Dark – January 21, 2020: Short And Steady

IMG Credit: WWE

Dark
Date: January 21, 2020
Location: Watsco Center, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

It’s another show from the Bash At The Beach special, though I’m not sure if this one counts or not. Dark has gotten a lot shorter in recent weeks and that’s a good thing. Keeping things short lets the show pack a bit more of a punch without wearing out its welcome. Now hopefully they keep it that way. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The hosts welcome run down the card.

Big Swole vs. Diamante

Swole grabs the wristlock to start and rolls her up for a fast one. An exchange of rollups is good for an exchange of one counts and sets up an exchange of headlocks. Swole wins an exchange of shoulders and kicks Diamante in the face for the first real knockdown. Diamante knees her right back and chokes a bit, but can only hit two Amigos.

A lot of taunting the crowd doesn’t get Diamante very far so she German suplexes Swole into the corner for two instead. Frustration sets in so Diamante grabs….a pair of sandals? One of them is taken away but the second connects for a few shots, only to have Swole take it away. That means an abdominal stretch for some spanking with the sandal, much to the fans’ delight. Now even more annoyed, Diamante misses a bunch of kicks before getting headbutted away. Dirty Dancing finishes for Swole at 7:22.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one very well, but Swole is the kind of person that AEW needs. She isn’t well known but has an interesting story that people could get behind. Push her and see what she can do as she can back it up well enough in the ring. I don’t know if she’s going to be the next big thing, but they need a big thing for the future at some point so see what she might have.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

Strong Hearts vs. Jurassic Express

Jungle Boy headlocks T-Hawk to start but loses a battle of the shoulder blocks. The pace picks up a bit with Boy flipping him into a pair of kicks to the face. A chop knocks Boy back though, meaning it’s Stunt tagging himself in to face Lindaman. Stunt pumps himself up to try some shoulders, which go as well as you would expect. A slingshot sunset flip gets two on Lindaman but he avoids a leg lariat for a standoff.

It’s off to Cima for a running dropkick on Luchasaurus, which doesn’t have much effect. Luchasaurus cleans house and throws Boy at Cima for a Downward Spiral. Back to back springboard armdrags put T-Hawk and Cima on the floor and that means back to back suicide dives. Luchasaurus throws Stunt onto the two of them for a bonus and we settle down to Stunt pounding on Cima, only to get caught with a triple basement dropkick.

Something like an STF has Stunt in more trouble until a rope grab is good for the save. Stunt forearms away but runs into a sitout spinebuster for two, setting up an assisted double flip powerslam (Chikara fans would know it better as Ragnarok). Jungle Boy makes the save as everything breaks down.

The hot tag brings in Luchasaurus to start wrecking people, including slamming T-Hawk onto Cima. A standing moonsault gets two on Lindaman and it’s Boy’s lifted Downward Spiral for two. Luchasaurus gets to kick more people in the face and then tosses Lindaman into a sitout spinebuster (similar to the North’s finisher) to give Boy the pin at 10:51.

Rating: C+. I’m still not big on Stunt but this was a fun six man with Luchasaurus getting to show off and Boy continuing his good roll over the last few months. The Jurassic Express got off to a pretty slow start so it’s nice to see them getting back on their feet in the new year. Hopefully that continues, as Luchasaurus could go somewhere with or without the other two.

Tony and Dasha wrap it up.

Overall Rating: C. Well that was quick. This one didn’t even clock in at half an hour, which makes it more like the kind of show I was expecting when the show was announced. You don’t need all of the recaps and story building things around here (though the latter are nice bonuses on occasion) and going with a straight wrestling show is a good idea. Not a bad show here, but the length was the most surprising part, as the show has been cut by nearly forty five minutes in just a few weeks.

Results

Big Swole b. Diamante – Dirty Dancing

Jurassic Express b. Strong Hearts – Assisted sitout spinebuster to Lindaman

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

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

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

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Dark – January 14, 2020: I Really Liked This

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: January 14, 2020
Location: Landers Center, Southaven, Mississippi
Commentators: Excalibur, Dave Brown
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

It’s a special show this week as we focus on the legends of Memphis wrestling. This was teased back on last week’s Dynamite but then it was “hey check out Dark for that thing we built the advertising for this show around”. I can always go for a legends ceremony so hopefully we get some cool stuff here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence. This show has an opening sequence?

Excalibur and Dave Brown, open the show in the style of the classic Memphis show. They even have the tracking issues on the side of the screen. It’s a nice touch, but please tell me that Excalibur won’t spend most of the show doing a Lance Russell impression.

The hosts welcome us and send it to the legends ceremony.

There are a bunch of legends in the ring and each gets their own introduction with a quick bio:

Handsome Jimmy Valiant

Kevin Lawler (representing Brian Christopher (and he looks EXACTLY like him) and realistically Jerry Lawler)

Dave Brown

Shane Russell (representing his father Lance Russell)

Austin Idol

Doug Gilbert (representing his family and, to a much lesser degree, himself)

Rock N Roll Express (biggest reaction so far by a mile)

Lanny Poffo (representing his family and, to a much lesser degree, himself)

We get a ten bell salute to all of the legends who have passed away.

This was VERY nice and a cool moment and felt like it was done out of pure respect and honor rather than trying to pop a bigger audience. In a pretty rare moment, I have no criticisms of this at all.

Brandon Cutler vs. Darby Allin

They lock up to start as Brown talks about seeing Flex Kavana in Memphis, who is better known as the Rock. The lockup keeps going even as Allin goes up and monkey flips him (Brandon, not Brown). A shoulder puts Cutler down and a dropkick sends him into the corner. Cutler gets in his own whip into the corner and a very spinny Boss Man Slam gets two.

Allin is right back with a Fujiwara armbar before dropping a knee on the arm. That’s broken up as well and Cutler slaps on a torture rack, which is broken up with a pull of the hand. Allin is busted open over his nose and Cutler makes it worse by crotching him on the top. A running legdrop with Allin hanging in the ropes puts him on the floor. Back up and Allin knocks him away and hits a quick suicide dive to put Cutler down again. The front flip Stunner drops Cutler and it’s the Coffin Drop to give Allin the pin at 9:02.

Rating: C. Cutler continues to be your designated jobber to the stars and that’s not the worst role to have. He’s going to be around as long as he wants to be due to his connection to the Young Bucks and he can do well enough in the ring to back it up. Allin continues to be a potential top star of the future and the cult response to him is growing.

Nyla Rose vs. Shanna

Shanna jumps her from behind in the aisle and the beatdown is on early. Rose drives her back into the barricade but can’t hit a powerbomb on the floor. Instead Rose shrugs off a kick to the head and hits a spinebuster to make it even worse. A table is loaded up but Shanna escapes another powerbomb and spears Rose off the apron through the table. Cue the referees to break it up. No match.

After a quick chat with the hosts, Shanna’s interview is broken up by Rose, who says Shanna just made this personal. She tries to cut a promo of her own but Shanna starts the fight again.

Here’s where AEW is coming over the next few weeks.

Gunn Club vs. Peter Avalon/Shawn Spears

Tully Blanchard is with Avalon and Spears and that would be Billy and his son Austin. Before the match, Austin says if the crowd gets loud enough, Billy might hit the catchphrase. He manages to pull it off but here is Peter Avalon (with Leva Bates) to talk about the royal history around Memphis, with one king having a restaurant so bad that after you eat there you’ll die just like another king. Leva apologizes and we’re ready to go.

Spears tells Billy to suck it and it’s time to walk around a bit before the contact begins. Billy shoulders him down a few times and Spears winds up kneeling in front of Billy’s crotch. Imagine what he is told to do from there. Austin, with the headband, comes in and Spears bails to the apron for a little while. Avalon comes in as well so Austin picks up the pace, setting up a hiptoss into a neckbreaker for two.

It’s back to Billy, meaning Leva has to save Avalon from a powerslam. Spears’ chops just annoy Billy so he chops away until Spears wants time out. Austin comes in and misses a dropkick, allowing Spears to send him into the post a few times. It’s back to Avalon to work on the arm some more but Austin fights up with a clothesline. The hot tag brings Billy back in to clean house as everything breaks down. Avalon rolls Austin up for two but walks into the Fameasser for the same. Spears gets sent into the barricade and it’s the cobra clutch slam into a Swanton from Austin for the pin at 11:05.

Rating: C-. Just a match here to get the Gunns on TV and that worked out well enough. They’re not a great team and Austin looked rather green. That’s going to happen to everyone at some point though so it’s really way too early to say anything about him. The rest of the match went fine and it wasn’t bad by any stretch. Just kind of there really, but Austin wasn’t a disaster.

Tony and Dasha wrap us up in a hurry.

Overall Rating: C+. That legends ceremony helped bring this way up as it was easily the best part of the show. What mattered most here was keeping the show shorter over the last few weeks. I’m good with this show being just shy of an hour after a few weeks approaching an hour and fifteen minutes. The show has stopped being anything worth seeing most weeks, but it has also gotten less annoying so we’ll call it a little bit in both directions.

Results

Darby Allin b. Brandon Cutler – Coffin Drop

Gunn Club b. Peter Avalon/Shawn Spears – Swanton 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:

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Dark – January 7, 2020: Shorter Than Marko Stunt

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: January 7, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Chuck Taylor
Hosts: Dasha Gonzalez, Tony Schiavone

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

We open with a recap of Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle offering Jon Moxley a car and a spot on the team.

Opening sequence.

The hosts preview the card and talk about the Inner Circle offer.

Awesome Kong vs. Skyler Moore

Moore is making her debut and looks a lot like Renee Young in the face. Kong chops her down and hits a running splash in the corner to start fast. She stands on Moore’s hair and hits the spinning backfist to set up a Wasteland. Moore tries a rollup for some reason so Kong sits on her chest, setting up the Implant Buster for the pin at 3:02.

Rating: D. That’s about what you should have expected as Kong continues to be the monster around here. Having Brandi hiding behind her as the muscle would be fine but the whole Nightmare Collective cult deal with the hair drags it down. Kong is still impressive with the destruction though and that’s what they showed off well here.

Post match the still unnamed Nightmare Collective member drops a leg on Moore.

Christopher Daniels says that yes he did botch a few weeks ago but he’s still the Fallen Angel and will prove it tonight.

Watch Revolution!

Go to Dynamite!

Kip Sabian/Hybrid 2 vs. SCU

Kazarian and Sabian start things off with Kazarian grabbing a headlock takeover. Penelope Ford offers a distraction though and Sabian hammers away, only to have everything break down in a hurry. It’s Sabian getting caught in the corner for some triple teaming, including a slingshot dropkick. Angelico comes in so Sky works on his arm and joins Kazarian for a double elbow to the face.

A legdrop gives Kazarian two and it’s a flipping neckbreaker to give Daniels the same. Daniels pauses before going after Angelico again though and gets kicked into the corner so the villains can take over for the first time. A running kick to Daniels’ face gets two and a running knee is good for the same. There’s a dropkick to the floor and Ford adds a hurricanrana from the apron.

A hanging swinging neckbreaker gives Sabian two and it’s off to Evans for a kick to the face. Daniels snaps off a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker though and that’s enough for the hot tag to Kazarian. House is cleaned but Evans hits a rolling kick to the back of the head. A Phoenix splash hits Kazarian’s knees though and it’s time for the parade of finishers. SCULater finishes Evans at 11:34.

Rating: C. Totally watchable six man here as SCU continues to be worth checking out, even with Daniels’ issues going forward. This was fine for a Dark main event but not much more, even though Sabian would seem to fit in well with the Hybrid 2. They did what worked here and got out in a hurry so everything went well.

Overall Rating: C-. This was certainly to the point at less than thirty three minutes long. There was another tag match taped with Billy Gunn and his son Austin in action but I believe Austin is signed to Ring of Honor, meaning there would be a broadcasting issue. That’s all well and good either way, as this show doesn’t need to be much more than this. It’s perfectly fine and they didn’t waste time, which is a major upgrade.

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 – December 31, 2019 (Best Of 2019): Not Bad For Seven Months

IMG Credit: AEW Wrestling

Dark
Date: December 31, 2019
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

It’s the end of the year and we’ll be looking at the Best of 2019, despite not having a year’s worth of material to cover. That being said, there’s more than enough to fill in a show like this and it’s better than putting something like this on an episode of Dynamite that no one will watch. Let’s get to it.

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

The hosts welcome us to the show and tell us what we’ll be seeing.

From Dynamite, October 2.

Cody vs. Sammy Guevara

Brandi is here with Cody and that is a lot of pyro. Feeling out process to start with Sammy’s speed giving Cody some issues. A trip to the floor lets Cody have a breather and it’s back in for an armbar from Sammy. That’s broken up as Cody powerslams him down and slaps on the Figure Four so we can hit the WOOing. Sammy makes the rope so Cody kicks him down again and does some pushups, setting up a springboard cutter/Stunner for two. Sammy is right back with a slingshot cutter for two of his own.

Cody sends him outside as well though and nails a suicide dive….which hits both Brandi and Sammy. Thankfully Brandi isn’t knocked cold and gets in a shoe to Sammy’s head, setting up Cody’s Disaster Kick for two. To mix it up a bit, Cody takes it to the top rope for a reverse superplex for two more. They head up again with Sammy hitting a super Spanish Fly, only to have a shooting star hit raised knees so Cody can small package him for the pin at 11:52.

Rating: C+. They were clearly jazzed to be on a big show and you knew Cody was winning here to set up his World Title shot at the next pay per view. The spots were good here and Sammy was fine for a villain here. They didn’t need to do anything more than get through a fast paced match here and that’s what they did. Nice first match with Cody playing the face role well.

BUY MERCH!

From Dynamite, November 27.

Pac vs. Kenny Omega

Omega starts fast with a snapdragon and sends him to the floor for the big dive. Pac gets in a kick to the ribs but it’s another snapdragon to put him back down. The suplex off the apron doesn’t work as Omega gets knocked to the floor with Pac nailing a moonsault as we take a break.

Back with Omega striking away in the corner and hitting another suplex. Omega goes up though and gets caught in a super Falcon Arrow for two. The Black Arrow is loaded up as JR congratulates Excalibur for getting in the Bowling Shoe Ugly line. Omega rolls away to make Pac crash and there’s the V Trigger to set up the One Winged Angel. That’s reversed as well so Omega rolls him into a crucifix for the pin at 12:04.

Rating: B-. This felt like the structure of a Pac vs. Omega match but it needed another eight to ten minutes to really make it work. What we got was good enough though and Omega won clean to continue his road to redemption. Pac losing again so soon after the loss to Page is a bit questionable, but so is having this many big matches so soon after the show debuted.

WATCH REVOLUTION!

From Dynamite, October 9.

Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Young Bucks vs. Private Party

Private Party weigh 27 ounces of vodka cranberry and come from a place you need an invitation to. Isaiah Kassidy and Nick Jackson start things off with neither being able to hit a superkick. Nick spits his gum in Kassidy’s face so Kassidy flips out of an atomic drop attempt. Kassidy gets caught in a backbreaker/flipping neckbreaker combination to put the Bucks in control. A dive misses though and Kassidy hits a Lionsault to take him down.

Marc Quen comes in and starts busting out his own dives to a BIG reaction (as he deserves). A 450 gets a VERY close two on Matt but Nick is back in to start the Superkick Party. Nick sunset bombs Kassidy, with the powerbomb onto the ramp for a nasty landing. Back in and a powerbomb/Sliced Bread #2 combination gets two on Marc, setting up the Sharpshooter to work on the back even more.

With Kassidy down, it’s a top rope double stomp/backbreaker combination for two more on Quen. A spear gets two more on Quen as Kassidy gets pulled back off the apron. Quen gets over for the tag a few seconds later though and Kassidy comes in with a missile dropkick. He comes up holding his back but is fine enough to hit a double hurricanrana. Matt rolls the northern lights suplexes to bang up the back quite a bit before suplexing Quen at the same time for two.

The buckle bomb/kick to the head in the corner sets up another Sharpshooter, with Nick adding a facebuster. The tap seems near but Kassidy rapid fire crawls over for the tag. Quen makes a blind tag though and it’s the hurricanrana into the cutter (Gin and Juice) to rock Matt. The perfect shooting star press gets two on Nick and that should have been the finish. The Meltzer Driver is loaded up but Kassidy breaks up the springboard, allowing Quen to roll Matt up for the pin at 13:47.

Rating: B. They had one too many false finishes in the end though I’m happy with Private Party winning. That could have gone either way though, as you can either give Private Party the rub now or give the rub to whoever beats the Bucks in the finals. As long as the Bucks didn’t win though, as there was no need for that to happen. Good match too, with Private Party looking like an incredibly polished team right out of the box.

From Dynamite, October 23.

Here’s Cody for an interview but the Inner Circle starts blowing air horns every time he talks. Cody says that this isn’t like the other wrestling company they used to work for and he can come up there and take Jericho out. Jericho makes fun of him and we get a shot of Cody showing the almost entirely empty hard camera side. After that rather bad angle, here are Dustin and MJF (Jericho: “Now I’m supposed to be scared of someone wearing a scarf? Who wears a scarf?”) to even things up a bit.

Diamond Dallas Page of all people is here to even things up and the Inner Circle bails into a locked room. MJF hands Cody the scarf so Cody can break through the glass and the fight is on as they head into the concourse. JR: “They’re gonna destroy Dip N Dots!” Jericho points at the ticket as security breaks things up and takes Cody away. Jericho was awesome here, as he tends to be.

From Dynamite, October 2.

Women’s Title: Nyla Rose vs. Riho

For the inaugural title and Britt Baker is on commentary. After the Big Match Intros, Riho starts with some dropkicks but gets shouldered down without much impact. Riho knocks her down again and tries a double stomp to the back but Rose just sits up for the block. The STF goes on for a bit until Riho makes the rope to save herself. A running knee sends Rose outside but she’s fine enough to send Riho into the barricade.

The ref takes a chair away so Rose sends her into the barricade again and pulls out a bunch of chairs. She puts Riho on those chairs but the middle rope dive only hits the steel, allowing Riho to hit a double stomp off the apron. Another double stomp sets up a Bank Statement inside and we take a break.

Back with Riho in trouble and making the mistake of trying a backdrop. Some forearms are cut off by a kick to the face but Riho slips out of a powerbomb. A rollup gets a very close two and the fans aren’t pleased by the kickout. Rose’s Death Valley Driver gets two more and she goes up top, only to get caught with even more forearms. A northern lights superplex gives Riho two so she knees Rose in the face for the pin and the title at 13:27.

Rating: C+. Yeah I can’t say I’m surprised. The tiny newcomer beats the seemingly unstoppable monster in your metaphor of the night. The problem with Riho continues to be that her whole character is that she’s small. Rose continues to lose far more often than she should and that was the case here as well. The crowd got into it though and those near falls were quite good at times. Fine match, but it’s going to take some time to get into Riho.

From Dynamite, October 30.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. SCU

For the inaugural titles and they’re just in the ring when we come back from a break. Various teams are watching in the back. It turns into a brawl to start and Pentagon hits the Pentagon Driver for a very early two on Kazarian. The Sling Blade takes Sky down but we settle down to Kazarian slamming Fenix and dropping the spinning legdrop for two, with Kazarian being ready for Pentagon’s save.

Fenix is back up to clean house and Pentagon superkicks Sky on the floor. Sky is sent outside and gets kicked in the face as well, setting up a backbreaker/slingshot legdrop combination to really take him down. Back from a break with Kazarian fighting out of trouble and hitting an Angel’s Wings as an ode to Daniels.

Sky gets the hot tag and everything breaks down (again) with Kazarian somewhat missing a hurricanrana tot he floor. Back in and a pair of tornado DDT drops both Bros for two. SCULater is broken up and Pentagon hits the Pentagon Driver on Kazarian. Fenix’s rolling cutter gets two on Sky, followed by stereo crossbodies to put Fenix and Sky down. Pentagon powerbombs Kazarian through a table at ringside, followed by a splash off of Pentagon’s shoulders for two on Sky. The spike Fear Factor is blocked though and Kazarian cuts Fenix off so Sky can get a small package for the pin at 12:36.

Rating: B. I know it’s a fine rating but that was a rather disappointing result. The wrestling and action was good (though it felt WAY too similar to the six man) but it didn’t have enough time and the ending came out of nowhere. I am a sucker for the fast paced, flying all over the place matches ending with a quick change of gear into a fast pin though and the match was entertaining, but I was expecting a lot more and didn’t get it, mainly due to having everything be so rushed.

And from Dynamite, November 20.

Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley

Allin has a big, special entrance this time with a video of a Moxley body bag being crowd surfed. Allin is then carried to the stage in said body bag for a creepy visual. Moxley comes in through the crowd so Allin takes him down with a dive. They fight into the crowd, including a Thesz press onto the concrete to Moxley. Allin gets thrown back to ringside and an overhead belly to belly makes things even worse for him.

They head inside for the opening bell and Allin hits a shotgun dropkick in the corner. Allin’s high crossbody bounces off of Moxley though and it’s another shotgun dropkick to put Allin in the corner this time. Moxley even chills on the top rope as we take a break. Back with Moxley letting go of an STF, allowing Moxley to hit a running crossbody to the floor. Moxley’s hand is slammed into the steps but he gets knocked off the top, landing on the ropes in the process.

Moxley knocks him to the floor but stops to pick up the body bag, allowing Allin to hit a running flip dive. Back in and a heck of a clothesline turns Allin inside out and it’s time to put him in the body bag. Allin isn’t having that and hits a Stunner, only to get caught in a swinging Boss Man Slam. The Paradigm Shift is blocked and a missed charge into the corner lets Allin get two. Code Red gives Allin two but the Coffin Drop is countered into a rear naked choke. Allin flips backwards for the near fall and Moxley heads up, bites Allin on the head, and hits a SUPER PARADIGM SHIFT (Allin sold it like death too) for the pin at 11:15.

Rating: B. That ending alone makes this work as Allin got dropped HARD on his head for one of the best looking endings in a long time. Allin has become a star during his time with AEW and that is something they had to do. He is the kind of guy who you can point to and say that AEW is creating stars and the more of those they can do, the better they are going to be. Moxley winning here is good too, as he needs to build up his record quite a bit.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah that’s exactly what it needed to be and all they could have asked for. AEW is built around its in-ring product and showcasing that for an hour and a half is a good idea. The matches covered a lot of stuff in the show’s history and I had an easy time watching everything here. We can get back to normal next week and there’s nothing wrong with something like this as a one off.

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

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

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Dark – December 24, 2019: Merry Not Yet Christmas

IMG Credit: AEW Wrestling

Dark
Date: December 24, 2019
Location: American Bank Center, Corpus, Christi, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Colt Cabana
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

It’s the final Dark of the year and since there is no Dynamite tomorrow, I’m not sure what to expect from this one. That makes things a little more interesting, though there is a good chance that it is going to be a normal show. Your individual taste on that may vary, but having a show on Christmas Eve might not be the brightest idea in the world. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony and Dasha give us the usual welcome, albeit with more Christmas references than you get in most weeks.

Sammy Guevara vs. Brandon Cutler

Sammy is already filming during the entrances so the holiday isn’t messing with his routine. We hit the posing in the corner before Sammy rolls away and dances a bit. A dropkick puts Cutler down and Sammy spins into a pose, followed by the headlock for a bonus. Cutler is right back with a dropkick into the corner and a pose of his own, setting up a suplex to the floor. A big flip dive to the floor drops Guevara, who is right back up with a corkscrew dive.

Cutler is back up as well with a suicide dive and some right hands, only to have Sammy hit a top rope double stomp to the chest onto the apron. Hold on though as Sammy needs to yell at the fans on the mic before getting two. That’s a rather Guevara move to make and it fit him very well. Sammy goes up, points at Cutler, and then drops down for a chinlock instead. Cutler is back with a kick to the head and a Phenomenal Forearm gets two.

Another kick to the head rocks Cutler this time though and a springboard cutter plants him as well. The shooting star press connects but Sammy barely covers, allowing Cutler to roll him up for two in a great false finish. That’s enough for Sammy, who hits something like a reverse GTS for the pin at 7:48.

Rating: C. As much as Cutler is just a warm body in the ring, this was a great showcase for Sammy, who got to showcase himself while also getting a win. He’s such a slimy heel that you want to see get beaten up, which isn’t something you get to see done so well very often. The near fall off the crucifix was a great little moment, but this was the Sammy Guevara show and I had some fun with it.

Tonight, Joey Janela is yelling TIMBER to end Shawn Spears once and for all. He’s the man you won’t forget.

Hybrid 2 vs. Private Party vs. Santana/Ortiz vs. Best Friends

The Hybrid 2 and Santana/Ortiz are backdropped over the corners but they pull the other four outside. Back in and Evans hammers away at Chuck, only to charge into a boot in the corner. Kassidy comes in for the screaming right hands but it’s Santana coming in and allowing a blind tag to Ortiz for a springboard crossbody. Santana hits two Amigos but hands Kassidy off to Ortiz for the delayed third.

Santana and Ortiz aren’t sure what to do but it’s the Best Friends hugging in the ring to break that up. The Friends hit stereo flip dives to take everyone out and it’s Cassidy hitting a dive onto Santana/Ortiz. Back in and Silly String drops Trent but Santana counters another attempt. The referee gets distracted and it’s the loaded sock to Cassidy. The Street Sweeper finishes Kassidy to give Santana the pin at 16:04.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match where you knew what you were getting and it was still a good time. It worked just fine and they all got to look good for at least a little while. All of the dives and flips were cool and it was a good way to get the crowd going. Now granted if this took place after Dynamite then it missed the purpose but at least the fans got to have some fun.

Here’s Pac, who brings out Michael Nakazawa (with commentary saying that this is taped after Dynamite so no, Pac hasn’t had him captive for six days) to continue the beating. If Kenny Omega doesn’t give him the rubber match, this will continue.

Joey Janela vs. Shawn Spears

Back in and Spears crotches him on top but Janela keeps rolling away as Spears goes up top over and over. The fans chant TEN so Spears does a cartwheel and flips them off. Janela fights back and they head to the floor with Janela using a chair as a launchpad to knock Spears into the crowd. After a quick cameo from a fan dressed as Jesus, Spears comes back with a spinebuster. Tully gets in the ring and we get some shots of Jesus threatening to beat him up. The distraction lets Janela knock Spears down and drop a top rope elbow for the pin at 7:42.

Rating: C-. This was mainly a feel good match that was just a step above comedy, which is fine for what it was supposed to be. Janela vs. Spears has not been a thrilling feud so blowing it off here in a goofy match is the best option they had. There’s nothing wrong with a fun match like this and that’s what they went with here. The fans reacted well to it and that’s as good as you can get.

Post match Janela offers Spears a beer before dropping him with a Stunner. Eh it was filmed on Austin’s birthday so fair enough.

Overall Rating: C+. This is the kind of show I’ve been wanting Dark to be. They didn’t waste time and they didn’t spend forever recapping things that the audience is already going to know. The show was three matches and a quick segment. Keep things tight and moving, because that’s the point of a show like this. I liked what we got here and if they keep going like this, they’ve got a smart use of their time.

Results

Sammy Guevara b. Brandon Cutler – Reverse GTS

Santana/Ortiz b. Hybrid 2, Private Party and Best Friends – Street Sweeper to Kassidy

Joey Janela b. Shawn Spears – Top rope elbow

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 – December 17, 2019: The Packed In Version

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: December 17, 2019
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Vickie Guerrero, Excalibur
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzales

We’re still down in Texas and it’s time to get ready for a pretty big episode of Dynamite this week. That’s where a bunch of recaps could come in handy as there was a lot set up last week. The quality and importance of the matches on this show are almost impossible to guess, but that can make for a fun time of finding out. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the Young Bucks wanting to build the company on the back of a strong tag team division but admitting that they haven’t been as good as they should be. Now though, they’re the #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles. They love SCU and the three of them will be at the Bucks’ house for Christmas dinner. They’re coming for the belts though, no matter how awkward it makes Christmas.

The hosts run down the card.

Vickie Guerrero gets an introduction. To be fair, that’s kind of a cool surprise and not the kind you would have bet on (if that makes sense).

Private Party vs. SCU

Non-title. Kassidy and Kazarian start things off with Kazarian grabbing a headlock takeover. Back up and it’s another headlock takeover in case the first one didn’t stick. An exchange of near falls sets up a standoff and the fans are rather pleased. They even slap hands and it’s a double tag to bring in Quen to face Sky. A dropkick puts Quen down but he’s right back up with one of his own, only to have Kazarian come in for a leg lariat.

The springboard legdrop gets two and it’s back to Sky for some strutting….and it’s Kazarian coming back in for a German suplex. Quen sends Kazarian into Sky though and the hot tag brings in Kassidy. A moonsault takes down both champs and a flapjack/bulldog combination gets two on Sky. There’s a stomp to the back of Sky’s head and the Party stops for some dancing.

Kazarian hits a double clothesline out of the corner and then goes over to get the tag from Sky in a smart move. House is cleaned again and it’s an assisted Unprettier for two on Quen. SCULater is broken up so Quen hits the big flip dive to take out Kazarian and Sky at the same time. Kassidy hits one of his own and it’s Quen getting two on Sky back inside. The shooting star press misses Sky so Kassidy forearms Kazarian a few times. Silly String is broken up and SCULater finishes Quen at 12:23.

Rating: B-. Were you expecting this to be anything but good? Private Party continues to look solid but also continues to lose, which is quite the problem for them. At the same time, SCU wasn’t about to lose in a non-title match, especially not a day before a huge title defense. They did some nice stuff here and it was exactly the kind of match you would have expected.

Here’s your weekly women’s division recap including Big Swole defending Emi Sakura, Brandi Rhodes’ Nightmare Collective promo, and the women’s standings:

5. Emi Sakura

4. Nyla Rose

3. Hikaru Shida

2. Kris Stadtlander

1. Britt Baker

Joey Janela joins commentary.

Britt Baker vs. Machiko

This is Machiko’s debut and she has very colorful hair. Baker kicks her down to start and a crucifix gets one. Machiko’s arm is sent into the corner so we hit the crossface chickenwing. A superkick sets up Lockjaw finishes Machiko at 3:23.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what there is to say here. Baker is someone who gets pushed and then comes up short in the bigger matches. She is going to be in a #1 contenders match with Kris Stadtlander and hopefully she can get the win that has eluded her so far. The potential is there, but unless she goes somewhere with it, that doesn’t matter.

Kris Stadtlander vs. Bea Priestley

The Cheeky Nandos kick misses though and Stadtlander gets two off a suplex. A discus lariat knocks Priestley outside and there’s the suicide dive. Cue the Nightmare Collective in the crowd to tell Stadtlander to “come home” , allowing Priestley to get in a kick to the head for her own two. An Oklahoma roll gives Stadtlander two but she gets dropped with a Saito suplex. Stadtlander is right back with an ax kick for another near fall and the Big Bang Theory finishes Priestley at 9:27.

Rating: C+. They were having a good match and the Nightmare Collective didn’t cause too much of a problem. That being said, their cameo only reminded me of how lame of an idea the whole thing seems when you have the Dark Order and maybe Butcher/Blade/Bunny at the same time. At least get something that isn’t so dark for a change? Stadtlander continues to look good and I could go for her beating Baker to get the title shot.

We run down the Dynamite card.

Stadtlander says Britt Baker is next and makes a bunch of space references. She’ll be Britt’s leader.

Hybrid Two/Pac vs. Best Friends/Orange Cassidy

Chuck headlocks Angelico down to start but it’s quickly broken for a standoff. The Friends start taking turns on Angelico’s arm as Janela makes some thinly veiled references to Jim Cornette. Taylor grabs a half crab on Angelico but Evans makes a quick save. That’s fine with Chuck, who hits Soul Food, only to allow the tag to Pac. A kick to the head sets up a hiptoss to give Evans two and it’s back to Angelico to continue the rapid fire tags.

Chuck rolls over for the hot tag to Trent to clean house, including a big running flip dive onto the Two. Pac breaks up the hug though and the fans are NOT pleased with that one. The fans want Orange but have to settle for Trent getting choked in the corner. Evans kicks Trent in the head for two more, followed by Pac’s Blue Thunder Bomb for two more.

Trent manages a half and half suplex but Angelico makes the save and knocks Chuck off the apron. He doesn’t bother with Orange (Joey: “Because he fears for his life.”), only to walk into a spinning DDT from Trent. The hot tag brings in Cassidy and the place goes NUTS as he takes off his glasses. The hands go into the pockets for a dropkick into a nip up, plus a dodge to make Pac pump kick Evans by mistake.

Cassidy hits the slow motion kicks on Pac before taking the hands out for a tornado DDT. The glasses go back on and Cassidy hits a suicide dive to take out all three of them at once. That means a three way hug back inside and Cassidy’s top rope splash gets two on Angelico. Chuck’s moonsault misses though and it’s an assisted moonsault to set up Pac’s 450 for two. Pac kicks Cassidy to the floor and snap German suplexes Chuck. The Brutalizer finishes Taylor at 13:22.

Rating: C+. This is a great example of a match where your tastes may vary and I can get that. The energy was high enough to make the match work and the place went coconuts for Cassidy, but at the same time I absolutely would not have had Pac in there with all the goofiness. That kind of stuff can have its place in wrestling (and it certainly will around here) but Pac is a potential main event talent. He did win, but it shouldn’t have been that much of a relief that he did.

Tony and Dasha wrap things up.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this one more than most of the recent episodes and a lot of that came from them shaving the time down a bit. This week’s show was about ten minutes shorter and it didn’t feel like they had to fill in as much time as they did in previous shows. This show doesn’t need to recap everything or show all of the big points from Dynamite. Just get in, have some nice matches, show some recaps, and get out. That’s more what we got here, and while I could go for a bit of a shorter show, it was still a better outing.

Results

SCU b. Private Party – SCULater to Quen

Britt Baker b. Machiko – Lockjaw

Kris Stadtlander b. Bea Priestley – Big Bang Theory

Hybrid Two/Pac b. Best Friends/Orange Cassidy – Brutalizer to Taylor

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 – December 10, 2019: Figure Things Out

IMG Credit: AEW Wrestling

Dark
Date: December 10, 2019
Location: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Chuck Taylor, Orange Cassidy
Hosts: Dasha Gonzalez, Tony Schiavone

It’s another week as we get closer to the end of the year. The card is going to be your usual mystery bag as the show is likely to get even longer. Rather than just being a collection of dark matches (which aren’t dark as they are being filmed and aired but that isn’t the point). Instead it’s just a toned down Dynamite, which doesn’t work as well when it’s the day before next week’s show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

The announcers run down the card.

Scorpio Sky vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Peter Avalon

Havoc goes straight for the weapons to start so Sky knocks him down before the staple gun can be brought in. That lets Sky hit a spinning crossbody for two on Avalon as Havoc gets inside again. Havoc sends Sky into the corner and hits a sitout implant DDT on Avalon. Sky fights back but Avalon knocks him down as well, meaning it’s time for the double teaming.

That’s fine with Sky, who suplexes Avalon onto Havoc and then dives onto both of them again. With Avalon down on the floor, Havoc hits a Landslide for two on Sky. It’s staple gun time but Avalon knocks it out of Havoc’s hand and gets his own two. Sky throws Havoc outside though and TKOs Avalon for the pin at 6:30.

Rating: C-. Just a match here and a way to get Sky back on the winning track, even though the title should be more than enough to do just that. Avalon taking the fall was of course the right way to go as Havoc has a lot more value than an average wrestler with a bad gimmick. This would have been fine as a dark match, but instead it’s on TV as something completely forgettable, much like a lot of this show.

Dark Order initiation video.

From Dynamite.

Here’s Chris Jericho, flanked by Jake Hager, for a chat. After shilling A Little Bit Of The Bubbly, Jericho pulls out a list….and the fans cheer. Actually they need to get out of 2016 because this is THE LEXICON OF LE CHAMPION! Anyway he has to wrestle one more time in two weeks to wrap up the year but he has some people he won’t wrestle:

Jon Moxley, Cody (“Because he can’t.”), the Young Bucks, Papa Buck, Uncle Buck, Buck Owens, Moxley, Hangman Page, Diamond Dallas Page, Paige, Moxley, Scorpio Sky, 2 Cold Scorpio, Any member of the Scorpions, Moxley, Michael Nakazawa, Kenny Omega, Kenny Ortega, Kenny Shields, Kenny Chesney, Kenny from South Park, Moxley, the chubby guy with the popcorn in the fifth row, the ugly guy with the dumb glasses in the third row, Moxley, Darby Allin, Rick Allen, Alan Jones (AJ Styles), Moxley, Evil Uno, Angry Dos, Hateful Tres, Moxley, Marty…..and here’s the Jurassic Express to interrupt.

Jericho says he wasn’t finished because dinosaurs and little children were up next. Luchasaurus roars at him and then speaks normally, bringing up that he can talk and has a degree in Medieval History. It’s no surprise that dinosaurs are on the list because they’ve been marginalized for 65 million years. Yes Marko is small, but he’s more of a man than Jericho will ever be. That leaves Jungle Boy, who Jericho dubs “a piece of s***”. Jericho doesn’t think Boy could last ten minutes with him, so Boy takes the mic and says he’ll take Jericho out. The fight is on with Hager and Jericho bailing.

Jurassic Express vs. John Silver/Alex Reynolds

Marko Stunt and Luchasaurus for the Express here. Luchasaurus growls Reynolds into the corner so it’s off to Silver, whose chop is swatted away. The monster starts kicking away so it’s off to Stunt to miss a charge in the corner. A running knee gets two on Silver but Reynolds breaks up the dive. Silver’s superkick gets two and Reynolds stands on Stunt’s hair as it is rather cathartic to see Stunt get hurt.

A gorilla press into a cutter gets two on Stunt but he’s fine enough to small package Reynolds for the same. Stunt can’t kick him away so it’s a wheelbarrow roll to get over to Luchasaurus instead. House is cleaned in a hurry (as expected) and there’s the double chokeslam. A powerbomb/top rope flip neckbreaker combination finishes Reynolds at 6:18.

Rating: C. Just a step above a squash here and there is some quality Stunt damage in there as well. Sometimes you just need to see a smaller guy get beaten up to entertain you a bit. That’s what we got here, plus the awesome Luchasaurus getting to wreck people. It’s a fine enough match, but just get back to Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy already.

We look at the current state of/recent events in the women’s division, including Nyla Rose being suspended for attacking a referee.

From Dynamite.

Post match here are Awesome Kong and Brandi Rhodes to dub themselves the Nightmare Collective, saying that they do the jobs no one wants to do. Kris is all up in her business and that may give Kris an opportunity. Brandi tells Kris to pledge herself to the Nightmare Collective right now but before there’s a yes, Kong gets in Kris’ face. A female fan at ringside offers to pledge and security lets her come to ringside. She lets Kong cut off her hair and that’s that. No answer from Kris, as she doesn’t seem interested in joining the newest cult/faction.

We get a profile on Big Swole, whose name means a big personality. She had emergency surgery in 2008 and actually died but had to be brought back to life. Then she had a daughter and has taught her that she needs to live every day because you never know when it might end.

Here are the women’s rankings:

5. Kris Stadtlander

4. Britt Baker

3. Emi Sakura

2. Nyla Rose

1. Hikaru Shida

Christopher Daniels was banged up and is furious at hurting himself. He came out early and got beaten up by Pentagon Jr. Daniels isn’t done with him.

We get the explanation from the Bunny of why the Butcher and the Bunny attacked Cody.

From Dynamite.

Here’s Cody for a chat. He talks about how he isn’t allowed to challenge for the World Title again but everything his gone nuts around here. His brother and the Young Bucks are in a blood feud with Santana and Ortiz, his wife has joined forces with a monster who steals women’s hair and then there’s the Butcher and the Blade. If they wanted a match with him, all they had to do was ask and they can even choose his partner.

That brings him to Maxwell Jacob Friedman, who had no business to throw in the towel at Full Gear. There are a lot of things people can criticize about MJF. He’s short, he might wear a fake scarf, and he does the worst Cross Rhodes in wrestling. Cody: “At least they’re botching it on two channels now.” Or maybe it’s the fact that he’s an NWO low rent Chris Jericho. But MJF won’t fight him, so Cody is willing to sweeten the pot.

Cody offers the keys to his Ford Black Ops (Google says it costs about $88,500), his watch from Tony Khan, and his Louis Vuitton shoes. If that’s not MJF’s speed, Cody brings out a briefcase with about $50,000 cash. To prove it’s real, he gives a kid in the front row $100 and the kid looks….confused? Anyway, come play ball with him and name your price. Cody is a great promo, NXT/WWE shot aside.

We get MJF’s response, where he announces that he hired the Butcher and the Blade to jump Cody, which somehow didn’t make Dynamite.

Video on the six man tag opener from Dynamite.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

Buy a Little Bit Of The Bubbly!

Kenny Omega vs. Kip Sabian

Sabian has Penelope Ford in his corner. They fight on the mat to start with Omega tripping him a few times to take over. Omega misses a big chop so they run the ropes, with Kenny plowing through him for two. A head fake lets Omega chop away in the corner and some more knock Sabian off the top to the floor. Ford offers a distraction though, allowing Sabian to hurricanrana him to the floor.

Ford’s hurricanrana makes it worse and Sabian keeps it up with a hard whip into the corner. A hanging swinging neckbreaker gets two on Omega but he Hulks Up for the slugout. Omega clotheslines him down and You Can’t Escape gets two. Sabian is right back with a springboard tornado DDT for two and Omega is sent to the apron. Ford grabs the leg but Omega is back with a powerbomb.

The running knee to the back of the head rocks Sabian again but he pulls Aubrey Edwards in the way of the V Trigger. Omega pulls up, allowing Ford to come in for a Stunner so Sabian can get two off a kick to the chest. The V Trigger into the snapdragon so Ford comes in again, only to get thrown into Sabian. A Tiger Driver 98 gets two on Sabian and it’s another running knee to the back of the head, setting up the One Winged Angel for the pin at 14:21.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of win that Omega needs: where he has to sweat a bit but is never in any real danger. At the end of the day, he is going to be the big deal going forward, as he should be, and it makes sense to build him up with wins like this. Ford continues to have more star power than she knows what to do with but she almost never gets to do anything significant. Anyway, fine match here for a Dark main event.

Overall Rating: C. This show hasn’t been around very long but it has already started to evolve. Instead of just a collection of matches, the show is also a recap/backstage show. That makes it a bit longer than it needs to be though, as it is now regularly over an hour, and in this case over an hour and fifteen minutes. AEW isn’t at the point where they need to have that much TV time yet and it might be better to cut this by about fifteen to twenty minutes. The fans who are watching this show are already watching Dynamite so why show them the same things again? It’s still good, but tighten things up a bit.

Results

Scorpio Sky b. Jimmy Havoc and Peter Avalon – TKO to Avalon

Jurassic Express b. John Silver/Alex Reynolds – Powerbomb/top rope flip neckbreaker combination to Reynolds

Kenny Omega b. Kip Sabian – One Winged Angel

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 – December 4, 2019: Something Witty About Dark

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: December 3, 2019
Location: Sears Center Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Nyla Rose
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzales

I’m not sure what to expect from here and that is one of the best things you can say about a show like this. I know it’s going to be a collection of matches, but it’s kind of nice to see the wrestlers getting out there and showing what they can do without the storylines to keep things in place. That can be a bad thing too, which is what makes the show a bit more interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Maxwell Jacob Friedman winning the Dynamite Diamond and Diamond Dallas Page almost getting in a fight with Friedman’s bodyguard Wardlow.

Shanna will not be on commentary after an attack at the hands of Nyla Rose, who will be taking her place.

Brandon Cutler vs. Jimmy Havoc

They start with the wrestling as Havoc crucifixes him for two and grabs a wristlock. Cutler can’t get his own armbar as Havoc bites the arm, as he tends to do. A right hand to the face rocks Cutler again so he moonsaults over Havoc and hits a flying forearm as Excalibur goes into a rather long run on sentence. Havoc bails to the floor and grabs the staple gun to prevent a dive.

Back in and a low blow keeps Cutler in trouble, meaning it’s back to the ear for more biting. There’s a poke to the eye for a bonus, setting up a suplex into the corner for two. The Acid Rainmaker is broken up so Havoc bites him again, with Rose saying it’s because of some new cologne. Havoc hits a double stomp to the chest but Cutler sweeps the leg, setting up a legdrop to the apron. A springboard elbow gives Cutler two but it’s the Acid Rainmaker to give Havoc the pin at 7:55.

Rating: C-. In a way this was more effective for Havoc than most of the hardcore stuff because there is only so much you can get out of all the same stuff every time. Havoc isn’t someone who is going to get a lot of wins so putting him out there like this is as good as you’re going to get. It was more or less a squash, which is about all you can do with Cutler, who isn’t going to win anything of note.

Post match Havoc staples a $10,000 check to Cutler’s head.

In the back, Cutler yells at Havoc and is told that he’s being fined. Havoc says he’s a villain so he doesn’t care about the $10,000 fines for each use of the staple gun. Makes sense in a way.

Dark Order recruitment vignette.

Video on the Blade/Butcher/Bunny debuting and attacking Tony.

Shawn Spears vs. Sonny Kiss

Tully Blanchard is here with Spears. Kiss backflips out of a wristlock to start and drops into the splits as Spears isn’t sure what to do here. After knocking Kiss down, Spears gets in some dancing of his own, with the fans giving it a TEN. Kiss gets in a knockdown of his own and hits a splits legdrop, only to get knocked outside. Back in and the Death Valley Driver finishes Kiss at 3:59.

Rating: D+. Total squash here and that is the best thing it could have been. The best sign out of the whole thing is Kiss being left as a comedy jobber. A lot of fans were worried about less serious characters like Kiss being pushed to the top of the card but that has not been the case and it is quite the relief.

Post match Spears and Blanchard spike piledriver Kiss on the floor.

We look at Dustin Rhodes’ interview being interrupted and a brawl erupting.

We see Christopher Daniels jumping the Lucha Bros, setting up Daniels vs. Pentagon Jr. on Dynamite.

We look at the end of Chris Jericho vs. Scorpio Sky with Jericho retaining the title and being confronted by Jon Moxley as a result.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

We go to a documentary feature called Jurassic Planet, featuring a narrator talking about Jungle Boy in the wild. Luchasaurus is seen eating some leaves and the two form a friendship….before running into the dancing Marko Stunt. They have something here and it doesn’t involve Stunt.

Jurassic Express vs. Santana and Ortiz

That name sounds better than Proud and Powerful and they use it enough so I’m going with it. Santana and Jungle Boy start things off with Santana taking him into the corner for a somewhat insulting chop. They hit the mat and fight over a wristlock until Boy snaps off a hurricanrana. A dropkick sends Santana into the corner so Marko can come in, allowing Boy to spear him into the corner.

That leaves Stunt in the ring though and it’s a dropkick into a German suplex to knock him silly. A belly to back suplex lets Santana pose and we get the delayed vertical suplex with a few trades back and forth. Stunt eventually reverses into a small package for two on Santana but Ortiz is right back in with a Falcon Arrow.

Everything breaks down and Santana and Ortiz ram them together to take over again. Jurassic Express is sat in some chairs and Cannonballed right back out of them for the big crash. Back in and Stunt has to crawl to the rope to escape the Boston crab. That’s enough for the tag back to Boy and a high crossbody gets two on Ortiz.

A sunset flip into a jackknife cover gives Santana two with Stunt diving off the top for the save. Stunt launches off of Boy’s back for a running DDT and Boy lifts Santana up onto his shoulder. That lets Stunt come off the top with a flipping cutter into a spinning Big Ending for two and the fans are getting into the kickouts. Boy gets sent to the floor though and it’s a powerbomb into kick to the face from Santana for the pin on Stunt at 13:24.

Rating: C. You know every complaint that I’ve had about Stunt so far? It’s the exact same thing here. I can’t get around how small he is as he’s more or less a wrestling mascot with the stupid dancing over and over. Yes the fans cheer for him, but he was a novelty act at first and the novelty has worn off in a hurry.

Post match here’s Sammy Guevara for the beatdown but it’s Luchasaurus coming out for the save. The chokeslam into the standing moonsault crushes Ortiz but here’s Jake Hager. They slug it out until the Inner Circle gets up to beat Luchasaurus down, only to have the Young Bucks come in for the save. Luchasaurus and Boy throw Stunt through the air for a Canadian Destroyer.

Tony and Dasha wrap things up.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m not sure what was up with them on this night but dang it wasn’t exactly working. Last week’s Dynamite wasn’t great and this show was one of the weaker Darks they’ve aired yet. The ending helped, but aside from that, which will likely be shown on Dynamite, there was nothing to see here and that is becoming more of a trend on Dark. It isn’t a bad show, but it’s one I don’t think about after it’s done and it wouldn’t hurt much if it was dropped. Oh and keep Rose FAR away from commentary. She had a few decent moments but she was much more annoying than anything else.

Results

Jimmy Havoc b. Brandon Cutler – Acid Rainmaker

Shawn Spears b. Sonny Kiss – Death Valley Driver

Santana and Ortiz b. Jurassic Express – Kick to Stunt’s head

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 – November 26, 2019: The Big Is Back

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: November 26, 2019
Location: Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Shawn Spears, Excalibur
Host: Tony Schiavone

It’s a big week this time around with the AAA Mega Champion Kenny Omega defending against Jack Evans. Jack was a big deal down in AAA so it makes sense to give him a shot here. You never can tell what you might get around here and in this case, that is a better case than most. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony, without Dasha this week, welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.

Trent vs. Pentagon Jr.

Orange Cassidy is here with Trent. Pentagon starts with some CERO MIEDOS but gets chopped for his efforts. You don’t chop with Pentagon so he slugs away, only to get caught in a bridging northern lights suplex for two. They head to the apron with Trent knocking him down and hitting a sliding knee to the floor. The slingshot dive misses though and Pentagon hits a quick superkick to set up some more chops.

Back in and they slug it out until Trent clotheslines the heck out of him. The big flip dive takes Pentagon down and it’s a running knee for two back inside. Pentagon is right back with the Sling Blade but can’t get the Fear Factor. Trent is right back with a tornado DDT but he gets knocked off the top, setting up the double stomp for two.

A Backstabber into a springboard Canadian Destroyer (egads) gives Pentagon two more, only to have Trent blast him with a running knee. Pentagon is right back on the apron and hits the Package Piledriver to knock Trent silly. Back in and Pentagon snaps the arm but the Fear Factor is countered into the belly to back kneeling piledriver for the clean pin at 12:00.

Rating: C+. The ending rather surprised me as I wouldn’t have bet on Trent getting a fall over someone like Pentagon Jr. If nothing else, Trent hasn’t won much in AEW so far and it was quite out of nowhere to see him beat a former World Champion. What we got here was fine and rather action packed, but Trent winning was a real shock. We’ll figure out if that is good or bad later.

Video on Shanna, a Portuguese wrestler by way of Portugal. She has always wanted to wrestle and tried to get here, including several tryouts from WWE. Impact told her that she was too fat for television and she was considering leaving the business. Then AEW came around and here she is to this day. She is fighting for everything she has.

Big Swole liked Shanna’s story but everyone has own. Tonight, she is going to show everyone what a Swole attitude is all about.

Big Swole vs. Shanna

Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get anywhere off an attempt at arm control. Swole grabs the wristlock and takes her down for a second but Shanna is right back up. Some armdrags take Swole down and it’s time to start each other down again. Shanna hits a running flip neckbreaker but Swole is right back with a big boot for two. Swole chokes away in the corner and we’re off to the neck crank.

A running clothesline gives Swole two more but Shanna fights out of a choke on the ropes. They slug it out from their knees until Shanna gets the better of it off a running charge to tie her up. Swole’s tornado DDT is countered as she gets tied up in the ropes, meaning it’s a top rope double stomp to the back for a change. A Deep Six gives Swole two more but Shanna is right back with the dragon suplex for the fast pin at 11:12.

Rating: C-. Swole continues to not do anything for me and it is getting to be a problem. She is here every week and it isn’t like they have anything worse to use in her place. Shanna is someone who could be turned into something that matters sooner rather than later and that vignette helped her a good bit. Not a great match but it was fine enough.

We look at SCU tricking Chris Jericho into giving Scorpio Sky a World Title match.

We see the end of last week’s battle royal.

We get a By The Numbers video, including:

88 days since Kenny Omega lost at All Out

0 losses for Chris Jericho until he was pinned in the six man

8 stitches Cody needed after his most recent match

Come to our shows!

Leva Bates vs. Awesome Kong

Before the match, Peter Avalon insults the Indianapolis Motor Speedway but Kong’s entrance cuts him off. Brandi is out with Kong and Bates tries to show the monster some reading after the bell. The Implant Buster finishes Bates at 1:05.

Post match Kong cuts some more hair due to reasons.

AAA Mega Title: Kenny Omega vs. Jack Evans

Omega is defending. Evans plays to the crowd a bit before get get to some quality circling. Omega can’t get far off an armdrag so instead he does the Omega BANG pop. That gets him a right hand to the face and get some some of the fast paced flips. Evans shrugs off the running Fameasser by blocking most of it before dropkicking a springboarding Omega out of the air.

A hard whip into the corner has Omega in control again, setting up a backbreaker for two. Omega goes for a Gory Stretch to stay on the ribs, with Evans being bent hard over the shoulder. With that broken up, Omega hits a heck of a right hand, only to have his powerbomb reversed into a faceplant.

Omega shrugs that off and hits an over the shoulder kneeling backbreaker for two. Evans manages to kick him to the floor though and that means the big springboard moonsault. A slingshot 450 gets two back inside and a standing corkscrew moonsault is good for the same near fall.

Omega kicks him straight into the corner though and there’s the snap dragon suplex to put Evans down. A second sends him to the apron and it’s a running knee to send Evans to the floor. Back in and the V Trigger is cut off with a dropkick but Omega cuts off a charge. Omega gets two off a Tiger Driver 98 and it’s the One Winged Angel to retain Omega’s title at 15:49.

Rating: C+. Omega never felt close to being in trouble here but I think that was the point. It is going to take someone special to take the title from him and Evans isn’t that kind of a wrestler. The stuff with Omega wearing down the back worked fine and they did well enough, though it could have been trimmed down a bit.

Quick wrap up from Tony.

Overall Rating: C+. The show still needs to be a bit shorter (an hour and fifteen minutes for three regular matches and a squash is FAR too long) but it was nice to have something that felt big for a change. Even if Omega wasn’t in any danger of losing and Trent winning is kind of shocking, you could have done them in shorter matches. Shanna got a nice rub out of this week though and Omega gets back on the winning track. Just don’t have it go so long.

Results

Trent b. Pentagon Jr. – Belly to back kneeling piledriver

Shanna b. Big Swole – Dragon suplex

Awesome Kong b. Leva Bates – Implant Buster

Kenny Omega b. Jack Evans – One Winged Angel

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 – November 19, 2019: Some Of Someone’s Best Yet

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Dark
Date: November 19, 2019
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Dustin Rhodes, Excalibur
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

This show is starting to seem a little less important as we almost never see a big match around here anymore. That can pick up at any time though and that makes the show a lot easier to watch. However, I’m not sure how interesting this show is going to be week to week, which is an issue they might want to fix a little bit. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony and Dasha welcome us to a tag team edition of the show.

Dustin Rhodes is your special commentator this week. Having a rotating guest commentator is a good idea.

Private Party vs. Best Friends

Orange Cassidy is here with the Best Friends and Quen throws him some jewelry. The fans love that, because Cassidy is a national treasure that you must love or something about boomer. Quen and Trent slug it out and it’s quickly off to Chuck as Dustin sounds like he’s having the time of his life out there (he is totally Dusty Rhodes’ son).

Chuck throws him into the corner with a suplex but it’s off to Isaiah to take over and hook the camel clutch, setting up the double stomp to the back. Orange gets up on the apron to pose with the wrong team and the fans cheer because he did something. The Best Friends come back in and Chuck hits Soul Food on Quen, setting up…..a bite to the boot? A Doomsday superplex gets two on Isaiah, freaking Dustin out because he wants to go to the party tonight (Dustin: “I know I’m 50 but I want to go to the party!”).

The tag brings Quen back in for a dropkick to Trent and a dive to Chuck. Another dive makes it even worse and a springboard crossbody gets two on Trent. A neckbreaker/Swanton combination gets two on Trent but it’s back to Chuck as everyone goes outside.

Chuck powerslams Quen onto the same and the knee gets two on Isaiah back inside. The tornado DDT is broken up and Silly String takes Chuck down. Quen dives onto Chuck on the floor and the shooting star press, say it with me, gets two. Gin and Juice misses with Quen getting stuck in the corner, allowing Chuck to powerbomb Isaiah into him in the corner. That sets up the BIG HUG and Strong Zero finishes Cassidy at 14:54.

Rating: B-. I’ve never been a fan of the Best Friends but this was the best performance I’ve ever seen from them and I had a good time watching it. They didn’t have a classic or anything but we got a rather solid match with everyone looking good and some awesome spots. Now that being said, can we PLEASE have Quen beat someone with that shooting star press? Either that or don’t let him use it every single match.

Big Swole/Kris Stadtlander vs. Riho/Britt Baker

Swole powers Riho into the corner to start so Riho headlocks her to the mat. The double stomp misses so it’s off to Baker vs. Stadtlander. A release gordbuster plants Baker and a dropkick to the knee gives Stadtlander two. Swole can’t get in a suplex so Baker is back with a Sling Blade for one.

We hit a neck crank on Swole but Baker avoids a lot superkick, only to take Swole down again. That’s enough to bring Riho back in but charges right into a superkick. Dustin can’t understand how Excalibur knows all these names as Riho sends Stadtlander down, allowing the tag back to Baker. Everything breaks down and Stadtlander throws Baker onto Riho for two.

A hanging DDT gets two on Swole but a big kick to the head gives Baker two on Stadtlander. Riho’s top rope double stomp gets the same and it’s Baker and Stadtlander rolling around for a good while into a rollup for two on Stadtlander. Riho gets sent outside and Swole hits Stadtlander by mistake. Baker sends Swole outside and it’s Lockjaw to finish Stadtlander at 12:36.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable here, though it isn’t like that is the highest level of praise. It still seems that a lot of the women are waiting for their break out moment and I’m not sure when that is going to come. The division is still a work in progress, but that doesn’t mean it is something that works a lot of the time. This was more interesting than some of the matches they have but it is nothing memorable or even very good.

We get Cody’s weekly sitdown interview, this time with Justin Roberts. He went from the low of being released from WWE to what he is now and people remembering him is something special to him. I can certainly appreciate his passion if nothing else.

We look back at MJF ranting about Cody trying to keep him underneath his thumb. Cody came out for the fight but Wardlow debuted to save MJF.

We see the brawl between the Young Bucks and Santana/Ortiz. The Orange Cassidy cameo is omitted here, which is a case of addition by subtraction.

The highlights continue with a clip of Scorpio Sky pinning Chris Jericho to retain the World Title. Jericho snapping as a result is appropriate for him.

Young Bucks vs. Strong Hearts

Nick headlocks T-Hawk to start so they take turns with shoulders. A dropkick takes T-Hawk down and Lindaman is kicked to the floor as well. T-Hawn is right back with a suplex though and Lindaman strikes away at Nick. Everything breaks down for a bit and it’s a series of strikes into an assisted suplex to drop Nick.

Lindaman hits a dive onto Nick but an enziguri gets Nick out of trouble. Matt comes in off the tag for the rotating suplexes but another German suplex puts Matt down. It’s back to Nick for the fast paced comeback, including the moonsault to the floor. The Meltzer Driver finishes Lindaman at 7:49.

Overall Rating: B-. Nothing was close to bad and they kept things moving. Couple that with Dustin sounding so much like his dad that it’s unreal and this was an entertaining show. They still could tighten things up a bit and cut out a recap or even a match, but this was a good enough show and one of the better ones since it debuted.

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