips out of a wristlock to start as they fight over early arm control. Burch avoids having his fingers stomped and reverses an armbar into a quickly broken Crossface attempt. A missed right hand gives us a staredown until Dunne blasts him with a clothesline. Back from a break with Burch getting the better of a slugout as someone is bleeding from somewhere. Dunne hits a Batista Bomb for two but Burch headbutts him into a powerbomb of his own. The top rope hanging DDT gets two but Dunne has had it and snaps the fingers. Dunne grabs the Bitter End for the pin at 7:13.

Rating: C. Good, hard hitting brawl here as I’m still trying to get my head around the idea of Dunne as a regular wrestler instead of the big specialty star. Burch is very good for a spot like this as he can wrestle against anyone and has good enough matches to keep himself solid despite almost never winning anything.

Post match Dunne poses but Damian Priest runs in and lays him out.

Cole tells the Undisputed Era to forget about Balor and go keep the Tag Team Titles.

We look at the Street Profits winning and losing the Tag Team Titles.

Tag Team Titles: Undisputed Era vs. Street Profits

The Profits are challenging and Wale raps them to the ring. Dawkins wrestles O’Reilly down to start before running him over with a shoulder. That means an early standoff and the champs bail to the floor. We take a break and come back with Ford getting taken into the champs’ corner. Ford get knocked down so O’Reilly dances a bit, allowing Ford to nip up. That earns him another beating though, including a slingshot hilo to give Fish two.

Some forearms to the face keep Ford down as the heat segment rolls on. Three Amigos give Fish two and it’s a double kick to the chest for two more. We take another break and come back again with Fish kicking Ford down again. Ford finally gets in a Rock Bottom but Fish is right there to pull Dawkins off the apron. Some rolling butterfly suplexes keep Ford in trouble and we hit the abdominal stretch.

Ford finally gets out and dives over for the hot tag to Dawkins, who runs through a double kick to the chest. A clothesline drops Fish and Dawkins bulldogs O’Reilly onto him for a cool spot. Everything breaks down and Dawkins’ spear is blocked with a knee to the face, allowing O’Reilly to come off the top onto Dawkins’ knee. The kneebar goes on and Fish adds a guillotine to Ford.

That’s broken up as Ford drives forward for the double escape and everyone is staggered. Ford hits a splash onto Fish’s back but an electric chair is broken up. The champs tease leaving so Ford hits a running flip dive over the post onto all three. Cue Roderick Strong to grab Ford’s foot so Dawkins spears him down. The distraction is enough for the High/Low to retain the titles at 20:06.

Rating: B. These four have chemistry together but it was pretty clear that the Profits were going to be the short term, one time champions. There’s nothing wrong with that and it makes sense to have them lose here. I’m not sure who is next to go after the titles, though Breezango would seem like a logical way to go.

Post match the Era celebrates with Cole coming out to the stage to pose….and here’s Tommaso Ciampa to circle Cole and look at the title. The place goes nuts and singes along with Ciampa’s song as the staredown ends the show. Well he’s the biggest face in the company now. Maybe? Dang it’s cool to have two huge names appear on one night like that.

Overall Rating: B+. Yeah they brought the big time atmosphere as they always do and had the wrestling to back it up. What matters most here though is the two major returns as NXT’s main event scene is instantly energized again, which is a place where WWE has a major advantage: with so much talent on all of their rosters, they can swap people in and have fresh matches and moments for years. “Hey here’s a former World Champion who is a god in NXT. Oh and to close out the show, one of the most popular stars NXT has ever seen.” Not bad for two hours and there happened to be an awesome show in between.

Having seen both shows, NXT was a better (though not much better) show but this really isn’t a fair comparison. NXT has a long history, established stories and a far deeper roster with WWE support. Coming into tonight, AEW has about as much total time on air as WWE produces in about two weeks. The comparisons can come in a few months when AEW has gotten its footing, but NXT won by a bit tonight, though you can’t go wrong watching either show.

Results

Adam Cole b. Matt Riddle – Last Shot

Io Shirai b. Mia Yim – Moonsault

Johnny Gargano b. Shane Thorne – Low superkick

Shayna Baszler b. Candice LeRae – Kirifuda Clutch

Pete Dunne b. Danny Burch – Bitter End

Undisputed Era b. Street Profits – High/Low to Ford

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

205 Live
Date: September 24, 2019
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Dio Maddin, Aiden English, Vic Joseph

It’s the final Tuesday show as next week will see everything moving over to Friday with Smackdown. It would be nice if that meant we were getting something special, though I would assume it’s going to be something we’ve seen before. Hopefully the show has some energy, as their slower episodes can make for a rough sit. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the returning Lio Rush becoming the new #1 contender by defeating Oney Lorcan on the first live NXT.

Drew Gulak isn’t surprised by having to face another ghost from his past because that’s what happens when you’re Cruiserweight Champion. Rush will learn just like everyone else: he is prepared for everything. Just ask Lorcan, who will learn it again in tonight’s main event. Lorcan refuses to learn, so Rush better be watching.

The Singh Brothers are sad to see cousins fight tonight but insist that nothing could ever come between them. Soon, they’ll be back in the ring to prove that it is lights, camera and Bollywood action.

Opening sequence.

Angel Garza vs. Humberto Carrillo

Battle of the cousins and, I kid you not, they are fighting because it was Garza’s birthday yesterday and Carrillo only sent him a message on social media instead of calling him or saying it in person. Feeling out process to start with Garza headlocking him down as we hear about what English wanted to get Carrillo for his birthday. Garza flips out of an armbar and takes him down by the leg as they’re staying on the mat to start.

English is still going on, talking about all the copies of WWE2K20 he needs to get Carrillo, along with big screen TVs and the best sound system (this is after sports cars, Browns tickets and various other things as the gag is getting some time). Carrillo jumps over him and Garza to flip out of a springboard armdrag and the fans applaud. Garza drops to a knee and offers a handshake, plus a huge grin. That’s kicked away but STOP, because GARZA NEEDS TO TAKE OFF HIS PANTS! English: “Somewhere Nigel McGuinness just fainted!”

Carrillo gets sent outside for a middle rope moonsault as we hear about Garza’s pants being weighted, meaning he’s taking off his limitations. Another shot to the face keeps Carrillo down on the floor but Garza gets smart by letting him get back inside for a dropkick to the knee. With that out of the way, we hit the arm trap chinlock, followed by a hard dropkick for two more. The chinlock goes on again but this time Garza fights up for a springboard armdrag.

A moonsault gets two and there’s the big flip dive to the floor. Back in and the great looking missile dropkick connects for Carrillo and he’s starting to get fired up by these near falls. That’s cut off by a good crotching though and a dropkick to the ribs gives Garza two of his own. An elbow to the face gives Carrillo two and now it’s frustration time.

We go very lucha with a Rocking Horse but Garza reverses into one of his own for some mind games. That’s broken up and they both try the crossbody, meaning it’s another double knockdown. Garza slams him down on the back of his head and a good looking Lionsault gets two more. That’s enough for Carrillo, who kicks him down and hits the Aztec Press for the pin at 13:49.

Rating: B-. The action was good as you can tell they know each other but the best part was English fawning over Carrillo to such a level that it became hilarious. Dio and Vic were having nothing to do with it and the man crush is really becoming one of the best current gags in WWE. Both of these guys looked good here and I could go for more of either of them.

We look back at Brian Kendrick snapping and turning on his partner Akira Tozawa and Jack Gallagher last week.

Kendrick says he did it because of the epidemic consuming 205 Live. That would be the epidemic of disrespect towards veterans like him, because they forget he opened the door for everyone here. What upsets Kendrick the most is that he hasn’t had a title match in three years like some kind of new guy who has to earn his stripes. Tozawa is infected like the rest of them so he had to do something about it. Now, Tozawa can learn what respect looks like.

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Tony Nese/Drew Gulak

Burch and Gulak start things off with the former grabbing a headlock. That means a few headlock takeovers until Gulak gets smart with a headscissors to escape. That’s reversed into another headlock as they’re not exactly going at a fast pace to start. With that not working, they do the same thing with another headlock on Gulak. Thankfully it’s off to Lorcan for a change, or at least half of a double Russian legsweep so Burch can get two.

A double suplex gives Lorcan two and it’s off to a front facelock. Nese offers a distraction though and Gulak is able to knock Burch into the corner to take over. We hit the neck crank for a bit but it’s off to Lorcan for some running shots in the corner. Nese runs him over in a hurry and gets two off his own Lionsault. It’s back to Gulak, who mocks Lorcan for not being able to tag to Burch, which I’m sure will cause no future problems whatsoever.

The chinlock goes on for a few moments, followed by a double belly to back suplex for two more. Lorcan finally gets up and sends Gulak outside, only to have Nese pull Burch to the floor. As you probably guessed, the hot tag goes through a few seconds later and it’s time to clean some house. Everything breaks down and Lorcan hits the running Blockbuster on Gulak, setting up the half crab.

Burch Crossfaces Nese at the same time until Gulak kicks Lorcan away for the break. What looked to be the Doomsday European uppercut is broken up as well and Nese hits a 450 for two on Burch, with Lorcan making the save. Burch headbutts Nese down and it’s time to scream a lot. Now the Doomsday European uppercut can connect for two in quite the surprising near fall. With Nese still rocked, the elevated assisted DDT finishes him off at 14:24.

Rating: C+. Another rather good one here as Burch and Lorcan are a strong team who can be brought in for whatever you want them to do. I’m curious to see where they’re going here as Rush hasn’t been around for the last two shows and they’re still seemingly setting up Lorcan vs. Gulak. We just did a triple threat match so I’m not sure how we’re moving forward.

Burch and Lorcan do their Ultimate Warrior tribute to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Well they did go out with a solid show, which is as positive as you can get around here. Both matches were rather good and the Kendrick explanation was more than fine. I still don’t know if this show needs to exist and having it at 10pm on a Friday is something Impact thought was a good idea. At least we had a good show this week, and that is the case more often than not around here.

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

NXT
Date: September 25, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix

Well it was a good run while it lasted, but things have to come to an end at some point. This will be the last week that the show is split between USA and the WWE Network. Therefore, this week’s show is going to be setting up next week’s two hour USA debut and that means we should be in for the usual big night. The big announced match is Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain in a street fight to crown a new #1 contender. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s show, including HHH in the crowd leading an NXT chant and the Undisputed Era holding all of the titles.

The Undisputed Era is above the announcers’ booth.

Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic

They miss strikes to start, including Lee missing a spinning kick to the face. Just to show off, Lee leapfrogs him and hits a crossbody to crush Dijakovic. A big shoulder sends Dijakovic to the apron and they fight over a suplex with neither being able to get anywhere. Dijakovic pulls him to the apron for a chokeslam (THUD) and we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting a one handed spinebuster and some overhand chops to the chest. Dijakovic looks at him and gets sent head first into the buckle. That means a slingshot corkscrew dive and somehow Dijakovic isn’t a splat on the floor. Back in and Lee can’t muscle him up for a suplex, though thankfully Dijakovic manages to turn it into a small package attempt.

Back up and Lee elbows him in the head over and over, setting up a middle rope moonsault for two. Lee takes it to the top but Dijakovic reverses into a super Canadian Destroyer for two, followed by his own moonsault for two more as Lee just sits up for the cover. The Limit Breaker finishes Dijakovic at 12:35.

Rating: B. This is one of those pairings that just works no matter what they do. Those spots were making my eyes open up and that’s the kind of thing you don’t get to do very often. Both guys are looking awesome from these matches and I’m sure there will be one more match, possibly next week even, and I can more than go for that.

We look back at Candice LeRae becoming #1 contender and getting in a staredown with Shayna Baszler.

We look back at last week’s wild brawl to end the show. William Regal had to break it up and made Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain in another street fight for the #1 contendership tonight.

The Street Profits promise to get their titles back next week.

Dakota Kai vs. Taynara

This is Kai’s big return after destroying her knee. Taynara on the other hand has lost her last name. Kai kicks her in the face to start and goes up, only to get crotched down. Taynara gets in a kick, a judo throw and another kick for two as Kai is in trouble. That doesn’t last long as Kai hits a kick to the face and an ax kick to the back. Some Kawada kicks have Taynara in more trouble, followed by the running kick to the face in the corner. The GTK finishes Taynara at 2:42. Kai looked good in a limited capacity here and hopefully they give her the push that she never got before.

Video on Johnny Gargano.

Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain

Street fight and the winner gets Cole for the NXT Title at some point. They go straight for the strikes but Riddle can’t get a cross armbreaker. He can however German suplex Dain for two so the big guy heads outside. A running forearm off the steps rocks Dain and we take a break.

Back with Dain choking in the corner until Riddle scores with a knee to the face. An exploder suplex sends Dain flying and the Broton connects. A Penalty Kick gets two but Dain is right back with a powerbomb for two. Riddle is fine enough to hit an Alabama Slam into the Floating Bro for another near fall.

Back up and Dain sends him outside for a suicide dive, followed by the pelting of a chair to the shoulder. They head into the crowd with Riddle hitting some kicks but it’s a crossbody through a wooden wall to crush both of them. Back from another break with Riddle hitting a Broton off the bleachers through another table. A bunch of kicks to the face and chest have Dain in trouble and they head back inside for a slingshot Broton.

Dain is fine enough to crossbody a chair onto Riddle to take over. Three straight Vader Bombs (how Dain beat him in the first match) get two but a fourth attempt with a chair is blocked with a chair shot to Dain’s back. The Final Flash knee into the chair into Dain’s head gets two and Riddle hammers away with shots to the head. What looked to be a low blow doesn’t seem to stop Riddle as he grabs a Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 20:29.

Rating: B. What else were you expecting here? They beat each other up for twenty minutes here and Riddle gets to slay the dragon to set up the title match. The title match is next week but it would make sense to let it be the big main event in a few weeks instead of cramming it onto an already stacked show. Either way, very good showing here and Dain can be a monster again at almost any time.

Post match here’s Cole to shout at Riddle, who armbars him as well. The Undisputed Era runs out so Riddle bails.

Over on the WWE Network now and we look at more replays from the street fight. That’s a good idea as the fans need some time to switch platforms.

Rhea Ripley vs. Kayden Carter

Carter explodes at the bell so Ripley runs her over with a dropkick for two. The delayed vertical suplex gets the same and Ripley forearms her in the head. A hurricanrana sends Ripley down and Carter runs the corner for a several springboard hurricanrana. Carter’s low superkick gets two but Ripley is back up with Riptide at 2:37. They packed a TON into this and it was a blast in such a short amount of time.

Ever Rise vs. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan

That would be 3.0 under what seems to be their official name. Martel takes Lorcan down to start as Mauro clarifies that there is no relation to Rick the Model. Parker comes in and gets headlocked down by Burch before handing it back to Lorcan for a double Russian legsweep. With the referee yelling at Burch, Martel sneaks in and throws Lorcan outside so the villains can take over.

A snap suplex gets two on Lorcan and we hit the armbar. Lorcan gets knocked down again and Martel takes him down with a backbreaker. A northern lariat connects but Parker runs into Martel by mistake, allowing Burch to come in and clean house. Burch and Lorcan get very fired up and the assisted elevated DDT finishes Martel at 6:28.

Rating: C+. Nice hard hitting match here with Burch and Lorcan being fine for an upper midcard team who isn’t likely to win the titles. However, in NXT that means they very well may get them some day and it would work well enough. I liked what we saw here and Ever Rise (bad name) was working as well.

Chelsea Green and Deonna Purrazzo are here.

Raul Mendoza vs. Cameron Grimes

Grimes goes for the standing double stomp at the bell again but gets caught in a wristlock instead. A quick hurricanrana takes Grimes down and it’s a springboard headlock takeover to show off a bit. Back up and Grimes gets in his cool counter to a crossbody into a powerslam for two of his own. Grimes whips him hard into the corner and grabs the armbar to keep Mendoza down.

Back up and Grimes gets two off a Superman punch before it’s right back to the armbar. Mendoza fights to his feet and hits a running knee to set up a missile dropkick. A cartwheel kick staggers Grimes on top and a springboard hurricanrana gets two. Grimes is back up and hits the standing double stomp for the pin at 7:26.

Rating: C. The abundance of armbars got a little annoying here but Grimes continues to be miles ahead of what he was doing back in Impact. He has a certain charisma to him and that stomp is a solid finisher. Mendoza is still one of the smoothest people on the roster and what we got here was even more proof.

Kushida/???/??? vs. Imperium

Kushida needs partners to face the team (minus Walter) and he has…..Breezango, which is an interesting choice. Aichner sends Kushida into the corner to start but gets hiptossed into the basement dropkick for two. A blind tag lets Imperium get in the triple teaming, with Breezango only coming in for the save once it’s down to one on one. Fandango comes in for two off a sunset flip and a double boot to the head gets two on Barthel.

Breeze has to fight out of the wrong corner but a little misdirection lets Barthel throw him outside. An elbow to the face puts Breeze in trouble and Wolfe comes in for a chinlock. A backbreaker gives Wolfe two and double dropkicks in the corner have Breeze on the floor again. Fans: “NOT THE FACE!” The chinlock doesn’t last long as Breeze backdrops Barthel to the floor but Kushida and Fandango are pulled to the floor before the hot tag can connect.

Breeze manages an enziguri and now the hot tag brings in Fandango. Everything breaks down and Fandango sends everyone to the floor for the big flip dive. Back in and Kushida’s cross armbreaker is broken up so he kicks Aichner and Wolfe to the floor. The handspring elbow is blocked by an uppercut to the head but an O’Connor roll with a bridge pins Barthel at 11:09.

Rating: C+. The ending was a bit of a surprise though it’s a good idea to give Kushida the pin and set him up as a bigger challenger for Walter later on. Kushida has been doing some good things around here but hasn’t had the big moment to get him over the hump so maybe this can help him. Breezango continue to be a lot more motivated down here than on the main roster and can you blame them in the slightest?

Post match Kushida celebrates but Walter kicks him in the head. Imperium poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I’m glad the split format is already gone as it was weird to see the weird double episode thing. Dain vs. Riddle was a rather fun match and they kept the rest of the show moving fast enough to make the show work. I liked it better than last week, though next week is what matters more than anything else. AEW is going to draw in a lot of fans, but they have their work cut out for them.

Results

Keith Lee b. Dominick Dijakovic – Limit Breaker

Dakota Kai b. Taynara – GTK

Matt Riddle b. Killian Dain – Fujiwara armbar

Rhea Ripley b. Kayden Carter – Riptide

Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan b. Ever Rise – Assisted elevated DDT to Martel

Cameron Grimes b. Raul Mendoza – Standing double stomp

Kushida/Breezango b. Imperium – Rollup to Barthel

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

NXT
Date: July 10, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

With about a month to go before Takeover: Toronto, it’s time to start getting things set up for the big show. In this case, that includes more instances of Adam Cole being a jerk about pizzas as we wait for Johnny Gargano to show up again and deal with him. As for tonight though, we have Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch getting a shot at the Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Io Shirai, clad in all black with a new darker entrance, to explain her actions. She says she doesn’t need any friends or any of us and that’s it.

Velveteen Dream is having a press conference, where he doesn’t approve of a question about his next challenger. Another question about Roderick Strong getting a title shot but Strong isn’t ready to experience him one on one. No more questions.

Damien Priest vs. Blanco Loco

Blanco is from Mexico, New York, which is a real town. Priest kicks him in the face and hits a toss Falcon Arrow for a big crash. A big clothesline has the squash going in full force and another one makes it even worse. Priest kicks him in the head and hits the Reckoning (Roll the Dice) for the pin at 1:38.

Killian Dain watches film, but this time he talks about being able to tell us stories. His house was set on fire with his family still in it. There were tanks and soldiers on every street corner and he can’t hear out of one ear because of a car bomb. He’s the only surviving male member of his high school class. The difference is that he hasn’t forgotten. He wants us to know who he is and why he’s doing what he does. He’s going to breathe on our face because everything he had was taken from him. Now he’s taking what he wants. Awesome promo, and Dain has the work ability to back it up.

Breakout Tournament First Round: Boa vs. Jordan Myles

Boa is a Chinese wrestler who has never wrestled on NXT TV and Myles is ACH. They shake hands to start and it’s Boa taking him down with a headlock. Myles spins out of an armbar and flips a lot before dropkicking Boa down. The armbar goes on for a bit, followed by a rollup with a camera cut that might have been an edit. Boa is right back with a kick to the chest and an ax kick to the same chest makes it even worse.

Another kick sends Myles into the corner and a butterfly suplex gets two. Boa squeezes the chest (how constricting) but tries to switch into a cross armbreaker, which is quickly reversed into a rollup. Myles tells him to come on and fires off some kicks with don’t seem to really come close to hitting Boa. A basement dropkick to the side of the head sets up the Midnight Star (450) for the pin on Boa at 8:21.

Rating: C-. I’ve never been a big fan of ACH and this didn’t do much to change my mind. It always seems that he’s putting on a performance instead of having a match and is much more about the flashiness than trying to make this seem real and it doesn’t work well for me. He’s crazy athletic and his high flying looks very good, but the overall package misses for me. Boa has a good look and seems aggressive, but he’s going to need to show a bit more fire.

Shayna Baszler has heard Mia Yim’s story over and over and that’s not enough to impress her. Besides, the story always ends the same against her: tap, nap or snap.

Video on Keith Lee and his journey through NXT so far. The company has been put on his back but he always winds up on top. He’s entering his second year and he has to reach the peak. Limitless isn’t enough anymore so he will become infinite.

William Regal announces that Apollo Crews will be back next week to face Kushida.

Also next week: Adam Cole defends the NXT Title.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

The Profits are defending. Ford and Lorcan start things off with Ford having to spin out of a wristlock into an armbar. Dawkins comes in and puts on a front facelock, which he describes as being out here rolling. Everything breaks down early on and the Profits stack them up on the ropes so Ford can dive over Dawkins onto both of their backs. Things settle back down for a second before a double suplex to Dawkins sets up a Crossface from Burch. Ford comes in for a quick save so Burch goes with a bunch of right hands to Dawkins’ face. Burch misses a charge though and it’s a double tag to Ford and Lorcan.

Ford gets to clean house and an assisted Sliced Bread #2 has Lorcan in trouble. Burch makes a save and comes in to take over. A half and half suplex gets two on Ford and a German suplex sends him right into the corner for the tag to Dawkins. House is cleaned and it’s a big knockdown so we can get a breather. Lorcan and Ford are up for the slugout until Ford hits a great looking flip dive onto Burch on the floor. Lorcan’s dive is cut off and the spinebuster into the frog splash finishes Burch to retain the titles at 9:59.

Rating: C+. The Profits aren’t the best team in the world but you can feel the energy when they’re out there that no one else can offer. That alone is more than enough to keep the titles on them for the time being and make for quite the entertaining matches. This was rather fun and hard hitting as Burch and Lorcan continue to be good for some of the better tag matches on the show no matter what.

Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly come out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t their best effort, though it’s still a perfectly watchable show. The tournament is up and down at best and the opening squash was just fine. They need to get to the build to Takeover, though you can see most of the card from here. I’m sure it’s going to get better as we get back to the regular build, but the summer has been lacking a little bit.

Results

Damien Priest b. Blanco Loco – The Reckoning

Jordan Myles b. Boa – Midnight Star

Street Profits b. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch – Frog splash to Burch

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: June 12, 2019
Location: APGFCU Arena At Hartford Community College, Bel Air, Maryland
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

We’re on the road again for the first regular show as we head towards Toronto in August. I’m not sure what to expect going forward, but we have about two months before the next Takeover, which should be enough time to set up something great. Hopefully things get back to normal around here, though even their off weeks are still good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The announcers run down tonight’s double main event of Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. the Undisputed Era and Kushida vs. Drew Gulak in a submission match.

Io Shirai/Candice LeRae vs. Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke

Shayna Baszler is watching from the ramp. Shirai has a banged up shoulder so Candice starts by running Shafir into the corner for a jackknife rollup for two. Back in and Shafir hits a kick to the face so Duke can come in for a kick to the back. It’s back to Shafir for a judo throw and something like a torture rack but with Candice bent around the back instead of the shoulders.

That’s broken up but Shafir kicks Shirai off the apron to keep Candice in trouble. Candice manages to send Duke into Shafir and an enziguri allows the hot tag to Shirai. The 619 hits Duke and a springboard missile dropkick makes it worse. Shirai hits the Baszler arm stomp on Duke but Baszler pulls her away from the moonsault. That’s fine with Shirai, who moonsaults onto Baszler instead. Candice dives onto Shafir and Duke and the match is thrown out at 5:45.

Rating: C+. There was some energy to this one and the match worked well as we’re supposed to ignore Shirai losing her mind at Takeover. Candice continues to be rather spunky and the kind of person you want to see win. This felt fun and I had a rather good time with it, so you can call this a very nice surprise.

The huge brawl continues post match with Baszler getting involved as well. Referees have trouble breaking it up and can’t quite get them apart.

We look back at Tyler Breeze vs. Velveteen Dream at Takeover.

Dream talks about how it’s solid and dependable, but he doesn’t mean the title. Get ready for the next experience.

We look back at Drew Gulak vs. Kushida from two weeks ago.

Drew Gulak vs. Kushida

Submission match. Kushida goes with a bodyscissors to start as the announcers get in their MMA terms. Gulak has to cover up and Kushida spins around his back to show off a bit. Back up and Kushida starts in on the arm before sending Gulak outside without much trouble. The armbar goes on but Gulak reverse slams his way out of trouble. The Gory Stretch goes on with both of Kushida’s arms being bent backwards until they almost touch each other.

That’s broken up so Gulak goes with something like a Boston crab to switch over to the back instead. An armtrap headlock (Mauro: “As annoying as a robocall.”) keeps Kushida down before Gulak switches over to a regular armbar. Kushida gets out of that as well and it’s a hiptoss into a basement dropkick. A springboard tornado DDT sets up the cross armbreaker but Gulak gets a foot on the rope.

They roll around into what would have been a pinfall reversal sequence in a regular match but this time Gulak gets into an ankle lock. Kushida escapes again and takes it to the apron for some kicks to the chest. They slug it out back inside with Kushida hitting a handspring elbow. Kushida headscissors him down and slaps on the Hoverboard Lock for the quick tap at 10:07.

Rating: B. This never hit the higher level I was expecting but they can only do so much with ten minutes. Some of the grappling was awesome here though and the counters were starting to get really good. What matters most here though is Kushida getting this kind of a push as he continues to look awesome every time he’s out there.

Post match Kushida applauds him and Gulak shakes his hand.

Aaliyah and Vanessa Borne don’t like the idea of Mia Yim thinking she should get a title shot. They don’t think she looks like a champion so they’ve got her some books, including books on fashion, English and grammar. If she can’t read, how can she use the books? We really need smarter heels around here.

In two weeks: Shirai vs. Baszler for the Women’s Title in a cage.

We look at Mansoor winning the battle royal at Super ShowDown and his post match speech. The latter was good, the former not so much.

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Roderick Strong

Lorcan and O’Reilly grapple to start with Kyle taking him to the mat for a broken up leglock. With that not working, they hammer on each other in the corner until O’Reilly kicks him in the face. Everything breaks down and it’s a big slugout with the Era being sent outside for the running dive from Lorcan.

Burch sends O’Reilly into the half and half suplex from Lorcan with Strong having to make a save. It’s back to Strong for the loud chops in the corner and the first backbreaker keeps Lorcan in trouble. A running knee to the back makes it even worse and Lorcan’s throat is catapulted into the bottom rope. The chinlock goes on but Strong lets go so he can knock Burch off the apron in a smart move. Another slugout goes to O’Reilly but Lorcan is right back with a running Blockbuster.

That’s enough for the tag off to Burch so house can be cleaned. A powerbomb into the Crossface has O’Reilly in trouble but Strong makes a quick save. O’Reilly hits a Dean Ambrose rebound lariat for two with Lorcan diving in for a save. Everything breaks down and it’s a four way knockdown. Cue Jaxson Ryker, who beats up security on the way to the ring. The distraction lets Burch roll O’Reilly up for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: B. Anytime they want to completely stop with this Ryker stuff, I’d be completely ok with it. He doesn’t exactly fit with what they’re going for at the moment and having him be the big Frankenstein monster in the ladder match felt completely out of nowhere. It’s not that he’s a bad character or addition, but keep him out of this division at the moment.

Overall Rating: B+. Three good matches, storyline advancement and a big main event set up for two weeks. It’s too early to know where things are heading for Toronto but unlike the main roster, I have every confidence that NXT can make something like that work. Just keep giving us shows like this and my head might stop hurting a bit after Monday and Tuesday nights.

Results

Candice LeRae/Io Shirai vs. Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke went to a double disqualification when all four brawled on the floor

Kushida b. Drew Gulak – Hoverboard Lock

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch b. Kyle O’Reilly/Roderick Strong – Rollup to O’Reilly

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

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

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

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