Fyter Fest
Date: June 29, 2019
Location: Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Alex Marvez

We’re back for round two and things are already being shaken up a bit. This isn’t going to be anything like Double Or Nothing as this is taking place at a gaming festival. That’s going to mean a change in the way the audience reacts but at the moment, getting AEW wrestlers in the ring and in front of people is what matters most. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Best Friends vs. So Cal Uncensored vs. Private Party

The winners get into a match for a bye in the Tag Team Title tournament and it’s Kazarian/Sky for SCU. Trent shoulders Isaiah down to start and Chuck does the same. It’s off to Sky vs. Quen with the former hitting a rather spinning backbreaker. Trent comes in again and gets double teamed by SCU but Quen springboards in with a crossbody to Trent and Sky. That means some house cleaning and dancing, followed by a heck of a tornado DDT onto Chuck.

A big flip dive has the ring cleared as Private Party gets quite the showcase moment. SCU pulls Isaiah to the floor to take over and it’s the Best Friends taking over, including the hug (with the fans going nuts again). Trent’s northern lights suplex gets two on Cassidy and Chuck adds Soul Food. A spinning kick to the face drops Trent but since Quen is down, Cassidy has to dive over and bring in Kazarian instead.

Everything breaks down and Trent gets run over, setting up a gorgeous shooting star press to give Quen two. Chuck is back up with the short piledriver to Quen, setting up Trent’s sliding knee for two more. Quen gets put on top for a belly to back superplex but manages to land on his feet, setting up a super hurricanrana to send Trent into a cutter from Cassidy. Quen hits a big dive over the top onto Sky, leaving Trent to hit a knee to Cassidy’s face. Strong Zero gives the Friends the pin at 15:57.

Rating: B-. The sloppiness was high with this one but that has to be expected in a match built around spot after spot. They needed to trim things down a little bit here and the winners get a chance to get a bye in a tournament? Isn’t that overthinking things a bit? Finally, still no explanation on who these people are, who I’m supposed to cheer for or anything about them really. I know who they are, but what about the people trying this out for the first time? This shouldn’t be this hard. The action was very entertaining, but slow down and get some of the details right first.

Post match the Dark Order (the former Super Smash Bros) appear on screen to say the Best Friends will be their first. A snap of their fingers makes the lights go out. Back up and the minions are around three sides of the ring. Excalibur: “They are completely surrounded!” After establishing that we are apparently in a sitcom, the lights go out again and the minions disappear.

Leva Bates vs. Allie

Bates (formerly known as Blue Pants) is one of the Librarians and gets into a long shush-off with Peter Avalon (the other Librarian). She also rips on the fans for not reading enough but the fans shout that they can’t read. Is there some joke here from the webseries that is sailing over my head here?

Allie takes over to start and knocks Leva outside but Avalon trips Allie up. Back in and a fisherman’s buster gives Bates two, followed by a northern lights one for the same. The fans actually start a HOOKED ON PHONICS chant as Bates grabs the Rings of Saturn, complete with a shush as Allie is in trouble. That’s broken up but Allie gets dropkicked into the corner, setting up some slingshot knees to the chest.

Now it’s a READING RAINBOW chant as Allie makes her comeback with a neckbreaker and a sliding forearm in the corner. Bates gets in a Backstabber out of the corner and a Pedigree (with the camera missing the impact) gets two. Avalon tries to throw Bates a book but Allie intercepts it and hits the BSE for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: D+. This was every indy match you could imagine and the librarian deal got annoying in a hurry. Maybe I just don’t get the joke but it isn’t funny and I need a little better reason to boo someone because they don’t read. It was just a match and not exactly a great way to showcase the women’s division.

Alex Jebailey vs. Michael Nakazawa

Jebailey is the CEO of the gaming convention and not a wrestler. Therefore, this is a hardcore match. Before we get going, Nakazawa talks about an unspecified issue the two of them had last year and tricks Jebailey into telling him about a previous leg injury. Jebailey manages a hiptoss and grabs a waistlock so Nakazawa busts out the baby oil to escape. That makes Jebailey and the referee slip before they head outside, with Jebailey whipping Nakazawa into the barricade.

Back in and a gaming console to the back gives Jebailey two and it’s time to go up to the set. Nakazawa gets choked in a kiddie pool (part of the jokes about Fyre Fest and the “luxurious” accommodations being bad) but comes back with a pool float to the head. They go back to ringside where Nakazawa chokes with a GameCube controller and spears him off the apron through a table. Nakazawa lets him up at two and pulls out a thong, but Jebailey ties his arm into it.

Jebailey comes back with a SCARY German suplex that drops Nakazawa on top of his head. And now, a bag of…..some kind of button toys that I’m not familiar with is poured out on the mat. Nakazawa’s powerbomb is countered into a backdrop onto them but Nakazawa shoves the thong into the referee’s face. There’s no count for Jebailey’s Majistral cradle so it’s another thong shot to the face to give Nakazawa the rollup pin at 8:50.

Rating: F. Look back at what happened here, pick two things, and count those as the reasons for the rating.

Jon Moxley tells us to stay tuned because he’s going to show us who he is.

The opening video looks at how Double or Nothing started an empire and tonight it’s time to raise the game. Tonight it’s time to show us why AEW is here to stay.

The announcers run down part of the card.

Christopher Daniels vs. Cima

The announcers give us a bio on Daniels, because of all the people on this show, they think Daniels needs an explanation. Feeling out process to start until Daniels is sent outside for a baseball slide. Back in and a reverse Rings of Saturn has Daniels in trouble until a foot reaches the rope (with JR explaining why that is a break). A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker is broken up and Cima is sent outside with his back going into the barricade.

Back in and a running STO gets two and the Arabian moonsault sets up a Crossface. Daniels gets driven into the corner though and Cima hits a rolling palm strike. The Iconoclasm gets two but Daniels is right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Angel’s Wings gets two but Cima kicks him in the head. A Liger Bomb sets up something like a fisherman’s driver for two more and Cima can’t believe the kickout. White Noise sets up a top rope Meteora to finish Daniels at 9:43.

Rating: C+. This was the highest quality match on the show so far and that isn’t surprising whatsoever. You had two veterans who know what they’re doing and were able to have a solid match with a story included. Cima winning makes sense as we heard about his upcoming match against Kenny Omega, making this a perfectly fine opener.

Yuka Sakazaki vs. Riho vs. Nyla Rose

Rose offers to shake hands to start but then jumps both of them, turning it into a handicap match early on. A double cover is escaped by a double bridge but Rose slams them both to set up a double camel clutch. That’s broken up and Sakazaki knocks them to the floor for a big dive (nearly losing her balance on the way up).

Back in and Sakazaki and Riho strike it out with Riho getting the better of things. Rose is back up so Riho knocks her into the ropes for a 619. Riho’s top rope double stomp keeps Rose down and a jumping version has Sakazaki down. Rose breaks up the cover and chokeslams Sakazaki for two. A suplex sends Sakazaki to the floor and Riho gets draped over the top.

Rose jumps to the top for a jumping knee to the head but misses a Swanton. Back up and Rose catches Riho’s high crossbody….and then catches Sakazaki at the same time for a VERY cool visual. Riho tries a top rope splash but hits knees, allowing Rose to fold her up with a German suplex. With Sakazaki down, Rose hits a Death Valley Driver for a delayed two on Riho. Rose loads up a powerbomb but gets rolled up to give Riho the surprise pin at 13:05.

Rating: B. They do realize that they have a pretty unique monster in Rose right? The match was a good bit better than I was expecting and once they got into their rhythm, it was a good showcase for all three. That’s a good thing too because they still did very little to tell us about the women or who they were. I get that they’re talented, but a few details wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Jungle Boy vs. Adam Page vs. Jimmy Havoc

Kip Sabian is on commentary and gets the winner of this, presumably at Fight For The Fallen. Before the match, Friedman grabs the mic to make fun of the crowd for being nerds who got shoved into lockers a lot. Friedman: “That mother of yours, whose basement you live in? She swallows.” Friedman used to love video games….and then he lost his virginity. Jungle Boy is carried to the ring on Luchasaurus’ shoulders, with the announcers dubbing them A Boy and His Dinosaur and the Jurassic Friends. Friedman and Page feel like they’re on a different planet here and that’s both a good and bad sign.

Havoc and Friedman head outside, leaving Page to kick Jungle Boy in the face. Jungle Boy snaps off a running hurricanrana but gets caught in Havoc’s Michinoku Driver. Friedman comes in to steal a rollup two but bails when Page is back up. A slingshot dive takes Friedman down, followed by Havoc’s running flip dive from the apron. Friedman teases a dive of his own but stops to make a rather rude gesture to the fans.

With everyone on the floor, Jungle Boy hits a very quick moonsault to take all three out. Back in and Jungle Boy powerbombs Friedman for two as everyone gets in again. The Tower of Doom sends Jungle Boy flying into Friedman Havoc’s Acid Rainmaker is broken up so Page hits a pop up powerbomb on Jungle Boy. Friedman and Page slug it out with Friedman taking out Page’s bad knee. A Sharpshooter (with a Bret Hart pose) is broken up and Page puts on his own version.

That’s broken up as well and Friedman hits a hanging piledriver for two. Jungle Boy makes the save but Havoc throws him onto Luchasaurus. Another hanging piledriver is broken up and Havoc gets two off a double stomp. The Acid Rainmaker is blocked with a poke to the eye and Page adds the Buckshot lariat to drop Havoc. Deadeye finishes Havoc at 9:52.

Rating: C. Page feels like the chosen one and while I’d bet on Jericho winning the title at All Out, they have something special with him going forward. Friedman’s promo before the match made him feel like the guy you want to see get destroyed and that’s a very valuable name to have. Jungle Boy and Havoc feel like pure gimmicks and while that’s not terrible, they don’t feel anywhere near as important.

We look at Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes from Double Or Nothing and the great post match promo that set up their tag match against the Young Bucks. Darby Allin respects Cody but promises to give him his first loss.

Cody vs. Darby Allin

Allin is a tortured soul who lost faith in humanity after his uncle was killed in a car wreck when he was five with Allin in the car. He even brings in a body bag with Cody 1-1 painted on it. Allin works on a hammerlock to start and backflips up off the escape. Cody grabs a headlock so Allin walks the ropes for a high angle armdrag to send Cody outside. Back in and Cody sends Allin hard into the corner for a nasty crash to the floor, leaving Cody to do the slow motion pushups.

Back in and Cody starts stomping away before sending Allin outside again. Allin grabs the arm to send it into the post but Cody is right back in control as Allin comes in again. Cody goes with a double underhook to keep Allin down before a release suplex drops Allin again. Another suplex is loaded up but Allin grabs the bad arm as he’s upside down for the escape.

A Fujiwara armbar stays on Cody’s arm so Cody gets outside, meaning it’s a fast suicide dive from Allin. Cody slams him onto the steps and adds his own suicide dive for good measure. Back in and Allin gets two off a Code Red before heading up, only to get pulled down with a reverse superplex. They head to the apron with Allin biting the hand to take Cody down.

Allin heads up top and tries the Coffin Drop (jumping straight backwards), landing square on the apron as Cody moves away. Back in and Cody puts him in the body bag and hits the Disaster Kick for two. The bag comes off and we have a minute left. Cody whips him with the weightlifting belt but Cross Rhodes is broken up. The second attempt connects for two but time runs out at 20:00.

Rating: B. I’m not sure on having Allin survive that long as taking a close loss here wouldn’t have hurt him, but this was the breakout performance that they were shooting for. Allin looked smart and completely capable of holding his own against a top name like Cody. Cut out the body bag part and this is even better. Well done match with the arm playing a major role for a good story. I’m impressed.

Post match Cody and Brandi want five more minutes but here’s Shawn Spears with a gruesome, no hands chair shot to Cody, who is busted open badly. Wrestlers, including Friedman, come out to chase Spears off. Cody very slowly walks to the back with some help. It’s a good moment, but I do not want to ever see a chair shot like that again. Period.

Lucha Bros/Laredo Kid vs. Young Bucks/Kenny Omega

The Bucks are in Street Fighter (I think?) gear and Omega lays out a man who runs up onto the stage for their entrance. I’m not a fighting game guy so I’m missing this one. Ring announcer Justin Roberts gets in a ROUND ONE FIGHT and it’s Nick working on a wristlock to Kid to start. The flips begin and both miss dropkicks to give us a standoff. Kid hits a springboard high crossbody for no cover as Nick gets up and spits in his face.

All six get in for a big standoff and it’s a trio of superkicks to send Kenny and the Bucks to the floor. An Asai moonsault and stereo running flip dives take them out again and the non-luchadors are in trouble. Back in and stereo superkicks to Nick set up a reverse hurricanrana from Kid. We settle down to Matt rolling northern lights suplexes on all three of them, including both Pentagon and Fenix at the same time.

Omega comes in to a big reaction and hits a backbreaker on Kid. The Terminator dive is loaded up but Pentagon cuts it off with CERO MIEDO. They slug it out with Omega hitting (or coming close to it) a sliding dropkick into the leg, followed by the running Fameasser. Matt comes back in for a German suplex on Kid and the series of top rope dives crush him for two. A spear accidentally hits Nick though and it’s off to Pentagon to pick up the pace.

That means a Backstabber to Omega to send him outside, followed by a running hurricanrana. Another spear allows the tag to Omega and it’s the snapdragon on Pentagon. Matt gets sent outside so Pentagon backdrops Fenix over the top and onto him for a huge crash. A super Spanish Fly plants Omega but Nick makes the save, only to take a running Canadian Destroyer from Pentagon. The Superkick Party is on but the luchadors hit superkicks of their own.

Not to be outdone, Omega and the Bucks hit Hadoukens, followed by a triple Liger Bomb for two each. The Bucks start their usual series but Pentagon hits a Sling Blade to take Nick down on the floor. Omega nails Kid with the V Trigger but Fenix cuts him off with a cutter. Matt gives Fenix a cutter of his own and that means a Meltzer Driver on the floor. Since that would kill him though, Fenix dives in to make a save, leaving Omega to hit the Tiger Driver 98 for two on Kid. Another running knee sets up the One Winged Angel to finish Kid at 20:30.

Rating: B. Yeah it was good and athletic, albeit with most of the usual issues from the Bucks and Omega (though only two V Triggers, which is acceptable for once). You knew the Bucks weren’t going to lose because they almost never do, though at least the match was rather entertaining.

Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela

Anything goes and unsanctioned. They’re on the floor in a hurry and brawl into the crowd for a bit. Back to ringside and Janela posts him before going for the first table. Moxley comes back and grabs a chair, with Janela being slammed onto it. Since long term selling isn’t going to be a thing in this match, Janela is right back up and puts Moxley (with a bloody eyebrow) in the chair for a high crossbody. Moxley gets sent outside and finds a chair wrapped in barbed wire.

The chair is driven into Janela’s chest so the fans dub Moxley “YOU SICK F***!” Moxley takes a bow, which takes a little too long as Janela hurricanranas him onto the barbed wire. A chair shot to the back gets two on Moxley and another table is brought in. Janela doesn’t like that one though so it’s a Russian legsweep off the apron through the table at ringside. Back in and Moxley drives him through a table in the corner for no cover. Instead he loads up two more tables on the floor but Janela flips him off.

Moxley beats him up some more and it’s time for a barbed wire board. Janela is back with a running AA through the barbed wire though the table and let’s get a ladder. With Moxley on the table on the floor, Janela climbs the ladder in the ring and drops the big elbow. And now, it’s another barbed wire board (Goldenboy: “He’s got one too?”), with this one being bridged between the ring and the barricade.

That takes too long though and Moxley grabs a DDT, followed by an AA through the barbed wire board. It’s time for the thumbtacks but Moxley takes off Janela’s boots and socks. Janela saves himself so Moxley hits a release suplex onto the tacks instead. That’s not enough though and Moxley sends him feet first into the tacks to draw some screaming. Janela flips him off again so Moxley pulls out more tacks for the Paradigm Shift (Dirty Deeds) onto said tacks for the pin at 20:00.

Rating: D. Your individual tastes may vary but I’ve never been a fan of this kind of match. It’s violence for the sake of violence and that isn’t the most entertaining thing in the world. Moxley is capable of having a good match without this stuff but I guess he needed to prove something or other. It’s nowhere near as bad as some of the nonsense death match garbage, but it’s still nothing I needed to see.

Post match Omega runs out with a V Trigger to Moxley, who is laid on the pieces of table. A springboard double stomp crushes Moxley and Omega takes him up to the set. Omega uses some of the equipment for the band that never showed up, including a guitar shot to the back. Moxley isn’t going to be helped out so Omega runs back out with a trashcan to take Moxley out again. A Paradigm Shift to the trashcan leaves Moxley laying, but he smiles at Omega to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. There are a few factors here (the kind of show and the price among others) but this was another heck of a show. The action was good up and down the card and they were in and out in less than three hours. I could have gone without the chair shot to Cody (which is just dumb, dangerous and unnecessary) and some more character stuff early on, but I had a good time with this and never got bored. It’s a smart move to not have every event be the big time show as this won’t have near the expectations, making it feel that much better. Very good followup, if you ignore the awful preshow.

Results

Cima b. Christopher Daniels – Top rope Meteora

Riho b. Yuka Sakazaki and Nyla Rose – Rollup to Rose

Adam Page b. Jungle Boy, Jimmy Havoc and Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Deadeye to Havoc

Cody vs. Darby Allin went to a time limit draw

Kenny Omega/Young Bucks b. Laredo Kid/Lucha Bros – One Winged Angel to Laredo Kid

Jon Moxley b. Joey Janela – Paradigm Shift

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

Never Say Never
Date: December 12, 2017
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 250
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

I’m still at it with these one off shows that MLW ran before they got a full time TV show. This is their second such show after a pretty good first edition. A few months have passed and there isn’t much to preview here as there wasn’t much set up to build towards a second show. If most of the cast is back though, this should be fun. Let’s get to it.

The opening video has a Christmas theme with places at a table set for various wrestlers. Jimmy Havoc is there with a glass of wine to say Happy Christmas. That was creepy in a way.

Opening sequence.

Tom Lawlor vs. Matt Riddle

Well this could be good. It’s almost weird seeing Lawlor with clean looking hair. Feeling out process to start as they trade some light punches with neither going anywhere. Some grappling goes the same way with Lawlor holding him up against the ropes. Riddle takes him down into a rear naked choke but Lawlor makes the rope in short order. Some heavy forearms in the corner keep Lawlor in trouble so his unnamed corner men take him to the floor for a much needed breather.

Lawlor is right back with a triangle choke but Riddle gets out again so it’s a release German suplex, with Riddle bouncing back to his feet first. That’s fine with Lawlor as he throws Riddle with another German suplex, this time for two. Riddle pops up again and hits a jumping knee to the face, setting up the Bro To Sleep (that’s so corny that it’s awesome) into a bridging German suplex for two more.

A backsplash gives Riddle another two but Lawlor t-bones him down. Lawlor’s piledriver is countered into a backdrop driver with Riddle holding him on his back and dropping down (cool) but Lawlor is right back with a Tombstone for one. Riddle starts striking away and picks him up for a Tombstone of his own, only to slam Lawlor down onto his back instead. Lawlor slaps on a Fujiwara armbar and rolls into a double arm crank. That goes nowhere so he tries a cross armbreaker, with Riddle rolling out and elbowing him in the face. The rear naked choke goes on and Lawlor flips the fans off before passing out at 14:56.

Rating: B. They played to their strengths here but it’s so strange to see Lawlor take a clean fall. He would go on to become one of the top stars in the promotion and having Riddle just beat him like this is very strange. Riddle wouldn’t be around long though as he was all but destined to be in WWE. Given his look and skill level so soon into his career, it really was just a matter of time.

Post match Lawlor’s corner men interrupt Riddle’s interview so he beats them up too. Riddle says if Lawlor wants to bring in his bros, Riddle can bring in his buddy Jeff Cobb for a tag match next month. Lawlor doesn’t say anything.

MVP is ready for his match tonight when Stokely Hathaway comes in to make an offer. That’s not cool with MVP, which doesn’t work for Hathaway. MVP basically tells him not to do anything stupid and to be wise.

Saieve Al Sabah vs. Mike Parrow

Fallout from last time when Parrow powerbombed him. Saieve jumps him before the bell but gets shoved away with ease. Some snap jabs work a bit better, though for all of three seconds as Parrow suplexes him down. One heck of a clothesline knocks Saieve out of his show (dang) and a big toss sends him outside for a great looking bump. Parrow powerbombs him into the post, followed by a fall away slam into the corner for two more. Saieve gets in a shot to the knee and pulls out some brass knuckles. The powerbomb is broken up with right hands to Parrow’s head to give Saieve the pin at 3:38.

Rating: D+. Saieve’s bumping looked great but the booking didn’t work very well. Parrow dominated him but then loses in the last few seconds after Saieve gets in two or three shots? I’ve never been a fan of that kind of booking and the knuckles finish didn’t felt way out of place. Parrow looks awesome though and that’s going to keep him around for a good while.

Dirty Blonds vs. Seth Petruzelli/Rhett Giddins

The Blonds are a southern team with some size to him while Petruzelli is the striking coach at the WWE Performance Center. Another pre-bell attack (with Tony pointing out how common they’ve been tonight) doesn’t work for the Blonds as stereo superkicks put them on the floor. Giddins starts with Leo Brien (partner of Michael Patrick) with both guys taking their time early on. Brien shoulders the heck out of him but Giddins pops back up for a slam.

That means a breather on the floor, where they take Petruzelli off the apron. Giddins gets choked down and Petruzelli gets knocked off the apron again. The Blonds take turns beating on Giddins as Tony is having a great time listing off the old southern wrestlers that have inspired them. A chinlock doesn’t last very long so Patrick knees Giddins back down. The diving tag attempt is broken up again with Petruzelli being pulled down for the third time.

We hit the nerve hold for a bit but Giddins fights up and kicks him in the face. A discus punch and rolling out of the way of an elbow are enough for the tag to Petruzelli, who receives almost no reaction whatsoever. Petruzelli barely gets to do anything before a low blow cuts him down. Giddins comes back in off a blind tag and a hard clothesline finishes Brien out of nowhere at 8:28.

Rating: D. I wasn’t feeling this one, even though I like the Blonds quite a bit. Giddins looked good but it felt like they were limiting Petruzelli’s in-ring time. That made for a weird match and the ending felt really sudden. This was easily the weakest thing that they’ve done so far but maybe it was just a one off.

Barrington Hughes, a 400lb+ monster, warms up with a huge meal of pizza, burgers and fries. He’d like his privacy though and tells the cameras to leave.

Barrington Hughes vs. Andrew Merlin

Trash talk, elbow to the head, seated senton to crush Merlin at 22 seconds. Bocchini: “Maybe nine seconds?” I didn’t know King Kong Bundy was now wrestling as Barrington Hughes.

Chelsea Green, who is scheduled to face Santana Garrett, has been attacked by a woman we can’t see.

Vandal Ortagun vs. Jimmy Yuta

Ortagun used to be in NXT on the Florida circuit. They trade chops to start as we hear about Yuta currently being a student. You don’t hear that every day. Ortagun gets dropped onto his face for a running kick as the announcers talk about Ortagun’s time in NXT. It’s so weird hearing Tony talk about modern wrestling. A chop block cuts Yuta down and it’s time for the Ric Flair knee work package.

The leg gets wrapped around the middle rope and there’s a dragon screw leg whip for two. Yuta fights up and hits a backdrop, followed by a rollup into a superkick. Thankfully Tony explains that the knee injury prevented it from being at full strength because he knows how to do his job. Ortagun takes him down by the knee again and the half crab goes on. Yuta grabs the rope and is right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb. The top rope elbow is enough to finish Ortagun at 6:21.

Rating: C. Yuta has grown on me a lot over the last few months and there’s potential in there to be a perfectly good high flier. He’s got a good look and can wrestle a pretty good match. That’s not bad for someone so young. Ortagun is a good choice for a spot like this as he’s got the experience to make anyone look good, which is what you want for someone young like Yuta. Nice match here.

Jimmy Havoc and Darby Allin are ready to hurt Shane Strickland and John Hennigan in the main event. A lot of blood is promised.

Santana Garrett vs. Leva Bates

Bates is better known as Blue Pants and she dances to the ring. She’s also not the person who attacked Chelsea as the hair color doesn’t match. Santana takes her to the mat to start and holds onto a headlock. Back up and Bates shoves her away, only to get rolled up for two. Bates has no choice but to shake her hand as Garrett is toying with her so far. Something like the Black Widow is broken up and Bates kicks her in the back.

That earns Bates a high five but she’s mean enough to grab a rollup for two of her own. Santana gets in something close to a Last Chancery for a few seconds but Bates slips out and puts on a Crossface. That’s broken up as well and Garrett is back with a front facelock. Tony starts talking about Larry Zbyszko teaching Garrett psychology, which isn’t the kind of thing you expect most commentators to bring up.

Bates trips Garrett down and poses before hitting a slingshot rolling spear for two. Garrett loses her headband so Bates stomps on it, which just ticks her off again. They start shoving and shouting at each other until Bates charges into a raised boot in the corner. A Russian legsweep gets two and Garrett goes after her in the corner, only to get caught in the Tree of Woe. Bates hits the top rope double stomp but goes back up and gets hurricanranaed back down. Garrett hits a handspring moonsault (cool) for the pin at 14:38.

Rating: C+. Garrett really is a solid worker and I’m a little bit surprised she hasn’t been signed up by a bigger name company. They told a nice little story here and while Bates was in over her head, she fought her way through it and they had a nice match as a result. Not too bad here, which is better than having a women’s match for the sake of a women’s match.

Post match Garrett poses and the same woman who attacked Green runs in for a kick to the knee.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman has a promo in the back but there’s no audio.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Joey Ryan

These two are joined at the hip. Friedman brags about being awesome and undefeated, both of which will still be the case after the match. The bell rings but Joey has to give away a lollipop and oil up. With that out of the way, Joey offers him a chance to touch it. He tries to force Friedman’s hand down there so Friedman escapes and demands that the fans stop encouraging it.

Friedman tries an atomic drop and that’s probably a sprained MCL at least. Joey tries to make him touch it again and now it’s time for the lollipop from the trunks. That’s finally enough for Friedman, who kicks him in the ribs and sends Joey shoulder first into the post. An armbar goes on for a bit until Joey sends him to the apron but Friedman comes back with a springboard Codebreaker to the arm. Ryan gets in a spinebuster for two but Friedman bails to the floor before the superkick.

Of course that means a suicide dive to take Friedman down again but he’s right back with a powerbomb inside. Friedman goes for the lollipop, only to have his arm chopped to put it into his own mouth. That means the superkick so Ryan can drop to his back as Friedman does the comical fall onto the crotch. The staggered Friedman takes a Canadian Destroyer but Ryan goes for the crotch again, allowing Friedman to poke him in the eye. Another armbar makes Ryan tap at 8:22.

Rating: C-. I don’t know if it’s listening to Ryan’s very good out of character interviews or just how dedicated he is to the gimmick, but the guy is growing on me. Friedman going over makes sense as he’s the kind of guy who is going to be around here more frequently. Ryan is a bigger name too and a win over him means a little more. Perfectly fine comedy match here.

Post match Joey offers a handshake but gets flipped off. I think you can guess where that hand goes, setting up the special suplex.

Plug for the MLW podcasts. Some of those aren’t half bad either.

MVP has nothing to say about his discussions with Stokely Hathaway.

MVP vs. Brody King

King is a very big guy with a ton of tattoos. They stare each other down to start but MVP stops to yell something at the crowd that I can’t make out. The battle over the lockup goes nowhere so King kicks him in the face to take over. A backsplash (with some height) gets one and a running splash in the corner hits MVP again. MVP misses a boot in the corner and gets kicked out to the floor for his failed efforts. King throws him over a pile of chairs onto the concrete for a crash.

You don’t put a wrestler near chairs as MVP uses one to crack him a few times but he can’t suplex him onto the open chair. A slugout goes to MVP but Hathaway pops up for a distraction, allowing King to shove MVP onto the chairs again. They finally get back in so King can hit a tilt-a-whirl slam for two. King misses a dropkick but, as usual, the Ballin Elbow takes FOREVER to set up, allowing King to clothesline him back down.

A gutwrench sitout powerbomb gets two more but another powerbomb is countered with a hurricanrana. MVP gets in a t-bone suplex and they’re both down with MVP holding his back. His back is so messed up that the Playmaker takes too long, allowing King to hit a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. King misses a spinning high crossbody though and a running kick to the head finishes him off at 11:53.

Rating: C. Nice power brawl here but MVP still doesn’t do much for me. He’s a guy who used to be someone but there’s very little about him that stands out in any of his modern matches. King is good in a Luke Harper type big man enforcer role and that’s a job you could have for a very long time going forward.

They shake hands post match.

The announcers talk about an upcoming World Title tournament. So this place has a bit more of a future.

Sammy Guevara vs. Jason Cade

Sammy has Salina de la Renta with him. We have to stall for a few seconds so Sammy can take off his shirt and that means a dueling chant of MILK FIRST vs. CEREAL FIRST. This is what the two of them have been talking about on Twitter as of late, because that’s what wrestling has become. Just picture Race and Brisco having that discussion. Sammy takes over to start by sending him to the floor but Cade slides back inside for a dropkick. Cade’s dive is blocked by a jumping knee to the floor and now Sammy gets in a dive.

Cade is right back in for a dive of his own but this time he spends too much time bragging and gets hit with a dive as well. Since that’s not enough, Cade slides back in for another dive. Fans: “CEREAL FIRST!” Back in and the announcers debate types of cereal as Cade scores with some chops. A Russian legsweep puts Guevara on the apron but they think better about going to the top at the same time. Salina offers a distraction so Sammy can hit a top rope double stomp (kind of) onto the apron.

Sammy stays on the ribs by running the ropes before stopping for a chinlock. He’s no Kevin Owens but Sami Zayn is no Salina. Cade fights up and hits a Russian legsweep into the corner, followed by a springboard crossbody for no cover. A handspring Codebreaker gets two with Salina screaming or a kickout. Sammy is fine enough for a Spanish Fly and a low superkick but a shooting star misses.

They trade strikes to the face, miss strikes to the face, and then hit strikes to the face at the same time for a double knockdown. It’s Cade up first with a running knee to the face and a Code Red for two. Sammy kicks him off the top for a crash and now the shooting star press connects for a near fall of his own.

Rating: C. This felt like the required indy match and while that’s fine, it was a little long for this late in the card. I like Cade, but he’s not someone who gets big wins most of the time. That’s not the worst place to be on the card as he’s going to put in watchable matches, but I’m not sure on Sammy. He has the pieces, but hasn’t put them together just yet. More time would help, which is the case for so many of these younger guys.

Hathaway swears vengeance on MVP.

Shane Strickland talks about being proud of beating Ricochet last time but Darby Allin and Jimmy Havoc attacked Shane to ruin his moment. They want to give Shane what he wants so Shane is ready to fight with John Hennigan at his side.

Shane Strickland/John Hennigan vs. Darby Allin/Jimmy Havoc

No DQ and the thumbtacks are poured out before the good guys come out. Hennigan makes the mistake of charging in before Shane shows up. He fights out of a double suplex so Shane can even things out (coming through the crowd for some reason) and the fight is on with Allin dropkicking Hennigan almost into the tacks. Shane throws Allin into them instead and Hennigan powerbombs Havoc onto Allin onto the tacks for a good visual. Havoc’s chop hits post (though he pulled up) and it’s already time for a table.

With chops not working, Havoc pokes Shane in the eye to cut him off. Hennigan and Allin get back inside and fight on the corner but head to the floor instead. Havoc busts out a staple gun and you can hear the groan in Tony’s voice. That means a piece of paper gets stapled to Shane’s face (Tony: “WHAT AM I WATCHING???”) and another to his back. Shane is right back with a staple into Havoc’s head as the announcers are losing it. Tony: “Ok. We have lost our minds.”

They trade off with Allin armdragging (that feels out of place at the moment) Shane but being left alone in the ring. Havoc isn’t done with the staples and here’s Allin to flip dive onto the two of them. It’s time for a bunch of chairs in the ring (Tony: “After a staple gun, a chair is kind of a disappointment for me.”) with one of them being wedged in the corner. Havoc gets extra evil by cutting Hennigan’s fingers with the edge of the paper (a kind of brilliant way to go in a hardcore match) and Bocchini says that’s worse than the staples. I mean….maybe?

Havoc has a seat in a chair but Hennigan gets back up and backdrops him onto two unfolded chairs. That actually gets two as the announcers are surprised that you can get pins here. Fair enough given the level of carnage here. Shane comes back in with a 450 on Allin and it’s time for a cookie sheet. Allin flips out of a German suplex and hits Shane in the knee with Hennigan having to come back in for a save.

Allin’s Coffin Drop is countered into an armbar and Shane snaps the arm back for a snap that actually made my mouth come open and the rest of me cringe. Havoc comes back in for some forearms but gets catapulted into a cookie sheet to the head. Strickland kicks him in the head but Havoc knocks Hennigan down and takes Shane to the apron. One heck of an enziguri staggers Havoc and an AA off the apron sends him through a table. Back in and Starship Pain only gets two on Havoc but the crowd reaction isn’t that strong as they’re going too long here.

Havoc tries to beg and then gets caught going for the double low blow. As Hennigan and Strickland look to deal with him, Allin dives off the balcony with a chair to take them both out and they’ve got the crowd right back. Allin sets up another table but takes too long, allowing Hennigan and Strickland to put him on it instead. They both go up top but here’s the woman who attacked Garrett to shove Hennigan to the floor. A double superplex puts Shane through a table for two and the woman throws in a chain. Havoc wraps it around his arm and clotheslines the heck out of Shane for the pin at 18:49.

Rating: B. They knew what they were going for here and then executed it. Havoc and Allin are good hardcore guys and it’s impressive to have them beat some big names like Hennigan and Strickland. On top of that, it was a heck of a violent match with the announcers actually adding a lot in that “this is insane” style. There’s also something great about Tony watching this violent stuff and it made things that much better.

Hathaway has a press conference to talk about MVP where he talks about MVP being in prison earlier in the 2000s. Someone negotiated a deal with WWE and then another with New Japan. That someone is of course Hathaway, who is now in charge of Black Friday Management (the heel stable started by Gary Hart in the original MLW). Therefore, Hathaway controls MVP so he’ll be facing Low Ki next month.

Overall Rating: C+. I had a good time here and that’s what matters most on the second show in a promotion’s lifespan. They offered a nice balance of stuff from start to finish and the show never started to drag. I want to see where things go from here and that’s the most important thing they can do. It’s pretty impressive to see how well they’ve hit the ground running and if they can keep that up, they might have a hit on their hands.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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