Dark – March 24, 2020: What I Wanted The Show To Be

IMG Credit: AEW

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

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

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

Taz and Excalibur run down the card.

Jake Hager vs. Joe Alonzo

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

Matt Sells/Jon Cruz vs. Natural Nightmares

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

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

SCU vs. Robert Anthony/Shawn Spears

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

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

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

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

Kip Sabian vs. Suge D.

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

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

Colt Cabana vs. Brandon Cutler

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

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

Post match, respect is shown.

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Jake Hager b. Joe Alonzo – Head and arm choke

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

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

Kip Sabian b. Suge D. – Grounded Octopus

Colt Cabana b. Brandon Cutler – Superman pin

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

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

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

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

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

Dark – March 17, 2020: Yes I’m Still On This

IMG Credit: AEW

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

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

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

The announcers run down the card.

Peter Avalon vs. Colt Cabana

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

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

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

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

Hybrid 2 vs. Brandon Cutler/Michael Nakazawa

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

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

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

The hosts preview the next match.

Penelope Ford vs. Riho

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

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

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

Stu Grayson vs. Christopher Daniels

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Colt Cabana b. Peter Avalon – Superman pin

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

Penelope Ford b. Riho – Fisherman’s suplex

Christopher Daniels b. Stu Grayson – Rollup

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

Dark – March 10, 2020: Oh No, Him Too?

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: March 10, 2020
Location: 1^st Bank Center, Broomfield, Colorado
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

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

Taz and Excalibur run down the card.

Jurassic Express vs. Peter Avalon/Kip Sabian

Marko Stunt, Penelope Ford and Leva Bates are all at ringside. Sabian has to backflip out of a Luchasaurus chokeslam attempt and that means a Karate Kid pose. Boy and Avalon come in with Peter telling us to be quiet. That earns him a chop to the chest and a springboard armdrag to put him down as the pace picks up. A dropkick has Avalon in more trouble and a springboard dive drops Sabian for a bonus.

Ford breaks up a springboard though and Sabian gets two off a neckbreaker. Sabian is back up with a springboard dropkick into a spinebuster, followed by a double suplex for one. Ford and Bates get in an argument over a book though and, after they shove Stunt away, the distraction lets Luchasaurus come in to clean house. Avalon actually escapes a chokeslam attempt but gets kicked down, setting up a standing moonsault for two instead. It’s back to Boy to start rapid firing the strikes as everything breaks down. The Tail Whip sends Sabian outside and the reverse powerbomb/cutter combination finishes Avalon at 7:58.

Rating: C. Pretty standard match here but it’s great to see Jurassic Express do something after just kind of sitting around for months. I’m not sure what happened to them but they were looking like one of the biggest teams in all of the company. If nothing else, it was nice to see the better version without Stunt out there as the novelty act.

Buy a Pharaoh shirt with some of the money going to charity!

Severino Corrente vs. Jimmy Havoc

This is Corrente’s debut. Havoc works on the arm to start so Corrente punches him in the face. You don’t do that to someone like Havoc, who sends him face first into the buckle to take over again. A double stomp out of the corner sets up a middle rope double stomp but the Acid Rainmaker is countered into a German suplex back into the corner. Havoc bites the finger and pokes the eye though, setting up a running dropkick. A Death Valley Driver into the Acid Rainmaker finishes Corrente at 4:48.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here and that might be a good idea for Havoc. He hasn’t done much around here in a long time and having him get a win like this at least keeps him around. I’m not sure what it means for Havoc’s future, but I can’t imagine seeing him facing Luther on Dynamite.

Post match Luther comes in and beats Havoc down.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming! And buy that shirt.

Abadon vs. Hikaru Shida

It’s Abadon’s debut as well and she’s rather evil looking. Shida seems scared of her to start and backs off early on before running Abadon over with a shoulder. A headscissors puts Shida down and she yells at Shida a lot. Abadon bends Shida’s neck across the rope and it’s time to chop it out. A knee to the face sets up a middle rope dropkick on Abadon but she’s right back with an Edge-O-Matic for two. That just earns Abadon a brainbuster into the running knee for the pin at 5:31.

Rating: C. Abadon feels like one of several evil/creepy wrestlers that you have probably seen time after time but she had a perfectly fine performance here. Shida is someone else who can do a lot in the ring, but at some point she needs to do something a little more than just the running knee. She’s one of the better women in the division though and I can see why AEW is pushing her.

Jimmy Havoc isn’t hurt and wants to fight Luther, who jumps him again.

Avalon and Bates come up to Colt Cabana and tell him to read more instead of listening to podcasts. Peter storms off but Bates comes back up to say that she’s a big fan of his podcast.

Private Party vs. Sonny Kiss/Brandon Cutler

Cutler armbars Cassidy to start and it’s Kiss coming in off a blind tag but everything breaks down. A bunch of kicks miss until Kiss misses a handspring elbow in the corner. Kiss is fine enough to knock Quen down but he’s right back with a monkey flip, allowing the tag back to Cassidy. An atomic drop sets up an enziguri to drop Kiss and the leapfrog double stomp to the back gets two.

Kiss slips out of a double suplex and slides under a double clothesline for the hot tag to Cutler for the house cleaning. Cutler ties both of them in the ropes for springboard legdrops, followed by a suicide dive to Quen. A springboard legdrop gets two on Cassidy, followed by some kicks from Kiss.

Back in and Kiss snaps off a middle rope hurricanrana for two on Cassidy. Quen breaks up the splits though and Kiss is driven back into the corner. A moonsault to the back gives Cassidy two with Cutler breaking the save, setting up back to back fireman’s carry gutbusters. Cutler is sent outside though and it’s Gin and Juice to pin Kiss at 11:21.

Rating: C-. Much like Jurassic Express, what in the world happened to Private Party? They came in as one of the more promising teams in the company and now they’re taking eleven minutes to beat two jobbers? The match wasn’t too bad but Private Party should be at least a little higher up than this.

Post match the Death Triangle runs in for the beatdown on all four. Pac says this is just the beginning so here’s Joey Janela to get beaten down. The Best Friends and Orange Cassidy run in for the save. That’s quite a bit to end Dark.

Results

Jurassic Express b. Peter Avalon/Kip Sabian – Reverse powerbomb/cutter combination to Avalon

Jimmy Havoc b. Severino Corrente – Acid Rainmaker

Hikaru Shida b. Abadon – Running knee

Private Party b. Brandon Cutler/Sonny Kiss – Gin and Juice to Kiss

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

Dark – March 3, 2020: We Needed Part Two

IMG Credit: AEW Wrestling

Dark
Date: March 3, 2020
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

So there was an episode of Dark on Friday but where would we be without getting to see the other match that took place before Revolution? Ignoring the big question of why we needed another one aside from having this one match for this show, there are a lot of interviews to go with the single match. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at Colt Cabana saving SCU from the Dark Order on the pre-show.

Colt Cabana has been friends with the people who run this company and he’s glad to be here, even though he hasn’t signed a contract. If the Dark Order wants to do this, let’s go. He’s got SCU’s backs and the Elite’s backs if they want him.

A fired up Christopher Daniels doesn’t think there is an Exalted One behind the Dark Order. SCU and Cabana are ready to fight the Dark Order. Perhaps in WarGames with the Exalted One as the big final entrant?

Quick look at Nyla Rose retaining the Women’s Title.

Kris Stadtlander is disappointed but she’ll come back a little more down to earth.

We look at the end of Orange Cassidy vs. Pac.

Pac won’t say what his relationship is with the Lucha Bros and AEW is responsible for what happened to Cassidy.

Riho/Yuka Sakazaki vs. Britt Baker/Penelope Ford

Kip Sabian is here with Baker and Ford. Sakazaki and Riho jump them to start, including a jumping knee to put Sabian on the floor. We officially start Baker getting double teamed in the corner until we settle down to Riho vs. Baker. That works a bit better for Baker, who takes Riho into the corner for the tag to Ford. Sakazaki comes in as well for a double elbow to the back and some rolling suplexes to Ford for a bonus.

A Sabian distraction lets Baker stomp Sakazaki and hit her with a suplex for two. Ford hits the handspring elbow and another Sabian distraction lets Baker crush Sakazaki’s head in the corner. A missile dropkick gets Sakazaki out of trouble and it’s back to Riho for the crucifix bomb on Ford. Everything breaks down and Sakazaki dives onto the two of them, setting up Riho’s top rope double stomp for two on Baker. Lockjaw is broken up as Riho counters into a rollup, only to have Sabian turn it back over so Riho has to tap at 7:48.

Rating: C-. Standard tag formula here with Sabian adding the wild card, but the big story here is Baker getting a win over Riho. You don’t see that very often so maybe this is her way of moving up the ladder a little bit. It wasn’t a clean win, but maybe Baker can tie that into cleaning teeth or something like that. Good enough storytelling though and that at least gives this some kind of a reason to exist.

Overall Rating: C-. Yeah this really should have just been added to the pre-show as it was barely a show, running less than twenty minutes. It’s like they had some kind of requirement to put something on tonight instead of just waiting for Dynamite. That makes for a rather pointless show, but the Riho loss might mean something so that helps a little bit.

Results

Penelope Ford/Britt Baker b. Riho/Yuka Sakazaki – Lockjaw to Riho

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

Dark – February 28, 2020: It Serves Its Purpose

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: February 28, 2020
Location: Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, Kansas City, Missouri|
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

This is a bit of a special edition as the show was uploaded on Friday instead of the usual Tuesday due to Revolution on Saturday. Odds are it is going to be the same kind of show as we always see and I’m not sure what that is going to mean. It’s all going to depend on the wrestling, which tends to be the case more often than not. Let’s get to it.

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

Sonny Kiss vs. Luther

Rating: D. Luther was far from a disaster but getting me to care about a “death match legend” from Japan 20 years ago is a bit of a stretch. Having Luther here as a low level villain isn’t going to hurt anything but the Nightmare Collective stuff was a big waste of everyone’s time. This could have been worse, though it’s nothing I’m needing to see again.

Post match Jimmy Havoc chases Luther off.

Tony and Dasha are excited for Revolution.

Dark Order vs. Michael Nakazawa/Peter Avalon

Before the match, Leva Bates tells Avalon to stop insulting every town they come to and hands him a book called “Don’t Be A D***.” Nakazawa loads up the baby oil but Avalon says no because he doesn’t want comedy. Avalon tags himself in and immediately slips on the oil as we’re in comedy land. Nakazawa comes back in and gets beaten up in the corner but uses more oil to escape a suplex. That’s enough for Avalon though as he walks out, leaving Nakazawa to take the Fatality for the pin at 2:56. This may be the biggest waste of time I’ve seen in a good many years.

Video on Cody vs. MJF.

Here’s where AEW is coming.

Britt Baker vs. Miranda Alize

Alize was on Impact last week. Baker takes her down by the arm to start but it’s way too early for Lockjaw. Alize can’t escape so it’s a forearm to the face. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Baker chokes away in the corner, followed by a kick to the jaw. A fisherman’s neckbreaker and the reverse Sling Blade set up the Lockjaw to finish Alize at 5:13.

Rating: C-. Just an extended squash for Baker here and that’s fine. It seems like she has been waiting to jump up to the next level for months now and it has just never clicked. You could still see it happening, but I’m not sure when it will. Alize didn’t get to showcase herself much here but she has potential if she ever gets a chance.

Brandon Cutler/Shawn Spears vs. Private Party

Hold on though as Private Party needs to throw their beads into the crowd. Cutler and Kassidy start things off and they take turns missing each other. Quen misses a running enziguri and all three try dropkicks for another standoff. Spears comes in for a chop but gets pulled into the corner so Quen can sunset flip Kassidy into a moonsault press for two.

It’s back to Cutler, who springboards in with a forearm to Kassidy so Spears can hammer away in the corner. The spinebuster plants Kassidy and Spears drops him onto the apron for a bonus. A legdrop gives Cutler two but Kassidy is back with an enziguri, allowing the hot tag to Quen. The sitout bulldog/faceplant combination puts Spears/Cutler down, meaning Spears is ready to leave. Gin and Juice finishes Cutler at 9:24.

Rating: C. Just a match for the most part and the same ending that we’ve seen from Spears before. The Tully Blanchard Search For The Perfect Partner story is getting old in a hurry, mainly because Spears has been turned into one of the least important people in the company. And that’s how they’re using Blanchard?

Tony and Dasha say goodbye. Their importance on this show is waning every week.

Overall Rating: D+. This is such a strange show and it rarely goes outside of its comfort zone. That being said, the show is far from terrible and they get a lot of talent in the ring. It’s better than having them sit on the sidelines as they’re being kept warm for later if necessary. The show wasn’t great this week but it served its purpose well enough, even if that purpose isn’t the most important for AEW.

Results

Luther b. Sonny Kiss – Camel clutch

Dark Order b. Michael Nakazawa/Peter Avalon – Fatality to Nakazawa

Britt Baker b. Miranda Alize – Lockjaw

Private Party b. Brandon Cutler/Shawn Spears – Gin and Juice to Cutler

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

Dark – February 25, 2020: The Great Divide

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: February 25, 2020
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tazz
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

It’s another week and I still don’t know what to expect from this show. They get into a rhythm and then it goes flying out the window the next week. The shows are fine enough most of the time but there are weeks where I don’t need to see most of what they are presenting. Let’s get to it.

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

Excalibur and Tazz run down the card with Tony Schiavone nowhere in sight.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Marko Stunt

The rest of the Jurassic Express is here with Stunt. Havoc misses an early charge and gets knocked to the floor for some suicide dives. A diving tornado DDT plants Havoc again but he’s fine enough to hit a buckle bomb back inside. Cue Dr. Luther and Mel to watch on the stage as Havoc hits a brainbuster and cranks on the neck.

Stunt gets a boot up in the corner but dives into a Crossface to work on the neck a bit more. The neck is bent around the turnbuckle and a fisherman’s suplex gives Havoc two. Stunt fights up with an enziguri and dropkicks Havoc outside, but this time he just sidesteps a suicide dive. The Acid Rainmaker finishes Stunt at 7:32.

Rating: D+. Same thing I always say about Stunt: it’s a nice story once, but it’s too much to believe that anyone has any real difficulty beating him. They didn’t go too long here and Stunt’s offense was mainly fluke shots that Havoc could shrug off, but it looks and feels like Havoc is beating up a twelve year old. The long hair and tiny frame make it impossible to believe and that’s not something that is going to get better.

Tony and Dasha (hey she still exists) talk about….not much really.

Dark Order vs. Strong Hearts

Fallout from the Dark Order trying to recruit Cima to the team. Evil Uno and T-Hawk start things off with Hawk chopping away but getting stopped with a poke to the eye. Grayson comes in and gets his leg dropkicked out, allowing the Hearts to set up a basement dropkick to the face. Something like a reverse Rings of Saturn keeps Grayson in trouble but he drives Hawk into the corner to cut him off. Some right hands keep Hawk in trouble and Uno adds a big boot.

A jumping knee into a clothesline gets two but Hawk gets in a quick powerbomb. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Cima so house can be cleaned as everything breaks down. The double suicide dive takes the Order out and it’s a missile dropkick to Uno back inside. Uno is fine enough to hit a DDT/Samoan drop combination on the Hearts though and it’s a toss into a powerbomb for two on Hawk. The Fatality finishes Hawk at 8:35.

Rating: C+. That’s one of the best things I’ve seen from the Dark Order so far but what matters most is having the Exalted One show up and be impressive. I’m not sure who it is going to be but they have a few options, some of which could be rather successful. If it doesn’t work though, the team is done for all intent and purpose so they better get it right.

Come to see Dynamite!

Kip Sabian vs. Joey Janela

Falls count anywhere so Janela low blows him on the stage for two at the bell with Penelope Ford making the save. Sabian knocks Ford down by mistake and it’s time to fight by the stage. That lets Ford hit a big dive off the stage with a crossbody but Janela is fine enough to hit a superkick. Ford gets in another distraction though and Sabian hits a flip dive to put Janela down.

They get inside for the first time with Sabian pulling on something like a reverse Koji Clutch until they fall outside again. The fight goes into the crowd with Janela throwing a drink in his face and taking it back to ringside. Janela’s dive off the barricade gets chaired out of the air but Sabian dropkicks a chair by mistake. A prosthetic leg to the head has Sabian drown again and it’s time to set up a table at ringside.

Sabian is back with a half and half suplex on the apron for two, followed by the swinging neckbreaker through the table. Two more tables are set up but Ford is back up with a top rope hurricanrana to Janela. That just earns her a toss into Sabian, who knocks the table over but doesn’t break it. Janela hits a hard kendo stick shot to the head for the pin at 12:29.

Rating: C+. The match was fine enough but I haven’t cared about this feud (or anyone involved in it) since the beginning and this match, which hopefully is the finale, is no different. Janela and Sabian fighting over Ford isn’t worth caring about and they both desperately need something different. It’s a boring feud and hopefully AEW can figure that out.

QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes are ready for their tag match.

QT Marshall/Dustin Rhodes vs. Shawn Spears/Peter Avalon

Brandi Rhodes and Leva Bates are the seconds. Marshall gets hiptossed down to start and that means an early SHH. Dustin comes in for a running knee into a standing twisting moonsault for two on Avalon as the oldest person in the match gets to pick up the pace. Spears’ headlock works a bit better and he tries the Goldust deep breath.

Dustin’s uppercut doesn’t do much good so he goes with the ten right hands in the corner instead. Everything breaks down and Dustin and Marshall get in some stereo dancing jabs. We settle down to Spears dropping Marshall back first onto the apron to take over, allowing Avalon to get two off a leg lariat. Marshall gets away for the tag without much trouble though and it’s Dustin coming in to clean house.

Spears manages a spinebuster though and Marshall gets sent off the top for a big crash to the floor. Back up and Dustin grabs the Code Red for two but Spears runs him down again. A twisting frog splash gets two, only to have Avalon tag himself in. That means a left hand from Spears, who walks out on Avalon to seal his fate. Leva grabs Dustin’s foot to break up Shattered Dreams so it’s a spear from Brandi, followed by Shattered Dreams anyway. A powerslam/sliding reverse suplex combination finishes Avalon at 11:41.

Rating: C. I liked this one well enough but this Spears Needs A Partner deal isn’t going anywhere. The fact that they are already repeating the same idea with the same people isn’t a good sign and I don’t know why I would want to see it again. Not a terrible match but it belongs on a show like this one instead of anywhere near the main show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a great illustration of the divide between the top half of the roster and everyone around here. The show was full of a bunch of wrestlers who have little reason to be anywhere near Dynamite (not the case with everyone here, but the majority of them). There is a big difference between the two pools of talent and I don’t know how necessary it is to keep showing these matches. Not a bad show, but not one you’ll ever need to see.

Results

Jimmy Havoc b. Marko Stunt – Acid Rainmaker

Dark Order b. Strong Hearts – Fatality to T-Hawk

Joey Janela b. Kip Sabian – Kendo stick to the head

Dustin Rhodes/QT Marshall b. Peter Avalon/Shawn Spears – Powerslam/sliding reverse suplex combination to Avalon

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

Dark – February 18, 2020: I Can Dig It

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: February 18, 2020
Location: HEB Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz
Host: Tony Schiavone

This show is what I want when I watch WWE’s Main Event: they rarely mess around and include some recaps when necessary, but above all else the show offers some talent a chance to get on TV. You don’t get repeat matches and it’s not a bunch of lifeless drek. That makes things so much better and Dark can be an entertaining show. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony welcomes us to the show. Dasha isn’t coming back is she?

Diamante vs. Kris Stadtlander

Stadtlander does her poke to the referee’s nose but Diamante isn’t as interested. A shot to the face sends Diamante into the corner and Stadtlander crawls after her. There’s the double arm pull before she sticks Diamante’s fingers into her (as in Diamante’s own) ears. A running knee in the corner puts Diamante on the floor so Stadtlander gorilla presses her onto the apron. Back in and a Code Red gives Diamante two but a wheelbarrow suplex (egads) drops Diamante on her head. The Big Bang Theory finishes Diamante at 4:26.

Rating: C-. This was just a squash and I still really like Stadtlander. She doesn’t need the alien deal as she’s unique enough looking on her own but it’s certainly something unique. Diamante hasn’t impressed me during most of the time I’ve seen her but there are far worse choices they could throw out there.

Hybrid 2 vs. Best Friends

And yes Orange Cassidy is here too. Chuck and Evans start things off with the former taking Evans down in a hurry. That’s reversed into a headscissors and it’s up to a standoff. Evans flips out of a northern lights suplex but the second work just fine. Chuck comes in for a double elbow drop as the fans are behind the Best Friends again. Apparently bored on the apron, Angelico drops to the floor and decks Cassidy, only to get knocked down by Chuck.

The Hybrids use the distraction to take over and Angelico Gory Specials Trent onto Chuck in a cool spot. Evans adds a moonsault to both of them and Angelico’s top rope double stomp into a belly to back suplex gets two. Trent’s tornado DDT gets him out of trouble and a helicopter bomb gets two on Evans.

A reverse Razor’s Edge into a cutter gets two more on Evans with Angelico making a save. The assisted 450 hits Trent for two but Cassidy gets on the apron to distract Evans on top. The big shot to the leg is loaded up but Cassidy steps to the side to avoid Angelico, who hits the ropes to crotch Jack. That’s one of the only times Cassidy has felt like he contributed something substantial to a match. Strong Zero finishes Evans at 8:31.

Rating: C. They worked more of a formula here and that’s a nice treat for the Hybrid 2. I still can’t bring myself to get into them and the Best Friends continue to be hit or miss. Cassidy using his shtick to outsmart some villains is a surprise as well and a lot better than having him stare down what is supposed to be some big heel stable in the Dark Order.

Post match, the winners and Cassidy have the extra big hug.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

Christi James vs. Big Swole

They fight over a lockup to start, with Taz talking about what you can learn from your opponent by locking up with them. I know he can be a catchphrase machine at times but Taz can throw out some insightful stuff every now and then. Swole’s headlock is reversed into one from James and we get an early standoff. A hard clothesline puts James into the corner but she puts Swole on the ropes and hits an enziguri. James pulls her by the hair so Swole strikes away, including a headbutt to the ribs. A pump kick into Dirty Dancing finishes James at 4:48.

Rating: D+. James is someone who has a catchy look with a lot of Brazilian flags but I need more than that to think much of her. Granted you’re not getting much out of a five minute match but this could have been a lot worse. Swole is someone who seemed to be little more than a person on the card but she has come around a good bit in recent weeks and that’s a good thing for the division.

Young Bucks vs. QT Marshall/Peter Avalon

Before the match, we get a lot of shushing from Avalon, with Marshall even asking the fans to let him get this out of the way so we can wrestle. Nick wristlocks Marshall to start and it’s time to flip around a bit without making much contact. A handspring into the Ricochet pose has Nick perplexed but Avalon asks what is this flippy doo stuff. Avalon: “THIS ISN’T WRESTLING!” Matt grabs the mic and asks if he and Nick should do a bad a** tag team move. Matt: “Let’s do a double hiptoss!” He doesn’t mention the double basement dropkick but does start a YOUNG BUCKS chant.

The camera can’t keep up with the Bucks but it settles down for Avalon running from a Matt superkick. Marshall gets in a few shots to Matt and Leva Bates reads to him a bit. Granted she also hits him with a book but at least it comes after some education. Nick gets knocked off the apron so there’s no one for Matt to tag, leaving him to roll some northern lights suplexes.

This time it’s eight in a row, with Taz saying he’s jealous that he never thought of it. The hot tag brings in Nick to clean house with kicks in the corner and a double bulldog out of the same. A moonsault/slingshot splash combination gets two on Avalon with Marshall making the save. Marshall won’t let Avalon use the book so it’s a right hand to take him down. The superkicks into the Meltzer Driver put Avalon away at 10:30.

Rating: C. I chuckled at the in-match commentary bits but that’s an old favorite of mine. This is the kind of match that works well for a main event on this show: a top act beating a team that isn’t going to get them any real danger but can get a few nice moments out of them. It worked well enough for a Dark main event and they weren’t trying for more than that (which is fine too).

Overall Rating: C. When this show gets it right, they have a nice little groove going. That’s what we had here with four matches over forty eight minutes and nothing going longer than it should have. That makes things so much easier while also making you understand how this show, without a lot of major stars, blows away stuff like 205 Live, which has talented wrestlers but not energy whatsoever. This was fun and an easy watch, which is always nice to have.

Results

Kris Stadtlander b. Diamante – Big Bang Theory

Best Friends b. Hybrid 2 – Strong Zero to Evans

Big Swole b. Christi James – Dirty Dancing

Young Bucks b. Peter Avalon/QT Marshall – Meltzer Driver to Avalon

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

Dark – February 11, 2020: That’s A Popular Move Around Here

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: February 11, 2020
Location: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Tazz, Excalibur
Host: Tony Schiavone

This show continues to be all over the place and that is rather interesting at times. You never can tell what to expect on something like this and that’s one of the best things about it. Hopefully it’s a bit shorter than last week, which was longer than a show like this needs to be. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony runs down the card.

Riho vs. Shoko Nakajima

Non-title. They go with the technical stuff to start with Nakajima grabbing a headlock to little avail. A dropkick puts Nakajima down but she’s able to send Riho out side for a suicide dive. Back in and a cravate with knees to the head rock Riho some more, setting up a running basement Blockbuster. Nakajima pulls on both arms at once but Riho rolls through into a double stomp.

Riho misses a 619 so Nakajima tries and misses her own, only to keep swinging to hit a second attempt for a cool spot. They slug it out until Nakajima grabs a guillotine, only to get reversed into a northern lights suplex for two. A top rope double stomp gets two on Nakajima and it’s off to a pinfall reversal sequence for two each. Nakajima misses a top rope backsplash, allowing Riho to hit a running knee to the face for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: B-. The action was pretty good but Nakajima is the latest name added to a long list of women who aren’t all that interesting in the first place. The biggest problem continues to be we know nothing about them and there is little that sets them apart other than their name and their gear. Yes the action can carry them, but they are going to need something else.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Sonny Kiss

Havoc takes him to the mat to start and Sonny can’t spin out of a wristlock. A quick reversal into a sunset flip gives Kiss two and he takes Havoc down with a hurricanrana. The handspring splash just annoys Havoc so he knocks Kiss down in the corner. They fight to the floor with Kiss chopping the post by mistake, allowing Havoc to bend the arm around the turnbuckle.

Back in and we hit the armbar on Kiss, followed by a suplex to send him into the corner for two. A Death Valley Driver gets two and we hit the Fujiwara armbar to keep Kiss in trouble. That’s broken up and Kiss hits a one armed belly to belly, plus a front flip kick to the ribs for two. Kiss tries a Matrix but hurts his arm, setting up Havoc’s cross armbreaker, with the finger being bent back to make Kiss tap at 10:01.

Rating: C. I was shocked by the fact that the arm actually played into the finish and that’s a good thing. It’s the kind of a finish that you don’t get very often and I’m glad to see them doing something like that for a change. Nice enough match and I’m not sure what Havoc is doing next, but I’m not sure I even remembered him being around.

Dr. Luther seems to threaten Jimmy Havoc.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

Hikaru Shida vs. Cassandra Golden

Golden is taller and grabs a headlock to start. Shida’s shoulder has no effect and Golden throws her down by the hair. A whip into the corner gets two but Shida manages a backbreaker. Golden is right back with a much bigger side slam and a Vader Bomb gets a deep cover for two. This time it’s Shida coming back with a running forearm and a missile dropkick puts Golden down. She isn’t down long though as she is right back up with a running enziguri and a Falcon Arrow. Shida is fine enough to hit a running knee (popular move around here) for the pin at 6:29.

Rating: C-. Golden was impressive enough here and Shida has already proven herself. I got more out of Golden than I did Nakajima earlier, if nothing else because she stood out a bit more. We got a good enough match here but it’s nothing overly memorable, which is fine enough on a show like this one.

Dark Order vs. Jurassic Express

Jungle Boy/Marko Stunt here while Alex Reynolds and John Silver are out with the Order. Stunt avoids a charge from Grayson to start and hits a springboard bulldog. That just earns Stunt a running elbow to the face so it’s off to Jungle Boy for a hiptoss. A basement superkick has Grayson in trouble and it’s Uno coming in for an elbow to the face. Uno hits a Swanton for two more and Grayson adds a spinebuster for the same.

Boy tries to fight up but gets his back raked to take him down again. A slingshot hilo to the apron keeps Boy down and there’s a t-bone suplex to make it worse. The Fatality is broken up though and it’s Stunt coming back in for the dodging disguised as offense. A tornado DDT plants Uno as everything breaks down.

Boy hits a suicide dive on Silver and Reynolds, followed by a Samoan drop for two on Uno. Grayson gets caught in a bridging German suplex so Uno slams Stunt onto him for the save. Uno tells Boy to stop and then punches him in the face before Grayson catches Stunt’s super hurricanrana. That means Stunt can be thrown at Uno for a sitout powerbomb and now the Fatality is good for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: C. I’m not sure on having a THIS IS AWESOME during this one but at least they had some fast paced action at times and Stunt took the fall. It’s amazing how much more interesting the Dark Order is when they’re not talking and how much less intimidating they are when Uno is one of the focal points. Grayson looks fine but Uno looks like an indy guy who stumbled in here. Fix that and you might have something.

Post match the Dark Order goes after Boy but here are Luchasaurus and SCU for the save. Posing ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling is what mattered here and we had a nice enough night. Couple that with the show being shorter than last week and the lack of a match being shot with a handheld camera and this was an upgrade. They had a decent enough variety this week and I liked what we got well enough. This show is going to be built entirely around the wrestling and this week’s was better than most so call it a good one.

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

Dark – February 4, 2020: The Dark Show Rises

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: February 4, 2020
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Tazz
Host: Tony Schiavone

This show has gone in a very different direction over the last few weeks as they have been averaging about half an hour. I’m not sure what that means for the future but it’s been rather nice just getting in and getting out. Granted the show hasn’t been around long enough to exactly have a history or lineage so it could be completely different this time. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony welcomes us to the show and talks about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He’s rather glad that KISS finally got in….six years ago.

Jurassic Express vs. Brandon Cutler/Sonny Kiss

Marko Stunt/Jungle Boy for the Express here. Stunt and Cutler start things off as we hear about Stunt being exactly a foot shorter than Cutler. Not something I’d point out but Stunt is unique or something and that makes it fun. Some rollups give Stunt two and it’s off to Jungle Boy, who ducks underneath a moonsault out of the corner. A multiple springboard armdrag puts Cutler down and it’s off to Kiss for the splits armdrag. Jungle Boy gets laid over the middle rope and Kiss flips forward into a kick to the ribs. This of course means dancing, which is a theme for this match.

Boy beats up both of them at once and launches Stunt onto him in a flipping splash. Cutler is right back to run Stunt over and a swinging slam gives Cutler two. A hurricanrana finally gets Stunt over to the corner though and it’s Boy coming in to clean house. Something like a Last Chancery (with Cutler on his knees instead of on his stomach) has Cutler in trouble but Kiss makes the save. That earns Kiss a trip to the floor and Boy puts Cutler in a Gory Stretch. Stunt comes off the top with a flipping Stunner for the pin at 7:28.

Rating: C-. It was a step above a squash and that’s a good thing, mainly as it didn’t go on too long. Stunt getting a pin is more acceptable in this situation, though it’s still a big stretch to believe that anything he does can do much damage. That being said, Cutler and Kiss are the lowest of low level wrestlers so it’s not like it makes a difference.

We go to therapy with Brandi Rhodes because we need to get her on the show. She knows something isn’t right and has visions of the therapist wearing her own clothes. Brandi needs to let go of the people she hates. I wouldn’t mind if we let go of this story in general but that’s just me.

Mel vs. Hikaru Shida

Back in and Mel hits an enziguri to drop Mel, followed by a snap suplex for two. Mel kicks her down and drops a leg for her own near fall. A few shots to the face are shrugged off and Shida hits a running knee to the face for two more. Luther offers a distraction so Kong can interfere, only to hit Mel with the kendo stick by mistake. Another running knee finishes Mel at 8:16.

Rating: D+. This is another match that just kind of happened, which tends to be the case with the women’s division. The Nightmare Collective is still one of the least interesting groups (out of several of them) in AEW and I don’t need to see them around all that often. Shida is one of the better women in the division, but the thing is such a mess these days that it doesn’t make much of a difference.

Post match Shida leaves so Kong yells at Mel, who fights back. She and Mel double team Kong and send her through the barricade. A legdrop off the steps leaves Kong down. I’m not sure how one of the most dominant female wrestlers ever will deal with an old hardcore “legend” and a loser like Mel.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

From the Jericho cruise.

Kip Sabian/Penelope Ford vs. Kenny Omega/Riho

Gotta get Riho in there. She and Omega are in matching pink and white because they’re long term partners. In Japan but that’s just something we’re supposed to know about. As a bonus, there’s no commentary here and it’s shot indy style with a handheld camera. Ford slaps Omega to start and they lock up as the fans chant for AEW while declaring this wrestling. An exchange of headlocks lets Ford take him down, only to have Omega reverse into a headscissors.

Sabian comes in and says he wants Riho, who works on her own wristlock. That earns her a forearm to the back but she hits a running dropkick and armdrag. Sabian slams her a few times but Riho slips out of a third and brings in Omega to clean house. A running powerslam gives Omega two and it’s Riho coming in for a double stomp and half crab. Back up and Sabian sends them into the corner together but Omega comes out with the jumping Fameasser for two.

It’s back to Riho for some chops in the corner but he takes her over to Ford for the standard stomping and choking package. We’re clipped to Sabian dropping Riho into a camel clutch so Omega can come in for the save. Omega stomps away on her so Ford comes back in to punch Riho in the stomach for two. Riho kicks her down and headscissors Sabian, allowing another hot tag to Omega. You Can’t Escape gets two and Riho’s high crossbody is good for the same.

Sabian scores with an enziguri to Omega and Ford is back in for the handspring elbow. We’re clipped again to Ford hitting a Codebreaker and Sabian adding a legdrop to the back of the head to give her two. Omega finally hits a V Trigger on Sabian and the women come in again, this time with Ford hitting a Stunner for another near fall. Riho misses her top rope double stomp and it’s back to Omega for the slugout and Snapdragon on Sabian. Ford hits Omega low though, leaving Riho to Snapdragon Sabian as well. Omega Snapdragons Ford to even it up and the One Winged Angel finishes Sabian at 16:49.

Rating: C-. Ignoring the parts with Sabian and Omega selling for people half their side or the continued push for Riho, this was a lot longer than it needed to be and not something that needed to be broadcast. It’s one thing as a special feature for the live crowd but having the lack of commentary and handheld camera deal made it feel like I was watching a bad indy. The action was good enough but this didn’t need to air and would have been better left on the cruise deck.

Post match Omega talks about how wrestlers like him are told to stay in their place but this was the beauty of pro wrestling. Now they’re running international TV from a cruise ship and we get some applause for everyone involved. Goodnight and goodbye.

There is no update on Awesome Kong.

Best Friends vs. Shawn Spears/???

It’s another mystery partner and this time that would be….Colin Delaney, with Tully Blanchard thinking he looks good on paper. Is there a point to this story other than making Blanchard look stupid and out of touch? Orange Cassidy and Tully are here of course. Spears flips Cassidy off to start but gets hammerlocked by Trent for his efforts. That’s escaped but Spears cuts himself off from the TEN.

Some chops have Spears wincing and Trent knees him in the chest to send him outside. Delaney (who was the loser jobber in ECW about ten years ago) comes in and armdrags Chuck into an armbar. They flip around a bit into a standoff so Spears comes in at the same time, allowing Chuck to beat them both up. The ring is cleared but Delaney and Spears break up the big hug. Delaney wants his own hug but Spears goes to hug Tully instead.

Back in and Spears gets in an argument with the referee over a count before Delaney grabs a chinlock on Chuck. That’s broken up and it’s Trent coming back in to chop away. A hard clothesline drops Delaney and a running flip dive takes him down as well. Things settle back down and Trent slips out of a double suplex and brings Chuck back in. Soul Food into a half and half suplex gets two on Delaney but Spears crotches Trent on top.

Delaney hits a top rope Stunner into Spears’ Death Valley Driver for two with Chuck making the save. Everything breaks down again so let’s get the Cassidy vs. Blanchard showdown. All four hands go into the pockets and Cassidy does the kicks to the legs but Spears jumps him from behind to break that up. Trent sends Delaney into Spears and it’s a running knee to set up the big hug. That’s enough for Tully and Spears who walk out, leaving Delaney to take Strong Zero for the pin at 15:03.

Rating: D+. What exactly was the point of this? To continue the joke of “Spears needs a partner” which is leading….where? Spears has shown that he is little more than just a hand in the ring and Tully is there with him for the sake of they have nothing else for him. If the best you have is having him put his hands in his pockets so Orange Cassidy can do his signature deal, stop bringing Blanchard out there because he’s a lot more valuable than that.

Delaney and the other three have a group hug.

Tony says goodnight.

Overall Rating: D. So to recap, we had what should have been an extended squash, a match that focused entirely on the Nightmare Collective, that weird indy special match and the latest edition of Spears Needs A Partner/Blanchard Isn’t That Bright. We needed nearly an hour and twenty minutes to get through that? This felt like the lower level card getting their shine and showing why they’re the lower part of the card.

Omega and Riho are the only names of value here and they were in a complete throwaway match which had nothing to do with what they’re doing. It was a waste of time tonight and not a good show, which isn’t a good feeling. Stick with the short and sweet stuff or recaps, not these long, drawn out matches which don’t serve much of a purpose other than catering to people already watching your promotion.

Results

Jurassic Express b. Sonny Kiss/Brandon Cutler – Gory Stretch/Flipping Stunner combination to Cutler

Hikaru Shida b. Mel – Running knee

Kenny Omega/Riho b. Kip Sabian/Penelope Ford – One Winged Angel to Sabian

Best Friends b. Colin Delaney/Shawn Spears – Strong Zero to Delaney

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

Dark – January 28, 2020: The Main Event

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: January 28, 2020
Location: Watsco Center, Miami, Florida/Norwegian Pearl, International Waters
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone
Host: Tony Schiavone

We’re back on the boat and I’m not sure what to make of this show anymore. Last week’s edition was just under half an hour long and I’m kind of digging that. There is something nice about getting in and getting out, as you don’t want to overload the fans with too much content. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

From Miami.

Nyla Rose vs. Shanna

Tables match. Shanna goes right after her to start and the right hands fly in a hurry, only to have Nyla shove her away. The first table is pulled out early on so Shanna dives off the apron to take Rose down. That just earns her a shove into the barricade and the table is set up in the corner. A drop toehold sends Rose head first into but not through the table. Shanna hits a running dropkick in the corner and takes her up for a super hurricanrana right back down.

The table is set up in the middle this time but Shanna can’t lift her up. She can however block an AA through the table and DDT Nyla onto the side for a nasty landing. The table is set up outside so Nyla is sent to the apron. Shanna tries a dive but gets caught in a chokeslam through the table to give Rose the win at 8:04.

Rating: D. This was really bad with neither looking good and the table stipulation not being needed. JR acknowledged how bad it was with the bowling shoe analogy and I don’t know what else they were expecting. How else was something like this to go? Pretty bad miss here but at least Rose is being rebuilt.

Post match Rose goes after her again but Sadie Gibbs comes out for the save. That just earns her another chokeslam through another table.

Here’s where AEW is coming.

From the cruise.

QT Marshall vs. Kip Sabian

Penelope Ford is here with Sabian. They run the ropes to start without getting much contact until Marshall hits a handspring kick to the face. Marshall goes up but gets pulled down by Ford, allowing Sabian to hit Eat Defeat for two. Sabian works on the arm for a bit, followed by a hanging swinging neckbreaker for the same. Hold on though as Marshall needs to go outside and yell at a fan, allowing Marshall to make the comeback. A tilt-a-whirl slam gets two on Sabian and Ford has to save him from an armbar. Back in and Sabian grabs a sunset flip so Ford grabs his hands for the leverage and the pin at 6:36.

Rating: C-. Battle of two good hands here and that’s not really enough to keep my interest. The wrestling was fine enough, with Ford being fine as the cheating manager. Neither of them are going to go anywhere anytime soon, but that is the case with a lot of people featured in AEW at the moment.

From Miami again.

Dark Order vs. Sonny Kiss/Brandon Cutler

Cutler has some new gear, including a 20 sided die. Grayson runs Kiss over to start and drives him into the corner so Uno can come in for two off a big boot. It’s back to Grayson to suplex Kiss down while telling him that he can be more. Kiss is back with a legsweep and a slingshot splits legdrop. One of the Creepers grabs the leg though and it’s Nightfall into the Fatality for the pin on Kiss at 3:10. Cutler was never in the match.

Rating: D. The squash was a good idea for the team but Uno is still dragging things way down for the team. He looks like a joke and Grayson’s good look isn’t enough to overcome anything. I could go for more squashes like this though as it lets the winners showcase themselves, which isn’t the case around here often enough. Try some more of them out and see where you get.

Overall Rating: D-. I really can’t call this a waste of time as it’s only thirty two minutes long but this show has rapidly become the Main Event/Superstars show without the recaps. In other words, it doesn’t offer a ton of value and I’m curious to see how they’re going to retool this to make it work for television. No one would watch this show on regular TV and I’m not sure how much value it is going to have online either. It’s not bad, but it’s a completely nothing show.

Results

Nyla Rose b. Shanna – Chokeslam through a table

Kip Sabian b. QT Marshall – Rollup

Dark Order b. Sonny Kiss/Brandon Cutler – Fatality to Kiss

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